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ROY'S HAIR IS SO SUPER KAWAII DESU DESU.

All joking aside though, I kinda like his hair.

"Eyvel, they were captured in my place. I'm not a child anymore. I don't want to sacrifice anyone anymore for my own safety!"

First chapter. First freaking chapter. How long does it take other characters to come to this point?

Heck, even from the intro, the game pulls no punches with piling burdens upon his then-infant shoulders. Nothing says a harsh future like a little baby watching his own castle burn with an innocent face.

Even with the time that has been consumed, I'm glad that I went into FE5 (mostly) blind. Because if I didn't have such a hard time with it at parts, I wouldn't adore the game as I do right now, and I would not have nearly as much appreciation of Leif as I do. I'm having an extended break from the game at the moment, but I'm nearly done with it. So I feel I can talk at least a little about my lovely Leif.

Yes, if he's going to struggle I want to struggle too. That was always the goal of the playthrough, especially since once I have beaten it, I can't unbeat it and I will be familiar with it forever. Seeing a character struggle with tough choices and the pain of losing people and being a source of war and destruction during the story scenes is one thing. Feeling it and actively taking part in those struggles is an entirely different one. It's one thing to be told you are the underdog, and then you can actually BE the underdog and have to scramble and use every single thing you have in order to have a chance of success. You have to deal with enough loss in the story proper. I don't know about you, but I don't want anyone dying on my watch. I want as few casualties as possible. While that is impossible, Leif shares the mindset. He wants to fight on his own behalf and accept any responsibility that can be laid at his feet, no matter how bad or how unintentional. No, I don't want to take the easy way out. No, I don't want innocent civilians to sacrifice their lives. No, I don't want anyone to die if I can help it, enough people have died and will continue to die. What would Leif think of me? Heck, what would he think of himself? Not to mention the mushy, glorious feelings I get when my babies succeed in the face of all that adversity.

He's not a holy warrior. Psh, PSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHH...HHH....SHSHHHhh.
The game slams that into the ground already. Sure, he has minor blood from two bloodlines, but life hasn't dealt him any favors. Characters like Celice are interesting in how their personalities and shortcomings clash with the path that is given to them, but not in many other respects (at least in my opinion). Then again, FE4 is a bird's eye view. That is part of how much of the story is told, with eyes on the big picture and not so much on the little things, save a few. FE5 puts a magnifying glass on the Thracia peninsula and lets us get a better idea of just how bad things got in gen 2 before the good guys actually started winning for a change. I wouldn't call characters like Celice or Sety spoiled brats (being an orphan in occupied Issac and living through family issues and searching for your disappeared dad while your mom dies is not exactly paradise), but having a front row seat to Leif as he claws his way to the top is satisfying in a way that few other lords achieve. Which is why he's one of my new series favorites. There's a sense of seriousness and responsibility to the character that is unmatched as far as the series goes, and the fact that we get to see and act through these events ourselves makes it all so much more powerful.

Leif for best trainee. Hah, if only. That's why he's so good in FE4, he already classed up once in FE5!

In FE5 he may not have the best stats coupled with a late promotion time, but his amount of supports, one or two leadership stars, and immunity to fatigue (he never sleeps, never stops pushing forward!) makes him valuable in other ways. And it's not like his stats can't be helped either.

Leif is a champion, through and through. I'll probably have more to say, but I'll kick this thing off right here and right now.

Leif holds the title of my favorite Lord – although it’s a title he shares with Sigurd. The way I divide it is Sigurd is my favorite adult Lord/protagonist of the series and Leif is my favorite young one. He is how you execute a bildungsroman story correctly in this series (the only one that gives him a run for his money in that department is Ike, and I think Leif is the better executed of the two for reasons I get to discuss this week, yaaaaay!).

