CH0D
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Posts posted by CH0D
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Suikoden II is a hard bop: fantastic characters, amazing soundtrack, and a badass plot!
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On 2/14/2020 at 3:00 PM, vanguard333 said:
Two things:
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Interesting. Now you know how I felt when you said Ike was generic and Elincia was a worse Celica; the difference being that I played and paid attention to Shadows of Valentia. (
Please don't interpret this as passive-aggressive; I'm actually perfectly calm and, if anything, having a small chuckle about this). - I'm curious: why? Are there any particular reasons?
Well specifically with Berkut I just really love his voice acting and overall character. I don't really know much to say other than that about him, I've always enjoyed the more egotistical and "insane" characters/villians in the franchise so seeing one that was all of that and understandable is refreshing. In terms of his general character I think he's pretty well written, he was raised as the heir to Rigel so naturally when that's taken from him his entire life is shattered.
I like Fernand for generally the same reason, I think a lot of fiction in general is quick to say "noble bad" whereas he shows how they're people too, and how their negative actions have much more unintential whiplash. It's the same reason I like Ferdinand and Lorenz too, more the former.
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Interesting. Now you know how I felt when you said Ike was generic and Elincia was a worse Celica; the difference being that I played and paid attention to Shadows of Valentia. (
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On 2/14/2020 at 10:34 PM, eclipse said:
This isn't a hard decision. I'm all for experimentation, even if it turns out to be a trainwreck.
I mean, it's really subjective. I know I'm not for experimentation but that doesn't make either of us right or wrong.
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On 2/7/2020 at 4:52 AM, Sid Starkiller said:
Why are people so afraid of making hard decisions?
I agree with your main point. It's best there isn't a best route
To answer this question specifically, the answer is the question. They're hard decisions. People are afraid because of the implication of a finite wrong decision and it's lasting repurcussions. I mean obviously this is a video game and you can replay it multiple times, but it's also the reason I and a lot of people play certain games with a guide, to make sure you don't miss out on anything.
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On 2/13/2020 at 8:03 AM, vanguard333 said:
Yeah; he's not very good. He's ineffective, he's not scary, and the only real means to find him sympathetic is through playing DLC. Honestly, most of the antagonists in SOV are rather weak, but he and Berkut are both weak and filler.
They're my favorite villians in the series... 😥
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On 2/11/2020 at 7:12 PM, vanguard333 said:
Right from the get-go, we see how different Ike is from other FE lords with his determination, stubbornness, recklessness, and need to get stronger all on full display as early as the prologue, with him desperate to do so much as land one decent blow on Commander Greil during sparring. And that only becomes the tip of the iceberg.
Hector, Alm, and Leif all fit this description as well. You say a lot about how Ike is the only/first lord to be developed in a certain way or act in a certain way, and it's really not true, but whatevs.
I'm done talking about this, I am uninformed about PoR and RD's stories as that has become incredibly clear, so any debate/arguement I make is pretty much invalid, I just have subjective problems with PoR, and I thought that I stressed that a ton but apparently not enough. PoR is a good game, Ike is a good character, they just fall short in my opinion. I have more objective problems with RD though, but it's more about the gameplay/pacing than the story and subjective stuff.
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Makalov. Love the man with all my heart, shit heads like him are very refreshing among the sea of complex=good characters.
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On 2/7/2020 at 4:40 PM, vanguard333 said:
You didn't know a lot of this stuff? A lot of the stuff I mentioned is pointed out in the story in both games. I want this out of the way that I genuinely am not saying this to be insulting in any way; only as a genuine question: how much were you paying attention when playing Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn?
I hadn't yet gotten to the part where I compare Elincia and Celica; I was just trying to describe Elincia at that point. The comparison was to typical past FE princesses; at the time of their respective games, Celica and Elincia were atypical in different, but intersecting ways.
No; I mean that it makes her an interesting character. Don't get me wrong; it can sometimes be interesting to see a character cave under the pressure. But it is also interesting to see a character overcome their personal issues (or at least learn how to put them aside for the moment) and deal with what's in front of them. That is interesting to see, and seeing her buckle under the pressure, but also rise above it, is realistic and engaging.
