open/close all folders
Heroes
Party Members
The Hero / Erdrick
Male Hero voiced by: Nobuyuki Hiyama (Japanese, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate)
The son/daughter of the great hero, Ortega. Shortly after you were born, your father departed on a quest to defeat the fiend Baramos, never to return. In his absence, it falls to you to take up his quest and save the world. A Magic Knight and all-around fighter with access to powerful attacks and spells. Good thing the Hero is so well-rounded, since you cannot change your own class.Tropes associated with the Hero
- Action Girl: If the player chooses to be female.
- Always Male:
- In the original, even if you choose to be female, you'll be referred to as "Ortega's son".
- Lampshaded in the Updated Re-release: If you choose to be female, the king will start to call you "Ortega's son" before correcting himself and justifying the mistake with "But your dauntless look — no man could hope to match you!" The smartphone version makes a decent few references to this as well.
- The original also used the same sprite for the male and female versions of the Hero, unlike every other class.
- Anime Hair: Spiky black hair for both genders.
- Blue Is Heroic: This Hero wears a light-blue costume. Likewise, their armor
◊, helmet◊ and shield◊ are also blue. - But Now I Must Go: They disappear following the celebrations of their victory over Zoma at the end of the game, leaving behind only their sword, armor, shield, and mark to be passed down the kingdom through generations.
- Can't Drop the Hero: And can't change your class to anything other than "Hero". In the remakes, once you beat the Final Boss for the first time and gain access to the Endgame+ content, you're allowed to drop off The Hero at the tavern in Portoga.
- Combat Medic: The Hero can learn most of the healing spells, including the exclusive Omniheal spell that completely restores the entire party's HP. Unfortunately, the Hero's MP pool is much more limited than that of the dedicated caster classes, so you'll be lucky to get even one of those Omniheal spells off before running dry.
- Curtains Match the Window: They have dark-brown hair and dark-brown eyes.
- Dangerous 16th Birthday: You aren't allowed to start your quest until you turn sixteen.
- Disappeared Dad: And you find evidence of his passing all over the world before finally tracking down what happened to him.
- Fake King: You don't choose to be one, but the king of Romaly gives you the crown so he can go gamble. You can hang around as king/queen for as long as you feel like, then make the real king take his crown back so you can continue on your quest.
- Famous Ancestor: Their father's Ortega's deeds are the stuff of legends.
- Good Morning, Crono: The game begins on the Hero's 16th birthday, the day on which they are supposed to take up their father's quest.
- Guest Fighter: The male is one of the four Heroes that make up the franchise's representation in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
- Heavy Equipment Class: Proficient with a high range of weapons and armor which add high attack and defense respectively.
- Hello, [Insert Name Here]: While you can change any character's name, most people will refer to the Hero.
- The Hero: The Hero of the game, obviously. And The Hero with a capital "T" for both the entirety of Dragon Quest's legacy and
nearly all eastern media portrayals to come thereafter. - Heroic Mime: The Hero never speaks save to answer a yes / no question. Another exception occurs in the Kidnapper's Cave when the Hero tells Gopal Gupta and Tanaya "Leave him to us! Run! Quick!" as protecting them from Robbin' 'Ood and his goons.
- I Have Many Names: In the end, they'll be Roto, Loto, or Erdrick, depending on which game you choose.
- Jack of All Stats: They have the most well-rounded stats in the party, and their spell pool makes them a very efficient Magic Knight, even if they lack the more specialized spells the other jobs have.
- Magic Knight: It's possible, thanks to the game's job system, for anyone to be this, but only the Hero gains strong attacking stats and innate magic naturally.
- Pals with Jesus: After rescuing the goddess Rubiss from the tower of her imprisonment, she seems pretty taken with them, not only granting them her personal crest of divine protection that would later become proof of lineage, but through her influence effectively deified their bloodline for centuries to follow.
- Playing with Fire: Gets a small splash of the Frizz and Sizz spell lines before unlocking the Hero's unique Zap spells.
- Retroactive Legacy: The ending reveals that you are actually the Erdrick of legend from Dragon Quest, turning out to have the Greater-Scope Paragon that created a legacy that stands against evil..
- Samus Is a Girl: If you choose to be female, it turns out Roto/Loto/Erdrick was a woman all along.
- Secret Test of Character: They're put through one in the remake, which dictates their starting personality. The test is different from save to save, but it always involves seeing how the Hero reacts when put in the shoes of a completely different person in a different situation.
- Shock and Awe: The Zap series of spells is traditionally exclusive to the Hero only. In subsequent appearances, this becomes something of the Hero's Signature Move much in the same way ice becomes Zoma's predominant element.
- Choice of Two Weapons: Several, in fact.
- Swords are their main, default, and canonical weapons. Although they avert the Ancestral Weapon trope; instead, their main sword becomes the legendary sword that many heroes after them would use.
- They can also equip several melee and throwing weapons like spears, axes, whips and boomerangs. However, they can't equip more specialized weapons like claws, knives and staves.
- With This Herring: 300 gold pieces. In the remake, the king gives you a small amount of gold and some basic equipment.
- You Can't Go Home Again: In the end, when the dust has settled, Zoma has been slain and both Alefgard and their home world have been saved...but, subsequently, the hole in the sky that bridged the two has closed. They're left in Alefgard, heralded a savior, for the rest of their days.
- You Killed My Father: Their father died while fighting Baramos. Or so his family believes.
The Warrior
Tropes associated with the Warrior
- Adam Smith Hates Your Guts: Another weakness of the warrior is that as they can use most weapons and armor, they are VERY expensive to equip. You'd spend time having to Level Grind for both experience and money to buy the warrior weapons and armor.
- Amazonian Beauty: The female Warrior is very beautiful, but equal attention is given to her musculature.
- Ascended Extra: The female Warrior has made cameo appearances in some of the other games in the series.
- Chainmail Bikini: The female Warrior wears one.
- Heavy Equipment Class: Rivals the Hero in weapon and armor range, along with being capable with a few weapons the Hero cannot such as the Sizeable Scissors and the Sledgehammer.
- Improbable Weapon User: The battle shears / scissors can only be used by Warriors.
- Irony: In the Super Famicom version, if the female Warrior is equipped with a swimsuit, her sprite depicts her in a black one-piece, which shows less skin than her normal Chainmail Bikini.
- The Lancer: Often considered to be The Hero's main support and second-in-command by fans.
- Magically Inept Fighter: Along with the Martial Artist, they can't use any magic or skills.
- Mighty Glacier: As the game goes on, it's quite likely that your Soldier will virtually always be the last to act. They are incredibly slow.
- Ms. Fanservice: The female Warrior is the main source of fanservice.
