The Dragon Quest series has been going strong since 1986 in Japan. It has never reached the heights of Final Fantasy in the West. However, slowly but surely the franchise is getting bigger outside of Japan. The fans are niche now but Dragon Quest 12 may change things as it is supposed to be a drastic departure.
While fans wait for that, they may wish to get into some more manga that has the same vibes as Dragon Quest. An easy one to recommend is Dragon Ball since Akira Toriyama, the creator also does art for the Dragon Quest series. There have also been some anime and manga adaptations based on Dragon Quest. Besides the various Dragon Quest anime spinoffs and Dragon Ball, what other manga and anime are out there with fantasy themes and stories about globe-trotting adventures?
8 One Piece
One Piece replaced Dragon Ball as one of the most important anime in Japan. It’s the perfect fit for any Dragon Quest fan as it’s all about exploring the world and going on adventures. It’s been going since 1997 and has a staggering number of manga volumes just past one hundred.
The anime is over a thousand episodes so there is enough content here for months if not years. The plot follows Monkey D. Luffy and his pirate crew around the world as they search for treasure. There’s more to it than that including super-powered fruit but that’s the basic gist.
7 Seven Deadly Sins
The 7 Deadly Sins in real life are marked with a warning. Do not break these sins or else hell is in the future for you. This manga and anime series paints these knights, branded as the titular 7 Deadly Sins, as villains and traitors before it is revealed they are the good guys.
They’ll fight both angels and demons to save the kingdom no matter what. Now is the perfect time to get into this fantasy series since the manga ended in 2020 and the anime finished up in 2021. Binging isn’t a sin technically so it’s time to watch these misunderstood knights.
6 Fullmetal Alchemist
Fullmetal Alchemist and its first anime adaptation differed wildly in their plots. That’s why Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood was created as a way to reboot the anime and stick closer to the manga. This was a wise decision as the manga’s original story is much better.
The manga finished ages ago and is a quick read. It follows Edward and Alphonse on their alchemic journey to get their original bodies back as they lost them in an alchemy accident. It’s a steampunk fantasy world that would fit right in with many RPG games like Dragon Quest. Square Enix published the manga in Japan.
5 Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders is the second series in this long-running franchise. Everything began with Jonathan Joestar’s family adopting a child, Dio, who turned into a little monster over the years. He became a literal monster when a mask turned him into a vampire. The series follows the Joestar family through the ages as they try to stop Dio or cults that arose from his ashes.
Starting from the beginning is recommended although Stardust Crusaders does go better with Dragon Quest’s themes since it is a global adventure. The manga is still ongoing along with its many anime adaptations.
4 Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic is like the Japanese take on the Arabian Nights tales. It follows Alibaba who is trying to make a name for himself by exploring one of the many treasure towers that have appeared in his world. His excavation leads him to a young boy, Aladdin, who is gifted with magical powers like a Genie. Together they vow to rid the land of corruption all while exploring and looking for even more treasure.
The series ended in 2017 and got two anime seasons plus a spinoff. The anime shows never finished the story, so of the two options, the manga is a better way to go.
3 Dr. Stone
Dr. Stone is a post-apocalyptic manga but there is a twist to this cliched scenario. One day everyone in the world turned to stone but they didn’t die. The main character, Senku, wakes up from thousands of years of sleep to find the planet thriving.
He figured out ways to revive other humans from their stone prisons along with other inventions like cellphones. It’s an inspiring series that shows how far one man is willing to go to bring science back to society. The manga just ended earlier in 2022 and there is also an anime with two seasons with a planned third on the way.
2 Ranking Of Kings
Ranking of Kings is an ongoing manga series about a cursed child, Boji, and his journey to becoming a king. The first season of the anime wrapped up not long ago in 2022 and gave fans an idea of where the series is going. It’s another great fit for Dragon Quest fans since it is a fantasy series with knights, magic, terrible monsters, and a lot of silliness as well.
Don’t be fooled by the kid-like nature of the drawings, this is a dark series that might even make readers, or viewers, cry. The most basic way to describe Japan’s take on Game of Thrones, but in a broad sense.
1 Beet The Vandel Buster
Beet the Vandel Buster has a storied history since the manga began in 2002. It went strong until 2006 when it went on a ten-year hiatus. It picked back up in 2016, was off again until 2018, and is now back in full production. There was a two-season anime adaptation around when the manga first began but nothing has been made since.
It’s the most RPG-like manga on the list as the main character, Beet, levels up by defeating monsters and getting tattoos to signify how strong he is. It won’t take long to get caught up since there are only sixteen bound volumes.