# Suikoden
**Suikoden** (幻想水滸伝, *Genso Suikoden*) is a role-playing game series created by Konami that began in 1995 and follows wartime stories in which the player recruits a large cast of allies, traditionally the 108 Stars of Destiny, to fight in conflicts driven by political intrigue and by magical runes.[1](https://www.konami.com/games/suikoden/en/history) Konami's portal site counts a total of 12 titles including spin-offs released in Japan, while the company's investor report states eleven titles released to date.[1](https://www.konami.com/games/suikoden/en/history) • [2](https://www.konami.com/ir/en/ir-data/groupreport/2025_3/pdf/all.pdf) After years without new releases, the franchise returned in 2025 with the release of the *Suikoden I&II HD Remaster* and the announcements of a mobile game titled *Suikoden STAR LEAP*, whose release date was not given, and an animated series adapting *Suikoden II* scheduled to begin broadcasting in 2026.[3](https://www.konami.com/games/us/en/topics/2809/) • [14](https://animation.konami.net/en/news_2025_010.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Debut | First game released in Japan in 1995; the series is one of Konami's original RPG franchises[1](https://www.konami.com/games/suikoden/en/history) |
| Scale | 12 titles including spin-offs released in Japan, per Konami's series portal; Konami's investor report gives eleven titles[1](https://www.konami.com/games/suikoden/en/history) • [2](https://www.konami.com/ir/en/ir-data/groupreport/2025_3/pdf/all.pdf) |
| Signature mechanic | Recruiting the 108 Stars of Destiny, many of whom fight while others run the player's base as merchants, innkeepers, cooks, and smiths[4](https://www.rpgfan.com/review/suikoden-3/) |
| Magic system | Runes equipped on characters grant magic and special abilities; the world's lore centers on 27 True Runes that grant bearers great power and eternal life[4](https://www.rpgfan.com/review/suikoden-3/) • [1](https://www.konami.com/games/suikoden/en/history) |
| Battle formats | Six-character turn-based parties, one-on-one duels, and large-scale army battles[5](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/suikoden-v-review/1900-6146624/) • [4](https://www.rpgfan.com/review/suikoden-3/) |
| 2025 revival | *Suikoden I&II HD Remaster Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars* released March 6, 2025, on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Steam, and Nintendo Switch[6](https://www.konami.com/games/eu/en/topics/18086/) |
| New projects | *Suikoden STAR LEAP* mobile game and a *Suikoden II* anime by KONAMI animation co-produced with NBC Universal Entertainment Japan[3](https://www.konami.com/games/us/en/topics/2809/) |
## Setting and timeline
The series shares one mythology. In its lore, the 27 True Runes appeared at the beginning of the world; they brighten flames, make wind dance, nurture life, and take it away, and wars have been fought to obtain them. Bearers of a True Rune are granted tremendous power and eternal life.[1](https://www.konami.com/games/suikoden/en/history) Konami dates the numbered entries on a shared Solar Year calendar: Suikoden IV takes place in S.Y. 307 during the Island Nations Liberation War, Suikoden V in S.Y. 450 during the Sun Rune War in the matriarchal land of Falena, Suikoden I in S.Y. 457 during the Gate Rune War, Suikoden II in S.Y. 460 during the Dunan Unification War, and Suikoden III in S.Y. 475 during the War of the Champions.[1](https://www.konami.com/games/suikoden/en/history) The mobile game *Suikoden STAR LEAP* is set in S.Y. 453, a few years before Suikoden I and a couple of years after Suikoden V.[1](https://www.konami.com/games/suikoden/en/history) • [3](https://www.konami.com/games/us/en/topics/2809/)
Konami also frames the setting as the "Million Worlds", a collection of parallel worlds; the spin-off *Suikoden Tierkreis*, in which warriors with mystical powers fight evil and explore parallel worlds, belongs to this framing.[1](https://www.konami.com/games/suikoden/en/history)
