The Dragon Quest 40th Anniversary Exhibition opened for a media preview Thursday at the Tokyu Plaza Harajuku "Harakado" venue in Tokyo [1].

The event marks a significant milestone for one of Japan's most influential gaming franchises, utilizing virtual reality to bridge the gap between traditional role-playing game mechanics and modern immersive technology.

Attendees at the media event included game designer Yuji Horii, voice actress Yui Ogura, and Daiki Kanechika of the comedy duo EXIT [1]. Kanechika, a known enthusiast of the series, participated in the exhibition's centerpiece VR attraction. The experience allows users to step directly into the game world, a feature that drew a response from the guests [1].

During his experience, Kanechika said, "Everything is visible" [2]. He also reacted to the narrative elements of the VR experience, saying, "There is someone fighting before marrying Flora!" [2]. When speculating about the identity of a character in the simulation, he said, "Maybe it is the Master" [2].

The exhibition, titled "Dragon Quest the DIVE -To the Stage of Adventures Not Yet Seen-," is designed to celebrate the franchise's history and its evolution since the 40th anniversary date on May 27, 2026 [2]. The event serves as both a retrospective and a showcase of how the series continues to adapt to new hardware.

Public access to the exhibition begins July 17 and will run through Sept. 6 [2]. The venue in Shibuya Ward is expected to draw large crowds of fans eager to experience the VR simulations, and commemorative displays [1].

“"Everything is visible"”

The integration of VR into the Dragon Quest 40th anniversary celebrations signals a strategic move by Square Enix and Yuji Horii to modernize the franchise's appeal. By transforming static game memories into interactive physical experiences, the exhibition attempts to maintain the series' cultural relevance for a younger generation of gamers while rewarding long-term fans with high-fidelity recreations of iconic moments.