In the 1983 cartoon Dungeons and Dragons, six teenagers were transported from America into “the Realm” and each received a magic weapon and a title from their (tor)mentor, Dungeon Master.
Hank was “Ranger” and was given a magic bow. Sheila was “Thief” and was given a magic cloak. Eric was “Cavalier” and was given a magic shield.
A common complaint for decades now is that Eric the Cavalier should have been given a sword. He is, after all, a cavalier, which is a kind of a knight, and all knights have swords. Sure, granted, although technically cavalier is a mounted knight so maybe he should have a magic saddle? Or a lance? Anyway….
Mark Evanier, who wrote what could be termed the show bible, famously tells the story of his involvement of the series creation on his blog all the way back in a post from 1997. https://www.newsfromme.com/pov/col145-2/
To my knowledge, it’s not precisely stated officially why Eric was given a shield and no characters received a sword. Some maintain that since this was the 1980’s, cartoons weren’t allowed to have actual swords or knives. Well, tell that to He-Man or Lion-O or Blackstar. Also, lightsabers were and still are very popular around that time, if they wanted to give a character a magic sword, they could have done so without making it a sharp blade. That’s how they handled Thundarr the Barbarian, after all.
No, the REAL reason – in my opinion – is that an offensive weapon is antithetical to Eric’s character. Eric is portrayed throughout the series primarily as a coward – a sarcastic and dissenting opinion who calls Dungeon Master on his B.S.
Here’s a quote from Evanier’s development bible:
Interestingly, Evanier also writes that the shield has the power of levitation and propels Eric into battle. This of course never materialized in the series, but what we do see on numerous occasions is that despite Eric’s aversion to put himself in harm’s way – when the chips are down and Eric is the only one who can save the group, he rises to the occasion. On one occasion he even foregoes his greatest wish- to return home – in favor of returning to the hell that is The Realm to help his friends.
In a way, the shield is the perfect item for Eric. Eric uses his sarcasm and braggadocio as a coping mechanism to hide – or to shield – his insecurity. We’ve heard him state in the episode “City on the Edge of Midnight” that his rich father isn’t a great dad. We can infer that despite his wealthy home life, his childhood hasn’t been great. Like many of us, he puts up walls to protect himself from being hurt, and deflects criticism.
And if Eric had a sword? Let’s look at the episode The Dragon’s Graveyard. Eric finds and picks up a magic trident which shoots out lightning, and Eric, startled, drops the dangerous weapon in horror. Eric is not Bobby, who will attack any perceived threat at the drop of Presto’s hat, regardless of the danger. Eric has a mind of his own and he has no interest in physically harming anyone or anything. The only offensive weapon Eric has and needs is his sharp, cutting wit.
Like this kind of stuff? Check out my youtube series in which I, a storyboard artist and Dungeon Master, analyze the cartoon series
…and my 20 Minute Monster drawing series!
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