Disgaea: Hour of Darkness/Human Classes

Character Classes generally refer to generic humanoid characters such as "Thief" or "Samurai". These are the types of allies and enemies you'll see most often. Story characters such as Laharl and Etna are not included, as they are thought to be separate, unique classes.

Requirements
Only 8 classes are available at the beginning of the game. To unlock more advanced classes, you will need to create and make them evolve until some conditions are fulfilled.

Martial Artist (Male)
''A true warrior who pushes himself to his limits. These fighters can battle enemies with guns and swords equally, by using his Dark Hadou. The Original Master of this martial art is rumored to be a legendary human street fighter. Power is justice and the only truth.''

These characters are a complete head-on class. With a high amount of Counters and high HP/ATK, Brawlers are best used for up-close skirmishes, sacrificing power for defense. Their low defenses make them unreliable against long-range enemies such as Archers and Mages. Their higher tiers eventually dabble in other weapons such as Axes and Swords, though Brawlers soon become obsolete upon unlocking the Ninja.

Martial Artist (Female)
''These martial artists come from the outskirts of the Netherworld, the Village of Beasts. This village was originally a place of marriage training for aristocratic women, but such trifles were forgotten over time, and the area became a training ground for female artists. Nirvam is the master rank.''

These characters are a complete head-on class. With a high amount of Counters and high HP/ATK, Female Brawlers are best used for up-close skirmishes, sacrificing power for defense. Their low defenses make them unreliable against long-range enemies such as Archers and Mages. Their higher tiers eventually dabble in other weapons such as Spears and Swords, though Female Brawlers soon become obsolete upon unlocking the Ninja.

Warrior (Male)
''In the Netherworld, many male residents are born with the potential to become a warrior. Warriors wear light gear to enhance mobility, and they have the ability to harden their bodies instantly. With their aggressive personalities, they have a low capability for friendship.''

Being the game's basic foot-soldier, Fighters will be some of your main attackers early on. What separates them from Brawlers is both their high DEF Aptitude and options of Weapon Mastery, which makes them more dependable in close-range. Like the Brawler, however, they suffer from a low RES and will quickly fall to Magic-using characters or a powerful long-range barrage. They have a higher DEF Aptitude than their Female counterparts; but aren't as good with Spears.

Warrior (Female)
''Since those with the potential to become female warriors are rare, the qualified few are adopted by a master and spend their lives training under them. Their Masters are usually retired female warriors. The students are called the Liebe, and they are taught battle techniques and methods of survival.''

Being the game's basic foot-soldier, Female Fighters will be some of your main attackers early on. What separates them from Female Brawlers is both their high DEF Aptitude and options of Weapon Mastery, which makes them more dependable in close-range. Like the Female Brawler, however, they suffer from a low RES and will quickly fall to Magic-using characters or a powerful long-range barrage. They have a higher RES growth than their Male counterparts; but isn't as good with an Axe.

Healer (Male)
''Unusual for demons, male healers don't like fighting and have no grudge against Celestia. It's sinful to heal the wounds of those who were injured in battle, so the healers' teachings require them to wear barbed robes. Historical records hint that they knew about spiritual elements long before scientific proof.''

Male Healers are an offensively-geared version of the original Healer, having a (slightly) lower RES Growth than their Female counterparts, but having higher ATK/INT/HIT/HP growth. Male Healers are at their best when they start combos; working in tandem with other close-range fighters or long-range attackers. Healers are also good classes to teach Magic to, as they usually aren't in a position to gain Levels and Mana. They are also a good class to gather the Gun Weapon Mastery needed to unlock the Scout with, as all other classes (Except for the Skull and original Healer) would have an F in Gun Mastery at that time.

Healer (Female)
''It it said that female healers are fallen angels from Celestia who spread healing magic. Different from a male healer, they believe healing a wounded comrade is a necessity. For that reason, they are committed to developing their skills. Their school of magic has famous alumni, such as Serra Winguard.''

