Fire Emblem Three Houses Thoughts - Part 3: The Characters of Golden Deer

Hello and welcome to the third part of my Fire Emblem: Three Houses thoughts. In this part I will finally stop talking about my first playthrough by discussing what I would consider the most important part of Fire Emblem: the characters. Without further ado, let’s begin.

WARNING, BELOW ARE SPOILERS FOR ALL SUPPORT CONVERSATIONS AND BACKSTORIES OF GOLDEN DEER CHARACTERS

Before I begin, let me say that in general, I loved the characters in this game. Thanks to the monastery, more cinematic and interesting support conversations, and the time skip, the characters of Three Houses felt more interesting and nuanced then any previous Fire Emblem cast. They were incredibly fascinating to learn about and fun to battle with, such that I can’t wait to talk about why I loved these guys so much:

Let’s start with Hilda, who I chose to marry. I went on a long journey with Hilda, which made her really stick with me. To start, her character initially…confused me. I thought it was odd that a character who goes to such great lengths to take care of her looks and demeanor would be lazy, while also able to wield axes as if they were nothing. Not only was she great with axes, but she also had the potential to be great with heavy armor, like a strong knight. This again puzzled me because she’s very feminine, which I don’t picture as the personality of a strong knight. I spent so long wondering what to do with her, for a while I thought of changing her to a more feminine class, having her use swords instead. Especially when she told me she’d love to be a dancer and I agreed, I thought swords could be her thing.

However, the more I thought about it, the more I started to wonder if maybe the problem isn't her, but me, or rather, my own biases. Maybe I shouldn’t try to put feminine characters into classes and roles that I deem feminine. Would I be this puzzled and see to change a character from their best class to another if it was a male? Perhaps one who was outwardly masculine but then specialized in healing? I wondered if I would be more accepting of that, and slowly Hilda made me question my own biases, maybe I am at fault and have too narrow a view of what it means to be feminine. As these thoughts swirled in my head, I continued using Hilda in battle. A line of hers that hit me time and time again was that when Hilda destroys an enemy with her axe levels up, she sometimes said “I’m still a delicate flower you know?” Hearing this, I reached a conclusion, which was that I should not be confused, but accepting. I should allow women and feminine characters to be fluid, able to take many shapes and be whatever they want. 

After I got to that point, I ended up having her specialize in two classes, I made her both an armored knight, and a dancer who wielded axes! Because thanks to the freedom of Three Houses I could do that, so even though Dancers should use swords, I kept axes on her. I even found I could combine the two to make Hilda an amazing unit. See, when a character can change into a dancer, they gain the ability (which they can equip) that raises their evasion if they use a sword. I gave Hilda one sword and had the rest of her inventory be axes, but then I paired this with her becoming a powerful heavy armored knight. Now she could either be an axe wielding destructive dancer, or a powerful armored knight who did not just have high defense but had high evasion thanks to the dancer ability. I was proud of this, both for its gameplay optimization and creativity, but also because I thought it was perfect for Hilda. That is who Hilda is, she’s just that cool that she can be an axe wielding armored knight, seemingly masculine qualities, but then still be super feminine, because these gender norms are fluid and you can be whatever you want. I after all pride myself on being male and yet emotional and affectionate and vulnerable, and do not see those as unmanly, so why can women not be similar?

It was this personal journey that really made Hilda special for me. More then any other character, she got me to examine my own biases and change my way of thinking. For that reason, I had to marry her, because she more then anyone left a mark on me.

One last thing I loved about Hilda, was that she as a character was analogous to the Golden Deer House as a whole. Hilda’s defining trait is that she is lazy, she does not want to commit and is scared of putting herself out there. In this way, she is afraid of extremes and enjoys moderation, preferring to do what others would want then to put herself out there. This sort of personality works great in the alliance. Whereas in the empire and kingdom tradition and loyalty are valued highly, the Alliance values diplomacy. Putting your differences aside and getting along with your peers, even if it means not following tradition, is the Alliance way. This is exactly what Hilda does, and why I loved both her and the Golden Deer House, as I relate to that. There was one explore scene in particular, in which the dialogue with Hilda stuck with me. During the final exploration of the monastery before Edelgard’s army arrives and war begins, when everyone is panicking and emotions are high, Hilda says that in moments like these staying calm and fun is important. That is why she’s always appreciated Claude, for where Edelgard and Dimitri take things too seriously, Claude has always been more relaxed, not letting things get to him, and being able to approach difficult situations more calmly and from a distance. This…was something I agreed with 100%, and hearing this from Hilda made me very happy to have chosen the Golden Deer House, my house, and to have chosen her as an important student.

