Many anime and video game series have left strong marks on audiences, turning themselves into institutions rather than passing fads. Two series that have excelled in this department are Dragon Ball and Dragon Quest, which have continued their stories for decades and still turn out new content to advance the larger narratives of these universes.
Dragon Quest and Dragon Ball have both made impacts in different ways, but there’s a strange sense of symmetry between these series. While it’s clear that similarities do exist between Dragon Ball and Dragon Quest, many fans might not be aware of how deep that connection goes.
10 Alike: They Both Have Characters Designed By Akira Toriyama
The most significant similarity between Dragon Quest and Dragon Ball is that Akira Toriyama is the character designer for both series. Sometimes artists can depict radically different styles, but the casts of the Dragon Quest games look like they’re pulled from out of Dragon Ball.
There are also numerous sword-wielders who bear resemblances to Future Trunks. Toriyama also designed many of Dragon Quest’s monsters, which is also obvious. There are even dinosaurs that exist in both universes and Toriyama’s influences and ideas carry over into both series.
9 Different: One Started As A Manga & The Other As A Video Game
The major difference between both Dragon Ball and Dragon Quest, simply put, is that one is primarily a video game series and the other is a manga and anime. Granted, the popularity of these series has caused these lines to blur.
There are Dragon Quest anime that pull from the games, as well as Dragon Ball video games that look to their source material for inspiration. Audiences may notice similarities between the two, but these are commonalities that formed over time. The two started as completely different forms of media, which has mostly remained true.
8 Alike: Dragon Quest VIII's Collect The Orbs Quest & The Dragon Balls
Dragon Ball covers a lot of territory over the course of its several series, but a central concept is that people are looking to collect all seven Dragon Balls in the hopes of making a powerful wish. Even when Dragon Ball shifts its focus to combat, the Dragon Balls are never forgotten.
There’s a good deal of déjà vu that takes place in Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King, specifically during a quest towards the end of the game that requires the Sages to locate a very similar set of magical orbs.
7 Different: Dragon Quest Uses Magic & Spells Instead Of Ki
Dragon Ball and Dragon Quest both involve a fair bit of combat and feature characters who have incredible powers who can launch devastating energy attacks. Despite the similarities, these attacks are produced through completely different means.
Dragon Quest uses a magic system for these special abilities, whereas the characters in Dragon Ball exercise mastery over their Ki energy. It comes from within. Admittedly, the Dragon Ball universe has briefly looked at the use of magic, most recently with the villain Moro’s skillset, but it’s never something that will replace ki in the series.
6 Alike: Dragon Quest's Writer Also Comes From Shonen Jump
Akira Toriyama’s work on both Dragon Quest and Dragon Ball sometimes means that it can be overlooked that the lead writer for the Dragon Quest series also came from Shonen Jump, just like Toriyama.
Yuji Horii is the mastermind behind the stories in Dragon Quest and he worked as a freelance writer for Shonen Jump before he made the jump over to the video games industry. As a result of this, Horii is well versed in the tropes of the shonen genre, so it’s not unusual for there to be some crossover between the types of stories featured in both series.
5 Different: Dragon Quest Games Are Set In The Past
It can be difficult to place an exact period when it comes to the timelines of series like Dragon Ball and Dragon Quest, as they are both largely anachronistic. It’s never officially stated if Dragon Ball is set during present times, but a ton of advanced technology is featured in the series that surpasses reality, such as time machines.
However, Dragon Quest seems to skew more towards the past. The series embraces its fantasy roots and showcases an older, medieval world with technology that reflects such a time period.
4 Alike: Tension & Super Saiyan Forms Are Basically The Same
The Dragon Quest series has been plugging along for decades now and even though most of the mechanics for the series remain unchanged through the many games, there are still new concepts that have been introduced. The PlayStation 2’s Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King was a real turning point for the series since it introduced Tension transformations.
Tension features an aura of malice that surrounds characters and boosts their strength for their next attack. It’s hard to not think of Dragon Ball’s Super Saiyan transformations since they both look very similar and feature similar effects.
3 Different: Dragon Quest Does Not Tell A Serialized Solo Story
Another major difference between Dragon Quest and Dragon Ball is the approach that they take to their storytelling. Dragon Ball tells one big story that begins with Goku as a child and goes all the way into him building a family, who also mature. It never changes its perspective or narrative.
Dragon Quest, on the other hand, are all more or less original stories that can be played in any order. Dragon Quest I-III and Dragon Quest IV-VI are their own respective trilogies, but even though they’re set in the same world with comparable elements, they are still mostly self-contained.
2 Alike: Dragon Quest Monsters & Characters Actually Show Up In Dragon Ball
There are a number of similarities between the characters and creatures in both Dragon Ball and Dragon Quest, largely due to Akira Toriyama’s work on them. However, many don’t realize that these similarities go even further and characters from Dragon Quest explicitly show up in Dragon Ball, albeit in tiny cameos.
The biggest examples of this are with how several monsters from Dragon Quest are at a World Martial Arts Tournament and some heroes are even in the stands at the Other World Tournament. Even Fortune Teller Baba’s Ghost represents the one in the first Dragon Quest.
1 Different: Dragon Quest's Hero Is A Chosen One
Dragon Quest and Dragon Ball are both series that contain powerful protagonists who fight off forces of evil to keep the planet safe, but they go about this from contrasting perspectives. Dragon Quest features a protagonist billed as the legendary “Chosen One.”
His name even begins as “Hero,” which has carried over to his appearance in Super Smash Bros. Dragon Ball, on the other hand, is all about rising to the occasion, regardless of the past, and working to become a hero. It’s more of an underdog narrative where anyone can save the day.