Coincidence. There are no other relations between the games to suggest this kind of collaboration are there?

Yeah it seems to be just a coincidence. Also isn't that a girl in DQ9?

arrrrr, you could be right, there is a suggestion of boobage. Oh well, maybe both companies have the same stylist.

other then the blue turban. there is zero similarity. and the turban is a stretch. as the prince is wearing a loose blue and red turban and that he/she from DQ9 is got a traditionally wrapped turban.

I dunno, when you add in the cel-shaded graphics style that was used in DQ8 -and will be used in DQ9- alongside the decision to make that new PoP cel-shadey too, I don't really think its that much of a stretch.

...it's obviously not as uncanny as the similarities between Okami and the Twilight Princess though.