I’m sure this has been done before, but I couldn’t find a recent / popular thread, and characterization is what I love most of the early gba. This mostly includes supports, but also battle lines and such. Mine has to be, and yes it is also in my bio;
"I got nothing against heaven, but I’m right here if you want someone to thank…” -Joshua to Natasha in his recruitment conversation.
That line made me love the character, which is funny, because up to that point I thought he was going to be an annoying playboy character that is used to death already in FE. Instead we got the charming, ever so damn awkward, talented-go-lucky prince of the dunes.
Bonus favorite line of Joshua’s;
"Listen Caellach… I’ve got to kill you now. Don’t hold it against me.” I physically moved in my chair when that came up. His previous lines with Carlyle were already good, but damn that was great to see him mentally give Caellach a wallop before doing it physically. Damn, this turned into a character rant of Joshua’s. Oh well.
not GBA but Reina is easily one of my favorite characters in the series and the single worst aspect of Fates is that she only had 1 support, although her supports with corrin do go into her backstory very well and flesh her out, she’s not the Peri clone that everyone claims, she’s a genuinely warm and nurturing character that enjoys the thrill of battle in part due to her parents wanting her to be a maid but instead of becoming one when being sent to the hoshidan capital she discovered her talent in combat.
“One of my favorite pastimes was watching the soldiers practice. Sometimes when my parents were busy, I’d get them to let me come with them. It wasn’t long until I was slaying Faceless with the best of them. I loved it.”
“They’ve refused to talk to or see me ever since. However, I still have a tremendous amount of gratitude for everything they did for me. Which is why I still use this apron whenever I perform my more domestic duties.”
“I do not hold it against them myself. I even still send them money every month, to show I still appreciate all they’ve done. They raised me, after all, and I’d never have served at the castle if it weren’t for them.”
Not once does Reina go into any tangents about the thrill of murdering or anything like that, that part of her is only occasionally brought up, she’s not bloodthirsty like Peri, she simply enjoys the thrill of batle
It’s also important that an archetype some people associate with her, that being the old man/woman character is almost completely invalid, the fact that she’s old doesn’t ever come up in her supports with Corrin, much different from, let’s say Gunter.
It’s funny 'cause Joshua vs Caellach quotes are also amongst my favorite quotes, when I was kid I loved the epicness of this fight and the differences of tone between the two route is also a nice touch (since in Ephraim one Joshua doesn’t know of his mother’s murder).
But then, my second favorite quotes are in the same level, when Cormag face Valter:
On Eirika road: I’ve dreamt of revenge, chased it for days… And now, it’s here before me! Oh, Valter… Your death will be slow and agonizing.
On Ephraim road: Yes, I have broken my vows, Valter. And yes, it may be I who falls when we tilt lances… But a dog like you will never see me crawl.
That was quite epic for me when I was a kid, and still have some goosebumps seeing the scene (same goes with joshua against caellach), and a nice conclusion to the hatred between Cormag and Valter.
Their support is a goddamn close 2nd or 3rd for me, from C - A I laughed, nearly to tears. Her going on about him being embarrassed about being alone, him thinking she means ‘alone’ in a different way, and then the awkward ending of “Oh, uh, yeah for holiness and god or whatever.”
