Adam
Adam (アダム, Adamu) is a robotic soldier constructed around one thousand years before the events of Shining Force by the Ancients of Rune to assist Max in preventing the prophesied resurrection of Dark Dragon.[1]
The character was designed by Yoshitaka Tamaki.
Translation Notes
Adam's name in Japanese is the typical katakana transcription of the Biblical Hebrew name Adám (אדם) and its Greek, Latin, and English derivations.
Promoted Class
![[Full page]](/wiki/File:Shining_Force_Guide_Book_TV-Land_039.jpg){kind=link}
Adam's promoted class in the Japanese game is "machine god" (機神, きしん, kishin).[3] Because the font used in game for character classes is too small to use kanji, kishin is spelled out in game using hiragana (きしん). The class name given in published materials is made up of a kanji here read as ki (機, キ) and another kanji typically read as kami ("god"), but in this case read shin (神, シン). Its usage is not literal. The ancient people who built Adam came to be revered by the people contemporary to the setting of Shining Force as their gods. From the perspective of the modern people of Rune, Ancient technology was the work of the Gods.
It is also possible that the class name is a pun based on kishin with the same pronunciation but different kanji (鬼神, きしん), which has the same pronunciation and is used to refer to angry and violent gods.
Thematic Significance
The reference in Adam's name to Biblical Adam is apt given the characterization within the narrative of the Ancients. The ancient people of Rune are identified by the people of the present day as gods, but as their presence has been absent for the last thousand years since the Ancient War, they are known only by the lasting material achievements of their civilization.
Just as God created Adam in the creation myth of Judaism and Christianity told in the Book of Genesis, so too did the Gods of Rune give life to Adam. The Ancients' legacy persisted through the ages in the robotic life forms they created, culminating in Dark Dragon, and according to Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon, including the other humanoid races of Rune.[4]
Dialogue in Metaphor
The following exchange occurs between Max and Adam in the ruins of Metaphor in Chapter 7 of Shining Force: Legacy of the Gods. Most of this dialogue is omitted in the English release of the game.
| Adam (アダム) | |
|---|---|
| JP | 私の名まえはアダム・・・ あなたをたすけ 戦うために生まれた きかいへい・・・ あなたとカイン様は 古代のちすじを うけつがれし者・・・ 生まれたときから 黒き竜との戦いを さだめられていた・・・ ダークソル・・・ 黒き竜のふっかつを たくらむ ヤツは おふたりのことをかぎつけ ふういんのカギと ひでんのしょを てにいれるため りようしようと たくらんだのです カイン様はあなたをにがそうとして 戦いました・・・ しかし ダークソルにやぶれ・・・ あなたも ひどいケガをしました そのため きおくまで うしなってしまったのでしょう |
| TL | My name is Adam . . . I am a machine soldier born to help you fight. You and Master Cain are inheritors of the Ancient bloodline. From the moments you were born, it was decided that you would fight the Black Dragon. Dark Sol . . . the one conspiring to resurrect the Black Dragon, sniffed out two items: the Key to the Seal and the Manuscript of Secrets. And so he obtained them to use for his schemes. Master Cain fought so that you might go free . . . However, having been defeated by Dark Sol . . . you also sustained a terrible injury, which seems to have resulted in your memory loss. I will pass the Chaos Breaker to you. Now, come this way. |
| NA | I am Adam, a robot soldier. I will show you how to create the Chaos Breaker. |
| Chaos (ケイオス) | |
| JP | ・・・ギギギ・・・コロス ・・・マックス ・・・コロス |
| TL | . . . Ggrrghk . . . KILL . . . Max . . . KILL. |
| NA | Screech! Kill... Kill... |
| Adam (アダム) | |
| JP | おまえはケイオス・・・! 私だ アダムだ! わからないのか? マックス様! あれはケイオス・・・カイン様を たすけるため つくられた者・・・ カイン様とともに ダークソルに つれさられていたはず・・・ ・・・悪の心にそまったのか! あいつと たたかってはいけない 私が あなたをまもります |
| TL | You are Chaos . . . ! It’s me! Adam! Do you not understand? Master Max! That is Chaos . . . the one built to help Master Cain . . . Master Cain and Chaos were taken by Dark Sol . . . Has your mind been tainted by evil? You must not fight each other. I will protect you. |
| NA | Stop! You are Chaos. You have been reprogrammed by Darksol. Revert to original function. |
References
- ↑ Japanese Game Script. Shining Force: The Legacy of Great Intention (シャイニング・フォース 神々の遺産, Shainingu Fōsu: Kamigami no Isan, "Shining Force: Legacy of the Gods"). Climax Entertainment, Sonic! Software Planning. Sega, March 1992.
- ↑ Shining Force: Legacy of the Gods Game Guide Book (シャイニング・フォース 神々の遺産 ゲームガイドブック, Shainingu Fōsu: Kamigami no Isan Gēmu Gaido Bukku). Tokuma Shoten, 1992. [PDF] [PNG]
- ↑ Shining Force Strategy Guide (シャイニングフォース 攻略の手引き, Shainingu Fōsu Kouryaku no Tebiki). Famicom Tsuushin Editorial Department. ASCII, April 1992.
- ↑ Game Script. Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon (シャイニング･フォース 黒き竜の復活, Shainingu Fōsu: Kuroki Ryū no Fukkatsu, "Shining Force: Resurrection of the Black Dragon"). Amusement Vision, Climax Entertainment. Sega, April 2004.
Shining Force Character Directory
| Protagonists and Supporting Characters | |
|---|---|
| Shining Force Members | Max・Rag・Ken・Tao・Hans・Lowe・Gong・Goth・May・Chip・Anri・Arthur・Balbaroy・Amon・Diane・Zappa・Pale・Yogurt・Kokichi・Vangarde・Gantz・Ernest・Domingo・Lyle・Baryū・Musashi・Taurus・Aleph・Adam・Hanzō |
| Supporting Characters | Balios・Nova・Otranto |
| Antagonists and Monsters | |
| Primary Antagonists | Cain・Ramuradu・Mishaela・Dark Sol・Elliot・Barbazak |
| Monsters | Dark Dragon |