Dragon Quest Creator Yuji Horii Becomes First Video Game Creator Awarded Order of the Rising Sun by Japanese Government

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In the autumn honors list, the Japanese government has given Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii the Order of the Rising Sun. This is one of the highest awards the government of Japan can bestow on citizens. It is awarded to those who have made significant contributions in their field, and Horii is the first game creator to receive it.

“I think it’s a great honor, I’m surprised.” Horii responded in a video interview with TBS. “I’ve been making games for quite a long time now, about 40 years, but I didn’t do it alone. It’s all thanks to the staff who helped create the games alongside me, and to all the players who have continuously supported us.”

Yuji Horii’s first game was 1983’s Love Match Tennis, which he entered into a game contest where it caught the attention of Enix. This was followed by the genre-defining visual novel mystery The Portopia Serial Murder Case. He would become most famous for his work on the game design and scenario for Enix’s long-running Dragon Quest series (1986-present).

Square Enix’s recent 2D-HD remakes of Dragon Quest I, II and III have bought new attention to the RPG series’ origins. Horii is currently still hard at work on Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate, the much-awaited next game, which was announced back in 2021 during the 35th anniversary celebrations.

In May, Horii confirmed Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate had not been canceled. “Yes, indeed, I can’t say anything, I apologize,” he said at the time. “I am making it, putting lots of work into it… I can only say that the next work will be great too, [I’m] working really hard. Please look forward to it is the only thing I can say.” It is set to be the first mainline entry since 2017’s Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Age.

In the TBS interview, Horii also offered words of encouragement to future creators: “It’s important to actually create something tangible, don’t just think about it,” he advised. “Just try making it.”

The Order of the Rising Sun currently has six classes. As reported by nippon.com, Yuji Horii received the 4th class honors: Gold Rays with Rosette. Among the others to receive this particular award in 2025 was Devilman and Cutie Honey manga artist Go Nagai.

Photo by TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP via Getty Images.

Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.