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Hero (Dragon Quest III)

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Hero
Dragon Quest character
Art of the male and female Hero in Dragon Quest III
First appearanceDragon Quest III (1988)
Created byYuji Horii
Designed byAkira Toriyama
Voiced byNobuyuki 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 son 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.

Appearances

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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

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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

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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]

References

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  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. ^ a b 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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