As a precursor, this covers only characters included in the main game. This does include side quests, but not any DLC characters. Partially because the DLC characters are mostly stoic voiceless automatons, and also because a lot of them haven't been released in Australia yet. Though for the record, Gangrel is awesome. He's a dick, in all of the best ways.
Possible spoilers? Beware. Now without further ado...!
#43: Miriel
Battles: 65 Victories: 32
Character: 1
Unit: 1
Bleh. It's not that there's anything wrong with Miriel, per se, it's just that in such a swarth of fantastic, colourful characters, she definitely comes up flat. I find her wordy diatribes boring, and other than the bemusement of some of the other characters, her supports aren't particularly interesting, either.
Miriel came into the game in chapter 2, and was an immediate reminder how much I hate magic casters in the early stages. Her arcane power may be enticing, but as soon as you've downed one hapless enemy, four more are ready to come down on her, disposing of her in one shot. Besides, she's just gobbling up tomes that would be much more useful in the hands of the Avatar (henceforth referred to by his given name, Raymund). Gimme those books back, bitch.
#42: Vaike
Battles: 99 Victories: 45
Character: 3
Unit: 2
Because of his high strength and HP, I was convinced in the beginning that Vaike would prove to be a useful unit, capable of manning the front lines alongside Frederick, Raymund and Chrom. And yes, I found the whole missing axe thing amusing at first, primarily because it was such an odd occurrence, and added a little bit of extra strategy to the chapter.
But then, something happened: Vaike. Kept. DYING. Not only was he taking a constant pounding, but because of his low skill, he was left swinging at thin air whenever he ran afoul of a swift swordsman. I didn't recall having such an issue with the fighter class in Sacred Stones, but Vaike was fantastically inept, perhaps even just in accordance with his personality.
That personality, much like his on-field capabilities, grew thin over time. Maybe it was just because of how much he sucked in battle, but I couldn't help but want the blonde fool to just shut the hell up.
#41: Laurent
Battles: 7 Victories: 3
Character: 2
Unit: 2
A lot of these kids get the shaft, because they came after I had already had my roster pretty much set. It's a stubborn habit I have; rather than try and shake things up each chapter, I just throw my typical juggernauts into the fray, leaving all of the auxiliary units to watch sadly from the sidelines. It's how Cormag became an all-powerful harbinger of death in Sacred Stones, and it's how Laurent only saw action a couple of times when I decided to throw the children to the wolves.
He benefits from being a strong caster right out of the gates, and seems more adept at dodging than dear old mom, as well, which makes him more tolerable. However, he's a carbon copy of Miriel in the personality department, and only gets one more point on the character scale because I find him kind of oddly sexy. Yeah, I went there.
#40: Maribelle
Battles: 32 Victories: 7
Character: 4
Unit: 3
I would have expected more use out of the helpful troubadour class, and there was a time when I dabbled in the art of employing dual healers, but as time went on, and the enemies grew more fierce, Maribelle found herself trotting about the stables rather than the battlefield. Maribelle's character definitely won't appeal to everyone: her snooty nature is tiresome at times, but the banter she shares with her poor fool of a son Brady is great stuff.
Once I promoted her to her natural valkyrie class, she still didn't get much use. Oftentimes, I was a veritable Vaike as a tactician, forgetting to equip her with a tome to battle with. By the time I'd realise, Chrom's convoy was typically deep into enemy territory, and out of range for our mounted maiden. Instead, I'd just spam rescue and hammerne for cheap XP. It must have been both infuriating and bewildering for her allies when they'd constantly be moved one space back to join Maribelle's side. Perhaps she seemed lonely.
#39: Nah
Battles: 8 Victories: 5
Character: 2
Unit: 1
Maybe she would have grown on me with more time, but Nah was ultimately just another also-ran when I saved her from that confounding haunted mansion. From her quiet, pensive personality to her boring hair colour (brown!!), she just didn't seem to stand out much. I could be to blame, having doomed her to be the daughter of Kellam.
I'd had mixed results with her manakete mother Nowi; whereas I'd once employed Myrrh as an untouchable beast, I found this edition's dragon warriors much slower and fragile. So, by and large, I gave Nah a miss.
#38: Tiki
Battles: 0 Victories: 0
Character: 2
Unit: 0
And while we're at it, I didn't even touch Tiki. Just a generic 'slumbering god' archtype. Again, she may have had more on offer, but I only acquired her in order to complete my roster. She appears to be a damn side stronger than both Nowi and Nah, so maybe she's worth investigating, but as of right now, she's a mystery. She's only ranked this highly because I like her character design. And no, I don't mean her boobs.
