Rowan: The Worst Fire Emblem Lord? - MaxHP 

Rowen suffers from Narutoitis. He screams "I'm a generic shonen protagonist".

I prefer Benchboy Alfonso.

At least he didn't steal your right to the throne!

You wanna know what's irredeemable? That hair. Not only is it ridiculous looking on him but it's practically primary yellow. They could've at least made their hair a less saturated color more like Lissa or Elise and not only would it make Rowan a little more tolerable; it would've made Lianna's design actually pretty decent.

Alfonse > Rowan At least Alfonse is more mature, Rowan and his fugly design really gets under my skin. And don't get me started on his voice.

I don't find Rowan awful just overplayed anime stereotype

Well the only good thing Rowan did for me is make me appreciate Alfonse more

I have a confession to make... I don't dislike Rowan. I actually kind of like him. True, he's not terribly bright, and we don't know his motivations, but do we need to? His obsession to become a knight, or a proud warrior is not uncommon in younger children, and among nobility of the medieval era, it wasn't necessarily uncommon for kings and lords to put aside the crown and take up the sword. I've always considered his dislike for his father just...resentment over his death. It's implied that Rowan's father has been dead for a long time, and died from sickness. Rowan- being the empathetic, hotheaded, not-so-bright barely a man that he is- probably resents his father for dying while he was still young, and making his family grieve for him. With this, the idea of weakness and kingliness is truly intertwined in his mind, and has roots in something very much Rowan: love for his mother. Weakness means leaving people behind. Being a king makes you weak. As for Rowan's character development (or lack thereof)? It would be incorrect to say he doesn't develop at all, or to say that there is no reason for him to change his mind on accepting the crown in the end. In the end, I would say his reasoning lies in the one royal we know he respects: Darios. Darios, who Rowan looks up to as an older brother. Darios, the indomitable warrior that put aside time to train Rowan in combat... Darios that betrayed Rowan's kingdom. Who fought bitterly with as a man possessed. Fighting Darios foced- for the first time -Rowan to consider the consequences of violence, the first time he had a personal connection with the person he would have to kill. Ultimately, it was likely Darios's own death that turned Rowan onto the path of becoming King: Darios showed Rowan there is more to strength than swinging a sword, and that sometimes it takes strength NOT to fight. When Darios curses his own weakness, to keep the chaos dragon at bay, Rowan has to either reshape his idea of what strength is, or spit upon the man he loved as a brother and looked up to for most of his life, as perhaps his only friend... In the end, Darios is strong enough to protect Lianna and Rowan. Not because he is a strong knight who can swing a sword and cleave the dragon in two, but because he had just enough power for a single push; to push Rowan and Lianna away from the Chaos dragon's attack, and bear it himself. After Darios's death, we see Rowan change. For much of the story up until this point Rowan has been...selfish, inconsiderate. However, after discovering his mother is alive, he doesn't rush to see her and protect her. Instead of rushing to protect half of all the family he has left, he puts aside his selfish desires and rushes to the aid of his people. He no longer fights for his friends, he fights for his kingdom... and when the time came he could no longer help his people with a sword, he took up the crown.

I feel bad for Lianna, she has to rule over everything that's not the military. Because we all know that's what Rowen cares about.

I feel like he would’ve benefited from a support with Ephraim

Marth: *Gives long, dedicated speech* Rowan: "i DoN't uNdErStAnD!"

... I liked his voice

Stat wise Roy is the worst lord in the series while storywise corrin is the worst written. Rowen and his sister are both poorly written but that's whats gonna happen in a warriors game where the characters and story arent the focus

Cool concepts that are literally never mentioned in any detail and instead overshadowed by their less appealing traits? Rowan is to FEW as Camilla is to FE14.

i'd like to see a Fire Emblem Lord whose tired and Cynical.

When life gives you lemons *_Dont make them a fucking lord_*

10:55 Are you trying to provoke Mamodxx?

When you’re the only person in the fan base who actually likes Corrin...

