Ricken

Ricken is a playable character in Fire Emblem Awakening.

Profile

Ricken hails from a noble family of Ylisse, but due to recent financial issues, his family has lost most of their wealth. Despite his age, Ricken sought to join Chrom's vigilante force, the Shepherds, in order to restore prestige to his house. While gifted with magic, Chrom sidelined Ricken for the initial conflicts between Ylisse and Plegia due to his age.

Ricken is first introduced shortly after Chrom returns with the support of Ferox for the upcoming conflict with Plegia. Harrowing news soon arrives, informing Chrom and his forces that Plegia's king Gangrel had kidnapped fellow Shepherd Maribelle for "trespassing" into Plegia. When Chrom and the Shepherds head out to confront the Mad King, Ricken offers to join, but Chrom refuses and tells him to protect their garrison. Slighted, Ricken follows them in secret to the Border Pass where Gangrel attempts to use Maribelle as leverage to secure the Fire Emblem from Ylisse. When they refuse, Gangrel's enforcer Aversa attempts to kill Maribelle. Ricken steps in from the shadows, casting a Wind spell, allowing Maribelle to escape Gangrel's clutches. The Shepherds quickly head to the two and rescue them, fending off Gangrel's forces, but also triggering the start of the Ylisse-Plegia War. Needing all the help he can get and acknowledging Ricken's abilities, Chrom allows Ricken to formally join the war and continue to accompany Chrom for the remainder of Awakening.

After the war, Ricken realized his own childish behaviors, quickly matured, and became a mage of the highest order.

Personality

Ricken is the youngest of the playable Shepherds and thus is often underestimated due to his age. He holds great talent in Magic and is quite studious, able to learn and grow from his fellow comrades. Holding pride in his skills, Ricken hates being treated as a child or whenever he perceives someone as looking down on him due to his age. Nonetheless, he does carry some childish quirks including an over-sensitivity to his height. He is constantly looking for methods to make himself stronger and taller, though he is frustrated by the lack of immediate results. Humorously, according to his Future Past conversation with Laurent if he is his father, Ricken's methods actually may be successful in the future.

Ricken quickly wants to be of use to Ylisse, mainly to support his family and restore glory to his home. He idolizes Chrom and sees him as a role model. While he is annoyed that Chrom saw him as a mere fledgling member, Ricken was quick to prove his worth and drew Chrom's approval to participate in larger scale battles. One of his dreams is to become Chrom's Right-Hand-Man.

Ricken's participation in the Ylisse-Plegia war gave him his first taste of real war. His supports with Lissa and Henry illustrate that he abhors killing and claims that he fights only out of necessity or simply to kill his foes before they kill him. His support conversations with Henry further sews doubt, as Henry revealing the more mundane and human aspects of their former adversaries fills him regret for cutting such lives short and even states he wishes he had not asked for clarification so they could remain "faceless blobs" in his memory. Nonetheless, Ricken matures significantly over the course of Awakening and is said to become one of the greatest mages of Ylisse due to his efforts and experiences.

Cute animals like him more than anyone else in the army.

In-Game

Awakening

Base Stats

Starting Class
Mage
Level	HP	Str	Mag	Skl	Spd	Lck	Def	Res	Mov
3	20	3	8	6	5	10	6	3	5
Skills			Weapon			Starting Items
Magic +2			Tome - D			Elwind

Growth Rates

• Mage/Sage

• Dark Knight

Max Stat Modifiers

Supports

See also: Ricken/Supports

Romantic Supports

• Robin (Female)
• Cherche
• Cordelia
• Lissa
• Maribelle
• Miriel
• Nowi
• Olivia
• Panne
• Sully
• Tharja

Other Supports

• Robin (Male)
• Gregor
• Henry
• Ricken's children

Class Sets

Base Classes	Promoted Classes
Mage	Sage
	Dark Knight
Cavalier	Paladin
	Great Knight
Archer	Sniper
	Bow Knight
Dread Fighter (Dread Scroll required)	-
	-

Overall

Subjective: The following part of this article is based upon the editor's personal experiences and opinions, and therefore may not be applicable for all readers.

Base Class

Ricken is the second mage in the game, joining three chapters after Miriel. While he has slightly lower Magic, Skill and Speed growths compared to Miriel, his Luck and Defense growths are superior to hers. Also of note is the fact that Ricken possesses a much better Strength growth, allowing him to shine if reclassed to any of his physical options. Owing to his decent Defense, Ricken makes a very good Sage, as he will be able to withstand physical attacks better than Miriel can. Even so, as a Mage unit, it is not recommended for him to be overly involved in direct melee combat.

