Suikoden II 2 recruiting PS1 108 Stars of Destiny character list

In an attempt to make the Suikoden II 108 Stars Walkthrough easier to navigate while playing, I’ve listed characters based on how early you can recruit them. Questions / Comments down below.


1 – Riou – Hero from Kyaro.Absurdly good in battle in every category – prime healer once acquiring Bright Shield Rune.
$ – Jowy – Not a star, because of an event that happens.
But his Black Sword Rune is one of the most powerful runes in any Suikoden – watch Jowy wreak havoc in the Sindar Ruins. Much later you will see the level 4 Black Sword Rune ability – very destructive.
2 – Nanami – Hero’s sister Nanami. They live together in Kyaro with Genkaku. Fast with a high critical attack, but lacking in attack power, defense and magic. With Spark Rune she will boost up the entire party’s agility.
3 – Gengen – First you meet Gengen the Kobold at Viktor’s Fort. Gengen goes to get Flour at Ryube with you. He later joins automatically. Not a fan of Gengen in battle – strength and defense are average at best for a front line fighter, and his technique is awful. No magical ability. I’ll end on a good note though -  I think he has a unite with Gabocha.
4- Mukumuku – The first optional recruit, and one of the hardest recruits in the game if not the hardest. Though, there are two times when you can recruit Mukumuku. The first time to recruit Mukumuku is when you get to Kyaro with Jowy. Jowy heads to his house and you can do the same (northwest part of Kyaro). But as you take that screen west out of town near your house. Head north (east of your house) to see a large tree. Search it three times and Hero will walk around, and Mukumuku comes out. Mukumuku has been recruited.
If you miss Mukumuku here, you can recruit Mukumuku later in the game (After liberating Greenhill I believe). Along the path from Greenhill – Muse, you can walk around that stone path with only the Hero (or at least an open spot) and eventually Mukumuku will join you. I think you MUST first talk to the girl in Greenhill that mentions something about a ‘red-caped squirrel’. Otherwise he won’t be on the path.
He is actually a fine warrior in battle – lacking in HP, but his defense stands up for a short time and his attack is quick, powerful and gets critical hits somewhat regularly. You could do worse, especially early on as his tough defense limits enemies to 1-5 damage for a while (though his HP is low).
5 – Rikimaru – Interesting character.You find him passed out at Ryube once you are able to wander around and recruit characters. Talk to him and pay the 3000 potch to the Innkeeper for all he ate.
Seems like he would be good, but really only excels with total hit points. Attack is average for a front line fighter and his defense is poor (but as stated before, his high HP makes up for it). No magical ability and gets carved up with his magic defense. His only real use in battle for you would be if you randomly have him in your party for the Sindar Ruins event (when you leave Viktor’s Fort and your force is randomly determined). He is actually a decent candidate, if you end up with him.
6 – Millie – Another subpar Ryube character. You meet her early on, and once you are able to ‘recruit’ characters for Viktor, talk to her at Ryube. She is closer to the northeast forest exit. Agree to go with her to find her pet Bonaparte. Head east in the forest to find Bonaparte, which turns into a monster. This can be a volatile battle, with all your weak under-leveled characters. But use your best abilities, Bonaparte does not have a lot of HP. Millie joins afterwards.
Millie is a middle ranged character, but her attack is feeble. She is not much more capable magically either, though if you are going to use her it will probably have to be as a low-level rune user. Her one saving grace is that her Bonaparte Rune actually takes off 3X damage but once a battle. Still not worth justifying using her in battle, and if you end up with her in your party for the Sindar Ruins sidequest, you’ll be pissed.
7 – Shiro – One of the best early characters, and definitely a personal favorite in battles. You recruit Shiro as you recruit Kinnison. During your first recruiting trip in Ryube, you will talk to Millie and go off to the forest for her sidequest. Well, take the north path first instead of east towards Millie’s pet. Go near the bird, and put the bird back in the nest. This is essential. After finishing the fight with Bonaparte for Millie, return back to that screen to see Kinnison and Shiro looking over that bird’s nest. Take credit for helping the bird, and they will sense you are peaceful and are recruited.
Shiro is a great high-risk high-reward character. His speed is very high and he counterattacks often – he’s a wolf after all. And he gets critical hits often too. However, Shiro has a vulnerable defense, and his HP is not that high. Not to mention he gets carved up by magic. Still, he is one of the most powerful early characters for you. You will be very happy to get him for the Sindar Ruins side quest.
Note that early on, you may run into a Double-Beat Rune. If so, equip this on Shiro immediately to make him an absolute juggernaut.
8 – Kinnison – The master of Shiro. To recruit, see above. Kinnison in battle is not a pretty sight. Another weak long-range attacker, with little to no magical ability. Kinnison’s use comes down to his unite with Shiro – it does 1.5 damage to a front line enemy, and 0.5 damage to the enemy in the back row. This is somewhat useful, but if you have the Double-Beat Rune for Shiro, you are probably better served to have him do two regular attacks anyway (since that’d be more damage, though the unite is at least a 100% hit).
9 – Zamza – One of the first recruits, but you find him at Toto as you are checking out recruits for Viktor. You must bring Nanami with you. They will talk for a while and not get along – just go along with Zamza and have him join. Note that if you don’t get him here, you can get him later at South Window.
Another one of my early favorites along with Shiro. This guy is versatile. His attacks are decent – granted he is slow and has a poor technique, so it’s not quite the best option. And he has a powerful yet self-destructive rune to use. But the thing that makes Zamza valuable is his astounding magical ability for a front line character. Later on in the game you may even wish to have him act as a back-row character, exclusively for magic (the Luca Blight battle comes to mind). Try a Lightning Rune on him to see what I’m talking about – he gets lots of high powered magic spells and by the time you fight Luca Blight, he has a level 4 Lightning Rune spell. Along with Shiro and Anita, he is one of the best options for the Sindar Ruins.
10 – Hanna – Talk to her after Toto goes down (as you enter from the southeast, look to the side to see her and recruit her).
Groan…She looks like a tank, but really doesn’t have the skills to provide anything other than being a meatshield. Her defense is good, HP is good, and attack is average. Combined with Oulan, she can at least do more damage. But there are better characters to use at that point. One big advantage worth mentioning is her ability to equip shields, and especially the heavy armor that characters like Humphrey can equip. So if you put the potch into her defensive equipment, she can be tough to penetrate. Also, Hanna is a +3 in war battles so she is a useful chip for making a unit more powerful.
11 – Apple – Automatic recruit. She appears after the Toto incident and joins along with the storyline. She is not used in battle but acts as the one to prepare your War Battle characters later on.
