Siblings, Nohr vs Hoshido

[Hiro08]

The siblings who raised you in Nohr, or the siblings that you were born with, in Hoshido, which do you like more? 

[Nanima]

I guess the answer comes down heavily on which game you have played first or the most. So most people will go with the Nohrsibs.

I however vastly prefer the Broshidos. Besides Takumi they were all very shortchanged by the plot (and not like Takumi was treated much better, for the all the attention he got), but when reading the supports I still found myself enjoying something about each of the Broshidos.

Ryouma's hotblooded tendencies that he keeps trying to hide under his "perfect Samurai" image. Then goes yoloing off to Cheve.
Hinoka obsessing over being strong so much that she has extreme trouble solving problems which don't require physical force.
Takumi is the most complex character in the game to me, with a great variety of strengths and flaws.
Sakura being more than just a shy little girl and having so much strength and willpower inside her.

They also have this very interesting dynamic, with a lot of distance between the two eldest and youngest. It's less because of any outright aggression and more just an inability to properly communicate. Meanwhile they also have very strong and adorable relationships between each other (Ryouma-Hinoka, Takumi-Sakura). I guess I also can relate to their dynamic more than the Nohrians.

Like I said, the result is mostly dependant on which game people have played first or the most, so the Nohrsibs will have the edge here. To me, they will always be "those other siblings" to an extent.

[Sunwoo]

The Hoshidan siblings piss me off far, FAR less than the Nohrian siblings do. No, they're not perfect and they have their various personality issues that bug me. But the negative character traits that the Nohrian siblings display (hypocrisy, cowardice, stupidity, and getting away with it) annoy me much more than whatever the Hoshidan siblings do. Well, minus Hinoka. I can't stand her. But that's still 1-3, (4 if I feel like being annoyed with Leon).

[Thane]

The thing is I only really care about Leo, Takumi and support!Xander, while I can't stand Elise, Camilla or Hinoka. 

I mean what do the sisters and Ryouma even do in the main story? Elise has a few chapters in Birthright in which she's important, but that's about it for the sisters. Ryouma, on the other hand, teleports into Nohrian territory or something, then retreats after one battle with Corrin and then you don't fight him again until chapter 26, I believe, where he has been kind enough to wait for you with his elite force locked up in the castle as opposed to leading the defense of Hoshido which I had assumed was his responsibility.

I also can't remember a single support with Elise, Sakura or Ryouma, and I only remember Hinoka's support with Saizou because it's up there with the worst supports in the series. Sakura gets a few bonus points from me for having that quiet strength and the will to fight Corrin in Conquest, but sadly I don't think enough is done with it.

 

Edited February 26, 2017 by Thane

[Azz]

While I love the Nohrian characters, the Nohr sibs are God awful. Leo's decent I guess, but Xander is just bad, not even his supports could save his role in the story. Camilla, while I don't mind her as much as I used to, the reason I like her is because of self imposed headcanons and the potential she had, not what she actually was. And then there is Elise, who is annoying for the most part.

As for the Hoshidans, well Sakura is up there as one of my favourite characters and Ryoma is one of my favourites from this game. Takumi is okay and Hinoka is forgettable and I don't really care for her. Both overall, despite me preferring Conquest over Birthright, I prefer the Hoshidan siblings over the Nohrian ones.

[MisterIceTeaPeach]

Camilla's appearance and personality are the main reasons why I sympathize with Hoshido.

Seriously Elise is my favorite of all the royals mainly because of her role in BR. She's the youngest of the Nohrian family but also the smartest because she's the first who opposed Garon's plan and helped the protagonist.

But since I don't like Leo and especially Xander (duh) either, I still go for Hoshido.

[Thunderstar]

I prefer the Hoshidan siblings overall mainly because they piss me less than the Nohrian siblings.

I don't particulary care for Ryoma but he is alright as a big brother figure though I am not a fan of how he hides the fact you're not related with him and his role with Hinoka in Hinoka X Saizo support.
He still offends me less than Xander though. He has good supports but because of how different he is in the supports and in the story, I can't take Xander seriously. 
I also hate how he is hypocrite. One big example is how he somehow doesn't like Hans because he is a murderer and yet he doesn't seem to care about his retainer Peri's murders at all.

Gameplay wise I like them both but I prefer Ryoma because I prefer Swordsmasters over Paladins even if Xander being defensive is fun.