#37: Severa
Battles: 9 Victories: 9
Character: 2
Unit: 5
Severa surprised me in a lot of ways: the daughter of a noted pegasus knight is a mercenary? And she hates her mother for abandoning her? That little bit is cool: she refused to mount a pegasus because of her resentment for Cordelia. Like Gerome, she's a jaded, miserable figure from a broken future. Unfortunately however, she's represented like a bratty child, and that's where the buck stops for me. I do like her occasional lapses, where she relents and gives into happiness, but her general demeanour certainly grinds.
On a combat level, she could have definitely cracked the roster: she was easily the strongest of all of the children, dispatching of opponents without so much as a scratch. Even in her recruitment mission, she proved an independent figure, moving on her own volition, and though I escorted her the whole way, I now think that she could have handled herself pretty well. She's one of only three units with a perfect winning record, and of the three, she fought the most battles.
#36: Donnel
Battles: 78 Victories: 41
Character: 4
Unit: 3
A lot of people who play the game fall in love with Donnel. They grow with him, this pathetic little weakling who has magnificent stat gains, and becomes a fierce warrior. And he's certainly charming, with his country bumpkin accent and humble nature. In my case however, I'm none too fond of his design, and my starting lineup was already filled to the brim by the time he became a credible battler.
He's due for a reclassing, probably to hero like everyone else seems to do, at which point he'll no doubt become a serviceable, if not forgettable, secondary unit.
#35: Anna
Battles: 12 Victories: 8
Character: 4
Unit: 4
Anna's a mixed bag, both as a character and a unit. I do like her 'me-first' attitude, and her cunning enterprising nature, but those shop merchant one-liners grow old fast. Now, as a trickster, she was a sight to see in her recruitment side quest, deftly dodging hordes of ruffians while I slogged my way through the snow to her rescue. Unfortunately, since I didn't really use her for more than petty house burglary, she didn't grow much stronger or quicker. So eventually, her evasive manoeuvres began resembling this...
#34: Stahl
Battles: 68 Victories: 38
Character: 6
Unit: 3
One of the things I really enjoy about Stahl is his personality: he's just a really average, friendly dude who likes to eat. I mean, damn, I can relate to that. I don't so much slay vagabonds from atop a steed, but if I did, me and Stahl would be one and the same.
Stahl was one of the biggest sufferers of neglect on my play through: by the time most of my active units were onto their next promotion, Stahl was still just idling at level 3. Then, out of pity and a queer sense of fatherly duty, I'd deploy Stahl for the random map skirmishes, and then shrug in confusion while he was routinely murdered. For such a laidback dude, Stahl sure had to put up with a lot of my shit.
His problem was twofold: I don't really like cavaliers (because by the time they appear, I'm already used to the overpowered second-in-command promote), and I liked Sully much better. Eventually, I managed to beef him up and make him a great knight, which I think he would have liked. Just don't tell him that I like paladins much better.
#33: Say'ri
Battles: 3 Victories: 2
Character: 5
Unit: 2
Say'ri seems like a pretty cool unit; a quiet, determined insurgent. But of course, she appeared during the Walhart saga, by which time there were already four or five swordmasters at my disposal. So yes, she became an individual, just like everyone else. I did let her kill her own brother, which I thought at first would be a nice treat for her, until she and I both discovered his true nature. At which point, I kinda felt like I should have just let Lon'qu kill him instead, 'cause Lonq don't give a shit.
Maybe on my next go on lunatic difficulty, I'll give Say'ri a bit of run. That is, assuming she doesn't die fleeing unarmed from her assailants while I look for treasure out in the sand. Which we all must admit is a very strong possibility.
#32: Owain
Battles: 14 Victories: 13
Character: 6
Unit: 2
I want to love Owain. He's so wonderfully odd, but somehow he hasn't won me over yet. Again, it could just be a matter of giving him more time to strut his stuff, and prove to me he's more than a hand-brandishing lunatic. Although now that I've put it in those words, that is an excellent thing to be, and perhaps he doesn't need to be anything else after all.
As I just established, there was a logjam in the myrmidon classes, so his rampage was fairly short-lived. I am considering re-classing him as a sage, as an excellent solution to his rogue sword hand that causes him so much trouble. He fears that he will cut through friend and foe alike, but if he's a sage, he might just hit them with a book instead, and surely that won't be so bad.
