Best/Worst in the Series: Round 90

[Acacia Sgt]

None of the other FE lords had that kind of ridiculous inborn innate, no-item-needed advantage over everyone else, especially the seer abilities. Imagine how silly the Elibe saga would've been if Eliwood could "sense" the evil coming from whereever.

Except said abilities weren't within the limits of their setting. With stuff like the Herons and the Apostle position, said abilities have an in-story justification of existing and why X character has them... in the Tellius setting, which is where Micaiah is from

[eclipse]

It's a matter of "Hey, there's crap coming from place X; let's go!" as an inborn talent versus "From the information I've gathered, it looks like trouble's gonna happen at place X!" One requires analysis; the other doesn't. Guess which scenario I despise more?

[Florete]

It's a matter of "Hey, there's crap coming from place X; let's go!" as an inborn talent versus "From the information I've gathered, it looks like trouble's gonna happen at place X!" One requires analysis; the other doesn't. Guess which scenario I despise more?

Again: I don't see how this is a problem (past you "despising" it). The Fire Emblem series is obviously known to contain many fantasy elements. Why does this get everyone's panties in a bunch?

[eclipse]

1. It's bad writing.

2. If Micaiah didn't have that plethora of inborn abilities (especially the seer ability), I probably would've liked her a lot more. She was in an interesting situation, but she had too many convenient tools to help her.

[Kay]

Worst: Naesala

Dishonorable mentions to Sigrun, Aran, and Colm.

Best: Valter

Honorable mentions to Knoll, Renault, Pent, and Haar.

[Florete]

1. It's bad writing.

2. If Micaiah didn't have that plethora of inborn abilities (especially the seer ability), I probably would've liked her a lot more. She was in an interesting situation, but she had too many convenient tools to help her.

Explain. The way I see it, it was explained and justified, so it works out fine. It's already been shown that she is not perfect and makes mistakes, so it isn't like she uses random abilities to God mode her way through the story. Yes, she is an important character with a lot plot points revolving around her and her heritage. Why is this an issue? If anything I think it's a lot better than standard FE where there's usually one important "good guy" and one important "bad guy." This was more than just a battle between good and evil.

[eclipse]

Bad writing is having too many things going right for the main character, which is exactly what the beginning of Micaiah's story is.

- "Oh no, some kid's gonna get hurt because of us! I need to go back and heal him, and in the process, the entire town will believe in me!"

- "There's an ambush over there. I'll lure them away, to protect my friends."

- "Something important's gonna happen if we go into the desert. Let's go!"

- "Thanks to my previous miraculous acts, I've got the ear of Daein's prince!"

- "I suddenly went Soren and am storming the Begnions~!"

- "Oh hey, we overthrew the super-evil guys! But why am I suddenly malfunctioning? I'm supposed to be a miracle machine!"

That's nauseating. She was more tolerable in Part 3 (where things began going wrong), and then. . .

- "I just knew the words necessary to save the world. That's all."

REALLY? UGH!

[BrightBow]

Bad writing is having too many things going right for the main character, which is exactly what the beginning of Micaiah's story is.

- "Oh no, some kid's gonna get hurt because of us! I need to go back and heal him, and in the process, the entire town will believe in me!"

I thought it was a good scene since it showed how her future telling ability and her empathy could backfire. She could sense that the boy would die shouldn't she interfere but she didn't take into account that if she did so she was also endangering everyone else present. Many people died there to protect her just because their beloved savior chose her empathy over her common sense. Acts like this might get her a reputations as the messiah but with her bad judgment it just means the people of Daein are following her to their doom.

- "There's an ambush over there. I'll lure them away, to protect my friends."

I kinda agree since while she made the same mistake as above, this time things worked out in her favor.

- "Something important's gonna happen if we go into the desert. Let's go!"

Well it didn't made much of a difference since they were going into the desert anyway to meet the rebells. All she did was predicting something that would have happened regardless.

- "Thanks to my previous miraculous acts, I've got the ear of Daein's prince!"

