TV-Series
Description
Piroro is a supporting character in Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai. He belongs to the monster race known as jinksters, small one-eyed demon wizards with indigo skin who hover in the air and carry wands for spellcasting. He wears a red robe, a necklace with a green jewel, and a wide-brimmed pointed hat nearly as large as his own body, decorated with the crest of the Demon King Vearn. Beneath the hat he has two small horns. In the original manga his hands have four fingers, while both animated versions give him five.
For most of the story, Piroro presents himself as the familiar and constant companion of Killvearn, the assassin of the Demon King's army, often floating beside the grim reaper figure or sitting on his shoulder. Their relationship appears closer to that of two mischievous friends than master and servant. Piroro behaves like a playful, impudent child, cheerfully mocking people and acting without fear even in front of Vearn himself, showing no deference where a mere servant would be expected to tremble. This jester-like manner conceals a cruel and sadistic side that occasionally surfaces, and it becomes clear that he shares Killvearn's delight in cruelty.
A central revelation of the story is that Piroro is far more than he seems. The fearsome grim reaper known as Killvearn is in fact a mechanical puppet, and Piroro is the true Killvearn, a master manipulator who controls the puppet with enough skill to fight on equal terms with the hero Avan. His real allegiance is to the Dark Dragon King Velsar, the lord of the demon realm who had entered into a pact with Vearn. Under the pretense of being sent as a goodwill gift, Piroro was placed in Vearn's court with the actual mission of monitoring Vearn and assassinating him if the opportunity arose, a mission reflected in the name Killvearn itself. Vearn was aware of the assassin in his midst and chose to keep him close for his own amusement. Piroro, for his part, owes genuine loyalty to no one, speaking even of his true master Velsar with a thin smile, and he carries out his role as an assassin largely for his own pleasure rather than out of duty.
His motivations are rooted in a love of scheming and a perverse fascination with the despair of others. He openly admits that he has lost interest in winning through honest means, claiming he could have become invincible through training but no longer cares for such victories. In practice, his preference for deception reflects a real weakness: Avan observes that, despite his considerable abilities, Piroro lacks experience in straightforward combat, and his composure crumbles when an opponent fights him directly and on equal terms. He compensates with elaborate traps, careful preparation, and the safety of operating his puppet from a distance.
As Killvearn, Piroro displays magical talent far beyond what jinksters are normally known for. His abilities include ice-based spells up to the level of Kacrack, healing magic, and the power to generate the Phantom Razer with his wand. He rarely fights directly in his true form, however, preferring to let the puppet do battle. He also carries a mysterious powder that can instantly repair the puppet when it is damaged, and he can leave the puppet broken to create the false impression that it has been destroyed before restoring it later. The puppet itself contains a devastating device known as the Black Core, an explosive capable of annihilating the surface world, which Piroro keeps hidden for his ultimate plan.
His role in the broader conflict is that of an assassin operating within the upper ranks of the Demon King's forces, a position that lets him observe both Vearn and the heroes without ever truly committing to either side. His relationship with Vearn is defined by mutual wariness and a shared sense of amusement at the other; with Avan he shares a rivalry born of his humiliating defeats. His relationship with Velsar is equally distant, as he treats his supposed master's ambitions with detached mockery.
Piroro's arc culminates in his downfall. After the destruction of his puppet during the final battles, he feigns the role of a helpless familiar mourning its master in order to slip away unnoticed. Following Vearn's defeat, he reappears before the triumphant heroes, drops the disguise entirely, and reveals the truth of his identity, the secret of the puppet's immortality, his true mission, and the Black Core hidden within the puppet's remains. He then activates the Core with the intention of destroying the surface world, but his overconfidence undoes him. He chooses to reveal himself and savor the despair of his enemies rather than simply detonating the device in secret, giving the heroes the chance to act. Dai and Popp carry the puppet high into the sky to contain the blast, Avan stops Piroro with a thrown Gold Feather, and Maam defeats him with a single martial arts strike. In the original manga, his body dissolves and he dies; the later anime adaptation softens this ending, showing him vanish with the chime of a warp spell, implying that he escapes back to the demon realm and leaving his survival ambiguous.