12 – Viktor – Joins automatically as well. You will meet him early on, being saved and ending up at Viktor’s Fort.
Viktor is much more powerful than in Suikoden I. I actually didn’t like him much in Suiko 1, since you have to use him all the time yet his Clone Rune attacks weren’t that great. Suikoden II is a different story though, since we can buy things like a Fury Rune and / or a Warrior Rune. Viktor has one of the highest base strengths in the entire game, so if you do that extra work you’ll see how beastly he can become. Many boast about the thousands of damage points he racks up per hit.
13 – Flik – Joins automatically along with Viktor.
The Flik in Suikoden II is not too different from the Suikoden I Flik. He is still good at attacking and a great Lightning Rune user. Skilled overall. When using him in battle, you should have no problem utilizing his many abilities based on the situation. In War Battles, Flik acts as a Bow-Cavalry unit.
14 – Tsai – Automatic recruit, after Flik and Viktor have you go get him. He is in the Ryube Forest.
Tsai is the Fire Spear engineer, and can use these valuable weapons in War Battles. They can shoot up to 3 enemies in front of you – War Battle damage is unpredictable, so attacking multiple targets at least gives you more chances to succeed. This is a powerful tactic early on. In regular battles, Tsai is not quite as powerful. His technique is high so he will rarely miss, but his defense is poor, his attack is close to poor, and he has no magical ability. Hard to justify using in battle.
15 – Tuta – Young boy who runs around with Doctor Huan. Also will go with you and Gengen to get Flour. When you get to Muse later on, go to the building north of the Inn – you will see Tuta walking around outside. Talk to him, and then a scene inside with Doctor Huan. Huan allows Tuta to join your army.
Tuta is terrible in battle. Long range weapon, but extremely weak. Very little magic ability. Tuta’s main ability is the Medicine Rune, which supposedly uses Medicine but I don’t quite understand how it works.
16 – Anita – Powerful lady you meet at Muse (once you get in after Sindar Ruins). She is at the Inn / Bar. Recruiting her takes some of your time and patience. First of all, bring Antitoxin. You need to do 3 or 4 different things for her and this is one of them. To get her to prompt you to do something for her…you have to talk to her a lot. However, once you do one thing for her, you have to leave the town of Muse and re-enter. Talk to her again upon re-entering and she will ask you to do something else. After you have done 3 things, she will offer to join you. Note that if you miss her here, you can recruit her much later at Banner Village. Just get her at Muse.
Anita is a powerful warrior. Those who have played Suikoden I remember her Falcon Rune from Valeria. She is similar to Valeria in that respect, though the Falcon Rune has been toned down (both in regards to the amount of damage done, and the fact that she misses quite often in this one when doing it). Anita does have a brilliant Unite Attack with Valeria for later on in the game, if you happen to get her. Statistically speaking though, Anita is a powerful front-line fighter – strong, decent defense, no magical ability but her Rune has potential.
17 – Templton – Templton returns from Suikoden I. Your first chance at recruiting her is after you are given the mission from Jess to check out Highland rations. Once you get that mission, head through Toto and to theMercenary Fortress. You will get there in time to see Templton being shown the door. Next, go back to Toto and travel north through the village, taking the second left to see Templton again. She will join you and give you the Suiko Map.
If you miss her at this point, you should be able to go east through Radat after you reach that part of Lake Dunan. You can then go to Mercenary Fortress / Toto through that route.
18 – Gilbert – A guy who is hard to recruit, because a lot of it comes down to luck. Make sure to have a separate Save once you enter Muse with Alex’s pass.
Once you are in Muse for a while, you hear that the Highland Army is attacking. Annabelle will ask Viktor to stall the Highland Army for a few days. This is the battle you want to save before. Spend all of your time attacking Gilbert, using a Fire Spear and anything you can on him. The idea is to damage him (he has two damage points in War Battle, you just need one). After this, he will switch sides (and hope he doesn’t lose his unit / die in battle). If you do not do damage to him, you cannot recruit Gilbert. This is why you need to save before this battle – it is likely you will damage Gilbert if you have everyone attack him, but there is still the possibility that you don’t take off any damage. So don’t miss him. He is not used in regular battles, but will act as a Commander for you in War Battles.
19 – Eilie – 1 / 3rd of the traveling performers. She joins you on your way to Kyaro but her entourage does not officially join until you meet again at Coronet and need to escape the area. She joins automatically.
Eilie in battle is a bit of a mixed bag. Her attack is usable, and so is her magical ability. But she’s not great at any one thing, which can leave an unspectacular feeling in your mouth. Still can be useful especially early on when you don’t have many great choices.
20 – Bolgan – The goofyball of the performers. Joins with Rina and Eilie at Coronet.
In battle, Bolgan is frustrating to use. His attack is decent, defense is below average. But the worst part is his technique is so awful, he probably misses 50%+ of his regular attacks. If he gets countered, even worse. This can be salvaged by using his Unite attack, but then you’re forcing Eilie and Rina into using their turn up to do a three-way unite that isn’t all that powerful. So basically, the hoops you have to jump through to make Bolgan useful just aren’t worth your time to do – enjoy his efforts at North Sparrow Pass, but his usefulness ends there pretty much.
21 – Rina – Ah Rina, the true prize of the Performers. She is weak physically, with HP, and defense. But Rina is one of the elite magicians. Not quite Luc-elite, but on that second tier. She reaches 100+ magic power real early in the game, making her a great candidate to spam Lightning Magic on Lord Luca Blight. May also want to give her a Pale Gate Rune, or a Wizard Rune to make her magic attack even more powerful. Keep her in your rotation – she is worth using all the way to the end of the game if you wish, and is so much more effective than her two circus friends.
22 – Freed Y – Wow. South Window vassal, he joins after the incident with Lord Granmeyer as you just enter the area and take North Window Castle. Has a significant story role.
Just a putrid character in battle, and the worst part is you are forced to use him a few times (including a long journey to Gregminster, ugh). By that time, Freed Y is an embarrassment. He starts off with a Lightning Rune attached to his weapon, which sadly is the best thing about him. For a front-line fighter, you probably couldn’t pick out a worse character. His attack is inept, his defense not much better. No magical ability to speak of. Really, he can’t provide much for us – just a waste of a front line spot, a spot in the lineup that generally provides a lot of punch. As I said, it’s just a shame we are forced to use him on more than one occasion.
23 – Shu – Brilliant but aloof pupil from Mathiu’s school. Friends with Apple and joins with the storyline events at Radat. Supports Hero as the strategist in Suikoden II. In War Battles, Shu has a +3 attack – for a protip, let’s just say I like to pair Shu with Luc’s magic unit.
