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 child 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.
77-730: 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
154-535: A Game Link Cable . Two bonus dungeons become available after the main quest is over. The remakes feature updated graphics. An overhauled introduction for the game was made, similar to the one in the original Dragon Quest III , which included Ortega's battle with the Dragon Queen. Monster and attack animation in battles were added, a feature first introduced in Dragon Quest VI . A personality system
231-502: A bank, quick item sorting with "Tidy Item" and "Tidy Bag" command, and a "Full HP" command to automate the process of casting healing and status restoring spells. And while earlier Dragon Quest games were non-linear in structure, Dragon Quest III featured an even more open-world experience. It also allowed the player to freely swap characters in and out of their party and introduced the day/night cycle in which certain items, characters, and quests are only accessible at specific times of
308-553: A boy. This was changed in the Super Famicom and Game Boy Color versions of the game. The game has no gameplay differences between male and female characters. 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
385-479: A compilation of music from the first six Dragon Quest games. This game's music has also been featured on other Dragon Quest compilation albums, such as Dragon Quest on Piano Vol. II , which was released in 1990, and Dragon Quest Best Songs Selection ~Loula~ , released in 1993. A compilation album of Dragon Quest III ' s music was put on Dragon Quest III ~And into the Legend...~ Remix Symphonic Suite and
462-468: 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. 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. Dragon Quest III Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation , titled Dragon Warrior III when initially localized to North America,
539-450: A dream sequence at the start of the game, while other characters' personalities are determined by their status at the end of the character generation process. Most personalities are available to both male and female characters, while a few are exclusive to male or female characters. A character's personality can be temporarily changed by equipping certain accessories, or permanently changed by using certain consumable books. The game starts in
616-657: 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 . The male Hero is also featured in Dragon Quest Tact . 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 . They are portrayed by Matsuura Tsukasa in this. The Hero of Dragon Quest II
693-640: A lower 604,000 copies in Japan by the end of 2001, and eventually became the fifth best selling Game Boy Color game in Japan, with 638,551 copies sold. Together with the sales of the remakes, Dragon Quest III is the most successful title in the series and one of the best-selling role-playing games in Japan. As of November 2010, Japan mobile phone version was downloaded more than 1,000,000 times. Wii Dragon Quest Collection sold 403,953 copies in 2011. Upon release, Famicom Tsūshin ( Famitsu ) magazine reviewed Dragon Quest III and scored it 38 out of 40, making it
770-520: A new translation, incorporating many adult elements that were cut from its original American release, and becoming the first Game Boy Color RPG with a "Teen" rating. It was also one of the largest Game Boy Color game released in North America, with 32 Mb ROM and 256Kb of save-state SRAM on one cartridge. A new class, the Thief, was added to the roster in each of the remakes. Many of the names of
847-478: A perfect 10/10. The male Hero from this installment appears in the Japan-exclusive mobile game Dragon Quest Rivals . He also appears as a guest character in the 2018 crossover fighting game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate via DLC and is officially voiced for the first time by Nobuyuki Hiyama . The game's director, Masahiro Sakurai , explained that the Hero's inclusion was originally meant to include just
SECTION 10
#1732776260330924-675: A pit to the Dark World, which the Hero jumps into. The Dark World is, in fact, Alefgard (of the previous installments of the series), where the Hero must acquire several of the artifacts that were collected in the original Dragon Quest , including the Sun Stone and the Rain Staff. Rubiss, a legendary sage, has been turned to stone and is rescued by the Hero, and the Hero receives the Sacred Amulet in return. These items, as in
1001-474: A port to mobile phones and the Wii in 2009 and 2011. A version of the game for Android and iOS was released in Japan on September 25, 2014, and worldwide as Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation on December 4, 2014. It was the first time the game was given an official English subtitle. Later in 2021, another remake of the game titled Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake , based on Octopath Traveler 's style,
