Fire Emblem has brought tons of strongly written and likable characters that still stand the test of time. Characters like Hector, Lucina, Sigurd, and many others have made impacts on the fans for their gameplay and, in some cases, their characteristics.
However, there are some characters who have a reputation that makes them very unlikable. Few of them have redeeming qualities, but they are mostly despised for a variety of reasons. Ranging from playable units to villains, here are the ten most hated characters in the Fire Emblem series.
10 Corrin
Corrin as the main character in Fire Emblem Fates was an opportunity that could have worked, but as the avatar, their choices do not reflect every single player. They have a strange aura that makes them automatically likable (with some exceptions like Takumi at first) and acts as the chosen one to end the war between Nohr and Hoshido.
It also doesn't help that Corrin is naive and make unbelievably dumb choices, which gives them more of a reason why they are one of the worst avatars in Fire Emblem. To their credit, they work well as a supporting character thanks to Fire Emblem Warriors' portrayal of them and they are really strong in their games.
9 Kris
Responsible for bringing the avatar system into future games unless they're remakes, Kris started off on the wrong foot. Despite being customizable and one of the best units in New Mystery of the Emblem, their insertion in an already beloved story written years earlier feels forced and unnecessary. Kris acts more of a blank slate for the players to put themselves in and while they let Marth be known for his contributions to saving the world rather than themselves, they overshadow characters like Jagen and Marth.
8 Izuka
Just the mention of Izuka can make Radiant Dawn players shake in anger. Known for being the mastermind in the blood pact for Pelleas to sign for Lekain, he is also an eyesore for being an annoying bystander that could have gotten taken care of by Sothe.
He also created a potion that turns Laguz into Feral Ones, and they will keep fighting until they are killed. Along with his egocentric and apathetic personality, Izuka is certainly a villain that everyone loves to hate.
7 Kronya
For a villain that seemed to have more in store for her, Kronya was not only a disappointing villain, but makes us despise her for killing off Jeralt. Disguised as Monica, she infiltrates Garreg Mach for Those Who Slither in the Dark.
Not only does she have a shockingly short presence in the game's plot, but she is thrown away easily when her fellow member of TWSITD Solon uses her as a sacrifice for the Forbidden Spell of Zahras to put Byleth into the void. Simply put, she was wasted potential.
6 Desmond
In the Japanese exclusive Binding Blade, players witnessed Zephiel as a cold and ruthless villain, but in the prequel, Blazing Blade, the rest of the world got to see how he came to be thanks to his cruel and despicable father Desmond. Zephiel only wanted to idolize and love his father, but Desmond was incredibly jealous of his son.
Despite being the heir to Bern's throne, Desmond wanted his daughter and Zephiel's half-sister Guinivere to take up a throne with a plan to assassinate Zephiel. This event, which caused the prince of Bern to break, would lead him to believe humans are evil and make it his goal to rid the race in Binding Blade.
5 Meg
As a Radiant Dawn-only character, Meg suffers from a lack of character profile with her only main factors being the daughter of Brom and supposedly being betrothed to Zihark. Her underdeveloped character is not the main reason for being disliked by so many, but rather due to her questionable growth rates. As an armored unit, she has a higher growth rate in speed than strength, defense, and hit points. Her father and other armored units like Gatrie are more worth the effort than her.
4 Hilda (FE4)
Not to be confused with Three Houses' Hilda, this nonplayable character from Genealogy of the Holy War is truly despicable and selfish to the core. As one of the villains in the second generation, Hilda is married to Tailtiu's brother and despite being family by marriage, she despises her husband's sister and her children.
When Tailtiu and her daughter Tinni were found in Silesse and taken back home to Friege, she relishes in mentally and physically torturing them, which ultimately causes Tailtiu to pass away from illness and depression.
3 Eremiya
Appearing in New Mystery of the Emblem, Emeriya has taken upon her time to look after orphaned children, but she is incredibly heartless thanks to Gharnef's spell and treats her orphans as puppets than children needing of parental love. She trained Katarina, Clarisse, and Legion to become assassins, and even was responsible for taking the latter's family's lives. And when the orphans are put under vigorous and cruel training, she just smiles and doesn't give a care in the world.
2 Faye
Sadly, having a cute design does not always guarantee a great character. As an Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, Faye is childhood friends with Alm, Gray, Tobin, and Cliff. What stands out for her, is her obsession and devotion to Alm.
About 90% of Faye talking has to do with Alm, and in her support conversation with Silque, she literally tells her off, preferring to be near Alm than talk to another female in their army. While she does improve slightly and takes Alm's rejection surprisingly well, Faye truly never gets over him despite being married and having children of her own.
1 Makalov
A unit might be able to redeem themselves by having great growth rates or base stats, but sometimes their character is so dislikable that you can't bother deploying them. Tellius Makalov is the older brother of beloved Pegasus Knight Marcia, and we are just sorry that she has to put up with him. He is very careless and only thinks of himself, while also having an addiction to drinking, gambling, and being overall lazy. And when he tries to improve, he backpedals his actions just to disappoint everyone.