Fire Emblem Tournaments

Welcome to fireemblemtournament! I'll be running specific Fire Emblem tournaments and polls here, with a focus on the newer games but open to all!

The first tournament to start off with will be for Best Three Houses character, with this mostly being based on personality/story etc rather than gameplay.

All characters with portraits will be included, but feel free to submit propaganda for your favorites!

I want to give people a chance to follow and submit things, so a deadline will be announced soon - we're probably looking at a week or a week and a half from now!

I'm very open to others! By default I mostly focus this blog on Three Houses/Hopes and Engage because they're the two I'm most familiar with myself (I've played others but less recently so my memory's foggier), but that doesn't stop me from running tournaments as long as they're pretty easy for me to understand like best character etc.

The runner-ups were Marianne in 2nd place and Dedue in 3rd!

FINAL — Match 1 of 1

Marianne von Edmund

"A lot of her early supports are uncomfortable in a way I actually appreciate, because she doesn’t come across as 'cute shy', she comes across as someone who expects very little from life and even less from herself, and that changes the whole energy around her. Then, as you spend more time with her, you start seeing the parts of her that are warm, observant, and genuinely kind, and it makes the whole arc of her opening up feel much more meaningful. She’s one of those characters where the development is not flashy, but it really lands if you care about the smaller shifts in how someone talks, trusts, and starts to imagine a future for themselves."

vs. Claude von Riegan

"CLAUDE VON RIEGAN YOU WILL ALWAYS BE FAMOUSSSSS i’m sorry he really does have one of the strongest first impressions in the whole game. like ohhh this charming smiley guy is joking around and leaning on walls and acting like nothing bothers him. meanwhile underneath that he is suspicious of literally everyone, constantly thinking ahead, and carrying around a whole identity/political crisis about the state of the world. hello??? of COURSE i’m obsessed with him. and i love that he’s not just “the funny one” either - he’s funny because he’s clever and because humor is one of the ways he keeps control of a situation. plus when the mask slips a little and you get that sharper, sadder, more serious side of him?? chef’s kiss. i love a schemer with feelings unfortunately"

"claude is just ridiculously easy to like tbh. he’s funny, he’s pretty, he’s smart, he has great line delivery, and he has that very specific thing where he acts super easygoing while clearly having way more going on in his head than he’s letting anybody see. i also just really enjoy that he can be warm and genuinely caring without ever feeling simple. there’s always a bit of calculation there too, and i mean that in a positive way. he feels layered without the game having to hit you over the head with it. also i’m sorry but he’s just FUN. every scene gets at least a little better when he’s in it"

"did you know that claude fire emblem and oberon fate/grand order share a japanese voice actor? i just think that's neat. for reasons. i like both these characters. for reasons. anyway sometimes i think about an impossible world where claude no longer has hope in his heart and what that would do to him and i want to shove my face into the nearest pit of lava, and no other fire emblem character does that to me. so, you know. for all that fe3h got wrong or fumbled hardcore, claude is visibly someone who cares and tries very hard in his own way to support his people in a land that does not welcome or accept him; he's got every right to be suspicious even before you get into his life prior to the game beginning. but i love claude so much because he never, ever, ever gives up. in his own way he still continues fighting for his ideal future, even if he knows it can't always be perfect. and when you take everything into consideration for him, all of his facets and how he presents himself vs how he's treated vs how he's viewed vs how he really is in private, i love that. he almost gives up, too! but he never does. he regroups, and tries a new angle for achieving progress. let him into your heart it's a good kind of poison i prommy"

3rd Place Match — Match 1 of 1

Felix Fraldarius

"felix is just one of those characters i can never be normal about tbh. he’s funny, he’s mean, he’s smarter than he wants to admit, and he has that very specific thing where half his character is basically “what if i was a huge bitch because i care too much actually.” which is catnip to me unfortunately. i also just really like how consistent he feels. even when he’s being difficult, even when he’s lashing out, it all tracks. you can always tell where it’s coming from. plus he has great chemistry with so much of the cast because he’s such a good friction character. put him in a room with almost anyone and something interesting will happen."

