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“ | When humanity stands strong and people reach out for each other... there's no need for gods. | „ |
~ Edelgard at the end of the Crimson Flower route |
“ | I'm a student at the Officers Academy...for now. | „ |
~ Edelgard in Fire Emblem: Heroes. |
Edelgard von Hresvelg is one of the three deuteragonists (alongside Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd and Claude von Riegan) in Fire Emblem: Three Houses and one of the two secondary antagonists (alongside Ludwig von Aegir) of Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes. She is the heir of the Adrestian Empire and the house leader of the Black Eagles.
In the Japanese version, she is voiced by Ai Kakuma who also voiced Lenalee Lee, Rossweisse, Machi Kuragi and Rabirin. In the English version, she was initially voiced by Cristina Valenzuela in E3 2018 trailer but was later replaced by Tara Platt in the completed game, who voiced Mitsuru Kirijo, Kali Belladonna, and Temari.
Background[]
Edelgard was born as one of eleven children of Emperor Ionius IX of Adrestia. At an unknown point in her childhood, she was abducted by a cabal of corrupt Adrestian nobles along with the rest of her siblings and forced to undergo horrific experiments in order to implant a Crest which is a token of draconic power passed down through one's bloodline. The experimentation lasted for up to 2 years and Edelgard was the sole survivor of these experiments, and swore revenge on both "Those Who Slither in the Dark", the ones who masterminded the experiments, and the Church of Seiros, who she blamed for propagating the worship of Crests in the first place as well as for maintaining the corrupt divine right feudal based system that has been in place for centuries. To this end, she took up the secret identity of the Flame Emperor and began orchestrating attacks on the Church while beginning the process of seizing power in Adrestia. She also entered a reluctant alliance with "Those Who Slither in the Dark" to further her ambitions, intending to dispose of them once she no longer needed them and to avenge those that were wronged by them.
Appearance[]
Edelgard is a slim young woman with pale skin, purple eyes, and long white (originally brown before she had two Crests) hair with ties to the side. She wears a red cape, the color of her house, on the side of her uniform, red tights that look like magma shield, and black-heel boots. In her Flame Emperor persona, she wears black armor, a black robed surplice, red-feathered shoulder pauldrons, a helmet with a large red plume, and a white and red mask that conceals her identity and distorts her voice. In the five-year time skip, she puts her hair up in Odango buns and wears a red ballgown.
In Three Hopes, Edelgard wears a red-grey armor, a red cape, and a yellow crown.
Personality[]
Edelgard is a compassionate, caring, selfless, and strong willed person that has a dignified, high-minded, solemn air about her, and she coolly evaluates her surroundings and those around her before she acts. Throughout the game Edelgard wears a Emperor persona which she uses to suppress her emotions, knowing that the path she walks will cause her to falter if she gives in to her emotions. At the beginning of the game, Edelgard is willing to go to many lengths to achieve her goals of defeating the Church of Seiros and "Those Who Slither in the Dark", even betraying her friends and destroying her own happiness, knowing full well that she will be hated by all of Fodlan for what she has to do.
Her character development hinges on whether Byleth sides with her or not. If Byleth does not aid her, she becomes cold, makes more ruthless actions and warps her body in order to win her war. In contrast, if Byleth joins her, she becomes far more compassionate, is willing to offer mercy to her enemies such as Claude (successfully) and Rhea (unsuccessfully), and goes out of her way to minimize casualties on her quest. In private, Edelgard has a rather childish side, makes immature mockery of the voices of people who annoy her, and is easily flustered. She is terrified of rats as well, creatures Claude even joked about being by her "imperial feet" during the second mock battle.
Edelgard no matter the route still shows some compassion towards others and does show regret on the path she has to walk despite being determined to end the suffering of Fodlan from TWSITD and the system the Church of Seiros maintains. Despite suppressing her emotions, she takes a great amount of emotional pain knowing what she is doing and despises her own actions. However, she knows that there is no other way to end the suffering in Fodlan.
Edelgard is in favour of choice and has shown throughout the game that she does not force people against their will to join with her or to do actions that they don't want to do. Despite going to many lengths, she still has her limits in her actions towards achieving her goals such as assassinations, forcing people against their will, scorched earth policy, and pillaging.
Biography[]
Edelgard before the attending the academy has tried to find ways to free Fodlan from TWSITD and the system that the Church of Seiros maintains but despite her attempts to not go to war she could not overcome the inevitable war due to TWSITD controlling the empire and the empire nobles wanting to have more land; so with much pain she decided to take the lead in that war to not only avoid a horrible outcome from TWSITD leading the war but to also realize her goals of reforming and freeing Fodlan. She has also seen the human side of Jeritza and helped changed him from killing innocents to going after targets.
