Starlo

For the track, see North Star (Soundtrack).

Starlo, known by his alias North Star, is the boss of the Dunes. He is the sheriff of the town in the Wild East, the leader of the Feisty Five, and the childhood friend of Ceroba.

Profile

Appearance

Starlo is a humanoid monster. His skin is yellow with star-like appendages on his head with light blue patterns on them. He wears a brown poncho with light blue stripes with his sheriff badge on it, brown pants, and black boots with spurs. Starlo has a hat with teal highlights; all members of the Feisty Five have hats and teal highlights in their designs. Starlo carries a gun with him, which is actually a toy. His overworld sprite usually has a smile, but in serious situations he does not have one.

Personality

Starlo's true personality is superseded most of the time by a Western persona. Borne out of a fanaticism of Wild Western culture, Starlo puts on this persona from a desire to spread excitement and drama to the inhabitants of the Underground, distracting them from the cruel reality of monsterkind's collective banishment from the Surface. Going by the moniker of "North Star," he plays the role of the Wild East's upbeat sheriff, who is determined to "keep the peace" by any means necessary. This for the most part is all drama, as there is no real danger (besides potentially Clover) and is all put on as a fun distraction for the Wild East's inhabitants, who all mostly seem to play along. While he touts the idea of justice, he uses it as an aesthetic and does not care for deeper moral conundrums, whether disregarding them or only seeing his own perspective.

Starlo values validation from others. He focuses on making spectacles to entertain the townsfolk and enjoys their attention. This is also the reason he eventually attacks Clover: to be revered by the entire Underground.

Starlo's true personality is revealed after his boss fight in the Pacifist Route. He is shown to be much more of a nerd - a picture in his home revealing he was even adorned with stereotypical dweeb braces at one point. His room is filled with various Western memorabilia from the Surface. Despite this, however, one thing that is constant between "North Star" and Starlo is his kindness and how he values those close to him. In fact, this is the whole reason the "North Star" persona exists in the first place.

Etymology

His name is a combination of the word "star" and the name "Arlo." His alias, North Star, is a reference to the Polaris star found in the Ursa Minor (also known as Little Dipper) constellation.

Main Story

History

Starlo has been friends with Ceroba since they were young children. Starlo used to have a crush on her. When she got engaged to Chujin, he was so devastated that he did not leave the house for days. He has also been friends with the other members of the Feisty Four since high school.

Starlo found western tapes in Waterfall and loved them. He created the Wild East to entertain monsters with a western fantasy. He moved out of his house in the Sunnyside Farm to live with the Feisty Four in the same house.

After Kanako fell down, Starlo let Ceroba live in his house and take his bed.

Neutral Route

Starlo welcomes Clover and Martlet into the Wild East when they first arrive. Upon realizing Clover is a human, he puts Martlet in jail, takes Clover into the Wild East, and begins to train them to become his deputy.

If killed, he will use his last breath to request that Clover inform his parents that he will be away for a while. Shortly after his death, Ceroba will approach Clover and inquire about Starlo's whereabouts. Clover can either stay quiet or apologize, but either way, Ceroba ends up heading north to ask his family.

Pacifist Route

Starlo follows Ceroba to the Steamworks gate after he is spared. Ceroba explains to him and Clover that she has to find Kanako. She tells him to stay behind to look after the townsfolk, which he agrees to.

While Ceroba and Clover are in the Steamworks, Starlo and Ed head to the Ketsukane Estate to prepare a party for Kanako's return home. While there, they find the trapdoor leading to Chujin's study, realize Clover is in danger, and head to find them. Before they leave, Starlo sends Clover a letter asking them to return to the Wild East which they do not receive until later.

Right as Ceroba and Clover leave the Steamworks and prepare to enter Hotland, Starlo confronts Ceroba with Ed. He is concerned that she has intentions to hurt Clover. Ceroba panics and immediately heads towards the elevator while Starlo chases after her, and has Ed take Clover to a safer location.

Starlo chases Ceroba to a rooftop in New Home, where they start arguing. Soon after, Martlet and Clover step in to defuse the situation between the two. Starlo urges Martlet to take Clover to a safer location while he holds Ceroba back, but Ceroba knocks Martlet out. Starlo lunges at her but also gets knocked out, leaving Clover and Ceroba to duel one against one.

