BODY: Every Dragon Quest veteran knows the mix of excitement and dread when a Metal Slime appears on screen. Now those elusive, XP-rich foes are getting the stationery treatment.
Square Enix began selling two new A4 clear files through its official e-STORE on September 5, part of the ongoing "Dragon Quest Stationery Shop" (ドラゴンクエスト文具屋) line. One features the shimmering Metal Slime, the other its rarer, faster-fleeing cousin, the Liquid Metal Slime (はぐれメタル). Each retails for 770 yen (tax included).
Clear files—flat plastic folders used to keep loose papers crease-free—are an everyday staple in Japanese offices and schools, which makes them a natural, low-cost canvas for character merchandise. The "Stationery Shop" branding positions these as practical goods with a wink for fans, rather than display-only collectibles.
The choice of the two metal slimes is no accident. Since the original Dragon Quest, these silvery enemies have been the franchise's most iconic grinding targets: worth enormous experience points but notorious for running from battle before you can land a hit. Slapping them on something as mundane as a document folder is exactly the kind of insider joke the series' merchandise thrives on.
Both items are available now through the Square Enix e-STORE, the company's official online storefront for games, goods, and collectibles in Japan.
The insider take
From Tokyo, the appeal here is obvious to anyone who has worked in a Japanese office: clear files accumulate by the dozen, handed out at events, conventions, and shops. Square Enix knows this, and the Dragon Quest "Stationery Shop" line has quietly become a reliable way to monetize nostalgia at pocket-money prices. Pricing both files at 770 yen keeps them firmly in impulse-buy territory—the kind of thing a fan adds to an e-STORE cart to round out shipping. Expect the metal slime motif, a perennial fan favorite, to keep reappearing across the lineup.
Originally reported by GAME Watch (Japanese).