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==Common Elements==


<small>''The section below requires editing and verification.''</small>
===Gameplay===


''Dragon Quest was a console styled RPG (Role-playing game) first released as Dragon Quest in Japan and Dragon Warrior in North America. Due to some problems with the titles, they put behind Dragon Warrior and made all new titles called Dragon Quest. Dragon Quest took elements from other existing RPG's like ''Ultima'' and created of what is now the best selling video game series in Japan. The series has sold so well in Japan that after [[Dragon Quest III]] was made, the Japanese government put effect a law stating that future games could only be sold on Sundays or holidays.''
The game player's party walks into a town and buys weapons, armor, and items in order to defeat monsters easily. When the player's party is out of the town, the party is vulnerable to random monster attacks. When players encounter monsters, they have several options from which to choose through menus. The player can attack and defeat the enemy with weapons, magic, or items. The player can also attempt to run away from the fight. However, this option is not available during a boss battle. After a player wins a battle by defeating all the monsters, the player's party members gain experience points (EXP) in order to gain new levels. When a certain character gains a new level, the [[Stats in Dragon Quest|stats]] of the character are upgraded.[26]
 
To save one's progress, the player generally must visit a church or House of Healing and talk to a priest or nun. In the first three games of the main series, saving was accomplished by talking to a king or queen[26], with the exception of ''Dragon Quest'' and ''Dragon Quest II'' in Japan, which used a password system.[27] If the player's party dies in battle, the group will lose half of their gold and the leader of the party warps back to the nearest church. The leader then needs to pay a priest to revive his/her party members. More recent games in the series have banks in many towns that allow the player to store gold, which prevents it from being lost when the party dies.
 
''Dragon Warrior III'', ''Dragon Quest VI'', and ''Dragon Warrior VII'' feature several classes to choose for the party members.[8] Each of these installments possesses its own particular set of classes.  Typical classes include the Cleric / Priest / Pilgrim, Fighter, Hero, Jester / Goof-Off, Thief, Warrior / Soldier and Wizard / Mage[28][29]. ''Dragon Quest VI'' includes two monster classes[30], and ''Dragon Warrior VII'' includes dozens.[31]
 
===Monsters===
 
The series features several recurring monsters, such as Slimes, Drackies, Shadows, Mummies, Trick Bags, and Dragons.[32][33][34] Many of the monsters have been designed by Akira Toriyama. Many of the ''Dragon Quest'' monsters have been featured in the ''Dragon Quest Monsters'' series of games, which allows the player to catch monsters and use them in battle. This idea was also used in ''Dragon Quest V'', although humans fight in battle as well.
 
The official mascot of the Dragon Quest series is the [[Slime]]. A Slime is a small blob with a face, shaped like water droplet. It has appeared in every Dragon Quest game and it is usually one of the first monsters the player encounters.[35] The Slime's popularity has netted it two spin-offs: ''Slime MoriMori Dragon Quest'' and ''Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime''. They also make a significant showing in the Japanese manga and two-episode anime Dragon Half.
 
===Erdrick/Loto===
''see also: [[Erdrick]]''
 
'''Erdrick''', also known as '''Roto''' in Japan or '''Loto''' in the North American localization of the Game Boy Color remakes of the first three games, is a legendary hero from the ''Dragon Quest'' series. The first three ''Dragon Quest'' games make up the "Erdrick trilogy", all being connected to the legend of Erdrick. He is known in the game as the hero who freed Alefgard from darkness.[36] The name Erdrick was first mentioned in the English localization, Dragon Warrior in which the player is referred to as Erdrick's descendent.[37] Erdrick’s legend was completed with the 1991 release of ''Dragon Warrior III''.
 
