Sir Daniel Fortesque

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    This article is about the undead hero. For the cowardly living Dan, see Captain Fortesque.
    Sir Daniel Fortesque
    MediEvil2019-BookOfGallowmere-FriendliesIcon.png
    MediEvil2019-SirDan-BookOfGallowmere.png
    Biographical information
    AKA
    Dan

    Sir Fortesque
    Dannikins (by Zarok)
    Forty-Darling (by Zarok)
    Target Face (by the other heroes)
    Jawless Arrow Magnet (by Woden)
    Fortisskay/Forteskwee (by Bloodmonath)
    The Zero of Gallowmere (by Gargoyles)
    The Great One Eye (by the Mullock King)

    Title(s) Hero of Gallowmere (1286 - Present)
    Gender Male
    Height Around 6' 2''[1]
    Born 1254[2][2.1][a]
    Gallowmere, Britain
    Died 1286 (aged approx. 32)
    Gallowmere, Britain
    Resurrected First resurrection:
    1386 (aged approx. 132)
    Gallowmere, Britain

    Second resurrection:
    1886 (aged approx. 632)
    London, United Kingdom
    Weapon(s) Small Sword
    Family Captain Fortesque (past self)
    Lord Cedric Fortesque (father)
    Granny Fortesque (grandmother)
    Unnamed Fortesque (close relative)
    Colonel Freddie Fortesque (relative)
    Unnamed younger sibling(s)
    Signature MediEvil-RetailerLaunchKit-SirDanSignature-Traced.svg
    Behind the scenes information
    Voiced by Jason Wilson
    Marc Silk
    Appears in MediEvil (1998)
    MediEvil 2
    MediEvil: Resurrection
    MediEvil (2019)
    "It has risen again! Sir Daniel Fortesque! See?"
    ― an Information Gargoyle shortly after Sir Dan's resurrection.

    Sir Daniel Wigginbottom Fortesque IV (1254 – 1286), commonly shortened to Sir Daniel Fortesque or Sir Dan, was a knight of the kingdom of Gallowmere. Due to his father's influence and a close personal relationship with the king, Sir Dan became the king's champion and Captain of the army. In 1286, he was charged with leading the militia into battle against the rebelling court magician Zarok in what would become known as the Battle of Gallowmere. Ignobly, Sir Dan was killed by the first volley of arrows. The king, unimpressed with Dan's performance, weaved a legend about the felled warrior, declaring him the Hero of Gallowmere.

    A hundred years later, in 1386, Dan was mistakenly brought back to life by Zarok during the latter's second attempt at conquest. Dan seized this opportunity to live up to his legend and brought down the sorcerer once and for all, gaining access to the afterlife's Hall of Heroes as a result.

    By the late 19th century, Sir Dan's skeletal remains were exhibited in the British Museum in Kensington, London. In 1886, he was resurrected once again, this time by the ruthless industrialist Lord Palethorn. Dan was soon recruited by Professor Hamilton Kift to help in the fight against this new threat. During his mission to restore peace in London, Dan also found love in Kiya, an ancient Egyptian princess with an adventurous spirit.

    The exact fate of the Hero of Gallowmere after his victory over Palethorn is unknown, but several conflicting accounts of the subsequent events have emerged. The most detailed of these accounts saw Dan and his newfound love travelling back in time using the Professor's time machine. However, the pair is said to have been tragically separated during their journey, with Dan becoming stranded in 1286, the year of his death. He was then quickly employed by Gallowmere's fairies to help preserve the proper course of history.

    Finally, to succeed in his mission, Sir Dan is believed to have ended up swapping bodies with his still living self. This allowed him to boost the morale of Gallowmere's army before dying as he once had, therefore helping secure victory for his men in the war with Zarok while also condemning himself to reliving his undead adventures for eternity in the process.

    History

    Life

    Sir Daniel Wigginbottom Fortesque IV[2.2] was born in the kingdom of Gallowmere in 1254[a] as the eldest son of Lord Cedric Fortesque – the wealthiest noble in the land.[2.1] Fortesque pursued a career as a knight to impress the maidens. He was trained by the best weapons masters in the land, but never realised his full potential due to a lack of effort on his part.[2.1]

    Using his father's money and influence, Fortesque was able to rise through the ranks of the king's army. After the king's previous champion had an unfortunate accident while riding his horse, the king chose to appoint Fortesque as the replacement, listening solely to the words of his new advisor.[2.1] However, the post of king's champion was purely honorary in nature as Gallowmere had not seen war in many centuries. According to renowned hero Bloodmonath Skull Cleaver, Fortesque usually spent his time on the job "organising the changing of the guard and playing croquet with the king."

    Death

    Canonical account

    Fortesque leads Gallowmere's militia into battle.

    Everything changed when an army of the undead began marching towards Castle Peregrin. Unbeknownst to the king, it was led by his very own court magician Zarok. The king was in desperate need of a hero who could tackle the threat, and he knew exactly who he wanted.

