Characters / Fire Emblem Awakening: Grima and the Grimleal

Character Index | The Lords | First Generation (Males, Females) | Second Generation | Allies and Neutral Factions | Grima and the Grimleal | Lesser Antagonists

This page details the major antagonists of the game: the Fell Dragon Grima, and the group known as the Grimleal who worship him and seek to revive him. If you want to see the other characters, head back through here. Please be warned that this is a group of villains who appear late in the game, so all spoilers will be unmarked. Proceed with caution.

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The Grimleal

An evil cult of mortal men who worship and serve Grima.

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• Beauty Equals Goodness: All of them are ugly as sin, except Aversa, which is foreshadowing for her Heel–Face Turn.
• Card-Carrying Villain: All the Grimleal we see seem to be this (With the exception of Aversa, who was brainwashed into the cult), openly extolling their villainy. They refer to their master, Grima, as the Evil Dragon in Japan.
• Despair Event Horizon: Gangrel speculates in one support some members may have joined the evil cult due to his oppressive rule.
• Enemy Mine: They support Chrom's campaign against Walhart because he is plotting to eradicate them, among other things.
• Generic Doomsday Villain: The motives of the Grimleal aren't delved into as much as other villain organizations; no true Grimleal is recruitable, either.
• Rape, Pillage, and Burn: They engage in criminal activity, even against Plegia.
• Religion of Evil: They worship Grima, many of them knowing he'll bring the apocalypse.
• Sycophantic Servant: A few dying Grimleal even ask Grima to eat them as nourishment.
• Undying Loyalty: They even help Grima in destroying humanity despite knowing they'll die too.
• Villain by Default: All Grimleal are evil.
• You Can't Fight Fate: The Grimleal place all their faith in prophecy and predestination. Part of why they serve Grima is because they consider the Fell Dragon's victory to be preordained and want to be on the winning side.

The Risen

A Risen Chief

Undead soldiers of unknown origins. They appear in the guise of humans, yet possess no self-awareness, attacking the living without remorse. Following a cataclysmic event, they began to mysteriously appear from portals in mid-air. In the future from which Lucina and the other children come, the Risen overwhelmed humanity when Grima was awakened, instigating the end of the world as they knew it.

Echoes reveals that the Risen were created by Forneus from corpses reanimated by swarms of bugs known as Thanatophages.

Class: Varies (Revenant and Entombed are exclusive to them)

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• And I Must Scream: The Risen and the Risen Chief in the "Death's Embrace" DLC are created by Algol as part of a twisted ploy to create a perfectly obedient assassin from the remains of the strongest villagers he could find. It's their death quotes (listed below) that imply they're still semi-conscious after becoming Risen.
• Boss Battle: The Risen Chiefs serve as this, whether in story or in DLC.
• Dying as Yourself: The Risen in "Death's Embrace" DLC are able to utter a line as soon as your units kill them, usually remembering who they were or thanking you for delivering them from their torment.
  Risen Assassin: Who...am I...
  Risen Sniper: Does this mean...
  Risen Hero: Which way...is home...
  Risen Berserker: Finally...
  Risen Swordmaster: Thank...you...
  Risen Warrior: Such sweet...relief...
  Risen Sorcerer: ......
  Risen Chief of Death's Embrace: Free...at last...
• Glass Cannon: Revenants and Entombed have little to no defense, but have enough Strength to hit like a truck.
• Glowing Eyes of Doom: All Risen have glowing red eyes. Helpful for how normal they're not.
• Humanoid Abomination: As zombies, they used to be human, and now they're magically animated rotting corpses.
• King Mook: Risen Chiefs, who serve as the bosses of some chapters and paralogues.
• Night of the Living Mooks: One of the main antagonistic forces the Shepherds face. The Risen also make for common enemies in Paralogue and DLC chapters due to the flexibility their malevolent natures provide.
• No Body Left Behind: They evaporate into wispy black/purple smoke when killed.
• Our Zombies Are Different: They may be zombies, sure, but they're no slower than the average human of the same class, and every bit as dangerous if not more. According to DLC, Outrealm Risen are vastly different than those in the main game and paralogues; some steal gold, love to gossip, drive people away from special events to enjoy them themselves, and some others have even retained their humanity. This implies that only the Risen encountered in the main game and paralogues are outright hostile (they were controlled by Grima and the Grimleal) and that they are normally just undead people.
• Palette Swap: If you face Risen of any class barring Revenants, Entombed, or the Risen Chiefs, they'll use the same portrait and appearance as their respective generic class. Except they have glowing red eyes/visors and a dark purple shading which starts about near their uppermost bodies or armor that makes them look "ominous". Some people even prefer the portrait styled Risen to the models and cut-scene ones (as evidenced by the majority of Risen fanart out there), as the masks the Risen wear on their faces clash with some of their models in ways that they shouldn't (noticeably present with Generals and Great Knights) and even when it comes to what the class they represent wears (some headgear leave no room for anything else to be there, making them look ''horribly off''.
• Piñata Enemy: Entombed, which look just like Revenants except colored yellow and covered in bling, are Risen that give massive experience provided that their killer is at most around the same level as them.
• Puppeteer Parasite: Echoes reveals that the Risen are corpses animated by swarms of natural parasitic bugs called Thanatophages that reside in their masks. The alchemist Forneus perfected the process which Grima and his minions use to make them into their armies.
• Revenant Zombie: Though they are undead, many of them are able to move and wield weapons just like a normal human, even more complex ones such as bows or tomes, and some can even speak. Ironically, the Risen actually named "Revenants" are much more like the classic mindless zombie.
• This Cannot Be!: On rare occasions where Risen Chiefs are able to say something, like the one in Chapter 24 who managed to rasp out a Big "NEVER!" when defeated.
• Tragic Monster: During Death's Embrace, where the Risen enemies are technically sentient, but forced to do things they don't want to and are much relieved to die.
• Unique Enemy:
  • Revenants and Entombed, the only Risen that aren't zombified versions of regular classes. They tend to be fairly weak, but give good experience (Entombed especially) and use Wolverine Claws.
  • The Revenants get their own unique variant in the Roster Rescue DLC map: they're towering hulks with black flesh, glowing red veins, and are literal pin cushions filled with arrows, a Short Axe, and a Javelin.
  • The Risen Chief in the Death's Embrace DLC also gets its own unique model, which is similar to the Entombed variant. Ironic, considering it is of the Soldier class.
• The Usual Adversaries: They're the only kind of enemies that show up on World Map skirmishes unless you fight some Bonus Teams. They're also weaker than most of the human armies fought in the main storyline.
• Zombie Apocalypse: In the present, their mass appearance paves the way for a potential one. In the Bad Future it got there, big time. The Future Past is this to a ludicrous degree.

Major Leaders

Grima

Grima (Gimle)

Grima from the main universe

The Brand of Defile/Mark of Grima

Exposed face

So ends the human race. The future is built upon the past... but your kind will never see it!

The Big Bad of Awakening. The Fell Dragon who tried to destroy the world in ancient times, but was sealed away by the one with the Divine Dragon's blessing. While the Ylisseans fear the Fell Dragon, the Grimleal who control Plegia worship him as their god. According to legend, Grima is gigantic in size. A thousand years later, Grima is awakened when a suitable vessel is born and the Awakening Ritual is performed. This vessel turns out to be Robin (aka you - the player), and in the Bad Future, Validar succeeds in awakening Grima, who possesses Robin and kills Chrom. In the main story, the present Grima is revived once the Grima from the future uses his host Robin body as a substitute for the real Robin's, and the two fight Chrom and his army. The possessed body Grima uses is referred to as the Hierophant.

Echoes: Shadows of Valentia reveals Grima is the creation of the alchemist Forneus using Dragon and Human blood. For tropes related to him as portrayed in Echoes, see here.

