open/close all folders
The Protagonists
The Hero
- The Ace: Like most Dragon Quest heroes, he grows into this as the game goes on.
- Anime Hair: Blue and spiky.
- Bash Brothers: Carver's party chats with him seem to suggest this kind of relationship between the two.
- Canon Name: The Hero's default name in the games is Rek. In the CD theater drama, his name is Will. In the manga, his name is Botts. In the novelization, his name is Iza.
- Can't Drop the Hero: He is one of two characters you may not leave with Patty.
- Chick Magnet: Plenty of ladies show interest in him throughout both worlds.
- Combat Medic: Like most Dragon Quest main characters, he naturally learns Heal.
- Doppelmerger: When he catches up to his missing body in the Real World version of Weaver's Peak, his double refuses to merge back with him fearing that he won't be the same person as he was before. When the monsters led by the Demon-At-Arms attack the village on Mortamor's behalf and threaten Tania, his body accepts his fate and both it and his soul merge back into one, giving the Hero the added power to take out the Demon-At-Arms.
- Dump Stat: His natural Resilience is pitiful for most of the game, taking until about Level 60 to pass the Squishy Wizard.
- Expy: Looks like a palette swapped Gohan.
- Hello, [Insert Name Here]: Selected by the player. Meaningful Name or Punny Name can often result.
- Heroic Mime: Has no dialogue when under player control.
- The Hero: As a main character, he exemplifies this. Further emphasized with how he can access the Hero vocation much more easily than any other party member.
- Jack of All Stats: Although his early access to the Hero class makes him become a Lightning Bruiser towards the end of the game.
- Mr. Fanservice: Shows more skin than any other Dragon Quest Hero, and is clearly quite well-toned.
- Not Blood Siblings: Turns out he and Tania are not blood siblings.
- Precision-Guided Boomerang: Is able to wield all boomerang weapons.
- Quest for Identity: Becomes his personal goal after defeating Murdaw. In the real world, he is really the Prince of Somnia. His parents King Somnus and Queen Apnea were cursed by Murdaw to sleep forever and his attempt to kill Murdaw and break the curse resulted in his body and soul being separated.
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: Once he learns he's the Prince of Somnia, anyway.
- Ship Tease: Some with both Tania and Ashlynn. He gets even more with Ashlynn in the ending.
- Shock and Awe: Learns Zap after reuniting with his body.
- Star-Crossed Lovers: Seems to become this with Ashlynn during the ending.
Carver
- The Alcoholic: One of his actions when using Lucky Dip as a Gadabout is to drink a bottle of booze. At first this only makes him fall asleep, but at Rank 8 he can use the alcohol to spit fire out of his mouth.
- Bare-Fisted Monk: Seems to be geared towards the Martial Artist class initially, though the player can mess around with this somewhat.
- Bash Brothers: His party chats with the Hero imply that they're this.
- The Big Guy: Just look at him - he's a muscular hunk.
- Book Dumb: Tends to have a somewhat blue collar take on higher learning, such as pronouncing Deja vu when he and the party are about to go to Murdaw's Keep again.
- Boisterous Bruiser: Fitting his nature as a wandering warrior.
- Dub Name Change: He was originally called Hassan, which became Carver.
- Dumb Muscle: He is not stupid, but he can be slow to catch on sometimes.
- Family Business: Ran away from being a carpenter to be a wandering martial artist. Carver retires in the end to take up his father's trade.
- Fire-Forged Friends: Initially the Hero's rival for the title of guardsmen, the two of them put aside their differences and team up and become inseparable from there on out. In actuality, however, they were friends before trying to fight Murdaw, who banished their spirits to the Dream World after turning them to stone, thus erasing memories of their friendship.
- Gentle Giant: He's a big friendly guy.
- Graceful Loser: While competing with the Hero for the title of a soldier in the DS remake, he says that if he doesn't win, he'd rather you do.
- Heel–Face Turn: While not ever a villain, he goes from a bully to an ally in the early parts of the game.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Initially kind of a dick to the Hero, once they join forces he becomes his best friend and an all around nice guy to be around. Averted in the DS remake, where he's polite from the get go.
- Magically Inept Fighter: Carver is easily the party's muscle, but he gains very little MP even once the Job System is unlocked.
- Mighty Glacier: Excellent HP and strength, but rather slow.
- Sliding Scale of Gameplay and Story Integration: After regaining his memories at Murdaw's Keep, he remembers Knuckle Sandwich, which stays with him for the rest of the game.
- Undying Loyalty: Towards the Hero, which really shows in his late game party chats.
Milly
- Action Girl: Evident from the moment she appears, as she has no hesitation about facing Murdaw.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Somewhat. While Milly is a nice person, she tends to be quite snarky around some of the more obnoxious characters the party works with and also appears to be the one most willing to go to extremes to accomplish goals. Her Dark and Troubled Past probably plays a part into this.
- Cool Big Sis: Functions as one to the entire party, but is actually one to Terry.
- Dark and Troubled Past: There's a lot implied, possibly including Rape as Drama.
- Deadpan Snarker: She has plenty of this if you pay attention to her party chats, generally in the form of back-handed compliments.
- Dub Name Change / Meaningful Name: As it was originally Mireyu, she became Milly. She was Milayou in Dragon Warrior Monsters. The original name is from the girls' name Mireya or Mireille meaning "to be admired", which certainly ties into her incredible beauty, while her current name is a play on the combined word "military", signifying the tie to her brother.