#31: Cordelia
Battles: 83 Victories: 64
Character: 5
Unit: 6
Poor Cordelia must have been convinced she was a lock for the starting lineup. I set her up that way, betrothing her to Lon'qu, who was also one of the early candidates for the coveted StreetPass team. But things fell apart as time went on, and a whole slew of pegasi began springing up all over the place. For such a rare, legendary creature, there sure seemed to be a lot of them available to me.
I would also see the folly of my ways, realising that a flying unit simply must be paired with a sturdy companion: a mighty general marrying a pony-riding dragoon might seem like strange bedfellows, but it makes perfect sense. You swoop into the fray with your aerial escort, and then switch into action with the armoured titan. By coupling Cordelia with the elusive but defenceless Lon'qu, I was toeing the line of danger by having two physically frail units on the front line. So, much to her vexation, Cordelia got less and less airtime as the season went on, before finally becoming an extra in the end.
#30: Olivia
Battles: 11 Victories: 6
Character: 5
Unit: 5
A dancer can be a crucial addition to any Fire Emblem squad, allowing your best soldiers to strike not once, but twice in a single turn. Even before I had acquired Olivia, I had convinced myself that there was a spot waiting for her. Then, she took the field, and golly, she was weak, wasn't she? I know, that's the point, she was a low level and a fragile class, but she stood right next to Sully, for god's sake, who must have spat at her in pure disgust. "Dancin'?" Sully scoffed, poking at Olivia cruelly with her lance, "I don't feel like dancin', no sir, no dancin' today!" ...No, I don't really think Sully would sing Scissor Sisters. I just hope it to be true.
Eventually, I did level Olivia up enough for her to be able to dodge attackers, and then prod them with her iron sword for an excellent 6 damage, but by then, I had realised that having one gimmick character in order to double the capacity of another, wasn't as productive as simply having two really great characters. But don't feel too bad for her: she wedded Gaius, in what is probably one of my favourite marriages of all.
#29: Lissa
Battles: 32 Victories: 8
Character: 7
Unit: 7
Now we're really starting to get to the meat and potatoes of the cast. From the very beginning, Lissa is there, this quirky, immature little princess, mending the wounds of her injured teammates. I remembered the folly I had made with Moulder in Sacred Stones, only choosing to heal when it was needed. Which is fine in theory, but it makes levelling them an absolute chore, since they can't jump into actual combat, and eventually you're frantically trying to triage amongst mighty foes who want nothing more than to smack your little priest in the face.
So with Lissa, I decided that everything needed healing. Took one damage? Here's a heal. Level up gained you one more HP? Let's heal that. Sent into the battle without a weapon simply so that someone would hurt you? Oh, you better believe that's a healin'.
Lissa was also generous enough to make up for my many mistakes where I got her closer to the enemy than intended, dodging lethal attacks while no doubt cursing Raymund's name, distraught that he had chosen to sacrifice her safety in order to heal Frederick's 2 missing HP. So it was with excellent expedience she hit level 20, and was promoted to sage. And then, sadly, her run was basically over, because I had been lured in by Ricken's offensive charms. More on that later.
#28: Tharja
Battles: 50 Victories: 32
Character: 7
Unit: 6
Apparently, Tharja's one of the most popular characters in the game, and I can definitely see why: she's wonderfully creepy, and it doesn't come across as tacky in any way at all. She's everything that emo should have been, and we love her for it.
She was one of the most capable units right out of the gates, but her dark mage class wasn't really fitting a need for me at the time, so she was unfairly cast to the wayside. But with her magical prowess, excellent range and surprising bulk, it wasn't for a lack of trying. I really enjoy Tharja's supports, a bevy of conversations detailing how everyone is going to be cursed and suffer a horrible fate. It's what I imagine discussions with Twilight fans are like, only fun.
#27: Nowi
Battles: 79 Victories: 40
Character: 7
Unit: 7
I first met Nowi fleeing from bandits in the desert. I paired her with Gregor, placing him at the front as a human shield, and was soon shown the folly of my ways. He buckled under the pressure of the many attacks, and died right there on the scorching sand. On the second attempt, I put Nowi as the aggressor, and was rewarded with a smooth journey to safety. The allure of a manakete is clear: their high stat buffs are enticing, and they're strong in most of their capabilities. But where they fail is in a crucial area: speed.
Nowi is so incredibly slow! This is most telling against the many heroes that you face towards the end of the game, who are able to dodge her dragon breath while also laying two hits against her single blow. Much like the fire she purportedly breathes, Nowi's use on the grid is short and intense. She'll get her licks in, but is then forced to hide behind the safety of her husband, Kellam. That relationship still strikes me as odd, by the way. They fell in love while playing hide and seek. Try naming three couples who fell in love that way, and you can't include any Kardashians.
