Fire Emblem: Three Houses - Black Eagles Part One / Characters

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Hubert

Hubert von Vestra

Nationality: Adrestian Empire

House: Black Eagles

Class: Noble → Monk → Mage → Dark Mage → Dark Bishop

Age: 20 (4/17)

Height: 188 cm

Voiced by: Katsuyuki Konishi (Japanese), Robbie Daymond (English)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/feth_hubert_portrait.png

^{Post-Timeskip (Three Houses)}

^{Post-Timeskip (Three Hopes)}

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

Emperor's Confidant / Sinister Servant

"If you continue to insist on distracting me, I will have no choice but to get rid of you."

The tactician of the Black Eagles, thus known as the "Brains of the Black Eagles." He is the heir to House Vestra who has served Edelgard since his youth. He is a calculating but reasonable individual who will do whatever it takes to eliminate any obstacles in Edelgard's way.

His personal ability, Officer Duty, grants him increased Might while using Gambits.

Adaptational Nice Guy: Downplayed in Three Hopes; While still dark and broody, because he doesn't have to keep as many secrets or work under an Enemy Mine, he's less vitriolic with his classmates and in general...he's also slightly more sociable, and even giddy about certain subjects such as the taste of coffee.
Admiring the Abomination: Downplayed on the Crimson Flower route. Hubert is just as impressed as he is worried once he finally gets to see the Titanus from those who slither in the dark in the flesh.
Animal Motifs: Hubert is highly evocative of a snake, being stealthy and sinister in his mannerisms. His eyes even strongly resemble those of a snake. Ferdinand compares Hubert giving a genuine compliment to "a snake singing an aria."
Anti-Hero: Has a creepy demeanor and commits assassinations and is implied to torture people, but deep down cares for the people of Fódlan and ties to do what’s best, showing interest in their education and even posthumously helping the people who killed him take down Those Who Slither in the Dark, recognizing them as worse for Fódlan than the church.
Archnemesis Dad: Hubert hates his father for taking part in the Insurrection of the Seven, viewing it as a betrayal of House Vestra's loyalty to the emperor, and more saliently, for personally abducting Edelgard. As such, he has no problem with having him killed as part of Edelgard's purge of the corrupt nobility following her ascension. Hanneman offers an opposing point of view, saying that Hubert's father could have been trying to protect him by garnering power for himself, but Hubert will hear none of it:
Hubert: Let's say you're right. Suppose he did it to protect something he cared about. Doesn't matter. Doesn't change his actions or my judgment of them. My father was a traitor to House Hresvelg and he deserved what he got. That was me protecting something I care about.
Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: His official capacities include guarding Edelgard and leading her security, reviewing her generals' work and progress, actually fending off and eliminating assassins... as well as party planning and setting the menu.
Assassin Outclassin': In his A-Rank Support, he reveals that he's been fending off assassins after Edelgard's life in secret for years. In Three Hopes, Petra protects him from one, though both are aware he didn't need assistance.
Babies Ever After: He ends up having many children with Petra in his endings with them.
Battle Butler: He's formally Edelgard's servant and bodyguard, but she treats him like a close friend and a confidant. But she doesn't hesitate to flex her authority when he's being overly secretive.
Berserk Button: He doesn't take kindly to people sympathizing with his father, as shown in his supports with Hanneman, which is one of the few times Hubert gets noticeably angry.
Big Brother Instinct: Hubert's supports with Lysithea in Three Hopes reveal that he feels inclined to dote on her because he has a younger sister the same age as her. As a result, he isn't as harsh and critical with her as he is with most others. He also has a younger brother and his mother is still alive as well, but he keeps their existence under wraps out of fear that they'll be used as proxies for revenge against him.
Blind Obedience: Defied. In spite of his unflinching loyalty towards Edelgard, Hubert does think for himself and frequently goes behind her back when he believes some particular decision or order of hers can prove to be dangerous in the long run. It's exactly for this reason why in some routes he's willing to provide information on those who slither in the dark to his enemies.
Bodyguard Crush: Part of Hubert's intense desire to protect Edelgard is spurred on by his love of her, which he reveals to her in their A-support.
Bodyguarding a Badass: While his liege is as much, if not more, capable in open combat as he is, Hubert still protects her from more shadowy, clandestine threats.
Bond One-Liner:
"For Lady Edelgard." (pre timeskip)
"You could have at least tried." (pre timeskip)
Bring My Red Jacket: Played with. In Three Hopes he explains he doesn't particularly prefer wearing black, but it's helpful for hiding blood stains. Presumably his enemies' blood stains.
Brooding Boy, Gentle Girl: The Brooding Boy to Bernadetta's Gentle Girl, as even though he initially terrifies her so much she faint in their supports, he tries to help her get over her fear of him and become more confident and she gradually starts to open up to Hubert and even sews him a gift.
Brutal Honesty: He's never one to mince words, and doesn't even hold back from criticizing Edelgard when he disagrees with her. In the wake of Jeralt's death, he says that he's "never been one for condolences," but if Byleth is part of his house, he'll offer his analysis of the situation in lieu of sympathy.
Card-Carrying Villain: Downplayed. He doesn't like to brag about his more unsavory actions, but he won't make any objections about their nature should someone point them out to his face, and it's implied that he does play into his evil reputation to make himself seem more intimidating. He freely admits to publicly handling the Empire's Dirty Business so that Edelgard doesn't have to taint her hands with it.
Casting a Shadow: He's one of three characters that learns only Dark Magic spells for his Reason spell list, sharing this trait with Lysithea and Hapi. He even has a unique model for the Dark Mage line.
Character Death: He has to be killed in default routes, as he serves as the second to last obstacle in the way of the factions' attempts to defeat Edelgard, as the commander in the invasion of Enbarr (fighting alongside the Death Knight in Silver Snow and Verdant Wind). He's notably the only non-House leader to have this mechanic.
Character Tics: Tends to make a bowing pose, fitting his Battle Butler nature.
Chessmaster Sidekick: He's heavily responsible for having many less-than-willing members of the Empire kowtow to Edelgard once she declares war in earnest and silences those who may prove more troublesome to her, including his own father. If you play Petra and Bernadetta's Paralogue all default routes, he's shown to be the one responsible for bringing Empire troops to Brigid with the intent of keeping Brigid's King under the Empire's heel. On the Crimson Flower route, he even subtly hints that, despite hating those who slither in the dark, he's the one who ultimately convinced Edelgard to ally with them and later make use of them, as he notes that "Edelgard also strongly opposed the idea at first."
Co-Dragons: Hubert in Three Hopes shares the role of Edelgard's right-hand-man with Monica after the timeskip.
Constructive Criticism: His supports with Bernadetta, Ferdinand, Caspar, and Linhardt are based on this trope, with varying degrees of trolling or bluntness. When he offers unsolicited, wholly positive feedback, Ferdinand finds it as unusual and disturbing as "hearing a snake sing an aria."
Covert Pervert: If you choose to see him at the Goddess Tower in Chapter 9, he assumes you are there for a tryst and tries to make a hasty exit, before you correct him.
Crazy-Prepared: On the Silver Snow and Verdant Wind routes, he assumes that Edelgard will win the war, but still makes preparations to ensure those who slither in the dark are defeated in case she doesn't.
Crippling Overspecialization: Poor physical stats aside, Hubert's Faith utility, especially when compared to the other designated spellcasters, is very poor; On top of having a growth bane, he only learns the same three basic Faith spells that less magically-inclined units typically learn (Heal/Nosferatu/Recover) with nothing else to add to it, restricting his otherwise impressive magical prowess primarily towards combat. In that role though, Hubert is fairly strong, as between naturally having Dark Magic, and a decent spell list, he's the best magic unit of his house, and overall only truly loses in raw magical power to characters outside his house.^note
Deadpan Snarker: He can often be rather sarcastic when he isn't being blunt.
- In Chapter 5, he has the following to say about the mission to recover House Gautier's Hero's Relic.
  Hubert: For House Gautier to invite us on to their land, they must be desperate. But at least we'll have the stalwart knights ready to stand around and watch us do all the work.
- In Fire Emblem Heroes, during the "Turn of Fate" Forging Bonds event, he reacts this way to Bastian's nonchalant discussion of the worst-case scenario (that being their summoned second Gullveig would instead join up with the original Gullveig to destroy the Order of Heroes rather than fight her as they hope).
  Bastian: In that situation, we may as well don our brightest smiles and try to win the day with loquaciousness, hm?
  Hubert: Oh, don't worry. While you are busy greeting oblivion with a smile, the rest of us will think of something useful.
Death Glare: His angry portrait pre-timeskip is this. He loses it after the timeskip due to his generally softer expressions and more flattering angle.
Defrosting Ice Queen: His overall stance towards Byleth, both in-game and their supports. He is initially wary and distrustful of them, especially considering that they receive special treatment from Rhea, and early on in their Support, he makes it clear that he will eliminate them if they prove to be a threat or hindrance to Edelgard. He becomes much more open and less antagonistic towards Byleth should they choose to side with Edelgard and oppose the Church of Seiros. It gets to the point where Hubert admits in their A-rank Support that they would have had his Undying Loyalty, had he two lives to give.
Devil in Plain Sight: Played straight. Even though Hubert himself makes no effort to hide his true nature to his peers nor with Byleth, it comes as a shock for them when it turns out he had been fully complicit in the conspiracy against the Church of Seiros all along, and if Byleth doesn't side with his liege, he even becomes a major recurring antagonist from that point onward.
The Dragon: Becomes Edelgard's official second in command post-timeskip once she reveals herself as the Flame Emperor, though whether that designation sticks or he promotes into a different role - that of The Smart Guy or one of a trifecta of Lancers with Ferdinand and Byleth - is up to the player's discretion following Chapter 11.
Easily Forgiven: On the Crimson Flower route, he is quickly forgiven by the other Black Eagles and Byleth even though he was a knowing accomplice to the Flame Emperor the entire time.
Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: Even his friends call him eerie, and he has the matching look.
Monica: Perhaps if you grew flush with rage every now and again you wouldn't have the complexion of a coffin dweller!
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Contrasting his relationship with his father, in Three Hopes he admits to Lysithea he has a mother and brother and sister whose existence he keeps a close secret for safety.
Even Evil Has Standards:
- He's completely disgusted by Those Who Slither In The Dark and plans to purge them himself once they're no longer needed. When he and Edelgard are defeated on the Verdant Wind and Silver Snow routes, he takes steps to make sure his plans against Those Who Slither In The Dark are carried out posthumously by Byleth.
- He also laments that Petra is essentially being held as a hostage to keep her grandfather in line, though he sees it as a necessary evil.
- Three Hopes shows that he doesn't think much of Count Varley. He and Edelgard purposely gave him a position that would make him a prime target for assassination.
Evil Chancellor: Subverted. Hubert runs around behind Edelgard's back, pursuing his own agenda, without regard to what she actually wants him to do, just like any Evil Chancellor worth their salt. However, the agenda in question is to remove threats to Edelgard before they can actually get to her, no matter what methods he has to use to do so. Moreover, he is one of the few characters aligned with the Adrestian Empire who cannot be recruited by Byleth no matter what and in all routes where Edelgard is fought he stays loyal to her until the end.
Evil Laugh: One of his critical hit quotes pre-timeskip. He's also rather fond of doing this in several supports, and using it to troll (or encourage) Bernadetta is the basis of their support chain.
Evil Virtues: Even at his friendliest, Hubert is not a good guy. But that doesn't stop him from having plenty of admirable qualities:
- Ambition: He's every bit as proactive as Edelgard in their schemes to overthrow the Church of Seiros, and takes the initiative to have a backup plan to ensure the destruction of those who slither in the dark should they both fall in battle.
- Loyalty: Hubert is more than Edelgard's Professional Butt-Kisser: their bonds run deep and Hubert's devotion to helping his friend is greatly appreciated. He's also more than willing to handle shadier activities so she won't be forced to dirty her hands with them.
- Kindness: While he may look and act the part of an utter creep, Hubert truly cares for those who are on the same team as him: his loyalty to Edelgard goes without saying, but he warms up to Byleth once they prove their worth to him, while also being very kind to Bernadetta during their support conversations.
- Vigilance: Much like Edelgard, he trusts those who slither in the dark about as far as he can throw them and is planning to exterminate them once they've served their purpose. He even goes as far as to pen up a letter in the event of his and Edelgard's deaths so his killers can carry out the deed for them.
Exact Eavesdropping: In Edelgard's B-support with Byleth, after she's been frustrated with busy work, Byleth has a dialogue option that says "Such are the burdens of an Emperor". Picking that earns Hubert's support points, implying he's been listening in on their conversations.
Experience Booster: For some reason, he has Paragon as an enemy, which would double his experience gains. Too bad he's an enemy and can't actually gain experience.
Expy: As a dark mage with a creepy demeanor, who sports an unsettlingly intense devotion and Single-Target Sexuality toward one of the main characters, he's in many ways a Spear Counterpart to Tharja.
Face–Heel Turn: Outside of the Crimson Flower route, he turns against Byleth and the Church in Chapter 11, being permanent in Silver Snow's case.
Face of a Thug: He's not hideous or anything, but that just makes his dark demeanor even more unsettling, something he's acutely aware of. If the Black Eagles house is chosen and if Byleth sides with the Empire he'll implore Byleth to act as the group's emotional anchor, fully aware it's one role vital to Edelgard's success that he cannot perform.
The Fixer: After being pressed enough times, he reluctantly reveals all of the things he's been doing for Edelgard in secret to secure her path to ascension, from bribery to assassination.
Flowers of Romance: In his A-support with Bernadetta, she gives him a embroidered flower to wear as a way to make him look less scary. He points out this is something you'd give to "someone you had romantic feelings for." If they get married, they wear matching ones as a way of showing their affections for one another.
Foil:
- To Ferdinand. Both of them want to be loyal advisers to Edelgard. But while Hubert caters to her every whim and goes behind her back to ensure her ambitions remain unchallenged, Ferdinand openly challenges her to force her to rethink her decisions and push her to strive even higher.
- He's this to varying degrees to his fellow number two Dedue:
  - They sharply contrast in gameplay, with Hubert being a quintessential Squishy Wizard to Dedue's raw-power Mighty Glacier.
