Ephraim (Fire Emblem)

Ephraim is one of the two main characters in Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones. He is the prince of Renais and is a headstrong and determined man who is able to be skilled with lances, having been taught by Duessel. He wears the Solar Braces which is one of a pair of bracelets that together grant access to Renais' Sacred Stone.

Why He Rocks

 * 1) Like his sister, he can be a good example of how a sister would need to act towards a brother. Like when he would worry about Eirika (especially when he's not here to protect her) or when he agrees with Eirika for how she would want to pray to return to our fair Renais. Also, he did train Eirika how to fight 3 years before the game.
 * 2) He is very confident and courageous. This head him to be seen as a brave leader by his comrades. Basically: "Trust me. I don't pick fights I can't win."
 * 3) He has a straight-to-the-point attitude, and dislikes wasting time on anything that strays from whatever goal is at hand. So you could say that Ephraim isn't lazy or the kind of hero who would slack off when there is work to be done. In other words: "Let the fools spread gossip. The rest of us have work to do."
 * 4) Despite dreaming of being a mercenary in order to travel the world, he's always putting his responsibility with his kingdom first. It can be relatable to some people who would want to get whatever dream that they want, yet responsibility comes first.
 * 5) He does explain that he has a calling to battle which is something he isn't too sure he can control, but Ephraim does still open up to his sister, Duessel, and his retainers showing a softer side to them.
 * 6) Outside of battle, Ephraim is shown to be kind and mature which means that he deeply cares for others such as how he would want to protect his twin sister (as already mentioned) or how he would feel concerned about Myrrh living in the Darkling Woods on her own thus wanting Myrrh to live in Renais. Another thing is that he will trust his allies if he likes them.
 * 7) He can easily take criticism very well, even if he disagrees with what is being said. Like when Lyon told Ephraim that Eirika wouldn't want you thinking of nothing but battle since he's only a prince and not a mercenary.
 * 8) Although Ephraim is not very knowledgeable in history, he is viewed as a suited king to the throne by Duessel and others. The reason behind this is because of his passion about his goals and caring heart.
 * 9) He doesn't mind anyone to rely on him for anything that is required.
 * 10) He's always striving to strengthen his lacking qualities, especially after losing Lyon. This is present in Fire Emblem Heroes.
 * 11) He is able to wield the Siegmund which is a sacred lance that inflicts effective damage against monsters and provides him with a bonus of +5 strength. Also, do we forgot to mention that the lance is only usable by Ephraim himself?
 * 12) He can be pretty chill at times like when he said "It's just a little bad luck. Why worry? On to the next battle."
 * 13) Has some funny moments that are fairly well executed like when he made a joke about how his father would outlive many people due to Fado (Ephraim and Eirika's dad) being a peerless Warrior King or his B and A supports with L'Arachel.
 * 14) While he likes the lance as his favorite weapon, he doesn't mind welding a different weapon like an axe as seen in his Arrival of the Brave alt in Heroes.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) He can be too confident which can sometimes put him in danger.
 * 2) He struggles with communication, as well as consideration of others, due to the fact that he was raised to be a distant prince, to the point of stating that he couldn't afford to feel real affection toward anyone because of this. Due to that, he comes off as aloof and even a bit shy.

Trivia

 * His name comes from the second son of Joseph (son of Jacob and Rachel) from the Bible. Joseph's eleven brothers sold him into slavery in Egypt out of jealousy, but he was released from prison when he won the Pharaoh's favor through his gift for prophecy, and the Pharaoh gave him as his wife Asenath, daughter of the priest Potiphera. Genesis 41:52 says of Ephraim's birth, "[Joseph] said, 'God has given me children in the land of my trouble,' so he named his second son Ephraim.'"
 * His name is the Hebrew word for 'give children', or is sometimes translated as 'fruitful'.
 * In the prototype version, Ephraim is constantly referred to as Irzark.
 * In the Paralogue "Unbreakable Bond" in Fire Emblem Heroes, Ephraim references a common fan theory that his relationship with Eirika is incestuous, citing the rumor as "disgusting".
 * In Heroes, Ephraim is the first character whose exclusive weapon is not preceded by a Silver weapon, as it is instead preceded by a Heavy Spear. The only other characters that share this trait are Eldigan, Tana, Joshua, Mia, and Ares.
 * Ephraim is the only Lord in the series that cannot equip swords, even after promotion.