Editor's note: Dragon Quest's series-long character designer Akira Toriyama has strong roots in anime and manga, and Antonio argues that many Japanese role-playing games' allure comes from similar origins. Is it possible that expecting JRPGs to revamp themeselves to match the wide appeal of Final Fantasy 7 is bit unfair? -James

Cartoons, video games, comic books, and toys: Four products that can make up a successful franchise in pop culture. Once a kid watches the cartoon (or Japanese anime), they want the toys of the characters, so they can imitate the show. And then they buy the video games, which are more than likely extensions of the story of the television series.

The order, of course, can work any which way. Toys inspire anime, which inspire video games; video games inspire anime, which inspire toys and comics. Because of this, using famed manga illustrartor Akira Toriyama's character designs for Dragon Quest 9 is a sound business (and creative) decision for Square Enix. Toriyama's artwork offers familiar elements to draw in old fans to experience something new.

Most movie previews don't mention the executive producer unless they happen to be someone like Steven Spielberg or Peter Jackson. Similarly, one of the reasons the rapper Drake is so popular is because he has the backing of big names like T-Pain and Lil' Wayne. Ni no Kuni is on my list of games to play because the beloved anime production house Studio Ghibli is behind it.

Dragon Ball is perhaps the greatest action manga ever; it's the multimillion-dollar series that inspired Kishimoto Musashi to create the similarly successful, currently running Naruto, a great action manga in its own right. If you're making a game, you want a big name like Akira Toriyama on your product. Anyone who enjoys Dragon Ball, will certainly want to play Dragon Quest 9 because Toriyama never goes wrong with his characters designs. It feels like you're playing a game he created himself.

Bitmobbers are spinning out quite a few articles on Japanese role-playing games lately and asking if developers need to rework them. Some indicate that they are too complex, that they fail in American living rooms, or that they aren't great for handhelds. But all of these discussions come from the perspective of gaming. JRPGs aren't just games: They are also anime. Deveoplers gear these games toward Japanese-animation fans like myself.

Designers create many JRPG characters to be like anime characters, and once you become familiar with the oddness and complexity of the storylines in anime, the correlation between the two becomes obvious. Xenosaga is a great example. It has all the charm and intricacy of an anime coupled with the interactivity of a video game. Not to mention that it became an anime, too.

JRPGs are successful because anime is the inspiration for many of them, and fans of the medium are happy to play games done in that style. Square Enix is savvy to employ the services of Akira Toriyama -- and to continue to do so as the franchise moves forward. He's part of a formula that works: anime, video games, comics, and toys.