Dark Sol

This article contains spoilers for Doom Blade!

Dark Sol's key art for Shining Force. Illustration by Yoshitaka Tamaki.

Dark Sol (ダーク・ソル, Dāku Soru, "Dark Sol" or "Dark-Sol"; ダークソル, Dākusoru, "Darksol"; 黑き魂, Kuroki Tamashii, "Black [Dark] Soul") is a malevolent warlock who first appears in Shining and the Darkness under the names Mephisto (メフィスト, Mefisuto) and Melville (メルビル, Merubiru). In Shining Force, Dark Sol is identified as an Ancient of Rune. The character is initially introduced as Lord Dark (ダーク卿, Dāku Kyō) or just Dark in Doom Blade: Shining and the Darkness Gaiden, where he is a Star Eye of Metaphaluna. He is classified as a Devil King in Shining Force II: The Ancient Seal and Shining Force Gaiden: Final Conflict.

In Shining Force and Shining Soul, Dark Sol is associated with Dark Dragon, whom he seeks to resurrect or control.

In Doom Blade, he opposes the Great Intention's control over the world and seeks to bring about a recurrence of the thousand-year war known as the Millennium Nightmare.

In Shining Force II: The Ancient Seal, Dark Sol is described as one of the devils who, along with Lucifer, fought against Zeon for the title of King of the Devils.

In one of the instances of retroactive continuity found in Shining Force Gaidenː Final Conflict, Mishaela and Odd Eye indicate that the Mephisto seen in Shining and the Darkness is actually the son of Dark Sol.

Name

From Mephisto to Dark Sol

Dark Sol looms over the pages of the Japanese instruction manual for Shining and the Darkness. A representation of his Dark Dragon–esque transformation stands behind him. A similar composition is used to depict the character in Chapter 7 of Doom Blade. Illustration by Yoshitaka Tamaki.

The character's first appearance is in the Japanese release of Shining and the Darkness in March 1991, where he is named Mephisto (メフィスト, Mefisuto) in reference to the demon from German literary tradition. He was renamed Dark Sol for the English localization of the game, which released in September 1991, well into the development of Shining Force.

The name Mephisto (in reference to Faust's Mephistopheles) does suit the character in the context of Shining Force as Dark Sol's relationship with Emperor Ram Laddu of Runefaust represents a type of Faustian deal. The country's name similarly reflects the parallel. The name Mephisto erroneously appears in the index and enemy list of the Shining Force Encyclopedia, suggesting that the character may not have been renamed until partway through development of the game.

Dark Sol or Darksol?

In the Japanese version of Shining Force, released March 1992, the character is named Darksol (ダークソル, Dākusoru). In this game, there is no spacer (・) used between dāku (ダーク) and soru (ソル), so the choice to render this as "Darksol" or "Dark Sol" with a space in English is only a matter of style. In the same game, Dark Dragon's name is given in katakana as Dākudoragon (ダークドラ ゴン) with no spacer, but it would be hard to recommend the unspaced rendition "Darkdragon" in English over "Dark Dragon". For the English localization of Shining Force, released in July 1993, the unspaced "Darksol" is used.

In Doom Blade, Dark Sol's name is usually spelled in katakana with a spacer (ダーク・ソル), but sometimes without (ダークソル). When the character is introduced, he goes by the name Dark (ダーク卿, Daku Kyō, "Lord Dark") until his true identity is revealed as Dark Sol.

In Shining Force II, the name is spelled without a spacer in the Japanese release (ダークソル) but with a space in the English release (Dark Sol).

In Shining Force Gaidenː Final Conflict, Shining Force IIIː Premium Disc, Shining Soul, and Shining Forceː Resurrection of the Black Dragon, the name is spelled 「ダークソル」. In the English releases of Shining Soul and Shining Forceː Resurrection of the Dark Dragon, the name is styled "Darksol".

Etymology

Dark Sol's name is derived from a combination of the English "dark" (ダーク, dāku) and the Latin sōl (ソル, soru, "sun"). This poetic juxtaposition would seem to put Dark Sol in figurative opposition to the powers of Light, as well as the Moon as represented by the name of the Rune Continent (ルーン, Rūn, "Lune") and Metaphaluna. It may not be a coincidence that is a moonbeam stone (「げっこうせき」, 月光石, gekkō seki) that is mined in Bastork and alchemized into the lunar drop (「つきのしずく」, 月のしずく, tsuki no shizuku) that cures Zappa's poison.

