Erdrick

Erdrick - or 'The Hero', or 'Roto' if you're playing in Japanese - is the protagonist of Dragon Quest 3. Son of the famed warrior Ortega, Erdrick was raised in Aliahan by his mother and grandfather to take up the quest his father failed; to defeat the archfiend Baramos. The child is then trained to become a great warrior like their father and, on their sixteenth birthday, they officially depart to save the world. The king gives a word of warning to take companions with them on their quest lest they meet the same fate as their father and instructs them to visit Patty's Party Planning Place before leaving the safety of Aliahan.

The King of Aliahan has discreetly sent word of The Hero's journey to the monarchs of every major nation--this is why the Kings and Queen warmly receive them even though the citizenry knows nothing of their mission. The Hero encounters several towns and kingdoms throughout their journey and accomplishes many feats of heroism, gathering six legendary orbs and awakening the legendary bird Ramia. Additionally, Erdrick encounters the dying Queen of Dragons in her remote mountain castle. Before she succumbs to her age, she gives The Hero the Sphere of Light and reassures them that their destiny is on of great courage and hardship for the benefit of the entire world.

After defeating Baramos, Erdrick returns victorious to Aliahan only to be confronted by a new nemesis, Zoma. Taking up a new quest to defeat the true evil, The Hero travels through Alefgard, which is sealed in perpetual darkness under the devil's heel. Here, Erdrick fights back against the eternal night by freeing the entrapped Goddess Rubiss and besieging Zoma's Citadel. Against all odds, The Hero encounters their father fighting in the depths of the castle.

Tragically, Ortega is mortally wounded in a battle with the King Hydra before he can even reach Zoma, and is so severely burned by the dragon that he can no longer see. Sensing someone is present, Ortega embraces his death with despair and bemoans his inability to bring peace to his world and that he was never able to see his child grow up. Ortega then quietly dies in Erdrick's arms.

Reaching the lowest level of the castle, Erdrick kills the King Hydra before fighting through the animated corpse of Baramos and the fiend's very soul on their way to Zoma's throne. The devil mocks the would-be savior and the battle begins, with Zoma's impenetrable shroud of darkness being burned away by the Sphere of Light and leaving him vulnerable. After a vicious clash, Erdrick emerges victorious, and Zoma begins to fade away--warning that hen though he may perish, there will always be an evil to take his place. The light of the sun has begun to shine in Alefgard for the first time in untold years, and the people receive Erdrick as nothing short of a messiah sent by the Goddess. The king bestows upon them the title of Erdrick, the most sacred honor that the land has, and the stratum gap between the world above and Alefgard closes before The Hero can return. Unable to rejoin friends and family above, Erdrick settles down in their new home and begins a family that will continue their legacy of standing resolute in the face of desolating evil.

Erdrick is kind, but occasionally inconsiderate. He blatantly robs every town he visits, and only ever really says "Hoes Mad" on the rare occasions that he speaks something other than Yes or No. He's got Smash Bros cred, though, so you have to respect him. He fights with a variety of sword attacks and Dragon Quest spells, and never leaves a job undone. His favorite monsters are Liquid Metal Slimes, and in another reality, he's female.

Erdrick is of average height and build, and he has incredibly spiky, dark brown hair. Around his forehead is a silver circlet inlaid with a green gem. He wears a long blue tunic over a yellow long-sleeved shirt and pants, a pair of knee-length leather boots, leather gloves, and a long magenta cloak around his neck. He wears a brown leather belt around his waist, and a scabbard strapped to his back. This outfit will get dirtied the longer he goes without resting at an Inn or Church.

Erdrick wields Erdrick's Sword and Erdrick's Shield - a one-handed longsword with a golden center and hilt that resembles a phoenix, set with a red gemstone, and a heater shield made of a blue metal with a golden trim and an emblem that resembles the legendary phoenix, with rune-markings near the top that spell out the name "Roto".