After claiming the Staff of Rain, the Sunstone, and the Mark of Erdrick, he is accepted as the true heir of Erdrick and is entrusted with the Rainbow Drop. A monument within a cave that bore his ancestor's namesake taught him about three items that were needed to reach The Dragonlord's Castle. Along the way, he fights against monsters to increase his strength and earn gold to purchase better equipment. Setting out into Alefgard, the Hero's journey takes him to such places as Galenholm, Kol, Rimuldar, and Cantlin. One of the guards tells the Hero something the king did not: How his daughter, Princess Gwaelin, was kidnapped by the Dragonlord's minions. The King gives him some money to start his journey, and advises him to speak to the guards. He is told of the heroism of his ancestor, Erdrick, and how he must follow in his ancestor's footsteps to save the Kingdom of Alefgard from the threat of the Dragonlord. When the Dragonlord steals the Sphere of Light, the Hero is summoned to Tantegel Castle by King Lorik.
He does, however, have one line of dialogue by the end of the game. This was a decision made by series creator Yuji Horii to help draw the player into the world of Alefgard on a more personal level, rather than viewing the events of the game as an observer. Other characters in the story will answer as if he speaks to them in conversation.
Setting the narrative standard for all other Dragon Quest protagonists to follow, the Hero is mostly silent, only communicating in answers of 'Yes' and 'No'. In recent entries, such as Kenshin Dragon Quest, he is clad in a red tabard bearing the Mark of Erdrick, a headband black leggings, a black shirt, and purple boots.
The hero is dressed appropriately for combat, donning blue full plate armour, a helm that superficially resembles the helmet of Ortega with an added ponytail, a large circular shield embedded with a red jewel in its centre (possibly a ruby), and an impressively-sized claymore sheathed at his side.