The next DLC characters for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate have been revealed in Nintendo's E3 2019 expo and they are four of the heroes from the Dragon Quest series. The protagonists from Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation, Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen, Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King, and Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age are coming to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
The idea of a character from the Dragon Quest series coming to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was leaked at the end of last year, but it was only just confirmed during Nintendo's E3 2019 Direct. The trailer shows Link battling the possessed heroes from the World of Light mode in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, before being saved by the Luminary from Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age, who is then saved by the three other heroes. The name of the Dragon Quest character appears to be the Hero, even though some of them have names, as the Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation hero is known as Erdrick and the hero from Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age is called the Luminary.
The four Dragon Quest heroes appear to be Echo Fighters of each other and they have access to the command menu from the Dragon Quest series to select attacks. The Hero is skilled in swordplay, but they have access to a range of magical spells and special abilities in the command menu. The spells shown in the trailer include Woosh (a spell that summons a tornado), Sizzle (a spell that shoots a ball of fire), Psyche Up and Oomph (an ability & spell that will make the Hero stronger), Snooze (a spell that puts the enemy to sleep), Bounce (a spell that summons a shield that reflects projectiles), Kacrackle Slash (a spell that adds the freezing ability to the sword), Kaclang (a spell that turns the caster into metal and protects them from harm), Zoom (a teleport spell that seems to be the Hero's recovery move), and Kamikazee (a spell that sacrifices the caster's life to deal massive damage).
The new DLC characters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate each bring their own stage and the Dragon Quest characters are bringing Yggdrasil the World Tree to the game. The Final Smash used by the Hero is similar to the one used by Mega Man, as it summons all of the protagonists from the series to lay waste to the enemy.
The Dragon Quest series is huge in Japan, to the point where it has been a national sensation since the '80s. Square Enix has wanted to make the series as popular internationally as it is in Japan, but the Dragon Quest series has only ever had a niche following in the west. It's possible that the promotion brought on by a Super Smash Bros. appearance will help to elevate the series outside of Japan, especially as Dragon Quest Builders 2 and Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age are coming to the Nintendo Switch in the future.
The Dragon Quest heroes will be coming to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in summer 2019.
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Source: YouTube