—Cain to Marth in Shadow Dragon
Cain is a playable character from the Archanea Series of Fire Emblem. Alongside his boon companion Abel, Cain is a cavalier of Altea who is also known under the alias of The Bull.
Profile[]
War of Shadows[]
Prior to the fall of Altea Castle in the Prologue of Shadow Dragon, Cain fought under the banner of King Cornelius, who led the charge of the resistance against the betrayal of Gra. After King Cornelius tragically fell in battle, Cain was assigned the task of delivering his final words to Prince Marth. While enduring several wounds that he had sustained during the battle, Cain promptly rushed off in the direction of Altea Castle.
Cain succeeds in reuniting with Marth at the end of Prologue II of Shadow Dragon, just after Marth escapes from Altea Castle with Abel, Frey and Jagen. In the following chapter, after hastily brushing aside Marth's concern over his wounds, Cain delivers the late king's final words, which are as follows: "Tell my son that I leave the future of Altea and our continent in his hands. He must rise now where I have fallen. As Falchion’s rightful heir, he has been born into greatness… Now… he must be great." Should Cain be selected to act as the decoy of Marth in Prologue IV, he will thus not be available to assist his liege in bringing the War of Darkness to an end. Canonically, Cain is not selected to be the decoy, and after the War of Shadows concludes, he devotes his time towards instructing young recruits in warfare.
War of Heroes[]
Chronologically, Cain returns in Prologue III of New Mystery of the Emblem, where he is observed to have become quite proficient at being an instructor of newly-inducted recruits of the Altean Army, taking charge of the practical training of the 7th Platoon, then comprising of Kris, Luke, Roderick and Ryan. Cain then proceeds to test their mettle against the might of several allies of the previous war in the ensuing chapters of the Prologue, and if the player fulfills the necessary requirements, he will personally challenge them in Prologue VII.
Shortly before Marth sets out to fulfill his covenant with Emperor Hardin in Chapter 1 of Mystery of the Emblem and its remake, Cain is entrusted the task of defending Altea Castle. After Altea Castle falls to the combined might of Gra and Aurelis at the end of Chapter 4, Cain manages to escape, reuniting with Marth at Chiasmir Bridge in Chapter 8. He will thereafter aid Marth in bringing the War of Heroes to a conclusion, whereupon he is promoted to assume the command of the Altean Knights following Jagen's death.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE[]
Cain appears as the Mirage partner of Touma Akagi. A “Cavalier” from another world who has lost his memories. Since he and Touma are kindred spirits, he’s a good big brother figure for Touma. In combat, he transforms into a lance to lend Touma his power.
Personality[]
Like a majority of the cast appearing in Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light and Mystery of the Emblem, Cain's character is not very well developed. Nevertheless, it is possible to deduce several points about his personality based on the few interactions that he has. Similar to many other knight characters in the aforementioned games, Cain is passionately loyal to the liege that he serves, willing to overlook his personal welfare in order to fulfill his duties. This is especially evidenced through his firmly sticking to the final task assigned to him by the late King Cornelius, in spite of the grievous wounds that he had sustained in battle.
Despite this, Cain has also revealed signs of being emotional, a fact that is depicted through his ardent, yet sorrowful, outburst in Prologue III, where he vows to avenge the deaths of his king and fellow comrades. Through this outburst, it can also be determined that Cain views his role as a knight of Altea with immense pride, as he deems his sole survival amongst his beloved comrades to be a representation of cowardice and disgrace.
Cain's devotion to Altea is one that transcends his representing the country on the battlefield; following the end of the War of Darkness, he devotes his life towards honing future generations of Altea's knights to secure the country's defense.
In-Game[]
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light[]
Recruitment[]
| Name | Class | Chapter | Affiliation | Recruit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cain | Cavalier | 1 | Altea | Automatically from the start. |
Base Stats[]
| Starting Class | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cavalier | |||||||||
| Level | HP | Str | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res | Wlv | Mov |
| 1 | 18 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 9 |
| Weapon | Starting Items | ||||||||
| Sword Lance | Lance Iron Sword | ||||||||
Growth Rates[]
| HP | Str | Skl | Spd | Lck | Wlv | Def | Res |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90% | 30% | 60% | 60% | 50% | 60% | 20% | 0% |
Promotion[]
| Item Required | Promoted Class |
|---|
| Paladin's Honor |  Paladin
|
Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem[]
Recruitment[]
Base Stats[]
Growth Rates[]
Promotion Gains[]
| Item Required | Promoted Class | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Knight Crest
|
 Paladin
| ||||||
| 1 | +2 | +3 | +3 | +2 | +6 | Varies | +1 |
Overall[]
|
Subjective: The following part of this article is based upon the editor's personal experiences and opinions, and therefore may not be applicable for all readers.
