Alternative Character Interpretation in Fire Emblem: Three Houses.
- At the end of the Azure Moon route: Edelgard's reasons for throwing a dagger at Dimitri in response to him extending his hand. Is it a final act of defiance that she knows is doomed? A way to force him to kill her since everything she's worked for is gone? A genuine attempt on his life out of mere spite? A reminder to "cut a path to the future you desire", as the dagger symbolizes in the Kingdom (with Dimitri having told her prior to their battle)? You decide!
- In the Verdant Wind and Silver Snow routes the scene plays out similarly, only with Byleth delivering the killing the blow. In this scenario, Edelgard concedes defeat but still insists that Byleth has to cut her down to end the war. Was Edelgard resigned to be a Death Seeker since her ideal Fódlan was not coming to pass or did she legitimately believe that the only way for the Empire to peacefully surrender would be with her death?
- Rhea's backstory. She says she is the last child of the Progenitor God; the Japanese text uses the word saigo, which refers more to the youngest child rather than the last surviving one. This begs a few questions about things people took for granted. Due to how impersonal her account of it is and how vague the details are: did Rhea herself experience the war between the Zanado and Agartha at a young age? Or was she just told a story about them many years after? If the latter is true, it's possible those who slither in the dark are the only survivors who could give a first-person account of their war with Sothis and why it happened. If the former is true, it could be that most of Rhea's choices are fueled by associated trauma from her memories, which makes her willingness to suppress technology all the more believable.
- Just how did Rhea view Jeralt's late wife? A mere creation, as Frankenstein viewed his ghoul, but with more affection on Rhea's part? An adoptive daughter? A biological daughter? The game can be read all three ways.
- Some people see the possible romance between Byleth and Rhea as creepy and incestuous. If Rhea does indeed view Sitri as her biological daughter, that this makes Byleth into Rhea's grandchild, and also Rhea's parent due to carrying Sothis' soul and literal heart.
- If Rhea survives the end of Silver Snow, has she truly let go of the past, being able to step back and let others take charge of their own destinies? Or will she lose heart again if she loses Byleth and try once more to assert control for (what she sees as) everyone else's own good?
- Rhea's actions in the backstory regarding Byleth's birth. As revealed on the Silver Snow route, she implanted Sothis's crest stone into Byleth, who was a stillborn and would have died had it not happened. Some view this a noble act; Rhea saved Byleth from dying, giving the baby the power of the goddess as a result and granting Byleth's mother's dying wish. Others view it as a horrible act, viewing it as Rhea taking advantage of a dying baby for selfish reasons; she did do so at the behest of the dying Sitri, at least initially, but considering she also hoped that the infant would serve as a vessel through which to resurrect her mother Sothis, the measure to which the act was altruistic vs. being self-serving is nebulous at best.
- What exactly the Wind Caller meant by claiming that Byleth has the "stink" of Sothis on them in Claude's Paralogue, as the Wind Caller is actually Macuil himself. He may indeed have had a low opinion of Sothis, especially since a thousand years in self-isolation after a bloody war is a long time to oneself to potentially foment underlying bitterness or resentment, or — since he's still furious about what the ancient humans did to his fellow Children of the Goddess — he believes Byleth's Crest to be just as ill-gotten as it was for Nemesis and the other Elites, and that line reflects his fury and grief over what happened to her.
- Is Sothis actually a god or a dragon being worshiped as or falsely claiming to be one? The primary support for the former is that no evidence is provided in-game that she isn't a god (and there are various claims of her having had great powers of creation in life); however, veterans of the series can easily come to the latter conclusion due to the fact that she is not seen or even mentioned to do anything that hasn't been done by dragons in previous entries (even the aforementioned powers of creation have a direct precedent in the form of Fates' Dragon Vein system, which the originator of that power is capable of using to casually terraform a ruined timeline, and in the same conversation he claims to be weaker than Archanea's Naga), and those either admit A God I Am Not or are explicitly stated (either by other characters or the developers) to not be gods. Plus, y'know, all her direct offspring (by whatever means) are dragons.
