Heroes of the Ultima IV Manga



For information about the manga itself and other Japanese comics set in the Ultima universe, see Ultima Manga.

The Heroes of the Ultima IV Manga includes the eight characters recruited to the quest of Avatarhood in Yoko Tanaka's re-imagining of Ultima IV.

Mariah [マリア]
Age: 18 Profession: Mage Hometown: Moonglow Companion in the Original Game: Mariah

A serious mage with a low tolerance for frivolity, Mariah first encounters the party when Shamino -a smitten youth with an obvious history of trying her patience- brings to her the wound Kati in the hopes that he can be healed. After bringing the young shepherd boy back from the edge of death with her magic, Mariah agrees to join with Deane's party if the youthful paladin can bring her a total of fifty mandrake roots - a task which is eventually accomplished with the assistance of the protagonist's childhood tutor, Calumny.

Cool and to the point, Mariah proves a valuable asset to the party, often using her magical prowess to save the company from danger. Her polite admiration of Deane causes slight tumult when Io frets that her manners may contain the seed of romantic overtures - although it seems clear that Deane's affections remain largely with the cute young bard. Such warm exchanges also frustrate Shamino, who has been long unable to break the magician's icy demeanor in spite of his near continuous flirtations. 

Io [イオ]
Age: 14 Profession: Bard Hometown: Britain Companion in the Original Game: Iolo Io is a klutzy teen of the tsundere archetype, who has clear romantic aims toward Deane throughout the story. She first meets the youth after falling out of a sacred tree which she had climbed - landing rather indecorously in the paladin's lap. Bossy and domineering, Io was the first companion to join Deane in his quest for Avatarhood, attaching herself to him despite his protestations as he left Yew.

Emotionally volatile and often capricious, Io often serves as a counterpoint to Deane's quiet and gentle personality - objecting to his impractical use of money and his relentless selflessness. Despite her often mercenary attitude, Io seems to learn something of virtue from the young paladin through the course of the story, and is deeply affected by the hero's eventual sacrifice in the Abyss.

At the end of the manga, it is revealed that Io has been the narrator of the tale. Now a grown woman, the bard sits beneath the sacred tree where she first met Deane, laughing with her son - whom it is implied is the young Avatar's reincarnated self.



Geoffrey [ジョフリー]
Age: 32 (although he claims to be 28) Profession: Fighter Hometown: Jhelom Companion in the Original Game: Geoffrey Geoffrey is a stubborn fighter who met Deane while seeking Avatarhood for himself along with his traveling companion, Shamino. A stubborn man, Geoffrey is determined to show his valor through never fleeing in the face of danger - an attitude which his partner claims often lands them in trouble. Often troubled by his companion's jibes about his age and general moral "flexibility," Geoffrey serves as a counterpoint to the brash ranger, arguing on the side of propriety when the roguish Shamino wishes to bend the rules.



Shiva [シヴア]
Age: 22 Profession: Druid Hometown: Yew Companion in the Original Game: Jaana Shiva, the elder step-brother of the protagonist Deane, is a driven young druid who seeks to gain Avatarhood through study and dedication. Going on his own pilgrimage years before his younger brother's, Shiva traveled widely throughout Britannia, mastering all of the virtues save Humility in his course of study and meditation.

When Shiva eventually entered the Codex chamber of the Abyss, he saw his own inability to overcome the weakness of his human condition. Jaded by the experience, the young man determined that the attainment of Avatarhood was an impossible ideal, and that the lofty ideals of the virtues were ultimately hypocritically unobtainable. Thus despairing, the young aspirant fell under the sway of the wicked Lord Hawkwind, readying himself to slay all who would seek enlightenment and preparing for a new order under the sage's leadership.

When Deane at last found Shiva in such dire circumstances, the boy pleaded with his former idol to turn back to the light of virtue, begging his brother to recognize their bond even as Shiva revealed their lack of blood lineage. Moved by the boy's pure heart, Shiva found he could not bring himself to kill him, and in an act of supreme sacrifice juxtaposed his body between Deane and an assassin's arrow, saving the youth's life at the cost of his own. As he lay dying in his brother's arms, the last thing Shiva felt was Deane's tears upon his face.