While Hilda was the Golden Deer character to leave the largest impact on me, Ignatz was the one I became the most personally invested in, and was the one I related most to. It is funny, when I was first introduced to the students, Ignatz was the male I took the most liking to, and what do you know, that ended up lasting. I adored that he was an introverted bookworm who preferred to spend nights in the library, and also that he loved history (like me!). He also enjoyed learning about the world outside of Fodlan, which made his supports with Cyril and Shamir fun, as he tried to learn about their exotic lands from them, only to learn that they weren’t too keen on talking about it, nor had positive views of their home. It reminded me of times I have interacted with Canadians and immigrants I meet from Asia or Africa in which I will excitedly ask them about their home country hoping to hear lots, only to hear them say that it is not a place I should be getting excited about and that they don’t think fondly of it. It was fun to relate to that aspect of Ignatz, the naïve academic who sees the outside world in a romanticized fashion.

But what really made me fall for Ignatz was his character conflict and arc. Ignatz is expected to be a knight by his family. However, he soon learns that he does not want to be one, and would rather pursue his passion as a painter, despite it being looked down on as a profession. In general, Ignatz struggled with the masculine gender norms thrust upon him despite being a quiet and sweet boy. How could I not connect with this? Ignatz’s core struggle resonated deeply with me as someone who has been on that exact quest. I was told to be a computer engineer because that was the big field of study for men. But then the more I learned of the world, the more I found myself liking a girls show about candy colored horses, the more I found I did not want to follow the path set out for me, and that I did not conform to the norms thrust upon me. In the same way that I eventually found and was able to pursue my passion in history, I deeply hoped Ignatz would find a way to do the same. In fact, as he developed, he seemed to grow accepting of becoming a knight, while maintaining painting as a strong hobby of his. I thought this was a good solution, a compromise, but man…when the ending took place, and I got to see how all the characters ended up, learning that Ignatz had not just been able to pursue his dream and become a painter, but that he was also able to travel all over the world while doing so, I felt so much joy and satisfaction that it overwhelmed me, and I was not expecting to have such an emotional reaction, but god I was invested in Ignatz. His journey was one I will not be forgetting.

Lysithea was another character I adored. She was powerful, very useful against a certain enemy, but more then that, had a great personality and backstory. I enjoyed how devoted she was to her studies and how serious she took school, and her tsundere like personality made for many fun moments. She wanted to grow up and not be seen as a child falling behind her peers, which made her sympathetic when she was trying too hard. From this she reminded me of my roommate, as he shares similar feelings, so it was nice seeing her develop and grow.

What really made her character special to me though was learning her backstory. Learning that her power comes from a dark experiment that shortened her lifespan was so tragic, and her personality suddenly had a lot more meaning. No wonder she wanted to grow up so quickly and learn as much as she could, she only had so much time and must use this gifted power as best she can. It really made me feel for her character and hope that she could have a happy ending.

But what really sells me on characters are their supports, and I have to say, Lysithea’s supports with Hilda, Cyril, and Claude were some of my favorites.

Speaking of, let me get to this wonderful boy. Cyril grabbed my attention when it became apparent that he was always busy, while also being introverted and keeping to himself. As someone who has grown quite busy and used to constantly working from my years of school and work, I connected with this, and wanted to help him. The more I got to know him however, the more I was falling for him. He was a foreigner, and thus struggled to feel welcomed, facing some racism for who he is. This was a part of why he keeps to himself, but was also why he looks up to Rhea so much and admires her, as she welcomed him. I liked this, and wanted to help him find happiness. I remember distinctively in the final battle before the time skip, when Edelgard attacks, I had Cyril defending Rhea and the knights of seiros, as it felt narratively fitting.

Cyril really grabbed me for other reasons though. I liked that at one point his reactions to what goes on in Almyra in Golden Deer suggest he might not be fond of his homeland nor wish to return, feelings I related to as an American in Canada. I enjoyed the general tension he dealt with in having his homeland suddenly play a big role in things he might not have wanted. I also loved his supports with Claude, and my biggest desire of everything in this game is for the two of them to get an A support, because god they have so much potential for an amazing relationship between these two lost lonely souls who find a connection in their shared history. In general though, I loved Cyril and connected with him. I also noticed by pure chance, that all of Cyril's supports are with characters in the Knights of Seiros and Golden Deer, with the exception of two Blue Lions characters and one Black Eagles character. By sheer luck, I recruited the one Black Eagles character (Petra) and one of the two Blue Lions characters (Mercedes). As a result, I got to see a lot of Cyril’s supports, and by the end I had seen all of them save for one. I think it gave me a more complex image of him then most, and is a part of why I love him so much. His supports with Lysithea, I especially adored.

