Ortega

"Ortega"
Dragon Quest III
Race	Human
Family	Erdrick (son)

Ortega was a famous Hero from Aliahan in Dragon Warrior III, and is the father of the legendary hero Erdrick. By Erdrick's 16th birthday, Ortega was believed to have fallen into a volcano and died, and so Erdrick set out to finish his father's quest.

After eventually traveling to Alefgard, Erdrick learned that Ortega had not died in the volcano, but had also fallen to Alefgard, albeit being severely injured and losing his memory along the way. Erdrick also learned that Ortega took upon himself a quest to defeat Zoma, but it was again believed he died trying to reach Zoma's castle. Upon reaching the end of Zoma's castle, however, Erdrick witnessed Ortega's final battle against King Hydra, where Ortega was defeated before Erdrick's own eyes.

The Hero Ortega

File:Ortega-intro.gif

Ortega fighting at the volcano, from the NES version of Dragon Warrior III.

When Erdrick was just a baby, Ortega left on a quest to destroy the archfiend Baramos. He is shown in an intro movie in Dragon Warrior III, fighting a dragon on top of a volcano which ends with both of them falling in. The intro is further expanded in the SFC and GBC remakes, showing Ortega travelling the world on his quest before finally reaching the volcano and the fateful battle.

It appears once Ortega found himself in Alefgard learned of the plight of the people, he made his way to Rimuldar and took upon himself the quest of defeating Zoma, eventually making his way to Charlock Castle and confronting one of Zoma's underlings, King Hydra.

After the fight with King Hydra, Ortega, neither able to see clearly nor hear, regains his memory and with his dying breath tells Erdrick that he is "Ortega of Aliahan and if you ever travel there, to tell my wife and son" what happened, that he's sorry he failed, and that he couldn't be there for them.

Fight Against King Hydra

Ortega is briefly a non-playable character, as the fight between Ortega and King Hydra is shown in battle mode. This fight cannot be won by Ortega, however through randomization, it can last for upwards of five minutes, and ultimately will end regardless once Ortega is out of MP . In the original NES version of Dragon Quest III, after being killed by King Hydra, a special "Ortega's Death" theme played. However, this song was removed from subsequent ports of Dragon Quest III.

Ortega's Helmet

Ortega outside Aliahan, from the Super Famicom remake of Dragon Quest III.

The remakes also added a helmet called Ortega's Helmet which could be obtained in Muor, where Ortega spent time recuperating after near death prior to his journey to the volcano. The helmet protects its wearer from all status ailments and is one of the strongest in the game, although there are a few with higher DEF power (such as the Great Helm and Mythril Helm).

It is highly possible, given the helmet's horned design, that this may be the Helmet of Erdrick seen in Dragon Quest II (and perhaps in Dragon Quest I, as the hero is seen wearing a helmet but the game has no equipment slot for any helmets, suggesting the Hero was already wearing a helmet he possessed from the start of his quest).

Trivia

If the Hero and his party defeats the dragon Divinegon, they are offered a wish to bring Ortega back to life. If this wish is granted, Ortega stays at the house in Aliahan with the hero's mother, and the player is no longer given free room and board at the house. This only applies in the remake versions of Dragon Quest III, as Divinegon does not appear in the original release.

In the original release the player cannot stay at the house in Aliahan for free after defeating Baramos.

See also

Youtube Video of Ortega's battle at the volcano

This page uses CC BY-SA-licensed content from FANDOM.