It literally hurt me when I saw him after the timeskip. I honestly felt like I failed him as a teacher. I wasn't there to guide him on the right path and he suffered because of it. BL route is by far the sadest😢
I went beyond teacher, I felt like he was my own damn child and I was his dad. (well in game I was his mom but yk) Needless to say I was crushed when I saw his distrusting, shattered state post-timeskip. I didn’t even recognize him immediately.
Ive only played 2 routes, azure moon and crimson flower, but the stark difference in my importance is incredible. In azure moon, I _saved_ Dimitri, from his own anguish. In crimson flower, I'm just kinda a good strategist
another big parallel w dimitri / byleth is the scene at the goddess tower. there, he tells byleth that the goddess just watches over the people of fodlan, but would never reach out her hand to help. after the timeskip, cutscene where you offer your hand to dimitri plays, but he doesn't take it. eventually after gronder field part 2 happens, he takes your hand, and comments on its warmth. this is some of the best symbolism and character development in the story imo.
Then to tie it all up in the final cutscene he himself reaches out his hand to El while standing in the light. Then when he almost turns back to face Edelgard Byleth takes his hand and walks him into the light.
You just opened my eyes In some way, is like he's telling that the goddess never help him but the truth is that she was at his side all the time trying to help him and in the support S, Dimitri said: "this hands that saved me countless times", at first I thought he was refering only to battles but now that I read your comment I can think he also was refering the times when Rodrigue dies and after Edelgard dead
In the manga Berserk, the main character Guts experienced so much trauma in his life he lost his sense of taste. He describes it as weird slime nourishment that brought him no joy. Either I’m too engrossed in what I read and play, or that’s a parallel meant to draw us into how broken and lost Dimitri is.(although I’m pretty sure Dimitri would have long snapped if he had to go through what Guts had to)
@@violetraven8323 It's a common symptom in those suffering serious depression IRL. Taste tends to come back when the haze lifts. Dimitri isn't the first, and sadly won't be the last.
@@violetraven8323 there are quite a few similarities between guts and dimitri. Even the same eye is injured. I don't know if it's intentional or not but I like it a lot nonetheless.l
I've to admit when I see Dimitri starts to crack pre-timeskip, then his ruthlessness post-timeskip and being pushed away constantly, it really hurts. But after he regains his sanity, seeing these soft scenes really make the pain worth it.
I wasn't prepared for this level of feels! The other routes are great, but the Blue Lions route really got me tearing up. Easily the best character arc.
I agree with you! At this time, I chose the Golden Deer, but I feel like... A missing. I miss the Blue Lion because their character are so adorable. And well developed
I started with Blue Lions and regret it, because I feel like its all gonna be downhill from here. Also because Dimitri is my favourite character in the game lol.
So do I. At the beginning, I started with Black Eagles, so Eldegard was my favorite but now I chose the Blue Lions route... Damn, Dimitri ! (And Felix too. He's funny (he's a Tsundere xD)).
I also love how Dimitri looks in the end of the game. Like, his personal class looks amazing. The colour scheme and everything just fits so well together. And of course he's an amazing unit lol.
I started with them, too. I cried so many times during impactful story moments. So far in the other routes, I haven’t had quite the same level of feeling that I had for my lion kids. In fact, the only time I have cried outside of that route is during Verdant Wind when we find out the final state of Dimitri. This guy is trapped in my heart, dang it.
i mean, i started with GD, and the only routes that ended up being ruined for me were the black eagles ones. although...that’s just edelgard’s fault because i really do not like her. i liked her LESS after i played her route, actually; before then, i was willing to acknowledge that the other routes may have biased me against her. i respect her goals, but not her way of achieving them. or her conviction in spite of literally everything that could go wrong (because there’s a damn lot-like, fódlan could still become corrupted even with her new government. nothing will ever be perfect) and you don’t even get to hear abt what does go wrong in her route because the ending is focused around her allies only. also, almost all of my responses to her triggered a decrease in support points, and not even on purpose, lol. i just really do not vibe with her.
