Fire Emblem Fates has been met with polarizing reviews since its release. The gameplay is excellent and the difficulty, especially for Conquest, offers veterans a great challenge, but there are so many drawbacks that prevent the 14th installment from being the best. The story has been criticized by many, for one, and there are some characters who were written decently at best, or poorly at worst.
When it comes to Fates' cast, there are some that stand out for good and bad reasons. This list will highlight over their character/role in the overall story instead of how they perform in gameplay. Here are 5 best and 5 worst characters from Fire Emblem Fates.
10 Best: Takumi
Takumi might not be the best-written character in all of Fire Emblem, but he has logic behind him to not immediately trust Corrin at first when they arrive in Hoshido. Even with Conquest's terrible writing, you can't help but feel sorry for him due to the events that occur. He is very complex and has shown many sides to him that makes him incredibly three-dimensional, and that's saying a lot for the many characters Fates has.
9 Worst: Hisame
If a child unit is known for their obsession with pickles and talking about nothing but pickles, it shows that the writers for Fates had no idea what to do with Hinata's son, Hisame. Along with being another sword unit who will never be used because of the godly Lobster Lord Ryoma, Hisame is about as bland as an unbrined cucumber.
He is seen as stubborn and takes everything way too seriously. What's strangely worse is that if anyone disagrees with him, regarding pickles that is, he will get very defensive and toxically persuade the person in the conversation to like them. And the reason why he likes pickles? It's because his father hates them.
8 Best: Felicia
Being clumsy and ditzy may not be the best character traits for anyone, but Felicia is a sweetheart who always does her best even if she is not the best maid. Being loyal to Corrin and even going against her Ice Tribe in Birthright ironically emphasizes her loyalty. She might not be the best compared to her older twin sister Flora, her dedication and sweet nature know no bounds. What she does have going for her is her incredible fighting ability, and that's an honorable trait of hers.
7 Worst: Azama
To summarize one of Hinoka's retainers, Azama is an apathetic jerk who is incredibly cynical, which makes you even question why she chose him to be his retainer. While in their past, Azama did treat Hinoka's wounds, she sees him as an intriguing and wonderful priest but would regret that as he still acts very rudely with a smug smile on his face.
In some instances, he can be viewed as a comedic character, but sometimes he is so meanspirited that it is hard to see him as a likable character.
6 Best: Midori
The child units in Fates might not have a big impact compared to the Awakening children, but there are some who managed to stand out despite their little-to-no presence in the main story. As Kaze's daughter, Midori is a very kind girl who works very hard to make sure that those she takes care of feels better. Her relationship with her parents is also refreshing, as some of them tend to show disdain for leaving them behind while residing at the Deeprealms. Midori's willingness to help others and curious spirit make her very endearing and one of the best-written characters in Fates.
5 Worst: Xander (Birthright)
Xander as a character is a mixed bag. There are support conversations where he shines brilliantly, and originally had nothing that defined him despite being the heir to Nohr's throne. As an enemy in Birthright, you can't help but question his logical way of thinking.
He represents the Camus archetype and his loyalty to his father shows. But when he accidentally kills his sister Elise when she tries to break up the fight between him and Corrin, he still refuses to listen and has to be slain in order to understand that his father Garon is not the same as he once was.
4 Best: Laslow
Compared to the three Awakening children that returned in Fates, Laslow has developed the most. He still retains his flirty nature, but has matured gracefully and is in a lot of great support conversations. In his supports with Felicia and Mozu, he gives helpful advice, while in his support with Soleil, understands what it's like to protect those he loves.
His loyalty to Xander is highly respectable due to their meeting from a sparring session commanded by Garon, eventually leading the eldest prince to hire him as his retainer.
3 Worst: Peri
Along with another character who has yet to be talked about, Peri has a reputation for being an awfully written character. Her backstory is indeed tragic as her mother was killed by an obsessive servant, but then she became obsessed with wanting to kill due to thinking that every servant she had was her mother's murderer.
One of the worst supports ever is her with Xander. The idea of the crown prince of Nohr even wanting to make her his retainer was questionable, but if they managed to get an S-rank, Xander reveals he picked her because he had hopes of marrying her. Honestly, Peri paired with any man is downright disastrous.
2 Best: Shigure
If it were not for the amazing DLC Heirs of Fate, Shigure would not have been able to be on this list. His role helps flesh him out as a burdened man who not only lost his parents but holds great power from the pendant he inherited from his mother. As Azura's son and an optional recruitable character in all routes, Shigure inherits his singing from her and can be moody, but calm and caring. He shows respect to those he cares about, especially for the caretakers provided to him as he grew up in the Deeprealms. The hairstyle he has was originally worn by one of them and kept the hairstyle in their honor, as mentioned in his support with Sophie.
1 Worst: Corrin
Corrin has gotten a lot of hate for their role as the main lord. Despite having some decent character traits and amazing character designs, their impact on the story and how they behave in certain situations ends on a painful whimper.
Despite being not allowed to leave Northern Fortress unless Garon says otherwise, Corrin is incredibly naive and too trusting. Yet somehow, when they make allies, they are able to win the hearts of almost everyone. As a supporting character, they work fine, as shown in Fire Emblem Warriors, but as the main character, they suffer greatly.