Hero (Suikoden II)

Hero (Suikoden II) {{{jpname}}}, {{{roname}}}
108 Stars Tenkai Star
Gender	Male
Race	Human
From	Kyaro Town, Highland Kingdom
Family	Genkaku (adoptive grandfather) Nanami (adoptive sister)
Voice	Oda Hisafumi (Drama CD Genso Suikoden II)
Appears in	Suikoden II

The hero (主人公, Shujinkō), known by several different names, is the protagonist of Suikoden II. He is the adopted son of Genkaku who grows to become leader of the New State Army. He also makes cameo appearances in Genso Suikogaiden Vol.1 and Vol.2.

Profile

There's no reason to fight you. —  Hero (Suikoden II)

Appearance

The hero is a young man with short brown hair and hazel eyes. He wears a red tunic with white piping, tied together by a white waistband. He accompanies this outfit with a yellow cloth around his shoulders and brown gloves. This cloth was worn by Genkaku in his youth and was passed down to the hero.

Under his tunic the hero wears calve length black spats and high brown boots. He wears a golden circlet around his forehead, received as a child when Genkaku bought it for him at the first fair he had ever seen. The hero wields twin wooden tonfa as his weapon of choice, tipped with metal at both ends.

Personality

The hero was noted for his strength, but also his lack of belligerence. He fought solely to protect others, as the Bright Shield Rune he inherited symbolizes. Living up to the expectations of those who relied on his strength was a major motivation for him to continue fighting even through the despair of the Dunan Unification War.

Shu saw in him the hope of the people of Jowston, not merely as the son of Genkaku, but as his own person. Because of this, Shu would push the hero to become the leader of the New State Army despite his youth. It was said his true strength was his uncanny ability to touch the hearts and earn the trust of his comrades. His kind-heartedness inspired others to help him in turn.

Even were he to abandon his duties and flee with Nanami from Tinto Principality, it is likely that this too would be an attempt to fulfil her wish. In the end, his lack of hostility is what would allow both he and Jowy Atreides to survive their duel at Tenzan Pass.

Biography

I've seen the brilliance in you. The kind of brilliance that this age needs. —  Shu

The hero was a war orphan who was adopted and raised by Genkaku at his dojo in Kyaro Town. Nanami was also picked up by Genkaku in similar circumstances and in short order a close brother-sister relationship was formed. When the two were old enough, Genkaku trained both of them in the martial arts. The two continued to grow healthy and progress smoothly in their martial arts training.

Following Genkaku's death, he enlisted in the Unicorn Brigade alongside his best friend, Jowy Atreides, whom he also studied martial arts with. The two were equally matched, tying in the final of a tournament of Unicorn Brigade officers. They excelled in the group and both believed that their futures lay in the Highland Army. However, after escaping the slaughter of the Unicorn Brigade by Luca Blight by jumping from Tenzan Pass, he was discovered by Viktor and Flik. He would escape with Jowy and return to Kyaro Town where they were condemned as spies of the City-State.

After being rescued from execution by Viktor, he would be forced to flee the Mercenary Fortress when the Highland Army invaded. He would gain the Bright Shield Rune in Toto Village and after escaping Muse City would become leader of the New State Army. While they both had the same desire for peace, their differences in how to pursue this meant that he would quickly stand opposed to Jowy, with the support of Nanami, Viktor and many other allies.

Despite his own losses such as the loss of his friendship with Jowy and the apparent death of Nanami at Rockaxe Castle, he continued to grow as a leader and fought for his dream; a peaceful world for his friends to live in. Although it started as a small group, the New State Army would gain rapid momentum, becoming a mighty torrent backed by the charm and magnetism of its leader. He would lead the army to victory, sweeping away the Highland Kingdom and ending the Dunan Unification War.

Following the war, he was able to reunite with both Nanami and Jowy, marking his own personal victory. Even if he should face further hardships in the future, the support of his friends should allow him to keep moving forward.

Other Appearances

You will never have a name.

The hero appears in Super Bomberman R Online (スーパーボンバーマン R オンライン), a battle royale free-to-play Bomberman game from Konami.

He was added as a playable character called Suikoden 2 Hero Bomber (輝く盾の紋章の英雄ボンバー, Kagayaku Tate no Monshō no Eiyū Bonbā, Bright Shield Rune Hero Bomber) at the start of the game's third season on December 17, 2021.

From Planet Dunan, this version of the hero leads the New City-State Army against the Highland Kingdom and the ambitions of the nefarious Prince Luca.

His special skill is the Twintooth, which allows him to knock bombs and opponents away by spinning his tonfa.

Concept and Design

Hero concept art by Ishikawa Fumi

Originally the hero was designed to wield a staff, much like the hero of the first game. However, this was changed during development so as not to create a tradition that all main characters in the series would use staffs. The decision to use tonfa specifically was made after much research into Chinese martial arts books.

Early in development, the hero's circlet was also envisioned as a hachimaki, a Japanese headband, but was eventually changed after Ishikawa Fumi drew him with a Sun Wukong-type headband after a joking suggestion from a colleague. His red outfit was a deliberate attempt to remind the player of the main character from Suikoden.

The inclusion of Nanami as his elder sister was intended to ground the hero as more of a "commoner" in contrast to the "young master" of the first game. His reserved personality was also designed to be overshone by his childhood friends.

Name

The hero of Suikoden II has no in-game name, but is occasionally referred to by different names in other publications and releases. In the 2000 novelization, as well as the 2008 Radio Genso Suikoden: Assemble! 108 Stars! radio drama, he is called Riou (リオウ, Riou), the most popular name used for him by fans. The 2009 manga, Genso Suikoden The Being Torn Spirit, gives him a different name, Tao (タオ, Tao).

In guide books, he is usually referred to as HeroII (主人公II) or some variant thereof, such as II主人公 to distinguish himself as the protagonist of the second Suikoden title. All Genso Suikoden Card Stories cards featuring him also refer to him simply as 主人公 as the hero of the first game is referred to as McDohl.

Gallery

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  Suikoden II artwork by Ishikawa Fumi

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  Genso Suikoden Genso Shinsho Vol.1 artwork by Okashila.

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  Genso Suikogaiden Vol.2 artwork by Yashioka Sho

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  Genso Suikoden Card Stories artwork by Ishikawa Fumi

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  Suikoden II promotional artwork by Ishikawa Fumi

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  Super Bomberman R Online artwork by Takenami Hideyuki

References

1. Genso Suikoden II 108 Stars Character Guide (ISBN 4-88317-769-6), pages 42, 84-5
2. Genso Suikoden Genso Shinsho Vol.1 (ISBN 4-88317-796-3), pages 32-59
3. Genso Suikoden Encyclopaedia (ISBN 4-575-16297-3), pages 174-175
4. Marugoto! Genso Suikoden Book (ISBN 978-4-7577-3673-3), page 40
5. Genso Suikoden Kiwami Encyclopedia, pages 179, 258