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Shulk(JP) is the main protagonist of Xenoblade Chronicles and Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition. He is an eighteen year old Homs boy who sets off on his journey with his friends after the Mechon army attacks his village. He is also the wielder of the Monado, a special sword that can defeat Mechon and grant various powers to its user, like visions of the future. He also makes an appearance in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 as a DLC Blade.

Shulk has also notably been a playable representive of the Xenoblade franchise in the Super Smash Bros. series, being playable in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

History[]

Before the events of the games[]

Young Shulk XC

An unconscious young Shulk on the floor of Ose Tower.

14 years before the begining of the game, Shulk was a member of an expedition to retrieve the Monado in the Valak Mountain. Upon finding it, he is killed by Zanza like the other members of the expedition but unlike them, Zanza bring him back to life and becomes his life force. Shortly after, he is found by Dickson and brought back to Colony 9.

Researching the secrets of the Monado[]

Shulk Dickson and the Monado

Shulk and Dickson discuss the hidden potential of the Monado.

After the first battle of Sword Valley, Dickson tasked him with researching the true nature of the Monado but one day, the Mechons army attack the colony and Dunban is forced to use the leggendary sword again. Not able to use the Monado for much longer, Dunban is extremely weakened and Shulk instinctively begins to wield the Monado and fence off the Mechons. However, Fiora, his childhood friend is killed by Metal Face in the attack.

Getting his revenge against Metal Face[]

Metal Face ambushes the party

Metal Face ambushes the party after Xord's defeat.

Shulk and his friend Reyn decides to go on a journey in which they hope to destroy the Mechons. After getting through Tephra Cave and unlocking a new power of the Monado, the party meets Juju and his sister Sharla, two refugees from the Colony 6. Sharla explain to them that the Colony is now under the control of the Mechons. While tuuey are talking, Juju run off to the colony alone and is soon captured by a Mechon M71. Shulk unlock a new power of the Monado and destroy the Mechon, however, Bronze Face arrives and take Juju to the occupied colony. The trio manage to infiltrate the Ether Mine of the colony and with the help of Colonel Otharon, they destroy Xord and free Juju.

When the party exit the Mines, they encounter Metal Face and a group of Mass-Produced Faces, suddently, Dunban and Dickson arrives to help them fight the Mechons but are unable to destroy them all and the group is saved by a Telethia sent by Alvis.

During the fight Shulk had a vision showing him defeating Metal Face at the top of Prison Island. The group decide to go through Satorl Marsh and Makna Forest to reach the prison. They eventually meet Melia in Makna Forest and Riki in Frontier Village, they defeat the Telethia lurking in the forest to help the High Entia. After facing many troubles with the Bionite Order while they are in Alcamoth the party reach Prison Island and are confronted with Zanza possessing Arglas body. After revealing them the true power of the Monado and releasing it, his body is killed by Metal Face and Shulk is able to damage the Mechon but as he is prepared to kill him, Face Nemesis takes the hit and it is revealed that she is a resurrected Fiora in a mechanical body but she is somehow unable to recognize Shulk.

Shulk damage Face Nemesis

Shulk discovers the secret behind the Faced Mechons with his new power.

In Valak Mountain, the party faces Metal Face once again but the Mechon reveal that he was Mumkhar since the begining. He is defeated by the party and saved by Yaldabaoth's arrival, Egil retrieve Face Nemesis and Metal Face before flying off to Galahad Fortress. At the fortress, the party defeat Metal Face for the last time but despise Shulk will to spare him, Mumkhar's obstination lead to his own demise as he is impaled by a spire falling from the fortress after his last attack.

Stopping Egil[]

Confronting Yaldabaoth and Nemesis

The party is defeated by Yaldabaoth and Face Nemesis.

In the fortress, the party encounters Face Nemesis but her armor attack them due to Egil's control over the Mechon, Egil himself shows up and fight the party after disabling the Monado with the Apocrypha Generator. Lady Meyneth who was possessing Fiora's body use her power to defeat Egil and destroy the fortress, the party fall down to the Fallen Arm.