- Fortune Teller: Partially, as she learned from Madame Luca. She takes up an apprenticeship with her in the ending.
- Guest-Star Party Member: At first. She soon joins the party for good.
- An Ice Person: She learns ice spells naturally.
-
Marth Debuted in "Smash Bros.": The Dragon Quest Monsters spinoff was released outside of Japan about 10 years before her official debut game was. - The Medic: She joins the party already knowing healing and buffing spells.
- Mysterious Woman: Milly carries an air of a mystery about her, and while the game explores some of her backstory, there remain large gaps pertaining to things like how she fell in with the hero's group and her motivations for participating in the fight against Murdaw.
- Only Six Faces: Looks more than a little like Android 18, another Akira Toriyama design.
- Parental Abandonment: Another part of her Dark and Troubled Past.
- Spell My Name With An S: Mireyu/Mireille/Muriel/etc... The localization went for 'Milly'.
- Squishy Wizard: Subject to change as she gains levels, depending on how you develop her.
- The Stoic: Tends to keep a pleasant calm through most situations, making her both a great Team Mom and Deadpan Snarker. This goes away if you take her to Felonia, where she gets thrown into a mini Heroic BSoD.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: As a Fortune Teller and a Magic Dancer, she's both of the Mahabala sisters wrapped up in one.
- Team Mom: Implied through party chats.
- World's Most Beautiful Woman : While not explicitly stated, Milly's beauty is commented on far, far more than any other female character in the game. In fact, it largely determines her backstory. Milly is sold first as a child to Felonia's Gindoro crime syndicate who bought her from her foster father because she was a 'real looker' and later to the King of Felonia as a dancer. Her beauty during her time as a dancer for the king of Felonia was said to be so great that the previous queen of Felonia was driven wild with jealousy, and had Milly thrown in the dungeon as she was convinced her beauty had come from supernatural means. It is there that she was given the ocarina used to summon the dragon in the game's opening by a dying prisoner.
- You Can See Me?: She is able to see the Hero and Carver when they arrive in the Real World. It also helps she's the first person to be restored both of body and soul, too.
Ashlynn
- Action Girl: She's always ready to unleash spells on evil.
- Big Eater: An informed ability, since we only hear this through party chat.
- But Now I Must Go: Her fate in the ending. As her once actual physical body was destroyed by Mortamor when he wiped out Sorceria she ceases to exist in the Real World when the Dream World vanishes upon Mortamor's death. Fortunately, she is later found to be alive and well in Cloudsgate Citadel.
- Can't Drop the Hero: Strangely, this applies to Ashlynn as well as the Hero, despite the fact that all events involving her are optional, and, like even the Hero, it is optional to have her in the main party of four.
- Deadpan Snarker: Although not quite to the same level of deadpan or snarkiness as Milly reaches, Ashlynn tends to snark more frequently.
- Dub Name Change: Was originally Barbara in the Japanese version.
- Expy: She's also similar in design and attitude to Lina Inverse.
- Fiery Redhead: Hair color and attitude both match.
- Genki Girl: She's perky and upbeat.
- Hair Color Dissonance: Her hair sometimes looks more blonde than red.
- I Will Only Slow You Down: Stays behind in the ship when it reaches the Isle of Murdaw in the Real World since fighting the Dream World Murdaw who's actually the King of Somnia cursed to look like him was bad enough and the real one won't be a cakewalk. Averted when she fights the other Dread Fiends, however.
- Implied Love Interest: Due to the game's lack of complex character interaction and the Hero's lack of any dialogue, the most romance she has with the Hero comes in the form of several flirty party chats.
- The Lancer: She'll make herself heard even if the group's opinion is different.
- Magikarp Power: Ashlynn is extremely weak at first, especially if you make her first vocation a Mage, but with enough work and patience to make her a Sage (and possibly Armamentalist), she becomes the best spellcaster in the game, with devastating offensive spells and healing spells on par with (or possibly even exceeding) Nevan.
- Mini Dress Of Power: Her design uses this to show she's not to be messed with.
- Ocular Gushers: Her Rank 8 Lucky Dip as a Gadabout consists of attacking the enemies with a tsunami made out of her tears.
- Only Six Faces: Her high ponytail gives her a resemblance to other Akira Toriyama girls with the same feature, like Marle, the female Merchant, and Bulma.
- Pink Means Feminine: During party chat, Ashlynn mentions she would not mind if the Hero bought her an armor... which happened to be pink.
- Playing with Fire: She learns fire spells such as Frizz and Sizz naturally.
- Quest for Identity: She begins as an invisible amnesiac, noting how rotten the combination is. Ashlynn later discovers that she is from the magical kingdom of Sorceria and a descendent of its founder Ashmeralda. She was going to be its next ruling Eldress until Mortamor destroyed it and had Gracos seal its Dream World counterpart. Ashlynn used all her power to escape being sealed away with Sorceria, but lost her memories in the process.
- Ship Tease: With the Hero. They become Star-Crossed Lovers in the ending.
- Squishy Wizard: At first. She can be made into a much better fighter later.
- Star-Crossed Lovers: Seems to become this with the Hero during the ending.
- Take Our Word for It: One of her Lucky Dip actions as a Gadabout consists of doing something so gross that everyone else in the battle looks away.
- Tsundere: Mostly dere dere around the Hero and the rest of the party, but gets tsun tsun around annoying people i.e. Terry.
