Rate the FE lords!

[Anacybele]

Just now, omegaxis1 said:

It kind of goes both ways. Ike is too naive about the world. Knowing tactics and fighting isn't being as knowledgeable in the sense of what makes a character naive.

Naive is lacking good judgement, lacking a lot of experience, maybe being easily led on and too trusting, etc. Ike is a little of that in the beginning, but he at least grows out of it.

[omegaxis1]

4 minutes ago, Anacybele said:

Naive is lacking good judgement, lacking a lot of experience, maybe being easily led on and too trusting, etc. Ike is a little of that in the beginning, but he at least grows out of it.

1

He does, which I don't doubt. But lacking in knowledge, therefore wisdom, over things that he technically should know is what can cause Ike to make a poor judgment and lead to bad experiences, therefore he is naive. 

[NinjaMonkey]

Ike > Robin > Chrom > *presses > for 500 years* Micaiah = Marth

[Lau]

Oh boy, another thread that gets derailed!

Marth - Best lord, my son, love of my life, will protect Shadow Dragon does wonders for him, good god! He starts off as this naive teenager, and then gets everything he loves ripped away from him in one day, but then he grows and matures, realises that life isn't black and white, and ahhhh, he's just really good? Like, I don't want to repeat myself because I've responded to so many of these threads, hahah! 10/10

Alm - I wouldn't like him as much as I do if SoV didn't have full voice acting. He's alright, he's just a bit too perfect. But he definitely isn't bad by any means. 7/10

Celica - Oh Celica, they did you dirty. I like her a lot, and her Echoes design is gorgeous. 7/10

Sigurd, Seliph and Leif - Haven't played their games, so I can't judge.

Roy - He's a brains over brawn Lord, and I love that it shows in his gameplay. It's a shame that much of his characterisation is locked behind supports, but what we do get is enough for me imagine what he could be like with all that lost potential. If Binding Blade gets a remake, I pray to god that they develop him more. 9/10

Eliwood - More like Eligood! He's very similar to Marth, and that's a good thing. He just wants to find his father, and gets thrown into a war against a crazy old git. I really like that he isn't afraid to show his emotions, which is something that differentiates him from Marth (Marth hides his because he thinks that he can't afford to look weak, as seen when he reclaims Altea), and it gives him that sense of humanity, idk? I just really like him, and his relationship with Ninian. 9/10

Hector - Too boisterous for my tastes, but does have some really nice moments. I think the thing that makes him stand out to me is his friendship with Eliwood, he just cares so much for him, it's very refreshing. 6/10

Lyn - Eh...she's just there to introduce the player to the game. I like the concept of a girl from the plains, but they didn't really expand on it. 4/10

Eirika - She's very kind, but...that's where it ends. 5/10

Ephraim - He is wayyyy too arrogant, and I don't like that. At the same time, he has my favourite design of all the Lords...actually no, second favourite. 5/10

Ike - ...Let's not cause any arguments, shall we? 2/10

Micaiah - Best female lord! I love her, she has a gorgeous design, she has a great concept, she has her flaws, she's just really great, okay? Radiant Dawn did her dirty, though...8/10

Kris - Why are we counting him?  4/10 Saved only by the fact that his customisation options are fantastic.

Chrom - I will always have a soft spot for Chrom. Awakening was my first FE game, his voice is just oh, his design is...weird, but it works for him? 8/10

Robin - Best design out of all of them! It's the coat. He's my favourite avatar, and he doesn't even seem like an avatar? He has his own character, and his fate is just really damn tragic. 8/10

Lucina - So much lost potential. I wish she had more presence in the main story, but, ah, well. I do like her though. 7/10

Corrin - I prefer male Corrin over female Corrin, just saying. Doesn't matter, they're both crap. 3/10

[Skyla]

Well...

Marth: Bad

The concept of Marth was intriguing, an exiled Prince trying to take back his country but good God, it was executed in the worst way possible. Marth just felt like an advocate void of any personality what-so ever. The lack of dialogue in shadow Dragon might be to blame but Much like the entire cast, he was nothing...just bland and boring.

Alm: Decently Good!

I'm not a big fan of the 'Marth Archetypes' but honestly I really enjoyed Alm. He is not the most interesting Lord out there and of course most of his development is non-existent and much like all Marth Archetypes, he's the perfect, pure, everything good in the world type who can do no wrong but Alm's humor kind of redeems him for me. He's very amusing and I love that about him.

Celica: Great

Celica's personality and development is just amazing. Due to all the corruption in Zofia, she's forced to be in a position where she can’t necessarily assert her lineage to the public or Alm. Due to this she closes off her emotions as they would be nothing more then hindrance to her goal.

Sigurd: Decent

I do kind of like Sigurd but he doesn't have a lot going for him. He's straightforward, kind, compassionate and that's about it. 

Seliph: bad

Nothing much to say about him. He's also the bland Marth Archtype kind and I'm not a fan of them. At all.

Leif: Decent...? I guess.

Thracia was a game i had to force myself to go through. So I don't quite have a positive view on Leif and do think I judge him quite unfairly but honestly he just felt bland to me.

Roy: Worst Lord in the franchise.

honestly, there's nothing to say about him. He's bland, boring and just void of an personality.

Eliwood: Great

I love him. Eliwood is the best thing to come out of 'Marth's archtype' actually it's insulting to compare him to Marth. He sets out on a quest to find his dad and gets warped up in this entire conflict. I really adored his affection for Ninian going as far as to forgive her for his father's death. His personality and his growth as a character just makes him so loveable.

Hector: Good

I like him. His loyalty to Eliwood is amazing and the phase he goes through after his brother's death is very well developed especially playing through his own mode. He's kind of a muscle head and that's his downside.

Lyn: bad 

Nothing much to say about her. She loses so much relevance in the main plot.

Eirika: Great

Eirika is a lot like Celica and I absolutely love her. Her naivety makes her so humane and her growth through out the story is amazing. 

Ike: Best Lord in the franchise. 

Here he is, my little cupcake. I love this boy to death. Ike is by far the most humane Lord in this franchise. The best characteristics for a well-written character and he has them all. He's not perfect, he makes so many errors and is put through so many skirmish. His growth as a character is amazing. He starts of as a normal little boy who is suddenly thrust into the biggest position in the army. Going to limit this discription since i don't want to start rambling about him. Absolutely adore his stubborn, cocky, sassy and cheeky kind of personality. 

Micaiah: Best Female Lord.

Similar to Ike she shows such a humane nature. She has her flaws and struggles and goes through such an amazing character growth. She truly asserts herself as a leader with leader-like qualities. She disagreed with Bagnions dominance over Daein and sought out a way to retake her country. Her personality is amazing. She's so savage, I absolutely adore her.

Robin, Kris, Corrin: self inserts are terrible, that is all.

Edited December 21, 2018 by Skyla

[ObviousCass]

I haven't played some of the older games (I've been meaning to, but being a student is hard) so I'll go by what lords I know!

WORST: Corrin, for sure is up there. Kris as well, I was never one for self-inserts who dominate stories. And if it counts, Robin in the second half of fe13. I think Corrin could have been much better (I mean, naive and optimistic characters aren't terrible) but the fact that they were placed in a badly written plot (or three) causes them to be down here. So, Corrin and Kris, mostly. 

BAD: Micaiah and Eirika take the cake for me in this category. FE doesn't have the best female lords, I've come to learn (which sucks, in my opinion). I find Micaiah as bland bread and butter (sorry bread and butter fans) and Eirika is in the same boat. Love both of their designs, though, I just feel they could have been written with more personality.

MEH: Robin, in the first half of awakening. They're fun enough and have enough personality.... but then suddenly the story becomes focused on them. Not my cup of plot twist, thanks. Celica also fits into this category, with her hubby Alm. I didn't find much special about them, but they were mediocre. 

