I have a theory, I think, about Suikoden III. I'm not sure if this has been examined, at length, in the Suikoden community before... but I will try and pull my thoughts out of my skull on this, today, and see why I had an epiphany recently regarding a video game from 2002.
If I search this site, I bet, I've mentioned the Suikoden series quite often. I'm a big fan of this series. In case you didn't know, by the way, the original creators and team that worked on the Suikoden games in the late 90s and early 2000s started a crowd sourced video game company a few years ago and tossed around the idea of a spiritual successor to the Suikoden series ... and it garnered something nuts like 4 million dollars (or seven zillion Yen). So, yeah, I'm not the only fan out there for this long-dead video game franchise.
Sometime in 2023, this Spiritual Successor to the Suikoden Series shall be released! Which is exciting. I have Suikoden on my mind, folks. I do, I have Suikoden on my mind.
The series will now be called Eiyuden. So make a mental note of that. They are no longer Suikodens... they are now Eiyudens.
You know, as the compassionate man that I am, I still feel bad for 90s moms and dads who had to do Christmas shopping for their early-teen-aged kids... and had to go to the video game store and ask the hip clerk for things that they could not pronounce from Japan. I know Suikoden, back then, had to be one of these. The kid would want Suikoden I for Christmas ... and the mother has to practice how to ask for this title a million times on the way to the store. She's like "Umm, hi, my son wants... uhhh... Soo Kee Oh Den? Do you have that? Or maybe Seek Yoden? That? What about Sweeko Den?"... poor souls. I have compassion for them.
Now it's all Steam and downloads on consoles so parents won't have to learn how to ask for Eye Yooden, next year, thankfully. Or... Ayo Uden. Nervous parents asking hip kids at gaming stores for games called difficult Japanese words is a thing of the past.
Yup, you guys, I'd be lying if I told you I didn't have Suikoden on the brain right about now... because I truly do.
So, please now indulge this very old video game player as I explain to all who wish to know... why I believe that...
Hugo is Viktor's Son!
Hugo is Viktor's Son
I've written about Suikoden III once before on this site... I was lauding the writing ability of the Mercenary known as Ace... who was writing an in-game/in-universe novel in his spare time... which was awesome.
I consider Suikoden III to be a complete Masterpiece and is one of my all-time, without-a-shadow-of-a-doubt, favorite video games. I really like how the story of this game is broken up and presented through the eyes of different characters. I consider, story-wise alone, this game as totally above the morass as far as video game narratives go... and I laud it greatly.
I'm actually a big Geddoe-head. I'm a big Geddoe mark. That guy's got it together. He's my favorite character in this game. He's lucky though because my favorite character from the two previous games, Suikodens One and Two, respectfully, was not in Suikoden Three. My favorite character in the first two games was... Viktor. The man.
Now, gentle reader... here's where this article shall get obscure and for a very very small audience... so if you sauntered on in here expecting to read a hard-hitting opinionated piece or an enthralling piece of fiction... sorry... but today's essay shall be exploring something very important to a handful of people and that is, of course, if my favorite character from the first two installments of the Suikoden series is the father of Hugo, the Flame Champion, and main hero of the third installment of the Suikoden series.
So, if you are not interested in this, I ask you to close your browser tab now... and go shovel some snow or go bobsledding, or go ride the flume (is that a winter thing? No eh?). Alright, I'll give you a second to decide.
Okay, still here? Okay cool my fellow Suikodeneers, let's get into my fan theory... and I'm warning you guys... it's a doozy.
I'm writing now only for those versed in Suikoden and am not going to explain every detail of my theory just so the Suikoden layman can read along. So just a heads up to be warned that we're getting esoteric up in here...
Hugo is of course the Flame Champion who saved the Grassland from Holy Harmonia's unlawful invasion into it. He assumed the role of Hero after inheriting the True Fire rune from the old Flame Champion. He united the Six Tribes of Grassland, the Zexen Federation, the Northern Outlands of Parts Unknown, and other factions to stand as a united force against Harmonia and later the Rogue Bishop hellbent on destroying the world. He united the hearts and souls of millions through his burning inner strength and fiery passion.
It's a complete and utter mystery, mes amis. It's nothing short of a terrific mystery, mes amis.
If we pay the teenage detective prodigy, Kidd, who lives in Budehuc castle's second sub-basement to preform a series of thorough yet discreet investigations of Hugo... Kidd reveals three interesting things about this blonde (with gentle streaks of curious black hair) bastard.
Kidd reveals that:
1) He's been riding his griffin, known as Fubar, since he was four.
(Whatever, big whoop. Good for him).
2) He is self-conscious about his short height and hangs upsidedown in his room to try and stretch his body to become more taller.
(This is neither here-nor-there and I simply do not care!)