In Resurrection, Dark Sol states that he was given his name by the Ancients in reference to his role as the mind of Dark Dragon. He defines the name as the Japanese for "Black Soul" (黑き魂, Kuroki Tamashī), suggesting that the correct interpretation of the katakana for his name (ダークソル) is "Dark Soul". The absence of this sense in Yoshitaka Tamaki's Doom Blade: Shining and the Darkness Gaiden suggests that this is a retcon on the part of writer Masaki Wachi, though it is unknown which writer named the character in the first place and what they might have originally had in mind.

Design

Dark Sol's original appearance as Mephisto in Shining and the Darkness. Artwork by Yoshitaka Tamaki.

Artists

Dark Sol's design was created by artist Yoshitaka Tamaki for Shining and the Darkness, who also created the illustrations for the character's appearances in Shining Forceː Legacy of the Gods, Doom Blade: Shining and the Darkness Gaiden, Shining Soul, and Shining Forceː Resurrection of the Black Dragon. Dark Sol's design in Shining Soul is similar to one Tamaki used for the antagonist of Fangs: The Saga of Wolf Blood.

Hiroshi Kajiyama's artwork of Dark Sol used in Shining Force CD.

Hiroshi Kajiyama drew the artwork for Dark Sol used in the opening scene of Shining Force CD and redesigned the character for Shining Force Gaidenː Final Conflict. It is probable that Kajiyama also drew the references that were the basis for Dark Sol's battlefield graphics in Shining Force IIIː Premium Disc.

Physical Appearance

Dark Sol's unclothed appearance in a panel of Doom Blade: Shining and the Darkness Gaiden. Artwork by Yoshitaka Tamaki.

Dark Sol appears as a human with blue skin and glowing red eyes in Shining and the Darkness and in his battle cutscene sprites in Shining Force. His face is almost completely shrouded in shadow in his Shining Force portrait and and in Doom Blade. In Shining Soul, his skin has a more natural grayish tone. As a Star Eye, Dark Sol has a third eye set in his forehead, but it is usually obscured by his helmet or his hair.

Dark Sol covers his body in layers of cloth robes. He wears metal plates with shoulder spikes in Shining Force. His armor in Doom Blade has reflective glassy pauldrons similar to other wizards in Shining Force. In Shining Soul, he wears skulls on his shoulders that resemble the face of Dark Dragon.

Dark Sol's horns are generally depicted as a feature of his helmet, though one panel in Doom Blade shows them in the silhouette of his unadorned head. In the first two games, Dark Sol's helmet is fashioned with deeply curved downward-pointing horns that are evocative of Dark Dragon's. In Doom Blade, his helmet has horns that point straight upward instead. The horns on Tamaki's illustrations for Shining Soul vary, but the artwork used in game lies somewhere in between. When his helmet is removed, Dark Sol has short white hair that covers his third eye in Shining Soul, and long flowing black hair in Doom Blade.

History

Shining Soul

Dark Sol's first appearance in a hypothetical timeline is in Shining Soul, a legendary depiction of the War of the Ancients or Millennium Nightmare that took place in Rune one thousand years before Shining Force. In Shining Soul, set in Runefaust, Dark Sol serves as one of Dark Dragon's generals alongside Mishaela, Iom, Zeon, and Bulzome.

In the English release of Shining Soul, Dark Sol states that he is behind the entire conflictː

It is a pleasure to meet you . . . My name is Darksol . . . I am the guardian of destruction for all eternity. Shining Warrior . . . The Dark Dragon is a work of art. It is far too strong for you to handle. All you can do is admire it. Enjoy the spectacle of total destruction created by the Dark Dragon!

Ha ha ha . . . Just admire it, Shining Warrior. That's all you can do. Everything is just a game . . . a game that I created!!

Dark Sol successfully unleashes Dark Dragon. When Dark Dragon is defeated at the end of Shining Soul, it threatens to return in one thousand years, setting up the events of Shining Force.