For most of the story, Piroro presents himself as the familiar and constant companion of Killvearn, the assassin of the Demon King's army, often floating beside the grim reaper figure or sitting on his shoulder. Their relationship appears closer to that of two mischievous friends than master and servant. Piroro behaves like a playful, impudent child, cheerfully mocking people and acting without fear even in front of Vearn himself, showing no deference where a mere servant would be expected to tremble. This jester-like manner conceals a cruel and sadistic side that occasionally surfaces, and it becomes clear that he shares Killvearn's delight in cruelty.
A central revelation of the story is that Piroro is far more than he seems. The fearsome grim reaper known as Killvearn is in fact a mechanical puppet, and Piroro is the true Killvearn, a master manipulator who controls the puppet with enough skill to fight on equal terms with the hero Avan. His real allegiance is to the Dark Dragon King Velsar, the lord of the demon realm who had entered into a pact with Vearn. Under the pretense of being sent as a goodwill gift, Piroro was placed in Vearn's court with the actual mission of monitoring Vearn and assassinating him if the opportunity arose, a mission reflected in the name Killvearn itself. Vearn was aware of the assassin in his midst and chose to keep him close for his own amusement. Piroro, for his part, owes genuine loyalty to no one, speaking even of his true master Velsar with a thin smile, and he carries out his role as an assassin largely for his own pleasure rather than out of duty.
His motivations are rooted in a love of scheming and a perverse fascination with the despair of others. He openly admits that he has lost interest in winning through honest means, claiming he could have become invincible through training but no longer cares for such victories. In practice, his preference for deception reflects a real weakness: Avan observes that, despite his considerable abilities, Piroro lacks experience in straightforward combat, and his composure crumbles when an opponent fights him directly and on equal terms. He compensates with elaborate traps, careful preparation, and the safety of operating his puppet from a distance.
As Killvearn, Piroro displays magical talent far beyond what jinksters are normally known for. His abilities include ice-based spells up to the level of Kacrack, healing magic, and the power to generate the Phantom Razer with his wand. He rarely fights directly in his true form, however, preferring to let the puppet do battle. He also carries a mysterious powder that can instantly repair the puppet when it is damaged, and he can leave the puppet broken to create the false impression that it has been destroyed before restoring it later. The puppet itself contains a devastating device known as the Black Core, an explosive capable of annihilating the surface world, which Piroro keeps hidden for his ultimate plan.
His role in the broader conflict is that of an assassin operating within the upper ranks of the Demon King's forces, a position that lets him observe both Vearn and the heroes without ever truly committing to either side. His relationship with Vearn is defined by mutual wariness and a shared sense of amusement at the other; with Avan he shares a rivalry born of his humiliating defeats. His relationship with Velsar is equally distant, as he treats his supposed master's ambitions with detached mockery.
Piroro's arc culminates in his downfall. After the destruction of his puppet during the final battles, he feigns the role of a helpless familiar mourning its master in order to slip away unnoticed. Following Vearn's defeat, he reappears before the triumphant heroes, drops the disguise entirely, and reveals the truth of his identity, the secret of the puppet's immortality, his true mission, and the Black Core hidden within the puppet's remains. He then activates the Core with the intention of destroying the surface world, but his overconfidence undoes him. He chooses to reveal himself and savor the despair of his enemies rather than simply detonating the device in secret, giving the heroes the chance to act. Dai and Popp carry the puppet high into the sky to contain the blast, Avan stops Piroro with a thrown Gold Feather, and Maam defeats him with a single martial arts strike. In the original manga, his body dissolves and he dies; the later anime adaptation softens this ending, showing him vanish with the chime of a warp spell, implying that he escapes back to the demon realm and leaving his survival ambiguous.