Camilla and Hinoka don't have a big role in the story and are irrevelant most of the time like the younger sisters. I remember Camilla a bit more but that's mainly because of her fanservice Birthright and Conquest ending cutscenes. I am not a fan of Hinoka's support with Saizo but besides that I don't mind her.
She is okay and not annoying unlike her Nohrian counterpart. Camilla also has more annoying and bad supports.

I love both of them as units because I am a big fan of Pegasus and Wyvern Knights. I prefer Camilla though because she is more useful and even if Wyvern Lord is a better class for her, I love the Malig Knight class. Kinshi Knight is cool too but I prefer to promote Hinoka into a Falcon Knight.
 

Takumi and Leo are both my favorites brothers because of how flawed and "human" they are. They both have an interesting role in the story though Leo is less revelant in Revelation. I also think that Takumi was better done character wise.

I prefer Takumi as a unit because he is good from the get-go. Leo is not bad either but like Xander he has a bad speed and to fix him, the best way would be to reclass him as Dark Flier and keep him this way or to reclass him back as a Dark Knight or as a Sorcerer.

Sakura is my favorite sister.
I like her moments at the beginning of Birthright and Revelation. Sakura wanting to fight Corrin in Conquest was one of the few things I like in Conquest's story. Elise just seemed revelant in Birthright though all the sisters are less important than the brothers in the story.
I also laughed when she attacked Iago in Birthright and when she slapped Azama with a staff in their supports. 

She's also cuter than Elise in my opinion. Elise is cute as well but she can be annoying at times. 

I prefer Elise as a unit in their respective games because she is mounted however I prefer to use Sakura in Revelation because she joined much earlier and at the time you recruit Elise, Sakura is already promoted and Elise starts in a low level.

[DragonFlames]

41 minutes ago, Magillanica Lou Mayvin said:

Seriously Elise is my favorite of all the royals mainly because of her role in BR. She's the youngest of the Nohrian family but also the smartest because she's the first who opposed Garon's plan and helped the protagonist.

This.

I can't stand most of the Royals except for Elise and Sakura, but I think overall, the Nohrian Royals are the lesser of two evils.

Ryoma is a hotheaded fool who'd go off and get himself killed if given the chance. He, along with Xander is pretty much my main argument why no one else but Corrin could lead a unified Nohr-Hoshido army.

Hinoka is pretty much the most irrelevant out of all of them. She doesn't bother me, which is good, but she's not really memorable, either.

And Takumi is Takumi. Probably one of the most arrogant, assholish characters in Fire Emblem history and that's saying something when we're talking about a franchise where Shinon exists. Shinon managed to be badass about his douchebaggery and had at least some decent points (like his soft spot for Rolf or his friendship with Gatrie), while Takumi is just a whiny little child that starts crying when he isn't the center of attention for five seconds.

Then there's the fact that all three of them are a little too hung up on their hatred towards Nohr and their own self-righteousness and arrogance when it comes to Nohrian folks, which borders on almost Nazi-levels of racism, a trait we do not see in Sakura, not even after her step-mother died. In fact, Sakura is the only one that ever acts like a true sibling in any of the routes, supporting Corrin's decision no matter what they choose, which is so unlike her older siblings you have to wonder if she really truly is related to them.

On the other hand, we have the Nohrians.

Leo is, as some others have put it, decent. And his reaction to Corrin joining up with Hoshido or nobody is much more believable than Ryoma's or Xander's is. At least he's willing to listen to the person he grew up with and doesn't want to kill them even as they stand as enemies. THAT is what family does. Compared to his counterpart Takumi, Leo is less annoying and arrogant and it is easier to identify with him living in his older brother's shadow most of his life.

Camilla is Ms. fanservice and that's annoying, yes. But it doesn't take away from the fact that she's an interesting character, much more so than Hinoka at least. Considering the Nohrian siblings' backstory, it is no wonder why she is so nice to Corrin all the time and it is also no wonder why she snaps after they leave her and Nohr behind in BR and Rev.

Xander is really the only true blemish on the family with his blind trust in his father which doesn't even waver after he's seen all the atrocities comitted by him, which ultimately leads to him spitting on Elise's sacrifice in Birthright. He puts a bad name on the Camus-archetype, which in past Fire Emblem games was done better by characters like Lloyd, Linus or Camus himself.

As units, I don't use most of them except for Sakura and Elise, since almost all of them have better replacements (Hana with Ryoma, Archer!Mozu and Priestess!Sakura with Takumi, Beruka with Camilla and Odin, Nyx, Strategist!Elise and Ophelia with Leo) or are not suited to my playstyle (Xander, Hinoka).

And then there's Azura, who drags the quality of the story down simply by being present.

