Character relationships and support mechanics have been an integral feature of the Fire Emblem series since its third installment back in 1994. Though turned-based strategy is still at the series' core, there's no doubt the diverse casts of characters and their connections with each other help make the games so appealing.
Following in the footsteps of Awakening and Fates, Three Houses presents the player with a lovable bunch of misfits, and gives them the option to marry just one. There are 22 romance options for male Byleth, and while who players choose primarily depends on their own taste, some support choices are simply better than others. Plot and support conversation spoilers lie ahead.
Updated August 31, 2021 by Adriano Valente: Supports are a great way of getting to know certain characters beyond what’s touched upon in the main narrative. Players can pair various characters together, resulting in some interesting combinations across the board. Not all characters are compatible, however, and there is a predetermined set of S Supports for each character in the game. Byleth maintains a large pool of characters to max their rank with, and while some are platonic, the majority of these S Supports are romantic. Both male and female Byleth can discover some interesting things about the inhabitants of Garreg Mach. This is everything you’ll need to know about male Byleth’s romances, as well as how those romances compare to one another.
24 Alois
- Affiliation: Knights of Seiros
- Best Gifts: Floral Adornment (100 G), Fishing Float (100 G), Ancient Coin (500 G), Sunflower (Gardening),
- Lost Items: Introduction to Magic, Foreign Gold Coin, Mysterious Notebook
Alois takes on a caring, sibling-like role for both male and female Byleth, and is one of the few male S Supports for the former. Despite getting an S-rank Support, Alois isn’t a romance option. However, reaching his S Support will sprout romance for male Byleth in a different way.
Getting Alois’ S-rank Support will lead to him and Byleth taking on a kind of sibling relationship. After Byleth returns to Rimire Village after some years away doing mercenary work, Alois convinces him to settle down in the village where he later finds an unnamed partner to marry.
23 Gilbert
- Affiliation: Knights of Seiros
- Best Gifts: Fishing Float (100 G), Goddess Statuette (500 G), Ceremonial Sword (1,000 G)
- Lost Items: Noseless Puppet, Carving Hammer, Silver Necklace
Gilbert is another S-rank Support who doesn’t count as a romantic option but develops a close relationship with Byleth regardless. In Gilbert’s S Support, Byleth takes over the role of archbishop within the church.
Gilbert is there to support Byleth every step of the way, becoming his greatest confidant in the process. The two develop a deep trust and Gilbert ends up playing a huge role in the way the church is run moving forward.
22 Catherine
- Affiliation: Knights of Seiros
- Best Gifts: Whetstone (300 G), Training Weight (500 G), Legends of Chivalry (500 G), Blue Cheese (1,000 G)
- Lost Items: Weathered Cloak, Letter to Rhea, Badge of Graduation
Catherine is an incredibly useful unit thanks to her personal Heroes' Relic, Thunderbrand.
As Fire Emblem: Three Houses romances go, she comes across quite bland given her unwavering devotion to Lady Rhea.
21 Flayn
- Affiliation: Church of Seiros
- Best Gifts: Tasty Baked Treat (100 G), Stylish Hair Clip (300 G), Dapper Handkerchief (300 G), Armored Bear Stuffy (500 G), Forget-me-nots (Gardening)
- Lost Items: Antique Clasp, Old Map of Enbarr, Dusty Book of Fables
Flayn is a sweet girl, and curious to a fault given the way Seteth coddles her. This Fire Emblem: Three Houses romance lets players discover a lot about this storied character.
Her naivety is charming to a point, but when Byleth proposes she assumes the feminine ring is Byleth's way of expressing the female goddess within him.
20 Jeritza
- Affiliation: Black Eagle Strike Force
- Best Gifts: Tasty Baked Treat (100 G), Hunting Dagger (200 G)
- Lost Items: Jar of Sweets, Black Hair Tie, Armor Clasp
A free update added Jeritza as a recruitable unit, and his ability to S-Support regardless of gender made him one of only two male same-sex options at the time.
