Cord makes his first appearance in Chapter 2 of Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, where he, alongside Ogma, Barst and Bord, enlists in Marth's army under the behest of Princess Caeda of Talys. Cord then aids Marth in bringing the War of Shadows to an end, thereafter returning to his previous occupation as a woodcutter.
Cord does not appear at all in the original Book 2; owing to the fact that he returned to his peaceful life as a woodcutter, it could be said that he did not wish to take part in the War of Heroes and continued to live in peace, or that he wasn't notified due to Caeda moving to Altea to become Marth's fiancée, having lost contact with her.
Cord returns in Chapter 2 of New Mystery of the Emblem, where he has taken up temporary residence in a Macedonian village. When Marth pays a visit to the village, Cord appears to greet him, promptly enlisting in his army thereafter. Cord then aids Marth in ending the War of Heroes, returning to Talys to resume his occupation as a woodcutter once Medeus is slain.
Bord and Cord appear together in the third and final of Kiria Kurono's side stories. In this game, they exist as Mirage golems that Tharja creates as a means for training Kiria on being cute. However, they malfunction and rage out of control. The battle against the Bord and Cord carries specific conditions; Kiria and Tsubasa Oribe are required to be in the active party, and it is the only battle in which both characters have access to the special charm-inflicting skill "Seducing Pose." The attack hits both Bord and Cord, but Bord can only be charmed by Tsubasa, and Cord can only be charmed by Kiria. Bord and Cord are only vulnerable to damage when in the the Charmed state.
Personality[]
Like a majority of the cast in Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light and Mystery of the Emblem, Cord's personality is not well developed, owing to the minor role that he plays in the games. Nevertheless, it is still possible to deduce certain traits that define his character from the few interactions that he engages in. Of note is the fact that Cord's personality is exactly the same as that of Bord's, one that is proven by their speech mirroring each other both when speaking to Barst in Chapter 5 of New Mystery of the Emblem and in their respective base conversations with Kris.
As a character who is deliberately designed as the counterpart of Bord, it comes as no surprise that a rivalry exists between Cord and Bord, where they constantly attempt to outdo each other in a variety of arenas. This rivalry of theirs is one that has the tendency to become rather heated as the pair lose their cool while in the midst of arguing with each other, a fact that is proven through their base conversations in New Mystery of the Emblem, where they wind up engaging in a violent tree-felling competition. Their rivalry also extends to the looks department, where Cord, through his base conversations with Kris, narcissistically proclaims that he is the more handsome of the two.
In spite of his apparent hatred of Bord, Cord, in actuality, cares for him tremendously; through his base conversations with Kris, he, although initially disgruntled towards Bord for constantly meddling in his affairs, eventually acknowledges that this is merely a means by which his partner expresses concern for him.
The Mirage version of Cord in Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE is shown to be attracted to girls who are coolheaded; Kiria for example.
Subjective: The following part of this article is based upon the editor's personal experiences and opinions, and therefore may not be applicable for all readers.
Cord is something of an oddball in Shadow Dragon, as despite being a Fighter, he starts with E rank axes. This means that Cord can't use Hand Axes, meaning he has to engage enemies at melee range until reaching D rank, and he won't be able to use the Hammer until reaching C rank. Cord has decent base stats and joins early, so it is possible to use him, but he will be outclassed as an axe user by Barst, Bord, and Darros, all of whom join in the same chapter as Cord and have higher weapon ranks.
Cord has good personal bases, and he also has above average personal growths for a Shadow Dragon unit, especially in Speed where Cord has a 30% personal growth. Since Cord starts with an E rank in axes, he won't much by changing class, though he should be reclassed early so that he can start working on his weapon rank. Dark Mage is a common choice to try, as Cord strangely possesses a personal Magic growth. Many enemies in Shadow Dragon have low resistance, so as a Dark Mage Cord will be able to do decent damage, especially if he manages to double enemies. He will be frail as a Dark Mage, though, due to his low HP, so take care not to leave him in range of enemies. He could also reclass to Mercenary, as the base speed increase & higher class speed growth will allow Cord to start doubling early on. Still, Cord will be mostly outclassed by other units, as neither his personal bases nor his strong personal growths make up for his slow start.
To obtain the conversations, characters must participate in chapters together
The requirements for unlocking support conversations are separate from the support bonus system
Overall[]
Subjective: The following part of this article is based upon the editor's personal experiences and opinions, and therefore may not be applicable for all readers.
Barring a somewhat higher Skill growth and the addition of a Triangle Attack, Cord is largely unchanged from his Shadow Dragon incarnation in terms of usefulness. Once again, he has no weapon rank whatsoever, forcing him to rely solely on his bases and growths, which are mostly average barring an oddly high Magic growth, and encouraging the player to reclass him into something else. He does join fairly early, making him workable enough, but he offers little in terms of advantages and will likely remain mediocre without heavy investment.
Fighter
Fighter
Iron Axe
Fighter
Axe - E
Iron Axe
Master Seal
Warrior
Bow E
Warrior
Speed Bond
Strength Bond