Class: Grima
Voiced by: Kyle Hebert (English, Awakening)

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• Achilles' Heel: He requires a human host to bring out his full power, which is invariably far squishier than the dragon itself. Destroying the human host will result in Grima being sealed, or even killed.
• Arch-Enemy:
  • To Naga. Having fought over the fate of humanity for centuries, one desiring to destroy it, and the other swearing to protect it.
  • To Chrom, due to causing turmoil in his daughter's future world and being the indirect cause behind the Yilsse-Plegia War.
  • To Robin, due to being indirectly responsible for his creation and trying to possess him to become his new vessel and forcing him to nearly kill Chrom.
  • To Lucina and the Second Generation in general, due to Grima killing their parents and turning their world into an apocalyptic hell.
• Bad Boss: Grima offers only one ultimate reward for his servants: a swift death so that they don't have to suffer through the Hell on Earth he will create. The Grimleal consider Grima's victory so inevitable that they happily accept the deal.
• Bad Future: He creates a particularly nasty Zombie Apocalypse kind.
• Battle Theme Music: Not in the endgame of Awakening, but in Future Past 3, he uses Id (Hope).
• Beast of the Apocalypse: The closest thing in the Fire Emblem franchise.
• Beast with a Human Face: He covers it with an exoskeleton helmet, though, so it's only shown after dealing enough damage during the final boss battle. It's implied that it is a result of Forneus giving his blood to his infantile creation to grow, gaining human qualities as a result.
• Big Bad: Out of all the villains Robin faces in Awakening, Grima's the one who unquestionably poses the hugest threat. On a personal level, he is responsible for Robin's amnesia and possessed the Robin from the bad future.
• Big "NO!": Their last word, if you kill them with Robin at the end of the game.
• Bond Creatures: Grima needs to possess a descendant of the original human who made the pact with him long ago. In the main story, "Present Grima" is a variation on this as he's able to function without possessing Robin by being controlled by Future Grima (using Future Robin's body in the resurrection ritual). If the Grima from the Bad Future is defeated, present Grima is defeated as well as the former holds him together.
• Breath Weapon: Breathes black mist called Expiration for his attacks.
• Card-Carrying Villain: He calls himself the Evil Dragon in Japan (changed to Fell Dragon in the localization), and uses similar terms even in the localized version.
• Casting a Shadow: Breathes dark fire.
• Catchphrase: As solidified in Heroes. "I am the wings of despair. I am the breath of ruin. I am the Fell Dragon, Grima."
• Chewing the Scenery: When Grima has the upper hand, expect the Fell Dragon to revel in the helplessness of others. One major example can be seen in the "Dire Future II" cutscene, where he belts out a malicious cackle and grandiose declaration of how humanity has no future as he proceeds to attack a terrified Lucina.
• Composite Character: Grima seems to combine traits from Medeus and Loptous. Being a destructive surviving Earth Dragon like the former, but also using a vessel and a God Guise to control cult followers like the latter.
• Conqueror from the Future: Hails from a future where he successfully possessed Robin, killed Chrom, and rules over the remains of a world devastated by his Zombie Apocalypse. He seeks to ensure his rule will happen in the present and pursued Lucina who attempts to undo his rule.
• Contractual Boss Immunity: In Awakening, Dragonskin prevents Lethality and Counter from activating while fighting him.
• Cutscene Power to the Max: When the final confrontation with Grima begins either in the main story or Future Past 3, he immediately beats the entire army within an inch of their lives with one attack. This attack is never seen in gameplay. (It is not until the Legacy Boss Battle in Echoes that it appears again, called "Dark Spikes", where it is used in gameplay, but is mercifully less destructive due to Grima being far weaker at the time.)
• Dark Is Evil: With a pitch-black body and nothing but red eyes to illuminate it, Grima is evil in both intention and appearance.
• Deadpan Snarker: In the English version, he has a surprisingly sardonic sense of humor. Lampshaded by Laurent in Future Past 3, who calls Grima out on being nothing more than sardonic quips he can't back up.
• Defeating the Undefeatable: Frederick heavily lampshades the sheer absurdity of fighting a kingdom-sized dragon head-on when Chrom's army is finally confronted with the beast. Any sort of direct battle with Grima is out of the question until Naga is revived, and even then victory is only remotely possible because his existence is tied to the Hierophant — who is far from a slouch, since they have all of Grima's magical power at their disposal, but unlike the actual dragon, is still a beatable enemy.
• Death by Irony: The person that he possesses is the one that ends up killing him once and for all. If Robin sacrifices themselves to kill him, the spell that they use to do so is Grima's Truth.
• Despair Event Horizon: When he is about to be destroyed by Robin, he loses all composure and desperately yells a Big "NO!" before he vanishes for good.
• Diabolus ex Nihilo: An example in-universe, at least in Awakening. No one discusses where Grima really came from, and he really is a god as far as the characters in the story are aware. His real origins aren't explored until the Fire Emblem Gaiden remake.
• Don't You Dare Pity Me!: At the end of Male Grima's level 40 speech in Heroes, he furiously demands Kiran to stop giving him "such a piteous look".
• Draconic Abomination: Grima the Fell Dragon is a colossal draconic entity that is worshipped as a god of destruction by the nation of Plegia, and is responsible for the Bad Future that Lucina seeks to avert. To make him more grotesque, his dragon-head is actually an exoskeletal helmet hiding his actual humanoid face, with his Extra Eyes extending along its cheekbones. In Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia it's revealed that Grima was created by the mad alchemist Forneus using — among various ingredients — human flesh, special herbs, nectar, and the blood of a Divine Dragon; but quickly grew too powerful and malevolent for even him to control.
• Dragons Are Divine: Grima is a dragon worshiped as a bringer of destruction by the Grimleal, and unlike his more humble archnemesis Naga, he fully sees himself as one.
• Dragons Are Demonic: Grima is Naga's greatest rival, and is a malevolent dragon that possesses a suitable host and surrounds himself with a death cult of fanatical supporters, the Grimleal. Much like Loptous, his plan for full resurrection involves the use of a suitable host bred for the task, in this case Robin.
• Dragons Prefer Princesses: His cult sacrifices maidens to him.
• The Dreaded: Grima is a name closely associated with doom, especially to Lucina. The Ylisseans are afraid of him in general.
• Dual Boss: Played with; you fight the present Grima and the future Grima (using the Hierophant) at the same time, though you only attack the future Grima.
• Dystopia Justifies the Means: The world he creates is nothing short of a living hell for all humanity.
• Enemy Within: Has hijacked control of Future Robin's body who is Fighting from the Inside.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: When Robin begins hearing the voices of their friends encouraging them in the Final Chapter, Grima is frustrated, unable to understand why his power cannot silence the voices that interfere with his attempt to take over Robin's mind. If Robin chooses to put him down once and for all, Grima takes a moment to figure out that, yes, Robin will give their life for the greater good.
• Evil Counterpart: Grima is implied to rival Naga herself in sheer power and influence, but possesses the exact opposite goals and methods to the benevolent dragon goddess. Naga states that the only reason she's able to hold Grima still long enough for the final battle with Chrom's Army is because the Fell Dragon is still weak from resurrection. For added comparison, Naga is a dragon in an angelical Manakete form that cares about humanity, is humble (refuses to be called a God), and is the divine support that helps the heroes take down Grima; while Grima is an Omnicidal Maniac dragon with a demonic appearance that will make the world a living hell, considers himself a god (although he really isn't one), and is the equivalent to the Beast of the Apocalypse.
  "Two sleeping dragons—one a sacred ally of mankind, the other its sworn destroyer. Two heroes marked with the symbols of the dragons. Their meeting heralds the dragons' awakening—and the world's ending."
• Evil Is Bigger: Grima is the largest creature seen in the entire franchise by far. The Fell Dragon makes any allied dragons look like houseflies in comparison. For a specific measurement, Lucina is smaller than just one of his eyes.
• Evil Overlord: In the Bad Future where he is in control of the Risen and the rest of the world.
• Eyes Do Not Belong There: Those six red eyes of his? They're not his only ones. The artbook reveals that the upper part of his dragon head is actually an exoskeleton helmet, and those eyes grow on his human-like cheeks, below his human-like eyes, toward the back of his head. It's as freaky as it sounds. You even get to see it for yourself in-game, as the helmet breaks apart after he takes enough damage.
• Familial Foe: He tried to destroy the continent of Ylisse but was defeated by the First Exalt and the Divine Dragon Naga. Centuries later, he is resurrected by the Grimleal and faces off against Chrom, a descendant of the First Exalt, and Lucina, Chrom's daughter from the Bad Future.
• Fantastic Racism: Hates humans and considers himself superior to them in every way, much like other antagonistic dragons in the series.
• Faux Affably Evil: When he's in control of the situation, he acts less like a God of Destruction and more like a calm, snarky asshole. The mask quickly comes off when things turn against him.
• Final Boss: Of Awakening. The endgame is even simply named "Grima".
• Flat Character: One of the least developed villains in the series in his home game, Awakening delves into less backstory than his counterparts, those being Medeus, Duma, and Loptous, for example. His origin and his characterization are handled in separate titles.
• Giant Flyer: The entire last stage of Awakening is fought on his back, specifically near the nape of the neck.
• A God Am I: Naga insists that they aren't quite gods, but Grima seems to feel otherwise.
• God of Evil: The Plegians worship him as if he was one, though Naga denies that Grima is truly a god. Grima clearly sees himself as one.
