History YMMV / DragonQuestII

** It is possible to encounter the Gold Batboon as soon as you exit the Cave of Rhone on your way to the shrine to save, meaning you have to do the hardest area in the game ''all over again''. Pray that you didn't use all your MP in the cave for healing and pray that the RNG allows Stopspell to hit.

* GoddamnedBoss: While Hargon isn't too hard, he has the penchant of casting Healall at the worst time possible, fully healing himself. This is especially annoying on the NES version, when he has about 200 HP and can fully heal himself, which essentially restarts the battle for him (and not for you). The remakes changed this to Healmore, but gave him the ability to use breath instead.

* HilariousInHindsight: In the NES version at least, you see a lone soldier escaping Moonbrooke which seems to have been built in the middle of a poisonous swamp. Now who in the would would think that [[Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail building a castle in a swamp would be a good idea?]]

** Moyomoto, a name for the Prince of Midenhall that, thanks to a GoodBadBug in the famicom version, causes him to begin the game at level 48 (out of [[LevelCap 50]]) with three of the [[PlotCoupon Plot Coupons]] already in hand and no equipment, allowing him to tear through the early and mid game with his bare hands. Fan art depicting him as a [[Anime/FistOfTheNorthStar Kenshiro-like]] OneManArmy runs abound.

* MemeticLoser: The Prince of Cannock tends to be characterized as TheLoad in fan works due to his low damage output compared to the other two ([[{{Misblamed}} never mind that his primary function in battle is for support]]), tendency to die quickly, and limited equipment options. In Japan, mentioning that "the Prince of [[DubNameChange Sumaltria's]] strongest weapon is the Iron Spear" is often used to reference this. It reaches a point where Tonnura, a particularly lame-sounding one of his randomly-generated names in the Japanese version, has become shorthand for describing useless and incompetent people across all Japanese media.

** In a series of relatively tough to just plain hard bosses, Malroth is just plain cheap. He's the ONLY ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' final boss to have Fullheal, but only in the NES version. Malroth, for example can appear with anywhere from 189 to 250 HP. That difference can make the fight with him a lot easier or more difficult depending on RNG. The SFC remake onward removed Healall from his movepool, but significantly increased his HP pool and gave him Kabuff and Kasap to compensate for these changes.
** Bazuzu and Zarlox can potentially also spam Healall if you're incredibly unlucky. Atlas is the only one of the five final bosses who doesn't have Healall, and Hargon is the only one of the five that you can silence with Stopspell (you can put Bazuzu to sleep).
** Pazuzu is even worse, being a [[PaletteSwap Palette swapped]] KingMook version of a [[InstakillMook Gold]] [[DemonicSpiders Bat]][[TotalPartyKill Boon]] with jacked-up to stats and ''FULLHEAL''. Every turn spent against it is a chance for the RNG to decide to TotalPartyKill you no questions asked, and every cast of FULLHEAL is an extension to the already difficult battle. [[ThisIsGonnaSuck I hope you like dying!]]

** In a series of relatively tough to just plain hard bosses, Malroth is just plain cheap. As of this moment of typing, he's the ONLY ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' final boss to have Fullheal, but only in the NES version. Malroth, for example can appear with anywhere from 189 to 250 HP. That difference can make the fight with him a lot easier or more difficult depending on RNG. The SFC remake onward removed Healall from his movepool, but significantly increased his HP pool and gave him Kabuff and Kasap to compensate for these changes.

* GoddamnedBoss: While Hargon isn't too hard, he has the penchant of casting Healall at the worst time possible, fully healing himself. This is especially annoying on the NES version, when he has about 200 HP and can fully heal himself, which essentially restarts the battle for him (and not for you).

** In a series of relatively tough to just plain hard bosses, Malroth is just plain cheap. As of this moment of typing, he's the ONLY ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' final boss to have Fullheal. Not that bad in the NES version, as he only has 250 HP, but in the remix? He's got SEVEN times that much. Even if it doesn't heal all 1750, 999 is a real "up yours" to the effort you just put into knocking that off him. Also, the condition in how you face Malroth (or any enemy in the game actually) depends on luck as enemies spawn with a range of HP, ranging from 75% to 100%. Malroth for example can appear with anywhere from 189 to 250 HP. That difference can make the fight with him a lot easier or more difficult depending on RNG.

