Dedue

"I have heard that you rescued His Highness. Words cannot express my gratitude. Should you ever require my strength, please know that I will hasten to repay this debt."

Dedue is a playable character in Fire Emblem: Three Houses. He is 18 years old at the start of the game.

Early life
Dedue was the first born son of a blacksmith from Duscur, a region northwest of the Faerghus capital Fhirdiad. A member of the Blue Lions and servant of Dimitri. His homeland was destroyed in 1176 during the Tragedy of Duscur, when the people of Duscur were blamed and persecuted for the assassination of King Lambert and other kingdom nobles. After being saved by Dimitri, Dedue now serves his lord faithfully and without question to repay his debt, despite the rest of the Kingdom looking down on him and his people.

Academy phase
Dedue enrolls in Garreg Mach Monastery Officers Academy in Imperial Year 1180 and joins the Blue Lions as Dimitri's retainer.

Azure Moon
Dimitri is falsely accused of murdering Grand Duke Rufus by Cornelia who usurped the throne from him. Branded a traitor for alleged regicide, he is imprisoned in order to be executed for his crimes. Dedue helps to break Dimitri out, allowing him to escape the Kingdom of Faerghus, now a vassal state of the Empire. Dedue ultimately sacrifices himself during his break out and is supposedly deceased. If Dedue's paralogue during the Academy Phase was not completed, this will be his fate.

Five years pass and Dimitri bitterly regrets Dedue's sacrifice, being one of the driving forces of his sharp change in personality from a chivalrous and modest prince into a cold-blooded and cynical vagabond. If Dedue's paralogue was completed during the Academy Phase, it is revealed that other survivors of Duscur helped to rescue Dedue in return for him protecting them several years prior. He appears suddenly at the battle for the Great Bridge of Myrddin having been searching for Dimitri over five years. After the battle, Dimitri is beside himself, but is nonetheless elated that Dedue had survived all along. Dimitri has Dedue promise never to sacrifice his life just for Dimitri's sake. A request Dedue intends to honor.

Crimson Flower
If the Black Eagles Strike Force is joined, Dedue will sacrifice his life for Dimitri to ensure victory. He can be subdued before using the crest stone that will turn him into a demonic beast. If Dedue is defeated before he can transform, Dedue and Dimitri will die peacefully in each other's arms.

Silver Snow and Verdant Wind
Dedue hides in the Imperial Capital until Byleth's forces invade the palace, where he joins the fight in order to kill Edelgard as revenge for Dimitri's death, although he does entrust this mission to Byleth should he fail. If he survives the battle at the Imperial Palace, a soldier at the monastery will mention that Dedue left Enbarr after ensuring Edelgard's death, with a look of loneliness on his face.

Personality
With a stern face and stoic demeanor that belies a calm, gentle man, Dedue is of few words, rarely speaking out unless spoken to, but is polite and understanding of others. Due to his background from Duscur, he is used to the disdain many people have towards him but is usually not too bothered by it. In fact, as shown during his supports with Ingrid, he admits they may never know the full truth of the tragedy and acknowledges that it is still possible that some people from Duscur may have been involved, and as such believes the disdain shown towards his kind is not without merit. He also warns Byleth to avoid associating too closely to him, especially during ominous events such as Flayn's kidnapping or when rumors of an assasination plot arose.

Due to Dimitri sparing him from the Tragedy of Duscur, he owed him a life debt and is completely loyal to him. In his support with Felix, when asked if he would obey any order given by Dimitri, he stated that he would and would give his life to protect him. Even if Dimitri would order him to slaughter innocent lives, Dedue affirms that he would do anything he requested, no matter how heinous. His devotion to Dimitri even leads him into willingly transforming into a Demonic Beast if it means protecting Dimitri.

He likes flowers and gardening, but dislikes anyone who tries to harm Dimitri.

