What;s your favorite and least favorite character(s)?

[Purikaman]

Favorites:
Mae, She is a bundle of energy, she is cute as hell, she is the best mage. Never fails to entertain me.

Luthier: This guy remind me so much of myself, so freaking much. Also, like his voice quite a bit

Saber: He is badass and cool as hell, I like how he calls out Celica.

Forsyth and Python: They are nice, best of bros.

Delthea: Remind me of my younger siblings so much.

Least Favorites:

Berkut: Awesome performance from the voice actor aside, I don't find anything likeable on him.

Jedah: He is so blatantly evil is not even funny

Deen: This guy is just, meh. Honestly I see nothing interesting in him

Faye: Alm.

Delthea: Remind me of my younger siblings so much

[sonicstormer38]

My personal favourite characters would have to be:

1. Kliff - Easily my favourite character in Echoes.  I love his cold and distant personality, and I also quite like his appearance as well.  I think the fact that he was one of my best units during my playthrough may have also contributed towards me liking him so much.
2. Saber - I knew I was going to like this guy as soon as I saw him.  It's fascinating to see him go from being a mercenary who would only help out if he got paid to being someone who actually cared for Celica's well-being.
3. Delthea - I'll be honest, I normally hate bratty characters like Delthea, but in this case, I found myself liking her quite a lot, mainly because of her base and support conversations which show more of her character.  She's also a great unit right off the bat, and one of my favorite units to use in Alm's party.
4. Catria - I had always liked Catria, and Echoes made me like her even more.  I like how she's the most serious out of the three Whitewings, while still showing that she cares for her sisters.
5. Berkut - I actually like Berkut quite a lot in Echoes.  I found it quite tragic when Berkut found out that his whole life spent preparing to be the next emperor of Rigel was all for nothing, as a result of Alm being revealed to be Rudolf's son.  I also really like listening to his dialogue.  As many have said, Ian Sinclair did an amazing job with Berkut's voice.  It's just unfortunate that Berkut spends such a large majority of the story whining.

There isn't really anyone in this game that I hate, but if I had to pick someone, then I would have to say Nomah.  There just doesn't seem to be much to his character to make him interesting enough.

[Nanima]

Favorites:

- Luthier: I guess I just like socially awkward nerds. Him trying to comes across as cool and self-confident is hilarious and I actually find his relationship with his siter endearing. The cat thing is always a nice bonus, and his design is very pretty. Too bad he is such a mediocre unit.

- Python: I know many people don't like him much, but I found his cynical attitude and caustic humor to be charming somehow. His opinion of nobles and reaction when asked about what he'd do if he were to be king are also both very relatable. He is certainly rough around the edges, but you can feel that there's a sense of empathy to him through his supports with Lukas. Not an amazing unit by far, but worth investing in.

- Genny: I admit this one is mostly based on her design and usefullness in game. But she is also a very sweet girl, whose supports with Sonia I loved. Someone that deserved better than just being an optional side-character.

Least Liked:

- Faye: Her design is cute, but that's about it. There is nothing about her personality that can't be summarized with "ALM!". She is utterly superflous as an addition to the cast, bringing nothing new to the group dynamic except for being an "Unrequited Tragic Maiden" TM a la Cordelia. Why would Intsys, when thinking about adding a female character to lighten the sausage fest of Alm's early group go with "Set-dressing, that has no other ambitions than marrying the male (which is especially telling) protagonist and is utterly  doomed in that aspect."? I hear people saying she is somehow a deconstruction, but I have seen zero evidence of that. If Intsys really intended her to be one, then her role as a random side-character with minimal dialoge was a terrible place for that.

- Berkut: His voice actor is amazing, but that's about it. His place in the story further undermines any sympathy you could feel for Rudolf. He is tragically ineffectual throughout the entire plot, and then nosedives into complete madness. The last part could have actually been effective at making him a good villain, if they hadn't tried to put a sympathetic spin on his sacrifice of Rinea (who I am more apathetic to). He did not deserve to rewarded for something that happens way too often in the real world (albeit with less ritialistic saccrifice involved.) "crazy boyfriend murders his girlfriend for not conforming to his expectations of her.". His and Rinea's relationship is pretty much a disaster throughout and I am sickened at how they are supposed to be seen as romantic.