* SequelDifficultySpike: Neither area of [=DQI=] is as tough -and arguably unfair- as the Road to Rhone.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation / DependingOnTheWriter: The second prince in Japan and overseas. As "Sumaltria" (Japan), he's said to be "a slacker, a drinker, and an overall really fun guy". "Cannock" (Overseas) is a "studious young man immersed in his studies" and "easy-going", "doesn't like to hurry", and "[makes] side-trips".

* DemonicSpiders: The final area of the game contains enemies called Gold Batboons (Bat Demons in the GBC version) who could potentially wipe out your party in one turn with their Sacrifice spell. Sacrifice, when used on you, results in a total party kill 100% of the time. The only other enemy in the whole series that can use this ability is the Rockbomb, but at least the Rockbomb waits until you've sufficiently provoked it before casting the spell. Gold Batboons can choose to do it on their very first turn if they're so inclined.

*** Just about anything in the second half of the Cave to Rhone qualifies. Dragons have a breath attack that has the potential of critically wounding or killing two thirds of your party if you don't level grind. Flames usually come in a group of four and can cause a TotalPartyWipe if they all use a breath attack that deals about 35-40 damage. There's a reason why Cave of Rhone is ThatOneLevel and why the game's generally considered NintendoHard.

* GoodBadBugs: The NES version had the cursed equipment glitch, used mainly for the Sword of Destruction. If you equip a cursed item (such as the cursed Sword of Destruction) and get it removed via House of Healing, you keep its attack power without the drawback of constantly missing turns until you reenter your Equip screen or you level up. If you go to the Equip screen or you level up, the numbers reset to their proper values.

* HarsherInHindsight: As seen in the DistantSequel ''Caravan Hearts'' (which takes place 200 years later), [[spoiler: Moonbrooke lies in ruins. This either means that the Princess was unable to restore her castle; or she restored the castle and it was destroyed again.]] Though, oddly, [[spoiler:''Builders 2'' directly contradicts this, stating that the reconstruction of Moonbrooke is, as far as the Builder and Lulu knows, proceeding apace, which comes up concerning certain story beats in that game]].

** AscendedMeme: Her banter in VideoGame/FortuneStreet includes her barking and descriptions of her acting like a dog sometimes.

* SequelDifficultySpike: Neither area of [=DQII=] is as tough -and arguably unfair- as the Road to Rhone.

* [[ThatOneBoss That One Final Boss]]: In a series of relatively tough to just plain hard bosses, Malroth is just plain cheap. As of this moment of typing, he's the ONLY ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' final boss to have Fullheal. Not that bad in the NES version, as he only has 250 HP, but in the remix? He's got SEVEN times that much. Even if it doesn't heal all 1750, 999 is a real "up yours" to the effort you just put into knocking that off him.
** YMMV on the NES version being "not that bad". 250 HP is a pretty big amount in this game, and unlike Hargon, who will only use Heal All when near death, Malroth can use it whenever he feels like doing it. Depending on how frequently he uses the spell, it can lead to an {{Unwinnable}} situation, especially since Malroth dishes out more damage than any other enemy in the game.
*** The condition in how you face Malroth (or any enemy in the game actually) depends on luck as enemies spawn with a range of HP, ranging from 75% to 100%. Malroth for example can appear with anywhere from 189 to 250 HP. That difference can make the fight with him a lot easier or more difficult depending on RNG.

*** Pazuzu is even worse, being a [[PaletteSwap Palette swapped]] KingMook version of a [[InstakillMook Gold]] [[DemonicSpiders Bat]][[TotalPartyKill Boon]] with jacked-up to stats and ''FULLHEAL''. Every turn spent against it is a chance for the RNG to decide to TotalPartyKill you no questions asked, and every cast of FULLHEAL is an extension to the already difficult battle. [[ThisIsGonnaSuck I hope you like dying!]]

* {{Woolseyism}}: Laurasia was called "Midenhall" in the original NES port, perhaps to better jibe with the vaguely Saxon/Nordic names used in the first game. Ditto "Sulmatria" to "Cannock". The odd one is actually ''Moonbrooke'', which is consistent across both languages (though the Japanese sources are often a bit inconsistent about whether the final "e" is included).