24 – Leona – One of the older classics who you meet at Viktor’s Mercenary Fortress. She acts as the one to change in party members and takes care of Pilika.
25 – Barbara – She takes care of your item depot. Joins automatically.
26 – Huan – You will first meet Huan at Muse City as he is there with Tuta. Huan is recruited automatically once you acquire the castle. Huan acts as one of the best Healing options in War Battles.
27 – Luc – Luc shows up with Leknaat and the 108 Stars of Destiny Tablet. Luc was always an underrated magician in Suikoden 1 I felt, once it was realized he couldn’t survive in the front line. Same thing with Suikoden II, except now he can equip 3 runes very early on. Get rid of that Pixie Rune and Wind Rune. Utilize his magic total for several high-level Lightning Rune spells. Grabbing a Wizard Rune for him at Two Riverwould be a wise choice. And when you get the Blue Gate Rune, you will want to give this to Luc to put on his head. The level 4 spell is dangerous, but that’s fine, save those for the Lightning Rune level 4 spell. But the Level 3 Blue Gate Rune does great damage, and the level 2 can instant-kill enemies. Stick him in the back row and have him cast high level magic all day long. He is arguably the best magician in the game, rivaled by a hermit-like Wizard you get much later.
If that wasn’t enough, he’s generally the backbone of my army in War Battles. I generally stick Shu and his +3 attack in Luc’s group, and put in someone else like Hanna with +2. Though he cannot move fast, you can have Luc slowly come to the front lines with your other forces guarding him, and have Luc focus on attacking. Attacking from afar, he will only get counter-attacked by other magicians (who you should have your other units take out). Luc’s high regular attack can consistently tear up front-line fighters, and is one of the only units that is going to penetrate the absolute best enemy commander units (Yuber, Kiba, Luca, etc). Sets Luc up well for that other game he is involved in…
28 – Alex – The adventurous guy you met going to the Sindar Ruins. After your retreat and eventual taking over of North Window, go to South Window when you get a chance. Check out the 2nd floor of the Inn to see Hilda and Alex. They both gladly join you and act as your innkeeper and item shop owner respectively.
29 – Hilda – See Alex above.
30 – Tai Ho – My favorite from Suikoden I, but they screwed these guys. You meet him at Coronet, and you have to win 5000 potch in his game. Save before doing this to ensure you don’t lose money. They take you to Kuskus, but later on you are asked to look for someone who can man a ship. Then go to the Kuskus Port to recruit Tai Ho and Yam Koo.
Tai Ho is still very powerful and with a Killer Rune his crit-rate makes him useful as an attacker. But he does little else for us, with no magic ability and is not a strong defensive character. Plus I miss his Unite with Yam Koo that blew any enemy away. A talented character but his overall ability is clearly lacking without his companion.
31 – Yam Koo – One of the rare things Suikoden II did wrong was take away Yam Koo from battles. Wow, why? Would it have been that hard to give him a spear, a generic name for it, and stats similar to but weaker to Tai Ho? They could have kept the unite attack going. Instead, Yam Koo just fishes with you. To be fair, S2 was clearly trying to tone down some of the Unite Attacks that got out of hand in S1. Which is a big reason magicians are so dominant in Suikoden II.
32 – Amada – You have to duel Amada at Radat to shut the sluice gate. Not a tough duel, probably not worth panicking if you didn’t save beforehand. Later on, you are told to look for a person to act as captain of your ship. Amada can be one of those guys (along with Tai Ho). Just recruit them both, but you have to duel Amada and kick his ass one more time to convince him.
Amada is Rikimaru-like in that his only significantly relevant statistic is his high HP total. His attack power growth is maybe slightly above average. His defense is okay but if left in the front line, his high HP can still go down quick.
33 – Richmond – Another Radat citizen. You meet him earlier on, as he helps you recruit Shu. After you have Headquarters at North Window, head over to Radat. Talk to Richmond in the south part of town, by the appraisal shop. If you guess the right one (heads or tails) with his coin flip, he will join. But you cannot win this. Instead, talk to him a lose. Then go to the Bar in the northwest part of town. Take to the guy just west as you enter. He gives you a special coin. Return to Richmond with the special coin, and you then recruit Richmond. He does not serve much purpose, but he does check up on all 108 Stars of Destiny, finding out secret information. Can be neat.
34 – Yoshino – This is Freed Y’s wife. She must be proud of her husband’s battle-tested ways. Anyway, she is in Radat. Put Freed Y in your party, and go to the south part of town, then east past the fence. You will see clothes hanging on the line. Yoshino should be here too. Talk to her and she will force herself into your army so she can stay with Freed Y.
Yoshino is a character I rarely use. She lacks magical ability and can only fight in the back row – albeit with a weak weapon. She seems to be skilled as far as technique but she has little else in her favor.
35 – Adlai – Strange inventor in South Window. You should find him a tad east and north of the Trader’s Shop. Now you need a few things to recruit Adlai. Fortunately, two of them can be found at South Window. Buy a Wooden Shield at the Armory and a Wind Crystal at the rune shop (if you don’t have those items already). Now you also need a Sacrificial Jizo – Bolgan has one of these in one of his item slots. Take one if you wish, or maybe Alex’s item shop at HQ has one. Bring all of those things to Adlai – he will first ask for a Sacrificial Jizo, so give that to him. Then give him the Wooden Shield. Next, you have the option to throw the Wind Crystal at him, so do so. Adlai then joins you. He runs the elevator at your place. The only problem with recruiting him would be if Bolgan’s Sacrificial Jizo is used up – then you may have to wait a bit until you run across a Sacrificial Jizo.Well, actually the next character has one too…
In War Battles, Adlai has an Invention ability he can use. His attack / defense is +0 / +0, but this Invention ability can cause damage to all surrounding enemies including his own unit!
36 – Oulan – Oulan can be found at Kuskus if you have a party full of females (along with Hero, of course). If you talk to the old lady to the left as you enter Kuskus, she will tell of the jerks who attack people with women. So with this full group of females, go to the left part of town over the bridge, and you will get jumped. But Oulan saves you.
Oulan is the bodyguard literally and figuratively. Her defense is stout as she can equip a shield and heavy armor, not to mention her magic defense is solid. Obviously cannot perform magic but as a front liner, she is blessed statistically. Oulan and Hanna also have a Unite attack if you happen to have both of them on the front. Oulan’s Bodyguard ability in War Battles protects characters in Oulan’s group from death, I believe.
37 – Taki – The old lady at Lakewest Village. You can go west of your base to Lakewest after you get a ship captain. She is in the northwest house. Just talk to her 3 times and after that, she will just join you. She’s like Onil in Suikoden I, so you can talk to her at your base for the latest gossip.
