Top 30 Blue Dragon Moments RANKED!
This article contains major spoilers.
Blue Dragon is either mediocre or a masterpiece for the people who have played it, and for me, it is much closer to being a masterpiece. I absolutely love this game, and there are some amazing moments within this game that I am going to rank. As usual, now it is time for… the top 30 Blue Dragon Moments RANKED!
30. Assault on the Upper Mecha Base
There isn’t too much to say about this Mechat battle against the Upper Mecha Base except for one word. Epic. Overall, absolutely awesome Mechat battle here, but it is just not as good as the rest of the moments on the list.
29. The exhilarating 4-on-1
The Moon Laser minigame is probably my favorite mini-game in blue dragon, and I wish it recurred like Mechat shooting did (and it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to include it multiple times, as the team has the Green Device to continue controlling one of the moons). Overall, this is my favorite mini-game, but I wish the moons were utilized more often within the game, not only for the mini-game, but just for the plot in general.
28. The reunion of two lovers
This is a pretty heartwarming moment and it finishes of the Alamaru sequence of the game with a satisfying ending. However, due to the nature of not knowing Guru-Guru for very long, and Sara-Sara having no sort of big character arc and being a rather bland character, it isn’t the most impactful or interesting scene. Overall, a great heartwarming scene that is pretty good at closing out the side quest, but it doesn’t have as much depth or intrigue as the others on this list because it is about two rather minor characters in a scene that has no impact on the overarching plot.
27. Avenging Kluke’s parents
Getting the chance to slay and get revenge on the Land Shark is a great place to take the story and it should be one of the most awesome moments due to the fact that the Land Shark terrorized Talta Village, starting the events of the story with one of the most enjoyable openings to an RPG to date, and it was overall one of the greatest and most unique terrors that Nene summoned with the violet clouds. However, everything built up for the final battle against the Land Shark was softened by the reveal that there were an abundance of Land Sharks under Nene’s control, which in context of the glass spires was done decently well, but the nest of Land Sharks in the Ancient Ruins - Forest was done rather poorly in my opinion. Overall, a moment of triumph that was alright and had a fun boss fight attached to it, but it definitely could have been handled better.
26. Hunting down the multi-colored crap
Let’s face it: the Poo Snake is the most original monster in the game… there has never been anything quite like it in a JRPG. From the Platinum Poo Snake, to the Jumbo Poo to the Corrosive Poo to the Golden Poo Snake to the Zebra Poo Snake to the King Poo (as well as every other Poo Snake in the game), it is a blast to add all of these cool—albeit rather easy enemies—to the Monster Record. Overall, it is fun to hunt for these enemies, but it isn’t groundbreaking in the plot or story, therefore staying low on the list with the likes of the minigames.
25. Staring down Eternity
Sure, the Flamboyant Dinoram (honestly, what the heck is happening with that name) is a fun and relatively challenging boss fight, but the reason this boss makes the list is not for the fight itself, but for the absolute bop of a song that is Eternity. With the lyrics written by Hironobu Sakaguchi, the vocals done by Ian Gillan of Deep Purple, and the music written by the mastermind Nobuo Uematsu himself, this song comes together to make a fantastic boss theme that has been my favorite since I was five years old (yes, Blue Dragon was part of my life when I was five…). Overall, an okay boss fight, but since it introduces one of my favorite video games songs of all time, there was no way I wasn’t going to place this moment on this list.
24. The study session at Mural Town
This part of the game brings light on the war between magic and machines. Not only is this the second time Destroy is foreshadowed (the first being a mural on the wall), but we get to learn about how the Ancients fared in the war against humans and such. Overall, this part of the game sets up Destroy and gives some much-needed backstory to Nene, but it doesn't bring all that much to the table since the very same things become obvious throughout the later portions of the game.
23. Szabo’s skirmish
The boss fight against Sazbo’s minions in their Grand form, followed by Grand Szabo himself, is one of the most fun (if not the most fun) boss fights in the game. I’m a sucker for large scale boss fights with multiple bosses at once, and this fulfilled all the requirements for me. Overall, there’s not much more to say, but this is just an amazing boss fight.
