Hinoka

"Finally...after all these years...I...I've missed you so much."

- Hinoka to the Avatar, Chapter 4: Hoshido

Hinoka (ヒノカ) is a major playable character from Fire Emblem Fates on the Birthright and Revelation routes. The second eldest child of the Hoshidan royal siblings, Hinoka is one of the princesses of the country, commanding the loyalty of Azama and Setsuna as her personal retainers.

Hinoka is voiced by Kaori Nazuka in the Japanese version and E.G. Daily in the English version.

Profile
Hinoka is the second child of four in the Hoshidan royal family. She originally had another sibling in the Avatar, whom she was very much attached to. However, Hinoka lost this sibling when they were kidnapped as a young child and raised in Nohr. Furious at her inability to prevent the kidnapping, Hinoka thereafter began training as a Sky Knight around the age of seven. Her natural inclination to be rash and hotblooded often made training difficult for her, a fact only worsened by pegasi only accepting riders whose hearts are calm and not ruled by passion. As a result, she had trouble training her steed over the years, often running into accidents due to not being able to properly handle it. One of these accidents allowed her to meet Azama, who tended to her injuries and helped her to return home. Forming the impression that Azama was a kind and benevolent monk, Hinoka later hired him to serve as one of her personal retainers.

According to Hinoka, she had, over the years, attempted to infiltrate Nohr and rescue the Avatar on multiple occasions, although each attempt was halted by Ryoma and Mikoto.

At the end of Chapter 6, depending on the side the Avatar chooses, Hinoka's involvement in the plot will be altered.

Her birthday is August 18.

All Routes
Hinoka makes her first appearance in Chapter 4, where she defends Sakura from a Faceless horde. Fortunately, Ryoma, who had learnt of their plight beforehand, rushes into the scene and manages to quench the Faceless horde alongside the Avatar, Rinkah and Kaze. Upon learning of the Avatar's identity, Hinoka, overcome by joy, buries her face into their chest and sobs.

Later in Chapter 5, tragedy strikes as the cursed blade of Ganglari that the Avatar owns explodes, destroying the town and killing Mikoto. With war inevitable between Hoshido and Nohr, Hinoka accompanies her siblings to the Plains of Hoshido in Chapter 6, where the two armies meet in battle.

Birthright
If the Avatar sides with Hoshido, Hinoka and her siblings will join the Avatar in repelling the Nohrian invasion.

Hinoka subsequently reappears in Chapter 8, where she, along with Azama and Setsuna, embark on a mission to join up with Ryoma and Takumi's forces. While attempting to pass through the region that the Wind Tribe Village is situated in, the group runs headlong into the conflict that arises between the Wind Tribe and the Avatar's forces. The group is introduced at this juncture in a rather comical fashion, with Setsuna absentmindedly getting ensnared by quicksand and Hinoka attempting to help her while exasperatedly chastising Azama for his lighthearted, sardonic regard of the situation. Hinoka joins up with the Avatar after exchanging information with them, thereafter accompanying them to locate their missing brothers.

In Chapter 9, Hinoka, Sakura and the Avatar are invited into the palace of Izumo by Izana. When Izana lures the Avatar and Sakura into a trap, Hinoka, along with Kaze and Saizo, manage to save them after she comes to the realisation that Izana's eccentric mannerisms are antithetical to his royal status. However, her theory is proven wrong when they meet the real Izana, who acts in exactly the way Zola has portrayed him.

Afterwards, in Chapter 10, Hinoka and the Avatar's army are reunited with Takumi, who unexpectedly emerges while they are in the midst of engaging the ninja of Mokushu in battle. Much to their immense horror, Takumi, in a hostile reverie, launches attacks on his allies. Fortunately, Azura manages to intervene by serenading a song to calm Takumi's mind and guide him back to his senses.

The battles waged against Garon both in Chapter 27 and the Endgame see Hinoka successfully helping the Avatar slay Garon with their army. Upon returning to Castle Shirasagi in Hoshido, Ryoma is crowned Hoshido's new king in a ceremony also attended by the surviving Nohrian royals as Hinoka and her siblings proudly watch on. Some time after Ryoma's coronation, Hinoka carries the Avatar on her pegasus steed to the newly rebuilt town square of Castle Shirasagi. Here, she, alongside her siblings, prays and convenes to a new statue of Mikoto that has been erected in her honor.