    Fortesque was chosen to lead the charge into battle. Unfortunately, he died instantly when he was shot through his left eye by the very first arrow fired. Despite this, the Gallowmere army went on to win the battle without him.[3][3.1]

    In order to save face, King Peregrin declared Zarok the Sorcerer dead and organised a hero's burial for Fortesque, including the construction of a custom crypt. From then on, Fortesque was revered as the Hero of Gallowmere.[3.1]

    Apocryphal account

    Some sources offer a different version of Fortesque's death. They claim that Zarok had trapped a genie called Al-Zalam in Fortesque's head on the day of the battle, that Fortesque caught his foot on the grass and twisted his ankle before being shot, and that the one ultimately responsible for his death was none other than Zarok's right-hand man, Lord Kardok.[4]

    First resurrection

    Canonical account

    Sir Dan is resurrected.

    In 1386, Zarok resurfaced and cast a spell called the Evernight, which turned the skies over Gallowmere black and robbed the innocent of their very souls in order to revive the dead. Fortesque was unexpectedly reanimated when magic from the Evernight drifted into his crypt and settled upon his decomposing corpse.

    After getting his bearings, Sir Dan travelled throughout Gallowmere, dispelling the black mist and laying the corrupted dead to rest, battling Zarok's minions along his route. With each defeat of Zarok's minions, Dan earned the right to claim numerous weapons and resources from the Hall of Heroes, that he might once again confront Zarok and lay him low once and for all.

    Dan reaches Zarok's Lair.

    Although Dan inadvertently released Zarok's most ancient and powerful force in the Shadow Demons, he would defeat many of Zarok's most insidious traps, including an elaborate clockwork maze before finally reaching the core of the wizard's lair. However, Zarok had at least one more trick up his sleeve--an indomitable elite group of bodyguards called Fazguls, ready to strike Sir Dan down. Using the freed souls he had gathered, Dan summoned his own spectral warriors and eventually slew the Fazguls. There, he also met the undead Lord Kardok and struck him down.

    Frustrated, Zarok made a last-ditch decision to face the would-be hero one-on-one, transmogrifying into a beastly form. The battle was intense, but Fortesque made good on his mission and became the hero he was always meant to be. As Zarok destroyed his own fortress, a vulture swept Sir Dan in its talons and carried him back to his crypt. For his heroic deeds, Dan had earned a place in the Hall of Heroes, where he remained for the next five hundred years.

    Apocryphal account

    An alternative account exists, according to which Zarok allegedly elected to use Sir Dan's ophiophobia against him and morphed into a giant king cobra-rattler hybrid instead of a figurehead-shaped beast. The outcome remains the same, but for the genie Al-Zalam to turn back and pull Sir Dan from the rubble, flying him back to the crypt.[4]

    Second resurrection

    Fortesque is reduced to a museum relic.

    In the intervening years, kingdoms and empires rose and fell. Gallowmere was nearly lost to the annals of British history when a remnant of the kingdom was brought to a museum in London: the Hero of Gallowmere, Sir Daniel Fortesque, still in his original armour.

    An expedition in 1878 also unearthed the tome once used by Zarok to cast and control the Evernight. It came into the possession of the ambitious industrialist Lord Palethorn, albeit missing a number of its pages. In his pursuit of control over London, Palethorn became obsessed with the spell book, and so sought to raise his own army of the evil dead toward his ends. Once again, Sir Dan was unwittingly revived and had to deal with this threat.

    Dan and his newfound allies.

    Although Sir Dan was slow to grasp his latest predicament, he eventually found support from the ghost of a young Winston Chapelmount, who in turn introduced him to Professor Hamilton Kift, a researcher looking for a means to stop Lord Palethorn from executing his diabolical plot. Dan was thus sent on a mad dash throughout London, following Palethorn's magical trail. Along the way, he stumbled into an ancient Egyptian exhibit, where he met Kiya, the lesser-known mummified consort of Ramesses II. She quickly fell in love with Dan, which he returned in kind.

    Dan and his newfound allies faced evil after evil, defeating many of Palethorn's minions and allies, including The Iron Slugger and The Count. Tragedy struck however when Kiya was murdered by The Ripper while she was out on a mission in Whitechapel. Dan became so blindsided by this that he chose to abandon his mission and fled into the sewers under London. There, he happened upon a civilisation known as the Mullocks. Unexpectedly for Dan, the Mullocks worshipped him as their God due to finding his heroic statue at some point in the past.

    Dan sports the Super Armour.

    While saving the Mullocks from their archnemeses, the Octomators, Dan learnt about a mysterious object known as the Time Stone. Additionally, he discovered that the Professor had previously invented a time machine. After confronting the Professor about it, Dan made his way into the Museum where the time machine was exhibited. Having repaired it, Dan travelled through space into the sewers, where he stole the Mullock's Time Stone. Finally equipped with a fully functional time machine, he went back in time and saved Kiya from The Ripper. The time-travelling Dan then merged with his past self to resolve the resultant time paradox. Their fusion also created the Super Armour, providing Dan with increased protection.

