Review: Burger King's New Dragon Ball Super Menu Items Take The Flavor Over 9,000

Akira Toriyama got the world of "Dragon Ball" rolling in 1984, and the high-kicking adventures of its main character, Son Goku, helped cement the anime as a worldwide favorite. America got its first real taste of the "Dragon Ball Z" series when it hit television screens in 1996, and fans have hungered for more ever since. Burger King wanted a piece of the action and first partnered with the show in 2000 for a kids' meal that included figures and cards, and again three years later with nuggets in the shapes of stars and lightning bolts.

The series is returning in fall 2026 with "Dragon Ball Super: Beerus," and Burger King is once again jumping back into the Dragon World with not only a new kids' meal but an adult-friendly one, too. Yes, of course they come with collectible figures, and BK is also dropping two new items to chew on and sip up — a teriyaki-style Super Saiyan Sauce to pair with its newly crowned awesome Chicken Nuggets, as well as a Dragon Ball Burst Lemonade infused with mango peach puree and popping mango boba.

Besides the cool toys, the real question is: Are the new "Dragon Ball"-inspired dipping sauce and beverage truly "Super" and worth trying "over 9,000" times, or are they perhaps something unholy, like the Gods of Destruction? I pulled up a seat at a Burger King table to find out.

Recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer. Prices are as of the date of publication and may vary based on region.

On the first day that the Dragon Ball Z x Burger King collaboration dropped in stores, I moseyed on over to my nearest BK location to have some bites and sips of the new items and form tasteful opinions on them. I ordered the Dragon Ball Super Power Up Pack, which includes the two new items central to this review: the Super Saiyan Sauce, which accompanies the recently reformulated and reintroduced Chicken Nuggets, as well as Dragon Ball Burst Lemonade. For freshness and fairness, all items were consumed on site for this review.

This review is a summation of my personal tastes and opinions. I also took into consideration my previous experiences with Burger King and its sauces and lemonades, rivals' dipping sauces, and boba drinks. The criteria considered for this review were flavor, presentation, aroma, texture, temperature, familiarity, originality, uniqueness, Dragon Ball Z-ness, and ultimately, whether these items are worth your time and dime.

Aside from the Dragon Ball title treatment and small burst of flame on the label, the Super Saiyan Sauce looked kind of ordinary. When I peeled back the label, a deep brownish-burgundy pile of goop lay before me. It sort of looked like barbecue sauce mixed with motor oil. A closer examination revealed some sesame seeds and flecks of pepper. The aroma was similar to the Kikkoman Sweet Soy Glaze that resides in my fridge at home. For the record, this sauce is sold at room temperature, but I wouldn't have minded if it was refrigerated.

Before I used the sauce for its intended dipping purpose, I wanted to know what it tasted like. A finger dab confirmed all I needed to know: This sauce was indeed super. It started off with a nice pinch of sweetness before finishing strong with a sour-like savoriness. It not only smelled like soy glaze, but tasted like one, too. In some respects, it could also pass as a plum sauce, which I would happily lather on a bánh mì sandwich.

Things got even better when I brought the chicken nuggets to the party. Their delicate but delightfully crispy shells were up to the task of grabbing hold of the sticky Saiyan Sauce. Gobble after gobble, its flavor remained "Super," and I literally couldn't get enough of it. Thankfully, the meal came with two cups, but the more the merrier, right?

Design-wise, the cup the Dragon Ball Burst Lemonade was in was more fun than the Saiyan Sauce. I was greeted by an image of Son Goku, with his hands in a fist wrap salute. He had a knowing smile, which led me to believe there might also be something "Super" about this item as well. The lemonade's body has one of my favorite color schemes — the tequila sunrise-like gradient made famous by the Indiana Jones logo. The top of the drink was tranquil yellow and slowly transformed into a vibrant orange shade toward the bottom. I could see the boba orbs waiting for me at the bottom. The drink mainly smelled like a sugary lemonade and did not hint at the fruity flavor packed within it. 

My first sip was sickly sweet, but the drink apologized for its initial boldness by delivering strong fruit flavors in subsequent sips. Mango seemed to take the lead, with a splash of peach working magic in the background. The lemonade somehow got lost, but I truly didn't care.

My previous experience with boba tells me that a straw should have a wide opening, and I worried about the standard one provided with this lemonade. My worries receded immediately as the straw was indeed the correct size to handle these smaller boba pearls. The popping boba upped the ante of the already mango-forward drink, adding both a delicious extra splash of fruit flavor and a fun bursting texture.

While the nuggets with Super Saiyan Sauce and the Dragon Ball Burst Lemonade can be ordered separately, you'll be denying yourself a wide spectrum of delicious flavors by skipping the Dragon Ball Super Power Up Pack meal. The sauce is fantastic, and while it was well-suited to dress nuggets, it actually worked best when drenching the fries, which come with the meal. The plainness of the salty side allowed the Saiyan Sauce to somehow exude even more Super-macy. This winning sauce would go great on anything. Next trip to BK, I may have to use it to sauce up a chicken sandwich, or even a Whopper.

On its own, the Dragon Ball Burst Lemonade may be almost too much to tackle. It is supremely sweet, but I had no problem slurping my medium-sized cup down, especially on the hot and humid day on which I had ordered it. The drink was the perfect companion to offset the denseness of the sauce and savoriness of the fried items. It's as though they formed a symbiosis, a sort of yin and yang that balance each other in the meal. I also liked the stray mango boba hiding at the bottom of the cup when I finished the drink, which could be slurped up with the straw. The final splashes of mango were a refreshing reminder of just how "Super" this meal truly was. I guess we can trust Son Goku's knowing smile. I'm ready to order this meal over 9,000 times.

The Dragon Ball Super collaboration lands at participating locations of Burger King nationwide on September 1. At a majority of locations, the items in this collaboration are available to order when breakfast ends and the daytime menu begins. They will remain on menus for a limited time only, and while supplies last.

There are two meals available in this collaboration — the Dragon Ball Super Power Up Pack ($9.99) and the Dragon Ball Super King Jr. Meal. The former includes a 10-piece order of Chicken Nuggets with the new Super Saiyan Sauce, Dragon Ball Burst Lemonade, a medium fry, and one of six Dragon Ball Super figurines. The latter kids' meal includes a choice of hamburger, cheeseburger, or a four- or six-piece set of Chicken Nuggets, a choice of applesauce or fries, milk or apple juice, and a Dragon Ball Super-themed toy and themed crown. The lemonade, nuggets, and even the Super Saiyan sauce can also be ordered à la carte. The drinks come in four sizes — kids, small, medium, and large — and the sauce can be ordered separately.

A medium-sized Dragon Ball Burst Lemonade contains 270 calories, 10 milligrams of sodium, and 68 grams of sugar. At the Manhattan location I went to, a medium drink retailed for $3.89. A single cup of the Super Saiyan Sauce, which was sold at my local BK for $0.60, contains 54 calories, 321 milligrams of sodium, and 11 grams of sugar.