- Fernand: Proof that "sympathetic backstory" can only carry you so far. It's the same problem I have with Jakob/Joker, their jerkish behaviour and actions are meant to be excused entirely through random backstories that we never even get to see. It's about as effective as a mass murderer shouting "I couldn't help it. I was beaten as a child." in gaining my sympathy.  

[NekoKnight]

Favorites:

Lukas: A pretty chill guy who is the backbone of the group. His relationship with his brother makes me sympathize for him.

Luthier: An awkward older brother who's best friends are cats? Hey, I didn't authorize this self-insert!

DLC!Fernand: Honestly one of the best written characters in the game (and you download those parts!). He is very human and makes a great foil to Clive.

Sonya: There isn't a lot to her character because of the lack of supports, but I enjoy having more mature cast members. Her similar past to Genny, and her ties to Jedah and her witch sisters is interesting too.

 

Neutral:

Berkut: I thought he was pretty trash for most of the main story, but the ending of his story (minus the the weird redemption at the very very end) made me like the character more. The betrayal he felt after finding out Rudolf had been deceiving him all along was intense. I feel like he could have been a strong character if he wasn't shoe-horned into a preexisting story where Alm always wins.

Rinea: Another character that needed more screen time in order to shine. She's very basic but she does a decent job of humanizing Berkut.

 

Least Favorite:

Faye: She's really one-note, obsessive, and jerk (moreso in the Japanese version). It sounds like she's too single-minded to even realize what's wrong with her but I still find her unlikable.

Rudolf: It's Azura/Corrin all over again with his informed righteousness even though he did terrible things in the story

Story!Fernand: Yes, he's on the list twice. His tragic backstory is so heavily outweighed by his nonsensical dickishness in the story.

Grey: He's such an obnoxious dudebro.

Celica: Even though I fault Jedah more the C4 drama, Celica is still pretty unlikable to me. She hides important information from her friends and is a jerk to Alm because "I am a woman which means I get angry and refuse to explain why". I think this game might be a teensy bit sexist.
 

Edited July 17, 2017 by NekoKnight

[Thane]

5 minutes ago, NekoKnight said:

I think this game might be a teensy bit sexist.

Honestly, I thought the same. What with Alm saving all the women on his team aside from Faye (whom he "saved" in the prologue anyway), Rinea's whole relationship with Berkut and some of the epilogues, I got the same impression.

[Azz]

TBH, I like mostly everyone in the game, but the standouts are:

Favourites:

Saber-When I saw his design, I melted. I also love his personality and his role as a pseudo-Jeigan for Celica. Also, it's nice to have an actual middle aged character in a FE game again.

Sonya-I always loved her since Gaiden and that hasn't changed. Her design is gorgeous and while she isn't the most developed character, what development she does get is nice. I also love her relationship with Genny. Also, the fact that her ending is also potentially tragic is also refreshing since war doesn't tend to lead to happiness a lot.

Lukas-One of the best characters in the game. The DLC really helped with making me like him more.

Gray and Tobin-I love the both of these guys. Their relationship with each other is hilarious. What made me love these two more is Gray's ending if Tobin dies. It semi makes me want to kill Tobin some times just for that ending.

Mae and Boey-Same as above. These two have an amazing relationship that I find very entertaining. I also like their relationship with Celica too.

Delthea-Of coarse she is here. She is by far my favourite character in the game. She is a powerful unit, she may be obnoxious, but she is also a 13 year old girl who has a lot expected of her because of her powerful magic abilities, so she really has the right IMO. Also, I love her voice. Every time I hear it, I hear Madoka (A.K.A the lead character from my second favourite anime) and I love that.

Neutral:

Alm and Celica-TBH, I don't dislike them or really like them. They could have been done better. Alm seems to perfect a lot of the time whereas Celica seems to be too flawed and doesn't balance out. They could have been done better. You know it's bad when you prefer their characters in Gaiden and the little bit they got in the Awakening DLC.

Fernand-I originally disliked him for his very obvious back story meant to make you feel bad for the villain, however, thanks to the DLC, I began to like him a lot more, enough so to make my opinion on him neutral.

Berkut-I like him as a villain, I think he does well enough and portrays all the issues with Rigel and I like that. But, he really only works in this game and if he existed in any other FE games, he would be a shit villain. Thus my opinion on him is meh.

Rinea-If she had more screen time, she could have been a better character. I feel like she is more so there to be Berkut's accessory to make him a tragic villain and redeem him. If she was given more independence and interacted with other characters besides Berkut, I think she would have been a lot better.