    With Kiya in tow, Dan was back in the game. He made his way to the spires of a London cathedral where he successfully recovered the final page of Zarok's spell book. It was too little too late however, as Palethorn simply snatched the page away from him. Once Dan had defeated Palethorn's lackeys Dogman and Mander, Palethorn proceeded to summon a huge demon. Using his extensive combat experience, Dan was able to drive a wedge between Palethorn and the demon, making the demon turn on Palethorn, crashing his flying ship. Rather than admit defeat, Palethorn chose to go out with a bang; with his dying breath, he ignited a bomb, which Sir Dan barely escaped. Then, it was finally over. London was safe.

    Eventual fate

    There are three conflicting reports about what happened to Fortesque after he successfully defeated Lord Palethorn:

    Return to eternal rest

    Dan and Kiya go to sleep.

    Fortesque and his girlfriend returned to her reconstructed tomb in the Museum. Once they said their goodbyes to the Professor, they entered Kiya's sarcophagus and resumed their eternal sleep together.

    Presumed death

    Dan and Kiya in Zarok's Lair.

    Dan and Kiya boarded Professor Kift's time machine, travelling back in time. They wound up in Zarok's Lair, where they were immediately attacked by Palethorn in a beastly form.

    In truth, the pair had not only travelled back in time, but also to an alternative timeline, where Palethorn had used the spell book to rewrite time and replaced Zarok with himself. Whether they survived or perished at the hands of this Palethorn is unknown.

    Time loop

    Dan and Kiya get separated during their time travel.

    Dan and Kiya boarded the Professor's time machine, travelling back in time. However, the machine malfunctioned, separating them. Dan himself ended up in 1286, one day before the Battle of Gallowmere. After spying on a meeting between his past self, the King and Zarok, he was recruited by a fairy called Griff and his former comrade-in-arms Canny Tim to help them with preserving the correct flow of history. Together they concocted a plan to stop an upcoming attack on the castle by the Jabberwocky.

    Sir Dan beheads the Jabberwocky.

    With Griff's help, Dan was able to steal the armour of his former self. He jumped out a castle window donning the armour and cut off the rampaging Jabberwocky's head, all in the name of his living counterpart.

    The night before the fabled battle, Dan was captured by Zarok's henchmen, Boris and Merek. They took him to The Mystic Maidens to kill him, but before they could land the final blow they were brutally killed by Lupo, Dan's hound from when he was alive. Later, Dan got an opportunity to say his final goodbye to Kiya, who left a gift behind for him. Once he returned, he helped the witch Wartilda with brewing a Body Swap Potion so he could truly take his past self's place in the upcoming battle. After realizing Dan wouldn't be able to drink it, they turned the potion into an ointment which they rubbed on both the undead and the living Dan. Come morning, Dan found himself in his living body once more. He and Canny Tim headed to the castle to prepare for the battle.

    History repeats itself.

    On the battlefield, Dan revealed Zarok's treachery to the king and gave a rousing speech to the army before heading into battle and dying in the first volley of arrows as he knew he would, thus completing (and also restarting) his journey.

    Legacy

    Professor Darrow, author of several works on Dan Fortesque.

    Future members of the Fortesque family would follow in Sir Dan's footsteps, fighting on behalf of Britain on battlefields the world over.[5]

    Dan's brave deeds were not forgotten by the world at large either, although the events surrounding his return and victory over Lord Palethorn in 1886 were initially dismissed as not having really happened. Professor Marcus Effington Christy, a 20th century academic, described the claims made by contemporary witnesses as mass hallucination induced by the high prevalence of disease in London at the time.[6][6.1]

    Academic interest in the Hero of Gallowmere continued into the 21st century. Most notably, Professor Darrow of Cambridge Archaeology dedicated her life to studying him, including his resurrections.[2.3] Of particular interest to scholars was the location of his final resting place, the location of which remained unknown.[2.3]

    Characteristics

    Appearance

    Alive

    Sir Dan awaits his lover.

    In life, Sir Dan was not a good looking man.[2.1] This was largely due to his massive overbite, which was a familial trait.[7] Dan had dark hair and blue eyes. He sported a bowl cut with slight sideburns, as well as a moustache and a goatee. He was not in very good shape, as was evident by his pudgy midsection.[2.4]

    In terms of dress, living Dan was a man who dressed flamboyantly. His clothes and personal armour were very colourful and flashy. In addition, he would usually wear a codpiece and a gold necklace with a giant pendant that had the letter "F" emblazoned on it.[2.5]

    The one exception to Dan's usual style of dress was the armour he wore the day of the Battle of Gallowmere. This was a standard set of armour including pauldrons, a cuirass, a bevor, gauntlets, greaves and sabatons. Dan wore a red doublet underneath the cuirass, the puffy sleeves of which were left unarmoured.

