Richard

Richard
Heroes of Mana artwork Trials of Mana HD artwork
First appearance	Trials of Mana (1995)
Latest appearance	Trials of Mana (2020)
Japanese name	英雄王リチャードToM リチャード王子HoM
Title(s)	Prince of ValsenaHoM Silver KnightHoM Hero King RichardToM
Homeland	Valsena, Kingdom of the Plains
Faction	Valsena
Role	Ally
Gender	Male
Relatives	Valda (lover) Angela (daughter)
Species	Human
Voice actor(s)	Eng: Brad Venable†ToM HD

“The enemy must be vanquised here. Neither Pedda nor Nevarl shall set foot on Valsenan soil!”

—Heroes of Mana In-game dialogue

Richard is a recurring supporting character in Mana series.

Background

Richard is the prince and heir to the throne of Valsena, Kingdom of the plains. He quickly befriended Loki who was the leader of the Silver Knights, a prestigious division of the royal army of the kingdom. The two of them often fought and trained together during their early days.

History

Heroes of Mana

“Prince of Valsena. His hot-blooded nature sees him spearheading the battles he fights. He is well respected as a capable swordsman; some even call him a national hero.”

—Notebook

Loki is first encountered during Chapter 9, The Fall of Valsena where he teams up with Loki and Altenish reinforcement to defend the Valsenan territory against the Peddan army. They unfortunately fail to fend the enemy off, and Castle Valsena falls at the hands of the enemy, revealing the third mirror of Esina. The young prince watches helplessly as his parents are hinted to be killed off by the Peddan army. Richard and Loki are forced to escape his country and join forces with Roget and crew.

In chapter 11, White Flames of Despair, as Roget and crew retreat in the Frostbite Fields after the unsuccessful attempt at defending Altena, he tries to temper the princess of Altena, Valda, as she unleashes powerful magic against the enemy will still in shock from leaving the mother to die in the castle.

The prince of Valsena teams up with Loki and a few others during chapter 17, Moon's Echoes, to create a diversion in Duskmoon Forest to fend off Peddan troops while Roget and crew infiltrate Chartmoon Tower to enquire the help of the Moon elemental. They finally manage to draw the invaders away in the next chapter, but are caught off guard by Inath's diversion, telling them the holy city of Wendel has been taken by Baxilios.

After the Peddan troops retreating from the holy capital, Prince Richard returns to his homeland to participate in its rebuilding. Unlike other members of the resistance he's most certainly been affected by Anise's mirror and had his memories of the past events taken from him.

Interlude

The leader of the Silver knights returned to Valsena and continued to be close with now the newly crowed King Richard. During this time, Richard had a secret love affair with the True Queen of Altena. Unbeknownst to him, she became pregnant with a girl that she raised as the future queen. Loki and his wife Simone became parents of Duran and Wendy and lived a peaceful life, until the Dragon Lord started causing conflict in the region. Both King Richard and Loki took arms and headed for the Quon continent to settle this mess once and for all. Aided by a faerie and with the brilliant tactical mind of Domperi, the Valsenan troops managed to defeat the Dragon Folk on their own ground. The call for celebration was short lived though, as Loki and the Dragon Lord fell into an abyss during the onslaught. Despite many searches, they could not be located and the army had no other choice but to head back to Valsena. King Richard insisted on telling the dire news to Simone, who immediately collapsed by the shock. The poor woman had turned ill for a while now, and hid her condition from her relatives fearing her husband might not fulfill his duties properly. Her sister Stella promised to raise her children as her own. Simone died shortly after.

Trials of Mana

“Hero King -- The Hero King is the wise ruler who led Valsena, Kingdom of the Plains, to victory in the great war of the past. He trusted Duran's father, Loki, with his life.”

—Notebook

During Duran's opening gambit, the Hero King Richard attended the Valsenan Sword mastery tournament, youth divison. Duran, son of his late friend Loki, competed in and won the competition brilliantly, awarding the title of champion. The following night, a mysterious intruder, sneaked into the castle killing almost all soliders present that night but Duran. The Hero King held an urgent meeting with the Golden Knights to enquire about the matter. Despite the kights' eagerness to take action, His Majesty urged them not to jump to any conclusion, fearing they could fall into their enemy's trap. He then decides to strengthen the castle's defenses by increasing the guards and sends spies to Altena. He still wonders why would the True Queen attack Valsena of all places. The morning after, he greets Duran who's been itching to get in revenge against the wizard, and gives him his blessings before he departs to seek guidance from the Priest of Light.

The Crimson Wizard eventually led the invasion againt Valsena, using his automatons to wreck havoc in the castle. The wizard use his magic to ensnare the king and attempts to give him the coup de grâce, but the chosen comes in last minute and forces him to retreat. The Hero King thanks the protagonists, but is surprised to see a faerie in their midst, as he remembers being chosen by a faerie himself during his battle against the Dragon Lord, but she perished during the onslaught. He tells the main characters about the eight Mana Stones spread across the world and entrusts them the Windstone's location near Laurent citadel along with its corresponding elemental Sylphid. Should the protagonists have yet to find Gnome, he will direct them to the Molebear Moors.

If Duran is in the party in the HD remake version, the Hero King can grant him the Pride Chain ability after being rescued from the Altenish invasion.

Once the player character obtain the half of the eight elemental and escape Beuca Island riding Vuscav. They return to Valsena to seek an audience with the King Richard, who give them the location of the last four Mana spirits. He also gives them the Ferry Flute, an instrument capable on summoning the ruler of the seas near any sandy beaches.

The Hero King doesn't play any substantial part beyond this point in the original Trials of Mana. However, should the player starts post-game Chapter 7 with Duran in his team, the protagonists learn from Grand Croix they can ungrade to Class 4 by obtaining a specific item. They speak to King Richard in the castle courtyard who invites Duran to join the sword mastery tournament. The young knight agrees and eventually end up competing against his father Loki, who was revived just for this special event. The two men fight and the son ends up victorious. The Hero King declares Duran has become the strongest swordmaster in the world. Loki thanks his long-time friend for all he's done to him, and fades away in his son's arms. King Richard gives out the Valor Sphere to Duran as proof of his strength.

Circle of Mana

Richard (also as the Hero King) makes a cameo appearance in the online game, along with several other characters from the Mana series. He appears in 4 sets of cards.

Rank	Attribute	Name	Classes				Quote
SUR	力	リチャード	ファイター	グラディエータ	[光]ソードマスター	[闇]デュエリスト	「大丈夫だよ。あいつらなら、きっとやってくれる。何故か、そう感じるんだ。」 "It's okay. I'm sure they'll handle it. For some reason, I feel that way."
SUR	力	リチャード	ファイター	ナイト	[光]パラディン	[闇]ウォーロード	「お愛想はやめてくれ。背中がかゆくなる。」 "Please stop being nice to me. My back is itching."
SSUR	力	英雄王	ファイター	グラディエータ	[光]ソードマスター	[闇]デュエリスト	「ははは…。マナの女神の命で、勇者に無茶ぶりをするのが、フェアリーの役目ではないのか？」 "Hahaha...Isn't it the duty of fairies to act recklessly on the hero under the orders of the Goddess of Mana?"
LGR	力	リチャード	ファイター	グラディエータ	[光]ソードマスター	[闇]デュエリスト	「知らんな、幾らロキに似た声をし、似た構えをとろうとも１２年前、竜帝との戦いでロキは死んだ。」 "I don't know. No matter how much you sound like Loki and take a similar stance, Loki died in a battle with the Dragon Lord 12 years ago."

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Richard.

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  Trials of Mana sprite

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  Trials of Mana HD screenshot