vs. Dedue Molinaro

"i think three houses would be a much weaker game without him, genuinely. his dynamic with dimitri is obviously a huge part of that, but what gets me is that dedue never feels like he exists JUST to reflect someone else. he has his own grief, his own reserve, his own dry sense of humour, his own very deliberate way of moving through a world that has already decided what it thinks of him before he even opens his mouth"

"there is so much pain and dignity and restraint in him. he’s someone who survived unimaginable loss, who lives surrounded by prejudice, who has every reason to close himself off from other people, and still keeps choosing care in the ways he knows how. through cooking, through gardening, through practical acts, through protection, through showing up. there is something so moving to me about how understated he is"

Semi-Final — Match 2 of 2

Dedue Molinaro

"i think three houses would be a much weaker game without him, genuinely. his dynamic with dimitri is obviously a huge part of that, but what gets me is that dedue never feels like he exists JUST to reflect someone else. he has his own grief, his own reserve, his own dry sense of humour, his own very deliberate way of moving through a world that has already decided what it thinks of him before he even opens his mouth"

"there is so much pain and dignity and restraint in him. he’s someone who survived unimaginable loss, who lives surrounded by prejudice, who has every reason to close himself off from other people, and still keeps choosing care in the ways he knows how. through cooking, through gardening, through practical acts, through protection, through showing up. there is something so moving to me about how understated he is"

vs. Claude von Riegan

"CLAUDE VON RIEGAN YOU WILL ALWAYS BE FAMOUSSSSS i’m sorry he really does have one of the strongest first impressions in the whole game. like ohhh this charming smiley guy is joking around and leaning on walls and acting like nothing bothers him. meanwhile underneath that he is suspicious of literally everyone, constantly thinking ahead, and carrying around a whole identity/political crisis about the state of the world. hello??? of COURSE i’m obsessed with him. and i love that he’s not just “the funny one” either - he’s funny because he’s clever and because humor is one of the ways he keeps control of a situation. plus when the mask slips a little and you get that sharper, sadder, more serious side of him?? chef’s kiss. i love a schemer with feelings unfortunately"

"claude is just ridiculously easy to like tbh. he’s funny, he’s pretty, he’s smart, he has great line delivery, and he has that very specific thing where he acts super easygoing while clearly having way more going on in his head than he’s letting anybody see. i also just really enjoy that he can be warm and genuinely caring without ever feeling simple. there’s always a bit of calculation there too, and i mean that in a positive way. he feels layered without the game having to hit you over the head with it. also i’m sorry but he’s just FUN. every scene gets at least a little better when he’s in it"

"did you know that claude fire emblem and oberon fate/grand order share a japanese voice actor? i just think that's neat. for reasons. i like both these characters. for reasons. anyway sometimes i think about an impossible world where claude no longer has hope in his heart and what that would do to him and i want to shove my face into the nearest pit of lava, and no other fire emblem character does that to me. so, you know. for all that fe3h got wrong or fumbled hardcore, claude is visibly someone who cares and tries very hard in his own way to support his people in a land that does not welcome or accept him; he's got every right to be suspicious even before you get into his life prior to the game beginning. but i love claude so much because he never, ever, ever gives up. in his own way he still continues fighting for his ideal future, even if he knows it can't always be perfect. and when you take everything into consideration for him, all of his facets and how he presents himself vs how he's treated vs how he's viewed vs how he really is in private, i love that. he almost gives up, too! but he never does. he regroups, and tries a new angle for achieving progress. let him into your heart it's a good kind of poison i prommy"

Semi-Final — Match 1 of 2

Marianne von Edmund

"A lot of her early supports are uncomfortable in a way I actually appreciate, because she doesn’t come across as 'cute shy', she comes across as someone who expects very little from life and even less from herself, and that changes the whole energy around her. Then, as you spend more time with her, you start seeing the parts of her that are warm, observant, and genuinely kind, and it makes the whole arc of her opening up feel much more meaningful. She’s one of those characters where the development is not flashy, but it really lands if you care about the smaller shifts in how someone talks, trusts, and starts to imagine a future for themselves."

vs. Felix Fraldarius

"felix is just one of those characters i can never be normal about tbh. he’s funny, he’s mean, he’s smarter than he wants to admit, and he has that very specific thing where half his character is basically “what if i was a huge bitch because i care too much actually.” which is catnip to me unfortunately. i also just really like how consistent he feels. even when he’s being difficult, even when he’s lashing out, it all tracks. you can always tell where it’s coming from. plus he has great chemistry with so much of the cast because he’s such a good friction character. put him in a room with almost anyone and something interesting will happen."

