A set of previous trailers had confirmed the return of all characters from the Black Eagles, Blue Lions, Golden Deer, and Ashen Wolves houses, as well as new protagonist Shez and previous protagonist Byleth’s appearance in an antagonistic role. Although not all appeared as playable characters, the demo did confirm the return of Professors Manuela, Hanneman, and Jeritza as well as Knights of Seiros Shamir, Alois, Catherine, and Gilbert, Archbishop Rhea, and her aides Seteth and Flayn. This leaves only a single playable character from Three Houses unaccounted for: the monastery-raised orphan Cyril.

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Who Is Cyril in Fire Emblem: Three Houses?

Cyril is an orphan who was born in Almyra, a country neighboring the setting of Three Houses, Fodlan. After losing his parents in battle, Cyril is captured by soldiers from Fodlan’s House Goneril and made to serve the house for several years. He is eventually noticed by Lady Rhea, the Archbishop of the Church of Seiros, who allows him to live and work at Garreg Mach Monastery. Because of this, Cyril is extremely devoted to Rhea, and studies archery under the tutelage of Shamir in order to become more useful to her.

In Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Cyril was a recruitable character on the Blue Lions, Golden Deer, and Silver Snow routes. He appeared only as an antagonist on the Crimson Flower route, as he sided with the Church when Edelgard announced her intention to take down Rhea. As a playable unit, he represented the ‘Villager’ archetype and was similar to characters such as Fire Emblem: Path of Raidance’s Nephenee and Fire Emblem Awakening’s Donnel, having low starting stats, but high stat growth compared to other units. Fan response to the character was generally lukewarm, as his personality, especially his fixation on Rhea, was felt to be one-note and boring.

What Could Cyril’s Absence Mean in Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes?

Cyril has so far not been mentioned at all in Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, and does not appear even when player character Shez visits Garreg Mach Monastery and encounters Rhea. Notably, Shamir, who served as Cyril’s mentor in Three Houses, does not mention him, and ends up leaving her role in the Knights of Seiros to fight with the Leicester Alliance in the game’s Golden Wildfire route. This has led fans to speculate that Cyril might not appear at all, as Shamir leaving the Knights would be difficult if she was training an apprentice.

The character’s absence could be related to either his relative lack of popularity or to the dramatic differences between the stories of Three Houses and Three Hopes. As the route split happens at the beginning of the game, it may have been difficult to implement a character like Cyril who is available on multiple routes and lacks a particular house allegiance. Alternately, his absence could mean that events between the Church of Seiros, the Leicester Alliance, and the Almyran army occurred differently - perhaps he was never captured by House Goneril and its leader Holst or never rescued by Rhea.

Will Cyril Appear in Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes?

Cyril’s fate in the full game is yet unknown, as the playable demo of Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes only covers up to Chapter 4 of each route. If he is still serving Rhea, it is possible that he may appear as an antagonist in the Scarlet Blaze route, where Edelgard and the Adrestian Empire’s forces come into conflict with the church. Alternately, if Cyril remains in Almyra, he may appear as part of the invading Almyran army that menaces Fodlan in the Golden Wildfire route. This could be a unique direction to take Cyril, who was Three Houses’ only prominent Almyran character other than Claude.

Unfortunately, it is likely that fans will not learn any more information regarding Cyril’s appearance or lack thereof until the release of the full game later this June. With trailers released for all four houses - including the Ashen Wolves - as well as the debut of the demo, further trailers prior to the official release date seem unlikely. Until this time, fans will likely continue to speculate about what role Cyril might play in the full game, or whether he might be ignored entirely.

Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes will release on June 24, 2022 for the Nintendo Switch.

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