- Real Men Wear Pink: The male Warrior is clad from head-to-toe in pink armor, and built like a truck.
- Stripperific: The female Warrior, to the point where her swimsuit is less revealing.
- Choice of Two Weapons: Or rather, Choice of Five Weapons. Being a Magically Inept Fighter, they can only use melee weapons like swords, spears, axes, hammers and shears.
The Priest
Tropes associated with the Priest
- Bad Powers, Good People: Members of the Priest class are primarily White Mages, but they notably use Whack and Thwack, sinister spells that may kill foes instantly.
- Blue Is Heroic: Male and Female Priests wear cerulean blue robes.
- Blow You Away: Expel and its upgraded forms outright eject an enemy from the battlefield, which counts as them fleeing if they fail their resist.
- Bowdlerise: Not called a Priest or even a Cleric, but a Pilgrim in the NES version.
- Choice of Two Weapons: Or rather, Three Weapons. They can use swords, albeit not as effectively as the Hero or Warrior though. They can also use spears, but due to their affinity to magic staves are their preferred weapons.
- Combat Medic: Having a healer also be a decent hand at combat was pretty unusual for JRPG's at the time. They're no Warriors, but they can wield decent weapons and do acceptable damage.
- Girly Girl: In the Super Famicom version, if the female Priest is equipped with a swimsuit, her sprite depicts her in a blue swimsuit with frills at the legs, a girlier swimsuit than any of the other girls can wear.
- Heroic Sacrifice: They can learn the aptly-named Kamikazee spell, which attempts to kill all enemies at the cost of the caster's life.
- Jack of All Stats: Although they have an edge in magic, they have enough attack to become decent Magic Knights if so desired.
- Morphic Resonance: The female Priest and female Sage are often rendered with the same eyes and hair, suggesting that, as far as the game art is concerned, they're the same character.
- One-Hit Kill: Whack and Thwack (Or Beat and Defeat, as they used to be named) can instantly kill most non-boss enemies, such as King Squids if they work.
- Magic Knight: Priests have a pretty good selection of weapons and armor.
- Razor Wind: The only direct-damage spell the Priest gets takes the form of the Woosh spell line.
- White Mage: Naturally, they specialize in healing.
The Mage
Tropes associated with the Mage
- An Ice Person: Along with their fire spells, Mages also get access to the Crack line of spells.
- Battle Boomerang: Mages can be equipped with boomerangs.
- Black Mage: Their main specialty is attack spells.
- Breath Weapon: When Mages cast Puff!, they spend the whole battle as a dragon breathing out flames at the entire enemy party.
- Choice of Two Weapons: Mages can use knives, daggers, magic staves, and boomerangs.
- Cute Witch ↔ Hot Witch: The female Mage, depending on the art style. In official art, the latter applies, but the in-game sprites tend toward the former.
- Glass Cannon: The frailest class in the game, but as long as their MP holds out they can lay waste to entire waves of enemies.
- Having a Blast: The Bang spell line pounds the enemies with explosive force. Unlike Frizz, which is exclusively single target, or Sizz, which targets only a group of enemies and can thus be thrown off by funky enemy formations or heavily mixed groups, Bang will hit everything on the opposing side of the battlefield without exception.
- Magic Staff: Mages wield staves to raise their magic stats.
- Mana Drain: Can sap MP from enemies with Drain Magic.
- Odd Name Out: Sure, Fireball / Firebane / Firebolt and Blaze / Blazemore / Blazemost follow a pattern, but Bang / Boom / Explodet? Averted in the remakes.
- Playing with Fire: Their starting spell is "Frizz" and the Frizz family and Sizz family spells form an important core to their spell lists.
- Robe and Wizard Hat: The male Mage even looks like a dead ringer for the classic Mage stereotype in the original artwork.
- Squishy Wizard: Their magic attack is strong but their defensive stats are low.
The Martial Artist
Tropes associated with the Martial Artist
- Artifact of Doom: The most well-known cursed item, the Golden Claws, is theirs. It's incredibly powerful, but carrying it drastically boosts the encounter rate, making it nigh worthless (though the remakes apply the curse only to the Pyramid, making it an incredibly useful weapon).
- Ascended Extra: The male Martial Artist has made cameo appearances in later games.
- Bare-Fisted Monk: Martial Artists deal their damage using their bare hands (or a few equippable claws), making them relatively cheap to equip.
- Cute Bruiser: The female Martial Artists, who are as skilled as their job implies whilst being cute young women.
- Critical Hit Class: While characters of any other class have a fixed critical hit rate, The Martial Artist's critical hit rate scales based on level.
- Flowers of Femininity: In the Super Famicom version, if the female Martial Artist is equipped with a swimsuit, her Swimsuit Scene will feature her with flowers in her hair.
- Girlish Pigtails: The female Martial Artist sports them in their design.
- Glass Cannon: They are far frailer than the Warrior, with smaller HP pools and much more limited armor selection, though their sky-high Agility still makes them tougher than the Squishy Wizard.
- Magically Inept Fighter: Along with the Warrior, they can't use any magic or skills.
- Memetic Badass: One deceased Martial Artist has this reputation In-Universe for killing a bear with his bare hands. Subverted when his ghost tells you that he used a claw to do the deed.
- Wolverine Claws: The only weapons worth equipping them with. Most of the other very-limited selection of weapons a Martial Artist can wield will actually drop their attack score.
The Merchant
Tropes associated with the Merchant
- Acquired Situational Narcissism: The Merchant you leave behind in the immigrant town quickly becomes Drunk with Power, to the point they're overthrown and jailed. In the remakes, they learn their lesson and are eventually released.
- Arab Oil Sheikh: The male Merchant looks vaguely Arabian.
- Character Select Forcing: In order to progress, you MUST recruit a Merchant at some point.
- Master of None: Lacks the Warrior's sky-high stats, but isn't quite as slow as one.
- President Evil: The Merchant you leave in the immigrant town slowly become this, naming it after themselves and hoarding most of its money. A revolution from angry townspeople puts an end to that.
- Reused Character Design: The female Merchant's hair style makes her look strongly like Marle, and her clothing is almost identical to an outfit worn by a young Bulma.
- The Revolution Will Not Be Civilized: Averted; they're just thrown in jail and eventually released, rather than being executed.
- School Swimsuit: In the Super Famicom version, if the female Merchant is equipped with a swimsuit, her sprite depicts her in a sukumizu and carrying an inner tube.
- Sixth Ranger: You'll need them for one scene, but you won't want to use your own character for it.
The Gadabout
Tropes associated with the Gadabout
- Born Lucky: Has the highest luck growth of all the classes, meaning they're very good at avoiding debuffs.
