Robin V Corrin

[TheWerdna]

Inspired by the Morgan v Kana thread, I am curious to see which player Avatar people preferred both in terms of gameplay and as a character.

Personally I like Robin so much better. For one thing the game let Robin just be a really good tactician, that was his/her thing. Meanwhile Corrin is the main lord, the chosen hero of prophesy, tactician, leader, prince(ss) of 3 different nations, half dragon, demigod and now my eyes are rolling so hard I think they will pop out of my skill. Seriously, Corrin feels like a horrible DeviantArt OC, except is an actual canon character. I liked that Robin was only special in an entirely negative way, basically being the antichist and all. Oh and another point in Robin's favor is that I don't have the near constant urge to punch him in the face and scream "stop talking!" like I do with Corrin.

[Ebony]

Robin

The ultimate Fire Emblem husbando.

[Roflolxp54]

Robin because of his having more customization options overall (Corrin is stuck with the constraint that he HAS to be the middle sibling of each royal family, which can screw with immersion for some players who enjoy self-insert avatars). Robin is also massively stacked when it comes to growths and stats when compared to Corrin (Character statues? Bitch please, I have Limit Break) and also doesn't have to go through the trouble of having to collect supports for more class options (male Corrin has it hard because he can only get all possible class options in Revelation route and only if he has Oni Savage or Apothecary talent and marries Midori or Rinkah). Robin also doesn't need a dragonstone or some uber-special deus ex machina weapon to become a gameplay god.

From a combination of story and gameplay, Awakening!Robin (not Smash/amiibo!Robin) would easily maul Fire Emblem Fates thanks to his stats and his weapons having none of Fates' weapon debuffs (weapon durability is a non-factor due to Armsthrift + Limit Break). Corrin and his group would be throwing money at him as if he were some MLG god just so they can buy Awakening-brand weapons and Armsthrift skill if that were to be possible. Plus, he's an amnesiac tactician trope -- he knows his stuff while Corrin's been playing Rapunzel for much of his life.

And in terms of stats and skills, Apotheosis (especially secret route) makes Grima and Anankos look like a bunch of pussies, so Robin is a tactical god for being able to command the party to victory without any casualties on that as well as the RNG hell that is Lunatic+, which is something that Corrin will never face (and most likely wouldn't be able to survive in).

Copypasta'd from http://serenesforest.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=61304&p=4365432

[Based Goomy]

What about Corrin as Robin? There is a Grandmaster class in Fates.

[Roflolxp54]

What about Corrin as Robin? There is a Grandmaster class in Fates.

Weaker than Awakening Robin as Grandmaster -- Grandmaster is nerfed in terms of stat caps (in Awakening, stat caps for Grandmaster is 50 all-around besides Luck at 55 with Limit Break and before stat cap mods and HP at 80) and weapon ranks (B-rank max in swords in Fates). Rally Spectrum also got nerfed. Ignis is inherently nerfed due to the lower Skill cap.

Edited May 12, 2016 by Roflolxp54

[maybe]

i like robin more because i really like the name robin whereas corn is an idiot who won't tell his siblings that his dad is evil

[Namarid]

In terms of character there's no contest, Robin easily wins. Conquest!Corrin is a moron who makes dumb decisions, granted his idiocy is justified due to his upbringing but that doesn't make him a relateable or likeable character. The only time Conquest!Corrin did something good was when he made his speech in chapter 26, but other than that he's an awful lord who I have no attachment to and give no fucks about.

(Nitpick. I also don't like how the game heavily favours a sword based physical corrin, that isn't my style.)

Robin was a clever tactician(and the Antichrist as Werdna put it but we'll let that slide). Him being a tactician already makes him a lot more reliable than corrin because we the players are tacticians when we play the game (nekoknight made this point before). Robin also has some character development, you see him doubting himself when he learns the truth about who he is, whereas corrin stays relatively the same. I know some people dislike the genius tactician trope, I personally don't mind it and would take it over the guy who everyone loves who is also the strongest most important dude in existence trope any day. (Robin also uses magic so bonus points.)

