History EnsembleDarkHorse / FireEmblem

* Nephenee is a major one, mainly for her [[ActionGirl asskicking abilities.]]

* [[GoldDigger Charlotte]] is a very interesting twist on this trope, as she was initially TheScrappy due to a lack of information on her character (when she was announced) making many people assume she was a remorseless seductress who barely cared for anything except gold. This was ''very'' quickly amended when people got their hands on her supports, with her having some [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments hilarious]] or [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments downright heartwarming]] supports, with her supports with characters like [[KnightInShiningArmor Xander]] and [[TheHero the Avatar]] being hailed as some of the best supports in the ''series.'' Add to this a surprisingly deep character arc that explores the ramifications of being a MsFanservice, the image of what a "perfect girl" is, and the fact Charlotte is a critical hit machine with insane Strength and Speed, and you have a character who wasn't just RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap, but managed to go from TheScrappy into one of ''Fates''' most adored characters.

* Niles may be one of the most unexpectedly popular characters at this point. When he was first revealed, he didn't get much fanfare. Once it was revealed he'd be the GayOption for a male Avatar, fans started to take a liking to him. His... interesting supports, particularly his one with Camilla, have resulted in a lot of (positive) notoriety. It doesn't hurt that he's pretty much the only bowman for quite a while on the Nohr route, where archers are very useful.

** Amelia deserves a special mention in particular, as she's practically the Nino of her game; on top of being prime-time waifu material, there's her adorable dynamics with [[NiceGuy Franz]], [[BoisterousWeakling Ross]], [[AdorablyPrecociousChild Ewan]] and [[CoolOldGuy Duessel]] making her among ''the'' most popular characters in the entire continuity of Magvel. This is bolstered by the [[MemeticMutation notorious]] fact she can turn into a General when she has the stat spread of a FragileSpeedster, which only adds to her already large popularity. It's telling how well liked she is that in spite of the already-large popularity of the Magvel Trainees, she ranked ''seventh'' of the Choose Your Legends 1 poll for Magvel characters, ''and'' was the first one who made a debut in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemHeroes'' before ''any'' of the other trainees, whom had to wait another''two'' years.

** Amelia deserves a special mention in particular, as she's practically the Nino of her game; on top of being prime-time waifu material, there's her adorable dynamics with [[NiceGuy Franz]], [[BoisterousWeakling Ross]], [[AdorablyPrecociousChild Ewan]] and [[CoolOldGuy Duessel]] making her among ''the'' most popular characters in the entire continuity of Magvel. This is bolstered by the [[MemeticMutation notorious]] fact she can turn into a General when she has the stat spread of a FragileSpeedster, which only adds to her already large popularity. It's telling how well liked she is that in spite of the already-large popularity of the Magvel Trainees, she ranked ''seventh'' of the Choose Your Legends 1 poll for Magvel characters, ''and'' was the only one who made a debut in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemHeroes'' before ''any'' of the other trainees.

* Lysithea is one of the most popular characters in the game, from a combination of factors that combine story factors (which includes being a {{Woobie}}), a recognizable design and [[Creator/AoiYuuki voice actress]]; as well as being consider the best mage in the game (having access to one of easiest ways to trivialize the BonusBoss during the early game, and access to [[{{Teleportation}} Warp magic]], a staple of great utility units in the franchise). She has the honor of being the first non-main character to win a Choose Your Legends poll, during the 2020 edition.

* Despite its reputation as an AntiClimaxBoss, only showing up at the end and being nothing more than a raging and hateful beast, the nameless Fire Dragon remains memorable as a final boss. It's [[NonStandardCharacterDesign intimidating appearance even among other Elibian dragons]], [[HellIsThatNoise hellish roars]], an epic {{Leitmotif}}, a BadassNormal by final boss standards because the previous and next games was a Demon Dragon and Demon King, this one was a plain Fire Dragon, BreakingTheFourthWall with its [[ReadingsAreOffTheScale hit point counter exceeding that of other bosses]], the FixedDamageAttack wiping out anyone in the game with only two hits, and overall being a mighty dragon that shames the last game's final boss!

* Lysithea is one of the most popular characters in the game, from a combination of factors that combine story factors (which includes being a {{Woobie}}), a recognizable design and [[Creator/AoiYuuki voice actress]]; as well as being consider the best mage in the game (having access to one of easiest ways to trivalize the BonusBoss during the early game, and access to [[{{Teleportation}} Warp magic]], a staple of great utility units in the franchise). She has the honor of being the first non-main character to win a Choose Your Legends poll, during the 2020 edition.

