IN DEFENSE OF ROY FE HEROES

WAI KWAN WU - Writer, 4th Year, Molecular Cell Biology

If you were to, at any given time, take one look at the latest drama surrounding Fire Emblem Heroes, the premier gacha game based on the esteemed Fire Emblem franchise, you would almost inevitably find salt around which characters get representation. Overrepresented dev-favorite character gets another powercreep seasonal alt? Blasphemy! Majorly plot relevant, yet slightly-lacking-in-broad-appeal, cornerstone character gets shafted yet again? Incredulous! Such is the cycle for many characters that are involved in FEH. Yet, as somebody wise once said, in this age, the only thing worse than drama is having no drama, and that can only be apt to describe the character of Roy Fire Emblem. A character that forever exists within the limbo of kinda-popular-but-not-that-popular, the only spotlight that Roy gets to enjoy in the minds of the brainrot minds of the FEH community is that of racism and "all Roys are bad" memes. Yet, Roy, and all of his 5 different versions, are all importantly incredible to the history of the game, and deserves far more attention and credit than the world gives him for.

When looking at the upper echelons of the highly represented characters of FEH, nearly every character has at least one iteration that is deeply flawed. You have the likes of Brave Lyn or Duo Chrom that upset the meta for months or even years, or the baffling choices behind those like Resplendent Lucina. Others, like Camilla, unfortunately fare even worse. However, Roy stands as a shining exception: each one of his five alts are carefully and uniquely conceptualized, bringing something new to the table without fail. Artwork wise, there are no misses: whether it be Wada Sachiko's stunning painterly sensibilities in her depictions of Brave and Groom Roy, or the bright and fun command of color in Meka or BUNBUN's renditions. Aesthetically, each alt is highly transformative as well: Valentines Roy's art repurposes his classic color palette into a snazzy fit for the festivities, while Resplendent and Groom Roys incorporate additional color language with whites and blues to great effect.

A common complaint levied against Roy is that his units tend to be very weak in the meta; however, these criticisms are often misguided as each unit has had an important place within the course of the game. Valentines and Groom Roys displayed a strong understanding of the game trends: the former being the the only unit daring enough to arrive as a bow cavalry unit following Brave Lyn's dominating stint, but with a defensive focus to distinguish himself from the Brave unit's prowess, while the latter was the pioneer to the axe cavalry trends of Summer 2022, yet is one of the few to stand the test of time for his unique Harmonic effect. Legendary Roy is another that still sees effective use today, with his refined kit (the first non-terrible one for a DC unit) giving him just enough tools to function effectively with the proper support. And on the topic of refines, "his father stole his sword" memes, referring to how Eliwood and Brave Roy received the same weapon refine, tend to incorrectly push down Brave Roy due to the former's accessibility - while it is true that Eliwood is easier to obtain, this often bleeds into the incorrect rhetoric that Eliwood is objectively stronger than Brave Roy. In fact, when given equal investment, Brave Roy easily triumphs due to his superior speed. And such is the observation of a +10 Brave Roy owner of over five years.

And lastly, Roy's alts are simply just wholesome. Compared to the likes of Hot Springs Camilla that threatened the collapse of the internet, Roy's iterations can be best described as sugar, spice, and everything nice. Brave Roy is a heartwarming take on a CYL character donning the outfits of their loved ones: Eliwood's garb and sword being just a touch too large for him is just an adorable little detail, while "Roy's our boy!" being an actual voiceline for him in the game is just simply hilarious. Other iterations are also in the similar vein of Good Boy™, like how Groom Roy is actually a duo unit that fights alongside his father, or how Valentines Roy spends a long time looking for the perfect gift in the story only to reveal that it was meant for the player all along. Who could possibly hate that? The world can only await with bated breath as it prepares for Emblem Roy's eventual addition to the game. When the time comes, surely he will be the one to bring forth peace, solve world hunger, water your crops, etc.