Mm-kay. Um SHINING FORCE SPOILARS
SF2 Cameela- She really feels like a keeper. She's pretty memorable as a character for being a huge bitch and fighting with Geshp, she's a memorable boss fight, since she's on the giant bird thing and has a freaking hueg ball and chain. And she is pretty scary as a boss. (Plus she is a girl-demon!) Shining Force bosses tend to be more memorable than PCs, so I say she's a keeper.
SF2 Chaz- Okay, so I thought he was an optional PC, but the ULTIMATE SHINING FORCE GUIDE says he's not. Regardless, he has a really boring skillset compared to the other mages, and it feels like he doesn't really fill a niche you haven't already filled with like 5 people. Also I would like to note that he is one of the only PCs, including most of them that were booted last time, that I actually have to look up to know anything about him. In fact I have no idea why he isn't already gone.
SF2 Chester- He's one of the two first PCs you get, and all centaurs are pretty much the same aside from May. I think having a token centaur since they are a good chunk of the game's characters is a good idea, and Chester fills this role quite nicely as is.
SF2 Elric- The main thing Elric is memorable for is getting attacked by harpies and swirling in a lake for an entire battle. He's really not special otherwise, archers are totally and utterly DL-nerfed because of the range stuff (except against FE I guess!), and aside from that one battle he has no plot. Buh-bye.
SF2 Galam- He's really important as a NPC early, disappears for 90% of the game, and comes back as a random late boss. He doesn't really fill a niche that the Greater Devils don't, even if he's plot important at the start.
SF2 Gerhalt- He's mostly just devastatingly boring. You recruit him, he's a pretty solid PC but nothing fantastic. Panders to furries. He does nothing in the plot after you SAVE HIS VILLAGE FROM DEVILS or something.
SF2 Geshp- He's pretty much the face of villainry throughout most of the mid-section of the game. He is a major league asshole who really is memorable for his being a douche, his ugly looks, and the fact that if you aren't expecting a Frost to the face, you better start. He's a good dueller, even if he gets beat by SERGE.
SF2 Jaha- Jaha is kind of the same as Chester, except he joins at the second battle and... I guess I feel like his class isn't really an important part of the PC core like Chester's is (plus less memorable due to not being you know a centaur). I am not voting to boot him but I find him uninteresting enough that there is a case for it.
SF2 Kazin- First and only mage that you have in your party for a long time, especially if you don't get Tyrin as your Creed PC (which you should!), so he is memorable in game for doing something different than everyone else, at least. Plus his sorceror form if you allow it is totally bishie.
SF2 Kiwi- Optional and completely horrible. Great combination. Even if he's cuuuute.
SF2 Lemon- I found Lemon to be pretty memorable, but apparently there's some glitch that makes him suck that seems to be up for an argument to boot him. I am pretty leery of booting him even though he's on my list to boot, I remember him jumping off a building and making a giant crater in a ground pretty damn well. <_<
SF2 Luke- He is memorable for being ONE OF THE WORST PCS IN THE GAME. He basically just has one scene after his recruitment and who the fuck uses him anyway.
SF2 May- I like May. She's cute and one of my favorite PCs, but she's optional and doesn't really have plot or fulfill any type of special niche. Sadly.
SF2 Rohde- The main reason I wrote this post is to defend why I'd prefer keeping him. He has more plot than most of SF2's PCs, and while his class isn't unique, if you aren't actively searching for special items, it is. If you want to keep a token archer in the DL, I'd suggest the one who moves the mid-game plot around quite nicely; between trying to get him to join you and getting the Caravan and being your guide on technology (using bombs in caves, flying the airship) he seems like the no-brainer choice. He is around more than just about anyone but Peter to offer his guidance for your party.
SF2 Sarah- First and only healer for a long time depending on your Creed choice. She starts out at the beginning the same as Chester but she has a lot more diversity as a dueller, which leads me to be more inclined to keep her, even though I'd prefer keeping both.
SF2 Sheela- She's not really a great rank objectively, optional endgame PC and all, but she is good and has an interesting skillset that no one else uses. Also her recruitment scene is really fun compared to most. HOW DARE YOU WATCH ME BATHE. *asskicking commences* SHINING FORCE PLOT I know.
SF2 Slade- The catalyst of the plot, unique class, really a good person to keep, don't really need to cover this.
SF2 Taya- Optional PC whose in-game performance is hard to really get going because the next fight you fight after her a lot of the enemies just OHKO her. I feel like a lot of her DL problems stem from the fact that it's hard to see what she can do sometimes because she's so goddamn frail.
SF2 Zalbard- He's definitely the least memorable of the Greater Devils and he doesn't translate fully to the DL due to his game being MT death. He's a champ though which makes me say keep.
SF2 Zeon- FINAL BOSS, SKELETON HEAD. Looming figure over the plot, I could be argued into booting him because he's really not that... visible most of the game and the final boss battle is weaksauce.
SF2 Zynk- He has some plot but honestly it's boring even by SHINING FORCE PLOT standards. I don't mind him going, he's a terrible PC too.
Moreover, I believe that the cast's drawing/being really bad at winning combination justifies a pruning. But if your standards for pruning are extremely high (i.e. you think everything should draw over 55%) then I suggest that you put a lot of other games at the table, like Ogre Battle, Seiken Densetsu 3, and Disgaea 2. SF2's drawing rate is 52%, which is a league above BGs/ToE/Brig/AtL4 etc. (For the last 20 seasons. What happened in Season 9 is irrelevant.) If you want to fully boot all the games under and near SF2, then I am fine with a blanket boot, not that most people have said why they want to blanket boot.
