Can you be gay in Fire Emblem: Three Hopes?
This ‘Can you be gay in Fire Emblem: Three Hopes’ guide is still in progress as we continue through the game. Currently we are going on what we’ve learned through previews/reviews.
The latest Fire Emblem game already had a fanbase ready and willing to jump right in thanks to the popularity of Fire Emblem: Three Houses, but does it answer our number one question? Ahem, can you be gay in Fire Emblem: Three Hopes?
As gay fans of the Fire Emblem series will know, LGBTQ+ representation in this series has often been hit or miss, particularly for gay men. Three Houses was fairly kind to queer women to a certain extent, but unfortunately left gay men with literal crumbs, some of which they had to pay to be even included in the first place. Overall, it wasn’t a great look and the lack of inclusion still remains one of the game’s biggest criticisms.
It’s with this context and history in mind that we answer the question of whether you can be gay in Fire Emblem: Three Hopes or not with an extremely hesitant ‘kind of, but not really.’
Let us explain. As we expected – and as proven by the original Fire Emblem: Warriors – the marriage system that has had characters pairing up with one another is not present at all in Three Hopes. This means that, despite protagonist Shez being an absolute snack no doubt, nobody is going to be going out of their way to ask for your hand in marriage. Sorry Shez fans, Byleth is certainly winning in the marriage candidate department.
As far as Shez is concerned, the highest support rank you can gain with your fellow companions is A – meaning that there’s no S rank at all. Unfortunately, if you were looking for anything even outside of marriage (like a smooch or two), nobody seems to be interested in you like that. At least Sorry!
But all is not lost! While there’s no marriage available in this game, Washington Post’s Shannon Liao mentions in her review of the game that you are able to go on dates, and some characters will even flirt with you. This is a different setting from how Byleth and co were regulated to just spending tea time together and meals outside of their support. In Three Hopes, you’re able to do much more, whether that be cleaning out the horse stalls together (romantic and smelly?) or just having a chat around camp. The possibilities are endless!
There is also a special item that is unique only to Shez, which you can give to a character (and only one character, so make your decision wisely) in order to unlock their Unique Action Ability. This item is called the Merc Whistle, and whoever you give it to ends up having a moment with Shez later on. We are not privy to say what sort of moment that is, solely because there are a variety of different people you can give the item to.
Fire Emblem: Three Hopes may not let you be as openly gay as Three Houses, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any moments of romance or flirtation. Still, if you were expecting this game to make up for the sins of barely including gay romance in the original game, you’re going to be disappointed.
About The Author
