# Worried about missing 10 Most Missable Characters in Suikoden 2? Our complete guide covers every missable character, from the time-sensitive Clive quest to the tricky Gilbert recruitment and the crucial choice between Valeria and Kasumi. Secure the best ending!
Geminvo – The quest to gather all 108 Stars of Destiny is the soul of Suikoden II. It’s a monumental task that rewards players with the game’s true, most satisfying ending. However, this grand objective comes with a constant, nagging fear for new and veteran players alike: the fear of permanently missing a character. Unlike many modern RPGs, Suikoden II can be unforgiving. A missed conversation, a wrong turn, a failed objective, or a single poor dialogue choice can lock you out of recruiting a crucial hero forever, rendering the best ending unattainable on that playthrough.
This guide is your ultimate safety net. We’ve meticulously detailed every character with a narrow or tricky recruitment window, explaining not just how to get them, but why they’re so easy to miss. From time-sensitive events to obscure side quests and critical choices, this is your spoiler-free roadmap to ensuring all 108 Stars of Destiny join your cause.
Read More : Every Suikoden Game Ranked From Worst to Best: A Journey Through the 108 Stars of Destiny
The Truly Missable: One-Shot Recruitments
These characters have strict, one-time-only recruitment windows. If you miss the opportunity, it’s gone for good.
1. Clive
- How to Recruit: The process begins the moment you first enter Muse City. You must trigger a specific event with a woman named Elza, who is found northeast of the Rune Shop. She will give you packages to hold. Shortly after, Clive will appear and ask about her; you must tell him you haven’t seen her. Finally, find Elza again at the city’s entrance to return the packages. If you complete this sequence, Clive will later appear in South Window City, where he can be recruited once you have access to a boat.
- Why He’s Missable: The initial event in Muse is the single most missable trigger in the entire game. If you proceed with the main story in Muse without finding Elza and completing this short quest, Clive will never appear in South Window, making him impossible to recruit. His entire personal side quest is also governed by a strict in-game timer, though this is not required for his recruitment and can be disabled in the HD Remaster.
- Combat Profile & Analysis: Clive is a long-range attacker and one of the best physical damage dealers in the game. His greatest asset is his Technique stat, which has the highest growth rate in the game, meaning he rarely misses and frequently lands critical hits. His main weakness is his fragility; like many back-row attackers, he can’t take much punishment.
- The Verdict: Absolutely essential. Missing the initial trigger is devastating for any completionist run. His high damage output makes him a top-tier combatant, and his personal story is one of the game’s most intriguing subplots.
2. Gilbert
- How to Recruit: Gilbert can only be recruited during the third major War Battle: the defense of Muse City. During the battle, you must ensure that one of your units damages Gilbert‘s unit. This will trigger a dialogue where he questions his allegiance and switches sides.
- Why He’s Missable: This is one of the most notoriously frustrating recruitments. First, you have to damage him, not defeat him. Second, the battle is chaotic, and it’s possible for the AI-controlled enemy units to defeat him before you can trigger his defection. It’s highly dependent on luck and positioning. To be safe, it’s recommended to save right before the battle and be prepared to reset if things go wrong. After he defects, you must also ensure he survives the remainder of the battle.
- Combat Profile & Analysis: Gilbert is not a playable character in standard six-person party combat. His value is exclusively within the large-scale War Battles. As a unit leader, he has solid attack (+7) and defense (+8) stats, making him a reliable addition to your army’s roster.
- The Verdict: A high-priority, high-stress recruit. While he doesn’t impact your regular party, he is a Star of Destiny and thus mandatory for the best ending. The random nature of his recruitment makes him a frequent source of missed-character anxiety.
3. Humphrey Mintz & Futch
- How to Recruit: This duo is found in Highway Village, a location in the Matilda Knightdom. You must visit the inn, speak to Humphrey, and agree to stay the night. This triggers a side quest to help them on the nearby Rakutei Mountain. Upon completing this quest, both will join you.
