Hero (Dragon Quest III)

Last updated
Hero
Dragon Quest character
DQ3 Hero.png
Art of the male and female Hero in Dragon Quest III
First appearance Dragon Quest III (1988)
Created by Yuji Horii
Designed by Akira Toriyama
Voiced by Nobuyuki Hiyama (male)
Yuko Minaguchi (female)

The Hero, also known as Loto in Japanese and Erdrick in English, is the protagonist of the 1988 video game Dragon Quest III . Unlike previous Dragon Quest protagonists, this Hero can be male or female, though fans criticized the lack of differences between the two gender options. They are the child of Ortega, who went missing after seeking out the villain Baramos. The Hero assumes this quest on their 16th birthday. The male Hero appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a playable character as part of a character called "Hero," alongside the heroes of Dragon Quest IV , Dragon Quest VIII , and Dragon Quest XI . They are a silent protagonist save for one line, which was not well-received by fans. The lack of differences between the male and female Hero received criticism as well, leading to efforts to improve this in Dragon Quest IV. The Hero has been identified as an iconic Hero, with multiple critics identifying their design as a foundational one, citing the protagonist of the light novel Maoyu as an example.

Contents

Appearances

The Hero appears in Dragon Quest III as its protagonist, able to be male or female. They were raised by their mother, and their father, Ortega, was missing after leaving after the Hero's birth to kill the villain Baramos. On their 16th birthday, the Hero sets out to defeat Baramos in their father's place. They have the character class of Hero, and is the only character who can have this class. They can be accompanied by up to three partner characters, each who can be one of multiple different classes. The Hero learns that Ortega reportedly fell into a volcano, but the Hero found him fighting right before his death in battle. After killing Baramos, the Hero learns that Baramos was a minion of the true villain, Zoma. After defeating Zoma, the Hero is depicted having disappeared, leaving behind their equipment, which appears in Dragon Quest and its sequel, Dragon Quest II . After this, the Hero is granted the title of Erdrick, a legendary figure in I and II. [1] A reference to them was included in the English release of the first Final Fantasy , where a tombstone reads "Here lies Erdrick." This was changed from Link. [2]

In a data mine of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate , a file for a character codenamed "Brave" was found, leading to speculation that a Dragon Quest Hero may be included as a playable character, with the Dragon Quest III Hero being the most popular suggestion. [3] The rationale was that the Hero was called "Yuusha" in Japanese, which translates directly to Brave. [4] A leak also reported that the Dragon Quest III Hero would appear as a playable character in Ultimate. [5] The male Hero of Dragon Quest III was eventually revealed for Ultimate alongside the Dragon Quest IV male Hero and Dragon Quest VIII and Dragon Quest XI heroes as one character. They are all able to use various Dragon Quest spells as well as their respective sword and shield. [6] The lack of a female Hero in Ultimate was speculated to be due to the belief that Square Enix was reluctant to use player characters in games like Dragon Quest Heroes . [7] The male Hero is also featured in Dragon Quest Tact .[ citation needed ]

The male Hero stars in an arena show called "Dragon Quest Live Spectacle Tour," featuring other characters from the series, such as Alena from Dragon Quest IV , Terry from Dragon Quest VI , and Yangus from Dragon Quest VIII . [8] They are portrayed by Matsuura Tsukasa in this. [9]

Concept and creation

The Hero of Dragon Quest II was designed by Akira Toriyama and created by series creator Yuji Horii.[ citation needed ] [10] They are called Loto in Japanese, but were called Erdrick in the original Nintendo Entertainment System release of the Dragon Quest trilogy. The Loto name was used in the English Game Boy Color releases of the trilogy, though Square Enix began using the name Erdrick in English later. [11] Horii designed the protagonist to be silent due to his desire for players to be able to put themselves in the main character's shoes. He made one exception in a scene where the Hero tells some characters to flee due to having difficulty finding a different way to do it, remarking that players didn't like it when they talked out of nowhere. [10] Where the Hero of Dragon Quest I and II are both male, this Hero has the ability to be male or female. Despite allowing the Hero to be female, dialogue in the original release had characters refer to her as a boy.[ citation needed ] This was changed in the Super Famicom and Game Boy Color versions of the game.[ citation needed ] The game has no gameplay differences between male and female characters. [12] Criticism from players about a lack of differences between male and female Hero led series creator Yuji Horii to aim to do better with gender differences for the Dragon Quest IV Hero, though he stated he only remembered this intention halfway through the game's development. [13] Where the female Hero in Dragon Quest III was largely indistinguishable from the male Hero, the female Dragon Quest IV could be told apart based on the visuals. [14] [15] Beginning in the Super Famicom version of Dragon Quest III , the player is given a personality test to determine the kind of personality the Hero has. [16] In Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, the male Hero is voiced by Nobuyuki Hiyama and the female Hero by Yuko Minaguchi. [17]

