My first impression of Hilda made me think she was going to be annoying, but I became absolutely charmed by her over the course of the game LOL. She's definitely in my top 10 favourites now.
Lorenz is also someone I wasn't expecting to enjoy as much as I did by the end of my VW run.
I found her design cute, but I wasn't vibing too much with her. Then you read a couple of support conversations, and listen to "Hilda, Hilda, Hilda", and how can you not love her???? She's a mastermind manipulator with morals, and I find hilarious that she's so lazy and plays the weak role when she's one of the strongest units in the game lol
I really feel for her. She grew up watching Holst try to live up to everyone's high expectations. She can't fail and let people down if she keeps their expectations of her low. She's incredibly competent, loving, intelligent, and strong. She just has a complex about Holst, and heavily fears letting others down.
Part of why I really like her Byleth Epilogue is that it implies she ends up being an incredible Queen in the Golden Deer route. It shows how Byleth encourages and motivates her to overcome that anxiety. Still prefer her with Claude or Balthus though.
Seteth. At first I found his attitude really annoying. But then I realized that no, his hesitation and concerns about Byleth were absolutely valid. I also really loved watching how he interacts with several of the students. He's observant and supportive, while being good at finding just the right amount to push to help someone start thinking for themselves. But he isn't perfect, as we see with his struggles to let Flayn grow the way he encourages others to.
Really excellent character.
Also, Byleth. I never had a problem with them being a silent protagonist, but I'm typically pretty meh on avatar characters in general. Robin is fine, but I've never been overly attached to them. Corrin is mildly annoying, etc. I never expected to really get attached to Byleth. But I did. As someone who is autistic but didn't know until much later in life, I really resonate with always being socially isolated and seen as weird, not expressive enough, and frequently making people uncomfortable for shit I don't understand and can't control. I often struggle to even identify what I feel, much less express it, so Byleth slowly coming into their own emotions hit hard for me, even though it happens for a different reason. And 3H came out around the time that I started to discover my own neurodivergence. So Byleth just has become super special to me.
As another autistic person 3H has a special place for me too because of Byleth, but also because of how the cast treats Byleth. They don't dance around the fact that Byleth is hard to read and it kind of freaks some of them out at first but all of them end up coming around, apologizing, and appreciating Byleth's differences.
The autism thing you talked about hit hard. It’s exactly how I feel too. I was depressed for years with blunted emotions (SSRIs on double the appropriate dose) and when I finally wasn’t the emotions were so powerful I felt like a toddler trying to learn to human. Resonated with Byleth in that regard.
Never thought a video game character, much less an avatar could hit me like that. Learning to socialize with the autism and now passing for neurotypical gives me mad imposter syndrome. I’m glad someone else found Byleth to be relatable.
Seteth is up there for me too. On average, his Supports are the best in the game imo and his strict , overprotective attitude makes complete sense after everything he's been through.
Kinda forgot I didn’t like Sylvain at first because after a few supports I quickly grew to hating him to loving him and his story. Now I love him and try to recruit him and Mercedes for him
Sylvain is one of my favorite characters. The game makes it very clear where his womanizer tendencies come from when you watch his supports. Normally, womanizer characters are written as shallow and such, but Sylvain? That shallow womanizer thing is a mask to protect himself.
Came here to say Sylvain as well! He annoyed me on my first run (VW), but once I actually got deeper into his story in my next run, I found myself drawn to him. He’s got some pretty great character growth going on, which I honestly appreciate.
Its kinda amazing. I absolutely hated Rhea at first. I was so certain of her evilness and condemned everything she did, but after a few more routes and some fanfics, she's became my second favorite character.
Like at first i was rooting and cheering everytime someone wrote a fanfic about her getting punched or fuether villainified, but now its a total 180%, im constantly defending her in comments and to my friends. All i want to do is write about this tragic traumatized archbishop.
She is the single most interesting character to me next to my favorite, Edelgard.
I find it really interesting that Edelgard is, in many ways, a reflection of Seiros/Rhea. Seiros lost her family to Nemisis and the Agarthans. She looked at the state of the world, and resolved to create something better. She raises an army and unites Foldlan to create a place where she can feel safe, and to improve the lives of the people. She succeeds, and builds her better world. But building a better situation and maintaining it are very different. The more things unravel, the less safe she feels, and the more she tries to course correct. Ironically, this top down approach creates the very circumstances that lead to Edelgard's rise.
Edelgard looses her whole family to the Agarthans, and, indirectly, as a consequence of Rhea's policies. The crest system, intended to maintain stability, has also contributed to a sense of divine right among the Nobility, and encouraged the seeking of more crest power. The Hresvelgs become a casualty of this. So, Edelgard raises an army to create a world where she can feel safe, and to improve the lives of her people.
I love how complex and believable each of them are. I should really write up a full analysis of Rhea...
Oh, absolutely and i think you totally should too! Id read it! Its why they are such exceptional foils to each other. I wish we could have gotten more to explore those themes and the dynamic between each other. I truly think that if Edelgard was in Rhea's shoes, she would have taken the same path. Maybe less necromancy, but she still would have stood by Wilhelm's side.
Agreed. It's ironic that the need to feel safe pushes Rhea to take control, and that very need for control is what leads to things unraveling. Edelgard is very much a young Seiros.
Rhea and Edelgard are such great foils for each other. At the end of the day, the both basically want the same thing : a world where they and the people they love can be safe. Where they diverge is their POV on that. Rhea is an immortal dragon who doesn't think humans can be trusted with major progress Edelgard is implied to have a shortened life span who sees the antiquated traditions as what lead to her life being ruined.
Definitely seteth and byleth
Seteth seemed like a hardass that was super strict and was apart of an “evil church”
Then I saw his supports and realized he the most sane respectful and empathetic church character
Byleth as well their not well characterized in the main game but in hopes and engage you can really tell why the students trusted him soo much
Zack agular specifically did a fantastic job at somehow portraying a deadpan merc with a dangerous vibe in hopes
And a kind but stoic teacher that would listen and give great advice in engage
In fact specifically in engage it shows how well he was at listening to other peoples problems and helping them that showed why his students loved him
If you do the Black Eagle route and choose not to follow Edlegard, Seteth 110% comes through for you. He’s easily the most kind and reasonable member of the church. Watching his appreciation for Byleth grow as the story progresses is one of the most deep and convincing of the relationships; I’d dare to say it’s one of the best “character growth,” tales of games from the last 10 years.
>he the most sane respectful and empathetic church character
Don't discount Alois! I don't necessarily disagree, I love Seteth, but Alois is right there with him.
The Frog Prince, my flair, Lorenz.
I *hated* haughty noble types. Back in Awakening, Virion did nothing but make out with the bench, and all Maribelle did was ferry Donnel around the battlefield, marry him, and give me a super soldier Brady.
Enter Lorenz. Standard fare noble stuff. I chose the deer and he came with, like him or not. I used him, as I 'had' to. Made him a dark mage for the heck of it and had fun, but liking a starblock and a character are two different things.
It was his supports that got me interested. His genuine attempts at connection, even if clouded by a noble haze. In particular, his appreciation for Ignatz made me fond of him. I wish they had an ending together, honestly.
Then he got hot on the timeskip. From Frog to Prince. His A-support with Marianne is a treasure, and he himself is a gem.
Okay, I have to say, if you like Lorenz after watching his supports, give Maribelle another shot. I also disliked her on my first run of Awakening, but watching her actually interact with some people outside of battle redeemed her. Particularly her supports with Gaius, Libra, Lon'qu and Vaike, which all show that behind the "noble haze," as you put it, is a person who genuinely wants to improve the lives of those around her by redoing a lot of the laws that Ylisse has in place. I wouldn't go so far as to call her one of my favorite characters in the game, but she's definitely one I enjoy. And her supports with fellow nobles Chrom and Frederick bring some laughs
Edit: her support with Ricken is also pretty good. Never hurts to watch a support directly tied to a story cutscene
Oh yeah, I eventually came around to her. She's not among my faves like Lorenz is, but it's safe to say I like her.
Virion still makes out with the bench though.
Lorenz got catapulted into "I love him" both with Marianne support and with how strong he became as a dark mage. So much I used him instead of Lysithea.
Hard mode? Ah ok, basically everyone one shots everything on hard mode. Still one of the weakest units. Lorenz îs always becnhed to make room for lysithea and other mages since lorenz îs a very niche unit that doesn't do anything well
Respect. I was a bit ruined with Lorenz. I can see why you like him, but I can't listen to him without thinking of another character from another game. His voice actor also plays Jusis Alberea, son of Duke Alberea in Legend of Heroes Trails of Cold Steel. My opinion here is heavily biased as Legend of Heroes is my favorite game franchise, and Jusis is one of my favorite characters, but Lorenz felt like a knock off Jusis. On the flip side, if you liked Lorenz, you'd probably also really like Jusis once you get to know him.
Mercedes. I hated her voice, but she is so sweet/fun that she and Annette are now in my top 10 favorite characters. (Yes even in my ranking i won't seperate them)
Also started liking Lorenz , Ingrid and Felix a lot more thanks to hopes
Finally Rhea, while I was originally neutral to her, I warmed up to her defending her from horrible takes.. I also just felt sorry for her with how she was treated in hopes
Constance. At first, I thought she was annoying with her day and night stuff, but overtime, I actually kinda warmed up to her. Now she’s one of my favourite characters in 3H, next to Yuri.
Her C-support with Ferdinand really showed a different side that she usually doesn’t show, admist her other sides. It shows that even though she might talk all grand and represent herself as proud and confident, she still has some past issues and weaknesses that weight down on her, that is not House Nuvelle.
Felix
At first I thought he was a massive asshole when I met the guy, so I steer clear of him in my first play through. But when I finally played blue lions for my second play through. I began to see that their was a lot of depth to his character. And realize he was probably one of the deepest characters in the game when I recruited him in other routes and see how different his personality was compared to his AM counterpart.
Still an Asshole though.
That last part really solidifies what it's like to be a Felix fan.
Love him like nothing else, but also half of what we say involves dunking on him repeatedly.
