| Dragon Quest III (All) | |
|---|---|
| Weapon | Modifier(s) |
| Cypress stick | Attack +2 |
| Falcon blade | Attack +5 |
| Oaken club | Attack +7 |
| Copper sword | Attack +12 |
| Divine dagger | Attack +14 |
| Chain sickle | Attack +16 |
| Thorn whip | Attack +18 |
| Boomerang | Attack +19 |
| Edged boomerang | Attack +24 |
| Iron lance | Attack +26 |
| Steel broadsword | Attack +33 |
| Iron axe | Attack +38 |
| Spiked steel whip | Attack +40 |
| Flametang boomerang | Attack +42 |
| Siren sword♥ | Attack +50 |
| Mountaincleaver | Attack +51 |
| Dragontail whip | Attack +54 |
| Orochi's sword | Attack +65 |
| Zombiesbane | Attack +67 |
| Dragonsbane | Attack +79 |
| Thunderbolt blade | Attack +82 |
| Blizzard blade | Attack +90 |
| Stormlord's sword | Attack +95 |
| Bastard sword | Attack +105 |
| Gringham whip | Attack +105 |
| Sword of ruin | Attack +107 |
| Double-edged sword | Attack +115 |
| Sword of Kings | Attack +120 |
| Destructiball | Attack +135 |
| Hero | |
| Dragon Quest III | |
 
| |
| Sprite(s) |     
|
| Japanese name | 勇者 |
| Romaji | Yuusha |
| Race | Human |
| Age | 16 |
| Family | Ortega (father) Mother Hero (Dragon Quest) (descendant) Prince of Midenhall (descendant) Prince of Cannock (descendant) Princess of Cannock (descendant) Princess of Moonbrooke (descendant) |
| Voice actor | Hikaru Midorikawa (CD Theater) Nobuyuki Hiyama (Male, Japanese) (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Rivals Ace) (Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake) Yuko Minaguchi (Female, Japanese) (Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake) Toby Laurence (Male, English) (Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake) Jenna Sharpe (Female, English) (Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake) |
The Hero of Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation is a fabled, Legendary Hero from the days of lore and the ancient history of Alefgard. Though only appearing in one game, the legacy of The Hero would live on in the "Erdrick Trilogy", so named for the title bestowed upon them and carried forth by their descendants.
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, The Hero of Dragon Quest III is playable as an alternate costume for the game's version of the Hero, alongside the Luminary and the Heroes of Dragon Quest IV and VIII. This Hero has been given the default name Arusu (アルス) in order to differentiate him from the other three Heroes appearing in the game. Arusu has also appeared as his default name in official screencaps of the Super Famicom version and the 2D-HD remake of the game. In the CD Theater audio drama of the game, the Hero is named Arel (アレル).
Appearance
Although the Hero can be either male or female, their appearances are practically identical. They are of average height and build, and they have incredibly spiky, dark brown or black hair. The Heroine is slightly shorter than her male counterpart, her hair sticks up less, and she wears a pair of green studs as earrings. Around their forehead is a silver circlet inlaid with a green gem. They wear a long blue tunic over a yellow long-sleeved shirt and pants, a pair of knee-length leather boots, leather gloves, and a long magenta cloak around their necks. They wear a brown leather belt around their waist, and a scabbard strapped to their back.
The Hero wields a simple sword and a grey heater shield with an insignia of a dragon's head and two crossed swords on the front. The Hero's outfit is slightly different in the Famicom illustrations, having a gold circlet with a blue gem around their forehead, and a dark blue cloak around their neck. They are seen carrying a cutlass and a round version of Erdrick's shield. There were also no illustrations of the female Erdrick until the Super Famicom remake: in certain illustrations, the female Erdrick's outfit is more feminized, making her blue tunic a strapless miniskirt. In certain illustrations and depictions, the male Hero's hair is a lighter shade of brown and the gems on the hero's circlet and the female hero's earrings alternate between green and blue.
Appearances
Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation
The Hero was raised by their mother and grandfather in their home in Aliahan. Their father, the renowned warrior Ortega, was tasked by the king of Aliahan to assassinate the world-threatening archfiend Baramos on the very day of their birth. Sometime later, word of Ortega's supposed death at the Great Pit of Giaga reaches the kingdom and The Hero's mother proposes that her child can follow in Ortega's footsteps to free the world from Baramos' growing menace. The child is then trained to become a great warrior like their father and, on their sixteenth birthday, they officially depart to save the world. The king gives a word of warning to take companions with them on their quest lest they meet the same fate as their father and instructs them to visit Patty's Party Planning Place before leaving the safety of Aliahan.