DECENT: I'd say a majority of FE lords fall into this category, even some of my favourites. Chrom, Roy, Lyn and Eliwood fit this category pretty well. They're all interesting enough just... nothing special. And if not for Ike, Chrom would be my favourite FE lord, but even I can tell you that he's a bit bland. I'd also put Marth here, but only because he was the OG lord. If not, I'd say he would belong in 'bad' or 'meh'

GREAT:  Hector, for one. I love and ADORE both his design, his personality and how he interacts with others. Plus, AXE LORD!!! How cool is that?  He was the first lord that stuck out to me when I was playing the older games, and definitely one of my favourites. Secondly, IKE! He's immature, he's blunt, he's kindhearted and honestly, he may be quite dumb in some situations, but he's respectable. He has flaws and he's not forced into a relationship that no one really cares about. As well, he has room to grow, and he's willing to grow! I could write an essay on Ike, but I won't. 

Also did... we just ignore Ephriam? Is he not considered a lord? 

 

[Anacybele]

Lots of Ike love here! Yay! We like Ike! :3

[omegaxis1]

4 minutes ago, Anacybele said:

Lots of Ike love here! Yay! We like Ike! :3

It's rather interesting that those that love Marth seems to have a weaker opinion over Ike in exchange. And those that like Ike have a weaker opinion of Marth and others. Very interesting on the patterns.

[Anacybele]

Just now, omegaxis1 said:

It's rather interesting that those that love Marth seems to have a weaker opinion over Ike in exchange. And those that like Ike have a weaker opinion of Marth and others. Very interesting on the patterns.

Yeah, but different strokes, ya know.

[Fire Emblem Fan]

Here are all the other lords, since they're being listed now:

Celica: Decent! Like Alm, her voice acting helps elevate her a bit. And like Eirika, she's a nice opposite to her counterpart, offering up a nice contrasting influence in the story that lends to some good stuff.

Seliph: Decent! He's kind of like Marth, Eliwood, and Eirika, but he can stand on his own thanks to his game and setting.

Lyn: Great! "She loses relevance in the main plot and blah blah blah blah" yeah yeah whatever shut up. Looking at her conversations throughout the game, her supports, and her 10-chapter section at the beginning, she has MORE than enough so that complaint doesn't really hold much objective weight. She's different enough from other FE lords to stand on her own, and she gets a lot of really good supports that help develop her character.

Hector: Decent! He's sort of like Sigurd and Ike, but his character is aided by getting his own dedicated mode after completing the game. He has some good moments, and shows enough differences from other FE lords to stand out; such as refusing to forgive Jaffar, giving Oswin the cold shoulder even after all they'd been through, and his interactions with Matthew.

Ephraim: Great! I understand why some might put him in the "gary stu" conversation, but I think a lot of people overlook his blundering in supports and give him a bit of an unfair shake. He's honestly sort of like Marisa; fighting is what he's good at, other things take a lot more effort for him.

Micaiah: Bad. She had a good, interesting angle with her patriotism and her blaming Ike for a lot of her country's problems, but they never properly develop any of it and have other characters rob her of her spotlight.

Lucina: Decent! Not much to say, really. She's just fine. Amusing in some supports, a couple emotional story beats, and a good backstory, but she's still...fine.

Robin: Decent! Yeah, like Lucina. Fine. Just fine.

[Book Bro]

Worst: Corrin and Chrom. The former is a terrible vehicle for player worship and ruins the characters and story of Fates. The latter is a self-righteous hypocrite who never gets called out but rather gets rewarded/praised when he doesn't deserve it and doesn't grow from his mistakes.

Bad: Robin. He's also a bad self-insert who steals the story from the other lords, but he's a bit more likeable.

Meh: Eirika, Eliwood, Sigurd. Pretty inoffensive but also uninspiring. If we're counting Alfonse and Sharena I'd put them here as well.

Decent: Marth is a pretty standard good guy prince, but I find him to be developed decently enough through his two games. I cut him some slack for being the OG lord. Alm, while a bit neutered in SoV, I find interesting taking into account the more aggressive/impulsive versions of him. Lucina shows a great deal of conflict and maturity, especially contrasted with the other lords in her game.

Good: Celica is also done a bit dirty in SoV, but looking at her throughout several representations, she's driven, smart, and not afraid to put the wellbeing of others before her own. Seliph and Leif have interesting backstories and though I'm less familiar with them they made a strong impression, gathering the courage to fight after losing literally everything. I like Roy, there I said it. I find him very naive and idealistic, but in a way it highlights his inner strength and makes me think of the general optimism of youth, which is nice to remember once in a while. Hector and Ephraim are instantly charming and stand out in a crowd. I could do with Ephraim being developed a bit more than he is but it's not awful for me.

Great: Lyn speaks to me personally as someone caught between two cultures and I love her prologue even if it's short and not the most revolutionary. Ike is imo the best developed and best written lord, growing from a pretty simple kid to a strong fighter and negotiator. I also consider him a great example of a well-written queer character. Micaiah is so good in most of RD that I can overlook what happens in the later parts of the game. I love how she is willing to go to questionable places to protect what's important to her and I consider her the strongest female lord.

Ike > Lyn > Micaiah > Celica > Leif > Ephraim = Roy > Hector > Seliph > Alm > Lucina > Marth > Eirika > Eliwood > Sigurd > Alfonse > Sharena > Robin > Chrom = Corrin.

Edited December 22, 2018 by Book Bro

[Anacybele]

I'll do the other lords too then.

Celica: Decent, maybe. I'm not sure I've seen quite enough of her yet since I'm not finished with Echoes. But doesn't seem spectacular in any way. A bit bland so far.

Lyn: Bad. She's just a tutorial and then basically loses all relevance. A lot of missed potential for her here, so she's just boring in the end. You can say supports help her, but that should go for any character in the game, and honestly, support conversations are stupid annoying to get in the GBA games. I couldn't be bothered to put in the ridiculous effort required for them.

Hector: Decent. I like how he's more casual and stuff than other lords and doesn't really seem to care much for politics. His interactions with Lyn are pretty great.

Ephraim: Great! This guy is so badass and cool. <3 He might seem Stuish at times, but Fire Emblem Fan said everything on this matter that I would have (except for the supports thing because I never got any due to what I said above for Lyn). Ephraim's my second favorite lord after Ike without a doubt. :3

Micaiah: Bad. But as with a lot of other female lords, the reason is that she doesn't get enough spotlight and not enough screen time, so not enough to properly develop and such. Her design is nice though.

Lucina: Worst. She shouldn't have even been considered a lord despite being Chrom's kid, because she's not a lord in any way except class, though this is a more minor nitpick. I found her personality bland and her design is boring too imo, just genderbent Marth. Also, time traveling shenanigans are something I've never enjoyed and she does this. I also did not enjoy her voice.

Robin: Decent. I'd like him/her more if there was less ass-kissing by the cast. This is a problem with avatars in general in this series though.

Skipping Seliph because I've not played his game.

 

 

Edited December 22, 2018 by Anacybele

[NekoKnight]

Marth: Decent. I don't remember him well because I found Shadow Dragon as a whole to be dreadfully boring but his "prince before a son" and "not surely, assuredly" lines were good. He's the guy who got the ball rolling on the "noble prince" archetype.

Alm: Meh. While he was personally charming, Alm was absolutely the wrong lord for a game with the theme of duality and compromise. He's naturally superior both morally and physically to his peers, contradicting the game's theme of the circumstances of one's birth not determining who they are. He's also heads and shoulders above Celica who ought to be his equal counterpart.  

Celica: Bad. While Alm is personally likable but way too flawless, Celica has interesting flaws that are taken to such extremes that the drama of her story is completely contrived. Her religious faith is not enough to justify how easily she falls for Jedah's machinations when the latter does nothing to hide his sinister intent. She hides crucial information from her friends and gets angry at Alm for hypocritical reasons. She's just wrong about everything, and she shouldn't be if she's Alm's counterpart.

