JRPGs are filled with memorable quotes, andSuikoden 1 and 2have the privilege of being in the pantheon of the genre’s golden age:the 90s. While the field is often dominated by Square in retrospectives, with most people focusing on the likes of Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger, the fact of the matter remains that Suikoden 1 and 2 were among the greatest JRPGs of their generation.
In 2025, Konami sought to preserve these storied titles by remastering them in HD. This allows both old fans and new ones to explore the inspiring world of Suikoden and appreciate the myriad of memorable quotes it contains.
10"Your Destiny Is Always In Your Own Hands."
Leknaat
Leknaat is a mysterious seer who appears in every Suikoden title; traditionally, she gives the hero advice before they set out on their journey. This convention is established in the original Suikoden, where she appears to the party after they battle her servant Luc as a test.
Leknaat laments her inability to intervene in the events to come but assures you that the future is not set in stone. Her assertion that you can shape your own destiny resonates with the protagonist, who becomes discontented with Imperial injustice and starts leading the Liberation Army.
9"Life’s All About The Adventure. See New Places, Make New Friends, Have A Whirlwind Romance!"
Gregminster NPC
The inns of Suikoden are home to many colourful characters, some of whom you have theability to recruit. It’s a shame we can’t get this nameless NPC, who seems to have the conventions of the JRPG genre down pat.
True enough, life is about the adventure, and the journey is more important than the destination. The people you meet are all-important, which is why he offers to travel with you. Amusingly, however, it all turns out to be a ploy to get you to pay for his room.
8"I Believe In You, And I Want You To Believe In Me Too."
Ted
The Suikoden series takes place out of order, with the fourth game being aprequel to the first. This means that instead of being a typical hotheaded best friend, Ted is actually a 300-year-old warrior who has been hiding for centuries from a villain seeking to take his rune.
Most unfortunately, the two run into each other near the start of the first game, with Ted staying behind as a decoy to allow his friends time to escape. He asks you to place your trust in him as he prepares to sacrifice his life, and that trust is repaid in full when he saves your party later on.
7"They Follow You Because They Love You."
Odessa
Odessa is a true leader, being the initial head of the Liberation Army before turning over control to you. This gives her a unique insight into why your friends and allies follow you, protect you, and even march into battle for you. It isn’t because you recruited them, or ordered them, or even because they rest their hopes and dreams on your shoulders.
According to Odessa, no amount of orders can make a person willing to sacrifice their life like the party is prepared to for the protagonist. The reason your soldiers - and even more so, your friends - follow you is because they love you.
6"Closing My Eyes To The World Doesn’t Make It Disappear."
Mathiu
Suikoden is a JRPG about overcoming injustice, not from a distant deity or ancient evil, but from everyday rulers. The kings and queens of Suikoden have free reign to be cruel, and it’s only under the banner of a leader such as yourself that things can be put right. That is what Odessa believes in, anyway; her brother Mathiu thinks otherwise.
After a traumatizing experience with previous battles, Mathiu retires from the world at large and spends his days in a quiet village. He purports to be no military strategist, and refuses to help you when you come to him, preferring to raise abandoned children instead. When the children are kidnapped, however, Mathiu’s protector instinct is awakened. With your help, he rescues them and reflects on the necessity of preventing more injustice: he cannot afford to hide from the world because it doesn’t make evil go away. With these words, Mathiu agrees to fight under you.
5"You Cannot Separate The World Into ‘People’ And ‘Monsters.’ Life Is Life."
Ayda
One of the most compelling characters in Suikoden 2 is the young Ayda, a forest guardian who - even at her tender age - bears scars from fighting off poachers. She is compassionate and kind, and when she finds an injured griffin, she protects it from a crowd of angry villagers.'
According to the villagers, the griffin might come back later to hurt them - a fear that is unfortunately soon vindicated. Ayda, however, sees the griffin not as a monster but as an animal - just like humans, it’s simply trying to survive. Though she agrees to fight it if it attacks, she refuses to kill it while it’s already injured and barely clinging to life, equating it to murder.
4"All It Takes Is A Little Hope For Us To Keep Going."
Gremio
Suikoden is unafraid to tacklesocial issues: under the guise of dwarves and elves, it casts scrutiny on the issue of real-world racism. The elves are persecuted by humans, and they return that hate in equal measure. The two are unable to come to an agreement, and young elves like Kirkis, who do not harbour any ill will, are rendered voiceless. Kirkis' hopelessness reaches its peak when he returns home to find his entire village burned: the Imperial Army had been through and supposedly killed every last elf.
The young elf grieves, casting down the ring he had been planning to give to his beloved. Your bodyguard and head chef, Gremio, picks the ring back up and tells him not to lose hope: if he does, he will be rendered powerless. Gremio’s wise words are vindicated shortly after when Kirkis discovers that his bride-to-be and one elven friend managed to survive the onslaught.
3"Loneliness Is A Slow-Acting Yet Deadly Poison."
Rockland Gravestone
Rockland is a town run by a corrupt mayor who avoids taxes while oppressing Liberation Army soldiers under the guise of hunting bandits. The townspeople have seen their fair share of battles, with one gravestone even apologizing to Clive for not falling at his hand.
Yet the most poignant epitaph comes from a gravestone that isn’t labelled. It seems that the NPC who rests in peace here did not fall in battle, but instead suffered a long and lonely life. His predicament puts our own situation in perspective, making us thankful for our allies.
2"Look At Me! I Do As I Wish, As I Please! I Am The True Face Of Evil!"
Luca
Most JRPG villains do not believe themselves to be doing the wrong thing; some might even bejustified in their motives. Luca is not one of them, he’s just a cruel military leader who simply loves being evil. Even in defeat, Luca holds fast to his unpleasant nature.
Rather than begging for forgiveness, he stands tall and raises his sword above his head, claiming that you had to use up thousands of your soldiers to get to him, which makes him more worthy than they were. His frightening speech about being evil incarnate is soon cut off as he loses consciousness, but it’s a disquieting reminder that there are villains out there who know they’re evil and love it.
1"Even At His Most Powerless, Man’s Existence Is Never Without Meaning."
Intro
Suikoden doesn’t take long before it starts dropping wisdom, with an unnamed voice asking in the opening FMV if fate cannot be changed. Echoing Leknaat’s wise words, another voice answers: even at his most powerless, man’s existence is never without meaning.
Your party is powerless at the start of the game. They are a ragtag bunch being pursued by the Empire they had been loyal to, and they take on the banner of an army whose leader is already dead. Yet little by little, one by one, recruit by recruit, your party is able to transform from a group of fugitives into the 108 Stars of Destiny.