** Niles may be one of the most unexpectedly popular characters at this point. When he was first revealed, he didn't get much fanfare. Once it was revealed he'd be the GayOption for a male Avatar, fans started to take a liking to him. His... interesting supports, particularly his one with Camilla, have resulted in a lot of (positive) notoriety. It doesn't hurt that he's pretty much the only bowman for quite a while on the Nohr route, where archers are very useful.

* Similarly, [[FriendlyRival Boyd]] also boasts a very strong cult following, being one of the most popular Fighters in the series, which is impressive for a class that's generally a mixed-bag in terms of popularity. Common reasons to loving him come from his [[NiceGuy likable]] [[HiddenDepths personality]], [[SugarWiki/AwesomeArt awesome design]], as well as being a LightningBruiser unit in both games, a rarity for the [[GlassCannon Fighter]] [[AnAxeToGrind class]]. This only escalated with in regards to Boyd's [[PutOnABus long absence]] from ''Heroes'', prompting him to eventually shoot up to '''66th Place''' on the sixth official ''Choose Your Legends'' poll.

* Speaking of [[AnAxeToGrind Fighters]], Arthur is also really popular among the fanbase, ''[[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff especially]]'' [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff in the west]]. This is due to his hilarious bad luck, being basically a superhero in a medieval fantasy setting, the fact that he ''never'' [[{{Determinator}} lets it be an excuse from doing what's right]], [[NiceGuy and especially for how darn sweet he is]]. Matters are absolutely helped by Creator/CamClarke, who gave a bombastic and scenery-chewing performance that was one of the few things in a ''very'' [[BrokenBase divisive localization]] to be universally regarded by both defenders and critics as good. [[spoiler: Matters are also helped that he can be spared in ''Birthright'' alongside Effie.]]

* In the same vein as Ayra, [[GenkiGirl Mia (Wayu)]] has an equal fandom without actual importance. The Myrmidon/Swordmaster/Trueblade classes always have some amount of fandom especially when said character is a GenkiGirl with a CoolSword. [[ShesGotLegs Among]] [[ZettaiRyouiki other]] [[ActionGirl reasons]].

* [[GirlyBruiser Amelia]], [[BoisterousWeakling Ross]] and [[ChildMage Ewan]] are all very popular among fans, especially among casual fans of the series. Common reasons include all three being [[TheCutie adorable]] [[TokenMiniMoe Token Mini Moes]] with ''very'' [[TheWoobie sympathetic backstories]] and [[HiddenDepths interesting personalities]], all of whom growing into [[MagikarpPower utter badasses]] should you choose to use them. Alongside that, there's also the heartwarming and very well-written dynamics they have regarding [[GoodParents Garcia and Ross]], [[ParentalSubstitute Duessel and Amelia]] and [[BadassTeacher Saleh and Ewan]]. Ironically though (and rather unfortunately), they're generally regarded as among the weaker of the game's cast gameplay-wise, but they completely avert TierInducedScrappy status due to how likable and appealing their characters are, coupled with how ''[[ZeroToHero satisfying]]'' they become for many [[SelfImposedChallenge to make work]]. Bonus points for the fact all three trainees can be shipped with each other, leading to some really cute [[ToyShip Toy Ships]].
** Amelia deserves a special mention in particular, as she's practically the Nino of her game; on top of being prime-time waifu material, there's her adorable dynamics with [[NiceGuy Franz]], [[BoisterousWeakling Ross]], [[AdorablyPrecociousChild Ewan]] and [[CoolOldGuy Duessel]] making her among ''the'' most popular characters in the entire continuity of Magvel. This is bolstered by the [[MemeticMutation notorious]] fact she can turn into a General when she has the stat spread of a FragileSpeedster, which only adds to her already large popularity. It's telling how well liked she is that in spite of the already-large popularity of the Magvel Trainees, she ranked ''seventh'' of the Choose Your Legends 1 poll for Magvel characters, ''and'' was the only one who made a debut in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemHeroes'' before ''any'' of the other trainees.

* Joshua, the game's first Myrmidon. There was a lot of NiceHat involved, with a side of HandsomeLech. His great stat spread doesn't hurt either.