As an Enemy
Combat at Tailtean Plains

Growth Rates

 * 60%
 * 50%
 * 15%
 * 30%
 * 20%
 * 25%
 * 50%
 * 10%
 * 30%
 * }

Maximum Stats

 * 108
 * 74
 * 30
 * 42
 * 35
 * 44
 * 70
 * 35
 * 41
 * }

Learnt Magic

 * D
 * Fire
 * Heal
 * D+
 * Nosferatu
 * C
 * Bolganone
 * Recover
 * C+
 * B
 * Ragnarok
 * B+
 * A
 * A+
 * }
 * B
 * Ragnarok
 * B+
 * A
 * A+
 * }
 * A
 * A+
 * }
 * A
 * A+
 * }
 * A+
 * }
 * }
 * }
 * }

Overall
Dedue will be the primary defensive wall for the Blue Lions and is only available if leading that class. With a primary focus on his Defense and HP growths, he is virtually untouchable against physical units save for Mace, Hammer, or Armorslayer units. His Strength growth is also quite high, dishing out reasonable damage as it grows. His growths leave a lot to be desired for his other stats, especially his Resistance and Speed, both of which make him extremely vulnerable to Mages. Luckily, he can shore up the issue of the latter when attacking by using Gauntlets which give him an immediate follow-up attack that he would otherwise not have. His Personal Skill, Staunch Shield, grants him a bonus +4 Defense on selecting the Wait command, letting him further shut down most incoming physical damage.

Dedue excels mainly in physical oriented classes with a primary focus on becoming an Heavy Armor unit such as the Armor Knight and Fortress Knight as his strengths lie in that as well as Axes, Lances, and Brawling for his preferred weapons. Mastering these two classes will provide Armored Blow, increasing his bulk when initiating combat and Pavise to further shave damage from direct attacks. He will have issues with movement as the naturally low movement range means that he will lag behind allies when moving to new battle zones on a map, but if he is set up properly in certain places, he makes for an excellent physical choke-point to wall off other enemies from entering a location while your ranged units can pummel them. Flayn and her Rescue spell can be an excellent partner for him as not only can she increase his movement range with the staff, but she also gives him support bonuses. Movement can also be solved by making him a Great Knight, helping him retain his bulky nature, but his subject weakness in the Riding stat makes it difficult to reach the appropriate proficiency and Flying being his only other subject weakness movement-wise provides little for his overall potential.

Dedue can excel in the Brigand or Brawler classes and their Warrior and Grappler promotions as well given his weapon strengths. He lacks Caspar's Speed growths but is much better at taking hits. Spending time particularly in the Brigand line will provide Death Blow to improve his damage when initiating combat and later Wrath which pushes his Critical Hit rate by 50 when under half health. The Brawler's Unarmed Combat does open the door for him to fight without a weapon to save some funds for weapons for other units, but without the Gauntlet's ability to perform follow-ups, it is a matter of preference or for the gimmick. Tomebreaker on the other hand is extremely useful to him as it will remove some of the pressure Mages present to him, but it does not make him immune as he will still likely take heavy damage if they land a hit. The War Master class is the final form of the Brawler line and is great for a purely offensive Dedue. Most importantly, the class has one of the most beneficial skills for him, Quick Riposte, which guarantees a follow-up attack so long as his health is over 50%. With this skill on hand, he is an extremely punishing physical bait unit and can smash through a good chuck of enemies who dare to initiate on him.

Dedue's options outside of the above classes either has issues with developing his stats in them in order to take the Certification Exam for the class or simply having no real synergy or use as a permanent option outside of his class. The skills desired by him may take effort to use the class and even more to master them to use its skills, but taking time to develop him provides some skills that help him. In particular, the Bishop class has Renewal for self-healing while the Paladin class has Aegis to shave damage from ranged units, particularly against Mages.

Supports

 * Byleth (S-Support with female Byleth)
 * Dimitri
 * Felix
 * Ashe
 * Sylvain
 * Mercedes
 * Annette
 * Ingrid
 * Flayn
 * Gilbert
 * Shamir

Quotes

 * Dedue/Quotes

Possible Endings
Dedue - Taciturn Devotee
 * Killed in a coup after the battle of Garreg Mach. He was unable to make the promised meeting.

Dedue - Taciturn Devotee
 * As a loyal vassal, Dedue dedicated his life to supporting King Dimitri through his entire reign. After tending to his liege on his deathbed, Dedue resumed his post at Dimitri's grave on the edge of Fhirdiad. There, it is said he stood sentinel over the peaceful realm he had helped build until the end of his days.

