Hello and welcome Nitsuj. Well guys we’re here. The final part of Dai’s Adventure. It’s been a long time coming and they said we would never make it but here we are. Here’s the final fun fact for you guys. This one is about Yuji and Akira. If you’re a content creator it’s quite common for you to put things you like in real life into your project. Yuji and Akira are no exception to this as they put their illicit hobbies into the series for everyone to enjoy. For Yuji, it’s the casino. Yuji is a huge fan of gambling and added the casino in Dragon Quest III for everyone to test their luck. Since making its debut in the third game it’s been a staple of Dragon Quest and always contained rare and powerful items that you could get early in the game assuming you’re lucky. As for Akira, it’s the bunny girl outfits. The man has made it no secret that he likes the bunny girl outfit worn by the Playboy Bunnies. I mean he had Bulma wear one in Dragonball. At the casinos in the game, the girls are all wearing bunny outfits and you can even buy them for the female characters to wear. I’ve never been able to relate to Akira on a spiritual level as much as I have now. And now, the finale of our story.
Episodes 89-92
Not much happens in episode 89. Mystvearn uses Maam’s master as a shield to stop Popp from launching his attack, but he fires the attack and manages to save Maam’s master. Just when it seems like the attack will hit Mystvearn and kill him, he deflects the attack back at Popp and Maam’s master to kill them both (I’m saving my reaction until verification).
In episode 90 as everyone mourns the death of Popp (please don’t pull a Fairy Tail this time) Hyunckel comes to the realization I think we all came to in the previous episodes, Mystvearn is the real Vearn (and if so he has been holding back big time and screwing himself over). Mystvearn says he’s right but not entirely and Killvearn appears wanting to know the truth as well. He says he killed Avan but Mystvearn reveals him to be Avan in disguise. We find out that the real Killvearn is dead, decapitated by his own phantom blade.
We discover Vearn’s secret in episode 91. We see Vearn return (I knew it couldn’t be that easy) and find out that Mystvearn is just a clone of him. In order to achieve the closest thing to immortality, Vearn cast the spell Frozen Time on himself and split his body into two. Vearn would keep his wisdom and magic power while Mystvearn would have his strength and youthful appearance (as well as better voice). Vearn and Mystvearn fuse together to become the real Vearn once again (and now the real fight can begin). Before Dai can fight the real Vearn we see the others contend with a dark aura creature that was controlling Mystvearn’s body. It possesses Maam and takes control of her body to fight the others but they manage to push it out of her. As the episode ends it takes possession of Hyunckel (jokes on you, he can’t fight anymore).
In episode 92 Hyunckel quickly and easily defeats the dark aura (if a minute went by I’ll be amazed). Also, they pulled a Fairy Tail. Popp and the master are alive thanks to Avan who rescued them from the Medroa spell (fuuuuuuuuuccccckkkkk~!). Back with Dai, he fights off against the completed Vearn and gets overwhelmed by his power.
Episodes 93-100
So the last few episodes is the battle against Vearn. Members of Dai’s party get incapacitated and put inside some red sphere when they reach a certain point of exhaustion. The only ones left are Dai and Popp where Popp discovers the secret behind Vearn’s ultimate technique and comes up with a plan to create an opening for Dai to finish him off. Dai manages to break through Vearn’s defenses and attack him directly (if you can touch it, you can destroy it). Just when it seems like Dai has a chance of winning, Vearn reveals his master plan to destroy everyone on the surface with these black cores that are scattered throughout the world and will explode within minutes. Dai loses all hope, but gains it back when he finds out everyone on the surface is still alive and working to stop the cores from exploding (a lot is going on but it just doesn’t feel as exciting as it should be). It gets revealed that Gomu is actually a legendary artifact sent by the gods to aid Dai in his journey (I knew he served some purpose in this story). Vearn destroys Gomu but he performs one last miracle and helps the humans on the surface stop the black cores from exploding thus saving everyone (golden slime rules). To defeat Vearn, Dai unlocks the full power of his dragon crests and transforms into a dragonoid. Vearn also unleashes his full power and the two powerhouses fight each other in a long and decent fight. Dai manages to slash Vearn in half (like Raiden in Metal Gear Solid) to finally defeat Vearn and save the world. Oh wait, they give us one final twist as it gets revealed that Piroro the annoying little demon that hanged around Killvearn is the real Killvearn (oh my God, stop! Just let it end and give us a happy ending). He reveals a seventh black core set to explode so Dai and Popp fly it into the sky to save everyone knowing that they’re gonna die. However, Dai kicks Popp away (no, let him sacrifice his life. Not you) and dies in the explosion. Or so we thought. He’s still alive out there and everyone awaits his glorious return.
Final Thoughts
Well guys we made it. This was a long one but we made it. So what I can say about this anime? Well, it’s shonen storytelling at its best with the Dragon Quest formula done correctly. By today’s standards, this story is pretty basic and offers nothing new or original to the formula, but it’s not supposed to. This anime was the epitome of shonen storytelling back in the late 80s and early 90s. Dai is the hero who grows in his journey, gets beat down but never gives up. Vearn is the all-powerful villain that seems impossible to defeat, but the hero pulls through and finds a way to win when all seems hopeless. Throw in some side characters that are well flushed out, enemies becoming allies, love interests, and you have a Dragon Quest story done right.
Now, with that being said there are a few things that did get on my nerves. You all know I didn’t care for Popp and the fake out deaths were annoying and pissed me off. There are a few places where the anime just drags and the fight scenes just aren’t that exciting to watch for me personally. Some fights are good like Dai vs Baran or Dai vs Vearn. The ending did feel a little rushed and unnecessary. A lot of the love interests that they introduced remain unresolved and open-ended. Who does Maam choose? Is she going to return Popp’s feelings or go with Hyunckel?
The soundtrack for this anime is very good. It really does sound like music you would hear in a Dragon Quest game. The animation is also top quality. Aside from the CGI in a few scenes, this might just be one of Toei’s best-animated series out there.
Final Score
The final score for Dragon Quest: Dai’s Adventure is a 6/10. I know it may seem like I was bashing this anime during my review, but I did like this anime. I just don’t think it’s as great as a lot of hardcore fans think. I’m kind of surprised this manga wasn’t turned into an actual game. It feels like it would have been awesome.
*Gets a ping on the phone saying that a Dragon Quest game based off the manga is being made*
Well shit. If you’re a fan of the Dragon Quest series definitely check it out and even if you’re not a fan I still recommend checking it out to see shonen storytelling done at its best. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time on Project Nitsuj.
One more fun fact: Akira was a big fan of the original games. Akira played a big part in the creation of Dragon Quest so it’s only natural that he be a big fan of the series. Akira became so obsessed with playing the first game that it interfered with his other work. Supposedly, it took his wife threatening to destroy his console to get him to start working again. While nobody except Akira and his wife can attest if this story is true, it is cute and funny to see such a childish side to one of the greatest manga authors of all time.