Vaike

"Mya ha! They'll remember ME once I drive my axe into their...Wait...my axe! Where's my axe?!"

- Vaike misplacing his axe in Chapter 2

Vaike (ヴェイク Veiku, translated Wyck in the Japanese version) is a playable character in Fire Emblem: Awakening. He is voiced by Michael Sorich in the English version.

According to the official Japanese website, he is voiced by Daisuke Endo.

Profile
Vaike is a childhood friend and self-proclaimed rival of Chrom, and a member of the Shepherds. He aspires to become "a warrior among warriors", and is always eager to seek challengers to prove his might. He holds Chrom in a regard that is higher than that which he holds for anyone else, as the lord is the first person who has ever viewed him as an equal. Vaike's supports reveal that he was born and raised in a ghetto environment, where he was once notorious for leading a small band of children in the engagement of mischievous antics. His life underwent a radical change when Emmeryn paid a visit to his village, where he, touched by her words, swore to become a great fighter. His birthday falls on December 26.

In the events of Awakening, Vaike is first introduced in Chapter 2, at the point when Lissa introduces the Avatar to the rest of the Shepherds. Chrom thereafter announces that the Shepherds will be heading north to Ferox on a mission to seek their assistance in fending off the threat posed by Plegia. Along the way to Ferox, the Shepherds encounter a Risen army on an unnamed road. Vaike valiantly prepares for battle, only for him to realise that he has misplaced his axe. Fortunately, Miriel catches up with the Shepherds shortly afterwards, where she finds the axe on the ground and returns it to him, making sure to reprimand him as she does so.

After the war, Vaike returns to the streets that raised him, in which he is welcomed as a hero.

Personality
Vaike possesses an abnormally inflated ego, a fact that is bolstered by him constantly referring to himself as Teach (俺様 Ore-sama, lit. The Great Me in the Japanese version). Often times, this ego of his is unjustified, as its constant overclouding of his judgment sees him incapable of comprehending why things never quite go the way that he envisions. Such instances include him getting confused when Sully receives more gifts from women than he does, alongside Tharja obsessing over the Avatar and not him.

Clearly befitting the archetypal mould of the man in possession of more brawn than brains, Vaike seeks to fulfil the purpose of strengthening himself and thereafter becoming the greatest fighter in the entire world. This ambition of his is, however, offset by his forgetfulness, as evident from his misplacing his weapon in Chapter 2, alongside failing to remember to relay vital information to other members of the army.

Growth Rates

 * Note: These are his growths rates as a fighter, and not reclassed. For a list of his growth rates in alternate classes, see here.


 * 105%
 * 75%
 * 10%
 * 65%
 * 50%
 * 45%
 * 50%
 * 10%
 * }

Max Stat Modifers

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

Supports
Romantic Supports
 * The Avatar (Female)
 * Lissa
 * Sully
 * Maribelle
 * Miriel
 * Cordelia
 * Panne
 * Nowi
 * Tharja
 * Olivia
 * Cherche

Other Supports
 * Chrom
 * The Avatar (Male)
 * Lon'qu
 * Vaike's Children

Class Sets

 * }

Inheritance
Vaike has two Male-only classes; Fighter and Barbarian. If he marries someone who produces a daughter, then his daughter will inherit the following classes instead.
 * Knight - Promotes to General or Great Knight
 * Mercenary - Promotes to Hero or Bow Knight

Base Class
Vaike plays much like a typical Fighter, possessing high HP and Strength growths, alongside a modest growth rate in Skill. As his Speed tends to remain persistently low early on, Vaike can thus set up situations for weaker units like Donnel and Olivia to achieve easy kills for experience. These strengths are, however, offset by his low Resistance growth rate, rendering him especially vulnerable to magic-based units. Vaike can directly promote into either a Hero or a Warrior, both of which grant him access to a fairly rich skill pool. Vaike will grab Zeal early on, giving him the chance to finish off enemies in the beginning.

As a Warrior, Vaike will retain the same growths stat-wise, but with higher caps. Counter is a semi-useful skill in the beginning when Vaike's stats are not capped, but will lose effectiveness once he has reclassed a few times. It is, however, a useful way for him to inflict more damage to enemies until Second Seals are made readily available. This skill is especially useful in the Lunatic+ difficulty, as enemies often have the Counter skill themselves, making long-range weapons such as bows the most reliable weapon to be employed in order to prevent the sustaining of heavy damage. The skill's usefulness is further extended to allowing Vaike to employ bows without being completely helpless in close combat. As a Hero, Vaike gains a useful skill, Sol, one that provides him much-needed relief when under heavy enemy fire. The Hero class also allows him to boost his Skill stat and eventually increase his chances of triggering critical attacks and skill activations.

