With golden skin and bleached blonde hair, fairy Sandy doesn’t look like your typical Dragon Quest character. She talks and dresses like the Japanese equivalent of a Valley Girl.
Dragon Quest IX producer Ryutaro Ichimura describes a meeting regarding what kind of character would be best for the pivotal role of guide for the adventure. During these discussions, DQ creator Yuji Hori said “I think a ‘gal’ is good.” Hori then chuckled.
“This time around,” explains Hori, “I wanted to see us go with cute. Because of Koakuma Ageha or the ‘gal’-style or whatever, we tried it.” More chuckling.
And viola, we get a tanned fairy girl with bleached blonde hair.
Creator’s Voice [Touch-DS]