Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai

Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai (Japanese: DRAGON QUEST –ダイの大冒険–, Hepburn: Doragon Kuesuto: Dai no Daibōken, lit. "Dragon Quest: The Great Adventure of Dai") is a Japanese manga series written by Riku Sanjo and illustrated by Koji Inada, based on the popular video game franchise Dragon Quest. It was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump from October 1989 to December 1996, with its chapters collected in 37 tankōbon volumes.

Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai
Cover of the first tankōbon volume, featuring Dai (front), Hadlar (back), Gome (bottom) and Brass (bottom right)
DRAGON QUEST –ダイの大冒険– (Doragon Kuesuto: Dai no Daibōken)
Genre	Adventure^[1] Fantasy^[1]
Created by	Yuji Horii
Manga
Written by	Riku Sanjo
Illustrated by	Koji Inada
Published by	Shueisha
English publisher	NA: Viz Media
Imprint	Jump Comics
Magazine	Weekly Shōnen Jump
Demographic	Shōnen
Original run	October 23, 1989 – December 9, 1996
Volumes	37 (List of volumes)
Further information Anime film series Directed by Nobutaka Nishizawa (1, 3) Hiroki Shibata (2) Produced by Rikizou Kayano Tomonori Imada Written by Junki Takegami Music by Koichi Sugiyama Studio Toei Animation Released July 20, 1991 – July 11, 1992 Runtime 35–45 minutes (each) Films 3 Anime television series Directed by Nobutaka Nishizawa Produced by Hiroshi Inoue Yoshio Takami Atsushi Kido Written by Junki Takegami Music by Koichi Sugiyama Studio Toei Animation Original network TBS Original run October 17, 1991 – September 24, 1992 Episodes 46 (List of episodes) Manga Yūsha Avan to Gokuen no Maō Written by Yūsaku Shibata Published by Shueisha Imprint Jump Comics Magazine V Jump Demographic Shōnen Original run September 19, 2020 – present Volumes 7 (List of volumes) Manga Cross Blade Written by Yoshikazu Amami Published by Shueisha Imprint Jump Comics Magazine Saikyō Jump Demographic Shōnen Original run October 1, 2020 – present Volumes 5 (List of volumes) Anime television series Directed by Kazuya Karasawa Produced by Hatsuo Nara Keisuke Naitō Tetsuto Motoyasu Written by Katsuhiko Chiba Music by Yuki Hayashi Studio Toei Animation Licensed by NA: Toei Animation Inc. Crunchyroll SEA: Muse Communication Original network TXN (TV Tokyo) Original run October 3, 2020 – October 22, 2022 Episodes 100 (List of episodes)
Anime and manga portal

A prequel manga series began in V Jump in September 2020 and a spin-off manga began in Saikyō Jump in October 2020. The manga was adapted into an anime series, produced by Toei Animation and broadcast on TBS from July 1991 to July 1992. It is the second anime adaptation based on the Dragon Quest franchise after Dragon Quest: Legend of the Hero Abel. The manga received a second 100-episode anime adaptation by Toei Animation, which was broadcast on TV Tokyo from October 2020 to October 2022.

Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai is one of the Weekly Shōnen Jump's best-selling manga series of all time, with more than 50 million copies in circulation by 2022.

Plot

See also: List of Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai characters

The story begins with a young boy named Dai remembering a story told to him by his adoptive grandfather, the monster magician Brass, about the defeat of the Demon King Hadlar by the hands of a hero known as Avan. After the defeat of the Demon King Hadlar, all of the monsters were released from his evil will and peace reigned supreme around the world once again for ten years. Some monsters and demons moved to the island of Dermline to live in peace. Dai, the young protagonist of the series, is an orphan and the only human living on the island. Having been raised by Brass and with his best friend, the monster Gome, Dai grows up dreaming of becoming a hero.

After Dai befriends Leona, the princess of the Kingdom of Papnica and saves her from peril, Avan comes to the island accompanied by his apprentice, the magician Popp, to become Dai's teacher by her request. However, his training is interrupted by the return of Hadlar, who was resurrected by the Great Demon King Vearn and became the commander of his vast army. Avan sacrifices himself to protect his disciples and Hadlar is temporarily driven away by Dai after he awakens a mysterious power within himself.

To honor Avan's final request, Dai, Popp and Gome leave the island and begin their quest to defeat Hadlar and his master to bring peace back to the world. During their travels, Dai's party gains three other members; the healer Maam, who later becomes also a martial artist, Hyunckel, one of Hadlar's former subordinates and Leona herself. Their enemies include Beast King Crocodine, an honourable but ruthless commander of Hadlar's army, the Mystic legion commander Zaboara and his son Zamza, A magical elemental of Ice and Fire known as Flazzard, the illusive Mystvearn, who himself is a greater servant of Vearn and is Hyunkel's teacher of black magic, Killvearn, a jester who is Vearn's personal assassin and Baran, a legendary warrior and Dai's father who sided with Vearn after the death of his wife and the disappearance of his son.

