Edelgard Will Always Lose (Fire Emblem Three Houses) 

Can we all just take the time to acknowledge the fact that the Edelgard morality arguments spawn whole college-grade essays on whether she's in the right or not.

So what you're saying is, she became the very thing she swore to destroy. It's a story I've witnessed before.

Therapy with Seteth would’ve solved everything.

I find it interesting that the Blue Lions had more students that have issues with the Crest system than the Black Eagles. Sylvain, Mercedes and Ingrid all had reasons to be less than enthused about how their society treated people with crests. Sylvain and Ingrid both are also relatively influential, Sylvain particularly. If Edelgard was more willing to look at other people's suffering, she would have found some relatively easy ways to forward her reforms. Dimitri would probably be alright with many of Edelgard's reforms as well, given that he is quite focused on justice. Even Rhea and Seteth would likely support reforms against abuses of the crests, given that crests are their family's hearts, and crestbearers are sort of like adopted family. However, Edelgard has no supports with Sylvain, who, asides from Hanneman (and maybe Lysithea), would have the most desire to change the crest system. She also never bothers trying to speak with Seteth or Rhea, and as seen in his supports, Seteth is one of the most reasonable characters in the game, so would likely be sympathetic in some ways. Rhea would be a lot more volatile, but would not necessarily be against reform. This suggests that Edelgard was tunnel visioning on her own desires, as opposed to that of others, given that she relates with Lysithea, who suffered similar horrors, which were actually not explicitly due to the crest system, given that the perpetrators do not believe in it. It is also worth noting that abuses of the crest system seems to be the worst in Adrestia, where the Church of Seiros has the LEAST influence. While Sylvain's and Ingrid's situations are not particularly good, it is not as bad as what happened to Hanneman's sister, Mercedes and her Brother. There doesn't seem to be much abuse of the crest system in the Alliance, though I feel that may be partly due to Leicester being relatively less developed within the story (Lysithea was experimented by "Imperial" mages). The Eastern Church in Leicester is also the one that the Central Church has the most control over, while the Western Church is more rebellious, and the Southern Church is under the control of the Empire. Looking at this, the conclusion that Rhea was the one imposing the crest system's injustices seems a bit dubious, since the areas she has the most control over in this regard have the least abuse, and the area she has the least control over has the worst. Edelgard's claim that the church splintered the Empire also appears to be Imperial revisionism, given that the Leicester rebellion had, as far as can be told, nothing to do with the church. It is possible that the Faerghus rebellion had to do with crests (most Imperials crests are Saints', while Faerghus has most of the 10 elites, so it may have been partly due to arguments over which crests had preeminence), but that isn't explicitly stated. Overall, it seems that while what Edelgard claims to wish to change is indeed in need of reform, her motivations for doing so have more to do with satisfying her own desires and vision than fixing the problem. She does not seem to consider what other people feel about and is seemingly blind to so many potential allies, instead allying with the people that killed her siblings. There also appears to be no consideration about the mechanics of replacing the crest system, as while Lindhart and Hanneman are researching potential ways to reduce the emphasis on crests, she didn't look into such methods before planning war. It seems like what she really desires is for her siblings suffering and deaths to have a meaning, so she decides to go along with the plan of her torturers, as her success would then mean her siblings died for a reason. The rhetoric about making a meritocratic system without crests seems more like a way to convince herself and others that her way is right, as technically, having a crest does improve one's merit, and taking them away without abolishing nobility would just strip the nobility of tangible signs of superiority in merit. Sure, she talks about cleaning out the corruption among the nobles, but that wasn't a result of the crests, and would easily return without some method to keep it in check.

Also, in any of Sylvain’s endings, he’s able to do what Edelgard couldn’t through peaceful methods as he (and his optional spouse) convince the world that crests are not essential for everything.

*Laughs in Golden Deer*

Actually there was recently an interview from the creators of Nintendo Dream that was fully translated in it they pointed out that Rhea changed the history of Fodlan not because she wanted to or because she couldn't move on, but because she was forced to. Lying was the only way to end the war.

Edelgard is such a beautifully tragic character. It's not a story of a hero rising above evil, or an evil finding the light, or anything so optimistic. She's just her own, sad, wretched existence, with a sad, thought provoking conclusion

I'm obviously late to the party, but I personally don't think that Edelgard was ever confronted by evidence that she was wrong, and if she was, that she would have been open to consider it. For example, in her (I believe A level) support with Ferdinand, when he confronts her and says that there is a better way to erase the nobility than what she has planned, and goes on to talk about giving everyone equal access to education, Edelgard openly admits that her previous philosophy was wrong, and then states that she needs people like Ferdinand to tell her when she's wrong. However, since the people she interacts are either simping for her (Hubert) or genuinely believe a war is just, she doesn't ever face any evidence that contradicts her beliefs, and for that reason, she didn't ever consider the possibility that she could be wrong. I don't think Edelgard was unwilling to accept that she could be wrong, it's just that she had no real reason to believe she was. In a way, this is a lot like real life, in which many kids grow up with super far left or far right parents and in a far left or far right area and never face any evidence contrary to the beliefs of their parents, so they go on to adapt their beliefs without any doubts that they are right.

