Edelgard is a playable character and one of the main protagonists in Fire Emblem: Three Houses and Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes. She is the princess and the future emperor of the Adrestian Empire. She possesses a Minor Crest of Seiros. In the Officers Academy, she is the leader of the Black Eagles. Edelgard is seventeen at the start of the game and wields axes as her main weapon. Born in Imperial Year 1162, Edelgard is the ninth child and fourth daughter of Emperor Ionius IX, the princess and heir to the Adrestian Empire, and a student at the Officers Academy in Garreg Mach Monastery. She is also the house leader of the Black Eagles. In Imperial Year 1171, at the age of nine, she was taken by her uncle, Lord Volkhard von Arundel, to Fhirdiad in the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus during the Insurrection of the Seven. Volkhard was one of the key conspirators against Edelgard's father, and with his help, Duke Aegir stripped the emperor of much of his power. Unbeknownst to Volkhard or Edelgard, her mother had also escaped to Faerghus under the alias Patricia and married King Lambert. She later met and befriended Dimitri, the crown prince of Faerghus, though he did not learn that she was his step-sister until years afterward. The two spent much time together, with Edelgard teaching him how to dance. Edelgard returned to the Empire in 1174 with her uncle, never learning that her mother was Dimitri's step-mother. Before she departed, Dimitri gifted her a dagger, which she has held onto since despite forgetting how she obtained it. Edelgard's childhood afterward was much more traumatic. Upon her return to the Empire, she, alongside her siblings, were imprisoned under the Imperial palace and subjected to torturous blood reconstruction surgeries by Those Who Slither in the Dark, who were said to be backed by many of the corrupt Adrestian nobles. Though her father vehemently objected, his reduced influence meant that he could do nothing to stop them. As a result, most of her siblings were driven mad from the experiments or died from exhaustion. By the end of it all, only Edelgard was able to survive and retain her sanity, leaving her as the only successful subject (which was possible because of the previous experiments conducted on Lysithea). As a result, she bore a second Crest, the Crest of Flames, at the cost of her hair turning white. These events would forever color her view of Crests, the Church of Seiros, and the caste system of Fódlan. Edelgard never learned that her presence in Faerghus was used by Cornelia to manipulate Patricia and eventually cause the Tragedy of Duscur in Imperial Year 1176. In 1180, Edelgard arrived at Garreg Mach Monastery to complete her education and resolved to reclaim what her father had lost. Her admittance marked the first time in ages since a member of the Hresvelg family sent a member to the Officer's Academy. She would soon become the House Leader of the Black Eagles. Edelgard's personality and ambitions are a result of tragedies that painted her view of the world. The traumatic imprisonment of her siblings and herself due to the experiments of Those Who Slither in the Dark created her hatred of Crests. She also despises most nobility, especially the Adrestian Nobles, as they are partially responsible for the circumstances leading to said experiments, but also due to the fact that Crests are used as societal leverage by most nobles as a sign of their prestige. She even shows sympathy and pity to Miklan, whom she praises for becoming a leader despite being disowned, calling his death "a waste". One of her main goals is to dismantle the current nobility system and having the people earn their position by merit rather than birthright. Edelgard bears a large distrust of Rhea and the Church of Seiros. She is suspicious of them withholding knowledge about the past, as well as disapproving of the sacred role crests play in church teachings. During Crimson Flower, she tries to learn more about the church from Manuela but does not plan on ever becoming a devout follower by any means. Edelgard's distrust of the Church has been exploited by Those Who Slither in the Dark, who plan to make use of her as a weapon for their own ends. In Crimson Flower, Byleth sides with Edelgard, and supports her goals during the war. Edelgard admits in their support that she feared that she would have become "a harsh ruler with a heart of ice" if she had to walk her path alone. She also has several fleeting moments of peace and happiness as an ally during Crimson Flower, such as when she takes to drawing portraits of Byleth, which she is self-conscious