1078-409: A silent protagonist to make the player feel like they have become the main character, but at one point in the story, Horii was forced to make the hero shout, "Leave him to us! Run! Quick!" The game was localized in North America as Dragon Warrior III in 1991 (though not officially released until 1992). Several changes were made in this version. Among them were the addition of a new title sequence (in
1155-532: A technique called the Secret of Evolution to become monstrous. He is ultimately defeated by the Hero and their party. In the PlayStation version, a new sixth chapter is added that involves reviving Rose and having her save Psaro, who becomes an ally of the Hero and helps them defeat Aamon. The male Hero appears as a playable character in the fighting game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as one of four skins for
1232-503: 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 . A reference to them
1309-695: A woman in a role-playing game, which was not as common at the time. In the Nintendo Entertainment System version of Dragon Quest IV , the player has the opportunity to name the Hero, though the game opens with one of the main characters, Ragnar McRyan . In the PlayStation version of the game, a prologue was added that introduces the Hero earlier in the story. Each chapter has a different starring character, with chapter 2 starring Alena , chapter 3 starring Torneko , and chapter 4 starring Maya and Meena , all of whom eventually join
1386-669: Is a 1988 role-playing video game developed by Chunsoft and published by Enix . It is the third installment in the Dragon Quest series and was first released for the Family Computer (Famicom) in Japan and later for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in North America. The game saw an enhanced remake for the Super Famicom (the Japanese release of the Super NES) in 1996 and the Game Boy Color in 2001, and
1463-431: Is an arena where the player can place bets on the outcome of monster battles in order to win more gold. In the remakes, after selecting a character, the player can change the character's starting abilities with five magical seeds, given at the tavern. Also, each character has a personality trait which affects the growth rate of their abilities. The Hero's personality is determined by the player's choices and actions during
1540-521: Is limited. Due to criticism from players about the limited differences in III , the game's designer, Yuji Horii , intended to rectify that with this game's Hero, but never got around to it. Horii noted that he forgot about the feature until midway through development, at which point he didn't bother with it. Where the female Hero in Dragon Quest III was largely indistinguishable from the male Hero,
1617-539: Is the protagonist of Dragon Quest IV , and can be male or female. They do not have a default name, and can be given a name by the player. They are the second Hero in Dragon Quest to allow players to make them male or female, and the first to give the female Hero a distinct design. During the course of the story, the game's antagonist, Psaro , causes the death of their village, including their friend Eliza . They journey to defeat Psaro, joining other characters along
SECTION 20
#17327762603301694-536: The Dragon Quest series. Manga author Kazusa discussed growing up with the idea that video games were for boys, and that girls shouldn't play video games. She added that being able to play as a girl in Dragon Quest IV was a significant moment for her. Huffington Post writer Shino Tanaka identified the female protagonist in both Dragon Quest III and Dragon Quest IV stood out among video games of that era where most protagonists were male, finding it to be
1771-649: The best-selling game in Japan between 1986 and 1989, grossing $ 230 million at the time. The original game sold a worldwide total of 3.895 million copies, including 3.8 million in Japan and 95,000 in the United States, grossing several hundred million dollars by 1993 ( $ 770 million adjusted for inflation). It is often mistakenly thought that in 1988 the game's success caused the Japanese government to outlaw further releases of Dragon Quest games on school days. In truth, Enix themselves decided to hold off
1848-420: The 96th best Nintendo Entertainment System game. GamesRadar ranked it the 12th best NES game ever made. The staff chose it over the other Dragon Warrior titles due to its job system which they felt had depth and was influential to video games. In 2023, Time Extension included the game on their "Best JRPGs of All Time" list. The Game Boy Color remake received very good reviews from critics. GameSpot gave
1925-597: The Carmen's king for seven years, the kingdom fell to the hordes of evil. The only survivors were Prince Arus and an army General's daughter, Lunafrea. Meanwhile, in the Kingdom of Loran, a child by the name of is born with the name Jagan per the orders of Demon Lord Imagine. As Loto 's descendant, Arus, along with Lunafrea, set out to defeat the monsters and restore peace to the world. Dragon Quest Retsuden: Roto no Monshō ~Monshō o Tsugumono-tachi e~ takes place 25 years after