|
In both the original Shadow Dragon and Book 1 of Mystery of the Emblem, Cain is one of the best units available. He is around for the entire game, boasts an excellent class in Cavalier, and has a well-rounded statline that will only improve due to his solid growth rates. He is largely identical to his fellow Cavalier Abel in usability, due to their bases and growths being very similar. In general, Cain's strong points include his high Movement, serviceable combat, and access to both swords and lances, with enough of a growth in Weapon Level to quickly wield better ones. He is weakened somewhat by the indoor chapters of Mystery, but remains a valid unit.
In Book 2, Cain joins somewhat later and at a higher level, but with bases that (barring Speed) are not far from what he would normally boast in Book 1. He is less impressive due to the generally higher power of Book 2's cast, but is still entirely workable as a backup cavalier, or even a main one, particularly if he is promoted.
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon[]
Recruitment[]
| Name | Class | Chapter | Affiliation | Recruit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cain | Cavalier | Prologue III | Altea | Automatically from the start. |
Base Stats[]
| Starting Class | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cavalier | |||||||||
| Level | HP | Str | Mag | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res | Mov |
| 1 | 20 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 9 |
| Weapon | Starting Items | ||||||||
 Sword - D Lance - E |  Iron Lance Iron Sword | ||||||||
Promotion Gains[]
| Item Required | Promoted Class | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Master Seal
|
 Paladin
| |||||||
| 1 | +4 | +2 | +1 | +3 | +1 | +1 | +6 | +1 |
| Weapon Levels | ||||||||
| Lance +30
| ||||||||
Class Sets[]
| Base Classes | Promoted Classes |
|---|---|
-
|
|
Growth Rates[]
- Default
| HP | Str | Mag | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 75% | 35% | 0% | 50% | 50% | 40% | 20% | 0% |
- Reclassing Options
Support Relationships[]
- Supports
| Character | Initial points | Total points for | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | B | A | ||
| Abel | 0 | 5 | 10 | 16 |
| Catria | 0 | 5 | 11 | 35 |
| Est | 0 | 4 | 6 | 25 |
Supported by
| Character | Initial points | Total points for | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | B | A | ||
| Marth | 0 | 5 | 9 | 14 |
| Catria | 0 | 5 | 11 | 35 |
| Abel | 0 | 5 | 10 | 16 |
| Est | 0 | 5 | 7 | 35 |
- To increase support levels, characters must participate in chapters together
- One support point is gained for each chapter they both participate in
- Support levels that require 35 chapters cannot be reached normally
- Characters must be within a three tile radius of each other to receive support bonuses
Bonuses per level:
Overall[]
|
|
Subjective: The following part of this article is based upon the editor's personal experiences and opinions, and therefore may not be applicable for all readers.
|
Cain is majorly differentiated from his prior incarnations in Shadow Dragon by the weapon rank system - where previously, he could use swords and lances equally well, his DS version is sword-focused, with a D-rank in Swords and an E-rank in Lances, compared to other cavaliers, which tend to have the reverse. Unfortunately, this is not a tradeoff in Cain's favor, due to Shadow Dragon's enemy roster being very lance-focused outside of the early game, disincentivizing a swordsman. He also does not have sufficient lance rank to use javelins (something even characters like Matthis and Roshea can manage), and is a long way from being able to wield a Ridersbane. Cain is also noticeably slow at base level, to the point that some enemies in early Merciless Mode can double him (including Gazzak).
That said, during the early game, Cain is still one of your better units. His ability to use steel swords gives him relatively high attacking power when facing the early axe enemies, and his growths remain all-around worthwhile, particularly his 50% Speed. Prior to reclassing becoming available, he is one of your few options for cavalry, giving him some of the best mobility. He can also attempt to train his lance rank during those early chapters, and develop a level lead over the later cavaliers. Once promoted, the boost to his lance rank should allow him to use stronger lances, enabling the possibility of Ridersbane use. That said, if Cain has not developed a significant stat lead by Chapter 5 or so, he tends to be fairly mediocre, particularly next to characters like Hardin.
Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem[]
Recruitment[]
| Name | Class | Chapter | Affiliation | Recruit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cain | Cavalier | Prologue 8 | Altea | Automatically from the start, if the first option was chosen in Prologue 6. |
Base Stats[]
| Starting Class | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cavalier | |||||||||
| Level | HP | Str | Mag | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res | Mov |
| 9 | 27 | 11 | 0 | 9 | 10 | 4 | 11 | 0 | 9 |
| Weapon | Starting Items | ||||||||
| Sword - CLance - D |  Javelin Steel Sword | ||||||||
Promotion Gains[]
| Item Required | Promoted Class | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Master Seal
|
 Paladin
| |||||||
| 1 | +4 | +2 | +1 | +3 | +1 | +1 | +6 | +1 |
| Weapon Levels | ||||||||
| Lance +30
| ||||||||
Class Sets[]
| Base Classes | Promoted Classes |
|---|---|
-
|
|
Growth Rates[]
- Default
| HP | Str | Mag | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90% | 40% | 0% | 70% | 70% | 70% | 35% | 5% |
- Reclassing Options
Support Relationships[]
- Supports
| Character | Conversations | Total points for | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | B | A | ||
| Catria | None | 5 | 10 | - |
| Abel | None | 3 | 6 | 10 |
Supported by
| Character | Conversations | Total points for | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | B | A | ||
| Kris | 1, 2, 3 | 5 | 10 | 16 |
| Marth | None | 5 | 10 | 16 |
| Abel | 1,2,3 | 0 | 3 | 7 |
- To increase support levels, characters must participate in chapters together
- One support point is gained for each chapter they both participate in
- A hyphen (-) indicates the support level cannot be reached
- Characters must be within a three tile radius of each other to receive support bonuses
Bonuses per level:
Support Conversations[]
| Number | Importance | Name | Chapters Needed | Reward |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 172 | * | Cain and Kris 1 | 3 | - |
| 173 | * | Cain and Kris 2 | 6 | - |
| 174 | * | Cain and Kris 3 | 10 |  Strength Bond
|
- To obtain the conversations, characters must participate in chapters together
- The requirements for unlocking support conversations are separate from the support bonus system
Overall[]
|
|
Subjective: The following part of this article is based upon the editor's personal experiences and opinions, and therefore may not be applicable for all readers.
|
Cain appears at two points in New Mystery. In the prologue, he is only available very temporarily. Around a third of the way in, he joins a second time, this time permanently. His prologue performance will usually position him as one of the strongest units available, making him one of your best choices for fighting your way through it. It can allow him to gain a few levels, which, with his high growths, can help push him further after rejoining.
Upon his second joining, Cain distinguishes himself through his base stats, which include an unusually high 11 Strength and Defense, along with C-rank sword access. He is not particularly fast, and may even risk being doubled without a Rainbow Tonic on the highest difficulties at base level, but the fact that he boasts similar stats to Arran before promotion is a mark in his favor. Cain's sword focus does not hold him back much compared to his prior outing, due to axe enemies being more common, and enables him to use some useful tools like Wyrmslayers and Levin Swords. The very crowded nature of the roster at this point makes him somewhat subpar relative to his fellows, but he is an entirely acceptable unit, especially if he has trained somewhat in the prologue.
In terms of reclassing, Cain's best options are likely Myrmidon and Swordmaster, which make use of his good sword rank and patch up his base Speed while pushing his high growth even further. He can also be kept in Paladin, and attempt to build up his somewhat mediocre lance rank, while maintaining the use of his swords.
Fire Emblem Heroes[]
- The Bull
- Altean cavalier known for his recklessness. Rode with Abel in service of Marth. Appears in Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem.
Base Stats[]
Rarity: | Title | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Bull | |||||
| Group | |||||
 Cavalry | |||||
| Level | HP | Atk | Spd | Def | Res |
| 1 40 | 16/17/18 35/38/41 | 6/7/8 25/28/31 | 4/5/6 25/28/31 | 6/7/8 21/24/27 | 4/5/6 15/18/21 |
| Skills | Weapon | ||||
 Steel Sword |  Sword | ||||
 | Title | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Bull | |||||
| Group | |||||
| Cavalry | |||||
| Level | HP | Atk | Spd | Def | Res |
| 1 40 | 16/17/18 36/39/42 | 7/8/9 27/30/33 | 4/5/6 26/29/32 | 7/8/9 23/26/29 | 4/5/6 16/19/22 |
| Skills | Weapon | ||||
Brave Sword Buckler | Sword | ||||
Skills[]
Overall[]
|
|
Subjective: The following part of this article is based upon the editor's personal experiences and opinions, and therefore may not be applicable for all readers.