Julia [ジュリア]
Age: 38 Profession: Tinker Hometown: Minoc Companion in the Original Game: Julia A tinker assigned to accompany Deane in his quest by Lord British, Julia often served as a voice of experience in a party populated largely by the very young. A simple yet paternal man, it often feel to Julia to keep characters such as Shamino, Io or Kati out of trouble - a role which is made more explicit toward the manga's end when Deane tasks his with watching over the young shepherd boy for the duration of the quest.



Deane [ディーン]
Age: 15 Profession: Paladin Hometown: Yew Companion in the Original Game: Dupre The protagonist of the comic, Deane is a fifteen year old paladin at the time of his quest toward Avatarhood. Unbeknownst to all but a few, the peaceful youth is the child of Lady Aila - a woman who was Sentri's daughter and Lord British's lover. Seemingly conceived through supernatural means, Deane was discovered by Judge Talfourd of Yew and his son, Shiva, as an infant, having been exposed after his mother's death at the hands of monsters. Imbued by his messianic birth with the potential of the Avatar, Deane does his best to follow in his older brother's footsteps, and takes on the burden of completing his sibling's unfinished quest following his foster-father's death in an attack by bandits.

Often coming across as naive and innocent, Deane shows patience and sympathy to the other members of his party - never turning down the company of a fellow traveler and doing his best to follow the virtues he is meant to embody. He frequently comes into conflict with less scrupulous members of the party, such as Io and Shamino, as he strives to deal honestly and fairly with the various people of the realm. Due to the mystic forces which appear to surround him, Deane can often perform surprisingly deadly magical attacks, giving him a considerable edge over those more experienced than he.

Once the party traverses the Abyss, and Deane learns of his brother's corruption by the wicked Hawkwind, the youth sets the whole of his being against the malevolent adviser, seeking at all costs to stop him from channeling the spirit of Mondain. Although he eventually slays him, Deane comes to realize that the evil which Hawkwind has summoned is far greater than even he anticipated, and to this end he sacrifices his own life - sealing away the darkness while underlies Britannia's sins as he ascends to Avatarhood.

Before this apotheosis, Deane promises the young Io that he will return to her - having grown found of the young woman during their time together. At the end of the manga is appears that the Avatar is true to his word, and that he has reincarnated as the bard's own son. 

Shamino [ツァミノ]
Age: 21 Profession: Ranger Hometown: Skara Brae Companion in the Original Game: Shamino A flamboyant and jocular youth, Shamino initially appears in the company of Geoffrey, in the midst questing to attain Avatarhood for themselves. Streetwise and savvy, Shamino knows a number of important contacts which assist the party throughout their adventures - going so far in one episode as to endure the advances of an amorous gay Trinsician barkeep to help Deane retrieve information about his brother.

Not actually interested in the company of men, Shamino appears to carry a long-standing crush on the humorless Mariah - whom he recruits during the heroes' journey to heal the badly wounded Kati after a run in with a hydra. Roguish and somewhat mercenary, the young ranger's actions often clash with Mariah's cool dedication to Honesty - as he wantonly attempts to cheat a local herbalist and lies about the origins of the ship he secures. Still, Shamino, for all his faults, remains loyal to those whose company he keeps, and he proves reluctant to leave Deane to his end in the novel's closing - not wishing to leave his friend to die.



Kati [カティ]
Age: 10 Profession: shepherd Hometown: Magincia Companion in the Original Game: Katrina Kati is an orphan shepherd boy living near Empath Abbey. He first encounters Deane and Io after their meeting with Brother Antos, attempting to sell the teenagers a viable silver serpent egg for an inflated sum of money. A source of both comic relief and worry amongst the group, Kati's safety often becomes an issue of concern, especially after he suffers near fatal wounds in a battle with a hydra.

In spite of protestations that he is too young to join in the adventure, Kati clings to the party regardless - and eventually proving himself useful when the hatched silver serpent ferries the group to the Isle of the Abyss and when the boy inadvertently discovers the hidden chamber which contains the skull of Mondain. Chipper and self-important, he is often shown in the background of otherwise serious scenes, making comedic remarks to lighten the flow of the story.