about. In the same route, Dorothea notes that among the Black Eagles, Edelgard was the most emotionally affected by Byleth's disappearance. Edelgard's fondness for Byleth goes so far as to encourage Byleth to call her El, a nickname that only those closes to her - like her family - are allowed to use, and even let Byleth give her orders on the battlefield despite her dislike of not being in control. Besides that, Edelgard expresses fear and anxiety over the consequences of her actions, as she understands that she would be responsible for the deaths of countless lives. Dimitri's death in this route struck her to the point that she appears to cry, although she denies it. Edelgard holds herself with a dignified air, but is full of melancholy and solemn wistfulness. As heir of the Adrestian Empire, she is an exemplary student and a natural leader. She keeps a modest front, rarely cutting loose and maintains formality. Her colleagues express great surprise whenever she does relax. While she comes off as private in her own affairs, she knows the importance of her role as the leader of the Black Eagles and future heir to the Adrestian Empire, making effort to get to know her classmates. She is keenly aware of her allies quirks and has strong faith in them, though this does not prevent her from voicing her exasperation to some of them like Ferdinand's competitiveness with her and Bernadetta's overreactions. Edelgard is willing to make tough decisions due to her political role but acknowledges that she needs others to fill in the gaps that she cannot do alone. At her core, Edelgard is an inspiring leader ready to take on decisive actions and will follow through on them no matter how she may be perceived. Edelgard is a capable dancer, having taught Dimitri when they were children and the only house leader who is not embarrassed to be chosen for the White Heron Cup. During the war phase, she draws portraits in private. She admits that she is frustrated by her responsibilities to Byleth in their support and wishes that she could relax and gorge on sweets if given the chance. Though she tries to keep it a secret, Edelgard is deathly afraid of rats, as they remind her of a past she is uncomfortable with. She also fears the ocean since she cannot swim. She suffers from insomnia and nightmares, often wandering around outside after dark. She may have claustrophobia, and expresses a need to see the sky after one of her nightmares. Despite her private feelings about her past, she feels open to Byleth if they are her professor, admitting sensitive snippets of her past as early as their first important Support conversation. Despite Hubert's concerns of her openness towards their professor, Edelgard expresses an oddly strong belief in Byleth's importance. Edelgard's view of the world is mainly painted by the tragedies forced upon her and her siblings by the hand of the Adrestian nobility and Those Who Slither in the Dark, which resulted in the demise of her siblings and the decline of influence by her father. It is these horrid situations that lead to her utter disdain to the societal structure of all of Fódlan. Because the experiments involved Crests and witnessing the abuse of the Crests caste system by the nobility, Edelgard openly despises them, even her own, as she finds them to be the root of corruption in Fódlan. She also believes, to an extent correctly, that the Church of Seiros perpetuates this culture throughout all of Fódlan and by the War Phase, shows contempt for the Archbishop Rhea as the figurehead of these beliefs. Her disdain on top of the growing rebellions against the Central Church proves to be a rallying point for others who find discontent in the Church, further sowing doubt into the hearts of others and into her cause to reform all of Fódlan by force. Edelgard is not against the concept of pious faith and does not seek to remove religion as a whole. She seeks out Manuela in the Crimson Flower route to better understand it. Edelgard by no means would ever become pious and does not show worship in the gods despite her ancestor's alliance with Seiros herself. Fittingly, she has a subject weakness in Faith. By the time the player meets Edelgard for the first time, her plans are already in motion and has shown to be opportunistic and cunning, willing to use all at her disposal, even aligning with Those Who Slither in the Dark because their goals align with one another. However, she makes it clear that they are merely a means to an end and once she overthrows the Church, she would begin rooting out Those Who Slither in the Dark, a promise she begins undertaking in the Crimson Flower ending. Edelgard abhors needless