Dragon Quest Saga: Emblem of Roto

Generic.Rocker — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 17:31:08 GMT

Generic.Rocker: Added details for the Legacy supplemental volumes, art books, and the 2022 one-shots. Added release info, ISBN info, and reference links. Expanded some contextual information.

{{Stub}}
{{Infobox VG
| title = Dragon Quest Saga: Emblem of Roto
| type = Manga
| performers =
| publisher = [[Square Enix]] (Japan) Ki-oon (France) Star Comics (Italy) Planeta Cómic (Spain)
| artist = Kamui Fujiwarai (藤原カムイ) Chiaki Kawamata (川又千秋) Junji Koyanagi (小柳順治)
| image = [[Image:Retsuden_Roto_no_Monshou.png|right|border|250px]]
| released = September 20,1991 (Japan) July 25, 2006 (Japan, PE) May 15, 2014 (France) April 1998 (Italy) November 4, 2015 (Italy, PE) September18, 2018 (Spain)
| media =
| requirements =
| input =
|series = Emblem of Roto
}}
'''Dragon Quest: The Mark of Erdrick''' (ドラゴンクエスト列伝ロトの紋章) is a manga with art by Kamui Fujiwara, and script by Chiaki Kawamata and Junji Koyanagi that takes place 100 years after the events of ''[[Dragon Quest III]]'', and is about a descendant of [[Erdrick|Roto]] named [[Arus]]. It ran from 1991 to 1997 on Enix's ''Monthly Shonen Gangan'' and had two spinoffs, [[Dragon Quest: Emblem of Roto Returns]], and [[Dragon Quest: Emblem of Roto: Those Who Inherited the Emblem]]. There is also an OVA covering the childhood of Arus, and an [[Dragon Quest Emblem of Roto Art Book|artbook]].

The series is 86 chapters long, collected in 21 tankobon volumes, and later in 15 kanzenban for the Perfect Edition. Some parts of the manga were redrawn for the Perfect Edition due to lost materials between the original edition and this re-edition.

An official English release was announced in 2024, with the first volume set to be released in September 2025.

==Story==
After the defeat of [[Zoma]] two descendants of [[Erdrick]] left [[Alefgard]] and founded two kingdoms, the kingdom of [[Carmen]], and the kingdom of [[Loran]], each taking half of the Emblem of Erdrick. 100 years later the king of [[Carmen]] is fighting a campaign against a tribe of evil shaman while his wife the queen is pregnant. When they reach their hideout the king and his men find a demonic statue which they assume is the god the shaman worship. As the king gets close enough to destroy the statue, it causes the king's necklace with his half of the Emblem of Erdrick to break off and bewitches the king. The king then decides to take the statue with them to use it as leverage against the shaman.

In the following months the king worships and talks to the demonic statue in secret. The voice of the statue which is the [[Dragonlord]] tells him to give his child the demonic name of [[Jagan]] instead of the holy name of [[Arus]]. When the queen gives birth the king tries to take the child and hold an evil ceremony to name the prince [[Jagan]]. General [[Volgoy]] and his daughter [[Lunafrea]] think that the king is a demon in disguise and try to stop him. [[Volgoy]] attacks the king who transforms into the demon Delus along with some of his guards who become skeletons and kills the queen. [[Lunafrea]] then uses a ring of light on the demon Delus and defeats him. She then takes [[Arus]] and escapes the castle and meets up with [[Giran]] and [[Tarkin]] who begin to live their life in secret so that monsters may never find the hero [[Arus]] and they can train him to become a great hero. After the Dragonlord's failure to turn [[Arus]] into a demonic lord he turns to the kingdom of [[Loran]] where another descendant of [[Erdrick]] is born and succeeds in naming him [[Jagan]] and turning him into a demonic lord. 10 years later [[Arus]] begins his journey along with [[Lunafrea]], Tarkin, and [[Giran]] and his son [[Kira]].

