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* AlwaysSecondBest: Towards Byleth. Despite how much more powerful they've become in the two years since their first encounter, the story and Shez's supports with them make it clear that Byleth is still out of their league as the latter has no issue keeping up with Shez even with minimal use of Divine Pulse. [[spoiler:The only reason Shez can even kill Byleth at all during their final battle (if not recruited) is because they aren't fighting Byleth at all, but instead ''Sothis'', the latter of whom lacked their skills as a mercenary and had difficulty controlling Byleth's body during their battle, both of which eventually allowed Shez to take the win. Indeed, should Byleth be recruited, after the chapters where Shez is forced to attack Byleth and they speak in camp, support points with them will go up if Shez acknowledges that Byleth could have killed them when they attacked, with Byleth agreeing and note that they held back as they realized Shez was not in control of their actions. This is all made even more clear when considering that Byleth never gained access to the Sword of the Creator in this timeline.]]
An interesting example in that it goes both ways. While Byleth clearly outmatches Shez in the combat department, [[spoiler: Byleth themselves admits that Shez's party has managed to outdo them in battle at every turn from a tactical standpoint, no matter what route you're on, if you choose to recruit them.]]
An interesting example in that it goes both ways. While Byleth clearly outmatches Shez in the combat department, [[spoiler: Byleth themselves admits that Shez's party has managed to outdo them in battle at every turn from a tactical standpoint, no matter what route you're on, if you choose to recruit them.]]
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* AlwaysSecondBest: Towards Byleth. Despite how much more powerful they've become in the two years since their first encounter, the story and Shez's supports with them make it clear that Byleth is still out of their league as the latter has no issue keeping up with Shez even with minimal use of Divine Pulse. [[spoiler:The only reason Shez can even kill Byleth at all during their final battle (if not recruited) is because they aren't fighting Byleth at all, but instead ''Sothis'', the latter of whom lacked their skills as a mercenary and had difficulty controlling Byleth's body during their battle, both of which eventually allowed Shez to take the win. Indeed, should Byleth be recruited, after the chapters where Shez is forced to attack Byleth and they speak in camp, support points with them will go up if Shez acknowledges that Byleth could have killed them when they attacked, with Byleth agreeing and note that they held back as they realized Shez was not in control of their actions. This is all made even more clear when considering that Byleth never gained access to the Sword of the Creator in this timeline.]]
]] An interesting example in that it goes both ways. While Byleth clearly outmatches Shez in the combat department, [[spoiler: Byleth themselves admits that Shez's party has managed to outdo them in battle at every turn from a tactical standpoint, no matter what route you're on, if you choose to recruit them.]]
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An interesting example in that it goes both ways. While Byleth clearly outmatches Shez in the combat department, [[spoiler: Byleth themselves admits that Shez's party has managed to outdo them in battle at every turn from a tactical standpoint, no matter what route you're on, if you choose to recruit them.]]
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[-''Main Characters:'' [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesByleth Byleth]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesEdelgard Edelgard]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesDimitri Dimitri]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesClaude Claude]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesRhea Rhea]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesOtherMainCharacters Other Main Characters]] \\
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[-''Main Characters:'' [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesByleth Byleth]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesEdelgard Edelgard]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesDimitri Dimitri]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesClaude Claude]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesRhea Rhea]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesOtherMainCharacters Other '''Other Main Characters]] Characters''' \\
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[-''Main Characters:'' [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesByleth Byleth]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesEdelgard Edelgard]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesDimitri Dimitri]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesClaude Claude]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesRhea Rhea]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesOtherMainCharacters Other Main Characters]] \\
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[-''Main Characters:'' [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesByleth Byleth]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesEdelgard Edelgard]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesDimitri Dimitri]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesClaude Claude]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesRhea Rhea]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesOtherMainCharacters Other '''Other Main Characters]] Characters''' \\
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[-''Main Characters:'' [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesByleth Byleth]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesEdelgard Edelgard]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesDimitri Dimitri]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesClaude Claude]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesRhea Rhea]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesShez Shez]] | '''Other Main Characters''' \\
''Secondary Characters:'' [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesHubert Hubert]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesFerdinand Ferdinand]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesBernadetta Bernadetta]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesSylvain Sylvain]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesIngrid Ingrid]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesFelix Felix]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesLysithea Lysithea]]\\
''Houses:'' [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesBlackEagles The Black Eagles]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesBlueLions The Blue Lions]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesGoldenDeer The Golden Deer]]\\
''Secondary Characters:'' [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesHubert Hubert]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesFerdinand Ferdinand]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesBernadetta Bernadetta]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesSylvain Sylvain]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesIngrid Ingrid]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesFelix Felix]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesLysithea Lysithea]]\\
''Houses:'' [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesBlackEagles The Black Eagles]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesBlueLions The Blue Lions]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesGoldenDeer The Golden Deer]]\\
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[-''Main Characters:'' [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesByleth Byleth]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesEdelgard Edelgard]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesDimitri Dimitri]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesClaude Claude]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesRhea Rhea]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesShez Shez]] | '''Other [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesOtherMainCharacters Other Main Characters''' Characters]] \\
''Secondary Characters:'' [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesHubert Hubert]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesFerdinand Ferdinand]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesBernadetta Bernadetta]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesSylvain Sylvain]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesIngrid Ingrid]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesFelix Felix]] | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesLysithea Lysithea]]\\
''Houses:'' [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesBlackEagles The Black Eagles]] ([[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesBlackEaglesPartOne Part One]], [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesBlackEaglesPartTwo Part Two]]) | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesBlueLions The Blue Lions]] ([[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesBlueLionsPartOne Part One]], [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesBlueLionsPartTwo Part Two]]) | [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesGoldenDeer The Golden Deer]]\\Deer]] ([[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesGoldenDeerPartOne Part One]], [[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesGoldenDeerPartTwo Part Two]])\\
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* GameplayAndStoryIntegration: Zig-zagged. In NewGamePlus, once she disappears, the Byleth of the opposite gender takes her place in the Holy Tomb. However she still comes out to activate "Sothis Shield" when you use it.
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[[folder:Arval]]
!!Arval
!!!'''Class:''' Dark Bishop or Gremory
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/MutsumiTamura (Japanese), Creator/MelissaHutchison (English)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arval_borderless.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see Arval in ''Fire Emblem Heroes'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arval_heroes.png[[/labelnote]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemHeroes Cycle Keeper]]'']]
A mysterious being who feels like something is missing. They appeared by Shez when they were about to be defeated by the Ashen Demon, saving their life. They do not physically appear, talking to Shez like they are living inside of their head.
!!Arval
!!!'''Class:''' Dark Bishop or Gremory
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/MutsumiTamura (Japanese), Creator/MelissaHutchison (English)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arval_borderless.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see Arval in ''Fire Emblem Heroes'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arval_heroes.png[[/labelnote]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemHeroes Cycle Keeper]]'']]
A mysterious being who feels like something is missing. They appeared by Shez when they were about to be defeated by the Ashen Demon, saving their life. They do not physically appear, talking to Shez like they are living inside of their head.
to:
!!Arval
!!!'''Class:''' Dark Bishop or Gremory
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/MutsumiTamura
!!Shez
!!!'''Class''': Myrmidon → Fluegel → Swordmaster → Asura
!!!'''Age:''' [[VagueAge ??]]
!!!'''Height:''' 170 cm
!!!'''Male Shez Voiced By:''' Creator/TasukuHatanaka (Japanese),
'''Female Shez Voiced By:''' Creator/MiyuTomita (Japanese), Creator/DawnMBennett (English)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see
[[caption-width-right:350:''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemHeroes
A
The [[PlayerCharacter Avatar]] of ''Three Hopes'', Shez was a mercenary from a remote village in Ordelia territory who once encountered the mysterious "[[Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesByleth Ashen Demon]]" in Imperial Year 1179, before being
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* TheAce: In terms of combat ability, they're this to whoever they side with thanks to their years of experience as a mercenary and the special power they gain thanks to Arval. By the time the war itself, the only person who's considered stronger is Byleth themselves.
* AdaptiveAbility: Their second sword that they can summon at will is this. During gameplay, it uses the same properties as the other sword they have equipped in their other hand, such as having the AntiCavalry and AntiArmor traits of a Rapier or being a magic-focused sword such as the Levin Sword and Ridill.
* AdaptationalWeaponSwap: In ''Heroes'', instead of their two swords, Female Shez wields the Crimson War-Axe. In their Forging Bonds event, it's indicated she still has the summoned sword at least, but does not use it. Female Shez's Legendary variant does use her two swords, but she's classified as a Blue Dagger unit instead as she throws her swords at her opponents.
* AlwaysSecondBest: Towards Byleth. Despite how much more powerful they've become in the two years since their first encounter, the story and Shez's supports with them make it clear that Byleth is still out of their league as the latter has no issue keeping up with Shez even with minimal use of Divine Pulse. [[spoiler:The only reason Shez can even kill Byleth at all during their final battle (if not recruited) is because they aren't fighting Byleth at all, but instead ''Sothis'', the latter of whom lacked their skills as a mercenary and had difficulty controlling Byleth's body during their battle, both of which eventually allowed Shez to take the win. Indeed, should Byleth be recruited, after the chapters where Shez is forced to attack Byleth and they speak in camp, support points with them will go up if Shez acknowledges that Byleth could have killed them when they attacked, with Byleth agreeing and note that they held back as they realized Shez was not in control of their actions. This is all made even more clear when considering that Byleth never gained access to the Sword of the Creator in this timeline.]]
* AmbiguouslyBi: Regardless of gender, Shez can joke about hitting on Hilda to get [[TheAce Holst]] to spar with them with all his might. In addition, several of their supports have the same romantic undertones regardless of gender, such as Yuri saying that Shez will have to spend the rest of their life with him to use his real name. Shez can also note that Shamir sounds like she's flirting with them regardless of gender.
* AmbiguousSituation: Their past is subject to a ton of speculation since they know nothing about their birth parents and very little of their adoptive mother. They're implied to have some connection to those who slither in the dark, given they're playing host to Arval -- whose powers are derived from the same dark magic TWSITD practice [[spoiler:and in fact an Agarthan creation]] -- and were born in Ordelia territory, where TWSITD are based. Solon comes to the conclusion that Shez originated in Shambhala, which would make them an Agarthan, but [[TheUnreveal the game provides no concrete answers or clear explanations for Shez's origins]].
* AngerBornOfWorry: In their A support with Balthus, they have a moment of this with him when they learn he's going to continue keeping up the act of gambling his life on the battlefield after having told them earlier he would stop, following a close call with archers earlier, which is notable for being the ''only'' time their angry portrait is used in a support conversation with him.
-->'''Balthus:''' But since you admitted my way has merit, I think I'll keep rolling the dice. Gotta do what works for me, you know? Can't let one close call make me lose my nerve.\\
'''Shez:''' ''(shocked)'' Wait, [[BigWhat what?]] Isn't that what almost got you killed today?\\
'''Shez:''' ''(angry)'' I take it back. You are definitely gonna die. Please stop.
* AndThenWhat: Part of Shez's CharacterDevelopment. Their ultimate goal is to find and beat the Ashen Demon after losing to them, and their motivation for sticking with their chosen lord is that they're more likely to run into Byleth during wartime than they are in times of peace. The problem that Shez soon realizes is that they have no other goal besides that. [[spoiler:If they do succeed in killing Byleth, they can't help but feel bitter and realize they [[AllForNothing gained nothing]] other than get one of their comrades killed. It isn't until Shez abandons their rivalry with Byleth and focuses on helping make their chosen lord's dream of a new Fódlan into reality that they find a better, more worthwhile goal to strive for.]]
* AntiCavalry: They can learn the dark magic spell Dark Spikes T, which does bonus damage to mounted units, and when it reaches level 3, can also tutor it to other units after a battle.
* ArchEnemy: Byleth becomes this to them after they single-handedly destroy Berling's Mercenaries and leave Shez the sole survivor. The latter wants nothing more than to defeat Byleth, [[UnknownRival though they don't understand or care to know why Shez wants to beat them so badly]]. [[spoiler:In Chapter 10 on Scarlet Blaze and Golden Wildfire or Chapter 12 on Azure Gleam, Shez can potentially become this to Byleth as well if they kill Jeralt.]]
* ArmorPiercingAttack: They can learn the Luna Λ combat art, which ignores the resistance stat of enemies.
* AsskickingLeadsToLeadership: They're named a commander by their chosen Lord at the start of the TimeSkip, in no small part due to their past as a mercenary and skills. In Scarlet Blaze and Azure Gleam, Edelgard and Dimitri even puts them in charge of a private military squadron made up of commoners and peasants since they feel (well, Dimitri specifically does, while Edelgard notes this was on Hubert's suggestion) Shez could relate to them more than nobles.
* BadPowersGoodPeople: Characters like Hubert point out that Shez's strange abilities bear an uncanny resemblance to those used by [[spoiler:those who slither in the dark]]. Despite this, Shez throws their lot in with one of the Lords and fights to the bitter end for their liege's vision for a better Fódlan. [[spoiler:It's later revealed that they're a vessel for Epimenides, an artificial counterpart to Sothis and a self-made weapon designed to kill her, much like how Byleth was made Sothis' vessel.]]
* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: Their motivation for becoming loyal to the ideals of a given route's lord comes down to this in every case, though the particulars vary a bit:
** In Shez's supports with Edelgard, they explain that Edelgard earned their UndyingLoyalty by giving them the time of day when no ordinary noble would. Her meritocratic ideals are what allowed Shez to rise from a lowly mercenary eating rats to survive to a general in one of the most powerful armies on the continent. As far as Shez is concerned, they wouldn't be shining half as brightly as they are by the end of the story if it weren't for her.
** For Claude the focus is on his acceptance of Shez as a friend despite knowing nothing of their background.
** With Dimitri it's both that Shez believes they would not be where they are today without Dimitri (a commander of an army of commoners out to help reform the Kingdom by showing that Crests are not needed for success), but also the king's belief that Shez's powers are not evil unless they are used for evil, giving Shez more confidence and peace of mind.
* BigEater: They are noted to have a big appetite, though they can also go for days without eating anything. Just like Byleth, this is a nod to their ability to share as many meals as they have activity points, though unlike Byleth the points don't have to be spent in a single day.
* BladeSpam: In their unique classes, Fluegel and Asura, Shez rapidly cuts through enemy ranks with a flurry of sword swings.
* BlowYouAway: They can whip up tornadoes with their attacks to juggle enemies in the air. Their unique Warrior Special also has them throw around RazorWind with their sword swings before finishing with a SwordBeam.
* BreakoutCharacter: As of this writing, there are currently five versions of Shez in ''Heroes'', one of which is a Legendary Hero that debuted half a year after ''Three Hopes'' released and all of them were released before ''Three Hopes'' reached its 1 year anniversary. Considering that the previous ''Warriors'' game has none of its original cast in ''Heroes'' as of yet, Shez has basically become the face of the ''Fire Emblem Warriors'' spin-offs.
