Xenoblade Chronicles 3 features some of the strongest storytelling of the franchise, set in a world ravaged by war between two nations. While the main party is always the main focus of the narrative, the game also features a variety of secondary party members called Heroes. Each Hero adds a new class to the party, but also comes with their own storyline that plays out across multiple quests.
Heroes are easily one of the best features of Xenoblade Chronicles 3, as the characters bring dynamic personalities and stories to the game. With that in mind, we felt it’d be fitting to rank all 17 heroes based on the totally official criteria of character design, story, and combat usefulness.
Dawnhero Isurd
Isurd isn’t a bad character, but he just comes off a bit flat and boring compared to all of the others, even though he’s a caring commander. In terms of design, Isurd just doesn’t feel as vibrant, although his dual chakrams are admittedly pretty neat weapons.
No. 7 Segiri
Segiri is definitely an interesting character, but her robotic personality means she doesn’t feel as interesting as others, even though there’s a story reason for it. Still, the mech suit she pilots is quite impressive.
Glorysong Miyabi
Miyabi is a longtime friend of Mio’s, but it doesn’t feel like she gets as much time to develop as other Heroes. The game does give you a glimpse of how her personality shaped Mio as a person, and her Troubador class ties in nicely with the game’s flute-based musical themes.
Dutiful Zeon
Zeon seems stoic and unemotional at first glance, but his character development across the game is fantastic as he spares no effort to ensure the safety and prosperity of his friends. Unfortunately, his Guardian Commander class pales in comparison to other Defenders.
Wrathfist Ghondor
Ghondor’s defining trait is her abrasive personality and potty mouth. Regardless of how you feel about that she’s certainly a commanding presence whenever she’s on-screen, and the character’s incredibly heavy London accent makes her lines even better.
Proudbanner Fiona
Fiona has one of the more interesting classes in the game, focusing almost entirely on buffing the party. She’s also an incredibly caring commander that constantly overexerts herself and has a problem relying on others. That’s part of her arc, however, as Fiona learns that she doesn’t have to do everything herself.
Craftmaiden Alexandria
Alexandria’s defining trait is her mischievousness, as she loves playing mental games and forcing people to jump through hoops. Her playful personality belies how caring she actually is, and the character’s visual design feels reminiscent of a valkyrie from Norse mythology.
Inscrutable Teach
What makes Teach so interesting is that his personality is basically the opposite of what you’d expect for a healer. He’s abrasive and commanding, and his Thaumaturge class reflects that by being a more offensive take on the healer role.
City’s Bulwark Monica
Unlike some Heroes, Monica plays a vital role in the main story as the leader of The City and daughter of Guernica Vandham, who gave the power of Ouroboros to the party. She’s an incredibly strong leader that protects her people, and that’s represented in the shield-toting Lost Vanguard class.
Artificer Valdi
Valdi is the eccentric inventor type, more at ease with machines than people. Their design is also about as Xenoblade as you can get, evoking the visual style of Rex and the scavengers from Xenoblade Chronicles 2. Valdi’s War Medic class is the best healer in the game, and a gun-wielding medic is just such a neat design to begin with.
Ashenpelt Gray
Gray is the very definition of stoic, but the more you dig into his story the more charming he gets. There’s a fantastic story that dives into the strange relationship between Gray and his wife, revealing him to really be a big old softie. The gun-toting Full Metal Jaguar class is also one of the best Attackers in the entire game.
6. Smoldering Cammuravi
Cammuravi has one of the best designs in the entire game, with a set of armor that literally shoots off flames. He has the quintessential anime look, and that ties into his duty-obsessed personality that evokes samurai. Cammuravi is a fascinating character who has a kind of dry wit despite his rigidity.
Undying Blade Ashera
Ashera is an interesting character, to say the least. She practically derives pleasure out of putting her soldiers through the wringer. Ashera doesn’t ever mince her words, and the spin her design puts on Kevesi armor is great. All of this is on top of her Lone Exile class being the best Defender in the game.
Defiant Triton
Triton is one of the most charming Heroes, a gruff fun-loving pirate that also just so happens to be a member of Moebius. Despite being part of the villainous organization, Triton simply wants to live the rest of his days on the sea, eating good food and fighting strong enemies. His Soulhacker class is the Xenoblade equivalent of a Blue Mage, which brings a fun spin to combat.
Ghostbow Juniper
Juniper isn’t just an extremely well-written character, but they’re also a great example of non-binary representation. Juniper is naive to the ways of the world, but they’re perfectly aware of that fact and constantly work to improve themselves. The Stalker class can also cause some tremendous damage when used right.
Silvercoat Ethel
Silvercoat Ethel is one of the most interesting characters in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 as a strong commander that stands up to the tyranny of Moebius. Ethel really paves the way for Noah and the party, acting as a sort of mentor early on in the game. It also helps that her Flash Fencer class remains one of the best available.
Peerless Riku & Manana
It should come as no surprise that no one can beat Riku & Manana, the adorable Nopon sidekicks in Xenoblade Chronicles 3. Not only is this pair both charming and funny, but they consistently save the party’s bacon, and their class is called Yumsmith, which is just phenomenal in every way. If you needed any further proof, just look at the hair on Riku. Perfect.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is currently available on Nintendo Switch.
