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Would you like to see an older character as the protagonist?


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Assuming there is no Character Creation (Or assuming that CC doesn't let you choose an older build), would you like to see a character who is older in age compared to previous lords?

Based off all the FE games I've played, it seems that the Protagonist tends to be under the age of what, eighteen? Twenty? I've felt like it's odd that we've never really had an older protagonist before, so I'm curious on people's thoughts about this or if people even care in the first place.

So, would you like to see a protagonist who's say, twenty-five, maybe even thirty-five, or perhaps... SEVENTY-FIVE? Okay, maybe not that high, but still. Feel free to mention ideas for them as well. (i.e. backstory, usable weapons, class, etc. etc.)

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I'd like to see an older character as a protagonist, and maybe even expect more maturity from them.

The only problem I can see with this is that players won't be able to relate them to much compared with younger protagonists. Well, only if we're  assuming that the majority of FE players are teens rather than adults, that is (majority are teens, right? right.).

If we were to get an older lord, we can kind of have a story in which said lord is ruler/king/queen of their country. That way, all their decisions effect their country, and we can possibly have a mechanic in which the people of the lord's country either find him a great leader, or the worst leader, they've ever had, depending on the ruler's actions. That way, it would also effect the ending of the ruler (e.g. if he was an unpopular ruler, he would be later on assassinated or had to face rebellions from his own people)

Edited by Flee Fleet!
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1 minute ago, Flee Fleet! said:

I'd like to see an older character as a protagonist, and maybe even expect more maturity from them.

The only problem I can see with this is that players won't be able to relate them to much compared with younger protagonists. Well, only if we're  assuming that the majority of FE players are teens rather than adults, that is (majority are teens, right? right.).

 

I'm not sure of FE demographics but as a general rule, as 80s and 90s kids grow older, the average age of a gamer is getting older. It probably depends on what communities you hang out on - I'm mostly surrounded by FE fans in their late 20s and 30s in other groups.

I'd like an older protagonist, wouldn't have to be too much older, but a non-teen would be nice.

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Even though I like younger characters, an older protagonist gives opportunities for new plot structures, so I wouldn't mind much.  The oldest we have currently is Sigurd, who's in his early to mid-twenties, so yeah.

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While I'd personally prefer a good solo female lead first, a less youthful character (male or female) would be interesting. Given the character would be a matured, wiser adult instead of a late teen still trying to mature, it'd make for an intriguing and fresh relationship between the plot and the main character. Only thing is how the execution will come down.

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34 minutes ago, Flee Fleet! said:

Well, only if we're  assuming that the majority of FE players are teens rather than adults, that is (majority are teens, right? right.).

Didn't Nintendo at one point say that most people playing Fire Emblem, though of course not all, were in their 20's and 30's? I believe it was at the same time they said Fire Emblem was a high priority series for them now, and that it earned them a lot of money.

Onto the topic, I most certainly wouldn't mind seeing someone older than Chrom and Sigurd. If we're going with the standard royalty, why not have them be queen/king, as opposed to a prince or princess? Fire Emblem has a lot of territory left to expand upon due to often following a very rigid structure. One of the things I really appreciated in Echoes was the diversity of ages in the cast.

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40 minutes ago, Thane said:

If we're going with the standard royalty, why not have them be queen/king, as opposed to a prince or princess?

So far we have seen Queen Elincia as far that goes, though you're introduced to her as princess in an earlier game first, and she's only main lord for a little while. But yeah, I totally agree it would definitely open up new story (or even gameplay) opportunities with a monarch as the protagonist.

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I wouldn't mind seeing a protagonist in their 20s or 30s.  It would help differentiate them a but, since many of the protagonists are a bit same-y.  I'd like to think that teenagers can still relate to a 30 year old in some degree.

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Just now, Rezzy said:

I wouldn't mind seeing a protagonist in their 20s or 30s.  It would help differentiate them a but, since many of the protagonists are a bit same-y.  I'd like to think that teenagers can still relate to a 30 year old in some degree.

Wasn't Chrom around 20 and after 22 after the 2 years time skip or did I skipped something by accident?

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Sigurd is the oldest. I believe 23 at the prologue of FE4, and 26 at Chapter 5, potentially minus one since we only know the year in Judgral's chapters.

And yeah, I liked the older option for Robin in Awakening, even if his ugly, weathered face stood out against most of the cast save for Gregor. I also like the Jagen archetype specifically because they'll be older than the protagonist and serve as a veteran mentor. I would probably be against old protagonists if they's including romance and shipping mechanics with all your opposite gendered units. Because one of those is either a lolita mage or a manakete girl and I'm not okay with that.

