Donnel (Japanese:ドニDenis), orDonny, is a character inFire Emblem Awakening. He is a villager from a small island southeast ofYlisse.

Fire Emblem Awakening

Role

Donnel appears in the first paralogue of the game,Sickle to Sword. When bandits attack his village and kidnap his mother, Donnel goes looking for help and soon runs intoChrom. After telling him what has happened, Chrom and the others gear up for battle, to which he tells Donnel to fight with them. After initially declining, Donnel gears up as well to help his mother and village.

If Donnel gains a level and survives the chapter, he will join theShepherds for the rest of the game. If he fails to do so, he will be left at the village.

Starting stats and growth rates

Villager Level 1 Movement 5

Recruitment:Paralogue 1, automatically from turn 1 Leaves at the end of the chapter if failed to gain a level StatsGrowth RatesCap Modifiers Max HP 16 Speed 3 Strength 4 Luck 11 Magic 0 Defense 3 Skill 2 Resistance 0 Max HP 85% Speed 50% Strength 55% Luck 80% Magic 15% Defense 45% Skill 45% Resistance 20% Speed −1 Strength +1 Luck +3 Magic −1 Defense +1 Skill −1 Resistance −1 {{{content4}}} {{{content5}}} {{{content6}}} {{{content7}}} {{{content8}}} {{{content9}}} {{{content10}}} {{{content11}}} {{{content12}}} {{{content13}}} {{{content14}}} {{{content15}}} Inventory Skills Bronze Lance Vulnerary Aptitude Weapon Levels -- E -- -- -- --

For the Aptitude skill, add +20% to all growth rates.

Reclassing options

Donnel Base classes:* Villager -- -- Reclass options: Fighter Warrior Hero Mercenary Hero Bow Knight

Growth rates when reclassed

Promotion stat gains

FighterMercenary

Class	HP	Str	Mag	Skill	Spd	Lck	Def	Res	Mov	Weapon level
Warrior	+8	+4	+0	+3	+2	+0	+3	+3	+1	E
Hero	+2	+0	+1	+6	+5	+0	+4	+3	+1	E

Class	HP	Str	Mag	Skill	Spd	Lck	Def	Res	Mov	Weapon level
Hero	+6	+3	+1	+3	+3	+0	+3	+3	+1	E
Bow Knight	+8	+3	+0	+2	+3	+0	+1	+2	+3	E

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Skill set

Skill set
Skill		Learned at
	Aptitude	Villager, level 1
	Underdog	Villager, level 15
	HP +5	Fighter, level 1
	Zeal	Fighter, level 10
	Rally Strength	Warrior, level 5
	Counter	Warrior, level 15
	Sol	Hero, level 5
	Axebreaker	Hero, level 15
	Armsthrift	Mercenary, level 1
	Patience	Mercenary, level 10
	Rally Skill	Bow Knight, level 5
	Bowbreaker	Bow Knight, level 15
The above skill list does not include skills obtained exclusively viaDLC.

Analysis

Donnel has incredible growth rates, thanks toAptitude, that stand out even amongAwakening's cast with very high growths as well, but joins with such terrible bases and low movement that training him up isn't worth it overall. In both normal and hard mode as long as you get past his terrible start Donnel can reclass rather quickly to a Fighter or Mercenary and become a viable unit afterwards. However, on Lunatic and Lunatic+, unless you use DLC to grind him up to competence he will never realistically promote. Furthermore, Donnel suffers from having a very difficult recruitment requirement forcing him to level up in his join chapter, which is complicated by the powerful axe-wielders in said chapter. He starts with an E rank in lances which means that he is locked to the Bronze Lance at base, and none of his other classes can wield lances meaning he will be spending a lot of time stuck with weak weaponry. With maximum investment, Donnel's best attribute is his combination of high Luck and the Armsthrift skill, granting him infinite weapon durability without even needing the DLC Limit Breaker skill.

Donnel's biggest contribution to the team is his genes. In casual play, he can pass down his Aptitude skill, granting his monstrous growths to a child unit with actual bases and turning them into a powerhouse. His shining contribution is the fact that he passes down the Pegasus Knight class to his daughter, granting her the coveted Galeforce skill. For this reason, he should absolutely be paired with Sully, Tharja, or Nowi, all of whom have daughters who need him to obtain Galeforce.

