Hero (Dragon Quest III): Difference between revisions

|Game= {{DQ3}}

|Image=[[Image:Hero3male.png|300px]]<br>[[Image:Hero3female.png|250px]]

|Sprite=[[Image:Dq3hero-sprite-NES.gif|28px]][[File:Dragon Quest III hero male sprite SFC.gif|28px]][[File:Dragon Quest III hero female sprite SFC.gif|28px]]

|appearances= {{DQ3}}<br>{{DQMBRV}}

|Family=[[Ortega]] (father)<br>[[Hero's Mother (Dragon Quest III)|Mother]]<br>[[Hero (Dragon Quest)]] (descendant)<br>[[Hero (Dragon Quest II)|Prince of Midenhall]] (descendant)<br>[[Prince of Cannock]] (descendant)<br>[[Princess of Cannock]] (descendant)<br>[[Princess of Moonbrooke]] (descendant)

|Voice Actor = [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0585640/ Hikaru Midorikawa] ([[Dragon Quest III CD Theater|CD Theater]])<br> [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0387033/ Nobuyuki Hiyama] ([[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]], [[Dragon Quest Rivals Ace|Rivals Ace]])

The '''Hero''' of {{DQ3}} is a fabled, Legendary Hero from the days of lore and the ancient history of [[Alefgard]]. Though only appearing in one game, the legacy of The Hero would live on in the "[[Erdrick Trilogy]]", so named for the [[Erdrick|title]] bestowed upon them and carried forth by their descendants.  

In {{SSB5}}, The Hero of ''Dragon Quest III'' is playable as an alternate costume for [[Hero (Super Smash Bros.)|the game's version of the Hero]], alongside [[Luminary (Dragon Quest XI)|the Luminary]] and The Heroes of ''[[Hero (Dragon Quest IV)|Dragon Quest IV]]'' and ''[[Hero (Dragon Quest VIII)|VIII]]''. This Hero has been given the default name '''Arusu''' in order to differentiate him from the other three Heroes appearing in the game.

Although The Hero can be either male or female, their appearances are practically identical. They are of average height and build, and they have incredibly spiky, dark brown hair. The Heroine is slightly shorter than her male counterpart, her hair sticks up less, and she wears a pair of green earrings. Around their forehead is a silver circlet inlaid with a green gem. They wear a long blue tunic over a yellow long-sleeved shirt and pants, a pair of knee-length leather boots, leather gloves, and a long purple cloak around their necks. They wear a brown leather belt around their waist, and a scabbard strapped to their back.  

The Hero wields a simple sword and a grey heater shield with an insignia of a dragon's head and two crossed swords on the front. The Hero's outfit is slightly different in the [[Nintendo Entertainment System|Famicom]] illustrations, having a gold circlet with a blue gem around their forehead, and a dark blue cloak around their neck. They are seen carrying a cutlass and a round version of Erdrick's shield. There were also no illustrations of the female Erdrick until the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|Super Famicom]] remake: in certain illustrations, the female Erdrick's outfit is more feminized, making her blue tunic a strapless miniskirt.

The Hero was raised by their [[Hero's Mother (Dragon Quest III)|mother]] and grandfather in their home in [[Aliahan]]. Their father, the renowned warrior [[Ortega]], was tasked by the king of Aliahan to assassinate the world-threatening archfiend [[Baramos]] on the very day of their birth. Sometime later, word of Ortega's supposed death at the [[Great Pit of Giaga]] reaches the kingdom and The Hero's mother proposes that her child can follow in Ortega's footsteps to free the world from Baramos' growing menace. The child is then trained to become a great warrior like their father and, on their sixteenth birthday, they officially depart to save the world. The king gives a word of warning to take companions with them on their quest lest they meet the same fate as their father and instructs them to visit [[Patty's Party Planning Place]] before leaving the safety of Aliahan.

The King of Aliahan has discreetly sent word of The Hero's journey to the monarchs of every major nation--this is why the Kings and Queen warmly receive them even though the citizenry knows nothing of their mission. The Hero encounters several towns and kingdoms throughout their journey and accomplishes many feats of heroism, such mending the wounds between the [[Elves and Faeries|Faeries]] and the people of [[Norvik]] and freeing the nation of [[Jipang]] from the deceit of a sinister [[Orochi|serpent]]. Six legendary [[Six Orbs|orbs]] are gathered by The Hero along their trek, which they use to hatch the legendary Everbird [[Ramia]]. The phoenix is the direct servant of the Goddess, and her camaraderie with The Hero is irrefutable proof of their destiny as the savior of the world. Additionally, The Hero encounters the dying [[Queen of Dragons]] in her remote mountain [[Castle of the Dragon Queen|castle]]. Before she succumbs to her age, she gives The Hero the [[Sphere of Light]] and reassures them that their destiny is on of great courage and hardship for the benefit of the entire world.

