Orson

This article is about the Renais Paladin. For the Thracian Axe Fighter, see Osian.

Orson (Japanese: オルソン Olsson) is a former knight of Renais, once held in high esteem by his fellow knights. He was part of the small group of knights led by Prince Ephraim in guerrilla warfare against Grado's army following its conquering of Renais, but was lured to betray Renais following the death of his wife Monica.

Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones

Role

During his time on the run with Ephraim, Orson allegedly sustained a wound of some severity but nonetheless kept fighting. He abandoned Ephraim's group following their successful capture of Renvall, presumably remaining at the castle while Ephraim, Forde and Kyle fled. From there, he used Eirika's trust in him as a knight of Renais to lure her into Tirado's trap at Renvall, after which he returned to Renais, not participating in the battle.

Orson was appointed the guard of Castle Renais by the occupying Grado forces, but instead locked himself in the royal bed-chambers with the reanimated Monica, ignoring the outside world and making no effort to govern the ruined Renais. He only emerged upon being informed by Riev or Lyon that Eirika and Ephraim were marching on Castle Renais, prompting him to emerge to defend the castle so as to preserve his peace with Monica. He was killed in the battle and Renais was freed from Grado occupation.

Following his short time as a playable character in Chapter 5x, Orson disappears and does not show up again until Chapter 16, of which he is the boss. He can later be unlocked as a playable character again in the Creature Campaign mode.

Starting stats and growth rates

Playable

Playable, Chapter 5x Playable, Creature Campaign

Paladin Level 3 Affinity

Recruitment: Chapter 5x, automatically from the start. Leaves party at the end of the chapter. Stats Growth Rates Max HP 34 Luck 4 Strength 15 Defense 13 Skill 13 Resistance 7 Speed 11 Constitution 12 Movement 8 Aid 13 Max HP 80% Luck 25% Strength 55% Defense 35% Skill 45% Resistance 40% Speed 40% {{{content3}}} {{{content4}}} {{{content5}}} {{{content6}}} {{{content7}}} {{{content8}}} {{{content9}}} {{{content10}}} {{{content11}}} {{{content12}}} {{{content13}}} {{{content14}}} {{{content15}}} Inventory Silver Sword Steel Lance Vulnerary Weapon Levels A A -- -- -- -- -- --

Paladin Level 13 Affinity

Recruitment: Creature Campaign, automatically after clearing floor 6 of the Tower of Valni Stats Growth Rates Max HP 48 Luck 6 Strength 18 Defense 14 Skill 15 Resistance 11 Speed 14 Constitution 12 Movement 8 Aid 13 Max HP 80% Luck 25% Strength 55% Defense 35% Skill 45% Resistance 40% Speed 40% {{{content3}}} {{{content4}}} {{{content5}}} {{{content6}}} {{{content7}}} {{{content8}}} {{{content9}}} {{{content10}}} {{{content11}}} {{{content12}}} {{{content13}}} {{{content14}}} {{{content15}}} Inventory Runesword Silver Lance Red Gem Weapon Levels A A -- -- -- -- -- --

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Enemy

See also: Ruled by Madness

Stats with two figures separated by a ~ are presented as a range, representing stats that vary due to random growths. The figures to the left and right of the ~ are the stat's minimum and maximum possible values respectively.

Easy/Normal Difficult

Paladin Level 13 Affinity

Stats Max HP 48 Luck 6 Strength 18 Defense 14 Skill 15 Resistance 11 Speed 14 Constitution 12 Movement 8 Aid 13

Inventory Eirika's route, Japanese version: Silver Lance Runesword Eirika's route, Western version: Spear Silver Sword Ephraim's route, Japanese version: Silver Sword Spear Ephraim's route, Western version: Runesword Silver Lance Weapon Levels A A -- -- -- -- -- --

Paladin Level 13 Affinity

Stats Max HP 50~52 Luck 6~8 Strength 18~20 Defense 14~15 Skill 16~17 Resistance 11~12 Speed 14~15 Constitution 12 Movement 8 Aid 13

Inventory Eirika's route, Japanese version: Silver Lance Runesword Eirika's route, Western version: Spear Silver Sword Ephraim's route, Japanese version: Silver Sword Spear Ephraim's route, Western version: Runesword Silver Lance Weapon Levels A A -- -- -- -- -- --

