Alm: Clashing Ideals In Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

I'd like to apologize for my Absence recently. a lot has been going on in my life especially regarding the future of both myself and the channel. Bottom line: *I'm burning out on creative energy for Fire Emblem content and I need a break to do something else* This DOES NOT mean Fire Emblem content on this channel will stop, I love fire emblem, but lately I've struggled to really find my voice with FE content and I need a clean slate. I think this will be worth it in the long run, and it gives me a chance to throw some stuff at the wall and see what sticks. Most of the FE videos coming out in the next few months will be me ticking off smaller-scale projects from my list so I can focus on bigger and better projects like this video and the Lyon one. This Channel has been an amazing Journey, frankly I don't deserve the amazing audience I have because of my lazy, fickle, and grumpy ass. Starting soon, it's time I begin a new chapter of it. - Zerk.

[@boomtangle01]

ZerkMonsterHunter 4 i don’t blame you at all for feeling the way you do. We all need breaks even from the things we love from time to time. I’d never leave because of a change of content on this channel and I’m super excited to see what you’ll do next.

[@jaredfayette2567]

ZerkMonsterHunter 4 Don’t worry about it Zerk, life happens and sometimes we just need to sit back and rethink for a bit. It’ll happen to us at one point or another. Anyway Zerk, this was a great video. I always enjoy looking at the foils in the story of they are done right and Echoes did well with them and it’s nice to see someone take a more in depth look on them. Even if it isn’t FE content, I’ll be happy to see more of your work. Regardless of the wait, your work will be worth it.

[@Carnidrome]

I can't blame you for feeling burnt out, I'll watch your work regardless.

[@elliotflores723]

I'd rather you post less and have your videos be quality than you force out work for the sake of putting out more content. Even if it means waiting until Three Houses drops, i'd be fine with waiting for content if that's what it takes for it to give you the refresh you need. That said, you know, for a channel called, "ZerkMonsterHunter", you could, y'know, post stuff about that new game that came out on PC. It was called...uh...Monster Hunter World, I think?

[@Carnidrome]

@@elliotflores723 or Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate on the Nintendo switch.

[@PostModernCereal]

Seeing an army eating oranges and bags of flour on the battlefield might have been enough on its own for Rudolf to not attack lol

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

really makes you wonder...

[@NimhLabs]

"I have heard of a lengendary warrior entering into a chamber and eating fifty cheese wheels before decimating their opponents... but a whole army of these?"

[@glorioustigereye]

I love it when I give Gray cold soup and water and he was like “Just like ma used to make”.

[@Sagemaster15]

You really deserve so much more credit for all this hard work you do. Seriously, amazing job.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

Thanks, I'm flattered to hear that coming from such a big voice in the community. really means a lot to see that hard work get recognized, it's always worth it when I get comments saying "wow you made me rethink this character"

[@darwinthemagnificent2047]

Ayyy it's Sages

[@sethh.2721]

AN ALM CHARACTER STUDY THANK YOU ZERK!

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

NO WORRIES!

[@darthr0xas363]

Didn't realize Rudolf wouldn't attack Alm. That's kinda neat. I always just nuked him with magic and archers to finish the map fast

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

oh, oof, lol.

[@lpfan4491]

i fayecritted him

[@zakariamohamed3202]

A lot of people tend to focus on celica cause of her flaws and often say alm is too bland or a “Gary Stu” (if I spelt that right). But I’m honestly glad you decided to analyze him cause he’s still a really interesting character.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

why, thank you! i always found Alm more interesting myself.

[@samuelwolch1302]

Zakaria Mohamed if people want a true Gary Stu/Mary Sue who has serious flaws they should meet Corrin

[@samuelwolch1302]

ZerkMonsterHunter 4 would you do a video on the importance of Religion in the Fire Emblem universe?

[@samuelwolch1302]

ZerkMonsterHunter 4 would you do a video on the importance of Religion in the Fire Emblem universe?

[@RikN]

Tend to believe people who call Alm a Gary Stu have no idea what good writing is lol. Not saying Alm is perfect (him being a chosen one and a royal is kinda eh imo), but Alm is not something as extreme as a Gary Stu

[@Tyranogre]

Rudolf: “Listen up, men! I’m going to leave my infant son in the care of an old man. Then, I’m going to attack a goddess, start a zombie apocalypse, and become an evil dictator so that someday my son will grow up, kill me, and usher in a new era of peace. Any questions?” Soldier: “Sire, why don’t you just use your authority as Emperor to usher in a new era of peace?” Rudolf: “Shut the fuck up.”

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

reminds me of the Armageddon director's commentary.

[@DylanBeaudry]

Because Mila would never allow it.

[@jwil4286]

Correction: because the DUMA FAITHFUL would never allow it (there’s even a line in the memory where Rudolph says that if Alm stays in Rigel, the Duma Faithful would hunt him to no end).

[@MineNAdventurer]

Remember to say you're daily *_"Shut up Tobin"_*

[@gratedshtick]

Shut up Tobin

[@aaronjackson6880]

Mine N Adventurer _The Aegis Boy_ shut up Tobin

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

shut up tobin.

[@williamhuynh4363]

Shut up mokuba

[@josephlicolon9870]

*Shut up Tobin*

[@swordmasterarie7752]

Alm is my favorite lord and one of my favorite characters in the series, thank you for doing him justice

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

glad you enjoyed.

[@TheBizzareBirb]

Alm's development and struggles is one of the reasons he is my favorite lord. Thank you for showing it in this video!

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

Thank you, glad you liked it!

[@noble8696]

This video reevaluates my reason as to why i prefer alm over Celica.

[@UnlimitedMrX]

I think people who prefer Celica mostly do for her design. Alm is just better written and a more dynamic and organic character. Alm feels more human while still sticking to his protagonist role. Whereas Celica feels like she's duty-bound or just foolish.

