Barst

"Sorry, Captain Ogma..."

- Barst's Shadow Dragon death quote

Barst (バーツ Baatsu, Barts in the Japanese versions) is a playable character in Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi, Book 1 of Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem, and their remakes. He was one of the three axe fighters in the Talys mercenary group from Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi. Like the two of his fellow axe-wielding mercenaries, Bord and Cord, he was under the command of Ogma. He joined Marth's army alongside Ogma, Bord, and Cord in chapter 2. After the war, he left Ogma's group to become a pirate.

He returned in Fire Emblem: Shin Monshō no Nazo ~Hikari to Kage no Eiyū~ as an enemy on chapter 5, but he could be recruited by talking to him with Ogma or fellow Talys mercenaries, Bord and Cord. After the War of Darkness, Barst pursued the carreers of pirate and Akaneian soldier, but now just wanted to live quietly as a Lumberjack because he did not like war. He is eventually convinced to fight for the Talys mercenaries again.

Base Stats

 * Note: Barst only appears in Book 1.

Overall
Barst, along with Caesar, are the best choices for Warriors in Shadow Dragon. Barst gets high HP and Strength, but generally does not cap them, and he gets nice Skill and Speed as well. However, his defense and resistance are quite low, so Dracoshields and Talismans are good to use on him. Should one seek to reclass him, the Berserker class is recommended. Reclassing him to Berserker is also a good idea for a wi-fi team, because many faster units, such as Swordmasters, are commonly used on Wifi.

Recruitment

 * Chapter 5: Enemy, talk with Ogma, Cord, or Bord.

Support bonus
Supports
 * Cord
 * Bord

Supported by
 * The Avatar
 * Ogma
 * Cord
 * Bord

Overall
Blessed with generously high growth rates, and will always cap hp and generally hits high levels of strength, skill, and speed. Berserker is a good reclassing option. It should, however, be noted that he has low defensive stats, including a 0% resistance growth. Players should be careful to keep him out of the retaliation range of enemy mages, especially during the early game.

Shadow Dragon
The Chopper

"Barst returned to the kingdom of Talys and became a woodcutter. He preferred that life to the grim bloodiness of war."

Shin Monshō no Nazo ~Hikari to Kage no Eiyū~
The Hatchet

"Barst vanished, rather than go to Talys. Stories tell of him being a woodcutter, or sailing the high seas to a distant land."

Recruitment in Shin Monshō no Nazo with Cord
Cord: Barst! What're you doin' here?!

Barst: Bord? Long time no see.

Cord: I'm not Bord! I'm Cord! You of all people should know that!

Barst: It was a joke! Sorry. Look, Cord, I know you came out all this way... But I've got nothing to do with war no more. I'm an ordinary woodcutter now. Just ignore me.

Cord: Don't be stupid. Doncha know? Prince Marth's fighting again. If you ignore his plea, you're a disgrace to the Talysian Mercenaries. You wanna be a disgrace, is that it?

Barst: ..... You know, all I really want is to live in peace... I suppose I can't just kick back, and chop my wood, with this damn war going on. This needs to end quickly.

Cord: Heh! That's my bro.

Barst: Yeah, I'll join too. Tell Prince Marth for me.

Recruitment in Shin Monshō no Nazo with Ogma
Ogma: Long time no see, Barst.

Barst: Captain Ogma! Why are you here...?

Ogma: Another war has started. Once again, I fight under Prince Marth's banner. Barst, lend us your strength. We need you.

Barst: I got nothing to do with fighting now... Well, that's what I would say if you were anyone else. Captain, I owe you. You've saved our sorry asses on more occasions than one. Captain Ogma. Just say the word. I'll do whatever you want!

Trivia

 * Barts from TearRing Saga: Utna Heroes Saga seems to be a revisit or tribute to Barst.
 * Barst's career as a pirate is only briefly mentioned in the second conversation with Avatar.