Reception

The Hero has received positive reception. In particular, they have been identified as a noteworthy example of a hero, with Magmix writer Luis Field saying that people think of this Hero when they think of heroes and that the male Hero's design is an iconic hero design. [18] Anime News Network writer Jean-Karlo Lemus felt that the Hero in Dragon Quest III was a foundational character design, being the basis for hero designs in video games and light novels, arguing that the protagonist of the light novel Maoyu took from the Hero's design. [19] Game*Spark writer Rate-Dat believed that, despite the concept of a hero predating Dragon Quest III, it was the Hero and Zoma who were responsible for the popularization of the hero versus demon lord motif in Japan. [20] Magmix writer Katano felt similarly about the ubiquity of the Hero's circlet, stating that it has been a part of the image of a hero for years. They argued that the blue bead in the circlet and on the designs of their allies contrasted the red beads worn by villains like Zoma and Baramos. Katano argued that the modern image of a hero began with the Dragon Quest series, believing that Dragon Quest III and its Hero were decisive in creating that image. [21] [22]

USgamer writer Nadia Oxford appreciated the ability to play as a female Hero in Dragon Quest III, while Gen Gamachi of Inside Games felt that the ability to choose the Hero's gender contributed to enhancing the freedom of the game. [23] [24] Siliconera writer Jenni Lada felt that the ability to choose your gender helped set Dragon Quest III apart and created a trend that appeared in future Dragon Quest games. [25] Futabanet writer Yamaguchi Quest expressed a desire for the remake of Dragon Quest III to allow the Hero to have a happier ending with his mother and father surviving to the end. [26] 4gamer writer Kenichi Maeyamada also found this ending sad, particularly that Ortega died without being able to see his child and that the Hero could not return to their world. [27]

Related Research Articles

Dragon Quest, previously published as Dragon Warrior in North America until 2005, is a series of role-playing games created by Japanese game designer Yuji Horii, character designer Akira Toriyama, and composer Koichi Sugiyama and published by Square Enix. Since its inception, development of games in the series have been outsourced to a plethora of external companies until the tenth installment, with localized remakes and ports of later installments for the Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, and Nintendo Switch being published by Nintendo outside of Japan. With its first game published in 1986, there are eleven main-series games, along with numerous spin-off games. In addition, there have been numerous manga, anime and novels published under the franchise, with nearly every game in the main series having a related adaptation.

Enix Corporation was a Japanese multimedia publisher who handled and oversaw video games, manga, guidebooks, and merchandise. It was founded in 1975 by Yasuhiro Fukushima as Eidansha Boshu Service Center, initially as a tabloid publisher and later attempting to branch into real estate management. Beginning in 1982, Enix began publishing video games. Three notable early collaborators were designers Yuji Horii and Koichi Nakamura, and composer Koichi Sugiyama. Horii, Nakamura and Sugiyama would all work on the 1986 role playing video game (RPG) Dragon Quest for the Family Computer; one of the earliest successful RPGs for consoles, it spawned a franchise of the same name which remains Enix's best-known product.

<i>Dragon Quest II</i> 1987 video game

Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line, titled Dragon Warrior II when initially localized to North America, is a role-playing video game developed by Chunsoft and published by Enix in 1987 for the Nintendo Entertainment System as a part of the Dragon Quest series. Enix's U.S. subsidiary published the American release, Dragon Warrior II, for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990. Dragon Quest II is set one hundred years after the events of the first game.

<i>Dragon Quest</i> (video game) 1986 video game

Dragon Quest, titled Dragon Warrior when initially localized to North America, is a role-playing video game developed by Chunsoft and published by Enix for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was originally released in Japan in 1986 and by Nintendo in North America in 1989. It is the first game in the Dragon Quest video game series. Dragon Quest has been ported and remade for several video game platforms, including the MSX, MSX2, PC-9801, Super Famicom, Game Boy Color, mobile phones, and Nintendo Switch as of 2019. The player controls the hero character who is charged with saving the Kingdom of Alefgard and rescuing its princess from the evil Dragonlord. Dragon Warrior's story became the second part in a trilogy, with several spinoff anime and manga series.