Media

Manga

See also: List of Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai volumes

Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai is written by Riku Sanjo and illustrated by Koji Inada. A short story Derupa! Iruiru! (デルパ!イルイル!) was first published for two chapters in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump in June 1989.^[2][3] A short story, Dai Bakuhatsu!! (ダイ爆発!!!), was published for three chapters in August 1989.^[4][5][6] Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai was serialized for seven years in Weekly Shōnen Jump from October 23, 1989, to December 9, 1996.^[7][8] The manga was collected into 37 tankōbon volumes published between March 9, 1990, and June 4, 1997.^[9][10] It was later released in 22 bunkobon volumes published from June 18, 2003, to March 18, 2004.^[11][12] A 25-volume edition that includes the color pages from its original magazine run and newly drawn covers by Inada was published between October 2, 2020, and July 2, 2021.^[13]

A prequel manga series, titled Dai no Daibōken: Yuusha Avan to Gokuen no Maou, illustrated by Yūsaku Shibata, with Sanjo credited for original work, began serializing in Shueisha's V Jump on September 19, 2020.^[14][15] The series is centered around Avan before he met Dai and his companions. It entered its "final battle" on August 4, 2023.^[16]

A spin-off manga written and illustrated by Yoshikazu Amami, titled Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai - Cross Blade, launched in the November issue of Shueisha's Saikyō Jump manga magazine on October 1, 2020.^[14] It entered its final stage on June 2, 2023.^[17]

On July 9, 2021, Viz Media announced they licensed the series for English publication.^[18] The first volume was released on March 1, 2022;^[19] the fifth and latest volume was released on November 8 of that same year.^[20]

Anime

First series (1991)

See also: Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai (1991 TV series)

Produced by Toei Animation, the anime adaptation of Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai aired for 46 episodes on TBS from October 17, 1991, to September 24, 1992. Despite no official Japanese DVD release, the show reran in 2007 on Toei's channel with a new master.^[21] The series uses two pieces of theme music, both composed by Koichi Sugiyama and performed by Jirō Dan. "Hurry, Heroes!!" (勇者よ急げ!!, Yūsha yo Isoge!!) is used for the opening theme, while "My Road, My Journey" (この道わが旅, Kono Michi Waga Tabi), which was the original ending theme for Dragon Quest II, is used for the episodes' ending theme.^[22] The series adapts the events of the first ten volumes of the manga, with initial plans to continue onward until scheduling and time slot changes at TBS lead to the series ending after 46 episodes. To accommodate the abrupt ending, Sanjo helped to provide an adjusted finale to the anime.^[23]

On January 6, 2020, the whole series was released in Japan for distribution on several video on demand (VOD) services, the first time the series has become officially available after the VHS release of the 1990s. In March 2020 it was announced that the 1991 anime will be getting a Blu-ray Box for the first time, released on July 3, 2020. The set contained all 46 episodes, and the 3 Jump Festa short theatrical movies (including the first film never before released on home video), which have been scanned from their original 35 mm negatives with high resolution and recorded as high-quality full HD remastered images.^[24][25]

Films

Three short theatrical movies were produced based on the first TV series, all of which premiered at the Toei Anime Fair film festival.

No.	Title	Original air date
1	"The Great Adventure of Dai 1" Transcription: "Gurēto Adobenchā" (Japanese: グレート アドベンチャー)	July 20, 1991 (1991-07-20)^[26]
2	"The Great Adventure of Dai 2: Avan's Disciples" Transcription: "Aban no Shito" (Japanese: アバンの使徒)	March 7, 1992 (1992-03-07)^[27]
3	"The Great Adventure of Dai 3: Six Great Generals" Transcription: "Shinsei Roku Daishōgun" (Japanese: 新生６大将軍)	July 11, 1992 (1992-07-11)^[28]

Second series (2020)

See also: Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai (2020 TV series)

It was announced during Jump Festa 2020 that there would be a new anime adaptation that would premiere in fall 2020. The anime was produced by Toei Animation and was a hybrid of 2D and CG animation.^[29] The series ran for 100 episodes, premiering on TV Tokyo and other affiliates on October 3, 2020. The series halted broadcast since March 12, 2022, when episode 73 was originally scheduled to air, and the series' entire schedule was subsequently delayed until further notice shortly after Toei Animation revealed their internal servers had been hacked by an unauthorized third party.^[30] The broadcast resumed on April 16, 2022, and finished on October 22 of the same year. The band Macaroni Empitsu performed the series' opening theme "Ikiru o Suru" and the series' first ending theme "mother".^[31][32] XIIX performed the series' second ending theme "Akashi".^[33]

