Ortega

From Dragon Quest Wiki
Ortega
Dragon Quest III
Ortega-battle.gif
Japanese name オルテガ
Romaji Orutega
Race Human
Age 30s
Family Wife
Child
Voice actor Daisuke Yanase (Live Spectacle Tour)

Ortega is a character who debuted in Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation. He is the father of the Hero and a famous hero in his own right. He departed from Aliahan at the king's request that he slay the archfiend Baramos before his evil machinations bring chaos to the world. By the Hero's 16th birthday, Ortega was believed to have fallen into the Great Pit of Giaga and died, and so the Hero set out to finish their father's quest.

Appearances[edit]

Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation[edit]

Ortega fighting at the volcano, from the NES Version of Dragon Quest III.

When Erdrick was just a newborn, Ortega bid farewell to his beloved wife and 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 after being discovered unconscious outside the village, where the children were in awe of him and gave him the nickname Peredvizhnik ("wanderer"). One such youth, Petya even viewed him as a surrogate father figure. Touched by the kindness of the children, Ortega left Petya Ortega's Helm as a keepsake.

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 Zoma's Citadel 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 nor hear and begins speaking to the Hero as he senses someone is near. In his final moments, he regains his memory and with his dying breath tells the Hero that he is Ortega of Aliahan and if they ever travel there, to tell his wife and child 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.

As Ortega is a non-playable character, 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 is shown using these spells during his fight with King Hydra.

Resurrection[edit]

If the Hero and party defeat the dragon goddess Xenlon, they are offered a wish to bring Ortega back to life. If this wish is granted, Ortega is restored to life outside of Aliahan and stays at the house with the Hero's mother. 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 declares that it is time for the new generation to take care of the worlds plights while he hangs up his sword--though he does admit he'd love to adventure with his child but cannot bear the thought of leaving his wife alone again after so long. Ortega will also quietly ask if there is a way to get his wife to ease up on the blabbering as she fills him in on what he's missed.

All Aliahan NPC dialogue, save for the Mini medal collector and old man by the well, is affected by Ortega's revival. Even the King of Aliahan snaps out of his depression when news of Ortega's return reaches him, but insists that he rest before meeting with him about Zoma's declaration of war.

Known visits[edit]

Dragon Quest of the Stars[edit]

Ortega appears as a playable character for the first time in the mobile phone title, and with the exclusive vocation of Hero's Father. He can be recruited by the player in the Dragon Quest III scenario prior to the battle with King Hydra. He can be spared his fate thanks to the player's actions and his clothing is also available as cosplay gear.

Trivia[edit]

  • Ortega's Helm is the only part of the Erdrick Equipment set that originally belonged to the Hero's family, making it a true heirloom for future descendants.
  • Ortega's Helm doesn't exist in the NES version. In its place is a novelty item called the Water blaster.
  • In the original Famicom version, his appearance in the battle with the King Hydra is that of a palette-swapped Robbin' 'Ood. In the English-language NES version, his appearance was changed a unique sprite based off of a male Warrior wearing blue armor. The Super Famicom and Game Boy Color Versions give him his own overworld icon and his battles are depicted as cutscenes that do not use the regular battle screen. Data in the game's ROM suggests that Ortega was originally planned to use Robbin' 'Ood colors and fight King Hydra in a normal battle screen, but this plan was scrapped in favor of the distinct design and cinematic battles.
  • The American redesign bears a striking similarity to Pankraz, as the fifth game was in its planning stages while the NES localization of III was under way.

Gallery[edit]

See also[edit]

Youtube Video of Ortega's battle at the volcano

Reference[edit]