Dragon Quest is the foundation of every JRPG to ever exist. Its importance to the genre cannot be understated, and its DNA can be felt to the day. As a series, it has delivered time and time again, with a frankly unrivalled consistency. It brought forth first after first, and it will forever be remembered for its strides to perfect the genre it spawned. However, there is one other thing that made sure Dragon Quest had staying power like no other - its monster design.
Dragon Quest has a bestiary that is vast, wonderful, and teeming with creativity. Visually, mechanically, and even linguistically, Dragon Quest is a masterclass in how to design memorable baddies. This is of course thanks to Akira Toriyama’s iconic artstyle that just so happens to be as timeless as the games themselves.
10 Dragonlord
Starting off, we have the original “Big Bad” of the Dragon Quest series - the Dragonlord. This monster is amazing on every level. So much so in fact, we simply can’t go over every reason this guy deserves to be on the list. We will hit some of the key points though. First things first, he’s the last boss of the first game, and he is hard as nails to kill. Not to mention he transforms into a literal dragon.
Secondly, the Dragonlord has a bunch of dialogue that changes based on certain criteria and even offers you a bribe. Accepting this bribe leads to one of the coolest endings of any game ever, as you doom the world out of greed. Heck, it even leads to the events of Dragon Quest Builders, which is extra snazzy. Oh, and his design is goofy yet timeless - a Dragon Quest staple.
9 Bewarewolf
The original Dragon Quest introduced the world to all manner of interesting and wonderful monsters. It was the birthplace of Slimes after all. However, it also spawned some of the most terrifyingly humorous enemies of all time. Of course, are talking about the Bewarewolf - a monster included because the wordplay is simply too good to ignore.
The Bewarewolf joins the ranks of other chuckle-worth wolves, such as the Scarewolf. Name aside, the Bewarewolf is nothing to scoff at and is the bane of many early Dragon Questers. High damage and high HP lead to an early grave if you bump into one at the wrong time. It would be shameful not to include such a potent early-game hurdle.
8 Tentacular
Any fantasy game that contains a boat worth its sea salt should absolutely have a Kraken in it. It doesn’t have to be named “Kraken”, it just has to be a big squid that attacks ships. Dragon Quest of course pits you against its version, the Tentacular, regularly. This thing is always huge, it’s always dangerous, and in many instances, it has ended the careers of budding players early.
Whether you are messing around with Dragon Quest 8 or luminating with Dragon Quest 11, there is always a Tentacular waiting around every nautical corner. They hit every branch of the Dragon Quest tree, nailing the visuals, the wordplay, and the memorable combat. Truly amazing.
7 Hacksaurus
Big axes are cool. Big dragons are even cooler. Now, what would happen if you combined the two? You get an ice-cap-worthy Hacksaurus. These enemies are tough as old boots, and deal damage in ways you should absolutely expect by this point. They swing their axe, and they breathe their fire. It hurts, and we love it. Thankfully they are often relegated to late-game enemies so you don’t have to mess with them as a wide-eyed fool who just stepped out of his door.
Hacksaurus even make an appearance in multiple spin-offs, and take up prominent roles in just about every instance. Hacksaurus lose none of their power when they join your team in Dragon Quest Monsters, or during the excellent Monster Arena in Dragon Quest VIII. They are prime candidates for recruitment, and they never feel like a wasted investment.
6 Ghost
Many monsters in Dragon Quest are quirky takes on something pre-existing. That is exactly what the rather lazily named Ghost (once Spooky) is. As you would expect, it’s just the soul of a person who has unfinished business. What makes it distinctly Dragon Quest, however, is their love of pointy hats and silly faces. They are pranksters of the universe, and we would have it no other way.
Don’t let their innocent appearance fool you, however. Ghosts are very dangerous enemies who specialise in dealing magic damage. In earlier entries, they were especially dangerous as they could deal large amounts of damage and had just enough health to be annoying. Once you gained a party, some Ghosts could even use AOE magic, making them even more dangerous as a random encounter.
5 Cyclops
A huge mono-eyed giant holding a club the size of a small house sounds horrifying. Heck, in most other situations, they would be quite the intimidating threat. This is Dragon Quest, however, and whilst they are undeniably intimidating, their big goofy grin and timeless design make them painfully endearing. You just can’t hate these guys, they are way too jolly.
Of course, all of that goes out of the window when you start scrapping with one because Cyclops are pretty darn dangerous. What they lack in refined strategy, they often make up for in brute strength and a hearty pool of HP. They are not to be underestimated as a result.
4 Golem
Golems are yet another classic enemy that has returned to the series time and time again. The Golem is simultaneously the catalyst for one of the most shocking moments in video game history, and generally just a funky enemy to look at. They are nightmarish and enduring at the same time, and that is something only Akira Toriyama can pull off.
Golems are always tanky opponents, and they do, on occasion, appear as bosses. This makes them quite the challenge to overcome, and this is especially true in the original Dragon Quest. Many a gamer has dedicated hours to grinding just to take this behemoth down, but it’s always worth it for the sweet swag that lies beneath the ruins of Cantlin.
3 Dracky
Drackies are, once again, an original design that came from the original Dragon Quest. They adorable bats just scream charisma. Sure, they exist in an archetype of enemies shared by Zubat, and yeah, they appear almost as often in random encounters, but you can’t look at a Dracky and not feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. It’s a vampire bat, with a smile and lifeless eyes - it’s a amazing.
They are an early-game enemy through and through, and often join the ranks of Slimes as your introductory hurdle. They are pretty squishy, but come in hardier variants later in the game. They are also surprisngly adept at magic, often making them a priority target in a group encounter. Nobody wants a face full of fire afterall.
2 Great Sabrecat
We love Great Sabrecats for a myriad of reasons, but the top of the list has to be due to their amazing introduction in Dragon Quest V. The Hero of that game adopts a Great Sabrecat, and a touching story unfolds over many hours. We won’t spoil anything here, but from their inception to now, we can’t help but love them. They even make for great mounts.
All that being said, however, they are still monsters, and they are more often than not, enemies to be defeated. Great Sabrecats tick all of the boxes for a challenging random encounter, and this is made even better by their fantastic visual design. A Sabreboot Leopard with a mohawk? A true work of art.
1 Slime
Of course, the best monster in all of Dragon Quest has to be the humble, yet awesome, Slimes. Slimes are more iconic than the series itself, with their image being burned into the collective memories of every gamer on the planet. Their design is simple, yet in that simplicity, comes brilliance. There are countless Slimes in the Dragon Quest world, but the classic blue Slime is still the best,
Slimes are so darn popular, they have their own spin-off series, they’ve appeared in countless games, and they have inspired even more enemy designs still. You will struggle to find a JRPG without a basic Slime, and it all started with Dragon Quest. In terms of combat ability, they are wet noodles, but we love to fight them nonetheless. Oh, and did we mention that the time-honoured tradition of “Puff-Puff” is performed by rubbing two Slimes on your head?
NEXT: Dragon Quest: Things About The Series That Have Changed (& Ways It Has Stayed The Same)