Personally, I've never really felt anything towards Rowan. I don't hate him, but I don't care about him either. He's just there. He and Lianna are just movesets for me to play as and that's that. I thought it was interesting hearing about them when they were first revealed. Two twins in line for the throne, one wanting to charge into battle to protect his people, the other wanting to expand her knowledge and use it for her kingdom, but neither wanting to accept the responsibility of governing their people, which put strain on their mother and made the tutoring they got from Darios that much more important. But once you play the game... there's not much more to it than that. You hear it before playing the game, you know all there is to know. The supports try to develop them by showing they're open to new perspectives while still remaining true to their beliefs, and the story of the game shows that they learned how to take responsibility for their people, hence why they were both crowned. But despite how they attempted to develop them, the way they did it was very uninteresting and in the end it felt like nothing had changed except their home was destroyed. It's like you said, Rowan COULD have been something, but it ended up being nothing, and the same can be said of Lianna if you ask me. Her saving graces are her gender (for some people anyway) and her lack of an irritating voice, as sad as that is. I really hope that FE16 doesn't end up having a cast of characters that end up as disappointing as they did. The fact that Alfonse and Sharena are far more interesting when they're from a mobile game really doesn't inspire much confidence for characters in the FE games to come.

Max coming at ya with that Support Science rip-off. Jk Max, great vid. You look like you worked hard on it 👌

Dude what the heck is Xander's voice in this game.

A new MaxHP video! Who knows when this will happen again!?

Good video Max I never would have looked into Rowan's character myself cause I don't care for him at all, but after seeing this video... I might hate him even more now. Oh well, it wasn't meant to be. Also if you say Itsuki from TMS is the worst FIRE EMBLEM lord, then *you acknowledged that Tokyo Mirage Sessions is an official Fire Emblem Title.*

Rowan is amazing Alfonse was hated immediately and now people like him alot Give Rowan time (and maybe a little extra development) and people will at least not mind I believe in a similar hypothetical backstory that you made up here, and there's a very clear implication that something happened between him and his father, I love the fact that Rowan wants to protect his family, and during all his supports, he does see the other perspective, so he's not too stubborn and can (eventually) listen to reason. People take Rowan at face value and don't look into him much. He does have a great obsession in knights, something somewhat common in children, and something he's carried on to his current age, probably due unspoken events with his father, I do like that Rowan is a character that is open to HUGE headcanon potential, and with implications between him and his father, i feel like the unspoken story kinda has some substance, especially since Rowan can only open up and express himself when referring to knights, it's his crutch, his one thing he can rely on to not fall apart or feel down about himself/that situation, and by keeping his aspirations, he's able to take his mind off of what may have been a traumatic events that could possibly lead to PTSD, but i'm getting a little far into headcanons here. Anyway, Rowan going for a precise goal is actually very admirable and his constant determination and enthusiasm (and unwillingness to shut up about it) is a part that not many people appreciate about him. Wanting to protect his family is also great, as Xander says. Also in his supports with Lianna, he mentions how he always knows that Lianna or someone else will be there to pull him back should he go too far, showing that he's actually VERY dependent and probably can't handle things himself, especially since he's used to others taking the role of strategist or other things, and possibly implying the true reason he doesn't want to be King, he realises he's much too dependent and wouldn't be able to live up to the task and try it alone, covering his insecurities with a rather charged "Kings are weak" to try and get out of it, though he does raise a very good point that Lianna would be a much wiser ruler. Anyway, this comment is WAY too long, so i'll stop here, excuse my rambling (and possible lack of coherance, usually happens) Also I like his voice, fight me

lol that endcard with owain. also great vid max really like the backstory for rowan

I actually don't find Rowan's voice all that annoying

*wants to be a knight* *isn't even the knight class*

I don't care if Rowan is the most irritating character ever. He's still my boi.

How to be Rowan 101: Jump a lot, dramatical speech and have lots of knight outs. Ok, apologies if that was a bad pun.

Damn dude. This was a really good watch. I hadn't thought about him like this. Side note, can I dislike Corrin's character but still love FCorrin's look?

Well... Here's my opinion I think that Rowan is an empty avatar without any background or any developped personnality. Unlike Corrin or Robin, who are "avatars" for the player who do have a story behind them, Rowan's personnality is banal. I mean, the male hero, the female hero (Often his sister ou cousin) and another friend who complete the trio but who is """"surprisingly""" the bad guy.. .Whoaaaah. (That's almost the same in Dragon Quest Heroes II, another Muso) By the way, when Darios is revealed as a traitor, Rowan is like "No he's my friend he's nice plz don't kill him :'( " THAT. PISS. ME. OFF. I was glad that real warriors like Leo, Xander, Navarre... Weren't as naive as him. *sigh* Anyway : In my opinion, Rowan IS actually the worst lord

I like corrin ...

