Did you know there was a Dragon Quest animated series in the US at the beginning of the Nineties? And that it was actually really good?
You probably didn’t, because no matter how good it was its production was an absolute clusterbleep. Saban Entertainment stopped the series after 13 episodes, ending the first half of its only season on a big cliffhanger, never to be picked up again. In fact, the show never appeared anywhere else: not on VHS, DVD, streaming… no where.
Thankfully, there’s YouTube.
Dragon Warrior (as it was known that in the US until the mid-Nineties due to licensing issues) was based on the excellent NES game Dragon Quest III. Featuring the artwork and designs of Akira Toriyama of Dragon Ball fame, the show followed the game’s 4-member fighting party mechanic, with different jobs and classes displayed in the 4 characters in the show: we have the stereotypical male warrior hero, his trusty squat and brutish sidekick, a wily female dragon knight, and a powerful sage. There were even a pair of slimes that tagged along.
The heroes battled classic Dragon Quest enemies, cast spells, and went to famous game locations on their way to a mythical tower.
The series was unfortunately cancelled when Saban refused to credit Toriyama in the show. Poof. Just like that. Ah well, at least we have the video above! Enjoy the first seven episode of the show strung together in an over two-hour video via YouTube.
Let us know what you think of the show, and any other classic game-based cartoons you’d like to see us showcase!
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