@@lronlance6366 I agree, I had already finished GD and after going through BL I have to put him #1 But Claude definitely takes #2 and then a draw between Lysithia/Felix for #3
Edie and Claude were fun to hang with, but Dimitri and friends are definitely my favorite. Edie and Claude just weren't as interesting to me as Dimitri. Don't get me wrong I love em both, but neither of them made as proud to finish and watch the ending with as Dimitri did. Watching him go through what he did, and watching him make strides to become a better person and leave the shell he created around himself after 5 years of nothing but sorrow was amazing to watch. Such a wonderfully done character
Dude u kinda feel proud a lil bout urself especially in S support u basically think “i finally helped this person not hate himself and become a better person”. Then u realize how much he really needs u where each other ending (even if u don’t S support him) results in the mention of death. Like if he picks dedue having “both their graves lie next to each other when the time came” is not as happy as “and they continued together forever after”
@@kepai584 I'm planning to go back and replay the Lions so I can get the Byleth x Dimitri ending (I impulsively picked Sylvain) and to do a unit classing test (basically picking classes that the units arent necessarily supposed to become) to see just how free the classing really is Its gonna be wild and I get to finally see ending between the two
MysticKnight 14 It’s very interesting you say that, because I had almost the exact sane experience with Edelgard and the black Eagles. I don’t mind Dimitri and Claude, don’t get me wrong, but I just didn’t connect with them as much as I did Edelgard. I wonder how much of that is our first playthroughs?
I love how Byleth becomes more socially and emotionally involved with those around her as the story progresses. It shows that she has some development too and is allowing herself to feel and make connections.
I wouldn't say that, its more just Dimitri. His dynamic with Byleth is very wholesome, I concede, only problem is we didn't have a chance to officially adopt him. Probably an informal adoption considering just how small the age difference is lmfao. he felt like he was Byleth's son, and Byleth was helping her (I played f!Byleth) child get better despite not fully understanding his mental state, just knowing what he told her. Which is really sweet.
When I first started up this game I chose BL because I thought it would be my least favorite and that Dimitri would be a boring character. Good lord how wrong was I? Hes clearly best boi and this route tore my effing heart out. I love him so much!
PSC I had the same thing happen to me, but I got interested in Dimitri after seeing his time skip look revealed publicly And he turned out being the most interesting lord! And I love him
dude straight up tell you he wants be by your side till very end and will kill anyone if u ask him to pre timeskip and it was not even support conversation that how loyal he is to professor as loyal as dedue to dimitri
@@mythoughtsexactly2145 this is late, but people tend to pick the route they think would be the most boring first to get it out of the way and so they don't end the entire game on a bad note.
I stumbled in for the sake of good voice acting and was looking for a specific actor. Namely, Chris Hackney. Holy fuck. I did NOT expect Dimitri to be the only character in fiction to resonate with me.
The one thing Dimitri has going for over the other two lords that he qenuinely show love and concern to his classmates. He respects each and every one of them, and never seemed to care if they even insult him in a way. I guess the friendliness in White Clouds does got balanced out by his "feral" demeanor in Azure Moon.
Another aspect that I think sets Dimitri apart is his willingness to be open, honest and share with the rest of his team. Spoilers below: Pre time skip, Dimitri shares secrets with only Byleth at first. Such as how Edelgard is his step sister, and how Arundel is his step uncle. At first, he asks Byleth to keep this a secret from the others. But once he regains his sense of self post time skip, he does indeed share this fact with the rest of the team. And even better, he genuinely asks them for advice and listens to them. And their advice finally convinces him to meet with Edelgard pre battle of Enbarr, where he gave back the famous dagger in this scene. Contrast this with Edelgard, who never shares her secrets with the entire team: she only tells Byleth alone, and obviously Hubert already knew beforehand. For all CF is meant to be a route about Edelgard learning trust, she never actually trusts her team enough to be genuine around them. She even lies to them about the church, falsely claiming that the church was responsible for the javelins of light, even tho she and Hubert both knew it was from Arundel/TWISTED. Ditto for Claude as well. For all he demands to know the truth from Rhea, he never shares the majority of his own secrets with the team either. He tells Byleth about his mixed Almyran/Fodlan heritage. But he never flat out tells the team that he's a prince of Almyra. Sure, it should be seemingly obviously given that he has a bunch of reinforcements from Almyra. But that's not being open and honest, it's simply using deduction to figure out for yourself. So for all his route was also supposed to be about truth and trust, Claude never really openly trusted his team enough to be genuinely honest with them either.
@@l.n.3372 That's why I personally don't like edelgard. She actually lies to paint the church in a bad light and make herself look better to her own team. She just feels manipulative. Dimitri is my favourite lord bc he has so much character development and growth
@@Daydream_N I agree. But I feel the same way about Claude too, not only Edelgard. Claude and Edelgard warm up to Byleth alone, but they never share their biggest secrets with their house. Dimitri shares his secrets with his house, which is part of his atonement/redemption arc where he stops pushing people away from him. AM was truly a route built on character growth and trust, while VW and CF fail to truly be routes of growth and trust in that sense.
