Gordin

"I can fight, sire! If you have a bow I could use, I would be honored to fight at your side."

- Gordin to Marth in Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon

Gordin (ゴードン Gōdon, lit. Gohdon in the Japanese versions and Gordon in the fan translations) is a playable character from the Akaneia Series of Fire Emblem. A member of the Altean Knights, Gordin is initially an inexperienced archer who enlisted in the military to serve Altea. Although Gordin starts off fairly weak and unpolished in his archery, he dedicates himself to improving by practising under the master Sniper Jeorge after the War of Darkness, eventually returning to his homeland afterwards with his brother, Raian, to assist Marth for the second war.

Gordin appears to be the youngest of the Altean knights in the first war, and the closest to Marth in age. His age is stated to be 20 in Book 2 of Mystery of the Emblem in Takayashiki Hideo’s novel adaptation, although this is not his stated age in the games, and is depicted to be much younger than Marth in the anime. He is noted to have an especially youthful appearance for his age, occasionally causing others to mistake him to be younger than he actually is.

War of Darkness
A member of the archer division in the Altean Army, Gordin is the youngest of the first generation of Altean Knights, dreaming of becoming a full-fledged sniper despite his inexperience. Chronologically, Gordin first appears in Prologue IV in Shadow Dragon, where he is taken captive after Altea is invaded by her long-time ally Gra, held in a prison near the border of the country. When news of Marth's imminent arrival reach the region, Gordin is brought forward, gagged and bound, and outfitted in the uniform of a Gra soldier to trap Marth. In doing so, the Gra soldiers hope that Marth would be tricked into believing Gordin to be an enemy, and thereafter retaliate by attacking him.

Gordin’s death is, thankfully, prevented, as Marth notices that he is gagged despite supposedly being an enemy. After removing his gag, Marth recognises Gordin’s face immediately, and thereafter allows the archer to fight by his side. However, rescuing Gordin has caused enough delay for the main force of Gra, accompanied by the Sable Order of Knights of Grust led by Jiol, to catch up with Marth. Realising that they are surrounded by the enemy with little chance of escaping or defeating their foes, the tactician Malledus suggested that a knight, dressed to resemble Marth, should be left behind to act as a decoy to lure the enemy away. Should Gordin be selected to function as the decoy, he will thus be unable to assist his liege in bringing the War of Darkness to a conclusion. Canonically, Gordin is not chosen to be the sacrifice, and after the end of the War of Darkness, he squires himself to an Akaneian knight in order to hone his skill with the bow, thereafter returning to Altea with his brother in tow.

War of Heroes
In Jeorge's version of Prologue IV in Shin Monshō no Nazo, Jeorge reveals that he is on a visit to Altea to continue his tutelage of Gordin. After he is bested by the 7th Platoon, he will, instead of personally assisting them due to being an important personage of Akaneia, request for Gordin to do so in his stead. Gordin will then assist them until they are given recognition as fully-fledged knights at the end of Prologue VIII.

During the events of Book 2 of Mystery of the Emblem and its remake, Gordin will aid Marth in the War of Heroes right from the first chapter. Gordin can potentially encounter his former mentor again as an enemy on the battlefield in Chapter 8, when the Altean army attempts to flee from the pursuing Akaneian forces en route to Khadein to seek temporary asylum. Neither desiring to fight nor kill his teacher in a duel, Gordin pleads for him to aid them instead, to which he will comply after careful consideration. Gordin will then continue to assist Marth until the War of Heroes finally ends, thereafter departing for Pales, the capital of Akaneia. He is later revealed to have joined the Akaneian free knights, dedicated towards defending civilians from bandits and thieves.

Personality
Gordin’s personality is, like a majority of the cast appearing in Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi and Mystery of the Emblem, left vague due to his limited lines and minor role in the main plot. Nonetheless, it can be inferred that he is strongly patriotic, devoutly loyal to both his country and prince, a fact that is proven by his having dutifully fought alongside Marth for the duration of the two wars. This is further complemented by Gordin's determined attitude, one that is especially evident when he decides to accompany Jeorge on his return to Akaneia after the first war for the purpose of improving his archery skills.

In Shin Monshō no Nazo, more dimensions are added to Gordin’s characterisation through his base conversations. Through his conversations with Jeorge, Gordin is depicted to be lacking in self-confidence, causing him to hesitate before releasing each arrow, a fact that cripplingly hampers his marksmanship. These conversations also reveal him to be a humble individual, as he, in spite of eventually beating his master in practice shooting, continues to seek his continued support and guidance. Gordin's lack of self-confidence is also explicated through his interactions with the Avatar, with whom he expresses an insecurity over his juvenile bearing, longing to establish a dignified, authoritative presence like Jagen.