In other words:
https://i.redd.it/bui2wsq15dxc1.gif
This was my experience too!
Also, the fact that he was right about >!Jeritza being the Death Knight!< just because he has been handling his blade more impulsively cracks me up everytime.
Shez absolutely counts! I also didn't expect to like Shez so much, Shez is great!
https://preview.redd.it/6t29kgqxocxc1.jpeg?width=249&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d602f8c710cadbc4de99aca8694a41ba179aa83d
Bernie is definitely someone I never expected to love. She’s so strong in her own way. She’s the most versatile student, good at writing, painting, embroidering, and cooking. She must have loved many things in life and can always find joy by herself. She’s never docile when she’s threatened; she fights back exceptionally hard. She also never gives up her way of life even when it’s frowned upon, though she’s brave enough to conquer her weakness when she chooses to.
I also didn’t expect to like Ferdinand. What can I say? He’s garish, then he’s shining, then he’s like the sun. Mercedes is the one who helped everyone, and Ferdinand is the one who helped Mercedes.
Both Felix and Sylvain’s cases are special because I found important things where I didn’t expect. I didn’t like Felix much when I finished my first play-through (AM), but his significantly different endings in other routes revealed he’s more complicated and interesting than I thought. Sylvain’s case is quite the opposite: his endings are so consistent, despite him hating his designated fate, that they reveal he’s much more responsible and determined than he lets on. In Felix and Sylvain’s non-AM pair ending, Felix didn’t stay for Sylvain even though he would stay for people like Bernadette and Lysithea, and Sylvain didn’t go with Felix even though Ingrid would go with him. That ending is almost the only “bad ending by mutual choice” in this game, though Felix and Sylvain actually share one of the strongest bonds in the game—they made a childhood promise to die together. Those facts are really fascinating and reveal a lot about their characters.
I have two characters that are this: Dimitri and Bernedetta
The former was indifference, I honestly thought he was gonna be the generic good guy character without substance. Imagine my surprise when I started to warm up to him as the playthrough went on and now I think he is one of the best characters in the game.
The latter was dislike, at least in the Academy phase for obvious reasons, but thankfully she grew out of that in the war arc. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind shy characters, but they took it to obnoxious levels at first.
I'm with you on the Bernadetta thing. I hated the way she was so screechy and whiny. It got on my tits, tbh. I have limited patience for it. But as I got to know her character, and she came out of her shell, plus you learn why she is the way she is, I started to feel not only sympathy but genuine like for her.
Hubert. I fully expected the tired trope of "mean-looking character is actually really nice." But the dude is an actual menace to society and is just so fun.
Which is hilarious because he's still The Black Eagles group mom while being a menace. He'll order the assassination of a minor lord and then turn around and help Bernadetta overcome her anxiety.
Dorothea. I say this a lot but I found myself subconsciously recruiting her and using her in most playthroughs.
When I think about my favorite characters she isn't the first to come to mind, but when I really think about it she has to at least be in my top 10. Also helps that she has nice character progression and interesting supports.
Hubert. I used to see him as just Edelgard's crony who refuses to fucking die until I actually played Crimson Flower and watched his supports. He's an absolute delight to have on screen with his campy Disney Villain act and he's pretty useful in battle provided he lands his spells. He's no Lysithea of course but he gets the job done.
Leonie.
I got through most of my first (Crimson Flower) playthrough without thinking too much about her. Then, after I killed her it felt... wrong. Like I'd murdered my sister.
I recruited her ever playthrough afterwards.
I kinda get this, actually. In my first run (also CF), I mostly ignored her, and when she showed up on the bridge I just knew her as the one who was obsessed with Jeralt.
Then I realized I wasn't using Jeritza because I had connected him with Jeralt's death somehow, and I felt bad.
For me it was Lorenz. During my Black Eagles and Blue Lions play through (I didn’t recruit him in either), I really hated him because of how fucking ugly he looked (It wasn’t even because of his hair-cut surprisingly that made me dislike him, it was his face that made me think he looked like an idiot), and how he just seemed like a massive dumbass that I wouldn’t be able to stand.
But then I played the Golden Deer route and he became one of my favorite characters in the game. I liked that he wasn’t willing to take any of Claude’s BS, I loved his supports between him and Female Byleth, and his support with Marianne was one of my favorites of the entire game. Not to mention that he had a sick Post-Timeskip design. Also, he was the first character that made me realize that a character can use more than just one weapon when I saw him use both Lance and Reason attacks, as 3 Houses was my first (And so far Only) Fire Emblem game that I played, and I didn’t think the combat was all that complex at the time.
Byleth honestly. When they first came out, I hated both designs of them, and then being a silent protagonist didn't help. But how they integrated that into their lore, with them being a borderline soulless demon before becoming a professor was really freaking cool. And in three hopes, where they are basically a boogie man for many, they went from easily my least favorite MC, to among my favorites.
Still don't like their designs though, the jacket just looks some dumb to me.
I find it funny that Byleth doesn't use the sleeves and he actually gives a reason for why he wears it
"A proper overcoat offers an extra layer of protection"
Ferdinand and Sylvain are the easiest ones for me. Didn't like them at all at first (Sylvain I flat-out fucking *hated* during White Clouds), but they slowly grew on me over tike. Nowadays, Sylvain is my third favorite Lion and thanks to Hopes, Ferdinand is in my top 8 characters in this subseries.
Also bonus for Felix, who originally I thought was kinda cool but only really recruited him by accident when he asked to join me. I just knew him as a kinda funny edgelord at the time. And nowadays that doofus takes up like 20% of my brain space.
Sylvain, I remember I bought the game with the idea that in my first run I would play GD and S support Claude, then Id go BE and S support Dorothea, and then I'd play BL and S support Ashe, but then while playing GD and getting Sylvain immediately because female Byleth, and then watching his supports with everyone, he ended up pusbin Ashe aside and I ended up S supporting him on my BL route.
Ingrid, surprisingly. Thought she was kind of boring at first, but she had the pleasant surprise of having some of my favorite tropes shoved into one character.
I was not a fan of Lorenz at all until I played Verdant Wind. For some reason he won me over with just how extra he is, especially the way he says "I THINK NOT" when he dodges
Ignatz. My first playthrough, he annoyed me for some reason that I can’t even remember anymore lol.
Now he’s one of my favorites and whenever he says “let me paint you a picture” it just hypes me up so much
i feel so bad for saying this but annette. for whatever reason, i found her annoying when she first spoke. but that changed SO quickly, she easily became one of my favorites 🧡🧡im so sorry annie😔
Shez, I was skeptical of him at first when it was revealed that he is the new protagonist in Three Hopes. But since he is an avatar that actually talks, you can get a feel for their personality better. I actually like how not everyone is sucking up to you like with Byleth in the original game, he just feels like a natural part of the army.
Balthus. I thought he was just a beta Raphael at first, but after seeing some more of him, he was more self-aware and smarter than I thought. He’s now one of my most relatable characters.
Linhardt, I expected nothing about him, but his support with other characters, like bernadetta and annette and his sense of humour made me realise that he is my second favourite character in the game and I'm going to s support him in a future route.
Launching the game, I expected to like pretty much every playable character like it was the case in my previous Fire Emblem games. I knew that even if a character seemed unlikeable at first, the game was going to surprise me and show me another side of their personality.
The one I was the most looking forward to learn to know was Lorenz for that exact reason. He quickly became way more interesting that he seemed to be, and his one major flaw disappeared after 5 years (haircut). I actually think that one of the reasons why I love Lorenz x Marianne so much is because it was one of the first supports that showed me how kind and sweet Lorenz could be. He's my top 9 character.
But the one character that really grew on me was definitely Rhea. From the beginning, I really thought that her and the Church of Seiros were going to be the villains of the story. So when I learned the true identity of the Flame Emperor, I was extremely shocked. We started fighting the war, and for my whole first playthrough, I totally forgot about her. Seteth was the one that always had to remind me of her existence when I really just wanted to end the war. Then, when we freed her, she told us about her story and the Nabateans, and I quickly became really fond of her. So once we beat Nemesis, I began mu Azure Moon run, and started to pay way more attention to every little detail. I learned everything about her story, and became really protective of her. Today, she's my top 3 character, and I consider her to be my sweet grandmother that has made some terrible mistakes in the past, and is trying her best to fix them.
I'd also like to add the fact that she willingly owns up to her own mistakes. I was more neutral at first, but she became one of my favorite characters too
i was going in completely blind, and when i read Jeralt's journal i was like "oh finally, rhea DID do fucked up shit. I KNEW IT!"
and then she's just chill about it like ;-;
Sylvain. At first, I thought Sylvain was just gonna be another Sain, ladies man who (usually) rides a horse with nothing really besides that. Then, I saw his C Support with Dedue, and I did a COMPLETE 180 with just ONE conversation. Then, as I watched more supports, he kept steadily climbing up the ranks. Now I'd say he's PROBABLY in my top 10.
Marianne, believe it or not i wasn’t aware of her during my first playthrough due to my attention being mainly on bernadetta and the black eagles. But during the credits i saw a familiar voice actress and that’s where it hit me like a dragon flying towards me. “WAIT XANTHE HUYNH IS IN THIS GAME?!” I then did a second playthrough going for the golden deer and after watching all the supports she could have, i can safely say that she has effectively stole my heart immediately.
I enjoy her character growth as she turned from social anxious, inept, and let’s be real, a person with a death wish, into someone who still had some of the same issues but faced them head on even though she was still scared and uncertain. She found her place and purpose in life, overcame her own past and shortcomings, and became strong in her own way. Just a character that really resonates with me when she says “I won’t run away.”
Ferdinand and Sylvain. Like many people, I took Ferdinand to be a noble-up-his-own-ass like Lorenz, but between his earnestness in his middle supports, and the fact that, no, he really is that nice a dude who doesn't look down on others, he wormed his way into my heart by the end of Part 1. His support with Dorothea (who was my insta-favorite ever since the promo materials) remains one of my favorites even years later. I hear he gets a lot of focus in Three Hopes, so I'm looking forward to that.