• God's Hands Are Tied: Travelling back in time and subsequently botching his attempt to take over the present-day Robin left Grima weakened, forcing him into a more reclusive role as Validar's advisor and working from the shadows to keep his desired future on track. At the end of the game, when the player is given the option to choose who will land the finishing blow (Robin or Chrom), he is completely helpless, so he can only rage desperately before he is taken down.
• Grand Theft Me: Possesses the Robin of the Future, and tries to possess the Robin of the present.
• Hero Killer: Personally kills Chrom, Naga's mark holder, in the future while possessing Robin's body. And judging by how he taunts the Second Generation cast about their parents, it's safe to say he caused the death of many of the First Generation heroes in the future.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: In making a human vessel, Grima created the one being who could kill him for good.
• Hope Crusher: Grima thrives on causing as much despair in his victims as possible. The dragon tries all he can to break the spirits of anyone he faces before killing them. Also applies to Robin, although in their case it's "Crush their hopes and then possess them".
• I Am the Noun: Seemingly fond of this:
  • When reviving Validar, he says "I am the wings of despair. I am the breath of ruin. I am the fell dragon, Grima...".
  • In the final battle, when Chrom declares that he has come to end Grima, he responds "ARROGANT MORTAL... I AM THE END!".
  • In the final battle, when fighting anyone other than Chrom, Robin, or Lucina he says "...I AM...GRIMA... I AM...DESPAIR..."
• Humanity Is Infectious: Halloween Female Grima in Heroes has shown to have developed a fondness for candy, enough to dress up in a costume (and stick a pumpkin sticker on the larger Grima body). And her attempts to deny it and her fondness of the holiday makes her come off as being a Tsundere. All this suggests being in a human vessel is starting to affect her.
• Humans Are Bastards: His confession (both in Male and Female form) in Heroes has him elaborate why he wants to Kill All Humans. He thinks that humanity is selfish, quick to beg to the gods for help, and even quicker to denounce them once they receive what they desire. He also states that humans are always war-hungry, and that his destructive power is the "one true equalizer" that will end all war by putting everyone out of their misery. He also believes that all acts of supposed selflessness are done with selfish intentions. It's implied to be due to what went down with his creator Forneus in the distant past that solidified this train of thought.
  Grima (Female): Come to butter me up some more? How very irksome. I've nothing to chat about with a human. Humans spout their ideals, but it's nothing but lip service. Let's all join together and hold hands, you'll say. We can overcome our differences despite being different species, despite our differing core ideologies. The truth is what you see daily in this place. Day after day, night after night, all you have is never-ending war. One person's satisfaction means another must suffer. That is the truth of all worlds. But my power of destruction is the one true equalizer. If you think there's someone out there capable of leading the world with such high-minded ideas of love and bonds... I'd love to meet them. Hmph. After all that, you still talk your big talk? Very well. I'll watch over you... Right until your bitter end.
  Grima (Male): You are a curious one... You willingly come to chat with me? The fell dragon? Alone? You know full well how I detest humans. They have no qualms asking for divine assistance when it meets their fickle needs... But how quick they are to shun their benefactors once they get what they desire. They become arrogant and make the same mistakes repeatedly, incapable of learning the folly of their ways. They claim their actions are for the good of others, but that's merely a show of self-indulgence. Humans are selfish. And the ugliness of mankind has turned me repulsive. It's the world that wants me to be evil. And yet you claim to need me here? Enough of your lies, worm. How dare you look at me with such a gaze. Do not dare pity me!
• Kaiju: Definitely one of the biggest creatures ever seen in a Fire Emblem game. For comparison's sake, his wingspan completely encompasses Ylisstol and Grima himself dwarfs the royal castle. Lucina can't even come to the size of one of his eyeballs. If his appearance on the world-map can be taken literally, he's country-sized, with the entire final battle taking place on his back, specifically around the nape of his neck.
• Karmic Death: If Robin lands the final blow, he is slain for good at the hands of the human he intended to use as his vessel to annihilate humanity and Forced to Watch in the original timeline as he killed all his companions. For added points of Laser-Guided Karma, the dragon that relished in making his opponents despair and suffer ends up dying as a desperate wreck.
• Kill All Humans: Grima seeks to completely wipe out humanity. And also make the world a living hell.
• Levels Take Flight: He is the final level of Awakening. Not just the boss, the entire level.
• Last of Its Kind: The Knights of Iris book speculates that he's possibly descended from the Earth Dragons. Echoes doesn't expand on this, and in fact appears to contradict it...
• Make Wrong What Once Went Right: More like Make Wrong What Just Went Right, since things went in his favor the first time around.
• The Man Behind the Man: Everything Validar did was at his bidding or in his name. Also, the alternate version of Grima drops by when things seem to be getting off-track to push them back on track.
• Mark of the Beast: The Mark of Grima, which doubles as the Grimleal's symbol. Robin has it on the back of their right hand as a mark of their Grimleal heritage; when they come back from the dead after sacrificing themselves to kill Grima, it has disappeared from their hand, solidifying that he's Deader than Dead.
• Meaningful Name: The localized name, "Grima", is a name that can link to the word "grim", and it can also mean "mask" (referring to the fact that his "head" is an exoskeleton that covers his human-like head) or "spectre" in Old English. All those meanings are very fitting for this Grima.
• Meet the New Boss: Is a dark-themed dragon connected to the Dragon's Table just like Medeus, yet controls a fanatical cult of human followers and the Deadlords just like Loptous.
• Metaphorically True: The first time the player sees him converse with Lucina, he tells her "Your Mother and Father are dead, tiny one." If you chose to make your Robin female and romanced Chrom, then Lucina's mother is dead in a very different sense.
• Mind Control: Grima shows the ability to control his followers when necessary. When he came back from the future, he immediately sought after the present-day Robin, attempting to take control of their body. It fails, but leaves Robin with no memories save for Grima's visions of Chrom's fateful death. After reviving, he commands droves of his followers to feed themselves to him.
• Mirror Boss: One of the very few enemies who has the Ignis ability, which can otherwise only be obtained by Robin and their children. And considering Grima already hits like a truck, if you see Ignis activate, start praying for a Dual Guard.
• Multiple Reference Pun: Grima's exclusive weapon in the English version is named "Expiration", referencing two things: "expire", as in to die, connecting their Kill All Humans idealogy, and "to expire", as in to exhale, as Expiration is a dragon breath weapon.
• Near-Villain Victory:
  • In Lucina's timeline, Grima's resurrection was game, set, and match due to Chrom being dead and Robin being his vessel. History almost repeated itself in the present timeline, but Robin's savviness saves them both and gives them a fighting chance against the resurrected Grima.
  • Played with in the Future Past timeline. Grima technically does achieve his goals there and gets to enjoy his dystopia for a while. However, thanks to the intervention of the main timeline party, Grima is ultimately defeated, and that timeline gets mostly restored and becomes more peaceful.
• Necromancer: Leaving aside the Risen, Grima is capable of fully bringing a person back to life. In order to keep the timeline on track, he brings Validar back after he gets killed in Chapter 6 - despite later saying that traveling through time and attempting to merge with Robin weakened him greatly, implying that this is one of his lesser abilities.
• Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Hey, Grima, guess what? The human family which you imbued with your blood has finally bred a suitable vessel for you! Awesome, right? Well, it turns out that the link you two share means that your vessel — the one you're ultimately responsible for the existence of — is also the only person who can kill you for good. Oh, and it turns out that your Religion of Evil scared your vessel's mother enough for her to make off with her baby and ultimately make it so that they will become great friends with Marth's descendants.
  • In addition, Future Grima really messed up by following Lucina into the past. His attempt to merge with Robin early inflicted amnesia on them (which likely allowed Robin to form stronger bonds with Chrom's group), gave Robin memories that allowed them to make the fake gemstone plan, and his being in the past allowed for a loophole that could get him Killed Off for Real.
  • The truly beautiful part of all this is that Grima went back in time only to ensure his revival, not knowing how Time Travel works in the Fire Emblem verse (more Dragon Ball Z multiverse than Back to the Future). He could've sat back and whether Lucina succeeded or failed, his own timeline wouldn't be affected in the slightest. In trying to ensure his survival, he put himself in the only possible position to be killed, for no reason. It's not the bonds of the Shepherds that screwed Grima, Grima screwed Grima!
  • And to top it all off? It enabled Good Anankos in Fates to repair all the damage to the world Grima did in the Bad Future, aside from all the people Grima killed, but even then those people were all properly buried, and the survivors the ability to rebuild. So, yes, not only did Grima completely screw himself over, but he also ensured that he would not be able to stop another dragon god from repairing a lot of the damage he did.
• Nigh-Invulnerability: Only Grima's own power can truly kill him. Gameplay-wise, in Awakening he possesses the "Dragonskin" skill, which reduces all damage by half. At the hardest difficulty, he also has Pavise+, further halving physical damage, and is probably the most resilient boss in Fire Emblem history. In Heroes, Grima gets a skill based on "Dragonskin" that negates a weakness and buffs their defensive stats when attacked.
• No Man of Woman Born:
