Dragon Quest is one of the longest-running and most successful JRPG series of all time. Since 1986 there have been 11 main series titles as well as a number of spin-off titles. With over 50 million units sold across the series, it's second only to Final Fantasy when it comes to Square Enix's most successful franchises.
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One of the things that makes Dragon Quest such a compelling series is its fantastic cast of characters. Throughout the years, the series has provided players with some of the most memorable protagonists in gaming history. From the Descendant Of Erdrick right through to the Luminary, each has their own distinct look and fighting style.
With so many great characters to choose from though, it can be difficult to come up with a definitive answer when it comes to which is the best. Through comparing their stats and abilities, however, it becomes clear that whilst each has their own advantages, not all Dragon Quest protagonists are created equal.
Updated June 24, 2021, by Tom Bowen: 2021 is a big year for the Dragon Quest Franchise as it marks the 35 year anniversary of the series' debut in Japan. To celebrate the occasion, Square Enix recently announced the series' 12th mainline entry, as well as an offline version of the previously Japan-only MMO, Dragon Quest X. Though fans will likely have to wait a while longer for Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fate to actually release, the news - and the prospect of a brand new hero at some point relatively soon - will be no less exciting for new and longtime fans of the series alike. Whether the new hero is quite as impressive as some of their predecessors, however, really does remain to be seen.
11 Roland (Dragon Quest II)
Best Weapon: Sword of Ruin (Attack +105)
Level 50 Stats
- 238 HP
- 0 MP
- 160 Strength
- 140 Agility
- 73 Resilience
Roland is the only hero in the Dragon Quest series who can't use magic, which kind of makes him the weakest by default. He also has the second lowest stats in the series. Although these are improved a little in the mobile ports of the game, the increase is nowhere near enough to improve his position.
Worse still, Roland's best sword (the sword of ruin) is far weaker than the best weapons found in other Dragon Quest titles. With only 105 additional attack power provided, it works out to be around 20% weaker than the best performing swords from other games.
10 Arus/Irin (Dragon Quest III)
Best Weapon: Destructiball (Attack +135)
Level 99 Stats
- 556 HP
- 218 MP
- 181 Strength
- 156 Agility
- 244 Resilience
- 126 Wisdom
- 157 Luck
Dragon Quest III was the first game in the series to give players the choice between a male or a female protagonist. Although not a mainstay in the series, this idea would go on to feature in three of the future mainline entries.
Unfortunately, in spite of this innovation, Dragon Quest III's hero is one of the weakest in the series. The majority of the spells that they learn come from the Priest and Mage classes although bizarrely they often learn them much later than either class. Whilst they do have some unique spells available to them, their low magic stat and poor stat growth make them a pretty pitiful magic user.
9 Reck (Dragon Quest VI)
Best Weapon: Sword of Ramias (Attack +130)
Level 99 Stats
- 800 HP
- 700 MP
- 350 Strength
- 200 Agility
- 210 Resilience
- 330 Wisdom
- 100 Style
Reck's biggest selling point is that he only needs to master one class in order to unlock the hero job. He also has several unique skills that unlock regardless of which class he is currently using. This perhaps makes him one of the easiest heroes to use, but his relatively low stats make him distinctly average when it comes to overall strength.
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In the original Japanese release of the game, Reck had full immunity to all party removal abilities as well as an innate 25% resistance to zap damage - but these were removed from other versions of the game. Whilst these resistances certainly would have improved the character, even with them included, Reck is not particularly impressive.
8 X (Dragon Quest X)
X is the most recent hero whose gender is left in the hands of the player. The character has access to more skills and weapons than any other hero in the series, although this is perhaps due to Dragon Quest X being an online multiplayer game.
Due to the dramatic differences in both combat and gameplay, it is difficult to directly compare them with other heroes from the series. The title was also exclusive to Japan, so many Western fans of the series will likely have never played it. That's set to change fairly soon though, with an offline version of the MMO currently in the works.
7 Abel (Dragon Quest V)
Best Weapon: Metal King Sword (Attack +130)
Level 99 Stats
- 530 HP
- 500 MP
- 255 Strength
- 200 Agility
- 120 Resilience
- 170 Wisdom
- 255 Luck
Abel has both high strength and high HP, which makes him a proficient damage-dealer. Although his spells are mainly curative and support focused, he does have access to a few useful pieces of magic. In particular, 'Kaswoosh' is the strongest wind spell found in the game and 'Hocus Pocus' will select a spell at random. The latter doesn't always pay off, but when it does it can be incredibly satisfying.
Unfortunately, Abel has very low resilience, but this is somewhat mitigated by his high HP. He also begins the game with a poor luck stat. As he reaches higher levels though, this grows dramatically and at max level he has one of the highest luck stats in the entire series.
