First of all, this post is about the Fates MALE Avatar, and only him. His female version not only has different supports but also a different personality, so most (if not all) the arguments I list here are only valid for M!Kamui.

Also: I’m not here to try to make you change your mind about Kamui, just to clarify some things and maybe explain/justify them. You are either going to agree or disagree.

Okay, let’s go





Main things I’ve seen reproched to Kamui:

Mary Sue/Gary Stu



Bland/Lack of personality



Dumb



Let’s start with TV Tropes’ definition of a Mary Sue:

“The prototypical Mary Sue is an original female character in a fanfic who obviously serves as an idealized version of the author mainly for the purpose of Wish Fulfillment. She’s exotically beautiful, often having an unusual hair or eye color, and has a similarly cool and exotic name. She’s exceptionally talented in an implausibly wide variety of areas, and may possess skills that are rare or nonexistent in the canon setting. She also lacks any realistic, or at least story-relevant, character flaws — either that or her "flaws” are obviously meant to be endearing. She has an unusual and dramatic Back Story. The canon protagonists are all overwhelmed with admiration for her beauty, wit, courage and other virtues, and are quick to adopt her as one of their True Companions, even characters who are usually antisocial and untrusting; if any character doesn’t love her, that character gets an extremely unsympathetic portrayal.“



Now let’s break down all this and prove Kamui does not fit the definition of a Gary Stu, shall we?





I. “The Fates Avatar is a Gary Stu”

Kamui isn’t an idealized version of the author or even the player

Kamui isn’t even a good Self-Insert, given how specific and detailed his backstory, family/ies, situation, personality, quirks and relationships are. Everything about him is so specific and detailed it’s super hard for the player to project themselves into Kamui. For a Self-Insert to be efficient, you really need a blank slate, a “Insert name, gender and personality here”. Keep in mind I’m not saying he is not supposed to be a Self-Insert; I’m just stating he isn’t a good Self-Insert. In my opinion, Robin from Awakening fulfilled this role better, because of the lack of information about his past and his severe amnesia.

Unusual hair color: Zero, Izana and Rinkah (and Rinkah’s kid) also sport white hair. Yes, white hair is definitely an “unusual hair color”, but this is Fire Emblem: characters having unusual hair colors are nothing new, and Kamui is far from being the only one. Orochi and Camilla have purple hair; Yuugiri, Oboro, Beruka, Lilith, Aqua, Shigure and Setsuna’s hair are all different shades of blue, and then you have Peri who’s got both blue AND pink hair! Also add Velouria, Selkie and Keaton whose hair also mix two different colors. And what about Hinoka’s vibrant red hair? Clearly Kamui’s hair color is not the only one being “unusual”. It’s so common at this point, you can’t even call it “unusual” anymore. It’s just the norm.

Unusual eye color: Xander, Leon, Saizo, Anna, Tsubaki, Caeldori and more all have reddish eyes, although Kamui’s are obviously a brighter shade of red. But then you have Aqua and Shigure (and Lilith, Arete and most likely Anankos himself) who have golden eyes. Also Peri reveals she has heterochromia, even if we never see it, so again Kamui’s eyes are officially not the most unusual.

Cool and exotic name: “Kamui” lets him mix with his Hoshidan siblings (and was probably a name given to him by his mother Mikoto), so it really doesn’t stand out, except among his Nohrian siblings. “Corrin” works the same but with his Nohrian siblings. In contrast, Caeldori and Rhajat’s names are the odd ones out because these are not Hoshidan/Japanese names (which is understandable because the anagrams had to be kept).

Exceptionally talented in an implausibly wide variety of areas: LMAO WHERE DO I START

1. He can’t fucking make tea and, despite his best efforts, NEVER LEARNS HOW TO MAKE IT. Guys, he managed to BURN TEA and the food he cooks tastes like STEEL. 2. He has trouble lifting heavy stuff (supports with Mozu, in which she remarks he really isn’t strong for a guy)

3. Only manages to keep up with Caeldori’s training because her dad made her have such a high opinion of him that she’s convinced he’s faking it every time he falls over or tires faster than her

4. Canonically never could beat Xander in sparring. He really never beats him fair and square since the only reason he manages to kill Xander at the end of Birthright is because Xander himself let him. As far as the game lets us know, he never bests Xander, be it in raw strength (remember Mozu’s remark) or skill. It doesn’t matter if your Avatar absolutely crushed Xander in Birthright, that’s just where the game mechanics play their role so the narrative doesn’t restrict the player: it’s still canon that Xander is stronger than Kamui. And let’s not forget Kamui himself becomes stronger throughout the story: at the beginning, he could not beat Garon either.