In ''Dragon Warrior'', Erdrick was the ancestor of the [[Hero (Dragon Warrior)|Hero]]. The Hero follows in the footsteps of Erdrick to ultimately reach the [[Charlock Castle]] and confront the [[Dragonlord]]. In ''Dragon Warrior II'', the heroes are descendants of Erdrick, and also of the Hero from ''Dragon Warrior''.[38][39] They explore the expanded world of Torland, including Alefgard as seen in the first game. At the end of ''Dragon Warrior III'', the King of Alefgard bestows upon the [[Erdrick|Hero]] "the Order of Erdrick", the country’s highest honor reserved only for true heroes. While this implies Erdrick is merely a title, it is possible to name the Hero Erdrick at the beginning of ''Dragon Warrior III'' if a space is added at the end when naming the hero. In ''Dragon Warrior III'', the origins of the hero Erdrick are revealed; therefore, the chronological order of the first three games is ''Dragon Warrior III'', ''Dragon Warrior'', and then ''Dragon Warrior II''.[40] This chronology is further evidenced in the naming of the hero's weapon, armor and shield. After the events of ''Dragon Warrior III'', the hero's armaments are renamed as the Erdrick (or Loto) Sword and Armor in ''Dragon Warrior'' and ''Dragon Warrior II''.
 
The Hero, originally known as Erdrick to many English-speaking players, is also known by two other names. In the original Japanese language games, Erdrick is known exclusively by the name '''Roto''', which is also used by some import gamers. Another romanization of the name is '''Loto''', which was used in place of Erdrick when [[Enix America, Inc.]] re-released ''[[Dragon Warrior I&II|Dragon Warrior, Dragon Warrior II]]'', and ''[[Dragon Warrior III]]'' on the Game Boy Color. This was most likely used because the Japanese character (ロ) is not strictly an R or an L sound, but lies somewhere in between. Therefore it is properly transliterated either way.
 
In the original Final Fantasy, Square parodies Dragon Warrior by displaying a grave for Erdrick in the town of Elfland.[41] In retaliation, Enix hid a Cid grave in ''Dragon Quest III''. A parody of Erdrick's sword is wielded by Gilgamesh in Final Fantasy XII: it is referred to as the "Wyrmhero Blade" (In the Japanese version, it is called "Tolo Sword").
 
===Zenithia===
''see also: [[Zenithia]]''
 
'''Zenithia''', also called '''Zenith Castle''' or simply '''Zenith''', is the name of a fictional sky castle from the series. The first appearance is in ''Dragon Warrior IV'', and the castle is one of several elements from ''Dragon Quest IV'', ''V'', and ''VI'' which suggest the three games are linked as a trilogy; this group is often called the Tenkū (Japanese for Heaven), or the Tenkū no Shiro (Castle in the Sky) trilogy.[42][43] Yūji Horii explained that the trilogy was never intended: "Each ''Dragon Quest'' title represents a fresh start and a new story, so I don't see too much of a connection between the games in the series. I guess it could be said that the imagination of players has brought the titles together in a certain fashion."[44]
 
In ''Dragon Warrior IV'', Zenithia can be accessed by climbing the [[Zenithian Tower]] near [[Gottside]], which goes as far up to the sky. It is directly above the entrance to the [[Nadiria|world of darkness]]. In ''Dragon Quest V'', Zenithia has fallen into a lake south of Elheaven. This happened when the Golden Orb, half of a set of magical orbs that supported the castle in the sky, fell from its place. Once recovered and returned to [[Master Dragon]], Zenithia will rise again. This time, the castle can move freely around the sky. In ''Dragon Quest VI'', Zenith Castle is sealed away by Demon Lord Durran, and a giant hole is left behind in its place in the Dream World. After the Dream World returns to its natural state, Zenith Castle is the only part of it that can still be seen floating above the real world. A castle in the ''Dragon Warrior III'' remakes for Super Famicom/Game Boy Color is also called Zenith, though the layout differs from the castle from the Tenku series.[45]
 
Square Enix has released the Celestial Sword (the Zenithian Sword) and Sword of Ramias as part of their Dragon Quest Legend Items series - miniature collectible toy replicas of artifacts from the Dragon Quest universe.
 