2002-614: The Children Who Inherit the Emblem) , published by Square Enix started in 2005 and is still ongoing; as of December 2012, fifteen volumes have been released. The first four volumes were written by Jun Eishima and all the rest volumes written by Takashi Umemura. All of them have been supervised by Yuji Horii with artwork done by Kamui Fujiwara. Dragon Quest Retsuden: Roto no Monshō is meant to take place between Dragon Quest III and Dragon Quest . After monsters possessed
2079-456: The Famicom and Super Famicom versions of Dragon Quest III in Japan on September 15, 2011, as part of Dragon Quest 25th Anniversary Collection Famicom & Super Famicom Dragon Quest I & II & III , a compilation of emulated Dragon Quest games for the Wii to celebrate the series' 25th anniversary. A quick save feature was added to these versions, allowing for pauses at any time, but
2156-515: The Game Boy Color version a "good" 7.6/10, saying that "DWIII is a worthy port of its old NES ancestor, but its firm grounding in the RPG old-school means that only the hard-core need apply." The publication nominated the game for its annual "Best Game Boy Color Game" award, which went to Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages . Nintendo Power gave the remake a 4/5, while IGN gave the game
2233-416: The Hero's party. In the fifth chapter, the Hero's village is attacked by Psaro and his minions, aspiring to kill the prophesized Hero. To protect them, the Hero's friend, Eliza, uses magic to impersonate the Hero, dying in their place, at which point the Hero goes on a quest to defeat Psaro. After one of Psaro's minions called Aamon used humans to murder Rose, the love of Psaro, Psaro loses his mind, using
2310-597: The Hero's. When discussing the new ending where Psaro joins the Hero, Magmix staff felt that the resolution of Psaro's story felt unresolved, namely due to the loss of life as well as the fact that Psaro nevertheless committed atrocities, and that Psaro hated humans even before Aamon's plan. The female version of the Dragon Quest IV Hero was particularly well-received. Multiple RPGFan writers praised her and her design, including Adura Bowling, Michael Solossi, Wes Issiff, and Alana Hagues. Bowling appreciated
2387-572: The Hero, son or daughter (the player can choose to be either male or female, with few gameplay changes) of the legendary warrior Ortega. On their sixteenth birthday, the Hero is summoned to the castle and is given by the King of Aliahan the challenge to rid the world of the evil archfiend Baramos, which Ortega attempted in the past but seemingly perished in a volcano. The Hero then is able to recruit up to three traveling companions to help fight Baramos. The Hero leaves their home country of Aliahan to travel
Hero (Dragon Quest III) - Misplaced Pages Continue
2464-417: 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. 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. Futabanet writer Yamaguchi Quest expressed
2541-411: 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. 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. Magmix writer Katano felt similarly about
2618-544: The castle town of Aliahan. Like the rest of the Dragon Quest worlds, this castle is set in a medieval -like time period, complete with knights and magicians . The party explores several caves, ruins, and castles during the adventure. The geography of Dragon Quest III largely corresponds to the actual geography of Earth, and many towns correspond to their real-world cultures, including "Romaly" for Rome , "Portoga" for Portugal , "Assaram" near present-day Iraq (derived from " as-salamu alaykum "), "Jipang" for Japan (where
2695-532: The character "Hero" alongside the Dragon Quest III Hero and Dragon Quest VIII and Dragon Quest XI heroes. The Hero was designed by Dragon Quest series character artist Akira Toriyama . The Hero in Dragon Quest IV can be male or female, similar to the Hero in Dragon Quest III . Similar to the previous Hero, the difference between the dialogue when playing as a male or female Hero
2772-550: The classes were changed in the English localization of the Game Boy Color version, such as Soldier to Warrior. Also, in the new versions was the ability to change into the Jester class at Dhama, which was not allowed in the original. New mini-games were added to the remakes, including Pachisi (called Suguroku in Japan / Treasures and Trapdoors as of the Dragon Quest V remake), which is a giant board game style adventure from which
2849-543: The day. Dragon Quest III features a class system, in which each character has a certain class. At the start of the game, the player begins as a single male or female hero but is able to recruit members at the local tavern. While the Hero always keeps the Hero class, the other characters can choose to be any of the following of either gender: Soldier (Warrior in the GBC version), Fighter, Pilgrim (Cleric), Wizard (Mage), Merchant (Dealer), Goof-Off (Jester), Sage, and Thief which
2926-545: The events in Dragon Quest Retsuden: Roto no Monshō . The world is once again in chaos and a young boy, Arosu ( アロス ) , sets out gathering companions to once again save the world from evil. Dragon Quest Retsuden: Roto no Monshō was popular in Japan, it has sold 18 million in Japan. Its sequel Dragon Quest Retsuden: Roto no Monshō - To the Children Who Inherit the Emblem has also sold well in Japan. For