Muse Communication licensed the second series in Asia-Pacific, and streamed the first 50 episodes on Netflix in 2022 and also later streamed on Muse Asia YouTube channel for a limited time in 2023.^[34][35][36] Toei simulcasts the series with English subtitles in North America, Latin America, New Zealand, Africa, the Middle East and Europe via Crunchyroll, as well as Hulu in the United States and Anime Digital Network in France. An English dub was produced by Toei and Ocean Media. It was initially the subject of a do-no-work notice issued by the American actor's union SAG-AFTRA.^[37] The first 25 episodes began streaming in the United Kingdom on BBC's iPlayer on September 26, 2022.^[38] In North America, the first 50 dubbed episodes were made available on a variety of download to own platforms beginning November 8, 2022.^[39] The entire series began streaming in the United States on Hulu on July 1, 2023.^[40]

Video games

During Jump Festa '20, a video game based on the series has been announced.^[41]

Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai - Xross Blade, an arcade game with collectible trading cards was released in Japanese arcades on October 22, 2020.^[42]

Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai: A Hero’s Bonds, a smartphone RPG for iOS/Android was released worldwide on September 28, 2021,^[43] and was closed on April 26, 2023.^[44]

Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai, an action RPG for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and Series S, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam was released worldwide on September 28, 2023.^[45]

Dai appears as a playable character in the 2019 video game Jump Force, marking the first appearance of a Dragon Quest character in a Weekly Shōnen Jump crossover game.^[46]

Reception

Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai is one of Weekly Shōnen Jump's best-selling manga series of all time,^[47] with over 50 million copies in circulation by 2022.^[48] The series also had a total estimated circulation of approximately 2 billion copies in Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine between 1989 and 1996.^[a] On TV Asahi's Manga Sōsenkyo 2021 poll, in which 150,000 people voted for their top 100 manga series, Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai ranked 30th.^[49]

Notes

1. See Weekly Shōnen Jump § Circulation figures

References

1. "Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai, Vol. 1". Viz Media. from the original on March 26, 2022. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
2. 週刊少年ジャンプ 1989/06/05 表示号数25. Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
3. "週刊少年ジャンプ 1989/06/12 表示号数26". Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. from the original on January 2, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
4. 週刊少年ジャンプ 1989/08/14 表示号数35. Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. from the original on January 2, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
5. 週刊少年ジャンプ 1989/08/21 表示号数36. Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. from the original on January 2, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
6. 週刊少年ジャンプ 1989/08/28 表示号数37. Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. from the original on January 2, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
7. 週刊少年ジャンプ 1989/10/23 表示号数45. Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. from the original on January 2, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
8. 週刊少年ジャンプ 1996/12/9 表示号数52. Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. from the original on January 2, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
9. (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on September 24, 2005. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
10. (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on August 28, 2004. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
11. (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on December 2, 2008. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
12. (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on December 2, 2008. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
13. ついに!!『ドラゴンクエスト ダイの大冒険』新装彩録版 1～3巻が10月2日(金)に発売!! 2、3巻のカバーイラストも初公開!! (in Japanese). Weekly Shōnen Jump. November 17, 2015. from the original on November 3, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
14. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (September 12, 2020). "Dragon Quest: Adventure of Dai Cross Blade Manga Launches on October 1". Anime News Network. from the original on September 13, 2020. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
15. Sherman, Jennifer (May 29, 2020). "Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai Manga Gets Prequel Manga". Anime News Network. from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
16. "Dragon Quest Dai no Daibōken: Yūsha Avan to Gokuen no Maō Manga Enters Final Battle". Anime News Network. April 5, 2023. from the original on May 4, 2023. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
17. Cayanan, Joanna (May 3, 2023). "Dragon Quest: Adventure of Dai Xross Blade Manga Enters 'Final Stage'". Anime News Network. from the original on May 4, 2023. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
18. Mateo, Alex (July 9, 2021). "Viz to Release Demon Slayer Spinoff Manga, Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai, Alice in Borderland, More Manga". Anime News Network. from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
19. "Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai, Vol. 1". Viz Media. from the original on March 26, 2022. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
20. "Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai, Vol. 5". Viz Media. from the original on May 29, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
21. , archived from the original on October 20, 2007, retrieved June 11, 2016
22. 三条陸; 稲田浩司 (1995). 集英社 (ed.). Jump Comics Perfect Book 1 The Adventure of Dai (in Japanese). Tokyo: 集英社. pp. 100, 108. ISBN 9784088588810.
23. JUMP COMICS PERFECT BOOK 1 ダイの大冒険 Page 103
24. アニメ『ダイの大冒険』（1991）全46話の配信が開始. Famitsu (in Japanese). January 6, 2020. from the original on March 22, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
25. Komatsu, Mikikazu (March 13, 2020). "Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai Original TV Anime Gets Its First Blu-ray Box". Crunchyroll. from the original on March 22, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
26. . Toei Animation. Archived from the original on November 29, 2013. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
27. . Toei Animation. Archived from the original on November 29, 2013. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
28. . Toei Animation. Archived from the original on November 29, 2013. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
29. "Dragon Quest: Dai no Daibōken Manga Gets New Anime Adaptation in Fall 2020 (Updated)". Anime News Network. December 20, 2019. from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
30. "Toei Animation Hack Affects One Piece, Dragon Quest: Adventure of Dai, Delicious Party Precure, Digimon Ghost Game Anime". Anime News Network. March 11, 2022. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
31. "New Dragon Quest: Dai no Daibōken Anime Unveils Cast, October TV Premiere". Anime News Network. May 27, 2020. from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
32. "New Dragon Quest: Adventure of Dai Anime's Video Reveals Opening Song, October 3 Debut". Anime News Network. September 6, 2020. from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
33. "XIIX Perform New Ending Theme for Dragon Quest: Adventure of Dai Anime". Anime News Network. March 19, 2021. from the original on March 20, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
34. Pineda, Rafael Antonio (September 21, 2020). "Muse Asia Licenses Burn the Witch, Love Live! Nijigasaki Anime". Anime News Network. from the original on October 2, 2020. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
35. Hazra, Adriana. "Netflix India Lists 2020 Dragon Quest Anime; Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 Compilation Film, Season 2". Anime News Network. from the original on April 30, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
36. "🎬Limited-Time YouTube Upload Announcement🎬《Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai》In celebration of the release of 《Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai 》, we bring you a limited-time broadcast of Dai anime!Come and explore the magical world with Dai!". Muse Asia via YouTube. August 10, 2023. Archived from the original on August 25, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
37. "Do Not Work Notice: Dragon Quest: Legend of Dai". SAG-AFTRA. April 22, 2021. from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
38. Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai - Series 1: 1. Dai, The Little Hero, from the original on September 28, 2022, retrieved September 29, 2022
39. Harza, Adriana (November 4, 2022). "Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai Anime's English Dub Debuts in N. America on November 8". Anime News Network. from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
40. Beveridge, Chris (June 19, 2023). "Hulu Schedules 'Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai' Anime English Dub Streaming Premiere". Fandom Post. from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
41. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (December 20, 2019). "Dragon Quest: Dai no Daibōken Manga Also Gets Game Adaptation". Anime News Network. from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
42. Romano, Sal (May 27, 2020). "Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai – Xross Blade announced for arcade". Gematsu. from the original on October 29, 2020. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
43. Romano, Sal (September 7, 2021). "Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai: A Hero's Bonds launches September 28". Gematsu. from the original on September 17, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
44. Hashimoto, Kazuma (January 25, 2023). "Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai: A Hero's Bond to End Service". Siliconera. from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
45. Romano, Sal (May 26, 2023). "Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai launches September 28 for PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Switch, and PC". Gematsu. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
46. Sherman, Jennifer (January 25, 2019). "Dragon Quest Manga's Dai Joins Jump Force Game Lineup". Anime News Network. from the original on January 26, 2019. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
47. "Top Manga Properties in 2008 - Rankings and Circulation Data". Comipress. December 31, 2008. from the original on June 30, 2013. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
48. Shueisha Manga Official [@s_manga_net] (April 27, 2022). ／本日からULTRA STAGEでは#ダイの大冒険 が無料公開中！🎊期限は4/28 23:59まで！⏰＼💬「発行部数5000万部超。これぞドラクエ漫画の傑作⚔️」作品の見どころは、画像をタップ！📱👈#春マンhttp://bit.ly/3x8tR0x (Tweet) (in Japanese) – via Twitter.
49. テレビ朝日『国民15万人がガチで投票!漫画総選挙』ランキング結果まとめ！ 栄えある1位に輝く漫画は!?. animate Times (in Japanese). Animate. January 3, 2021. Archived from the original on January 3, 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2021.

External links

• (in Japanese)
• Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai (1991) official anime website at Toei Animation (in Japanese)
• Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai (2020) official anime website (in Japanese)
• Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia