10. Celica
Most Popular Fire Emblem Characters
We open this list with an unexpected entrant – Princess Celica of Zofia. She went through a long period of anonymity, having first originated in Gaiden, the second title in the series, back before they made all of the characters look all sexy and such. Once she returned to the public consciousness with the 2017 remake, people remembered how much they apparently adored her. Or at least, adored her new design. Case in point: she topped the polls for February’s Fire Emblem Heroes vote, after failing to place in last year’s event, pre-remake.
Like her childhood friend Alm, she seeks to rid Valentia of evil, though she does so independently of him, sick of his super-soldier mindset, and deciding that the best course of action is through diplomacy, rather than violence. She kills lots of people in the process.
Though she is brave, altruistic and well-meaning, she does seem to partake of the gullible soup, at one point willingly handing herself over to dark forces in order to protect her friends. When you consider that these particular dark forces intend to awaken a slumbering dragon god hell-bent on destroying the entire continent, you begin to see the flaw in her plans. Incidentally, there’s a lot of baddies dabbling in the occult in the Fire Emblem series for some reason – clearly these people were never spooked off dark magic by playing ‘Bloody Mary’ in the bathroom mirror.
9. Corrin
Most Popular Fire Emblem Characters
A large segment of the Fire Emblem community have an unhealthy relationship with the lead avatar of Fates. Many deride Corrin for being a bit dull, either acting as your stock standard ‘brave in the face of danger’ trope when fighting for Hoshido, or a whiny little wuss in the service of Nohr. As such, the male version is left in the doldrums, failing to even crack the top 20 of the initial vote for Fire Emblem Heroes. The female version, on the other hand, gets a lot more leeway, and we can only assume it’s because she’s super cute.
Corrin has one of the more unique skillsets in the Fire Emblem echelons, capable of both swordplay and transforming into an enormous dragon, which sets her apart from her contemporaries. She’s also obviously something of a sweet talker, capable of seducing any male member of either army, their children, and Rhajat as well, for good measure. Yes, this means that she can end up marrying one of her brothers. Let’s not open up that can of worms, for everyone’s sake.
8. Chrom
Most Popular Fire Emblem Characters
Recency bias may give Chrom an unfair advantage over the many other lords to whom he has many similarities, but he is still an excellent character in his own right. Sharing the limelight with Robin, he is more of a blunt object than a tactician. He has a strong sense of morality, is a natural-born leader, and he’s just a bit of a spunk too, if we’re being honest.
He may not be quite as calm and virtuous as others of his ilk, but he makes up for this with a sharp tongue and biting wit. He also holds the advantage of having Frederick as his right-hand man, and that is something that cannot be understated. Frederick’s obsessive devotion makes them an unstoppable duo, and depending on what kind of fan fiction you’re into, perhaps even more than that. Alas, Chrom only has eyes for [insert whomever he hooked up with in your playthrough, unless it was Sully because that pairing makes no sense].
7. Camilla
Most Popular Fire Emblem Characters
Everyone has that one family member who creeps everyone out, despite their best intentions. Maybe they have some really weird hobbies, or a fascination with morbid affairs. Perhaps they dress inappropriately, and are overly devoted to their family, to the point where it’s downright suspicious.
The royal family of Nohr have that family member, and her name is Camilla. She is the reason why you can’t play Fire Emblem around your parents. Thanks a lot, Camilla.
Subtlety may not be in this malig knight’s vocabulary, but she makes up for it with her passion, dedication and skill. Equally as adept with the tome as she is with a battle axe, Camilla would stop at nothing to protect those she loves.
Also, is malig knight supposed to be a play on the term malignant? Mind blown.
6. Hector
Most Popular Fire Emblem Characters
Once you’ve gotten a few Fire Emblem games under your belt, you’ll get used to a few consistent things. The lead character is typically a blue-haired, doe-eyed heartthrob with a sword in hand and a heart of gold. They’re often naïve and overly trusting, and value their friends and family above all else. Then there’s Hector. And this is what Hector does.
Standing somewhere in the pecking order of Blazing Blade behind Eliwood and Lyn, he is infinitely more interesting, by virtue of being a brash, stubborn, axe-wielding behemoth. He still has that heart of gold, no doubt – but it is well-protected under a suit of plate armor and a torso of pure badassery. He boasts unrivalled strength and bulk in the early stages of the game, routinely plowing through enemy lines without so much as a scratch.
He hates magic, though. Like, really hates it. If you even dare suggest showing him a card trick, he will bash your skull in without a moment’s hesitation. So don’t try it, unless you are keen on trying a new concave look for summer.
5. Roy
Most Popular Fire Emblem Characters
Roy is something of an enigma in the Fire Emblem franchise. He’s not overly interesting or unique, possessing the same personality tropes as any number of the other protagonists. His game, the Binding Blade, was solid, but not exceptionally so. The reason he holds such a prominent place in the eyes of many is because he was the man who brought the series to a western audience, and for that, he’s okay in our book.
