History Main / MutuallyExclusivePartyMembers

** ''VideoGame/BaldursGateIII'' had an interesting case with the SixthRanger Halsin/[[TokenEvilTeammate Minthara]]. Both were recruited in Act II by killing the other in Act I, but on release it was possible to recruit them both through SequenceBreaking. However, a later patch [[NoFairCheating enforced this]] by making it so that upon recruiting one, the other simply drops dead if left alive. As a result of her EnsembleDarkHorse status, the devs later went back on this and added ways for good-aligned players to recruit her; it's now possible for both characters to legitimately survive the story and join the party.

** ''VideoGame/BaldursGateIII'' had an interesting case with the SixthRanger Halsin/[[TokenEvilTeammate Minthara]]. Both were recruited in Act II by killing the other in Act I, but on release it was possible to recruit them both through SequenceBreaking. However, a later patch [[NoFairCheating enforced this]] by making it so that upon recruiting one, the other simply drops dead if left alive. As a result of her EnsembleDarkHorse status, the devs later went back on this and added ways for good-aligned players to recruit her; it's now possible for both characters to (legitimately) survive the story, albeit only one can be recruited to the party.

*** Choosing the Law route will let you re-recruit Vyce, and also gives you the option to recruit Xapan, Jeunan and Ocionne the Dragon Tamer. The PSP remake also includes Ravness and Ozma as your exclusive characters in your party.

*** Move to the Neutral route and you can recruit Oelias and Dievold. However, Gildas, who's available in every other route, is unavailable here, while in the original version, Arycelle leaves your team(in the PSP version, her approval is just set to ''extremely'' low levels, meaning she will likely abandon you shortly if you can't raise it back up quickly).

** ''VideoGame/BaldursGateIII'' had an interesting case with the SixthRanger Halsin/[[TokenEvilTeammate Minthara]]. Both were recruited in Act II by killing the other in Act I, but on release it was possible to recruit them both through SequenceBreaking. However, a later patch [[NoFairCheating enforced this]] by making it so that upon recruiting one, the other simply drops dead if left alive. As a result of her EnsembleDarkHorse status, the devs later went back on this and added ways for good-aligned players to recruit her.

** ''VideoGame/BaldursGateIII'' had an interesting case with the SixthRanger Halsin/[[TokenEvilTeammate Minthara]]. Both were recruited in Act II by killing the other in Act I, but on release it was possible to recruit them both through SequenceBreaking. However, a later patch [[NoFairCheating enforced this]] by making it so that upon recruiting one, the other simply drops dead if left alive.

** In ''VideoGame/Persona4'' a variation exists with the Strength and Sun Social Links, which involve you joining a sports team or culture club. In the former, if you choose the basketball team, you'll spend time with Kou Ichijou, while if you join the soccer team, you'll spend time with Daisuke Nagase- granted, since the two are fairly close, you'll see both of them fairly often in each version of the Social Link. In the latter, you spend time with Yumi Ozawa if you choose the drama club, and Ayane Matsunaga if you choose the band. Neither choice has any impact on the benefits of developing that confidant, but some scenes in the Moon Social Link (which is unlocked midway through the Strength Social Link) will vary based on your choice.

* In ''VideoGame/SoulHackers'', summoning demons into your party shifts the total party alignment, limiting what other demons you can add. So if you have two Chaotic demons out, you won't be able to summon a Lawful one. The DS UpdatedRerelease comes with an option to turn this off.

** In Chapter 16 of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemShadowDragonAndTheBladeOfLight'', there are two villages that are right next to each other. One contains Samson, a fairly powerful Hero, while another contains Arran, a CrutchCharacter Paladin. If Marth is sent down to those villages and enters one, he can recruit one of them. However, doing so causes the other village to close its gates, preventing him from getting the other character.

** In ''Shadow Dragon'':
*** Doing the sidequest to recruit Nagi both requires Tiki to have died earlier in the game and also prevents Gotoh from joining the party. (While the Aum Staff can bring Tiki BackFromTheDead, it's impossible to recruit Gotoh no matter what). Due to being a remake of the first game (and thus the first book of the third), the Arran and Samson example from above returns.
*** ''Shadow Dragon'' has several other examples, in that the players can only access certain sidequests by having a maximum of 15 living units at the time. This is doable if one spares only the characters you use most frequently, but many players have issues with letting even one of their party die.

** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRemake',' Barret and Aerith are for the most part mutually exclusive due to Cloud meeting Aerith after separating from Barret and Tifa, and only getting Barret back when Aerith is taken by Shinra. The only times Barret and Aerith are playable simultaneously are the battle against the Arsenal at the end of Chapter 17, potentially the final battle against [[spoiler:Sephiroth]] if you use them both more than Tifa during the preceding fight against [[spoiler:Whisper Harbinger]], and in the post-game Shinra battle simulator.

** ''[[VideoGame/Persona2 Persona 2: Eternal Punishment]]'': When [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve rumors start to become reality]], the protagonists decide to spread a rumor that someone is investigating TheConspiracy in an attempt to gain a new ally. The player must choose whether the rumor states that the investigator is a man or a woman, which respectively leads to [[VideoGame/{{Persona1}} Kei Nanjo or Eriko Kirishima]] joining the team.

* In ''VideoGame/MarioPlusRabbidsKingdomBattle'''s story mode, the player's three-character party has a caveat on what characters can be on the team. This being that Mario must be on team, plus at least one Rabbid, since the name is called... well, you know. This makes Luigi, Peach and Yoshi mutually exclusive as a result. You can freely mix and match in the multiplayer modes, however.

* ''VideoGame/HonkaiImpact3rd'', as a long-running gacha game, has so-called "awakened" characters, units who share some of their skills and level upgrades with an older one due to some story-related connection − such as Mei’s early battlesuit Lightning Empress and her later [[PhysicalGod Herrscher of Thunder form.]] Two such connected units cannot be deployed in the same team, nor can they be used against the same boss in the "Memorial Arena" challenge mode. Interestingly, while the awakened system is still part of the game, it eventually became an outdated artifact and no more awakened units were released after the Herrscher of Sentience in early 2021.

* At the end of the first level in ''VideoGame/WolfensteinTheNewOrder'', you're given a choice as to which one of your surviving comrades to sacrifice to [[BigBad Deathshead]], lest he just kill you all on the spot. It's from this point that the game diverges between the Fergus and Wyatt timelines, with the decision affecting not only who becomes TheLancer for the rest of the game, but also which upgrades, unlocking techniques, and an entirely separate character appear throughout the game. [[spoiler:It also determines whose brain gets uploaded into the robot that acts as the penultimate boss fight]].

* In ''VideoGame/AngryBirds2'', Hal, Stella, Bubbles and Leonard are classed as Extra Birds, and only one of them can be in action at a time.

** Siblings Bethany and Carver are mutually exclusive at the beginning of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'', and one will be shot down by SchrodingersGun; if Hawke is a mage, Bethany dies. Otherwise, Carver dies. At the end, [[spoiler:Anders and Sebastian become mutually exclusive. If you refuse to kill Anders, Sebastian will not only leave the party, but promise to raise an army against Kirkwall.]]

* In ''VideoGame/JadeEmpire'', you are forced to kill either Chai Ka or Ya Zhen early in Chapter 4 if you've spoken to Wild Flower and learned about Ya Zhen. The two spirits, struggling for control of the body of the girl named Wild Flower, battle each other, and you must fight with one of them against the other.

* In ''VideoGame/SepterraCore'', you can recruit all the possible characters, but if you try to put Selina & Corgan or Led & Lobo in the same party, they'll occasionally shoot at each other instead of the enemy. However you can do a sidequest to befriend them.
* In ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'', there is precisely one dungeon during which you can use both Kratos and Zelos at the same time, after which Kratos leaves (again). Later on, there is a way to have Kratos join your team for good, removing Zelos in the process: [[spoiler:spend time with him in Flanoir, which results in Zelos fighting you as a boss and dying, and Kratos rejoining the party after giving Lloyd his sword]].
* Prevalent in the ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'' games. Characters of wildly disparate alignments will sometimes snipe and argue through dialogue at certain points, growing more and more hostile until you're forced to choose which one to keep aboard. Fail to make a choice and combat will break out until one or the other is dead. Fortunately, it's fairly easy to figure out which party members will have this reaction, and you'll often have the option of refusing someone into the party if someone on your team objects.
* In ''VideoGame/UltimaIV'', who can or can't join you depends on the class you chose at the start of the game, e.g. if you are a mage, then Mariah the Mage can't join your eight-person gang because it can't have two mages. Essentially, the Avatar is mutually exclusive with the potential party member of the same class.

