Substitute character

Not to be confused with Replacement characters

Substitute characters are a set of playable characters that appear in Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu. They appear in the Second Generation if some of the female characters from the First Generation were left unpaired or died before reaching the end.

They are called substitutes because they take the place of the corresponding children characters of the Second Generation. Their role in the story is essentially the same as the children characters and they have similar or identical dialogue and events (although some substitutes have extra hidden events, such as Laylea obtaining the Barrier Sword).

However their names are different and their appearance is usually different from the children characters. They also have fixed base stats, growth rates, equipment and Skills. In most cases, substitute characters are substantially inferior to the children characters they replace, making it a good idea to ensure that all potential mothers are paired up and survive to the end of the First Generation. The substitutes for Sylvia's children are considered the only two that may be superior thanks to their superior skills, but even they come at the cost of making it awkward to pass down both the Valkyrie Staff and Holsety).