[joshcja]

No contest. Nhorian scum life.

Edited February 26, 2017 by joshcja

[saisymbolic]

Why is it that we always have to choose one or the other? Why can't I have all of my beloved siblings at the same time?

If I were to choose, I would have to go with the Nohr siblings. Mainly because Conquest was my first game. 

That said, I do actually like all of the siblings to varying degrees during varying circumstances. Elise had a pretty good story presence; Takumi as well. I'm still a bit annoyed with Ryoma for the first few chapters of Birthright—I did not like having to be subjected to playing "Where's Ryoma?"—but it wasn't that big of a deal. Xander is a mixed bag, but I still like him. Sakura and Leo needed a bit more screen time, but I did like their roles in each respective route (during Conquest and Birthright).  Even Hinoka—but only during her support with Hinata, funnily enough.

Edited February 26, 2017 by saisymbolic
lol i forgot xander

[twistedxgrace]

Everyone's commenting saying they prefer Hoshido but aren't fond of either, but can I just say that I prefer the Nohrians and like both families quite a bit? I tend to ignore the story when it comes to judging the characters because this game's story doesn't portray most characters well (I of course agree that Elise was done well in Birthright and Takumi in Conquest). I'm not too fond of either oldest brother, but the fact that Xander really is a kind man who just puts his trust in his abusive father for his country I just find more intriguing than the more "standard" Ryoma, I suppose. Yeah, Xander can come off as naive and hypocritical sometimes, but Ryoma's definitely not off the hook, either, threatening to let Elise die if Corrin doesn't return to Hoshido. Nobody is perfect, though, and with this game that I love so much despite not having the best writing, it is more ideal for me to acknowledge the good things rather than the bad, because I do think all eight characters are good. Xander and Ryoma both are crown princes expected to be good rulers, Hinoka and Camilla both attach themselves to Corrin, Leo and Takumi both have inferiority complexes, and Sakura and Elise are healers who would just prefer the fighting to stop.

[RedEyedDrake]

@Hiro in the OP:

Was Corrin even born in Hoshido? No, seriously. Does Hoshido have at least this much in regards to Corrin himself/herself?

Edited February 26, 2017 by RedEyedDrake

[saisymbolic]

15 minutes ago, twistedxgrace said:

 but Ryoma's definitely not off the hook, either, threatening to let Elise die if Corrin doesn't return to Hoshido.

I'm warning you, for your own good, please do not bring this up as an argument on this site. While I'm not one of them, people will eat you alive for saying this. I have seen it happen many, many times, and it is not worth it, my comrade.

[Hagakure]

Well for the Nohr siblings, I like Leo and Elise, but Camilla creeps me out and I just... flat out don't like Xander. 

As for the Hoshido siblings, I don't really dislike any of them. Not even Takumi, despite how mean he gets. I know I sound biased but I'm trying to be honest lol.

[Anacybele]

Hoshido, no contest. Ryoma is my favorite Fates character (besides Silas), Takumi is one of the best written characters in the game, imo, and he's cool to me, and I also like Hinoka. Sakura is eh.

Meanwhile, I hate Xander and Camilla, Leo is meh, but I do love Elise.

 

[Extrasolar]

I think the problem is that the Nohrian royals fall victim to much worse writing on their focus path than their counterparts on the Birthright path.

Each of them is an ostensibly morally decent (if not outright good) person...only for Conquest to show them willing to rampage across an enemy country, destroying the way of life of an innocent nation, and forcing the crown prince of royal family who seeks only to protect his homeland and way of life to commit suicide. And all for what? So that a violent, greedy man they have a nostalgia filter for just might go back to the way he apparently was years ago? Blah. Sorry, that's not a good enough justification imo.

"Selfish" is a light way to put how each of them comes off in the Conquest route. The Birthright royals, on the other hand, are portrayed as valiantly fighting a losing battle, desperate to protect their loved ones and home. I mean, it's really something when the main characters of the story look worse than the actual antagonist/enemies that you're fighting!

I like the concept of the Nohrian royals, or what they appear to be in a vacuum (i.e., Xander is a strict, but ultimately compassionate and good-hearted paladin; Leo is outwardly cold and haughty, but cares deeply about the people close to him and wants to help them improve themselves, etc.), but the way they're written just....so much nope.

And it's a shame, as I consider at least Leo and Xander to be more interesting characters than Ryoma, Hinoka and Sakura, though Takumi is about as interesting as them imo.