Gameplay wise I'm not sure since I don't have the game, but I'm leaning towards corrin only because he seems less broken than robin.

[Taka-kun]

_{In terms of character, definitely Robin. He has a more subtle development, especially if you look at the supports. In the supports with the first generation, he is confused and new and just generally average. But in the supports with the second generation (and non-parent first generation), he is reliable, insightful and clever. I also have a soft side for tacticians, because they rely on smarts rather than superpowers to get their way and that in my book is way more awesome. Corrin is so special that it hurts so much. I could have potentially liked Corrin more, since Corrin actually have a background whereas Robin is made to be a blank slate, if Corrin didn't end up like a blank slate anyway. No ambition, no defining characteristics, no drive, no... anything and yet he is supposed to be special.}

_{Gameplay-wise, I do like Corrin more since he is more balanced. While not as cool-looking as the Grandmaster class, I find the Nohr Noble quite versatile and awesome and I like it.}

Edited May 12, 2016 by Taka-kun

[LeDom]

Character wise, Robin is better by virtue of not being Corrin.

Gameplay wise, I'd say Corrin because he's more versatile even without reclassing. Dragonstones don't do much damage for me (magic is my flaw) but they help him tank reliably.

[Etrurian emperor]

I prefer Robin because I think he is a leading force by his own merits. He's a great strategist and that's why he's calling the shots.

With Corrin it seems that he needs a lot of handholding which isn't to bad in and of itself. The problem is more that its not properly acknowledged that he does in fact need Azura and the siblings carrying him. Instead Corrin is ''special'' and has ''charisma that draws people to him''.

Corrin is the leader of the army because he's the main character but not because he comes across as a good leader.

[Abvora]

I prefer Corrin, character-wise, over Robin, because while everything about Corrin screams "super special"--prophesied wielder of a sacred blood, royalty of three nations, dragon-blooded, etc--he's really kind of not. He needs other people to help him because he is naive and trusting; he's skilled with a sword but not the best in the supports and plot; he's smart but not brilliant enough to turn everything to his advantage; and so on. And unlike Robin, he's more defined and more developed--he starts out pretty sweet, wide-eyed and idealistic, then develops one of three different ways depending on the route. Robin doesn't show much development at all, and while you don't necessarily need development to be interesting, he's just more lacking in substantial personality. Robin always being three steps ahead is way more offensive to me than Corrin needing others' support.

More than that, it makes sense why Corrin gets his player worship. Most of it comes from the royal siblings, and while it is annoying, it's justified because, well, they're his siblings. Robin is a complete stranger whom Chrom finds in a field, but becomes tactician of the Shepherds and widely praised in a few days? You're telling me they had no one capable of that before Robin?

Gameplay-wise, Robin's more OP, but Corrin's more balanced, which makes gameplay tougher and more interesting, so Corrin again gets my vote.

[TheWerdna]

Robin doesn't show much development at all, and while you don't necessarily need development to be interesting, he's just more lacking in substantial personality. Robin always being three steps ahead is way more offensive to me than Corrin needing others' support.

.

I disagree with this, as Robin does have growth, though it is not very obvious unless you look carefully for it. Robin has some serious issues when it comes to self esteem and self worth: due to his amnesia he really doesn't feel like he has a strong identity. This comes across in his supports, where he often gets shut down or talked after and in general not being all that assertive. The thing is Robin actively tries to hide these issues and appear outwardly confidant. He had to look like he is completely sure of himself if he's to get people to look to him for guidance. He is actively hiding his depth, but it is still there. You see it at a few moments of doubt in the story, in his supports, and a few maps like the Wellspring of truth.

