Why you absolutely love your favorite characters

[EricaofRenais]

My all time top favorite is Elffin from Binding Blade, he just really hit home for me.  Elffin has health issues (he is blind from being poisoned) so do I ( I have an incurable illness that is a royal pain to manage and can kill me at anytime), despite his life being bad he is still able to help Roy and in the end take the throne of his nation.  He just really hit all the marks for me and seeing someone with health issues in a video game and with a plot important role was great.

I have other favorites, bur Elffin is the top of the top.

[vanguard333]

15 minutes ago, Anacybele said:

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

Huh; I did not know that. Never mind then; Elincia is the most underrated FE character. 

 

15 minutes ago, Anacybele said:

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.

It was a joke about potential similar situation (political marriage where the husband loves the wife, but the wife doesn't reciprocate, leaving the guy crushed). I agree that it probably wouldn't turn out the same way; I just wanted to make the joke. 

 

23 minutes ago, Anacybele said:

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.

Huh. Interesting. I'm not usually interested in fan-fics that use the same characters (I'm more interested in seeing what interesting things people can do with the same world and new characters), but this sounds interesting. Out of curiosity, was it written before or after the third Three Houses trailer and we all found out about the "Kill every last one of them!" side of Dimitri's personality?

 

27 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.

Who says that a royal marriage would force Ike into a life of nobility? Ike wouldn't automatically become a political figure just by marrying Elincia. If Sothe marries Micaiah, there's no mention of him being involved politically: Becoming Queen Micaiah’s husband and her pillar of support, Sothe worked tirelessly to assist the poor. Ike could theoretically spend his days doing mercenary work or stuff like that while Elincia's holding court meetings. 

 

25 minutes ago, Etrurian emperor said:

Most of these things also go for Edelgard who has to be directly inspired by Arvis. 

Well, Three Houses was inspired by the fact that three major Genealogy characters were former classmates, so I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. 

[Anacybele]

1 minute ago, vanguard333 said:

It was a joke about potential similar situation (political marriage where the husband loves the wife, but the wife doesn't reciprocate, leaving the guy crushed). I agree that it probably wouldn't turn out the same way; I just wanted to make the joke. 

Oh okay. I probably should've guessed that, honestly. xP

1 minute ago, vanguard333 said:

Huh. Interesting. I'm not usually interested in fan-fics that use the same characters (I'm more interested in seeing what interesting things people can do with the same world and new characters), but this sounds interesting. Out of curiosity, was it written before or after the third Three Houses trailer and we all found out about the "Kill every last one of them!" side of Dimitri's personality?

(Well, my main FE fic is a new continent with new characters taking place in Tellius's world, so that's a thing too)

Oh, this was written years ago, long before Three Houses was a thing. I did a Dimitri way before Dimitri! 😛

[Saint Rubenio]

Yeah, I suppose I need this, after talking shit about everybody's favourite Three Houses characters in the other thread.

Arran. Not Aran, Arran. The one from Archanea.

In Book 1, he doesn't look like much... he joins you because he's a paladin dude who wants to fight for the good and the king. His hair is kinda ugly, and his stats are terrible. All right.

Then, in Book 2, he returns. He's the jeigan this time. Pretty good jeigan in FE12, too. Reclassing to General gets you through the earlygame, easy. As a character, though, he looks to be much of the same. Just a boring knight who is so loyal.

Except there's so much more to him than that.

FE12!Arran is my favourite of the "loyal knight" trope, because he isn't just loyal. He's a man that understands what true loyalty means.

Years prior to the adventures of Marth, he served under a different lord. This man ordered Arran to supress a rebellion in his state. When Arran found the rebels, he discovered that they were nothing more than hungry peasants. They had no choice but to make themselves heard, as the poor harvest had left them starving while their lord stuffed his fat belly with what few crops they'd produced.

Arran's liege ordered him to murder them all to set an example. At the time, Arran believed that loyalty meant absolute devotion to one's lord. So he followed the order.

After that day, guilt consumed Arran's heart, and he left to wander the world, desperately seeking a purpose, a chance at redemption. He eventually met Marth in the War of Shadows, and in him, he found a leader worthy of his servitude. That is when Arran realized what true loyalty entails: to fight for a cause he believed in, under a liege he believed in. Pulled that line straight out of his support with Kris. Love it.

However, this is when Arran's story takes yet another tragic turn: he's dying. An unspecified illness is slowly destroying him. And this is shown in the gameplay. He's the jeigan of the game, after all. He starts off strong, but with his illness, he'll soon be unable to keep up with the enemy. By all means, he should leave the battlefield and enjoy his last days to the fullest.

