Rutger (Japanese:ルトガーRutger) is a playable character inFire Emblem: The Binding Blade. He first appears inChapter 4. Rutger is a reserved and rude swordsman working forMarquess Laus. He is the first enemy unit that can be recruited inThe Binding Blade.

Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade

Role

Rutger is first seen in the fourth chapter ofThe Binding Blade. WhenRoy's army trustingly passes throughLaus, Erik, who had already betrayed theLycian League, orders his own army to kill them. While Laus' troops are fighting the Lycian Army, Rutger goes to the cells and freesan imprisoned girl fromEtruria, taking advantage of the confusion produced by the attack. After he does so, Erik, who has noticed that the opposing army is stronger than he thought, orders Rutger to go to the battlefield.

Shortly after he leaves the castle, Rutger meets again with the same girl, who tries to convince him to protect her. Clearly not interested, Rutger is more than ready to return to his work, but then she, determined to recruit him, adds that this army is fighting againstBern. This argument makes Rutger change sides immediately, and he remains in Roy's army until the end.

After Bern is defeated and the war is over, Rutger completely disappears; the only information on him comes from the records of this war.

Starting stats and growth rates

Stats with two figures separated by a ~ are presented as a range, representing stats that vary due to random growths. The figures to the left and right of the ~ are the stat's minimum and maximum possible values respectively.^[2]

NormalHard

Myrmidon Level 4 Affinity

Recruitment:Chapter 4, talk to withClarine StatsGrowth Rates Max HP 22 Luck 2 Strength 7 Defense 5 Skill 12 Resistance 0 Speed 13 Constitution 7 Movement 5 Aid 6 Max HP 80% Luck 30% Strength 30% Defense 20% Skill 60% Resistance 20% Speed 50% {{{content3}}} {{{content4}}} {{{content5}}} {{{content6}}} {{{content7}}} {{{content8}}} {{{content9}}} {{{content10}}} {{{content11}}} {{{content12}}} {{{content13}}} {{{content14}}} {{{content15}}} Inventory Killing Edge Weapon Levels C -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Myrmidon Level 4 Affinity

Recruitment:Chapter 4, talk to withClarine StatsGrowth Rates Max HP 25~26 Luck 3~4 Strength 8~9 Defense 5~6 Skill 13~15 Resistance 0~1 Speed 14~16 Constitution 7 Movement 5 Aid 6 Max HP 80% Luck 30% Strength 30% Defense 20% Skill 60% Resistance 20% Speed 50% {{{content3}}} {{{content4}}} {{{content5}}} {{{content6}}} {{{content7}}} {{{content8}}} {{{content9}}} {{{content10}}} {{{content11}}} {{{content12}}} {{{content13}}} {{{content14}}} {{{content15}}} Inventory Killing Edge Weapon Levels C -- -- -- -- -- -- --

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Promotion stat gains

Class	HP	Str	Skill	Spd	Lck	Def	Res	Con	Mov	Weapon level
Swordmaster	+5	+2	+2	+1	+0	+3	+2	+1	+1	+50

Analysis

Rutger joins in chapter 4 as an enemyMyrmidon, and needs to be recruited byClarine. Since he starts out as an enemy reinforcement, he gains hard mode bonuses which make his bases even higher than normal. He has highspeed, decent enoughstrength, and a powerful starting weapon in theKilling Edge. In his joining chapter he'll be able to easily one round every enemy on the map besides the boss, but even then he might get lucky with a crit. You can train him up on the pirates that go for the village, but that is largely unnecessary because the next chapter has plenty of axe users too.

Thanks to his highskill and the high accuracy of swords, something that few weapons inThe Binding Blade have, Rutger will be one of the few characters which will be able to consistently hit bosses, despite their +30 avoid from thrones, and he will have enough speed on average to double every boss aside fromKel. Upon promotion, Rutger gains a passive +30% critical bonus; when combined with the innate crit of a Killing Edge and his naturally high skill, he can consistently crit almost every enemy, making him one of the best boss-killers in the game. Rutger will also usually be the first person capable of wieldingDurandal, but it should be used cautiously if the player is aiming to get the best ending.

If Rutger equips aWo Dao, has an A support with Clarine, and a Bsupport withDieck, he can reach over 100 crit, allowing him to land a critical hit on every attack he hits. This is largely unnecessary as Rutger will usually crit even without supports, and Rutger's support with Dieck is fairly slow, meaning that you'll need to spend a lot of turns having both of them next to each other which will kill your turn count.

Rutger will drop off slightly after the Western Isles as his mediocre strength will become too low to one round enemies without a crit. Moreover, most enemies will start wielding lances, against which Rutger has aweapon triangle disadvantage. His lack of reliable 1-2 range and his lowdefense andresistance also give him a lackluster enemy phase, and his lowluck can make him susceptible to low percent crits, though because weapons inThe Binding Blade often have low accuracy, he can usually dodge most attacks consistently. Also, because of the large maps in the game, he will often need to berescued to reach the boss quickly. Despite these flaws, however, Rutger can find use throughout the entire game thanks to his aforementioned boss-killing capabilities.