And he does have growth. As Taka-kun pointed out, the way he acts between the first gen supports and the second gen supports show him becoming more confidant and in control. Then the finale too shows growth, where it's honestly the one moment in the game where Robin really seems to embrace his role and become the hero of the story. He manages to resist and overpower Grima, and you really get the sense that he actually genuinely feels sure of himself (after the power of friendship pep talk)

[kcirrot]

Corrin is simply an unbelievable character in any of the routes. Birthright and Revelation are tolerable in the screwy kind of way that RPGs usually have unrealistic protagonists. But Conquest, Corrin is either an idiot, insane, or both. Given that, the immediate, unconditional love that the vast majority of characters have for Corrin is silly. Thankfully we have a few characters like Saizo.

Robin, if nothing else, is interesting. There's no immediate worship. Frederick is downright hostile from the beginning, others worship Chrom (Cordelia, Sumia, etc.), others still are just indifferent until they get to know Robin. Robin's origins are a tragedy that tortures him/her.

Gameplay wise, Robin an optimized Robin could probably solo Lunatic Conquest. But more to the point, I just enjoyed playing with Robin more than Corrin. This iteration of dragonstones isn't all that interesting to me and Corrin is held back by a combat system that was made needlessly complicated.

[Tactician Robin]

Obviously Robin (Points to my username) for both. First off, Robin is much stronger character wise. They had a defined personality and had enough spotlight to feel like a good main character, without stealing too much away from Chrom. Robin also had a lot better supports with the Sheperds than Corrin did with their army. I also like the note that Robin, even though they had amnesia, they knew more about the world than Corrin. This made them a believable tactician. And, as seen above, I'm glad that there is no Robin worship.

Corrin, characterwise, was a tad bland and it felt like the writers were afraid to give them any sort of personality. Corrin's ignorance didn't sit with me well, as the writers tried to make everything seem new to them, yet Corrin knew how to perfectly run an army and jazz. They also don't really do much in their story, compared to Robin. Corrin just watches the events fold around them, or at least I felt like that. Other characters felt more plot driving than Corrin in Fates. Corrin was basically there as a substitute for 'you.' It still puzzles me how Corrin topped the charts in the Japanese popularity polls, just like the Royals.

Gameplay wise, I just like the tactician/grandmaster line a lot better. Magic is one of my favorite weapons to use, as there were so many types and I like the advantage of range and close up attacking. It's been dumbed down in Fates, as it was very over powered in Awakening, but I still find myself having at least one strong mage on my team. The sword is also a nice touch to the class, as it gives Robin a wider variety of weapons to be able to use. Also matched their character very nicely.

Corrin, on the other hand, just didn't sit well with me. The dragonstone was an addition I originally liked, but as time went on, I found the dragonstones to boring to use, yet the most powerful thing in Corrin's arsenal. Corrin, also, was extremely weak in my playthroughs of Birthright and Conquest (I finally made them decent in Revealations) and ended up being pair up material for one of my other units. The Yato is not very powerful at the beginning, or really later on, and the addition of healing/magic doesn't help Corrin at all unless Corrin's boon is magic. I really was missing my magic attacks, and the frailty of my Corrin turned me away.

[HylianTiki]

Lol was I the tie breaker for what was better in terms of gameplay? xD I'm sure it'll be short lived but let me live my moment :D

Anyway. i prefer Corrin in terms of gameplay and even though he is adorable, Robin is the better character.

I like Corrin's fighting style a lot more, and they feel like a natural sword user plus there is the dragon mechanic. Kinda upsets me that the stones are magic based though. The game treats it like its magic, so if you want a strong dragon Corrin you have t have good magic even though you may prefer strength or skill over it. I'm not too upset since i declassed Corrin anyway but I thought that they worked well as a high skill unit which is what i go for.

I completely agree with tactician Robin, I don't know how/why FemCorrin toped the charts but I can guess that it was purely based on asthmatics, and not so much her character or mechanic.

In terms of character. I prefer Robin. Not only was their story more believable, but it made sense. It was understood why they may have been a good tactician. Even though at the beginning they don;t remember their past, which I felt was overused for Corrin, the way Robin is naturally (like his personality) is more fitting for someone with his job.

