The Main Character (Madason Gotha)
The Hero of
Dragon Quest V, though not
The Chosen One. The only son of Pankraz and Mada, he has been traveling around the world with his father for as far back as he can remember. Possesses a natural touch with monsters, managing to earn their trust and loyalty with surprising ease.
- Badass: Just look at what he manages to survive through.
- Blow You Away: Many of his offensive magics are wind elemental.
- Brown Eyes: Though so dark they can pass for Curtains Match the Window with his black hair.
- Canon Name: Madason
- Cosmic Plaything
- Decoy Protagonist: Played With. He's The Hero, but the actual Chosen One is his son. Slightly averted in that the son's stats, like those of all the other human characters, are dismal compared to the protagonist's.
- Disappeared Dad - Becomes one.
- Determinator: Nothing the villains throw at him (and they throw a lot) causes him to stay down for very long.
- Fluffy Tamer
- Friend to All Living Things
- Happily Married: Getting him here is a plot point.
- Hello, Insert Name Here
- Heroic Mime - Played straight, but also played with: You get to hear two sides of the same conversation at one point, making clear that a simple Yes/No prompt on one side doesn't equate the hero saying just Yes or No.
- Heroes Prefer Swords: He can wield some of the swords, but not the legendary one. Averted in that his weapon in artwork, as well as his implied "personal" weapon towards the end, are both magic wands, and played straight because he is one of many characters that can equip the game's strongest weapon, the Metal King Sword.
- Improbable Age - Begins his adventuring under the player's control at six. Prior to this, he's been traveling around with his father for basically his entire life.
- Konami Yoshida - Voice his child self in the Drama CDs
- Made a Slave
- The Medic - Learns several healing spells.
- Missing Mom
- Ryo Horikawa- Voices his adult self in the Drama CDs.
- Secret Legacy - Starts out unaware of his past or the full truth of his heritage.
- Set Right What Once Went Wrong / Stable Time Loop - Though sadly he also finds he can't fight his father's fate.
- Simple Staff: He can wield many of the games staves.
- Strong Family Resemblance - Becomes more obvious as he ages.
- Taken for Granite - Also And I Must Scream if he is actually aware of time passing.
- The Unchosen One - Although the player character of Dragon Quest V wasn't actually "The Legendary Hero," of folklore, he was still the driving force behind the eventual defeat of Grandmaster Nimzo, and his cronies. Ironically, you don't even have to bring the real hero along!
Pankraz Gotha (Papas)
A powerful warrior and the village chief of Whealbrook, Pankraz has spent the last several years of his life searching for answers, as well as for the Zenithian equipment and
The Chosen One capable of wielding it. He's brought his young son along on this journey, though he feels some guilt about this.
Madalena Gotha (Martha)
Pankraz's much-beloved and very much missed wife, and the main character's
Missing Mom. Her disappearance is what drove Pankraz to seek out the legendary hero.
The Heavenly Brides
Bianca Whitaker
Daughter of the Roundbeck innkeeper, Bianca is the main character's childhood friend, and two years older than him (as she's very quick to remind him). A complete
Tomboy as a child, she does her best to keep a positive attitude no matter how terrible things seem.
- Action Girl
- Badass Adorable
- Child Mage - Qualifies as one during her ghostbusting stint.
- Diabolus ex Machina - If not chosen as the hero's bride in the original game, proceeds to get utterly bodyslammed by this, as everything gets worse for her. Thankfully Averted in the remakes.
- First Girl Wins - Knew the main character even before the game proper begins, being his childhood friend and all.
- Girlish Pigtails - As a child.
- Hair of Gold
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy - Assists the main character with the Engagement Challenge despite her own feelings for him, and would have left them completely unvoiced if Nera hadn't figured it out and spoken up on her behalf.