Leonie was a really fun character for me because I liked her initially, but couldn’t put my finger on why. Then as I got to know her, it hit me. Leonie is Applejack. I am serious, anyone who is a fan of Friendship is Magic, if you play this, tell me this is not the truest thing? Leonie is a country girl, hard working and friendly, has a connection with her home village, can be competitive and stubborn, but is a great almost motherly figure who you can count on to do anything. Is that not Applejack? Noticing this and getting to know Leonie, I was reminded why when I first got into MLP, Applejack was one of my favorite characters. She’s likable and friendly, and Leonie is just as much. But it also made me appreciate Fire Emblem: Three Houses even more. What I really loved about MLP, and search for in other mediums, is having great multi dimensional and likable female/feminine characters, and you still don’t see that much. It made me appreciate Three Houses, as any piece of medium that reminds me of MLP is going to be an A+ in my book.

But that’s enough about MLP, Leonie! I loved Leonie, her personality was great, and I liked her character arc, in which she starts off jealous and competitive towards you due to her admiration of your father, but by the end she learns to not let that cloud her judgement, and becomes close with you. I debated marrying her briefly, because I felt that her and the main character develop a nice bond in their supports.

Other then that, I liked how strong and badass she was. She was my second highest leveled unit, and was amazing in how powerful she was, able to take out so many units in one turn. I’ll never forget the scream she makes when she lands a critical hit because I thought it was most badass thing and I love her.

Raphael was cool. He was a great friendly guy, but I also found him interesting. For while he does talk about muscles and food a lot, I thought his supports established him as more then that. I enjoyed hearing about his sister, the struggles of a commoner, and how he deals with it. I also adored his support with Lorenz, as it gave me a new perspective on food and an appreciation for how carefree and just awesome Raphael is.

Ah Marianne. Marianne was…hm….I will admit, I felt conflicted with her. She was a character I thought I might be drawn to, and while I was initially, I found it difficult to connect with and understand her, as so much of her dialogue is dominated by her own self deprecation. I think it fits her character given how sad she is, but I was disappointed that you never learn anything about her other then that she likes animals and is depressed. I thought she could have been made more then that.

That being said, she did grow on me, especially after doing her Paralogue and learning her backstory. Understanding why she feels such hatred for herself helped me to be more understanding of her constant self doubt. Also, because of how sad she seems, seeing her slow growth and development throughout the game was satisfying. I especially loved her post time skip design for that reason, as she looked more confident. Doubly so for Ignatz, who’s post skip design I loved. Her supports with him, Raphael, and Claude were highlights for me.

Hmmmmmmm, Lorenz. Lorenz is unfortunate, because I hoped to like him more, and maybe he grew on me a little? There were a few times I could relate to him, but I found myself missing the appeal of him, and when characters praised him I grew confused. Of all his supports, I only enjoyed his with Raphel and Leonie, and that was for them rather then him. Alas, I was not able to come around to him, and ended up not using him as much as I wish I did, which I regret. I'd like to use him more on another playthrough.

To finalize things, let me talk about Claude. Oh Claude, I love you so much. From the moment I met the house leaders I knew I had to pick Golden Deer. Claude was fun, likable, relaxing, aloof, mysterious, and one I knew I would enjoy.

While I was initially drawn to Claude for his personality and antics, learning his backstory floored me, and my love for him exploded. I emphasized deeply with his plight, being torn between two different nations, two different cultures. He was an immigrant, born to parents of Foldan and Almyra. He grew up in Almyra, but then found himself becoming heir to the most noble house of the Alliance and having to venture to Fodlan. It was fascinating to hear his troubles, of the racism he’s seen first hand. In Almyra, Foldaners are seen as weak and effeminate, while in Foldan, Almyrans are seen as wild barbarians. As a historian who has studied many societies like this, in which false prejudices and over exaggerations create conflict that do not need to be there, I felt a lot for Claude. Especially as someone who has met many immigrants in the past few years, individuals who feel stuck between different cultures and countries, and as one who partially feels that myself, Claude’s story, ideals, and goals resonated with me in a way that I was not expecting. His quest to bring Fodlan and Almyra together, to create a world free of prejudice, was one I wanted to help, and it got me that much more into his story. It was one I will not be forgetting.