  - Hubert hails from a multi-generation spanning noble line whose sole purpose is to serve as retainers and protectors for the Imperial Family, whereas Dedue is a survivor of the pogroms carried out in the wake of the Tragedy of Duscur, having been saved by Dimitri himself, with humble roots as the son of a blacksmith hailing from an autonomous and culturally distinct region of Fódlan. While both men are quite tall, they visually contrast, with Hubert being somewhat gaunt, raven-haired, and pale, while Dedue has dark skin, silver hair, and a bulky build.
  - Hubert's methods of protecting Edelgard lie in coercion, deceit, manipulation, and working in the shadows, whereas Dedue's methods of protecting Dimitri are more direct and forceful. Hubert goes so far as to go behind Edelgard's back to assure whatever successes she requires, while Dedue generally doesn't do this, with the sole exception being taking Crest Stones and giving them to his fellow soldiers to transform into beasts as a last-ditch effort during Chapter 17 of the Crimson Flower route.
  - While both of them maintain their Undying Loyalty to their lieges to the very end on routes where they oppose the player, Hubert is nascent enough to realize that he needed a contingency plan for the continent to be rid of those who slither in the dark in the event of Edelgard dying and the Empire's invasion being stopped, leaving him open to a last-ditch compromise in the form of a posthumous letter. While Dedue will temporarily ally with the player during the final battle against Edelgard on the Silver Snow and Verdant Wind routes, he shows no interest in taking on a new goal with the other faction leaders, preferring to spend his remaining days guarding Dimitri's grave in the event that he lives.
  - While both are extremely loyal and protective to their house leaders, Dedue considers Dimitri to be his Living Emotional Crutch and constantly refers to himself as a tool, saying that his feelings and desires do not matter, while Hubert was given the choice to not be Edelgard's vassal but chose to follow her willingly, is very open about his thoughts and opinions, and even goes against her orders in situations where he feels she had made the wrong choice.
  - While Hubert has issues trusting people, Dedue has issues getting people to trust him.
Formal Characters Use Keigo: He is highly respectful to his liege Edelgard and uses keigo in the original Japanese. Apart from Edelgard, whom he addresses with the -sama honorific or her royal titles, he uses the respectful -dono honorific on most of his peers, even while criticizing or insulting them.
Graceful Loser: On the Verdant Wind route and the Silver Snow route, after he and Edelgard have been killed, he will politely inform Byleth (via letter) of where Rhea is imprisoned and will tell them about where to find those who slither in the dark.
Green-Eyed Monster: Hubert is obsessed with serving Edelgard, and as soon as she gets close to Byleth, he acts antagonistic towards them. While his loyalty to his liege plays a part, Edelgard's almost single-minded admiration of Byleth, which borders on blind trust, does not help, and neither does the fact that he's been in love with her since childhood (Bonus points for literally having green eyes). That being said, he eventually grows out of this by Part II of Crimson Flower, although he will confess during tea time that, "As a humble servant to Her Majesty, I sometimes envy the status she has given you."
- Averted in Three Hopes, where he's not particularly jealous of Edelgard's time with Shez. In fact, he's on the receiving end of this trope, as Monica is jealous of him.
Guys Smash, Girls Shoot: Inverted, he's the ranged spellcaster to Edelgard's Axe-wielding melee fighter.
Hates Their Parent: Hubert takes pride in the legacy of House Vestra's vassalage to House Hresvelg. It is for this reason that he despises his father for participating in the coup that rendered Emperor Ionius powerless and resulted in Edelgard's kidnapping. When Edelgard initiates a purge of the corrupt Adrestian nobles, Hubert is more than happy to see to his father's execution personally.
Hidden Depths:
- One of his confessional notes reveals he always wanted to be a Pegasus Knight, though he never got into it because he's afraid of heights.
- For all his dark and unsettling demeanor, Hubert actually disapproves of rule by fear, as one of his classroom questions reveals.
Hidden Heart of Gold: To some extent, Hubert actively encourages the dark perceptions others have about him, but he completely drops it in his supports with Bernadetta and Petra, even without his expressing a romantic interest with them. In his paired endings with either of them, both marriages are seen as surprising to some outsiders, but are also described as exceptionally loving. Both are also his only endings where he is confirmed to have children, and many at that.
Humble Pie: In his C-support with Linhardt, he lectures Linhardt about being too lazy to apply his prodigious talent in a direction that would benefit the Empire. In their B-support, he's mortified that he overworked himself to the point of collapse, requiring Linhardt to look after him.
I Have Your Wife:
- In Chapter 12, if he fights any former Black Eagles, he not-so-subtly implies that something might happen to their loved ones in the Empire if they continue down this path. However, he never actually goes through with it, possibly implying that he was actually bluffing.
- If Felix, Sylvain and/or Ingrid were recruited and are still alive on the Crimson Flower route, Hubert briefly suggests at one point making one of them pose as a hostage to gain the upper hand against the Kingdom.
- Hubert's supports with Lysithea in Three Hopes have him confess that he fears this trope will be used against him. He keeps the existence of his mother and younger siblings under wraps because he fears for their safety, as they could become proxies for revenge for his morally suspect actions in the name of the Empire. His Big Brother Instinct has him act more doting on Lysithea than the other members of the Imperial Army because she is the same age as his younger sister.
I Just Want My Beloved to Be Happy: It is strongly implied that he has romantic feelings for Edelgard but he still encourages Byleth to be Edelgard's emotional anchor and gives them gifts he knows she'll enjoy in hopes of getting the two together after the timeskip.
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: His unique ability "Dark Conjuration" in Three Hopes allows his attacks to stab the enemy with dark spikes, making them grow bigger with subsequent attacks, and then detonating them.
Innocently Insensitive: In Three Houses, he admits his logical nature would get in the way of sensitively expressing sympathy after Jeralt's death, even if he wished to avoid it. He does still care, such as if Hanneman dies in Three Hopes, he's actually the first to express sympathy. Also in Three Hopes he's overall kinder but still has a negative reputation at times. This forms the basis of his support with Hapi, which also mentiones that Edelgard regularly mocks him for "how often people mistake [him] for a heartless cad."
I Should Have Done This Years Ago: If Byleth didn't side with the Empire and fights Hubert in Enbarr during Part II, he will flat out state he regrets not having killed them at the monastery when he had the chance.
It Amused Me: It's strongly implied that he deliberately dials up the sinister overtones to eleven because he enjoys watching how uncomfortable it makes people.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: While he's a cold individual in general, he is capable of opening to those he trusts and being nice to his fellow classmates (such as his supports with Petra and Bernadetta), and also acknowledging the abilities of his peers, even if he doesn't care for their personalities. He's also happy to heap praise on Byleth should they perform well as part of the Black Eagles.
Klingon Promotion: During his absence from the monastery in Chapter 11, Hubert arranges his father's murder so he can become the new head of House Vestra. In Three Hopes, Hubert's father dies during Edelgard's siege against Arundel, but it's strongly hinted that Hubert still arranged for his father to be killed, since his character biography notes that he passed judgment on his father.
Kubrick Stare: He gives these to those who he believes might be a threat Edelgard’s plans, especially Byleth in their early conversations. Though he also does it because he finds it entertaining. In Three Hopes, he gives one during Bernadetta's father's introduction, solely because the man is that hateable. Linhardt's father feels the need to clarify that Hubert doesn't mean him danger (yet).
The Lancer: One of a whopping three alongside Ferdinand and Byleth on the Crimson Flower route, with each character serving a different capacity as a 'second-in-command' under Edelgard - Ferdinand challenging her, Byleth carrying out her will, and Hubert enabling her through the shadows.
Last Request: On Silver Snow and Verdant Wind, he sends a posthumous letter to Byleth and co. asking them to defeat those who slither in the dark in his and Edelgard's stead.
Legacy of Service: Hubert is heir to House Vestra, which has steadfastly served House Hresvelg for generations. His hatred for his father is partly rooted in how the marquis "spat on a legacy of loyalty and devotion that had lasted 1,100 years" with his part in the Insurrection. However, Hubert stresses that his loyalty to Edelgard is personal, and not out of familial duty or obligation.
Like Father, Like Son: When Hanneman offers the option that Marquis Vestra's betrayal of the emperor was motivated out of love for Hubert, Hubert notes even if that is true it doesn't change anything, and cites his murder of his father then as him acting out of his own devotion to Edelgard.
Looks Like Cesare: Has the matching pale skin, sunken eyes, messy black hair, and all-black outfit (which he justifies as useful for hiding blood).
Mage Marksman: Downplayed. He's a powerful dark mage, and he's also a passable shot with a bow and arrow thanks to it being one of his proficiencies. Thanks to his high magic stat, he can make great use of the Magic Bow.
Meaningful Name: Hubert is a Germanic name meaning "bright mind"; fitting for a tactician. Vestra is a Latin word meaning "yours"; equally fitting for a man who is utterly devoted to his leige.
Morality Pet: While he can be abraisive in general, especially to men, and especially towards Ferdinand and Linhardt, he can also be consistently kind, especially to women, and especially to Petra, Bernadetta, and Lysithea.
- Unlike what he does to most characters, he never even attempts to mock or criticize Petra, in either Three Houses or Three Hopes. In his C-Support with Petra in Three Houses, he compliments her on her work ethic and doing so well in a foreign environment, even apologizing for the Hostage Situation she is in. Ironically, Petra doesn't encourage him to act more moral in the traditional Fodlanese sense, with their Three Hopes support discussing some of the absurdities of Fodlan's morality, after she just got done shooting someone in the back to save his life.
- After accidentally scaring Bernadetta so much she faints in their C-Support in Three Houses, he carries her back to her room, and also tries to not to act as his usual creepy self so as to not scare her anymore. In their A support he promises to always try to put her at ease whenever he's around her.
- Hubert's support in Lysithea in Three Hopes discusses why he's kinder to her than he is to anyone else, and even more than if Edelgard made him be nice: she reminds him of his sister.
Murder Is the Best Solution: While he doesn't actually carry it out, a worrying amount of his supports involve casually threatening his allies with assassination should he perceive them as a hindrance to Edelgard's plans. Other supports show that he does order killings behind her back quite regularly.
Mutually Exclusive Party Members:
- He cannot be poached from the Black Eagles in Three Houses, and will never fight directly alongside Dimitri, Dedue, Claude, Hilda, Cyril, or Gilbert (under any circumstances), nor Catherine or Seteth (outside of their paralogues in Part I), or Flayn (after one or the other turns on you in the Holy Tomb).
- In Three Hopes, he cannot fight alongside Dimitri, Dedue, Felix, Ingrid, Sylvain, Annette, Rodrigue, Claude, Hilda, Holst, Seteth, Flayn or Catherine.
Nay-Theist: In his A-support with Byleth he notes that, while he does recognize the existence of a goddess, his feelings on her lean closer towards hatred than love as a result of what he describes as poor government of the world on her part.
Nice, Mean, and In-Between: The Mean of the three retainers. He's one of the most ruthless and sinister of the playable characters, albeit with some redeeming qualities.
Nightmare Fuel Station Attendant: He's one of, if not the most sinister looking student at Garreg Mach by a pretty wide margin, and he's prone to saying a lot of creepy stuff.
No Brows: It's unclear if he actually has very thin eyebrows or a prominent brow ridge pre-timeskip. He loses this after the timeskip, although they're still thin.
Not So Above It All: There are hints, such as his supports with Bernadetta, that he keeps up his creepier acts because it genuinely amuses him to watch people's reactions.
Number Two: Acts as Edelgard's right-hand man and Minister of Imperial Affairs, which in combat makes him The Lancer in her route and The Dragon as an enemy. Not only is Hubert one of the few people aware of her secret identity as the Flame Emperor, he's also fully complicit in her efforts to conquer Fódlan, constantly acts on her behalf and always serves as the last obstacle to face before Edelgard herself.
Oblivious to Love: As a result of his lifelong infatuation with Edelgard, who is oblivious to his love, Hubert's bad at telling when someone's into him:
- When either Byleth, Ferdinand, or Bernadetta give him a gift that he acknowledges could have a romantic interpretation, he's dumbfounded to receive it, even if he brought a reciprocal gift.
- Dorothea has to ask him if he'd need to be ordered by Edelgard to marry someone.
- Shamir calls him "very dense" regarding her fondness for him.
- Petra resigns herself to the fact that it'll take time for Hubert to admit to choosing her over Edelgard.
Odd Couple: With anxious, scared-of-almost-anything Bernadetta. She is one of the only people Hubert willingly drops his ruthless act around and is constantly kind to, and they can even get Happily Married (with the ending epilogue even noting that the news was so surprising that it made shockwaves even outside of the Empire’s gossip circles).
Odd Friendship: When kept on the same route, Ferdinand and Hubert are this. Ferdinand shows a loud rivalry with both Edelgard and Hubert, but reveals that he does so publicly in order to challenge Edelgard to be better as a ruler. Hubert, conversely, shows that he acts privately in order to keep Edelgard from having to be worse. Eventually they do reach an understanding and friendship, and, in their paired ending, where they're each other's only same-sex pairing (romantic or platonic), they succeed so well in advising Edelgard that she becomes jealous of their famed bond with each other.
Offstage Villainy: In Crimson Flower. He is explicitly stated to carry out assassinations in Edelgard's name, and it's implied that he's been doing all manner of work to suppress dissent within the empire, but the player only ever sees him fighting in battles and standing in the monastary like any other playable character.
Ominous Adversarial Amusement: As an enemy in Chapter 12 of default routes, Hubert is uncharacteristically ominous and smug, not even being annoyed over his defeat should it come to happen. That's because he knows his job is to merely soften the enemy for the Empire's main army.
Older Sidekick: He's about three years older than Edelgard, but is her subordinate nonetheless.
Pet the Dog:
- If you join Edelgard in betraying the Church in Chapter 11 after choosing the Black Eagles, he sincerely thanks you.
- As an enemy, on the Silver Snow and Verdant Wind routes, upon his and Edelgard's deaths, Byleth receives his posthumous note. This letter warns of the oncoming threat to both the world and the Church, gives information on where to defeat them, and provides information to make sure Rhea is freed.
- In the Scarlet Blaze route of Three Hopes, Hubert in his usual Brutal Honesty admits to Shez that he fully believed them to be a sleeper agent or mole since their presence was seemingly too good to be true for Edelgard's plans to conquer and unite Fódlan. After Shez stops an attempt at Edelgard's life in Chapter 9, he sincerely apologizes to them.
Picky Eater: Implied. Hubert has the most amount of disliked dishes at 15, and his non-unique dialogue when eating food he likes hints at it too.
Hubert: While I have little interest in food, I do have a weakness for this one dish.
Plot Armor: On the Crimson Flower route, he will retreat if he falls on Classic Mode due to being Edelgard's second-in-command and will continue to appear in cutscenes, though his ending card will mention he died of his wounds shortly after the war ended^note and unused dialogue in the game suggests he was originally able to die. The same mechanic applies to him in Three Hopes on the Scarlet Blaze route.
