Dragon Quest: Your Story
A 3D CG anime film adapting Dragon Quest V.
Dragon Quest: Your Story (stylized as DRAGON QUEST: YOUR STOЯY) is a 2019 Japanese animated fantasy film that adapts the plot of the 1992 video game Dragon Quest V. It was distributed in Japan by Toho starting August 2, 2019, and later reached international audiences on Netflix on February 13, 2020. The score, drawn from the games, was composed by Koichi Sugiyama, marking his final film work before his death in 2021.
The story follows young Luca, who travels with his father King Pankraz after monsters kidnap Queen Mada of Gotha. Along the way, Luca befriends Bianca, acquires a Golden Orb, and adopts a sabrecat cub named Purrcy. When Prince Harry of Coburg is also abducted, Pankraz and Luca give chase, but Bishop Ladja kills Pankraz and enslaves both boys. After ten years, Luca and Harry escape. Luca reunites with Purrcy and his father’s retainer Sancho, and gains a slime companion named Gootrude. Ladja seeks to free Grandmaster Nimzo from the Demon World, needing Mada’s Zenithian blood to open the portal. A legend says a hero will seal that portal, and Pankraz believed Luca was that hero.
To obtain the Zenithian Sword, Luca must defeat Bjørn the Behemoose in Mostroferrato, with the reward being marriage to nobleman Rodrigo Briscoletti’s daughter Nera. Luca succeeds with Bianca’s help but cannot wield the sword, proving he is not the hero. He becomes engaged to Nera, but after a witch (Nera in disguise) tricks him, he realizes he loves Bianca. They marry and have a son, Alus. Shortly after, Ladja turns Luca and Bianca to stone. Eight years later, Alus revives Luca using a staff, and it is revealed Alus is the true Legendary Hero. The group seeks Dr. Agon, who could become the Zenith Dragon with the Golden Orb, but the orb is a fake. Fairies give Luca a duplicate orb, and he travels back in time to swap it with the real one. With Bjørn and Harry’s army, they revive Bianca and confront Ladja. As Ladja dies, he opens the portal; Alus seals it, but a mysterious being distorts reality. This being, a computer virus, reveals Luca is playing a virtual simulation of Dragon Quest V. Gootrude, the anti-virus program, gives Luca Erdrick’s sword to destroy the virus. The game ends with Luca’s party arriving at Gotha, where Bianca playfully hits him—and Luca notes he actually felt the pain.
The film was announced on February 13, 2019, by series creator Yuji Horii on Nip
- release_date
- August 2, 2019 (Japan); February 13, 2020 (Netflix)
- director
- Takashi Yamazaki, Ryuichi Yagi, Makoto Hanafusa
- writer
- Takashi Yamazaki
- composer
- Koichi Sugiyama
- studio
- Not specified in article
- box_office
- ¥1.42 billion ($13 million) in Japan
- based_on
- Dragon Quest V (1992 video game)
Lore & Background
The film follows Luca, son of King Pankraz, as his mother is kidnapped by monsters. After his father is killed by Bishop Ladja, Luca is enslaved for ten years before escaping. He seeks the Zenithian Sword to fulfill a prophecy, but cannot wield it, proving he is not the Legendary Hero. He marries Bianca, has a son named Alus, and is turned to stone. Eight years later, Alus revives him and is revealed as the true hero. The story culminates in a twist: a computer virus reveals the world is a virtual simulation of Dragon Quest V, and Gootrude, a slime, acts as an anti-virus program. Luca defeats the virus and restores the game.
Reader's Guide
Dragon Quest: Your Story is significant as a major adaptation of a classic role-playing game into a 3D CG animated film, produced with the involvement of series creator Yuji Horii. Its use of pre-recorded dialogue to animate characters' mouths was unusual for anime. The film sparked controversy among Japanese fans for casting live-action actors instead of professional voice actors and for deviating from Akira Toriyama's original character designs. Its twist ending, revealing the story as a video game simulation, divided audiences. The film grossed ¥1.42 billion in Japan, ranking among the top 25 highest-grossing Japanese films of 2019. It also faced a lawsuit from novelist Saori Kumi over character names. As Koichi Sugiyama's final film score, it holds a place in the legacy of the Dragon Quest franchise.
Did You Know?
- The film's dialogue was recorded first, and characters' mouths and expressions were animated to match it, an unusual process for anime.
- Koichi Sugiyama composed the music, making this his final film before his death in 2021.
- A lawsuit was filed in December 2019 by Dragon Quest V novelist Saori Kumi, claiming character names from her novel were used without permission.
- The film's twist reveals that the world is a virtual simulation of Dragon Quest V, with a computer virus as the antagonist.
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