True Pacifist Ending

If Clover spares Ceroba, Starlo wakes up and finds her distraught. He comforts her and promises to help her. Martlet and Ceroba begin arguing about what to do with Clover, and he tries to get them to calm down. When Clover decides to sacrifice themself, he is resistant to the idea, but surrenders at their insistence. They give him their gun and he leaves as Ceroba takes their SOUL.

In the credits, Starlo is seen out of his sheriff costume preparing a farmer's market in the Wild East with his family's corn. When he goes to Clover's funeral, he is wearing his sheriff outfit again. He leaves their gun and safety goggles on Martlet's raft, then sends them off.

Flawed Pacifist Ending

If Clover decides to kill Ceroba, Starlo is left in disbelief and despair as he has lost his best friend. Despite Martlet's best efforts at trying to justify the killing of Ceroba as self-defense, Starlo is disgusted with Clover and now views them as "lower than dirt". He solemnly walks off, wishing that he hadn't hesitated to fire the last bullet in his revolver earlier on.

Genocide Route

Starlo is told to evacuate by Ceroba alongside the rest of the Wild East, but decides not to out of a sense of duty as the town's sheriff. When Clover arrives, Starlo takes note of the fact that they are yet to shoot him and proposes to "settle things fairly" with a duel.

If Clover draws, Starlo is fatally shot. If Clover waits until Starlo draws, he reveals that he was holding a toy gun, acknowledging that he couldn't do it for real. Starlo then thanks Clover for "letting him feel cool", before Clover shoots him.

Ceroba walks in to see Starlo kneeling on the ground. She reassures him that he is a great sheriff and he tells her to deliver justice, gripping her hand as he dies.

In Battle

Starlo is fought during the Neutral or Pacifist Route. During his battle, Clover is caught by a lasso. In this state, their SOUL can only move in a small radius around them and snaps back if the player stops moving.

Attacks

Phase 1

• A single gun targets the player's current elevation. This is only used in the intro.
• A single gun and two guns alternate firing horizontally at specific heights.
• Guns continuously shoot at the player's direction in a straight line.
• Dynamite is thrown down from either side of the bullet board.
• A horseshoe surrounds the SOUL and starts spinning counter-clockwise.
• Dynamite falls from the top of the bullet board while guns fire horizontally.
• Blue and Orange soundwaves ring out from a bell at the top of the board.
• Starlo shoots three bottles. The shards rain down from the top of the board.
• Trains drive across train-tracks appearing in the background.
• Starlo wields his gun and shoots a bullet at the location of the player's SOUL.
• Starlo wields his gun and shoots bullets multiple times at the location of the player's SOUL.

Phase 2

• More guns continuously shoot in a straight line.
• A bell on the top of the board sends blue and orange soundwaves while guns target the SOUL location.
• The SOUL enters slow mode. Revolver shots similar to the final attack of Phase 1 target the SOUL.
• Dynamite is thrown from either side of the board before being shot and sending a shockwave all around.
• The SOUL enters slow mode. Guns continuously target the SOUL either horizontally or vertically.
• Sets of two guns target the SOUL before dynamite sticks are dropped from the top of board. More guns are shot in a grid pattern and sticks of dynamite are thrown and shot afterwards, before guns shoot from all directions.

Strategy

Starlo's fight requires Clover to simply dodge as much as possible.

Once Starlo starts his last attack, he can hit the lasso by accident if you line up the reticle with the rope. Doing this twice (which takes at least 2 turns) will break it and allow you to move freely. Once the rope breaks, Starlo will unload the remaining bullets in his revolver during that turn. After the attack ends, his last phase will begin which works just like before, both for sparing and killing, but all attacks are harder to dodge.

After Starlo performs his last combo which starts with a slow-mo version of his second attack, he counts as having lowered his guard. Any attack towards Starlo at this point is lethal.

After his last attack ends, Starlo raises up his gun to shoot his last bullet. Clover can Surrender from the ACT menu or simply Spare (both of which make you unable to move), at which point Ceroba will show up to stop him.