Pre-Asskicking One-Liner:
"As you wish." (Pre-timeskip)
"I'll cut a bloody path." (Post-timeskip)
Pre-Final Boss: In Azure Moon, he's the last boss before the Kingdom forces battle Hegemon Edelgard in the next chapter.
Pre-Mortem One-Liner:
"Bwahahahahahaha!" (Pre-timeskip)
"Watch how weak you are!" (Pre-timeskip)
"I have no need of you!" (Pre-timeskip)
"Just a bug to squash!" (Pre-timeskip)
"Prepare to die!" (Post-timeskip)
"We will burn together!" (Post-timeskip)
"Bow before Her Majesty!" (Post-timeskip)
"There will be no mercy!" (Post-timeskip)
Properly Paranoid:
- If you're a Black Eagle, he constantly warns Edelgard that getting too close to Byleth will only end poorly for her due to her plans to destroy the Church. His concerns prove very well-founded if you side with the Church in the Holy Tomb.
- On the Scarlet Blaze route in Three Hopes, he expresses distrust towards Shez's powers, due to being similar to the powers by Those Who Slither In The Dark, thinking that they could turn against Edelgard and their allies at any moment. If Byleth is recruited, his fears are unfortunately confirmed when Arval/Epimenides takes over Shez's body and attempts to kill Byleth, causing his already shaky trust in Shez to take a nosedive. That said, if Shez gives him the Merc Whistle, his post-victory letter in the ending has him fully forgive them.
Psychotic Smirk: His default expression is a sinister slight smirk.
Puppy Love: It's implied (and later confirmed) in their A-support that Hubert has been in love with Edelgard ever since they were children, going so far as to fight off the Kingdom's soldiers for three days while trying to get to Fhirdiad to rescue her.
Quest Giver: He hands out the supply run sidequests on the Crimson Flower route.
Real Men Take It Black: One of the only luxuries the irepressibly confident and scheming Hubert regularly indulges in is his love of coffee, preferring it to the tea traditionally served in the courts of the nobility. According to him, its wondrous aroma and full-bodied richness is unlike any other beverage, preferring to take it hot and black when others would prefer to stir in milk and sugar. In Three Hopes, he's able to break the ice with Hapi over their shared appreciation for the bitter drink.
Recurring Boss: On default routes, Hubert is one of the most frequently-fought bosses in the game. In addition to being fought in Chapter 12 after choosing the Black Eagles if Byleth sides with the church, and at Gronder Field and on the streets of Enbarr on both the Azure Moon and Verdant Wind routes, he's also the boss of Petra's paralogue on all routes except Crimson Flower, as well as the boss of Dimitri's paralogue on the Azure Moon route.
Recurring Element:
- On the Crimson Flower route, Hubert acts as the 'distant, antisocial mage' pioneered by Arlen.
- On routes other than Crimson Flower, his Undying Loyalty to Edelgard and willingness to fight a war of conquest in her name without any hesitation makes him a Murdock archetype, though he's a bit unusual in that he's in a magic-based class rather than the usual physical classes.
- As the manipulative sorcerer working as the heavily-armored physical emperor's second in command, he at first seems to fit the role of the Gharnef, and on some routes, even has the role of revealing the true threat after his defeat, although his Undying Loyalty to Edelgard and plans to betray those who slither in the dark after the Empire's victory subvert the principle tropes of the archetype. He's arguably also just invoking the archetype on purpose for his own amusement.
Red and Black and Evil All Over: Hubert's generic class outfits are black with red accents, and post-timeskip, his outfit is predominantly black with some dark red. He's also the Token Evil Teammate or The Dragon depending on the route.
Required Party Member: Besides the usual mandatory deployment in his own paralogue, he's also required in Chapter 12 of Crimson Flower.
Right-Hand Hottie: Hubert is Edelgard's eternally loyal vassal and handsome in the classical sense, especially after the timeskip.
Roaring Rampage of Rescue: His B-support with Edelgard reveals that when she was taken to Faerghus by her uncle, he went on a mad rush to rescue her. Given he was ten years old at the time, going up against his own father's professional soldiers, and was trying to make it all the way to Fhirdiad, the fact that he lasted three days is impressive.
Route Boss: In Three Hopes, due to Edelgard and Claude's pact, Hubert can only be fought in Azure Gleam, and in contrast to how many times he's fought in Azure Moon, here he's only fought once.
Save the Villain: His paralogue involves him saving some mages working for those who slither in the dark's bacon from an experiment with Demonic Beasts gone awry. That said, he enjoys himself quite a bit mocking their failures and sarcastically states they'll be taking a prototype weapon as "thanks."
Secret A.I. Moves: As an enemy, Hubert can know multiple spells^note and skills^note that are impossible for him to obtain as a playable unit.
Secret-Keeper: He knows that Edelgard is the Flame Emperor, but never lets a peep of it escape his lips until his identity is revealed to others and she calls for him.
Self-Made Orphan: After Edelgard's ascension to emperor, he reveals that he's already "purged" all of the corrupt nobles of the Adrestian Empire... including his own father.
Shame If Something Happened: On non-Crimson Flower routes, during Edelgard's assault on the monastery at the end of Part 1, he will threaten any Black Eagle that attacks him with this.
Hubert: Such a shame. There are people in the Empire you truly care about, too, aren't there? I wonder what will become of them.
Shipper on Deck: Oddly enough, he is this for Byleth and Edelgard on the Crimson Flower route; many of the missions he gives out post-timeskip reward the professor with Edelgard's favorite gifts and teas. He also encourages Byleth to act as Edelgard's emotional anchor, noting that it's a task Hubert himself is unable to fulfill. Considering Hubert's own feelings of protectiveness (or romance, if their A-support is completed) towards Edelgard, it speaks volumes of his trust in Byleth that he plays this for them.
Single-Target Sexuality:
- In his A-Rank Support with Edelgard, he reveals that not only is he unfailingly loyal to her, but he's been in love with her for years. Edelgard herself is astonished to learn that he could fall in love with someone because of how abrasive he is to everyone else. In his A-Rank Support with Dorothea, he agrees to the notion of marrying her not out of love, but to secure another follower for Edelgard.
  Edelgard: Wait a moment... are you saying you have romantic feelings for someone?
  Hubert: Yes. That is the one secret I had particularly hoped to keep from you.
  Edelgard: Well, that's utter nonsense! You can't possibly keep something so fascinating from me! Who is it?
  Hubert: It is you, Lady Edelgard. Did you ever really doubt?
- Though this trope is subverted if their A-support is not completed (or even if it is completed but either of them ends hooked up with, for instance, Byleth), where they just remain Platonic Life-Partners instead, and can even enter a happy marriage with someone else.
The Smart Guy: Establishes himself as a major tactical genius if the player sides with Edelgard in Chapter 11. Otherwise, he's more along the lines of Edelgard's simultaneous Dragon and Evil Genius. Though it's acknowledged Byleth's knowledge of battlefield tactics outdoes Hubert's own on a micro level, at a macro level, he decides where Edelgard's forces will strike next while Byleth handles the minutiae of the operation once the Black Eagle Strike Force arrives.
Squishy Wizard: He comes in with a sky-high 12 base Magic and an excellent 55% Magic growth, and he has the third highest Magic Cap of the designated spellcasters at 80 (second prior to the release of the DLC, as Constance bumped him down with her cap of 84). However, his Defense growth is a piddling 25%, ensuring that he won't be taking as well as he's dishing out.
Stealth Hi/Bye: Accused of this by Ferdinand, Bernadetta, and Lysithea, in their supports. Despite his ability to warp, each time he actually simply walked up behind them casually.
The Strategist: He's the Black Eagles' tactician. This is also the name of his personal skill, which boosts the power of Gambits by 5.
Sweet Tooth: Inverted. He dislikes all of the sweets that can be served at the dining hall and all of his favorite dishes are spicy, salty and/or bitter. He also prefers drinking coffee over tea due to its bitterness.
Tall, Dark, and Handsome: He stands at 188cm, and while he's creepy pre-timeskip, post-timeskip he gets a much needed glow-up, including a nice haircut and a a softer expression that makes him look mildly friendly. He also sports nice cheekbones.
Tall, Dark, and Snarky: He also offsets the above trope with his snarky personality.
Team Dad: Even beyond his official role in watching over Edelgard's wellbeing and safety, a number of his supports have him play the overbearing responsible adult to his juniors: "don't run with sharp things" (Bernadetta), "play safely/use your inside voice" (Caspar), "be responsible/get a full night's sleep" (Linhardt), and "eat your vegetables" (Lysithea). In Three Hopes, this even shows up in supports he's not actually in: Balthus mocks him for it in a support with Edelgard, and he comes up in Ferdinand's supports with Shez and Lysithea.
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: He might be working with those who slither in the dark to further Edelgard's ambitions, but that doesn't mean he has to like it, and he plans of disposing of them as soon as they outlive their usefulness to her.
Token Adult: Downplayed. He's 20 at the start of the game and the third-oldest student overall (only Mercedes and Balthus are older than he is), with the rest of the Black Eagles being in their teens. This obviously vanishes come Part II.
Token Evil Teammate: If playing the Crimson Flower route, he's this. Hubert's list includes murder and he's unrepentant about his actions, but at the end of the day he's a loyal ally, does advocate for reform within the Empire, and wholly opposes the Agarthans. This is intentional on his part.
Took a Level in Cynic: One of his confessional notes implies he used to be a far more optimistic and trustful person in the past, which likely changed after the Insurrection of the Seven.
When I was a child, I feared such trivial things as divine punishment and grudges held by the dead. These days, I fear zealots and grudges held by the living instead.
Took a Level in Kindness: He's far less abrasive and confrontational with his fellow teammates in Hopes than he was in Houses, and while Houses implied he sometimes dialed up his creepy and intimidating demenaor because it amused him in Hopes he explains in his supports with Shez and Edelgard that the Empire being infiltrated to the core by those who slither in the dark pretty much forced him to be like this to efficiently serve Edelgard.
Toxic Friend Influence: A role he plays with relish. His second support with Shamir spells it out when he kills some people that Edelgard had let go. He explains sincerely that there are things she doesn't need to know or deal with.
Uncertain Doom: In Three Hopes' Azure Gleam, he vanishes entirely following Thales' takeover of the Empire. A few characters like Randolph believe Hubert was most likely killed as a result, but this is never confirmed.
Undying Loyalty: He's staunchly loyal to Edelgard, and will not abandon her under any circumstances. He even offers his head to her without hesitation when she points out that continuing to keep secrets from her is a crime worthy of execution. In his A-rank Support with Byleth, he notes that if he had another life to give, he would also give this to them, though it would be as comrades-in-arms rather than master and subordinate. Notably, if the Black Eagles house is chosen and Byleth chooses to ally with the Church instead of Edelgard, most of the Black Eagles will follow suit, while Hubert will remain loyal to Edelgard.
The Unfettered: In all routes Hubert is willing to carry out assassinations, associate with the genocidal Agarthans, and threaten teachers so long as it serves to bring Edelgard to power and carry out her goals.
Unrequited Love: His A-support with Edelgard reveals that Hubert has been deeply in love with her since childhood, which lends to his Undying Loyalty to her. Whether she reciprocates it or not is inconsequential to him, and he goes so far as to provide Byleth with gifts he knows Edelgard will enjoy as part of a gambit to give her an emotional anchor. In said A-Rank support, he admits that his affection for her is the one secret he wanted to keep hidden.
Useless Useful Spell: As an enemy, he knows Paragon, which brings up multiple questions about why an enemy has a skill that is completely useless for non-playable characters.
Utility Party Member: While his main role is a hard hitting mage, he also can become a rallier for mages due to his combination of having Rally Magic, Resistance, and Speed to units.
Vicariously Ambitious: Hubert's main interest lie in helping his liege's dreams become a reality, and he'll do anything he can to ensure such. Even his decision to usurp his father's place as the head of House Vestra late into Part I ultimately aims to ensure Edelgard's ascension to Emperor and coup against the Prime Minister goes off without a hitch.
Villain's Dying Grace: On the Silver Snow and Verdant Wind routes, he arranges for a letter to be sent to Byleth explaining everything about those who slither in the dark as a last "up yours" to them should Edelgard fall in battle.
Villain: Exit, Stage Left: He's quite fond of pulling this tactic when fought after the timeskip.
Vitriolic Best Buds: With Ferdinand.
- Though the "friendship" starts off rocky and may end in Three Houses, if their friendship is allowed to grow, they become each other's only A+ support and same-sex paired ending, with the ending going so far as to name them "The Twin Jewels of the Empire", and noting Edelgard grew jealous of their bond. If they wind up as enemies on non-Crimson Flower routes, they still have a special battle dialogue without any direct vitriol, practically inverting the trope into Friendly Enemies: Hubert refers to running into Ferdinand as "almost sentimental", and they avoid discussing personal enmity entirely.
- Three Hopes expands upon their companionship's highs and lows, and also runs with the "Twin Jewels" naming, turning it into a cutscene name, a battle strategy, several lines of battle dialogue, and the dialogue at the end of their support chain. Hubert claims to find the name ridiculous, but Ferdinand loves it, and encourages Edelgard to troll Hubert with it at every opportunity. They even express their care with barbs: In Golden Wildfire, Hubert explains away his personally hiring protection for Ferdinand as him doubting Ferdinand's competence. In Azure Gleam, Ferdinand suggests Hubert's disappointment would sting more than a military defeat.
Welcome Back, Traitor: On the Crimson Flower route, he is quickly welcomed back into the fold despite his and Edelgard's brief betrayal of the other Black Eagles in the Holy Tomb and the revelation that she is the Flame Emperor.
We Used to Be Friends: On Silver Snow, all of his friendships with the Black Eagles are destroyed after it's revealed he is a knowing accomplice to Edelgard/the Flame Emperor and intends to help her conquer Fódlan. He is far less broken up about it than Edelgard herself is, and only expresses anything akin to regret if he fights Ferdinand in Enbarr.
We Want Our Jerk Back!: He's usually so biting in his criticisms that in Three Houses, when he heaps on legitimate praise, others tend give him funny looks and get weirded out. Ferdinand outright asks Hubert if he's been stricken with plague and is on his deathbed in their A-Support after Hubert starts going on at length about Ferdinand's positivity being one of the few areas he really does have Edelgard beat. Linhardt similarly finds a compliment from Hubert to be worthy of study as a strange phenomenon. Bernadetta finds him more unnerving if he stops acting ominous. In Three Hopes, he's kinder overall, so his compliments don't get as ssignificant reactions.
Younger Than They Look: Pre-timeskip, it'd be hard to believe he's only 20 since he looks much older.
You're Insane!: Played for laughs if he wins the White Heron Cup. He promptly questions whether the judges are in their right minds.
You Remind Me of X: Petra reminds him of Edelgard, though the comparison isn't just exclusive to him, as all three are aware of the similarities in strength and experiences between Petra and Edelgard. In Three Hopes, Hubert admits Lysithea reminds him of his sister, whose existence he keeps a closely held secret for her safety.

