Ruff
Dragon Quest VII
Gabo3DS.png
Sprite(s) Dq7 gabo-sprite.gifRuff copy sprite.png
Japanese name ガボ
Romaji Gabo
Old localization Gabo
Title Wolf Boy
Class Adjustable
Race White Wolf, later Human
Age Early teens
Family Woodcutter (Adoptive Father)
Voice actor Mutsumi Tamura (Heroes II, Japanese)
Harry Marcus (Heroes II, English)
A boy raised in the wild, full of innocence and warmth. Despite his youth, he has incredible survival instincts, and can run circles around the fiercest of monsters. Little is known about his background. --Description from the Dragon Quest VII PSX instructional manual.

Ruff is a playable character in Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past. He is a White Wolf that was turned into a human.

Appearance and personalityEdit

Ruff is a small, young boy with long unkempt black hair. He appears to be missing one of his front teeth. He is bare-chested, but wears a blue cloth that is fixed like a cape, sackcloth shorts held together by a rope, and a sackcloth bandana on top of his shaggy mane. In the 3DS remake, Ruff is accompanied by his adoptive wolf mother, whom he rides on the back of. Her appearance sometimes changes along with Ruff's when his Vocation changes.

When the player gains Ruff as a party member in the beginning, he is unable to communicate because he was originally a white wolf. However, due to a spell by Hackrobat, he is able to speak. Maribel says that he is "quite the talker".

Ruff carries over traits from being a White Wolf, including agility and enhanced senses. He is a fast runner on two feet. He can also bite an enemy and paralyze them, however this was only shown after the battle against Hackrobat and not since.

He is constantly looking to eat. Should the Hero talk with him, Ruff almost always asks for food. He also loves competition and fighting. He looks for any chance to prove himself.

Ruff doesn't understand complicated human behavior such as courtship and tact. During the quest in Greenthumb Gardens, Ruff speaks of his confusion concerning Carraway and Lavender. At Alltrades Abbey, Ruff asks Eustace why legs are so short. He appears to have a precocious crush on Jacqueline, as he becomes dismayed when the party returns to the present to find that an old man has taken her place at Alltrades Abbey in the present.

In the 3DS remake, if the player decides to look in a mirror while Ruff is the first character in the party line-up, he will admire his nose, state that he licks his face clean every morning, find some leftover breakfast around the corner of his mouth, express confusion at seeing his own reflection, have fun watching his movements in the mirror, comment on how short his tongue is as a human compared to when he was a wolf, and say that mirrors don't taste nice to lick.

AppearancesEdit

Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten PastEdit

Ruff is a white wolf, a race of wolves that have long protected the town of L'Arca. His mother was the sole survivor of a battle with Hackrobat, but she died shortly after giving birth to him, leaving Ruff as the last of his kind. Ruff was adopted and raised by a common grey wolf.

Shortly before the events of the game, a farmer from L'Arca found Ruff injured outside of town, and brought Ruff to his barn to rest and recover; there, Ruff was chained to a wall for both the farmer's protection and the safety of Ruff. It was then that Hackrobat returned. To spite the village, he cast a spell that turned all of the residents of L'Arca into animals and vice versa, transforming Ruff into a human. In his new form, the collar and chain were too tight and started choking him.

The Hero, Kiefer, and Maribel reach L'arca after Hackrobat's spell. Inside a shack, they find Ruff chained to a wall by his neck. The Hero and his party is unable to free him. After getting the woodcutter from the present, he frees Ruff and he runs out of the town.

As the party begin to fight Hackrobat, Ruff arrives and bites the monster. The party, along with the Woodcutter, engage the monster in combat. The party defeats Hackrobat and Ruff bites him again. With this bite, Hackrobat is paralyzed. He realizes that Ruff is actually a white wolf who was caught in the spell that he cast in L'Arca. As a parting gift, Hackrobat casts his final spell on him. This spell curses him to remain in human form forever. The party reseals Hackrobat in the coffin again, undoing the spell in L'Arca.

After the battle is finished, the party thanks the boy, who identifies himself as Ruff. They are surprised that he is able to speak but he can only communicate in simple sentences like "Ruff go" and growling. With his ability to understand animal speech, the Woodcutter explains to the party the story of the lone white wolf who survived the first battle with the Hackrobat, who turned out to be Ruff's mother who died from her injuries after giving birth to him. His wolf companion found the newborn Ruff, adopting him and deciding to raise the boy as if he were her own son.