Technically in this case it has less to do with her Jesus reputation and more with them being both spirit charmers facing a fish out of water situation. He also likes her for her self-sacrifice fetish. And Micaiah trusts him because she feels he is a good person, ignoring that he is an incompetent idiot who would sign a contract with his own blood.

And after Pellas chose Micaiah as the highest ranking general of Daein, the country's fate depends on a moron and a female yes-man. Naturally this gets people killed.

- "I suddenly went Soren and am storming the Begnions~!"

I don't understand what you mean? Her doing mass-murdering in part 3? But if so, what does "storming the Begnions" refer to.

- "Oh hey, we overthrew the super-evil guys! But why am I suddenly malfunctioning? I'm supposed to be a miracle machine!"

But isn't this supposed to be a list of things where things go right for her?

That's nauseating. She was more tolerable in Part 3 (where things began going wrong), and then. . .

- "I just knew the words necessary to save the world. That's all."

I agree. However I do think the foreshadowing in the previous games epilogue at least helps selling it a bit.

Either way, the only thing that really bugs me with Micaiah is that she never learns from her mistakes and never shows being troubled about the whole massmurder thing after Part 3.

Edited May 14, 2011 by BrightBow

[Anouleth]

None of the other FE lords had that kind of ridiculous inborn innate, no-item-needed advantage over everyone else, especially the seer abilities.

No, instead of inheriting some power from their bloodline, they're just inherently awesome and beloved by everyone for no particular reason. When Micaiah needs to rely upon her foresight in order to command effectively (and otherwise needs to rely on 'tricks' in order to win), that makes her a Mary-Sue, but when Ike, with his complete lack of experience, is somehow the greatest commander in all of Tellius, that's perfectly fine. Micaiah being able to heal when she has a good reason is Mary-Sue, but Ike being one of the best fighters in the world with... no good reason at all is not a Gary-Stu.

Imagine how silly the Elibe saga would've been if Eliwood could "sense" the evil coming from whereever.

Sophia? Ninils? Myrrh? This trope is as old as the hills, and there have been plenty of characters who could 'sense' evil or danger in Fire Emblem. It just so happens that this time round, she's a protagonist as well.

[eclipse]

No, instead of inheriting some power from their bloodline, they're just inherently awesome and beloved by everyone for no particular reason. When Micaiah needs to rely upon her foresight in order to command effectively (and otherwise needs to rely on 'tricks' in order to win), that makes her a Mary-Sue, but when Ike, with his complete lack of experience, is somehow the greatest commander in all of Tellius, that's perfectly fine. Micaiah being able to heal when she has a good reason is Mary-Sue, but Ike being one of the best fighters in the world with... no good reason at all is not a Gary-Stu.

Ike had to rely on the advice of others time and again. He had to decide whether they were giving him good advice or stupid advice. Talking to others, considering their input, and then making a decision based off of it is what leadership is about. This is painfully apparent in the beginning of Path of Radiance.

Greil on the other hand. . .OMGWTF were you thinking?

As for his crazy fighting ability, that seems to be a "flaw" that runs through every single FE lord, so I'm not holding that against him, or any of the other lords.

Sophia? Ninils? Myrrh? This trope is as old as the hills, and there have been plenty of characters who could 'sense' evil or danger in Fire Emblem. It just so happens that this time round, she's a protagonist as well.

Again, the person in charge had to decide whether to trust them or not. I have slightly less of a problem with it if the character is in an advisory position. If Nils was leading Eliwood's army, I'd throw something into a wall.

I don't understand what you mean? Her doing mass-murdering in part 3? But if so, what does "storming the Begnions" refer to.

Takeover of Daein. How many times did Pelleas screw up with her in charge?

[Life]

Ike had to rely on the advice of others time and again. He had to decide whether they were giving him good advice or stupid advice. Talking to others, considering their input, and then making a decision based off of it is what leadership is about. This is painfully apparent in the beginning of Path of Radiance.

Greil on the other hand. . .OMGWTF were you thinking?

As for his crazy fighting ability, that seems to be a "flaw" that runs through every single FE lord, so I'm not holding that against him, or any of the other lords.