3003-404: The ever-lengthening game development process of the series. Yuji Horii, in a 1989 interview, said that developers had perfected the series' game structure in Dragon Quest III , and this was reflected by the transition from one character's quest to a party of heroes. The password system used on the first two Dragon Quest titles was dropped in favor of a save slot due in part to Horii's dislike of
3080-419: The female Dragon Quest IV could be told apart based on the visuals. Alongside the Hero of Dragon Quest V , they are considered among the unhappiest protagonists in the Dragon Quest series. Magmix staff felt a connection between Psaro and the Hero, discussing how the similar tragedies of losing someone they cared for turned players' hatred for Psaro into something more complicated. The author found
3157-437: The female Hero by Yuko Minaguchi. 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. Anime News Network writer Jean-Karlo Lemus felt that the Hero in Dragon Quest III was a foundational character design, being
Hero (Dragon Quest III) - Misplaced Pages Continue
3234-439: The female Hero, commenting that she wished she knew about her as a child due to her desire to play more video games with a female protagonist. She also appreciated her design, calling it wonderful, while Solossi enjoyed her "voluminous hair" and her outfit. Hagues felt that Toriyama was particularly good at female character designs, regarding the female Hero as one of his best, and Issiff regarded her as his favorite Hero designs in
3311-427: The game's development. 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. 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. In Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake , the male Hero is voiced by Nobuyuki Hiyama and
3388-418: The game. It set sales records by selling 1.1 million game cartridges in Japan within a day and 3 million in a week, and grossing ¥20 billion ( $ 143 million at the time, or $ 368 million adjusted for inflation) within a month. It topped the Japanese sales charts from February, through March and April, to May 1988. It became the best-selling game of 1988 in Japan, with 3.8 million units sold, and
3465-432: The gameplay of the original Dragon Quest and Dragon Quest II . The game uses basic role-playing video game conventions such as leveling up by gaining experience points and equipping items. The battle system is turn-based like the other games in the series, though the remakes incorporate various interface changes from later titles. These include simpler door opening, a bag to store items instead of keeping them at
3542-473: The hero Erdrick (Loto in the Japanese releases and Game Boy Color localization). The story follows "the Hero" who is tasked with saving the world from the archfiend Baramos. Gathering a group of companions into a party, the Hero must travel the world, stopping at various towns and locations, and make their way to the Demon Lord Baramos' lair. Dragon Quest III is noted for greatly expanding upon
3619-566: The hero fights Yamata no Orochi ) and even a "New Town" in eastern North America that experiences a revolution against an overbearing ruler (derived from the American Revolution against the United Kingdom in 1776). Dragon Quest III is set many years before the original Dragon Warrior in a world separate from the first two games. A wicked fiend named Baramos threatens to destroy the world. The story revolves around
3696-429: The land and the Hero will not live long enough to stop it. For their bravery, the Hero receives the title of "Erdrick" ("Loto" in the Japanese version). The Hero later vanishes from Alefgard, leaving their sword and armor to be passed down throughout the ages so that their descendants can continue to protect the world from evil. As with the other main games in the Dragon Quest series, Dragon Quest III ' s scenario
3773-476: The long codes that players needed to memorize or record . Horii had a policy of removing any features from his games that had been used elsewhere, which turned out to be unworkable during Dragon Quest III s development when the game's world map concept was used first by another game maker in Mirai Shinwa Jarvas , but Horii's team was too far into development to change anything. Horii also preferred
3850-596: The magazine's all-time highest-rated game up until then. In the 1988 Famitsu Best Hit Game Awards , Dragon Quest III won the awards for Game of the Year , Best RPG and Best Character Design. In 1989, Famitsu gave Dragon Quest III the award for the best game released since 1983. A survey conducted by Famitsu magazine in early 2006 among its readers placed Dragon Quest III as the third most favorite game of all time, being preceded by only Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy VII . In North America, Dragon Quest III
3927-450: 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. 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
SECTION 50
