Which Lord has the harshest backstory?

[Jingle Jangle]

Out of all of the lord in the series, which one do you think has a most difficult time growing up? For it's a three way ties between Lucina, Seliph and Leif. Living a life where there is little light in the world is quite difficult.

Edited March 26, 2018 by Jingle Jangle

[Anacybele]

Toss up between Ike and Lyn. Both watched their parents die terrible deaths. And Lyn saw her whole tribe die, and Ike saw his father kill his mother and a bunch of other people in a rampage. That's just freaking rough.

I guess Lucina would be up there too.

Edited March 26, 2018 by Anacybele

[Faellin]

Can't really get worse then Lucina, with her entire world being ravaged into an appocalyptic wasteland and such.

[Strullemia]

I'd say Lucina.

Seeing everyone you know and love die and the entire world get destroyed is pretty rough.

 

Edited March 26, 2018 by Hekselka

[Acacia Sgt]

I'll have to agree on Lucina.

It's hard to say that most lords have harsh backstories. Yes, they all have a tragic event or two happening, but don't forget that it's that against years and years of having a normal, even happy, life. So I can't say that one thing makes the whole thing harsh. So most lords can't even be runner-ups on this race.

[omegaxis1]

Oh no question, Lucina. Seriously, this girl lived through an actual hell. Her father was killed, her mother later died as well, and Lucina was burdened with being the inheritor of Falchion, with no one else known to be able to wield it (her sibling unknowingly could, and Owain never showed if he could as well). 

And this all happened when she was a child, and she wanted to help save it, but in the end, she failed. 

She didn't get all the Gemstones. She couldn't perform the Awakening. Instead, she had to resort to go back in time. 

The other people had suffered as well, but none ever comes near the pain that Lucina has gone through. Same for all the Awakening kids, but Lucina was the hardest because she was the only one known that could save the world, and she failed it. All the lives lost were wasted because they sacrificed themselves to save her. She feels that she wasted it. That she couldn't meet the expectations the world handed to her. Every other Lord ultimately succeeded in saving their world. 

Lucina didn't though. And that's another reason why I love her so much.

[HK Motendra]

13 minutes ago, Acacia Sgt said:

I'll have to agree on Lucina.

It's hard to say that most lords have harsh backstories. Yes, they all have a tragic event or two happening, but don't forget that it's that against years and years of having a normal, even happy, life. So I can't say that one thing makes the whole thing harsh. So most lords can't even be runner-ups on this race.

To be fair to Lyn, along with her parents and tribe being killed, she literally had to survive on her own since then. Sure, it wasn't a hellscape like Lucy is, but that's still a struggle within itself, though how much of one it is depends on how old she was when that happened.

Edited March 26, 2018 by Motendra

[Acacia Sgt]

Just now, Motendra said:

To be fair to Lyn, along with her parents and tribe being killed, she literally had to survive on her own since then. Sure, it wasn't a hellscape like Lucy is, but that's still a struggle within itself

True, but was it ever stated it really was a struggle to live on her own? Not to mention, when the game begins, it has only been six months. Perhaps if the time had been longer... but best I remember, there wasn't really an indication that Lyn was facing harships over living alone. Yes, she still had emotional issues over it, but in itself, she had no problems actually doing so.

[omegaxis1]

Though we can't rule out other lords either. I mean, Marth went through some hardships too. Like all of a sudden one day, he finds his castle invaded by Gra soldiers, and told to escape it. He goes out and finds out that his father was betrayed by Gra and killed. Then his sister reveals that she let herself get captured to give Marth to escape, and his mother is also taken as well. Marth had to still abandon them despite how much he wanted to save them. Then to elude the Grustian Knights, he had to have one of his comrades pose as him where he would inevitably get caught and likely killed. 

After finally going to refuge to Talys, he could only understand that he was nothing more than a craven that was powerless to do anything, and was instead forced to run away like a coward, abandoning his family and people. Two years he spent these days knowing that he lost everything.

And even after he finally made his move to reclaim his homeland, he got Altea back, but found out his sister was still taken by Gharnef and his mother was killed. But even then, Marth swallowed his pain and went to address his people so they could be assured that they were safe.

[Icelerate]

35 minutes ago, Anacybele said:

Toss up between Ike and Lyn. Both watched their parents die terrible deaths. And Lyn saw her whole tribe die, and Ike saw his father kill his mother and a bunch of other people in a rampage. That's just freaking rough.

I guess Lucina would be up there too.

TBF Ike got his memory wiped out so I'm not sure if that counts. 

[Anacybele]

Just now, Icelerate said:

TBF Ike got his memory wiped out so I'm not sure if that counts. 

He can regain those memories though, and they still happened regardless.

[Acacia Sgt]

I suppose it's just the way I see things.