- Valley Girl: Talks like one relatively frequently.
- You Can See Me?: When you first meet her at Moonmirror Tower.
Nevan
- Blow You Away: He learns wind spells naturally, like a priest.
- Bratty Half-Pint: Initially at least. He gets better after spending some time with the party.
- Child Mage: An accomplished cleric at a young age.
- Child Prodigy: Apparently, he's the young prodigy of Ghent Village, but it is never explained in what sense this is in.
- Dub Name Change: It was originally Chamoro, but was renamed to Nevan.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: At first, he and the Elder blow off King Somnus's request to aid the party with more arrogance than you can shake a stick at... however, he gets a message from Rubiss and immediately changes his attitude, spending the rest of the game as a humble and kind person.
- Meaningful Name: Chamorro is Spanish for bald or shorn. Given that he wears his hat all the time, Nevan may actually either be bald or short-haired, befitting the original name.
- The Medic: He joins the party knowing Heal and Midheal.
- Oracular Urchin: Especially when the Goddess speaks through him during his introduction.
- Parental Abandonment: His parents aren't around or really even mentioned.
- Raised by Grandparents: It's never really explained what happened to his parents.
- Shorter Means Smarter: The shortest party member is also The Smart Guy.
- The Smart Guy: And a bit insufferable about it much of the time.
- Smart People Wear Glasses: He's a prodigy in school and his glasses vie with his hat to be noticed.
- Squishy Wizard: Only at first. Later that can be changed.
Amos
- A Hero to His Hometown: Because he protects the town of Scrimsley from monsters and because he's just a general do-gooder around town, the townspeople adore him for all he does for them. Even after he develops an Involuntary Shapeshifting problem, the townspeople are still extremely protective of him, as their love for and gratitude towards Amos far outweighs the relatively minor damage caused by his nightly rampages.
- Born Unlucky: Cursed to turn into a monster when you first meet him, and it only gets worse from there.
- Butt-Monkey: Party Chats with him imply that he has terrible luck, and he tends to be the butt of the other party member's jokes.
- Chivalrous Pervert: Old Amos likes the bunny girls and frequently laments his single status.
- Dirty Coward: Amos relates to Prince Howard's predicament. As learned through Party Chat, he responded to being accused of cowardice in his youth by pushing himself to become the hometown hero he's known as in the present day.
- Dumb Muscle: Shown to be pretty dense, but still a strong fighter.
- That said, being the oldest party member in the Hero's group, Amos does show a level of homegrown wisdom, insight, and self-reflection that sometimes puts him on par with Milly in terms of worldliness.
- Humble Hero: A big part of what makes Amos so beloved by his hometown of Scrimsely. He's a hero and helper for the sake of doing good for others, never for any rewards or accolades.
- Involuntary Shapeshifter: His problem when you first see him. He is a Were Dragon who can't control changing at night.
- Voluntary Shapeshifter: What happens after you help him out.
- Mighty Glacier: Quite similar to Carver in this regard, although he trades power for a wider equipment pool.
- Mr. Fanservice: As he is depicted in the DS Updated Re-release's character stock art, where he was given an actual, unique design (as seen in the image to the right). In comparison and contrast to The Hero and Carver, Amos is both hunky like the latter and athletically sporty in build and youthful in the face like the former, without being the giant mass of muscles Carver is or coming off as young as The Hero. His outfit adhering to the belief that Sleeves Are for Wimps helps sell the appearance and look.
- Adaptational Attractiveness/Progressively Prettier: On the grounds that Amos was originally just a generic blue-armor-wearing soldier sprite with no official character design or artwork to his name.
- Optional Party Member: You can avoid helping him out, possibly even managing to turn him into Permanently Missable Content.
- Third-Person Person: Old Amos refers to himself this way a lot.
- Wide-Eyed Idealism: One of Amos' strengths. During the turbulent times through multiple worlds that are collectively under siege for the sake of sowing despair and hopelessness to all who dwell, Amos remains a beacon of idealism, optimism and positivity, even among the Hero's group of assorted do-gooders who've been put through the ringer throughout their lives and prior adventures.
- You ALL Look Familiar: In a similar case as Tuppence, he looks like a generic NPC blue warrior in the original game. The remake gives him an updated, though still similar, sprite.
Terry
- Anti-Hero: He's not the nicest party member, but his heart is in the right place.
- Anti-Villain: Before his Heel–Face Turn at least. Then he becomes an Anti-Hero.
- Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: Has shades of this.
- Breakout Character: Popular enough to be the star of the first Dragon Warrior: Monsters spin-off game, and the installment's sole representative in the first Dragon Quest Heroes (Carver joins him in the sequel).
- Chick Magnet: Girls all over the world are pining for him. Even dragons, apparently.
- Dark and Troubled Past
- Deadpan Snarker: Unlike Milly, who tends to snark through witty back-handed compliments, Terry's snarking is blunt and biting. Snarking must be a family thing.
- Deal with the Devil: Makes one just before you beat him up.
- Defeat Means Friendship: Only joins the party after getting defeated by them, and is the only party member to do so.
- Expy: Is literally Trunks in a hat.