“I want to apologise. To all of you. I have led you down this path of dark with me, and have caused so much suffering along the way... I cannot tell you how sorry I am. I know that no amount of regret can ever bring back the lives we have lost. I.. I know that well. It is like patching up a tear with a different material. Things can never be the same. The best I can do is try to make things whole again. I wish to do the right thing from now on. That is why I have made a decision... I intend to take back the kingdom’s capital. I wish to save our people, those who I turned my back on for far too long. To follow my heart and do the right thing... that is the only way I can atone for my sins. I still hold hatred in my heart for Edelgard and the ones responsible for the tragedy... that I will carry with me till death. But my life is my own. It belongs to no one else, and it is high time I started living for what I believe in. I will no longer allow the voices of the dead to haunt me. That is something I must do... no, something I CHOOSE to do. I will accomplish my dream, even if it means risking my life to do so.” -Dimitri’s apology after he was finally able to overcome his demons and find the strength to come out of the dark , and finally save his own people was such an emotional scene.
I still dont regret picking BL first at all. At first I had very very low expectation on Dimitri since I thought he look bland compared to other leaders. But he immediately won me over by being a massive sweetheart. I love every supports with him and everybody. I really really love the voice acting for him,it feels so genuine. Can I say that his development is probably one of thr best thing about this route? How he finally overcome his rage and bitterness is just impressive... I'm doing GD,almost at the timeskip and while I do find the GD interesting,I don't feel that much attached to them,especially Claude...
so, how did that went? The Golden Deer become much more attached when you enter the timeskip, Claude gives such a beautiful speech to you before the final pre-skip battle, and the Golden Deer are just sweethearts.
@@frisolaxod3835 Many (like me) don't consider much the characters outside of the lords and Dedue/Hubert when judging the routes because they can still be recruited in your group. And I do absolutely love Petra and Hilda, just to say two of them, but I still prefer them in the BL route than in their own. Hell, Petra siding with the Kingdom just to stick it to the Empire and Hilda going out of her (lazy) way not out of duty but because she chooses you is arguably a better plot for them than their original ones.
Despite, subjectively, feeling more attached to Edelgard and the Black Eagles, I will admit Dimitri is the best character in the game; as his specific narrative is easily the most compelling.
i’m currently in my gd run and this makes me so fucking sad. i miss my blue lions kiddos and especially dimitri. though it’s a shame i can’t marry him or at least have a platonic s support with him. i feel like blue lions is definitely the best ending.
Although the ending in BL does not reveal much about your character or everything else. I love Dimitri even though I started out in Golden Deers; I just wish I could have recruited more people.
Funny. In a February 2019 Nintendo Direct, my first choice was Edelgard, and when they showcased tge otger two, I was like "Damn she's probably popular because she's a girl and Claude looked very appealing." So out of pity, I chose Dimitri. A month before e3 that year, I was still debating on who should I seriously choose. Dimitri admittedly at the time looks like a generic goody two shoes prince but I wanted a down to Earth story and he seems to be the most sane out of the three. During e3, I was hella shocked that he was revealed to be that insane. And as a person who loves major character development and I was very intrigued and locked my choice on him. And now...he's the only guy I ever feel gay for
I think your story is how a lot of people felt back then. Edelgard was the only female Lord and she was well designed, with no annoying fan service, and she was getting all of the attention in early trailers. People overwhelmingly found Claude to be attractive, and he was probably the second most popular this early on. By contrast, Dimitri was getting the least amount of attention, and people thought that his hair looked like spaghetti lol That E3 trailer really set the stage by showing the post time skip designs for all 3 Lords. All 3 designs were well received but Dimitri's drastic change in personality garnered a lot of new attention and interest. A bunch of people claimed that they wanted to see what had changed about Dimitri, and thus were planning to pick the Blue Lions on their first route. And then, once the game released, most people seem to agree that the Blue Lions/Azure Moon route is the best in the game, with Dimitri having the single best character arc in the entire game as well. It's a great testament to the character and how you shouldn't let first impressions completely phase you.
@@l.n.3372 I saw it online, there was a website about the game where you could see a few of the characters from each of the houses and hear voicelines. Annettes cake song was one of them
I wasn’t expecting to like this game as much as I did, and I’m glad I picked BL because the storyline is so rewarding and fulfilling. And I got to marry dimitri but that was my goal from the beginning and I wasn’t even aware that it could actually happen in game LOL The story line for BL’s characters are so well developed that when I finished the game I was genuinely sad that that was the end of it and I wouldn’t be playing them again. I tried starting a second run and it just didn’t feel the same. I’d probably just play as BL again tbh lol
I hang out with Claude because he's mentally stable. I hang out with Dimitri because he's precious and must be protected. I don't hang out with Edelgard because the other 2 routes I played first have made me despise her.
