The hero of Dragon Quest III, Erdrick, joins the battle!

[GM_3826]

"Who the hell is that?"

Erdrick is the protagonist of what is possibly one of the most influential games of all time: Dragon Quest III.

Never heard of it? That's not too surprising. The game largely flew under the radar in the States, as it was released towards the end of the Nintendo Entertainment System's lifespan. Not only that, it was a time in which nobody really knew what a JRPG was, much less cared about it. The genre didn't really become popular in the States until FInal Fantasy VII was released, so most Westerners have never played Dragon Quest III. Japan? That's a different story.

Dragon Quest is by far the most popular JRPG series there. Just like how in the United States, many people when asked to name a JRPG can only name Final Fantasy, many people in Japan can only name Dragon Quest. Dragon Quest III was responsible for making RPGs popular in Japan and is the game which made Dragon Quest famous. The only reason it seems cliched now is because it was so influential-it was remarkable for its time.

Who is Erdrick?
Erdrick is the hero of Dragon Quest III. Admittedly, that's a spoiler. It's not actually clear until halfway through the game. In the first two games, the protagonist is the descendant of the legendary hero Erdrick. The first half of Dragon Quest III took place in an entirely different world, so it seemed to be unrelated. So when the protagonist is sent to the old one and we discover that he's the legendary hero we had heard of but never got to play, it comes as a bit of a shock. Technically, Erdrick is not even his real name. It's a title, bestowed upon him by the king. His "real" name is supposed to be the player's. Erdrick's personality and background is not extremely detailed; he's the chosen one, groomed by birth to stop the villain Baramos... and that's more or less all we get. Still, it was a simpler time. In the remakes, Erdrick can also be female.

What would Erdrick offer to Smash?
There aren't many candidates for Dragon Quest characters in Super Smash Bros. The Slime is the most obvious one, but the Slime does very little besides attack and fuse with other slimes in most of the games it's in. It arguably fits better as an Assist Trophy. Erdrick is the protagonist of potentially the most popular Dragon Quest game in Japan, and as a character he's much easier to implement. Like Robin he uses both swords and magic, but he'd function very differently. He does not use any sort of tome in order to fight and his weapons do not break. Not only that, he would use Dragon Quest spells, not Fire Emblem spells. Erdrick would also fill a unique niche in Super Smash Bros. roster as a fighter who uses a sword and shield. Link also possesses a sword and shield, but he doesn't really use the shield as a weapon, whereas Erdrick could potentially incorporate the shield into his moveset. Not only that, Link uses a variety of weapons instead of magic.

Spoiler: Supporter List

1. Arcadenik
2. DarthEnderX
3. S SEGAGameBoy
4. shinhed-echi
5. Idon
6. Juliusaurus
7. Apollo500
8. Calane
9. Golden Icarus
10. SIAD
11. Lunacial
12. Oblivion129
13. TheYungLink
14. Eldrake
15. Sari
16. Blackmage Kuga[
17. verysleeywolf
18. Minik
19. [Maple]
20. Gran-Rojo
21. toonito
22. praline
23. KoopaSaki
24. AustarusIV
25. liquidmetalslime
26. Gum-Gum Smash
27. Kuon
28. Aurora Jenny
29. PolarPanda
30. tehponycorn

Edit:

So now the final roster for the game has been announced. I thought for certain that once this happened the hammer would drop and we would stop gaining new supporters, but that is apparently not the case. I am personally surprised.

shinhed-ichi is right; it's difficult to see Erdrick getting into the game... but that doesn't mean that we should lose hope! It'd be an awesome moment for Dragon Quest in general. The main thing he has going for him is Vergeben's leaks. While his not have been confirmed, they have been accurate so far. He has stated that there would be two Square Enix characters, so it is possible that he could be a DLC character.

 

[DarthEnderX]

Sword Goku has my 100% support.

Erdrick is probably the best main character to act as representation for the series as a whole. Being the main character of 3, and the famous ancestor of the main characters of 1 and 2.

Give me a sweet alt costume of him all decked out in his legendary armor.

Also from DQ, I'd like to see the iconic Slimes added as an Assist Trophy. Have a bunch of them drop onto the stage, and if you don't get rid of them fast enough, they combine into a King Slime and really do some damage.

Erdrick is the protagonist of the most popular Dragon Quest game in Japan

Not to nitpick, but I think DQ5 is the most popular DQ game in Japan. That game is like a cultural touchstone for an entire generation over there. The game's love interest choice is like a part of their pop culture.

