Let's examine the five comrades who made the deepest impressions in a series glowing with character charm.
1st Place: Nei (II)
The first and greatest is, without a doubt, none other than Nei, as one can't help but think that it was Nei's charm that increased the number of PS fans so. Nei was the one who brought about II's great turning point, her heroic death in the battle with Nei First, and the quickness with which she gained levels must have startled players.
[Caption: Nei's status screen] There were probably some people who thought their game cassettes were broken, with the way Nei gained levels so lightning-quickly.
[Caption: confrontation with Nei First - "'No! No, that's not true!' Nei cried. 'I split from Nei First because it was horrible being within her!'"] Nei's death consisted of nothing but messages and a few screens, so one must wonder why it delivered such a shock.
2nd Place: Lutz (I & II)
Apart from his (?) gender-ambiguous charm, he was an extremely useful ally in I, because, as a magician, he could use so many techniques. He learns techniques like Hewn and Tandle that are particularly useful in battles with boss characters; he was such an essential character that the adventure could not proceed without him.
[Caption: meeting Lutz in PSI] In I, Nei [typo, they mean Lutz] is undergoing intense magic training in a cave on Motabia.
[Caption: meeting Lutz in PSII - "'I'm glad you made it, Eusis. I am Lutz, Algol's last remaining Esper. You seem to think it strange that I know your name.'"] In II, he does not join the party, but only sends Eusis and his friends to the final battle.
3rd Place: Myau (I)
Cute little Myau's strong point was his attacks with his claws, and in the game's second half he takes to the skies to transport his comrades to the Air Castle. Myau's transformed form was so beautiful then it enchanted many fans. Myau's charm was handed down to Nei in II, Mieu in III, and Fal in IV.
4th Place: Shilka (II)
Though the character doesn't have much of a taste for engaging enemies in battle, her "occupation" of "thief" has a supreme charm. If you take her to the "Friends' Home" [Baggage Room - odd name for it, unless it's a euphenism] in Paseo on Parma when she reaches level 10, it is possible for her to steal an item called the Visiphone. This item enables you to save anywhere - in dungeons, say, or in the overworld. The game's degree of challenge changes dramatically based on whether or not you have this item, and if only for that, Shilka can absolutely not be left behind.
[Caption: Eusis's item screen with Visiphone] Though Shilka is not very useful, she knows how to steal the Visiphone - coinciding with the proper rise in her experience level, naturally.
5th Place: Searren (III)
There were many characters who seemed highly tempting choices for fifth place - Tylon, gung-ho with his pure brute force in I, Amia [typo, they mean Anne], who self-sacrificingly revives her comrades in II, Lyle, who transformed into a dragon in III, Mieu, who joins you in the middle of the desert and greatly resembles Nei - the number of those we considered but turned down was great. In the end, we chose Searren, who transforms into vehicles to ferry party members around the world, speeding up the adventure.
[Caption: Kein and Mieu in the beige-and-green overworld] Though III's dolorous graphics weren't to our tastes, it was sort of suspected that Searren would appear in IV as he does.
If anyone plays these games from here on in, give special priority to the five characters chosen here. It should make the adventure easier.