- Why They’re Missable: The window of opportunity is deceptively small. You can only access Highway Village during your first story-mandated trip to the Matilda region. Shortly after, the area becomes locked off by the plot and remains inaccessible until after the point of no return for collecting all 108 Stars. If you proceed to Rockaxe Castle without stopping at Highway Village and completing their quest, you will miss them permanently.
- Combat Profile & Analysis:
- Humphrey: A classic “tank.” He is a short-range fighter with outstanding HP and Protection growth, allowing him to absorb immense physical damage. His main drawbacks are his terrible speed and nonexistent magical ability.
- Futch: A medium-range spear user. He is a balanced fighter with decent speed but unremarkable stats elsewhere. He’s a solid, if not spectacular, addition in the mid-game.
- The Verdict: A critical stop on your journey. Missing this pair is one of the most common mistakes for first-time players. Humphrey is one of the best defensive characters in the game, making this duo well worth the detour.
4. Jess
- How to Recruit: After the major story events in Tinto, which involve defeating the vampire Neclord, Jess will apologize for his previous actions and ask to join your army.
- Why He’s Missable: His recruitment hinges on a single dialogue choice. If you refuse his offer, he leaves and never returns. Given his antagonistic role leading up to this point, it can be tempting to turn him away, but doing so will lock you out of the 108 Stars.
- Combat Profile & Analysis: Jess is not a playable combat character. His role is purely within the story and as a War Battle unit. He has no special abilities in war, making his contribution purely numerical.
- The Verdict: Forgive and forget. While he offers little gameplay value, he is a required Star of Destiny. Swallow your pride and accept his apology to keep your perfect ending intact.
The Critical Choices: Mutually Exclusive Recruits
These sections involve making a permanent choice between characters or paths. While you can still achieve 108 Stars regardless of your choice, the decision impacts who is in your army.
5. Feather, Ayda, Sigfried & Abizboah
- The Dilemma: You will receive two “Listening Crystals” from the beastmaster Badeaux. There are three potential Star of Destiny beasts to recruit—Feather (a griffin), Sigfried (a unicorn), and Abizboah (a kraken)—but you only have enough crystals for two. Furthermore, recruiting the archer Ayda is tied to the Feather event.
- The Standard Path: Most players recruit Feather. During an event in Forest Village, you’ll fight hostile griffins. After winning, you use a Listening Crystal on the friendly griffin, Feather, and both he and Ayda will join. This leaves you with one crystal to choose between Sigfried and Abizboah.
- The Alternative Path: It is possible to get Ayda without recruiting Feather. To do this, you must intentionally lose the griffin battle in Forest Village. Feather will be killed, but Ayda will still survive and offer to join. This frees up both of your Listening Crystals, allowing you to recruit both Sigfried and Abizboah.
- Warning: If you recruit Abizboah, you can later find his family members, Rulodia and Chuchara. Do not recruit them. They are not Stars of Destiny, and recruiting them will take up slots and prevent you from getting the 108-star ending.
- Combat Profile & Analysis:
- Ayda: A solid long-range archer with good speed. A decent back-row contributor.
- Feather & Sigfried: Both are strong beast-type fighters. Sigfried is generally considered slightly better due to his powerful unique rune.
- Abizboah: A powerful but slow physical attacker.
- The Verdict: The choice is yours, but the safest bet for a 108-star run is to recruit Feather (which also gets you Ayda) and then either Sigfried or Abizboah. The “lose on purpose” strategy is a clever alternative for those who prefer the unicorn and kraken.
6. Ridley vs. Boris
- The Dilemma: During the Tinto story arc, Nanami will suggest that you and she run away from the war. If you agree and follow through with fleeing, a key event will happen: Ridley, the commander of the Two River kobolds, will be killed in the chaos.
