Healie

Not to be confused with Healey or Healy.
Healie
Dragon Quest character
Healie in Dragon Quest IV
First appearanceDragon Quest IV (1990)
Designed byAkira Toriyama
Portrayed byKanna Hashimoto[1]
Voiced byMarika Kōno
In-universe information
RaceHealslime
GenderMale

Healie, also known as Hoimin (Japanese: ホイミン) is a character in the 1990 video game Dragon Quest IV. He is a Healslime, a variant of the Slime monster from the series, who aspires to become a human, joining the warrior Ragnar McRyan in his quest to rescue kidnapped children from minions of Psaro. In promotional media for the franchise, he has been portrayed by Kanna Hashimoto.

The Healslime design was created by Akira Toriyama for Dragon Quest II, and was used for Healie in Dragon Quest IV and other titles. Due to his popularity with fans, Horii elected to expand upon the idea of having monsters as companions, adding it as a game mechanic to the sequel, Dragon Quest V. He has since appeared in other Dragon Quest games, including Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince, where he is seen in a human form.

He has been among the more popular companions and monsters in the Dragon Quest series, praised by critics for being cute and a reliable partner to Ragnar and cited as an example of moe aesthetic in gaming. Additional praise has been given for how well he helps illustrate the mechanics of Dragon Quest IV due to his role as an AI-controlled support character.

Appearances

Healie appears in Dragon Quest IV as a companion to the main character of the first chapter, Ragnar McRyan, being the first companion in the Dragon Quest series.[2] While Ragnar is controlled by the player in this chapter, Healie's actions are controlled by AI.[3] Ragnar first meets Healie in a dungeon, where he professes his desire to become a human. Ragnar allows Healie to join his party, and the two work to rescue the kidnapped children from the minions of Psaro.[4][5] Over the course of the next 10 years in the game's story, Ragnar and Healie travel together, though at some point they become separated, and Healie manages to turn into a human before being encountered by the game's Hero on the Hero's quest to defeat Psaro.[5] Healie appears in the audio CD version of Dragon Quest IV, played by voice actor Mayumi Tanaka.[6] He later appears in Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince, a game starring a younger Psaro, in a human form.[7]

Healie appears in various mobile game titles in the Dragon Quest series in various capacities. In promotional media for the franchise, Healie is featured alongside the character Dragonlord in a live-action commercial for Dragon Quest Monsters: Super Light, where he is portrayed by Kanna Hashimoto.[1] He is featured as a playable character in Super Light.[8] The game Dragon Quest of the Stars features him as an accessory that can be used as part of the player's character.[9] He also appears in Dragon Quest Tact as a playable character.[10]

Conception and design

The Healslime, the species Healie belongs to, was first introduced in Dragon Quest II as a variant of the Slime race that has the ability to heal. Its design was created by Akira Toriyama, and this design was also used for Healie in Dragon Quest IV and other titles.[10][11] Like Healslimes, Healie is also able to heal.[12] Healie was included as a partner to Ragnar McRyan in order to facilitate dialogue in place of Ragnar, who is a silent protagonist during the first chapter. This was done as part of a belief by Yuji Horii, the creator of Dragon Quest IV and other Dragon Quest games, that having partners who can speak for the silent character helped enhance the storytelling.[13] Due to how strong the fan reaction was to having Healie in the team in Dragon Quest IV, Horii decided to feature monster taming as a mechanic in Dragon Quest V.[14] He is voiced by Marika Kōno in the Japanese version of Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince.[15]

Critical reception

Healie's pursuit of becoming a human was the subject of critical commentary.

Healie has received generally positive reception, identified as the first memorable companion monster in the Dragon Quest series by IT Media.[16] In a Futabanet poll, Healie was ranked among the best Dragon Quest IV characters, placing above Ragnar.[17] Futabanet writer Yamaguchi Quest felt that many Dragon Quest fans would likely regard him as the best companion, finding the way that he talks to Ragnar cute.[2] IT Media writer Tetsuya Amano also found him cute, considering him the highlight of the first chapter.[18] He discussed how Healie was used to help introduce players to the mechanics of Dragon Quest IV in conjunction with Ragnar; while Ragnar's lack of magic abilities helped emphasize the importance of equipment, Healie illustrated the importance of a support character to compensate, and the latter's inability to be controlled helped in-game combat to not get too complicated.[12] The staff of RPGFan agreed, appreciating how the automated support Healie provides made the game accessible for people new to the genre.[19] Mike Solossi of RPGFan disliked the AI of Dragon Quest IV, though noted that despite the shortcomings of Healie being controlled by it in the Nintendo DS port of IV, he called the character "such a good little slime" he couldn't stay mad at.[19]

Further praise came for the character's portrayal, with his human appearance in The Dark Prince becoming a hot topic on social media according to the staff of Den Fami Nico Gamer.[7] Dengeki Online writer Yasuchika called him a memorable character, appreciating what Healie did for Ragnar as a healer, as well as how it portrayed Ragnar as kind for letting him tag along.[20] The mook Nostalgia Famicom Perfect Guide considered Healie an example of the moe aesthetic, commenting how much their heart warmed when they realized Healie eventually became human.[21] The sentiment was shared by Hiromu Tashita of Magmix, who considered Healie their favorite monster in the series and recounted how excited they were when they first met them.[5] Gamer writer Aya considered Healie her favorite companion in the game, finding him cute and considering him a reliable character and a soothing one to have in her party.[4] Futabanet writer Amami discussed how intriguing Healie was as a character thanks to his dialogue, noting how significant the Party Chat feature added to the PlayStation was due to that. They expressed hope that, by the end of the game, he and Ragnar would reunite now that Healie has become human.[22] Dengeki Online staff appreciated the additional dialogue the Party Chat system produced for him, finding it cute and echoing the earlier moe comparison and feeling that he stood out among companion characters in Dragon Quest IV. They further expressed a desire to see Healie be a part of the Hero's main party instead of Ragnar, though noting that they still enjoyed Ragnar as a character.[23]

