Rhapthorne

"Meddling pests! How much more of my time will you waste?! You will rot in hell for breaking my shield of darkness! But first you will taste the true might of my flesh and blood! You shall taste the terror eternal. Even death shall offer you no respite."

—Rhapthorne, prior to the final battle

Rhapthorne
Dragon Quest VIII
Japanese name	暗黒神ラプソーン
Romaji	Ankoku-shin Rapusōn
Title	Lord of Darkness
Voice actor	Jonathan Keeble (English) Wataru Takagi (Japanese, first form) Ryūzaburō Ōtomo (Japanese, second form)

Lord Rhapthorne is the central antagonist of Dragon Quest VIII. A demon of untold power and ambition to dominate the worlds of darkness and light, Rhapthorne is the party's final opponent in their quest to rid their world of an evil curse.

Characteristics

Rhapthorne is among the most proactive demon lords in the series, taking direct action to further his agenda and confronting his foes head-on whenever possible instead of lurking withing an isolated lair. This remains true even when he is rendered a disembodied soul trapped within the Godbird sceptre, manipulating the negative emotions and thoughts of those who touch the staff until they become a blinded puppet able to serve his needs and leading to outright possession in two instances. In a break from the series' tradition of the Archfiend being a distant figure removed from much of the narrative, Rhapthorne is actually present from the very beginning of the game thanks to Dhoulmagus' theft of the sceptre. He is aware of the party's actions against him from the start, and as such his loathing for them is significantly more personal than that of final foes past.

Rhapthorne's original appearance is never seen within the game itself, only alluded to in a mural found within the Dark Ruins where he is depicted as a monsterous robed figure with an unkempt beard. When his body is freed, he takes the form of a diminutive purple demon with large goat horns, a carapace covered torso, an insect's wing casing, and glowing bulb of energy in lieu of legs. After merging with the magical engine that powers his flying castle, the Black Citadel, Rhapthorne has the upper half of an obese exaggeration of his previous form due to becoming over-saturated with magical energy. His horns are greatly enlarged, his wings have become larger and bat-like, his lower body has solidified into a fleshy bulb with eight spikes arranged in a circular pattern, and his body is adorned with tattoos in a flame-like pattern that are a darker shade of purple than his skin.

Appearances

Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King

Rhapthorne was born in the World of Darkness, subjugating it with an onslaught of loyal followers and overwhelming magical force. Rhapthorne's ambition drove him to attempt to invade the World of Light as well, bringing him into conflict with the Seven Sages and Empyrea the Godbird. The battle between the two forces nearly rent the world of darkness asunder, but the forces of light proved victorious and the demon was slain. Fearing that Rhapthorne would be revived in the future and menace the world once again long after their deaths, the Seven Sages split his soul from his body and sealed them away to prevent his resurrection. His lifeless body was sealed within a massive rock on a craggy atoll that would one day become the Holy Isle of Neos, where it was chiseled by the sage Alexander into a statue of the Goddess to avoid being tampered with by humans. Empyrea and the sages created a prison for Rhapthorne's soul in the form of the Godbird sceptre, a tall staff that would be entrusted to the royal family of Castle Trodain and remain guarded for centuries.

Rumors of the staff began to circulate the world in the intervening years, developing into a legend that it possesses incredible magical might that could turn the most humble dabbler into a powerful sorcerer. This is what drew the attention of Dhoulmagus, the failed student of Master Rylus of Farebury. Posing as a wandering jester, Dhoulmagus infiltrates the castle and steals the staff. Rhapthorne seizes this importunity and takes full advantage of the overwrought bitterness within the man, testing him by transforming King Trode and Princess Medea into mockeries of themselves when they attempt to stop him as a test before placing a curse on Castle Trodain that turns the inhabitants into plants and wraps the structure in a wall of immense thorns to prevent anyone within with knowledge of the sceptre's menace from following him. Unaware that a certain guardsman remained unaffected by the curse and that the King and Princess of the castle were spared by, Rhapthorne influences Dhoulmagus into murdering the descendants of the Seven Sages to break the seal on the sceptre and begins with Rylus.

Rhapthorne's killings earned him several powerful foes in the forms of Jessica Albert and Angelo, whose brother and foster father were assassinated by Dhoulmagus respectively. The mage and priest would join the cursed King and his company as the pursued Dhoulmagus across several continents. The jester's rampage would be put to an end inside the depths of the dark ruins in the northwestern island of the world, but Jessica would place her hands on the sceptre after the battle and become Rhapthorne's new vessel. Though still carrying strong negative feelings over the murder of her brother, Jessica is unable to be fully controlled by Rhapthorne and avoids killing a descendant herself. When confronted by the party in the city of Arcadia Jessica loses her grip on the staff, which is retrieved by a dog named Sir Leopold. Being an animal, Rhapthorne is able to fully possess the hound and continues his rampage until Leopold is killed in battle against the party in Savella Cathedral.