## Gameplay
**Recruitment and base-building.** The trademark feature of the series is its recruitable character mechanic. The first game offers 108 recruitable characters; many are usable in combat, while others populate the player's home base as merchants, innkeepers, cooks, and smiths. Recruiting all 108 earns a special ending, and save data unlocks bonuses in Suikoden II.[4](https://www.rpgfan.com/review/suikoden-3/) Characters join in many ways: some seek the hero out, some must be bribed, and some must first be defeated in battle.[5](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/suikoden-v-review/1900-6146624/)
**Runes.** Magic is governed by runes equipped on characters, found on foes and in shops, which grant magic or special abilities usable in battle.[4](https://www.rpgfan.com/review/suikoden-3/) In Suikoden II, each level of magic has a set number of spell points, each representing one cast of a spell.[7](https://www.rpgfan.com/review/suikoden-ii-2/) Some runes give access to magic or multi-hit attacks, while others provide status effects that enhance attack or deal poison or elemental damage.[8](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/suikoden-i-and-ii-hd-remaster-gate-rune-and-dunan-unification-wars)
**Battle systems.** Standard battles are turn-based, with parties of up to six characters whose attack range determines their row placement.[4](https://www.rpgfan.com/review/suikoden-3/) Suikoden V returned to this classic six-character battle system after intervening entries changed it.[5](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/suikoden-v-review/1900-6146624/) The series also features one-on-one duels, resolved in the first game with a rock-paper-scissors mechanic guided by the opponent's dialogue, and large-scale campaign battles in which the recruited army fights enemy troops.[4](https://www.rpgfan.com/review/suikoden-3/) Suikoden II's army battles play out like a miniature strategy RPG.[8](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/suikoden-i-and-ii-hd-remaster-gate-rune-and-dunan-unification-wars)
**Spin-off structure.** *Suikoden Tactics* is a turn-based strategy game on a grid, following the young adventurer Kyril as he investigates rune cannons, weapons that turn ordinary men into violent fish-men, and unfolds another perspective on the events of Suikoden IV in the Island Nations.[9](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/suikoden-tactics-review/1900-6139766/) Its battle grid uses an elemental system in which squares have elemental affinities that affect combat.[9](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/suikoden-tactics-review/1900-6139766/)
## The 2025 revival
**HD Remaster.** *Suikoden I&II HD Remaster Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars* was released on March 6, 2025, for [PlayStation 5](https://www.edgepedia.org/playstation-5), [PlayStation 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/playstation-4), Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Steam, and [Nintendo Switch](https://www.edgepedia.org/nintendo-switch).[6](https://www.konami.com/games/eu/en/topics/18086/) Junko Kawano, who designed the characters for the original 1995 version of Suikoden, newly re-drew all the character portraits for the Suikoden I remaster.[6](https://www.konami.com/games/eu/en/topics/18086/) The remaster improves backgrounds across battle arenas, towns, and the world map, and adds quality-of-life features such as auto-saving, battle fast-forward, and a conversation log.[8](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/suikoden-i-and-ii-hd-remaster-gate-rune-and-dunan-unification-wars) • [10](https://www.windowscentral.com/best-upcoming-japanese-jrpg-games-xbox) Producer Rui Naito described the remasters as the first stone in the revival of the Suikoden saga rather than a continuation of it.[11](https://as.com/meristation/reportajes/hablamos-con-rui-naito-productor-de-suikoden-i-ii-hd-es-el-primer-paso-para-su-renacimiento-r/)
**Suikoden Live announcements.** On March 4, 2025, Konami's Suikoden Live broadcast announced a new mobile game, an animated series, and other projects, with orchestral performances of the series' music and interviews with the development team.[3](https://www.konami.com/games/us/en/topics/2809/) *Suikoden STAR LEAP* is a role-playing adventure for mobile devices with 2D pixel character designs mixed with 3D backgrounds, in which a hero and his friends rebuild their village after mysterious forces assault it.[3](https://www.konami.com/games/us/en/topics/2809/) • [1](https://www.konami.com/games/suikoden/en/history) The animated series, produced by Konami's internal KONAMI animation studio and co-produced with NBC Universal Entertainment Japan, adapts the story of Suikoden II; producer Rui Naito said the aim was to keep the greatness of the original story Yoshitaka Murayama created.