The King of Aliahan has discreetly sent word of The Hero's journey to the monarchs of every major nation--this is why the Kings and Queen warmly receive them even though the citizenry knows nothing of their mission. The Hero encounters several towns and kingdoms throughout their journey and accomplishes many feats of heroism, such mending the wounds between the Faeries and the people of Norvik and freeing the nation of Jipang from the deceit of a sinister serpent. Six legendary Orbs are gathered by The Hero along their trek, which they use to hatch the legendary Everbird Ramia. The phoenix is the direct servant of the Goddess, and her camaraderie with The Hero is irrefutable proof of their destiny as the savior of the world. Additionally, The Hero encounters the dying Queen of Dragons in her remote mountain castle. Before she succumbs to her age, she gives The Hero the Sphere of Light and reassures them that their destiny is on of great courage and hardship for the benefit of the entire world.
After defeating Baramos, The Hero returns victorious to Aliahan only to be confronted by a new nemesis, Zoma. Taking up a new quest to defeat the true evil, The Hero travels through the Necrogond Shrine to the world below and arrives in Alefgard, which is sealed in perpetual darkness under the devil's heel. Here, The Hero fights back against the eternal night by freeing the entrapped Goddess Rubiss and besieging Zoma's Citadel. Against all odds, The Hero encounters their father fighting in the depths of the castle--Ortega had fallen into the world below during his fight at the crater of the Giaga volcano and resumed his mission by seeking to kill the evil plaguing both worlds at its source.
Tragically, Ortega is mortally wounded in a battle with the King Hydra before he can even reach Zoma, and is so severely burned by the dragon that he can no longer see. Sensing someone is present, Ortega embraces his death with despair and bemoans his inability to bring peace to his world and that he was never able to see his child grow up. Ortega then quietly dies in The Hero's arms.
Reaching the lowest level of the castle, The Hero kills the King Hydra before fighting through the animated corpse of Baramos and the fiend's very soul on their way to Zoma's throne. The devil mocks the would-be savior and the battle begins, with Zoma's impenetrable shroud of darkness being burned away by the sphere of light and leaving him vulnerable. After a vicious clash, The Hero emerges victorious, and Zoma begins to fade away--warning that hen though he may perish, there will always be an evil to take his place.
The castle begins to collapse due to the force of the battle, and The Hero emerges from the Nail Mark north of Tantegel. The light of the sun has begun to shine in Alefgard for the first time in untold years, and the people receive The Hero as nothing short of a messiah sent by the Goddess. The king bestows upon them the title of Erdrick, the most sacred honor that the land has, and the stratum gap between the world above and Alefgard closes before The Hero can return. Unable to rejoin friends and family above, The Hero settles down in their new home and begins a family that will continue their legacy of standing resolute in the face of desolating evil.
Base Stats
NES version
| Attribute | Starting Stats | Maximum Stats |
| Level | 1 | 99 |
| HP | 15 | 446 |
| MP | 6 | 218 |
| Strength | 8 | 181 |
| Agility | 6 | 156 |
| Resilience | 7 | 244 |
| Wisdom | 6 | 126 |
| Luck | 5 | 157 |
| Initial gear | Cypress stick, Plain clothes | |
In the Super Famicom remake of the game and all subsequent ports, The Hero's attribute growth is determined by their Personality. At the start of the game, The Hero is asked a series of questions by a mysterious voice in the sky, culminating in a short scene in order to see just what type of person The Hero is. There are 32 different personalities that can be assigned at the beginning, but it is possible to change it with the help of various books or accessories that can be found.
The Hero is not a genuine jack-of-all-trades character despite a decent spell list, with their stats focusing more on physical strength and durability more than spell casting--this results in an MP shortage once expensive spells such as Kazap and Omniheal are learned. This can be corrected with the application of an MP-boosting personality and by consuming Seed of magic and Seed of wisdom when found.
The Hero is not able to change classes like other characters in the game, with the abbot of Alltrades Abbey reprimanding them for attempting to slack in their duties. The Hero must always be in the party until after defeating Zoma.