  • When Robin successfully fights off Grima's control and doesn't become present Grima's vessel, Bad Future Grima uses his Bad Future Robin body in his place to revive the present Grima and hold him together.
  • Also a victim of this; Grima can only be permanently destroyed with his own power. Robin, who is connected to him, is capable of using that power - not a problem in the original timeline since that Robin was fully under his control then, but the present day Robin's knowledge of the future helped them avoid that fate, producing the sole being capable of killing the Fell Dragon. Grima realizes this too late.
• Non-Indicative Name: In Japanese, at least. No matter whether you go by Tolkien or Norse Mythology, Gimle is simply not a demonic name.^note In the former, it's an alternate spelling of the name of an unambiguously heroic dwarf, and in the latter, it's described as essentially the Norse equivalent of heaven, where righteous souls go after they die This is probably why the localized versions went with "Grima" (the name of a more sinister Tolkien character) instead.
• "Not So Different" Remark: Likes to claim that Robin and him are the same being (especially if Robin confronts him during the final battle).
  Grima: ...RETURN TO ME... COME... WE ARE ONE...AND THE SAME...
  Robin: ......
• Obviously Evil: Black skin, red eyes... yep, Grima's clearly evil. And he is called 'Evil Dragon' in Japan.
• Oh, Crap!: When Robin begins to charge Grima's Truth to land the final blow to kill him for good he loses it. Being a deep believer of fate being set in stone, Grima definitely didn't expect Robin to take down Grima at the cost of his own live.
  Grima: ...WHAT...WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
  Robin: For once, I'm glad you and I are the same. Now I can give my life to protect those I care for...
  Grima: ...YOU WOULD...NOT DARE!
  Robin: I would and I will. The evils you would visit on this world are unthinkable... In some way, I—we share the blame. It's only right we meet our end together!
  Grima: ...NOOOOOOO!
• Omnicidal Maniac: As his description states, his goal is to bring the world's end (and wipe out all humanity).
• Our Dragons Are Different: Unlike Tiki or Naga, which are benevolent manaketes/dragons in human form, this one is a gigantic self-proclaimed evil dragon that wants to end all of humanity and make it suffer as much as possible. It is notable that he isn't a manakete AT ALL (he doesn't transform from a human form to a dragon form, he instead possesses the Hierophant). On a meta-level, while most FE dragons are quadrupedal, he is instead more snake-like, with six bird-like wings... and his "head" is actually an exoskeleton helmet that protects his real humanoid face. It's also worth noting that he doesn't appear to have suffered dragon degeneration, as he is shown to be perfectly sane and coherent, much like the Dark Dragons.
• Person of Mass Destruction: Grima in legend is said to rival Naga in power, and it shows: even weakened, he was capable of defeating Chrom's entire army with a single spell. Even with the Hierophant serving as a weakpoint, Grima is only remotely beatable because of Naga's intervention.
• Physical God: He isn't quite a god in the literal sense, only in power levels. Naga admits that for all the power she and Grima have, they aren't really gods. Grima, on the other hand, fully declares himself to be such and will smite anyone who tries to say differently. Power-wise he can Time Travel, Animate Dead, Mind Control, devastate Chrom's entire army and leaving them on the verge of death with only one spell and can only be killed by his own power, as any other method will simply send him into a slumber for 1,000 years.
• Pitiful Worms: Grima's preferred form of insult to his opponents is referring to them as insects to be crushed.
• Psychic-Assisted Suicide: Future Grima takes control of the Grimleal in a ritual making them sacrifice themselves at the Dragon's Table to regain part of his lost power.
• Pre-Mortem One-Liner: In Heroes, for both his Male and Female Hierophant forms.
  "I am the Fell Dragon, Grima!"
  "This is the end!"
  "I will devour you!"
  "I shall end you first!"
• Pride: In spades. As a Dragon, Grima has displayed a superiority complex and always looked down on humanity, especially when he rules in Lucina's Bad Future timeline, confident in his superiority and their inability to kill him, for admittedly good reason.
• Promoted to Playable: Surprisingly, yes! Five versions of Grima, two possessing the body of Male Robin and three possessing the body of Female Robin became playable characters in Heroes, complete with summoning Grima's dragon form during combat.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Delivers this to Lucina in the Bad Future and to Robin in the final chapter.
  • To Lucina:
    Grima: Your mother and father... are dead, tiny one. Heh heh heh heh ha ha ha ha... hahahahahaha! And now it is your turn... to DIE!
  • To Robin: After devastating Chrom's army with a single spell, he rubs in Robin's face how human bonds are weak... Which blows up in his face when Robin's bonds allow him to resist Grima's control.
    Grima: And so it ends, Robin. See how frail these human bonds of yours are? How short lived? How pointless? You have all thrown your lives away, and the result is the same!
    Robin: We're not dead yet!
    Grima: Details, details. *sigh* But yes, I suppose it's time I got you all off my back, so to speak— permanently.
    [after Robin hears the voices of his friends]
    Robin: I can hear them... I hear my friends!
    Grima: Stop this at once! SILENCE those wretched voices! You are all powerless! Frail! Insignificant! You are NOOOTHING!
    Chrom: Return to us, Robin! Your bond with us is stronger than even the fell dragon's might!
    Robin: Chrom! I'm coming, Chrom! Hold on!
• Reminiscing About Your Victims: In the Future Past, Grima tells survivors about how he killed their parents.
  Grima: Heh. You know, the man/woman who used to control this body loved your father. He/she would have died to protect Chrom.
  Grima: You're less than a shadow of your mother. If I could break her, then I'll have no trouble breaking you.
• Sadist: In the Bad Future, Grima mocks his victims over killing their loved ones and talks about how he enjoys seeing humans in pain. He also takes any advantage it has to make his opponents suffer in the present... especially in Robin's case.
• Shadow Dictator: While Validar is the official ruler of Plegia after Gangrel's passing, he is subservient to the Hierophant.
• Signature Move: Expiration, a Breath Weapon that has a whopping five range. Mercifully it is not an Armor-Piercing Attack like other breath attacks in the series, but Grima's raw attack power makes up the difference.
• Single Specimen Species: Grima is the only Fell Dragon to exist.
• Suddenly Voiced: In Lucina's flashback in chapter 21, one of the most chilling scenes in the game, we see that Grima can speak even without the Hierophant as a mouthpiece.
  Grima: Your mother and father... are dead, tiny one. Heh heh heh heh ha ha ha ha... hahahahahaha! And now it is your turn... to DIE!
  Lucina: (blood-curdling scream)
• Super-Toughness: Has a skill called "Dragonskin" that grants them this, halving damage and negating the Counter and Lethality skills. In Heroes, Dragonskin is a Secret Art for Legendary Female Robin as her A skill, which grants her +4 Def/Res during combat if the foe initiates combat, and removes her flying weakness to bows. She also has Dragonskin II as her A skill, which grants her +6 Atk/Spd/Def/Res during combat, ignores any of the foe's field stat buffs during combat if the foe either initiates combat or is at 75% HP or above at the start of combat, and removes her flying weakness.
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Of both Loptous, and Medeus.
• Takes One to Kill One: While the power of Naga can seal Grima into dormancy for a time, the dragon can only truly die from the power of a Fell Dragon (of which Grima the only one). Unfortunately for Grima, he overlooked the possibility that his own intended vessel would also have access to his power and could turn on him.
• Then Let Me Be Evil: In Heroes, his confession as Fallen Male Robin has him state that he hates humans for being selfish and cruel, and that "it's the world that wants (him) to be evil", and so he is.
• The Unfought: Grima himself is never fought in Awakening, only the future Grima possessing the Hierophant's body is battled. His real body is used as the battleground for the fight.
• Villain Override: Attempts this on Robin after following Lucina back in time in order to accelerate his plans. He fails due to the present-day Robin's weaker Heart of Grima being unable to retain the massive number of memories, causing Robin's amnesia and Grima's own power to greatly weaken.
• Villainous Breakdown:
  • When he is unable to take over Robin's mind thanks to the encouragement of their friends (and family if they get married), and when he gets defeated in the final chapter. It gets worse once he realizes that Robin has the ability to kill him once and for all (if Robin chooses to land the final hit, he first reacts totally dumbfounded, only to then rage desperately before Robin kills him for good, horrified at the fact that his end is coming... For real).
  • He gets an even bigger one in the Future Past DLC if you manage to get the Golden Ending. He killed Naga in the past, his Risen had defiled Mount Prism, and he killed Tiki, the Voice of Naga. The children assembled the Fire Emblem, which he remarked as meaningless as Naga is dead... only to find out that Tiki's spirit was alive thanks to Robin's intervention, and would become the new Naga of the world. Then he found out that had he not defiled Mount Prism, the Awakening would have to be done there as it was the focus of Naga's power... except now it focused on Tiki, in Ylisstol, right on his feet. And finally, he raged and was about to kill everyone only to find out he couldn't move thanks to whatever's left of Robin holding him in place for Lucina to deliver the Coup de Grace. Earn Your Happy Ending indeed.
• We Can Rule Together: Offers this to Robin in the final battle; to join them and become a god.
  Grima: NOW! I will have your decision! Will you save these worms? Will you JOIN ME and become a GOD?
• Worf Had the Flu: Grima was said to be significantly weaker than he should be thanks to his recent resurrection during the final battle. Even in this state, it took a number of very unlikely factors to make his defeat possible, such as his own vessel rebelling against him and the direct intervention of Naga herself. Had Grima been able to regain his full strength, he may have been as unstoppable as he claimed himself to be.
• You Can't Fight Fate: A firm (and calm) believer that the future is set in stone. His calmness finally breaks down when Robin throws off his control, proving that Grima's power wasn't as insurmountable as the dragon believed it to be.

