“The nomads of the plains do not abandon their fellow tribespeople. Eliwood and Hector are my dear friends...Their sorrow is my sorrow. Their anger is my anger. Nergal! In my friends' names, I will cut you down!”
Lyn - FE: Blazing Sword
I would probably be lying if I were to say that these were all my favorites but alas it would probably take another four blogs to list them before the next two blogs afterwards would just become completely redundant. So without further a due here is my list.
For the guys,
Jaffar
I instantly fell in love with the assassin, Jaffar the minute his character arc kicked in through Blazing Sword. He's complex and is even hard to discern for the player but what lies beneath is his struggle to understand what it means to be human. Being able to feel emotions and care for a person for the very first time, while dealing with the complexity of killing a what would be ally. Discovered as an orphan by Nergal, sleeping under a pile of dead bodies, he was taken in for his talent later to become known as 'The Angel of Death.'
The very impetus of him coming to your side really presents itself about what it is to feel. I used him in every single level the minute I got him, all the way till the end as he's a spectacular unit. Still to this day, I shiver when I remember the in-game monologue between him and Nergal. It's simple and powerful. He speaks little but when he does, it contains so much weight. He will probably will forever be my favorite Fire Emblem character of all time.
Nergal: Hmph... It's you, Jaffar? Turning your sword against me, your master? Do you forget who raised you? You are worthless.
Jaffar: ...Wrong. I am a man.
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Cormag
I gravitate towards tanned characters (or at least well-written characters with darker skin tone), there you go, I said it. But either way, Cormag portrays the not so shining knight and takes a realistic approach about being a peasant that somehow manages to gain knighthood despite no royal or aristocratic blood and the social political tension he has to deal with because of it. If I were to say I related to one character in particular the most in the Fire Emblem series, I would pick Cormag as my number one. Not only does he have the brotherly bond with Glen that I recognize so well but his attitude of yourself against the world is something I experience in day to day life.
I think the best thing I like about him is that for a Japanese game, he doesn't portray a popular or really noticeable troupe, he's just himself. He's intelligent, compassionate, has a strong sense of justice but is reserved. Cormag is however off-setted by his love for woodworking and kittens and the serious/gentle balance is portrayed flawlessly. Also Wyvern Riders are just plain awesome.
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Tibarn
I admit, I had a hard time choosing between either Tibarn or Naesala; but alas I had to go with my heart and pick the ever so badass Tibarn. Not only is his character design flawless and nice to look at but storywise, he's just such an amazing character. He has strong morals and values, that I appreciate and respect but whose obviously not perfect. I love Tibarn, I'm sold, you can't tell me otherwise.
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Frederick
I admit, I do call Frederick, Seth 2.0 and compare him to the knight paladin of Sacred Stones but within good reason - I feel he's the more likeable, charismatic upgrade to the usual meaning of royal, shining knight. Not only is Frederick engaging from the very get go but his quirks must give us all a laugh or at least a chuckle during some parts of the main campaign. His dedication towards Chrom and his ideals are simply what you'd want for a good role model amongst other knights in training. He's pleasant, silly and definitely adorkable.
On to the girls!
Nino
Everything I saw in Nino was everything I saw in my fourteen year old self when I first played Blazing Sword. Friendly, sweet, gentle with a lack of negativity surrounding her general outlook in life despite the hidden sinister around her. Nino's sheltered from the world and when society nowadays would consider it a bad thing, it's portrayed as a shining strength of forgiveness and love. Her bond for her brothers, Loyd and Linus contrasts between the interactions she has with her step-mother, Sonia. Despite being constantly neglected and hated, she's compassionate and gives to those in need. Her struggles with being illiterate and having to deal with the anger she has against her mother is something so moving, I couldn't help but be impressed by her character. She's essentially the type of person I want to be.
Plus she's so cute! How could you not love her?! Like seriously, as if anyone other than Nino would be able to get away with calling 'The Hurricane', Uncle Legault.
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Tana
I'll be honest, I didn't like Tana from the very get go. I found her annoying, yappy and very much so the purely annoying sister that tags around for whatever reason, whenever she can. She didn't come across as smart or deep in terms of initial impressions, despite my love for her character design. Maybe it was her crush on Ephraim that put me off from her, but as I began to explore the many supports she had with other characters it came to me that she was truly wasn't what I expected.
A diamond in the rough, a pure-hearted girl with devotion and kindness that is simply overshadowed by the stature her brother, Innes has on a wider scale. Her knowing of that really touched me, while her friendship with Eirika is forever ingrained in my mind as one of the best friendships I've seen between Fire Emblem characters. Tana is much smarter than she leads us to believe and gosh, I just love her to death now. My favorite female character of Sacred Stones.
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Lucina
My baby girl, *sighs* my love for her is just overflowing. I can't help it that I'm bias because she's mine. Lucina is beautiful, elegant and gives the truest of royal bravery; that I can't help but adore her. Everything from her voice, design and general mannerisms are interwoven so well. *spoilers* I cried so much during the scene where she had her blade, ready to kill me, her own mother. The scene is just too powerful. But my love for her remains stronger.
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Panne
One thing I really noticed within the support conversations of Awakening was that a whole lot of it was just fluffy, silly happy time talk that really bored me to pieces. I wanted deeper, perhaps even darker conversations and I really got what I wanted with Panne. Her character provides an added depth of seriousness due to the genocide of her people that she had to face. Yes, a lot of her convo's are still based in silly talk but when you find the deep one that exposes her character, it truly is a treat to behold, making Panne one of my favorite albeit under-appreciated gals.
Mary Ann is your not so average lady from the faraway land of Canadia, as dignified royalty of the North she serves to protect her subjects in both kindness and elegance. For those who wrong her, she wields her hockey stick as her sword and her punches like jackhammers.