* BrutalHonesty: They tend to be very honest with their thoughts. On the serious side, they don't mince their words when telling Edelgard [[spoiler:the cost of the war she's waged on the Scarlet Blaze route]]. On the humorous side, they blatantly lampshade how much of a {{Tsundere}} Felix is, and they outright call Lysithea a child to her face.
* BuffySpeak: In Shez's support with Claude, they can advise him to give the Five Great Lords "the old ba-bam" or "skirt around them with a nice whoosh" when trying to get through their bickering. This initially confuses Claude until Shez explains their thinking, that if Claude could somehow temporarily assert more authority, he could act more decisively and make executive decisions for the Alliance until the war ends.
* ButForMeItWasTuesday: In Shamir and Leonie's Paralogue, Shez helps the former deal with a mercenary group called the Guardians of Fódlan, who they previously dealt with at some point in the past. During the fight, some of the mercenaries attempt to ambush Shez. It doesn't take long for Shez to realize the mercs have a grudge against them, guessing they must have killed a few buddies of theirs, but is exasperated and confused why they would hold a grudge against them. [[DramaticIrony They don't seem to recognize how the situation mirrors their own relationship with Byleth at the time]].
* CanonName: Shez is this, though of course their name may be changed to whatever the player wishes.
* CastingAShadow: They have a vast array of dark magic at their disposal, and training in the Dark Mage class gives them the Essence of Darkness skill which powers up their dark attacks.
* ChallengeSeeker:
** Shez is eager to test themselves against strong opponents to better hone their skills as a warrior, asking to spar with the likes of Count Bergliez and Holst despite their reputations as peerless fighters. [[spoiler:When Epimenides produces a phantom of Shez for them to fight, the phantom remarks that it isn't everyday that they get to fight themselves and how they'll enjoy this. Unlike the lords who deny their phantoms, the real Shez is thoroughly perturbed by their phantom as this is exactly what they were thinking.]]
** But Shez draws the line at gambling their life needlessly. While they get along extremely well with Balthus and are similar in many ways, they bicker with him over his tendency to throw caution to the wind and gamble his life for the thrill of it.
* CharacterCustomization: Like Byleth you only have control over their name and gender.
* CharacterDevelopment: Shez starts off as a bit impatient and brash, and very eager to get payback against Byleth for their humiliating defeat and the destruction of Berling's Mercenaries. As the game goes on, however, Shez's desire for revenge starts to wane as they become more invested in helping their chosen lord. [[spoiler:If Shez abandons their rivalry with Byleth and focuses on more pressing issues instead, they become less brash and start thinking about what they can do to help make their chosen lord's wish for Fódlan a reality. It's also telling that, if Shez kills Byleth, the [[AllForNothing victory isn't as worth it as they thought it would be]], and they instead wish they found another way to resolve things.]]
* CleavageWindow: Female Shez's default outfit shows off her large breasts. She loses this in her second unique class Asura.
* CommonalityConnection:
** Why Dimitri and Edelgard (on Hubert's suggestion) name Shez a commander of a private military force comprised of commoners in their respective routes. While Hubert had an ulterior motive for putting Shez in charge, secretly believing them to be a mole, Dimitri earnestly believed Shez would be able to relate to soldiers with backgrounds similar to theirs instead of nobles.
** Dedue and Shez both face discrimination from the nobles of Faerghus for being two of Dimitri's most highly-ranked retainers despite being from Duscur and a lowly sellsword respectively. They both motivate each other to prove the naysayers wrong to show that they've earned their roles even if they originally got them through sheer happenstance.
** Shez and Ashe are both HappilyAdopted orphaned commoners who feel blessed to have gotten an education most people of their standing can only dream of. Their support is devoted to them connecting over this fact as well as their budding curiosity about what their deceased parents were like, as Shez's mom kept to herself while Ashe's parents perished to an illness when he was young, leaving him with only hazy memories of them.
** Shez and Raphael connect in their C-Support over being orphaned commoners trying to make their way in the world.
** Hapi connects with Shez in their supports over having both grown up in secluded villages and for having mysterious powers.
* ConditionedToAcceptHorror: Shez isn't too broken up being the SoleSurvivor of their mercenary group, being used to "parting ways" with others, including their own biological and adoptive parents. That being said, they do tell Lorenz in their B support that being a mercenary or no, they know nothing worse than watching an ally die before their own eyes.
* ContrastingSequelMainCharacter:
** Unlike [[VideoGame/FireEmblemWarriors Rowan and Lianna]], royal siblings who meet and befriend various characters [[CrisisCrossover from different timelines and worlds]], Shez is a mercenary with no special background (MysteriousPast aside) who works for and is part of Fódlan's roster. The twins also use their expeirence with their allies to become ideal leaders, meanwhile Shez adopts their lord's philosophy and mindset using their own experiences to help their lord.
** While Byleth was a blank slate with origins heavily tied to [[spoiler:the Children of the Goddess]], Shez has a clearly defined personality and has origins heavily tied to [[spoiler:those who slither in the dark]].
* CulturedBadass: Zigzagged. Shez is a very down-to-earth person who admits that they aren't used to a lot of the luxuries they have, thanks to their RagsToRiches rise from a nameless mercenary to a general and personal confidant of one of the three most powerful figures in Fódlan. Dorothea's famed singing voice and fancy cups of tea don't resonate with them the way Shez thinks they should. But their travels as TheDrifter means they have an open perspective and plenty of stories to tell about other mercenary bands, cultures, and places. For instance, in their supports with Raphael, they introduce him to alternative methods of preserving food (like smoking after curing) that greatly improve the quality of the food and thus the army's morale.
* CurbStompBattle:
** On the receiving end within the very opening chapter. Shez can barely damage Byleth and gets utterly thrashed until Arval gives them a power up, [[CurbStompCushion and even then it's still not enough to best Byleth]].
** In the Gatekeeper's paralogue, Shez inflicted this on the three houses during the mock battle back in their days at the Officer's Academy, having wandered onto the battlefield completely by accident. Caspar describes fighting Shez as being like "fighting a brick wall" while Hubert says that Shez cut down the students like ripe wheat.
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: They have both purple hair and eyes.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: Shez never knew their birth parents, their adoptive mother died some time ago and they were kicked out of their village soon afterwards, and they've lost so many of their fellow mercenaries over the years that they purposely avoid forming intimate connections. They also mention that they've done "terrible things" over the course of their service as a mercenary.
* DarkIsNotEvil: By Hubert's own analysis based on what he could find in Thales' notes in Scarlet Blaze, Shez's SuperMode is derived from the dark magic practiced by those who slither in the dark, increasing the already disturbing implications that Arval is associated with them somehow. However, several characters point out that even if their power is associated with their enemies, Shez uses them for what they believe is right. That, and they're leagues better than the likes of those who slither in the dark. Dimitri tells Shez that power is neutral, the good or bad comes from how they choose to use that power.
* DeceasedParentsAreTheBest: Shez's adoptive mother is long gone by the start of the story, but Shez has nothing but good things to say about her. According to them, their mom "knew everything" and was skilled at all forms of combat, including magic. Shez's supports with Ashe have them try to discover who Shez's mom was, but they come up empty after exhausting all avenues of inquiry. But at the very end of the support, Ashe receives a letter addressed to Shez about the topic, but [[TheUnreveal the player never gets to hear about its contents]]. Shez also mentions that their mom used to bake wonderful fruit desserts for them and that Mercedes' treats feel like tasting some of that old ComfortFood again.
* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Of the PointOfDivergence protagonist concept. Shez has absolutely no idea nor greater context for the rest of the story because they'd normally be dead before ''Three Houses'' began, and their rescue by Arval makes them a SpannerInTheWorks who influences the plot in unpredictable and rather excessive ways that completely alters the paths the main three lords take. For instance, Shez doesn't get quite as personally integrated with the cast as Byleth ever managed to and simply becomes as close to them as the lords would with the rest of their classmates. Lastly, Shez [[spoiler:doesn't necessarily save the day or create a true GoldenEnding, only helping the chosen lord fulfill their goals as the war continues to wage on regardless, and following through with their goal of killing Byleth ends up only making things worse as a consequence with a [[VengeanceFeelsEmpty worthless conclusion]]]]. Outside of spoilers, Shez's sudden arrival and changing of history from a meta angle isn't something that goes unnoticed by some of the characters; Hubert in Scarlet Blaze for example, makes it a point that Shez suddenly coming out of nowhere and changing so much of the plans made behind the curtains was such a wild card, that he right away assumes Shez has to be some kind of sleeper agent for [[spoiler:those who slither in the dark]].
* DoomedByCanon: PlayedWith. Arval points out that Shez would have died alongside the rest of their comrades had they not intervened, all but outright confirming that Shez was killed by Byleth in the ''Three Houses'' timelines. The story of ''Three Hopes'' kicks off precisely because Shez survived their ill-fated battle with Byleth thanks to Arval.
* DualWielding: Shez wields two swords at once in their personal class, one being a regular sword and one resembling a Heroes' Relic colored white and blue. Note that their official art switches in which hand they hold the summoned sword between genders.
* TheDreaded: During expedition time with [[spoiler:Byleth]] and when asked about memories of the past, [[spoiler:they state that Shez is the only person they've ever feared on the battlefield]], which speaks volumes to how much Shez has improved their battle skills as time went on.
* EmpoweredBadassNormal: Initially, Shez is simply a skilled mercenary with no special powers like Byleth does in ''Three Houses''. Arval saving their life and granting them supernatural abilities via teleportation and summoning a special second sword gives them the extra edge in battle.
* EntertaininglyWrong: In their support with [[spoiler:Byleth if the latter is recruited, [[PowerMisidentification Shez mistakenly identifies their unique ability as screwing with someone's senses]] since Shez feels disoriented whenever Byleth activates Divine Pulse. Byleth doesn't bother correcting them, instead being impressed that Shez is able to notice and react to their time powers at all.]]
* ExcellentJudgeOfCharacter: Shez is noted in multiple conversations to have a knack for reading people and possesses great insight into the way they think. Hubert trusts Shez enough to have them choose which mercenaries are most deserving of a promotion. Shez and Felix's entire support chain is devoted to them getting a better read on each other and opens with Shez pointing out that [[{{Tsundere}} Felix cares a lot more about his friends than he lets on]]. However, Shez does not cut as deeply to the Lords' inner turmoil as Byleth does in ''Three Houses'', never learning the true severity of Edelgard's DarkAndTroubledPast or Dimitri's SurvivorGuilt.
* EtTuBrute: In their B support with Lorenz, Shez had at a prior point saved Lorenz from being killed during battle, to which Lorenz says that he can't bear the thought of a commoner like Shez potentially sacrifice their life for his sake. One dialogue option has Shez point out just how ungrateful Lorenz sounds about repaying the person who saved his life.
* {{Expy}}: It's hard not to see Shez taking some cues from [[VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance Mia]]. Both are purple-haired, sword-wielding mercenaries clad in orange, and Shez's moments of agency outside of player-control (and sometimes in it) depicts them as a having similar personalities, being a HotBlooded BoisterousBruiser who sees themselves as a {{Rival}} to Byleth, similarly to how Mia sees herself as one to Ike. Granted, Mia opts to be more of a FriendlyRival, as opposed to Shez wanting to outright kill Byleth [[spoiler: assuming the player doesn't decide to recruit them.]]
* FashionableAsymmetry: Female Shez's right arm and upper right thigh are less armored/clothed than their left counterparts. Male Shez also wears a gauntlet on his left arm, but not his right. They both also only wear a kneepad on one leg.
* FatalFlaw: RevengeBeforeReason. Shez is insistent on getting back at Byleth for having defeated them and slaughtering Berling's Mercenaries. This desire for revenge isn't helped as Arval, who for some reason also wants Shez to defeat Byleth, eggs them on and pushes for them to go after Byleth if the opportunity presents itself. [[spoiler:Pursuing this rivalry leads to Shez getting their revenge, but they learn that their VengeanceFeelsEmpty and Byleth kills one of the chosen lord's allies (Judith, Randolph, Rodrigue) in retaliation before Shez cuts them down. From a gameplay standpoint, [[AllForNothing killing Byleth also locks you out of the route's]] GoldenEnding.]]
* FlashStep: Shez's unique ability, Shadowflash, is a speedy dash that lets them move so quickly they're only visible as a purple ball of light before they end the dash. Hitting a solid object will stop all their momentum however, and their ability to turn in this state is quite limited.
* FlatCharacter: Downplayed. Often times in support conversations, they will talk about their mercenary life and how they would tackle said situation as a mercenary. While a bit repetitive, it makes sense: they've spent most of their life as a mercenary and - unlike Byleth who was raised by Jeralt - often spent it either hopping from troupe to troupe or by themselves until they got to Garreg Mach, with which they didn't spend the whole year at anyway. In other words, they learned to be who they are due to their mercenary life and uses that aspect to educate or compare to their peers, who have a vague understanding of their line of work and how that experience can be applied to the situation at hand.
* {{Foil}}: To Byleth:
** Byleth is a mercenary with an infamous reputation as the Ashen Demon, and is part of an equally prestigious mercenary band led by their father Jeralt, once hailed as the strongest knight in history. Shez is simply just another mercenary who joined with a group that only cared about their next paycheck.
** Byleth was raised by their father while Shez lost both biological parents and was mostly raised by their adoptive mother.
** Byleth's Divine Pulse involves [[TimeMaster turning back time up to a certain point]], while Shez's powers seemingly involve [[SpaceMaster manipulating space]], slightly altering their appearance, and giving them access to an unusual weapon resembling a Hero's Relic.
** In regards to their relationships with the lords, Byleth becomes a confidant of theirs and helps repress some of their worst qualities. While Shez helps them become a greater commander and leader overall, they aren't able to help them deal with some of their more underlying problems, and is treated as a close friend and comrade by the Lords. While they're both [[ExcellentJudgeOfCharacter said to possess great insight into other's characters]], Byleth can immediately see that see the lords have a darker side to them, whereas Shez does not pick up on the severity of the lords' issues, instead focusing on their actions. At the end of each route in both games, Byleth helps their lord become the best version of themselves helping them move on from their personal issues and grow as a person, Shez's more grounded and simplistic views gives them a bit of extra perspective allowing them to grow as leaders. More specifically, where Byleth's relationship with their chosen lord focuses on how they alter and better the lord's ideology/beliefs, with Shez the focus is placed on how Shez ends up ''taking on'' their chosen lord's beliefs and ideology. Their support does help the lord emotionally, but it is Shez who is the main one who is changed.
