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As I mentioned in my Game of the Year post a few weeks ago, I’ve played through Fire Emblem: Three Houses a total of 4 times, covering all 4 possible routes for the game. Naturally, throughout all of this time, I’ve had plenty of opportunities to spend an extended period of time getting to know all of the students that are enrolled in the Officer’s Academy.
In a game with such a huge variety of bright and colourful personalities, it was inevitable that I was going to end up liking some a lot more than others, so I thought it’d be a fun idea to rank each of the students from my least to most favourite while taking the opportunity to discuss their characters and development arcs over the course of the game.
Just to be clear, I am only including the students enrolled in one of the three major houses at the start of the game. I’m not including the members of the church because this list is going to be long enough as it is.
SPOILER WARNING
As I’m discussing the characters, I will be referring to major events in all four story routes to give context, as well as each character’s personal developments in things like support scenes and endings so there will be full story spoilers for both the base game and some DLC elements throughout this list. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
24 – Leonie Pinelli
The simple fact of the matter is, Leonie and I just don’t get on.
For one thing, she’s rather obnoxious about the fact that she’s Captain Jeralt’s greatest apprentice and seems to take every opportunity to rub everything in my face. On top of that, she seems to be trying to force a rivalry between her and I that I honestly don’t give even the slightest of shits about. She’s so single-minded when it comes to her training that whenever people do something fun, like have a fishing tournament just to take a break from the horrors of war, she goes off on one about how she’s the only one taking this seriously.
What really ticked me off about her though, was her support scenes with Byleth. Her having a go at me for “not appreciating” having Jeralt as my father would be bad enough at the best of times but I happened to get that scene RIGHT AFTER HE DIED which made her seem like less of an obnoxious brat and more of a total arsehole.
Even though she does eventually chill out and become a more tolerable person, the damage was done and my hatred of her was already set in stone.
23 – Lorenz Hellman Gloucester
Lorenz is a slightly odd one because although he does have many moments in his support scenes that make me smile or laugh, it’s mostly when he’s the butt of the joke, and I can’t say I can blame the people making them.
At the start of the game, he seems downright hostile to just about everyone. Even though it’s not his intention, the way he talks about the duties of the nobility and how they treat commoners is something that inherently rubs people the wrong way, myself included. Even when he’s being someone more pleasant, for example in his scenes with Ferdinand, he’s still not someone I’d ever want to spend much time with.
As he develops, his position does soften and he actually becomes a very admirable person in the end. That said, during the Verdant Wind story, he remains very resistant to many of the changes that someone like Claude looks to bring to Fodlan, even when everyone else is against him. He seemed to be treated a lot like someone who was there to bring a negative viewpoint to whatever plan Claude or Byleth came up with.
He never actively pissed me off like Leonie did, but he’s still someone I’d rather not hang out with.
22 – Hubert von Vestra
Given that pretty much the first encounter I had with him, he threatened to kill me, there was only so far our relationship could go.
I wasn’t entirely sure he could be all that interesting of a character when his one and only motivation seemed to be “Lady Eledgard”, but watching him interact with all of the other Black Eagle members, he actually ends up having a nice level of depth. What drags him down is the fact that the depth he has very rarely gets to show, as he generally only seems to stand around and backup whatever plan Byleth or Edelgard come up with.
While his motivations for doing so might be paper-thin, I like the way in which he tries to bring out the best in all of his allies. Although he’s someone I might not enjoy spending time with, it’s hard to deny that he’s an absolutely invaluable asset and master strategist for the Adrestian Empire, so he can’t be all that bad, can he?
21 – Caspar von Bergliez
I go back and forth on Caspar a lot.
His sense of justice is undeniable and the energy with which he denounces those who do wrong by him is almost inspiring. However, he has an annoying combination of both naivete and hotheadedness that ends up annoying me a lot of time when I really just want him to listen to what people are telling him.