It is here when Angelo's scheming half-brother Marcello takes hold of the staff and uses it to kill the Lord High Priest of the cathedral after having the party arrested on accusation of the murder. Marcello is strong willed enough to resist being manipulated by Rhapthorne, but when defeated in battle he becomes too mentally exhausted to continue and becomes fully possessed. With the final descendant killed, Rhapthorne unseals his body on Neos and summons the Black Citadel to the world of light. The party invades the citadel with the aid of Empyrea, and defeats Rhapthorne in the heart of the fortress. Refusing to die so soon after his resurrection, Rhapthorne absorbs the magic contained within the citadel and becomes a colossus protected by in impenetrable barrier. He then summons all of his forces from the world of darkness and commands them to besiege all around them, replacing the normal encounters for the remainder of the game.

When the party gathers six legendary orbs to allow the Seven Sages to weaken Rhapthorne's barrier, they ride upon Empyrea's back and channel their power into replicas of the Godbird sceptre to shatter the shield. The climactic battle in the high skies ends with the heroes victorious and Rhapthorne's soul completely eradicated, with the curse he laid upon Castle Trodain and its people fading shortly after.

Rhapthorne I (ラプソーン Rapusōn)

Original (PS2)

Sprite	HP	MP	Attack
	4850	255	346
Defense	Agility	Experience	Gold
186	115	0	0

Bestiary no.	#286
Family	???
In-game description	The Lord of Darkness. His soul is imprisoned in the magical scepter of Trodain Castle, while his physical form is entombed within the Goddess Statue on the Holy Isle of Neos. He dreams of ruling the World of Light.
Spell(s)	Kafrizzle Kaboom
Skill(s)	Acts twice per turn Desperate Attack Disruptive Wave Freezing Blizzard Dazzleflash Lullab-Eye
Location(s)	Black Citadel
Item(s) dropped	None

Evasion	Attack Resistance	Frizz Resistance *	Sizz Resistance *
0⁄64	0%	25%	25%
Fire Breath Resistance *	Bang Resistance *	Woosh Resistance *	Crack Resistance *
25%	0%	0%	0%
Ice breath Resistance *	Strike/Rock Resistance *	Zap Resistance *	Drain Magic Resistance
0%	0%	0%	100%
Whack Resistance *	Poison Resistance *	Paralysis Resistance *	Fuddle Resistance *
100%	100%	100%	100%
Snooze resistance *	Dazzle Resistance	Fizzle Resistance	Ban Dance Resistance
100%	100%	100%	100%
Stun Resistance *	Sap Resistance *	Army Resistance *
100%	50%	0%

Remake (3DS, Mobile)

Notable Changes

HP 5350 Defence 196 Agility 125

Rhapthorne (ラプソーン Rapusōn)

Original (PS2)

Sprite	HP	MP	Attack
	5640	255	428
Defense	Agility	Experience	Gold
161	115	0	0

Bestiary no.	#287
Family	???
In-game description	The Lord of Darkness himself, taken physical form, and grown powerful enough to absorb the massive Black Citadel into his new body.
Spell(s)	Kafrizzle Kaboom Magic Burst (250~290)
Skill(s)	Attacks twice per turn Anger of the Gods (84~96) Burst out in defiant laughter Disruptive Wave Freezing Blizzard Inferno Lullab-Eye Meditation Sceptre Ball (attack/2 + 67) Summons Meteors (80~96) Arm slams on the party Evil Prayer
Location(s)	The Vast Skies
Item(s) dropped	None

Evasion	Attack Resistance	Frizz Resistance *	Sizz Resistance *
0⁄64	0%	0%	0%
Fire Breath Resistance *	Bang Resistance *	Woosh Resistance *	Crack Resistance *
0%	0%	0%	0%
Ice breath Resistance *	Strike/Rock Resistance *	Zap Resistance *	Drain Magic Resistance
0%	0%	0%	100%
Whack Resistance *	Poison Resistance *	Paralysis Resistance *	Fuddle Resistance *
100%	100%	100%	100%
Snooze resistance *	Dazzle Resistance	Fizzle Resistance	Ban Dance Resistance
100%	100%	100%	100%
Stun Resistance *	Sap Resistance *	Army Resistance *
100%	15%	100%

Remake (3DS, Mobile)

Notable Changes

HP 6500 Attack 448 Defence 191 Agility 125 No longer wastes turn laughing Anger of the Gods (160~192) Sceptre Ball (attack/2 +87)

Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies

#307 - Rhapthorne
HP MP Experience Gold 8500 17074 (99) 255 69600 2490 Attack Defense Speed 670 1406 (99) 550 825 (99) 230 336 (99)
Family	???
Bestiary #	307
Game	Dragon Quest IX
Console	DS
Romanized Jap.	Rapusōn
Description	"Evil incantations and Kafrizz form just part of this portly demon's plan to exterminate his enemies. Lick him with light. Some say his body is so big that is contains enough cursed power to contort the space-time continuum itself."