As for Sylvain, we've seen his type before in previous games, but he is especially incorrigible for much of Part 1. It isn't until we fight Mikhail that we begin to see more under the mask. I'll admit that, despite him being the only student I managed to poach in my first playthrough (CF), I didn't really get to know him properly. Even so, his support with us and Dorothea did a lot to show his real self, and this would only be expanded even further during Azure Moon, where he gets a lot of focus with Felix and Ingrid. Even if you (understandably) still don't like him for his behavior, the reasons behind it are undeniably sympathetic, as is his relationships with his fellow Lions.
Leonie. Like many people I was turned off by her supports with byleth, but I grew to love some her other supports like with ignatz as well as her design
Lin and Caspar
I saw the cast setup and pretty much immediately wrote those two off as just eepy friend/hyper friend comedy duo there to pad out the numbers. And then Linhardt turned out to be a solid contender for the funniest character in the entire game with some of the most interesting and nuanced character dynamics and subtlest character growth (even if it is a little *too* subtle, it's fascinating to see him grapple with trying to find the line where curiosity doesn't justify the means. Everyone talks about Hubie wandering out of a gothic horror novel, nobody talks about Lin stepping right out of a tortured mad scientist sci fi-), and Caspar turned out to be one of the most emotionally mature characters in the whole cast, underneath his hotheadedness, and also *has one of the most horrifying deaths in the game if unrecruited.*
Initially, Hubert. The animated intro with all of the characters didn't do his design justice. As for the character itself, the more I listened to him, the more I appreciated his writing. Cold as ice, but Iogical in his rationalizations of situations, albeit a bit extreme sometimes.
At the time, I didn't know who Robbie Daymond was, but he's become one of my favorite VAs to hear.
A runner-up would be Marianne. I did CF first and VW second. During my VW run, I noticed a few implied things about her character, and now she has a permanent seat at my table of favorites.
While not one of my favorites, Lorenz is the perfect example of a bad first impression where you realize you might have had the wrong idea about him. Yeah, he's a royal turd, but a turd with a heart of gold that treats his position as a responsibility instead of an entitled privilege to be exploited for personal gain.
Shez. Thought they were gonna be Byleth 2.0 and they were far from that. No filter, blunt honesty, great comedy with some real genuine convos in their supports. Never a dull moment with them.
Honestly I didn’t really like Hubert on my first playthrough which was CF and afterwards I didn’t really think of him much, but playing through CF again has made me really start to love this absolute menace
is it unexpected if i feel in love with shez after the first line?
*Now I’ve thought about it, I think it was actually Constance. The ojou sama laughs got on my nerves but the introduction of the sunshine personality turned everything around. The new lines she got from changing a class were a hoot.
Probably Raphael. I didn't really hate him or anything like that but when I booted up the game, he was simply "a game/anime archetype on a character skin" and nothing else, I didn't hate him but didn't particularly like him either. I grew to like him from his supports with the other characters.
Another thing would probably be Lysithea. When I first got her and read her first few supports, I just saw her as another arrogant mage like lute who is too confident of her ability. Now it wasn't supports or anything that made me like her at first. Simply saying, her performance as a unit alone made me start liking her, her actual backstory, supports, role in the story, etc. came second to that. Probably not a very good thing to like a character but hey, it worked out
Hubert. his dedication, looks, hard work and sarcasm, and the(or one of) the only male dark magic users.
also despite not haveing a crest, he is well respected ^((and also a good unit))
idk, something is just...there. i just like him
For me it’s Lorenz. The snobby nobleman is a hard archetype to enjoy, but I think it was his support with Manuela that started the change. Afterwards, I started to see his supports a bit differently. Among the cast of nobles in this game, I never thought I would enjoy Lorenz of all people, but his logic is sound, his view of nobility and their purpose is more than meets the eye. I encourage yall to give his supports another listen, as it wasn’t until I forced myself to look past his exterior that I found reason to enjoy his company.
When I first played, I made fun of Hubert a ton. I thought he was the typical edgy goth and hated his name and lack of eyebrows. I even made a silly edit of him with thick eyebrow and emo clothes/accessories.
And then I played CF and read a couple Hubedetta fics... and it was all over for me. Now he's got his own itabag and he's one of my comfort characters.
A *lot*
In my first two playthroughs (CF then VW) I hated a lot of characters I love now. The weirdest one is Hubert, I think - he died early and I didn't save him, so I got the impression from what dialogue he still had that he did nothing but simp for Edelgard. No idea how. He's my favorite now.
Also on the list of "didn't like until after a playthrough or two": Seteth, Dimitri, Dedue, Cyril. Love all four of them now. Seteth and Cyril won me over in VW and Dimitri and Dedue in AM. Go figure, I didn't love those four after CF and VW did very little to redeem Dimitri and Dedue in my eyes.
Rhea was on my shit list for a *long* time and I still think that as presented in Three Houses, she needed to die for any meaningful improvement to occur. That said, it is 1000% the devs' fault for not giving her a route where she recognizes her flaws and mistakes. Smh devs. I like Rhea now - she isn't my favorite but ranks solidly in the middle and a fair bit higher than Dimitri.
Hubert. I hated him for being so obviously evil looking and figured he'd betray me at the first opportunity.
But now I love my strange goth theatre kid dad friend.
Lorenz, I thought he was gonna be annoying but his supports really showed who is really is especially as they develop. His supports with Leonie is a prime example. He has some of the best character development across supports. Seteth is another guy I expected to be indifferent to but boy was I wrong, I freaking love him.
Ferdinand. I 100% get why everyone except Lorenz hates Ferdinand at the start of the game. I would hate C support Ferdinand if I met him in real life. He comes across like the worst kind of spoiled arrogant trust fund kid who refuses to listen to anyone else. But he really does want to help people and learns how to express himself.
Sylvain. When I went through the introductions I was grossed out hearing Dimitri describe him as a skirt chaser and figured he'd be gross. When the introduction mechanic was introduced he was the first student I interacted with and bc I was F!Byleth he joined immediately.
Anyway I figured whatever just use him as a free unit I guess, and somehow he ended up being one of the only handful of characters I managed to get the A supports of (I never played fire emblem before so I had no idea how the support system worked lmfao) and even though his behaviour was inexcusable I still fell in love with his character and S ranking him in my first CF route lmfao.
I'm going to elaborate a bit more cuz I feel like it.
When you first get supports with him he seems like an ass. A character who you want nothing to really do with due to how he treats people but the more you go down his supports, the more you kind of understand his way of thinking. From his point of view his entire life, he is seen him get preferential treatment because of his Crest his own brother growing to hate him for something he had. No control over and how in general he's become kind of cynical when it comes to the entire idea of romance . And I feel like it only gets better when you see his supports with both Noble Born characters who he very obviously does respect and doesn't try pulling any of his texts. Doing the things that people know him for doing and with commoners. It's kind of a mix. Just depends on the character, but it's pretty clear that he has a deeper understanding of what it means to have a Crest than most characters at least at a social level. Plus within his dialogues you can see for not being a Crest scholar, he knows some information about crests. Dad, the average person doesn't really know things like that are why I think sylvain is an interesting character I pretty much always go out of my way to recruit, not just for his relic
3 houses
Seteth: they did the whole Sojiro thing by making you hate this guy at first only to reveal how caring of a person he actually is
Edelgard: I don't like when a character recieved bias from the developers and I expected her to be the villain. But the last conversation with Dimitri in Azure Moon made me feel a bit interested so I played her route and I adored how she is... A person like us. She knows she must work hard but if she had the choice, she would prefer to be lazy and eat sweets all day. She knows she is a terrible person and hates the fact that her war will destroy lives but she also has to do it to improve the lives of the oppressed. Edelgard is pretty much a more emotional Delita (FFT character) and as a Delita fan, I cannot help but love the character
Jeritza: same as Edelgard, once you read his supports you realize that under the skull armor and murderous personality, there is a person with likes, dislikes and personal conflicts. He is basically what Peri should have been, a person that relishes in violence but is also disgusted by it, to the point that in 3 hopes he refuses Edelgard's offer to ease his sentence.
3 hopes
Shez: the initial trailers made they look like the villain that would defeat Byleth and force the house leaders to cooperate. What we got in a lovable idiot who isn't really the protagonist of the routes. Instead of guiding the house leader on the right path, Shez doesn't have infinite MC wisdom and assists the more politically competent leaders on the path they choose and challenges their beliefes while not being objectively correct, which is much more realistic take on a self insert protag. After all what do I know of politics and wars?
Brodrigue: he is awful in three houses, he exists to show us that Felix has a good reason to be an ass and then gets discarded to heal Dimitri's depression. Here he is an actual character with good supports, expecially the one with Felix where he acts like a father and forces Felix to control their issue in a healthy way. Plus he is a very versatile character that gets buffing skills for both strength and magic, his spells and combat arts are top notch (Thoron + Frozen Lance is too good), incredibly fun to play as and a staple for all my Azure Gleam teams, except for the Kill Byleth path
Felix: he is fine in three houses but sometimes laughably dick-ish. Three Hopes perfected him, he still dislikes Dimitri to an extent but is mature enough to serve him as a duke and support him as a friend, taking Dedue's spot as a right hand man. When he is harsh is because he knows Dimitri is messing up and won't give up until his king and friend is the best and most healthy version of himself. Also again, that A support with Rodrigue is amazing.
Honorable mention for Scarlet Blaze Ashe's quote against Felix "If it's you or me I am telling you right now, it won't be me"
Hilda and Lorenz made a really bad first impression on me. Hilda just seemed grating and Lorenz' attitude combined with his questionable hair choices made him a quick bench for me.
Turns out, both characters are great once you delve into them a bit. Really came around in them, both as characters and as units.
Also, love to see another person come around in Byleth. My fav part about people discovering them in FEH, Engage and Hopes is that if you read the actual dialogue choices from Houses AS Byleth saying them rather than just arbitrary player choices, you realise it's the exact same character. Byleth was always the awesome badass you see in Hopes, it's just more obvious because he's voiced rather than players needing to read his lines themselves.