5. Kinda sucks at strategy at the beginning, and only becomes moderately better at it because Leon gives him regular lessons. Even at the end of their supports, Leon is still way better than him. Actually, when you think of it, Kamui is GOOD WITH TACTICS but VERY BAD WITH STRATEGY, unlike Robin. While his charisma makes him an excellent leader in skirmishes and his supports with Shinonome show he’s good at discerning an immediate opponent’s strengths and weaknesses, he absolutely lacks the ability to handle LARGE-SCALE BATTLES. Also there’s Yukimura, who is an official master tactician. Ryouma is also said to be a great tactician. Just because you’re in control of Kamui in the game doesn’t mean he canonically comes up with all the strategies on his own, and it’s canon him and his siblings are holding war meetings to think and discuss what they’ll do next.

6. Sucks at archery at the beginning too, and only becomes better at it thanks to Takumi teaching him. Even at the end of his supports, Takumi is still a much better archer (which is normal).

7. Seriously lacks endurance (supports with Hinata).







Lacks realistic character flaws: Again, where do I start?

1. Naive.

Yeah, you saw that one coming, but that’s a flaw that definitely deserves to be listed. What would you expect from someone who grew up without being allowed to go outside? He has no idea how the world works and had no way to learn it. Also is one of the rare characters to fall for Charlotte’s facade at first (A support only, since she gives herself away right at the beginning of their B support).

2. Ignorant.

Due to his naivety of the world and the fact that he grew up in reclusion, Kamui constantly needs people to explain him many concepts. I should also add, as a 2.b., that he is also SOCIALLY IGNORANT, since he sometimes upsets people with his words or honesty without realizing it.

3. Lacks self-confidence.

This changes over the course of the game though, as he becomes confident in himself. He apologies way too much too… and for so many different things too. Kamui really has a habit of rapid-firing apologies if he does something to upset others.

To Leo in their B support: “I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault you feel so hurt, isn’t it?” To Beruka in their C support: “I’m sorry for bothering you. […] S-sure. Sorry to bother you.” To Beruka in their B support: “I’m sorry. It sounds like I hit on a sensitive subject.”

To Zero in their B support: “I’m so sorry. I think I’ve heard enough for now. I should have known better than to pry. […] I’m so sorry. You’re putting on a brave face, but I can’t imagine…” To Nyx in their C support: “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.” To Benny in their C support: “I’m terribly sorry to disturb you like this. […] Well, again, I’m sorry to have bothered you. […] I’m sorry! […] I’m sorry for asking.” To Gunter in their B support: “I’m sorry, I feel like I may have brought up something I shouldn’t have.” To Izana in their A support, over giving him a worn out book as a gift: “I have to apologize. This one’s from my personal library, so I’m sorry it’s used.” To Kana in their B support: “I’m sorry for making you feel so bad.” To Dwyer scolding him for risking his life over some mint in their A support: “I… I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry.”

To Suzukaze being briefly rude to him and immediatly apologizing in their B support: “No, no, this is all my fault. I’ve been pestering you too much. I’m sorry.” To Suzukaze in their A support, when he apologizes again for being rude: “Hm? Oh, you mean when you got mad about me following you around? Don’t worry about it. It was my fault anyway. I’m sorry for bothering you. […] Stop! You did nothing wrong! If anything, I should be apologizing to you!” (I could go on forever but you get it. I was very tempted to actually COUNT every single time he says “sorry” or “I apologize” in his supports but… do you really need that?)

