We’re less than two months out from the release of Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave, and the series’ official X account has been revealing a steady trickle of information about the ensemble cast of characters. This week, the team shared an in-depth look at Sirocco, a mysterious bard on a journey of revenge. And like many a past Fire Emblem hero, he seems to be a vain fellow with an eye for the ladies.
Here’s the logline on Sirocco, via machine translation: “A mysterious bard who appears before Leda, who continues his journey of revenge. He calls himself ‘the Whimsical Wind,’ and has a frivolous nature that always leads him to flirt with beautiful women, but he also possesses sharp insight and high erudition.” His likes include Goddess Kara, “all women,” and composing poetry.
While some might argue that a man who “possesses sharp insight and high erudition” does not qualify as a himbo, I disagree. He’s also said to have “a frivolous nature,” which means this is not someone who wears his intellect on his sleeve. He may not be dumb, but he certainly knows how to pretend to be. As a bard, his entire profession is essentially to be charming, so it’s likely he only shares his cerebral side with a chosen few. Look at his exposed shoulder and saucy hat! No one just accidentally leaves the house wearing a striped purple beret. This is a himbo.
A few days before that, the Fire Emblem team revealed new info about Tobias, described as “The stalwart general of Salamis, proud of his strength and defense, who calls Queen Theodora ‘Ojō.’ Like Bonaparte, he has served the kingdom since the previous king’s time, achieving numerous military feats on the battlefield. He is not good at using his head and has trouble remembering people’s names.” He enjoys liquor, combat, singing, and socializing. Tobias is a himbo of a different flavor, an empty-headed beefcake with a heart of gold, but a himbo nonetheless.
Sirocco and Tobias are just the latest in a proud tradition of himbos in the Fire Emblem series. 2019’s much-loved Three Houses introduced the world to Sylvain, a girl-crazy dreamboat of noble birth. One of the first things he tells the protagonist Byleth is: “I think I’m going to like it at the Officers Academy. There are beautiful girls as far as the eye can see…” Before that, we had the smooth operator Gatrie from Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn, a blonde beefcake described by another character as someone who “would hit on a tree if it was wearing a skirt.” This is a series that loves to revisit familiar character archetypes in each new installment, and this one is no exception.
So far, the Fire Emblem X account has done deep dives into 12 characters out of a cast size that eagle-eyed fans have estimated at somewhere between 32 and 40. Given that the plot of Fortune’s Weave revolves around competing in the Heroic Games, we’d assume that there are still several more attention-seeking himbos in the bunch, eager for their chance at glory. We’ll find out for sure when Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave comes to Nintendo Switch 2 on Sept. 17.