    Dead

    Canonical account
    Sir Dan in 1886.

    In death, Dan had become a skeleton. Due to his fatal injury, he was missing his left eye. His jaw was missing as well, theorised to have been stolen by a witch.[2.6] He retained the armour and doublet he wore during the Battle of Gallowmere with the exception of the helmet and gauntlets.

    By the late 19th century, Dan's standard ensemble also came to include a pair of gloves. During several of his missions in London, he was forced to disguise himself in various outfits:

    • To get into a gentleman's club in Whitechapel, Dan had to wear a formal suit with a top hat and fake beard.
    • To escape the enraged Mullocks, Dan disguised himself as their king so that they would let him leave without incident.

    After the resolution of a time travel paradox, Dan obtained the Super Armour, a magical, golden armour with blue accents seemingly made from the same material as the Gold Shield of Karl Sturnguard.

    Apocryphal account

    Some sources claim Dan's standard armour also included faulds in addition to the previously mentioned components, and that the midsection of its cuirass was missing, partly exposing Dan's ribcage and spine. These sources also claim that Dan had to disguise himself as a pirate in 1386 in order to convince the Scurvy Docks harbour master to lend him a ship.

    Personality

    Alive

    Dan kicks Lupo.
    "Erm... I -- er, think I need to go change my britches, I'm ah - very sweaty from all that drilling."
    Captain Fortesque after wetting himself.

    As a child, Dan was spoilt and bratty.[2.1] As a teenager, he was arrogant and lazy.[2.1] As an adult, he was just the worst.[8][8.1] Firstly, Dan was a coward: When he learnt that he would have to lead Gallowmere's army against the undead marching towards the castle, he proceeded to wet his britches.[2.2] Secondly, he was a cheat and a braggart; he spent years regaling Gallowmere's nobility with tall tales of slain dragons and vanquished legions.[3.2] Thirdly, he was a philanderer, sleeping with women such as Widow Lucinda in lieu of their rent money.[2.7] Finally, and worst of all, Dan was abusive towards his loyal hound Lupo, kicking the dog for wandering off during a hunt.[2.5]

    Dead

    Dan bravely faces the Stained Glass Demon.
    "I'll show you!"
    ― Sir Dan rebutting disparaging comments made against him.

    In death, Dan had become a different man, a better man (or skeleton). In the pursuit of redemption for his ignoble death, he was able to overcome his cowardice, facing Zarok's fiercest monsters, including the sorcerer himself. He had also become more selfless and heroic; he saved the imprisoned town mayor and a group of captured farmers from Zarok's henchmen and made sure to not harm the possessed inhabitants of Gallows Town. In other words, he had finally lived up to his legend. This transformation of character was fuelled by the mocking comments of Gallowmere's gargoyles and witches, as well as the heroes from the Hall of Heroes.

    Despite having reformed, Dan did not always place duty above all else, as became evident in 1886 when he fell in love with Princess Kiya. After her death at the hands of The Ripper, Dan selfishly abandoned his mission to stop Lord Palethorn until he managed to find a way to bring her back to life. However, Dan made the ultimate, selfless sacrifice in the end by travelling back in time and trapping himself in a time loop in order to defeat Zarok across all of time.

    Abilities

    In life, Sir Dan got to train with the best weapon masters in Gallowmere and had some natural talent with weaponry. However, laziness got in the way of him becoming a master in his own right. Another thing Dan had a natural talent for when he was alive was storytelling, an ability he often used at court to amuse nobles and the king.

    Sir Dan in Dan-hand form.

    After becoming undead, Dan obtained new, unique abilities, some he only discovered over time:

    • He could remove parts of his body for various purposes:
      • He could detach his left arm and use it as a weapon, but due to its unsuitability for combat he would only do this as a last resort.
      • He learnt that he could remove his head without dying after a bird pulled it off his neck in the late 19th century. After defeating the Iron Slugger by putting his head on a giant monster's body, Dan realised he could even put it on top of reanimated severed hands to form a so-called "Dan-hand." This form allowed him to access previously unreachable areas.
    • Dan was very strong, as evidenced by him being able to carry a hammer and various large swords in one hand.
    • He was able to utilise new combat techniques, such as a full 360 degree sword spin.
    • Dan exhibited great agility during his acceptance into the Hall of Heroes when he performed four backflips in quick succession.

    Dan also acquired other abilities that were arguably unrelated to his undead status:

    • Dan gained the Daring Dash ability in the late 14th century by defeating the Guardians of the Graveyard. This allowed him to traverse more quickly and to jump farther away.
    • He was able to read Egyptian hieroglyphs, as demonstrated by him reading a letter Kiya left for him. It is possible that she taught him to read them at some point during the Autumn of Death.

