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Party Members
The Hero
- Boring, but Practical: The Hero's Absolute Zero Master Stroke is one of the easiest ones to get at full power and is actually better at dealing damage to the final boss than Figure of Fate.
- Combination Attack: Three of his Master Strokes involve him teaming up with either Fleurette, Claymore or Anlace depending on who he brought into battle.
- Curtains Match the Window: The Hero's eyes and hair are both brown.
- Dangerous 16th Birthday: His adventure starts out with a rite of passage and eventually involves being tied up with an ancient legacy involving the Big Bad who intends to take over the world.
- Dark Is Not Evil: On a Payback Mode playthrough, The Hero wields the Deathbringer's Sword which is the only dark element weapon in the game for ultimately heroic ends.
- Fire, Ice, Lightning: The Hero has several Master Strokes which lean into either Fire, Ice or Electric elements and require him to forge various swords to use them.
- Infinity +1 Sword: During the first playthrough, The Hero's strongest weapon is the Dragon Warrior's Sword. On a Payback Mode playthrough, it becomes the Deathbringer's Sword which becomes the Deathbringer's Shade when tempered.
- Improbable Weapon User: Though the Hero often uses conventional swords and shields throughout his quest, you can have him play it straight by equipping an abacus on a stick, a cat-themed claw or a dog themed shield. One of his shields involves a teaspoon, leading into
Self-Imposed Challenge if you use it in battle. - Missing Mom: Though the Hero's mother isn't dead, she doesn't appear in the game and is only ever mentioned if you talk to Claymore.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: During the trek to the Tower of Mirrors, he destroys the Rorrim Mask that Queen Curtana was wearing, having been tricked into releasing the Big Bad sealed in it.
- One-Man Army: If the player chooses to go through the entire game without bringing in party members, they can very well become this through usage of their skills and usage of healing items.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Though referred to as The Hero, he's given several nicknames throughout the story by Fleurette. Blade is often the most commonly used to refer to this hero, though Hacker is also another.
- Red Is Heroic: The Hero's main colour of choice is red, a stark contrast to most other heroes in the Dragon Quest series.
- Signature Move: Considering that the Rednusadner is the weapon designed to overcome the Deathbringer's power and that it gives him the Figure of Fate Master Stroke, it's clear that Figure of Fate is this for the Hero.
- The Power of Hate: During a Payback Mode playthrough, if the player gets the Deathbringer's Shade, they can unlock the Figure of Hate Master Stroke which allows them to tap into this.
Prince Anlace
- Combination Attack: Elemental Extremes (known as Frizz Cracker in other games) is a Master Stroke the Hero can learn at Lv: 33 and allows him and Anlace to combine fire and ice to attack their enemies.
- Cultured Badass: Despite being the son of Queen Curtana, Anlace has no qualms about getting his hands dirty and is willing to help The Hero during battle.
- Informed Equipment: Despite having a rapier on hand, Anlace never actually uses it in-game.
- Jack of All Trades: Anlace's skills consist of a mix of Fire spells, healing skills, and defensive skills, though such skills tend to be mid-tier at best.
- Playing with Fire: Two of his spells Sizz and its upgraded variant Sizzle allow Anlace to burn the enemy asunder.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: In contrast to Fleurette's messy gothic lolita style or Claymore's simple outfit, Anlace takes after his mother in that his clothes have detailed patterns on them, leading to a rather stylish look.
- Theme Naming: Anlace is named after a medieval long dagger invented in the 14th century in England and was worn at the girdle.
Fleurette
- Boring, but Practical: Compared to Anlace's mixture of skills or Claymore's use of elemental skills and status buffs, Fleurette is mostly about keeping the player alive through healing. Unsurprisingly, she's a rather popular choice for the post-game boss fights due to her healing skills allowing her to keep up with enemy damage.
- Breakout Character: Compared to Claymore or Anlace, Fleurette is far more popular and has even gotten a bit part in other Dragon Quest games.
- Combination Attack: The Hero can learn Moulin Rage, a non-elemental Master Stroke where he and Fleurette combine their power to defeat the enemy.
- Elegant Gothic Lolita: Her outfit takes inspiration from gothic lolita while allows her to stand out compared to all the other characters in the game.
- Fluffy Fashion Feathers: In her hair are black feathers, adding to the air of sadness surrounding her character.
- It's Personal: Fleurette wishes to make Xiphos pay for harming her brother by turning him into a monster. When Aruval reverts back to his human form during the final dungeon, she tries to go toward him only to be blown back.
