dragon quest xi gemma

Released in 2017,Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Agenot only served as a reminder of whyDragon Questhas remained relevant since 1986 but instantly established itself as one of the must-play JRPGs of the current gaming generation. Somehow, Square Enix even managed to outdo the fantastic base game by releasing an enhanced edition for the Nintendo Switch.

Dragon Quest XIhas all the necessary ingredients to be a meme magnet: Lovable characters, mass appeal, and a hint of quirkiness. Here are 10Dragon Quest XImemes that only true fans will understand.

10 Gemma Defense Force

Even if some of the earlier games have more memorable overall casts,Dragon Quest XI's roster is hardly lacking when it comes to big personalities. As the protagonist's childhood friend and potential love interest, Gemma has a relatively small role in the narrative, despite the intro implying that she could be a big player moving forward.

As such, Gemma is either forgotten by most people or deemed boring due to her overly nice and idolized demeanor. However, like all ofDragon Quest XI's characters, Gemma has her fans, even if it is only one.

9 This Is The Moment

For the most part, Dragon Quest XI's combat system does not deviate greatly from the turn-based norm established by the franchise and, by extension, the JRPG genre in general.

This meme references the Pep system, which essentially allows a playable character to go Super Saiyan at certain points in a fight. While it does make an already pretty easy game all that much easier, it is undeniably satisfying to unleash a pep power on an unsuspecting foe.

8 Confusion

Although Jade and the Luminary are not actually related by blood, the former did sort of see herself as the latter's older sister when she was young. It is a nice sentiment that shows the guilt Jade felt at the fact she could not protect the Luminary; however, this meme expertly points out that this creates a bit of a dilemma for the pair.

Although nothing concrete, there are a few moments that hint at these two having the potential to be something more than just friends, an outcome forever soiled by Jade's introduction.

7 Don't Just A Priest By His Horns

Traditional asDragon Questmight be for a JRPG franchise, the world of Erdrea appears to be pretty forward-thinking in some ways.

Who is to say that an Underdigger cannot become an ordained priest? Sure, it might be a somewhat unorthodox career path for the character to take, but Erdrea does not judge. Still, even in Dragon Quest's safe and predictable worlds, some degree of cynicism should still be exercised.

6 A New Challenger Appears

The Hero being announced forSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatewas a huge moment for Dragon Quest, and the addition was more than earned. That said, the hero tends to serve as an empty vessel for players, so they are not the most memorable characters in gaming history, even if their designs tend to be pretty cool.

Banjo-Kazooie's announcement was met with such a roar of approval,Dragon Quest's Hero ended up being blown totally out of the water.

5 Well, They Aren't All Bad...

Memes are a great way for a community to connect over a shared passion while incorporating an element of individuality. Even though memes often attract more attention to a license, it is natural to get defensive when a personally beloved property begins to make the rounds.

As highlighted by this article, there are some funnyDragon Quest XImemes out there, but the JRPG has not proven to be as fruitful as some other games.

4 People Show Gratitude In Different Ways

Over the course of three decades,Dragon Questhas introduced players to a wield array of playable characters who have left long-lasting impressions.

Even though most have enough quirks and unique traits to stand out from the crowd, with some even becoming iconic in their own right,Dragon Quest does love to stick to certain archetypes. As such, all the characters can be effectively broken down into a couple of categories.

3 A Tale Of Two Princes

Anyone who has playedDragon Quest VIIIandXIshould be able to relate to this meme, as the former's Prince Charmles and the latter's Prince Faris share near-identical characteristics and story arcs. Both are cowards who hide behind their status before being pushed to overcome an obstacle in an attempt to prove their worths to their respective fathers and kingdoms.

The only difference is that Charmles remains antagonistic for the entire game's run, while Faris's storyline ends on a more hopeful note suggesting that the character will try to become something more than a liar and a coward.

2 Dragon Quest Inquisition

To be perfectly honest, there is not all that much connectingDragon Quest XIandDragon Age: Inquisition. They both involve dragons in some form or another, revolve around civilized worlds that are under threat of an invasion from otherworldly beings, and are RPGs. Their maps are also divided into different regions that act like mini-open-worlds.

Dragon Age: Inquisition's reputation has declined somewhat since its original release in 2014, somethingDragon Quest XIis unlikely to relate to.

1 Appreciation

AsDragon Quest Xwas never localized outside of Japan, western fans had to wait quite a while to play a new entry in the series. Add the fact thatDragon Quest IXwas a handheld game, and it had been 13 years since a home console main Dragon Questtitle had been released in North America and Europe.

Nowadays, Square Enix has started to localize most of its JRPGs, but that was not always the case. Until Square Enix announced thatDragon Quest XIwas coming to the west, it could have gone either way.

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