#17327762603304004-685: The next remake, for the Game Boy Color , was released in both Japan and the US. The Game Boy Color version is based on the Super Famicom version. For the North American release of the Dragon Quest III Game Boy Color remake, Enix decided to give the packaging an anime feel, due to fan demand on Enix's message boards. Both remake versions of Dragon Quest III offer many new features and changes. The game received
4081-593: The original game, create the Rainbow Bridge which leads the Hero to Zoma's castle for the final confrontation. Along the way, the Hero briefly reunites with Ortega as he is slain by Zoma's monsters, then continues on to defeat the revived Baramos, now turned into the powerful Baramos Bomus and later into the skeletal Baramos Gonus. With the Ball of Light given by the Dragon Queen, the Hero defeats Zoma and frees Alefgard, but Zoma boasts that evil will eventually return to
4158-401: The original, it was on a simple black screen with the title of the game in the center), and a new prologue which depicted Ortega, who also was given a brand new sprite in this version, fighting a Dragon, and being dragged into the volcano (in the original, the player was unaware of Ortega's fate, until talking to the King for the first time). There were also brand new music cues, including one for
4235-509: The original, the menu was silent). Finally, most of the monsters were given a boost in experience points. The Super Famicom version, released in late 1996, during the last days of the Super NES in North America, was never brought to North America, due to Enix America Corporation 's closure in 1995. By the time Enix of America returned, the SNES had been discontinued in North America. However,
4312-487: The player can win items. This game is based on Horii's series Itadaki Street . The Mini Medal system, which lets players collect hidden medals to gain new items, seen in later Dragon Quest games (it originated in Dragon Quest IV ), was added. Another medal system, Monster Medals, lets players collect medals from fallen enemies, was added in Game Boy Color remake, and two players could trade Monster Medals via
4389-459: The release of future Dragon Quest games until weekends. The North American release of Dragon Quest III did not meet nearly as much success. The North American release's poor sales are partly due to the fact that the game was released after the release of 16-bit gaming systems, making it seem archaic to gamers. The Super Famicom remake sold 1.4 million units in Japan, with nearly 720,000 units sold in 1996 alone. The Game Boy Color version sold
4466-420: The remakes, their personality. This allows a player to create a character that knows Wizard spells but has the defense of a Soldier. Unlike most Dragon Quest parties, aside from the Hero, the party is not made up of characters involved in the story. Although only four characters can be in the party at a time, extra members of the party can be kept at the tavern, allowing room for new recruits. Another innovation
4543-609: The save file is deleted upon resuming. At the Dragon Quest 35th Anniversary Livestream, a remake of Dragon Quest III was announced in the "HD-2D" style of games like Octopath Traveler and Triangle Strategy . The remake was released on November 14, 2024. Koichi Sugiyama composed and directed the music for the game. Dragon Quest III ' s music is featured on Dragon Quest Game Music Super Collection Vol. 1 , Dragon Quest Game Music Super Collection Vol. 2 , and Dragon Quest Game Music Super Collection Vol. 3 , each album
4620-409: The scene exceptional, noting that role-playing game stories. Magmix staff also discussed whether Eliza reappearing in the ending was a happy ending for the Hero. They noted that the Hero still lose everyone else in the village, but also questioned whether Eliza's appearance was an illusion or not. 4gamer writer Kenichi Maeyamada felt similarly about the scene, speculating that it may be a fantasy of
4697-486: The ship, the Hero acquires the Final Key and the six mystical orbs which are used to revive the legendary bird Ramia. Ramia allows the Hero and their party to travel to Baramos' castle, which is surrounded by mountains. After defeating Baramos in a ferocious battle and returning to Aliahan, the Hero's celebration is cut off as Zoma, Baramos's master and the game's true villain, reveals his existence. He attacks and opens
SECTION 60
#17327762603304774-469: The title sequence, and one that played after a non-player character death late in the game. To accompany the localization credits, the ending theme was extended to include a reprise of the Alefgard theme. It is unclear whether Sugiyama was brought back to score these new tracks, or someone else was brought in. The menu when starting a new or old save file also added the menu music from Dragon Quest IV (in
4851-417: The two protagonists from Dragon Quest III and Dragon Quest XI , but the number would ultimately be doubled to four, including the protagonists from Dragon Quest IV and Dragon Quest VIII . The manga series, Dragon Quest Retsuden: Roto no Monshō ( ドラゴンクエスト列伝 ロトの紋章 , Dragon Quest Saga: Roto's Emblem) , was written by Chiaki Kawamata and Junji Koyanagi with artwork by Kamui Fujiwara and
4928-460: 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. USgamer writer Nadia Oxford appreciated