** Their impact in their respective games also differs. Byleth's story during the Academy Phase is mostly the same due to Rhea assigning them higher-risk missions compared to the other houses, but the War Phase drastically differs depending on the chosen Lord. The endgame even sees them becoming [[spoiler:the ruler of a new country in Fódlan (Verdant Wind, Silver Snow) or Rhea's successor as the new archbishop of the Church of Seiros (Azure Moon)]]. Shez's story is the opposite as they're only a student and get caught up in their respective house's dilemma, but the War Phase remains the same up until near the endgame since Shez, like Byleth, proves an invaluable asset that allows their chosen Lord to come ahead of the competition. All in all, Shez is more of a SupportingProtagonist while Byleth grows from this to share prominence in driving the plot with their chosen lord.
** Shez is a chatterbox who frequently makes small talk and expresses their opinions to others, versus Byleth who is TheStoic and rarely speaks or emotes [[spoiler:due to the unnatural circumstances of their creation]]. This is even more apparent in support conversations if [[spoiler:Byleth is spared and recruited]] as while Shez's antics and dialogue are almost indistinguishable from what their friends and fellow students would say and do, [[spoiler:Byleth still has a mysterious aura around them.]]
** Byleth's unique advanced class, The Enlightened One is [[GoldAndWhiteAreDivine holy looking]] and gives Byleth access to [[LightIsGood light based magic]], Shez's unique advanced class, Asura, is [[RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver demonic looking]], and gives Shez access to [[DarkIsNotEvil dark magic]].
** While Shez does occasionally flirt with some of the other characters, they can't enter a relationship with anyone. Byleth on the other hand is mostly oblivious to the concepts of love and romance, yet they can enter a relationship with most of the cast.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Partway through the prologue, Shez is there to see [[spoiler:Solon cast aside his Tomas identity]], and a conversation with Arval afterwards likens it to their own shapeshifting SuperMode and the implications that might hold, not to mention Arval feeling raw emotion, neither positive nor negative, when they see certain individuals tied to that twist early on. [[spoiler:Arval, or rather Epimenides, is an Agarthan creation, and thus their abilities are inherently tied to what those who slither in the dark use.]]
* FriendlyRival: Shez's supports with Caspar establish a friendly rivalry between them as they both train to outdo the other, training and sparring together while earning a mutual respect for the other's determination to get better. It culminates in Shez asking for a spar with Caspar's father, to which Caspar offers some salient advice before Shez is subjected to Count Bergliez's TrainingFromHell. After that, Shez has a renewed appreciation for Caspar's energetic personality and determination for being able to handle that kind of beating every single day, and Caspar remarks how Shez has endured said training longer than anyone else has.
** Shez also establishes one of these with [[spoiler:Byleth]] if they are recruited on any route.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: Shez starts off as a no-name mercenary whose company gets destroyed by Byleth, virtually starting from nothing. They find an opportunity for success when they save the House Leaders, and at the start of the TimeSkip on Azure Gleam and Scarlet Blaze, they're offered a position in the Kingdom and Empire's ranks as a commander. From there, they grow to become one of the most talented officers in their respected faction. This is even lampshaded in Edelgard's B-Support with Shez, where the latter notes that they had nothing and were no one important, but now everyone in the Empire knows their name.
* GenderedOutfit: Male Shez is more armored, with a gauntlet on his left arm. Female Shez has a shorter sleeve on her right arm with no glove, an exposed upper right thigh, and a boob window, though all of these get removed when she promotes to Asura.
* HadToBeSharp: Several conversations note that Shez has a habit of training every single day without exception. According to Shez, it's simply the way of a mercenary. They treat every battle as if it could be their last. If they aren't strong enough, skilled enough, or smart enough to beat their opponent, that opponent will be their last.
* HappilyAdopted: Implied. While Shez doesn't speak about their adoptive mother much, even admitting to knowing little about her due to how she kept to herself, they have nothing but good things to say about her. Ashe's Support with Shez reveals that their adoptive mother taught them how to read and write, a privilege few commoners have.
* HeritageDisconnect: While they were raised in the Leicester Alliance's territory, their hazy past and mercenary life and remoteness growing up leads to them not really considering any one area their home.
* HeroesPreferSwords: Shez wields two swords in their unique classes Fluegel and Asura.
* HeyYou: Although they have a canon name, they're only ever referred to as "you", "our mercenary friend", or any other titles and pronouns within fully voiced dialogues since they can be renamed via HelloInsertNameHere. Averted in dialogues that are not fully voiced (such as conversations in the base camp), which will use whatever name was given to them in the dialogue subtitles.
* HumbleHero: Despite their pride in their skills, Shez is prone to downplaying their own qualities in conversation. In their support with Raphael, Shez can say that they and cooking don't mix despite being a SupremeChef in gameplay. They also continue to insist that they're OnlyInItForTheMoney for much of the story even as they risk life and limb for their employers and work harder than they have any real need to.
* HypocriticalHumor: In Shamir and Leonie's Paralogue, Shez is incredulous that the Guardians of Fódlan would hold a murderous grudge against them, guessing they killed some of the mercenary group's comrades at some point... despite this being Shez's entire dynamic with Byleth for most of the game.
* AnIcePerson: They start with Blizzard for magic.
* IdiotHero: Downplayed as Shez is quite tactically intelligent, but discovering that Arval can bail them out of danger leads them to become extremely casual about their own life when it comes to training. An annoyed Arval points out after the prologue that they have saved Shez 22 times in six months, three times of which were after ''jumping off a cliff'' to, quote, "get tougher." They get better following this scenario.
* ImmuneToFlinching: One of the skills they learn form the Asura class, The Creation, prevents all knockback as long as at least one bar of the Warrior Gauge is filled.
* InexplicablyAwesome: Ultimately, it's never explained where exactly they come from or how they came to be hosting [[spoiler:the consciousness of an ancient Agarthan archmage]].
* InnocentlyInsensitive: Their support with Annette has Shez getting into hot water with her after they wind up popularizing a tune she came up with before she finished writing the lyrics. Shez genuinely liked the song and found the lyrics about a man being eighty percent horse delightful, but can see how frustrated and annoyed Annette is and apologizes.
* {{Irony}}: Shez, who has no time powers, surviving their otherwise-fated demise at the future TimeMaster Byleth's hands significantly changes the timeline to come.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Extremely blunt and headstrong, but nothing but polite to people they don't have a reason to hate, and always willing to put their own life on the line for others. That said, they are slow to form genuine connections with others (Arval noting a almost disturbing lack of sentimentality in them when their mercenary comrades are killed), having not been particularly close with anyone since the death of their adoptive mother. Even the band of mercs who took them in, while they respected them, are noted to have only been united by a desire for money. Finding genuine friendships, and a bigger purpose than getting their next meal, is part of their character growth.
* JumpedAtTheCall: At the start of the TimeSkip, Shez is offered either a position as the Commander of a newly formed private military outfit made up of commoners (Azure Gleam and Scarlet Blaze) or a high-paying job (Golden Wildfire). While it takes a while for Claude to actually be able to give Shez said job and instead find work in the Leicester Alliance's Riegan territory, they're immediately on board with Dimitri and Edelgard's offers since it gives them new opportunities.
* KillTheGod: If you fail to [[spoiler:recruit Byleth, Sothis possesses Byleth and comes after Shez's head. Shez wins the ensuing fight and at least on a physical level kills the being worshiped as Fódlan's creator deity, along with Byleth.]]
* LateToTheTragedy: In Chapter 10 of Scarlet Blaze[=/=]Golden Wildfire and Chapter 12 of Azure Gleam, [[spoiler:Shez kills Jeralt after temporarily forcing Byleth back and killing their employer, then seemingly senses something is wrong and makes a beeline back to their allies. They arrive in time to see Byleth (or rather Sothis) kill Randolph, Judith, or Rodrigue in front of them and can do nothing to stop them]].
* LeeroyJenkins: Zigzagged. Shez is one to discuss tactics and strategy before a fight and understands the importance of having a game plan even if it doesn't survive contact with the enemy. But Hilda notes that Shez has a tendency to dive into the thickest, most dangerous part of the enemy line in a given fight. Shez explains that this habit of theirs comes from their mercenary days. They needed to fight in a flashy, often reckless way to build a name for themselves in order to find work. If they just played it safe and brought mediocre results, there's no way they would've been hired again.
* LightningBruiser: Shez possesses a strong Strength growth, an extremely high 68% Speed growth, and average growths in Defense and Resistance, ensuring that they'll be a speedy powerhouse who can take a hit while dicing through the enemy.
* LongHairIsFeminine: The female Shez has much longer hair than her male counterpart.
* MadeOfIron: Byleth getting empowered by Sothis in their second encounter during the war phase ends with Shez being [[PunchedAcrossTheRoom punched in the gut and sent flying]] with almost no harm to them otherwise (as Crest-bearers are noted for having much higher strength than a normal human), though Shez being empowered by Arval at the time could have reduced some of that impact.
* MagicKnight: Shez's unique Fluegel and Asura classes allows them to use magic in combat on top of their swords.
* MagneticHero: While Shez is slow to form genuine connections due to the touch-and-go nature of mercenary work, their cheery and outgoing personality quickly endears them to others despite their dubious origins. Their support with Marianne has her approach them specifically because she wants to be as sociable as Shez.
* MeaningfulName:
** "Shez" could be derived from Shax from the ''Ars Goetia'' and Great Marquis of Hell, coincidentally matching Byleth's own connection to the ''Ars Goetia'' since their name can also be read as Beleth, one of the Kings of Hell.
** "Shez" is also similar to "[[VideoGame/PuyoPuyo Schezo]];" accordingly, they admit to Lysithea in their A-support that they aren't great with speaking and end up [[ThatCameOutWrong saying something strange]] when they try to use their own words.
** Shez's second unique class is called "Asura". In Hinduism and Buddhism, an asura referred to a classification of god-like beings, some of which were described as enemies of the gods. Fitting, given that Shez's ArchEnemy [[spoiler:is the Progenitor God Sothis's vessel]].
* MentorArchetype: Acts as this to Leonie in their supports and throughout Golden Wildfire, who is impressed by Shez's skill as a mercenary long before they enrolled into the academy.
* MistakenForFlirting: In their A-support with Lysithea, Shez leaves her blushing and flustered by giving their honest opinion of her, which unwittingly comes across as a LoveConfession.
* MusclesAreMeaningless: A soldier can lampshade the fact that Shez is short and scrawny in build compared to them but incredibly powerful anyway. Female Shez takes this further in ''Heroes'' for her normal variant, wielding an axe one-handed that is almost as big as herself.
* MysteriousPast: Shez remembers very little of their own past before being raised by their adopted mother (who they mention was a person uninterested in social interaction) in Leicester, and their profile in the prologue even lists the years where they were born and became a mercenary as "???". Shez's complete lack of documentable history draws suspicion from others like Hubert, Dedue, and Seteth, who worry that Shez could be a SleeperAgent or TheMole for their enemies. Then there's how Arval is in their head the same way Sothis is in Byleth's, which may imply that [[spoiler:Shez could be an ArtificialHuman created by the Agarthans to serve as a vessel for Epimenides much like how Byleth's mother Sitri was created by Rhea to be a vessel for Sothis.]]
* NewTransferStudent: After saving the house leaders, Rhea and the faculty of Garreg Mach offer them to enroll at the Officer's Academy as a student as thanks. Shez accepts, seeing it as an opportunity to get stronger. [[spoiler:In reality, both sides know that Rhea and the others are keeping a close eye on Shez due to their mysterious power. Shez understands that declining was never an option, thus Shez decides to capitalize on their offer.]]
* NeverMyFault: Shez blames Byleth for their humiliating defeat and the destruction of Berling's Mercenaries. However, they're conveniently forgetting that their mercenaries attacked Jeralt's group, so Byleth killed them in self-defense. Shez also attacked them personally, meaning Byleth would've killed them in self-defense as well. Shez comes to realize this over time.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero:
** Early in the game, Shez namedrops Jeralt as the leader of a renowned band of mercenaries, which Alois takes notice of and mentions wanting to look into it at a later date. [[spoiler:At some point in the TimeSkip, Alois did reunite with Jeralt and joined up with his former captain's mercenary company.]]
** Shez's actions during the prologue create a major political shake-up in both Adrestia and Faerghus that gives Prince Shahid of Almyra the idea and opportunity to launch one of the biggest invasions ever recorded.
* NoPlaceForAWarrior: In Golden Wildfire, Shez has issues finding work that allows them to battle (as opposed to just train) prior to Claude recruiting them again two years after the prologue because the relative peace within the Alliance means less mercenary work is available (having to settle for guard duty and such instead). Arval even points out a silver lining in war starting up again is that it means they have a higher chance of running into Jeralt's mercenaries, and by extension Byleth, for Shez's rematch against them. Counter that with the other two routes where Shez is installed as a military leader, thus ensuring that they are well paid and are able to fight regularly. That said, Shez also notes this issue was self-inflicted by them choosing to stay in one area, that normally good mercs can find enough work even in peacetime provided they travel and know where to look, be it hunting monsters or guarding against bandits.
* NoSenseOfDirection: They frequently find themselves getting lost or heading in the wrong direction. Reading maps is one of their biggest difficulties.
* NonStandardCharacterDesign: Downplayed; Shez's hair is more vibrant-coloured than most other Fódlaneans, making them look like they fit right at home in the Game Boy Advance era of ''Fire Emblem''. Other than that, since their outfits are what you'd expect from a ''Three Houses'' character, they don't really stand out all that much.
* NumberTwo: Not to the extent of the House Leaders' closest aides, but over the course of the war, Shez becomes this to their chosen Lord.
* OnceDoneNeverForgotten: A sidequest from the Gatekeeper reveals that Shez, who had been exempted from the mock battle between the three houses due to their combat experience, ended up in the area of the mock battle due to getting lost while trying to get back to the monastery and proceeded to curb-stomp '''''all three houses and their leaders''''' completely by accident. Shez laments that they still get made fun of for the incident.
* OneHandedZweihander: While not usually notable with the swords seen in their artwork, Shez can still easily swing their two swords one-handed, and they wield all swords like this in their unique classes Fluegel and Asura, even with equippable swords that would easily fall into {{BFS}} category, such as Ridill.
* OneManArmy: While this is a given considering that they're in a ''Warriors'' game where every playable character can cut down {{Mooks}} by the hundreds and thousands in a single battle, one Paralogue shows a flashback to when Shez accidentally stumbled onto the mock-up battle between the three houses after getting lost on their way back to Garreg Mach, leading to them becoming a fourth party that all of the other classes try to defeat. Even with Shez being on their own, they manage to defeat everyone in battle, including 15 of the 25 students, culminating with all three house leaders at once. This cannot be just attributed to them being a simple mercenary, which several students note during the battle.
* OnlyInItForTheMoney:
** While they're cheerful and friendly to people who've gotten to know them, Shez freely admits that they're a sellsword in it for the gold coins they'll have clinking in their pockets at the end of a job well-done. They'll freely admit this even to the Lords they're working for, who are often taken aback by how frank and open Shez is about this. This is gradually subverted though, as Shez comes around to the Lord they're fighting for's perspective and decide to fight for a better Fódlan as much as their paycheck.
