Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai (2020 TV series)

The 2020 Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai anime is based on the manga series of the same name written by Riku Sanjo and illustrated by Koji Inada, based on the popular video game franchise Dragon Quest. It was announced during Jump Festa 2020 that there would be a new anime adaptation that would premiere in fall 2020. The anime is produced by Toei Animation and is a hybrid of 2D and CG animation. The series premiered on TV Tokyo and other affiliates on October 3, 2020.

The opening theme for the series is "Ikiru o Suru" by Macaroni Enpitsu who also performs the first ending theme, "mother" from episodes 1-25. From episode 26 onwards, the ending song is "Akashi" by XIIX.

Muse Communication licensed the second series in Southeast Asia. Toei simulcasts the series with English subtitles in North America, Latin America, New Zealand, Africa, the Middle East and Europe via Crunchyroll, as well as Hulu in the United States and Anime Digital Network in France.

Episode list

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	"Dai, the Tiny Hero"	Kazuya Karasawa	Katsuhiko Chiba	October 3, 2020 (2020-10-03)
Dai, a young orphan, lives with a group of monsters who raised him on Dermine island and always dreamed of becoming a hero, but when a group of bandits appear to kidnap his friend Gome, Dai and his friends must fight to rescue him.
2	"Dai and Princess Leona"	Yoshihiro Ueda	Katsuhiko Chiba	October 10, 2020 (2020-10-10)
A few weeks later, Dai is visited by Princess Leona from the Kingdom of Papnica, who enlists his help to protect her during an important ritual, which becomes quite the ordeal when he learns of a conspiracy to kill the princess and makes a stand to protect her.
3	"The Hero's Tutor"	Tsunekichi Ōmori Kazuya Karasawa	Katsuhiko Chiba	October 17, 2020 (2020-10-17)
Having learned of Dai's feats, Avan, a trainer of heroes, arrives at the island with his disciple, the magician Popp to become Dai's teacher, in preparation for the inevitable confrontation with the Dark Lord Hadlar, who rises once again with the intention to take over the world.
4	"The Dark Lord Hadlar's Return"	Tetsuya Wakano	Katsuhiko Chiba	October 24, 2020 (2020-10-24)
Dai's training is interrupted with the arrival of Hadlar, who was resurrected by the Dark King, Vearn and intends to enact his vengeance on Avan, who is actually the legendary hero who killed him 15 years ago.
5	"The Insignia of Avan"	Kazuya Karasawa	Katsuhiko Chiba	October 31, 2020 (2020-10-31)
Avan sacrifices himself in a desperate attempt to kill Hadlar, but the Dark Lord survives. Hadlar prepares to kill Dai and his friends when the dragon sigil on Dai's head glows again, giving him the power to fight back.
6	"Crocodine, the Beast King"	Yoshihiro Ueda	Katsuhiko Chiba	November 7, 2020 (2020-11-07)
Dai and Popp leave the island to begin their journey to defeat Vearn and his army. While losing themselves in a forest, they meet Maam, another of Avan's disciples and are attacked by Crocodine, one of Hadlar's generals.
7	"Maam's Turmoil"	Hiroyuki Kakudō	Katsuhiko Chiba	November 14, 2020 (2020-11-14)
After their fight with Crocodine, Dai and Popp prepare to continue their journey and Maam must decide between joining them or not.
8	"Furfang Full Assault"	Hideaki Ōba	Katsuhiko Chiba	November 21, 2020 (2020-11-21)
Dai, Popp and Maam arrive at the Kingdom of Romos who is overrun by the Demon Army's invasion. In the occasion, Crocodine challenges Dai for a rematch.
9	"A Single Shard of Courage"	Masatoshi Chioka	Katsuhiko Chiba	November 28, 2020 (2020-11-28)
Crocodine defeats Dai and Maam after using Dai's adoptive grandfather as a leverage against them. Popp, who was too afraid to fight at first, faces Crocodine alone to protect his friends.