- Good Counterpart: To Psaro from Dragon Quest IV. Both were Monster Scouts/Tamers/Wranglers in their youth, both were motivated to protect a female character they cared about from the abuse they suffered (Rose and humans wanting her ruby tears for Psaro, Milly and her being kidnapped by bandits from Felonia for Terry), both have Lightning Storm as one of their abilities, and both succumbed to the very worst of monsterkind (Psaro being an Unwitting Pawn to Aamon's murder of Rose via brainwashing humans and used the Secret of Evolution to become the new Lord of the Underworld, Terry making a deal with Dhuran long after losing sight of the reason he was seeking to become more powerful in the first place). However, while Psaro became a monster and (In the remakes) had to be saved by the Chosen and a revived Rose, Terry just fights the party as part of Dhuran's challenge to the party and later joins the party to defeat Dhuran's master.
- Heel–Face Turn: Makes one when lured in by the promise of power.
- He Who Fights Monsters: Slightly downplayed, but Terry does go on his years-long quest to gain strength for the initial purpose of becoming strong and self-sufficient enough to rescue and take care of his older sister Milly, who had been kidnapped when they both were young children and who he tried and humiliatingly failed to save back then. However, as the years passed and he prodigiously grew in strength and acclaim that belied his still very much young teen age, Terry lost sight of the very reason he quested for strength in the first. What was once a journey for strength to help his sister instead became a quest for power for the sake of being powerful. He's even forgotten Milly's face and fails to to recognize her when he cross paths with the Hero's party throughout the game. And when Terry takes up Dhuran's offer for even more power in exchange for servitude, it isn't surprising, since by that point, he'd become far-removed enough from his initial goal and reasonings to have made such a choice.
- Hidden Depths: Party chats imply him to be a Supreme Chef.
- Jack of All Stats: His stats are pretty similar to the Hero's, though he lacks early access to the Hero class.
- Jerkass: At times, he can be outright rude.
- Improbable Weapon User: Orichalcum Fangs.
- Ineffectual Loner: Terry subverts this, as he's actually a talented swordsman who can stand on his own. Eventually, however, he winds up playing this straight following his deal with the devil.
- Marth Debuted in "Smash Bros.": The Dragon Quest Monsters spinoff was released outside of Japan about 10 years before Terry's official debut game was.
- Master Swordsman: He joins at the highest level of all characters. Depending on which version you're playing, he'll have a different number of sword-related classes mastered.
- Overrated and Underleveled: Terry suffers from this; while stated to have defeated several guards that you took down as a party and was shown to easily beat a very strong monster by himself, by the time he joins, he is more or less an average party member with an advanced job and strong weapon.
- Cutscene Power to the Max: He uses Dragon Slash to end his fight with Lizzie in Wayfarer's Pass, but later joins you as a beginning Gladiator who doesn't yet have that skill.
- Later versions/ports of Dragon Quest VI have made gradual attempts to avert Terry away from this trope, with the intention of allowing Terry to better slot into the party at the general point they'll likely be at when he joins. His character Level goes from 23 in the initial Super Famicom release of the game to 28 in the DS remake to 33 in the Mobile port of the DS version. And, respectively, he goes from being in the Gladiator Vocation and only having Warrior mastered to having both Warrior and Martial Artist mastered to also having Priest and Mage mastered on top of that. The Mobile port of the DS version also buffed his Strength stat by 5 points and his Agility stat by 38.
- Pretty Boy: Easily the prettiest boy in the game, although looking in a mirror as him reveals him to have preferred to have been a rugged manly man, more akin to the likes of the Hero, Carver or Amos, as opposed to the slender pretty boy he actually is.
- The Rival: Acts this way towards the Hero for much of the game, which even seems to continue post Heel–Face Turn, if party chats are to be believed.
- Shock and Awe: Lightning Storm, which is a recurring Coup de Grace of his, and even uses it as a Lucky Dip antic for free.
- The Sixth Ranger: Fits this trope perfectly, from starting as the Ineffectual Loner rival of The Hero to becoming a Rival Turned Evil to joining the party through Defeat Means Friendship.
- Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Life was certainly not kind to him growing up.
Lizzie
A grouchy Hackasaurus who terrorizes the kingdom of Arkbolt when she takes over a nearby tunnel to lay her eggs. After being defeated by Terry, she finds herself developing an admiration for the swordsman and insists on traveling with him.- All Amazons Want Hercules: Develops an interest in Terry after he defeats her, and becomes his loyal follower from there on out.
- Back from the Dead: Never really explained, and it freaks out the guards.
- Breath Weapon: Learns the fire-breathing attacks by default, and starts off in the vocation that teaches these types of attacks.
- Cutscene Boss: She's only fought by Terry in Wayfarer's Pass by the time the party reaches her.
- Dinosaurs Are Dragons: She's a Hackasaurus who has a default class of Dragon.
- Dumb Muscle: Implied by her Party Chat, though her Wisdom is actually fairly high.
- Heel–Face Turn / I Fight for the Strongest Side!: She was originally the Hackasaurus that terrorized Arkbolt, but it's implied she was impressed by Terry's skills and wanted to accompany him.
- Hulk Speak: Lizzie *spit*... talk like this often... *slobber*
- Magikarp Power: Inverted. Lizzie's stats when she joins at level 5 are on par with characters 25-30 levels higher than her, but she levels up very slowly and gets paltry stat upgrades until she breaks level 46 and up.
- Mighty Glacier: The strongest and toughest party member around, even beating out Carver. Her Agility isn't even that bad, though it's still her weakest stat, and her HP and Resistance stats are the strongest in the game, with an impressive array of monster resistances and immunities on top of that.
- Secret Character: Can be recruited by taking Terry to the Arkbolt prison after he is recruited.
