Lyon: Fire Emblem's Greatest Tragedy

Lyon is a very special Fire Emblem Character, special enough that I spend 25 minutes dissecting the major aspects of what makes him fire emblem's best tragedy. Lyon is human in all the right ways and his ending makes me cry like a baby. to be honest I think only 25 minutes is barely enough to cover everything that makes him an amazingly written antagonist.
All copyright belongs to their respected owners and the content in question is regarded as fair use for critique and commentary under the copyright law of 1976, no copyright infringement is intended.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

If you want to keep up to date with me you can follow me on twitter here: twitter.com/ZerkMhunter Also, I was on EmblemCast as a guest recently, you can check that out Here: soundcloud.com/user-131072822/episode-31-emblemcast-strikes-back-with-zerkmonsterhunter and lastly, sorry to all Zelgius fans, Everything I said about him could apply to Nergal as well, so I flipped a coin and landed on Zelgius. he's not bad, I love him, I just wish we saw him become the FE equivalent of Darth Vader in real time. Though, last time someone tried to do a Darth Vader origin story it didn't go so well...

[@rubyknights5885]

Cool video

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

Ruby Knights ignore him. he's blowing a throwaway line way out of proportion.

[@rubyknights5885]

ZerkMonsterHunter 4 yeah okay. Hey what do you think of the new Fire Emblem heroes units that came out today well technically yesterday yesterday.

[@ghostbl33d65]

ZerkMonsterHunter 4 I only played this game on Eirikas path and thought Lyon wasn't a particularly special antagonists. You just opened my eyes good sir, im going to play the game again on his side

[@hyper3618]

maaake a discoooord you loser >:( i need to show you my legendary lyn

[@gottesurteil3201]

In heroes, when he says "Well, come then," he is beckoning Ephraim forth. When he says "I am the Demon King," he is lying to Eirika. When he says "My caring heart has died," he is lying to himself.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

yep. his lines are all gold, it's so good

[@CrazyGrlXP]

I am currently trying not to cry in public at the revelation.

[@NinjaSox7]

Damn

[@silverflamingegg]

Did you know the VA for Lyon is the also the VA for Seteth

[@whattheoof5808]

He didn't lie his past still does hold the power the Demon

[@thedracologist2852]

Here's an interesting theory: The game starts you off with Eirika to encourage the player to do Eirika's route first, then play Ephraim's route. Eirika's route deliberately leaves the player asking "Why can't I save Lyon?" so that Ephraim's route can give you the answer: "Because he doesn't want to be saved". Lyon was faking in both routes, but it's revealed in the one players are more likely to play second to avoid having one route spoil the other. Once we reach the twist, we are meant to see Eirika's route in a whole new light. We realize that the events we saw were filtered through the perspective of a gullible and naive character. Once we see the events as they really are, we understand how completely Eirika was fooled and how we fell for it right along with her. Lyon's story is weaker if Eirika's route is viewed in isolation, but stronger as a whole if viewed in the right order. But then again, it's been a while since I played Sacred Stones, so I could be very wrong.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

My one issue with this is that Eirika's path rather objectively paints Lyon's full possession, I really hope however, that this direction you mentioned is implemented into a possible FE8 remake.

[@deathcon6261]

@@ZerkMonsterHunter More likely they will pull a Echoes/Gaiden and have you play both routes.

[@NinjaSox7]

Assuming the new Fallen Lyon is from Eirika's path then this is 100% the case

[@Jadanbr]

I recently beat Sacred Stones, i got to the Ephraim route First

[@renclaire]

@@deathcon6261 I hope that if they remake Sacred Stones they do two simultaneous routes as well. Either split the current cast in half (so more units get play time) or use contrasting game styles. Ephraims route could be more about smaller/harder battles while Erikas levels would have a lot more units on the map. Would be pretty cool.

[@AlphaSections]

I love Lyon because of how human and real he is to me. I could understand being envious of the perfect friend, and then devaluing yourself. I could understand being lustful for a girl whose your friend, and then feeling unworthy or ashamed of yourself. I've never experienced all this to his tragic extreme, but I love how he personifies my darkness.

[@sumerian88]

Lyon never realised what his inner strength was. He sought to compensate in areas he never excelled at, when he could have focused on what he was good at : being a great scholar and a compassionate person. Those traits are extremely valuable in a leader. But because he compared himself to Ephraim, and fell prey to jealousy, he failed to see that he didn't need to be like him to be his own person and leader to Grado.

[@vayoofficial]

Every guy ever has gone through this it’s not your “darkness” lmao

[@Libellulaire]

He's not lustful for Eirika, he loves her. Lust and love aren't the same. Obsession and love also aren't the same. Lyon deeply loved both Eirika and Ephraim, it's seen through the whole game with not only how he treats them but also how it affects his life and decisions. Just like he deeply loved his country. Lyon is full of love for so many things, but he doesn't feel strong enough as a person to take care of them nor feels like he "deserves" their love, which is what dooms him. Saying he simply lusted after her was so incorrect and disrespectful to the character. And talking about "your darkness" as if you're the only person to ever go through devaluing yourself when comparing yourself to someone better or because you lust after someone is ridiculous. That's not darkness nor something personal to only you. That's literally what humanity is about. Since the dawn of time. But I'm just gonna assume you were like 14 when you wrote that which is why you had such a "dooming" atmosphere lol

[@vinnyvelvet7611]

I really want a sacred stones remake like shadows of valentia

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

YES

[@ashtonreynolds558]

Maybe not as soon though since this was the latest GBA game. I think they might try to Westernize some of the games we didn't receive (officially) like 4 or 5

[@vinnyvelvet7611]

Ashton Reynolds the day we do get it thought I'll be beyond myself in excitement

[@sociallyineptweeb261]

Id love to see a no bars pc fan remake, kinda like fallout 4 new vegas but updated the game entirely into the modern sense. Id also love to see the play time go up and to see a much deeper story/dialogue system. Id also like to see the grief after killing lyon really hit you as tge player.

