Robbin' 'Ood
Robbin' 'Ood is a recurring boss character in the Dragon Quest series, most infamous for his miniboss battles in III. He appears three separate times throughout the game, committing heinous criminal acts in all but one of his appearances.
| Dragon Quest monster | |
|---|---|
| Robbin' 'Ood | |
 Art by Akira Toriyama | |
| Japanese | カンダタ カンダタおやぶん |
| Romaji | Kandata |
| First appearance | Dragon Quest III |
| Old localisation | Kandar |
Localization inconsistency
The character currently localized as Robbin' 'Ood has had a very bizarre experience with the English language since the merger of Enix and Square in 2004. Originally, Enix of America simply romanized his name as Kandar, and this remained consistent until the release of the first Joker game. In that title, the character was dubbed Robbin Hood and this name was kept through the localization of the DS version of DQ V.
The localization of the second Joker game created a problem by interpreting カンダタおやぶん (Boss Kandar) as a separate person altogether. The intent that this was an advanced, stronger version of the same character was either ignored by Square-Enix's localization staff or simply not understood, and as such was given the name Prince o' thieves. This has lead to confusion among fans, as the only palette swap of the common Hoodlum enemies to have anything to do with banditry has been Kandar/Robbin Ood throughout the entire series.
The situation became more convoluted with the localization of the cell phone port of the third game, in which the Robbin Hood name was shortened to a more cockeny-accented Robbin' 'Ood. The reason for this is currently unknown.
Robbin' 'Ood's henchmen have also suffered inconsistent adaptations into English, with the Robbin huddle enemy that debuts in DQ III being split into two groups when no distinction existed in the original Japanese. An entirely new English name (Merry man) was assigned to these same goons for their return in DQ XI.
Appearances
Dragon Quest III
Story
Robbin' 'Ood and his henchmen first appear in the Skyfell Tower west of Khoryv, having stolen the crown from the king of Romaria and leaving the place in chaos. This forces the king to recruit the hero on a sidequest to retrieve the crown. However, performing the sidequest is optional, and failing to retrieve the crown does not prevent the hero from continuing the game.
Within the tower, Robbin' attempts to thwart the party by opening a trap door beneath the group's feet. Upon returning to the previous floor, the hero finds the enemy has vanished. However, after leaping off the edge where Robbin' had been standing, the hero finds him several floors below. This results in the first genuine boss fight of the game (assuming the hero doesn't skip the side quest). After the battle, the hero acquires the king of Romaria's crown after Robbin' starts begging for his life.
The monster's second appearance is in the appropriately named Kidnapper's Cave, about northwest of Baharata. Robbin' 'Ood and his goons advance in their criminal careers by kidnapping Gopal Gupta & Tanaya, holding them for ransom. Upon freeing the young lovers, the hero is confronted by the would-be kingpin himself, who challenges him to battle. After receiving a second defeat from the party, the crook pleads for mercy, claiming that he'll change his ways for real.
Robbin' 'Ood's final appearance is in the castle-town of Tantegel. H claims to have changed his evil ways and now acts as a typical NPC, now providing the hero with information about the location of the Sunstone.
In Battle
Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride
Dragon Quest VII
Robbin' 'Ood appears as the boss in the DLC Tablet Treasure Hunt in the Nintendo 3DS Version of Dragon Quest VII. Along with Hammer and the second version of Putric Stinkenheimer, Robbin' 'Ood cannot be tamed and thus only encounter in the tablet.
The Staff of resurrection is given as a reward for defeating him the first time.
Dragon Quest X
 |
This article is a stub. You can help by expanding it. |
Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age
|
|
This article is a stub. You can help by expanding it. |
Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker
|
|
This article is a stub. You can help by expanding it. |
Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2
|
|
This article is a stub. You can help by expanding it. |
Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 3
|
|
This article is a stub. You can help by expanding it. |
Dragon Quest Heroes
|
|
This article is a stub. You can help by expanding it. |
Dragon Quest Heroes II
|
|
This article is a stub. You can help by expanding it. |
Trivia
- Robbin' 'Ood is a reference to and pun on the name of the legendary English outlaw Robin Hood. This reference is continued with an advanced version of Robbin' 'Ood in Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2: known in Japanese as Boss Kandata (カンダタおやぶん, Boss Kandata?), it is called "Prince o' Thieves" in English after a common epithet for Robin Hood. The enemies accompanying a Robbin' 'Ood are sometimes known as merry men, after Robin Hood's own merry men.
- His Japanese name, Kandata (カンダタ, Kandata?), comes from the short story The Spider's Thread by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa.
- Robbin' 'Ood's frequently changing name is ironically appropriate, as criminals often go through many aliases throughout their careers.
Related enemies
Gallery
-
Dragon Quest Sofubi Monster merchandise series. -
Joker 1 model -
DQX White Day. -
Itadaki Street Special. -