10	"Onto Papnica Kingdom"	Mirai Komuro	Katsuyuki Sumisawa	December 5, 2020 (2020-12-05)
After Crocodine's defeat, Hadlar assembles the remaining commanders at his fortress. Meanwhile, Dai and his companions' arrive at Papnica Kingdom, hoping to reunite with Princess Leona, just to find the entire country in ruins.
11	"Hyunckel, the Dark Swordsman"	Masaki Watanabe	Katsuyuki Sumisawa	December 12, 2020 (2020-12-12)
Dai and his party are attacked by Hyunckel, a former disciple of Avan who became one of Hadlar's commanders. In the occasion, Hyunckel's origins and the reason why he joined the Dark Lord's army are revealed.
12	"The Collaborative Zapple"	Yoshihiro Ueda	Katsuyuki Sumisawa	December 19, 2020 (2020-12-19)
Thanks to Crocodine's help, Dai and Popp escape with their lives. But Hyunckel is keeping Maam as a hostage and they fight him again to rescue her.
13	"The Deciding Moment"	Yūta Tanaka	Katsuyuki Sumisawa	December 26, 2020 (2020-12-26)
Despite their combined attack works, Dai and Popp are still in a disadvantage against Hyunckel, until Maam reunites with her friends and reveals the truth about the death of Hyunckel's adoptive father.
14	"Blizzblaze General Flazzard"	Hiroyuki Kakudō	Katsuhiko Chiba	January 9, 2021 (2021-01-09)
Dai's party learn the location where Princess Leona took refuge, which is under attack by Flazzard, the third of Hadlar's generals.
15	"The Terrifying Curse Field"	Yoshihiro Ueda	Katsuhiko Chiba	January 16, 2021 (2021-01-16)
Dai and his friends arrive in time to confront Flazzard, but the enemy general uses his trump card to weaken his enemies and drive them into a corner.
16	"The Grand Sorcerer Matoriv"	Hideaki Ōba	Katsuyuki Sumisawa	January 23, 2021 (2021-01-23)
After barely escaping with their lives, Dai and co. train with the magician Matoriv while making a plan to rescue Leona from Flazzard's grasp.
17	"The Death-Defying Savior"	Hiroaki Miyamoto	Katsuhiko Chiba	January 30, 2021 (2021-01-30)
Dai and his friends begin their plan to rescue Leona, but Hadlar appears and holds a joint assault along two other generals, Myst-Vearn and Zaboera. When all seems lost, two unexpected allies appear to assist them.
18	"Hyunckel Versus Hadlar"	Masaki Watanabe	Katsuyuki Sumisawa	February 6, 2021 (2021-02-06)
Crocodine and Hyunckel arrive to help Dai and his friends against Hadlar and his army. To avenge his foster father, Hyunckel challenges Hadlar for a duel to the death.
19	"The Final Avan Style Technique"	Yūta Tanaka	Katsuhiko Chiba	February 13, 2021 (2021-02-13)
Dai and his companions finally come face to face with Flazzard. In the occasion, Dai finally masters Avan's ultimate technique and fights the enemy with all his might.
20	"Now I Slice Everything"	Hiroyuki Kakudō	Katsuhiko Chiba	February 20, 2021 (2021-02-20)
Flazzard was destroyed, but Leona is still under his freezing spell and her life is in danger. To save Leona, Maam comes with an idea, but will have to sacrifice her magic gun to make it work.
21	"Maam's Decision"	Masaki Utsunomiya	Katsuyuki Sumisawa	February 27, 2021 (2021-02-27)
Having lost her main weapon, Maam decides that she must look for another way to be useful to the party. Meanwhile, after their defeat against Dai and the others, the Dark Lord Hadlar and his forces begin their preparations for a counterattack.
22	"Off to The Department Store"	Yoshihiro Ueda	Katsuyuki Sumisawa	March 6, 2021 (2021-03-06)
With Maam temporarily abscent from the party, Leona takes Dai and Popp to the town of Bengarna to update their equipment, when a pack of dragons attack the city.
23	"The Dragon Knight"	Hiroaki Miyamoto	Katsuhiko Chiba	March 13, 2021 (2021-03-13)
Dai, Popp and Leona protect the city from the dragons, but after the battle, a soothsayer approaches the party and reveals what she knows about Dai's origins.