 

Edited February 26, 2017 by Extrasolar

[Azure Sen]

Hoshido all the way. Takumi's the best-written character in the game, Sakura's got that quiet strength going for her, Lobster Bro is best bro, and outside of Conquest I like Hinoka, even if she didn't get much main story focus. In contrast, Xander is awful on all routes, Leo is a less interesting version of Takumi (though I still like him), Camilla is just awful and unlikable, and Elise is the most generic of imouto characters.

On 2/26/2017 at 11:45 AM, twistedxgrace said:

 but Ryoma's definitely not off the hook, either, threatening to let Elise die if Corrin doesn't return to Hoshido.

 

Edited June 21, 2018 by Azure Sen

[Thane]

2 minutes ago, AzureSen said:

Hoshido all the way. Takumi's the best-written character in the game, Sakura's got that quiet strength going for her, Lobster Bro is best bro, and outside of Conquest I like Hinoka, even if she didn't get much main story focus. In contrast, Xander is awful on all routes, Leo is a less interesting version of Takumi (though I still like him), Camilla is just awful and unlikable, and Elise is the most generic of imouto characters.

I think you mean:

Seriously, since when do you have to go out of your way to help your enemy when you've got an advantage? If Ryouma had left, I would've thought less of him. Hell, if anything, I'd say it's out of character of Corrin to not let themself be taken back to Hoshido, opting instead to gamble with Elise's life on the line. 

[tacticianwhite]

I much more prefer the Nohr siblings over the Hoshido siblings. It certainly helps that the Nohrian siblings are the ones "I" grew up with, whereas the Hoshidan siblings are strangers.

I also find them to have a much more interesting backstory. They grew up in a very unhappy environment, where their mothers couldn't care less about them. They had to fight and kill their other brothers and sisters. The Nohrian siblings aren't just that, they're the only Nohrian siblings left surviving. Still, they manage to love one another dearly. I also much prefer how they interact with each other over the Hoshidan siblings (did the latter even interact like a family at all, except for the few "big brother" and "big sister"?). Honestly, they just feel so much closer to each other.

But they still have to deal with Garon. A man so cruel, he wouldn't hesitate to kill his own children should they openly defy him. (And it's because of this I do not consider the Nohrian siblings cowards. If they defy him, they're dead. Who wouldn't feel at least a little bit of fear or hesitation because of that?) Instead, they find ways to work around that, such as Xander secretly sending off Elise to help Corrin in Chapter 7, or Leo having everyone "search" for the dancers in Chapter 14 to give them enough time to escape.

Now, Xander gets a lot of controversy--a LOT of it--but he's actually probably my favorite sibling. Being the oldest, he knows Garon the most. He knew him when he was originally a good-hearted man, if not still somewhat harsh and disciplined. So when he "suddenly" changed, he didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to believe the father he loved for so long was gone. He was in denial(...but of course, how many years was that? How long can one person be in denial?) Still, he remains one of my favorite characters. It also helps that his Support with Corrin is the best sibling support with them.

Camilla is another one I rather like. A woman who no doubt have had such an unhappy childhood. So when Corrin comes along--a young innocent who did not have to live through such things--she would want to act as a mother to them, much unlike how hers did. She didn't want their new sister/brother to experience the same thing she had to go through.

...too bad the developers didn't want to go through with that, and instead made her into a piece of fanservice who was instead obsessed with Corrin. So much potential, too.

All in all, however, I really like the Nohrian siblings. They're probably my favorite characters in the game. I know my opinions are extremely controversial, but I just wanted to give mine.

 

[Azure Sen]

7 minutes ago, Thane said:

I think you mean:


Seriously, since when do you have to go out of your way to help your enemy when you've got an advantage? If Ryouma had left, I would've thought less of him. Hell, if anything, I'd say it's out of character of Corrin to not let themself be taken back to Hoshido, opting instead to gamble with Elise's life on the line. 

Yeah, I couldn't find the Ryoma version, so I just used the one with our good old friend Emperor Chuck. I saved this one, so thanks for posting it again.

4 minutes ago, spiderbrush said:

They had to fight and kill their other brothers and sisters.

This is fanon. There is no evidence in-game that any of the Nohrian siblings had to kill any other potential siblings. In fact, most of what people circulate about the so-called "concubine wars" is fanon. 