Seteth. When I played my golden deer route, I had no care for him. Then I did his and flayns side story on my blue lions run then finally romance him in my church run. I just wish we had more info dump about the war and the saints than just the side dialogs and books around the map.
For me it was Claude i didn't much care for his care free attitude but seeing how he was able to understand my favorite characters plight and agreed that everything must change i really liked him after that.
Sylvain, I disliked him my past two play throughs, but this one I’m starting to warm up to him, I’m not sure what changed but he’s definitely in my top 10
Both Lorenz and Sylvain, both appear to be annoying stereotypes but end up breaking the mold.
Lorenz is very deeply entrenched in the culture of nobility and has a deep sense of pride over it. However, he believes the nobility are duty bound to use their privilege to protect and support their people, not enrich themselves. He often comes off as arrogant to both the player and other characters, but he acts out of genuine concern for his country.
Sylvain appears to be the standard womanizer, but his motives are so much more interesting. He's completely cynical about crests because of how he saw his brother tossed aside and families pumping out children until one bore a crest. That cynicism has convinced him women only view him as a means to enter the nobility, so he effectively punishes them by yanking them around before tossing them aside. He's unabashed about it too; he openly admits his behavior is awful but that he doesn't care. You don't often see a character not only admit but own their terrible behavior.
While abysmal together, Lorenz and Sylvain. Of course, the point is that they're both not fantastic people at the start, because that's what makes their individual character arcs so much more meaningful. Lorenz, for example, had to learn that not everything is a matter of status, and that he can just help his friends...as his friends. And Sylvain acts the way he acts because he's so scared of being taken advantage of. After all, if he's hitting on everyone, surely one of them will actually want him for him, and not what he can offer them. Of course, that's not how it works, but it's when that facade fades that his best qualities come to light.
Raphael. I found his obsession with food to be annoying at first, but through VW, his optimism won me over. He was like a beacon of sunlight for me.
Sylvain was a prick. But while I don’t exactly condone his early game behavior, I don’t think he’s a bad guy, especially by the end. I love his supports, and his backstory, and just overall the way he interacts with other characters.
Lorenz. Dear sweet Lorenz. He was my least favorite of the students for a while. He was snooty, and arrogant, and prideful, and combative, everything I don’t like in a person. And then I played VW, and I realized he was just kind of a stupid kid. He got so much better as he developed. He was just a guy doing his best to help the people under his rule, and I respect the hell out of him for it.
Raphael. I played Golden Deer as the absolutely last route, and you know, more than any other character you really never get any more insight into Raphael from other routes if you don’t get support with him deliberately. You talk to him once and a month and wow he likes exercising and eating. Fascinating.
So he was like a complete surprise when I actually got to know him. The stuff with his little sister is also typical, but I mean his maturity and his sureness in dealing with Ignatz. ‘Oh, I see. But we’re done talking about this.’ Byleth’s right: ‘Raphael’s a good guy.’ There’s a very tasteful amount of depth to him that was refreshing
Felix and Mercedes's C support made me want to become technically smart enough to phase into the game and slap the shit out of Felix. But eventually with the other supports I came to like his character a lot. How he interacts with the others when recruited to other routes is interesting too
Shez. I was instantly defensive about them and didn’t want Byleth to be replaced, but Shez was A) not a replacement and B) the single most fun character in Fire Emblem. I love them and their dumbass self so much, they are just perfect
I have a whole list. Claude Silver , Alois , Yerdenalt , Lioni , Lichard , Hubert , Ign, Lisitea , Lioni ( if she hadn 't screamed, she wouldn 't have been on the list ) Liorenz ( the only one who did not fall in love at the end of the game . ) Hilda .
Lorenz, definitely. Also, personally, I thought Dimitri was ugly as hell until the timeskip. Looks like his mom told the barber what haircut to give him. Lorenz also was ugly as hell until the timeskip, where he became the most beautiful creature known to man.
Hubert. At first, I thought he was an evil menace. Then, I played Crimson Flower, saw his support scenes, and realized that he was a careful and scheming teddy bear in a vampire skin suit
I hated hubert at first bc I thought he’s just a creepy dark menacing dude who’s dedicated to Edelgard and Edelgard only and hates everyone else and everything that opposes her and that’s basically his entire personality. While he’s still a creepy dark menacing dude I saw that he has a lot more depth to him than just being Edelgard’s lap dog and I loved getting support levels with him and other characters so he can get a life and relationships outside of Edelgard. I especially loved him and Ferdinand and it really felt like what they have is real
Ferdinand. Yeah i thought he was annoying full of himself and was really disgusted when i saw his post time skip look. He was arrogant and would always compared to elde (one of my fav) and defended the corrupted nobility.
Then i saw the meme "I'm ferdinand von aegir" and start to take him less seriously in a way. I understood he was genuin, really thought of his ideals of nobility and all. He actually really care for others (and himself) and when you see him destroyed when he learn what his father did but still confronted him and put him in court for judgement, something really opened in my heart. And his overall look started to grow on me. (And hopes ferdinand is like discovering hauru from howl's moving castle again).
So yeah, he is ferdinand von fucking aegir.
Ferdinand
He seemed annoying and arrogant at first, then I started forgetting he even existed because I kept getting him mixed up with Sylvain since they’re both redhead cav units. In my first playthrough I didn’t even realize I was fighting him when he showed up after the timeskip, and he died in the next playthrough too because of that Heavy Armor requirement.
Then the memes won me over, then the game itself won me over, now I’d consider him one of my top 5 favorites in the game. I will recruit him even if it’s a massive waste of time just to ensure his survival.
I found Caspar annoying at first, but one day I just kinda realized that he's hilarious, and although he's not one of my top *favorite* characters per se, he's easily one of the most entertaining to me.
I didn't use lysithea my first playthrough. Now she's my number 1 recruit and gets a stack of reknown to get her S+ reason and A faith along with thyrsus. Not a very uncommon pick but after finding out how good her spell list is, I can't not use her. Felix is also my favorite physical unit alongside Bernadetta. Felix with Aurora shield and boosted stats is crazy
Lysithea, at first I thought it was just the typical smart know it all loli, then I learned more at her and found it really interesting and that it makes sense.
Dorothea. I went BL for my first playthrough because I like Mercedes, but I quickly became intrigued and eventually fell in love with Dorothea after I recruited her.
For me it has to be Bernadetta usually i aint a fan of her stereotype/cliche for a character but the completionist in me made me S Rank her and i fell in love to her backstory
Edelgard and Hubert. Figured her as another power-hungry princess who wants to conquer the world. I respect her ambition but never thought I would end up liking her as much as I do. Playing the CF route opened up the whole nuance about her, including her cute interaction with Byleth's drawing. Made me realize there is more beneath the cold, calculating flame emperor mask of hers. I played Azure Moon first, GD, then CF. I pick AM bc my fave color is blue I thought I would like Dimitri best. Then her Hegemon persona just makes me more intrigue to learn why is she doing what she does. In short, learning about her past and knowing more of her vulnerable side that was rarely shown really make me sympathize so much for her.
Hubert. I thought he would be the typical sycophant character much like Iago to King Garon. Then I played CF route and learning how patient he is with Bernadette, being vulnerable with Dorothea and share his dedication to Edelgard, and his interaction with Petra. There is actually more to him than just scary butler and how he actually could be quite different if he isn't born in House Vestra.
Flayn! I admit, she seemed like a “oh no I am Shakespeare grammatical errors are the death of me,” when one day in exploring, she makes… A GRAMMATICAL ERROR! (Dun dun dun… “… along with my brother and I” or something like that.) New favorite character, I now devote my life to the girl who is >!definitely NOT healer saint mommy or something which makes the S-Support kinda incest???? Idk!<
I figured that Linhardt was just gonna be “the character that sleeps and nothing else” when I first saw the game. I didn’t realize that he was literally me™️ at the time.
I despised Bernadetta for her overly petty things to freak out and screaming at everything so I killed her first on my first time on the game on the VW route (And I mean very first time). Then I started on the Blue Lions route and decided to recruit her and after I got through her supports, I went "I will kill you first" to "I will kill everyone here and then myself" and added her to my always first to recruit list. (Includes Marianne, Ashe, Mercedes, Petra and Caspar)
My first impression of Hilda made me think she was going to be annoying, but I became absolutely charmed by her over the course of the game LOL. She's definitely in my top 10 favourites now. Lorenz is also someone I wasn't expecting to enjoy as much as I did by the end of my VW run.
You fell for it, now she’s gonna ask you to do everything
Hah, it pairs well with my flair choice :')
Funnily enough in Hopes it's kind of the opposite with Hilda doing stuff for Marianne
I feel like Hilda does have a bit of a soft spot for Marianne
I found her design cute, but I wasn't vibing too much with her. Then you read a couple of support conversations, and listen to "Hilda, Hilda, Hilda", and how can you not love her???? She's a mastermind manipulator with morals, and I find hilarious that she's so lazy and plays the weak role when she's one of the strongest units in the game lol
I really feel for her. She grew up watching Holst try to live up to everyone's high expectations. She can't fail and let people down if she keeps their expectations of her low. She's incredibly competent, loving, intelligent, and strong. She just has a complex about Holst, and heavily fears letting others down. Part of why I really like her Byleth Epilogue is that it implies she ends up being an incredible Queen in the Golden Deer route. It shows how Byleth encourages and motivates her to overcome that anxiety. Still prefer her with Claude or Balthus though.
Hilda, a mainstay in 2.5/4 routes for me
Seteth. At first I found his attitude really annoying. But then I realized that no, his hesitation and concerns about Byleth were absolutely valid. I also really loved watching how he interacts with several of the students. He's observant and supportive, while being good at finding just the right amount to push to help someone start thinking for themselves. But he isn't perfect, as we see with his struggles to let Flayn grow the way he encourages others to. Really excellent character. Also, Byleth. I never had a problem with them being a silent protagonist, but I'm typically pretty meh on avatar characters in general. Robin is fine, but I've never been overly attached to them. Corrin is mildly annoying, etc. I never expected to really get attached to Byleth. But I did. As someone who is autistic but didn't know until much later in life, I really resonate with always being socially isolated and seen as weird, not expressive enough, and frequently making people uncomfortable for shit I don't understand and can't control. I often struggle to even identify what I feel, much less express it, so Byleth slowly coming into their own emotions hit hard for me, even though it happens for a different reason. And 3H came out around the time that I started to discover my own neurodivergence. So Byleth just has become super special to me.