<i>Dragon Quest III</i> 1988 video game

Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation, titled Dragon Warrior III when initially localized to North America, is a 1988 role-playing video game developed by Chunsoft and published by Enix. It is the third installment in the Dragon Quest series and was first released for the Family Computer (Famicom) in Japan and later for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in North America. The game saw an enhanced remake for the Super Famicom in 1996 and the Game Boy Color in 2001, and a port to mobile phones and the Wii in 2009 and 2011. A version of the game for Android and iOS was released in Japan on September 25, 2014, and worldwide as Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation on December 4, 2014. It was the first time the game was given an official English subtitle. Later in 2021, another remake of the game titled Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, based on Octopath Traveler's style, was announced during the franchise's 35th anniversary livestream, and later confirmed in the June 2024 Nintendo Direct to be released in November that same year for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S.

Slime (<i>Dragon Quest</i>) Fictional species in the Dragon Quest video game franchise

Slimes are a fictional species of slime monster in the Dragon Quest role-playing video game franchise. Originally inspired by the game Wizardry to be a weak and common enemy for the 1986 video game Dragon Quest, Slimes have appeared in almost every Dragon Quest game since. 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. Slimes have also appeared in other video game properties, including Nintendo's Mario and Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Torneko</span> Dragon Quest protagonist

Torneko is a character in the 1990 video game Dragon Quest IV, one of its heroes. He also appears as the star of multiple games in the Mystery Dungeon series, being used for the first entry to make the series more appealing by using a recognizable brand. He is among the most recurring characters in the Dragon Quest series.

<i>Dragon Quest X</i> 2012 video game

Dragon Quest X: Rise of the Five Tribes Online, also known as Dragon Quest X Online, is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed and published by Square Enix. It is the tenth mainline entry in the Dragon Quest series. It was originally released for the Wii in 2012, and was later ported to the Wii U, Windows, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS, and Nintendo 3DS, all of which support cross-platform play. Other than a discontinued Windows version in China, the game was not released outside of Japan. A single-player remake, titled Dragon Quest X Offline, was released in 2022 in Japan, followed by South-East Asia region on May 28, 2024 with additional South Korea, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese languages support.

<i>Dragon Quest: Your Story</i> 2019 anime film

Dragon Quest: Your Story is a 2019 Japanese 3D CG anime film based on the Dragon Quest series of video games, adapting the storyline of the 1992 video game Dragon Quest V. It was released in Japan by Toho on August 2, 2019, with an international release on Netflix on February 13, 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bianca, Nera, and Debora</span> Dragon Quest V character

Bianca, Nera, and Debora are three female characters in the video game Dragon Quest V. Where Bianca and Nera were introduced in the 1992 Super Famicom release of the game, Debora was introduced in the 2008 Nintendo DS release. They are all three major characters in the game, with their significance depending on which of the three the protagonist marries. Bianca is the protagonist's childhood friend, while Nera and Debora are sisters whom he becomes acquainted with later in life. Whomever is chosen, the protagonist will marry them before eventually giving birth to two children, with whom they work together to defeat the main antagonist, Grandmaster Nimzo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puff-puff (onomatopoeia)</span> Act of a womans breasts being rubbed in someones face

Puff-puff 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 through methods such as having two Slimes being used to simulate the act, or by 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Psaro</span> Dragon Quest IV villain

Psaro is a character in the 1990 video game Dragon Quest IV. He is the primary antagonist of the story, leading a charge to wipe out humanity for the sake of demons, particularly due to his infatuation for an elf named Rose, who suffered under humans. He wishes to find and kill the human prophesized to one day defeat him, which causes him or his minions to come into contact with one or more of the multiple main heroes of the game who later come to support the prophesized hero in their quest. He comes to assume the form of Psaro the Manslayer after a tragedy pushes him to the brink. A sixth chapter was added to the PlayStation version that expands Psaro's story and features him as a playable character. He is also the protagonist of the 2023 game Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince. His design was created by Akira Toriyama. Psaro has been generally well received, praised as a tragic villain and for the multiple forms he goes through in the battle against him.

Alena (<i>Dragon Quest</i>) Dragon Quest IV character

Alena is a character in the 1990 video game Dragon Quest IV, one of its main characters. She is the star of the second chapter, going out to explore the world and become a strong warrior with her retainers Kiryl and Borya, before discovering her kingdom wiped out. She later joins with the protagonist of the game in their quest to defeat the leader of the monsters, Psaro, and save the world. Her design was created by Akira Toriyama, and she is voiced in Japanese by Shoko Nakagawa. She is a fan favorite Dragon Quest IV character, noted as a strong female character by multiple critics, one from RPGFan noting how rare this was on the NES.

