What an amazing and well informed video! But really, thanks so much for having me on!

I for one adore Byleth, that is in Three Hopes. Three Hopes turned this man from some dude who nods and shakes his head to a literal menace. The first time I played Hopes, I was afraid for Shez's life with how terrifying this man was. That game clarified something about Byleth: he's a mercenary. His job is to kill people and he isn't fazed at all at the idea of taking someone's life. Also the fact that I absolutely hated Corrin's "nOoOo wE cAnT KiLL pEoPLe" trope makes me appreciate Byleth not being phased about killing that much more. It is a breath of the freshest air. I understand why he's placed so low as Three Houses definitely doesn't do him justice. Still, I've always preferred Byleth over Corrin and Robin (I just really don't like those two), Alear is very meh to me and I agree that Shez is the overall best avatar.

For me, Byleth’s place in the narrative and his storyline elevates him much higher than characters who speak but don’t say anything with any real meaning/impact. Or who can downright ruin scenes with poor voice acting and unnatural, boring dialogue cough cough pepsi man. Wish he was voiced though, could do so much more for him

Yay! You put my two favorites at the top!

I respect the acknowledgement to shez, awesome character and good voice actor especially from the male being voiced by Damien Haas

Shez was a bit of a surprise for top, as was Kris being so high, both (both) were good surprises. When three hopes got announced, I was dodgey about it because it wasn't a TRPG. This unease grew when it came out we'd be fighting Byleth and would be playing as this random Shez guy. I was dubious about it when I first started playing the demo, but I fell in love the game by the time I started chapter, to the point where when the actual game came out I binge played it until I had all six endings. Shez had grown on me quite a lot by that point due to their story portrayal and the fun way in which they played in the game. I was super excited seeing them take first place.

An amnesiac character, worshipped as a literal deity, with Colgate / Pepsi branded hair, somehow ended up becoming one of the most relatable and interesting characters in Engage's otherwise bland and mediocre cast. They've got nothing on Shez, and Robin is solid competition, but next to other avatars and most of Engage's characters, Alear stands out really well!

Here's my opinion on your picks. 8. Kiran - Makes a lotta sense. Kiran is really just there to sell a harem simulator (don't believe me, go check out the book 6 and book 7 trailers). Plus he has no combat outside of Mjolnir's Strike, which still makes no sense. 7. Corrin - I think Mark should go below Corrin since Mark isn't a combatant and Corrin's combat is essentially the best out of your units not called Ryoma or Xander. Their character isn't exactly as worship heavy since they do really have to work at convincing others to join their cause (and for the most part, the only reason why they join is because they lost and therefore are at their mercy, or they're from Nohr and returning empty handed means slow death). 6. Mark - Meh. Better than Kiran at least, but that's not a high bar to clear. 5. Byleth - Scratch what I said earlier, Corrin should go above Byleth too. Can't get any enjoyment out of Byleth's character unless I'm romancing Dimitri. And no, I don't count their position in Three Hopes. They're a recruitable side antagonist. 4. Kris - Kris is probably number two on my list below Shez. Has amazing combat, a personality that's chill and he genuinely feels like a royal soldier that doesn't need to be extra in order to be compelling. Also his relationship with Katarina is my favorite shipping in the series. 3. Alear - Pretty much agree on everything you've said. My only complaint with Alear is that their combat is only slightly above par. Most of my units actually outshine my Alear in everything. Also I really don't like their promoted class. 2. Robin 1. Shez - Agree with both of these placements. Nothing else needs to be said really. Here's my placements. 8. Kiran 7. Mark 6. Byleth 5. Corrin 4. Alear 3. Robin 2. Kris 1. Shez

I want to know when the last time you actually looked at and played through the story of Fates was. Corrin is the MAIN character, it’s not out of place that the story revolve around Corrin, of course it does. Please remember that Corrin was: -Separated shortly after birth from his homeland Valla and Father Anankos(human) to hide him from Anankos(dragon) -Kidnapped from his new home in Hoshido at around the age of ~4 -Raised in complete isolation from everyone but his retainers in a fortress until the age of ~18 -Forced to execute hostages until Leo bailed him out -Forced into war -Kidnapped again back into Hoshido -Indirectly the result of the death of their own mother, found out they were a dragon, and that they were apparently a hero chosen by destiny all in an afternoon -Forced to choose between the Hoshidans or Nohrians to side with in a full-blown continental war. Corrin has a lot of tragic circumstances in their life and that’s just before routesplit. I’ll agree all three stories have some rough beats (looking at you, Anthony Revelation) but overall the stories are good.

But what if it was purple Yeaaaaaaahhhh!

watching this just reminds me of how much I wish Alear wasn't in Engage.

Great video! I dont agree that Shez is the best, I would say Mark is. He's not annoying as in he's not a burden but he does help a ton. Also, the fact that the Blazing Blade was my first FE game may have some bias but I don't care. He is supposed to represent you, with all the characters facing the camera to talk to him, him not having an avatar, and him not being a unit. But that's my opinion

A few things, Byleth actually doesn't smile at the end of Crimson Flower in fact we don't see their face at all. And the first time that them smile is when they win the mock battle. Another thing, female Byleth actually smiles more than Male Byleth and in particular is shown smiling in her many of her endings in VW, SS and AM. Also very sad to say but Byleth's lack of personality was mostly a localization thing as like with Link in JP BoTW, they scrubbed it clean to make Byleth a blank slate.

Personally I don’t have an opinion on Mark or Chris. Alear is okay, Corrin starts strong but gets messy because fates writing I feel like post fates stuff like Warriors gives them more consistency, Byleth I found interesting and I like what they’ve done with them since then, Robin I am fond of, and Shez is very clear on what they are and they own it. Kieran is just there.

I feel like both Robin, Shez and Byleth are the better avatar characters of the Fire Emblem series. Mainly because they’re more like side characters while the story focuses on its lord (Chrom, Edelgard, Dimitri and Claude). Plus both Byleth and Robin have better supports with certain characters, Marianne, Sumia, Cordelia, Dorothea, Sylvain, Lon’qu, Felix, Jeritza, Gaius and Stahl for example. Plus they aren’t stupid and badly written like Corrin or surrounded by one note cookie cutter anime characters while being a bit bland like Alear.

You can use "they/them" to refer to both the female and male character at the same time.

Crimson flower is the goat route. First one I played.

My favorite avatar is your least favorite avatar... neat..

Rip Rowen and Lianna

I hope next fire emblem would get rid of avatars bc they do away and stick to a single protagonist bc I was thinking the next game would only have a male protagonist who is an independent mercenary smuggled onto the planet to do jobs with rival corporations

Disappointing. Yet another person who doesn’t understand the importance of Corrin’s personal journey and the fact that they did what no one else was willing to do, and how they bring out the good in others. Just focusing on the tired surface level complaints that blind people to the hood underneath. And of course putting the REAL Mr.Perfect, scene-stealing, most-important-person, Chrom-is-literally-helpless/without-for-no-good-reason, bland as bread, can-bang-your-best-friend’s-daughter avatar in freaking #2 spot. Robin actively brings down awakening’s plot. At least Fates’s plot literally can’t exist without Corrin.