Byleth (Fire Emblem)

Byleth Eisner is a fictional character in Nintendo's Fire Emblem franchise. They first appeared as the player character and main protagonist of the 2019 video game Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and have since appeared as a playable character in the 2017 and 2018 crossover games Fire Emblem Heroes and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, being added as DLC in 2019 and 2020 respectively, and as the secondary antagonist in its 2022 spin-off game Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes. In each game, players can choose between a female or male version of the character. The male version of the character also appears in the 2023 video game Fire Emblem Engage as an Emblem alongside other Fire Emblem protagonists.

Byleth is a wandering mercenary who possesses the mysterious Crest of Flames and can wield the powerful ancient weapon known as the Sword of the Creator. In Three Houses, they receive an offer to serve as a professor at the military academy of Garreg Mach Monastery, acting as the leader of one of its classes. Three Hopes is set in an alternative timeline where Byleth was never a professor at the academy and serves as the arch-rival of a mercenary named Shez, who seeks revenge on Byleth for slaughtering their comrades.

While Byleth is the overall lead character of Three Houses, they tend to become the deuteragonist of the other three routes should they support one of the three house leaders, with the Silver Snow route being the only route where they serve as the main protagonist.

Byleth's first appearance in Three Houses received mixed responses from critics, with criticism directed towards a perceived lackluster of a personality. The decision to add the character to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was also met with hate from Western fans due to a perceived overabundance of Fire Emblem characters in Super Smash Bros. Despite this, they became one of the most successful characters in the game's competitive scene, after becoming the main character of MkLeo, the number one Ultimate player in the world.