Take a shot each time he says knight.

Tbh I don’t hate any of the voices in Warriors except Camilla’s because it doesn’t sound anything like her, even Hinoka’s voice is better than Camilla’s

Rowan fell flat with me, he literally feels like those characters that just simply join you and have little quirks to them, now usually this wouldn’t be bad if it wasn’t for the fact ROWAN IS NOT ONLY A LORD, BUT THE MAIN LORD OF THE GAME.

Some people think Roy is bland and has no personality but if you really look into him you can see that he puts a facade a fake personality he's usually seen composed and calm but sometimes he loses he's cool when he finds out Bern turned against him also when narcian ambushed him he becomes mad and angry also in Roy's support with Marcus he also becomes angry when Marcus says he's going to retire Roy says " I order you to stay" is just that many people don't look into Roy's personality and assumes he's just a bland lord

Rowan isn't the worst lord out there. He's alright at times but sometimes gets under my skin. I think he's forgettable in almost every way. He's just so average. Great video you made Max. 👍

As someone who was able to look beyond the nitpicking aspects others love to focus on, I can say that Rowan really is a great character and is extremely underrated. I like that his motives for wanting to become strong aren't for selfish or vain satisfaction, but to be able to protect his home and his family. I like that he has such a positive and easy going attitude that allows him to be able to approach and bond with others. I like that he's willing to accept that there are aspects other than brute force that makes a strong warrior. I like that he's willing to learn and grow from others, even if the task seems rather daunting. And I like that he has the bravery and courage to never back out of a hopeless battle and that his charisma has the ability to inspire others to stand tall in the face of danger. Rowan has a really good line up of supports that helps to reveal the layers to him; supports like with Elise, Takumi, Lianne, and especially Lucina, which is easily one of my favorite supports in the entire game. And I personally don't really have an issue with his design or his voice. Yeah, it's not one of my favorites, but it does a good job at making Rowan stand out when next to all the other lords that share a similar color pallet. Plus the use of bright, flashy colors does well to accentuate his personality. And while his vpice can be a bit high pitched sometimes, I can let that go. For one, it's clear to see that he's a teenager and some teens can have rather high pitched voices. And two, there's only really a handful of moments where he has that high pitch. Other scenarios, most notably his supports, show him with a more natural and easy pitch, especially when he's in situations that require him to be more serious. His voice actor, Nicholas Roye, did a pretty good job at making Rowan sound hype when he needs to and down to earth when he needs to. And while some people would take issue at the fact that he doesn't want to take the crown and would rather give it to Lianne, but consider this: Rowan is a brash, relentless and reactionary fighter who doesn't give much thought into strategizing, has been desiring to grow strong ever since he was a kid, and has very little knowledge when it comes to the political and democratic based aspects that are required for the leader of a nation. You seriously want someone like that to take the throne? Rowan is fully aware that he doesn't have the qualifications expected out of a good king, and he see's that Lianne clearly does, hence why he's always pushing for her to take the crown. And here's the kicker: that's OK. There's nothing wrong with handing over the job you've been tasked with to someone more skilled and knowledgable in it than you. It's the reason why at the end of Birthright Camilla gives the crown to Leo, because she knows that her unstable emotions and habit of going overboard would not do well for Nohr. If there's nothing wrong with her giving the crown to Leo, then there should be anything wrong with Rowan doing the same, especially since the only reason Lianne is even hesitant about taking the crown in the first place boils down to mundane worries. I can understand some people say that Rowan isn't there type of character; that's fine, we all have those character archetypes that we just aren't a fan of. But to say that he's the worst lord in the series despite there beong other lords far worse than him (I mean, let's face it, his own sister gets overshadowed by him), that's going seriously over the top, especially if you haven't even bothered to give him a chance and explore his character. Rowan doesn't rank alongside my all time favorite characters in the series, but he still occupies a very high tier, and I'm very glad that I was willing to give him a chance rather than junk him upon first glance like a lot of people did. Because I can appreciate a lord that actually tries to differentiate himself from the other main characters in the series rather than a certain golden lady that plays extremely safe and ends up being incredibly boring.

