Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes can bring the Three Houses fandom together
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes was the standout of last night’s Nintendo Direct, mostly due to the raw power of the Fire Emblem: Three Houses community waking up from their 2-year sleep – absolutely ravenous for more Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude.
And honey, Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes definitely answered their call. Not only did the popular house leaders look 1000/10, but the chance for a brand new story set in the world of Fire Emblem: Three Houses was far too good of a concept to pass up – especially for a fandom that has latched onto this setting and its characters with a vice-like grip. There’s fanfiction, there’s a ton of Etsy creations, and don’t get us started on the number of zines that are Three Houses related…
The creativity of the Three Houses community cannot be overstated, but it comes with a darker side to it. Much like anything where team lines are drawn – either through the main text, or through subtext – volatile reactions depending on your allegiance to what house has often led to the Three Houses community to turn on one another. This isn’t anything new by any means, it’s quite common to throw your lot behind a certain character in fandoms, but considering Three Houses is a game that deals with fascism, xenophobia, racism, and so much more, there’s a lot to unpack for a lot of fans.
But with so much tension between the community, it only further excites me to speculate on the potential of Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes and the possibility of a path that some of the community has been hoping for. I am of course talking about the golden route – a path where all three leaders come together to fight against the one true enemy – Those Who Slither in the Dark, a dark organization who is behind most of the dreadful things that happen in Three Houses.
A golden route has been talked about before by the community, with many fans highlighting the pros and cons of such a route, and whether it’d even be possible considering how headstrong Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude are in their beliefs, as well as the forces working against them all. For some fans, the idea of all three working together in Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes would negate the incredible storytelling of Three Houses completely, all whilst reducing the three leaders to glorified caricatures of their former selves.
I’ll be honest: I can see why fans would feel that way. Your relationship with the three house leaders are monumental to the story of Three Houses and Byleth’s absence or presence can make or break Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude depending on your choices. For example, an Edelgard with Byleth supporting her is much more forgiving and merciful, a Dimitri with Byleth slowly comes around to acknowledging and controlling his inner demons, etc.
However, a golden route doesn’t necessarily mean that everything will be completely different. From what little we were shown of the new game’s trailer, it seems that there will be some sort of time skip. I believe this because we were shown Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude in their Garreg Mach outfits, and I did see Edelgard fighting Judith in her new outfit. However, the main difference seems to be that this could potentially take place in a future where Byleth didn’t disappear for 2 years before. This is just speculation on my part, but the potential of all three house leaders coming together is something that could fundamentally change not just the relationship between the three of them, but our own understanding of what a timeline could look like where the three of them work together.
Ultimately, it speaks to something I always love in video games: a hope for a better future, where people put aside their differences and fight together for something they believe in. It’s why I was drawn to all of the three house leaders when Three Houses first launched, and it’s why I’m so excited to join them on yet another adventure. Hack and slack, turn-based strategy… It matters very little to me. I’m ready to try new things to hold the hands of my favourite war criminals.
And you know what? I think fandom will be hyped to see a new side of Three Houses too – because if there’s one thing that brings people together: it’s something new in a world that’s as well-loved as the latest Fire Emblem.
…I’m also just gay for Edelgard and want to spend more time with her as Byleth. But hey, I never said I was perfect.
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes will launch on the Nintendo Switch on June 24th, 2022.
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