Dragon Quest (universe)

Dragon Quest (universe)
Developer(s)	Square Enix Chunsoft Heartbeat ArtePiazza Level-5 Intelligent Systems
Publisher(s)	Square Enix (formerly Enix) Nintendo
Designer(s)	Yuji Horii Koichi Nakamura
Genre(s)	Role-playing
Console/platform of origin	Nintendo Entertainment System
First installment	Dragon Quest (1986)
Latest installment	Dragon Quest Tact (2020)
Article on Dragon Quest Wiki	Dragon Quest (universe)

The Dragon Quest universe (ドラゴンクエスト, Dragon Quest) refers to the Super Smash Bros. series' collection of characters, stages, and properties hailing from the series of role-playing games originally published by Enix, now Square Enix. The player character assumes the role of a chosen hero going off on a quest to vanquish a cataclysmic evil and save the world. The franchise is widely considered the quintessential Japanese RPG series, to the point of being a cultural phenomenon in its country while having a relatively small but passionate fanbase everywhere else. The series, alongside Final Fantasy, laid the foundation that would define the genre for generations to come, directly inspiring monumental titles including Pokémon, EarthBound, Fire Emblem, and Shin Megami Tensei (including its subseries Persona), and elements popularized by it can still be seen in more modern series like Xenoblade Chronicles or Kingdom Hearts.

Franchise description

In 1982, Enix sponsored a video game programming contest in Japan which would bring much of the original Dragon Quest team together, including creator Yuji Horii. The prize was a trip to the United States and a visit to AppleFest '83 in San Francisco, where Horii discovered the Wizardry series of American role-playing games. Fellow contest winners Koichi Nakamura and Yukinobu Chida, working with Horii, released the Enix game The Portopia Serial Murder Case for NEC's PC-6001 in 1983; it was an instant success which set an early standard for non-traditional, open-ended gameplay. This style would influence many games after its release, including The Legend of Zelda and Enix's own Dragon Quest.

A few years later, Horii desired to introduce the concept of role-playing games to the wider Japanese video game audience, distilling the experience to its purest form. To this end, his team began to develop an RPG that would combine elements from the American computer games Wizardry and Ultima. These series were popular among computer hobbyists in Japan, but were deemed too difficult and convoluted for the average player to enjoy. In order to make this game more accessible than the usual computer RPG of the time, it was designed to be more streamlined and fast-paced, with a greater focus on exploration, combat, and storytelling. Horii combined the full-screen map of Ultima with the battle and statistic-oriented Wizardry screens to create the core gameplay of Dragon Quest. He chose the Famicom because, unlike arcade games, players would not have to worry about spending more money upon defeat, and could continue playing from a save point. Noted mangaka Akira Toriyama, of Dragon Ball fame, was commissioned to illustrate the characters and monsters. Similarly, music composer Koichi Sugiyama, known for advertising jingles and pop songs, was hired to compose the game's soundtrack after he sent a postcard to Enix praising their previous work.

While Dragon Quest was in development, many doubted that a fantasy series with swords and sorcery would become popular in Japan, as the more predominant fantasy genre at the time was science fiction; however, the game became an overnight sensation upon its release in 1986, thanks to advertising in Toriyama's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. This ultimately led to Dragon Quest becoming a game that took the Japanese media by storm, and opened the door for a wider variety of genres for both Nintendo's console and the gaming industry as a whole. The team immediately began work on a sequel, and the Dragon Quest series quickly became a booming franchise spanning multiple forms of media like spin-off games, novels, manga, anime, live music performances and even a feature-length film.

