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Durban
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| “ | I am power. Power without peer. I am the dragonhunter. I am the fleshbiter, the bonecrusher, the skullbreaker, the doombringer. | ” | — Durban |
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Durban (Japanese:テュルバンTurbin) was a member of theEight Legends ofElibe and a hero ofthe Scouring. He was the original wielder of the Thunder Axe,Armads, and established a warrior clan in theWestern Isles.
Biography
Late inthe Scouring, Durban was chosen as one of the eight mightiest warriors of mankind to wield the newly-forgedlegendary weapons against thedragonkin.[1] He was givenArmads and participated in an attack theDragon Sanctuary in order to defeatIdunn, thedemon dragon. During this battle, the sheer power of the legendary weapons caused theEnding Winter and forced the dragons to revert toweak, human-like forms.[2] Durban and the other Generals took the opportunity and easily slaughtered the manaketes.
Durban was present at the confrontation between the Generals and Idunn in her manakete form. After she was sealed away byHartmut and hisBinding Blade, Durban traveled to theWestern Isles and established a warrior's clan there.[3] He sealed Armads away in a cave, and after he died, his soul came to rest there as well.
Ten years before theDisturbance of Bern, the Armads cave was visited byHector andAthos, who desired to use Armads againstNergal. After subduing the axe's phantom guardians, Durban's ghost appeared before Hector and warned him that, if he were to wield Armads's power, he would doom himself to a death on the battlefield, a fate which Hector readily accepted if it meant helpingEliwood. Durban then allowed Hector to take Armads.[4] After this encounter, Durban's soul probably passed from the world of the living for good, likeRoland's did after giving his weapon to Eliwood.
Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade
Role
Durban appears as a ghost in the closing cutscene ofChapter 30, exclusively in Hector's Tale.
Personality
Durban was a bloodthirsty and war-hungry figure befitting his title of berserker, to the point of even taking his axe's name as his own[5] and possibly believing that he and Armads were one and the same.[6] He believed that to seal away a power as great as Armads and not use it is a waste of that power, and that peacetime was a similar waste and that a death in battle was preferable to waiting around and doing nothing with his power.[7] Physically, Durban is said to have been absolutely enormous beyond ordinary men.[8]
Choose Your Legends placement history
| Round | Placement | Character | Votes |
|---|
| CYL 5 (2021) | 736 |  Durban The Blazing Blade | 32 |
| CYL 6 (2022) | 740 (+2) | Durban The Blazing Blade | 33 (+1) |
| CYL 7 (2023) | 781 (+41) | Durban The Blazing Blade | 17 (−16) |
| CYL 8 (2024) | 802 (+21) | Durban The Blazing Blade | 20 (+3) |
| CYL 9 (2025) | 815 (+13) | Durban The Blazing Blade | 16 (−4) |
| CYL 10 (2026) | 689 (−126) | Durban The Blazing Blade | 25 (+9) |
| Total results | This character has 6 entries across all Choose Your Legends polls. | 143 |
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Trivia
- Despite his portrait depicting him as shirtless, Durban is shown wearing a suit of armor similar toHector's in the opening cutscene ofFire Emblem: The Blazing Blade.
Etymology and other languages
| Names, etymology, and in other regions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Language | Name | Definition, etymology, and notes |
| English | Durban | Probably derived fromTurpin, a Frankish archbishop who was depicted inLa Chanson de Roland as an ally of the titularRoland and wielder of the swordAlmace. |
| Japanese | テュルバン | Turbin; corruption of "Turpin", as above. |
| Spanish | Durban | -- |
| French | Durban | -- |
| German | Durban | -- |
| Italian | Durban | -- |
| Portuguese | Durban | Used in theChoose Your Legends polls forFire Emblem Heroes. |
| Traditional Chinese | 杜爾班 | Turban; used in the Choose Your Legends polls forHeroes. |
Gallery
Durban's portrait inThe Blazing Blade.
References
- ↑"Jahn: However, the humans soon found out about the demon dragon. They concluded that their numbers were not enough to defeat us. They focused their efforts into forging weapons that would pierce our scales. They are what you humans call the legendary weapons.
Roy: That much I know...
Jahn: The strongest human warriors were chosen to wield their newly crafted weapons." —Jahn andRoy,Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade - ↑"Jahn: They came and attacked this sanctuary. However, the immense power of the weapons clashing with our own power... It caused something none of us had anticipated.
Roy: What happened?
Jahn: The laws of nature started to collapse. Snow began to fall in summer. Stars shone in the middle of day...
Roy: You mean it caused the Ending Winter? I thought it occurred because the dragons released vast amounts of energy...
Jahn: Is that how your legends go?
Roy: The power of the legendary weapons were used to restore order to nature. That's what I learned.
Jahn: So in other words, we were the cause of everything bad that happened. How typical of you humans. But the truth is as I said." —Jahn andRoy,Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade - ↑"The berserker Durban's final glory was to create a warrior's clan in the Western Isles." — Opening narration ofChapter 11E,Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade
- ↑"Hector: This is one dangerous-looking fellow... Hey, Durban... I mean, Armads... Whatever. Doesn't matter. Hey, you, lend me your strength!
Durban: You desire strength? Then prepare yourself. Once you have gained such power... Your life will not end in a comfortable bed. You will die on the battlefield. In the savage garden of war's bloody delights.
Hector: ...I don't care. I will help my friend. That's why I've come this far. Armads! Your power! Lend it to me.
Durban: ...It is yours." —Hector and Durban,Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade - ↑"My name is... Durban... I am called Armads..." — Durban,Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade
- ↑"I am power. Power without peer. I am the dragonhunter. I am the fleshbiter, the bonecrusher, the skullbreaker, the doombringer." — Durban,Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade
- ↑"I require no seals. I have no need of this idleness called peace. Power unused is power wasted. Better to lie spent in the grave than to sit in wait. I care not who... I would fight someone..." — Durban,Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade
- ↑"Armads was wielded by Durban the Berserker, who was said to be a colossus of a man." —Elffin,Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade
 | This article is part ofProject Characters, a project focused on writing articles for every character present in theFire Emblem series. |
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