Lyn: Great. Lyn mode is a charming story of a woman who is torn between the separate cultures of her mother and father and driven forward by her desire to be united with her remaining family. On the way she settles upon an identity, meeting many friends and perhaps starting a family of her own. Even outside of her story focused mode, she has fantastic interactions with Hector, which is probably one of the most organic friendships/romances in the entire series. It's a shame so many downplay her as "the tutorial girl", ignoring her character depth and that she's the main character for 1/3 of the entire game.   s

Eliwood: Good. He's another "noble prince" but his personal relationships and tragedies really sell the character. His friendship with Hector is wonderful, as is his budding romance with Ninian. Eliwood is a character who is noble and patient but he also soldiers on through the loss of his loved ones. He's just an all around solid character.

Hector: Great. Hector has a fascinating personal arc. He starts off boisterous and headstrong but hidden beneath the surface is a young man who knows he needs to be better than that as the future leader of Ostia. Over the course of the story, Hector will need to come to terms with his brother's death and his own purpose in life. His relationships with Uther, Eliwood, Oswin and Lyn are all fantastic and he's the best friend a person could ask for.

Eirika: Meh. I think a lot of people underappreciate the Blazing Sword trio because they haven't really thought about them beyond the surface level details, so I'm going to be even handed and say she might be better than I give her credit. She's the second naive female lord and doesn't do a lot to set herself apart from Celica besides being less dumb. 

Ephraim: Meh. He's pretty badass but it strains my suspension of disbelief sometimes. (That said "he conquered a castle with three guys" is an oft repeated but I believe mistaken assumption that the soldiers visible on that map are literally the only soldiers he brought with him). I'm not really convinced he has much of a character arc. Both Ephraim and Eirika's strongest point is their relationship with Lyon.

Ike: Great. I didn't like him at first because he has so many obnoxious fans but it's hard to deny that he has an excellent character arc and is a heroic figure. Unlike some lords in the series, he starts off naive but he learns about the world and people. Ike is a character who blunders on occasion but has the right attitude to win many friends and the courage to do what is right.

Micaiah: Great. The fourth female lord and I'd argue the best. Micaiah is compassionate, self sacrificing and brave but she's also smart and ruthless when need be. She loves her people and country but circumstances force her to compromise her values to save the people she cares about. Behind it all, there is also her complicated identity as a secret branded, a pariah to both beorc and laguz. Micaiah is everything that Corrin should have been. 

Chrom: Meh. He's kind of a hodgepodge of past "noble prince" and "boisterous bruiser" lord archetypes, not being especially notable for anything. Awakening's trite "the power of friendship" theme doesn't do him any favors either and his friendship with Robin feels more like lipservice than the genuine ongoing friendship between say Eliwood and Hector.

Robin: Good. While he's partially guilty of Awakening's boring theme, he does get to play a critical role as the team's tactician. Tactics are great and they should be featured more often in this series. Unlike other avatars, Robin's praise feels more earned. He's a smart and diligent man and I appreciate him for that. 

Corrin: Worst. At his best, he's just a boring everyman and at worst, he's a black hole mary sue that absorbs everyone's love (or hatred, if you're one of the laughably evil villains). He's just a standard hero in Birthright and barely interacts at all with his siblings, nor does he try to learn about his supposed homeland. In Revelation he's an impossibly saintly martyr that never develops courtesy of his siblings coddling him. In Conquest he pretends he's a saintly martyr when he's in fact a self-righteous fool that goes along with Azura's insane plan to invade a peaceful nation in order to "save" it.

I left out Sigurd, Seliph, Leif, Roy and Kris as I don't know their games well enough to comment. 

[DarthR0xas]

Sounds like fun, let's go.

Marth - haven't really formed much of an opinion on Marth. To be fair, the only game of his I've really played is FE1, and he doesn't exactly get too much dialogue in that game. But I like what I've seen of him, and he's fun in Smash, so I'll say he's decent.

Alm - I daresay that Alm is my favorite lord in the series. I personally think that he has the best design of all the lords, he is actually voiced through the whole game, and Kyle does an amazing job with making Alm seem way more alive. He walks the thin line between Ike and Marth incredibly well, seeming noble and responsible while being down to Earth. It's great and I love him.

Celica - I don't like Celica. I think she is the worst lord in the series. It doesn't help her case that I never like any of the mage lords, and her being so stupid to such an extent is annoying. I know that there are some explanations to her actions, but the fact that they had to be explained by an outside source and even then weren't too convincing hurts her more than helps. Her voice actor did a good job by all accounts, but I found her voice to be kinda grating at points.

Sigurd - I love this guy. He's kinda bland, a little generic, and he's amazing. You really feel for him. He's a great man who just gets everything thrown at him and you can see him struggle to keep his head above. It makes his eventual failure to do so all the more tragic. Although I have to say if he didn't die, he wouldn't be a special.

Seliph - He's a fine lord, but doesn't live up to his father. Just a bit too wishy-washy for my tastes.

Leif - Leif is, well he exists. I'm pretty neutral on him overall, and I remember him more for some interactions with my favorite characters rather than anything he did.

Roy - Fun to play in Smash, not in FE6. Roy suffers a bit from a not perfect translation job, which can take away from a bit of his charm, and he, like Seliph, just doesn't live up to his father and is kinda wishy-washy. I like that he is portrayed as more mentally than physically strong without going into full Mary Sue territory, but it also hurts him since he has less presence than others might.

Eliwood - My least favorite of the Blazing trio. Eli here is like a stronger, less depressed version of Roy. He shows mental fortitude and overall is pretty good. Gets a horse, looks badass, then he gets sick which is lame. He just doesn't have the charisma to be a great lord imo.

Lyn - Second favorite. This is mostly for her design. Lyn has an amazing design (although part of me wishes they would tone down on the boobs with her latest designs, like Jesus guys, that can get a bit much). Her character is a mix between Eliwood and Hector. Bashful, yet mostly contained unless provoked. But yeah she mostly gets second for the design.

Hector - Second favorite lord. Heck, on some days he's my favorite. Hector is basically the best parts of every lord put into one character. Hard emotional moments he needs to persevere through? Check. Abrasive and unique personality that isn't just "I am the prince of a realm"? Check. Is the only lord that uses axes? Check. Hector is a certified badass with an almost perfect design, and Heroes has given him an amazing voice.

Eirika - Not much to say on her. Meh, not really that good. Too bland and generic, with things mostly happening at her.

Ephraim - Too much of a mary sue for his own good, with next to none of the redeeming traits that Alm had so he didn't become some unbearable cool guy. This guy gets a decent based solely on the fact he has awesome animations.

Ike - I am incredibly conflicted on my Ike opinions. On one hand, I love him to death, his design in both games is amazing, he looks so cool and he does all these cool flips and stuff. He grows the most out of any FE lord in the series. He has plenty of genuinely entertaining and funny interactions with a ton of characters. But on the other hand, he gets kinda annoying, and he feels incredibly dumb at points. Also, I hate his voice. JUST EMOTE DAMNIT, QUICK DELIVERING EVERYTHING IN THAT DULL MONOTONE VOICE! Seriously, PoR Ike emoted and had a personality, why did Ike all of the sudden lose that in Radiant Dawn. It's so annoying and heavily detracts from his character. When he emotes more in Smash then in his actual game, then there's a problem. So yeah, I love Ike, but he has too many flaws to be anything above 3rd.

Michiah - She suffers by being in Radiant Dawn, and siding with Daein. Sure, it's mostly out of their hands but she looks weak by proxy. She's supposed to be the savior, but you never really get that impression. And she plays second fiddle to Ike, which is a double detriment since Ike doesn't really go anywhere. If she got her own game, then she might be one of my favorites, but she's pretty close to the bottom currently. Although she does have a good design, initially. Second tier is kinda meh, and third tier is straight up ugly.

Kris - Never played New Mystery

Robin - I don't like Robin. He only barely doesn't fall off the annoying Mary Sue line into the unbearable Mary Sue line. His design leaves something to be desired, and he kinda just has a generic lord personality of naivety and that junk.

Chrom - Meh, Chrom is fine for what he is, which is basically Hector if he stopped developing a third of the way into his game. Chrom being a static character for most of the game hurts him, as does the time skips. If we saw more of what "what's her face's" death did to him, that would be great. What's there is amazing, but I wish there was more to it.