Ferdinand

Ferdinand von Aegir

Nationality: Adrestian Empire

House: Black Eagles

Class: Noble → Soldier → Cavalier → Paladin

Age: 17 (4/30)

Crest: Cichol (Minor)

Height: 175 cm (pre-timeskip) -> 180 cm (post-timeskip)

Voiced by: Taito Ban (Japanese), Billy Kametz (English, old), Ricco Fajardo (English, new)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/feth_ferdinand_portrait.png

^{Post-Timeskip (Three Houses)}

^{Post-Timeskip (Three Hopes)}

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

Noblest of Nobles

"I'm more talented than anyone in my class, even Edelgard. I'll lead the Empire to a bright and enlightened future."

The heir to the Dukedom of Aegir. Members of Ferdinand's family have served as prime ministers in the Adrestrian Empire for generations. Ferdinand holds great pride in himself and his family and doesn't like to lose, thus he often feels a strong rivalry with others, even with Edelgard.

His personal ability, Confidence, boosts his Hit and Avoid while he is at full health. He bears the Minor Crest of Cichol, which will sometimes negate enemy counterattacks when he uses Combat Arts.

Action Initiative: He learns Swift Strikes at A Lances, which allows him two consecutive attacks with any lance weapon for the cost of some weapon durability, even if he was unable to double before.
Adaptation Expansion: In Warriors: Three Hopes, the "Twin Jewels" nickname he shares with Hubert receives an expansion. In Three Houses, it was a nickname used for the pair in their shared ending. In Three Hopes, it's mentioned in their supports, and their battle dialogue, and Ferdinand seeks Edelgard's blessing to make it a Running Gag to rile Hubert up.
Always Someone Better: On the Crimson Flower path, his relationship with Edelgard is this. Much of the plot of their support story comes to Ferdinand accepting that fact, but keeping his motivation to improve, while Edelgard comes to accept Ferdinand's challenges as motivations to push herself further, and to keep herself honest.
Ancestral Weapon:
- Shield in his case. By clearing the bonus objective in his and Lysithea's paralogue ^note, Retribution, you can obtain the Ochain Shield, a saint weapon that resonates with his crest of Cichol and helps his survivability, especially when paired with his personal skill.
- Clearing Seteth and Flayn's Paralogue also unlocks the Spear of Assal, a Saint weapon that also resonates with his Crest of Cichol. While the weapon is primarily Seteth's weapon, Ferdinand is just as capable of using it. Especially if you are on the Crimson Flower route where Seteth is un-recruitable, making Ferdinand the only character who can use the weapon to its full potential.
Antiquated Linguistics: He has a very formal way of speaking, sometimes using uncommon words in his speech, and almost never using contractions. This is all as a way to reflect his noble upbringing. In the Japanese version, his speech patterns are stiff, formal, and archaic.
Arc Villain: He's Claude's main adversary for the first three chapters of the Golden Wildfire route in Hopes, being the imperial commander in charge of the invasion of Leicester.
Arranged Marriage: He reveals to Bernadetta in their A-support that their parents had originally considered this between the two of them, though it never went through. He's personally glad for it, as he never would have been able to become such a good friend to her if they had been betrothed by the time they were in the academy. It is possible for them to do end up getting married, and their support points increase rather quickly. Ironically, before marrying Ferdinand, Bernadetta cuts ties to her family house. Meaning that her father did see his daughter marry the powerful noble he wanted - but he gets none of the benefits he hoped for.
Ascended Extra: In Three Houses he was just another recruitable student who can be brought into any route of your choice. In Three Hopes he is no longer recruitable out of his House, and his role as Edelgard's most upfront advisor is more pronounced. He even is the focus of one of the cutscenes in the game (fittingly named "Twin Jewels of the Empire"), where he executes his own father with Hubert present.
Attack! Attack! Attack!: His unique ability in Three Hopes is "Maximum Ambulation", increasing his movement and attack speed in proportion to his combo count, starting at 300 hits and capping out at 1500, encouraging him to attack relentlessly to maintain his combo count.
Babies Ever After: In his paired endings with Edelgard, Dorothea, Constance off the Crimson Flower route, and Manuela, he becomes a father. The former three simply name a vague "children," "many" with Constance, and one with Manuela.
Badass Adorable: Ferdie is as charming as a puppy, and is naturally a strong and noble fighter.
Being Good Sucks: If he winds up opposing the Empire in Houses he's hit with this more than any of his fellow Black Eagles. While he'll always invoke Defector from Decadence as his reason for going rogue regardless of route he makes it clear he isn't enjoying it one bit, noting that despite it all he still loves the Empire and wants it to survive. He's also despondent following the capture of Enbarr and the deaths of Edelgard and Hubert, telling Byleth he feels like a hole opened in his heart.
Berserk Button:
- While never shown on-screen, he's implied to have a temper when women are mistreated and/or people are being treated unjustly in his presence.
- Ferdinand frequently displays anger at nobles who abuse their power and take advantage of their followers. This comes up in his distaste for his own father, Lord Lonato, the nameless nobles who Dorothea mentions abusing her in their A-Support, Dimitri in the Crimson Flower route, and even Edelgard in Silver Snow and other routes if he's poached.
A Birthday, Not a Break: Gets hit with this the most of any playable character, most likely because his birthday is at the end of the month (when the battles tend to take place).
- Considerably downplayed, but the first mock battle falls on his birthday.
- If poached to the Blue Lions or Golden Deer, the second battle at Gronder Field and the ensuing bloodbath falls on his birthday.
- On the Crimson Flower route, the final battle occurs on his birthday.
Birds of a Feather:
- With Petra, as both of them have similar optimistic personalities and refuse to let negativity drag them down.
- Also with Lorenz. The two are very similar in personality and temperament, both even sharing similar beliefs in how it's a noble's duty to uplift the commoners. And in both cases, it's rooted to their respective issues in how their fathers went about governing their lands. They can even grant one another a "Bond Boost" in combat.
Blood Knight: Downplayed. Some of his battle lines suggest he enjoys combat, and one of his tea time topics has him say he has enjoyed fighting since he was a child.
Born Lucky: Downplayed. According to Hanneman, the Crest of Cichol is rare, to the point that only Seteth has the Major Crest of Cichol in the present day. Thus, Ferdinand's lucky to even have a minor one.
Boring, but Practical:
- He can't match characters like Felix or Edelgard in per-hit damage, he's outsped by characters like Petra and Ingrid, and he's not as tanky as Dedue or Raphael. However, he maintains a good balance of speed and power, and his evasion can become high enough to offset his somewhat lower defense. His lack of skill weaknesses and only truly weak growths being Magic and Resistance ^note allow him to take up any physical class as needed. He also eventually learns Swift Strikes, which lets him completely ignore his speed stat.
- His personal skill, Confidence, gives him +15 to hit and avoid when at full HP. While not a flashy skill like other students, it allows him to become one of the hardest characters to hit, as he naturally is fast enough to avoid many units, and with the right setup, he can practically hold down enemies simply by being unable to be hit.
Break the Haughty: While he is obviously nowhere near as vile or arrogant as other examples of this trope, his pride as a noble takes a hit as a result of the situations listed below:
- If you oppose Edelgard and follow the Silver Snow route instead of the Crimson Flower route, or if you choose the Blue Lions or Golden Deer houses, Edelgard will strip him and his family of their nobility, wealth, and lands. This does a number on his self-esteem, and he's left at a loss, wondering despondently to Byleth what he's going to do now.
- His B-support with Byleth has him forced to come to terms with the fact that he was never anywhere near Edelgard's equal, as much as he'd wanted to believe otherwise.
- His support with Constance begins with this, dismantling his entire worldview and telling him that while his concerns aren't misplaced, what she needs is action and allies to help her house instead of merely comforting words.
Broken Pedestal:
- To Constance, whom she knew as a child, finding him to be another disappointing noble who gives empty platitudes instead of action.
- His father is this to him. His C-Support with Edelgard in Three Hopes reveals that he idolized his father as a child... until he found out about how corrupt he was.
The Cameo: He appears in Engage as one of Byleth's Bond Rings.
Can't Catch Up: During White Clouds, he strives to be either Edelgard’s equal, or to surpass her. But in Part II, no matter what route Byleth takes, in his B-Support conversation with them, he comes to accept that no matter how hard he tries, he will never be on Edelgard’s level.
Character Death: If not recruited on the Azure Moon or Verdant Wind paths, he is one of the commanders defending the Great Bridge of Myrddin, forcing him to be killed off in order to progress. He's notably the only recruitable Black Eagle to have this mechanic.
Character Development: After the timeskip, he's noticeably more mellow and reflective. He even lampshades this if hosting a tea party.
Character Tics: Has a tendency to place his palm on the right side of his face when talking (or when things get dumb). It's a sort of one-sided Facepalm. He even does this on his Heroes art.
The Charmer: Thanks to his straight-forward, sincere, and honest nature, he manages to charm most of the women he has supports with. He even manages to briefly fluster Hilda, who is a master of charming men into doing things for her. Appropriately, he also has a good Charm stat with decent growths to match.
Chick Magnet: Ferdinand has eleven potential wives, the highest total in the game after Byleth: Edelgard, Petra^note, Dorothea, Bernadetta, Byleth, Mercedes, Hilda, Marianne, Manuela, Flayn, and Constance.
Childhood Friends: Is revealed to have been so with Constance.
Climax Boss: In Azure Gleam, he and Edelgard are the last bosses fought before the second timeskip.
The Comically Serious: Ferdinand doesn't have a sense of humor, tends not to understand sarcasm, and treats most everything he does with an air of hyper-seriousness.
Competition Freak: He's obsessed with winning to the point that he views his own housemates as rivals, notably Edelgard and Hubert.
Commonality Connection: Ferdinand and Lorenz bond in their support chain about their similar feelings of accountability and responsibility as noblemen, as well as their deep appreciation for tea.
Curtains Match the Window: He has orange hair and eyes.
Determinator: One of his most recurring positive traits is that he is very persistent and never gives up when he sets his mind on something. For example, in his B-support with Dorothea, he makes treats for her and admits to having gone out, worked to earn the materials to make it without using any money or wealth. Dorothea is very surprised by that and the fact he made them himself, admitting that her impression of him improved after learning of this. In Three Hopes, he pushes himself even harder in a darker way, to distract himself from having killed his corrupt and rebelling father. This reaches the point where Hubert has to confront him out of concern in their support, and outright order Ferdinand to sleep in Ferdinand's support with Shez.
Discard and Draw: As an enemy unit on Maddening, he trades his Silver Lance/Javelin combo for a Killer Lance. While this makes him helpless against ranged attacks, it also makes him more likely to land critical hits, which when combined with his large movement range and increased stats, can be deadly. It also makes him harder to bait out safely.
Does Not Like Spam: By his own admission, he dislikes coffee, to the point that the Coffee Beans are one of his two disliked gifts. This seems to extend to bitter foods in general, as Blue Cheese gift is his other disliked gift, and all his disliked dishes in the dining hall are under the "bitter" category. This changes (outside of gameplay) if his support chain with Hubert is completed, as he suggests sharing coffee in the dining hall with Hubert, and in his support chain with Edelgard.
The Dog Bites Back: Downplayed, but if he's on Byleth class in the default routes, Edelgard strips the Aegir house of everything, and after he refuses to be Edelgard's puppet, goes on the run for five years until reuniting with Byleth at Garreg Mach. Afterwards, he joins the fight against the Flame Emperor.
Emotions vs. Stoicism: Discussed in Part II of all routes if he's on the player's party. Ferdinand believes an ideal king has to be able to separate his personal feelings from his duty, which in non-Azure Moon routes he considers the reason why Dimitri ultimately ends up meeting his demise in the battlefield after being consumed by revenge.
Endearingly Dorky: His tendency to be The Comically Serious in some of his supports, as well as his sincere and straightforward nature gives him an adorable charm.
Entertainingly Wrong: In his B support with Dorothea, he tells her he was thinking about why she compared him to a bee. In their A support, it's because she's concerned he's only interested in her looks, which won't last forever—caring only about the most beautiful flower in full bloom. Ferdinand declares that it's because bees are dutiful workers, but who "inherit a capacious home with a wealth of honey." He chooses to play up the former while downplaying the latter, showing off some confections he had prepared (after many failed attempts), stating that he got the ingredients on his own efforts, working ad commercia for a farmer and a merchant in exchange for flour and sugar, respectively, while taking extra chores in the kitchen so he could use it during off hours. He still missed the point by a wide berth, but Dorothea appreciates the gesture nonetheless.
Expository Hairstyle Change: In Three Houses, his hair goes from chin-length and neatly-coifed to halfway down his back and somewhat unkempt during the timeskip. This is because he's too preoccupied with the war to remember to get it cut, and additionally in the case of being recruited on any route besides Crimson Flower, because he's a fugitive for five years.
Fiery Redhead: Played with. Ferdinand is quite energetic, and pre-timeskip, is a Competition Freak. However, he mellows out during the timeskip and is more reflective, and even pre-timeskip, when he's not being competitive or dramatic, his personality is rather calm. That being said, he is hinted at having a bit of a temper when injustice is involved, as shown in his supports with Caspar and Mercedes.
Foil:
- To Hubert. Both of them want to be loyal advisers to Edelgard. But while Hubert caters to her every whim and goes behind her back to ensure her ambitions remain unchallenged, Ferdinand openly challenges her to force her to rethink her decisions and push her to strive even higher. They debate and discuss their opposite points of view on advising Edelgard in their support chain. The contrast is not lost on either of them, and they initially can't stand each other.