Corrin.... ok, in Conquest, I understand they lead the main standing army because they are forced to, and if you get supports with Leo, you'll see that Leo kinda helps train him a bit. In Revelation, Corrin leads the army because well, he has to and it makes sense and it is his route after all, but why the hell is he the one leading the Hoshidan army in Birthright? it makes no sense. I'm all for getting you be the protagonist and making you a noble and all that, but if they were gonna make you the main lord, that could have been implemented better.

I also don't know where all of that "I want to trust everyone and believe in people" attitude came from when he knows he was taken away from his mother and lied to for over a decade. AND he was ok with that just because he had good siblings? like this could have been such good material to make him actual doubt people. There is also no reason why his past is so hazy. I understand the events prior to him being kidnapped but even things after that like him not remembering Silas when he was probably the only friend he ever had.... How does that even work? was he given random memory affecting potions in his food or something? we're never even given a purpose for him being in Cheve the day he was taken so... there are too many questions and plot holes revolving around Corrin to even think he is a better character than Robin.

But... Robin can't turn into a dragon and Robin isn't nearly as adorable so... there Corrin, you can have some coolness points back.

Edited May 12, 2016 by HylianTiki

[Roflolxp54]

If anything about Corrin's hazy memory, I can only imagine that he got traumatized by witnessing Sumeragi's death at the hands of Garon (does beg the question of why TF Sumeragi brought him to Cheve in the first place) and being kidnapped by Garon. Psychological trauma can screw with the victim's memories.

To Robin's credit, the circumstances revolving around his own amnesia are clearly explained in Awakening's story.

Edited May 12, 2016 by Roflolxp54

[Thane]

Corrin is a narrative black hole, sucking personality from other characters and absorbs every other subplot encountered in the main story. They experience no growth (whether that's because of their siblings or not might be a topic for another time), are constantly portrayed as being in the right even when most players want to rip their eyes out (most of Conquest, trusting Rontao in Revelation), and the amount of hero worship present in the game would make even the most obsessed fan of Persona 4 roll their eyes.

I could go on, but I believe my stance is clear enough. Robin wins by default in that category.

As for playstyles, while I tend to prefer Fates' reclass system to Awakening's, Robin has a much cooler design, and I must admit I have more fun breaking the game with Robin's access to all the classes, so they win that round as well.

Edited May 12, 2016 by Thane

[Rezzy]

Corrin is a narrative black hole, sucking personality from other characters and absorbs every other subplot encountered in the main story. They experience no growth (whether that's because of their siblings or not might be a topic for another time), are constantly portrayed as being in the right even when most players want to rip their eyes out (most of Conquest, trusting Rontao in Revelation), and the amount of hero worship present in the game would make even the most obsessed fan of Persona 4 roll their eyes.

I could go on, but I believe my stance is clear enough. Robin wins by default in that category.

As for playstyles, while I tend to prefer Fates' reclass system to Awakening's, Robin has a much cooler design, and I must admit I have more fun breaking the game with Robin's access to all the classes, so they win that round as well.

Is Rontao that little brat you meet when you get to Valla, and they dedicate a whole 3 chapters to? That was just one of many things that tanked the narrative of Revelations starting in Valla.

I picked Robin for character, but Corrin for Gameplay. Robin was a little too good. In Fates, you have to work for your extra classes, even if they do screw over male players for options.

[saisymbolic]

Character-wise, Robin. I feel he does have a bit more tangible personality. There are some nuances to him that I enjoy; his self-esteem, his goofiness and his levelheadedness. While I will admit a lot of Robin's personality stems from own perception and head!canon of him, I feel like he is the more grounded of the two Avatar in question.