Least Favourites:

Deen-He just bores me. There really isn't anything to his personality that makes him stand out IMO.

Faye-I wanted to like her, but, I can't. If her support with Silque was not all about Alm and her ending didn't depress the fuck out of me, I think she would have better. Well, her design is nice.

[ChibiToastExplosion]

I think my favorites have to be Tobin, Gray, & Python. 

Tobin is my favorite for being the grounded, yet often clueless, older sibling. His s heart is in the right place, and while competitive with Alm he knows that he's a role-player. Instead of whining about it, he makes the best of it and contributes. I also love his banter with Gray.

I love Gray/Python for most the same reason - the sarcasm. Gray is more the happy go lucky sarcastic, while Python is a bit more "mean spirited". Both are my spirit animals in their mannerisms, and I love them both. Gray is consistently one of my best, and while Python is hit or miss, I'll always love his character.

I really do like pretty much everyone in the cast, but I think my least favorites are the newcomers, Faye & Conrad. I think they both don't add anything to the story & gameplay (Faye can be comfortably left behind, and Conrad is too little too late - his lance is more valuable than he is). Conrad is my less liked of the two, because I think he actually detracts from the story. He shows up, the bomb is dropped, and he literally does nothing afterwards. Lame.

[Dark Holy Elf]

Favourites:

Mae and Boey: Their banter is great. Mae in particular is just a lovable ball of energy who always seems to know the right snarky thing to say in any situation. Boey bounces off her extremely well. Their relationship with each other and Celica spoke to me as a very real friendship. Good stuff. (Reinforcing this for me is that my Mae got speed-blessed and could pretty much ORKO absolutely anything.)

Clair: My fave on Alm's path. She's rather snobbish but in an amusing way and the good heart underneath is obvious. Her VA work is excellent and sells me on her quite well. She's a bit smitten with Alm but doesn't let it consume her motivations and behaviour... y'know like how people are with crushes in real life. Her B support with Grey made my inner feminist crack a big smile.

Alm: I totally get where Thane is coming from on Alm. I think his story role sucks and he is bad for the game's thematics for sure. But y'know what, he was still fun to play as. He's more or less a composite of positive character traits, which isn't a way to do a deep or intriguing character, but it was written well enough that I bought it. He bounces off other castmates pretty well too and feels like a genuine, likable person instead of a walking piece of cardboard (e.g. Itsuki, Roy, most avatars) whom people gush over inexplicably. Maybe when I look back on the game later my opinion of Alm will fall (it certainly happened with Ike, whom Alm definitely reminds me of somewhat), but for now he's in my good books.

Celica's design: Can I pretend her Act 4 never happens then I can talk about how Celica is one of my favourites, she's fun early on and has good interaction with her friends and Saber and argh fuck this game's story.

Least favourites:

Every villain except Fernand: I'm pretty okay with Fernand; he's given a reasons to act the way he does and while he overreacts I'm okay with that in a villain. Besides that you have Rudolf, who is insane/horrible but whom the game thinks is great; Jeddah, who is Yet Another Gharnef-type (I pretty much hate all of these); Desaix and Slayde, who monologue evilly but then do nothing; Rinea, who is defined as an accessory to Berkut. Berkut is the only other villain with potential (and maybe Nuibaba but then she dies without doing anything important) buuut it feels badly bungled, both his inconsistent writing for setup and his terrible ending with Rinea which is one of my all-time least favourite scenes in the series.

I'm not as down on any of the PCs. Mycen's plot role seems increasingly assholish the more I think about it so I guess I'll mention him.

 

11 hours ago, Thane said:

Honestly, I thought the same. What with Alm saving all the women on his team aside from Faye (whom he "saved" in the prologue anyway), Rinea's whole relationship with Berkut and some of the epilogues, I got the same impression.

I third the impression. I think there are bright spots, like the aforementioned Clair/Grey support and some of the characterisation of the supporting female cast (in both cases, I wonder how much of this was added by the localisation?), but yeah Celica, Rinea, and the damselfication of over half the female playable cast speaks to this being a bit of a problem with this game.

 

[SSbardock84]

Favorite is probably Kliff. Alm and Zeke are pretty good too. Least favorite, mmm Idk, there's a lot of annoying characters. Probably Mae, it doesn't help that I can't stand her voice actress.

Enemy wise I'd say Berkut and Fernand as favorites. Least favorites probably Desaix or Slayde.

