The Best Villain in the Fire Emblem Series: Arvis (Holy War) Part 2

 

When people talk about Arvis's character, the first thing they think about is that he's a well-intentioned extremist. Arvis's entire goal was to bring about a peaceful world free of discrimination. He says so to Manfroy in Chapter 5:

"I don't care if I have the Loptous Clan's blood in me. I have Saint Maera's blood and he fought for the good of the people. The Fire God Fjalar is also one of my ancestors. I will use my power to create a world which is free of prejudice. One where all peoples can live without fear of repression! Of course, Sigurd knows way too much. Consider him a sacrifice to the greater good." — Arvis, Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War

Arvis is ruthless, and also very conniving. I mean, this is the same guy that turned on both Reptor and Sigurd, and killed them both in the process. He seems to care about his family a lot. His relationship with Azel is interesting. On the one hand, Azel tells Sigurd that Arvis scares the crap out of him, but on the other hand Arvis also tells Sigurd to look after him. Plus, we're also told that the family he made with Deirdre (ew) was a legitimately happy one before Julius got possessed. He stayed faithful to Deirdre, and they appeared to have a happy marriage. That would imply that he wasn't all bad.

Like Edelgard, Arvis's plan was legitimately beneficial to Jugdral. The early days of his empire were peaceful and prosperous. Not only was Arvis a family man, he also seemed to be a good ruler. Awakening also characterized him as polite, implying that this guy would not appear as an evil dude to someone who wasn't already familiar with him.

Arvis is a character that only seems to have more depth the longer I learn about him. One of the fascinating things about Holy War is that there's a wealth of interesting designer notes and behind-the-scenes stuff to read. Kaga has some really interesting insights and comments on the game. If you haven't read the stuff, I highly recommend them (there will be links later on, I promise). One of those interesting behind-the-scenes notes came from a designer's note page. In that page came this interesting tidbit about Arvis:

Q: Did Alvis know that Diadora was his half-sister?

A: Not in the beginning. Within the palace, there were few people who could tell him about Prince Kurth and Cigyun’s relationship, and he was only 7 years old when his father committed suicide, so he would likely have been uninterested in the palace gossip that was occurring during that time. Afterwards, his beloved mother Cigyun disappeared, but because of his powerful trust in his mother he wasn’t disturbed by the rumours. Alvis always held the belief that his mother would return for him. He became the ruler of the Velthomer family in his youth and his influence frightened the nobles. Often he would quarrel with them after they disrespected his mother (even though they spoke the truth) and in extreme cases, he even killed people.

Although he had no interest at all in girls, when he first saw Diadora he fell in love at first sight, which may have been influenced by his mother complex. After marrying Diadora, he noticed that Diadora often seemed to be another person, and was afraid that one day she would leave his side like his mother did. Gripped by this thought, he lived his days with great unease (so we can see how much he loved Diadora…) and heard rumours that “Sigurd’s wife had gone missing”, leading him to carefully watch Sigurd. So during Chapter 5, he progressed with his plan (to let Diadora meet Sigurd), which was caused by his inability to let go his endless worry. He obviously shouldn’t have checked, but he was unable to control himself; that was the extent of Alvis’s sorrow. Following that, he investigated Diadora’s past, traveling to the Spirit Forest, and found out that she was Cigyun’s daughter.

However, after discovering his wife was in fact his sister, his feelings still hadn’t changed. He simply tried his best to not let Diadora find out the truth. The sorrow that Diadora would feel after discovering the truth was the most unbearable thing for him… In the end, although Diadora never recovered her memory, she did discover that Sigurd was her husband, but she didn’t hate Alvis at all. When her own son Julius was about to kill her, she didn’t show any resistance, which is due to her subconsciously trying to repent for her crime. Regarding Diadora’s character, there are many ways one could judge her, but as for this issue, it is still too early to draw a conclusion.