Moreover, he has trouble standing up for himself or simply saying "no”, especially to characters who are self-confident (supports with Scarlet, Caeldori, Serena, Niles…). That doesn’t mean he is unable to say “no” or to tell them off when a character pushes him past his limits though (supports with Laslow, Odin…).







4. Innocently insensitive.

Having been raised away from the world and being kind-hearted, he sometimes unknowingly says stuff that insults or upsets the person he’s talking to (like Kazahana who believed he mocked her father’s death and ideals in their supports). He also believes he can resume a family dynamic with the family he didn’t side with at the end of Conquest or Birthright when half the members of said family are dead (indirectly because of him) and their homeland ravaged as a result of his decision and actions. Even if they might forgive him SOMEDAY, the losing family isn’t gonna be THAT welcoming any time soon.

5. No social skills.

I mean it. While he is uptight to some levels, he’s still a fairly forward guy and some of his reactions are labelled as “unconventional” by others, such as shouthing in a public area. Of course he didn’t have the chance to develop normal social skills, because of his reclusive life prior to siding with Nohr/Hoshido. Before that, he never had real social interaction, his siblings and servants only providing a limited, superficial social life.

6. Emotive.

While he isn’t hot-headed, he tends to make decisions based off his heart instead of his head, and he needs Aqua (or his siblings) to keep that tendency in check.

7. He oversleeps.

Okay, that one is here for the sake of comedy, but don’t tell me it’s not the most realistic and relatable flaw.





Everyone loves Kamui (even those who are usually antisocial and untrusting): Again, I’m pretty sure people are only counting the royals and apparently the royals are the only characters in the entire game. OF COURSE his siblings love him, they grow up together and supported each other… and the others (minus Takumi) longed for him and idealized the IDEA of him… and even then, you have to count that Leon, while he loves Kamui too, also feels jealousy. And let’s not even talk about Takumi, who takes a hell of a long time to start liking him even in Birthright. And that also depends on the route you choose. Xander is out there for his HEAD if you go with Birthright and clearly expresses how furious, resentful and betrayed he feels (the same goes for Leon). And that’s without counting all the recruitable characters who outright don’t like Kamui/act cold, suspicious or rude towards him at the beginning of their supports: Saizo, Oboro, Kazahana, Azama, Mitama, Rinkah, Beruka, Selena, Zero, Nyx… Rinkah and several others even refer to him as “that sheltered Nohrian prince” and it’s clearly not meant as a compliment. And let’s not forget the people at large: at the end of Birthright/Conquest, it’s clearly stated that the losing side’s population hates Kamui and regards him as a disgusting traitor that brought death and misery onto them. I’m sorry but can you imagine being hated by the population of an entire kingdom? He better not go for a walk in the streets of Nohr/Hoshido after the war, they’re gonna stone him to death for sure.





Now that we’ve seen that Kamui doesn’t fit in the Gary Stu’s costume, let’s move on to the next recurring complain.





II. “He doesn’t have any personality”

To be frank, I am always astonished when I hear/read this argument. It never occured to me that Kamui could give this impression. I really have no idea why it’s everywhere and so commonly accepted. I really don’t. His supports are right here and literally provide us with all the evidence, and he has SO MANY SUPPORTS, which means SO MUCH INFORMATION. The only rational explanation I can think of is people never bothered to read the supports. Or they read them but didn’t pay attention. I don’t know, really, let’s move on to the part where I list all the different aspects of his personality:

1. Social awkwardness/shyness:

The direct result of never experiencing real social interaction and growing up reclused in a fortress. He also stutters when he’s nervous, which happens several times in his S-supports.

Reaction to Caeldori’s confession: “Agh–um–er–you–what?!”. Priceless. Then he proceeds to stutter in his next sentences: “I-I just don’t think I have anything to teach you”, “ I didn’t mean to– I never–”, “ I-I see…”.



Priceless. Then he proceeds to stutter in his next sentences: Before confessing to Mitama: “Ah—uh—well, yes. I-I just feel shy, I guess.”



Trying to confess to Selkie: “I mean… Ugh… why is this so hard?!”



Even Zero notices his nervosity in their S-support: “You seem hesitant.”



