Dragon Quest V/Characters

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.



The Main Character (Madason Gotha)

The Hero of Dragon Quest V, though not The Chosen One. The only son of Pankraz and Mada, he has been traveling around the world with his father for as far back as he can remember. Possesses a natural touch with monsters, managing to earn their trust and loyalty with surprising ease.

Pankraz Gotha (Papas)

A powerful warrior and the village chief of Whealbrook, Pankraz has spent the last several years of his life searching for answers, as well as for the Zenithian equipment and The Chosen One capable of wielding it. He's brought his young son along on this journey, though he feels some guilt about this.

  • Akira Kamiya: Voices him in the drama CDs.
  • Badass Normal
  • Bright Slap: Delivers one to Prince Henry.
  • Cool Sword
  • Crutch Character: He beat two bosses on his own.
  • Dead Man Writing: After his study is finally located.
  • Heroic Sacrifice: Forced into one.
  • King Incognito: In order to find his wife.
  • Lightning Bruiser: Will randomly attack two times a turn.
  • Only One Name: Subverted at least in the English script, despite being from a series where this trope is very common. Of course, his last name (Gotha) is only mentioned when he's telling some guards who he is.
  • Papa Wolf: God help you if you touch a hair on his son's head, and he knows about it. Nothing less then the Big Bad pulling a Diabolus Ex Machina will save you. This makes sense since his son is all he has left of his wife.
  • Retirony: Before traveling to Coburg, he mentions that once your business there is finished, he plans on settling down for a bit to let his son enjoy his childhood.

Madalena Gotha (Martha)

Pankraz's much-beloved and very much missed wife, and the main character's Missing Mom. Her disappearance is what drove Pankraz to seek out the legendary hero.

  • Barrier Maiden: Tries to seal Nimzo in the underworld near the end of the game. Unfortunately, he anticipated it.
  • Blessed with Suck: Her powers made her a prime target for the villains; in order to protect her, the Loftians locked her away and had her constantly praying for them instead.
  • Gilded Cage: Her room in her birthplace effectively functioned as this.
  • Girl in the Tower: Invoked: when visiting her room at her old hometown, Parry directly compares it to a fairy-tale tower.
  • Gods Need Prayer Badly: Why she was kidnapped.
  • Heroic Sacrifice: She tries. It dosen't work.
  • Missing Mom: Finding her is the hero's dream.
  • Rei Sakuma: Voices her in the drama CDs.

The Heavenly Brides

Bianca Whitaker

Daughter of the Roundbeck innkeeper, Bianca is the main character's childhood friend, and two years older than him (as she's very quick to remind him). A complete Tomboy as a child, she does her best to keep a positive attitude no matter how terrible things seem.

Nera Briscoletti (Flora)

Rodrigo Briscoletti's beloved younger daughter.[1] Nera is a model maiden: demure, compassionate, good with children and animals... After completing her 'domestic goddess training' at the Heavens Above Abbey, she'll be ready to marry whoever can win her father's favor.

Debora Briscoletti

Nera's temperamental older sister, Debora never bought into that whole 'lovely and demure' crap. For her, it's all about doing as she pleases and getting everything she wants. Her parents have basically given up on ever seeing her married, focusing on their more obedient daughter instead.