22. Obliterating the seven dragons
7? Isn’t there only five? Nah, that’s the legendary dragons; Goldragon and the Pyro Dragon are also included here. All of these dragons are fun boss fights, and the Blizzard Dragon may possibly be the toughest and most fun of the superbosses. When it comes to the other dragons, the Amethyst dragon is a much weaker but heartier dragon than the Blizzard Dragon, the Moody is just a great introductory boss to the sidequest, the Spark hits with unmatched single-target attacks, the Phantom absorbs all non-elemental damage, and the Goldragon is an extremely beefed up version of both the Spark and Amethyst dragons combined (sorry, Pyro Dragon, you are the most boring… well… still fun, so I’ll explain… the Pyro Dragon is pretty much a really weak version of the Blizzard Dragon that uses fire instead of ice). Overall, the dragons are both diverse and extremely fun and rewarding to fight, but I didn’t want to put them too high because they didn’t have a bearing on the plot.
21. The love triangle
The scene in Pachess Town where Jiro and Shu discuss their feelings for Kluke may be the cringiest scene in the game, but it really develops the rivalry the two have as best friends fighting for the same girl. By this point in the journey, Shu has developed feelings where only Jiro had before, and the whole scene is an awkward, heartfelt scene that struck cringe, laughter, and a sliver of realism in me. Overall, a great scene that I also feel could be classified as “so bad that is good,” but nonetheless gives the two characters some much-needed character development.
20. Barriers
The Barriers (excluding the Black Barrier) have quite a bit of relevance and bearing to the plot, and are pretty awesome to collect the great rewards from upon getting rid of them. The Blue Device is crucial for tracking down Nene to the north by passing through the Underground River, the Red Device allows the team to protect themselves from Nene’s army of robots (and create one of the best scenes in Blue Dragon), the Green Device allows the team to free the people of Pachess Town and gain control over some of the moon lasers, and the White Device allowing the party to free Noluta Village from the treachery Nene caused. Overall, not only do the Barriers incite sick moments in the plot, but they also are fun to find, disable, and collect and treasure inside.
19. Zola returns
Zola’s return after passing through the Lal Mountains and The Grand Desert was a triumphant and great return, yet still invited suspicion to why she was gone, as she has a quite shaky explanation. Not only does Zola return, but the mysterious glass spires are introduced. We also see the first (of two) kisses Zola gives Marumaro, which is sweet yet terribly cringy. Overall, its a great reunion with some mystery, a reward in the form of the Mechat, and an overall great scene.
18. Redemption
I don’t know exactly what I love so much about Szabo redeeming himself in the Primitive Cube, but I know that one of the reasons I think it is awesome is because I have a theory that Szabo was always truly on Zola’s side, not Nene’s. For example, Szabo seemed to have purposely engaged the Jibral Blademasters. In addition, I’m sure Zola could have easily beaten Szabo if she wanted, but he was mysteriously spared in Disc 2, and in the end, Szabo destroyed the glass mirrors that were dampening the powers of the main cast. This interesting characteristic of Szabo continues in Blue Dragon Plus, and Szabo finally feels worth something, in stark contrast to how Nene thought he was just a worthless machine. Overall, I really liked the direction taken with Szabo and how he had his own arc though at first glance he seems like a disposable sidekick, and the mystery of a possible friendship and comradery between Zola and Szabo (which is further proven in the sequel) is intriguing to me.
17. Freeing Pachess Town from bondage
This is a very satisfying ending to the Pachess Town sequence, which has great scenes displaying people’s feelings toward magic users, as well as continuing some of the feelings of romantic rivalry displayed by Jiro and Shu in Jibral Castle Town. However, some elements are mediocre, such as the Pachess Town Underground dungeon, as well as the clumsy writing that the only reason they were able to take out the Green Barrier was due to the fact that Marumaro randomly clicked a button; would’ve preferred some strategic thinking from Zola or logical deduction from Jiro, which are both easily plausible for how the character generally act. However, after seeing the rejoicing of the townspeople, gaining the Green Device, and best of all (at least for me) hearing one of the best Blue Dragon songs, the whole sequence is completely worth it. Overall, the emotional development and the ending are quite phenomenal, but a lot of the build-up is a bit clumsy and shaky, making the whole journey not as fulfilling.
