It's a common trope in anime and fantasy for characters to have parents who are either dead or straight-up evil, sometimes even being main antagonists. However, throughout Fire Emblem's long history, the games have included numerous excellent parental figures for both primary protagonists and side characters alike, with many of these parents being playable characters. Whether they're excellent role models, supportive nurturers, or just pleasant people, there's something charming about the great parents of Fire Emblem. Today we're going to examine the top ten best parents in the Fire Emblem series!
As many of these characters are directly related to important plot points of various entries in the Fire Emblem series, expect major spoilers ahead!
10 Greil - Path Of Radiance
Though Greil is one of many Fire Emblem fathers whose life is cut short within the game they appear, he is perhaps one of the most memorable.
Despite a past of fame and glory, known far and wide as one of the greatest swordsmen in the land, after a tragedy that results in the death of his wife, Greil changes his name, relocates, and aims to keep as low a profile as possible, so he can safely and discreetly raise his children, Ike and Mist. While many other central Fire Emblem fathers serve as a moral example for their children, Greil is also responsible for teaching his son Ike how to properly wield a sword, even trusting his group of mercenaries to Ike in the wake of his death.
9 Douglas - The Binding Blade
A general appearing in Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade, Douglas is the adoptive father of the dancer, Larum.
While the majority of parental figures in Fire Emblem have their nature conveyed only through the game's story, Douglas relationship with Larum can be seen in the gameplay itself. When Douglass appears as an enemy unit in Chapter Sixteen, while he refuses to join a player's army at that time and will remain hostile, he will under no circumstances attack Larum.
8 Chrom - Three Houses
The father of Lucina and one of the main protagonists of Fire Emblem: Awakening, Chrom is one of the few central Fire Emblem dads that is able to fight side by side with his child. Due to the time travel that takes place in Awakening, he is able to interact with his fully grown daughter despite her only having just been born in his time.
Chrom and Lucina's supports in Awakening put a spin on the classic trope of a parent teaching a child, as Lucina has traveled back in time and is already adept in areas such as swordplay.
7 Alois - Three Houses
Unlike every other entry on this list, Alois' children are never actually seen within the game in which he appears, and are instead only mentioned throughout the game. Despite this, Alois' feelings about his daughter shine through in his supports, especially his support with Manuela.
Furthermore, Alois is the Fire Emblem character who encapsulates the essence of the modern dad to a T, frequently telling horrible dad jokes and spending a great deal of his time fishing.
6 Eliwood - The Binding Blade And The Blazing Blade
One of the main protagonists of Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade, Eliwood is the father of the iconic Roy in Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade.
We first see Eliwood as a father at the end of The Blazing Blade as he encourages and introduces Roy to Hector's daughter Lilina in what is easily one of the most adorable moments in the entire series. While Eliwood is not present for a great deal of The Binding Blade, he gets bonus points for being one of the only main protagonist's father in the Fire Emblem series to make it to the end of a given game's story without getting killed off.
5 Bartre - The Binding Blade
While Bartre's appearance in Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade depicts the characters as an unintelligent brute, his depiction in The Binding Blade is significantly more fatherly. While Bartre can be seen acting in a supportive and fatherly role with characters such as the brigand, Gonzales, his support with his daughter Fir is one of the strongest examples of parenting in the series.
Rather than being a perfect and idealized parental relationship, Bartre acknowledges his shortcomings as a father whilst remaining a supportive figure nonetheless.
4 Seteth - Three Houses
As player's learn upon completing the paralogue, "An Ocean View" in Fire Emblem: Three Houses, players learn that despite what player's are initially told, Seteth is Flayn's father, rather than her brother.
Due to their unique genealogy and backgrounds, Seteth has created fake identities for Flayn and himself in order to keep Flayn safe at all costs. Throughout much of "White Clouds," Seteth is primarily characterized by his desire to keep his daughter as safe as possible.
3 Garcia - Sacred Stones
Numerous entries in the Fire Emblem series feature a duo of axe fighters that join a player's army simultaneously. In The Sacred Stones, these axe fighters came in the form of Garcia and his son Ross.
As Garcia is a retired warrior of great acclaim, much of Ross's character is aimed towards wanting to follow in his father's footsteps. Additionally, as Garcia is a single father, he dedicates the majority of his time trying to do his best for his son, even abandoning his military position to better raise Ross.
2 Brom - Radiant Dawn
While Brom first appeared in Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, his status as an excellent father truly was showcased in the game's sequel, Radiant Dawn.
Radiant Dawn is rather unique among Fire Emblem games, as rather than accruing one large army over the course of the game, the player controls numerous separate armies with differing motivations. This is noteworthy, as Brom and his daughter Meg are found within Ike and Micaiah's forces respectively, forcing them to face each-other in war. Despite swearing allegiance towards differing armies, Brom and Meg can speak to each other on the battlefield, showing support for one and other, and removing a player's ability to let them fight each other.
1 Sigurd And Deirdre - Genealogy Of The Holy War
While Fire Emblem's "perma-death" mechanic holds the series to a standard regarding the finality of death across the franchise, Sigurd and Deirdre's love for their son Seliph leads to one of the only instances of the subversion of death in Fire Emblem history.
While both Sigurd and Deirdre perish at the end of Genealogy of the Holy War's first generation, they still speak to their son in the game's second generation by appearing before him as spirits. Sigurd and Deirdre are parents who momentarily transcend their mortality just to speak to their son. If that doesn't speak volumes of their love for their child, we don't know what does.