** Shez discusses this with Petra in their supports. Shez's mercenary principles include [[ConsummateProfessional seeing every contract to the end]] and refusing to take up another contract until they've finished their current one even if they're offered more money. After all, if they can't be trusted to fulfill their end of the bargain, who would hire them?
* OutsideContextProblem: They're this to [[spoiler:those who slither in the dark]]. Shez's powers, derived from Arval, are all but stated to be Agarthan in origin, and Hubert even says it's comparable to their dark magic. That said, even they have no idea how Shez came by them. [[spoiler:When confronted in Chapter 12 of Scarlet Blaze and Chapter 13 of Golden Wildfire, Solon demands to know where they obtained such power. In the normal routes, they have no idea how Shez obtained such power nor care since they've become such a thorn in their side, but the alternate route has Solon realize Shez is actually a vessel for Epimenides, right as the latter sacrifices him to drag the Lords and Shez into Zahras. In Azure Gleam, Myson asks why and how Shez obtained Epimenides' power, only to realize that Shez must have their core in them. Shez asks him in confusion and anger over what he is talking about, but Myson stops talking and teleports away.]]
* ParentalAbandonment: Shez mentions that they never knew their birth parents, and were raised by their adoptive mother, who died while they were still young.
* PinballProtagonist: Zigzagged. The War Phase plays out mostly the same and siding with your Lord gives Shez (and by extension the player) a look at what's happening on their side, with only some minor differences occurring thanks to Shez's involvement. They become less of a pinball during Part II, where the routes begin to heavily diverge thanks to Shez's presence. This is especially prominent in Azure Gleam and the alternate story route in Scarlet Blaze:
** In Azure Gleam, [[spoiler:Shez's absence in Edelgard's army and Dimitri's success leads to Thales and those who slither in the dark making a comeback, brainwashing Edelgard and installing Duke Aegir as regent. This also causes Claude to ally with the Kingdom instead of the Empire]].
** In the alternate story route of Scarlet Blaze, [[spoiler:Shez's actions allow Edelgard to recruit Jeralt's Mercenaries into their ranks. While this is also the case in Azure Gleam and Golden Wildfire, Scarlet Blaze's ending changes since Byleth doesn't convince Claude to betray the Empire as the secret chapters give the Lords a chance to talk and discuss their plans for Fódlan's future. As a result, the Empire has a much greater advantage and chance of ending the war quickly instead of being forced into yet another three-way war with the Kingdom and the Alliance]].
* PintSizedPowerhouse: A soldier NPC refers to Shez as scrawny and barely taller than a child, yet they're among the most dangerous combatants in Fódlan who play a major role in determining the outcome of the war. This applies mostly to male Shez, who is among the shortest men in the cast (alongside Caspar, Ignatz, Ashe, and Yuri); meanwhile, female Shez is the same height, which makes her one of the taller women.
* PleaseKillMeIfItSatisfiesYou: As a show of professionalism, Shez invites both Hubert and Dedue to cut them down if they seem untrustworthy. Owing to their principles as a mercenary, Shez places personal integrity above all and understands if their murky origins and strange powers would mark them as suspicious even with the favor of their chosen employer. But by the end of their supports, both men eventually admit that Shez's actions have earned their trust time and again.
* PowerDyesYourHair: Using Arval's powers causes Shez's hair to turn reddish-orange with purple highlights.
* PowerGlows: Their second sword glows orange in its slits when in use, and the shoulder pads for their Asura class outfit also glows orange.
* PowerStrainBlackout: Arval forces the initial use of the Awakened form on Shez to save their life, but can only maintain it just long enough to keep them on their feet until Byleth leaves, whereupon the accumulated strain causes Shez to pass out.
* PowerTattoo: When in Awakening Mode, Shez develops white markings on their face and part of their neck, similar to the ones Arval has.
* PunchClockHero: Shez is a mercenary through and through at the start of the story, taking work wherever they can get and killing whoever they're sent against (with some exceptions as reputable mercs do have a code of honor, such as not killing regular people who can't fight, and not betraying their client should their opponent offer to pay them more). They freely admit that they're OnlyInItForTheMoney and it's only after getting to know the lords for years that they start believing in fighting for something bigger than themselves.
* PurpleIsPowerful: They have purple hair and are a rather skilled and powerful mercenary. Several of their attacks also incorporate the color purple, such as the SwordBeam at the end of their Warrior Special.
* RagsToRiches: They start off as a common sellsword who admits in supports that they would have eaten half a rat to avoid starvation. Then they rescue the three lords from a bandit attack, and within months they've become a general in the personal confidence of one of the most politically powerful individuals on the continent. Shez's supports with Dorothea have them confide in her that they're not used to the luxuries they now have. Shez is unsure of how to appreciate Dorothea's opera singing nor can they tell if a cup of tea is actually good.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: When they use their Awakening, their eyes turn red, and they're more dangerous than ever. [[spoiler:Epimenides]] finds this out the hard way.
* RequiredPartyMember: Shez must be deployed as a playable unit in all story missions and paralogues. Replaying story missions and paralogues via the record keeper are exempt from this, as are side battles on the war map.
* ReverseGrip: Their artwork shows them wielding their second sword in reverse. In-game, Shez wields it normally.
* RippleEffectProofMemory: Played with. Shez doesn't remember what happens before Byleth reverses time with Divine Pulse, but they do feel disoriented, implying they are affected and know at some instinctual level Byleth's done ''something'', and can even react to it to avoid the worst outcome.
* ScarfOfAsskicking: Both versions of Shez wear a scarf in their default appearance and they're a powerful warrior. Once they promote to Asura, their single scarf gets replaced with four longer and more detailed scarves that together resemble a BadassCape. When in Awakened form as an Asura, the scarves become segmented hexagons.
* SecondHourSuperpower: They start off as a common Myrmidon and promote to Fluegel during the tutorial battle.
* SecretKeeper:
** In Golden Wildfire [[spoiler:they inadvertently find out about Claude and Shahid's family relation, but keep it a secret.]]
** In their Support with Yuri, Shez accidentally learns the former's real name after reading one of his mother's letters. While initially pissed, Yuri does ask Shez to keep it a secret. Their A-support has Yuri explain the origin of his real name, with him saying that only family and those close to him are allowed to know it.
* ShipTease: Several of their A-Rank Supports have this, especially with Linhardt, Petra and Yuri. Linhardt suggests Shez work for him as a bodyguard, saying he couldn't accept any "normal" or any other, while Petra asks Shez to come with her to Brigid once the war is over, and Yuri says that if Shez would be willing to call them by his real name, they'd have to spend the rest of their days by his side. Their letters to Shez if given the Merc's Whistle are almost explicitly romantic. Jeralt is also a ShipperOnDeck for Shez and Byleth, asking Shez to stay by Byleth's side and look after them should anything happen to him.
* SinisterSurveillance: Downplayed. In their support with Seteth, the latter admits that part of the reason they accepted Shez into the Officer's Academy was to figure out what their powers are in nature and whether they could be trusted. [[spoiler:This has to do with its disturbing similarities to the powers used by those who slither in the dark.]]
* SmarterThanYouLook: While Shez can be impulsive and act like a meathead (such as when they hurled themselves off cliffs to toughen themselves up), leading one to think that they're solely a mercenary good for fighting and not much else, thanks to their adoptive mother they have an education on par with an average noble, with Ashe expressing surprise that they can understand a complex tactics book in their C-Support. Shez also explains to Bernadetta in their C-support how most mercenary companions didn't have mothers who raised them to be nice and proper, unlike Shez.
* SoleSurvivor: Byleth completely wipes out Berling's Mercenaries except for Shez, and that's only because Arval ensured they wouldn't die.
* SoldierVsWarrior: Discussed in their C-Support with Raphael when Shez mentions that being an officer in an army is much different from being part of a mercenary band, as while before they only needed to worry about themselves in order to get their pay when they were a mercenary, being part of an army means having to look after the whole group in order to maintain unit cohesion.
* SoreLoser: Losing is listed as one of their dislikes, and they are motivated to take down Byleth because they lost to the Ashen Demon, despite the fact that they struck Byleth's company first and was given the chance to flee. They admit that wanting revenge is simply the only way they know to honor the people who took them in, and that they don't have any other connections or life to go back to. [[spoiler:They can eventually get over the loss, which serves as a sign of their character growth.]]
* SpannerInTheWorks: They're this to the entirety of ''Three Houses''. The plot of ''Three Hopes'' kicks off because of Arval's intervention and Shez being too stubborn to die. They run into the house leaders first, and saving them leads Shez to take Byleth's place in the Officer's Academy, albeit as a student rather than as a teacher with Jeritza serving as the professor of whichever house Shez chooses. They then go on to throw a major wrench in [[spoiler:those who slither in the dark's plans by saving Monica and outing Tomas, in turn kicking off a domino effect leading to them losing almost all their influence in Adrestia and Faerghus]]. This also has the unintended effect of causing political turmoil that allows Almyra an opportunity to invade since neither the Empire nor the Kingdom can help the Alliance repel Almyra and the Knights of Seiros are stretched thin helping said countries.
* SummonToHand: In Shez's C-Support with Sylvain they mention that their second sword, a mysterious weapon born when they first transformed, appears in their hand when needed and disappears the moment they let it go. They take advantage of this ability in various ways in many of their cinematic cutscene battles. For instance, in the ending cutscene to Golden Wildfire, Shez does this to [[spoiler:distract The Immaculate One from obliterating Claude with an energy beam by jumping high into the air, summoning their sword ahead of themselves and grab it, and slash the lower jaw of The Immaculate One, causing her great pain and making her miss her aim at Claude, giving him the opportunity to AttackItsWeakPoint for the kill.]]
* SuperMode: Like all characters in ''Three Hopes'', they have access to one in the form of Awakened. Unlike the others, theirs is a more prominent example in that they develop dragon-like properties. From a story standpoint, however, Shez is disturbed by this as it is very reminiscent of the shapeshifting abilities of those who slither in the dark; an implication that concerns them greatly.
* SupernaturalSensitivity: Because Shez's dark magic is of the same variety as the Agarthans, they're able to feel its presence in someone. They use this ability on Scarlet Blaze to help Edelgard ferret out additional Agarthan spies masquerading as normal people and thus more effectively remove their influence from Adrestria, something Edelgard thought would be impossible to thoroughly do. In Azure Gleam, they can sense Myson's presence after their initial encounter with him.
* SupportingProtagonist: While Shez does have goals of their own, they're basically a subplot compared to their assistance of their chosen Lord.
* SupremeChef: Shez is a very good cook. Even when they judge their own work as being lacking, the units they are feeding will happily state that it's some of the best food they've eaten. It should be noted that the worst rating Shez can get while cooking is a Nice with the only way for characters to dislike their cooking is when they dislike the dish itself. Yuri, who is himself also considered an excellent cook, compliments Shez's cooking skills when sharing a meal with them and Ashe.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Shez being a SupportingProtagonist who happens to be [[spoiler:the host of a being revered by the main villains]] and close ally to a Lord brings to mind Robin, the Avatar of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'', [[spoiler:who happens to be the host of BigBad Grima.]]
* TaughtByExperience: Shez's support with Felix reveals that Shez doesn't subscribe to a particular school or style of combat. They created their current fighting form from all the experiences and things they've picked up during their time as TheDrifter moving from one band of mercenaries to another. This makes Shez harder for their enemies and their allies to read until Felix demands to spar with Shez so they can learn each other's moves to better work together.
* TemporarilyAVillain: [[spoiler:Due to DemonicPossession. If Byleth is ultimately recruited instead of slain, eventually Arval (or rather Epimenides) forcefully takes over Shez's body in an attempt to kill Byleth. For the following battle, Shez is a boss character rather than an ally.]]
* ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: Since Shez can summon back their second sword at will, they have adapted their fighting style to involve throwing the sword and summoning it right back. This is why Legendary Female Shez in ''Heroes'' qualifies as a Blue ''Dagger'' unit, as she attacks by throwing her sword.
* TokenHeroicOrc: The closest thing there is to [[spoiler:a sympathetic Agarthan. This is because they were bonded to the consciousness of an Agarthan mage through unclear means and have powers derived from their magic.]]
* TooGoodToBeTrue: Shez's status as a SpannerInTheWorks, as far as Hubert is concerned, is this. They not only possess powers eerily similar to those wielded by those who slither in the dark, they unwittingly provide Edelgard [[spoiler:the opportunity to break free from their influence, oust them from Adrestia]], and carve a path for the Empire's victory. While he's always been paranoid and suspecting of every little thing, Shez's abrupt appearance out of nowhere and powers make him believe they're actually a sleeper agent. [[spoiler:His fears are fortunately unfounded as Shez is nothing of the sort.]]
* TookALevelInBadass: In their first match against Byleth, Shez ends up losing hard even after their hidden power awakens to give them an edge. By their second match over two years later, however, Shez's combat skills have improved significantly enough that they can now give Byleth a run for their money and would have almost killed them had Sothis not awakened to give Byleth their own power boost.
* UndyingLoyalty: Over the course of the story, Shez becomes quite loyal to their chosen Lord for varying reasons: Edelgard's merit-based system gives Shez the opportunity to go from a mere mercenary to a respected military commander and more, Dimitri's acceptance of them despite the apparent connection between them and those who slither in the dark and putting them in charge of a private military force meant to prove the Kingdom doesn't have to rely on Crests or Hero's Relics, and Claude's overall acceptance and friendship with them despite the former knowing little to nothing about their background.
* UnknownRival: They develop a one-sided rivalry against Byleth after the latter defeats them effortlessly during their first meeting and is very eager to pay the favor back in full. Surprisingly, while Shez gets a few rematches later in the game, [[spoiler:they can choose to pass up a final confrontation and focus on more important matters, and their support with Byleth has Shez establish a friendly rivalry with them instead.]]
* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: Despite their search for Jeralt's mercenaries in order to rematch Byleth, they don't react either internally or externally when Leonie mentions that she knows Jeralt and considers him her captain in their C-Support in the demo. This is due to a translation choice in the localization, as the original line never mentioned Jeralt, and the line is changed in the actual release.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: In the Azure Gleam route, [[spoiler:Shez becomes this for Edelgard and the Adrestian Empire as a whole. In spite of their surprise involvement giving Edelgard the opportunity to kick out Thales from the Empire, jail Duke Aegir, and reform the Empire for the better, their contributions with the Kingdom in this route eventually leads to Edelgard getting brainwashed by Thales into a PuppetQueen for both him and Duke Aegir. This not only causes Adrestia's corruption to return in full force and those who slither in the dark's influence to spread out further, the Imperial Army as a result begins employing [[SaltTheEarth scorched earth tactics]] and hiring unsavory people like Metodey as generals under their new leadership. It gets so bad [[NobleTopEnforcer Randolph]] asks Jeralt to keep the truth of what's happening under wraps just to protect his force's already low morale]], and Balthus gets disgusted from Metodey's leadership ways and defects.