- Character Development: The gadabout spends most of their time goofing off, but at level twenty they develop a new random action—becoming plagued with self-doubt. This is also the level that the gadabout is enabled to become a sage.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Has terrible stats an is designed as Joke Character...but considering they can become a Sage without needing a Words of Wisdom, they have vast potential.
- Dressed Like a Dominatrix: In the Super Famicom version, if the female gadabout is equipped with a swimsuit, she'll have other ideas and wear something else entirely, complete with Navel-Deep Neckline and a Whip of Dominance.
- Encounter Bait: In the remakes, they can learn the Whistle ability, which instantly triggers a Random Encounter.
- Joke Character: Not only do they have mediocre stats aside from Luck, but they have a tendency to ignore your commands to do random things in battle.
- Lethal Joke Character: Their Whistle ability in the remakes is actually vaguely useful for Level Grinding. It allows you to whistle up an enemy encounter instantly, without having to move around trying to trigger one.
- Magikarp Power:
- Borderline worthless, but if you can get grind one's level up to twenty, they can take on the Sage Prestige Class without the special item.
- Goofoffs spend most of their time ignoring orders and taking random actions, but as they level up they start gaining useful actions—casting support spells, attack spells like Frizzle, and healing spells like Multiheal.
- Non-Ironic Clown: The male Gadabout has the appearance of one.
- Playboy Bunny: The female Gadabout wears this costume.
- Whip of Dominance: In the remake, a female Gadabout is clad in a a bunnysuit but if they're equipped with a bikini armor they will become Dressed Like a Dominatrix instead, including a leather whip. This doesn't translate to their gameplay.
The Sage
Tropes associated with the Sage
- Blue Is Heroic: Sages wear light-blue outfits.
- Blow You Away: The Sage has access to both Priest and Mage spells, meaning they can use the Woosh spell line.
- Breath Weapon: Just like the Mages, when Sages cast Puff!, they spend the whole battle as a dragon breathing out flames at the entire enemy party.
- 11th-Hour Ranger: You can't start with one, but most players certainly will finish with one.
- An Ice Person: The sage has access to both Priest and Mage spells, meaning they can use the Crack spell line.
- Jack of All Stats: Bordering on Lightning Bruiser as they have all around good stats and a wide selection of magic spells that can make them fill in any role.
- Magic Knight: Not quite so much as the Hero, but is much more capable than the Mage and Priest in melee.
- Magikarp Power: The pay-off for getting a Gadabout to Level 20.
- The Medic: Heals just as effectively as the Priest.
- Minidress of Power: The female Sage wears a white one.
- Morphic Resonance: The female Priest and female Sage are often rendered with the same eyes and hair, suggesting that, as far as the game art is concerned, they're the same character.
- Odd Name Out: Bang / Boom / Explodet. Averted in the remakes.
- Parasol of Prettiness: In the Super Famicom version, if the female Sage is equipped with a swimsuit, her Swimsuit Scene features her carrying a parasol.
- Playing with Fire: The sage has access to both Priest and Mage spells, meaning they can use the Frizz spell line, as well as the Sizz spell line.
- Prestige Class: You cannot start with a Sage, but you can make an existing character into one through class changing. All you need is the rare Words of Wisdom... or a Gadabout at Level 20.
- The Red Mage: With none of the weaknesses of the archetype; learns all priest and mage spells, and has stronger physical stats and an overall wider selection of equipment. The only real drawback is that Sages level insanely slowly.
- Stuff Blowing Up: The sage has access to both Priest and Mage spells, meaning they can use the Bang spell line.
The Thief
Tropes associated with the Thief
- Ambiguously Brown: The female thief design has darker skin than any other possible member of the party, for reasons unknown.
- Battle Boomerang: Thieves can wield boomerangs, which target the entire enemy party.
- Choice of Two Weapons: Thieves can be equipped with daggers, whips, boomerangs and claws.
- Classy Cat-Burglar: The female Thief has the appearance of one.
- Cleavage Window: In the Super Famicom version, if the female Thief is equipped with a swimsuit, her sprite depicts her in a black bikini with a cutout in the chest.
- Encounter Repellant: They can learn the Tiptoe / Padfoot skill, which lowers the chance of triggering a Random Encounter. Unfortunately, it also raises the chance of being surprise-attacked when an encounter does trigger.
- Fighter, Mage, Thief: The Hero can recruit them, as well as mages and fighters.
- Fragile Speedster: Thieves excel in speed, but their other stats tend to be middling.
- Form-Fitting Wardrobe: The female Thief wears a very form-fitting black catsuit along with a small breastplate.
- Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: They are nominally thieves, but they are only seen stealing from monsters.
- Wolverine Claws: Thieves can wield Claws.
Ortega (Spoilers)
Ortega
Tropes associated with Ortega
- The Ace: Well regarded by all who knew him.
- Adaptational Attractiveness: In the original Famicom release, he was a black and grey palette swap of the Hood enemies. In the NES version he's given his own unique appearance and sprite, which would be used for the Super Famicom and Game Boy Advance re-releases. Some later cameos continued to use the original Hood appearance, however.
- Art Evolution:
- In the original Famicom release, Ortega appeared as a unique black Palette Swap of the Hood monster family.
- In the NES release, however, he got a complete revamp (likely to prevent any guffaws over the goofy Hood-esque design) and was presented as a normal human warrior with a beard in armor.
- Possibly following the trail established by the NES release, the Updated Re-release for the Super Famicom also depicted as a bearded human warrior, but gave him a Strong Family Resemblance to the hero, with the same Shonen Hair and circlet, but with a manly axe instead of the sword he carried in the NES version.
- Dragon Quest of the Stars set the tone for his modern look when it reconciled his Super Famicom design with his black Hood origins by dressing the former in a black tunic.
- Dragon Quest Rivals elaborates on that design with even more muscle mass and some scars. It also gives him back his axe after DQotS ignored it in favor of a sword.
- Back from the Dead: One of your wishes to Xenlon can be to bring Ortega back to life. When you see him back in Aliahan, he wishes you well on your quest and not to make your mother worry too much.
- Depending on the Artist: The franchise has mostly adopted his Super Famicom self as the basis for his depictions in later games, but his original black Hood Palette Swap design reappeared as The Cameo in Erinn's Finishing Move from the Dragon Quest Monster Battle Road series and the Dragon Quest III event for Dragon Quest X.
- Disappeared Dad: Departed shortly after the Hero's birth to save the world from Baramos.
- Good Parents: He left to defeat Baramos so that his child could live in a world free of violence and destruction. He's sincerely apologetic for his failure to do so and begs the person nearby him (who’s his child, the Hero) to tell him of what’s happened and that he’s sorry for leaving them.