- Just a Stupid Accent
- In The Remake English translation for the Nintendo DS, her voice slips back and forth between British-English and Australian. It's just one of the reasons why people find her dislike-able. Although, admittedly, it has less to do with the actual character itself and more to do with the poor game design choices made by the localization team.
- Confusingly, though, neither of her parents nor the villages in either town she grew up in speaks with any accent. So accent or speech impediment?
- Jack-of-All-Trades - As far as the brides go; she's still more magically-inclined.
- Little Miss Badass: When she's ghost-hunting with the main character as a child.
- Maria Kawamura - Voices her in the Drama CDs
- Official Couple - Most official media features her more heavily than the others, and use her son/daughter for the promotional artwork. The game itself also heavily pushes her as the 'correct' choice, particularly in the original. See Diabolus ex Machina above.
- Plucky Girl
- The Pollyanna
- Remember When You Went Ghost Hunting: She certainly does and will constantly remind you in case you forgot.
- She Is All Grown Up
- Stepford Smiler - Flirts with this during the Engagement Challenge; if not chosen in the original game, develops into a full-fledged case.
- The Three Faces of Eve - Child
- Tomboy
- Unlucky Childhood Friend - If the main character chooses Nera or Debora over her.
- Victorious Childhood Friend - If the main character marries her.
- Yank The Dog's Chain - If the main character chooses not to marry her, the Hope Spot prior to his decision can feel like one of these.
Nera Briscoletti (Flora)
Rodrigo Briscoletti's beloved younger daughter
* originally his only child prior to the DS version
. Nera is a model
maiden: demure, compassionate, good with children and animals... After completing her 'domestic goddess training' at the Heavens Above Abbey, she'll be ready to marry whoever can win her father's favor.
Debora Briscoletti
Nera's temperamental older sister, Debora never bought into that whole '
lovely and demure' crap. For her, it's all about doing as she pleases and getting everything she wants. Her parents have basically given up on ever seeing her married, focusing on their more obedient daughter instead.
- Action Girl
- Beauty Mark - Just under one eye.
- Betty and Veronica - The sharp-tongued Veronica to her sweet sibling's Betty.
- Boobs of Steel - Aside from concentrating more on physical power, Debora also has the largest chest of any of the brides.
- Deadpan Snarker
- Defrosting Ice Queen - If chosen as the main character's bride.
- Drop the Hammer - There aren't really that many hammers in the game, but Debora is the only bride who can equip them. This includes the Hela Hammer, a half-cursed hammer that misses half the time, and invariably critical hits all the rest. It's useful for taking out Metal Slimes.
- Flower in Her Hair: Several in fact.
- Hair Decorations - Catches up her hair in a messy ponytail with a row of bright red roses.
- Hidden Depths - Has the most Character Development out of all the wives.
- Hot Amazon
- Hot Chick with a Sword: She can wield some of them.
- It's All About Me
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold
- Lady of War - More of a physical fighter than the other brides, and doesn't learn as many spells, though she still gets a decent selection.
- Love at First Sight - If chosen, reveals this during a Party Chat shortly before challenging the final boss.
- Messy Hair - Her hair goes everywhere, ponytail be damned. It's more of a mane than anything.
- My Friends... and Zoidberg - Subject to this at times from her own father, such as when she inserts herself into the engagement challenge right at the end.
- My God, You Are Serious - Her father's reaction should you marry her. Of course he throws his full support behind the wedding, and after the wedding he confesses you've made him very happy, as he'd given up any hope of Debora getting married long ago.
- Obfuscating Vanity - ...Maybe.
- Pretty in Mink
- Rich Bitch
- Shiny Midnight Black
- Sibling Yin-Yang: With her sister Nera.
- Something about a Rose
- Spoiled Brat
- Tsundere
- The Three Faces of Eve - Seductress
- The Unfavorite - Still well loved and given whatever she wants, but as mentioned above, her folks have more or less given up on her ever getting married.
- Unkempt Beauty: That hair of hers never seems to lie still.