[@Thatdeadpenguy]

Jakkun Well, I'm of the opinion that Celica is the better written protagonist up until the last chapter where she is downgraded to kinda one-note damsel in distress. It also helps that Celica's journey is also unique narratively in Fire Emblem. As Alm's side started you off with a hero's conquest (which we've seen time and time again), a seafaring pilgrimage is a breath of fresh air.

[@noble8696]

@@UnlimitedMrX well i mean, i liked celicas design but even then i was focused more on alms path then i did Celica. Maybe I'm just the odd one out.

[@noble8696]

@@Thatdeadpenguy tbh yeah i do see her as the stronger written character and her journey is unique. Not every fire emblem game has the main character seek out the help of a god.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

I think the reason celica overshadows Alm is both her character design and her path being sufficiently longer than Alms. we spend more time with celica therefore more people latch onto her. unfortunately, the longer a story is, the more chances there are to get something wrong. as for Celica becoming a damsel in distress, well, in another video I explored a theory about celica being a witch for a lot longer than we see in game, really makes you rethink a lot of her decisions in act 4.

[@jwil4286]

The conversation between Berkut and Rinea made me cry. Seriously, Rinea must have a heart of gold to forgive Berkut for his atrocity

[@gennykoala2113]

I think the addition of Berkut was a genius move from the developers. At first glance you just see Berkut as some villain but when you dive into his story he’s a hugely complex character. Here you have 2 complex characters going head to head. They did such an amazing job with it. Every little detail made you question the past details and you really got see how each character grew

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

I completely agree! by giving Alm an equal and opposite to bounce off of it really makes both their characters shine all the brighter. glad you liked the video too!

[@somasora7]

This is a pretty interesting take. I like the way you explained Alm’s character arc through the way he clashes with the other characters. I’d throw Clive in there as well, since while they’re not inherently rivals, their trains of thought do clash multiple times during the story, which can turn pretty sour during the battle at Zofia Castle. As much as I like Alm personally, after seeing so much criticism of him lately for being bland/a Gary Stu/ruining Echoes thematically etc, I have wondered if he might be slightly hollow, narratively speaking. And if you take him at face value, I guess he kinda is. But with this angle in mind, he feels a lot more fleshed out now

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

yeah, people just think he gets everything handed to him without really thinking about how hard he actually worked to reach the point he did.

[@elfireii328]

This is gonna be one I've got to sit through. I like alm, he's a genuinely good guy with obvious flaws and a character who makes mistakes.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

hopefully the 20 minutes will fly by.

[@Zeronigel332]

Alm is my favorite fire emblem protagonist and I was always so sad that Alm barely get any time in the light due to Celica. Alm to me is a rather interesting protagonist especially if you look at a point that he is the opposite of Marth. I actually might be one of few people that don’t see Alm loving Celica cause I think he just genuinely kind and can’t turn a blind eye to someone who might need help.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

he has genuine feelings for her; it's just that those genuine feelings aren't in any way sexual, at least not any communicated to the audience.

[@alpharabbit2353]

Right. Marth was willing to fight but only after understanding there was little choice in the matter. Alm was willing to fight because he wanted to. He was a warrior at heart. I feel this is why many fans don't care for him. They want the bullshit anime protagonists that unload all their thoughts and issues front and center. Alm was actually human by comparison in the sense he was this no-nonsense leader who confronted problems instead pussy footing around them. Some might call it heartless. I call it war

[@Carnidrome]

Great work man, it's nice to get a good look at Alm. It allows me to like him even more then I already did.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

same honestly, especially doing the research for this video.

[@starmaker75]

I did view Alm and Celica o similar to Mila and Duma and how it relate to yin and yang Alm is doing the battle and war, while not going too far Celica is about the peace and talk, but it bite her in the ass. Compare to Mila(peace) and Duma(war/strength) and that were yin and yang come in. Mila peace is good and all, but nothing but it breeds weak, coppurtion, and laziness. Duma strength and power does tougher humans, but it basic makes religa into militaristic and social darwinism country where people are more into power then caring for other(basically the sith empire) The best solution was to combined and moderate the idea for a better future To quote Duma himself: “take from us the lessons you will and shape her into the land to remember. Make her strong like Duma, fill it with Mila’s love. Let our grave mistake be a warning on where not to tread as long you lead forth.”

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

well said dude.

[@floricel_112]

"Alm is doing the battle and war, while not going too far" so invading and conquering an entire neighboring nation isn't going overboard in your eyes? I don't care about his rationing, the moment Alm decided to invade Rigel was the moment he lost all moral high ground. He was perfectly justified in outing the noble's rebellion and routing the rigelians back in their territory, but he had no right to do to them the exact same thing. I honestly felt disgusted when he went on about his speech and even asking his troops "who will defend Zofia?" as he's marching to battle. And while he's triumphantly fighting these battles, Zofia would be plagued by pirates and bandits had Celica not taken care of them (for which I respect her greatly, because being a pacifist, she won't turn a blind eye to her people's suffering and knows not every conflict can be solved through words)

[@gottesurteil3201]

Alm has the advantage of not being in a dating sim. Unfortunately Corrin's only interactions are with those who want to ride his dragon fang. Except for Xander and Leo of course, they seem to be the only ones who remember what game they are in.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

That's one way to look at it I suppose.

[@lpfan4491]

what about betrayal?

[@TheDiscoGenre]

Fates and Gaiden/Echoes are both shit games though. One is waifu cancer reaching its natural conclusion is one is a shit NES game (even back then) with modern QoL features. Berkut autistically screeching =/= a good FE.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

@@TheDiscoGenre she hurt you bad, didn't she? it's ok. we all need to let off steam somehow.

