Hero (Dragon Quest V)

Hero
Dragon Quest character
The Hero and his pet Saber in Dragon Quest V
First appearance	Dragon Quest V (1992)
Designed by	Akira Toriyama

The Hero is the protagonist of Dragon Quest V. He starts out the story as a child, the son of Pankraz, who suffers through various tragedies before growing up, getting married, and having children. Unlike previous Dragon Quest protagonists, he is not a Legendary Hero, instead being a monster tamer, a mechanic added due to the popularity of Healie from Dragon Quest IV. He was created by Yuji Horii and designed by Akira Toriyama. He appears in other works, including the film Dragon Quest: Your Story. The Hero has received positive reception, with critics commenting on how impactful his tragic life was and how iconic a design he had.

Appearances

See also: Dragon Quest V § Plot

The Hero first appears in the video game Dragon Quest V as its protagonist, and must be given a name by the player. He begins as a young child with his father, Pankraz, taking a boat on their journey. He meets several other characters, including Sancho, his childhood friend Bianca, the Great Sabrecat Cub, and, in the Nintendo DS version, Nera and Debora. While on a job protecting a boy named Prince Harry, Harry is kidnapped; after pursuing the kidnappers, Pankraz is forced to let himself die after the monster Ladja holds his son hostage. While dying, Pankraz informs the Hero that his mother still lives. The Hero and Harry are enslaved for 10 years before eventually breaking free. After discovering that his father was searching for the Legendary Hero and Zenithian gear, he goes on a quest to find this hero and his mother, Harry staying behind at his kingdom. He discovers his skills as a monster tamer, meeting the now-adult Great Sabrecat, who joins his party. During the game, the Hero can recruit certain monsters into his party, depending on He later finds a Zenithian shield in the possession of Rodrigo Briscoletti, who is offering it as a marriage proposal for his daughter Nera. To marry his daughter, he must find special objects. Along the way, he reunites with Bianca, who helps him find these objects. Returning to Briscoletti, Nera suggests that the Hero choose between her and Bianca, with her sister Debora, exclusive to the Nintendo DS version, demanding she be considered. Regardless of who the Hero chooses, Briscoletti gives him the shield.

Journeying with his wife, he discovers that he is the heir to a kingdom, that his wife is pregnant, and meeting Sancho again. After proving himself worthy, his wife gives birth to a twin boy and girl. After celebrating, the Hero's wife is kidnapped, forcing the Hero to leave the children in the care of Sancho to pursue them. He encounters Ladja, who informs him that he kidnapped his wife due to her Zenithian blood and wanting to prevent her from passing on her bloodline. He turns the Hero and his wife to stone, and they are separated. The Hero is discovered eight years later by Sancho and his children who manage to cure him of his petrification, informing him that his son is the Legendary Hero. They manage to eventually find the Hero's wife, and they proceed to kill Ladja. The Hero finds his mother, only for her to be killed by Ladja's master, Grandmaster Nimzo, whom the Hero kills.

He was considered as a playable character in the fighting game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as part of the "Hero" character. He was ultimately not chosen due to his use of a staff instead of a sword, the weapon the other Hero characters chosen used in Ultimate.

He appears as the protagonist of the film Dragon Quest: Your Story.

Concept and creation

The Hero was created by Yuji Horii and designed by Akira Toriyama. Despite all previous Dragon Quest games having the starring character be the legendary Hero, the protagonist of Dragon Quest V is the first game to not be the legendary Hero. The Hero is a monster tamer, able to recruit certain monster he encounters. The decision to make monsters playable characters was inspired by the character Healie from Dragon Quest IV.

In the film, the Hero is named Luca and is voiced by Takeru Sato in Japanese. The use of the Luca name for the Hero in Dragon Quest: Your Story was part of a controversy involving novelist Saori Kumi. Kumi alleged that Square Enix took the Hero's name, as well as other characters' names, from her novelization of Dragon Quest V, leading to her suing.

Reception

The Hero has received positive reception, ranked number one in a poll by Magmix of readers' favorite Dragon Quest heroes. Magmix writer Hiromu Tashita identified the Hero of Dragon Quest V, alongside the Hero of Dragon Quest IV, as the unhappiest character in Dragon Quest due to the series of tragedies he goes through. Fellow Magmix writer Fumi-kun felt that, despite not being the canonical hero of the game, the struggles he overcomes gives him the qualities of a hero. IGN Japan writer Kurabe Esra praised the Hero, saying that his story of going from a child to a parent was quite rare, comparing the extent of the Hero's suffering to the works of novelist Toyoko Yamasaki and arguing that being in an interactive medium made it more impactful. He also felt that the Hero was an iconic character, saying that his design was so iconic that it is recognized as being the face of the series. 4gamer writer Kenichi Maeyamada agreed with the notion that this was a rarity for storytelling to see a protagonist go through so much hardship, calling him one of his favorite characters ever and attributing his love of Dragon Quest to his tragic story. He also discussed how the Hero's survival contrasted Prince Harry's, noting that as a wanderer, he would not have as much of a fanfare over him living. Final Fantasy XVI creative director and scenario writer Kazutoyo Maehiro noted that he was a fan of Dragon Quest V, adding that he was likely influenced by the Hero's story in making the story behind its protagonist, Clive Rosfield.

The petrification of the Hero and the passage of time during this scene received praise from Destructoid writer Chad Concelmo. He felt that the way it depicted time during his petrification was done in "one of the most creative and interesting ways ever," calling it one of his favorite scenes in a video game. He found the way that the Hero and player are forced to witness the passage of time made it impactful in a way that a game like Fallout 3, which has the player age up, does not. USgamer writer Kat Bailey found the Hero's story was her favorite overall Dragon Quest memory, surprised to find out that, instead of escaping from slavery, the Hero spent 10 years of his early years in captivity. The loss of the Hero's childhood was a large contributor to her having the game as her favorite. Famitsu writer Kawachi felt that the Hero's journey was relatable to a lot of players, with players having to make important choices as young people. Automaton writer Yuzuru Sonohara felt that Sancho's feelings for the Hero mimicked the player's more than any other character's, due to having seen the Hero grow up like Sancho did. Writer Daniel Andreyev noted how, despite not normally finding time travel an interesting element in fiction at the time, he found the time travel scene of the Hero meeting his son a particularly emotional one. RPGFan staff found the decision to make the protagonist not the Legendary Hero, noting how typical it was for the protagonist to be the hero in Japanese role-playing games at the time. He was also regarded as a favorite silent protagonist, and the game was praised for portraying the Hero's life from childhood to parenthood.