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4 minutes ago, Nym said:

Wasn't Chrom around 20 and after 22 after the 2 years time skip or did I skipped something by accident?

I'm fairly sure Chrom is 19 before the time skip and 21 afterwards. Funnily, that's enough to make him the second oldest lord in the series.

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Yes, an older character would be really nice to see.  I'd be interested in seeing a battle-hardened protagonist who knows the evils of war, may have committed them, and so on and so forth.  A naive protagonist is an old concept that only works for a few games.

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12 minutes ago, MediocreLee said:

 A naive protagonist is an old concept that only works for a few games.

If I were to guess, naïve characters are easy to expand upon, and their inexperience makes it easier and more sensical for others to explain what's going on, which is helpful for the player. I've also heard that the Japanese love their coming of age stories.

Of course, I agree with you, and I think this has been done to death. Not only that, but in some cases it doesn't even make sense, like with Corrin. Corrin, while sheltered most of their life, is implied to have spent a lot of time reading and having book discussions with his retainers back at the Northern Fortress, and I doubt he read nothing but fiction, especially with both Xander and Leo visiting frequently. The protagonist monologues in Echoes were a fantastic addition that rooted Alm and Celica in Valentia, and I hope that comes back in some capacity.

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8 minutes ago, Thane said:

If I were to guess, naïve characters are easy to expand upon, and their inexperience makes it easier and more sensical for others to explain what's going on, which is helpful for the player. I've also heard that the Japanese love their coming of age stories.

Of course, I agree with you, and I think this has been done to death. Not only that, but in some cases it doesn't even make sense, like with Corrin. Corrin, while sheltered most of their life, is implied to have spent a lot of time reading and having book discussions with his retainers back at the Northern Fortress, and I doubt he read nothing but fiction, especially with both Xander and Leo visiting frequently. The protagonist monologues in Echoes were a fantastic addition that rooted Alm and Celica in Valentia, and I hope that comes back in some capacity.

You're definitely correct with Japanese developers loving their coming of age stories.  It's pretty much everywhere when it comes to Japanese media.  It's sad, considering that even experienced characters can have a coming of age storyline.  I'm pretty sure it's as you say, naive characters are easier to expand and write about.

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56 minutes ago, Thane said:

I'm fairly sure Chrom is 19 before the time skip and 21 afterwards. Funnily, that's enough to make him the second oldest lord in the series.

Isn't Micaiah like 27 or something?

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I think a lot of people wouldn't mind seeing a character that's slightly older.

I'd definitely prefer getting someone in their 20's or 30's over the typical teenager, partially because I can't really stand teenagers anymore and partly because it'd be a fairly new area for them to explore.  I also tire of the same shonen anime protagonists we get, and age definitely has a lot to due with them being made that way.

I also would be interested in seeing a protagonist older than that simply because it's not something you often see.  Oldest I ever really see is people in their 30's or sometimes early 40's going through a mid-life crisis or something (typically in some cheesy comedy movie).  I know the reasoning why most writers typically wouldn't have an elderly protagonist, but I'd still be interested to see it.

Though I'm also of the kind who just wants them to go outside the restrictive area they put themselves in, wanting them to do a female protagonist who's actually capable and doesn't cater to a sexist trope or to have more protagonists who aren't lords.

29 minutes ago, Gustavos said:

I would probably be against old protagonists if they's including romance and shipping mechanics with all your opposite gendered units. Because one of those is either a lolita mage or a manakete girl and I'm not okay with that.

Okay, that's some "new ground" I'd mind them not touching upon.  Though it being Japan, "new ground" is a very loose term to be using in this regard.

34 minutes ago, Rezzy said:

I'd like to think that teenagers can still relate to a 30 year old in some degree.

Heh...  I remember as a confused teenager I both envied adults for the "freedom" they had from school and thought none of them understood me or went through the stuff I did.  I guess for the latter part, it actually is partially true because Gen X and the Baby Boomers didn't have stuff like anime (at least as we know it today) or video games.

I suppose it'd depend on what specific year of my teenage life we're talking.  After 16, I'd be into any age, but it'd have to be a woman to really grab my attention because I was really into certain activists.  Before that, I was only into characters close to my age, which was evident by me writing sci-fi stories about teens fighting in future wars.  Because a couple hundred years from now, we'll definitely see the United States enlisting children for solo sneaking missions against psychotic nuclear terrorists in arctic regions.  Also, I totally was not inspired by Metal Gear Solid while writing that stuff.

Just now, Thane said:

I blame the lack of blue hair.