Lucina - I really like Lucina. Incredible bias here, since I main her in Smash and I like her design way more than I should. Probably my fourth/fifth favorite. Better character than her father, but still kinda boring. I say her time travel is alright, but that's mainly because the first game I ever played where time travel was a big element was KH 3D, and anything is better than how that mess of a plot incorporated time travel so I really don't have much to compare it to,

Corrin - It's Corrin, he sucks. Not my least favorite lord but he's down there.

So TL:DR

Alm/Hector > Ike > Lucina/Sigurd > Lyn > Marth > Leif > Seliph > Chrom > Eliwood > Michiah > Roy > Robin > Eirika > Corrin > Celica.  Kris = ?

[Rapaille]

I have a feeling I've done this before recently but I didn't go into detail (except for Seliph).

Marth; Decent. Very simple character in a very simple story that are both enjoyable as long as you don't expect much. Like him but nothing special

Alm; Decent. He's very enjoyable and likable but nothing groundbreaking. But I'm very glad that he is the way that he is because after the previous game I thought that IS forgot how to write.

Celica; Decent. While trusting purple man wasn't excactly smart, most moments before that where really good and she would have been great if it wasn't for the last act.

Sigurd; Decent. I like him. He seems like someone I would enjoy talking with and his ending is pretty tragic. A few extra lines and more development on his love interest could have easily made him great. Also he's a perfect unit.

Seliph; Great. Probably my favourite lord. He has few lines but those lines told me everything I needed to know about him. Got a simple but good arc that I really liked and even though fe4 hypes holy blood it never forgets that Seliph is also a person like you and me (or I just interpret the writing this way without it being meant to be that way). Also he is an amazing unit.

Leif; Great. Hey look! It's a young leader of a rebellion that makes mistakes and gets punished for it. Also he is just a very balanced character. Unlike many other lords that kinda fall in one of two categories Leif combines aspects from both sides. Shame not many people have played his game (although tbh I still haven't finished Thracia so I'm not much better).

Roy; Meh. He has a nice support with Shanna, that's the only thing I like about him. He's like Seliph but without the conversations which where such a huge part a adding nuance to his character. This results in Roy just being bland.

Eliwood; Decent. He's a nice dude which I like. Most conversations he has are enjoyable to read.

Hector; Meh. I just never found him that interesting. I will acknowledge that he's well written but I often couldn't relate to him which has more to do with me then with the writing quality.

Lyn; bad. She would have been meh but oversaturation made me bitter towards her. Nothing to do with her but more how I just can't understand why she is so popular (this will come back later).

Eirika; Meh. I like the character they where going with but the execution wasn't the best. 

Ephraim; Meh. Kinda bland character but he's a very cool unit so I can't dislike him.

Kris; Worst. There is nothing interesting about him.

Chrom; Decent. The fact that he's decent surprises me. Last time I rated him low, but I replayed fe13 recently and I actually liked him, not as much as some other characters that I called decent but I like him a lot more then the characters I rated meh.

Robin; Bad. I would call him worst but he/she some good moments so I won't. The problem is that he/she takes all the focus during the last act while many characters aren't even fully developed.

Lucina; Bad. Hey look! It's a female lord that doesn't add anything interesting to the story but is still extremely popular. But I still wouldn't call her worst because her existence doesn't ruin the game for me and she has some good moments. Which cannot be said about.

Corrin; Worst. There was a time that I actually felt bad for all the hate he/she got. Then I replayed Fates and remembered why he/she is probably one of the worst things that happened to the franchise storywise besides teleporting villains.

I would personally add a rank between decent and great because I feel that there is a big gap between the top and bottom of it. Sigurd, Alm & Celica would go to that rank while Marth, Eliwood and Chrom would stay in decent. Also I (still) haven't played fe9 & 10.

 

Edited December 22, 2018 by LJwalhout

[Thane]

1 hour ago, LJwalhout said:

I have a feeling I've done this before recently but I didn't go into detail (except for Seliph).

Rating Fire Emblem lords? I'm sure I've never done that before. No siree.

Marth - I'm going to borrow NekoKnight's words and say he's just a "noble prince", but I think he gets the job done. He's one of the few characters who gets fleshed out in his games so he's got that going for him, but I don't think he's the bee's knees.

Alm - I wrote about him not too long ago. I'll put it in a spoiler tag because it's quite a lot, but the short version is that he's my second least favorite lord and a detriment to his own game.

Spoiler

His role in the story is downright detrimental and seems to work against the themes that it wanted to convey. I know plenty of people disagree with this, but I simply cannot get over that this is the game that tried to include a theme of classism and then use Alm as some kind of example of it being wrong when he gets weapons only he can use because of his special blood, and he can get past an invisible wall that literally separates kings from peasants - without it, the Deliverance would've died beneath Rigel Castle, stuck between the gate and the wall until they starved. Alm kind of proves the villains right in that you are indeed born special. Sure, Alm grew up as a normal kid, but at the end of the day it is his special blood that separates him from the rabble; Tobin isn't the main character for a reason. 

He never faces any setbacks or defeats that would force him to change his way of thinking or cause him to change as a person. Alm starts as the complete package and finishes as the complete package. This would've been less frustrating if he had had an interesting personality, but he doesn't. He's a kind soul and a good fighter in no need of change, with no interesting character dynamics or relationships.

You'd think they'd try to make his relationship with Celica more intriguing, but we get one prologue scene of them cementing the fact that yupp, they've got special birthmarks and are thus connected and then Celica has to leave for seven years. They then have a painfully forced fight and...why am I supposed to care about these two's relationship, again? To make matters even worse, Alm's perfection detracts from Celica's importance to the overall plot. Alm is the one who pushes Rigel out, defeats Rudolf, saves Celica and kills Duma, whereas Celica effectively deals with the sidequests. 

In a game all about duality, I would've thought it vital to balance Alm and Celica's roles in terms of importance and representation, but whereas Alm soldiers on without ever being wrong or challenged, Celica is manipulated, gets captured, is forced to apologize to Alm for being wrong and overall has a lack of impact on the plot. We can see Alm influencing her with his way of seeing the world, and her accepting it, but we never see the opposite happen. 

A part of the problem with Alm's utter domination of Rigel and the lack of obstacle he faces can be attributed to the horrendous use of the worldbuilding the game itself establishes. Zofia is one of the most messed up nations in the series, having suffered famines, droughts, bandit raids, a civil war, an occupation, and the living dead ravaging the land. It also has a population that is notorious for being lazy, weak, and corrupt...yet this is never really shown in the war. There is no mention of  this once the group begins pushing into Rigel. The mentions of morale, tactics, supplies, lack of training, unknown and harsh terrain, etc. get lip service at best and no mention at worst. However, while this is not directly Alm's fault, it does negatively impact his character, just like how the nonsensical plot curse of Fates makes Azura come across as a complete idiot.

Sure, there are many other characters who one could argue are worse, even discounting Fates. Nergal is the least efficient villain in the series who keeps letting people go and can't even keep a tortured man restrained in his own seat of power, everyone in Magvel either wants to be Ephraim or sleep with him, and Faye's inclusion in Echoes is as confusing as her character is appalling. However, I don't think anyone quite reaches Alm's level where he just takes his own game and breaks it upon his knee.

Celica - Pretty damn bad, in no small part due to Alm's role in the plot. Celica is relegated to what effectively becomes a side plot n which she doesn't achieve much that has an impact on the overarching narrative. She doesn't tell her friends what's going on as they march into enemy territory, she renders Conrad's inclusion in the game meaningless, the fight with Alm feels forced, and she ends up as yet another woman for Alm to save although it's even worse as she has to apologize for having had the wrong idea about the whole conflict that's happening. I also can't stand her interactions with Jedah as it paints her in the most negative light possible.