[@lpfan4491]

gaiden honestly is one of the besser nes games in my opinion. why? because i actually was able to play it.other games are just unplayable for me(not counting some classics like the nes mario games.every system has its gems)

[@0axis771]

I feel you should have included Clive in this, as though he has been someone that wanted Alm to join the Deliverance, he did so only because he was believed to be of Mycen's blood relation, and how Alm proved that he didn't need to be related to Mycen to show an effective leadership, in regards to how Alm saves Delthea. Also, you are wrong about Berkut being someone that never had to work hard or the idea that everything was handed to him. It was not. Berkut says that he had to work hard to prove himself worthy for so many years, and that strength meant everything, or else he was worth nothing. Then the Valentian Accordion revealed more info about him, showing that he was just a weak kid that was too timid to even ride a horse, as doing so would make him cry. He grew up without a father, and his mother raised him strictly so that he would not be made fun of. This made Berkut believe that being nobility means that he cannot show weakness and must take pride in his strength. He strived to earn his uncle's approval so that he can be seen as worthy of being the next Emperor. Berkut was not truly born privileged. He was not a natural born prodigy. He had to strive and work hard to earn his strength. Which makes far more sense as to why he was losing his sanity when Alm, someone that was a no-name and presumably a commoner, was besting him, as it was breaking everything that Berkut had worked to achieve. And when Alm was revealed to be Rudolf's son, it made feel as if Berkut worked for nothing. All his efforts were in vain. i.imgur.com/O8IL9xE.png

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

I tend to go off in game information for these, and I haven't read the valentian accordion. so thank you for bringing this to my attention. the net result however, Berkut being an arrogant bag of hot air, is still the same. so even if berkut ddid have to work to earn the respect of the other nobles he was still shaped by rigel into who we see in echoes, which is still in line with everything I pointed out in the video.

[@0axis771]

Oh, he's still arrogant, no question there. But he was a victim of the problem in Rigel, how the desire for strength made them lose sight of what they hold dear, as Berkut, despite loving Rinea, was unable to stop himself from sacrificing her in his madness for power. And though the game doesn't go too in-depth about Berkut's past, he does mention how he was pushed by his mother to believe in his own strength. Also, another thing that the game hinted at that spooked Berkut was noticing the Brand on Alm's hand, as the Valentian Timeline reveals that Duma established a policy that Brand bearers get priority over the throne, not a direct lineage. That's why Rudolf became Emperor despite being a more distant relative, as Rudolf has a Brand, hence why he's able to use Falchion. So Berkut noticing the Brand worried Berkut because if it was the Brand, it would implicate that Alm to be the one to rule Rigel next.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

berkut never saw Alm's brand though? at least i don't remember it anyways. the only people who knew were Zeke, Mycen and Rudolf.

[@0axis771]

Oh no, he did. When we have that scene where Berkut has that exercise fight with Alm. - Berkut: Hah! What’s the matter, farmboy? Afraid you won’t land a single blow? Alm: The name is Alm-not “farmboy.” Berkut: Oh, my mistake. Wait a second… (The fighting ends) Berkut: That mark on your left hand… Where did that come from? Alm: What do you care?! Are you here to fight or not? Berkut: No… It cannot be the Brand. Not on one as unremarkable as you. It must be false. Just like its bearer! - Berkut was worried about seeing that Brand. We didn't get context about why he was scared, but with the Valentian Timeline revealing how the Brand has priority over anything else in succession, if Alm has the Brand, he might have strong claim to the Rigelian throne, overruling even Berkut.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

@@0axis771 huh, odd, because Alm wears gloves.

[@justplayfly]

I really like how the title of the next point shows up while the dialogue clips keep going

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

yeah, I usually play music during those transitions, decided to switch it up a bit

[@herowatcher8403]

Excellent...I love Alm even more it still shocked me that IS,and everyone i know treat him like he doesn't exist... I hope Smash Ultimate's DLC doesn't do the same thing separating Celica from Alm for a 2nd time!? I can't bear the thought of it! I've always liked Alm's arc more...

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

Honestly If we get Alm as a newcomer and celica as a robin echo I can die peacefully.

[@hoodsquigga1168]

ZerkMonsterHunter 4 good lord I’ve been wanting Alm in smash for a long time. I hope to god we do. Especially how he was missing in FE Warriors, like Shulk was missing in Project X Zone. Might be gone because he joined smash or something.

[@dragonguy1187]

Alm is pretty much the only FE rep I want in Smash.

[@fotdk1]

Berkut was a great anti villain, and proves they don't have to be overtly sympathetic to be engaging. The man suffers defeat after defeat, and becomes subservient to his animosity and failure. He becomes so consumed by his shortcomings he becomes detached from the love of his fiancee who would be by his side no matter what. He threw everything away, not only the woman who loved him but his own cousin who wanted to reconcile with him despite all that he did. All because he couldn't have it all, he'd rather have nothing.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

Extremely well said.

[@jdmimikyu]

The reason that Alm doesn't have a deep history is because we live his story. This is my second video and I love it. New sub

[@sam0nator]

I'm relatively new to Fire Emblem, I fell in love after watching this long documentary someone made on youtube, and after finally getting Awakening on a whim, I really fell for the series. Now I've put hundreds of hours in Awakening, a friend lent me their copy of Fates Conquest that I'm going through now. I thought Awakening was my favorite until I (again on a whim) bought Shadows of Valentia, and immediately fell in love. This is my favorite entry in the franchise by far.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

sounds awesome, happy to have you here.

[@mht0027]

Great video. I always like seeing these character analyses from you. It's also nice to see someone else who seems to like Alm more than Celica (I still like Celica, but I just like Alm more).

[@esteban8471]

The scene of Rinea's spirit speaking to Berkut was less of a redemption and more of a wake up call, at least to me. Berkut believed in strength above all else, to the point where he threw away everything he loved and held dear to hold onto the illusion of power because, as you said, he's never had to learn to lose. But Rinea's love was so true and unconditional, so pure, that Berkut realized that strength wasn't everything that mattered. With his illusion of needing power completely stripped away, and everything he ever knew taken and burned, all he had left was what he never thought he needed: Love. That strength didn't matter if you didn't have the heart to wield it properly. A realization that came at the cost of Rinea and his own life. A realization that came too late.