Despite its overwhelming success in Japan, Dragon Quest was not released internationally until 1989, when Nintendo released it in North America (under the name Dragon Warrior, due to copyright conflicts with a pen-and-paper RPG of the same name). The first RPG to be released for the Nintendo Entertainment System, this version features improved graphics and a battery save feature instead of the password system of the original version. In late 1990, the official Nintendo Power magazine included free copies of the game as a subscription bonus, a move which proved highly successful; the magazine attracted thousands of subscribers and ensured the game's success, as well as earning a dedicated fanbase for future entries. Although it lags behind Final Fantasy in international sales, the series gradually began to grow in popularity upon the release of Dragon Quest VIII, which marked an increase in sales outside of Japan as well as the drop of the title Dragon Warrior due to the trademark for the pen and paper game finally expiring and Square Enix taking advantage of this by registering the trademark in the USA. The best-selling game in the series worldwide is Dragon Quest XI, in part due to its main Hero appearing as a fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

For later titles, many of the original team members retain their role in the series; Horii serves the role of scenario director, while Toriyama and Sugiyama continue to provide character design and music, respectively. Subsequent Dragon Quest games build on the formula introduced by the original. For Dragon Quest II, the developers introduced a party system with the player controlling three characters, another idea inspired by Wizardry; this would go on to become a standard gameplay element in the Dragon Quest series. Dragon Quest III introduced a class system, allowing characters to specialize in certain roles, while Dragon Quest IV introduced chapter-based progression and computer-controlled allies. Dragon Quest VIII, the first main game in the series to be released in PAL regions and the first to drop the Dragon Warrior title overseas, was also the first fully 3D rendered game in the series, and it included the ability to control the camera at any angle on the overworld.

The Dragon Quest franchise, owing to its widespread success, has spawned many spin-off series based upon its characters and settings, some of which have become franchises in their own right.

• The manga Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai related to the series was first published in Weekly Shōnen Jump in 1989. It received numerous video games, and an anime adaptation based on the manga much later in 2020.
• Although beginning in 1991 and features references to the series, the Itadaki Street series of board games received many games based on characters from the Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy series starting in 2004.
• In 1993, Koichi Nakamura's Mystery Dungeon series of roguelike games was created. It started with a title based on Torneko from Dragon Quest IV, then later on Yangus from Dragon Quest VIII, in his young age, in 2006. It was eventually spun off into its own franchise with an original subseries titled Shiren the Wanderer in 1995, and also began to cross over with both popular and small series: Squaresoft's Final Fantasy (as Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon) in 1997; Bandai's Gundam (as Mobile Suit Gundam: Mystery Dungeon), Namco's The Tower of Druaga (as The Nightmare of Druaga) and Konami's TwinBee (as TwinBee Dungeon) in 2004; Game Freak's Pokémon (as Pokémon Mystery Dungeon) in 2005; and Atlus's Etrian Odyssey (as Etrian Mystery Dungeon) in 2015.
• In 1998, Yuji Horii's Dragon Quest Monsters series of monster-recruiting games was created. It is inspired of the mechanics from Dragon Quest V with Pokémon-esque gameplay, and features Terry from Dragon Quest VI, in his young age, as the series's protagonist. The Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker set of games follow the same mechanics from the aforementioned series with a new protagonist, and feature 3D environments.
• In 2003, Yoshiki Watabe's Rocket Slime series of action-adventure games was created. It is based on the iconic monster, Slime, and the main protagonist Rocket.
• In 2007, the Monster Battle Road set of arcade games was created. The games dispense real-life cards representing monsters, which are then used to take part in battle.
• Also in 2007, the action role-playing game Dragon Quest Swords was released for the Wii, and uses the Wii Remote's internal motion sensor.
• In 2015, the Dragon Quest Heroes set of hack and slash game was created. It is based on the mechanics of the Dynasty Warriors series featuring playable side characters from Dragon Quest IV onward.
• In 2016, the Dragon Quest Builders set of sandbox games was created. It combines the setting of Dragon Quest with crafting and survival mechanics similar to Minecraft.
• In 2017, a card battling game inspired by Hearthstone titled Dragon Quest Rivals was released for mobile devices. It features many characters and monsters throughout the Dragon Quest mainline and spin-off series. It was later renamed to Dragon Quest Rivals Ace in 2020, with an additional single player mode. Both games would be shut down later in 2021.
• In 2019, an augmented reality, role-playing game inspired by Pokémon GO titled Dragon Quest Walk was released for mobile devices.
• In 2020, a tactical game titled Dragon Quest Tact was released for mobile devices in Japan, then worldwide in 2021. It features new and early monsters throughout the Dragon Quest series.
• Announced in 2021, a game titled Dragon Quest Treasures will have a worldwide release for a later date. It features Erik and Mia from Dragon Quest XI, in their young age.

