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Dragon Quest’s Timeline – Chronologically Confused

Cinemassacre | January 20, 2026



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Dragon Quest is the longest running Japanese RPG ever. There’s 11 games in the franchise and a ton of spin-offs and remakes. You would think it would be simple to follow, like Final Fantasy, with each game being basically closed off story-wise… BUT, no, each Dragon Quest game has so many connections to other games in the series that it gets pretty confusing, pretty fast. Chronologically confusing that is!! So, today I’m diving in and giving you a run down of the games in their timeline order. Oh, a bit about why it’s called Dragon Warrior in America too… well, for a while anyway. Special thanks to sackchief for helping me with researching and editing!

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Comments

This post currently has 24 comments.

  2. @HotdogRawdog

    January 20, 2026 at 8:30 am

    These types of videos are always fun.

    I always view the Dragon Quest games as several different unrelated storylines.

    -The Erdrick Trilogy

    -The Zenithian Trilogy

    -DQ7

    -DQ8

    -DQ9

    -DQ10

    -DQ11 – with DQ11 actually being a book that the hero's mother read in DQ3.

    I don't view the spin-off games as part of any of the canon stories.

    But either way, you'll always have fun with Dragon Quest.

  12. @viewtifuljoe66

    January 20, 2026 at 8:30 am

    11, 3, 1 and 2, confirmed be same timeline, some say dragon quest 7 is ulimate future of that timline but who really knows, honestly with 8 esabalish emperya which same bird from 3 called ramia, after her adventures in 3 she started tranverse different realities and demensions, that said i belive 4, 5 and 6 take place one realties, 8 takes place another reality same for 9 and well builders games and spin offs.

  13. @goatsplitter

    January 20, 2026 at 8:30 am

    Technically, there is a hero in both timelines of 11. It's more like saying a veronica-less timeline and a Veronica timeline. In the end of act 2, mordegan is defeated AND calasmos is… Well not exactly defeated, but foiled. You could presume that calasmos will find a way to manifest and that maybe potentially could be the zenithian series, I guess if you want to squint your eyes and make that leap. I also don't think the end of act 2 world is a "ruined" world as you say. It was all resolved they just lost some people and a party member. I just don't think zenithian trilogy fits in this act 2 timeline. Just because it's another timeline doesn't automatically make it zenithian. Could be an as of yet explored end….

  15. @ShockedHearts

    January 20, 2026 at 8:30 am

    the only reason I think 9 is in the erdrick timeline is because in the final main game dungeon you can get the rusted sword, which can be repaired into the sword of light.

    and NO its not post game references. this weapon is found in what is essentially heaven as a relic in a chest DURING the main story – all the player does is repair it (which may or may not be canon) but if you think of 9 as being far at the end of the timeline having such a legendary withered weapon stored away in the heavens makes sense. especially for a game where you play as an angel lol.

  18. @TheJegan94

    January 20, 2026 at 8:30 am

    Ok. Hear me out.
    No need for a branching timeline.
    The zenithian trilogy has a different mythology and items.
    BUT what does the zenithian trilogy share with DQ11? A dragon, guardian or even creator of the world, and protector of the forces of Light.
    We already know thanks to Empyrea in DQ8 that legendary beings transcend time, going through many eras and even "worlds", changing their names and forms in the process.
    The zenithian dragon could have evolved (or simply changed names) to later become the Yggdragon, some 1000s of years later, or the Yggdragon could be the offspring of the zenithian dragon (we see that the zenithian dragon is still unborn in his egg in DQ6, so he must himself be capable to have children)
    During that time, an new incarnation of evil, Calasmos, was born.
    Once defeated by Calasmos, the Yggdragon was turned into Yggdrasil, and reshaped the world into the world of the Erdric saga.
    All the zenithian equipments were lost to the era of darkness before the rebirth of Yggdrasil, and only the zenithian sword remained, becoming the sword of light after being reshaped either by some unkown hero or directly by Yggdrasil.
    And so the zenithian sword wouldn't be a broken sword of light, but rather an incomplete sword of light. (Like how the Divine sword became the Master Sword in Zelda)
    Plus, the characters and the esthetic of the zenithian trilogy give me "legends of a lost civilisation" vibes, much like the dragovian kingdom in DQ8.
    The Luminary would be the spiritual heir of the first heroes who fought alongside the Yggdragon/Zenith dragon eons ago.

  24. @DrakusRecords

    January 20, 2026 at 8:30 am

    Dragon Warrior 1 was the first rpg I ever played. I remember I found it very difficult to figure out, I didn't get to far. But then I played FF2 for the SNES (FFIV) and loved it so much that I went back and finished it. Always meant to play 2-4, my friend played those and he mentioned that the map for DW1 was just a small part of DW2 and I thought that was cool. Never did find the time to play them though. Maybe when I retire.

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