- The Consequence: If Ridley dies, he is permanently gone. However, after the Tinto arc is resolved, his son, Boris, will appear at your castle and ask to take his father’s place, occupying the same Star of Destiny slot.
- Combat Profile & Analysis: This choice only affects War Battles. Ridley and Boris are nearly identical as unit commanders, with only a minor one-point difference in their attack and defense stats. Ridley has the “Critical” ability, while Boris has “Evade.” Neither is demonstrably better than the other; the choice is purely narrative.
- The Verdict: This is a story-driven choice with minimal gameplay impact. Most players stick with Ridley, as abandoning your army feels out of character. However, recruiting Boris is a unique path that shows a different side of the story’s consequences. You can get 108 Stars either way.
7. Valeria vs. Kasumi
- The Dilemma: At a key point in the story, you will be asked to choose either the swordswoman Valeria or the ninja Kasumi to accompany you on a mission. This choice is permanent; the one you don’t pick cannot be recruited.
- Valeria’s Advantages: She is a powerful short-range fighter who comes with the excellent Falcon Rune. In War Battles, she leads a cavalry unit, offering high mobility. Choosing her also makes recruiting the fencer Anita much easier if you missed her earlier.
- Kasumi’s Advantages: Her main strategic benefit is granting you early access to the hidden Ninja Village of Rokkaku, allowing you to recruit the other two ninjas (Mondo and Sasuke) much sooner than you otherwise could. In War Battles, she leads a ranged “Arrow” unit.
- The Verdict: This is a classic debate with no wrong answer. Valeria is arguably the stronger combatant, but Kasumi provides a significant strategic advantage by unlocking other recruits early. For a smooth and efficient 108-star run, Kasumi is often the recommended choice.
The Easily Overlooked
While not having a single, permanent failure point, these characters are often missed due to obscure requirements or being in out-of-the-way locations.
8. Mukumuku
- How to Recruit: The easiest way is right at the start of the game. When you first return to your hometown of Kyaro, go to the large tree behind your house and examine it three times before you reunite with Nanami. Mukumuku will join you.
- Why He’s Missable: This recruitment window is incredibly short and easy to walk right past. If you miss him here, your only other option is to get him as a rare random encounter on the world map between Greenhill and Muse, which can be a very tedious process.
- Combat Profile & Analysis: Mukumuku is a long-range attacker. As an animal, he cannot equip armor, but his stats are boosted to compensate. He is surprisingly strong in the very early game but his effectiveness drops off significantly as human characters gain access to better gear and runes.
- The Verdict: Grab him in Kyaro. It takes ten seconds and saves you a potential headache later. He is the only one of the five squirrels required for the 108 Stars.
Which missable character gave you the most trouble on your first playthrough? Share your stories and survival tips in the comments!Discover fascinating game insights in Revan’s latest articles! Stay updated daily by Following Geminvo on Instagram, X (Twitter), Facebook, YouTube & TikTok.
Summary of 10 Most Missable Characters in Suikoden 2
- Clive: Must trigger the Elza event in Muse upon your first visit.
- Gilbert: Damage (do not defeat) his unit during the Muse War Battle and ensure he survives.
- Humphrey & Futch: Recruit them at Highway Village on your first trip to Matilda. Do not proceed with the story without them.
- Jess: Forgive him and accept his offer to join after the Tinto events.
- Beasts: You can only recruit two of the three: Feather, Sigfried, or Abizboah. To get Ayda, you must either recruit Feather or let Feather be defeated in the griffin battle. Do NOT recruit Abizboah’s family (Rulodia).
- Ridley/Boris: Choosing to flee at Tinto will cause Ridley to die and be replaced by his son, Boris.
- Valeria/Kasumi: A permanent choice. Kasumi allows earlier access to other ninjas; Valeria is a stronger fighter.
- Mukumuku: Check the tree behind your house in Kyaro at the very start of the game to avoid a tedious random encounter hunt later.