Puff-puff (Dragon Quest)

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A puff-puff occurring in Dragon Quest VIII, where a woman uses Slimes to simulate the act

Puff-puff (ぱふぱふ, pafupafu) is an onomatopoeia that conveys a woman's breasts being rubbed in someone's face. Its creation is attributed to Akira Toriyama, creator of Dragon Ball and lead artist of Dragon Quest, having it featured in both. In addition to featuring in Dragon Ball, it appeared in the first game of the Dragon Quest series, offered to the player-character by a woman in exchange for money.

It has appeared in various sequels, with it often being depicted in a non-sexual way, such as two Slimes being used to simulate the act or swapping the performer for a man, a thing that has been criticized for lacking consent by critics. It has been routinely censored in the Dragon Quest series in English, though Dragon Quest XI features it without censorship. Multiple video games in other series include the puff-puff scene or make references to it, including 3D Dot Game Heroes, Final Fantasy XIV, and Yakuza: Like a Dragon.

History[edit]

The "puff-puff," also called "pafu pafu" in Japanese, is an onomatopoeia for a woman rubbing her breasts in someone's face, though the scene only implies the act through dialogue in some games.[1][2] The name for the act was coined by Dragon Ball creator and Dragon Quest artist Akira Toriyama, having been originally featured in the Dragon Ball manga.[3][4][5][6] It was originally featured in the first Dragon Quest game, a service offered by a woman in the town of Kol in exchange for money.[1] In addition to being a service offered by certain characters, some characters are able to use it as a special technique, such as Jessica Albert from Dragon Quest VIII.[7] It was also featured in the mobile game Dragon Quest Walk as a technique.[8] It was referenced in the anime, Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai.[9]

The "puff-puff" scene has been depicted in the Dragon Quest series in various ways, including straightforward ways and with the woman tricking the protagonist.[10] Most puff-puff sessions in the series do not actually involve women's breasts; for example, in Dragon Quest III, a woman offers a "puff-puff," only for it to turn out to be a man performing it in the end. In Dragon Quest VIII, a woman performs a "puff-puff" massage using two Slimes, while Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies depicts the character's face being rubbed between two sheep's rear ends. In Dragon Quest XI, it turns out that the woman is offering the opportunity to go bungee jumping. Dragon Quest XI also features "puff-puff" scenes where makeup is applied, as well as a scene where it turns out that a man had performed the "puff-puff."[6]

A "puff-puff" Line sticker was added to the software, along with other Dragon Quest stickers.[11] Participants of a Dragon Quest III escape room were also able to receive a Puff Puff Ticket, allowing them to enter the Puff-Puff Room.[12]

Censorship[edit]

The scene has been changed at varying points in the English localization of the series, as well as its appearance in Dragon Ball.[6][13] The "puff-puff" scene was removed from the English version of Dragon Quest III, replaced with a fortune teller.[14] In Dragon Quest IV, the scene was changed, with it being changed to "Pufpuf" therapy with any sexual implications removed.[6] In Dragon Quest VI, the scene was changed to be a makeup session in the North American release. The "Puff-Puff" technique was instead changed to be called "Pattycake".[6][15] When asked by GamesRadar+ about the absence of "puff-puff" scenes from the Dragon Quest series at times, Dragon Quest VI producer Noriyoshi Fujimoto expressed disappointment that these scenes could affect the games' age rating, and thus they had to change the scenes to be more subtle in English.[16] The English version of Dragon Quest XI did not have the "puff-puff" attack censored.[5]

Impact[edit]

The scene has been a running joke in the series.[17] Inside Games writer Sushishi commented that, since being able to chat with the player's partner characters was not a feature yet by Dragon Quest III, the "puff-puff" scene was a valuable character interaction experience. She wondered whether this scene would be recreated in the HD-2D remake.[18] IGN writer Jared Petty was critical of the depiction of a "puff-puff" scene in Dragon Quest XI where it turns out that a man performed the "puff-puff," arguing that it was not funny that has issues with the consent of the scene.[4] A writer for The Independent was also critical of its use, feeling that the "puff-puff" scenes in the game were forced in for "cheap, innocuous laughs," finding the scene discussed by Jared Petty had serious consent issues.[3] Author Daniel Andreyev discussed the various depictions of the act in the series, specifically how it has evolved over time and manifested in Dragon Quest XI. He discussed how its use contributes to a feeling of nostalgia, particularly to that of 1980s Japanese pop culture.[19] The YouTuber Momo Momose, being a fan of the Dragon Quest series, celebrated its 35th anniversary, reproduced a "puff-puff" scene from Dragon Quest while wearing a red bunny suit, including a fade to black.[20]

