Your Top 10 Favorite Fire Emblem Characters

[Wendel]

Hello and welcome to a new thread of Fire Emblem. This thread is dedicated to your favorite Fire Emblem characters. They can be any character from the Fire Emblem series you like like the "thunderation!" man in Awakening and you can, if you want, give an explanation as to why you like him or her.

So my top 10 and keep in mind that right now I have only played Awakening, Birthright and Conquest is as followed:

10. Micaiah

Not having actually played Radiant Dawn fuck bol.com asking fucking €180 for a used copy I could only go by what I've read and her design. I really like her design and what I've read but because I haven't played the game she isn't higher on the list.

9. Lilith

LILITH NOOOO! *ahem* Lilith might not have had much text other than the small lines in her temple and in the early chapters I still like her of what she did, she, after being cared for by Corrin when he was little thinking she was a little bird, decided to never leave Corrin's side and care for him until her untimely demise by either Hans the Thumb or a Faceless gdi

8. Tiki

Tiki is the great and in Awakening voluptuous dragon transforming lady who is playable in multiple games through the series who, after that damn guard paralogue which actually was pretty fun, joins Chrom and his party in Awakening with almost NO support options but she does make for a great dragon Morgan c:

7. Camilla/Hinoka

The 2 overprotective elder sisters of Corrin. Both care deeply for Corrin and are willing to go to extreme measures to protect him Hinoka wanting to go after him when he was first kidnapped and Camilla being yandere level protective they deserved my respect because they both made me feel like I had actual siblings that I could love even if they weren't related by blood.

6. Kana

Kana is the adorable dragon who greatly loves her papa, even turning into a dragon when the enemies got too many and then going on a rampage. I'm saying her when adressing Kana because I've only used male Corrin as of yet but I'm still not disappointed, with her carefree and energetic personality Kana actually is in my opinion a great match for being Soleil who's personality I find is fairly similar.

5. Bye Felicia

Felicia was my first Fates wife when I got the game and she was great, she might be clumsy but she's still determined to do it right and be a good maid for Corrin. In game with a flame shuriken Felicia just reks. And with Live to Serve Felicia or Jakob and Flora for that matter Are amazing healers. During the Personal Quarters bonding sessions with Felicia she's unsure if she's doing all the love stuff right which makes me sympathise me with her and her attempt to once again do things right.

4. Aversa

You first meet her as your enemy but later after you've defeaten her you can recruit her via Spot-Pass. When you do and actually do the supports with her like me you'll learn that Aversa actually isn't all that evil after all. In the supports with Robin you learn of her past where Validar burned down her village and adopted her for her magical prowess after altering her memories. After that Aversa started teasing Robin of him being Validar's son and her being adopted after he was born so she called him "big bwother" greatly to Robin's annoyance.

3. Lucina

My first Fire Emblem wife and the reason with Smash for me wanting to try out the Fire Emblem series she holds a special place in my Awakening loving heart.When I first played through Awakening and didn't know what to expect I decided to not marry Robin to anyone until I've found Lucina. Once I finally recruited her I immidiatly went to grind my support with her to get married asap. I really liked the supports and when the moment came where Lucina wanted to kill Robin I could see how it pained her trying to get her to do it and ultimately being unable for herself to do it.

2. Severa/Selena

Other than the fact that I really like tsundere. Severa is a girl who really wants to live up to her mother's expectations but kept being reminded that she wasn't as good as her. In her supports in both Awakening and Fates with the avatars she grows to them and begins to show something that looks a little like affection before you get married. In the Personal Quarters the things Severa says are her ways of love while still keeping her tsun personality in it.

1. Soleil

So in my latest playthrough of Conquest I decided to marry myself with Soleil and boy was I glad I did. not to mention that Witch Soleil is absolutely adorable and actually pretty good. Soleil has the positives of having a great personality togheter with her overall cute appearance. With the addition of the bonding you have with her when married where what she saids would really warm my heart with my favorite quote being: “ Thank you for always taking such good care of me. You've seen me at my best and at my worst, yet you're still... That's why I love you with all my heart”

Alright, that was mine, now I'm interested to hear yours. \o

man this took a while to type

[Chase]

Alright, I've ONLY played Fates - so my list will have a few honorable mentions to cover what I know about other characters in the series:

• Alm
• Ike
• Marth
• Lucina
• Ricken
• Micaiah
• Gaius

There - now for my top ten favorite characters in Fire Emblem: Fates

10. Benny - Knight (Conquest)

The cool characters in Fates tend to not be retainers -or- royalty because their reason for existing in the first place is actually really interesting and unique to themselves. Kicking off my list is one such character in Benny, a Nohrian Border Guard and the Knight character that focuses on defense as opposed to speed. What's really neat about Benny is that he's a character that despite having a "fierce" exterior is incredibly "cuddly" on the inside. He's essentially the Theodore Roosevelt of Nohr (Speak softly and carry a big stick) and his son Ignatius is pretty sweet too. In a Revelation run - he completely outclasses Effie, who joins in the same chapter with the same bases she has in Conquest (where she joins MUCH earlier.)

9. Shura - Adventurer (all routes)

A.K.A. the guy that you killed so that you can steal his shoes. You know who you are you terrible person.....Just kidding. In all seriousness though, Shura is again, one of those characters that are unique because they need their own story to justify existing - and his is actually surprisingly relevant. Shura - despite being found in Nohr as a brigand - is actually close to home in Hoshido, hailing from the doomed ninja kingdom of Kohga. He also is the brigand Yukimura hired to kidnap Azura in retaliation for Corrin's kidnapping as ransom. In both Birthright and Conquest Shura isn't a fantastic unit, but in Revelation he's much better than the character he joins with despite being fairly late-mid game. Adventurer is also one of my recently favorite classes in Fates as staff usage on bowmen is pretty sweet along with Locktouch.

8. Saizo - Ninja (Birthright)

The Fifth, to be precise. Saizo serves as a retainer to Prince Ryoma of Hoshido and comes from a long line of renown ninja. His snark paired with being the bulkiest of the ninja Birthright throws at you makes him easily one of the more enjoyable characters to use and follow throughout the story. His supports with his son Asugi remind me somewhat of my own father, who tends to lean on the stern side while eventually coming around to understanding GaiustheSecond/SaizotheSixth's mode of operation. Saizo has some of the best critical quotes in the game due to the fact that his awesome voice makes them that much more appreciated.

7. Oboro - Spear Fighter (Birthright)

Oboro was elected third best girl in Fates by Japan - and her English counterpart does an ample job of showing me why. Oboro is the daughter of a two Hoshidan tailors and inherits her fashion sense and ability from them. She also serves as a retainer to Prince Takumi of Hoshido - whom she has a readily apparent crush on (thank GOD it's not friggen Corrin. Too many characters crush on Corrin)... and aside from that her gimmick is that she REALLY dislikes Nohrians - as they are responsible for her parents deaths. As a unit, she's incredibly balanced, able to wield both physical and magic naginata and resultingly becomes one of the bulkier Hoshidan units available.

6. Camilla - Malig Knight (Conquest)

The more I play Fates, the less I end up liking Camilla's characterization and the more I appreciate her as a unit, leaving her in some sort of eternal tug-of-war when it comes to liking her. Unit-wise, there's probably nobody better than Camilla - who is a flying unit with access to great skills in Trample, Savage Blow, both physical and magic damage, insane starting bases, Wyvern Lord as a reclass option, and Sorceress as a talent allowing her to pick up Sword and more importantly Bowbreaker without having to storm another player's castle - as well as a possible hidden ability to earn experience as if she was a non-promoted unit to an extent. Character-wise however, Camilla is - JUSTIFIABLY mind you through her backstory - batshit crazy and a bit too much of a Corrinphile to stomach. The justification of her character doesn't make me approve of it - but it does help for understanding Princess Camilla of Nohr a bit and ...there's no denying how much of a damn monster she is.

5. Leo - Dark Knight (Conquest)

Prince Leo of Nohr is perhaps the only Nohrian royal to not be Fifty Shades of Ridiculous when it comes to writing. As a character, there's lots of things to like about him - from his pragmatic upbringing and occasional gaffes to being fairly critical of Lord Cornball when the rest of the family is drunk on having Corrin approve of them. As a unit, he is perhaps the only character in the game to fit in his starting class particularly well - especially if you get him his Iceblade or a Levin Sword. He has the opportunity to get some very unique skills and despite being the weakest offensive royal in all of Fates, the character's really cool. What isn't cool about Leo...is that he's kind of a terrible father.

4. Severa/Selena - Mercenary (Awakening/Conquest)

Severa has one of the coolest names ever in my opinion, and having seen the Hidden Truths DLC - it's really easy for me to appreciate the backstory of this returning Fire Emblem character. She's essentially called upon by Anankos (before you know...going completely crazy and deciding to destroy a handful of kingdoms in a draconic temper tantrum) along with her friends Inigo and Owain (Laslow and Odin) to serve as retainers for Nohrian royals in hopes of encountering Anankos' son/daughter Corrin and saving the world. Severa in particular is hired by Princess Camilla. As a unit she's not entirely special aside from being nimble, but not being into the whole "tsundere chick" thing too much - I can appreciate her sass from a respectable distance. She's an up and coming unit for me too - and Silas' best support option in Conquest.....which he may or may not deserve....sorry bro.