Edited February 26, 2017 by AzureSen

[Alto]

Elise > Sakura Though I do like them both, Elise is just my favorite sibling overall.
Leo = Takumi Easily the best brothers. Good designs, good characters, I can't choose between them. 
Camilla > Hinoka Because at least Camilla is somewhat interesting. Visually I really like Hinoka it's a shame they wasted such a cool design on a character that is about as interesting as watching paint dry.
Xander > Ryoma I actually like Xander. Of course I don't care at all about the stories in Fates and tend to just ignore everything that goes on in the plot... so that might be part of it.
So Nohr Sibs > Hosh Sibs

[Shadowess]

Hoshido siblings, because i really like Takumi and Sakura and Hinoka (don't feel the exact same towards Ryoma, but I still like him).

Nohr siblings i'm just totally neutral on. For some reason I rarely ever feel a thing for them.

[RedEyedDrake]

More on the actual topic, the Hoshidan siblings count the sort of person who'd either torment someone for things beyond said someone's control for over a decade or start acting this way towards said someone over what should be small potatoes by comparison in light of having over a decade of evidence to the contrary of any of said person's accusations among their number. In fact, having someone who intentionally acts like that among their number makes the Hoshidan siblings' chances as a group crash and burn as far as I'm concerned.

Then there's the sheer self righteousness with which another of their number dismisses Corrin's time in Nohr and the attitude that if only said another of their number were to get Corrin away from the Nohrian siblings then surely he/she would come to see things "as they should be". Which would oh so naturally be the right thing to happen, of course (note the sarcasm in this sentence). Or the way in which this certain other of their number makes a certain claim when it was already demonstrated to be false six chapters before the one in which said claim is made. At the very least this another of their number didn't treat the aforementioned someone the way that the aforementioned person did, I'll give this another of their number that much.

Needless to say, these types of attitudes make me quite peeved, to put it lightly. Honestly, as neutral as I am to the other two Hoshidan siblings, they deserve better than to be dragged down by being lumped into the same group as the previous two.

By contrast, the Nohrian siblings went out of their way to accept Corrin as one of their own and make sure that he/she has hope for the future and doesn't succumb to the trials and tribulations of the situation that Garon put him/her in via his/her confinement in the Northern Fortress. Not to mention the one specific Nohrian sibling who went out of said sibling's way to let Corrin experience the knowledge/feeling of 'being loved' and has been doing so for over a decade. Heck, even if the first two Hoshidan siblings that I mentioned didn't have the problems that make me dislike them, having someone who cares as much as the aforementioned Nohrian sibling among their number scores the Nohrian quartet so many points that it is almost funny.

@saisymbolic:

Personally, I disagree with the concept of preventing people from saying what they want to say just because it gets some other people to foam at the mouth. I mean, really now. Letting these "foamies" get away with trying to shut people up? Is this situation for real?

Edited February 26, 2017 by RedEyedDrake

[Azure Sen]

6 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

Then there's the fact that all three of them are a little too hung up on their hatred towards Nohr and their own self-righteousness and arrogance when it comes to Nohrian folks, which borders on almost Nazi-levels of racism, a trait we do not see in Sakura, not even after her step-mother died. 

Nohr has, in full, killed their father at what was supposed to be peace talks, abducted their sibling, raised said sibling to use as a living weapon to assassinate their step-mother, killed said step-mother and countless innocent Hoshidan citizens using said abducted sibling, and has been launching attacks against civilians with magical abominations for around a decade, and that's just before the war actually starts. I'm sick of this double standard BS where the Hoshidan siblings are treated like monsters because they dare to treat Nohr with contempt and suspicion, despite the fact that they have very good reason to even before Garon outright declares war on them, while the Nohr siblings get much less flak for their objectively worse behavior.

1 minute ago, RedEyedDrake said:

Personally, I disagree with the concept of preventing people from saying what they want to say just because it gets some other people to foam at the mouth. I mean, really now. Letting these "foamies" get away with trying to shut people up? Is this situation for real?

Or it's a topic that has been discussed and debated to death, even more so than the rest of the Conquest talking points (except Xander), it's pretty blatantly used to bash Ryoma (and by extension the rest of Hoshido), and it derails every conversation it gets brought up in.

[RedEyedDrake]

So what if it gets used to bash Ryoma and Hoshido? Other factors in the game get bashed worse on a constant basis. If this sort of bashing is to be disallowed then what of all the graver cases? Besides, if it ever comes up as a throw away line in a comment then one can just choose to not respond to it, right? Things like these snowball out of control due to discussion, after all. And if someone starts a thread then sure, you can tell them that it has been done to death. But letting the situation remain in a state where even a passing mention like what I previously described being grounds for concerned people suggesting that you drop the subject? Seriously? It is horrible that this situation ever reached such a state.

Having said that, I'll digress on this subject for the sake of the topic.

Edited February 26, 2017 by RedEyedDrake