Psaro (Character)
| Psaro | |
| Dragon Quest IV | |
 | |
| Sprite(s) | 
|
| Japanese name | ピサロ |
| Romaji | Pisaro |
| Title | Master of Monsters (Original Game) Magic swordsman (Monster Battle Road) |
| Class | Master of Monsters |
| Race | Demon |
| Age | Unknown |
| Voice actor | Daisuke Ono (Heroes, Japanese) Gwilym Lee (Heroes, English) |
Psaro the Manslayer (originally Saro and Necrosaro in the NES localization) is the central villain of Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen, and a recurring monster in the series. He is a powerful demon with a passionate hatred for humanity.
During his rise to evil, Psaro attempted to kill the hero, sought the secret of evolution, and searched for the resting place of Estark, Ruler of Evil. Enraged by the death of his beloved, Psaro became Psaro the Manslayer.
Appearance and Personality
Psaro at first appears fairly humanoid, though his red eyes, pointed ears, and vast powers would soon reveal him for what he really is. He has long silver hair, pale skin and wears a dark, baroque-styled outfit with a single distinct shoulder pad, spiked and appearing to be made of bone, and a long fur cape. He also has a single, long strand of hair sticking up out of the top of his head, known as an ahoge. Upon using the Secret of Evolution he turns into a likeness of Estark and steadily morphs into a vicious, horned demon with a second face on his torso as the player fights against him.
Psaro loathes humans, his Manslayer title likely derived from his stance on human presence. Despite this intense hatred, Psaro is remarkably kind to other beings, notably monsters and especially the elf Rose. His romantic attachment to Rose is so strong that it drives him insane when he learns of her murder and can be freed from the Secret of Evolution's maddening power if she is revived and brought before him. In the Japanese remakes, he has a personality which is known to be tsundere if party chat is used while he is in the party.
Appearances
Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen
Psaro is mentioned in every chapter, and his actions drive the game's plot. In the first chapter, Psaro orders the kidnapping of the children of Strathbaile in search of the child that is prophesied to stand against him one day, and Ragnar fights Psaro's Pawn as a final boss to this chapter.
In the second chapter Psaro is the top contender in the Tournament of Endor, having defeated five combatants in succession, when Alena and her party arrives. But after Alena defeats five fighters as well, he is nowhere to be found and Alena is declared the champion of the tournament. It is presumed that he went after the Golden Bracelet which Alena gave up to save Anya, the fake princess, in Vrenor.
In the third chapter when Torneko arrives in Endor, the tournament and Psaro are mentioned by several townspeople in hushed breath, and in the fourth, after the sisters Meena and Maya defeat Balzack, the Marquis de Leon appears stating that Psaro will not be happy about it, and then easily defeats the sisters.
The fifth chapter starts with Psaro leading a group of monsters into the hero's Hometown and killing everyone except the hero. After this he desires to resurrect Estark. When Estark's Crypt is discovered by the miners in Mamon Mine, Psaro leads a group of monsters from the Diabolic Hall to the mine. He is successful in resurrecting the ruler of evil, but the hero and his party are able to defeat Estark. Next, scenes of Psaro are seen in a dream sequence if the player stays in Strathbaile's inn.
After using the secret of evolution upon himself, Psaro takes up residence in Nadiria and becomes the final boss Psaro the Manslayer. Psaro the Manslayer is only the boss of chapter 5, as a sixth chapter was added to the remakes where Aamon is the final boss.
In the remake-exclusive sixth chapter, the players hear word of a legendary bloom of the world tree that can fully revive the dead. Setting out to find the bloom, the Chosen use it to revive Rose. Aware that she was murdered at the order of Aamon, she insists that she accompany the group to Nadiria to stop her lover. When she confronts the hideous form Psaro has become, the Secret of Evolution is undone by her tears and Psaro is returned to sanity. After being informed of Aamon's conspiracy, he joins the Chosen as a playable character.
