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 VII Reimagined (2026)
Article on Wikipedia	Dragon Quest (universe)

TheDragon Quest universe (ドラゴンクエスト,Dragon Quest), stylized in-game asDRAGON QUEST, refers to theSuper Smash Bros. series' collection of characters, stages, and properties hailing from the series of role-playing games originally published by Enix, nowSquare Enix. The player character assumes the role of a chosenhero 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, alongsideFinal Fantasy, laid the foundation that would define the genre for generations to come, directly inspiring monumental titles includingPokémon,EarthBound,Fire Emblem, andShin Megami Tensei (including its subseriesPersona), and elements popularized by it can still be seen in more modern series likeXenoblade Chronicles orKingdom Hearts.

Franchise description[edit]

In 1982,Enix sponsored a video game programming contest in Japan which would bring much of the originalDragon Quest team together, including creatorYuji Horii. The prize was a trip to the United States and a visit to AppleFest '83 in San Francisco, where Horii discovered theWizardry series of American role-playing games. Fellow contest winnersKoichi Nakamura and Yukinobu Chida, working with Horii, released the Enix gameThe 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. It received a free port under Square Enix's AI technology preview 40 years after its release. This style would influence many games after its release, including Enix's ownDragon Quest, but also inspired other key people in the video game industry such asHideo Kojima andEiji Aonuma for theMetal Gear andThe Legend of Zelda franchises, respectively, with the former porting the game as a secret content inMetal Gear Solid V.

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 gamesWizardry andUltima. 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 ofUltima with the battle and statistic-orientedWizardry screens to create the core gameplay ofDragon Quest. He chose theFamicom 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 latemangakaAkira Toriyama, ofDr. Slump, andDragon Ball fame, was commissioned to illustrate the characters and monsters, as well as the game's logo, which is well-known for its curved title with the letter "T" shaped like a sword (which served as an inspiration for other video game logo designs; for example,Minecraft's logo made byMarkus Toivonen^[1]). Similarly, late music composerKoichi 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.

WhileDragon 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 theWeekly Shonen Jump magazine, which ran Toriyama'sDragon Ball at the time. This ultimately led toDragon 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 theDragon 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 nameDragon Warrior, due to copyright conflicts with apen-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 officialNintendo 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 behindFinal Fantasy in international sales, the series gradually began to grow in popularity upon the release ofDragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King, which marked an increase in sales outside of Japan as well as the drop of the titleDragon 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 isDragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age, in part due to its mainHero appearing as a fighter inSuper 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. SubsequentDragon Quest games build on the formula introduced by the original. ForDragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line, the developers introduced a party system with the player controlling three characters, another idea inspired byWizardry; this would go on to become a standard gameplay element in theDragon Quest series.Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation introduced a class system, allowing characters to specialize in certain roles, whileDragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen introduced chapter-based progression and computer-controlled allies.Dragon Quest VIII, the first main game in the series to be released inPAL regions and the first to drop theDragon 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. Though Koichi Sugiyama was seen as a controversial figure for decades, notably for denyingWorld War II war crimes and mocking theLGBT community, he kept contributing new tracks for the franchise until the upcoming game,Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate, through orchestral arrangements of the series' soundtrack. Titled "Symphonic Suite", they were performed inTokyo orLondon and were either offered in albums or played exclusively in the Japanese release of aDragon Quest game. Otherwise, they were re-arranged in aMIDI Synthesizer for western release of the mainline series, spin-offs, and crossovers includingSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate. There were cases where the orchestral and synthesized arrangements were available in opposite regions, like in the PlayStation 2 release ofDragon Quest VIII, or the former available in both regions, like inTorneko: The Last Hope.Dragon Quest XII will be Sugiyama and Toriyama's last contributions to the franchise, as they passed away on September 30, 2021, and March 1, 2024 respectively.