3. Effie - Knight (Conquest)

Yeah bro, she lifts. She also breaks things by accident - and she's also as loyal as they come. Effie serves as a retainer to Princess Elise of Nohr and met the little cinnamon roll while playing with her in the streets of Windmire. The two quickly became best of friends. As a unit, Effie is the knight who prides herself on offense as much as she does defense and her availability is MUCH better in Conquest than it is in Revelation. She's the backbone unit for many Conquest runs and her importance has vaulted her to the bronze. Her personal skill is fantastic too.

2. Charlotte - Fighter (Conquest)

My waifu is better than yours.

Charlotte is again, one of those characters who need their own story just to explain why they are there. Hers is simple. She's a Nohrian border guard who is trying to not only take care of herself but her parents back home - whom she sends money to regularly. This fact is often forgotten about when people see Charlotte as a two-faced character who is just trying to gold-dig for the sake of getting rich. While I don't condone her methods, she's a reminder of some pretty silly things I've done myself and also hope that they don't always have to be the case without giving up on noble goals. Charlotte's aggressive and unpredictable personality matches her class - Fighter - very well as well, as Berserkers are either the best -OR- worst units in your army. She's built for the class and is the best representative of it without having to re-class in. The only thing that could possibly top Charlotte is the character that I feel is my personal favorite according to the rules and one that happens to be male (otherwise Charlotte would be number 1.)

1. Silas - Cavalier (all routes)

Ah, everyone wishes they had a fantastic best friend - and Silas is that guy for Lord/Lady Corn Chip. The newest Knight of Nohr is a man who used to be the one playmate Corrin was allowed to have when locked away in the Northern Fortress... until said playmate tried to be a fool and break Corrin out so that they could see the real world. Best friends - getting themselves in trouble to help you out. That's how it should be. As a Cavalier, Silas finds himself with well rounded stats, fantastic skills at his arsenal, great movement, and his personal skill makes him go ham when you get the opportunity to use it. He also comes with fantastic availability in the two kingdom routes, while in Revelations he joins with excellent bases (save for speed) earlier than Xander or Peri - making him fairly competitive as a unit with them. His kid is pretty cool too. He's just great.

Fates honorable mentions: Hinoka, Takumi, Nyx, Odin, Laslow, Jakob, Azura

[Sheepish]

Don't worry Wendel, in terms of FE games played, I'm in the same boat. Having only played Awakening and Fates (with the exception of finishing revelations), here are my top 10 characters from those games.

10. Leo

Ahh Leo, the only sane and pragmatic one in the conquest main story. Sadly he doesn't get enough screen time as they felt trying to make Corrin the best person ever who couldn't do anything wrong ever was a great idea! All conquest story jokes aside, Leo is just an all round solid unit with a strong personal weapon to boot (AHA TREEEES!!).

9. Virion

The philandering, sweet talking noble with a whole LOT of self-confidence, whats not to love? His supports, his quotes and his demeanour are all super comical whilst still maintaining that air of sensibility, which I love. I am slightly biased towards archers as well (even though they kind of suck in Awakening).

8. Soleil

Probably my second choice for Fates waifu, right after my number 6 pick on this list. Being the daughter of Inigo/Laslow and basically gaining his personality but a girl version of it (in terms of loving cute things) really seals the deal on this one. She is all about smiling and staying positive in the face of adversity, who doesn't like a nice encouraging person or two? As a unit as well she benefits from just being a child unit who has access to many more classes than most characters. Pair Inigo/Laslow with any hard/fast physical hitter and you've got yourself a nice Soleil.

7. Takumi

Well I like Takumi for much the same reasons that I like Leo, but Takumi has the added bonus of his logic being pretty solid in both routes. He distrusts Corrin for quite awhile in Birthright route and rightly hates him for killing his mother and being a general idiot in terms of joining Nohr in Conquest. Just about one of the only characters who doesn't love Corrin for no reason no matter what he does and I downright respect Takumi for that. In terms of a unit OHOHO Takumi is an absolute monster and you are basically handicapping yourself by not using him. Archers being my second favourite class even before they got a massive buff in fates helps him too in terms of ranking.

6. Oboro

Oboro is exactly the kind of woman I like in terms of personality and is exactly like every one of my girlfriends that I've had thus far. If I was to be completely honest and say I like assertive, easily angered girls with troubled pasts it would sound pretty bad wouldn't it? Headstrong and reliable she would protect Takumi with her life and heck that gets you some respect from me. As a unit she is really solid too, although can fall prey to some bad RNG as her growth rates are all around 50 percent or so. With good luck though she will hit hard, fast, and take hits like a dang truck.

5. Niles

As you probably read before I do like me some archers. But with Niles he has the added bonus of being a thief archetype character which just makes him even better when you pair it with dark humor and a general liking of messing with people just for the heck of it. While I'm not too sure how he is competent at all as an archer when his depth perception is cut to nothing by wearing an eyepatch, I'll take it. He is quite perceptive and reads into social situations quite well as shown in most of his supports and I can appreciate that about him as he is similar to myself in this regard. As a unit Niles is lets just say OK. His growths are kind of meh as well as his bases but you are basically going to be using him whether you like it or not considering the low amount of units in early conquest and the fact you have no other access to a unit who can open chests for quite awhile.

4. Nowi

Yeh yeh yeh loli bait I know I know, but she is just so gaaaawd damn cute. To me Nowi is an actually fun and charming version of the squeaky, annoying Elise but she came one game earlier and is actually a lot more mature than her. Being a dragon also gives her so many brownie points because not only are dragons just cool, but manaketes are overpowered as fuuuuck in Awakening. I must say she was the first person I married when I played Awakening and there are no regrets there considering I got a nice manakete Morgan as well. All her supports are really charming but its rather sad to think she will outlive anybody she marries. I'm also really sad they didn't bring back manaketes in Fates because I find the beast classes in Fates REALLY lame. Sure they have the dragonstones still but the new forms are so meh.

3. Inigo/Laslow

You may have noticed there are a few sweet talkers on this list and for good reason, their supports are just bloody well written. All of Inigo/Laslow's supports and interactions with other characters always make me smile without fail. He would like to think he is a rather charming dashing man and well he is, just he strikes out ALL the time. While that in itself is a pretty cliche personality trope that could so easily just be plain cringey, its written so well that I can't help but admire it. Being the son of Olivia in Awakening is nice too as she was pretty close to being on this list (its not for the outfit I swear!). As a unit he is a nice all rounder in both games but suffers from no longer being a child unit in Fates.

2. Owain/Odin

With his love for fantasy theatrics and tales of power unimaginable he is a welcome addition to any squad, if only for the comedic relief. All his quotes and supports are some of the funniest in both games he appears in. There really isn't a whole lot more to say about him either, I wouldn't say he is a particularly deep or multi-faceted character but he doesn't need to be when he has one of the most unique personality tropes and pulls it off well. Basically if you don't like Owain/Odin you better be prepared for me to Eldritch Smackdown your face and Abysmal Body Blow your nutsack.

1. Gaius

We get to the number 1 and he is revealed to be Gaius! As well as knowing my favourite character you now also know what my favourite class/archetype is (the thief, DUH). Now I know what you are thinking, but duuuude half of gaius's supports are just about candy and then randomly falling in love with the woman out of nowhere! Well my friend I have something to say to you....you're right. Quite abit of gaius's supports are just about candy but for some reason thats alright with me because he really does have some supports that are an absolute gem and really reveal to you a whole other side to your classic thief with a heart of gold story (his supports with Chrom and Maribelle to name a couple). He steals, he dodges, he smacks them round the head with a sword and he looks DANG good while he does it.

[Amethyst]

10- Mitama (Fates)

I like artisitc types. I admire her commitment to sleeping as a method of recreation. For someone like myself who was rather adverse to it, it's somewhat novel.

Finally, uh, this:

that was the singular moment she instantly became one of my favorites.

9- Karel (Rekka no Ken)

i will flagrantly confess to being a lesbian in 98% of situations. and then there is Karel. i don't care about FE6 Karel, he got lame when he grew up. but FE7 Karel... is so attractive.. I liked him the moment he first wandered into the chapter and hit on Lyn. I don't... really have a good reason for this. In fact it's indefensible. But 10/10 would recruit and use despite terrible growths.

8- Maribelle (Awakening)

Maribelle was not a character I expected to like, and for a time, I didn't. And then seeing how sharp her tongue was, much like Mitama, she instantly became my second favorite. For instance, her level up quote "One step closer and I'll be forced to maim you," when she's a non-attacking unit, really tickled me. I just generally appreciate her class and humor, and also her selective affection for Lissa. They're cute. I'd ship it. stupid straight characters gotta have kids tho mrgrgrgrgr.

7- Aversa (Awakening)

I thought Aversa was pretty from the start, and Dark Flier very quickly became my favorite class (even discounting how completely broken Galeforce is). I did not expect Aversa herself to suddenly become one of my favorite characters on her xenologue. And yet here we are. Even though it backtracked on everything she did during the entire game, I am more than willing to accept it and give her the full span of my pity. I find her flirtatious nature amusing, and her character seems satisfying as the misunderstood loyal type. Her tendency to dark magic doesn't hurt either.