Spells
The Hero is capable of learning a balanced mix of magic from both the Priest and Mage's pools, as well as some that are unique to them, such as Kaclang and Zap.
| Level Learned | Original Japanese | GBC Localization | Modern Localization | MP | Description |
| 2 | メラ Mera | Blaze | Frizz | 2 | A simple fire spell; affects one enemy. |
| 4 | ホイミ Hoimi | Heal | Heal | 3 | A simple healing spell. |
| 6 | ニフラム Nifuramu | Expel | Poof | 2 | Blows away weak enemies. |
| 8 | ルーラ Ruura | Return | Zoom | 8 | Instantaneous travel to a previously visited location. |
| 10 | ギラ Gira | Firebal | Sizz | 4 | A weak fire spell that affects a group of enemies. |
| 12 | アストロン Asutoron | Ironize | Kaclang | 6 | Makes The Hero immune to all enemy attacks for a short period of time. |
| 14 | リレミト Riremito | Outside | Evac | 8 | Exit a cave/dungeon with this spell. |
| 17 | ラリホー Rarihoo | Sleep | Snooze | 3 | May put a group of enemies to Sleep. |
| 19 | マホトーン Mahotoon | StopSpell | Fizzle | 3 | Try to block the enemies' spell. |
| 19 | トヘロス Toherosu | Repel | Holy Protection | 4 | Causes weak enemies to leave you alone. |
| 24 | ベギラマ Begirama | Firebane | Sizzle | 6 | This fire spell affects a group of enemies. |
| 26 | ライデイン Raidein | Zap | Zap | 8 | Affects one enemy; the first lightning type spell. |
| 29 | ベホイミ Behoimi | Healmore | Midheal | 5 | A stronger form of Heal. |
| 31 | イオラ Iora | Boom | Boom | 9 | Damages all targets with a powerful explosion. |
| 33 | ベホマ Behoma | Healall | Fullheal | 7 | Restores an ally to full health. |
| 35 | ザオラル Zaoraru | Vivify | Zing | 10 | 50% chance to revive a deceased party member. |
| 38 | ベホマズン Behomazun | Healusall | Omniheal | 62 | Restores the party to full health. |
| 41 | ギガデイン Gigadein | Thordain | Kazap | 30 | Causes around 200 points of electrical damage to all enemies. |
Abilities
Exclusive to the HD-2D remake, the Hero learns several abilities.
Equipment
The Hero has access to a very wide range of weapons, ranging from Swords, Spears, Axes, as well as Whips and Boomerangs in the remakes. They are capable of being outfitted with the heaviest armour, shields, and helmets available. Erdrick is also the only character capable of using the legendary equipment, which will prove useful when fighting against Zoma. In the remake versions, The Hero begins his journey equipped with a Copper sword and Wayfarer's clothes.
| Dragon Quest III (All) | |
|---|---|
| Helmet | Modifier(s) |
| Leather hat | Defense +2 |
| Hardwood headwear | Defense +6 |
| King's crown | Defense +6 |
| Fur hood♥ | Defense +10 |
| Iron helmet | Defense +16 |
| Silver tiara♥ | Defense +20 |
| Iron mask | Defense +25 |
| Ortega's Helm | Defense +30 |
| Hapless helm | Defense +35 |
| Mythril helm | Defense +38 |
| Great helm | Defense +45 |
| Mask of implacability | Defense +255 |
| Dragon Quest III (All) | |
|---|---|
| Armor | Modifier(s) |
| Scandalous swimsuit♥ | Defense+1 |
| Plain clothes | Defense+4 |
| Wayfarer's clothes | Defense+8 |
| Leather armour | Defense+12 |
| Leather dress♥ | Defense+15 |
| Shell armour | Defense+16 |
| Chain mail | Defense+20 |
| Silk robe♥ | Defense+20 |
| Cloak of evasion | Defense+23 |
| Leather kilt | Defense+24 |
| Iron armour | Defense+25 |
| Magical skirt♥ | Defense+25 |
| Glombolero | Defense+30 |
| Full plate armour | Defense+32 |
| Cat suit | Defense+35 |
| Magic armour | Defense+40 |
| Dragon mail | Defense+45 |
| Earthenwear | Defense+50 |
| Spiked armour | Defense+55 |
| Magic bikini♥ | Defense+65 |
| Hate mail | Defense+65 |
| Auroral Armour | Defense+82 |
| Blessed bikini♥ | Defense+88 |
| Shimmering dress♥ | Defense+90 |
| Dragon Quest III (All) | |
|---|---|
| Shields | Modifier(s) |
| Pot lid | Defense+2 |
| Leather shield | Defense+4 |
| Bronze shield | Defense+7 |
| Scale shield | Defense+12 |
| Iron shield | Defense+20 |
| Magic shield | Defense+25 |
| Dragon shield | Defense+32 |
| Tempest shield | Defense+35 |
| Silver shield | Defense+40 |
| Shield of Shame | Defense+42 |
| Power shield | Defense+50 |
| Ogre shield | Defense+60 |
| Hero's Shield | Defense+65 |
| Dragon Quest III (All) | |
|---|---|
| Accessories | Modifier(s) |
| Strength ring | Strength+7 |