- Was Bernadetta's mother's having her kidnapped and dropped off at the monastery a way of getting rid of her daughter, or a harsh but well-intentioned attempt to get Bernadetta to start a new life away from her father? Interestingly enough, on the Church of Seiros route, Bernadetta says she doesn't really care about her father but wonders how her mother is doing, later saying that she has a better relationship with the latter (if not many good memories of her). In non-Crimson Flower routes, Bernadetta asked for Byleth to at least spare her mother. Three Hopes lends a lot more credence to the second choice, as Bernie herself states that she has a healthy relationship with her mother.
- Bernadetta's mother also goes against her husband and supports Edelgard after her husband is imprisoned. Is this proof that she doesn't agree with (or even love) Count Varley? An opportunistic attempt to better her own fortunes by allying with the new emperor? Considering that Count Varley treated Bernadetta horribly in order to mold her into a subservient wife, it's not hard to imagine him having no respect for his wife's desires, or for Countess Varley to betray him when given the opportunity. Bernadetta also mentions at teatime that her mother is a highly talented civil servant, so perhaps she was not content to simply be a housewife. The fact that Bernadetta rarely speaks negatively about her mother seems to indicate that, on some level, her mother was at least doing what she could to help her, but given the player never meets her, it isn't clear exactly the reasoning for her choices.
- Count Varley having Bernadetta's childhood commoner friend nearly beaten to death after it is revealed that Yuri was said childhood friend and was caught trying to assassinate her. Was it truly to protect Bernadetta, or did he always want Yuri gone and catching him trying to assassinate his daughter merely give him a reason to make that happen? Does he care for Bernadetta as a daughter or merely see her as a tool to carry on his house? Three Hopes more or less confirms the latter.
- How genuine was Ingrid's love for Glenn? According to her, they were perfectly matched, but Dimitri and Sylvain both comment on how much Felix sounds and acts like his late brother (specifically, Felix's blunt and sarcastic streak) and Ingrid spends much of her time during their supports nagging Felix about his attitude. Did she love Glenn for who he was or is her opinion coloured by his death and she's choosing not to remember Glenn's real personality and instead holding him up as a knightly ideal like Rodrigue is? Her later Supports with Dimitri do suggest the latter to have some credence, at least. Three Hopes expands upon their relationship, and strongly implies they were very much in love whatever the case, so it is entirely possible Glenn was caustic to everyone except her. Interestingly, you can find a letter written from him that speaks of her with tenderness, so this has some merit.
- Why did Glenn sacrifice himself to save Dimitri? Was it a Heroic Sacrifice done out of loyalty to Dimitri, as Rodrigue believes? A pragmatic decision made out of the belief that Faerghus needs its future king? Was it a reckless decision to throw his life away because Glenn wouldn't have been able to live with himself if he'd survived and Dimitri had died? Or was it possibly done out of a desire for his father's approval, since Rodrigue said he didn't know if he could have forgiven Glenn for abandoning Dimitri to save himself?
- The Death Knight's refusal to help his allies using his strength throughout the game: an example of him simply not seeing it worth his time or does he simply absolutely loathe his allies, considering the individuals he refuses to help are the Western Church, Hubert von Vestra when he tries to give him orders, the normal Imperial forces from his paralogue, and those who slither in the dark? It is worth noting that he is much more proactive when fighting Byleth or when taking orders directly from the Flame Emperor.
- At the end of Crimson Flower, Gilbert, as well as Annette and Ashe (if they weren't recruited), don't even try to save the citizens of Fhirdiad who are burning to death as a result of Rhea setting fire to the city. Is this proof that they've become so hardened that they don't even care about what happens to their countrymen? Are they desperate enough to defeat their enemies that they feel they can't afford any distractions? Or do they simply believe it's not possible for them to save anyone at this point?
- Ferdinand's battle dialogue versus Hubert in Enbarr. Is he genuinely saddened by having to fight Hubert and Edelgard, but is masking it under a layer of neutrality? Or has he effectively become his father, being another Duke Aegir against the Emperor? On the first point, on the Verdant Wind and Silver Snow routes, if talked to after, he comments that there is a hole in his heart now, and he questions if it will ever be filled. On the other, on the Silver Snow route, after the battle, he casually mentions that as they have already killed Hubert, they have to attack the imperial palace. Not helping is his dialogue before the assault on Enbarr on any non-Crimson Flower route, where while he acknowledges that the Empire has to fall, he also loves it and wants to preserve it. He also remarks that Fódlan needs a single ruler and is saddened that it will not be an Adrestian one.
