Shining Force II

SDMN / HERO
Better than the hero in SF 1, Max. Bowie has some very special abilities like a powerful BOLT spell.

WIZ
Ideal support for KAZIM (very strong FREEZE), but comes in late in the game.

KNTE / PLDN
A good all round centaur, sticks with you from the beginning.

GLM
ltough he has a very limited move, his attack is very hard (c'meon, you can have a GOLEM!).

ARCH / SNIP
One of the first elven archers you need. He's a good match, but not as good as May.

KNTE / PLDN
There's no real reason you gonna pick him and take him into your entourage whenever you meet him first.

VICR
He has good healing abilities, but is a horrible fighter.

WFMN / WFBR
Incredible attack power, he's also some cool guy. Definitely would recommend in your party!

GLDT / WARR
Very capable fighter, even better than Jaha!

KNTE / PLDN
Not as good as Chester or Rick, just put him into your group if you like his looks.

ARCH / SNIP
Needs training, but can be good. Suffers from a limited move later in the game.

GLDT / WARR
Good at the beginning, but hard to train later on.

PGNT
The only Pegasus Knight you get out of the Box without someone other promoting to that class.

HEAL / VICR
As a healer or vicar: I recommend to take her from Creeds Mansion into your team. If you manage to promote her to MMNK, she is the most badass attacker / healer that easily defeats Zeon on her own. She gets lots of HP, MP, AT, DEF and can also heal with Aura!

MAGE / WIZ
Good all round magic caster. I would recommend to promote him to SORC, since his summons can be really badass then.

TORT
More a mascot than a really capable fighter. Always suffers from his low HP.

RDBN
The only RDBN you get without promoting any of the WARRs to this class.

BDMN / BDWR
Character with lukewarm (heh) fighting capabilities. Always lacks stats, even if you train him a lot.

BWNT
Your arching centaur. Needs a lot of training, but rewards you with incredible attack.

PHNK / PHNX
Incredibly annoying when you cannot control him, but has good stats later on and should be in the troup.

GLDT / WARR
Your random axe-wielding dwarf. If you like those, take him. I wouldn't recommend taking him from Creed's mansion, take Karna there instead.

BWSR
The only driving tank you get out of the box. He's okay.

KNTE / PLDN
A good knight, good stats. Take him in your team.

HEAL / VICR
Good healer that sticks with you from the start. Can also be promoted to MMNK later on which gives her the opportunity to be both a good healer and a good fighter. However, her stats as a MMNK are not as good as Karna's.

BDMN
A birdman. Can you imagine I didn't do any playthrough in more than twenty-three years and never be able to find him?

MMNK
The only MMNK you get out of the box. Doesn't have the good stats of Sarah, though. And Sarah doesn't have the stats of Karna. So take Sheela if you missed promoting one of the other two to MMNK.

THIF / NINJ
Easy to neglect, but if you train him, he can be a badass.

SORG
The only sorcerer you get out of the box. She's a good character with good stats.

MAGE / WIZ
Your standard MAGE that can be promoted to WIZ or SORC. If you like his looks, welcome him to your team.

RBT
Your robot. If you like him, train him, and you'll be rewarded.