Conquest
If the Avatar sides with Nohr, Hinoka and her siblings will fight the Avatar and the invading Nohrian forces, although they are eventually forced to retreat.

Hinoka later appears in Chapter 11, where she, alongside her retainers, Kaze, and Rinkah, seek to protect the Rainbow Sage from being kidnapped by the incoming forces of Nohr. The Avatar and their army eventually succeed in ascending the peak of Mount Sagesse, whereupon they enter the Sevenfold Sanctuary with the intention of seeking the Sage. Hinoka prepares her forces to defend the stronghold, but after a long battle, the Avatar eventually defeats her. When she gives the order to retreat and leave the dead behind, Rinkah informs her that not a single soldier in the Sanctuary had been killed. Much to Hinoka's wonder, the Avatar had ordered their troops to avoid killing anyone. She is thereafter allowed to escape without any further opposition from the Avatar's forces.

Hinoka makes her next appearance in Chapter 18, where she, alongside her siblings, encounters the Avatar and their siblings in Izumo. Immediately launching into a heated exchange of hostilities with Xander, both crown princes attempt to engage in a duel, only to be stopped by Izana, the duke of Izumo. Izana then proceeds to confiscate the weapons of both parties before leaving the scene. He later reemerges with two soldiers and apprehends Ryoma, thereupon unveiling himself to be but a guise used by the deceptive Zola to kidnap the Hoshidan royals. Trapped in an execution room with her siblings, Hinoka is later rescued by the Avatar's army, spearheaded by Xander's refusal to support Zola. Following the end of the ensuing battle, Hinoka and siblings join the Avatar and the Nohrians in a feast, during which they, despite their enmity, maintain peace in reverence of the laws of Izumo.

Hinoka is absent until the onset of Chapter 24, where she leads the defence of Castle Shirasagi. Alongside Azama, Setsuna and a sizable army under her command, Hinoka stages a valiant effort to protect the castle, using a Dragon Vein in an attempt to overwhelm the Nohrians with her fliers. She is, however, defeated by the might of the Avatar's army.

After the battle, Hinoka unhesitatingly steps before the Avatar and demands that they take her life but spare those of her soldiers. The Avatar responds by pretending to slay Hinoka with the Yato, and thereafter urges her to flee with the surviving members of her army.

After the Avatar and their Nohrian allies end the war, Hinoka appears with Sakura to attend Xander's coronation as the successor to the throne of Nohr. Due to Ryoma's death, Hinoka becomes the new queen of Hoshido.

Revelation
In Chapter 16, Hinoka, along with Ryoma, Scarlet, Azama and Setsuna will join the Avatar at the start of the chapter.

Personality
Though born a princess, Hinoka's personality is nothing typical of one. Serious, determined, and unsophisticated, Hinoka has the spirit of a natural warrior and valiantly charges into battle with utter fearlessness and courage. This spirit of Hinoka's is strongly complemented by her passionate sense of patriotism, one that compels her to personally take up arms in order to defend her homeland and its people from coming under harm. In this regard, she has the tendency to charge headlong into battle with wild abandon, often disregarding her personal safety and the objections of others as she does so.

Ryoma and Hinoka note that in the past, she was much more shy and even a crybaby. However, the Avatar's kidnapping proved to be a turning point both in her lifestyle and her personality. Their kidnapping is a source of much guilt and regret in her as she was unable to rescue them. Hinoka became devoted into becoming a warrior in order to gain the strength to rescue them. She is known to overwork herself to the point of exhaustion as shown in her support with Hinata.

It is through Hinoka's adamant desire to protect others that a softer side to her personality is simultaneously revealed; she is, at the core, selflessly compassionate, where she values the lives of others more than she does her own, no matter what their social class may be. This is especially evident in her supports with Azama, where, in spite of his protests, Hinoka desperately attempts to salvage the life of a fatally wounded soldier, unreservedly demanding him to lend his healing assistance to her.

Base Stats

 * -|Birthright Chapter 6/8=


 * -|Revelation Chapter 16 - White Flame=

Conquest Chapter 6 - Embrace the Dark

 * -|All Difficulties=


 * In Guard Stance with Takumi; +2 Str/Skl/Spd.

Conquest Chapter 11 - The Rainbow Sage

 * -|Normal=


 * -|Hard=


 * -|Lunatic=

Conquest Chapter 24 - Hinoka

 * -|Normal=


 * -|Hard=


 * -|Lunatic=

* In Guard Stance with Oni Chieftain; +4 Str/Def.

