Why you absolutely love your favorite characters

[Ottservia]

Y’know talking about characters we dislike is fun snd all but why don’t we talk about something a little more positive. Why do y’all love your favorite characters in the series? I wanna know.

as for me, I love Severa simply because she’s the  character I relate to the most of any character in the series I’ve seen so far. Speaking from personal experience, I know what it’s like to feel like all your effort means nothing, to feel like you’re living in the shadow of someone else, to constantly be looked down on, and to feel like that everyone else around you is so much better at everything. Also throw in the fact that she’s a cute redhead tsundere with twintails and you have a recipe for a character that I’m just going to love no matter what.

[Gregster101]

To give an example, I like Alm a lot cuz he really resonated with me during the time I first played Echoes, since for my last two years of high school I was pretty much just living alone with my dad while my sister and mom were in Massachusetts, and my brothers were either in their own home at the time like my older brother, or in college like my other brother. That's more or less why I felt a connection with Alm due to the lack of family other than my dad, who's very busy with work, at that time.

[𝐍𝐲𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐥]

I always liked Owain due to how similar the two of us are, in terms of appearance, and in the way we speak. He's a diamond among mediocreness. (in terms of character personalities) 

[ciphertul]

Ilyana... hands down, but it’s because even thou I’ve put her thru hell and high water she always pull thru for me. That and I just love the fact she is a okay about eating a shoe off someone’s foot... I both adore her and find it endearing 

[Brave Lance]

Geoffrey’s my favorite because his dynamic with Kieran reminds me of me and my younger brother. Also I like how he grows into his role between POR and RD and just gets really strong and confident. And it helps that’s he’s a lance user with blue armor. Also he deserves Elincia. 

[indigoasis]

I absolutely adore Finn. He's my favorite Fire Emblem character of all time. He is the most devoted character that I've ever seen, and his story is quite sad when you think about it. His reunion with Altena is probably the best moment that I've seen with him.

Following Finn is Marianne. I find that she and I relate in a lot of ways, and she's definitely had quite a strong impact on my first impressions of Three Houses. She was also my favorite unit in the game, and Blutgang is an amazing weapon for her.

[Rose482]

Well, I'm sure it's easy to guess, but I love Micaiah so much ;; Maybe more than I reasonably should. 

[Fabulously Olivier]

I love Bastian for a great many reasons. The glorious Count Fayre is stylish, quirky, cultured, learned, witty, and romantic. His every word is entertaining to read. His supports are delightful and his affair with the beautious Lady Lucia is a love story for the ages.

 

Indeed, his only flaw is that you don't get to experience more of him. 

[Imuabicus der Fertige]

My personal favourite character is Orochi.

I really enjoy her supports, most of the time she´s either playing with or teasing people, but I never got the impression she did it do insult them. And when she gets the table turned on her it´s kind of hilarious, especially her support with Kaze.

I also like her performance as a unit – reeeeeeaaaaaaaaally slow, but accurate and hits hard.

[Landmaster]

Nowi is a precious bean who always want to make sure others are happy.

Elise is pretty much in the same vein. I like both of them for similar reasons. They're more perceptive to other peoples' emotions than they let on.

[Anacybele]

Ike: Badass, cool, amazing design, he grows and develops well, and his bluntness is so much fun. I kinda relate to that bluntness too. And to top it off, he's hot in RD! He also has a few really amusing moments, particularly when he hides from Aimee in PoR and gets sarcastic with Dheginsea in RD. lol And his comment about Shinon in RD at one point too. LOL ("Shinon wouldn't tell me that he smelled smoke if I was on fire.") I also like that he goes away from the typical FE lord mold and isn't of royal or noble birth. He's a nobody mercenary who earns all his respect and fame entirely instead of being more or less born into it.

Elincia: She has an amazing character and growth, and she's so beautiful! She also rides a Pegasus! And she's not a typical princess. I like that she isn't part of the cliche of super girly damsel princesses that are court-raised and stuff. Instead, Lincy kicks ass, cleans, cooks, and sews. She doesn't like being queen even though she knows she has to oversee her country. And if you mess with her, she'll give you a sound-thrashing! XD Her only flaw is not having an ending with Ike. They deserve each other...

Frederick: I see similarities in him to someone with Asperger's, and I headcanon he is autistic because of this. So I find him rather relatable for me in this regard since I am an Aspie. I also think he has some of the best dialogue and amusing moments ever (PICK A GOD AND PRAY!), and he has a level of complexity in his character that I can just admire so much. He's so serious and kinda cold sometimes, and yet also a big ol' teddy bear on the inside. He's such a sweetheart when you bring that side of him out! I also think he's quite handsome!

Sylvain: I tend to like the skirt chaser type guy in general, but Sylvain is the best one ever here to me because he's got a lot of depth to him beyond the skirt chasing. He's absolutely hilarious in several conversations too, but his backstory and the reason for his behavior will reveal that he's not as much of an ass as he makes himself out to be. He is just misguided and messed up by the society he deals with as well as the crap he's gotten from his family. And beyond that, he's basically as much of a sweetie as Frederick. He dotes on his children and loves them all, Crest or no, and he's a faithful loving husband. Also, like Ike, he's hot! In fact, I also dare say he has the most amazing smile of any dude in this series. There's a reason I use him as my avy now. That smile...it just gets to me all the time. ❤️

Kieran: He's hilarious, handsome, and a really good unit. All I can really say on him. XD Because unfortunately, Kieran doesn't get much depth. His backstory is never explored or anything, which always disappointed me. But in his supports you can find a few more obscure details about his personality, like how he treats his horse as a valued combat partner rather than just a mount which is so darn sweet to me, and how he has a hard time finding things to enjoy other than training (and hitting himself in the head with his axe I guess lol). But he takes up knitting, which is another thing I love about Frederick too! Both these guys knit which is just cute to me because this isn't a thing you normally see guys do, especially strong manly ones like them.

Edited January 31, 2020 by Anacybele

[JubileePhoenix]

Ike, because hes the type of guy who I would want to be. Blunt, nothing is given to him, work for everything he has. Also he stets his mind , without the concern for others, something i wish i could do. 

Bernadetta, Besides being played like a joke, I see the teenage me in her and that kills me, but love she grew out of it. 