|
Base Set[]
Counters[]
Skill Inheritance Options[]
Meet Some of the Heroes[]
| The Bull Cain | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Cain is one of the Altean royal knights who accompanied Marth right from the start of his long struggle! | ||
|
His red armor makes for an eye-catching sight. And if you see him charging into battle atop his trusty steed, you'll see why they call him the Bull! | ||
|
The nickname describes his personality, too. He's pretty much the opposite of the calm and collected Abel, but at the same time, that's what makes them great partners. They've both worked hard—sometimes competing, sometimes helping each other out—to become the knights they are today. | ||
|
Cain fought bravely throughout the War of Shadows and the War of Heroes, and become renowned across Archanea for his valor. Imagine what he could do for the Order of Heroes! | ||
| Closely Associated Characters | |||
| Marth | Prince of Altea who fights for his homeland and deeply values his friends. | ||
| Abel | Altean cavalier known for his sensibility. Rode with Cain in service of Marth. Nicknamed “the Panther.” | ||
Quotes[]
—Cain's death quote in Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light
Shadow Dragon[]
—Cain's death quote
Heroes[]
Endings[]
Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light[]
- Works hard training aspirant knights.
Shadow Dragon[]
- King's Voice
- Cain remained in Altea to instruct younger knights in the ways of war. He was a shining example; never did he neglect his training.
New Mystery of the Emblem[]
- Altea's Blade
- Following Jagen's death, Cain became the commander of the Altean Knights.
Non-Canon Appearances[]
Anime[]
In the Fire Emblem anime, Cain serves an almost identical role to that which is portrayed in the games. His personality, as implied in Shadow Dragon, is notably more hot-headed than that of his partner Abel's. This is most evident when he brings up the troubles of Princess Nyna and the Kingdom of Archanea, where he fervently argues the following:
—Cain in the anime
Gordin is in strong agreement with this plan, but it is quashed by Jagen, who believes that Marth still needs people to protect him. Later, Cain is seen during the attack on Talys when he kills a pirate. As the pirate dies, he tosses a child into the air. Abel catches it in the nick of time, before resignedly remarking that he cannot believe that he is still picking up Cain's messes "after all these years".
Cain and Abel are obviously very good friends in the anime, despite Abel being seemingly unwilling to support Cain's argument about Nyna. They are rarely seen apart in the anime and even have a toast to friendship as they oversee Gordin discussing his archery skills with Draug. In Episode 2, Cain and Abel travel to Galder in the guise of travelers, which allows them to slaughter unsuspecting pirates patrolling the town; this leads to Marth's liberation of Galder.
Manga[]
Cain's importance in the manga is far more important than in the anime and even the game itself. He is portrayed as a young knight who is strictly loyal to his country, but mostly to Prince Marth. He is often teased by Abel and Julian, but still gets along with everybody well nevertheless.
After the victory over Doluna at Aurelis' secondary Castle, Ogma gets Cain drunk; he wakes up the next morning with a huge hangover. For this reason, Abel takes his patrol shift and ends up meeting Est.
Fire Emblem 0 (Cipher)[]
Cain is illustrated in the trading card game with the following cards:
Choose Your Legends Placement History[]
| Round | Placement | Character Version | Votes |
|---|
| CYL8 | 315 ↑26 |
 Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light/Shadow Dragon/Mystery of the Emblem/New Mystery of the Emblem |
128 ↑36 |
Etymology[]
Cain's name comes from the biblical story of Cain and Abel in the book of Genesis. Cain became jealous that God favored Abel's sacrifice more, and therefore killed him and was cast out of God's favor. In Mystery of the Emblem, this is slightly reversed: Abel falls out of Altea's favor for treason, although this does not involve Cain.
Trivia[]
- Cain is mentioned along with Abel in the C support conversation shared between Stahl and Sully in Fire Emblem Awakening, where his title as the "Bull" is assumed by Sully, a character that is modeled after his archetype.
- He is also mentioned in Frederick's supports with Marth in Fire Emblem Warriors, in which Marth describes him, Abel and Jagen as his retainers.
- In Tokyo Mirage Session #FE, when Cain offer to take Touma to an audition after defeating Cursed Abel, he will say 'Together, we ride'. This is name of the original recruitment track.
- Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE takes much more elements from the original story of the Genesis, though the roles are inverted. In the original story, Cain lures Abel and kills him out of jealousy. In the game, it's a corrupted Abel that lures Cain and intends to kill him out of envy.
Gallery[]
- See main article: Cain (Shadow Dragon)/Gallery.