Since the first Dragon Quest game in 1986, slimes have been an integral part of the series. For almost 35 years, these blue monsters have been the first enemies players must fight as they begin their quests. Now, blue slimes are just as ubiquitous to Dragon Quest as Pikachu is to Pokémon. They’ve become series mascots, adored by new fans and series veterans alike. Here’s how they got that way.

The slime was designed by Akira Toriyama, the famous Dragon Ball creator and manga artist. Toriyama’s design was based off a rough sketch from Dragon Quest series director Yuji Horii, although the final product was a lot different from Horii’s original idea. Perhaps because the slime is the first monster players encounter, the blue blobs with wide smiles were a huge hit.

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Like moogles or chocobos in Final Fantasy, slimes are now an iconic and expected part of any Dragon Quest game. A DQ game without a slime wouldn’t feel like Dragon Quest at all. The popular monster has been featured in countless products that go beyond typical video game merchandising, ranging from a Switch Pro Controller to a tea pot (both of which are shaped exactly like Dragon Quest‘s slime). The monster is even immortalized as part of the Yuji Horii and Dragon Quest monument in Sumoto, Japan, making the slime one of the few video game characters to have a monument in the real world.

Why Dragon Quest’s Slime Remains So Popular

Although Dragon Quest isn’t as popular in the West as it is in Japan, the slime has still gotten its fair share of love outside its home country. The slime has been featured in several Dragon Quest Monsters spin-offs games that have made it West, as well as the slime character Healix appearing as a beloved sidekick in both Dragon Quest Heroes games. The character has been so popular it’s even spawned its own spin-off series, Slime Mori Mori. The second game in the series came West on the Nintendo DS as Rocket Slime. The game, which stars a blue slime named Rocket, remains a fan-favorite title.

Perhaps the real reason slimes have been so endearing is because they lack the ferocity of monsters typically seen in JRPGs. At a time when major JRPG franchises like Final Fantasy are constantly pushing toward realism, a non-scary and smiling monster is pretty rare. The cutesy blue slime is an enemy players can even feel guilty for defeating, so it makes sense the Dragon Quest series has pushed it more toward sidekick status over the years.

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After three decades, the slime remains a beloved mascot for Dragon Quest. Through merchandise and spin-offs, and even a monument in Japan, the blue slime is one of the most popular video game mascots of all time.

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About The Author


Austin King
(1233 Articles Published)

Austin King is a Game Features Editor at Screen Rant. He’s the author of several books and hosts the Dragon Quest FM and JRPGs & Me podcasts. You can find him on Twitter @DragonQuaustin.

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