Gordin is also portrayed to maintain a very strong bond with his brother Raian. Through their interactions with each other, Gordin is observed to play the role of the older brother splendidly, praising and encouraging Raian where necessary, alongside keeping vigil over his actions on both training grounds and the battlefield.

Recruitment

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Recruitment

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Base Stats

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 * -|Book 2=

Growth Rates

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Support Relationships

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Recruitment

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Base Stats
*Only in Hard mode.

Class Sets

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Growth Rates

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 * -|Dracoknight=


 * -|Myrmidon/Swordmaster=


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Support Relationships

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Recruitment

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Base Stats

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*Only if he was recruited in the prologue **Only if he was not recruited in the prologue

Class Sets

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Growth Rates

 * Default


 * Reclassing Options
 * -|Cavalier/Paladin=


 * -|Dracoknight=


 * -|Myrmidon/Swordmaster=


 * -|Mage=


 * -|Curate=


 * -|Sage/Bishop=

Support Relationships

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Support Conversations

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Overall
Gordin is the first playable Archer in Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi, Mystery of the Emblem and Shadow Dragon. He has the best availability of all archers in these games, but because of his poor base stats and low growth rates, he is commonly considered a mediocre combatant, and not very worthwhile for investing time and effort to train. His starting class is criticised too, because it is viewed as inferior to the Hunter class due to its lower movement and worse base stats. Nevertheless, Gordin's early availability and free deployment slot in the starting chapters can be beneficial as he can contribute to the team by doing chip damage, even if the player is not planning to use him as a long-term member of their team. Being a ranged unit, he can attack enemies from afar with the Steel Bow equipped, allowing other units to defeat the weakened enemies without taking as much damage themselves. His utility is considerably more useful in the harder modes of Shadow Dragon, where most melee units cannot take more than two hits from the buffed enemies at the start.

Statistically, Gordin has fairly good chances of procuring Weapon Level and Luck in Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi and Mystery of the Emblem, but his other stats will increase less often by contrast. If the player persists in using him, however, he will eventually turn out competent after promoting to the powerful Sniper class and gaining its impressive promotion bonuses and improved movement. He can wield the Parthia in the earlier games much sooner than in the remakes due to the ease in gaining Weapon Levels, which may help him with his offensive parameters if the player is fielding him to use. Regardless, many players may pass him up for Castor in Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi and Mystery of the Emblem, whose better class and stronger growth rates make him a superior ranged unit to Gordin in the long run. His younger brother Raian also has better growths than him in Book 2 of Mystery of the Emblem despite having lower base stats, and will eventually surpass Gordin if he is given enough level ups.

In Shadow Dragon, while Gordin’s statistical growths are raised slightly, his growth rate for strength is strangely reduced, which is a huge loss as this will cause him to have problems one-rounding enemies. His other stats do not compensate for this loss in strength either, further eroding his usability. Those who wish to use Gordin will have a hard time training him, and, if they are unlucky, he may not become a viable unit at all. The player should consider re-classing Est, Catria, Palla, Cain, Abel, or Frey if they want a better sniper.

In Shin Monshō no Nazo, Gordin’s growth rates and base stats have been improved even more than in previous games, giving him a decent chance to be viable and procure better level ups consistently. He can be optionally recruited during the prologue to gain more experience than if he joins in Chapter 1, although with the other option being Athena, who joins in a better class and with stronger stats, he may be disregarded for her. Additionally, his brother Raian has superior growth rates and earlier availability than him (despite having worse base stats), meaning players may prefer to use him over Gordin instead. Statistically, Gordin’s low base growth for Speed causes him to be rather slow if he is re-classed (save for the Myrmidon class set), although he has sufficient growths in HP, Strength, Skill and Defence. He has supports with Raian, Jeorge, Draug, and Norne, which may be useful if the player is fielding any of these characters simultaneously.

Death Quotes
"Lord Marth, good luck…"

- Gordin’s death quote in Mystery of the Emblem Book 1

"Raian, forgive me…"

- Gordin’s death quote in Mystery of the Emblem Book 2

"Grrrmph…"

- Gordin’s death quote, as an enemy, in the prologue of Shadow Dragon

"Prince Marth… It was…an honor…"

- Gordin’s death quote in Shadow Dragon

Gordin Gagged
Ruffian: You! Inside!

Gordin: Grrrmph…

Ruffian: Heh. I thought Altea was the great ’ero Anri’s kingdom! Didn’t take more’n a couple of days to break you, now did it, Gaggles?

Gordin: Mmph! Arrumph!

Ruffian: What’s the matter, Gaggles? Can’t talk cause you’re gagged, Gaggles? Ba ha ha! I’ll letcha in on a little secret. Altea’s little princeling is on ’is way ’ere right this moment.