Round #5 — Match 2 of 2

Edelgard von Hresvelg

"i’m sorry but female lords who are allowed to drive the plot instead of just reacting to it will always hit. she is not just “important,” she is THE problem and THE moment and i respect her so bad for it"

"A lot of characters in Three Houses are shaped by the system; Edelgard is one of the few who is actively trying to destroy and replace it. That makes her interesting immediately, but what really holds my attention is the tension between her conviction and her damage. She isn’t a clean symbol of revolution, and she isn’t just a tragic victim lashing out either. She’s intensely focused, emotionally guarded, often ruthless, and very clearly carrying a level of fear and isolation that affects every choice she makes. I think that’s why she inspires such strong reactions. She isn’t easy to flatten into hero or villain. She feels like someone whose ideals matter to her enough that she’s willing to become frightening in pursuit of them, and whether you agree with her or not, that gives her real weight as a character."

"edelgard is just sooooo good as a character. like even putting route stuff aside for a second, she has such a strong presence every time she’s on screen. she feels smart and deliberate and like she’s always thinking three steps ahead, but she never feels robotic to me. there’s always this sense that she cares very deeply and is just holding it super tightly under control. and honestly i think that’s a big part of why people get so attached to her. she’s powerful, but she’s also lonely in a way that really comes through. plus i just like characters who know what they want and actually move the story instead of waiting for it to happen to them. she’s memorable for a reason"

vs. Claude von Riegan

"CLAUDE VON RIEGAN YOU WILL ALWAYS BE FAMOUSSSSS i’m sorry he really does have one of the strongest first impressions in the whole game. like ohhh this charming smiley guy is joking around and leaning on walls and acting like nothing bothers him. meanwhile underneath that he is suspicious of literally everyone, constantly thinking ahead, and carrying around a whole identity/political crisis about the state of the world. hello??? of COURSE i’m obsessed with him. and i love that he’s not just “the funny one” either - he’s funny because he’s clever and because humor is one of the ways he keeps control of a situation. plus when the mask slips a little and you get that sharper, sadder, more serious side of him?? chef’s kiss. i love a schemer with feelings unfortunately"

"claude is just ridiculously easy to like tbh. he’s funny, he’s pretty, he’s smart, he has great line delivery, and he has that very specific thing where he acts super easygoing while clearly having way more going on in his head than he’s letting anybody see. i also just really enjoy that he can be warm and genuinely caring without ever feeling simple. there’s always a bit of calculation there too, and i mean that in a positive way. he feels layered without the game having to hit you over the head with it. also i’m sorry but he’s just FUN. every scene gets at least a little better when he’s in it"

"did you know that claude fire emblem and oberon fate/grand order share a japanese voice actor? i just think that's neat. for reasons. i like both these characters. for reasons. anyway sometimes i think about an impossible world where claude no longer has hope in his heart and what that would do to him and i want to shove my face into the nearest pit of lava, and no other fire emblem character does that to me. so, you know. for all that fe3h got wrong or fumbled hardcore, claude is visibly someone who cares and tries very hard in his own way to support his people in a land that does not welcome or accept him; he's got every right to be suspicious even before you get into his life prior to the game beginning. but i love claude so much because he never, ever, ever gives up. in his own way he still continues fighting for his ideal future, even if he knows it can't always be perfect. and when you take everything into consideration for him, all of his facets and how he presents himself vs how he's treated vs how he's viewed vs how he really is in private, i love that. he almost gives up, too! but he never does. he regroups, and tries a new angle for achieving progress. let him into your heart it's a good kind of poison i prommy"

Round #5 — Match 1 of 2

Dorothea Arnault

"DOROTHEA…… i’m sorry but she really is everything. she’s gorgeous, she’s talented, she’s got the whole “former songstress who can work a room in five seconds flat” thing going on, and then underneath that she’s carrying all this fear about security and love and what happens when people stop wanting you. like she’s one of those characters where the confidence is real, but so is the vulnerability, and that combo gets me every time. also she has some of the best post-timeskip energy in the game. she gets hit by the war in a way that feels so human and so sad, and it made me care about her even more."