But you think that's going to stop the man? No, it won't. In his supports with Kris (which are, by the way, Kris's best supports. It's kind of amazing, they're actually not bad here!), he implores them not to reveal his crippling weakness. Arran believes that, by fighting for a liege he finds to be worthy to the bitter end, he can be a true knight. His own health is of no concern to him, so long as he can continue to redeem himself for the mistakes of his past. And, honestly? I find that to be absolutely admirable.

Arran is one of the very few characters in FE that you could argue are better off dying in the campaign. If he makes it to the end, he briefly gets to see the better world he helped create, before his illness takes his life. If he dies, he goes a happy man, having forgiven himself at last, and glad that he got to make the ultimate sacrifice for his one true liege. Both endings are equally bittersweet, and I'm not sure which one I like the most.

And there you have it. On the surface, he seems like just another "loyal dude who fights loyally", like Seth, and Marcus, and Oswin, and so many Cains and Abels... and, at his core, I suppose he's just that. But the difference is that he isn't loyal for the sake of being loyal: he's a man who has made mistakes, who has lost his way, and who spent many years looking for answers. A search that culminates in his ultimate act of loyalty to the man he truly believes in: he sacrifices himself in every possible way to ensure Marth's victory.

Oh, and by the way? All of this, with a single support chain, a death quote, a couple epilogue quotes and an ending card that just says "Arran died of illness after the war". Just goes to show that, sometimes, you don't need a thousand support chains to write a deep character.

My only hope is that I managed to do this guy justice. It's very easy to rant about characters one hates, but showing others why you love another character? Not so much.

[Benice]

6 hours ago, Brave Lance said:

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. 

Bold: Yeah, i'm not so sure why people think that's majorly creepy. It is a little weird, but not as wack as FE4 is that way.

ARAN- (Not Arran) Gameplay god, and with his two lines of dialgue in the story, he demonstrates himself as a kind, clumsy individual.

LAURA- best light magic user in RD, and with her two lines of dialogue she builds her relationship and personality with Aran.

FRANZ: Franz is cool, because he falls between his lazy brother and Seth. He is kind, earnest and sincere, but he also knows how to relax and have fun.

AMELIA: She's adorable.

CANAS: Gameplay god, and he's a great character too.

NINO: She's adorable and benefitted from great depth even without her supports.

NEALUCHI: The hippest 200 and something year old around.

 

I could easily be more articulate about my favourite characters, but my brain's dead right now.

[Anacybele]

49 minutes ago, Benice said:

Bold: Yeah, i'm not so sure why people think that's majorly creepy. It is a little weird, but not as wack as FE4 is that way.

Not as wack as FE4, no. But as I already explained, I find it uncomfortable because I see it as little different from me marrying one of my adopted brothers and like I said, that is a major no to me.

[EricaofRenais]

On the Elincia x Geoffrey thing, did Elincia ever once call Geoffrey brother or Lucia sister?  I never once remember her doing that, yes she was raised with them but from what I remember of the convos about their relationship it was more like extremely close friends then siblings.  I know that Lucia is her "milk" sister which means that Lucia's mother nursed Elincia and Lucia together, which was common for nobles back in the middle ages (Wolt and Roy share the same relationship).  

[Anacybele]

7 minutes ago, EricaofRenais said:

On the Elincia x Geoffrey thing, did Elincia ever once call Geoffrey brother or Lucia sister?  I never once remember her doing that, yes she was raised with them but from what I remember of the convos about their relationship it was more like extremely close friends then siblings.  I know that Lucia is her "milk" sister which means that Lucia's mother nursed Elincia and Lucia together, which was common for nobles back in the middle ages (Wolt and Roy share the same relationship).  

The art book actually says they are all foster siblings. Also, the Geoffrey/Elincia support in PoR came off to me like a doting big brother/little sister relationship, but that was how I saw it.

[EricaofRenais]

Just now, Anacybele said:

The art book actually says they are all foster siblings. Also, the Geoffrey/Elincia support in PoR came off to me like a doting big brother/little sister relationship, but that was how I saw it.

Oh OK it was like I remembered.  Foster siblings happened a fair bit for nobles in the middle ages as well. 

[vanguard333]

14 minutes ago, EricaofRenais said:

Oh OK it was like I remembered.  Foster siblings happened a fair bit for nobles in the middle ages as well. 

None that I've heard about, though I admit I am more of a history enthusiast than a historian. More often, I read of stuff like childhood-friend marriages or English Kings marrying beautiful widows. 