It’s interesting because this means that Claude’s simple quip about how she’s naive is unequivocally true. A great way to display Claude’s intelligence and Edie’s hubris.

Spoiler for deer route: How do you feel knowing in the deer route Hubert discovers the truth but doesn't tell edelguard for fear of her losing everything (after all imagine how she'd feel knowing she got part of everything right not fully) cause I feel like it would've set up for us arresting her and not straight up killing her.

CF deserved better. Required more chapters, confusing without playing other routes (I still like her, hehe falcon knight Edelgard).

Ashe's line when you battle him in the final map of Crimson Flower certainly helps your case I feel. I'm paraphrasing, but he says something to the effect of "You've taken our king, our culture, what else must you take from us?" Being the aggressor in this whole conflict, Edelgard's conquest isn't pleasant by any means, and there's no way even after all the fighting ends there wouldn't be citizens of the kingdom, and alliance, as well as followers of the church who don't feel they've lost their sense of identity and values to this new Emperor. That would spark far more conflict than say, the ending of Azure Moon, where the Alliance and Empire may cease to be, Dimitri being who he is is less about tearing things down outright, choosing more incremental reform. Those societies would likely assimilate into the Kingdom, but retain their own cultures somewhat, at least for a time as the continent settles after the war. In this outcome also, the church survives, but is able to undergo any necessary reforms while not destroying the continent's moral center, which is another potential problem stemming from CF's ending. ...Petra is best overall girl, but I'll let it slide since you gave her a shout out at least.

You were the chosen one Edelgard, you were supposed to destroy the slitherers! Not join them! I hate you, Dimitri! You were my sister!

And even Rhea, if you marry her, takes a step back with your help and ends up telling everyone what happened and who she really is, at least that's what I got from it when she talked about "ending the lies"

Edelgard mindset: > Gets tortured by TWSITD > Blames Crests > Proceeds to side with the people who tortured her in the first place

Her ending banner is also pretty hard to be excited about. It's her meanly eyeing over crowds of unhappy people with sinister-looking Hubert in the background...I didn't enjoy the BE route in the slightest and I really had to force myself to trudge through it.

It is a sad thing that she remains a pawn of the Agarthans throughout, as she refuses to question their version of the past. Yes, the tale comes thru her family, but that family has been manipulated by the Agarthans for centuries, plenty of time to bend a "secret truth" to their own purposes. The lack of consideration of this point is either her or her writers great flaw.

there is this weird rule of humanity, that we tend to become what we hate if we hate it hard enough: you hate religion? You become a fanatical atheist (or vice versa), you hate tyranny, you become a tyrant yourself. I believe hatred is a powerful human feeling, but without understanding and compassion (two things Edelgard seems to lack) it's only a snake biting its own tail.

One minor correction is that Rhea only started effecting Fodlan culture around a thousand years in the past, not "thousands." As far as we know she was uninvolved until Nemesis slaughtered the Nabatea (and she herself may have been a child at the time). I also question if we can really call Rhea "crazy" in any route except Crimson Flower. Traumatized and obsessed with the past sure, but most of her decisions are noted to have been made for legitimate good reasons, the game developers even revealing in an interview that her and her allies rewriting history was not done out of any desire to rule over humans but to create stability and avoid further war. By making the 10 Elites heroes in the war, the empire was more accepted by those who had supported the Elites and already saw them as heroes, and by making Crests gifts from the goddess they accommodated how Crests were already spreading through the clan leaders of the time. The developers say much the same regarding Rhea and her allies slowing down technological progress, they weren't trying to enact a stasis so much as keep things from happening "too fast." It's interesting to note that the result is that Fodlan is about at the same technological level as the outside world, despite the outside world not being influenced by Rhea, suggesting that there were indeed factors that were causing progress to happen "too fast" after the war with Nemesis. Manuela's anatomy model in her office likewise indicates some of the restrictions (i.e. autopsies) were eased or undone over time. Extra irony concerning Edelgard's beliefs, is how the Abyss records reveal that rather than the church it was "those who slither" who enabled the splitting of the Kingdom from the Empire. The church simply made the best they could of the situation to avoid further bloodshed. The similarities between Edelgard and Rhea are indeed fascinating, enough to make one think they could have been great allies if they were aware of just how much they have in common regarding their pasts and helped each other move forward. Hence why I agree it is sad for Edelgard that only Rhea gets a heel realization, comes to regret her questionable deeds, and takes actions to fix things (or allow others the power to fix them) on every route except Crimson Flower, whereas in every route Edelgard ends things as certain as she ever was that she was in the right and refuses to accept any outcome other than her own victory.