Shared Traits of all the Brides

  • Action Mom: After joining during the third part of the game.
  • Battle Couple: Becomes one with the main character.
  • Blue Eyes: In the status menu, Bianca's are sky blue; Nera's are darker to match her hair; Debora's are icy blue. Official arts are other stories.
  • Chekhov's Gunman: Although all three of them have the potential, the one the main character marries will always turn out to be the woman destined to be the mother of The Chosen One.
  • Color Coded for Your Convenience: Each potential wife has a different hair color and contrasting theme colors in their wardrobe:
    • Bianca = Blonde hair; green tunic/dress and orange cloak, very simply made.
    • Nera = Blue hair; pastel shades of blue, white and lavender/blush pink.
    • Debora = Black hair; rich red and darker pink.
  • Express Delivery: Courtesy of Gameplay and Story Segregation, though NPC chatter makes it clear more time passes than the player might realize during their travels.
  • Fainting: The Pregnancy Faint variant of this trope on the way to Gotha.
  • Happily Adopted: None of them are actually related to the folks who raised them. None of them care about this.
  • Happily Married: No matter which one ends up with the hero they become this.
  • Missing Mom: Gets torn away from her children and husband for ten years.
  • Playing with Fire: All of them learn Kasizzle, though their exact spell lists vary.
  • Pregnant Badass: Only briefly though.
  • Secret Legacy: Descended from a Zenithian bloodline; hence, Heavenly Bride.
  • Taken for Granite: Mixed with And I Must Scream, if aware of her predicament[2].
  • Whip It Good

The Children of the Heavenly Union

Parry Gotha (Rex)

The main character's son, and almost the spitting image of his father (except with his mom's hair color). A cheerful, amiable child, he loves traveling with his family and seeing the world.

Parry: "Everyone's happy! H-A-P-Y! I mean, H-A-P-P-Y!"

Madchen Gotha (Tabitha)

Daughter of the main character. Inherited his gentle hand with monsters, and loves playing with them just as much as she does with more traditional pets, like kitties and puppies.

Both Twins Share

Madchen: "...Daddy? Can you hold my hand?"

  • Hello, Insert Name Here
  • Hero of Another Story: Party chat will reveal that the twins spent a long time looking for their mother and father. So much so that one can roughly piece together where they went and what they did before arriving at the Porgie residence.
  • Improbable Age: They start adventuring with their father at the tender age of eight, much like Bianca.
  • Meaningful Name: Their default names are partly derived from their grandparents: Pankraz -> Parry and Mada -> Madchen.
  • Parental Abandonment: Their parents had been turned to stone shortly after they were born.
  • Pink Girl, Blue Boy: Parry's outfit is entirely blue, while Madchen wears a dark pink/purple cape, and official art shows her white robe has a very light pinkish tinge to it.
  • Sibling Yin-Yang: Mostly averted, but there is one example: Parry loves heights while Madchen is afraid of them.
  • Strong Family Resemblance: Both are compared to their father more than their mother. Parry's happy with this; Madchen is more disappointed that she isn't told she resembles her mother more often.
  • Superpowerful Genetics: Parry is the Legendary Hero; Madchen has inherited a host of evil-sensing powers from her grandmother. Both learn plenty of powerful spells, including several not learned by either parent.
  • Theme Twin Naming: See Meaningful Name above. Obviously, it's up to the player whether or not this is played even straighter or Averted.
  • Unto Us a Son and Daughter Are Born

Families of the Bride

Mr. Whitaker (Duncan)

Bianca's father, who runs the Roundbeck Inn with his wife. Better known by his nickname 'Whitey'.

  • Death by Despair: Heavily implied to be the cause of his death (which only happens in the original, if the main character didn't marry Bianca).
  • Ill Guy: He's always sick, recovering from being sick or coming down with a new sickness. Taking care of him is the reason that Bianca can't be an adventuer, as much as she'd like to. Before you come along at least.
  • Only Known by Their Nickname

Mrs. Whitaker

Bianca's mother, who shoulders all of the work whenever her husband is ill. Passes away during the ten-year time skip.

Rodrigo Briscoletti (Ludman)

Nera and Debora's doting father, and the richest man in Mostroferrato. To try and ensure that Nera marries somebody fully capable of taking good care of her, he sets up an Engagement Challenge. Usually jovial, with an open mind and open heart; however, he's also somewhat of a traditionalist, and has a major stubborn streak—once he's got his mind set on something, nothing can dissuade him.

