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I want the record to show that I actually did not even realize I was doing FE4 at the top so much until you guys pointed it out

1. Alec/Noish (Genealogy)

Arguably the most underwhelming units you get in the prologue statistically, Alec and Noish look kind of sketchy at first glance. Alec has the all important Pursuit skill along with decent speed, but little else, while Noish has solid strength and defense but his offense is reliant on Critical and Accost, the former based on his low skill stat and the latter unreliable and weird. They can combine to kill the weakest enemies on the map, but they quickly run into foes that require more than just one round from each of them (and the first one they encounter has a Hand Axe, which they can't even counter on enemy phase) and it only seems to get worse from there. Sigurd is dominating everything, Quan and Lex 2HKO everything with better durability, Azel ORKOs the weakest enemies when he gets in range and even Arden at least has some serious durability. Pretty easy to write off this iteration of the red and green cavaliers after seeing how they seem to be constantly disappointing you from one end of the map to the other.

Of course, "from one end of the map to the other" is the operative phrase, because this is the ultimate Horse Emblem game and no one proves that more than Alec and Noish. Even when they're not doing anything special, they're always able to at least be in a position to contribute *something*, and in a game where ORKOing is not always easy and you have to fight swarms of enemies that can require some "wall" formations to tackle effectively, that's actually quite important. I actually consider these two to be the 6th and 7th best first generation units (Alec the superior of the two) and could see the argument to move them up a spot if anything. They're clearly better than any foot unit, that's for sure! Of course, one of the reasons for this is that their reputation for contributing but only minimally is somewhat overstated, as they're a bit better at combat than you might think...

First off, the cavalier class brings with it B swords and C lances, which is actually quite good. They can use magic swords for strong chip damage (Alec in particular due to Pursuit), the brave sword once it comes around, the horseslayer in chapter 3 and even the javelin if need be (though Sigurd/Quan/Finn are usually going to take those for themselves). They can potentially use the slim lance as well for an extra edge over sword users, which is mainly helpful in the arena but does provide a strong and light option for the field as well. Maybe the most overlooked aspect is what they can do in chapter 1. Alec's low offense is partially caused by his wimpy iron sword, but he can buy Sigurd's steel sword (since Sigurd now has Silver) and suddenly that's +8 damage he gained. The iron lance for an extra 2 might over even the steel sword is also an option, as you'll have three of them and can likely spare one for a cavalier. Speed ring Alec can double quite a bit with a lance throughout the game, and even without the ring he doubles axe users, albeit the accuracy can occasionally be shaky. Noish does struggle a bit more here though since he doesn't have as easy an upgrade available.

What can save Noish, of course, is the Pursuit Band. While it is extremely expensive, a bit of help from Dew (combined with his ability to reach villages easily like any mounted unit, including potentially the Bargain Band village, though I'd never recommend that unless he's going to be a father because you want it to be inherited and don't want anyone to have to buy it) can nonetheless get it for him and suddenly he's looking pretty strong. His naturally low speed isn't all that important when swords are so light, meaning he can double many enemy types regardless, and a second opportunity for a critical hit is always nice, albeit still unreliable. Pursuit + brave sword Noish has some lethal offense. Now granted, everyone has great offense with the brave sword and Noish requires the extra cost of the Pursuit Band, but the point is it's an option he has and a very viable one considering he has a horse and will thus get to use the tools you give him a lot. Cool weapons do nothing if they don't even get used because the unit carrying them sees little combat.

And that's really one of the big strengths of these two units. Genealogy gives you a ton of crazy stuff to play with, with rings providing skills and huge stat boosts and some weapons just being bonkers. You can give these things to all kinds of units, but it's clearly better to give them to the mounted units that will actually get to make use of them. Alec and Noish are underwhelming on their own, but given the right tools they nonetheless put in far more work than a lot of units ever could, more than justifying the investment you put into them.

Then once you get them promoted they get a few more options, like the steel and brave lances (though the latter has competition from Erin, and Finn before he leaves), and Alec has a strange little niche of being able to actually ORKO certain enemy types at 2 range with a magic sword and the magic ring (Noish can do it too with the Pursuit Band, but that's getting to be pretty expensive for one unit to afford), which is pretty neat and it's not like the magic ring is in much demand when your only magic attackers either don't get a horse or don't get a horse until they gain 19 levels as a gong show. Promotion bonuses save a lot of units in this game, and if there's one thing a horse does in Genealogy it's give you opportunities to gain experience. And their weapon selection options lets them do decently in the arena as well. They'll rarely clear it outright but they can get fairly far by passing around effective weapons and switching swords/lances as needed. This can let them keep up statistically a little better than you might expect.

Alec and Noish are far from dominant forces. Even at their best they can't measure up to the true powerhouses of the army. But they're around from the very beginning and they're always useful as long as you take a moment to let them be. If you just keep them to their default inventory they'll be underwhelming, but a bit of care on what you give them can make them quite respectable, Alec in particular due to his innate Pursuit. They'll frequently end the generation with more combat and more kills than the vast majority of your army, simply because no matter what the situation is they can always find a way to do *something* that helps you out. This list of underrated units hasn't really had a clear criteria for the order units appear, but the final entry is indeed what I believe to be the most underrated units in the entire series. Often written off as just too weak to matter, Alec and Noish are some of the better units the fir