While Hitman was a major release for ZAGE at the end of May, it was not the only title arriving during that crowded launch window. Alongside Hitman Codename 47 – The Blood Money, ZAGE also released two other games: Dragon Quest 5 and ZAN – The Cowboy Samurai. Unlike Hitman, which launched on PC, these two titles were released exclusively for ZEPS 3. Together, the three games showcased the wide range of ZAGE's portfolio—one focused on realism and calculated violence, the others leaning heavily into classic console experiences aimed at long‑time fans.
Dragon Quest 5, in particular, immediately drew attention. It surprised many players as the first true ZAGE JRPG to appear since the ZEPS 1 era, making its return feel long overdue. The Dragon Quest series already had a massive and loyal fanbase in this world, and after years of waiting since the release of Dragon Quest 4, fans were genuinely relieved—and excited—to finally receive a proper sequel. Expectations were high, and while the game did not redefine the genre or radically transform the formula, it largely delivered what fans wanted. The sequel proved to be solid, respectful of its roots, and carefully designed. It wasn't revolutionary, but it also wasn't disappointing. For many long‑time players, that alone was more than enough.
The gameplay itself remained very similar to Dragon Quest 4 in this world, which was immediately noticeable to anyone familiar with the series. Battles were still turn‑based, menus felt familiar, and progression followed a steady, methodical rhythm. The biggest differences lay in the pacing and scale. Dragon Quest 5 was noticeably slower, deliberately so, and its overall length was far greater than its predecessor. For long‑time fans of the series, this was a welcome change. They enjoyed taking their time, exploring towns, talking to NPCs, and slowly building their party over a much longer journey, which made the adventure feel more substantial and personal.
However, not everyone shared that enthusiasm. Newer fans—especially those who had entered the genre through ZAGE's more recent JRPG releases—found Dragon Quest 5 lacking in comparison. To them, the game felt old‑fashioned, even rigid, with fewer flashy mechanics and less experimentation than what they had come to expect from modern ZAGE titles. Some criticized the slower pace, calling it tedious rather than immersive. This divide quickly became a topic of heated discussion within the community.
Dragon Quest veterans were quick to defend the game. They argued that Dragon Quest 5 was doing exactly what a Dragon Quest game was supposed to do. There was no need to change a formula that had already proven to work so well over the years. To them, the familiarity was not a flaw but a strength. Dragon Quest 5 wasn't trying to chase trends or reinvent itself—it was honoring its identity, and for fans of the series, that faithfulness was precisely what made the game great.
This Dragon Quest 5 was, in truth, based heavily on Dragon Quest 7 from Zaboru's previous world. From the very beginning, Zaboru had never intended to follow the original release order one‑to‑one. Instead, he deliberately chose to combine and restructure the Dragon Quest series in this world, especially the earlier entries, so that the overall flow would feel more coherent to new players while still respecting the spirit of the originals.
In this world, Dragon Quest 1 was designed to be the equivalent of Dragon Quest 1 and 2 combined from Zaboru's previous life, forming a complete and self‑contained heroic journey. Dragon Quest 3 then took on the role of both Dragon Quest 3 and 4, expanding the scale of the world and introducing deeper mythological elements. Because of that restructuring, Dragon Quest 5 naturally became the counterpart to Dragon Quest 7—longer, slower, more reflective, and no longer tightly bound to a single overarching saga.
This marked the true beginning of Dragon Quest as a stand‑alone experience in this world. Each adventure could now be approached independently, without requiring players to have deep knowledge of previous entries. As a result, the internal structure of ZAGE's Dragon Quest series became clearly defined: Dragon Quest 1–2 formed the Erdrick storyline, while Dragon Quest 3–4 established the Zenithian storyline. Dragon Quest 5 stood apart from both, intentionally positioned as the bridge toward a new era of Dragon Quest design.
The game itself was overall solid, offering many of the elements that made Dragon Quest beloved in the first place while also introducing small but noticeable improvements here and there. Combat felt familiar yet refined, progression was steady, and the world design remained charming and earnest. Still, as was often the case with such a long-running series, fans wanted more. They always wanted more. Some asked for bolder mechanics, others wanted a bigger leap forward, and a few simply demanded something unexpected.
Amid this growing chatter, Zaboru casually responded on the ZAGE forums with a short, almost offhand remark: "Well, the next Dragon Quest will be different—but I don't think it will be on ZEPS 3, though." He offered no further explanation, no follow-up clarification. That single sentence was enough. Within minutes, the comment spread across the forum like wildfire, quickly escaping its original thread and being reposted everywhere this always the effects when Zaboru are commenting.
Hundreds of replies poured in almost instantly, all asking the same thing in different ways. What did Zaboru mean by that? Why wouldn't the next Dragon Quest be on ZEPS 3? Was it a joke, a tease, or something far more serious? One comment in particular summed up the collective confusion perfectly.
"What the hell does it mean that it's not on ZEPS 3? Does that mean ZAGE is abandoning Dragon Quest!?" one user exclaimed, the panic in the words practically jumping off the screen. The comment was quickly upvoted by others who shared the same fear, the thought alone enough to send longtime fans into a spiral.