- Of Corsets Sexy: Fleurette is the only female character seen wearing a red corset.
- Red Is Heroic: Fleurette's corset and boots are red and she's one of the most helpful characters in the game.
- Stepford Smiler: She does her best to stay upbeat though it's clear that her brother's plight saddens her deeply.
- The Medic: Fleurette's main claim to fame is her healing skills which can get the player through tough fights. She's the only party member who can learn Multiheal and Fullheal.
- The Cameo: She appears as one of the guests in the Quester's Rest in Dragon Quest XI and gives you her outfit to wear if you complete her quests. She also appears in Dragon Quest IV's DS remake in the Immigrant Town and is one of the immigrants you can send to other DS systems.
- Theme Naming: Fleurette either references the fleuret, which is either small flower (in French) or a fencing foil.
- The Nicknamer: She's the only party member who decides to give The Hero a nickname. You can choose between Blade, Hacker, Chevalier, Chopper, and Mon Amis.
- White Mage: Her skills are mostly healing related, and she can use Squelch to cure poisoning.
- Zettai Ryouiki: She's seen wearing black and white striped thigh-highs to contrast her mostly red and black outfit.
Claymore
- Blue Is Heroic: Claymore is seen wearing blue leather trousers though his outfit is mostly white and brown in terms of colour.
- Combination Attack: Gigagash is a Lightning based Master Stroke that the Hero can learn that allows him and his father to combine their power to defeat the enemy.
- Hero of Another Story: Claymore was one of the people who fought against Xiphos the Deathbringer 5 years ago and during the endgame can help his son fight against him during the final boss fight.
Bosses
Sir Dirk Worthington
Stage boss of Caliburn Cave. He resides at the end to test all new swordsmen as part of Avalonia's rite of passage for all new swordsmen to test their worthiness.
- Theme Naming: He's named after a dirk, a Scots Gaelic word for a short dagger; sometimes a cut-down sword blade mounted on a dagger hilt, rather than a knife blade.
Briquet
Stage boss of Galantyne Glades. A Golem who guards the hot springs located deep in the glades.—-
- Call-Back: In Dragon Quest, a Golem is fought as a boss yet in later games is a normal enemy. Along with other series references, this is likely a reference to the first game.
- Glowing Eyes: Whenever Briquet activates, his eyes glow briefly. This trait is maintained when you fight Palette Swap versions of him in the Tower of Mirrors called Stone Golems.
- Theme Naming: Briquet is named after a type of French cavalry sabre, commonly used to open a champagne bottle in the art of Sabrage.
Emissary of Xiphos
Stage boss of Arondight Heights.
Fishy Monster
Stage boss of Seacace Seacove. He's a large fish-like humanoid monster causing trouble, but is actually a transformed Aruval who Xiphos has been controlling and is later used to regain the warlord's body.
- Foreshadowing: Queen Curtana mentions that she wanted to see Aruval but was unsurprised when she couldn't, implying a connection between the two. When the player meets the Fishy Monster, he's a blue humanoid monster with mottling, somewhat resembling the carving of Xiphos seen earlier.
- Shapeshifter: If you replay the stage again and refight the Fishy Monster, it turns out that it's a Float-O-Copier, known for transforming into party members during battle. This is because the real Aruval has already been taken by Xiphos.
Großmesser
Stage boss of the Tower of Mirrors. Xiphos sent him to recover the unconscious Queen Curtana after his attempts to use her to make it to the Mirror World is stopped.
- Flunky Boss: He's surrounded by Mini Imps who will serve to get in your way throughout the fight.
- Gratutious German: He's named after a large German knife and even has the accent to match.
Draug
Stage boss of the Mirror World. He takes the form of a Living Statue and offers to repair the Rorrim Mask if the Hero can prove his strength. After fixing the mask, he decides to give the Hero the Rednusadner which allows him to challenge the Deathbringer's might.
Golok the Gatekeeper
Stage boss of the Sea of Lava. A dopey Great Troll whose rather dim and who guards the entrance. It's clear that he has trouble putting his words together.
- Dumb Muscle: It's clear that he's not the sharpest tool in the shed, being a mere brute whose sole purpose is to guard the entrance to the Deathbringer Citadel. Fleurette is the only party member to take his threats seriously.
- Flunky Boss: Calls upon Rockbombs which he'll use as weaponry.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Golok's attempts to use Rockbombs as weapons backfire, often being deflected by the player to deal damage to him.
- Just Eat Him: Golok often defaults to threatning to eat his enemies when his attempts to say anything fall flat.
