RPGs: Balancing recurring characters in sequels

I have been very unorthodox with keeping this blog active. There's often not a whole lot to go by with it, but whatever the case may be, I still need to keep this active, so here we go, reviving this little blog series as I go along. This particular RPG cliche is as follows: "Whenever there is a sequel to an RPG that features the same main character as the previous game, that character will always start with beginner skills. Everything that they learned in the previous game will be gone, as will all their ultra-powerful weapons and equipment."

Yes, this one is as annoying as it sounds. The cliche is also called the Yuna Rule, as this character is a main character in Final Fantasy X and then later on in its direct sequel (perhaps the first time Final Fantasy finally decided to have some continuity with things). Of course, I sure haven't played those games yet, but I can think of others that certainly fit the bill. I've only played the first Ys., but reading a bit of story about the other games, it looks like Adol is gonna be the main character for the other ones as well. You can also look at the Mario & Luigi games. Whatever happened to those hand powers that the bros had in Superstar Saga once you got to Partners in Time? Did they just fizzle away or something? What about Disgaea's crew? I haven't played that series yet, but it looks like the main cast, despite spanning several games, isn't all too overpowered for the next sequel.

Suikoden II is a very interesting case of this, with a load of characters coming back to participate in the Dunan Unification wars. Of the ones that do come back, it's possible to train them in Suikoden, augmenting their stats, but that's about it. With a few exceptions*, these characters will have abandoned the endgame gear they had. Particularly blatant with Viktor and Flik, the first two returning faces you get to play with, and hey, looks like Viktor did dump the Star Dragon Sword by then (he'll get it back anyways though).

And then there's Growlanser II, my god, if only the first game had a proper translation so I can see what its about. But you can see that Carmaine, Xenos, and Ernest are major characters in that game, and are then playable in II, where did all their stuff go?

The only excuse for this particular cliche is gameplay balance, obviously it would be too unfair for the opponents to actually have to fight the overpowered guys from the previous game's ending. At the same token, imagine having a new protagonist with the overpowered guys, but the enemies are also overpowered. It's a tough one to compensate. It's a little better to reason with than a presumed super-powerful gladiator who joins a party only to be rather mediocre.

*Humphrey if you equip him with a Windspun Armor at the end of the game will have it (and he can't take it off), as well as McDohl himself with some pieces of equipment (can't remember which ones).