Subaki

"I'm no good at getting help when I need it. That's the problem with seeking perfection. You always feel like you have to do everything alone."

- Subaki in a support conversation with the Avatar

Subaki (ツバキ, Tsubaki in the Japanese version) is a playable character in Fire Emblem Fates on the Birthright and Revelation routes. One of Sakura (Fire Emblem)Sakura's personal retainers, Subaki seeks perfection in all that he does in order to uphold the legacy of his family. If he achieves an S support, he will bear a daughter named Caeldori with his spouse.

Profile
Subaki was born into a family belonging to the upper echelons of Hoshido, one that is renowned for having served the royal family for generations. Following the footsteps of his ancestors, Subaki is thus instated as one of Princess Sakura's personal retainers.

Birthright
Subaki makes his first appearance in Fort Jinya in Chapter 7, where he, alongside his fellow retainer Hana, aids Sakura in tending to the injuries of wounded soldiers and citizens. After receiving news of a Nohrian invasion that has broken out near Fort Jinya, Subaki is engaged in a squabble with Hana, during which they argue over the superiority of their usefulness on the battlefield. Shortly after their quarrel is broken up by Sakura, Subaki accompanies his liege, Hana and the Avatar out of the fort to stage a defence.

Subaki subsequently aids the Avatar's effort to put an end to the age-old conflict shared between Hoshido and Nohr.

Conquest
Subaki only appears in Chapter 22, where he, alongside Sakura, Hana and Yukimura, stages a defence in Fort Jinya in a bid to halt the Nohrian invasion. When engaged in battle by the Avatar, Subaki will reveal that in spite of their betrayal, Sakura has continued to hold nothing but the highest opinion of them. He then quietly vows to personally defeat the Avatar in order to end his liege's sorrow. Despite the best efforts of both Subaki and the rest of the Hoshidan army, they are eventually defeated and taken prisoner.

When Hans starts executing prisoners, it is mentioned that Yukimura, Sakura, Subaki and Hana were fortunately spared from Hans' wrath. It is unknown what happens to him afterwards.

Revelation
Subaki first appears at the end of Chapter 8, where he and Hana pursue Sakura after the latter wordlessly departs from Fort Jinya to ally herself with the Avatar's cause. Upon catching up with her, he immediately expresses relief before proclaiming that he and Hana will always support her in all the decisions that she makes.

Subaki subsequently aids the Avatar's effort to put an end to Anankos' machinations.

Paralogue
In Paralogue 13, Subaki reunites with his daughter Caeldori after not having seen her for ages. While in the midst of catching up with her, Subaki is summoned by a Hoshidan soldier to the Riverside to aid in quelling an enemy attack. Caeldori attempts to follow her father, only to be stopped as he urges her to remain behind for the sake of her safety. She later defies Subaki's orders, entering the battlefield and leaping into the fray to aid him. Following the conclusion of the battle, Subaki fawns over his daughter's achievements, expressing praise and admiration. Upon hearing her narrate details on the post-battle activities that she has engaged in, Subaki begins to feel inferior to her, mentally resolving to push himself in order to prevent her from surpassing him.

Personality
Subaki is a self-professed perfectionist, a fact that primarily stems from the legacy of his family's traditions, ones that have conditioned him to strive towards achieving perfection in all that he does. As a result of this, Subaki is known to be very demanding and even unforgiving towards himself as he works tirelessly to meet the harsh expectations that he sets for himself. This has in turn caused him to have the tendency to engage in self-reproach whenever he commits "offences" that he feels make him appear weak and imperfect in the eyes of others. During such occurrences, Subaki is known to lapse into a state of flustered distress as he attempts to rectify his shortcomings.

In spite of the excessive nature of his hardworking spirit, Subaki never draws attention to himself, choosing instead to hide his efforts from the notice of others. As a result of the attitude and behavior that he adopts towards others, Subaki can come across as being more obnoxious and arrogant than he actually is.

He has the cleanest hands in the army. His birthday is February 7.

Etymology
Tsubaki is the Japanese word for Camellia. Depending on the language, this can have different meanings:
 * In the Victorian Language of Flowers, White Camellia carry the meaning of 'Perfection' and 'Loveliness', which Subaki's personality and good looks could be based on.
 * In the Japanese Language of Flowers, known as Hanakotoba, Red Camellias mean "in love" and "perishing with grace", probable allusions to his kind yet proud personality. In contrast, Yellow Camellia mean "longing", a possible nod to Subaki's desire for perfection.
 * In the Edo Period, samurai would disallow Camellia from being planted in their homes due to the Ochitsubaki, or "fallen Camellia." The fallen Camellia flower represented the samurai's duty of beheading outlaws; this may be represented through Subaki's secondary class tree being Samurai.

Trivia

 * He is the first playable male Pegasus Knight in the Fire Emblem series. Because of this, he is the only male Pegasus Knight playable in Fire Emblem Heroes.
 * Subaki was voted the 16th most popular male in Nintendo's official Fates character poll.
 * Subaki is one of only two playable characters in Fire Emblem Fates whose English voice actor remained unconfirmed until the release of Fire Emblem Heroes. The other is Siegbert.