Edelgard von Hresvelg

Edelgard von Hresvelg
Fire Emblem character
Edelgard as depicted in Fire Emblem Heroes
First Episode Appearance	Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Final Episode Appearance	Fire Emblem Heroes
Character played by	English Tara Platt Japanese Ai Kakuma
In-universe information
Aliases	Lady Edelgard, Emperor Edelgard, Flame Emperor, Hegemon Edelgard
Nicknames	El, Edie, Edel, Eddy
Occupation	Student, emperor
Weapon	Swords, axes
Family	Ionius von Hresvelg IX (father) Anselma von Arundel (mother) Volkhard von Arundel (uncle) 10 unnamed siblings
Origin	Adrestian Empire

Edelgard von Hresvelg is a fictional character in Fire Emblem: Three Houses, part of the Fire Emblem series of turn-based tactical RPGs. She is the leader of the Black Eagles, one of the student-populated houses of the Officers Academy within Garreg Mach monastery where the player spends the game, and the heir to the once-mighty Adrestian Empire. While she begins as the player's ally, a mid-game plot twist reveals her to be the Flame Emperor, and to have been attempting to overthrow the Church of Seiros and conquer the other nations, seeking a world in which Crests — family-inherited birth marks demonstrating noble blood and unique potential — hold no sway over social status. If the player is in Black Eagles and has met certain requirements beforehand, they are given the choice of joining her cause. If they refuse or joining her is not an option, she becomes one of the game's main antagonists.

Edelgard has been noted as one of the most popular characters in Three Houses, and praised by critics for her characterization, although aspects of her portrayal, such as her actions that kickstart the War phase of each route, have been criticized. Her story path, Crimson Flower, has also been praised and called realistic for its grey morality, though some have criticized its short length and rushed aspects compared to the other story paths.

Characteristics

Edelgard possesses long, white hair and lilac eyes. At a certain point, she is revealed to have been experimented on as a child to possess two "Crests", markings passed down through the bloodline that bestows magical powers upon the wielder, in an attempt to create a worthy heir. This turned her hair from brown to white and left her with lasting psychological trauma, which was worsened by the fact that she was the only survivor of ten siblings to be similarly experimented on. Despite already possessing the Minor Crest of Seiros, she was given the Crest of Flames (the "Fire Emblem") by force, drastically shortening her lifespan.

In battle, she has a particularly strong aptitude for swords, axes, heavy armor, and commanding units, while faring poorly with bows and light magic. She has a hidden talent with dark magic that can be brought out through classroom instruction.

Edelgard has a dignified and modest personality, and is rarely seen acting casually in public.

The character Hubert von Vestra is Edelgard's most dedicated and loyal retainer, and rarely leaves her side. Called a "towering, jealous henchman", he threatens to murder Byleth if they try to cause Edelgard harm.

Fictional biography

Edelgard was born in Imperial Year 1162 as the ninth child of the emperor of the Adrestian Empire. In her teenage years, a group of corrupt Adrestian nobles reduced her father to a powerless figurehead and cooperated with a secret cult known as "those who slither in the dark" to abduct her and her siblings. The royal children were subjected to inhumane experiments to implant them with two "Crests", tokens of draconic power that grant the bearer great supernatural power; Edelgard was the sole survivor and successful test subject, and swore revenge on both those who slither in the dark and the Church of Seiros, the latter of whom she blamed for her suffering due to promoting Crests as divine blessings and lending holy legitimacy to the experiments done to her and her loved ones. To defeat the Church and conquer Fódlan in order to promote societal reform, Edelgard entered a reluctant alliance with those who slither in the dark and created a secret persona called the Flame Emperor to conduct her operations against the Church.

During the game's events, Edelgard is rescued from a bandit attack by the player character Byleth. Byleth is made a teacher at the Officer's Academy where Edelgard studies; depending on the player's choices, Byleth can take charge of one of the three houses at the Academy, one of which is Edelgard's. As the Flame Emperor, Edelgard acts as the initial antagonist of the game's first half, and events come to a head when her duplicity is revealed in a direct infiltration of the Church and she assumes the Adrestian throne and declares open war on the Church. On the Silver Snow and Verdant Wind story routes, Edelgard becomes the game's secondary antagonist, and Byleth leads the player's forces to defeat the Empire and kill her. On the Azure Moon story route, Edelgard is the game's primary antagonist. She serves as Dimitri's narrative foil, and light is shed on her childhood friendship with him. At the game's end, Edelgard and Dimitri are unable to resolve their differences peacefully, and Dimitri is forced to kill her in battle. On the Crimson Flower story route, Byleth defects to her side. Edelgard launches a military campaign to defeat the Church, ultimately succeeding in the game's climax.

Appearances

Shortly after her appearance in Three Houses, Edelgard was also added to Fire Emblem Heroes as a New Hero. In February 2020, she received a legendary form in her timeskip attire. In August 2020, she received a Choose Your Legends form, dressing her in her emperor attire from Three Houses. In May 2021, she received a fallen form, reminiscent to her form as Hegemon Edelgard from the Azure Moon route in Three Houses.

Merchandise

In 2020, Good Smile Company released an Edelgard Figma.

Reception

Edelgard was noted as being the subject of a "fandom explosion", featuring fan art and cosplay, as well as being the most-deployed character in the game as ranked on its internal leaderboard. Patricia Hernandez of Polygon stated that "much of the fandom in Fire Emblem now revolves around shipping and romance, and it seems as if most people are falling for Edelgard." Over time, however, her ranking was noted to have been supplanted by the character Dorothea.

Daniel Friedman of Polygon stated that "the developers at Intelligent Systems have evidently been reading some George R.R. Martin along with their J.K. Rowling, as there’s an unmistakable Daenerys Targaryen vibe to Edelgard," calling her "intense, driven, and willing to pay any price or inflict any cost on others to achieve her goal."

XeeCee of Vice stated that "Edelgard is right about everything," and despite singling out her evil actions as the Flame Emperor, said that "when all was said and done [...] I was comfortable with my choices. For the first time in what feels like a long time, a video game had offered me the chance to play as a medieval revolutionary". Stating that "what makes this entry so different is its commitment to building out a world with believable politics", XeeCee stated that they "joined [Edelgard] immediately" when given the option to turn against the Church, calling her "the avatar of all the class resentments bubbling in Garreg Mach for the first half of the game" and saying that "considering the ills I’d seen throughout the game up to this point, her unmasking as the Flame Emperor wasn’t a heel turn, but a call to arms." Lucas White of Siliconera agreed with this, claiming that "supporting Edelgard is the most morally sound choice", and stating that "Edelgard pursues a complete, violent upheaval of everything, literally destroying the Church and reforming the Empire into something new". Despite saying that "Edelgard is no innocent in Three Houses‘ violent world. She schemes, assassinates, and betrays," he concludes that "her mission is the only one that holds Rhea and her secret society accountable for their actions."

The optional support and romance between Edelgard and Byleth, the main character, was called a "lovely, touching scene" by Todd Harper of Vice, but also criticized due to the fact that is "90% the same" no matter what gender Byleth is. Harper states that, with regards to female Byleth, "that queer reading that hit me right in the gut emotionally has absolutely, positively no impact whatsoever on the actual story of Three Houses."