Fire Emblem Heroes

Role

Donnel is one of the characters available to be summoned by players from the game's initial launch, and is also the fifth of twelve characters that are part of the game'sHero Battle rotation. He was first made available via Hero Battle at 7:00 AM UTC on February 6, 2017 through 6:59 AM UTC on February 7, 2017, and his Hero Battle has been available during the same time period every twelve days thereafter. A summer variation of Donnel was added in theSummer Firsts update, and was first available to summon from July 7, 2023.

Donnel: Village Hero

Starting stats

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Rarity ★ Weapon type Movement type

Initial StatsLevel 40 Stats Maximum HP 14/15/16 Attack 4/5/6 Speed 2/3/4 Defense 3/4/5 Resistance 1/2/3 Maximum HP 32/34/37 Attack 23/26/29 Speed 18/21/23 Defense 21/23/26 Resistance 14/16/19 {{{content3}}} {{{content4}}} {{{content5}}} {{{content6}}} {{{content7}}} {{{content8}}} {{{content9}}} {{{content10}}} {{{content11}}} {{{content12}}} {{{content13}}} {{{content14}}} {{{content15}}} Note: This unit requires the usage ofTrait Fruit to access any flaws and assets.

Skills Iron Lance -- --

Rarity ★★ Weapon type Movement type

Initial StatsLevel 40 Stats Maximum HP 14/15/16 Attack 5/6/7 Speed 2/3/4 Defense 4/5/6 Resistance 1/2/3 Maximum HP 33/36/39 Attack 26/29/32 Speed 19/22/25 Defense 23/26/29 Resistance 15/17/20 {{{content3}}} {{{content4}}} {{{content5}}} {{{content6}}} {{{content7}}} {{{content8}}} {{{content9}}} {{{content10}}} {{{content11}}} {{{content12}}} {{{content13}}} {{{content14}}} {{{content15}}} Note: This unit requires the usage ofTrait Fruit to access any flaws and assets.

Skills Iron Lance -- --

Rarity ★★★ Weapon type Movement type

Initial StatsLevel 40 Stats Maximum HP 15/16/17 Attack 5/6/7 Speed 3/4/5 Defense 4/5/6 Resistance 2/3/4 Maximum HP 36/39/42 Attack 28/31/34 Speed 22/25/28 Defense 25/28/31 Resistance 17/20/23 {{{content3}}} {{{content4}}} {{{content5}}} {{{content6}}} {{{content7}}} {{{content8}}} {{{content9}}} {{{content10}}} {{{content11}}} {{{content12}}} {{{content13}}} {{{content14}}} {{{content15}}}

Skills Steel Lance -- --

Rarity ★★★★ Weapon type Movement type

Initial StatsLevel 40 Stats Maximum HP 15/16/17 Attack 6/7/8 Speed 3/4/5 Defense 5/6/7 Resistance 2/3/4 Maximum HP 37/40/43 Attack 30/33/36 Speed 23/26/29 Defense 27/30/33 Resistance 18/21/24 {{{content3}}} {{{content4}}} {{{content5}}} {{{content6}}} {{{content7}}} {{{content8}}} {{{content9}}} {{{content10}}} {{{content11}}} {{{content12}}} {{{content13}}} {{{content14}}} {{{content15}}}

Skills Brave Lance Reciprocal Aid --

Rarity ★★★★★ Weapon type Movement type

Initial StatsLevel 40 Stats Maximum HP 16/17/18 Attack 6/7/8 Speed 4/5/6 Defense 5/6/7 Resistance 3/4/5 Maximum HP 40/43/46 Attack 32/35/38 Speed 26/29/32 Defense 29/32/35 Resistance 20/23/27 {{{content3}}} {{{content4}}} {{{content5}}} {{{content6}}} {{{content7}}} {{{content8}}} {{{content9}}} {{{content10}}} {{{content11}}} {{{content12}}} {{{content13}}} {{{content14}}} {{{content15}}}