For Celica, I find that her growth comes way too late in the game and is almost glossed over. She doesn't learn her mistake until after she is fed to Duma, and afterward, her moment of growth is almost glossed over as part 5's all about Alm being the hero. Seriously, I even looked back at the script for part 5 to double-check; it's basically Celica saying "I'm sorry" to Alm, telling him that she was wrong and he was right, and then briefly trying to convince Jedah to back down. Duma doesn't even acknowledge Celica at all; referring only to Alm as the Hero of Valentia.
She's the last of the Crimean Royal Family (her uncle Renning lives, but that isn't revealed until just before the endgame of Radiant Dawn). By the time she does sit on the Crimean Throne, she has already grown over the course of Path of Radiance and shown leadership.
The End Cinematic of Path of Radiance:
I didn't say that Celica starting right away was a bad thing; I was trying to highlight that she isn't "Elincia but better". They are different characters who intersect in some ways but are ultimately different; one isn't a superior version of the other. I do think Elincia is a better-written than Celica, but I can also concede that part of that is because Path of Radiance is an overall better-written game than Shadows of Valentia.
Some of them are unsurpassable: Elincia, at the end of Part 2, is forced to choose between giving up the crown to Ludveck in exchange for the life of her foster-sister Lucia, or helplessly watch as Lucia gets hanged. Ultimately, after speaking with Ludveck and seeing just how twisted he is, she chooses that she won't hand over Crimea to him; knowing full well what this means. Lucia even supports this decision, stating, "People of Crimea… Behold a true queen! YOUR queen! Long live Queen Elincia!”
Lucia's life is saved by the Greil Mercenaries, who had been secretly hired by Bastian as a fail-save, but Elincia did not know that. Also, given how much Elincia has to wade through, I think she earns her successes.
Alm's issues aren't that he messes up less than Celica: the issues are that he never messes up at all. Even something that should by all accounts lead to a mess-up magically doesn't. The game treats him as a perfect little boy who can do no wrong and is the hero everyone, especially Celica, needs. Every girl (except Mathilda) wants him, and every guy wants to be him. If that sounds familiar at all, it's because Alm is a Mary Sue.
Anyway, thanks for the reply; I just thought I'd clarify some things.
Ehhhhhhh... Whatever, I'm not gonna argue about anything Elincia or Celica based anymore, my opinion hasn't changed.
I don't think Alm is a Mary Sue. I also think SoV was competely fine in its writing overall.
As for how much I paid attention, not much really. I thought the story was really boring an I never felt attached to any of the characters. Ike's generic personality didn't really help that. At least Alm was really well voice acted and a little goofy at times, making him more likeable IMO.
It really just comes down to preference here. I don't like PoR or RD, or the characters really. But they aren't objectively bad. (Kinda)
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16 hours ago, Shrimperor said:
Imo, you already played Thracia at it's peak, which is the Manster Arc.
Why people love Thracia so much (including me) usually comes down to it's unique mechanics, some which still define the series to this day and some which never came back. Despite it's mechanics, the game still has alot of what i would call ''Kaga bs surprises''. I am not a fan of them, Die Hard Thracia fans usually love them though.
I wouldn't say the manster arc is the best part it's one of the better parts, but I think the game get's really fun when you get to experiment with different strategies, i.e. warp/rewarp staves.
Also I don't entirely remember the Kaga BS surprises thing, I think a lot of people need to remember that this game, like the rest, was not intended to be played perfectly. A lot of mechanics and story elements fit this perfectly. While I can see why that deters some people, due to the developed fear of unit death and mistakes, I think Thracia handles it in a really good way. The BS surprises aren't to make you fail, rather keep you on your toes and remind you that sometimes you cant always be successful. However, this is all a matter of opinion.
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19 hours ago, vanguard333 said:
I was making a joke about the Ike and Elinicia thing; I thought the fact that I put a strikethrough through it made it obvious that I was joking.
