Saizo

"I am Lord Ryoma's retainer, Saizo. Behold my mastery of explosives!"

- Saizo, Conquest Chapter 12: Bitter Intrigue

Saizo (サイゾウ Saizou) is a playable character in Fire Emblem Fates on the Birthright and Revelation routes. One of Ryoma's personal retainers and the twin brother of Kaze, Saizo is a Hoshidan Ninja and is the fifth to carry the Saizo family name. If Saizo achieves an S support, he will bear a son named Asugi with his spouse.

Saizo is voiced by Tarusuke Shingaki in the Japanese version and Benjamin Diskin in the English version.

Profile
Saizo and Kaze are members of a ninja clan from Igasato that has proudly served the Hoshidan royal family for several generations. Their father, Saizo the Fourth, was killed by Kotaro in an unexplained incident, causing Saizo to inherit the family name and assume the leadership of the clan. At an unstated point of time, he travelled to Mokushu in search of his father's killer. Although he managed to locate the culprit, he failed to assassinate him and was instead captured by the Mokushujin. Presumably tortured during his captivity, Saizo barely managed to escape with a scar imprinted on his face and his right eye lost.

Similar to Kaze, Saizo is endowed with good looks that are considered attractive by women. Disliking the attention that his facial features can potentially attract, Saizo thus conceals his face with a mask.

In Saizo's supports with his fellow retainer Kagero, it is revealed that the pair were once lovers at one point in the past. However, as they were unable to reconcile their differences, they thus chose to give up their relationship and instead dedicate themselves to serving Hoshido.

Birthright
Following the conclusion of a battle waged between the Avatar and a band of Nohrians led by Silas in Chapter 7, Saizo and Orochi enter the scene bearing dire tidings. Having sustained a number of injuries from a battle that had broken out away from Fort Jinya, they reveal that Ryoma and Takumi have both gone missing. He then learns of the Avatar's decision to allow Silas to enlist in their army, to which he expresses suspicion, believing Silas to be a spy for Nohr. After much persuasion from his allies, Saizo begrudgingly approves of Silas' enlistment.

Saizo is directly involved in the plot once more in Chapter 10 if he is deployed in the battle waged against the Mokushujin ninja. When directed to attack Kotaro, Saizo will engage him in conversation, during which Kotaro remorselessly admits to his crime before taunting him. If Saizo manages to land the killing blow on Kotaro, he will, in a state of satisfaction, consider his father's grievance avenged.

Saizo subsequently aids the Avatar's effort to put an end to the age-old conflict shared between Hoshido and Nohr.

Conquest
Saizo makes his first appearance in Chapter 12, where he and Kotaro accompany Ryoma to Palace Macarath to lay an ambush for the Avatar's unsuspecting army. When faced by the Avatar in battle, Saizo will openly challenge to them to a fair fight, establishing that it is destiny for him to encounter them a second time. He will also converse with Kaze when he engages him in battle, during which he blandly accuses his brother of being a traitor, before vowing to show him the err of his ways. Despite the best efforts of the Hoshidan army, they are eventually defeated and forced to make their retreat.

Saizo next appears in Chapter 17, where he is encountered by the Avatar's army within the cavernous labyrinth that Kotaro leads them into. He will attempt to attack the Avatar, only to have his ambush blocked by Kaze. The brothers will then engage in a quick conversation, during which Saizo reveals his intention to assassinate Kotaro. When Kaze vows to protect Kotaro due to him being an ally of Nohr, Saizo, shaking with rage, will reveal Kotaro's identity as their father's killer, alongside the fact that he has kidnapped Kagero. At this point, Kotaro will enter the scene, only to turn hostile towards the Avatar's army when they refuse to continue playing into his underhanded schemes. In the ensuing battle that breaks out, Saizo will act as an NPC ally unit, where he will progressively advance towards Kotaro. Should Saizo manage to reach Kotaro and attack him, the two will engage in conversation, during which Kotaro, much like in Birthright, remorselessly admits to his crime before taunting Saizo. If Saizo manages to land the killing blow on Kotaro, he will, in a state of satisfaction, consider his father's grievance avenged.