#26: Cherche
Battles: 91 Victories: 55
Character: 6
Unit: 6
The excitement on my face was tangible when Cherche joined the party: a wyvern rider! Finally!! My all-time favourite class was at long last ready for action, and I immediately responded by sending her to her death amongst an onslaught of mages. I guess I should have tempered my expectations a little.
As I got to know her better, I realised that Cherche wasn't quite the dragon-riding figure I remembered. She had the usual bow weakness, and her resistance to magic was low, which I could deal with, too. But shouldn't she have been a little sturdier against physical blows? And more capable of evading them, as well? As each fight went on, and I was less convinced that she was able to drift blindly into battle, she started seeing more time as the #2 in a pairing. It didn't matter which pairing, really, just somewhere to tuck her away, where she couldn't be injured, but could still garner some XP. Meh. That experiment was over fast.
#25: Ricken
Battles: 151 Victories: 79
Character: 6
Unit: 7
Right off the bat, Ricken was trickin'. After my disappointing forays with Miriel, Ricken was something else; capable of some fierce magic and bearing a striking resemblance to Ewan. Ewan was an excellent unit for me in Sacred Stones, a sweet little redheaded kid who became progressively darker and more evil until finally he had become a hideous druid, a bulky cloaked figure who also had the queer ability to heal. Frankly, I wouldn't trust him to heal me, but to each their own.
So because of this fictional pedigree, Ricken lived a charmed existence, levelling rapidly and quickly ascending to the dark knight class. Strangely enough, it all started falling apart from there. Other than increased movement with the addition of an equine automobile, and a newfound ability to wield swords, Ricken didn't see much improvement. Most noticeably, he like Nowi suffered from inferior speed, a most damning offense in Fire Emblem. When two units deal similar blows but at vastly different speeds, I'm almost always going to opt for the faster unit, who can literally do twice as much damage in a single skirmish.
But Ricken hung in there for a while, finally bowing out when the children began to appear. Meanwhile, somewhere in the folds of time, that old dastard Ewan shook his head in disappointment. He then went on to coerce unwilling recipients to see his 'healing stick'.
#24: Panne
Battles: 52 Victories: 26
Character: 7
Unit: 5
The new taguel class certainly looks cool: they're BUNNIES, for crying out loud. And in Panne's case, she's a surly, distrusting bunny, which is even better in my book. Panne and I had an unfortunate misunderstanding from the beginning, when I kept trying to stick her in against hordes of enemies, convinced that she could take them all on. And yes, she had the brute force, but wasn't able to withstand the constant blows to the noggin. So her brief day in the sun was over before it had really begun. As time went on, and I convinced her to marry a large Russian man, I began to better realise what she was capable of. By then, of course, it was too late, but I like to think we've made our peace. Her many rabbit references are delightful, and for that purpose, she is invaluable.
#23: Henry
Battles: 27 Victories: 14
Character: 8
Unit: 4
Has a character like Henry been done before? This eerie, wisecracking, morbid little prick? I don't know, but I love him for it. He's such a chirpy, chipper fellow juxtaposed with a fascination for blood and death, and I'm almost certain I'll find a use for him in my next playthrough. On the battlefield, he seemed like a less bulky version of Tharja with better voodoo, who I had already dismissed. So as you can appreciate, Henry didn't really have much impact on saving the world, either. But to his credit, I always felt less guilty whenever he died, because I kinda figured it was what he wanted.
#22: Morgan
Team member!
Battles: 32 Victories: 22
Character: 6
Unit: 7
You might think it odd for one of my ten-man squad to be so low on the character ranking scale, but I still haven't entirely gotten used to Morgan yet. I feel guilty, because she's my daughter, for crying out loud, but I'm yet to be won over by her character, and because she's been shadowing her dad for most battles, she hasn't had a chance to really shine as a unit, either. I actually like her sister much better, but please don't tell her that.
I am looking forward to reclassing her, and I'm still weighing up my options. I feel like an eastern European parent forcing my charge into my chosen profession, but I do it with love, so when she becomes a world-class athlete, I'm sure she won't hate me for it.
#21: Libra
Battles: 35 Victories: 15
Character: 7
Unit: 6
It's funny, had Libra just been your basic priest class, I probably would have liked him less. After all, he's just your typical quiet, god-praising wiseman. However, he's a war monk, which means he goes into battle with a huge freakin' axe, so he gets bumped up a few slots.
