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Fire Emblem: Three Houses’ Jeritza is a character who might have seemed like he was in a weird position when the game launched. After all, there was a situation where it might not have made sense for him to not be around and as active as he could be. An eventual update rectified that, giving him a far greater role. But what’s especially interesting is how well-integrated this extra Fire Emblem: Three Houses character ended up being.
Editor’s Note: There will be spoilers about Jeritza Below.
First, you might wonder how to even add Jeritza to your party. The post launch updates to Fire Emblem: Three Houses added more interactions with the playable character and an option to have him join your party on one specific route. This means you can train with him, then eventually have tea and raise supports levels with him. The only time he will join is if you manage to get on the Black Eagles Crimson Flower route. This means you need to get close to Edelgard and have a C+-rank support with her by the time Pegasus Moon rolls around in the first half of the game on a Black Eagles run. Explore Garreg Mach that month and make sure you speak with her. She’ll ask if you will go home with her. Say yes. After things play out, you have to make a second decision to protect Edelgard. This will get you on the right route, and Jeritza will be around after the time skip.
As a character, this makes absolute sense. Since we’re going all-in on spoilers here, in Crimson Flower you side with Edelgard and go against the church and all of the other factions in Fodlan. Given that Jeritza is the Death Knight and was fighting for her goals both before and after the timeskip in many routes, it seemed odd for him to just… not be there in Crimson Flower. Having him around is a boon. Partially because he has the custom Death Knight class, which gives him Canto and Lancefaire off the bat, takes advantage of his Lance and Reason prowess, and allows him to learn Counterattack. (Having Death is very helpful.) Also, it explains why. Why was he so murderous? What is with the Death Knight persona?
It especially helps with another character’s storyline. While more Jeritza supports have been added alongside the Cindered Shadows DLC, he originally only had one alongside Byleth: Mercedes. Which made sense, as he was her long-lost brother, Emile. There are hints of this throughout Fire Emblem: Three Houses if you choose not to get close to Mercedes and blatant confirmations if you spend time with her. With his inclusion, we have a better idea of exactly how horrible the pursuit of Crests can be in Fodlan and the horrors that befell Mercedes, Emile, and their family. While it doesn’t redeem his horrible actions, it gives us a glimpse of his humanity as we realize what the lives of these siblings were like when they were young and the sacrifices he made for her.
Jeritza feels like he was always a playable part of the game. I’d wager if someone came in after the update was released and went through a Black Eagles Crimson Flower run, they might not realize there was ever a time when he wasn’t there. His backstory and interactions with Mercedes enhance her storyline, help us better understand how horrible people can be about Crests, and give us insight into how he became the person he is. Having him as a unit makes sense, since, well, he’s supposed to be a part of Edelgard’s forces anyway. Plus, it is an example of an extra character who was added in and handled well when they were. (I might still be a bit upset that Anna doesn’t have any supports.) It’s good to have him around, and he feels like he belongs.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses is available for the Nintendo Switch.
