“Trust me. I don't pick fights I can't win.”
—Ephraim citing his motto to Kyle and Forde before charging Renvall in The Sacred Stones.
Ephraim (エフラム Efuramu is a playable character and the deuteragonist in Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones. He is the crown prince of Renais and Eirika's older twin brother. He is a serene man and his weapon is vicious when need be. His skill with a Lance is unsurpassed by any other in his country. He has a semi-friendly rivalry with Prince Innes of Frelia and is also good friends with Prince Lyon of Grado. He wears the Solar Brace which is one of a pair of bracelets that together grant access to Renais' Sacred Stone.
The crown prince of Renais, Ephraim, is engaged in guerrilla war against Grado at the time of his father's death. Blaming himself for his inability to aid his father in that time of need, Ephraim journeys back towards his homeland in hopes of finding his sister, Eirika, who has now disappeared in the wake of the invasion. Ephraim is passionate and headstrong, and well-liked for his candid, direct manner.
Ephraim is away on a journey with three of his guards, Kyle, Forde, and Orson when Grado attacks Renais. In an attempt to divert Grado troops from the invasion, he starts a guerrilla campaign within Grado and commits strategic strikes to weaken its position. He also wants to find Prince Lyon to unravel the mystery of Grado's sudden invasion.
After Jehanna's Sacred Stone is destroyed, Eirika will join him to go to Renais castle to save their Sacred Stone. Orson, the traitor, is in charge of Renais castle. After they take it back, it is revealed that Lyon had raised Orson's wife back from the dead, and he was happy. Ephraim then receives the Sacred Stone and Siegmund, and Eirika receives Sieglinde.
Ephraim is a good Lance user and is often considered to be a great unit. His only low stat is Resistance, which, even then, is high for a non-magic unit. When promoted, he should be able to battle Mages and gain the first strike, which can kill them if they are weak or if you land a critical. He should have an average avoid of 70-75 without supports, so most Mages will have some trouble hitting him. High stat growths allows him to max out his Strength, Skill and Speed. Yet, such cappings are also due to his low maximum stats, but give him a good support option and he should be fine.
Ephraim, Restoration King (碧空の勇王 Hekikū no isami-ō)
Busy days awaited him upon his return to Renais. He oversaw the rebuilding not only of his country but also of the entire continent of Magvel. His work was difficult, but his success made him a legend.
Once Renais was stable again, Ephraim and Tana were wed. Innes protested vocally, but when he saw how happy Tana was, he gave the marriage his blessings. Renais and Frelia are now bound by blood as well as friendship.
Busy days awaited Eirika and Ephraim as they struggled to rebuild Renais. Their work gave new hope to those ravaged by the war, and with Eirika's constant help, Ephraim grew to be a trusted and honorable king.
Ephraim and L'Arachel each returned home after the war, but L'Arachel visited Renais often. Over time, the two were wed. Their marriage threw Rausten into turmoil, but L'Arachel's self-centeredness carried the day.
After the war, Ephraim returned to Renais and Myrrh to Darkling Woods. They both turned their attention to their respective duties but never forgot one another. Though Myrrh never again left Darkling Woods, Ephraim often visited her.
According to the Bible, Ephraim is the second son of Joseph (son of Jacob and Rachel). Joseph's eleven brothers sold him into slavery in Egypt out of jealousy, but he was released from prison when he won the Pharaoh's favor through his gift for prophecy, and the Pharaoh gave him as his wife Asenath, daughter of the priest Potiphera. Genesis 41:52 says of Ephraim's birth, "[Joseph] said, 'God has given me children in the land of my trouble,' so he named his second son Ephraim.'"
The name Ephraim sounds like the Hebrew word for 'give children,' or is sometimes translated as 'fruitful.'
He and his sister Eirika both have names similar to common English names with an added "i" (Erika and Ephram)
After promotion, anytime Ephraim is attacked from at least a space away, no matter what weapon he is holding, his sprite will show that of a ranged lance-type weapon (Javelin, Short Spear, or Spear.)
His B support with Myrrh is different in English and Japanese, as the English makers of the game took one of the lines the wrong way.
Ephraim shows up in two DLC maps in Awakening as an enemy Soldier. The Playable DLC version of Ephraim is a Great Knight with the unique skill Conquest.