Zelot (Japanese:ゼロットZelots) is a playablepaladin inFire Emblem: The Binding Blade who first appears inChapter 7. He is the lord ofEdessa and the leader of a mercenary squad who are hired by LordHector ofOstia to helpLycia in the war againstBern.

Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade

Role

Zelot is the lord ofEdessa, the headquarter of the renownedIlian mercenary squads. He leads himself a small band and, at some point shortly before the game's events, is hired byLord Hector to helpLycia in the war againstBern. However, they do not manage to join the Lycian army before Hector's fall, and they end up stuck in the city ofOstia. Zelot turns down GeneralLegance's offers and stays loyal to his convictions, hoping to join forces withRoy. He and his group do so duringthe battle between the loyalists and the rebels, and they work for Roy for the rest of the war.

When Roy's forces, known by then as theEtrurian Army, reach Edessa, Zelot discovers that his own castle has been taken by GeneralMurdock of Bern and that his wife,Juno, has become a hostage. He and his sisters-in-law,Shanna andThea, go to free her, only to find that Juno had already decided to fight alongside the Etrurian army. Working together, they defeatRoartz, who had hidden in the castle, and later lead Roy to whereMaltet, the Divine Weapon ofBarigan, lies.

Once Bern is defeated and the war is over, Zelot returns to Ilia. Eventually, he manages to unify the lands and becomes the first king of the nation.

Starting stats and growth rates

Paladin Level 1 Affinity

Recruitment:Chapter 7, talk to him withRoy,Trec orNoah StatsGrowth Rates Max HP 35 Luck 5 Strength 10 Defense 11 Skill 12 Resistance 7 Speed 13 Constitution 11 Movement 8 Aid 14 Max HP 75% Luck 15% Strength 25% Defense 30% Skill 20% Resistance 15% Speed 20% {{{content3}}} {{{content4}}} {{{content5}}} {{{content6}}} {{{content7}}} {{{content8}}} {{{content9}}} {{{content10}}} {{{content11}}} {{{content12}}} {{{content13}}} {{{content14}}} {{{content15}}} Inventory Steel Sword Steel Lance Javelin Weapon Levels C A D -- -- -- -- --

Analysis

Zelot's stats are comparable toMarcus's—sufficient for his joining chapter and several chapters afterward. He is fast enough to avoid getting doubled by enemies, durable enough to take a few hits, and accurate enough to wield effective weapons with decent hitrates. Being aPaladin benefits him greatly, since Paladin is among the best promoted classes inThe Binding Blade; it has 8 movement,Canto, three weapon types and rescue-drop utility. Zelot has great weapon ranks; A-rank lances allows him to use most lances with no investment, C-rank swords is sufficient for theWyrmslayer andKilling Edge, while D-rank axes lets him useHand Axes, theHammer, and theHalberd.

Zelot's main problem is low long-term combat potential. His growths are poor across the board, so his stats will not increase very much, and mounted growth units such asAlen,Lance, andNoah are going to outgrow him. However, thanks to his class and excellent weapon ranks, he can stay useful for a while. His bases are good enough to survive and contribute through theWestern Isles arc, andThe Binding Blade values high-movement units because of the maps' large size.

Fire Emblem Heroes

Role

Zelot was first added to the game in a special groom variation as part of theBridal Grace update, and was made available to players in the fortieth edition of theTempest Trials+, "Engagement", which initially ran from May 21, 2021 through May 31, 2021. The aforementioned groom variation of Zelot is the only one currently available inHeroes, and is based on hisThe Binding Blade incarnation.

Zelot: Avowed Groom

Stats

★★★★★★★★★

Weapon type Movement type Entry Release version 5.5

Level 1 / DefaultLevel 40 / Max Stats Max HP 17/18/19 Attack 8/9/10 Speed 4/5/6 Defense 8/9/10 Resistance 4/5/6 Skills Love Candelabra -- Glowing Ember A-- B-- C-- Stats Max HP 35/38/41 Attack 32/35/38 Speed 20/23/26 Defense 34/37/41 Resistance 20/23/26 Skills Love Candelabra -- Ignis AAtk/Def Form 3 B-- CDrive Atk 1 {{{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 5.5

Level 1 / DefaultLevel 40 / Max Stats Max HP 18/19/20 Attack 8/9/10 Speed 5/6/7 Defense 8/9/10 Resistance 5/6/7 Skills Love Candelabra+ -- Glowing Ember A-- B-- C-- Stats Max HP 37/41/44 Attack 34/37/40 Speed 22/25/29 Defense 36/39/43 Resistance 22/25/29 Skills Love Candelabra+ -- Ignis AAtk/Def Form 3 B-- CDrive Atk 2 {{{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 Axe	★★★★	★★★★	50
	Steel Axe	★★★★	★★★★	100
	Love Candelabra	★★★★	★★★★	200
	Love Candelabra+	★★★★★	★★★★★	300
	Glowing Ember	★★★★	★★★★	100
	Ignis	★★★★	—	200
A	Atk/Def Form 1	★★★★	—	60
A	Atk/Def Form 2	★★★★	—	120
A	Atk/Def Form 3	★★★★	—	240
C	Spur Atk 1	★★★★	—	50
C	Drive Atk 1	★★★★	—	120
C	Drive Atk 2	★★★★★	—	240