  • Doting Parent: Well, towards Nera at least.
  • Engagement Challenge: One that has apparently existed in his family for generations.
  • Gratuitous English: In the Italian version, he sprinkles English words into his speech.
  • Gratuitous Italian: In the English Version.
  • Passive-Aggressive Kombat: If you pick Bianca in the DS version, he says that he's not surprised by your decision, that you're a sensitive man, and that you must've realized that Nera would've been humiliated if you'd picked Debora over her. If you read between the lines, he's blaming Debora's surprise toss of her own hat into the ring for Nera not getting chosen. Yowch!
  • Reasonable Authority Figure
  • Sealed Evil in a Can: His ancestor sealed away a monster in the past, and it is his duty to make sure it stays sealed.
  • Sins of Our Fathers: An ancestor of his sealed away a great evil, but the seal is due to break... ohhh, fairly soon. And the monster's going to be maaaaaddd...
  • Uncle Pennybags:
    • If you marry one of his daughters, he will lavish gifts on you throughout the game. Even if you don't and choose Bianca instead, he'll still pay for the wedding and bridal veil, let you sleep at his casino for free, and even put his ship at your command just like he did for your father at the beginning of the game.
    • He's also just a nice guy and is renowned in the setting for generosity and for giving a sizable chunk of his wealth to charity. He gets most of that money from owning a casino resort, so he's probably a pretty fun guy too.

Romana Briscoletti

Rodrigo's loving wife, who does her best to reign in his stubborn streak. Very proud of her dear Nera; her other daughter...? Not so much.

Close Family Friends

Saber (Borongo)

A great sabrecat that the main character and Bianca meet and befriend as a young cub. The very fact that they were able to tame it so easily shocks many others, as sabrecats have a nasty reputation. Has many possible names.

Sancho

Pankraz's close friend, often left behind to mind the homestead while Pankraz goes traveling with his son. Acts as a doting uncle to the main character.

Tuppence (Pippin)

The son of Thruppence, Tuppence is a soldier who's eager to help the main character and the kids during their travels. Has the potential to become a truly powerful warrior, but starts out untrained and rough around the edges.

Realm of the Faeries

Honey (Bella)

A mischievous, cheerful faerie sent to recruit a great warrior from the human world. She brought back a six-year-old main character.

Queen Treacle (Powan)

The current ruler of Faerie Lea. Her predecessor was incredibly harsh, but Treacle herself is kind and compassionate, and believes that everyone can coexist peacefully.

Dwight Dwarf (Zaile)

Also known as "Da White Dwarf!" His father created "Lots About Locks", a book that lets the bearer become a Master of Unlocking. Because of this, he was banished from Faerie Lea by Treacle's predecessor. However, Dwight believes Treacle was the one responsible, and has set out to take revenge. Fancies himself a great superhero, so he wears a hooded cape and calls himself "Da White Dwarf!".

Coburg's Royal Family

Prince Harry (Henry)

The heir-apparent of King James, and a complete Royal Brat who enjoys tormenting others simply because he can. Soon receives a very rude, very harsh awakening, however...

King James

Ruler of Coburg; father of Harry and Wilbur. Somewhat at a loss as to how to get his chosen heir to shape up and stop being such a royal pain. Dies during the first timeskip.

Queen Consort

King James' current wife. Highly ambitious, she dreams of seeing her son take the throne rather than watching her bratty stepson ascend.

  • Ambition Is Evil
  • Fake Queen
  • God Save Us From the Queen: Or, rather, the Queen Consort. Or the Queen Dowager.
  • Hoist By Her Own Petard: After successfully having Harry kidnapped, she is betrayed by her 'allies' and is replaced by a fake queen, turning her son into their puppet rather than her own. By the time the party comes across her years later, she's willing to immediately confess to everything just to put an end to it.
  • Stage Mom: Royal variation; she can't rule herself, so she pushes her son towards the throne despite his own wishes, and doesn't care who she tramples on it to make it happen.
  • Unwitting Pawn
  • Wicked Stepmother


Prince Wilbur (Dale)

Harry's younger half-brother. Despite his mother's ambitions, has no real interest in taking the throne, and would rather be just a normal kid.