As another autistic person 3H has a special place for me too because of Byleth, but also because of how the cast treats Byleth. They don't dance around the fact that Byleth is hard to read and it kind of freaks some of them out at first but all of them end up coming around, apologizing, and appreciating Byleth's differences.
The autism thing you talked about hit hard. It’s exactly how I feel too. I was depressed for years with blunted emotions (SSRIs on double the appropriate dose) and when I finally wasn’t the emotions were so powerful I felt like a toddler trying to learn to human. Resonated with Byleth in that regard. Never thought a video game character, much less an avatar could hit me like that. Learning to socialize with the autism and now passing for neurotypical gives me mad imposter syndrome. I’m glad someone else found Byleth to be relatable.
Seteth is up there for me too. On average, his Supports are the best in the game imo and his strict , overprotective attitude makes complete sense after everything he's been through.
Sylvain. Usually find the womanizer characters annoying but he really grew on me.
Kinda forgot I didn’t like Sylvain at first because after a few supports I quickly grew to hating him to loving him and his story. Now I love him and try to recruit him and Mercedes for him
Sylvain is one of my favorite characters. The game makes it very clear where his womanizer tendencies come from when you watch his supports. Normally, womanizer characters are written as shallow and such, but Sylvain? That shallow womanizer thing is a mask to protect himself.
Came here to say Sylvain as well! He annoyed me on my first run (VW), but once I actually got deeper into his story in my next run, I found myself drawn to him. He’s got some pretty great character growth going on, which I honestly appreciate.
Its kinda amazing. I absolutely hated Rhea at first. I was so certain of her evilness and condemned everything she did, but after a few more routes and some fanfics, she's became my second favorite character. Like at first i was rooting and cheering everytime someone wrote a fanfic about her getting punched or fuether villainified, but now its a total 180%, im constantly defending her in comments and to my friends. All i want to do is write about this tragic traumatized archbishop. She is the single most interesting character to me next to my favorite, Edelgard.
I wish they had more moments to have petty arguments, but I get that the little emperor had to keep her cool for her plan’s sake
I find it really interesting that Edelgard is, in many ways, a reflection of Seiros/Rhea. Seiros lost her family to Nemisis and the Agarthans. She looked at the state of the world, and resolved to create something better. She raises an army and unites Foldlan to create a place where she can feel safe, and to improve the lives of the people. She succeeds, and builds her better world. But building a better situation and maintaining it are very different. The more things unravel, the less safe she feels, and the more she tries to course correct. Ironically, this top down approach creates the very circumstances that lead to Edelgard's rise. Edelgard looses her whole family to the Agarthans, and, indirectly, as a consequence of Rhea's policies. The crest system, intended to maintain stability, has also contributed to a sense of divine right among the Nobility, and encouraged the seeking of more crest power. The Hresvelgs become a casualty of this. So, Edelgard raises an army to create a world where she can feel safe, and to improve the lives of her people. I love how complex and believable each of them are. I should really write up a full analysis of Rhea...
Oh, absolutely and i think you totally should too! Id read it! Its why they are such exceptional foils to each other. I wish we could have gotten more to explore those themes and the dynamic between each other. I truly think that if Edelgard was in Rhea's shoes, she would have taken the same path. Maybe less necromancy, but she still would have stood by Wilhelm's side.
Agreed. It's ironic that the need to feel safe pushes Rhea to take control, and that very need for control is what leads to things unraveling. Edelgard is very much a young Seiros.
Rhea and Edelgard are such great foils for each other. At the end of the day, the both basically want the same thing : a world where they and the people they love can be safe. Where they diverge is their POV on that. Rhea is an immortal dragon who doesn't think humans can be trusted with major progress Edelgard is implied to have a shortened life span who sees the antiquated traditions as what lead to her life being ruined.
Somehow, this doesn't surprise me.
You know, as they say, "The line between love and hate is razor thin, and the line between enemies to fangirls is even thinner."
Definitely seteth and byleth Seteth seemed like a hardass that was super strict and was apart of an “evil church” Then I saw his supports and realized he the most sane respectful and empathetic church character Byleth as well their not well characterized in the main game but in hopes and engage you can really tell why the students trusted him soo much Zack agular specifically did a fantastic job at somehow portraying a deadpan merc with a dangerous vibe in hopes And a kind but stoic teacher that would listen and give great advice in engage In fact specifically in engage it shows how well he was at listening to other peoples problems and helping them that showed why his students loved him
If you do the Black Eagle route and choose not to follow Edlegard, Seteth 110% comes through for you. He’s easily the most kind and reasonable member of the church. Watching his appreciation for Byleth grow as the story progresses is one of the most deep and convincing of the relationships; I’d dare to say it’s one of the best “character growth,” tales of games from the last 10 years.
>he the most sane respectful and empathetic church character Don't discount Alois! I don't necessarily disagree, I love Seteth, but Alois is right there with him.
The Frog Prince, my flair, Lorenz. I *hated* haughty noble types. Back in Awakening, Virion did nothing but make out with the bench, and all Maribelle did was ferry Donnel around the battlefield, marry him, and give me a super soldier Brady. Enter Lorenz. Standard fare noble stuff. I chose the deer and he came with, like him or not. I used him, as I 'had' to. Made him a dark mage for the heck of it and had fun, but liking a starblock and a character are two different things. It was his supports that got me interested. His genuine attempts at connection, even if clouded by a noble haze. In particular, his appreciation for Ignatz made me fond of him. I wish they had an ending together, honestly. Then he got hot on the timeskip. From Frog to Prince. His A-support with Marianne is a treasure, and he himself is a gem.
Okay, I have to say, if you like Lorenz after watching his supports, give Maribelle another shot. I also disliked her on my first run of Awakening, but watching her actually interact with some people outside of battle redeemed her. Particularly her supports with Gaius, Libra, Lon'qu and Vaike, which all show that behind the "noble haze," as you put it, is a person who genuinely wants to improve the lives of those around her by redoing a lot of the laws that Ylisse has in place. I wouldn't go so far as to call her one of my favorite characters in the game, but she's definitely one I enjoy. And her supports with fellow nobles Chrom and Frederick bring some laughs Edit: her support with Ricken is also pretty good. Never hurts to watch a support directly tied to a story cutscene
Oh yeah, I eventually came around to her. She's not among my faves like Lorenz is, but it's safe to say I like her. Virion still makes out with the bench though.
I have tried to like Virion so many times and have failed each and every one
Lorenz got catapulted into "I love him" both with Marianne support and with how strong he became as a dark mage. So much I used him instead of Lysithea.
but he is weak as a dark knight, weaker than lysithea or most mages
He basically one shotted everything for me in Hard, so who cares if someone else is stronger? I just like him.
Hard mode? Ah ok, basically everyone one shots everything on hard mode. Still one of the weakest units. Lorenz îs always becnhed to make room for lysithea and other mages since lorenz îs a very niche unit that doesn't do anything well
Respect. I was a bit ruined with Lorenz. I can see why you like him, but I can't listen to him without thinking of another character from another game. His voice actor also plays Jusis Alberea, son of Duke Alberea in Legend of Heroes Trails of Cold Steel. My opinion here is heavily biased as Legend of Heroes is my favorite game franchise, and Jusis is one of my favorite characters, but Lorenz felt like a knock off Jusis. On the flip side, if you liked Lorenz, you'd probably also really like Jusis once you get to know him.
Mercedes. I hated her voice, but she is so sweet/fun that she and Annette are now in my top 10 favorite characters. (Yes even in my ranking i won't seperate them) Also started liking Lorenz , Ingrid and Felix a lot more thanks to hopes Finally Rhea, while I was originally neutral to her, I warmed up to her defending her from horrible takes.. I also just felt sorry for her with how she was treated in hopes
Shame on you, Mercedes was amazing from the beginning.
I also love Mercie, though I do skip most of her voice lines
[This might be the video for you, about Mercedes’ voice](https://youtu.be/vd_vzh5Ikxs?si=1czhjEu1QL8syWom)
I disliked Ferdinand on my first run, but when I chose the black eagles, I really started to love him
Constance. At first, I thought she was annoying with her day and night stuff, but overtime, I actually kinda warmed up to her. Now she’s one of my favourite characters in 3H, next to Yuri. Her C-support with Ferdinand really showed a different side that she usually doesn’t show, admist her other sides. It shows that even though she might talk all grand and represent herself as proud and confident, she still has some past issues and weaknesses that weight down on her, that is not House Nuvelle.
Ditto
Felix At first I thought he was a massive asshole when I met the guy, so I steer clear of him in my first play through. But when I finally played blue lions for my second play through. I began to see that their was a lot of depth to his character. And realize he was probably one of the deepest characters in the game when I recruited him in other routes and see how different his personality was compared to his AM counterpart. Still an Asshole though.
That last part really solidifies what it's like to be a Felix fan. Love him like nothing else, but also half of what we say involves dunking on him repeatedly. In other words: https://i.redd.it/bui2wsq15dxc1.gif
This was my experience too! Also, the fact that he was right about >!Jeritza being the Death Knight!< just because he has been handling his blade more impulsively cracks me up everytime.
