An infamously useless Dragon Quest weapon that's been a series mainstay for 39 years owes its existence to a Famicom limitation, according to the JRPG series' creator

• Copy link
• Facebook
• X
• Pinterest
• Flipboard
• Email

Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter

Dragon Quest series creator Yuji Horii has explained that Dragon Quest's weakest weapon exists thanks to a limitation with the Famicom.

Speaking to Japanese outlet MagMix (and a big thanks to Automaton for the translation), Horii talks about the series' iconic Cypress Sick. This weapon is… well, a stick, but its lack of power has made it an icon of the series since it first showed up in Dragon Quest 2, and it has gone on to appear in a number of mainline and spinoff entries since, most recently in Dragon Quest 11. The humble stick is such a big deal that it also appeared in Nier Automata as a reference to the classic JRPG weapon.

However, cypress wood is actually a pretty solid bit of kit in real life – used in the construction of shrines and temples – which has led to some confusion over the name of the comically weak weapon.

Latest Videos From

Horii explained that, because of the limitations in cartridge space for the Famicom (which is what the NES is called in Japan), the game could not use kanji characters (which convey meaning and sound) and instead everything was written in hiragana (which conveys sound). So, while wooden swords are generally known as "kashi," their equivalent in hiragana would be "kashi no bo," which he says made it sound too much like "okashi" – the Japanese word for snack.

In the end, "hinoki" was chosen, which means "Japanese cypress," as it was a distinct sound that wouldn't have any potential to create confusion. So all these years later, a mere stick has become an iconic part of the father of JRPGs, and its contradictory name is all due to some hardware limitations.

Ahead of Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fate, why not check our list of the 10 Best Dragon Quest games of all time, ranked

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

CATEGORIES

Scott McCraeContributor

Scott has been freelancing for over four years across a number of different gaming publications, first appearing on GamesRadar+ in 2024. He has also written for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, VG247, Play, TechRadar, and others. He's typically rambling about Metal Gear Solid, God Hand, or any other PS2-era titles that rarely (if ever) get sequels.

View More

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Logout LATEST ARTICLES

1. 1One Star Wars fan has given us a Mandalorian and Grogu homestead tour, and now I really want to live there
2. 2The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past will tell me everything I need to know about The Witcher 1 Remake
3. 3Mandalorian suit performer says team is "overwhelmed by the positive response" to The Mandalorian and Grogu
4. 4Ms. Marvel star says she was constantly calling out plot holes on the set of The Marvels
5. 5PlayStation's Days of Play sale is holding back on the one discount everyone's been hoping for