6- Niles (Fates)

so im lesbian like 98% of the time and karel is 1% and niles is the other 1% like wow you can say whatever dirty words to me you want

^ things i probably wouldnt say in real life but it is a video game and he is fictional so whatever

More seriously I sympathize with his upbringing and his antagonistic tendencies (even if he's BAD at it and honestly a bit childish with it sometimes). I actually thought his humour would bother me, but it really didn't, and instead grew on me over time. Also he's really pretty. That helps.

5- Soliel (Fates)

so im lesbian like 98% of the time how am i not gonna like soleil

She's super neat and pretty and I admire her openness with others but sympathize with her for her weakness to cute things and her initial inclination to try and present a positive attitude regardless of what she's feeling even if doing that might actually be harmful to her

oops.

also i think a lot about what would happen if olivia and soleil ever met.

like. a lot.

4- Selkie (Fates)

Okay. Look. I get it. Most people don't actually like as many characters who happen to have killing other people as their main hobby, as I do. I really do get it! I understand that manslaughter is not a socially acceptably activity, nor is it something that people find as attractive as I do. And so, when people say they don't like my favorite characters, I accept it with full understanding.

But Selkie? I really, really don't get it. I legitimately do not understand how anybody can not love Selkie. She's so outgoing, playful, energetic, and not blood thirsty at all! She's like a cute little furry bundle of joy AND she's got those pretty ears and tail. How can you not love her? I just, it makes no sense to me.

3- Peri (Fates)

and now the part that nobody's really surprised about, and that as i said, i'm not surprised when nobody likes her.

I originally avoided looking at anything for Fates before it came out here, and I did a pretty good job of keeping myself unspoiled. But a few days before it came out, I was looking up something or other about Fates, I forget what, and was scrolling down a page that had a table of every Fates character's portrait on it. Not wanting to spoil myself, I scrolled down it as fast as I could.

...and then slid myself right back on up to do a double take at what I thought I saw as a pair light blue pigtails with pink tips. there was no way i saw that right. right?

and yet i did.

and in that moment, i knew that she was going to be one of my top favorite characters in this game.

the fact that she was also bloodthirsty, energetic, and basically a Fire Emblem version of Jinx who knows how to cook, was all happy coincidence.

fate, you might call it.

especially since she's basically the embodiment of the homicidal element of yandere.

i -was- going to put her at #2 on this list but switched at the last minute because ive grown sort of tired of the kind of immaturity that borders on selective incompetence.

2- Tharja (Awakening)

my first exposure to tharja was in edge fanboying over her. not a positive experience. so at first i was sort of neutral to her.

this changed quickly.

dark magic and curses, an unrelenting fascination with the object of her interest, and her often less-than-generous tendency to completely solve the problems of whomever she supported, all combined to make tharja into by far my favorite character in awakening, and someone i thought wouldn't be topped.

i was admittedly pretty happy that she'd be returning, sort of, in fates and while she was one of my marriages due to finally being allowed to marry female avatar, i like rhajat less well than i do tharja. rhajat seems to have more of a focus on just stalking, and her voice, while similar, is different enough from tharja's that it bothers me. on the other hand, tharja made me like that low raspy voice thing in the first place... so whatever.

as peri is the homicidal aspect of yandere, so is rhajat the stalking aspect.

1- Camilla (Fates)

there are a few things about camilla that really annoy me. such as, her boob-seatbelt. or, how over-emphasized her boobs are by the game. or, how she isn't allowed to wear pants. however i attribute all of these things to a fault of her design, rather than herself. she is just a victim to the over-sexualising whims of an unfortunate designer and consumer economy.

it also really annoys me when people like her mainly for those things.

but everything else about camilla is just, wonderful.

normally i would make some deal about why she's so fascinated with corrin in particular, but her history of having to kill her siblings covers that nicely, and corrin being the one exception for that is adequate justification for me to accept that she would fully embrace the opportunity to explore her nurturing side by dumping every ounce of pent up affection onto them.

somewhat surprised corrin didnt come to resent her for it but that's an aside.

in addition to that she carries herself with a great amount of dignity, clearly has a range of talents, is gorgeous as all heck, has a wit to match maribelle's, a sense of humor that would make even niles blush, and a loving habit of protecting those closest to her by killing anything that stands in her family's way.

i also really appreciate how she says 'fuck no' to the throne and adopts 11 kids instead because frankly, same.

as peri is the homicidal part and rhajat is the stalking part, i believe camilla sort of represents the doting aspect of yandere.

and if there is anything that can be said in my defense for my inexcusable-and-likely-to-one-day-get-me-killed attraction to this archetype, it seems that the doting element is the one i like best.

because at this point it would probably take someone so overbearingly obsessive to even convince me that i'm wanted in the first place.

[Sheepish]

1- Camilla (Fates)

there are a few things about camilla that really annoy me. such as, her boob-seatbelt. or, how over-emphasized her boobs are by the game. or, how she isn't allowed to wear pants. however i attribute all of these things to a fault of her design, rather than her. she is just an unfortunate victim to the over-sexualising whims of an unfortunate designer and consumer economy.

it also really annoys me when people like her mainly for those things.

but everything else about camilla is just, wonderful.

normally i would make some deal about why she's so fascinated with corrin in particular, but her history of having to kill her siblings covers that nicely, and corrin being the one exception for that is adequate justification for me to accept that she would fully embrace the opportunity to explore her nurturing side by dumping every ounce of pent up affection onto them.

somewhat surprised corrin didnt come to resent her for it but that's an aside.

in addition to that she carries herself with a great amount of dignity, clearly has a range of talents, is gorgeous as all heck, has a wit to match maribelle's, a sense of humor that would make even niles blush, and a loving habit of protecting those closest to her by killing anything that stands in her family's way.

i also really appreciate how she says 'fuck no' to the throne and adopts 11 kids instead because frankly, same.

as peri is the homicidal part and rhajat is the stalking part, i believe camilla sort of represents the doting aspect of yandere.

and if there is anything that can be said in my defense for my inexcusable-and-likely-to-one-day-get-me-killed attraction to this archetype, it seems that the doting element is the one i like best.

because at this point it would probably take someone so overbearingly obsessive to even convince me that i'm wanted in the first place.

I'm sure you will absolutely hate love this then!

Edited August 18, 2016 by Sheepish

[Amethyst]

there exists 'too much of a good thing' and it has been far, far exceeded.

[Commander]

Oh boy this topic. It's really going to be hard for me to pick a particular top ten list, but I'll try to versify this based on how good they are, their design, and their backstory and the games I've played so far are Shadow Dragon, PoR, RD, FE7, SS, Awakening, and most of fates. I'll also use a one unit per class (or basically their class) rule to help narrow it down.

10. Oscar (PoR)

Ah the Cain and Abel trope is one that has lasted every FE game. Most of the time the two are really close to each other and often known each other for a long time. Oscar is a little bit different as while he forgot about Kieran, Kieran didn't forget about him. This humble knight dropped his knighthood when his parents died so that he could help take care of his two brothers which really shows in how he learned to cook.

The Greil Mercenaries themselves are one big family and picking one of them is hard, but Oscar is a really, really good unit and he was very talented at fighting as seen by Kieran who was always trying to beat him...to the point Oscar became concerned. And since Paladins are broken in PoR there's no reason not to use him since he's available the entire game. The reason I put him in 10 though is because there's quite a few cavaliers really worthy of this spot with stronger personalities (cough*Sain*cough), but nevertheless I really like him.

9. Virion (Awakening)

I could see why a lot of people hate him and boy is Archer probably the hardest class to choose from given it's one of my favorites to use on the field. I feel like he's one of the overlooked characters since he is a noble and probably the most oddball noble/leader other than Izana. He's generally a comic relief, but I just like his accent/VA along with a few of his supports. His charms one my over just barely over Shinon and Takumi (and I mean just barely) and he's my favorite Awakening character so of course I'd pick him. I really need to pick up Awakening and do more of Virion's supports.

8. Caeda (Shadow Dragon)

The only one honestly close was Elincia, another all around great character and unit, but this is the main reason I could get through Shadow Dragon. And yes, I was utterly disappointed by how Tokyo Mirage Session did not do this character justice. Caeda is actually a princess of that one kingdom in chapter 1 (sorry it's been a long while since I played SD), but she has a really kind heart and a freaking broken unit with her Wind Spear to the point what is Marth doing half the game. What I really like about her character is she's generally the one to recruit enemies to her side through some very entertaining conversations (she even flirts with one guy). She also felt like the unit that'd be the one to brighten the mood when the going gets tough and help push them forward. Seriously one of like 5 of the only characters in that game with personality.

7. Arthur (Fates)

Despite being a terrible unit due to his luck, I really like Arthur since he's a really good guy and like the only Fighter out of my choices that really sticks out. I really like his supports especially Elise because while most people wouldn't believe someone can be this unlucky, I've met someone irl with that kind of luck. He also despite all this keeps a smile and fights for his beliefs and even in a certain support it gives him a break. And the biggest reason I like him is because he's a freaking crit machine. Seriously, nothing beats seeing Athur go crit crazy as a beserker.