I had a debate with a pro-Edelgard person over an observation I made: that her attempt to off Dimitri and Claude via Kostas was stupid on multiple levels. The other person argued that it was a legitimate first strike for the war she was going to raise. I countered that she wasn't Emperor yet and to justify her actions as such just makes her a war criminal.

I disagree with Edelgard, but I can understand her actions. That in of itself makes her an even better tragic character.

I think my main issue with Edelgard is her POV is never challenged. She dies thinking she's right in every route that isn't CF and on CF, she doesn't undergo any major instances of questioning herself or her agendas unlike Dimitri and even Claude both do. Rhea also is constantly trying atone for her past deeds because she sees her flaws. Yet not once does El even try to understand the views of the other characters. It makes her bull-headed, yet headstrong at the same time. Admirable yet corrupt all the same. A better comparison would be to the Agarthans/TWSITD because she and they all never once think critically about their POV and simply charge ahead no matter what lies in their way. She's a great antagonist but a flawed character.

I love edelgard as a character but her fandom ruins her for me. They legitimately think she is right and it’s insane. You explain it very well and I’m probably gonna send this to edelgard stans from now on lmao

Caspar makes it clear: Edelgard makes everything about herself. For her, she was the only one who suffered. Not Dimitri, not Rhea, not Lysithea, not Hanneman, no one but her. And it was Rhea's fault her suffering, not the Slithers. That's her problem, everything is about herself.

Spoiler?: So you know how Edelgard has two crests, like Lysithea? While never explicitly confirmed (I think?), I’m pretty sure she also has a short life expectancy just like Lysithea. I feel like this is an underlying cause for Edelgard’s actions. Since her life expectancy is so short, she feels that she needs to accomplish her ideals while she still can. So, war. By controlling the entire land of Fodlan, she can abolish the Crest system herself and pretty quick. I’m not saying it was the right thing, but I think it’s just another factor of her reasoning. Honestly, I’m not much of a speculator and theorist, so there are probably holes in my thinking. But, with the pressure of having a short life expectancy, I would think that it probably pushed Edelgard quickly towards war. And like the video says, she never “takes a step back” because she probably doesn’t have time to. At least, she believes she doesn’t. She doesn’t give herself enough time to thoroughly think her plan completely through. Like the video, she doesn’t move on from the past cause of her limited time. She doesn’t change because she can’t have doubt in her beliefs, or else she might waver and lose precious time. She’s trying to act while she still can. That’s what I think.

She has good intentions but she's just too stubborn and (unlike Claude) doesn't want to investigate the truth of the story of Fodlan.

My issue with edel Silver snow Rhea: im right! Edel: im right! Blue lions Dimitri: im... not right, Edel: nope, but i am! Golden deer Claude: none of u are right Edel: thats not true at all, i am :) Crimson flower Edel: I AM =)

I love Edelgard as a character. But I know *FOR A FACT* she had other choices.

Best girl is Annette. I agree wholeheartedly.

I wonder how many people would defend Ashnard if he was a Waifu since he also plunges the land into war in an attempt to create a meritocracy while being manipulated by the true baddies.

Another thing: the battle between Dimitri and Edelgard in Edelgard’s CF route is very similar to the battle between Nemesis and Rhea in the prologue. Just thought it would be interesting to note.

Absolutely agree with everything you said. In fact, I would be surprised if Edelgard's lies even outlive her. The fact that she subjugated Faerghus and Leicester so bloodily and removed their well-loved leaders. The people who followed Claude even fought until the death to resist Edelgard *against* his wishes to flee if it meant death, and those who followed Dimitri (and Rhea) were still fighting for their leaders even when one was dead, the other was mad and the whole city was on fire! The bottom line is that guy starting the war in the first place, win or lose, Edelgard will almost certainly face revolts and uprisings throughout her rule. Each time one happens, even if it's suppressed, it will breed further and further hate towards her and Adrestia within the other two Kingdoms. Worse still, her choice not to pass the Emperor title down through her family means there is no true means of keeping her ideals going beyond her own successor. Finally, perhaps even the successor themselves might simply establish a new imperial family - my money is on Caspar's family, the Bergliez family since they have most of the food and armies - allowing the Agarthans to get their foot back in as soon as Edelgard's gone. By siding with Those Who Sliter in the Dark to eradicate the Church while intending to stab them in the back, Edelgard doesn't confront the problem they pose and allows the people she so despises to lay low long enough to wait until she dies (which is likely to be sooner rather than later because of the two-crest-thing) and the stir up trouble again. So yes, Edelgard's Crimson Flower is the worst-case for Fodlan. I'd argue Verdant Wind is probably the 'healthiest' purely because the threat of Agartha is publically known and most other threats are neutralised, leading to a more productive relationship with Almyra and a proper offensive force to any attacks from TWSitD. As for Azure Moon, one only hopes Hubert's note turns up off-screen in Dimitri's path so he can get clued in re: Agartha, as I'd say in terms of stability Dimitri achieves Edelgard's goal better than she could ever have done: he took back his own kingdom, liberated Leicester and conquered Adrestia. Either way, it is SOOOOOOOO compelling to think about!