* VagueAge: Though the game has characters state that Shez is about the same age of the other students (roughly mid to late teens or early twenties), Shez's in game history is vague on details, only having a note of where they were born (Leicester), and the year being just question marks. Shez notes they have no memory of their birth parents, and thus no knowledge of who they come from. During expeditions with Holst, he can tell Shez that while his own age is often overestimated by others, he's actually not much older than Shez is, which could hint that Shez is about as old as Mercedes if not more.[[note]]Holst is 26 at the start of the game, Hilda is 18 and Mercedes is 22.[[/note]]
* VengeanceFeelsEmpty: [[spoiler:If they kill Byleth in the penultimate chapters of the normal routes, Shez mentions to Arval that they feel nothing after having finally defeated the one person they wanted to kill more than anything, bitterly wondering if there could have been another way to settle their rivalry.]]
* WarpWhistle: Starting with Part 1 following the timeskip, Shez can use Shadow Slide to warp in battle to any allied strongholds on the map, up to a max of 3 times. Any adjutants assigned to Shez as they warp will come along with them.
* WhatTheHellHero: In ''Three Hopes'', they, alongside Judith, call out Claude in Golden Wildfire for [[spoiler:sacrificing Randolph's Imperial Army to Catherine behind everyone's back]].
-->'''Shez:''' ''[with a furious voice tone and angry portrait]'' How does that make you any different from the nobles who just throw mercenary lives to the wind? Am I gonna be next?
* WeaponTwirling: When Shez is a Fluegel/Asura, their tornado attack has them put their sword hilts together and twirling them above their head in order to summon the tornado.
* WreckedWeapon: In a rematch with Byleth, Shez manages to destroy their sword [[spoiler:which turns out to be a TragicKeepsake since Jeralt gave it to them prior to the ill-fated battle where he's killed]].
* WrongContextMagic: Despite its appearance and its abilities being tied to Shez, the sword derived from Arval's power is specifically stated ''not'' to be a Hero's Relic, lacking both a Crest Stone and a slot to insert said stone. Shez also states on the Scarlet Blaze route that they weren't born with a Crest, nor did they gain one from Arval who unlike Sothis does not have any connection to a Crest whatsoever. In their supports, Linhardt makes mention that the sword's aura feels cold and almost inhuman compared to the Heroes' Relics' almost divine and terrible ones. [[spoiler:Rather the sword is tied to Epimenides, an Agarthan and Arval's creator.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Arval]]
!!Arval
!!!'''Class:''' Dark Bishop or Gremory
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/MutsumiTamura (Japanese), Creator/MelissaHutchison (English)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arval_borderless.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see Arval in ''Fire Emblem Heroes'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arval_heroes.png[[/labelnote]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemHeroes Cycle Keeper]]'']]
A mysterious being who feels like something is missing. They appeared by Shez when they were about to be defeated by the Ashen Demon, saving their life. They do not physically appear, talking to Shez like they are living inside of their head.
----
* AdaptiveAbility: Their second sword that they can summon at will is this. During gameplay, it uses the same properties as the other sword they have equipped in their other hand, such as having the AntiCavalry and AntiArmor traits of a Rapier or being a magic-focused sword such as the Levin Sword and Ridill.
* AdaptationalWeaponSwap: In ''Heroes'', instead of their two swords, Female Shez wields the Crimson War-Axe. In their Forging Bonds event, it's indicated she still has the summoned sword at least, but does not use it. Female Shez's Legendary variant does use her two swords, but she's classified as a Blue Dagger unit instead as she throws her swords at her opponents.
* AlwaysSecondBest: Towards Byleth. Despite how much more powerful they've become in the two years since their first encounter, the story and Shez's supports with them make it clear that Byleth is still out of their league as the latter has no issue keeping up with Shez even with minimal use of Divine Pulse. [[spoiler:The only reason Shez can even kill Byleth at all during their final battle (if not recruited) is because they aren't fighting Byleth at all, but instead ''Sothis'', the latter of whom lacked their skills as a mercenary and had difficulty controlling Byleth's body during their battle, both of which eventually allowed Shez to take the win. Indeed, should Byleth be recruited, after the chapters where Shez is forced to attack Byleth and they speak in camp, support points with them will go up if Shez acknowledges that Byleth could have killed them when they attacked, with Byleth agreeing and note that they held back as they realized Shez was not in control of their actions. This is all made even more clear when considering that Byleth never gained access to the Sword of the Creator in this timeline.]]
* AmbiguouslyBi: Regardless of gender, Shez can joke about hitting on Hilda to get [[TheAce Holst]] to spar with them with all his might. In addition, several of their supports have the same romantic undertones regardless of gender, such as Yuri saying that Shez will have to spend the rest of their life with him to use his real name. Shez can also note that Shamir sounds like she's flirting with them regardless of gender.
* AmbiguousSituation: Their past is subject to a ton of speculation since they know nothing about their birth parents and very little of their adoptive mother. They're implied to have some connection to those who slither in the dark, given they're playing host to Arval -- whose powers are derived from the same dark magic TWSITD practice [[spoiler:and in fact an Agarthan creation]] -- and were born in Ordelia territory, where TWSITD are based. Solon comes to the conclusion that Shez originated in Shambhala, which would make them an Agarthan, but [[TheUnreveal the game provides no concrete answers or clear explanations for Shez's origins]].
* AngerBornOfWorry: In their A support with Balthus, they have a moment of this with him when they learn he's going to continue keeping up the act of gambling his life on the battlefield after having told them earlier he would stop, following a close call with archers earlier, which is notable for being the ''only'' time their angry portrait is used in a support conversation with him.
-->'''Balthus:''' But since you admitted my way has merit, I think I'll keep rolling the dice. Gotta do what works for me, you know? Can't let one close call make me lose my nerve.\\
'''Shez:''' ''(shocked)'' Wait, [[BigWhat what?]] Isn't that what almost got you killed today?\\
'''Shez:''' ''(angry)'' I take it back. You are definitely gonna die. Please stop.
* AndThenWhat: Part of Shez's CharacterDevelopment. Their ultimate goal is to find and beat the Ashen Demon after losing to them, and their motivation for sticking with their chosen lord is that they're more likely to run into Byleth during wartime than they are in times of peace. The problem that Shez soon realizes is that they have no other goal besides that. [[spoiler:If they do succeed in killing Byleth, they can't help but feel bitter and realize they [[AllForNothing gained nothing]] other than get one of their comrades killed. It isn't until Shez abandons their rivalry with Byleth and focuses on helping make their chosen lord's dream of a new Fódlan into reality that they find a better, more worthwhile goal to strive for.]]
* AntiCavalry: They can learn the dark magic spell Dark Spikes T, which does bonus damage to mounted units, and when it reaches level 3, can also tutor it to other units after a battle.
* ArchEnemy: Byleth becomes this to them after they single-handedly destroy Berling's Mercenaries and leave Shez the sole survivor. The latter wants nothing more than to defeat Byleth, [[UnknownRival though they don't understand or care to know why Shez wants to beat them so badly]]. [[spoiler:In Chapter 10 on Scarlet Blaze and Golden Wildfire or Chapter 12 on Azure Gleam, Shez can potentially become this to Byleth as well if they kill Jeralt.]]
* ArmorPiercingAttack: They can learn the Luna Λ combat art, which ignores the resistance stat of enemies.
* AsskickingLeadsToLeadership: They're named a commander by their chosen Lord at the start of the TimeSkip, in no small part due to their past as a mercenary and skills. In Scarlet Blaze and Azure Gleam, Edelgard and Dimitri even puts them in charge of a private military squadron made up of commoners and peasants since they feel (well, Dimitri specifically does, while Edelgard notes this was on Hubert's suggestion) Shez could relate to them more than nobles.
* BadPowersGoodPeople: Characters like Hubert point out that Shez's strange abilities bear an uncanny resemblance to those used by [[spoiler:those who slither in the dark]]. Despite this, Shez throws their lot in with one of the Lords and fights to the bitter end for their liege's vision for a better Fódlan. [[spoiler:It's later revealed that they're a vessel for Epimenides, an artificial counterpart to Sothis and a self-made weapon designed to kill her, much like how Byleth was made Sothis' vessel.]]
* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: Their motivation for becoming loyal to the ideals of a given route's lord comes down to this in every case, though the particulars vary a bit:
** In Shez's supports with Edelgard, they explain that Edelgard earned their UndyingLoyalty by giving them the time of day when no ordinary noble would. Her meritocratic ideals are what allowed Shez to rise from a lowly mercenary eating rats to survive to a general in one of the most powerful armies on the continent. As far as Shez is concerned, they wouldn't be shining half as brightly as they are by the end of the story if it weren't for her.
** For Claude the focus is on his acceptance of Shez as a friend despite knowing nothing of their background.
** With Dimitri it's both that Shez believes they would not be where they are today without Dimitri (a commander of an army of commoners out to help reform the Kingdom by showing that Crests are not needed for success), but also the king's belief that Shez's powers are not evil unless they are used for evil, giving Shez more confidence and peace of mind.
* BigEater: They are noted to have a big appetite, though they can also go for days without eating anything. Just like Byleth, this is a nod to their ability to share as many meals as they have activity points, though unlike Byleth the points don't have to be spent in a single day.
* BladeSpam: In their unique classes, Fluegel and Asura, Shez rapidly cuts through enemy ranks with a flurry of sword swings.
* BlowYouAway: They can whip up tornadoes with their attacks to juggle enemies in the air. Their unique Warrior Special also has them throw around RazorWind with their sword swings before finishing with a SwordBeam.
* BreakoutCharacter: As of this writing, there are currently five versions of Shez in ''Heroes'', one of which is a Legendary Hero that debuted half a year after ''Three Hopes'' released and all of them were released before ''Three Hopes'' reached its 1 year anniversary. Considering that the previous ''Warriors'' game has none of its original cast in ''Heroes'' as of yet, Shez has basically become the face of the ''Fire Emblem Warriors'' spin-offs.
* BrutalHonesty: They tend to be very honest with their thoughts. On the serious side, they don't mince their words when telling Edelgard [[spoiler:the cost of the war she's waged on the Scarlet Blaze route]]. On the humorous side, they blatantly lampshade how much of a {{Tsundere}} Felix is, and they outright call Lysithea a child to her face.
* BuffySpeak: In Shez's support with Claude, they can advise him to give the Five Great Lords "the old ba-bam" or "skirt around them with a nice whoosh" when trying to get through their bickering. This initially confuses Claude until Shez explains their thinking, that if Claude could somehow temporarily assert more authority, he could act more decisively and make executive decisions for the Alliance until the war ends.
* ButForMeItWasTuesday: In Shamir and Leonie's Paralogue, Shez helps the former deal with a mercenary group called the Guardians of Fódlan, who they previously dealt with at some point in the past. During the fight, some of the mercenaries attempt to ambush Shez. It doesn't take long for Shez to realize the mercs have a grudge against them, guessing they must have killed a few buddies of theirs, but is exasperated and confused why they would hold a grudge against them. [[DramaticIrony They don't seem to recognize how the situation mirrors their own relationship with Byleth at the time]].
* CanonName: Shez is this, though of course their name may be changed to whatever the player wishes.
* CastingAShadow: They have a vast array of dark magic at their disposal, and training in the Dark Mage class gives them the Essence of Darkness skill which powers up their dark attacks.
* ChallengeSeeker:
** Shez is eager to test themselves against strong opponents to better hone their skills as a warrior, asking to spar with the likes of Count Bergliez and Holst despite their reputations as peerless fighters. [[spoiler:When Epimenides produces a phantom of Shez for them to fight, the phantom remarks that it isn't everyday that they get to fight themselves and how they'll enjoy this. Unlike the lords who deny their phantoms, the real Shez is thoroughly perturbed by their phantom as this is exactly what they were thinking.]]
** But Shez draws the line at gambling their life needlessly. While they get along extremely well with Balthus and are similar in many ways, they bicker with him over his tendency to throw caution to the wind and gamble his life for the thrill of it.
* CharacterCustomization: Like Byleth you only have control over their name and gender.
* CharacterDevelopment: Shez starts off as a bit impatient and brash, and very eager to get payback against Byleth for their humiliating defeat and the destruction of Berling's Mercenaries. As the game goes on, however, Shez's desire for revenge starts to wane as they become more invested in helping their chosen lord. [[spoiler:If Shez abandons their rivalry with Byleth and focuses on more pressing issues instead, they become less brash and start thinking about what they can do to help make their chosen lord's wish for Fódlan a reality. It's also telling that, if Shez kills Byleth, the [[AllForNothing victory isn't as worth it as they thought it would be]], and they instead wish they found another way to resolve things.]]
* CleavageWindow: Female Shez's default outfit shows off her large breasts. She loses this in her second unique class Asura.
* CommonalityConnection:
** Why Dimitri and Edelgard (on Hubert's suggestion) name Shez a commander of a private military force comprised of commoners in their respective routes. While Hubert had an ulterior motive for putting Shez in charge, secretly believing them to be a mole, Dimitri earnestly believed Shez would be able to relate to soldiers with backgrounds similar to theirs instead of nobles.
** Dedue and Shez both face discrimination from the nobles of Faerghus for being two of Dimitri's most highly-ranked retainers despite being from Duscur and a lowly sellsword respectively. They both motivate each other to prove the naysayers wrong to show that they've earned their roles even if they originally got them through sheer happenstance.
** Shez and Ashe are both HappilyAdopted orphaned commoners who feel blessed to have gotten an education most people of their standing can only dream of. Their support is devoted to them connecting over this fact as well as their budding curiosity about what their deceased parents were like, as Shez's mom kept to herself while Ashe's parents perished to an illness when he was young, leaving him with only hazy memories of them.
** Shez and Raphael connect in their C-Support over being orphaned commoners trying to make their way in the world.
** Hapi connects with Shez in their supports over having both grown up in secluded villages and for having mysterious powers.
* ConditionedToAcceptHorror: Shez isn't too broken up being the SoleSurvivor of their mercenary group, being used to "parting ways" with others, including their own biological and adoptive parents. That being said, they do tell Lorenz in their B support that being a mercenary or no, they know nothing worse than watching an ally die before their own eyes.
* ContrastingSequelMainCharacter:
** Unlike [[VideoGame/FireEmblemWarriors Rowan and Lianna]], royal siblings who meet and befriend various characters [[CrisisCrossover from different timelines and worlds]], Shez is a mercenary with no special background (MysteriousPast aside) who works for and is part of Fódlan's roster. The twins also use their expeirence with their allies to become ideal leaders, meanwhile Shez adopts their lord's philosophy and mindset using their own experiences to help their lord.