16. Discussion in Lady Zola’s quarters
This scene is a great for the character development of Zola, as not only do we get to know who she is and how she acts, but we hear the hesitance in her voice when she blatantly lies, saying she doesn’t know who convinced the party to swallow the light spheres, when it was indeed her all along. We also get to see the scene of when she got her light sphere, and how desperate she was, which may have influenced her to be in cahoots with Nene due to her wanting to repay him in some way and gain power unlike anything she had ever had previously. This scene hits so much harder on a second playthrough, as the outcome is known, whereas on a first playthrough, the scene seems very ordinary and just a good moment for Zola. Overall, this scene instantly elevates Zola to become possibly the most interesting party member in the game within her second cutscene, as well as foreshadowing the big reveal that happens within the final moments of the game.
15. Three rings for two ladies
This is kind of cheating since it is kind of two moments, but the moments where Shu and Jiro give Kluke their rings, as well as when King Jibral gives Zola the ring that bears the crest of the Royal House of Jibral, are both great moments. When Kluke gets the rings, it establishes that Kluke has little interest in choosing either Shu or Jiro, even though Shu and Jiro have a large rivalry in trying to get her to choose one of the two rings. An additional layer is added when Jiro starts acting all awkward, and we can see the foil between Shu, who just wants to be friends with Kluke and gives the ring to her as a good luck charm, and Jiro, who has a pretty major crush on her and gave it to her as a sort of romantic-like gift. Another scene later details that Kluke only held on when she was captured due to having these rings as good luck charms, which hit pretty deep for Shu and Jiro and the player as well. When Zola gets her ring, it displays the deep-rooted trust King Jibral has for Zola, and gaining this ring comes in to play much later at Pachess Town, where the inciting reason the party even has a chance of freeing Pachess Town from the barrier is since the elder of the village trusts her since she bears the royal crest. Overall, this is a pretty important part of the game because it moves forward many plot points, and it is a great part of the game, but it isn’t quite the best.
14. Kluke is whisked off to Nene’s Fortress
Not only is this scene surprising and gut-punching since Kluke is captured, but we also witness Hineto’s death (anyone else sad that Hineto died other than me?) and the brainwashed beginning of Nene’s manipulation of Yasato. This event also incites the necessity of visiting Nene’s Fortress, arguably the best dungeon in the game, as well as visiting Pachess Town to witness the great events that go down there. This also builds upon the two rings being relevant, as it’s the only way she stays determined when she’s captured. It also builds up the reveal that Nene wasn’t just trolling everybody like it seemed, but he instead had a master plan to regain his youth and restore his shadow to full power to use the glass spires to revert life back to the way the Ancients wanted it, and that he needed to lure the party to his fortress to absorb their now-cultivated power. Overall, Kluke being captured brings about the epic and logical finale to Disc Two that pays off the past plot happenings as well as sparking up new ones.
13. Lago village sequence
Possibly the longest sequence of cutscenes in the game, it also turns out to be one of the best. From the payoff that comes from four dungeons worth of searching for medicine for the sick and afflicted Devee Tribe, to the two best Kluke scenes in the game (sorry Kluke, you deserve way more scenes than you got) which feature her talking to Jiro on the cliff overlooking the town and her talking to Jiro about her background in medical stuff, as well as the frightful second appearance of Nene, this is just a fantastic sequence of events that top many others in Blue Dragon.
12. The Way of the Ancients
Although the sequence seems quite shoehorned in and kind of random, it is still a stunning sequence. Not only do the cubes themselves look awesome, but the reaction the party members have is great as well. Overall, one of the most visually appealing sequences, but kind of awkward and rushed with the glass spires, with the only justification being that Nene wants to return to the world it was like back when the Ancients ruled.
11. The Bots of Baroy
Yasato was easily one of my favorite Blue Dragon characters, as he was a loyal servant who discovered the true meaning of friendship through Shu and his friends while being a great friend, while still being affiliated with Nene and trying to find his true master… all while trying to find his place as a robot and being adorable in the process. I felt Yasato, like Sahlia after him, was very underused, and I wish we could have seen a little more of him, as he was a standout character, bringing to life some of the best scenes in the game. Hineto was also a cool character—a foil to Yasato—and although I kind of loved to hate him, I was rather sad when Nene threw him aside like a piece of garbage (which seemed to be a recurring theme when it comes to Nene). I felt Hineto would have been the perfect character to have the age-old character growth in which he would grow and come to appreciate the things he hated, but sadly, he was prematurely killed off in the Ancient Prison. And although Yasato and Hineto were the standouts, the rest of the robots were awesome and I legit almost started crying during the scene outside the Ancient Factory where Nene sent the robots to kill Shu and his friends. Overall, the robots of Baroy Town are super fun characters and their introduction definitely deserves some credit near the top of this list.