"The kind of evil that doesn't realize that it's evil... is the worst kind there is..." - Weather Report, JJBA part 6 Edelgard summed up in one quote. Amazing vid. Keep it up !

Couldn't agree more. I was always so confused by people saying CF is the 'best' route. It's totally the opposite, AM and VW are clearly so much better. She wants a meritocracy, and that just means nothing will change since nobles are clearly superior in merit and wealth then commoners are.

Do you remember how Edelgard said that her father was a puppet to TWSITD? The same thing happened to herself, TWSITD won in her route. They are the main villains, and therefore we deserved a proper arc 3 (arc1= academy; arc2= war; arc 3= war against TWSITD) #goldendeer

It actually would be interesting to see a game centered around a rebellion against the empire from the old Faerghus and Liecester territories.

Dimitri best boy.

The last thing you said about how Rhea and Edelgard make great characters is something I fully agree. I still prefer Rhea but dam both characters are great and amaizing, glad we can appreciate them without being blinded by what we want to believe.

Im always surprised when people are talking about Rhea's past lie as something solely wrong and something solely selfish when her past lie elevated the ten elites into legend, despite them being the people who fought alongside Nemesis. She and her friend, the first emperror of Adrestia and likely many other people came to the conclusion that it would be beneficial to mask this so as to stop the conflict and not breed anymore resetment, Rhea would hardly wanted the people she hated to be venerated in the future, she did it so the war stopped and Fodlan could move on and so that her people, in form of the crests would be at least somehow remembered as "godly" beings. Her actions are not just emotionally motivated, they also take into account Fodlan, even at her lowest point she would still consider this. And its decidedly wrong to say that her past lies screwed the continent over just because of a 5 year war over a thousand years later, like who could have foreseen that, even if she had founded her church on complete truth there is absolutely no certainty, the opposite of it if anything, that there wouldnt be a conflict of some kind, if not over one thing it would be another. People seem to be expecting omnipotency and omniprsence out of her and simply because people are people she gets blamed for fallout for everything, which is just insane to me. But yea, talking about Rhea and Edelgard is awesome, uncovering the whole thing and forming a definitive opinion was a journey of its own in Three Houses :)

People that say war is the only solution make me sick. You don't really understand what war entails unless you've lived through it. There is no worse thing you can do than plunge a country into war. Fuck, did you people learn nothing form all past wars?

I always wondered why she decided to fight everyone instead of just ASKING FOR HELP

Everything you pointed out is why I like Edelgard’s character conceptually, and why I’m so pissed at how the writing actually portrayed her and her execution in the story. She had so much potential, but the writers failed to deliver.

That's right, since Crimson Flower has Byleth lose his powers he won't live as long as the other routes. That means he can't pull the same thing Rhea did in shepherding humanity. That means once they are gone, they're basically back to square one.

Also her meritocracy invites discrimination because those with the qualifications of the ideal jobs will succeed while those who don’t qualify won’t make it. And a rich noble could easily buy their way to be taught to have these merits. The meritocracy that Edelgard strives for us flawed and it will encourage more prejudice and discrimination.

The thing about Edelgarde people seem to overlook is that if she was removed from a purely fantasy background, she'd be a perfect allegory to countless, real life noblemen that rose up to become conquerors and tyrants out of some personal belief of what they persieved was a greater good and eneded up causing nothing but the death and suffering of millions. And lets say that Crimson Flower's ending was the canonical one, she'd just be getting rid of one bad actor and replacing them with different ones because humans in 3H are just as perverted, devious and downright evil as she believes Rhea and the church are. You cannot abolish hierarchies as those will organically develop even without proper titles, the strong will always try to sieze power from the weak, corruption will always exist and Edelgard isnt immortal to continously overlook her perfect utopia she spilled so much blood to create. She is so willfully ignorant of how sinister her and her allies actions and methods are and she is so ready to throw away the lives of innocents that it feels like she is only in for it because she has a personal grudge with the church and is looking to validate hers and her families suffering, even tho her

The Silver Snow may melt but it will be the water of life. The Verdant Wind may weaken but never falter. The absence of the Azure Moon is not forever but the Crimson Flower is destined to wilt.

So I didn't know if I should have put it here or on your Byleth video, but I always thought of something interesting for the Crimson Flower route. It was always weird that it was so short and that TWSITD don't get dealt with until the character endings. So I thought of something that is admittedly a bit out there and not 100% thought out, but let me run this by you. Everything on Crimson Flower stays the same up to when Rhea is killed. One key thing changes though. Once Rhea is killed and Sothis's crest is destroyed, Byleth... dies. And I don't mean dies and then comes back later, I mean they actually DIE. I feel like that would be a good consequence for the player for the "siding with the villain route". Then after Byleth is dead for good, a few more chapters are added in for Edelgard's redemption. She finds out that she has been lied to by TWSITD, and she leads the remains of her army to take care of what is left and correct the mistakes she had made due to the lies she was fed. Like I said, it was something I thought of just before, and I was wondering what you would think of it.