* HarsherInHindsight: As seen in ''Caravan Hearts'', [[spoiler: Moonbrooke lies in ruins. This either means that the Princess was unable to restore her castle; or she restored the castle and it was destroyed again.]] Though, oddly, [[spoiler:''Builders 2'' directly contradicts this, stating that the reconstruction of Moonbrooke is, as far as the Builder and Lulu knows, proceeding apace, which comes up concerning certain story beats in that game]].

** The Prince of Midenhall in general is often viewed as this due to being the only protagonist in the series to not be some form of MagicKnight, which has caused many to declare him to be a BadassNormal man among men who can take down vicious monster with pure muscle.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: While never addressed in canon or other games, quite a few fans are fond of the Princess of Cannock, making up little stories and fanart for her. She did get something of a role via an {{Expy}} in Kiefer's sister, Leeza, in ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVII'', but the personalities of these two are quite different.

* MemeticLoser: The Prince of Cannock tends to be characterized as TheLoad in fan works due to his low damage output compared to the other two ([[{{Misblamed}} never mind that his primary function in battle is for support]]), tendency to die quickly, and limited equipment options. In Japan, mentioning that "the Prince of [[DubNameChange Sumaltria's]] strongest weapon is the Iron Spear" is often used to reference this. It reaches a point where Tonnura, a particularly lame-sounding one of his randomly-generated names in the Japanese version, has become shorthand for describing useless and incompetent people across all of Japanese media.

** Moyomoto, a name for the Prince of Midenhall that, thanks to a GoodBadBug in the famicom version, causes him to begin the game at level 48 (out of [[LevelCap 50]]) with three of the [[PlotCoupon Plot Coupons]] already in hand and no equipment, allowing him to tear through the early and mid game with his bare hands. Fanart depicting him as a [[Anime/FistOfTheNorthStar Kenshiro-like]] OneManArmy runs abound.

* MemeticMutation: In a somewhat literal sense, fanart of the Princess of Moonbrooke sometimes gives her dog-like traits or a tail and ears, due to her transformation.

* MemeticBadass: Moyomoto, a name for the Prince of Midenhall that, thanks to a GoodBadBug in the famicom version, causes him to begin the game at level 48 (out of [[LevelCap 50]]) with three of the [[PlotCoupon Plot Coupons]] already in hand and no equipment, allowing him to tear through the early and mid game with his bare hands. Fanart depicting him as a [[Anime/FistOfTheNorthStar Kenshiro-like]] OneManArmy runs abound.

* MemeticBadass: Moyomoto, a name for the Prince of Midenhall that, thanks to a GoodBadBug in the famicom version, causes him to begin the game at level 48 with three of the [[PlotCoupon Plot Coupons]] already in hand and no equipment, allowing him to tear through the early and mid game with his bare hands. Fanart depicting him as a [[Anime/FistOfTheNorthStar Kenshiro-like]] OneManArmy runs abound.

* MemeticLoser: The Prince of Cannock tends to be characterized as TheLoad in fan works due to his low damage output compared to the other two ([[{{Misblamed}} never mind that his primary function is for support]]), tendency to die quickly, and limited equipment options. In Japan, mentioning that "the Prince of [[DubNameChange Sumaltria's]] strongest weapon is the Iron Spear" is often used to reference this. It reaches a point where Tonnura, a particularly lame-sounding one of his randomly-generated names in the Japanese version, has become shorthand for describing useless and incompetent people across all of Japanese media.

* MemeticMutation: In a somewhat literal sense, Fanart of the Princess of Moonbrooke sometimes gives her dog-like traits or a tail and ears, due to her transformation.

* MemeticBadass: Moyomoto, a name for the Prince of Midenhall that, thanks to a GoodBadBug, causes him to begin the game at level 48 with three of the [[PlotCoupon Plot Coupons]] already in hand and no equipment, allowing him to tear through the early and mid game with his bare hands. Fanart depicting him as a [[Anime/FistOfTheNorthStar Kenshiro-like]] OneManArmy runs abound.

* MemeticMutation: In a somewhat literal sense, FanArt of the Princess of Moonbrooke sometimes gives her dog-like traits or a tail and ears, due to her transformation.

