- For the monster, see Psaro the Manslayer.
Psaro the Manslayer, originally Saro, is the central villain of Dragon Quest IV and a recurring monster in the series. He is a powerful demon with a passionate hatred for humanity.
Appearance
Psaro at first appears fairly humanoid, though his red eyes, pointed ears, and vast powers would no sooner reveal him for what he really is. He has long silver hair and wears a dark outfit with a single distinct shoulder pad, spiked and appearing to be made of bone, and a long fur cape. Upon using the Secret of Evolution he turns into a likeness of Estark and steadily morphs into a vicious horned demon with a second face on his torso as the player fights against him. The transformation undergoes seven forms, all in the same battle.
Personality
Psaro loathes humans, his Manslayer title likely derived from his stance on human presence. Despite this intense hatred, Psaro is remarkably kind to all other beings, notably monsters and especially the elf Rosaly. His romantic attachment to Rosaly is so strong that it drives him insane when he learns of her murder and can be freed from the Secret of Evolution's twisting power if she is revived and brought before him. In the Japanese remake of the DS and PSX version, he has a personality which is known to be tsundere if you use the party chat while he is in your party.
Biography
Games
Main Games
IV
As an Ally
The remake contains an additional sixth chapter, in which the Secret of Evolution is undone by Rosaly's tears and Psaro becomes a companion of the protagonist (a full PC whose actions in battle can be controlled). His initial state is of course quite powerful; he starts at level 35 and all his stats are high, not to mention he can learn powerful spells such as Lightning Storm and Magic Burst (most of which originally premiered in later Dragon Quest installments). He can furthermore equip cursed equipment without penalty and without having his stats zeroed. He can also equip the Pandemonic items given by Chow Mein and Foo Yung.
Spells
If the player chooses to pursue the bonus content and make Psaro an ally they will quickly find that he is more than a jack-of-all-trades, being adept at healing, support, and especially offensive abilities. If the time is taken to level him up he will swiftly become the most powerful ally in the game.
| Dragon Quest IV (DS) | |
|---|---|
| Spell | Level Learnt |
| Fullheal | 35 |
| Multiheal | 35 |
| Kaboom | 35 |
| Kacrackle | 35 |
| Kasap | 35 |
| Kasnooze | 35 |
| Dragon Slash | 35 |
| Hatchet Man | 35 |
| Harvest Moon | 35 |
| Zoom | 35 |
| Evac | 35 |
| Safe Passage | 35 |
| Holy Protection | 35 |
| Oomph | 36 |
| Kazing | 38 |
| Metal Slash | 40 |
| Kathwack | 42 |
| Thin Air | 44 |
| Disruptive Wave | 46 |
| Puff! | 49 |
| Lightning Storm | 53 |
| Magic Burst | 60 |
Voice actors
- Daisuke Ono (Japanese) - The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below
- Gwilym Lee (English) - The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below
Trivia
- Sephiroth's appearance from another popular Square Enix series, called Final Fantasy , closely resembles Psaro's, (since Psaro was made years before, Sephiroth resembles him and not the other way around) and have many things in common; both have different forms as enemies and both are villains involved in or with tragedies. Because of these similarities, there are some jokes in Japan which involve the two, such as Psaro and Sephiroth actually being secret twins, or sometimes calling either one of them as "Psaroth".
- The character Magus of Chrono Trigger, another RPG by Square Enix and released years after Dragon Quest IV, bears resemblance to Psaro and shares many similar traits with him. Magus, also a main villain, joins Chrono's party later in the game just as Psaro does in the remake. It should also be noted that both characters were designed by Akira Toriyama.
Gallery