That said, DQ5's characters don't have an influence that spreads across multiple games in the series like Erdrick does, so they're not as good a character choice to represent the entire series.

 

[SEGAGameBoy]

Never played Dragon Quest before. But, I'm planning on getting Journey of the Cursed King for my 3DS. I support!

 

[shinhed-echi]

YES!!!!!!
...
Er-hem.
...
If it's Dragon Quest, I automatically support.

Now Erdrick.
Awesome choice. He's certainly more popular now because of his new manga coming out (to the west?) Emblem of Roto.
But he's ways held legendary status in Japan.

Dragon Quest 3 is the game that both broke AND made DQ as a whole for me.
Excuse my little backstory:

Spoiler

I played DW 1 and 2 after giving up on 8. I felt like I was missing out on a lot of Roch history, which is why I stopped, and played the original.
When I got to 3, I gave up again, because it was too much of an open world, and I got lost and frustrated.

Until I played the Snes version.
Ho-ly moley!
I immediately fell in love with team game and I couldn't put it down.
DQ3 is responsible for cementing my position as a BIG fan of the series. Because right after that I started buying them all from Google Play Store.

DQ3 has to be my 2nd favorite game in the series (8 comes first). And Erdrick should be in Smash! Clashing his legendary sword with the likes of the Master Sword, Monado, Buster Sword, Falcion, etc.

His trademark magic Frizz, Zoom, Zap among others should be in his specials.
Also, the tension skill from DQ8 should also be included.

I love the idea of Slime as an assist trophy that becomes King Slime.
That works better than the ones I suggested (Alena, Carver, Terry, etc) because everyone knows Slime!


Anyway. If it isn't clear enough. Put me down on the list... Like 10 times. I can't support this thread enough.
Love the idea of both male and female Erdrick.

 

[Idon]

Love DQ series. Count me in.

Still waiting on DQ11 though...

 

[Juliusaurus]

Is it possible to get eight different Dragon Quest heroes, all alts of each other, as a single DQ rep? I haven't played much of the DQ series, and while the series is hugely popular, there isn't one character that's massively popular, not like Cloud is for FF anyway. But maybe if there's just a generic "Dragon Warrior" character with alts of many heroes throughout the series, each using the same moveset (most include a sword, right? Could be possible) it could work better to represent the series as a whole.

Heck, make Slime part of their moveset and then they'd really do a great job of showcasing Dragon Quest as a series. I mean, a hero on their own may be a tad too generic for people not familiar with the series, but add Slime to him, and you got yourself a very recognizably DQ character in the roster. The series is so popular and certainly does contain video game iconography (most importantly, that Slime) that it really should be considered the next JRPG in line that should get a playable character in Smash.

So yeah, I'm all for it.

 

[Idon]

Is it possible to get eight different Dragon Quest heroes, all alts of each other, as a single DQ rep? I haven't played much of the DQ series, and while the series is hugely popular, there isn't one character that's massively popular, not like Cloud is for FF anyway. But maybe if there's just a generic "Dragon Warrior" character with alts of many heroes throughout the series, each using the same moveset (most include a sword, right? Could be possible) it could work better to represent the series as a whole.

Heck, make Slime part of their moveset and then they'd really do a great job of showcasing Dragon Quest as a series. I mean, a hero on their own may be a tad too generic for people not familiar with the series, but add Slime to him, and you got yourself a very recognizably DQ character in the roster. The series is so popular and certainly does contain video game iconography (most importantly, that Slime) that it really should be considered the next JRPG in line that should get a playable character in Smash.

So yeah, I'm all for it.

Oh that'd be a great idea. The only weird one would probably be DQ5 man, who canonically wields a wooden staff (though they could just give him a sword for the hell of it).

 

[shinhed-echi]

Oh that'd be a great idea. The only weird one would probably be DQ5 man, who canonically wields a wooden staff (though they could just give him a sword for the hell of it).

If they could make Viridi a Mii Sword fighter with a scythe, I think they can pull off a staff used like a sword.

 

[DarthEnderX]

Is it possible to get eight different Dragon Quest heroes, all alts of each other, as a single DQ rep?

I dunno about that.

This isn't like Animal Crossing or Splatoon where the 8 characters are just a generic player create-a-character. The different DQ protags are all different characters.

Though, I wish I could say "They all have different personalities and skillsets!", but...they actually kinda don't. They're all very much generic heroes.