Healers are frail, with low DEF and HP. Their High RES not only allows them to heal wounded soldiers, but also makes them great against Magic-using enemies. They have lower offensive capabilities than their Male Counterparts, but their higher RES growth makes them best at their job. Healers are also good classes to teach Magic to, as they usually aren't in a position to gain Levels and Mana.

Skull
''Strong spiritual power is required to use magic, and the skulls' unique costume is designed to strengthen their concentration. Their strange cry is a sign of their trance-like state, and it shows that their concentration is at its peak. At times, this concentration power can reach higher than 200 Polga.''

Skulls are best at long-range; firing elemental spells at enemies rather than physically attacking them. What type of magic a Skull has depends on their clothing color. Green Skulls use Wind, Red Skulls use Fire, Blue Skulls use Ice, and Star Skulls use Star magic. The final tier of Skull is the strongest, as they gain access to the first four levels of all spells, in exchange for never learning the ultimate versions of said spells. (Unless they learn them VIA Reincarnation)

Mage
''Magic is the term used to describe the power behind the "Laws of the Seven Spiritual Elements." This law was proposed by the father of Alchemy and Netherworld geology, Vryamid, who also created the Geo Effect. The title of mage, Troyra, comes for Troylab, which means "self-sacrifice."''

Mages are best at long-range; firing elemental spells at enemies rather than physically attacking them. What type of magic a Mage has depends on their clothing color. Green Mages use Wind, Red Mages use Fire, Blue Mages use Ice, and Star Mages use Star magic. The final tier of Mage is the strongest, as they gain access to the first four levels of all spells, in exchange for never learning the ultimate versions of said spells. (Unless they learn them VIA Reincarnation)

Thief
''Stealing is officially recognized as an advance technique. The Thieves' Guild is the largest organization of the Netherworld. Thieves will steal anything by request, and anyone can join the Thieves' Guild as long as they have the skill. The most legendary of them all is known as the "King of Thieves".''

Thieves are the games weakest characters, with low stats, weak Aptitudes, and horrible Weapon Mastery. (Though Armsmasters assist in Mastery growth) Thieves have the highest Steal rating, being able to properly utilize Hands to take items from enemies. Thieves' Steal rating is 99%, compared to other classes' 50%. Rogues are the only character class with the ability to steal stats, with the exception of Thursday. Thieves' downsides are their low stat growth. This sort of them makes them bad at their job, as they have to be near the enemy (and thus vulnerable) to actually steal the items. To make the most of a Thief, increase their HIT, hoard plenty of Hand items, give them your best Accessories/Weapons, and keep a strong character nearby them at all times in order to make sure they are kept alive.

Archer
''Archers come from the all-female society of Badre, an ice mountain village. They have unique social system led by the Sevria. Archers can listen to the wind and deduce its strength and direction. Children are born from the roots of the large tree at the center of the village. They only like to use Bow and arrows.''

Archers, true to their name, are the game's best Bow-users; thus keeping both their ATK and HIT stats up important. Their low HP also makes them rather frail. Higher tiers of the Archer eventually become decent with Gun weapons, increasing their long-range options somewhat. Archers will not be your strongest soldiers, but will be the ones to plug Status Ailments onto your enemies with the Bow's Special Attacks. Archers are best used as support attackers and combo-starters, as they will usually lack attacking power when fighting on their own.

Scout (Strider)
''Scouts have the ultimate power in a way, since they can control terrain. Most of the Netherworld's residents look down on them. They have child-like curiosity and speak in a dialect unique to their underground cave villages. No one is as skilled in guns as they are.''

In terms of statistics, Striders should be treated like Gun-toting variations of the Archer; low HP and DEF. Striders are actually useful in the Item World; where their unique powers range from transforming Geo Panel arrangements to teleportation. They also have a rather high RES Aptitude, so stacking them with Orbs is a good defensive option. Scouts also possess the only real-time skill in the game, Dark Cannon.

Ronin(Samurai)
''As sworn guardians, the ronin have protected Netherworld holy land for centuries. Since those holy lands were lost in a great cataclysm, many ronin have become professional swordsmen. Though no longer guardians, their purity and pride remain strong in their hearts. Their beliefs are called "Bushido."''

