Xander

"Come home, little prince/ss! We can be a family again once more!"

- Xander to the Avatar, Chapter 6: The Path Is Yours

Xander (マークス Mākusu, Marks in the Japanese version) is a main and playable character of the Conquest and Revelation routes in Fire Emblem Fates. He is the eldest child of the Nohr royal family. He is voiced by Katsuyuki Konishi in the Japanese version and David Stanbra in the English version.

Profile
Xander is the eldest child of five in the Nohrian royal family and the child of king Garon and the first queen, Katerina. He eventually received another younger sibling when the Avatar was adopted into the family and, in turn, lost one when Azura was kidnapped. Although taciturn, he has an honest personality. For the sake of the kingdom, he follows his father's intentions and cares deeply for his siblings. He wields Siegfried, a sword wreathed in dark flames. He has the services of Peri and Laslow. If he achieves an S-Support, he will have a son named Siegbert.

Xander sincerely loves his siblings, but he distances himself from them because he has the responsibility of being the eldest prince. Unlike Ryoma, he was born with no special talents. He had an introverted personality and weak physical abilities. As a result, he trained extremely hard to reach a level to wield a legendary weapon, Siegfried. Whenever he gets overly pressured in making a public speech, he would pretend that he's speaking in front of a group of bunnies (carrots in the Japanese version) to calm himself. In his support with Sakura, he reveals that he was shy as a kid. In order to overcome this, he practiced talking with his father.

His supports with Laslow show that he does not like taking in retainers that he doesn't know. The only reason Xander made him a retainer was that Garon had ordered him to, and was surprised at his strength and almost lost his duel. In addition, he reveals to him that, prior to the events of Fates, he had two other retainers that were serious and loyal to him, but died protecting him during a battle against Hoshido. He has the best handwriting out of everyone in the army. His birthday is October 27.

Prologue
Prior to the events of Fates, Xander arrested Hans for unknown charges. Even though Garon released him for good behavior, he was always suspicious of his motives.

Xander appears in the first actual chapter, testing the Avatar's strength again under Garon's orders. During the battle, Xander tells the Avatar how to fight and reveals a Dragon Vein spot on the rooftop, ordering them to use it and recover before coming at him again. With determination, the Avatar defeats Xander in battle. Happy that he has completed Garon's orders, he and his siblings take the Avatar to Castle Krakenburg.

Xander and his siblings watch as Garon gives the Avatar the Ganglari and watch from the sides as they, Gunter and their butler/maid fight some Hoshidan prisoners. After the battle, when the Avatar refuses to kill defeated prisoners, Garon orders Xander to kill them instead. Xander complies with his orders, but struggles against the Avatar who is adamant on sparing the prisoners. To diffuse the situation, Leo "kills" the remaining prisoners, Kaze and Rinkah. After the two recover, outside the castle, Xander tells the two Hoshidans that if it were not for the Avatar's kindness, they would have been killed. He orders them to leave immediately before Garon finds out that they were still alive.

When Garon orders the Avatar to check a supposedly abandoned Hoshidan fort near the Bottomless Canyon, Garon offers the assistance of Hans for their mission. Xander, suspicious of Hans, tells the Avatar to not let their guard down near him. Xander and the rest of the Nohrian siblings do not see the Avatar again until Chapter 6.

Birthright
At the end of Chapter 6, after the Avatar has chosen to side with Hoshido, Xander tries to change the Avatar's mind, stating that, while it was true that they were not related by blood, Xander considered them to be a precious sibling, even though they were born from the Hoshidan Royal Family. However, the Avatar refuses, saying that they are now fully aware of the person King Garon is, informing Xander of what happened when they arrived at Hoshido, calling Garon the root of all the evil that has transpired. Xander becomes hostile, saying that his father could not be evil. The Avatar tries to convince Xander to side with Hoshido, in order to defeat Garon. Xander calls them a traitor, and attacks them. He tells the Avatar to face him, and as his sibling, strike him down. The Avatar refuses to attack and is swiftly overpowered by Xander, who tells them that he will take them back to Nohr to cleanse whatever manipulation has come over them. After they continue to refuse, Xander decides to kill them as their sibling, but Ryoma steps in at the last second and saves them.

Xander makes an appearance again during Chapter 12, when he appears at the Opera House. The Avatar begs Xander to change his mind, but he refuses and prepares to fight the Avatar. Fortunately, due to Azura's assistance, the Avatar escapes the Opera House through a secret passageway that she told them before they are overwhelmed by the Nohrian forces.