* Fans quickly latched onto the [[MemeticBystander nameless gatekeeper]] who greets the player outside the monastery. His chipper attitude despite all the chaos surrounding him, combined with his "Greetings, Professor! Nothing to report" CatchPhrase (almost always right before [[HypocriticalHumor giving you a report of current events]]) and the voice talents of Creator/KyleMcCarley helped contribute to his popularity. It's saying something that when he was included in the 2021 Choose Your Legends poll for ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemHeroes Heroes]]'', he was outright '''1ST''' place overall, beating Marth by a whopping 25,000 votes. It is also saying something that [[spoiler: he is a SecretCharacter in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemWarriorsThreeHopes''.]]

* Fans quickly latched onto the [[MemeticBystander nameless gatekeeper]] who greets the player outside the monastery. His chipper attitude despite all the chaos surrounding him, combined with his "Greetings, Professor! Nothing to report" CatchPhrase (almost always right before [[HypocriticalHumor giving you a report of current events]]) and the voice talents of Creator/KyleMcCarley helped contribute to his popularity. It's saying something that when he was included in the 2021 Choose Your Legends poll for ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemHeroes Heroes]]'', he was outright '''1ST''' place overall, beating Marth by a whopping 25,000 votes. It is also saying something that [[spoiler: he is a SecretCharacter in ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemWarriorsThreeHopes]]''.]]

* Fans quickly latched onto the [[MemeticBystander nameless gatekeeper]] who greets the player outside the monastery. His chipper attitude despite all the chaos surrounding him, combined with his "Greetings, Professor! Nothing to report" CatchPhrase (almost always right before [[HypocriticalHumor giving you a report of current events]]) and the voice talents of Creator/KyleMcCarley helped contribute to his popularity. It's saying something that when he was included in the 2021 Choose Your Legends poll for ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemHeroes Heroes]]'', he was outright '''1ST''' place overall, beating Marth by a whopping 25,000 votes.

* Despite its reputation as an AntiClimaxBoss and being nothing more than a raging and hateful beast, the nameless Fire Dragon remains memorable as a final boss for it's [[NonStandardCharacterDesign intimidating appearance even among other Elibian dragons]], [[HellIsThatNoise hellish roars]], an epic {{Leitmotif}}, a BadassNormal by final boss standards because the previous and next games was a Demon Dragon and Demon King, this one was a plain Fire Dragon, BreakingTheFourthWall with its [[ReadingsAreOffTheScale hit point counter exceeding that of other bosses]], the FixedDamageAttack wiping out anyone in the game with only two hits, and overall being a mighty dragon that shames the last game's final boss!

''Franchise/FireEmblem'' is chock-full of {{Ensemble Darkhorse}}s, mainly due to having LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters. A lot of them, such as Gheb, Glass and Batta the Beast (minor boss characters in both regards, or so the game's creators would have you think), have been elevated to MemeticBadass status.

* Arden, [[ButtMonkey surprisingly for his character type]], is extremely popular for both his memetic status as the only Armor Knight in the ''extremely'' mount heavy ''[=FE4=]'', as well as the respect (and lack thereof) of such that comes with it - this combines with his surprisingly sweet personality and rather hilarious potential relationships makes him very much a darkhorse among Ensemble Darkhorses, as nobody expected him to be so well-liked; his outright memetic status got him ranked as the '''third''' highest ranking ''[=FE4=]'' character in the entire ''Choose Your Legends 1'' poll, which if you know anything about [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters how big]] the cast of ''[=FE4=]'' is, is really impressive.

* In the same vein as Ayra, [[GenkiGirl Mia (Wayu)]] has an equal fandom without actual importance. The Myrmidon/Swordmaster/Trueblade classes always have some amount of fandom especially when said character is a GenkiGirl with a CoolSword, [[ShesGotLegs Among]] [[ZettaiRyouiki other]] [[ActionGirl reasons]].