- To Lorenz. Both take great pride in their nobility and statuses as house heirs, but can rub people the wrong way. Lorenz clings to classist views of nobility and is patronizing towards common folk, while Ferdinand has a more progressive view of things and doesn’t let that get in the way of treating commoners with genuine respect. Lorenz riles up people with constantly flaunting his nobility, while Ferdinand’s communication problems come from being Innocently Insensitive and simply wants his fellow nobles to use their statuses for good. Pre-time skip, Lorenz wanted to one up Claude because he feels the latter is an Inadequate Inheritor, whereas Ferdinand wanted to prove his worth to Edelgard and become The Good Chancellor for her. While both characters go through the Cavalier class line by default, Lorenz has a solid magic growth, a reason boon, and a good spell list, allowing him to become a magic class or even a Magic Knight, while Ferdinand is a Magically Inept Fighter. Even their physical appearances are opposite: Lorenz favors the color purple, Ferdinand primarily wears red.
Forgotten First Meeting: When he was a boy, he encountered Dorothea while she was secretly bathing herself in a fountain. He was so entranced by her beauty (even thinking she was a water nymph) that he bolted in shock/confusion. However, she interpreted the look on his face as disdain and scorn, and when Ferdinand got the nerve to come back to the fountain she had already left. By the time they crossed paths again at the Officers Academy, he had completely forgotten about her (believing he had imagined the first meeting) and spoke with her casually, cementing her hatred of nobility and Ferdinand himself in the present day, believing his current friendliness to be a façade.
The Friend Nobody Likes: His interactions with his fellow Black Eagles classmates initially come off as this. Edelgard and Hubert find him utterly annoying, Caspar finds him rather irritating, Bernadetta is, well, Bernadetta, Linhardt insults him without him even realizing it, and Dorothea outright says she hates him (though for her, it’s motivated by a misunderstanding from their past and she changes her mind once that's cleared up). Petra is the only one who is actually nice to him throughout, and even then, she's a Nice Girl to pretty much everyone.
Full Health Bonus: His personal skill Confidence increases his accuracy and avoid by 15 whenever he has full HP.
Glass Cannon: In comparison to Leonie and Sylvain, he's this. Ferdinand's highest stats are Strength and Speed, but Defense is his lowest stat after Magic and Resistance. His personal battalion, the Aegir Astral Knights, emphasizes this, as it gives a large boost to physical attacks (+7) and evasion (+20, one of the highest in the game), but only modest boosts to both defenses (+2). He can compensate by stacking evasion boosts on top of each other, including his personal skill. He can avert this by going into the Fortress Knight class if the player levels his armor skills up, but that hurts his Speed growth and does nothing for his Strength.
The Good Chancellor: He aspires to be this, as the head of his family is traditionally the Imperial Prime Minister. In particular, he wants to make up for his father being an Evil Chancellor. He's able to achieve this in the Crimson Flower route, as his endings state that Edelgard eventually appoints him as her prime minister.
Good Is Not Soft: He's Innocently Insensitive at worst, but Ferdinand has minimal issues with using force (including lethal force) if the situation calls for it. He's unfazed by his first kill in Chapter 2, threatens a pushy soldier in his and Mercedes's B-support, and on the Silver Snow route, he has this to say in regards to ending the war with the Flame Emperor's death.
Ferdinand: There is no stopping her. The only way to end this is to kill her.
Green-Eyed Monster: If not recruited on the Azure Moon or Verdant Wind routes, he expresses jealously towards Byleth should he fight them.
Ferdinand: [sad] Edelgard has always been obsessed with you. I am a little envious, to be frank.
Ferdinand: [angry] I will just have to impress her with my skills on the battlefield!
Hates Their Parent: His opinion on his father isn't exactly high. Interestingly, it seems to have nothing to do with how he treated Ferdinand, but rather how he treats everyone else. According to Ferdinand himself, he thinks his father embodies the worst traits of a noble, and aspires to be more or less everything he isn't. It's a bit more complicated than it seems, however, as while he will readily admit his father was greedy and arrogant and deserved to die, he's also conflicted with Edelgard imprisoning him after she ascends, and mourns his death in default routes.
Heroic Build: He has broad shoulders and a narrow waist, especially after the timeskip, causing this trope. It's possibly a subversion, however, as Flayn remarks that he's rather slender in build. He's also thinner in his Heroes artwork.
Hidden Depths:
- Despite his pride in being a noble and his Competition Freak tendencies, he's genuinely thoughtful behind the politics and circumstances of his actions and others. He asks Edelgard to consider options other than disbanding the nobility in their A-Rank Support, and when that fails he proposes that she provide free education for all once she succeeds in uniting Fódlan in order to bridge the gap in equality.
- His supports with Manuela reveal he is a fan of the opera and also enjoys writing poetry. He actually remembers and can recite one of her songs despite it being a decent amount of time since he saw it. He also is one of two students in the Black Eagles who does very well with choir practice, the other being Dorothea, showing he has a genuine love for the arts that few other students have.
- He values discipline and restraint, and feels a noble is supposed to lead the commoners with their interests at their heart. He hates his father and Lonato for using the commoners and other people for their petty revenge/plans, and describes them as not being truly noble. If poached to the Golden Deer, he says that Dimitri was blinded by his emotions, leading to his death. He also believes that if a leader becomes overly emotional, others should intervene, and that blindly agreeing with a ruler is not the right call to make. If poached to the Blue Lions, after the battle to save Deirdru, he commends the former nobles of the Alliance for acting in the best interests of the people.
- His support with Byleth addresses a fear of being forgotten. One of his potential tea time topics has him ask if they will always remember him. If romanced by a female Byleth, regardless of route, half of his work will be lost to time.
Hidden Disdain Reveal: Potentially has two cases:
- On the Azure Moon and Verdant Wind routes, if not recruited, he admits to being jealous of the attention Byleth got from Edelgard, and says he will simply have to impress her with his skills on the battlefield, implying he is fully ready to kill Byleth.
- On the other hand, if poached to the Blue Lions, if talked to after saving Deirdru from the Empire, he condemns Edelgard for her disregard for how many people will die to carry out her cause.
History Repeats: Invokes this himself in his support with Edelgard. Their ancestors once dueled with the throne of the Adrestian Empire on the line, so he pesters Edelgard into accepting his offer for one to prove his superiority over her. After he's taken down in a Curb-Stomp Battle, he later invokes the lines his ancestor said to hers in order to propose to her.
Honest Advisor: In his support with Hubert, Ferdinand states that his intention as prime minister of the Empire is to be someone who can challenge Edelgard and give "frank advice" to her when she's on the wrong path, rather than blindly following her orders the way Hubert does. Even on other routes he also shows signs of this, such as when he's poached to the Blue Lions after the timeskip, as he is willing to criticize Dimitri, feeling that Dimitri will never be a good king as long as he's ruled by his emotions, although the two never directly interact and if poached to the Golden Deer and talked to after the second battle at Gronder Field, he also criticizes Dimitri and questions why his followers didn't try to question him.
Hot-Blooded: While more subdued than Caspar, Ferdinand's supports with Shez in Three Hopes emphasize how he feels he must always give it his all to live up to his name as the heir to House Aegir, vowing to devote every fiber of his being to everything he does, be it training, rousing conversation, or even rest. Shez is taken aback by how passionate Ferdinand is about everything before pointing out the folly in this mindset: if you're constantly pouring all of your energy into everything you do, you'll deplete yourself when you need it most. Not to mention that it makes him exhausting to be around since he's constantly high-energy. Later supports emphasize that this passion is what keeps Ferdinand going even through the toughest times, such as when Ferdinand is distraught over his father's rebellion and subsequent arrest. Without it, there are times when he wouldn't know what he'd do with himself.
How the Mighty Have Fallen: After the timeskip, his status as a noble is either up in the air (he retains his lands and title on Crimson Flower and on all routes in Hopes, but doesn't inherit his father's position as Prime Minister) or effectively nonexistent (on all other routes in Houses). Contrast that with his status as the heir to the second most powerful house in the Empire pre-timeskip.
I Am Not My Father: It's heavily implied that he tries to act like an ideal noble due to his father's corruption.
I Got Bigger: Not to the extent of, say, Bernadetta or Lysithea, but Ferdinand grows five centimeters after the Time Skip and his shoulders are broader.
The Idealist: In their support chain, Hubert points out Ferdinand's extreme optimism as one of his central personality traits, and Ferdinand is a stranger to negativity and pessimism when working to accomplish his goals. His mission is to see the Empire into a bright future for all.
Inferiority Superiority Complex:
- There are hints that his pride is a cover for self-esteem issues. Pre-timeskip, he believes that he genuinely is better than Edelgard. Post-timeskip, his B- and A-supports with Byleth have him acknowledge that regardless of what he thought as a teenager, he was never anywhere near Edelgard's equal. It's more or less confirmed in his B-support with Constance.
  Ferdinand: I tend to... overcompensate. Perhaps I make a fool of myself, bragging about my superiority to Edelgard.
- In Three Hopes, Ferdinand's supports with Caspar have him brushing off Caspar's glowing praise of him as a Jack of All Trades. Ferdinand derides himself as a Master of None and considers Caspar's single-minded pursuit of strength and talent for fighting to be a dazzling virtue. Similarly, Ferdinand's training line with Edelgard has him wonder if a stronger opponent would help her get more out of her training. Edelgard is baffled by this, as the only available sparring partner she considers stronger than him is Count Bergliez, the army's mightiest warrior.
Innocently Insensitive: At times he can fall into this due to his noble upbringing. He sees it as his responsibility to act like an ideal noble, so he tends to poke into people's business and ask questions. He means well, but this tends to bother people; in his support with Marianne, for example, he questions why she resents being nobility, causing her to snap and begin ranting about her life, causing him to back off.
Jack of All Stats: In comparison to most of the Black Eagles. He has fairly evenly balanced growths, save for his low magic and resistance growths. However, compared to Sylvain and Leonie, who fulfill similar roles for the Blue Lions and Golden Deer, Ferdinand's lower defenses and higher avoid make him more of a Glass Cannon.
Jack of All Trades: He has four proficiencies at the start of the game, can develop an additional proficiency in heavy armor through training, and has no particular weaknesses when handling weapons. His growths initially look like a Master of None, but as classes affect the growth rates of a character, this allows him to flexibly fit into several classes, something that his classmates struggle with. He can even lampshade this at a tea party.
Ferdinand: I am extremely versatile. In fact, I fear I am a jack-of-all-trades.
Jerkass to One: He heavily disapproves of Hubert's methods and will call him out on it. With every other character he interacts with, he's nothing but a gentleman.
Just Following Orders: He expresses this as his reason for fighting Hubert if they fight in Enbarr. In a twist on this trope, it's not as though he doesn't want to carry out his orders, nor is he using the line to avoid taking responsibility.
Kindhearted Simpleton: Played With. While he has his Hidden Depths and a lot of insight, Ferdinand can also be rather dense. He's also one of the nicest characters in the game. Hilda even lampshades this trope in their B-support.
Hilda: Haha! Oh, Ferdinand! So simple. And yet... so kind.
The Lancer: Actually gets invoked by Ferdinand as despite a lot of his posturing over their "rivalry" he's already acknowledged that Edelgard is the leader of the Empire and his own role is to become her Prime Minister. Ferdinand firmly believes it's the duty of the Number Two to directly challenge their Leader to ensure they are walking the correct path. This also breaks down why Ferdinand is unable to get along with Hubert, as Ferdinand views him as an enabler who will go along with Edelgard's whims.
Large Ham: In the Japanese version, he's quite bombastic and energetic. While he does have some hammy moments in the English version (notably his S-support), Billy Kametz uses a softer and more mild tone overall.
Late Character Syndrome: While several other characters have this, it's particularly notable on him due to his high recruitment requirements and timeskip-locked B-support. If the player uses a fresh save file or simply chooses not to utilize New Game Plus, Ferdinand will likely be one of the last characters recruited (if at all), and will effectively be locked into lance or axe-wielding classes and will struggle to use the stronger battalions. It's somewhat alleviated by his high base stats with his late recruitment. ^note
Leeroy Jenkins: Played for Laughs. If the Golden Deer house is chosen, during Three Houses's Chapter 1's mock battle between houses, Ferdinand will book it out of formation, to the annoyance of Edelgard and Hubert. The same battle happens in the "Eagles, Lions, and Deer" paralogue in Three Hopes, where he is again the first of the 15 students encountered.
Lightning Bruiser: Tends to develop into this once trained. He has good Strength and Speed alongside a wide range of combat arts and no skill weaknesses, and his lower Defense is less relevant due to his evasion (and even should his evasion fail, a temporary reclass into one of the more defensive classes will fix his low Defense and Resistance).
Like Father, Unlike Son:
- Duke Aegir is corrupt, while Ferdinand is honest.
- Physically, Duke Aegir is short, overweight, and bald with a mustache. Ferdinand is tall (or at least of average height), athletic, and clean-shaven, and (in Three Houses) has long hair post-timeskip.
- Even their classes contrast. Duke Aegir is a Fortress Knight that specializes in wielding axes, while Ferdinand has Glass Cannon growths, defaults to Paladin, and specializes in wielding lances.
Long-Haired Pretty Boy: In Three Houses, his hair grows to almost his waist in the 5 years between the first and second acts of the game. A confession note he leaves in the cathedral states that he's upset that people think he grew it out as a fashion statement, he simply has been so busy he never took the time to cut it. Subverted in Three Hopes, where his hair after the timeskip remains short and neatly kempt, similarly to his pre-timeskip appearance.
Magically Inept Fighter: With his well-rounded physical stats but low magic growth and unremarkable learned spells ^note, he's far better off in a physical class than a magic one. That said, his Reason spell list is marginally better than most of the physically-oriented units, being able to learn four Reason spells, whereas most of the other inept spellcasters only learn two.
Messy Hair: Downplayed, and only after the timeskip of Three Houses, but his hair is somewhat tangled and unkempt in the back. Justified, as Ferdinand did not intend to grow his hair out and is preoccupied with the war effort.
Modest Royalty: For all of Ferdinand's posturing about being a noble, he also proves to be one of the most open-minded characters in the game when it comes to breaking bread with those of a different social class. Ferdinand's beliefs is that it's nobles' duty to protect and elevate the commoners they are supposed to be shepherding, and many of his endings reflect this by having him take some kind of office or work that involves direct outreach to the normal people.