I know some people will likely find it endearing, but his constant obsession with competition and fighting gets on my nerves more than anything else and it usually causes pain or annoyance for those around him (except Hilda, who can’t seem to get enough of his shit). That said, I can’t fault him in terms of his morality or outlook on life, even when he causes trouble, his heart is always in the right place and that can’t be understated.
20 – Annette Fantine Dominic
Annette seems to me like she’d be the type of friend that I’d like to hang out with in a big group, but I wouldn’t want to spend much one-on-one time with her.
The way she overworks herself is admittedly endearing, but given how little she listens to anyone else when they tell her she’s overworking herself, I imagine it’d get rather frustrating to constantly be watching over her. Speaking of, she’s unbelievably clumsy and, again, even though the way in which she deals with it is undeniably charming, it’d still be quite the hassle to deal with.
She’s not without her good qualities though, as her cheerful demeanour is sure to brighten anyone’s day and it’s admirable how staunchly loyal she is to her friends. It’s also occurred to me that she’s a hardworking student of the school of sorcery, which makes her Hermione Granger, which is a plus.
19 – Sylvain Jose Gautier
Sylvain is one of those people that’s quite hard to like when you first meet him, but he grows on you the more time you spend with him.
Much like Lorenz, he finds himself the butt of the joke more often than not as his constant womanizing rarely yields success. Outside of that particular past-time of his, I always get the sense that he holds extremely strong friendships and always looks to do right by them. Probably one of my favourite backstories is the childhood friendship between Felix, Ingrid, Sylvain & Dimitri and whenever Sylvain is interacting with any of those characters the “big brother” role he’s said to take shines through.
As nice as that is, it doesn’t entirely take away from some of his more negative traits as he can often be quite rash and stupid in his attempts to woo women, it’s hard to not let that grate after seeing it happen so many times. Sylvain is someone that I grew to like, but things didn’t start out too well for him.
18 – Raphael Kirsten
Raphael is absolutely one of the biggest sweethearts in the whole game. He’s always bright and cheerful, never letting anything that anyone says get to him, unfortunately, that’s somewhat of the problem that I have with him.
I absolutely love the positive vibes he gives off wherever he goes, always happy to help people out and never thinking twice about grudges or things that could get him down. The problem is, this means there’s not a great deal of depth to him as a character. If he’s not talking about eating or training, then he’s talking about his little sister and that’s more or less it, I know a lot of these characters don’t have tonnes of depth, simply by virtue of how many there are, but Raphael seems especially underdeveloped.
The reason he’s not lower down the list though, is because the few personality notes he does have are a joy to be around. Maybe listening to him talk about his sister all the time would get a bit irritating after a while, but if I was feeling down and wanted a pick-me-up, Raphael would most certainly be the person I’d go to.
17 – Ferdinand von Aegir
Ferdinand is perhaps the definition of a “middle of the road” character to me.
He’s nice…but that’s about it. His competition with Edelgard and his self-esteem surrounding it had the potential to be a very interesting thread, but it wasn’t pushed on nearly enough to become a real point of interest to his character. The way he treats his nobility is very different from most other noble students and I like the attitude he takes when people like Dorothea dislike him because of his status.
Like I said though, the problem is that those aspects aren’t developed in an interesting way to make him interesting as a character. I like Ferdinand, he’s got a positive attitude and is friendly to almost everyone, but that’s all there is to him.
16 – Ignatz Victor
He just wants to paint and I say let him.
Ignatz’s timid nature is something that’s inherently endearing to me and watching him interact with the other members of the academy, and those of Golden Deer in particular always brings a sweet smile to my face. He’s got a real conflict going on inside of himself about what to do with his future, not wanting to let his family down, but also knowing that the life of a knight isn’t really for him.
The way he does his best to avoid upsetting anyone makes it all the more heartwarming when just about everyone he meets responds with only kindness and positivity, especially considering he doesn’t entirely know how to process it. When he’s allowed to express his true passions, the energy that flows out of him is so joyous that I couldn’t be happier he became a painter in the end.