Flavor Text

• Showdown! [Encounter]
• The almighty Sheriff. [Check]
• The not-so-almighty Sheriff. [Check, after freed from lasso]
• Starlo's fingers itch for his six-shooter. [Neutral]
• Starlo keeps a steady eye on you. [Neutral]
• Starlo's lasso grips you tightly. [Neutral]
• A tumbleweed rolls by. It says hello. [Neutral]
• Smells like leather boots and dashing looks. [Neutral]
• A tension in the air grows. [Neutral]
• Starlo grinds his teeth together in frustration. [Neutral]
• Starlo's left hand is shaking. [Neutral]
• Duel! [After freed from lasso]
• Starlo tries to tape his lasso back but can't find the end of the tape on his roll. [Neutral, after freed from lasso]
• Smells like leather boots and broken dreams. [Neutral, after freed from lasso]
• Starlo keeps two steady eyes on you. [Neutral, after freed from lasso]
• You squirm inside your leather cage to no avail. [Struggle]
• You chomp and pull at the lasso but it only gets tighter. [Bite]
• You spin your six-shooter several times to intimidate Starlo. [Spin]
  • He instead seems impressed. [Spin second line, unused]
• You take a deep breath to prepare for the next attack. [Focus]
• You narrow your eyes and everything becomes letterboxed. [Glare, trapped]
  • Starlo doesn't know how this is possible. [Glare, trapped, second line, unused]
• You shoot a nasty look at Starlo... [Glare, freed]
  • He gives a worried face before forcefully glaring back. [Glare, freed, second line, unused]
• You lower your weapon and raise your hands. [Surrender]
• You hear nothing but gunshots, whip cracks, and a mighty acoustic guitar. [Neutral, unused]
• A gust of sand momentarily blinds you. [Neutral, unused]
• You begin to sweat under the immense heat. [Neutral, freed from lasso, unused]
• You hear Starlo talking to himself under his breath. [Neutral, freed from lasso, unused]
• Starlo digs his spurs into the sand, standing strong. [Neutral, either phase, unused]
• You drop your weapon and raise your hands. [Unused ACT #4]

Quotes

Neutral

• I know I'm better than this. A dignified sheriff would face their opponent fairly. However, you're no ordinary bandit, so get ready! [Opening attack]
• Huh. Even tied up, you're skilled. I sure have an eye for talent. [First move]
• Still... Part of me wishes things coulda stayed the way they were. [Second move]
• Why'd you have to step foot in my town? Just a few hours ago, everyone was gettin' along. Now... well... we're here. [Third move]
• This is the only way to fix things. The only way I know... [Fourth move]
• ... [Fifth move]
• Quit squirmin' so much! [Sixth move]
• Clover, you gotta understand! [Seventh move]
• Come on!! Give it up already!! [Eighth move]
• Fine. I didn't wanna use this but I got no choice. Goodbye, partner. [Ninth move]
• Stay still! I don't wanna hit my lasso! [Ninth move, upon missing lasso]
• Look what you made me do! That lasso is made from premium materials! [Upon hitting lasso]
• No... No way! Outsmarted by a deputy?? Tsk. At least it's a fair showdown now. Time for a real dual! [Upon hitting lasso twice]
• I'm gonna miss our time together. I mean that. [Eleventh move]
• At first, I was truly happy. I thought you were the real deal. [Twelfth move]
• All my sacrifices, all the naysayers... Those didn't matter anymore 'cause what I had was special. [Thirteenth move]
• But now I've realized the truth... This sheriff stuff? It's worthless. [Fourteenth move]
• We all tout justice, but... True Underground status is only secured through pain. Monsterkind's Hero is a title soaked in blood. [Fifteenth move]
• In the end... we're nothin' but bandits. [Sixteenth move]
• ... One... I have one left in my chamber... I'll make this count. [Before final move]
• What... What are you doing? This isn't fair... [Surrender]

Game Over Quotes

• The mentor vs apprentice thing is fun and all, but... You do know the mentor isn't supposed to win, right?
• There's no way this fraud bested you! Come on, show him who the real gunslinger is!
• This human-wannabe is a total pushover! Bet he'll crack if you survive long enough, haha.