- Wolverine Claws - Starts out with Akillics, which can hit twice in one turn. Also has a second set that serve as her best weapon in the game.
Shared Traits of all the Brides:
- Action Mom: After joining during the third part of the game.
- Battle Couple - Becomes one with the main character.
- Blue Eyes - In the status menu, Bianca's are sky blue; Nera's are darker to match her hair; Debora's are icy blue. Official arts are other stories.
- Chekhov's Gunman - Although all three of them have the potential, the one the main character marries will always turn out to be the woman destined to be the mother of The Chosen One.
- Color-Coded for Your Convenience - Each potential wife has a different hair color and contrasting theme colors in their wardrobe:
- Bianca = Blonde hair; green tunic/dress and orange cloak, very simply made.
- Nera = Blue hair; pastel shades of blue, white and lavender/blush pink.
- Debora = Black hair; rich red and darker pink.
- Express Delivery - Courtesy of Gameplay and Story Segregation, though NPC chatter makes it clear more time passes than the player might realize during their travels.
- Fainting: The Pregnancy Faint variant of this trope on the way to Gotha.
- Happily Adopted - None of them are actually related to the folks who raised them. None of them care about this.
- Happily Married: No matter which one ends up with the hero they become this.
- Missing Mom - Gets torn away from her children and husband for ten years.
- Playing with Fire - All of them learn Kasizzle, though their exact spell lists vary.
- Pregnant Badass: Only briefly though.
- Secret Legacy - Descended from a Zenithian bloodline; hence, Heavenly Bride.
- Taken for Granite - Mixed with And I Must Scream, if aware of her predicament. *
It seems to vary depending on the bride, or rather, how much they admit to varies.
- Whip It Good
The Children of the Heavenly Union
Parry Gotha (Rex)
The main character's son, and almost the spitting image of his father (except with his mom's hair color). A cheerful, amiable child, he loves traveling with his family and seeing the world.
Madchen Gotha (Tabitha)
Daughter of the main character. Inherited his gentle hand with monsters, and loves playing with them just as much as she does with more
traditional pets, like kitties and puppies.
- Action Girl: At only eight no less.
- An Ice Person / Playing with Fire
- Badass Princess
- Black Magician Girl
- Cheerful Child
- Child Mage
- Cute Witch
- Detect Evil - Can sense evil presences and direct her family towards them. Gets it from her grandmother.
- Everything's Better With Princesses - Though her title isn't used much, and she makes no real effort to remind anyone of it.
- Everything's Cuter With Kittens - Talk to a cat while she's in the party, and Party Chat with her afterward. Nine times out of ten, she'll be delighted.
- Fluffy Tamer - Shares daddy's love for monsters, and often laments their bad reputation.
- Friend to All Living Things
- Hair Decorations - Two tiny little bows just over her ears.
- Innocent Prodigy - Talented and knowledgeable mage capable of considerable insight, particularly when compared to her brother, and likely to become an experienced adventurer... while retaining her fear of heights and the dark, her naivety, and her childish innocence.
- Kae Araki - Voices her in the Drama CDs
- Little Miss Badass
- Modest Royalty
- Plucky Girl
- Princesses Prefer Pink
- Squishy Wizard - Skill-wise, she tends to take after her mother; this is most obvious when it's Nera, and least obvious when it's Debora.
- The Unchosen One - Her brother can use the Zenithian equipment; she can't. This doesn't stop her from helping to save the world.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting - Learns Puff!/BeDragon, letting her transform into a fire-breathing dragon during battle.
- Weapon of Choice - Notably goes all over the place - Her spellcasting would suggest that she favor staffs, but her sprite carries around a rapier-style blade, and she can also use whips with ease. Her original SNES sprite did show her holding a staff at all times, though.
- Why Did It Have To Be So High? - Afraid of heights, and extreme darkness to a lesser extent. Despite this, soldiers through all the towers and dungeons with little more than asking Daddy to hold her hand a few times.
