.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1100&h=618&dpr=1.5)
Thanks to the popularity of the most recent installment, Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes looks to give fans even more of Fodlan following Three Houses. It has been confirmed that the game will follow an alternate version of the story from all four potential paths that existed in Three Houses.
One of the most significant changes that have already been noticed is alternate future versions of some characters. The three house Lords, Edelgard, Dimitri & Claude, have all had new looks shown off that seem to be somewhere between their teen & adult selves from Three Houses, which naturally has led fans to wonder what other characters will be getting a new look.
10 Hilda Valentine Goneril
The internet began obsessing over this one as soon as the trailer dropped. In one shot of the trailer, where Claude is on the battlefield, eagle-eyed fans catch a glimpse of a pink-haired axe-wielder in the background, which can be assumed is Hilda in action.
She is facing away from the camera, and the distance means very few details can be made out, but she doesn't appear to be too different from her Three Houses adult look. Her attire is slightly different, but Hilda was someone who saw relatively few changes, even in Three Houses, so perhaps players shouldn't expect much here.
9 Petra Macneary
One of the more popular students from Three Houses, there is a lot of potential behind Petra's lore in Three Hopes. Born as a princess in Brigid, a border-nation to Fodlan, Petra was sent to live in the Adrestian Empire after it became a puppet to the Empire.
With a new story taking shape in Three Hopes, it is possible that other nations could end up getting involved in the war, in which case, Petra could have an important role to play. While Three Houses saw her be a loyal soldier at Byleth's side, here, she may be more of a warlord princess, leading Brigid armies into battle.
8 Shamir Nevrand
While all of the game's students changed over the five years Byleth remained out of the action, the members of the church saw no change whatsoever. This makes sense, as they are already adults, and thus, their bodies won't grow or change like the students, but it doesn't feel like too much to ask for people like Shamir to at least get a change of clothes.
Shamir is unique amongst the church members, as she is one of the few characters that won't leave Byleth if they side with Edelgard, meaning her loyalty isn't absolute like many others. As such, she could fill any number of roles in Three Hopes. Perhaps a rouge for hire or a warrior of Dagda, her birth nation.
7 Dedue Molinaro
With both Hubert and Hilda being shown in the trailer, it's fair to assume that Dimitri's right hand, Dedue, will be by his side in Three Hopes. Dedue has quite a tragic past, but he's channeled it to a fierce loyalty to Dimitri, to the point where it almost entirely defines him in Three Houses' overall story.
Dedue does have a sweet side, though, and it'd be nice to see a bit more of that come out of him in his Three Hopes look. While heavy armor from head to toe is certainly good for protecting others, something a little lighter might give him some more range.
6 Bernadetta Von Varley
Another fan-favorite student, Bernadetta is the reclusive creative that seems to be a standard for modern JRPGs with big casts. Aside from her character, she had the luxury of being one of Three Houses' most powerful units, excelling in Archery, and being able to take out just about any enemy from anywhere on the battlefield.
Her adult attire in Three Houses showed how stylish and graceful she came to be after being a bit of a mess as a student, so an outfit that's somewhere in the middle could work wonders for her. Perhaps an outfit that has a nice look it, but hair that's still rather messy, or something that looks like she attempted to style it but changed her mind in the middle.
5 Catherine Rubens Charon
Another adult member of the Church of Seiros, Catherine remains fiercely loyal to the church and Rhea at all times. She leaves Byleth if they side against the church, so it's fair to assume that her allegiances won't change in Three Hopes.
That said, times still change, and there can be several ways Catherine could drastically change her look and character. Catherine has a very dark and bloodthirsty side to her that doesn't get fully explored in Three Houses, so a slightly edgier style might help to bring that across.
4 Rhea
When all things are said and done, Rhea is a pretty passive character in Three Houses. She sets some things in motion, and almost every major player in the story wants something with her, but she doesn't actually do a whole lot throughout the plot.
Three Hopes is a good opportunity to push her to the forefront a little more. The trailer certainly seemed like the story would be focusing more on the Lords than the church, but putting Rhea in the fray would make for a more interesting character journey than her slow unraveling in Three Houses.
3 Flayn
Another person with endless loyalty to the church, many players grew attached to Flayn, as she would automatically be added to the player's class regardless of what house they were in throughout the story. She leaves if the player sides against the church, but otherwise, players would've been fair to expect a more grown-up look for her after the time skip.
Unfortunately, that doesn't happen, and Flayn stays exactly the same. From a lore perspective, it's understandable that she doesn't grow at all, as she's already lived for centuries. However, the fact that the five years of war didn't change her at all is disappointing. It would be nice to see a new style from Flayn in Three Hopes that reflects how she's adapted to the war.
2 The Ashen Wolves
The four students added in DLC, The Ashen Wolves have a lot to love about them, but they don't have a chance to get involved in the main story. The player can recruit them to their army after playing the DLC story, but outside of support scenes, they don't add to the main story.
With Three Hopes being made after they were already introduced, there is hopefully an opportunity for them to play at least a small role in the plot here, getting themselves new looks in the process. They are all some of the world's more quirky characters, and seeing Yuri lead them into battle would be a joyous sight.
1 Byleth Eisner
Like many JRPGs, Byleth is a fairly static character in Three Houses. They are the conduit for the player, and the world grows around them; they just do protagonist things. With the Three Hopes trailer showing full voice work for the character, it's looking hopeful that Byleth might become a more fully-formed character in this game, which goes along well with their inclusion in Smash Bros and recently announced figure, that will release around the same time as the game.
If that's the case, giving them brand new attire would be a great way to go. They were only shown in their regular professor attire in the trailer, and their green-haired variant was only shown for a second, implying it might be some sort of special move they can turn on and off this time around. The overall direction of the story in Three Hopes is still unclear, but whatever changes the world goes through, Byleth should change with them.
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes releases June 24, 2022 for Nintendo Switch.
