Top 5 party members to recruit in Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition

Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition has many characters, but who are the best? (Image via Square Enix)
Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition has many characters, but who are the best? (Image via Square Enix)

Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition has been released, and it is the only way gamers can play Chrono Cross without owning the physical release. With this in mind, the characters in the game are all usable, but some definitely stand out as stronger or better than others.

This list contains the absolute strongest characters in Chrono Cross, ignoring the actual character design or the routes that players have to take to get them. This article will contain spoilers, though, so readers should keep that in mind.


A look at the best characters to recruit in Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition

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This list does not include Serge, of course, because he’s the main character. He’s an S-Tier character as well, being incredibly powerful throughout the course of the game. Depending on the choices a player makes, they may not be able to recruit all of these in one playthrough.

But with 12 endings and over 40 characters, there’s a lot of replay value in Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition. Honestly, the characters are mostly pretty good, and there’s nothing stopping someone from using a party just because they’re cute, or have unique designs. But these are, for the writer’s money, the most powerful.

Top 5 Chrono Cross characters

  • Harle
  • Karsh
  • Grobyc
  • Lynx
  • Glenn

The characters of Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition are all solid, but some are better than the rest of the pack.


5) Harle (Enigmatic Jester)

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Thankfully, Harle is very easy to recruit. She automatically joins the party and brings some amazing power with her. The Jester appears to be enamored with Serge, showing up early to tease the character and denigrate any female party member he’s with, such as Kid.

Harle is easily one of the best magic users in the entire game, and her innate element is Black. As the game progresses, she unlocks some absolutely terrifying moves like MoonBeams, MoonShine, and Lunairetic.

She has excellent stats with no downsides and a very large Elemental Grid. The only downside is that she’s not a permanent party member, so players should enjoy her while she’s around.


4) Karsh (One of the four Devas)

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Karsh is a boss early in Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition and is one of the four Devas of the Acacia Dragoons. He can be unlocked in two ways, which is also helpful. If the player goes to rescue Riddel, they can ask him to join up, and the other is at the S.S. Invincible (Another World), after rescuing Riddel.

A fiery, high-spirited character, the Green element wielder has tons of strength, HP, and defense stats. He has very strong single-tech skills and is also capable of using Dual Techs. However, Karsh has a very small Element Grid, so he’s useful as a melee monster, not so much in fights that need a lot of spells.


3) Grobyc (Cyborg Assassin)

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Grobyc is a Cyborg Assassin with a striking look and is originally a boss battle. When Lynx goes to rescue Riddel at Viper Manor, players will encounter the assassin. He will ask to join the party after players best him while heading to rescue Riddel.

For players that want unparalleled physical damage, he’s a great choice. The Black element user has lower Magic Power/Defense and few Element Slots. However, his high HP, high damage, and high physical defense make him a worthy addition to the team. He also, like Karsh, can learn Dual Techs.


2) Lynx (Feline Demi-Human)

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Lynx is automatically recruited through the story, but it takes a long time to get him on-board as a party member. He also appears a boss fight twice in the game: Viper Manor and Fort Dragonia. Serge is forced to switch bodies with Lynx in the game, and thus, he’s recruited that way.

Another Black element user, he’s arguably the most powerful character in the game for a long period of time. He’s also an excellent character due to his large Element Grid. The major downside is that it takes a long time to actually put him in the party. He’s still wildly powerful.


1) Glenn (Noble Knight)

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Sad to say, this is not Glenn from Chrono Trigger, i.e. Frog. He was born in Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition's timeline and is also the strongest Green element character if he has the Einlanzer swords equipped. He’s a character that can be easily missed, too.

In this Chrono Cross game, players have to refuse to help Kid when given the chance, and also need to overhear the conversation Glenn has at the entrance to Termina. They should give the flower for free if they have it. While returning to the boat, Glenn will ask the party if he can join. He’s easy to miss though, depending on the choices that can be made.

While Glenn has a small Element Grid, he can learn X-Strike (Dual Tech) with Serge, has incredibly high accuracy, HP, Strength, and Defense. He has powerful moves, great stats, and is an asset to any party.


There are so many wacky, fun, and powerful characters in Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition. Other honorable mentions of the best characters include Fargo, Leena, Guile, Orlha, and Norris.

There are really no wrong choices, but this should help players figure out who they should consider picking up in Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition.

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