    Gameplay

    Main article: Gameplay in MediEvil

    Sir Dan is playable in each MediEvil game. His health is represented by a Life Bar on the screen. Dan can obtain additional refills of his Life Bar by collecting Life Bottles. Sir Dan can use a wide variety of weapons on his journeys most of which have a primary and a secondary attack. Secondary attacks can often be charged up.

    Behind the scenes

    Sir Dan is the primary character and protagonist of the MediEvil franchise.

    Development

    MediEvil (1998 original)

    Sir Daniel Fortesque was originally conceptualised by Chris Sorrell; in MediEvil's initial concept proposal, he was an undead knight referred to as 'Dead Man Dan.'[9] While developing Dan's character, Sorrell was looking for a way to make him more unique. This eventually came in the form of an expanded backstory for Dan when script doctor Martin Pond suggested that he "could have been a pompous failure in life whose reincarnation was his one shot at redemption."[9]

    Sir Dan was designed by Jason Wilson, MediEvil's lead artist. Initially, Dan was a bulky undead knight with a small skull. As the design evolved, Wilson decided that Dan should have no lower jaw and that his body should be smaller and his skull more abstract.[10] For the design of Dan's teeth, Wilson was inspired by one of the freaks from the horror film Basket Case 2.[11] Dan was then brought to life in the game by the animations of Mitch Phillips as well as the full motion video sequences of Jason Riley.[10]

    MediEvil (1999 Japanese original)

    In the Japanese version of MediEvil, a helmet became part of Dan's design. This was added due to the insistence of the studio's Japanese partners who believed that Dan's skeletal appearance would make Japanese players see him as a bad spirit rather than as a hero.[12]

    Original version Japanese version
    MediEvil1998-2AV-Frame820.png MediEvil1999-2AV-Frame820.png

    MediEvil 2

    Initial concepts for MediEvil 2 created by Chris Sorrell saw Dan being replaced by a new protagonist, Sir Henry Fortesque, a recently deceased descendant of Dan's. This would have worked in the style of the British sitcom Blackadder (i.e. Henry would've retained Dan's iconic traits).[13] However, it was eventually decided that Dan should be kept as the main character. The Museum where Dan begins the game as one of the exhibits was an idea that Jason Wilson came up with.[14]

    Dan's design was updated by Wilson, who made him more rounded and gave his skull the ability to distort in order to change facial expressions so Dan could show more emotion in the game than he did in the first one.[15]

    MediEvil: Resurrection

    Sir Dan's design was reimagined for the 2005 remake, this time by Mitch Phillips, who worked on the original Dan's in-game animations.[16] Initial concept sketches by Phillips show Dan wearing chainmail over the top of his head, his teeth and neck. Several sketches also show him wearing various helmets. The final in-game and cutscene model was realised by artist Angelo Bod. Promotional renders featuring Sir Dan were still made by Jason Riley as was the case for the previous two entries.[17]

    MediEvil (2019 remake)

    Portrayal

    Jason Wilson getting ready to reprise his role.

    Sir Dan has been portrayed by Jason Wilson in all MediEvil entries with the exception of MediEvil 2,[18] where he was portrayed by Marc Silk instead.[citation needed]

    For the original MediEvil, several actors tried out portraying Sir Dan prior to Wilson stepping in to voice him, but the team was not happy with their performances.[18] In the end, Wilson read the lines through gritted teeth with a bucket over his head to achieve Dan's unintelligible jawless mumbles.[18]

    Wilson reprised his role for both remakes of the first game. Although original audio recordings were re-used for most characters in the 2019 remake, Wilson was brought in to re-record Dan's lines.[19] He teased his return on Twitter by posting an image of himself wearing a bucket on his head and 'reading' a Japanese programme of David Lynch's The Elephant Man (1980).[20]

    Merchandise

    In other media

    Main article: List of MediEvil references in other media

    2000 – Everybody's Golf 2

    Sir Dan
    EverybodysGolf2-SirDanProfile.png
    Profile
    Age ???
    Country ???
    Stats
    Power
    A
    Control
    C
    Impact
    D
    Spin
    D

    Sir Dan appears alongside Sweet Tooth from Twisted Metal and Gex from Gex as one of three unlockable guest stars in the European and North American versions of the game. He replaces the character Cougar from the Japanese version.

    How to unlock Sir Dan

    In order to unlock Sir Dan, players have to beat him in versus mode first. However, it is not possible to challenge him straight away; it is necessary to beat all preceding opponents up to and including Mason. Once Mason is beaten, a special cutscene will play showing the guest stars' golf carts arriving, signifying that Sir Dan can now be challenged in versus mode.

    In the 2023 re-release of the game, unlocking Sir Dan rewards players with the Grip It and Rip It silver trophy:

    EverybodysGolf2-GripItAndRipItTrophy.png Grip It and Rip It
    Unlock Sir Dan.

    While the name of the trophy is a phrase attributed to American golfer John Daly,[21][22] it may also be referencing Sir Dan's ability to rip his own arm off.