[EricaofRenais]

41 minutes ago, vanguard333 said:

None that I've heard about, though I admit I am more of a history enthusiast than a historian. More often, I read of stuff like childhood-friend marriages or English Kings marrying beautiful widows. 

It happened most often with noble families that only had girl children would foster a second son of a close family as their heir.  Mary queen of Scots was the French royal family's foster daughter in almost every sense, she was raised in France by the French royal family from a young age.  Most of the time with arranged at birth/young age marriages the families would trade off who was taking care of  the "couple" and they would be raised together.

[vanguard333]

19 minutes ago, EricaofRenais said:

It happened most often with noble families that only had girl children would foster a second son of a close family as their heir.  Mary queen of Scots was the French royal family's foster daughter in almost every sense, she was raised in France by the French royal family from a young age.  Most of the time with arranged at birth/young age marriages the families would trade off who was taking care of  the "couple" and they would be raised together.

I get your point, but there's a bit of context to the example you gave: Mary Queen of Scots was raised in France to protect her from Henry VIII, who before then was repeatedly raiding Scottish lands to get his hands on her as part of what became known as the "Rough Wooing (leave it to the British to give historic events names that are understatements). He even had Edinburgh pillaged and burned. 

[EricaofRenais]

31 minutes ago, vanguard333 said:

I get your point, but there's a bit of context to the example you gave: Mary Queen of Scots was raised in France to protect her from Henry VIII, who before then was repeatedly raiding Scottish lands to get his hands on her as part of what became known as the "Rough Wooing (leave it to the British to give historic events names that are understatements). He even had Edinburgh pillaged and burned. 

Yeah I know there were other factors on the Mary queen of Scots example I gave, it was just the one that came to mind first.

[starburst]

Velouria. It all started with her English voice actress and her battle quotes. There are more things that I like about her, but these two reasons were key to make me learn more about her.

I find it interesting how she is reserved but frank and forward, a loner but devoted to her family, has different tastes than everyone but is confident about her choices, self-centred but not indifferent to the feelings of those around her.

Her supports with her mother and Nina are great and define some of the traits that I admire from her.

Edited February 1, 2020 by starburst

[Lightningdawn]

Kris is the character I've most related to in my time playing Fire Emblem.

From the moment I saw this doofus in the paralogues, I was head over heels. Her mannerisms, having no sense of direction, struggling with being feminine enough...it resonated with me, and for the first time playing a game with an avatar in it, I felt like she really could be a better version of me.I started trying to look like her a bit, even, dyeing my hair blue and wearing a scarf like hers, and it really makes me happy and boosted my confidence since I love her design.

Her devotion to Marth was something I related to as well. I was bullied a lot back when I wasn't homeschooled, so whenever I got a friend, I was pretty much the definition of ride or die. Loyalty is something I really value, so seeing her share that ideal made me like her even more.

Her whole thing of being the forgotten hero made me sympathetic to her, even though it was her own desire. I just...there's not words to sum up my emotions there.

I'll admit, finding out she's pretty much universally hated in the fandom surprised me a lot. But you know? That's okay. I adore her, and that's good enough for me.

[Strullemia]

Lysithea: A 15 year old that feels the need to grow up because the things she wants to accomplish require her to be mature but secretly (or well not so secretly) she still wants to be have the same experiences as the other young students and that's why despite saying in multiple supports that "she has no time" she still acts like a teenager at times like indulging in sweets (this also partly because she doesn't need to pay attention to what she eats), putting on make-up or being scared of ghosts. She's somewhat conflicted that way. It also doesn't help that it's implied that a lot of people in the academy presume that she's very gifted because of her crests. Because of all that she can definitely be a bit bratty and downright mean like in Ignatz's support but I think that it's good that she's flawed in these ways because if she wasn't she would've felt far too ideal considering the things she's experienced but you can see how even after the timeskip she ends up somewhat growing out of that.

Me liking her is also a bit personal. As someone who has lost a family member to a serious disease, works in a hospital (not as a nurse but I still see things) and has a bad case of health anxiety I couldn't help but love how she's written as this flawed girl who doesn't give up on her life's goals and still tries to stand above the very "disease" that threatens her life no matter what happens in her ending. 

Edited February 2, 2020 by Strullemia

[MisterIceTeaPeach]

Lysithea is the best magic user in FE since Grafcalibur and Holsety for me, she shares traits with me (loving sweets, being inpatient) and she has a very serious backround.

[Harvey]

Astram: Just like the way this guy looks.

Tobin: He's a very complicated character and has self worth issues. His friendship with Grey is the best ever.

Linde: Kind of a sucker when it comes to attractive ladies and Linde is no exception.

