Oooooh, this is a fun question.
FE5: Hicks
When I first played Thracia 776 and recruited him, I was originally going to bench him immediately when I first could. His stats are mediocre and his growths even more so, and he doesn’t have any skills to separate himself from the plethora of cavalier boys frolicking around the Thracian Peninsula… But by Odin’s Beard, did he turn out to be an excellent wild card.
His first level up turned out to be a 5 pointer, and it’d be one thing if that was a one and done deal… But it wasn’t. He consistently got superb level ups… including multiple Movement level ups, with a 1% growth in that stat… Suffice it to say, I’ll always have a soft spot for the little nobody that could, even if I know I’ll never get a Hicks that good again.
FE7: Dorcas
I’d be lying if I said this choice wasn’t at all because of the infamous FE7 ad, because it totally is. It’s a dumb choice, but there’s just something so satisfyingly hilarious about chopping down enemies with the “haha mutton man go poison in his mutton” guy. Also I unironically really like his character, so there’s that.
FE9: Mia
Honestly, I love Swordmasters and I like her design. That’s literally about it. Nothing more than that. I’d also consider Stefan, but he’s actually pretty decent so I won’t count him here.
FE12: Dice & Malice
During an Ironman of Maniac mode, I had just lost my Barst and Navarre in the 3 maps prior, and suffice to say, I was in a bit of a pickle in terms of replacements… But then these 2 showed up out of nowhere and filled that niche. They weren’t amazing all things considered, Malice ended up dying pretty soon after, but Dice is true to his name, as rolling said Dice and making him a Berserker and giving him a Killer Axe gives me such a rush of adrenaline! Slice & Dice baby, Slice & Dice.
FE13: Virion
What can I say? I’m a sucker for this archetype of characters. His supports always made me laugh and yet despite that, I found him to be a pretty interesting character all things considered. Not the best mind you, but certainly above guys like Sain and Gatrie. Oh, and he can shoot down Wyverns too, I guess.
FE Conquest: Odin Dark
His power is overflowing, and with his aching blood, he overdoes it yet again, since despite being one of, if not the worst unit in all of Conquest… I can’t help but love his bombastically insane attitude and charisma. And especially in a game with so many absolute powerhouses, you need an… ill equipped, oddball like Odin to change things up. Alas, to give time for others, Odin Dark… falls… Eh, his darkness was darker than the others anyways.
FE Birthright: Subaki & Hinata
Let me just get it out of the way that I don’t give a rat’s ass for their personalities, they’re bland and uninteresting. What is interesting though, is how… weird, their stat distributions are, and that’s what I love so much about them. I’m a sucker for slow and tanky units, and I’m also a sucker for weird oddball units… So to find that both of these 2 are slow and tanky, in classes that are supposed to be anything but that, it’s just a combination I love to bits. Inefficient they may be, I’ll always save a slot for at least 1 of these 2.
FE15: Clive
I’m honestly not even sure if Clive is bad, I personally feel he’s a sleeper hit in the Deliverance’s forces, but most people just say he’s a worse Mathilda so I guess I’ll go with that?
Clive’s character is something I adore, as it has all the qualities I look for in a character. There are so many layers covering him that make him inexplicably human to me. I can’t possibly describe it in words what makes him so great to me, so instead I’ll leave a link to Clive & Pythons DLC support conversation; it’s honestly one of the best supports in the game, maybe even the entire franchise (probably highballing). It does a great job displaying his values, while also not ignoring the privilege he has as a Noble, compared to Python’s status as a commoner. It’s all great stuff.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TdeUrkn_kk
Overall though, amazing character, and one I’m sad people don’t appreciate much, at least compared to others.
Edit: I can’t even believe that I said I’d link a video, despite not doing so… Damn I’m one hell of a dummy lol.
(FE9) - I consider Stefan mediocre due to a lack of 1-2 range options and being a footie. However, he does come with fantastic base stats, a very good sword and S rank swords. Also in the international release Swordmasters get their crit boost back.