[@BlackDragon41sbm]

For real, this needs to happen, but with FE Warriors... pretty much copying the plotline.... it may never happen. Warriors mocks FE Sacred Stones.

[@shonarts5583]

How bout the Good Ending where we get an FE8 remake where Ephraim and Eirika’s routes are treated equally in terms of plot

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

THIS

[@drasconboy6349]

Perhaps Eirika's story would be about Redemption while Ephiriam would be about Justice

[@SuperZez]

@@ZerkMonsterHunter The most pathetic thing is that Eirika's barely even relevant to her own side plot. Once Innes comes in, you could kick her out of the story entirely with minimal changes to what happens, because Innes is the one doing all the intellectual heavy lifting.

[@milesdavis607]

@@SuperZez which makes it even more sad because her story has one of the greatest sub plots SS has - Joshua's. It's short but holy hell did I not see that coming. I fully expected Eirika to be way more involved considering, you know, she similarly lost parents just recently. Nope. Says a couple "I'm sorry"ies and calls it a day.

[@SweaterPuppys]

Lyon is the best Fire Emblem villain and he’s not even the actual villain

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

#LyonDidNothingWrong

[@lyraphoenix6883]

#BlameTakumi

[@jonahj9519]

Maage He is though. Formortiis isn’t even a character, let alone a villain.

[@Chowderchef]

Agreed, I love him so

[@thelegacyofgaming2928]

@@jonahj9519 I just like Fomortiis sprite lol, and the fact it's not ANOTHER DRAGON...

[@sethh.2721]

I remember being pretty young playing SS, I rushed through the game caring little for story, but every time Lyon popped up I found myself not being able to advert my eyes and glance over it, while it was probably his theme mesmerizing me, I stopped glancing over game stories once I fully realized that I could find gold such as Lyon.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

His theme is actually one of my favorite pieces of gaming music, there are 4 arrangements of it throughout sacred stones and I'd love to hear a remastered medley of them.

[@lyraphoenix6883]

There's a username here on KZbin named OrangaStang (or something like that) and they made a remasterization of the whole Sacred Stones soundtrack. You should definitely check it out :D

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

YES, IT'S SO FUCKING GOOD

[@lyraphoenix6883]

ZerkMonsterHunter 4 Time to listen to it as a lullaby xD

[@None-Baryl]

This is how you make a proper possesed antagonist, take note everyone

[@pandabanaan9208]

it really is though, like it specifically happened to me after doctor strange 2 and thor 4 just how good lyon is as a possessed villain, and honestly he might straight up be THE best version of this trope as I can think of very few others that do anything near as good with the concept as lyon

[@MrSentinel07]

And that is why Lyon is my No.1 favorite FE antagonist.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

same.

[@lyraphoenix6883]

Same

[@darkadvent610]

Blueblade13 Mine as well. Arvis is a close second since he's also as manipulative, yet every bit as tragic as Lyon when you realize the entirety of his tragedy. I hate Heroes for making them nearly identical in stats, though >.< I want to use them both!

[@MrSentinel07]

Arvis is perfectly viable though thanks to Valflame and his skillset. Lyon got absolutely shafted though.

[@darkadvent610]

Blueblade13 Indeed. He could really use a refinement and a rework on stats to stop him from being essentially a cheap Arvis. And tbh, if his stats were going to be as mediocre as they are now, I would've preferred for him to be in the summoning pool, because then you could at least fix him beyond +3.

[@jdmimikyu]

NEWS We have a new alt of Lyon in FEH, and his supports in FORGING BONDS are amazing.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

"You believe you are my future, in reality it is the other way around"

[@brycethorner]

Here's my headcannon, (strongly based on what you showed): Lyon tried to do a ritual to ressurect his dead father, he felt he wasn't ready to be king as he suffered from a inferiority complex which is understandable because his only other real friends were Ephraim and Erikia. Lyon always thought that Ephraim's headstrong attitude and extrovert demeanour fits the idea of a prince much better then himself. He strived to be like him but realized that both physically and mentally, he couldn't do it. So in his despiration he saught powers from the dark arts to save his father and as a result, his country; but ultimately he wanted to save himself from being thrust into a position he wasn't ready for. When the demon came to take him over, at the time he didn't resist. His fathers death and the ever looming threat of being crowned king brought much stress to the poor prince. He has been alone with his insecurities for far too long and he simply didn't want to think anymore... ...When he was struck down by Ephraim later in the game, he would utter the words "Where... Where did I go wrong?" He is asking himself when those feelings of insecurities that led him down his path, arised. When he thinks of a prince he thinks of traits like perseverance despite the odds and not secondguessing yourself. These are traits that Ephraim has that he lacked and almost as a direct result his insecurities made him believe that he would never be the king his land truely needed. He believed he would not match up to Ephraim. Lyon believed he would never match up to any of his predecessors and perhaps after realizing the evil deeds he has done, perhaps now he wish he would have never had been born at all. "The weight of the crown....is immense" - Lyon

[@alextankersley5838]

That was a great piece

[@GamebroAdvance]

Lyon will always be one of my favorite fire emblem characters

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

same here

[@pavro_w0t719]

I think Sacred Stones has the best story of any Fire Emblem, and Lyon only confirms my decision. Also, I loooooove the interpretation of Lyon on Fire Emblem Heroes, the sentences and the voice actor fit him sooo much.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

agreed on all accounts

[@thelegacyofgaming2928]

Sacred Stones remains my favorite because of the story and because of Ross being the best character in existence.

