"Cosplayer of the Female Sage Who Loves 'Dragon Quest' and Wants to Talk About It: Why the Deliberate Choice of Pink?"

——What points did you want to express with this cosplay?

Haruka: This time, with the 'Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake,' character creation became possible, so I boldly decided to portray a 'pink sage.'

Since it's not an official design, I was initially worried it might not be well-received, but in reality, I received comments like "I made my sage pink too!" and "Did you come out of my game?" which made me very happy. Incidentally, my sage in the game is also pink (laughs).

Since the sage character doesn’t have a set name or personality, I think players can have their own unique image of the character. That's why I practiced the costume, poses, and expressions repeatedly to bring out both "coolness" and "cuteness," aiming for everyone to relate with their "own sage."

——When did you first encounter 'Dragon Quest III,' and what do you find appealing about it?

Haruka: I first discovered 'Dragon Quest' when I was a child, watching my parents play the Heavenly Series on PlayStation and DS. At that time, I didn't have the environment to play the Famicom version of 'Dragon Quest III,' so it remained a work I longed to play.

With the remake released on Switch, I finally got the chance to play it myself. As I played, I was deeply attracted to the experience of traveling the world as a hero and fighting alongside companions—especially the scene of Lamia's birth.

The moment when the music grandly plays and the words "The time has come. The sky is yours." accompany Lamia's ascent into the sky was so moving that it brought tears to my eyes.