[@vagrant2863]

I saw an interesting post on Reddit a while back that said that SOV's idea on nobility wasn't that it didn't matter but rather that "One should not judge people based on birth". That idea goes along with yours on Berkut. Station of birth does decide a lot of things in a person's life like wealth, relative education, ability, and a whole host of other factors. Destiny withstanding, it doesn't change the fact that Alm's life as a commoner was part of the reason Berkut failed. Like a lord thinking serfs can't rebel, Berkut's hubris and dismissiveness of Alm is part of what brings his downfall. I really enjoyed the video, I thought it made a lot of good points. Most people just like to rattle on about Celica being Celica in Act 4-5. I wish that SOV developed some of its ideas more (like any story right?) since Alm's opinion on Family is an interesting topic which is rarely touched upon until the end of the game. I feel that the final confrontation with Berkut would have been even more powerful if Alm had established a starting point for his opinion on family beyond Mycen. I hope you make more videos like this in the future! Here's the link so I don't make unsubstantiated claims about Reddit. www.reddit.com/r/fireemblem/comments/6nko4u/shadow_of_valentias_moral/

[@JazzyBassy]

I think the thing that make Alm's family issues underdeveloped is that you get Mycen at the very end, and you are limited to how many characters you can bring in a dungeon, by that time many players would have characters stronger than Mycen so a lot of people wouldn't develop their support, much less do it before the Berkut fight. In retrospect he does hint at it by his denial of nobility when getting the royal sword, but most people wouldn't notice that. He also hints at it in his conversation with Luthier about rescuing Delthea.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

that is certainly intriguing. I think if perhaps Alm got a bit more time with his father we may have seen more of that, someone else in this thread also mentioned with how late you get mycen it kinda goofs with his and Alm's support chain.

[@vagrant2863]

They could have made Faye more like Tobin or Gray by having her be the means through which Alm could explain his opinions on Family. It would certainly lend more justification for her fixation on him since starting a family is one of the things Faye dreams of.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

I agree, that would've added a lot too.

[@MineNAdventurer]

I hope they eventually do an echoes for Thracia 776 like FIre emblem echoes Light of Leonstar

[@benjaminborkowski12]

I hope that every FE game gets remade as Echoes Games. That way IS has less chances to fuck up FE. I can imagine that maybe Shadow Dragon is low on their priority list, seen as how it got many remakes. Also, i guess that the Tellius games are recent enough to not get remakes in IS's eyes?

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

the next echoes title will likely be FE6 or FE4

[@MineNAdventurer]

I know but a man who wants Leif to be in a new game can dream

[@williamsmith4956]

I think that Genolegy ofthe holy war and 776 as a single game would be great

[@theargawalathing]

I would love to see you explore Alm and Celica's dynamics specifically in another video, or just your take on Celica as a whole, similar to this video on Alm. I still find myself enjoying her characterization throughout her story just as much as farm boy.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

Celica is... interesting, I think I do need a full video on my conflicting feelings about her. though I suppose I'll wait a while first.

[@neofoxxy9787]

As I just finish watching your video, I open FEH to summon on a banner and I got Alm on the last summon.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

NICE!

[@dhisufiroafrozenseraphimdragon]

God bless you, Zerk:) I really like your analysis videos. When I first started Echoes I thought that Alm was just going to be your typical ,hotheaded, friendship, crazy, Naruto protagonist but I'm glad I was wrong. I was just playing Echoes yesterday and Alm is such a sweetheart. I really love the part where you fight Rudolf and Alm realizes he just killed his own father. The voice acting and reaction was just perfect! What I'm trying to say is I love Alm! It would be nice if I could find a good guy like him.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

Thanks, that means a lot, yeah, Alm and Rudolf is one of my favorite moments, it really cemented Kyle McCarley (Alm's VA) as one of my favorite voice actors, too.

[@dhisufiroafrozenseraphimdragon]

@@ZerkMonsterHunter Alm is definitely one of my favorite FE characters. Do you know any other characters who were voiced by Kyle McCarely?

[@jaden149]

i think alm might be my fave lord out of the fire emblem games i have played

[@wendydaley5238]

Thank you for this video! It was amazingly done. Those twenty minutes passed by instantly. And it’s fine if you want to branch out, I’d like to see your fantastic analysis on other games as well. To be honest, I was shocked when Berkut sacrificed Rinea to Duma, as I thought it was going the love redeems trope and she’d be able to talk him down, but nope. Although he does get redeemed anyway through her spirit showing up, even though it makes no sense as her soul would’ve been eaten by Duma anyway.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

How'd you get here so fast lol? this video was unlisted when you posted this comment.

[@wendydaley5238]

ZerkMonsterHunter 4 This video showed up on my downloaded playlist, which was odd considering I didn’t get a notification until late last night (I live in Australia) and the second I saw this video I was on it fast. I got so excited when you talked about Berkut as a foil to Alm.

[@wendydaley5238]

ZerkMonsterHunter 4 I wish that FE4 would someday get a remake. Expand on Arvis character, give Deirdre a personality beyond walking plot device, get Xander Mobus to voice Arvis,yeah. Although I would be very happy with an Echoes-style FE8 remake, seeing best purple haired mage boi fully voiced would be a dream come true.

[@samuelwolch1302]

Wendy Daley i think they mentioned the only time witches free their souls upon death, so that’s why her spirit was there

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

oh god please, all of that remake idea.

[@garrettelinski4127]

You briefly mentioned it in the beginning... COULD you do a video on Sigurd and Arvis? I can never find good research on them and I have no access to the game myself but I'm so curious about them. Other than that, though, phenomenal job on this video. I love Alm and I'm glad you brought this to the light.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

I might do a video about Arvis. as a result Sigurd would be a big part of it.

[@wendydaley5238]

ZerkMonsterHunter 4 oh god please yes an Arvis and Sigurd video would be so amazing! I find Arvis to be equally despicable and sympathetic, for reasons I won’t say because of spoilers. Sigurd is quite a good character, too. No pressure for a potential video on them, though. Take as much time as you need to. Like I said about FE remakes, I’d gladly wait ten years for it. And if or when you make that video, I’ve got so many things to say about Arvis. I think he’s just as deep and layered as Lyon, to a degree.

