What next, child of fate? You slipped my grasp at the border, but now you run straight to my snare. Despite the bungling of that useless Berkut... Tsk, no matter. All will be mine soon enough. I'll not let the likes of Jedah claim a bearer of the Brand. The power of such a soul could grant me life eternal!Nuibaba
Nuibaba is an enemy character from Fire Emblem Gaiden and its remake, Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia. Recently allied with the Duma Faithful, she is known as the mistress of Fear Mountain, who sold her soul for the power of Medusa. She is 124 years old according to internal data for Echoes.
Quick Answers
What led Nuibaba to ally with the Duma Faithful in Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia?
What is the significance of Fear Mountain in Nuibaba's story?
How did Nuibaba acquire the power of Medusa in Fire Emblem Gaiden?
Who was the man Nuibaba loved before her transformation?
What event caused Nuibaba's drastic transformation in Fire Emblem?
Profile
Betrayal and Pact
In the past, Nuibaba was a beautiful young woman who lived happily with the man she loved. However, one night she was attacked by bandits who left a hideous wound on her face, causing the man to start avoiding Nuibaba in favor of her younger sister. Growing tired of her presence, the man and the younger sister lured Nuibaba deep into the woods and pushed her off a cliff. As Nuibaba lay dying, Medusa appeared before her as a ghastly apparition, attracted to the scent of death. With the promise to restore the dying woman in exchange for her soul, Nuibaba agreed to form a contract with Medusa. Upon being revived as a soulless witch, Nuibaba took revenge on her former lover and sister for betraying her.[1]
After secluding herself in the woods, she became obsessed with power and beauty, eventually becoming a witch, and began kidnapping numerous beautiful Rigelian women over a period of years, sacrificing them to keep her longevity and youthful beauty.
Tormenting the locals in her vicinity alongside Jerome, she kidnapped at least three local girls. One of them was a Saint from the Church of Rigel named Tatiana, who not only did she plan on sacrificing to Medusa, but also was kept captive as a means to force Zeke into fighting for the Rigelian army alongside Jerome. Nuibaba's other known victims were a cleric from the Church and a friend of Tatiana's.
Echoes
After Berkut convinces Emperor Rudolf to station him and his army at the border in case the Deliverance breaches the Sluice Gate and enters Rigel, Nuibaba approaches Berkut as he makes preparations to go to the border.
Though she antagonizes Berkut at first for his failure to defeat Alm, Nuibaba insists that she wishes to aid Berkut. Though Berkut refuses such aid, Nuibaba warns him that Rudolf would not give him another chance should he fail again. She then speaks of the power that the Duma Faithful possess, and how Jedah acquired power by offering his daughters to Duma.
Disgusted by this, Berkut still insists on fighting Alm with his own strength. However, Nuibaba asks that he, at the very least, take a mirror imbued with her sorcery to battle, and shatter the mirror should he be cornered. Though reluctant, Berkut accepts the offering of the mirror. He later resorts to breaking the mirror and unleashing its power, nearly granting him victory, but the spell is broken by a charm Alm had received from Celica years prior.
Having failed to capture Alm using Berkut, Nuibaba resorts to using another means to lure Alm to her. Creating a phantom of Celica, she communicates with Alm and lures him to her abode under the pretense that Celica is her captive.
When Alm and the Deliverance arrive, Nuibaba appears before them and reveals that the Celica Alm had seen was not real, though Alm suspected as much. Despite her trap and using the power of Medusa, Nuibaba ultimately falls in battle against the Deliverance, thus ending her machinations. In Echoes, her death throes have her lamenting that she won't be immortal. Her defeat also results in Tatiana's rescue, which in turn allows Zeke to betray Jerome.
In Sonya's ending, it is rumored that a new witch has taken up residence in Nuibaba's abode.