I completely agree with you here. PoR is all about Ike maturing into the leader of his company. Remember that this game takes at least a year (it says so in the actual script). Ike is never envisioned as perfect in PoR, just a very competent general and a street-smart kid. He is the first FE Lord to break the mold of "I'm a noble, I get whatever I want by asking for it".

The best example of this is the Marcia recruitment. Because Ike and co. save her back in Chapter 3, Marcia joins the company in Chapter 9.

EDIT: Forgot my shit.

Best: Roy.

What the hell is with the Roy hating? Think about it. Roy leads what looks like a dead army to victory. But check out the way he thinks and acts. What happened on the Western Isles? He got forced into a political mess and had to literally fight his way out of it. But he does it not just with weapons but also with quick thinking. He comes up with brilliant plans that work not because that's the storyline (Micaiah, I'm looking at you) but because they're actually fundamentally sound (contact Etruria for protection, for instance). Roy is possibly the smartest FE lord in the entire series and was actually well written. And he's a pimp.

Worst: Micaiah.

Edited May 14, 2011 by Life

[El Rey León]

1. It's bad writing.

2. If Micaiah didn't have that plethora of inborn abilities (especially the seer ability), I probably would've liked her a lot more. She was in an interesting situation, but she had too many convenient tools to help her.

It's not inherently bad writing, more of a horrible execution. There are plenty of places you can take a character with Micaiah's abilities and make her a tragic or interesting character. IS just...didn't go there.

Part 3 could have been a part where they could've saved themselves, but again IS didn't take that road.

And all the cred they almost built is swiftly swept away in Part 4 with everyone forgetting she's a mass-murderer that nearly killed Sanaki, because "she is sooooo great."

"Nobody doubts your gift, Micaiah." Said by freakin' SKRIMIR of all people. Ugh.

Micaiah had the potential to be one of the greyest FE lords ever, but they just had to Sue her up.

[Florete]

I haven't gotten all the way, but I've gone far enough in my re-run of RD's story to answer some of this.

Bad writing is having too many things going right for the main character, which is exactly what the beginning of Micaiah's story is.

Not enough information. That would only be bad writing if it didn't make sense or was in extremely excessive amounts, which it isn't for Micaiah.

It should also be noted that while all these things are "going right" for her, her country is under oppression by Begnion and she is constantly on the run as the main target of Jarod and the Senators. Thing is, the situation can't get much worse anyway.

- "Oh no, some kid's gonna get hurt because of us! I need to go back and heal him, and in the process, the entire town will believe in me!"

The town was siding with her before the healing as it is (this caused Nico to get shot in the first place). And why shouldn't they? The Dawn Brigade is a vigilante group trying to help their country in a time of need. If I were a citizen of Daein at that time, I'd side with the only hope of liberating my country as well!

- "There's an ambush over there. I'll lure them away, to protect my friends."

So in order for something to go right, something first has to go wrong. How is this a problem? Micaiah got herself sent to prison. Yes, it turned out okay in the end, but how else were they supposed to advance the plot? Just the standard "Fuck logic, punch bitches" and God mode their way through brute force? Or maybe let Micaiah rot in prison for eternity?

No. Micaiah has her foresight for a reason, and they use it to good effect in the story. If this makes her a Mary Sue, then I'll wonder why being a Mary Sue is automatically written off as being a bad thing.

- "Something important's gonna happen if we go into the desert. Let's go!"

As BrightBow mentioned, they were already going there. And I don't even remember Micaiah envisioning anything happening there. I think the only thing was that Daniel and Jorge told her about the rumors of King Ashnard's son near the Desert of Death. It's shown later that rumors can spread like wildfire if told to the right people when Izuka spreads the word about Micaiah and Pelleas, so it's not a surprise that this information reached Micaiah's ears, and we don't actually know how long it took to get to her.

If you're talking about the meeting with Rafiel, Volug, and Nailah, I found it pretty obvious that Yune brought them together, though you can only really see this if you know what Yune actually is.

