Hero (Dragon Quest IV)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Japanese:
- Takeshi Kusao (male)
- English:
- Joshua Wichard (male)
| Hero | |
|---|---|
| Dragon Quest character | |
 Art of the male and female Hero for the remake of Dragon Quest IV | |
| First game | Dragon Quest IV (1990) |
| Created by | Yuji Horii |
| Designed by | Akira Toriyama |
| Voiced by |
|
The Hero 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 the way. They are also the ancestor of the bride from Dragon Quest V.
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 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 the Hero's party.[1]
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.[2] After one of Psaro's minions called Aamon used humans to murder Rose, the love of Psaro, Psaro loses his mind, using 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.[3]
While not making an appereance themselves, in Dragon Quest V, it's revealed their descendants were hunted down due to the fear that a new Legendary Hero could destroy Grandmaster Nimzo, with only three descendants of theirs remaining. One of them would marry the Hero and give birth to the new Legendary Hero who would set out to vanquish Grandmaster Nimzo.
The male Hero appears as a playable character in the fighting game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as one of four skins for the character "Hero" alongside the Dragon Quest III Hero and Dragon Quest VIII and Dragon Quest XI heroes.