==Characters==
*[[Arus]], the main protagonist. The descendant of [[Erdrick|Roto]] from the Carmen kingdom, blessed with a sacred, protector name.
*[[Kira]], Arus's best friend and son of Giran.
*[[Tie]], a blond fairy that accompanies Arus.
*[[Yao]], a martial artists who aids Arus.
*[[Kadal]], sage who fought Zoma alongside [[Erdrick|Arel]].
*[[Lunafrea]], daughter of the general Volgoy of the Carmen kingdom. (Voiced by [[Yumi Tōma]])
*[[Jagan]], the descendant of [[Erdrick|Roto]] from the Loran kingdom. He bears a cursed name.
*[[Dragonlord]], a minion of Imagine, and commander of the Dragon army.
*[[Imagine]], the main antagonist.

==Related Media==
===Printed media===
''The Mark of Erdrick'' spawned a collection of short side-stories called [[Dragon Quest: Emblem of Roto Returns|Emblem of Roto Returns]], and a full-fledged sequel titled [[Dragon Quest: Emblem of Roto: Those Who Inherited the Emblem]].

A 45-minute OVA, titled "[https://myanimelist.net/anime/7491/Dragon_Quest_Retsuden__Roto_no_Monshou Dragon Quest Saga: Emblem of Roto]", was released on April 20, 1996. It covers the childhood of Arus and Kira''',''' and is placed between the first two chapters of the manga, and can be treated as Chapter 1.5 of the main series. A "[https://shopping.bookoff.co.jp/new/0015977059 Cinema Comic]" adaptation of this film was published on July 7, 1996.

[https://x.com/kamuif?lang=ja Kamui Fujiwara] published two volumes of the '''[[Dragon Quest Emblem of Roto Art Book]]''' (ドラゴンクエスト列伝ロトの紋章藤原カムイイラスト集). They contain artworks, reference sheets and more.

# Volume 1: Released August 25, 1994. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources?isbn=978-4870257610 ISBN 978-4870257610]
# Volume 2: Released August 29, 1997. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources?isbn=978-4870259836 ISBN 978-4870259836]

During serialization, three volumes of '''Dragon Quest''' '''Emblem of Roto – Legacy''' were released as limited-print supplemental extras with certain Monthly Shonen Gangan issues. ''These supplemental volumes do not have ISBN numbers.''

# [https://www.suruga-ya.jp/product/detail/WO2159 '''Dragon Quest''' '''Emblem of Roto – Legacy'''] (ドラゴンクエスト列伝ロトの紋章Legacy). ''Included as a special supplemental volume in [https://comicvine.gamespot.com/monthly-shonen-gangan-197-no-3-2004/4000-924829/ Monthly Shonen Gangan - March 2004] Special Issue Gangan YG No. 1.''
# [https://www.suruga-ya.jp/product/detail/WO2664 '''Dragon Quest''' '''Emblem of Roto – Legacy II'''] (ドラゴンクエスト列伝ロトの紋章Legacy II). ''Included as a special supplemental volume in [https://comicvine.gamespot.com/monthly-shonen-gangan-202-no-6-2004/4000-924826/ Monthly Shonen Gangan - June 2004] Special Issue Gangan YG No. 2.''
# [https://www.suruga-ya.jp/product/detail/WO2665 '''Dragon Quest''' '''Emblem of Roto – Legacy III'''] (ドラゴンクエスト列伝ロトの紋章Legacy III). ''Included as a special supplemental volume in [https://comicvine.gamespot.com/monthly-shonen-gangan-208-no-9-2004/4000-924823/ Monthly Shonen Gangan - September 2004] Special Issue Gangan YG No. 3.''

On December 2, 2022, two new short side stories were serialized in '''[https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%83%A4%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B0%E3%82%AC%E3%83%B3%E3%82%AC%E3%83%B3-2022%E5%B9%B4-12-16-%E9%9B%91%E8%AA%8C/dp/B0BLHVN65N/ref=sr_1_1?__mk_ja_JP=%E3%82%AB%E3%82%BF%E3%82%AB%E3%83%8A&crid=2U00U2FDXVPPR&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.bh0x4S9s1RfjmTDh_Hgwf7_8XWoAZyE4BI9F_7o2PXvuVsJuiJL0vDw2MfnECUVGLM5x59VzjGLLDTRZOe6A2RERhtVQX_mED9_NuFhma4kcAzulSF9hQeYbfCbhH3a2j_ZgP3tz-9ads46D4fR4W1ke0ud9I02v5i4aAWUDkNOHQ9Pmdtx2hnC-1tWfqQYFd2uG51LjaZUPk_H54oRG6FuxLkyDnd6W5-E0LqSaEv61w9sbJjSOgQP0NqmOA1T4F3M1HZ8a76Mn-l7bE2VW3GkqXRtXL1rpmfgU3mvZ6EY.OCDPy10qgS5YeDgJcmwxQ-CyiulGNnlhuFsR2RHDBB4&dib_tag=se&keywords=%E3%83%A4%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B0%E3%82%AC%E3%83%B3%E3%82%AC%E3%83%B3+2022+No.24&qid=1708985299&sprefix=%E3%83%A4%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B0%E3%82%AC%E3%83%B3%E3%82%AC%E3%83%B3+2022+no.24%2Caps%2C160&sr=8-1&th=1&psc=1&aod=1&oCode=B0BLHVN65N Young Gangan No. 24, 2022]''' (cover date: December 16, 2022). ''Neither one-shot has been re-published in any form since its original serialization.''

