| abstract
| - Shulk (シュルク) is the main protagonist of Xenoblade. He likes to think things through and is very methodical in his approach to most situations. Early details show that he is able to wield the Monado due to the fact that he was one of the only known survivors on a previous expedition to retrieve the sacred weapon. He first acquires the sword when his home, Colony 9, is attacked. His first act upon acquiring the "destined weapon" is to fight for an end to the war with the Mechons and avenge Fiora.
* A God I Am Not: As the chosen wielder of the third Monado. He chooses to be a mortal.
* Back From the Dead: Twice, in fact.
* Badass Bookworm
* Heartbroken Badass: After losing Fiora.
* Berserk Button: Try to harm Fiora in front of Shulk and you will discover the true meaning of pain.
* Shulk's case is also a rare example of a Berserk Button getting unstuck as a plot point. Not long after it's revealed that Fiora isn't dead after all, he goes back to being The Messiah, to the point of offering mercy to Fiora's almost-killer while Dunban is about to finish him off.
* Beware the Nice Ones: And HOW!
* Blue Eyes
* Blue Oni: At first, but as he gradually becomes more and more red as he lets his emotions do the talking. Despite this, he never stops being one of the team's many smart guys.
* Chick Magnet: Both Fiora and Melia have feelings for him. He's also rather popular with the girls in Colony 9.
* Childhood Friend Romance: With Fiora. Victorious Childhood Friend example; Everybody who knows Shulk and Fiora could tell they love each other and have for a long time, and they are pretty much a canon couple by the end.
* The Chosen One: Zigzagged. It's not clear whether he was explicitly chosen by the Monado or whether there was something else at work for a long time.
* It Sucks to Be the Chosen One: It turns out that he was chosen... because he happened to be near to the Monado. Not to mention the fact that the being who chose him was a colossal jackass.
* Combat Clairvoyance: From the Monado. Or so he thinks at first...
* Combat Pragmatist: Has special moves revolving around both Back Stabbing enemies and kicking them while they're down. Most characters have moves like this, but Shulk's are especially prominent since they can't be unequipped.
* Conveniently an Orphan: Although he still has mentor figures in Dickson and Dunban.
* Dead All Along
* Elemental Powers: Mostly from the Monado.
* Healing Hands
* Light'Em Up / Pure Energy
* The Engineer: Kinda. Only in Sidequests.
* Expy: They look almost nothing alike, but his tragic past and status as The Chosen One, among other things, parallel Fei Fong Wong.
* Fragile Mario: He can heal, debuff enemies, dish out lots of damage and is also one of the faster party members on the whole. However, his health is rather lacking.
* Hair of Gold: A rare male example.
* Happily Adopted: Although his parents died when he was 4, he fits so well in Colony 9 and his Parental Substitute figures did such a good job with him that he's completely moved on.
* The Hero: With shades of The Smart Guy.
* Heroes Prefer Swords: And pretty huge ones. A plot justification in him using the Monado.
* Heroic BSOD: Justified. You don't discover everyday that you have spent the last 14 years being freaking DEAD!
* Heroic Spirit: Nothing stops Shulk in his quest. Not even death. Not even death TWICE.
* Heterosexual Life Partners: With Reyn.
* Hollywood Atheist: Subverted. He never openly rages against the heavens or acts like a douche. Instead, he very calmly and understandably tells Alvis that he doesn't believe in anything that he can't physically see.
* Skeptic No Longer: After it becomes clear to him that the battle between the Bionis and the Mechonis isn't just a myth and that the repercussions of that fight are what led to the current crisis, he realises that he can't ignore what he isn't aware of and becomes more of an Agent Mulder.
* I Let Fiora Die: Although thankfully his angst is kept to a minimum, when not outright substituted by Unstoppable Rage.
* Impossibly Cool Laser Bladed BFS Of Combat Clairvoyance And Plot Advancement: The Monado itself. Later, its replicas qualify.
* Instant Expert: The second he grabs the Monado ready for combat, he already wields it better than anyone before.
* Intimate Healing / Sacred First Kiss: With Fiora.
* Magic Feather: The Monado turns out to be something like this. While its mechon-killing powers are very real, Shulk's power to see the future turns out to be all his own, as he discovers in the late-game when he loses the Monado to Zanza.
* The Messiah: See "Sympathy for the Devil".
* Moral Dissonance / What Measure Is A Non-Homs?: His ultimate goal is effectively genocide against everything on Mechonis, because they're just unthinking machines. Once he realises just how wrong this is, he admits he's made a horrible mistake and dedicates himself to stopping all future fighting between the peoples of the two titans.
* Nerds Are Sexy
* Hot Scientist
* Nice Guy
* Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Subverted. He was supposed to kill Aegil so Zanza could get away with his plan. However, Shulk refuses to kill him so they have a chance to work things out with him. Cue Dickson reveals he's been Evil All Along to finish the job.
* Oblivious to Love: Subverted. Dunban notes that it's obvious that he and Fiora like each other, but they suffer from the Twice Shy problem.
* Although when it comes to Melia, Shulk fits the trope to a T.
* OOC Is Serious Business: Whenever Shulk swears revenge on someone, or demonstrates a willingness to kill his enemies, you know that something has gone horribly, horribly wrong.
* Unstoppable Rage: When he meets Metal Face for the second time, Shulk basically does a complete 180 on his personality... and the rest has a very good reason for being on the Crowners page.
* Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Against the Mechon for attacking Colony 9 and killing Fiora. It's lampshaded by everyone to be an Out of Character moment as he's usually The Messiah to a T. He eventually realises that they're right and he doesn't have the stomach for it.
* Robosexual / If It's Fiora It's Okay: Can you blame him?
* Screw Destiny: Both in story and the gameplay.
* Sensitive Guy: To Dunban and Reyn's Manly Men.
* Soul Jar: To Zanza.
* Sympathy for the Devil: He feels sympathetic towards every major antagonist he meets, or at least wishes he could have found a peaceful solution. It doesn't matter if they're a Well-Intentioned Extremist or a Complete Monster, he will deliberately and knowingly invoke this attitude towards them all.
* Worthy Opponent: Is eventually regarded as one by Xord and Egil. Dickson also comes to respect his strength, even if he doesn't show it.
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