Sonya Shulen (ソニア・シューレン, Sonia Shūren) is a character in Suikoden. One of the Five Great Generals of the Scarlet Moon Empire, Sonya serves as admiral of the Imperial Navy and commander of the Floating Fortress of Shasarazade.
Profile
Appearance
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Sonya has long, straight blonde hair and striking blue eyes. She is particularly known for her beauty, with several characters remarking on it over the course of the game.
Her equipment consists of a metal breastplate and greaves, worn over blue underclothes. She also wears a red skirt pauldrons, as well as a blue cape. On her forehead, she wears a red and gold headpiece.
Personality
Sonya is known for her bravery and striking presence, and carries herself with a blend of grace and authority that commands respect. Beneath her composed exterior, however, lies a deeply emotional and driven soul, shaped by the weight of her mother's legacy and her own aspirations.
Sonya's fierce loyalty to her duties and loved ones was matched only by her fiery temper, particularly when provoked, as seen in her intense rivalry with Anji. Meanwhile, her relationship with Teo McDohl revealed a softer, more vulnerable side.
Her ability to reconcile her emotions and adapt to changing circumstances highlights her complexity as a leader who balanced strength with compassion, pride with humility, and vengeance with forgiveness.
History
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Sonya Shulen was a distinguished Great General of the Scarlet Moon Empire, renowned for her bravery, magic acumen, and striking beauty. With her golden hair and piercing blue eyes, Sonya commanded both admiration and respect, earning her place as one of the Empire's most prominent military leaders.
She inherited her position as Great General and naval commander following the death of her mother, Kilauea Shulen, a revered veteran of the War of Succession. However, the weight of her mother's legacy burdened Sonya, driving her to prove herself worthy of the Shulen name.
Sonya's career was marked by her fierce rivalry with Anji, the infamous lake pirate. As commander of the Imperial Navy, she led her forces in numerous engagements against Anji's bandits, achieving notable success due to her unit's discipline and lack of corruption—a rarity within the Empire.
Their rivalry reached its peak when Anji taunted Sonya by pinning a wedding dress to the Floating Fortress of Shasarazade, mocking her unmarried status. Enraged but composed, Sonya retaliated by orchestrating a raid on the pirates while they were intoxicated, dealing a significant blow to their operations.
During her tenure, Sonya formed a close bond with Teo McDohl, another of the Empire's Great Generals. Their relationship, initially rooted in mutual respect and mentorship, blossomed into a deep romantic connection. Teo's guidance helped Sonya navigate the pressures of her role, though his eventual death during the Gate Rune War plunged her into grief and turmoil. Learning that Teo had fallen in battle against his own son, the leader of the Toran Liberation Army, Sonya's sorrow turned to a desire for vengeance.
In the climactic Battle at Floating Fortress Shasarazade, Sonya fought valiantly, refusing to retreat even as the fortress burned around her. Defeated but unbowed, she attempted to take her own life to join Teo in death, only to be stopped by Viktor and taken captive by the Liberation Army. Initially resistant, Sonya gradually reconciled her conflicting emotions, coming to terms with Teo's death and the reasons behind it.
After her capture ad speaking with Cleo, Sonya agreed to assist the Liberation Army, ostensibly to see its leader die, though her cooperation was likely a means to process her grief and honor Teo's memory. She spent much of her time alongside fellow former Imperials, uneasy in the presence of the Liberation Army's leader.
Following the war, Sonya's exceptional skills and dedication earned her the position of admiral in the Toran Republic Navy, where she continued to serve with distinction.
Gameplay
Enemy
- Main article: Sonya Shulen (enemy)
Sonya Shulen is fought as a boss enemy in Suikoden. She is fought at the Floating Fortress of Shasarazade and is a difficult boss, not least because she must be fought without resting after battling the previous Venus Shell boss, forcing the party to rely on recovery items and their remaining MP. She is strong in both magic and physical attacks.