[@JaDX243]

y'know something I never thought about? Are Alm's and Celica's brands hereditary like the brand of the exalt or exclusive to them because of the profecy? If the former is true then I wonder where Walhart's would be

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

he'd have one on each hand.

[@JaDX243]

Maybe, but since the brand of the exalt is not in a set place then I prefer my head canon of him having one in each buttcheek :>

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

Literally dying of laughter RN

[@jwil4286]

I’m pretty sure it’s only part of the prophecy. Rudolph points it out to Mycen in a memory cutscene, and Mycen remembers the prophecy.

[@veo1053]

The moment he declared war he became my favorite Lord

[@Katrinakrakish]

Alm = Best boy!

[@Skyrus456]

This and many more reasons are why Alm is my favorite lord and potentially my favorite character in Fire Emblem.

[@sleppthememedealer36]

14:06 "I reject my humanity Jojo!"

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

A+ JJBA reference

[@Scazura]

I was looking forward to this ever since I was keeping up with the news on Twitter, and I gotta say I’m not disappointed in the slightest! Thanks for that analysis man, I’m seriously looking forward to what’s next. Also, you can’t do an Alm video without making at least one pun. That’s totally understandable.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

that's awesome to hear, glad it was worth the wait for you.

[@zachcarter4197]

"Alm-ost" I died.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

he, you're welcome.

[@marche800]

I REJECT MY HUMANITY ALM!!!

[@meatman2203]

Great video man. I’m pretty new to Fire Emblem, so these kinds of videos help me get a better understanding of not just the characters and their arcs, but helping me easily digest on years of content that I don’t usually have the time or the means to do so normally. Also it’s great seeing a video about Alm because from what I’ve seen, he doesn’t get as much attention as the other protagonists in the series. You’ve earned yourself a subscriber man, keep up the good work.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

thank you so much, I got a new video in the works that should be out by Sunday.

[@meatman2203]

@@ZerkMonsterHunter Can’t wait to see it

[@Zappers42]

Haven't finished the video yet, still watching, but at the beginning you couldn't think of many character foils that aren't villains and Path of Radiance comes to mind with Shinon

[@magentasky234]

I wish more people would see him for the character he is, not the Gary Stu people say he is. He's been through multiple struggles throughout the game, especially towards the end. The poor guy is only a kid and he has to watch Rudilf and Berkut, his family, die. And then there's Celica, who was briefly slain using Falchion in his hands. The commands he was given caused him to briefly kill the one he cared about the most. That must be devastating for him, especially as he's a kid. Thankfully Celica was revived but the guilt would definitely still cut deep. Alm isn't as happy go-lucky as people think he is, he has deep inner struggles on top of the trauma of his family dying and Celica briefly dying.

[@555redkid]

I'd like to say that I'm actually currently doing a Hard Classic run of Shadows of Valentia right now. I started about a week ago and still going, and I have to say that I appreciate this video as I am currently doing my playthrough for for the game (yes I've already played it before, I know what happens so I won't be spoiled throughout this video), and I also wanna commend all the hard work that went into this video, I enjoyed it!

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

thank you! glad you enjoyed and I hope the rest of your echoes run goes well for you.

[@calea1875]

The dedication you put into this is great. You need more subs!

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

oh, why thank you! if you haven't alredy you can add one more by becoming one yourself. *winks*

[@calea1875]

@@ZerkMonsterHunter Oh I already have. And let me say, that was a great choice.

[@jazzerjaw]

Can we just take a moment to acknowledge the word "Bethsht"

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

gotta love my speech impediment, right fellas, up top!

[@greatrieck]

This was an awesome video. Definitely worth the wait. Also put Alm in a new light for me.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

awesome to hear!

[@greatrieck]

Also makes me want to do a 4th replay of Echoes.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

do that too.

[@greatrieck]

Lol. Also sidenote your quality has really improved over time, same with the mic quality. Not trying to start a full on convo just thought to say that.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

@@greatrieck oh, thank you! it's one of those things that I just got better the more I did it.

[@marche800]

Reactivity? I believe the word is, Impulsiveness.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

I'm prejudiced against long words that star with "i" and end in "ness"

[@yatokami9176]