Skills Brave Lance Reciprocal Aid --

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Skill set

Skill set
Skill		Unlock	Auto-unlock	SP cost
	Iron Lance	★	★	50
	Steel Lance	★★	★★★	100
	Brave Lance	★★★	★★★★	200
	Brave Lance+	★★★★★	★★★★★	300
	Hewn Lance	★★★★★	—	400
	Reciprocal Aid	★★★	★★★★	150
A	HP +3	★	—	40
A	HP +4	★★	—	80
A	HP +5	★★★★	—	160
B	Drag Back	★★★	—	150

Donnel: Sunny Villager

Starting stats

★★★★★★★★★

Rarity ★★★★ Weapon type Movement type

Initial StatsLevel 40 Stats Maximum HP 14/15/16 Attack 9/10/11 Speed 3/4/5 Defense 9/10/11 Resistance 4/5/6 Maximum HP 40/43/47 Attack 40/43/46 Speed 25/28/31 Defense 35/38/42 Resistance 24/27/30 {{{content3}}} {{{content4}}} {{{content5}}} {{{content6}}} {{{content7}}} {{{content8}}} {{{content9}}} {{{content10}}} {{{content11}}} {{{content12}}} {{{content13}}} {{{content14}}} {{{content15}}} Note: This unit requires the usage ofTrait Fruit to access any flaws and assets.

Skills Wooden Tackle Reciprocal Aid --

Rarity ★★★★★ Weapon type Movement type

Initial StatsLevel 40 Stats Maximum HP 15/16/17 Attack 9/10/11 Speed 4/5/6 Defense 9/10/11 Resistance 5/6/7 Maximum HP 43/46/50 Attack 42/45/48 Speed 28/31/34 Defense 37/40/44 Resistance 27/30/33 {{{content3}}} {{{content4}}} {{{content5}}} {{{content6}}} {{{content7}}} {{{content8}}} {{{content9}}} {{{content10}}} {{{content11}}} {{{content12}}} {{{content13}}} {{{content14}}} {{{content15}}} Note: This unit requires the usage ofTrait Fruit to access any flaws and assets.

Skills Wooden Tackle+ Reciprocal Aid --

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Skill set

Skill set
Skill		Unlock	Auto-unlock	SP cost
	Iron Axe	★★★★	★★★★	50
	Steel Axe	★★★★	★★★★	100
	Wooden Tackle	★★★★	★★★★	200
	Wooden Tackle+	★★★★★	★★★★★	300
	Reciprocal Aid	★★★★	★★★★	150
A	Atk/Def Form 1	★★★★	—	60
A	Atk/Def Form 2	★★★★	—	120
A	Atk/Def Form 3	★★★★	—	240
B	Chill Def 1	★★★★	—	60
B	Chill Def/Res 1	★★★★	—	120
B	Chill Def/Res 2	★★★★★	—	240

Personality

Despite his unusual manner of speech, Donnel is a kind-hearted boy who is always eager to help others. He has a talent for trapping, but his cooking skills are non-existent, as witnessed in the Asupport conversation with the femaleRobin. In his supports withCordelia, his kindness is expressed when he goes out of his way to write down every nice thing about her in order to cheer her up. Donnel also has a good memory and willingness to learn, as he was able to memorizeMaribelle's copy of Ylisse's law book with little effort and score perfect marks onMiriel's examination.

Supports

Main article:Donnel/Supports

Endings

Donnel, Village Hero (single ending)
Donnel returned to his tiny village and lived a quiet life with his mother. He never took up arms again—a blessing for which he thanked the exalt daily.

Donnel, Village Hero & Robin, High Deliverer
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, Donnel, above all else.

Donnel, Village Hero & Lissa, Sprightly Cleric
Donnel returned to his tiny village and built a happy life with his mother and Lissa. Still, the latter insisted on breaking the monotony, and the couple often traveled to far-flung markets.

Donnel, Village Hero & Sully, Crimson Knight
Donnel returned to his tiny village and built a happy life with his mother and his wife, Sully. The latter established a militia much like the Shepherds to arm the villagers against the threat of brigands.

Donnel, Village Hero & Miriel, Rapier Intellect
Donnel returned to his tiny village and built a happy life with his mother and his wife, Miriel. The latter directed her studies on the local flora; Donny was shocked that trees could have ten-syllable names.