During Chapter 21, Xander spots Elise eavsdropping on Garon in his throne room. He tells Elise that if Garon found out that she was listening in on him, he would have executed her for treason. After hearing Elise's complaints on how the war is ruining the family that they once had, Xander promises to end the war and bring them back together.

In Chapter 26, his retainers tell him that the Hoshidan forces are getting closer and wish to counterattack them, but he refuses. He orders them to stay in his room as he goes off to face the Avatar in single combat in order to reduce as much bloodshed as possible, much to his retainer's concerns. In the main combat hall, Xander meets up with the Avatar and draws his sword, demanding that the two face each other in a duel to the death. Elise objects, much to Xander's shock, wanting the two to avoid fighting. Xander brushes off her request, claiming that it must be what toppled Camilla and Leo into not fighting for Nohr. With Ryoma promising to hold off the Hoshido troops, Xander and the Avatar head to the great hall to fight. As the two fight, Xander easily begins to overwhelm the Avatar, though he admits that they have gotten stronger. After the Avatar makes one last attempt to persuade Xander, he refuses and unleashes a final strike. However, as he swings his blade, Elise runs in and intercepts the swing, taking the full force of his attack. Xander cradles his sister as she makes a tear stricken plea to end the war and lead the people of Nohr not through just his strength, but his own kindness and love. As the tears well up in Xander's eyes, Elise's hand goes limp in his own, much to the shock of Xander and the Avatar.

Despite Elise's death and the Avatar crying for their fallen sister, Xander demands that the two continue to battle. Enraged that Xander continues to want to fight despite their beloved sister's death, the Avatar agrees to finish their duel. Suddenly, Laslow and Peri enter the area and sees Elise's corpse on the ground. Assuming that it was the Avatar's fault, the two summon Nohrian soldiers to attack the Hoshidan army. Xander tells them to fall back, but the two refuse, stating that they would rather fight and disobey him than see him die while they do nothing. Unable to stop them, Xander focuses on his duel. After a long battle, Xander is defeated by the Avatar. As he lays dying, he congratulates the Avatar for finally fighting without any sign of hesitation, but the Avatar knows that he was not fighting at full strength. The Avatar continues to question why he would not stand to reason, but Xander explains that he had no option to do so as the crown prince of Nohr, even though his heart told him that he was in the wrong. As he takes one last look at his former sibling, he tells the Avatar the they can truly bring peace to the world and laments that perhaps in another world, the two of them could have fought side by side for the same cause. Finally, Xander succumbs to his wounds the Avatar is left to grieve for his two fallen siblings before moving onward to take down King Garon.

He later appears as a hallucination by the Avatar in Chapter 28.

Conquest
At the end of Chapter 6, after the Avatar has chosen to side with Nohr, Ryoma will grow confused and shocked at their decision, asking why the Avatar has chosen to side with Nohr rather than their birthplace. The Avatar states that they cannot betray the family they have made in Nohr. Xander smiles at his sibling's decision, stating that it is true that they do not share the same blood, their bonds are real, and considers them family nonetheless. He tells the Avatar that their father will be happy when they see has come home, but Ryoma questions that, asking if he is aware of what occurred when the Avatar came to Hoshido, saying that the blade Garon gave him exploded, and were it not for Mikoto, they would have been killed. Xander asks if that is true, to which the Avatar confirms, stating that they must return to Nohr if they are to learn the truth. However, Ryoma then says that he cannot let that happen, and attacks the Avatar, though Xander defends, and states that if he continues any further, he will show Ryoma no mercy.

After the battle, Xander and his siblings return to the castle, where Garon is pleased to learn about his son's exploits. Xander informs him that the Avatar has returned safe and sound, but later displays worry when Garon grows suspicious of their return, knowing that they have learned of their true origins. Iago hints that they might be a spy for Hoshido, though Xander lies and tells them that the Avatar single-handedly fought off the Hoshidan army, and Ryoma. Iago and Garon are still suspicious, and grows more worried when the Avatar asks his father if he knew about what happened back at Hoshido when the Ganglari exploded. Garon orders Xander to kill them, much to the shock and horror of the Nohr family, though Garon reconsiders this order when the Avatar offers to kill themselves, rather than have one of their brothers do the deed. To their confusion, Garon asks the god Anankos for a vision, and Xander becomes relieved upon learning that Garon has allowed the Avatar to return to Nohr, but he will only accept them back into the family if they completes the task of suppressing a rebellion in the Ice Tribe. Xander offers some of his troops, but Garon informs him that the Avatar must complete the task alone. Xander grows worried for their safety, despite their assurance that they will be fine, and grows suspicious of his father when he overhears that the Avatar won't die from this task, but will instead know true despair. This causes Xander to send Elise and her retainers, along with the Avatar's childhood friend, Silas, to help them in their task.