Remakes of the mainline entries have appeared on Nintendo's handheld systems, starting with Dragon Quest I, II, and III on the Game Boy Color in 2000. On the Nintendo DS, there was Dragon Quest IV in 2007, V in 2008, and VI in 2010. Then, remakes of Dragon Quest VII and VIII were released on the Nintendo 3DS in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Finally, Dragon Quest III would obtain another remake, titled Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake. All of the remakes include reworked graphics and new gameplay features. The latest released installment of the core series, Dragon Quest XI, was released in Japan in July 2017, and internationally in September 2018; an enhanced port initially for Nintendo Switch (as Dragon Quest XI S) released worldwide in September 2019, with enhanced Switch ports of Dragon Quest I, II, and III following. Since 2021, the latest installment of the core series is titled Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate, as it was announced in a teaser.

According to Masahiro Sakurai, fans of the Dragon Quest series had long requested for representation in Super Smash Bros., but he initially considered it impossible. With some encouragement from Nintendo, Sakurai created a passionate proposal to Square Enix, asking to include the Hero in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate; though he would have agreed to compromise if he was given permission only for a character like Slime, he felt that the Hero was the best option, even knowing the hurdles that would come with their inclusion. To his surprise, Square Enix agreed almost immediately: they appreciated Sakurai's passion and felt Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was similar to Dragon Quest XI S as games that celebrate and combine elements from across their respective histories.

According to Yuji Horii, while there were restrictions in the past over having past heroes interact and fight with each other, it has become less strict over time, especially after the launch of Dragon Quest Rivals. Knowing the popularity of Smash, he personally wanted the Hero to join the series. Sakurai's initial proposal had only included the Heroes of Dragon Quest XI and Dragon Quest III—XI's being the default due to being the latest installment and to promote its then upcoming Nintendo Switch port, and III's due to being the most iconic Hero of the series—but Horii allowed more to be included. Initially, Sakurai considered having all eight costumes be different heroes, but time constraints resulted in there only being four. The Hero of Dragon Quest VIII was added due to his popularity overseas. The Hero from Dragon Quest V was considered, but was ultimately decided against due to his default weapon being a staff instead of a sword; the Hero from Dragon Quest I was similarly passed over, and the final choice ended up being the Hero of Dragon Quest IV.

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

The long-running popular JRPG series makes its Super Smash Bros. series debut as the second DLC franchise in the Fighters Pass Vol. 1 and the second Square Enix property to be represented by a playable fighter after Final Fantasy. While the content present is representative of the series at large, the bulk of the representation comes from Dragon Quest XI, as it was released to commemorate the then-upcoming release of the enhanced Nintendo Switch version. In addition to one newcomer, the series is represented by a stage with some minor cameos, eight music tracks, several Mii Fighter costumes, and several Spirits. Most of the content from this franchise was released in the version 4.0.0 update on July 30th, 2019.

Fighter

• 72.
  
  Hero (DLC): As a single newcomer, four protagonists from across the Dragon Quest series join the roster as alternate character costumes of each other, all serving as the second newcomer from the Fighters Pass Vol. 1. The Luminary from Dragon Quest XI is the default, with Erdrick from Dragon Quest III, Solo from Dragon Quest IV, and Eight from Dragon Quest VIII appearing as alternate character costumes. In battle, he uses a sword and shield for standard attacks but amplifies his moveset using magic; he has a limited supply of magic points (MP) to cast a variety of spells ranging from Frizz, Zap, and Woosh, with even more spells available from a command selection menu. The Final Smash calls upon even more heroes from across the series to unleash Gigaslash. He was released alongside Yggdrasil's Altar, 8 music tracks and the Dragon Quest series Spirits on July 30th, 2019 as part of Challenger Pack 2.