As one of the first pre-promoted classes to emerge, Libra was an instant hit, capable of weathering the storm while also healing his allies, a definite asset considering most of my medical classes were incapable of fighting back. His discussions with his comrades were interesting without coming across as overly preachy, and I kept Libra in action basically as long as I could. Eventually, he was outclassed, absorbing more hits than he should have because of lazy micromanagement on the part of Raymund (stupid Raymund), but as a consolation prize, he took Tharja as his bride. Whether or not that's a good thing is up for you to decide.
#20: Lon'qu
Battles: 156 Victories: 178
Character: 7
Unit: 7
This Sora doppelgänger sure is a cool customer. He doesn't say much, and when he does, it's not very friendly. He's terrified of women, which is often hilarious, and he was the first myrmidon to appear, one of my favourite classes. So as you can appreciate, he got a fair bit of action, swiftly striking at foes with his dreaded blade, the killing edge, while sidestepping their lumbering counterattacks. This was excellent to start with, but as I've often alluded to, the opponents soon caught up, able to match Lon'qu's vaunted speed, and hit him hard.
None could ever seem to crit quite as often as Lon'qu, but his fragility was ultimately his undoing. He made a lengthy appearance as Chrom's right-hand man (because whatever anyone says, that combination is damned cool), before retiring to trade awkward glares with his daughter Severa.
#19: Flavia
Battles: 0 Victories: 0
Character: 7
Unit: 1
Now let's get something straight here: that 0 battle label isn't quite true. From the day of her recruitment, Flavia saw every battle that followed, as an ally to my other, more established units. So it's not like she never fought, she just chose not to strike when the opportunity presented itself. She's not a coward, she's just not a very good friend.
Flavia is a student of the excellent hero class, but it's certainly a class with growing pains. I'll beef her up later on, I reckon, but her role is currently being filled quite capably by a mercenary named Honnor, a young lady I met via StreetPass. After I had slaughtered all of her friends and family and roughed her up, she most willingly took up the cause and joined me. Flavia's hardy, but I don't think she's gone through the hardship of poor old Honnor.
#18: Noire
Battles: 13 Victories: 11
Character: 8
Unit: 3
Archers don't get much use in the later stages of gameplay from me. In Advance Wars, the game that preceded my love of Fire Emblem, ranged units were a blessing because most units simply couldn't strike from afar. Unfortunately for bow-wielding units in this franchise, ranged hits are capable by almost every class, with the added benefit of also being usable in close quarters. Folks like poor Noire here are just left to get punched in the nose while helplessly holding their bow in their hand.
I upgraded her to a bow knight, allowing her to also fight with swords, but it then begged the question: unless you were striking a susceptible midair foe, why would you even bother with the bow anymore?
I'd sure like to use Noire though, because I find her hilarious. Abused for years at the hands of her malicious mother, Noire grows to be a terrified, pessimistic young lady who has occasional frightening outbursts that would make Mariah Carey blush.
I'd say that she'll get more use in the next playthrough, but I'm pretty sure I've already said that ten or eleven times prior to this, and I'm running out of room. I don't want to make false promises to imaginary people, after all.
#17: Frederick
Battles: 223 Victories: 78
Character: 8
Unit: 7
Ahh, Frederick. Fire Emblem games can prove daunting at times, leaving your level 1 lords and clerics at the mercy of the unwashed masses, with each blow potentially wiping out a quarter of their health. But you've got a trump card, and that trump card has a horsey.
Frederick is the first promoted unit you have to play with, fresh out of the box from the first chapter. And boy, is he a doozy. Not only does he move faster and hit harder than all of the other units, but more importantly, he can take a thumping and keep on trucking. I tried not to lean on him too much, because I knew that using Frederick solely was a fool's errand, and my team would be the worse for it overall.
So yes, he started off as número uno in the pecking order, and I tried to level him as best I could, too, but once the others began growing in strength, Frederick's value tapered off. It's like when you see your parent fail for the first time: this once infallible figure, now so apparently mortal. It's heartbreaking.
On the character front, Frederick appears at first to just be your typical second-in-command. Brave, wary and stoic. But once you dig deeper, you find his lovable side: his passion to aid Chrom, which borders on obsession, his thorough attention to detail, and his many hobbies and foibles. Plus, his crit/skill quote, 'Pick a god and pray!' is too badass for words. Except, perhaps, those words.
#16: Yarne
Battles: 5 Victories: 5
Character: 8
Unit: 1
The juxtaposition of Panne; brutal, proud and cunning, against her son Yarne is magnificent. The dude's a coward who simply doesn't want to die. And it's with good cause too, considering that this is one of the few games where death is a permanent thing. So really, he should fear death. Because he's not carrying any weapon besides a beaststone, relegating his major offensive to being a rabbit and kicking armoured knights in the nads. You'd be scared too, wouldn't you?