Roy - Roy suffers immensely from how Binding Blade chooses to tell its plot. Almost no side characters are important or show up often enough for Roy to be contrasted with. So much of his main story dialogue is either bog standard hero talk or him ordering everyone to do the exact opposite of what Merlinus has to say. Rinse and repeat ad nauseam. I like the idea of a lord with much more brains than brawn, but the tedious main plot of Binding Blade and how it's told almost entirely through exposition coupled with the aforementioned lack of interesting and consistent support characters gives him no room to shine.

Lyn - The idea that she's caught between two different cultures is appealing, but at the end of the day the game doesn't do enough with it. She's also got a vengeance subplot that gets relegated to the second half of an A support - one might argue that is the point and that revenge would've given her nothing, but she's not even given any time to react to or reflect upon this; it just disappears, much like her role in Eliwood and Hector's stories. Overall she's got an interesting premise that her role or personality don't really live up to.

Eliwood - A good boi, but another noble prince with all that it entails. I like how his story starts more lowkey and his friendship with Hector in particular, at any rate.

Hector - Really good. Brash and improper by nature but not who he has to be in order to be a ruler, and it bothers him. Interesting conflict, one of the few sources of humor in Blazing Blade, and overall an interesting character.

Eirika - A snoozefest with effectively one memorable line with Innes. I've got almost nothing to say to her because she's just not very interesting. She's a gentle noblewoman who hates conflict but will fight if she has to, and they're a dime a dozen in Fire Emblem. 

Ephraim - Terrible. Everyone in Magvel either wants to be him or sleep with him, sometimes both. He defies logic due to plot armor and is written with about as much charm as a potato. He and Eirika are carried entirely by Lyon.

Ike - Pretty damn good. Solid character arc, has a nice mixture of badass and funny lines, and his different origins as a main character help him stand out. I don't approve of how he kind of shoves Micaiah out of the spotlight in Radiant Dawn, and his epilogue simply doesn't sit well with me, but as far as lords go, he's very good.

Micaiah - Great. I've said many times that I can't stand how they heaped powers and rare traits onto her, but they don't necessarily define who she is as a character, silly though some of it might be. She's put in a shitty situation and immediately tries to solve it, and she can be both ruthless and compassionate, which is a nice mix.

Elincia - Going to add Elincia here as I feel like she deserves it. She's not very remarkable in Path of Radiance until the final chapter or so, in fact she reminds me quite a bit of Eirika in that regard, but she's very cool once she grows a spine. I really like how Crimea didn't become a beacon of light for thousands of years at the end of Path of Radiance like in other Fire Emblem games, but that she had to fight hard to keep the country afloat. She and Sanaki (one of my favorite characters in the series) are the rare exampl of playable rulers in Fire Emblem who actually, you know, do a bit of ruling.

Chrom - Good. I think Chrom is the most charming lord if nothing else, and I like his interactions with his soldiers, Walhart, and Lucina quite a bit. There is some growth, but he suffers from his portrayal of how he views Robin's sacrifice. 

Lucina - Fantastic. From a unique situation and acting all tough to opening up to Chrom, Lucina has a whole range of great interactions ranging from badass to heartfelt. 

Corrin - Arguably the single worst major character in the series. Like Micaiah they've got both weird powers and are put in a shitty situation, but unlike her, their powers never play a role in the story even though it should be a major focus and they choose to grovel in self-pity for being put in a difficult situation rather than trying to solve it - or they're effectively manipulated by Azura into attacking a literal utopia in order to get out of it, which they somehow manage to turn into a problem for themself rather than all the countless people they'll kill. They're so devoid of personality and agency that it becomes imossible to relate to them in the slightest, and in the main plot they only discuss what is happening; there's no proper planning, no bonding with the siblings, no development...they're just along for the ride and do and say what Azura the exposition bot tells them to do.

Edited December 22, 2018 by Thane

[Etrurian emperor]

Marth: Good

Marth is fine. He has a clearly defined personality and has a nice little arc. Marth is very well presented as someone who takes his duties as a ruler very seriously and that he's willing to make self sacrificed in that regard, the whole ''I'm a prince before I am a brother'' thing. However Marth really suffers from Archenea leaving him with almost no one to talk to. In cutscenes Marth is either stuck with the boring adviser or princess Killjoy. He would have benefited from more scenes with Ceada and Hardin

Alm: lovable

I don't inherently disagree with the criticism about Alm but I just don't care. Alm is a joy to have on screen. He's always very lovable, charming and amusing. He acts like a nice guy to everyone and has some very solid interactions and can be very silly when he things no one is looking. While not objectively the best he is one of my favorite lords

Celica: Good enough

I really can't stop gushing about Celica's design. Its so good! She manages to be very attractive without relying on fanservice. Like with Alm I don't disagree with the criticism but Celica does enough to make me want to give her a pass. She takes a bit of a dip in the last act but she's still a presence in the rest of the story too. I enjoyed her little pilgrimage and that it portrayed Celica as kind, selfless and a little naive but definitely not soft, as the pile of dead bandits can attest to. And to Celica's defence Jedah wasn't exactly coming off as unreasonable before he started cackling. Like with Alm I enjoyed Celica's character interaction with her and her starting mages appearing particularly close to each other. 

Sigurd: Meh

I don't dislike Sigurd but as a character he never really impressed me. Sigurd works as a tragic hero but it are the tragic events of the first gen that define him rather than his own personality. 

Seliph: Needs improvement

Seliph suffers from the second gen not being particularly well defined. As a Lord I think Seliph's implied shyness and insecurity as well as his extremely kiddy and girly looks make him stand out among the other lords. The problem with that is that Heroes decided to distance itself from that portrayal and just present him as just another Marth, and I worry a remake will follow suit and turn Seliph into an extremely boring lord. They even took away his epic hair!

Roy: Has potential

I really like what they try to do with Roy. Binding Blade presents a brains over brawn's lord and a boy who seems to resist having to become a man to some degree. If a remake expands on Roy's strategic nature, his insecurities and his struggles with his new role then he might just be the best lord out there. Roy's problem is that he is held back by his game. It was obvious that FE6 was the first attempt at writing supports which leaves something to be desired in Roy's support conversations, and he has the same problem as Marth in that cutscenes force him to spend time with boring advisers and princesses while keeping him away from anyone he could have an interesting conversation with. 

Eliwood: good

Eliwood: Eliwood hits all the right notes as a lord but that's also his problem. Eliwood is too much a member of the Marth archtype and does too little to give the archtype his own flair. This leads him to get overshadowed by Lyn and Hector who have more original personality traits 

Hector: Fantastic

For a series that relies so much on archtypes Hector manages to really stand on his own, even if he would go on to establish his very own Lord archtype for later lords to ape. Hector is unique in many aspects. He's the sole axe lord in the series(till tree houses at least) and he's allowed to have some very negative traits like a vengeful nature and ease to resort to violence. But his reputation is an especially big contrast. Most lords in Fire Emblem are praised a bit more than they deserve but Hector stands out for being criticized much more than he really deserves. Hector and the rest of Elibe thinks he's just some senseless lout but this just isn't shown to be the case. Hector is smart enough to spot ambushes, knows what it takes to be a noble and he's the one giving all the exposition about politics. 

Ephraim: Bad

I don't like Ephraim. I consider him to be incredibly dull and far too perfect at everything he does. Everything he does is a smashing success and he never has to struggle. He bores me. He shares a lot of Alm's flaws like being too perfect and negatively affecting his co lord, but without even the tiniest bit of Alm's charm. 

Eirika: Decent

The sweet and naive princess being willing to fight for what's right isn't particularly original but it works for her. She's much more enjoyable to watch than her brother. Eirika has some decent character interactions too thanks to her close friendship with Tana and her confusion about L'arachel. 

Ike: Great

He's easily the lord who grows the most on his journey and being the only lord who's not a noble helps make him stand out. Ike is also helped by Tellius as a whole being so good. The Greil mercenaries being so well defined makes Ike bond with them matter much more than Marth and the Altean Knights or Sigurd and Oifey. At times Ike can be a  jerk though but I guess that's part of the charm. They could tone down his mister perfect depiction in RD though. 