Multi-Melee Master: While his primary weapon is a lance, he's also proficient with swords and axes, just like his fellow Cichol Crest-bearer Seteth.
Mutually Exclusive Party Members: In Three Hopes, he’s not playable outside of Scarlet Blaze; thus he cannot fight alongside Dimitri, Dedue, Felix, Ingrid, Sylvain, Annette, Claude, Hilda, Holst, Seteth, Flayn and Catherine.
My Name Is Inigo Montoya: Pre-time skip, his turn select quote on maps is him stating who exactly he is.
Ferdinand: I am Ferdinand von Aegir!
Nice Guy:
- Despite his noble background and Competition Freak status, he is fairly polite and jovial to the other students. Even when he takes pride in his status, he doesn't flaunt it as a way to belittle others, and generally treats everyone with the same respect. He's also patient with people who dislike him, notably Dorothea, who warms up to him as he maintains his earnest kindness throughout their conversations. The only person he ever gets angry at is Hubert, who goes out of his way to antagonize and insult Ferdinand.
- He's generally interested in the well-being of his fellow students, even if he can be a bit overbearing about it. For example, he actually encourages Bernadetta to come out of her shell and interact more, and when that goes downhill, he purposefully takes all the blame for pushing her too hard and offers a sincere apology. After Jeralt is killed, he can be seen in the cafeteria urging Petra to return home to Brigid, because he fears she'll be drawn into conflict that she would be better off distancing herself from. Petra is annoyed with him for it, but he apologizes for coming across as rude.
Noble Fugitive: If you recruit Ferdinand on any route other than Crimson Flower, after Edelgard takes the throne, she puts Ferdinand's father in jail and strips his house of all its titles. Ferdinand, not wanting to be Edelgard's puppet, takes his supporters and goes on the run for five years until he reunites with Byleth at Garreg Mach.
No Flow in CGI: Post-timeskip, due to its newfound length, Ferdinand's hair is animated like a cape instead of hair for practicality reasons, moving as a single unit. While his default outfit hides this well, when reclassed into a more revealing outfit (or just moving his head too much) can result in rather odd views.◊
Not in This for Your Revolution: If recruited on the Azure Moon or Verdant Wind routes, his reason for defecting to the Kingdom/Alliance is not because he believes in their cause, but because he believes that Edelgard is "running amok" and he refuses to be her puppet. His boss dialogue with Hubert also suggests this.
Ferdinand: It does not matter what I think. Those are my orders.
Not So Above It All:
- If a female Byleth S-supports him, his reaction to her accepting his proposal is rather over-the-top, including him nearly fainting from sheer happiness.
- His B-supports with Caspar and Mercedes show that he's not above threatening someone (or actually using force) if he feels someone is being mistreated.
- In his A-support with Mercedes, he admits to essentially breaking and entering.
No-Sell: His Crest has a chance of nullifying the enemy’s counter-attack when using a combat art.
Odd Friendship: When kept on the same route, Ferdinand and Hubert are this. Ferdinand shows a loud rivalry with both Edelgard and Hubert, but reveals that he does so publicly in order to challenge Edelgard to be better as a ruler. Hubert, conversely, shows that he acts privately in order to keep Edelgard from having to be worse. Eventually they do reach an understanding and friendship, and, in their paired ending, where they're each other's only same-sex pairing (romantic or platonic), they succeed so well in advising Edelgard that she becomes jealous of their famed bond with each other.
Offscreen Moment of Awesome: On Silver Snow he mentions that he tried taking on Edelgard during the timeskip, which resulted in him losing his lands and title and living a life of wandering with his troops until his return to the monastery.
Playing with Fire: Learns Fire and Bolganone if trained in Reason.
The Pollyanna: Hubert states that Ferdinand's "relentless optimism" is his best trait, as he tries to see the best in everything and find ways to improve not only himself, but everyone else around him. This lessens a bit after the Time Skip as he's shown to be more self-aware, but he still maintains an air of positivity. In Three Hopes, Ferdinand playing this trope up too much makes Hubert express his concern that Ferdinand isn't coping well and is veering into Stepford Smiler territory.
Pre-Asskicking One-Liner:
"I am Ferdinand Von Aegir!" (Pre-timeskip)
"Ready for anything." (Post-timeskip)
Pre-Mortem One-Liner:
"I will not hold back!"
"The splendor of nobility!" (Pre-timeskip)
"Victory is assured!" (Pre-timeskip)
"You're wide open!" (Pre-timeskip)
"All is for victory!" (Post-timeskip)
"No openings? I'll make one!" (Post-timeskip)
"I will not back down one step!" (Post-timeskip)
Pride:
- Ferdinand is immensely proud of his heritage as the eldest son of House Aegir and often gets overly-grandiose about himself and his status, claiming that he's the most talented in his class, and his competitive nature stems from his dislike of losing to others. While he can be overbearing and somewhat dense, he's altogether well-meaning and doesn't look down on anyone as beneath him, in contrast to Lorenz pre-Character Development.
- If Ferdinand asks to join Byleth's class and is refused, he shrugs it off, claiming that "not everyone can appreciate [his] excellence."
Primary-Color Champion: His post-timeskip outfit is mostly red and blue with gold accents. While it's played straight if he's recruited, if not, it's inverted, as he falls instead under Punch-Clock Villain.
Religious Bruiser: Played with. While implied to be more religious than his fellow Black Eagles, he also has no hesitation in helping Edelgard fight the church should Byleth side with her. Additionally, he is neutral in faith instead of proficient.
Riches to Rags: Shortly before the timeskip, Edelgard strips House Aegir of all its wealth and lands. If you convince him to turn on her, he refuses to become her puppet and goes on the run for five years.
Royals Who Actually Do Something: Ferdinand considers it every noble's duty to do everything in their power to help the common folk. As such, he considers it a point of pride to do everything he can to be of aid to those around him.
Sacrificial Lion: On the Azure Moon and Verdant Wind paths, if not recruited prior to the timeskip, he is one of the commanders defending the Great Bridge of Myrddin, forcing him to be killed in order to progress, showing that former students can suffer Character Death. Unlike Ashe, who is fought in the map before him, and Lorenz, who appears on the same map as Ferdinand in Azure Moon, an enemy Ferdinand cannot be avoided and cannot be spared and recruited.
Sarcasm-Blind:
- In his C-Support with Linhardt, he takes all of the former's sarcastic jibes as genuine compliments until Linhardt gets bored of teasing him and leaves.
- In his B-Support with Dorothea, she very sarcastically asks when he became a talented confectioner. Ferdinand takes the comment at face value and her sarcasm sails over his head.
Schrödinger's Gun: Similar to Petra, Ferdinand's views and feelings towards Edelgard and the Empire, and even Dimitri and the Kingdom, can be drastically different depending on the route your playing or if he was recruited.
- If playing Crimson Flower or if left unrecruited, Ferdinand retains his Undying Loyalty towards Edelgard, feeling their her revolution for wanting to reform Fódlan falls in line with his own beliefs on the changes nobility needs to go through. If playing Silver Snow or if Ferdinand was recruited in the other routes, Ferdinand views Edelgard as a tragic tyrant who needs to be stopped for the good of the Empire and Fódlan at large.
- In non-Azure Moon playthroughs, Ferdinand always speaks rather negatively of Dimitri after his death, being unable to believe that Dimitri led his people and himself to their deaths and that there was no one there to guide him to a better path.
Sheep in Sheep's Clothing: It's very easy to assume that Ferdinand has something sinister underneath his pleasant façade, given that most of his fellow Black Eagles cannot stand him initially (especially Dorothea, who is pleasant to almost everyone else), and his father is a corrupt noble. However, his supports show that he really is the kind, thoughtful person he portrays himself as, and is only Innocently Insensitive at worst. In fact, it's hinted by Dorothea if she encounters him as an enemy unit that she always knew he was better than she thought he was.
Shock and Awe: Learns Thunder and Thoron if trained in Reason, the former being the first spell he learns.
Short Teens, Tall Adults: Inverted. Datamining reveals that Duke Aegir is only 164 cm tall. Even as a teenager, Ferdinand is 175 cm tall, putting him at half a head taller than his father.
Smarter Than You Look: While he initially comes off as bumbling and overeager, Ferdinand is in fact quite intelligent and thoughtful.
The Spock: Before the battle for Fort Arianrhod (on Crimson Flower) or after the Battle at Gronder (on all other routes), he states that a leader must make decisions completely divorced from emotion, particularly criticizing Dimitri in this regard.
Supporting Leader: On Silver Snow, he acts as this, as while he is outranked by Seteth and Byleth in the resistance army, he more or less serves as the leader of the Black Eagles who defected from the Empire. He also tends to speak up more often on the story as well.
Sympathy for the Devil: In the Silver Snow and Verdant Wind routes, Ferdinand is shown mourning Edelgard's death, should the player have recruited him before the War Phase. Despite directly opposing her, he still cared about her. Notably, Ferdinand is the only of the form Black Eagles shown upset by her fate.
Third-Person Person: Downplayed. Ferdinand refers to himself as "the eldest son of House Aegir" when he turns down a Byleth attempting to recruit him out of the Black Eagles:
Ferdinand: Oh, Professor! Here to recruit me, I presume? Well, the eldest son of House Aegir will not be so easily swayed!
Token Religious Teammate: Downplayed. Ferdinand is implied to be more pious than his fellow Black Eagles in his supports with Mercedes and Marianne, but he also will fight against the church should Byleth side with Edelgard. Additionally, should Byleth oppose Edelgard and side with the church, Ferdinand simply believes Edelgard has gone too far, not specifying if it is on religious grounds or not.
Took a Level in Kindness: While he's already a Nice Guy pre-timeskip, he's also prone to being Innocently Insensitive and has quite the sense of pride. Post-timeskip, he's more sensitive.
Trademark Favorite Food:
- Ferdinand is hugely fond of tea, and it's a major element in a few of his supports; he bonds with Lorenz, not only over their similar feelings of noble responsibility, but over their appreciation of tea.
- One of the notes from the counselor's box is Ferdinand writing in claiming that the tea at the academy isn't good enough for him and that he needs someone to help him with supplies for "tea fit for a noble."^note
- Hilda manages to dupe him several times in their support chain when she laments she can't even brew tea properly and Ferdinand is compelled to show her how to do it correctly.
Uncertain Doom: In Three Hopes' Azure Gleam, he vanishes entirely following Thales' takeover of the Empire. It's unknown whether he's dead, was taken hostage by Thales to ensure Duke Aegir's cooperation, or something else.
Unknown Rival:
- Ferdinand sees Edelgard as someone he must surpass in every way, while Hubert and Edelgard find his competitiveness with her tiresome and ridiculous. In his support with Byleth, he gets upset whether Byleth considers Edelgard his equal or whether they think she’s better than him, and in his support with Hubert, Ferdinand explains his obsession with competing with Edelgard as a desire to set a good example for her and be someone she can rely on.
- Ironically despite the fact that Edelgard does defeat him in a Single-Stroke Battle in their B-Support, Edelgard later assures him that she did absolutely take him seriously. She put everything into that first strike because she wasn't sure she could win otherwise if she didn't catch him off guard in that first attack.
Upper-Class Equestrian: He is the son of the Empire's prime minister, and one of his major hobbies is horseback riding. His default class line when not recruited is Cavalier -> Paladin.
Utility Party Member: Surprisingly, he can fall into this earlygame. His budding talent gives him Seal Speed, and he learns Shatter Slash at C+ Lance, allowing him to cripple an enemy for a teammate to finish off.
Vitriolic Best Buds: With Hubert.
- Though the "friendship" starts off rocky and may end in Three Houses, if their friendship is allowed to grow, they become each other's only A+ support and same-sex paired ending, with the ending going so far as to name them "The Twin Jewels of the Empire", and noting Edelgard grew jealous of their bond. If they wind up as enemies on non-Crimson Flower routes, they still have a special battle dialogue without any direct vitriol, practically inverting the trope into Friendly Enemies: Hubert refers to running into Ferdinand as "almost sentimental", and they avoid discussing personal enmity entirely.
- Three Hopes expands upon their companionship's highs and lows, and also runs with the "Twin Jewels" naming, turning it into a cutscene name, a battle strategy, several lines of battle dialogue, and the dialogue at the end of their support chain. Hubert claims to find the name ridiculous, but Ferdinand loves it, and encourages Edelgard to troll Hubert with it at every opportunity. They even express their care with barbs: In Golden Wildfire, Hubert explains away his personally hiring protection for Ferdinand as him doubting Ferdinand's competence. In Azure Gleam, Ferdinand suggests Hubert's disappointment would sting more than a military defeat.
Warts and All:
- A rather nuanced take; in a game filled with students who have complicated relationships with their parents, Ferdinand is no different on paper. His whole persona of pointing on pomp and circumstances of trying to be an honorable noble is in direct response to the less than desirable qualities his father possesses. Despite his own hard feelings for his dad however, Ferdinand still cares about him with his paralogue with Lysithea involving his attempts in vain to save his father's life.
- If playing the Crimson Flower route, Ferdinand will reveal in free talk that while he is steadfastly loyal towards Edelgard, he still has conflicted feelings over the rather callous method she went about in disposing his father.
Weapon Specialization: His primary weapon is lances, as he starts with a higher lance rank than the other types, and leans towards the lance-based Cavalier line. The Cichol Crest weapon, the Spear of Assal, is also a lance.
What Happened to the Mouse?:
- In Three Houses, if Ferdinand is recruited but falls pre-timeskip, he vanishes after returning to his home territory during the timeskip, leaving his final fate unknown.
- In Three Hopes on the Azure Gleam route, he goes missing after his father and Thales retake control of the Empire and his fate is left ambiguous. He also makes no further reappearances after being driven out of the Alliance in Golden Wildfire, though here he's at least confirmed to have survived the campaign in Leicester.
What the Hell, Hero?: In his B-support with Hubert, he calls Hubert out on going behind Edelgard's back and disobeying her orders, ostensibly for her own good. While Ferdinand isn't afraid to openly challenge Edelgard, he believes that any concerns should be voiced directly to her.
You Monster!: He calls Lonato a "monster" for being willing to sacrifice innocent lives in his quest to avenge his son.
Young and in Charge: In the Crimson Flower route, after Edelgard strips Duke Aegir of his title and land, Ferdinand ends up inheriting the role.