When I first beat the game, I did it through the Black Eagles route and thought it was pretty fucked up that she started her own revolution (yeah, at the time I didn't know you could do the different path within her route). When I beat the Blue Lions route on my second playthrough... It was terrifying to see what monster she became and at what lengths she will go for her ambitions.

My biggest problem with Edelgard and why I can never truly side with her is that despite talking a lot about how crests will no longer matter and society will change for the better she never actually goes into much detail about what she means by that. It’s so vague that it could literally mean anything from a fascist regime to a communist paradise. She just never really explains what exactly we’re supposed to be fighting for

I normally adore a good antagonist or villain, provided that they're written with a sturdy-enough code that they don't accidentally fall into hypocrisy without it being addressed as a negative point (If they have a moment of hypocrisy, it's addressed in-universe and not something that has to be seen by the fandom). Think about characters like Solf J. Kimblee from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood or Askeladd from Vinland Saga (actually Edelgard should have been written like Askeladd if you ask me). I cannot even enjoy Edelgard as an antagonist, especially when the game tries to ham-fist the fact that she has some kind of sick infatuation with Byleth and how her words allude to that, especially in non-CF routes (i.e. "I wish you were a person who would listen to reason" when you fight her post-Flame Emperor reveal, or "I wanted to walk with you" or "Why do I have this feeling of sadness?"), it even makes a beautiful song like Edge of Dawn sound creepy as heck when you think about how poorly her character suffers from a narrow-minded irrational way of thinking. But I think the worst offense is how a chunk of Edelgard fans excuse or defend her actions in the game because "She had reasons!" and it's the same infuriating lack of karma or confrontation that the game deals with. When you play AM, Dimitri realizes how wrong his path of revenge was, and it took Fleche stabbing Rodrigue to act as punishment for his folly. Now Edelgard: A) Is never confronted for knowing that Monica was actually Kronya, was responsible for the switch, and therefore an accessory to Jeralt's death. B) Is never confronted for lying about the Javelins of Light being the weapons of Those Who Slither in the Dark, because she says that the Church was responsible and thinks lying and manipulating her friends is so much better. C) Is virtually ass-patted in her campaign, any basic questioning of "is this really the right thing to do" is met with affirmations. D) Isn't called out for being a puppet, down to the last string, of TWSitD and even believing EVERYTHING they told her about the Church when they themselves were responsible for heinous crimes. The only kind of comeuppance she gets is being killed in the other routes, and even in Azure Moon our sweet boy Dimitri is STILL willing to reach his hand out in peace, and in a mental break-down she stabs him. TL;DR Edelgard doesn't work as an antagonist when she's given a chance to be a hero and her antagonistic actions are played as "right".

I really like the professional point of view you're taking by analyzing characters like Edelgard and Rhea. I think your take on Edelgard is also very interesting because it suits the observation I've made after playing all of the routes. Edelgard is the *only* one of the three leaders that kind of takes up Rheas positioning in terms of the locations you're visiting while you explore. Dimitri and Claude both are rarely if ever found on the second floor of the reception hall, while Edelgard is mostly to be found there after time skip. I've always thought this might have a meaning in a conceptional sense and your analyzation kinda matches that.

Just proves Lysithea will always be best girl.

Those who slither in the dark are the most poorly used aspect of the game. Them having nukes shatter any credibility from Claude's path and affect the other routes as well. They should have been "freemasons" working to dethroning Rhea, then enthroning Edelgarde and usher in a magical empire hellbent on creating gods out of mortals. They could even have had the sly grooming of Edelgarde become overt more mind control/manchurian candidate-esque and lead the Edelgarde path into dethroning a puppet-monster Edelgarde for the sake of a more normal Fodlan since her path is so much shorter

I think that the point is that everything that happens is based of a misunderstanding is the saddest part.

Edelgard's end goal lacks cohesion, as she intends to achieve equality through a violent campaign-conspiring with terrorists and being a full-fledged seditionist also helps to deface her character. Trying to justify her actions feels like nothing more than rationalization.

Finally someone else with *BRIGID PRIDE!!!* lol *Petra* is my favorite female character. I even made her an assassin. 2nd is probably *Bernadetta* because she's just punny.

As someone said, Edelgard and Dimitri aren’t antagonists or villains. They’re victims.

Lol, Edelgard stans are having a field day in these comments trying to justify her.

