Shikimi

Lore & Background

In the world of Edea, where floating islands drift above a vast ocean and ancient technologies hum beneath the surface, Shikimi carves her place as a fighter who answers to no lord and no banner. Her skill with her weapon is the product of long, solitary training, and she carries herself with the quiet gravity of someone who has seen enough to know that words are cheap and steel is honest. When she joins Zayne's traveling party, it is not out of grand political allegiance but because the cause she witnesses resonates with her personal code of protecting the vulnerable.

Among the eclectic crew of Star Ocean: The Second Story—where a princess, a singer, a mechanic, and a detective all share a ship—Shikimi stands as the grounded anchor. She does not bask in glory or quip for effect; she simply stands where the danger is thickest and keeps her guard up. Her loyalty, once given, is absolute, and she will not hesitate to put her body between her companions and a threat. This steadfastness makes her a trusted pillar in both battle and the quieter campfire moments between missions.

Her story threads through the broader conflict of the game, touching on themes of duty versus desire, the weight of past obligations, and the choice to fight for something larger than personal survival. While she is not the narrative's central voice, her arcs remind the player that heroism in the Star Ocean world is not reserved for the chosen few—it is a daily, unglamorous commitment to stand and hold the line.

In Their Own Story

The wind off the sea tasted of salt and ozone as the ship groaned against the swell. Shikimi stood at the bow, her weapon resting across her shoulders, eyes fixed on the storm bank rolling in from the south. Behind her, Lani hummed a half-remembered tune and Rikuo cursed a leaking pipe. No one asked her if she was afraid. No one needed to. She had long ago stopped distinguishing between the fear and the focus, the two having fused into a single, cold clarity behind her eyes. When the first bolt split the sky and the deck tilted, she did not flinch. She simply shifted her weight, locked her boots to the plating, and waited for the moment to move. It always came. It always did. And she would be ready.

Reader's Guide

Shikimi debuts in Star Ocean: The Second Story as a recruitable party member. She joins the crew during the early-to-mid portion of the adventure and remains available for the rest of the game once recruited.

In the party, she serves as a dedicated frontline combatant. Her role is to absorb pressure and deliver consistent physical damage, making her a reliable choice when the party needs a steady damage source without relying on elemental or magical effects. She pairs well with support casters who can keep her healed and buffed while she holds the front.

Personality-wise, Shikimi is direct, disciplined, and quietly fierce. She speaks plainly, rarely wastes words, and shows her care for her companions through action rather than sentiment. She can be stubborn when she believes a course of action is correct, but she respects competence and will defer to those she trusts.

Her signature combat style emphasizes focused, physical strikes delivered with clean technique. She favors a methodical approach—reading an opponent's rhythm, finding the opening, and committing fully to the counter. In the game's turn-based system, this translates to a toolkit of reliable physical attacks and self-buffs that reward consistent use over flashy combos. Players who appreciate a "one good hit" philosophy will find her kit satisfying and easy to build around.

Did You Know?

• Shikimi is one of the many recruitable fighters in Star Ocean: The Second Story, a game that lets players assemble a party of up to six members from a cast of over a dozen characters.
• Her calm, duty-driven personality provides a deliberate contrast to the more expressive and comedic characters in the party, giving the group a grounded emotional anchor.
• Star Ocean: The Second Story was developed by tri-Ace and released in 1998 for the Sega Saturn, and its ensemble cast—including Shikimi—has remained a fan-favorite for the game's character-driven storytelling.
• The game's world of Edea, with its floating islands and ocean-below setting, gives Shikimi's sea-faring adventures a distinctive visual backdrop that fans often cite as one of the franchise's most memorable environments.