Hero (Suikoden)

The hero (主人公, Shujinkou), known by several different names, is the protagonist of Suikoden. As well as being the protagonist of the original game, he also appears as a secret recruit in Suikoden II and makes a cameo in Gensosuikogaiden Volume 2.

The hero is the son of Imperial General Teo McDohl whose friendship with an orphan named Ted leads him on the road to betrayal, exile and the bearing of one of the 27 True Runes, the Soul Eater.

Biography
"You are bearing a huge burden in the flow of destiny."

- Leknaat

Gate Rune War
The hero was born to Great General Teo McDohl of the Scarlet Moon Empire. His mother passed away from illness soon after his birth and he was mostly raised by Gremio, Teo's attendant. With the support of Gremio and Teo's other subordinates, such as Cleo and Pahn, he grew into a vigorous young man with a strong sense of justice. Master Kai, meanwhile, trained him in the use of the staff as a youth. Once Kai left, his abilities became entirely self-taught.

He was sent to serve Emperor Barbarosa when Teo was assigned on a mission to the north and was supposed to be assured of a future in the Imperial Army. However, that changed completely when he inherited the Rune of Life and Death, one of the 27 True Runes, from his best friend, Ted. This brought down the attention of Court Magician Windy, who desired the rune herself, and he was soon driven from the Empire. Escaping Gregminster allowed him to see the truth of the Empire during his flight. Realising the increasing oppression and disarray, he found himself turning his back on the Empire.

While in Lenankamp, he had a fateful encounter with Odessa Silverberg, the first leader of the Toran Liberation Army. Struck by her willpower and ideas, he was gradually drawn to the ideals of her movement and in the wake of her death, he would be convinced to take up the position of leader of the Liberation Army.

Bearing the Soul Eater, he saw the death of Gremio, killed his father, Teo, in a duel and witness the tragic fate of Ted but all the extreme hardships encountered in his struggle against the Empire never gave him pause. Eventually, with help from his colleagues, he was able to lead the Liberation Army to victory, defeating the Empire and overthrowing Emperor Barbarosa.

Following the war, he was offered the position of President of the Toran Republic, but refused the position. Entrusting his affairs to Lepant, he left the country on a journey.

Post-War Traveler
After leaving the Toran Republic, the hero's whereabouts were unknown until he eventually made his way to Banner Village along with his attendant, Gremio and spent some time resting there. Fearing the curse of the Soul Eater, he had turned away from fighting but when a small village boy named Ko was kidnapped by bandits, he took up his weapon once again. Cooperating with the son of Genkaku, Ko was successfully rescued. Returning to Gregminster to tend to Ko, the hero was offered the position of President once more by Lepant but again refused. He then spent some time at the McDohl house in the city for the remainder of the Dunan Unification War.

After his whereabouts in Banner Village became known, the ninja Kasumi occasionally came to visit the hero and together they would spend time reminiscing. As Kasumi continued to visit, she attempted to gather her feelings for him but to little avail.

Name
The hero of Suikoden has no in-game name, but is occasionally referred to by different names in other publications and releases. A playthrough of Suikoden II or Suikoden III without any Suikoden data on it will have him referred to simply by his last name, McDohl (マクドール, Makudōru). All Gensosuikoden Card Stories cards featuring him also refer to him as McDohl. In the 1999 novelization, Gensosuikoden Soul Eater, as well as the 2008 Assemble Gensosuikoden Radio! 108 Stars! radio drama, he is called Tir (ティル, Tyiru), the most popular name used for him by fans. The 2009 manga, Gensosuikoden The Succeed Crest, gives him a different name, Louie (リューイ, Ryūi).

In guide books, he is usually referred to as Hero (主人公) or some variant thereof, such as I主人公 or 主人公I to distinguish himself as the protagonist of the first Suikoden title. In game, he uses an alias when passing through the Fortress of Kwaba, choosing between Masamune (マサムネ, Masamune), Piisuke (ピースケ, Pīsuke) and Schtolteheim Reinbach IV (シュトルテハイム・ラインバッハ4世, Shutorutehaimu Rainbahha 4-sei).

Trivia

 * The hero was originally designed to use a sword but this was changed to a staff during production in order to bring a more Chinese flavour to the game.