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Analysis

In the main story, Orson is only available in Chapter 5x. He has good base stats across the board, and an A rank in swords and lances, allowing him to use the Silver Sword and Steel Lance he joins with. As the unit with the highest movement and the best combat in Chapter 5x, he can make clearing the map much more effortless. Rescuing Ephraim with Orson and rushing to the seize point is the fastest way to complete the chapter. However, Orson is no longer available after Chapter 5x and any gains he might theoretically make are not carried over when he returns in the Creature Campaign. If the player desires to focus on feeding experience to Ephraim, Kyle, and Forde, the best way to make use of Orson is to disarm him and use him to bait out enemy attacks so that the others can remain safe and in good health. His items should be traded to another unit before Ephraim seizes the throne; the Silver Sword is a valuable weapon worth keeping around, and there's certainly no reason to discard a perfectly serviceable Steel Lance if it can be avoided.

Fire Emblem Heroes

Role

Orson was first added to the game in a special fallen variation, based on his boss appearance in chapter 16 of The Sacred Stones, as part of the Bound Elsewhere update, and was made available to players in the fifty-fifth Grand Hero Battle, which initially ran from May 8, 2021 through May 15, 2021. The aforementioned fallen variation of Orson is the only one currently available in Heroes, based on his The Sacred Stones incarnation.

Orson: Passion's Folly

Starting stats

★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★★

Rarity ★★★ Weapon type Movement type

Initial Stats Level 40 Stats Maximum HP 17/18/19 Attack 8/9/10 Speed 4/5/6 Defense 8/9/10 Resistance 2/3/4 Maximum HP 36/39/42 Attack 31/34/37 Speed 21/24/27 Defense 29/32/35 Resistance 17/20/23 {{{content3}}} {{{content4}}} {{{content5}}} {{{content6}}} {{{content7}}} {{{content8}}} {{{content9}}} {{{content10}}} {{{content11}}} {{{content12}}} {{{content13}}} {{{content14}}} {{{content15}}} Note: This unit requires the usage of Trait Fruit to access any flaws and assets.

Skills Steel Lance -- --

Rarity ★★★★ Weapon type Movement type

Initial Stats Level 40 Stats Maximum HP 17/18/19 Attack 9/10/11 Speed 4/5/6 Defense 9/10/11 Resistance 2/3/4 Maximum HP 37/40/43 Attack 33/36/39 Speed 22/25/28 Defense 31/34/37 Resistance 18/21/24 {{{content3}}} {{{content4}}} {{{content5}}} {{{content6}}} {{{content7}}} {{{content8}}} {{{content9}}} {{{content10}}} {{{content11}}} {{{content12}}} {{{content13}}} {{{content14}}} {{{content15}}} Note: This unit requires the usage of Trait Fruit to access any flaws and assets.

Skills Silver Lance -- Glowing Ember

Rarity ★★★★★ Weapon type Movement type

Initial Stats Level 40 Stats Maximum HP 18/19/20 Attack 9/10/11 Speed 5/6/7 Defense 9/10/11 Resistance 3/4/5 Maximum HP 40/43/46 Attack 35/38/41 Speed 24/28/31 Defense 33/36/39 Resistance 20/23/27 {{{content3}}} {{{content4}}} {{{content5}}} {{{content6}}} {{{content7}}} {{{content8}}} {{{content9}}} {{{content10}}} {{{content11}}} {{{content12}}} {{{content13}}} {{{content14}}} {{{content15}}} Note: This unit requires the usage of Trait Fruit to access any flaws and assets.

Skills Bereft Lance -- Glowing Ember

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Skill set

Skill set
Skill		Unlock	Auto-unlock	SP cost
	Iron Lance	★★★	★★★	50
	Steel Lance	★★★	★★★	100
	Silver Lance	★★★	★★★★	200
	Bereft Lance	★★★★★	★★★★★	400
	Glowing Ember	★★★	★★★★	100
	Ignis	★★★★	—	200
B	Vantage 1	★★★	—	50
B	Vantage 2	★★★	—	100
B	Vantage 3	★★★★	—	200
C	Rouse Atk/Def 1	★★★	—	60
C	Rouse Atk/Def 2	★★★★	—	120
C	Rouse Atk/Def 3	★★★★★	—	240