Recruitment
Battle bonds
| Good Will | |
|---|---|
| Protects | This character does not protect anyone |
| Protected By | This character is not protected by anyone |
| Unite Attack | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Beauty Attack w/ Cleo, Eileen |
Equipment
| Starting Equipment | |
|---|---|
| Head | -- |
| Body | Leather Armor |
| Shield | -- |
| Other | Crimson Cape 
|
| Rune | Water |
| Equipment Type | |
|---|---|
| Head | Helmet |
| Body | Light armor |
| Shield | Can equip |
| Other | Female |
Stats
| State Grades | ||
|---|---|---|
| HP | STR | DEX |
| E | C | D |
| CON | SPD | MGC |
| E | B | D |
| LCK | ||
| F | ||
| Stat Growth Rate | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LV | HP | STR | DEX | CON | SPD | MGC | LCK |
| 1 | 20 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 12 |
| 20 | 150 | 75 | 68 | 60 | 106 | 68 | 51 |
| 60 | 530 | 163 | 146 | 128 | 180 | 146 | 108 |
| 90 | 700 | 190 | 170 | 150 | 210 | 170 | 130 |
War
| War Stats | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Type | Soldiers | Lead ATK | Sub ATK | |||
| The Soldier Beauties | Magic | 250 | 13 | 4 | |||
Weapon
| Weapon | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LV | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| ATK | 5 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 33 | 40 | 48 | 59 | 70 | 80 | 102 | 115 | 134 | 150 |
| Name | Blue | Turquoise Blue | Royal Blue | |||||||||||||
| W Type | W Level | Element | ||||||||||||||
| One-handed sword | N/A | Water | ||||||||||||||
Unite Attack
| Unite Attack | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Partner(s) | Target | Damage |
| Beauty Attack | All enemies | Sleep and 1x | |
Genso Suikoden Card Stories TCG
| Card # | Name | Type | Release |
|---|---|---|---|
| CS2-282 | Sonya |  Leader
|
CS2 Booster Pack Vol.3 |
Gallery
Artwork
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Suikoden artwork by Kawano Junko
In-Game
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Suikoden Sony PlayStation portrait -
Suikoden Sega Saturn portrait -
Suikoden I&II HD Remaster portrait by Kawano Junko
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Trivia
- If you are playing Suikoden efficiently for completion purposes, Sonya will be the last character you get to join.
- The blue magic-burst attack that Sonya uses when you fight her is not available through any rune in the game.
- There is a black cat who hangs out at the Mercenary Fortress in Suikoden II that, when inspected, will say "Sonya...". This is not a reference to Sonya, however, but rather a mistranslation of the cat meowing.
- Despite being the leader of the Soldier Beauties unit, Sonya can only be used as such in the last battle.
- Sonya's artwork depicts her wielding a sword, but her in-game weapon resembles a spear, but it levels up as a one-handed sword.
- Parts of her rivalry with the lake pirates where originally intended to be added in-game but as there was no method to depict naval battles, these elements were not implemented.
Other languages and releases
| Japanese (katakana) | ソニア・シューレン |
|---|---|
| Japanese (romaji) | Sonia Shūren |
| Chinese simplified (HDR) | 索妮亚·苏伦 |
| Chinese traditional (HDR) | 索妮亞・蘇倫 |
| Chinese pinyin | Suǒ nī yà sū lún |
| English | Sonya Shulen |
|---|---|
| French | Sonya Shulen |
| German | Sonya Shulen |
| Italian | Sonya Shulen |
| Spanish | Sonya Shulen |
References
- Genso Suikoden Short Story Collection 1 (ISBN 4-8402-1494-8), pages 149-176
- Genso Suikoden Encyclopaedia (ISBN 4-575-16297-3), page 159
- Genso Suikoden Genso Shinsho Vol.7 (ISBN 4-7753-0044-X), page 91
- Genso Suikoden 108 Stars Character Guide (ISBN 4-7753-0050-4), page 84
- Genso Suikoden Genso Shinsho Vol.14 (ISBN 4-7753-0217-5), page 60
- Genso Suikoden Genso Shinsho Vol.15 (ISBN 4-7753-0252-3), page 5
- Genso Suikoden Kiwami Encyclopedia, pages 68-9, 94