In a recent interview at Tokyo Game Show 2024, Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii expressed dissatisfaction with certain aspects of the Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, particularly regarding the censorship and other changes made to the game.
This confirms a well-known fact, that the Japanese themselves detest the concept of “woke” but ultimately have their hands tied as Japanese developers are forced to endure and uphold the progressive demands of the West in order to sell their games internationally.
In our previous coverage of the upcoming Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, we were appalled by the nonsensical alterations Square Enix has made to Akira Toriyama’s iconic character designs. The company recently showcased full artwork for the game’s nine job classes, with specific changes made to the Warrior, Jester, and Priest roles.
Notably, the female Warrior’s bikini armor now includes a crop top and shorts, while the female Jester’s bust size has been reduced, with more of her cleavage covered.
Some might irrationally defend Square Enix, a company notorious for censoring its titles, including the recent Final Fantasy VII Remakes where censorship changes were even made four years post-release.
The argument that these adjustments were necessary to meet Japan’s CERO or Western ESRB age ratings could be plausible, however, this claim falls apart when considering the changes made to the Priest class, where the traditional cross symbol was replaced with inclusive, non-religious tridents, clearly signaling a move away from religious iconography.
The changes made to the Priest class strongly suggest that Western political influences played a significant role in the adjustments, a theory further supported by rumors that the Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake would remove sex-specific terminology.
This speculation, that male and female distinctions would be replaced with more inclusive “Body Type A/B” options—was confirmed during an interview at this year’s Tokyo Game Show featuring Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii.
Yuji Horii, now 70, shared his thoughts on the DEI-censored character designs during an interview with Japanese video game news outlet Denfaminico Gamer, alongside former Shonen Jump Editor-in-Chief Kazuhiko Torishima.
During the interview, the host, dressed as the Hero from Dragon Quest III, pressed Kazuhiko Torishima about Square Enix’s decision to censor various character designs in the Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake.
Kazuhiko explained that many of these edits stem from the need to comply with American content standards in order to maximize profits, noting that Japanese media often faces such changes when aiming to succeed in Western markets.
According to a translation by Valute News on Twitter, Yuji Horii further elaborated on the costume design changes, stating that they were made due to “various regulations,” emphasizing that there are restrictions on showing “too much skin.”
The host downplayed the changes, remarking that Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is ultimately a work of fiction, and as long as the final experience is enjoyable and immersive for players, that’s what truly matters. Yuji Horii added that excessive skin exposure would raise the game’s age rating, potentially impacting its marketability as an all-ages title.
This would limit its audience and affect overall sales.
During the discussion about how rules and regulations vary across countries, particularly outside of Japan, former Shonen Jump Editor-in-Chief Kazuhiko Torishima addressed the challenges Japanese games face in complying with the “strictest regulations” when attempting to sell globally.
He remarked that under the guise of compliance, these regulations act like an “absolute god,” further stating that such strict enforcement outside of Japan is “an evil disguised as good.”
Torishima went on to assert that there’s no such thing as content that doesn’t make someone uncomfortable, a point that rings true.
No product can universally appeal to or resonate with everyone, it’s simply impossible. However, the issue Japanese games now face due to global commercialization is the influence of progressive Western values on design choices and other elements.
The Western audience now largely operates under a culture of cancelation, where individuals, whether developers, directors, voice actors, or workers are ostracized for holding views that differ from the prevailing progressive norms. People’s careers are often destroyed simply because their personal beliefs, outside of work, do not align with the dominant ideologies being pushed, including topics related to gender and sexuality.
Even those generally aligned with these views, such as J.K. Rowling, are publicly vilified for expressing dissent on matters as basic as human biological.
In Western game development, liberal women and feminist allies dominate the field and hold significant influence, opposing traditional notions of beauty and femininity, while actively promoting LGBT themes and representation in their products.
This environment has led to a situation where even a small, offended niche outside of Japan more or less pressures them to alter, sanitize, and censor their games to appeal to a broader international audience or risk a social media shitstorm brewed over allegations of sexism and misogyny.