Amazing analysis! This turned out to be a long text so only read if you have time, I felt like finally putting my thoughts somewhere out there on the internet. I started playing Fire Emblem with Echoes and this title really bound me to the entire game series, thus I'm currently investing much time playing the older games. It might sound inappropiate to say that as someone who joined this series so late, but even after I played Genealogy, Sacred Stones and Awakening for the most part, I still feel like Alm has something very special to his character traits, something that makes him feel so much more 'familiar' than other lords in Fire Emblem, to me that is. I really love how you pointed out how not just Alm's character development, but also this put into perspective with the development of other characters like Berkut, actually plays out really well. I see many people, especially on KZbin, complaining that Alm is just so bland and boring, with just cliches as character traits to him. And I don't want to defend his design by saying 'well it's a remake of an old game'. I defend his character because I think that it is so well executed, that I come back to the sentence 'your idea does not have to be new, it does not have to be something nobody has seen before, just make the idea yours and reinvent it'. Although this whole 'the chosen one'-thing has been used so many times, it never really bothered me in Echoes. And one reason for that is also how Alm's friends develop during the war. Especially Tobin and Gray actually have quite some thoughts on their future and how the group dynamics changed after they left Ram village. Tobin comes to realize that he doesn't have a chance to become as much of a fighter or leader as Alm - but he also manages to see beyond that. He realizes that, as Alm's friend, he won't try to be a rival to Alm anymore, since that was more of a thing in his own head anyways, instead, he would become someone who helps Alm reach his goals and enhance his potential as a leader, become his right hand. And that is something I really didn't see in other video games or media in general that much, this way of thinking of a side character, reevaluating their own role upon their group. Gray on the other hand comes to not be that bound to this whole 'leader-thing' anymore, his interest in Clair and his thoughts of what will be after the war make him a more independent individual, still caring for his friends. Regarding Faye... well, I like her. Not mainly as a character, since that is barely exisiting outside of 'I love Alm'. But on the one hand, her artwork and voice acting, and on the other hand how Echoes handles her in her support convos. This character trope of a girl / several girls having a crush (unrequited) on the main protagonist is actually developed in a new way. Faye's and Clair's relationships to Alm develop in a great contrast to one another. It shows that, while fans might enjoy a harem for the protagonist and pick out their 'ship' there is also a downside for the remaining characters of said group. Clair comes to like Gray for his stubborn and pretty direct approaches, while recognizing that he actually likes her not just for her appearance or noble blood. Faye though will never really overcome the fact that Alm loves Celica. And not just that. Alm, for the most time of the war, pretty much ignores Faye's approaches. He secretly understands how she feels but until their final conversation, he actively circumvents talking about this issue. That is not because he does not like Faye, but because he cares for her well-being and he knows that this will indeed hurt her feelings. I find it very thoughtful of the developers to wait quite some time until you unlock the last conversation and not just that but also that after the last conversation, Faye and Alm actually get penalties on battlefield when standing close to each other. It adds realism to not just Alm's character trait, but also the group dynamics in general. And we have to remind ourselves that Alm's reaction itself is something worth noting: Most protagonists do not even realize that others have a crush on them. Either the game, like Awakening or Fates, just lets you get what you want, or it is just something that won't affect character development either way. Echoes takes away your ability to pair up whoever you want. But instead you get to see what happens when the protagonist interacts realistically with the characters around him, the good sides as much as the bad sides of relationship-developments included. I am sorry for that much text but thank you for reading all of this, I felt the urge to point these things out. Have a nice day! :)

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

really well said dude, I couldn't agree more, the ram village folks have a lot of depth to them you just don't quite get with other side characters In FE games. echoes may be archaic but it is something very special, and I'm glad There are tons of people like you and I who recognize that. Sacred stones is my personal favorite, but echoes is a close second, thanks for the comment!

[@yatokami9176]

Sacred Stones really is a great game, to me it felt just as special as Echoes. Thank you as well for reading my comment, means a lot to me!

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

hey, no worries, I always try to respond to as many people as I can.

[@yatokami9176]

That's really impressive considering the amount of comments you get. Looking forward to more of your content!

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

@@yatokami9176 thank you! hope you enjoy what I have in store for the future

[@beastasaurous2844]

Great video man good job. Its great to see someone talking about my favourite lord :)

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

no worries, happy to entertain.

[@QuadraticBajeena]

"I keep my ideals..."

[@CarstenB711]

Today, we will be talking about- Faye: Alm!

[@Sin606]

Alm was destined for greatness and found a person similar to him.

[@TreAlmighty]

wow I actually watched the whole thing, and it was pretty fast, thanks for the analysis because I completely agree

[@catelyntully9494]

What an amaizing talk you share with this video, I could go hours about it and why I loved SoV (while also not ignoring it's flaws) but you just hit the nail with this. Thank you for the video I am happy this can be shared with more people.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

Glad you liked it!

[@nguyentaihuy6048]

OMG! You're alive! I thought you were gone after that removal of your FE retrospective.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

what removal? I just did a bit of cleaning up of my channel page is all, I'm still very much among the living, thank you.

[@nguyentaihuy6048]

Your fire emblem games review removal. I haven't seen it in your channel anywhere.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

which one was that?all my reviews, Fe7, 8 and awakening are still up.

[@nguyentaihuy6048]

The one where you talk about the fire emblem games that you did played that doesn't include Japanese exclusive ones. And you rated them out of 10 and stuff

[@dhisufiroafrozenseraphimdragon]

@@nguyentaihuy6048 You're getting confused with another video. I think I know what your talking about.

[@GenmaTheSamurai]

Well I saw this late, life has been kinda crazy, but wanted to show some support and say this was a really good video and helped highlight why Alm is so good :). He's my second favorite lord behind Ike (with Lyn being my third favorite) and I just love the dynamic he has between virtually the whole cast, and this also shed a really interesting light onto how well the themes are implemented, since the villains in a weird way seem to share similar ideals to the protagonists. Alm and Berkut having a battle of strength and Celica and Jedah having a battle of religions. Good stuff. :)

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

Glad you liked the video1 I love the way Alm and Berkut interact too, really demonstrates the different philosophies on strength they both have.

[@gutsFunnyman]

I like alm because his character arc also helps develop other arcs.

[@Oat_meal_YT]

Just what I needed, cause I am having a rough day

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

oh, sorry to hear that, hope it gets better!

[@Oat_meal_YT]

@@ZerkMonsterHunter Thanks zerk

[@Narutoshugotennisfan]

Before I get to the topic at hand, I just wanted to let you know that this is the first time I ever commented on youtube. You really made me feel the urge to want to support my favorite character of the whole Fire Emblem series, (that I've played) Alm. So this most likely might be the only time I ever do this. Now, I really enjoyed your video! I thank you for supporting Alm! It saddens me that Alm is not as liked as I feel he should be. I feel his character is just very misunderstood. I really don't understand why Alm is seen as a gary-stu to some people, he didn't remotely seem like one to me. (Though I generally never like to base my like or dislike of a character for being considered a mary-sue or gary-stu. It just feels hollow if you dislike a character just for that reason. At least to me.) Anyways, I can probably write a whole few page esay on the reasons why I like Alm. Not kidding, haha. Personally to me it was Celica who fell short. I still like her, but she was my least favorite character. I don't know, she just felt very contradictory to me. When I first started playing the game, she was the one I was most interested in, but as I went furthur through the game, she became less likeable while I thoroughly enjoyed Alm. (Another thing I like about Alm, is that most of his comments on things you examin, I find really amusing.) As a side note, (I may be one of the rare people who think this way) I feel Alm and Celica's romance was just plain aweful and felt extremely forced. I thought it would have been, much, much better if they made them have a strong family/sibling bond instead. To me it would have felt more believable. That's all I suppose. Posting this is making me feel nervous. I hope this was okay and understandable. Continue with the good work!