Overall, thanks to his high bases, respectable growths and a 30% crit bonus, Rutger is one of the strongest raw combat units in the game. The relative rarity of reliable one-rounding and even accuracy inThe Binding Blade makes his consistent combat stand out much more. When he joins, the only units capable of keeping up with him offensively would be Marcus,Zelot and Dieck, all of whom he can surpass thanks to his promotion and growths, and even later on in the lategame, he can be useful for bosses such asMurdock and killing particularly tough regular enemies, making him an invaluable asset, especially on Hard mode.

Comparison with Fir

Compared toFir, Rutger has the advantage of joining earlier, with a higher level at the time of their respective joining the army. In addition, Rutger has a higher rank in swords than Fir, allowing him to use high-level swords earlier than her. When it comes to the legendary S-rankedDurandal, Rutger will likely to be able to wield it earlier than Fir.

In terms of stat growths, assuming that both of them are at the same level, Rutger tends to be very slightly lower in speed than Fir and lacks her higher luck stat, although almost all other stats (with the exception of resistance) are a bit higher than her. In addition, Rutger will most likely be at a higher level and promoted by the time Fir joins the army.

Comparison with Karel

Assuming that Rutger was promoted to Swordmaster, his experience level determines whether he can compete withKarel or not due to his stats. If Rutger has not trained enough, Karel outclasses him by virtue of already joining at level 19 in the late game, as well as having a high level of use of swords; however, Rutger has the potential to be on par with him. Karel is likely the only realistic choice for a Durandal user if not enough effort and training was put into Rutger or Fir or another sword wielder.

Fire Emblem Engage

Role

Rutger appears as an equippableBond Ring. He can be summoned usingRoy'sEmblem Ring.

Bond Ring data

Stat modifiers Ring level Str Dex Spd C +0 +1 +0 B +0 +1 +1 A +1 +1 +1 S +1 +2 +1

Fire Emblem Heroes

Role

Rutger is one of the characters added to the game in theA Father's Legacy update, and was made available to players in the twenty-ninthGrand Hero Battle, which initially ran from March 11, 2019 through March 20, 2019. Only one variation of Rutger is currently available inHeroes, based on hisThe Binding Blade incarnation.

Rutger: Lone Swordsman

"Rutger: Lone Swordsman" redirects here. For the Grand Hero Battle map, seeGrand Hero Battle/Battle data (page 3) § Rutger: Lone Swordsman.

Stats

★★★★★★★★★★★★

Weapon type Movement type Entry Release version 3.3

Level 1 / DefaultLevel 40 / Max Stats Max HP 18/19/20 Attack 6/7/8 Speed 7/8/9 Defense 5/6/7 Resistance 3/4/5 Skills Steel Sword -- -- A-- B-- C-- Stats Max HP 37/40/43 Attack 25/28/31 Speed 32/35/38 Defense 22/25/28 Resistance 18/21/24 Skills Slaying Edge -- Retribution AAtk/Def Bond 2 BVantage 1 C-- {{{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.

Weapon type Movement type Entry Release version 3.3

Level 1 / DefaultLevel 40 / Max Stats Max HP 18/19/20 Attack 7/8/9 Speed 8/9/10 Defense 5/6/7 Resistance 3/4/5 Skills Slaying Edge -- Retribution A-- B-- C-- Stats Max HP 38/41/44 Attack 27/30/33 Speed 34/37/41 Defense 23/26/29 Resistance 19/22/25 Skills Slaying Edge -- Vengeance AAtk/Def Bond 3 BVantage 2 C-- {{{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.

Weapon type Movement type Entry Release version 3.3

Level 1 / DefaultLevel 40 / Max Stats Max HP 19/20/21 Attack 7/8/9 Speed 8/9/10 Defense 6/7/8 Resistance 4/5/6 Skills Slaying Edge+ -- Retribution A-- B-- C-- Stats Max HP 41/44/47 Attack 29/32/35 Speed 36/39/43 Defense 25/29/32 Resistance 21/24/28 Skills Wanderer Blade -- Vengeance AAtk/Def Bond 3 BVantage 3 C-- {{{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.