While describing Nyx in a very poetic way in their S-support, he goes on about how she has these “charming crow’s feet beneath her eyes when she laughs”… to which Nyx says “That’s enough about my wrinkles”, destabilizing him and making him stutter as a result. Not that eloquent anymore.



probably more exemples that I’m too lazy to find ^^’







2. Bookworm, cultivated, eloquent

While Kamui doesn’t have the level of intelligence or tactical ingenuity that Robin possesses, it’s stated he does read a lot in his spare time. What else? He can play the piano (according to one of Suzukaze’s lines when he first enters the treehouse), likes poetry (supports with Mitama), is well-versed in philosophy and even learns how to sing if he marries Aqua.

M!Kamui to Selkie in their B-support: “Remember the soldier you felled in battle? You were going in for the coup de grace, and I stopped you.”, to which Selkie’s only answer is a dumbfounded “The coup de what now?”.

To Aqua in their B-support, he reveals he had made a book club with his servants and how fond he was of the library of the Northern Fortress: “…And there was a huge library! You’d never run out of books to read in Nohr! Felicia, Jakob, and I even had a little book club.”



In his C-support with Caeldori: “Oh, Tsubaki–why hast thou forsaken me?”, which might be a 4th wall breaking reference to Matthew 27:45-50, in which Jesus says: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”. Even if it’s not, the language used is still very elevated and has a theatrical feel.



In his supports with Selkie, he also proves to be quite refined on the philosophy of warfare: “I believe that there is a balance in all things. We are at war, so we cannot hesitate in battle. But at the same time, we cannot allow ourselves to forget that it is people that we are fighting. We cannot indulge our bloodlust more than necessary.”

After confessing “simply” to Eponine in their S support, he chooses to give it one more try: “But perhaps I should offer a more formal proposal. Eponine, would you do me the honor of giving me your hand in marriage?”







3. Uptight:

More specifically, he seems particularly worried about offending women.

To Mitama in their S-support after confessing and seeing her in shock: “I’m sorry, Mitama! Have I offended you?”



To Selkie pouncing on him trying to wrestle: “What are you doing? Get off of me! […] I… I don’t think it’s appropriate.”



Selkie trying to convince him to confess to her in their S support: “I promise I won’t get offended.”

Eponine in their S support: “Just take a moment to rethink what you’re doing. I won’t be offended if you change your mind.”

If he achieves an S-support with Yuugiri/Reina, he reveals he actually went to ASK HER PARENTS FOR HER HAND. I know, the game is set in some sort of fantasy medieval time, but there are countless of modern references, attitudes, ways of talking, etc., and this act in particular is considered very old-fashioned. Also other male characters don’t do this, if I remember correctly.



old-fashioned. Also other male characters don’t do this, if I remember correctly. To Mozu seeming offended after he told her she was shockingly strong in their C support: “Sorry, I meant it as a compliment. No offense intended.”

Carefully wording his confession to Mozu in their S support: “I mean no offense by this, but when we first met…”

Also:

To Suzukaze laughing at something he just said in their A support, he gets somewhat offended: “Are you…laughing at me?!”



To Foleo in their B support: “I didn’t offend you, did I?”

To Percy in their C support: “I’m sorry. I meant no offense.”





4. Childish/Immature:

Runs away from Camilla at the end of their C-support instead of maturely confronting the situation, and later regretfully admits he behaved like a kid. He also remarks it’s not with that attitude he’ll get her to treat him as an adult.

Loves sweets, which is culturally coded in Japan as childish (or feminine), as opposed to the “mature and masculine” flavors of spiciness, sourness or saltiness. Several of his supports have him handing candy to the other person, implying he keeps some on him at all times, and Jakob mentions in his supports with Effie that he’s making candies for Kamui.

Plays hide and seek with Kisaragi (Kamui, please, you’re like 18).







5. Sarcastic and down to earth:

Kamui dishes out his fair share of snark throughout the story…

Kamui to Aqua warning him that Nohrian forces are approaching: “Seriously? We haven’t even been here five minutes.”



Between Ryouma and Camilla’s B and A-support, goes “what the hell” offscreen in reaction to them trying to drag him into their ridiculous contest of “who is the better sibling to you?” and refused to take part in it.



