Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is less than a month away from release, and fans have finally gotten to see the new designs for all 24 of the main students from the Garreg Mach Officer's Academy. A hack-and-slash spin-off of the 2019 title Three Houses, Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is an alternate telling that's set years after the academy days, so each student character received a new outfit and hairstyle to represent their growth.
With the release of the final trailer showing off members of the Golden Deer house, fans can now appreciate how the different redesigns compare to one another. Some of these new designs stand out from the crowd, but others don't quite manage to improve upon previous looks.
S-Tier
- Petra (Black Eagles) - Petra's new design pays homage to her native country of Brigid, giving her an elegant headdress that really sells a "fierce huntress" aesthetic. Her garb is bright and colorful, and stands out from her fellow students.
- Linhardt (Black Eagles) - One of the designs that truly embodies a "middle evolution," Linhardt has tied up his medium-length hair and donned a flowing robe, emphasizing his lazy aesthetic and lack of interest in his appearance.
- Hubert (Black Eagles) - The hardworking retainer Hubert shows off his overworked nature with shaggy, almost greasy hair that fully covers one eye. Hubert looks like someone who is busy fighting a war and doesn't have time to tend to his appearance.
- Dimitri (Blue Lions) - In contrast to his feral post-time skip design from the original Three Houses, Dimitri in Three Hopes looks elegant and polished, wielding his lance Areadbhar and commanding the Blue Lions with pride.
- Dedue (Blue Lions) - Dimitri's stoic retainer is one character whose appearance has changed the most, gaining facial hair that gives him a world-weary look and, like Hubert, shows off how the war has exhausted him.
- Annette (Blue Lions) - The mage Annette styles her bright orange hair in cute braided loops and adds a kerchief, creating an overall pleasant appearance that adds a ray of sunshine to the Blue Lions house even amid a war.
- Claude (Golden Deer) - Like his fellow house leader Dimitri, Claude looks elegant and polished. His suave, trickster persona shows through, with a short cape and a constant smirk on his face. The black in his outfit highlights the gold of his house colors in an eye-catching way.
- Marianne (Golden Deer) - Marianne has lost the ever-present bags under her eyes that she possesses in her pre-time skip look from Fire Emblem: Three Houses. She combines her newly energized appearance with a long, regal dress in her trademark light blue color.
A-Tier
- Edelgard (Black Eagles) - The Black Eagles' house leader isn't quite as imposing as she was during the post-time skip events in Three Houses, and she lacks the iconic red dress and horned headpiece that have become synonymous with the character. However, her silver armor is still eye-catching, and her new axe Labraunda suits her "knight princess" aesthetic.
- Ashe (Blue Lions) - Ashe was one of the younger-looking students with a fresh, round face and wide eyes. The Three Hopes version of Ashe looks more mature, with a proper knight's cape replacing his former hoodie. However, he's still just as bright-eyed and endearing as always.
- Felix (Blue Lions) - Felix wears an outfit inspired by his father Rodrigue, possibly indicating that Felix's relationship with his father will take a different path in Three Hopes. He also sports an elegant, princely ponytail that pays tribute to many previous swordmaster characters across Fire Emblem.
- Hilda (Golden Deer) - Claude's retainer has tied up her long pink hair into a messy bun that makes a striking sight as she charges into battle wielding her axe Freikugel. However, Hilda's low-cut top is not the most practical outfit to wear in combat.
- Ignatz (Golden Deer) - This shy artist is given a full set of armor in Three Hopes as he comes into his role as a knight of the Leicester Alliance. Ignatz looks great, with flowing sleeves and baggy pants that compliment his archery. However, the armor does look a little too big for him, as if he's being "swallowed up" by the new gear.
B-Tier
- Dorothea (Black Eagles) - Dorothea looks great as ever, but she is one of the most unchanged from her original appearance. It feels like the designers didn't want to redo Dorothea's look, which is disappointing as she could have drawn more inspiration from the Dancer class or her performer background.
- Ferdinand (Black Eagles) - The noble Ferdinand sports long, wavy locks after the five-year time skip in the original Three Houses. His Three Hopes incarnation sports a somewhat ragged, mullet-like style, but it does look like his hair is dynamically in the process of growing out, which is a nice touch.
- Mercedes (Blue Lions) - Another mostly unchanged character, Mercedes has not yet donned the post-time skip hat that left fans conflicted about her older appearance in the original game. Her outfit is elegant and fitting for her role as the Blue Lions' primary staff-wielding healer.
- Leonie (Golden Deer) - Leonie looks rough and battle-ready, but she is yet another character whose design did not change much from Three Houses. Her bright orange outfit does offer a fun splash of color among her more subtly dressed comrades.
- Lysithea (Golden Deer) - The last of the mostly unchanged designs, Lysithea wears a white-and-purple dress that is well-suited to her role as a combat mage. However, her stagnant hairstyle detracts from the overall pleasant design.
- Lorenz (Golden Deer) - While this is definitely the best of the three versions of Lorenz, he's still plagued by his odd facial shape and sharp, pointed hairstyle. The fact that he apparently carries a rose between his teeth while attacking on the battlefield doesn't help.
C-Tier
- Bernadetta (Black Eagles) - The shy archer Bernadetta has a nice outfit, but boasts a rather unfortunate hairstyle in Three Hopes, pulling her purple locks into a single ponytail on top of her head. While the goal is probably to keep hair out of her eyes, it's not the best look for Bernadetta. Wielding a generic bow instead of her Sacred Weapon doesn't help either.
- Ingrid (Blue Lions) - Ingrid's hair is at an awkward length, as she has apparently trimmed it but not yet cut it as short as during the five-year time skip in Three Houses. This makes it look like she has a bowl cut, which contrasts greatly with her otherwise stylish Pegasus Knight outfit.
- Raphael (Golden Deer) - Raphael's new outfit is a fairly monotone yellow, causing him to blend into the background compared to his more colorful Golden Deer classmates. Plus, his new bandana is an awkward look, not quite suiting his brash, muscular fighter persona.
D-Tier
- Caspar (Black Eagles) - This fighter sports a short, spiky hairstyle that has led him to be compared to an anime protagonist - or even Sonic the Hedgehog. It's an unfortunate look for Caspar, as it makes him look goofy rather than like the competent axe-wielder he is.
- Sylvain (Blue Lions) - Like Caspar and new character Holst Goneril, Sylvain has gone the spiky route when choosing a new hairstyle. It's an odd fit for the character, who likes to be seen as a smooth playboy capable of attracting many women. He arguably looks even younger than he did during his days as an Officer's Academy student.
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes will release on June 24, 2022 for Nintendo Switch.