But I still think they'd be better off just going with Erdrick, then maybe adding another as an echo fighter later.

 

[Juliusaurus]

I was thinking more like the Koopalings or Alph. After looking up most of the heroes, they actually do all share a general body shape, size, and weapons... It's actually, and strangely, possible.

Though, I could imagine it feeling like a bit much, but I don't know, I think it'd be cool for fans to have different generations of DQ all represented in one character package (plus Slime, heh).

 

[shinhed-echi]

Yeah. All heroes except 7 and 9 have pretty much the same build.

Although somebody did bring up an interesting point....
What if each of them means a separate licence?
Not sure what the boundaries are in that regard. But I love the idea of being able to select from other protagonists.

 

[Apollo500]

DQIII is my most nostalgic game of all time. I've played that game through, like, 10 times, so you'd better believe I support Erdrick for Smash!

 

[GM_3826]

Added new users to the list.

 

[shinhed-echi]

DQIII is my most nostalgic game of all time. I've played that game through, like, 10 times, so you'd better believe I support Erdrick for Smash!

That's..!
That's more than I have, and DQ3 is my most played DQ game. :O

I've played it 4-5 times only.

 

[Apollo500]

That's..!
That's more than I have, and DQ3 is my most played DQ game. :O

I've played it 4-5 times only.

Haha, I first played it when I was, I think, 7 years old. So I've been playing the game for around 17 years now, and I do tend to revisit it every year or two. I just never seem to get tired of it. It's one of those games I can always start up and always feel joy.

Though, that count is inflated by the fact I restarted it a couple times as a kid because I kept getting stuck. xD So that 10 times count isn't quite from start to finish every time. I think from start to finish I've played it around 6 or 7 times.

 

[shinhed-echi]

Fellow Dragon Warriors.

Took me to find this thread. (... to admit I had to use the search bar).

But I wanted to give you guys something.

Lo, the (original) hero of Alefgard!

 

[GM_3826]

Fellow Dragon Warriors.

Took me to find this thread. (... to admit I had to use the search bar).

But I wanted to give you guys something.

Lo, the (original) hero of Alefgard!

Nice!

 

[marmite]

Something like Bowser Jr where each alt is a different character would work well, so 8 of the MC of Dragon Quest of the main DQ games.

 

[Calane]

No idea why I never came to this thread, but please put me down for support. I absolutely love Dragon Quest and would be thrilled to see the series make it into Smash in any form. While I've never played DQ 3 as of yet (I've only played 4, 5, 7, 8, and the two Heroes games as of now), I feel that Erdrick has the best shot at making it in. Honestly, I'd be fine with any DQ character really.

I never thought the series had a chance to be in Smash (which saddened me greatly), but after that recent "leak" I've been feeling slight hope that it actually could happen. I don't want to hype myself up too much, but just the thought of DQ getting into Smash makes me super happy.

 

[GM_3826]

No idea why I never came to this thread, but please put me down for support. I absolutely love Dragon Quest and would be thrilled to see the series make it into Smash in any form. While I've never played DQ 3 as of yet (I've only played 4, 5, 7, 8, and the two Heroes games as of now), I feel that Erdrick has the best shot at making it in. Honestly, I'd be fine with any DQ character really.

I never thought the series had a chance to be in Smash (which saddened me greatly), but after that recent "leak" I've been feeling slight hope that it actually could happen. I don't want to hype myself up too much, but just the thought of DQ getting into Smash makes me super happy.

Added you to the supporters list.

 

[Golden Icarus]

I’m with this. I’ve always thought a Dragon Quest Hero would be really cool. I’ve never played 3, so I don’t really know much about Erdrick, specifically. But I do know that Dragon Quest has more than enough influence to warrant a character in Smash, and this guy seems perfect for the job and would be a perfect follow up to Cloud. I support!

 

[shinhed-echi]

Hey fellow heroes.
I came across this sweet piece of art I just HAD to share.

https://mobile.twitter.com/hatiware880/status/1049326952090226688

Never seen so much energy in a DQ fanart.
This is a sweet account that parodies DBZ scenes with DQ characters. Also has regular DQ fanart, DB fanart and Even some CT art tío!

 

[SIAD]

He isn’t the most iconic character, but I think he makes sense. Dragon Quest is the next most iconic Square Enix (or JRPG franchise) franchise, and Erdrick is basically their equivalent to Cloud. Count me in as a supporter.

