Name: Chrom
Class: Lord
Appears in: Fire Emblem Awakening, Fire Emblem Fates (DLC), Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE, Fire Emblem Heroes, Fire Emblem Warriors, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U (Final Smash), Project X Zone 2, Monster Hunter Frontier G (Costume and Weapon set), WarioWare Gold, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Playable Fighter)
Today is a special day...Chrom's canonical birthday. As such, there isn't a more appropriate day to share this post. Do note that due to his position as a main lord, there will be untagged Awakening spoilers throughout this post. This is your final warning.
Chrom is the main protagonist of Fire Emblem Awakening, the thirteenth game in the main series. Chrom himself is the Prince of Ylisse and a descendant of the Hero-King, Marth, himself. On his right shoulder, he bares the Brand of the Exalt, proof of his lineage. He wields the legendary blade of light, Falchion, though due to it being over two thousand years old, the blade is no longer as powerful as it once was, its power sealed within it.
Chrom's older sister, Emmeryn, is the Exalt of Ylisse at the start of the story, while Chrom leads an elite militia of Ylissean warriors known as the Shepherds. Separate from Ylisse's standard knight order, the Shepherds act more akin to a special operations unit. Most of the Shepherds are close friends of Chrom, coming from mostly noble houses.
At the start of the story, Chrom is joined by his younger sister, Lissa, as well as his lieutenant and retainer, Frederick, a Cleric and a Great Knight, respectively. The three of them are patrolling when they encounter a person lying unconscious in a field and wearing a robe with Plegian emblems. As Ylisse is in a constant state of strife with the neighboring theocracy of Plegia, the trio investigates. As the unconscious person awakens, Chrom offers his hand to them and helps them up, introducing himself and asking why the person was lying in the grass.
Frederick, being the sworn protector of the royal family, is cautious of the person, who later remembers their name, Robin. It becomes apparent that Robin has amnesia. They didn't even know Chrom's name, the Shepherds, Ylisse, or anything about themselves. Frederick doesn't buy their story, but Chrom insists on helping Robin, believing them to be at risk if they're left behind. After a skirmish with a group of Plegian bandits, Robin reawakens his talents for magic, swordplay, and tactics, and is brought into the fold of the Shepherds by Chrom to serve as their tactician. This marks the start of Chrom and Robin's unbreakable friendship.
Chrom, as a character, isn't the most talkative or social person, but he's very quick to help someone in need, even if his own life is put into jeopardy. This recklessness also comes through in his fighting style, where he dives into battle head first with reckless abandon. This becomes a point of conflict with Frederick, who acts as a voice of reason and foil to Chrom, as well as male Robin in his supports. But Chrom refuses to change who he is. He can't let others get hurt if he has the power to stop it, though Robin does convince him to at least bring back up when going on patrol.
During chapter five, Lady Maribelle is taken hostage by King Gangrel of Plegia for supposed illegal border crossing. In actuality, Plegian bandits were razing an Ylissean village, and Maribelle, trying to stop them, was kidnapped and taken over the border in an attempt to exchange her life for the Fire Emblem. Chrom, Robin, Emmeryn, and the Shepherds come to her aid, but upon reaching Gangrel, some Plegian soldiers come too close to Emmeryn for Chrom's liking while brandishing weapons. Chrom, in a blind rage to protect his sister, strikes one of them down, but because they're on Plegian soil, this is taken as an act of war. The war with Plegia has now officially started, and Chrom's actions prove to have dire consequences in time.
During chapter six, Chrom reveals to Robin the atrocities committed by his father when he was young, bringing greater context to the situation with Plegia. His father had been a warmonger, starting a crusade against Plegia. Out of stubborn pride, he kept the war going for years on end, despite both the economic cost and the sheer number of casualties on both sides of the conflict. Farmers with no combat training were drafted once Ylisse was out of trained soldiers, leading to famine within the halidom. Eventually, the war ended with the death of Chrom's father. Emmeryn took control of Ylisse and offered peace with the Plegians, ending the conflict. However, her own people hated her due to the actions of her father. She persevered, and in time, regained the trust of the Ylissean people.
