King Korol

Dragon Quest monster King Korol

Art by Akira Toriyama Japanese イブール Romaji ' First appearance Dragon Quest V

King Korol (previously Ibuul or Ivol) is the founder of the Order of Zugzwang in Dragon Quest V. His name comes from the Russian word for the king chess piece.

Story

Although King Korol do not physically appear until very late in the game, he has a strong impact on the story. He founded the Order of Zugzwang under Grandmaster Nimzo's orders and oversaw the construction of Crocodilopolis from Mt. Azimuth. Most of the enemies fought are underlings of the King.

After Crocodilopolis was built, most of the slaves used to build it were executed. This was presumably done under King Korol's orders. The slaves who were not executed were mind-controlled to serve the Order.

Shortly afterward the completion of the temple, King Korol's right-hand man Queen Ferz is defeated by the hero and his team, releasing all the slaves of their mind-control. Soon after, the heroes manage to reach King Korol's throne room within the depths of the temple. Confident in his own abilities at the height of his power and reign, Korol allows the summoning of the Hero's wagon. Although the battle is long, Korol is eventually defeated. The King's last act is to ask Grandmaster Nimzo for assistance, but he receives none.

In the original, Korol simply dies after this, but in the remakes, Bishop Ladja mercilessly reveals that Korol was used by Grandmaster Nimzo as a figurehead priest. He then kills the High-Priest. In the wake of his death, Korol leaves behind the Circle of Life, an important item required to access Nadiria.

While Korol is officially the highest-ranking member of the Order of Zugzwang, in reality he is just a figurehead leader who was no longer needed when Crocodilopolis was completed. While this does not change anything about his rank in the original, in the remakes it appears that Bishop Ladja answers directly to Grandmaster Nimzo and thus is the Lord of the Underworld's actual right-hand man.

Battle

King Korol
HP MP Experience Gold 4400 255 21000 1000 Attack Defense Speed 21 240 73
Locations	Crocodilopolis
Skills	C-c-cold Breath Disruptive Wave Desperation Attack Defend
Spells	Bounce Kaboom
Game	Dragon Quest V
Console	DS

Trivia

• Though Korol is referred to with he and him pronouns, a man at Knott Welcome Inne calls Korol a "gal". This is likely either an error on the man's part, or the term has a different meaning in his native tongue.
• Coincidentally, his name and appearance is very similar to those of the Donkey Kong series' main antagonist, King K. Rool.
• When using King Korol's Catechism, it makes you feel as if your mind is darkening and one line of dialogue even says that you start to think that Korol wasn't so bad. Looking at this, it's reasonable to assume that this Catechism is what allowed the Order of Zugzwang to mind-control the slaves they did not execute.
• Korol's role in the Order of Zugzwang is similar to that of the king in chess, hence his namesake. Korol was the figurehead leader whom all the subjects answered to, but he himself did not partake in any conquests, instead giving out orders from the comforts of his throne room. The king in chess is likewise the most important piece in the game, but it hardly has any power itself.

Gallery

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