Rutger

"...... That time... I learned that it was the law of nature that the weak die out. That is the same anywhere, whether it be Sacae...or Bern!"

- Rutger to Dayan in a support conversation in Binding Blade.

Rutger (ルトガー Rutogā, translated as Rutoga in Super Smash Bros. Brawl) is a playable Myrmidon from Fire Emblem: Binding Blade. Rutger frees Clarine in Chapter 4 after she has been kidnapped by Marquess Laus, Erik. He then comes out as an opponent although after Clarine speaks to him he joins your team. Rutger is half Sacaen and half Bern. Although this is very common in Bulgar, Rutger looks more like someone from Bern than he does from Sacae, which is a very rare occurrence. When Bern invaded Sacae, Rutger was the only one spared because Bern's forces mistook Rutger for one of them. He has sworn vengeance on Bern.

He appears as a Sticker known as Rutoga in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and makes a very brief cameo in chapter 6 and 17 of the Hasha no Tsurugi manga.

Promotion Gains

 * HP: +5
 * Strength: +2
 * Skill: +2
 * Speed: +1
 * Defense: +3
 * Resistance: +2
 * Con: +1
 * Aid: +1
 * Movement: +1

Supports

 * Clarine
 * Dieck
 * Fir
 * Karel
 * Dayan

Growth Rates

 * 80%
 * 30%
 * 60%
 * 50%
 * 30%
 * 20%
 * 20%
 * }

Overall
In Hard Mode Rutger will prove to be one of your most valuable units. His bases become even better than Dieck's and his offense is comparable to Marcus'. He is one of the few units to have enough accuracy to reliably hit some of the game's bosses. With a Killing Edge he is easily the best boss killer in the game. He will only get better at his job upon promotion, where he gains +30 critical. He has enough speed to double practically every enemy in the game but Gel. While his strength growth is not spectacular, his base of 9, with +2 strength granted upon promotion, should leave him with above average strength. He also has fairly high HP and decent defense. His only real flaws are his lack of ranged options and average movement.

Rutger's triangle support with Clarine and Dieck boosts his already high critical rate to extreme levels. With a Wo Dao and A/B support with them, Rutger can reach over 100 critical. This support also boosts his already good avoid. All of this makes Rutger one of the best characters in the entire game. There is not much reason to use Fir over Rutger as she only has slightly better avoid but joins later and weaker. You can, however, support them for even more critical.

Possible Endings
After the war, Rutger disappeared. Many claimed that they had seen him in one place or another, but none of them had any solid proof. Today, his name only appears in the records of this war...
 * Rutger - Lone Swordsman (孤高の剣士 Kokō no kenshi)

Quotes
"No... more..."

- Rutger's death quote in Binding Blade.

"...It begins."

- Rutger's final battle quote in Binding Blade.

Etymology
Rutger is Dutch for Roger. Although the pronounciation would actually be ルトッハー Rutohhā in japanese because the the letter 'g' is pronounced as 'ch' (a voiced velar fricative) in Dutch.

Trivia

 * On the official Japanese website for Nintendo, Rutger won 2nd place  out of 80 in the character popularity poll for Fire Emblem: Binding Blade, second only to Roy. The male-female vote ratio is 2:1. The voter comments seem to generally focus on his character design, his brooding and reserved personality, and his versatility as a Myrmidon/Swordmaster.