6. Eirika (Sacred Stones)

Picking a favorite lord oh boy is that hard in the wrong way. Don't get me wrong, I like Ike and Micaiah as well, but very few settle very well or I don't have gripes with. What I like about Eirika is that she does the most stupidest thing I thought anybody could do, but it makes sense she'd do it since she's in love with Lyon. Other than that she's a good character that really grows from the start to finish who doesn't pull Ephiriam stunts. I can't remember all her backstory off the top of my head but she's a good unit, her path has some really great moments and chapters, and even that twincest. I really hope we go back to non avatar lords because she's an example of what Avatars can't do for a story.

5. Canas (Fire Emblem 7)

I feel like Dark Mages have been devolving over time as originally the lore was that Dark Magic pretty much makes you go insane. Really interesting guy and pretty much your only Shaman the entire game. It's kind of interesting seeing someone willing to pay that price merely for curiosity and research and it really ties together the FE7 storyline with all that hidden knowledge in the game. I'd put Knoll here but boy does Canas really stand out as one of the best units in FE7, a game where pretty much anyone is good.

4. Valter (Sacred Stones)

This guy is tied with Haar for the Wyvern spot. I kid you not both characters are so good that it's really hard to pick one over another. This guy just barely wins out, and I mean barely because he makes for such a good side villain. Remember how Iago tried to be all super evil and you were supposed to feel good about killing him. That kind of failed. This guy on the other hand you will want to kill because he is really, I mean really, messed up. He's psychotic, bloodthirsty, and has sexual desires for Eirika. He also dies on what I feel like was a really good map and boy was it one that surprised me. Don't know how good he is as a unit, but he's kind of tough as a boss.

3. Dheginsea (Radiant Dawn)

Kind of hard to pick out of the bosses and "villains" and while I feel the boss who follows this guy has a better story, this freaking boss fight is hard and really cool. You learn a lot about the past from him and the dude looks scary in human form then there's his transformation which is even more intimidating. There's not much else to say without spoiling like a huge section of the Radiant Dawn plot but this guy is easily my favorite boss because imaging FE7's final boss on steroids.

2. Effie (Fates - Conquest)

I really like Effie as a unit and easily my favorite Conquest character because she tanks and she hits like a monster. I mean who else could survive that freaking hallway without shuriken breaker but Effie. I don't mind her personality and story that much since it's the only other time we really hear about that underground city. She really only has Gatrie competing for the general spot and boy if she wasn't so good, I'd give it to Gatrie in a heartbeat. Her muscles supports turn me off a little bit, but at least she sometimes has more than her muscles to talk about.

1. L'arachel (Sacred Stones)

Honestly I could make any of these guys the top pick, but honestly I think L'arachel really is my favorite overall. Even if she was the crappiest unit of all time, I'd still really like her. She's not bad honestly and is very entertaining with her unique personality. Yeah, I'd say she's my favorite healer though there are quite a few good ones. She also takes an important role in the main story despite not being a lord and really knows how to make an entrance (cough not really cough). Her supports are really fun as well especially Joshua's. Now I want to play SS again.

It's honestly really hard to pick just 10 characters since there's just so much when it comes to Fire Emblem. Who knows? Maybe playing through another game could flip this list upside down. Anyways here's some honorable mentions:

Thief - Volke (PoR/RD)

Mage - Pent (FE7)

Dancer - Rafiel (RD)

Laguz/Transform Unit - Tibarn (PoR/RD)

Soldier - Nephenee (PoR/RD)

Mercenary - Gerik (SS)

Myrmidon - Stefan (PoR/RD)

[ty_taurus]

So the only Fire Emblem games I've gotten my hands on are Radiant Dawn, Awakening, and Fates. While it's not the most selective list, I've played all three numerous times and have some pretty well loved characters that I always use.

10. Owain/Odin (Awakening/Fates)

Owain's a fun character. He's incredibly nerdy, quirky, and silly. While I think he takes it a little to far sometimes, I find it a pretty enjoyable character to read the supports of. Bonus points for that outfit they put him in for Fates .

9. Micaiah (Radiant Dawn)

Micaiah's the only lead character I really loved. I was fine with Robin, cause I liked the sword and magic aspect, but I generally don't buy the protagonist dudes with swords in games. I mean they're fine, but I just like different things. Anyway, I know she's got a lot of hate for some borderline Mary Sue moments, but I actually really liked her struggle in Part 3 of the plot. Many people hate her for not standing up for what she believed in, but it was really realistic when you think about actual people in the army. Your job is to do as your told, even if you think its wrong. There are heavy consequences if you disobey orders, and she was in a legitimate bind. It's easy to say 'just walk away,' but that's not how it works in real war.

8. Silas (Fates)

I really loved Silas' backstory with your character. I find his devotion to you as his best friend really adorable. I'm a little surprised he wasn't chosen for the game's gay option just because it would've been cuter if he'd always love your character regardless of gender. Instead we got Niles... yay...

7. Rolf (Path of Radiance / Radiant Dawn)

So I didn't actually get to play Path of Radiance like I wanted to, but I'm aware of some of it, and I played through Radiant Dawn. I loved that, of the two archers in the game, the better of them was modest little Rolf. (Yes, I'm aware that Shinon exists, but Shinon's a dick! He's a racist asshole, and I was this close to sending him on a suicide mission without a bow after his degrading of Lyre. He better be thanking me that I'm an altruistic completionist). Anyway, Rolf's awesome.

6. Lyre (Radiant Dawn)

I bet no one will ever say one of their favorite characters from Radiant Dawn is Lyre. She's one of the three worst units in the game quite bluntly, right up there with Meg and Leona, but I liked her design more than her sister's when I first saw her. From there, I also felt bad for her when you see Shinon's blatant racism toward her before she joins. I'm also a big fan of underdog characters, so I saved some energy drops so she could actually damage enemies and abused Bonus EXP and the Blossom ability to turn her into a power house.

5. Keaton (Fates)

So I originally planned for Keaton to be my yaoi anime boy to appreciate, but I didn't like him as much as I thought it was. Perhaps it's because of how is biggest selling point is his attraction to trash. It can be kinda quirky, but it's also not much of a personality, and I think he's a little more flat than I had hopped, but hey, he's still cute.

4. Maribelle (Awakening)

Love Maribelle's wit to death. Her supports are so vastly entertaining to read. I know a lot of people have mixed feelings about her because of how abrasive she can appear to the player who doesn't use her, but once you dive deeper into her supports, her true personality shines. She's far mare caring and motherly than her initial appearances would lead you to believe. She's just such a well written character, especially since most non-main characters tend to be so one-dimensional in Fire Emblem.

3. Henry (Awakening)

Henry is just adorable. He's a little creepy, but he's so happy and strangely considerate in many of his supports. There were many opportunities for his supports to help him develop into a more emotionally stable individual, such as Olivia's, but I feel like the writers were afraid of allowing him to change too much for fear of him seeming out of character when starting other supports. My biggest disappointment with him was that he didn't get a more personalized model as a Sorcerer. Instead he had to live with that really weird looking Egyptian lingerie fashion.

2. Hinata (Fates)

I find Hinata to be one of the hottest characters tbh That's a big reason why really, but I also just love how energetic he is, and I like his color scheme. Always run him as a Swordsmaster because he looks so snazzy in his outfit.

1. Donnel (Awakening)

Donny's my favorite because of how he's meant to be this pathetically weak farm boy, but he's so noble, kind, gentle, and humble. His Aptitude ability allows him to transform into this extraordinary powerhouse as he gets into his double digit levels of Villager and class change. But most importantly, he's so darn cute. I wish the game could let me romance him as a dude .

[krim]

At this point I've played through every game in the series, so this might take me a while to think up. Limiting myself to playable units because over half this list would be villains otherwise

10: Salem (Thracia 776/FE5)

Now there isn't really much to say about Salem due to Thracia 776's limited dialogue, but he is the first playable unit in the series with the capability of using Dark Magic. Jugdral in general is a place were Dark Magic is taboo, and only the members of the Lopt Sect seem to be able to use it. Salem leaves the Lopt Sect when he disagreed with hunting down children to use for there rituals, and so he was sentenced to death. He made it pretty far but was very wounded by the time he collapsed. A thief named Pahn found him and took him in, and they along with a few other members form the Dandelion Gang who eventually join Leafs army.

The Lopt Sect is a pretty evil group, and its not really known how dark magic originated in them. I'd suppose from doing blood rituals for Loptyr (their dark god) may have been part of it, but its not known for sure. Salem never really talks about it but...

a headcanon I have is that the ancestors of shamans and dark magic users we have today were originally taught by Salem to use their powers for good rather than evil. He goes into seclusion and writes a book on what the Lopt Sect was really like after the war, so it doesnt really seem that far fetched.

As a unit he's pretty good. Able to use Wind/Fire/Thunder/Dark/Staves at base is really good for him, and he can reach A Staves to warp people around fairly quickly which is really, really nice for Thracia.

9: Gunter (Fates)

This is a bit of a weird choice for my first Fates representative on this list, but his backstory was actually written very well. The end result in Revelations was done poorly, but the backstory alone is quite good.

All of his voiced lines are badass, he looks like a badass, and while he has absolutely horrible growths, he's the one who got me through Lunatic Conquest because of his huge Corrin pairup bonuses + Personal Skill + Wyvern access. This guy is just awesome all around.