Corrin, I prefer gameplay-wise and design-wise. I have never been fond of characters that are able to break a game. It defeats the purpose of difficulty in a tactical game like FE, in my mind. What is the purpose of strategy when one has an end-all-be-all unit that can be placed in the middle of a mob and come out unscathed? I, in general, prefer all the nerfs they gave the classes in Fates. I do prefer Corrin's design but it is limited to his armor—and, yes, I do like the open thigh portion of the Fem!Corrin design. Nohr Noble with battle leotard is also a favorite—I have my qualms with some of the armor designs but, hey, I will admit I can be a hypocrite when I like something.

[NekoKnight]

Conquest!Kamui left me forever soured on his character but even in the other routes, he never graduates past "generic shonen anime protagonist with oodles of unwarranted charisma". It really rubs me the wrong way that he has no qualifications for leading the army and he never suffers for fucking up because his siblings will coddle him. In contrast, Robin's relationship with Chrom and the army makes a lot more sense and I enjoy having a tactical-minded person as my avatar because that's what I am, the strategist.

Gameplay, I'd say they are about even. While Kamui has versatility with swords and dragonstones (and then tomes or rods), I love magic classes and having it in the base class makes me really enjoy Robin. I love the Strategist robes, but Mamui's (not a fan of Femui's battle leotard) clothes are also acceptable.

[mikethepokemaster]

Robin is beyond broken and if they had an stand off Corrin would get stomp. character I support Robin, while Corrin is decent in revelation, he meh to okay in Conquest wish he was more gallant but I still like corrin even in conquest

[Time the Crestfallen]

Character: Which white-haired snowflakey protagonist amongst a cast of idiot-ball holding side-characters and antagonists is better? All jokes aside I will remain diplomatically neutral on this; Corrin has the better personality, but the idiot balls of the cast drag him down whereas Robin doesn't suffer from them. On the other hand, Robin feels a little more sueish to me than Corrin does, so meh.

Gameplay: Corrin, if only because he isn't outrageously broken like Robin is.

Edited May 13, 2016 by Phillius

[Emblem Lugh]

Robin was a much better character. Corrin is the definition of two dimensional and while Robin isn't exactly three dimensional, they are still an improvement given their moral ambiguity and not seeming as simple-minded. Robin wins.

Gameplay-wise, I liked Robin but Robin was too good. I like having at least some limitations on characters. You could get nearly any skill you wanted with Robin, let alone being able to max stats easily like with everyone else. It's boring. Corrin's personal classes are also just plain better. Corrin wins.

[Quintessence]

As a character:

Robin. To be honest I'm not picking among best, I'm picking among the less worst. Robin's actions seemed perfect and even the most logical actions are praised as a wonderful strategist. Not like Soren levels of strategist. Despite some flaws I find in Robin, I still like him tons more than Corrin.

Corrin. Totally a mess.

1) Birthright Corrin comes up as an arrogant character inmediately after Chapter 6. When did he got such temperance? Such vehemence? The confidence and trust from the Hoshidan royals? It's a mess. Besides, they praise Corrin for every single dumb thing he says or does.

2) Conquest Corrin had loads of potential but was done terribly. Ok the logical thing when war is already settled (imo) is conquering the other nation and then solving internal conflicts, because you're not going to solve internal conflicts because then Nohr will be against two wars and will be crushed pretty much in no time. But Corrin is sooooo dumb and stupid, trying to get the praise of Garon already knowing (or perceiving) he's not a normal being. And allowing Hans and Iago do whatever with Nohr's name, and Xander not doing a thing, and besides Takumi's obssessive rage and resentment; no no no. Why didn't Corrin made a paralel army with Leo and Xander and tried to restore the true Nohr? It's terrible.

Gameplay.

I prefer Corrin on this aspect. I like his animations, Dragon Fang, and his not so broken. Even then I completely love Draconic Hex and Nohrian Trust, and with a good pair up he'll be tremendously good.

Robin is also good because of his versatility but I find Corrin more interesting there. Still a mess story and character wise.

Also, the main lord's design ultimately are being awfully terrible. They lost the elegance of lords like Eliwood, Sigurd, Leif, Hector, etc. Corrin's armor is horrendous, and female underwear is at sight on most classes it's not even fun.

