How to develop dinamic character in fire emblem?

[Fel]

Has Fire emblem had a well-developed dinamic character? How was that accomplished? And if you have not had it, how could it be achieved?

[Samven]

Honestly, I think that most of the FE characters from the GBA era onwards are pretty well-developed.  The Lords get the lion's share of the character development and some are better-developed than others (Hector especially probably has the best arc of that particular age) but Supports do a lot to flesh out the, erm, supporting cast and I think their importance as tools for giving people a bit more to their personalities shouldn't be underestmated.

As far as a good dynamic character goes, I would say Dimitri is the best example I can think of.  I think the changes that he undergoes and the demons that he's forced to confront over the course of his story make for a particularly effective arc that, for those of us with our own mental issues to grapple with, can certainly hit quite close to home.  What I like about is that his tale ultimately seems to preach a, "World half-full" ideal.  Sure, people are flawed and messy and horrible but they're also trying, and that has to be worth something.

[Fel]

32 minutes ago, Samven said:

Honestly, I think that most of the FE characters from the GBA era onwards are pretty well-developed.  The Lords get the lion's share of the character development and some are better-developed than others (Hector especially probably has the best arc of that particular age) but Supports do a lot to flesh out the, erm, supporting cast and I think their importance as tools for giving people a bit more to their personalities shouldn't be underestmated.

As far as a good dynamic character goes, I would say Dimitri is the best example I can think of.  I think the changes that he undergoes and the demons that he's forced to confront over the course of his story make for a particularly effective arc that, for those of us with our own mental issues to grapple with, can certainly hit quite close to home.  What I like about is that his tale ultimately seems to preach a, "World half-full" ideal.  Sure, people are flawed and messy and horrible but they're also trying, and that has to be worth something.

Oh thank. It's been a long time since i play fire emblem and i want to know some example of good written characters. Im going to investigate dimitri later.

[Anacybele]

Ike is the best written character in this series by far, if you ask me, so yes, there are some well written dynamic characters in this series. Ike is relatable, you can easily put yourself in his shoes despite him not being an avatar character, and he develops like crazy throughout his first game. He has the advantage over other main characters by starting out as a complete nobody commoner, and rising to the position of lord and earning respect from others through his deeds. He gives up his noble title after the war is won, but the respect he gained from several Tellius nations remains and he's now known as the hero of the Mad King's War. In the sequel, we see how he transitioned into a real leader and man just by looking at him. He's physically grown more and is much more man than teenage boy, and he's much stronger since he's got some eye-catching biceps. He doesn't really develop anymore here, but you can still see how much better of a leader he's become over the three years between PoR and RD.

And through his interactions with the Black Knight, we can see how his skill in battle has grown too. He stood no chance in his first two encounters with him. Then when Ike faces him the third time in Nados Castle, he is able to put up a fight. Though BK could only see little hints of Ike's father in the young man's skill then and lost for different reasons depending on which language version you played, oddly enough. The original says his warp powder weakened him, which I think is dumb. The localized version is much more realistic. BK LET Ike win in this case because he knew he still wasn't quite ready and wanted him to be the next time they faced off. And when they faced off in RD, Ike was about at Greil's level at last and triumphed. Here, we see him going into his prime as a swordsman.

I don't think any lord since has been on Ike's level of writing and character and I hope to see one someday.

Edited August 3, 2020 by Anacybele

[Fabulously Olivier]

I wouldn't even call Ike the most dynamic character in Tellius, let alone the franchise. That honor has to go to Jill.

 

Three Houses also has a lot of character growth. For almost everyone.

[Ottservia]

54 minutes ago, Fabulously Olivier said:

I wouldn't even call Ike the most dynamic character in Tellius, let alone the franchise. That honor has to go to Jill.

Preach, my man, preach

anyway it depends on what exactly you mean "dynamic" and "developed" because those two things can independent of one another. A well developed character isn't necessarily a dynamic one. So are you looking for a dynamic character or a well developed one? or both?

Edited August 3, 2020 by Ottservia

[Fel]

47 minutes ago, Ottservia said:

Predica, mi hombre, predica

de todos modos, depende de lo que quiere decir exactamente "dinámico" y "desarrollado" porque esas dos cosas pueden ser independientes entre sí. Un personaje bien desarrollado no es necesariamente dinámico. Entonces, ¿estás buscando un personaje dinámico o bien desarrollado? ¿o ambos?

Well developed. So, since we're talking about that, what makes a good fire emblem character good?

[Gregster101]

Yeah, I agree that Jill is the most dynamic character in the entire franchise. Like, how often do you see a Fire Emblem character who isn't even that important in the grand scheme of things go through so much character development within the main story. It's for that reason alone that she's one of my favorite Fire Emblem characters of all time.

[Palasid]

From what I've seen, Characters that interact and are effected by events within the story. As mentioned above, most Three Houses characters have visible growth throughout the story, comment on events (Sometimes offering special insight). Fire Emblem Echoes has most characters build the world up during the village sections, and they comment on how things have changed or happened, or what life was like before the events of the story. Jill from PoR is also a great example, as she has personal stakes that affect her character in meaningful ways.