Edited July 17, 2017 by SSbardock84

[Sentinel07]

On 7/14/2017 at 10:03 AM, Armagon said:

My favorite character is everyone. My least favorite character is Deen, but that's only because he sounds like a buff Squidward.

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Take a shot every time someone says that Faye is their least favorite character in this game

 

Honestly, this is pretty much my opinion as well. There really isn't a character I dislike, though Faye could have been better.

So, I guess it's Deen by default since I really feel no need to recruit him over Sonya.

[Thane]

6 hours ago, Dark Holy Elf said:

Her B support with Grey made my inner feminist crack a big smile.

I must admit I thought this support was rendered meaningless by the A rank. I mean, it's the worst aspects of the Awakening/Fates system. "Oh, you have to hook up, huh? Welp, can't have you stay mad at each other for too long". I mean, Clair was completely right to blast him like that and had no reason to come crawling back to him. I wish their relationship ended there, but since a line of dialogue in the Gaiden prologue said they hooked up, they've got to hook up I guess.

6 hours ago, Dark Holy Elf said:

(it certainly happened with Ike, whom Alm definitely reminds me of somewhat)

Really? Could you elaborate on this? Alm to me sounds far more like Eliwood to me - just a generic good guy. The main difference between Ike and Alm is that Ike, while a very muted character personality-wise, is at least allowed to get angry. Alm doesn't even hold a grudge against a guy who's done nothing but insult and attack them at every turn or the man responsible for the nonsensical war. Also, do you remember one of the first things he does in the game? He saves Silque from bandits by killing them. What does he do about Berkut, who sacrificed Rinea to Duma? He cries about not wanting to be left alone by the guy who sold his soul to power and tried killing him at every turn. Yes, I know Berkut is his cousin, but this is just ridiculous.

What does Ike say to someone behind all that has happened? "I'll kill you in the most painful way I know how".

Edited July 17, 2017 by Thane

[Ertrick36]

20 hours ago, NekoKnight said:

I think this game might be a teensy bit sexist.

I got this impression as well, and I'd justify it in my mind as this being a product of the later part of the NES/Famicom era, but even a new addition was catering to a rather sexist trope, and I'd even argue that it lends itself more to it because Alm's no longer made out to be a dude in distress (as in, Celica doesn't have to get Jedah to free Alm from Dragon Mountain, she just gets him to clear the path for him).

And that justification is also rendered moot when there are games like Metroid that starred female protagonists back in those days.

Edited July 17, 2017 by Ertrick36

[NekoKnight]

7 minutes ago, Ertrick36 said:

I got this impression as well, and I'd justify it in my mind as this being a product of the later part of the NES/Famicom era, but even a new addition was catering to a rather sexist trope, and I'd even argue that it lends itself more to it because Alm's no longer made out to be a dude in distress (as in, Celica doesn't have to get Jedah to free Alm from Dragon Mountain, she just gets him to clear the path for him).

And that justification is also rendered moot when there are games like Metroid that starred female protagonists back in those days.

Also, if you play Celica's C4 missions first, Alm never goes to Dracozombi Hell, so there was never a need for Celica to do anything besides show up to open doors.

Edited July 17, 2017 by NekoKnight

[Mell]

I just love Lukas, plain and simple.

[Dark Holy Elf]

7 hours ago, Thane said:

I must admit I thought this support was rendered meaningless by the A rank. I mean, it's the worst aspects of the Awakening/Fates system. "Oh, you have to hook up, huh? Welp, can't have you stay mad at each other for too long". I mean, Clair was completely right to blast him like that and had no reason to come crawling back to him. I wish their relationship ended there, but since a line of dialogue in the Gaiden prologue said they hooked up, they've got to hook up I guess.

Oh, absolutely. That's part of why I mentioned that I wondered how much of that had been added in the localisation.

7 hours ago, Thane said:

Really? Could you elaborate on this? Alm to me sounds far more like Eliwood to me - just a generic good guy. The main difference between Ike and Alm is that Ike, while a very muted character personality-wise, is at least allowed to get angry.

Ike can get angry but it's not really a defining character trait to me (nor does it make him a better character to me; YMMV).