38 – Clive – Clive is a special character in Suikoden II. He has his own ongoing quest of chasing Elza around. You have to help him along the way, but have strict time limits as far as bringing Clive to Elza at certain places.
Anyway, to recruit Clive we just have to run into Elza at Muse City early on, in the northeast part of town. Help her out by taking what she gives you, then leave the town. Clive will come out and confront Elza, while Elza holds up Hero as a hostage. Clive shoots, misses, and Elza runs off. Clive chases her. You HAVE to have seen this scene to continue the quest with Clive. Next, you will see him at South Window, just south of the entrance. He needs a way to Lakewest, but you don’t have a means of getting there for a while. However, once you go to Lakewest (need Amada or Tai Ho) you can go back to South Window and tell Clive you have a way there. He will join your party.
Now the rest of Clives quest with Elza probably warrants it’s own page, so we’ll save that for another time. But suffice to say, it’s not a bad thing having to bring Clive around to Elza with how he is in battle. Clive has avery high technique ability, and if you put some money into his weapon and give him a Warrior Rune / Fury Rune, he will be extremely powerful. Clive already has a high critical-attack rate, and his attack power is higher than most long-range allies. He has no magical ability so he is kind of a one trick pony, staying in the back row shooting enemies, but nonetheless it’s a role he plays probably better than anyone else in Suikoden II.
39 – Hans – Hans is the armorer. His armor is comprised of the armors you see at other armor shops around the world. You will see Hans on the 2nd floor of the Two River Inn. You can recruit him immediately, or if you want some big time potch and don’t mind waiting, you can ask for money so he can open a shop. If you don’t mind being an ass I’d recommend it, since you don’t really need him this minute, but getting a large sum of Potch is helpful considering how easy it is to burn through sharpening weapons and buying Fury Runes / Wizard Runes / Warrior Runes.
40 – Fitcher – A vassal of Muse, he flees the city and you meet him as he is working for Makai of Two Rivers. After chasing back Klaus and Kiba, Fitcher is fired by Makai and joins you automatically. Can’t be used in battle, he is just a storyline personality.
41 – Ridley – Leader of the Two River Kobolds. Ridley joins automatically after aiding them to drive back Highland.
Ridley cannot be used in normal battle, but he is one of the top generals in War Battles. His unit is very high in attack naturally and with some good units he can be an absolute beast on the front lines. Ridley’s Critical Attacks are satisfying to watch.
42 – Chaco – Annoying Winger who joins automatically after repelling Highland.
Chaco is a decent if not unspectacular ally in battle. He is fast, good enough technique, and a decent attack. But that’s about it. He offers little with magic. In War Battles, Chaco allows you to fly around the battlefield. I think he provides just a +0 Attack +1 Defense but his ability to cruise will likely warrant a spot under some general.
43 – Gabocha – Admirer of the great Gengen. Gabocha is at the Two River Kobold District, in the first house you see. Bring Gengen there after defending Two Rivers from Highland. Gabocha will want to join and follow with Gengen.
Note that if you wait until you get the Greenhill mission, you will not be able to recruit Gabocha until after Greenhill. Gabocha will not be in the house if your Greenhill party is assembled.
In battle, Gabocha has a weak long-range attack. He has a Kobold Attack with Gengen but I think it takes off 1x damage (so pointless, besides the fact it’ll hit 100%).
44 – Tetsu – Go to the Kobold District of Two Rivers and buy some Fried Tacos. A couple sets actually, and equip them on your characters. Go into battle and use the Fried Tacos on Riou, until he starts smoking. He is now ‘toasty’. Bring him to Lakewest, and check out the house in the northwest (not Taki’s house, the one to the right of it). Tetsu is in here, and he will appreciate how Toasty you are. Tetsu is then recruited to make baths at your castle.
45 – Shilo – The white trash looking guy at Lakewest Inn (once you defend Two River). You need to win 5000 potch from him in Chinchirorin, the game you play with Tai Ho. Just save before you do it to ensure you win and recruit Shilo. I actually had to go to HQ and then back to Lakewest to get Shilo to challenge me.
Shilo is not very useful in battle. Typical high-technique but weak long range character with no magical ability to compensate.
46 – Hai Yo – The cook. After returning from Two River, go to the northeast part of the castle and explore a bit. Once outside, you will see Hai Yo speaking with a guy, and you can then let Hai Yo be your cook. The area transforms with plush seating and Hai Yo’s custom kitchen. Not sure why anyone would use him in battle, but if you want to experiment then by all means. Not at all unlike Antonio and Lester in Suiko I.
47 – Sid – A winger in the sewer below the Winger section of Two River. You may have stumbled upon this earlier and after a creepy encounter, automatically left the room. If you have not found the room yet, look next to a ladder about halfway through the sewer. If you go left of this ladder you will go through the hole in the wall to Sid’s room. You need to have Chaco in your party, as Sid will mess with him for a bit. Then Sid just joins you so he can harass Chaco all day. You can recruit Sid before you go off to Greenhill, but you have to do it right after liberating Two River – if you get your Greenhill mission, you cannot recruit any optional characters until it’s finished.
Very similar to Chaco in battle, accept maybe a little slower but more attack. Sid unfortunately has a Waking Rune which causes him to be asleep starting a battle, but in Fury Mode when woken up.
48 – Stallion – This guy is running around Radat, and you’ve probably talked to him already. You need to run from 50 battles in order to beat him in a race. You can then recruit Stallion.
Always one of my favorite characters, because I love the added speed on the World Map. Especially useful if you’re trying to save time doing the Clive / Elza quest. Anyway, Stallion is mediocre in battle. Very fast, decent technique, but with a weak attack and no magic support. Since I like his World Map speed effect I try to salvage his spot in the 6-man battle roster by giving him a Warrior Rune or Fury Rune, something to augment his attacking ability.
49 – Wakaba – An interesting personality, wise about martial arts. Just find her to the east as you enter Forest Village – She’s actually available to recruit after Two Rivers is defended. You may need to return to HQ and go back to Forest Village (that is, without taking on the Greenhill mission).
Wakaba is a talent in battle. Not a brute as far as strength, and her defense is weak, but some of her other stats are amazing. Really high technique, speed and hit points.
50 – Tony – Check out the mayor’s house at Forest Village. The northeast house. Inside, you see Tony in the bedroom to the southeast. Keep asking him to come be the farmer at your castle, and the mayor will allow him. Just like Wakaba above, you can recruit Tony after Two Rivers but you may need to return to HQ and then go back to Forest Village.
Tony lets you play whack a mole. Fun, actually. And you can give him crops. Find him in the field to the northeast at Headquarters.