- Hero of Another Story: Many comments made by various NPCs and the opening title scene of the game, reveal snippets of Ortega's heroic ordeal in trying to save the world. He even fought a few powerful monsters the Hero never encountered (most likely because he slew them). While ultimately unsuccessful, he went down like a true hero and put up one hell of a fight til the very end.
- Manly Man: Ortega is you, but with beard, muscle, and mighty axe. He doesn't need a party to help him venture across the land, will do pitched battle with monsters at the very rim of active volcanoes, and even after losing his memory, comes within arm's reach of the Big Bad all by himself.
- No One Could Survive That!: His journey was cut short when he was pulled into a volcano by a dragon he slew. He shows up alive later, though.
- Happens again in Alefgard, where one NPC mentions that Ortega drowned trying to swim across the great channel to Zoma's castle. Turns out he made it across.
- Palette Swap: In the original release of Dragon Quest III, Ortega appeared as a quick recolor of the hood family of enemies, but with a black cowl and briefs. This Robbin' 'Ood-esque design for Ortega makes The Cameo in Erinn's Limit Break for Dragon Quest Monster Battle Road, which features characters from every game up to that point in the franchise being gathered.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Ortega has had The Hero's Shonen Hair and circlet since his Super Famicom design.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: He precedes Pankraz of Dragon Quest V (which released on the Super Famicom in 1992) as a character, but as a father who shares a Strong Family Resemblance with his child (but with Manly Facial Hair), Ortega's appearance in the Super Famicom remake of III (1996) takes an obvious leaf from Pankraz' book.
- Take a Third Option: There are items and gear the Hero requires to successfully surmount certain obstacles, that Ortega overcame without. For example, where the Hero needs to find the Staff of Rain and Stones of Sunlight to create the Rainbow Drop to create a bridge to cross the channel to Zoma's Castle, Ortega simply swam across.
- You Are Too Late: The player catches up with Ortega just in time to watch him be slain in battle at the fangs of King Hydra. In the Updated Re-release, however, he can be wished back to life.
Allied NPCs
The Hero's Mother
Ortega's wife raised the Hero after her husband disappeared fighting Baramos' goons.
Tropes associated:
- The Cameo: She appears in the stinger of Dragon Quest XI, reading the story of the Luminary before going to wake up her child.
- In the 3DS and Definitive Editions, she is confronted by villagers who are trying to talk her out of her marriage to Ortega by spreading bad rumors about him. The Luminary discovers that a monster sent by Baramos, the Archfiend's Acolyte, has cursed the villagers to prevent the Hero's birth and slays it, then breaks the curse with some Defuddle Drops. Now realizing that her marriage has more at stake than she thought, she swears to get stronger to protect her family.
- Good Morning, Crono: Wakes up the Hero on their sixteenth birthday to go meet the king and take up Ortega's quest.
- Good Parents: She holds nothing but absolute love for her child still dotes on them regularly when they come back from adventuring, even allowing their party members to stay at home with them. When Ortega was about to leave home to defeat the arch fiend, she pleaded with him to think about their newly born child.
- Motherly Side Plait: She wears a loose ponytail over her right shoulder, and she is a caring, supporting mother.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: She has no canon name.
- Upbringing Makes the Hero: Her son becomes the savior of two worlds thanks to her loving parenting.
World Leadership
Rulers
King of Romaria
The well-meaning and well-loved ruler of Romaria, though not fully by his own choice. He'd gladly drop his royal status in an instant if he could, even if only for a while.
Tropes associated with the King:
- The Gambling Addict: Whenever he successfully "crowns" someone, he immediately runs for the nearby casino to gamble and have fun until he's dragged back to his throne. The castle staff admits that the King does this to people all the time.
- Offered the Crown: After getting his royal crown back from Robbin 'Ood, the King names the Hero the new ruler of Romaria and leaves the throne and kingdom to them. However, the King/Queen can't leave the kingdom, so the Hero has to go and give the crown back in order to continue on their quest.
The Queen of Faeries
The Queen rules over her people in the Super Secret Faerie Villae, a hidden village in the heart of the forest near the human village of Nonaniels/Norvik.
She dislikes and distrusts humans, so she is not happy when her daughter Aniseed falls in love with a human from Norvik. When Aniseed elopes with her lover, the Queen convinces herself that the human has kidnapped her daughter and hidden her village's treasury, the Dreamstone, in the Underground Lake south of her forest. Infuriated, the Queen takes revenge by placing an eternal sleep curse upon Norvik.
When the Hero retrieves the Dreamstone, he also finds a suicide note written by Aniseed, explaining she and her lover decided to jump in the lake since the laws of their races forbade their relationship. The Hero carries the letter to the Queen, who recognizes Aniseed's handwriting and regrets how she drove her daughter to kill herself. As atonement for her earlier actions, she hands the Hero the Wakey Dust necessary to undo her curse.
From that point on, she seems to change her ways, although she still asks the group to leave her village.
Tropes associated with the Queen:
- Can't Argue with Elves: She is so pissed that her daughter eloped with a human that she curses everyone in his hometown to sleep eternally, never aging. She later regrets her harshness when she learns that she had actually driven her daughter to more drastic measures than she realized. She agrees to free the village because she says that is what her daughter would've wanted, not because of any sympathy for the inhabitants.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Her real name is never mentioned.
- The Fair Folk: She puts sleeping curses on humans, who she strongly dislikes.
- Fantastic Racism: Her opinion of mankind never changes, even when she decides to lift the curse.
- Forced Sleep: Her curse puts a whole village to sleep.
- God Save Us from the Queen!: She is a vengeful witch fond of Disproportionate Retribution.
- Hidden Elf Village: She rules over a village secret away in the middle of a forest.
- My God, What Have I Done?: She has a breakdown when she learns she drove her daughter to commit suicide.
- Our Elves Are Different: She is a humanoid, magical, pointy-eared forest spirit. Also, her Japanese name is "Erufu no Joō" (Queen of Elves)
- Parental Marriage Veto: She forbids Aniseed to marry a human, so her daughter elopes with her lover.
- Pointy Ears: She has large, leaf-life ears.
Pimiko
The queen of the island nation of Jipang, known and feared by her subjects for her constant demand that the hydra Orochi be given human sacrifices. In reality, Pimiko is dead and Orochi is impersonating the queen to satiate her appetite directly.Tropes associated with Pimiko:
- God Save Us from the Queen!: Everybody is fearful of Pimiko, knowing she can pick any of them to be a sacrifice at any time. Subverted since the real Pimiko was dead and Orochi is impersonating her.