Additional Attributes
Fire	Ice	Wind	Earth	Light	Dark
100	100	100	100	150	100
Blast	Dazzle	Sleep	Death	Drain MP	Confusion
50	0	0	0	100	0
Fizzle	Inaction	Paralyze	Poison	Charm	Magic Res
0	0	0	0	5	50
Blunt	Sap	Decelerate
5	25	75

Rhapthorne also appears as a Legacy Boss in Dragon Quest IX, obtained after completing Quest #179 (or received at special events). He will become enraged once his health drops to orange range.

Treasure Level Range Secondary Drop Orb 1-3 Alefgard gloves 20% Purple Orb 5% 4-8 Alefgard gloves 25% Purple Orb 5% 9-15 Trodain trousers 15% Purple Orb 6% 16-25 Trodain trousers 20% Purple Orb 6% 26-40 Trodain trousers 25% Purple Orb 7% 41-56 Trodain bandana 20% Purple Orb 7% 57-68 Trodain bandana 25% Purple Orb 8% 69-80 Trodain togs 15% Purple Orb 8% 81-90 Trodain togs 20% Purple Orb 9% 91-99 Trodain togs 25% Purple Orb 10% In addition, he will always drop a mini medal.

Skills Level New abilities Initial Kafrizz, Kaboom, Disruptive Wave, Defiant Laughter, Slap on the Chops, Scepter Ball, attacks twice per turn 5 Lullab-Eye 10 Wrath of the Gods (attack/2 +37, hits 1~4 times) 16 C-c-cold Breath 22 Meditation 28 Starfall 34 Kafrizzle 41 Kaboomle, stops using Kafrizz & Kaboom 57 Evil Prayer, Magic Burst

Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker

Rhapthorne is available in both his forms.

Rhapthorne
Family	Beast
Rank	X
Description	A mighty god of darkness who comes in a very small package.
Weapons	Spears, Axes, Hammers, Staves
Traits	Artful Dodger, Zammeister
Resistances	Healed by Zam, Whackproof
Skill	Rhapthorne
Location	-
Breeding chart	Dhoulmagus x Nimzo

Rhapthorne (2nd Form)
Family	Beast
Rank	X
Description	A mighty god of darkness who comes in a very large package.
Weapons	Spears, Axes, Hammers, Staves
Traits	Artful Dodger, Psycho
Resistances	Healed by Zam
Skill	Rhapthorne II
Location	-
Breeding chart	Rhapthorne x Zoma

Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2

Rhapthorne appears in both his forms once again.

Rhapthorne
Family	???
Rank	X
Size	S
Weapons	Axes, Spears, Hammers, Staves
Traits	Artful Dodger, Disruptive Wave
Resistances	Vulnerable to Ban Dance, Immune to Whack, Healed by Zam
Skill	Rhapthorne
Location	-
Breeding chart	Dhoulmagus x Nimzo or Mortamor

Rhapthorne II
Family	???
Rank	X
Size	L
Weapons	Staves
Traits	Hit Squad, Grand Slammer, Tactical Trooper, Crafty Zammer
Resistances	Vulnerable to Decelerate, Immune to Donk, Whack, Poison, Confusion, Inaction, Paralysis, and Sleep, Healed by Zam
Skill	Rhapthorne II
Location	-
Breeding chart	Rhapthorne x Zoma or Orgodemir

Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 3

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Dragon Quest Monsters: Super Light

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Dragon Quest of the Stars

Rhapthorne resumes his role as the chief villain of the VIII scenario, and as a boss in several events.

Dragon Quest Rivals

Rhapthorne's first form was added to the game in the sixth booster pack update, "A Symphony of Small Hope". When the game's name changed to Rivals Ace, he appeared on another card in the third True Set expansion pack by the name of "Demon Lord Rhapthorne". Due to the game's end of service in 2021, Rhapthorne's second form never made an appearance.

Dragon Quest Tact

Both of Rhapthorne's forms appear as S-rank members of the ??? family during the limited Dragon Quest VIII event. His first form can also be battled in the Black Citadel in Journey of the Cursed King and his true form is also faced as a Mega Boss Battle. His first form can be unlocked after defeating him in All-Out Battle! Rhapthorne Edition on Very Hard Mode. His true form appears on his own banner alongside Geyzer.