[3](https://www.konami.com/games/us/en/topics/2809/)
Konami's investor reporting describes the series as one of the company's most well-known RPGs and lists the formats it now spans: the Suikoden II anime, the STAR LEAP mobile game, a comic book adaptation, and, for the first time in the series, a stage adaptation of the story of Suikoden I.[2](https://www.konami.com/ir/en/ir-data/groupreport/2025_3/pdf/all.pdf) Konami has also named Suikoden among the key franchises whose reboots are an important part of its business strategy going forward.[12](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/metal-gear/konami-president-says-reboots-of-metal-gear-castlevania-and-silent-hill-are-important-initiatives-for-the-company-going-forward/)
## Reception
The first game is remembered for mechanics that aged well: reviewers credit its recruitable character, castle-building, and campaign battle systems, and its political drama, while noting flaws such as very easy combat and a restrictive inventory in which each character has only nine item slots.[4](https://www.rpgfan.com/review/suikoden-3/) Suikoden II carried over the story arcs, characters, mini-games, battle systems, and music of the original, and its richer dialogue was undercut at launch by a widely criticized translation with misspelled names and misattributed lines.[7](https://www.rpgfan.com/review/suikoden-ii-2/) Suikoden V was received as a return to the series' traditional roots, with a lively and expansive cast and a plot full of political intrigue.[5](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/suikoden-v-review/1900-6146624/) Retrospective coverage describes the series as having been re-evaluated as a classic over the two decades after its debut, with praise for its story, shades-of-gray conflicts, and tactical combat.[13](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/anime-shows/suikoden-anime-trailer-proves-its-a-pitch-perfect-adaptation-of-the-legendary-ps1-rpgs-sequel-but-were-not-sure-it-will-fit-in-all-108-companions/)
## References
1. [About Suikoden, Suikoden web portal, KONAMI](https://www.konami.com/games/suikoden/en/history)
2. [KONAMI's Frontline, Konami investor report](https://www.konami.com/ir/en/ir-data/groupreport/2025_3/pdf/all.pdf)
3. [Suikoden Live broadcast reveals new mobile game, animated show etc. ahead of HD Remaster release, KONAMI](https://www.konami.com/games/us/en/topics/2809/)
4. [Suikoden Review, RPGFan (Cory Cauthon, 2022)](https://www.rpgfan.com/review/suikoden-3/)
5. [Suikoden V Review, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/suikoden-v-review/1900-6146624/)
6. [Suikoden I&II HD Remaster Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars Release Date confirmed for March 6th, 2025, KONAMI](https://www.konami.com/games/eu/en/topics/18086/)
7. [Suikoden II Review, RPGFan (1999)](https://www.rpgfan.com/review/suikoden-ii-2/)
8. [Suikoden I & II HD Remaster: Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars Review (Switch), Nintendo Life](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/suikoden-i-and-ii-hd-remaster-gate-rune-and-dunan-unification-wars)
9. [Suikoden Tactics Review, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/suikoden-tactics-review/1900-6139766/)
10. [Best upcoming Xbox Japanese / JRPG games, Windows Central](https://www.windowscentral.com/best-upcoming-japanese-jrpg-games-xbox)
11. [Hablamos con Rui Naito, productor de Suikoden I & II HD, MeriStation](https://as.com/meristation/reportajes/hablamos-con-rui-naito-productor-de-suikoden-i-ii-hd-es-el-primer-paso-para-su-renacimiento-r/)
12. [Konami president says reboots of Metal Gear, Castlevania, and Silent Hill are important initiatives, GamesRadar](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/metal-gear/konami-president-says-reboots-of-metal-gear-castlevania-and-silent-hill-are-important-initiatives-for-the-company-going-forward/)
13. [Suikoden anime trailer proves it's a pitch-perfect adaptation, GamesRadar](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/anime-shows/suikoden-anime-trailer-proves-its-a-pitch-perfect-adaptation-of-the-legendary-ps1-rpgs-sequel-but-were-not-sure-it-will-fit-in-all-108-companions/)
14. [KONAMI animation Official Website](https://animation.konami.net/en/news_2025_010.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Games and gameplay › Franchises and series › Japanese RPG and adventure franchises*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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