==Music==
 
Several albums of ''Dragon Quest'' music has been released since the original game was made, the first coming out in 1986, based on ''Dragon Quest's'' music.[46] Each of the ''Dragon Quest'' soundtracks have been composed and arranged by Koichi Sugiyama, who has also composed the music for the games. Since then, an album with the game's title and "Symphonic Suite" has been released for each game in the main series. Aside from the main series of soundtracks, other compilations of ''Dragon Quest'' music have been made, such as ''Dragon Quest Game Music Super Collection Vol. 1''.[47] Many of the soundtracks songs are performed by the London Philharmonic, such as ''Symphonic Suite Dragon Quest Complete CD-Box''.[48] With a few of the soundtracks, a second disc with the original game music is included, like with the original ''Dragon Quest VI'' soundtrack.[49]
 
In 2003, SME Visual Works released ''Symphonic Suite Dragon Quest Complete CD-Box'', a box set featuring music from the first seven ''Dragon Quest'' games.[48] Each of the seven discs is broken up by where the music is played in the games. Disc one, for example, has the opening overture song from each of the ''Dragon Quest'' games, whereas disc six features all the battle songs.
 
''Dragon Quest'' is such a cultural phenomenon in Japan that there are live-action ballets, the ''Dragon Quest'' series being the first video game to inspire a ballet,[50][51] musical concerts, and audio CDs based on the ''Dragon Quest'' universe.[6] It was the first video game series to have its music performed live by an orchestra.[52] Since 1987, music from ''Dragon Quest'' has been performed annually in Japanese concert halls.[53]
 
==Manga and Anime==
 
* [[Dragon Quest: Abel Yuusha]] — loosely based on ''Dragon Quest III'', 43 episodes (known as Dragon Warrior in the United States with 13 dubbed episodes)
* [[Dragon Quest: Dai no Daibōken]] — Original story, 37 volumes, 46 episodes, 3 movies
* [[Dragon Quest: Emblem of Roto]] — takes place 100 years after ''Dragon Quest III'', 21 volumes, movie
* [[Dragon Quest: Princess Alena]] — based on ''Dragon Quest IV''
* [[Dragon Quest: The Heaven Saga]] — based on ''Dragon Quest V''
* [[Dragon Quest: Maboroshi no Daichi]] — based on ''Dragon Quest VI''
* [[Dragon Quest: Warriors of Eden]] — based on ''Dragon Quest VII''
* [[Dragon Quest Monsters +]] — based on ''Dragon Quest Monsters'', 5 volumes by Mine Yoshizaki[54]
* There are two manga series' based on the Slime for children[54]
* In 1989, a manga was published by Enix called ''Dragon Quest Monster Story''.[54] This book featured short stories about various ''Dragon Quest'' monsters and came with a poster that featured the "families" of monsters.
Additionally, ''Dragon Quest e no Michi'' ("The Road to ''Dragon Quest''") is a manga book based on the creators of Dragon Quest published by Enix.[5] The one volume manga was produced by Ishimori Productions, a company famous for creating manga based on famous people and businesses. Released in 1990, the manga stars Yujii Hori, Koichi Nakamura (main programmer), Koichi Sugiyama, Akira Toriyama, and Yukinobu Chida (producer) and involves the creation of the series.[5]
 
From 1989 to 1990, an anime television series also aired, entitled ''Dragon Quest''.
 