# '''''Dragon Quest Saga: Emblem of Roto — Side Story: Beastlord Gnon's Secret Story''''' (ドラゴンクエスト列伝ロトの紋章外伝獣王グノンの秘話).
#* ''Summary from Cover Page'': "This is the story of what happened before the hero Ars was born, and before Gnon joined the Demon Lord's army." (「これは勇者アルス誕生前、グノンが魔王軍に入る前の軌跡である。」)
# '''''Dragon Quest Saga: Emblem of Roto — To the Children Who Further Inherit the Emblem''''' (ドラゴンクエスト列伝ロトの紋章〜紋章ををちに継ぐ者達へ〜)
#* ''Summary from Cover Page'': "After the death of the Great Demon King Zoma, the Chosen Ones built a peaceful world. This is an epilogue chronicling the lives of those who inherited the crest. What is the Dragon King—entrusted with the hero’s future—thinking now…? What is the hero of today thinking…?" (「大魔王ゾーマの死後、導かれし者達が平和な世を築き上げた。これは紋章をさらに継いだ者達の日々を記した後日譚。勇者の行く末を託された竜王ははたして今何を想うのか…？現代の勇者は何を考えるのか…？」)

In 2025, Fujiwara released another two-part artbook titled, "Dragon Quest Legends: A Journey Through the World of the Emblem of Roto" ((ドラゴンクエスト列伝ロトの紋章の世界の旅, ''Doragon Kuesuto Retsuden Roto no Monshō no sekai no tabi)''.

# Volume 1 (PART-1): Released June 30, 2025. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources?isbn=978-4883755486 ISBN 978-4883755486]
# Volume 2 (PART-2): Released June 30, 2025. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources?isbn=978-4883755493 ISBN 978-4883755493]

===Audiovisual===
In 1994, a Drama CD was published.

In 1996, an [[Emblem of Roto (Movie)|OVA]] was released. It covers Arus's childhood and how he became friends with Kira.

===In Videogames===
''The Mark of Erdrick'' has had a handful collaborations with the Japanese version of {{DQStars}}. The collaboration include multitude of cosmetic equipment based on characters like Arus, Kira, Yao, Kadal, Jagan and more; Fiend-difficulty boss fights against multiple villains from the series like Orochi or Imajin, and stamps for multiplayer communication. Kamui Fujiwara designed new armor for the collaboration event.

It also collaborated with {{Keshi Keshi}}, with erasers based on Arus, Kira, Yao, Porog (both [[gadabout]] and [[sage]] forms), Jagan and Gunon. Players would get Poron by just playing the game while the event lasted, with the item to upgrade him to sage being available as a quest reward. Arus, Kira and Yao were gacha erasers. The erasers of Jagan and Gunon were unlockable by progressing in the event.

The heroes of Arus's party also delved into the world of Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, with Arus, Yao and Poron as gacha units, Killa as a free unit, and Gunon and Jagan as bosses. Aside from the units themselves, a couple Vision Cards were also available.