Fantastic analysis, which highlights a problem I have with Fire Emblem Warriors' story: they have these templates for a good character in Rowan, Lianna, and Darios. But they either don't work with what they have (especially with Rowan), or they choose the laziest, fastest way to deal with a character. Warning: MAJOR SPOILERS ahead. Darios is the character I want to elaborate on here. I just feel that if they had made him a playable character, he could've brought a really different and unique perspective to the story. Picture this: What if he hadn't died when he did? After asking to die and being denied, after being the reason that the chaos dragon is loose, after killing his own father, after trying to kill the heroes...looking at the chaos he brought forth, he could've had a fascinating redemption story, an approach of "if they doomed the world to save me, I have to become worthy of it." Which would've brought growth to the character, something that, in Fire Emblem Warriors as a whole, was seriously lacking. Instead, nope, as soon as he's good again, he dies. Goodbye. Anyone else see this as a huge wasted opportunity?

Rowan: I wanna be a knight! Me: so you wanna be one of the worst classes in Fire Emblem? Ok then

I guess it also means Itsuki is worse smt protagonist too.

Hey man I really am loving all this new analysis content you are putting out, but is there any chance you could do an overview of why Fates Characters were underwhelming specifically Corrin?

I'm glad someone finally touched up on Rowan like this.

Coming back here after Book 3 of FEH, I can say that it did wonders for Alfonse as a character, especially when Lif is added to the equation.

Doing research on Fire Emblem for a RP. Thanks for the knowledge!

Rowan looks like Bart simpson

Whoa, I actually forgot these two existed for a minute. That says a lot actually...

Congrats dude!Though i still think the anlaysis is unnecessary...but since i'm about to...pfff i'll let it slide*snickers*...just don't tell Kyle he'll...he'll LOLOLOLOL

Haven't played Tokyo Mirage Sessions, so I gotta ask, what's wrong with Itsuki?

Despite my dislike of the twins, I would like to see them added to Heroes, if Beast units are added in. Their weapons are effective against beasts in Warriors, so they’d be good as counters if Beast units are ever added.

Rowan says " a true knight must face any obstacle with ethusiam" to OWAIN/ODIN. I find that the funniest thing, he says that a knight must face any obstacle with enthusiasm to one of the most enthusiastic characters in fire emblem.

I benched these two as soon as possible and I have never looked back since.

This is a good video that actually makes an honest effort to analyze and find value in Rowan's character, rather than simply writing him off. I personally like Corrin more than you do, but that's neither here nor there.

Male Corrin: hah what a terribly written character!

It really make a lot of sense. In fact, I felt something off about how Rowan talked about his father, who we never saw and was possibly dead. And something traumatic as a child might have been the reason. Kids are very impressionable that really becomes hard to change when it has had years to cement. If Rowan's father failed Rowan in the past, then it would sour Rowan's impression of his father, and he wold want to separate himself from his father in any way.

Max HP analysis? COUNT ME IN!

2:43 Caineghis would like to have a word with Rowan

What’s wrong with my boy corrin?

I feel like Warriors should've been the opportunity to give Heroes a non-Mobile Game story. Like, the story concept of nine realms is incredibly interesting, and what's they've done with it so far is wonderful. But Warriors could've been the opportunity to draw it and give more character to Alfonse, Sharena, as well as later Gustav and Henriette. I can't be the only one who'd want Heroes ported-into a Musou-style title, with a playable list reduced to the original character who have been given the spotlight so that it doesn't have to rely on a gacha gameplay style (for example, have the contracts actually have meaning. When you're in each of the respective worlds, you can utilize the respective characters you've allied with.)

Paid a lot of attention to both his story and ALL supports. I stall don't like him at all. He did have a sliver of redemption in some supports but than everytime he talked about his "weak" father, knighthood, challenging Takumi, etc, he just lost me. He came off to me more as talk the talk but then complain and never actually walk the walk efficiently. Edit: Even though people do not like Corrin due to his/her writing, I on the other hand actually like my idealistic Mary/Gary Stu Dragon Boi/Girl.