On the Fallen Arm, Shulk reunite with Fiora and later the rest of the party, the group discover that the Machina, the people of Mechonis, left the capital long ago and Egil is the one to blame for the destruction, after meeting with his father Miqol, the party decide to go in the capital and defeat Egil.

Shulk refuses to kill Egil

Shulk refuses to kill Egil during their final confrontation.

During their travel, they face against Jade Face who reveal himself as Gadolt, Sharla's boyfriend and Vanea, Egil's sister, who help them to get through the upper region of the Mechonis. They eventually reach Agniratha, the capital of the Machina, where they learn about the ancient battle between Zanza and Meyneth. They eventually reach Egil but loose against Yaldabaoth and are saved by Meyneth. The group destroy the Apocrypha Generator and return the Monado to its true power, this time Egil doesn't stand a chance and is defeated after taking control of the Mechonis and using it to attack the Bionis.

Defeating Zanza[]

The return of Zanza

Zanza's return.

The Machina reveal to them that he was only trying to kill Zanza and that he was willing to kill everyone on the Bionis if it meant his death. As Shulk and Egil are ready to make it up, Dickson arrives and shoot Shulk in the back which awakens Zanza from his slumber and Shulk is left for dead.

The power to fell a god

Shulk awakens the true Monado.

Shulk communicate with Alvis in his dream and learn about the nature of the gods and the meaning of the passage of fate. With his renewed fighting spirit, Shulk awakens and protect Colony 6 from the Telethia. The party then decide to go inside Bionis to get rid of Zanza, they defeat Disciple Lorithia and Disciple Dickson before facing the god himself. After a fight with Zanza, Shulk is able to unlock the true power of the Monado and destroy Zanza. This causes the death of The Architect in Alrest and the disapearing of the Conduit which lead to the recreation of their world. After Klaus' death, Shulk learn of the origin of their world from Alvis and is presented with the choice of recreating the world as he see fit, Shulk wish for an endless world with no gods.

Epilogue[]

Epilogue XC

Shulk and Fiora stands on Colony 9's beach during the Epilogue.

Shulk is last seen in the new Colony 9 alongside Fiora where they talk about the nature of this new world. A year after the final battle, Shulk and Melia use Junks to try to search for survivors near Alcamoth but they are shot down and crash on the Bionis' Shoulder where they team up with Kino and Nene to reach their objective.

Future Connected[]

XCDE Shulk Future Connected

Shulk as he appears in Future Connected.

There they learn that there is survivors of all four races living on the Bionis' Shoulder and that at some point after the Bionis' collapse, an entity known as the Fog King has taken over Alcamoth and forced its inhabitants to leave on the Shoulder. After confronting the creature and failing to defeat it, the party learn that the Fog King is corrupting the other monsters but that its influence is confined into the capital by an Ether field generated by what is left over of Zanza's Telethia. While in Alcamoth, they still manage to save Teelan from the King's beasts.

Teelan tell them that he was in Alcamoth to research a mean to revert back the Telethia to their High Entia form. It is there that they learn that the Telethia are containing the Fog King and that Tyrea is helping Teelan. The group is then sent by the duo to search for Radzam in Gran Dell to learn more about a way to defeat the Fog King. There they witness the dimensional rift that was powering the Fog King grow enormous in size. The party heads to Alcamoth to check it out and realize that the influence of the Fog King has broken through the Ether field due to its size. Gael'gar, a High Entia with a hatred for pure blooded High Entias take this opportunity to attack Teelan's laboratory and destroy his research to prevent the return of the pure blooded if the Telethia managed to be cured.

He is defeated by Shulk and the party but still success in destroying Teelan's work. They fall back to Gran Dell and Shulk with the help of Teelan and Radzam figure out that if they were unable to defeat the Fog King it's because the Ether concentration of their attacks was not enough. They go search for an extremely pure Ether crystal to power up Shulk's Monado Replica. Upon their return, they discover that the Fog King has started to attack Gran Dell with his corrupted monsters. The sheer number of monster is too much for Gran Dell as the High Entia warriors split up with the other races after a disagreement between Radzam and Maxis. The party is sent to bring them back while Tyrea hold the monsters back. With the help of the warriors, the monsters are defeated and Shulk is able to upgrade his Monado Replica.