3) Kidd reveals to us that when his mother, Lucia, came back from the Dunan Unification War, she was ALREADY pregnant with him and gave birth soon after returning to Karaya.
(Oh. My. God!)
Kidd has uncovered a bombshell here. His father met his mother during the events of the Unification of Dunan... or more importantly... during the transpirings of Suikoden II.
Someone from Suikoden II is Hugo's dad!
Now, as we noted above, as I added a parentheses prior to calling this bastard a blonde... he indeed has gentle streaks of jet black hair trying to burst out of his golden locks. Lucia is a blonde lady, a hot one at that, but... where does this jet black hair streaking from parts of his heroic scalp derive from? Surely not from his mother's side... it must come from his estranged father's side.
The plot thickens, n'est ce pas?
Hmmm.... now we're really getting somewhere. Someone from Suikoden II who had jet black hair atop his manly head? Someone with the strength and passion to ride the sultry untamed heart of the warrior chief of the Karaya like the wind in a night of soul-burning heat?
Who could it be!?
Many amateurs jump to conclusions and think it would have to be someone from Highland, the faction she aided during her time representing Grassland in the foreign battle between Jowston and Highland. Many simpletons assume it had to be someone from Highland... someone like Leon Silverberg, or Han Cunningham, or some other black-haired gentleman from Highland.
Oh but aren't we forgetting something, dear friends? Aren't we?
When we first see Lucia, Hugo's mother, in Suikoden II, she is an assassin sent to murder the young leader of the Jowston city-states... the hero known as Riou... for Riou has upset Highland by uniting all the city states under one-banner thanks to his gentle heart and contagious youthful courage. Lucia fails to assassinate the gentle hero Riou and she is carted off to the North Window castle dungeon.
Lucia spends a great deal of time, or even as little as one night, locked up in North Window castle's dungeon. Viktor comes upstairs to Riou's room the next day and informs him that she's managed to escape.
That's it. There's no explanation on how or why she was able to escape a tightly locked prison cell in the dungeon (next to the graveyard and the boat house (where you can go fishing with Yam Koo)). Viktor just, with due aplomb, tells you something like, oh rats, she got away (or something).
Now, what do we know now? Let's summarize. Lucia spent one night inside of North Window Castle and then managed to escape. It's a great mystery as to how she did this and Viktor's the one who tells you she got away.
I will now present to you a piece of evidence I regard as the coup-de-gras, Suikodeneers. You ready?
Alright, now, at the very end of Suikoden III, Lucia comes to greet her former enemy... the equally cunning as she is gorgeous... Lady Chris Lightfellow, AKA the "Silver Maiden," of the Zexen federation. Lucia sees a lot of herself in this Silver Maiden of Zexen... and gives her some sagely womanly advice. Lucia tells her that if she ever wants to have children... she should learn how to pretend to be vulnerable.
Chris is weirded out and confused. Lucia said this probably because she is also a powerful hero that many trust their hearts and lives to... and being a hero isn't easy. She offers this advice to her based on her own experiences.
Lucia does have a son, Hugo... but when did she learn that sage wisdom? Where did she learn that sometimes you have to pretend to be vulnerable?
It is my expert opinion, as a Suikoden expert... Lucia learned this sagely wisdom whilst locked in North Window prison.
For, my friends and fellow Suikodenites a like, it is my fan theory that...
Viktor came to question Lucia in North Window after her unsuccessful assassination attempt on Riou ... yet Lucia feigned being vulnerable and asked for something... maybe a drink of water... and gave Viktor a sob or two... Viktor's bear-like manly heart felt compassion for this imprisoned warrior and melted on the spot. He poured a cup of water and unlocked the cell to come in and give it to her...
...where, it is in my summation that, the as equally cunning as she is beautiful Chief Lucia... proceeded to seduce Viktor under the pretense of feigned vulnerability ... and the two had a brief fit of sultry prison passion. When Viktor was asleep afterwords... she escaped in a flurry!
Next, an embarrassed Viktor comes upstairs to tell Riou that Lucia escaped... and offers nothing more than that. Just... yup, sorry, oops, looks like she's gone.
All the pieces are beginning to come together in a neat little package aren't they now, gang? Oh yes.
Oh yes.... they are.
I, of sound mind, believe... without the merest faintest shadow of a doubt...
...that Viktor is Hugo's Dad!!
Alright, so, that was fun. I think the Eiyuden game, made by the same group of folks who brought us these great games I grew up playing is going to be something to look forward to in the video game world in 2023.
I played the small "showcase" game the studio, Rabbit Bear Studio it's called, put out as an Eiyuden sample of what to expect. It was cool... it was only 20 bucks on Steam... so it's not that much to see what they've been up to and what the bones of the new game is going to look like. I see all the components of the old Suikoden in "Rising" the brief game they put out a few months ago.
I think it's coming out early 2023, which is around the corner. I'm excited. I think it's gonna be good.