I'm a big fan of Edelgard and the Black Eagles, but when I was playing the Crimson Flower route I was really questioning whether or not I made the right ethical choice and that's what I found really amazing in this game, to be able to really understand what's going on you have to speak with all the characters, try all the houses,... I only did that one now and I loved it, but I still think I have a lot to learn, which is why I really enjoy your videos and you've earned yourself a sub, I will try the other routes very soon but I think I'll miss the Black Eagles. And yeah, Petra is still best girl.

“You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become a villain.”

Edelgard keeps talking about meritocracy and people who put in effort are rewarded, but we’re never actually shown it in practice with cutscenes featuring the lives of peasants. Triangle Strategy has Gustadolph with very similar ideologies to Edelgard as a person who runs a meritocracy trying to overthrow a corrupt church. And we can see under that system the country is extremely impoverished because the common peasant, weak, elderly, and disabled gets completely trampled by the system of merit while only the educated elites and privileged rise to the top. Edelgard’s meritocracy would be even worse though because people with crests literally have superpowers, increased strength, can wield relic superweapons. She can get rid of the crest system so people with crests aren’t automatically nobles. But crests will still stay in the bloodlines and give the crest families an edge over the peasants and they will end up rising to the top anyways. So unless if Edelgard decides to genocide or put every person with crests in concentration camps, her Empire would be no better than it was before the war.

Laughs in Blue Lions

I think she was just so stubborn, that it'd lead to her dying for her ideals in every route that's not her own. So even if she learned the truth, I don't think it'll make her reconsider her path, since she's so dead set on it. Also Edelgard feels like the "He Who Fights Monsters" where the person was so deadset on their goals and destroying somebody, in turn, they become just as bad if not worse that that person. Edelgard wanted to destroy Rhea, who she saw as a tyrant that would doom Fodlan, so much so, that she ends up becoming the very thing she thinks Rhea is. Also like you said in the video, the Empire will break apart again. Just like in our history, the people forcibly united won't consider themselves part of the Empire. Basically their Nationalism will cause them to rebel again and then it's back at square one, effectively making Edelgard's war almost useless.

But the devs said Rhea’s lie was the only way to end the war without having the descendent of the 10 elites or Dragons like Rhea persecuted . Obviously she had to lie to hide the truth about crests because people knowing how to make them would put a direct target on her and remaining dragons. She ended a war she never started with a necessary lie and Edelgard started a war out of ignorance and lied for her own selfish desires. A lot of the nobles children of blue lions including there future king were already questioning crests and would have reformed anyway and with there good relationship with the church Rhea would have supported them. It’s not right to blame Edelgard’s war on Rhea. She did keep peace for 700 years which is a crazy achievement.

One thing I would like to mention is the fact that Rhea is in fact keeping Fodlan in a state of stagnation. In the Ashen Wolves DLC after the five gap you can unlock the secret library. In it you can find notes of Rhea banning things such as telescopes, the further progression of medical science as it would lead to less use in white magic and in turn less reliance on the church and the use of a black liquid that catches on fire(oil). It would make a good video topic.

For me, if you chose to Rhea she does change for the better. My question is that why is it that Edelgard didn’t try to talk to Dimitiri or Seteh? Nothing was stopping her. This action makes it hard for me to side with her because Rhea didn’t snubbed her.

I liked El initially but all the fans simping for her and shitting on other characters(e.g. Dimitri, Rhea) just because they were enemies of her kinda ruined it for me. The fans always claim that she's getting unjust hate but then they go and shit on other characters without trying to understand their motives and backstories. If another FE games comes out I'm not gonna join any discussions about it.

Annette IS overall the best girl I am so happy now! Also that was a really good video i now have a completely different outlook on that entire ending and i thank u

it’s the way she declared a whole ass 5 years intercontinental war bc of “crests” and claiming she’s doing it for the “weak” and the “downtrodden” but when we really think about it, only nobles carry crests, most normies in fodlan probably don’t even care about crests and they were probably the one who suffered the most in wars. people justify her war by saying that it’s needed to reform fodlan but if you really analyse the endings, nothing really changed. the nobility still existed, they ended a 5 year conquest war and jumped straight into another “silent” war with the slitherers. miss girl boss over here got rid of the church of seiros only to create a state run religion approved only by her… it’s ridiculous, she is absolutely the antagonist of the game and it’s kinda funny how so many fans fell for her drivel, i’ve seen so many metas about how edelgard is secretly the “hero” of the game and it’s just a bunch of nonsense.

I liked the part where as flame emperor she tries to recruit you to take on TWSITD implying she actually has good motivations and was betrayed by her allies mere seconds after mentioning ‘the death knight’, someone who by your experience at that point is someone who kidnaps young girls and steals their blood, for kicks, was her subordinate.

BL and GD fans: NO! You can't like Edelgard, she's a psychopath and only cares about doing war! Can't you see she's blind by hatred? She had many other options, but she decided go to war and cause pain. Me: Hahaha AYMR goes bong bong

It’s so good to hear someone verbalize this. I’ve been fighting this fight since July. I adore her, but people always overlook things.