[@AK-ii2vo]

Yes, SS is also my favorite game, I love all its characters and some of them are the most interesting on the entire franchise: Lute, Cormag, Lyon, ect. Even the lords (I dont understand the Eirika hate at all) are two of my favorites. I think is a very underrated game.

[@hayjack6836]

I’m quite happy Lyon won the recent Voting Gauntlet in FEH. In FEH you get the sense he knows what had once transpired, and that he shouldn’t have had a second chance to help others or reunite with Eirika and Ephraim after what he was going to do under the demon king’s influence.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

especially from his text quotes on the home screen.

[@lyraphoenix6883]

Same here. To be honest didn't think he would win but I still chose him. He's probably my favorite character ever, if not, one of my favorites. I kid you not, when I saw that victory screen with mai boi I felt this rush of warm happiness wash over me and I may still be smiling over it

[@Napopolistick]

Naglfar refine plz IS. Especially since Lyon won the VG

[@logananderson4609]

I hope Naglfar refine would grant his weapon an effectivity against red units too. Then the eff would be granting +4 atk/def when nearby to infantry sword or lance ally.

[@BlackDragon41sbm]

We need a defense buff on a refinement.

[@dershall3678]

8 months since this comment and still no refine, this is an issue to say the least

[@ohandthefracking]

@@dershall3678 literally year and still no refine whatsoever

[@karliahkingsley1280]

Still waiting 😔

[@Thebluedud]

An interesting interpretation I've heard is that Lyon on Ephraim's route is lying that he has more control than he does to intimidate his rival and in Eirika's, lies that he has less control to either get pity points or make himself look less villainous in his beloved's eyes.

[@myssledissle]

I excpectd the game to have us go to Grado and pick up Lyon as a dark mage, and i was shocked when Lyons nature was revealed. I was saddened by the fact that i would have to kill Lyon

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

indeed, Like I said, father and son is ridiculously dense

[@corvidbubble]

I like your profile pic. Ares is my main hero

[@ApprenticeNick]

"Lyon basically casts Hold Person and Ephraim fails his save." Eyyy I see that D&D reference!

[@venominonbg1740]

I love how his normal quotes in heroes sound realy soft and weak and...you know Lyonish, but his special quotes sound powerful ,dark and evil. It's like he changes personality mid battle wich to be hones he kind of does.

[@IcyWiddow]

I was waiting for this. You timed it well with Lyon's surprise underdog victory in FEH (Shanna who?).

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

It made me so happy that he won.

[@kennethzheng3735]

Grade-AMasterpiece if only I had played Sacred Stones before I did VG... of course it was only afterwards. I would have picked him in a heartbeat

[@BlackDragon41sbm]

Lol Lyon is my favorite character and my name is Shana, lol.

[@Garden-sz8jb]

69 likes Nice

[@zakariamohamed3202]

Man, sacred stones is great. Like, it has something for everybody. A great story, great characters, great gameplay, and a great villain. And that’s something I can really appreciate.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

There is a reason it is my favorite, even if it is on the easy side.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

If ny FE could benefit from a lunatic/mirror mode it's SS

[@BlackDragon41sbm]

A lot of people say that SS was terrible, too easy, cliche plot, and characters were poorly written. But I found no such thing in any of these, permanent character deaths needs to come back with no option so that people take the game more seriously.

[@thelegacyofgaming2928]

Sacred Stones was very easy, but I liked the gameplay because I could choose to max out everyone at Tower of Valni, make a team of sages and paladins or whatever i wanted because of branching promotions, and I could abuse summoners. Also Ross. The only Fire Emblem game I enjoyed equally was Radiant Dawn because the game has so much content it's ridiculous.

[@thelegacyofgaming2928]

@@BlackDragon41sbm The funny thing is, I remember Sacred Stones characters the most out of all of the characters from Fire Emblem games that I've played. Ike is my favorite Lord/Hero, but when it comes to side characters Sacred Stones takes the cake.

[@GuyNamedGray]

Gloomy nerd boy is best boy. He deserved better. Looking up to your best friend, wanting to be just like him. Falling for a girl who is kind to you no matter how low you think of yourself. The crippling fear of being unable to measure up to your father's name and legacy. I know these feelings well. I feel like a lot of us can relate to Lyon in at least one of these aspects, and that's why he's my favourite villain in my favourite FE game. Awesome video, dude. Keep up the great work, and believe in yourself.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

thank you, glad you enjoyed!

[@zXDaishiXz]

Rip me, never had that revelation. #iamthedemonking

[@zacharyjohnson9562]

Dang u right

[@HappyLuchoX]

X2 in my case because i don't understand the fluent english haha

[@megaweebis]

Absolutely phenomenal video. You can tell how much effort went into this 25 minute analysis of a video game character, and you portrayed perfectly what Lyon means to you, your personal connection to him, and how his character arc makes Lyon a very tragic character. Those 25 minutes passed by instantly, but no amount of what you said and discussed in that time was boring or uninteresting. The video wasn't overly long, and you absolutely made the most of out every second. This gave me a new perspective on Lyon and made me appreciate him more than I ever would have been able to; your thoughts, opinions, and perspective on Lyon was flawlessly conveyed. Looking forward to what you'll bring next, Zerk. Great video.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

Thank you so much! that really means a lot to me, you have no idea.

[@dhisufiroafrozenseraphimdragon]

ZerkMonsterHunter 4 Yeah I really love your comprehensive analysis, can't wait for the next one.