Just another way to break the mold; get rid of the blue hair.  That is, unless we'll be getting a FE featuring Oboro or best Whitewing as the protagonist.

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1 minute ago, Ertrick36 said:

Just another way to break the mold; get rid of the blue hair.  That is, unless we'll be getting a FE featuring Oboro or best Whitewing as the protagonist.

I see you are a man of culture as well.

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In twenties, yeah I'd be fine with. I like older characters to be characters that have had a previous game. Twenty is a good age though. I can't ever gauge how old the characters ever are though. Isn't Roy like 12? I would guess Chrom is like 18.

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The median age of lords in the franchise is 17. I'd be all for a lord that pitches a few years (say early 20s); one who's already had some experience and development, but still has a ways to go and new trials to face.

1 minute ago, SSbardock84 said:

In twenties, yeah I'd be fine with. I like older characters to be characters that have had a previous game. Twenty is a good age though. I can't ever gauge how old the characters ever are though. Isn't Roy like 12? I would guess Chrom is like 18.

I believe Roy's 16 and Chrom's 19/21 (before/after the chapter 12 timeskip).
While we're at it Ike is 20 in RD and both Alm and Celica got their ages increased by a year from 16 to 17 in SoV.

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I would love a main lord who is in their late 20s or early 30s if they have to have a younger lord as well do it so that the younger one is just a strategist like Soren is to Ike.

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14 minutes ago, The DanMan said:

I believe Roy's 16 

15 actually. Marth may even be younger in the prologue chapters of Shadow Dragon, as they don't specify how many "years went by" before Chapter 1, where he is 16. If it's at least two, then Marth is the youngest protagonist, if only for a few playable chapters, otherwise it's Roy.

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6 minutes ago, Gustavos said:

15 actually. Marth may even be younger in the prologue chapters of Shadow Dragon, as they don't specify how many "years went by" before Chapter 1, where he is 16. If it's at least two, then Marth is the youngest protagonist, if only for a few playable chapters, otherwise it's Roy.

Leif is also 15. But yes, if Prologue Marth is 14 the way he was for the fall of Altea in FE3, then he'd be the youngest.

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1 hour ago, Gustavos said:

I would probably be against old protagonists if they's including romance and shipping mechanics with all your opposite gendered units. Because one of those is either a lolita mage or a manakete girl and I'm not okay with that.

By lolita mage do you mean Ricken?

I guess it depends on how they handle romance? I mean, I'd be interested to see how that turns out lol. I suppose worst case scenario you can always pretend those ships don't exist haha. Regardless, romancing has never really interested me all that much in Fire Emblem so whatever they'd do I likely wouldn't care all that much but I can see how others could be bothered by it if they do have young characters romance-able.

Or they could just not cash in on lolita fetishes/limit the characters that can be romanced.

30 minutes ago, Ronnie said:

I want a badass protagonist with a gruffy voice, beard, and long hair who's in his late 30s.

o h m y

58 minutes ago, Rezzy said:

Isn't Micaiah like 27 or something?

Wow, she doesn't look it. I mean, I played RD but I don't remember the ages of characters so this surprises me lol.

3 hours ago, Flee Fleet! said:

If we were to get an older lord, we can kind of have a story in which said lord is ruler/king/queen of their country. That way, all their decisions effect their country, and we can possibly have a mechanic in which the people of the lord's country either find him a great leader, or the worst leader, they've ever had, depending on the ruler's actions. That way, it would also effect the ending of the ruler (e.g. if he was an unpopular ruler, he would be later on assassinated or had to face rebellions from his own people)

That's a pretty cool concept. I'd be interested to see how something like that would be executed.

2 hours ago, Rezzy said:

I'd like to think that teenagers can still relate to a 30 year old in some degree.

Definitely. For me, age isn't really a barrier when it comes to being able to relate with someone (fictional or otherwise), but rather experiences, their personality and that of the like. As long as the writing is good, I don't feel like anybody would have a problem with this.

1 hour ago, MediocreLee said:

It's sad, considering that even experienced characters can have a coming of age storyline

Agreed. I'd say that anybody can expand as a character or person, It's not like everyone comes with a pool of infinite knowledge or wisdom as they grow older or something. It's all based on prior experience, which should be something very feasible to incorporate into a written character.

1 hour ago, Ertrick36 said:

Just another way to break the mold; get rid of the blue hair.  That is, unless we'll be getting a FE featuring Oboro or best Whitewing as the protagonist.

*gasp* How dare you suggest getting rid of the most natural hair color from the Fire Emblem franchise that for some reason almost every lord has?

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