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Common knowledge to basically anyone conceivably reading this website, Japan is responsible for two of the world’s biggest, longest-running and most well-known console RPG series: Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. While both have historically featured similar gameplay (random enemy encounters, turn-based battles and the like), the two series are distinct enough that many JRPG fans prefer either one or the other series.

While Dragon Quest has evolved into a kind of cutesy, anime-inspired, all-ages RPG series, for example, Final Fantasy has always taken a more adult tack. And while each game in the Final Fantasy series takes place in a totally distinct universe from other entries, the games of the Dragon Quest series are at least loosely related to one another, making some interesting and sometimes dark game-to-game connections evident to observant players.

And one such dark connection may be hiding in plain sight in the upcoming Dragon Quest XI’s promotional materials.

It’s considered that, while many of the Dragon Quest games exist independently of any broader story arc, the mythos of Dragon Quest I, II and III exist on an identifiable timeline, and, Japanese fans are speculating, the next installment in the franchise, Dragon Quest XI, may actually be a prequel to the very first game in the series, judging by the main protagonist’s distinctive clothing.

Hardcore series fans may notice the deep purple of the protagonist’s tunic closely matches the cloak of another very important character in the series. Yep, it’s more or less the same purple as the cloak worn by the final boss of the very first game in the series, Dragonlord:

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Also note that the red grip of the protagonist’s sword hilt evokes the red of Dragonlord’s pendant. This has led many a Japanese gamer to conclude the two characters are one and the same and that Dragon Quest XI may end up being some kind of origin story, a la Darth Vader in Star Wars.

Further feeding the rumor mill is the fact that the newest game’s logo features a purple dragon, similar to Dragonlord’s final form in the first game, where previous logos usually depict the series’ titular monster as blue.

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If true, the move by Square Enix would make a sort of sense; while story connections between games in the series tend to be vague or tenuous, the Dragonlord is one of only a handful of characters with a distinct lineage that can be followed through the succeeding several games, with the Dragonlord’s grandson being present in Dragon Quest II, and the character even having a relationship with the mythological, series-spanning figure of Erdrick. Hell, Dragonlord was even important enough at the time to appear in several episodes of that corny Nintendo commercial cartoon show, Captain N: The Game Master. If any character in this series is going to get an origin story, Dragonlord seems the most likely candidate.

One thing is for sure: if the rumor proves true, Dragon Quest XI may well be the darkest entry in the series to date.

Source: My Game News Flash
Images: Square Enix, Dragon Quest Wiki, DQShrine.com