Gordin: ......!

Ruffian: Ooh, but sad for you, you look awful dangerous in the uniform… MISTER GRA SOLDIER! Ha! Soon as the prince sees you, ’e’ll say, “Yow! It’s an enemy ambush!”-and that’ll be the end of you.

Gordin: Gugrrrmph!

Ruffian: Once the prince sticks you like a pig, we get to call him Marth the Tyrant, coz ’e kills ’is own countrymen. Won’t that be an ’oot!

Gordin: Rrrmph.

Ruffian: So long, Gaggles! Better start prayin’ to your ’igher deity of choice!

Recruiting Gordin
Marth: Yow! It’s an enemy ambush!

Gordin: Rrrgmph mrph!

Marth: Huh? You’ve been gagged? Here, I’ll get that… Wait, I know you! You’re one of our archers, er…

Gordin: Gordin, sire! My name is Gordin. The enemy captured me and left me in this mortifying state.

Marth: I see. Well, I’m glad you’re unharmed. But I’m afraid we cannot stay here a moment longer. Stay behind me and-

Gordin: I can fight, sire! If you have a bow I could use, I would be honored to fight at your side.

Farewell (Gordin)
"I was dead anyway till you came, sire… If I’m to die again, at least let me die for you. Fortune protect you, sire…"

- Gordin’s farewell quote if chosen as the decoy in Prologue IV of Shadow Dragon

Recruiting Jeorge in Monshō no Nazo
Gordin: Mister Jeorge! Please wait a second!

Jeorge: Huh? ...Gordin? Long time no see. You appear stronger, but has your archery improved?

Gordin: Yes, right now… I am recognised as the finest archer of Altea. It was all thanks to you, Mister Jeorge, that I could become this strong.

Jeorge: So? Did you come all the way here so that you could duel with me?

Gordin: Wh-what? Of course not! This might sound silly but… Can you come along with us again?

Jeorge: ......

Gordin: Please! Mister Jeorge!!

Jeorge: I already swore an oath to Nyna, but I can’t stand Hardin. He used his might to threaten other countries, and executed anybody who opposed him without question. Akaneia’s army right now is just a bunch of paid savages, with no dignity of a knight. I will draw my bow against my own country, to bring back the Kingdom of Akaneia of old. Gordin, I hope you can pass on my thoughts to Prince Marth.

Gordin: Thank you, Mister Jeorge!!

Book 1
"He became the pupil of an Akaneian bow knight, and later returned to the Altean Knights, along with his younger brother."
 * Altean Archer

Book 2
"For some reason he left the Altean knights for Pales. Later he joined Akaneia’s free knights."
 * Altean Archer

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon
The Ungagged

"Gordin squired himself to an Akaneian knight, to further his mastery of the bow. Later, he returned to Altea with his brother."

Fire Emblem: Shin Monshō no Nazo ~Hikari to Kage no Eiyū~
Gifted Archer

"Gordin retired from knighthood for personal reasons, and then moved to Akaneia's palace. Afterward, he became a member of the Akaneian Rangers."

Etymology
Gordin is an uncommon spelling of the name Gordon, which was derived from a place name meaning “great hill” or “round hill” from an Old English word. The name is usually associated with Scotland and was commonly used as a surname. Its use as a given name originally began in honor of the British general Charles George Gordon, who died defending the city of Khartoum in Sudan.

Genei Ibun Roku ♯FE
Gordin appear as an enemy during one of Tiki's "Mirage Hunts" missions.

Trivia

 * Gordin and Abel are the only original members of the Altean Knights who leave the country of their own accord at the end of Mystery of the Emblem and its remake. The rest of the other knights (barring Ruke who resigns, and Draug who is asked to become the leader of Grust's army by Marth) continue to reside in their homeland and serve in the military.
 * Gordin’s bond support with Raian is one of the few support bonuses in Mystery of the Emblem that is familial in nature, the others being Maria’s one-way support with Minerva, Yumina and Yubello’s mutual support, and probably Tiki’s support with Bantu as well.
 * In his TCG artwork, Gordin appears to be wielding a Steel Bow as both an Archer and a Sniper.
 * Gordin has a unique weapon, Gordin's Bow, eponymously named after himself in Shin Monshō no Nazo, as does his brother Raian. Both of these bows can be potentially obtained from the Everyone's Conditions function on the battle preparations menu. Gordin’s Bow has better might than Raian’s, but less hit and Durability, although both share the same critical rate of 10.
 * In Shin Monshō no Nazo, if the Avatar is female, Gordin can be one of her five potential love interests, along with Wolf, Jeorge, Warren, and Horace.

Gallery
Gordin