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

hhmmm, that's an interesting way to look at things. I personally think Alm and Celica's romance just needed a bit more screentime. to me, Alm and Celica are about as good as a romance between lords (which isn't saying much mind you) as we're gonna get. I personally enjoyed it because they're really the only fire emblem couple with enough chemistry to fight and still make up afterwards. though I'll also be the first to admit it was a tad klunky. it goes back to what |I said about echoes feeling like it's missing two sentences here or there. glad you liked the video, makes me really happy I could hear you speak up about a character you liked too, thank you for the comment.

[@Narutoshugotennisfan]

ZerkMonsterHunter 4 I see. I just feel that just because your a guy and a girl who are friends, doesn't mean you have to romantically like them. I think you can still care deeply for someone even in a platonic relationship. To me it just felt unrealistic, (especially with the whole brand thing) but that might just be me harshly criticizing romance as usual. I tend to like to over analyze everything to the little details. I can write a whole list with a detailed explanation for each point of why I didn't think it was good, or at least passable enough, though I'm not going to go that far of course. That's just my opinion though. :) I still feel that a familial bond would have been better because I feel those bonds can still trancend through time, that despite not seeing your family, you will still love them no matter what. While romantically wise, it just doesn't work that way. Not having seen them for years, those feelings start to fade away, or maybe you thought you liked them, but realized that, that wasn't the case. But who knows? Anyways, your very welcome! Glad I could make you happy! I'm also glad that I could speak up for Alm! Hope I didn't sound rude or anything of the sort, just wanted to state my opinion. Good luck with your life endeavours!

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

oddly enough when you talk about platonic relationships in FE you more or less rattled off my exact philosophy with Lyn x Hector and why i think that pairing kinda falls flat romantically. I really like Celica and Alm's romance personally so I'll have to disagree with you there. as i said before it just needed a bit more time in the limelight, like perhaps Alm sending letters to Celica or something. though, now that you do mention fading feelings, it's really clear that Alm has dealt with not being around Celica very well. as she's the one who gets really clingy when they meet back up. whereas Alm is moreso shocked they're even seeing each other again at all.

[@Narutoshugotennisfan]

@@ZerkMonsterHunter Oh did I? Haha, what a coincidence. Well in regards to sending letters, anyone can send them-coworker to boss, child to parent, friend to friend, sibling to sibling, or cousin to cousin. It really doesn't matter much when you can't spend the time together. Besides I feel long distant relationships, romantically wise, (if you can call it that) don't always tend to work well, especially if you don't even know where to send it. They were also kids, then they met again and had a fight. At that moment I don't think they would have thought of that. Oh yeah, I agree, she does feel more clingy. Eh, I tend to not be fond of clingy people though. Just as long as it's not super clingy. XD Well, in the end we may disagree about this, but that's okay. At least we can agree that Alm is a great character.

[@CaptainAstronaut]

Awesome video, Zerk! If you're going to take a break from/slow down on FE content, I would love to see you cover some Initial D stuff if you get the chance!! Or maybe even Top 10 Eurobeat songs

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

lol, I actually wrote a script for both an Initial D video and a Eurobeat top ten, my only hangup is that the publishing company for initial D will eat me alive with copyrights.

[@snurt256]

*Comin' through, comin' through, comin' through now...*

[@amandagreene7008]

I love Alm so much! That was an interesting take on his story, especially the interpretation of Berkut. I wrote some about it in my blog too, saying how Berkut is one of the best villains due to being what Alm could have become had he lived in the Empire. I'd like to think though that Berkut would have been different had he grown up with another kid his age like Alm.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

It'd certainly be interesting to see the two of them raised together.

[@amandagreene7008]

@@ZerkMonsterHunter I just felt like rewatching this video and never knew that you replied to me because of how KZbin's notifications don't often work. Thank you! Hope you're doing well.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

@@amandagreene7008 oh, I'm doing fine thank you!

[@Dasurio]

Great Video, as expected. It truly helped me understand Alm alot more.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

thanks!

[@jamesandersen3117]

Aaaaaaaaand you just reviewed everything I like about Alm, and why he is my favorite character. sigh, looks like im subbing....

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

oh? really, why thank you!

[@gabrielsobral6682]

"I never met a girl like you either" Faye:Am i'm a joke to you?

[@RyanVonAegir]

One thing to note; Berkut's father died when he was young and his mom was kinda a piece of shit who made him the way he is. Important to note because the lack of mentioning this misses a major point of difference that you could of talked about.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

I heard that from another commenter, as I understand that was in the valentian accordion. which I unfortunately have not read.

[@Bartre_God]

I got one sin for this that fact it only has 1,8k views should be atleast 10k minimum

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

this is it, chief.

[@legovidz1]

I think Celica isn't really a foil for Alm. While Celica's and Alms world views differ, there are no negative consequences in the story to Alm's world view (that war/battle is the only way to resolve the conflict in Valentia). His ideals are never challenged. Contrasted with Celica, who gets whacked on the head for trying to carry out her own world view (peace to resolve conflict). It really makes it seem like Alm was right all along. Shouldn't the ideal be a mix between both world views? Just like the ways Duma and Mila governed their humans had pros and cons and the correct way was to use the best qualities of both. But it wasn't unfortunately. In the end, Alm saved Celica's ass, proving himself to be in the right. I can't really say that Celica is a foil if she's the one getting into trouble and that Alm has pretty much smooth sailing.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

I'd disagree, right down to what each other values. As I stated in the video, Celica's path is about faith, specifically religious faith, whilst Alm's path is about human resolve and strength. yes, celica gets whacked over the head because of the direct consequences to herself, *Celica's faith makes Celica suffer*, but on alm's path, he loses his father, his cousin, his friendship with gray and tobin, and any chance he could have ever had at living normally. in other words, *Alm's strength makes others suffer*

[@Cepheus773]

It's unfortunate that Celica is made out to be irrational because of her decisions when compared to Alm.