Finn, manly because hes the best written character in fire emblem. 

[vanguard333]

My absolute favourite FE character is Ike; no doubt about it. I could go over all the different reasons why Ike is my favourite, but I have done so before on several other threads, so I'll quote myself:

Quote

To start:

On 11/8/2017 at 8:20 PM, Anacybele said:

Ike is my favorite FE character and one of my all time favorite video game characters.

He was also the first FE lord and character I got to experience since I learned of him through Smash and PoR was my first FE game.

I just wish he hadn't gotten a stupid ending and had gotten an ending with Elincia (platonic or no).

All this; Path of Radiance was my first FE game, and I seriously wish he had gotten a better ending than he did. Considering he spent so much of both games trying to master his father's style of swordsmanship, I thought that he would at least give some thought to passing it down, perhaps by teaching others (as many sword masters throughout history ended up doing).

Now for my input:

As someone with high-functioning autism, my mind works a bit differently than others, and part of it is that it takes a lot more effort for me to learn about societal norms and such. So, naturally, I found Ike: an introverted, somewhat socially awkward peasant who has to learn about the world around him, far more relatable than all the princes and noble sons. I also like the fact that, apart from his vendetta with the Black Knight, his actions are built around trying to do good where he sees good needing to be done. He has internal motivation, not just, "My kingdom got invaded. I must fight back against the monsters and army of thousands using my thirteen soldiers." I like characters that have internal reasons to do stuff, and I like those kinds of moral paragon characters that do good when good needs being done and inspire others, and, despite the trouble his lack of social awareness often causes, he certainly also has the inspiring part down. The Black Knight even notes, "People seem drawn to him." This even makes him a catalyst for character development in other people; particularly Soren and Elincia.

His desire to do good, combined with the different way in which he views the world, makes him stubborn and reckless, but those are flaws that he learns from. Speaking of which, I like that he has actual character development. So many FE lords just don't have any obvious character development (Alm being a blatant example). Sure, Ike's development is considered to largely plateau in Radiant Dawn, but what character development is there, is actually really good, and there's more than enough of it in Path of Radiance to compensate.

I like that he actually recognizes his limits. Much like Khadgar in WoW (barely played the game, but did enjoy the lore and the film), Ike's acknowledgement of his own limits makes him all the more badass. He acknowledges repeatedly that he does not feel comfortable commanding an army, and gives orders such as, "Commander Tanith's troops, are to follow Commander Tanith's orders". He acknowledges that he still has much to learn when it comes to commanding the Greil Mercenaries (though he does grow into the role gradually and effectively), and he acknowledges his own mistakes and errors. I find it really interesting when a character recognizes where their limits are, and, for Ike, it was really well done.

I like that he is a master swordsman in the story, and is such a great unit in the gameplay. By the end, he easily cuts down pretty much everything apart from Ashnard and the Black Knight with ease.

On a smaller note, I also relate to Ike in having a black hole for a stomach, making all the jokes about his eating habits particularly funny for me.

Well; that's my input for now. I did say it could get long.

 

Quote

Ike is actually a really good example of a paragon. Apart from his personal vendetta with the Black Knight, everything he does, he does because he sees good needing to be done. He is blunt and reckless, yet his kindness and compassion, and the way he sees everyone as an equal, makes him extremely charismatic. By chapter 18 of Path of Radiance, the Black Knight notes that, "Though his skill with the blade is rough, there is something...uncanny about him. People seem drawn to him. And not just Begnion's apostle, either. He's also gained the trust of the Serenes survivors...and of King Phoenicis as well." No matter how much Ike's bluntness and lack of social etiquette may infuriate people, all Ike ever has to do is swing his sword around and act all blunt yet kind, and people from all across Tellius flock to his side like it's the right thing to do, because of how much of a paragon Ike is.
The way Ike inspires people is probably most evident in Soren and Elincia. Ike gives Elincia a much needed confidence boost throughout all of Path of Radiance, and he brings about quite a bit of character development in Soren as well, especially if one reads the support conversations between them.

This doesn't stop him from being flawed. Paragon characters aren't perfect; usually they're very stubborn and reluctant to change their ways if there's something wrong with what they're doing, because they're so certain they're doing the right thing. Ike is no exception: he is extremely reckless and gets in and out of a lot of trouble because of it. But, unlike a lot of FE lords, Ike learns from his mistakes. He sees where he's messed up, and learns from it, and is even willing to change his viewpoint about stuff if what he originally thought is proven wrong. Early on in chapter... 11 I think, he admits to falling into the trap of thinking, "Crimea = good, Daein = bad" because of the war. But, when he sees that that viewpoint is wrong, he learns from it and acts against that viewpoint. He learns, and his struggle to learn from his mistakes is really well done. 

Ike is a really effective example of a paragon character in Path of Radiance, and to an extent in RD, though it isn't shown nearly as much in RD. 

 

So... That's a lot of the reasons Ike is not only my favourite FE character, but also one of my favourite video game characters of all time. 

[Anacybele]

7 minutes ago, vanguard333 said:

My absolute favourite FE character is Ike; no doubt about it. I could go over all the different reasons why Ike is my favourite, but I have done so before on several other threads, so I'll quote myself:

 

 

So... That's a lot of the reasons Ike is not only my favourite FE character, but also one of my favourite video game characters of all time. 

Yup, you also summed up my own love for Ike better than I ever could myself! I love him for practically everything you said here and I appreciate you quoting another post of mine. XD I even forgot to mention that I think the only bad thing about him is that god awful ending of his, though I did say it in the post you quoted too.

[vanguard333]

1 minute ago, Anacybele said:

Yup, you also summed up my own love for Ike better than I ever could myself! I love him for practically everything you said here and I appreciate you quoting another post of mine. XD I even forgot to mention that I think the only bad thing about him is that god awful ending of his, though I did say it in the post you quoted too.

Thanks. 

Funny enough, your post that I quoted simply came with my own post that I was copy-pasting; I figured I may as well leave it in rather than edit out the part where I had replied to you. I'm glad you appreciate that I left it in.

Speaking of his ending, what did you think of my idea of an ending where, after retiring from mercenary work, he becomes a swordsmanship teacher to keep the Gawain style of combat alive?

