History Manga / DragonQuestTheAdventureOfDai

'''Dai:''' ... so what's your point? I can fight seriously, too.

** Episode 21: Mystvearn and Killvearn call each other Myst and Kill respectively [[spoilers:hinting that they are separate people from King Vearn who obey him for their own reasons]]
** Episode 24: Crocodine compares Dai to the sun, surprising Beran. [[spoilers:Beran will recall how his lover Soala was like the sun and will ultimately tell Dai that he is like the sun as well in the final episode]]

** Episode 54: Killvearn reveals that his blood is as hot as lava [[spoiler:that not only implies that he's not a normal living thing]]

** Mystvearn absolutely tries to avoid letting anyone see his face, if anyone ever catches a glimpse he goes into a rage [[which is later revealed to be because his face isn't actually his but King Vearn's. Myst is honor bound to keep Vearn's true face a secret]]

** Episdoe 32: Popp tells Gomechan that he wants to continue helping Dai [[spoiler:while in the realm between life and death. Popp's unconscious body]]

** Episode 9: Popp's Insignia of Avan glows green [[spoiler:foreshadowing when he is finally able to cause it to glow and power the Kaglimmer spell when assaulting Vearn Palace]]. Masopho (the green clothed mage in the imposter hero's party)

** Episode 2: Gomechan shines brilliantly in the sky to summon all the other monsters [[spoiler:referencing when Gomechan will grant the wish to alert all the people of King Vearn's plot to blow up the surface world by spreading his light over the whole world in the final episodes]]
** Also Dai's Circlet breaks when his power awakens [[spoiler:exactly how his circlet will disintegrate when he unleashes his overwhelming aura in the final battle against King Vearn]]
** Episode 3: Gomechan is revealed to be unaffected by Hadlar's evil influence [[spoiler:hinting that Gomechan isn't even a real living thing]]

Also Dai's Circlet breaks when his power awakens [[spoiler:exactly how his circlet will disintegrate when he unleashes his overwhelming aura in the final battle against King Vearn]]

-->'''Dai''': ...How are we going to stop this thing?\\

** Using a fire attack to unblock an obstructed room full of gunpowder?! Really clever Dai.

* Popp [[OhCrap realizes Maam is right about him]]*

--->'''Leona''': (whisper to Dai) It's gonna be pretty rough for whoever she marries...
--->'''Dai''': (thinking to himself) Leona should speak for herself first...

* FortuneTeller: The profession of choice for Nabara, Merle's grandmother, who uses a CrystalBall to help her in her line of work.

--->*cue all four of them getting their boat farther way from Papnica as fast as they can*

* {{Bishounen}}: Avan, Hyunckel, [[spoiler: Vearn's true appearance]].

''Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai'' (''Dragon Quest: Dai no Daibōken'') is a classic {{shonen}} manga (and later anime) spin-off from the wildly popular ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' RPG series. Written by Creator/RikuSanjou and illustrated by Koji Inada, it originally ran in ''[[Magazine/ShonenJump Weekly Shonen Jump]]'' from 1989 to 1996. Set in an original world loosely inspired by the legendary ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIII'', ''Dai'' would prove an enormous success in its own right, becoming one of the best-selling manga of all time and possibly the second-most influential installment of the ''DQ'' franchise after ''III'' itself. This would lead many of the motifs and abilities it invented to be [[CanonImmigrant adopted into]] later ''DQ'' games (most famously the Hero class's iconic FinishingMove Gigaslash[=/=]Gigabreak), as well as into Japanese fantasy media as a whole - works as disparate as ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' and ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' owe more than a little influence to ''Dai''.

''Dai'''s writer[=/=]artist duo have also worked together on the smaller manga ''Manga/DragonQuestIHidenRyuouBaribariTai'' and ''Manga/DragonQuestIVGaidenJigokuNoMeikyuu'', and later collaborated to create the unrelated ''Manga/BeetTheVandelBuster''.

* PaintingTheFourthWall: The characters are occasionally shown with a ''VideoGame/DragonQuest''-style statistical interface.

%%* WhipSword: Hyunckel's weapon.

* ComingOfAgeStory: To Popp.

* DefrostingIceQueen: Baran.

* WhereIsTheKaboom: [[spoiler: Vearn asks this trope aloud, paraphrased, when he realized his plan to blow up the Surface World didn't work.]]

** Princess Flora fights with a [[WhipItGood whip]].

** After seeing Flora defeating a group of Slimes with her [[WhipItGood whip]] when she's leading Leona, Maam, and Merle inside the Anti-Evil Cave[[note]]to get Leona to learn an anti-evil spell that would allow the heroes to enter the Vearn Palace[[/note]] late in the story, Maam remarks that Flora is "one tough queen". An image of Flora holding a whip and donning the outfit of a {{Main/Dominatrix}} comes to mind for Leona as a result, causing her to chastise Maam in return.

* WhipSword: Hyunckel's weapon.