death and actions if she can avoid it. She admits that her goals will inevitably end in bloodshed, but believes that such actions would actually save more lives after calculating the trade-off of other alternatives. She has bitterly sacrificed treasured allies and grieves their deaths, but pushes through regardless. She even is willing to push herself to extremes to accomplish her goals, even becoming a literal monster. Ultimately, Edelgard believes that the ends will justify the means, even if it means painting herself as a cruel, merciless conqueror. Unrelenting in her vision for the world, she would rather die than submit to forces greater to her own and pushes her own personal sentiments for her greater purpose. In the Azure Moon route, despite Dimitri's willingness to reconcile in the aftermath of their final battle, she still chose to attack him, leading to her demise. Inversely in the Crimson Flower route, she is ultimately the one to execute Dimitri, a decision she privately regrets and mourns, denying the supposed tears Byleth sees her shed. Nonetheless, she steels her self for her goals. Edelgard retains her humanity and truly believes that she will provide true peace through her vision and is both an inspiring figurehead to those seeking change to their lives. She is openly accepting to those who wish to fight for their own future and, as stated before, does not factor in one's status in her assessment of their overall value, believing that anyone can be worthy of greatness if they are willing to act for it. The incident involving Miklan, the disowned crestless eldest son of a Faerghus noble family, illustrated to her how much the caste system wastes perfectly capable individuals. She comments that despite being crestless, Miklan was able to become a rallying leader for his band of bandits and found his death to be an utter waste of such capabilities. At the end of her ambitions, Edelgard states that she does not wish to rule and in her endings, she abdicates her role to a worthy successor once she accomplishes her goals. Her endings in the Crimson Flower route indicates that years of further sacrifice and hardships does lead to the eventual reform of Fódlan. Once she does so, she quietly retires to a private life. She reflects privately on her happier childhood, even when in exile in Faerghus. Though she does not remember all of the details, she had a budding friendship with the young Dimitri as her mother, unbeknownst to her, became his stepmother. When news came to him that she was returning to Adrestia, the two were close enough for him to give her a parting gift; a dagger. Though she would forget the specifics of how she acquired it, she still retained it by the events of Three Houses and remembered vaguely that it was to remind her to "carve out her own ideals and face the numerous hardships she had to endure." If met at the Goddess Tower event, she admits that her first love was a Faerghus noble she cannot recall, implied to be Dimitri. However, she also comments that these feelings are in the past. Byleth immediately draws her attention upon their first meeting and like the other house leaders, believes that they will be important to the future of Fódlan. They are the only one she openly accepts her death against in the routes where they oppose her, even finding solace if they do. In the Crimson Flower route, Byleth becomes a central pillar to her as she admits to them by the War Phase that had they not instructed her, she feared she may have become "a harsh ruler with a heart of ice." She feels oddly open with them, sharing with them somewhat vague details of her dark history in their very first support conversation and by the second, shows them the implanted Crest of Flames. This also leads her to inviting them to her coronation. Their supposed death at the end of the Academy Phase deeply hurt her and, according to Dorothea, took their "death" the hardest, leading to a desperate search for them. Their reunion five years later was met with surprise, but ultimately could not help embracing her beloved professor once more and was elated to see them willing to help her ambitions come to fruition. She affectionately refers to them as "my teacher" in private and later permits them to call her "El", a nickname only reserved for her family. She had taken to painting portraits of Byleth in private and is highly embarrassed when they discover this. Edelgard is a slim young woman with pale skin, purple eyes, and long white (originally brown before she had two Crests) hair with ties to the side. She wears a red cape, the color of her house, on the side of her uniform, red tights that look like