(Source: https://serenesforest.net/general/designers-notes/holy-war/playing-guide/) 

Just so we're clear, this is a picture of Arvis and his mother Cigyun. 

Wow. Just wow. There is so much to unpack from that quote! Arvis has hardcore mommy issues. According to Kaga, Arvis's mother complex is what led him to fall in love with Deirdre in the first place. HOLY OEDIPUS COMPLEX BATMAN! SIGMUND FREUD IS FANGIRLING FROM HIS GRAVE! What stands out to me is Kaga's stated reason why Arvis had Deirdre meet Sigurd in Chapter 5. He wasn't doing it just to flaunt her in front of him. Arvis was legitimately trying to witness whether she was "his" or not. In reality, Deirdre and Sigurd meeting during Chapter 5 came about as a twisted form of self assurance on Arvis's part. He was worried about losing Deirdre the way he lost his mother. I always believed that Arvis had Deirdre meet Sigurd as a way of flaunting her and humiliating him. But after reading that quote, that just recontextualizes that entire scene.

Plus, I feel like this quote adds another gross layer to Arvis and Deirdre's relationship. Arvis eventually figured out that Deirdre was his half-sister, but still loved her and still continued with their relationship anyway. What's worse is that he actively hid the truth from her. So, he basically deceived the woman he loved out of fear of losing her. That's another layer of messed up right there. That essentially means that he learned that his relationship with Deirdre is both incestous and based on lies, but chose to go along with it anyway. 

What's even worse is that Deirdre found out the truth...but still didn't hate Arvis? I'm sorry, but that just doesn't compute. Why wouldn't she hate Arvis? I hope someone explains that one to me, because it doesn't make any sense why she wouldn't hate him after regaining her memories and finding out everything that had happened. 

So when I say that Arvis is a "motherfucker" I mean that in more ways than one. The biggest takeaway from Kaga's quote is that Arvis has some deep, twisted insecurities ultimately brought about from his mother leaving him at a young age. Those insecurities also extended into his marriage with Deirdre, leading to one of the most heartbreaking scenes in the entire franchise. Before I wrap this up, I'll also add a brief note. 

Brief Note: Arvis has two fitting themes within Holy War, and both of them deserve a mention:

The first theme is the one that plays when we first meet him in the Prologue. This theme fits the Arvis of the first generation because it's ominous, but not directly threatening. You can tell that there's something up with this guy, but you can't quite put your finger on it. That actually matches Arvis's character, because he doesn't initially come across as a direct threat, but he's also not entirely trustworthy either. There's something sinister about him, and that's what this theme captures really well.

And here's the second Arvis theme. This is what plays when you fight him as a boss. It's a decent theme that signals to the player "it's time to battle this guy." In a way, that works since that's exactly what Emperor Arvis wants Seliph, and by extension the player, to do. It's time to fight him, because Arvis wants his misery to end. 

Final Thoughts: Arvis gets the spot for "Best Villain in the Series" for a variety of reasons. He has the best feats out of any villain. He killed the main character, stole his wife, and then proceeded to rule the entire continent. In spite of all his achievements, Arvis also gets a thick layer of karmic punishment heaped upon him. All of his achievements paved the road for his downfall later on in his life. He lived long enough to see everything he clawed and connived for brutally ripped away from him piece by piece.

 The same man who orchestrated the deaths of all his "allies" including the main character, was also a puppet who was manipulated by Manfroy in the long run. He was both manipulator and manipulated. 

Arvis is a layered character who became twisted up inside from his mother leaving him at age 7. This led to deep seated fear and paranoia that extended even into the early stages of his relationship with Deirdre. He was a visionary who sought to end the suffering of all Jugdral, and he would achieve this outcome through any means necessary. But because he too was a puppet, he had to watch everything he loved go down in flames. Arvis is a brilliantly written character that is frankly one of the best villains I've come across in any fictional medium. All of the above is why he gets the chosen title of "Best Villain in the Fire Emblem Series."