[Anacybele]

Just now, vanguard333 said:

Thanks. 

Funny enough, your post that I quoted simply came with my own post that I was copy-pasting; I figured I may as well leave it in rather than edit out the part where I had replied to you. I'm glad you appreciate that I left it in.

Speaking of his ending, what did you think of my idea of an ending where, after retiring from mercenary work, he becomes a swordsmanship teacher to keep the Gawain style of combat alive?

Well, whatever the case, yeah, it's still appreciated. 😛

That's not a bad idea! Though I'm not sure how interested Ike would be in teaching, he's gotta do something when he retires.

[vanguard333]

1 minute ago, Anacybele said:

Well, whatever the case, yeah, it's still appreciated. 😛

That's not a bad idea! Though I'm not sure how interested Ike would be in teaching, he's gotta do something when he retires.

Well, it would be either teach it to someone or let his father's style of swordsmanship die, and I think the latter is something Ike would never consider letting happen. 

[Anacybele]

Just now, vanguard333 said:

Well, it would be either teach it to someone or let his father's style of swordsmanship die, and I think the latter is something Ike would never consider letting happen. 

Yeah, I can agree with that. That's fair enough. Though another way to keep that style alive is for Ike to teach his children. I went that route since, well, I always shipped him with Lincy. lol

[vanguard333]

25 minutes ago, Anacybele said:

Yeah, I can agree with that. That's fair enough. Though another way to keep that style alive is for Ike to teach his children. I went that route since, well, I always shipped him with Lincy. lol

Well, teaching it to his kids would be teaching it to someone. 

Also, I'm not one to ship, but same; Ike and Elincia. 

 

Speaking of which, another favourite character of mine: Princess Elincia

Elincia is a very interesting character. I really like her character arc in Path of Radiance: she starts off as this sheltered, humble princess who doesn't know the first thing about being a princess, let alone being a queen, as her uncle was the heir to the throne and she was hidden away in a villa, and she grows into the leadership position she needs to fill (an arc that interestingly parallels Ike's; Path of Radiance's writing is so good!)

I love her interactions with Ike in the NA localization; not only do they reflect both characters' growth over the course of the game, but they also have such good chemistry. Moments such as Elincia telling Ike: "Give them... a sound thrashing (it makes... some sense in context) are just fantastic. 

I love the moment when she decides to also take to the battlefield and stop watching from the sidelines; a decision that manages to catch even Ike off-guard.

I especially enjoy their ending in Path of Radiance; her being reluctant even now to greet the people as she's not sure that she can be the queen they need her to be, and Ike reminds her of how much she's grown and re-inspires her one more time (Ike is such a good paragon). 

And, finally, I really like how she is in Radiant Dawn: struggling to maintain her rule during Ludveck's revolt, yet standing by her convictions throughout. Her Radiant-Dawn self really reflects her growth from Path of Radiance, and it is truly great. 

I just wish she didn't end up marrying her foster-brother: it's a bit messed up, and there was no prior indication that she reciprocated Geoffrey's feelings towards her. 

Edited January 31, 2020 by vanguard333

[Fire Emblem Fan]

A little while back I actually did a project where I ranked my Top 50 FE characters. It excluded all the main protagonists (because I felt it might not be fair) and it was before Three Houses came out, but the top ranks remain the same. I then did another project where I ranked all the main protagonists. I'll take my three favorite lord and my three favorite non-lord characters, and copy/paste some of why they're my favorites, starting with lords:

Lyn: Lyn's character has the benefit of being played out in two different stories. The first with her grandfather and granduncle, and the second with her quest with Eliwood and Hector. You get to see her character develop longer than anyone else's in Blazing Blade, and that coupled with all her support conversations makes for a lot of really good character growth. You of course get to see all the things you might expect in a protagonist in Fire Emblem; her kindness, bravery, sense of justice, and so forth. And of course she has fantastic chemistry with Eliwood and Hector (and Kent and Sain and Rath, to name a couple more). But there's more to her than what might be considered a little generic. Some of the things she deals with in the story and in her supports, and the way she handles certain situations, it really pushes her character forward.

Saceans are more or less Fire Emblem's equivalent of Native Americans, and one of the things Lyn has to deal with is racism. And unlike the Tellius games, where the laguz discrimination is shown on more of a worldwide scale, Lyn's struggle is more personal. The strongest example is in Chapter 6. When Lyn and her company goes to Marquess Araphen for assistance, assistance he offered, they find that he suddenly withdraws his offer. He's blatant in his racism, saying Lyn is "tainted with the blood of Sacae" and calls her a "nomadic mongrel" straight to her face. Upon hearing this racism, Lyn then shoots back: "I am proud of the Sacae blood that runs through my veins. I will NOT accept aid from one who disparages my heritage." She and her company then promptly leave. As she states, Lyn is proud of her heritage, as she should be. She deals with blatant racism with poise, telling Araphen to his face that she won't accept anything he would offer. She then puts him entirely out of her mind. This is an issue that no other protagonist in the series has really had to deal with on such a personal level. Ike fights for the laguz, but he himself is not a laguz and has never really had to face discrimination for his race. The next time any protagonist has any race issues is Micaiah, as she's half-laguz, but Radiant Dawn barely even talks about it at her own personal level.

Another thing Lyn deals with is her subplot of revenge. Since she went with Kent and Sain to Caelin, she never got to seek out and kill the bandits that killed her parents. In fact, even after the story is finished, she never gets to get revenge. You find out in her supports with Wallace that Wallace sought out the Taliver Bandits and slaughtered every single one of them. This upset Lyn and she says: "…Why!? Why did you do such a thing!? The bandits of Taliver were my enemies! They were mine to…" Wallace then tells her that he didn't want her to become consumed by revenge and by hate. He tells her: "The blood of your parents flows in your veins. That you live must bring them no end of joy. But for you to be filled with such hate… Is this what your parents would have wished for?" And then he says: "My words now might not reach you, I know that. Still, Lady Lyndis, listen: I pray that your heart will not be clouded. For you have the clear eyes of your mother, and in clarity lies beauty." It's a very different way to handle a revenge story. Most other games would have the protagonist find and kill/spare their target. But I like the way Blazing Blade handles this. It shows that, while still an important part of her backstory, this isn't the ultimatum for Lyn. There's more to her than hate and revenge.

