Fire Brand

As for one off mechanics that should return, definitely high ground from RD.

Yuzo Koshiro.

For a FE country in a state of decline there's the obvious Grannvale

Tailtiu/Lex - These two have lots in common, and honestly I've always preferred this pairing to Azel/Tailtiu. Their chapter 5 lover convo in particular is excellent Saias/Mareeta - Saved her from a cursed sword. Considering the amount of dialogue they have together, was expecting them to have a paired ending Micaiah/Zelgius - My personal favorite FE pairing. They have so much in common - branded, generals of Daein, relationship to Sephiran and Sanaki. Their dialogue was also quite ship-teasing, as was the Zelgius/Sothe 1-E talk. Kinda wished they got some sort of ending.

Eh, I'd argue Johalvier's promoted class of Warrior is the game's berserker equivalent. Definitely far closer to it than swordmaster, that's for sure.

Um, what? Swordmasters and Berserkers are not the same class in Fe4 at all

Genealogy of the Holy War

Echoes, since the grinding is very much out of your way and unneeded. Not the endless slog of 3H.

No, but he's important for Isaach. Grannvale had no conflict with him at that point.

There's a lack of Project Naga script dump unfortunately, but from what I remember: "Your future with Deirdre, that is! You're terrified, aren't you? That her memories may return..." Something along those lines. Ehhhh... He could have used Shannan as a bargaining chip to end the war immediately, thus saving hundreds and bringing the war to an abrupt end. Micaiah, unlike Corrin, is frequently called out for her actions, and isn't really worshipped outside of Sothe and maybe Zelgius.

It's implied that Manfroy had been suggesting to him that it was a possibility, and why else would he be so worried about Deirdre regaining her memories? Though I will agree with you that is it is vague. I guess that's one thing I like about Arvis' character: so much is up to interpretation.

Sigurd "knowing too much" I interpreted as an excuse more than anything. And as for him being a rival, how would he be? Arvis is married to the king's granddaughter, while he is just another noble. And I never got the impression Sigurd wanted to rule a kingdom anyway; he seems more of a knight/warrior.

Sigurd would not have been betrayed and killed because Arvis would then have no reason to kill him as he would not be married to Deirdre, and instead him and his army could help to fight off the Loptyr cult.

I realised your point about Arvis as soon as I posted it, it's moreso how the fanbase views it rather than the actual in-game dialogue. Sigurd could have left Deirdre in the spirit forest.

The more I think about the Sigurd-Corrin comparison, the more I see it. As someone who's a big fan of FE4, it's characters, and Kaga, I will admit I do see the double standard. I was never a fan of Sigurd to begin with, though. I suppose the difference is that Sigurd feels the consequences for his actions, unlike Corrin, but really, he doesn't. Other than that, he's quite battle-hungry and has a need to take everything into his own hands and solve others problems for them. More Duma than Alm, that's for sure. Also, both Arvis and Takumi are hated by many for not liking the "Corrin", and being the only one to really do so. I suppose Eldigan does criticise Sigurd, but he forgives him very quickly, and as they are established childhood friends that is kinda understandable. Sigurd is also handed both Arvis and Deirdre's backstories on a silver plate and does nothing with the information whatsoever; he is well aware they are half siblings and both possess Loptyr blood.

On the topic of 3H units, the best dancer unit is Bernadetta. Pass + Rescue make her an extremely viable support option, I have no idea why anyone bothers making her a sniper or bow Knight since her damage output is so weak.

Oliver. He's an awful person who's treated as a joke and a meme for some bizarre reason. I also dislike Izana, Bernadetta, Lewyn, and Rhea.