While this was exciting for many players, they may have been disappointed by Jeritza's strange obsession with violence.
19 Constance
- Affiliation: Ashen Wolves
- Best Gifts: Tea Leaves (500 G), Arithmetic Textbook (500 G), Book of Crest Designs (1,000 G)
- Lost Items: Nimbus Charm, Repellent Powder
While certainly having an appealing character design, Constance of the Ashen Wolves seems obsessed with using Byleth to restore glory to House Nuvelle.
It's worth mentioning, though, that her Crest of Noa's power to make a wave of flowers bloom makes for one of the most visually stunning S-Support portraits.
18 Sothis
- Affiliation: Garreg Mach Monastery
- Best Gifts: N/A
- Lost Items: N/A
Reaching S-Support with Sothis gives players the opportunity to see her again after her soul merges with Byleth's.
While this may compel some to romance her, she and Byleth are already closely bonded and share so many cutscenes.
17 Lady Rhea
- Affiliation: Garreg Mach Monastery
- Best Gifts: Goddess Statuette (500 G), Ancient Coin (500 G)
- Lost Items: Elegant Hair Clip, Seiros Scriptures, Faded Star Chart
Rhea is no doubt a complex character, and which route players choose will play a huge part in whether they end up loving or hating her.
While she can be incredibly selfless and caring, any player who learns about how she has used and manipulated Byleth will find this hard to look past during support conversations.
16 Manuela
- Affiliation: Garreg Mach Monastery
- Best Gifts: Gemstone Beads (100 G), Goddess Statuette (500 G), Book of Sheet Music (500 G), Blue Cheese (1,000 G)
- Lost Items: Wellness Herbs, Clean Dusting Cloth, Light Purple Veil
As a glamourous ex-opera star that oozes charisma, it's unfortunate that Manuela suffers from an extreme case of melodrama. In her A-Support, she laments that she doesn't get enough attention from men, especially given what a catch she is.
Yet in her S-Support, she cannot believe that Byleth is proposing and her self-esteem seems to plummet.
15 Annette
- Affiliation: Blue Lions
- Best Gifts: Stylish Hair Clip (300 G), Book of Sheet Music (500 G), Arithmetic Textbook (500 G)
- Lost Items: Unfinished Score, School of Sorcery Book, Wax Diptych
Both before and after the timeskip, Annette is simply adorable. She's clumsy yet hardworking, and her lifelong friendship with Mercedes makes for such a sweet dynamic.
Her support conversations with Byleth are equally wholesome, as he helps Annette learn to not put so much pressure on herself.
14 Hilda
- Affiliation: Golden Deer
- Best Gifts: Gemstone Beads (100 G), Stylish Hair Clip (300 G), Dapper Handkerchief (300 G), Armored Bear Stuffy (500 G), Anemone (Gardening)
- Lost Items: Handmade Hair Clip, Spotless Bandage, Used Bottle of Perfume
Despite her facade of laziness, Hilda has the potential to be one of your most powerful units in Three Houses.
Her support conversations can be quite entertaining, as her diva attitude shines through even as she reveals some of the struggles of her past.
13 Leonie
- Affiliation: Golden Deer
- Best Gifts: Fishing Float (100 G), Hunting Dagger (300 G), Training Weight (500 G),
- Lost Items: Hand Drawn Map, Crude Arrowheads, Fur Scarf
Leonie is an interesting character, sharing a connection with Byleth unrelated to Sothis and the Saints. Leonie was trained by Byleth's father, Jeralt, and if players ever speak to her they'll be sure to hear about it.
The rivalry she forms with Byleth throughout their supports is perhaps her most appealing quality.
12 Mercedes
- Affiliation: Blue Lions
- Best Gifts: Tasty Baked Treat (100 G), Gemstone Beads (100 G), Armored Bear Stuffy (500 G), Goddess Statuette (500 G), Lavender (Gardening)
- Lost Items: Book of Ghost Stories, Fruit Preserves, How to Bake Sweets
Mercedes is perhaps the most caring - even motherly - unit you can find, and it shows in her support conversations.
