Dimitri

"Someone must put a stop to this cycle of the strong trampling the weak."

- Dimitri to Byleth

Dimitri is a playable character and one of the protagonists in Fire Emblem: Three Houses. He is the 17 year old prince of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus and leader of the Blue Lions. Dimitri possesses a minor Crest of Blaiddyd and wields lances as his main weapon.

Early life
Dimitri is the crown prince of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. He was born in Imperial Year 1162 as the eldest son of King Lambert; his mother, the queen consort, perished in a plague that was later cured by Cornelia. He befriended Edelgard during her exile and she taught him how to dance. Dimitri gave her a dagger as a token of affection, before she returned to the Adrestian Empire in 1174. He was the only surviving royal of the Tragedy of Duscur in 1176. Dimitri's uncle and Lambert's elder brother, Grand Duke Rufus of Itha, ruled as regent in Dimitri's stead. During the Kingdom's retaliatory subjugation of Duscur, he saved and befriended Dedue who became his vassal. He fought his maiden battle two years later, where he distinguished himself as a commander in quelling a rebellion in western Faerghus.

Academy phase
In 1180, he enrolls as a student of the Officers Academy in Garreg Mach Monastery and serves as the house leader of the Blue Lions. Dimitri's childhood friends Sylvain, Ingrid, and Felix are among his classmates. His story changes depending on what class Byleth chooses to teach.

Blue Lions
Byleth chooses to instruct the Blue Lions house, helping Dimitri grow into a capable leader. During the night of the Academy Ball, the Blue Lions vow to reunite in five years for the Millenium Festival. Dimitri agrees to the reunion and hopes that everyone can make it.

However, hostile encounters with the Flame Emperor and Those Who Slither in the Dark drive Dimitri to become more ruthless. After the Ball, he confides to Byleth that Edelgard is his stepsister and that he gave her a dagger as a gift during their childhood. Dimitri suddenly hears voices and sees the Flame Emperor conversing with Thales. Believing that the Flame Emperor was responsible for the Tragedy of Duscur, he confronts them. The Flame Emperor denies involvement and vanishes, leaving behind a dagger which Dimitri recognizes.

After Byleth merges with Sothis, Rhea instructs them to descend into the Holy Tomb and claim their power from the throne. The Flame Emperor interferes, seeking to raid the tomb of its Crest Stones, which leads to a skirmish. With most of the Emperor's forces dispatched, Dimitri unmasks their leader. To his shock and dismay, his suspicion that the Flame Emperor is Edelgard is confirmed. Outraged over her perceived involvement in his family's death, Dimitri snaps and slaughters her remaining forces. She is forced to retreat, but not before Dimitri vows to make Edelgard suffer for her crimes and kill her.

Edelgard ascends the Adrestian Empire's throne, deposing Ionius IX and declaring war on the Church of Seiros. Dimitri fights beside Claude in the front lines to protect the Monastery from invasion. Although Edelgard and her vanguard are repelled, the invaders are reinforced by a larger army, forcing Rhea to enter the fray as a dragon. Byleth attempts to aid her, but Thales sends them plummeting into a ravine. Garreg Mach Monastery eventually falls into Imperial control, scattering the Knights of Seiros and personnel of the Officers Academy not affiliated with the Empire.

Azure Moon
After the fall of Garreg Mach Monastery and Byleth's disappearance, Dimitri is falsely accused of murdering Grand Duke Rufus, branded a traitor by Cornelia who declares Faerghus a vassal state of the Empire, and imprisoned for alleged regicide. He is able to escape imprisonment due to Dedue's apparent sacrifice but is presumed dead. At some point, he loses his right eye and lives a solitary life as a vagabond. Rumors of a sadistic warrior capable of slaying scores of soldiers begin to propagate throughout the Empire.

In 1185, Byleth is found floating in a river below Garreg Mach. They find Dimitri, now a shell of his former self, alone in the ruins of the Monastery surrounded by fresh corpses of Imperial soldiers. He mistakes them for a ghost but realizes that they are alive. A bandit gang raiding a nearby village spurs the two into combat. During the skirmish, they reunite with the students of the Blue Lions, fulfilling the promise they made five years ago. Determined to overthrow Cornelia and kill Edelgard, the Blue Lions reclaim the Monastery as their stronghold.

