The Seven Fire Emblem Warriors Characters We Desperately Needed

Fire Emblem Warriors: M.I.A.

Fire Emblem Warriors is a really fun game held back by a mediocre roster. Koei Tecmo decided to go heavy on the 3DS characters, ignoring almost 20 years of Fire Emblem history altogether while also disregarding some of the more unique characters in recent games. Although it’s hard to boil this list down to just seven, each character in it fills a role currently left open by Warriors‘ current roster.

7. Kagero (Fire Emblem Fates – 2016)

The fact that no ninja characters made Warrior’s roster, a roster that focused on only Fates, Awakening and Shadow Dragon, is mind-blowing. Ninjas are one of the coolest classes in Fire Emblem Fates, and Kagero stands out as the best in class. She’s a hard-hitting, quick, and honorable hero who serves as Ryoma’s retainer.

Her moveset would automatically stand out as well. Fire Emblem Warriors has no dagger users right now, and the previously announced DLC characters won’t change that unfortunate reality. Combining the ninja class’s quickness and stealth with Kagero’s incredible strength would make for one of the most unique and exciting fighters on the roster.

One could argue that Kaze or Saizo deserve the ninja spot more, being that Kaze serves Corrin and Saizo plays a larger role in the Fates story, but Kagero stands above those two in personality. While she retains the dignity and honor of a ninja, she is more outgoing than the other two and is very adept at expressing herself. Her friendships feel genuine in Fates, and I would have loved to see how she interacted Chrom’s retainer Frederick. A support conversation between her and Cordelia could have been interesting as well, as both characters have nearly limitless loyalty to their liege.

6. Sharena (Fire Emblem Heroes – 2017)

Fire Emblem Heroes was far more successful than Nintendo anticipated and still has an active player base nine months after its initial release. Sharena, the Princess of Askr, is one of the two main lords from that game. Her twin brother Alfonse lacks personality and wields a sword, however, making Sharena the better pick for Fire Emblem Warriors.

Warriors’ current roster doesn’t allow for the entire series to be represented, and Fire Emblem Heroes is a crucial chapter in the Fire Emblem story. Although its story isn’t compelling, Heroes made Fire Emblem accessible to a new wave of players. For many, Alfonse and Sharena gave them their first true Fire Emblem experience. For that, Heroes deserves some representation in Warriors.

The current Warriors roster also is notably missing an infantry lance user. We’ve got pegasus knights, sure, but some of the series’s best characters were of the soldier class. Sharena has a legendary lance, Fensalir, which unleashes devastating attacks thanks to its high might. Stats-wise, Sharena is an adept all-around fighter. She’s got good attack and speed, as well as decent defensive capabilities. In Fire Emblem Warriors she could serve as the fast infantry lance user, with sweeping attacks that hit a lot of enemies for medium damage.

Her cheery personality makes her an obvious Pair Up partner for Lissa. Both have older brothers who serve as their realm’s primary protector, but while Lissa always feels insecure and useless, Sharena has confidence. Seeing these two hash out their differences and learn to understand one another’s perspectives would enhance each of their characters.

5. Ephraim (Sacred Stones – 2004)

Sticking with infantry lancers and games that deserve love, Ephraim from Sacred Stones’ absence is unacceptable. This lord set the table for Ike in terms of personality, and Fire Emblem Warriors actually gave part of his character arc to Rowan and Lianna, the game’s new protagonists.

Ephraim is the prince of Renais, but when Sacred Stones begins he’s out fighting a war searching for glory on the battlefield. He’d rather be a warrior than a prince and struggles to decide which path he should take in life. Watching him overcome challenges both on and off the battlefield, growing as a man along the way, is one of the best stories in Fire Emblem.

He’d be a natural support option for Chrom, Marth, and Celica. While Chrom is a bit more like Hector, both men struggle to rule without another person serving as their guiding light. A support conversation digging into what that feels like, relying on another to keep you on the right track, would be emotional for both heroes. Meanwhile, Marth never once spurred his duty as a prince. Seeing him try to relate to Ephraim would humanize the Hero-King a bit more. Lastly, as a man of war, Ephraim and Celica would have a lot to say to each other about war’s merits and evils. Celica and Alm had a similar fight in Fire Emblem Echoes, and I would love to see how Celica would approach that conversation with the knowledge she gained from the war for Valentia.

In combat, Ephraim would serve as the power lance user. His legendary lance, Siegmund, would dish out brutal attacks that hit a small area hard. Ephraim dominates one-on-one combat and making him specialize in taking out enemy captains and bosses would fit his Sacred Stones playstyle.

4. Ninian (Blazing Sword – 2003)

While Azura will be coming as DLC, Fire Emblem Warriors somehow left the dancer class out of the roster. With Shadow Dragon’s Tiki, it also did shapeshifters a gigantic disservice by only allowing Tiki to use her Dragon Form in Awakening mode. Ninian from Blazing Sword would amend both grievances. 

