Rag

Key art of Rag for Shining Force. Illustration by Yoshitaka Tamaki.

Rag (ラグ, Ragu, EN: Luke, Lug) is a dwarf warrior first appearing in Shining Force, where he accompanies Max at the request of the king of Guardiana. In Shining Force Gaiden, he is the commanding officer of the soldiers who disappeared after having been sent to Cypress and he has a son named Ruth who joins Nick's company.

Name

Due to Japanese not distinguishing between foreign /l/ and /r/ sounds, there are a few ways this name could be written in Latin letters, including Ragu, Rag, Lagu, and Lag. The English localizers of Shining Force chose to rename the character Luke rather than attempt to preserve the character's Japanese name. His name is changed again in the English version of Shining Force CD, this time to Lug, unaccountably pronounced by the introduction's no doubt bamboozled narrator as /luːg/ (rhyming with the first syllable of "Moogle") rather than the eminently more obvious /lʌg/ (as in "mug").

A likely point of reference indicated by Rag's original Japanese name is the Norse prefix rag- found in words like Ragnarök and names like Ragnar, which find their roots in the Old Norse regin, meaning "gods". The name Ragnar, meaning "commander" in Old Norse, is written in katakana as Ragunaru (ラグナル), and Rag's name consists of its first two syllables. The prefix ragna- would not be unknown to Japanese developers; the name of the 1995 Mega Drive game Ragnacënty (ラグナセンティ, Ragunasenti) shares its first three syllables with Ragnar. In Shining Force EXA, the emperor of Noswald is named Ragnadaam (ラグナダーム, Ragunadāmu), and is sometimes referred to as just Ragna. The word Ragnarök occurs in Shining Resonance as the name of an ancient war between dragons and gods.

The name Rag as a shortened form of Ragnar suits the warrior from Shining Force. A Norse name for an axe-wielding warrior with horns on his helmet is a thematic match.

Dialogue

Shining Force Chapter 1, Rag joining Max
Rag
JP	ノーバ様から　はなしはきいたよ　おれたちも　いっしょに行くぜ・・・おれは戦士のラグ　戦いは　おれのいのち・・・戦いがあるところなら　どこへ　でも行くぜ
TL	The word just came in from Sir Nova. Looks like we’re comin’ with ya! . . . I’m the warrior Rag, and fightin’ is my whole life . . . ! If there’s a battle somewhere, it don’t matter where it is, that’s where you’ll find me!

Shining Force Headquarters Dialogue
Rag (on standby)
JP	さっきの戦とうは　すごかったって　みんなが　はなしてたけどよ　つぎは　おれをつれてってくれよ　じまんばなしが　できないとなると　国にかえって　たのしみがないぜ
TL	I heard that last battle was amazing. Everyone's been talking about it. So take me with you next time! What's the fun in goin' back home if I've got nothing to brag about?
Rag (in party)
JP	おれがいれば　コワいものなしさ　このさきも　ずーっと　戦わせてくれよ!
TL	If I go with you, there'll be nothing to fear. You've gotta let me fight from now on!
Rag (on boat)
JP	ふねにのるのは　はじめてなんだ　うーん　ドキドキするなあ
TL	This is my first time being on a ship. Ugh, my heart is pounding.

History

Shining Force: Legacy of the Gods

Rag is among the five people asked by the king of Guardiana to accompany Max on his investigation of the Ancient Gate.

Shining Force Gaiden

At some point before the start of the game's story, Rag has a son named Ruth.

After Woldol puts Queen Anri into an eternal sleep, he leads a military expedition toward Cypress and does not return. He appears before the final battle and assists Nick's company in their battle against Woldol.

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