The game dives deeper into Lyn's bitterness in the story itself, except in a different way. It's brief and only spans a couple chapters, but it's powerful. While she, Eliwood and Hector are seeking passage to the Dread Isle, they happen upon Fargus, a surprisingly kindly pirate. Lyn outright refuses to accept passage from Fargus because he is a pirate. Because of what happened to her parents, she believes that all pirates and bandits are scum. Normally she wouldn't be entirely wrong. By definition, pirates and bandits pillage, plunder, and murder. That's kinda what they do. But her bitterness isn't allowing her to see the bigger picture, the ultimate goal of getting to the Dread Isle to find Eliwood's father. Not only that, but her bitterness is also blinding her to the fact that Fargus is, surprisingly, not a bad man. Even the villagers tell the group that they should seek passage on Farguses ship! It takes Hector to snap Lyn out of it. After having a bit of a heart-to-heart with her, Lyn sees past her own bitterness. After getting passage from Fargus, Lyn says: "…There are good people, even among pirates." In just a couple chapters, the game is able to showcase genuinely good growth for her.

Another thing I really like about Lyn is how little remorse she has for Lundgren. In her battle with Lundgren, Lyn says: "To further your own black ambitions, you’ve harmed my grandfather and the very land you ought to serve. I have neither pity nor mercy for you. Lundgren! Prepare yourself!" Lundgren is her granduncle, they're related by blood, but she still has no mercy for him. She handles the situation differently than Marth or Alm might. You even see it with Alm as he tries more than once to talk sense into Berkut. Lyn sets herself apart in how she shows her resolve. She has no mercy, she just cuts him down.

Ephraim: "I don't pick fights I can't win." Ephraim is famous for this line, and for good reason. It perfectly encapsulates his most prominent personality traits. He's always ready to fight and, as he states boldly, he never goes into a losing battle. Ephraim is a protagonist made from the same kind of mold that Sigurd, Hector, and Ike were made from. He's strong and somewhat brash, and can seem a little too focused on a fight. He can seem maybe a little overconfident, but his skill in battle clearly backs up his words. As he correctly says, he doesn't pick fights he can't win. But Ephraim isn't a one-trick pony. His skill in battle and his straightforward, no-nonsense attitude aren't the only sides of his character. As you progress through the game and see more how his relationship with Eirika and Lyon unfolds, as well as more of his supports, you get a very good view of the many different angles Ephraim has. It's obvious by his high ranking on this list, but I think Ephraim is the best Sigurd/Hector/Ike-type protagonist in the franchise.

Ephraim cares deeply for his sister, as you see in the story and in their supports. And as one might expect, they're polar opposites of each other in many ways. Ephraim is always ready for a fight, to the point of craving it, whereas Eirika is more of a pacifist. Ephraim has trouble opening up to people, whereas Eirika is easier to talk to and more readily shares her feelings. The two play off each other extraordinarily well and show how strong the writing in Sacred Stones is. Their chemistry as protagonists has few rivals in the franchise. And then you go into his relationship with Lyon. Their friendship is shown a bit differently than the friendship that Eirika shares with Lyon. Lyon is shown to look up to Ephraim in a few different ways, and Ephraim is shown to look up to Lyon in other ways. Lyon admires Ephraim's skill with a lance and leadership skills, and Ephraim admires Lyon's tender heart and book smarts. Like Eirika, Ephraim plays off Lyon extraordinarily well, especially when the story gets to its later chapters. In those later chapters, as Lyon's corruption from the Demon King gets stronger and stronger, Lyon let's a few things slip. Things like how he's really always been jealous of Ephraim, and that he wants to win a battle against him at least once. Ephraim is left wondering if it's really his friend talking, or the Demon King. The way the story plays it out makes it much stronger and less cliche than it should be; it really works well with the chemistry and character writing. Really, the relationship between Ephraim, Eirika, and Lyon is the main core of what makes all of them such strong characters, as I pointed out with Eirika earlier on this list. They all have different strengths and weaknesses that play off the others with perfect rhythm.

What makes me rank Ephraim so highly in comparison to his sister (who still scored in the Top 5) is his general battle prowess. The way he can charge into battle and capture an entire fortress with less than five men is just awesome. The game takes that extremely high battle skill and meshes it so well with the tragic story of him failing to save his best friend from corruption and death.

There's really not much else to say about Ephraim. He's just a super awesome character who awes with his battle skills, tugs at the emotions with the tragedy of his (and Eirika's) failure to save Lyon, and makes you really root for him.

Eliwood: Eliwood is often overlooked in favor of Lyn and Hector, his fellow Blazing Blade protagonists. It's a bit of a shame because he has one of the strongest arcs in the entire franchise, in my opinion. When you look at Eliwood, you see a lot of what you'd probably expect to see in a Fire Emblem protagonist. He's noble; he has a kind heart; he's idealistic; he's charismatic. At first glance, he might seem kind of boring. But he's not. Oh how he really is not.

What really makes Eliwood such a great character is everything he goes through, and how Blazing Blade continuously challenges him and repeatedly puts him through emotional turmoil. The way the game keeps hitting him over and over with sorrow really challenges his character, and he's all the better for it. Eliwood starts off his journey simply looking for his father, Elbert. Elbert has gone missing, and of course that's caused quite a bit of concern for everyone! Like the good person he is, Eliwood takes a very small entourage and goes looking for him, and along the way he gets the help of Hector and Lyn and they pick up more people for their group. And soon enough, the turmoil begins. The first true test of Eliwood's character is when he finally finds his lost father...only to have Elbert die in his arms. It's a bitter, painful moment. Elbert leaves Eliwood to finish his work to stop Nergal, and then dies. As they sail back to the mainland, the opening narration of the next chapter states that Eliwood held his lifeless father's hand in his own the entire time "as if to warm him back to life." It may seem cliche for the protagonist to have their parent figure die right after leaving them their unfinished work, but it really works here with Eliwood for one very simple reason: Eliwood actually SEES it. Up to that point in the franchise, and even after that point, we're only ever TOLD that the protagonist's parent(s) were dead, and the protagonist doesn't see it happen. Marth's parents die off-screen while away from him; Eirika and Ephraim's father dies out of their view in the opening of the game; Greil is only briefly with Ike before he dies near the beginning of Path of Radiance; Leif's parents are killed while he's a baby and while he's away with Finn, and so on and so forth. Eliwood was really the first time where you actually get to SEE the protagonist's reaction, and it really tugs at the emotions. You spend slightly less than half the game looking for Elbert, only to have him die right in front of you. You SEE it, Eliwood SEES it. It follows one of the most well-known rules of writing: Show, don't tell.