Personality
Due to her traumatic past and the loss of her soul, Nuibaba is depicted as a cruel and narcissistic woman, caring little about others or even about Duma despite being part of the Duma Faithful. Her status as a witch was not out of swearing an oath to Duma, but due to giving up her soul to Medusa to save her life and to get revenge on the man who nearly killed her. This trauma caused an obsession for everlasting youth and beauty, leading her to capture and sacrifice beautiful maidens from all across Rigel to Medusa.
Despite also desiring to capture Alm for being a Brand bearer, Nuibaba did not share the reason with Jedah, as she sought to capture Alm for the purpose of sacrificing him under the belief that doing so would grant her immortality and eternal youth. This obsession with beauty and youth likely stems from how Nuibaba was betrayed by her sister and former lover, who tried to kill her because Nuibaba had become unsightly to them from the scar she received from the bandits that attacked her.
Nuibaba is also shown to be very skilled at manipulating others. Taking advantage of Berkut's fiery spirit, she made him take a cursed mirror that he would end up using in a desperate attempt to defeat Alm. Later on, she would trick Alm into thinking that she had captured Celica by sending an illusion of Celica to warn Alm about Celica's predicament.
In-Game
Fire Emblem Gaiden
Stats
| Starting Class | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Arcanist | ||||||||
| Level | HP | Str | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res | Mov |
| 10 | 40 | 12 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 9 | 8 | 4 |
| Magic | Starting Items | |||||||
| Reserve Medusa | Magic Ring | |||||||
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
Stats
Fire Emblem Heroes
- Mistress of Fear
- An arcanist who serves the Duma Faithful. Trades souls in exchange for a dark spell that brings death. Appears in Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia.
Base Stats
Rarity: ✯✯✯✯✯
 | Title | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mistress of Fear | |||||
| Group | |||||
 Infantry | |||||
| Level | HP | Atk | Spd | Def | Res |
| 1 40 | 17/18/19 36/40/43 | 8/9/10 45/48/52 | 13/14/15 32/36/39 | 3/4/5 13/17/20 | 7/8/9 44/47/51 |
| Skills | Weapon | ||||
 Arcane Medusa Chilling Wind |  Tome | ||||
Skills
| Type | Name | Prerequisite | Default | Unlocked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Thunder | - | - | - |
| Elthunder | - | - | - | |
| Thoron | - | - | - | |
| Arcane Medusa | - |  | - | |
 | Chilling Wind | - | - | - |
| Iceberg | Chilling Wind | - | - | |
| A |  Warding Blow 1 | - | - | |
 Mirror Strike 1 | Warding Blow 1 | - | ||
 Mirror Strike 2 | Mirror Strike 1 | - | ||
 Sly Mirror | Mirror Strike 2 | | ||
| B |  Mounting Fear | - | | |
| C |  Time's Pulse 1 | - | - | |
 Time's Pulse 2 | Time's Pulse 1 | - | ||
 Time's Pulse 3 | Time's Pulse 2 | - | ||
 Time Pulse Helm | Time's Pulse 3 | |
Overall
Base Kit
Counters
Skill Inheritance
Meet Some of the Heroes
| Mistress of Fear Nuibaba | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
The peak of Fear Mountain looms over Valentia's Rigel Empire. That's the lair of Nuibaba, an arcanist who's dreaded by all. | ||
 |
Nuibaba is a devout of Duma, the Fell God worshipped by the people of Rigel, and she sacrifices the souls of her victims to him. Apparently, she wants to use his power to someday claim immortality. | ||
 |
A wielder of powerful magics, Nuibaba is cunning and calculating as well. She's so ruthless that she'll twist the souls of the people she's trapped in her illusory domain for her own purposes, or so I hear! | ||
 |
Well, I guess that if we have her on our side, she could be a powerful ally... But there'll be no manipulating people and stealing their souls on the Order of Heroes' watch! | ||
| Closely Associated Characters | |||
| Jedah | The high priest of the Duma Faithful, a group Nuibaba is a member of that is influential in northern Valentia. Has received the protection of the god Duma and boasts arcane power beyond that of normal humans. | ||
| Tatiana | Cleric of the Rigelian Empire who tends toward thoughtlessness, but she's also very generous and loves Zeke deeply. Taken by Nuibaba as a hostage. | ||
| Berkut | First in line to the Rigelian throne. Prideful, but loves Rinea with all his heart. Granted power by Nuibaba. | ||
Quotes
Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
Come close... Let me share with you death's embrace!Nuibaba's vattle quote in Shadows of Valentia
Critical
- "Now sleep!"
