Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero – How to Counter Back Attacks

To break out of a combo lock and find your footing in the battle, it’s important to know how to counter back attacks and even a counterattack! Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero is pulling no punches when it comes to delivering the ultimate experience as a true Z fighter, and thinking fast on your feet is an important skill.

Countering attacks is not a new feature in Sparking Zero, as players have been able to halt their opponent’s combo streak since the early Tenkaichi days. However, there are some more aspects to keep in mind with the revival of the series, and we’ll be telling you all you need to know in this guide!

What Are Counters and How Do They Work in Dragon Ball Sparking Zero?

Countering an attack during a Sparking Zero match allows you to instantly end your opponent’s attacks and also land a blow yourself. It’s a great way to turn the tide in a pinch and can help you regain momentum to ride all the way to victory. Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero’s combat system is easy to understand but not as easy to master, and counters are a perfect example of that.

Countering involves blocking your enemy’s attack just as it’s about to land and retaliating with a strike that creates space. You can follow this up by using a dash move to close in the distance, or a Ki Blast or other moves to deal damage to your momentarily incapacitated foe.

Countering is especially useful when your opponent is attacking from behind, as this often leads to being locked in a combo.

It’s also possible to counter ranged attacks, but there is a more economical method of avoiding them. However, if you have no alternative, a Counter is always a viable strategy to get out of a pinch.

But, before you start spamming this move, you need to be mindful of your Skill Points. These allow you to perform various tasks during a battle, such as transforming, fusing, and countering. Without the necessary number of Skill Points, you will not be able to do a Counter.

How to Counter Back Attacks During a Match in Sparking Zero?

Countering requires you to make a controller input the moment your opponent’s attack is about to land. Depending on the input, you will perform either a Revenge Counter or a Super Counter. The first is much easier to perform as compared to the second, but both will require some understanding of timing and enemy attack patterns to execute perfectly.

Both Counters can be used at any time during combat, but you may find each has its specific uses in certain scenarios.

Revenge Counters

These are the easier Counter to perform, as all you need to do is click down on your movement-specific analog stick. Doing so when an opponent is hitting you, or is firing Ki Blasts at you, will result in the character negating the attacks and then either landing a blow or dashing in close to hit your opponent.

It should be noted that these Counters will consume two Skill Points and can quickly drain your collection if you are not wise with their uses. Skill Points will regenerate over time, but you will be unable to transform, fuse, or go into Sparking! Mode if you don’t have any Skill Points available, but you can still use skills such as Sonic Sway.

This move is great when your character has almost entirely run out of Ki, resulting in a stunned state when you can’t use High-Speed Movements or Blocks. It’s also very useful when your enemy is constantly attacking you from behind, making you unable to perform a Guard. They can be very useful, but a true mark of skill is the Super Counter.

Super Counters

Performing a Super Counter requires you to press up on your movement-specific analog stick, and the Square/X/Punch button at the same time, just as an attack is about to land. This will result in the same effect as the previous Counter: disrupting your opponent’s flow and knocking them back with an attack.

There are pros and cons to this method. One of the biggest pros is that this kind of Counter requires no Skill Points to perform. But, the con is that this does require skill and some very fast reflexes to know when to press the buttons. Those with enough practice would be able to spam this attack throughout the battle and constantly dominate the clash.

How to React When Your Opponent Uses a Revenge Counter?

Both these Counters might seem a bit OP to the average player, but there is a way to work against them as well. This method might be even trickier than the Super Counter, as you need precise timing and an understanding of character cues to predict a Revenge Counter. It’s not as easy as deflecting Ki Blasts, but practicing this can be a real game-changer in Ranked matches.

Once you have the context cues down for when your opponent is performing this move, you can Counter this move by entering Perception mode. This is quite difficult and will take a lot of practice but doing it successfully will negate their Counter.

This Counter won’t immediately knock them away, instead stunning them in place. But it does open them up to a variety of other attacks.

Canceling this move will also cost you two Skill Points. Doing so can not only help you get the upper hand but also affect your opponent’s psyche, who may have thought they would be in the power position for a bit after their Counter.

Which combat mechanic is your favorite in the game? Let us know in the comments below and check out our other Sparking Zero guides for more tips and tricks on how to be the best fighter across universes!