Who is the Strongest Royal in Fayes Story Wise?

[WhatAJollyGoodFellow]

Not gameplay mind you, but since there are DLC where you could see this for yourself, who do you think is the strongest Royal.

I'm talking One v One matches, and in cases like the DLC, Royal and Retainers vs Royal and Retainers.

[Thane]

Are we talking about the playable characters or the villains? If we go by people who can join us, it seems as if though Xander would rank quite highly; Leo warns Corrin about him in birthright and the latter is still easily pummeled.

[WhatAJollyGoodFellow]

Are we talking about the playable characters or the villains? If we go by people who can join us, it seems as if though Xander would rank quite highly; Leo warns Corrin about him in birthright and the latter is still easily pummeled.

Playable. So no Garon or Anakos or Sumeragi. Only Ryoma v Hinoka v Takumi v Sakura v Xander v Camilla v Leon v Elise.

I think Hinoka and Camilla are out because Takumi's bow, and Leon's Magic. Elise and Sakura aren't exactly fighters. So I think it would come down to the bros.

[Limstella]

Archers can only attack from a space away so minus Takumi

[blinkingbrave]

If we're just talking storywise, then I'm like 99.9% sure Xander is canonically stronger than everyone. And he's got several moments where the story plays up his power hard, compared to the other royals. By the time the end of Birthright came around, I was kinda bored and skimming so I certainly could've missed something buuuut... I'm pretty sure someone states outright that Xander is too strong for Corrin's army to defeat.

Closest would probably be Ryoma, but since he's in the party when whoever it was is going on about how Corrin's army isn't strong enough to defeat Xander, I'd think it's safe to say Ryoma's the weaker of the two.

I suppose... Technically, whether or not Xander's pulling his punches (as he also canonically does a good deal) could push him down the list, but if we're just talking raw power, then the JP story, at least, singled out Xander, iirc.

[Kujja]

Archers can only attack from a space away so minus Takumi

Takumi can still get the proximity shot i think and thus attacking 1 and 2 spaces

[Thor Odinson]

Closest would probably be Ryoma, but since he's in the party when whoever it was is going on about how Corrin's army isn't strong enough to defeat Xander, I'd think it's safe to say Ryoma's the weaker of the two.

NItpick: Ryouma at the time was not blessed by Rainbow Sage, while Marx is. Once both niichans are both blessed they should be roughly even.

[spoiler=on Nohr 25 Ryouma]

I wrote a fuller meta on this but I think, given Ryouma's supports and actions of Iago in Nohr 25---the angry Ryouma you fight in Nohr25 IS a handicap for Ryouma, because he's the reverse of a hulk---the calmer and more in-control he is, the stronger he is. Given his support with Rinka and how he uses meditation to calm his ass-then compare him to how he acts in Nohr where his ass is totally not calm--he's definitely at his best when he can think rationally, and when Iago tells him that Hinoka's dead and tosses that naginata at him, that actually fucks up his fighting by a lot.

As a martial artist, I can attest to being calm and being able to assess the situation with a even head is very important--you need to be able to read your opponents. Going into a rage is terrible against experienced fighters.

Edited February 15, 2016 by Thor Odinson

[Wayward Alchemist]

I think that Xander is canonically the strongest because of the battle model cutscenes when you choose either Hoshido or Nohr. Ryoma *tinks* Corrin once while Xander hits harder, knocking Corrin flat on his ass.

[The DanMan]

So Xander and Ryoma are about tied and Leon's a very distant second.

[Duke of Dozel]

Yeah, the older bros are roughly even. It could be hinted that Xander is stronger due to his battle scene showing him kicking your ass on his final fight, only pretty much giving up when you actually fight him because of the murder he committed. Ryoma never has the upper hand on Kamui in any cutscene and the only battle where he's going all out, he still loses to them.

Camilla and Leo are clearly stronger than their Hoshido counterparts, Leo in particular is practically feared by his own soldiers (Iago). Both Sakura and Elise don't have fighting experience as far as we know, so that's hard to decide. They probably wouldn't even fight each other if given the chance.

Xander>Ryoma>Leon>Camilla>Hinoka>Takumi>little sisters.

[Limstella]

Takumi can still get the proximity shot i think and thus attacking 1 and 2 spaces

Oh, my mistake :P (Still don't know all the new stuff)

[Thor Odinson]

Ryouma's "going all out" is actually pretty detrimental to his fighting given the rest of his character ngl, i elaborated a little in my last post but it has spoilers

[blinkingbrave]

NItpick: Ryouma at the time was not blessed by Rainbow Sage, while Marx is. Once both niichans are both blessed they should be roughly even.

[spoiler=on Nohr 25 Ryouma]

I wrote a fuller meta on this but I think, given Ryouma's supports and actions of Iago in Nohr 25---the angry Ryouma you fight in Nohr25 IS a handicap for Ryouma, because he's the reverse of a hulk---the calmer and more in-control he is, the stronger he is. Given his support with Rinka and how he uses meditation to calm his ass-then compare him to how he acts in Nohr where his ass is totally not calm--he's definitely at his best when he can think rationally, and when Iago tells him that Hinoka's dead and tosses that naginata at him, that actually fucks up his fighting by a lot.