[Augestein]

Robin from a character perspective and Corrin from a gameplay perspective. This is kind of long, so a warning is here.

Character. Robin's character is kind of bland, and he's generally just a nice guy, but this personality compliments the plot far more than Corrin's does. He's the group's tactician, and he's the best at what (s)he does and a capable fighter as well. The biggest problem I have with Robin as a character is the fact that they take a little bit TOO much attention off of Chrom towards the ending, and become less of an avatar and more of their own character, and what little character we get from Robin here is... Nothing, as Robin pretty much takes a "I won't betray the player," so there's no real struggle, and since Robin doesn't remember his/her past, there's not much purpose to having Robin's backstory be the backstory that it is-- it serves no purpose outside of elevating the player's character to an important position without making them a "plot device." Ironically enough, Robin already was a plot device in the sense that they "always" had the plans and the like. Robin's character kind of ends up being a gloryhog with no real weaknesses and nothing but strengths making him/her come across as rather flat and unstoppable.

From a supports perspective, female and male Robin differ a bit more. Female Robin is quite crabby with nonsense and finds herself feeling a zero tolerance rule towards things that are absolutely idiotic. Male Robin, is a bit more down to earth and simply a nice guy. Supports included, the unique supports for Female Robin actually round her out a bit more, as she's a bit of an aggressor and kind of mean (see Lon'Qu's support for instance) , but is really good at her job... And it shows why she's good at her job, because she does nothing but focuses on it to ensure that she has a position to stay. Sure, this means that there are some supports such as Chrom x Female Robin that are display a rather disgusting set of hypocritical behavior, but seeing Robin in a bad light at moments is *just* the thing to make her a more believable character-- it's a shame that these tendencies never appeared outside of supports.

Corrin's character is just... Bad. Corrin is literally a plot device from start to finish. At first, this is okay, because it's clear Corrin's initial position is so because they were used to by a manipulator to instigate a plot. Thus, that's not bad. However, Corrin has so little character, that we barely know his/her opinions on standard things. All they do is walk forward and smash things until they win. Conquest Corrin, as much as people give him/her grief, at least they have SOMETHING resembling a character here. Conquest Corrin is an idiot, yes, but such is what I'd expect from someone that's been locked in a fortress for most of their life. I'd honestly still say Conquest Corrin sucks , but that's because the plot doesn't do anything well with what it has. Still more interesting than the other routes of Corrin. Much better.

Supports wise, Corrin's personality is all over the place. The only thing that's really consistent is that Corrin is apparently not good at anything really. Which could be interesting if Corrin ever really cared about this, or this ever became relevant-- but it doesn't. Corrin always wins, and when Corrin walks into a trap Corrin just smashes through them anyways. Boring. Worse than Robin, because at least Robin actually had plans and stuff. Corrin also has no reason to lead their army-- as there are several people much more capable and experienced in the group, and I believe outside of say... Ike, this is the first time we're dealing with a "lord" that has NO reason leading the army (yes, in PoR, it should have been Titania). I really don't like Corrin too much based on how bland they are.

Gameplay wise Corrin is definitely superior because they aren't completely gamebreaking like Robin. For starters, Corrin's passive Nobility is less ridiculous than Veteran. 2nd, Corrin doesn't start with like... Every class unlocked, resulting in silly amounts of abilities that can be obtained from the character. Corrin might be able to do it with significant abuse, but Robin doesn't have to abuse much to do this. Second seals and the EXP curve in Awakening ensure that this will happen soon enough. Sure you can get the classes from A supports, but that takes longer, and buying skills costs money. There's much more of a detriment there than what happens in Awakening with Robin. The only thing I don't like about Corrin is the legendary weapon. Next time IS, let US choose what weapon we want to be our legendary weapon. It sucks that you can't use it if you want to use certain classes. That's one thing that Robin did better, (s)he didn't have a prf weapon of any sort so we didn't have to worry about this nonsense.