Revelation
Xander interprets the Avatar's refusal to become involved in the war as tantamount to treason, and is utterly unwilling to listen to the Avatar's warnings of a greater threat. However, his trust in Garon is shaken as his father declares he wishes to destroy both Hoshido and Nohr. Though he still sees the Avatar as a traitor even after he joins his forces, he readily admits that Garon has gone mad and that the Avatar is their greatest hope for ending the war. He is the last person out of all the royal siblings to join the Avatar's force. Until the encounter with Anankos, he and his sibling soon finds out that Garon they saw prior the birth of Elise during a childhood is none other imposter created by Anankos, as the real Garon was killed by that evil dragon.

After Anankos is defeated, Xander and Ryoma create a new bond between their countries, as well as forging new ties to Valla now that the Avatar is its new ruler.

Personality
As the direct successor to the throne of Nohr, it comes without a doubt that Xander is fiercely loyal to his country, willing to fight tooth and nail in order to defend it from impending threats. This fact is particularly explicated during the route split in Chapter 6; if the Avatar chooses to side with Hoshido or neither side, he will, deaf to his sibling's pleas to be reasonable and view the situation rationally, brand them a traitor and vow to cut them down.

While this devotion that Xander displays towards his country is undeniably admirable, he has been portrayed to have taken it to the extremes; despite the dubious ambitions of his his father, Xander continues to follow his orders unquestioningly, believing that each and every one of them is issued for the sake of bringing the country of Nohr glory. This devotion of Xander's is double-layered, however; beneath his apparent belief that Garon's involvement in the war is for the sake of Nohr's future, he also holds a stalwart belief that the king will revert to being the loving father he once was once the war ends to his favour. So strong is this belief of his, Xander has thus proven to be obstinate and intractable in having his opinion swayed, insisting that solid evidence must be presented to prove that Garon's change is permanent.

This naive belief of Xander's in turn suggests at a tender side that he is defined by, one that he unhesitatingly displays towards his siblings. This fact is starkly proven through two distinct instances; one in Chapter 7 on the Conquest route, where he, defying his father's orders, sends assistance to the Avatar when he eavesdrops on the truth as to why Garon sent them to the Ice Tribe, and another in Chapter 26 on the Birthright route, where he is crippled with grief after the accidental murder of Elise. Despite knowing that the Avatar is not his true sibling, he nevertheless has always seen them as such, usually and affectionately calling them "Little Prince/Princess."

In spite of the fact that Xander has been vastly portrayed as a battle-worn individual whose skill with the blade is seemingly unrivaled, his supports with Nyx reveal that contrary to said portrayal, he detests killing and feels immense guilt for having killed so many people, even harbouring suicidal thoughts as a result of his actions.

The bond of trust between Xander and his retainers is one that evidently transcends the classic master-servant relationship, where he instead regards them as his bosom companions. This fact is best evidenced through Chapter 26 on the Birthright route, where he becomes fraught with worry and agitation when his retainers outright disobey his orders to save themselves from needless sacrifice.

Base Stats

 * -|Conquest Chapter 6=


 * -|Conquest Chapter 16/Revelation Chapter 17=

As an Enemy

 * -|All Difficulties=

Birthright Chapter 6 - In the White Light

 * -|Normal=


 * -|Hard=


 * -|Lunatic=

Birthright Chapter 12 - Dark Reunion

 * -|Normal=


 * -|Hard=


 * -|Lunatic=

Birthright Chapter 26 - Xander

 * -|Normal=


 * -|Hard=


 * -|Lunatic=

Revelation Chapter 6 - Into The Ground

 * -|Normal=


 * -|Hard=


 * -|Lunatic=

Revelation Chapter 13 - Lost Paradise

 * -|Normal=


 * -|Hard=


 * -|Lunatic=

Xenologue 2 - Beach Brawl

 * -|Normal=


 * -|Hard=


 * -|Lunatic=


 * In Guard Stance with Laslow

Xenologue 20 - Memories of Foam 6: Unfinished Dawn

 * -|Normal=


 * -|Hard=


 * -|Lunatic=

Growth Rates

 * 55%
 * 65%
 * 5%
 * 50%
 * 45%
 * 75%
 * 50%
 * 25%
 * }


 * Note: Growth Rates are based on the character in their joining class

Max Stat Modifiers

 * +2
 * -1
 * -1
 * -1
 * +2
 * +1
 * -2
 * }

Supports
Romantic Supports Other Supports
 * The Avatar (Female)
 * Azura
 * Effie
 * Peri
 * Beruka
 * Mozu
 * Selena
 * Nyx
 * Charlotte
 * Felicia
 * Sakura (Revelation only)
 * Hinoka (Revelation only)
 * The Avatar (Male)
 * Leo
 * Camilla
 * Elise
 * Laslow
 * Kaze
 * Ryoma (Revelation only)
 * Siegbert
 * Shigure (If Xander is his father)
 * Kana (if Xander is his father)