Rhapthorne (ラプソーン Rapusōn)

Stats

Family		Rank		Role
???				Magic
Max Level		HP	MP	Move
130		744	424	2
Attack	Defense	Agility	Wisdom	Weight
238	228	365	368	65

Basic Skills

First		Second		Third
Lullab-Eye		Roaring Tempest*		Pitch Dark*

Awakening Skills

First	Second	Third
Barrier of Darkness / Stats Up	Bang Res +25 / Stats Up	Auto MP Regen (S): Restores MP at action start / Pitch Dark Potency +5% / Stats Up
Fourth	Fifth
Zap Res +25 / Stats Up	Rare Channel Anger: Action start: Rarely grants x1.5 spell potency/effects for 1 turn / Pitch Dark Potency +5% / Stats Up

Leader Perks

First

Lowers enemy Zam resistance by 25% in a 5x5 square around him.

Basic Perks

First	Second	Third
WIS +15 Max MP +15	Resurrection Portent: Action start on even turns until turn 10: Raises WIS and AGL for 3 turns	Pitch Dark Potency +2%

Perk Details

First

Barrier of Darkness: Nullifies damage 1 time only in 99 turns at battle start.

Frizz Resistance *	Sizz Resistance *	Crack Resistance *	Woosh Resistance *
Very Weak	Very Weak	Normal	Normal
Bang Resistance *	Zap Resistance *	Zam Resistance *	Snooze Resistance
Half Res	Half Res	Normal	Half Res
Poison Resistance	Physical Lock Resistance	Spell Lock Resistance	Martial Lock Resistance
Normal	Normal	Half Res	Super Weak
Breath Lock Resistance	Hobble Resistance *	Stun Resistance *	Dazzle Resistance
Normal	Normal	Super Weak	Normal
Curse Resistance	Paralysis Resistance	Confusion Resistance	Charm Resistance
Normal	Normal	Immune	Normal

Rhapthorne's True Form (暗黒神ラプソーン Ankoku Shin Rapusōn)

Stats

Family		Rank		Role
???				Magic
Max Level		HP	MP	Move
120		1,218	458	2
Attack	Defense	Agility	Wisdom	Weight
295	351	295	430	65

Basic Skills

First		Second		Third
Black Ball		Black Meteors*		Starfall*

Awakening Skills

First	Second	Third
Barrier of Darkness / Stats Up	Woosh Res +25 / Stats Up	Spell Potency +5% / Stats Up True Form Healing: Heals a major amount of HP for the user when HP drops to 70% or less, 1 time per battle
Fourth	Fifth
Zap Res +25 / Stats Up	Spell Potency +5% / Stats Up Auto MP Regen (S): Restores MP at action start.

Leader Perks

First

Lowers enemy Zam resistance by 25% in a 5x5 square around him.

Basic Perks

First	Second	Third
Max HP +30 Max MP +15	True Form Rage: Grants +30% damage dealt if user's HP is 70% or over at action start.	Starfall Potency +2%

Perk Details

First

Barrier of Darkness: Nullifies damage 1 time only in 99 turns at battle start.

Frizz Resistance *	Sizz Resistance *	Crack Resistance *	Woosh Resistance *
Normal	Very Weak	Very Weak	Half Res
Bang Resistance *	Zap Resistance *	Zam Resistance *	Snooze Resistance
Normal	Half Res	Normal	Normal
Poison Resistance	Physical Lock Resistance	Spell Lock Resistance	Martial Lock Resistance
Super Weak	Normal	Half Res	Normal
Breath Lock Resistance	Hobble Resistance *	Stun Resistance *	Dazzle Resistance
Normal	Super Weak	Immune	Normal
Curse Resistance	Paralysis Resistance	Confusion Resistance	Charm Resistance
Normal	Half Res	Normal	Normal

Trivia

• Rhapthorne's diminutive first form bears a slight resemblance to real world sea angels. Both feature prominent bio-luminescence in their abdomens, stubby appendages, and the Angel's antennae approximate with Rhapthorne's horns.
• When possessing both Dhoulmagus and Leopold, both hosts developed large, black-feathered wings reminiscent of a bird of prey. Neither of Rhapthorne's actually bodies have these traits, with his petite form bearing no wings at all, and his larger form having smaller bat-like wings.
• In Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2, the evil scepter Rhapthorne wields is called Malevolence.

Gallery

• 

  DQ VIII 1st Form concept art.

• 

  1st Form art.

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• 
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  Joker 1st form.

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  Joker 2nd form.

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  Joker 2 1st form.

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  Joker 2 2nd form.

• 

  Rivals 1st form.

• 

  Demon Lord Rhapthorne in Rivals Ace.

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  Tact 1st form.

• 

  Tact True Form.

• 

  Geyzer and Rhapthorne's True Form in Tact.

• 

  Both of Rhapthorne's forms.

• 

  Sofubi Monster toy