Validar

Validar (Fauder / Valldar)

^{Click here to see Validar in Fire Emblem Heroes}

"Fools. Struggle all you want. You cannot unwrite what is already written!"

A sinister mage in service to a dark power - the Fell Dragon Grima, whose coming heralds the end of everything. He is the leader of the Grimleal, a cult that worships the evil dragon. His scheming sets the world on a course to destruction. He plans to resurrect Grima and is devoted to creating a suitable human vessel for that purpose. After finding that their infant child bears the Mark of Grima, marking them as a perfect vessel, Validar's wife betrays him and flees with their offspring. For many years Validar will search for his child in vain, hoping to subject them to their destiny. This child is later revealed to be Robin.

After the death of Gangrel, Validar becomes King of Plegia and poses as Chrom's ally in the war against Walhart. After Walhart is defeated, he lures Chrom to his castle and steals the Fire Emblem so that he can perform the Awakening ritual in order to resurrect Grima. He cuts off Chrom and Robin from the rest of the army, and feigns death before forcibly manipulating Robin into killing Chrom. Validar is revealed to be alive afterwards, laughing at Lucina and the rest of the army's attempts to change fate.

However, Robin anticipated Validar's plan due to their premonition and had Basilio fake his death against Walhart, allowing him to swap out the stones in the Fire Emblem with forgeries. This allows Robin to resist Validar's control, weakening their strike enough so that Chrom survives. After this is revealed, Validar launches a final assault against Chrom and his army, but dies in battle.

Class: Sorcerer

Voiced by: Takehito Koyasu (Japanese), Kyle Hebert (English)

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• Amazing Technicolor Population: A sickly, inhuman shade of gray to emphasize just how evil he is.
• Archnemesis Dad: Validar is both Robin's father and the primary human antagonist of the game. He can also be an Archnemesis Granddad to Lucina if Female Robin marries Chrom.
• Beard of Evil: With a skunk stripe down the middle of it.
• Black Mage: As a Sorcerer, Validar can wield normal magic in addition to Black Magic.
• Casting a Shadow: Grima's Truth, a magic tome that channels Grima's power! He uses it in the Premonition and during both of his battles in Chapter 23. In Chapter 6, he instead wields a normal Elfire tome.
• Climax Boss: During Chapter 23's second half, right after the revelation that Basilio (who faked his death) switched the gems in the Fire Emblem with fakes thanks to Robin's quick thinking, throwing Validar's schemes to the gutter.
• Compelling Voice: Whether they like it or not, his wish is Robin's command due them being his son/daughter.
• Dark Is Evil: He's an Evil Sorcerer with vast powers over dark magic, as well as an Obviously Evil appearance, and he's utterly devoted to bringing Grima back to life, which spells doom for the world.
• The Dragon: He's essentially the second in command to Grima.
• Dub Name Change: He's called "Valldar" in the Non-English European versions.
• Dystopia Justifies the Means: Why, exactly, he chooses to serve a god whose stated agenda is "Kill and eat everyone in the world, starting with my worshipers," is never addressed.
• Evil Counterpart: Not Validar himself, but Grima's Truth serves as one to the Book of Naga, being a Dark Magic tome that channels Grima's power, while the Book of Naga is a Light Magic tome that channels Naga's. They even have similar animations.
• Evil Laugh: Best shown off during the Premonition's cutscenes.
• Evil Sorcerer: Literally. He has the class and everything.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: He seems unable to grasp that Robin has no interest in becoming Grima's vessel and destroying the world. Likely a result of being bred, and raised as a vessel himself.
• Fatal Flaw: His belief that You Can't Fight Fate makes him overconfident, and he does not take things well when events deviate from "what is written". His attitude bites him in the ass in Chapter 6, and it bites especially hard in Chapter 23. He completely failed to see the possibility of Basilio actually being alive and one of the gems in the Fire Emblem being a fake. Robin is able to fake him out, and Validar loses his life for good at the end of the chapter.
• The Fatalist: "It is already written!" is practically his Catchphrase. Nothing freaks him out more than things not going as "written." Contrast with Chrom's "Anything can change!"
• Femme Fatalons: A creepy male example.
• Fighter, Mage, Thief: The Mage to Walhart's Fighter and Gangrel's Thief, of the three major Human antagonists in Awakening.
• Flat Character: He's Grima's loyal pawn and is deeply fatalistic, and as far as personality goes that's all there really is to him. Even Gangrel and Walhart reveal more depth to themselves eventually than him — and seeing as he deeply believes he is merely enacting a role in the destiny fate has already set out for him, it's likely that his lack of depth is because he never tries to change himself to something beyond that role.
• Freudian Excuse: A line reveals he was also bred and raised to be a vessel for Grima by the Grimleal cult.
• Hades Shaded: It's pretty safe to assume he didn't always have a sickly purplish-grey skintone.
• Healing Factor: Has the Renewal skill on higher difficulties.
• The Heavy: As Validar is subordinate to Grima, he's not the Big Bad, but he does most of the acting, as he's responsible for the events of the premonition.
• Hero Killer: In the original timeline, he killed Emmeryn one evening in Ylisstol Castle on the eve of the war against Plegia, while another assassin gave Chrom a Game-Breaking Injury. Lucina's presence in the new timeline however, ends up foiling the assassination attempt causing it to end with Validar dying instead. But the Hierophant ensures that the death doesn't stick.
• High Collar of Doom: Sports a mage's collar similar to Robin's, which on him looks sinister.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: In chapter 6, he's saved from certain death by the Hierophant after the battle is done, allowing him and Aversa to upset the changes Lucina's made to the timeline in secret when she believes she's successfully averted Emmeryn's death, ambushing Phila with Risen at a critical moment during the Shepard's attempted rescue of her and leaving Emmeryn no choice but to commit a Heroic Sacrifice to prevent Gangrel gaining the Fire Emblem. In chapter 23, Robin uses the same trick against him, using the fact that Basilio's knowledge of his fated original end convinced him to play dead instead, leaving a free agent none of the Grimeal were watching to upset their plans at a crucial moment when they seemed to have succeeded in killing Chrom.