TheDragon 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 mangaDragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai related to the series was first published inWeekly Shōnen Jump in 1989. It is set in a story unrelated to the mainline series, with original characters such as its main protagonist, Dai. After its publication, it received an anime adaptation in 1991, along with films shortly after. In 2020, numerous video games, and an anime re-adaptation based on the manga were revealed and released throughout the year. Dai also appeared as a playable character in the 2019 crossover arena fighting gameJump Force, marking the first appearance of aDragon Quest character in aWeekly Shōnen Jump crossover game, and in a fighting game months beforeUltimate; unused data within 2014'sJ-Stars Victory VS implies that he was meant to appear in that game as well.
• Although beginning in 1991 and features references to the series, theItadaki Street series of board games received many games based on characters from theDragon Quest andFinal Fantasy series starting in 2004. It also received a crossover withNintendo'sMario franchise much later in 2011, withFortune Street.
• In 1993, Koichi Nakamura'sMystery Dungeon series of rogue-like games was created. It started with a title based onTorneko fromDragon Quest IV, then later in 2006 with Yangus fromDragon Quest VIII as a child. It was eventually spun off into its own franchise with an original subseries titledMystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer in 1995, and also began to cross over with both popular and smaller series:Squaresoft'sFinal Fantasy (asChocobo's Mystery Dungeon) in 1997;Bandai'sGundam (asMobile Suit Gundam: Mystery Dungeon), Namco'sThe Tower of Druaga (asThe Nightmare of Druaga: Fushigi no Dungeon), andKonami'sTwinBee (asTwinBee Dungeon) in 2004;Game Freak'sPokémon (asPokémon Mystery Dungeon) in 2005; andAtlus'sEtrian Odyssey (asEtrian Mystery Dungeon) in 2015.
• In 1998, Yuji Horii'sDragon Quest Monsters series of monster-recruiting games was created. It is inspired of the mechanics fromDragon Quest V with Pokémon-esque gameplay and features Terry fromDragon Quest VI, Keifer fromDragon Quest VII, and Psaro fromDragon Quest IV as children, along with other original characters. Later in 2006, theDragon Quest Monsters: Joker set of games follow the same mechanics from the aforementioned series but with a new protagonist for each title, and feature 3D environments. In 2022,Dragon Quest Treasures participates in this series with Erik and Mia fromDragon Quest XI as children, though its gameplay also borrows from other action games such as the 3DSuper Mario titles.^[2]
• In 2003, Yoshiki Watabe'sSlime MoriMori Dragon Quest series of action-adventure games, translated asDragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime, was created. It is focused on the franchise's most iconic monster,Slime, and the main protagonist that incarnates it named Rocket.
• In 2007, theDragon Quest: 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 gameDragon Quest Swords was released for the Wii, and uses the Wii Remote's internal motion sensor.
• In 2015, theDragon Quest Heroes set of hack and slash game was created. It is based on the mechanics of theDynasty Warriors series, featuring playable original characters and side characters fromDragon Quest IV onward.
• In 2016, theDragon Quest Builders set of sandbox games was created. It combines the setting ofDragon Quest with crafting and survival mechanics similar toMinecraft.

Multiple smartphone games were also released. BarringDragon Quest Walk andDragon Quest Smash/Grow, all of these games had their services shutdown few years later.

• In 2015,Dragon Quest of the Stars was released, and was brought to the United States later in 2020. It featured crossovers withGodzilla,Final Fantasy, andMonster Hunter.
• In 2017, a card battling game inspired byHearthstone titledDragon Quest Rivals was released. It features many characters and monsters throughout theDragon Quest mainline and spin-off series. It was later renamed toDragon Quest Rivals Ace in 2020, with an additional single player mode.
• In 2019, an augmented reality, role-playing game inspired byPokémon GO titledDragon Quest Walk was released for mobile devices exclusively in Japan, along with its service.
• In 2020, a tactical game titledDragon Quest Tact was released in Japan, then worldwide in 2021. It features new monsters, along with veteran monsters throughout theDragon Quest series, and characters from the mainline and spin-off series. And in 2025, even crossed overFinal Fantasy characters such asCloud Strife,Tifa Lockhart, andAerith Gainsborough.
• In 2023, a action role-playing game and battle royale, similar to other games likeFortnite and now defunct gameFinal Fantasy VII: The First Soldier, titledDragon Quest Champions was released in Japan.
• In 2026, a roguelite role-playing game, excluded from theMystery Dungeon branch, titledDragon Quest Smash/Grow will be released.

Remakes of the mainline entries have appeared on Nintendo's handheld and hybrid systems, starting withDragon Quest I,II, andIII on the Game Boy Color in 2000. On the Nintendo DS, there wasDragon Quest IV in 2007,V in 2008, andVI in 2010. Then, remakes ofDragon Quest VII andVIII were released on theNintendo 3DS in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Finally, the Erdrick trilogy obtained another remake as part of theHD-2D theme;Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake for 2024 andDragon Quest I&II HD-2D Remake for 2025. All of the remakes include reworked graphics and new gameplay features. The latest released installment of the core series,Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age, was released in Japan in July 2017 for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo 3DS, and internationally in September 2018 for Steam, PlayStation 4, and barring the 3DS release. An enhanced port initially forNintendo Switch, asDragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition, released worldwide in September 2019, with enhanced Switch ports ofDragon Quest I,II, andIII following. TheDefinitive Edition was later ported on Steam, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in 2020, and Google Stadia the year after, making it the first time the franchise has a game published in aMicrosoft-produced console. Since 2021, the latest installment of the core series is titledDragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate, as it was announced in a teaser during the livestream of the franchise's 35th anniversary.

