The goat of Suikoden 2

For over two and a half decades, Suikoden II fans have debated whether Sheena or Killey is the strongest character in the game. The truth is, neither of them takes the crown. The real MVP is Shiro. Here's why:

Animal characters in Suikoden II have no weapons or armors, so they get compensated with extra base stats. In Shiro’s case, his base Strength, Defense, and Speed are outstanding, and the other stats solid all-around. His Speed is so high that he often attacks multiple times in a single turn. With a Double-Beat Rune equipped, Shiro can clear out an entire group of mobs in one single attack. Being one of the earliest recruits, Shiro allows players to breeze through most dungeons simply using auto-battle. He also deals solid resource-less damage against bosses. He does this without expensive weapon and armor upgrades (which can cost between 100,000 to 200,000 potch) which makes him extremely cost-efficient as well.

While characters with A+ Strength growth like Viktor and Humphrey will surpass Shiro’s physical damage around the mid game, these characters often lack Shiro's speed and technique, resulting in slower attacks (after the mobs), way less multiple attacks and more frequent misses.

In the late game, Shiro does get outscaled by characters like Sheena and Killey, who benefit from fully upgraded weapons (with embedded Thunder or Rage Runes), better armor, and multiple rune slots. However, this outscaling only occurs during the last 10-15% of the game.

To summarize:

Shiro is one of the earliest recruits and arguably the strongest and most cost-efficient character for the first half of the game. He remains highly effective until around level 45-50, or roughly the 80% completion mark. While he will eventually be outclassed by fully optimized characters, his contribution throughout the majority of the game makes him the undisputed GOAT of Suikoden II.

Woof woof.