Sollosi's Favorite Dragon Quest Monsters

For my second Dragon Quest blog post of the summer, I'm going to talk about my favorite monster designs in the series.  *slurp*

If there was one article in this miniseries that could be a list of nineteen instead of nine, it's this one.  I love the monster designs in Dragon Quest.  They're alternately cute and intimidating, but always colorful and expressive.  Akira Toriyama's goofy sense of humor is so present in these beasts that even massive dinosaurs and undead abominations have a silliness to them, whether it's the hint of a smile or a quirky movement to their idle animations.  My love of the monsters of Dragon Quest feels like a common sentiment, both from my anecdotal experience interacting with other fans and the ongoing success of the Dragon Quest Monsters sub-series, which has been going strong for 20+ years.  I haven't played any DQ Monsters game at length, but if they revolve around raising and assembling a team of monsters from Dragon Quest I'm certain they aren't all that bad.

But that's enough about me and monsters, I have a list to write.  Like my list of Dragon Quest heroes from a few weeks ago, this is ultimately going to be a reflection of my own tastes and preferences.  I rate some monsters for being cool, some for being cute, and some for my personal encounters with them in specific Dragon Quest games.  Honestly it's that last one most of all.  And I'm sticking to making a top 9 (plus 1 honorable mention) to keep it consistent with the other pieces of this miniseries.  But enough talk!  Have at you!

Sollosi's Top Nine Favorite Dragon Quest Monsters

Honorable Mention

Slime

I can't ignore the Slime, the iconic mascot of the Dragon Quest series, and really my only options were either to rank it first overall or as an honorable mention . Their cute, delightful design and important role as the first monster in every Dragon Quest (FIGHT? MAGIC? ITEM? RUN?) are undeniable, but I also definitely like other Dragon Quest monsters more than the lowly Slime, including a handful of others in the Slime family.  So yeah, I do love Slimes, but I'm chickening out slightly by not putting it in my top nine.  I acknowledge the Slime's crucial role in Dragon Quest, but I won't say they're one of my nine favorite Dragon Quest monsters.

Number Nine

Slionheart

Now THIS is my kind of Slime.  Dragon Quest IX takes unusual excesses with its new monster designs sometimes, with my favorite being this awesome upgrade of the Slime Knight.  Combining the Slime Knight's ridership and coloration with the King Slime's crown and adding an excellent beard and cape, the Slionheart is exactly the right kind of escalation of monster design I'm into.  There are also red and yellow varieties called Shogum and Prime Slime, but I like the green version best as it shows its evolution from a Slime Knight.  Really though I never thought I'd be this entranced by a bearded Slime smile.

Number Eight

Zombie Gladiator

Zombie Gladiators (and their more magenta variant Hell Gladiators) are cool endgame monsters from a handful of Dragon Quest games, combining the multi-armed fear factor of a Mortal Kombat boss with the multi-weapon elemental attacks of a Secret of Mana character.  Really though, this guy's here because Skeledoid (a Hell Gladiator with sleep-elemental attacks) is the best recruitable monster pal in Dragon Quest VIII, and represents the many of zombies of Dragon Quest with prowess and dignity.  From here on, recruitable monsters are represented HEAVILY in this list, so be warned. If a monster shows up in a big way in a Dragon Quest story or as a party member, I'm much more likely to love them.  Just like an otherwise normal four-armed heavily-armed undead.

Number Seven

Killing Machine

One of the more intimidating monsters to face in Dragon Quest, these expressionless bastards (originally "KillerMachine") often appear in groups, sometimes attack twice in one round, and are fast and strong.  They debuted in the brutal final run of dungeons in Dragon Quest II (FUCK the Road to Rhone) and have ended the lives of many a hero since.  They're strong monsters to recruit in Dragon Quest games that allow it; I like their quadruped design and almost insectlike silhouette; and it's amusing that they're basically robots outfitted with medieval weapons, somehow both fitting and anachronistic in Dragon Quest's typically low-tech setting.  Seriously, why are there sentry robots in a fantasy setting?  I guess He-Man had a robot buddy too. 

Number Six

Restless Armour

Restless Armours are ghostly suits of armor capable of summoning Healslimes and other Armours for backup, and communicate the fantasy setting of Dragon Quest nicely while also having an air of... solitude?  The recruitable one in Dragon Quest VIII is even named "Lonely Joe." I don't know why, but I find these guys oddly charming.  Possessed empty shells that drop cursed equipment, nonthreatening in appearance but often quite dangerous, shiny color palette (either purple or silver depending on the game), I like these guys a lot. 

