Healie
A Healslime who dreams of becoming human.
Healie, also known as Hoimin, is a Healslime from the 1990 video game Dragon Quest IV who aspires to become human. He joins the warrior Ragnar McRyan in his quest to rescue kidnapped children from the minions of Psaro. He is notable as the first companion monster in the Dragon Quest series and has been portrayed by Kanna Hashimoto in promotional media.
Quick Facts
- Series
- Dragon Quest
- First game
- Dragon Quest IV (1990)
- Designer
- Akira Toriyama
- Voice
- Japanese:
- Marika Kōno
- English:
- Oliver McKinnon-Wardell
- Portrayed by
- Kanna Hashimoto
- Race
- Healslime
- Gender
- Male
Facts from the source article.
Appearances
Healie appears in Dragon Quest IV as a companion to Ragnar McRyan, the main character of the first chapter, and is the first companion in the Dragon Quest series. Ragnar meets Healie in a dungeon, where Healie expresses a desire to become human, and Ragnar allows him to join the party. Over the next 10 years in the game's story, they travel together before becoming separated; Healie eventually turns into a human and is encountered by the game's Hero. Healie appears in the audio CD version of Dragon Quest IV, voiced by Mayumi Tanaka. In Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince, he appears in a human form. He also appears in mobile titles such as Dragon Quest Monsters: Super Light, where he is a playable character portrayed by Kanna Hashimoto in a live-action commercial, and in Dragon Quest of the Stars as an accessory. He is a playable character in Dragon Quest Tact.
Conception and design
The Healslime species was first introduced in Dragon Quest II as a variant of the Slime race with healing abilities, designed by Akira Toriyama. This design was used for Healie in Dragon Quest IV and other titles. Healie was included as a partner to Ragnar McRyan to facilitate dialogue in place of Ragnar, who is a silent protagonist during the first chapter. Yuji Horii believed that partners who speak for a silent character enhance storytelling. The strong fan reaction to Healie led Horii to feature monster taming as a mechanic in Dragon Quest V. Healie is voiced by Marika Kōno in the Japanese version of Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince.
Critical reception
Healie has received generally positive reception, identified as the first memorable companion monster in the Dragon Quest series by IT Media. In a Futabanet poll, he ranked among the best Dragon Quest IV characters, placing above Ragnar. Futabanet writer Yamaguchi Quest felt many fans would regard him as the best companion, finding his way of talking to Ragnar cute. IT Media writer Tetsuya Amano also found him cute, considering him the highlight of the first chapter, and discussed how Healie helped introduce players to the mechanics of Dragon Quest IV by illustrating the importance of a support character while his AI control kept combat from getting too complicated. The staff of RPGFan agreed that his automated support made the game accessible for newcomers. Mike Solossi of RPGFan disliked the AI of Dragon Quest IV but noted that despite the shortcomings of Healie being controlled by it in the Nintendo DS port, he called the character 'such a good little slime' he couldn't stay mad. His human appearance in The Dark Prince became a hot topic on social media according to Den Fami Nico Gamer. Dengeki Online writer Yasuchika called him a memorable character, appreciating his role as a healer and how it portrayed Ragnar as kind. The mook Nostalgia Famicom Perfect Guide considered Healie an example of moe aesthetic, commenting on how their heart warmed when they realized he eventually became human. Hiromu Tashita of Magmix considered Healie their favorite monster in the series. Gamer writer Aya found him cute and reliable. Futabanet writer Amami discussed how intriguing Healie was due to his dialogue and expressed hope that he and Ragnar would reunite now that he has become human.
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