LikeFinal Fantasy,Dragon Questhas been a vital part of Japans great RPG legacy.
Fans of Akira Toriyama undoubtedly know him best from his work in both manga and anime.
His main creation,Dragon Ball, is nothing short of a masterpiece.
His magnum opus has lived on to inspire millions of fans and creators.
The same could be said of Toriyamas video game work, which occupies a distinct corner of his career.
Buy all of your Dragon Quest games right here!
The monster is even wearing Krillins signature Orin Temple outfit.
And, if you hadnt noticed already, their names are pretty similar.
Unfortunately, Kurilien would never make it out of the video game and remains absent from all otherDragon Ballmaterials.
Naturally,Dragon Balls Goku was a centerpiece of the game.
(The first game in the series featured both Goku and Toriyamas Arale Norimaki from theDr.
Toriyama also contibuted some additional art work for some of the boss monsters in the game.
Remind you of anyone?
This lent the series a lighter tone and a bit of humor.
Here is the cover art for this version:
Just a bit different, right?
Unfortunately forDragon Warrior, another fantasy JRPG was just on the horizon in 1990: SquaresFinal Fantasy.
With a similarly serious tone,Final Fantasydidnt allowDragon Warriorto become quite as popular as its Japanese counterpart.
Hidden within the MedievalDragon Warriorwas a game full of humor.
Interestingly enough, Toriyama also helped develop the officialDragon Questmanga and anime based on his art style.
The first anime aired on Fuji TV from 1989-1991.
Cronos seems to have been cut from Toriyamas matured aesthetic.
The artist also designed the games monsters, vehicles, and different eras.
The frog knight on the right is (you guessed it) Frog from the Middle Ages.
Check them out below:
Toriyama continued to work for video games, contributing character designs for 1996sTobal No.
1, a fighting game developed by DreamFactory and published by Square.
And the results are…well, see for yourself…
Tobal No.
The art in the games manual will surely put things in perspective for you, though.
Its really good, old Toriyama in top shape:
Tobal No.
1would get a Japan-only sequel,Tobal 2, in 1997, but Toriyama would not take part.
He decided to start his own studio, Mistwalker, and begin work on a new IP.
The game even spawned its very own manga and anime series from 2006-2009.
Nonetheless, Toriyamas contributions to the world of video games are remarkable.
John Saavedra is an associate editor at Den of Geek US.
Chat with himon Twitter!
Or check out all his work athis website.