Since Fire Emblem Warriors isn’t a turn-based game, dancers wouldn’t be able to give allies an extra turn to move. Instead, they’d buff certain stats and provide constant bonuses as pair-up partners. Just about every dancer in Fire Emblem history has low health, and Ninian is no exception. To balance her impressive useful dancing abilities, she’d be very squishy. In Blazing Sword, Ninian never fights, save for in the game’s final moments, so her combat skills would also be lacking. Her ice dragon attacks would cover a wide area of effect while also debuffing the enemy’s speed. Her Awakening attack, meanwhile, would be devastating enough to take huge chunks of health off boss characters. Her hidden power was strong enough to take out two fire dragons in Blazing Sword, and the only one remaining after the strike took an entire army to defeat.

Support Options for Ninian would be Azura when she releases, and Fates’ Sakura. Ninian’s shy and unassuming demeanor would play well of the quiet yet wise Azura. She also possesses an air of peace that would make her easily approachable for Sakura, and the two likely would be fast friends.

3. The Black Knight (Path of Radiance – 2005)

Knights are one of the signature classes in Fire Emblem, so it’s shocking that none of them are included in the base Warriors game. Even more disheartening is the lack of playable villains, especially the iconic Black Knight. The Black Knight stands unmatched as the best villain in series history, and his inclusion in Warriors would have given the game a truly stand out antagonist.

The Black Knight fights with power and speed unheard of for his class. He moves faster than most light armored infantry units, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t pack a powerful punch. With the Goddess blessed sword Alondite, The Black Knight is even more powerful than his rival Ike.

Naturally, the Black Knight would be a terror to face on the Fire Emblem Warriors battlefield. His blade is capable of sending out shock waves, a trait that could really be highlighted in Warriors by giving him the ability to send energy blasts well past the tip of his blade. He also uses teleporting powder to travel quickly, and that mobility would make for some flashy maneuvers.

A Black Knight and Xander support conversation would be enlightening for both characters. Xander struggles with carrying out orders he knows are evil but does so anyway because he feels it is his duty as a knight and prince. The Black Knight, meanwhile, doesn’t struggle at all with following those orders. Both men have a similar code, and Xander would see the error in his ways from talking to someone who has taken his path to its extreme conclusion.

2. Hector (Blazing Sword – 2003)

I love Lyn, who doesn’t, but if only one character from FE7 was getting into Warriors it needed to be Hector. This burly, rough lord would have been an immediate highlight on the roster. He puts up a tough front, but deep down Hector has a great heart and is willing to do anything to protect his friends.

He wields Armads, an axe once used to help humanity defeat dragons in a great war, dishing out massive damage while boasting defenses that traditionally are reserved for knights. Hector’s magical defense is weak, but he has high health and more often than not laughs as blades bounce off his armor. He does struggle in the speed department, however. This would make him a bruiser on the vast battlefields of Fire Emblem Warriors. His devastating axe blows would slaughter lancers and archers, although poor mobility and low resistance would leave him weak to tome users.

Hector’s support options are plentiful, but I’d like to see him talk with Nohr’s youngest prince Leo. Like Hector, Leo is next in line for throne should his older brother pass. Having Hector counsel the young prince, working through some of Leo’s insecurities, would show off the softer side of Marquess Ostia. Hector is one of the best personalities in Fire Emblem, so he really could support just about anyone and it would be compelling.

1. Ike (Path of Radiance – 2005)

The obvious choice, yes, but also true. Marth is the face of Fire Emblem, but Ike is undoubtedly its most popular character. Earlier this year Fire Emblem Heroes held a voting contest where fans could vote for their favorite characters in the series. Ike appeared in the Top 5 in each of his forms, his Path of Radiance version winning the contest while his Radiant Dawn variant ranked 5th.

Ike’s popularity stems from his relatable backstory. Unlike most Fire Emblem lords, Ike wasn’t born a noble. He was a mercenary, thrust into a position of leadership once his father suddenly was murdered. Slowly but surely he grows into the role, avenging his father and even surpassing him by his story’s end.

His blade Ragnell has similar properties to the Black Knight’s Alondite. It can send shock waves across the battlefield and is also blessed by the goddess. Unlike the Black Knight, however, Ike has the skill Aether. It’s his signature move with two parts. Ike flings Ragnell high in the air, jumps up to catch it and dive down on his foe. The attack ignores half of an opponent’s defense and leads into a follow-up strike where he lifts the blade off the ground and jumps into the air again, attacking on his way up. That strike heals Ike by half the damage the move dealt. With Aether as his special, Ike would stand out in Warriors by being able to heal himself without a vulnerary. To compensate for the move’s obvious balance issues, Ike’s warrior meter would fill up slowly and be limited in the amount of times he can use it.

The only swordsman who may be able to match Ike in fighting ability is Ryoma, the High Prince of Hoshido. Both characters are pretty broken in their respective Fire Emblem games, and although I’d have to give Ike the edge going into battle, a support conversation between the two about the way of the sword makes a lot of sense. Those two characters both have honor and see justice as black and white. They’d quickly become friends and an absolutely unstoppable force in pair-up mode.

There are so many other characters worthy of a roster spot in Fire Emblem Warriors. While the game definitely is fun, as a passionate fan of Fire Emblem’s history I feel Warriors missed out by limiting itself by pulling characters from just three games. Lyn and Celica feel tacked on it their current state, oddballs in a roster filled with characters born after 2010. Giving the series’s earlier characters the love they deserve would have done a better service to its source material.

Who would you have liked to see in Fire Emblem Warriors? Let me know in the comments below!