Shining Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Bowie
Bowie2
A young Bowie in Shining Force II
Vital statistics
Race Human
Class Swordsman -> Hero
Gender Male
Faction Shining Force
Birthplace Granseal
Relatives Unnamed mother
Kiwi (pet)
Princess Elis (probable wife)
Appearances Shining Force II
Comics

Bowie (or Boui in Japanese) is the main character or protagonist of Shining Force II: Ancient Sealing, and the leader of the Shining Force in the game. The player can name him in different ways, as "Bowie" is merely the character's standard or default name. He starts the game as a teenage apprentice of the Swordsman (SDMN) class, and he is the only one with such class in that game. When he is promoted to Hero after reaching level 20, Bowie matures, with more expertise.

Background[]

Little is revealed of Bowie's early years, or his family, although it is stated his father was a legendary hero of the city of Granseal, where he was the captain of the guard. It is unclear exactly who Bowie's father was supposed to be; some have theorized that Bowie is supposed to be the son of Max, the hero of Shining Force: The Legacy of Great Intention. However Bowie was born when Max was at least 75 years old, and the time frame of Shining Force II, Bowie's physical appearance, and the fact that his father was a hero of Grans all fit with the theory that Ian of Shining Force Gaiden: Final Conflict is Bowie's father. If this is the case, then Kane is Bowie's grandfather. Bowie's father passed away some time before the events of Shining Force II; the comics based on the game suggested that Bowie's father died fighting the monsters in the wilderness beyond the city gates. He left behind his son, Bowie, and Bowie's mother.

Bowie in the game[]

Hero-bowie

Animated gif of a promoted Hero-class Bowie attacking

Growing up in Granseal, Bowie studies with Sarah, Jaha and Chester in Sir Astral's school in order to become a swordsman. One day, King Granseal mysteriously fell ill and Sir Astral was sent to the castle to investigate. Curious, Sarah, Chester and Bowie went to the castle and then, when Sir Astral found out about them, they went to the Ancient Tower to investigate about its mysterious opening. There, they found a Dark Smoke who sent various Gizmos towards the group. The Dark Smoke tried to possess King Granseal, but after being exorcised by Sir Astral, it possessed King Galam. Bowie and his group was eventually attacked by Galam and arrested. They discovered Galam was invading Granseal and Bowie went back to the country. Granseal was eventually destroyed by a massive earthquake, with Princess Elis abducted by King Galam. Bowie and his friends went to Parmecia to restart their lives, but after discovering that King Galam was trying to revive the King of the Devils Zeon, Bowie starts to lead a new Shining Force to once again seal the Ancient Devil. Bowie eventually found out that Princess Elis was alive, although poisoned by a poison from the Demon World. After defeating all of Zeon's Greater Devils, including the mighty Odd-Eye and King Galam himself; Bowie took the legendary Force Sword, and used it to weaken the King of Devils, leading to the resealing of Zeon. The poison in Princess Elis' body was eventually released, but in order to wake from her sleep, a kiss from her one-true love would have to be given. And so, Bowie kissed her.

Personality[]

Bowie is a mostly silent character, although he is brave, observant and has a heart of gold. He longs to be a hero like his father and is very formidable and capable in combat, but he cares about living creatures, protecting and helping those of good heart. At the beginning of the game he is notoriously mischievous and rebellious, but becomes more responsible as he grows in power. He is admired and obeyed by the other members of the Shining Force, who readily look to him as their leader. At first Bowie is reluctant to accept the title of chosen one, but accepts it nevertheless and proves himself worthy.

Strategy[]

Bowie is the games version of Max and the main hero of the game. As such he is very similar in build to Max. He has good balanced overall states with only a slight favoritism for attack and a steady HP growth.

He has the spell "Egress" and this proves useful in escaping battles which have not gone well, usage of the spell will avoid any consequences if Bowie falls in battle. Unlike Max, he is able to use the spell "Bolt" and proves useful in some situations.

After promotion, his attack growth is higher then before but his strongest growth is on his HP and defense. This gives him a much higher overall endurance compared to some other members of the Shining Force and ensures that he can last long enough on the frontline before falling. Despite any weaknesses he may have it is best to keep him as a main fighter. He is also the only one who can use the Force Sword, which will allow him to maintain a high damage potential. As per such, he naturally becomes a decent and strong fighter late game.

He starts off weak and pre-promotion is weak overall. Falling in battle means having to redo the entire battle again from scratch, plus the party looses some gold in the process. Failure to level him will leave him vulnerable late game as he is the only member of the Force that is in every battle. Thus it is better to risk putting him in fights early on to gain XP, rather then letting him fall behind.

Due to his limited MP, temptation can be to use up mana that would be best used for Egress, his magic is better off used later game when Bowie has more mana to spare. Aside from his weak MP, his other weak stat is speed, while its growth improves after promotion it still does not grow particular well compared to his other stats.

Powers & Magic[]

Bowie is proficient in using a sword. He is the only one capable of wielding the Force Sword. The Jewel of Light and the Jewel of Evil chose him and fused with his neck. He also learns the following spells.

Level 1 - already learned
Level 1 - acquires at Level 22
Level 2 - acquires at Level 31
Level 3 - acquires at Level 42
Level 4 - acquires at Level 51

Quotes[]

  • "I have a bad feeling about this..."
  • "That was close!"

Trivia[]

  • Bowie is briefly mentioned in the ending cutscenes of Shining Wisdom, though this mention is omitted from the North American localization.
  • In the UK's "Sonic the Comic" series, one of their guest stories is based on combined elements from both Shining Force: The Legacy of Great Intention and the events of Shining Force 2: Ancient Sealing. In this, Max was Bowie's grandfather and Bowie's appearance resembles Max rather then Bowie. He is the only character to "promote" and after Max's spirit brings him back to health from a fatal wound.

See also[]

Advertisement