Saizo appears one final time in Chapter 25, where he, Kagero and several other members of the Hoshidan army aid Ryoma reception hall of Castle Shirasagi in an attempt to halt the advance of the Nohrians. Should he be defeated in this chapter, Saizo will perish alongside a good number of his other allies. If he is spared, his whereabouts following the end of the battle are unknown.

Revelation
Saizo makes his first appearance in Chapter 8, where he, Orochi and Yukimura are stationed at Fort Jinya after the battle between Hoshido and Nohr in the Plains of Hoshido concludes. The Avatar eventually arrives at the fort in hopes of gaining support from Hoshido, but they are instead viciously branded a traitor and attacked on sight. Despite the best efforts of the Hoshidan army, they are eventually defeated. Refusing to give up, Saizo decides to blow himself up in hopes of killing the Avatar, but Kaze and Sakura intervene in the nick of time to stop him. The Avatar then attempts to carefully explain the situation to Saizo, only for him to continue suspecting them due to the cryptic nature of their account. When Kaze and Sakura follow up by resolving to accompany the Avatar, Saizo begrudgingly allows them to depart from Fort Jinya without any further conflict.

Saizo next appears in Chapter 11, where he sends up a smoke signal to warn any nearby allies to keep away from the forest of Mokushu. Accompanied by Orochi and Reina, Saizo had, prior to the chapter's events, embarked on a mission to rescue Kagero, who had been captured by the Mokushujin ninja. While in the midst of their search for Kagero, the band stumble upon the Avatar's army, who have entered the forest to locate Saizo. Saizo chooses to believe in the Avatar's goodwill at this point and decides to aid their cause. Much like in Birthright and Conquest, if Saizo is directed to attack Kotaro, the two will engage in conversation, during which Kotaro remorselessly admits to his crime before taunting Saizo. If Saizo manages to land the killing blow on Kotaro, he will, in a state of satisfaction, consider his father's grievance avenged.

Saizo subsequently aids the Avatar's effort to put an end to Anankos' machinations.

Birthright and Revelation
In Paralogue 9, as Saizo passes through the Thieves' Den to reach his son Asugi's Deeprealm, he will pause to converse with Subaki when the latter remarks on the pronounced look of surliness that he is wearing. He then reveals his heartfelt concern for Asugi's training, where he is worried that his son will not be able to live up to the name of Saizo. Their conversation is abruptly cut short when Asugi unexpectedly appears in the scene with Funke and loudly proclaims his refusal to aid the latter in a burglary and murder attempt. Saizo, enraged that Asugi had changed his name, proceeds to admonish him, whereupon Asugi retaliates by engaging him in a heated argument. Asugi storms off shortly after refusing to take orders from Saizo, prompting Funke to turn hostile against Saizo for driving off his best underling. The ensuing battle sees Asugi attempting to flee from both Saizo and Funke, but his plan is eventually foiled when his father manages to stop his escape. The father and son then resume their argument, during which Asugi succeeds in convincing Saizo to accept him after he reveals his refusal to aid Funke is due to his personal sense of honour. Asugi then insists on joining the Avatar's army in the hopes of improving his relationship with his father.

Personality
In contrast to his brother Kaze, who is very calm, Saizo is brash and temperamental. He also becomes very frenetic when provoked, experiencing tremendous surges of passion that compel him to behave irrationally. This fact is made particularly evident in Chapter 17 on the Conquest route, where Saizo, guided by his feelings of seething hatred towards Kotaro, blindly throws himself into the heat of battle in a bid to exact vengeance on the man responsible for his father's demise.

Saizo has also been portrayed to be extremely cold and unfriendly towards people whom he is unfamiliar with, a fact that extends towards his allies. This is not without a cause, however; given his occupation as both a spy and one of two personal bodyguards of Ryoma, it is thus important for him to maintain a hostile attitude as a measure of caution. Saizo's careful vigilance is made especially evident through his initial support conversations with people like Azura and the Avatar, where his inability to trust anyone with a Nohrian background causes him to constantly keep a close eye on their actions under the justification that they could be plotting something sinister. However, he will acknowledge them properly if they have proven themselves to be friendly; in his supports with Azura, for one, she gains his trust by healing him while he is wounded.