• I Let You Win: During Chapter 23's first half. Blatantly obvious if the player checks his stats, which reveals that Validar has the same stats he had during the Premonition.
• Kung-Fu Wizard: Not displayed much in the game's limited battle animations, but the opening cutscene of the game shows Validar dodging and even parrying Chrom's sword swings with surprising agility for an old sorceror, mixed with Teleport Spam.
• Lean and Mean: Despite sporting a six-pack, he's far more wiry than any other antagonist in the game.
• Lineage Comes from the Father: His father and grandfather were also Grima vessels. Robin can continue this trend as well if chosen to be male.
• Luke, I Am Your Father: He reveals to Robin that they are his child, and one bred to be Grima's perfect vessel.
• Manipulative Bastard: The entire second act of the game is him using your team as a cat's-paw to fight Walhart for him.
• Meaningful Name: His name means "Father", quite literally.
• Meet the New Boss: He ends up rising to the Plegian throne after Gangrel is deposed by Chrom and the others, and rules much like he did.
• Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: By siring Grima's vessel, he also sired the only person in existence capable of actually killing the Fell Dragon once and for all.
• Not Quite Dead: After his defeat in Chapter 6, Validar is spared from otherwise certain death by The Hierophant. Lampshaded when the gang crosses him again. After your final encounter with him in Chapter 23, he stays dead.
• Obviously Evil: A Beard of Evil, Hades Shaded complexion, Red Eyes, Take Warning, uses Black Magic... it's not nice to judge a book by its cover, but seriously, look at him!
• Offing the Offspring: Subverted. Although he's perfectly willing to kill Robin in-game (which nets you a Game Over), he claims that there's nothing he can do to Robin's body that Grima can't simply repair later on.
• Pals with Jesus: Spends a lot of time in Plegia Castle with the Hierophant. Considering just who the Hierophant is...
• Playing with Fire: In Chapter 6, he wields an Elfire tome on lower difficulties, and an Arcfire tom on higher ones.
• Pre-Mortem One-Liner:
  "It is all written!"
• Promoted to Playable: He makes his playable debut in Heroes.
• Puppet King: Following Gangrel's defeat, with the Hierophant as Plegia's Shadow Dictator. Given that the Hierophant is Grima, the object of his worship, he is quite content with this.
• Recurring Boss: Faced in the Premonition, then once in an early-game chapter, then finally twice in one of the last main chapters in the game.
• Red Eyes, Take Warning: Just in case his wardrobe wasn't enough. They're glowing in the character art!
• Set Right What Once Went Wrong: Played With. He sees his actions as this, after Lucina's interference prevents his attempted assassination of Emmeryn from playing out as it originally did, and his deep-set belief that fate is already written means he spurns their attempts to avert the Bad Future, exhalting whenever events seem to proceed according to the original timeline and expressing utter contempt against Lucina's interference for throwing their plans off-kilter. However, he fails to realise that their shared knowledge of how events proceeded originally means it's possible for the heroes to fake having them play out as prophecied, and successfully fake him out until it's too late for him to avert their victory.
• Sinister Minister: He is the leader of the Grimleal, though it's technically the Hierophant who serves as this to him. Then you find out who the Hierophant really is...
• Situational Damage Attack: Has the Vengeance skill on higher difficulties, which increases his damage depending on how much HP he's lost whenver the skill activates.. On the Lunatic difficulty, he boosts the activation rate with Rightful King, giving him a 76% chance of activating the skill.
• Sycophantic Servant: Isn't bothered by the knowledge that Grima's resurrection will kill him, and even wanted to be his vessel.
• Super-Toughness: Gets Grima's "Dragonskin" skill on harder difficulties that grants him this, halving damage and negating the Counter and Lethality skills, but only during Chapter 23's second half.
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: He fills the role of Evil Sorcerer/priest working for an evil dragon archetype by Gharnef. His role of breeding the ultimate vessel specifically takes inspiration from Manfroy from Genealogy of the Holy War.
• The Team Benefactor: During the Valm arc, he provides the Ylissean-Feroxi alliance with gold to finance the campaign against Walhart and ships to get them across the ocean. After all, he needs Walhart out of the way (hence the supplies), yet also needs sacrifices to resurrect Grima (hence the lack of troops).
• The Unreveal: It's never shown or explained how he knew Robin was his child, considering the fact he hadn't seen them since they were a baby and they look nothing alike.
• Undying Loyalty: Tries to ensure Grima's success even though he knows it'll result in his own death.
• Villainous Breakdown: A minor one in Chapter 6 when his plan to assassinate Emmeryn doesn't go as planned. Has a much bigger one in Chapter 23 once Basilio reveals that not only is he alive, but that Robin had a counter plan against his plan for him that went off smoothly thanks to Validar's spies not watching "dead" men, like Basilio, and it is glorious!
• Warm-Up Boss: In the Premonition. He intentionally replicates this in chapter 23, fitting with his view that he's enacting fate as it was meant to be, but after Robin reveals that they've outwitted him and are sending things Off the Rails, he unleashes his true strength in a desperate attempt to prevent their victory, for all the good it does him in the end.
• Willfully Weak: Uses his Premoition stats at first in Chapter 23, but goes all out after Basilio reveals that the Gemstones were fake.
• You Can't Fight Fate: He is a deep believer in the concept of fate, and constantly tells the heroes that they can't unwrite what was already written. Chrom and Robin take his fate and shove it up his ass.