Vaike's class sets allows his children to inherit the potential to learn skills like Despoil, Wrath, and Gamble if he is paired up. He also has good supports like Chrom, Lon'qu, and Sully, all of whom provide him with substantial boosts to his Skill and Speed, allowing him to kill enemies more consistently. Although Vaike does need quite a bit of support to fully expend his potential, he is, by no means, a unit to be overlooked.

Reclassing
Vaike's two reclassing sets are the Barbarian and Thief lines. Out of all his available classes, Vaike's stats will always grow the most exponentially when he is either a Barbarian or a Berserker. Despite the fact that Vaike's growth rate in Luck is not the highest, the Despoil skill from the Barbarian class can be very useful for gathering gold on higher difficulties. In addition to this, the Axefaire skill that he can learn as a Berserker allows him to transform into a very powerful tank in his base classes. Wrath and Gamble are noteworthy skills for Vaike to grab as well, and are perfect candidate skills to pass on to his children.

While assuming a Thief-based class, Vaike will stand to gain crucial Speed. Although Gaius and Anna fare much better as a permanent Assassin and Trickster respectively, Vaike will be still prove to be stronger than the two, albeit slightly slower. To this end, the Trickster class is not a suitable one for him to assume, as his low Magic growth rate, coupled with the class's axing of Strength in order to boost Magic, will render his resultant growths less than desirable. In spite of this, Pass, Movement +1, and Acrobat are fantastic skills for Vaike to pick up for use in any class.

Event Tile

 * "Teach just did 10 sit-ups and didn't even break a sweat. Oh yeah!" (exp)
 * "Huh? A present from one of ol' Vaike's fans? How thoughtful!" (receive item)
 * "Teach worked in a little practice. ...Not that it's needed!" (weapon exp)

Asking - Normal

 * "Hey, so what do ya dream of doin' one day?" (dreams)
 * "So, whaddya do to kill time? You're hardly ever around camp." (free time)
 * "Hey, you look like you're in good spirits! Just finish some secret trainin'?" (happy)
 * "Nice work out there! You and Teach should partner up for the next fight." (team up)

Replying - Normal

 * "Well, nothin', really. The Vaike is already master of all!" (dreams)
 * "Nah. Teach is happy because he...Er, his friend managed to bring a weapon for once." (happy)
 * "The Vaike strives for greater perfection, of course. All role models should!" (free time)
 * "Who is the Vaike to say no? If it's combat genius ya want, I'm your man." (team up)

Asking - Married

 * "You're a knockout, (name), ya know that? Ain't no luckier man alive!" (compliment)
 * "Gods, I love you, (name)! I swear we're made for each other!" (love)
 * " (Name), promise you'll stay safe. "Vaike the Widower" hardly inspires fear." (Promise)
 * "Whatcha got there, (Name)? Don't try to hide it. The Vaike sees all!" (Gift)

Replying - Married

 * "Pfft, relax. You could toss me off a cliff and the ground would be lucky to survive!" (promise)
 * "Well, I love you more! See? There's no battle Ol' Vaike can lose." (love)
 * "Aw, ya ruined it! It's the hair ornament ya wanted, I was gonna surprise ya..." (Gift)
 * "For serious?! I...I mean, of course Teach is aware of his manly charms!" (Compliment)

Asking - Child

 * "Hey, kid. Wanna go a round with your old man? Want Teach to teach ya?" (train)
 * "You know, kiddo, if you need anything, Dad's more than happy to snag it for ya." (gift)
 * "Hey, kiddo. What was the future like? I bet Vaike Junior was the talk of the town!" (story)
 * "You okay, (Name)? Your old man's seen Risen with more spark in their eyes." (Concern)

Replying - Child

 * "You're on! Ain't no way in a million dozen years you'll out-Vaike your old man!" (train)
 * "What? Ya don't know? The Vaike is a household name! Born to Brawl? Selected to Shepherd? Surely those names stood the test of time! Our family teaches Chrom's everything they know! It's tradition! ...Starting right now." (story)
 * "How 'bout a statue of Ol' Vaike I can put right in the middle of Ylisstol's courtyard?" (Gift)
 * "Pfft, don't worry about your old man. ...Wait, are you checkin' up on me?" (Concern)

Level Up

 * "I am invincible!" (6+ stats up)
 * "Heh! The Vaike just got a lot Vaiker!" (4-5 stats up)
 * "Anyone wanna touch my muscles?" (2-3 stats up)
 * "Hmph. Teach just didn't want you all to feel bad." (0-1 stat up)
 * "Hot damn! The Vaike can get no stronger!" (0-1 stat up, most stats capped)

Class Change

 * "Watch Teach take you through the motions."

