Part of the draw of Fire Emblem has always been its roster of colorful characters. Each new entry into the franchise brings dozens of new personalities into the fray, from snarky sorceresses to BDSM-loving archers to warriors with immovable moral codes and others tortured by their past.
Fire Emblem Heroes, the series’ mobile entry, gives fans a way to collect all these characters under one roof and make them available for you to play at your convenience — provided RNGesus is on your side. In Heroes, you fight battles to earn Orbs, and you use Orbs to summon new heroes onto your team. You can build up teams featuring your favorites from across the franchise, pairing up Fire Emblem Awakening’s Lucina with Camilla from Fates, Roy from The Binding Blade and Caeda from Shadow Dragon, for example (just to name my current team). Or you can just create a team that visually appeals to you, a team of husbandos, if you will.
What’s a Husbando?
The Urban Dictionary defines “husbando” as the male equivalent to a waifu, or a 2D character adopted from a piece of media as their significant other. Husbandos are mostly found in video games and anime, and the term doesn’t necessarily apply to crushes on characters from live-action media. So basically, a not-real person deserving of your affection.
FANDOM acknowledges that some of these husbandos are superior to others, given their more popular appeal. Because Fire Emblem fans all have their favorites, the husbando-ability of these characters is debatable, but looking at Heroes’ roster and Nintendo’s recent fan-polling, we think we’ve got a pretty clear idea of the 10 best.
Roy, The Binding Blade
Roy makes this list as the ultimate Good Boy. He is so good, in fact, that he made it into the roster of Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001) before his own game was even released in 2002. His appearance in Melee was part of the spark that led to more Western interest in the Fire Emblem series overall.
Roy is only 15 years old when The Binding Blade begins, but that doesn’t stop him from taking every task he’s given to heart and giving it his all. He’s a man of peace and loyalty and is always willing to help others, even when he doesn’t benefit from it. He’s also completely oblivious when a woman shows interest in him, which is just plain adorable.
Xander, Fates
The eldest child and eventually head of House Nohr in Fates, Xander is an easy pick. Have you seen the man? He gets on this list from his shoulder span alone. He also doesn’t look half bad in a bathing suit. But the real reasoning behind Xander’s inclusion here is his unwavering commitment to family; even when his father is ready to tear down the world on a whim, he stands by his bloodline. Family Man Xander is the one you want in your corner when the chips are down, because he’s a demon on horseback and easily one of the more powerful characters in his game and in Heroes. Plus, if you played Fates as a female Corrin, the way he says “little princess” inspires more than a giggle.
Ryoma, Fates
Another Fates boy and the head of Nohr’s rival house, Hoshido. Ryoma, like Xander, will do anything for his family and will go to his grave to protect his values — including harming himself, which is a major part of Fates’ story.
Ryoma looks really scary, but he has a gentle heart and is tireless in his pursuit of justice. In both Fates and Heroes he’s also one of the more powerful characters, and between his strength and his jawline, he’s a must-get.
Chrom, Awakening
Awakening’s Prince Chrom is so woke he leaves his kingdom to start a wandering group of mercenaries that help citizens in crisis. Chrom’s sense of responsibility and love of the common folk make him an instant winner with us, not to mention he’s totally cool picking up amnesiac vagabonds and adding them to his retinue. He is an accepting, trusting, open-hearted young man, and while this does get him in a bit of trouble, it’s also the reason so many put their faith in him. That faith is what holds his army together, and the adoration Chrom receives is well deserved.
Hector, The Blazing Blade
Hector distinguishes himself as being the only lord-class main character in Fire Emblem to not immediately start with a generic sword. No, for Hector, only an axe will do. In The Blazing Blade, Hector possesses the most power and defense of the main characters. In addition to his beefcake status, Hector is also blunt and bold, unafraid to speak his mind or to take action where he sees fit. This brazenness makes him excellent husbando material, if his fierce loyalty and drive to protect don’t convince you already.
Ephraim, The Sacred Stones
One of the O.G. princes of the Fire Emblem franchise, Ephraim carries a lot of guilt on his shoulders and that’s kind of sexy in an I-want-to-make-you-feel-better way. Ephraim is riddled with guilt about being unable to protect his father during a war, and he is direct and headstrong in dealing with things. He also starts The Sacred Stones with some amazingly high stats, and only grows stronger from there, so who wouldn’t want this BAMF in their corner? Level him up right and he’ll be one-hit killing everything on the map in no time.
Odin, Fates
Odin is really weird. Like, cripplingly so. Which makes him an intriguing prospect. Odin likes to spend all his time researching super cool moves and collecting weapons; he also likes to spend inordinate amounts of time trying to name said moves and weapons. As a dark mage, he’s excellent to have on the battlefield, but it’s his personality that really makes him stand out. We’re not sure what’s more impressive: his commitment to his bit, or his abs.
Ike, Path of Radiance
Even if you don’t play Fire Emblem, you know who Ike is thanks to his inclusion in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Ike from Path of Radiance may seem simple when you first meet him, but he’s much smarter than you think; after being raised on the battlefield among the chaos of war, Ike takes things as they are and just goes from there. He’s quite brave and very humble, doing great deeds for the good of others without asking for anything in return — save his mercenary fees. We like Ike because he’s the epitome of a classic hero in this series: courageous, kind, and true to himself.
Takumi, Fates
Takumi is a big jerk with a giant soft squishy heart, a confusing contradiction that makes him a husbando because of the sheer high maintenance of the situation. You can’t help but feel bad for Takumi: his sibling is taken away at a young age, he’s the second son of a giant house that is clearly all about the first son, and his parents have died terribly. Yes, these events were shared with his older brother and fellow husbando Ryoma, but it’s clear that Takumi hasn’t dealt with anything nearly as gracefully. He’s rash and untrusting until you crack the shell around his sweet little heart, and then he purrs at you like a lost kitten that’s finally found a home. He may be one of the harder husbandos to deal with, but it’s definitely worth it.
Bruno, Heroes
Have you even seen Bruno? Enough said.
