The best Dragon Quest?

Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies was an interesting experience, and I don't really know where to begin describing it. I had fun, so I'll start by saying that. The last two Dragon Quest games were a mediocre affair that soured me on the franchise, which is unfortunate because my first foray into them was great! Rather than tell you what I liked and hated about it, though, I'm gonna do something different. I enjoyed comparing Final Fantasy X and Chrono Trigger, but what if I compared Dragon Quest IX to all of them? In order of what's most important to me:

The story:
Dragon Quest IV: Chapter of the Chosen had a clear plot. The main villain was introduced early on, and there wasn't much change from it. We always knew the target and what we were supposed to do. The story is hard hitting, and I wanted to know what was going to happen next.
Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride did not have a clear villain. In fact, the game was more about the life and time of our main hero. We saw him lose his father at a young age, become a slave for ten years, get married, have kids, get turned to stone, be saved, and save the world with his family! The two games take very different approaches, but both have a straightforward plot. The story can get deep, has twists and turns, multiple options, and a happy ending.
Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation started out with the same plot as DQIV. We know we're chasing after Mudo, but after we slay him, the game falls apart. We begin to randomly walk across two worlds looking for... whatever. We realize at the end that some of the bosses we fought were linked to the last minute final main antagonist, but they're so inconsequential when you first meet them. What's the difference between Gracias and Master Nu'un? There is no story for the last three quarters of the game, and it's not very rewarding.
Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies is a mix of all of them. We start as an angel who gets trapped on the planet that she's to protect. We want a way back to the Observatory, which means we're gonna walk around the planet for a while. The start of the game is similar to the middle portion of DQVI, but we still have a goal in mind then. Next up, we're to find the fyggs that Yggdrasil dropped. It's a collection quest, but it's still something. After we find them all, we finally get introduced to a primary villain. But it turns out they're just pawns themselves, and the real BBG is someone else. However, that guy gets mentioned at the very start of the game, and you can learn a little more about him before the fygg hunt. There is no ending, though...

The characters:
DQIV's characters each have their own introductory chapter. During them, we learn about their personality, backstory, and goals. We gain an understanding of their connection to the main villain and world at large. Once they join the party, though, they all become silent protagonists.
DQV is all about the hero and his family. From his dad, his pet, his girlfriend, their kids, and his extended family. It is the most character driven game (that I've played) in the franchise. Everyone has their personality and role, and it makes the game feel alive!
DQVI has four characters who seem to matter and a handful more of extras. Of those four, two of them left me wanting to know more, but only because they never gave us anything of substance. The trail is there, but why didn't they give us a good finality of Muriel and Barbara?
DQIX's characters are irrelevant. The only one that matters is the main character, but they're silent and forced to agree to everything. Their backup has no bearing on the world or personality, either. They are simply archetypes to use in battle. Plot is carried by the secondary characters for the entire game.

The music
IV lacked anything that wowed me. I struggled to find a favorite song, and I can't remember any melodies despite playing it two weeks ago.
V only had a hand full of tracks, but each of them was well crafted and enjoyable.
VI had two great overworld themes, and I liked the town themes.
XI just wasn't very good. It has the same issues as IV, but it's just worse. According to fans of DQXI, the music there sucks, so I wonder if Sugiyama got worst with time. He was getting up there around the release of DQIX. How's VII?

The gameplay/battle system:
DQIV's characters have a single set of magic and skills to learn, and the player can't change that at all. Each character has their role, but it's often muddy, and some are useless.
DQV characters also have their set stats and magic/skill gains, with the player having no say. The main characters have their obvious role and have a place on the team, but some of the secondary characters are there just to make the game feel like you have a choice.
DQVI has a job system that the player can change whenever they reach a specific area. Changing jobs has no real negative consequences other than statistical changes based on the job. Any skill or magic learned will carry over to a new job, and you can unlock new roles are you master older ones.
DQIX has jobs you can change, but there is a catch. Magic isn't carried over, so switching roles can be a bad idea. I wanted an Arnamentalist, but they don't have any attack magic. And since mage spells don't transfer over, you lose all elemental damage. Swamping roles weakened my team too much, and I felt like I wasted time! But you can still make your team however you want.

Side characters:
IV only has a handful, and none of them have any real meaning to them. Orin, Taloon's Wife, all the people Alina and Ragnar helped are just scenery.
In V, the side characters become party members. And the ones that don't are usually important people. Dad, Prince Henry, etc.
DQVI has a trove of tertiary characters that usually are more important than the people in your party. Tania, Buddy, and Somnia's King and Queen instantly jump to mind.
DQIX is dependent on its side characters. Fortunately, many of them are hard hitting and interesting. I loved Simona, and the Wight Knight. Cat and Phlem nearly got to me cry, as did Marion and Marionette. I wish I could have spent more time with the angry dragon, Greygnarl.

Villains:
Saro from IV is around the whole time, but there aren't any secondary antagonists. No thieves groups or rival gangs are present.
I don't remember who DQV's main villain was... It was Ninzo, and he's not terrible, but I can't, in good conscience, give him points if I forgot him. 
Deathtamor from VI was late to the party. We meet his underlings throughout the game, but there isn't a clear connection between them all.
Corvus from IX is spoken about early on between Aquilla and Colombia. We get an idea of him with his gravestone, and Serana gives us his backstory before we meet him. In fact, Corvus got a full ten points in my "best villain spreadsheet." We know he revived the Gittish Empire when we face Godwyn and his underlings, so there's even some evil depth here. The fygg antagonists are a product of their own dreams, which I found to be interesting.


But was it fun?
IV had its moments, and I never felt like I was aimlessly wandering around. Most of the time, the game directs you where to go as best a game on the NES can.
V is all about the novel story of a kid growing up, finding love, and saving the world. It's a tale that I don't think gets told very often (at least in this way), and I couldn't put it down. All I wanted to do was explore and find love!
VI has us walking around too much, and I hated it. Why did I baptize that kid!?
IX has a great plot, fun battle system, a litany of side quests, alchemy I wanted to do, and jobs I wanted to get. I put over fifty hours in it, and most of that was me bumbling around. Use the Action Replay cheat to make text go faster, though.


Having taken these seven categories into consideration, I can finally reach a conclusion to my favorite Dragon Quest game!

With a commanding score of 23 points, Dragon Quest V is still on top! I started strong, went way down, but Dragon Quest IX revived my interest. It's my second favorite, getting 18 points. That's two more than a surprise third, DQVI, with 13 points. I thought I hated VI, and I still do, but maybe it's better than I thought? ...no...no, I refuse... The lack of a meaningful main party in DQIX, as well as the music, really tanked its score. IX got two 4s and two 3s, while V got four 4s and two 3s. DQIV didn't get a single top mark. I also can't stake how disappointed I am that spells don't carry over to jobs in IX...

But, at the end of the day, I have more Dragon Quests to play. I don't know if I will, but I'm thinking I'll rush through the Eldrick Saga next year. I've heard VII is 120 hours long, which seems too much for me these days. And the other games are gonna be a bit tougher to get a hold of for several reasons. Keep in mind, it's also possible I mixed up the rankings; I wasn't paying that close attention, so don't feel bad if your favorite isn't mine. It's okay to be different.

Joan D' Arc...eventually...