With Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave only three days from launch, Nintendo has released another trailer. The more intriguing character news, however, continues to arrive through the game’s Japanese social-media account, which has been introducing characters and biographies ahead of any English-language reveals.
The latest announcement introduces Jester, a mysterious sword-wielding gladiator who hides his face behind a jester’s make-up. His erratic behaviour has earned him the nickname “Jester of Hell”, and his listed interests include opponents whose faces twist with fear and the white-haired ogre who entertains him.
Jester also has an ability that increases his damage after he successfully dodges an attack. That combination of theatrical menace, swordplay and outright menace makes him an unusually compelling addition to the Fortune’s Weave cast.
Most importantly, he seems like exactly the sort of character who should be eligible for a support relationship. The Fire Emblem series has frequently allowed support levels to rise to an S rank, sometimes leading to a romantic scene and sometimes ending in a firmly platonic bond. Jester absolutely needs to be among the romance options.
That reaction says a lot about the strength of Fortune’s Weave’s character designs. Previous favourites have included loyal and kind Jakob in Fire Emblem Fates and the good-natured Claude in Three Houses, while Edelgard and Dimitri were left aside. Despite Fire Emblem Engage offering its own bond-ring-focused approach to relationships, romance was skipped there because the wider game failed to make a strong enough impression.
Jester is different. The appeal is not necessarily the fantasy of reforming a dangerous clown. It is the far more questionable idea that two people could encourage each other’s worst instincts.
A cast full of distinctive characters
The interest in Fortune’s Weave extends well beyond its romance possibilities. The game’s growing roster includes a particularly striking range of characters of colour, including several women who would be difficult to overlook even in a very large ensemble. That kind of choice is still uncommon in major video-game releases, making the cast feel unusually inviting.
Noctula is a muscular female gladiator from a warlike tribe. Frustrated by rural life and the men in her village, she travelled to the imperial capital of Dagsion, a city she had admired since childhood. She enjoys urban living, city residents, hand-to-hand combat and training.
Nudine is a female mercenary working in Dagsion. Originally from the Kingdom of Salamis, she was regarded as an exemplary warrior by the wise general Bonaparte. After a civil war several years earlier, she wandered through Dagda and eventually settled into her current life. Her interests include justice, caring for flying mounts, martial study and reading.
These reveals are part of what makes the RETROCADE arcade news audience’s broader interest in character-driven games so understandable: a memorable cast can be just as important as the mechanics surrounding it.
Seteth returns from Three Houses
One of the most recognisable announcements is Seteth, returning from Three Houses. He has travelled from distant Fódlan to conduct research and now journeys with Orhel, a priest who wears a cat mask. Seteth is described as someone who cannot resist meddling in other people’s affairs.
His interests include the teachings of Seiros, fishing, his daughter, diligent people, writing fables and preaching. His appearance has not settled the continuing debate over whether Fortune’s Weave is a prequel or sequel to Three Houses, but his dialogue could provide useful clues about where the new game sits in the wider timeline.
For those following the Japanese reveals, Seteth’s announcement was shared on September 10, 2026.
More possible favourites
Jester’s connection to Bertrand, the white-haired gladiator mentioned in his profile, adds another layer to the arena storyline. Bertrand has fought continuously in Dagsion’s coliseum and is known as the “white-haired ogre” because of his enormous strength. Five years ago, he committed a grave crime and was imprisoned beneath the arena. He enjoys training, cured meat, finely made weapons, reading and board games.
Diego offers a quieter contrast. A young man from the combat-focused Hal-Hali people, he bears distinctive tribal markings across his arms and upper body. Although taciturn and unfriendly, he has sworn lifelong loyalty to Orhel, the priest of Clair Temple. His interests include walking through forests, gathering medicinal herbs and Orhel himself.
There is also Talimun, the chief general manager of the Vandal Trading Company, one of Dagda’s most prominent merchant houses. He appears relaxed and difficult to read, but reportedly harbours enormous ambitions while collecting objects known as “Drake’s treasures”. His listed interests are money, adventure and the meat skewers he is constantly chewing.
Whether the game permits romantic bonds with Jester, Seteth, Diego, Bertrand or Talimun remains the immediate question. For now, Fortune’s Weave is building a cast broad enough to support plenty of speculation, from timeline theories to the most important issue of all: choosing who deserves an S-rank support.
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