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Skill set
Skill		Unlock	Auto-unlock	SP cost
	Iron Sword	★★★	★★★	50
	Steel Sword	★★★	★★★	100
	Slaying Edge	★★★	★★★★	200
	Slaying Edge+	★★★★★	★★★★★	300
	Wanderer Blade	★★★★★	—	400
	Retribution	★★★	★★★★	100
	Vengeance	★★★★	—	200
A	Atk/Def Bond 1	★★★	—	60
A	Atk/Def Bond 2	★★★	—	120
A	Atk/Def Bond 3	★★★★	—	240
B	Vantage 1	★★★	—	50
B	Vantage 2	★★★★	—	100
B	Vantage 3	★★★★★	—	200

Personality

Rutger is a swordsman of mixed blood fromBulgar, the main city ofSacae. Although two of his grandparents were Sacaean, he looks more like a man fromBern.^[3] This saved his life when Bern invaded Sacae; the troops spared him because he did not look like a native.

This massacre marked him deeply, and he became a man obsessed with revenge; when asked byDayan about his future plans, he admits he has not thought about it.^[4] He has also stated, in different degress of rudeness, that he uses his sword to kill, and therefore, he is not interested in training with other members of the army, such asFir andKarel. However, after meetingDieck, Rutger designates him as his rival, swearing to be the one to kill him – a statement that annoys and amuses Dieck.^[5]

Despite all of this, Rutger is very aware of how wrong his path is, as he apologizes after grudgingly accepting Dieck's help, and asks Karel if he will be able to be accepted after all is done.^[6] He also shows a softer side in his supports with Clarine, where he recognizes that, although her personality grates his nerves, he prefers her to be honest with herself and the others.^[7]

Supports

Main article:Rutger/Supports

Rutger Myrmidon Clarine Troubadour Initial: 10 Per turn:+2 Dieck Mercenary Initial: 10 Per turn:+1 Fir Myrmidon Initial: 1 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:+ Dayan Nomadic Trooper Initial: 1 Per turn:+1 Karel Swordmaster Initial: 1 Per turn:+1 [[{{{support6}}}]] [[]] [[File:Is gba {{{affin6}}}affin.png|link={{{affin6}}} (affinity)]] Initial: {{{initialpoints6}}} Per turn:+ [[{{{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

Rutger, Surly Myrmidon
Short: Disappeared without any trace or farewell.

Long: Rutger disappeared without a trace after the war. He was reportedly sighted in various places around the continent, but his name only appears in the records of the war.

Quotes

Battle quotes

Death quote

Heroes quotes

Main article:Rutger/Quotes (Heroes)

Other appearances

Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance

Rutger'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.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Rutger, under the nameRutoga, appears inSuper Smash Bros. Brawl as a usablesticker.

	Rutoga fromFire Emblem: The Binding Blade
	Bonus:[Slash] Resistance +12
	Usable by:

Fire Emblem Cipher

Rutger is featured on four cards inFire Emblem Cipher.

Two of the below cards' quotes are still in raw, untranslated Japanese; these needs translation.

Fire Emblem Cipher data for Rutger
	Blood-Red Rage, Rutger
		"俺の剣は人を斬るためだけにある。"
		Attack: 70	Support: 10	Range: 1	Deploy Cost: 4
		Class: Swordmaster		Tier:Advanced	Class Change Cost: 3
		Blood Whirlwind:[Trigger][Once per turn] When this unit's attack destroys a non-lord enemy, you may untap this unit. Death Temptation:[Trigger] [] After "Blood Whirlwind" is activated, you may pay the cost, and if you do: Select an enemy in the Back Line with at least 70 attack, and move it.
	Card #B05-029SR • Artist:Nico Komori
	Swordsman Chasing His Sworn Enemy, Rutger
		"おまえの背中に最初の傷をつけるのは俺だと決めている。"
		Attack: 50	Support: 10	Range: 1	Deploy Cost: 2
		Class: Myrmidon		Tier:Base	Class Change Cost: --
		Steel Sword:[Activate][Once per turn] [] Until the end of this turn, this unit gains +10 attack. Scarlet Blade of Revenge:[Support] Until the end of this battle, if your attacking unit has the affinity, your attacking unit gains +20 attack.
	Card #B05-030N • Artist:Mikihiro Taguchi/Crowd Gate Co., Ltd.
	Vengeful Swordsman, Rutger
		"I'm going to join your army. Happy now?"
		Attack: 40	Support: 10	Range: 1	Deploy Cost: 1
		Class: Myrmidon		Tier:Base	Class Change Cost: --
		"Hurry... it's time.":[Always] During your turn, if you have an ally with the affinity, this unit gains +20 attack. Attack Emblem:[Support] Until the end of this battle, your attacking unit gains +20 attack.
	Card #B05-031HN, B05-031ST • Artist:Nico Komori
	Vengeful Scarlet Demon, Rutger
		"I have a grudge against Bern..."
		Attack: 60	Support: 10	Range: 1	Deploy Cost: 3
		Class: Swordmaster		Tier:Advanced	Class Change Cost: 2
		Bloodthirsty Sword:[Trigger] [] When this unit's attack destroys an enemy, you may pay the cost, and if you do: Destroy an enemy with a deployment cost of 1 besides the Main Character. Sword Training:[Always] While this unit is being supported by a card, you may choose not to pay the cost for "Bloodthirsty Sword".
	Card #S07-005ST(+) • Artist:Tada
	Blaze-Wreathed Evilcleaver, Rutger
		"...It begins."
		Attack: 70	Support: 10	Range: 1	Deploy Cost: 4
		Class: Swordmaster		Tier:Advanced	Class Change Cost: 3
		Durandal, the Legendary Weapon:[Trigger] Each time an other ally attacks, until the end of the turn, this unit gains +10 attack. Roland's Fighting Spirit:[Activate][Once per turn] [] Untap all allies who possess a. This skill can only be used if this unit's "Durandal, the Legendary Weapon" has triggered 3 or more times in this turn.
	Card #B21-073SR • Artist:пNekoR
	Lone Mercenary, Rutger
		"The weak die... That is the fact of it. There are no exceptions. Not in Sacae... and not in Bern!"
		Attack: 40	Support: 10	Range: 1	Deploy Cost: 1
		Class: Myrmidon		Tier:Base	Class Change Cost: --
		Sword of Hatred:[Always] If this unit is attacking your opponent's Main Character, this unit gains +10 attack. Attack Emblem:[Support] Until the end of this combat, your attacking unit gains +20 attack.
	Card #B21-074N • Artist:пNekoR
Some card information translation provided by Serenes Forest. For more detailed strategic information on these cards, seetheir TCG wiki article on Rutger .