After defeating Baramos, The Hero returns victorious to Aliahan only to be confronted by a new nemesis, [[Zoma]]. Taking up a new quest to defeat the true evil, The Hero travels through the [[Necrogond Shrine]] to the world below and arrives in [[Alefgard]], which is sealed in perpetual darkness under the devil's heel. Here, The Hero fights back against the eternal night by freeing the entrapped Goddess [[Rubiss]] and besieging Zoma's castle. Against all odds, The Hero encounters their father fighting in the depths of the castle--Ortega had fallen into the world below during his fight at the crater of the Giaga volcano and resumed his mission by seeking to kill the evil plaguing both worlds at its source.  

Tragically, Ortega is mortally wounded in a battle with the [[King Hydra]] before he can even reach Zoma, and is so severely burned by the dragon that he can no longer see. Sensing someone is present, Ortega embraces his death with despair and bemoans his inability to bring peace to his world and that he was never able to see his child grow up. Ortega then quietly dies in The Hero's arms.

Reaching the lowest level of the castle, The Hero kills the king hydra before fighting through the [[Bones of Baramos|animated corpse of Baramos]] and the fiend's very [[Soul of Baramos|soul]] on their way to Zoma's throne. The devil mocks the would-be savior and the battle begins, with Zoma's impenetrable shroud of darkness being burned away by the sphere of light and leaving him vulnerable. After a vicious clash, The Hero emerges victorious, and Zoma begins to fade away--warning that hen though he may perish, there will always be [[Dragonlord|an evil]] to take [[Hargon|his place]].  

The castle begins to collapse due to the force of the battle, and The Hero emerges from the [[Nail Mark]] north of Tantegel. The light of the sun has begun to shine in Alefgard for the first time in untold years, and the people receive The Hero as nothing short of a messiah sent by the Goddess. The king bestows upon them the title of Erdrick, the most sacred honor that the land has, and the stratum gap between the world above and Alefgard closes before The Hero can return. Unable to rejoin friends and family above, The Hero settles down in their new home and begins a family that will continue their legacy of standing resolute in the face of desolating evil.

''{{NES}} Version''

{| style="width:65%; height:100px; text-align:center" border="1"  

|-<---!Headings are up first.!---> style="font-weight:bold; background:#A3AB47"

The Hero is not a genuine jack-of-all-trades character despite a decent spell list, with their stats focusing more on physical strength and durability more than spell casting--this results in an {{MP}} shortage once expensive spells such as Kazap and Omniheal are learned. This can be corrected with the application of an {{MP}}-boosting personality and by consuming [[Seed of magic]] and [[Seed of wisdom]] when found.

The Hero is not able to change classes like other characters in the game, with the abbot of [[Alltrades Abbey (Dragon Quest III)|Alltrades]] reprimanding them for attempting to slack in their duties. In the original {{NES}} Version of the game, The Hero must always be in the party until completing the game. In the remakes, this restriction is removed after defeating Zoma.

The Hero is capable of learning a balanced mix of magic from both the [[Priest]] and [[Mage]]'s pools, as well as some that are unique to them, such as Kaclang and Zap.

{| style="width:65%; height:100px; text-align:center" border="1"  

| Level Learned || Original Japanese || [[Game Boy|GBC]] Localization || Modern Localization || {{MP}} || Description

| 2 || メラ  ''Mera'' || Blaze || [[Frizz]] || 2 || A simple fire spell; affects one enemy.

| 4 || ホイミ ''Hoimi'' || Heal || [[Heal]] || 3 || A simple healing spell.

| 6 || ニフラム ''Nifuramu'' || Expel || [[Poof]] || 2 || Blows away weak enemies.  

| 8 || ルーラ ''Ruura'' || Return || [[Zoom]] || 8 || Instantaneous travel to a previously visited location.

| 10 || ギラ ''Gira'' || Firebal || [[Sizz]] || 4 || A weak fire spell that affects a group of enemies.

| 12 || アストロン ''Asutoron'' || Ironize || [[Kaclang]] || 6 || Makes The Hero immune to all enemy attacks for a short period of time.  