For stuff like Marth's, I see it more like tragic than harsh. Or more like, I don't feel that bad things happening invalidate the good. With Marth, all that happened when he was 14. We don't really have a full indication of how his life was before the war began (I know the OVA has King Cornelius as a bad father to him, but, well, not exactly canon), but I would think he didn't really had a bad life until then. And then, in the years he spend in Talys, he likewise wasn't really struggling outside when reminiscing about Altea, or the worry about his mother and sister. Talys was isolated enough to be untouched by the war, he had a home, he had fellow Alteans with him, he had a growing relationship with Caeda, etc. Hence I think he would have more of a tragic backstory, but not harsh. He was fine for fourteen years, and mostly fine in the following three years.

But, again, that's how I see it.

[Slumber]

I voted Leif because that's his whole thing, but I don't consider Lucina a "true Lord" and I never bother to look for her. But her backstory is the worst.

Edited March 26, 2018 by Slumber

[Jotari]

Not counting Lucina, I'd give it to Lyn. She basically experienced a step down from Lucina in it was only everyone in her personal world that was eradicated, while Lucina had the actual world go to flames. Aside from those two, Celica had it pretty bad, with the whole assassination attempt at a really young age in which most of her siblings died, growing up as the secret child of basically the most hated man on the continent and then constantly being uprooted and moved from place to place unable to see the one person she still considered family (that would be Mycen, not Alm).

[Fabulously Olivier]

I had to give it to Lucina. Not only did she lose her parents, but she had to endure the bad ending in which all of her friends and family would die, with the entire world plunged into ruin. Bonus points if Robin is her husband or mother, which makes her iconic moment of choice so much more painful.

The closest runner up would probably be Seliph. Like many lords, he can claim a dead father. How many other lords can claim that their mother has been kidnapped, hypnotized, and raped to birth the chosen vessel of a dark god, however?

[redlight]

Easily Leif. Seliph is second. I don't think any of the other lords come even close. Marth barely makes it when you're comparing him to the Judgral lords. Your parents died when you were a toddler. You don't know whether or not your sister is alive (their parents were killed in front of his sister). The homeland of which your family governed was occupied by your father and mother's murderer and ravaged by the Loptyr religion. A lot of people who looked after you were killed because they aided you. Your foster father starved himself so that you would't starve with your foster sister. It seemed like hope had abandoned the child. Mind you, he was preteen when all of this happened. He only had a few friends who he parted with not long after meeting them. Just constantly fleeing from one place to another.

Here's the pic of starved Fin and the demise of Manster

Spoiler

 

Edited March 26, 2018 by silveraura25

[Lewyn]

Leif.  

Above poster explained it well.  His sister isn't considered a lord, but man her story is gut wrenching as well.  

 

[Mercakete]

Disclaimer: This is all based on who had the toughest time growing up. That means (for most of these guys) pre-story. Who had it the worst during the actual games' stories would be another matter entirely.

Hmm from what I can tell, yeah, Lucina's world was in the worst shape, but she was mostly sequestered away in the castle while the adults took care of things (until she was old enough to join the fight.) And even then, she still had a bunch of people on her side who she could rely on (including a bunch of soldiers/servants dedicated to protecting her.) It's not like she was exposed to all the horrors outside her whole life.

Now, Celica... She had it rough. Unlike Lucina, she had more or less no one she could really rely on for the entirety of her growing-up life, and was constantly hunted, whether on the move or in hiding. No peace of mind, even when surrounded by friends, and filled to the brim with fears and doubts (and it seriously effects her mentality as she gets older.)

I haven't played Fates, but from what bit I know, Corrin's backstory straight-up sucks. (As in, you really wouldn't want to deal with what (s)he had to.) (S)he still grew up as a fairly normal royal, though. It was primarily setting up for complications in the future.

These are the three (the last one having been my initial thought) are just a few of the ones I considered, and I'm not going to list them all, but they're definitely the ones I thought had it the worst of those listed. (Sothe's childhood sucked too, but I guess he doesn't count?) So, after all that, I think that Celica had it worst.

Bonus: I actually never played/watched FE5, so I can't speak to Leif at all. All I know of him is from what I saw in a let's play of FE4. After reading what silveraura25 said, though, I'd say Leif had it pretty gosh darn bad, and agree that he (arguable) had it the worst.

[redlight]

Oh. I forgot Celica. She's third. Above Marth, but below Seliph. Thanks @Mercakete

 

Edited March 26, 2018 by silveraura25

[Mercakete]

Happy to have been helpful, @silveraura25. :)

[Jotari]

I'd actually say Leif (and Seliph) didn't really have it that rough. I mean, it's certainly not a fun way to be raised, but for the most part, it was him and Finn just travelling the country from one safe haven to the next, trying constantly to be one step ahead of their enemies. He didn't actually lose anyone precious to him or be forced to fight until the start of the game. He even expressly talks about how he happy we was during the period where Finn and Evyle were his parents. I mean, there's still a hell of a lot of fear and it's nothing compared to the pampered lives of like Sigurd or Eirkia, but it's also nothing compared to Lucina/Lyn/Celica. Really, the one who suffers the most in the Leif backstory is Finn, as he's the one that has all the responsibilities laid on him and has to basically beg for protection from people who are putting their lives at risk just by talking to them, plus the worst parts of Leif's story are all when he's a toddler.

