Gangrel

"Men are beasts! Nothing more! We fight! We kill! We devour our prey! Beasts do not stand behind beasts, little prince... They use each other so long as it suits their own selfish purpose!"

- Gangrel talking to Chrom before they wage battle in Chapter 11

Gangrel (ギャンレル Gyanreru) is an enemy character from Fire Emblem: Awakening, later made playable via SpotPass.

He is voiced by Sakamaki Manabu in the Japanese version and by Anthony Jenkins in the English version.

Profile
Originally a thief born in the slums, Gangrel rose to be the ruler of Plegia, becoming known as the Mad King. He seems to enjoy war, and ignores Emmeryn's peace negotiations. Cruel and easily distracted, he enjoys deceiving others. After being recruited into Chrom's army, he starts changing his ways, in part due to a harsh past that weighs on his mind. His birthday is March 16. He is the person in the army most afraid of heights.

Gangrel spends much of the initial half of the game trying to start a war between Plegia and Ylisse as well as acquire the Fire Emblem, with little success due to Emmeryn's pacifistic nature and the importance of the Fire Emblem to Ylisse. Gangrel kidnaps Maribelle in order to further instigate a war and seize the Emblem, but the plan fails. After the attempted assassination of Emmeryn forces her to leave the capital, Gangrel attacks Ylisstol, causing Emmeryn to return to the capital to protect her people, allowing him to capture her upon her return. He plans to execute Emmeryn at the Plegia Castle Grounds. Chrom's army arrives right before her execution and stops it just in time. As they rush to Emmeryn's execution spot and sends in Phila to rescue her, Aversa summons Risen Archers and foils the rescue attempt. With the situation under his control, he gives Chrom the option to either relinquish the Fire Emblem or watch Emmeryn be killed by the Risen. However before Chrom makes his decision, Emmeryn sacrifices herself and falls off of the cliff to her death. Gangrel congratulates Emmeryn on a fantastic sacrifice and relishes in Chrom's despair. With no one in power in Ylisse, Gangrel prepares to attack the now Exalt-less Ylisse.

However, Gangrel's army begins to lose faith in him, refusing to fight for a pointless war after hearing Emmeryn's words. Gangrel does his best to snuff out any traitors with little success, leaving him with a weak force to attack Chrom's army at the Border Wastes and is ultimately defeated by Chrom.

In Paralogue 18, Gangrel is revealed to have survived his last stand. Disgraced and broken, the only work the supposed dead king could get was with Zanth's pirates, working as a servant and was, ironically, being treated like trash as he had treated his soldiers. Eventually Zanth's group encounters Chrom and his army and Zanth throws Gangrel onto the battle field where the two eventually meet once more. As a pathetic shell of his former self, he requests that Chrom end his life since he has nothing left and believes that Chrom must be dying to kill him. However Chrom, needing all the help he can get, convinces Gangrel to join his fight against Grima, rather than throw his life away.

After the war, Gangrel fell into obscurity. Some said that he found a new kingdom to rule and ruin while others said that he ended up in the gutters. Regardless, most people agreed that he was dead within a few years.

In Gangrel's supports with the male Avatar, he shows remorse for his actions, and reveals that he initially began his push to unify the continent so that together they could challenge the strength of the Valmese Empire, but became twisted by the thrill of war and nearly destroyed his country and killed many people. By the end of the support, he is cheered up and vows to rescue any citizen in Plegia that has lost their way. It is also revealed that despite the Grimleal being Plegia's state religion, he does not worship or revere Grima and only pays lip service to the cult, unlike many of the citizens in his country.

If Gangrel supports a female Avatar, he appears to be more upbeat and lively, and constantly tries to recruit the Avatar to serve as his personal tactician, trying various methods such as compliments, gifts, and even asking her straight out to work for him. By the end of the support, Gangrel confesses to the Avatar that what he really needs is someone to make sure that he does not do anything stupid when he returns to rule Plegia, and asks for her hand in marriage to ensure this.

DLC
In the Hot Spring of Bonds DLC Chapter, Gangrel is given conversations with Emmeryn and Aversa. In his first conversation with Emmeryn, he speaks about being forgiven for what he did to her, even offering to die if it would redeem him, and attempts to apologize, but quickly recants this when she notices. In the second conversation, he shows regret for his actions, speaking of how he felt he could change things, but all he got was blood on his hands that he feels he cannot remove. The idea that he would never be redeemed of his sins causes him to break down and cry, but Emmeryn comforts him, telling him that he is important and that she considers him her friend.

Recruitment
Paralogue 18: Enemy, talk with Chrom three times (only available via SpotPass)

Chapter 11

 * -|Normal=

* - Drops when defeated.
 * -|Hard=

* - Drops when defeated.
 * -|Lunatic=

* - Drops when defeated. + - Forged, Might +4 and Hit +10.