24	"Dragon Master General Baran"	Hideaki Ōba	Katsuhiko Chiba	March 20, 2021 (2021-03-20)
Dai is approached by Baran, the last of Hadlar's generals who asks for him to become his subordinate. When Dai refuses, Baran attacks him, revealing the connection between them.
25	"The Terrifying Draconic Aura"	Yūta Tanaka	Katsuhiko Chiba	March 27, 2021 (2021-03-27)
Despite learning that Dai is Baran's son, his friends refuse to let him take Dai away and fight the enemy with all their might, until Baran uses his power to wipe out Dai's memories and flees.
26	"The Dragon Masters Approach"	Fumihiko Suganuma	Katsuhiko Chiba	April 3, 2021 (2021-04-03)
Certain that Baran will return to take Dai away, Leona and the others look for a way to hide him. To protect his friends, Popp pretends to desert the party but faces Baran and his three Dragon Riders alone instead, despite knowing that there is no way for him to survive.
27	"Land Rider Larhart"	Hiroyuki Kakudō	Katsuyuki Sumisawa	April 10, 2021 (2021-04-10)
Popp is rescued by Hyunckel and they confront the Dragon Riders together, while Baran proceeds alone to reclaim his son.
28	"Dai's Secret"	Yoshihiro Ueda	Katsuyuki Sumisawa	April 17, 2021 (2021-04-17)
Hyunckel is overpowered by Larhart, the last of the Dragon Riders. As he looks for a way to make a comeback, he learns from the enemy about Baran's past and the tragic fate of Dai's mother.
29	"Baran's Rage"	Takao Kiriyama	Katsuyuki Sumisawa	April 24, 2021 (2021-04-24)
Baran arrives at the castle where Dai is being held to reclaim his son. Dai's companions confront Baran to protect their friend, but little they can do before his overwhelming power.
30	"Popp's Resolve"	Kazuya Karasawa	Katsuhiko Chiba	May 1, 2021 (2021-05-01)
Baran unlocks his true power as a Dragon Knight and attacks the party. Hearing his father's call, Dai appears before Baran and Popp puts himself in harm's way to protect his friend.
31	"A Father and Son Clash"	Hiroaki Miyamoto	Katsuhiko Chiba	May 8, 2021 (2021-05-08)
Thanks to Popp's sacrifice, Dai recovers his lost memories and fights Baran to defend his friends while Leona uses a spell she never tried before to revive their fallen comrade.
32	"Farewell to the Father"	Yūta Tanaka	Katsuhiko Chiba	May 15, 2021 (2021-05-15)
Dai is about to be killed by Baran when Hyunckel and Crocodine come with one last effort to help him. On his way to the afterlife, Popp learns that Dai is still in danger and comes with a miracle.
33	"Zaboera's Scheme"	Kayonaka Yamada	Katsuyuki Sumisawa	May 22, 2021 (2021-05-22)
After Hadlar's successive failures, the Dark King Vearn gives him one last chance to redeem himself, and with Zaboera's help, the Dark Lord attacks Dai and his friends while they are still recovering from their fight with Baran.
34	"The Romos Martial Arts Tournament"	Akifumi Zako	Katsuhiko Chiba	May 29, 2021 (2021-05-29)
While Leona travels the world to make preparations for the imminent war against the Dark Lord's army, Dai and Popp return to Romos to attend the local martial arts tournament. In the occasion, they reunite with Maam, who finished her training and is also participating in the competition.
35	"The Incident at the Finals"	Fumihiko Suganuma	Katsuhiko Chiba	June 5, 2021 (2021-06-05)
The final contestants of the tournament are defined and Maam is one of them. But they are trapped by Zamza, the son of Zaboera who orchestrated the entire event as part of his plan to gather strong subjects for his father's experiments. To save Maam and the others, Dai confronts the enemy until he reveals his true powers.
36	"The Superior Being Versus Chiu"	TBA	TBA	June 12, 2021 (2021-06-12)

See also

• Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai (1991 TV series)