Ares: One word. Mystletainn and his design is just amazing to look at.

Levin: This guy is the best of the women hitters out there pronto. Plus his design is cool.

Rutger: To me, playing FE6 is boarderline impossible without him.

Lyn: Her design, her traits of seeking revenge and her overall character are all deep.

Raven: Look at him. He's too edgy to like not ignore him.

Lon'qu: I give orders and he stabs, that's just it.

Virion: He's a thing of beauty.

Camilla: Her character design is too attractive to ignore.

 

[vanguard333]

Since I've covered two of my favourite main characters, I may as well list what I like about my favourite supporting characters:

Rhys:

I really like just how much he cares for the other Greil Mercenaries: he's frail and sickly and just very ill-suited for the battlefield, yet he doesn't let it get to him and he carries on anyway because they need him as the team medic.

I also like just how much of a nice character he is; to the point where, despite clearly not being the white-robed rival Mia's looking for, he still at least tries to learn how to use a sword despite how obviously ill-suited for it he is. Why didn't Mia and Rhys get a paired ending in Radiant Dawn? It could've been so hilarious: Mia travelled the continent in search of worthy opponents. She never worried, for her husband was always able to patch her up whenever she returned home. Rhys, on the other hand...

It also helps that I like light magic and he's the only playable unit in Path of Radiance that can use light magic, and he's a redhead. 

[Hawkwing]

Stahl: Tied with Laurent as my favorite Fire Emblem character personality-wise, and he often ends up as my best unit in gameplay, to the point that even when RNG-screwed he still ends up competent. As a character, Stahl is friendly and helpful in several varied ways, to the point that it rarely, if ever, feels like his support conversations are one for one to each other, even though they largely reuse the same premise of him seeking to help others. Him having a guaranteed happy marriage no matter who his partner earns Stahl several points in my book, and indeed, I believe he has some of the best S-support conversations in the game. Heck, his support chain with Panne is one of the main reasons Stahl is my favorite character. He uses something as simple as food in an attempt to get Panne to socialize more and to learn more about her as a person, and he proves the former by addressing the diplomatic responsibilities that marring her will entail (something that surprisingly few other characters do) while still saying he's marrying her out of love first and foremost. In a conversation that was previously about food that ended on a hilarious note, this caught me off guard in a good way, and the more I learned about Stahl, the more he solidified his spot as my favorite Fire Emblem character.

Laurent: His recruitment conversation with Chrom is still my favorite one n the series, and establishes a lot about his character in a short amount of time; He's direct, intelligent, helpful, and has several subtle yet significant differences from his mother. I love the way he talks, and like Stahl, he seeks to help others in his own unique way. Unit-wise, he's an overpowered mage in a game filled with overpowered mages, which is why Stahl beats him as my favorite character all-around, but I still enjoy using Laurent, and he's helpful for getting support points with the other child characters.

Panne: I love that I both can take the concept of the taguel seriously and laugh at just how ridiculous the whole thing is. Similarly with Panne, I enjoy her serious and direct demeanor, and while she can be a jerk at points, she isn't actively aggressive or hostile towards anyone; she just want to be left alone. A lot of her support conversations can be read as her either not trusting humans yet or her just being anti-social, and while you have to pay a lot more attention than you should to notice it, Panne reveals a surprising amount of lore regarding the taguel. And on the flip side, her grumpy and dignified personality combined with Panne's lack of knowledge about human customs leads to some surprisingly hilarious conversations. In gameplay, I actually enjoy using the taguel class, even if it has a bad tendency to fall behind, and I believe Panne, along with Gaius, is one of the best examples of how powerful reclassing can be in Awakening.

Arthur: He has some of the funniest battle dialogue in the series, to the point I used him largely just to hear him speak. It did help that he turned out to be surprisingly competent in my first run of Conquest, and once I made him a hero, his personal skill more or less gave him a permanent 15% crit rate and a solid chance to activate Sol. As character, Arthur may suffer from Fates lack of depth, but I find it admirable how he seeks to be a genuine hero that help others to the best of his ability, despite having no superpowers or other exceptional abilities, and despite how ridiculous his terrible luck can be, he never lets that keep him down. I also appreciate that Arthur knows that not everyone holds his same ideals of justice, and doesn't force them upon others.