Abilities
Psaro's initial state is quite powerful; he starts at level 35 and all his stats are high, not to mention he can learn powerful spells such as Lightning Storm and Magic Burst (most of which originally premiered in later Dragon Quest installments.) If the player chooses to pursue the bonus content and make Psaro an ally they will quickly find that he is more than a jack-of-all-trades, being adept at healing, support, and especially offensive abilities. If the time is taken to level him up he will swiftly become the most powerful ally in the game. He can furthermore equip cursed equipment without penalty and without having his stats zeroed. He can also equip the items given by Chow Mein and Foo Yung which include:
| Dragon Quest IV (DS) | |
|---|---|
| Spell | Level Learned |
| Fullheal | 35 |
| Multiheal | 35 |
| Kaboom | 35 |
| Kacrackle | 35 |
| Kasap | 35 |
| Kasnooze | 35 |
| Dragon Slash | 35 |
| Hatchet Man | 35 |
| Harvest Moon | 35 |
| Zoom | 35 |
| Evac | 35 |
| Safe Passage | 35 |
| Holy Protection | 35 |
| Oomph | 36 |
| Kazing | 38 |
| Metal Slash | 40 |
| Kathwack | 42 |
| Thin Air | 44 |
| Disruptive Wave | 46 |
| Puff! | 49 |
| Lightning Storm | 53 |
| Magic Burst | 60 |
Stats
- PSX, DS versions.
| Attribute | Starting Stats | Maximum Stats |
| Level | 35 | 99 |
| HP | 359 | 764 |
| MP | 276 | 697 |
| Strength | 154 | 228 |
| Agility | 131 | 239 |
| Resilience | 144 | 216 |
| Wisdom | 102 | 166 |
| Luck | 41 | 132 |
| Initial gear | Falcon blade, Zombie mail, Iron shield | |
In Monster Battle Road II Legend
Psaro appears as a playable character, as well as the boss for Legend Quest IV in Chapter 7: The demon Lord.
In Monster Battle Road Victory
After the hero of Monster Battle Road Victory wins over his/her rival Ryuuta, Psaro escapes from the game world to the real world to challenge the hero. After clearing the game, he will be at the harbor waiting for the hero to challenge him again.
Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below
Psaro is a secret playable character in the game. However, his level must be unlocked and he must be beaten before he will join. He wields greatswords in combat and uses a combination of Zam magic and martial arts. For his Coup-de-Grâce, Psaro uses the Secret of Evolution to transform into his demonic form and blasts enemies.
Trivia
- There are two Psaros in the remake; the other one is a gender-confused naked man.
- In the PSX version, if the player talks to the Psaro in the party, he will say "W-Why are you trying to talk to me?!"
- Psaro's appearance closely resembles Sephiroth from another popular Square Enix game series called Final Fantasy and have many things in common; such as having different forms as enemies and both being villains with tragedies. Because of their similarities, there are some jokes in Japan which involves the two, such as Psaro and Sephiroth are actually secret twins, or sometimes calling either one of them as "Psaroth".
- Psaro's outfit is roughly based off the baroque prince's outfit (Hence the puffed sleeves and pants), and implies that he may be a prince or from royalty. Also, in Dragon Quest IX's Japanese version of the bestiary, it mentions him as a prince.
- In Monster Battle Road Victory, his first person in Japanese is changed from "私" (Watashi is a polite saying as a first person in Japanese) to "俺" (Ore, a common first person used by boys, usually it is considered as impolite.). Many fans disliked his new first person.
- In Monster Battle Road manga and Victory, there is a genderbent version of Psaro named Queen Psaro (クイーンピサロ）. Unlike Psaro, who is ruthless and cold, she has a personality similar to Deborah. If beaten, a puff-puff can be gotten from her.
- Apparently, it is unknown if she has any relation to Psaro in any way.
Gallery
DS artwork
DQH: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below
Fighting against brownies
Battle in Dragon Quest Heroes
Psaro using the Secret of Evolution
See Also
