Characters (Shining Force)

The Shining Force

There are 30 playable characters that can join the Shining Force. Some of the characters are mandatory, in that they are either required to join, in order to progress through the story, or they will tag along whether you want them to or not. Others are merely optional, requiring the player to complete an action or a series or tasks to get the character to join. Each character in the Force is of a certain class, which means that he/she (or it) has certain abilities, advantages, and disadvantages. Bear in mind that you may only have 12 active characters in your party at one time, and one of them will always be Max, the leader. Here is a list of all of the available characters.

Avatar	Description	Where to find
	Max is the leader of the Shining Force. He has incredible attack, a decent amount of HP, and decent agility throughout the game. His defense is just above average, but not the best. Be aware that if he dies, the battle is lost, along with half of your gold.	Starter Character. Max is the main character controlled by the player throughout the game.
	Luke is a valuable warrior, especially early on, as one of the first members to join the party in Guardiana. His movement is unaffected by mountains and forests, and his attack power is great. He gets a decent amount of HP and good defense, making him a great frontliner.	Joins in Guardiana before the first battle.
	Ken is the first knight picked up in Guardiana, and very good during the early stages of the game. Later in the game, his noted stat becomes HP, as he gets loads and loads of hit points. He does have a fair attack and defense growth; however, as better knights are recruited, Ken will become overshadowed by their stronger stat growth overall.	Joins in Guardiana before the first battle.
	Although Tao is the first mage acquired in the game, she is useful throughout the game. Her Blaze spell, when fully maxed out, becomes extremely powerful. Along with that, she learns Boost (at a very late level though), which increases a unit's attack power. As is the case with most spellcasters, Tao suffers from low HP and defense growth; keep her protected in battle or else she'll fall to enemy attacks quickly.	Joins in Guardiana before the first battle.
	Hans, the first archer who joins in Guardiana, does have his advantages in battle. Early in the game, his arrows are valuable for dealing damage from far away. Eventually though, Hans will become significantly overpowered by the various other ranged units who join the force.	Joins in Guardiana before the first battle.
	Lowe appears very early in the game, tagging along with the first members leaving from Guardiana. At first, his healing spells go a long way in keeping your party members alive through the early missions, but becomes less useful as more powerful healers join the party.	Joins in Guardiana before the first battle.
	Gong is a cross between a fighter and a healer. He can master the Heal spell and learn Aura. Although his spells aren't incredible, Gong redeems himself with a good attack growth. In battles, he can both engage the enemy and heal the party whenever necessary. After promotion, Gong becomes very powerful.	Can be found near a cabin outside the Ancient Gate, after the first battle. Go directly east after leaving the Ancient Gate to find the cabin.
	Gort is a powerful warrior, much like Luke. With regards to movement, atttack power, and defense, he is very comparable to his fellow frontliner.	Return to Guardiana after the first battle at the Gate of the Ancients. Gort can be found in the Guardiana Pub, and will join your party.
	Mae, the second of MANY knights to join the force, isn't as capable an attacker as Ken, due to her being equipped with a lance instead of a spear. As she develops, she will become one of your stronger and more useful knights to choose from, and with a powerful spear in hand, she can deal a good deal of ranged damage just like any other knight.	Joins the force after the cutscene where Lord Varios is murdered by Kane.
	Khris appears at the right time, bringing another healer to the group as many new characters are joining the fray. Statwise, she is not as powerful as the other healers, but she does learn some unique spells early on, which could be of use.	Joins in Alterone after freeing Max from the prison cell. After being locked in the cell, search the prison cell door, and Khris will arrive.
	Anri starts out very similar to Tao, in that they are both good for their Blaze ability. As both mages level up, however, they both learn a different variety of spells. Anri is best for enemies with elemental weaknesses.	Speak to Anri in Manarina upon arrival. After the cutscene with her and Nova, find Anri and speak to her again. She will join the force.