With the Blue Lions reunited, Dimitri immediately plans on killing Edelgard by mobilizing his allies. The Monastery is suddenly attacked by Imperial forces in response to the Knights of Seiros returning to it. The Imperials are defeated and its leader Randolph is captured. Dimitri taunts Randolph, mocking his motivations as a general as well as concluding that they are both murderers. While Dimitri intends on slowly torturing the captive general, Byleth interferes and mercy kills Randolph.

Acting on Byleth and Gilbert's counsel, Dimitri gathers more allies and support from the rebelling Kingdom nobles still loyal to him as the rightful King of Faerghus. In response to Rodrigue's pledge of support, they go to Ailell to link up with soldiers of House Fraldarius. However, they are intercepted by the forces of House Rowe led by Gwendal. After vanquishing the enemy, Rodrigue bestows Areadbhar to Dimitri and joins his crusade. Seeking to secure the Great Bridge of Myrddin, Dimitri faces off against the Empire. If Dedue's paralogue was completed during the Academy phase, he suddenly reappears. With the bridge under his control, Dimitri confronts Dedue and is relieved that he survived thanks to the help of the same Duscur men he saved years prior. Dedue renews his pledge of loyalty to his liege lord but Dimitri makes him promise not to throw his life away again.

Dimitri commands his forces to march into Adrestian territory, leading them to Gronder Field where the Blue Lions previously emerged victorious in their mock battle five years ago. For the first time since the war began, the three nations meet on the battlefield. The three-way battle is fierce and though Faerghus forces Edelgard to retreat, it is a Pyrrhic victory. Dimitri is outraged that she has escaped his grasp once more, but is fatigued from battle and urged by his allies to not pursue Edelgard due to Imperial reinforcements. Suddenly Fleche, a young maiden they encountered on the Great Bridge of Myrddin, appears on the battlefield and manages to wound Dimitri with her sword. Before she can land the final blow, Rodrigue shields Dimitri which allows Byleth to kill her. Rodrigue's sacrifice awakens Dimitri's conscience, and he realizes his lust for vengeance has not only consumed himself but affected others as well. Rodrigue absolves him of any responsibility for his death and tells Dimitri that he should live for his ideals rather than be shackled by ghosts of the past. With his dying breath, Rodrigue remarks that Dimitri resembles his late father Lambert. As a heavy downpour begins to fall, Byleth offers their hand to Dimitri and promises that they will continue to guide him. The other Blue Lions also vow to continue fighting alongside him.

Afterwards, Dimitri apologizes to his allies for his foolishness. While not giving up on his quest to kill Edelgard, he declares his intent to liberate and reunite the Kingdom. Marching to Fhirdiad for the first time since his exile, Dimitri marshals his forces into the capital. Dimitri and his allies are able to penetrate Cornelia's fortifications and retake the city. When Dimitri confronts Cornelia, she reveals that his stepmother Patricia instigated the Tragedy of Duscur in order to be reunited with Edelgard. Dimitri is shocked by this claim but returns to the task at hand. With Cornelia ousted, Dimitri reluctantly walks out onto the castle balcony to find the people of Faerghus cheering his return. Dimitri takes his rightful place as King of Faerghus and continues his campaign against Edelgard.

A messenger from the Leicester Alliance arrives in Faerghus with dire news that Volkhard is spearheading an Imperial invasion of Alliance territory. Dimitri and Byleth heed Claude's plea for assistance. They arrive in Derdriu with the assault already underway, but the Alliance has fortified the city and stalled the Empire's advance with skirmishes. The Kingdom's pincer attack turns the tide of battle and Volkhard's forces are defeated. Volkhard is evasive in defeat, he refuses to answer Dimitri and goads him to kill Edelgard before dying. Claude confesses that he gambled the Alliance's survival on Dimitri before he even retook Fhirdiad. He then hands Dimitri Failnaught and announces that he is abdicating as leader of the Alliance since the lords of the roundtable conference unanimously voted to accede into the Kingdom. After informing them of Rhea's imprisonment in Enbarr, Claude departs Fódlan on a personal mission.

With the combined might of Faerghus and the former Alliance now at his disposal, Dimitri launches a proper invasion into the Empire. His army routes the garrison of Fort Merceus, slaying Jeritza and securing a foothold in Imperial territory. A messenger from Margrave Gautier informs them that Faerghus has been pacified and will join forces with the Alliance army marching south. Dimitri briefly returns to Garreg Mach Monastery to interrogate a prisoner, who confesses that House Kleiman was a conspirator in the Tragedy of Duscur. Although disturbed by the revelation, he promptly returns to the frontlines. As his forces approach Enbarr, Dimitri attempts to parley with Edelgard and learn her motivations for starting the war. She remembers her childhood in Faerghus after Dimitri returns her dagger, but the two are unable to compromise their world views and intend to fight for the future of Fódlan. Dimitri besieges Enbarr and defeats a transformed Edelgard in battle. He attempts to reconcile with her, but she throws her dagger into his shoulder and he instinctively pierces her heart with Areadbhar. Forlorn, Dimitri is led away from the throne room by Byleth. In the aftermath, he is crowned the ruler of a united Fódlan.