But really, where to start? One thing I’ve especially loved is that he’s got this narrative about proving himself and playing this major role in the liberation of not just his homeland but the entire continent and he does this without any major Holy Blood. The lack of Major blood is something of a big deal I’ve always thought; nearly all the big-players and world leaders in Jugdral have Holy Blood and leadership is often determined by whether or not you have Major holy blood. Meanwhile, doesn’t-get-the-Gae Bolg-Leif is having to participate in all this and trying to liberate his homeland and go head-to-head with a number of people who have the Major blood and I’m all about it. He’s an example of not being inhibited of doing something in spite of lacking something that’s generally a genetic prerequisite. It’s the same reason Batman is my favorite superhero – because ******** all those superpower-wielding bitches – he can be amazing without superpowers. And I love that he inherits his mother’s Light Sword. In a world where people inherit super powerful badass legendary weapons from their parents, Leif canonically wields the blade of his mother, given to him by his aunt… sort of. He wields a sword that originally comes from the person with the womb that spawns evil incarnate and the half-siblings you need to kill said evil incarnate. And in a game where you don’t have full support conversations to flesh things out, just wielding his signature weapon accomplishes a lot.

And then there’s the fact that he actually does make mistakes. It’s not just that he’s willing to take the blame for his mistakes, he actually unwittingly and sometimes selfishly blunders. And he listens to his advisors. PAY ATTENTION TO THIS ROY. He listens to his advisors. He listens to BOTH of his advisors.

And let it be known Leif is also 15 years of age during FE5. How DID they go from everything Leif has going on and manage to make the next lord they created… Roy? How did they fall so far?

More to come. Long Live Leif. And love live discussion of Leif this week.

Well, to throw out some additional lines to consider, FE13 gave us the following when you get Leif’s Einherjar:

“I wish I could know what that must feel like... But no doubt it also come with its share of burdens. I often ponder what it means that I did not receive the Brand... Perhaps I am not worthy to follow in my father's footsteps? Or was I spared?”

“You make me realize both how far I have come and how far I must yet go. And that perhaps I won't need a god's help to get there.”

A substantial list of characters have minor Holy Blood of some sort or other, and it definitely sets them apart. But speaking of figureheads, without the major blood to wield the weapon associated with it, minor blood is comparatively nothing more than a fancy heritage status that would give someone a position as a prominent figurehead for a house but unable to perform actions because of it. That Leif has minor holy blood gives him a birthright towards reclaiming Lenster, but it doesn’t give him any actual means with which to do so, unlike someone with major Holy Blood. It’s essential for Leif to have the holy blood that he does to make his character what it is. If he had no Holy Blood or Major Holy Blood, he’d either be difficult to justify fulfilling the leading role that he does in the liberation of Thracia and the Holy War overall or his struggles wouldn’t have nearly the same context that they do if he could just Gae Bolg all his troubles away.

And Ike/Soren/Titania advising situations are some of the most enjoyable in the entire series, I agree. Although what I like about what FE5 does with Dorias and Agust is that Leif is actually given choices from his advisors that you get to pick that have consequences on the game itself. Like whether you march to Lenster’s front door or go the backway.

As for what happens to Dorias… it’s one of a number of fantastic moments Leif gets which shape his character in a tangible manner. With Dorias, the gravity of his responsibilities as a leader in liberating his homeland will stay with Leif permanently from that point forward. To have reached the initial goal he started with and then experience a blow like that really permanently impacts him as a leader (and is worth considering in conjuction with his lover line to Janne).

There’s also seeing his homeland burn as a small child.

And finally confronting Travant who is responsible for him losing his entire family.

And meeting a sister he’d been deprived of growing up.

And I could talk about all of those major instances in detail but that would take too long for just one post. But while other characters throughout the series also get big moments like that, very few get as many as Leif done, and even rarer for such moments to be well done.

So we have Leify boy, there’s much to say about that fellow. For starters, his design in particular is definitely unique among the other lords of red and blue hairs. He is the only lord in the series that actually has brown hair which is pretty awesome. I really do love his design, though I generally like the OA of him.(Except for one OA which is really blaarrrghh!) And I like both of the leif DLC art designs in FE13. Both very wonderful designs, terrific colors and all that stuff. As for the trickster class choice, I think it was a pretty good choice for him with what we could’ve gotten. And yeah it does kind of fit him If you think about it…

A little something I thought I’d note for those that know about the Tear Ring Saga game.(Since Shozou Kaga was involved with fire emblem before FE6) The main character of the game, Runan, does have a very striking resemblance to Leif, design wise. It could just be me but I found that very interesting.(Even those that claim it to be an FE rip off which landed kaga into some trouble… )