Also he's one of the cool old guys in the series. We don't have a lot of old people, let alone ones that are actually awesome (Only Jeigan, Fargus and Tauroneo come to mind), so he gets points there.

Not to mention his Jakob support is hilarious. Gunter is basically the only person in the army that flings insults just as hard as he does, and doesn't get phased by it at all.

8: Niles (Fates)

Niles is a second Fates representative. He's in one of my favorite classes for Fates (Outlaw), he has great growths and is pretty much downright necessary for Lunatic Conquest play.

As a character, Niles has a rather troubled backstory where he was abandoned by his parents and taken in by a gang of thieves. Whilst robbing the Nohrian palace the thieves were caught and left Niles behind as a scapegoat. Instead of trying to run from Leo (who had caught him) he begged for death instead. Leo was fascinated and took him in as a retainer. As a result of his upbringing Niles tends to mask his feelings of hurt behind innuendos and sarcasm, and while it may seem excessive at times, I honestly enjoy it.

Niles can also marry a Male Corrin, which gives a little bit more backstory for him in the Japanese version (as to why they removed it, hell if I know. Treehouse localization was kind of bad/10). He begs Corrin to stay with him at night for fear of being abandoned again, and that Corrin is the only one who really makes him feel loved and human.

I feel like he is honestly one of the better partners for Male Corrin because of this, and honestly they just did a really nice job with him overall. I love his design too. Eyepatches are super cool.

7: Sophia (Binding Blade/FE6)

Yes, I know, I know. "She's a shit unit" comments incoming. But I've had good Sophias. Really good Sophias actually. She uses Dark Magic, which is always a plus imo as it gives a lot more potential to delve into the lore of FE magic. (At least...pre-Awakening they did. Dark Magic isnt even mentioned much anymore sadly...)

What I really like about her though, is that she's pretty much something that isn't supposed to exist.

Dragons were banished in Elibe. The Village of Arcadia is secret and the only place were dragons and humans can live in peace and harmony - to the point that even people like the Arcsage Athos didn't know about it until exploring the Nabata Desert.

Sophia is a half-dragon. She is direct and living proof that a connection between dragons and humans can be reached - and even fostered into love - something that we later see in FE7. Her draconic heritage causes her to age very slowly, and also speak slowly and deliberately. She can foretell the future as well, someting granted by her shaman abilities which I believe to only be fostered by the dragon blood.

Sophia is a kind, but quiet and reserved girl. She has rarely seen the world outside of Arcadia, and everything is new for her. Yet she is able to make friends with the anti-social Raigh and the occasionally anti-dragon Niime. She can even marry Roy in the end, to live among the world of the fully human, where she quite possibly could've faced prejudice for her heritage. Niime even admires her strength for being able to do so.

As a unit, yes she's kind of bad a lot of the time. But I use her anyways because I like her. Also she's really, really pretty. Probably the prettiest in FE6.

6: Hugh/Niime (Binding Blade/FE6)

Going for a shared spot here, since these two work the best together in terms of character. Niime is the mother of Canas, and a world renowned Druid, while Hugh is Canas' son and an anima mage.

Growing up without a father, and raised only by Niime (Due to a snowstorm accident *cough* continuity issues *cough* killing off Canas when he was still very young.) Hugh is one of the older members of the younger crew in FE6. Hugh acts younger than he really is, and tries to be tough when he's really not. He has a soft spot for kids, and even helps out the orphanage crew when he can in supports, even if it means giving up what he's worked for himself. (Those being Lugh, Raigh and Chad.)

But Hugh also has a sense of maturity to him, moreso than the previously mentioned young cast, shown in his Niime support.

Niime herself is a stern old woman who knows more about Dark Magic than anyone alive. She might seem like a stereotypical crotchety old lady talking about respecting elders and whatnot, but she really has a kind heart underneath it. She teaches Raigh on Dark Magic, and learns more about the dragons from Sophia because she feels the need to know everything she can about them before making decisions regarding them.

However Niime will also do what needs to be done - to the point where she considered murdering the small child manakete Fa - in order to prevent the world coming to an end because of her. Ultimately, she decides against it, no doubt in part due to her speaking with Sophia and considering the issue at length.

Now Hugh - Niime is the support that I like a lot from both of them.

The two of them basically argue for most of it, but in the C support, Niime is disturbed that Hugh became a mage rather than a shaman - which has been tradition for years in their family. In B Hugh admits to losing a tome of Niimes (which was actually stolen by Raigh) and Niime makes a comment about his dead parents, and how similar he is to Canas. In A they discuss Canas and how Hugh inherited his kindness and his mothers talent for Anima. In the end, Niime professes that she actually missed him and is proud of him, which brings a great end to Hugh's character arc in which he previously believed he was a total failure. (There are undertones of this in his other supports. I highly recommend reading them.)

5: Legault (FE7/Blazing Sword/Rekka no Ken)

Legault is probably my favorite thief in the series. I just love this guy. He looks cool, he's got that sweet custom long haired thief/assassin sprite and he has a really fun personality that can be comic relief at times but also maintaining an element of seriousness.

He was initially a member of the Black Fang - a high up one too with the title of Hurricane - but he abandons them when Nergal takes over from behind the scenes and changes are made. His duties within the Fang were to find and kill anyone who abandoned them. This led him to have a bit of self-loathing for what he did to the people he had to find.

Killing the people you’ve lived and worked with for years. You’ll find yourself hated pretty quickly. That’s one thing that makes this place comfortable. I can just be a simple hanger-on.

It is later revealed that the orders that Nergal sent down the line of command when he took control were for Legault to kill innocents - members of the Fang who had no taste for killing or were too weak to fight anymore - something he strongly disagreed with. When he was forced to kill a woman who could've just left with many days in her life left, he started considering getting out.

When he meets up with Nino - another former member of the Fang - and a very young one at that, he gives even more insight to the Fang as well as during his Isadora support. The Fang was like a family to them - vagrants and misfits were all taken in under the wing of the Fang

“Yep. Don't believe me? The old Fang was filled with vagrants and misfits. The commander would teach them how to live. Of course, being an assassin's not a job to brag about, but everyone had a kind of pride in what they were. They could at least say that they were right. That what they did wasn't wrong.”

- but Nergal destroyed all that. He wants to protect Nino, but feels like a failure compared to what her brothers could do.

In his Jaffar support, Jaffar asks him to look after her if he dies, but he isn't sure that he can but ends up reluctantly agreeing.

He ends up developing a friendship with Heath as his more comical support, and Heaths adheration to his values gives Legault hope for the future - something no other character (except maybe Jaffar) had given so far. Legault also jokes about love in this support, although it seems almost like Heath is taking it seriously. While they don't have a paired ending...it kind of makes you wonder if the undertones mean something.

(Not to mention Gale in FE6 looks like their hypothetical child. Seriously just look at the three side by side)

In the end he goes off to help other Black Fang members to ease his own sorrows, which is something I think is very fitting.

4: (FE10/Radiant Dawn) Spoiler Character. (If you've played FE10 twice or dont care about being spoiled click it. If you do care and have not played FE10 twice, don't.)

Pelleas!

If you're reading this you probably know he can live and be recruitable on a second playthrough or higher.

Pelleas is a kind young man believed to be the son of the Mad King Ashnard and the rightful king of Daien for the majority of the game. Sadly, he's really bad at his job and it gets him into all kinds of trouble. Eventually he does learn to face his fears and become competent on the battlefield after learning that he isn't truly the heir to the throne, just a pawn that Izuka used to get someone on there. Even if he does remain weak of constitution (and stomach) when it comes to fighting.

He dies after learning of his true heritage and making a terrible mistake by signing a Blood Contract with the Begnion Empire. On a second playthrough or higher Michaiah can convince him to live.

Pelleas is a Dark Sage, the only recruitable character (there is one other but that requires an extremely complicated and drawn out method to get him as well as also being on a second playthrough) able to use Dark Magic reliably in FE10. His Magic is really solid, as is his strength and skill. His speed not so much, but Sages speed caps are garbage in RD anyways so it doesnt matter too much.

Sadly FE10 doesnt really give too much backstory for him other than that, and that he is a Spirit Charmer who made a Pact with Spirits in order to have enhanced magical abilities (this makes him seem akin to Branded due to attaining the Spirit Charmers Mark during this process). This is likely what allows him to use Dark Magic.

He gets this kickass theme by the way, even if its more sad than anything.

3: Haar (FE9/Path of Radiance, FE10/Radiant Dawn)

Probably didn't expect my favorite FE Character Avatar to use isnt higher, huh? The fact of the matter is that he has better fanart than the other two.

Haar has one of if not my most favorite character design in FE. The eyepatch, the hair, the wyvern, the armor. Even his facial expressions. Everything just fits so well and I love it.

As a character. he's seen as pretty lazy and tired all the time. Most of his dialogue in Path of Radiance involves him going to nap somewhere. Or taking a nap somewhere. However, this doesn't mean that this is his only aspect. Haar is fiercely loyal to Commander Shiharam, and after his death is sent out to help and protect his daughter, which leads to him joining up with Ikes group.

