The director of Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fate has revealed that the game will be a tribute to Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama, who was a longtime contributor to the series and worked on the game before his passing.
May 27 is Dragon Quest Day, and like many longtime video game franchises, the series celebrates its anniversary with a slew of special announcements, including the platforms for the upcoming Dragon Quest III HD-2D.
However, 2024 is a sad year for the Dragon Quest franchise, as Akira Toriyama passed away on March 1. Toriyama is best known as the creator of the Dragon Ball manga and anime, but he also worked as a character designer on Dragon Quest, bringing his unique style to its games.
Fans have been wondering how Toriyama’s passing has affected Dragon Quest 12, as it’s unclear how far along the game is in development. Franchise creator Yuji Horii addressed the topic in a post on Twitter/X, saying (via machine translation) that the game will be a tribute to Toriyama’s posthumous work.
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皆さん、たくさんのおめでとうを本当に、ありがとうございます。心配をかけているドラクエ12ですが、実はさっきまで、その打ち合わせをしていました。まだ詳しくは言えませんが、亡くなったお二人の遺作に相応しいものをと思っています。頑張るぞお！ https://t.co/QuVk0PCvNs
— 堀井雄二 (@YujiHorii) May 27, 2024
As of the time of writing, all that has been revealed of Dragon Quest 12’s visuals is its logo. We have yet to see any of its characters or game world. While Horii didn’t offer a new look at the game during the Dragon Quest Day celebrations, he at least confirmed that Toriyama’s work will appear.
Dragon Quest 12 will be the last mainline entry to feature Toriyama’s distinctive art style. While many people can copy Toriyama’s work to an amazing degree (like Toyutaro, the artist of the Dragon Ball Super manga), it’s unclear if future games will emulate his style or take a new approach.
The Dragon Quest series will continue without Toriyama, but the twelfth entry marks a turning point. Horii promised that the game would be a tribute to Toriyama’s work, and its release will be a bittersweet moment for the fans, as Dragon Quest’s aesthetics will never quite be the same again.