Paralogue 18/Playable

 * -|Normal=

* - Drops when defeated.
 * -|Hard=

* - Drops when defeated.
 * -|Lunatic=

* - Drops when defeated.

Max Stat Modifers

 * -2
 * 0
 * +3
 * +3
 * -1
 * -1
 * 0
 * }

Supports

 * The Avatar (Can marry a Female Avatar)
 * Morgan (Only if Gangrel is his father)

Class Sets

 * Thief - Promotes to Assassin or Trickster
 * Barbarian - Promotes to Warrior or Berserker
 * Dark Mage - Promotes to Sorcerer or Dark Knight
 * Dread Fighter - Requires Dread Scroll

Base Class
As a playable character, Gangrel can be a quite useful unit, as he is one of few units that does not need excessive level grinding to get his strength and magic at a passable level so he can be a solid Trickster. His only major competition as a well-rounded Trickster is from the Avatar, Anna, and Henry. However, Gangrel receives large bonuses for Hard and Lunatic Mode, putting him at the advantage against the other three, as they need a few Second Seals to catch up to his large bonuses.

However, Gangrel does have a bit of an issue: his HP, luck, and defenses are not very high, which can put him at a huge disadvantage against his opponent. He also cannot support anyone except for the Avatar (or Morgan if Gangrel is his father), which can be troublesome when trying to pair Gangrel up. Due to this, he does need to be treated with a little more care, as he is not going to be able to take multiple hits. However, Gangrel's high speed helps accommodate for his relative fragility, allowing him to dodge a fair share of attacks.

Gangrel is best suited as a Trickster due to his workable magic stat. Thus, a character like Gaius who does not have that good of a magic stat makes a more logical choice for an Assassin. However, Gangrel can go into the Assassin class to acquire the Pass skill, which can boost his utility further, as he will be able to walk past enemies. All in all, Gangrel is as solid of a utility unit as there is, especially in Hard or Lunatic Mode due to the bonuses he gets.

Reclassing
Gangrel can go into the Barbarian and Dark Mage classes. Gangrel's biggest niche is being a solid Trickster without needing to be level-grinded, but some alternate classes can give him some really good skills to work with. Despoil is not that great of an ability on Gangrel due to his lesser Luck rating; however, he can still acquire Gamble, Wrath, and the Axefaire skills from the Barbarian line, allowing him to have higher chance of criticals, or increase his utility even further. Gangrel is well-suited to use the Vengeance skill from the Sorcerer class due to his lesser defenses, especially in combination with the Wrath skill. As a Dark Knight, Gangrel will have less Strength and defense than Tharja, but higher magic and skill. However, Gangrel can just simply acquire the Lifetaker skill to boost his durability. Gangrel is best suited as a Trickster, but skill combinations is never a bad choice on anyone.

Quotes
"Clinging to each other won't save you maggots when the boot falls!"

- Gangrel's battle quote in Chapter 11

Vs. Chrom (Chapter 11)
Gangrel: Come, princeling! I've sharpened my sword just for you!

Chrom: My sister wished for our people to know peace, Gangrel. But as long as you draw breath, it can never come. For Ylisse!

Vs. Zanth (Paralogue 18)
Zanth: Why, ye traitorous maggot! No one switches sail on me and lives!

Gangrel: You can't kill a dead man, sweetheart. Now to feed YOU to the maggots!

Event Tile Quotes

 * "I did meet a maid the other day that made me think perhaps things aren't all so bad..." (exp)
 * "What's this junk!?" (item)
 * "I snuck in some practice to see how it felt, but I admit, I prefer executions to exercise." (Weapon exp)

Asking - Normal

 * "Hard to enjoy more bawdy diversions in wartime. How do you fend off boredom?" (free time)
 * "You there, don't you have any ambition? Any grand dreams?" (dreams)
 * "Ha! You look proud of yourself. Have you struck upon some cruel new scheme?" (happy)
 * "What do you say you and I team up and take the next commander down personally?" (team up)

Replying - Normal

 * "I do whatever I please, and it's none of your damn business." (free time)
 * "Bah! I dream of nothing. Dreams will only drive their twisted dagger into your back." (dreams)
 * "Of course not! When have I ever been content with anything, mule-brain?" (happy)
 * "You mean gang up on the enemy? Ha! That sounds deliciously underhanded." (team up)

Asking - Emmeryn

 * "Why do you wander off like that after battles, fool? You'll get hurt." (free time)
 * "This might sound strange coming from me, but what will you do from here on out?" (dreams)
 * "You look wretchedly happy. Have some of your memories returned?" (happy)
 * "You know, you should let me take the lead in the next fight. It's dangerous out there." (team up)