And... wow; that's a really reductive view of Elincia. I respect your opinion, but misrepresentation and reductivism are two things I take issue with. ( @Anacybele Can you help me out with this?)
Path of Radiance Elincia is a good character with a great character arc. She was never meant to rule: she was born after her uncle was named the king's successor, so she was sent to a villa and raised in secret. She may start off sheltered like other FE princesses, but she grows out of it. Over the course of the game, she grows as a character; taking a more active role in retaking Crimea and even taking to the battlefield. She is not basic.
Then, for Radiant Dawn, "just kinda ruled poorly offscreen lol, rebellion time" is so reductive and misrepresentative that I hardly know where to begin. By all accounts in Radiant Dawn, she was doing a great job leading Crimea during its recovery; inviting the Laguz to help rebuild, making little reforms here and there, etc. She's still plagued by insecurity over whether or not she's worthy of being Queen, but that's something she's been struggling with since Path of Radiance and is completely understandable given everything we know about her. The thing that frankly makes her a great character is that, despite how much that weighs on her, she still leads to the best of her abilities. Celica, by contrast, panics from her insecurities over Alm and decides to trust Evil Smurf Jedah.
Ludveck's rebellion is not from Elincia ruling poorly; it is entirely from him being a self-centered a****** who believes that a ruler who isn't ruthless is a terrible ruler. He is the equivalent of a politician getting people angry at the current leader over stuff caused by the previous leader (the previous leader in this case being Daein). Elincia is not peace-loving; what she is, is a ruler that recognizes that Crimea is still recovering from King Ashnard's war and cannot afford to plunge into civil war or go to war with another nation. So, naturally, she wanted to resolve the unrest in Crimea as peacefully as possible. But when push came to shove, she did not hesitate to show backbone.
Then, in part 3, she declares neutrality because her people nearly went through civil war on top of still recovering from the Mad King's war. Of course she declares neutrality. But, when Begnion decides to march through Crimea anyway and pillage whatever they want along the way, she sends the Crimean Knights. When the Laguz Alliance and the Begnion Army are about to fight, she flies between them and demands they leave Crimea and take their fight elsewhere; a move so audacious that everyone except Valtome respects it and is about to leave until they realize Valtome isn't leaving.
"Celica is just a better done version of her" I hardly understand how the two are even comparable frankly. Elincia's insecurities are over whether or not she can be the ruler her people need her to be since she wasn't raised for it, Celica's insecurities are over a boy (
cough more evidence Alm is a Mary Sue cough). Elincia shows reason, diplomacy, and levelheadedness. Celica displays no such traits. Elincia is made playable late-game as a reflection of how far her character has come; that she's now ready to fight alongside the Greil Mercenaries and be part of the fight for Crimea's Liberation. Celica is playable right from the beginning of Part 2 as she journeys to talk to Mila to find a way to keep Alm from getting killed. …Yay?Elincia is a fantastic character with plenty of depth and a lot to enjoy about her. Celica would've been better off in a game without Alm in it.
Thank you of informing me of all of this, I was not aware of most of this information.
However I do think some of my points still stand
19 hours ago, vanguard333 said:Path of Radiance Elincia is a good character with a great character arc. She was never meant to rule: she was born after her uncle was named the king's successor, so she was sent to a villa and raised in secret. She may start off sheltered like other FE princesses, but she grows out of it. Over the course of the game, she grows as a character; taking a more active role in retaking Crimea and even taking to the battlefield. She is not basic.
Maybe I'm hearing this incorrectly, but to me these things happen to Celica as well, so saying they aren't at least repeated traits between them is a bit of a stretch.
19 hours ago, vanguard333 said:The thing that frankly makes her a great character is that, despite how much that weighs on her, she still leads to the best of her abilities. Celica, by contrast, panics from her insecurities over Alm and decides to trust Evil Smurf Jedah.
I left out the first part because I have nothing to say to it. That was a very good point.
