| Dragon Quest VIII (All) | |
|---|---|
| Weapon | Modifier(s) |
| Candy cane | Attack +1 |
| Oaken Club | Attack +7 |
| Giant Mallet | Attack +13 |
| Stone Axe | Attack +20 |
| Golden Axe | Attack +27 |
| Farmer's Scythe | Attack +28 |
| Sledgehammer | Attack +33 |
| Iron Axe | Attack +38 |
| Steel Scythe | Attack +42 |
| Battle Axe | Attack +45 |
| War Hammer | Attack +51 |
| Bandit Axe | Attack +55 |
| Moon Axe | Attack +60 |
| Hell Scythe | Attack +65 |
| Über War Hammer | Attack +69 |
| King Axe | Attack +80 |
| Bardiche of Binding | Attack +83 |
| Flail of Fury | Attack +93 |
| Conquerer's Axe | Attack +103 |
| Megaton Hammer | Attack +108 |
| Heavy Hatchet | Attack +110 |
| Flail of Destruction | Attack +125 |
Yangus
| Yangus | |
| Dragon Quest VIII | |
 | |
| Japanese name | ヤンガス |
| Romaji | Yangasu |
| Title | Merchant (current), Bandit (former) |
| Race | Human |
| Age | 32 |
| Voice actor | Ricky Grover (English) Fumihiko Tachiki (Japanese) |
"Cor Blimey, don't sneak up on me like that!"
Yangus (ヤンガス, Yangasu) is a main character in Dragon Quest VIII who accompanies the Hero on his quest. A former bandit, Yangus decided to change his ways after his life was saved by the Hero and he swore his undying loyalty to him. He refers to the Hero as "Guv" (short for "Governor") and considers him a true friend.
Yangus is a slow, but powerful brawler versed in physical combat who augments his abilities with thievery and other useful skills. He wields clubs, axes, and scythes in battle and is no stranger to unarmed combat.
Yangus also appeared in Dragon Quest: Shōnen Yangus to Fushigi no Dungeon, Itadaki Street Special, Fortune Street and is one of thirteen playable characters in Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below. His English voice is provided by English comedian and actor, Ricky Grover, who speaks with a thick Cockney accent.
Appearance
Yangus is a short and stocky man with tanned skin and gruff facial features. He is much more physically powerful than he looks, being able to lift up a chair with a grown man sitting in it above his head with ease, as seen in the bar brawl at Simpleton. Yangus has a round head with a bulbous nose and thick brows, an X-shaped scar on his left cheek, and his eyes have small pupils. He is constantly seen with stubble on his face and he has very short dark brown hair on top of his head, which can only be seen in concept art as it is always covered by his spiky yellow skullcap. Another scar is located across his left bicep.
Yangus wears no shirt but he wears a open fur vest, revealing his hairy chest and stomach. He also wears baggy turquoise trousers with a red sash around his waist, short brown boots, and metal wristbands. Around his waist, he also wears a leather sword belt with a cutlass hanging from his front, which he does not use.
History
Originally a bandit from Pickham, Yangus tried to "go straight", as he himself put it, but because of his appearance people didn't give him much of a chance, which brought him back to a life of crime. However, one fateful day, he tried to make some money off of tolling a bridge; the same bridge, which the Hero, King Trode and Medea were about to cross. Trode refused to pay - the bridge being within his kingdom - causing Yangus to attack the group, but his attack failed and he ended up collapsing the bridge while the Hero, Trode and Medea made it to the other side, leaving Yangus hanging on for his life.
Trode insisted the group leave Yangus. But the Hero decided to save Yangus, who thanked the Hero and in turn pledged his loyalty to him. It is during this scene that Yangus gives the Hero the nickname of Guv. When asked by Jessica early in the story, Yangus explains that it was the hero who "helped him go straight".
When the group reaches the town of Pickham, Medea is stolen and sold to Red, a woman who lives on the outskirts of the region. It's revealed that Yangus and Red have history together (strongly implied to be romantic). At the end of the game, after the final boss is defeated, Jessica informs the Hero that Yangus and Red have gone into business together.