	Arthur is one of the weaker knights in the game, from a physical standpoint. However, after leveling him up, he becomes a force to be reckoned with, being the only knight with magic capabilities.	After completing the Cavern of Darkness battle, and speaking to the Spirit of the Fountain with the Orb of Light, talk to Arthur near the top of the same building where you found Anri. He will join your party.
	Balbaroy is one of the first flying characters you gain, and his flight becomes a HUGE asset. Along with his flight, he also has decent attacking ability. Very useful for times when you need someone to reach areas that others cannot reach as quickly, or at all. (i.e. Picking off the Snipers early during the Laser Eye battle)	Joins the force after the Shade Abbey Chapel battle.
	Amon is another bird(wo)man obtained earlier on, and like her male counterpart, her flight makes her worth having on the team. While considerably weaker than Balbaroy, she can still prove useful in certain situations.	Joins the force after the Shade Abbey Chapel battle, at the conclusion of Chapter 2.
	Diane, is a slightly better archer to have than Hans, but the difference isn't that great. If having an archer isn't your style, then you're best to ditch both her and Hans for a different class altogether. Otherwise, Diane can be considered a small step above Hans.	Speak to Diane in Bustoke to get her to join.
	Zylo, like Gong, is an unarmed fighter. In place of magic, Zylo brings with him heavy attack power, and decent HP and defense. He can also travel through rough terrain much better than most other on-foot characters.	After obtaining the Moon Stone, give it to the alchemist. He will then create the Lunar Dew that you can use to cure Zylo. After being cured, Zylo will join the force.
	Pelle is YET ANOTHER knight. Unfortunately he is a bit mediocre compared to the other knights. Nothing much about him really stands out, even after being promoted. It also doesn't help that he starts out armed with a lance, and therefore cannot perform ranged attacks right off the bat.	After winning the Laser Eye battle, the seemingly defeated Pelle will return and join your party.
	Jogurt is a quirky little hamster-like creature. The player can pick him/her/it up in Pao on the first visit by checking the building at the town's upper-left corner. Jogurt's stats never change, meaning he can only deal 1 HP damage at most in battle. However, if Jogurt manages to kill an enemy, a Jogurt Ring will appear in the inventory. Any character equipped with a Jogurt Ring will be transformed into a Jogurt in battle. The Jogurt Ring doesn't affect stats or abilities in any way; it's just a neat little novelty item.	First, talk to Jogurt in the same area where you pick up Gong. Then, further along in the game, you will reach Pao Prairie. Immediately go to the chapel, and walk up to the corner of the building with the bed. You will see Jogurt fall out of bed. Then leave. Jogurt will immediately be found in HQ afterwards. (This doesn't work if the carts have already taken off, so if you want Jogurt, get him FIRST.)
	Kokichi is much like the other knights in your army, only he can fly! Like most other knights, though, he starts off with a Lance, instead of a spear. Equip him with a spear to enable ranged attack. That, coupled with flight, makes Kokichi a must have in the Shining Force.	While in Bustoke, find Kokichi in one of the homes, testing his flight equipment. Talk to him, search his back (the equipment, that is), and talk to him again. He will fly off. Later on, in Pao, after the carts have departed from Pao Prairie, Kokichi will arrive and join the force.
	Vankar is the knight on guard at Pao. After Pao departs, he will stay behind and join the party. From the get go, Vankar starts off with a much more powerful weapon than the other knights, wielding a Chrome Spear. Other than that, there isn't too much that stands out about him.	After Pao departs, Vankar will stay behind and join the party.
	Domingo is a powerful flying squid-type creature obtained by taking the Domingo Egg from the laboratory in Mararina. Giving the egg to one of the men in the Pao item shop will result in the egg being incubated and Domingo being hatched. Domingo is easily the best spellcaster in the game. Freeze, once completely mastered, can devastate enemies with its ice damage. Furthermore, Domingo's HP and defense trumps the other spellcasters.	When in Manarina, obtain a Domingo Egg. After arriving in Pao for the second time, you will find someone who can hatch the egg for you. This magic creature comes out of said egg, and will join your party.