- Not Quite Dead: The real Pimiko can be found on the T'n'T track in Jipang after Xenlon unlocks it with a wish. She does not seem to have any memory of her ordeal with Orochi.
Criminal Leaders
Robbin' 'Ood (Kandar)
Robbin' 'Ood is a big axe-wielding brute who leads a small party of robbin' hoodlums on various criminal expeditions; when first encountered by the party in III, they've just relieved the King of Romaria of his crown.
This will be the first of many heists that Robbin' commits in both the game and the franchise as a whole.
Tropes associated with Robbin' 'Ood
- Adaptational Badass: Later appearances by Robbin' in the series feature him with superior stats and abilities to his original boss battle from III.
- But Thou Must!: Answer "No" when he asks to be spared, and he'll repeat his question until you finally say "Yes."
- Degraded Boss: Of the "stronger Palette Swapped Mook" variety. Robbin' himself never becomes a Mook, but the Hoodlums and Heavy Hoods who appear in III have nearly as many hit points as he does and better attack, defense, and agility.
- Dirty Coward: Robbin' will throw down like the thug he is when he thinks he has the upper hand, but the instant he loses he turns into a whimpering baby who begs to be spared and swears that he'll go straight—the first time in the franchise that he does this, it turns out later that he's lying through his teeth.
- Goldfish Poop Gang: A recurring boss that shows up twice to get in your way.
- Gonk: Like all the Hoods, he's an overmuscled weirdo in what may or may not be fetish gear with big googly eyes.
- Green and Mean: He wears a green hood and cloak.
- Healing Factor: In the original NES release for III, Robbin' would heal fifty HP per turn in his second Boss Battle.
- I Surrender, Suckers: The first time he promises to change his ways if he is spared, it is only a trick. The second time, he means it.
- Inconsistent Dub:
- Enix of America's original name for him was Kandar, but in games released after the Square-Enix merger, he's been renamed Robbin' 'Ood.
- Robbin's underlings (カンダタ子分, "Kandata-kobun") have been variously localized as Merry Men, Robbin' 'oodlums, and even the Robbin' Huddle.
- King Mook: Robbin' is somewhat all over the place in this regard.
- In general, Robbin' 'Ood is a Palette Swap of the Hood family of monsters, but he has nothing to do with them or their Underground Monkeys—for all intents and purposes he's just an NPC with a Boss Battle.
- That said, his henchmen, while most often depicted as Palette Swaps of Restless Armours, have on occasion been depicted as Palette Swaps of the Hoods.
- On the other hand, he is also the centerpiece of a growing sub-group of monsters based on him that appear in the Dragon Quest Monsters series, and has an specific Underground Monkey (a Super Mode?) called Prince o' Thieves, who does wear a crown.
- Lovable Coward: Robbin' 'Ood is at root a Dirty Coward, but later appearances depict him with such energy and goofy charm that he ends up becoming lovable, albeit someone who still needs to be kicked around to be prevented from his evil ways.
- Palette Swap:
- Robbin' nearly always appears with a typical human skintone and his green hood, but his second Boss Battle in III features him with the blue skin and red cowl of the Heavy Hood.
- In his Dragon Quest Monsters Joker appearance, he has the yellow cowl and Red Eyes of the Hoodlum.
- Pose of Supplication: He drops to his hands and knees◊ every time he begs to be spared.
- Punny Name: Robbin' 'Ood does double-duty as a Shout-Out to Robin Hood and as an Exactly What It Says on the Tin descriptor of the character as a robbing hood.
- Recurring Character: Robbin' 'Ood first appeared in III, but also appears in V, X, XI, and numerous Spin-Off games.
- Retired Monster: He gives up his life of crime after you kick his ass twice, and becomes a law-abiding civilian, though it's hinted that's he's not THAT law-abiding.
- Running Gag: His cowardly, dishonest begging for his life is a recurring feature whenever he appears. In the Heroes series, it's adopted as a behavior by all Hood monsters and their variants.
- Spell My Name With An S: His modern name is spelled either Robbin' Hood or Robbin' 'Ood Depending on the Writer.
- Villains Want Mercy: After every defeat, he will fall on his knees and begs for mercy.
Spirits and Divinities (Spoilers)
Aurhea
Spirit of the Fountain, she will test the party with an Honest Axe.- Honest Axe: Aurhea tests you by offering you a golden axe.
- Meaningful Name: Aurhea is a variant of Áurea, a Latin female name meaning "golden". It may also be a nod to Rhea, mother of the Olympians in Classical Mythology.
- Palette Swap: Aurhea has the same design as Rubiss, but she inherited Rubiss's original blue hair, while Rubiss was given pink hair instead.
- Winged Humanoid: Aurhea has the same angelic wings that Rubiss does.
Rubiss
Her appearance in Dragon Quest Walk
Benevolent Rubiss, Mother unto this realm, who did raise up each mountain, and gave form to every leaf and stone...
— Sanctum's Sage
Rubiss is the creator of Alefgard, and the principal deity in the "Erdrick Trilogy". Her appearance depends on the media, but she originally looked like a crimson-haired, winged fairy, whereas she is depicted as a red-haired human female
◊ in the Dragon Quest Legend Of Rubiss. Despite her power, she usually operates through her chosen ones, rather than meddling with mortals directly.
In the past, Zoma overpowered Rubiss and turned her to stone. She remained imprisoned in the Tower of Rubiss until Ortega's child and their companions played the Faerie Flute in front of her statue to set her free. In gratitude for their help, Rubiss gives them the Sacred Amulet, which is needed to obtain the Rainbow Drop, asks them to restore peace to Alefgard, and promises to help his bloodline in the future.
Several centuries later, Rubiss is summoned by three descendants of Erdrick, who need a way to dispel Hargon's illusions. The goddess gives them the Eye of Rubiss and promises to watch over them always.
Tropes associated with Rubiss:
- Adaptational Badass:
- The Updated Re-release of Dragon Quest III for the Gameboy Color introduced the Rubiss Sword, the first direct association of Rubiss with violence and weaponry—prior to that, her main function was to assist with guidance and special items.
- In the Satellaview version of Dragon Quest, Rubiss takes action in granting blessings to the hero.
- Mobile spin-offs have rendered Rubiss much more combat-capable than she appears in the original series. Her garb and equipment are offered to players in Dragon Quest Walk, she appears as a fighting monster in Dragon Quest Monsters Super Light, and Dragon Quest of the Stars revamped her into an all-new warrior goddess more than willing to get tough with evildoers.
