Edelgard von Hresvelg

Edelgard von Hresvelg is a fictional character who first appears in Fire Emblem: Three Houses (2019), part of the Fire Emblem series of tactical role-playing games. She is the leader of the Black Eagles, one of the titular three student houses of the Officers Academy within Garreg Mach Monastery where the player character spends the game, and the heir to the once-mighty Adrestian Empire. While she begins as the player's ally, a mid-game plot twist reveals her to be the Flame Emperor, a guise under which she plots to overthrow the Church of Seiros and conquer the other nations of Fódlan to create a society in which Crests — hereditary birth marks demonstrating noble blood and unique potential — hold no sway over social status. If the player chose to teach the Black Eagles at the start of the game and has met certain other requirements, they are given the choice of joining her cause. In all other scenarios, she becomes one of the game's main antagonists.

Edelgard has been noted as one of the most popular characters in Three Houses, and praised by critics for her characterization, although aspects of her portrayal, such as her instigation of the war that drives the latter half of each story path, have been criticized. Her story path, Crimson Flower, has also been praised and called realistic for its grey morality, though some have criticized its short length and rushed presentation compared to the other story paths.