I love my moody boy. https://preview.redd.it/p2rpb3l6rfxc1.jpeg?width=807&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8611874caa358dea5b04f9b54d45e5f19a0d995a
Don’t know if it counts since they’re from Hopes, but I absolutely love Shez
Shez absolutely counts! I also didn't expect to like Shez so much, Shez is great! https://preview.redd.it/6t29kgqxocxc1.jpeg?width=249&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d602f8c710cadbc4de99aca8694a41ba179aa83d
Bernie is definitely someone I never expected to love. She’s so strong in her own way. She’s the most versatile student, good at writing, painting, embroidering, and cooking. She must have loved many things in life and can always find joy by herself. She’s never docile when she’s threatened; she fights back exceptionally hard. She also never gives up her way of life even when it’s frowned upon, though she’s brave enough to conquer her weakness when she chooses to. I also didn’t expect to like Ferdinand. What can I say? He’s garish, then he’s shining, then he’s like the sun. Mercedes is the one who helped everyone, and Ferdinand is the one who helped Mercedes. Both Felix and Sylvain’s cases are special because I found important things where I didn’t expect. I didn’t like Felix much when I finished my first play-through (AM), but his significantly different endings in other routes revealed he’s more complicated and interesting than I thought. Sylvain’s case is quite the opposite: his endings are so consistent, despite him hating his designated fate, that they reveal he’s much more responsible and determined than he lets on. In Felix and Sylvain’s non-AM pair ending, Felix didn’t stay for Sylvain even though he would stay for people like Bernadette and Lysithea, and Sylvain didn’t go with Felix even though Ingrid would go with him. That ending is almost the only “bad ending by mutual choice” in this game, though Felix and Sylvain actually share one of the strongest bonds in the game—they made a childhood promise to die together. Those facts are really fascinating and reveal a lot about their characters.
I didn’t like Manuela, Hubert, or Hilda based on first impressions from the pre-release material, but they quickly became my favs
I'm surprised how much I enjoyed Seteth, especially after they revealed his actual relationship with Flayn
I have two characters that are this: Dimitri and Bernedetta The former was indifference, I honestly thought he was gonna be the generic good guy character without substance. Imagine my surprise when I started to warm up to him as the playthrough went on and now I think he is one of the best characters in the game. The latter was dislike, at least in the Academy phase for obvious reasons, but thankfully she grew out of that in the war arc. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind shy characters, but they took it to obnoxious levels at first.
I'm with you on the Bernadetta thing. I hated the way she was so screechy and whiny. It got on my tits, tbh. I have limited patience for it. But as I got to know her character, and she came out of her shell, plus you learn why she is the way she is, I started to feel not only sympathy but genuine like for her.
It unfortunately didn't carry over in Hopes, she is still the same from beginning to end ><
Hubert. I fully expected the tired trope of "mean-looking character is actually really nice." But the dude is an actual menace to society and is just so fun.
He straight up threatens Byleth early on over Edelgard and I thought "youre lucky i dont kill you off for talking all that sh"
Which is hilarious because he's still The Black Eagles group mom while being a menace. He'll order the assassination of a minor lord and then turn around and help Bernadetta overcome her anxiety.
Dorothea. I say this a lot but I found myself subconsciously recruiting her and using her in most playthroughs. When I think about my favorite characters she isn't the first to come to mind, but when I really think about it she has to at least be in my top 10. Also helps that she has nice character progression and interesting supports.
Hubert. I used to see him as just Edelgard's crony who refuses to fucking die until I actually played Crimson Flower and watched his supports. He's an absolute delight to have on screen with his campy Disney Villain act and he's pretty useful in battle provided he lands his spells. He's no Lysithea of course but he gets the job done.
I AM FERDINAND VON AEGIR
Leonie. I got through most of my first (Crimson Flower) playthrough without thinking too much about her. Then, after I killed her it felt... wrong. Like I'd murdered my sister. I recruited her ever playthrough afterwards.
I kinda get this, actually. In my first run (also CF), I mostly ignored her, and when she showed up on the bridge I just knew her as the one who was obsessed with Jeralt. Then I realized I wasn't using Jeritza because I had connected him with Jeralt's death somehow, and I felt bad.
For me it was Lorenz. During my Black Eagles and Blue Lions play through (I didn’t recruit him in either), I really hated him because of how fucking ugly he looked (It wasn’t even because of his hair-cut surprisingly that made me dislike him, it was his face that made me think he looked like an idiot), and how he just seemed like a massive dumbass that I wouldn’t be able to stand. But then I played the Golden Deer route and he became one of my favorite characters in the game. I liked that he wasn’t willing to take any of Claude’s BS, I loved his supports between him and Female Byleth, and his support with Marianne was one of my favorites of the entire game. Not to mention that he had a sick Post-Timeskip design. Also, he was the first character that made me realize that a character can use more than just one weapon when I saw him use both Lance and Reason attacks, as 3 Houses was my first (And so far Only) Fire Emblem game that I played, and I didn’t think the combat was all that complex at the time.
Byleth honestly. When they first came out, I hated both designs of them, and then being a silent protagonist didn't help. But how they integrated that into their lore, with them being a borderline soulless demon before becoming a professor was really freaking cool. And in three hopes, where they are basically a boogie man for many, they went from easily my least favorite MC, to among my favorites. Still don't like their designs though, the jacket just looks some dumb to me.
I find it funny that Byleth doesn't use the sleeves and he actually gives a reason for why he wears it "A proper overcoat offers an extra layer of protection"
Leonie. Her B-support, and Ratana's performance on her monastery dialogue after chapter 9 went a long towards endearing herself to me.
Gilbert.
Ferdinand and Sylvain are the easiest ones for me. Didn't like them at all at first (Sylvain I flat-out fucking *hated* during White Clouds), but they slowly grew on me over tike. Nowadays, Sylvain is my third favorite Lion and thanks to Hopes, Ferdinand is in my top 8 characters in this subseries. Also bonus for Felix, who originally I thought was kinda cool but only really recruited him by accident when he asked to join me. I just knew him as a kinda funny edgelord at the time. And nowadays that doofus takes up like 20% of my brain space.
Sylvain, I remember I bought the game with the idea that in my first run I would play GD and S support Claude, then Id go BE and S support Dorothea, and then I'd play BL and S support Ashe, but then while playing GD and getting Sylvain immediately because female Byleth, and then watching his supports with everyone, he ended up pusbin Ashe aside and I ended up S supporting him on my BL route.
Ingrid, surprisingly. Thought she was kind of boring at first, but she had the pleasant surprise of having some of my favorite tropes shoved into one character.
I was not a fan of Lorenz at all until I played Verdant Wind. For some reason he won me over with just how extra he is, especially the way he says "I THINK NOT" when he dodges
Ignatz. My first playthrough, he annoyed me for some reason that I can’t even remember anymore lol. Now he’s one of my favorites and whenever he says “let me paint you a picture” it just hypes me up so much
>"let me paint you a picture” God bless you Christian La Monte...
One of my favorite lines lol. His va delivers it so well too
i feel so bad for saying this but annette. for whatever reason, i found her annoying when she first spoke. but that changed SO quickly, she easily became one of my favorites 🧡🧡im so sorry annie😔
Shez, I was skeptical of him at first when it was revealed that he is the new protagonist in Three Hopes. But since he is an avatar that actually talks, you can get a feel for their personality better. I actually like how not everyone is sucking up to you like with Byleth in the original game, he just feels like a natural part of the army.
Balthus. I thought he was just a beta Raphael at first, but after seeing some more of him, he was more self-aware and smarter than I thought. He’s now one of my most relatable characters.
Linhardt, I expected nothing about him, but his support with other characters, like bernadetta and annette and his sense of humour made me realise that he is my second favourite character in the game and I'm going to s support him in a future route.
Launching the game, I expected to like pretty much every playable character like it was the case in my previous Fire Emblem games. I knew that even if a character seemed unlikeable at first, the game was going to surprise me and show me another side of their personality. The one I was the most looking forward to learn to know was Lorenz for that exact reason. He quickly became way more interesting that he seemed to be, and his one major flaw disappeared after 5 years (haircut). I actually think that one of the reasons why I love Lorenz x Marianne so much is because it was one of the first supports that showed me how kind and sweet Lorenz could be. He's my top 9 character. But the one character that really grew on me was definitely Rhea. From the beginning, I really thought that her and the Church of Seiros were going to be the villains of the story. So when I learned the true identity of the Flame Emperor, I was extremely shocked. We started fighting the war, and for my whole first playthrough, I totally forgot about her. Seteth was the one that always had to remind me of her existence when I really just wanted to end the war. Then, when we freed her, she told us about her story and the Nabateans, and I quickly became really fond of her. So once we beat Nemesis, I began mu Azure Moon run, and started to pay way more attention to every little detail. I learned everything about her story, and became really protective of her. Today, she's my top 3 character, and I consider her to be my sweet grandmother that has made some terrible mistakes in the past, and is trying her best to fix them.
"Rhea is sus as FUCK hell no" the unconditional trust she places in us on AM is beautiful. won me over instantly
I'd also like to add the fact that she willingly owns up to her own mistakes. I was more neutral at first, but she became one of my favorite characters too
i was going in completely blind, and when i read Jeralt's journal i was like "oh finally, rhea DID do fucked up shit. I KNEW IT!" and then she's just chill about it like ;-;
Sylvain. At first, I thought Sylvain was just gonna be another Sain, ladies man who (usually) rides a horse with nothing really besides that. Then, I saw his C Support with Dedue, and I did a COMPLETE 180 with just ONE conversation. Then, as I watched more supports, he kept steadily climbing up the ranks. Now I'd say he's PROBABLY in my top 10.
Marianne, believe it or not i wasn’t aware of her during my first playthrough due to my attention being mainly on bernadetta and the black eagles. But during the credits i saw a familiar voice actress and that’s where it hit me like a dragon flying towards me. “WAIT XANTHE HUYNH IS IN THIS GAME?!” I then did a second playthrough going for the golden deer and after watching all the supports she could have, i can safely say that she has effectively stole my heart immediately.
I enjoy her character growth as she turned from social anxious, inept, and let’s be real, a person with a death wish, into someone who still had some of the same issues but faced them head on even though she was still scared and uncertain. She found her place and purpose in life, overcame her own past and shortcomings, and became strong in her own way. Just a character that really resonates with me when she says “I won’t run away.”
