Ethel

Ethel, also known as Silvercoat Ethel, is a character in Xenoblade Chronicles 3. She is the military chief of Colony 4 in Keves's army.

Appearance and personality
Ethel has blue eyes and long silver hair that reaches her tailbone. Ethel wears a silver armored trench coat, black pants, and silver armored boots. During her early terms, her hair is medium length and wears a black full-body military uniform similar to Eunie's with the Keves symbol and a power frame on her waist.

An accomplished soldier from a young age, Ethel has a strong reputation throughout Keves and Agnus. Honor is important to her and she will not resort to killing even Agnian enemies in an unfair manner. She feels personally responsible for her underlings and is greatly respected by them.

Main story
Years prior to the event of the game, Ethel saved Noah, Lanz, Eunie, Riku, and others from a Levnis when defending Colony 14 against an Agnus attack. She introduced herself to them afterward. Despite her young age Ethel already had a reputation; having brought Colony 4 to the Silver rank despite only being in her third term. She told them not to focus on such things and that a person's worth was based on their heart. She complimented Noah's blade and left. Ethel's reputation was also known throughout Agnus, and it is said she felled three colonies at once with just a hundred troops. She has a rivalry with Cammuravi, the most famous soldier of Agnus. The two met several times in previous battles while piloting Ferronises. In one such battle, a malfunction in the knee joint of Cammuravi's Ferronis enabled her to quickly defeat it. Ethel had the opportunity to kill him but refused. As such, there was a scandal and Colony 4's ranking was lowered to Dirt rank. Ethel still desires a rematch with Cammuravi.

In the present day, Ethel remains as Colony 4's commander. Many of her colleagues have stayed with her, including her chief subordinate, Bolearis. After the party's encounter with Guernica, Consul K is dispatched to Colony 4 and orders Ethel to wipe them out, calling them vermin. As the party heads through the Fornis Region Ethel leads Colony 4 as it attacks them. Due to K's influence on Ethel's Iris, she doesn't view the party as they truly are but sees them as monsters. Noah, Lanz, and Eunie recognize Ethel and Noah rushes out in front of Colony 4, asking if she remembers them. As this doesn't work they flee through nearby caves but she continues to pursue them, then jumps down from the colony to fight them personally. Noah refuses to use the power of Ouroboros against her, fearing it could kill her. When the black fog interferes with Ethel's iris, K comes out personally to attack the party and knocks Ethel out.

After the party kills K and destroys Colony 4's Flame Clock, Ethel awakens and realizes the truth. She allows the party to stay at Colony 4 and orders her subordinates to not attack the party's Agnus members. With the Flame Clock destroyed, Ethel considers it a blessing to be freed from constant battle. Ethel provides the party help as they seek to head to Swordmarch, recommending they head there from the south.

Ethel then says farewell to the party, saying that she feels she has to report to Keves Castle about what has happened, as well as request additional supplies. She plans on lying about K's death, leaving out the party member's role in things and that it was an accident. When Ethel and Bolearis make it to Keves Castle they meet with the Queen and Consul N, who shows them the Annihilator, a large cannon that can cause an annihilation event. After a test fire of the Annihilator, the Queen, and N then decides to target Colony 4 with it, blackmailing Ethel into killing the party.

Bolearis is able to escape and makes his way to the party members who are making their way through the Maktha Wildwood. He tells them that in exchange for not attacking Colony 4, Ethel has agreed to pilot a new Ferronis and use it to kill the party members. Cammuravi has also been recruited for this task and provided his own new Ferronis. The two of them head to Maktha Wildwood under the orders of Consuls O and P and attack the party. While Ethel and Cammuravi fight the party members, the Consuls suspect they are not trying hard enough. While Ethel can no longer be controlled through her iris, Cammuravi can, although he tears out his own eye in order to stop it. Now both free, Ethel and Cammuravi are able to fulfill their desire to duel each other instead of attacking the party members. Because of this Consul P attempts to suck the life out of them. The two of them deal fatal blows to each other's Ferronises and both perish.

At Keves Castle, the party spots several cradles and finds a young Ethel in one of them. This cradle is one of those that are seized and brought to the City by the Lost Numbers when they attack Keves Castle.

No Want of Courage
Ethel's Hero Quest, No Want of Courage, is part of the main story.

While looking for an Agnian Supply Drop to help Colony 4 with a medical supplies shortage, the party stumbles upon Ethel at Galghour's Menhir. It quickly turns out that the Commander not only shares their goal but also came to retrieve it alone to protect the rest of the Colony from suffering any more casualties. She refuses the party's help to recover the supplies, arguing that not risking anyone's life includes them. Noah retorts it also includes Ethel herself, and, unable to counter that point, she yields, allowing them to work with her.

