Karel

"Perhaps you think so now, but we both follow the way of the sword... All paths of the sword lead to one place."

- Karel, in a support with Rutger.

Karel (カレル, Kareru?) was a Sacaen swordmaster who took two titles over the course of his career: the hostile "Sword Demon", and the benevolent "Sword Saint".

Rekka no Ken
He lived only to find challengers worthy of his blade and will kill said opponents in battle without remorse or hesitation. To obtain the infamous Wo Dao, he murdered his entire family, with the exception of his sister, who he saw as no threat at the time. His feats — including fighting Bern's armies alone and slaying a wizard that could freeze blood in a person's veins and killing a stone giant who was three times the size of a regular man — have earned him infamy across Elibe, as well as the title of "Sword Demon". He was Karla's older brother and eventually taught Guy swordplay, discovering that he was unwilling to kill them.

Fūin no Tsurugi
Karel became the uncle of Fir, the daughter of his late sister Karla. He retired from active combat and traveled the land with a new nickname, the "Sword Saint", and resolve, having finally found peace in himself after many years. He appears to dislike the title he is given, claiming it is a false name, perhaps because of guilt for his past actions. Bartre was married to Karla, which makes Karel and him brothers-in-law.

Karel enters the game as a level 19 Swordmaster and has some of the best growths in the entire series (However, he can only level up once). He can be obtained in the third to last chapter, by visiting the eastern village with either Fir or Bartre.

Initial Stats
|Swordmaster |Light |8 |31 |16 |23 |20 |15 |13 |12 |9 |6 |Sword - A |Wo Dao

Growth Rates

 * HP: 70%
 * Strength: 30%
 * Skill: 50%
 * Speed: 50%
 * Luck: 30%
 * Defense: 10%
 * Resistance: 15%

Initial Stats
|Swordmaster |Light |19 |44 |20 |28 |23 |18 |15 |13 |9 |6 |Sword - S |Wo Dao

Growth Rates

 * HP: 210%
 * Strength: 130%
 * Skill: 140%
 * Speed: 140%
 * Luck: 120%
 * Defense: 110%
 * Magic Defense: 100%

Death quote
"Death cannot be bested with a sword... My skills are not yet honed to such a level. I should take my leave of this battle."

- Karel's retreat quote in Rekka no Ken

Final Chapter: Light quote
"As long as there's someone to cut, you will have my aid."

- Final Chapter Quote in Rekka no Ken

Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken
Karel - Saint of Swords

Once, Karel was known as the Sword Demon. Now, he bears a new name. What prompted this change, he will not say.

Trivia

 * In Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, his sprite can be seen in the title sequence for Swordmaster. He is not seen at all in the game.
 * The title Kensei (Saint of Swords/Sword Saint) was a title possessed by the historical Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. This name is the Japanese name of the Trueblade class in Radiant Dawn.
 * Karel shares the title of Saint of Swords with Guy and Fir. Both swordsmen are associated with Karel, Guy can potentially be his pupil, and Fir is his niece.
 * The Fūin no Tsurugi incarnation of Karel has the highest growths in Fire Emblem history, but he can only take advantage of them for one level.
 * Karel has the lowest defense growth in Rekka no Ken, yet he has the highest Defense growth in Fuin no Tsurugi.

Etymology
This name is a variant of the name 'Karl' and the root of names like Charles. The word 'carl' in Middle English meant 'man,' often a low-class man or 'churl;' it was used as an insult during the early Middle Ages in England. This name might refer to Charlemagne, the famous king of the Franks.