Shining Force II

At some point, as summarized in a historical account told by the storytellers of Tristan in Shining Force II: The Ancient Seal, Dark Sol battles Lucifer and Zeon for the title of King of the Devils, and although Zeon is the victor, Dark Sol successfully seals him beneath Ark Valley.

Shining Force

One thousand years after Shining Soul, in Shining Force, Dark Sol discovers the location where two Ancients, Max and Cain, had been put into stasis to oppose Dark Dragon in the event of his prophesied return. Dark Sol attacks them as they emerge from their sleep. The attack leaves Cain a prisoner of Dark Sol and Max injured with his memory erased.

In both the original Mega Drive version and Game Boy Advance remake of Shining Force, Dark Sol seeks to resurrect Dark Dragon in order to destroy the world. To do so, he manipulates King Ram Laddu of Runefaust into starting a war that encompasses the entire Rune continent. Dark Sol uses the war to support his effort to locate the key he needs access the Ancient Castle that houses Dark Dragon. He also seeks the manuscript that contains the instructions required to control the Ancient robots and remove the seal that encloses Dark Dragon.

In the original Japanese script of Shining Forceː Legacy of the Gods, the exact nature of Dark Sol's relationship with the Ancients and Dark Dragon is not specified.

In Shining Forceː Resurrection of the Black Dragon, Dark Sol identifies himself as one of the Ancients of Rune who was chosen to control their creation, Dark Dragon. He states the following in the English release of the gameː

Do you know . . . why I traveled through time to come here? I shall tell you now. The gods . . . the ancient ones . . . wished to destroy the races that they had created . . . For this purpose, they created Dark Dragon . . . And at the same time . . . they chose one man to wield the power to control Dark Dragon. They altered his body so that he became the mind of a creature. That man . . . was me!

Darksol . . . the Dark Soul . . . I was given this odious name at that time . . . All memory of my previous life was erased . . . And from then on . . . I was nothing but a tool, the "brain" of Dark Dragon. It was a miserable fate. But then I had a thought . . . I would take control of Dark Dragon, just as they wished . . . and use it to get my revenge!

Shining Force Gaidenː Final Conflict

After Dark Sol sacrifices his life and body to restore Dark Dragon at the end of Shining Force, he recovers sometime before the events of Shining Force Gaidenː Final Conflict, in which he starts another war in an attempt to bring about the destruction of the world. For the first time, Dark Sol is shown being able to transform into a giant monster.

Doom Blade

Doom Blade: Shining and the Darkness Gaiden, Chapter 7ː "The Return of Dark". Comic by Yoshitaka Tamaki.

After Dark Sol's death in Final Conflict, he is once again resurrected leading up to the plot depicted in Doom Blade: Shining and the Darkness Gaiden, which is set one thousand years after the events of the first Shining Force. In a conversation with Otranto, Dark Sol describes his planː

Doom Blade, Chapter 7ː "The Return of Dark"
Otranto
JP	「暗黒龍ダーク・ドラゴンの復活」にしては随分と回りくどいことをしているな
TL	Aren't you going about Dark Dragon's resurrection in a pretty roundabout way?
Dark Sol
JP	「暗黒龍の復活」………？　この私がその様な陳腐な目的でお前を幽閉したと思うか？　もっとも「暗黒龍ダーク・ドラゴンの復活」も計画の一部ではあるがな………
TL	Dark Dragon's resurrection . . . ? Do you really think that I of all people would imprison you for something so trite? Though it is true that Dark Dragon's resurrection is one part of the plan . . .
Otranto
JP	では…お前の真の目的とは！？
TL	Then . . . what is your endgameǃ?
Dark Sol
JP	この世界全てを焦土と化した古の大戦……　「千年戦争ミレニアム・ナイトメア」の再戦だ‼
TL	The great ancient war that scorched the whole of the earth . . . An encore of the Millennium Nightmareǃ

Shining and the Darkness

After a confrontation with a party that includes Killy, Otranto, and Khamsin following the final chapter of Doom Blade, it seems that Dark Sol is weakened sufficiently to go into hiding in Shining and the Darkness. He adopts the persona of the human wizard Melville until he is ready to reveal his true form to the Warriors of Light. In the final battle, Dark Sol changes into a monstrous form with elements resembling Dark Dragon.

