Fire Emblem Three Houses: 10 Characters Who Deserve Better

Whether they were underrated or underutilized, these characters deserve a second chance from Fire Emblem fans.

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Content warning: this article discusses abuse, racism, and genocide.

With more than 3 million copies sold, Fire Emblem: Three Houses has managed to extend past the main Fire Emblem fandom and joined the ranks of other Nintendo hits such as Kirby Star Allies and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Boasting a cast of almost 40 playable units and a host of memorable NPCs, Three Houses has a favorite character for every fan.

In recent times, however, most fans have come to agree that not all of the Three Houses characters get the recognition they should have. Whether they were dealt a bad hand in their backstory or glossed over by the game’s writers, some characters in Three Houses deserve far better than what they got.

10 Raphael

Raphael Kirsten is known mainly for his love of food, and this member of the Golden Deer house has an easygoing personality. Underneath the surface, however, Raphael is the sole caretaker of his little sister after their parents were killed during an assassination attempt that went sideways.

While Raphael seems to take his past in stride, his laid-back attitude leads to most of his supports being only comedic. There is much more potential in Raphael’s backstory, however, especially in how it showcases the underhanded powerplays of the Leicester Alliance. Three Houses fans would be happy to see further development for Raphael.

9 Jeritza

While Jeritza was initially perceived as a flat character upon the game’s release, his inclusion in the DLC reveals a tragic backstory and provides much-needed LGBTQ+ representation in Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Separated from his beloved sister, Mercedes, Jeritza suffered tragedy after tragedy in his life. To cope, he created a persona known as “the Death Knight” and has since embraced that moniker for himself.

Underneath his brooding persona, however, Jeritza turns out to be a surprisingly endearing character, harboring a love for kittens and ice cream. His protective and vulnerable side turned fans’ attention toward a character previously overlooked, helping him to gain massive popularity despite the mishandling of his mental illness.

8 Petra

As the princess of a distant island nation annexed by the Adrestian Empire, Petra serves as one of the only representatives of the world outside Fódlan in Fire Emblem: Three Houses. While some of her supports provide a glimpse into her culture, religion, and relationship with the ocean, Petra is often treated as a one-note character due to her tenuous grasp of Fódlan’s language.

Even when Petra becomes a much more fluent speaker later on in the game, she still often ends up as the butt of jokes regarding how she speaks. A lot of the humor that’s made out of Petra’s language barrier is unnecessary, a waste of time that could have been better spent revealing more about her home and background.

7 Leonie

The complex cast in the game often proves to be the biggest draw when gamers compare Fire Emblem: Three Houses to other fantasy games such as Breath of the Wild, but that doesn’t necessarily include every single character. On paper, Leonie of the Golden Deer sounds like a promising character as a young girl whose village raised money to send her to the Officer’s Academy. But much of her potential is wasted.

It’s disappointing that most of Leonie’s character arc revolves around her relationship with Jeralt, father of the player character Byleth, much to the detriment of Leonie herself. As a result, it’s easy for players to write off Leonie as being obsessive towards Jeralt while ignoring her loyalty to her hometown and unique perspective as a commoner.

6 Bernadetta

Similar to fellow students Raphael and Petra, Bernadetta’s supports often take a wackier approach to her character, exaggerating her anxious personality to over-the-top extremes. What’s worse, the game continues to play Bernadetta’s problems for laughs even after it reveals that her self-isolation and anxiety stem from an abusive home situation.

Bernadetta is a sympathetic character in Three Houses, but the game actually undercuts that sympathy by ridiculing her past the point of reason. She, and Three Houses players, would have been better served if the game had taken a more sympathetic tone to her problems, especially after her backstory is explored.

5 Hapi

Introduced in the “Cindered Shadows” DLC, Hapi has one of the more fascinating backstories of the cast. Originally hailing from a remote village, Hapi was taken for experiments and given the ability to summon powerful monsters with a single sigh. Her blasé attitude and straightforward honesty make her a fun addition to Three House’s roster, and she plays off the other characters very well.

At the same time, certain aspects of Hapi’s character offer plenty of promise yet have little to no exploration in the story. For example: Despite having a close relationship with Edelgard’s mother, Hapi never gets to talk with Edelgard during the story or offer any new insight on the mysteries surrounding the villainous Those Who Slither In The Dark.

4 Claude

Claude, leader of the Golden Deer House and heir to the Leicester Alliance, has his own secrets he keeps concealed. As the son of a Leicester noblewoman and the king of Almyra, Claude has faced plenty of racism and hostility for his mixed heritage. Despite a harsh childhood, Claude optimistically hopes to create a world free of prejudice, a goal he shares alongside his fellow Golden Deer.

Unfortunately for Claude, most information about his life outside of Fódlan and within Almyra remains one of Fire Emblem: Three Houses’ deepest mysteries. Players never get much insight into what makes him tick outside of what little information the game feeds them, and his route has the most wasted potential because of that.

3 Edelgard

While Edelgard is a contentious character on websites such as Reddit, her backstory is undoubtedly one of the most tragic amongst the cast of Three Houses. After a series of gruesome experiments that led to the untimely fates of all her siblings, Edelgard developed a hatred of the Crest-based society she was brought up in. Her determination and morally ambiguous methods help make her an unconventional protagonist for Fire Emblem.

While her motivations are noble, Edelgard makes it abundantly clear that her path is a thankless one, which the game unfortunately reflects. Even within her own route, Edelgard’s story comes to an abrupt end, with little closure on how she finally fulfills her ideal world.

2 Cyril

Because of his middling stats and devotion to Rhea, archbishop of the Church, Cyril is one of the most hated characters in Three Houses. In reality, he is the most misunderstood. Throughout Cyril’s support, multiple red flags are raised concerning his upbringing, from his past as a child slave to the fact that despite living at a school, Cyril cannot read or write.

Through these context clues, players are meant to assume that Cyril is being neglected and taken advantage of by his supposed saviors. Unfortunately, Three Houses appears uninterested in allowing Cyril to come to this realization and forge his own identity.

1 Dedue

Despite his stern appearance, Dedue has reveals a gentle personality and love for cooking and gardening. Despite his likability, however, Dedue receives the worst treatment of all the cast members in Three Houses. He constantly faces racist microaggressions from NPCs and even fellow Blue Lions members, and he struggles with the genocide of his people after a great tragedy.

Even the game seems to mistreat Dedue, using him as little more than a prop for Dimitri’s character development at times. Dedue’s small but dedicated fanbase continues to rally behind him, with the hope that he gets the love he deserves in future appearances.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/fire-emblem-three-houses-best-characters-deserve-better/