The Fog King[]

Facing against the Fog King

The final confrontation against the Fog King.

Shulk is able to power up the party with Ether and they are now able to confront the Fog King. The Fog King is destroyed but the party realize that the rift allows it to be reborn from the Fog particles left behind and he takes a more powerful form as the rift is further expanding. The Telethia are eventually drawn to the rift and suicide bomb on it to release Ether and destabilize the rift in order to protect the party. Melia then charge a huge Ether based attack while Shulk, Kino and Nene distract the Fog King and upon release, the Fog King is finally defeated.

The party then returns to Gran Dell to celebrate the death of the Fog King. Shulk is last seen attending Melia's coronation in a reclaimed Alcamoth as empress with the rest of the important characters from the base game.

Future Redeemed[]

Shulk is one of the six playable characters in the Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed DLC. Dialogue implies he married Fiora at some point, as Rex asks if Dunban was his mentor or his brother-in-law.

At some point he met Rex and fought alongside him and Z against Alpha as he planned to destroy the world and save only those from the City. They lost, however, with Shulk losing his right arm as a result. Rex and Shulk eventually became the leader of the Liberators, based in Colony 9. Shulk also received a prosthetic right arm from Riku.

Shulk first appears as Consul W battles Matthew and his allies, including Shulk's son Nikol. Following the battle he and Rex take them back to Colony 9.

When the party heads to Origin, Rex and the rest of the party are temporarily transported to a memory of the past world. After this, they confront Alpha and defeat him. But as Ontos was the core processor of Origin, it needs a replacement to be sustained. Shulk, Rex, and A tell the others they will act as this replacement core, promising to meet again someday. Before they do, Shulk and Rex give life force to Nikol and Glimmer respectively, allowing them to live beyond the terms allocated by the Flame Clock system.

After the completion of both Future Redeemed and the main story, the player can unlock Shulk and Rex as heroes by completing one of the challenge battles.

Appearance[]

Shulk's appearance has varied lightly across the various games he has appeared in but he is usually a young man with wavy blonde hairs that roughly go down to his neck. His eyes are blue and he is always pretty tall and slim.

Shulk's attire can varry in certain games like the original Xenoblade Chronicles and Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition depending on his current equipment. His default attire, which is used in other games and his official artworks is composed of a red mini jacket, with a black sweater underneath, along with matching shorts and boots.

In 3 his hair is much longer and he has a mechanical right arm. He also wears a red and black cape.

Xenoblade Chronicles[]

In Xenoblade Chronicles, Shulk acts as the main protagonist, having a very smart personality combined with a very caring personality. As shown in the first few moments of the game, Shulk is able to make weapons, and enjoys doing heavy research into the Monado.

Stats[]

Max Level Max HP Max Physical Strenght Max Ether Strenght Max Agility
99 5,135 405 417 117

Notable gameplay particularities[]

  • Each auto-attack hit adds 20% to his Talent Gauge.
  • Can only use a Monado Art after using Activate Monado, the amount of Talent Gauge depletion from using a Monado Art depends on the Art.
  • Can Break, Topple then Daze an enemy single-handedly with Monado Cyclone.
  • Only character who can remove the Soul Read aura by using Monado Purge; can also remove other buffs with Monado Eater.
  • increases damage and lets the party hurt Mechon with Monado Enchant; can also deal burst damage against Mechon using Monado Buster.
  • defensive party buffs in Monado Speed, Monado Shield and Monado Armor
  • His weapon type is the Monado and he can only get a new one at certain point in the main story for most of the game.

Arts[]

Talent Art[]

  • Turn Strike [Talent Art]- Shulk's inital talent art, does major damage and inflicts the break status for a long time. It is replaced by Activate Monado once Shulk receives the Monado.