Because I enjoy him so much as a character, I've decided that he's going to marry Lucina, and I don't care how that sits with Chrom. The legendary exalt of Ylisse, father-in-law to a skittish bunny. You can't write better satire, really.
#15: Chrom
Team member!
Battles: 434 Victories: 287
Character: 7
Unit: 9
Good old reliable Chrom, another excellent addition to the proud tradition of leading lords. He could have been very generic, considering the qualities he possesses: courageous, headstrong and trusting, but because of the snappy writing, he never comes across as two-dimensional.
I had to keep reminding myself that Chrom was not in fact invincible, particularly when magic was involved, but the way he went in there and sponged up all of those hits was a true testament to his noble lineage. Also, the brother has a tattoo, so you know he's cucumberesque, aka. coooooool.
#14: Kellam
Battles: 372 Victories: 178
Character: 7
Unit: 8
Oh Kellam, how I leant on you, when I wasn't strong. And you were my friend. You helped me carry on. And you donned a ridiculously oversized metallic suit, and somehow people didn't know you were there. But I knew, Kellam. I knew, because I mercilessly sent you straight down the gullet of the enemy force, and watched on with admiration as their swords and axes clanged harmlessly upon your armour. Of course, I also chose to recklessly pit you against arcane attackers, to whom your defence meant nothing, but you didn't hate me for it. Well, if you did, you didn't say anything.
For his loyal service, Kellam was brushed aside when a better tank came along, and true to his nature, he was forgotten. Alas, in an effort to flesh out his skill set, his dismissal wasn't as a general, but a fruity little trickster, brandishing a tiny little bent sword and a frilly collar. Fate is cruel sometimes.
Also, for funsies I was considering omitting Kellam from this list entirely, but in the end I decided it was too obvious. The more you know!
#13: Gregor
Battles: 75 Victories: 43
Character: 9
Unit: 5
Isn't it fitting that Kellam should sit a spot below a man with 300 less battles to his name? For some reason, Gregor really struggled to pull his weight, and didn't find a place amongst the greats, but it wasn't for a lack of trying on my part. I really, really wanted to keep Gregor in action, because he's a good-natured Russian mercenary, and that may very well be the best thing in the world. He's like the antithesis to Dead or Alive's Bayman, and he couldn't be happier about it, I assume.
As I did with many units who couldn't pull their weight, Gregor enjoyed a stint shadowing stronger allies, including a promising but ultimately disappointing partnership with Ricken. Because of the glut of potential heroes at my disposal (Inigo, Flavia, and even poor old Honnor), Gregor may be due for a new career as the underutilized berserker, so perhaps his story is not yet finished...
#12: Gerome
Team member!
Battles: 167 Victories: 132
Character: 6
Unit: 9
Gerome sure looks cool, with his superhero-like mask and black armour, and his stiff, rude and distant demeanour might appeal to some, but I cry foul: I already had a character like that named Lon'qu, and he had the added bonus of being a gynophobe. But Gerome, he's... meh. Very meh. So meh that I feel as though he doesn't really deserve a slot on the team, but is basically automatic because he's a wyvern riding fella who routinely destroys enemies. He probably had the quickest growth out of all of my units: he began by quietly observing the actions of his cohorts, and then within a few chapters he became my second-best soldier. Can't argue with those results.
He's currently doing a round as a warrior (because counter consumes all souls), and I've liked him much better in this guise than previously, simply due to the fact that he's adorned with feathers, and it's wonderfully festive. He'll go back to riding Minerva once he hits 15 (who he still mentions frequently despite her absence, or the curious period where she transformed into a griffon), but for now, let's just enjoy his snappy attire.
#11: Brady
Battles: 5 Victories: 0
Character: 8
Unit: 3
Brady was the last cut to the final ten-man roster, a character who I so wanted to find room for, but ultimately couldn't squeeze in. So it's quite fitting that he should find himself once again out of the top ten on this list. What I love about Brady is that he doesn't suit the priest stereotype at all. He's a boorish, cockney brute, and probably only took up the cloth because his dear old mom forced him into it.
Another splendid sight to see is how he interacts with his father, who, most awkwardly, happens to be Ricken, who seems to be fifteen years his junior. Brady can't seem to get anything right by anyone, but at least he suffers for the benefit of my amusement. He seems to get really infuriated by tea, for one thing.
#10: Lucina
Team member!