Standard Sets

 * }

Friendship Sets

 * -|All Routes=


 * }
 * -|Conquest/Revelation=


 * }
 * -|Revelation=


 * }

Partner Sets

 * -|All Routes=


 * }
 * -|Conquest/Revelation=


 * }
 * -|Revelation=


 * }

Special Classes

 * }

Overall
Despite his status as a pre-promoted late game unit, Xander is an incredible unit in Fates. He is an impressive offensive force in the army, given his 8 movement range and near mastery of his Sword weapon stat. His personal weapon Siegfried is his signature weapon which has an impressive base might of 11, increases his dodge by 10, increases his defense by 4, and allows him to attack enemies within 1-2 spaces of him without the negative side effects of other weapons of that nature. Aside from a pretty low resistance growth, his growths increase pretty evenly, making him a well rounded unit. His Personal Skill Chivalry makes him incredible for taking down or severely damaging full health targets as he deals two additional damage and takes two less damage during battles with such foes. As a starting Paladin, he already has access to the basic Cavalier skills. Particularly Elbow Room is great for the open areas of the later Conquest and Revelation maps. Starting off as a Level 4 Paladin means that Xander needs one level up to learn Defender, to help support his growing stats when paired up with another character. At level 15, he will learn Aegis, which will help him tank against incoming bow, shuriken, magic and dragonstone users; especially against magic and dragonstone, as his poor resistance makes him susceptible to those two weapons.

Xander's other promoted option that he can Second Seal into is the Great Knight clas. From this class, Xander can learn Luna and Diamond Strike. Luna increases Xander's offense, especially against high defense targets which appear more often nearing the end of the game. Diamond Strike further increases Xander's impressive defense and allows him to take little or no damage when he initiates the fight against a target. Both skills should not be ignored as they are very useful in battle.

Secondary Class
Xander's secondary class is the Wyvern Rider class. As Xander is a promoted unit, he will have access to the Wyvern Lord and Malig Knight classes if the player wishes to change off his Paladin class, although it is recommended to wait until he has Aegis so it can cover up his weak resistance that is also known in the wyvern class line. He can learn Strength +2 and Lunge from either class as a start; Lunge can help drag enemy units into the waiting arms of your units to finish them off. Strength +2 increases his damage but wears off in effectiveness as he levels up.

From the Wyvern Lord class, Xander can learn Rally Defense and Swordbreaker. Rally Defense is not necessarily needed as he does not have any other Rally skills to learn, and is strong enough that being a support unit would hurt him more then help. Swordbreaker can help Xander against enemy sword users, especially against Swordmasters, Heros and Master Ninjas, which are known for their high skill rating. The Malig Knight class offers several good skills for Xander; Savage Blow allows Xander to deal damage to clumped enemies near him, while Trample allows him to deal more damage against non-mounted units. Since the player is most likely to face a good amount of unmounted enemies, this skill allows him to stack extra damage on them.

Buddy Class
Xander's receives Buddy Classes from Laslow, Leo, Kaze, and Ryoma.


 * Kaze - Kaze gives Xander his Ninja base class set. From this class, the most useful skill for Xander to learn is Poison Strike, which takes off 20% of the target's health if he is unable to kill them. Since Xander has access to the Wyvern Rider base set, his access to the Malig Knight class for Savage Blow allows him to stack 40% instead and 20% on anyone near him. The Master Ninja class offers Lethality, which is one of the few Hoshidan skills that Conquest players can access without having to buy it off another Xander. Shurikenfaire is not needed unless keeping Xander in the Master Ninja class. From the Mechanist class, Xander can learn Golembane which is almost pointless and Replicate, which allows him to help defend or attack better due to his impressive stats.
 * Laslow - Laslow gives Xander access to the Mercenary base class set. None of the mercenary's skills helps Xander in the slightest bit. From the Mercenary class, Xander can reclass into the Hero and Bow Knight class. The Hero class offers Sol to help him recover health in battle and Axebreaker to deal with Dual Club users and when using Lances. From the Bow Knight class, Shurikenbreaker allows Xander to deal with Master Ninjas easily.
 * Leo - Leo gives Xander access to the Dark Mage base class set. There is not much for Xander to learn in this set due to his lackluster magic, although there are a few skills if the player puts in time and effort for it. Vengeance from the Sorcerer class can allow Xander to stack more damage as his health falls. The Dark Knight class allows Xander to keep using his Siegfried, and he can learn a few more useful skills from this class; Lifetaker to relieve healers when he kills an enemy and Bowbreaker to deal with enemy Snipers who have high hit rates.
 * Ryoma - Ryoma gives Xander his Samurai base class set. In particular, the Swordmaster class gives Xander the most benefits overall. The Samurai's Vantage skill compliments him well as his incredible damage output means that he can kill enemies before they can hit him during their turn if he is running low on health. Though his Paladin class lacks the high critical hit rate of the Swordmaster class, Astra is a solid attacking skill to pile heavy hits. Swordfaire further gives Siegfried more destructive damage. The Master of Arms is worth considering if looking for Seal Strength to cripple heavy hitting enemies and Life and Death for a more risk for more reward style of play with him.