[@fotdk1]

I legit under estimated sacred stones character arcs. "i've always loved you, i've always hated you" how can such a SIMPLE line describe how jealousy twists someone into something vicious and hollow?

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

It's one of the most brilliant pieces of dialogue in all the Fire Emblem, that whole scene is just phenomenal

[@ryanvaughn3121]

Lyon is julius done right

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

Julius suffers from every problem Eirika's path Lyon does without the flash backs and better pacing.

[@jaceon02]

Shadow Sceptile Gaming being better than Julius isn't saying much

[@duyminhpham8083]

Julius is just really generic for a FE villain. Posseessed by ancient evil dragon, callous, but charismatic. It does not help that Genealogy gives him no backstory or depths.

[@ericriley1985]

Fortnite is CANCER While I can see a certain point in saying that Julius has a backstory, said "backstory" has far more to do with his relationship to Julia, Seliph, Deidre, Sigurd, and Arvis than it does with Julius himself.

[@ambrosiaaa9064]

I hope if Geneology has a remake, Julius is more fleshed out as a character especially with his relationship with Ishtar similar to Berkut and Rinea

[@hihello7170]

Good Lord. I thought Lyon was complex but damn.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

I could've honestly made this video over 45 minutes long If I went full pretentious and analyzed some scenes line for line

[@hihello7170]

ZerkMonsterHunter 4 There could’ve been more?! Wow. Oh, I’d want to see that.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

45 minutes would be a bitch to edit though.

[@hihello7170]

ZerkMonsterHunter 4 Understandable.

[@sylvandoggo4416]

Make a part 2 so you have a "45 minutes video" :v

[@CoffeeEmblem]

This is so well made! I played Ephraim's route right after Eirika, so I might have skipped some story scenes because I thought it was the same (and bc I was a dumb kid). Lyon isn't a villian who is controlled by a demon king, he IS the one controlling others. He is the Demon King. The special quotes part that you showed gave me absolute chills, especially the response to Ephraim. You did a great job Zerk! You were perfectly able to show just who Lyon is. Keep up the great work! 😁👍

[@CoffeeEmblem]

Also thanks to you I shall finally build Lyon in heroes haha.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

if you are building Lyon in heroes, I sneaked mine into the quotes section if you want to steal it.

[@CoffeeEmblem]

ZerkMonsterHunter 4 haha thanks! But I made my own build anyway. Naglfar Rally Spd/Res Vengeance Close Counter Swordbreaker 3 (for now) Drive Res 2 QR3 Seal Fire Blessing I'm having too much fun deploying him haha.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

go with Iceberg instead of vengeance, much more consistent

[@CoffeeEmblem]

ZerkMonsterHunter 4 I will when I get an iceberg fodder haha

[@PinkKips]

The ending gave me chills. It's obvious how much care you put in to this video.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

why thank you!

[@cpugreenbrothershane9932]

I never really played classic fire emblem ,but guess who i sided with in the past Gauntlet? Lyon. All it took was one quote. “ Nobody but YOU know what you’ve been through “

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

please play sacred stones, you owe it to yourself; it's an amazing game.

[@cpugreenbrothershane9932]

ZerkMonsterHunter 4 I would if I had a GBA or WiiU to play it on but unfortunately I don’t. :/

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

well, then... resort to... less than savoury methods.

[@herowatcher8403]

Godamn...man...i...i'm at a lost for words...but i'm glad to know this video is out, you're doing okay and well analyzed. Just remember do stuff that makes you happy, don't focus on views,and most importantly you have support from your friends and fans.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

I hope you enjoyed the video, I should be back to my chipper self now that I don't have to worry about it.

[@herowatcher8403]

ZerkMonsterHunter 4 I always do

[@ericriley1985]

That was spectacular. Definitely goes to show how Lyon isn't just one of the best Fire Emblem villains, but one of the best Nintendo villains as a whole.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

Indeed he is.

[@donovanbarrientosreyes]

Oh look the guy that kill Ike and Hardin in the VG

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

yep, he's also an amazing character.

[@GaeaRage0798]

Did you know that the don't have the last word in VGs, but the last hour's multiplier, which usually benefits the current losers. So VGs are usually nothing but lies.

[@Zero-gl2ou]

he was true heroe he saved arhcanea.

[@karlauminga6404]

@@GaeaRage0798 You know whether we like it or not that sometimes the multiplier can be pretty useful to certain circumstances like these (PS: I don't not want a Tellie character such as Ike to win)

[@mariofan9974]

I knew i made the right choice in the voting gauntlet

[@erick388]

To be fair. I completely agree with your synopsis of Lyon. He's the greatest Antagonist in my eyes, with Arvis following second and Grima third (with the added story of Echoes and the realization that he slaughtered all the earth dragons alone). So I have to say that I loved the vid!

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

glad you liked it!

[@Bartre_God]

I feel like your relationship with Lyon is quite similar to my relationship with Sokka from avatar the last air bender

[@Kaelicles]

The divergence of the story when you choose your paths serves to contextualize Lyon's actions in different ways. To begin, Lyon is very blatantly based on the tale of Icarus, a man who flew too close to the sun. This is interesting, because Ephraim and Eirika hold the Solar and Lunar Braces, which are based on the sun and the moon, which is the sun's shadow. If you choose Eirika's path, and by extension the Lunar Brace, we see that all of Lyon's actions were a farce. He lost to the Demon King before he could even try to save Grado. He chased the moon and became lost in the cosmos. Without the sun to either guide or kill him, he could never come back down to Earth again. That's why he is a mere puppet, at least thematically. If you choose Ephraim's path, and by extension the Solar Brace, Lyon gets the chance to fly too close to the sun. His hubris tricks him into believing that he can be like his metaphorical sun, Ephraim, and beat the Demon King on his own. We see through the story that this is not what happens, and Lyon flying to close to the sun is what brought him (and by law his kingdom) crashing down. While he was able to somewhat control the Demon King, he was so caught up in the fantasy of matching the sun's brilliance to realize that there was no point in even flying to the sun. The only thing that would happen is that he would get burned. Also, the real villain of Sacred Stones is fucking Vigarde for shooting down Lyon's idea of asking Ephraim and Eirika for help with Grado's whole future earthquake thing.