In contrast to Saizo's anti-social behavior is the fact that he becomes exceedingly shy to the point of embarrassed fluster when he is either teased or shown affection. Through his supports with Sakura, for one, he becomes visibly agitated when she light-heartedly remarks that it is hard to imagine him purchasing candies, dropping his usual facade of cool levelheadedness as he stutters uncontrollably before hastily departing from her side.

Saizo is also known to have a caring heart, although he goes to great lengths to disguise it. This is demonstrated in a support where the Avatar is carrying heavy things and Saizo goes out of his way to help. He tries to mask the good deed as only having done it because of his "honor", but quickly gets embarrassed for showing his soft, caring side.

He hates sweets the most out of everyone in the army. His birthday is October 2, the same as Kaze.

Base Stats

 * -|Birthright Chapter 7 - A Vow Upheld=


 * -|Revelation Chapter 11 - Mutual Enemies=

Conquest Chapter 12 - Bitter Intrigue

 * -|Normal=


 * -|Hard=


 * -|Lunatic=


 * In Guard Stance with Kagero. Guard Stance: +1 Move.

Conquest Chapter 25 - Ryoma

 * -|Normal=


 * -|Hard=


 * -|Lunatic=

Revelation Chapter 8 - Traitor's Brand

 * -|Normal=


 * -|Hard=


 * -|Lunatic=

Xenologue 20 - Heirs of Fate 6: Lost in the Waves

 * -|Normal=


 * -|Hard=


 * -|Lunatic=

Conquest Chapter 17: Den of Betrayal

 * -|Hard=

Growth Rates
Class:


 * 45%
 * 55%
 * 45%
 * 80%
 * 50%
 * 55%
 * 50%
 * 25%
 * }


 * 45%
 * 55%
 * 45%
 * 80%
 * 50%
 * 55%
 * 50%
 * 30%
 * }


 * 50%
 * 60%
 * 45%
 * 75%
 * 40%
 * 60%
 * 50%
 * 25%
 * }

Max Stat Modifiers

 * +1
 * 0
 * +3
 * -2
 * 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 (Female)
 * Azura
 * Felicia
 * Mozu

Hoshido

 * Hinoka
 * Sakura
 * Kagero
 * Setsuna
 * Oboro
 * Hana
 * Rinkah
 * Orochi

Nohr (Revelation)
Other Supports
 * Beruka
 * Charlotte
 * The Avatar (Male)
 * Kaze
 * Ryoma
 * Subaki
 * Laslow (Revelation)
 * Asugi
 * Shigure (if Saizo is his father)
 * Kana (if Saizo is his father)

Base Class
Saizo is the second ninja available in Birthright and Revelation. Of the three ninjas, Saizo is the closest to Cain in the Cain and Abel archetype, with his brother Kaze being Abel. For a Cain archetype, Saizo is rather odd. He has the least Speed and Resistance, but has the highest Skill, Luck, and Defense, with his HP and Strength being in the middle of the other two ninjas. Unlike the others, he also has a solid Magic growth, allowing him to use Flame Shurikens and Felicia's Plate without sacrificing much power and dodge special effect staves the enemy may be using. His good defense also allows him to deal with the evasion penalty better than the other ninjas. Saizo's personal skill is Pyrotechnics, which lowers the HP of adjacent enemies and Saizo himself by 20% if he is under 50% health upon ending the battle. While the effect can be useful, it carries tremendous risk to Saizo and he will need immediate healing should he use it. Saizo starts with Locktouch, allowing him to unlock doors and chests without the need of keys, though Kaze will also have this skill, as will Kagero later on, so the choice of who is the designated Locktouch unit is up to the player. At level 10, Saizo gains Poison Strike, lowering the HP of the targeted enemy by 20%, which can prove very useful when killing bosses Saizo can't touch otherwise or when using the Spy Shuriken.