51 – Emilia – She shows you around when you initially go to Greenhill as students. Later on, you can find her behind the desk. You can even ask her questions about Shin, which will make her get suspicious. Just choose to explain yourselves, she is a trustworthy ally. At North Window, she acts as your librarian so give her your Old Book Volumes.
52 – Shin – Protector of Teresa, mayor of Greenhill. He joins automatically as you escape the city.
Shin looks pretty cool and has a 3x damage rune on his side, but he has some weaknesses that are exposed often as a front line character. Moderate HP, and a terrible defense. Between that and his 1-time-per-battleSpider Slay Rune, hopefully the battles end early.
53 – Teresa – Acting mayor of Greenhill, wanted by Highland. She is hiding out at Greenhill and the City-State wants to rescue her from the clutches of the Highlanders. Once you complete the sidequest in Greenhill as students, you can then recruit Teresa.
Teresa is not active in battle, and primarily is involved in storyline matters. But Teresa is actually a commander of a unit in War Battles, oddly enough. Her unit is always very weak, a base of 5-6 attack and 6-7 defense. I think it’s actually 5 / 6. So she’s weak, and you probably won’t want to waste your strong War generals making her attack go from terrible to marginal. Instead, stick healers or magicians in her unit. But Teresa does have a Bombard ability that allows you to attack a unit from a long distance. So this can actually prove useful against a weaker defensive foe like a magician unit, getting a quick damage point from way far away. That said, her attack is so weak you can’t expect too much.
54 – Nina – Crazy girl who chases Flik around at the Greenhill Academy. Eventually you find out she is involved with Teresa, and Nina eventually joins you.
Nina actually has some value as a decent magician in the Luca Blight battle at least. You can level her up to the high 30′s and get her over 100 for magic, netting her a few level 3 lightning rune spells and a valuable level 4 lightning rune spell. Other than that, I don’t use her at all. She’s a good magician, but there are many who are better. And her attack is putrid and not worth sharpening her weapon for.
55 – Meg – Classic Suikoden I character. You can find Meg at the Greenhill / Muse border, messing around with the guards. She can’t get through, so let her join your army.
Meg is pretty bad in this one, too. Mediocre magician, I guess maybe you could find some value sticking her with a Water Rune or something. Weak attack, but has a serviceable unite with Gadget. Who actually is pretty good…
56 – Gadget – Joins with Meg – see above.
Gadget has some value in battle. When built up, his defense is absurd. Stick him in the Luca Blight battle as a meatshield, and just watch and see what happens if Luca does a regular attack (without the fire). Luca takes off like 10 damage total. Gadget’s attacks are powerful, but he’ll miss a fair share. Again, he does have that unite with Meg, but that means you have to keep one subpar character (meg) and one average character (gadget) in your party. But Gadget should definitely be considered for the battle with Luca, with his high defense.
57 – Jeane – Jeane is at Two Rivers after fleeing Greenhill. You want to visit this rune shop often anyway since Warrior Runes / Wizard Runes will pop up from time to time. But let Jeane join your army, and she will be your runemaster. Of course, her inventory is stocked with everything you have seen in other stores, and she has no Rare Finds.
Jeane is a useful unit in War Battles. She has a Lightning Rune option that is definitely worth using – dare I say is one of the most likely-to-damage abilities in the entire game.
58 – Viki – Along the way to Matilda, you will run into Viki. Just have her join you – if you ask her to come with, she will teleport all of you to Headquarters.
Always one of the best characters, since she can send you anywhere you’ve been, saving you a lot of time. She’s actually a good mage too. Despite the fact that sometimes her spells backfire. But she has the Blinking Rune, which has a nice level 2 attack all spell. And she is a useful Lightning Rune user in the Luca Battle too, easily over 100 magic in the high 30 levels.
59 – Futch – Complete the Futch / Humphrey sidequest at Highway Village. It’s actually a hard side quest, with a tough Harpy boss and lots of strong foes along the way at Rakutei Mountain.
I’m not a fan of Futch in battle. He can equip some nice armor, but is pretty weak in terms of attack. Not to mention has no magical ability. I just have a hard time using these mediocre attack medium-ranged characters that can’t provide any sort of value either offensively or as a support magician.
60 – Humphrey – Joins with Futch after the sidequest. It starts when you see some scenes and Humphrey himself at Highway Village.
Just like the Humphrey from Suikoden I, he is a stalwart on the front lines. Great attack, decent enough technique, and an impregnable defense. Even better, if you equip a Windspun Armor on Humphrey in Suikoden I, it will transfer over to him in Suikoden II. This would be very nice as it’s a top heavy armor, making him absurdly strong defensively early on. Definitely use Humphrey in your battle against Luca.
61 – Miklotov – Joins automatically after the Matilda and then Muse events.
Miklotov is one of the best front line fighters you’ll find, both offensively and defensively. Terrible using or defending against magic, but that’s to be expected. Also has a good unite with the weaker Camus.
62 – Camus – Joins automatically with Miklotov.
Definitely the weaker of the two head Matilda Knights but also the more versatile one. He’s not great at magic, but he’s decent. Plus he has a Rage Rune, which is good. But I still don’t like to use him much.
63 – Kiba – After returning from Matilda, you will hear Radat is taken by Highland. It is Kiba and Klaus. After a few battles and Ridley’s fake retreat, you will have captured Kiba and Klaus. Say that they are too useful to execute and then recruit them.
Kiba cannot be used in normal battle, but is a staunch defender as a War Battle leader. Something like 7 attack / 12 defense are his base stats. Thus, he is a very useful front line unit.
64 – Klaus – Joins with Kiba above, if you spare them.
Klaus cannot be used in battle either, and mostly acts as a supporting tactician. In War Battles though, few are as valuable as Klaus. +0 attack but a whopping +3 defense. And he adds Cavalry and Evade.
65 – Kasumi / Valeria – You automatically get to choose one of these Suikoden I ladies to join your army, once you reach Gregminster. If you want the specifics on which to choose, read below.
It basically boils down to – Valeria is a powerful tank in battle, definitely more valuable than Kasumi in that regard. Will do more damage, have a higher defense, and when paired with Anita the two have one of the best unites in the game. Meanwhile, Kasumi has a weak attack and a terrible defense, and has to be stuck on the front line. It’s really a struggle having her in battle.
But recruiting Kasumi allows you to enter Rokkaku much earlier and to recruit two ninja characters there. A lot of people will choose her on this basis alone. So if you are racing against time doing the Clive quest, you probably want Kasumi. That said, it’s not fatal to your chances of completing the Clive quest and 108 Stars in 20 hours if you choose Valeria. Ultimately it just takes you a little longer to expand the castle and recruit the final characters.