- In the backstory, what motivated Loog to rebel against the Empire? Disillusionment with how the Empire was run, a grab for power, or was he a pawn of those who slither in the dark who eventually aligned himself and his Kingdom with the Church for reasons unknown?
- Is Dimitri trying to give a Love Confession to Byleth in his Goddess Tower event, and tries playing it off because he got nervous or realized it was a bad idea? His "wanting to be together forever" almost sounds like he's proposing to her. There's a moment of silence of Byleth looking like she's actually contemplating it, and that he's trying to gauge her reaction. He tries to play it off as a joke before she can answer. Did he fear rejection? Did he suddenly think he said too much? Him specifically mentioning if he can really "have a future to promise to someone" makes it sound all the more suspect.
- Which of the house leaders had the best response to Jeralt's death? Did Edelgard give Byleth a necessary reality check, or was she being insensitive? Was Dimitri honestly empathetic, or did he unwittingly end up making it all about his own grief and desire for revenge? Was Claude concerned about Byleth or too focused on trying to find the truth?
- Exactly how much does Dimitri support the Church of Seiros and Fódlan's current status quo?
- On one hand, his responses after fighting Lonato and Miklan indicate he views the Crest system as having its upsides and that removing it might cause as many problems as it solves, and that some of the noble families play a role in keeping the Kingdom's boarders safe. He also acknowledges the Church's role in legitimizing Faerghus' rulers, and the Azure Moon path ends with Byleth becoming the new Archbishop and is the only path where the Church still exists in its close to original form. At the same time, it's the remaining faculty who are concerned with rescuing Rhea post-timeskip, with Dimitri himself rarely mentioning her, her rescue is left as a footnote in his ending and after Dimitri eases up on his revenge mindset he sympathizes with Edelgard's planned reforms but takes issue with the amount of bloodshed she's willing to use to achieve them. Several of his supports and endings also note that he wants to reform Fódlan in his own way, with Dimitri's unpaired ending implying he establishes something close to democracy ("He was known for listening intently to the voices of all, and for instituting a new form of government in which the people were free to be active participants").
- Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes would heavily lean into the second interpretation, as there Dimitri agrees with many of Edelgard's proposed reforms but is more concerned with the unrest that could ensue if they're introduced too fast, and implicitly acts as an Accomplice by Inaction to Claude's killing of Rhea on the Golden Wildfire route, albeit he does this with substantial regret, and states if he had the option he would save the Church, but won't do so at the cost of losing Faerghus.
- Since Byleth obviously doesn't speak during the scene, and it's not directly discussed afterwards, there's some room for speculation as to why exactly they betray Rhea to the Flame Emperor during the Crimson Flower route. Is it because they already understood Edelgard's motivations, and agreed with them? Is it because they're just that devoted to Edelgard by that point that they're willing to trust them despite how the situation looks? It could also be that they simply objected to having the Flame Emperor executed on the spot without getting any further context about their intentions or motivations, and Rhea simply snapped, sealing the deal.
- Earlier, the Flame Emperor proposes an alliance to hunt down Solon after the latter unleashes a bout of Infectious Insanity on Remire. If Byleth accepts, they accuse them of lying, saying that they can sense their rage at them over the incident, despite them denying their knowledge of it. Is Byleth really lying, or is the Flame Emperor simply making hasty assumptions? After all, Byleth just witnessed a horrible atrocity, so it's unlikely that they wouldn't be enraged, but was it directed at the Flame Emperor and Solon or just the latter, with the Flame Emperor misreading the situation? After all, you have the option to affirm your belief that it's a good idea later to your house leader despite them also having little reason to trust them, and if you actually join them after discovering their true identity, Edelgard is utterly stunned, having been operating under the assumption that their friends would inevitably betray them once they found out, and it's possible this clouded their judgement on the matter.