==Reception==
''see also: [[Worldwide Dragon Quest Sales]]''
 
''Dragon Quest'' is one of the most popular video game series in Japan.[1][2][55] All of the games in the main series as well as many spin-off games have sold over a million copies, some even selling over four million, and sell very quickly.[56] For instance, the remake of ''Dragon Quest V'' sold 1.3 million copies in Japan in its first two days, which is a very high number for a remake.[57] In 2006, Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu readers voted on the hundred best video games of all time. ''Dragon Quest III'' came in third, ''Dragon Quest VIII'' came in fourth, ''Dragon Quest VII'' came in ninth, ''Dragon Quest V'' came in eleventh, ''Dragon Quest IV'' came in fourteenth, ''Dragon Quest II'' came in seventeenth, ''Dragon Quest'' came in thirtieth, and ''Dragon Quest VI'' came in thirty-fourth.[58]
 
The original ''Dragon Quest'' game is often claimed to be the birth of the console role-playing game, despite the fact that it borrows heavily from the Wizardry, The Black Onyx, and Ultima series, and many others consider Final Fantasy "more important."[3] However, ''Dragon Warrior'' was listed on GameSpot's list of the 15 most influential games of all time, and was called the "most influential role-playing game of all time" and that nearly all RPGs today have roots in its gameplay.[59] The ''Dragon Quest'' series was recognized by Guinness World Records with six world records in the Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2008. These records include, "Best Selling Role Playing Game on the Super Famicon", "Fastest Selling Game in Japan", and "First Video Game Series to Inspire a Ballet".[60]
 
Although the series is a phenomenon in Japan, the games have never garnered as much attention in North America.[3] Although the first four games to come to America generally received good reviews, it was not until ''Dragon Warrior VII'' was released did Dragon Quest become critically acclaimed there.[3] One of the main aspects of the series that critics point out, either positively or negatively, is that the series "never strays from its classic roots".[55] Unlike other modern, complex RPGs, ''Dragon Quest'' retains the simple gameplay from the first game, which many critics find refreshing and nostalgic.[55][61][62] Other critics feel differently about the series, however, and claim that the story, characters, and gameplay have become boring and redundant over the years.[63][64]
 