Even from her C-Support with Byleth she shows concern for his health, so it's easy to see how a close bond can naturally form between the pair.
11 Ingrid
- Affiliation: Blue Lions
- Best Gifts: Smoked Meat (100 G), Riding Boots (300 G), Legends of Chivalry (500 G)
- Lost Items: Pegasus Horseshoes, Jousting Almanac, Curry Comb
Ingrid is constantly training to become the ideal, honorable knight, and her industriousness can make her come across a tad cold in her early support conversations.
Things pick up speed when her father pressures her into an arranged marriage. Byleth's romance with Ingrid gives her a chance to open up about her inner turmoil.
10 Hapi
- Affiliation: Ashen Wolves
- Best Gifts: Tasty Baked Treat (100 G), Smoked Meat (100 G), Hunting Dagger (300 G), Exotic Spices (1,000 G), Coffee Beans (1,000 G)
- Lost Items: Shiny Striated Pebble, Basket of Berries
Hapi, like many Fire Emblem characters, suffered a traumatic past. Subjected to magical experiments, she's now cursed to attract monsters whenever she sighs, forcing her to constantly keep her emotions in check.
Despite all this, she maintains a sense of humor in her support conversations. This is definitely one of the more enjoyable Fire Emblem: Three Houses romances.
9 Yuri
- Affiliation: Ashen Wolves
- Best Gifts: Tasty Baked Treat (100 G), Goddess Statuette (500 G), Arithmetic Textbook (500 G), Board Game (1,000 G)
- Lost Items: Makeup Brush, Suspicious Dice
Without romancing Yuri, many players may view him as simply a morally gray leader with a sharp tongue and penchant for sarcasm.
As Byleth gets to know him, however, he opens up about his past before being sent to the Abyss.
8 Bernadetta
- Affiliation: Black Eagles
- Best Gifts: Watering Can (300 G), Dapper Handkerchief (300 G), Armored Bear Stuffy (300 G), Pitcher Plant (Gardening)
- Lost Items: Needle and Thread, Still-Life Picture, Hedgehog Case
There's no doubt Bernadetta's nervousness can get a bit annoying at times, but without her support conversations, players would never find out why.
She suffered horrible abuse at the hands of her father, and Byleth is one of the first people she opens up to about this.
7 Shamir
- Affiliation: Knights of Seiros
- Best Gifts: Hunting Dagger (300 G), Exotic Spices(1,000 G), Coffee Beans (1,000 G), Sunflower (Gardening)
- Lost Items: Bundle of Dry Hemp, Centipede Picture, Animal Bone Dice
Shamir is a mercenary who knows emotions can get in the way of survival, and her bluntness certainly comes across in early support conversations.
As two mercenaries who've led a difficult life, the moment they promise to be together feels like one of the most genuine proposals in the game.
6 Petra
- Affiliation: Black Eagles
- Best Gifts: Smoked Meat (100 G), Hunting Dagger (300 G), Exotic Spices (1,000 G), Sunflower (Gardening)
- Lost Items: Exotic Feather, Small Tanned Hide, Annotated Dictionary
With her clumsy way with words and lack of pretense makes it hard to not find Petra charming. Her accent isn't just a gimmick, though.
Throughout her supports with Byleth we learn that she is effectively a political prisoner, constantly training and striving to have her homeland viewed as equal to the Empire.
5 Dorothea
- Affiliation: Black Eagles
- Best Gifts: Gemstone Beads (100 G), Stylish Hair Clip (300 G), Book of Sheet Music (500 G)
- Lost Items: Silver Brooch, Songstress Poster, Lovely Comb
Whether you're playing as male or female Byleth, Dorothea is quick to start flirting.
Perhaps because of this romantic foundation, support conversations with her feel more natural.