Thinkers are the player character of Kainga. They are the only unit capable of discovering new technologies, (generally) cannot fight, and must survive in order to succeed on a mission. They can be found in the Skyloft when not playing a Challenge.
Wise with experience, this Thinker considers the future of his people carefully. Expect an early establishment with the resources needed to get a head start. — Kainga Encyclopedia
Sumac is the newest Thinker to join the Skyloft. He was tasked with finding 6 relics across the lands: a fossilized skull, a Darkwood branch, a teal pearl, Trunkwood sandals, the royal sash and a seeing stone. After having spent his entire life looking for these items, he was given the impossible task to "build a town on a Crustacean". During the tutorial segment of Kainga, Sumac accidentally awakens a Crustacean granting his acceptance into the Skyloft. After having arrived, he wonders why no others had to go through such a difficult journey to become a Thinker... — Thinker Deep Dive: Sumac
Sumac is the first Thinker available to the player upon starting Kainga for the first time. The player takes control of Sumac during the tutorial of the game, walking through his final steps in his journey to be elevated to the Skyloft as a Thinker. His starting resources and Feast festival help support a burgeoning village, and the Structure Safety passive makes building placement a bit more forgiving. He otherwise has no other unique features or gameplay quirks to be aware of, making him a very good Thinker for the beginner player.
This Thinker's mind darts from one activity to another. Speed and combat strength are assured at the start, but a wary mind lingers to festivities. — Kainga Encyclopedia
Garam was welcomed to become a Thinker after his father, the great woodworker, constructed the Skyloft for the other Thinkers. Garam sees himself as a diplomacy master but is quite hot-headed and his attempts at negotiations lead to combat just as often as friendship. Being quite young, Garam was worried his followers wouldn't take him seriously, so he fashioned an impressive fan on his back which he tells his followers allows him to fly! — Thinker Deep Dive: Garam
Garam is a very fast-moving Thinker, who starts each mission with two Warriors and the incredibly powerful Sharpened Axes passive technology. The combat prowess of his Braves has a leg up on others, in some cases negating the need for Combat technologies at all. Starting with Garam can be difficult, as he starts with no food and only three Braves. Two of his festivals require fabric, and he doesn't start with enough to build the Skylamp Festival. This all but necessitates using one of his Resource inspirations on a fabric-producing technology, which may or may not appear in the list. (Alternatively, remembering a technology such as the Lotus Pond makes this trivial.)
Of note, Garam cannot fly using his fan, but he does move faster than all other Thinkers.
Accompanied by his protector, this small Thinker uses strength to get ahead. Slow but able to fend for himself, this Thinker dreams of construction. — Kainga Encyclopedia
Achiote, being a royal, was promised Thinkership before he was even born. He accepted at a very young age and thus became immortalized as a child. It was agreed that Achiote could be accompanied by a "guardian" and so the blind guard guides this little Thinker everywhere. Now, unfortunately, Achiote regrets accepting being a Thinker at such a young age as he deems his own body useless... — Thinker Deep Dive: Achiote
Achiote is accompanied at all times by his guardian, who has not taken the same oath of pacifism as all Thinkers must. This means Achiote is able to defend himself when necessary, unlike all other Thinkers. However, because his physical body is so small and vulnerable, once the guardian is defeated Achiote is banished as well. The guardian moves more slowly than any of the Thinkers, including Jeera when not riding Kala. Achiote begins missions with more Braves than others, and his festivals are centered around resource creation and construction. Blessed Scaffolding lets his Braves build any structure—even if they lack the resources to do so.
Being composed of smoke, this Thinker is not affected by mortal pain. However the jar that houses this Thinker's soul must be accounted for. — Kainga Encyclopedia
Ajowan has always appreciated history and art and was the only Thinker not to ask to be a Thinker, but instead to he wanted to become immortal "like the ancient ceramics of old". Serrano agreed to this request and converted Ajowan's body to smoke and gave him an Alabastron to hold that smoke. Ajowan doesn't regret becoming immortal, but holds a grudge against Serrano for that everlasting trick. How would you feel, being immortal but incorporeal? — Thinker Deep Dive: Ajowan
Ajowan himself has no physical form, his soul residing inside a large ceramic jar called an alabastron. Because of this, it is easier for Ajowan to make riskier moves (such as attempting to take inspiration away from other villages), since attacking his smoke form simply causes him to vanish and reappear above his alabastron. However, the alabastron cannot move on its own; it must be carried by a Brave and protected from physical attacks. Because it is immobile, keeping it safe can be a little more difficult than protecting other Thinkers.
