Dragon Quest’s Hero was the third out of five fighters released as part of the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Fighter Pass, and as it turns out, Nintendo did the unthinkable by getting him in the game.
In an interview with Nintendo Dream magazine, Dragon Quest XI producer Hokuto Okamoto and directors Takeshi Uchikawa and Masato Yagi discussed how the company approached adding Hero to the game, and had some kind words for series creator Masahiro Sakurai.
According to translations done by Robert Sephazon, Okamoto couldn’t believe that Hero would be included in Smash Bros.
“It’s nearly impossible for Dragon Quest characters to appear in other companies’ games,” he revealed. “We discussed many ideas, including what we’re doing with DQXI S, such as making each color a Hero of past games. Mr. Sakurai accepted both Nintendo’s direction as well as Square Enix branding, and then got on board. It was a very exciting experience.”
Not only that, but Nintendo made sure that the fighter met their expectations. “We received a special request for feedback,” Uchikawa revealed, and stated he was very impressed with the Dragon Quest stage Yggdrasil’s Altar.
“I was impressed at the scale of everything. It fully incorporated various series staples, such as the command selection,” he added, referencing Hero’s special command tool part of his kit which allows him to use powerful spells.
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Yagi went on to state that when he saw Sakurai demo the fighter, he was impressed with the fighter’s movement and actions.
“It’s spectacular what Mr. Sakurai can find to include,” Uchikawa remarked. “Dragon Quest has never really done such a major cross-over with other franchises. Seeing Hero throw a Poké Ball? That’s a radical image to imagine.”
With Hero’s inclusion in Smash, it’s clear that Nintendo is up to the challenge of making the ‘impossible’ happen. It will be interesting to see what additional characters the company can work with as DLC fighter 5 is on the way, and even more coming after that.
The final fighter as part of the original Fighter Pass is scheduled to release no later than February 29, 2020 and that is looking likely to be a placeholder date.
Signs have pointed to a Nintendo Direct happening in January and with it, the reveal of the newest fighter to the game. With speculation running wild, it may even end up being yet another Dragon Quest character.