Armory

 * "You need Teach to walk you through shopping basics?" (buying)
 * "Anything the Vaike touched should fetch a good price!" (selling)
 * "You can forge weapons, but you can't forge the Vaike." (forging)

Alone

 * "Hmm, maybe 'You can't spell 'victory' without 'Vaike'!' Oh yeah, I like that one..." (misc)
 * "The Vaike never has an off day, but today he's definitely having an 'onner' day." (surge)

Greetings - Normal

 * "Good morning, Avatar! Come kick back with Teach." (morning)
 * "Hey, Avatar! Here to break with the Vaike?" (midday)
 * "Evenin', Avatar! Teach knows when to take a break." (evening)
 * "Avatar, it's getting late. But the Vaike NEVER sleeps." (night)
 * "Heard it's your birthday, Avatar! 'Grats!" (birthday)

Greetings - Married

 * "Hello, Avatar! The Vaike is on fire this morning!" (morning)
 * "Hello, Avatar! Teach is having a phenomenal day." (midday)
 * "Hello, Avatar! The Vaike reigns supreme after sunset." (evening)
 * "Hello, Avatar! Teach knows when it's time to hit the hay." (night)
 * "Heard it's your birthday, Avatar! 'Grats!" (birthday)

Roster
''A rough-hewn Shepherd with a loud personality and far more confidence than his ability warrants. He sees himself as exemplary and reverently refers to himself in the third person. The best at misplacing things. Born on December 26th.''

Help Description
A scatterbrained Shepherd who insists he's in control.

Confession
"This has gotta be the first time I've ever rated someone else first! Is this... love? The Vaike is STUNNED!"

- Vaike's confession quote.

Final Chapter
"On your feet, soldier! Don’t make ol’ Teach give ya a lecture!"

- Vaike's final chapter quote.

"Yes! We won! We won! We... Uh, hey--has anyone seen my axe?"

- Vaike's quote after Grima was defeated by Chrom

"Yeah, Avatar! The Vaike swore to make ya happy for all time! Ya don't get to bail out early."

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

"Avatar has gotta be out there somewhere... How do I know? Hey, you don't question the Vaike!"

- Vaike's quote after the Avatar's sacrifice of killing Grima

The Golden Gaffe Pre-Battle
"The Vaike doesn't save money, so I got no quarrel with you. The Vaike's friends, on the other hand? They kinda want you dead. And ol' Teach leaves no plea unanswered!"

- Vaike's pre-battle quote.

EXPonential Growth Pre-Battle
"Does no one find it strange that there are so many corpses waddling around? Er, not that the Vaike can't handle it. The Vaike can handle anything. We'll see who puts more of you back in the ground: Chrom or ol' Teach!"

- Vaike's pre-battle quote.

Infinite Regalia Pre-Battle
"Hey! Deadlord! You don't look so dead to me! Maybe you need Teach to give ya a few pointers? Don't worry, you'll be dead like a pro in no time. Har har!"

- Vaike's pre-battle quote.

Death's Embrace Pre-Battle
"Teach has hacked up lots of corpses, but you're not like the others, are ya? You deserve a clean death...and a quick one. Ugh, I can already tell this victory ain't gonna go down smooth..."

- Vaike's pre-battle quote.

Five-Anna Firefight Pre-Battle
"Ouch! The Vaike—oof!—does not fight well in—aieee!—hot places! Still, I can't be whinin' like a baby while the others are pullin' their weight. ...C'mon, you roast Risen! Let's see if ya got any pink in the middle!"

- Vaike's pre-battle quote.

Roster Rescue Pre-Battle
"The Vaike isn't afraid of this cloak-and-dagger nonsense. You want to know a dirty secret? I'll tell you a dirty secret: the Vaike doesn't HAVE any secrets! Har har!"

- Vaike's pre-battle quote.

Summer Scramble Pre-Battle
"The rumors are true, pal. The Vaike thrives in the blazin' summer sun! But too bad for you, I ain't here for fun and games. When I'm through with you, you'll be sleepin' with the fishes!"

- Vaike's pre-battle quote.

Hot-Spring Scramble Pre-Battle
"Ooh! The water temperature's just the way Teach likes it—nice and hot. I hereby dub this spring...Lake Vaike! Now get outta my lake so I can finish my bath and get on with dinner!"

- Vaike's pre-battle quote.