Kamui: A mercenary that truly is in it only for the money without being a scumbag about it. I enjoyed his banter with Valbar and Leon, minimal as it may be, and the scene with the Necrodragon got a large laugh out of me, and I'm glad they kept his fear of them from the original Gaiden intact. The scene became even more memorable when he was the one that dealt the final blow to the creature on my first playthrough. I also love how, when everyone else is shouting badass and awesome quotes towards Duma on the final map, Kamui's amounts to "I have no idea how I got myself into this situation". Unit-wise, Kamui has the most balanced growth rates in the game, so he has a hard time falling behind, and still tends to ends up competent even if the RNG isn't kind to him.

Ashe: I should probably complete Three Houses first before jumping at saying who's my favorite character in said game, but screw it. Ashe is a cinnamon roll that is friendly, helpful, wise beyond his years, atones for his past as a thief while using that experience to understand others in similar situations, and doesn't let the negatives of the world compromise his ideals. Can't comment on his gameplay performance since I'm still playing through Three Houses, other than saying that lockpick as a personal skill gives him more versatility than reclassing someone into a thief does.

[Anacybele]

2 hours ago, vanguard333 said:

Since I've covered two of my favourite main characters, I may as well list what I like about my favourite supporting characters:

Rhys:

I really like just how much he cares for the other Greil Mercenaries: he's frail and sickly and just very ill-suited for the battlefield, yet he doesn't let it get to him and he carries on anyway because they need him as the team medic.

I also like just how much of a nice character he is; to the point where, despite clearly not being the white-robed rival Mia's looking for, he still at least tries to learn how to use a sword despite how obviously ill-suited for it he is. Why didn't Mia and Rhys get a paired ending in Radiant Dawn? It could've been so hilarious: Mia travelled the continent in search of worthy opponents. She never worried, for her husband was always able to patch her up whenever she returned home. Rhys, on the other hand...

It also helps that I like light magic and he's the only playable unit in Path of Radiance that can use light magic, and he's a redhead. 

Oh man, great minds here, Rhys is my favorite healer too! For exactly the reasons you say here. He's amazing. 🙂

That theoretical Rhys x Mia ending is perfect too! lol Though I'm also fond of Rhys x Titania because Rhys once saved Titania's life.

Edited February 1, 2020 by Anacybele

[vanguard333]

51 minutes ago, Anacybele said:

Oh man, great minds here, Rhys is my favorite healer too! For exactly the reasons you say here. He's amazing. 🙂

That theoretical Rhys x Mia ending is perfect too! lol Though I'm also fond of Rhys x Titania because Rhys once saved Titania's life.

Thanks again. I'm glad my theoretical Rhys x Mia ending got a laugh. 

[JubileePhoenix]

A lot of peoples favorites are form Tellius. That means all is right with the world. 

[vanguard333]

37 minutes ago, JubileePhoenix said:

A lot of peoples favorites are form Tellius. That means all is right with the world. 

Yep. 

To change things up though, I'm going to list the only character among my favourites to be from the 3DS Era: 

Cordelia:

I'm not a fan of most 3DS-FE characters; most of them are too generic (Chrom) or too one-note and gimmicky (Fates cast). Cordelia is an exception.

At first, she seemed like she would be just as one-note as most due to how much emphasis was placed on her crush on Chrom. Then I saw her support conversations; especially her support conversations with Male Robin. Not only does it not mention Chrom at all, but instead, it went over why she dislikes being called a genius, it explored her past as part of Ylisse's Pegasus Knights, and it has her learn to overcome her grief over the loss of said Pegasus Knights. For a moment, I was almost reminded of the support conversations in Path of Radiance, and I only grew to like her character more as time went on. 

Plus, she's a beautiful redhead. But that's a distant second on my reasons why Cordelia's one of my favourites. 

[Ottservia]

People don't give awakening and fates characters enough credit honestly. A lot of them are actually pretty well written and have a decent amount of depth to them if you bother to read their supports. I'll say fates is very hit or miss. Cause with fates you either get a really good character or a really bad one there is no in between. Anyway on the topic of fates and awakening characters I'm just gonna say Inigo/Laslow. I like him a lot especially in fates cause you can really tell how much he's matured since the events of awakening. In awakening, he was your typical flirt that smiles to try and mask the deep-rooted pain he feels deep down. He's not very honest and won't give up the facade even when it's clear he's hurting. He sort of learns to grow out of it in a few supports(Namely the one with his father) and in fates you can really see that growth shine through in a lot of subtle ways. Instead of always trying fake a smile when things seem down, he's a lot more open with others. Like in his supports with Mozu when she's feeling down because she starts remembering her dead family, he immediately goes to comfort her and try to relate to her by relaying his own similar struggle. That's something the Inigo from awakening wouldn't do, he'd rather try to tell a joke to lighten up the mood. Laslow isn't like that anymore though. He's certainly grown and it's very refreshing to see.