- King Mook: Golok is a Great Troll, a palette swap of a Boss Troll. Unlike most games, this is an inverted example due to Boss Trolls are encountered after you defeat Golok.
- Malaproper: All of Golok's dialogue involves him trying to use a figure of speech and utterly mangling it.
- Primitive Club: Golok uses a wooden club to attack you and to also send Rockbombs flying at you.
Xiphos the Deathbringer
The main villain who terrorized the world long ago, several years ago he was opposed by several heroes which included Claymore and Queen Curtana and he was sealed away in the Rorrim Mask. He bided his time and eventually escaped, intending to bring about a new age of terror, misery and despair.
- Barbie Doll Anatomy: One of Xipho's attacks during his second form has him stomp on you, which causes you to see up his robes. Thankfully there's nothing to see up there.
- Big Bad: The entire plot revolves around his fight from 5 years ago and his return to the world to terrorize it once again.
- Dark Is Evil: Xiphos can use dark energy balls during his fights, his charge attack has a dark aura and his Figure of Hate is the only Master Stroke in the game to be darkness attribute.
- Dramatic Disappearing Display: Once Xiphos transforms into his true form, his second form's health meter is invisible which really sets the tone for how powerful he is.
- Evil Counterpart: At the core, Xiphos is the antithesis of the hero in every way. Both forms wield a sword though his true form has a breakable shield like you and even use a Master Stroke to turn the tide of battle. Wheras the player has to use the Wii remote to perform motions to empower their Master Stroke; they have to do the same to weaken Xipho's Figure of Hate.
- Eye Beams: Xipho's true form can fire red laser beams out of his eyes which deal 1 damage per second. That doesn't sound too threatening except that damage builds up over-time.
- Final-Exam Boss: His first form is very much a test of the player's skills on using their sword and shield, knowing when to attack and when to hold back.
- History Repeats: The overall theme of Xiphos's story arc is that his fight with the Hero is simply repeating what happened from 5 years ago, though this time he falls for good at the end. The battle theme that plays during his true form is even named after this trope in particular.
- Hostage Situation: If the player brought any party member with them, Xiphos's true form can use an attack where he grabs them with his sword and electrocutes them, forcing you to attack him to free them.
- Load-Bearing Boss: Once Xiphos goes down for his good, his citadel begins to fall apart, requiring the Hero and his party to make an escape.
- Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: During his second form, he'll use a giant shield to protect himself from your attacks. If you attack it enough times, it will break, and he'll move onto the next phase of the battle.
- Multi-Armed and Dangerous: In his true form, Xiphos has 4 arms and wields his sword, a shield, a claw and his fist.
- One-Winged Angel: Once things go south for him, he absorbs the evil magic from Aruval's body and transforms into his true form, a monstrous multiarmed humanoid demon with aquatic and draconic traits.
- Orcus on His Throne: After escaping from the Rorrim Mask, he doesn't actively attempt to crush the Hero in his tracks and waits at at the Deathbringer's Citadel.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: After being defeated years ago, he managed to bide his time in the very mask used to seal him and eventually escapes after the Hero destroys the Rorrim Mask.
- Taken for Granite: Xipho's final fate is that the Rorrim Mask attaches himself to his face, turning him to stone. The player then has to cut him down to finish the fight.
- Theme Naming: Xiphos the Deathbringer is named after a xiphos, a double-edged, single-handed weapon created by the Ancient Greeks.
- The Power of Hate: Though Xiphos never mentions it explicitly, it's very much implied that his Master Stroke Figure of Hate runs on this.
The Olde Reflectory Bosses
King Latem
- Dirty Coward: Unlike the other Mirror Bosses, King Latem will spend his entire fight running away from you, making no attempt to actually fight you.
- Metal Slime: He's the only Metal King Slime in the game and the only boss whose fight can be ended without him being defeated. True to his status, he takes only 1 damage from all attacks.
- Time-Limit Boss: Unlike the other boss fights, you don't have long to defeat him. If you don't defeat him, he'll flee and the mission ends.
Clank 'n' Knalc
- Animated Armour: They are both red suits of armour, though when they Turns Red, they both have orange eyes.
- Dual Boss: Clank 'n' Knalc are the only boss fight in the game where you fight multiple bosses at the same time. Both knights share a HP bar and fight in tandem.
- Flunky Boss: They can summon Healslimes to cast Multiheal on them to restore 100 or so of their HP.
- Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: Both knights have a shield that resembles a Ruinous Shield which protects them if you get too aggressive.
