Ortega

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Ortega
Dragon Quest III
Ortega-battle.gif
Race Human
Age 32
Family Erdrick (child)

Ortega was a famous Hero from Aliahan in Dragon Quest III, and is the father of the legendary hero Erdrick. He departed from Aliahan at the king's request that he slay the arch-fiend Baramos before his evil machinations bring chaos to the world. 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.

The Hero Ortega

File:Ortega-intro.gif
Ortega fighting at the volcano, from the NES version of Dragon Quest 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 III, fighting a dragon on top of a volcano which ends with both of them falling in. The intro is further expanded in the Super Famicom and Game Boy Color remakes, showing Ortega travelling the world on his quest before finally reaching the volcano and the fateful battle.

The mountaintop battle in the snes version

Prior to this, Ortega visited nearly every town and significant location that his offspring later would, fostering a reputation as an incredible hero. Of particular note is his time spent in Mur, where the village children were in awe of him and gave him the nickname Peredvizhnik (previously Papagatero[1] and Pokapa[2]). One such youth, Petya (previously Popota[1][2], even viewed him as a surrogate father figure. Touched by the kindness of the children, Ortega left behind his helmet as a keep sake.

After falling through the mantle after his volcanic skirmish, Ortega found himself in Alefgard without his memories. Learning 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, just moments before his child arrives.

Ortega leaving Mur, from the Super Famicom remake of Dragon Quest III.

The fight with King Hydra would be Ortega's last, his body so badly burned that he was unable to see clearly nor hear. He regains his memory as his life fades 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.

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

Fight Against King Hydra

Ortega is a non-playable character, as the fight between Ortega and King Hydra is fully scripted. 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

The remakes also added a helmet called Ortega's helmet which could be obtained in Mur, 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, 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).

Known visits

Spells

Ortega is shown using these spells during his fight with King Hydra.

Trivia

If the Hero and company defeat the dragon Xenlon, 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 Xenlon does not appear in the original release.

Ortega has no memory of his death in Zoma's castle or his time spent in Alefgard, but is happy to be home. He states how proud he is of the fine young man/woman his child has grown into, and then quietly asks if there is a way to get his wife to ease up on the blabbering. All NPC dialogue, save for the mini medal collector and old man by the well, is affected by Ortega's revival.

In the Famicom version of Dragon Quest III, his appearance is a palette-swap of Robbin' 'Ood. This was changed in the English version for the NES, where he was given a unique appearance.

See also

Youtube Video of Ortega's battle at the volcano

Reference

  1. 1.0 1.1 Nintendo Entertainment System version
  2. 2.0 2.1 Game Boy Color version
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