Silver Snow
Dimitri is hiding in the Dukedom of Fraldarius after Dedue helped him escape execution in Fhirdiad. When the resistance army takes the Great Bridge of Myrddin, Gilbert is sent as an envoy to propose cooperation with Faerghus. Seteth allows them safe passage across the bridge, but declines to join them as he believes their advance towards Enbarr is reckless. Subsequently, news reaches Garreg Mach Monastery that Dimitri has died after his forces were decimated routing the Imperial Army at the Battle of Gronder Field. During that night, Byleth sees Dimitri. He laments the deaths of Rodrigue, Gilbert, and Dedue as well as his inability to restore the Kingdom or defeat the Empire. Before he's able to finish, Seteth wakes Byleth and they realize it was a dream.

Personality
Dimitri is a sincere young man who seems like the embodiment of chivalry, but a shade of darkness lies beneath his cheerful demeanor. Despite being a royal, he dislikes formality and prefers his allies to be frank. He enjoys combat training but dislikes fragile objects as he is unable to control his prodigious strength. He also became a capable dancer under Edelgard's tutelage.

Dimitri has a strange sense of humor, which is evident by his fondness for Alois's corny jokes. By his own admission, he finds them humorous precisely because they are terrible.

Dimitri suffers from ageusia and survivor's guilt as a result of the slaughter in the Tragedy of Duscur. The former leaves him as the only person able to stomach Flayn's food and the latter causes him to see apparitions of the dead. He also dismisses the Crest system and noblesse oblige as excuses used by the aristocracy to oppress the weak. While disdainful of the status quo, he believes that overthrowing the prevailing social order would be more detrimental; instead preferring to reform society through a war of position, by gaining control of corrupt institutions and purging them from within.

Near the end of his academic year in the Blue Lions route, Dimitri develops an obsessive hatred of Edelgard after discovering she is the Flame Emperor and is determined to kill her personally. The series of tragedies that follow Edelgard's revelation and declaration of war takes a heavy toll on his psyche. By the time he reunites with Byleth, Dimitri has already lost any semblance of happiness and composure he had as a student, becoming brooding, cynical, and ruthless. When reunited with his former classmates, he is brusque and coldly dismisses them as mere tools to exact his revenge. Dimitri's five years of isolation have also exacerbated his survivor's guilt. He openly converses with apparitions of his deceased parents and Glenn, promising to appease them with Edelgard's death. His indignation blinds him and he demonstrates a reckless disregard for his own well-being. Dimitri is unable to justify killing for one's ideals, and so dismisses anyone who takes up arms for a higher cause as being motivated by mere sophistry. Thus, he dehumanizes all killers as monsters and is not beyond maiming and torturing his captive foes. This disdain extends to himself, as shown by his willingness to die by Fleche's hands as atonement.

Byleth's influence determines Dimitri's fate. In the routes where Byleth does not instruct him, Dimitri will die consumed by vengeance or peacefully in the Crimson Flower route if Dedue is defeated before he transforms into a demonic beast. If he is Byleth's chosen house leader, his obsession with appeasing the dead fades after Rodrigue sacrifices himself to thwart an assassination attempt. This event restores Dimitri's sanity and he resolves to fight for his beliefs together with his allies unburdened by the ghosts of his past. Though unsure of his fitness to be king, the people's support upon liberating Fhirdiad bolsters his desire to serve them. After the war, Dimitri becomes a benevolent king beloved by the masses for his societal reforms and participatory form of government.

