I have mixed feelings about Dragon Quest manga spin-offs and adaptations! There are times when I really enjoyed The Adventure of Dai. Yet, I liked it more as a general shonen sort of romp than as a piece of Dragon Quest media. I didn’t really care for Dragon Quest Monsters+, though I do appreciate that Seven Seas localized it. But when it comes to Dragon Quest: The Mark of Erdrick, I unabashedly adore the manga and feel so glad both that Square Enix picked up the series and is releasing it in a format that really honors the original release with extra features highlighting its design and development. It genuinely feels like a story that fits in alongside the tales told in the games.
Editor’s Note: There are some minor spoilers for the first volume of the Dragon Quest: The Mark of Erdrick manga below.
The first thing about Dragon Quest: The Mark of Erdrick that really helps “sell” it as being a cohesive potential part of the series’ lore is the connections it has to the early games. This Chiaki Kawamata and Kamui Fujiwara series is based on early entries, fitting in with the Erdrick line that includes titles like Dragon Quest XI, III, I, and II. In particular, it’s established this takes place 100 years after Dragon Quest III. With Zoma defeated, there’s temporarily peace in the world. Where Baramos’ lair near Isis once stood, the kingdom of Carmen is founded. But while things seemed peaceful, the Dragonlord and his evil still persists. By having the Mark of Erdrick, split into two, and a background that is familiar, we get this foundation built on familiar tales we recognize and consider hallmarks of these early titles.
What I also love about this series and feels helps establish it is how much care is put into Arus’ background. He’s the scion of Erdrick who is our hero for this tale, and the Dragon Quest: The Mark of Erdrick manga’s first chapter focuses on establishing the rise of both the Dragonlord and Arus. The king of Carmen is fighting alongside his soldiers, among them the loyal Commander Bolgoy and his daughter, the new knight Lunafrea. After beating a brigand tribe, the king goes in to destroy a shrine with a strange idol. Except it’s the Dragonlord’s, and it’s used to capture the real king and replace him with a shapeshifter named Dersu. The goal is to take the newborn Arus, who already shows exceptional power from the goddess, and turn him into a Fiendlord by assigning him the corrupted name Jagan as a minion of Lord Imagine.
Fortunately, this doesn’t happen. The priest Tarkin, Bolgoy, and Lunafrea fight back alongside Queen Rosa, with Lunafrea and Tarkin escaping with the baby Arus and fighting back by tapping into his power. They flee, forcing the Dragonlord and Lore Imagine to turn the other latest descendant with a Mark of Erdrick, the Prince of Loran, will become cursed by the name Jagan and fulfill the villain’s plans.
From there, Dragon Quest: The Mark of Erdrick feels more like a traditional shonen manga and start of a game in the series. These games can often feature young adults with great potential and power heading off on their first adventure to prove themselves and fulfill their destiny of dealing with Dragonlords. We get this as we see Arus as a Ibis Sandsea sailor kid who grew up with and trained alongside Kira. We see how Lunafreya, Tarkin, and a guru named Tao trained them at Hermit’s Hideaway. We see the rise of the Archfiend forces. It’s executed in such a way that we see the possibilities and how things pull together in a satisfying way.
Speaking of satisfying, the execution of Square Enix’s Dragon Quest: The Mark of Erdrick manga is also pretty great. This feels like a deluxe release compared to other manga series. It’s 376 pages, so it almost feels like an omnibus. There are a lot of color pages at the outsets of chapters, which is a great touch. Concept art pages appear between chapters as well. It feels like there’s a lot of respect being paid to the original work, and seeing those extra materials show the thought put into this original work.
Dragon Quest: The Mark of Erdrick really feels like a strong manga spin-off that really understands what makes the games’ stories special. It pulls from Dragon Quest III’s lore in a positive way to shape this new hero and his world. There’s a strong foundation! Plus the execution of this release, with the color pages and concept art, makes it feel special. It’s a lovely release.
Volume 1 of Dragon Quest: The Mark of Erdrick is available now, and Square Enix will release the second volume of the manga on December 23, 2025.
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