[@zr00we64]

Fire emblem : sacred stones is my favorite game but super underrated! Thank you for making a video on Lyon the best character that's been hyped up all through out that game!

[@Chowderchef]

Sacred stones was one of my first fe games and still my favorite fe game after playing almost every single one. Lyon holds such a special place to me

[@fallendreamer2411]

This was a nice video. Good thing you've been hyping this up for a while. I was never really crazy about Lyon but he was quite a tragic character which was among the most memorable parts of Sacred Stone's story Although I'm a bit confused about Lyon himself actually being responsible for the conflict in the story. I've only played Ephraim's route once which was a bit of a long time ago so a lot of what I remember is a little foggy. But I thought he was fully possessed in both routes. It doesn't really add up that innocent nerdy Lyon is the same as possessed Lyon. I've always assumed that the Demon King was just more cunning and manipulative on Ephraim's route.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

glad you enjoyed! and yeah, I played through SS back in april to prepare for this and I can confirm Lyon IS in control of his actions, his emotional state is being manipulated by the demon king, think of it like: "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink"

[@LittleMisZorua]

Lyon’s win in the voting gauntlet was so deserving. I’m so happy I built up my Lyon in Heroes

[@TenebrousHero]

Revisited this video recently. Still gets me misty-eyed. Excellent work, Zerk!

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

thank you!

[@darthr0xas363]

Welp, guess I'll be replaying Sacred Stones again. I really do need to experience Eirika's story. In my, 3 times I think, of playing I've always chosen Ephraim, and while I thought Lyon was a good villain, I didn't quite think he was the best. But with your video, I now kinda have to reconsider. He has so many layers (I want to make a Shrek joke here, but I'm restraining myself), that I never considered. While I have more nostalgia for Black Knight, and I think Arvis makes for a cooler fight, Lyon might just the best story of them all. So in other words, Lyon is an onion. He's purple, has layers, and is easily sliced with a knife.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

Well, I'm happy I could make you rethink Lyon. as I said in the video, Eirika's path does come with the issue of goofing Lyon's character, but there's still a lot of good within it.

[@alextankersley5838]

I'll always hold Black Knight as my top. Though Lyon is definitely good. Black Knight just has so many intricacies and his sorrow brought emotions into me.

[@fedechan6325]

I opened this video, ready to cry I was not disappointed

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

well, I'm glad you enjoyed the video.

[@AlphaDialga7]

Zerk, this was amazing! Just like you, Lyon is my favorite video game character of all time. While his impact on me wasn't as personal as yours, his tragic arc felt so real and so fleshed out to me. And you did an excellent job at portraying that! Props to you!

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

glad you liked it, thank you!

[@Violet_Twister]

I recently played FE8 in around november. I played Ephraim's route and I got to the end, I cried so much, for the first time in a game since 2013. Lyon is such a relatable character from my perspective, I was going through a lot but FE8 made me feel good about myself. I loved Lyon as a character, tragic yet kind, like me. I just think Lyon is my favorite character in all of fire emblem, yes he may be cliched but he's tragic and I feel his pain in some ways. And when I watched this video, it made me feel like crying again, I just love the way you described all the stuff that went down with Lyon as a character. This is an amazing video!

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed the video!

[@mayoinokii]

Wow, this gives me a reason to replay Sacred Stones again. I love the way that this video is conveyed, the effort and emotion is really felt, this really just reinforces why Lyon is best boy. This is a entertaining and intriguing video as always king. Also my heart right now, they don't think it be like that sometimes, but it really do man...

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

glad you liked it.

[@dangercats77]

As I've told friends, Lyon is the Camus archetype on steroids. I enjoy Eirika's route with Lyon because it makes me feel like "if I'd just been faster, I could have helped him" but there wasn't a way to fix this. I kept rooting for Lyon to break free of control totally, but since it didn't happen, I was sad but had righteous fury to stop the Demon King (although I think ANYONE who's played Eirika's route will say that her giving Lyon the stone was a seriously dumb move) and it felt good to take the demon down and set Lyon free. Ephiram's route was always good because to me, it felt like these routes were happening at the same time, save a few script changes. Imagine this: if Lyon was faking all along, why would he tell Eirika that? He loved her, to the point that the demon king made special mention of that fact in a boss quote. To me, even if Lyon was faking it in both, him using Eirika's naivety and dangling the carrot of rescue makes sense, because he knows she'll succeed where he's failed. To me, he's still the most sob-story of the FE villains but that's a good thing because let's face it, we all can't be insane as Nergal or blinded by rage as Sephiram or just as ass as Shagall or daddy issues like Zephiel. Lyon was a fundamentally broken character, so for his ending to be a sad one just makes it better. After all, the question of "what if" comes up about Lyon and it makes things far more interesting. Lyon would have gotten redemption from Ephiram and Eirika almost immediately because we know where he comes from. Can you really say that if any other main villain in the entirety of FE had survived (aside from Sephiram/Lehran) their final encounter that they'd be as quick to redeem as Lyon would be? He did what he did from a place of fear and lack of confidence, and with Eirika and Ephiram to help him he'd be a great king and prevent the damage that the earthquake he saw in his vision would bring. He was a good person who, thanks to the demon king, lost sight of himself and the right path. He's still one of my top 3 villains because of both Ephiram AND Eirika's paths (even if parts of Eirika's were handled with the care of an angry bull in a china shop)

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

Eirika's path never ceases to find ways to upset me. In regards to what ifs on whether Lyon would have been a great king, I beleive he still would've lived too much in his father's shadow, I also think he'd probably never have a chance with Eirika either. unfortunately, just given his character I feel, should he have succeeded grado proper, he'd be a very reclusive king.