Relationships

Ceroba Ketsukane

Ceroba and Starlo are best friends and have known each other since childhood. Starlo once had a crush on Ceroba and was devastated after she got engaged to Chujin. From a picture in his parents' house, it is shown that Starlo was shy around Ceroba when they were teenagers.

Starlo is shown to care very deeply for Ceroba, allowing her to stay at his place after Chujin and Kanako left. Part of the reason Starlo overperformed at the Wild East was to distract Ceroba from her worries, though this was ineffective.

After discovering the truth regarding Ceroba's intentions in the Pacifist Route, Starlo is determined to stop her from following through with Chujin's plan and killing Clover. However, he still cares for her, shown by how enraged he is should Clover choose to kill her and his kind words towards her should Ceroba live.

By the end of the Pacifist Route, Starlo has adopted a more mature way of helping Ceroba through her troubles. This is shown by how he helps her up after her boss fight and comforts her during the credits, causing her overworld sprite to smile for the first time.

Feisty Four

The Feisty Four are Starlo's close friends, and his partners on Wild East missions. According to Blackjack, they are Starlo's friends from high school, where they shared a club to talk about movies and roleplay - a hobby that they evidently carried into the present together by roleplaying Western scenarios in the Wild East. Outside their missions, the five of them are still very close and all live in the same house. Dina defines their closeness as being "like siblings" or "family" and thus often giving way to petty fights. The fight between them that takes place in the game is apparently much more severe than their usual disagreements.

When Starlo prioritizes Clover and his showmanship over his friends having fun, the Feisty Four all leave Starlo's posse. Moray makes it clear when leaving that an apology from Starlo would fix the situation, however. This proves true in the Pacifist Route, or Neutral Route if Starlo is spared, during either of which he mentions making up with them (further described in the Neutral Route as a tearful apology).

His Family

Starlo has a distant relationship with his family.

Gallery

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  Starlo preparing to shoot Clover during his boss fight.
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  Starlo pulling out his gun to attack Clover during his boss fight.
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  Starlo's corrupted sprite in the first phase of Flowey's battle, if he was killed on a Neutral Route.
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  Starlo posing.
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  Starlo wearing a pair of safety goggles.
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  Starlo pretending to be dead during the "duel" scene.
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  Starlo with his hat off.
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  Starlo with his farmer attire in the True Pacifist Ending credits.
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  Starlo using his lasso before initiating his boss fight.
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  Starlo, Martlet, and Ceroba all hugging Clover.
• 

  Clover giving Starlo their gun in the True Pacifist ending.
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  Starlo's death in the Genocide Route.
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  Starlo's shocked face.
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  Starlo's smirking face.
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  Starlo's embarrassed face.
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  Starlo's blushing face.
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  Starlo's face with his hat off.
• 

  A picture of Starlo and Ceroba as teenagers.

Trivia

• In his sprites with the farmer attire in the True Pacifist Ending credits, he is referred to as "nerdlo".
• According to his father, Starlo is good at singing, just like his mother and brother.
• When he dies in the Genocide Route, he turns into dust from the bottom up, as opposed to almost all other monsters turning to dust from top to bottom.
  • This detail is shared with Martlet in the Neutral Route, where she turns to dust from the bottom up as well.
• It is implied that Starlo may be immune to fire.
  • Ceroba has to remind him that most monsters aren't fireproof, and if Clover tells him that the horses survive, he claims that everyone is fireproof.
  • Starlo took part in the Actually Magma Smoothie Challenge as shown in the UG Apartments, alongside other mostly fire-based monsters.
• Starlo was designed by NeroSensei.
• Starlo's voice is sampled from Clint Eastwood.
• Starlo's corrupted variant does not appear in Flowey's battle on an Aborted Genocide Route where he was killed through being fatally shot in the duel against Clover.
• By holding left or right during the horseshoe attack in his battle, Clover can stay on the (much more open) outside of the horseshoe without being hit. This is referred to as a "CapsuleGravy Special," named after the playtester who discovered it.