| 14 || リレミト ''Riremito'' || Outside || [[Evac]] || 8 || Exit a cave/dungeon with this spell.

| 17 || ラリホー ''Rarihoo'' || Sleep || [[Snooze]] || 3 || May put a group of enemies to sleep.

| 19 || マホトーン ''Mahotoon'' || StopSpell || [[Fizzle]] || 3 || Try to block the enemies' spell.

| 19 || トヘロス ''Toherosu'' || Repel || [[Holy Protection]] || 4 || Causes weak enemies to leave you alone.

| 24 || ベギラマ ''Begirama'' || Firebane || [[Sizzle]] || 6 || This fire spell affects a group of enemies.

| 26 || ライデイン ''Raidein'' || Zap || [[Zap]] || 8 || Affects one enemy; the first lightning type spell.

| 29 || ベホイミ ''Behoimi'' || Healmore || [[Midheal]] || 5 || A stronger form of Heal.

| 31 || イオラ ''Iora'' || Boom || [[Boom]] || 9 || Damages all targets with a powerful explosion.

| 33 || ベホマ ''Behoma'' || Healall ||[[Fullheal]] || 7 || Restores an ally to full health.  

| 35 || ザオラル ''Zaoraru'' || Vivify || [[Zing]] || 10 || 50% chance to revive a deceased party member.

| 38 || ベホマズン ''Behomazun'' || Healusall || [[Omniheal]] || 62 || Restores the party to full health.

| 41 || ギガデイン ''Gigadein'' || Thordain || [[Kazap]] || 30 || Causes around 200 points of electrical damage to all enemies.

The Hero has access to a very wide range of both weapons, ranging from swords, spears, axes, as well as whips and boomerangs in the remakes. They are capable of being outfitted with the heaviest armour, shields, and helmets available. Erdrick is also the only character capable of using the legendary equipment, which will prove useful when fighting against [[Zoma]]. In the remake versions, The Hero begins his journey equipped with a [[Copper sword]] and [[Wayfarer's clothes]].

{{CharacterEquipmentList|entry|item=[[Boomerang (weapon)|Boomerang]]|statModifier=Attack +19}}

{{CharacterEquipmentList|entry|item=[[Flametang Boomerang|Flametang boomerang]]|statModifier=Attack +42}}

{{CharacterEquipmentList|entry|item=[[Zombiesbane]]|statModifier=Attack +67}}

{{CharacterEquipmentList|entry|item=[[Dragonsbane]]|statModifier=Attack +79}}

{{CharacterEquipmentList|entry|item={{Sword of Kings}}|statModifier=Attack +120}}

{{CharacterEquipmentList|entry|item={{Ortega's helmet}}|statModifier=Defense +30}}

{{CharacterEquipmentList|entry|item={{Auroral armour}}|statModifier=Defense+82}}

{{CharacterEquipmentList|entry|item={{Hero's shield}}|statModifier=Defense+65}}

{{CharacterEquipmentList|entry|item=[[Leg Warmers|Leg warmers]]♥|statModifier=Defence+5}}

{{CharacterEquipmentList|entry|item=[[Ten Ton Toupee]]|statModifier=Defence+15}}

{{CharacterEquipmentList|entry|item=[[Agility ring]]|statModifier=Agility+`5}}

In this game, it is possible to replicate The Hero's outfit by receiving pieces from defeating either Baramos or Zoma, who appear as [[Legacy Boss]]es in the game. An accolade is conferred to the player after wearing all of the pieces of this outfit.

In this game’s true ending after [[Serenica]] is shown to reunite with [[Erdwin]], the beginning of ''Dragon Quest III'' is shown, with ''III's'' Hero appearing at the end to be awoken by their mother before setting off for Aliahan castle. Their mother was shown reading a red book that detailed the adventure of the [[Luminary (Dragon Quest XI)|Luminary]] before walking upstairs to awaken their child--whether this book is a historical account or a work of fiction is unknown.

The Hero of ''III'', under the name Arusu, appears as one of four {{Hero Smash}}es alongside the Heroes of ''[[Hero (Dragon Quest XI)|XI]]'', ''[[Hero (Dragon Quest IV)|IV]]'', and ''[[Hero (Dragon Quest VIII)|VIII]]''. He wields the {{Sword of Kings}} and the {{Hero's shield}}. While playing as the Hero during Classic Mode, Arusu appears as Round 6's opponent and is fought on the third version of Castle Siege.