Ajowan's Ceramic Mandate (and starting ceramics) makes it easier for the village to develop with those technologies in mind. Fire suppression and other synergistic technologies (such as ceramic roofing or walls) are a good direction to move in when playing as Ajowan.
Equipped with a relic of a long-lost time, this Thinker is able to boost production speed and inspire others to bear burdens with ease. — Kainga Encyclopedia
Charnushka was the only Thinker who was asked to become one. Because of the relic he carries on his back, and an honest heart, he has great ability to grow villages and lead his followers. Charnushka introduced blastpowder to the lands of Kainga, knowledge which he brought from his homeland, the White Desert. — Thinker Deep Dive: Charnushka
Charnushka carries a large pack with him, which enables him to speed up production of nearby buildings (including houses and other unit-producing buildings). This boost is indicated by a small ritual aura that spreads around him, accompanied with a chiming sound. They are the only Thinker capable of producing new inspiration at will (via the Boardgame Challenge festival), and one of two to start with a ranged combat unit. The use of Celebratory Firework early in a mission can help ease food requirements, but Charnushka only begins the mission with enough blastpowder to perform this festival once.
This Thinker is mentally bound to their beast after a new shell was fashioned to protect it. Defense and stability is the focus of these two. — Kainga Encyclopedia
Kala grew up with his best friend Jeera, a snail without a shell, and they've always protected each other. Kala constructed a set of plated armor to cover Jeera's back and they've been inseparable ever since. They actually took the oath to be a Thinker simultaneously, but as Jeera cannot speak, he never technically became a "Thinker". This is why he is sometimes left behind, and earns no karma to banish. Luckily, snails are already immortal so they can still live alongside one another for eternity. — Thinker Deep Dive: Kala and Jeera
Kala & Jeera are both Thinkers who share memory with each other. Most of the time, Jeera rides atop Kala, but if Kala is banished then Jeera continues on alone. This can be dangerous for Jeera, as they have the least amount of health of any Thinker (besides Ajowan's smoke form). If Kala is banished (and Jeera survives the combat), the Beast Spirit House festival can be used to re-summon Kala if placed on their back. Otherwise the festival can be used to locate the nearest Crustacean, and even summon it if desired.
Food comes easy to this Thinker as cooking is a passion, drawing the attention of wildlife and an ease of taming. — Kainga Encyclopedia
Galanga was the first to become a Thinker and created the idea of the "challenges" which all Thinkers now play. Galanga understands the importance of food, the beasts of Kainga and leads his people with abandon as he knows their lives will not last long. He does, however, carry a pot of stew between his stilts and is happy to share it with anyone who asks! — Thinker Deep Dive: Galanga
Galanga does not walk on the ground; rather, they walk atop a pair of stilts. Because of this, they are not hindered by difficult terrain (such as flooding or snow). The starting Beastmasters and Braided Rope passive can give Galanga an edge by taming certain beasts early in the mission.
Not much is known of this Thinker, as they never speak! Eyes always peering into books, this Thinker uses ancient knowledge of the past to grow their town in unconventional ways. — Kainga Encyclopedia
Serrano is a magician and a necromancer whose life goal was to discover the secrets of the universe. In order to do that, he needed to live forever. He created the ideas of the Thinkers after he discovered that the key to immortality is through the stories people tell each other about you, as long as you're not around to hear it. He then set out to find 7 others to participate in games with to keep the people of Kainga talking about them.
Before the Skyloft was built, Serrano would teleport to a new village to inspire them for a few years before moving on. Now that the Skyloft allows for the challenges to take place, he's free to read books while the others compete.
Some say Serrano has overwritten the logic of the world in his quest for knowledge and torn the fabric of reality. Others say all of Kainga is in Serrano's mind, just stories he tells himself from his imagination, for how can a blind man read, anyway?
— Thinker Deep Dive: Serrano
Serrano is one of the most difficult Thinkers to master. Their Braves do not require food thanks to their Silk Outfits passive, but will require a fabric-producing resource technology. This is also necessary to construct the Skytrade Festival, which summons a trader just for Serrano.
Serrano's movement is tricky: instead of moving themselves, they send out a floating orb that travels to their destination. Once it reaches the location Serrano teleports directly to the destination, avoiding any hazards or combat. The orb is bound by traversible terrain (i.e. they can't send their orb across chasms or over water), and can be a little difficult to direct as it can be blocked by trees, ruins, and other resources found around the map. In addition, while the orb is moving Serrano remains still; this can make him vulnerable to attack or wildlife if the player does not carefully keep track of Serrano's position.
