Numan (race)

Numans, or newmans, are members of a fictional race in the Phantasy Star video game series. They are genetically engineered beings, made with a combination of DNA from palmans (the series' humans) and artificial wild creatures called biomonsters. Their appearance is mostly palman, except for their long, pointy ears.

Phantasy Star II

The first newman, Neifirst, was created by scientists at the Bio Systems Lab as a combination of Palman and biomonster DNA. Regarding Neifirst as a failed experiment, they tried to kill her. She however escaped and sought revenge by infiltrating the Climatrol Center and causing a devastating biomonster outbreak. Mysteriously, a facet of Neifirst's mind rebelled against her hate and blood-thirst, and was somehow able to separate and manifest as an entirely new living entity, Nei. She was soon found by government agent Rolf (Eusis in the Japanese version), who adopted her as a little sister.

She looked like a 6-year-old at that time, although she was actually a few months old. Only seven months later, in the beginning of the game, she was already in her late teens. When Rolf was sent on a mission to investigate the biomonster outbreak, Neifirst killed Nei. Rolf, in turn, fought and killed Neifirst to avenge Nei.

Phantasy Star IV

A thousand years later, Seed, a sentient supercomputer, uses the long-lost information about the Neifirst experiment to create a much improved creature, Fal (Rika in the American version). Only one year old, she is already an adult. She has a bright and cheerful personality (completely unlike demure Nei or hateful Neifirst), and is also a skilled warrior (despite her somewhat delicate looks).

In the end of the game it is revealed that she had fallen in love with the game's hero, Rudy (Chaz in the American version), and they choose to stay together.

Phantasy Star Online

Numans — now renamed newmans — are a playable race in the Phantasy Star Online games. Officially, no plot continuity exists between the "main" Phantasy Star series and the Online games, so it is safe to presume that they are not Fal's descendants. There are also certain visual changes between the games: the newmans' long ears now are curved and can point sideways, rather than straight upwards as Nei and Fal.

However, a certain dialogue points to a possible uncertainly on the lifespans of numans; although this was never before mentioned, it could be a logical consequence of their original rapid growth.

Phantasy Star Universe

In Phantasy Star Universe, Newmans are a race of genetically-modified humans, who were given above average mental and spiritual powers. To compensate for these advantages, and prevent them from becoming too powerful, their physical strength and hardiness was reduced. The Newman homeland is the planet Neudaiz; after their initial landing in the Agata Islands area, they established a religion, the Communion of Gurhal (CoG). The CoG is presided over by the Divine Maiden, and is followed by Newmans and non-Newmans alike.

Because of their superior mental abilities, Newmans excel in using TECHNICs, which are roughly the PSU equivalent of magic. They also have higher mental stamina to protect against enemy TECHNICs, as well as evasion, which allows them to block physical attacks much more frequently than other races. In addition, due to their heightened ability to concentrate and focus, Newmans have excellent attack accuracy, the second highest among the races.

Like previous games, Newmans develop faster than Humans and the other races. However their lifespans are apparently now stabilized and are shown to live to old ages. During the story mode of the game, it is revealed that different races have wildly different tastes in food, and that Newmans and Humans differ quite drastically.

Notable Newmans in the offline and online story modes include Karen Erra, Maya Shidow, Mirei Mikuna, and Hiro Vol.

See also

• CAST (race)
• Beasts (race)

External links

• Newman article in PSUPedia