==Notes==
 
1. Anoop Gantayat (2007). "Dragon Quest IX set for DS". http://ds.ign.com/articles/750/750590p1.html. Retrieved on September 10 2007. 
2. Jon Lindermann (2007). "Dragon Quest IX preview". http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/previewArt.cfm?artid=13469. Retrieved on September 10 2007. 
3. "The GameSpy Hall of Fame: Dragon Warrior". Gamespy. http://www.gamespy.com/articles/492/492001p1.html. Retrieved on May 29 2005. 
4. "The Designers Of Dragon Quest". IGN. http://ps2.ign.com/articles/379/379052p1.html. Retrieved on May 29 2005. 
5. "The Road to Dragon Quest". 2001. http://www.atarihq.com/tsr/books/fc/dqm.html. Retrieved on September 16 2007. 
6. Ed Lewis (2004). "The Dragon Quest Symphony". IGN. http://ps2.ign.com/articles/475/475818p1.html. Retrieved on May 29 2005. 
7. Nintendo Power volume 221. Future US, Inc. 2007. pp. 78–80. 
8. Philip Bloom (2006). "The History of Dragon Quest". http://www.rpgland.com/specialfeatures/dqhistory/historyofdragonquest.html. Retrieved on September 23 2007. 
9. "Interview with Yuji Horina on DQ 0". 2005. http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3140772. Retrieved on September 24 2007. 
10. Bryan Boulette (2006). "Square Enix: Dinosaur or Leader". http://www.rpgamer.com/editor/2006/q3/080706aca.html. Retrieved on September 24 2007. 
11. Nich Maragos (2005-05-19). "Previews: Dragon Quest VIII". 1UP.com. http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3140772. Retrieved on April 21 2007. 
12. "Interview with Yuji Horii at EuroGamer.com". 2007. http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=62489. Retrieved on September 12 2007. 
13. Dragon Quest | Square Enix
14. "Dragon Quest - Zenithia Trilogy Announced For Nintendo DS". 2008. http://ds-x2.com/news/Dragon%2BQuest%2B-%2C11310,11310. Retrieved on May 21 2008. 
15. Matt Weiss (2002). "Dragon Warrior 7 review". http://www.gamecritics.com/review/dragonwarr7/main.php. Retrieved on September 23 2007. 
16. Kurt Kalata (2007). "Dragon Warrior/ Dragon Quest". http://hg101.classicgaming.gamespy.com/dragonquest/dragonquest.htm. Retrieved on January 29 2008. 
17. Shahed Ahmed (2000). "Enix Comments on DQ VII". http://www.gamespot.com/ps/rpg/dragonwarrior7/news_2643279.html. Retrieved on September 12 2007. 
18. "E3 2001 Interview". 2001. http://www.rpgfan.com/features/e32k1-enix/index.html. Retrieved on September 23 2007. 
19. Dragon Quest X Confirmed For Wii
20. "Dragon Quest castle erected". 2007. http://www.japannewsreview.com/entertainment/games/20070715page_id=711. Retrieved on September 9 2007. 
21. Chunsoft, Characters
22. Matthew Williamson (2005). "Fushigi no Dungeon 2". http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2006/05/column_parallax_memories_fushi.php. Retrieved on September 16 2007. 
23. Jeff Gertsmann (2000). "GameSpot review". http://www.gamespot.com/ps/rpg/tornekothelasthope/review.html. Retrieved on September 16 2007. 
24. Anthony Willsey (2006). "IGN: Dragon Quest Swords preview". http://wii.ign.com/articles/709/709625p1.html. Retrieved on September 16 2007. 
25. Patrick Klepek (2006). "IGN: Dragon Quest IX Announced for Nintendo DS?!". http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3155838. Retrieved on September 16 2007. 
26. Editors of Nintendo Power: Nintendo Power July - August, 1989; issue 7 (in English). Nintendo of America, Tokuma Shoten Publishing, 39-50.
27. "Dragon Quest history". 2001. http://www.woodus.com/den/general/history.php. Retrieved on September 12 2007. 
28. Dragon Warrior 3
29. Dragon Warrior 7
30. Heartbeat (company). Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Reverie. (Enix). Super Famicon. (in Japanese). (December 9, 1995)
31. "Dragon Warrior VII: Character Classes". IGN.com. IGN. 2001-10-04. http://psx.ign.com/articles/098/098821p1.html. Retrieved on 2008-07-19. 
32. "Dragon Quest II monsters". 2006. http://www.rpgclassics.com/shrines/nes/dw2/enemies.shtml. Retrieved on September 16 2007. 
33. "Dragon Quest III monsters". 2006. http://www.rpgclassics.com/shrines/nes/dw3/enemies.shtml. Retrieved on September 16 2007. 
34. "Dragon Quest IV monsters". 2006. http://www.rpgclassics.com/shrines/nes/dw4/enemies.shtml. Retrieved on September 16 2007. 
35. Cary Woodham (2006). "Rocket Slime review at Gamerdad". http://www.gamerdad.com/detail.cfm?itemID=3412. Retrieved on September 9 2007. 