So, Elbert dies in Eliwood's arms and, after a little bit of time, Eliwood resolves to stop Nergal. But the hardships keep coming. Eliwood is forced to contend with the corrupted Black Fang, comes face-to-face with Leila's murderer yet has to allow him to join the group, and is forced to kill Lloyd/Linus (depending on how you leveled certain characters in the game). After all that, he must pass a test in order to claim possession of the legendary sword, Durandal. Then his biggest challenge comes. Unbeknownst to Eliwood, Ninian has again been captured by Nergal, except this time she transforms into her true ice dragon form. She appears before Eliwood in her dragon form and, not knowing who she is and thinking she's an enemy, coupled with the sword Durandal's might, he slays her. She morphs back into her human form as she dies, Nergal taunts him and, like Elbert, she passes away in his arms.

Ninian's death is one of the saddest and most emotional scenes in the entire franchise. The reason Ninian's death scene works so well is because of her relationship with Eliwood, and that relationship is another reason why he's such a good character. Unlike a lot of other characters in the franchise who have their romance contained solely within support conversations, or have it brushed over in the story very briefly, Blazing Blade actually takes the time to develop the relationship between Eliwood and Ninian. Throughout the entire game, you see these two grow closer and closer, until there's finally a development of romantic attraction. It happens naturally, organically. It's real and believable, in fact I'd say it's possibly the most well-written romance in the franchise. And then in a cruel twist of fate, Eliwood kills the woman he loves.

"But wait!" I can hear you say. "Ninian is resurrected at the end of the game!" And yes, that is true. But that doesn't stop her initial death from being so effective; it doesn't stop or hinder the raw sorrow of the scene. It's another moment of you and the protagonist SEEING it happen and actually FEELING the brutal impact. It's played out impressively well. Everything that happens to Eliwood brings him sorrow, but he always resolves to press on, despite how awful he feels. The man feels as though his heart has been ripped from his chest over and over, but he keeps going. It's admirable. The way they write his character, his reactions and responses to all the turmoil he encounters, it's done so well.

__________________________

And now, onto the non-lords:

Nils & Ninian: Much of their personalities is shaped by what’s happening around them throughout the game. In many cases, that can lead to a character being nothing more than walking exposition, or a plot device that’s only there because it’s required. But luckily, that is not the case with Ninian and Nils! You get a real sense of character with them both. You get to really come to care about what happens to them. They’re both major players in some of the absolute best and most emotional moments in the entire franchise.
On Ninian’s side of things, you see a quiet, gentle person. A person who has been so deeply affected by being relentlessly pursued by Nergal that she’s got a case of amnesia for a portion of the game. That may seem generic, but as you learn about her, it works. As you learn about her connection with Nergal and how Eliwood’s father helped her and Nils escape Nergal, and as you see how she still tries to help even though she’s been so severely weakened and can’t remember much, you feel for her. Her relationship with Eliwood is especially good, it’s one of the most natural and organic bonds in the series. They can only get married if they reach an A level support, but even without that, the game explicitly states that they fall for each other. Do yourself a favor and get Eliwood and Ninian to A level support.

One of the most emotional and heartbreaking parts in the franchise happens late in the game where Ninian, having been recaptured by Nergal, has turned back into her dragon form and, in a moment of mindlessness, gets away from Nergal and seeks the man she loves: Eliwood. Eliwood, after claiming the titular Blazing Blade, sees an ice dragon dangerously coming at them and, not knowing it’s Ninian, slays her. The whole scene is so tragic and heartbreaking, even with the knowledge that Ninian is resurrected in the very last chapter of the game. Seeing how Ninian clings to Eliwood even after temporarily losing her sanity, only to be killed by him, is so expertly done. Seeing her resurrected in the final level doesn’t hinder the impact of this scene in the slightest.
And then you have Nils, who I think edges Ninian out as my favorite of the two. Nils is protective of Ninian, helping her however he can, such as when he transfers some of his power to her even though it would leave him further weakened. He’s also shown to hold great sorrow, as seen in more than one instance throughout the story. One such instance is after Eliwood accidentally kills Ninian; Nils seems to be lost within himself after this, retreated to his innermost thoughts to grieve. Another instance of his sorrow is after Nergal is beaten. As Nergal dies, Nils starts to cry, and when asked why he’s crying, he says, “…I…don’t know… Why…am I………crying…?” Deep in his subconscious, he knows that Nergal is his father, but in his conscious mind he can’t remember that.
Another instance is directly stated in the ending of the game should Eliwood and Ninian reach A level support. At the end of the game, the Dragon’s Gate is open and Ninian and Nils must pass through it once more and close it permanently on the other side so no one else can do what Nergal did. If Eliwood and Ninian reach A level support, Ninian elects to stay behind to be with Eliwood. Nils gives his blessing and passes through the gate alone, closing it once he’s through and leaving his beloved sister behind. His ending later states, “Nils vanished through the gate in order to seal it from the other side. Those who saw him go will never forget his look of sorrow.”
Everything that happens to Ninian and Nils is so sad, and so integral to the main plot of the game. Their journey is one of the best things Fire Emblem has ever done.

Brom: There are lots of characters in the Fire Emblem franchise who are simple villagers only fighting to protect their families and their homes, and Brom is one of them. He isn’t unique in that regard. But he is the best of them, in my opinion.