vs. Dedue Molinaro

"i think three houses would be a much weaker game without him, genuinely. his dynamic with dimitri is obviously a huge part of that, but what gets me is that dedue never feels like he exists JUST to reflect someone else. he has his own grief, his own reserve, his own dry sense of humour, his own very deliberate way of moving through a world that has already decided what it thinks of him before he even opens his mouth"

"there is so much pain and dignity and restraint in him. he’s someone who survived unimaginable loss, who lives surrounded by prejudice, who has every reason to close himself off from other people, and still keeps choosing care in the ways he knows how. through cooking, through gardening, through practical acts, through protection, through showing up. there is something so moving to me about how understated he is"

Round #4 — Match 5 of 5

Petra Macneary

"she’s constantly navigating being underestimated, being watched, being stuck in a political situation that is unfair to her from the start, and she STILL has this determination and grace and sharpness to her that makes her so compelling. also i’m sorry i will always have a huge soft spot for the way she talks. it gives her dialogue so much personality and she ends up having some of the most memorable lines in the game because of it"

"petra is just one of those characters i liked right away and then never stopped liking. she’s cool, she’s smart, she’s very sincere in a way i find really endearing, and i think she has a lot more going on than people sometimes give her credit for. i also really like how direct she is. even when she’s still learning the language, she always feels very clear as a person, if that makes sense? like you always know there’s a strong will and a strong sense of self there. plus she just has great supports. she bounces off people really well and always feels distinct. really really good character."

vs. Marianne von Edmund

"A lot of her early supports are uncomfortable in a way I actually appreciate, because she doesn’t come across as 'cute shy', she comes across as someone who expects very little from life and even less from herself, and that changes the whole energy around her. Then, as you spend more time with her, you start seeing the parts of her that are warm, observant, and genuinely kind, and it makes the whole arc of her opening up feel much more meaningful. She’s one of those characters where the development is not flashy, but it really lands if you care about the smaller shifts in how someone talks, trusts, and starts to imagine a future for themselves."

"did you know that claude fire emblem and oberon fate/grand order share a japanese voice actor? i just think that's neat. for reasons. i like both these characters. for reasons. anyway

sometimes i think about an impossible world where claude no longer has hope in his heart and what that would do to him and i want to shove my face into the nearest pit of lava, and no other fire emblem character does that to me. so, you know.

for all that fe3h got wrong or fumbled hardcore, claude is visibly someone who cares and tries very hard in his own way to support his people in a land that does not welcome or accept him; he's got every right to be suspicious even before you get into his life prior to the game beginning.

but i love claude so much because he never, ever, ever gives up. in his own way he still continues fighting for his ideal future, even if he knows it can't always be perfect. and when you take everything into consideration for him, all of his facets and how he presents himself vs how he's treated vs how he's viewed vs how he really is in private, i love that.

he almost gives up, too! but he never does. he regroups, and tries a new angle for achieving progress.

let him into your heart it's a good kind of poison i prommy"

Round #4 — Match 4 of 5

Manuela Casagranda

"Under all the flirting and chaos, there’s a real sense of someone who used to be admired very openly and is now dealing with what it means to age, to feel less certain, to still want to be wanted. I find that genuinely interesting. She’s funny, yes, but the joke isn’t all there is. And I also think people underrate how competent and caring she is because the disaster energy is so loud. She’s a good teacher. She notices things. She can be very perceptive when someone else is hurting."

"manuela is just SO much fun. i really love characters who are allowed to be kind of messy without the game acting like that makes them worthless or shallow. she’s a disaster, sure, but she’s also charming and capable and weirdly sweet in a lot of her supports. and honestly i think part of why she’s so endearing is that she feels a lot more human than some of the cast because of that. she’s not polished. she says the wrong thing, she wants attention, she gets insecure, she overdoes it sometimes. good!! that’s interesting!! also she and hanneman together are ridiculously entertaining every single time"

vs. Felix Fraldarius

"felix is just one of those characters i can never be normal about tbh. he’s funny, he’s mean, he’s smarter than he wants to admit, and he has that very specific thing where half his character is basically “what if i was a huge bitch because i care too much actually.” which is catnip to me unfortunately. i also just really like how consistent he feels. even when he’s being difficult, even when he’s lashing out, it all tracks. you can always tell where it’s coming from. plus he has great chemistry with so much of the cast because he’s such a good friction character. put him in a room with almost anyone and something interesting will happen."

