Shulk is a fictional character and protagonist of Monolith Soft's 2010 role-playing video game Xenoblade Chronicles, part of the Xenoblade Chronicles series of video games.
19 Facts About Shulk
2.
Shulk gained an increase in attention and popularity upon his inclusion in Nintendo's 2014 crossover fighting games Super Smash Bros.
3.
Xenoblade featured a prolonged, four-year development cycle dating back to 2006, where Takahashi states that, while the game went through many changes, the overarching plot following Shulk remained largely the same.
4.
Takahashi tried to make Shulk react to in-game events as much like he thought game players would react to them.
5.
In English-speaking versions of the game, Shulk is voiced by Adam Howden.
6.
Shulk was given instructions on how to portray Shulk, largely that he should have a neutral English accent, intelligent, "not posh", and fierce when necessary.
7.
Shulk's dialogue was continually revised throughout the sessions to make it more natural sounding, though Howden would still study the Japanese version of the game to capture the same emotions as said version.
8.
Shulk was first publicly revealed at E3 2009 in the first trailer for Monado: Beginning of the World, the working title for Xenoblade Chronicles.
9.
Shulk debuted in Xenoblade, released in 2010 for Japan and released under the name Xenoblade Chronicles in 2011 for Europe and in 2012 for North America.
10.
Shulk is the game's primary protagonist, portrayed as favoring "brains over brawn".
11.
Shulk lost his parents 14 years prior to the game during an expedition for the Monado, a powerful sword that only a select few can wield.
12.
An older version of Shulk appears as one of the playable party members in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Future Redeemed story expansion.
13.
Outside of the Xenoblade Chronicles series, Shulk has been featured in Nintendo's crossover fighting game series Super Smash Bros.
14.
Alongside the announcement of Xenoblade Chronicles 3D, Shulk was announced as a playable character in Super Smash Bros.
15.
Shulk reappears in the series' 2018 entry Super Smash Bros.
16.
In November 2014, it was announced that Shulk would receive his own amiibo figure, which can be used in conjunction with Super Smash Bros.
17.
Shulk received mixed reception as the main character of Xenoblade Chronicles.
18.
Destructoid reviewer Jim Sterling complained that Shulk lacked personality, stating that he was little more than a "vanilla reactionar[y] with only vague snatches of individuality," and otherwise blended into the rest of the cast too much.
19.
However, USGamer felt that Shulk "can be a tricky fighter" due to the Monado's Arts being accompanied by kanji, and suggested that non-native speakers should first practice utilizing the Arts in order to become familiar with each one.