10. The king’s fall
After all the absurd treacheries Nene casted on the world, it feels real good to end his reign of terror. Nene is actually an interesting villain, as he just really likes to troll the party. Did he need to put a flesh-eating tree in Devour Village? No, he could have accomplished the same thing by himself, but he wanted to cause terror and hear the screams. Did he need to make Kluke’s collar have a fake bomb on her neck for his plan to work? No! The weirdest trolls were when he three the team out of the Flying Fortress at the beginning, as well as when he threw Kluke off of Nene’s Fortress. With all the unnecessary hardships Nene casts on people, beating him in the Primitive Cube is one of the most epic duo of bosses and cutscenes in the game (I put the best of the individual cutscenes within the final battle cutscenes on their own rankings). Overall, beating Nene is awesome and great, but there are so many great scenes leading up to the fight that I couldn’t justify it being much higher.
9. Blademasters vs Bots
The sequence of the Battle of Jibral starts with destroying the tsunami vortex, which lures Szabo (who is controlling The Flying Fortress) into King Jibral’s trap. An epic battle against the Jibral Blademasters and the Flying Mecha Robos ensues. The Flying Fortress is reeled in and boarded, the sequence ending in the triumphant sound of Zola becoming the final addition to the party. Overall, this sequence actually has stakes unlike many scenes in the game, it is definitely deserved, and its scale is enormous, making it mesh together to be great and grandiose and intro to one of the best dungeons in the game.
8. First sequence
The opening sequence where Shu, Jiro, and Kluke attempt to take out the Land Shark is one of the best scenes in the game, as it hooks the player in. What are the violet clouds? What is the Land Shark? Why does Shu do so little damage with that large sword? It just sets up the game to be a great adventure, even if the rest of the game doesn’t always pay off the set-up. Overall, a stunning sequence that hooks the players in and allows them to think about just what the heck is happening.
7. Light spheres
So much happens in the sequence. Nene is introduced, the Mechats and Mecha Robos are introduced, Szabo is introduced, Zola being a double agent is introduced, the party gains their shadows, and possibly the funniest scene in the game plays out. It introduces Nene as a troll, who throws them out of the fortress just to quickly manipulate the wind and bring them back into the fortress. It acts as a catalyst for Zola to become one of the best characters in the game by being the mysterious voice and convincing the party to swallow the fragments of Nene’s soul. Last of all, it continues demonstrating Shu’s determination, as well as making a hilarious and cringy sequence with Kuluke screaming, Jiro saying dumb stuff while screaming and voice-cracking, and best of all, Shu making a joke about how his catchphrase saved their skins. Overall, this sequence introduces so much and sets up all the great stuff that happens in the gram from this point on.
6. The plot twist
The plot twist in which Zola reveals she was an affiliate of Nene all along was a huge and heartbreaking reveal that hit deeply since Zola is widely agreed to be the best character in the game. It was also foreshadowed quite well (although it doesn’t really click until a second playthrough, making it quite interesting to play through the game again). The very nature of Zola and her cold-heartedness made the pieces fall into place and her quick betrayal of Nene was executed masterfully so that it didn’t turn around too fast and cheapen it at all, as well as not being executed so slow that it dragged on. Overall, this scene builds the character of Zola so much, making her become the most intriguing—if not the best—character in the main cast.
5. Shu “gives up”
This scene is super powerful on many levels—and no, it is not powerful because it finally gives Shu the Flee command for those wondering… however that is good too. Not only does Shu have to bear the burden of being the only one who can save his friends, but he also has to rely on his very limited strength, due to Nene extracting his light sphere. However, he doesn’t give up, and he taps into his own personal power and saves the team from the Squastritch (another one of Nene’s silly trolls). Shu losing his light sphere sets up the best sequence in the entire game, and this scene also provides a huge turning point for Shu, who finds that sometimes making a tactical retreat or “giving up” instead of charging blindly into the fray is sometimes much better. Not only is this scene a huge character moment for Shu, but it is also the scene where Nene’s grand plan is revealed. He was not trying to kill the party, but he instead wanted the team to cultivate his soul to allow him to return to his former glory. Overall, this scene developed Shu and revealed Nene’s plan, as well as providing an epic, heart-pounding sequence where any outcome seemed at least a little bit possible.