Stats
| Attribute | Starting Stats | Maximum Stats |
| Level | 1 | 99 |
| HP | 30 | 781 |
| MP | 0 | 320 |
| Strength | 11 | 385 |
| Agility | 5 | 145 |
| Resilience | 7 | 205 |
| Wisdom | 2 | 210 |
| Initial gear | Oaken club, Bandit's grass skirt, Leather hat | |
Abilities
Yangus has the highest strength throughout the bulk of the adventure in the PS2 version, and through the entire journey in the 3DS port. But Yangus will also gain access to healing spells and the vital Share Magic if you dabble in his Humanity skillset, giving him some flexibility. This will help immensely in the beginning of the game, but as the journey progresses he will be outclassed by Angelo's and the Hero's support and healing options. He also has access to some of the most protective armour in the game, which increases his survivability in combat. Yangus has the lowest MP growth of all the characters, limiting his skill and magic usage.
Each of Yangus' weapon paths has high damage modifiers and various bonus attributes: Scythes if you want to steal items or have access to instant death attacks, Axes for the most helpful skills against metal slimes and inflict bonus damage to various monster families, and Clubs if you want to farm gold easier as well as break a foe's concentration. Humanity will lead to Yangus' more comedic abilities, like Underpants Dance and Golden Oldies, as well as the aforementioned healing and support abilities. His Fisticuffs skillset is considered by many players to be the most useful variant as well.
Axe
| Name | MP | Points | Target | Tension | Info | Oomph |
| Helm Splitter | 0 | 6 | One | Yes | Single strike that attempts to reduce the defense of the target time. Effect accuracy depends on foe's sap resistance. | yes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attack +5 | -- | 12 | -- | -- | Increase attack +5 when equipped with an axe. | -- |
| Hatchet Man | 3 | 19 | One | Yes | Single strike with a 50% chance of hitting the enemy and a 50% chance to be a critical hit if it connects. | |
| Critical Hit Up | -- | 26 | -- | -- | Increases chance of critical hit with axes from 1/64 to 1/32. | -- |
| Attack +10 | -- | 34 | -- | -- | Increase attack +10 when equipped with an axe. | -- |
| Parallax | 2 | 42 | One | Yes | Single strike that does 30% more damage than a normal attack to a single enemy and has an 1/8th chance of paralyzing the enemy for 5~8 turns. | yes |
| Axes of Evil | 2 | 54 | Group | Yes | Attacks a group of enemies with wind. Damage modifiers are 80% -> 64% -> 56% -> 40% -> 24% -> 16%. | First hit |
| Executioner | 3 | 66 | One | No | Single strike with a 50% chance of hitting the enemy and is an automatic critical hit if it connects. | |
| Attack +20 | -- | 82 | -- | -- | Increase attack +20 when equipped with an axe. | -- |
| Typhoeus' Maul | 6 | 100 | One | Yes | Single strike that does 50% more damage than a normal attack and deals double damage to beasts. Carries the wind element, further modifying damage. | Yes |
Club
| Name | MP | Points | Target | Tension | Info | Oomph |
| Attack +5 | -- | 9 | -- | -- | Increase attack +5 when equipped with a club. | -- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heart Breaker | 2 | 19 | One | Yes | Single strike that deals normal damage and has a 1/8th chance of stunning an enemy for one turn. | Yes |
| Penny Pincher | 2 | 25 | One | Yes | Single strike that deals normal damage and steals an extra 10% of gold from the enemy. | Yes |
| Monster Masher | 3 | 32 | One | Yes | Single strike that deals 10% more damage than a normal attack and deals 50% more damage to enemies of the material family. | Yes |
| Attack +10 | -- | 48 | -- | -- | Increase attack +10 when equipped with a club. | -- |
| Critical Hit Up | -- | 59 | -- | -- | Increases chance of critical hit with clubs from 1/64 to 1/32. | -- |
| Mind Breaker | 2 | 71 | One | Yes | Single strike that deals 25% more damage than a normal attack and has a 1/4 chance of causing an enemy to lose a turn. | |
