Dragon Quest’s creator calls one Final Fantasy ‘perfect’ and highlights the key difference from his series

28.11.2025 Comment Views: 24

Yuji Horii, the creator of Dragon Quest, said he regarded a fundamental difference between his series and Final Fantasy. In an interview he was asked whether he perceived any rivalry between the two franchises during the 8- and 16-bit eras.

Horii answered that he never viewed the series as direct competitors, though he kept a close watch on Final Fantasy. He explained that the chief distinction is that Final Fantasy’s protagonists speak a great deal, while in Dragon Quest the player controls a largely silent hero.

Horii emphasized:

For Dragon Quest, the primary aim is that the player themselves becomes the protagonist. In Final Fantasy you tend to observe the hero rather than fully inhabit them. I thought this was a genuinely interesting and striking contrast between Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, even though I didn’t view them as rivals at the time.

He added that he has deep respect for Square’s work, and that Final Fantasy X impressed him above all: