—Echidna in The Binding Blade
Echidna (エキドナ Ekidona, Ekhidna in the Japanese version) is a playable character and a Hero from Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade. Echidna is the leader of the resistance force against the Etrurian government in the Western Isles. In the northeast side of Chapter 9 there are two villages. She is recruited only if a unit enters the village on the left or neither village is visited. Echidna is recruited when Larum talks to her. During the battle in Chapter 11, the Etrurian soldiers surround the house she is in and threaten to kill her if she does not surrender. In her supports, she attempts to gain recruits to help her in her plan to make a "free village", a village where people in the Western Isles who had their homes destroyed could settle after the war.
In Game
Base Stats
| Starting Class | Affinity | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hero |  Ice | ||||||||
| Level | HP | Str | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res | Con | Mov |
| 1 | 35 | 13 | 19 | 18 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 6 |
| Weapon | Starting Items | ||||||||
 Sword - C Axe - B |  Steel Axe | ||||||||
Growth Rates
| HP | S/M | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 75% | 30% | 25% | 30% | 20% | 15% | 15% |
Supports
- See also: Echidna/Supports
Overall
Echidna is a decent character. While she has lower growth rates and barely decent starting stats, she has one thing that the other potential Heroes don't have: Axes. Most Heroes will take a long time to get an A in axes, which Echidna will get within one or two battles. The only problem is she, like Ogier, has low Constitution, meaning a Body Ring would be recommended so she loses less Attack Speed when using axes. Obtaining A Support with Geese may not actually be a bad idea because the mixing of the fire/ice affinities will give Echidna the very much needed critical evade and attack power, and both units will also get very much needed boosts in avoid and hit rates, boosting their usefulness.
Echidna also comes in a chapter where an arena is readily available. Thus, if work is put into her, she can deal hefty damage throughout the game. Her C in swords makes her a fair sword user, along with the ability to wield the Wyrmslayer obtained last chapter right off the bat, and she can use it against Ain in the chapter following the one where she is recruited.
Character Ending
Echidna - Goddess of the West (西方の女神 Seihō no megami)
- After went back home to the Western Isles, the people were overjoyed at the return of their hero. She left the rebel group, but the people begged her to be their leader once again. Her hard work united the Western Isles into a new nation, the Western Union.
Quote
—Echidna's death quote in The Binding Blade
Etymology
In Greek mythology Echidna (also spelled Echidna) was a female monster who spawned in a cave and mothered every major horrible monster in the myths. "Echidna" also refers to a species of monotreme native to Australia, noted for the thick wave of spines on its back.
Trivia
- According to a Japanese gaming news website, Echidna landed 34th place out of 80 in the character popularity poll for Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade.
- Echidna, Raven, and Linus are the only characters in any GBA Fire Emblem game to have unique battle sprites as the Hero Class.
Gallery