Other Important Characters

Count Uptaten (Eric) and Miss Count (Sophia)

Once a happily married couple, their lives were tragically cut short when monsters raided their castle and slaughtered everyone inside. However, their sad tale did not end there... Thanks to the interference of some nasty spirits, they have been unable to move on to the afterlife.

  • Law of Inverse Fertility: Wanted children, but were never able to conceive.
  • Our Ghosts Are Different: They are not the slightest bit evil for one.
  • Spot of Tea: One of their favorite pastimes in life was drinking out of the Toff's Tea Set. The main character can eventually return it to them in exchange for a reward, though it takes several years before Uptaten happens to ask.

Maria (Marina)

A former member of the Order of Zugzwang, she turned her back on their teachings when she shielded a child slave from harm. Made a Slave herself, she managed to escape to the abbey and become a Nun of the Above.

  • Aya Hisakawa: Voices her in the drama CDs.
  • Defector From Decadence
  • Hair of Gold
  • Happily Married: To Harry.
  • Made a Slave: After she criticized the Order.
  • Morality Pet: To her older brother Joshua, a soldier of Zugzwang who finds himself torn between his loyalty to the order and his love for his sister.
  • Naughty Nun: Mild example. In the DS version, she wears a dress that sports noticeable cleavage and no habit or coif to distinguish her sprite from that of from the other nuns.
    • Even more mild in the original SNES version, but still qualifies, as she never dons the nun habit nor restrains her looks in any fashion.
  • Rags to Riches: Eventually marries Harry.

Monty the Monster Monitor

An elderly fellow whose has an expert hand with monsters, and encourages others to pursue the fine art of monster training. Recommends to the main character that he get a wagon to make traveling easier, and helps him out by caring for any monsters he isn't taking along with him at any given moment.

Crispin Burns (Andy)

A childhood friend of Nera, he becomes one of her most dedicated suitors. Though he doesn't consider himself truly worthy of somebody so wonderful, he's determined to do his best to become worthy, and earn her love...!

Old Man Nick Knack

A sprightly spirit haunting a massive, ornate building. All he wanted was to create the ultimate collection of trinkets and treasures from around the globe; sadly, he only managed to finish the structure before passing away, leaving it unfilled and his dream unfinished... until the main character and his wife happen along.

King Albert

The Prince Regent and acting ruler of a country whose king has gone AWOL. Though he has done well in the role, he still hopes for a chance to step down and return the role to somebody he feels is more fitting. It doesn't help that the job has strained his relationship with his willful daughter, Gertrude, who chafes at the responsibility of princesshood.

Princess Gertrude

Albert's daughter. Greatly dislikes her current station, finding it far too restricting.

Chancellor Jeeves

King Albert's chancellor, who can almost always be found parked by the throne offering advice to the Regent.

Patty the Party Planner (Luida)

A bartender who starts running a useful service for the main character late in the game, serving basically the same function as Monty... but for humans.

Dr Agon (Pusan)

A strange, old fellow found trapped in a dungeon. Extremely cheerful, but a tad... loopy. Has a very strange way of speaking. Claims to be Zenithian.

"The Zenithian Dr Agon has joined your party!"

The Order of Zugzwang

Grandmaster Nimzo (Mildrath)

The Demon Lord of the Dark World, and the "god" of the Order. He seeks to take over the Light World. (OF COURSE!)

  • Big Bad
  • Chess Motif: Is named after a Chess grandmaster, and his minions are named after chess pieces.
  • Giant Space Flea From Nowhere: Was more or less this in the SNES original; he wasn't really mentioned until you find out your mother is alive and that Korol wasn't the Big Bad. The DS version fixes this; he's mentioned by NPCs, at least in passing, as early as the second major dungeon, and it's obvious very early on that Ladja is reporting to someone higher up than Korol.
  • Meaningful Name: His name comes from Aron Nimzowitsch, a Russian chess grandmaster.
  • One-Winged Angel: But of course!
  • Shozo Iizuka: Voices him in the drama CDs.
  • You Have Failed Me...: He leaves King Korol to die after he's mortally wounded by the party. The DS version makes it even worse.