[@Cush32able]

Calm thyself friend...all is well...stop this...(on a serious note I enjoyed the difference between Lyon's character on each routes)

[@BlackDragon41sbm]

Out of all FE games, Lyon is my favorite character because of his character and past. I love him. 😭 He's my favorite video game character ever too!

[@wigglingwiggs]

I can whistle lyon's theme without fainting... I dont know if i should be proud of that

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

be very proud of that.

[@takeazelfie6584]

No matter what happens I will always enjoy your content and it's always a blessing to see such in depth analysis like these posted. It's not often we get to see analysis like these posted and with full commentary. It makes it easier to put in the background and listen to and not to mention they are a little bit more accessible and out there. Keep up with this content and I look forward to seeing more!

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

thank you! glad you liked it.

[@arklaw8306]

3:12 Great screenshot out of context to explain Ephraim's love for Lyon.

[@RobotnikPlngas]

Im late to the party but I liked how Fire Emblem Heroes development some Lyon character by his normal self talk to his possesed version. I thought it was really cool and well executed.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

I have a video up on the channel exploring Fomortiis as well as that heroes conversation, take a look if You're interested!

[@jpbo98]

I know we probably are really far away from a Sacred Stones Remake, but after hearing Mark Whitten’s performance I really cannot wait for him to break my heart by adding “extraemotionalpunch” to Lyon in game

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

I'm really happy the text scroll for the "where did I go wrong" moment matches so well. I want Whitten and Chun to banter off each other as Ephraim and Lyon so badly you don't understand.

[@jpbo98]

ZerkMonsterHunter 4 It’s a dream so real you can almost taste it, but so far away in the horizon that the wait is a nightmare

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

this, this is my eternal pain

[@noctris1396]

Its so damn annoying people hate on sacred stones because its easy, or isnt designed as well as the others, that they over look its greatest strength, how it handles characters, its in my opinion the best one in the series with characters, followed after by blazing sword. Lyon was my first villain in media i grew to respect yet fear as a character, and even hurt for him, and very few stand close to him even after all these years

[@Nonaryfame]

I always thought lyon was underrated myself, hes one of the most realistically written characters in the game (despite being possessed by a demon) and yet nothing goes well for him even his death only benefitted the demon king. sacred stones is like the Batman of the franchise in that it has the best villains

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

SilverBladeHero 15 I'd say it's like batman more in the sense that the villains are more interesting than the main character

[@reinav.3674]

While I haven’t played SS myself, I’ve grown to really like Lyon from Heroes mostly from two quotes he says while standing around the castle. One where he mentions how he tripped yet it doesn’t bother him and that being alive is wonderful and another where he tells the Summoner that it’s ok to cry because no one knows what they’re going through. At the moment I’m typing this, I don’t feel the greatest but reading those lines made me feel just a tad better.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

please go play it, you owe it to yourself.

[@coltonzuspan3285]

I'm playing through Sacred Stones again (because why not?). I loved Lyon's arc.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

Its so good.

[@Omegastarxz]

Another thing i found after watching this video is that when lyon said the he seen two paths with the dark stone one where he was consumed by the demon king and other where he controls it. Is parallel with the two paths with the twins. I really love this game and the story got to be pne of the best

[@Rsp-xy9kk]

I think the timing of this is spot on since Lyon won the voting gauntlet, did you plan for this? Also I felt that you might have explained Lyon somewhere along the road. Anyways, nicely done Zerk. I always like the reason why people has a personal bias of a character they like and yours is no exception of Lyon. Though I prefer Eirika's path better because of Joshua and Cormag the way of how Lyon is portrayed in Ephraim's path is a lot better as you have stated. Don't know if you want to change your pic to Lyon now but I think that it could be good. Anyways great video Zerk. Btw who did you ally support Lyon with? I supported him with regular Eirika.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

Glad you liked the video, and like I said, there certainly is merit to eirika's path, just not for Lyon. I haven't decided who to ally support mine with, you can see mine in the video, all he has is earth blessing. perhaps if they ever add Selena or Knoll to heroes...

[@Thenumber1yoshi]

Came to watch this since yesterday was Sacred Stones’ anniversary in the states, better late than never!

[@centphilipjumawan4560]

I saw this video after finishing Sacred Stones. Because the end cutscene is so tragic. Dayum.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

glad you liked it.

[@polariluma]

Zerk this was fantastic. I'm glad you took your time. It's been a while since sacred stones for me but remembering the events through your video gave me the feels.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

glad you liked it.

[@nathanm5533]

Wow, this was deep. I liked Lyon and could relate to him but damn, if you didn't make me love him even more, good job.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

thank you! happy you liked it.

[@SonicLegends]

Lyon won the villian you just can't hate category in Heroes. He rightfully so deserves it.

[@RoseAltro]

Such an odd way to end off the video. The whole mentioning about Lyon being somewhat similar to you. It’s quite intriguing.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

for analysis yes, but It's really hard for me to talk about him without getting into my own bias.