* MemeticLoser: The Prince of Cannock tends to be characterized as TheLoad in fan works due to his low damage output compared to the other two ([[{{Misblamed}} never mind that his primary function is for support]]) and limited equipment options. In Japan, mentioning that "the Prince of [[DubNameChange Sumaltria's]] strongest weapon is the Iron Spear" is often used to reference this. It reaches a point where Tonnura, a particularly lame-sounding one of his randomly-generated names in the Japanese version, has become shorthand for describing useless and incompetent people across all of Japanese media.

* MemeticLoser: The Prince of Cannock tends to be characterized as TheLoad in fan works due to his low damage output compared to the other two ([[{{Misblamed}} never mind that his primary function is for support]]) and limited equipment options. In Japan, mentioning that "the Prince of [[DubNameChange Sumaltria's]] strongest weapon is the Iron Spear" is often used to reference this.

* MemeticLoser: The Prince of Cannock tends to be characterized as TheLoad in fan works due to his low damage output compared to the other two ([[{{Misblamed}} never mind that his primary function is for support]]) and limited equipment options. In Japan, mentioning that "the Prince of [[DubNameChange Sumaltria's]] strongest weapon is the iron lance" is often used to reference this.

* HarsherInHindsight: As seen in ''Caravan Hearts'', [[spoiler: Moonbrooke lies in ruins. This either means that the Princess was unable to restore her castle; or she restored the castle and it was destroyed again.]]

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: Hargon is built up to be the BigBad of the game... but it's revealed at the end he was merely TheDragon and that Malroth was TheManBehindTheMan. At the time, this was pretty uncommon to see - however, its abruptness and lack of foreshadowing (By today's standards) make it seem much more like an AssPull or GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere.

** Bazuzu and Zarlox can potentially also spam Healall if you're incredibly unlucky. Atlas is the only one of the five final bosses who doesn't have Healall, and Hargon is the only one of the five that you can silence with Stopspell (you can put Bazuzu to sleep). That said, in all my many years of playing this game, this troper has never seen such an unwinnable situation happen with any of these bosses.

* {{Woolseyism}}: Laurasia was called "Midenhall" in the original NES port, perhaps to better jibe with the vaguely Saxon/Nordic names used in the first game. Ditto "Sulmatria" to "Cannock". The odd one is actually ''Moonbrooke'', which is consistent across both languages.

** It should be mentioned however that Gold Batboons really only appear in the final section of the overworld, and right where you can save as well. Typically if you are hit by their Sacrifice spell, it'll only be when you're grinding here, and since you don't lose your experience when you die (which is what is really important at this point in the game), and thus don't really lose your progress either (you're sent right back to the shrine on the overworld here where you've saved), it's little more than an annoyance. If they appeared in the middle of the final dungeon crawl, that would be a different story. Additionally, you can also Stopspell the Gold Batboons to prevent them from using Sacrifice at all, especially if you're just trying to make your way to the shrine to save for the first time.
*** It is possible to encounter the Gold Batboon as soon as you exit the Cave of Rhone on your way to the shrine to save, meaning you have to do the hardest area in the game ''all over again''. Pray that you didn't use all your MP in the cave for healing and pray that the RNG allows Stopspell to hit.
** Just about anything in the second half of the Cave to Rhone qualifies. Dragons have a breath attack that has the potential of critically wounding or killing two thirds of your party if you don't level grind. Flames usually come in a group of four and can cause a TotalPartyWipe if they all use a breath attack that deals about 35-40 damage. There's a reason why Cave of Rhone is ThatOneLevel and why the game's generally considered NintendoHard.

** Hence why casting Stopspell on him should be part of your strategy.

** Frankly, Bazuzu and Zarlox can potentially also spam Healall if you're incredibly unlucky. Atlas is the only one of the five final bosses who doesn't have Healall, and Hargon is the only one of the five that you can silence with Stopspell (you can put Bazuzu to sleep). That said, in all my many years of playing this game, this troper has never seen such an unwinnable situation happen with any of these bosses.
** It's almost impossible to beat Atlas without losing at least one party member; he double-hits and double-hits HARD. Hope for a critical hit.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: While never addressed in canon or other games, quite a few fans are fond of the Princess of Moonbroke, making up little stories and fanart for her. She did get something of a role via an {{Expy}} in Kiefer's sister, Leeza, in ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVII'', but the personalities of these two are quite different.