To Odin in their A support: “ *sigh* You found me… […] Well that’s too bad. I’m sure you’ll figure something out eventually. […] Sorry, but I um…have to go take care of something. Bye, Odin.”



“ To Tsubaki denying his recent constant eating has anything to do with him overhearing his stomach growling: “Ok, so clearly it does.”



To Laslow who revealed he only wanted to have lunch with him because, with him there, “the fair lasses in town are far less likely to flee": “On second thought, I think I’m busy. I have to do… not that.”



(With Odin and Laslow, you can also see he has little patience for silliness and or/tiring individuals.)





6. Analytical mind:

I already discussed this in a previous analysis HERE, but it deserves its place here as well.

His supports with Shinonome show that he has quite a head for analysis. Knowing full well Shinonome surpasses him in raw strength (again, think of Mozu’s remark), he scans his abilities on the spot, luring him into a false sense of security and seizing an opening, to beat him:

“You have a powerful swing, but it tends to go wide. I noticed your strikes were creating a blind spot for you, so I aimed for that. It took a few hasty blocks against your blows before I could gauge the distance… But once I had it figured out, I waited for my chance to enter into your guard.”

Something I think also relates to his analytical mind is the fact that, after some training (btw a nice throwback at this is his S support with Scarlet, in which he says “I’m no poet”), he becomes able to understand and analyze Mitama’s haikus in their A support:

Mitama: “The soul of Nature / Stirs in the stillest dewdrops / Gems on greening leaves.” M!Kamui: “Hm. So with this one you’re saying that water is the essence of all life, right? Because it’s the “soul” of every living thing in nature?” Mitama: “Precisely. Now, for something new: In red evening / When the crows caw their sad song / I contemplate time. Burning now through the mountains / Is the sadness of their song. This is a slightly different form, calle the tanka. It’s like a haiku, but with five lines. The last two have seven syllables.” M!Kamui: “I see. It’s very beautiful. And this one is about autumn, right? “Red evening” doesn’t just mean any old sunset, does it?” Mitama: “You are exactly correct. I’m impressed you caught that.”

Add to this how he successfully deduces Scarlet’s murderer and that Mikoto lied to him about the doors in Revelation.





7. Protective:

When Kamui gets pissed, he gets PISSED.

His reaction to Hans throwing Gunter off the bridge into the Bottomless Canyon. He got so angry his arm just turned into some Lovecraftian abomination.



His reaction to Mikoto’s death. He’s so shocked and miserable and furious the most feral and instinctive part of his brain unlocks and his body’s first reaction is to TRANSFORM INTO SOMETHING THAT CAN CRUSH THE CULPRIT AND GET RID OF THE THREAT.



His reaction to Vallite soldiers attacking Kana: “YOU! You dare touch my child?! I’ll soak these fields with your blood!”



“I am going to MASSACRE YOU, Hans! Once I’m done with you, only your axe will remain!” (I couldn’t find the original quote, but this is the translation of what he yells in the French version of the game)







8. Survivor’s guilt:

Never outright stated, but it’s implied he suffers from this, due to Sumeragi and Mikoto dying to protect him (and him witnessing their death). In his supports with Yukimura and Suzukaze, he even APOLOGIZES for SURVIVING Garon’s ambush when King Sumeragi himself met his end, something he had absolutely NO CONTROL OVER. Can you imagine apologizing for not dying? Moreover, he often expresses doubt over his own worthiness throughout his other supports, and downright panic if he’s ever forced to leave allies behind, terrified they could die in his place as well. Of course, in all three routes, he has to watch even more of his friends take a blow for him or sacrifice themselves for the greater good (like Flora and Elise in Birthright, Ryouma in Conquest, Lilith in both routes, and Scarlet and Izana in Revelation), so his anguish grows even stronger.