With that, I would like to end things here. Because this is what took me by surprise, in a good way. Hilda, Ignatz, Lysithea, Leonie, Cyril, Claude, all these characters greatly left an impact on me that I was not expecting, and I was very invested in their stories. They made the entire journey one that, despite all my problems with it, I was very glad I took part in.

End of playthrough statistics:

Marraiges: Bylth/Hilda, Claude/Petra, Ignatz/Marianne, Raphael/Leonie, Lysithea/Cyril, Mercedes/Annette, Catherine/Shamir, Seteth/Manuela

Hilda I married for reasons stated above, Claude I was conflicted but ultimately went with Petra as I adored their supports, Ignatz and Marianne I loved their C and B supports and had to pair them, Raphael and Leonie I thought worked well together, Lysithea and Cyril were my OTP, Mercedes being with Annette felt fitting given I recruited them together, and for the final two, see below.

Core Team: Byleth, Claude, Ignatz, Raphael, Hilda, Lysithea, Leonie, Marianne, Flayn, Cyril, Mercedes, and Petra.

Final levels and classes:

Claude – 47: Barbarossa (Bow, Sword)

Leonie – 46: Bow Knight (Lance, Bow)

Lysithea – 42: Mortal Savant (Reason, Faith, Sword)

Hilda – 41: Great Knight / Dancer (Axe, Sword)

Flayn – 41: Gremory (Faith, Reason)

Cyril – 41: Wyvern Lord (Axe, Bow)

Marianne – 40: Holy Knight (Faith, Reason)

Petra – 40: Falcon Knight (Sword, Lance, Axe)

Byleth – 39: Enlightened One, Priest (Faith, Sword)

Ignatz – 39: Assassin (Sword, Bow)

Raphael – 39: War Master (Brawl, Axe)

Mercedes – 37: Gremory (Faith, Reason)

Seteth – 46: Wyvern Lord (Lance, Axe)

Alois – 44: Warrior (Axe)

Shamir – 44: Bow Knight (Bow, Lance)

Catherine – 40: Swordmaster (Sword)

Manuela – 37: Holy Knight (Faith, Sword)

Hanneman – 36: Dark Knight (Reason, Bow)

Annette – 34: Gremory (Reason, Faith)

Before I end this, let me quickly share my thoughts on the Knights of Seiros characters in the time I got to know them. Given I still have many more supports of theirs to share, I will wait from saying a lot until I have played through other paths:

Flayn: Flayn was wonderful, I love her so much. She’s cute and fun and says smart and interesting things and I love the mind games she plays with characters and she’s just great. Her supports with Raphael, Ignatz, and Claude were fantastic, like her.

Seteth: Seteth really grew on me throughout the game. I began to see him as protective and caring rather than intimidating in his relationship with Flayn and the church and its students in general. I loved his supports with Flayn, Hilda, and Manuela, so much so for the latter that I married him to her.

Shamir: Shamir I really liked, she has a calm cool personality, and great supports with Catherine, Cyril, Ignatz, and Claude.

Catherine: Catherine really grew on me, at first I wasn’t sure how I felt about her, but I really came around to her fun and relaxing personality. Her supports with Shamir were a highlight, so I had to have the two pair together.

Alois: Alois was fun, and I came to really like his puns.

Hannenman: Hannenman was fun as well, and I liked his devotion to crest research and seeing him interact with the students. His supports with Marianne and Lysithea were great.

Manuela: Manuela I was not sure of, but over time I ended up really liking her. I really connected with her struggle to find a partner and how hopeless it seemed because that’s….how I sometimes feel about it. She had fun supports with Cyril, Flayn, and Seteth as well, and in the end I was glad I got to know her.

With that, I am finally finally done ranting on the many thoughts I gathered from my first playthrough of Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Phew, that was a lot, but it’s done, and if you actually read this all thank you so much, I can’t tell you how much I am touched by that. I will be doing more write ups for my other playthroughs, so I hope you look forward to them!

Oh, and one final thing. As a fun little way to understand myself and be able to compare with others, I'm going to make a character ranking of all the Three Houses characters as I play through the game. I look forward to seeing how I find everyone, which ones really grab me, and which ones don't. Until next time~