| Tough guy tattoo | Strength+8 |
| Mighty armlet | Strength+15 |
| Doh-hican | Defence+3 |
| Garter♥ | Defence+3 |
| Gold rosary | Defence+4 |
| Leg warmers♥ | Defence+5 |
| Ten ton toupee | Defence+15 |
| Cower ring | Agility+7 |
| Skull ring | Agility+10 |
| Agility ring | Agility+15 |
| Mercury's bandana | Agility+30 |
| Meteorite bracer | Agilityx2 |
| Restless Heart | Resilience+10 |
| Gold chain | Resilience+10 |
| Weightlifter's belt | Resilience+15 |
| Recovery ring | Resilience+25 |
| Care ring | Wisdom+15 |
| Scholar's specs | Wisdom+15 |
| Goddess ring♥ | Wisdom+33 |
| Bunny tail♥ | Luck+8 |
| Golden tiara♥ | Luck+13 |
| Hen's tooth | Luck+20 |
| Sacred amulet | Luck+30 |
| Elevating shoes | Luck+50 |
| Dummy | |
| Slime earrings | |
| Ruby wristband | |
- ♥ denotes female only equipment.
Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies
In this game, it is possible to replicate The Hero's outfit by receiving pieces from defeating either Baramos or Zoma, who appear as Legacy Bosses in the game. An accolade is conferred to the player after wearing all of the pieces of this outfit.
Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age
In this game’s true ending after Serenica is shown to reunite with Erdwin, the beginning of Dragon Quest III is shown, with III's Hero appearing at the end to be awoken by their mother before setting off for Aliahan castle. Their mother was shown reading a red book that detailed the adventure of the Luminary before walking upstairs to awaken their child--whether this book is a historical account or a work of fiction is unknown.
Dragon Quest Treasures
Both Heroes are represented as statues, with base values of 5,000,000 each. They are given the title of Heralded Hero/Heroine for distinction's sake.
Dragon Quest Tact
The Hero is called Hero Erdrick and he appears as a S-rank member of the Hero family as part of the limited True Dragon Quest III event, appearing on his own banner alongside Baramonster. He can participate in Robbin' 'Ood's Battle Road as a party member.
| Hero Erdrick (ロトの勇者 Roto no yūsha) |  |
Stats
 |
||||
| Family | Rank | Role | ||
 Hero |
 |
 Attack |
||
| Max Level | HP | MP | Move | |
| 130 | 1,341 | 447 | 3 | |
| Attack | Defense | Agility | Wisdom | Weight |
| 561 | 450 | 445 | 281 | 65 |
Basic Skills
| First | Second | Third | ||
| Thunder Flash Character Builder: Kaclang |
Phoenix Descent* | Eternal Sword* Coup de Grâce: Giga Crosscut* |
||
Awakening Skills
| First | Second | Third |
| Crackling Power / Stats Up | Crack Res +25 / Stats Up | Physical Potency +5% / Rubiss's Fortune: Reduces damage by 20% for 3 turns at battle start / Stats Up |
| Fourth | Fifth | |
| Bang Res +25 / Stats Up | Physical Potency +5% / Max HP +100 / Stats Up | |
Leader Perks
| First | |
| Raises ATK of all allies, including himself, by 15% in a 5x5 square around him. | |
Basic Perks
| First | Second | Third |
| Max HP +30 ATK +15 |
Holy Guard: Battle start: Nullify some status ailments for 3 turns. | Eternal Sword Potency +2% Giga Crosscut Potency +2% |
Perk Details
| First | |
| Crackling Power: Action start on odd turns up to turn 10: Raises ATK, DEF, WIS, and AGL for 3 turns | |
| Frizz Resistance * | Sizz Resistance * | Crack Resistance * | Woosh Resistance * | |
| Very Weak | Normal | Half Res | Normal | |
| Bang Resistance * | Zap Resistance * | Zam Resistance * | Snooze Resistance | |
| Half Res | Normal | Very Weak | Super Weak | |
| Poison Resistance | Physical Lock Resistance | Spell Lock Resistance | Martial Lock Resistance | |
| Normal | Half Res | Super Weak | Normal | |
| Breath Lock Resistance | Hobble Resistance * | Stun Resistance * | Dazzle Resistance | |
| Normal | Normal | Normal | Normal | |
| Curse Resistance | Paralysis Resistance | Confusion Resistance | Charm Resistance | |
| Normal | Immune | Half Res | Normal |
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
The Hero of III, under the name Arusu, appears as one of four Heroes alongside the Heroes of XI, IV, and VIII. He wields the Sword of Kings and the Hero's Shield. While playing as the Hero during Classic Mode, Arusu appears as Round 6's opponent and is fought on the third version of Castle Siege.