One thing that does set Brom apart from most other playable characters, though, is his family and his fatherhood. There are lots of parents and family men in Fire Emblem, true, but none quite to the same extent as Brom. He’s the father of five sons and three daughters, and he’s only about forty years old by Radiant Dawn’s end! He’s certainly enjoyed a lot of, uh…quality time, with his wife. His parenthood is apparently obvious, too. In his supports with Zihark, Zihark says he figured Brom had lots of kids, and when Brom asks how he figured, Zihark replies, “Just look at you, Brom. You’re a big man with a big heart. The perfect daddy!” And, unlike several other parent characters in the series, Brom actually survives his games. Another thing that sets Brom apart from a lot of other characters is his weight. There really aren’t many heavyset characters in the series, especially ones you recruit; Brom is one of the only ones. His weight is even a topic in his supports with Boyd in PoR. Brom says, “But this body has served me well! After all, you need a lot of girth to manage a mule and plow!” And after being teased a bit by Boyd, Boyd offers to “whip you into shape in no time!” Of course, Brom’s weight is unchanged three years later in Radiant Dawn, so the workout wasn’t exactly effective. So, physically, Brom is set apart from most playable Fire Emblem characters. Those unique factors are only a small part of Brom, though. There’s more to him than being heavyset and a family man.

Brom is shown to be a goodhearted fellow in general, not just in his fatherly ways. Someone who shows genuine friendliness and kindness to practically everyone he meets, beorc (human) and laguz alike. He’s one of the friendliest and most inviting characters in Fire Emblem. In his supports with Zihark, Zihark says, “Heya, Brom! You’re quite the talker! You made me laugh the whole time. I haven’t had such a fun meal in a long time.” And later, Zihark says, “Ha! I’m telling you, Brom, you’re a good man. Trust me on this one.” His tenderness does not make him foolish or timid in serious situations, though. As Part 2 of Radiant Dawn shows, he will stand up to you. He and Nephenee fail to talk sense into a small gathering of rebels and are forced to fight and after winning that fight, he says, “Yeah. That’s right. Nephenee and me… We been to war. When y’all were hidin’ in cellars and attics, we were toe-to-toe with Daein.”
Brom has courage to stand up for what’s right, and he does. This is shown in Path of Radiance as well, as Ike himself comments on Brom’s strength of character. Ike sees Brom with a bag of rocks and asks him about it, and Brom says, “It's sort of a good-luck charm. My family gave it to me when I left home. We never had much money, so my parents gathered some stones from our farm back home and put them in this leather pouch. It's not much to look at, but it means a lot to me.” Brom then tells Ike he can laugh if he wants, thinking Ike might find it silly. But instead, Ike says, “It's not silly, Brom. You're a strong man who has decided to fight for the sake of his family. I know that your family is very proud of you.” The courage Brom shows isn’t always apparent, though. When you first see Brom, he’s in a holding cell, having been captured by Daein. You see him crying and worrying about being tortured, and about the possibility of never seeing his family again. Seeing him go from that to the man who stands up to an entire rebellion in his town is a cool thing to see.

Radiant Dawn’s Part 2 doesn’t only show courage. It also shows how loyal Brom is. He stands up for Elincia, saying, “Our queen is a splendid gal. Ain’t nobody out there with a kinder heart. We should know as well as anyone… Heck, we fought beside her.” And when the leader of the little uprising twists it to seem like Elincia is using Brom and Nephenee as spies, Brom shoots back, “Listen, fella, you’re talkin’ nonsense. Queen Elincia wouldn’t dream of usin’ spies like that!”

Brom is also shown to be an encouraging fellow. In his supports with Nephenee in PoR, after hearing about how embarrassed and anxious Nephenee is, Brom tries to lift her spirits and support her. “That’s right! That’s it! Yee haw! That’s the smile I want to see. You’re a good-looking girl, Nephenee! The young fellas in the company won’t leave you alone if you keep doing that! Say, why don’t you find a nice guy here and take him back to the village!” Brom says.

Along with the courage, loyalty, and unprejudiced friendliness, Brom is also a very emotional man, in more ways than one. You see how sentimentally emotional he is when he shows his bag of rocks to Ike, and you see how lovingly emotional he is as a father as he proudly talks about his family to Zihark. In his supports with Boyd, as Boyd is getting on him about being overweight, you see a more sensitive emotional side as Brom says, “But I hate to think that my big belly would be a burden on you… Aw, now I feel terrible! Sniff… Sniff…”

His ending in Radiant Dawn is very fitting of his character. A peaceful man who hates fighting, his ending states, “Returning to his family in Ohma, Brom farmed for the rest of his peaceful life. He never lifted a weapon again.”
I enjoy Brom’s character a lot. His supports are some of the most genuine in the Tellius duology, and his personality is one of the most inviting in the franchise. Brom is simply your average guy fighting for his loved ones and his home. He’s just a good dude.

Matthew: Matthew starts off as a cheery and enthusiastic member of the group. He also seems to be a little sarcastic, in a teasing sort of way, and in his supports with Guy you see a little cheekiness when he tricks Guy into owing him four favors. He shows great loyalty to Hector, taking his duties seriously and doing all he can to help his liege at whatever task may be at hand.
You also get the sense of a little more romanticism when you meet Leila, Matthew’s beloved. During the story, Matthew tells Leila she should visit his hometown to meet his parents, and then leaves before she replies. A couple chapters later, after Leila is killed, you find out that he intended to propose to her, after the quest was finished. He hides his sorrow with feigned cheer, saying, “Waited too long, didn’t I? Ha…”
Leila’s death marks a turn in character for Matthew. After she dies, he takes on a more direct, less enthusiastic attitude. He carries on in his duties in honor of her memory, and he remains as skilled as ever, but his usual teasing and happy attitude are muted, if not gone entirely. His supports with Legault, who is recruited after Leila’s death, show a much blunter and more serious Matthew.

The best parts that show how deeply Matthew is affected by Leila’s death are in his supports with Jaffar, the man who killed her. In a dark turn, Matthew sinks so low as to pretend he’s had Nino taken hostage so Jaffar won’t fight back, so he can kill Jaffar with no resistance. He only stands down at the last moment, and only spares Jaffar in memory of Leila, thinking she wouldn’t have wanted him to go through with it. No matter which ending Matthew gets, Leila’s memory is always in his heart. His solo ending states, “Matthew continued his service as a spy for House Ostia. The memory of his beloved Leila lingers on in his heart.”