Personality

Before his descent into madness, Orson was widely seen as a quiet but kind man. He was well known for his devotion to his wife, Monica, which was ultimately his undoing.^[1] Her death had a massive impact on him, leaving him severely depressed, and so he leapt at the opportunity offered to him by Lyon to revive her, even if it meant betraying Renais; his desperation to have Monica back led him to obsess over his love for her and completely ignore that she was a rotting corpse and barely coherent.^[2]

Quotes

Battle quotes

Death quotes

Heroes quotes

Main article: Orson/Quotes (Heroes)

Flavor text

Meet some of the Heroes entries

Orson: Passion's Folly
Orson is a knight of Renais who is respected for his loyalty and trusted by his fellow knights. Or rather, he was…but as you can see, something terrible has befallen the once proud knight.	Shortly before the war broke out, Orson's wife, Monica, passed away. He became a shadow of his former self, forever a changed man.	And then, somehow, Monica was reanimated by dark magic…but she wasn't really alive in the traditional sense. She was more of a puppet, but this reminder of his lost wife was still enough to bring Orson a fleeting sense of happiness.	And so Orson became her misguided protector, eliminating anyone and anything that came between him and his wife. It seems his love for her was so great that he lost sight of everything else…
Closely Associated Characters
Ephraim {{{Related_name2}}} {{{Related_name3}}} {{{Related_name4}}} {{{Related_name5}}} Prince of Renais. Eirika's twin. Cares deeply for his sister. His confidence has sometimes put him in danger. Fought alongside Orson and his men when Renais was invaded by Grado. {{{Related_blurb2}}} {{{Related_blurb3}}} {{{Related_blurb4}}} {{{Related_blurb5}}}

Choose Your Legends placement history

Round	Placement	Character	Votes

CYL 1 (2017)

475

Orson The Sacred Stones

255

CYL 2 (2018)

506 (+31)

Orson The Sacred Stones

234 (−21)

CYL 3 (2019)

485 (+16)

Orson The Sacred Stones

236 (+2)

CYL 4 (2020)

501 (−12)

Orson The Sacred Stones

192 (−44)

CYL 5 (2021)

418 (−83)

Orson The Sacred Stones

184 (−8)

CYL 6 (2022)

671 (+251)

Orson The Sacred Stones

56 (−128)

CYL 7 (2023)

631 (−40)

Orson The Sacred Stones

52 (−4)

CYL 8 (2024)

695 (+64)

Orson The Sacred Stones

41 (−11)

Total results		This character has 8 entries across all Choose Your Legends polls.	1,250

Trivia

• In the Japanese version of The Sacred Stones, Orson carries a Silver Lance and a Runesword on Eirika's route, and a Silver Sword and a Spear on Ephraim's route. This was swapped in the Western version. Also in the Japanese version, Orson wields the Silver Sword or Silver Lance by default rather than the Spear or Runesword.
• Orson cannot be selected for use in the Link Arena if a save of Chapter 5x is used to build a team.
• Orson's Japanese name is the same as the name which, in Fire Emblem: Thracia 776, Karin tells Ilios that he should change his name to.
• In the Official Nintendo Power Guidebook for The Sacred Stones, Orson's base stats are mistakenly listed as those from the Japanese version of the game instead of the Western version.^[3]

Etymology and other languages

Gallery

Sprite Gallery
Paladin Sword Lance

Official artwork

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  Artwork of Orson from The Sacred Stones.

Battle animations

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  Orson attacking with a sword as a Paladin in The Sacred Stones.

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  Orson performing a critical hit with a sword as a Paladin in The Sacred Stones.

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  Orson attacking with a lance as a Paladin in The Sacred Stones.

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  Orson performing a critical hit with a lance as a Paladin in The Sacred Stones.

Heroes artwork

Character artwork

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  Artwork of Orson: Passion's Folly.

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  Artwork of Orson: Passion's Folly.

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  Artwork of Orson: Passion's Folly.

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  Artwork of Orson: Passion's Folly.

Meet some of the Heroes artwork

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  Artwork of Orson: Passion's Folly.

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  Artwork of Orson: Passion's Folly.

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  Artwork of Orson: Passion's Folly.

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  Artwork of Orson: Passion's Folly.

References