Hero (<i>Dragon Quest V</i>) Dragon Quest V protagonist

The Hero is the protagonist of Dragon Quest V. He starts out the story as a child, the son of Pankraz, who suffers through various tragedies before growing up, getting married, and having children. Unlike previous Dragon Quest protagonists, he is not a Legendary Hero, instead being a monster tamer, a mechanic added due to the popularity of Healie from Dragon Quest IV. He was created by Yuji Horii and designed by Akira Toriyama. He appears in other works, including the film Dragon Quest: Your Story. The Hero has received positive reception, with critics commenting on how impactful his tragic life was and how iconic a design he had.

Enix's role-playing video game Dragon Quest IV (DQIV), features eight permanent player characters in the Nintendo Entertainment System version, and nine in the PlayStation and Nintendo DS versions. The chapter structure of DQIV results in a new set of characters being controlled in each chapter; it is not until the fifth chapter that the Hero becomes the controllable protagonist.

Hero (<i>Dragon Quest IV</i>) Dragon Quest IV protagonist

The Hero is the protagonist of Dragon Quest IV, and can be male or female. They do not have a default name, and can be given a name by the player. They are the second Hero in Dragon Quest to allow players to make them male or female, and the first to give the female Hero a distinct design. During the course of the story, the game's antagonist, Psaro, causes the death of their village, including their friend Eliza. They journey to defeat Psaro, joining other characters along the way.

Ladja (<i>Dragon Quest</i>) Dragon Quest V antagonist

Ladja is a character in the 1992 video game Dragon Quest V. He is one of the primary antagonists, responsible for the death of the Hero's father, Pankraz, and the subsequent enslavement of the Hero. He is the minion of the game's final villain, Grandmaster Nimzo. He was designed by Akira Toriyama and created by Yuji Horii, who aspired to create a villain who spanned multiple generations and who would ultimately be defeated in the end. He also appears in the film Dragon Quest: Your Story as an antagonist, which is based on the story of Dragon Quest V. He has received generally positive reception, with critics noting his superiority as the game's antagonist to his master, Nimzo, as well as noting how sadistically he treats the Hero and his father.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Healie</span> Dragon Quest IV character

Healie, also known as Hoimin is a character in the 1990 video game Dragon Quest IV. He is a Healslime, a variant of the Slime monster from the series, who aspires to become a human, joining the warrior Ragnar McRyan in his quest to rescue kidnapped children from minions of Psaro. In promotional media for the franchise, he has been portrayed by Kanna Hashimoto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ragnar McRyan</span> Dragon Quest characters

Ragnar McRyan, known in Japan as Ryan is a character in the 1990 video game Dragon Quest IV. He is one of multiple characters who assist the game's Hero in their battle against the monster Psaro. He stars in chapter 1, allying with the monster Healie to rescue children kidnapped by Psaro's minions. He was the first playable character in the NES version of the game. He has appeared in multiple other games, including the Itadaki Street and Dragon Quest Heroes series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maya and Meena</span> Dragon Quest characters

Maya and Meena are two characters in the 1990 video game Dragon Quest IV. Maya is a dancer and Meena a fortune teller. The two are sisters who set out on a journey to avenge their father's murder. They appear as the lead characters of the fourth chapter, and join the Hero in the fifth chapter to defeat the monster Psaro. They were created by Yuji Horii and designed by Akira Toriyama, and have been the subject of praise for both their designs and concepts, particularly Meena's use of tarot cards as weapons and Maya's beauty. The music played for the pair has also received praise, with critics identifying folk music and Middle Eastern music inspirations for their theme.

