New Super Smash Bros character Dragon Quest’s Hero released

On July 30, Nintendo releases their second character in their DLC season pack, the Hero, from beloved Japanese RPG series, Dragon Quest.

The impact of the Dragon Quest series cannot be understated as many of the RPG tropes that are prevalent in modern RPGs being made today. Debuting on the Nintendo Entertainment System, the Dragon Quest series has been a staple and major influence to the entire genre of role-playing video games since 1986.

When initially announced, The Hero was met with ire in the United States in comparison to Banjo-Kazooie, but in Japan, The Hero was met with acclaim, especially after seeing four different protagonists in the series be playable.

Each Hero has a unique name from their respective games – Eleven (DQXI), Aursu (DQIII), Solo (IV), Eight (VIII) – and a unique color variation that is based on characters from their respective series, and a different voice actor.

Aursu (DQIII), Solo (IV), Eight (VIII)

The Hero comes packing with several fun abilities aiming to set himself apart from the other sword-wielders in the game.

His neutral special attack is Frizz, which can be held up to three tiers before casting, increasing its damage. Which is a motif carried over to his other specials.

The Hero’s side special are zap spells, while up specials are woosh – a great recovery tool.

His main feature is his command menu which is activated via down special. The command menu brings up a selection of 4 randomized spells from a pool of 15, which makes The Hero the character with the most available moves in the game.

His final smash, Giga Slash, summons all the Heroes of the Dragon Quest series to unleash one mighty attack that sends opponents flying to their doom.

The Hero also comes with many new Mii Fighter costumes from the Dragon Quest series, as well as a new stage, Yggdrasil’s Altar from the latest game, Dragon Quest XI S.

Smash players, look forward to the versatility of the Hero when he comes onto the stage.

Credit: Rudolf Baldovino