Round #4 — Match 3 of 5

Claude von Riegan

"CLAUDE VON RIEGAN YOU WILL ALWAYS BE FAMOUSSSSS i’m sorry he really does have one of the strongest first impressions in the whole game. like ohhh this charming smiley guy is joking around and leaning on walls and acting like nothing bothers him. meanwhile underneath that he is suspicious of literally everyone, constantly thinking ahead, and carrying around a whole identity/political crisis about the state of the world. hello??? of COURSE i’m obsessed with him. and i love that he’s not just “the funny one” either - he’s funny because he’s clever and because humor is one of the ways he keeps control of a situation. plus when the mask slips a little and you get that sharper, sadder, more serious side of him?? chef’s kiss. i love a schemer with feelings unfortunately"

"claude is just ridiculously easy to like tbh. he’s funny, he’s pretty, he’s smart, he has great line delivery, and he has that very specific thing where he acts super easygoing while clearly having way more going on in his head than he’s letting anybody see. i also just really enjoy that he can be warm and genuinely caring without ever feeling simple. there’s always a bit of calculation there too, and i mean that in a positive way. he feels layered without the game having to hit you over the head with it. also i’m sorry but he’s just FUN. every scene gets at least a little better when he’s in it"

"did you know that claude fire emblem and oberon fate/grand order share a japanese voice actor? i just think that's neat. for reasons. i like both these characters. for reasons. anyway sometimes i think about an impossible world where claude no longer has hope in his heart and what that would do to him and i want to shove my face into the nearest pit of lava, and no other fire emblem character does that to me. so, you know. for all that fe3h got wrong or fumbled hardcore, claude is visibly someone who cares and tries very hard in his own way to support his people in a land that does not welcome or accept him; he's got every right to be suspicious even before you get into his life prior to the game beginning. but i love claude so much because he never, ever, ever gives up. in his own way he still continues fighting for his ideal future, even if he knows it can't always be perfect. and when you take everything into consideration for him, all of his facets and how he presents himself vs how he's treated vs how he's viewed vs how he really is in private, i love that. he almost gives up, too! but he never does. he regroups, and tries a new angle for achieving progress. let him into your heart it's a good kind of poison i prommy"

Lysithea von Ordelia

"i love her SO much because she is so easy to underestimate if you only look at the surface bits. like yes she’s bossy and prickly and has absolutely zero patience for nonsense and will bite your head off if you annoy her, but that is PART of THE APPEAL!! she’s sharp because she has reasons to be sharp!! she’s in a hurry in this really painful way that makes so much of her click into place once you know more about her, and suddenly all the impatience and drive and refusal to be talked down to gets about ten times more devastating"

"Lysithea is so awesome and I want to yap about it. I think it's because she's such a determined character and she can be mean but people don't seem to realise she has extremely real trauma. She doesn't fit the image of 'victim of atrocity,' especially for women, so I think her pain tends to be minimised. She's the sole surviving child of her house. And she's under such a strict deadline due to her severely reduced lifespan that she dedicates all of her time to trying to grow and be mature. But despite that, she's clearly so young (including post timeskip, 20 is young). She's stressed and can't afford to waste time and she gets angry easily because she's trying so hard, she gets mad when people don't seem to understand. Like she's got five years to live and she's putting her all into being as good as she can and pushing herself nonstop, of course she'd be snappy if she's doing everything she physically can (though probably shouldn't) and still doesn't get the response she wants from people. In her mind, she doesn't have the time to be a child. Also she's kind of awkward socially and comes across as prickly, but she's trying to be helpful. Her supports show her trying to help people, like giving Leonie training advice and afterward beating herself up for lecturing her unwarranted. It's just my interpretation but I think she's an autistic character. She gets frustrated by being patronised often, comes across as blunt and mean even when she means well, even her strong preference for sweet food. It's all very relatable, and I think it's notable that autism in women tends to be overlooked in favour of just calling them rude and difficult. Her character is so tragic to me, I just want her to be bappy."