References

  1. ↑ Kalata, Kurt (August 21, 2009). "Dragon Quest III". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on February 24, 2024. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  2. ↑ Kalata, Kurt (October 17, 2017). "Grave Rivalry – The Fate of Competing Video Game Heroes". Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  3. ↑ Wood, Austin (January 4, 2019). "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate datamining points to Dragon Quest DLC character". GamesRadar+ . Archived from the original on August 5, 2024. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  4. ↑ Saunders, Tobi (January 4, 2019). "Smash Ultimate Brave – Who is the Leaked DLC Character?". Game Revolution. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  5. ↑ Arif, Shabana (January 6, 2019). "Rumour: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's DLC roster has leaked". VG247. Archived from the original on May 21, 2024. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  6. ↑ Francisco, Eric (June 11, 2019). "'Smash Bros. Ultimate' Adds the Hero of 'Dragon Quest,' but Who Is He?". Inverse . Archived from the original on March 5, 2024. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  7. ↑ Khan, Imran (June 27, 2019). "Smash Bros. Director Comments On Dragon Quest And Banjo Kazooie Additions, Finds Console Wars Boring". Game Informer . Archived from the original on July 1, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  8. ↑ "アリーナショー「ドラクエ ライブスペクタクルツアー」今夏開催！『III』の主人公(貴方)がヤンガス、アリーナ、テリーらと出会う". Inside Games. January 20, 2016. Archived from the original on June 14, 2024. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  9. ↑ "風間俊介、「夢が叶った感じ」ドラクエ"愛"あふれ過ぎて大興奮". Crank In. May 30, 2016. Archived from the original on June 14, 2024. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  10. 1 2 Aria (December 11, 2011). "Miyamoto Asks Horii: Do You Think RPGs Will Become A Substitute For Novels?". Siliconera . Archived from the original on May 19, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  11. ↑ Gilbert, Henry (July 11, 2014). "Eggman or Robotnik: The 7 weirdest name changes explained". GamesRadar+ . Archived from the original on August 5, 2024. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  12. ↑ "『ファミコン通信 No.179 「ドラクエ」シリーズ素朴な疑問』アスキー". Famicom Tsūshin. Vol. 179. ASCII Corporation. May 22, 1992. p. 91.
  13. ↑ "Dragon Quest IV – 1989 Developer Interview". Shmuplations. 1989. Archived from the original on September 5, 2014. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  14. ↑ Tanaka, Shino (August 14, 2019). "「女の子がゲームやるなんて」そんな一言を、ドラクエの勇者が解き放ってくれた。回顧マンガに反響続々". Huffington Post . Archived from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  15. ↑ Wachiha, Yabata (April 11, 2024). "キュートすぎる…！大川ぶくぶ先生が『ドラクエ4』女勇者のイラストを投稿し話題にー「鼻血が出るほど天使」「懐かしいいい」との声集まる". Inside Games. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  16. ↑ "「6月16日増刊号特別付録 クロスレビュー優良ソフトパーフェクトカタログ 上巻」". Famitsu . Vol. 1. Enterbrain. June 16, 2005. p. 49.
  17. ↑ "HD-2D版「ドラゴンクエストIII」主人公のバトルボイスに檜山修之、皆口裕子". Natalie.mu. July 11, 2024. Archived from the original on July 17, 2024. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  18. ↑ Field, Luis (February 9, 2024). "「ドラクエ」シリーズの一番好きな主人公、決定か　No.1は異色の「彼」【アンケート結果】". Magmix. Archived from the original on May 31, 2024. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  19. ↑ Lemus, Jean-Karlo (March 16, 2024). "The Gaming World Says Good-Bye to Akira Toriyama". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  20. ↑ Rate-Dat (April 11, 2022). "「勇者と魔王」テンプレは何時生まれたのか？起源を探りながら送る、「魔王軍vs勇者」ローグライクACT『Skul: The Hero Slayer』プレイレポ". Game*Spark. Archived from the original on June 14, 2024. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  21. ↑ Katano (February 10, 2021). "『ドラクエIII』の謎　勇者が頭に着けている"輪っか"って？　僧侶はなぜ全身タイツ？". Magmix. Archived from the original on May 4, 2024. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  22. ↑ Katano (April 10, 2022). "『ドラクエ』以前、「勇者」や「魔王」はどんな意味で使われていた？". Magmix. Archived from the original on June 15, 2024. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  23. ↑ Oxford, Nadia (May 30, 2016). "USgamer Community Question: What's Your Favorite Dragon Quest Memory?". VG247. Archived from the original on May 21, 2024. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  24. ↑ Gen, Gamachi (February 10, 2018). "『ドラゴンクエストIII そして伝説へ…』本日2月10日で30周年！ その歩みや魅力的な特徴を振り返る". Inside Games. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  25. ↑ Lada, Jenni (October 7, 2019). "Dragon Quest III Is A Reminder Of How Early Some Series Staples First Appeared". Siliconera. Archived from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  26. ↑ Quest, Yamaguchi (September 30, 2021). "「オルテガが死なない」「主人公が故郷に帰る」FF7Rのような大感動"歴史改変"がもしも『ドラクエ3リメイク』にあるとしたら望むことは何？". Futabanet. Archived from the original on May 30, 2024. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  27. ↑ Maeyamada, Kenichi (May 27, 2022). "【ヒャダイン】大人になった今「ドラクエ」を冷静に思い返す2022". 4gamer. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
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