Personality

Zelot's personality is defined by his work. He is a proud soldier of Ilia, and quite aware of how his homeland's future depends on each mercenary's behavior and exploits.^[1] However, as a good leader, he does not romanticize war and mercenary work, telling his men that, even if they have more experience on war than most of their new comrades, they should be prepared for the worst. In his supports with Noah, it is revealed that, despite some of his men are working for Bern now, he does not think badly of them because of it. This strict yet caring attitude towards his men makes him a father in their eyes; several^[2] of their last will-letters are addressed to him.^[3]

He shows a more hesitant attitude as a family man. He suggests Juno to return home to take care of their baby, but can only offer weak objections to Juno's arguments against it.^[4][5] On a lighter note, he gives in easily to Shanna's questions about his romance with Juno,^[6] but does not manage to make his sister-in-law to tell her own experiences.^[7]

Supports

Main article:Zelot/Supports

Zelot Paladin Noah Cavalier Initial: 10 Per turn:+2 Juno Falcoknight Initial: 40 Per turn:+3 Shanna Pegasus Knight Initial: 30 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:+ Trec Cavalier Initial: 10 Per turn:+2 Thea Pegasus Knight Initial: 30 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

Zelot, Leader of Knights
Short: Returned home and helped rebuild Ilia.

Long: Zelot returned to Ilia, where he worked to rebuild the ruined land. He eventually united the Knights' Union of Ilia into the Kingdom of Ilia, and he left his name in history as the nation's first king.

Quotes

Death quote

Battle quotes

Heroes quotes

Main article:Zelot/Quotes (Heroes)

Other appearances

Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance

Zelot'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 Cipher

Zelot is featured on one card inFire Emblem Cipher.

Fire Emblem Cipher data for Zelot
	General of the Ilian Knights, Zelot
		"Alright. We mercenary knights of Ilia shall join the fray as well!"
		Attack: 70	Support: 10	Range: 1	Deploy Cost: 4
		Class: Paladin		Tier:Advanced	Class Change Cost: 3
		Devoted Commander:[Always] During your turn, this unit gains +10 attack per other ally. Uniter of the Mercenary Knights:[Activate] [Tap 1 ally] Choose 1 ally, and move them.
	Card #B21-077HN • Artist:Megumi Nagahama
Some card information translation provided by Serenes Forest. For more detailed strategic information on these cards, seetheir TCG wiki article on Jerrot .

Flavor text

Meet some of the Heroes entries

Zelot: Avowed Groom
Here's Zelot, the lord of the castle in Edessa, dressed up in his stylish groom's outfit! He's the leader of Ilian mercenaries, and his work takes him all over Elibe.	Zelot is a stern and serious man, and his groom's outfit is very formal as well. But I see that he couldn't resist sneaking in a little of Juno's favorite color! That purple flower on his cravat is a sign of how much love there is under that rugged surface.	Meanwhile, the candelabrum he's carrying is decorated with blue flowers, reminiscent of the Ilian winter. Their proud blossoms flourish despite the cold, and I think they really add to his sophisticated look.	Zelot and Juno are already known to be the picture of wedded bliss, but I think this festival will see them falling in love all over again. Not even the merciless snows of Ilia can put a damper on the flames of their love for each other!
Closely Associated Characters
Juno {{{Related_name2}}} {{{Related_name3}}} {{{Related_name4}}} {{{Related_name5}}} A retired pegasus knight and older sister of Thea and Shanna. Joining the bridal festival alongside her husband, Zelot. {{{Related_blurb2}}} {{{Related_blurb3}}} {{{Related_blurb4}}} {{{Related_blurb5}}}

Choose Your Legends placement history

Round	Placement	Character	Votes

CYL 1 (2017)

709

Zelot The Binding Blade

60

CYL 2 (2018)

765

Zelot The Binding Blade

34 (−26)

CYL 3 (2019)

647 (−15)

Zelot The Binding Blade

47 (+13)

CYL 4 (2020)

741 (+19)

Zelot The Binding Blade

26 (−21)

CYL 5 (2021)

779 (+38)

Zelot The Binding Blade

18 (−8)

CYL 6 (2022)

796 (+15)

Zelot The Binding Blade

16 (−2)

CYL 7 (2023)

813 (+17)

Zelot The Binding Blade

8 (−8)

CYL 8 (2024)

868 (+55)

Zelot The Binding Blade

8 (No change)

CYL 9 (2025)

873 (+5)

Zelot The Binding Blade

8 (No change)

CYL 10 (2026)

878 (+5)

Zelot The Binding Blade

5 (−3)

Total results		This character has 10 entries across all Choose Your Legends polls.	230

Etymology and other languages

Gallery

Sprite Gallery
Paladin Sword Lance Axe

Official artwork

• 
  Artwork of Zelot fromThe Binding Blade.

Heroes artwork

Character artwork

• 
  Artwork of Zelot: Avowed Groom.
• 
  Artwork of Zelot: Avowed Groom.
• 
  Artwork of Zelot: Avowed Groom.
• 
  Artwork of Zelot: Avowed Groom.

Meet some of the Heroes artwork

• 
  Artwork of Zelot: Avowed Groom.
• 
  Artwork of Zelot: Avowed Groom.
• 
  Artwork of Zelot: Avowed Groom.
• 
  Artwork of Zelot: Avowed Groom.

Cipher artwork

• 
  Artwork of Zelot.

References

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