- Stalker with a Crush: Some party chats imply that she's one of these towards Terry.
- Undying Loyalty: Towards Terry, whether he likes it or not. This thankfully extends to the rest of the party while he's with them.
The Antagonists
Murdaw
- Badass Boast: Delivers one just before the party fights the real him.Murdaw: How unfortunate for you - I'm much more powerful in reality than I ever was inside a dream! Are you ready for eternal sleep? This is a nightmare from which you shall not awaken!
- Big Bad Wannabe: At best, since he first starts off framed AS a Big Bad, although unlike other examples, he doesn't mind it since he knows he's working for Mortamor.
- Blinded by the Light: Uses Dazzleflash during the 3rd and final battle with him, an ability he retains in Dragon Quest IX.
- Canon Immigrant: Not Murdaw himself, but his Devil's Thunder from the Land of Illusion manga becomes canon from his boss fight in Dragon Quest X onwards.
- Degraded Boss: His design is later used for the Pudgedevils encountered in his master's Dreadlair, which were created by Mortamor via mass cloning from the former's cells and granted further power through magical amplification, according to the Japanese DS VI guide and the Pudgedevil's Joker 3 Professional entry.
- Disc-One Final Boss: Murdaw has a suitably epic dungeon and battle, but he needs to be defeated before you can finally unlock the game's intricate Job System.
- Dragon-in-Chief: He's Mortamor's agent in the Real World who kickstarts the game's events and who can all too tragically get the job done for his master, if need be.
- Dub Name Change: From Mudou to Murdaw. Both original and the renaming aren't anything too morally good either, as demonstrated in Punny Name below.
- Faux Affably Evil: He tries to "respect" the heroes when they return to his Real World lair, but it doesn't work too well.
- Flunky Boss: Has 2 Prickly Pranksters at his beck and call when starting the battle, and can summon more, as well as Harmours. Most spinoff appearances and Dragon Quest X seem to favor the former, while the latter are used in Dragon Quest Monsters 2, Dragon Quest of the Stars, and Dragon Quest Tact.
- Forced Transformation: He curses both Somnia's Queen Apnea and King Somnus by eternal sleep with this, transforming the Queen into an insomniac version of the King in the Dream World and turning the King into a Dream World doppelgänger of himself through More than Mind Control to guard his fake Dream World castle lair. The curse on each of them are fortunately soon derailed with the Mirror of Ra.
- His boss fight in Dragon Quest X also incorporates this, turning a player into him and preventing said player from using spells or abilities.
- Green and Mean: He terrorizes the world and kills anybody who opposes to him and resembles a reptilian, green demon.
- Hypnotic Eyes: Uses Lullab-Eye during the 3rd and final fight against him, which he retains in Dragon Quest X. In addition, he's the first user of the skill and when it hits, pleasant nightmares, since not even sleep resistant equipment can save you!
- Irony: Despite Murdaw's boasting of giving his enemies their worst nightmares in their dreams, as well as the curse of eternal sleep to the King and Queen of Somnia, he never sleeps himself. That's how the party realizes the "Murdaw" they fought in the Dream World isn't the real one.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Leaving Carver's stone body in front of the stairs leading to his throne room causes Carver himself to regain his memories and realizing that the Hero, himself, and Milly DID fight Murdaw for real during the game's intro, but he defeated them and sent Carver's spirit to the Dream World after turning him to stone. He even remembers Knuckle Sandwich for the entire game to use against Murdaw himself and all other monsters, including his master!
- Playing with Fire: His doppelganger uses Flame Breath and Frizzle, while the real deal uses the former, in addition to Scorch and Hellfire in Dragon Quest IX, as well as Kafrizzle in Dragon Quest X.
- Punny Name: His name is one for the word murder. His original Japanese name basically means curse or kill, as well.
- Shock and Awe: Uses Lightning during the 3rd battle, as well as Apocalyptic Lightning during his Legacy Boss fight in Dragon Quest IX.
- Status Buff: Casts Buff via his doppelganger in addition to the genuine article doing it himself in Dragon Quest IX.
- Taken for Granite: As his own powers are associated with the earth, he does this the first time to the Hero, Carver and Milly when they reach his throne room, even placing Carver's petrified body in front of the steps. He tries to do it again to the three along with Nevan but it fails since they have the Mirror of Ra in their possession.
- He can also do it to players in Dragon Quest X, marking the first time that status effect is present during a battle in a main series game.
- Turns Red: When you defeat him, he gets pissed and immediately begins a second battle with properly epic music and nastier attacks.
- Villain Respect: He admires the party's persistence in fighting him and does his usual "gift" of turning them to stone, though it backfires since they have the Mirror of Ra on them.
Jamirus
A fire-based Dread Fiend stationed in the Dream World on Mortamor's behalf. He is responsible for creating and spreading rumors of a utopian paradise, the Isle of Smiles, where humans can be happy forever. In reality though, the Isle is a Lotus-Eater Machine where the prisoners are tortured for eternity.- Canon Immigrant: Not Jamirus himself, but the armor he wears from the Land of Illusion manga is used for his General Jamirus design in Dragon Quest X.
- The Charmer: His Isle of Smiles is touted as a utopian paradise and knows how to please Mortamor's minions through Rousing Speeches.
- Degraded Boss: Normal enemy versions of him (Gryphons and War Gryphons) show up later in the game, as well as other entries of the series.
- His Name Is...: Almost reveals Mortamor's name after being defeated by the party, but dies before he could fully say it.