According toMasahiro Sakurai, fans of theDragon Quest series had long requested for representation inSuper 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 inSuper 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 feltSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate was similar toDragon Quest XI S as games that celebrate and combine elements from across their respective histories. It was equally shown inDragon Quest XI with Tickington teleporting the party into specific places from past mainline games.^[3]

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 ofDragon Quest Rivals. Knowing the popularity ofSmash, he personally wanted the Hero to join the series. Sakurai's initial proposal had only included the Heroes ofDragon Quest XI andDragon Quest III—XI's being the default due to being the latest installment and to promote its then upcoming Nintendo Switch port, andIII'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 ofDragon Quest VIII was added due to his popularity overseas. The Hero fromDragon Quest V was considered, but was ultimately decided against due to his default weapon being a staff instead of a sword; the Hero fromDragon Quest I was similarly passed over as there isn’t a unified image forDragon Quest I's main character across media, and the final choice ended up being the Hero ofDragon Quest IV.^[3] In one of Sakurai's YouTube videos, "Assigning Animations", he would confirm that Erdrick was the main character, before switching the role to Luminary. Due to this change, the team had to remove or rework some of Hero's movement animations that were similar to Akira Toriyama's combat movement.^[4] Furthermore, it confirmsone of many leaks from Vergeben as Erdrick was initially the main character for theDragon Quest representative fighter and Luminary was his alternative costume.

InSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]

The long-running popular JRPG series makes itsSuper Smash Bros. series debut as the second DLC franchise in theFighters Pass Vol. 1 and the second Square Enix property to be represented by a playable fighter afterFinal Fantasy. While the content present is representative of the series at large, the bulk of the representation comes fromDragon 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[edit]

• 72.
  
  Hero (DLC): As a single newcomer, four protagonists from across theDragon Quest series join the roster as alternate character costumes of each other, all serving as the second newcomer from the Fighters Pass Vol. 1. TheLuminary fromDragon Quest XI is the default, withErdrick fromDragon Quest III,Solo fromDragon Quest IV, andEight fromDragon 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 fromFrizz,Zap, andWoosh, with even more spells available from acommand selection menu. TheFinal Smash calls upon even more heroes from across the series to unleashGigaslash. He was released alongside Yggdrasil's Altar, 8 music tracks and theDragon Quest series Spirits on July 30th, 2019 as part of Challenger Pack 2.

Stage[edit]

• 
  Yggdrasil's Altar (DLC): A pivotal location based on the area of the same name fromDragon Quest XI. This stage is a platform flying over Erdrea, the geographical setting ofDragon 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 aMimic. 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[edit]

The following Mii costumes are available asdownloadable content, as part of version 4.0.0, within the second wave of Mii Fighter outfits along with Challenger Pack 2 andHero. They were released on July 31st, 2019.

Outfits[edit]

• Veronica Outfit (DLC): Veronica's outfit, sourced fromDragon Quest XI. The Mii will hold her staff if it is worn.
• Erdrick Outfit (DLC): Erdrick's armor from the Erdrick Equipment set. It existed since the firstDragon Quest game. The Mii will hold the Sword of Light if it is worn.
• Martial Artist Outfit (DLC): The Martial Artist's male and female gi outfits fromDragon Quest III. Their clothes design were inspired by the game's Super Famicom remake.

Headgear[edit]

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

Music[edit]

Source Tracks[edit]

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

Victory fanfare[edit]

• Victory! Hero (DLC): A sequenced rearrangement of the ending phrase ofOverture, the recurring main theme of the series. This arrangement, like most of the otherDragon Quest music, is sourced fromTheatrhythm Dragon Quest, precisely from the track "Overture X".

Other[edit]

• Extended orchestral versions ofOverture andAdventure from theDragon 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 orchestratedDragon Quest soundtracks instead of Square Enix themselves.

Spirits[edit]

Media with elements appearing in theSuper Smash Bros. series[edit]

TheDragon Quest universe has media represented throughout theSuper Smash Bros. series with a total of 21 games and medias. The latest game represented in this universe isDragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age: Definitive Edition, released on September 27, 2019.

Trivia[edit]

• Dragon Quest,EarthBound,Final Fantasy, andPersona are the only universes without playable characters from the first installment in their series inSuper Smash Bros. However, the Hero from the firstDragon Quest was considered a spot on the roster, but was dropped as there isn't a unified image forDragon Quest I's main character across media.
• Dragon Quest is one of two third-party universes inUltimate to not include any arrangements created forSmash Bros., likely due to legal issues with then composer Koichi Sugiyama. This trait is shared withKingdom 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. Notably, all of these universes are developed by Square Enix.

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Article on theDragon Quest Wiki.

v • d • e Dragon Quest universe
Fighter	Hero (SSBU) (XI,III,IV,VIII)
Stage	Yggdrasil's Altar
Other	Hero (I,II,V,VI,VII,IX,X) ·Martial Artist ·Mimic ·Slime ·Veronica
Spirits	Spirits
Music	Ultimate

• Universes
• Dragon Quest universe
• Square Enix
• Third-party universes