66 – Sheena – Lepant’s son. As the head of the Toran Republic, Lepant orders Sheena to join your army.
Sheena actually isn’t too bad. Not great, but solid overall. Decent attacker. Not the highest defense or speed or technique, but again not too bad. Plus, he has decent magic power. For that reason, you may find yourself using him on the front lines against Luca. Not for his defense or physical prowess of course, but as another Lightning Rune user.
Note – many of the next recruits can be recruited much earlier, but I choose to wait until I have the Blinking Mirror from Lepant so that they can be done quicker. Especially the Hix quest.
67 – Lebrante – He wants a Celadon Urn. You may remember these from Suikoden I. Well, you can buy one at Gregminster trade shop. So do so, and return to Radat. You can then recruit Lebrante, even though he is an expensive appraisal option.
68 – Yuzu – Little girl at Kobold Village (the one south of Two River). You will see her after the Greenhill events I believe. She is with her sheep as you travel north through town. Offer to help her, and you appear in the forested area north of the village (by the big tree, where you see the unicorn). Collect the sheep around here, some may be hiding behind the tree (by some treasures). You can give Yuzu animals that you find throughout the world, she is by the field in the northeastern part of your base.
69 – Hix – You first meet this little brat at the Lakewest Inn. Talk to him here, and then go to Kobold Village to the south to continue his quest (again, I always wait until I have the Blinking Mirror to do this). Anyway, at Kobold Village Tengaar will fake getting sick to make up some retrieval quest for Hix to do. It consists of teleporting around to various places (Wind Cave, Two River sewer, South Window item shop) and retrieving items. After you get all three, a unicorn takes Tengaar away. Travel through the forest at Kobold Village, until you get to the far east side by the big tree. The unicorn is here, but doesn’t harm Tengaar. Afterwards, Hix and Tengaar join.
I hate Hix. Ever since Suikoden I, when the game forces you to have Hix on your front line against Neclord! This game at least doesn’t force you to use him, but the above quest is annoying enough. Hix has a subpar attack and defense. He is technically sound, but again, you’re going to want someone with a higher defense or the ability to shell out more damage. He has a unite with Tengaar, but don’t bother.
70 – Tengaar – Tengaar though has no problem being effective in battle. Her attack isn’t so bad for a long range attacker, but her value is in her magical ability. She is not great, but she is maybe one of those third-tier magicians that are good enough to reach 100 magic power by the high 30′s in level. Meaning she’s another great Lightning Rune candidate against Luca.
71 – Badeaux – Now that you have a bit more recruits, you can go to the Forest Path (path to Matilda) and talk to Badeaux. However, you need Shiro in your unit, and he will sense the kindred spirit and join you. Badeaux also gives you two very valuable Listening Crystals for recruiting animal-type allies later on.
Not much to say about Badeaux in battle. Can’t say I’ve used him much, but enough to see he has mediocre stats. He does have a Howling Rune which seems to work well with animals. To what extent, I don’t know (inform me in the comments below if you do).
72 – Feather – You need to have recruited Badeaux and his Listening Crystals for this recruit to be available. Anyway, in Forest Village (northwest of Greenhill), you should see a scene to the north as you walk into town. Choose to save that griffin, so fight the bad ones. They are not hard to dispatch. Then use a Listening Crystal to talk to the kind bird, and you will recruit Feather. Note that if you are going for all 108 Stars, you haveto use a Listening Crystal on Feather so that you can recruit Ayda too.
If you are going to bother with two slots using a beast, Feather isn’t a bad one to choose. His Shining Wind Rune is decent against all foes, but it is his dominant regular attack that you should be using.
73 – Ayda – Joins along with Feather, assuming you use a Listening Crystal to recruit Feather.
Typical archer. Nothing that sets her apart in battle really. She has a high speed, but most archers do. Mediocre Magical and Attack ability. Ayda also is a War Battle unit leader, strangely enough. She has Forest Walk, which allows her to burn through forests at rapid speeds. Having Repair Self doesn’t hurt either. But her weak attack and defense make her similar to Teresa’s unit.
74 – Connell – An easy recruit. Just bring a Sound Setting to him – he can be found in the second or third house on the left as you enter Forest Village. I think one early Sound Set you  can find is in the Rare Finds at the Radat item shop. Just give all your Sound Settings to him, if you wish to change them.
75 – Tomo – Sometime before the events with Luca Blight attacking, Tsai will come by and ask you to bring him to his house at Ryube. Bring Tsai there, and you will see Tomo. She will join you.
Tomo has a unite attack with Tsai which does 2x damage to the front row. Her stats are similar to Tsai’s, except she’s probably a bit faster.
76 – Simone – You need to check the Rare Finds at Banner Village Item Shop often. You are looking for a Rose Brooch. Buy it once you see it. If you have the Rose Brooch and enough recruits, you should see Simone near the docks at Radat. Check the left side of the docks to the south and he should be there, where you entered to look for the Shu coin.
Not that great in battle though. Mediocre attack and defense, with a high technique. Can be used in the back row at least, and is a serviceable magician. Nothing great though.
77 – Sasuke – You can recruit Sasuke and Mondo early if you chose Kasumi. Otherwise you have to wait until your castle is the biggest it gets (something like 95-100 recruits). Anyway, if you chose Kasumi, just put her in your party and head towards Gregminster along that path. After you climb the ladders at the mountain, continue along the path, hugging the south part of the trees. You will eventually go through the trees to the Ninja Village of Rokkaku. Within, Hanzo will have Mondo and Sasuke join your army.
Not a fan really. A long range attacker, but a weak one. The speed and technique ensure he’ll at least connect, but the lack of power usually means he doesn’t get use from me.
78 – Mondo – The other ninja that joins after you visit Hanzo at Rokkaku. Again, you can get him much earlier if you recruited Kasumi instead of Valeria.
Mondo is a ninja that makes his way on the front lines. He’s not the strongest, not the fastest, but overall he provides a little of everything. Well, besides magic.
79 – Lorelai – Lorelai is at Gregminster. I think you need 60 or more recruits to get Lorelai to join.
She’s an interesting character though. Decent attack and defense, but a high technique and great with magic. She can even equip a Blue Gate Rune on her head. Not an elite magician but one of the few really physically gifted magicians.
80 – Gordon – The trade shop guy at Gregminster. You probably saw him as you were buying a Celadon Urn for Lebrante. Anyway, you need to have a 50,000 potch profit from trading to get Gordon to join. And yes, the profit can be made before starting the bet up with Gordon at Gregminster. Buying cheap Ancient Texts at Gregminster or Kobold Village is a good way to make trading money. Or Crystal Balls at Forest Village and sell them at Kobold Village.