Along with Marth, Roy first graced our screens as an unlockable character in Super Smash Bros. Melee. We didn’t really know who they were or what their deal was, we just knew that they shouted silly Japanese things and they were fun to play. It’s hard to believe that Sakurai was close to dropping them from localized versions outright, but we were the benefactors of his change of heart; not only because extra characters is always a good thing, but because it made Nintendo finally give in, and share Fire Emblem with the world.
At the very least, Roy possesses a level of cunning that is usually reserved for the tacticians, routinely unearthing the truth from shady characters like the Lycian vassal and Elffin. The former was a traitor, and the latter was a prince masquerading as a lowly bard, the bastard.
4. Tharja
Most Popular Fire Emblem Characters
Modern Fire Emblem at its most Modern Fire Emblem. That’s not a typo, it’ll make sense in a moment (maybe).
A dark mage from Plegia, Tharja initially stands among the opposing forces, questioning her role in the war and openly detesting the mad king Gangrel. After a quick discussion with Chrom, she switches her allegiance, joining the side of justice and straight up murdering dudes she had been hanging out with no more than five minutes ago. Though it is the Ylissean prince’s power of persuasion that initially brings her on-side, she soon finds a more intriguing object for her affections; namely, the Avatar.
Tharja’s obsession with Robin is a compelling and often hilarious aspect of her character, in conjunction with her sinister demeanor and apathy towards the well-being of others.
She has a delightful dynamic with her daughter Noire, a young woman whose childhood was plagued with misery, thanks to her mother’s curses, and perhaps even literally including the plague. Noire grew to become timid and withdrawn, interspersed with moments of insane fury. It’s wondrous, and we have Tharja’s cruelty to thank for that.
3. Ike
Most Popular Fire Emblem Characters
We like Ike. We like Ike. We like Ike.
It’s hard to quantify exactly how Ike was able to crash through the rankings with such determined force, but much like Hector, he provides a point of difference from your standard lord. For one thing, he doesn’t have a drop of royal blood in him; his daddy was a mercenary, and he has carried on that legacy, seeking only a handful of coin for his services.
Don’t let that fool you into thinking he’s a greedy rogue however, because his worldly view makes him one of the most mature and level-headed protagonists in the series. At least, that’s in his second appearance, when he’s been weathered by the hazards of combat. For unlike other heroes, Ike has two titles to his name, putting him level with series figurehead Marth (unless you count the remakes as separate games and you shouldn’t because they’re remakes dammit). Perhaps this is how he was able to outpace other heroes en route to collecting the bronze medal in this list.
His appearance in the Smash Bros series probably goes a long way, too, just as long as you don’t unearth that godforsaken line of ‘I fight for my friends’. Maybe you should fight for a personality too, Ike, because that is one of the most mundane things ever uttered by a Fire Emblem character.
2. Lucina
Most Popular Fire Emblem Characters
Lucina is everything that is good about Modern Fire Emblem, and you know it. Though she plays third fiddle in Awakening behind her father Chrom and his bum buddy Robin, her appearance is never muted or forgotten. She first surfaces as a mysterious pseudo-antagonist wearing a mask, who locks swords with our heroes absent of any malice. She will still murder you in cold blood, though, so don’t mess around.
In the second act, she is revealed to be the heir to the Ylissean throne, traveled back in time from a horrible future where everyone died and skeletons rose from the grave with the sole purpose of ruining your Saturday. She is stoic, courageous and a natural leader, hardened by the horrors of her alternate reality. But underneath all of that, she is also a kid who is suddenly surrounded by all of the things she never got to experience in her childhood – and her interactions with both her parents and the world around her is immensely endearing.
It’s unclear what will happen to Lucina as we move further away from Awakening – though she has popped up time and time again in Fire Emblem Warriors, Fates, Shadows of Valentia and even unrelated titles like Smash Bros and Codename: S.T.E.A.M.. Will she be able to maintain this lofty level of prominence, or will she fall to the wayside like so many others before her? Hopefully, she will manage to stick around. Lucina is awesome.
1. Lyn
Most Popular Fire Emblem Characters
Somehow, in some way, Lyndis just manages to stay on top. Originating from The Blazing Blade alongside Hector and Eliwood – who must be shattered to know he was the only lead character not to make this list – she is an idealist with egalitarian views, who will regardless not hesitate to lodge her sword straight up your rear should you underestimate her.
She has remained on the peripherals of Fire Emblem success since her debut, possessing a loyal fanbase, but never quite getting her due in the eyes of Nintendo. She cracked the Smash Bros. franchise as an assist trophy, rather than a full character, which places her on par with such luminaries as Mr. Resetti and Tingle. Despite this snub, she claimed top honors in the Fire Emblem Heroes Choose Your Legend vote, with her 49,917 votes putting her more than 7,000 points behind her nearest competitor.
Maybe they’re starting to finally take notice, however, as she did appear as an unlockable character in Fire Emblem Warriors. She was, of course, trumped in every way by the golden girl Lucina, but she was there – and in these troubling times, it’s a start.
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