- "Thanks to my previous miraculous acts, I've got the ear of Daein's prince!"

"Daein's Prince," who is still not accustomed to even being referred to by that title. Someone like Micaiah, who has the trust and support of the people already, is exactly what Pelleas (and Izuka) needed. There was no way he could do it alone and he knew that. So yes, what you say here is completely true, but not without good reason.

And that's about as far as I've gotten for now.

[Junkhead]

lol most people have either played FE10 or know the spoilers

Doesn't change the fact that there are people that haven't played it.

And for the record, a bad written personality isn't generic. Something you keep misinterpreting with "omg Micaiah's generic because she annoys the hell out of me".

Edited May 15, 2011 by Soul

[eclipse]

It should also be noted that while all these things are "going right" for her, her country is under oppression by Begnion and she is constantly on the run as the main target of Jarod and the Senators. Thing is, the situation can't get much worse anyway.

Oh yes, things could have been MUCH worse. How many of her companions sold her out to Begnion? What about them unknowingly running into traps set by their enemies?

The town was siding with her before the healing as it is (this caused Nico to get shot in the first place). And why shouldn't they? The Dawn Brigade is a vigilante group trying to help their country in a time of need. If I were a citizen of Daein at that time, I'd side with the only hope of liberating my country as well!

I didn't mind the first part, because they had to take her group on faith. Things became stupid once the faith portion evaporated.

So in order for something to go right, something first has to go wrong. How is this a problem? Micaiah got herself sent to prison. Yes, it turned out okay in the end, but how else were they supposed to advance the plot? Just the standard "Fuck logic, punch bitches" and God mode their way through brute force? Or maybe let Micaiah rot in prison for eternity?

Like, NOT write that chapter entirely. Or have several people go to prison because Micaiah didn't predict that there was an ambush somewhere. Or perhaps have someone (even her!) scout ahead, and barely escape. Something more plausible than "I know there's an ambush up ahead because I'm me".

No. Micaiah has her foresight for a reason, and they use it to good effect in the story. If this makes her a Mary Sue, then I'll wonder why being a Mary Sue is automatically written off as being a bad thing.

I disagree. Such power should be relegated to someone in an advisory situation, at best.

As BrightBow mentioned, they were already going there. And I don't even remember Micaiah envisioning anything happening there. I think the only thing was that Daniel and Jorge told her about the rumors of King Ashnard's son near the Desert of Death. It's shown later that rumors can spread like wildfire if told to the right people when Izuka spreads the word about Micaiah and Pelleas, so it's not a surprise that this information reached Micaiah's ears, and we don't actually know how long it took to get to her.

http://www.serenesforest.net/fe10/script/1_4a.html

That's the section I was referring to.

If you're talking about the meeting with Rafiel, Volug, and Nailah, I found it pretty obvious that Yune brought them together, though you can only really see this if you know what Yune actually is.

That I would accept, barely.

"Daein's Prince," who is still not accustomed to even being referred to by that title. Someone like Micaiah, who has the trust and support of the people already, is exactly what Pelleas (and Izuka) needed. There was no way he could do it alone and he knew that. So yes, what you say here is completely true, but not without good reason.

Part of that fame is due to her miracle-working, something that no one else in her group could do. If she had gotten her fame through wits, charisma, and sound advice, I'd be more inclined to believe it.

[Anouleth]

Ike had to rely on the advice of others time and again. He had to decide whether they were giving him good advice or stupid advice. Talking to others, considering their input, and then making a decision based off of it is what leadership is about. This is painfully apparent in the beginning of Path of Radiance.

Yet, his decisions are never wrong. When, in FE9, does Ike ever make a mistake while commanding?

Think about this: Some random kid who hasn't even been fighting a year inherits command of a group of mercenaries. He then leads them to Begnion while being chased by one of the most powerful militaries in the world, and then singlehandedly uncovers a huge slave-trading conspiracy and gains the trust of the most powerful person in the world, who then makes this novice the commander of an army. Despite being outmatched by Daein's military, he NEVER faces even a minor setback until Chapter 26 where his allies are defeated by the Black Knight (who is for all purposes indestructible).