Normal Arts[]

  • Back Slash- One of Shulk's starting arts, it deals more damage when dealt from behind, hence the name. It can target only one enemy. 
  • Light Heal- The other art that Shulk starts off with, it allows Shulk to heal one ally.
  • Slit Edge- A single target attack, it can reduce the targeted enemy's physical defence if attacked from the side. 
  • Stream Edge- Shulk attacks in a fan shape in front of him, dealing damage to enemies while inflicting the status of break. 
  • Shadow Eye - Shulk reduces his aggro, and in return, it allows him to deal more damage with his next physical art. 
  • Air Slash - An attack that attacks one enemy and inflicts break. If attacked from the side, there is a chance that it may inflict the enemy with slow.
  • Shaker Edge - Damages one target, and inflicts daze on the target if it is also toppled.
  • Battle Soul - Sacrifices Shulk's HP, and will result in the talent gauge being refilled to a certain extent. 

Monado Arts[]

  • Activate Monado [Talent Art] [Aura]- allows Shulk to access his Monado Arts.
  • Monado Buster- A very strong attack that damages enemies in a straight line, with Mechon suffering from double damage. 
  • Monado Enchant- Allies are able to attack Mechon without the need of an Anti-Mechon weapon. Also boosts damage. 
  • Monado Shield- Casts a shield that can block an enemy's talent art, assuming that Monado Shield is leveled up properly (the enemy's talent art is either equal to or less than Monado Shield's level). Is best done when a vision of a talent art is shown. 
  • Monado Speed- Increases the evasion of one ally of choice. 
  • Monado Purge- Damages a single enemy.  Auras and Spike Effects are removed. Also inflicts Aura Seal.
  • Monado Eater- An optional Monado Art, damages all enemies in front of Shulk. Enemies' buffs are removed and inflicts bleed.
  • Monado Armour- Another optional Monado Art, reduces the damage from both Ether and Physical Arts by a certain amount. 
  • Monado Cyclone- The last Monado Art unlocked in the main storyline, all enemies around Shulk will be damaged. If any are inflicted with break, they will become toppled. 

Skill trees[]

Here are shulk's skill trees.

Initial skill trees[]

Unlockable skill trees[]

Xenoblade Chronicles 2[]

In Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Shulk along with Fiora can be used in a similar maner to Blades in the challenge mode with light as his element, attacker as his role and the Monado as his weapon. Since Shulk is not a real Blade, he can be used by any Drivers (except Tora) without the need of an Overdrive Protocole. Shulk is initially locked inside the Land of Challenge and cannot go into Alrest but after completing the "Dino Drama" challenge, the Nopon Archsage give him and Fiora the Alrest Linkring, which allow both of them to go in Alrest.

Affinity Chart[]

