| “ | Under my rule, we shall crush the Kingdom and Alliance both, and unite Fódlan beneath the ever-majestic banner of Adrestia. The unfulfilled ambition of countless emperors past will be made manifest by none other than myself. Ludwig von Aegir, savor of the Empire! | „ |
| ~ Ludwig Von Aegir |
Ludwig von Aegir, also known as Duke Aegir, is a major antagonist within the Fódlan Saga of Nintendo's Fire Emblem franchise.
In Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, he serves as a major antagonist of the Scarlet Blaze route and one of the secondary antagonists of the Azure Gleam route.
Ludwig is the Prime Minister of the Adrestian Empire, the head of House Aegir, and the father and arch-enemy of his heir Ferdinand von Aegir. Highly ambitious, power-hungry and and corrupt, Ludwig was ultimately one of the main conspirators behind the Insurrection of the Seven and having Edelgard and her siblings subjected to Crest Experiments, ultimately causing her ascent to being a ruthless extremist.
Ludwig is voiced by Doug Stone in English and Daisuke Endo in Japanese.
His Evil Ranking[]
What Makes Him Close to Being Pure Evil?[]
In General/Background[]
- He quelled the rebellion of Hrym, wiping out the main bloodline of House Hrym. And as a result of allying with House Hrym, House Ordelia's internal affairs were interfered with by the empire, which damaged its noble standing within the Leicester Alliance.
- While ruling Hrym territory, he imposed heavy taxes upon its citizens, resulting in people being driven by their homes
- He caused and led the Insurrection of the Seven, recruiting the other six houses (which included Volkhard von Arundel and Grégoire von Varley) to take part and removing Emperor Ionius IX from power, and giving the command of authority to their houses.
- Because of the Insurrection, this allowed Thales and TWSITD to control and influence the empire from behind the shadows, making Ludwig responsible for this.
- He was one of the masterminds behind the Crest Experiments, allowing Edelgard and her nine siblings to be brutally experimented by Thales and the slithers in hopes of gaining a super-soldier that he can use as a puppet ruler to conquer and rule Fódlan.
- As a result of the experiments, Edelgard's siblings were either driven to insanity or tragically die. Edelgard was the only survivor, possessing two Crests, but her lifespan was shortened and she was traumatized by the experiments, This led to Edelgard to the path of becoming a ruthless extremist.
- In addition, because of occupying the Ordelia territories, this allowed the slithers to infiltrating the house and perfong the Crest Experiments on Lyisthea and her relatives, with the former losinstoo much of her lifespan that she will die at a young age.
- While he appears to be very patriotic and dedicated to the glory of the empire, his actions and selfish nature indicate that in the end, he is either only concerned with gaining power and glory for himself or considers himself to be the savior of Adrestia and a martyr, neither of which are redeeming.
- It is especially evident in the Scarlet Blaze route of Three Hopes, where Ludwig rebelled against Edelgard out of pure resentment that he did not have a place under her rule, suggesting he would not care about her reforms, as long as he had a place in it.
- Because of his selfish and ambitious choices, he is ultimately despised by several across the land of Fódlan, even by his own people in the empire.
- In addition, Ferdinand, despite loving his father dearly, viewed his actions as a disgrace to nobility and is ultimately disgusted with the choices he had done.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses[]
- In the Crimson Flower route, upon learning that Edelgard has officially becomes the new Emperor of the Adrestian Empire, and immediately strips him of his tittles and orders his house arrest, Ludwig tries to protest before begrudgingly backing down.
- In Ferdinand and Lysithea's Paralgoue (which only occurs on the Azure Moon, Verdant Wind, or Silver Snow routes), he escapes from his house arrest and flees to Hrym territory.
- Despite Ferdinand and Lysithea's sincere feelings of regret over the death of Ludwig (given that he was not responsible for increasing heavier taxes on the people of Hrym this time), it is not played for sympathy given his terrible actions. There was also the fact that him imposing taxes on Hrym was going to lead to his death in the first place.
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes[]
In General[]
- In the prologue of the Scarlet Blaze route, he tries to fight off Edelgard and her allies after she launches a successful coup against both him and his ally Arundel (who reveals himself as Thales). While Thales ultimately escapes, Ludwig is captured.
- Ludwig eventually escapes from his imprisonment and goes into hiding for three years (given that he is not seen in the Golden Wildfire route, he is officially a Karma Houdini in that route).
The Scarlet Blaze Route[]
- He worked alongside Solon in causing chaos in both territories of Hrym and Ordelia, allowing both thieves and bandits to go around and loot valuables, destroying villages, and killing many inhabitants.
- While Solon oversees the chaos of Hrym and Ordelia, Ludwig would capture Fort Merceus, using it to stage a rebellion against the Empire, capturing Caspar's older brother, while using the hostages of Edelgard's loyal followers to follow his rebellion, with plans to invade Enbarr.
- He attempts to kill Edelgard and her followers, and despite his best efforts, he fails and is ultimately executed by his son Ferdinand, who saw his actions to be unforgivable.
The Azure Gleam Route[]
- When Thales successfully kidnaps and brainwashed Edelgard, Ludwig eagerly accepts this as the slithers' leader appoints him as the new leader of the empire and allows him to manipulate Edelgard.
- To ensure the empire doesn't know about Edelgard's brainwashing, he makes a lie stating that she is unwell and afterwards, appoints himself as the Regent of the Empire.
- Following his return to power, both Hubert and Ferdinand, Edelgard's loyal advisors and close friends, disappear under mysterious circumstances. While Ferdinand was most likely spared due to Ludwig's love for his son; it is heavily implied Hubert was killed.
- He tries to kill Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd and Claude von Riegan, the leaders of the combined force of Kingdom and Alliance soldiers, as well as their comrades at the Battle of Ailell.
- Following the Kingdom's pursuit, Ludwig would try to retreat and sacrificed most of his soldiers (including Caspar von Bergliez) to escape his enemies, but fails and dies as a result.
- Despite his and Thales' death, the brainwashing of Edelgard left her in a defenseless and child-like state.
What Prevents Him from Being Pure Evil?[]
- He genuinely loves his son Ferdinand, having raised him with the best of his ability. He is even saddened on the fact that he must face his son, and when defeated, he allows his son to kill him, dying with a smile since he wanted to die by his son's hand.
- He is genuinely honorable and respectful, often showing care and gratitude to his allies, which is evident when he is genuinely sadden by the deaths of Viscount Fenja and Viscount Menja, asking for their forgiveness.
- In addition, despite holding those who still support Edelgard hostage, he never killed them, with Ferdinand stating that while he may be a fallen noble, he is still a noble and would not butcher innocent people when the tides are turn against him.
External Links[]
- Ludwig von Aegir on the Villains Wiki
- Ludwig von Aegir on the Fire Emblem Wiki
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 Near Pure Evils
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Jugdral Series See Also | ||