* In a series which is famous for encouraging you to recruit everyone you can, ''VideoGame/SuikodenII'' comes with a few examples. The first is when you are asked to choose between Valeria and Kasumi, both of whom are returning characters from the first game who the player would probably love to have on their side for continuity's sake. Not to mention that they both have storyline connections to ''other'' characters you'll recruit (the other two ninja for Kasumi[[note]]And Tir [=McDohl=], if you imported save data from the first game[[/note]], Anita for Valeria), making it particularly annoying that you can't have both. Official artbooks and the ''[[GaidenGame Suikogaiden]]'' {{Visual Novel}}s indicate that both of them ''did'' join the Allied Army, [[ThirdOptionAdaptation despite this being impossible in the actual game]]. The second comes when you are given two Listening Crystals. These allow you to recruit monsters. You only get the two, and there's four choices of monsters, one of whom isn't even a Star of Destiny.
** Just after the halfway point of ''VideoGame/SuikodenV'', you can access a rather difficult bonus dungeon that upon completion nets you the very MysteriousWaif Eresh. If you do not recruit her, then at the very end of the game, you can recruit [[spoiler: Euram Barrows]] to occupy that position in the 108 Stars of Destiny. Eresh has no plot relevance, while recruiting [[spoiler:Euram]] is necessary to complete his character arc...but Eresh is ''much'' more useful and it's impossible to fully explore the bonus dungeon if you recruit [[spoiler:Euram]].
* A somewhat unusual example in ''VideoGame/LegendOfMana'': If you complete the Matilda/Irwin arc, you reach a point where you must fight either [[CatGirl Daena]] or [[KnightTemplar Escad]] with the help of the other. Though you can bring either one along with you for most of the arc up to that point and switch freely, the one you fight is KilledOffForReal and is [[PermanentlyMissableContent lost for the rest of the game]] (in fact, it's possible for ''both'' characters to be gone, but it will always be at least one of the two).
* Odin and Raiden are mutually exclusive in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI''. Raiden is more or less an upgrade of Odin, so getting Raiden means losing on Odin. And while Raiden teaches much more useful Quick spell to Odin's Meteor, Odin's stat bonus provides x1 Speed, which is arguably more useful that x2 Strength of Raiden. Pick your poison.
* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRemake'' Barret and Aerith are for the most part mutually exclusive due to Cloud meeting Aerith after separating from Barret and Tifa, and only getting Barret back when Aerith is taken by Shinra. The only times Barret and Aerith are playable simultaneously are the battle against the Arsenal at the end of Chapter 17, potentially the final battle against [[spoiler:Sephiroth]] if you use them both more than Tifa during the preceding fight against [[spoiler:Whisper Harbinger]], and in the post-game Shinra battle simulator.
* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'', it is impossible to have both Odin and Gilgamesh as [[SummonMagic summonable]] Guardian Forces. If you get Odin before the end of disc 3, he is replaced by Gilgamesh during the battle against Seifer. If you wait until disc 4 to get Odin, Gilgamesh is lost. Gilgamesh is more useful since he can cause damage even to enemies that are immune to instant death, but he's unreliable since you have no control over which of his 4 swords he'll use... one of them being a JokeWeapon that does only 1 HP worth of damage.
* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChroniclesX'': Phog and Frye Christoph are brothers who are [[SiblingYinYang opposites in every way]] and had a major falling-out over a past tragedy. You recruit Phog first, but Frye's recruitment mission requires Phog to be recruited but ''not'' in your active party. Afterwards, both of them will refuse to join your party if the other is present. Until they resolve their differences in the "Blitzkreig" mission (unlocked after raising your RelationshipValues with both of them to a certain level), you can't have both in your party at the same time. Different examples can be found regarding Celica and Mia; [[spoiler:these two characters become recruitable only after the point where Lao becomes permanently unavailable as a party member]].
* In ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss'', GuestStarPartyMember Asch is only playable at times when Luke is not. This is even enforced by Luke on one sidequest, since they're [[MovesetClone functionally almost identical]], and the party doesn't need two people who fight with their style.

*** If you choose Cyuss, you can't recruit Ashlay, and vice versa. In the remake, recruiting Cyuss also means you can't recruit [[spoiler: Erys]].

*** In the remake, if you recruit [[spoiler: Erys]], you will lose Mavelle. [[spoiler: Because Mavelle ''is'' Erys, just in another body. She'll reclaim her original body if you recruit her.]]