** While Byleth was a blank slate with origins heavily tied to [[spoiler:the Children of the Goddess]], Shez has a clearly defined personality and has origins heavily tied to [[spoiler:those who slither in the dark]].
* CulturedBadass: Zigzagged. Shez is a very down-to-earth person who admits that they aren't used to a lot of the luxuries they have, thanks to their RagsToRiches rise from a nameless mercenary to a general and personal confidant of one of the three most powerful figures in Fódlan. Dorothea's famed singing voice and fancy cups of tea don't resonate with them the way Shez thinks they should. But their travels as TheDrifter means they have an open perspective and plenty of stories to tell about other mercenary bands, cultures, and places. For instance, in their supports with Raphael, they introduce him to alternative methods of preserving food (like smoking after curing) that greatly improve the quality of the food and thus the army's morale.
* CurbStompBattle:
** On the receiving end within the very opening chapter. Shez can barely damage Byleth and gets utterly thrashed until Arval gives them a power up, [[CurbStompCushion and even then it's still not enough to best Byleth]].
** In the Gatekeeper's paralogue, Shez inflicted this on the three houses during the mock battle back in their days at the Officer's Academy, having wandered onto the battlefield completely by accident. Caspar describes fighting Shez as being like "fighting a brick wall" while Hubert says that Shez cut down the students like ripe wheat.
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: They have both purple hair and eyes.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: Shez never knew their birth parents, their adoptive mother died some time ago and they were kicked out of their village soon afterwards, and they've lost so many of their fellow mercenaries over the years that they purposely avoid forming intimate connections. They also mention that they've done "terrible things" over the course of their service as a mercenary.
* DarkIsNotEvil: By Hubert's own analysis based on what he could find in Thales' notes in Scarlet Blaze, Shez's SuperMode is derived from the dark magic practiced by those who slither in the dark, increasing the already disturbing implications that Arval is associated with them somehow. However, several characters point out that even if their power is associated with their enemies, Shez uses them for what they believe is right. That, and they're leagues better than the likes of those who slither in the dark. Dimitri tells Shez that power is neutral, the good or bad comes from how they choose to use that power.
* DeceasedParentsAreTheBest: Shez's adoptive mother is long gone by the start of the story, but Shez has nothing but good things to say about her. According to them, their mom "knew everything" and was skilled at all forms of combat, including magic. Shez's supports with Ashe have them try to discover who Shez's mom was, but they come up empty after exhausting all avenues of inquiry. But at the very end of the support, Ashe receives a letter addressed to Shez about the topic, but [[TheUnreveal the player never gets to hear about its contents]]. Shez also mentions that their mom used to bake wonderful fruit desserts for them and that Mercedes' treats feel like tasting some of that old ComfortFood again.
* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Of the PointOfDivergence protagonist concept. Shez has absolutely no idea nor greater context for the rest of the story because they'd normally be dead before ''Three Houses'' began, and their rescue by Arval makes them a SpannerInTheWorks who influences the plot in unpredictable and rather excessive ways that completely alters the paths the main three lords take. For instance, Shez doesn't get quite as personally integrated with the cast as Byleth ever managed to and simply becomes as close to them as the lords would with the rest of their classmates. Lastly, Shez [[spoiler:doesn't necessarily save the day or create a true GoldenEnding, only helping the chosen lord fulfill their goals as the war continues to wage on regardless, and following through with their goal of killing Byleth ends up only making things worse as a consequence with a [[VengeanceFeelsEmpty worthless conclusion]]]]. Outside of spoilers, Shez's sudden arrival and changing of history from a meta angle isn't something that goes unnoticed by some of the characters; Hubert in Scarlet Blaze for example, makes it a point that Shez suddenly coming out of nowhere and changing so much of the plans made behind the curtains was such a wild card, that he right away assumes Shez has to be some kind of sleeper agent for [[spoiler:those who slither in the dark]].
* DoomedByCanon: PlayedWith. Arval points out that Shez would have died alongside the rest of their comrades had they not intervened, all but outright confirming that Shez was killed by Byleth in the ''Three Houses'' timelines. The story of ''Three Hopes'' kicks off precisely because Shez survived their ill-fated battle with Byleth thanks to Arval.
* DualWielding: Shez wields two swords at once in their personal class, one being a regular sword and one resembling a Heroes' Relic colored white and blue. Note that their official art switches in which hand they hold the summoned sword between genders.
* TheDreaded: During expedition time with [[spoiler:Byleth]] and when asked about memories of the past, [[spoiler:they state that Shez is the only person they've ever feared on the battlefield]], which speaks volumes to how much Shez has improved their battle skills as time went on.
* EmpoweredBadassNormal: Initially, Shez is simply a skilled mercenary with no special powers like Byleth does in ''Three Houses''. Arval saving their life and granting them supernatural abilities via teleportation and summoning a special second sword gives them the extra edge in battle.
* EntertaininglyWrong: In their support with [[spoiler:Byleth if the latter is recruited, [[PowerMisidentification Shez mistakenly identifies their unique ability as screwing with someone's senses]] since Shez feels disoriented whenever Byleth activates Divine Pulse. Byleth doesn't bother correcting them, instead being impressed that Shez is able to notice and react to their time powers at all.]]
* ExcellentJudgeOfCharacter: Shez is noted in multiple conversations to have a knack for reading people and possesses great insight into the way they think. Hubert trusts Shez enough to have them choose which mercenaries are most deserving of a promotion. Shez and Felix's entire support chain is devoted to them getting a better read on each other and opens with Shez pointing out that [[{{Tsundere}} Felix cares a lot more about his friends than he lets on]]. However, Shez does not cut as deeply to the Lords' inner turmoil as Byleth does in ''Three Houses'', never learning the true severity of Edelgard's DarkAndTroubledPast or Dimitri's SurvivorGuilt.
* EtTuBrute: In their B support with Lorenz, Shez had at a prior point saved Lorenz from being killed during battle, to which Lorenz says that he can't bear the thought of a commoner like Shez potentially sacrifice their life for his sake. One dialogue option has Shez point out just how ungrateful Lorenz sounds about repaying the person who saved his life.
* {{Expy}}: It's hard not to see Shez taking some cues from [[VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance Mia]]. Both are purple-haired, sword-wielding mercenaries clad in orange, and Shez's moments of agency outside of player-control (and sometimes in it) depicts them as a having similar personalities, being a HotBlooded BoisterousBruiser who sees themselves as a {{Rival}} to Byleth, similarly to how Mia sees herself as one to Ike. Granted, Mia opts to be more of a FriendlyRival, as opposed to Shez wanting to outright kill Byleth [[spoiler: assuming the player doesn't decide to recruit them.]]
* FashionableAsymmetry: Female Shez's right arm and upper right thigh are less armored/clothed than their left counterparts. Male Shez also wears a gauntlet on his left arm, but not his right. They both also only wear a kneepad on one leg.
* FatalFlaw: RevengeBeforeReason. Shez is insistent on getting back at Byleth for having defeated them and slaughtering Berling's Mercenaries. This desire for revenge isn't helped as Arval, who for some reason also wants Shez to defeat Byleth, eggs them on and pushes for them to go after Byleth if the opportunity presents itself. [[spoiler:Pursuing this rivalry leads to Shez getting their revenge, but they learn that their VengeanceFeelsEmpty and Byleth kills one of the chosen lord's allies (Judith, Randolph, Rodrigue) in retaliation before Shez cuts them down. From a gameplay standpoint, [[AllForNothing killing Byleth also locks you out of the route's]] GoldenEnding.]]
* FlashStep: Shez's unique ability, Shadowflash, is a speedy dash that lets them move so quickly they're only visible as a purple ball of light before they end the dash. Hitting a solid object will stop all their momentum however, and their ability to turn in this state is quite limited.
* FlatCharacter: Downplayed. Often times in support conversations, they will talk about their mercenary life and how they would tackle said situation as a mercenary. While a bit repetitive, it makes sense: they've spent most of their life as a mercenary and - unlike Byleth who was raised by Jeralt - often spent it either hopping from troupe to troupe or by themselves until they got to Garreg Mach, with which they didn't spend the whole year at anyway. In other words, they learned to be who they are due to their mercenary life and uses that aspect to educate or compare to their peers, who have a vague understanding of their line of work and how that experience can be applied to the situation at hand.
* {{Foil}}: To Byleth:
** Byleth is a mercenary with an infamous reputation as the Ashen Demon, and is part of an equally prestigious mercenary band led by their father Jeralt, once hailed as the strongest knight in history. Shez is simply just another mercenary who joined with a group that only cared about their next paycheck.
** Byleth was raised by their father while Shez lost both biological parents and was mostly raised by their adoptive mother.
** Byleth's Divine Pulse involves [[TimeMaster turning back time up to a certain point]], while Shez's powers seemingly involve [[SpaceMaster manipulating space]], slightly altering their appearance, and giving them access to an unusual weapon resembling a Hero's Relic.
** In regards to their relationships with the lords, Byleth becomes a confidant of theirs and helps repress some of their worst qualities. While Shez helps them become a greater commander and leader overall, they aren't able to help them deal with some of their more underlying problems, and is treated as a close friend and comrade by the Lords. While they're both [[ExcellentJudgeOfCharacter said to possess great insight into other's characters]], Byleth can immediately see that see the lords have a darker side to them, whereas Shez does not pick up on the severity of the lords' issues, instead focusing on their actions. At the end of each route in both games, Byleth helps their lord become the best version of themselves helping them move on from their personal issues and grow as a person, Shez's more grounded and simplistic views gives them a bit of extra perspective allowing them to grow as leaders. More specifically, where Byleth's relationship with their chosen lord focuses on how they alter and better the lord's ideology/beliefs, with Shez the focus is placed on how Shez ends up ''taking on'' their chosen lord's beliefs and ideology. Their support does help the lord emotionally, but it is Shez who is the main one who is changed.
** Their impact in their respective games also differs. Byleth's story during the Academy Phase is mostly the same due to Rhea assigning them higher-risk missions compared to the other houses, but the War Phase drastically differs depending on the chosen Lord. The endgame even sees them becoming [[spoiler:the ruler of a new country in Fódlan (Verdant Wind, Silver Snow) or Rhea's successor as the new archbishop of the Church of Seiros (Azure Moon)]]. Shez's story is the opposite as they're only a student and get caught up in their respective house's dilemma, but the War Phase remains the same up until near the endgame since Shez, like Byleth, proves an invaluable asset that allows their chosen Lord to come ahead of the competition. All in all, Shez is more of a SupportingProtagonist while Byleth grows from this to share prominence in driving the plot with their chosen lord.
** Shez is a chatterbox who frequently makes small talk and expresses their opinions to others, versus Byleth who is TheStoic and rarely speaks or emotes [[spoiler:due to the unnatural circumstances of their creation]]. This is even more apparent in support conversations if [[spoiler:Byleth is spared and recruited]] as while Shez's antics and dialogue are almost indistinguishable from what their friends and fellow students would say and do, [[spoiler:Byleth still has a mysterious aura around them.]]
** Byleth's unique advanced class, The Enlightened One is [[GoldAndWhiteAreDivine holy looking]] and gives Byleth access to [[LightIsGood light based magic]], Shez's unique advanced class, Asura, is [[RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver demonic looking]], and gives Shez access to [[DarkIsNotEvil dark magic]].
** While Shez does occasionally flirt with some of the other characters, they can't enter a relationship with anyone. Byleth on the other hand is mostly oblivious to the concepts of love and romance, yet they can enter a relationship with most of the cast.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Partway through the prologue, Shez is there to see [[spoiler:Solon cast aside his Tomas identity]], and a conversation with Arval afterwards likens it to their own shapeshifting SuperMode and the implications that might hold, not to mention Arval feeling raw emotion, neither positive nor negative, when they see certain individuals tied to that twist early on. [[spoiler:Arval, or rather Epimenides, is an Agarthan creation, and thus their abilities are inherently tied to what those who slither in the dark use.]]
* FriendlyRival: Shez's supports with Caspar establish a friendly rivalry between them as they both train to outdo the other, training and sparring together while earning a mutual respect for the other's determination to get better. It culminates in Shez asking for a spar with Caspar's father, to which Caspar offers some salient advice before Shez is subjected to Count Bergliez's TrainingFromHell. After that, Shez has a renewed appreciation for Caspar's energetic personality and determination for being able to handle that kind of beating every single day, and Caspar remarks how Shez has endured said training longer than anyone else has.
** Shez also establishes one of these with [[spoiler:Byleth]] if they are recruited on any route.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: Shez starts off as a no-name mercenary whose company gets destroyed by Byleth, virtually starting from nothing. They find an opportunity for success when they save the House Leaders, and at the start of the TimeSkip on Azure Gleam and Scarlet Blaze, they're offered a position in the Kingdom and Empire's ranks as a commander. From there, they grow to become one of the most talented officers in their respected faction. This is even lampshaded in Edelgard's B-Support with Shez, where the latter notes that they had nothing and were no one important, but now everyone in the Empire knows their name.
* GenderedOutfit: Male Shez is more armored, with a gauntlet on his left arm. Female Shez has a shorter sleeve on her right arm with no glove, an exposed upper right thigh, and a boob window, though all of these get removed when she promotes to Asura.
* HadToBeSharp: Several conversations note that Shez has a habit of training every single day without exception. According to Shez, it's simply the way of a mercenary. They treat every battle as if it could be their last. If they aren't strong enough, skilled enough, or smart enough to beat their opponent, that opponent will be their last.
* HappilyAdopted: Implied. While Shez doesn't speak about their adoptive mother much, even admitting to knowing little about her due to how she kept to herself, they have nothing but good things to say about her. Ashe's Support with Shez reveals that their adoptive mother taught them how to read and write, a privilege few commoners have.
* HeritageDisconnect: While they were raised in the Leicester Alliance's territory, their hazy past and mercenary life and remoteness growing up leads to them not really considering any one area their home.
* HeroesPreferSwords: Shez wields two swords in their unique classes Fluegel and Asura.
* HeyYou: Although they have a canon name, they're only ever referred to as "you", "our mercenary friend", or any other titles and pronouns within fully voiced dialogues since they can be renamed via HelloInsertNameHere. Averted in dialogues that are not fully voiced (such as conversations in the base camp), which will use whatever name was given to them in the dialogue subtitles.
* HumbleHero: Despite their pride in their skills, Shez is prone to downplaying their own qualities in conversation. In their support with Raphael, Shez can say that they and cooking don't mix despite being a SupremeChef in gameplay. They also continue to insist that they're OnlyInItForTheMoney for much of the story even as they risk life and limb for their employers and work harder than they have any real need to.
* HypocriticalHumor: In Shamir and Leonie's Paralogue, Shez is incredulous that the Guardians of Fódlan would hold a murderous grudge against them, guessing they killed some of the mercenary group's comrades at some point... despite this being Shez's entire dynamic with Byleth for most of the game.