Name Tier Effect Prerequisite Amount Flavor Text
Key Affinity Reward 1 Unlocks level 1 of the Affinity Chart. N/A N/A N/A
2 Unlocks level 2 of the Affinity Chart. Increase the trust level 100 "It's an unfamiliar fighting style, but I think I've got the hang of it."
3 Unlocks level 3 of the Affinity Chart. Increase the trust level. The affinity bond will be easier to sustain. 700 "I feel I can get stronger."
4 Unlocks level 4 of the Affinity Chart. Increase the trust level 2000 "We have to keep getting better. 'I' have to keep getting better."
5 Unlocks level 5 of the Affinity Chart. Increase the trust level. 4000 "I feel strong enough to do anything!"
Monado Purge 1 60% chance to remove awakened status from enemy when using Special N/A N/A N/A
2 70% chance to remove awakened status from enemy when using Special Use Monado Purge 15 "I think I'm getting used to this one."
3 80% chance to remove awakened status from enemy when using Special Finish an enemy 30 "Sometimes, losing isn't an option."
4 90% chance to remove awakened status from enemy when using Special Use Monado Purge 25 "I've honed it almost to perfection."
5 100% chance to remove awakened status from enemy when using Special Complete the Challenge Battle "Mk. VIII" 1 "That was a strong foe! It probably would've gotten even stronger if we'd left it alone..."
Monado Cyclone 1 Increases critical damage by 25% N/A N/A N/A
2 Increases critical damage by 40% Finish an enemy 10 "I have to fight harder than ever before if I want to keep everyone safe."
3 Increases critical damage by 55% Use Monado Cyclone 15 "I'm sure I'll hold my own the next time things come to a head."
4 Increases critical damage by 70% Use Monado Cyclone 20 "I'm looking forward to showing off more of this!"
5 Increases critical damage by 85% Complete the Challenge Battle "9th Imp. Armored Div." 1 "It was our mortal bodies against heavy armor, and we won... Hats off to you, everyone!"
Monado Buster 1 Adds a 60% chance of dealing a guard-annulling attack N/A N/A N/A
2 Adds a 70% chance of dealing a guard-annulling attack Use Monado Buster 5 "I've gotten a little stronger."
3 Adds a 80% chance of dealing a guard-annulling attack Use Monado Buster 10 "No one's coming to any harm, not while I'm around."
4 Adds a 90% chance of dealing a guard-annulling attack Finish an enemy 100 "I can't stop yet. There's so much more left to learn."
5 Adds a 100% chance of dealing a guard-annulling attack Complete the Challenge Battle "Call the Exterminators" 1 "Let's get an even higher score next time!"
Vision 1 Can negate powerful enemy attack via button challenge (100 sec cooldown) N/A N/A N/A
2 Can negate powerful enemy attack via button challenge (90 sec cooldown) Evade an attack 10 "I've got your back. Trust me."
3 Can negate powerful enemy attack via button challenge (80 sec cooldown) Block an attack 50 "I'll try my hardest, don't you worry."
4 Can negate powerful enemy attack via button challenge (70 sec cooldown). Evade an attack 30 "If you need me to back you up, I'll give it everything I've got!"
5 Boosts physical and ether defense by 10% Deal a critical hit (Previous instances count toward total) 20000 "This power should benefit everyone."
Monado Enchant 1 Increases damage dealt by the party by 20% when at max Affinity Collect a lot of Ether Cubes during a single Challenge Battle 1000 "Sure, this'll do."
2 Increases damage dealt by the party by 24% when at max Affinity Complete the Challenge Battle "Think of the Soldiers" 1 "I almost feel sorry for them."
3 Increases damage dealt by the party by 28% when at max Affinity Collect a lot of Ether Cubes during a single Challenge Battle 1800 "Nice one! That's a new high score!"
4 Increases damage dealt by the party by 32% when at max Affinity Complete the Challenge Battle "Torna's Finest" 1 "That was a real challenge... But we were more than up to it."
5 Increases damage dealt by the party by 40% when at max Affinity Collect a lot of Ether Cubes during a single Challenge Battle 3600 "I don't think that record will be broken for a good long while."
Monado Speed 1 Increases the accuracy and evasion rate of the team by 24% at max Affinity N/A N/A N/A
2 Increases the accuracy and evasion rate of the team by 28% at max Affinity Complete Challenge Battles 10 "There will be more challenges ahead."
3 Increases the accuracy and evasion rate of the team by 32% at max Affinity Attack from behind 30 "Attacking from behind. One of my tried and tested tactics."
4 Increases the accuracy and evasion rate of the team by 36% at max Affinity Complete Challenge Battles 30 "We've been really pushing ourselves. I'd say we've earned a break!"
5 Increases the accuracy and evasion rate of the team by 40% at max Affinity Attack from behind 100 "Don't worry, I'll support you."
Salvaging Mastery 3 Knowledge related to salvaging. Acquire Mechanical items from the Collectibles list 10 "I'm really curious about this salvaging business."
4 Knowledge related to salvaging. Acquire Mechanical items from the Collectibles list 20 "So... how is it, deep down in the Cloud Sea?"
5 Knowledge related to salvaging. Acquire Mechanical items from the Collectibles list 40 "I think I'd like to try salvaging sometime, just to see what it's like."
Keen Eye 3 The power to see things clearly. Used to notice small changes, etc. Succeed in a button challenge during battle 10 "Perfect timing there!"
4 The power to see things clearly. Used to notice small changes, etc. Help an incapacitated ally. 20 "Let's stay on our toes next time."
5 The power to see things clearly. Used to notice small changes, etc. Swap blades during battle. 100 "I know how to wait my turn."
Ancient Wisdom 3 Knowledge of ancient civilizations. Used to decode writing, etc. Acquire treasure items through salvaging 5 "Could my expertise come in useful too?"
4 Knowledge of ancient civilizations. Used to decode writing, etc. Acquire treasure items through salvaging 10 "There's so much here that I've never seen before."
5 Knowledge of ancient civilizations. Used to decode writing, etc. Acquire treasure items through salvaging 20 "If we find more...we might learn more!"