Matthew’s progression from an upbeat optimist to an attempted murderer is one of the most well-written and organic character arcs in the franchise. He has some of the best character development of any character, getting a good and surprisingly deep role in the story, and great supports. It’s absolutely worth it to see his story through.

[Anacybele]

11 minutes ago, vanguard333 said:

Well, teaching it to his kids would be teaching it to someone. 

Also, I'm not one to ship, but same; Ike and Elincia. 

 

Speaking of which, another favourite character of mine: Elincia

Elincia is a very interesting character. I really like her character arc in Path of Radiance: she starts off as this sheltered, humble princess who doesn't know the first thing about being a princess, let alone being a queen, as her uncle was the heir to the throne and she was hidden away in a villa, and she grows into the leadership position she needs to fill (an arc that interestingly parallels Ike's; Path of Radiance's writing is so good!)

I love her interactions with Ike in the NA localization; not only do they reflect both characters' growth over the course of the game, but they also have such good chemistry. Moments such as Elincia telling Ike: "Give them... a sound thrashing (it makes... some sense in context) are just fantastic. 

I love the moment when she decides to also take to the battlefield and stop watching from the sidelines; a decision that manages to catch even Ike off-guard.

I especially enjoy their ending in Path of Radiance; her being reluctant even now to greet the people as she's not sure that she can be the queen they need her to be, and Ike reminds her of how much she's grown and re-inspires her one more time (Ike is such a good paragon). 

And, finally, I really like how she is in Radiant Dawn: struggling to maintain her rule during Ludveck's revolt, yet standing by her convictions throughout. Her Radiant-Dawn self really reflects her growth from Path of Radiance, and it is truly great. 

I just wish she didn't end up marrying her foster-brother: it's a bit messed up, and there was no prior indication that she reciprocated Geoffrey's feelings towards her. 

Yeah, but teaching something to your kids is different from teaching in a school or whatever. What you suggested sounded more like a school setting.

And yes, Elincia ftw! She is best girl by far to me. I'm sad not many people love her. She is the most underrated character in the series in my opinion. She deserves so much more love than she gets. Everything you say here about her is 100% on point.

I also agree that NA did better with hers and Ike's interactions than the original Japanese script for exactly the reasons you say here.

I attribute her possible marriage to Geoffrey as more political than anything. Ike stupidly left Tellius, and there's no one else I can see Elincia being okay with marrying. And she's queen, so she eventually needs to produce an heir. On Geoffrey's end this would be unfortunate since he does seem to harbor romantic feelings for her and as you point out, there was nothing to indicate that she returned his feelings. Though tbh I'm mainly bothered by them as a pairing because of their sibling-like relationship. I grew up with adopted brothers and Geoffrey and Elincia marrying comes off to me as no different than if I were to marry one of my adopted brothers. Which is just a massive NO to me.

Still, despite that, I love Elincia so much and she is still best girl to me.

[vanguard333]

12 minutes ago, Anacybele said:

Yeah, but teaching something to your kids is different from teaching in a school or whatever. What you suggested sounded more like a school setting.

True. Very true. 

 

13 minutes ago, Anacybele said:

And yes, Elincia ftw! She is best girl by far to me. I'm sad not many people love her. She is the most underrated character in the series in my opinion. She deserves so much more love than she gets. Everything you say here about her is 100% on point.

I also agree that NA did better with hers and Ike's interactions than the original Japanese script for exactly the reasons you say here.

Yeah; she's very underrated. I'm not sure about most underrated though Micaiah but Elincia is definitely at least top 3 in underrated FE characters. 

 

14 minutes ago, Anacybele said:

I attribute her possible marriage to Geoffrey as more political than anything. Ike stupidly left Tellius, and there's no one else I can see Elincia being okay with marrying. And she's queen, so she eventually needs to produce an heir. On Geoffrey's end this would be unfortunate since he does seem to harbor romantic feelings for her and as you point out, there was nothing to indicate that she returned his feelings. Though tbh I'm mainly bothered by them as a pairing because of their sibling-like relationship. I grew up with adopted brothers and Geoffrey and Elincia marrying comes off to me as no different than if I were to marry one of my adopted brothers. Which is just a massive NO to me.

Still, despite that, I love Elincia so much and she is still best girl to me.

It being political would make it even worse; we all saw what happened with Nyna and Hardin! All it would take would be for Izuka's ghost to offer a distraught Geoffrey some kind of horrible potion and Tellius would be plagued by a terrible evil...

I agree with the sibling thing; the only reason I'm okay with Micaiah and Sothe is that it's clear from the get-go that their dynamic is not that of siblings (despite what they may say at one point in the game). If it weren't for that, they'd be just as bad as Geoffrey and Elincia, if not worse. 

It also helps that Micaiah and Sothe are developed characters, while Geoffrey is extremely placid. His character can be summed up thusly: he's a Knight of Crimea, he's Lucia's brother, and he has feelings for Elincia. That's it. Ilyana has more to her than that! Radiant Dawn-exclusive characters have more to them than that! The only person in Tellius who has less to them than that, is Gareth. 

[Fabulously Olivier]

Tragically, it's not like Elincia really has much in the way of options.

 

Even if Ike stayed, he has no land holdings, and any power/title he has is bestowed by Elincia herself. And what a lot of Ike/Elincia shippers ignore is that a royal marriage and a life of nobility is completely undesirable and out of character for Ike.

 

Both of the other Beorc nations have female rulers. 

Spoiler

And Pelleas is both a pretender, and he dies in the first, likely canon playthrough.

 

A Laguz partner would likely far outlive her and create substantial political trouble for Crimea after she dies. If one were to go this route, her best option would be an envoy from one of the shorter-lived races - like Ranulf.

 

I don't really see a viable option for her other than Geoffery.

Edited January 31, 2020 by Etheus

[Anacybele]

15 minutes ago, vanguard333 said:

Yeah; she's very underrated. I'm not sure about most underrated though Micaiah but Elincia is definitely at least top 3 in underrated FE characters. 

Dude, Micaiah has a lot of popularity these days. xP Popularity I will never understand, but still.

15 minutes ago, vanguard333 said:

It being political would make it even worse; we all saw what happened with Nyna and Hardin! All it would take would be for Izuka's ghost to offer a distraught Geoffrey some kind of horrible potion and Tellius would be plagued by a terrible evil...