* AnIcePerson: They start with Blizzard for magic.
* IdiotHero: Downplayed as Shez is quite tactically intelligent, but discovering that Arval can bail them out of danger leads them to become extremely casual about their own life when it comes to training. An annoyed Arval points out after the prologue that they have saved Shez 22 times in six months, three times of which were after ''jumping off a cliff'' to, quote, "get tougher." They get better following this scenario.
* ImmuneToFlinching: One of the skills they learn form the Asura class, The Creation, prevents all knockback as long as at least one bar of the Warrior Gauge is filled.
* InexplicablyAwesome: Ultimately, it's never explained where exactly they come from or how they came to be hosting [[spoiler:the consciousness of an ancient Agarthan archmage]].
* InnocentlyInsensitive: Their support with Annette has Shez getting into hot water with her after they wind up popularizing a tune she came up with before she finished writing the lyrics. Shez genuinely liked the song and found the lyrics about a man being eighty percent horse delightful, but can see how frustrated and annoyed Annette is and apologizes.
* {{Irony}}: Shez, who has no time powers, surviving their otherwise-fated demise at the future TimeMaster Byleth's hands significantly changes the timeline to come.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Extremely blunt and headstrong, but nothing but polite to people they don't have a reason to hate, and always willing to put their own life on the line for others. That said, they are slow to form genuine connections with others (Arval noting a almost disturbing lack of sentimentality in them when their mercenary comrades are killed), having not been particularly close with anyone since the death of their adoptive mother. Even the band of mercs who took them in, while they respected them, are noted to have only been united by a desire for money. Finding genuine friendships, and a bigger purpose than getting their next meal, is part of their character growth.
* JumpedAtTheCall: At the start of the TimeSkip, Shez is offered either a position as the Commander of a newly formed private military outfit made up of commoners (Azure Gleam and Scarlet Blaze) or a high-paying job (Golden Wildfire). While it takes a while for Claude to actually be able to give Shez said job and instead find work in the Leicester Alliance's Riegan territory, they're immediately on board with Dimitri and Edelgard's offers since it gives them new opportunities.
* KillTheGod: If you fail to [[spoiler:recruit Byleth, Sothis possesses Byleth and comes after Shez's head. Shez wins the ensuing fight and at least on a physical level kills the being worshiped as Fódlan's creator deity, along with Byleth.]]
* LateToTheTragedy: In Chapter 10 of Scarlet Blaze[=/=]Golden Wildfire and Chapter 12 of Azure Gleam, [[spoiler:Shez kills Jeralt after temporarily forcing Byleth back and killing their employer, then seemingly senses something is wrong and makes a beeline back to their allies. They arrive in time to see Byleth (or rather Sothis) kill Randolph, Judith, or Rodrigue in front of them and can do nothing to stop them]].
* LeeroyJenkins: Zigzagged. Shez is one to discuss tactics and strategy before a fight and understands the importance of having a game plan even if it doesn't survive contact with the enemy. But Hilda notes that Shez has a tendency to dive into the thickest, most dangerous part of the enemy line in a given fight. Shez explains that this habit of theirs comes from their mercenary days. They needed to fight in a flashy, often reckless way to build a name for themselves in order to find work. If they just played it safe and brought mediocre results, there's no way they would've been hired again.
* LightningBruiser: Shez possesses a strong Strength growth, an extremely high 68% Speed growth, and average growths in Defense and Resistance, ensuring that they'll be a speedy powerhouse who can take a hit while dicing through the enemy.
* LongHairIsFeminine: The female Shez has much longer hair than her male counterpart.
* MadeOfIron: Byleth getting empowered by Sothis in their second encounter during the war phase ends with Shez being [[PunchedAcrossTheRoom punched in the gut and sent flying]] with almost no harm to them otherwise (as Crest-bearers are noted for having much higher strength than a normal human), though Shez being empowered by Arval at the time could have reduced some of that impact.
* MagicKnight: Shez's unique Fluegel and Asura classes allows them to use magic in combat on top of their swords.
* MagneticHero: While Shez is slow to form genuine connections due to the touch-and-go nature of mercenary work, their cheery and outgoing personality quickly endears them to others despite their dubious origins. Their support with Marianne has her approach them specifically because she wants to be as sociable as Shez.
* MeaningfulName:
** "Shez" could be derived from Shax from the ''Ars Goetia'' and Great Marquis of Hell, coincidentally matching Byleth's own connection to the ''Ars Goetia'' since their name can also be read as Beleth, one of the Kings of Hell.
** "Shez" is also similar to "[[VideoGame/PuyoPuyo Schezo]];" accordingly, they admit to Lysithea in their A-support that they aren't great with speaking and end up [[ThatCameOutWrong saying something strange]] when they try to use their own words.
** Shez's second unique class is called "Asura". In Hinduism and Buddhism, an asura referred to a classification of god-like beings, some of which were described as enemies of the gods. Fitting, given that Shez's ArchEnemy [[spoiler:is the Progenitor God Sothis's vessel]].
* MentorArchetype: Acts as this to Leonie in their supports and throughout Golden Wildfire, who is impressed by Shez's skill as a mercenary long before they enrolled into the academy.
* MistakenForFlirting: In their A-support with Lysithea, Shez leaves her blushing and flustered by giving their honest opinion of her, which unwittingly comes across as a LoveConfession.
* MusclesAreMeaningless: A soldier can lampshade the fact that Shez is short and scrawny in build compared to them but incredibly powerful anyway. Female Shez takes this further in ''Heroes'' for her normal variant, wielding an axe one-handed that is almost as big as herself.
* MysteriousPast: Shez remembers very little of their own past before being raised by their adopted mother (who they mention was a person uninterested in social interaction) in Leicester, and their profile in the prologue even lists the years where they were born and became a mercenary as "???". Shez's complete lack of documentable history draws suspicion from others like Hubert, Dedue, and Seteth, who worry that Shez could be a SleeperAgent or TheMole for their enemies. Then there's how Arval is in their head the same way Sothis is in Byleth's, which may imply that [[spoiler:Shez could be an ArtificialHuman created by the Agarthans to serve as a vessel for Epimenides much like how Byleth's mother Sitri was created by Rhea to be a vessel for Sothis.]]
* NewTransferStudent: After saving the house leaders, Rhea and the faculty of Garreg Mach offer them to enroll at the Officer's Academy as a student as thanks. Shez accepts, seeing it as an opportunity to get stronger. [[spoiler:In reality, both sides know that Rhea and the others are keeping a close eye on Shez due to their mysterious power. Shez understands that declining was never an option, thus Shez decides to capitalize on their offer.]]
* NeverMyFault: Shez blames Byleth for their humiliating defeat and the destruction of Berling's Mercenaries. However, they're conveniently forgetting that their mercenaries attacked Jeralt's group, so Byleth killed them in self-defense. Shez also attacked them personally, meaning Byleth would've killed them in self-defense as well. Shez comes to realize this over time.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero:
** Early in the game, Shez namedrops Jeralt as the leader of a renowned band of mercenaries, which Alois takes notice of and mentions wanting to look into it at a later date. [[spoiler:At some point in the TimeSkip, Alois did reunite with Jeralt and joined up with his former captain's mercenary company.]]
** Shez's actions during the prologue create a major political shake-up in both Adrestia and Faerghus that gives Prince Shahid of Almyra the idea and opportunity to launch one of the biggest invasions ever recorded.
* NoPlaceForAWarrior: In Golden Wildfire, Shez has issues finding work that allows them to battle (as opposed to just train) prior to Claude recruiting them again two years after the prologue because the relative peace within the Alliance means less mercenary work is available (having to settle for guard duty and such instead). Arval even points out a silver lining in war starting up again is that it means they have a higher chance of running into Jeralt's mercenaries, and by extension Byleth, for Shez's rematch against them. Counter that with the other two routes where Shez is installed as a military leader, thus ensuring that they are well paid and are able to fight regularly. That said, Shez also notes this issue was self-inflicted by them choosing to stay in one area, that normally good mercs can find enough work even in peacetime provided they travel and know where to look, be it hunting monsters or guarding against bandits.
* NoSenseOfDirection: They frequently find themselves getting lost or heading in the wrong direction. Reading maps is one of their biggest difficulties.
* NonStandardCharacterDesign: Downplayed; Shez's hair is more vibrant-coloured than most other Fódlaneans, making them look like they fit right at home in the Game Boy Advance era of ''Fire Emblem''. Other than that, since their outfits are what you'd expect from a ''Three Houses'' character, they don't really stand out all that much.
* NumberTwo: Not to the extent of the House Leaders' closest aides, but over the course of the war, Shez becomes this to their chosen Lord.
* OnceDoneNeverForgotten: A sidequest from the Gatekeeper reveals that Shez, who had been exempted from the mock battle between the three houses due to their combat experience, ended up in the area of the mock battle due to getting lost while trying to get back to the monastery and proceeded to curb-stomp '''''all three houses and their leaders''''' completely by accident. Shez laments that they still get made fun of for the incident.
* OneHandedZweihander: While not usually notable with the swords seen in their artwork, Shez can still easily swing their two swords one-handed, and they wield all swords like this in their unique classes Fluegel and Asura, even with equippable swords that would easily fall into {{BFS}} category, such as Ridill.
* OneManArmy: While this is a given considering that they're in a ''Warriors'' game where every playable character can cut down {{Mooks}} by the hundreds and thousands in a single battle, one Paralogue shows a flashback to when Shez accidentally stumbled onto the mock-up battle between the three houses after getting lost on their way back to Garreg Mach, leading to them becoming a fourth party that all of the other classes try to defeat. Even with Shez being on their own, they manage to defeat everyone in battle, including 15 of the 25 students, culminating with all three house leaders at once. This cannot be just attributed to them being a simple mercenary, which several students note during the battle.
* OnlyInItForTheMoney:
** While they're cheerful and friendly to people who've gotten to know them, Shez freely admits that they're a sellsword in it for the gold coins they'll have clinking in their pockets at the end of a job well-done. They'll freely admit this even to the Lords they're working for, who are often taken aback by how frank and open Shez is about this. This is gradually subverted though, as Shez comes around to the Lord they're fighting for's perspective and decide to fight for a better Fódlan as much as their paycheck.
** Shez discusses this with Petra in their supports. Shez's mercenary principles include [[ConsummateProfessional seeing every contract to the end]] and refusing to take up another contract until they've finished their current one even if they're offered more money. After all, if they can't be trusted to fulfill their end of the bargain, who would hire them?
* OutsideContextProblem: They're this to [[spoiler:those who slither in the dark]]. Shez's powers, derived from Arval, are all but stated to be Agarthan in origin, and Hubert even says it's comparable to their dark magic. That said, even they have no idea how Shez came by them. [[spoiler:When confronted in Chapter 12 of Scarlet Blaze and Chapter 13 of Golden Wildfire, Solon demands to know where they obtained such power. In the normal routes, they have no idea how Shez obtained such power nor care since they've become such a thorn in their side, but the alternate route has Solon realize Shez is actually a vessel for Epimenides, right as the latter sacrifices him to drag the Lords and Shez into Zahras. In Azure Gleam, Myson asks why and how Shez obtained Epimenides' power, only to realize that Shez must have their core in them. Shez asks him in confusion and anger over what he is talking about, but Myson stops talking and teleports away.]]
* ParentalAbandonment: Shez mentions that they never knew their birth parents, and were raised by their adoptive mother, who died while they were still young.
* PinballProtagonist: Zigzagged. The War Phase plays out mostly the same and siding with your Lord gives Shez (and by extension the player) a look at what's happening on their side, with only some minor differences occurring thanks to Shez's involvement. They become less of a pinball during Part II, where the routes begin to heavily diverge thanks to Shez's presence. This is especially prominent in Azure Gleam and the alternate story route in Scarlet Blaze:
** In Azure Gleam, [[spoiler:Shez's absence in Edelgard's army and Dimitri's success leads to Thales and those who slither in the dark making a comeback, brainwashing Edelgard and installing Duke Aegir as regent. This also causes Claude to ally with the Kingdom instead of the Empire]].
** In the alternate story route of Scarlet Blaze, [[spoiler:Shez's actions allow Edelgard to recruit Jeralt's Mercenaries into their ranks. While this is also the case in Azure Gleam and Golden Wildfire, Scarlet Blaze's ending changes since Byleth doesn't convince Claude to betray the Empire as the secret chapters give the Lords a chance to talk and discuss their plans for Fódlan's future. As a result, the Empire has a much greater advantage and chance of ending the war quickly instead of being forced into yet another three-way war with the Kingdom and the Alliance]].
* PintSizedPowerhouse: A soldier NPC refers to Shez as scrawny and barely taller than a child, yet they're among the most dangerous combatants in Fódlan who play a major role in determining the outcome of the war. This applies mostly to male Shez, who is among the shortest men in the cast (alongside Caspar, Ignatz, Ashe, and Yuri); meanwhile, female Shez is the same height, which makes her one of the taller women.
* PleaseKillMeIfItSatisfiesYou: As a show of professionalism, Shez invites both Hubert and Dedue to cut them down if they seem untrustworthy. Owing to their principles as a mercenary, Shez places personal integrity above all and understands if their murky origins and strange powers would mark them as suspicious even with the favor of their chosen employer. But by the end of their supports, both men eventually admit that Shez's actions have earned their trust time and again.
* PowerDyesYourHair: Using Arval's powers causes Shez's hair to turn reddish-orange with purple highlights.
* PowerGlows: Their second sword glows orange in its slits when in use, and the shoulder pads for their Asura class outfit also glows orange.
* PowerStrainBlackout: Arval forces the initial use of the Awakened form on Shez to save their life, but can only maintain it just long enough to keep them on their feet until Byleth leaves, whereupon the accumulated strain causes Shez to pass out.
* PowerTattoo: When in Awakening Mode, Shez develops white markings on their face and part of their neck, similar to the ones Arval has.
* PunchClockHero: Shez is a mercenary through and through at the start of the story, taking work wherever they can get and killing whoever they're sent against (with some exceptions as reputable mercs do have a code of honor, such as not killing regular people who can't fight, and not betraying their client should their opponent offer to pay them more). They freely admit that they're OnlyInItForTheMoney and it's only after getting to know the lords for years that they start believing in fighting for something bigger than themselves.
* PurpleIsPowerful: They have purple hair and are a rather skilled and powerful mercenary. Several of their attacks also incorporate the color purple, such as the SwordBeam at the end of their Warrior Special.
* RagsToRiches: They start off as a common sellsword who admits in supports that they would have eaten half a rat to avoid starvation. Then they rescue the three lords from a bandit attack, and within months they've become a general in the personal confidence of one of the most politically powerful individuals on the continent. Shez's supports with Dorothea have them confide in her that they're not used to the luxuries they now have. Shez is unsure of how to appreciate Dorothea's opera singing nor can they tell if a cup of tea is actually good.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: When they use their Awakening, their eyes turn red, and they're more dangerous than ever. [[spoiler:Epimenides]] finds this out the hard way.