* Amelia, Ross and Ewan are all very popular among fans, especially among casual fans of the series. Common reasons include all three being [[TheCutie adorable]] [[TokenMiniMoe Token Mini Moes]] with ''very'' [[TheWoobie sympathetic backstories]] and [[HiddenDepths interesting personalities]], all of whom growing into [[MagikarpPower utter badasses]] should you choose to use them. Alongside that, there's also the heartwarming and very well-written dynamics they have regarding [[GoodParents Garcia and Ross]], [[ParentalSubstitute Duessel and Amelia]] and [[BadassTeacher Saleh and Ewan]]. Ironically though (and rather unfortunately), they're generally regarded as among the weaker of the game's cast gameplay-wise, but they completely avert TierInducedScrappy status due to how likable and appealing their characters are, coupled with how ''[[ZeroToHero satisfying]]'' they become for many [[SelfImposedChallenge to make work]]. Bonus points for the fact all three trainees can be shipped with each other, leading to some really cute [[ToyShip Toy Ships]].

* [[CuteClumsyGirl Marisa]], much like Mia and Ayra, pretty much immediately caught on with fans for being a cute and sexy female Myrmidon with [[GapMoe a surprisingly shy personality underneath her cool exterior]]. She was the fifth highest ranking female on the first ''Choose Your Legends'' poll, so this isn't too shocking.

* Arden, [[ButtMonkey surprisingly for his character type]], is extremely popular for both his memetic status as the only Armor Knight in the ''extremely'' mount heavy ''[=FE4=]'', as well as the respect of such that comes with it - this combines with his surprisingly sweet personality and rather hilarious potential relationships makes him very much a darkhorse among Ensemble Darkhorses, as nobody expected him to be so well-liked; his outright memetic status got him ranked as the '''third''' highest ranking ''[=FE4=]'' character in the entire ''Choose Your Legends 1'' poll, which if you know anything about [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters how big]] the cast of ''[=FE4=]'' is, is really impressive.

* Pretty much all the trainees fit in this category, really, especially among the more casual side of the fandom. Amelia, Ross and Ewan are all loved for being [[TheCutie adorable]] [[TokenMiniMoe Token Mini Moes]] with ''very'' [[TheWoobie sympathetic backstories]] and [[HiddenDepths interesting personalities]], all of whom growing into [[MagikarpPower utter badasses]] should you choose to use them. Alongside that, there's also the heartwarming and very well-written dynamics they have regarding [[GoodParents Garcia and Ross]], [[ParentalSubstitute Duessel and Amelia]] and [[BadassTeacher Saleh and Ewan]]. Ironically though (and rather unfortunately), they're generally regarded as among the worst of the game's units gameplay-wise, but they generally avert TierInducedScrappy status due to how likable and appealing their characters are, coupled with the inefficiency of their performance being offset by [[DareToBeBadass how]] ''[[TookALevelInBadass fun]]'' [[FromNobodyToNightmare they are to use for some]]. Bonus points for the fact all three trainees can be shipped with each other, leading to some really cute [[ToyShip Toy Ships]].
** Amelia deserves a special mention, as she's practically the Nino of her game; on top of being prime-time waifu material, there's her adorable dynamics with [[NiceGuy Franz]], [[BoisterousWeakling Ross]], [[AdorablyPrecociousChild Ewan]] and [[CoolOldGuy Duessel]] making her among ''the'' most popular characters in the entire continuity. Even more impressively is that the fandom widely regards her as the worst unit in her game, and she's ''still'' quite popular due to the [[FromNobodyToNightmare inherently satisfying]] nature of taking a mediocre unit and making them good. It's telling that in spite of the general popularity of the Trainees, she was the only one who made a debut in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemHeroes'' before any of the other trainees, which says a ''lot.''

* Similarly, [[FriendlyRival Boyd]] also boasts a strong cult following, being one of the most popular Fighters in the series. Common reasons to loving him come from his [[NiceGuy likable]] [[HiddenDepths personality]], [[SugarWiki/AwesomeArt awesome design]], as well as being a LightningBruiser unit in both games, a rarity for the [[GlassCannon Fighter]] [[AnAxeToGrind class]].

* Ayra the sword mistress, probably due to the fact that she's one of the most powerful units early in the game due to her Meteor Sword skill. Her looks and attitude ([[ActionGirl cold, tough, ass-kicking]] on the outside, but [[{{Tsundere}} quite a sweetie on the inside]]) also help out. In fact, you can be assured that if there's some fans wishing that ''Genealogy of the Holy War'' gets represented in other games, if it's not [[TheHero Sigurd]], or Seliph, it's ''her''. Ayra's equally badass daughter Larcei also has quite the fan following. Finn, also from Genealogy qualifies as well. Since he is the only character playable in all parts of the Jugdral saga