- *giggles*
- "Excited yet?!"
- "I think not!"
Death Quote
Ahhhh... It cannot be... I won't be...Nuibaba's death quote in Shadows of Valentia
Heroes
Choose Your Legends Placement History
| Round | Placement | Character Version | Votes |
|---|
| CYL1 | Ineligible | |||
| CYL2 | 455 |  Gaiden/Echoes: Shadows of Valentia |
297 | |
| CYL3 | 380 ↑75 |
Gaiden/Echoes: Shadows of Valentia |
385 ↑88 | |
| CYL4 | 436 ↓56 |
Gaiden/Echoes: Shadows of Valentia |
179 ↓206 | |
| CYL5 | 411 ↑25 |
Gaiden/Echoes: Shadows of Valentia |
99 ↓80 | |
| CYL6 | 339 ↑72 |
Gaiden/Echoes: Shadows of Valentia |
196 ↑97 | |
| CYL7 | 299 ↑40 |
Gaiden/Echoes: Shadows of Valentia |
135 ↓61 | |
| CYL8 | 351 ↓52 |
Gaiden/Echoes: Shadows of Valentia |
91 ↓44 | |
| CYL9 | 317 ↑34 |
Gaiden/Echoes: Shadows of Valentia |
82 ↓9 |
Etymology
When translated from Japanese, "baba" or "婆" can translate as "old woman" or, more crudely, "hag."
Trivia
- Nuibaba's gender was unspecified in the Japanese script for Gaiden, though in some fan translations the character was referred to as male. However, in Echoes, Nuibaba is clearly established as female.
- Furthermore, Nuibaba's physical appearance also changed drastically between her original appearance and the remake. In Gaiden, she appears in a heavy cloak, with wrinkled skin that appears snake-like. In Shadows of Valentia, she has a more youthful appearance, the snake-like traits are exchanged for horns and pointed ears, and her attire is more revealing. Also, while both versions hide one eye from view, in Gaiden, one eye is obscured by her cloak, while in Echoes, she wears a partial mask over her face.
- Nuibaba was an Arcanist in the original game but changed to a Witch in the remake.
- Unlike the other named Witches, Arcanists, and Cantors, Nuibaba got her power from selling her soul to Medusa rather than Duma or being sacrificed by someone else. This is reflected further in Echoes, as her skin tone and eyes are noticeably different from those of the Duma Faithful.
- Nuibaba shares both her English and Japanese voice actresses, Cindy Robinson and Junko Kitanishi, respectively, with Marla and Hestia.
- Cindy Robinson also voices Awakening's Libra and Aversa, as well as Hinoka in her appearances in Fire Emblem Heroes and Fire Emblem Warriors, Peri in Heroes, and Minerva in Heroes and Warriors.
- In Shadows of Valentia, Nuibaba's motivations seem to be an allusion to , a Hungarian noblewoman accused of having killed thousands of young women to bathe in their blood and keep herself young.
- The statue in the Altar of the Sorceress DLC in Shadows of Valentia bears a resemblance to Nuibaba.
- In the Gaiden novelization, Nuibaba is male. He is killed by Zeke while engaged in battle with Alm.
- It is stated in her concept artwork that the small face on her forehead is the death mask of her former lover.
- In the Meet the Heroes artwork for Tatiana in Fire Emblem Heroes, a shadowy figure (likely Nuibaba) appears in one of the artworks for her, likely capturing her.