Ragnar McRyan

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Ragnar McRyan
Dragon Quest character
Ragnar in Dragon Quest IV
First appearanceDragon Quest IV (1990)
Created byYuji Horii
Designed byAkira Toriyama

Ragnar McRyan is a character in the 1990 video game Dragon Quest IV. He is one of multiple characters who assist the game's Hero in their battle against the monster Psaro. He is the first playable character, and allies with the monster Healie, who aspires to become human, to rescue children kidnapped by Psaro's minions. He is created by Yuji Horii and designed by Akira Toriyama, and has a Scottish accent in the English version of the Nintendo DS remake. He has received generally positive reception, with critics noting how he represented an old-fashioned, uncomplicated type of hero that they felt is absent in newer games.

Appearances[edit]

Ragnar first appears in Dragon Quest IV for the NES. While he is not the main character, he is the first character players are able to control. Ragnar is a warrior who, at the beginning of his chapter, is tasked with discovering the identity of whomever is responsible for the kidnapping of children. He meets a Cureslime named Healie who aspires to become a human, joining Ragnar in helping rescue the kidnapped children. Ragnar and Healie eventually do battle with those responsible, minions of Psaro, and succeed in rescuing the children. Ragnar and Healie venture out of the kingdom in order to search for the Hero and aid them in the fight against Psaro. In the fifth chapter, Ragnar encounters the Hero before the battle against a monster named Marquis de Leon, joining them in their quest. In the PlayStation remake of Dragon Quest IV, a brief prologue starring the Hero that takes place before Ragnar's chapter is added.

Ragnar appears in a series of Dragon Quest IV comic strips, where he is on a quest to buy new clothes.[1]

Concept and creation[edit]

Ragnar was created by Yuji Horii and designed by Akira Toriyama.[citation needed] Ragnar was called Ryan in Japanese, but was called Ragnar in the English localization. According to writer Kurt Kalata, his name was changed to Ragnar McRyan to explain the differences in names between these two versions. In the Nintendo DS remake, Ragnar is made to speak in a Scottish accent.[2] He is voiced by Tomokazu Sugita in Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below and its sequel, Dragon Quest Heroes II. Sugita expressed surprise at being offered the role, imagining Ragnar as too old a character for him to fit. He also felt that his performance was inadequate, though Horii felt otherwise.[3]

Reception[edit]

Dengeki Online writer Yasuchika recounted feeling confused about whether Ragnar was a warrior or a soldier, determining he was a warrior due to how mobile his armor was. While they noted Ragnar's character was just an old man wearing underwear and pink armor, they nevertheless felt that it worked well, calling his design cool and praising Toriyama for his character design ability. They also commended how kind Ragnar was for allowing Healie to join his quest despite being a monster.[4] A fellow Dengeki Online writer noted that, while preferring Healie as a character and finding him cute, they nonetheless found Ragnar a quality character, suggesting he was moe for his pink armor.[5] Famitsu writer Mill☆Yoshimura recounted their experience first playing Dragon Quest IV as a child, expressing how confused they were to be playing as him instead of the Hero given that they had just put in the name for the Hero. He also expressed his anticipation to see what would happen with Ryan, as well as Healie.[6] Futabanet writer Yamaguchi Quest felt that Ragnar, as well as Healie, were designed to introduce players to how the game works. Quest pointed out how Ragnar not being able to use magic helped make players aware of the value of equipment, while Healie helped provide healing magic Ragnar had no access to.[7] RPGFan staff agreed with Ragnar being a solid introduction for players new to RPGs, feeling that his chapter represented an approximation of the first Dragon Quest game in terms of its mechanics.[8] Magmix staff felt that Ragnar's usefulness diminished later in the game, arguing that the cost of his better equipment and low speed made him less useful than support characters and magic users.[9]

Eurogamer writer Simon Parkin felt that Dragon Quest IV was a "breath of fresh air," attributing this to Ragnar's character design and personality. He compared Ragnar to certain Japanese character trends, stating that he was "in no way a character designed off the back of some intense Japanese schoolgirl demographic focus testing." He also felt that he was neither an aspirational or marketable character, feeling that a character like him being as important as he was represented an "anti-hero casting that feels braver and more interesting than pretty much any that's happened in the genre since." They also felt that the story structure of Dragon Quest IV helped facilitate a chapter starring a character like Ragnar.[10] RPGamer writer Philip Bloom begrudged the lack of "old fashioned heroes" in newer games, choosing to highlight Ragnar as an example of this. He felt that Ragnar was a manly character, appreciating that he was a straightforward character who aspired to do the right thing and who never felt the need to show off how "badass" he was.[11]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Fletcher, JC (July 18, 2008). "A Dragon Quest IV comic strip draws near! Command?". Engadget. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  2. ^ Kalata, Kurt (February 2, 2009). "Dragon Quest IV: The Chapters of the Chosen". Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  3. ^ "「ドラゴンクエストヒーローズI・II」のステージイベントをレポート。新キャラ"ライアン"役の杉田智和さん，"クリフト"役の緑川 光さんが新ボス"シドー"に挑戦". 4gamer. January 16, 2017. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  4. ^ Yasuchika (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. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  5. ^ "【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. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  6. ^ Mill☆ (October 23, 2017). "書評：読めば思わずあなたもゲームライフ語りをしたくなる。ほろ苦い青春を遊んだゲームの記憶とともに綴る自叙伝『ゲームライフ』". Yoshimura. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  7. ^ 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. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  8. ^ Solossi, Mike (May 14, 2021). "Retro Encounter 287 – Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen Part I". RPGFan. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  9. ^ "『ドラクエIV』馬車メンバーになりがちな「不遇キャラ」4選　「うわっ、使いにく…」". Magmix. June 25, 2023. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  10. ^ Parkin, Simon (September 27, 2008). "Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen". Eurogamer. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  11. ^ Bloom, Philip. "A Tribute to an Old Fashioned Hero". RPGamer. Archived from the original on May 17, 2008. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
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