Revelation Chapter 6 - Into The Ground

 * -|Normal=


 * -|Hard=


 * -|Lunatic=

Growth Rates
Class:


 * 45%
 * 55%
 * 15%
 * 50%
 * 60%
 * 60%
 * 35%
 * 60%
 * }


 * 45%
 * 55%
 * 25%
 * 50%
 * 60%
 * 60%
 * 35%
 * 60%
 * }


 * 45%
 * 50%
 * 15%
 * 55%
 * 60%
 * 55%
 * 35%
 * 55%
 * }

Max Stat Modifiers

 * +1
 * -1
 * -1
 * +1
 * 0
 * -1
 * +2
 * }

Standard Sets

 * }

Friendship Sets

 * -|All Routes=


 * }
 * -|Birthright/Revelation=


 * }
 * -|Revelation=


 * }

Partner Sets

 * -|All Routes=


 * }
 * -|Birthright/Revelation=


 * }
 * -|Revelation=


 * }

Special Classes

 * }

Supports
Romantic Supports
 * The Avatar (Male)
 * Jakob
 * Kaze
 * Silas

Hoshido

 * Saizo
 * Azama
 * Hinata
 * Subaki
 * Hayato
 * Kaden

Nohr (Revelation)
Other Supports
 * Xander
 * Leo
 * The Avatar (Female)


 * Azura
 * Ryoma
 * Takumi
 * Sakura
 * Setsuna
 * Camilla (Revelation)
 * Hinoka's children

Base Class Set
Hinoka bears the characteristics of a classic Pegasus Knight, sporting high Speed, Luck, and Resistance while maintaining solid Skill. In addition to these strengths, she also possesses high Strength, although her HP is rather low. While Hinoka's Strength growth is high, her low base means that she will need time before she can consistently inflict high damage against foes. As a Sky Knight, she starts with the Darting Blow skill, which improves her Player Phase offensive capabilities by giving her increasing her already high Speed when she initiates an attack, allowing her to double most enemy units. Camaraderie allows her to recover a small amount of health when there is an ally nearby.

Statwise, Hinoka prefers the Falcon Knight class, even if her Magic does not allow her to be the best Rod user, as her Strength will grow faster than if she were in the Kinshi Knight class. The Falcon Knight class also offers higher Speed and Resistance caps, facts that complement Hinoka's growth profile. Falcon Knight offers the skill Rally Speed, which allows Hinoka to support her allies if her offensive or healing abilities are not required, as well as Warding Blow at level 15, which when combined with her exceptional Resistance, makes her virtually untouchable against magic wielders on Player Phase. As a Kinshi Knight, Hinoka can pick up the skills Air Superiority and Amaterasu. The former improves her performance against opposing fliers by boosting her Hit and Avoid rates, whilst the latter is a superb support skill which allows allies within two spaces of Hinoka to recover their HP at the beginning of each Player Phase.

Secondary Class Set
Hinoka secondary class set is the Spear Fighter. Statwise, the Spear Fighter class offers higher HP, Strength, Skill and Defence at the cost of Luck and Resistance. Considering that Hinoka's base Luck and Resistance are already fairly high, the Spear Fighter class can serve to make Hinoka more balanced, both offensively and defensively. Also, since Hinoka starts off with a C rank in Naginatas, she should have little issues offensively as a Spear Fighter. Seal Defense is a great skill that she can learn in this class, as it helps her fend against tankier units like enemy Generals, for it lowers their Defense should Hinoka be unable to finish them off. Swap, the other skill she can learn, affords usage for numerous arrangements, such as providing cover for more fragile units or moving Hinoka to a particular location faster.

As a Spear Master, Hinoka can continue the same growth rates as the Spear Fighter class while also potentially gaining access to the S-ranked Waterwheel. Seal Speed is one of the skills that she can learn as a Spear Master, and it is immensely useful to her, for it cripples enemy units that she cannot finish off by dropping their Speed. Lancefaire is the other skill she can learn, and is one that will be beneficial to her due to her natural affinity for lances.

As a Basara, Hinoka cannot effectively exploit the Scrolls that she gains access to too well with her low Magic. The class does, however, give her more room to channel her naturally high Luck, as well as an increased growth rate in HP at the cost of lower Strength and Speed. Rend Heaven, one of the skills that Hinoka can learn in this class, works well with her, as it gives her more power against tankier enemies like Generals and Great Knights. Quixotic, conversely, looks appealing should Hinoka get access to an offensive skill through Friendship or Partner Sealing. It does, however, come at the cost of dampening her ability to evade, which she relies a lot on for survivability.

