I’ve watched enough kung fu movies to know that in any master/disciple situation, there can only ever be one true successor. You can have a whole school of combatants under you, but only one can be the best. That’s the choice you’re faced with in Live A Live, and it’s a very important choice. So, which Disciple should you choose in Live A Live?
Which Disciple Should You Choose in Live A Live?
In the Imperial China chapter of Live A Live, after the Shifu recruits Lei, Yun, and Hong as his disciples, he’ll start training them in the ways of kung fu. The way this works is that you’ll get 12 matches with your disciple of choice, and if you beat them, they’ll gain experience and level up, as well as receive a stat bonus based on the location of your training. Additionally, as they level up, they’ll learn whatever moves you used on them during your fights, so you should make sure to use all of the Shifu’s techniques on them at least once.
Related: Where is the Unmonitored Terminal in Live A Live?
Here’s the rub: while you have three disciples, only one of them can actually become your successor. In fact, after you’ve completed all of the training bouts, only the disciple you trained the most will remain as a playable character, while the other two will be unavailable for the rest of the game. This is important because not only will your successor be your only ally in the chapter’s last major area, but they’ll also become the de-facto protagonist of the Imperial China chapter in Live A Live’s final chapter.
Each of your disciples has different traits and personal movesets, so while you can pick whichever one you want, you should be aware of their differences.
- Yun is the middle-ground choice. His starting stats aren’t that impressive, but he gains more stat points with every level up than the other two disciples, so with some grinding, he can become a capable fighter later on. His speed and sturdiness never outclass Lei or Hong, though.
- Lei isn’t as strong or sturdy as Yun or Hong, but her speed and evasion are ridiculous. She’s an archetypal nuker character, dashing in, laying down some swift moves, and backing away before things get hairy. While her base attack is average, the additional speed also gives her an impressive overall DPS.
- Hong is slower than molassas with crutches, but his defense and HP are much higher than the other two. It takes him a while to get where he needs to be on the field, but once he’s there, he can firmly hold his ground, dealing damage without as much concern for his health.
Whichever disciple you pick, make sure to train them exclusively, as any gains the lesser disciples get will be rendered moot at the end of everything. Incidentally, whichever disciple you choose will have to fight the final boss of the chapter by themselves, so make sure you equip all of your best gear on them rather than the Shifu.