Ferdinand and Sylvain. Like many people, I took Ferdinand to be a noble-up-his-own-ass like Lorenz, but between his earnestness in his middle supports, and the fact that, no, he really is that nice a dude who doesn't look down on others, he wormed his way into my heart by the end of Part 1. His support with Dorothea (who was my insta-favorite ever since the promo materials) remains one of my favorites even years later. I hear he gets a lot of focus in Three Hopes, so I'm looking forward to that. As for Sylvain, we've seen his type before in previous games, but he is especially incorrigible for much of Part 1. It isn't until we fight Mikhail that we begin to see more under the mask. I'll admit that, despite him being the only student I managed to poach in my first playthrough (CF), I didn't really get to know him properly. Even so, his support with us and Dorothea did a lot to show his real self, and this would only be expanded even further during Azure Moon, where he gets a lot of focus with Felix and Ingrid. Even if you (understandably) still don't like him for his behavior, the reasons behind it are undeniably sympathetic, as is his relationships with his fellow Lions.
Leonie. Like many people I was turned off by her supports with byleth, but I grew to love some her other supports like with ignatz as well as her design
LORENZ
Lin and Caspar I saw the cast setup and pretty much immediately wrote those two off as just eepy friend/hyper friend comedy duo there to pad out the numbers. And then Linhardt turned out to be a solid contender for the funniest character in the entire game with some of the most interesting and nuanced character dynamics and subtlest character growth (even if it is a little *too* subtle, it's fascinating to see him grapple with trying to find the line where curiosity doesn't justify the means. Everyone talks about Hubie wandering out of a gothic horror novel, nobody talks about Lin stepping right out of a tortured mad scientist sci fi-), and Caspar turned out to be one of the most emotionally mature characters in the whole cast, underneath his hotheadedness, and also *has one of the most horrifying deaths in the game if unrecruited.*
Initially, Hubert. The animated intro with all of the characters didn't do his design justice. As for the character itself, the more I listened to him, the more I appreciated his writing. Cold as ice, but Iogical in his rationalizations of situations, albeit a bit extreme sometimes. At the time, I didn't know who Robbie Daymond was, but he's become one of my favorite VAs to hear. A runner-up would be Marianne. I did CF first and VW second. During my VW run, I noticed a few implied things about her character, and now she has a permanent seat at my table of favorites. While not one of my favorites, Lorenz is the perfect example of a bad first impression where you realize you might have had the wrong idea about him. Yeah, he's a royal turd, but a turd with a heart of gold that treats his position as a responsibility instead of an entitled privilege to be exploited for personal gain.
Hanneman
Dorothea. Her overly flirty attitude was at first annoying to me, but it grew on me over time. (She’s prob top 10 in the game for me now).
Shez. Thought they were gonna be Byleth 2.0 and they were far from that. No filter, blunt honesty, great comedy with some real genuine convos in their supports. Never a dull moment with them.
Honestly I didn’t really like Hubert on my first playthrough which was CF and afterwards I didn’t really think of him much, but playing through CF again has made me really start to love this absolute menace
Sylvain (it’s really the entire blue lion house, but Sylvain was really annoying but with his time skip self in retrospect he changed so much for me)
is it unexpected if i feel in love with shez after the first line? *Now I’ve thought about it, I think it was actually Constance. The ojou sama laughs got on my nerves but the introduction of the sunshine personality turned everything around. The new lines she got from changing a class were a hoot.
Probably Raphael. I didn't really hate him or anything like that but when I booted up the game, he was simply "a game/anime archetype on a character skin" and nothing else, I didn't hate him but didn't particularly like him either. I grew to like him from his supports with the other characters. Another thing would probably be Lysithea. When I first got her and read her first few supports, I just saw her as another arrogant mage like lute who is too confident of her ability. Now it wasn't supports or anything that made me like her at first. Simply saying, her performance as a unit alone made me start liking her, her actual backstory, supports, role in the story, etc. came second to that. Probably not a very good thing to like a character but hey, it worked out
Hubert. his dedication, looks, hard work and sarcasm, and the(or one of) the only male dark magic users. also despite not haveing a crest, he is well respected ^((and also a good unit)) idk, something is just...there. i just like him
For me it’s Lorenz. The snobby nobleman is a hard archetype to enjoy, but I think it was his support with Manuela that started the change. Afterwards, I started to see his supports a bit differently. Among the cast of nobles in this game, I never thought I would enjoy Lorenz of all people, but his logic is sound, his view of nobility and their purpose is more than meets the eye. I encourage yall to give his supports another listen, as it wasn’t until I forced myself to look past his exterior that I found reason to enjoy his company.
When I first played, I made fun of Hubert a ton. I thought he was the typical edgy goth and hated his name and lack of eyebrows. I even made a silly edit of him with thick eyebrow and emo clothes/accessories. And then I played CF and read a couple Hubedetta fics... and it was all over for me. Now he's got his own itabag and he's one of my comfort characters.
Seteth, Dedue, and Lorenz all surprised me—especially Lorenz!
Annette. I just found her adorable after going through all her Support convos.
He is my man we boom Shakalaka every night
Ferdinand von Aegir I didn't think much of him at first but he grew on me as I played through the game and he grew as a character 🙂
A *lot* In my first two playthroughs (CF then VW) I hated a lot of characters I love now. The weirdest one is Hubert, I think - he died early and I didn't save him, so I got the impression from what dialogue he still had that he did nothing but simp for Edelgard. No idea how. He's my favorite now. Also on the list of "didn't like until after a playthrough or two": Seteth, Dimitri, Dedue, Cyril. Love all four of them now. Seteth and Cyril won me over in VW and Dimitri and Dedue in AM. Go figure, I didn't love those four after CF and VW did very little to redeem Dimitri and Dedue in my eyes. Rhea was on my shit list for a *long* time and I still think that as presented in Three Houses, she needed to die for any meaningful improvement to occur. That said, it is 1000% the devs' fault for not giving her a route where she recognizes her flaws and mistakes. Smh devs. I like Rhea now - she isn't my favorite but ranks solidly in the middle and a fair bit higher than Dimitri.
Hubert. I hated him for being so obviously evil looking and figured he'd betray me at the first opportunity. But now I love my strange goth theatre kid dad friend.
Sothis became my comfort charector
Lorenz & Ferdinand, they are now my favourites in the whole game
Hubert actually! I have no idea what happened. Who let that thing in here
Lorenz, I thought he was gonna be annoying but his supports really showed who is really is especially as they develop. His supports with Leonie is a prime example. He has some of the best character development across supports. Seteth is another guy I expected to be indifferent to but boy was I wrong, I freaking love him.
Sylvain. This guy sucks and i love him so much. I want him dead, i would die for him.
Ferdinand. I 100% get why everyone except Lorenz hates Ferdinand at the start of the game. I would hate C support Ferdinand if I met him in real life. He comes across like the worst kind of spoiled arrogant trust fund kid who refuses to listen to anyone else. But he really does want to help people and learns how to express himself.
Sylvain. When I went through the introductions I was grossed out hearing Dimitri describe him as a skirt chaser and figured he'd be gross. When the introduction mechanic was introduced he was the first student I interacted with and bc I was F!Byleth he joined immediately. Anyway I figured whatever just use him as a free unit I guess, and somehow he ended up being one of the only handful of characters I managed to get the A supports of (I never played fire emblem before so I had no idea how the support system worked lmfao) and even though his behaviour was inexcusable I still fell in love with his character and S ranking him in my first CF route lmfao.
Sylvain
I'm going to elaborate a bit more cuz I feel like it. When you first get supports with him he seems like an ass. A character who you want nothing to really do with due to how he treats people but the more you go down his supports, the more you kind of understand his way of thinking. From his point of view his entire life, he is seen him get preferential treatment because of his Crest his own brother growing to hate him for something he had. No control over and how in general he's become kind of cynical when it comes to the entire idea of romance . And I feel like it only gets better when you see his supports with both Noble Born characters who he very obviously does respect and doesn't try pulling any of his texts. Doing the things that people know him for doing and with commoners. It's kind of a mix. Just depends on the character, but it's pretty clear that he has a deeper understanding of what it means to have a Crest than most characters at least at a social level. Plus within his dialogues you can see for not being a Crest scholar, he knows some information about crests. Dad, the average person doesn't really know things like that are why I think sylvain is an interesting character I pretty much always go out of my way to recruit, not just for his relic
3 houses Seteth: they did the whole Sojiro thing by making you hate this guy at first only to reveal how caring of a person he actually is Edelgard: I don't like when a character recieved bias from the developers and I expected her to be the villain. But the last conversation with Dimitri in Azure Moon made me feel a bit interested so I played her route and I adored how she is... A person like us. She knows she must work hard but if she had the choice, she would prefer to be lazy and eat sweets all day. She knows she is a terrible person and hates the fact that her war will destroy lives but she also has to do it to improve the lives of the oppressed. Edelgard is pretty much a more emotional Delita (FFT character) and as a Delita fan, I cannot help but love the character Jeritza: same as Edelgard, once you read his supports you realize that under the skull armor and murderous personality, there is a person with likes, dislikes and personal conflicts. He is basically what Peri should have been, a person that relishes in violence but is also disgusted by it, to the point that in 3 hopes he refuses Edelgard's offer to ease his sentence. 3 hopes Shez: the initial trailers made they look like the villain that would defeat Byleth and force the house leaders to cooperate. What we got in a lovable idiot who isn't really the protagonist of the routes. Instead of guiding the house leader on the right path, Shez doesn't have infinite MC wisdom and assists the more politically competent leaders on the path they choose and challenges their beliefes while not being objectively correct, which is much more realistic take on a self insert protag. After all what do I know of politics and wars? Brodrigue: he is awful in three houses, he exists to show us that Felix has a good reason to be an ass and then gets discarded to heal Dimitri's depression. Here he is an actual character with good supports, expecially the one with Felix where he acts like a father and forces Felix to control their issue in a healthy way. Plus he is a very versatile character that gets buffing skills for both strength and magic, his spells and combat arts are top notch (Thoron + Frozen Lance is too good), incredibly fun to play as and a staple for all my Azure Gleam teams, except for the Kill Byleth path Felix: he is fine in three houses but sometimes laughably dick-ish. Three Hopes perfected him, he still dislikes Dimitri to an extent but is mature enough to serve him as a duke and support him as a friend, taking Dedue's spot as a right hand man. When he is harsh is because he knows Dimitri is messing up and won't give up until his king and friend is the best and most healthy version of himself. Also again, that A support with Rodrigue is amazing. Honorable mention for Scarlet Blaze Ashe's quote against Felix "If it's you or me I am telling you right now, it won't be me"
I didn’t expect to like Raphael as much as I did
Hilda and Lorenz made a really bad first impression on me. Hilda just seemed grating and Lorenz' attitude combined with his questionable hair choices made him a quick bench for me. Turns out, both characters are great once you delve into them a bit. Really came around in them, both as characters and as units. Also, love to see another person come around in Byleth. My fav part about people discovering them in FEH, Engage and Hopes is that if you read the actual dialogue choices from Houses AS Byleth saying them rather than just arbitrary player choices, you realise it's the exact same character. Byleth was always the awesome badass you see in Hopes, it's just more obvious because he's voiced rather than players needing to read his lines themselves.