Michy: Great

Michy was the correct choice to succeed Ike because she contrast him in so many areas. Ike is a physical fighter, an ordinary fellow and surprisingly warm despite being rude and rough around the edges. Michy is magically orientated and definitely not a fighter, extremely special and can be surprisingly stubborn, snarky and even ruthless despite her usual warm and serene behavior. Michy's logic and morals becoming increasingly questionable is frequently criticized which is refreshing. Her main flaw is that she's so obviously inferior to Ike in abilities, stature and morals, but that's more a complaint against the increasingly perfect Ike than against her. 

Kris: Who? 

Who is this Kris everyone keeps talking about? Such a character never existed. And what a good thing too! It would be silly if Marth got to share his achievements with some  blank slate that steals the achievements of other characters. As far as I'm concerned the story in New Mystery never featured such a character. 

Chrom: Boring

People often accuse poor Lucina of being bland but I think that goes much more for her dad. Chrom is just the straight man to a wacky cast and not much more. He's got a nice little arc regarding his sister but aside from that he just fails to impress me on any level. The members of the Shepherds are much more charming, Robin is more of a main character and it seems Lucina is more iconic than he is. This kinda leaves Chrom with nothing. 

Corrin: Yikes. 

I kinda like Corrin as a guy/gall. He's eternally friendly and can be amusingly dorky. Its just that he's a terrible, terrible terrible Lord. No one is allowed to say anything bad about Corrin despite him constantly making bad decisions due to being so naive. Corrin growing out of this and becoming capable of taking care of himself rather than having his siblings babysit him would be great....but the plot directly opposes this change by having the siblings urge Corrin not to change. 

Alfonse and Sharena: Decent

The Heroes siblings suffer from being the main characters of a mobile game but I like them well enough. They are lovable enough with Sharena being cute and Alfonse being both a competent straight man while still being able to rely on being a nerd for his own amusing situations. Still given their origins I don't think its fair to actually rank them alongside the other lords

So with this in mind I think my ranking would be: Hector>Alm>Michy>Celica >Ike>Roy>Marth>Eliwood> Eirika>Seliph>Sigurd>Chrom>Ephraim. 

[Gregster101]

3 hours ago, Etrurian emperor said:

Marth: Good

Marth is fine. He has a clearly defined personality and has a nice little arc. Marth is very well presented as someone who takes his duties as a ruler very seriously and that he's willing to make self sacrificed in that regard, the whole ''I'm a prince before I am a brother'' thing. However Marth really suffers from Archenea leaving him with almost no one to talk to. In cutscenes Marth is either stuck with the boring adviser or princess Killjoy. He would have benefited from more scenes with Ceada and Hardin

Alm: lovable

I don't inherently disagree with the criticism about Alm but I just don't care. Alm is a joy to have on screen. He's always very lovable, charming and amusing. He acts like a nice guy to everyone and has some very solid interactions and can be very silly when he things no one is looking. While not objectively the best he is one of my favorite lords

Celica: Good enough

I really can't stop gushing about Celica's design. Its so good! She manages to be very attractive without relying on fanservice. Like with Alm I don't disagree with the criticism but Celica does enough to make me want to give her a pass. She takes a bit of a dip in the last act but she's still a presence in the rest of the story too. I enjoyed her little pilgrimage and that it portrayed Celica as kind, selfless and a little naive but definitely not soft, as the pile of dead bandits can attest to. And to Celica's defence Jedah wasn't exactly coming off as unreasonable before he started cackling. Like with Alm I enjoyed Celica's character interaction with her and her starting mages appearing particularly close to each other. 

Sigurd: Meh

I don't dislike Sigurd but as a character he never really impressed me. Sigurd works as a tragic hero but it are the tragic events of the first gen that define him rather than his own personality. 

Seliph: Needs improvement

Seliph suffers from the second gen not being particularly well defined. As a Lord I think Seliph's implied shyness and insecurity as well as his extremely kiddy and girly looks make him stand out among the other lords. The problem with that is that Heroes decided to distance itself from that portrayal and just present him as just another Marth, and I worry a remake will follow suit and turn Seliph into an extremely boring lord. They even took away his epic hair!

Roy: Has potential

I really like what they try to do with Roy. Binding Blade presents a brains over brawn's lord and a boy who seems to resist having to become a man to some degree. If a remake expands on Roy's strategic nature, his insecurities and his struggles with his new role then he might just be the best lord out there. Roy's problem is that he is held back by his game. It was obvious that FE6 was the first attempt at writing supports which leaves something to be desired in Roy's support conversations, and he has the same problem as Marth in that cutscenes force him to spend time with boring advisers and princesses while keeping him away from anyone he could have an interesting conversation with. 

Eliwood: good

Eliwood: Eliwood hits all the right notes as a lord but that's also his problem. Eliwood is too much a member of the Marth archtype and does too little to give the archtype his own flair. This leads him to get overshadowed by Lyn and Hector who have more original personality traits 

Hector: Fantastic

For a series that relies so much on archtypes Hector manages to really stand on his own, even if he would go on to establish his very own Lord archtype for later lords to ape. Hector is unique in many aspects. He's the sole axe lord in the series(till tree houses at least) and he's allowed to have some very negative traits like a vengeful nature and ease to resort to violence. But his reputation is an especially big contrast. Most lords in Fire Emblem are praised a bit more than they deserve but Hector stands out for being criticized much more than he really deserves. Hector and the rest of Elibe thinks he's just some senseless lout but this just isn't shown to be the case. Hector is smart enough to spot ambushes, knows what it takes to be a noble and he's the one giving all the exposition about politics. 

Ephraim: Bad

I don't like Ephraim. I consider him to be incredibly dull and far too perfect at everything he does. Everything he does is a smashing success and he never has to struggle. He bores me. He shares a lot of Alm's flaws like being too perfect and negatively affecting his co lord, but without even the tiniest bit of Alm's charm. 

Eirika: Decent

The sweet and naive princess being willing to fight for what's right isn't particularly original but it works for her. She's much more enjoyable to watch than her brother. Eirika has some decent character interactions too thanks to her close friendship with Tana and her confusion about L'arachel. 

Ike: Great

He's easily the lord who grows the most on his journey and being the only lord who's not a noble helps make him stand out. Ike is also helped by Tellius as a whole being so good. The Greil mercenaries being so well defined makes Ike bond with them matter much more than Marth and the Altean Knights or Sigurd and Oifey. At times Ike can be a  jerk though but I guess that's part of the charm. They could tone down his mister perfect depiction in RD though. 

Michy: Great

Michy was the correct choice to succeed Ike because she contrast him in so many areas. Ike is a physical fighter, an ordinary fellow and surprisingly warm despite being rude and rough around the edges. Michy is magically orientated and definitely not a fighter, extremely special and can be surprisingly stubborn, snarky and even ruthless despite her usual warm and serene behavior. Michy's logic and morals becoming increasingly questionable is frequently criticized which is refreshing. Her main flaw is that she's so obviously inferior to Ike in abilities, stature and morals, but that's more a complaint against the increasingly perfect Ike than against her. 

Kris: Who? 

Who is this Kris everyone keeps talking about? Such a character never existed. And what a good thing too! It would be silly if Marth got to share his achievements with some  blank slate that steals the achievements of other characters. As far as I'm concerned the story in New Mystery never featured such a character. 

Chrom: Boring

People often accuse poor Lucina of being bland but I think that goes much more for her dad. Chrom is just the straight man to a wacky cast and not much more. He's got a nice little arc regarding his sister but aside from that he just fails to impress me on any level. The members of the Shepherds are much more charming, Robin is more of a main character and it seems Lucina is more iconic than he is. This kinda leaves Chrom with nothing. 

Corrin: Yikes. 

I kinda like Corrin as a guy/gall. He's eternally friendly and can be amusingly dorky. Its just that he's a terrible, terrible terrible Lord. No one is allowed to say anything bad about Corrin despite him constantly making bad decisions due to being so naive. Corrin growing out of this and becoming capable of taking care of himself rather than having his siblings babysit him would be great....but the plot directly opposes this change by having the siblings urge Corrin not to change. 

