Dragonlord

The Dragonlord (King Dragon in Japan, DracoLord in remakes) is the main antagonist and final boss of the original Dragon Quest. Before the game starts, he steals the Ball of Light to bring forth monsters and unleash his forces of darkness upon Alefgard; he also kidnaps Princess Gwaelin for reasons unknown.

In Game

The Dragonlord resides in Charlock castle, which is located to the southeast across the water from Tantegel castle. Within the castle, the Dragonlord resides on the bottom-most level. Throughout the game, the Dragonlord never leaves the castle, similar to Hargon in Dragon Quest II.

When confronted by the Hero, the Dragonlord offers him a chance to rule the world by his side. The Hero is then presented with an opportunity to answer 'yes' or 'no'. Answering 'yes' causes the screen to fade to black as if the Hero had been fainted/killed in battle. Answering 'no' results in the start of the battle with the Dragonlord.

In Battle

Phase 1

The Dragonlord appears as a humanoid sorcerer who possesses the skill of magic but is fairly weak, physically speaking.

Phase 2

After receiving enough damage, the Dragonlord transforms into a more powerful, dragon form (his "true" form). The music also changes to the final battle theme.

References in Other Games

Dragon Quest II

The grandson of the Dragonlord resides in the same location in Dragon Quest II. He is a character of core importance as he informs the heroes of their need to collect the Crests and contact Rubiss.

Dragon Quest III

Although not specifically mentioned, the Dragonlord inherits the castle once inhabited by Zoma, sometime after Zoma was defeated by Loto (Erdrick) at the end of Dragon Quest III.