One Piece and Dragon Quest are pretty much two of the biggest phenomenons in modern Japanese media, with Dragon Quest being one of the earliest and still biggest Japanese RPG games ever created and One Piece being one of the most popular, long-running manga series.
Dragon Quest, originally called Dragon Warrior in the West, is a present-day dream project that happened in 1986, created by the legendary Yuji Hori, inspired by the popular role-playing games of the era. With art from manga creator Akira Toriyama who needs no introduction if you are a fan of the global phenomenon that is Dragonball Z.
Published by Enix, which is present-day Square Enix, home of renowned RPGs such as the Final Fantasy Franchise. So it’s natural that a franchise like Dragon Quest had all the makings of a popular video game.
Equally on the other end of the spectrum, One Piece is a Japanese manga created by Eiichiro Oda in 1997, that started serialization in the Weekly Shonen Jump magazine back in the day ever since it has become a global phenomenon spanning video games and live-action films.
The similarities between One Piece and Dragon Quest
Beyond the previously mentioned inspirations between the two intellectual properties, the main story and themes surrounding the two are also relatable. One Piece follows Luffy and his pirate crew in an adventure through the seas and the whole world in search of a fabled treasure.
Dragon Quest, even though varying from title to title, follows similar themes and atmosphere of a grand adventure with the main hero and his party journeying through the fantastical world. Friendship and adventure are the centerpiece of both these franchises.
Yet I scratch my neckbeard with disappointment as I ask myself the question: ‘Why has there not been a One Piece RPG made in the style of 2D Dragon Quest games ?’ Not to be mistaken, One Piece has had several popular video games over the years spanning various genres.
A Dynasty Warriors-style game, Fighting Games, open-world games, and even Role Playing Games with the recent one being One Piece Odyssey. All of them are great games, but in my opinion, the classic Dragon Quest games are the best kind of template for a One Piece RPG.
History behind the creation of one of the most important Japanese RPGs ever
Yuji Hori originally wanted to be a manga artist but that failed as he was declined by famous mangaka like Go Nagai when he asked to be his assistant. But that did not stop him from chasing his dreams, he had joined early in the race of computers, learning coding and playing games which led him to becoming a video game columnist for Weekly Shonen Jump.
Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball manga was serialized in the legendary Weekly Shounen Jump magazine, and now One Piece is following in the same footsteps in the Present day. Flash forward some years, Yuji Hori had taken a keen interest in RPGs like Wizardry.
Adventure games and role-playing games were becoming exceptionally popular all over the world. But Yuji Hori had noticed a key problem with the games, they didn’t have a constructive story behind them. Although the gameplay loop of Wizardry was incredibly addictive which he wanted to improve on.
Years later he drafted the first designs for the game, which Akira Toriyama took and added his magic, transforming Yuji Hori’s designs into the iconic monsters of Dragon Quest that are known throughout the world.
Dragon Quest’s influence on the world and One Piece
Dragon Quest quickly became a national phenomenon in Japan, making everyone a fan of video games and role-playing games. While the team got busy immediately with the next Dragon Quest project, the impact of the first game was helping nurture new storytellers in the field of both role-playing video games and fantasy manga.
One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has never shied away from his influence, the Dragon Ball manga, which he expressed when meeting Akira Toriyama, but beyond that he is also a big fan of his other work i.e., you guessed it, Dragon Quest.
At one time Eiichiro Oda even paid homage to Dragon Quest with one of his drawings of the main character in One Piece, Luffy, wearing medieval knight gear. Explicitly referencing Dragon Quest with a similar armor color that matched the Dragon Quest hero. One Piece also constantly showcases characters and monster designs that are influenced by Toriyama’s art in the game.
One Piece and Dragon Quest share structural similarities in stories and themes as already mentioned, one influencing the other, and it connects back to how Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball originally influenced One Piece. The Journey of a Hero through a whimsical universe, is filled with gags and humor.
What Dragon Quest learned from One Piece and gave it back
There have been instances where the latter has influenced the former. Dragon Quest XI derives a lot of similarities to One Piece with the Hero traveling the world and seas as a wanted outlaw, and through his journey, he befriends an incredible cast of diverse characters and even uses a ship to sail around the world.
The mutual feeling between the two franchises, especially Dragon Quest XI and One Piece was reciprocated which led to the release of a One Piece RPG titled ‘One Piece Odyssey’. The game was developed by the same studio that worked on Dragon Quest XI so visually it looks a lot similar.
The game also adapted a turn-based combat system for its gameplay bringing it closer to modern Dragon Quest in design. While we did get somewhat close, it still was not the peak potential of what a One Piece game can achieve.
The resurgence of old RPGs and hopes for a true One Piece RPG
Lately, Square Enix, the publishers of Dragon Quest have been going back to their 2D style of games which has brought back some of the older Dragon Quest games to modern platforms, remastering them with the HD-2D style.
Currently, gamers have been cozying up to the retro style of games as platforms like GOG are always working to make sure old games don’t turn into lost media. Indie developers are making games that utilize 2D-pixel art, and major companies like SEGA and KONAMI are reviving their old IPs with revitalized retro art.
There has never been a better time than now for a 2D RPG based on one of the most popular IPs ever. While Square Enix has explicitly said that developing those styles of games is excruciatingly expensive and time-consuming, I believe the perfect One Piece HD-2D RPG game is still waiting to be made someday.
Only time can tell if we will get to see it realized or if Eiichiro Oda will complete publishing One Piece first.