magma shield, and black-heel boots. the Hegemon Husk is a monstrous, grotesque form that Edelgard transforms into during the Azure Moon route. This form is a result of her harnessing the full power of her two Crests through an archaic method. The Hegemon Husk is essentially a symbolic representation of Edelgard's descent into monstrousness, driven by her desire to achieve her ideals, even at the cost of her own humanity. Edelgard’s Pokémon Party Yveltal (Dark/Flying) – Her Legendary Partner Represents Edelgard’s destructive, reformist ideals. Just as she seeks to tear down Fódlan’s systems to rebuild anew, Yveltal embodies death leading to rebirth. Hydreigon (Dark/Dragon) – Power and Ruthlessness A fearsome three-headed dragon, symbolizing Edelgard’s raw ambition and the heavy weight of leadership. It also mirrors her willingness to be feared for her goals. Bisharp (Dark/Steel) – Imperial Army / Authority Bisharp leads Pawniard just as Edelgard commands her army. Its Steel typing reflects discipline, structure, and her role as a heavily armored warrior-empress. Chandelure (Ghost/Fire) – Crest Experiments / Tragedy Symbolizes the dark experiments Edelgard endured as a child and the haunting cost of power. The fire side reflects her burning determination. Corviknight (Flying/Steel) – Adrestian Empire’s Might Stands for the strength, pride, and protection of her empire. It’s also Fódlan’s primary “knight-like” Pokémon—fitting her position as heir and ruler. Roserade (Grass/Poison) – Connection to the Black Eagles A nod to her house. Roserade is elegant but dangerous, embodying the Black Eagles’ mix of grace and lethality. The Poison typing reflects the cutthroat world of Fódlan’s politics. Yveltal's personality is primarily defined by its role as the embodiment of destruction and death in the Pokémon world. It is depicted as a destructive, single-minded, and dangerous Pokémon, often acting as a natural force of nature that causes destruction and natural disasters. While it is associated with death, it's not necessarily portrayed as evil, but rather as a necessary part of the natural cycle of life and death. Yveltal is a large, imposing Pokémon with avian and draconic features. It is primarily red and black, with a black body and wings, and a bright red underside of its wings and body. Its head, neck, and the inner surfaces of its wings are red, while the outer surfaces of its wings and tail are black. It has a pointed, beak-like snout, bright blue eyes, and black horns that curve forward over its eyes. A feathery, gray ruff encircles its neck. Its wings and tail end in sharp, black claws. It also has small, bird-like legs with gray talons. When Yveltal is in flight, its wings and tail straighten, forming a large "Y" shape. Edelgard & Deino (Childhood) As a young girl in Enbarr, Edelgard was given a small Deino as a companion. At first, the tiny dragon was blind and easily frightened, bumping into walls and biting anything nearby in confusion. While others dismissed it as troublesome, Edelgard saw herself in its struggles—fragile, misunderstood, and kept in the dark by the adults around her. She patiently raised it, guiding it by voice and touch. Deino became her first true friend, offering comfort during her isolated childhood. Edelgard & Zweilous (Adolescence) By the time Edelgard was sent to the Kingdom of Faerghus for her education, Deino had evolved into Zweilous. The two heads constantly argued and fought over food, a reflection of Edelgard’s own inner conflict: the sheltered girl who longed for peace against the determined heir forced into a brutal path. Training with Zweilous strengthened her resolve—if her partner could channel its chaos into raw power, then she too could mold her fractured self into a leader. Even in its quarrelsome nature, Zweilous was loyal to her voice alone, grounding her when she felt torn apart by fate. Edelgard & Hydreigon (Adulthood) When Edelgard finally accepted her role as Emperor, Zweilous evolved into the mighty Hydreigon. No longer a confused, struggling creature, it had become a terrifying force of destruction—feared by allies and enemies alike. To the world, Hydreigon represented Edelgard’s ruthless ambition and overwhelming might. To Edelgard, however, it was the embodiment of her lifelong journey: a partner who had grown through darkness alongside her, carrying the scars of hardship but emerging stronger. In battle, Hydreigon soars above her armies, a symbol of the unbreakable bond between a ruler and the one friend who never abandoned her. In this world, the heroes relics don't exist in fodlan and everyones fights with pokemon wether in war or friendly battles.