- Red Is Violent: The knights are predominantly red and both of them will gladly slash at you with wild abandon.
- Theme Naming: Their name is interestingly enough a palindrome, a type of word that is the same spelt backwards and forwards.
- Upgraded Boss: A stronger version of Sir Dirk Worthington who fights you in a pair.
Nomeg
- Alternate Self: Due to sharing Gemon's colours, design and even name (albeit reversed), it's implied that it's an alternate version of Gemon.
- Background Boss: Nomeg will spent most of its time out of reach, allowing it to hit hard with Bullet Hell attacks.
- Bullet Hell: Near the end, it'll start firing out blue projectiles all over the place.
- Flunky Boss: Nomeg will carry a healslime during the battle which will heal if not dealt with.
- Upgraded Boss: It's a stronger version of the Emissary of Xiphos, moving faster and hitting hard.
Salta
- Alternate Self: Considering Salta's colour scheme and backwards name, it's implied that he's an alternate version of Altas, right down to serving a dark lord.
- Cycle of Hurting: If you cast Sizz or Bisouka on him, it'll stun him and kill off his Drackmages. A skilled player can then stun lock him and utterly trounce him before he can deal any meaningful damage.
- Eye Beams: Fires off a burning laser from it's eyes which requires use of the shield to survive.
- Flunky Boss: Is accompanyed by 2 Drackmages who will shrink your shield if they hit you.
Valgirt
- "I have ssspent aeonsss alone in this accursssed mirror. Come, let usss ssstir up the dust!"
- Fire/Ice Duo: Though it has three heads, they only use fire and ice attacks.
- Graceful Loser: Upon being defeated, it takes it's loss well and asks the player to come back and fight them again.
- Hoist by Their Own Petard: All those fireballs it spews out can be deflected back, dealing a lot of damage. It can also fire light blue energy balls which once you see through their trick can heal you if they hit.
- Nothing Is Scarier: The game never explains why Valgirt was sealed away in the mirror for all those years but considering he's fought in the same mirror world as the other mirror bosses, the implications can't be good.
- Resurrective Immortality: Once you take him down for the first time, he revives himself and you must fight all three heads at once. Once they're taken down, the fight is over for real this time.
- Theme Naming: His name backwards is "Triglav". In Slovenian mythology, "Triglav" is a beast with three heads.
- Voice of the Legion: If you listen carefully during it's dialogue, you'll notice that it has overlapping voices that are both male and female.
- Worthy Opponent: Due to being sealed in the mirror for aeons, it seeks a worthy challenge to ease it's boredom.
Nomegeon
One of the three purple mirror bosses unlocked after the defeat of Valgirt, Nomegeon is a real force to be reckoned with and can make mincemeat from those lacking the power to match his speed.
- Ambiguous Situation: Is Nomegeon a stronger version of Nomeg as his name implies? Or a different monster altogether?
- Background Boss: Nomeg will spent most of its time out of reach, allowing it to hit hard with Bullet Hell attacks.
- Bullet Hell: His projectile attacks come hard and move very fast, allowing him to overwhelm the player though sheer might.
- Glass Cannon: During his rematch before Edah Sohpix, he can hit hard but he takes far more damage compared to his first fight.
- Invisible Monsters; The only mirror boss in the game who can turn invisible. It wears off once you get him to near death however.
- Regional Bonus: It wasn't in the original version of the game and was added into the US/EU versions, hench why it doesn't require a certain number of renown before it can be challenged.
- Theme Naming: Spelt backwards, his name is Neo Gemon. Which is only fitting since he's a stronger version of Nomeg.
- Upgraded Boss: He's Nomeg but can turn invisible, hits harder and faster and is an overall nightmare to be up against.
Der Gib
- Cycle of Hurting: If you cast Sizz or Bisouka on him, it'll stun him and kill off his Drackmages. A skilled player can then stun lock him and utterly trounce him before he can deal any meaningful damage. During his rematch before Edahs Sohpix, he'll stay in the foreground more often which makes the trick more effective.
- Eye Beams: Fires off a burning laser from its eyes which requires use of the shield to survive.
- Flunky Boss: Is accompanied by 2 Drackmages who will shrink your shield if they hit you.
- Gratuitous German: You would be forgiven for thinking that his name was German for the sake of it, but this is averted due to it being a Sdrawkcab Name like all the mirror bosses.
- Regional Bonus: It wasn't in the original version of the game and was added into the US/EU versions, hench why it doesn't require a certain number of renown before it can be challenged.
- Theme Naming: Spelt backwards, his name is Big Red.