- Lightning Bruiser: With plenty of power to back it up in his attacks.
- Lotus-Eater Machine: What the Isle of Smiles really is, since he intends to sacrifice souls to Mortamor and lure more happiness seeking humans to their deaths.
- Playing with Fire: Uses Flame Breath and Fire Claws in his debut, in addition to Inferno, Scorch, and Purgatory Pyre in Dragon Quest X.
- Wake-Up Call Boss: He can attack twice per turn in his boss battle, so expect to watch your health fall badly if you do not heal fast enough with him.
- You Are in Command Now: After Murdaw's death, he is next in line to lead Mortamor's armies, though the party puts a stop to it.
Gracos
- An Ice Person: Casts Kacracknote in both his debut and Dragon Quest X, as well as Kacrackle in the latter, in addition to breathing a Chilly Breath and an Ice Age.
- Breath Weapon: Of the ice variant via Chilly Breath, as well as Ice Age in Dragon Quest X during the True Dread Fiends boss fight.
- The Brute: Not the stupid variety, either.
- Green and Mean: Usually colored as such, though he'll either have the coloration of the Merderers or Gracos V, both from the next game.
- Making a Splash: Not in VI, but Dragon Quest X gives him the Rage of the Sea Demon, Rough Wave Beat, Sea Demon God's Wrath, and Wrath of the Sea Demon abilities, which utilize water.
- Meaningful Name: Gracos is a transliteration of the name of the Greek ocean deity Glaucus.
- Prongs of Poseidon: His trident, aptly named Gracos's Trident, can be obtained from him after the battle, and is also a recurring weapon in later games.
- Saying Too Much: Blabs about sealing away Sorceria on Mortamor's orders before silencing himself and fighting the party.
- Villains Out Shopping: According to his Dragon Quest X bestiary entry, when not doing Mortamor's dirty work, he has a lot of free time under the seas, writing spear weapon recipes in his diary.
Dhuran
- Affably Evil: After storming his castle, he instructs his minions that you are a guest of his and to not attack you.
- Attack Reflector: Casts Bound to reflect one spell and one spell only.
- Blow You Away: Uses Wind Sickles in both his debut and Dragon Quest X, as well as Gale Fource in the latter during the True Dread Fiends boss fight to boost his attacks with wind.
- Deal with the Devil: He gives Terry "ultimate power" in exchange for his service. Unlike other examples, Terry even keeps said "ultimate power", Lightning Storm, with no repercussions.
- Early Installment Character-Design Difference: He and the Loss Leaders originally had a more simplified design to contrast from Nokturnus, though both eventually gain the
Nokturnus Redesign from Joker 2 onwards for the former, and Dragon Quest Heroes II onwards for the latter. - Graceful Loser: Takes his loss from the Hero and his party in stride, even offering to cross blades with them in the next life.
- Light 'em Up: He uses Pearly Gates during his boss fights in Dragon Quest X, as well as Judgement Cross to damage all enemies while reducing their resistance to lightning attacks.
- Mighty Roar: Not in VI, but Dragon Quest X gives him Ferocious Roar, which damages all enemies while potentially stunning them and subjecting them to various status effects, like curse or confusion.
- Noble Demon: After testing your strength via a Iron Tortoise and an Uberkilling Machine, as well as Terry, he considers you a Worthy Opponent and will heal you before his fight.
- Shock and Awe: Knows Lightning Storm during his boss fight in Dragon Quest X, an ability he taught to Terry for his service in his debut game, Gale Fource during the True Dread Fiends boss fight to boost his attacks with lightning, and Giga Javelin to severely damage enemies while paralyzing them and summoning Lightning Formations.
- Status-Buff Dispel: Uses Disruptive Wave like many of the series' villains in most of his appearances.
Blackmar
- And Now You Must Marry Me: He wants Sister Anne to marry him, using a cursed ring that will turn her evil to break the prisoners in Gallows Moor even further. His death prevents that from ever happening.
- Bad Boss: Not even Mortamor's other minions in the prison town are safe from him, as a Prison Guard tells you from firsthand experience that Blackmar killed one who got on his bad side.
- Dark Is Evil: Blackmar is appropriately fought in the Dread Realm at Gallows Moor, though he doesn't use any darkness related skills or spells until Dragon Quest X, which gives him Black Breath, Kazam, Kazammle, Continuous Dormadon, Prison of Sorrow, and Zetsubou Wave.
- Demon Lords and Archdevils: While he isn't technically a Dread Fiend who was sent to the Real or Dream Worlds, he is the Dread Fiend regardless under this due to being Mortamor's top enforcer and torturer. Blackmar's brutal methods of killing and causing despair in any of the Archfiend's visitors and other monsters who cross him or them definitively serve as a reminder not to mess with or underestimate both him and his master.
- Dub Name Change: He was originally Akubar, though renamed to Blackmar.
- Flunky Boss: Blackmar has 2 Lethal Charmours note fighting alongside him. They can also summon a Cureslime to Fullheal their master, should the player party ignore it.
- Ground Pound: Uses Stomp in his debut game.
- Meaningful Name: Both his original Japanese name and his renaming have two meanings.
- Acabar in Spanish means "to end or finish". Considering the original name is a slight transliteration, that would make sense due to Gallows Moor and the consistent death and souls sacrificed within his domain for his master since he is the highest-ranking Dread Fiend.