They head for the drop point at Metamural Garden and find an Agnian troop struggling to fight off some Volffs. Without hesitation, Ethel attacks the monsters, backed up by the party. The Volffs defeated, Ethel considers the Agnian survivors, and orders them to take their wounded and leave. As the Agnians flee before she changes her mind, Ethel wonders if she made the right choice. As a Kevesi commander, her role should have been to kill them. She already had Colony 4 stripped from its Silver rank for letting Cammuravi live, though Noah assures her he thinks she made the right choice. She cannot help but point out that the actions one believes to be correct don't always lead to good outcomes, especially in war. She then shakes these thoughts off and the party heads back to Colony 4 with the supplies.

Upon their arrival, they are welcomed by a worried Bolearis, who tries to chide Ethel for her reckless behavior, but quickly gives up in front of her calm apologies. Before she leaves to help distribute the fresh supplies, Noah, Eunie and Lanz take the time to formally thank her for saving their lives all those years ago. Ethel smiles and swears to continue doing her best to live up to her nickname.

With this Hero Quest completed Ethel becomes the first Hero to be recruited, although she can only join the party before starting Chapter 3 and after completing her ascension condition.

Other appearances
First term Ethel appears during the Hero Quest, A Twist of Fate. Cammuravi is eventually revived by Consul Y and advanced to his tenth term in Colony Omega. After Y is defeated, Cammuravi accompanies the party to the City where they are told by Travis that Ethel's cradle has been opened. The party finds Cubibi, a Nopon who mistakenly opened her cradle while playing hide and go seek. The young Ethel is soon found trying to leave the city although she doesn't recall why, or how she recognizes Cammuravi. The party feels that as a first termer, she wouldn't be helpful in battle and should be left in the City, but she is mentored by Travis and Cammuravi.

Despite being a first termer, Ethel desires to help the party in their final battle against Moebius. Accompanying the party and Cammuravi to Colony Omega, Ethel asks to be placed in a special cradle that will mature her to tenth term. After doing so, the now fully grown Ethel is able to rejoin the party as a Hero.

Ethel can be among the recruited Heroes to aid the party in the final battle against Z, apologizing to the party for waiting as she is summoned. After Z's defeat, Ethel can be seen on the Kevesi side as Aionios splits back into the two worlds it was created from.

Lore

 * Ethel dislikes Volff meat.
 * According to Bolearis, it is known that Orsolya, the commander of Colony 5, was Ethel's good friend and rival.
 * According to Cammuravi, Ethel as a first termer enjoys reading books as she keeps requesting him to get more.
 * Similar to her previous incarnation, Ethel as a first termer already shows excellent combat ability, according to Cammuravi, she can even handle a fight with a few adult Lost Numbers.
 * Ethel as a first termer dislikes being belittled, as she refutes Travis when he calls her a little princess.

As a boss

 * Ethel's Ferronis
 * Ethel's Ferronis

As an NPC
Ethel can be found at Colony 4 for the majority of Chapter 3. After her death in Chapter 4, Ethel's NPC icon on the affinity chart becomes dark like every deceased NPC and remains so even after her reborn in the City.

Once the Quest, A Twist of Fate is completed, Ethel's first term appearance is added to the affinity chart. After Ethel rejoins as a Hero, her NPC icon is changed to her tenth term appearance. She can be found at the with Cammuravi in the day in both of her appearances.

Affinity

 * Bolearis (Colony 4)
 * Cammuravi (City)
 * Travis (City)

Trivia

 * Ethel's Japanese voice actress, Atsumi Tanezaki, also voices Agate in Xenoblade Chronicles 2.
 * Ether's story arc leads to her being unique among Heroes:
 * After being recruited, she almost immediately becomes unselectable and remains so until ascended. While some Heroes become temporarily unselectable, Ethel is the only one who remains that way until something happens that isn't simply plot progression.
 * Possibly to avoid speculation of why she is unselectable, in the "Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Direct" and "Ask the Developer Vol. 6, Xenoblade Chronicles 3–Part 3" interview article, Ethel's profile icon is censored when showing the Hero selection menu.
 * Ethel and Nimue are the only two characters in  Xenoblade Chronicles 3 to first appear in their late term and then reappear in younger form.
 * Ethel is the only character in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 to have duplicate NPC icons on the affinity chart.