Ricken's Skill is lower than Miriel's, although this is compensated for by the presence of Focus, which allows him to land critical attacks when allies are absent in the immediate vicinity. To better harness this skill, Ricken should be made to strike enemy targets before the rest of his allies do. Further amplifying his combat usefulness is Tomefaire, which he can potentially learn as a Sage, which will enhance the strength of his magic-based attacks.

If class-changed into a Dark Knight, Ricken's Strength growth is noticeably superior to Miriel's, and he should thus be selected to function as a balanced physical and magical Dark Knight unit between the two. That being said, Ricken would likely have trouble with very strong magics thanks to his not so great Res growth rate and no stat bonuses in Res. Ricken can learn Slow Burn in this class, which will aid in gradually enhancing his Hit and Dodge rates. He will also be able to learn Lifetaker as a Dark Knight, serving as the only regenerative ability that he can potentially lay claim to. With his low defenses, Lifetaker can make a huge difference when Ricken is caught in tight situations, helping to relieve healer units from constantly healing him.

Reclassing

Ricken's secondary class options are Cavalier and Archer. Both of these classes are based on physical damage, and since Ricken will not be a game-changing unit in these classes due to his low Strength, he should return to his Mage classes in the end. The Cavalier skill, Discipline, is great to help Ricken build skills if considering to keep him in the Dark Knight class. The two promotions of Cavalier, the Paladin and Great Knight, also offer helpful skills for him. From the Paladin branch, Aegis shaves off tome, bow and dragonstone damage by half if it activates, helpful against strong magic or bow users. From the Great Knight branch, Luna, when combined with his already high magic stat if left in the Sage class, can make him an especially powerful unit against high resistance units. Dual Guard+ is helpful for protecting weak units and should also be grabbed to be used with a unit that has a good support rank with him.

Ricken lacks much Strength, and thus can have problems being a consistent Archer compared to the standard archer, Virion. However, some of the Archer's skills can also prove useful in his Mage class. The easily obtainable Skill +2 is a quaint little skill to make up for the lower skill growth than Miriel, though it will lose effectiveness after a few instances of reclassing. Prescience is good to have for him as an advantage when attacking. Sniper Ricken will not need to level up to level 15 to gain Bowfaire unless he is kept as a bow-using class, however Hit Rate +20 is worth getting as it will almost ensure a 100% hit chance on the enemy, especially on harder difficulties. Bowbreaker from Bow Knight can be useful if Ricken is attacked by enemy bow users and makes him a good Archer killer in any class he is in.

Fire Emblem Heroes

• Original

Shepherd Novice

A mage who joined the Shepherds as an apprentice in hopes of learning all he's able from his mentor, Chrom. Young, but a hard worker. Appears in Fire Emblem Awakening.

Base Stats

Rarity: ✯✯✯✯✯

		Title
		Shepherd Novice
		Group
		Infantry
Level	HP	Atk	Spd	Def	Res
1 40	15/16/17 37/40/43	12/13/14 40/43/47	8/9/10 36/39/43	4/5/6 21/24/28	7/8/9 26/30/33
Skills			Weapon
Gronnrabbit+ New Moon			Tome

Skills

Type	Name	Prerequisite	Default	Unlocked
	Wind	-	-	-
	Elwind	-	-	-
	Gronnrabbit	-	-	-
	Gronnrabbit+	-	-
	New Moon	-	-	-
	Luna	New Moon	-	-
A	Atk Spd Form 1	-		-
	Atk Spd Form 2	Atk Spd Form 1		-
	Atk Spd Form 3	Atk Spd Form 2
C	Spur Spd 1	-		-
	Spur Atk Spd 1	Spur Spd 1		-
	Spur Atk Spd 2	Spur Atk Spd 1		-

Overall

Subjective: The following part of this article is based upon the editor's personal experiences and opinions, and therefore may not be applicable for all readers.

Base Set

Counters

Skill Inheritance

Meet Some of the Heroes

Shepherd Novice Ricken
	Ricken is a mage with the Shepherds, the group of volunteers led by Chrom who protect the peace in Ylisse! He looks up to Chrom like an older brother, but hates being treated like a kid.
	In fact, Ricken is serious about proving how grown-up he really is. When his fellow Shepherd Maribelle was captured by the Plegian army, he snuck out alone to rescue her by himself!
	From what I hear, Ricken also cares a lot about his family. He writes letters back to his parents and is very careful about how he describes his battles, so that they don't get too worried about him.
	Ricken dreams of being Chrom's right-hand man one day, standing shoulder to shoulder with his idol. Seeing how hard he works, I'm sure his wishes will come true!
Closely Associated Characters
Chrom	A prince of Ylisse and descendant of the Hero-King. Leads the Shepherds. Ricken sees him as a big-brother figure.
Maribelle	A proud noble from one of Ylisse's most well-to-do houses. A Shepherd and Lissa's best friend. When she was captured by the Plegian army, Ricken came to her rescue.