The two remind me of each other because both are written to be a bit more of a common man figure without the noblesse oblige of other lords (and neither character really pulls off the common man thing well but the thought does count for something). Both are a little less purely nice than Eliwood; they'll sometimes say kinda mean things if it's justified. Both trade barbs with their friends/rivals (Boyd, Grey/Tobin). Both take interest in being part of a conflict because they want to help, rather than that they have to; Ike has little loyalty to Elincia and the Crimean crown (and Soren advocates turning her over to Daein), while Alm takes the initiative to join the Deliverance even though he wasn't even invited.

I'm obviously not going to defend anything related to the final Berkut scene, including Alm's reaction.

[Thane]

1 hour ago, Dark Holy Elf said:

Oh, absolutely. That's part of why I mentioned that I wondered how much of that had been added in the localisation.

Sadly don't have time to check that right now, but if memory serves, the gist of the conversation was the same.

1 hour ago, Dark Holy Elf said:

Ike can get angry but it's not really a defining character trait to me (nor does it make him a better character to me; YMMV).

Him getting mad doesn't make him a better character, but having a few outbursts and showing more emotion than Alm ever does help, in my opinion. Sure, Alm gets distraught a few times, but it's usually over very quickly and doesn't lead anywhere, like with killing Rudolf.

1 hour ago, Dark Holy Elf said:

Both are a little less purely nice than Eliwood; they'll sometimes say kinda mean things if it's justified. Both trade barbs with their friends/rivals (Boyd, Grey/Tobin).

Wait, when does Alm act a bit meaner? Alm is the purest of the pure, like Corrin, and doesn't even hold grudges against the bottom scrap of humanity. As far as Gray and Tobin are concerned, he pretty much just laughs at their quips and thanks them for the support. At least that's what I remember.

1 hour ago, Dark Holy Elf said:

while Alm takes the initiative to join the Deliverance even though he wasn't even invited.

Well I mean, I don't think they'd turn down able bodies at that point, but I see your point; I liked this in Gaiden, too.

1 hour ago, Dark Holy Elf said:

I'm obviously not going to defend anything related to the final Berkut scene, including Alm's reaction.

"I mean, I'm not a monster!"

[CriticalMiss]

My favorites are Alm, Celica, Valbar, Mae, and Saber. My least favorite would probably be Delthea. 

On 7/16/2017 at 7:15 AM, NekoKnight said:

Celica: Even though I fault Jedah more the C4 drama, Celica is still pretty unlikable to me. She hides important information from her friends and is a jerk to Alm because "I am a woman which means I get angry and refuse to explain why". I think this game might be a teensy bit sexist.

 

Although I disagree with your analysis of Celica, I have to agree that there are some sexist parts to this game. Mathilda's ending bothered me the most, especially since she had been such a strong, confident, and outspoken character up to that point; her ending just seemed really out of character. I know that the basis for that ending came from Gaiden, but I don't see why they couldn't have changed it to something else. Honestly, this is unfortunately a problem that has plagued all of the 3DS FE games to some extent. For example, women very rarely propose in Awakening and Fates, and all of the legendary weapons in Fates are wielded by men. 

[Sentinel07]

1 hour ago, CriticalMiss said:

My favorites are Alm, Celica, Valbar, Mae, and Saber. My least favorite would probably be Delthea. 

Although I disagree with your analysis of Celica, I have to agree that there are some sexist parts to this game. Mathilda's ending bothered me the most, especially since she had been such a strong, confident, and outspoken character up to that point; her ending just seemed really out of character. I know that the basis for that ending came from Gaiden, but I don't see why they couldn't have changed it to something else. Honestly, this is unfortunately a problem that has plagued all of the 3DS FE games to some extent. For example, women very rarely propose in Awakening and Fates, and all of the legendary weapons in Fates are wielded by men. 

Isn't there a thing against spouses being in the military together or something?

I remember back in the Fullmetal Alchemist manga that a lot of people wanted Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye to get married. However, Hiromu Arakawa (the mangaka) said that the reason why she didn't have them marry was because Riza would be forced to leave the military if she became Roy's wife.

[NekoKnight]

2 hours ago, CriticalMiss said:

For example, women very rarely propose in Awakening and Fates, and all of the legendary weapons in Fates are wielded by men. 

Men generally being the ones to propose is a cultural thing, but I agree on the legendary weapons part.

37 minutes ago, Sentinel07 said:

Isn't there a thing against spouses being in the military together or something?

Whatever rules that might apply to modern militaries (or just FMA?) probably aren't the same for the medieval society Fire Emblem takes place in. My guess is that "woman quits her job and becomes a housewife after getting married" is just an archaic Japanese cultural expectation.