    Promotional materials

    The Everybody's Golf 2 press kit features several renders of Sir Dan:

    2012 – PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale

    See also: Sir Daniel Fortesque at SuperCombo Wiki
    Sir Daniel
    PlayStationAllStarsBattleRoyale-SirDan-FullbodyRender.png
    Profile
    Icon PlayStationAllStarsBattleRoyale-SirDan-Icon.png
    Rival Colonel Radec
    Voiced by Stéphane Cornicard

    Sir Dan is a part of the game's base roster of 20 fighters. He was initially revealed in a leak from a beta version of the game on July 28, 2012.[23] His presence in the game was officially confirmed on August 31, 2012, alongside Nariko from Heavenly Sword.[24]

    Character Bio
    "A Knight In Search of his Legend"

    A coward whose celebration as a hero was unearned, Sir Daniel has been given a chance to redeem himself, proving in combat he is worthy of his knighthood. He fights on behalf of his beloved homeland, Gallowmere, with his oath to protect her despite her citizens' somewhat waning interest in gallantry.

    Costumes

    Three costumes are available for Sir Dan. His default costume is the Knight Armour. The Dragon Armour can be unlocked by reaching Rank 10 with Dan. The Golden Armour was a pre-order bonus, but was later made available for purchase on the PlayStation Store.

    Development

    Sir Dan's combat designer was Devin Morrow. Morrow went into some detail about his work in a now-deleted YouTube video comment. He revealed that Dan's level 1 Super Move was originally just a sword spin attack. This was changed into the Lightning Bolt, which was initially his level 2 Super Move, after the developers introduced the Chalice of Souls as Dan's level 2 Super Move instead.[25]

    Dan's Knight Armour was textured by artist Kenny Huynh.[26] The Dragon Armour costume was modelled and textured by artist Mike Edwards.[27]

    2015 – Shovel Knight

    In a comment on PlayStation.Blog, Yacht Club Games developer David D'Angelo revealed that the team considered Sir Dan for a cameo appearance in the game's PlayStation versions. However, they ultimately decided to go with Kratos from God of War instead because "the team was a lot more excited to tinker with a Kratos moveset."[28]

    2018 – Guacamelee! 2

    Sir Dan appears in a picture found inside one of the houses in the Land of the Dead portion of Pueblucho. The house is inhabited by a dead man worried about his still living daughter.

    2020 – ASTRO's PLAYROOM

    A bot dressed as Sir Dan can be found in the Gusty Gateway area of the Memory Meadow. This is only one of many cameos of characters from PlayStation's history in the game.

    Selection process
    Concept art by Toshihiko.

    According to Team Asobi's Animation Director Jamie Smith, potential cameos were initially sketched out by Toshihiko Nakai, the team's Concept Artist. Cameos were then chosen based on how recognisable, fun and exciting they were to the team.[29]

    2023 – Clive 'N' Wrench

    Museum sign about a skeletal knight.

    Several references to Sir Dan appear in the game:

    • In The Great Wen level, a sign appears inside a museum that points out the contents of a closed off section of the building: "Unknown skeletal knight; no eyedea who he was."
    • In the A Grave Mistake level, a crypt bears the text:
      "R.I.P
      Danny boy
      1261 - 1286
      Jawless arrow magnet."
    • In the level Middle Age Crisis, Clive's armour resembles Sir Dan's armour. In the same level, a building in the town section is signposted as the "One Eyed Night."

    2024 – ASTRO BOT

    Eternal Knight bot with his Timeless Weaponry.

    The Sir Dan VIP bot is known as the Eternal Knight and can be found on the Ghouls & Bots planet. Ghouls & Bots is found in the Lost Galaxy and can be unlocked by finding the Secret Portal on the Free Big Brother! planet in the Serpent Starway.

    Astro Bot finds the Eternal Knight being cooked in a cauldron and needs to throw a lightbulb at the cauldron in order to free him.

    In the Crash Site, the Eternal Knight will be missing his Timeless Weaponry. This can be obtained from the Gatcha Lab.

    PlayStation Network avatars

    Main article: PlayStation Network avatars

    PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale

    The avatar.

    An avatar of Sir Daniel Fortesque was released for free on the PlayStation Store in Spring 2014. It was released alongside several other avatars based on PlayStation characters playable in the game. The design was created in Adobe Illustrator with a Wacom Intuos 4 drawing pad by illustrator Robert Ball. It was initially featured on the game's special edition steelbook case.[30][31]

    MediEvil (2019 remake)

    The avatar.

    Sir Dan appears on one of the 10 pre-order exclusive MediEvil PlayStation Network avatars. The avatar is based on the artwork from the Book of Gallowmere.