==Gallery==
<center><gallery>
Monthly_Shonen_Gangan_n4_1991.png|Emblem of Roto on the cover of the 4th Monthly Shonen Gangan of 1991.
Retsuden_Roto_no_Monshou.png|Original volume 1 cover.
EoR_Volume1_CoverFR.jpg|Volume 1 cover (France).
EoR_PerfectEdition_Cover1.jpg|Perfect Edition 1 cover (Japanese).
EoR_Volume15_CoverIT.png|Perfect Edition volume 15 cover (Italy).
EoR_Volume15_CoverES.jpg|Perfect Edition volume 15 cover (Spain).
Stars_EoR_collab.jpg|Stars collaboration event.
Stars_EoR_Tie.png|Tie in {{Stars}}.
KeshiKeshi Arus Art.jpg|Arus in {{Keshi Keshi}}.
KeshiKeshi Jagan Art.jpg|Jagan also in {{Keshi Keshi}}.
FFBE_x_EoR.png|Final Fantasy Brave Exvius collaboration event.
FFBE_Yao.png|Yao in FFBE.
FFBE_Kira.png|Kira in FFBE.
</gallery></center>

{{Media}}
[[Category:Manga]]
[[Category:Manga/Anime]]
[[Category:Other media]]

Osamu Kaneko

Generic.Rocker — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 16:04:46 GMT

Generic.Rocker: Corrected a series title, based on the English text shown within the book. Corrected a series title to the localized term. Corrected "VJump" to "V Jump".

'''Osamu Kaneko''' (かねこ統) is a Japanese illustrator and mangaka.

==Works==
Kaneko's first official work in the Dragon Quest series was being in charge of the art for the manual for the SuperFamicom version of {{DQ5}} since at the time Akira Toriyama could not publish printed works outside of Shueisha. Since then, Kaneko drawn official art for multiple booklets, various artworks -many of them published in the DQ Kids magazines- and designed various character and monster for the Dragon Quest series. In later years, aside from working on the Slime mangas, Kaneko has collaborated with the V Jump magazine drawing illustrations for their Dragon Quest articles, and sometimes has drawn short comic stories for official guidebooks.

===Manga===
Kaneko is best known for his several Slime manga series:
* Slime Adventure (スライム冒険記, published at V Jump between 1993-2000)
* Great Mission of the Slime (スライム大作戦, published at V Jump between 2000-2003)
* Rocket Slime (Slime Mori Mori) (スライムもりもり, published at V Jump between 2003-2015 and at Saikyō Jump between 2012-2016)
* Slime Dawn!! (スライムドーン！！, currently published at V Jump since 2016)
===Character design for Dragon Quest===
* {{DQ7}}: Monster design
* {{DQ3}}: Illustrations for the remakes
* [[Slime MoriMori (series)]]: Character design
* [[Dragon Quest: Monster Battle Road Victory]]: Final boss design

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:DQII_fighting_gremlins.jpg|Artwork for DQII's Superfamicom remake, published in DQ Kids. <ref name="note">[https://twitter.com/sam_neco/status/1326875339360907265 Kaneko expresses nostalgia for a few DQ Kids cover illustrations]. </ref>
File:SlimeDawn 1-4 Covers.jpg|Covers of the first four volumes of "Slime Dawn!!".
File:OsamuKaneko DQXI V Jump Slimes.jpg|Kaneko's DQXI Slimes for V Jump and other Shueisha publications.
File:OsamuKaneko DQB.jpg|Dragon Quest Builders comic included in the Japanese guidebook.
File:Unused_Tania_Design.jpg|Unused design for DQVI's [[Tania]] that Kaneko shared on Twitter.<ref name="note2">[https://twitter.com/sam_neco/status/1416385746521391106?s=20 Kaneko shares photos of a DQKids magazine which include an illustration with beta Tania on Twitter]. This image is shared in a follow-up tweet. </ref>
File:OsamuKaneko_Bianca.jpg|DQV's [[Bianca]] drawn by Kaneko.
File:OsamuKaneko_Nera.jpg|DQV's [[Nera]] drawn by Kaneko.
</gallery>

==Trivia==
* Despite many people thinking Kaneko is also responsable for the artwork used as boxart in the Slime MoriMori games, they are the work of [[Akira Toriyama]].
* The slime with a scar that usually appears in Shueisha's "Weekly Shonen Dragon Quest" is called Surajan (スラジャン), a combination of Slime and Jump.

==References==
<references />

[[Category:People]]

Dragon Quest Wiki - User contributions [en]

Dragon Quest Saga: Emblem of Roto

Osamu Kaneko