Dedue and Byleth
 * A year after Byleth was appointed to succeed Rhea as the new archbishop, she announced her marriage to Dedue, who had resigned his position as the king's vassal. Their wedding ceremony, brightly colored with all of the most beautiful flowers from Duscur, set the tone for their happy life together. Dedue served as an intermediary between Faerghus and the church and -- alongside the archbishop -- committed to improve relations with foreign nations as part of the rebuilding effort. In their later years, they retired to the Duscur Peninsula where they spent the remainder of their lives gardening in peace and quiet.

Dedue and Dimitri
 * After his coronation, Dimitri assumed the throne of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, and his loyal vassal, Dedue, remained ever at his side. Among Dimitri's achievements was the reconciliation with Duscur: an extraordinary effort that required extensive negotiations to get past a history of betrayal and oppression. It was a trying task, but Dimitri never once considered giving up. While they behaved as lord and vassal in public, it is said that Dimitri and Dedue were more like family in private. When Dimitri finally fell to illness, Dedue tended to his liege's deathbed, and then took up a post at his grave for the rest of his days. When the time came, they were buried beside each other.

Dedue and Mercedes
 * Two years after the war, Dedue and his wife, Mercedes, opened a school in the Duscur residential district in Fhirdiad. The school educated Duscur children, who had never been given structured learning before, in reading, writing, arithmetics, and even Duscur history. Many years later, when the Duscur people reclaimed their homeland, the people who attended this school were able to resettle there and revive their old culture. because of this, Dedue and Mercedes were forever renowned by the Duscur.

Dedue and Annette
 * Some time after the war, Dedue and Annette exchanged wedding vows in a modest ceremony and then settled down to a life in Fhirdiad. For them, after marriage stayed much the same as before. Dedue continue his duty to King Dimitri, and Annette took up a teaching position at Fhirdiad's school of sorcery. Though each gave the other space for the work that was important to them, they made sure to spend much of their free time together, and to bond over cooking and housework.

Dedue and Ingrid
 * After the war, Dedue and Ingrid both served as protectors to the newly crowned King Dimitri: the former as his loyal vassal, and the latter as a knight sworn to House Blaiddyd. The pair fought side by side on countless occasions, and were known to be inseparable on the battlefield. Tales of the taciturn vassal and the steadfast lady knight were told by bards all throughout Fódlan, and it is said that their friendship helped spark the reconciliation between the peoples of Faerghus and Duscur.

Dedue and Ashe
 * Though the innocence of the Duscar people was proven, prejudice against them still lingered in the Kingdom capital. Far this reason, Ashe refused a knighthood when it was offered to him, and choose instead to open an inn that specialized in Duscar cuisine. Dedue began to frequent the place on breaks from his duty as the king's vassal, and overtime, imparted to Ashe his culinary wisdom. As the inn gained popularity, the people began to see the Duscar people in a positive light. This led to a reconciliation between the two cultures that came rather more quickly than expected.

Dedue and Flayn
 * After the war, Dedue returned to Fhirdiad to support King Dimitri's reign as his vassal. As he worked, his wife, Flayn, was determined to support him with home-cooked meals. Dedue patiently endured the more disastrous of his wife's experiments, while teaching her everything he knew. Eventually Flayn's talent blossomed and she became a renowned chef. It is said that those who were lucky enough to taste her cooking always asked for more, and that Dedue's eyes lit up with affection and pride when she told him what she was planning to prepare next.

Dedue and Shamir
 * After the war, Dedue returned to Fhirdiad to support King Dimitri's reign as his vassal. Shamir was ever near, and as Dedue's trusted partner and a mercenary for the royal family, she complemented his public-facing work with by handling any necessary covert operations. The trusting professional relationship between the two blossomed into love, and soon they were married. It is said that, when absolutely no one else was around, they would let down their guard and engage in secret jokes and idle chatter.

Trivia

 * Dedue shares his English voice actor, Ben Lepley, with Thracia 776 's Saias in Fire Emblem Heroes.
 * Dedue shares his Japanese voice actor, Hidenori Takahashi, with Awakening and Fates ' Owain/Odin.
 * Dedue is the tallest playable character, standing at roughly 6'8" (204 cm) both before and after the timeskip.
 * Interestingly, Dedue is listed as 6’4” (192 cm) in the height chart included in the artbook.
 * Dedue has a unique post-timeskip battle model as an Armored Knight and Fortress Knight.
 * Dedue is the only retainer that won't give any "Supply Run" quest.
 * Also, Dedue is the only retainer that will die instead of retreating if defeated in Classic Mode.