Dragon Quest, one of Japan's most beloved role-playing games, spawned more than sequel after sequel. A manga version ran for around seven years, and there was an anime in the early 1990s.
That doesn't necessarily mean there's going to be a Dragon Quest anime in the future. It also doesn't necessarily mean there won't.
"The players themselves have always been the main characters in the Dragon Quest series, and I think that each person who has played a game in the Dragon Quest series has a unique emotional experience," Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 producer Taichi Inuzuka. "We've tried to turn Dragon Quest and spin-offs of it into anime before, but I think it's difficult to create an anime that can really resonate with each player's unique feelings."
It is difficult, but it's been done before, and it probably could be done again—especially with Akira Toriyama's pedigree. While Square Enix doesn't seem to be working on an DQ anime, it recently finished up work on a live-action TV program.
This year, Square Enix teamed with TV Tokyo to create Yusha Yoshihiko to Maho no Shiro (Yoshihiko the Hero and the Evil Lord's Castle), a live-action TV drama based on Dragon Quest. The show even had the blessing of Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii.
"Everyone here, including Yuji Horii, thinks of the drama not as a copy but as an original creation that pays homage to the Dragon Quest series," said Inuzuka. "Also, Yuji Horii likes the types of jokes that appear in the drama."
(Top photo: 勇者ヨシヒコと魔王の城 | TV Tokyo)
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