After 25 years, Dragon Quest creator debunks Dragon Quest 7 fan theory about the real identity of the classic JRPG's final boss: "That's completely wrong. I didn't consider that even slightly"
Apparently there was never a world where Orgodemir's true identity was Kiefer

Ahead of Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined's release on February 5, series creator Yuji Horii has debunked a popular fan theory about the true identity of the game's final boss, Orgodemir.
Per Automaton, one of the most enduring Dragon Quest 7 fan theories, particularly in Japan, is that an earlier version of the main story was originally supposed to reveal the Hero's right hand man, Kiefer, as the actual identity of Orgodemir, but it was scrapped before the game made it to print.
In a Japanese-language breakdown from YouTuber Tetsuo, translated by Automaton, the theory posits that pre-release promotional materials showing Kiefer in scenes that occurred after his departure from the Hero's party suggest he originally had a bigger role to play in the conclusion to the story.
Furthermore, fans theorize Ra's mirror, a key story item that turns creatures that transformed into party members back to monsters, was originally intended to serve the much more pivotal function of revealing Kiefer to actually be Orgodemir in disguise. And in fairness, Ra's Mirror is much more integral to the main story of other mainline Dragon Quest games, so its relative lack of significance in Dragon Quest 7 is a little odd.
Well, that's all officially bunk, at least according to Horii, probably the foremost authority on Dragon Quest worldwide. "That's completely wrong. I didn't consider that even slightly," Horii said during an appearance on the KosoKoso YouTube channel (timestamped here).
After spending way too much time in the rabbit hole that is this now-debunked fan theory, I have to admit, I'm surprised Horii shut it down so definitively. It's a little like disagreeing with Shigeru Miyamoto on the Zelda timeline – it doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but who am I to challenge the words of the series' creator?
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.