The 108 Stars of Destiny are a centerpiece of thesoon-to-be-remasteredSuikodenseries. The group not only serves as the core cast of heroes, but one piece of the rich lore surrounding the creation of the game’s world. The series bases its characters loosely on the ancient Chinese novel Water Margin, which in itself is tied up in the Taoist principle that each person’s destiny is tied to a specific star.
Suikoden’s main series spans five JRPG titles. Although the story is told out of order — the first three games are in chronological order, the fourth precedes the first, and the fifth is the origin — all take place in the same world crafted by the same dispute betweentwo celestial brothers. The argument between Sword and Shield over which was stronger resulted in the destruction of both, with their remains becoming the earth and sky, and the sparks from the battle forming the 108 Stars.
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Each of those stars has key characteristics and traits, and throughout the ages, different people destined to change the world have each been guided by one star or another. While all those who share the same star have their own drives and passions, they also, by their assigned fates, must also bear certain similarities.
Now, 108 is a lofty number of characters to include in any game, but the Suikoden series consistently pulls it off, and all of the Stars are either playable or serve a support function — whether in battle, at your base of operations, or both. We couldn’t possibly cover them all in a single article, but here are some highlights.
The obvious place to start is theTenkai Star, the Chief Star of Heaven, which bears the role of uniting the other 107 stars around it. Likewise, all of the characters marked by this star will serve as the person uniting the individuals and factions of the game against that era’s particular nemesis. The main characters of four of the games — Tir, Riou, Lazlo, and Freyjadour — all fall under this star. They come from a variety of social standings, ranging from Riou being a war orphan to Freyjadour being prince of his Queendom. And while they represent starkly different backgrounds, all four seem to be kind-hearted, brave young men unafraid of standing up to the powers that be (although, as silent protagonists, your imagination is left to fill in the gaps).
The outlier here is the Tenkai Star of the Third game,Thomas. Thomas is the long-lost bastard son of a noble. After his peasant mother’s death, his father conveniently disposes of him by making him the lord of a run-down, mostly abandoned castle in the middle of nowhere.
Unlike other entries in the series, Suikoden III uses theTrinity Sight System, allowing us to view the war between the Grassland tribes and the Zexen Federation from three main characters' different viewpoints. But as the owner of the protagonist army’s eventual home base, which as it turns out, sits in a neutral zone between Grassland and Zexen, he still manages to play the role of uniter and pushes for the once-warring nations to find common ground. Thomas is physically weak and puny, has serious doubts about his abilities, and is the only Tenkai Star not to possess a True Rune, but his inclusion in the line of heroes highlights how even a gentle pacifist and warrior prince can bear a similar soul.
Of course, a couple of these stars are played by the same person in ever main-series game. The first of these isJeane, who represents theChiketsu Star, or theStar of Noble Wisdom. Jeane never seems to age, leading many fans to speculate that she is the possessor of one of the undiscovered 27 True Runes. Although the games have never confirmed this, some recurring characters who appear in multiple titles have picked up on Jeane’s longevity and make comments on it.
Functionally, Jeane always serves as your army’s rune sage, offering her services affixing and removing the runes that grant access to elemental magic and other special powers, as well as running a rune shop. But despite her constant presence in the games, each entry intentionally leaves out her backstory; any attempt to gain insight on her, such as using the army’s resident detective, turns up little to nothing. Still, it’s implied that she knows much more about the world than the common people.
The only other consistent star is theChitatsu Star, orQuick Star, which is the permanent placement of the blinking rune user,Viki. Viki’s rune, and possibly her magic mirror, allows her to teleport herself and her allies. She’s portrayed as ditsy, and her powers seem to go haywire whenever she sneezes, which may be an indication that she can involuntarily time travel, explaining her showing up across the eras.
There is one exception to this rule, however, as in Suikoden III Viki shows up as two separate characters — the regular adult version as well as a taciturn and capable child version who instead represents theChisoku Star, or theStar of Haste.
While not filled by the same character in every game, theTenki Star, orStar of Wisdom, is almost always played by a member of theSilverbergfamily, or at least one of their students. Despite sharing a bloodline, the three Silverbergs —Elenor,Mathiu, andCaesar— are vastly different people. Elenor is stern and rather gung-ho, which contrasts with her descendant Mathiu’s solemn and self-loathing disdain for war. Meanwhile, Caesar, the youngest of the three, is lighthearted and seemingly carefree, often teasing his subordinate for working too hard, but still delighting in effortlessly outwitting his opponents. But despite the differences in their personalities, the Silverbergs' common trait of wisdom serves them all well, and all of them become competent strategists for their respective army and advisor to their corresponding protagonist.
And all those characters barely scratch the surface of the traits that consistently go into the 108 Stars of Destiny, the leaders of revolutions and shapers of tomorrows. The Suikoden series' use of the 108 stars as a narrative element is a reminder that, although we all have a destiny, there are plenty of paths that lead there, and there’s quite a story behind each one.