The Hero's bloodline is that of powerful men and women who save the world from the grips of darkness. While every person descended from them carries their spirit, the most notable are the protagonists of the first and second games. These are The [[Hero (Dragon Quest)|Scion of Erdrick]], The {{Prince of Midenhall}}, The [[Prince of Cannock]], and The [[Princess of Moonbrooke]]. Their own adventures would shape the course of history for the betterment of the world and ensures that the name of Erdrick never leaves the heart of Alefgard.

Beyond the gear The Hero took into battle, they also left behind a tablet with a message written left for their descendant in ''Dragon Quest''.  It gives instructions on what items are needed to create the [[Rainbow Drop]], which is the location of [[Dragonlord's Castle|Charlock Castle]]. The tablet is found in a small cave that would be named [[Erdrick's Cave]] after their passing.

File:DQ Erdricks Sword.png|Erdrick's Sword.

Image:ErdrickArmor.png|Erdrick's Armour.

File:DQII Erdricks Shield.png|Erdrick's Shield.

Image:ErdrickHelmet.png|Erdrick's Helmet.

File:DQ I NES Erdrick's Token.png|Erdrick's Emblem.

File:DW1 ErdricksTablet.png|Erdrick's Tablet.

*The manga series ''Gintama'' has a parody of ''Dragon Quest'' which stars [http://gintama.wikia.com/wiki/Leukocyte_King Leukocyte King], a character based on ''III's'' Hero.

*As this is the first game in the mainline, numbered Dragon Quest series to allow players to determine The Hero's gender, the female version of {{Dragon Quest III}}'s Hero is the first female main protagonist in that series.

*The Hero shares his voice actor in the audio drama with Android 16 from Akira Toriyama's ''Dragon Ball'' series. He also shares his voice with Marth from the ''Fire Emblem'' and ''Super Smash Bros.'' series.

** In ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'', he shares his voice actor, [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0387033/ Nobuyuki Hiyama], with Barry Kahn from ''Dragon Ball Super'' as well as the adult incarnation of Link from ''The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time'' (and, by extension, Link's appearances in the first two ''Super Smash Bros.'' games). ''Super Smash Bros.'' series creator Masahiro Sakurai also noted that Hiyama's performance may be recognized as Guy Shishioh from ''The King of Braves GaoGaiGar'', and that his recording sessions for ''Ultimate'' as ''DQ III's'' Hero were surprisingly quick and easy, thanks to his extensive prior experience in video game voice-acting.

File:DQIII Hero Famicom.png|{{Famicom}} art.

File:Erdrick_Wayfarers_Clothes.png|

File:DQIIIHeroArt.png|

File:Erdrick and Monsters.png|

File:DQIII_Characters.png|Taking flight with Ramia.

File:DQIII Party Super Famicom art.png|{{Super Famicom}} art.

File:DQIII Mutsumi Inomata.png|Art by Mutsumi Inomata.

File:Mutsumi Inomata DQIII novel art.png|Art by Mutsumi Inomata.

File:Dq3hero.jpg|

File:Erdrick Leather Hat.png|Wearing a [[Leather hat|leather hat]].

File:DQIII Iron Armour.png|Wearing [[iron armour]].

File:DQIII Spiked Armour.png|Wearing [[Spiked armour]].

File:DQ3card.jpg|

File:DQIII Fifers Spire.png|Exploring [[Fifer's Spire]].

File:For Want of a Key.png|Locked door.

File:Treasures n Trapdoors.png|Playing [[Treasures n' Trapdoors]].

File:DQ Monster Storybook DQIII group.png|''Dragon Quest Monster Storybook''.

File:DQIII Erdrick and Slime.png|2011 ''V-jump'' illustration supporting the relief efforts for the Tohoku earthquake.

File:dq3hero-dqv.jpg|As seen in the ''Monster Battle Road'' series.

File:DQMBR Heroes.png|''Dragon Quest: Monster Battle Road''. (third from right)

File:DQMBRV Erdrick.png|{{DQMBRV}}.

Image:DQIII Hero Figure.jpg|''Dragon Quest Character Figure Collection Roto no Monshou'' series.

Image:DQ3Herosofubi.jpg|''[[Dragon Quest Sofubi Character]]'' merchandise series.

Image:DQIII bringarts figure.jpg|Bring Arts action figure series.

Image:DQIII bringarts figurepose.jpg|{{Super Famicom}} iconic pose.

Image:DQIII bringarts figure1.jpg|Bring Arts figure extras.

Image:DQIIIHeroSSBU.png|{{SSB5}}.

{{Hero}}

{{DQIII}}

{{SSBU}}