Hero

* General
* Erdrick (III)
* Solo (IV)
* Eight (VIII)
* Eleven (XI)

The Luminary (Eleven)
Arusu/Arus (Erdrick)
Ray (Solo; audio drama)
Yuuril (Solo; novelizations)
Guv (Eight; nickname)

*Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation* (1988) (Erdrick)
*Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen* (1990) (Solo)
*Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King* (2004) (Eight)
*Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age* (2017) (Eleven)

*Not to be confused with Hero8000*

"**The Hero**" is a collective title referring to the protagonists of the main titles in the *Dragon Quest* series of role-playing games. In ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'', four of the heroes (specifically the ones from XI, III, IV, and VIII) appear as one fighter known simply as **Hero**, with the other seven making cameos in the Final Smash. Prior to their formal reveal, a representative for *Dragon Quest* was heavily rumored to be among the first sets of DLC for *Ultimate*, to the point where it became one of the worst-kept secrets related to a future Smash reveal. Well-renowned leakers such as Vergeben put their support behind the idea, and expectations grew after a fighter with the codename "**Brave**" was discovered by dataminers. Many were initially lukewarm to the idea (including many users on SmashFAQs) due to *Dragon Quest*'s lack of much presence on the Western front, but after the initial reveal and the eventual release of the fighter many would grow to appreciate their presence far more and even consider them among the best of the DLC in the first Fighter Pass.

Individually, the four Heroes playable in Smash are **Arusu**, who is the well-known protagonist from *Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation* and the one who was most commonly cited in rumors; **Solo**, who is the protagonist of *Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen*; **Eight**, who is the protagonist of *Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King*; and **Eleven**, better known as **The Luminary**, who is the protagonist *Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age*.

In the world of Dragon Quest, **Erdrick** (**Loto** in Japan) is not a character name, but an honorary title given to legendary heroes.

## Background

### *Dragon Quest* series

There is no single Hero from the Dragon Quest series. Rather, it is a title simply shared by all of the main protagonists of the series. In most games, the Hero is proficient with both swords and magic, making them overall a balanced character for the player. He (or, optionally, she in some games) is usually depicted as a silent protagonist who has other characters in the world speak for them, with few exceptions. Beyond this, they share traits often associated with the idea of a hero, such as bravery and a desire to save the world from evil. The Hero is a reflection of the player, and as such, while the individual heroes have all been given names in official media, their name meant is chosen by the player.

### *Super Smash Bros.* series

The Hero was announced as a newcomer for *Super Smash Bros. Ultimate* at E3 2019, being the focus of DLC Challenger Pack 2 in the first Fighter Pass. This would also mark the debut of the *Dragon Quest* series as a whole in Smash.

## As a fighter in *Super Smash Bros.*

* Eleven
* Erdrick
* Solo
* Eight

## Moveset

### Special Moves

Frizz / Frizzle / Kafrizz
Zap / Zapple / Kazap
Woosh / Swoosh / Kaswoosh
Command Selection

### Final Smash

Gigaslash

Hero makes his debut as a fighter in *Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*, with four individual Heroes from the *Dragon Quest* series being available as alternate costumes of each other. In tune with the series often being seen as the grandfather of other JRPG series, Hero is designed to be the ultimate representative of the genre. True to their home series, each Hero uses his sword as his primary weapon (fitting as THE original "anime swordsman"), with many of their attacks taking inspiration from other fighters such as Link. Hero is also the only fighter in the game other than the three variants of Link to wield a shield in regular combat, being able to block incoming projectiles upon contact. One of their most unique (and controversial) traits is the 1/8 chance they have to land a Critical Hit upon using a Smash attack on a foe, dealing stronger damage and knockback.

The real meat of their moveset, however, comes from their heavy use of magic. Hero possesses MP that starts at 100 and can be refilled by landing hits on other fighters. This MP is used to cast spells for all of their Special Moves, most notably their Down B Command Selection, which offers them a wide range of randomized Spells to use even beyond the Frizz, Zap, and Woosh families used for their other Specials. Hero has been considered by many to easily be one of the most unique newcomers in *Ultimate*, though their random nature from Critical Hits and Command Selection has made them the subject of much debate in the Smash community. While generally considered an extremely fun character casually, their role in competitive play has been far more argued in the past. Their randomness, along with trouble reading their spells for players who primarily use foreign languages, has led to some even considering banning the character from tournament play. Regardless, the character is often considered a solid, if flawed, oddball pick who does particularly well in certain match-ups due to their unique selection of spells.

### Command Selection

**Command Selection** is probably one of the most notable moves in the entirety of *Ultimate*. It provides Hero with 21 more Special Moves on top of his three standard options each for Neutral, Side, and Up B, giving him a grand total of 30 Special Moves. These 21 Spells are selected at random to be displayed on a menu of four spells. Due to its wide versatility, randomness, and potential for chaos, the move has become quite well-renowned both positively and negatively among the Smash community. The individual spells that can be chosen include:

* Sizz and Sizzle: a family of flame projectiles that covers a decent area (8 MP/16 MP)
* Bang and Kaboom: a family of explosive spells that deals heavy knockback (9 MP/37 MP)
* Flame Slash: a burning slash with Hero's sword (12 MP
* Kacrackle Slash: similar to Flame Slash, but with ice properties and the property of freezing opponents (11 MP)
* Hatchet Man: a powerful but slow slash from Hero's sword (15 MP)
* Metal Slash: a sword slash that, while usually outright useless, instantly KO's Metal opponents (6 MP; 4x appearance with a Metal opponent)
* Kaclang: turns Hero into Metal and makes them invincible for a short time, but cannot be ended manually; largely useless due to its huge vulnerability to being punished (6 MP)
* Whack and Thwack: easily two of Hero's most notorious moves, with both having a random chance of INSTANTLY KO-ING the opponent; Whack is a slow-moving projectile, while Thwack covers the area immediately in front of Hero (10 MP/30 MP)
* Snooze: a projectile that immediately sends a foe to sleep, leaving an opening for an attack; less effective in the air (16 MP)
* Oomph: gives Hero a temporary power boost (16 MP)
* Acceleratle: gives Hero a huge speed and jump boost, with the former beating SONIC while active (13 MP)
* Bounce: gives Hero reflective properties; super effective against projectile-heavy opponents (14 MP)
* Psyche Up: powers up Hero's next attack; reference to the Tension mechanic from DQVIII and beyond (14 MP)
* Heal: heals Hero by 11%; can only appear twice per stock (7 MP)
* Zoom: launches Hero above the blast zone before warping back down some distance away; hits ceilings in reference to its origin series (8 MP; 3x appearance near blast zones)
* Kamikazee: creates a huge, deadly explosion around Hero at the cost of one stock; one of Hero's most infamous spells (1 MP)
* Magic Blast: creates a huge burst of magic around Hero at the cost of all MP; range and power depend on the amount of MP left; another of Hero's most infamous spells (all remaining MP)
* Hocus Pocus: casts either a random effect on Hero or a random spell; the wildest of Hero's spells, with it being widely variable if it helps or hinders; while often seen as too risky by many, it is beloved by many Hero players for its crazy nature (4 MP)

## Players on SmashFAQs

Garp-fist - Main

OracleEleven - Main

Yosuke\_Erdrick - Main

OfficialPotato - Secondary

FMT\_Player - Tertiary

Yoshi\_Starstorm - frequently played

Guydude21 - Command Selection Main

Brother\_ - Main