Marriage Options

 * Female Avatar - the Avatar's class can vary depending on the secondary class they put in the beginning of the game. They can use this to give Xander more offense or defense capabilities; for example, the General class offers Wary Fighter and Pavise; Wary Fighter will prevent Xander from being doubled while Pavise will make Xander a powerful tanker as he will have both Pavise and Aegis in his roster. Alternatively, the player can add offense if needed to help improve his already impressive attacking capabilities.

Quotes
Refer to Xander/Quotes.

Smash Bros. Series
Xander appears in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS as a collectable Trophy and was released on February 3rd, 2016 alongside the release of Corrin. His trophy features him wielding Siegfried.

Possible Endings

 * Xander - Paragon Knight
 * King Xander helped usher in a new era of peace. While he ruled justly, his radical policies were unpopular with much of the population. Scholars admit this was necessary for the era of growth that followed.


 * Xander and the Avatar
 * As King of Nohr, Xander laid the foundation for a new era of peace and prosperity for the kingdom. Avatar was hailed as a hero., working alongside her spouse to spread peace worldwide.


 * Xander and Azura
 * As King of Nohr, Xander laid the foundation for a new era of peace and prosperity for the kingdom. There are few records of Azura beyond her marriage. She remains a historical mystery.


 * Xander and Charlotte
 * As King of Nohr, Xander laid the foundation for a new era of peace and prosperity for the kingdom. Records show his wife, Charlotte, was a caring wife and mother, and they had a happy family life.


 * Xander and Felicia
 * As King of Nohr, Xander laid the foundation for a new era of peace and prosperity for the kingdom. Felicia gave up her career in the service industry for the military, ultimately becoming a commander.


 * Xander and Peri
 * As King of Nohr, Xander laid the foundation for a new era of peace and prosperity for the kingdom. Peri eventually learned the difference between right and wrong. It took a while.

Etymology
Xander is derived from Alexander, which in turn is derived from Alexandros, which is Greek for "Defender of the people".

Trivia

 * Xander's official artwork depicts him wielding Siegfried.
 * Xander shares his English voice actor, David Stanbra, with Kaze and Shura.
 * Xander is the only Nohr Royal Sibling to not have his base class used as a secondary class for any of his siblings.
 * Xander was the 2nd most popular male character in the official character popularity poll held on the game's official site.
 * Xander came 3rd in the character popularity poll and came 4th in the spouse poll, both were issued by Famitsu.
 * Xander placed 4th in the character popularity poll issued by Nintendo Dream.
 * Despite the fact that other Fire Emblem Trophies in Smash who feature a mount unit have their mounts featured, Xander is the only mount character to not have his mount featured in his trophy.
 * Xander seems to be based off of Alexander the Great, the great Macedonian emperor and conqueror. Aside from the similar names (Xander itself is a shortened form of Alexander), both have similar appearances, with Alexander being described by many to have shoulder-length blonde hair and a strong build, and personalities, focusing on conquering their foes by brute force and tactical advantages.
 * Xander's circlet was given to him by Garon, according to one of his Private Quarters lines in the Japanese version.
 * Xander is the only known Nohr royal child born to a queen, as his other blood-related siblings are born to different mistresses.
 * There is a continuity error between Xander and Leo's B support and Peri and Laslow's conversation in Beach Brawl. In the Beach Brawl, Peri states that Xander cannot swim, not even a dog paddle. However, Leo states that Xander excels in everything he tries, where then he names swimming as an example. However, this is just a mistake on the localization team's part, as Leo mentioned no such thing in the Japanese version.
 * Xander shares his critical quote "You're right where I want you" with his retainers Peri and Laslow.