108 Stars of Destiny is a hub in the soon-to-be remastered Suikoden series. The group not only acts as a core group of heroes, but also acts as one piece of the rich knowledge surrounding the creation of the game world. The series has its characters loosely based on the ancient Chinese novel Water Margin, which itself is related to the Taoist principle that each person’s fate is linked to a particular star.
Suikoden’s main series spans five JRPG titles. Although the story is told out of order – the first three games are arranged chronologically, the fourth precedes the first, and the fifth is the original – they all take place in the same world made by the same feud between two celestial brothers. The disagreement between the sword and shield around which was stronger resulted in the destruction of both, their remnants becoming earth and heaven, and the sparks from the battle forming 108 stars.
Each of these stars has basic characteristics and traits, and throughout the ages, different people have been guided who are destined to change the world with one star or another. While all those who share the same star have their own motives and feelings, they too, according to their custom destinies, must also bear some similarities.
Now, 108 is a massive number of characters to include in any game, but the Suikoden series pulls it off constantly, and all-stars are either playable or offer a support function – whether in battle, in your base of operations, or both. We couldn’t cover them all in one article, but here are some of the highlights.
The obvious place to start is Tenkai Star, the main star of the sky, which plays the role of uniting the other 107 stars around it. Likewise, all the characters marked with this star will act as the one who unites the game’s individuals and factions against the particular enemy of that era. The main characters in four of the games – Tir, Riou, Lazlo and Freyjadour – all fall under this star. They come from a variety of social situations, from Ryo being an orphan in war to Frigador being a prince in Quendome. While they represent very different backgrounds, the four seem to be kind and brave young men who aren’t afraid to stand up to the forces at hand (although they are silent heroes, your imagination is up to fill in the gaps).
The oddity here is Tenkai Star of the Third game, Thomas. Thomas is the long-lost bastard son of a nobleman. After the death of his peasant mother, his father easily disposes of him by making him the lord of a dilapidated, mostly deserted castle in the middle of nowhere.
Unlike the other entries in the series, Suikoden III uses an appendix Trinity Sight System, allowing us to view the war between the tribes of Grassland and the Zexen Federation from the perspectives of three different main characters. But as the owner of the final main base of the protagonist’s army, which, as it turns out, is located in a neutral zone between Grassland and Zexen, he still manages to play the role of unity and push the warring nations to find common ground. Physically frail and frail, Thomas has serious doubts about his abilities, he is the only Tenkai star who does not possess a true Talisman, but his inclusion in the series of heroes highlights how even a gentle, pacifist warrior prince can bear the same spirit.
Of course, two of these stars are played by the same person in the main series game. The first of these is Genewho represents Shiketsu staror the Star of Noble Wisdom. Jane never seems to age, leading many fans to speculate that she possesses one of the 27 real, undiscovered runes. Although the games have never confirmed this, some recurring characters appearing in multiple titles have captured Jane’s longevity and made comments about her.
Functionally, Jane has always acted as a rune sage for your army, offering her services in affixing and removing runes that grant access to basic magic and other special powers, as well as managing the rune shop. But despite their constant presence in games, each post willfully ignore their own back story; Any attempt to gain insight into it, such as hiring a resident army informant, does little or nothing. However, it is clear that she knows a lot more about the world than the general public.
The only other consistent star is shitatsu staror quick starwhich is the permanent position of the user of the blinking rune, Vicki. Vicky’s rune, and possibly her magic mirror, allows her to teleport herself and her allies. She is portrayed as filthy, and her strength seems to fade whenever she sneezes, which may be an indication that she can travel through time involuntarily, which explains her appearance through the ages.
However, there is one exception to this rule, as in Suikoden III Viki appears as two separate characters – the normal adult version as well as the taciturn and capable child version who instead represents chisoko staror the rushing star.
Although not filled with the same character in every game, Tinky Staror star of wisdomis almost always played by a member of Silverberg family, or at least one of their students. Despite sharing a dynasty, the Three Silverbergs – ElinorAnd the MatthewAnd the Caesar – Very different people. Elinor is fervent, which contrasts with her descendant Matthew’s earnest disdain for war. Meanwhile, Caesar, the youngest of the three, is seemingly slender and relaxed, often harassing his subordinate for his hard work, but still rejoices in effortlessly outperforming his opponents. But despite the differences in their personalities, the trait of common wisdom of the Silverberg family serves them all well, and they all become competent strategists for their army and advisor to their corresponding hero.
And all of these characters hardly scratch the surface of the traits that constantly enter into the 108 Stars of Destiny, the leaders of revolutions and the makers of tomorrow. The Suikoden series’ use of 108 stars as a narrative element is a reminder that although we all have destiny, there are plenty of paths that lead there, and there is a great story behind each of them.
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