IMO, Black Eagles is the best house with the worst important character. I love just about everyone there... except Edlegard. If we could have Dimitri in the Black Eagles then it'd be the perfect group.
@@NEETKitten it's the opposite for me. I love Edelgarde but couldn't really care for the other students besides Hubert. If it were me though, I would side with the church over Edelgarde. I agree with Edelgarde's vision but just as Claude and Dimitri say, her path is too bloody and has so many unnecessary deaths and her actions directly support the goals of the actual villains which I cannot support.
@@tonyngo1885 I agree with Edlegard's ideals as well, but as you said the methods are too extreme and she actively helps the enemy. Not to mention the fact that she pretty much does nothing but manipulate you from the start. Now don't get me wrong, she's not a bad character, I just hate her.
I just got the game and I’m about 20 hours into golden deers. I just had to choose golden deers because I love Claude but I definitely appreciate Dimitri as a character and I have already decided I’m playing blue lions next and I know I’m gonna cry... a shit ton
Although Golden Deer is the best squad ever, Annette from the Blue Lions is my favorite girl, and the Blue Lions story was very captivating. Black Eagles... eh...
And when I first started the game I thought Dimitri was going to be Corrin 2.0.....BOY WAS I WRONG. Him and Edelgard are two of the best written lords in dw history. I just wanna give both of them a hug (more Dimitri as El did do unforgivable things but I still empathise with her). And Claude just brightens my day just looking at him
I wish RU-vid had a stronger option than just "like"! One of your videos showed up in my recommended list (probably bc I've been watching Blue Lions and Dimitri-related vids constantly of late), and there isn't a thing you've posted that I haven't loved! Keep it up!
Dimitri became my favorite character in all of fiction. He legitimately made me *cry* when I realized how much I cared about him after the Battle of Gronder Field.
For most of Part 1 whenever he spoke you can just tell the amount of respect he had for you as his professor. He gives off the ideal student vibes. I remember constantly telling myself that he’s a good kid during Part 1 so seeing what he became at the start of Part 2 was heartbreaking. Still reminded myself that the sweet, caring, and good natured kid you met in Part 1 was still in there and it was great having him come back to his normal self. It’s sad to think the only thing that prevents him from fully committing to becoming a psychotic monster is the teachings and care Byleth gives to him.
0:48 this hits SO much harder after the first playthrough because you know what will inevitably happen in part two. "reach for my hand, I'll soar away Into the dawn, I wish that I could stay In cherished halls, in peaceful days I fear the edge of dawn, knowing that time betrays" It's even in the main theme. I love this game.
i love this!!!! keep doing them ;;;;;; (also i subbed just for you and that good dimitri content which is a testament to how much i love dis good boi *chef kiss*)
Blue Lions route leaves a lot to be answered plot wise, but the character development of Dimitri and him growing to become a true King is just as impactful as say the KoL fight with the Golden Deer
Blue lions was my first route and will always be my favorite! I have played BL twice and GD once, and I will say that GD is the route you should play if you want the most answers to the plot. Blue lions on the other hand is just so heartwarming, beautiful and makes you feel more connected to a video game character than you ever have been before lol! It’s honestly so amazing to watch Dimitri grow and heal while also learning how to become a good king. His voice actor truly did an incredible job at giving him the proper emotions and personality :)
Azure Moon ended up being the last campaign I did and it easily has my favorite moments. While I think it has the least-conclusive ending of the four, Dimitri's character arc and how the Blue Lions react to his eventual turnaround is an amazing payoff moment. Verdant Wind might be my overall favorite route, largely because of its 10/10 ending chapter, but Azure Moon manages to come very close, despite never settling the campaign with Those Who Slither in the Dark.
I guess that just shows how weak they were in Azure Moon, i mean you already got their major players. Recruiting Hapi there would just be icing on the cake.
I never noticed Dimitri's voice deepened post time skip. I mean, it's obvious considering that's how it works in real life, but nice touch. I assume it's the same for Claude and Edelgsrd.
i actually picked black eagles in the beginning but after the first battle i decided to go try the blue lions, and when the scene at 0:40 came on, i just *knew* i wanted to pick them. i actually,, couldn't stop smiling at the screen :')
When I first played this game dimitri wasn’t my favorite and I was dead set going with felix. After the time skip though and he started showing his soft side I started to like him more than felix and in the end I decided to be with him
This would be so much better if the professor wasn't a stupid useless silent protag!!!!!! That way the dialogue between Dimitri and her could feel real like it does with everyone else. This gets on my nerves so much.