Bishop Ladja (Gema)

Nimzo's right hand man. He oversees the Order's operations in the Light World alongside King Korol. He is also easily the most evil character in the game.

  • Breakout Villain: In the SNES original, he was still a presence but ultimately a lackey, didn't have a unique appearance, and gets chumped about two-thirds of the way through the game. In the DS remake, he's been upgraded to the full-blown right hand of Nimzo himself, and is a complete monster throughout the entire game, largely due to his popularity as a villain in the original and fans asking for him to have a larger role.
  • Cutscene Power to the Max: When he summons a fireball outside of battle... bad things happen.
    • He does have a fireball attack in battle, albeit considerably depowered. His Sinister Scythe and petrification spell, not so much.
  • The Dragon
  • Establishing Character Moment: His No-Holds-Barred Beatdown on the main character and Harry, not to mention his brutal murder of Pankraz, instantly solidifies his status as a Complete Monster.
  • Gratuitous Foreign Language: Based on his broken english, he apparently has a thick Russian accent.
  • Hirotaka Suzuoki: Voices him in the drama CDs.
  • Hopeless Boss Fight: The first one against him. Justified, considering you're a six year old child at that point.
  • No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: He has absolutely no reservations about beating two six year old children nearly to death. In fact, he seems to enjoy it.
  • "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Gives one to King Korol in the DS version, right before killing him.
  • Would Hurt a Child
  • Yank the Dog's Chain: Combines this with one of his beloved Player Punches near the end when he blasts Mada right after she and the main character reunite, then mocks both of them about it.
    • Subverted when it turns out she survived the attack.
      • Double subverted when Grandmaster Nimzo finishes the job.

King Korol (Ibuul)

High Priest of the Order of Zugzwang. Over the years, he works tirelessly to establish the Order as a Path of Inspiration, promising that they will lead the world to a new age of peace in the White King's Paradise. Their actual plans, of course, aren't quite so... nice.

  • Evil Genius
  • Humiliation Conga: First the party attack the Order's main base in the Light World, then they wipe out his defenses, including Queen Ferz. When he himself fights the party and is defeated and dying, he begs Nimzo to strike the party down, but Nimzo abandons him for his failure, leaving him to die in shame. Made even worse in the DS version, where not only does Nimzo abandon him, but he also sends Ladja to tell him exactly why he sucks and then execute him.
  • Path of Inspiration: How he paints the Order.
  • Religion of Evil: What the Order actually is.
  • Squishy Wizard: While he's a deadly mage, his physical attacks are absolutely pathetic.
  • Verbal Tic: He has one—Snap! -- in addition to his Russian accent.

Queen Ferz (Ramada)

The High Priestess of the Order of Zugzwang, as well as a master illusionist. Helps Korol oversee the temple and lure would-be followers and slaves into their clutches.

Kon the Knight (Jami) and Slon the Rook (Gonze)

Bishop Ladja's personal enforcers and bodyguards. Work well as a team, but are just as deadly during solo work.

  • The Brute: As Ladja's bodyguards, as the two rely on physical power.
  • No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: They get one from an infuriated Pankraz, but then give him one themselves when Ladja threatens to murder the main character.
  • Rule 34: Kon the Knight was a prime target for this.
  • Wataru Takagi: Voices Kon in the drama CDs.
  • You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: When Chancellor Jeeves hands the Bride over to Kon, he "rewards" him by savagely beating him and leaving him to die.
  1. Originally, his only child prior to the DS version.
  2. It seems to vary depending on the bride, or rather, how much they admit to varies.
  3. Your choices are, in order: Saber, Leo, Spot, Mohicat, Tom, Purrcy, Moggy, Punk, Pyjamas, Baumren.