A young warrior of the warrior troupe, "100 Demons". Once he was only a cruel and merciless slayer, wielding his massive No-Dachi for his own justice. But he has found a deeper sense of justice in the group.
Suo is an Einherjar from Valkyrie Profile. He is a Samurai and can be obtained in Chapter 7.
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| Suo | |
| Japanese: | 蘇芳 |
| Romaji: | SUOU |
| Race: | Human |
| Gender: | Male |
| Age: | 24 |
| Title: | Warrior |
| Class: | Samurai |
| Weapon: | Katana/Sword |
| Purify Weird Soul: | Hyoso-Hojin |
| Homeland: | Wakoku |
| Appears In: | Valkyrie Profile Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth |
| Voice Actors: |  Akimitsu Takase Ed Paul
|
Background
A samurai from Wakoku, Suo seems to have had a rather unsavoury past, whether as a mercenary, a vigilante or simply a cruel warrior. However, joining the Hundred Demons samurai troupe seems to have channelled his violence into a greater purpose and given him an ideal of justice to fight for. The troupe eventually led an assault on Hai-Lan. The latter temporarily had the upper hand thanks to their song-maiden, Shiho, whose voice inspired strength and bravery in the warriors. Shiho, who was born blind, had never fully realized the effect of her songs, but before that battle, a widow confronted her and asked her how many men had died because of her. This affected her deeply, and, as Hai-Lan's victory seemed guaranteed, she stopped singing, reluctant to cause any more bloodshed. Panic spread through the troops, but despite her superiors' threats and blows, Shiho refused to sing again. The Hai-Lan army was defeated, and she was left for dead.
As he scouted the battlefield, Suo found Shiho lying on the platform from which she used to sing. He asked her why she had stopped singing and realized that she was blind. She explained that this was the only life she had ever known and wondered despondently whether it was wrong for her to wish she could see. Moved by her plight, Suo asked her what she would wish for instead of being a song-maiden. Desperate and confused by what had just happened, she asked him to kill her, but he could bring himself to do it. Instead, he carried her back to his camp. Once she had recovered, he brought her to his commander, possibly to persuade him to employ her as their own song-maiden. Impressed by her beauty, the commander nevertheless deemed her too dangerous and killed her. Shocked, Suo demanded an explanation, but the commander said that she had caused the death of too many soldiers, and that he must have been bewitched by her charms if he had ever considered sparing her life.
Some time later, the Hundred Demons' spies informed the troupe that a nearby village was actually a haven for enemy soldiers, disguised as civilians. The samurai led a raid on the village, but Suo began to question his involvement. As he faced a man who attempted to defend his family, he remembered Shiho's qualms about the bloodshed she had caused, and how his commander had mercilessly killed her. He realized that he had been ordered to attack women and children only because his superiors had deemed it just. Seeing that Suo was distracted, his opponent killed him. Lenneth recruited him, sensing his compassion. She asked him why he had stopped mid-fight, and he explained that he had never wanted to harm innocents, but only to protect those who could not protect themselves. As his superior observed his dead body, he commented that Suo was too soft.
Battle
Suo is an average character with a somewhat mediocre PWS. Although he has the same elemental tolerance as Jun, the only other Samurai in the game, his fighting style is more akin to that of Heavy Knights. However, he does not have anything to make him stand out. Like Jun, he can use swords instead of katana for more powerful regular attacks. He will join your party without any equipment.
Attacks
Elemental Tolerance
| Darkness | Fire | Holy | Ice | Lightning | Poison |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50% | 50% | 25% | 25% | 100% | 0 |
Purify Weird Soul
Suo's PWS is called Hyoso-Hojin. He will say "Body and soul shall be torn asunder!" before using it.
Traits
- Brave
- Precise
- Aware
- Elegant
- Unlucky
- Sacrificing
Recruitment
Suo can be obtained in Chapter 7, on all difficulties.
Transfer
Suo's starting hero value is a fairly high -28, but since most of his traits are positive, it has the potential for being the highest in the game. Since one of those traits is Brave, Suo makes an ideal transfer candidate for Chapter 8. However, since there is no Sacred Phase after Chapter 8, you will not miss out on any significant items by keeping him.
Etymology
The spelling used by the game is composed of the characters 蘇 (to resurrect, to revive)[1] and 芳 (virtuous)[2]. The combination is thus something akin to "virtuous revival", which could be a reference to how Suo changed after joining the Hundred Demons, or when he realized that he was being made to slaughter innocents.
Trivia
- Suo is voiced by the same actor as Gandar and Loki.
- Unlike most other Einherjar, Suo will say "ougi" (secret skill) instead of "finishing strike" before performing his PWS. This differs from the Japanese version, where most non-mage Einherjar use the term "ougi" to introduce their PWS. It has been translated into "finishing strike" for the English version, but probably maintained for Suo in order to emphasize his cultural background.
- Suo wears traditional samurai armour, including a full-face mask (somen)[3] designed to resemble a demon. This is probably where the name of his samurai troupe comes from.
- Upon first meeting Suo, Shiho asks him what red looks like[4], which could be a symbolic reference to her being unable to see the blood she had caused to spill. Suo expresses similar concerns about being unable to see the blood on his red armour during his own recruitment sequence, which is fitting, since both their character arcs revolve around realizing how much death they have caused.
- Sending both Suo and Shiho to Asgard during Chapter 7 may result in a short additional scene between them during the Sacred Phase which implies that Suo has developed feelings for her[5]. He tells her that he is overjoyed to see her again and will protect her from then on. You will not be able to see this if you are aiming for Ending A.
Gallery