| Attack +25 | -- | 82 | -- | -- | Increase attack +25 when equipped with a club. | -- |
| Gold Rush | 2 | 93 | One | Yes | Single strike causes 25% more damage than a normal attack and steals an extra 20% of an enemy's gold. | |
| Devil Crusher | 5 | 100 | One | Yes | Single strike that deals double damage to enemies of the demon or material family, and 10% more damage to all other types. | Yes |
Scythe
| Name | MP | Points | Target | Tension | Info | Oomph |
| Attack +5 | -- | 12 | -- | -- | Increase attack +5 when equipped with a scythe. | -- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steal Sickle | 0 | 22 | One | Yes | Single strike with a chance of stealing an item from the target. Success rate is 1/4th the normal item's drop rate. | Yes |
| Wind Sickles | 0 | 32 | One | Yes | Deals damage based on level to a single target, up to level 57. | No |
| Attack +10 | -- | 42 | -- | -- | Increases attack +10 when equipped with a scythe. | -- |
| Grim Reaper | 3 | 50 | Group | Yes | Attacks a group of enemies with a chance of instantly killing the targets. Effect accuracy depends on foe's resistance to whack. Damage modifiers are 75% -> 60% -> 52% -> 37% -> 22% ->15% | First hit |
| Critical Hit Up | -- | 60 | -- | -- | Increases chance of critical hit with scythes from 1/64 to 1/32. | -- |
| Stainless Steal Sickle | 0 | 70 | One | Yes | Single strike with a chance of stealing an item from the target; success rate is half the item's normal drop rate and damage is 25% higher than a normal blow. | Yes |
| Attack +25 | -- | 80 | -- | -- | Increase attack +25 when equipped with scythe. | -- |
| Grimmer Reaper | 3 | 90 | Group | Yes | Attacks a group of enemies with a small chance of instantly killing the targets; bonus 25% damage against the zombie family. Damages modifiers are 80% -> 70% -> 50% -> 30% -> 20% | |
| Big Banga | 30 | 100 | All | Yes | Heavy frizz damage to all enemies; 175~225 initial damage, 300~400 after level 54. | No |
Fisticuffs
| Name | MP | Points | Target | Tension | Info | Oomph |
| Attack +5 | -- | 3 | -- | -- | Increase attack +5 when not equipped with a weapon. | -- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agility +10 | -- | 7 | -- | -- | Increases Yangus' agility by 10 points. | -- |
| Knuckle Sandwich | 2 | 12 | One | No | Inflicts 150% damage to a single enemy. | Yes |
| Critical Hit Up | -- | 18 | -- | -- | Increases chance of critical hit to 1/32 with no weapon equipped. | -- |
| Attack +20 | -- | 25 | -- | -- | Increase attack +20 when not equipped with a weapon. | -- |
| Padfoot | 4 | 33 | -- | -- | Field spell that reduces the chance of random battles. | -- |
| Thin Air | 2 | 42 | All | Yes | Inflicts up to 132 points of damage on all enemies. | No |
| Multifists | 0 | 60 | 1-4 | Yes | 4 blows per attack each at 33% damage each. | First hit |
| Attack +45 | -- | 77 | -- | -- | Increase attack +45 when not equipped with a weapon. | -- |
| Boulder Toss | 4 | 100 | All | Yes | Inflicts 72-104 damage on all enemies. | No |
Humanity
| Name | MP | Points | Target | Tension | Info | Oomph |
| Whistle | 0 | 4 | -- | -- | Loud whistle that immediately initiates a random battle (where applicable). | -- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heal | 2 | 10 | Ally | Yes | Heals a single party member for 30-40 HP. | -- |
| Nose for Treasure | 0 | 16 | -- | -- | Field skill that gives the number of nearby treasure chests, but not their location. | -- |
| Warcry | 0 | 22 | All | -- | Deals no damage, but can cause all enemies to lose their next turn. | -- |
| Share Magic | 0 | 32 | Ally | Yes | Gives some of Yangus' MP to the targeted party member. MP donated is Level/2 +10, will not exceed current MP. | -- |
| Kabuff | 3 | 42 | Party | -- | Raises all party members' defence by 25%. | -- |
| Underpants Dance | 0 | 55 | All | -- | Deals no damage, but can cause all enemies to lose their next turn. Has a higher success rate than Warcry, similar to Kasnooze. | -- |