- Adaptational Early Appearance: Rubiss was absent from the original Dragon Quest, but got The Cameo in certain Updated Rereleases of the game, either as the subject of grateful prayers by sages during the epilogue or as the true identity of the little old lady who guides the hero in the Satellaview version.
- And I Must Scream: She was aware of her surroundings during her time as a stone statue.
- Art Evolution:
- In the original Famicom release of III, she shared the same sprite as the elves, but her official design depicted her as a blue-haired faerie woman in a green dress.
- The Super Famicom release of III rendered her as an angelic Rose-Haired Sweetie. This design was used for Dragon Quest Walk and Dragon Quest Monsters Super Light, which appears to have kept the Pointy Ears from her elven appearance as a Mythology Gag.
- Dragon Quest of the Stars revamped the pink-haired design by removing the angel-wings, giving her an all-new dress, replacing her Tareme Eyes with Tsurime Eyes, and even giving her a small ponytail.
- Ascended Extra: Rubiss is only in the background of Dragon Quest II but gets a full appearance in Dragon Quest III.
- Backstory: Her pre-Alefgard history is told in the 1990 Dragon Quest Legend Of Rubiss spin-off (although its current canonicity is anybody's guess)
- Big Good: The Maker of Alefgard, she fights embodiments of evil by watching over and guiding her chosen human champions.
- Depending on the Artist:
- Rubiss's original design featured her as a blue-haired faerie woman; in the Official Guidebook for the Super Famicom release of Dragon Quest, this design had wavy blue hair and insect-like wings. This design was also used for the original release of Dragon Quest VI, but her blue hair was straight and she had no wings.
- While her design was updated to the angelic Rose-Haired Sweetie almost immediately after Dragon Quest VI, Updated Rereleases of VI continue to use her original blue-haired design.
- Despite the continuity of design from the Updated Rereleases of III to Walk, Dragon Quest of the Stars revamped her design, with all-new gear and no wings to speak of, and hid her facial features with a fade effect that requires the audience to squint to make her eyes out. Dragon Quest Monsters Super Light returns to the angelic Rose-Haired Sweetie design of III and Walk, establishing it as the standard and making the DQotS design an unusual detour.
- Divergent Character Evolution:
- In the original release of III, Rubiss uses the same sprite as other elves and spirits, but in the Updated Re-release, she gets a new angelic design that no longer resembles the elves.
- The revamp of her design in Stars diminishes her resemblance to other Winged Humanoids in the franchise, such as the Zenithians, Cirrus, and Celestrians.
- Fanservice Pack: Rubiss's Art Evolution in Walk is accurate to her design from the Updated Re-release of III, but the later version of the design offers a better glimpse of her curves than the old Super Famicom sprites.
- Female Angel, Male Demon: All Big Bads and Final Bosses in the original trilogy serve as the Male Demon to Rubiss's Female Angel to one extent or another, but Archfiend Zoma is the most direct example.
- The Ghost: Mentioned every so often in DQII, but she only shows up once as a disembodied voice. She makes her first full appearance in DQIII.
- Girl in the Tower: In Dragon Quest III, Zoma has Rubiss Taken for Granite and locked up in The Tower of Rubiss; this Sealed Good in a Can must be rescued before Zoma can be confronted.
- God Is Good: The principal deity in the setting of the original trilogy, and definitely on the good's side.
- Have You Seen My God?: She was defeated by Zoma, turned to stone and locked up in a tower.
- The Maker: Rubiss created the world of Alefgard.
- Palette Swap: Rubiss's design in the Updated Re-release of III is shared with Aurhea, the spirit of the fountain who tests the party with an Honest Axe—Rubiss's hair is pink, however, while Aurhea's is blue.
- Physical God: She looks like a human woman.
- Pointy Ears: In most if not all of her appearances she has long, elfin ears, a likely holdover from the original release of III, where she was depicted with the generic elf sprite.
- Red Is Heroic: Her hair is usually pinkish-red.
- Rose-Haired Sweetie: She is gentle in aspect in III and Walk and has pink hair to show for it.
- Statuesque Stunner: Her use of the elfin sprite in the original release notwithstanding, Rubiss and her statue in III are almost always rendered with two sprites at once, while all other NPCs only use one.
- Winged Humanoid: A pair of long, white-feathered wings sprout from her back.
Xenlon (Divinegon)
A dragon god who grants you wishes... if you defeat him.
Tropes associated with Xenlon
- Dragons Are Divine: He is a dragon, lives in Heaven, and can bring people back to life. His equipment in Dragon Quest IX identifies him as a dragon-god, and the Xenlon Robe in particular has stats and abilities that rival Celestria's Raiment, the outfit of IX's own goddess.
- Dragons Up the Yin Yang: Like the other serpents, Xenlon is an Eastern style serpent-dragon.
- Happy Ending Override: Defeating Xenlon will permit him to grant you a wish. Several of these wishes bring the dead back to life, in effect being Sad Ending Overrides.
- King Mook:
- Xenlon, a Palette Swap of the Ethereal Serpent family of monsters, appeared belatedly in the Updated Re-release of III. He is, however, bar none the mightiest of the serpents and grants wishes.
- He even gets a subtle nod in this regard in future games—in games with evolving, enhance-able equipment like Dragon Quest IX, equipment with Xenlon's name on it is always the most powerful of its type.
- Olympus Mons: Xenlon can be scouted or fused in specific games from the Dragon Quest Monsters series.
- Our Dragons Are Different: Xenlon takes the form of a green-and-purple serpentine Eastern dragon.
- Reused Character Design: Xenlon is the second adaptation of the Chinese dragon-god Shenlong by Akira Toriyama and bears a natural resemblance to Shenron of Dragon Ball. The Dragon Quest version, however, isn't quite as enormous or fearsome.
- Shout-Out: The choice of a green Palette Swap for the Boreal Serpent highlights the resemblance to none other than Shenron, built upon further with Square-Enix's localized name, Xenlon—that he grants wishes under the right conditions hightlights the resemblance.
- Superboss: The boss of the post-game dungeon. Good luck beating him, let alone quickly.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: As a divine dragon associated with Cloudsgate Citadel, Xenlon is an original trilogy send-up of the Zenith Dragon from the Zenithian Trilogy.
- Time-Limit Boss: The first wish from Xenlon only requires that you beat him. In order to get a second wish, however, you have to beat him in 25 turns. Every wish after that requires you to beat him in only 15 turns.
Gran Dragon
An Optional Superboss exclusive to the Updated Re-release of III on Gameboy Color.- The Bus Came Back: Exclusive for decades to the Updated Re-release of III on Gameboy Color, Gran Dragon returns at last in Dragon Quest Monsters Joker 3.