Both Twins Share:
Families of the Bride
Mr. Whitaker (Duncan)
Bianca's father, who runs the Roundbeck Inn with his wife. Better known by his nickname 'Whitey'.
Mrs. Whitaker
Bianca's mother, who shoulders all of the work whenever her husband is ill.
Passes away during the ten-year time skip.Rodrigo Briscoletti (Ludman)
Nera and Debora's doting father, and the richest man in Mostroferrato. To try and ensure that Nera marries somebody fully capable of taking good care of her, he sets up an
Engagement Challenge. Usually jovial, with an open mind and open heart; however, he's also somewhat of a traditionalist, and has a major stubborn streak — once he's got his mind set on something, nothing can dissuade him.
- Doting Parent: Well, towards Nera at least.
- Engagement Challenge
- Gratuitous English: In the Italian version, he sprinkles English words into his speech.
- Gratuitous Italian
- Passive Aggressive Kombat: If you pick Bianca in the DS version, he says that he's not surprised by your decision, that you're a sensitive man, and that you must've realized that Nera would've been humiliated if you'd picked Debora over her. If you read between the lines, he's blaming Debora's surprise toss of her own hat into the ring for Nera not getting chosen. Yowch!
- Reasonable Authority Figure
- Sealed Evil in a Can
- Sins of Our Fathers - An ancestor of his sealed away a great evil, but the seal is due to break... ohhh, fairly soon. And the monster's going to be maaaaaddd...
- Uncle Pennybags
- If you marry one of his daughters he will lavish gifts on you throughout the game. Even if you don't and choose Bianca instead, he'll still pay for the wedding and bridal veil, let you sleep at his casino for free, and even put his ship at your command just like he did for your father at the beginning of the game.
- He's also just a nice guy and is renowned in the setting for generosity and for giving a sizable chunk of his wealth to charity. He gets most of that money from owning a casino resort, so he's probably a pretty fun guy too.
Romana Briscoletti
Rodrigo's loving wife, who does her best to reign in his stubborn streak. Very proud of her dear Nera; her other daughter...? Not so much.
Close Family Friends
Saber (Borongo)
A great sabrecat that the main character and Bianca meet and befriend as a young cub. The very fact that
they were able to tame it so easily shocks many others, as sabrecats have a nasty reputation. Has many possible names.
- A Boy and His Sabrecat
- But Thou Must - You don't get to insert a name for it; instead Bianca runs through a list of names for you to pick from. *
Your choices are, in order: Saber, Leo, Spot, Mohicat, Tom, Purrcy, Moggy, Punk, Pyjamas, Baumren
Four of those names come from a book in the Roundbeck inn, while the name Baumren is a reference to a sabrecat in Dragon Quest VIII. - Everything Is Cuter With Kittens
- Puzzle Boss - Make sure the main character has Bianca's Ribbon in his inventory before fighting it, then use the Ribbon as a battle item to jog its memory. Without this it absolutely cannot be beaten.
- Monster Protection Racket - Causes the main character to get accused of running one of these.
- Shoo the Dog
Sancho
Pankraz's close friend, often left behind to mind the homestead while Pankraz goes traveling with his son. Acts as a doting uncle to the main character.
Tuppence (Pippin)
The son of Thruppence, Tuppence is a soldier who's eager to help the main character and the kids during their travels. Has the potential to become a truly powerful warrior, but starts out untrained and rough around the edges.
Realm of the Faeries
Honey (Bella)
A mischievous, cheerful faerie sent to recruit a great warrior from the human world. She brought back a six-year-old main character.
Queen Treacle (Powan)
The current ruler of Faerie Lea. Her predecessor was incredibly harsh, but Treacle herself is kind and compassionate, and believes that everyone can coexist peacefully.