Kazuhiko Torishima stated, “Beauty and ugliness, good and evil are different for everyone,” while emphasizing that certain things “absolutely must not be done.” As long as creators adhere to those core principles, they’re free to express themselves in other areas.
He further criticized the West’s narrow-minded approach to compliance, particularly when it comes to sex appeal and beauty. This, he noted, is evident in how Western tourists often react to Japanese anime and manga, frequently labeling characters or themes as “problematic” and or “pedophilic.”
The former Shonen Jump Editor-in-Chief went on to describe the challenges of selling manga in foreign markets, particularly in the U.S.
He explained, “everything had to be categorized by age group.” For his company, Shonen Jump, the content they provided overseas had to be rated for ages 13 and up to avoid potential legal issues. Without such ratings, they risked lawsuits, and the company was even required to obtain liability insurance to protect against these risks.
The former Shonen Jump Editor-in-Chief expressed his frustration, stating that “doing business with such a ridiculous country is really frustrating,” referring to the challenges posed by puritanical foreign markets. He went on to say that, due to having to accommodate the sociopolitical demands of these companies, “Japan also gets negatively influenced” by their ideologies.
The influence of Western ideology on Japanese game development became evident when Yuji Horii, creator of Dragon Quest, noted that in earlier games, players could choose between a male and female protagonist. However, he pointed out that this option has since been removed, stating that “you can’t choose between a man and a woman anymore.“
Rumors had circulated that Square Enix would remove gender-specific terminology from the upcoming Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, and Yuji Horii confirmed this, stating, “We have to label them as type 1 and type 2.” He followed up with the pointed question, “I truly wonder who is even complaining about this,” driving home his frustration as the translated portion of the interview concluded.
It’s clear that Japanese aren’t eager to enforce these woke changes, they are being forced by external pressures from sociopolitical forces in the West. These include demands to alter character designs to be less “sexualized” and revealing, driven by activists who argue that sex appeal and beauty are inherently problematic.
According to activists on Twitter, anything depicting feminine beauty or alluring fictional armor is seen as pornographic, arguing that revealing and attractive character design is a moral issue.
Gamers aren’t asking for the removal of gendered language or the erasure of sex-specific options in games. No one wants these changes, yet they’re being forced upon the industry.
Companies like Square Enix, under the influence of Western capital management firms such as BlackRock and their hedge funds backing companies who push ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) initiatives, feel compelled to implement these societal mandates and enforce them upon the Japanese, their supposed homeland.
This translated interview confirms what we’ve long suspected: Japan is frustrated with the “woke” agenda but is forced to comply in order to expand their market and sell their products in the U.S. We can see many similarities between this with Japan’s anime industry which is booming like never before, with more adaptations being produced each season and anime becoming a global phenomenon.
As a result, Western companies like Crunchyroll and Netflix have gained control over licensing, funding, and distributing anime in the West. This has led to more “sanitized” productions, with censorship, malicious localizations interjecting politicized dialogue. Japan’s anime industry can no longer rely solely on its domestic market, anime has become a major export, and manga is poised to follow suit.
The changes made to Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake were not aimed at securing a lower age rating, and CERO isn’t the issue. Instead, the driving force behind this censorship comes from the Western world, influenced by cancel culture, political activists on social media who don’t even buy video games, and the financial backing of companies like BlackRock.
These pressures are being imposed on Japan and its gaming culture. While these Japanese companies could resist the demands of social media activists, the likelihood of this happening is slim while the social media backlash would be huge.
As a result, we will continue to see legendary figures leaving major studios like Capcom, SEGA, and Square Enix to form independent studios where they can create without compromise.
It’s unfortunate to witness companies like Square Enix, along with other Japanese giants, prioritize Western DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) principles in their products.
For a demographical climate where homosexuality is promoted while heterosexuality is scrutinized, the only power consumers hold is through their wallets.
If companies like Square Enix continue to sacrifice and subvert their own culture by enforcing external ideologies, they will continue to lose their audience. As Square Enix faces financial challenges, it remains to be seen how the Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake will be received when it launches on November 14th across all current-generation platforms.