* RequiredPartyMember: Shez must be deployed as a playable unit in all story missions and paralogues. Replaying story missions and paralogues via the record keeper are exempt from this, as are side battles on the war map.
* ReverseGrip: Their artwork shows them wielding their second sword in reverse. In-game, Shez wields it normally.
* RippleEffectProofMemory: Played with. Shez doesn't remember what happens before Byleth reverses time with Divine Pulse, but they do feel disoriented, implying they are affected and know at some instinctual level Byleth's done ''something'', and can even react to it to avoid the worst outcome.
* ScarfOfAsskicking: Both versions of Shez wear a scarf in their default appearance and they're a powerful warrior. Once they promote to Asura, their single scarf gets replaced with four longer and more detailed scarves that together resemble a BadassCape. When in Awakened form as an Asura, the scarves become segmented hexagons.
* SecondHourSuperpower: They start off as a common Myrmidon and promote to Fluegel during the tutorial battle.
* SecretKeeper:
** In Golden Wildfire [[spoiler:they inadvertently find out about Claude and Shahid's family relation, but keep it a secret.]]
** In their Support with Yuri, Shez accidentally learns the former's real name after reading one of his mother's letters. While initially pissed, Yuri does ask Shez to keep it a secret. Their A-support has Yuri explain the origin of his real name, with him saying that only family and those close to him are allowed to know it.
* ShipTease: Several of their A-Rank Supports have this, especially with Linhardt, Petra and Yuri. Linhardt suggests Shez work for him as a bodyguard, saying he couldn't accept any "normal" or any other, while Petra asks Shez to come with her to Brigid once the war is over, and Yuri says that if Shez would be willing to call them by his real name, they'd have to spend the rest of their days by his side. Their letters to Shez if given the Merc's Whistle are almost explicitly romantic. Jeralt is also a ShipperOnDeck for Shez and Byleth, asking Shez to stay by Byleth's side and look after them should anything happen to him.
* SinisterSurveillance: Downplayed. In their support with Seteth, the latter admits that part of the reason they accepted Shez into the Officer's Academy was to figure out what their powers are in nature and whether they could be trusted. [[spoiler:This has to do with its disturbing similarities to the powers used by those who slither in the dark.]]
* SmarterThanYouLook: While Shez can be impulsive and act like a meathead (such as when they hurled themselves off cliffs to toughen themselves up), leading one to think that they're solely a mercenary good for fighting and not much else, thanks to their adoptive mother they have an education on par with an average noble, with Ashe expressing surprise that they can understand a complex tactics book in their C-Support. Shez also explains to Bernadetta in their C-support how most mercenary companions didn't have mothers who raised them to be nice and proper, unlike Shez.
* SoleSurvivor: Byleth completely wipes out Berling's Mercenaries except for Shez, and that's only because Arval ensured they wouldn't die.
* SoldierVsWarrior: Discussed in their C-Support with Raphael when Shez mentions that being an officer in an army is much different from being part of a mercenary band, as while before they only needed to worry about themselves in order to get their pay when they were a mercenary, being part of an army means having to look after the whole group in order to maintain unit cohesion.
* SoreLoser: Losing is listed as one of their dislikes, and they are motivated to take down Byleth because they lost to the Ashen Demon, despite the fact that they struck Byleth's company first and was given the chance to flee. They admit that wanting revenge is simply the only way they know to honor the people who took them in, and that they don't have any other connections or life to go back to. [[spoiler:They can eventually get over the loss, which serves as a sign of their character growth.]]
* SpannerInTheWorks: They're this to the entirety of ''Three Houses''. The plot of ''Three Hopes'' kicks off because of Arval's intervention and Shez being too stubborn to die. They run into the house leaders first, and saving them leads Shez to take Byleth's place in the Officer's Academy, albeit as a student rather than as a teacher with Jeritza serving as the professor of whichever house Shez chooses. They then go on to throw a major wrench in [[spoiler:those who slither in the dark's plans by saving Monica and outing Tomas, in turn kicking off a domino effect leading to them losing almost all their influence in Adrestia and Faerghus]]. This also has the unintended effect of causing political turmoil that allows Almyra an opportunity to invade since neither the Empire nor the Kingdom can help the Alliance repel Almyra and the Knights of Seiros are stretched thin helping said countries.
* SummonToHand: In Shez's C-Support with Sylvain they mention that their second sword, a mysterious weapon born when they first transformed, appears in their hand when needed and disappears the moment they let it go. They take advantage of this ability in various ways in many of their cinematic cutscene battles. For instance, in the ending cutscene to Golden Wildfire, Shez does this to [[spoiler:distract The Immaculate One from obliterating Claude with an energy beam by jumping high into the air, summoning their sword ahead of themselves and grab it, and slash the lower jaw of The Immaculate One, causing her great pain and making her miss her aim at Claude, giving him the opportunity to AttackItsWeakPoint for the kill.]]
* SuperMode: Like all characters in ''Three Hopes'', they have access to one in the form of Awakened. Unlike the others, theirs is a more prominent example in that they develop dragon-like properties. From a story standpoint, however, Shez is disturbed by this as it is very reminiscent of the shapeshifting abilities of those who slither in the dark; an implication that concerns them greatly.
* SupernaturalSensitivity: Because Shez's dark magic is of the same variety as the Agarthans, they're able to feel its presence in someone. They use this ability on Scarlet Blaze to help Edelgard ferret out additional Agarthan spies masquerading as normal people and thus more effectively remove their influence from Adrestria, something Edelgard thought would be impossible to thoroughly do. In Azure Gleam, they can sense Myson's presence after their initial encounter with him.
* SupportingProtagonist: While Shez does have goals of their own, they're basically a subplot compared to their assistance of their chosen Lord.
* SupremeChef: Shez is a very good cook. Even when they judge their own work as being lacking, the units they are feeding will happily state that it's some of the best food they've eaten. It should be noted that the worst rating Shez can get while cooking is a Nice with the only way for characters to dislike their cooking is when they dislike the dish itself. Yuri, who is himself also considered an excellent cook, compliments Shez's cooking skills when sharing a meal with them and Ashe.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Shez being a SupportingProtagonist who happens to be [[spoiler:the host of a being revered by the main villains]] and close ally to a Lord brings to mind Robin, the Avatar of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'', [[spoiler:who happens to be the host of BigBad Grima.]]
* TaughtByExperience: Shez's support with Felix reveals that Shez doesn't subscribe to a particular school or style of combat. They created their current fighting form from all the experiences and things they've picked up during their time as TheDrifter moving from one band of mercenaries to another. This makes Shez harder for their enemies and their allies to read until Felix demands to spar with Shez so they can learn each other's moves to better work together.
* TemporarilyAVillain: [[spoiler:Due to DemonicPossession. If Byleth is ultimately recruited instead of slain, eventually Arval (or rather Epimenides) forcefully takes over Shez's body in an attempt to kill Byleth. For the following battle, Shez is a boss character rather than an ally.]]
* ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: Since Shez can summon back their second sword at will, they have adapted their fighting style to involve throwing the sword and summoning it right back. This is why Legendary Female Shez in ''Heroes'' qualifies as a Blue ''Dagger'' unit, as she attacks by throwing her sword.
* TokenHeroicOrc: The closest thing there is to [[spoiler:a sympathetic Agarthan. This is because they were bonded to the consciousness of an Agarthan mage through unclear means and have powers derived from their magic.]]
* TooGoodToBeTrue: Shez's status as a SpannerInTheWorks, as far as Hubert is concerned, is this. They not only possess powers eerily similar to those wielded by those who slither in the dark, they unwittingly provide Edelgard [[spoiler:the opportunity to break free from their influence, oust them from Adrestia]], and carve a path for the Empire's victory. While he's always been paranoid and suspecting of every little thing, Shez's abrupt appearance out of nowhere and powers make him believe they're actually a sleeper agent. [[spoiler:His fears are fortunately unfounded as Shez is nothing of the sort.]]
* TookALevelInBadass: In their first match against Byleth, Shez ends up losing hard even after their hidden power awakens to give them an edge. By their second match over two years later, however, Shez's combat skills have improved significantly enough that they can now give Byleth a run for their money and would have almost killed them had Sothis not awakened to give Byleth their own power boost.
* UndyingLoyalty: Over the course of the story, Shez becomes quite loyal to their chosen Lord for varying reasons: Edelgard's merit-based system gives Shez the opportunity to go from a mere mercenary to a respected military commander and more, Dimitri's acceptance of them despite the apparent connection between them and those who slither in the dark and putting them in charge of a private military force meant to prove the Kingdom doesn't have to rely on Crests or Hero's Relics, and Claude's overall acceptance and friendship with them despite the former knowing little to nothing about their background.
* UnknownRival: They develop a one-sided rivalry against Byleth after the latter defeats them effortlessly during their first meeting and is very eager to pay the favor back in full. Surprisingly, while Shez gets a few rematches later in the game, [[spoiler:they can choose to pass up a final confrontation and focus on more important matters, and their support with Byleth has Shez establish a friendly rivalry with them instead.]]
* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: Despite their search for Jeralt's mercenaries in order to rematch Byleth, they don't react either internally or externally when Leonie mentions that she knows Jeralt and considers him her captain in their C-Support in the demo. This is due to a translation choice in the localization, as the original line never mentioned Jeralt, and the line is changed in the actual release.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: In the Azure Gleam route, [[spoiler:Shez becomes this for Edelgard and the Adrestian Empire as a whole. In spite of their surprise involvement giving Edelgard the opportunity to kick out Thales from the Empire, jail Duke Aegir, and reform the Empire for the better, their contributions with the Kingdom in this route eventually leads to Edelgard getting brainwashed by Thales into a PuppetQueen for both him and Duke Aegir. This not only causes Adrestia's corruption to return in full force and those who slither in the dark's influence to spread out further, the Imperial Army as a result begins employing [[SaltTheEarth scorched earth tactics]] and hiring unsavory people like Metodey as generals under their new leadership. It gets so bad [[NobleTopEnforcer Randolph]] asks Jeralt to keep the truth of what's happening under wraps just to protect his force's already low morale]], and Balthus gets disgusted from Metodey's leadership ways and defects.
* VagueAge: Though the game has characters state that Shez is about the same age of the other students (roughly mid to late teens or early twenties), Shez's in game history is vague on details, only having a note of where they were born (Leicester), and the year being just question marks. Shez notes they have no memory of their birth parents, and thus no knowledge of who they come from. During expeditions with Holst, he can tell Shez that while his own age is often overestimated by others, he's actually not much older than Shez is, which could hint that Shez is about as old as Mercedes if not more.[[note]]Holst is 26 at the start of the game, Hilda is 18 and Mercedes is 22.[[/note]]
* VengeanceFeelsEmpty: [[spoiler:If they kill Byleth in the penultimate chapters of the normal routes, Shez mentions to Arval that they feel nothing after having finally defeated the one person they wanted to kill more than anything, bitterly wondering if there could have been another way to settle their rivalry.]]
* WarpWhistle: Starting with Part 1 following the timeskip, Shez can use Shadow Slide to warp in battle to any allied strongholds on the map, up to a max of 3 times. Any adjutants assigned to Shez as they warp will come along with them.
* WhatTheHellHero: In ''Three Hopes'', they, alongside Judith, call out Claude in Golden Wildfire for [[spoiler:sacrificing Randolph's Imperial Army to Catherine behind everyone's back]].
-->'''Shez:''' ''[with a furious voice tone and angry portrait]'' How does that make you any different from the nobles who just throw mercenary lives to the wind? Am I gonna be next?
* WeaponTwirling: When Shez is a Fluegel/Asura, their tornado attack has them put their sword hilts together and twirling them above their head in order to summon the tornado.
* WreckedWeapon: In a rematch with Byleth, Shez manages to destroy their sword [[spoiler:which turns out to be a TragicKeepsake since Jeralt gave it to them prior to the ill-fated battle where he's killed]].
* WrongContextMagic: Despite its appearance and its abilities being tied to Shez, the sword derived from Arval's power is specifically stated ''not'' to be a Hero's Relic, lacking both a Crest Stone and a slot to insert said stone. Shez also states on the Scarlet Blaze route that they weren't born with a Crest, nor did they gain one from Arval who unlike Sothis does not have any connection to a Crest whatsoever. In their supports, Linhardt makes mention that the sword's aura feels cold and almost inhuman compared to the Heroes' Relics' almost divine and terrible ones. [[spoiler:Rather the sword is tied to Epimenides, an Agarthan and Arval's creator.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Arval]]
!!Arval
!!!'''Class:''' Dark Bishop or Gremory
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/MutsumiTamura (Japanese), Creator/MelissaHutchison (English)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arval_borderless.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see Arval in ''Fire Emblem Heroes'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arval_heroes.png[[/labelnote]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemHeroes Cycle Keeper]]'']]
A mysterious being who feels like something is missing. They appeared by Shez when they were about to be defeated by the Ashen Demon, saving their life. They do not physically appear, talking to Shez like they are living inside of their head.
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* AncientAstronauts: She arrived in Fódlan before the beginning of recorded history, long before the War of Heroes, from... somewhere else.
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* AncientAstronauts: She arrived in Fódlan before the beginning of recorded history, long before the War of Heroes, from... somewhere else. In-universe legends several times attribute the celestial body known as the Blue Sea Star to be her original home, and her name is the Greek form of Sopdet, the Ancient Egyptian personification of the star Sirius.
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* MeaningfulName: Their Japanese name "Larva" refers to the immature stage of an insect or animal. [[spoiler:Epimenides mentions Arval is/was intended to become him, making Arval as a result his creator's "larval state".]]
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* MeaningfulName: Their Japanese name "Larva" refers to the immature stage of an insect or animal. Their English name is an anagram of the same word. [[spoiler:Epimenides mentions Arval is/was intended to become him, making Arval as a result his creator's "larval state".]]
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* HereditaryHomosexuality: She is bisexual just like her daughter [[spoiler: Rhea]] and her descendant (from a certain point of view) [[spoiler: Byleth]].
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* HereditaryHomosexuality: She is bisexual just like her daughter [[spoiler: Rhea]] [[spoiler:Rhea]] and her descendant (from a certain point of view) [[spoiler: Byleth]].[[spoiler:Byleth]].
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* HereditaryHomosexuality: She is bisexual just like her daughter [[spoiler: Rhea]].
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* HereditaryHomosexuality: She is bisexual just like her daughter [[spoiler: Rhea]].Rhea]] and her descendant (from a certain point of view) [[spoiler: Byleth]].
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* HereditaryHomosexuality: She is bisexual just like her daughter [[spoiler: Rhea]].
