mark_asphodel (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
mark_asphodel) wrote2012-02-24 08:24 pm
mark_asphodel) wrote2012-02-24 08:24 pm
Entry tags:
Top Eleven Fire Emblem Characters (3)
Archanea gets slagged off a lot for not having "good" or "well-developed" characters. Er... I'll grant you there are a lot, and I do mean a lot, of characters who didn't have much dialogue save a death quote up until FE12. And I remain skeptical of the brand of development presented in FE12.
But, as a counter-example, may I present Character #3: Palla.
Knight of Macedon. Loyal to her commander, "traitor" to her king. Squadron leader. Loving and responsible elder sister. Spurned lover. Capable ally.
She's the conceptual ancestress of more pegasus knights than you can shake a lance at. And, seeing as she features in FE2 as well as 1/3 and has actual conversations in FE11 and a slew of juicy supports in FE12, I'd reckon she's one of the most-developed of the Famicom-era characters. And she's remained remarkably consistent throughout her two decades of evolution, from her lovely conversations with Cellica in FE2 to her support conversations with Minerva, Catria, and Est in FE12.
You want a strong female character? Here. Here you go. Nurturing, steadfast, resilient, patient, courteous. A knight and a woman. A warrior and a sister. Palla switches seamlessly between leading her junior knights and following her commanders. No temper tantrums. No bullshit. No flake-outs. Here is a female knight who stands head to head with the most "perfect" (or idealized) of her male counterparts.
And what does the storyline hand Palla in return? Her beloved princess fails; her nation is ruined. She sacrifices again and again for her younger sister, only to have said sister end up with the man Palla loves... and when that falls apart, Palla loses them both. Forever.
And what does Palla do then? She carries on, working to rebuild Macedon.
Archanea: it's a bleak world. But the best of its characters stand up against anyone and anything the later games can offer.
But, as a counter-example, may I present Character #3: Palla.
Knight of Macedon. Loyal to her commander, "traitor" to her king. Squadron leader. Loving and responsible elder sister. Spurned lover. Capable ally.
She's the conceptual ancestress of more pegasus knights than you can shake a lance at. And, seeing as she features in FE2 as well as 1/3 and has actual conversations in FE11 and a slew of juicy supports in FE12, I'd reckon she's one of the most-developed of the Famicom-era characters. And she's remained remarkably consistent throughout her two decades of evolution, from her lovely conversations with Cellica in FE2 to her support conversations with Minerva, Catria, and Est in FE12.
You want a strong female character? Here. Here you go. Nurturing, steadfast, resilient, patient, courteous. A knight and a woman. A warrior and a sister. Palla switches seamlessly between leading her junior knights and following her commanders. No temper tantrums. No bullshit. No flake-outs. Here is a female knight who stands head to head with the most "perfect" (or idealized) of her male counterparts.
And what does the storyline hand Palla in return? Her beloved princess fails; her nation is ruined. She sacrifices again and again for her younger sister, only to have said sister end up with the man Palla loves... and when that falls apart, Palla loses them both. Forever.
And what does Palla do then? She carries on, working to rebuild Macedon.
Archanea: it's a bleak world. But the best of its characters stand up against anyone and anything the later games can offer.