Healie | |
---|---|
Dragon Quest character | |
First appearance | Dragon Quest IV (1990) |
Designed by | Akira Toriyama |
Portrayed by | Kanna Hashimoto[1] |
Voiced by | Marika Kōno |
In-universe information | |
Race | Healslime |
Gender | Male |
Healie, also known as Hoimin (Japanese: ホイミン) is a character in the 1990 video game Dragon Quest IV. He is a Healslime, a variant of the Slime monster from the series, who aspires to become a human, joining the warrior Ragnar McRyan in his quest to rescue kidnapped children from minions of Psaro. In promotional media for the franchise, he has been portrayed by Kanna Hashimoto.
The Healslime design was created by Akira Toriyama for Dragon Quest II, and was used for Healie in Dragon Quest IV and other titles. Due to his popularity with fans, Horii elected to expand upon the idea of having monsters as companions, adding it as a game mechanic to the sequel, Dragon Quest V. He has since appeared in other Dragon Quest games, including Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince, where he is seen in a human form.
He has been among the more popular companions and monsters in the Dragon Quest series, praised by critics for being cute and a reliable partner to Ragnar and cited as an example of moe aesthetic in gaming. Additional praise has been given for how well he helps illustrate the mechanics of Dragon Quest IV due to his role as an AI-controlled support character.