The amount of life for characters is measured by a number system from 1 to 999, which can be charged at any time during the match. Examples include Piccolo fighting Frieza in his final form and Goku being the one to defeat Cell as a Super Saiyan 2. The story mode is also quite inaccurate to the true story mostly due to the lack of characters during various points in the story. Scenarios during the game start with focus on one character and generally end with the focus of another.
Also, the story mode of Hyper Dimension is not like other fighting games of its time, such as Street Fighter, Tekken, or Mortal Kombat where the plot focuses on the character selected by the player. Other characters deaths, usually those of Goku or Gohan, require the use of a credit, appropriately a Senzu Bean, to continue playing. The only prominent difference is that select characters losing certain battles does not impede on the progression of the plot. Hyper Dimension features a story similar to that of the Dragon Ball Z anime, taking place from the late Frieza Saga through the Kid Buu Saga.