Battles: 319 Victories: 229
Character: 8
Unit: 9
From the moment she first appears, you know something is special about Lucina's character. You're not sure who she is, or what her deal is, but you want to know more. And watching that tale unfold is one of the many wonderful little story arcs that you'll come across. Lucina basically forced her way onto the fightin' roster of A Splendid Death (the result of roughly ten seconds trying to come up with a team name), because straight out of her packaging she was a force to be reckoned with. She was strong, swift, and seemed to gain more XP than her allies, and so was very quickly able to boot poor old Kellam out of action.
One of the things I really like about her character is that, despite how weary and determined her dire future has made her, she still seems to desperately seek some element of her lost childhood. Which is especially fun when it has to do with her mother Sully, who quite obviously isn't the mushy type, though may be prone to belting out Scissor Sisters when provoked.
#9: Sully
Team member!
Battles: 282 Victories: 183
Character: 8
Unit: 8
Again, Sully is a character who is special from the get-go. If you were to condense her persona into one word, it'd be butch, but if you told her that, you'd soon find yourself down a head. Sully is the queen of no-nonsense, and most appropriately, I seemed to always send her into situations overmatched. As I've said before, I don't like cavaliers, primarily because I keep making the mistake of thinking they're comparable to paladins, and as a result, they frequently die under my watch. To that end, Sully was almost the first character I ever continued on without, right from her debut in chapter 1. In one of those typical cavalier deaths, she was heard to remark, "Damn my eyes... I was foolish...and careless... Hate to do this to ya, but I've got no choice... I gotta retreat...”
Since I refuse to play on casual mode, I was confused by her statement. Oh, she wasn't really dead? So that little slip-up wasn't going to cost me? I went on to finish the battle, and proceed onto the next chapter, when I noticed Sully was still absent. It then clicked with me that she was alive in storyline only, and as far as a playable unit goes, dead as a doornail. Fortunately, I had the foresight to not save that faux pas, and went back to fix the past, and keep Sully safe. I'm a veritable Lucina, it seems.
#8: Virion
Battles: 93 Victories: 69
Character: 8
Unit: 5
From the moment Virion declared himself as 'the archest of archers', I was hooked. With each chapter that commenced, and each new unit who joined the fold, I kept looking for a way to keep Virion in play. So many units, more capable and useful, came and went, while Virion hung in there, every now and then firing an arrow from safely behind Sir Frederick.
Again, his schtick isn't something we haven't seen before, as a foppish, charming noble, but it's his many nuances that make him so loveable. Though he loves to brag about himself, it's rarely at the expense of others, and he's quick to hand out praise or advice to his allies. Unfortunately, they often seem to act like dicks and just brush it off, but I see Virion's true nobility. I just can't quite fathom how he managed to father a son as screwy as Owain, but I guess that's what happens when you die before your time.
#7: Inigo
Team member!
Battles: 11 Victories: 9
Character: 8
Unit: 4
Honestly, I'd rather not have Inigo on my team, because from what I've noticed on StreetPass, Inigos are a dime a dozen. He's so damned popular, and whether it's because of his dashing good looks, his warm smile and friendly demeanour, or the fact that the dude gyrates his hips at the ladies, I too am hooked on the Inigo.
Beyond that, he still hasn't earned his place, because truth be told, he's still just a mercenary and not yet a hero, a fact I'm reminded of whenever he fights alongside Lucina, and follows up her fierce 37 damage with a harmless attack of his own, but in his defence, I haven't yet thrown him to the wolves as I did with Germoe and Kjelle. They shone for it, while Inigo has his own strengths. These include but are not limited to his dashing good looks, his warm smile and friendly demeanour, and the fact that the dude gyrates his hips at the ladies. Seriously, I fucking love Inigo.
#6: Kjelle
Team member!
Battles: 206 Victories: 147
Character: 8
Unit: 8
Before I proceed, let me state that a heavy percentage of Kjelle's score as a character is because of her C-support with her sister Lucina. It's my favourite out of all of the support conversations, and it made me love Kjelle forevermore. Otherwise, she's your standard fare, a determined young knight with something of a hatred for men, but she's so damned cute, she's become my new Amelia.
She was certainly helped by the fact that she was quite capable, and brandished the useful skill Aether, allowing her to quickly find her niche as the burly armoured knight. She also spent some time as an assassin, giving her access to the wonderfully overpowered lethality ability, and overall, it has just made her an absolute horror to fight against. I mean, I haven't fought her myself, nor spoken to anyone who has, but I just assume it to be true. For one thing, she played a heavy hand in killing Honnor's loved ones.