4. A questioning of morals
The scene just outside the Ancient Factory reveals that the robots of Baroy Town will have loyalty to any Ancient as their master, reveals Nene’s huge army of Mecha Robos that eventually morphs into the Jumbo Mecha Robo, puts in place events that lead to a sequence of back-to-back awesome moments, and heartbreaking moments with questions of morality all within a few minutes of a singular cutscene. When the robots of Baroy Town started charging the barrier, not only did I tear up, but I also felt much hate towards Nene for killing these fun side characters that I had gotten to love. The additional layer of Zola conflicting the rest of the team by wanting to hold the barrier to kill the team’s robotic friends, whereas Shu, Maro, and Kluke wanting to save the robots questions morality in many ways. One of the coolest and most powerful parts was Jiro being conflicted between his tactical mindset (which aligned with what Zola believed) and decided to satisfy his crush as well as his best friend by disabling the barrier against his very own thoughts. Overall, just an amazing scene with so much to love.
3. The final sequence
The final sequence must be one of the best parts of the game to stick the landing and, luckily, Blue Dragon pulls this off. This ends the game quite well, demonstrating what life in the Cube Worlds is like, concluding the Jiro and Shu rivalry in a realistic (although a little anticlimactic way… I was always rooting for you, Jiro…), bringing all of the vibrant side characters together in a fun way (with unexpected attendees like Szabo and Deevela in the mix), and establishing some great ideas for the two underrated and relatively-unknown sequels via the array of unvisited Cube Worlds. Overall, a great romp through the Cube Worlds that ends in a fun way with all the best characters attending Kluke’s birthday party.
2. Journey to Jibral
This sequence starts with what could be debated as one of the most emotional scenes in the game, where we see the realism of two parents worried to death about their child Jiro, and where Jiro seems to kind of shrug it off. This scene was very down to earth, and it was heartbreaking hearing Jiro’s parents tell Jiro how they dug with their bare hands to get Jiro out of the rubble they thought he was trapped in. This was one of the two scenes in the game that made me tear up (the other being the scene outside of the Ancient Factory), and that is saying something. After this amazing scene, one of the most fun mini games in the game plays out, followed by an epic boss fight against Dullahan, with the cherry on top being the introduction of the Jibral Blademasters, King Jibral, and best of all, Zola—all during an epic skirmish with some of the hardest enemies in Blue Dragon. Overall, one of the most eventful bits of the game, and I was invested in every little bit.
1. The Shu, the Kluke, and the Sahlia
Being thrusted in such a dismal town after the near-death experience the team faced in Nene’s Fortress while the main cast is helpless in being able to take down the flesh-eating tree in the aforementioned dismal town is brilliant, original, and depressing (but in a good way). Starting with the gladness the party displays when Shu wakes up, followed by the heartbreaking revelation about the nature of the town, then shifting over to Shu attempting to kill the Eat-Yeet and failing, realizing that Kluke has been bedridden. The emotions from Kluke being sick drives Shu to leave to the cliff overhanging the ocean to attempt and regain his shadow, all building to the singular best moment in the game: the thematic scene featuring Shu and Sahlia that takes the cake in being the best moment in Blue Dragon. The game tackled the dark topic of suicide and hopelessness that Sahlia is a vehicle for, using Shu to show her that life is worth living and that giving up on life isn’t the answer, even when faced with a seemingly insurmountable conflict. This moment influences Shu to give it his all (after Stephanie She’s fantastic voice performance as Sahlia) and unlock the power deep within to be able to destroy the Eat-Yeet and save the village. It is all capped off by possibly the most hilarious scene in the game, where Marumaro bugs Shu for having a crush on Sahlia, and the scene totally landed (Sahlia’s response was perfect, and I honestly do ship Shu and Sahlia, as well as Jiro and Kluke). Overall, easily the best sequence of events, and I just wish Jiro, Kluke, and Maro got huge moments where they regained their shadows like Shu did instead of the relatively unearned moments in Noluta Village that feature absolutely no voice acting or anything, making them far less believable than these scenes in which Shu regains his power.
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