A Heroic Encounter! The Hero From ‘Dragon Quest’ Joins ‘Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is one of the largest games Nintendo has published in terms of sheer content, and director Masahiro Sakurai and his team are working on downloadable content to add on to it further. Ultimate kickstarted Nintendo’s E3 presentation on Tuesday, showcasing the second newcomer who’s part of the Fighters Pass, and it’s the Hero from Square Enix’s massive Dragon Quest JRPG series. In the tradition of Animal Crossing‘s “Villager” and the “Pokémon Trainer,” the champion is merely dubbed “Hero” on his splash screen and Smash‘s website, although fans easily identified him as Luminary, the protagonist of Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age.

As seen in the trailer, The Legend of Zelda‘s lead Link was struggling against shadowy clones in the likeness of other Smash fighters, a nod to Ultimate‘s story mode, the “World of Light.” Overwhelmed by clones of Marth and Meta Knight, Dragon Quest‘s latest savior arrives just in time to save Link. However, Luminary finds himself cornered as well, only to be saved by his backup: the Heroes of Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation, Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen and Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King.

As the gameplay clips in the trailer suggest, Luminary is the primary character but the three other Heroes are available for use as alternate costumes. All four will play identically, and their special moves pull from the magic they have access to in their series. However, these moves are powered by an MP Gauge, meaning players will have to manage this resource carefully. The Heroes also, of course, fight with their iconic swords and shields too. Their Final Smash conceptually recalls Mega Man’s, seeing as it summons a smorgasbord of Dragon Quest characters to strike their opponents in unison. Additionally, the requisite Dragon Quest stage is Yggdrasil the World Tree, a recurring setting across the series.

Smash Bros. fans have long speculated that Erdrick, III‘s lead, would join the Smash Bros. family, but seeing him and three of his contemporaries together was met as a pleasant surprise. The Hero will arrive sometime during the summer, whereas the third Fighters Pass newcomer is slated to come during the fall.