#5: Basilio
Battles: 2 Victories: 1
Character: 9
Unit: 3
If this game didn't rely so heavily on support buffs, Basilio would be a lock for the ten-man team. I waited so long to finally get to play as him, and then finally, when he made his services available in chapter 23, I eagerly sent him after one of the ghoulish enemies. He was quickly dispatched of, and almost died. Whoops. He hid behind Chrom for the duration of the chapter, and has been lurking in the shadows of the larger parties since then.
How much of my love for Basilio is based on his statement that people could 'kiss his big brown Feroxi arse'? I cannot say. But I fathom a guess to say that hearing it for the first time made you love him too, and if it did not, then I shall strike at the blackened heart of thee, demon!
#4: Gaius
Battles: 81 Victories: 38
Character: 9
Unit: 5
In much the same way that Virion made archers tolerable, Gaius forced me to care about the silly little thief class, because, well... he's a burglar who loves sugar. What is there not to adore about that? Gaius is perhaps the one character I most want to pair up with other units, simply to hear their support conversations and see what kind of mischief he's gotten up to this time. There isn't a thing I don't like about his character, from his often quick, one word responses to his character design, complete with teddy bear lollipop.
In the end, he became my preferred lock picker, and unfortunately for him, my favourite character to watch die, as he groans out his final word: "Sugar". Classic.
#3: Sumia
Team member!
Battles: 392 Victories: 265
Character: 9
Unit: 9
So I've mentioned how much I dislike archers and thieves, yeah? By comparison to pegasus knights, I almost favoured them. Before this game, I hated pegasus knights. As enticing as their wide movement and resistance to magic may be, their weakness to bows and general fragility makes them infuriating. The amount of times in Sacred Stones I had to restart because some stupid pegasus bitch got herself killed was astounding.
Then, Sumia appeared. And she fell over. And I treasured her for it. Pegasus knights are perhaps the greatest beneficiary of the new pair up system (other than slow moving units like generals), because whereas the old rescue method meant that they could only be carried by heavier units, which were few, and typically too slow to get close enough to them, the pairing system means I can finally abuse the long flight paths of the pegasus, and then pull a switcheroo and bring out a more burly unit. Couple this with the new dark flier class shooting bolts of lightning at their side, and finally, pegasi had a bright future.
So much did I enjoy Sumia, I chose for Raymund to marry her. And that's how this little wonder was born...
#2: Cynthia
Team member!
Battles: 25 Victories: 19
Character: 10
Unit: 6
To say that Cynthia, based on personality alone, is my favourite character is an understatement. She's so incredibly adorable, and I have loved all of her support conversations with her father, which start off as cute and silly, and then grow to be heartfelt, even tragic. She had to be on my team. Just had to. I don't know in what capacity, and frankly, I don't care. Just rest assured, this goofy little princess will always stay close to my heart.
...I didn't mean for this to sound as creepy as it did. This is what happens when you play a game so frequently and intensely in such a short span of time. I'll have to remind myself that Cynthia is not in actual fact my daughter, and that I'd better be sure I love my real daughter as much when she's born. ...She better be as much fun as Cynthia though, dammit.
#1: Avatar/My Unit/Raymund Albert Spivy
Team member!
Battles: 1024 Victories: 677
Character: 8
Unit: 10
I know. It's boring for me to declare the Avatar as my favourite unit, because it's the main character and the most obvious choice. But when you consider that Raymund has become the single greatest unit I have ever constructed in a Fire Emblem (out of the vast range of two games), you understand why he's head honcho. Look no further than the fact that he has won more battles than any other unit has even fought in; he's not just an integral member of the team, he is the damn team.
Never was this more apparent than in the various SpotPass skirmishes, pitted against a team of max levelled opponents. Knowing that any other unit wouldn't be able to square off against these mighty foes, I sent Raymund in with only a few elixirs, and a terrified ally to follow his lead from the safety of the secondary spot. With a potent skillset of Ignis, pass, counter, lethality and renewal, he was deadly offensively, practically untouchable defensively, and alarmingly maxed out at every stat overall. The legendary enemies came one after another, and they all fell. The lionhearted mercenary Ike. The dreaded wyvern lord Ashnard. The treacherous necromancer Lyon. A fat knight named Brom. All would break under the might of Raymund.
In the end, his unbalanced chaos would make the endgame fairly easy, when it became less a question of 'how am I going to defeat this foe?', and more of a 'sit back and watch Raymund devour people' kind of deal, but it never made the game less fun. Quite the contrary, I lived vicariously through him, and I very much enjoyed the allure of being a godlike warrior who shot flames out of books.
Thank you, Raymund, for making me feel special, if only for 60 hours of my life.