Donnel, Village Hero & Maribelle, Dire Damsel
Donnel returned to his tiny village and built a happy life with his mother and Maribelle. Still, he was careful not to pester his new bride about working in the fields, lest she lift a scythe for other reasons.

Donnel, Village Hero & Panne, Proud Taguel
Donnel returned to his tiny village and built a happy life with his mother and his wife, Panne. This new "warren" had more than enough nature to please any taguel, and her heart found a home at last.

Donnel, Village Hero & Cordelia, Knight Paragon
Donnel returned to his tiny village and built a happy life with his mother and his wife, Cordelia. The latter, however, continued to train hard as a knight and often answered the exalt's call.

Donnel, Village Hero & Nowi, Eternal Youth
Donnel returned to his tiny village and built a happy life with his mother and his wife, Nowi. She loved her new home and scampered through the fields and mountains with the fervor of a village cat.

Donnel, Village Hero & Tharja, Grim Stalker
Donnel returned to his tiny village and built a happy life with his mother and his wife, Tharja. The latter never warmed to the villagers, but she was said to smile around her family.

Donnel, Village Hero & Olivia, Shrinking Violet
Donnel returned to his tiny village and built a happy life with his mother and his wife, Olivia. Their forgotten hamlet glowed during festivals, when Olivia's dancing warmed more than any fire.

Donnel, Village Hero & Cherche, Wyvern Friend
Donnel returned to his tiny village and built a happy life with his mother and his wife, Cherche. The latter's easy laugh and many skills quickly earned the love and respect of her new family.

Quotes

Main articles:Donnel/Quotes (Awakening) andDonnel/Quotes (Heroes)

Other appearances

Fire Emblem Cipher

Donnel is featured on three cards inFire Emblem Cipher.

Fire Emblem Cipher data for Donnel
	Grown Villager, Donnel
		"Yehaw! Plowing down all these enemies made me level up!"
		Attack: 60	Support: 10	Range: 1	Deploy Cost: 3
		Class: Hero		Tier:Advanced	Class Change Cost: 2
		"Water the Fields!":[Trigger] At the start of your turn, place the top 3 cards of your deck in your Retreat Area. Blossoming Aptitude:[Trigger] When this unit attacks, until the end of the battle, this unit gains +10 attack for each "Donnel" card in your Retreat Area. ( is only active when this unit is Class Changed)
	Card #B04-080HN • Artist:Kuzuya
	Fresh Swordsman, Donnel
		"C'mon, c'mon I'd like to keep getting better!"
		Attack: 50	Support: 10	Range: 1	Deploy Cost: 2
		Class: Mercenary		Tier:Base	Class Change Cost: --
		"Sow the Fields!":[Trigger] At the start of your turn, place the top two cards of your deck in your Retreat Area. Until the end of this turn, this unit gains +10 attack for each "Donnel" placed in your Retreat Area by this skill.
	Card #B04-081N • Artist:Kana Kuramoto
	Young Villager, Donnel
		"I might be just a villager, but there's lots I can do!"
		Attack: 30	Support: 20	Range: 1	Deploy Cost: 1
		Class: Villager		Tier:Base	Class Change Cost: --
		"Plow the Fields!":[Trigger] At the start of your turn, place 1 card from the top of your deck to your Retreat Area. If that card was a "Donnel", until the end of this turn, this unit gains +10 attack. Resistance Emblem:[Support] If your defending unit is destroyed, at the end of this battle, you may deploy this card instead of placing it in your Retreat Area.
	Card #B04-082N • Artist:Kuzuya
Some card information translation provided by Serenes Forest. For more detailed strategic information on these cards, seetheir TCG wiki article on Donnel .

Flavor text

Meet some of the Heroes entries

Village HeroSunny Villager

Donnel: Village Hero
I'd recognize that tin pot anywhere! Here's Donnel, a young Hero from a small village in Ylisse. He's an expert at working the land and hunting, and he spent most of his life in the countryside.	One day, when the village came under attack by bandits, Donnel asked the Shepherds for help. Desperate to become stronger, he formally joined the Shepherds after the battle!	Donnel had already learned a lot about working the land and hunting game during his time at the village, but from that point onward, his appetite for knowledge really took off. I hear he even memorized a hefty old tome about law from cover to cover!	If there's a challenge on the horizon, you can be sure Donnel will slap on his tin pot helmet and charge headlong at it. With his enthusiasm and sheer potential, I can see him doing great things for the Order of Heroes!
Closely Associated Characters
Chrom {{{Related_name2}}} {{{Related_name3}}} {{{Related_name4}}} {{{Related_name5}}} A prince of Ylisse and descendant of the Hero-King. Leads the Shepherds. He invites Donnel into the group. {{{Related_blurb2}}} {{{Related_blurb3}}} {{{Related_blurb4}}} {{{Related_blurb5}}}