Petra

Petra Macneary

Class: Commoner → Myrmidon → Thief → Assassin

Age: 15 (9/07)

Height: 161 cm

Voiced by: Shizuka Ishigami (Japanese), Faye Mata (English)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/feth_petra.png

^{Post-Timeskip (Three Houses)}

^{Post-Timeskip (Three Hopes)}

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

Queen / Princess of Brigid

"I have much gratitude for you, Professor. You always listen with patience. I can read and understand the language of Fódlan, but speak it... gives me difficulty. I hope I will keep having your support. And I will give you my support too, with my whole heart. I have things that I cannot fail to accomplish."

The granddaughter of the king of Brigid, an archipelago to the west of Fódlan that is under the Empire's suzerainty. As a token of their allegiance, Petra is sent from her homeland as an exchange student to the Officers' Academy. She's not yet used to Fódlan's language, but is committed to learning it.

Her personal ability, Hunter's Boon, grants her increased Crit if her foe is at half health or lower.

Abdicate the Throne: If Petra and Byleth marry, she leaves the throne of Brigid to her family so she can stay in Fódlan, where they fight those who slither in the dark and then retire (Crimson Flower route) or work to improve relations between Brigid and Fódlan (other routes).
Adaptational Curves: Not that she wasn't already voluptuous, but Heroes gives her a chest a boost.
Ambiguously Bi: While she cannot attain an S-support with female Byleth, her paired ending with Dorothea states that Dorothea "became the person that Petra loved most."; notably, Dorothea's title in this ending is "Devoted Heart", which is the title she otherwise only gets in her endings with confirmed marriages (and even then, not all of them). Three Hopes includes some subtext with Shez regardless of their gender, with Petra's supports having her take an interest in Shez and insist they accompany her back to Brigid once the war is over.
Aloof Ally: In regards to the Empire itself, due to her political hostage status. Outside of Crimson Flower, she's reluctant to stand against them only for Brigid's sake, and being recruited before the Time Skip sees her doing so. In Three Hopes, she can be persuaded to defect from the Empire with the assurance her people won't come to harm.
Babies Ever After: In her paired endings with Hubert and Linhardt, and many children at that.
Badass Normal: She doesn't have a Crest and her magical ability is lacking (even having banes in both magical skills), forcing her into physical classes. She's not any less capable for it.
Birds of a Feather: With Ferdinand, as both of them have similar optimistic personalities and refuse to let negativity drag them down.
Body-Count Competition: One of her partner specials with Edelgard in Three Hopes has her suggest this.
Born Under the Sail: Brigid is an archipelago country with a strong sailing tradition, but Petra admits that what she really loves is swimming in the sea.
Braids of Action: She wears her hair in a high braid, and also has little braids in her hair. She changes it to a simple high ponytail after the timeskip.
The Cameo: Watches matches in the Reception Hall alongside Edelgard and Dorothea on the DLC stage Garreg Mach Monastery in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Cannot Tell a Joke: Petra hopes to learn to make people smile like they do around Alois, so he tells her that jokes are a way to break the ice. The next time Alois finds Petra, she's with two kids who are clamoring to learn the secrets of hunting. She says that the first step to a successful hunt is to "break the eyes," and the kids react with confused silence.
- That said, her support with Edelgard in Three Houses has her deliver an epic Overly Prepared Gag.
Character Death: If not recruited on the Verdant Wind route, she will most likely die during the final assault on Edelgard's palace. While she technically can be spared, she starts right in front of the door the party needs to open to reach Edelgard, holds the Door Key needed for it, and isn't stationary, making it all but impossible to not have to cut her down.
Chronic Hero Syndrome: In both Three Houses and Three Hopes, Petra has no duty to participate in war on any side, but still refuses to leave whatever side she has chosen. In Three Houses on the Crimson Flower route, Edelgard offers her (and everyone) an opportunity to walk away, and in her Three Hopes supports, Edelgard reminds her she doesn't have to fight alongside them, and could more safely take the throne of Brigid if she wasn't involved. Petra persists because she believes she needs to show her strength as future queen and equal to Edelgard, who is fighting on the front lines.
Closet Key: In Three Houses, Petra never shows interest in any other women than Dorothea, and cannot be married by a female Byleth. In Three Hopes, her Supports have her take an interest in Shez regardless of gender, though whether this is romantic or not is left up to interpretation due to the game's lack of S-supports.
Commonality Connection: In Three Hopes, Dedue's support conversation with Petra has them bond about the two of them being foreigners who wants to do their best for their respective homes (Duscur and Brigid) and new loyalty to the friends they made in Fódlan.
Critical Hit: Her personal skill boosts her chances of getting a critical hit when targeting an opponent with less than half their hit points. While regular enemies are overkill for this, it makes her very strong against Beast enemies due to their larger health values. This also helps make up for her low-ish Strength growth since she can throw crits out to finish the enemy, and if given a Killer weapon, she'll be able to land crits frequently enough.
Culture Clash: She's an exchange student that's still getting used to the local language, and is more vocally against discrimination. She quickly bonds with Claude in their supports about their shared goal of freeing Fódlan from discrimination of outsiders.
Culture Equals Costume: Her post-timeskip outfit has nothing in common with everyone else's, having a far more Celtic look to it.
Curtains Match the Window: Her eyes and hair are both reddish-purple.
Dragon Rider: Her strengths in Axes and Flying allow her to easily become a Wyvern Rider. Fittingly, she keeps her post-timeskip outfit as a Wyvern Rider.
Endearingly Dorky: Her learning of Fódlan's language and her tendency to be Literal-Minded is quite endearing.
Et Tu, Brute?: When Edelgard admits she is the Flame Emperor if the Black Eagles house was chosen in Chapter 11, she can only broken-heartedly ask if they were using her all along.
"You... you made use of us? Why?"
Facial Markings: She has a magenta mark below her right eye and the same dye lining the outer corners of her eyes.
Fanservice Pack: Her breasts get bigger post-skip, going from the 9th biggest to surpassing Leonie and Shamir and tying with Marianne for 6th. Her new outfit also shows more skin than before.
Flash Step: Invoked with her unique ability "Windstorm" in Three Hopes, which extends her evasion distance and deals wind damage to nearby enemies when dodging.
Foreign Exchange Student: From an island nation under the Empire's domain. In reality, it's more of a hostage situation to keep Brighid in line.
Foreign Fanservice: Petra is visibly not from Fódlan, is quite well-endowed and voluptuous, and her clothes emphasize it.
For Want Of A Nail: Byleth's choice of allegiance and whether Petra was recruited or not determines how she feels about the Empire post-timeskip. On the Crimson Flower route, or if not recruited on other paths, Petra is loyal to the empire by choice and displays Undying Loyalty to Edelgard. If she's in Byleth's party in the Silver Snow, Azure Moon and Verdant Wind routes, Petra resents the Empire's attempts to control Brigid and relishes fighting against them and Edelgard. This even extends to her Paralogue: on the Crimson Flower route, she'll be protecting her homeland from Catherine and the Church, while on all other paths it's from Hubert and his Imperial forces. It even extends to Brigid itself; how they view the Empire is entirely dependent on whose side Petra is really on.
Fragile Speedster: Her growths give her high Skill and Speed; in fact, she is one of the fastest characters in the game ^note, with low Defense and just below average Strength. This makes her well suited for the agile classes like Mercenary or Thief, the latter being a good option for her.
Friendly Rivalry: Edelgard and Hubert's supports with Petra stir up a rivalry between her and the former as she tries to match her in skill to prove she doesn't need Edelgard's protection and as more political statement that Brigid isn't going to take its vassal status sitting down. Also, unlike Ferdinand's rivalry, Edelgard and Hubert are willing to admit that Petra is comparable to Edelgard (though Petra outright tells Hubert she awaits the day she makes him concede she truly has surpassed Edelgard in his heart). Whether this rivalry remains friendly is dependent on the route taken. If Petra is recruited out of the Black Eagles, the rivalry ends entirely because Petra has her nation's interests at stake and believes Edelgard has gone too far. If not recruited out of the Black Eagles, or if the player is on Crimson Flower, the friendly rivalry becomes friendlier as it's made clear that Brigid will soon be independent, anyway, meaning there's less Petra needs to prove.
Funny Foreigner: Downplayed. While her syntax botches and difficulties with idioms are played for laughs, she's still portrayed as perfectly smart and usually catches her own errors or figures things out from context. Edelgard comments that she is one of the smartest students in their class, and Petra even states she can write and read Fódlan easily but that speaking it is harder.
Glasses Curiosity: In her supports with Ignatz, she expresses interest in his glasses, and does try them on with his permission, mentioning that glasses aren’t a thing in Brigid.
Good Is Not Soft: Befitting Brigid's Combat Pragmatist culture, Petra defaults to an Assassin, is fine with underhanded tactics, and Hubert considers her on par with Jeritza in brutal efficiency.
Hostage Situation: Her supports reveal that she mainly came to the monastery as a hostage of the Empire, so that Brigid would not go against the Empire again in the future. The terms of this vary based on route and game.
- On all routes of Three Houses, her support with Shamir reveals that while she can't say she doesn't hate the Empire, she can say she doesn't hate Edelgard. In the route where you side with Edelgard, Petra takes it in stride and admits to liking her time with her classmates, and Edelgard and Hubert both apologize for the situation. On routes where you are opposing Edelgard, she will reveal that smashing the Empire has always been a dream of hers.
- In Three Hopes, Edelgard deposing Those Who Slither in the Dark brings this to a quick end, as Petra's supports with Edelgard and Hubert explain that Petra being a hostage was effectively due to Arundel. On Edelgard's route, Petra leaves, becomes the de facto queen of Brigid, and chooses to return of her own accord, while Edelgard, Hubert, and Duke Gerth prepare to make Brigid an equal ally and partner of the Empire.
Hypocrite: She deeply resents the Empire's subjugation of her homeland, but never acknowledges that it was the result of Brigid's participation in an unprovoked invasion which ravaged the territory of at least two Imperial noble families. Her father, killed by Count Bergliez during the invasion, was directly responsible for wiping out House Nuvelle. This never gets a resolution in Houses, but in Hopes she and Constance talk about her father's own sins during the war, and reconcile.
If It's You, It's Okay: An implication given her paired ending with Dorothea. In that ending, Dorothea has the title "Devoted Heart", a title which she has in most of the endings that mention her being married, and it is mentioned that Dorothea was the person that Petra loved the most. However, in all of her other supports Petra shows zero romantic interest in women and cannot S-support female Byleth.
Improbable Age: Pre-timeskip, Petra starts out at 15 years old, but she looks like someone at least a few years older than that.
In Harmony with Nature: Brigid is a Fantasy Counterpart Culture of the various Pacific Ocean cultures. Many of her battle quotes reference being in harmony with spirits such as the Great Flame Spirit, and her supports with Bernadetta show her to be very mindful of the circle of life as a hunter; you must kill to live, but honor the animals. Despite this spirituality, she averts Magical Native American, and is instead a Magically Inept Fighter.
Intimate Marks: While her facial tattoos are the most visible, Petra has a lot more ink on her arms (which are shown post-timeskip) and elsewhere on her body (which are not shown).
Irony: Petra's primary motivation behind her actions on all routes is achieving Brigid's independence from the Adrestian Empire (and by extension Fódlan). However, if she marries male Byleth on a non-Crimson Flower route their ending card states that Brigid eventually unites with the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus/the United Kingdom of Fódlan, ceasing to exist as an independent nation.
Jack of All Trades: While Petra is a Fragile Speedster growth wise, she's one of the more versatile students of her class when it comes to her skills, second only to Ferdinand. She is good with swords, axes, bows, and flying, and only has weaknesses in magic, which gives her a lot of options for classes. She can easily end up as any melee class by the late game, from Swordmaster, to Wyvern Rider, to Assassin, and she'll be excellent in each role. Even skills she lacks like lances and brawling still fit her due to her stats, making her a Fragile Speedster who can fit many unique roles.
Lady and Knight: In her paired ending with Ashe, he returns with her to Brigid to serve her as her personal guardian knight when she becomes queen (as she had earlier offered him in one of their supports). They fall in love as well, and eventually marry, much to the happiness of the people of Brigid. With Ashe's guidance Petra also founds the Blue Sun order of knights for him (and to declare independence from Fódlan), the order being named for the love the couple have of swimming in the sea.
Literal-Minded:
- When Byleth introduces themselves to the Black Eagles upon choosing to instruct them, Petra takes Caspar's use of "let's break the ice" literally, asking in confusion if it's a custom she missed in her studies of Fódlan. Caspar has to explain the expression's meaning to her.
- In her support with Ashe, she mistakes Anna's sales pitch (which included "cry" and "beating") for a challenge to fight. Petra is only stopped when Ashe sees her draw a sword and breaks it up.
- In her support with Dorothea, the latter mentions she plans to "marry money." Petra takes this completely literally and says that money would make for a poor husband. A romantically frustrated Dorothea forlornly admits she hit the nail on the head there.
- Subverted while discussing politics with Edelgard. In their support conversations, the latter implores her to do the impossible and "kill two birds with one arrow" rather than resign herself to mediocrity. When they speak again later, Edelgard is astonished to learn that Petra has been outside practicing her archery until she can shoot two birds with one arrow. Edelgard quickly brings up that this wasn't what she meant, but Petra laughs and tells her she was just making a joke and she understood Edelgard the first time.
Love Martyr:
- Averted. She develops slight affection for several of the people complicit in her captivity, but she knows it is nothing like true friendship, and her goal always remains getting free somehow (whether by making the Empire indebted to Brigid, on the Black Eagles route, or outright escaping, on all others).
- Interestingly enough, it later gets subverted entirely because the situation stops being one of captivity in the Black Eagles route. Edelgard makes it completely clear in the Black Eagles route that Petra and everyone else can step away from the conflict. With Edelgard in complete control of the Empire, there is nothing keeping Petra in Fódlan anymore. By this point in time, her loyalty to Adrestia and Edelgard's ideals are apparent, and she herself goes to Brigid to recruit troops for Adrestia. Brigid is given the chance to say no, and Brigid forces will even help the Adrestian-aligned army beat back the Church. In the end, Edelgard readily works with Petra to renegotiate Brigid's position (the implication being she literally just didn't have time while a war was going on), and in most cases, Petra ends up married to an Adrestian in what is almost always a loving relationship - even with Hubert.
Magically Inept Fighter: She’s good at several physical weapons and the flying skill, but both of her weaknesses are in magic. Her starting stats also lean towards very low Resistance but good Strength and Speed.
Malaproper: Given that Fódlan is her second language she sometimes struggles with quotes and idioms. She's surprisingly sharp at figuring them out from context, though.
Maligned Mixed Marriage:
- Downplayed. If Petra marries Byleth their ending card states that the people of Fodlan were initially skeptical of their union but eventually came to accept her. If she gets a paired ending with Dorothea their ending card states that the people of Brigid were initially skeptical of the latter but warmed up to her over time.
- Justified if Petra marries Caspar. The reason why the people of Brigid are initially skeptical of their union is because Caspar's father, Count Bergliez, was the one who killed Petra's father.
Meaningful Echo: Her post-timeskip Pre Ass Kicking One Liner is that of Edelgard's pre-timeskip, "I will prevail."
Modest Royalty: Despite being the Princess of Brigid, she doesn't see herself as above anyone else. She just wants to be treated like a comrade.
Morality Pet: Downplayed, but she's noticeably the only Black Eagle who Hubert never mocks or treats harshly in any way when they are allied, instead empathizing with her situation as an effective political prisoner, which likely reminds him of Edelgard's own situation.
Ms. Fanservice: While not to the extent that Hilda and Dorothea are, Petra is still very attractive, especially post-timeskip when she wears much more revealing clothing. Her breasts also get larger by this point and she even shows some Sideboob.
Nice Girl: Petra is very understanding and polite and is probably one of the friendliest Black Eagles students, along with Ferdinand and Caspar. It's noted multiple times by other characters, including Byleth, that her positivity and earnestness is something they admire. Bernadetta mentions Petra's niceness as the reason why she'd be interested in befriending Petra (although their support chain caps at B). Notably, she's the only one of the Black Eagles who none of the other members have anything really negative to say about and gets along with without issue.
Only Sane Man: Difficulties with the Fódlan language aside, Petra has no issues, despite being essentially a glorified hostage of the Empire.
Poirot Speak: Petra can read and write the language of Fódlan very well but states she has a little more trouble speaking it. She speaks with an American accent in the English dub and her speech is easily understood, with some mixed idioms and syntax oddities that are nevertheless grammatically correct. Oddly enough, her confessional notes are also written this way; one possible response to them post-timeskip has you address Petra by name (which doesn't happen for any other note), signifying that Byleth immediately knew she wrote it.
Powerful, but Inaccurate: Petra can learn the Wild Abandon combat art at C+ rank and Diamond Axe combat art at A rank in axes. Wild Abandon gives extra damage and critical hit rate and Diamond Axe gives ton more damage to her axes at the cost of reduced accuracy.
Pre-Asskicking One-Liner:
"I will get the victory" (Pre-timeskip)
"I will prevail." (Post-timeskip)
Pre-Mortem One-Liner:
"I will remove you!" (Pre-timeskip)
"You will be slapped down!" (Pre-timeskip)
"I am aware of your weakness!" (Pre-timeskip)
"I will win!" (Pre-timeskip)
"With all of my might!" (Post-timeskip)
"You are in my way!" (Post-timeskip)
"Fire meets water!" (Post-timeskip)
"To survive, I will win!" (Post-timeskip)
Recurring Boss: If not recruited, she appears as an enemy on Chapter 17 (both in Azure Moon and Verdant Wind), Chapter 20 of Verdant Wind, and Chapter 21 of Azure Moon.
Secret A.I. Moves: As an enemy unit, she knows Keen Intiution, a skill no playable character can ever learn.
Shame If Something Happened: If Byleth doesn't side with Edelgard but recruits Petra, Petra receives an indirect threat from Edelgard where Petra is told if she does not join Edelgard's army, then Brigid may become the Empire's next target.
Shameless Fanservice Girl: Downplayed. In her C-support with Byleth, she explains the mark on her face, and mentions she has more on her arms and body. If Byleth (male or female) expresses interest in seeing them, she doesn't flinch and offers to show them off when the opportunity comes. Although she does blush a bit if Byleth asks to see them.
Sheltered Aristocrat: Although smart, she is lacking in commoner common-sense as she describes it, and has Ashe show her much of it in their supports.
Sideboob: Present with Petra's post-timeskip outfit.
Sins of Our Fathers: In her supports with Caspar, he tells Petra his father killed her own during the Dagda and Brigid War. While at first it seems Petra doesn't want to talk about it, she eventually brushes it off and tell him that's no reason for her to hate him for it. After the timeskip, she later admits she was actually lying back then and it's implied she seriously considered killing Caspar over it. However, she also states her friendship with him eventually outweighed her desire for revenge, which leads them to reconcile. In Three Hopes, Caspar repeatedly intercepting her challenge letters to Leopold angers Petra enough to try and kill Caspar instead.
Sorry That I'm Dying: If she's killed as an enemy, with her last breath she will ask Edelgard to forgive her for being unable to keep her promise.
Spock Speak: As Fódlan's language is her second language, Petra speaks it in a precise fashion, doesn't use contractions, and sometimes gets confused with slang. She improves somewhat after the time skip.
Start My Own: In her A-rank support with Ashe, when Ashe brings up his dream to be a knight, Petra offers to found her own order of knights in Brigid for Ashe to be a part of. If the two are paired in the ending, Queen Petra does found the Blue Sun Order with Ashe at its head.
Suddenly Shouting: Petra is normally a calm and collected girl, so it becomes quite shocking when she furiously shouts that she'll kill Caspar in their Three Hopes support.
Ngh... then YOU can be dying in his place, CASPAR VON BERGLIEZ!
Survivor Guilt: While not often dwelling upon it, Petra admits to Constance in Three Hopes that despite everything, she feels sad at the deaths of her people she's had to endure (particularly her father), even wondering why she got to live while they didn't.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Petra is very similar to Athena, another dark-skinned swordfighter from a foreign land who has difficulties with the local language, albeit Petra has a better understanding of the local language in comparison to her.
Teen Genius: Of the right-brained variety - she self-taught herself the Fódlan language and is absolutely brilliant in most subjects, especially fighting styles. The only thing she's not great at is math.
The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: This is the reason she's willing to save Count Bergliez during a mission in the Scarlet Blaze route. She would consider it a dishonor if anyone else killed him before she does.
Token Minority: She is the only character from Brigid we meet in the game.
Trademark Favorite Food: She's fond of the Smoked Meat gift and likes meat-based dishes.
Villain: Exit, Stage Left: While not exactly villainous, she retreats from battle if you defeat her in Chapter 17 on the Azure Moon and Verdant Wind routes. Besides Edelgard and Hubert, she’s the only former student who can be fought multiple times post-Time Skip; others are either killed outright or not fought again.
Warrior Princess: Next to Edelgard she is the most physically capable female of the Black Eagles. She looks the part after the Time Skip, bringing Xena to mind.
Weak, but Skilled: Petra has great growths in Speed and Dexterity, but her Strength growth is just below average, and while her base of 9 is tied with Caspar for the second strongest starting Strength of the Black Eagles, her lack of growth modifiers unless she goes into Fighter early can cause her to end up struggling to match her physical allies. However, her high Speed, Skill, good proficiency list, and personal skill can make her a strong unit despite that.
Workaholic: Her B-Support with Byleth has the latter finding Petra training late at night and warning her not to push herself too hard, but Petra explains that she feels she has to continue to push herself to her physical limits for the good of Brigid.
You Killed My Father: Her father was killed by Count Bergliez, Caspar's father, and she is not happy when she sees him in person in Three Hopes.
"Leopold von Bergliez... you will be ruing the day you stole my father's life."
Younger Than They Look: The second-youngest student after Lysithea, though she doesn't look or act like it.