Dwight Dwarf (Zaile)
Also known as "Da White Dwarf!" His father created "Lots About Locks", a book that lets the bearer become a
Master of Unlocking. Because of this, he was banished from Faerie Lea by Treacle's predecessor. However, Dwight believes
Treacle was the one responsible, and has set out to take revenge. Fancies himself a great superhero, so he wears a hooded cape and calls himself "Da White Dwarf!"
Coburg's Royal Family
Prince Harry (Henry)
The heir-apparent of King James, and a complete
Royal Brat who enjoys tormenting others simply because he can. Soon receives a very rude, very harsh awakening, however...
King James
Ruler of Coburg; father of Harry and Wilbur. Somewhat at a loss as to how to get his chosen heir to shape up and stop being such a royal pain.
Dies during the first timeskip.Queen Consort
King James' current wife. Highly ambitious, she dreams of seeing
her son take the throne rather than watching her bratty stepson ascend.
- Ambition Is Evil
- Fake Queen
- Hoist By Her Own Petard - After successfully having Harry kidnapped, she is betrayed by her 'allies' and is replaced by a fake queen, turning her son into their puppet rather than her own. By the time the party comes across her years later, she's willing to immediately confess to everything just to put an end to it.
- God Save Us from the Queen! - Or, rather, the Queen Consort. Or the Queen Dowager.
- Stage Mom - Royal variation; she can't rule herself, so she pushes her son towards the throne despite his own wishes, and doesn't care who she tramples on it to make it happen.
- Unwitting Pawn
- Wicked Stepmother
Prince Wilbur (Dale)
Harry's younger half-brother. Despite his mother's ambitions, has no real interest in taking the throne, and would rather be just a normal kid.
Other Important Characters
Count Uptaten (Eric) and Miss Count (Sophia)
Once a happily married couple, their lives were tragically cut short when monsters raided their castle and slaughtered everyone inside. However, their sad tale did not end there... Thanks to the interference of some nasty spirits, they have been unable to move on to the afterlife.
- Law of Inverse Fertility - Wanted children, but were never able to conceive.
- Our Ghosts Are Different
- Spot of Tea - One of their favorite pastimes in life was drinking out of the Toff's Tea Set. The main character can eventually return it to them in exchange for a reward, though it takes several years before Uptaten happens to ask.
Maria (Marina)
A
former member of the Order of Zugzwang, she turned her back on their teachings when she shielded a child slave from harm.
Made a Slave herself, she managed to escape to the abbey and become a Nun of the Above.
Monty the Monster Monitor
An elderly fellow whose has an expert hand with monsters, and encourages others to pursue the fine art of monster training. Recommends to the main character that he get a wagon to make traveling easier, and helps him out by caring for any monsters he isn't taking along with him at any given moment.
Crispin Burns (Andy)
A childhood friend of Nera, he becomes one of her most dedicated suitors. Though he doesn't consider himself truly worthy of somebody so wonderful, he's determined to do his best to
become worthy, and earn her love...!
Old Man Nick Knack
A sprightly spirit haunting a massive, ornate building. All he wanted was to create the ultimate collection of trinkets and treasures from around the globe; sadly, he only managed to finish the structure before passing away, leaving it unfilled and his dream unfinished... until the main character and his wife happen along.
King Albert
The Prince Regent and acting ruler of a country whose king has gone AWOL. Though he has done well in the role, he still hopes for a chance to step down and return the role to somebody he feels is more fitting. It doesn't help that the job has strained his relationship with his willful daughter, Gertrude, who chafes at the responsibility of princesshood.
Princess Gertrude
Albert's daughter. Greatly dislikes her current station, finding it far too restricting.
Chancellor Jeeves
King Albert's chancellor, who can almost always be found parked by the throne offering advice to the Regent.
Patty the Party Planner (Luida)
A bartender who starts running a useful service for the main character late in the game, serving basically the same function as Monty... but for humans.
Dr Agon (Pusan)
A strange old fellow found trapped in a dungeon. Extremely cheerful, but a tad... loopy. Has a very strange way of speaking.