Favorite Items[]

  • Item types: Veggies, Literature
  • Specific items: Addam's Supercakes, Ardainian Arms Album

Super Smash Bros. series[]

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U[]

Shulksmash

Appearance in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U.

In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U, Shulk appears as a playable fighter wielding the Monado. Although a swordfighter, the Monado is unique in giving Shulk a variety of buffs and debuffs to his attacks. His various attacks are for the most part, delayed due to having a long start up animation but are relatively strong in return. Shulk acts as the representative of the Xenoblade series.

Attacks[]

When Shulk attacks, he does the most damage when attacking from the base of the sword, with the beam doing less damage. 

Alternate Costumes[]

Shulk's costumes Smash

Each of his alternate costumes represent the other party members in Xenoblade Chronicles. Starting from the right, the first is his default costume and the clothes he has when Xenoblade Chronicles starts. The second is based on Fiora, albeit in her Mechon form. The third is based on Dunban, the fourth is based on Reyn, the fifth is based on Sharla, the sixth is based on Melia and the seventh is based on Riki. The 8th costume is him in his swim trunks. This is a reference to the swimsuit armor pieces and how useful they were in the game.

Trophy Descriptions[]

ShulkTrophyWiiU

Shulk Trophy from the Wii U version.

Normal[]
  • NA: In Xenoblade Chronicles, this young lad's colony is attacked by the Mechon, so he and his friends set off to take them down. In Smash Bros., his Monado Arts let him change his specialization during battle. You can choose to boost a stat—his jump or attack, for example—but other stats might drop as a result, so choose wisely.
  • EU: In Xenoblade Chronicles, this young lad's colony is attacked by the Mechon, so he and his friends set off to take them down. In this game, his Monado Arts let him change his specialisation during battle. You can choose to boost a stat—his jump or attack, for example—but other stats might drop as a result, so choose wisely.
ShulkAltTrophyWiiU

Shulk Alt. Trophy from the Wii U version.

Alt.[]
  • NA: Shulk's up special Air Slash is an upward slash done during a jump. Press the button again quickly to launch opponents sideways. His side special Back Slash, on the other hand, is a downward swing with a very wide range, though using it leaves Shulk wide open. Try hitting foes from behind with this!
  • EU: Shulk's up special, Air Slash, is an upward slash done during a jump. Press the button again quickly to launch opponents sideways. His side special, Back Slash, on the other hand, is a downward swing with a very wide range, although using it leaves Shulk wide open. Try hitting foes from behind with this to do more damage!
ChainAttackTrophyWiiU

Chain Attack trophy.

Chain Attack[]
  • In Xenoblade Chronicles, building up the party's team spirit would let them unleash a chain attack, using multiple Arts in a row to deal massive damage. In this game, Shulk's Final Smash calls party members Dunban and Riki to help obliterate an unlucky target... or multiple targets if you catch more than one in the circle of light!

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[]

Shulk comes back in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, his moveset is pretty much the same as in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. The main difference is his Monado Arts system that was changed from rapid B presses to holding the B button, holding the stick in a direction, then releasing the B button. His Monado Arts are mapped to the following: up for Smash, upper left for Jump, lower left for Speed, upper right for Buster, and lower right for Shield. Fiora was also added as a part of his Final Smash.

Super Mario Maker[]

By scaning a Shulk Amiibo, you can use a Mystery Mushroom to turn Mario into an 8bit version of Shulk with his own special interactions.

Super Mario Maker 2 does not support amiibos, so he does not appear in the game.

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