Almost immediately, another reply shot back with far less patience. "Moron. Zaboss obviously means it'll probably be on the next console," the user wrote bluntly. "That just means they won't be making the next Dragon Quest sequel on ZEPS 3." The response didn't calm things down so much as split the thread in two—one side convinced the series was being left behind, the other insisting it was simply moving forward.
Then the conspiracy theories began to surface. One post in particular stood out immediately: "Do you think ZAGE will sell the Dragon Quest IP to Sonaya!? I have intel sources saying Sonaya wants to buy Dragon Quest!" The comment spread quickly, quoted and reposted across multiple threads, each time growing more dramatic than the last. Some users reacted with panic, others with excitement, while a few treated it like undeniable truth simply because it sounded scandalous enough.
Naturally, it didn't take long before someone responded with a meme instead of words. The image showed Hikaru Kurata, Sonaya's CEO, calmly lifting a glass of wine with a smug smile, overlaid with the caption: "Source: Trust Me Bro." The meme instantly caught on, drawing laughter even from users who had been genuinely worried just moments before. Variations of it began appearing everywhere, each one more exaggerated than the last.
What the forum didn't know—what it never needed to know—was that the meme itself had originally started from one of Zaboru's alternate accounts. He had casually made it using Hikaru Kurata's image, never expecting it to spiral so completely out of control. Now it was being reused endlessly, perfectly weaponized to mock baseless rumors, and doing its job far better than any official statement ever could. Watching it unfold from the sidelines, Zaboru found the whole thing quietly hilarious.
Then the conspiracy theories continued to spiral even further. One comment boldly declared, "So… Zaboss means ZEPS 4 will come out SOON!?" The question alone was enough to reignite the thread. Almost immediately, another user replied with suspicious confidence: "Very true. I work at ZAGE, and they already have, like, ZEPS 7 there. I can even play with my thoughts on ZEPS 7." The claim was so absurdly exaggerated that it drew attention faster than any serious argument ever could.
Not long after, someone responded not with words, but with an image. It was Samus Aran in her Zero Suit, staring at the screen with pure, unmistakable disgust. The caption below the image read simply: "Disgusting." The meme landed perfectly, instantly becoming one of the most reacted-to posts in the entire thread. Laughing emojis, reposts, and quoted replies flooded in, mocking the so-called insider claim without mercy.
Watching the chaos unfold, Zaboru found himself genuinely amused. The escalation was ridiculous, unfiltered, and exactly the kind of forum energy he had always loved. After a brief pause, he decided to stir the pot just a little more. Using his official account, he replied calmly with a single line that cut straight through the noise: "!!! How do you know this?""
This single comment from Zaboru sent the community into madness all over again, and within seconds the replies multiplied rapidly. "What!? What do you mean!?" one user shouted in text form. "Do you mean there are already ZEPS 7!?" Panic, excitement, and pure confusion blended together into a chaotic storm of speculation. Threads refreshed so fast that older replies were instantly buried beneath newer ones.
Amid the noise, a few more rational voices tried to slow things down. "No, no, no," one user wrote patiently. "Zaboru is just messing with us. You all know he loves stirring the pot." These calmer takes were quickly drowned out, quoted endlessly by both sides—those clinging to logic and those fully embracing the chaos.
Then, inevitably, Zaboru's fan girls appeared. One account stood out in particular, using a profile picture of Zaboru flexing his muscles during his appearance on the Sasuke TV show. "How dare you say Zaboru-sama is a liar!" she typed furiously, defending him with absolute conviction. Her comment only added fuel to the fire.
Almost immediately, another user replied bluntly, "Hey! Zaboru is married and has children!" The reminder did little to stop the momentum. Instead, someone else jumped in with an even more outrageous response: "Even better—and I'm not even female. If it's Zaboru, I'm ready…" The thread exploded in reaction images, facepalms, and waves of disgust memes flooding the replies, turning the discussion into a complete spectacle.
Yet somehow, this single post from Zaboru managed to spawn an endless wave of conspiracy theories. Watching it all unfold, Zaboru himself was genuinely amused. This was exactly what forums were meant to be—chaotic, unpredictable, and alive. This was also precisely why he had introduced memes so early into the internet culture of this world. No matter how serious the topic was, the internet never failed to twist it into something absurd, and that absurdity never failed to make him laugh.
People argued, speculated, exaggerated, and outright fabricated information, building towering theories out of nothing more than half a sentence and pure imagination. To Zaboru, their wild conclusions were ridiculous, but also strangely impressive in their creativity. It reminded him of his previous life, where communities could turn a single offhand remark into weeks of debate and drama.
Still, beneath all the noise, the truth was far simpler than anyone wanted to believe. There would be no more Dragon Quest games on ZEPS 3 because the next Dragon Quest was never meant for that console in the first place. It was being designed for ZEPS 4, a system that had yet to be revealed, let alone understood by the public.
And more importantly, the next Dragon Quest would be very different. Fundamentally different. Its foundation was based on Dragon Quest 8 from Zaboru's previous life—one of the most revolutionary entries the series had ever seen. That leap forward could not exist on ZEPS 3. Zaboru knew it, the development teams knew it, and eventually, the fans would understand it too—just not yet.
To be continue
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