* ''VideoGame/EtrianOdysseyIIITheDrownedCity'': Roughly halfway through the game, you're forced to choose one of the two endgame paths, influencing (among other things) which of the game's two unlockable classes you earn after defeating the next boss. If you sided with Armoroad, you unlock the Shogun, while if you sided with the Deep City, you unlock the [[ArtificialHuman Yggdroid]]. Fortunately, they stay unlocked on a NewGamePlus, which means you ''can'' ultimately have both classes in the same party.
* In ''VideoGame/SoulHackers'', summoning demons into your party shifts the total party alignment, limiting what other demons you can add. So if you have two Chaotic demons out, you won't be able to summon a Lawful one. The DS UpdatedRerelease comes with an option to turn this off.
* ''VideoGame/ArcanumOfSteamworksAndMagickObscura'' has two pairs of functionally similar but opposite-aligned characters (Smythe vs. Geoffrey and Raven vs. Z'an) who won't stand each other unless you have maxed out Charisma and master training in Persuasion. Magnus will object to recruiting the undead Torian Kel due to a previous incident.
* In ''VideoGame/MountAndBlade'', the player can pick up various unique and [[NominalImportance named]] companions in addition to generic soldiers. These companions each have two other possible companions that they can't stand, and (at least in ''Warband'') the feeling is always mutual. Recruiting two characters who hate each other will cause both of their Morale to steadily drop, and recruiting a companion and ''both'' of their enemies causes their Morale to drain rapidly; in either case, eventually someone (potentially everyone involved) is gonna leave the party. They can be picked back up again after a little time has passed, but doing so without removing their enemies from your team means the Morale issues will continue.
* ''VideoGame/DarkestDungeon'' had the Abomination, a class with a werewolf-esque SuperpoweredEvilSide that "Religious" classes (the Vestal, the Leper, the Flagellant and the Crusader) refused to party with, at least until the developer finally coded in the oft-modded in ability to take them with said classes. Flagellants additionally refuse to party with ''other'' Flagellants, saying "the burden of suffering cannot be shared".

* In the ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'' series:
** In ''VideoGame/Persona1'':
*** Yukino can never be in the party at the same time as Maki, since Maki only joins you after you commit to the SEBEC route (by which point Yukino has already left the party and can never return). She also becomes mutually exclusive with Masao since they both leave shortly before the route split and only one of them will return depending on which route you take.
*** Reiji is an OptionalPartyMember who joins shortly into the SEBEC route and is totally unavailable in the Snow Queen Quest. Thus, he can never fight alongside Yukino (exclusive to the prologue and Snow Queen Quest), Eriko, Hidehiko, and Yuka (all optional party members who take up the same slot he does).
** ''[[VideoGame/Persona2 Persona 2: Eternal Punishment]]'': When [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve rumors start to become reality]], the protagonists decide to spread a rumor that someone is investigating TheConspiracy in an attempt to gain a new ally. The player must choose whether the rumor states that the investigator is a man or a woman, which respectively leads to [[VideoGame/{{Persona1}} Kei Nanjo or Eriko Kirishima]] joining the team.
** In ''VideoGame/Persona4'' a variation exists with the Strength and Sun Social Links, which involve you joining a sports team or culture club. In the former, if you choose the basketball team, you'll spend time with Kou Ichijou, while if you join the soccer team, you'll spend time with Daisuke Nagase- granted, since the two are fairly close, you'll see both of them fairly often in each version of the Social Link. In the latter, you spend time with Yumi Ozawa if you choose the drama club, and Ayane Matsunaga if you choose the band. Neither choice has any impact on the benefits of developing that confidant, but some scenes in the Moon Social Link (which is unlocked midway through the Strength Social Link) will vary based on your choice.
* Due to the way party creation is handled in both ''The Spirit Engine'' and ''VideoGame/TheSpiritEngine2'', every party member is mutually exclusive with two others. Each group of three has similar personalities and fulfills similar roles in the story to each other (for example, in ''2'' Ionae, Mericious and Kaltos all function as the TokenEvilTeammate), and thus having more than one of each in the party would be redundant. Notably, while the game stops you from choosing people with similar personalities, it doesn't stop you from picking people with identical classes; so while a party of Ionae, Mericious and Kaltos couldn't happen, a party of [[TheMusketeer Ionae, Charlotte and Grace]] is perfectly doable, if lacking in flexibility.
* Taken to the extreme in ''VideoGame/MarvelAvengersAlliance'' - you can take two characters with you on each mission. The only exception is ComicBook/DoctorDoom with whom ''every single other character, [[EvenEvilHasStandards including other villains]]'' refuses to work.
* ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'':
** The first two potential companions you encounter, elf archer Faendal and Nord bard Sven, are mutually exclusive, as the sidequest that involves recruiting one of them will cause the other one to hate your guts for the rest of the game. Generally speaking, both are lower-tier companions, though Faendal's stats and skills are generally better than Sven's, and Faendal is an archery skill trainer whereas Sven is merely a bard.
** ''Dawnguard'' has you to choose between Volkihar Clan's two Death Hounds and several Fort Dawnguard members, including huskies and an Armored Troll. Since the Dawnguards and Volkihar Clan are hostile to each other, you can only side with either of them.