	Guntz is first met a while back in Rindo, serving as a guinea pig for a steam suit prototype. Eventually, this suit is finished, and it is his to keep and use... and use it he does! Guntz brings along high attack and defense, with his only real weakness being magic attacks. One unfortunate side effect to his armor is that he move fairly slowly, thus making it hard for the player to utilize his strengths to begin with.	When visiting Pao for the second time, go to the sheep pen. There you can find Guntz, and he will join your party.
	Earnest is the flavor of the week in Uranbatol. There isn't much else to say about him that hasn't been said about ALL of the other knights. As a knight, he is average.	Talk to Earnest in Uranbatol and he will join your party.
	Lyle is an assault knight. All this means is that he is essentially an archer with increased movement ability. He comes equipped with an Elven Arrow, giving him a higher range of attack than his fellow arrow wielders from the start. Taking the time to level him up can be quite rewarding later on.	Find Lyle at the top of the tower in Rudo.
	As Bleu is a dragon, one would expect that he is one of the most powerful characters in the game, and he is just that! His offensive statistics skyrocket even before his promotion and he occassionally attacks with a magic electricity breath of sorts that will damage opponents regardless of their defense. Consider making him a permanent member of the active team.	Find and talk to Bleu in Dragonia. After a cutscene in which he torches an enemy, he will join the party.
	When Musashi first joins the party in Prompt, he will already be fully promoted in his final state. Once he has been fully leveled up, his prowess will truly shine in battle. Fitted with high attack and defense, Musashi can cut down enemies without taking much damage himself. The only problem with Musashi is his unfortunate lack of mobility and speed.
	Alef is a wizard from Prompt who joins the party in the Tower of the Ancients along with Torasu. She is a Bolt specialist who is also competent in Blaze and Freeze. Her physical stats are slightly below Anri's, but her magic is a bit better. Unfortunately, Alef suffers from low HP and defense.
	Torasu is a priest from Prompt who joins the part in the Tower of the Ancients along with Alef. He is the definitive healer for a number of reason; not only does he master Heal, but he is the only character in the game to master Aura 4, which heals every single party member on the battlefield. He is slow to level up, however.
	Adam is a robot who joins the party in the lost civilization of Metapha, where he leads the group to Chaos, who has been reprogrammed by Darksol to carry out his evil designs. Unfortunately, Adam's orders do nothing to turn him. Adam joins at level 9 and has poor mobility but strong attack and defense growth attributes.
	Hanzou joins your party very late in the game; upon arriving in Runefaust, examine a bush with a yellow flower to find him. Hanzou is one of the most useful fighters in the game. After a few level-ups, his stats grow rapidly, turning him into quite a deadly ninja indeed.

Allies

The following are NPC allies that play a major part of the story, and in some cases, assist you in your journey.

• Nova - The advisor to the Shining Force, he gives advice, and places people in/out your party at your request.
• King Guardiana - The king of Guardiana, he is the one that initially sends you on your quest. Ultimately killed by Kane.
• Lord Varios - The captain of Guardiana's military, he also serves as Max's mentor at the start of the game. Ultimately killed by Kane.
• King Alterone - The king of Alterone, he is coerced by Kane into locking Max away. Later on, he reveals his true intentions to Max, and assists the Force in continuing their journey.
• Priest - The priests are found all throughout Rune, and allow you to save your game. They will also cure poisoned allies, raise them from the dead, AND promote any eligible allies.

Primary Foes (Bosses)

The following are enemies that you will encounter in your journey. They are major characters, and as such, are essentially bosses encountered throughout certain battles. They are listed in the order that they are encountered, and they are listed with the Battle # that you fight them in.

• Marionette
• General Elliot
• Balbazak
• Kane
• Mishaela
• Chaos
• Ramladau
• Colossus
• Darksol
• Dark Dragon