In The Hero (1936), Lord Raglan created a scale of 22 points that the archetypal mythical hero follows. The scale can also be applied to historical, Biblical, and fantasy heroes, though historical heroes tend to score very low, usually no higher than 6.

When I first heard of this scale in my college English 103 Composition II class, and some of the qualities of a classic hero it contains, I immediately thought about Phantasy Star heroes -- specifically, Alis Landale. It sounded like she would rank pretty highly, and so I decided to put her to the test.

Not bad at all, especially when you consider that Alis was restricted on some points due to lack of information. If we knew more about her birth and her reign as queen, we might be able to give her more points and raise her higher on the scale. As for how other Phantasy Star heroes rank:

Rolf
By my calculations, Rolf earns points on 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, and 22. The fact that he is aboard the spaceship that crashes when he is 10 years old, combined with my belief that the crash was no accident at all, qualifies him for #6. Lutz saving his life gets him a point on #7, and since Rolf was obviously raised either in an orphanage or by foster parents after the crash, he gets a point on #8 as well. Final Score: 6

Rolf (if he dies aboard the space ship Noah)
After the initial posting of this essay, Connor McCloud wrote me and said, "Noticed your thing on the Raglan scale, and am unable to not point out that Rolf scores higher if he dies on Noah." Here's two words I never thought would ever come out of my mouth: Connor's right. Of course everyone knows Rolf wiped the floor with the Earthmen on Noah (see Phantasy Star II's Ending), but for purely scholarly, theoretical purposes, let's look at the additional points Rolf racks up if he dies on Noah: he gets #18 for dying a mysterious death; #19, because even though he doesn't die at the top of a hill... a space ship flying high above the planets of Algo is close enough to qualify for me; and #21, because as Connor says, "I doubt the Earthmen take the time to bury him." Final Score: 9

Chaz
Chaz, like Rolf, scores very low on the scale because he was not born to royal parents and does not become king after slaying his great enemy, both of which factor heavily into scoring high on Raglan's scale. But Rolf earns points because of the early attempt on his life, and the fact that after his death Rolf is in Elsydeon, which qualifies Rolf for #22. The only items Chaz scores on are #8, 9, and 11. This doesn't make Chaz any less of a hero; it just makes him less of a Raglan archetypal hero. Final Score: 3

Rhys (if he marries Lena)
As I stated above, being born into royalty is a huge factor in scoring high on the scale, and so it definitely helps Rhys, making him score on #1 and 2. The lack of information regarding his childhood, his defeat of King Cille, and his marrying of a Princess earn him points on #9, 11, and 12. Later, when he becomes king and reigns over a peaceful land, he scores on #13, 14, and 15. Final Score: 8

Rhys (if he marries Maia)
All of the above apply to this version of Rhys, as well, but this Rhys also scores on #16 and 17 because of the reaction the people of Landen have to his marriage with Maia. Since they more or less hate him for doing this (see Sari), he scores on #16 and though Rhys chooses to stay with Maia in Cille, I don't think he'd be welcome going back, so that qualifies him for #17, as well. Final Score: 10

Here's how other classic heroes score, with the Phantasy Star characters tested here added in for comparison:

For more information on the Raglan Scale, see this web page.

				I must not let your brother die unavenged.
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