Ronin act as improved versions of the Male and Female Fighter, being the game's second-best physically powerful class. With a wide array of weapons to choose from and a high ATK stat, Ronin can destroy pretty much anything that comes their way. As with most front-line fighters, they have low defenses against magic and long-range attacks. Ronin also have a rather low HIT growth, hampering their accuracy even further if given an Axe. Have a pair of Glasses on hand for them.

Ninja
''The ninja are apostles born from the darkness of the Netherworld. Originally assassins, their clan is the most feared by those in power. Under Krichevskoy's rule, they mended their evil ways, and today they are trusted as loyal bodyguards.''

Ninjas are improved versions of the Brawler class, not only having a higher Attack growth, but also an extra Counter and high Speed. In fact, Ninjas have the ability to dodge any attack, even special attacks, as long as the attacker's level is less than 200% of the Ninja's level. This dodge adds 50% to the normal dodge chance. A glitch in the PS2 and PSP versions of the game also activates this effect for Healing skills as well, so a low-level character will be unable to Heal the Ninja properly without items. This has presumably been fixed in the DS version of the game. A Ninja's only weakness is their rather low HP and DEF, which renders them somewhat helpless against enemies with high HIT.

Rune Knight
''Only one demon in a hundred can become a rune knight, a special breed of soldier capable of wielding both magic and swords. It's said that they can see the future using a power called "Zone". Although they are demons, they have a strong sense of loyalty and will die if they break a sword oath.''

Rune Knights (Also called Magic Knights in recent games) are a jack-of-all-trades character focusing on ATK and INT. Since they specialize in two stats, their status growth is somewhat lacking next to a class with a singular specialty, such as the Healer. To make up for this lackluster development, Knights have an ability no other class has: The ability to cast a spell at the same time one performs a normal attack. The spell is chosen regardless of the enemy's Elemental Resistances, and you still pay the SP required to cast the spell. When creating a Knight, upon distributing all Bonus points, the element that the Knight is resistant to (+50%) is usually the element they will use when activating this unique ability. The rest of a Knights stats are rather balanced, making this class the most customizable, if not the strongest.

EDF Soldier
''The EDF Soldiers protect the Earth with their mighty technology. EDF Soldiers are almost as popular with Earth children as Defenders of the Earth. Their skill with axes and guns is matched by their skill in hand-to-hand combat. Since science beat out magic on Earth, many soldier can't use a staff.''

EDF Soldiers act as a combination of the Warrior and Archer classes, good both at close-range and at long-range. EDF Soldiers have high HP and DEF, making them extremely sturdy against physically powerful enemies. However, they have an extremely low RES Aptitude, making them weak against Magic. They have the game's highest HIT Aptitude, making them the best with a Gun in their hands.

Celestial Host
''The celestial host is comprised of angels who have displayed great skill in battle. They excel in both offense and defense, and their rank and wingspan are determined by their spiritual power. They believe in absolute righteousness of the angels, and they eliminate all who oppose them. They can be stubborn.''

Angels act as an improved version of the Rune Knight Class, with balanced stats and inherent Magic spells. While Angels lack the Rune Knight's "double-attack" ability, they have superb Weapon Mastery; able to use any weapon except for the Gun properly. Angels also make proper Healers as well, increasing their survivability rate. While Angels have no inherent weaknesses, they have no overwhelming strengths aside from their healing ability.

Majin
''A demon cannot train to be a majin, as they are born with a strong body, fearful strength and a ruthless mind. They are regarded by the Dark Assembly as a rare resource. Majin enjoy a good fight more than anything and think that the weak have no right to exist.''

Majin are the strongest units in the game. Up to 120% Aptitudes in all stats, high stat growth, and the best Weapon Mastery. Majin are the game's best unit, hands down. Majin can cover all roles perfectly and can do it better than everyone else. (Though they will still need to be taught Elemental and Healing Magic separately) The Majin's only weaknesses are their high Creation costs and the level quotas needed to advance through their tiers.