** A rather curious one happens with Creator/GerardoVazquez: In the 1991 series, he voiced Hadlar, while in the 2020 one, he now voices Baran. However, he also previouly voiced Baran in the 1991 series during a single episode.

* TheTeam: Dai's group contains the following:
** Dai - TheLeader
** Hyunckel - TheLancer (also uses a spear for several arcs)
** Maam - TeamMom (also briefly plays the role of TheMedic)
** Popp - TheSmartGuy
** Crocodine - TheBigGuy
** Leona - TheChick
** [[spoiler:Avan - TheSixthRanger]]
** Later, Flora asks Leona to join the team as Avan's hypothetical fifth disciple and Crocodine is more or less [[DemotedToExtra relegated to the background]]. [[spoiler:When Avan conveniently reappears, he recognizes her as part of the team and as the disciple he'd have chosen]].

** A unique case where the Beta Couple is the main couple. Leona and Dai are pretty clearly attracted to each other from the start and they remain so throughout the manga. The only reason why they aren't [[ChastityCouple actively dating]] is probably because they're 1. a bit young, especially Dai, and 2. preoccupied with saving the world. Thus, their relationship is more portrayed with the ImpliedLoveInterest trope. Compare them to [[TriangRelations the Popp-Maam-Hyunckel-Merle-whoever mess]].

** Played straighter regarding Maam and Merle. Maam, as mentioned, is a fighter, whereas Merle's isn't. Maam is fine with wearing tight -- even exposed -- clothing if it helps her move around, while Merle's outfit is far more modest and wholesome, which she seems to prefer. Maam is more outspoken (outside of her romantic feelings, anyway), but Merle is a more reserved ShrinkingViolet. Their contrasts only become more visible when they're placed in the TriangRelations involving Popp.

* TriangRelations: Merle loves Popp, Popp loves Maam, Maam loves Hyunckel but so does Eimi, Hyunckel loves Maam but [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy thinks she's too good for him]]...really, this gets more to LoveDodecahedron levels.

During Jump Fiesta 2020, it was announced that the manga would receive another anime adaptation, covering the entire manga. Produced once again by Toei, it aired for 100 episodes from October 3, 2020 to October 22, 2022. A video game project developed by Creator/SquareEnix, later titled ''Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai: Infinity Strash'', was also announced at the same event. Dai also makes an appearance as a playable character in the Magazine/ShonenJump crossover fighting game ''VideoGame/JumpForce'', [[MarthDebutedInSmashBros making it his first appearance in many countries]]. ''Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai -- Xross Blade'', an arcade game with collectible trading cards was released in Japanese arcades on October 22, 2020. It has a companion manga with the same name illustrated by Yoshikazu Amami. A mobile phone game, ''Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai: A Hero's Bonds'', launched globally on September 28, 2022 for [[UsefulNotes/AndroidGames Android]] and [[UsefulNotes/IOSGames iOS]].

** When Popp, who's depleted of his magic after barely escaping the Field of Death following a HopelessBossFight against Kill-Vearn and Hadlar through help from Crocodine and Dai[[note]](Dai, in his battle against Hadlar, ends up trapped inside an iceberg, while Crocodine manages to escape with Popp, if barely)[[/note]], is feeling desperate to search for and rescue Dai, he, upon finding out from Leona and Aimi that Marin has some magic holy water that can restore some magic power, rushes to Marin with a desperate plea for the item. Unfortunately, Popp, in his haste to plead to Marin, neglects to watch what his hands are yanking, resulting in him pulling down Marin's skirt by the time Marin is badgered into agreeing. [[GilliganCut The next panel showing him with enough magic power restored enough to be airborne via spell-work]] also shows him with [[ArmorPiercingSlap a hand-print on his cheek]] as a result of his carelessness.

* AlwaysABiggerFish: When Dai and Popp get lost in a forest en route to Romos Palace, they encounter a beast-type monster, which attacks them on sight and quickly corners them, only to flee at the ensuing roaring sound at that very moment. Cue Crocodine making his DynamicEntry after slashing a large tree in two with his [[AnAxeToGrind axe]].

** It can be difficult believing Hyunckel is ''not'' something from ''Manga/SaintSeiya''. Seriously, look at his armors and how he equips them. He even looks a bit like Hyoga and was voiced by Phoenix Ikki's former seiyuu Creator/HideyukiHori in the 1991 anime. Think about what army he is in charge of, and how many times he comes BackFromTheDead.

* CutShort: The original anime ends after Dai's first encounter with Baran, which is less than a third through the Manga's full length, and which also ends on a rather different way. In the Anime [[spoiler:Baran is overwhelmed by the strength of Dai's bond with his friends, and he concedes the battle because of it]]. But in the Manga [[spoiler:Baran decides to cut this bond by erasing Dai's memories before retreating to gather his comrades]]. Needless to say, [[LeftHanging it would have been more infuriating]] if they took the Manga route in this case.