#{sdfkjsdkf i write a whole meta thinking abt eirika and ephraims lv 40 convo like god

[eirikc-blog]

  This is just going to be a little post about my headcanons for Eirika and Ephraim in Heroes under the cut !! Note that this is heavily based on my interpretation of  the things they say.

  Eirika and Ephraim’s Lv 40 conversation is very interesting, contrasting in one another, but they both seem to be talking about the same thing, which is something that leads me to heavily believe that Eirika and Ephraim in heroes are in fact based in Post-FE8. I want to go over each conversation, from both the Japanese and English translations, which I think did a great job in translating and express my thoughts and analyze them.

Note that I will be using the English translation as a baseline and only bringing up the Japanese text if something seems to be different that holds significant importance.

Eirika:

“Do you think I’ve gotten strong enough? Let me just say that if you’re happy, then I’m happy. When I was a child, my father and brother praised how gentle I was. I value such a quality. But it can be a weakness in the face of oppression or deception. I wish it wasn’t true, but it is. When you need to protect those you must, strength is crucial. Still, I refuse to give up my kindness and compassion. You have helped me stay my course-growing stronger while remaining myself. For that, I thank you and continue to pledge myself to your cause!”

Eirika’s conversation focuses heavily on the idea of being weak, the idea that one who does not want to fight in her situation sometimes must fight for the things she loves, for she knows that she can easily be deceived (ex. giving the demon king the sacred stone in her route) calling such a weakness in the face of deception (although one could say the level of her being naive is present throughout the story, there isn’t a lot of times where she was explicitly deceived, being Orson and Lyon/Formortiis, there could be more but I may be forgetting) people abusing kindhearted people, so she focuses on trying to become stronger, something that is essential to protect the ones that she holds dear and takes pride in remaining herself in the process.

In Ephraim’s support specifically with Eirika, they do have a talk about fighting.

Eirika: It is... I just pray that this fighting will end as swiftly as possible. No one desires this war. So why must it continue? Ephraim: ...Indeed. And yet there is fighting in every generation. In ancient times, our ancestors fought all manner of evil beast. But once the beasts were subdued, man then fought against fellow man... So we learned from Lyon. Eirika: I know... But if men understand the futility of fighting, why do they do it? We could gain so much more by cooperation than by conquest. Ephraim: You may be right... ...But I think... I understand why. Eirika: Why, Brother...? Ephraim: I pray for peace to return to our fair Renais. I know that war brings only sorrow. And yet, somewhere in my heart... There is a lust for battle that cannot be stilled. It screams within me when I clutch this spear... Eirika: Brother... Ephraim: Perhaps it is because I am a man. Perhaps it is because I was raised to fight. I enjoy the practice of my art. I find pleasure in the battle victorious. And the stronger I become... The more strongly the call to arms sounds within my ears. I want to see how great is the skill that I have acquired. It may be crass and low, but I cannot deny it. Eirika: Brother... Ephraim: You would disdain me for this? Eirika: No, I could never... But, Brother, listen. No matter why you fight... Please ensure that this fighting brings good to our people and to our kingdom.

  Talking about fighting as something that is disdainful to the point that she doesn’t understand why people have to fight. Though in heroes she seems to have a better grasp on why she wants to fight, what she is willing to fight for, understanding that even if she would like to talk things out, she understands that things won’t go that way, and therefore is brought to raise her sword. 

Ephraim:

“It seems that I’ve gotten much stronger here. My power has grown almost to overflowing. That isn’t enough. Oh, I don’t mean my strength. I’ve always been capable enough there. I mean that strength isn’t always enough to protect us. Yes, it helps force a foe to submit. But strength can also blind one to others’ feelings. That is exactly how I once lost a good friend. I must become kinder and more compassionate, or else I risk repeating my mistakes. You have those qualities. And so I must remain with you. Then I will learn all I need to. You’ll find that I’m a grateful student…and friend.”

Although I think Ephraim’s translation of his conversation is alright, it less faithful to the original and therefore there’s less resemblance to Eirika’s, but it still brings across the opposite points. Ephraim’s conversation is based on how strength and power isn’t enough to protect people, with the emphasis on growing kinder, to be able to protect the people that he cares about.

Somethings that have changed in the English version are 2 lines that I want to point out.

昔から…俺は強いと皆は褒めてくれた。そのことを誇らしく��っていた。だが、強さでは…守れないものがある。

“ Long ago... I was praised by everyone for my strength. I was proud of it. But, even with strength... there are some things that you can’t protect.” 

It reflects on how Eirika was told about her kindness as a child, how she was praised for it while Ephraim states in the English that “He was always capable enough (in strength).” It shows that they are opposites in the sense of strength vs. kindness and peace, and trying to balance such out, making both strive to become stronger/more kind, something that they were both praised for in the past, and how having too much of one and not the other can be dangerous, both seeming to use Lyon as a reference point for their claims.

The second thing that changed is they seemed to completely cut out the line,

強さは、傲慢さ。

“Strength is arrogance.”

With the rest of the Japanese dialogue following close to the English translation, I think that such a sentence, although short is incredibly powerful. While Eirika talks about being deceived by her naive nature, Ephraim states that strength is arrogance, becoming arrogant to the point that you’re blinded by people who need kindness, and directly relating to Lyon on “That is exactly how I once lost a good friend.” which could be interpreted as a fact that Ephraim seemed to be so busy with his own life, being arrogant blinded him to things that could be happening to the people around him. 

He sees too much strength, or only using strength as a weakness, saying that it’s not enough to be strong, but he has to be kinder to the people around him, be more aware and more compassionate, so that he doesn’t repeat the same mistakes that he once did, and is determined to become the person he strives to be from such experiences.

Eirika and Ephraim show the weakness to both being too compassionate and only caring about strength, and seek to find a balance between them, which could be directly related Lyon and the Demon King, with Eirika being deceived and Ephraim blinded by being wrapped in his own world, and strive to come somewhere in the middle, being almost extremes of both sides, showing that there must be some compromise, and it’s fitting especially being twins, and I think they’re great conversations.