Quotes

Awakening

Ricken/Awakening Quotes

Heroes

Ricken/Heroes Quotes

Possible Endings

Ricken - Upcoming Mage

While continuing to study magic, Ricken realized how childish some of his actions had been. The sting of that revelation caused him to redouble his efforts, and soon he was a mage of the highest order.

Ricken and Robin

Many wrote of Robin's legendary exploits, but accounts of her origins and character varied. Scholars, poets, and bards agreed on one thing alone—she loved her husband, Ricken, above all else.

Ricken and Cherche

While continuing to study magic, Ricken realized how childish some of his actions had been. But Cherche's caring and patience saw him through to the end.

Ricken and Cordelia

While continuing to study magic, Ricken realized how childish some of his actions had been. Cordelia herself advanced as a knight, and the couple lived for many long years.

Ricken and Lissa

While continuing to study magic, Ricken realized how childish some of his actions had been. He and Lissa learned from these mistakes and grew old and wise together.

Ricken and Maribelle

While continuing to study magic, Ricken realized how childish some of his actions had been. Maribelle went on to be a magistrate, and the couple leaned on each other for the rest of their days.

Ricken and Miriel

While continuing to study magic, Ricken realized how childish some of his actions had been. Miriel's intellect inspired him greatly, and together they unlocked the secrets of the universe.

Ricken and Nowi

While continuing to study magic, Ricken realized how childish some of his actions had been. Behind closed doors, people whispered as to how he aged while his wife, Nowi, never did.

Ricken and Olivia

While continuing to study magic, Ricken realized how childish some of his actions had been. Thanks to Olivia's dances, however, the years hence were full of joy and laughter.

Ricken and Panne

While continuing to study magic, Ricken realized how childish some of his actions had been. Panne took him to the wilds, reminding him he was a small part of a greater plan.

Ricken and Sully

While continuing to study magic, Ricken realized how childish some of his actions had been. Sully made for a strict, but fair, companion, and the couple thrived together.

Ricken and Tharja

While continuing to study magic, Ricken realized how childish some of his actions had been. Tharja stayed with him and perfected her hexes, and the couple's magical talents soared.

Non-Canon Appearances

Fire Emblem 0 (Cipher)

Ricken is illustrated in the trading card game with the following cards:

S02-005ST

B08-021HN

B08-022N

Choose Your Legends Placement History

Round	Placement	Character Version	Votes

CYL1	203	Awakening	1,235
CYL2	238 ↓35	Awakening	982 ↓253
CYL3	223 ↑15	Awakening	1,020 ↑38
CYL4	265 ↓42	Awakening	507 ↓513
CYL5	219 ↑46	Awakening	408 ↓99
CYL6	199 ↑20	Awakening	491 ↑83
CYL7	341 ↓242	Awakening	92 ↓399

CYL8

388 ↓47

Awakening

54 ↓38

Etymology

'Licht' is the German and Dutch word for Light.

Ricken is a name of Germanic origin, meaning powerful.

Trivia

• Ricken's official artwork depicts him holding an Elwind Tome.
• Ricken's birthday is the same day that Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones was first released in North America.
• In his C-Rank support conversation with Olivia, Ricken is reading a book about a prince who falls in love with a forest maiden, a reference to Sigurd and Deirdre from Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War.
• In Ricken's B-Rank support conversation with Maribelle, when she asks about a wound on his leg, Ricken brushes it off, saying "Oh, this is nothing! Just a...flesh wound." This is possibly a Monty Python reference and alludes to the famous line said by The Black Knight in their film Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
• In his C-Rank support conversation with Nowi, Chrom makes an appearance talking to Ricken about burnings tents, this marks the only time Ricken can talk with Chrom in Awakening, not counting Summer Scramble.
• Ricken shares his Japanese voice actress, Yuki Masuda, with Panne.
  • Ricken's voice actor, Yuri Lowenthal, also voices Marth in Code Name: S.T.E.A.M., Fire Emblem Fates, Heroes and Fire Emblem Warriors, Kiragi and one of the male Corrin voices in Fates, as well as Eliwood and Merric in Heroes.
  • Ricken is also one of two male characters in Awakening to have been voiced by a woman in the Japanese version and played by a man in the English dub, a trait shared with Henry, who is also from Awakening. He also shares this trait with Fates' Hayato and Percy, as well as Gaiden/Echoes: Shadows of Valentia's Kliff.
• In Ricken's S-Support with Robin, Id~(Serenity), is not played. Instead "Ha ha! Yes, it will take some getting used to!" is played, the standard S-Support theme for any S-Support not involving Robin. Ricken shares this trait with Cordelia.
• In the cutscene in which he saves Maribelle, the animation of his tome is Rexcalibur, contrasting with his starting tome, Elwind.

Gallery

See main article: Ricken/Gallery.

References