- Blackmar if you separated the word components literally means 'black sea'... or in another way, nightmare, which is also considerably disturbing due to being who he is.
- Mighty Roar: Not in VI, but Dragon Quest X gives him Total War Cry, which damages all enemies in addition to stunning them
- No Ontological Inertia: Blackmar's demise undoes all the Prison Guards that were brought to life under his command. Mortamor in sheer rage turns both the subjects and the giants trapped in Gallows Moor afterwards (except the heroes) into cats and (in the giants' case) stone in quick revenge.
- Number Two / The Creon: As expected for his position and unlike Murdaw, he answers directly to Mortamor and runs Gallows Moor. Dogmus and Zozagel are his personal guards while Cabot and Belleau answer to both him and Mortamor as shared Co-Dragons.
- Playing with Fire: Uses Flame Slash and breathes an Inferno in his debut, and Kasizzle in Dragon Quest X's True Dread Fiends boss fight.
- Status Infliction Attack: Casts Kasap in both VI and X to lower the enemy party's defense, as well as Zetsubou Wave to curse enemies in addition to dealing darkness damage and Prison of Sorrow to lower enemy defense and spell resistance by 1 level each.
- Torture Technician: Tortures any prisoners from both worlds that were kidnapped including both Supreme Sage brothers Benjamin (who is found in Gallows Moor) and Isaac, his twin (who's found near Mortamor's Dreadlair in the Prison of Sorrow).
- Wardens Are Evil: It's his stock in trade, torturing various prisoners from both the Real and Dream Worlds and then mass-executing them.
- You Have Failed Me: May have killed Dhuran in the Dread Realm afterwards on Mortamor's behalf for failing to defeat the heroes. Considering Dhuran's inherent nature, Blackmar may not have liked him all that much.
Archfiend Mortamor
Second Form
Final Form
The master of the Dread Realm, and the true main villain of the game. He is responsible for the crimes of the Dread Fiends and created the 'link' between the Real and Dream Worlds in order to conquer them both. His ultimate plan is to utterly remove hope from the hearts of everyone, transforming all three worlds into a bleak, soulless haven for despair and death.
- An Ice Person: Uses Frigid Ice in his first form.
- Attack Reflector: Casts Bounce in his first form, while his Left Claw can use Backdraft to reflect breath attacks.
- Big Bad: The real villain of the game, who wants to merge the Real and Dream Worlds with the Dread Realm so he can make the humans of both worlds suffer from despair.
- Big Red Devil: His second form, which utilizes both offense and defence via Buff, Oomph, and other skills like Defending Champion and charging into his enemies with his spiky shoulders.
- Blow You Away: Not in his debut, but he can cast Kaswoosh and Kaswooshle in Dragon Quest IX.
- Contrasting Sequel Antagonist: To Zoma from Dragon Quest III. Both are the final note villains of their respective trilogies (Erdrick and Zenithian), both rule over a dark realm with an iron fist (Alefgard and the Dread Realm), and both have underlings who are initially the main villain (Baramos and Murdaw). However, Zoma sent only Baramos to try and conquer Aliahan, fights with ice magic and utilizes darkness as a shield, while he fed on the negative emotions of Alefgard's people, destroyed the first Sword of Kings, and defeated Rubiss, Mortamor sends 4 underlings, the aforementioned Murdaw included, to seal away Alltrades Abbey, Medford's Manor, Sorceria, and Cloudsgate Citadel, while sealing Pegasus's body and tortures various people in both his own realm and prisoners from the Real and Dream Worlds for more than feeding on negative emotions such as driving them to despair, has a variety of skills and spells, and has 2 other forms compared to Zoma not having a One-Winged Angel. Finally, Zoma takes his loss in stride, but warns Erdrick that a new evil will rise long after his own death, while Mortamor dies in disbelief that he could be defeated.
- Devil in Disguise: Morgan Gainmore could be considered HIS disguise, as Morgan symbolizes the greed in Greedmore Valley. He also tempts people in this guise with wanting to sell their souls to him in exchange for the "treasure" that he claims Supreme Sage Isaac left, confirming that he and Morgan are one and the same.
- Emotion Eater: He became obsessed with power and fed on the woes, greed, and negative emotions of people living in the Dread Realm, not unlike Zoma when he ruled Alefgard.
- Evil Old Folks: His first form.
- Final Boss: Of both the main story and if Nokturnus confronts him easily enough in other situations.
- Flunky Boss: He's fought alongside his two hands, which can heal the head and themselves with Multiheal, clobber enemies with Knuckle Sandwich, Beatdown, and Claw Slash, even reviving either one of themselves or Mortamor's head with Zing and/or Kazing.
- For the Evulz: One of his most heinous acts in the game is spreading a vicious rumor that there's a treasure the Supreme Sage Isaac left at the bottom of Greedmore Valley's lake, causing all of its citizens to kill each other just to get it. And then he rewinds this scenario time and time again just to amuse himself. When the heroes reach the treasure first and expose the empty chest and rumor, it soon derails his source of "fun" pretty quick and he gets pissed.
- Hope Crusher: His ultimate plan. He even kills Eldress Isnomor after Ashlynn learned Magic Burst and later in sheer rage turns the inhabitants of Gallows Moor into cats out of spite towards their victory over his second-in-command.
- Hypnotic Eyes: Just like Murdaw, he can use Lullab-Eye in his final form, which he retains in Dragon Quest IX and other spinoff appearances.