* ''VideoGame/CaligulaOverdose'' has a case where two characters, specifically [[spoiler:Eiji and Kotaro]], ''become'' mutually exclusive on the Musician route. [[spoiler:If Eiji has not already been exiled from the party by the time the player reaches the boss fight with Shadow Knife, Kotaro will save Shadow Knife from falling to his death only to fall himself.]]
* In ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiI'', the Chaos Hero and Heroine are never playable at the same time. The Chaos Hero breaks off with you to fight Ozawa right before the Heroine joins for the first time, the Heroine [[spoiler:sacrifices herself to save you from the nukes (it doesn't stick)]] before the Chaos Hero rejoins you in the Diamond Realm, and the Chaos Hero permanently abandons you after you defeat Ozawa for the final time before the Heroine rejoins you for good after you exorcise Arachne from her mind.
* Enforced in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiV''. ArchangelMichael and [[BigRedDevil Belial]] will only join on the Law and Chaos routes respectively, as a reward for a mission to kill the other. Normally, killing a boss demon [[ReforgedIntoAMinion unlocks their fusion]], but an ally of the target demon knows this, so they stop the fight before the protagonist can deal the finishing blow. It's still possible to have both demons in your party on a NewGamePlus.
* ''VideoGame/SonicChroniclesTheDarkBrotherhood'' makes it impossible to have both Dr. Eggman and [[spoiler:Shade]] in the party at the same time, since Eggman [[spoiler:[[GuestStarPartyMember leaves the party]] during the same chapter Shade joins]].

* ''VideoGame/JaggedAlliance:'' Some mercs will refuse to work with others, either turning down your offer on the ground that you have their personal enemy or leaving the party. Though this feeling is not always mutual, so hiring people in right order you can sometimes hire both of them.

* In ''Videogame/WestOfLoathing'' you're only able to take one of the potential "Pardners" you recruit in the FirstTown with you. However later on it's possible to recruit a SecretCharacter as another Pardner.

* ''VideoGame/AgeOfMythology'' and its expansion have this in terms of gods. Each individual faction has three starting gods as benefactors, and every time your population advances in age (level), you have to choose between two different gods to advance you each time. For example, when you begin a skirmish in the Archaic Age, if you play the Greek army, you start with either Zeus, Poseidon or Hades as your benefactor, and if you choose Poseidon, when you advance to the Classical Age, you have to choose between Hermes and Ares as benefactors. Given each individual god has their own unique God Power, unique unit upgrades, and unique Myth unit, very often you will have to choose between having one particular legendary creature in your army while excluding the other.

* ''VideoGame/SierraOps'': Which people join your ship’s crew depends on the choices you make during Episode 1. For instance, going to investigate the Rhines distress signal results in Allen Fallauro and Jean Brookes joining the crew in Episode 2.

* The final section of Chapter 2-1 of ''VisualNovel/YourTurnToDie'' forces you into a SadisticChoice between the lives of [[spoiler: [[ReformedBully Reko]] and [[PaperTiger Alice]]]]. Later on in 2-2, you get the additional choice of either [[spoiler:sacrificing [[ShrinkingViolet Kanna]] and eventually [[CheatedDeathDiedAnyway the surviving Yabusame]] for [[WildCard Sou]], or letting the latter die.]]

* In ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'', there is precisely one dungeon during which you can use both Kratos and Zelos at the same time, after which Kratos leaves (again). Later on, there is a way to have Kratos join your team for good, removing Zelos in the process- [[spoiler:spend time with him in Flanoir, which results in Zelos fighting you as a boss and dying, and Kratos rejoining the party after giving Lloyd his sword]].