Stage

• 
  Yggdrasil's Altar (DLC): A pivotal location based on the area of the same name from Dragon Quest XI. This stage is a platform flying over Erdrea, the geographical setting of Dragon Quest XI. The floating platform tours around the landscape to locations such as Haven's Above and the Ruins of Dundrasil. Occasionally other platforms containing chests with items may appear, though the chest may also turn out to be a Mimic. Slimes, Tockles, and the white whale-like creature Cetacea cameo in the background. The stage was released on July 30th, 2019 as part of Challenger Pack 2.

Mii Costumes

The following Mii Costumes were released in the second wave of DLC Mii Costumes, alongside Hero, on July 30th, 2019.

Outfits

• Veronica Outfit (DLC): Veronica's outfit from Dragon Quest XI.
• Erdrick Outfit (DLC): Erdrick's armor from the Erdrick Equipment set has appeared since the first Dragon Quest game.
• Martial Artist Outfit (DLC): The Martial Artist's male and female gi outfits from Dragon Quest III, with their clothes design being inspired of the game's Super Famicom remake.

Headgear

• Veronica Wig (DLC): Veronica's red wizard's hat and haircut from Dragon Quest XI.
• Erdrick Helmet (DLC): Erdrick's helmet from the Erdrick Equipment set has appeared since the first Dragon Quest game.
• Martial Artist Wig (DLC): The Martial Artist's male and female haircuts from Dragon Quest III.
• Slime Hat (DLC): A headgear featuring the iconic Slime from the franchise. When worn, the headgear jiggles whenever the Mii moves.

Music

Source Tracks

• Adventure - DRAGON QUEST III (DLC): The overworld theme of Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation, which appears in the Hero's reveal trailer. However, in-game, the song is a MIDI arrangement taken from Theatrhythm Dragon Quest.
• Fighting Spirits - DRAGON QUEST III (DLC): The main battle theme of Dragon Quest III. Sourced from Theatrhythm Dragon Quest.
• Wagon Wheel's March (DLC): The overworld theme from the last chapter of Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen if the player chose Solo or Sofia on the lead. Sourced from Fortune Street.
• Battle for the Glory - DRAGON QUEST IV (DLC): The main battle theme of Dragon Quest IV. Sourced from Theatrhythm Dragon Quest.
• Marching through the Fields (DLC): One of the overworld themes of Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King. Sourced from the 3DS version of the game.
• War Cry (DLC): The main battle theme of Dragon Quest VIII. Sourced from Theatrhythm Dragon Quest.
• The Hero Goes Forth with a Determination (DLC): The main overworld theme of Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age, sourced from the original MIDI version.
• Unflinchable Courage (DLC): The main battle theme of Dragon Quest XI, sourced from the original MIDI version.

Victory fanfare

• Victory! Hero (DLC): A sequenced rearrangement of the ending phrase of Overture, the recurring main theme of the series. This arrangement, like most of the other Dragon Quest music, is sourced from Theatrhythm Dragon Quest.

Other

• Extended orchestral versions of Overture and Adventure from the Dragon Quest III Symphonic Suite were used in the Hero's reveal trailer, but are not selectable in-game. This is likely due to licensing complications with the late series composer Koichi Sugiyama, who retains the rights to the orchestrated Dragon Quest soundtracks instead of Square Enix themselves.

Media with elements appearing in the Super Smash Bros. series

Dragon Quest

• Playable Characters:
  • The Hero from this game makes a cameo in Gigaslash.
  • Sizz, Sizzle, Snooze, Heal, and Zoom, spells from Hero's Command Selection, first appeared in this game.
  • Solo's alternate color scheme resembles the Hero from this game. His Slime earring is also replaced with a Metal Slime.
  • Erdrick Equipment appears as a costume for the Mii Swordfighter.
  • Slime appears in one of the Hero's taunts, and in a victory screen.
  • Slime also appears as a headgear for the Mii Fighters.
• Stage Elements:
  • Slime appears in the background of Yggdrasil's Altar.
• Spirits:
  • Slime, Golem and Dracky appear as spirits.
• Music:
  • "Victory! Hero": An excerpt from the recurring "Overture" theme, first appearing in this game.
• Other:
  • Dragon Quest's series symbol is taken from the Mark of Erdrick, which first appeared in this game.

Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line

• Playable Characters:
  • The Hero from this game cameos in Gigaslash.
  • The Hero's up special, Woosh, is a spell that debuted in this game.
  • Kaboom, Thwack, Kamikazee, and Hocus Pocus first appeared in this game.
• Stages:
  • Yggdrasil first appeared in this game.
• Stage Elements:
  • Liquid Metal Slimes sometimes appear in the background of Yggdrasil's Altar.
• Spirits:
  • A Liquid Metal Slime appears as a spirit.

Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation

• Playable Characters:
  • The male Hero from this game, Erdrick (also referred to as Arusu), appears as a costume for the playable Hero.
  • Hero's neutral special Frizz along with its stronger variant, Frizzle, were introduced in this game.
  • Hero's side special Zap along with its strongest variant, Kazap, were introduced in this game.
  • The stronger variations of Hero's up special, Swoosh and Kaswoosh, were introduced in this game.
  • Bang, Whack, Oomph, Acceleratle, Kaclang, and Bounce debuted in this game.
  • The Martial Artist class debuted in this game, and appears as a costume for the Mii Brawler.
• Stage Elements:
  • Mimics, enemies that first debuted in this game, make an appearance on Yggdrasil's Altar, sometimes replacing regular treasure chests.
• Music:
  • "Adventure - DRAGON QUEST III": The main overworld theme.
  • "Fighting Spirits - DRAGON QUEST III": The main battle theme.

Dragon Quest III Symphonic Suite

• Music:
  • "Roto": The orchestrated track of "Overture" arranged by the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra was used for Hero's reveal trailer during E3 2019, although not available in-game.
  • "Adventure": The orchestrated track arranged by the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra album was also used for Hero's reveal trailer during E3 2019, although not available in-game.

Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen

• Playable Characters:
  • The male Hero from this game, commonly referred to as Solo, appears as a costume for the playable Hero.
• Music:
  • "Battle for the Glory - DRAGON QUEST IV": The main battle theme.
  • "Wagon Wheel's March": The overworld theme from the game's last chapter, if the player chose Solo or Sofia as the leading team.
• Spirits:
  • King Slime appears as a spirit.

Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride

• Playable Characters:
  • The Hero from this game makes a cameo in Gigaslash.
  • Gigaslash first appeared in this game.
  • Erdrick's alternate color scheme resembles the Hero from this game.
• Spirits:
  • The Great Sabrecub and Great Sabrecat appear as spirits.

Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation

• Playable Characters:
  • The Hero from this game makes a cameo in Gigaslash.
  • Flame Slash, Kacrackle Slash, Metal Slash, Hatchet Man, and Magic Burst all debuted in this game.
  • Eight's alternate color scheme resembles Terry from this game.

Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation (Super Famicom)

• Spirits:
  • Hero (DRAGON QUEST III) uses artwork from this game.

Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past

• Playable Characters:
  • The Hero from this game makes a cameo in Gigaslash.

Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King

• Playable Characters:
  • The Hero from this game, commonly referred to as Eight, appears as a costume for the playable Hero.
  • Psyche Up debuted in this game.
  • The Luminary's alternate color scheme resembles Angelo from this game.
• Music:
  • "War Cry": The main battle theme.
  • "Marching through the Fields": The overworld theme when riding a Great Sabrecat, uses the synthetized arrangement sourced from the 3DS version.

Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker

• Playable Characters:
  • Kafrizz and Zapple debuted in this game.

Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen (Nintendo DS)

• Spirits:
  • King Slime and Hero (DRAGON QUEST IV) use artwork from this game.

Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies

• Playable Characters:
  • The Hero from this game makes a cameo in Gigaslash.
  • The first half of Hero's side tilt resembles Blockenspiel, which debuted in this title.

Dragon Quest: Monster Battle Road Victory

• Playable Characters:
  • The art used for Gigaslash is sourced from this game.

Fortune Street

• Music:
  • "Wagon Wheel's March": The synthetized arrangement of this track, sourced from this game.

Dragon Quest X

• Playable Characters:
  • The Hero from this game makes a cameo in Gigaslash.

Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line (Mobile)

• Spirits:
  • Liquid Metal Slime uses artwork from this game.

Theatrhythm Dragon Quest

• Music:
  • "Victory! Hero": The synthetized arrangement of this track, sourced from this game.
  • "Adventure - DRAGON QUEST III": The synthetized arrangement of this track, sourced from this game.
  • "Fighting Spirits - DRAGON QUEST III": The synthetized arrangement of this track, sourced from this game.
  • "Battle for the Glory - DRAGON QUEST IV": The synthetized arrangement of this track, sourced from this game.
  • "War Cry": The synthetized arrangement of this track, sourced from this game.

Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age

Worth noting is the fact that all content from Dragon Quest XI is instead said to be sourced from Dragon Quest XI S, the definitive version of the game initially released for the Nintendo Switch. The reason is likely because the only other Nintendo console that it released on, the Nintendo 3DS, was a Japan-only release. It was also done to promote the game before it was released.

• Playable Characters:
  • The Hero from this game, the Luminary (also referred to as Eleven), appears as a playable character in Ultimate, as the default costume for the Hero.
  • Veronica appears as a costume for the Mii Swordfighter.
• Stages:
  • Yggdrasil's Altar: Takes its appearance from this game, with several landmarks and design elements taken from this specific appearance.
• Stage elements:
  • Cetacea, a major character from the game, makes a cameo appearance on Yggdrasil's Altar.
• Spirits:
  • The main cast from Dragon Quest XI, barring the Hero himself, Cetacea, and Tockles appear as spirits.
• Music:
  • "The Hero Goes Forth with a Determination": The initial overworld theme for Act 1, uses the synthetized arrangement sourced from this game.
  • "Unflinchable Courage": The main battle theme, uses the synthetized arrangement sourced from this game.

Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition

• Playable Characters:
  • Mitsuki Saiga, the Luminary's Japanese voice actress from this updated Nintendo Switch rerelease, reprises her role in all regions.

Trivia

• Dragon Quest, EarthBound, Final Fantasy, and Persona are the only universes without playable characters from the first installment in their series in Super Smash Bros.
• Prior to Ultimate, the Dragon Quest series previously crossed over with universes represented in Smash Bros. on several occasions:
  • Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy crossed over multiple times in the Itadaki Street series, starting with Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street Special for the PlayStation 2. The Itadaki Street series also hosted crossovers between Dragon Quest and the Mario series through Itadaki Street DS and Fortune Street for Wii.
  • The Dragon Quest enemy Slime also appeared as a playable character in Mario Sports Mix, which prominently featured Final Fantasy characters.
  • In the Famicom Disk System version of Zelda II, Dragon Quest was referenced through a tombstone for the legendary hero, Erdrick. The tomb was engraved with the message, "The hero Erdrick rests here." (ユウシャ ロト ココニネムル) The tombstone was removed in the internationally-released NES version of Zelda II.
  • The original Final Fantasy included a grave for Link, which was replaced in localization with a grave for Erdrick.
• Dragon Quest is one of two third-party universes in Ultimate to not include any arrangements created for Smash Bros., likely due to legal issues with then composer Koichi Sugiyama. This trait is shared with Kingdom Hearts, although the latter's victory theme is arranged rather than sourced.
  • Prior to the release of Challenger Pack 8, Final Fantasy also held this distinction aside from Cloud's victory theme. Coincidentally, all of these universes are developed by Square Enix.