Axes are one of the most iconic weapon types in the Fire Emblem series and are often characterized by their raw strength. One of the three weapons that make up the weapon triangle, weak against swords and advantageous against lances, what axes lose through their encumbering weight, they make up for in power.
Many players will often opt to utilize sword or lance wielders over their axe wielding counterparts. However, through their access to hand axes and other high-powered equipment, axe-users should not be slept on.
10 Gonzales - The Binding Blade
One of the few playable Brigands in the Fire Emblem series, Gonzales is one of the strongest and most useful axe wielders in Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade. Joining a player's army at either level 5 or level 11 depending on which route was selected by a player, Gonzales can be utilized by players who prefer to promote their units early, or can be trained up by players who seek to build up their units as much as possible.
Possessing notably high speed and strength growth rates, Gonzales can grow into one of the most offensively oriented units in a player's army. This is even further accentuated by his promotion into a Berserker which grants him a constant +30% critical rate.
9 Hector - The Blazing Blade
Throughout the Fire Emblem series, lords tend to get a bad rap. Often frail and only capable of swords, many protagonists often feel more like a King in chess, and are a unit that should be protected rather than used in combat. Hector from Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade is an excellent and sturdy unit with solid strength that has excellent accessibility, available in nearly every chapter of Eliwood's story, and every chapter of his own.
His combination of resiliency, strength, and access to hand axes make him an excellent unit to keep in the front lines, absorbing numerous hits while counter-attacking any and all foes.
8 Hawkeye - The Blazing Blade
Another character from The Blazing Blade, Hawkeye is an excellent pre-promoted Berserker who is easily the strongest axe-wielder in his respective game. Joining a player's army with excellent base stats and an A rank in axes, Hawkeye immediately becomes one of a player's most reliable sources of physical offense with virtually no experience investment required!
While his class critical rate has been halved to 15% from the 30% Gonzales gains in The Binding Blade, Hawkeye's noteworthy base stats make him a reliably useful unit in any playthrough of the game.
7 Dagdar - Thracia 776
While early pre-promoted units or "Jagen" characters are typically found within the Paladin and Great Knight classes, Dagdar from Fire Emblem: Thracia 776 is an early pre-promoted Warrior. Possessing a massive HP pool and the Accost skill that can grant him extra attacks, Dagdar is immediately an excellent source of damage that can take numerous hits.
Unlike many other "Jagen" characters with solid stats that become less useful as a game progresses, Dagdar's starting base stats are comparable to characters utilized in the later chapters of the game as soon as he joins the player!
6 Jill - Radiant Dawn
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn is often noted for its difficulty, especially in the game's first arc. A great deal of this difficulty tends to stem from the limited units at a player's disposal, as the majority of these units range from underwhelming to abysmal. Luckily, of these units in part one, there are some diamonds in the rough, such as Jill who is recruited in Chapter Six.
A Wyvern rider with solid base stats, solid growth rates, and a B rank in axes, Jill's combination of offense and mobility allow her to easily traverse terrain, cut down troublesome enemies, and rescue a player's frailer units.
5 Kieran - Path of Radiance
While cavaliers across the Fire Emblem series are often capable of wielding numerous types of weapons, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance limited each fighter on horseback to the use of one weapon type. Kieran, the game's axe wielding cavalier, is both an excellent mounted unit, but a noteworthy damage dealer as well.
Joining a player's army at a respectable level 12, he will have no problem making contributions to one's forces to his solid growth rates.
4 Titania - Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn
Appearing as a pre-promoted axe wielding Paladin in both Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance and its sequel, Radiant Dawn, Titania is one of the strongest and most noteworthy archetypical "Jagen" units in the series. Sharing a great deal of similarities to Dagdar, possessing phenomenal stats from the word go. Unlike Dagdar however, Titania has two additional benefits.
Firstly, while Dagdar's excellent base stats are offset by horrendous growth rates, Titania's growth rates are more than serviceable. Additionally, Titania's access to a mount allows her to more easily navigate around a battlefield and take care of problematic enemies.
3 Camilla - Fates
A member of the royal family of Nohr, Camilla is one of the most outstanding units in both Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest and Revelations. A Malig Knight, Camilla's blend of impressive mobility and power makes her a terrifying force on the battlefield.
While her weakness to bows forces players to think carefully when positioning her, her access to magic makes her much more flexible than other axe wielders. When it comes to offense and utility, few axe-wielders can match Camilla.
2 Edelgard - Three Houses
One of the three lords of Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Elelgard is easily one of the most powerful units Three Houses has to offer. While all Three Houses characters have much more flexibility than characters from other entries in the series due to the game's structure, Edelgard's personal weapon, Aymr is one of the most useful pieces equipment in the game.
Providing Edelgard with the Raging Storm combat art, Edelgard is capable of bestowing herself with additional actions, allowing her to rampage across a map.
1 Haar - Radiant Dawn
When it comes to conversations regarding the best units in Fire Emblem history, one can't help but bring up Haar from Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn. While Radiant Dawn's unique structure forces players to repeatedly switch perspectives, heavily limiting the use of numerous characters, Haar is one of the most widely available characters in the game, appearing in every part of the game, save for part one.
This is paramount, as Haar possesses the perfect cocktail of excellent growth rates, base stats, and the Wyvern Lord class that allows him to easily deal with most foes in the game. Haar is so multifarious and potent that he's capable of taking care of numerous side objectives and sometimes even entire chapters completely by himself.