Talen

Since I have yet to play some of these (and finish FE4, I struggle with this one), I'll cut my list short. Gaiden/SOV: Python/Silque Genealogy Gen 1: Quan/Ethlyn Blazing Sword: Eliwood/Florina Path of Radiance: Ike/Lethe or Mia (couldn't pick) Awakening Gen 1: Frederick/Olivia and Panne Awakening Gen 2: Brady/Cynthia Fates Gen 1: Ryoma/Azura Fates Gen 2: Shigure/Selkie Three Houses: Claude or Felix/Lysithea (although ngl, this was the most difficult for me because it's the first time I actually liked most the cast with a couple of exceptions)

Ferdinand, definitely. I love my Black Eagles (not a big fan of Bernadetta but I tolerate her, and others I like just fine), but there is something about him that is both goofy and majestic and I love this guy.

To answer both questions simply: I don't care about fanservice. Female characters in revealing outfits were not drawn for me and I, despite being a woman myself, am not offended by fanservice. I have friends who like it, and I am perfectly fine with it because, well, sex appeal sells (Marilyn Monroe's example is both famous and infamous depending on how you look at her situation). As for fanservice for women, it does seem fairly limited, but admittedly, I cannot help but whistle a little whenever I look at Frederick's summer alt because, well, it's Frederick, my favorite Awakening man, and my does he look good. Then again, my interest in the game does not depend on his abs. All in all, it does not affect my experience because I play FEH for FE characters, gameplay and stories I personally find interesting. Is it necessary? No, and sometimes it gets ridiculous, it really does, but I don't think worrying about fanservice, of all things, is good for my nerve cells (obviously, I am bothered by loli/shota fanservice in general, for example, but that is a can of worms I am not willing to open). I mean, I do have a figure of Camilla and I am not bothered by her... anything, really. In conclusion, I understand why some people hate it, but I also understand why some people like it.

Oh, I totally understand and like your point of view because I am the same with Ingrid: she gets bashed for being a racist while I find it interesting as it gives her room for development, which she gets in her supports with Dedue. I still cannot like Sylvain, but I am also glad that we got a vide variety of well-written background characters with interesting stories. I would also like to add that while I like Edelgard (I dig a lord who is not all perfect and expected to be liked by each and every player, I initially expected her to be the "right" choice, this Miss Perfect), I think that she, too, is a little overrated. Just a little. I think she's very interesting, but I find it impossible to excuse some of her decisions and actions. I like all three lords, but El takes the cake here in terms of being overrated. Maybe I'd also mention Claude if I tried hard enough to be nitpicky but I am way too biased here, I did not expected to like him and I adore him so I think his popularity is well deserved.

Blue Lions: Sylvain. I'm gonna be harsh here, I cannot stand this guy, and for very personal reasons, which is why I'd like not to explain why exactly I dislike him. I've never been particularly fond of characters like him to begin with, but he is the one I personally find hard to tolerate. I don't think he's charming, neither do I think he's funny. I agree that there is depth to his character, but I do not see how it excuses him or gives him a free pass to do what he does. Frankly, I believe he is only so popular because he is objectively handsome. As stated above, we never see women treat him poorly. He victimizes himself and generalizes all women. Assuming that some of the girls simply had an innocent crush on him, he clearly caused them some serious emotional trauma just because he can't stop feeling sorry for himself in that regard. Sylvain is a jerk, and he acknowledges that, he is traumatizing girls on purpose just because of the assumptions he jumps to, as I doubt he ever cared enough to get to know any of the girls he briefly dated. Black Eagles: Bernadetta. By no means do I want to discredit her trauma, but it's often presented in a zany manner, and it fails to be funny because Bernadetta fails as comic relief. If you look at her from that perspective, she is very annoying, and whenever I try to feel bad for her, I get irritated. I don't hate her, but I think that her behavior is nowhere near as cute as the game wants us to believe. Golden Deer: unpopular opinion, but I'll go with Hilda here. I actually love Hilda as a character. She's bubbly, she's funny, she's lazy, she's interesting. I honestly cannot quite explain why I like her so much, I just do. Hilda's charisma, I guess. She's good, but she's not the very best, and I think there are better characters out there that deserve at least an ounce of Hilda's popularity.

Ignatz and Cyril easily come to my mind first. I think they're both wonderful, good boys and they did absolutely nothing wrong. Ingrid I'd mention, but I have somewhat mixed feelings about her: I enjoy her character, I most certainly do like her, but at first I found her horribly boring and it took me some time to actually like her. Plot twist is, I like her for the very flaws people tend to bash her for. She gets over her xenophobia (not that she has no reason for it, she does and that's what makes her interesting, I hate oh-so-perfect characters more than I would ever dislike a character with serious flaws), and yes, she can be quite insufferable at times (DO YOU WANNA BUILD A SNOWMAN, BERNADETTA?), but that makes her human. Is she my favorite? No. But I like that for a minor character she is so nuanced. In a very odd way, she kind of reminds me of Hermione, especially Hermione in the very first book. Now, I am not sure if Lorenz is underrated or not but I love him. I unironically adore Lorenz, I enjoyed S-Supporting him, and his character growth, especially for a minor character, is impressive. He starts off as a total goofball who, however, wants to do what's right for his people, and post-timeskip he holds himself accountable for all the silly things he did in the past. I honestly didn't expect to love him as much as I do.