As a martial artist, I can attest to being calm and being able to assess the situation with a even head is very important--you need to be able to read your opponents. Going into a rage is terrible against experienced fighters.

Mm, yeah, yeah.

I suppose it depends on if we're talking pre-game or post-game (and then if so, which route). Pre-game, all of what I just said ought to put Marx in number one.

For each route, post-game... I usually assume the enemy big bro is the canonical 'strongest fighter,' seeing as it takes your army to bring 'em down, but both brothers aren't fighting at their true strength.

For IK/general post-game comparison... I suppose I'd be inclined to give it to Marx again, mostly because he's really built up as this fearsome power across the three routes, moreso than I remember Ryouma being.

But that's just me.

[Tsuky]

I think this will have to depend on what point in the story we are talking about. Marx is definitely stronger at the beginning of the story.

[spoiler=] No matter which route you play, Marx always gets the Rainbow Sage's power before Ryouma. And did Ryouma even get the Rainbow Sage's blessing in Revelations, since he joined after Kamui and friends made the journey?

But provided that both brothers are blessed by the Rainbow Sage, I'd say they are about the same. And it's hard to gauge how strong Kamui is compared to them since he fought them both when they were extremely distressed, so I would have to say that the big bros win.

[Thor Odinson]

I think something I realised while liveblogging Ryouma thoughts is that

It's very possible that everything about the Nohrsibs and Hoshisibs has to do with the culture they're based on. Nohrsibs are based on western culture-where things tend to be more open, so their personalities, characterizations, they're all more openly laid out. Hoshisibs are based on eastern culture, which tend to be more subtle, and things they do, their characterizations also tend to be more subtle. I think that also might be a reason why so many people just dont' seem to get Ryouma--I do think his character takes a lot more reading. I wrote like 2 metas on Ryouma and his fighting--I feel the meditative aspect of him (well okay it's probably actually rooted in samurai culture for him but) in Chinese wuxia which shares quite a bit of similarities, it's incredibly common for a less-than savory character to try to fuck up the more heroic character by telling them about some bad stuff to fuck up their calm and end the fight really badly for the hero. That's what I get reminded of a lot for Ryouma--especially in Nohr where we see him break and lose his shit.

I think the way each niichan draws their power is vastly different and that also could contribute to how their power is presented. I don't think it's super clean cut given the cultural references they're based upon. I think a more interesting analysis of each niichan, instead of comparative strength to each other, is just how their power manifests and what it says about each of them.

Edited February 15, 2016 by Thor Odinson

[Tooru]

I think Xander wins not only the One v One but also the Team v Team match.

Laslow and Peri look so cool in Conquest 12.

[Tsuky]

I think something I realised while liveblogging Ryouma thoughts is that

It's very possible that everything about the Nohrsibs and Hoshisibs has to do with the culture they're based on. Nohrsibs are based on western culture-where things tend to be more open, so their personalities, characterizations, they're all more openly laid out. Hoshisibs are based on eastern culture, which tend to be more subtle, and things they do, their characterizations also tend to be more subtle. I think that also might be a reason why so many people just dont' seem to get Ryouma--I do think his character takes a lot more reading. I wrote like 2 metas on Ryouma and his fighting--I feel the meditative aspect of him (well okay it's probably actually rooted in samurai culture for him but) in Chinese wuxia which shares quite a bit of similarities, it's incredibly common for a less-than savory character to try to fuck up the more heroic character by telling them about some bad stuff to fuck up their calm and end the fight really badly for the hero. That's what I get reminded of a lot for Ryouma--especially in Nohr where we see him break and lose his shit.

I think the way each niichan draws their power is vastly different and that also could contribute to how their power is presented. I don't think it's super clean cut given the cultural references they're based upon. I think a more interesting analysis of each niichan, instead of comparative strength to each other, is just how their power manifests and what it says about each of them.

Hmmm, that's something interesting to think about. I definitely agree with you on the more subtle characterizations for the Hoshidan siblings part, and lol at the Chinese wuxia part because it's so true.

[Katryn]

I think that Xander is ultimately the strongest. We know that Ryoma is naturally gifted, but what that means is that his abilities have come with some level of ease to him. If something were to happen that disrupts how easily he can do thing (i.e. the Hinoka situation) he breaks down. On the other hand, Xander has earned his strength and abilities in spite of existing limitations. It causes him to have a lot more control over what he is doing. Essentially, only Xander can stop Xander. (As we see with the tragedy that befalls at one point.)

With that said, I think that Ryoma has an advantage over Xander in a 1-v-1 in game battle, as can be seen if you put the two against each other in ch. 6 when Corrin makes his / her decision. Xander hits like a freight train, but Ryoma is a dodgy bugger and if you can't hit it you can't hurt it.

In the end, though, I think it's Xander's desperation / determination that makes him the more powerful character. Ryoma needs to be calm to be good, and when he loses his shit his performance suffers. Outside of "that one thing", Xander's drive to do what he feels is right and not let anything block him makes him a lot harder to take down, and that's before you add his super amazing sword into the equation.

[dragonlordsd]

I assume Garon, Sumeragi, Azura's mother and Mikoto don't count?