Replying - Emmeryn

 * "I usually just let my mind wander. I'd lend you a hand, if you had the sense to ask." (free time)
 * "Me? You should be thinking of yourself. ...Not that it's any concern of mine." (dreams)
 * "I should have SCARRED your face, so your brother would end me good and proper..." (happy)
 * "Well...all right. How am I supposed to say no to you?" (team up)

Asking - Married

 * "You look fetching today. Trying to drag me deeper into your web?" (Love)
 * "You know, Avatar, in the right light, you are truly ravishing." (Compliment)
 * "What have you there, Avatar? I demand to see it. Give it here." (Gift)
 * "Why did you put yourself in danger like that? Trying to beat me to the grave?" (Concern)

Replying - Married

 * "Ugh, I know how you feel without you spelling it out! Don't expect me to say it." (Love)
 * "I know. You set a high standard, so of course I have to keep up appearances." (Compliment)
 * "It's a hairpin - a gift you should accept gratefully before I change my mind." (Gift)
 * "Fine. I don't care if I live or die, so I may as well live and care for you." (Concern)

Asking - Child

 * "Tell me about my future. ...Do I even have one?" (Life)
 * "Grab a weapon and let's have it out. Show me how dirty you can fight!" (Train)
 * "Is there anything you need? Your father shall plunder whatever you desire!" (Gift)
 * "Why are you so quiet today? It's eerie when you don't talk." (Concern)

Replying - Child

 * "Ha! You mean you haven't heard? Your father was a turd with a crown. You should be ashamed to have been born into such disgrace. Now go away. I'll tell you the moment I do anything fatherly enough to merit your pride." (Life)
 * "You want to challenge me? Stupid brat. Didn't inherit your father's brains, did you?" (Train)
 * "You think I need some trinket bought with a child's pocket change? Spare me." (Gift)
 * "Haven't you noticed? I'm always a little gray in the face. Stop worrying." (Concern)

Level Up

 * "Someone pinch me! No-let me pinch them!" (6-7 stats up)
 * "Yes... I feel a bout of nastiness coming on!" (4-5 stats up)
 * "My best? You haven't SEEN my best." (2-3 stats up)
 * "Bah! A turd would turn more heads than this!" (0-1 stat up)
 * "You want me to get stronger?! Look at me!" (0-1 stat up, most stats capped)

Class Change Quote

 * "Is this the new me? The old me is asking."

Armory

 * "Shopping for Gangrel? How times have changed." (buying)
 * "Hoping for a king's riches? I'm just a dog now." (selling)
 * "I want something so deadly it KILLS to look at it!" (forging)

Alone

 * "Gya ha ha! What is in the water? I feel like I could stamp out armies like anthills today!" (surge)
 * "Once you've hit rock bottom, the only way to go is up." (misc)

Greetings - Normal

 * "Avatar. It must be nice, taking breaks before the day begins!" (morning)
 * "Avatar. Must be nice, taking breaks in the middle of the day!" (midday)
 * "Ah, Avatar. And I thought I'd be stuck here alone tonight." (evening)
 * "Avatar! Go to bed! What good will a befuddled tactician be?" (night)
 * "So it's your birthday, Avatar? Big deal." (birthday)

Greetings - Married

 * "Back already, Avatar? ...You're no morning person." (morning)
 * "Back already, Avatar? Are you bored or just lonely?" (midday)
 * "Back already, Avatar? Well, nice work today." (evening)
 * "Hello, Avatar. Don't be a fool and stay up all night." (night)
 * "So it's your birthday, Avatar. Big deal." (birthday)

Roster
''The wild and ruthless former king of Plegia. He once took sick pleasure in hurting others, but his own life was not easy, and he has shown signs of reform since joining Chrom. The most hopeless acrophobe. Born on March 16th.''

Confession
"How in blazes did you get me to... love you? If you're trying to make a new man of me, it's... working."

- Gangrel's confession quote

Final Chapter Quotes
"One nip from a dragon and you're down? Get up, you craven school (boy/girl)!"

- Gangrel's final chapter quote.

"Really now, I just can't seem to die... Where's the messy end I was promised?"

- Gangrel's quote after Grima was defeated by Chrom

"You seriously considered ending your own life to save…them? Grgh. Whatever book of fairy tales did you pull THAT idea from? You are mine, Avatar, and I will slaughter any who try to take you!"

- Gangrel reassuring the Avatar for their choice if he is her husband.

"Damn you, Avatar! I joined this fight to meet my end, not secure yours! I'll chase after you to the ends of hell...and if you're there, well I'll drag you back!"

- Gangrel's quote after the Avatar's sacrifice to kill Grima

The Golden Gaffe Pre-Battle
"You the dirty lowlife that stole my gold? Good for you! ...Unfortunately, you robbed scum even lower than you. And that comes at a high and painful price, my shambling friend!"