[@bigpichulittlepichu9320]

I'm glad that there is a video explaining the truly complex character that is Lyon. Never in the franchise thus far has a character had such struggle as he did. And this video does a fantastic job of dissecting my fav character. Awesome video my friend.

[@abbymems]

This may be quite late, but your passion for a game I love made me bother to leave my own opinions on this subject, in which I mostly agree with you. I only disagree in that Eirika's path is bad characterization of Lyon. In fact, I think it is exactly how Lyon would act if he was facing Eirika as the leader of the army. Why use straightforward and honest truth when he knows she's incredibly naive? It would be far more useful to manipulate those feelings he knows she has for him and play the victim to the end. I feel that Ephraim's path is intended to be the second one you play, as it would reveal that Lyon is scheming and vile of his own accord. I took those revelations to be telling that all of his Eirika path dialogue is an act, as he loved her, and wanted to be loved by her. What better way to do so than play the damsel in distress, even when he knew his death at her hands was inevitable? Aside from that, wonderful video. Sacred Stones will always be my favorite FE and one of my favorite games ever because of these characters, and I'm glad there are others who are just as passionate. Thank you.

[@tenara-kun5979]

his final battle theme is what got me It perfectly embodies the battle with him Tragic, forceful, it forces you to fight him even though you don't want to, you just want to save him. But you can't, Lyon is too far gone and the music perfectly embodies these feelings. makes me want to cry whenever i hear it

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

the "lyon is too far gone" aspect hits harder on ephraim's path since that IS Lyon, not something else wearing Lyon. not to mention the track is called "the prince's despair"

[@Goomgy]

This is incredible. I would love to see one of these on Arvis.

[@armandoramirez9752]

I remember playing this game growing up and it was getting depressing for me that I had to stop playing for awhile before I could go back and finish the game.

[@justdrinkingmycoffee]

It's a Miracle you finally uploaded this after many tweets of you mentioning this, all I'm gonna say it's congrats.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

like I said this has been my lifeblood for a whole damn month.

[@ethan0248910]

Sacred Stones is my second favorite Fire Emblem game. Great video!!

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

thanks!

[@z.l.1134]

I've never played Sacred Stones, nor do I want to. I cry enough as it is, without seeing more of this tragic prince.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

that's a shame, it's a very good game, and Lyon is awesome!

[@Dasurio]

Finally had the Chance to wach this video. Wow, it's amazing. This needs more views.

[@ConnerNecromancer]

Lyon made me fall in love with tragic characters in media for better or worse

[@robinthejoker8446]

so you still prefer Lyon over Arvis/Alvis? Damn, mad respect for you. Thanks for making this video

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

Robin - The - Joker I didn't mention it but there are some interesting parallels between Lyon and Arvis. if it's any consolation; arvis is my second favorite villain

[@ninomagico97]

Wow this is such a beautiful analysis. Fire Emblem Sacred Stones has always been and forever will be my favourite, but for the simple reason that it was my introduction to the series. Your analysis has given me an even better reason to love Fire Emblem Sacred Stones as much as I do. Thank you!

[@not_emerald]

I love lyon and I can't describe how I felt when I discovered in Heroes that it's pronounced leon and not lion. But okay. Great video. And fucking great Monika/Lyn avatar.

[@mariosonic987pac-hero4]

I may not know much about Lyon as you do but I will say this, this is an amazing work you've done.

[@JosephHk743]

Lyon is one of my favorite villains in FE. Great video!

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

Thank you!

[@svarthert8450]

Really liked the video, i appreciate the character of Lyon too as an antagonist and as the somewhat heartbroken good boy he is/was. I wanted to add that the Eirika route is probably the first you explore (and the easiest), cause for the community and maybe the devs, you finish the Eirika route first, then the Ephraim route, and the Ephraim route and these revelations make more sense like this.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

I still wish Eirika's route did more to suggest he wasn't fully possessed, it still ruins most of the tension for me.

[@svarthert8450]

@@ZerkMonsterHunter clearly, i think the worst is that we don"t have an explanation for it being different from the other scenario. It could have been a bit more consistant if one action of Eirika happened to change the balance inside of Lyon (but i guess that the route of Eirika already painted her in a bad enough light).

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

yeah, eirika's path in general is just kind of a mess.

[@Shakismo]

Thanks for the video brother! And for sharing a part of your own history!

[@15690asdfg]

amazing essay, i feel about lyon the same way you do

[@princelyon6614]

Lyon is best boi. There’s nothing else to say than that. (Loved the vid, great job!)

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

thank you! I'm actually working on a video about Fomortiis that should go up pretty soon.

[@princelyon6614]

Omg, can’t wait! :D

[@sinfall5280]

Wow I really need to play this game now Edit: After hearing everything you said in the end of the video I had to sub! 😢

[@greatrieck]

Can I just say that you made me love Lyon like I never had before? Like you make me hyped for when I get back to Sacred Stones for my own analysis series.

[@Wiimonkey2]

Wow... What a great video. Ironically, I was just contemplating Lyon's character earlier today, so the timing of this video was perfect for me. :) I'll be honest, when I first played Sacred Stones, I wasn't expecting much from Lyon, (mainly because I was expecting him to to behave like he does on Erika's route) but once I got to Chapter 18 on Ephraim's route, (which I thankfully played first) and learned that he was faking his possession, it blew my mind. After that, Lyon became one of my favorite video game villains, (if not my absolute favorite villain). Again, amazing job, and thanks for making this video. :)

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

no problem, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@grimreaper9115]

Were it not for Velvet Crowe this guy would be my favourite character in all media by far and away. He's just... awesome.