- Upgraded Boss: He's Salta except he can hit even harder with overwhelming projectiles.
Valgirt Nedlog
- Ambiguous Situation: Is Valgirt Nedlog a different character entirely? A mirror counterpart to Valgirt? Or Valgirt who trained up and now fights you at full power?
- Bullet Hell: Floods the screen with fire and ice themed projectiles and requires you to deflect them back by aiming at the projectiles due to them aiming for the edges of the screen.
- Fire/Ice Duo: Though it has three heads, they only use fire and ice attacks.
- Gold and White Are Divine: Inverted in that it's no less evil than the other mirror bosses.
- Gold-Colored Superiority: Unlike Valgirt, it's a golden dragon and is also one of the strongest bosses in the game.
- Hoist by Their Own Petard: All those fireballs it spews out can be deflected back, dealing a lot of damage. It can also fire light blue energy balls which once you see through their trick can heal you if they hit.
- Regional Bonus: It wasn't in the original version of the game and was added into the US/EU versions, hench why it doesn't require a certain number of renown before it can be challenged.
- Resurrective Immortality: Once it's taken down, he revives back from the dead and really, really brings the pain to you for opposing it. Fortunately, its rematch before Edahs Sohpix skips the first phase entirely.
- Theme Naming: Spelt backwards, his name is Golden Triglav, referencing how Slovenian mythology, "Triglav" is a beast with three heads and also, it's golden hue.
- Upgraded Boss: It's a stronger version of Valgirt who can overwhelm the player with its fire and ice breaths.
Edah Sohpix
- Alternate Self: An alternate version of Xiphos the Deathbringer from a different version of Avalonia with far stronger henchmen.
- Alternate Universe Reed Richards Is Awesome: Due to the dour atmosphere in each of the mirror world boss fights and that all of them take place in a mirror world version of Avalonia in addition to Edahs Sohpix's sheer power, it's implied that this version of Xiphos may've successfully taken over the world.
- Barbie Doll Anatomy: One of Edahs Sohpix's attacks during his second form has him stomp on you, which causes you to see up his robes. Thankfully there's nothing to see up there and considering his black colouration, they'd be nothing to see anyway.
- Boss Rush: Before you fight the overlord himself, you have to go through Nomegeon, Der Gib and Valgirt Nedlog again in that order. When you select his mirror to challenge him, his image even has him surrounded by his henchmen.
- Dark Is Evil: Edahs Sohpix can use dark energy balls during his fights, his charge attack has a dark aura and his Figure of Hate is the only Master Stroke in the game to be darkness attribute. He even has a new colour scheme to take this trope even further.
- Dramatic Disappearing Display: Once you actually get past his elite henchmen, Edahs Sohpix himself has no visible health meter.
- Evil Counterpart: Much like you, Edah Sophix has a breakable shield and can even use a Master Stroke to turn the tide of battle. Wheras the player has to use the Wii remote to perform motions to empower their Master Stroke; they have to do the same to weaken Xipho's Figure of Hate.
- Eye Beams: Edah Sohpix can fire red laser beams out of his eyes which deal 5 damage per second. Unlike Xiphos, this level of pain will build up very quickly.
- Palette Swap: He's a red and black version of Xiphos the Deathbringer's true form.
- Red and Black and Evil All Over: His skin is black as the night and his robes are red, with the lumps on his body being golden.
- Hostage Situation: If the player brought any party member with them, Edahs Sohpix's can use an attack where he grabs them with his sword and electrocutes them, forcing you to attack him to free them.
- Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: In his first phase he'll use a giant shield to protect himself from your attacks. If you attack it enough times, it will break, and he'll move onto the next phase of the battle.
- Multi-Armed and Dangerous: Edahs has 4 arms and wields his sword, a shield, a claw and his fist. Suffice to say, he's far more dangerous than Xiphos ever was.
- Regional Bonus: Much like his henchmen, he wasn't in the original version of the game and was added into US/EU versions of the game, hench why he doesn't require a certain number of renown before he can be challenged.
- Theme Naming: His name spelled backwards is "Xiphos's Shade", implying that he's a dark version of the Big Bad and also fitting in with the other mirror bosses in terms of naming conventions.
- The Power of Hate: Much like his main counterpart, he can also use Figure of Hate. Unlike Xiphos, it will inflict a Total Party Kill unless you weaken it just enough so that it'll only do heavy damage.
- True Final Boss: The very last opponent in the game and one who will really put your combat skills to the test.
Non-Playable Characters
Queen Curtana
Minister Misercord
