Grim grinner

The Grim grinner is a recurring monster in the Dragon Quest series, first appearing in Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation.

Dragon Quest monster Grim grinner
Artwork by Akira Toriyama Japanese ダークホビット
ダークポックル (X onwards) Romaji Dākuhobitto
Dākupokkuru (X onwards) First appearance Dragon Quest VI

Characteristics

Grim grinners are diminutive goblin-like creatures with brown or orange skin, armed with short swords and a buckler displaying a hideous visage grinning with sharp fangs, giving the monster its name. The only clothing they wear are simple kilts made of sackcloth. The grinners are much better at defending themselves and their allies with their bucklers than their brethren, with a much sharper sword for slicing. When the monsters reappeared in IX, they had orange skin rather than their regular brown.

Appearances

Dragon Quest VI

Grim grinner (ダークホビット Dākuhobitto)

Original (SFC)

Sprite	HP *	MP	Attack	Defense
	50	0	48	42
Agility	Experience *	Gold	Tame Rate
16	60	45	NA

Bestiary No.	#044
Spell(s)	None
Skill(s)	Defending Champion Targets ally with lowest HP.
Location(s)	Underkeep Ghent region Murdaw's Keep region Scrimsley region
Item(s) Dropped	Medicinal herb1⁄16

Evasion	Frizz Resistance *	Sizz Resistance *	Fire Breath Resistance *
0%	25%	25%	25%
Bang Resistance *	Crack Resistance *	Ice Breath Resistance *	Woosh Resistance *
25%	25%	25%	25%
Strike/Rock Resistance *	Zap Resistance *	Drain Magic Resistance *	Whack Resistance *
60%	25%	100%	100%
Poof Resistance *	Poison Resistance *	Burning Breath Resistance	Fuddle Resistance *
100%	15%	80%	0%
Snooze Resistance *	Dazzle Resistance *	Fizzle Resistance	Ban Dance Resistance
50%	50%	100%	100%
Stun Resistance *	Sap Resistance *	Army Resistance *
15%	0%	25%

Remakes (DS, Mobile)

Sprites	Notable Changes
	None

There is a grim grinner guarding a lost ring at the bottom of the well in Somnia. He speaks in a similar way to the Gollum character from the Lord of the Rings books and series of films, comically referring to 'his precious', complete with long lisps.

Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies

##139 - Grim grinner
HP MP Experience Gold 110 24 760 118 Attack Defense Speed 115 176 110
Dropped Item	Cautery sword1⁄64 Magic shield1⁄64
Locations	Eastern Wormwood Western Wormwood Grotto
Skills	Chilly Breath Defending Champion Whipping Boy
Spells	None
Family	Humanoid
Bestiary #	#139
Game	Dragon Quest IX
Console	DS
Japanese Name	ダークホビット
Romanized Jap.	Dākuhobitto
Description	Hellish, ice-breathing gnomes that wield a mean shield, and supplement their defence with Defending Champion. They come from families of long standing in the world of shield collecting, and have stacks of spares.

Dragon Quest X

Grim grinners debuted in Version 1.0 of the game, appearing in groups of 1 to 3 and possessing high attack power, defending themselves with Immense Defence. They will attack with Freezing Blizzard, as well as C-c-cold Breath if they become enraged. Starting with Version 6.1 of the game, the monster's Japanese name was changed to coincide with their appearance in Tact.

Dragon Quest Tact

Grim grinner appears as a B-rank monster of the Demon family as part of the limited Dragon Quest IX event. It can be recruited from the Summoner of Demons stage of "Wishes Come True" at any difficulty and can participate in Stella's Battle Road as a party member. The monster was originally known as Dark Paul when it was introduced, but was changed to Grim grinner in a June 2023 update.

Grim grinner (ダークポックル Dākupokkuru)

Stats

Family		Rank		Role
Demon				Attack
Max Level		HP	MP	Move
110		866	201	2-3
Attack	Defense	Agility	Wisdom	Weight
470	246	293	118	25

Basic Skills

First		Second		Third
Attack Prep		Shade Slash*		Shield Tackle*

Awakening Skills

First	Second	Third
Move +1 / Stats Up	Woosh Res +25 / Stats Up	Shield Tackle Potency +5% / Stats Up
Fourth	Fifth
Zap Res +25 / Stats Up	Shield Tackle Potency +5% / Stats Up

Leader Perks

First

N/a

Basic Perks

First	Second	Third
ATK +5	Shield Tackle Potency +2%	N/a

Perk Details

First

Move +1: Raises Move by 1.

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	Half Res
Poison Resistance	Physical Lock Resistance	Spell Lock Resistance	Martial Lock Resistance
Normal	Normal	Normal	Super Weak
Breath Lock Resistance	Hobble Resistance *	Stun Resistance *	Dazzle Resistance
Normal	Normal	Normal	Normal
Curse Resistance	Paralysis Resistance	Confusion Resistance	Charm Resistance
Immune	Super Weak	Half Res	Normal

Etymology

The grim grinner's original Japanese name, Dark Hobbit (ダークホビット, Dākuhobitto) is a reference to the fictional race of Hobbits from the novels of J.R.R. Tolkien. Hobbits are small creatures with appearances similar to humans who live barefooted due to having tough leathery souls and hairy feet. In Version 6.1 of X and Tact, the monster's name was changed to Dark Pokkur (ダークポックル, Dākupokkuru), referencing the Korpokkur, a race of diminutive beings from the folklore of the Ainu people of Japan. Korpokkurs, also known as koropokkurus, were believed to live in the Ainu's land before they did. They are short of stature, agile, skilled at fishing, and live in underground homes with roofs made of butterbur leaves.

Gallery

• 

  Grim grinner beneath the Somnia well in VI. (Cell phone)

• 
• 

  IX official art.

• 

  A Grim grinner in X.

• 

  Rivals card.

• 

  Dark paul in Tact.

• 

  DQ Trading Card.

Related enemies

• Leery lout
• Gum shield
• Leery lantern

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