Leif

"I’ve never hated the Empire as much as I do now. They killed my parents, and they even took away the one person who I could call my mother. I hate the Empire…and I hate that Raydrik, who follows its commands to do evil."

- Leif, after Eyvel is turned to stone

Leif (リーフ Riifu, Leaf in the Japanese version), full name Leif Faris Claus (リーフ・ ファリス・クラウス Rīfu Farisu Kurausu lit. Leaf Faris Claus), is a playable character from Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War, Fire Emblem: Thracia 776 and Fire Emblem Awakening. He is the prince of Leonster, the son of Quan and Ethlyn, brother of Altena, the nephew of Sigurd, the cousin of Seliph, and the grandson of Vylon (Ethlyn's side of the family) and Calf (Quan's side of the family). He is the descendant of Noba on Quan's side and Baldur on Ethlyn's side.

After the fall of Leonster, he managed to flee, alongside Finn and Nanna. After hiding out at several cities such as that of Alster and Tahra, Leif finally settled down in a small village known as Fiana. He inherits the iconic Light Sword from his late mother, Ethlyn, which is, incidentally, his personal weapon in the events of Thracia 776.

Leif is revealed to be 15 years of age during the events of Thracia 776, and 16 during the events of Genealogy of the Holy War.

Base Stats
Note: Parent characters are assumed to be at Level 30 by the end of the First Generation.
 * [[File:Minor_Holy_Blood_Indicator.gif]] - Minor Holy Blood
 * [[File:Major_Holy_Blood_Indicator.gif]] - Major Holy Blood

Growth Rates
(With Holy Blood Bonuses)


 * 130%
 * 60%
 * 7%
 * 50%
 * 45%
 * 25%
 * 50%
 * 10%
 * }

Overall
Leif may start out fairly weak, but evolves into a formidable unit after promotion. It is recommended to have the Pursuit Ring passed down to him, as he will be unable to perform double attacks until promotion. Leif will also come with the Light Sword, assuming that Ethlyn had received it from Deirdre in Generation 1.

He comes with the skills Continue and Critical, and gains the Pursuit skill after promotion.

Conversations
In Chapter 7, Leif may speak to Seliph, but nothing will result of it.

In Chapter 8, Finn may speak to Leif, and Leif will gain three points of strength.

In Chapter 9, if Finn is alive at the beginning of the chapter, Leif may speak to Altena, resulting in her taking her leave of the battlefield. This will essentially allow her to be recruited later in the chapter.

In Chapter 10, if neither Nanna nor Leif has a lover, she may speak to him, and she will gain three points of HP.

In Chapter 10, Leif may speak to Altena, and she will gain one point of luck.

In the Final Chapter, if Teeny is in love with Leif, she may speak to him, and he will gain three points of magic.

In the Final Chapter, after Edda Castle is captured, if Leif is in love with Nanna/Janne, she may speak to him, and he will gain three points of defense (Nanna) or HP (Janne).

Love
Original and replacement characters have the same love growths, unless stated otherwise.


 * Julia: 0+0
 * Altena: N/A
 * Lana: 0+2
 * Larcei: 0+2
 * Nanna: 100+2
 * Fee: 0+2
 * Leen: 0+2
 * Patty: 0+2
 * Teeny: 0+3

Growth Rates

 * 70%
 * 35%
 * 10%
 * 35%
 * 40%
 * 40%
 * 25%
 * 15%
 * 3%
 * }

Support Bonus
Supports
 * Finn - 10%
 * Eyvel - 10%
 * Ronan - 10%
 * Safy - 10%
 * Dalsin - 10%
 * Asvel - 10%
 * Nanna - 10%
 * Hicks - 10%
 * Carrion - 10%
 * Selphina - 10%
 * Olwen - 10%
 * Tina - 10%
 * Linoan - 10%
 * Miranda - 10%
 * Sara - 10%
 * Xavier - 10%

Supported by
 * Nanna - 10%

Overall
Compared to his appearance in Genealogy of the Holy War, Leif is much weaker in this game, thanks to his mediocre base stats, and growth. However, Leif has tons of perks that make him a pretty solid character in his own rights.

