The curtain has been pulled back on an epic fan battle once more, as Fire Emblem stans are poised to overthrow the likes of Marth with a meme. The mobile game Fire Emblem Heroes is holding its annual fan vote, one that ends with four characters being turned into high-tier characters in special costumes. And if the latest results are any indication, a random castle guard will be taking home the W.

Fire Emblem Heroes has been going strong since 2017, and a large part of that has to do with its use of fan-favorite characters. Like any good gacha game, Heroes knows how to dangle popular characters in front of players for a limited time. Events recycle the most beloved, but now in cool armor or sexy swimwear. The biggest of these events is Choose Your Legends, where fans can vote for any character in Fire Emblem history. From main characters to stalwart side soldiers and big bads, the top four voted characters get turned into rare Brave Hero variants.

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The first Brave Heroes include Ike and Lucina, both of whom were big enough to get into Smash Bros. Last year's winners were the three main lords from Fire Emblem: Three Houses, showing just how much of an impression the newest game left on fans. Now, 2021's vote is seeing the rise of another Three Houses character: a generic gatekeeper.

via: Polygon

This NPC (who is never named beyond Gatekeeper) is currently second place among all male Choose Your Legends contestants. This is per an official developer tweet revealing results during the contest's halfway point. The contest separates male and female characters, with first and second place from each side getting a Brave Hero. That mean that Gatekeeper has already technically won Brave Hero status.

Gatekeeper became an instant celebrity in the weeks after Three Houses released. His role in the game is literally what his name says. He stands by the castle gates, giving the player status reports of mundane goings-ons and his perspective on big plot developments. He cannot be used in battle, nor does he play any role in the story. But it might be because of his lack of deep backstory or strong motivation that fans took to him so. Fan artists took it upon themselves to decide what he looks like under his helmet, and fan fiction writers made up scenarios where they could romance the gate guard.

Gatekeeper's sudden ascent to second place has many feeling like he could take this thing, and they've pledged the rest of their votes to make it happen. However, fans of third place Chrom have also renewed their efforts to get their man in the top two. Some do it out of a love for Chrom (himself popular enough to get into Smash), and others do it to keep the meme NPC from winning. It feels like anyone can win. It also shows just how attached Fire Emblem fans are to their soldiers. Yes, even the unsung hero who guards the door.

Source: Fire Emblem Heroes Twitter

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