[Sentinel07]

7 minutes ago, NekoKnight said:

Men generally being the ones to propose is a cultural thing, but I agree on the legendary weapons part.

Whatever rules that might apply to modern militaries (or just FMA?) probably aren't the same for the medieval society Fire Emblem takes place in. My guess is that "woman quits her job and becomes a housewife after getting married" is just an archaic Japanese cultural expectation.

Well, whatever the case may be, I don't find Mathilda's ending out of character one bit.

I would imagine war has a tendency to put one's life and priorities into consideration. After fighting a continent-wide war and even fighting a GOD of all things, I would not fault anyone, be they man or woman, to decide to devote themselves to other things in life. Perhaps Mathilda decided that she had enough fighting for one lifetime. Who can say for sure but I wouldn't fault her one bit for it if that were the case.

[Res]

The problem is when Mathilda's ending is viewed in context of all the other women's endings:

- Celica marries and is inferior to her husband

- Mae marries and has kids

- Genny marries

- Delthea returns to her village, marries and has kids and doesn't touch magic again (although at least her character has a basis there)

- Tatiana remains obsessed with Zeke

- Clair marries (down)

- Faye returns to her village, marries and has kids (and yet still pines after Alm)

The only female character not to marry (apart from Sonya, and hers is not a happy ending) is Silque, and she just goes off to do her good missionary work like a faithful woman (so, married to the church?)

Meanwhile the men get various, often badass endings. Tobin gets a castle. Jesse founds a kingdom. Clive becomes first captain of the knights. Conrad becomes chancellor, etc. Not all of them are great but even someone like Kliff, he journeys to a distant land before having a kid, rather than returning to his village.

[NekoKnight]

1 hour ago, Sentinel07 said:

Well, whatever the case may be, I don't find Mathilda's ending out of character one bit.

I would imagine war has a tendency to put one's life and priorities into consideration. After fighting a continent-wide war and even fighting a GOD of all things, I would not fault anyone, be they man or woman, to decide to devote themselves to other things in life. Perhaps Mathilda decided that she had enough fighting for one lifetime. Who can say for sure but I wouldn't fault her one bit for it if that were the case.

Like Res said, it's a matter of consistency for women's ambitions or talents ending at marriage. I wouldn't raise an eyebrow if one man or one women decided that they want a new path in life. But when it's always one gender, you have a pattern. Mathilda is perhaps the most egregious case before her primary trait and the reason why Clive fell in love with her is that she's a war goddess. She, more than any woman (or man for that matter) would be most likely to stay in the military.

Edit: This isn't even a "Well, it's an old game" problem. Women in paired endings often get the short end of the stick, with their husband determining how their life goes.

Edited July 18, 2017 by NekoKnight

[RedRob]

1 hour ago, NekoKnight said:

Whatever rules that might apply to modern militaries (or just FMA?) probably aren't the same for the medieval society Fire Emblem takes place in. My guess is that "woman quits her job and becomes a housewife after getting married" is just an archaic Japanese cultural expectation.

Yeah, that seems to be the cultural expectation of Japan. The man is expected to take care of financial matters, while the wife quits her job to be a housewife and take care of her kids, or so I've heard. Wikipedia has more on it.

 

[CriticalMiss]

On 7/16/2017 at 7:26 AM, Thane said:

What with Alm saving all the women on his team aside from Faye (whom he "saved" in the prologue anyway)

This is a good point. It's worth pointing out that Alm saves none of the men he recruits on his team, except arguably Zeke (but even he wasn't trapped in jail and could leave any time he wanted, unlike Tatiana). 

[Interdimensional Observer]

I'm in agreement that Mathilda got shafted with her ending. The only cases in FE where we can for absolutely certain say a woman doesn't end up in the man's shadow is when the woman is ruling royalty and the man is not- MicaiahxSothe, ElinciaxGeoffrey. The rest in the GBA-Tellius era at least tend to leave ambiguity on this matter. KentxFiora suggests he may have been the submissive one actually, and LuciaXBastian seems pretty equal.

It's worth noting on the misogyny front that Leif the Brandless gets the unified Thracian throne and not Altena. I mean I get why Julia didn't get Grannvale, but Altena should have received a proper royal education.

The endurance of old stereotypes, it's a just little incredible they endure despite our frequent efforts to break them.