The first part isn't true at all. you make the mistake of saying that makes her a good character. What you mean is that it makes her a good person. What makes a god character is much more subjective, but I think it comes down to three main things, preference, impression, and expectation. So while I agree she's a good person who has grown, that doesn't really qualify as an enjoyabe character in my eyes. Rather, your second sentence explains perfectly why I like Celica. She has flaws. And she is able to overcome them, something I find much more enjoyable to read and think about because it's a much more realistic possibility. Also she sees two options, die, or die, but for something maybe, so I don't personally think her decision was horrible.
19 hours ago, vanguard333 said:"Celica is just a better done version of her" I hardly understand how the two are even comparable frankly. Elincia's insecurities are over whether or not she can be the ruler her people need her to be since she wasn't raised for it, Celica's insecurities are over a boy (
cough more evidence Alm is a Mary Sue cough). Elincia shows reason, diplomacy, and levelheadedness. Celica displays no such traits. Elincia is made playable late-game as a reflection of how far her character has come; that she's now ready to fight alongside the Greil Mercenaries and be part of the fight for Crimea's Liberation. Celica is playable right from the beginning of Part 2 as she journeys to talk to Mila to find a way to keep Alm from getting killed. …Yay?Elincia is a fantastic character with plenty of depth and a lot to enjoy about her. Celica would've been better off in a game without Alm in it.
I feel this just kind of lines up with what I said previously. Also, maybe I'm just not understanding, but if she doesn't want to rule, and doesn't think she can, then why does she? I get it, the whole daughter of the king thing, but it just seems irresponsible to put her on the throne fundamentally. Also, Celica is also seeking out Mila to save pretty much everybody, because no one can grow any crops, at all, so Alm is just a side objective for her. Celica starting right off the bat isn't a bad thing. Elincia joining later shows growth and fits her character kinda, but Celica being reckless and fighting immediatly fits her in her own way. Just like Alm she's reckless in her own goals, hers are driven more towards peace, however she's just as reckless. Which is why they're both necessary. Their recklessness is their connecting bond as characters. Alm charges into war, whereas Celica charges into her own individual conflicts.
I feel at the end of the day it comes down to preference here. I don't like Elincia because of how successful she is against all of her odds, because some of them just shouldn't be surpassable. I actually would have prefered it if she sucked at ruling, but how she ends up being fine at it just doesn't really fit my tastes. On the other hand Celica messes up. A lot. And so does Alm. Though not as much, which I will agree with is an issue, however I think if you get Mathilda killed it vastly increases the games quality of story and makes a lot more sense. (Sorry Mathilda.)
The whole growth thing is reall good, I do like characters who grow over the story to become better versions of themselves, however I prefer when its done through failure rather than success. Leif gets captured, almost rendering his efforts useless, and gets one of his closest allies killed.
At the end of the day it's opinion, and while I still dislike Elincia, I am glad you informed me about her character more.
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Next time you'll see me post here is when we're at 802,700!
34,205
For now...
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1 hour ago, Icelerate said:
I'm currently on chapter 10 of Thracia 776 but I highly doubt it gets so much better to become a masterpiece. There are very few games I'd call masterpieces and so far none of the FE games I've played (4,6,7,8,9,10) strike me as such. What does Thracia do later on to become worthy of becoming a masterpiece IYO?
It's one of the few FE games that I feel allows for real unique problem solving and planning. The two routes allow for different characters each playthrough, and crusader scrolls allow for you to customize units in a way that doesn't really feel cheap. PCC adds a new layer of strength to units, and build as a stat with a growth and the capture mechanic allows for otherwise "useless" units to be useful as well as completey new strategies and playstyles. Each character is viable and the game is fairly balanced, sure, some units are better than others, and some chapters are a little annoying, but if you want you can use really unique strategies to complete them. Warp staffs are the most abundant they've been in the series which allows for unique positioning and really fun ideas. Plus, though the story isn't much, for what it is it's really good. Every playthrough you find out a new way to play, and it's easily one of the most replayable games in the franchise, with its large cast that can all be used and extreme amount of possibilities.