Saizo has two promotions: Master Ninja and Mechanist. As a Master Ninja gains a 5% increase to his Resistance growths, but is otherwise a Ninja with higher base stats and Sword access. Lethality has the potential to activate more often with Saizo's high skill growths, but it still does not activate very often.. Shurikenfaire will boost Saizo's damage when using Shurikens, making this skill mostly required given the otherwise low damage of Shurikens compared to other weapons. Mechanist sacrifices some Skill and Speed to boost Strength, Luck, and HH growths. Golembane has very little use to Saizo when there are very few instances in both Birthright and Revelation where such units exist, but can be considered for My Castle battles where all three have the potential to appear. Replicate gives the player another Saizo to use in battle, though careful planning will be needed to avoid killing off Saizo because he is being attacked in two places at once, thus Pyrotechnics may cause him to lose even more health in a battle, possibly leading to an unwanted death.

Secondary Class
Saizo's second class is the Samurai line, offering a number of good skills to consider grabbing. Duelist's Blow boosts Avoid by 30 when attacking, making it much safer to try and utilize his personal skill if the player knows they won't be able to kill using Saizo and just want to weaken. Vantage lets Saizo potentially get the kill before the enemy can on him. Thanks to Shurikens having 2 range, the possibility does exist for him to counter nearly all weapon types. Swordmaster offers Astra, which lets Saizo pile damage where needed, and also lets him be almost guaranteed to get the stat debuff given by Shurikens if he is against a unit who can dodge his attacks often. It also synergizes well with Saizo's high skill growth rate, as it means Saizo can initiate the skill roughly 20% of the time, given Saizo has a high chance of capping his skill. Swordfaire mostly sees use when he is kept in a Samurai line class, but it is possible to carry it over to the Master Ninja class. Master of Arms rewards Seal Strength, which can seriously cripple high powered units such as Generals and Berserkers even more than what Shurikens already cripple them with. Life and Death is a risky skill to consider, as it will increase the damage done to Saizo just as much as it increases his own, but utilization of Spy Shurikens and range manipulation will let Saizo initiate combat safely and reap the benefits of the skill, but needs to be cautious of enemies so they cannot exploit it either.

Buddy Class
Saizo has 2 Buddy Classes
 * Subaki: Subaki provides Saizo with the Sky Knight line. Subaki actually has worse personal growths than Saizo in almost every area, only beating Saizo in HP and tying in Defense, so Saizo mostly makes a better Subaki. Sky Knight gives Saizo Darting Blow, which can help Saizo to overcome his lower speed, and Camaraidere, which can slightly help to recover HP before Pyrotechnics can take effect. As a Falcon Knight, Saizo is given Rally Speed, which works as a support skill but is better suited on other units, and Warding Blow, which can help to alleviate Saizo's poor Resistance growths. Kinshi Knight gives Air Superiority, which gives Saizo an edge against flying units, but may be better suited for him if he decides to go into a bow using class. Amaterasu is another support skill (recovers hp of allies within 2 spaces by 20%) that is best suited on other units.
 * Laslow: Laslow provides the Mercenary class. Good Fortune and Strong Riposte are odd skills that Saizo might not be very crazy about, but many of the skills the promoted classes offer are much more rewarding. Sol gives Saizo a way to recover HP after it get below 50% or before it can get below 50%, and can activate often thanks to his high skill growths. Axebreaker lets Saizo lower the threat levels of axe users dramatically, though usage of a Dual Shuriken is also possible. Bow Knight's Rally Skill is another skill that, while not bad, has better usage on other units. Shurikenbreaker lets Saizo punish other Shuriken users without running the risk of being attacked and weakened himself.

Partner Class

 * Hinoka / Azura -


 * Sakura - Sakura grants Saizo access to the Monk class line. This can grant Saizo the opportunity to utilize his unnaturally high magic growth, though it will likely come at the expense of a lower speed growth rate. Miracle can save Saizo from being KOd; given that his Luck growth rate is above average, he may wind up activating it more often than other characters. Rally Luck can give the Saizo the opportunity to support his teammates, though Saizo is more built as an offensive character. From the Great Master class, Saizo can get Renewal, which can grant him some form of healing every turn. Countermagic works well with Saizo's shaky resistance growth rate, as it gives him insurance against enemy magic users, though it would be rather redundant in terms of bringing it over into the Ninja class line, as Saizo can KO most enemy magic users to begin with. From the Onmyoji class, Saizo can get Rally Magic, which Saizo can stack with Rally Luck. Tomefaire only sees use if Saizo plans to stay in an offensive magic class, as it will give him increased power to utilize with his high magic growth rate.