Quotes
Refer to Hinoka/Quotes.

Possible Endings
Hinoka - Warrior Princess (紅の戦姫 Akai no Ikusa Hime lit. Crimson Battle Princess)
 * Hinoka became general of the Hoshidan army. While her official portraits depict a gentle princess, she was known to personally go on solo missions to destroy the remaining Faceless.


 * Hinoka and Avatar (Revelation)
 * The two spent the rest of their lives together, Avatar ruling as the wise King of Valla. His wife, Hinoka, became general of the Hoshidan royal army, and the two remained together always.


 * Hinoka and Azama
 * Azama decided to use his talents to inspire and heal the people of Hoshido—rather than taunt them. His wife, Hinoka, became general of the Hoshidan royal army, and the two remained together always.


 * Hinoka and Hinata
 * Hinata's passion for the blade did not end with the war. He practiced morning, noon, and night. His wife, Hinoka, became general of the Hoshidan royal army, and the two remained together always.


 * Hinoka and Leo
 * Leo sacrificed much for Nohr, leading the effort to spread King Xander's radical new policies. His wife, Hinoka became general of the Hoshidan royal army, and the two remained together always.


 * Hinoka and Saizo
 * Saizo disappeared from official records after the war, but no doubt he served the royal family forever. His wife, Hinoka, became general of the Hoshidan royal army, and the two remained together always.


 * Hinoka and Silas
 * Silas served loyally as a Knight of Nohr. He was beloved by trainee knights for his great patience. His wife, Hinoka, became general of the Hoshidan royal army and the two remained together always.


 * Hinoka and Subaki
 * Subaki was appointed chief of the pegasus knights and served with a perfect record. His wife, Hinoka, became general of the Hoshidan royal army, and the two remained together always.


 * Hinoka and Xander
 * As King of Nohr, Xander laid the foundation for a new era of peace and prosperity for the kingdom. His wife, Hinoka, became general of the Hoshidan royal army and the two remained together always.

Etymology
It is speculated that Hinoka's name is derived from the Hinoki cypress. This particular species of cypress is not only native to Japan, but is seen as sacred in multiple parts of the country. It is also known to be very resistant to rotting, making it a building material used in many shrines, temples and other important buildings. Osaka Castle is known to have mainly used Hinoki cypress as well.

Her name might also derive from Hinokagatsuchi, (火之迦具土) which is another name for the Japanese kami Kagu-tsuchi found in the Kojiki, the oldest surviving extant chronicle in Japan. Kagu-tsuchi was the kami of fire, and his death leads to the creation of eight volcanoes in Japan. The use of this deity for the Hoshidan princess might stem from Hinoka's recklesness, passion, and flame-colored hair.

However, it is also possible that her name may simply derive from the fact that she has scarlet red hair, as Hinoka is a shortened (more colloquial) form of Hi-no-kami (火の髪), which in Japanese literally means Fire-Hair.

Trivia

 * Hinoka placed 6th most popular female in the official character popularity poll held on the game's official site.
 * Hinoka's artwork depicts her wielding a Steel Naginata.
 * According to the Making of Fire Emblem 25th Anniversary Book, Kozaki had Hinoka’s image ready earlier than Camilla’s, as he has taken an especial liking for her concept: a straightforward and determined woman. As he wanted to make her different from the earlier Pegasus Knights, Kozaki made Hinoka to have an image of a somewhat stoic hero.
 * However, Hinoka did not exist in the original story draft that was written by Kibayashi.
 * The gender of Hinoka's pegasus is inconsistent in the English translation; In her B support with the Avatar it is referred to as male, while in her supports with Kaden it is referred to as female.
 * Hinoka is the only known character in Fire Emblem: Fates to have a precise age approximation - in her supports with Camilla she reveals that she was seven years old when she began her training.
 * It is to note that this was actually an addition made by the English translation, and was not intended by the original writers.


 * In the original Japanese version, Hinoka did not refer to the Nohrians by "Nohrian Scum" or a related slur as she appeared to hold no grudges against the race of Nohr as a whole.


 * Hinoka shares her critical quote "I won't lose!" with her retainers Setsuna and Azama.
 * Hinoka shares her English voice actress, E.G. Daily, with Selkie and Peri.