I feel like people also enjoy build up, ESPECIALLY a good villain. Like Ike Vs. Black Knight is something thats built up for a decent amount of time, present for a bunch of major events, and serves as a marker for how strong Ike has become. Even if its just minor, having some random bosses have dialogue with one or two specific characters goes a long way. Radiant Dawn and Three Houses do this particularly well. Even Fates did this, though there were less and limited mostly to the Royals. FE7 also had some pretty good lines, but it was mostly limited to Lyn's story and the endgame bosses.

Last minor note, having stats that represent a character is pretty important. Have a prodigy mage? Give them high magic and res. Stalwart but simple knight or cavalier? High defense with some strength. You can have base stats, starting gear and growths can give insight to a character, even if that character may not have much dialogue. 

[Ottservia]

2 hours ago, Fel said:

Well developed. So, since we're talking about that, what makes a good fire emblem character good?

Well for me personally what makes a good character in general is a character that’s very easy to understand and relate to some degree. When judging the quality of a character, ask yourself: Why do they do the things that they do? And what drove them to the point that they’re at? Like Severa is my favorite character in the series bar none because she’s an incredible relatable and nuanced character. Yeah she’s extremely abrasive and quick to snap at people but when you read her supports you quickly learn that most of her abrasiveness is a result of her desperately trying to cover up her own insecurities. She has a very low sense of self worth due to people constantly holding her up to the impossible standard that is her mother and because of that she’s constantly trying to validate herself. She feels like if she’s not perfect then well nobody will care about her. Which is something I feel like most people can relate to in some form or fashion. Like with Severa from everything we learn about her it’s very easy to understand why she is the way she is and what exactly lead her to the point she’s at. And that to me is what makes for good character writing. Can I understand this character and why they are the way they are?

[Anathaco]

4 minutes ago, Ottservia said:

Well for me personally what makes a good character in general is a character that’s very easy to understand and relate to some degree. When judging the quality of a character, ask yourself: Why do they do the things that they do? And what drove them to the point that they’re at? Like Severa is my favorite character in the series bar none because she’s an incredible relatable and nuanced character. Yeah she’s extremely abrasive and quick to snap at people but when you read her supports you quickly learn that most of her abrasiveness is a result of her desperately trying to cover up her own insecurities. She has a very low sense of self worth due to people constantly holding her up to the impossible standard that is her mother and because of that she’s constantly trying to validate herself. She feels like if she’s not perfect then well nobody will care about her. Which is something I feel like most people can relate to in some form or fashion. Like with Severa from everything we learn about her it’s very easy to understand why she is the way she is and what exactly lead her to the point she’s at. And that to me is what makes for good character writing. Can I understand this character and why they are the way they are?

While I'm personally not a fan of Severa I agree wholeheartedly with this idea of what makes a good character.

Like, one of my favourite villains has to be Fernand, from Echoes. He's a complete jerk to everybody around him, and while he has his reasons for the way he is (his unprocessed grief, his refusal to acknowledge his and his family's fault in their deaths, and an implied level of jealousy of Clive and Mathilda's relationship) that all combine to shape his resentment towards the world and the people around him, I don't think anybody could condone his actions. But it's understandable why he does what he does and how that led to everything that happens to him during the story.

In terms of character development, I agree that there are many examples of good development in the series- Hector, who gradually comes to accept the weight of the responsibility he bears, Clive, who learns to acknowledge the dissonance between his words and actions and becomes a man who truly stands for equality, Ignatz, who goes from the timid art boy who would rather go along with what others want to a man who develops a will and a passion to fight for what HE believes in, Kiria (spinoff character, but eh,) who struggles to find a balance between who she really is and the way she feels she's "supposed" to act... I could go on and on.

IMO if you want a game with a lot of dynamic characters, Three Houses is one of the best games to look at, though most games in the series would give at least a few good examples.

[Anacybele]

Yeah, I probably shouldn't have used "well written" and "dynamic" in my post the way I did, my mistake. But I still hold the opinion that Ike is the best written and developed in this series. But I can agree that Jill is way up there on that list too.

[Samven]

I don't know that I'd necessarily call Ike the best written character in the series.  That's not to say I don't like him, I think he's perfectly fine as he is, but he is rather static.  He starts the game being a kid who hates racism and ends the game as a man who hates racism.  Other than the coming of age drama inherit in his arc, there's... not a massive amount to time.  He's still plenty enjoyable, though, but I think the best-written character in Radiance might just be Elincia.  I feel like she has a much more impactful arc, having a more visible evolution from sheltered princess to strong-willed young woman and to warrior princess to conflicted queen trying to do right by her people.

I like Ike (heh) but I think what stops him from being a fave is that he kind of peaks at Radiance.  Radiant Dawn doesn't really do all that much to shake up who he is or challenge him in any new way.  He gets a new cutscene that more or less just paves the way for him and Soren to retread their A support from the past game in a different way, which is perfectly fine, but... it's also mostly stuff we've seen before?