References

  1. ^ a b "北大路欣也さんと橋本環奈さんを起用した「ドラゴンクエストモンスターズ スーパーライト」新CM「りゅうおうとホイミン篇」が8月18日よりオンエア". Gamer. August 18, 2016. Archived from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Quest, Yamaguchi (February 11, 2020). "ファミコン『ドラクエ4』発売30周年で振り返りたい「名作を彩った最強の道化師」". Futabanet. Archived from the original on May 14, 2024. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  3. ^ "初代『ドラクエ』から37年、堀井雄二と伝説の編集者・Dr.マシリトが初めて公の場で語り合う！ "鳥山明"という最強のマンガ家を用意したこの人なしに国民的RPGの誕生はあり得なかった…！". Den Fami Nico Gamer. June 26, 2023. Archived from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Aya (May 3, 2014). "ゲームはもっぱらスマホで！という女子による「ドラゴンクエストIV 導かれし者たち」プレイインプレッション". Gamer. Archived from the original on September 12, 2024. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Tashita, Hiromu (June 30, 2022). 『ドラクエ』仲間になって嬉しかったモンスター4選 「にんげんになるのが ゆめなんだ」. Magmix (in Japanese). Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  6. ^ Takato, Rinko (July 25, 2022). "30年ぶりに聞いてみた『ドラゴンクエスト4』ドラマCD…ルフィ・田中真弓に『機動戦士ガンダム』ララァ＆シャアコンビも出演する超豪華布陣だった". Futabanet. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Ukyuu (September 26, 2023). "『ドラゴンクエストモンスターズ3』ではホイミンが人間の姿で登場する？ 恩人を探して旅をする少年「ホイミン」（CV：高野麻里佳さん）の情報が公開され話題に". Den Fami Nico Gamer. Archived from the original on September 12, 2024. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  8. ^ "橋本環奈がボクっ娘ホイミンに！ 『DQMSL』新CM＆1900万DL突破キャンペーンスタート". Famitsu. August 18, 2016. Archived from the original on September 12, 2024. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  9. ^ "スクエニ、『星のドラゴンクエスト』でイベント「ヒストリー オブ マスタードラゴン ～天を翔ける黄金竜～」を開催". Game Biz. May 18, 2017. Archived from the original on June 12, 2024. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Ota, Godzilla (December 29, 2022). "『ドラゴンクエストタクト』真・ドラゴンクエストIVイベントを周回しつつ、天帝の杖の錬金にチャレンジ！【プレイ日記第202回】". Famitsu. Archived from the original on June 12, 2024. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  11. ^ McWhertor, Michael (March 10, 2024). "Akira Toriyama gave us gaming's most perfect character design". Polygon. Archived from the original on September 12, 2024. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  12. ^ a b Quest, Yamaguchi (February 11, 2021). 初心者がRPGの基礎を学べる、凄すぎるファミコン『ドラゴンクエスト4』の完成度【ヤマグチクエスト・コラム】. Futabanet (in Japanese). Archived from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  13. ^ Fukuyama, Koji (December 22, 2017). "「堀井雄二」調査団: アドベンチャーゲームは如何に日本のストーリーゲームを発展させていったか？ （後編）". Automaton. Archived from the original on May 6, 2024. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  14. ^ "Father of the Brides". The History of Dragon Quest.
  15. ^ "『ドラゴンクエストモンスターズ3』ではホイミンが人間の姿で登場する？　恩人を探して旅をする少年「ホイミン」（CV：高野麻里佳さん）の情報が公開され話題に". Numan. September 26, 2023. Archived from the original on May 23, 2024. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  16. ^ "【ドラゴンクエスト】スライム系モンスター人気ランキング 第1位は「はぐれメタル」に決定！【2021年最新投票結果】". IT Media. May 29, 2021. Archived from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  17. ^ アリーナ、ホイミン、トルネコ…祝30周年『ドラクエ4』好きなキャラランキング. Futabanet (in Japanese). February 10, 2020. Archived from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  18. ^ Amano, Tetsuya (December 19, 2007). "実に17年ぶりに、クリフトを操ってみました". IT Media. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  19. ^ a b Solossi, Mike (May 14, 2021). "Retro Encounter 287 – Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen Part I". RPGFan. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  20. ^ Yatsuchika (December 28, 2023). "『ドラクエ4』ライアンとぱふぱふ…当時はお化粧の効果音だと思ってました（ネタバレあり）【ドラゴンクエストIV 導かれし者たち：メモリの無駄づかい】". Dengeki Online. Archived from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  21. ^ "ホイミンに萌え〜】！". Nostalgia Famicom Perfect Guide (in Japanese). p. 97.
  22. ^ Amami (February 11, 2023). "『ドラゴンクエスト4』ホイミン、オーリン…細かいセリフから背景をもっと知りたくなってしまうNPC3選". Futabanet. Archived from the original on September 12, 2024. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  23. ^ "【電撃ULTIMATE】興奮をもう一度 DS『ドラクエIV』＆『ドラクエV』紹介". Dengeki Online. April 16, 2010. Archived from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved May 14, 2024.