Growth Rates

 * 55%
 * 60%
 * 20%
 * 50%
 * 50%
 * 25%
 * 40%
 * 20%
 * 55%
 * }

Maximum Stats

 * 99
 * 87
 * 38
 * 69
 * 69
 * 42
 * 57
 * 36
 * 77
 * }

Learnt Magic

 * D
 * Thunder
 * Heal
 * D+
 * Nosferatu
 * C
 * Thoron
 * Recover
 * C+
 * B
 * B+
 * A
 * Aura
 * A+
 * }
 * B
 * B+
 * A
 * Aura
 * A+
 * }
 * A
 * Aura
 * A+
 * }
 * Aura
 * A+
 * }
 * A+
 * }
 * }
 * }

Overall
Being the main lord in his route, Dimitri can be deployed on almost every map. As a bearer of the minor Crest of Blaiddyd, he can double his damage output when using combat arts at the cost of more weapon durability, which will require some equipment management. His high HP and Strength growths coupled with decent Dexterity and Speed growths will usually mold him into a strong offensive unit.

Given his skill levels, Dimitri will have easy access to the Myrmidon class family (Myrmidon, Mercenary, Thief, Swordmaster), and the Soldier class family (Soldier, Cavalier, Paladin), as well as his exclusive Lord class family, (Lord, High Lord, Great Lord). However, his class repertoire lacks versatility compared to the other main characters.

Specifically, his affinity for Lances and budding talent in Riding encourage Dimitri to progress through the mounted class line. Although mastery of this class progression is not necessary, they do offer useful abilities such as Desperation from Cavalier. In terms of master class, while Wyvern Lord is tempting due to its high statline, Dimitri has low starting levels for Flying and Axes as well as a bane in the latter. A more suitable mounted master class would be Bow Knight or Holy Knight, as these classes avoid his banes and their ranged attacks synergize well with his Seal Movement budding talent and Canto. Other perks include +2 Bow Range from Bow Knight or recovery magic from Holy Knight.

Dimitri excels in utilizing battalion skills as he is the only unit in the game that can access both Battalion Vantage and Battalion Wrath. When using these skills with Killer Lance equipped, a high Dexterity Dimitri can achieve 100% critical chance during the enemy phase and kill enemy units before they can retaliate. After the timeskip, Dimitri receives the King of Lions Corps battalion, whose Wave Attack gambit is effective against Armored foes. He receives the Hero's Relic Areadbhar after Chapter 15, which grants him the combat art Atrocity, allowing Dimitri to deal effective damage to every enemy type as well as +15 Might and +20 Hit at the cost of -3 weapon durability.

Supports

 * Byleth
 * Marianne
 * Annette
 * Mercedes
 * Ingrid
 * Catherine
 * Flayn
 * Felix
 * Dedue
 * Gilbert
 * Sylvain
 * Raphael
 * Ashe
 * Alois

Fire Emblem Heroes

 * -|Original=
 * The Protector
 * Crown prince of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. Known for his chivalry, it seems a darkness may lurk beneath the surface. Appears in Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

Base Stats
Rarity: ✯✯✯✯✯

Three Houses

 * Dimitri/Quotes

Heroes

 * Dimitri/Heroes Quotes

Possible Endings
Dimitri - Savior King
 * After his coronation, Dimitri spent his life reforming and ruling justly over Fódlan. He focused particularly on improving living situations for orphans and improving foreign relations. He was known for listening intently to the voices of all, and for instituting a new form of government in which the people were free to be active participants. He lived for his people and alongside them, and was thusly dubbed the Savior King.

Dimitri and Byleth (Platonic)
 * Byleth helped Dimitri to finally crush the ambitions of the Empire. After the war, Rhea stepped down from her role as archbishop, and Byleth swore to lead the Church of Seiros in her stead. He/She helped to guide the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus as it brought leadership to the newly unified Fódlan and worked tirelessly to create a peaceful world free from the shackles of oppression.

Dimitri and Byleth
 * Paired with the end of the war, the joyous marriage of Byleth, the newly-appointed archbishop, and Dimitri, the newly-crowned king of Faerghus, gave the people of Fódlan much to celebrate. The two were devoted to improving life for the people and to seeking greater wisdom in order to reform the government and the church from the inside out. As leaders of church and state respectively, at times they engaged in heated debate. Even still, when enjoying a long horse ride or a quiet evening, they were not as the world saw them, but rather two adoring spouses, desperately in love. They remained as such for the rest of their days.

Dimitri and Marianne
 * Dimitri assumed the throne of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus and spent his life ruling justly over Fódlan. Several years after his coronation, he took Marianne, whom he loved dearly, as his queen. Many of Dimitri's greatest achievements can be traced to wisdom provided by Marianne, who had received tutelage from her adoptive father, Margrave Edmund. Many years later, when Dimitri fell to illness, he clutched his queen's hand until the very end. The queen's journal, uncovered after her passing, contained recounts of their time together. The last words, penned with trembling hand, are: "I would not trade our time together or the happiness we knew for anything."