Alfonse and Sharena: Decent

The Heroes siblings suffer from being the main characters of a mobile game but I like them well enough. They are lovable enough with Sharena being cute and Alfonse being both a competent straight man while still being able to rely on being a nerd for his own amusing situations. Still given their origins I don't think its fair to actually rank them alongside the other lords

So with this in mind I think my ranking would be: Hector>Alm>Michy>Celica >Ike>Roy>Marth>Eliwood> Eirika>Seliph>Sigurd>Chrom>Ephraim. 

I'm so glad someone agrees with me about Alm. I acknowledge his flaws as a lord, but I don't care, he's still my favorite lord in the series.

Also you forgot Leif, Lyn, Robin, and Lucina

[Etrurian emperor]

20 minutes ago, Gregster101 said:

I'm so glad someone agrees with me about Alm. I acknowledge his flaws as a lord, but I don't care, he's still my favorite lord in the series.

Also you forgot Leif, Lyn, Robin, and Lucina

I didn't really forgot Leif but I just never completed Tracia. With the other three I got a little lazy since Robin aside they are more sidekicks  

Edited December 22, 2018 by Etrurian emperor

[Decerd]

Bae for Life: Lucina

Best Blue Haired Boi: Marth

Meh,They're There: Chrom, Robin, Alm, Epriham, Erika

Ridiculously Overrated: Ike, Hector, Celica, Michaia, Lyn, Eliwood

They Suck, But At Least They Have Dragon Powers: Corrin

Dulliest Lord Ever: Roy.

[Roland]

11 minutes ago, Decerd said:

Ridiculously Overrated: Ike, Hector, Celica, Michaia, Lyn, Eliwood

Huh, that's a rare opinion to see, no shade intended. But I don't recall Celica being overrated, unless I'm wrong about that.

[Erureido]

Considering there was a thread with that same topic posted recently, I'll just copy and paste my thoughts from that thread onto here.

Quote

From the games that I played:

I love them:

Chrom: Shocking to see he's the only lord I have listed in this tier, but I'll admit that first-lord bias plays a major factor into why he is ranked this high. In terms of everything else, there's a lot a love about him. To me, he just feels very human as a main character. His whole character arc in the beginning of the game was pretty good, especially when he has to confront Gangrel and face an inner conflict regarding his aggression but remembering Emmeryn's pacifism. I also enjoyed his dialogue with Walhart, which showed the similarities of the two characters but as counterparts in what they stood for. Many of his supports were fun to read. He's dorky in a pretty fun and memorable way, and he comes across as a nice straight man to the other characters. He's probably the lord I relate to the most, from the way he comes to terms with balancing his aggressive tendencies and better embracing peaceful concepts to just how much of a socially awkward guy he can be. My only real issue with him is that he trusts Robin way too quickly.

I like them:

Eirika: She was a character that I was initially indifferent to and didn't see much appeal in her, but overtime, I've developed more appreciation for her. I found her development from a princess with little combat experience into a true leader rather interesting, and while her giving Lyon the Sacred Stone made her look dumb (what made me roll my eyes to her initially), I've come to understand why she did that when remembering her close friendship with Lyon the more I've analyzed it and hearing input about it from others. She also has a nice personality that I can appreciate. Definitely the more interesting Renais Twin IMO, and the only other lord that I can confidently say I like at the moment.

I'm indifferent to them:

Lucina: She certainly been through a lot of trouble and tribulation because of what Grima did to her kingdom, and that in term makes her sympathetic. She also has a funny, bad taste in fashion. However, I have a hard time truly calling her a lord that I like. I guess it's because she feels stale with how she keeps preaching about changing fate and saving her father. Luckily, she's not a lord that grinds my gears all that much.

Ephraim: Man, everything goes perfectly for this guy, huh? He managed to storm a castle with just four people, and he got out scot-free? Yeah, not buying it. Most of the characters also kiss Eprahim's feet a lot, and he's also pretty cocky with his whole "he doesn't pick fights that he can't win deal," like a guy that does badass stuff but ultimately feels hollow in how he does it. Strangely enough, despite his Gary-Stu ness and his other issues, he doesn't bother me that much. I guess it's because his rivalry with Lyon was good stuff, but that's mostly Lyon who made it interesting, not Ephraim. In all, he's a lord I just don't care for.

Alm: To me, he's the most overrated lord in the series. He's just as much of a Gary Stu as Ephraim is. Practically everything goes perfectly for Alm, facing little repercussions as things go along like the battle with Nuibaba (he fell for a trap, but he walked out with no casualties and recruited a Rigelian nun and general by the end of it) and all his battles with Berkut. Every character also worships him in a way that just doesn't sit well with me (his friends even calling him a prodigy when he's just 11 years old), and the only time there was good criticism laid on Alm from other characters was Clive during the Mathilda and Delthea rescue operations. My other main issue with Alm is that he is way too forgiving towards those that constantly do ill toward him, like with Berkut and Fernand during their deaths. On a more positive note, he's a pretty big dork in a nice and relatable way in a manner similar to Chrom, though not as socially awkward. That's what balances Alm out to the point he's a lord I'm indifferent to.

Celica: She starts out promising in the first half of SoV. Her quest to try and find Mila at her temple was interesting and the whole deal of "cleaning up the mess her dad left behind" with the Grieth problem was interesting to me. She also has some nice supports where she bonds pretty well with Mae, Atlas, and Conrad. Unfortunately, Act IV happens, and her character turns into a flawed character I just cannot get behind. The fact she just decides to go along with Jedah's manipulations like that made her look pretty dumb. It ultimately reaches the point where her character journey amounted to being a damsel-in-distress needing to be rescued by Alm because of it. Jedah's overly evil portrayal definitely played a big factor into Celica's downfall in character portrayal as well, but that's not something to delve into now. Basically, she's a good character to me for the first half but not the second half.

The Heroes and Warriors OC lords: I really don't have much to say about them since they didn't leave enough of an impression on me to say whether I like or dislike them. Alfonse does get some bonus points for having some nice little development in Book II, particularly in that chapter where he saves the villagers from Surtr. I also initially liked Sharena for her personality and openness, but she hasn't received much screen time lately.

I dislike them:

Robin: The perfect tactician that faces little repercussion in what he confronts, and he doesn't have a real personality that strikes me. He is also worshiped left and right by the near majority of the cast to the point it is eye-rolling. I also didn't like how he basically stole Chrom's spotlight in those final chapters of Awakening. Admittedly, His friendship and supports with Chrom are nice (for Male Robin that is), but it's still not enough for me to like the character.

I hate them:

Corrin: Yeah, I don't need to say much for this character. He's stupidly naive, and the fact the majority of the Fates cast worships save for three characters is also pretty bad. Heck, there's a point in Revelation's story where Ryoma and Xander praise Corrin for being naive. That pretty much speaks volumes about how much of a Gary Stu/Mary Su Corrin is. Revelation and Conquest's interpretation of Corrin are the ones that grind my gears the most. Birthright Corrin is more in the range of dislike-tier, but that's mainly because I found his reasons for siding with Hoshido far more justifiable than what the sides he chose in Conquest and Revelation (I mean, Corrin's dialogue in Birthright Chapter 6 was good because he spelled out the problem to Xander pretty well). He still suffers from most of the same problems that the other two routes have though.

There are some other lords that I could factor into these tiers. Hector and Ike seem like lords I will love based on what I've seen of them in Heroes so far and heard from other FE fans, and Lyn is looking to be a character I won't care much for. However, I'd like to actually play their games first to really gain impressions on them before actually factoring them into my lord ranking list.

Only thing I can add to that post is that, since it was made prior to the start of Book III, Alfonse did get some nice character moments in Book III so far (and maybe he'll receive some more character development for what's to come if those posters and that trailer were anything to go by), but it looks like Sharena will still be taking the backseat, especially since she's going to die some point soon.

[Rose482]

This will be fun to do <3 I know I made a post saying my thoughts about the FE lords some time ago, but I feel like my opinions change on some of them each day lol.