 * Rinkah -


 * Orochi / Kagero -


 * Setsuna -


 * Oboro -


 * Mozu -


 * Felicia - Felicia grants Saizo access to the Troubadour class line. While Saizo has the magic growth rate to effectively use staves and rods, he relies on the growth rates of the Ninja class line to keep his speed growth rate from falling too low.  However, as a frontline unit, the skills from the class can be of use.  Resistance +2 is useful to give Saizo insurance against magic users, though it will likely fall out favor once Saizo gains additional skills.  Gentilhomme is useful for Saizo, as he is often on the front lines and can support other units by reducing the damage that female allies around him take.  The Strategist class gives Saizo the ability to continue utilizing his magic growths, though the speed growth from the class is still innately risky for Saizo to level in.  However, Rally Resistance is useful as a rally, as many characters take a lot of damage from magic attacks.  Inspiration can be stacked with Gentilhomme for additional support.  The Butler class is a viable long-term solution for Saizo, as it retains his Shuriken ranks and allows him to channel his magic stat into staff work.  While the speed growth is still risky, and it may take some time before Saizo can build his magic stat high enough to be an effective healer, it can still be an effective class for Saizo.  Live to Serve should only be used if Saizo stays in a staff-using class; otherwise, it is useless.  Tomebreaker is useful for Saizo in any class even if he is using Shurikens, as his resistance growth rate is rather shaky, and he would appreciate insurance against opposing magic users.


 * Charlotte -


 * Beruka -

Quotes
Refer to Saizo/Quotes.

Possible Endings
Saizo - Angry Ninja (爆炎使い Bakuen Tsukai lit. Explosive Flame User)
 * While no official records of Saizo the Fifth exist from after the war, later scholars agreed that he most likely stayed in Hoshido, working covertly for the Hoshidan royal family. What else would he do?


 * Saizo and Felicia
 * Saizo disappeared from official records after the war, but no doubt he served the royal family forever. Felicia gave up her career in the service industry for the military, ultimately becoming a commander.


 * Saizo and Hinoka
 * 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.


 * Saizo and Mozu
 * Saizo disappeared from official records after the war, but no doubt he served the royal family forever. His wife, Mozu, meanwhile, was a constant source of support and a humanitarian in her own right.


 * Saizo and Orochi
 * Saizo disappeared from official records after the war, but no doubt he served the royal family forever. His wife, Orochi, was completely indispensable, both through her intelligence and her future sight.


 * Saizo and Rinkah
 * Saizo disappeared from official records after the war, but no doubt he served the royal family forever. Rinkah's fiery personality ensured her husband's life was not boring, and they loved one another well.


 * Saizo and Beruka
 * Saizo disappeared from official records after the war, but no doubt he served the royal family forever. Beruka was torn about leaving Camilla but enjoyed having enough emotions for them to conflict.

Etymology
Saizo possibly shares his name with a member of the legendary Ten Braves, Kirigakure Saizō.

In the Japanese version, his A-support conversation with his son, Gray (or Asugi in the English version), reveals his name can potentially be 彩造 (彩: color; 造: make), not 才蔵, like the legendary Kirigakure Saizō. In their conversation, Saizo asked him why he named himself "Gray", while he said that choose "Gray" as a way to both differentiate himself, and alluded himself to the Saizo name.

Trivia

 * Saizo shares his English voice actor, Benjamin Diskin, with Jakob and Hayato.
 * He also shares his Japanese voice actor, Tarusuke Shingaki, with Stahl and Gerome from Fire Emblem Awakening
 * Kaze and Saizo are the first members of the Cain/Abel archetype whose base classes are not Cavalier-based.
 * Saizo placed 15th for males in the official character popularity poll.
 * In the NA version of Saizo and Oboro's C Support, there is a typo where Saizo says "I'm a solder" instead of "soldier".