- Mighty Glacier: Relative to Lightning Bruiser Xenlon; the Gran Dragon has more health, attack, and defense than Xenlon, but is much slower.
- Palette Swap:
- In terms of appearance, the Gran Dragon is a recolor of the Hydra species.
- In terms of gameplay, the Gran Dragon is a near exact re-skin of Xenlon with a near identical attack pattern, save for one of their two Breath Weapons—Gran Dragon uses Inferno where Xenlon uses Freezing Blizzard.
The Forces of Evil
The Archfiend Baramos and Servants
Orochi
A monster on the island of Jipang who requires sacrifices.
Tropes associated with Orochi
- Ain't Too Proud to Beg: After being confronted and beaten once, Orochi beats a hasty retreat back to Jipang and tries to reassume the queen act, demanding in a hushed voice that the Hero keep their mouth shut and she'll call it even.
- Fake King: Orochi at some point prior killed the actual Queen Pimiko and stole her form, doubling up on taking sacrifices and imposing them on the people from a position of ruling.
- Green and Mean: Orochi is a five-headed green-dragon.
- Human Sacrifice: True to legend, young maidens from Jipang are regularly offered to Orochi as a sacrifice to spare the village from the monster's wrath.
- Non-Indicative Name: Dragon Quest's Yamata no Orochi (i.e., the Great Snake of Eight Branches) is only ever depicted with five heads.
- Orochi: Orochi, and by extension the Jipang portion of the main quest, is a loose retelling of the original myth, with the Hero's party taking the place of Susanoo.
- Samus Is a Girl: Surprisingly for the legend it's based on, NPC remarks will confirm even after the disguise comes down that Orochi was actually female.
Boss Troll
A vicious beast who plagues the realm of Samanao by pretending to be the king. For the Boss Troll as a normal enemy see here
Tropes associated with Boss Troll
- Degraded Boss: They show up in Alefgard as regular enemies in the NES version, as well as regular enemies from Dragon Quest VI onwards.
- Fake King: He's found masquerading as the king of Samanao. Needless to say, his style of leadership is rather tyrannical, to say the least.
- Gameplay and Story Segregation: For a guy who just woke up, he's fully alert throughout the fight.
Baramos
Tropes associated with Baramos
- Adaptational Badass: The original Bones of Baramos would just strike at the party with limbs and claws, but later appearances in Dragon Quest X and spinoffs give it pestilential Walking Wasteland powers.
- The Archmage: With the exception of the Magically Inept Bones of Baramos, all types of Baramos can cast the top-level attack spells Kaboom and Kafrizzle. They even dress the part with a Mystical High Collar of Doom.
- Back from the Dead:
- And split into two components; his soul and his bones.
- He's also revived in full in a Hall of Remembrance sidequest in Dragon Quest XI, though the Luminary and his party fix that before he can stir up more trouble.
- Came Back Wrong:
- Not that he was ever really "right" to begin with, but when you fight his reanimated bones near the end of the game, they have no special abilities whatsoever and do nothing but attack repeatedly. His soul, on the other hand, is much closer in both appearance and behavior to when you first encounter him as a mortal.
- The Baramonster's Japanese name, Baramos Evil, may suggest that it's the reincarnation of Baramos's personal malice and vice.
- Composite Character: Emblem of Roto and the Monsters series in Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry's Wonderland 3D and Dragon Quest Monsters 2: Iru and Luca's Marvelous Mysterious Key redesigned the Bones of Baramos to better resemble the original Baramos, rather than using the quick-and-dirty Palette Swap of the Dragon Zombie from III.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: Baramos likes to rip his victims apart and feed upon their innards before they've finished dying; according to Dragon Quest Monsters 2, this is to ensure his victims can't be resurrected.
- Degraded Boss: Baramos returns in Mook form in Zoma's castle, both as the Bones of Baramos and, in the English localization, as the Soul of Baramos. (In the original Japanese version, Baramos is replaced with a nameless horde of his brethren.) The remakes from the SNES version onwards has another mook knockoff, the Baramonster.
- Dem Bones: His bones, to be precise, when you fight them near the end of the game.
- Depending on the Artist:
- The exact shades and hues of Baramos' clothes and skin change from one appearance to the next. His flesh ranges from gray to brown to yellow, while his mantle could be purple or pink.
- Despite Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry's Wonderland 3D redesigning the Bones of Baramos,note Dragon Quest X, Dragon Quest of the Stars, Dragon Quest: Monster Parade, the Joker 3 games, Dragon Quest Rivals, and Dragon Quest Tact reuses the Dragon Zombie Palette Swap from III.
- Disc-One Final Boss: Since the start of the game, you've been led to believe that Baramos is the ultimate villain you must beat to finish the game. It's quite believable, as well, since you'll have explored the whole world before you fight him. The real villain is from a different world.
- The Dragon: Not the Big Bad, like you've been led to believe.
- Evil Sorcerer: He's plenty nasty, as well as the most magically-inclined of the game's major antagonists in combat.
- Fire/Ice Duo: Despite Baramos' own penchant for fire, the Baramonster uses Freezing Blizzard for a Breath Weapon.
- Fearless Undead: His bones, which have zero Defense and no special skills whatsoever, much less any defensive or supportive ones. All they do is attack repeatedly until you strike them down. Dragon Quest X gives the bones more attacks depending on how they're faced.
- Green and Mean: Baramos wears green robes.
- Healing Factor: Both Baramos and his zombified bones recover a portion of their health every turn.
- Kill It with Fire: Baramos is primed to incinerate anything he looks at, with both the fiery magic of Kafrizz/Kafrizzle and Kaboom and the powerful Breath Weapon Inferno.
- Lizard Folk: Baramos is a big fat reptile that walks erect.
- Massive Numbered Siblings: The Baramos Bros. in the Japanese version are an endless horde of Baramos' No Name brethren inhabiting Zoma's castle. The English release renames this monster-type the Soul of Baramos, in effect having the Baramos Bros. Adapted Out in favor of depicting Baramos as a Literal Split Personality, even more of a Super-Persistent Predator who Came Back Wrong than he was in the original.
- Me's a Crowd: After Baramos fails and is slain the first time, Zoma brings him back, but also rends his soul from his bones, effectively creating two Baramoses.
- Orange/Blue Contrast: The Baramos Bros. (or Soul of Baramos) use a cool palette of blue, purple, and green, while the Baramonster type uses a warm palette of orange, red, and brown.
- Orcus on His Throne: For being the primary threat to the world, he doesn't seem to do much before you arrive at his castle.
- Recurring Boss: You fight him once at the end of the Disc-One Final Dungeon, before fighting his soul and bones each separately as The Very Definitely Final Dungeon draws to a close.
