Kandata: The Iconic Villain of 'Dragon Quest III' Who Is a Thief in Nothing but Underwear, Yet Somehow Unforgettable
'Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation' features legendary figures like Baramos, Zoma, Ortega, and Rubiss.
Among them, there is a man who, no matter how you look at it, is small-time in terms of scale, yet for some reason, leaves a lasting impression.
That man is Kandata.
'Dragon Quest III' was released for the Famicom on February 10, 1988, and is considered a major milestone in the series, introducing features like a free party system and class changes.
It is very characteristic of 'Dragon Quest III' that the one standing in the player's way early in such an epic adventure is not a demon king bent on destroying the world, but a masked man who steals crowns.
Kandata was the first 'villain to drive the story' for the hero
Kandata first appears in events around Romaria.
His name comes up as the thief who stole the Romaria King's 'Golden Crown,' and the heroes head west of Kazave to the Tower of Shanpane.
Strategy guides also note that the boss battle against Kandata, who stole the Romaria King's crown, takes place on the top floor of the Tower of Shanpane, and defeating him allows you to obtain the 'Golden Crown'.
What's interesting here is that Kandata is not just a mere stepping stone.
Right after leaving Aliahan and arriving in Romaria, feeling that the world has finally opened up, the player is suddenly tasked with dealing with a local thief in the middle of their 'journey to defeat the Demon King'.
In other words, Kandata is the hero's first 'local trouble resolution case'.
Before saving the world, you first have to retrieve a crown.
This gap in scale is strangely realistic and fun.
He looks like a joke, but he's actually quite strong in battle
Kandata's charm is, above all, his visual design.
He is masked and muscular, but under his cape, he is wearingnothing but underwearas his outfit.
Surprisingly, he is a thief who wields an axe.
If you think about it calmly, it's a pretty dangerous outfit, but in the Famicom's pixel art, it's somehow comical and hard to hate.
He doesn't have the dignity of Baramos or Zoma.
However, he has an impact that you won't forget once you see him.
Moreover, contrary to his jokey appearance, he is genuinely strong in battle.
In the first Kandata battle, three Kandata Henchmen appear alongside Kandata himself. In the Famicom version, Kandata's HP is 150, and the basic strategy is to defeat the henchmen with lower HP first.
In this battle, players learn:
'You shouldn't just hit the boss.'
'You should defeat the minions first.'
'Support spells like Sukunda and Sleep are important.'
In other words, despite looking like a joke character in the early game, Kandata is actually a teacher who teaches the basics of 'Dragon Quest III' combat.
The problem of whether to return the 'Golden Crown' or not
When you defeat Kandata, the heroes retrieve the 'Golden Crown'.
Normally, you would return it to the King of Romaria and live happily ever after.
…However, there is a bit of 'Dragon Quest III' style playfulness here.
Strategy guides also introduce the fact that you can proceed with the story without returning the Golden Crown, and you can even equip it as a helmet.
Furthermore, there is an event where you can be offered the throne if you return it to the King.
This looseness of 'you can return it, or you don't have to' is the best.
Even though you are a hero,you can keep the King's crown for yourself.
Even though you are on a journey to defeat the Demon King, you can become the King of Romaria.
But even if you become King, the adventure doesn't progress.
This strange sense of derailment is the flavor of the Famicom version of 'Dragon Quest III'.
Kandata is also the starting point for that derailment event.
An unexpected reappearance. And this time, he's a kidnapper
Kandata isn't finished after being defeated once.
As the story progresses, he reappears in the Baharata region.
Kandata at this time is far beyond just a crown thief.
He appears as a villain involved in a kidnapper's hideout, and defeating him leads to obtaining 'Black Pepper' later on.
Black Pepper is an important item for obtaining a ship by giving it to the King of Portoga.
This is what makes Kandata interesting.
At first glance, he's just a thief, but it's hard to proceed to the ship acquisition flow without defeating him.
In other words, Kandata is the man blocking the expansion of the world.
He steals a crown in Romaria, gets involved in kidnapping in Baharata, and as a result, stands in the way at the turning points of the hero's adventure.
Even though he's not an executive of the Demon King's army, he's in strangely important places.
This 'villain who is just in the way' feeling strengthens Kandata's character.
Actually, the second Kandata is quite a difficult enemy
The second Kandata you fight in the Baharata region is clearly stronger than the first.
Strategy guides state that the second Kandata appears with two Kandata Henchmen, and in the Famicom version, Kandata has 400 HP and alsorecovers 50 HP naturally every turnis said to happen.
This is quite troublesome.
If your attack power is low, even if you think you are dealing damage, he recovers in the background, making him hard to defeat.
The feeling of'he's kind of tough' or 'he won't go down at all'that is unique to boss battles in the Famicom version is partly due to these invisible recovery specifications.
Kandata was also an existence that, despite his appearance leaning towards a gag, forced the player to face 'lack of firepower' in terms of the system.
The freedom unique to the Famicom version also made Kandata interesting
In the Famicom version of 'Dragon Quest III', the event at the Tower of Shanpane is not considered mandatory.
On the other hand, it is explained that in remakes and other platforms, defeating Kandata at the Tower of Shanpane is necessary because it relates to the conditions for the later Baharata event.
This difference is also a point typical of the Famicom version.
The 'Dragon Quest III' of that time did not fix the route as kindly as modern games.
'Where to go'
'In what order to proceed'
'How faithfully to complete events'
There was a lot of room for that.
That's why Kandata, rather than just being a boss, was an 'existence you could defeat or put off for later,' making it easier for him to remain in each player's memories.
Kandata, who gained a 'voice' in the HD-2D version
Incidentally, in the recent HD-2D version of 'Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation', Toshiyuki Morikawa is listed on the official website as the voice actor for Kandata.
In the Famicom version, naturally, Kandata had no voice.
However, thinking about Toshiyuki Morikawa's voice being applied to that masked, underwear-clad thief feels strangely luxurious.
Just hearing the voice, it feels like Hiroshi Nohara has become a villainous character, and despite being a joke character, his presence has increased.
This is also proof that the character Kandata has been loved for a long time.
Kandata's first encounter and battle scene
Related videos of Toshiyuki Morikawa.
Kandata was the very embodiment of 'what Dragon Quest was like before saving the world'
Kandata is not the final boss.
He is not a high-ranking officer in the Demon Lord's army either.
What he does is steal crowns and kidnap people. From the perspective of the entire story, he is merely a local villain.
Even so, Kandata is unforgettable.
This is because he symbolizes the 'tactile sense of travel' before 'Dragon Quest III' became a grand myth.
Arriving in a town you don't know.
There are people in trouble.
There is a villain in a nearby tower or cave.
Defeating them expands the world just a little bit.
This accumulation eventually leads to the defeat of Baramos and then to the final battle with Zoma.
Kandata is the man at that very first step.
A thief in nothing but underwear.
But a man who properly moved the hero's adventure forward.
That is why Kandata is not just a joke character, but an iconic character that cannot be left out when talking about the Famicom version of 'Dragon Quest III'.
Thank you for reading until the end.