(Also movement and leadership stars are muey bueno, and it has the best execution of thieves in the franchise IMO.)
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While I would love a Thracia remake that won't be happening without a Genealogy one happening first, which i don't think is their priority. If I could choose a realistic remake I would absolutely love a FE6 remake. It makes sense given Roy's popularity, it would get a lot of people interested purely from smash too.
I would love a Thracia remake though. I'm actually writing a concept piece for what it would and should be like, so I think if done right it could be amazing, however I can see IS messing it up very badly, so I'm honestly hesitant.
3 hours ago, Shrimperor said:Fire Emblem Almyra 886
Yes please. I would love this, but it could also be hilarious as an April Fools joke.
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14 hours ago, vanguard333 said:
What's wrong with the designs? Honestly, compared to quite a few FE games
cough Awakening, Fates and SoV coughI'd say that they're quite tame and overall pretty good. Seriously; can you give any specifics on what's wrong with them?Why does Elincia get on your nerves?
Is it the fact that she marries Geoffrey instead of Ike?This isn't necessarily a critique of the game, just a personal issue. I think the designs are just really akward, and the only ones that really stand out to me are the realy unique ones like Makalov and Stephen. The red and green cavaliers are a staple of the franchise that I want to exist forever, but I thin Oscar and Keiran are the least standout of the bunch, at least in terms of design. They're the only simply red and green colored one since Cain and Abel, every other group was at least a bit different including the closest ones (Alec and Lance) had just enough weird coloration to make them stand out. Also I personally really like SoV's designs, and I think Awakening has some gems, like the armor is weird but at least it's consistent among it's characters, and the faces and hair stood out, whereas in PoR I doubt I could name the entire cast. It's supposed to be a ragtag bunch of people, but oddly enough I feel a good majority are kinda barely not interesting enough. This part is entirely my opinion though so I don't hold it agaisnt the game, just a preference.
I could care less about if she got with Ike or not, he's one of my least favorite lords in the franchise. I'm more annoyed by how she's just such a basc character. Just another peace loving female written by IS sadly. And those never really turn out well. Celica is just a better done version of her imo, showing her naivety and poor decision making skills in an understandable way, rather than how Elincia is just kinda, "ruled poorly offscreen lol, rebellion time."
14 hours ago, Eltosian Kadath said:Radiant Dawn didn't really have supports, there were the mechanical effect of supports and characters would have a generic single line of "dialogue" with their support partner, but that isn't a real support conversation. Path of Radiance on the other hand had a fully functional support system. Radiant Dawn had a lot of issues, but they tried something different with it, and I find it hard to hate the game for it. If the Fire Emblem games weren't willing to take risks on wild experiments like Radiant Dawn we wouldn't have a master pieces like Thracia 776.
Yeah Radiant Dawn has a lot of issues in my opinion. Lack of supports and reliance on PoR to give you information is a pretty big issue. I get it's a sequel, but years have passed, so there is plenty of material there.
It has the balls to try something new, but the new things just aren't very good, fundementally. In an rpg about exp management and strategy, having a major concept being skipping around between multiple groups with varying levels of strength and practically constant unit variation is a pretty big issue. If you were playing the game for the first time you could put a lot of investment into a character, particularly one of the new ones because they are new and not just one of the many many many same characters, just to have them turn out unviable because the game doesn't allow for them to be is really frustrating. Plus the story is pretty bad in my opinion. The only new mechanic that I find positive is the inclusion of third tier classes, because it's always nice to see units get better, even if this game doesn't really encourage growth.
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6 hours ago, vanguard333 said:
What?
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but that last part is objectively wrong: we get plenty of information about all the characters in Path of Radiance, whether they’re important to the story or not, and we learn lots about them through multiple means; the two biggest ones being support conversations and base conversations.
The only characters we don’t learn too much of are the side characters exclusive to Radiant Dawn due to the support conversations bring pretty much nothing. Even then, there’s still some stuff to learn from their base conversations.
To be fair I did play the game a while ago so I could be remembering differently, but I don't really remember the support convos at all. Like I couldn't tell you about to many characters, other than Makalov, who's my favorite.