81 – Sigfried – The unicorn you met during the Hix and Tengaar quest. If you return to that big tree in the forest with Listening Crystals and a maiden (female), Sigfried will come out. Accept what he says and he will join you.
Takes up two slots like the other monsters, but doesn’t seem to be quite as powerful overall as Feather. Does have the White Saint Rune which does decent damage to a number of enemies.
82 – Hoi – One of the many characters who appear after the Luca Blight night raid. Hoi is at Radat City, at the bar. So go to the bar to see him impersonating Riou, acting like he was the one who took out Luca Blight. Bail him out and take his side – afterwards, you’ll get beat up, but Hoi will join you.
Hoi has a unite attack with the Hero, but it’s not that great. You shouldn’t use him anyway. He is weak, and even his high points (speed / technique) are not that great. You can do better..
83 – Karen – Another character that springs up after Jowy takes over. You find Karen in Kuskus Village, she is a dancer. This is more complicated than Suikoden I with Mina, where you just put on a pair of Toe Shoes. With Karen, you actually have to do button-combo dancing. Not that hard, but if you’re having trouble you can write the sequences down quick.
Karen is a subpar character as well. She is weak physically, but at least is medium-ranged so she can be in the back row. She cannot really deal much for damage though, even as a magician she is average at best.
84 – Max – After defeating Luca, check out South Window to see Max. Just as you enter, he will find you. Of course let him join.
Max cannot be used in normal battles, but is a War Battle unit leader. He is not quite as formidable as he was in Suikoden I when he was the best attacking general, in fact his unit is quite poor. I think his base stats are +6 attack +7 defense, along with Cavalry. If anything, just be conscious of not losing his unit in battle so as to screw up the 108 Stars of Destiny.
85 – Annallee – A quiet songstress. You find her at the South Window Inn after Luca goes down. She will get kicked out of the Inn, and then leave. Follow her to the northeast part of South Window, but the imperial palace. Look east as you walk up to the palace, to see Annallee on the grass. Speak with her and keep asking her to sing. She will then join. Note that in order to get her other two musician friends, you have to recruit Annallee first. Another strange thing is that when she ‘sings’ for you…you don’t hear anything. Hmm.
Can’t be used in battle. Talk to her at your HQ and she will perform music from the game.
86 – Killey – A strange man, in search of Syndar things. You find him at South Window. After talking to him, mention Alex at your HQ who knows about the Syndar. Killey will say ‘oh yea, that’s right’, and then go off. Return to your HQ, by the Inn / Item Shop. Killey will confront Alex about the Syndar, but Alex doesn’t have much to say. After this event, go back to South Window and talk to Killey. Just keep asking him to join and he will.
Not as good as you would think. He does attack twice like the Hero, so his low attack-power is salvaged in this way. However he is quite average, though he’s maybe a tad faster / tougher defensively than most. Still, you come away expecting more.
87 – Bob – You surely have seen Bob plenty of times at the Two River Kobold Section. He talks about how awesome he is, but you can tell when you are getting closer to recruiting him. You need something like 75-80 recruits, so you should be able to recruit Bob sometime after the Luca Blight battle.
Yet another character who seems weaker than he should be. He is decent in human form, but decent doesn’t really cut it at this point in the game. Using the Rabid Fang Rune is nice since it turns him into a powerful Werewolf, but it does take a turn to use. Even then, he’s not that great. Fortunately he is a medium-ranged character, so if you are going to use him he won’t get carved up on the front line.
88 – Koyu – Little Lampdragon Bandit that comes to HQ after the Jowston Hilltop scene with Jowy / Pilika / Riou. You find him at the entrance to your castle as he joins automatically.
A fast little bugger. Comes with a Gale Rune. Too weak to be using in battle though.
89 – L.C. Chan – As you get past Tigermouth Village, travel west to Crom. Then return to your HQ and put Wakaba in your party. Return to Crom, and go to the Inn. Before you can enter, LC Chan runs out.
Pretty much an upgraded version of Wakaba. A bit more of a brute, but the same fast / high technique type. Not elite power, but lots of HP too.
90 – Raura – Find her at Tinto, up the first few sets of stairs and just to the east of Gustav’s dwelling. Just ask her to join and once she hears you know Jeane, she will join.
Not much point to Raura, besides the lovely scrolls she creates.
91 – Tenkou – Tenkou is at Crom. To recruit Tenkou, we need a Window Setting. The problem is, chances are, you don’t have a Window Setting when you first get to Crom. Unless you were lucky and got a droppedWindow Setting 1 from a Tiger. The first Window Setting you should come across is Window Setting 5 in the cave on the way to Tinto.
Once recruited, you can find Tenkou by Connell on the second floor southern exterior, changing your window settings.
92 – Kahn – I’m a big fan. Not that I think he’s overly powerful, just a good, functional character with a cool gimmick. You first get Kahn early on at North Window when you first see Neclord. Naturally, as you run into Neclord again later at Tinto, Kahn comes along. To be precise, you find Kahn after everyone retreats to Crom. Kahn joins automatically and brings you to Sierra.
Kahn is a versatile character. A good enough attack for the back row, and he’s blessed with a lot of HP. But his Resurrection Rune is nice, especially early with Abomination. Probably will want to give him another rune in addition if you use him going through the Tinto Mines to defeat Neclord.
93 – Sierra – Another personal favorite, she joins at Tigermouth Village after Kahn suggests checking the place out. As you enter, villagers will be harassing her. Eventually, you fight her to prove you are strong enough to defeat Neclord. Her magic is strong, but stay healed – she does not have much MP, so spam your best magic attacks.
Sierra can be put in your party right after joining. I suggest doing so. Her Darkness Rune provides quality attack spells level 2-4, and she gets a lot of them. Her drawback is that she is forced to be in the front row. Her attack is serviceable, but her defense is weak. I like to give her a Blue Ribbon so she doesn’t get targetted with physical attacks.
94 – Lo Wen – Save her from Neclord at Tinto. She joins afterwards.
One of the brute-type long range attackers. Nothing really special to say about her – she lacks the magic power to make any kind of difference. She is a +2 attack in War Battles.
95 – Gijimu – Joins after the Neclord events.
Powerful Lampdragon Bandit. Gijimu is one of the more powerful medium ranged characters available. Plus he attacks twice. Of course he’s not worth a damn with magic, but at least his strength makes him relevant.Gijimu is also a +2 attack in War Battles, utilize him.
96 – Marlowe – Joins after the Neclord events. His role is minimal – he gets your bed ready when you get to Tinto, that’s about it.
97 – Hauser – Joins after the Neclord events.
