Leonie Pinelli

Leonie is a playable character in Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Leonie is a student at the Officers Academy who's from the Leicester Alliance and is one of the Golden Deer. She is 19 at the start of the game. Deeply indebted to her home village, Leonie diligently trains every day to make them proud and lives modestly. Her goal is to eventually become a mercenary so she can return the favor to her village, only joining the Officers Academy in the first place to train towards her dream, and having no qualms in having to the fight the Church since she was never particularly devout. When an incident during her childhood left her small village suffering from poachers, Jeralt and his band of mercenaries appeared to fight them off. His act of heroism inspired the young Leonie to dream of one day becoming a great mercenary as well. Due to this, Leonie seems to idealize Jeralt, often referencing him or espousing teachings from the time he spent in her village. She considers herself his "first and only apprentice," and takes great pride in the fact that Jeralt saw potential in her. As a result, she takes Jeralt's death the hardest, arguably wanting to avenge Jeralt's death even more than Byleth when facing Kronya. Despite or perhaps because of this, Leonie pushes herself to live up to her mentor's legacy. During the War phase, Leonie adopts a similar uniform to Jeralt's and carries a similar shield. Following the end of the war, she becomes known as The Blade Breaker II and successfully leads Jeralt's former company in many of her endings. In some endings, she also copies Jeralt's worst tendencies, including his passion for drink and habit of leaving unpaid bar tabs behind. In others, such as her paired ending with Shamir, Leonie rises above Jeralt's flaws and becomes the most famous mercenary in Fodlan's history. Leonie also appears to be rather competitive when interacting with Byleth, and considers them a potential rival due to the fact that they are the child of her hero, something which she envies them for, because she believes they don't properly appreciate Jeralt as a father. However, after her mentor's death, she makes it clear she will give her life toward them because that is what Jeralt would want, effectively citing this as her reason for why she follows Byleth even when joining the Black Eagles or Blue Lions. Leonie can be rather impulsive and blunt, and has a habit of speaking her mind even when it may not be appropriate. Her ability to speak to her emotions is something of a double-edged sword, as it means she is completely honest with her goals and feelings, but also doesn't hold back and may not be tactful. She is also very proud of her abilities as a warrior and does not hesitate to demonstrate her power as well as her cunning. Despite her brash and competitive demeanor, Leonie also appears to have a somewhat sentimental side as she reminiscences about what the support of her village means to her. She mentions having an affinity for painting as a young girl, but quickly had to abandon the hobby to take up more practical skills. Leonie is also sensitive about not being treated like other girls her age, treatment that is likely a result of her blunt, impulsive, and bold behaviour, and tomboyish appearance.