Puff-puff (Dragon Quest)

Puff-puff (ぱふぱふ) is an onomatopoeia that conveys a woman's breasts being rubbed in someone's face. It was first created by Akira Toriyama, creator of Dragon Ball and lead artist of Dragon Quest, having it featured in both. In Dragon Quest, it appears in multiple games as a service a character may receive. It has been featured in a non-sexual way in Dragon Quest as well, such as two Slimes being used to simulate the act or swapping the performer for a man, which has been criticized for lacking consent by critics. It has been routinely censored in the Dragon Quest series in English until Dragon Quest XI. Multiple video games in other series include the puff-puff scene or make references to it, including 3D Dot Game Heroes, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Final Fantasy XIV, and Dragon Ball Xenoverse.

History
Puff-puff is an onomatopoeia for a woman rubbing her breasts in someone's face, depicted through only dialogue in some games. The term originally was used to express the sound of touching soft or elastic objects. The term was first used to convey sticking one's face in someone's breasts by Dragon Ball creator and Dragon Quest artist Akira Toriyama, having been originally featured in the Dragon Ball manga. It was featured in the first Dragon Quest game, a service offered by a woman in the town of Kol in exchange for money. 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. It was also featured in the mobile game Dragon Quest Walk as a technique.



The "puff-puff" scene has been depicted in the Dragon Quest series in various ways, including multiple instances of a woman tricking the protagonist. Most puff-puff sessions in the series do not involve women's breasts; in both Dragon Quest II and Dragon Quest III, a woman offers a "puff-puff," only for it to turn out to be a man performing it, with the puff-puff in III being a shoulder massage. 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. Dragon Quest XI features multiple such scenes, including a bungee jumping, a makeup session, and a session where it was performed by a man. The mobile game Dragon Quest Walk features a recreation of the puff-puff scene from the first Dragon Quest. It has also been featured outside Dragon Quest video games, such as a Line sticker and a Puff-Puff Room offered as a reward in a Dragon Quest III-themed escape room.

Censorship
The scene has been censored in the localization of multiple Dragon Quest games as well as its appearance in Dragon Ball. Dragon Quest III replaces it with a fortune teller, while Dragon Quest IV and Dragon Quest VI changes it to the non-sexual 'Pufpuf' therapy' and a makeup session respectively. The "Puff-Puff" technique was instead changed to be called "Pattycake." 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, thus causing them change the scenes to be more subtle in English. The English version of Dragon Quest XI did not have the puff-puff scenes censored.

Impact
The scene has been a running joke in the Dragon Quest series. 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. 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. 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," criticizing the scene discussed by Jared Petty for having issues with consent. 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 argued that its use contributes to a feeling of nostalgia, particularly to that of 1980s Japanese pop culture. 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. Digitally Downloaded writer Matt Sainsbury questioned whether puff-puff being featured in English Dragon Quest games was worth criticism of the scenes that he felt would be inevitable, though he still appreciated their presence in Dragon Quest XI, feeling that it contributed to reminding the player that it was a "light and breezy JRPG."

It has been referenced in multiple video games, including 3D Dot Game Heroes and Yakuza: Like a Dragon. In Like a Dragon, the game calls it "nigi-nigi," coming from the verb "nigiru" meaning to grasp or grip. It is also called "honk-honk in the sequel Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. The "puff-puff" scene is featured in Final Fantasy XIV as part of their Dragon Quest X collaboration. It also appeared in Dragon Ball Xenoverse as a gesture that can be performed by the character Master Roshi.

A t-shirt with the words "puff puff" printed on it was released in a set of t-shirts by ZOZOTOWN based on the character Bulma from Dragon Ball.