But anyways, time to go into Leaf as a character. He’s the young lord I feel is done right and he‘s just a great character. Sigurd is also a favorite of mine, but I’ve been thinking and I feel Leif is a little bit more interesting in terms of a clear character. When FE4 first introduced him, I had a feeling I was going to like him. Even though we get very little scenes with him in comparison to FE5. The scenes that we do get are still great. We get to see Finn and Leaf interact together which is still nice. Altenna and Leaf have been separated for so long and the first time that they interact is emotionally touching to see. Say all you want about Generation 2 in FE4, but the moments that are good are still very good. FE5 leif is definitely much more fleshed out. Leif goes through so much compared to the other lords. He wants to save all the lives that he can no matter what the stake is. I just have a lot of respect for that to be honest. Oh yes, and Leif has two advisors August and Dorias.(I was also quite surprised of what happened to him offscreen so suddenly like that) As for me personally I love the scenes with August and Leaf. And how they talk about the harshness that southern Thracia is going through, or whether it’s the decisions he’ll have to make. Learning to move on when a terrible situation happens. I have the sense that Dorias was a great man that is respected as well.

It seems like IS went a step backwards in FE6 with Roy. Leif actually takes in consideration about the options that the advisors given the situation. LEIF ACTUALLY LISTENS to them. And yeah, he does make mistakes of course, but he accepts the consequences and learns from it.

He has to deal with so much struggle in order to survive as he grows up through the game. That whole intro in FE5 is very dramatic and demonstrates how deep FE5 is on a story level.(And that score man..) He’s a mere infant and Lenster has already fallen while the only person protecting him is Finn.(And everyone knows that he‘s my favorite) There’s the fact that the Thracia dragon army is after them constantly because Leif is the last heir to the Lenster throne. And he has to hide constantly until the day he can reclaim Lenster again for the unification of Thracia. But the interesting aspect about Leaf is how he literally has to rise up again. And this is what the other lords kind of lack, they don’t really suffer nearly as enough that Leaf does. Oh, they go through conflict here and there for certain, but it’s not in the way that you feel that they are in huge trouble. I mean, Ike for instance had a moment in FE9 where he could’ve been killed for speaking out his opinion against an apostle.(Though, I said this last time in Ike‘s New Years Bash.) But that was his own fault there, and Ike shouldn’t have spoken up to an authority higher than him. But it’s more like the trouble happens to Leaf because he’s in constant danger all the freaking time.


The thing is judgral is actually a pretty messed up place once you think about it. There’s child huntings going around, a secret dark sect trying to revive a dark god, and there’s people suffering all over the continent. But I find it a very fascinating region in particular. It’s simply on how the story is told through the narrative which really works so darn well. The whole idea of survival is what FE5 is about, and it’s told through gameplay and I think is a very unique idea. You’re literally starting off with nothing, and you have to steal the enemies weapons through capturing. And even bosses like Lifis or Salem you have to capture to make them an ally which is quite an interesting way to use this system. It’s very successful on how this is done because the player has to experience what Leaf goes through, as the game moves on progressively getting more and more difficult. Also, it’s very true that FE5 is a tough game to handle you need practically all the help that you can get to through it the game.

But I do see a bit of Ike from Leif. But to its game’s credit, there’s no base conversation or anything like that. But he does have interactions with practically everyone that he encounters through FE5. I like that everyone is involved in some sort of way like that. No one is tossed to the side, and that every companion you meet will be useful. It’s like everyone is influenced by him in a way. But I’ve yammered on too long about Leaf…

How is he as a unit? Well in FE4 he’s amazing. He’s only a lord in the beginning and has a decent rank in swords. But then he’ll eventually promote into one of the greatest classes in FE4 the Master Knight! He’ll be able to wield practically every single weapon in the game. And of course being a mount to have more extra movement is very beneficial in FE4. His skill set is Continue, Critical, and Pursuit.(which I believe he does get once he promotes.) In FE5, he’s not nearly as great but he’s still very helpful. True, he doesn’t gain a mount after promotion. It’s more like he starts off at the class that leads towards the later part of FE4. I’d argue that he’s at least much more useful than someone like Roy or Marth. His growths are decent enough for him to fight well against enemies, great support options, only one to wield the light sword(Also it can restore leif‘s health completely if used as an item. How cool is that! =D), a memento from his dear mother Ethlin. He could be given the King Sword for that extra charisma bonus to other units on top of having leadership stars already. Plus it’s like a brave sword too which is a nice bonus as well. It’s also possible for him to get up to 9 movement, if you’re lucky enough. So yeah, I actually kind of like Leif as a unit in FE5. Is he as good as FE4? Not at all.. But still, he has so many uses about him to make up for it. ALL HAIL LEIFY BOY!