FE4: 8/10. Amazing soundtrack, memorable characters and a great story (in Act 1). Was not afraid to experiment and do something new and imo it worked out very well, and the lack of polish in some areas adds to the game's unique charm. And then, the dull, barebones, wyvern fest that is gen 2 happens. The game also has a really great dark fantasy esque aesthetic, which carried over into FE5 giving the games a unique, retro tone. FE5: 7/10. This one I'd place lower than Genealogy. The soundtrack has some good tracks but on the whole a significant step down imo. The gameplay is unique and tries something new, however, and fits the game's overall tone well. I didn't warm much to the characters outside of a few, and the story is imo quite dull, especially when compared to that of FE4. FE6: 4/10 This one was probably the most boring FE I've played. Lengthy, repetitive maps that seemingly dragged on forever. Annoying soundtrack. The only story I skipped through on my first playthrough because it was so uninteresting. FE7: 4.5/10 Well, it's a step up from FE6 I guess? But not a big one. Soundtrack is still bleh, one of my least favorite casts, slightly better but still boring story, dull gameplay. As you may have figured out I'm not a big GBAFE fan, so might be the best time to say I hate GBA graphics and animations. The colors are far too bright and hurt my eyes, and everything looks way too cartoonish. And the animations just look over the top anime levels of ridiculous. FE8: 5/10 Well it's my favorite of the GBAFEs because it has a soundtrack that doesn't suck and some characters I actually like. The graphics and gameplay are still mediocre at best, however, though the game does feel like a bit of an improvement in the graphics department. Gameplay wise, it's passable. FE9: 9/10 And now for some good FE again. FE9 had significant graphical improvements, as well as a solid soundtrack and a likeable, memorable cast. The story is imo the best in the series, and the gameplay, while easy, is definitely still solid and enjoyable. My only real criticism is the game's pace: it's near unplayable without speed up. FE10: 10/10 Perfection. Soundtrack, graphics, characters and gameplay were all perfected in this one complete package. And the story, despite its faults, was still very engaging for its scale and stakes, and honestly, for FE standards that automatically makes it among the best in the series. This is a game I have come back to again and again: I have probably completed around 200 playthroughs by now. FE11: 7.5/10 Now this was a game I was surprised to find myself really enjoying. Sure, the story and characters are barebones, but the game is aware of this, and it's not the focus. What is is the gameplay, which here is excellent. It's a strategy game, plain and simple, and it delivers. FE12: 7.5/10 Most of what I said about FE11 applies here, though FE12 introduces some likeable new characters as well as an attempt at a slightly deeper story. However, these changes are cancelled out by the introduction of the self insert. FE13: 4/10 This one is difficult for me, since I did find Awakening a fun time when it released and on my first couple of playthroughs. But then I went back to it a couple of years after it released and found it just... Unplayable. The gameplay was so repetitive and dull, and overfocused on galeforce and pair up cheese. Not to mention the constant anime tropes and aesthetic. FE14: Birthright 7.5/10 Conquest 8.5/10 Revelation 6/10 Honestly, the Fates games I found to have solid gameplay across the board, even in Revelation (which I believe to be overhated in terms of map design). The games are however held back by story, characters and anime aesthetic. They're still highly enjoyable for purely their gameplay, however, and I can look past their anime aesthetic to appreciate the solid strategy game underneath. FE15: 9.5/10 Now this was a game I adored and I'm not entirely sure why. The characters and music were both excellent and the story was passable, but honestly, I really enjoyed the gameplay? Definitely not a common opinion, but hey, I'll rank the game highly nonetheless. FE16: 3/10 And now, the snooze-fest that is fire emblem three houses. Repetitive would be an understatement. It's a shameless copy paste of the same elements over and over. The story had potential but threw it out of the window, and the characters are obnoxious one note anime tropes constantly shoved down your throat. To top it all off, the game looks like an early Wii U game.

Well, there's Tauroneo (Micaiah), Oifey (Seliph) I guess?

I heard somewhere that Fiona's level was supposed to be 1, but was changed due to a bug which set it to the same as the generics. Not sure whether that's true or not, though.

Zelgius, specifically the Radiant Dawn version. Great theme song, overpowered and a great design, but mostly I liked him story-wise. He was a character I always felt sympathy for, though I won't go into detail to avoid spoilers. Oh, and I shipped him with Micaiah, and still do.

And yet FE very much operates on modern-day morality and viewpoints and expects you to experience and view the games with a modern perspective. The series can't have it both ways.

How about the Leonster scrub squad, Kane or Alba or Robert, the ones with no dialogue other than escape quotes.

The AI going to the shops like it does in FE5.

There's also Minerva/Michalis/Maria's father, Linde's father. Miranda and Linoan in FE5. As for alive, Dagdar in FE5.