6 Solo (Dragon Quest IV)
Best Weapon: Liquid Metal Sword (Attack +130)
Level 99 Stats
- 734 HP
- 330 MP
- 209 Strength
- 132 Agility
- 213 Resilience
- 156 Wisdom
- 152 Luck
Depending on the player's choice, Solo can be either male or female, although there are very few differences between them aside from appearance. They have a great selection of spells at their disposal and have higher stats than all of the heroes that came before them.
When equipped with the Liquid Metal Sword, Solo is able to deal some serious damage to any enemy unfortunate enough to be in their way. Their most powerful spell 'Gigasword' might only target a single enemy, but it is one of the best spells found in Dragon Quest.
5 Descendant Of Erdrick (Dragon Quest I)
Best Weapon: Erdrick's Sword (Attack +40)
Level 30 Stats
- 177 - 195 HP
- 178 - 193 MP
- 122 - 136 Strength
- 114 - 126 Agility
- 57 - 63 Resilience
Although his stats may not be the most impressive, the Descendant of Erdrick has access to a fairly wide range of spells. He's great when it comes to dealing both magical and physical damage and can hold his own against the very toughest of enemies. His potential is dictated by the name that the player chooses too, which is an interesting idea if nothing else.
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Although the heroes found throughout Dragon Quest have achieved some very impressive deeds, none have been able to top the Descendant of Erdrick's. Having saved the world in his only outing makes him one of the most impressive heroes in the series.
4 Auster (Dragon Quest VII)
Best Weapon: Gingham Whip (Attack +145)
Level 99 Stats
- 900 HP
- 700 MP
- 400 Strength
- 200 Agility
- 210 Resilience
- 330 Wisdom
- 100 Style
Auster is arguably the most versatile Dragon Quest hero. He can equip almost all of the armor and weapons found in the game and his stats are incredibly well rounded. Although they are not the highest in the series, they are not far off at all. He's able to fulfill any of the game's roles pretty well, but it is the hero class in which he best excels.
His ability 'The Greater Leveller' is also one of the strongest in the franchise and once fully unlocked is able to deal massive damage to all enemies. Whilst it's a fantastic move to have in one's arsenal, it does strip the party of any buffs and so can at times be very situational.
3 Nine (Dragon Quest IX)
Best Weapon: Hypernova Sword (Attack +180)
Level 99 Stats (Warrior)
- 570 HP
- 86 MP
- 404 Strength
- 78 Agility
- 400 Resilience
- 111 Deftness
- 89 Charm
Thanks to the game's relocation bonuses, Nine can become incredibly overpowered if the player is willing to put in the work. He has access to some great skills and weapons too. By equipping the Falcon blade and using the 'Falcon Slash' ability, Nine is able to swing at enemies four times. This will usually make short work of most of the enemies found in the game.
Nine is also one of the most customizable heroes in the series and like some of the previous heroes, can be either male or female. Thanks to Akira Toriyama's involvement with the game, many of the hairstyles for Nine are reminiscent of the hairstyles of Dragon Ball characters. Whilst these don't make the hero any stronger, they do make them look considerably cooler.
2 Eight (Dragon Quest VIII)
Best Weapon: Dragovian King Sword (Attack +137)
Level 99 Stats
- 806 HP
- 478 MP
- 400 Strength
- 200 Agility
- 215 Resilience
- 366 Wisdom
As well as having the highest stats of all of the heroes when at max level, Eight has a very impressive move set. He can use a wide array of weapons and can even summon teams of monsters to assist him in battle. He has a natural immunity to curses and a 25% resistance to zap-based spells and abilities too. These things combine to make him as resilient as he is deadly.
Where Eight really comes into his own however is through his state of high tension. Upon reaching 100 tension, the character is able to transform much like a character from Dragon Ball. While in this state, Eight has access to a selection of powerful techniques which noticeably out-damage his regular moves.
1 The Luminary (Dragon Quest XI)
Best Weapon: Brilliant Blade (Attack +327)
Level 99 Stats
- 750 HP
- 460 MP
- 380 Strength
- 350 Agility
- 220 Resilience
- 350 Magical Might
- 330 Magical Mending
- 200 Deftness
- 250 Charm
Thanks to the huge success of Dragon Quest XI, The Luminary is arguably the most recognizable of Dragon Quest's Heroes. He is also the strongest. With great stats and some impressive techniques, he could easily hold his own against any of the other heroes found in the series. When he's fully powered up however, he would wipe the floor with them.
Much like the tension system found in Dragon Quest VIII, Dragon Quest XI's Pep system has the potential to dramatically increase Eleven's power. While pepped-up, he will receive a 20% boost to both his strength and resilience stats as well as an improved critical hit rate. Once the skill 'Pep-Up Power-Up' has been unlocked, these boosts are doubled.