 

[Lunacial]

Sorry for the (4 years late) reply! I would love to see Erdrick in Smash, or any Dragon Quest character honestly, even Slime would work. I've talked to people about Erdrick before, but they all say the same thing - that he'd just be another swordsfighter (all of them have never played Dragon Quest lol), so I'm glad you addressed that here as well. He could use abilities from different games honestly, like some of the MC's powers in Dragon Quest 11, maybe? He definitely has my 100% support though, he is by far my most wanted newcomer.
Move set ideas!
Neutral special could be a charge attack maybe, not something he'd keep like Lucario's Aura Sphere though. The spells would be Frizz, Kafrizz, Frizzle
Recovery would obviously be the Chimera Wing, and since you bonk your head on the ceiling when you use it, it could hurt other players if you hit them (though i dont know if he'd fall down, that'd make his recovery useless)
Side special ??? I'm not too sure honestly maybe he could use a spear, whip, or Hela's hammer?
Down special would use his shield I think, maybe a block or defending move? not too sure how it'd work haha
Final Smash: Maybe he would call 3 other party members and do a finishing blow or something? Again not sure, would be easier if I had played DQ3 (i plan to soon, i've only gotten to 4,5, and 11 lol)

 

[DarthEnderX]

Even though DQ3 didn't have Tension, I could still see a Super High Tension Gigaslash as his FS.

 

[GM_3826]

Lunacial One thing worth noting; you're not 4 years late! This thread was made for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, not the 4th game.

 

[Oblivion129]

I support Erdrick for Smash. He's my most wanted Dragon Quest character.
I wouldn't mind others like 1, 5, 8, or 11, but being in Smash basically makes you an icon, and I think Erdrick deserves it the most!

Anyone know if Square is the only one needed to contact in order to get his rights?

 

[DarthEnderX]

To the character? Probably.

The bigger problem is the music. Which, as with Final Fantasy, is composer owned.

 

[Oblivion129]

To the character? Probably.

The bigger problem is the music. Which, as with Final Fantasy, is composer owned.

Hmm, well I'm sure Sakurai could gets the rights, but it might mean only a few songs in, like Final Fantasy.
What are your choices? I'm guessing these

 

[Lunacial]

Lunacial One thing worth noting; you're not 4 years late! This thread was made for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, not the 4th game.

Oh, I misread your join date as the date the thread was made, I'm new here and not used to the layout yet ^^;
Also, I made an Erdrick Ultimate icon, I hope y'all like it!

 

[DarthEnderX]

I actually don't have much of a music preferance honesty.

Other than the iconic main theme, I don't really think the music in DQ is that great.

 

[shinhed-echi]

I do like the music.
It's obviously not on par with other amazing soundtracks out there. But at least the battle themes do it for me.
It feels like watching a battle on a theatre stage. And I think it would provide some nice variety.

Of course we'd be lucky to get 2 songs. So... maybe DQ3 Battle theme for obvious reasons. And since there's no boss stage, maybe go with DQ11's?

Unless they go for something obscurer where it's easier to get the rights, like Dragon Quest Swords battle music which is one of my favorites.

If I'm not mistaken, Sugiyama did NOT compose this one. The entire DQS OST was composed by another person. Sugiyama only supervised the main theme (and I reckon, the church theme which is the same from DQ8).

My favorite battle themes are
DQ5,
DQ11,
DQ7,
DQ3,
DQM,

Wow! Thank you so much for doing it!
I'll put it below my sig soon.

 

[Lunacial]

I actually don't have much of a music preferance honesty.

Other than the iconic main theme, I don't really think the music in DQ is that great.

While I don't agree, I can't blame you, really. I really like all the battle themes, and the world map themes, but yeahhh it isn't on par with other RPGs for the most part

Wow! Thank you so much for doing it!
I'll put it below my sig soon.

I'm glad you like it!

 

[DarthEnderX]

I did at least enjoy a lot of the music in Builders, which is remixes of old music anyway.

 

[Calane]

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with you guys on DQ's music.

To me, Dragon Quest music is beautiful and quite unique sounding. I don't believe there's any other game series out there that sounds quite like DQ, and it really adds to the franchise's classic, special vibe that you just won't find anywhere else. I know that may sound sorta cheesy, but I find that the music has this way of sounding grandiose and almost sort of magical at times. I can't really find the words to explain it, but a lot of the music almost sounds like stuff you'd hear in some old black and white movie or something.