Dimitri and Annette
 * After his coronation, Dimitri assumed the throne of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus and spent his life ruling justly over Fódlan. At his side every step of the way was his queen, Annette, whose wisdom provided not only reliable counsel, but a whole assortment of revolutionary policies. The royal couple's sincere approach to governance earned them widespread acclaim, securing their line as a dynasty that lasted for generations to come. Their married life was said to be full of love and cheer.

Dimitri and Mercedes
 * After his coronation, Dimitri assumed the throne of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus and took his friend, Mercedes, as his queen. Most were shocked by his choice, as she did not come from a distinguished noble line. Still, when the people saw her devotion to healing the damage caused by the war, they decided she was the ideal match for the one they called the Savior King. It is said that the couple led busy but happy lives, and that they never failed to express their appreciation for one another, no matter the hardship.

Dimitri and Ingrid
 * After his coronation, Dimitri assumed the throne of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus and spent his life ruling justly over Fódlan. At his side every step of the way was Ingrid, who left House Galatea to serve House Blaiddyd as a knight. As they worked together to restore the Kingdom, the pair fell in love and were eventually married. But while Ingrid was happy to play the role of queen, and to support her husband in public and in private, she insisted on taking up a weapon and serving on the front lines in battle.

Dimitri and Catherine
 * Dimitri assumed the throne of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus and spent his life ruling justly over Fódlan. Two years after his coronation, he announced his marriage to Catherine. The people speculated wildly about how this union came to be. Some said that Dimitri spent two full years wooing her, while others suggested that the matter was resolved by a duel. In any case, the couple worked tirelessly to reform the Kingdom, but despite their busy days, it is said that they always found time for sparring, and that the clash of steel could be heard throughout the castle at all hours.

Dimitri and Flayn
 * Dimitri assumed the throne of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus and spent his life ruling justly over Fódlan. Some time after his coronation, he took Flayn, who now enjoyed a position of prominence in the church, as his queen. Many speculated at first that the marriage was politically motivated, but it is said that over time the love they had for one another became clear to see. Their lives were full of warmth and tranquility. Many years later, when Dimitri passed, his journals revealed that he had kept a meticulous record of all the meals he and his wife had enjoyed together.

Dimitri and Felix
 * After his coronation, Dimitri assumed the throne of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus and spent his life ruling justly over Fódlan. At his side every step of the way was his right-hand adviser, Duke Felix Fraldarius. Their lifelong bond grew so strong over time that, when Dimitri finally passed, it is said that Felix's grief was more potent even than the queen's. The stories of their lives were passed down to future generations as chivalric tales that rivaled those of Loog, the King of Lions, and his sworn friend, Kyphon.

Dimitri and Dedue
 * 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.

Dimitri and Gilbert
 * Dimitri assumed the throne of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus and spent his life ruling justly over Fódlan. At his side was the knight, Gustave, who had discarded the name of Gilbert and reaffirmed his oath of fealty to the royal family. After many more years of service, in which the trust between them grew and never wavered, Gustave finally wished to retire. Though he bristled slightly at Dimitri's request to look after and tutor the young prince, it is said that Gustave took on that duty with due patience and solemnity for the remainder of his life.

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

Etymology
Dimitri is a male given name, it is the Slavic variant of the Greek name Demetrius ("devoted to Demeter," the goddess of fertility, agriculture, and sacred law). Alexandre is the French, Portuguese, Catalan, and Galician form of Alexander, meaning "defender of the people" in Greek. Blaiddyd is the moniker of a legendary Brittonic king who encouraged the practice of necromancy, the name means "Wolf-lord" in Welsh.

Trivia

 * Dimitri shares his English voice actor, Chris Hackney, with Boey in Echoes: Shadows of Valentia and Heroes as well as Quan in Heroes.
 * Due to House Riegan being a cadet branch of the Blaiddyd royal family, Dimitri is distantly related to Claude.
 * Dimitri shares the alias "Tempest King" with Joshua from The Sacred Stones.
 * Dimitri loses his right eye during the timeskip of every path, except the Crimson Flower route.
 * Dimitri stands at 180cm (or about 5’11”), growing to 188cm (or about 6’2”) after the timeskip.
 * In a survey conducted by Nintendo DREAM Magazine, Dimitri won 1st place in the character popularity poll for Fire Emblem: Three Houses. The male-female vote ratio was 1:2. He ranked 1st with 30.2% of the vote among those who completed the game and 32.4% overall.