5005-454: The way. Their design was created by Akira Toriyama . There was originally meant to be more differences between the male and female Hero, but the game's designer, Yuji Horii , remembered to do this too late in development to implement this. The Hero has been the subject of discussion by critics, both for their tragic story and the female Hero. Multiple critics appreciated the existence of the female Hero, particularly due to being able to play as
5082-403: The week of August 26 through September 1, 2008, volume 7 was ranked 9th in Japan having sold 59,540 copies. For the week of February 24 through March 2, 2009, volume 8 was ranked 19th in Japan having sold 76,801 copies. For the week of October 26 through November 1, 2009, volume 9 was ranked 16th in Japan having sold 40,492 copies for a total of 60,467. Hero (Dragon Quest IV) The Hero
5159-400: The world and complete their father's quest to defeat Baramos. A major portion of the adventure is the quest to acquire the last two of the three keys needed to open doors throughout the game. After saving two people of the town of Baharata from the rogue Kandar and stealing back the King of Romaly's crown, the Hero receives Black Pepper, which they then trade for a sailing ship at Portoga. With
5236-561: Was added to the remakes of Dragon Quest III . A pre-game sequence in which the player answers moral dilemmas similar to that in Ultima IV determines the Hero's personality. The personality of the other members of the party is determined by the stat-raising seeds that the player gives them during the character generation process. Personalities determine which stats increase when a character levels up. The personalities may be changed by use of special items and books. Square Enix released both
5313-509: Was announced during the franchise's 35th anniversary livestream, and later confirmed in the June 2024 Nintendo Direct to be released in November that same year for Nintendo Switch , PlayStation 5 , Windows , and Xbox Series X/S . The first three Dragon Quest games are part of the same story, and Dragon Warrior III is the first game chronologically, as well as the third game that features
5390-408: Was available only in the later versions. The choice of class greatly affects the character's stats and spells he or she can learn. Furthermore, upon reaching experience Level 20, a character has the option of changing classes at the temple of Dhama, found halfway through the game. A character who changes classes has their stats halved and restarts at experience Level 1, retaining their spells and, in
5467-548: Was considered an improvement over the first two games, with critics finding the new day/night system and the addition of an in-game bank praiseworthy, but the game was criticized for keeping "the same ugly graphical style and clumsy interface" according to Kurt Kalata of Gamasutra . Its reputation has risen in America since its release, primarily due to its gameplay innovations, leading Nintendo Power to list it as number 176 on their Top 200 Games list. IGN later listed it as
5544-550: Was designed by Akira Toriyama and created by series creator Yuji Horii . 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. Horii designed the protagonist to be silent due to his desire for players to be able to put themselves in
5621-417: Was designed by Yuji Horii , whereas the artwork was done by Akira Toriyama , of Dragon Ball fame. Koichi Sugiyama composed all the music for Dragon Quest III . Chunsoft president Koichi Nakamura , co-creator of Dragon Quest , stated he contributed about "10%" of the games programming. The game was released a year after the original, a longer period of development than its predecessor, and reflected
5698-495: Was included in the English release of the first Final Fantasy , where a tombstone reads "Here lies Erdrick." This was changed from Link . 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. The rationale
5775-402: Was published by Sony Records in 1996. In 2011 Sugiyama played a concert focused on Dragon Quest III in his "Family Classic Concert" series he has done for many years, playing fifteen of the games songs. All tracks are written by Koichi Sugiyama Dragon Quest III sold over one million copies on the first day, with almost 300 arrests for truancy among students absent from school to purchase
5852-664: Was published in Monthly Shōnen Gangan from 1991 through 1997. The series was later compiled into for 21 volumes published by Enix; in 1994, it was released on CD and was released for the PlayStation Portable on December 11, 2009, as part of manga distribution library. In 1996, an anime movie based on the manga was released on video cassette . A sequel series, Dragon Quest Retsuden: Roto no Monshō ~Monshō o Tsugumono-tachi e~ ( ドラゴンクエスト列伝 ロトの紋章 ～紋章を継ぐ者達へ～ , Dragon Quest Retsuden: Roto no Monshō - To
5929-501: Was that the Hero was called "Yuusha" in Japanese, which translates directly to Brave. A leak also reported that the Dragon Quest III Hero would appear as a playable character in Ultimate . 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. The lack of
#329670