Thank you everyone who participated in Leif Week! It's now Sigurd's turn.

And next week will begin the cycle anew with an Awakening character.

So Sigurd, I have some things to say about him. For awhile now, I've been thinking why do I like Sigurd as a character for the longest time? But maybe he's not as great a character as I made him out to be at first. It might have been the tragedy that felt more interesting to me rather than the characterization. But to be fair most of the incidents that does happen to him aren't entirely Sigurd's fault. He's practically forced into the dilemma of these other problems that just seem to happen to him.

Like at the end of chapter 2 for instance, he doesn't entirely understand the reason why he's declaring war with agustria at that point. Or really what's even going on.. He wanted to do all he could to help out Eltshan because they're good buddies.And he was thrown in the dungeon by shaagal... But then decides to help him escape because his loyalty still lies with Agustria.

Don't get me wrong, I do still like him and is a favorite of mine in Genealogy of the Holy War. There are certainly many things to like about him for sure. The man is an all around good fellow. And I think he's a likable of an enough lord. He's there for those that are dear to him such as his friends like Aideen of jungby, and it's more or so Verdane's invasion that started his tale in the first place. Sigurd also is the sort that wants to be there for the citizens and all that.

He's at least really fun to be around with, and his interactions with the other characters are very fun too. My favorite is the backstory with Eltshan, Cuan, and Sigurd and their pact that they made way back in the academy. Wouldn't it be interesting if that part was dwelled on a bit more? He's the only lord in the series that actually does not get a happy ending. And I mean he really suffers for it tragically, but I'll get to that a more on that in just a bit. With each step as FE4's plot progresses so many things just happen to him.

At some point he becomes branded as a traitor of the prince Kurth assassination conspiracy, because you know how those two jokers Reptor and Langbart aren't very fond of Lord Bryon and such. So he has to go to a whole different country in silesia to hide out for protection, or rather it's mainly because of a rumor that goes around which is untrue. He is forced to engage in battle with his best friend Eltshan and loses him, both his sister Ethlin and his brother in law Cuan dies in battle, and he even witnesses his own father's death barely hanging onto his life. So yeah, you could say that Sigurd really does experience so much through his story, as it's quite a bit for him to bear. But all of these events are really what make him interesting, but it's more on the level on the events that revolve around him.


Also about the unhappy ending I mentioned earlier, Sigurd is actually the only lord in the series that dies at the end of part I of FE4. But he suffers for it, for one not being able to see Dierdre whom he truly did care for with all his heart. It's a very coldhearted way to go but it's still quite sad. I mean, sure the pairing was pretty rushed obviously. We kind of have to accept that they're together and that's that. We don't get much time to see what their relationship is like how they act or anything of the sort. They eventually get married and -poof- they have a child.

But I really thought their interactions in the beginning was actually quite nice. And I agree with Tiki about the music. Then again, the whole FE4 track is wonderful... But Dierdre's theme and the way it's used when it plays. It's just really quite beautiful.. Right at the end Alvis really lets him have it with a grand display of fireworks on Sigurd and his entire army.(Though there are those that still lived) And It was pretty unexpected to see it for the first time.

So as a unit, Sigurd can wreck stuff pretty badly. It's pretty unique to see a lord that's already promoted and he's a mount too! Seriously, 9 movement is fantastic in FE4 where moving as far as possible across grand scale maps is very beneficially important. And there's the fact that mount units can move again after attacking which is so useful. He's got the Baldo holy blood which is pretty cool. His only skill is the pursuit skill but it's still a good one for him. He primarily uses lances and swords. And his rank in swords is already at an A, or it's with the * symbol in FE4. He does well with just about any decent sword or even the hero lance is great. Eventually he'll claim the Trfying blade which is a pretty amazing sword, and it enhances his stats even more to make him unstoppable than he originally was before!!! XD

But yeah this is what comes to mind with Sigurd..

I'm happy that I came home to see that I as the lone dissenter wasn't the only person who posted in here.

Also, this is my answer to FD's last question.

ALL HAIL NUTS FUJIMORI! Bringing more honesty to the FE4 fandom one gag at a time.