Section Z[a] is a 1985 side-scrolling shooter video game developed and published by Capcom for arcades.

Set in an unspecified year during the third millennium, the player takes the role of an astronaut sent to infiltrate and destroy a space station orbiting near the Earth that is actually the secret base of an alien empire known as the "Balangool".

The player will fight an enemy boss at the end of each stage, concluding with the final battle against the "L Brain" at Section Z.

The controls consist of an eight-way joystick and two buttons, one for shooting and the other for changing the character's aim to the left or right.

The player will shoot their rifle towards the left or the right with the fire button, while dropping bombs at the same time to the ground.

[2] A console version of Section Z was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in North America and Europe in 1987.

However the player can still continue at the beginning of their current section, even if they lose all of their lives, as long as they still have energy left.

[8] In Japan, Game Machine listed Section Z on their January 15, 1986 issue as being the eighth most-successful table arcade unit of the month.

[9] In 2016, Federico Tiraboschi of Hardcore Gaming 101 compared Section Z to Namco's Baraduke, released earlier in 1985.