Linhardt

Linhardt von Hevring

Class: Noble → Monk → Priest → Bishop/Warlock (Three Houses), Monk → Priest → Dark Bishop (Three Hopes)

Age: 16 (11/07)

Crest: Cethleann (Minor)

Height: 177 cm

Voiced by: Shun Horie (Japanese), Chris Patton (English)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fe3h_linhardt_artwork.png

^{Post-Timeskip (Three Houses)}

^{Post-Timeskip (Three Hopes)}

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

Sleepy Crest Scholar

"It's not that I don't have enough motivation. The problem is that I don't have any at all. Not for useless things."

The son of Count Hevring. He hates constraints and loves his freedom, so he does his best to avoid worries and problems, and indulges in lazing about. However, he's got a genuine interest in Crests, and when he gets into his research he can forget to even eat or sleep. Despite their personalities and hobbies being different, he gets along well with Caspar.

His personal ability, Catnap, restores some of his HP if he ends the turn by Waiting. He bears the Minor Crest of Cethleann, which has a chance to raise his Might while casting recovery magic.

Actually Pretty Funny: His reaction to Caspar remarking that Bernadetta flops around like a fish on land and her subsequent comparison to herself as a fish on a skillet suggests this.
Linhardt: [amused] On a skillet... Hahaha! Ahem, never mind.
Admiring the Abomination: At the end of the Silver Snow route, while everyone is saddened to fight a Rhea who has lost control of her powers, he thinks it's just a shame to kill her because her form as the Immaculate One could have provided him a treasure trove of research material.
Afraid of Blood:
- He dislikes the sight of blood and, along with Bernadetta, is one of the students most horrified when he experiences his first kill in combat. He admits to Byleth in their supports that he still can't get over it.
- This fear shows up again in Cindered Shadows, where he freaks out a bit upon seeing the Ashen Wolves' blood being drained for the Rite of Rising.
Ancestral Weapon: Played with. The Staff of Caduceus is linked to his Crest of Cethleann, but the weapon is mostly associated with Flayn, being Cethleann herself. Three Hopes also introduces the Amalthea, a tome linked to his Crest and also mostly associated with Flayn, but Linhardt can wield the tome himself if he is recruited in the Azure Gleam route.
Animal Motifs: Cats. He sleeps a lot, can be Innocently Insensitive, is constantly curious, and his personal ability is Catnap. In his Support with Catherine, she explicitly warns him of his endless curiosity, referring to how it kills the cat. Cats also happen to be one of the conversation topics he's interested in when invited for tea.
Awesomeness by Analysis: He's hopeless at any kind of physical combat, but in his supports with Petra he manages to analyze her spear technique by observing her and ends up fixing some problems with her fighting style likely without ever having held a spear himself.
Babies Ever After: In his endings with Petra, Lysithea and Flayn. Amusingly, it's invoked in his A-Support with the latter, where he mentions an interest in having children with her as part of an experiment due to their shared Crest of Cethleann.
Blow You Away: Learns the wind spells Wind, Cutting Gale, and Excalibur when trained in Reason. His unique ability "Easy Breezy" in Three Hopes summons a pair of wind orbs, after finishing a regular combo string, that automatically fire at enemies as he attacks.
Blunt "Yes": In his and Catherine's B Support, when Catherine asks if he thinks scholars should be willing to risk their lives, he says yes.
Bookworm: He adores reading and researching Crests, and his room is full of books scattered about.
Boring, but Practical: Compared to Marianne and Mercedes, he falls into this. While he lacks Marianne's magical combat arts and strong spells, or Mercedes's mass-heal in Fortify and self-healing personal skill, he has slightly more bulk and learns Warp. Due to his lower stats, he's less valuable as a combat unit and thus takes less investment to get going.
Brilliant, but Lazy:
- He has a deep interest in Crests, and many of his peers note that he's actually one of the smartest students in his class, but he has a hard time fighting his drowsiness and admits he gets bored easily.
  Hubert: You have an almost unparalleled intellect. A singular focus. An unfettered imagination. In truth, you have talents that many, including myself, will never have the privilege of possessing.
  Linhardt: Are you complimenting me, Hubert? That alone deserves to be studied.
  Hubert: Let me finish. I haven't an ounce of respect for the cause you have chosen to waste your talents on. Which changes frequently, I might add, with no rhyme, reason, or results.
- He's very adept at weapon combat on a theoretical level. Many of his support conversations have him offering on-point observation and criticism about the form and techniques of his classmates. Linhardt just doesn't have the willingness or energy to actually practice and turn his considerable theoretical skills into practical ones. As least, not without Byleth's influence.
Character Death: If not recruited on the Verdant Wind path, failing to defeat the Death Knight before he escapes in Chapter 18 changes the map's objective to rout all enemies, meaning you're potentially forced to kill Linhardt off to end the chapter. Even if you do manage not to directly kill him, his chances of surviving the javelin of light attack afterwards are unfortunately rather slim.
Childhood Friends: With Caspar, the two meeting when they were six.
Combat Medic: He starts off knowing Heal, and his Crest has a chance to increase the effectiveness of his healing, while also having strong potential in offensive Reason magic. Taken even further if you equip him with the Caduceus Staff (the Relic of Saint Cethleann) which boosts his magic range by 1 and restores HP every turn.
Crippling Overspecialization: Linhardt is good at primarily one thing and one thing only; healing. He has a Crest designed to help heal more, a close and long range heal, and his skills are focused on just Reason and Faith magic. A player who tries to make him anything else will find him to be a poor unit due to his overall low growths across the board, and even if made a Combat Medic, his late game application is very lackluster. As a healer though, his only rival is Hapi, which when combined with Warp, makes him a great support unit if he sticks to that role.
A Day in the Limelight: He ends up being a pretty major character in Cindered Shadows, being almost as important to the plot as the Wolves and House Leaders due to being the first to realize the connections between the Ashen Wolves and the four Apostles.
Deadpan Snarker: Linhardt generally speaks in the same flat, somewhat critical tone of voice, and his interactions with the other characters often come off as pretty snarky, one good example being with Ferdinand, outwardly humoring Ferdinand's preaching about what it means to be a noble while subtly mocking him. He's also in full snark mode for the entirety of Cindered Shadows.
Downplayed Trope: An example of the Recurring Element of an effeminate male healer, although unlike previous examples he's never mistaken in-game for a woman and his femininity gets only a few passing mentions, rather than being a focal point for his character.
Do You Want to Copulate?: During their final support, Linhardt rather blandly asks Flayn if she'd like to get married and have babies with him (in order to test his theory about their crests). She is understandably flustered by this.
Establishing Character Moment: During the cutscene introducing the houses and students, Linhardt is caught in the middle of a nap before a sudden jolt wakes him up.
Fighter, Mage, Thief: In Cindered Shadows, he acts as the Mage to Hilda's Fighter and Ashe's Thief. All the classes he has access to are magical (Priest, Bishop, Warlock) and he is the squishiest of the three.
Fleeting Passionate Hobbies: He admits he tends to pick up random subjects to research, only to drop them again when he gets bored of them. Hubert even mentions this as one of the main reasons he dislikes him in their C Support.
For Science!: Linhardt is willing to take some dangerous risks and sometimes make unknowingly inappropriate statements in the name of Crest research. In the support with Catherine, he wishes to try wielding Thunderbrand, claiming that there have been no recorded instances of a Crest bearer wielding a weapon of a different Crest only once, and as a man of science, he must be willing to risk his life for the sake of knowledge. That being said, when talked to after the events of Remire Village he admits Solon made him rethink about the moral and ethical scope of experiments.
Gay Option: The first male character that can be romanced by a male Byleth, to be followed by Jeritza and Yuri.
Hidden Depths:
- You wouldn't expect it given his sleepy personality, but Linhardt is one of only four or five people who can cure Lysithea's two-Crests-induced short lifespan if you get their paired ending.
- Although his tactlessness when approaching others about their Crests makes it seem like he's more concerned about his research, he wants to instead study them to find ways to make their lives better, and encourage them think positively about what they can do with their potential, in the cases of Lysithea, Marianne and Hapi.
- Despite his lackadaisical attitude, one of his confessional notes expresses concern over what his parents will have to do if he doesn't take on the family title, being the only heir. He actually disapproves if you tell him that he doesn't need to care.
- His Support with Dorothea focuses on this as it cracks down on his carefree attitude as it reveals he runs away because he's scared of his problems, and feels even more anxious once he cannot run away anymore.
- For someone who wishes for nothing more than to be left alone to relax and focus on his Crest research he is rather good at attracting women as he has nine romantic paired endings with female characters. The only other male characters who have more romantic paired endings than him are male Byleth and Ferdinand. Notably, he has more romantic paired endings with women than Dimitri (who has eight) and is tied with Claude (who has nine).
Hypocritical Humor: Linhardt's first conversation with Byleth consists of him stating his name and a blunt "goodbye," and Caspar remarks on Linhardt's rudeness. Then, when Byleth introduces themselves to the Black Eagles upon choosing to instruct the house's students, Linhardt reprimands Caspar for his rudeness and properly greets the new professor, before leaving to go take a nap (and snoring loudly).
If It's You, It's Okay: Implied; his only explicitly romantic ending with another man is with male Byleth. His one other male-male ending is with Caspar, and states only that they "eventually settled down".
Innocently Insensitive:
- He's very excited to learn that Lysithea has two Crests, and starts asking her questions about them. He even goes so far as to state he wouldn't want them removed, not knowing the price such power comes with. Lysithea naturally accuses him of being completely lacking in empathy, though Linhardt goes out of his way to make it up for her in their A-support and paired ending.
- His support with Flayn has Linhardt’s objective, scientific interactions offending Flayn, who tells him that he’s being disrespectful when he questions her about her Crest of Cethleann. He ends up pitching marriage and talking about having children with Flayn in the vein of a science experiment. Flayn is aghast and confused by the end of it. If you get Linhardt and Flayn's paired ending, however, the children in their epilogue imply that Flayn did finally agree to it.
- He is one of the only students (one of the others being Hubert) who doesn't offer condolences to Byleth after Jeralt's death and instead talks about sneaking into the library.
Ironic Name: "Linhardt" is a German name that translates to "lion-hearted" - Linhardt is not particularly brave and is in fact one of the students who struggles most with killing and warfare in general.
Jack of All Stats: He is this compared to the other designated spellcasters, as while he has less lopsided stats and growths compared to them, he has the second lowest Magic cap of said mage group at 66^note and a fairly lackluster Black Magic spell list. On the other hand, he only has two growth banes, a very robust Faith Spell list, and his Defense growth of 30% is the highest of any designated spellcaster. ^note
Kidnapped by the Call: He's the only character who emphatically doesn't want to go exploring Abyss in the Ashen Wolves DLC and announces he's going back to bed, but Edelgard makes him come with them anyway.
Lazy Bum: Generally a giant slacker concerned with napping and taking it easy (unless the Crests get involved, to the point where his zeal for research makes him forget to eat and sleep).
Light 'em Up: As an enemy on the Azure Moon and Verdant Wind routes, he knows the light-based Seraphim spell. His Crest is also associated with light.
Light Is Good: The Crest of Cethleann is associated with light, and while Linhardt is snarky and has no social tact, he's ultimately good at heart. Even if he's not recruited on the Azure Moon and Verdant Wind paths, he's a Punch-Clock Villain at worst, and is generally content to ignore the player units and heal his allies anyway. If he and Lysithea are paired up, he rescinds his noble title to find a cure for her. He likewise abandons his title in his paired ending with Hapi, to devote himself to helping her control her power.
Like Father, Like Son: Three Hopes shows that his father is a sarcastic, magically-inclined character just like him. Count Hevring is also shown healing up Count Bergliez in one late Azure Gleam fight, and Linhardt leans toward healing classes as well.
Maybe Ever After: If paired with Catherine on Verdant Wind or if Rhea dies on Silver Snow, he accompanies her on her journeys, but whether or not they were romantically involved is left ambiguous. Averted on Azure Moon or Silver Snow if Rhea survives, as their ending specifically calls him Catherine's husband.
Mr. Exposition: In the Ashen Wolves route, Linhardt knows quite a bit of lore concerning the Four Apostles and provides an Info Dump about research he's found on the subject.
My God, What Have I Done?: Linhardt is the student who is the most distraught after killing someone for the first time in chapter 2, and this is his reaction after doing the deed.
Not in This for Your Revolution: Downplayed. If he is recruited on a default route post-timeskip, he admits that he may feel a teeny bit guilty for leaving the empire and betraying Edelgard, but he would rather see Byleth again and is willing to risk fighting against Edelgard.
Odd Friendship: Despite being a calm, thoughtful Lazy Bum, Linhardt is good friends with Caspar, who's Hot-Blooded, extremely energetic and prone to leaping before looking.
Only Sane Man: Despite his laziness, he's one of the more level-headed Black Eagles and lacks the "quirks" displayed by most of the others.
Playing with Fire: Learns the fire spells Fire and Bolganone when trained in Reason.
Pre-Asskicking One-Liner:
"*Yawn* Battle..." (Pre-timeskip)
"I'm awake..." (Post-timeskip)
Pre-Mortem One-Liner:
"I may as well win." (Pre-timeskip)
"I guess I have to." (Pre-timeskip)
"Let's get this over with." (Pre-timeskip)
"Huh. An opening!" (Pre-timeskip)
"I'm doing this for the win." (Post-timeskip)
"I'll do what I have to!" (Post-timeskip)
"I AM trying!" (Post-timeskip)
"I'll save my complaints!" (Post-timeskip)
Really Fond of Sleeping: To the point that "Naps" is listed under his likes in his bio. Also reflected in his personal skill, which implies he gets a little health boost when he takes a catnap on the battlefield.
Recurring Element:
- Linhardt's a minor version of the "very pretty male priest that could pass as a lady" that was popularized by Lucius. He's one of the most androgynous-looking male characters in the game, as well as being a Gay Option, though unlike previous examples of the archetype, no one mistakes him for a girl at first. His preferred classline is the Bishop line, and he has fairly pacifistic views about battle, as is common with the archetype.
- Personality-wise, Linhardt is in line with Arlen archetypes, in particular being a Spear Counterpart to Lute and Miriel due to having a research-based mindset.
The Red Mage: While true of most magic focused characters, Linhardt has only two proficienies, and both of them are in Reason Magic and Faith Magic, and his growths make him someone who works best as a purely magic focused character.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: He's the calm, analytical and relaxed Blue Oni to Caspar's excitable, loud and energetic Red Oni.
Reluctant Warrior: He hates fighting and bloodshed, and fears for both his own mortality and his comrades'. Even during the war phase, he never fully gets over it by his own admission.
Resting Recovery: If he chooses to do nothing on his turn, he'll restore 10% of his health.
Running Gag: He's really not good with analogies. In his A-support with Lysithea he presents her with a choice between removing her twin Crests or letting her keep them with a needlessly complicated cake analogy that only confuses her, and in the Abyss DLC he tries to express his surprise at one of his theory being proven correct with a fishing analogy that involves him mistaking a fish for Seteth. He admits himself the last one is weird.
Secret A.I. Moves: On the Azure Moon and Verdant Wind routes, if not recruited during the academy phase, Linhardt will appear as an enemy at Fort Merceus. He knows the Seraphim and Fortify spells then, spells that the playable Linhardt can never learn. He will also always have White Magic Avoid +20, which only Byleth and Dorothea can learn; and on Azure Moon, he also knows Unsealable Magic, which no playable character can ever learn.
Ship Tease: In Three Hopes, his A rank support is one of the more implicitly romantic with Shez regardless of gender. He tells Shez that after the war, it would be nice for the two of them to stay together. He clarifies that he means being able to produce a sword out of nowhere would make Shez a good bodyguard for him. Shez can get flustered and uspet and say that he should be careful that he doesn't give the wrong idea with his words. He replies that maybe he intended to give that idea. He walks off before Shez gets the chance to ask him what he really means though.
Smart Jerk and Nice Moron: The Smart Jerk to Caspar's Nice Moron. It's downplayed in his case, as he's not a Jerkass but rather simply insensitive and blunt.
Squishy Wizard: True to his archetype, his Defense growths are weak, but he possesses strong Magic and Resistance growths. Subverted in Gameplay and Story Segregation style in his support with Ferdinand. The lazy, bookish Linhardt is capable of running from Ferdinand to the point of tiring him out.
Tarot Motifs: The Crest of Cethleann is based on The Lovers.
- Upright, The Lovers represents the concept of choice between two mutually-exclusive things. This is apparent in Linhardt's speech to Lysithea in their A-support, and in the Black Eagles route, Byleth can choose to side with either the Church or the Empire. It also stands for the bonds between people, romantic or otherwise. In a meta-sense, this fits with Linhardt being the only male Gay Option before Jeritza and Yuri were added in the 1.1.0 and 1.2.0 updates.
- Reversed, The Lovers stands for indecisiveness, untrustworthiness and poor communication, as seen with Linhardt's Brilliant, but Lazy nature and relationships with most others.
These Hands Have Killed: While everyone has different reactions to their first kill in Chapter 2, he stands out as having one of the worst.
Linhardt: I...I killed them. What have I done? The blood...
This Is Gonna Suck:
- In Part 1, this is his reaction if he's in Byleth's class when it dawns on him that Byleth may pick him to be their class' representative.
  Linhardt: I assume you've heard about the dance competition? Have you chosen a representative yet? Or... Oh my. You haven't, have you? Have you come to tell me I'm to be it?
- If he meets Byleth during the siege of Fort Merceus, he will say that he knew that the moment when the two would come to blows was gonna happen, and wished that it wasn't gonna happen so soon. He then lets out a hard sigh.
The Twink: Downplayed. He's a somewhat androgynous-looking young man who is bisexual as he can be romanced by a Byleth of either gender.
Uncertain Doom: If not recruited on the Verdant Wind path but he survives the assault on Fort Merceus, it's unclear if he survives its subsequent destruction by the "javelins of light" or is killed.
War Is Hell: Linhardt despises battle, loss of life, and having to kill. Linhardt laments the fact that diplomacy and "decency" don't seem to accomplish much in Fódlan, and in his supports with Byleth reveals he dreams of a war-free, peaceful world.
Linhardt: Professor, I wish to ask something of you. I...I don't want to kill. I don't want blood on my hands. I just want to lie on my back and soak up the sun filtering down through the trees... And I want you to help me make that reality.
We Used to Be Friends: He's good friends with Caspar at the beginning of the game, but it's possible for them to end up on opposite sides of a war should you recruit one or the other to the Blue Lions or Golden Deer.
What Measure Is a Mook?: In his B-support with Byleth, Linhardt remarks that soldiers under his command don't seem to know the value of their lives, and that they died senselessly. He finds the idea of soldiers dying for honor and glory repulsive, and that, even in victory, he can't be satisfied:
Linhardt: In the last battle, some of the soldiers under my command died for foolish reasons. Those soldiers could have pulled back... Instead, they kept fighting...and were overrun. Am I supposed to be satisfied with the victory alone? Even at the cost of such life?
What Happened to the Mouse?:
- On the Azure Moon route, if unrecruited, if he survives the battle at Fort Merceus, what happens to him after is never elaborated on.
- If Linhardt is recruited but falls in battle pre-timeskip if you play in Classic Mode, he vanishes during the timeskip, leaving his final fate unclear.
What the Hell, Hero?: In their B-support, if Byleth says they would be satisfied with a victory at the cost of many lives, Linhardt is taken aback and calls it repulsive.
White Mage: He starts off as the healer for the Black Eagles, and he may ask to be a bishop to keep out of fighting range, but his research-based mindset and high reason stat make him tend towards Black Mage, and he makes one of the best Dark Mages after Hubert if you didn't choose the Black Eagles.
You Are Better Than You Think You Are: His supports with Marianne have him convincing her that she isn't the Doom Magnet she believes herself to be and that she, in fact, brings happiness to those around her, particularly himself.
You Just Told Me: Uses this tactic to find out about Lysithea's two Crests. He casually brings it up as though he knew all along, then infers from Lysithea's reaction that it's true.

Characters / Fire Emblem: Three Houses - Black Eagles Part One
aka: Fire Emblem Three Houses Ferdinand

Hubert von Vestra

Nationality: Adrestian Empire

House: Black Eagles

Class: Noble → Monk → Mage → Dark Mage → Dark Bishop

Age: 20 (4/17)

Height: 188 cm

Voiced by: Katsuyuki Konishi (Japanese), Robbie Daymond (English)

Ferdinand von Aegir

Nationality: Adrestian Empire

House: Black Eagles

Class: Noble → Soldier → Cavalier → Paladin

Age: 17 (4/30)

Crest: Cichol (Minor)

Height: 175 cm (pre-timeskip) -> 180 cm (post-timeskip)

Voiced by: Taito Ban (Japanese), Billy Kametz (English, old), Ricco Fajardo (English, new)

Petra Macneary

Class: Commoner → Myrmidon → Thief → Assassin

Age: 15 (9/07)

Height: 161 cm

Voiced by: Shizuka Ishigami (Japanese), Faye Mata (English)

Linhardt von Hevring

Class: Noble → Monk → Priest → Bishop/Warlock (Three Houses), Monk → Priest → Dark Bishop (Three Hopes)

Age: 16 (11/07)

Crest: Cethleann (Minor)

Height: 177 cm

Voiced by: Shun Horie (Japanese), Chris Patton (English)

Alternative Title(s): Fire Emblem Three Houses Hubert, Fire Emblem Three Houses Ferdinand

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Characters / Fire Emblem: Three Houses - Black Eagles Part One aka: Fire Emblem Three Houses Ferdinand

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Hubert von Vestra

Nationality: Adrestian Empire

House: Black Eagles

Class: Noble → Monk → Mage → Dark Mage → Dark Bishop

Age: 20 (4/17)

Height: 188 cm

Voiced by: Katsuyuki Konishi (Japanese), Robbie Daymond (English)

Ferdinand von Aegir

Nationality: Adrestian Empire

House: Black Eagles

Class: Noble → Soldier → Cavalier → Paladin

Age: 17 (4/30)

Crest: Cichol (Minor)

Height: 175 cm (pre-timeskip) -> 180 cm (post-timeskip)

Voiced by: Taito Ban (Japanese), Billy Kametz (English, old), Ricco Fajardo (English, new)

Petra Macneary

Class: Commoner → Myrmidon → Thief → Assassin

Age: 15 (9/07)

Height: 161 cm

Voiced by: Shizuka Ishigami (Japanese), Faye Mata (English)

Linhardt von Hevring

Class: Noble → Monk → Priest → Bishop/Warlock (Three Houses), Monk → Priest → Dark Bishop (Three Hopes)

Age: 16 (11/07)

Crest: Cethleann (Minor)

Height: 177 cm

Voiced by: Shun Horie (Japanese), Chris Patton (English)

Alternative Title(s): Fire Emblem Three Houses Hubert, Fire Emblem Three Houses Ferdinand

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Characters / Fire Emblem: Three Houses - Black Eagles Part One
aka: Fire Emblem Three Houses Ferdinand