    Gallery

    Main article: Images of Sir Daniel Fortesque

    In other languages

    Language Name
    Arabic السير ”دانيال فورتيسك”
    alsayr "danial furtiski"
    Bulgarian Сър Даниел Фортескю
    Sŭr Daniel Forteskyu
    Greek Σερ Daniel Fortesque
    Ser Daniel Fortesque
    Japanese ダニエル・フォーテスク卿
    Danieru fōtesuku kyō
    Russian Сэр Дэниэл Фортескью
    Ser Deniel Fortesk'yu
    Turkish Sör Daniel Fortesque

    Notes

    1. 1.0 1.1 Dan's year of birth is given as 1154 in MediEvil: The Game Prequel. However, this presents an inconsistency with MediEvil 2, where he is said to have been born around the year 1250. To reconcile this, a hundred years was added to 1154, resulting in 1254. See GP:CANON for more information.

    References

    1. Twitter "An artist with access to his 3D model would know better than me, but if I had to guess, he’s pretty tall and lanky, so I’d say 6’2” perhaps?"Chris Sorrell (@Trepan) on X (formerly Twitter) (archived version at Internet Archive Wayback Machine). Published April 17, 2020.
    2. The Game Prequel icon.png MediEvil: The Game Prequel. Written by Chris Sorrell. Art by Jason Wilson. Published by Titan Comics in 2019.
      1. 2.1.0 2.1.1 2.1.2 2.1.3 2.1.4 2.1.5 2.1.6 Page 3 of The Game Prequel icon.png MediEvil: The Game Prequel. Written by Chris Sorrell. Art by Jason Wilson. Published by Titan Comics in 2019.
      2. 2.2.0 2.2.1 Page 12 of The Game Prequel icon.png MediEvil: The Game Prequel. Written by Chris Sorrell. Art by Jason Wilson. Published by Titan Comics in 2019.
      3. 2.3.0 2.3.1 Page 5 of The Game Prequel icon.png MediEvil: The Game Prequel. Written by Chris Sorrell. Art by Jason Wilson. Published by Titan Comics in 2019.
      4. Page 20 of The Game Prequel icon.png MediEvil: The Game Prequel. Written by Chris Sorrell. Art by Jason Wilson. Published by Titan Comics in 2019.
      5. 2.5.0 2.5.1 Page 9 of The Game Prequel icon.png MediEvil: The Game Prequel. Written by Chris Sorrell. Art by Jason Wilson. Published by Titan Comics in 2019.
      6. Page 4 of The Game Prequel icon.png MediEvil: The Game Prequel. Written by Chris Sorrell. Art by Jason Wilson. Published by Titan Comics in 2019.
      7. Page 10 of The Game Prequel icon.png MediEvil: The Game Prequel. Written by Chris Sorrell. Art by Jason Wilson. Published by Titan Comics in 2019.
    3. MediEvil MediEvil manual. Written by Jim Sangster. Designed by Steve O'Neill. Published by Sony Computer Entertainment in October 1998. Download.
      1. 3.1.0 3.1.1 Page 9 of MediEvil MediEvil manual. Written by Jim Sangster. Designed by Steve O'Neill. Published by Sony Computer Entertainment in October 1998. Download.
      2. Page 8 of MediEvil MediEvil manual. Written by Jim Sangster. Designed by Steve O'Neill. Published by Sony Computer Entertainment in October 1998. Download.
    4. 4.0 4.1 MediEvil: Resurrection MediEvil: Resurrection. Developed by SCEE Cambridge Studio. Published by Sony Computer Entertainment on September 1, 2005.
    5. SCEE Cambridge Studio Ghosthunter. Developed by SCEE Cambridge Studio. Published by Sony Computer Entertainment on December 5, 2003.
    6. MediEvil 2 MediEvil 2 manual. Written by Jim Sangster. Designed by Steve O'Neill. Published by Sony Computer Entertainment America in May 2000. Download.
      1. Page 4 of MediEvil 2 MediEvil 2 manual. Written by Jim Sangster. Designed by Steve O'Neill. Published by Sony Computer Entertainment America in May 2000. Download.
    7. Twitter Jason Wilson (@GunnWriter) on X (formerly Twitter) (archived version at Internet Archive Wayback Machine).
    8. MediEvil 2019 icon.png MediEvil. Developed by Other Ocean Emeryville. Published by Sony Interactive Entertainment on October 25, 2019.
      1. Book of Gallowmere in MediEvil 2019 icon.png MediEvil. Developed by Other Ocean Emeryville. Published by Sony Interactive Entertainment on October 25, 2019.
    9. 9.0 9.1 The Making of... MediEvil in Retro Gamer, Issue 49 (PDF file), page(s) 60-63. Published March 2008 by Imagine Publishing. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
    10. 10.0 10.1 Dan's Evolution on atomic-city concept art and design of Jason Wilson (archived version). Published Unknown.
    11. Twitter "When searching for a look for Sir Daniel Fortesque I had recently watched the horror film “Basket Case 2.” I was impressed with this guy’s teeth!"Jason Wilson (@GunnWriter) on X (formerly Twitter) (archived version at Internet Archive Wayback Machine). Published October 9, 2018.
    12. ProBoards "For Medievil there was a worry in Japan that Dan's skeletal head might be seen as a bad spirit and not a 'hero.' Japan is still quite a spiritual country and things we simply take at face value (no pun intended) can be interpreted in a very different way in different cultures - a skull being no exception. So for gameplay it was decided to hide Dan's face behind a mask!" — Jason Wilson, MediEvil developers - Q&A; on MediEvil Boards. Published December 25, 2012.
