Lance (Japanese:ランスLance) is a playable character inFire Emblem: The Binding Blade. He is a knight ofPherae who fought forRoy in theDisturbance of Bern. A serene and seriouscavalier, Lance serves as a foil to his partnerAlen's reckless bravery.

Biography

At some point before theyear 1000, Lance left his previous work and went toPherae, where he became a trusted knight underMarcus's tutelage.

At the onset of theDisturbance of Bern, whileAlen, Marcus, andWolt departed Pherae and went toOstia to bringRoy back at the request of his fatherEliwood, the Marquess Pherae, Lance remained in Pherae, guarding Eliwood and Castle Pherae. Lance joined Roy's party after he escaped the castle from a bandit attack led byDamas, attempting to reach his young lord and ask for help against the bandits' attack. Once the castle and its inhabitants were saved, he stayed in Roy's army for the war againstBern. After Bern's defeat and the end of the war, Lance returned to Pherae and worked on its restoration.

Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade

Role

Lance is a playable character inThe Binding Blade. He is acavalier in service toPherae. He joins just before the start ofChapter 1 informingRoy that bandits were invading the castle.

Starting stats and growth rates

Cavalier Level 1 Affinity

Recruitment:Chapter 1, automatically on Turn 1 StatsGrowth Rates Max HP 20 Luck 2 Strength 5 Defense 6 Skill 6 Resistance 0 Speed 8 Constitution 9 Movement 7 Aid 16 Max HP 80% Luck 35% Strength 40% Defense 20% Skill 45% Resistance 15% Speed 50% {{{content3}}} {{{content4}}} {{{content5}}} {{{content6}}} {{{content7}}} {{{content8}}} {{{content9}}} {{{content10}}} {{{content11}}} {{{content12}}} {{{content13}}} {{{content14}}} {{{content15}}} Inventory Iron Sword Javelin Vulnerary Weapon Levels E D -- -- -- -- -- --

Promotion stat gains

Class	HP	Str	Skill	Spd	Lck	Def	Res	Con	Mov	Weapon level
Paladin	+3	+2	+2	+2	+0	+2	+3	+2	+1	+50, +50, E (+1)

Analysis

Lance isThe Binding Blade'sAbel archetype, and joins alongside his partnerAlen at the beginning of the game. The decision of whether to use Alen or Lance comes down to personal preference and the whims of theRNG. A solid strategy is to use both at the beginning and keep the one that is growing better when you get better characters and can't deploy both anymore.

The Cavalier class by itself makes both Alen and Lance good. It provides a highmovement range of 7, two weapon types (swords andlances) forweapon triangle control and the ability torescue units and then move in the same turn (allowing rescue drop strategies). Cavaliers also promote toPaladin, which gives them the ability to use axes (and thus perfect weapon triangle control), an additional point of movement and very good stat boosts all around.

Alen will likely edge out Lance due to having advantages inHP,strength, anddefense, while maintaining just enough speed to double who he needs to double, though Lance will usually be more consistent thanks to his higherskill and will double enemies earlier thanks to his higher speed. Of course, both are really good cavaliers with the best availability in the game. The firstKnight Crest you acquire should go to either Alen or Lance, as they are the best candidates for it. As long as they stay relatively close to their average stats, both Cavaliers will be solid units in your roster throughout the whole game.

Personality

Lance is a very serious, loyal knight ofPherae who is very respectful and calm in all situations. He reads many books on war strategy and tactics, and often shares his knowledge with others.^[1] In battle, he even records every move of the soldiers in the army and the enemies in order to help with the battle.^[2] He is quite skilled at theElibe's version of chess, being knowledgable aboutFire Emblem classes such asKnights andSwordmasters.^[3] He has very sophisticated manners, and does deeply care for the others in the army. When he can, Lance does his best to help the others in the army.

Lance is a knight serving Pherae, and a loyal supporter ofRoy. He has been a partner knight withAlen since he came to Pherae, and although they are very different, the two are very good friends. According to Lance, he is not from Pherae, having been there for a short time.^[4] Little else is known about his past, and his hometown is unknown. Because of this, Lance tends to belittle himself, a bad habit that Alen^[5] and Marcus^[6] try to remedy.

Supports

Main article:Lance/Supports

Lance Cavalier Marcus Paladin Initial: 20 Per turn:+2 Alen Cavalier Initial: 30 Per turn:+2 Roy Lord Initial: 20 Per turn:+1 [[{{{support7}}}]] [[]] [[File:Is gba {{{affin7}}}affin.png|link={{{affin7}}} (affinity)]] Initial: {{{initialpoints7}}} Per turn:+ [[{{{support9}}}]] [[]] [[File:Is gba {{{affin9}}}affin.png|link={{{affin9}}} (affinity)]] Initial: {{{initialpoints9}}} Per turn:+ Wolt Archer Initial: 20 Per turn:+2 Lot Fighter Initial: 1 Per turn:+1 Clarine Troubadour Initial: 1 Per turn:+1 [[{{{support8}}}]] [[]] [[File:Is gba {{{affin8}}}affin.png|link={{{affin8}}} (affinity)]] Initial: {{{initialpoints8}}} Per turn:+ [[{{{support10}}}]] [[]] [[File:Is gba {{{affin10}}}affin.png|link={{{affin10}}} (affinity)]] Initial: {{{initialpoints10}}} Per turn:+

Endings

Lance, Serene Knight
Short: Helped rebuild Pherae.

Long: After returning to Pherae with Roy, Lance helped his lord rebuild the ravaged land. Never losing his cool, he helped lead Pherae to prosperity again.