Aversa

Aversa (Inverse)

^{Click here to see Aversa in Fire Emblem Heroes}

Dark One

"I can tell you like what you see. Heh heh..."

Gangrel's subordinate. A cunning vixen who leverages her "assets" to lead men to their ruin. She is actually the servant of Validar, as Validar supposedly saved her life in the past. In the fifth SpotPass chapter, it is revealed that Validar saving her life is a lie. In reality, he murdered Aversa's parents and brainwashed her to be his servant. She joins Chrom's army afterwards if she survives and fights for atonement, ever since she discovered she had been used by Validar. Bathes longer than anyone else in the army. Her birthday is November 3rd.

In the Outrealm, specifically the Champions of Yore DLC, an Aversa which hails from another world has gotten her hands on the Einherjar from Old Hubba, and Chrom has to help him get them back from her.

Class: Dark Flier

Voiced by: Kumi Tanaka (Japanese), Cindy Robinson (English)

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• Bad Boss: Kills one of Plegia's soldiers for failing to stop Chrom.
• Bathing Beauty: According to her description, she really likes bathing.
• Battle Couple: Possibly with Male Robin if S-Support is achieved.
• Beauty Equals Goodness: The only decent-looking member of the Grimleal, and was brainwashed to be evil the whole time.
• Being Evil Sucks: Downplayed. She's not truly evil, but nevertheless finds herself in an awkward position after joining the Shepherds. She sleeps out in the woods away from camp because she's convinced everyone hates her for her past crimes, even if they were committed on false pretenses and manipulation by Validar. There's a subtext that given her profound feelings of guilt after the truth is revealed to her, she also avoids them because of feeling unworthy to be around them. If Morgan is her daughter and asks for her story, she declines to tell her anything because she hasn't done anything a mother could tell her child with pride, and declines to hear anything about her own fate in the Bad Future.
  Aversa: Gods know a sad, manipulative vixen like me is unlikely to meet a pretty end.
• Black Magic: She has the unique Skill Shadowgift, which allows her to use Dark Magic Tomes even if she's not a Dark Mage/Sorcerer. She gets to keep this ability when she joins you, and passes it on to Morgan if she's her mother. Indeed Validar murdered her family and brainwashed her to get a servant with this trait.
• Brainwashed and Crazy: Revealed that she was brainwashed via her memories being erased and magically replaced with fake ones only if she's downloaded through SpotPass.
• Combat Stilettos: High heels, much less appropriate compared to the short practical heels of the other cavalry women.
• Competence Zone: Despite being in her late 20s at most, she's viewed as an old hag by other characters like Ricken.
• Crazy-Prepared: In Chapter 9, she anticipated that Robin would have planned for Phila and the Pegasus Knights to try to save Emmeryn, and summons Risen archers to put a stop to them.
• Custom Uniform of Sexy: Her Dark Flier outfit is markedly quite different and more revealing than those worn by other Dark Fliers in the game.
• Dark Action Girl: Subverted when it turns out she was only evil due to being brainwashed.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Revealed in her SpotPass recruitment chapter. She was once just a normal girl with a power so unique that Validar killed her parents and brainwashed her into believing that he saved her so that she could become his servant.
• Deadpan Snarker: She gets a few viciously funny lines in, here and there. The one about Excellus in particular is choice.
• The Dragon: To Gangrel. In reality a brainwashed Unwitting Pawn to Validar and the Grimleal
• Dragon with an Agenda: To Gangrel. Gangrel knows about it.
• Elemental Powers: Can use magic tomes.
• 11th-Hour Ranger: Can pull her weight and fight the moment she joins your party.
• Facial Markings: Mysterious markings along her face and body. Possibly a reference to her devotion to the Grimleal religion.
• Fake Memories: Aversa was once a normal girl, before she met Validar. One dead-family-and-brainwashing-special later...
• Females Are More Innocent: Unlike the male villains, she was brainwashed to be evil.
• Femme Fatale: She often boasts in the campaign about using her beauty to lead weak-willed men into ruin.
• Femme Fatalons: Played with. Aversa is a Femme Fatale with long fingernails, but she's primarily a spellcaster and never uses them to fight.
• Fluffy Fashion Feathers: Her unique Dark Flier model has the feathery ruff of the Warrior class.
• Foreshadowing: When facing off against Chrom, Aversa states that it's easy to sacrifice someone if you hold no love for the person in question. Chrom would later be greatly conflicted about allowing Robin to pull a Heroic Sacrifice during the Endgame.
• Honey Trap: Her official bio alludes to her doing this, but in one of the DLC chapters we find out she (or rather, she from a different world) pulled this on Old Hubba to get at his collection of summoning cards.
• High Collar of Doom: A feathery plumage.
• High-Heel–Face Turn: The lone named female in the Grimleal, and the only one to turn good, not even being a willing member.
• Interface Spoiler: She appears on the field during the setup screen for chapter 9 alongside Gangrel, and their stats are visible. It is clear which of them is strong enough to remain a threat in the lategame.
• Lady of Black Magic: Elegant and able to wield Dark Magic in any tome-wielding class thanks to her Shadowgift skill.
• Life Drain: Comes with a Nosferatu tome when she joins you. In addition, she has a unique Dark Tome named after her called Aversa's Night, which is a beefed up version of Nosferatu, though oddly enough, she doesn't wield it as a boss nor has it with her when she joins, and can only be found in either event titles or barracks.
• Love Confession:
  From now on, I live only for you. And as you may have noticed, I'm the fiercely loyal type.
• Magic Knight: One which uses lances and dark magic.
• Marshmallow Hell: She smothers Male Robin with her cleavage in her confession scene.
• Mrs. Robinson: Tries to pursue Chrom sexually in her supports with Female Robin. When Robin objects, remarking to Aversa that she must be at least 12 years older than Chrom, she responds defensively that she's only 8 years older than him. And, since Chrom can be estimated to be about 21 at this point based on other information in the game,^note See "Vague Age" on the main page this means that Aversa could potentially be anywhere from 29 to 33 (which isn't actually "old" by modern standards, but would still represent a notable age difference between herself and Chrom).
• Ms. Fanservice: From appearance to voice lines, everything about her is blatant sex appeal.
• Mystical White Hair: Indicating her special affinity for Dark Magic, which she can use even when not in the Dark Mage/Sorcerer class.
• Navel-Deep Neckline: The neckline on her outfit goes all the way down to her navel. She takes the title of "most visible cleavage in the series" away from Sonia (although it should be noted she's not quite as buxom). That's saying something.
• Not Blood Related: After being de-brainwashed, she starts referring to Male Robin as "big brother," since she was Brainwashed by Validar into thinking he adopted her and he is Validar's long lost son; she even does this in the support you marry her! The English version tones it down to her calling him "big brother" in a child-like tone just to aggravate the hell out of him in their B-Support, with Robin himself saying they aren't related in any way.
• Playing with Fire: Comes with a Bolganone tome when she joins you.
• Pre-Final Boss: She's the last boss fought before Grima.
• Pre-Mortem One-Liner:
  "Still clinging to hope?"
  "All good things must end."
  "Down you go."
• Recurring Boss: But you only fight her twice, one being a late-game chapter, and one being the penultimate chapter before the final chapter. In her SpotPass Chapter, she is instead just an NPC unit with mirrors of your characters + a mirror of her serving as the opponents.
• Red Eyes, Take Warning: It's hard to tell, but she has them as well.
• Red Mage: Can use normal magic as well.
• The Rival: In contrast to Male Robin's support, she becomes this to Female Robin in their supports.
• Secret A.I. Moves: Not as bad as Walhart but on Lunatic she has Hit Rate + 10 which is an enemy only skill she doesn't bring with her when she joins you.
• Secret Character: The second-to-last SpotPass character, with the final one being Priam.
• Sexy Backless Outfit: It's hard to tell since she's always on her pegasus's back in battle, but her Dark Flier outfit is cut similarly in the back like the front.
• Shock and Awe: Goetia is this crossed with Black Magic.
• Shoot the Messenger: After learning from a soldier that the Plegian army failed to defeat Chrom and take the Fire Emblem, Aversa kills the soldier on the spot.
• Sibling Rivalry: If recruited, she takes great pleasure in annoying Robin, though as he points out they aren't siblings at all.
• The Tease: Most of her battle dialogues are very flirtatious, and she hits on Chrom in her support tree.
• Unique Enemy: A Dark Flier who wields Dark Magic. This is due to a skill: Shadowgift. She gets to keep it when she joins your team, and can pass down her class and skill to female Morgan as her daughter.
• Unwitting Pawn: Validar and the Grimleal murdered her family and Brainwashed with Fake Memories. The localized version implies this was so the cult could make use of the Shadowgift.
• The Vamp: Openly admits in her parent-child event tiles with Morgan that she has used her beauty and body to get what she wants from men in the past, and encourages her daughter to learn how to do the same.
• Vain Sorceress: Her character interactions with Tiki in the Hot Springs DLC revolve around her envy of Tiki's ability to stay good-looking with time, grumbling that she doesn't mind not having eternal life if she can have eternal youth. She even says that she wishes she could go back to being ten years younger, despite, well...
• Villain Has a Point: In Chapter 21. Granted she was only using it to justify her continued loyalty to Validar in the face of annihilation to Chrom, but yeah, turns out it's easy to speechify about how one life is outweighed by those of millions when you have don't have any emotional attachment to the one, but much harder to live up to it if you do. The subsequent chapters show this with Chrom repeatedly protesting the possibility of Robin making a Heroic Sacrifice, even if it's the only way to prevent Grima from ever coming back.
• Volleying Insults: If she and Gangrel are recruited and talk to each other on the Hot-Spring Scramble map, their confrontation descends into an insult contest, ending with Gangrel doing a Your Mom joke.
• Walking Spoiler: She's initially presented as a subordinate to Gangrel, though it's made increasingly clear that she has a far more important role than him. Also, she's another recruitable villain, with a backstory that expands on why she is thus.
• White Hair, Black Heart: Was evil under Validar's brainwashing.

Hierophant

Before revealing themself.

The Hierophant from the Bad Future

^{Click here to see the Male and Female Hierophants in Fire Emblem Heroes}

Fell Reincarnation/Fell Vessel

The mysterious tactician of Plegia. Actually the Robin of the future timeline possessed by Grima of the Future.

Male Hierophant voiced by: Yoshimasa Hosoya, Miyuki Sawashiro, or Tōru Ōkawa (Japanese); David Vincent, Brandon Karrer, or Christopher Corey Smith (English)

Female Hierophant voiced by: Miyuki Sawashiro (Japanese); Michelle Ruff, Wendee Lee, or Lauren Landa (English)