Chrom, despite his young age at this time, looked up to Emmeryn. He didn't see himself as fit to rule, but he saw how much she cared for the people, and he wanted to do what he could to help. After developing a talent for combat, he grew up to lead the Shepherds, fighting for the people of Ylisse. Unlike his own father, he wouldn't command them from on high. He'd fight alongside his friends in the heat of battle. He'd grow close to them, and care for them as if they were his own family. This is best showcased in his Summer Scramble conversation with Stahl, one of the Shepherds' cavaliers. Stahl constantly wants to improve himself to impress Chrom after the latter gives him a compliment, but exhausts himself in the process. Chrom notices this and encourages Stahl to relax and not over-exert himself, lest he work himself into an early grave.
This is also shown in the first paralogue, wherein Chrom and the Shepherds save a farming village from bandits with the help of a local farmboy, Donnel. Donnel, should he level up during the encounter, offers his services to Chrom at the battle's end...but ONLY if he levels up. Chrom wanted proof that Donnel could handle himself in a fight, and in the end, he isn't drafted. Donnel volunteers. This stands in direct contrast with the actions of Chrom's father during the Plegian crusade, showing their opposing ideologies.
Chrom, in addition, does have a canonical love interest, that being the Pegasus Knight Sumia. The player has the option of marrying Chrom to a handful of other women, but the game absolutely pushes Sumia as the canonical choice, between her holding baby Lucina in the opening cutscene, to the cutscene where Sumia saves Chrom being named Lovebirds, to the pair having the fastest growing love level of all of Chrom's supports.
Though their supports themselves, and the S-Support in particular, are controversial, I do think Sumia is a good choice for Chrom's partner. The two have quite a bit of chemistry together, and they each offer the other something that helps their faults. Chrom rarely looks out for himself and is focused on others' wellbeing. Sumia, in turn, has a very nurturing and empathetic, almost motherly side to her that allows her to provide emotional support. Sumia suffers from terrible self-esteem issues and resorts to escapism to avoid her own shortcomings. Chrom, then, is an emotional rock for her due to how much he individually cares for those he loves.
After Cordelia reports to Chrom and Emmeryn about the fall of Ylisse at the end of chapter seven, Emmeryn returns to the capital against Chrom's wishes, saying that she has to be there for her people. However, during chapter eight, Chrom is informed that Emmeryn was captured and about to be executed unless the Fire Emblem was given to Gangrel. He leads the charge against Plegia and storms their capital, and right when they're about to rescue Emmeryn from the spire, the Pegasus Knight rescue team led by Phila is shot down by suddenly-summoned Risen archers.
With Phila dead, Emmeryn had the archers' bows pointed right at her. Chrom is about to give up the Fire Emblem for her safety, but Emmeryn makes a speech, calling for the Plegian people to throw down their arms in an offer of peace. Thinking her speech didn't work, Emmeryn does what she needs to to prevent Chrom from giving up the Fire Emblem: she throws herself off the spire, committing suicide by leaping from the spire. Chrom runs to catch her, but fails to reach her in time, and watches as she falls to the ground.
After barely escaping Plegia through the Midmire and taking on the reluctant Plegian General Mustafa, Chrom is reeling at the loss of his older sister. It's only after Robin leads a pep talk that Chrom regains his resolve, further strengthening the bond between the lord and tactician. With his newfound resolve, Chrom leads the final charge against Gangrel in a climactic battle, ultimately ending in Gangrel's death and the end of the war. At the war's conclusion, Chrom proposes to Sumia, and the two marry.
Two years then pass. Chrom is still growing into his role as the acting Exalt of Ylisse, struggling to live up to Emmeryn's ideals. As well, Chrom and Sumia are now parents of a newborn daughter, Lucina. However, news arrives from Regna Ferox, with a request for Chrom to meet with Khans Flavia and Basilio immediately. Considering Regna Ferox had been Ylisse's closest ally in the Plegian War, Chrom made the diplomatic decision to visit. Upon arrival, they find out that Valm, a nation from across the sea, had declared war on the Ylissean continent by assaulting Regna Ferox by sea. Forced to make a hard call, Chrom decides to join forces with the Khans in taking down Walhart the Conqueror, wanting a peaceful world for Lucina's future.
Before leaving however, the Shepherds are forced to stop in Plegia to secure a ship, as neither Ylisse nor Regna Ferox had a standing naval fleet. However, before leaving, they're beset by Risen. The Mysterious Swordswoman™ saves Chrom from a surprise assassination attempt, but inadvertently calls him "Father" in the process. With the jig being up, she reveals her true identity by showing Chrom her left eye. Within it, lo and behold, was the Brand of the Exalt...in the same spot that baby Lucina had hers. Chrom is taken aback, but then it makes sense to him. Her sword, her fighting style, the brand...she was his daughter. The two share a tender moment, and after a bit of stunned silence, Chrom earnestly tells her,
"You deserved more from me than one sword and a world of troubles."