Grandmaster Nimzo (Mildrath)
The Demon Lord of the Dark World, and the "god" of the Order. He seeks to take over the Light World. (OF COURSE!)
- Actor Allusion - Take a look at him and try to tell me he doesn't look like a Namekian.
- Big Bad
- Chess Motif: Is named after a Chess grandmaster, and his minions are named after chess pieces.
- Giant Space Flea from Nowhere - Was more or less this in the SNES original; he wasn't really mentioned until You find out your mother is alive and that Korol wasn't the Big Bad. The DS version fixes this; he's mentioned by NPCs, at least in passing, as early as the second major dungeon, and it's obvious very early on that Ladja is reporting to someone higher up than Korol.
- Meaningful Name: His name comes from Aron Nimzowitsch, a russian chess grandmaster.
- One-Winged Angel - But of course!
- Shozo Iizuka - Voices him in the Drama CDs
- You Have Failed Me - He leaves King Korol to die after he's mortally wounded by the party. The DS version makes it even worse.
Bishop Ladja (Gema)
Nimzo's right hand man. He oversees the Order's operations in the Light World alongside King Korol. He is also easily the most evil character in the game.
- Breakout Villain - In the SNES original, he was still a presence but ultimately a lackey, didn't have a unique appearance, and gets chumped about two-thirds of the way through the game. In the DS remake, he's been upgraded to the full-blown right hand of Nimzo himself, and is a complete monster throughout the entire game, largely due to his popularity as a villain in the original and fans asking for him to have a larger role.
- Cutscene Power to the Max - When he summons a fireball outside of battle... bad things happen.
- He does have a fireball attack in battle, albeit considerably depowered. His Sinister Scythe and petrification spell, not so much.
- The Dragon
- Establishing Character Moment - His No-Holds-Barred Beatdown on the main character and Harry, not to mention his brutal murder of Pankraz, instantly solidifies his status as a Complete Monster.
- Gratuitous Foreign Language - Based on his broken english, he apparently has a thick Russian accent.
- Hirotaka Suzuoki - Voices him in the Drama CDs
- Hopeless Boss Fight - The first one against him. Justified, considering you're a six year old child at that point.
- No-Holds-Barred Beatdown - He has absolutely no reservations about beating two six year old children nearly to death. In fact, he seems to enjoy it.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech - Gives one to King Korol in the DS version, right before killing him.
- Yank The Dog's Chain - Combines this with one of his beloved Player Punches near the end when he blasts Mada right after she and the main character reunite, then mocks both of them about it.
- Subverted when it turns out she survived the attack.
- Double subverted when Grandmaster Nimzo finishes the job.
King Korol (Ibuul)
High Priest of the Order of Zugzwang. Over the years, he works tirelessly to establish the Order as a
Path of Inspiration, promising that they will lead the world to a new age of peace in the White King's Paradise. Their
actual plans, of course, aren't quite so...
nice.
- Evil Genius
- Humiliation Conga - First the party attack the Order's main base in the Light World, then they wipe out his defenses, including Queen Ferz. When he himself fights the party and is defeated and dying, he begs Nimzo to strike the party down, but Nimzo abandons him for his failure, leaving him to die in shame. Made even worse in the DS version, where not only does Nimzo abandon him, but he also sends Ladja to tell him exactly why he sucks and then execute him.
- Path of Inspiration - How he paints the Order.
- Religion of Evil - What the Order actually is.
- Squishy Wizard - While he's a deadly mage, his physical attacks are absolutely pathetic.
Queen Ferz (Ramada)
The High Priestess of the Order of Zugzwang, as well as a master illusionist. Helps Korol oversee the temple and lure would-be followers and slaves into their clutches.
Kon the Knight (Jami) and Slon the Rook (Gonze)
Bishop Ladja's personal enforcers and bodyguards. Work well as a team, but are just as deadly during solo work.