Overall, a powerful front line fighter. He can’t use magic much, but in terms of skill, defensive ability, hp, and attack, he is one of the more well-rounded characters available to you. It’s just too bad he joins so late. Hauser is also in control of his own War Battle unit, 9 strength 7 defense.
98 – Jess – Be sure to forgive Jess after the Neclord events. Jess will then join if you choose to ‘fight with him’.
Everyone’s favorite ass in Suikoden II. He’s worth having if for no other reason than his +2 attack and evade ability in War Battles.
99 – Georg Prime – If you have all the recruits by the time you finish the Tinto / Neclord events, you should be able to recruit Georg on the walk back to the castle. Through the Tigermouth Village path and stick to the lower path as you go east. You will reach a cliff, an area that was empty before, but Georg Prime is there now. To recruit Georg Prime, just talk to him and tell him you won’t give up.
Georg is the first crazy good end-game character you run across. His strength and defense are astounding – rivaled only by Viktor, Pesmerga, and animal-types that don’t wield weapons. Great technique and speed even – just don’t bother with magic. But who cares? Stick this guy on the front lines if you want one of the very best. If that is not enough, he has the best base attack out of any War Battle leader (11 attack 8 defense with critical ability). Sets him up well for that one game, oh yea, the Suikoden V Walkthrough.
100 – Gantetsu – Gantetsu – A great priest! He is available as soon as you get back from Neclord’s Quest – not sure if it’s completing that, or just the amount of recruits you get that triggers Gantetsu’s recruit speech. He is always at South Window. When you are ready to recruit him, you’ll be able to get in a ‘pushing’ contest with him, which basically gauges your group’s attack power. If you fail just bring in Gadget, Shiro, and other high attack characters.
This guy has potential, too bad you get him so late. There are better options at this point, but Gantetsu is a statistical rarity. He actually has a good defense for a magician. Which helps, since he has to be in the front row. That said, as a magician, he is more of a C+ / B- type, so there is only so much value with this guy.
101 – Pico – You must liberate Greenhill. And you must have Annallee in your party – the shy songstress you met at South Window Inn. If all of these conditions are met, go to the Greenhill Inn. Look west to findPico. He joins.
102 – Alberto – The third musician. He is at Tinto, but you cannot recruit him when you first get there. You first need to liberate Greenhill, and then recruit Pico at Greenhill. Once you have Annallee and Pico, go to the Armor Shop at Tinto and recruit Alberto. Like Pico, he doesn’t really serve much purpose once recruited.
103 – Jude – Another character to recruit after liberating Greenhill. Go to the Blacksmith area of the Greenhill School – first of all, the blacksmith there should give you the Silver Hammer which you need, and then talk to the guy in the northeast part of the room – this is Jude. He seems to be missing something – Clay. Hmm, well Forest Village is close to here, so use the Blinking Mirror and then have Viki teleport you there. At Forest Village, go to the north part of town by the forest where you saw the Fake Elza. Then look for a path east and southeast to talk to a man – this guy knows where the Clay is. Return to Jude, give him the clay, and Jude is recruited.
The only purpose Jude serves is to create the Guardian Deity with the Rabbit / Turtle / Dragon / Unicorn Plans.
104 – Tessai – The blacksmith you hear about in Kuskus. Eventually, after Tinto, he returns to Kuskus. Bring Viktor to him, and he will join in amazement at the opportunity to work on the Star Dragon Sword. Tessai acts as your Castle Blacksmith, and as you bring him better hammers he can level up your weapons to higher levels.
For what it’s worth, you’re only going to need two Hammers. The Silver Hammer (to level 15) from the Blacksmith student at Greenhill, and the Golden Hammer (up to max level 16) which can be found in Sajah, a highland village. It randomly shops up in the Sajay Item Shop Rare Finds.
105 – Genshu – Odd fellow in his own little world over at the Coronet Port, surely he has caught your eye at some point. You need to have Tessai and that Silver Hammer to get Hero’s weapon at Level 15. When you have a level 15 weapon, you can then go recruit Genshu.
Genshu is a lot like Shin, meaning he’s not as good as you would think he is. Maybe a tad above average statistically, and while he’s vulnerable defensively he seems to at least be more resilient than Shin.They have an interesting but hardly efficient Unite Attack – 0.5 damage to all enemies plus 20% chance of Instant Death. Could be useful against a pack of 5-6 highland soldiers, I suppose.
106 – Vincent De Boule – Only available after you have about 100+ recruits, and you must have Simone earlier. Vincent is at the same location that you found Simone at – the eastern part of Radat, by the docks. Take the first south path to see him, but you must have Simone in your party. You can then recruit Vincent De Boule.
You couldn’t use Vincent De Boule in battle in Suikoden I, but you can in this one. He is much like Simone, physically weak but with some magical power. And he has a Unite with Simone, but I can’t imagine anyone seriously using both of them in battle lest it be experimentation.
107 – Mazus – The elite wizard of Suikoden II. Much like his counterpart, Suikoden I Wizard Crowley. You will need over 100 characters recruited and the castle to be at it’s full size – you can see Mazus earlier, but he won’t join until then. To find him, go through that Tinto Mine Cave again. Bring an Escapipe for this adventure, because you have to go nearly all the way to the end. Remember those gray slides in the last room before the Rock Golem? Take the east slide a few times to get to that central area in the room, and then go south and west to see a slide and Mazus. The slide up prevents you from going there easily, but just go slide south and work your way west and north to recruit Mazus.
This guy and Luc have to be considered the elite magicians in the game. Mazus might even be better than Luc, as he is permanently affixed with a Blue Gate Rune (which Luc already has) and a valuable Thunder Rune. Pair those two with a Wizard Rune and watch Mazus becomes the ultimate magician, able to tear through many enemies with Level 2 and Level 3 Blue Gate Rune Magic, and having multiple high level Thunder Rune spells to use. Oh, not to mention he has his own sweet War Battle unit. +9 attack +6 defense with Fire Magic attacks.
108 – Pesmerga – Why not save Pesmerga for last? Any of the above 5-6 characters can be recruited in any order after taking Greenhill (and ultimately the ‘fake’ battle at Muse since that’s immediately after). Anyway, we all know from Suikoden I that Pesmerga is looking for Yuber. For some reason though, he is at the top of the Cave of Wind. You don’t need anything special besides having your castle at the max size and 100+ recruits.
Pesmerga is just ridiculous. In regular battles and war battles. His attack is extremely high, plus he has a Rage Rune embedded on his weapon. Defensively he’s covered since he is permanently equipped with a Horned Helmet, Guard Ring, Chaos Shield and Knight Armor. Oh, in war battles he has a +3 attack +0 defense and Cavalry ability. You get him late, but you can still make use of this guy.