[@TheCecchino98]

I really didn't expect this comment to be serious

[@alpharabbit2353]

@@ZerkMonsterHunter Pretty much. Where other games try to create the Breakfast Club where a group of unlikely misfits become friends, the older games understood there were stakes and characters with important roles. War isn't some dating sim. People die, hearts break, and friendships are challenged. THIS is what Fire Emblem should be. Not some happy ending fairy tale. A story where difficult decisions are made and despite having a conclusive ending, only some walk away happy

[@augursword2299]

I liked the Bloodborne music, good touch dude.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

Good ear! planning a bloodborne video later this month actually, wanted to get in the mood.

[@augursword2299]

I can't wait to see it! Bloodborne is my favorite game in terms of writing, I absolutely love the lore, music, characters, and areas. Gehrman and Maria being ties for my favorite Soulsborne characters in terms of writing and combat. I love FE lore, and your Grima video is my favorite piece of any FE lore content, but I'd love to see you branch out into another series with an insane amount of deep and interesting lore, good luck!

[@MarceloKatayama]

Coming through- Coming through- Coming through now

[@BonSentimentig]

Oh I love alm

[@tbc1880]

Tobin wants to see the knight in the woods: "follow me this way kiddie I'll even show ya my sword!" I like tobin but I have to admit I wouldn't be surprised if he fell for it back then. he seems like the trial by fire kind of guy/

[@bionicleanime]

It's criminal that Alm and Marth never had an interaction in any form whatsoever. Warriors could have done it since Celica was in that game! The Japanese name for Echoes is titled Another Hero King, so Alm and Marth should have an opportunity to talk.

[@eonia7667]

14:25 when this scene happened in the game i thougth she would result to be another monster and that she would finish berkut in a horrible way before turning in her true form

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

really glad they didn't do that honestly.

[@lpfan4491]

what even

[@OrdonWolf]

Man remembering that thing about Tobin just broke my heart. Poor guy. Thanks, Zerk. but also shut up, Tobin

[@budling5921]

I never saw the Emperor Rudolf not attacking, since I just 1 hit him with Alm's special move.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

how overleveled was your Alm? i didn't get sendscale until the temple of duma lol

[@budling5921]

@@ZerkMonsterHunter It was my first FE game, so I decided to grind. I should probably run the game again without grinding. Alm was pretty powerful.

[@plsrember]

I'm the biggest alm fan BTW I love the video

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

oh, thank you!

[@saphiriathebluedragonknight375]

I really need to finish Echos now! I was turned off at act 2 because I thought Celica was going to be another Corrin.

[@thebutzel9752]

Another excellent video, don't have Echoes yet but I want it so badly.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

please buy it, it's so good

[@thebutzel9752]

I can tell just be seeing the story but I want to experience it myself I want to get it for X-mas or around there.

[@ilikepie21234]

This is amazing

[@wendydaley5238]

Hey, Zerk. Are you still alive? I keep rewatching your Lyon video and the feels won’t go away.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

I'm still alive.

[@wendydaley5238]

ZerkMonsterHunter 4 that’s good! what is your next video going to be about, by the way?

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

@@wendydaley5238 Bloodborne.

[@Practitioner_of_Diogenes]

Alm is also my second favorite lord. Hector is my first while Ephraim is my third.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

nice.

[@Chook181]

For a second I thought you said "Fernand" at 14:13 and completely lost it laughing lmao

[@mega-1427]

Celica foils Alm with stupidity. Let’s be honest Celica never made a good argument as to why Alm shouldn’t protect his country.

[@coffeebreak7978]

genolegy remake when i wanna see the shadows treatnemt

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

fully voiced arvis would make me swoon

[@wendydaley5238]

ZerkMonsterHunter 4 Xander Mobus voicing Arvis? YES. Especially after I heard Xander’s amazing performance in Heroes. He sounds like an older, more ruthless Akira/Ren Amamiya. Ditto for Grant George as Sigurd.

[@LuckyTheReviewer]

So, the post-game would have us see the Grimleal, millennia later, breaking into some tomb where some of the holy weapons are being kept and bringing them back to Archenea? I'd be up for that.

[@NaijeruMizuho]

Very insightful and eye opening. Job well done. :3

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

thank you!

[@nova338]

This video rules.

[@Joshamania]

Another great video!

[@mourossonero]

Excellent video man!

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

glad you liked it!

[@aurelienbenoit1645]

0:00 *OVERDRIVE*

[@usvidragonslayer3091]

Alm is so cool! That why i love him as much as i love Celica so much.

[@benjaminborkowski12]

I think i can explain why Celica changed from "i love you!" mode to "you stupid piece of shit!" mode in their reunion: She's on her period.

[@hoodsquigga1168]

Tfw I follow you on twitter and just now find out you’re a KZbinr. Btw Alm is my favorite FE character so I love you now.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

o,h why thank you! and also you confirm a suspicion I've had for a while; my twitter audience and YT audience are two very different entities.

[@hoodsquigga1168]

ZerkMonsterHunter 4 I see, well at least we’re all fans

[@fakesmile172]

I...don't have much to say. Great video as always. Just do projects you're passionate about. They're worth the wait (even the shitposts). Gotta love Tobin. I love Berkut too. If I ever needed a therapist or something similar, it'd be hard to choose between you and Ghast lol. (Collab Support Science when?) Why do I feel like a lot of FEtubers are Canadian? Even when I first played Echoes, and I was still relatively new to FE, I cranked that difficulty to Hard/Classic.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

well, glad you liked this video. If ghast ever let's me on I'll see about it.

[@MyssArt]

A Alm video. I'm in tears thank you for giving this man more love and attention.

[@ZerkMonsterHunter]

no problem, happy you liked it!

[@gothphoebe]

"A just, right, and noble man..." Lies, lies, lies, LIES, LIES!!!