C Support with Yukimura:

Yukimura: I suppose you could say that King Sumeragi was like a second father to me. M!Kamui: I know he… He died trying to protect me. I’m so sorry. It’s my fault we both lost him. Yukimura: Lord Kamui, stop right there. It was never your fault. It was King Garon’s. […] M!Kamui: I know, I know…





A Support with Yukimura:

M!Kamui: My father is no longer with us because of me. And I am tremendously sorry I caused you such pain. Yukimura: Hm? Didn’t I tell you the other day that you needn’t say such things? M!Kamui: Even so, I only realized after our talk just how large a role he played in others’ live. Not just in my family’s lives, or even in all the people of Hoshido’s lives. But in the lives of those he met and knew personally, simply as a man. And, in particular… I realized just how important he must have been to you. You looked so happy and peaceful while you were talking about him… So I DO feel I need to apologize to you.





9. Weak but skilled:

While Kamui is no slouch in battle (and is easily one of the best fighters in the army since he is, you know, the avatar and has a greater potential than the rest of the characters), canon makes it clear he is far from being the strongest, finding himself bested by more powerful opponents like King Garon, Xander on Birthright or Anankos in Revelation in straight-up single combat. Heck, given how their supports go, Benny, Charlotte and Mozu could most likely beat him easily!

M!Kamui, to Saizo taking the heavy boxes he was trying to carry in their B support: “Those are my things! I can carry them perfectly well myself.” Saizo: “That’s not what I saw.”

Rather, Kamui’s greatest strengths is his intelligence and, like I’ve mentioned earlier, his analytical ability; but let’s not forget his charisma; his determination; the Yato, his divine blade; and his bonds with all the characters who are (or become) loyal to him, especially his siblings.

TV Tropes also mentioned something I found very interesting: “his fighting style seems to reflect this as well—lots of flips, spins and twists that lack power, but are very fast and hard to dodge.”









And now to the last complain:





III. “He is an idiot”

To which I reply: Innocence isn’t stupidity.

Proof that he is innocent:

Trusts Zola because of his lack of wordly experience (so he literally never learnt to be careful with who to trust)



Expresses surprise that Saizo do not trust him in his supports with him, despite him growing up in enemy territory making him understandably suspicious. Then when Saizo admits he can’t imagine him scheming anything, Kamui automatically assumes that makes them friends: “I wouldn’t want to lose your trust, now that we’re friends.”, “Friends? Where did you get that idea?”, “It seemed clear to me…”.



Zero mocks him when he says he trusts him: “Scared of what I might do next? I don’t blame you. I haven’t yet earned your trust. It’s smart of you to be skeptical.”, “No, no… I trust you.”, “You do? How foolish! After all, I don’t yet trust YOU.”, “What?! Why not?”.



Even Anna has to teach him to not trust too easily in their A support: “Annnd that’s step one: don’t be so quick to trust people!”.







Proof that he is not stupid:



He clearly doesn’t buy Garon’s claims that he wasn’t trying to kill him with Ganglari (Conquest)



He lists all the reasons for his defection, among which Garon almost killing him as collateral damage with Ganglari (Birthright)



He only PRETENDS to be fooled by Anthony’s deception and effectively out-gambits him (Revelation)



He successfully deduces Scarlet’s murderer (Revelation)



If the player pays attention, he sees through Possessed!Mikoto’s lie in Castle Gyges and doesn’t fall for her trap with the doors



By analyzing Shinonome’s movement during their duel, he is able to trick him into thinking he has the upper hand and beat him, despite being physically weaker and the weapon triangle not being in his favor

Being innocent is not knowing because no one taught you; being stupid is having been taught but not learned.

Or, if you prefer, being naive is lacking wordly experience; being stupid is lacking intelligence.





This post kept getting longer and longer every time I went back to it. There are just so many things to say about M!Kamui, but I need to stop because it’s already much longer than I had initially planned.

Let’s just summarize M!Kamui’s personality real quick, with keywords:

Naive



Socially ignorant



Lacks self-confidence



Apologies a lot



Innocently insensitive



No social skills



Emotive



Socially awkward, shy



Bookworm, cultivated, eloquent



Uptight



Immature



Sarcastic, down to earth



Analytical mind



Protective



Survivor’s guilt



Weak but skilled



Innocent but intelligent



I think that’s it. Oh boy, that sure took forever. Hope you enjoyed it, at least.

I don’t know how to end this post so have a meme: