Echidna

"I have a plan to build a new village on the Western Isles for those people who lost their homes in the war."

- Ekhidna in Binding Blade

Ekhidna (エキドナ Ekidona, translated Echidna in the fan translations) is a playable character and a Hero from Fire Emblem: Binding Blade. Ekhidna is the leader of the resistance force against the Etrurian government in the Western Isles. In the northeast side of Chapter 9 there are two villages. She is recruited only if a unit enters the village on the left or neither village is visited. Ekhidna is recruited when Lalum talks to her. During the battle in Chapter 11, the Etrurian soldiers surround the house she is in and threaten to kill her if she does not surrender. In her supports, she attempts to gain recruits to help her in her plan to make a "free village", a village where people in the Western Isles who had their homes destroyed could settle after the war.

Base Stats
Axe - B
 * Hero
 * GBAIce.gif
 * 1
 * 35
 * 13
 * 19
 * 18
 * 6
 * 8
 * 7
 * 9
 * 6
 * Sword.gif - C
 * Steelaxe.gif Axe
 * }

Growth Rates

 * 75%
 * 30%
 * 25%
 * 30%
 * 20%
 * 15%
 * 15%
 * }

Overall
Ekhidna is a decent character. While she has lower growth rates and barely decent starting stats, she has one thing that the other potential Heroes don't have: Axes. Most Heroes will take a long time to get an A in axes, which Ekhidna will get within one or two battles. The only problem is she, like Ogier, has low Constitution, meaning a Body Ring would be recommended so she loses less Attack Speed when using axes. Obtaining A Support with Geese may not actually be a bad idea because the mixing of the fire/ice affinities will give Ekhidna the very much needed critical evade and attack power, and both units will also get very much needed boosts in avoid and hit rates, boosting their usefulness.

Ekhidna also comes in a chapter where an arena is readily available. Thus, if work is put into her, she can deal hefty damage throughout the game. Her C in swords makes her a fair sword user, along with the ability to wield the Wyrmslayer obtained last chapter right off the bat, and she can use it against Ain in the chapter following the one where she is recruited.

Supports

 * Ward
 * Lot
 * Gonzalez
 * Geese
 * Lalum

Character Ending
Ekhidna - Goddess of the West (西方の女神 Seihō no megami)


 * After went back home to the Western Isles, the people were overjoyed at the return of their hero. She left the rebel group, but the people begged her to be their leader once again. Her hard work united the Western Isles into a new nation, the Western Union.

Quote
"People on the Western Isle, don't give up"

- Ekhidna's death quote in Binding Blade

Etymology
In Greek mythology Ekhidna (also spelled Echidna) was a female monster who spawned in a cave and mothered every major horrible monster in the myths. "Echidna" also refers to a species of monotreme native to Australia, noted for the thick wave of spines on its back.

Trivia

 * Ekhidna, Raven, and Linus are the only characters in any GBA Fire Emblem game to have unique battle sprites as the Hero Class.