Lucina breaks down in tears in her father's arms soon afterwards. Chrom's words here bring together a major theme of his character: fatherhood. Chrom is a father to his men, a father to his people, and a literal father to Lucina. In a show of irony, his own father had been incredibly uncaring and abusive, a warmonger who only cared for his own ambitions, his own people be damned. And here Chrom was, face to face with the future self of his own daughter, and his first reaction is realizing he failed her. He left her with exactly what his own father left him and Emmeryn: one sword and a world of troubles.
When Chrom reaches Valm, he eventually faces off against Walhart's generals, including Cervantes and Pheros. Cervantes tells Chrom how Walhart's ambition and charisma had swept up almost all of Valm in support of him, while Pheros says she used to look up to Emmeryn, but saw her sacrifice as weakness, so she went to Walhart, who offered strength. Chrom, hearing all of this, begins to question just how different his own methods are from Walhart's.
Upon facing Walhart himself, Chrom does what Emmeryn would have wanted and offers peace. Having none of it, Walhart refuses. Chrom apologizes to Emmeryn under his breath and draws his sword, now knowing that despite giving peace a chance, Walhart wasn't able to be swayed. Chrom brings an end to Walhart's reign, ending the Valmese campaign. Through this, he finally becomes an Exalt in his own right, no longer trying to just live up to Emmeryn's legacy. He recognizes the difference between his path and Walhart's: the path of a king vs the path of a conqueror.
Upon returning to the Ylissean continent, it is revealed that not only is Robin the son of Validar, but also able to be controlled by their father. This comes into play when Validar forces Robin to give him the Fire Emblem against their will. Lucina recognizes that Robin, through Validar's will, was the one who killed Chrom in her doomed future, and brought about the reign of Grima. She confronts Robin in a field and is about to execute them to save her father, but Chrom bursts in at the last minute and refuses to allow it.
Chrom believes that the bonds he's formed with Robin and all the Shepherds will be enough to change the future for the better. Together, Chrom, Robin, Lucina, and the Shepherds storm the Dragon's Table to recover the Fire Emblem. Through Robin's tactics, Chrom is able to fake his death and allow for them to defeat Validar with a surprise attack. However, despite Validar's death, Chrom's survival, and the Fire Emblem's recovery, Grima is still resurrected. Having no other choice, Chrom and the others head to Mount Prism to contact Naga herself and perform the Awakening ritual, which would allow the Falchion to return to its original, powerful form. She warns Chrom that the ritual may kill him if he isn't worthy.
He accepts, and in the end, he makes it through, and the Falchion becomes the Exalted Falchion, imbued with Naga's power and able to seal away Grima for another thousand years. Robin asks if there is a more permanent solution, and realizes that if he were to kill Grima, it would technically be Grima killing himself, as Robin is his vessel, resulting in a permanent end to Grima. However, this would come at the cost of Robin's own life. Chrom, not wanting to sacrifice his best friend, promises they'll find another way. They'd seal Grima away for a millennium and then work on finding a permanent solution in the interim. Here, Chrom's optimism and loyalty shines through again. After all, in his eyes, they'd already changed fate several times over.
During the final battle against Grima, the player is presented with the choice of allowing either Chrom or Robin to land the killing blow. Should it be Chrom, Grima is sealed and work toward finding a permanent solution is started. Should it be Robin, Grima dies permanently but Robin fades from existence. In this ending, Chrom vows to find Robin again one day, confident that they may have survived. Lo and behold, as the credits close, Chrom finds Robin again, assuring them that everything is okay and welcoming them back.
As a unit, Chrom is fairly good, especially for a character that's required for every chapter. He's far from dead weight. Aether increases both his damage output and survivability, lance access on promotion gives him access to 1-2 range weapons, and he can class change to Great Knight or Paladin if mobility is a concern. He also makes a fantastic pair up partner with Dual Strike+. While he doesn't get Galeforce and can't Nosferatu tank, preventing him from being a top tier unit in the Awakening metagame, he can still provide ample support on the battlefield. Plus, he's mandatory anyway, so you lose nothing by fielding him.
Chrom's entire story focuses on fatherhood, as stated above, as well as his bonds with his friends. He struggles with his sudden promotion to Exalt, and believes in the good in people until the end. After all, anything can change.
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