Why Dragon Ball FighterZ Fans Hate Its Latest DLC Character

ign.com:

Dragon Ball FighterZ has remained surprisingly popular within the fighting game community since its release back in January 2018, bolstered by a slow but steady stream of content updates and balance patches. Considering it's four years old as of this year, DBFZ has managed to hold its own alongside heavy-hitters like Street Fighter V and Tekken 7, and it's even managed to outlive sequels to popular franchises like Samurai Shodown (2019) and Soulcalibur VI which debuted long after DBFZ launched. However, for the first time since Dragon Ball FighterZ was released, casual fans and seasoned pro-players appear to feel ambivalent about the future of the game - due in large part to the release of its newest DLC character, Android 21 (Lab Coat).

Yet, this slow, heavily spaced-out approach to content updates may have finally proven to be Dragon Ball FighterZ's undoing – especially where Lab Coat is concerned. Since her release in February, DBFZ's average player count on Steam Charts has seen a noticeable dip – dropping by just over 30% from 1,560 concurrent players in the month prior to her release, down to 1,083 in March. A drop in player numbers immediately following a DLC character's release is to be expected, but when compared to figures from the month prior they are a cause for concern.

Android 21 (Lab Coat) is the obvious culprit for this drop in player retention, and with good reason - the player base, both casual and pro, unanimously agrees she’s too strong. So strong in fact, that many pros believe playing her in serious tournaments feels less like a choice and more like their only option. You either play her and win, or you play against her and lose. But what makes her especially different? Overpowered DLC characters are