Well, the situation here is different and has different characters. I don't think Geoffrey and Elincia are much like Hardin and Nyna... Though I can't really 100% say that since I didn't play much of Archanea at all.

15 minutes ago, vanguard333 said:

I agree with the sibling thing; the only reason I'm okay with Micaiah and Sothe is that it's clear from the get-go that their dynamic is not that of siblings (despite what they may say at one point in the game). If it weren't for that, they'd be just as bad as Geoffrey and Elincia, if not worse. 

Well, I'm inclined to say Sothe and Micaiah are worse because they literally called each other brother and sister and Sothe says to Ike in PoR that they're "definitely family." But if they didn't truly mean brother and sister and were just saying that as some cover story, I guess it's not as bad as it could be.

15 minutes ago, vanguard333 said:

It also helps that Micaiah and Sothe are developed characters, while Geoffrey is extremely placid. His character can be summed up thusly: he's a Knight of Crimea, he's Lucia's brother, and he has feelings for Elincia. That's it. Ilyana has more to her than that! Radiant Dawn-exclusive characters have more to them than that! The only person in Tellius who has less to them than that, is Gareth. 

Yeah, Geoffrey did not have enough screen time or supports in either game imo. I probably would have loved him if he did, I tend to dig chivalrous knight types. In one fic I wrote awhile back that partly focuses on him, I decided to expand him into something that actually isn't unlike what we got with Dimitri in Three Houses. Dimitri is on the surface chivalrous and polite. So is Geoffrey. But Dimitri has that dark side and all and winds up going insane because of some crazy BS he suffered in his past. I decided to write Geoffrey the same way, giving him a dark side that he eventually can't hold in anymore. I got complaints that I was just making him look horrible to make the Ike x Elincia pairing look good and that he was out of character. But seriously, if it was fine to write Dimitri as a chivalrous dude who later turns psychotic and full of PTED (post-traumatic embitterment disorder), Geoffrey could've had an arc like this too. We know basically nothing about his past except that he spent some time with Elincia and Lucia at a royal villa. The only difference here is that I had Geoffrey's issues be more prolonged, stemming from as far back as when he was a small child. I admit, Ike and Elincia getting together did have some connection to why he finally snapped and pulled a Dimitri, but it was only one of several things (which I'd have to go into more of an explanation to explain and that's not really relevant to this thread), and he did recover and return to his senses at the end. He would later gain a new wife and become one of the best known Crimean generals in Crimea history.

9 minutes ago, Etheus said:

Even if Ike stayed, he has no land holdings, and any power/title he has is bestowed by Elincia herself. And what a lot of Ike/Elincia shippers ignore is that a royal marriage and a life of nobility is completely undesirable and out of character for Ike.

And Ike randomly leaving Tellius for no explained reason is better? Not in my opinion. Ike doesn't like the life of a noble or royal, but would he really be so selfish as to say no to a love for Elincia just because of that? Ike thinks of others before himself, and I feel like if he really loved Elincia, he'd set aside his dislike for the lifestyle and stay at her side. Also, he could be Prince Consort, not king, which would be more to his taste. A prince consort is more like a military leader, not so much a politician.

There's also the option of Elincia handing her throne to Renning and living a life with Ike and the Greil Mercs instead. You might say this is out of character for her, but given that she didn't like being queen, she grew up being trained to fight, cook, clean, and sew, and the fact that Renning was meant to rule to begin with, it's not entirely unrealistic. She would trust Renning to rule Crimea the right way too.

Edited January 31, 2020 by Anacybele

[Etrurian emperor]

I tend to value characters that are one of a kind. Niime and Azelle stand alone in the huge Fire Emblem cast and that's something to value. Before Dorothea we didn't have any other bastard characters than Azelle and in the huge Fire Emblem cast only Azelle is the little brother of the main villain. The mystery and tragedy also adds to Azelle's charm. He's a shy boy trying to prove his worth and even if we don't know exactly how we do know life kicks Azelle to the curb hard for his efforts. Niime is also completely one of a kind. We have old men and middle aged ladies but we have very few ancient ladies in Fire Emblem, certainly not ancient ladies who LOOK like ancient ladies. She also walks a very fine line with her personality. Niime is not a good person, her morals are shaky at best and she's not likable, yet she's doesn't take it so far that she's a complete asshole 100% of the time either. 

Takumi: I like Takumi because he proved me wrong. I instantly dismissed him as inferior to Leo and because he's a tsundere I did not expect to like him. It was a fun journey to see my low expectations turn into the realization that Takumi is the best Fates character by a great margin. He's a pretty nuanced depiction of a young prince in that he's competent but also full of doubts and surprisingly vulnerable despite his cold act. I tend to dislike tsundere's but Takumi avoids their pitfalls for the most part. With tsundere's I always get the impression that they insist their friends keep jumping through their tsundere hoops in order to please them, but once you won Takumi over he remains that way. Its cute to see the usually so cold prince completely let his hair down around Sakura, Hinata or Oboro.

Morgan and Morgan: Precious children, must protect, etcetera, etcetera.  Just about everything they do and say is cute without it coming off as forced. They are like Pit in that their antics tend to make me smile. Sometimes that's enough. 

Arvis: He's a very nuanced depiction of his archetype. The well intended extremist type of villain is a very common trope but Arvis is unique among them. When it comes to these type of villains they are either utterly deluded and try to pursue a goal that's well intended only in their mad eyes, or the cost is so horrible that its just not worth it. Arvis has neither of those flaws. He's not some wacko trying to fix a problem only he thinks exist. Arvis just wants good governance. His dream is a very normal, relatable and benevolent one. Most of these type of villains also fail since them being put out of their misery is how it usually goes, and their plans aren't good enough to succeed long term anyway. But Arvis does achieve his dream and if left to his own devices he makes Jugdral a better place. It all falls apart not because Arvis is wrong but because Satan overtrows him. Arvis isn't crazy, nor is he wrong and that's actually pretty unique. That the flaws in Arvis' personality help tear down his dream only makes him more tragic. Most of these things also go for Edelgard who has to be directly inspired by Arvis. 

 

Edited January 31, 2020 by Etrurian emperor