In FE9 he's basically discount Jill but requires no investment to stay on until endgame. So he's pretty good.

This is about the extent of him until FE10. FE10...well FE10 is where he ascends into the plain of Uber Tier units if that can be a thing.

He comes in Part 2 with nearly capped stats on all his bases, can double everything in P2 endgame with only a speedwings (that nobody else on the part wants except maybe Mordecai). He's able to Fly, has no weakness to bows (Tellius Wyverns are strong man) and his only real downfall is low magic resistance and a speed cap that doesnt hurt him until the very very end of the game (which doesnt matter with a Brave Axe that should be stapled to him anyways). Wyvern Lords also have the best caps in the game outside of speed and res, which don't matter much. He can promote to tier 3 nearly instantly and be fine. There is a reason people call Radiant Dawn "Radiant Haar". This guy is it. He is without a doubt the best unit in Radiant Dawn, and my favorite unit in Tellius.

Now on to his Fe10 character.

FE10 Haar keeps his sleepiness and nonchalant attitude but is quite a bit more serious about fighting this time. He has boss conversations with nearly every boss from Begnion and Daein that he can fight which only adds to his character. Quite frankly, the mans a badass. He can talk Jill over to Ikes side if you really want her to in Part 3 by talking to her about loyalty and her father.

I'm going to leave some quotes here that will explain what I mean better than how I can explain it.

Vs Lekain

Haar: Why is it that authority figures are always so unwilling to let go of their power? The world could flip upside down and you'd be trying to boss around gravity.
Lekain: You clearly know nothing of me, lout! To oppose me is to oppose the goddess Ashera herself!
Haar: That's strange... I always thought that role was filled by the apostle. But who can keep up these days? So you're defending the goddess... but will she do the same for you?

Vs Hetzel

Hetzel: Wait... I remember you... You were one of the dracoknights that fled to Daein, defying the senators... You opposed the almighty Begnion and the word of the goddess... Why? Why would you defy such power?
Haar: You could live another lifetime, and you'd still never understand.

Vs Levail

Levail: Captain Haar! You are still alive!
Haar: What happened that you didn't expect me to survive?
Levail: Um... Nothing, I suppose. It's just that it's been a while since you left Begnion.
Haar: Yeah. Twenty years ago, wasn't it?
Levail: I was still very young at the time. You had just been dubbed a knight. Oh, it brings back such memories... The bravery of the dracoknights, especially the Fizzart Platoon. It was legendary among the soldiers. But then you suddenly defected to Daein.
Haar: I got sick of taking orders from corrupt senators, so I ditched the country with General Shiharam.
Levail: I joined the army after I came of age. But it was different after you all left. It was as if you took its spirit with you. The only exception was General Zelgius, the general of Duke Persis's army.
Haar: I see. Is that why you're under his command?
Levail: Yes. He is the last true knight. I will die for him.

Haar: Yes, Levail. You will.

2: Leif (FE4/Genealogy of the Holy War, FE5/Thracia 776)

Note: Heavy FE5 Spoilers and Slight FE4 ones.

Leif!

My favorite lord in the series, and the only one to make the list. Leif holds a special place in my heart because he actually gets a lot of character development and learns from the mistakes that he makes (and trust me, some of them are HUGE). That's something not very many lords can say because

1: They dont make mistakes at all.

or

2: They make them then brush them off like nothing happened.

or

3: There either are no consequences for them or they are very negligible ones.

The only ones who come even close to him in that regard are the FE7 Lords Hector and Eliwood, and of course Sigurd in FE4.

We'll start with him as a unit in his first (chronologically) game. FE5. Now you guys probably know the horror stories of FE5 and I probably sound like a masochist for saying that it's my favorite FE game but I genuinely do love it. Leaf is your lord and he starts out pretty bad. He's actually kind of bad until you get the stat boosters pre-Manster. With those and his prf 1-2 range Light Sword, he becomes your best unit for the Manster segment: and this is very important. Manster is probably the most difficult segment of Thracia for newer players. Leaf being good there, avoiding the fatigue mechanic and being an amazing support bot (supports in this game are hidden and work off of hit and avoid. Leaf supports with damn near half the cast) really make up for most of his shortcomings. What doesn't get made up is pretty much negligible because of low caps and growth boosting scrolls.

As for Leaf as a character in FE5 he starts off pretty naiive. He's a young lord whose kingdom was overrun and is now pretty much dirt poor and ruled by tyrants. This is shown through gameplay as well with the capturing mechanic necessary to get weapons for a very long time (basically mugging and stealing since you have no money).

For the first few chapters, he's pretty much just cleaning out bandits. But when he does end up going for an empire post, he makes a terrible mistake and gets captured. He loses all of the units he has up until that point except for one thief who is an optionally recruited character. This leads to him being put in prison in the Manster District, which is one of the hardest areas in the game. It takes him a long time to get out, and reunite for his allies, but eventually he does. However he does learn from this mistake and never has such a thing happen again.He spends a good chunk of the game running for his life and stealing what he can just to get by afterwards. Its a position no other lord has faced before or since.

When he finally does gather enough forces to take back his castle (Leonster) he makes it and promotes, but then he makes another grave mistake and allows one of his advisers to try and retake the Alster District as well. This hotheaded and reckless decision leads to nearly all of his forces getting wiped out and said adviser dying in the process (who we actually do see a lot throughout the game. He isn't some nobody we don't care about. He's important.)

He doesn't make these mistakes because he's an idiot (unlike some lords), but because he's an inexperienced leader. He's had no living at a castle with an education to get through this, he's been on the run the whole time. He starts out with virtually nothing. Yes he makes mistakes, but what's important is that he eventually wins against all odds. (Honestly much slimmer odds than in any game before or since).

In FE4 Leif retains roughly the same character, although he's usually sent off to guard a castle somewhere during the first few maps he appears in. He starts as a Prince which is what his initial class in FE5 Lord promoted into. He's generally very bad starting off due to having no Pursuit (the skill required to double in FE4) and no Holy Weapon to fix his bad bases. But if you do some careful planning to get the Paragon Ring onto him early and get him to Level 20 for promotion, you won't regret it. Leif becomes a Master Knight in this game, the best class playable class in the game. Master Knights gain A Rank in every weapon except for Light and Dark Magics, a Horse and the Pursuit skill. This makes Leif basically an Uber Tier unit although it requires a lot of investment. This allows for Mounted rescue staff cheese, other kinds of staff cheese and a unit stacked with enough weapons he can kick ass in any situation.

As for Leifs character development in this game, he has a major inferiority complex. In a world where nearly every one has Major Holy Blood and a kickass Holy Weapon to go with it, he doesnt really seem like much, and he feels much the same way. He didn't have nearly the luxuries Seliph or the other characters had when he most definitely was in the worst situation out of all of them, and got out only by the skin of his teeth. He constantly has Lewyn, Ced and Seliphs' presence inadvertently towering over and reminding him how inferior he is in this army. It takes a very well thought out speech by Ced in order to make him realize that he actually did a good job in retaking Thracia, even without the major blood other characters have. Much like August says in Thracia 776, heroes aren't born just due to blood. They are made.

And the youngest out of all of them that had taken on the hardest challenge was clearly made into one despite his birth.

1: Canas (FE7/Rekka no Ken/Blazing Sword)

I wonder how many of you expected this?

Canas is my favorite character for quite a number of reasons. He gives a lot of lore for Dark Magic and even some for Anima and is basically our entire gateway for magic lore into Elibe. As some of you know, I absolutely love magic lore in nearly everything. Dark Magic in Fire Emblem especially (I mean you've seen how many users of it there are on this list, right?) and Canas is pretty much our only gateway to learning about it outside of one chapter in Hector Mode, and one or two of Knoll's supports in Sacred Stones.

The fundamentals are that Dark Magic works through Knowledge, while Anima works through Nature and Light works through Faith. The knowledge in question with dark magic is generally the communion with ancient spirits from times long past. The risk of communing with these spirits is that they can eventually take you, either driving you mad (such as in Nergal's case) or leaving you braindead (in the case of Canas' brothers). Only the truly powerful can master Dark Magic and Brammimond was the only one to be able to do so as far as we know. Teodor tried, but was ultimately defeated by our party and Niime is just very powerful but not that powerful.

Canas is a scholar primarily, and a Shaman second. Due to being the son of Niime, he was essentially raised to be one, and his curiosity is what drives him deeper and deeper into the darkness the knowledge offers. Unlike many Dark users we see throughout the series, Canas does this soley for curiosities sake, there are no ulterior motives here. He admits that he is afraid he can end up like his brothers, but still he pushes forward.

The scholarly intent that Canas has also drives him to learn about other things. He strikes up a conversation with Renault, for example, on whether Morphs (beings constructed of magic and quintessence or life force) have souls. This leads to a very great discussion and is pretty much the most backstory we get to the Morphs, and in the process he also gets answers out of Renault about himself. Something not many characters have been able to do - and this specific information even less so.