1:43 I hope he's referring to Great Knights; the only "Knights" in the FE series that can actually move more spaces than the average footsoldier without assistance from items...

AAAAAAAAAAAAA I'M SO MAD I HAVENT EVEN STARTED THE VIDEO BUT I'M CRYING I LOVE ROWEN AND LIANNA THEY INTRODUCED ME TO THE FE SAGA SO ITS MY FAVORITE GAME :(((

I strangely enjoyed his voice and agreed that there should be more too his story Also it's warriors complexity is crazy so having a basic story great game play is what it's all about

#RowanDefenseSquad 🙏

Slight edit the father was told by the bandits to come alone they tortuned the boy and many many days later a rouge knight comes and single handly took the bandits out returning the knight was punished for moving without the kings permission or simply he now looks up to knights and has a grudge against his dad

Itsuki's the best Fire Emblem lord and Shin Megami Tensei protagonist. tf you mean "worst lord" smh.

Alfonse has some dignity and is serious which prevents him from being obnoxious.

Just wondering who is Marth ' s Voice Actor, cause his voice sound familiar

Rowan and Lianna are the equivalent fire emblem version of Rex and Pyra from Xenoblade

This is my first time watching one of your videos and I really liked it. Rowan is not my favorite charcter in the slightest, but this does give me a different perspective on him. Also, what makes Corrin the worst lord ever? Could you possible elaborate more on this?

5:21 That Xander's voice...it disturbs me...

I feel like it's more likely that his father was abusive or something and then got ill, perhaps their mother poisoned him to save her kids. I think him being a really shit person is much closer to how most kings were then the kings of fire emblem who are either pure evil possessed by a dragon or really good actually.

...likes conquest corrin.... *throws Rowan under the bus as distraction*

To be fair his personal skill allows you to grind support easily. This makes him to a very important character if you want to make everyone as strong as possible asap.

Rowan: Annoying voice? Check. Typical dream of not taking responsibility? Check. Rowdy personality? Check. Wants to get stronger? Check. Quotes cheesy "motivational lines"? Check. *need I to say more? It's been two years since this video came out, but nothing did change.*

Rowan can be a knight and king.

Lots of people hate Rowan, want a less annoying character, got Alfonse, want a less boring character XD (I know some people like Rowan or Alfonse so this is just a joke!)

The funny thing is that you mentioning Itsuki as the worst lord was one of the things that motivated me to finally play Tokyo Mirage Sessions after it was collecting dust on my shelf....Yeah I completely agree with him being the worst.

Or maybe someone stormed the castle and killed his father leaving knights to save him his mother and sister

i have to bleach my ears every time rowan talks

6:45 Sludgeman? That sounds like a mega man villain.

I want a Avatar or Lord that fights with his/her Fists. The only person in the War , that can save others , kill and self defends with just his/her bare hands. He/She need no weapon , he/she IS A WEAPON. And uses the MAG stat for Aura range attacks , STR for Fist and Aura close combat.

you also have to account for stuff thats lost in translation from the intended Japanese original story what we get in the western release is not always a complete picture of the intended message.

Rowan: I used him in the first playthrough... I used him mostly for Potent Potion -skill after Story Mode. Lianna: One of my favorite characters; My 2nd playthrough had her. She's basically the only healer now.

i think minerva will have a support with rowan, considering she get to rule maceddon and fails at it, realizing that ruling isnt for everyone, and she is better of as a knight. This support could really help him

if u guys dont know rowan voice actor also does elswords voice

6:56 think of it literally, his father didn’t go to haven To hell he went

I can kind of overlook Rowan since he's in a spinoff title. But if he was the main lord of a mainline game with everything he has currently. Heads will roll.

Tokyo Mirage Sessions is un-ironically one of the best games on the wiiu.

"No, Itsuki from Tokyo Mirage Sessions is." Savage.......but 100% true. The fuck were they thinking with that game?

WOOO WOOO HOLD UP WHERE THOSE FUCKING BOAT PADDLES OR SWORDS WTF

"Worst lord is Itsuki from TMS" Mamodxx triggered in the background

How'd I find myself here? Either way it's a cool video!