- Gangrel's pre-battle quote

EXPonential Growth Pre-Battle
"Look at you! Getting knocked off for tousling a few turnips. And here I thought MY life wasn't worth a damn...I got away with crimes far worse for far longer!"

- Gangrel's pre-battle quote

Infinite Regalia Pre-Battle
"'Deadlords,' was it? You lost me at 'dead.' Bwah ha ha ha! Where you get off feigning power when you all get met with some miserable defeat? To me, you're only good at one thing-and you're about to do it again!"

- Gangrel's pre-battle quote

Death's Embrace Pre-Battle
"I thought I knew depravity, but this? This here is a whole 'nother level. One false step and we're skewering pigs! As if this wasn't a hassle already... Can't we just go outside and blow up the whole building? What a bother..."

- Gangre's pre-battle quote

Five-Anna Firefight Pre-Battle
"For crying out loud, couldn't you dastards find a cooler place to cause trouble? It's too damned hot in here. How about you just jump into the lava and melt away? Go on! I SAID JUMP! ...... Oh, fine, we'll do it your way. Anything to get out of here sooner..."

- Gangrel's pre-battle quote.

Roster Rescue Pre-Battle
"Please. I doubt that pathetic roster says anything worth a damn about me. But I'm not some whelp who robbed a candy shop, either. I've got REAL secrets. If there's a chance you saw any of them... Well, I think you know where this is headed!"

- Gangrel's pre-battle quote.

Summer Scramble Pre-Battle
"You dolts know who you're pointing those blades at? Sheathe 'em and go home. Or do you really wanna die on a beach? Is that the epic end you've always dreamed of? Well, if you insist... Let's give these seagulls and sand crabs the feast of a lifetime!"

- Gangre's pre-battle quote

Hot-Spring Scramble Pre-Battle
"Ooh, I'd heard rumors about this place! And gods know I could use a bath... Too bad about all the trash in here, though. ...And I don't mean just me. But before I can clean my own clock, I'll have to clean yours. C'mere, trash!"

- Gangre's pre-battle quote

Dual Support

 * "Oh, if I must..."
 * "What's say we kill 'em all!?"
 * "They're coming..."
 * "Lets destroy them!"
 * "Enticing..."
 * "Pfft...Wipe 'em out!"
 * "More weaklings?"
 * "Go."
 * "Try not to bleed."

Dual Strike

 * "Oopsie!"
 * "Over here!"
 * "Nasty thing."
 * "Allow me!"
 * "Die. Die now!"

Dual Guard

 * "Heh, so close."
 * "I give you an inch!"

Critical

 * "Beg for your life!"
 * "You're an eyesore!"
 * *cackles*
 * "Eenie Meenie MOE!"

Defeated Enemy

 * *laughs*
 * "So long."
 * "Really? That's it?"
 * "Haha! Exeunt!"
 * "Heh!"

Partner Defeated Enemy

 * "That one was mine!"
 * "Brutal. I love it!"
 * "Stealing my thunder..."

Defeated By Player/Enemy

 * "To hell with...all of it..."

Death/Retreat
"F-fool of...a prince... Your people care not for you... You are...alone... As every man lives and dies: ...alone..."

- Gangrel's death quote in Chapter 11

"So this is...truly the end... Didn't expect it...to end like this..."

- Gangrel's death quote after recruitment (classic mode)

"ARRRGH, HOW ANNOYING! How DARE they defeat me!"

- Gangrel's retreat quote after recruitment (casual mode)

Possible Endings

 * Gangrel - Mad King
 * With the slaughter done, Gangrel retired to obscurity. While some claim he found another kingdom to rule and ruin, others insist he ended in the gutter. All agree he was dead within a matter of years.


 * Gangrel and the Avatar
 * Many wrote of Avatar's legendary exploits, but accounts of her origins and character varied. Scholars, poets, and bards agreed on one thing alone--she loved her husband, Gangrel, above all else.

Trivia

 * His title in the English version, the Mad King, is shared by Ashnard from Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance.
 * His older concept art design seems to have been the basis of the generic Trickster class portraits.
 * Gangrel's official artwork depicts him wielding a Levin Sword.
 * There is a minor inconsistency in Gangrel's design between different art assets. In his regular portrait, he has long sharp fingernails, in his confession and official art, he has shorter, less sharp fingernails.
 * During the preparation phase of Chapter 9, Gangrel is temporarily on-screen.  Selecting his name on the lower screen lists his information as "The cruel and fatalistic former king of Plegia", his description from Paralogue 18.  In Chapter 11, his information correctly displays as "The self-styled 'Mad King of Plegia'."
 * Gangrel shares his Japanese voice actor, Manabu Sakamaki, with Kellam.
 * Gangrel's map sprite as a Trickster depicts him holding his sword outwards, similar to the generic female Trickster sprite, instead of against his chest like a normal male Trickster.