15 – Mercedes von Martritz
Much like Ferdinand, I think Mercedes is pretty middling in terms of how I feel about them, the difference between the two is that Mercedes got herself a little bit of extra story thanks to the game’s DLC.
I find Mercedes’ general demeanour and attitude to be quite charming most of the time. She always endeavours to be as nice as possible but also isn’t afraid to stick up for herself from time to time. Her friendship with Annette is an interesting case because while it’s nice to see characters actually have a tangible arc in their support scenes together, it does strike as a bit odd that they didn’t make up for five years after what was – let’s be honest – a very minor falling out.
The game’s DLC is where she really comes to her own though, as it adds her relationship with Emile/Jeritza/The Death Knight into the stories and added a layer of interest to her character. She always had this vague sense of motherliness to her, but seeing her get to either care for or fight against her little brother is where she finally breaks from her “will of the Goddess” motif and looks to make her own decisions. If you take any route other than Crimson Flower, then it doesn’t come up all that much but it’s still a huge aspect to her character that fundamentally challenges her beliefs, which is something a lot of the other characters don’t have to go through.
14 – Dorothea Arnault
Dorothea has always stuck out to me in Black Eagles house, being the only one not of Noble/Royal descent in the house makes her position quite strange and this shows when she’s interacting with the other students. Her deep-rooted hatred of the nobility sometimes lets her get in her own way, shutting out people like Ferdinand who just want to be her friend and she seems to almost always be on her guard around her other house members.
All the while, she has to deal with an inferiority complex that pushes her to be constantly putting on a performance to the world around her just so she can find someone who will accept her. It’s really quite a tragic story when you think about it and yet, aside from the occasional moment of weakness, Dorothea doesn’t let it drag on her, she is still able to largely be herself and make friends and seems to be having a nice time of it in the Academy.
She’s someone who pushes forward and succeeds in spite of herself to a certain degree and it gives her that nice layer of complexity that draws me in.
13 – Linhardt von Hevring
Linhardt’s an odd case because he has many traits that you’d expect would lead him down a road of uselessness, but somehow, someway he makes it work for himself.
When I first interacted with him, he seemed like an arrogant prick, to put it plainly, but having seen all of his support scenes, it’s clear that he has a strange sense of humility to him that only very rarely comes out in his interactions with others. He’s someone who always puts his research first and has a clear attitude of only doing things that he gets enjoyment from.
Even though these principals can lead him to be rather callous when it comes to interacting with other people, on the occasions where he puts it all aside, we’re left with someone who’s a very nice person who clearly enjoys being around certain people, even if he can’t quite express it. He’s also someone who always pushes his friends to be better, even if his method does involve heavily criticising their abilities.
All of this is encapsulated by how clearly he dispises battling. There’s only so deep you can go with that thread as he has to battle for story reasons, but I think it’s a neat twist to have on a character and it fits in perfectly with Linhardt’s academic nature.
12 – Ashe Ubert
On the surface, Ashe is just your typical kind person, who’s just happy to help and fights for justice, but it wasn’t until much later that I realised he’s got much deeper layers than just that.
Ashe has the unique position of having experienced a life living in poverty and in a Noble household, being taken in by Lord Lonato at the age of 10. It’s given him a sense of humility that never breaks no matter what he’s faced with and he does his best to pass on all the kindness that was shown to him. In a game that treats thieves and bandits as faceless good-for-nothings that you just cut your way through, Ashe provides that desperately needed perspective of thinking about how they got to that position in the first place.
In a world where so many crimes are instantly punished with force, Ashe pushes the perspective of trying to help and reform these people so that they don’t do it again, often putting him at odds with his classmates. He’s got a sense of purity and innocence through the way he dreams of being a valiant knight that fights for justice, but he also isn’t clouded by naivete, he knows the horrible reality of war and how no knight is truly valiant, but he doesn’t care and he strives for it anyway because he believes he can do it.
