Flame Champion

The Flame Champion (炎の英雄, Honō no Eiyū), localised as the Fire Hero in Suikoden II, is a character in Suikoden III. He is the legendary hero of the Grassland struggle against Harmonian invasion 50 years before the events of the game.

Suikoden II & Genso Suikogaiden Volume 2
In the Dunan region as well as some fringes of the Grassland, the Flame Champion was said to be the bearer of the True Fire Rune. Stories tell that the Flame Champion managed to steal this rune from the One Temple in Crystal Valley. Not much information was known about him, save that he led a band called the Fire Bringer, which were often described as thieves, and that he was the larger-than-life hero of a war against the Holy Kingdom of Harmonia. His identity would be co-opted by a bandit leader following the Dunan Unification War, with such instances possibly adding to this perception of the Flame Champion outside the Grassland.

Suikoden III
"Does the Flame Champion need an introduction?"

- Flame Champion's profile

The Flame Champion was the leader of the original Fire Bringer that fought against the Holy Kingdom of Harmonia. In 425, he ended the conflict after his True Fire Rune went out of control, decimating both forces, leading to a 50 year truce between the two sides. He fought along his best friends, Geddoe and Wyatt Lightfellow during the war, bearing the True Fire Rune on his right hand.

During the conflict, he fell in love with Sana and after the war, chose to seal his rune using a Sindar technique and live a normal life in secret with her, bearing the pain this caused as well as losing the eternal youth a True Rune bestows on its bearer. In fact, he only managed to live a few years with Sana before passing away but those years were likely the most meaningful to him.

His legacy would have deep impact on the region, with many turning to the legends of the Flame Champion following the outbreak of the War of the Champions. As a person, he fought for nothing more complicated than the sole purpose of not being bound to anything, his freedom and to protect the important things in his life.

Trivia

 * The Flame Champion's true name and home are unknown. Even in Suikoden spin-off media, he is only ever referred to as the Flame Champion.