[Zapp Branniglenn]

Lucina has the most tragic backstory I think, but I never considered her a lord, even if that's the name of her class. At no point do you game over when Lucina dies, unlike Chrom and Robin whom I do consider the duo lords of that game. 

I'm sort of considering Celica. Mommy died soon after giving birth and her promiscuous father didn't care about her. Little brother Conrad died in the blaze as far as she knows. That's prominent since you'v got to imagine Lima had a ton of kids, none of whom were blood related. So when two of them, Celica and Conrad, actually do get along it's rare. But she also has a pretty big support group in Mycen and the villagers of Ram. I'm only counting events that happen before any playable, non prologue chapter, but she at least makes friends with Alm before she has to leave and make new friends at the priory.

I guess I'll vote Leif, even if I'm not up on my FE4 and 5 lore. Lyn is worth considering, but we don't get the full extent of her grief surrounding the death of her tribe and parents. We don't even know how long it's been before we meet her, all smiles, at the start of the game. Other lords probably got some tragedy, but they either spent the majority of their back story living like literal royalty or at least left with a loving family of some kind.

[Jotari]

3 minutes ago, Glennstavos said:

Lucina has the most tragic backstory I think, but I never considered her a lord, even if that's the name of her class. At no point do you game over when Lucina dies, unlike Chrom and Robin whom I do consider the duo lords of that game. 

I'm sort of considering Celica. Mommy died soon after giving birth and her promiscuous father didn't care about her. Little brother Conrad died in the blaze as far as she knows. That's prominent since you'v got to imagine Lima had a ton of kids, none of whom were blood related. So when two of them, Celica and Conrad, actually do get along it's rare. But she also has a pretty big support group in Mycen and the villagers of Ram. I'm only counting events that happen before any playable, non prologue chapter, but she at least makes friends with Alm before she has to leave and make new friends at the priory.

I guess I'll vote Leif, even if I'm not up on my FE4 and 5 lore. Lyn is worth considering, but we don't get the full extent of her grief surrounding the death of her tribe and parents. We don't even know how long it's been before we meet her, all smiles, at the start of the game. Other lords probably got some tragedy, but they either spent the majority of their back story living like literal royalty or at least left with a loving family of some kind.

I get the impression that all those smiles from Lyn at the start of the game is because she's desperately lonely. She latches onto the Tactician really quickly as a pillar of support.

[Light Strategist]

1 hour ago, omegaxis1 said:

Oh no question, Lucina. Seriously, this girl lived through an actual hell. Her father was killed, her mother later died as well, and Lucina was burdened with being the inheritor of Falchion, with no one else known to be able to wield it (her sibling unknowingly could, and Owain never showed if he could as well). 

And this all happened when she was a child, and she wanted to help save it, but in the end, she failed. 

She didn't get all the Gemstones. She couldn't perform the Awakening. Instead, she had to resort to go back in time. 

The other people had suffered as well, but none ever comes near the pain that Lucina has gone through. Same for all the Awakening kids, but Lucina was the hardest because she was the only one known that could save the world, and she failed it. All the lives lost were wasted because they sacrificed themselves to save her. She feels that she wasted it. That she couldn't meet the expectations the world handed to her. Every other Lord ultimately succeeded in saving their world. 

Lucina didn't though. And that's another reason why I love her so much.

Seconded.

Though, you forgot to mention the mental toll her leadership duties had to have taken on her. Having to keep a brave face to keep up morale. Sure, Inigo, Cynthia and Owain may have helped alleviate the stress a little but Lucina was the one person that everyone would've turned to for hope in that world of endless despair. Frankly, I'm amazed her face can even successfully contort into a smile at all.

[omegaxis1]

1 hour ago, silveraura25 said:

Easily Leif. Seliph is second. I don't think any of the other lords come even close. Marth barely makes it when you're comparing him to the Judgral lords. Your parents died when you were a toddler. You don't know whether or not your sister is alive (their parents were killed in front of his sister). The homeland of which your family governed was occupied by your father and mother's murderer and ravaged by the Loptyr religion. A lot of people who looked after you were killed because they aided you. Your foster father starved himself so that you would't starve with your foster sister. It seemed like hope had abandoned the child. Mind you, he was preteen when all of this happened. He only had a few friends who he parted with not long after meeting them. Just constantly fleeing from one place to another.

Here's the pic of starved Fin and the demise of Manster

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One flaw in your argument here is that both Seliph and Leif were actually rather too young to even understand what was happening, as @Jotari mentioned. So they didn't exactly have a rough time growing up per se. Though I guess in Marth's case, his harshest time was the 2 years before he finally made his move. 

Though I do admit that Leif and Seliph did develop rather well as characters. Shame that Leif, despite being the protag of FE5, is more of a sub-protag due to how Seliph is the overall hero of the continent.