Support Boost

 * "Right behind ya!"
 * "I gotcha!"
 * "Knock 'em silly!"
 * "Don't you give up!"
 * "Teach is watching!"
 * "Enter the Vaike!"
 * "Ready to shine?"
 * "Look alive!"
 * "Who goes first?"

Dual Strike

 * "Learn your lesson!"
 * "It's Vaike time!"
 * "Free for all!"
 * "My turn!"

Dual Guard

 * "Thank me later!"
 * "Not this time!"

Defeated Enemy

 * "Yeah, I rule!"
 * "Class dismissed!"
 * "Anyone else?"

Partner Defeated Enemy

 * "I coulda done that!"
 * "What? Dead already?!"
 * "Thanks!"

Critical

 * "Looks like Teach just got tenure!"
 * "That's enough back-talk!"
 * "Just you and me!"
 * "You want some?!"

Death
"GAR! Vaike the Mighty...falls at last... C-Chrom...take up the torch..."

- Vaike's death quote (classic mode)

"Ogre's teeth! Not even ol' Teach can keep fightin' in this state... Oww..."

- Vaike's retreat quote (casual mode)

Possible Endings

 * Vaike - Zero to Hero
 * Vaike returned to the streets that raised him and was welcomed as a hero and brother to all. His unflinching self-assurance was the perfect medicine for the town's postwar squabbles, earning him the nickname "Brother Vaike."


 * Vaike 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, Vaike, above all else.


 * Vaike and Lissa
 * Vaike returned to the streets that raised him and was welcomed as hero and brother to all. Still, he was no match for Lissa, who fit in with the people instantly despite her royal upbringing.


 * Vaike and Sully
 * Vaike returned to the streets that raised him and was welcomed as hero and brother to all. Still, he was no match for Sully, who dragged her poor husband on countless missions in the name of Ylisse.


 * Vaike and Miriel
 * Vaike returned to the streets that raised him and was welcomed as a hero and brother to all. He lived out his days with Miriel, whose sharp mind and tongue refused to be dulled by any change of scenery.


 * Vaike and Maribelle
 * Vaike returned to the streets that raised him and was welcomed as a hero and brother to all. But people were fonder still of Maribelle, who worked tirelessly to win them equal rights in the eyes of the law.


 * Vaike and Panne
 * Vaike returned to the streets that raised him and was welcomed as a hero and brother to all. Still, the people were even fonder of Panne and she, in turn, grew to love the town's wild and woolly nature.


 * Vaike and Cordelia
 * Vaike returned to the streets that raised him and was welcomed as a hero and brother to all. Still, he was never a match for Cordelia, whose shining talents and beauty tended to make her husband look dull.


 * Vaike and Nowi
 * Vaike returned to the streets that raised him and was welcomed as a hero and brother to all. Still, the children were even fonder of his wife, Nowi, who played with them every day and never seemed to age.


 * Vaike and Tharja
 * Vaike returned to the streets that raised him and was welcomed as a hero and brother to all. Still, he was no match for Tharja, whose frequent curse slinging put her husband in an understandably foul mood.


 * Vaike and Olivia
 * Vaike returned to the streets that raised him and was welcomed as a hero and brother to all. Still, he was no match for his wife, Olivia, whose modest but mesmerizing dances made her more popular by far.


 * Vaike and Cherche
 * Vaike returned to the streets that raised him and was welcomed as a hero and brother to all. Still, the children were fonder of Cherche, who spent her time feeding and clothing orphans everywhere.

Etymology
The name Vaike is a unisex name, though it is often used as a girl's name. While it has no official meaning, people with this name are known to enjoy life and lack self-discipline. The latter trait might be a reference to Vaike's starting class as a Fighter.

Vaike's translated Japanese name, Wyck, is a Scandinavian name meaning "from the village". This is possibly a reference to him growing up in the slums for most of his life.

Trivia

 * Vaike's official artwork depicts him wielding a Tomahawk.
 * If Vaike dies on his turn after getting his axe back from Miriel, the dialogue between the two will still occur, even in classic mode.
 * Vaike uses a buffer model than most other playable characters as a Fighter, Barbarian, and Warrior. Curiously enough, his Berserker model is significantly skinnier than the hulking one boasted by NPCs and enemies, contrary to the muscular figure that both his official artwork and portrait feature him possessing.
 * Vaike shares his Japanese voice actor, Daisuke Endo, with Yarne.
 * In a support conversation with Sully, it is revealed that Vaike knows how to wield lances and can evenly fight her with them, in stark contrast to his inability to be reclassed into a class that allows him to expend this talent.
 * Although he has two male-only classes, Vaike does not pass down any female-exclusive classes to his potential daughters. He is the only male in the game for whom this is true.