In the video game Yakuza: Like a Dragon, the "puff-puff" scene is depicted, though with different wording. Instead of "puff-puff girls," the game has "nigi-nigi girls," coming from the verb "nigiru" meaning to grasp or grip.[21][22] It is also called "honk-honk," and appears in the sequel, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.[23] The video game 3D Dot Game Heroes also references this.[24] The "puff-puff" scene was also referenced in Final Fantasy XIV as part of their Dragon Quest X collaboration.[25] It also appears in Dragon Ball Xenoverse as a gesture that can be performed by the character Master Roshi.[26]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Kalata, Kurt (February 20, 2009). "Dragon Quest". Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  2. ^ Antista, Chris (July 22, 2009). "Nintendo: Banned in the USA". GamesRadar+. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age review: A gorgeous JRPG for the modern age". The Independent. September 17, 2018. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Petty, Jared (August 28, 2018). "Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age Review". IGN. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Ashaari, Alleef (April 9, 2018). "Dragon Quest XI Won't Be Censored for Western Players". Game Revolution. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e Baird, Scott (September 20, 2019). "Dragon Quest's Long-Running NSFW "Puff-Puff" Joke Explained". TheGamer. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  7. ^ Kalata, Kurt (February 20, 2016). "Dragon Warrior VIII: Journey of the Cursed King". Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  8. ^ "【ドラクエウォーク】ぱふぱふが使える装備/仲間と継承玉の入手方法【DQウォーク】". Game With. October 27, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  9. ^ "『ダイの大冒険』第16話 まさかの"ぱふぱふ"発言に驚き!?「令和に聞けるとは…」「現代風になってるw」". Numan. January 29, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  10. ^ "【特集】「ゲームに登場するエッチなお店」10選". Inside Games. December 14, 2015. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  11. ^ Gen, Gumachi (June 3, 2016). "しゃべって動く『ドラクエヒーローズ』LINEスタンプ配信開始、あの"ぱふぱふ"も!?…金田一連十郎描き下ろし". Inside Games. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  12. ^ "あの"ぱふぱふ"が体験できる!"大魔王ゾーマからの脱出"会場内のグッズ・フード購入特典として"ぱふぱふ部屋"を実施". Famitsu. July 25, 2018. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  13. ^ West, Mark I. (October 23, 2008). The Japanification of Children's Popular Culture: From Godzilla to Miyazaki. Scarecrow Press. p. 205. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  14. ^ Mizuguchi, Makoto (May 15, 2010). "同性結婚・ぱふぱふ・解雇問題……ゲームとゲイの深い関係". Inside Games. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  15. ^ Kalata, Kurt (August 1, 2017). "Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation". Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  16. ^ Gilbert, Henry (February 18, 2011). "An interview with Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii". GamesRadar+. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  17. ^ Byrd, Matthew (May 22, 2021). "15 NES Games You Didn't Know Were Censored". Den of Geek. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  18. ^ Sushishi (May 30, 2021). "『ドラクエ3』再リメイクで"あの要素"はどうなる!?「すごろく場」や「あぶない水着」など懐かしく気になるポイントをピックアップ". Inside Games. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  19. ^ Andreyev, Daniel (February 7, 2018). La Légende Dragon Quest: Création - univers - décryptage. Third Editions. Retrieved March 21, 2024.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  20. ^ "ももせもも、ぱふぱふ完コピ!!". Men's Cyzo. May 28, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  21. ^ Romano, Sal (September 4, 2019). "Yakuza: Like a Dragon Weekly Famitsu developer interview tidbits". Gematsu. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  22. ^ Sato (January 7, 2020). "Yakuza: Like a Dragon Shares More on Dragon Kart, Selfies, and its Own Version of Dragon Quest's "Puff-Puff"". Siliconera. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  23. ^ Vitale, Bryan; Torres, Josh (February 3, 2024). "Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth Honk-Honk Locations guide". RPGSite. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  24. ^ Kauz, Andrew (August 21, 2010). "The rubbing of breasts on faces in Dragon Quest IX". Destructoid. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  25. ^ Sato (June 26, 2020). "Dragon Quest X Collaboration Rerun Will Bring Golems and Puff-Puffs to Final Fantasy XIV on July 2, 2020". Siliconera. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  26. ^ Luster, Joseph (November 24, 2014). "Jaco the Galactic Patrolman Joins "Dragon Ball Xenoverse" as Pre-Order Bonus". Crunchyroll. Retrieved March 21, 2024.