With its March 1991 release being the earliest in the series, in the Japanese version of Shining and the Darkness, Dark Sol uses the name Mephisto. As the character's name was changed to Dark Sol during the development of Shining Force (to be released in Japan in March 1992), by the time an adaptation of Shining in the Darkness was released in English in September 1991, the localizers used the name Dark Sol instead.

Zeno on Melville

Zeno (ゼノー)
JP	メルビルは　それは　それは　まほうにたいして　いじょうに　ねっしんなおとこじゃった　はなから　やつのしんのもくてきは　いにしえより　神殿につたわる　やみのちからをてにいれることじゃ　からくも　にげのびたわしが　してやれるのは　神殿たんさくに　すこしでも　やくにたつことじゃ　おまえに　このまほうのかかった　メダリオンをあたえよう
TL	Melville was a man with an extreme zeal for magic above all things. From the beginning his real goal was to obtain the power of Darkness spoken of in the temple since ancient times. He already possessed great, evil magic and used it to try to get rid of me. I was barely able to escape. I have an item that I hope may prove to be beneficial to you in your exploration of the temple. Take this magical medallion.
EN	As you may've suspected, Melvyl—my former disciple—is Dark Sol. His lust for power led him to the dark reaches of the Labyrinth. The Labyrinth was built by the Ancients to serve a two-fold purpose. To seal in the Darkness, and to raise a champion should the need arise. I believe that Melvyl seeks to unleash the forces of Darkness. Here. Take the two halves of this mystic medallion.

Melville at the Tavern

Melville (メルビル)
JP	わだちち殿　おはなしがあって　こうして　まっていました・・　城では　ふつごうなもので・・　どうしました?　かおいろが　かわりましたが・・　ハハー　さては私の・・　しょうたいをしったのだな!　そうとわかれば　はなしがはやい!　私は　ちからある者がすきだ　そして　つよい者が　ほしいのだ　そして　おまえは　たしかにつよい　どうだ　やみに心をうらないか?　いまにもました　ちからをやるぞ!　おまえは　つよくなりたくないのか?　ばかめ　私が　これほどいっても　いのちを　そまつにするつもりか!　あいてになりたいのは　やまやまだが　いまの私は　ただのうつせみだ　みこみのあるやつと　あいにきたが　いまのそなたには　はなしもできぬな　・・こぞう!　こうかいするぞ　つぎあうときは　てきとしれい!
TL	Mister Max, I've been waiting to speak with you . . . It wouldn't be convenient to do so in the castle . . . What is it? Your complexion is changing . . . Ha ha. Well, then . . . You already know my true identity! Since you know, let's finish this quickly. I like people with power. Therefore, I want strong people. And I'm sure you're strong. How about you give yourself over to Darkness? I will give you more power at this very moment! Do you not want to become powerful? You fool. In spite of all that I have said, you still plan to throw your life away? I'd very much like to keep you company but right now I am a mere shell. I came to find someone with promise, but I cannot even talk to you . . . Brat! How regrettable. When next we meet, we will be enemies!
EN	Sir Max, there's something I wished to talk to you about. Is something wrong? You seem . . . hostile? Hmm. I see you've found out about me. Well, that makes it all the better because I have a proposal for you. Actually, it's more of an invitation. Join me. Join with the Darkness and rule this land with me. No? Foolish child. It's a shame that this is but my image before you. I could have shown you what it means to wield true power. But I guess you'll have to find out the hard way.

Appearances in Release Order

Dark Sol is among the principal antagonists of the stories he appears in. He is mentioned in Shining Force II, but is not involved in the ongoing events of the story. His appearance in Shining Force CD is limited to a piece of artwork in the game's opening during a summary of past events. Dark Sol appears only as a boss enemy in a bonus battle of Shining Force IIIː Premium Disc.

• Shining and the Darkness (1991)
• Shining Force (1992)
• Doom Blade: Shining and the Darkness Gaiden (1992–1993)
• Mentioned in Shining Force II: The Ancient Seal (1993)
• Artwork in the opening of Shining Force CD (1994)
• Shining Force Gaidenː Final Conflict (1995)
• Boss enemy in Shining Force IIIː Premium Disc (1998)
• Shining Soul (2002)
• Shining Forceː Heroes of Light and Darkness (Canceled in 2022)

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