Quotes

Battle quotes

Death quote

Other appearances

Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance

Lance's official artwork fromThe Binding Blade can be viewed inPath of Radiance's extras menu if a copy ofThe Binding Blade is connected to a Japanese copy ofPath of Radiance. This illustration, along with all otherThe Binding Blade-related artwork, is inaccessible in the international versions of the game, owing to the fact thatThe Binding Blade was not released in those regions.

Fire Emblem: Hasha no Tsurugi

Role

When Roy's party heads for the Western Isles, Lance stays behind in Ostia to support Eliwood in rebuilding the Lycian League after Roy defeated the Ostian rebellion. Lance saves Al and Tiena from bandits, and escorts them to Ostia, where they meet Eliwood. Despite the League's reformation, it remains split between Eliwood's faction and another faction headed by the mercenaryKruzard. The lords send out Lance to fend of Kruzard's attack, and Al accompanies him to battle. The two defeat the rebel leader Gehato before Kruzard arrives. However, Lance and Al are unable to deal with Kruzard alone, so they retreat back to Castle Ostia.

When Al confronts Lance about his weird mood, Lance reveals that he and Kruzard became good friends before Lance served Pherae. Kruzard refused to stay with Lance at his previous lord's castle, saying that the only lord he serves is the land of Lycia itself. It is this friendship that now haunts Lance, as he has sworn to protect the lords of Lycia above his personal attachments. Upset with this, Al plans to stop the upcoming battle between Lance and Kruzard. He storms Kruzard's camp, duels with him, and tells him about Lance's feelings, yet is unable to stop Kruzard's plan. Kruzard aims to unite the unstable League against himself as a common enemy, and is even prepared to die for this cause.

On the next day, the battle between the two Lycian factions commences. Lance defeats Kruzard, but is unable to kill him. Then, Al arrives, again duelling Kruzard. During this duel, Al explains Kruzard's goal to Lance. The two fall off a cliff, and only Al returns with a bloody sword. Thus, everyone assumes that Al killed Kruzard. As a result, Kruzard's army retreats, and the Lycian League stands united. However, Al faked Kruzard's death by slashing himself with his own sword.

Later, Eliwood is betrayed by Lord Zem. A battle ensues, with Lance leading the united army against their betrayers. He figured out that Kruzard still lives, and fights motivated by Kruzard's devotion to Lycia. Together, Lance and Al defeat Zem's general and successfully defend the League. Once the battle is over, Lance and Kruzard reunite. They promise to meet again alongside Al, even if all of them are leaving Lycia. With the League finally secure, Lance heads for the Western Isles to fight alongside Roy.

Lance briefly appears again once Al joins Roy's army, though he has no further plot relevance.

Stats

Stats given in:Chapter 11 Cavalier Level 9 Affinity Stats Max HP 25 Luck 5 Strength 9 Defense 8 Skill 10 Resistance 1 Speed 13 Constitution 9 Movement 6 Aid --

Fire Emblem Cipher

Lance is featured on two cards inFire Emblem Cipher.

Fire Emblem Cipher data for Lance
	Loyal Knight of Gales, Lance
		"I do not condone leaving the helpless in the care of those without adequate strength."
		Attack: 60	Support: 10	Range: 1	Deploy Cost: 3
		Class: Paladin		Tier:Advanced	Class Change Cost: 2
		Calm Gale Twin Strike:[Trigger] When this unit is supported by "Alen", until the end of this turn, this unit gains +20 attack and the number of orbs this unit's attacks would destroy becomes 2. "Loyal Knight Ties":[Always] If you have an ally "Alen", this unit gains +10 attack.
	Card #B05-009R, B05-009ST • Artist:Genki Kuno
	Calm Knight, Lance
		"Sure, show me what you've got. I have no intention of losing to you anyhow.""
		Attack: 40	Support: 10	Range: 1	Deploy Cost: 1
		Class: Cavalier		Tier:Base	Class Change Cost: --
		Pherae's Green & Red:[Always] While this unit is being supported by "Alen", this unit gains +30 attack. Attack Emblem:[Support] Until the end of this battle, your attacking unit gains +20 attack.
	Card #B05-010N, B05-010ST • Artist:Genki Kuno
Some card information translation provided by Serenes Forest. For more detailed strategic information on these cards, seetheir TCG wiki article on Lance .

Flavor text

Choose Your Legends placement history

Round	Placement	Character	Votes

CYL 1 (2017)

434

Lance The Binding Blade

303

CYL 2 (2018)

539

Lance The Binding Blade

198 (−105)

CYL 3 (2019)

516 (+19)

Lance The Binding Blade

185 (−13)

CYL 4 (2020)

487 (−43)

Lance The Binding Blade

205 (+20)

CYL 5 (2021)

472 (−15)

Lance The Binding Blade

153 (−52)

CYL 6 (2022)

497 (+23)

Lance The Binding Blade

137 (−16)

CYL 7 (2023)

360 (−137)

Lance The Binding Blade

154 (+17)

CYL 8 (2024)

372 (+12)

Lance The Binding Blade

153 (−1)

CYL 9 (2025)

360 (−12)

Lance The Binding Blade

133 (−20)

CYL 10 (2026)

354 (−6)

Lance The Binding Blade

97 (−36)

Total results		This character has 10 entries across all Choose Your Legends polls.	1,718

Etymology and other languages

Gallery

Sprite Gallery
Cavalier Paladin Sword Lance Sword Lance Axe

Official artwork

• 
  Artwork of Lance fromThe Binding Blade.

Cipher artwork

• 
  Artwork of Lance.
• 
  Artwork of Lance.
• 
  Alec in artwork ofAbel.
• 
  Lance in artwork ofRoy andAl.
• 
  Artwork of Lance andLot.
• 
  Celebratory artwork featuring Lance forCipher's 4th anniversary.

References

This article is part ofProject Characters, a project focused on writing articles for every character present in theFire Emblem series.