Ashe goes so much deeper than just a kind person because he’s remained a kind person despite having suffered tragedy and trauma that would turn lesser men into spiteful shells of themselves, which is what makes him a true hero.
11 – Lysithea von Ordelia
For my money, Lysithea is undoubtedly the most tragic person at the academy.
From a personality perspective, she works as hard as she possibly can in order to prove herself. The way in which she gets annoyed at anyone who claims she has a “natural talent” just goes to show how deeply she values her work and desires to prove herself to everyone around her.
What really draws me to Lysithea though is the inherent tragedy within her and the potential it has to create some truly heartwarming moments. Her shortened lifespan is something that clearly weighs heavy on her and I always have a deep feeling of sorrow when I think about the kind of life she’s led up until coming to the Academy. Her endings always enhance this feeling, her endings where she lives out a happy, but short life are always touchingly bittersweet and the ones where she is cured and lives out a long and fruitful life bring a warmth to my heart.
In every interaction, it’s clear she still tries her best to get enjoyment out of the time she has, even if it does sometimes lead to her coming across as short-tempered or dismissive of people. Her serious nature only makes the moments when she lets the facade drop and indulges herself in sweets or fun in general, all the more adorable.
10 – Ingrid Brandl Galatea
I find Ingrid to be a very interesting character, she’s got one of the better backstories and it’s utilized to great potential throughout all of her support scenes.
She provides a different perspective on the nobility, making us realise that just because someone is of a noble family, it doesn’t mean they’re set for life from the moment of their birth. Coming from a poor noble family, it adds an extra layer of depth to the story of deliberating between marriage and her desire to become a knight.
Normally, in a story like that, it always seems to easy to turn around and say “you don’t need no man” and that’s it, but in the world of Three Houses, I can actually fully understand why this would be such a tough decision for her. Being a knight is what she wants to do with her life, not only for herself but to honour her late fiance, though at the same time, marrying into a richer family means that her father will have a much more secure life and her potential children would never have to go through what she’s had to. Her support scenes with Seteth in particular, see her explore both sides of this debate in detail and her attitude in the way she goes about it is so interesting to see.
Outside of that aspect to her character, she’s your typical no-nonsense, empowered female character, which is something that I normally don’t care much for, but it works when put in contrast to the other aspects of her character. I’m not entirely sure if I’d like to actually spend much time with her – which is why she’s not higher – but as a character with a story, she’s very well-written.
9 – Felix Hugo Fraldarius
To put it simply, Felix is a dick, so why’s he so high up the list?
Well, partly because I’m a sucker for the cold-hearted lone-wolf type, but also because he’s not horrible to anyone without reason. Like so many of the other students, he has suffered his fair share of tragedy, with his brother dying in the tragedy of Duscur and his father’s subsequent response to hearing this news. It sounds odd, but I honestly think I’d feel the same way if my brother was needlessly massacred and someone turned around and told me he died in “glorious service to his king”.
Felix isn’t afraid to make his feelings on anything known and has the resolve to stand up and argue for those beliefs as well. I’ll get more into Dimitri’s story later, but Felix is a huge part of it, not just because of their childhood friendship, but because Felix was the first person to see the darker, monstrous side to Dimitri and refuses to let Dimitri forget it.
That’s not all there is to Felix though, he as that small aspect of being absolutely adorable from time to time when he’s talking to someone like Bernadetta or Sylvain, letting that cold-hearted demeanour slip for just a moment and show how much he truly cares for his friends, even if he has a funny way of showing it.
8 – Marianne von Edmund
I just want to hug her and tell her it’ll be ok.
When I first met Marianne, I was sure she’d be the one I’d end up falling for over the course of the game and while that didn’t happen, I’m certainly very fond of her. While the tragedies of her past aren’t necessarily the worst out of everyone in the Officer’s Academy, she’s definitely been more deeply affected on an emotional level than anyone else.
