Alear is the main character of the new mainline Fire Emblem game, Fire Emblem Engage, released on January 20, 2023. The Fire Emblem franchise has had many protagonists just like Alear to submerge the player into the game. Another recent main character that fans are very well aware of is Byleth, from the previous mainline title, Fire Emblem: Three Houses.
While these two characters, Alear and Byleth, have some striking differences such as design or their way of thinking, they also have similar characteristics that make them far more similar than any other main characters throughout the series.
6 Able To Romance Same Sex
The ability to romance with your units is a selling point to a lot of fans of the Fire Emblem franchise. The mechanic was introduced internationally in Fire Emblem Awakening back in 2013, where the main character, Robin, could romance any opposite-sex unit and get married to them - even have a child. This has been continued through all the games that followed and has now made it to Engage as well.
However, being able to romance the same sex hasn’t always been a possibility and was limited. Fire Emblem Fates was the first to introduce it with Corrin, but only with 2 options. Byleth, on the other hand, received more options – female Byleth having 5, and male Byleth 3. Alear, on the other hand, definitely beats the rest, being allowed to romance any available character, regardless of their gender. This makes both Alear and Byleth able to romance the same sex.
5 A Sword User
Using swords is, more often than not, the rule for all Fire Emblem lords. Many main characters in these games wield this weapon and from that have come many iconic swords, such as Marth’s Flanchion which was handed down to Chrom before being given to Lucina.
Alear and Byleth do not lack in this regard either. Byleth wields the Sword of the Creator, one of the hero’s relics that was forged out of the Goddess’s bones after Nemesis killed her. Its ability to be used over long distances makes it a fearsome weapon. Meanwhile, Alear’s sword of choice is Liberation, an ancient sword that can be used by a Divine Dragon. Alear received this sword after the training battle against their mother.
4 Able To Turn Back Time
The ability to rewind time and fix your mistakes was not a staple in Fire Emblem games. Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia is what introduced it with Mila’s Turnwheel and is so far only available in that game, Three Houses, the localization of Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, and now, finally, in Engage.
In Three Houses, being able to turn back time is not only a game feature but also an essential part of the story, as the Divine Pulse is what saves Byleth’s life at the start of the game. In Engage, time rewinding works through the use of the Draconic Time Crystal, but is essentially the same as Byleth’s Divine Pulse.
3 Good at brawling
Good sword handling isn’t the only similarity between Alear and Byleth when it comes to fighting. They also share a strength in Brawling, or as called in Engage, Arts. Three Houses showcases what each unit’s strengths, weaknesses, and hidden talents are. While Engage doesn’t do that, some characters have unique classes and they, thus, are allowed to make use of specific weapons.
For Byleth, these strengths lie in Sword, Authority, as well as Brawling, while lacking any real weakness. Alear, on the other hand, has their special class called Divine Dragon that only they can access. This class allows Alear to use 2 types of weapons: Swords and Arts.
2 Minimally Customizable
Fire Emblem has had customizable main characters since the release of Fire Emblem Awakening, with Robin as the focus of that. This has since been a staple in Fire Emblem games, except in Echoes. However, exactly how much a player can customize a character has certainly changed since.
In Awakening and Fates, the player had a lot of power over how their character presented themselves, being able to choose not only the sex and name, but also the hair, the size, the voice, and even the strength and weakness. For Byleth and Alear, customization beyond the most basic things, such as name, sex, and birthday, is practically impossible. While this is certainly a downside, it is something the two share.
1 Relation To Dragons
Dragons have been an important part of most Fire Emblem games since the very first game, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light. Throughout the games, a lot of characters are descendants of or are related in some ways to dragons, granting them a lot of powers.
Alear has an obvious connection with dragons as they are a Divine Dragon and their unique classes are Dragon Child and Divine Dragon. In Three Houses, the dragons are known under the name of Nabateans. Byleth is the child of one of Rhea’s clones that she did in her own image. Rhea being a Nabatean means Byleth has dragon blood in them. Byleth also became the Goddess reincarnated – the goddess having had. been a Divine Dragon.