Lineage
The Hero's bloodline is that of powerful men and women who save the world from the grips of darkness. While every person descended from them carries their spirit, the most notable are the protagonists of the first and second games. These are The Scion of Erdrick, The Prince of Midenhall, The Prince of Cannock, and The Princess of Moonbrooke. Their own adventures would shape the course of history for the betterment of the world and ensures that the name of Erdrick never leaves the heart of Alefgard.
Items Iconography
As the Hero's legacy has grown in the distant time between the third and first game, several items and pieces of equipment that once belonged to The Hero have Erdrick in their names. See the Erdrick Equipment article for more details on the sword and armor set, along with the emblem.
Beyond the gear The Hero took into battle, they also left behind a tablet with a message written left for their descendant in Dragon Quest. It gives instructions on what items are needed to create the Rainbow Drop, which is the location of Charlock Castle. The tablet is found in a small cave that would be named Erdrick's Cave after their passing.
Gallery
Trivia
- The manga series Gintama has a parody of Dragon Quest which stars Leukocyte King, a character based on III's Hero.
- As this is the first game in the mainline, numbered Dragon Quest series to allow players to determine The Hero's gender, the female version of Dragon Quest III's Hero is the first female main protagonist in that series.
- The Hero shares his voice actor in the audio drama with Android 16 from Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball series. He also shares his voice with Marth from the Fire Emblem and Super Smash Bros. series. Hikaru Midorikawa also voiced the character Derolin in the original The Adventure of Dai anime, a false hero who dresses almost identically to the male Hero a few years prior to the CD drama.
- In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, he shares his voice actor, Nobuyuki Hiyama, with Barry Kahn from Dragon Ball Super as well as the adult incarnation of Link from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (and, by extension, Link's appearances in the first two Super Smash Bros. games). Super Smash Bros. series creator Masahiro Sakurai also noted that Hiyama's performance may be recognized as Guy Shishioh from The King of Braves GaoGaiGar, and that his recording sessions for Ultimate as III's Hero were surprisingly quick and easy, thanks to his extensive prior experience in video game voice-acting.
- The name Arusu (アルス) has appeared various times throughout the series history. It appeared as a default name for the Hero in official screenshots for the Super Famicom version of Dragon Quest III. It is also the name of the main character from Dragon Quest Saga: Emblem of Roto manga first released in 1991. Arusu has been the default name for the Hero of Dragon Quest VII in both the official manga adaptation and in various screenshots for the game. Lastly, in the CG movie Your Story, Parry was named Alus.
- The Hero of Dragon Quest III is one of the few heroes in the mainline games to speak. If the Hero is the second character in the party order when entering Gaia's Navel, they will briefly be able to be spoken to and will recite the same dialog as any other party member.
Gallery
Hero concept art, circa 1987
Famicom art.
Taking flight with Ramia.
Super Famicom art.
Riding on Ramia on the cover of the GBC version
Art by Mutsumi Inomata.
Art by Mutsumi Inomata.
Wearing a Leather hat.
Wearing Iron armour.
Wearing Spiked armour.
Exploring Fifer's Spire.
Locked door.
Playing Treasures n' Trapdoors.
Dragon Quest Monster Storybook.
2011 V-jump illustration supporting the relief efforts for the Tohoku earthquake.
As seen in the Monster Battle Road series.
Dragon Quest: Monster Battle Road. (third from right)
Aurora's alternate costume.
Dragon Quest Character Figure Collection Roto no Monshou series.
Dragon Quest Sofubi Character merchandise series.
Bring Arts action figure series.
Super Famicom iconic pose.
Bring Arts figure extras.
Arusu casting Snooze.
Casting Bang.
The male Hero replicating his famous pose from the Super Famicom cover in Rivals.
The female Hero in Rivals.
Cut-in art.
New key art of the Hero & Heroine for the HD remake, featured in Weekly Shonen Jump
The Hero's statue in Treasures...
...and the Heroine's
Videos
Dragon Quest: Monster Battle Road Victory finishing move