Edelgard comes to Garreg Mach Monastery to learn at the Officer's Academy and meets her stepbrother Dimitri, the scion of the Leicester Alliance Claude, and the mercenary Byleth. Byleth can choose to lead either Edelgard's Black Eagles, Dimitri's Blue Lions, or Claude's Golden Deer over the course of the next year. As the year progresses, Edelgard acts as a double agent within Garreg Mach and continues her campaign against the Church. Eventually, during a raid on the Holy Tomb within the monastery, Edelgard is unmasked as the Flame Emperor. If Byleth chose the Black Eagles, they can defect to Edelgard's side, leading to her fully becoming a hero; if they are not a Black Eagle or remain loyal to the Church, she descends into a tragic antagonist. In all cases, Edelgard takes the Adrestian throne and declares war on the Church. The opening battle results in an Adrestian victory and Byleth goes missing. The game's four routes diverge at this point based on what house Byleth picked and (if they chose the Black Eagles) whether they betrayed the Church.
On the Crimson Flower route, where Byleth chose the Black Eagles and sided with her, Edelgard's morality is positively influenced by Byleth's defection, and she marginalizes "Those Who Slither in the Dark's" influence on the Empire. Five years after the battle of Garreg Mach, Byleth returns, and the two begin their campaign to unify Fodlan. They start by defeating Claude and the Alliance, and Claude can be spared or executed at the player's discretion. Afterwards, they launch an invasion of Faerghus, where Dimitri and Archbishop Rhea of the Church of Seiros await. Edelgard kills Dimitri which causes her to almost break her Emperor persona, forcing Rhea to retreat to the Kingdom capital of Fhirdiad. Edelgard pursues Rhea and offers her a chance to surrender, but Rhea orders the city burned to the ground. With no other alternative, Edelgard leads the Empire in a final battle and slays Rhea. In the aftermath, Edelgard unites Fodlan under her progressive rule and begins her campaign to defeat "Those Who Slither in the Dark" which she does destroy within a few years in a shadow war.
Other Media[]
Fire Emblem Heroes[]
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Super Smash Bros.[]
Edelgard appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate both as a background character in the Garreg Mach Monastery stage and one of Byleth DLC spirits. She is an advanced primary attack spirit that can be obtained in her battle on the battlefield form of the Castle Siege stage covered by lava against Byleth who have super armor and hard to launch. At 99, the spirit can be enhanced to her timeskip design, an ace spirit that gives the user an armor knight effect.
Quotes[]
“ | People believe that Crests are blessings from the Goddess, that they're necessary to maintain order in Fodlan. But the people are wrong. Crests are to blame for this brutal, irrational world we live in. | „ |
~ Edelgard to Byleth. |
“ | Like you, I have risen to meet my destiny. I cut this path, and I will see it through to the end. Following me is akin to pointing a sword to the goddess herself. One misstep, and we fall to ruin. You have now witnessed the archbishop’s true self. She is a cruel beast. Those who rule this world use that beast’s power to fabricate miracles, all to control those who blindly believe in the goddess. They conceal the truth and force their lies on the nobility. They mercilessly annihilate anyone who defies them. I know this because I have lived it. After what you have seen, is there any room for doubt? The Church of Seiros has great influence and power. Their control over the lords of the Kingdom and the Alliance is nearly absolute. We are the only ones who can stop this indomitable enemy that has plagued our world for ages. We fight for humanity! For all of Fódlan! If you dare walk this path with me, take your first step. It’s now or never! | „ |
~ Edelgard's speech to Byleth and her classmates |
“ | Edelgard: It's just... Well, there was a rat. I don't enjoy the company of rats. I believe I've told you about this before...about when I was held captive beneath the palace. There were a lot of rats there. To this day, I just... Byleth: What's that? (Byleth sees Edelgard's painting of themselves) Edelgard: What?! Oh, Professor! Leave here at once! I recall now that..Hubert needs to speak with me! I must change my clothes! Now, whatever you do, don't look this way! Byleth: I already saw it... Edelgard: AAH! Then forget what you saw! THAT'S AN ORDER!! |
„ |
~ Edelgard telling Byleth about her fear of rats, before being embarrassed when Byleth saw her painting of them |
Trivia[]
- In the Black Eagles route, Edelgard can be romanced by either gender of Byleth once they reach S-Support, making her one of the few bisexual playable characters in the game. Also she is the first house leader able to do so, the other being Yuri from Ashen Wolves.
- Initially in the English version, Edelgard was voiced by Cristina Valenzuela in the original E3 2018 trailer for Three Houses, whom she shares with Tatiana from Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, as well as the Fire Emblem Heroes appearances of Lachesis and Athena.
- In Three Houses, at least one of the duo of Edelgard and Dimitri will die if the chosen route is not their own. It is impossible to make both of them survive. This compares to Claude, who can be spared and thus survive in all of the routes that are not his own. However, they both survive up until the end of the story in Three Hopes.
External Links[]
- Edelgard von Hresvelg on the Villains Wiki
- Edelgard von Hresvelg on the Fire Emblem Wiki
- Edelgard von Hresvelg on the Nintendo Wiki
- Edelgard von Hresvelg on the Inconsistently Heinous Wiki
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