This cretin is a Nohrian mage. He specializes in illusions and deception.Gunter talking about Zola in Revelation Chapter 10
Zola is a non-playable character and a supporting antagonist in Fire Emblem Fates on all three routes. A mage of Nohr, he possesses the special ability to assume and alter the appearances of others.
Profile
Birthright
Zola makes his first appearance in Chapter 9, where he imprisons Duke Izana of Izumo and thereafter disguises himself as the duke. Under the pretext of treating Corrin and Sakura to a rejuvenation treatment, Zola lures them into a makeshift execution room, intending to end both of their lives. Before his plan comes to fruition, he is stopped by Hinoka, Kaze, and Azura after Hinoka believes that Izana's goofy demeanor contradicts his royal status. Cornered by the Hoshidans, Zola casts a smoke spell and attempts to flee in the midst of their confusion. Just as he escapes the throne room, Leo intercepts him and prepares to execute him for cowardice. In the nick of time, Corrin arrives on the scene and manages to convince Leo to spare Zola.
In Chapter 10, having nowhere to go, Zola decides to accompany Corrin, aware that he is no threat to them without an army under his command. Corrin allows him to stay, provided that he does not do anything to endanger the Hoshidan army. Suddenly, Kotaro appears, leading an army of Mokushujin ninjas to ambush Corrin and the Hoshidans, only to fail and is killed by them.
After the party holds off an invisible attack at sea in Chapter 11, Takumi is ambushed by an invisible soldier. Zola pushes him out of the way and bears the brunt of the attack, an act that earns him the favor of the Hoshidans.
Later in Chapter 12, Zola employs his shapeshifting magic on Azura in order to disguise her as Layla, a dancer whom Garon particularly favors. Zola terminates his spell after Azura completes her performance for Garon, an act that reveals him to be a spy for Nohr. Despite proving himself to be completely untrustworthy, Zola unexpectedly pleads with Garon to spare Corrin. Zola pays dearly for this decision of his, as Garon regards it as an act of treason, executing him before the eyes of both the Hoshidans and Elise. In his dying breath, he asks Corrin to forgive him for his mistake.
Conquest
Much like in Birthright, Zola again imprisons Izana and assumes his appearance in Chapter 18. When Ryoma talks with Corrin and Xander in private, Zola has Ryoma thrown into the dungeon, much to Xander's surprise. Zola drops his Izana disguise temporarily to tell Xander about his plan and leaves to execute the Hoshidan siblings. Xander, not wanting to win the war in such a dishonorable way (and also noting that it would violate Izumo's neutrality pact), decides to punish Zola's treachery and goes off to stop his plan with the rest of Corrin's army.
After his plan backfires, Zola begs for mercy, but his pleas fall on deaf ears as Leo executes him as a means of preventing him from speaking of the Nohrian siblings' involvement in preventing the capture of the Hoshidan siblings.
Revelation
In Chapter 10, Zola again imprisons Izana and disguises himself as the duke. On this route, Zola completely fails to dupe Corrin thanks to Gunter's ability to see through his illusory veil. Zola proceeds to encase the entire village of Izumo in a thick glacier, forcing Corrin and their army to fend against the strategically hidden foes and eventually take him down. After Zola's defeat, he runs into the Izumo castle and takes Sakura hostage, attempting to use her as leverage for self-preservation. However, much like in Conquest, he is stopped by Leo, who proceeds to execute him for his cowardly behavior.
Personality
On the surface, Zola is a coward, willing to deceive others and dutifully obeying the commands of those who wield great power over him. He is willing to do whatever it takes in order to attain the desires of those whom he has pledged his allegiance to, going so far as taking Sakura as a hostage in order to ensure his continued survival and dishonoring the neutrality pact of a peace-loving kingdom like Izumo. Without the watchful rule of a superior over him, Zola is pitifully weak, incapable of making calculated decisions for the sake of subsistence.
In Conquest and Revelation, Zola is executed by Leo, but in Birthright, he is spared death for a short amount of time, allowing more dimensions of his personality to be unveiled. On this route, Zola is portrayed as capable of expressing his gratitude towards those who have provided him assistance in his time of need, even if they are his enemies. This fact is supported by his decision to plead for Corrin's life at the cost of his own.
In-Game
As an Enemy
Birthright Chapter 9 - Land of Gods
| Starting Class | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Dark Mage | |||||||||
| Level | HP | Str | Mag | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res | Mov |
| 13 | 35 | 5 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 1 | 10 | 16 | - |
| Skills | Weapon | Starting Items | |||||||
| (None) |  Tome - C |  Fimbulvetr Master Seal (Dropped) | |||||||
Conquest Chapter 18 - Black & White
| Starting Class | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Sorcerer | |||||||||
| Level | HP | Str | Mag | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res | Mov |
| 5 | 37 | 0 | 23 | 15 | 16 | 7 | 16 | 21 | - |
| Skills | Weapon | Starting Items | |||||||
 Duelist's Blow | Tome - B | Nosferatu Fimbulvetr 10,000G (Dropped) | |||||||
Revelation Chapter 10 - Voice of a God
| Starting Class | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dark Mage | |||||||||
| Level | HP | Str | Mag | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res | Mov |
| 14 | 30 | 5 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 2 | 9 | 16 | - |
| Skills | Weapon | Starting Items | |||||||
| (None) | Tome - C | Nosferatu Master Seal (Dropped) | |||||||
Quotes
Defeat Line
- "No more... hiding..."
Chapter 9 (Birthright)
Ah, I see you're ready to die. I'm going to enjoy this!Zola's battle quote
Urgh... What was I thinking...Zola's defeat quote
Chapter 12 (Birthright)
Ugh...Lord/Lady Corrin...please forgive me...Zola's death quote
Chapter 18 (Conquest)
Why are you fighting this?! I am not your enemy, those Hoshidans are! I act only for the glory of Nohr! Why is this happening? WHY?!Zola's battle quote
I must...r-report back... to King...Gar...on...Zola's defeat quote
Chapter 10 (Revelation)
Mwe-hehehehe! You can't possibly defeat me!Zola's battle quote
Gah! I can't believe it! Was your weakness an illusion?Zola's defeat quote
Other Appearances
Fire Emblem 0 (Cipher)
Zola is illustrated in the trading card game Fire Emblem Cipher with the following cards:
Choose Your Legends Placement History
Trivia
- Zola retains his Dark Mage outfit in his appearance as a Sorcerer in Conquest Chapter 18. This is because his model is hard-coded to have the Dark Mage outfit, no matter what class he'd be in.
- Interestingly, this contrasts Iago's scenario, where he is depicted donning a more complete and ornamental version of the Sorcerer outfit. He can even wield Staves, a trait that is shared by no other known Sorcerer.
- Zola has unused blushing graphics within the game's resources, a trait that is shared with Iago, Hans, Mikoto, and Garon.
- Zola is the only non-capturable enemy to use the critical animations in his respective class, with that being when he appears in his Sorcerer class, despite retaining his Dark Mage model.
- Zola shares his English voice actor, Liam O'Brien, with Laslow and Izana in Fates.
