dragonquestmusic

Observations from two users on Twitter have sparked a discussion of Dragon Quest influences past and present.

For gamers across the world, the iconic, opening theme used in the first six installments of the Dragon Quest game are instantly recognizable.

https://youtu.be/J6hio995aV4?t=9s

One fan, however, was surprised upon realizing how eerily similar the opening notes are to Chuo University’s alma mater and felt compelled to tweet about it. In no time at all, Japanese netizens were discussing and sharing his idea.

https://twitter.com/MINEKASO/status/736897451538284545

In light of the debate that ensued, another user then pointed outthat Dragon Quest IV‘s background music leading up to the opening riff above shares a certain resemblance with North Korea’s national anthem.

▼ Awkward!

https://twitter.com/In_Terra_Gloria/status/736937126382604288

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lVPDYQ6zdg

But these are just two of the many accusations from fans who say the popular series has referenced a number of artists throughout the game’s history, like the “Sailing Theme” from Dragon Quest II, which sounds like it was borrowed from Johann Strauss Jr.’s “Blue Danube Waltz”.

Additionally, those who have seen the original reality courtroom TV show The People’s Court will probably recognize parts of the show’s theme song that sound like Dragon Quest VI‘s “Devil’s Tower” theme.

It’s also arguable that “Overworld” from Dragon Quest III was inspired by Star Wars Episode IV’s ending ceremony music. It’s not that much of a reach considering how insanely popular the Star Wars franchise is in Japan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPApORVBSns

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH6a1iYQ0GA

This part of the track “Peaceful Town ~Quiet Village~” from Dragon Quest VIII seems like a pretty close rearrangement of Disney’s “It’s a Small World”.

https://youtu.be/8Smvk_MwvIc?t=2m5s

Dragon Quest seems to have even re-used music from its previous games, like the final boss battle theme from the first game that appears again in the fifth installment in the series.

https://youtu.be/judJaM1Vviw?t=25s

Of course, Dragon Quest wouldn’t be the first or last series to use music influenced by other compositions. For example, Final Fantasy has had numerous similarities noted online — and Square Enix was even called out by industrial rock band Powerman 5000 earlier this year.

That said, we’re not entirely convinced that all these “similarities” are anything more than coincidences. But what do you think, readers? Are these songs the results of composers borrowing from others or examples that “great minds think alike.”

Source: YouTube (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,  7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12) Twitter/@MINEKASO, Twitter/In_Terra_Gloria via Hachima Kikou, TV Tropes
Feature/top image: RPGFan, Dragon Quest Wikia, edited by RocketNews24