Dragon quest: The Mark of Erdrick vol 1 by chiaki kawamata

Illustrated by Kami Fujiwara

In this land, there are two kingdoms, both with descendants of the great Erdrick, and both expecting newborn princes. Evil forces work against both royal families in attempts to establish a foothold for the Fiendlord Imagine. In the kingdom of Carmen, loyal knights thwart the plot to steal the baby prince, but at great cost. The young Lunafreya escapes the castle walls with baby Arus and is rescued by a sandsailor. In the northern kingdom, demons have been more successful, and they are able to steal a baby prince for the fiends. Ten years pass, and the young Arus has been training to take back his kingdom and vanquish monster-kind from kingdoms across the land.

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This classic manga feels very inspired by Dragon Ball, but without the bawdy humor that mars some of the earlier volumes of that series. Many of the same tropes exist here - mysterious wise sages come to offer training and advice, and young heroes face insurmountable odds. But Kawamata also shows emotional depth on more than one occasion and reminds readers that Arus is still a young child who grew up without the love of his parents. Kawamata and Fujiwara’s monsters also occasionally have emotional moments as they contemplate their actions and the benefits of blindly following a demon lord’s orders. A mark of a great story is getting lost in its pages and being sad when the volume is over — both of which happened during my reading experience.

Sara's Rating: 10/10
Suitability Level: Grades 7-12

Publisher: Square Enix
Publication Date: September 23, 2025
ISBN: 9781646094035 (Paperback)

​Tags: Rating: 10/10, Suitability: Middle School, Suitability: High School, Manga, Action Adventure, Fantasy, Square Enix