Saber

"Believe me, lass, I ain’t worried about a couple sea rats. All I’m worried about is if you can pay. I don’t work charity cases. Especially when I’m risking my own neck."

- Saber to Celica in Echoes: Shadows of Valentia.

Saber (セーバー Sēbā, Savor in the Japanese version) is a playable character in Fire Emblem Gaiden and its remake Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia. He is 34 years old.

Profile
A former member of the Rigelian army, Saber left to become a mercenary. Meeting Celica at a tavern, he accepts her request to protect her group during their seaborne journey to Mila Temple after she offers her Golden Dagger as payment. Ever since his employment, Saber more or less acts as Celica's advisor, albeit an unconventional one. Arriving at Zofia Castle, he points out that she doesn't seem all that impressed with it compared to Mae and Boey. After Celica accepts her heritage, Saber swears fealty to her and becomes just as loyal as Mae and Boey. When Celica announces her intention to invade Rigel to retrieve Mila, Saber assures her that he has her back. At Duma's temple, he leads Celica's army in an attempt to rescue her. After the war, he marries an unknown woman and joins Jesse's kingdom.

Personality
A coarse seaman with a dry sense of humor, Saber frequently debates at Celica's orders and often calls her out on her idealistic nature, aware of the necessity of violence. However he's very loyal to his employer, as he never considers abandoning the party, eventually acting in a fatherly manner towards Celica, and ends up displaying the same heroism he once scorned.

Due to his occupation as a sellsword, said honor is often cast aside, as he usually works for whoever pays him well enough, well known for having just as easily done shady services in the past with the right coin.

With a reputation for drinking and chasing skirts that even Jesse claims Saber is known for being a heartbreaker, he is far more insightful than most members of her party, as he catches on the quickest that Celica is not just any priestess, and understand her intentions better than most.

Recruitment
In Chapter 2, talk to him at the Novis Greatport.

Growth Rates

 * 50%
 * 20%
 * 15%
 * 15%
 * 10%
 * 40%
 * 0%
 * }

Overall
Saber is the first recruitable Mercenary available on Celica's route. He is also the first physical unit that Celica acquires, giving him an important role in the early game as one of the strongest and most durable fighter in Celica's army until the player recruits Valbar and Kamui. In the long term, his growth rates are very unusual for a mercenary, as he has notably high HP and defense growths, with mediocre skill and speed and only average strength. As Gaiden's promotion system lets your units jump straight into next class' base stats, this won't trouble him much as his promotions to myrmidon and Dread Fighter will compensate for his low speed and skill growths with their high speed and skill bases. His high defensive growths will also make him one of the more durable members of Celica's team. Overall, his good stats, powerful class, and his great availability, means he will have little difficulty reaching his promotion thresholds before any other mercenaries in Celica's team, making him the earliest myrmidon and dread fighter on her team.

With only a few weaknesses and advantages afforded to him by his class, great availability, and unique growth rates, Saber is one of the most powerful and long lasting members of Celica's team.

Base Stats
* Due to equipped Golden Dagger

Personal Max Stats

 * 52
 * 40
 * 40
 * 40
 * 39
 * 41
 * 40
 * }

Growth Rates

 * 60%
 * 35%
 * 30%
 * 35%
 * 25%
 * 45%
 * 0%
 * }

Overall
Saber's growths have been improved significantly, having much better growths in the 3DS remake than in the original NES game. Like in the original, Saber is the first recruitable melee unit in Celica's route, and with his solid HP and defense growth rates, he can, with a couple of levels, quickly become an important defensive unit early in the game. However, due to his improved growths in this game, when more melee characters are recruited, Saber's growths are high enough that he can stand out easier, especially since he can be a couple of levels higher by the time the next Mercenary, Kamui, is recruited.

Gaiden
"Keh, the hell..."

- Saber's death quote in Gaiden.

Echoes: Shadows of Valentia

 * Saber/Echoes: Shadows of Valentia Quotes

Heroes

 * Saber/Heroes Quotes

Fire Emblem Gaiden
He joined the establishment of Jesse's kingdom. Meanwhile, he gets to cuddle with a lovely wife.
 * (If Jesse is alive)

Together with his lovely wife, he works towards the restoration of the Kingdom of Valentia.
 * (If Jesse is dead)

Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
"Along with Jesse, Saber helped build the foundation for a new kingdom of, and for, mercenaries. He continued working as a sellsword for years to come and aided the One Kingdom on many occasions—always with his stunning bride by his side." "Along with his stunning bride, Saber toiled to rebuild Valentia. Though he never officially enlisted as a knight, he put his mercenary skills and experience to work traveling the land and mediating local struggles—either with a fist of steel or a pint of ale."
 * (If Jesse is alive)
 * (If Jesse is dead)

Fire Emblem 0 (Cipher)
Saber is illustrated in the trading card game Fire Emblem Cipher with the following cards:

Trivia

 * Saber is the only male character in Gaiden who can use the Seraphim spell.
 * Saber shares his Japanese VA, Takehito Koyasu, with Awakening's Lon'qu and Validar, and Fates Niles.
 * In Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, Saber has a special quote if Celica dies.
 * Saber has an unnamed sister whom he has lost contact with. He states that Celica reminds him of said sister.
 * In Saber's ending, he marries a woman who's name is not mentioned. In Katsuyuki Ozaki's illustration, it is said that Genny develops feelings for him at some point, due to her fondness of older men. In Genny's ending, it is stated that she marries a man no one would expect, hinting at the possibility of Genny being that unnamed woman whom Saber marries. However, no further evidence to support this pairing exists and their endings do not change if the other is killed, casting doubt on this theory.