    13. ProBoards "I really only had a few high concept ideas in mind for MediEvil 2. These were: that it could be set in Victorian times, but instead of playing as Sir Dan, you would play as Sir Henry Fortesque, a more recently deceased descendent[sic] of Sir Dan's (much like the way they reincarnated the same character in the UK TV show Black Adder)." — Chris Sorrell, MediEvil developers - Q&A; on MediEvil Boards. Published July 23, 2013.
    14. ProBoards "I came up with the British Museum and the exhibits coming to life as well as the Vampires in London amongst other things." — Jason Wilson, MediEvil developers - Q&A; on MediEvil Boards. Published November 3, 2013.
    15. Art and Game Design - MediEvil on JASON WILSON - PORTFOLIO. Published January 2012.
    16. Medievil Resurrection on Mitch Phillips Portfolio. Published January 9, 2011. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
    17. MediEvil: Resurrection on Artificial Lens. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
    18. 18.0 18.1 18.2 ProBoards "Yeah the original and the PSP version was my voice. We tried getting actors to do it but we were never happy so I stepped in and did it - my finest hour! ... What a lot of people may not realise is that I wrote a script for what Dan actually says and then just read the lines through gritted teeth with a bucket over my head!" — Jason Wilson, MediEvil developers - Q&A; on MediEvil Boards. Published December 25, 2012.
    19. McAllister, Gillen, MediEvil: New Hands-on Impressions, PS1 to PS4 Comparison Gallery on PlayStation.Blog. Published August 20, 2019.
    20. Barker, Sammy, MediEvil Voice Actor Hints at Role Reprisal for PS4 Remake on Push Square. Published October 23, 2018. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
    21. "To forget about all those "swing thoughts" and take a healthy rip at the ball. This phrase became popular after the prodigious swinger John Daly and his Herculean drives, won the 1991 PGA title at Crooked Stick. When asked about his style, Daly said, "I just grip it and rip it.""Golf Dictionary - What golf terms really mean on Bad Golfer.
    22. "Slogan of the long-hitting John Daly. "I just grip it and rip it", is Daly's response when asked for pointers on how to launch a golf ball more than 300-yards."GRIP IT AND RIP IT on Leaderboard.com.
    23. "The remaining six characters are easy enough to identify: Ratchet (Ratchet & Clank), Sackboy (LittleBigPlanet), Spike (Ape Escape), Sir Daniel Fortesque (MediEvil), Nariko (Heavenly Sword) and, surprisingly, Evil Cole (Infamous)." — Moriarty, Colin, Rumor: PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale Characters, Stages Leak on IGN. Published July 29, 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
    24. "For all the old-school PlayStation fans out there, we’ve included Sir Daniel Fortesque in our roster! The older crowd might remember this skeletal knight from SCE Cambridge Studios’ MediEvil series, widely regarded as a PlayStation classic and praised for its quirky style and fun gameplay. It’s been 14 years since Sir Daniel’s video game debut, and he’s ready to shake the rust off his armor to do battle with the rest of the PlayStation All-Stars cast." — Maniago, Daniel, PlayStation All-Stars: Nariko and Sir Daniel Join The Fight on PlayStation.Blog. Published August 31, 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
    25. Devin Morrow, PS All-Stars Origins - Sir Daniel Fortesque on YouTube. Published 2017.
    26. Sir Daniel on Kenny Huynh. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
    27. Old Professional Work on ArtStation. Published March 22, 2024. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
    28. "Haha, we did discuss Sir Fortesque a little early on! I agree he has a leg up when it comes to theme and setting and would blend right in to Specter Knight’s level. Overall, the team was a lot more excited to tinker with a Kratos moveset. Lot’s[sic] of abilities to pull from for phase changes, a big presence (lot’s[sic] of screen shakes!), and his chains allow for some cool mobility tricks!" — D'Angelo, David, Shovel Knight Digs into PS4, PS3, PS Vita in 2015. Published December 6, 2014.
    29. Smith, Jamie, Astro’s Playroom: the story behind those fun PlayStation character cameos on PlayStation.Blog. Published August 31, 2021. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
    30. "Here’s a big project I’ve been working on for the last few months, in between other jobs – creating artwork for the marketing of the Sony Playstation game Battle Royale Allstars."Let Battle Cease! on robertmball. Published November 19, 2012. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
    31. Lynch, Phil, How PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale’s special edition art was created on PlayStation.Blog. Published November 19, 2012. Retrieved November 27, 2024.

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