The designs are just really weird and not the best tbh, and that's all my opinion, but it still exists for me. I specifically strongly dislike a good amount of characters from Tellius too. Jill, Soren, Titania, Lucia, Naesala, and Elincia all really get on my nerves.
I'll give the supports and character information the benefit of the doubt, but even then it still has a lot going against it imo.
PoR isn't a big offender tbh, it's a solid game, but its sequel is a completely different story....
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On 2/3/2020 at 9:35 AM, vanguard333 said:
Complexity does not equal depth.
This statement brings joy.
On 2/3/2020 at 9:35 AM, vanguard333 said:I have played Path of Radiance, and that game had enough: a straightforward, refined and elegant story with plenty of depth here and there. To this day, I think it has easily the best story in Fire Emblem.
This statement does not bring joy.
Unpopular opinion #1: Thracia 776 is the best game in the franchise because it manages to be incredible despite it's flaws and limitations, and everything about the game works perfectly for itself. Everything in the game fits around the game's central concept of potential. The emphasis on growth boosting based items, the conflicts Lief has to overcome and his progress throughout the story, everything is just fantastic. And at the end of the day I think every character has a purpose in that game. F-ing Ralph stands for the common man's aid in the war effort and rebellion. Kain Alva and Robert are essentially meant to stand in for the common soldiers that join Lief from the people he allies himself with, and their honestly lackuster performance without aid reflects how often in war you aren't given the best support, even from allies. I just love this game so much.
Unpopular opinion #2: As hinted at above, I very much dislike the Tellius games. I think they're bad, the soundtrack is mediocre, the character designs are okay, you don't get information about characters who aren't extremely important or just clearly emphasized for whatever reason. (Jill, Soren, Titania, etc.)
I could talk about why I consider them the worst in the franchise, specifically RD, but for now I won't get too into the negativity.
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Whatever the final map theme was, generally I find that to be the only piece that sticks with me.
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Big man Balthus
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I think Bard could be actually really sick. Like think about it, a BAND CLASS where Byleth has to teach trombone or something to a selected student would be fantastic, for gameplay, meme potential, and in general fun. Make it happen IS! And it could be like a Lewyn Bard too, it doesn't have to be an Elfin/Nils one!
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Ashe. I find it impossible to kill Fire Emblem's purest boy.
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Amazing least favorite, I don't think I can take another Lief and Finn massacre, also honestly a lot of people really want Jill anyway so...
WYR have your favorite Fire Emblem game be remade but essentially the exact same, or have your favorite game out of 7 through 16 be ported with way more good content?
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I just want Leon 😭
Tbh I don't really care as long as it's not some super weird thing, and even then that's subjective and I'll always be happy for the people that wanted that character. I honestly just really want them to go back to doing involved character trailers. Stuff like Hero's where it's preexisting smash bros things happening and it's not obvious and let's you speculate a bit. While I was happy with Byleth I really disliked the trailer, that was my main issue, I think it sucked, though I am happy for the character.
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I mean, my personal dream character is Leon S Kennedy from Resident Evil 2, 4, and 6, but I also would love Ryu from Ninja Gaiden, or Dante.
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Shadow Dragon: Ogma and Palla
Gaiden/SOV: Python and Genny
New Mystery: Aran and Malice
Genealogy Gen 1: Jamke and Fury
Genealogy Gen 2: Finn and Nanna
Thracia 776: Lifis and Machua
Binding Blade: Treck and Elen
Blazing Sword: Harken and Fiora
Sacred Stones: Gerik and Tethys
Path of Radiance: Makalov and Astrid
Radiant Dawn: Kyza and Fiona
Awakening Gen 1: Vaike and Say'ri
Awakening Gen 2: Brady and Cynthia
Fates Gen 1: Shura and Reina
Fates Gen 2: Siegbert and Soleil
Three Houses: Sylvain and Manuela
Serenes' most wanted characters for Heroes
in Fire Emblem Heroes
Posted
Lifis, I love him so much.