Marth: To be honest, I never finished any of his games, so maybe I don't have the right to comment on his character, but from what I saw of him...he just wasn't anything new or interesting, so I will say he's basic, which I know doesn't always mean it's bad, but in Marth's case...it just means he isn't anything new in my eyes, I really don't have strong feeling towards him in the end of the day.

Alm: Great, I enjoyed watching Alm through FE15, I enjoyed watching him go from nobody to someone very powerful, if there is ONE bad thing I will say about that story is that it felt rushed at some times....and I feel like they could have handled it better? But overall that didn't stop me from enjoying his character.

Celica: Love her so much, I love her design, I love her play style, and I also loved her part in the FE15 story, even though I'm sure I'm in the minority here V_V 

Sigurd: Basic character wise, and really the only thing that makes him stand out is his death, which is funny becasue that was more of a Arvis moment than a Sigurd  moment, and to be honest the fact his death is his best moment isn't a good look for him as a character?

Seliph: Could be better, I only played FE4 twice, and I don't remember Seliph leaving much of an impression on me, but I like him just fine.

Roy: Bad, maybe Roy is also basic as well, but the thing that annoys me with Roy is that he really did have the room to develop? But I feel like the writers just chose not to do much with his characters, his play style is also as basic as it can gets, there is really nothing about Roy that makes him stand out for me, I know some people say he's brains over brawn type of lord, which....is interesting I guess, but Roy sure does a good job at not making it look or feel that way.

Lyn: Mixed, on one hand I love Lyn, and on the other hand I think she can be a bit overrated? I don't know, really my feelings towards her change everyday, but I will say that I do like her overall, her story was fun, and while she might not had been important for the main plot in FE7, she still made it better by being there.

Eliwood: Great, I feel like on paper, I should had found Eliwood boring/basic, but somehow while playing FE7....I ended up enjoying him a lot, I loved how much emotions he showed, something I wish more lords do, playing as someone with no emotions isn't fun, and I don't know WHY some writers think it is.

Hector: Overrated, but that's just my opinion.

Eirika: Got me into FE, FE8 was my first game, and this girl right here played a big part in why I stayed? It's true she's also nothing new, and I do admit that most of my love towards her is just bias on my part, but still she has a place in my heart.

Ephraim: Good, I also have some bias towards him, he also made FE8 great to me.

Ike: Awful,  I sometimes ask myself if I'm being too hard on Ike....and maybe I am in some cases, I liked him just fine in FE9, but his FE10 performance ruined him for the most part for me, and while I know that the very very VERY big part of his fans are just fine and lovely people, there is that small minority of his fans that are just awful? And I feel like it would be a lie for me to say that they didn't make Ike look worst in my eyes, which is a shame really V_V

Miciaah: Love,  I can go on and on about why that is....but I don't want to make this post longer than needed, I love her story, her play style, and also her and Ike had the most interesting relationship between two lords that this game has ever had in my opinion.

Kris: Hate, I hate him and everything he stands for, you know maybe if he.....had a moment where he was ready to betray Marth for someone he cared about, that would had made him 20 times more interesting, but his whole character ended up just being him enabling Marth....which was just awful, I have no idea how some people say Corrin is the worst avatar while Kris is a thing.

Chrom: Good,  I enjoyed FE13, and Chrom was one of the reasons why that is.

Robin: Great, My favorite avatar in the series, I feel like....he mostly get hate because he's an avatar character, so he right away gets dragged into that hate train with Kris and Corrin, which makes me sad, Robin really doesn't deserve that ;____; I love his story, I know some people hate it, but I found it very interesting, and I was SOOO into it the first time I played FE13.

Lucina: Okay, I don't have strong feelings towards her really, but she is my least favorite female lord easily though, although I don't hate her.

Corrin: Mixed, I feel like...I'm easily one of the more forgiving people here when it  come to Corrin, I don't hate everything about him, but yeah I for sure wish the writers did him better, he would had been so interesting, well...he IS interesting, but just not written well V_V

Edited December 22, 2018 by Rose482

[omegaxis1]

You know, these types of threads are a measure of endurance for people that read these. They read these comments and hear why they like this or that character, and I feel particularly for the dislikes, people would like be fighting the compelling urge to type out a response on why that person is wrong or try to change that opinion. 

[Strullemia]

1. Eirika: My favorite lord. I used to not like her that much when I was younger but when I got a little bit older I started to appreciate her believes and the way she looks towards the world so much more and it warms my heart how hopeful of a person she is and how much she cares for those dear to her. I don't really mind her "stupid moment" because she got tricked by someone that meant a lot to her. I can understand that.

2. Leif: I love Leif's backstory, how much more difficult he has it compared to most main characters and how emotional he can be at times. I mean damn you can really feel the anger this kid has in some of the boss conversations. He also makes a lot of mistakes and one of those have serious consequences and I really like that. Guy is really flawed but he really tries damn hard to become a better lord for his people and understand them more in his journey.

3. Ike: I like Ike. He's not an actual "lord", has a decent arc in PoR, a good rivalry with one of the villains and has this kind of almost hero --> legendary status arc in RD which is kind of cool. I also think his role is fine in RD though I would have preferred had he been a Part 4 Gotoh character.

4. Micaiah: Miccy is great! She's a female lord that has a really cool role, backstory, some flaws and is challenged a lot in the cour of the story. I just wish that she wasn't put in the game that has a certain plot point that I (and many others) really dislike. Oh and it sucks that her role gets lessened at a certain point of the game.

5. Hector: He has a great character arc in FE7 where he ends up developing a lot from the brute he first seems to be to a respectable ruler. He's also a very unique lord since he's the only Armor lord that uses Axes and he has a very unique personality among the lords 

6. Sigurd: Siggy is interesting because of the situation he finds himself in the story and his Jeigan like gameplay power. Aside from that he might be just another nice bland lord but I can't help but like him because his actions are very similar compared to other lords in the series yet unlike other lords h his situation is so much more different compared to that of other lords in the series.

7. Seliph: He's fine. I'm mostly indifferent to him but just like his dad he's mostly interesting because of the situation he's put in. Oh and unlike his dad he can actually choose who to fall in love with and there's at least 3 girls that in a few lines have more chemistry with him than his dad had with Deidre. 

8. Marth: Not a fan of the "Marth archetype" lords in the series so I'm not really a fan of the original character either. Maybe he improves in FE12 but I didn't really enjoy his character in Shadow Dragon all that much. He does have good some good lines like the one where he puts his plights as a prince above that of a brother. Oh and I do like his relationship with Caeda.

9. Eliwood: Not much to say about Eliwood. He's another Marth archetype and just like Marth the thing I like the most is his story related romance.

10. Lyn: A tutorial lord that barely appears after her story is done. I don't really dislike her, I'm just indifferent to her.

11. Chrom: I don't really like Chrom that much. Maybe it's been too long since I've played Awakening but I remember Chrom talking waaaaay more about "bonds between characters" and all of that fluffy stuff. I know that other lords also have their moments when they talk about their companions but Chrom takes it to the next level with his decisions at the end of the game.

12. Alm: He's kind of boring since he almost never has any struggles till the end of the game and even then those situations are only things set up by other people.

13. Ephraim: Someone who could've had an interesting character had they actually given him any notable flaws. As it stands he's honestly just a gary stu.

14. Celica: My second least liked lord. She's a naive lord who falls for a trap made by a really really obvious villain and unlike another lord (that I do like) she doesn't have the excuse that said villain used to be her friend. She's also very nasty to Alm when they meet each other again.

15. Corrin: The absolute worst. There's nothing likable about this kid. He's the only lord in the series that annoyed me so much that I somewhat feels hesitant to replay a game like Conquest which has really solid gameplay because of the story behind the missions and the actions of the character we play as. Things like sparing people in a time of war in one route but not the other, his whiny attitude and his absolutely insane plan in Conquest make it really difficult for me to even replay the game.

Edited December 22, 2018 by Hekselka