Flavor text

Meet some of the Heroes entries

Rutger: Lone Swordsman
Rutger is a swordsman who hails from Bulgar in the plains of Sacae. He doesn't speak much, but the sharp look in his eyes tells you that there's a lot going on in there!	Rutger has suffered a tragic fate, being the last survivor of his people after Bern's invasion of Sacae.	At first, he opposed Roy and his friends, but on discovering that they too were fighting against Bern, he decided to join forces with them.	Having sworn vengeance on Bern, Rutger has been honing his swordsmanship to make good on his vow ever since. Let's see if his training paid off!
Closely Associated Characters
Clarine {{{Related_name2}}} {{{Related_name3}}} {{{Related_name4}}} {{{Related_name5}}} A noblewoman belonging to the Reglay family of Etruria. She can be rather naïve and overbearing at times, but she truly loves and respects her brother, Klein. Rutger rescued her from capture. {{{Related_blurb2}}} {{{Related_blurb3}}} {{{Related_blurb4}}} {{{Related_blurb5}}}

Choose Your Legends placement history

Round	Placement	Character	Votes

CYL 1 (2017)

124

Rutger The Binding Blade

2,297

CYL 2 (2018)

159

Rutger The Binding Blade

1,561 (−736)

CYL 3 (2019)

138 (−20)

Rutger The Binding Blade

1,901 (+340)

CYL 4 (2020)

277 (+114)

Rutger The Binding Blade

551 (−1,350)

CYL 5 (2021)

200 (−77)

Rutger The Binding Blade

488 (−63)

CYL 6 (2022)

188 (−13)

Rutger The Binding Blade

541 (+53)

CYL 7 (2023)

187 (−1)

Rutger The Binding Blade

343 (−198)

CYL 8 (2024)

211 (+24)

Rutger The Binding Blade

322 (−21)

CYL 9 (2025)

166 (−45)

Rutger The Binding Blade

346 (+24)

CYL 10 (2026)

184 (+18)

Rutger The Binding Blade

205 (−141)

Total results		This character has 10 entries across all Choose Your Legends polls.	8,555

Etymology and other languages

Gallery

Sprite Gallery
Myrmidon Swordmaster Sword Sword

Official artwork

• 
  Artwork of Rutger fromThe Binding Blade.

Heroes artwork

Character artwork

• 
  Artwork of Rutger: Lone Swordsman.
• 
  Artwork of Rutger: Lone Swordsman.
• 
  Artwork of Rutger: Lone Swordsman.
• 
  Artwork of Rutger: Lone Swordsman.

Meet some of the Heroes artwork

• 
  Artwork of Rutger: Lone Swordsman.
• 
  Artwork of Rutger: Lone Swordsman.
• 
  Artwork of Rutger: Lone Swordsman.
• 
  Rutger in artwork ofClarine: Refined Noble.

Other artwork

• 
  Artwork of Rutger and several other characters forHeroes's third anniversary, drawn byItagaki Hako.

Cipher artwork

• 
  Artwork of Rutger.
• 
  Artwork of Rutger.
• 
  Artwork of Rutger.
• 
  Artwork of Rutger.
• 
  Artwork of Rutger.
• 
  Artwork of Rutger.
• 
  Commemorative artwork featuring Rutger.

References

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