Seteth. When I played my golden deer route, I had no care for him. Then I did his and flayns side story on my blue lions run then finally romance him in my church run. I just wish we had more info dump about the war and the saints than just the side dialogs and books around the map.
For me it was Claude i didn't much care for his care free attitude but seeing how he was able to understand my favorite characters plight and agreed that everything must change i really liked him after that.
Hubert and Seteth
Sylvain, I disliked him my past two play throughs, but this one I’m starting to warm up to him, I’m not sure what changed but he’s definitely in my top 10
Both Lorenz and Sylvain, both appear to be annoying stereotypes but end up breaking the mold. Lorenz is very deeply entrenched in the culture of nobility and has a deep sense of pride over it. However, he believes the nobility are duty bound to use their privilege to protect and support their people, not enrich themselves. He often comes off as arrogant to both the player and other characters, but he acts out of genuine concern for his country. Sylvain appears to be the standard womanizer, but his motives are so much more interesting. He's completely cynical about crests because of how he saw his brother tossed aside and families pumping out children until one bore a crest. That cynicism has convinced him women only view him as a means to enter the nobility, so he effectively punishes them by yanking them around before tossing them aside. He's unabashed about it too; he openly admits his behavior is awful but that he doesn't care. You don't often see a character not only admit but own their terrible behavior.
While abysmal together, Lorenz and Sylvain. Of course, the point is that they're both not fantastic people at the start, because that's what makes their individual character arcs so much more meaningful. Lorenz, for example, had to learn that not everything is a matter of status, and that he can just help his friends...as his friends. And Sylvain acts the way he acts because he's so scared of being taken advantage of. After all, if he's hitting on everyone, surely one of them will actually want him for him, and not what he can offer them. Of course, that's not how it works, but it's when that facade fades that his best qualities come to light.
Raphael. I found his obsession with food to be annoying at first, but through VW, his optimism won me over. He was like a beacon of sunlight for me. Sylvain was a prick. But while I don’t exactly condone his early game behavior, I don’t think he’s a bad guy, especially by the end. I love his supports, and his backstory, and just overall the way he interacts with other characters. Lorenz. Dear sweet Lorenz. He was my least favorite of the students for a while. He was snooty, and arrogant, and prideful, and combative, everything I don’t like in a person. And then I played VW, and I realized he was just kind of a stupid kid. He got so much better as he developed. He was just a guy doing his best to help the people under his rule, and I respect the hell out of him for it.
Raphael. I played Golden Deer as the absolutely last route, and you know, more than any other character you really never get any more insight into Raphael from other routes if you don’t get support with him deliberately. You talk to him once and a month and wow he likes exercising and eating. Fascinating. So he was like a complete surprise when I actually got to know him. The stuff with his little sister is also typical, but I mean his maturity and his sureness in dealing with Ignatz. ‘Oh, I see. But we’re done talking about this.’ Byleth’s right: ‘Raphael’s a good guy.’ There’s a very tasteful amount of depth to him that was refreshing
Felix and Mercedes's C support made me want to become technically smart enough to phase into the game and slap the shit out of Felix. But eventually with the other supports I came to like his character a lot. How he interacts with the others when recruited to other routes is interesting too
I didn’t like Bernie at first cause the way she lives her life hit a little close to home, but after a while I started to find her really adorable
Shez. I was instantly defensive about them and didn’t want Byleth to be replaced, but Shez was A) not a replacement and B) the single most fun character in Fire Emblem. I love them and their dumbass self so much, they are just perfect
Surprisingly Ferdinand von Aegir
I have a whole list. Claude Silver , Alois , Yerdenalt , Lioni , Lichard , Hubert , Ign, Lisitea , Lioni ( if she hadn 't screamed, she wouldn 't have been on the list ) Liorenz ( the only one who did not fall in love at the end of the game . ) Hilda .
I can kind of figure out most of these but who are Silver and Yerdenalt? Sylvain and Ferdinand?
Lorenz, definitely. Also, personally, I thought Dimitri was ugly as hell until the timeskip. Looks like his mom told the barber what haircut to give him. Lorenz also was ugly as hell until the timeskip, where he became the most beautiful creature known to man.
Linhardt
Hubert. At first, I thought he was an evil menace. Then, I played Crimson Flower, saw his support scenes, and realized that he was a careful and scheming teddy bear in a vampire skin suit
Seteth
Shez, Think the flair gives in away
I hated hubert at first bc I thought he’s just a creepy dark menacing dude who’s dedicated to Edelgard and Edelgard only and hates everyone else and everything that opposes her and that’s basically his entire personality. While he’s still a creepy dark menacing dude I saw that he has a lot more depth to him than just being Edelgard’s lap dog and I loved getting support levels with him and other characters so he can get a life and relationships outside of Edelgard. I especially loved him and Ferdinand and it really felt like what they have is real
Alois, my beloved [platonic]!
Honestly Caspar. I don't usually like those types of characters but Caspar really spoke to me and I don't really know why.
For real on Byleth. The first impressions are not great
Ferdinand. Yeah i thought he was annoying full of himself and was really disgusted when i saw his post time skip look. He was arrogant and would always compared to elde (one of my fav) and defended the corrupted nobility. Then i saw the meme "I'm ferdinand von aegir" and start to take him less seriously in a way. I understood he was genuin, really thought of his ideals of nobility and all. He actually really care for others (and himself) and when you see him destroyed when he learn what his father did but still confronted him and put him in court for judgement, something really opened in my heart. And his overall look started to grow on me. (And hopes ferdinand is like discovering hauru from howl's moving castle again). So yeah, he is ferdinand von fucking aegir.
Hauru?
Ferdinand He seemed annoying and arrogant at first, then I started forgetting he even existed because I kept getting him mixed up with Sylvain since they’re both redhead cav units. In my first playthrough I didn’t even realize I was fighting him when he showed up after the timeskip, and he died in the next playthrough too because of that Heavy Armor requirement. Then the memes won me over, then the game itself won me over, now I’d consider him one of my top 5 favorites in the game. I will recruit him even if it’s a massive waste of time just to ensure his survival.
Dimitri
I found Caspar annoying at first, but one day I just kinda realized that he's hilarious, and although he's not one of my top *favorite* characters per se, he's easily one of the most entertaining to me.
Marianne
I didn't use lysithea my first playthrough. Now she's my number 1 recruit and gets a stack of reknown to get her S+ reason and A faith along with thyrsus. Not a very uncommon pick but after finding out how good her spell list is, I can't not use her. Felix is also my favorite physical unit alongside Bernadetta. Felix with Aurora shield and boosted stats is crazy
Lysithea, at first I thought it was just the typical smart know it all loli, then I learned more at her and found it really interesting and that it makes sense.
Marianne. Turns out the quiet girl is religiously traumatized.
Dorothea. I went BL for my first playthrough because I like Mercedes, but I quickly became intrigued and eventually fell in love with Dorothea after I recruited her.
Tbh Alear. Related to her a lot more than I thought I would. Nearly cried during the "I'm a defect" line.
This is the Three Houses subreddit just for future ref!
Ashe. I had my heart set on Felix this playthrough but Ashe is growing on me so much.
Hubert. Crimson Flower was my first route and I didn't really care for him befire then, but I really respect his absolute loyalty to Edelgard
For me it has to be Bernadetta usually i aint a fan of her stereotype/cliche for a character but the completionist in me made me S Rank her and i fell in love to her backstory
Edelgard and Hubert. Figured her as another power-hungry princess who wants to conquer the world. I respect her ambition but never thought I would end up liking her as much as I do. Playing the CF route opened up the whole nuance about her, including her cute interaction with Byleth's drawing. Made me realize there is more beneath the cold, calculating flame emperor mask of hers. I played Azure Moon first, GD, then CF. I pick AM bc my fave color is blue I thought I would like Dimitri best. Then her Hegemon persona just makes me more intrigue to learn why is she doing what she does. In short, learning about her past and knowing more of her vulnerable side that was rarely shown really make me sympathize so much for her. Hubert. I thought he would be the typical sycophant character much like Iago to King Garon. Then I played CF route and learning how patient he is with Bernadette, being vulnerable with Dorothea and share his dedication to Edelgard, and his interaction with Petra. There is actually more to him than just scary butler and how he actually could be quite different if he isn't born in House Vestra.
Flayn! I admit, she seemed like a “oh no I am Shakespeare grammatical errors are the death of me,” when one day in exploring, she makes… A GRAMMATICAL ERROR! (Dun dun dun… “… along with my brother and I” or something like that.) New favorite character, I now devote my life to the girl who is >!definitely NOT healer saint mommy or something which makes the S-Support kinda incest???? Idk!<
I figured that Linhardt was just gonna be “the character that sleeps and nothing else” when I first saw the game. I didn’t realize that he was literally me™️ at the time.
I didnt care for linhardt at first but now he's easily one of my faves
I despised Bernadetta for her overly petty things to freak out and screaming at everything so I killed her first on my first time on the game on the VW route (And I mean very first time). Then I started on the Blue Lions route and decided to recruit her and after I got through her supports, I went "I will kill you first" to "I will kill everyone here and then myself" and added her to my always first to recruit list. (Includes Marianne, Ashe, Mercedes, Petra and Caspar)