Convinced her meer existence is a curse on everyone in her life, she’s someone who can be quite hard to really get to know. With many of the other more timid characters, they tend to find an immediate comfort with Byleth, but that isn’t the case with Marianne. Everything about how she’s presented screams that there’s something much greater behind her pessimistic demeanour, but getting to it requires some work.
That only serves to make it all the more gratifying when she is finally able to let go of her worries for a moment and properly connect with someone like Ferdinand or Dimitri. Although she doesn’t smile very often, when she does, the complete transformation in her personality to someone flowing with joy and contentedness is something that is sure to lighten anyone’s mood.
Although her journey as a character isn’t as clear cut as many of the other students, it’s obvious how huge of a deal the steps she takes are to her. After holding onto the burden of a curse for so long, it becomes so clear how deeply she changes when she finally lets it go and can just learn to enjoy the life she’s been given.
7 – Edelgard von Hresvelg
Those Who Slither In The Dark notwithstanding, in Three Houses there are no real “bad guys”, all of the leader characters are shades of grey from a moral perspective (except Claude, who’s pure as pure can be) but Edelgard is definitely the one that I find myself aligning with the least.
Looking at the land of Fodlan, it’s clear that her ultimate goal of abolishing the idea of the nobility & crests and putting everyone on a level footing, regardless of their surname, is a good one and an ideal that I fully support. What I don’t support, are her methods. Declaring a war, aligning herself with Those Who Slither In The Dark and causing five years of bloodshed just to achieve this goal was absolutely not the way to go about it.
However, that’s not to say I don’t understand why she felt it was the only way. Going through the experiments that she did as a child and watching all of her siblings being slaughtered in the process instilled this deep hatred within her, to the point that she’s clearly been blinded by that hatred and she wasn’t helped by surrounding herself with people who don’t dare disagree with her. She’s not just a conquering warlord though, it’s clear that so many of her beliefs and tendencies – such as always staying as formal as possible, or her sheer ambition – come from a place of deep insecurity, which is clear as day whenever she lets her facade drop and speaks honestly to people.
When I look at Edelgard it makes me feel sad, she seems to me like someone who could’ve been the kindest and most respected person in the world if things had gone just a little bit differently, but the circumstances of her upbringing drew her down a path that forced her into a position where some of the more negative qualities dictated her decision making.
I don’t hate Edelgard, I just wish things had gone differently.
6 – Dedue Molinaro
Dedue is a victim of circumstance, but you wouldn’t know it from talking to him.
After the people of Duscur – his people – were blamed for the death of the King of Faerghus, Dedue has had to live with blatant racism to his face every day. Even those in the Officer’s Academy who I think are fundamentally good people, like Ingrid, can’t help but let their hatred for Dedue and his people show at almost all times. What makes Dedue such a wonderful person, is that he doesn’t let any of it phase him for even a second.
Dedue has resigned himself to a life as an outcast until one man, Dimitri, put their faith in him and he’s made sure to dedicate his life to doing whatever’s best for them at all times. He understands what his lot in life is likely to end up being and he doesn’t mind, he lets people show him hatred and shows them nothing but kindness in return. He doesn’t care what kind of horrible names they’re calling him, they’re his allies and Dimitri’s allies, so he’s going to show them kindness and do what’s best for them no matter what.
That’s what I admire most about Dedue, in his situation, it would’ve been easy for him to become a person driven by hatred, getting worked up by Faerghus’ disdain for him and his people until he has no choice but to either lash out or shut himself away, but he didn’t let that happen. Instead, he dedicated his life to his friends and allies regardless of what they think of him and do his best to make everyone else’s lives better; and that makes him perhaps the most admirable person of all.
5 – Hilda Valentine Goneril
If I actually met someone like Hilda and had to work with them in real life, I’d almost certainly find them immensely annoying, but watching her go about her business in the Academy is so endearing to me that I can’t help but love interacting with her.