As an Edelgard fan, i gotta accept she was wrong and acting out of ignorance but i assume everyone can agree that changes needed to happen.

I married rhea in chruch route since my friend told me she dies and I who likes to keep as many people i can alive needed to do so.

Virgin Discount Griffith vs The Chad Arvis.

Even if the importance on crests is abandoned by the new empire, a meritocracy relies heavily on strict equality between everyone. The crests didn't just pop out of existence, and they render humans unequal by their mere existance. So the crest system will reinstall itself naturally, even worst this time as Adrestria will be turned into a continent wide Gautier County, where crests are needed to keep your family at the top, because if they don't bear a crest, another more "deserving" family will rule. Well done Edelgard, you made the situation even worst. Edit: As a sidenote, I hope you killed Seteth and Flayn on your CF playthrough, because they'll be hunted for their crest-bearing blood, eventually get caught, and Seteth will have to watch helpless (because neither of them can turn into dragons now) as his daughter he watched over for almost a millenia gets emptied of her blood or vice versa. Killing them when they are trying to retake a place dear to their hearts seems much more merciful in comparison.

idealistic. motivated. strong convictions. sufficient resources. good intentions. marred by past traumas/ difficulties of legacy. recognizes a concurrent issue. arrives at the worst conclusion possible and acts on that conclusion in arguably the worst possible way. "griffiths" are VERY dangerous characters.

Edelgard's stubborness can really be seen in Golden Deer when she says Claude could never understand the continent because he's an outsider. It shows that she doesn't fully truly believe in the merits of indviduals. Claude is the only one who uncovers the truth yet she can't fathom that he could ever come close.

Many of the Black Eagles and recruited character’s dialogues show them questioning if they should have joined the Empire or not. Examples would be Felix saying: This future you and Edelgard are fighting for better be worth all this bloodshed. And Ferdinand and Alois wondering what if they didn’t side with Empire. It’s a clever bit of lamp shading and this video really puts their concerns into perspective.

Edelgard is beautiful But a simple Targaryen level character

Nice Video. About Edelgard's claims for why the church has to go: In the shadow library (accessible with the DLC) it is written that it was the fault of TWSITD that Fodlan split. The Faerghus rebellion was only successful due to Argathan technology given to Loog, Kyphon etc. From the Slithers. The reason that the kingdom was ruled by 3 prince's is a fake will of the last king made by the Slithers. So, sorry Edelgard Fans. She is wrong in those aspects.

Kinda wish we saw a 3-way battle between Hegemon Edelgard, Mad Dragon Rhea, and the player's side. Would have been interesting.

You know there's another irony that makes Crimson Flowers ending pointless. It's that Rhea in Dimitri, Claud, and Church route steps down as archbishop and gives it to Byleth. After failing to bring back Sothis she accepts the failure and accepts Byleth as their own person, and finally tells the truth about the false history admitting her crimes. So in those three endings, Rhea does take responsibility for her actions and allows change to happen.

Fear the deer 🦌

she was a pupet in the lore so everyone was at a loss

i think this might've gave the perfect explanation to why i like Rhea, but dislike Edelgard, not as characters mind you, but i can sympathize with Rhea a lot easier since she's punished for her actions in every route (with redemption in SS's marriage ending), meanwhile sure Edelgard dies in 3/4ths of the routes, that not really punishing her as she dies fully believing she was right and justified for starting a war, she dies with her ideals intacted and going straight to hell without learning a single thing, sure she might be punished in the afterlife but does that really count when its what happens while your alive is what matters? Edit: you did mention that Edelgard is punished in a ironic way since she becomes exactly like Rhea, but is it really a punishment when you don't realize your being punished?

I always thought that speech of hers at the beginning of part 2 rallying the troops was propaganda, and makes little sense because it matters not

100% agree that Edelgard's is the worst ending for Fodlan. The system Edelgard establishes will essentially end up not as a meritocracy, but as a dictatorship because she is the one deciding someone else's worth. Not only that, but because her lifespan is shortened, once she dies, there's no one to make sure what she establishes doesn't fall to pieces. Rhea being dead hurts Fodlan more than it helps because her knowledge of history and the past is still there even when she gives up her position to Byleth in VW/SS/AM. But Edelgard has none of that and only has TWSITD's lies to go on. She's essentially setting the world up to be destroyed again in the future and she won't have Byleth's "god-powers" to rely on. Hell, she may not even be alive. Looking objectively, I can't see much "good" about Edelgard's ending, much less "the best".

Edelgard to her soldiers: Some of you may die... But thats a sacrifice I willing to make *Proceed to make a crusade against magical creatures while having a red and black outfit and being short*

Yeah was never an Edelgard fan myself but what made no sense was why would Byleth ever join up with Edelgard who they know after seeing their face reveal worked with the very same people that killed their father? Byleth even wanted revenge on Kronya for the death of their father. Why work with the person that works with and still works with the group that murdered anyone that you loved?

She also loses because her system of governance is merely rolling the empire back to a loser feudal order. Sort of like comparing the kingdoms of Europe in the 8th century to those that came in later ones. Its merely a matter of time before those feudal ties set back into place. And its arguably going to be worse with regards to the crests since the cat will get out of the back with those. Rhea's not there to moderate their usage.

Some really good takes on Edelgard combined with some absolutely shit takes on Rhea, damn, that was a ride. "Rhea is crazy", "Rhea's lie was because she couldn't move on". Why would Rhea making heroes of the people she despises more than anything be because she couldn't move on? Wouldn't it be far more reasonable to assume it's to prevent the fact that you can literally start your own noble house by butchering Rhea's family from getting out? That seems more logical. Nevermind the apparent weight of her lies that Fodlan couldn't bear... when everything that wound up being instigated and everything that happened did so because of the Slitherers, not because of any lie Rhea told. A more interesting dichotomy between Rhea and Edelgard, to me, isn't "Dey both bad!" but that they both want the exact same thing. Which is why Edelgard completely buying Slitherer propoganda is such a shame. They both hate Crests, they both hate the way the world is, and they both despise the Slitherers. Rhea hasn't been manipulating the world, she's never shown to particularly care about any one country's actions (and would likely prefer that the Empire did return and unite Fodlan, since it was where she had historic, personal ties to), if Edelgard offered information about the Slitherers to Rhea, then Rhea would throw the full force of her influence into destroying them, and would have been more than happy to help Edelgard create a society without crests (something that's only a few generations from happening anyway). Rhea was Edelgard's greatest ally, that's the missed opportunity here. And that's, again, just another facet of the Slitherers fucking literally everything up.

This video is mostly speculative headcanon stuff. If your problem with Edelgard's ending is that she unifies the whole continent under one banner.... that is exactly what happens at the end of Claude and Dimitri's routes, too. The end result of all three routes are remarkably similar - uniting Fodlan under one banner, improved relations with Alymra (remember how Edelgard discusses this in dialogue after you clear the "Insurmountable" paralogue), reforms that benefit Fodlan's vulnerable citizens. The one thing that Edelgard's ending has that none of the others do is that she does away with the crest system and nobility and institutes a true meritocracy. So it's not hard to say that her ending is the best for the continent. You're basing all of your conclusions about what will happen after on speculation, not anything in the actual game. Not to mention that Claude's ending actually, canonically leads to another war - in the epilogue, the Empire and TWSITD attack Derdriu and Claude has to rescue the day with the Almyran Army. So, basing your criticism on your personal belief that Edelgard's ending will lead to another war, and using as evidence things that happen at the end of all the other routes is... an odd criticism. Also want to point out that it's odd to criticize Edelgard because she "allies herself with people who experiment on children and turn people into demonic monsters." You must have missed the fact that the Kingdom turns its soldiers into Demonic Beasts in Chapter 17 of Crimson Flower? Dimtri expressed some hesitation but ended up going along with it. Or the fact that Edelgard attacks TWSITD at Arianhrod and destroys them in her epilogue? It's very clear that it's an alliance of convenience, and she ends up being the only one of the three to destroy TWSITD utterly. In Azure Moon, the Slithers will leave and talk about how they will keep trying to "accomplish their goal," and as mentioned above, they come back in Claude's epilogue. Using the experiments as a critique is also odd because Edelgard and Lysithea are the actual victims of those experiments and are the truest believers in the Crimson Flower cause - even in other routes, Lysithea expresses a great deal of sympathy for her and gives her motivation for fighting Nemesis in Verdant Wind as "it's the only recompense for Edelgard's death."

Edelgard is a great villain exactly because she believes that she's right

Annette best girl, huh? A respectable choice. If we're talking who the high tier girls are, Annette, Marianne, and Hilda are in that range.

When you think about Edelgard and her role in the story, how she mirrors other key characters in the story and her interactions with the characters in every route I think its safety to say she's the most compelling character in the game. That said, Rhea is best girl. She has the best S-Support of any character in any FE game. Annette is definitely Top 10 though.

I wanted to like Edelgard's route. But she just never really backed up her claims against the church in her own route, and isntead worked with TWSITD, who actually DO the things she's mad at the church about. Torture/experiments, manipulating governments etc. I don't think her route leads to a secret bad ending or anything, and I like the ending thematically id not logically with Byleth becoming human, but the whole thing just doesn't completely come together, especially with them battling TWSITD being relegated to brief mentions in the epilogue instead of getting to see her confront it.

I think she had good intentions, but she was willing to kill numerous people for what she saw as "the greater good", which is never a good thing, which is why I like Claude and the Golden deer better, but I can see the parallels to Rhea, good video

I really like Edelgard although there were LOTS of hints that her and Hubert were doing a lot of bad things to get to where they were. It surprised me that for someone so bent on helping people she was still willing to do SO MUCH damage. I almost wish there was more to it with her.