Their popularity led to the appearance of many varieties of Slimes, including boss characters, friendly allies, and even emerging as the protagonist of their own spinoff series.

Their friendliness, limited power, and appealing form have caused the Slime to become a popular character and the mascot of the Dragon Quest series.

[1] Horii said that when it was originally conceived, the Slime was "a pile of goo", but Akira Toriyama's design came back as a tear-drop which they considered "perfect".

[9] In the North American localization of the Dragon Quest games for the Nintendo DS, joking references and puns are made about Slimes.

[13] As the most recognizable symbol of one of the best-selling video game series in Japan, the Slime has been featured prominently in Dragon Quest-related merchandise.

[23][24][25] The Dragon Quest Slime has received positive reception from critics and fans, being called the "most prolific" of all the "memorable" monsters from the series and is one of the most recognizable characters in gaming.

[27] GamesRadar+ described it as the most lovable blob in video games, calling them the "equivalent of training wheels" due to how easy they are to defeat typically, but also saying that their weird smile makes players think twice about killing them.

[29] They stated that while they started out as nothing more than things for players to kill and not feel guilty about, the playable role of a Slime in the Dragon Quest Heroes series made them realize they were more than just generic enemies.

[29] In the January 2010 issue of Nintendo Power, the editors described the Slime among its Favorite Punching Bags, a list including Goombas and Octoroks.

He said that "in the world of RPGs, the Dragon Quest Slime reigns supreme as the most legendary and defining character from not just the series but the genre itself, making the creature an unmistakable piece of RPG iconography.

[10] GamesRadar+ speculated that the intense "grinding", or fighting of enemies in the Dragon Quest series exposed players to an abundance of Slimes, but a positive association was created by their familiarity.