And I can't really remember a point where Ike had to make a decision about the advice people are giving him. There's Volke's recruitment, obviously, but other than that, he often disregards the advice of people more experienced than him, such as Titania in Chapter 2, or Ranulf's advice in Chapter 11, or when talking to Sanaki in Begnion in midgame, or disregarding the advice of the Hawks in Chapter 20, or ignoring Lucia and Bastian in Chapter 24.

I'm not saying that Ike isn't a good commander. He's a PERFECT commander. And he's a perfect, flawless, unstoppable commander from Day 1 all the way until the end of the game. And this is seemingly despite him not being a good leader by your assertion of 'what leadership is all about'.

As for his crazy fighting ability, that seems to be a "flaw" that runs through every single FE lord, so I'm not holding that against him, or any of the other lords.

So it's okay to be badly written if everyone else is badly written as well?

Again, the person in charge had to decide whether to trust them or not. I have slightly less of a problem with it if the character is in an advisory position. If Nils was leading Eliwood's army, I'd throw something into a wall.

Good thing that Tauroneo is leading the army and not Micaiah, then, and Micaiah was originally made Vice-Commander because of her fame and not because of any inherent talent.

As BrightBow mentioned, they were already going there. And I don't even remember Micaiah envisioning anything happening there. I think the only thing was that Daniel and Jorge told her about the rumors of King Ashnard's son near the Desert of Death.

After hearing those rumours, Micaiah says something along the lines of "if we go to the desert, we will have an important encounter". I don't know if she means Rafiel or Pelleas, but either is plausible.

Part of that fame is due to her miracle-working, something that no one else in her group could do. If she had gotten her fame through wits, charisma, and sound advice, I'd be more inclined to believe it.

I find it far more likely that someone would be renowned or praised for performing miracles if she actually performed miracles, than if she just gave sound advice.

Edited May 15, 2011 by Black★Star

[Florete]

Oh yes, things could have been MUCH worse. How many of her companions sold her out to Begnion? What about them unknowingly running into traps set by their enemies?

Their group was too tight for that. The Dawn Brigade had all been together for too long, then there's Laura who just isn't the kind of person for that, and Aran is devoted to her (not to mention he can be skipped), and the merchants + Kurth all know Sothe from the war three years ago and so are already friends. Nailah, Rafiel, and Volug are Laguz (from across the Desert, even) so it wouldn't make sense to betray them to Begnion. They didn't have any "outsiders" among them that might have made sense to betray them.

As for your second point, I haven't gotten to the end of part 1 quite yet, but from what I recall, isn't that what the entirety of part 1 is all about? Everything that happens leads to the signing of the Blood Pact, which is pretty much the ultimate trap for Daein.

I didn't mind the first part, because they had to take her group on faith. Things became stupid once the faith portion evaporated.

So trusting her blindly is okay, but trusting her with good reason is stupid.

What.

Like, NOT write that chapter entirely. Or have several people go to prison because Micaiah didn't predict that there was an ambush somewhere. Or perhaps have someone (even her!) scout ahead, and barely escape. Something more plausible than "I know there's an ambush up ahead because I'm me".

So would you prefer if they just gave her this power but never used it? And you can't argue that she shouldn't have the power because otherwise the Daein people following her wouldn't make as much sense, as well as anything else it's used for. You're suggesting that she have it but never let it come to use except when absolutely necessary. That would seem more contrived to me.

I disagree. Such power should be relegated to someone in an advisory situation, at best.

What? It isn't just coincidence that Micaiah has her ability. What does this even mean?

http://www.serenesforest.net/fe10/script/1_4a.html

That's the section I was referring to.

That's what my next point referred to.

Part of that fame is due to her miracle-working, something that no one else in her group could do. If she had gotten her fame through wits, charisma, and sound advice, I'd be more inclined to believe it.

So miracle-working shouldn't bring fame? You kidding me? In such a religious world as Tellius, I'd sooner question it if Micaiah's abilities were known but didn't make her famous.

