DBSZ Afterimage Strike Guide: Master the OP Move & Counters!

Master the Afterimage Strike in Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero!

Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero's Afterimage Strike: How to Use This OP Move (and How to Counter It!)

The Afterimage Strike in Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero is seriously powerful—some say overpowered! It’s basically a cheat code; you become practically invincible and dodge almost every attack! It is no surprise it is hated online, because it is almost impossible to defend against this. Those who master this technique with the right character usually win most battles easily.

Unlike other moves that merely involve some simple button-pressing, the Afterimage Strike is significantly more complex and tricky to get right. This is often frustrating; yet this can be incredibly useful and once you get it, you’ll use it constantly. Be warned: it is so broken, that it's highly likely to get nerfed sometime soon!

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Unlocking Invincibility: How to Execute the Afterimage Strike

Dragon Ball Sparking Zero Afterimage Strike Image

The Afterimage Strike is only usable by specific characters – you can’t unlock it; it has to be inherently part of your chosen fighter’s skillset. It can’t be learned. These characters however give many possibilities, meaning you'll likely find a favorite or just someone who matches your play style very effectively, meaning that some people may find an easier or faster way to get it working, by selecting a very specific character for the process, although certain other characters do still work in their own unique way, which requires those players to learn those nuances that may differentiate between other characters.

Some examples: GT Goku, Kid Gohan, Super Vegeta, Super Vegito, Krillin, Pan, Roshi, Videl, and Dabura. The most effective however uses the overwhelmingly powerful Super Vegito; a top-tier character that already dominates fights. With Vegito, that 15-second invincibility from Afterimage Strike lasts almost the entire match. Keep an eye out for DLC characters, because there is additional opportunity in upcoming content which might just have even more overpowered characters who possess this kind of broken ability.

The move consumes three ki bars (expensive!), but makes you invincible! But it is extremely important to also remember, you still earn ki while beating your foe so with enough skill, you could reuse Afterimage Strike very quickly; yet transforming disables it (so no Vegito Blue)! Check each character’s moves; look for Afterimage Strike — use what it shows you to do it. Check out DracoWolf’s video for a demonstration.

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Countering Invincibility: The Only Defenses in Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero

Android 18 preparing an attack in Dragon Ball Sparking Zero Image

Afterimage Strike makes it sound almost impossible for anyone to actually fight you – making that 15-second invincibility utterly overwhelming for anyone. So, how does anyone possibly fight? Those who try must fight smart. It is surprisingly easy if approached in this correct manner; especially for characters already having skills geared towards distance or keeping those attacks limited to easily deflected shots, meaning certain other characters have innate abilities for counter-acting the invincibility conferred by the Afterimage strike; yet only some approaches work against it. This greatly favors certain character abilities!

Ki blasts and grabs are your ONLY real counters. This involves making those difficult approaches work while knowing your limitations: bigger ki attacks get dodged. Your smartest strategy requires making that approach very clearly known and consistently performed with great focus: you’re buying that 15-second timer by keeping away and hitting those difficult targets in the most effective manner, even after having dodged several of the opposing character's attacks; while doing this, maintaining enough distance would make any battle end within the first 15 seconds of that technique’s activation, providing those opponents that kind of temporary invincibility, ultimately becoming surprisingly easier to exploit!

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Conclusion: Mastering the Afterimage Strike - An Imperfect Art Form

Dragon Ball Sparking Zero Videl activating Afterimage Strike Image

Afterimage Strike is insanely powerful. The entire concept sounds utterly ridiculous, and even broken on every possible conceivable level and makes fights relatively easy. It’s almost unfair; easily the kind of game-breaking technique that people tend to get very annoyed at when faced, given its overwhelming nature. This creates serious concerns. While many people expect this game mechanic to receive a significant nerf sooner or later, understanding how this technique works, and using a clever and consistently focused approach makes overcoming it way easier for many players. If done correctly this mechanic can completely be countered in Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero! Those strategies are surprisingly straightforward but do require dedicated planning for these fights.

DBSZ Afterimage Strike Guide: Master the OP Move & Counters!

Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero's Afterimage Strike: How to Use This OP Move (and How to Counter It!)

Unlocking Invincibility: How to Execute the Afterimage Strike

Countering Invincibility: The Only Defenses in Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero

Conclusion: Mastering the Afterimage Strike - An Imperfect Art Form

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