I’m always entertained by watching the clever and sneaky ways in which she is able to sneak her way out of doing work, especially when it’s at Ferdinand’s expense; like I said, if I actually had to work with her, it’d be horrible, but at the same time, I wish I had her ability for shirking responsibility. She can come across as spoiled at times, but when you break past her outward demeanour, it becomes clear that it’s something deeper than that. It may not be identified as such, but the way in which she admires her brother and everything he’s accomplished, it’s clear she has some form of Imposter Syndrome, where she feels she can never live up to her brother’s achievements, so doesn’t try for fear of disappointment.
What she exceeds at though, is getting people to rally behind her. Whether it’s raising an army’s morale or getting someone to make her some tea, she’s got unparalleled charisma that easily charms anyone she talks to, myself included. On top of that, when she really needs to she’ll happily put the effort in to help others, even if she spends the next week moaning about it.
4 – Petra Macneary
Alright, I’ll admit, Petra being this far up the list is the absolute peak of personal preference, but my list, my rules.
Petra holds that role of the strong female character, without conforming too much to the generic stereotype associated it. She’s a victim of circumstance, being moved to the Empire as a hostage in order to keep her homeland of Brigid in line. Much like Dedue, she could’ve let this ingrain a fierce hatred in her but doesn’t let it, however, instead of accepting her lot in life like Dedue, she uses it as motivation to work hard, become stronger and find a way to change the status quo, be that through diplomacy or war. It’s no mere coincidence that in literally all of her endings, she succeeds in improving the diplomatic ties between Fodlan & Brigid (and sometimes, even Dagda).
Petra is able to have pride for her homeland and wear those aspects of herself on her sleeve, without feeling the need to be constantly in your face about it. She doesn’t constantly try and hold it over her classmates with some aura of superiority and is instead very accepting of all in the hope that they will treat her the same. From the clothes she wears to the marks on her skin and the way she talks it’s clear that she values her heritage and uses them to serve as people’s reminders of that fact, instead of constantly reminding them and shoving it down their throats, as she mostly only talks about Brigid when asked.
Aside from that, she’s an exceedingly kind person. She does her best to greet everyone as an ally and trusts them until they give her reason not to, even with a situation like Caspar where his family is directly responsible for her father’s death. Her determination to study and increase her strength extends to everyone around her, creating this extremely positive atmosphere that makes every conversation a more pleasant one.
3 – Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd
While the Blue Lion’s route isn’t my favourite in the game, I think it’s definitely the most well-written and a huge part of that is Dimitri as a character.
When it comes to first impressions, I didn’t think much of Dimitri, he seemed to be your typical “honourable king” that always dresses proper and says the right thing as his head goes further and further up his own arse. After playing through the Blue Lions route, I realised this is very much NOT the case. One of the biggest unexplored events in the backstory of Three Houses is the tragedy of Duscur as the consequences of it ripple throughout pretty much every aspect of the game and Dimitri is the personification of almost all of those consequences.
Looking back at how Dimitri acts throughout the bulk of the academy phase, it’s clear that he’s someone who tries desperately every day to suppress the rage and madness that lives within him because the weight of his losses would be too much to bear. Then the war phase begins and we get to see what all of that suppressed emotion looks like when it comes out. The way Dimitri goes from a kind and conservative prince to a truly broken man who’s only desire is to kill endlessly until he is killed is one of the saddest things to watch in the whole game.
The story didn’t end there though, as Rodrigue’s death eventually snaps him out of this state as he realises that pointlessly murdering and gunning for revenge isn’t going to do him any good. Not only that but it shows how much he’s grown since the tragedy of Duscur because instead of using the death of a loved one to lash out at others, he uses Rodrigue’s death as an opportunity to look inwards and realise that despite what he’s convinced himself, there might be some other way to redeem himself that isn’t dying in battle. A thread that is capped off perfectly when he finally has Edelgard – the one person he’s sworn to kill time and time again – kneeling before him and he lowers his weapon and outstretches his hand.