[@jaredfayette2567]

Amazing. Simply amazing. This was an incredible analysis Zerk and I can say it’s certainly one of my favorite pieces of your work. While I might still have a slight bias towards Erika’s path due to solely the character interactions/battle quotes of chapter 15, this video has given me a new found appreciation of Ephraim’s path in addition to a better appreciation of Lyon himself. After thinking of my favorite FE villains, I think Lyon for me ties as my third FE Villain with Berkut, especially after watching this video. Again you did a wonderful job Zerk with this one and I’m certain this one will be remembered amongst your best of works. Much like Heroes, you did a great job of capturing this tragic villain of Fire Emblem. I’ll be looking forward to more of your work.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

thanks dude! I'm glad you liked it. Berkut is probably number 5 for me. (my top three are Lyon, Arvis and Zephiel)

[@jaredfayette2567]

ZerkMonsterHunter 4 Arvis is also in my trinity of favorite FE Villains. Like I said before Berkut and Lyon are battling for their space of my top three. Then my favorite FE Villain is probably Zelgius since even though he might not have the same level of complexity as Lyon as you stated, he’s still great with his merits in my eyes from his story to the great design of the Black Knight Armor to his insane power and there was some epic feeling within me after I won his fight in PoR that almost matched the same sense of accomplishment that I haven’t felt in a video game in a long while since I defeated the God King in Infinity Blade I (the character you see as my current profile pic). Zepheil is probably just sitting at the bottom spot of my top five FE Villains since I liked how we saw he was just a normal person just trying to make his father like him so he could just make his family complete in FE7 that made his ultimate fate of becoming someone trying to destroy mankind sad since he was made into that not by manipulation or dark magic, but by cruel human nature from his father, and how by FE6 where even though eradicating all of Man Kind is a bad idea, he still brings up an interesting case of the darkness in human nature where he takes advantage of mentioning all of the betrayals/ corruptions that happened during the game’s events and makes you think as those backstabs contrast the comradity and good human nature that Roy’s group kind of represents. Overall I’d say we probably have a similar taste in what we like in FE villains and I have to say we both have good taste.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

Zephiel is easily the best "juggernaut king" villain. while arvis and Lyon are what I'd classify as masterminds.

[@EmeraldxInfectiion]

Zerrrrrk! You had me crying! And now I may replay Sacred Stones; I haven't played it the entire way through since I was in middle school.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

Do it!

[@mysticknight1494]

Well I haven't played Eirikas path yet but Ephraim's was so good I don't even think I need to, but I will. And because of my playing of his path Lyon is probably my favorite FE villain to date and Ephraim is easily one of my favorite lords. (P. S. Lyon's evil portrait is so well done. It really captures just how evil and twisted he's become in such a short time)

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

If you are playing Eirika's path, there's not much reason to play past chapter 16. I usually reccomend to first time sacred stones players to copy their save before the route split, play both until beating chapter 15 and then finishing the game with Ephraim.

[@bootheghostrox]

Amazing video essay! Loved the way you depicted Lyon and compared both paths and their significance towards Lyon's character and story. I wished you elaborated a bit more on Eirika to make your discussion on both paths balanced, but I agree that there was little to no substance in her path when I played. Great job nonetheless!

[@nathanshivnen8545]

I always find myself coming back to listen to this video. Sacred Stones was my favorite game growing up and the connection I’ve had with the characters is something that can’t be replicated.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

well said, glad it's been a video you come back to, means a lot to hear since I worked hard on it.

[@CraneoHR]

favourite character ever

[@ol_fortune9474]

This is why Lyon is my best boy in the franchise

[@thewindysage1538]

You know The first time I played sacred stones I went Ephraim route for some reason It let me see more of the darker side of the story in all senses While eirika goes through the mountains with light and hope in her heart, Ephraim sees the decay of grado in all senses While the bosses like Pablo were cartoony to a fault,you could feel the sorrow in Selena's eyes after receiving her last order as a moonstone You see how for once is not the invaders who destroyed the evil land Then you reach castle grado Vigarde was dead all along all that Maybe I didn't really notice at that time but it's surprisingly all so fluid Nothing feels like an asspull when thinking from the game world's logic and possibilities Now when reading the interactions between Ephraim and Lyon Just wow Eirika's route just feels like a red hairing now A sheet to cover the depth of the game

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

glad you liked it, happy I'm not alone in my thoughts of Ephraim's route being that much better.

[@Shining_Waters]

Amazing analysis, wow 👌🏻 It’s cool to hear about how certain characters hit emotional chords for different people :) I was a bit bored by Lyon in SS, although I can appreciate how well he was written. Just wasn’t my cup of tea. Especially on Eirika’s route, as I’m really not a fan of crush-on-girl-turns-into-jealousy-feel-bad-for-me plotlines. Ephraim’s route tho I 100% agree with you, Lyon was MUCH better written, although still not my taste in villains. I definitely understand how he could be a great character to relate to. Congrats on completing the video 🤘🏻🤘🏻

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

thank you! and yeah, I realize his archetype isn't for everyone, but he's just so different from every other FE villain I can't help but be intoxicated with how well he's written.

[@Shining_Waters]

ZerkMonsterHunter 4 For sure! Lyon on Ephraim’s route in particular was much better as you said. But I really didnt like his whole crush on Eirika arc in her path, and cuz of that I’ve had mixed feelings on him as a character. But anyways, amazing analysis! Enjoyed it 👌🏻

[@asianp1067]

You KNOW they made a truly badass villian when you curse your own main unit for being a badass an you give the boss a handicap.