36. (1989) Nintendo, Enix Corporation Dragon Warrior Instruction Manual (in English).
37. Editors of Nintendo Power: Nintendo Power July - August, 1989; issue 7 (in English). Nintendo of America, Tokuma Shoten Publishing, 40.
38. Enix Corporation Unveiled Secrets of Dragon Warrior II (in English) Enix America Corporation.
39. Editors of Nintendo Power: Nintendo Power September/October, 1990; issue 16 (in English). Nintendo of America, Tokuma Shoten Publishing, 67.
40. Brad Shoemaker (2001). "Dragon Warrior III preview". http://www.gamespot.com/gbc/rpg/dragonwarrior3/review.html. Retrieved on September 16 2007. 
41. "Final Fantasy screenshot". 1999. http://www.vbfx.com/mirrors/www.planetnintendo.com/ff1/scrshots/snap062.gif. Retrieved on September 16 2007. 
42. Jonathan Creswell (2007). "Dragon Quest IV, V, VI". http://www.britishgaming.co.uk/?p=2306. Retrieved on September 17 2007. 
43. "Dragon Quest IV, V, VI confirmed". 2007. http://www.siliconera.com/2007/07/30/dragon-quest-iv-v-vi-remakes-confirmed/. Retrieved on September 17 2007. 
44. Editors of Nintendo Power: Nintendo Power July, 2008; issue 7 (in English). Future US Inc, 50-57. Retrieved June 1, 2008
45. Prima Games, ed (2001). Dragon Warrior III Official Strategy Guide. Prima Publishing. pp. 87–89. ISBN 0-7615-3638-8. 
46. Patrick Gann (2003). "Dragon Quest Suite". http://www.rpgfan.com/soundtracks/dq1-ss/index.html. Retrieved on September 15 2007. 
47. Damien Thomas (2006). "Dragon Quest Game Music Super Collection Vol. 1". http://www.rpgfan.com/soundtracks/dqmusic1/index.html. Retrieved on September 15 2007. 
48. Damien Thomas (2006). "Symphonic Suite Dragon Quest Complete CD-Box". http://www.rpgfan.com/soundtracks/dq-ssbox/index.html. Retrieved on September 15 2007. 
49. Patrick Gann (2006). "Dragon Quest VI ~The Dream World~ Symphonic Suite". http://www.rpgfan.com/soundtracks/dq6-ss/index.html. Retrieved on September 15 2007. 
50. Jason MacIsaac. "Guinness Book of World Records Gamer's Edition 2008". The Electric Playground. Greedy Productions Ltd. http://www.elecplay.com/feature.php?article=11802. Retrieved on 2008-05-04. 
51. Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2008. Guinness World Records. Guinness. 2008-03-11. ISBN 978-1-904994-21-3. 
52. Matthew Belinkie (1999). "Video Game Music". http://www.vgmusic.com/vgpaper.shtml. Retrieved on September 10 2007. 
53. Sam Kennedy (2005). "Dragon Quest vs. America". http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3146024. Retrieved on September 10 2007. 
54. "Dragon Quest Manga". 2003. http://www.slimeshrine.net/manga/Novels.html. Retrieved on September 18 2007. 
55. "GameSpy: Dragon Quest 8 Review". 2005. http://ps2.gamespy.com/playstation-2/dragon-warrior-viii/669330p1.html. Retrieved on September 19 2007. 
56. "Japanese Platinum Game Chart". 2004. http://www.the-magicbox.com/topten2.htm. Retrieved on September 18 2007. 
57. Suppai Hitmitsu (2004). "Dragon Quest V goes platinum". http://ps2.ign.com/articles/502/502102p1.html. Retrieved on September 18 2007. 
58. Collin Campbell (2006). "Japan Votes on All Time Top 100". http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2401&Itemid=2. Retrieved on September 19 2007. 
59. "GameSpot's 15 most influential". 2000. http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/15influential/p11_01.html. Retrieved on September 18 2007. 
60. "WEIRD AND WONDERFUL RECORDS". 2008. http://gamers.guinnessworldrecords.com/records/weird_and_wonderful.aspx. Retrieved on September 17 2008. 
61. "TotalPlaystation: DQ 8 Review". 2005. http://totalplaystation.com/ps2/Dragon-Quest-VIII-Journey-of-the-Cursed-King/reviews/481. Retrieved on September 19 2007. 
62. Chris Kohler (2007). "Hands-on with Dragon Quest IV". http://blog.wired.com/games/2007/09/hands-on-dragon.html#more. Retrieved on September 23 2007. 
63. "Dragon Quest 8 Review". 2005. http://www.netjak.com/review.php/1045. Retrieved on September 21 2007. 
64. Sophie Chesire (2005). "Dragon Quest VIII review". http://www.thunderboltgames.com/reviews/viewreview.php?rid=931. Retrieved on September 21 2007. 
 
 
<small>''The section below requires verification.''</small>
 
''The series has sold so well in Japan that after [[Dragon Quest III]] was made, the Japanese government put effect a law stating that future games could only be sold on Sundays or holidays.''
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