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• Alternate Self: The Hierophant is the Robin from the future, their body serving as Grima's vessel.
• Ambiguously Evil: In the sense of their Demonic Possession. Based on the things the Hierophant says in the main story, their initial backstory was that they gladly accepted being Grima's vessel and murdered Chrom in cold blood, not to mention other Shepherds, and merged fully with Grima with no regrets; the third map in The Future Past series, however, shows Robin Fighting from the Inside and holding back Grima to give the children the chance to defeat them, implying something similar may be true for the Hierophant despite their claims.
• And I Must Scream: It's possible (and outright stated in the DLC) that Robin is still conscious inside their own body, forced to watch as Grima destroys everything they hold dear.
• Attack Its Weak Point: The Hierophant is the weak point. While by no means frail, Grima's main body feels all the pain his host body does, so slaying the Hierophant is the only practical way to stop the kingdom-sized dragon.
• Breast Expansion: Especially notable if you choose a body Type 3 Female Robin. When the Hierophant has their hood on, regardless of what your Robin looks like, they take the appearance of a rather tall, flat-chested individual. When they show their face though, they morph completely into an image of Robin, including going up all the cup sizes.
• Cutting Off the Branches: A reversal of Robin's situation. While they, like Robin, are not given a canonical gender, the version of Robin used to portray Grima in other Fire Emblem media is usually Female Robin. There was a brief exception in Heroes when the Male Hierophant was revealed as a playable unit, but was Double Subverted when the Female version was introduced a month later.
• Demonic Possession: Is the victim of draconic possession at Grima's hand.
• Evil Counterpart: To the player. It's heavily implied during the main campaign the alternate Robin willingly accepted their role as Grima in the Dark Future, due to not having the same bonds to the group as the player. However, the Future Past DLC suggests they were not willing; all the same, it's unclear if this Robin is meant to be the same as the one seen in the main campaign or the one from the original timeline.
• Forced to Watch: The Future Past reveals Robin was forced to watch Grima use their body to kill all their friends.
• Final Boss: The Hierophant is the body you attack in the final battle as Grima's actual body is the final map itself.
• I Hate Past Me: Berates their present counterpart for rejecting their role as The Antichrist, saying they were supposed to accept it and become the vessel for Grima.
• Loophole Abuse: When Robin and the Shepherds successfully out-gambit Validar and are celebrating their apparent victory of stopping Grima's revival, the Hierophant jumps in and plays their final card: since their body is still compatible with the Awakening ritual (being Robin's body from the future, after all), they choose to take Robin's place to finish the ritual, awaken Present Grima, and restore the power lost to them during the time travel. The reason they avoided doing this until now seems to have been something of a Godzilla Threshold backup plan, preferring to keep history flowing as close to how it went the first time and tying up possible loose ends (after all, if present Robin becomes Grima and most likely killing Chrom in the process, then there's absolutely no hope for the heroes this time around than there was the first go around) until there was no choice.
• The Mind Is a Plaything of the Body: In Heroes, there are hints that Grima is affected more by his host than he likes to admit, as Fallen Female Robin noticeably has a Sweet Tooth that she desperately tries to hide from the Summoner.
• Power Floats: In Heroes, the Female Hierophant floats constantly in the air and is a flying unit despite having neither a winged mount nor wings of her own.
• Promoted to Playable: In Heroes, both the Male and Female Hierophant are summonable as dragon units. The Male plays much like the Final Boss as an overpowering juggernaut, while the Female trades power for speed and flight.
• Red Right Hand: While capable of appearing normally as Robin, they gain an obvious purple Battle Aura when they drop the act. Heroes and the Cipher card game also give them glowing red eyes. Also in Heroes, the Male Hierophant proudly shows off the Mark of Grima on his left hand, while unpossessed Robin typically covers it up with gloves.
• Remote Body: The Hierophant isn't much more than an extension of Grima's consciousness that acts when the Fell Dragon's real body is impractical or unavailable.
• Terminator Twosome: With Lucina. When she used Naga's Time Travel spell to go back and avert the Bad Future, the Hierophant followed Lucina back into the past to ensure that Grima's resurrection comes to pass.
• That Man Is Dead: The Hierophant in the main timeline says that they are Grima entirely. If any trace of the original Robin's personality still exists, it never surfaces.
• Summon Magic: Despite being Grima's vessel, Robin as the Hierophant is not a Manakete and cannot transform, instead manifesting their draconic might by fighting in tandem with their real body. If said body isn't present, like in "The Future Past" DLC, they can conjure a phantasmal Grima body that works just as well. They retain this fighting style in Heroes.

Members

Excellus

Walhart's tactician who is secretly a Grimleal spy.

Class: Sage

Voiced by: Shinobu Matsumoto (Japanese), Spike Spencer (English)

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For Excellus's tropes, see their section here.

Chalard

The boss of Chapter 8. A member of the Grimleal.

Class: Dark Mage

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• Black Magic: Wields a Nosferatu tome.
• Chekhov's Gunman: Of a sort. He is only relevant for one chapter, but shows up well-ahead of the rest of the Grimleal, seemingly only to establish that they're a thing and may come up again later. Sure enough, after Gangrel and Walhart are both dealt with, they do.
• Dark Is Evil: A Dark Mage in the service of a God of Evil.
• Evil Sorceror: Has the Sorcerer class and serves as a member of the Grimleal.
• Giggling Villain: His voice lines mostly consist of insane giggling.
• Red Mage: An odd combination of normal magic and Black Magic.
• Sinister Minister: A priest within the Grimleal.
• Sycophantic Servant: Asks Grima to devour his lifeforce in his death quote.

Algol

"Heh heh... Leaving Plegia so soon? No, please, stay awhile. Stay...forever!"

The boss of Chapter 21. Is a member of the Grimleal. An alternate-universe Algol appears as the boss for the Death's Embrace map of the Challenge Map Pack.

Class: Berserker

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• Alternate Self: Another version of him is the Villain of the Week in Death's Embrace.
• Bad Boss: The spiked floors from Death's Embrace will hurt the Risen he throws at you as well as your army.
• Big Bad: The main villain of the Death's Embrace Xenologue.
• Brutish Character, Brutish Weapon: An Axe-Crazy-sadist who wields the Bolt Axe despite being a class with very low Magic. The Algol from the Outrealm Xenologue uses a Brave Axe.
• But for Me, It Was Tuesday: The Death's Embrace version remarks he's completely lost track of how many villages he's sicced his assassins on.
• Dirty Coward: Algol's Outrealm counterpart hides behind a wall of reanimated corpses and dies begging his killer for mercy.
• Evil Counterpart: Or rather, evil-er counterpart... to himself. The Algol of the main story is merely an ineffectual Grimleal following orders from Validar. The Death's Embrace version of him is a cowardly, sadistic Mad Artist necromancer whose crimes are so foul they cause Chrom to suffer a temporary Heroic BSoD.
• Flat Character: Doesn't get a lot of characterization, and he's basically there to just hinder your escape from Plegia Castle. Not so with his Outrealm counterpart in Death's Embrace.
• Mad Artist: Outrealm Algol believes his Risen assassins are works of art, as well as the perfect underlings.
• Necromancer: His Outrealm counterpart, who turns the warriors he captures from the villages he razes into Risen thralls, which he then uses as assassins to acquire more assassins.
• Rape, Pillage, and Burn: A strange twist on the typical depiction by the Xenologue version. He razes villages to the ground, not for money or women, but for their strongest warriors.
• Sadist: The Death's Embrace version in the worst way, as it's implied this is part of why he made the Risen assassins in the first place; he ignores his initial instinct to make a break for it so he can stick around long enough to watch you die. If you last ten rounds, though, he realises you're more than he bargained for and legs it. If you reach him before that, though, you can fight and kill him.
• Sinister Minister: His description states he's a Grimleal priest. Averted with the Xenologue version, where he kidnaps warriors and turns them into obedient Risen.
• Trap Master: In Death's Embrace much of the floor is lined with spikes. If a unit from either side stands on them, they will have their HP reduced to one, but never less than that.
• You All Look Familiar: Has the same portrait as Morristan.

Jamil

The boss of Paralogue 6. Is a member of the Grimleal.

Class: Assassin

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• Bow and Sword in Accord: Wields both a Silver Sword and Silver Bow.
• Continuity Nod: He is meant to reference Jamil from Fire Emblem Gaiden, who is a boss fought in Duma Gate (which the paralogue's map design is based on) and is a fanatical member of a cult.
• You All Look Familiar: Has the same portrait as Gecko, Ruger, and Ezra.

Ardri (Karn)

The boss of Paralogue 20. A member of the Grimleal. He plans to sacrifice villagers to Grima, and one of them is an amnesiac Emmeryn, Chrom's sister.

Class: Sorcerer

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• Black Magic: Wields both Waste and Mire, making him dangerous at any range.
• Dark Is Evil: His dark powers are a clear case of Bad Powers, Bad People.
• Evil Sorceror: Sorcerer class, and most certainly evil.
• Sinister Minister: Yet another Grimleal priest, and an antagonist.
• Voice of the Legion: Perhaps as a result of Grima being resurrected, he uses the Risen's voice clips instead of a more human one, as do the rest of his Grimleal soldiers.
• You All Look Familiar: Has the same portrait as Chalard.

The Deadlords

The Deadlords (Dark Warlords, Seigneurs des Ombres, Todesfürsten, Resurgidos)

A group of twelve mysterious warriors that serve Validar and the Grimleal.

They also appear in a DLC Chapter, Thirty-six of them all holding many kinds of Legendary Weapons some of which you can obtain through the chests they guard.

Class:

Mus: General
Bovis: Bow Knight
Tigris: Warrior
Lepus: War Cleric
Draco: Sniper
Anguilla: Dark Knight
Equus: Paladin
Ovis: Sage
Simia: Swordmaster
Gallus: Sorcerer
Canis: Valkyrie
Porcus: Assassin

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For their tropes, see their section here.

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