I guess another reason I like Canas so much is that he kind of reminds me of myself. He's often caught reading on the battlefield, and even in his supports he is often reading and develops a friendship with Pent because of it. (This is how I've met multiple friends, although obviously not on a battlefield.). He is very kind and tries to help those who don't understand the wonders of knowledge to do so. He even lends books to Bartre and Vaida, who are widely considered some of the dumbest people in the army. He helps Nino learn to read, which is something that I think is a wondrous pursuit. When he realizes that Nino could potentially be his niece, he welcomes her with open arms into the family. (which is later - or previously - touched upon with Hugh, Lugh and Raigh's supports in FE6)

As a unit, Canas is basically the only Dark Magic user for the entirety of FE7 (with the exception of Athos who comes in the final chapter) and he's a pretty good one at that. I always use him when I play FE7. Dark Magic is very strong and he has the Con to use Flux well without much penalty. Later on he gets the Luna tome which is by far the best non-S-Rank tome in the game. It allows you to one round the Final Boss with him for crying out loud! His quick supports (with the exception of Renault who comes in the last 3 chapters of the game) usually help him pretty nicely if he's struggling to hit (although his skill is usually high enough that it won't be a problem.). Due to being the only Dark User, Canas basically has a monopoly on Nosferatu tomes as well, which makes him a very good tank when the situation calls for it.

Canas ultimately dies while trying to stop a snowstorm at the end of FE7, likely due to continuity issues that say he's passed away in the Hugh-Niime support in FE6. Not the best way to go, but it brings a smile to my face knowing that he died trying to help people instead of having the darkness take him like he so feared.

There we have it. 1-3 took a lot of consideration and re-arranging but I eventually got them down. Sorry for the length of most of these. I usually get really into this type of thing.

Edited August 18, 2016 by DragonMasterKrim

[Sheep]

This is great for me because I actually keep a running list of all of my favourite Fire Emblem characters. These are characters that either rise above the rest in all three of combat capabilities, appearance, and personality, or smash one or two of those characteristics by so much that I can't exclude them anyway. I refer to this as my fire emblem dream team, and like I said, I'm always adding new members to it as I play new games, though some games don't offer any members at all. The list comprises of 11 characters though, and because I don't really want to exclude one I'm going to take a bit of leeway.

Beware, textwalls a plenty await you down there. I guess I had a lot to say about these guys and girls.

11. Nephenee - Soldier (Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn)

The Soldier class is one of if not my favourite class in Fire Emblem history. A spear and shield wielding warrior that feels much more flexible and maneuverable than the more common Knights. It finds its closest parallels when described as a spear wielding Hero, and made a brief return to the franchise in Fates under the guise Spear Fighter. Nephenee is by far the best example of this class that I have ever seen, specializing in skill and speed but still retaining enough strength to dish out plenty of damage on those double attacks and enough bulk to take a hit in the rare occasion that she needs to. She has Wrath as a personal skill, though while this skill is very powerful it doesn't see much use from her because it requires her to be below half health before activation and she doesn't often get down that low. In Radiant Dawn she is perhaps the best unit in the game when you look at it as one story. Her availability is almost unmatched, and she's reliable as all hell. Because of her insane availability I've never seen anyone else but her get the gold medal for total kills in any of my runs. Her design is badass (but that's par for the course in Tellius) and her personality is adorable. A country girl who has self esteem issues when compared to all of the prim and proper ladies of the city, I'm pretty sure she's Tellius' equivalent of the villager archetype, but she doesn't need no Aptitude to break the game.

10. Lucius - Monk (Rekka no Ken)

Normally guys that look like chicks aren't my aesthetic but Lucius has done a fantastic job in overcoming that. Before I say anything else though, Monk (Rekka no Ken) and Monk (Fates) are not the same thing. Lucius runs around blasting people with light magic (I miss light magic) and only picks up a staff on promotion. That being said he comes fresh out of promotion with a C rank in staves, which is a hairs breadth away from the all important Physic. As for how he functions as an offensive unit? He's easily one of the best I've ever used. His growths are very lopsided, with high growths in magic, skill, speed, and resistance, but very low growths in HP, luck and defence. This makes him into a magical glass cannon who will double and kill just about any regular unit in the game with 100% accuracy. His light magic has a weapon triangle advantage against the dark magic that is so commonly seen on the opponent's side of the field, his resistance is so high that mages often can't hurt him, and his magic is so high that he will generally one round opposing mages regardless of their high resistance. Also his base speed is freakin' 10 on a level 3 unit, that's close to where Lyn is at on level 3. Just don't let him take a physical hit, ever. Personality wise he's great as well, a religious man who acts as a great example of all of the virtues religion often preaches. Love, acceptance, kindness, forgiveness, he's a role model in a way and it's practically impossible to dislike the guy.

9. Effie - Knight (Fates)

We all know Effie. Well, most of us know Effie. She's the incredibly valuable Knight of Nohr that forms the backbone of just about anyone's Conquest run. A Knight with a high enough defence growth to tank, a high enough speed growth that she'll start doubling near the end of the game if you put her through Great Knight, and MY LORD that strength. She's a rare class of character that can often kill enemies in one hit, which is fortunate because for most of the game she won't be coming back for a second. As far as personality goes she's a lovable meathead who eats more than 10 men combined, and has insane workout routines that scare off any potential exercising partners. Loyal to a fault, endowed with superhuman strength, and unconcerned about the bigger picture, for Effie life is in the simple things.

8. Kagero - Ninja (Fates)

There are two big reasons to love Kagero. Her large, comforting, extremely attractive and perfectly symmetrical strength and speed growths. Well, they both hit 70% in Ninja/Master Ninja at least. But they are only the tip of the iceberg with her, she also brings a 1-2 range, locktouch, the ability to debuff enemy bosses, and she comes equipped with the ranged equivalent of an Armourslayer. Honestly with her 1-2 range, extreme offense, and armour busting capabilities she reminds me a lot of Rekka no Ken's Lucius (discussed earlier) but has a much more appealing design. She manages to perfectly blend badass, with cool, calm, and collected in a way that tells you she's been in loads of fights even though she doesn't have a scratch on her. I dig the yellow scarf too, not gonna lie, and her hair is AMAZING. Her personality is fun, I really like the way she's artistic but everything she paints comes out warped. Other than that she displays extreme loyalty, similar to Effie, though sees it as her duty to protect the entire Hoshidan royal family rather than just Ryoma.

7. Rath - Nomad (Rekka no Ken)

Rath to me is the embodiment of what a good archer should be. Archers can't fight in melee combat, so rather than being a front line unit they take the role of eliminating key targets on the battlefield from relative safety. As a Nomad rather than a regular Archer Rath gets a horse in his unpromoted version, which helps a great deal in his job of eliminating key targets. Basically more movement means he's gonna be able to get where he needs to be each turn, and if things get hairy and he's going to be attacked by multiple melee units he can use that movement to bug out. Also in line with his primary role of killing things that you want killed he has extremely good strength, skill, and speed growths and bases. On promotion he keeps the horse, and gains a sword, which gives him another advantage over Rekka no Ken's other Archers, who all promote into bow locked Snipers. I like his design, it's simple but looks cool. His personality matches this theme as well, he's the strong but silent type, always reliable to help in times of need but very difficult to get talking unless there's something important to say. Despite this tendency towards silence though, he does have one defining characteristic, that of pride in his people. He'll always help a fellow plainsman out of a bad time when he can.

6. Ike - Lord (Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn)

Ike is by far my favourite Fire Emblem lord, and he achieves that title for a few reasons. He's fortunate enough to participate in the best story in Fire Emblem history as far as I'm aware, which does wonders for fleshing him out, and he's undoubtedly the strongest lord they've ever created as well. Ike is so strong in Path of Radiance that soloing the game with him isn't even a real challenge, as it is in other games, and while he received a significant hit to his speed growth in Radiant Dawn he's still one of the better units in the game. What I really like about Ike though is his outlook. He's no nonsense, and has little time for mercy when dealing with corruption or evil, but is kind and caring towards his allies. In particular you get a really different perspective from Ike because he wasn't born into nobility, and is instead coming from the perspective of a commoner who has been raised to see all races, genders, and social statuses as equal. He despises slavery, racism, sexism (though this isn't as prevalent), and the superior attitudes of those born to power without knowing a hard day's work. You see this story from the perspective of someone who doesn't understand nobility, and shrugs off titles and accolades as awkward things that get in the way of him doing his job. Outside of that he's strikingly similar to Effie, what with his ravenous appetite and habit of scaring off training partners.

5. Charlotte - Fighter (Fates)

Where do I even start with Charlotte? She is pure offense personified, with a strength stat that's out of this world, a speed stat that matches most Swordmasters, and a tendency to crit every third attack or so. That actually does a pretty good job of summing up her combat credentials. Oh and she's got a gigantic HP pool, but her defences are so glass that she's still only taking one or two hits. Personality wise I love her, the way that she switches between her cutesy, charming, ladylike image that she uses to try and land a man to her cynical, foul mouthed, almost brutish true nature is hilarious. And under all that she's got a heart of gold, not just a love of money. Pair her up with Laslow for a family of flirts, the S rank conversation even acknowledges this through both Laslow and Charlotte saying that they are going to continue flirting with other people despite being in a relationship with each other.