Leif has the ability Continue, which allows him to get an extra attack at times. Leif's Light Sword is pretty useful thanks to its 1-2 range Magical attack property, +10 Luck bonus and 60 uses. It can also act as a Vulnerary, but compared to the aforementioned item it isn't as effective.

It is recommended to give the chapter 1 - 3 Life, Shield, and Speed Ring to Leif to patch up his low stats, since the only early game characters who is still alvailable to use in Manster are Leif, Eyvel (for a VERY short time), and Lifis. A stats boosted Leif is arguably the best unit in the team during Manster other than Brighton, thanks to the Magical property of the Light Sword and the massive amount of high defense enemies during Manster. Following the end of Manster, Leif is still a capable unit, but his massive amounts of combat during Manster, followed by his late game promotion will made him lag a bit compared to your other units.

To make up for his low bases and mediocre growths, you can throw him some Scrolls. Despite its marginal at best boost, Leif's late-game promotion is a blessing in disguise in this regard, since he gains the hidden Paragon skill, which allows Leif to quickly mend his stat deficiencies, provided he is given the proper scrolls.

Finally, Leif has a massive amount of supported units that allow him to boost another units by being near with them. Notably, Leif supported has a two sided support triangle with both Nanna and Finn. This traits can be further enchanced by giving Leif the King Sword, which is pretty useful in some tough chapters with thick enemy density. This is made even better thanks to being the main Lord. Leif is unaffected by the fatigue mechanic so he can always provide this bonus.

Overall, Leif is essentially a clutch during early game who falls down, and later on is given a chance to catch up. A useful character in his own rights, thanks to being always available to use.

Base Stats

 * -|SpotPass=

*Enemy only; joins unequipped
 * -|DLC=

*Enemy only; joins unequipped
 * -|Enemy (CoY2)=

Quotes
"Everyone... I'm...sorry..."

- Leif's death quote in Thracia 776.

Ending
Leif - The Prince of Leonster (レンスターの王子 Rensutā no ōji)
 * (If Nanna is alive)

Leif led the Jugdral Liberation Wars along with Seliph. After securing Belhalla, he continued to travel around the continent, liberating those under oppression. In the Gran Year 780, Leif united Northern and Southern Thracia into the New Kingdom of Thracia, where he declared himself king. Along with his queen, Nanna, and his sister, Altena, he carried on the legacy of Dain and Noba, devoting his life to maintaining peace and prosperity in his nation. As long as history exists in Thracia, the legendary King Leif's name will never be forgotten...

Leif - The Prince of Leonster (レンスターの王子 Rensutā no ōji)
 * (If Nanna is dead)

Leif led the Jugdral Liberation Wars along with Seliph. After securing Belhalla, he continued to travel around the continent, liberating those under oppression. In the Gran Year 780, Leif united Northern and Southern Thracia into the New Kingdom of Thracia, where he declared himself king. Along with his sister, Altena, he carried on the legacy of Dain and Noba, devoting his life to maintaining peace and prosperity in his nation. As long as history exists in Thracia, the legendary King Leif's name will never be forgotten...

Etymology
Leif's name could be derived from 'Leif', a name of Scandinavian origin which befittingly means "heir" or "descendant". In Norse Mythology, Lif (closer to the japanese pronunciation) was the name of the woman who survived Ragnarok and means "Life". Leif's name could also be a reference to Lugh, a deity from Irish mythology who was the son of Cian (Quan) and Ethnia (Ethlyn).

Trivia

 * Leif is the only lord character from the past Japanese exclusive games whose name was not mentioned in the official site for Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken in the History of Fire Emblem section.
 * Leif's Fire Emblem Awakening artwork depicts him wielding Leif's Blade, which in turn is based on the sword he is wielding in his Thracia 776 artwork.
 * One of Marth's alternate costumes in Super Smash Bros. Brawl is based on Leif.
 * Additionally, according to a 2002 Famitsu interview, Leif was originally considered as a Marth clone instead of Roy for [[Super Smash Bros. Melee].