After hearing those rumours, Micaiah says something along the lines of "if we go to the desert, we will have an important encounter". I don't know if she means Rafiel or Pelleas, but either is plausible.

I saw that more as hopeful wishing that they'd find something, not an actual foresight.

Edited May 15, 2011 by Red Fox of Fire

[Anouleth]

Their group was too tight for that. The Dawn Brigade had all been together for too long, then there's Laura who just isn't the kind of person for that, and Aran is devoted to her (not to mention he can be skipped), and the merchants + Kurth all know Sothe from the war three years ago and so are already friends. Nailah, Rafiel, and Volug are Laguz (from across the Desert, even) so it wouldn't make sense to betray them to Begnion. They didn't have any "outsiders" among them that might have made sense to betray them.

Well, Jill and Zihark can both be recruited away. In that sense, they can be betrayed, and it's pretty much a first for Fire Emblem. Aside from FE9 Jill, there are no other characters that can betray you (and wasn't FE9 Jill being recruited away debunked?)

As for your second point, I haven't gotten to the end of part 1 quite yet, but from what I recall, isn't that what the entirety of part 1 is all about? Everything that happens leads to the signing of the Blood Pact, which is pretty much the ultimate trap for Daein.

Pretty much. Doesn't someone comment that there's a great similarity between the liberation of Crimea and Daein? With the irony being that the liberation of Daein played straight into Begnion's hands, and ended up installing a false king to act as a puppet for the Senate.

[Florete]

Well, Jill and Zihark can both be recruited away. In that sense, they can be betrayed, and it's pretty much a first for Fire Emblem. Aside from FE9 Jill, there are no other characters that can betray you (and wasn't FE9 Jill being recruited away debunked?)

True, but they are also Daein citizens fighting for Daein's liberation against Begnion in part 1, not Crimea. They betray you because they feel the other side is right, but in part 1 they are definitely within the belief that they are fighting for a good cause.

[eclipse]

Yet, his decisions are never wrong. When, in FE9, does Ike ever make a mistake while commanding?

Unfortunately, my memory of the script kinda ends where the site does. The biggest "mistake" I can think of is Port Toha.

Think about this: Some random kid who hasn't even been fighting a year inherits command of a group of mercenaries. He then leads them to Begnion while being chased by one of the most powerful militaries in the world, and then singlehandedly uncovers a huge slave-trading conspiracy and gains the trust of the most powerful person in the world, who then makes this novice the commander of an army. Despite being outmatched by Daein's military, he NEVER faces even a minor setback until Chapter 26 where his allies are defeated by the Black Knight (who is for all purposes indestructible).

- Ike didn't have a say on whether he inherited command of his father's mercenary band. I hold that against his father.

- Daein is a country in the north that's more mountains than sea. Ike took a southeastern sea route to Begnion. Jill mentioned that the wyverns they ride can't stay in the air forever. Thus, in order for Daein to truly pursue Ike, they'd need to fight a battle on unfamiliar terrain, far away from their home, while keeping control of a newly-conquered territory. Chasing Ike doesn't seem like a sound military decision.

- As for the slave trade, most of that credit goes to Sanaki. She showed them all the clues. Ike put the pieces together. Sanaki was willing to trust them because Ike stepped in and saved her in a situation where she couldn't run (Chapter 13), and didn't turn her pegasus riders into target practice. If he had screwed up anywhere in that chain, Ike and his company would probably not have received Begnion's aid.

- IIRC, Ike starts feeling the consequences of his actions once he starts invading Daein.

I think this sums up the reason why I don't have as many problems with Ike as I do with Micaiah:

Ike

I didn't figure it all out by myself. I have companions whom I trust with my life. They helped.

And I can't really remember a point where Ike had to make a decision about the advice people are giving him. There's Volke's recruitment, obviously, but other than that, he often disregards the advice of people more experienced than him, such as Titania in Chapter 2, or Ranulf's advice in Chapter 11, or when talking to Sanaki in Begnion in midgame, or disregarding the advice of the Hawks in Chapter 20, or ignoring Lucia and Bastian in Chapter 24.

