King of Moonbrooke

King of Moonbrooke
Dragon Quest II Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake
Japanese name	ムーンブルク王
Romaji	Munburuku-O
Race	Human
Family	Erdrick (ancestor) Hero (ancestor) Princess Gwaelin (ancestor) King of Midenhall (cousin) King of Cannock (cousin) Queen of Moonbrooke Princess of Moonbrooke Prince of Cannock Princess of Cannock Prince of Midenhall

The King of Moonbrooke is a posthumous character seen in all versions of Dragon Quest II, and the father of the Princess of Moonbrooke. He is killed during the game's opening when the Children of Hargon lay siege to Moonbrooke.

Appearance and Personality

The King utilized the generic king sprite and had no characteristics to distinguished him from the other kings in past iterations of the game. In the HD remake he is depicted as a slender middle-aged man with long purple hair with matching goatee and mustache. His attire consists of a black robe with golden trim and belt covered by a red cloak with white trim, Moonbrooke's national colour, capped with a golden crown.

The King has little personality in the Famicom version of the game, where he is shown wandering the ruins of his kingdom and bemoaning that his daughter was transformed into a dog. His sense seem to have faded as he lingers in the mortal world, unable to recognize that his daughter stands before him when her cousins restore her form. In the Nintendo Entertainment System localization he is shown to be a deft fighter, striking back against the Children of Hargon.

In the HD version the King is shown to be a slightly somber character, quietly mourning the passing of the Queen of Moonbrooke some years prior while also suffering from an unknown illness. Despite this he was beloved by his subjects and his skill with magic was considered to be second to none prior to his malediction, with his cousins the King of Midenhall and King of Cannock finding it hard to believe he was slain in battle. The King was revealed to have had an adventurous side, using the windbreaker cloak to glide from his castle's tallest tower for several leagues. Both he and his wife were lovers of music and had their daughter schooled in brass and woodwinds just as much as she was in the magical arts.

Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line

The King was relaxing with his daughter in the castle courtyard one day when a guard suddenly alerted him that the forces of Hargon had breached the castle's walls. The King fights to protect his daughter from the horde but is eventually overwhelmed, dying in front of her. The tragedy of his murder and the fear of what will befall his daughter prevents him from passing into the next afterlife, and his soul wanders the ruins of his castle for the remainder of the game even during the ending.

Remake changes

The Super Famicom bundle of Dragon Quest I & II altered the prologue segment created for the NES localization and shows the King being a proper spellcaster like his daughter. The 16-bit remake also gave the King a good ending, showing him regaining his senses once Hargon is killed and rejoicing at being reunited with his daughter before ascending to heaven.

Dragon Quest II HD-2D Remake

The game's prologue has been slightly altered to show the aging King training his daughter in wind magic prior to the invasion, and now he is the one to transform the Princess of Moonbrooke into a dog. He had overheard some of the monsters stating that they would recognize him and his daughter anywhere and gambled that they would spare a simple animal, changing her in the castle basement after slaying groups with Boom and Kaswoosh. He would then take on more invading forces in the name of Erdrick's bloodline, before being overpowered by their fire spells.

His presence during the game's ending has been altered as well; when the Princess informs the Chancellor of Moonbrooke that she wishes to continue travelling with her cousins, the spirits of the King and Queen appear in the distance. They beckon their daughter to go forth and live her life, knowing they will always be in her heart.