The party returns to L'Arca to see the spell undone. They visit the farmer who took care of Ruff to find to his disbelief that the wolf had disappeared. Leaving the shack, they see Ruff and his wolf companion outside the building. The Woodcutter understands that he wanted to thank the man for his kindness. It is in this moment that the Woodcutter decides to adopt Ruff.

The party, along with the wolf, the Woodcutter, and Ruff return to the portal and step through it, finding themselves back in the Shrine of Mysteries. The Woodcutter tries to bring Ruff with him but he refuses, saying that the seal on Hackrobat could have only been broken on the outside and that whomever broke the seal was very powerful. Therefore, he wanted to defeat the evil that broke the seal in the Grotta del Sigilo. The woodcutter acknowledges this request and allows Ruff to go with the party.

The party goes to the Grotta del Sigillo in the present and returns to the place where the monster was previously sealed. They hear a voice telling them to "run away or face the consequences". Instead, they opened up the coffin once more. Hackrobat is revealed to be in a human form now. He figures that it is punishment for what he did before. He recognizes the party and wants to make up what he did to Ruff in the past. He tries using magic to return Ruff to his wolf form, but he fails. Instead, he makes him more human and gives Ruff the power to speak the human language. Ruff is ecstatic that he is finally able to communicate with the party. Hackrobat also gives the party a Blue Fragment to the party. The party leaves the Grotta del Sigillo to continue on their adventure.

Base StatsEdit

Attribute Starting Stats Maximum Stats
Level 1 99
HP 47 780
MP 0 650
Strength 20 350
Agility 35 350
Resilience 10 190
Wisdom 3 210
Style 3 80
Initial gear

SkillsEdit

Ruff learns the following abilities naturally.

Level Skill/Spell MP Required Target Info Oomph
2 Aooo! 0 One Group If successful, prevents enemies from acting for one turn. No
4 Chomp 0 One Enemy Deals 80%~150% damage to one enemy in the PSX version, and no damage modification in the remake. N/A
6 Roar Deal 0 One Enemy If successful, both Ruff and target are reduced to ~20% HP. Identical to Body Slam. No
8 Sic'em 0 One Group Damages one group of enemies. Successive hits do less damage, similar to Roundhouse Kick. N/A
13 Call of the Wild 2 Random Enemies Summons wolves to attack enemies. Damage is (Level x 1.5) +/- 10% over four random targets, with a fixed accuracy of 75% . In the 3DS remake, damage is calculated as (Level+5) +/- 10%. N/A

EquipmentEdit

Dragon Quest VII (All) 
Weapon Modifier(s)
Steel broadsword Attack-16
Chain sickle Attack-13
Iron lance Attack-11
Divine dagger Attack-7
Copper sword Attack-5
Bronze knife Attack-4
Bamboo spear Attack-2
Cypress stick Attack-1
Poison needle Attack+1
Poison needle plus Attack+1
Bone stake Attack+6
Oaken club Attack+8
Stone fangs Attack+12
Boomerang Attack+15
Stone axe Attack+19
Iron claws Attack+21
Edged boomerang Attack+26
Slime stick Attack+28
Steel fangs Attack+35
Iron axe Attack+38
Knuckledusters Attack+40
Fire claws Attack+53
Icicle dirk Attack+62
Flametang boomerang Attack+65
Ferocious fangs Attack+73
Dragon claws Attack+85
Cobra claws Attack+90
Beast claws Attack+95
Flail of destruction Attack+125
Orichalcum fangs Attack+135

Dragon Quest VII (All) 
Helmet Modifier(s)
Canny cap Wisdom+30
Leather hat Defense+3
Pointy hat Defense+5
Shellmet Defense+8
Mad cap Defense+8
Iron pot Defense+9
Fur hood Defense+11
Turban Defense+12
Raving mad cap Defense+13
Pirate's hat Defense+19
Hermes' hat Defense+24
Duplic hat Defense+25
Pillager's helmet Defense+25
Slime crown Defense+31
Happy hat Defense+37
Seacow sallet Defense+40
Haywire helm Defense+42
Sun crown Defense+52
Metal king helm Defense+60
Mask of Implacability Defense+255

