Dragon Quest IX: On angels, faith, salvation, and the divide between East and West

Tek7

Tek7

CGA President, Tribe of Judah Founder & President
Staff member
DISCLAIMER: This thread will contain spoilers. I'll use spoiler tags in the first few posts, but the topic can't be properly discussed without citing specific plot points revealed later in and after the main story. If you haven't finished the main story of Dragon Quest IX, I recommend bookmarking this thread and returning after you've defeated the final boss and watched the ending.

I recently reached the end of one of Dragon Quest IX's later dungeons and was asked by a character:
"And you, wingless one, what say you? Is there merit in mortalkind? Is it worthy of salvation?"
I probably stared at my DS for a full minute before answering, "No."

And that, I believe, is the dividing line between Eastern and Western storytelling.

While the idea that humanity either does not need saving or can earn salvation through our own merit is increasingly popular in the West, the themes of sin and redemption by a higher power run deep in our literary history.

I've said before that Japanese media, specifically anime and video games, suggest that Japan, as a culture, does not believe in any religion but humanism. Dragon Quest IX is, unfortunately, no exception, but shows "shadows of truth" in several scenes.

It's important to note that Celestria, the daughter of the Almighty, stands between mortalkind and her father for the purpose of physical, not spiritual, salvation. The game's script is silent on the point of humanity's spirit, as "spirit" is defined by Scripture.

It's even more important to note that Celestria works in opposition to the Almighty's will by arguing for the salvation of mortalkind, while Jesus Christ works in conjunction with God's will to save man.

Nevertheless, there are obvious parallels between truth and the story presented in Dragon Quest IX:
To save mortalkind from physical death, Celestria relinquishes her divine form and becomes the World Tree. To save humanity from spiritual death, Jesus becomes mortal and suffers to be "hung on a tree" (the cross).
The main character selflessly surrenders his immortal nature and becomes mortal to circumvent Celestrian law, overcome Corvus, save humanity from physical destruction, and restore the Realm of the Almighty. Jesus Christ (Immanuel, "God with us") took on human form to fulfill God's law (the wages of sin is death, without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness) for the purpose of spiritual salvation and restoring man's right relationship with God.
Corvus is a Celestrian "fallen from grace," corrupted by hate. Lucifer was an angel fallen from heaven, corrupted by pride. The key difference is that Corvus' hate stems from a misunderstanding (lack of knowledge) while Lucifer's fall stems from a refusal to accept God's sovereignty.
The main character's liberation from the law (by taking mortal form) is a task accomplished by Celestria (a higher power) and something he could not accomplish himself, though the act involved the character's (and thus the player's) free will decision of eating the Fygg and accepting mortality. Humans are bound by divine law (again, the wages of sin are death) and powerless to save ourselves, but encouraged by a higher power (God) to accept salvation through Christ. The key difference is that one could argue that the main character earned the Fygg which allows him or her to become mortal. Scripture clearly states man can not earn salvation by our own efforts.
I need to head offline for a few, but wanted to share at least that much for now.

If you'd like further reading before I make my next post, please check out the following Destructoid articles:

The restoration of faith in Dragon Quest IX, part one

The restoration of faith in Dragon Quest IX, part two

Side note to Neirai: If you haven't played this game already and if you own a DS, I highly recommend it, if only so you can participate in this discussion. :D
 
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wow I may have to put this one on the list of must haves just for these reasons. Very interesting...
 
Tek7 said:
Side note to Neirai: If you haven't played this game already and if you own a DS, I highly recommend it, if only so you can participate in this discussion. :D
Click to expand...

My DS mysteriously disappeared about a month ago, the day I bought Kingdom Hearts: 368 1/2 Days, a game which also contains some surprising parallels to Christian thought.

Never got to play it :(

Also, have been playing Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon on the Wii. Story, while for kids, is interesting, at least from a Christian literary critic's perspective. People in this town are "lost" due to a device that strips them of their memories and place in society. So, they pray for a savior and get a little child from the heavens who has the power to bring back their identities. It's intriguing.
 
I was recently thinking of another sub-story in Dragon Quest IX and decided to add my thoughts to the original post in a reply. It's been a while since I played the early sections of the main quest, so please pardon the lack of character names and details.

The first section in spoiler tags covers events during the section of the main quest where the player is collecting fyggs.
Early in the game, players visit a town called "Zere." In the town resides a woman who tells the player that the man she used to love was obsessed with his art (sculpting), left to perfect his trade, and never returned. She eventually let go of the memory of the man, assuming he died, and married another villager.

You later learn that the sculptor survived for several years, finished his masterpiece--an exact replica of the town of Zere (called Zere Rocks, one of the many playful puns in DQIX), regretted choosing art over the woman he loved, but ultimately refused to return to Zere. The artist is long deceased by the time the player reaches Zere Rocks, but the player must battle a guardian intended to guard the masterpiece that is Zere Rocks.

After the player defeats the guardian, he returns to tell the elderly woman that the artist finished his masterpiece, but the accomplishment means little, if nothing, to her. He abandoned her for his art and she eventually moved on.
The second section includes spoilers from the game's ending.
The ending shows the elderly woman examining the stones of Zere Rocks with a smile, but the bitter ending to the artist's life still stood out to me as a warning.
While this particular sub-plot doesn't address the ultimate nature of the world of Dragon Quest IX, it skillfully expresses a point on which Scripture agrees: People are more important than art.

I can imagine the script's writer lamenting the late hours at work spent apart from family. Perhaps this sub-plot was a way of apologizing to the spouse and children left at home. Or maybe I'm overthinking this. It wouldn't be the first time.

Nevertheless, there is a surprising depth to Dragon Quest IX's story and the underlying themes get so close to Christian truths while still narrowly missing the mark. If non-Christian writers can pen a story that pierces the dismissive, "It's just a game" excuse and press us to think about how we relate to others, how much more could Christian writers and designers do the same with their games?
 
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