I'm not saying that Ike isn't a good commander. He's a PERFECT commander. And he's a perfect, flawless, unstoppable commander from Day 1 all the way until the end of the game. And this is seemingly despite him not being a good leader by your assertion of 'what leadership is all about'.

- Chapter 2: Ike wasn't in charge of the company yet.

- Chapter 11: I count that as a screw-up, because it meant that his company and clients were put into unnecessary danger. The enemy was overconfident, and paid for it. Nasir was lucky that the only thing found on that ship wasn't a threat. Imagine if Daein had the foresight to hide a few assassins on that ship!

- Midgame: *memory failing*

- Chapter 20: Do not remember. Sorry.

So it's okay to be badly written if everyone else is badly written as well?

This is a Best/Worst topic. If everyone has the same flaw, I don't think it should count towards their best/worst status.

Good thing that Tauroneo is leading the army and not Micaiah, then, and Micaiah was originally made Vice-Commander because of her fame and not because of any inherent talent.

"We should attack here. And here." Pretty sure Tauroneo wasn't calling those shots.

[Radiant Dragon]

Aside from FE9 Jill, there are no other characters that can betray you (and wasn't FE9 Jill being recruited away debunked?)

I believe that she has to end her turn next to her father, and not have a A/B support with Mist/Lethe. I haven't actually tried it myself, though (I'm not a big fan of Jill). Or maybe she needs the support to be recruited back...

[Just call me AL]

What the hell is with the Roy hating? Think about it. Roy leads what looks like a dead army to victory. But check out the way he thinks and acts. What happened on the Western Isles? He got forced into a political mess and had to literally fight his way out of it. But he does it not just with weapons but also with quick thinking. He comes up with brilliant plans that work not because that's the storyline (Micaiah, I'm looking at you) but because they're actually fundamentally sound (contact Etruria for protection, for instance). Roy is possibly the smartest FE lord in the entire series and was actually well written. And he's a pimp.

I think that the main reason given for the Roy hate was because of his personality. It wasn't exactly a turn on for a lot of the people here. But it brings up one question.

Why all of the reasons given for counting a character as the least well-written are either (lack of) personality (in Roy's case), or (lack of) plot relevance (in Lyn's case)? Isn't character development, and the flow of that development the main determining factor in how well a character is developed? It just bugs me, on how a reason that doesn't affect anyone else (nor should it affect the examples I listed) could be applied to certain (unnecessary) hate targets all willy-nilly like that.

Edited May 15, 2011 by LittleAl

[Haze]

Best: Ah.. let's go with Jill. Honourable mentions to Haar, Nino, Legault to name a few.

Worst: Aran. Sad to say the man has no character to speak of at all.

[Ein]

I think that the main reason given for the Roy hate was because of his personality. It wasn't exactly a turn on for a lot of the people here. But it brings up one question.

Why all of the reasons given for counting a character as the least well-written are either (lack of) personality (in Roy's case), or (lack of) plot relevance (in Lyn's case)? Isn't character development, and the flow of that development the main determining factor in how well a character is developed? It just bugs me, on how a reason that doesn't affect anyone else (nor should it affect the examples I listed) could be applied to certain (unnecessary) hate targets all willy-nilly like that.

The main problem people have with Lyn I assume is that they don't like her little story. Personally I enjoy her story but she definitely loses relevance once her story is over. Really sad considering how much we learn about her.

Best: Ah.. let's go with Jill. Honourable mentions to Haar, Nino, Legault to name a few.

Worst: Aran. Sad to say the man has no character to speak of at all.

I disagree with Aran having no personality. He does have some form of personality but in a game where everyone's personality took a huge hit or just lacking in general it's not really fair to him.

[Parrhesia]

I agree. It's the same with 'ultimate generic' Ralph, who gets LINES in his game. Lines that tell you a lot about his- that tell you something about his character. I don't see nearly as much bile being thrown at Alva.