4. Azama - Monk (Fates)

This guy is too damn funny. Like how did someone over at CA manage to identify my sense of humour and then create a character to address it perfectly? Every damn support conversation this guy has, I've got a wide grin on my face or am chuckling to myself. He trolls literally everyone he meets, and sees all life as pointless because they are all destined to die someday. Initially when I saw his character design I couldn't think of a character I liked less, but now having experienced his personality first hand there isn't a character in Fates that I like more. He will twist people's words, point out all of their flaws, and generally act like a massive jerk partially for his own amusement. I say partially because you also get the sense that underneath all of this he's trying to teach people lessons about the nature of the world, but just getting a kick out of it at the same time. On the battlefield he's a monstrosity, which probably sounds odd coming from what is primarily a healer. One look at his growths should tell you his primary calling isn't healing though. Promote him to Great Master (Lances and Staves) and you've got yourself a unit with enough strength, skill, and speed to kill almost anything, and enough HP, luck, defence, and resistance to tank effectively. Added to this is his class skill at level 5, which returns 30% of his health at the start of each of your turns, making him one of the best tanks in the game. And he can heal people. There's literally no reason not to use him from an effectiveness perspective.

3. Stahl - Cavalier (Awakening)

This man is my. freakin'. bro. For all you Fates nerds out there think Silas but like 15 quadrillion times more bro and 15 quadrillion times less talking about how you're best friends. Instead he spends that time helping literally everyone. He defuses arguments just by being there because he's so calming and mellow, and most of the time he manages to help people in a way that makes them feel like they're helping him. He's got a real talent for downplaying his own importance in any given scenario and redirecting the spotlight onto his friends. Thus he doesn't get anywhere near the gratitude that he deserves and that's just the way he likes it. Selfless to a fault, friendlier than I thought possible, and supporting of everyone in the army at once, this guy's like Superman or something. When I heard about the A+ rank support system that was getting implemented in Fates my first thought was "Oh I wish that was in Awakening 'cause I'd A+ Stahl in a heartbeat." On the battlefield he's a Knight in a Cavalier's skin, with very high HP, strength, and defense growths making him a mobile tank. Low growths in speed and resistance stop him being a outstanding unit, but he is decidedly solid.

2. Zihark - Myrmidon (Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn)

Zihark is broken end of story. What? I should give more justification than that? Well, I once wrote a massive text wall on why Zihark is a better Myrmidon than Mia for both Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn, but to condense it he's impossible to hit, crits like crazy, generally attacks about three times a round until you give him a brave sword, then it's not uncommon to see him attack eight times in a single round, or if he procs Astra like 12 times, but seeing as many of those will be crits you'll never see anything get that far anyway. Moral of the story is he can't die and don't trust the battle calculator, even when it says he has no chance of killing, he's gonna kill them. He also looks AMAZING, once he promotes in Radiant Dawn he gets this awesome grey trenchcoat like thing that makes him look even more badass than he already does. Unfortunately we don't get much character development, but from what we do get I can tell you he's a pretty nice guy, who's conscientious about keeping his equipment in good condition (unlike most mercenaries, who he refers to as sloppy) and fights for freedom and equality. That's why he joins on with Ike, they have similar ideologies. And did I mention that he looks freakin' awesome? Because he does.

1. Cordelia - Pegasus Knight (Awakening)

Obligatory top spot for my waifu. What can I say about Cordelia? She's the perfect combat unit in terms of stat distribution, and just about everyone who's ever played Awakening will tell you she's one of the best units you can use. She's kind, thoughtful, and incredibly talented at literally anything she tries her hand at. She looks gorgeous, and I've got a real thing for messy red hair. She's in love with Chrom but that just makes the S rank with Robin all the sweeter, honestly because she's Sumia's best friend I half think of Cordelia and Robin as canon. Lets see, she's quite modest about her talents, but not to the point that it gets annoying, she understands that she's naturally talented but she just doesn't like taking other people out of the spotlight. Uh yeah, best girl now always and forever.

[Ojama Yellow]

OBOIOBOIOBOIOBOIOBOIOBOIOBOIOBOIOBOIOBOIOBOIOBOIOBOIOBOIOBOIOBOIOBOIOBOIOBOIOBOI

bear with me, only played rekka no ken/blazing sword and sacred stones so

10. canas (rekka no ken/blazing sword)

god. damn. this guy. this guy is basically the same as playing fire emblem 7 on easymode. just make sure one of the soldiers survives in chapter 16 (17 in hector mode) and you get this nuke. his speed may lag a little behind, but he more than makes up for that by being able to use some of the most powerful tomes in the whole game, such as nosferatu and goddamn luna. the latter is more powerful against the final bosses than the legendary weapons, dammit.

other than how he does in battle, I like his personality as well. despite him being nonexistant in the plot, his supports give interesting backstories, such as how anima and dark magic work, and whether morphs have souls.

9. lute (sacred stones)

when I first saw her, my reaction was 'what the fuck kind of stuck-up bitch did they throw in this game'. however, that was before seeing her magic growths. 65%, even going as high as 70% in the japanese version. the best part? she comes as early as chapter 4. her speed and luck growths arent bad either, both 45%, which often results in having a nuke magic stat and enough speed to double opponents with that very same nuke magic. in other words, nothing is gonna survive. the downside is that shes really squishy in hp and defense, and while her resistance growth is also really high, you might want to keep her behind your knights and cavaliers because of the low defense.

personality-wise though. stuck-up bitch opinion never really went away, but I came to appreciate her. like she claims, she is a prodigy, being able to recall nearly everything she reads or hears. however, she has problems with more 'emotional' subjects, such as love, as shown in her support with artur.

8. gerik (sacred stones)

those bases. make it stop. gerik youre already so good please stop with those bases. geriks growths are overall not really spectacular, but god those bases. in all the times I used gerik, he has done nothing but kicking asses and kicking more asses. in direct combat hes been most certainly my most powerful unit in sacred stones. goddamn, gerik.

as I character, I really, really envy that certain maturity he possesses. I cant even explain it. he just comes over as such a cool and collected person that I cant help but like him. especially after learning in his supports with ross and tethys, where he revealed that he hadnt always been the man he was now, and as an arrogant rookie mercenary he almost got killed until his life was spared.

duty before everything, I guess, but in geriks case, honor also goes a long way.

7. ross (sacred stones)

another sacred stones character, eh? ross's stats are nothing special, even considering he starts out as a journeyman and gets 10 extra levels compared to everyone else. his personality is nothing really special either. I sometimes compare him with bartre from fe7, with a few minor differences.

the biggest one being this. ross can become a pirate, and then a berserker. I absolutely love the pirate -> berserker promotion. crits everywhere. theyre basically the only axe-wielding unit im willing to use. fuck off, fighters. and god bless you, ross.

6. limstella (rekka no ken/blazing sword)

limstella is by far my favorite of nergals morphs. even goddamn kishuna cant close close to... I shouldnt say her, because she actually is genderless. however, limstella is always referred to as being female in the game, so ill go and call her a female too.

limstella is the first non-playable character in my list, for a very good reason. among the morphs of nergal, limstella has, to me at least, shown that she is the most calm and docile, unlike the bloodthirsty ursula and ephidel. however, she is also shown to be an emotionless murderer when she kills lloyd/linus and ursula. this all leads us to believe that morphs dont have emotions...

...and then her death speech comes on.

'I am not human. this body and this heart are constructs. yes, as is this sorrow.'

well just.

just fuck me up.

just make me feel bad about killing you.

even though you would have died anyway.

5. kent (rekka no ken/blazing sword)

remember how I talked about honor and cool and collected and everything when gerik came on? kent is better at that. way, way better. about the only time you see him lose his 'knightly' behavior is in his supports with lyn. and even there. how are you this refined and civilized, kent. just how.

and then in battle. actually, sain is superior. im so sorry to say this and I want to clean my mouth with soap, but its just the case. that doesnt mean that a well-raised kent cant kick everyones ass into oblivion, though. and because its known I love paladin spam...yeah, kent is pretty much always on my blazing sword teams.

4. guy (rekka no ken/blazing sword)

I honestly dont know why I love this man so much. probably because of his sacaean honor after joining eliwoods/hectors army. he isnt top-tier in battle, far from. his personality is, apart from the sacaean honor, not really special either. I just dont know why I like him so much. but yeah.

here he is, guys.

guy.

3. lloyd (rekka no ken/blazing sword)

SCREAMS ABOUT LLOYD NOT BEING A PLAYABLE CHARACTER

I take back everything about kent and gerik. this man. this fucking man. level-headed as fuck, awesome as fuck, he kicks your ass, you get your ass kicked, you stand in awe as he scores crit after crit and slaughers your troops. THAT is lloyd, my dears. that is lloyd.

its even worse if you have to battle linus first. lloyd basically rides into a suicide mission, knowing well that hes gonna die, and yet. he just starts slaughering your army. and you stand in awe.

2. hector (rekka no ken/blazing sword)

so I kinda lied about pirates/berserkers being the only axe-wielding units I use. this is where hector comes in. what does hector do? hes just a lord, right? he needs pampering, right?

WRONG.

hector comes in and starts kicking asses left and right and front and back and about literally everywhere. hector gives no fucks. hector doesnt care. when you see hectors axe flash, its already too late.

and because im getting kinda tired ill keep the last one short and sweet.

1. ??? (rekka no ken/blazing sword)

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? YOU THINK YOU CAN STAND UP TO BATTA THE BEAST?