Kleo

Kleo
Dragon Quest Monsters +
Japanese name	クリオ
Race	Human
Age	Around 10
Family	Unnamed mother Marine (little sister)

Kleo is the protagonist of the manga Dragon Quest Monsters +. Whisked away from his quiet village by Watabou to help save the dying kingdom of GreatTree, Kleo is shocked to find that what the people need isn't a Hero, but a Monster Master capable of befriending the most ferocious beasts.

Appearance and Personality

Kleo wears an indigo shirt with long sleeves under a light green tunic and a white neck warmer. He has shoulder length blue hair he keeps in a ponytail, and has two distinct cowlicks that flare up over the sides of his hat. He carries a sword carved from wood on his back, and also wears a large satchel bag at his side.

Kleo is a young boy with his head in the clouds who fantasizes about becoming a Hero like the mythical saviors he reads about in books, which spurs him to set traps for slimes in the forest near his village in the hopes to ensnare a Mottle slime to train against. Despite his mother's insistence that monsters are beings capable of befriending humans if shown kindness, Kleo initially only views monsters as obstacles to overcome on his journey; it is only after working with the slime Slib during their first battle that he begins to view monsters as potential companions.

Despite his obsession with becoming a Hero appearing like a typical youth's flight of fancy, Kleo does take the notion of heroics seriously and did not recant his offer to help the kingdom of GreatTree despite his initial misgivings. His sense of duty is further developed thanks to the good influence of the Heroes he encounters through GreatTree's Teleportals, aiding his growth in the absence of a father figure.

Appearances

Dragon Quest Monsters +

The manga introduces Kleo as a reckless rascal bullying the slimes in the forest around his home with a Cypress stick. The night one such incident left his hands covered in bite marks and got him scolded by his mother, Kleo laments his lot in life on his bed while reflecting on his dream of becoming a Hero. While lost in thought, he fails to notice a soft glow emerging from his dresser until the monster Watabou pops out of one of the drawers. Initially assuming the puffball to be a demon lord, Kleo listens to the monster explain that it needs someone to help save it's dying world and is instantly enthralled, thinking this will be his first step to becoming a Hero. Ignoring Watabou's warning that he won't be able to return for a long time after undergoing the journey and failing to ask for any clarification on the circumstances of the mission, Kleo accompanies him through the Teleportal in his dresser and enters a new world.

Awakening on the starry night shrine, Kleo is greeted by Omelette the monster egg consultant and given a tour of GreatTree before being escorted to the King's throne room for formal introductions. Kleo is flabbergasted to learn that what the kingdom needs isn't a Hero, but rather a Monster Master now that Terry, the previous Master, has mysteriously vanished. Kleo bluntly asks to return home at this realization and refuses to listen to the King's further elaboration of GreatTree's circumstances, but his complaints are interrupted when a wild monster breaks into the throne room and nearly burns the boy to ashes--he is only saved by the timely intervention of Mamon's Xenlon. After witnessing the old man's team easily handle the situation without even having to harm the wild monster, Kleo insists on staying and learning the ways of monster taming.

Kleo is then taken to the monster farm on the tree's canopy, where he meets Slib and joins forces with him after a terrible first impression once the two of them are insulted by another Monster Master. As Kleo learns that Watabou is the spirit of GreatTree itself and that his waning life force is being threatened by a phenomena known as the wave of evil, he and Slib put their differences aside to insure the kingdom's safety. Their preparations to enter a teleportal are interrupted by the arrival of the Dragonlord, who runs wild within the tree's halls before being confronted by the duo. Unfortunately, their skills are no match for the incredible monster and they are nearly killed before being saved by Mamon's team. However this was the moment the sovereign of serpents was waiting for and he absorbs Xenlon, changing from his humanoid form to the towering dragon and departing with mocking words. Refusing to accept their defeat, Kleo and Slib enter the teleportal with the goal of recovering Xenlon and discovering the origin of the waves of evil that threaten GreatTree.

Trivia

• Kleo is rather handy, having made his own clothes and whittle the wooden sword on his own.

Gallery

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  Insert art for volume 1 of the manga.

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  Kleo's slime hunt goes awry.