- Hypocrite: Orders Gracos to seal the city of Sorceria to prevent Magic Burst from being taught to humans when he himself uses the spell during the final battle. Justified in his case, since he doesn't want the spell to be used against him.
- Meaningful Name: If you separate the word components of "mort" and "amor", his name literally means the love of death, which is appropriately terrifying considering his desires for plunging everything into despair and death.
- Mighty Roar: Ferocious Roar, which he uses to damage and stun the party in his final form. He retains this ability in the ninth game and various spinoff appearances.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: His name contains the Latin prexif "mort", which means death. It's made even more blatant with his original name, Deathtamoor.
- Oh, Crap!: When Nokturnus arrives to deal with him instead of the heroes, Mortamor is visibly terrified. Considering the scale of Nokturnus's power compared to his own, the reaction is appropriate.
- One-Winged Angel: Two of them, though the disembodied head and hands are the more iconic final forms.
- Playing with Fire: Has Fierce Flame in his first form, Scorch in his second form, and Kafrizz and Pyre o' Fire in his final form. Dragon Quest IX gives him Hellfire and Kafrizzle when fought as a Legacy Boss.
- Seven Deadly Sins: Considering his plan is to drive everyone into despair and death, he hits all 7.
- Gluttony: He loves the emotions of despair humanity gives him and craves more.
- Pride: Believes he's superior to any human and that the party cannot defeat him.
- Greed: His ambitions to rule the Real and Dream Worlds beyond the Dread Realm, which Madame Luca lampshades during the ending after his defeat.
- Sloth: Sends Murdaw, Jamirus, Gracos, and Dhuran to seal off Alltrades Abbey, Medford's Manor, Sorceria, and Cloudsgate Citadel to prevent Heroes from being made, items that better defend humanity from his minions, Magic Burst from being taught, and one of the means to reach his realm, in addition to various other minions like Blackmar executing humans. note
- Lust: Desires the despair and death of humanity, and will use any means necessary to make it happen.
- Envy: In his breakdown, he secretly envies Nokturnus's much higher levels of power while the latter faces him in place of the heroes.
- Wrath: Turns into his final form in a fit of rage, kills Eldress Isnomor, and turns the prisoners of Gallows Moor into cats to get back for the deaths of Gracos and Blackmar.
- Smug Snake: He's pretty arrogant and condescending compared to the rest of the series' villains, not believing the party to be serious threats and he can easily defeat them, despite the party defeating Murdaw, Jamirus, Gracos, Dhuran, Blackmar, and his various minions. Put him up against Nokturnus, however, and he quivers like a Mottle Slime in fear of his power.
- Stuff Blowing Up: Casts Kaboom in his first and final forms, and can learn Desperation Blast in Dragon Quest Tact.
- Tom the Dark Lord: Mortamor's name is a hair's breadth from Mortimer, a name that comes from the Old French for "dead sea".
- Villainous Valor: If the Prince of Somnia and the party have Nokturnus face Mortamor for them, the Archfiend is initially scared of him, but nonetheless fights him despite knowing he can't do anything against his power.
- You Cannot Grasp the True Form: After his final defeat, the last that we see of him is a Narrow Worlds Orb shattering, implying that the disembodied head wasn't even his true form.
Nokturnus
Nokturnus
- An Ice Person: Breathes a C-C-Cold Breath in most of his appearances.
- Blood Knight: One of the strongest in the Dragon Quest multiverse.
- Blow You Away: Uses Wind Sickles in his debut and Thin Air in Dragon Quest IX.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: If you beat him in fewer than 20 rounds, he will singlehandedly take down Mortamor for you without even taking any damage. It's even hilariously lampshaded in his bestiary entry for Dragon Quest IX!
"Brutal bad-dream demon from another dimension. So strong that he makes Mortamor seem more like Snoretamore!"
- Defeat Equals Friendship: If you defeat him fast enough, he will willingly grant you a wish.
- Evil Is Not a Toy: In the backstory, King Falle of Castle Graceskull summoned him in an attempt to stop Mortamor. The fact that, when you find that kingdom, it's a blasted, ruined wasteland full of poisonous swamps should tell you how well things went.
- Final Boss: Will turn into this if you beat him in under 20 turns as he will kill Mortamor for you, after which you get the ending as though you beat Mortamor.
- Hypnotic Eyes: Just Murdaw and Mortamor, he uses Lullab-Eye to put one enemy to sleep.
- I Gave My Word: Beat him in 20 turns and he really does keep his word and kill Mortamor for you.
- Light 'em Up: Uses Pearly Gates to severely damage enemies.
- Noble Demon: Given that he'll truly grant a wish to anyone that can defeat him within 20 turns, this is a given.
- Palette Swap: Of Dhuran and the Loss Leaders, but with cooler armor.
- Playing with Fire: Casts Kafrizz note in his debut, and Kafrizzle in Dragon Quest IX, as well as breathing Scorch, Hellfire, and Purgatory Pyre.
- Shock and Awe: Casts Kazap in his debut, X, and other spinoff appearances such as Dragon Quest Heroes and the Battle Road games.
- Superboss: One of the most powerful in the series. He has all the strongest attacks in the game and more HP than all of Mortamor's forms combined.
- Wild Card: He wasn't at one point before with King Falle of Castle Graceskull, but he's definitely this to the player character and party.
- Worthy Opponent: He ultimately sees your party as this if you can beat him in under 20 turns. When he faces Mortamor, he mocks him and says that your party is stronger than he is.