I guess DQ's music isn't everyone's thing, but I think it lends the series a really unique feel that I can't really describe. Just listen to some of these and tell me the series doesn't have some great music:

The ocean

Memories of a Lost World

Mysterious Tower

Homeland

I'm no music expert, but there's just so much...feeling and atmosphere in some of DQ's music. I really like it. Of course, not every song is amazing. I think you could say that about any video game series, though.

Edit: Here's one more, just because.

Lively Village

 

[Lunacial]

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with you guys on DQ's music.

To me, Dragon Quest music is beautiful and quite unique sounding. I don't believe there's any other game series out there that sounds quite like DQ, and it really adds to the franchise's classic, special vibe that you just won't find anywhere else. I know that may sound sorta cheesy, but I find that the music has this way of sounding grandiose and almost sort of magical at times. I can't really find the words to explain it, but a lot of the music almost sounds like stuff you'd hear in some old black and white movie or something.

Oh no, I agree with you, I personally love the Dragon Quest Music especially the Symphonic Suite versions but it gets overshadowed by music in other RPGs, I feel. Dragon Quest XI using the MIDI version of the songs, instead of the Symphonic Suite versions, for some reason, is what I mean. I'm the minority who thinks the MIDI versions sound good still but I'm not gonna argue that the Symphonic Suite versions aren't superior
TL;DR I love Dragon Quest's music but I understand people who don't like it and I feel like other RPGs do it better at times

 

[shinhed-echi]

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with you guys on DQ's music.

To me, Dragon Quest music is beautiful and quite unique sounding. I don't believe there's any other game series out there that sounds quite like DQ, and it really adds to the franchise's classic, special vibe that you just won't find anywhere else. I know that may sound sorta cheesy, but I find that the music has this way of sounding grandiose and almost sort of magical at times. I can't really find the words to explain it, but a lot of the music almost sounds like stuff you'd hear in some old black and white movie or something.

I guess DQ's music isn't everyone's thing, but I think it lends the series a really unique feel that I can't really describe. Just listen to some of these and tell me the series doesn't have some great music:

The ocean

Memories of a Lost World

Mysterious Tower

Homeland

I'm no music expert, but there's just so much...feeling and atmosphere in some of DQ's music. I really like it. Of course, not every song is amazing. I think you could say that about any video game series, though.

In risk of sounding like I'm backpedalling, I never said it was BAD music. It's actually pretty good, and it has been on my smartphone for over a year.
I even sing the town and overworld themes to my baby son to make him sleep.

But I do admit I have composers I like more. (For example, Yuzo Koshiro, Jake Kauffman, Yasunori Mistuda, to name a few) But not TOO many more. DQ music is still in my top 5 favorite.
It's classical vibe is definitely what sets it apart from other OSTs. In fact... I feel like it has a lot of similarities to the BG music in Dragon Ball anime (original japanese soundtrack).

 

[DarthEnderX]

I don't think the music is bad either, it's just...fine.

Like, I wouldn't listen to a DQ soundtrack on it's own the way I would with a Final Fantasy, Castlevania, Mega Man, Street Fighter, etc. soundtrack. I don't just find myself humming random DQ tunes to myself during the day.

And I do think the quality of the compositions has been declining as the series goes on. But that's probably because the composer is, like, 90.

 

[Calane]

I don't think the music is bad either, it's just...fine.

Like, I wouldn't listen to a DQ soundtrack on it's own the way I would with a Final Fantasy, Castlevania, Mega Man, Street Fighter, etc. soundtrack. I don't just find myself humming random DQ tunes to myself during the day.

And I do think the quality of the compositions has been declining as the series goes on. But that's probably because the composer is, like, 90.

Hey, everyone's got their own opinions, my dude. I respect yours.

I've been hearing about the quality of the music declining in 11, but I haven't played it yet, so I'm not exactly sure what people are talking about. I do know that the composer is very old now (and has a lot of...controversy surrounding him lately). If he gets replaced, I really hope that they try to keep the classic tone of the music. I'm sure there's someone out there who could emulate DQ's unique sounding vibe, and heck, probably even improve upon it.

 

[TheYungLink]

Put me down as a supporter for Erdrick! Dragon Quest is crazy influential and even if it still hasn't made waves outside of Japan, its undeniable place in video game history means it will fit right into Smash, whose third party characters are all undeniable video game icons.

I've played 1, 2, 3, and 5. I played 5 first, then started from the beginning. I'll get to 4 later.

If Erdrick joins the battle, the dialogue box that shows what happens every turn needs to be implemented somehow, it's too iconic to how traditional DQ is.