- Secondary Color Nemesis: Baramos wears a purple mantle over green robes, while the Soul of Baramos wears a green mantle over purple robes.
- Soulless Shell: His bones, at least partly on account of you having just fought and destroyed his soul moments earlier.
- Superboss: He's a strong optional boss in Dragon Quest IX, Dragon Quest X, and the 3DS and Definitive versions of Dragon Quest XI, complete with his original theme, in the first and the last.
- Sword/Shield Contrast: The Bones of Baramos may leave behind the Sword of Ruin as a Rare Random Drop, while the Soul of Baramos may drop the Shield of Shame.
- Super-Persistent Predator: Killing Baramos wasn't the end—the Bones of Baramos prowl through Zoma's castle and will confront you as a Random Encounter over and over again, regardless of whether you flee or defeat it. In the English version, the Soul of Baramos also haunts the halls and will likewise appear as a Random Encounter.
The World of Darkness (Spoilers)
King Hydra
A multi-headed dragon who serves Zoma directly. A palette swap of Orochi.
Tropes associated with King Hydra
- Breath Weapon: Breathes Inferno note to damage Erdrick and his party. Later appearances such as Dragon Quest X would expand the King Hydra's abilities to C-C-Cold Breath, Scorch, Boogie Breath, Acid Breath, and others like Venom Mist and Fireball Storm.
- The Brute: King Hydra doesn't speak a word, but he certainly has the power to exert Zoma's will upon the world, even to the extent of being a...
- Hero Killer: He's responsible for the death of the Hero's father and predecessor, Ortega.
- King Mook: To the Hydras from his master's army.
- The Bus Came Back: Disappeared from the series after its debut for nearly 24 years before returning in Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry's Wonderland 3D.
- Took a Level in Badass: Dragon Quest X upgrades it heavily, being able to use more breath attacks like Scorch and Crafty Breather, as well as other abilities, like its master's Disruptive Wave, Total War Cry, Fuel for the Fire, and Evil Dragon Crest.
- You Killed My Father: He kills the Hero's father before their eyes, right as they near the end of Zoma's Lair. Needless to say, It's Personal for our Hero after that.
Zoma
Tropes associated with Zoma
- Battle Theme Music: "Hero's Challenge" follows him around from game to game.
- Big Bad: He's the real villain behind Baramos.
- Book Ends: Ending the Erdrick saga where it began, although in-universe, he's actually the first villain to terrorize Alefgard, and to be fought at Charlock Castle.
- Dark Is Evil: Perhaps utilized to the greatest potency in the series. When he's first encountered, Zoma's protected by a shroud of pure darkness, so potent that it renders him Nigh-Invulnerable to all forms of assault. Only the Sphere of Light, an artifact that quite literally has the potency to restore vibrancy and vitality to the entire world, can nullify it to even the odds.
- Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: So, how much of a big deal is Zoma? Well, he overpowered and defeated the goddess Rubiss, who created a literal entire world under her own power, petrified her, and chucked her statue into a dank tower on the mortal plane to rot.
- Dispel Magic: The first Dragon Quest boss capable of using the recurring Disruptive Wave skill, which purges buffs from your party, rendering all that time and MP you spent casting defense, speed, and power-boosting spells and vice versa for de-buffs wasted.
- Dystopia Justifies the Means: His goal is to turn the world to a place of interminable suffering, as the misery of others is literal sustenance for him.
- Emotion Eater: NPC dialogue reveals that the only reason Zoma keeps the people of the dark world alive is to feed on their negative emotions.
- Evil Is Bigger: He varies in appearance, being usually in the ballpark of ten to twenty feet, but the point is always the same: Zoma is huge.
- Evil Is Deathly Cold: Given that his specialty from the beginning was ice attacks, he leans hard into this trope.
- Eyes Do Not Belong There: That big, bulging eye on his helmet? It's not decorative. It's functional. The "hows" of which are probably better left unasked.
- Female Angel, Male Demon: All Big Bads and Final Bosses in the original trilogy serve as the Male Demon to Rubiss's Female Angel to one extent or another, but Archfiend Zoma is the most direct example.
- Four-Fingered Hands: His original artwork and sprites show him with only four fingers on each hand, subtly emphasizing how inhuman he is despite otherwise looking more human-like overall than Baramos. Later remakes and cameos would give him a full five fingers.
- An Ice Person: Kacrack, the strongest ice-elemental spell, is his attacking spell of choice. Not only that, but he can also attack with Freezing Blizzard, and even his aforementioned Disruptive Wave ability is described as "icy" in certain translations.
- This specialization is retained in future games in which Zoma appears as a Superboss, such as the Monsters subseries and Dragon Quest IX.
- Kung-Fu Wizard: He uses no weapon; Zoma's just as fond as trying to crush you with those huge arms of his as he is to hurl deathly cold at you. That said, his physical combat skills seem to fall under Unskilled, but Strong in that he generally just applies big, heavy swipes.
- My Death Is Just the Beginning: Upon his defeat, Zoma laughs in the face of his impending death, forswearing that beyond both his and the Hero's time, a new evil would emerge to succeed him. The Hero's response to this is to leave behind their armaments to Fling a Light into the Future.
- Orcus on His Throne: He doesn't show up until you've beaten Baramos. Justified in that, much like the Dragonlord to succeed him long after, Zoma's in a position where he really doesn't have to do anything. He’s already gotten rid of Rubiss, destroyed the one weapon he thinks can hurt him, and the populace fear him too much to rebel.
- Our Liches Are Different: Zoma isn't explicitly anything besides a "demon lord", but his huge and gaunt frame, sunken face with a skeletal nose, show of necromancy (he resurrects his servant Baramos), and overpowering sorcery centered around deathly cold all definitely invoke the image.
- Revive Kills Zombie: Once you use the Sphere of Light on him, healing spells and effects start inflicting damage on him. In the original NES version, a programming oversight made it possible for the common Medicinal Herb to deal upwards of 200 damage a pop!
- Sadist: It defines his personality, and, as mentioned above, his diet.
- Slouch of Villainy: When it's not the Dragonlord pulling the iconic "chin on fist" slouching in the throne, it's going to be Zoma doing it, usually dependent on who's getting more focus on what media they appear in.
- Superboss: Aside from appearing alongside the other Big Bads of the series in various future main titles, he's easily the hardest boss in Dragon Quest Heroes.
- Villain Ball: Inverted Trope. Upon discovering that there was a legendary Infinity +1 Sword tailor-made for beings like him, note he poured on the suffering of the populace of the "dark world" for three years to bide and grow in strength, until he was mighty enough to destroy the thing with his bare hands. This, incidentally, happened well before the Hero appeared.
