The Arena
The Arena originally appeared in Dragon Quest II in Osterfair Castle. Here, the player had to battle a Saber lion in order to get the Moon Crest. It has since appeared in some form in all other Dragon Quest games excluding VII.
Main series
Dragon Quest III
In the third installment of the series, The Arena becomes a place where spectators come to watch monsters battle and bet on the out come. The Castle of Romaly, Isis, Samanao, and Mercado all have a monster Arena in their casino.
Dragon Quest IV
The Arena is available to you in Chapter 2 Princess Alena's Quest in two forms. First there is The Arena in the casino, then there is The Arena behind Endor Castle where Alena must prove her strength. This is the second time in the series that you actually fight in The Arena. In Chapter 4 there is another monster Arena in the casino in Haville.
Dragon Quest V
Oracleberry is the location of the only casino in the game and hence is the only place to find The Arena. This Arena functions just like all the other casino Arena's.
Dragon Quest VI
In Dragon Quest VI things get a little different. During your travels you will come across something called the Slime Arena at Slimopolis, in which you will be able to have the slimes you have caught using you Beastmaster class battle. Your slime must fight through several levels, and winning the match gives you a prize.
Dragon Quest VII
When trying to restore Darma Shrine in the past, the arena will be the proving ground as to who is the superior warrior. The Hero will have to face off against 6 different groups of enemies. Round 1 will be against Nepro and 3 Drakslimes. Round 2 will be against Garcia and 3 Boltrats. Round 3 will be against Thompson and 3 Goopies. Round 4 will be against Naputo and 3 Smoochers. Round 5 will be against Don Jose and 3 Beakrats. The 6th and final round will be against Neris and 3 Slime Nights.
Dragon Quest VIII
Morrie's Monster Arena is located southeast of Pickham. It's is here where the Monster Series and the main series meet up, in what is one the more enjoyable side quests in the game. To take part in Morrie's Arena you must recruit monsters to create a monster team of three. That team can work it's way through the Arena by winning eight ranks (G-S) with three rounds for each rank. You have no control over your monsters, but you can level them up outside the arena by leveling your hero up. You start off with three monsters however by the time you reach Rank-S you have a reserve group and a second monster team at your disposal.
Monsters series
Arenas often play a sizable role in the Monsters series. There are differences in each game but as a whole the player must usually issue tactics and is prohibited from giving direct orders in the battles held in the arenas. Battles in these arenas are organized by rank, with ranks in the games ranging from G to A, sometimes extending into S and even X ranks. Each rank typically consists of three battles, with the difficulty rising with the next opponent and rank.
Dragon Quest Monsters
The Arena plays a major role in Dragon Quest Monsters, as the completion of a rank will open up new areas to explore and train and tame monsters in. Initially, the player will only have access to ranks G to D, but will be able to participate in C to S upon winning in D rank and solving the trouble with the Gate of Anger. After winning in S rank and completing the Gate of Reflection the player will be able to participate in the Starry Night Tournament, which functions similarly to an arena rank battle.
All ranks, with the exception of G rank, require a participation fee, with higher ranks demanding a higher price. It is possible to skip ranks in the arena, with the exception of G rank, since gold cannot be gained until clearing this rank, D rank, since it is the last available rank until it is won and the Gate of Anger is completed, and S rank, the rank that must be won in order to participate in the tournament.
Dragon Quest Monsters 2
Given the crisis GreatLog faces, the arena no longer plays as big a role as it did in the first game, though the player is still required to participate in order to gain the magic key to the sea world.
Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker
Two arenas exist in Green Bays: one on Domus Isle that is reserved for the Monster Scout Challenge and one on Xeroph Isle that operates more closely to the arenas of the first two games. While the Xeroph arena does not have to be cleared during the main game, winning all of its ranks is a requirement of Solitaire's Challenge in the post game.
Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2
An arena maintained by moles plays a similar role in Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 to that of the arena in the first Monsters game. Like the first, clearing specific ranks will open up new areas to the player, and some ranks cannot be selected until these new areas have been explored and the story has been progressed.
