Ian

SDMN (Swordsman)HERO (Hero)

Just like any other Shining Force game, Ian is the main character and leader. He starts with the Egress spell and may eventually learn some weak bolt spells, whether or not he can actually use them due to his low MP value. Most of the time, his statistics are fairly average. Enemies will often attack him when they have a choice of attacking any other character in your party, so place him in your lineup carefully.

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Mead

KNTE (Knight)PLDN (Paladin)

Mead is a good character to keep near the back of the party throwing spears. He can stand to take a few hits with his high HP and Defense, but being one of the few fighting characters who can actually attack from a distance makes him especially useful in a position where your party needs to focus on a single enemy unit. While a Paladin, most of Mead's attacks are incredibly useful against enemies due to his extremely high Attack statistic and excellent choice of equipment.

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Paige

SLDR (Soldier)WARR (Warrior)

Paige is valuable as an offensive and defensive member of your party. He can take a hit and deal one out just as successfully, and enemies always seem to like to target him for his below-average HP. Like all Soldiers, however, Paige will not be able to withstand repeated magic attacks, so substitute him with characters with high HP when the need arises. As a Warrior, Paige becomes even more useful with the ability to equip better, magically capable axes.

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Sonette

ACHR (Archer)SNIP (Sniper)

Sonette always seemed to be the character who had the least trouble gaining experience points in my party. Even for an Archer, she has decent Defense, her attack and range have few comparisons, and her HP can reach a high enough level for her to take a few hits and not have to worry about it. An upgraded Archer, this class allows Sonette to attack from a further distance while dealing heavier damage.

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Hawel

MAGE (Mage)WIZD (Wizard)

Wow, it's Harry Potter! Anyway, Hawel's statistics are low and his spells, which he'll only ever learn 3 of, make him a limited character. However, being a Mage, he can attack from a great distance with powerful spells and can cause serious damage to otherwise difficult enemies. Hawel's not much better as a Wizard; in fact, the only thing that makes him a worthwhile character is his mastery of the Blaze and Freeze spells.

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Knuckles

MONK (Monk)MMNK (Master Monk)

Were it not for his healing abilities, Knuckles the Monk would be completely burdensome to your party. He can't move far enough to attack, and when he does the damage is minimal, so you have to work hard to develop him into the character he was meant to be. As a Master Monk, Knuckles can do some decent damage and actually has some useful spells with enough MP to cast them. He may not be the best character, but considering your healing abilities throughout the game are limited for various reasons (Cynthia), bringing him along couldn't hurt.

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Cynthia

HEAL (Healer)PRST (Priest)

To call Cynthia a Healer in comparison to Knuckles or Morton would be foolish. Cynthia functions more efficiently as a fighter, except her Defense and HP values are too low to allow her to successfully take more than one or two hits in a single battle without being healed. Her Attack rating easily rivals some of your better fighters, and she learns the Aura spell, so definitely consider using her, even if she runs out of MP quickly. As a Priest, Cynthia's magical and attack abilities only strengthen, and ultimately, she becomes a better character.

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Ruburan

THIF (Thief)NINJ (Ninja)

Unlike thieves in previous versions of the Shining Force series, Ruburan can attack from a distance with every weapon in his arsenal and can do so for considerable amounts of damage. You will find him incredibly useful from the time he joins your party until the final battle. Assuming you didn't think throwing knives would be cool enough, the promotion to a Ninja for Ruburan allows him to use spells very similar to that of a mage (in addition to his remaining superior attack power and range). He becomes a very versatile character but is not by himself capable of dominating the enemy party; keep him healed whenever necessary.

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Kiddo

BDMN (Birdman)BTLR (Battler)

Kiddo is your average birdman. His attack and HP is pretty good, but lacks some in defense. His ability to fly anywhere makes him valuable during the point of the game when he joins you. As a Bird Battler, Kiddo remains the same average character, with the exception of being able to equip stronger swords.

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Sylvia

KNTE (Knight)PLDN (Paladin)

Much like Mead, Sylvia is a useful offensive member of the force. Her statistics don't shine quite like Mead's, but her defense compensates for that greatly, allowing her to function more independently than your other Knight who would require a healer to launch an offensive attack. As a Paladin, her stats only improve.

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Julia

BDMN (Birdman)BTLR (Battler)

Like Kiddo, Julia is a fairly average character. She can do enough damage for a flying member of the party to make her useful enough to keep around, but she quickly falls behind if not boosted in attack by magic or with equipment (which you probably won't have by the time she becomes less useful). Kiddo is still stronger than Julia, so if you ever need to choose between them, kick Julia to the curb and keep Kiddo!

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Eric

DGMN (Dragonman)

From the moment he joins your party, Eric proves to be a useful ally for numerous reasons. He can fly, preventing any terrain from inhibiting his movement, and he can equip swords that. He eventually becomes out-performed by Kiddo, but is still better than Julia. Honestly though, I always keep him around just for the fact that he's a badass dragon man!! And he doesn't take shit from anyone!

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Minto

WIZD (Wizard)

She's so cute!! Minto may not have the higher statistics that Hawel does, but her arsenal of spells is far superior. Her spells can do a wide range of damage accordingly and can lower the defense and speed of numerous enemy targets at once, allowing her to either attack directly or assist other party members depending on the situation.

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Morton

MMNK (Mastermonk)

Morton cannot deal significant damage like Knuckles or Cynthia may be able to, but as he advances in levels that will quickly change. He has a high enough MP value to be more useful than Cynthia as a healer, making him more or less a duplicate of Knuckles with different spells.

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Sasuke

NINJ (Ninja)

He keeps reminding me of Sasuke from Naruto. Anyway, you've already got a ninja by the time Sasuke joins your party, but another one certainly couldn't hurt; in fact, it's an asset. Sasuke, while his statistics are slightly lower than Ruburan's, can cast spells and attack from up to two spaces away, making him very effective no matter what your strategy is.

*Sasuke is a secret character! You find him in the beginning of Battle 16 at the cactus to the left of the force. Click here for a map

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Ridian

WARR (Warrior)

His statistics easily rival his counterpart, Paige, which ultimately makes him both useful for offensive and defensive maneuvers. However, his movement limits him from reaching the enemies as quickly and efficiently as some of your other party members, so take this into consideration when selecting an appropriate party.

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Kojirou

SMR (Samurai)

His statistics will grow quickly as you begin to use him, and he can take a few hits without being killed by the enemy party. His only skill is attacking from melee range, however, so using him is not as vital as using a more specialized member of the party.

*Kojirou is a secret character! You find him in the discolored grass in the southeast corner of Battle 19. Click here for a map

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Max

HERO (Hero)

IT'S MAX FROM SHINING FORCE 1! AWESOME!! As if it wasn't cool enough that he joins you, he has a new dimension common to all modern heroes of Shining Force: The Bolt Spell. Max becomes just as useful as Ian with the exception of his lower statistics which, ultimately, makes him still an incredibly useful character for your party.

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Oddeye

GDVL (Greater Devil)

Oddeye is one of the final villains in Shining Force 2! It's so cool that he joins you in this game!! For some stupid reason, Oddeye has MP and continues to gain MP but never gains any spells. His fighting is mediocre in comparison to the rest of your party, but occasionally he will fire a laser that deals far more damage to the enemy target. His usefulness comparatively, therefore, is more of a gamble than a strategist consideration.

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