Dimitri is a tortured soul who could’ve easily turned into a heartless monster and become a true villain in the game, but instead, he was able to take just one moment to look inwards and started a really heartwarming redemption story that puts a true reflection on the “shades of grey” aspect to all of the main character’s morality, focusing in on the personal conflict between the characters, instead of the wider conflict between ideologies that the other routes do.
2 – Claude von Riegan
Claude is just pure and good and everything that’s right with the world.
I alluded to it in the previous entry, but here I can say that the Golden Deer route was absolutely my favourite and that’s largely thanks to Claude. Unlike the other two house leaders, whom I grew to like once getting to know them better, I instantly took a liking to Claude. Not only does his attitude stand in stark contrast to the formalities and nobility of the other two, but it was clear from the start he had an extremely keen mind; plus he uses a bow, which makes him cooler by default.
What really makes me love Claude so much is his drive to always do good by as many people as he can, but he doesn’t do it because “it’s a noble’s duty” or “for the good of the world” he does it because he believes that it is truly the right thing to do and he will stand by his convictions to the death. Despite having the tactical genius to wipe out armies with barely any effort, he instead focuses his tactics on extinguishing as few lives as possible. On top of that, I align with his idealistic goal of tearing down the borders and unifying the world more than I do any of the other leader’s goals.
His attitude is always upbeat and cheery, but he also doesn’t let anything get by him and while he may seem like he trusts easily, it becomes clear that it isn’t the case the more time you spend with him. He clocks onto the fact that The Church of Seiros is hiding something a lot quicker than anyone else and is even able to deduce Flayn & Seteth’s true identity, something that no-one else is able to figure out.
When he’s not fighting a war, Claude is an absolute joy to be around, doing everything in his power to keep spirits up, but when it’s time for business, his tactical ability and dedication to his cause is unmatched, making him – in my view at least – the most capable leader in the whole game and one truely deserving of achieving his ideals.
1 – Bernadetta von Varley
Look, sometimes you fall in love with the weirdo, that’s just how it goes.
Sure, Bernadetta doesn’t have some big sweeping story arc or any major role to play in Fodlan, but when it comes to “ticking all my boxes”, no-one comes as close as this timid, nerdy recluse. She’s not nerdy in the modern sense, but she spends so much of her time by herself writing stories and doing drawings for those stories along with many other activities of that nature; which are the kind of things that I imagine would constitute “nerdiness” in that kind of world.
While her extremely timid nature invokes the instinct to protect and nurture, it becomes clear pretty quickly that’s actually not the case and she’s absolutely capable of protecting herself both on and off the battlefield. That said, I still find it totally adorable when she goes off on one about the joys of solitude and how she’d love to just stay in her room all the time (or slightly less adorable, her love for carnivorous plants). Her creative spark is something inspires me and I find it difficult to contain myself when she grows the confidence to let that creativity shine in front of people like Seteth and Linhardt because it’s so clear how much she cares about her creations and is overjoyed that – despite her expectations – people love them. I think you’re starting to see why I relate to her so much now, aren’t you?
It’s not all cuteness and hugs though and she just wouldn’t be a Three Houses character without a whole heap of tragedy in her past. I’ve talked a bit before about how emotional some of the other character’s backstories made me, but the only one that ever actually got a tear rolling down my cheek was when Bernie opened up and talked about her abusive father, which it lends all the more heartbreak to the moments where she clearly wants to be different, but can’t make herself do it.
Bernadetta just has a bit of everything that I like, her sensitive personality, her overwhelming joy (on the occasions she allows it to flourish), her major creative streak and even the fact she has purple hair all drew me in instantly, to the point where I just couldn’t help but fall for her as a character, because she embodies the best of what Fire Emblem: Three Houses has to offer.
So there’s my list! Thank you very much for taking the time to read this, please let me know what your thoughts are, either in the comments below or on Twitter @10ryawoo! Once again, a massive thank you to Nat (@Natalichoco on Twitter, @nataliachoco.bear on Instagram) for the wonderful header art to this post.
Finally, make sure you come back next week, where it’s Royal Rumble time!
The Strong Style Smark 