Dragon Quest VII (All) 
Armor Modifier(s)
Rags Defense+3
Plain clothes Defense+4
Boxer shorts Defense+5
Wayfarer's clothes Defense+7
Leather kilt Defense+12
Silk robe Defense+13
Fur cape Defense+18
Slime gooniform Defense+20
Cloak of evasion Defense+28
Garish garb Defense+28
Magic vestment Defense+30
Tortoise shell Defense+33
Windcheater Defense+33
Cirrus surplice Defense+38
Glombolero Defense+40
Glitzy glombolero Defense+50
Heavy armour Defense+50
Flowing dress Defense+65
Slime armour Defense+67
Dark robe Defense+78
Pallium regale Defense+90

Dragon Quest VII (All) 
Accessories Modifier(s)
Slime earrings Attack+1
Strength ring Attack+7
Mighty armlet Attack+15
Fire Amulet Attack+25
Bow tie Defense+2
Gold bracer Defense+5
Life ring Defense+5
Lucky pendant Defense+5
Prayer ring Defense+5
Trailblazing bandana Defense+5
Earth Amulet Defense+10
Kamikazee bracer Defense+10
Kerplunk bracer Defense+10
Ruby of protection Defense+10
Water Amulet Defense+10
Gospel ring Defense+50
Agility ring Agility+15
Snappy slippers Agility+25
Mercury's bandana Agility+30
Air Amulet Agility+50
Windbreaker Agility+50
Meteorite bracer Agilityx2
Wrecked specs
Soldier's medal
Mermaid moon
Lifesaving medal
Eye of Rubiss
Extra elevating shoes
Elevating shoes
Champion's belt
Bunny tail


StrategyEdit

When Ruff joins the party after the events at L'Arca, he starts at level 1. Therefore, it is advisable to keep him in the back until he gains levels. After level 2, he learns Aooo! which will allow him to participate in battle. As he gains levels, he can move to third position until he is on the same levels as the rest of the party.

Ruff is naturally fast. Attacks miss him more often than the rest of the party. When he reaches the same levels as the party, he will usually attack first. He will also gain strength in bounds so that when he reaches certain levels, he is doing significant damage. When he learns Sic 'Em and Call of the Wild, he will become more adept in defeating enemies.

Ruff can equip light armor and furs and his selection of shields and helmets is limited. He is the only one who can wield claws and fangs. Much like a martial artist, Ruff's attack will actually goes down if he equips certain weapons such as swords. He is also capable of equipping Boomerangs.

As Ruff is the only party member besides the Hero to stay in the party throughout the duration of the game, he is best made to learn vocations that increase his strength, like Warrior and Martial Artist. It would also be a good idea for him to become a Priest, as both the Hero and Maribel learn healing magic naturally. If the player wishes to learn advance vocations, Ruff and the Hero are the best bet.

Dragon Quest TactEdit

Ruff appears as a S-rank member of the Hero family as part of the limited Dragon Quest VII event, appearing on his own banner alongside Pandora's Box.

Ruff (ガボ Gabo) 
Stats


 
Family Rank Role
 
Hero
   
Attack
Max Level HP MP Move
120 867 367 4
Attack Defense Agility Wisdom Weight
516 347 471 197 60
Basic Skills
First Second Third
Rolling Wind Claw White Wolf Thrust Lupine Gust
Ruff Rider
Awakening Skills
First Second Third
White Wolf Legend / Stats Up Woosh Res +25 / Stats Up Lupine Gust Potency +5%
Ruff Rider Potency +5% / Stats Up
Fourth Fifth
Zam Res +25 / Stats Up Lupine Gust Potency +5%
Ruff Rider Potency +5% / Stats Up
Leader Perks
First
Raises Woosh-type physical potency of allies, including himself, by 20% in a 5x5 square around him.
Basic Perks
First Second Third
Animal Instincts: Raises Woosh-type physical potency by 10% and critical hit rate by 5%. AGL +20
ATK +15
Lupine Gust Potency +2%
Ruff Rider Potency +2%
Perk Details
First
White Wolf Legend: Raises ATK and AGL for 3 turns at the start of battle.
Frizz Resistance * Sizz Resistance * Crack Resistance * Woosh Resistance *
Normal Normal Very Weak Half Res
Bang Resistance * Zap Resistance * Zam Resistance * Snooze Resistance
Very Weak Normal Half Res Super Weak
Poison Resistance Physical Lock Resistance Spell Lock Resistance Martial Lock Resistance
Normal Normal Normal Normal
Breath Lock Resistance Hobble Resistance * Stun Resistance * Dazzle Resistance
Normal Half Res Immune Half Res
Curse Resistance Paralysis Resistance Confusion Resistance Charm Resistance
Super Weak Normal Normal Normal



TriviaEdit

GalleryEdit