Loto

Lore & Background

Raised by their mother, the Hero learns that Ortega reportedly fell into a volcano but discovers him fighting right before his death. After slaying Baramos, they uncover that he was merely a minion of the true villain, Zoma. Upon defeating Zoma, the Hero disappears, leaving behind equipment that appears in Dragon Quest and its sequel, Dragon Quest II. They are granted the title Erdrick, a legendary figure in those games. A reference to them exists in the English release of the first Final Fantasy, where a tombstone originally read 'Here lies Link' but was changed to 'Here lies Erdrick.' The Hero is identified as an iconic figure with a foundational design, cited by critics as influencing characters like the protagonist of the light novel Maoyu. In Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, the male Hero is voiced by Nobuyuki Hiyama and the female by Yuko Minaguchi.

In Their Own Story

On their 16th birthday, the Hero sets out alone to defeat Baramos. They can be accompanied by up to three partner characters of various classes. The only character class available is 'Hero,' which no other party member can assume. During the journey, the Hero finds Ortega fighting right before his death in battle, contradicting reports that he fell into a volcano. After killing Baramos, the Hero learns of Zoma's involvement and defeats him. Following this victory, the Hero vanishes, leaving their equipment behind for future generations to find. In Dragon Quest III, dialogue originally referred to the female Hero as a boy, a change made in the Super Famicom and Game Boy Color versions. The game includes no gameplay differences between genders, a decision that drew criticism.

Reader's Guide

Players can choose the Hero's gender at the start of Dragon Quest III, though early dialogue mistakes the female for a male character until later updates fixed this text. There are no mechanical differences between the two options, a flaw criticized by fans and addressed in Dragon Quest IV where visuals distinguished the genders. The game includes a personality test starting with the Super Famicom version to determine the Hero's personality traits. In Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, voice acting was added, with Nobuyuki Hiyama voicing the male Hero and Yuko Minaguchi the female. The male Hero appears as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate alongside heroes from Dragon Quest IV, VIII, and XI. They are silent except for one line telling characters to flee, which fans felt was awkward. In the arena show 'Dragon Quest Live Spectacle Tour,' the male Hero is portrayed by Matsuura Tsukasa.

Did You Know?

• The Hero's name is Loto in Japanese, but was called Erdrick in the original NES release of the trilogy.
• In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, a data mine file codenamed 'Brave' led to speculation that the Dragon Quest III Hero would appear before it was officially revealed.
• The male Hero is silent throughout most of their appearances, speaking only one line to tell characters to flee due to difficulty finding another way to express this action.
• Criticism regarding the lack of differences between the male and female versions of the Hero led series creator Yuji Horii to aim for better gender differentiation in Dragon Quest IV.
• The original English Final Fantasy featured a tombstone reading 'Here lies Erdrick,' which was changed from the original Japanese text that read 'Here lies Link'.