| Midheal | 3 | 68 | Ally | Yes | Heals a single party member for 70-80 HP. | -- |
| Kerplunk | All | 82 | Party | -- | Causes Yangus to perish, but resurrects and heals all other party members. | -- |
| Golden Oldies | 15 | 100 | 1-4 | No | Summons a bunch of geezers who strike random enemies four times. Damage per strike is Yangus' level multiplied by 1.5, plus or minus 10% |
Equipment
| Dragon Quest VIII (All) | |
|---|---|
| Helmet | Modifier(s) |
| Leather Hat | Defense +3 |
| Pointy Hat | Defense +7 |
| Turban | Defense +8 |
| Feathered Cap | Defense +9 |
| Stone Hardhat | Defense +15 |
| Hermes' Hat | Defense +20 |
| Slime Crown | Defense +20 |
| Iron Mask | Defense +25 |
| Iron Headgear | Defense +32 |
| Hades' Helm | Defense +33 |
| Raging Bull Helm | Defense +42 |
| Great Helm | Defense +45 |
| Skull Helm | Defense +49 |
| Metal king Helm | Defense +55 |
| Dragon Quest VIII (All) | |
|---|---|
| Armor | Modifier(s) |
| Plain Clothes | Defense+4 |
| Bandit's Grass Skirt | Defense+5 |
| Wayfarer's Clothes | Defense+7 |
| Boxer Shorts | Defense+8 |
| Leather Kilt | Defense+12 |
| Chain Mail | Defense+20 |
| Iron Cuirass | Defense+25 |
| Iron Armour | Defense+32 |
| Turtle Shell | Defense+37 |
| Silver Cuirass | Defense+44 |
| Heavy Armour | Defense+52 |
| Dragon Mail | Defense+60 |
| Spiked Armour | Defense+68 |
| Bandit Mail | Defense+80 |
| Dark Robe | Defense+87 |
| Gigant Armour | Defense+95 |
| Liquid Metal Armour | Defense+101 |
| Metal King Armour | Defense+120 |
| Dragon Quest VIII (All) | |
|---|---|
| Shields | Modifier(s) |
| Pot Lid | Defense+2 |
| Leather Shield | Defense+4 |
| Scale Shield | Defense+7 |
| Bronze Shield | Defense+10 |
| Iron Shield | Defense+15 |
| Light Shield | Defense+17 |
| Steel Shield | Defense+22 |
| Dragon Shield | Defense+30 |
| Flame Shield | Defense+34 |
| Bone Shield | Defense+36 |
| Power Shield | Defense+38 |
| Ogre Shield | Defense+45 |
| Silver Shield | Defense+48 |
| Ruinous Shield | Defense+50 |
| Big Boss Shield | Defense+50 |
| Thanatos' Shield | Defense+55 |
| Big Bad Boss Shield | Defense+59 |
| Metal King Shield | Defense+65 |
| Dragon Quest VIII (All) | |
|---|---|
| Accessories | Modifier(s) |
| Agility Ring | Agility +15 |
| Argon Ring | Attack +20 Agility +20 |
| Catholicon Ring | Defence +15 |
| Devil's Tail | Agility +10 |
| Dragon Scale | Defence +5 |
| Elevating Shoes | Agility +5 |
| Full moon Ring | Defence +10 |
| Goddess Ring | Wisdom +20 |
| Gold Bracer | Defence +4 |
| Gold Ring | Defence +10 |
| Gold Rosary | Wisdom +5 |
| Gospel Ring | Defence +5 |
| Holy Talisman | Defence +10 |
| Life Bracer | Defence +5 Max HP +30 |
| Meteorite Bracer | Agility +50 |
| Mighty Armlet | Attack +15 |
| Prayer Ring | Defence +5 |
| Recovery Ring | Defence +15 |
| Ring of Awakening | Defence +10 |
| Ring of Clarity | Defence +10 |
| Ring of Immunity | Defence +10 |
| Ring of Truth | Defence +10 |
| Ruby of Protection | Defence +15 |
| Scholar's Specs | Wisdom +15 |
| Skull Ring | Agility +15 |
| Slime Earrings | Defence +4 |
| Sorcerer's Ring | Wisdom +10 Max MP +30 |
| Strength Ring | Attack +5 |
| Templar's Ring | Defence +5 |
| Templar Captain's Ring | Attack +10 Wisdom +10 |
| Titan Belt | Attack +10 |
| Tough Guy Tattoo | Attack +8 |
Trivia
- Yangus is the only character in the original version of VIII to not hold a personal grudge against Dhoulmagus--he undertakes the dangerous journey with the party solely out of gratitude to the guv.
- Yangus is the first party member to have already joined the hero prior to the game's beginning. One could count the presence of Carver and Milly during the opening of VI, but that sequence is effectively a playable cutscene and the two aforementioned characters are removed immediately afterwards.
Gallery
Concept art
Tension concept
Dragon Quest: Shōnen Yangus to Fushigi no Dungeon
More concept art
Dragon Quest: Shōnen Yangus to Fushigi no Dungeon
Itadaki Street Portable
Itadaki Street DS
Fortune Street
Dragon Quest Heroes