Donnel: Sunny Villager
We've got a very special visitor joining our tropical-island holiday: it's Donnel, the villager from Ylisse! Donnel grew up on an island, so he's already made himself right at home.	Donnel's swapped his usual pot-helmet for a straw hat. He's also got some very fashionable sandals!	That's a lot of fish he's got hanging from that pole—did he catch all those himself? I didn't realize he was as good at fishing as he is at farming!	Farming and helping out the Shepherds must keep Donnel very busy. I hope he takes plenty of time to unwind at the beach!
Closely Associated Characters
Chrom {{{Related_name2}}} {{{Related_name3}}} {{{Related_name4}}} {{{Related_name5}}} A prince of Ylisse and descendant of the Hero-King. Leads the Shepherds. He invites Donnel into the group. {{{Related_blurb2}}} {{{Related_blurb3}}} {{{Related_blurb4}}} {{{Related_blurb5}}}

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Choose Your Legends placement history

Round	Placement	Character	Votes

CYL 1 (2017)

23

Donnel Awakening

10,479

CYL 2 (2018)

137

Donnel Awakening

1,876 (−8,603)

CYL 3 (2019)

144 (+1)

Donnel Awakening

1,835 (−41)

CYL 4 (2020)

197 (+41)

Donnel Awakening

824 (−1,011)

CYL 5 (2021)

223 (+26)

Donnel Awakening

439 (−385)

CYL 6 (2022)

160 (−64)

Donnel Awakening

635 (+196)

CYL 7 (2023)

144 (−16)

Donnel Awakening

429 (−206)

CYL 8 (2024)

236 (+92)

Donnel Awakening

264 (−165)

CYL 9 (2025)

190 (−46)

Donnel Awakening

294 (+30)

CYL 10 (2026)

302 (+112)

Donnel Awakening

116 (−178)

Total results		This character has 10 entries across all Choose Your Legends polls.	17,191

Trivia

• InOlivia's support with Donnel, she sings of a tale about araven prince and aheron princess in the Japanese version, which was changed to a tale about swans in the localized editions.

Etymology and other languages

Gallery

Official artwork

• 
  Artwork of Donnel fromAwakening.

Portraits

• 
  Portrait of Donnel inAwakening.

Heroes artwork

Character artwork

• 
  Artwork of Donnel: Village Hero.
• 
  Artwork of Donnel: Village Hero.
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  Artwork of Donnel: Village Hero.
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  Artwork of Donnel: Village Hero.
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  Artwork of Resplendent Donnel: Village Hero.
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  Artwork of Resplendent Donnel: Village Hero.
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  Artwork of Resplendent Donnel: Village Hero.
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  Artwork of Resplendent Donnel: Village Hero.
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  Artwork of Donnel: Sunny Villager.
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  Artwork of Donnel: Sunny Villager.
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  Artwork of Donnel: Sunny Villager.
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  Artwork of Donnel: Sunny Villager.

Meet some of the Heroes artwork

• 
  Artwork of Donnel: Village Hero.
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  Artwork of Donnel: Village Hero.
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  Artwork of Donnel: Village Hero.
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  Artwork of Donnel: Village Hero.
• 
  Artwork of Donnel: Sunny Villager.
• 
  Artwork of Donnel: Sunny Villager.
• 
  Artwork of Donnel: Sunny Villager.
• 
  Artwork of Donnel: Sunny Villager.

Other artwork

• 
  Wallpaper of Donnel: Village Hero from theA Hero Rises 2018 event.
• 
  Artwork featuring Donnel released on the second day ofChoose Your Legends:Round 8.

Cipher artwork

• 
  Artwork of Donnel.
• 
  Artwork of Donnel.
• 
  Artwork of Donnel.

References