Number Five

Metal King Slime

I love the design of King Slimes in general, with their goofy Slime countenance complimented by an extra-chubby frame and a crown, but Metal King Slimes take it up to another level by being the most desirable, hunted monster in several Dragon Quest games.  Metal slimes have few HP (about 3 or 4 for a normal one, maybe 10 to 12 for a Metal King Slime), run away from battle often, have high evasion, and every hit deals 0 or 1 damage to them.  Metals are annoying to deal with, but are always the best source of XP available, so you'll always want to take them out.  There are more XP-rich metal slimes called Platinum King Jewels in a few Dragon Quest games, but they aren't as blobby or cute as the MKS.  For being my favorite grinding target in perhaps any RPG and for being such handsome dorks, I have to give Metal King Slimes their props. If only the one you recruit in Dragon Quest VIII was available earlier. 

Number Four

Hackasaurus

I love the grin on these axe-wielding dinosaurs.  It's like they're just SO PUMPED to be able to cleave you in half.  Regardless, these guys debuted in Dragon Quest VI, can breathe fire and sometimes slash twice with dat axe, and even have a special recruitable one in Lizzie, a named Hackasaurus that once fought Terry.  Lizzie is a total delight in the DS version of Dragon Quest VI, where her Party Chat options reveal a love of cats, insecurity about her strength and femininity, and possibly a romantic crush on Terry?  I already loved the Hackasaurus design, but Lizzie in DQ VI and another good recruitable Hackasaurus in Dragon Quest VIII cemented it as one of my all-time favorites.

Number Three

Golem

The first Golem was a mid-boss in the very first Dragon Quest, a fight required for entry into Mercado (called Cantlin in some versions).  That boss was weak against the game's sleep item, and sadly all Golems in Dragon Quest from then onward are vulnerable to sleep.  Regardless, the Golem is a classic design with very little variation over the years (sometimes they're... gray!  Or gold!) that still looks great. I also loved recruiting Golems in Dragon Quest V and VIII, where they're reliable attacking units in the former and a transforming trio in the latter. Maybe it's the boxy silhouette, maybe it's their consistent appearances, or maybe it's their role as recruitable monsters, but I love the Golem.  I think it's a Dragon Quest monster design nearly as crucial as the Slime.  I think they're in every game, and I have no complaints.

Number Two

Great Dragon

The least-ubiquitous monster in at least the top seven, Great Dragon is a monster seen only in Dragon Quest V from 1986 to 2011 in the main series, though I understand that they have a presence in the Monsters series and were brought back for DQ X and XI (which aren't available in English... yet.).  Still, I love the Great Dragon for being exactly its name: it's an awesome-looking dragon.  One of the strongest recruitable monsters in Dragon Quest V (in which more than half of your party is going to be monsters), the Great Dragon has an awesome look and brings powerful ice and fire breath attacks to your team.  Even though their recruitment rate is low (I think a 1/64 chance?) I've gone out of my way to recruit a Great Dragon for every playthrough of Dragon Quest V I've done and don't regret it.  It's the coolest monster in the Dragon Quest game with the most monster recruitment.  I really hope you get to ride one in Dragon Quest XI. 

Number One

Great Sabrecat

The Great Sabrecat is a great feral big cat design to start, with a wild-eyed look in some older Dragon Quest games and a more catlike face in recent games, but really it's that shock of red hair on the back and tail that add visual interest.  But let's be honest, the reason the Great Sabrecat is the best monster in Dragon Quest history is because of Saber, or Borongo in the Japanese version.  The Hero rescues Saber as a kitten early on in Dragon Quest V, and later in the game Saber is recruitable as an adult, after remembering the Hero's and Bianca's scents.  How sweet.  And even better, in Dragon Quest VIII, the party can meet the spirit of a loyal, deceased Sabrecat named Baumren, who then provides an item that lets you summon Great Sabrecats to ride!  So for being a cool cat monster in every game they're in, the only rideable monster in Dragon Quest VIII, and the most loyal Dragon Quest monster ever in Dragon Quest V, the Great Sabrecat is my favorite Dragon Quest beast.

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I'm aware that the Dragon Quest Monsters games take these monster designs to impressive new extremes, but I haven't played any of those so I don't have any context or attachment to monsters from those games.  But this list is honest - a pretty fair encapsulation of my love of Dragon Quest's motley menagerie of monsters.  In non-Dragon-Quest-related news, I'm currently playing Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete for my podcast and Octopath Traveler for fun.  Still got God of War and Donkey Kong to finish.  Video games are never-ending.

In about two weeks I'll post about Dragon Quest companions!  The playable main characters who aren't explicitly The Hero.  I had to contemplate whether Borongo / Saber counted for the Monsters list or the Companions list, but decided that monsters don't quite count as companions.  So that's my next Dragon Quest thing.  See you later!