I’m surprised they’re not in fire emblem heroes as promotion for the game

If we went on what could've been Chrom probably would be one of the best lords in the series ... But we got what we got and there's nothing that's gonna change that.

I actually think that the worse of the two, voice aside, was actually Lianna. Which is probably a bit mean of me to say, but I really think that at least Corrin and Rowan - as bad as it was handled - were given motivations and characterization that the story/their supports attempted to address. Lianna's given no proper reason for not wanting the crown beside just "not thinking she's the right person for it" (and she thinks Rowan is???) and feels much more passive than either. But that's just me, and I could be wrong, but that's how I feel. More to the matter at hand, aside from the fact that Rowan's backstory is generally untouched beside "sickly father king," I think what Rowan and Lianna suffer from is a complete lack of any story arc. To say that either have one is more or less disingenuous, as neither seem to be particularly active participants in the story. They spend more time reacting to events as they occur, such as where they travel to and what conflicts that occur warrant their intervention. Honestly, the story's biggest issue is that it seems more interested in the crossover than the characters within the story, as compared to telling Rowan and Lianna's story with a bunch of FE characters as the supporting cast. Their supports are also in conflict with the story, in that neither really supplements the other in the way it should. As I've always seen it, the lords should have the main story be their story arc, while their supports either give them some context or otherwise explore non-story relevant aspects of their character. For example, Rowan's lack of desire to become king doesn't necessarily need an explanation within the story and rather can have it in his supports (where he explains resentment for his father's "weakness"), but the story should explore him coming to terms with the responsibility of being king. So where Warriors' supports and story go wrong is that the story gives virtually no time to explore the twins' issues, leaving it all to their supports - thus the ending feels incredibly weak and out of nowhere if you haven't been grinding the right supports (I didn't even access Rowan/Xander or Marth/Rowan in the main story, and Lianna had it even worse because I didn't grind her support convo pairings - that all came later). Something that also feels rather forced about Rowan is that his obsession with knights feel incredibly tacked on despite how much he mentions it. He doesn't interact with Frederick outside of a few scant moments, and if memory serves, I don't think he can support any of the mounted units in the game (Xander aside, but it doesn't touch on that at all). So while it could be given some decent exploration, they never really follow up on it. Especially if one considers that Hoshidan pegasi are perfectly willing to allow males to ride them. Another issue is that pretty much everyone with King fathers never offers him a perspective, beyond Xander (whose father is, well... Garon...). Celica's father was hedonistic and a poor ruler; Marth's was willing to lead from the front and fought with Falchion in hand; Chrom's father was a warrior as well, but his lack of care for the common folk ravaged the land; we don't know much of Sumeragi, but he was supposedly a strong warrior and warmly accepting of Corrin. While not present in Warrior, Chrom knows Basilio and Flavia, who are powerful warriors that are also capable rulers. But none of these people are ever discussed with Rowan, which unfortunately prevents him from gaining other perspectives on how there can be many different sorts of rulers and how being a King doesn't make one weak. I actually spent some time working on a bunch of fan characters and plot changes to make Warriors tell the same overall story while also focusing on the twins a bit more, and I think what would have actually been good for Rowan is forcing him to learn responsibility by himself. Rowan's never really placed into a situation that forces him to step up and accept the responsibility of a ruler, and Darios seems to be the best at coordinating the three. So what I wrote was that during the time when he was separated from Darios and Lianna, he comes across a bunch of Aytolis refugees (perhaps that the Hoshidans are harboring), and without anyone else there to lead them, he is forced to take that position and be their leader. During that time, he changes his views on kingship, and how important it is for his people to have someone to look to during their crisis, which also helps change his perspective on his father as well. That's just an idea I wrote, of course, so not at all canon, but I think something like that could certainly have made him much more dynamic.

Rowan is one of my favorite Fire Emblem characters. But it was so weird how I had a dream that I was getting married to him. Lol! It was lovely, but SO weird though.

Imagine an alternate Warriors where the "main" lords have actual character development and the supports show how the great heroes of the franchise teach them how to be a good ruler. Also it has Tellius representation. That too.

Virgin Rowan vs Chad Owain

i kind of wished that Alfons and sherina (i cant spell) were the main heroes of warriors , or playable. they seem much better than the lemon twins (maybe lianna is alright)