Goku, a tail-bearing boy raised in the mountains, teams up with Bulma to collect Dragon Balls while battling bandits and Emperor Pilaf's forces, with side-scrolling boss fights and some original tournament and MB Army content added by developer TOSE. The premise centers on classic shonen tropes of martial arts training, adventure, and wish-granting dragons, with no character creation, romance mechanics, or identity-focused subplots.

Released in 1986, the title employs traditional shonen adventure storytelling centered on fighting and exploration without any social commentary layered into the narrative or gameplay. The absence of character customization, pronoun options, or modern identity elements keeps the focus entirely on the core action and quest structure. As a product of its era, the game features no developer DEI statements or consultancy involvement, allowing the faithful adaptation of early Dragon Ball arcs to stand on its own merits as pure entertainment without ideological overlays.