*** Ashton and Opera are mutually exclusive, with Opera requiring the player to trigger a couple of [[GuideDangIt easily missed]] {{Event Flag}}s. Both have quests hinging on a particular dungeon; however, visiting this dungeon is required as part of her recruitment, while for Ashton it's merely a SideQuest. In addition, Opera is required for recruiting Ernst, making him also incapable of traveling in a party with Ashton.

* In ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor2'', Yamato, Ronaldo and [[spoiler: Al Saiduq]] are this. While it's possible to get both Yamato and Ronaldo in one route, you can never have all three at once. This is because the latter will only join in his own route, and in that route neither Yamato or Ronaldo are recruitable.

** Branching paths make it impossible to recruit Bartre and Echidna in the same playthrough of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade'', and a second branching path will prevent the player from getting either Juno or Dayan. While Elffin and Larum are also locked to the first branching path, respectively, they are both QuirkyBard so it doesn't really matter.
** One can't re-recruit Wallace in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade'' without giving up the opportunity to get Geitz. Similarly, certain actions you take in the chapter "Pale Flower of Darkness" determine whether Harken or Karel will appear. Once you beat the game, you can play it again from Hector's perspective, and not only does he have several new maps exclusive to his mode, but he also has two units (Farina and Karla) that you cannot get on Eliwood's version of the game.

* ''[[VideoGame/Persona2 Persona 2: Eternal Punishment]]'': When [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve rumors start to become reality]], the protagonists decide to spread a rumor that someone is investigating TheConspiracy in an attempt to gain a new ally. The player must choose whether the rumor states that the investigator is a man or a woman, which respectively leads to [[VideoGame/{{Persona1}} Kei Nanjo or Eriko Kirishima]] joining the team.
* In ''VideoGame/Persona4'' a variation exists with the Strength and Sun Social Links, which involve you joining a sports team or culture club. In the former, if you choose the basketball team, you'll spend time with Kou Ichijou, while if you join the soccer team, you'll spend time with Daisuke Nagase- granted, since the two are fairly close, you'll see both of them fairly often in each version of the Social Link. In the latter, you spend time with Yumi Ozawa if you choose the drama club, and Ayane Matsunaga if you choose the band. Neither choice has any impact on the benefits of developing that confidant, but some scenes in the Moon Social Link (which is unlocked midway through the Strength Social Link) will vary based on your choice.

* In ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey III'', roughly halfway through the game you're forced to choose one of the two endgame paths, influencing (among other things) which of the game's two unlockable classes you earn after defeating the next boss. If you sided with Armoroad, you unlock the Shogun, while if you sided with the Deep City, you unlock the [[ArtificialHuman Yggdroid]]. Fortunately, they stay unlocked on a NewGamePlus, which means you ''can'' ultimately have both classes in the same party.

* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'', it is impossible to have both Odin and Gilgamesh as [[SummonMagic summonable]] Guardian Forces. If you get Odin before the end of disc 3, he is replaced by Gilgamesh during the battle against Seifer. If you wait until disc 4 to get Odin, Gilgamesh is lost. Gilgamesh is arguably more useful since he can cause damage even to enemies that are immune to instant death, but he's unreliable since you have no control over which of his 4 swords he'll use... one of them being a JokeWeapon that does only 1 HP worth of damage.

** While it's possible to recruit most of the students in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'', there are exceptions to this. Edelgard and Hubert cannot leave the Black Eagles, Dimitri and Dedue cannot leave the Blue Lions (and Gilbert will later serve them as an attendant), and Claude cannot leave the Golden Deer [[note]]Hilda also cannot be poached from the Deer while [[spoiler:Edelgard]] is in your party[[/note]]. Moreover, in addition to devoted Rhea supporters Cyril, Catherine, and Seteth being unable to join them, [[spoiler:Edelgard and Hubert]] will become mutually exclusive with [[spoiler:Flayn]] before the TimeSkip on the Crimson Flower route -- if you choose to [[spoiler:side with the Church over the Empire]], they will both leave the party, while the reverse is also true. The DLC makes [[spoiler:Jeritza/Death Knight]] also exclusive to the Crimson Flower route.

** In ''VideoGame/StarOceanTheDivineForce'', similar to Leon and Dias in ''Second Story'', whoever's chosen as the main protagonist will recruit a mutually exclusive character; Raymond recruits J.J., while Laeticia recruits Theo.

** In ''StarOceanTheDivineForce'', similar to Leon and Dias in ''Second Story'', whoever's chosen as the main protagonist will recruit a mutually exclusive character; Raymond recruits J.J., while Laeticia recruits Theo.