Intelligent Systems and Koei Tecmo's Fire Emblem: Three Houses was met with critical acclaim. Heavy praise was placed on the game's narrative and characters, with strong interactions among the game's cast. Acting as a head professor at the Garreg Mach Monstery in the country of Fódlan, players are given the opportunity to interact with a range of different characters.
Upon arriving at Garreg Mach Monastery, players are allowed to join one of three Houses: the Black Eagles, led by Edelgard, the Blue Lions, led by Dimitri, or the Golden Deer, led by Claude. This choice impacts both the narrative and gameplay of Three Houses, effecting which characters you will interact with and what kind of units you will have available during combat.
One stand-out character in the game is Claude, heir to the Leicester Alliance (one of the game's three rival nations) and leader of the Golden Deer faction. Among the three House rulers in the game, Claude became an instant fan-favorite due to his more lighthearted personality and mysterious nature. He is exceptionally charismatic, acting as an enjoyable companion throughout the game should the player choose to teach for the Golden Deer.
On his mother's side, Claude von Riegan is the heir to Fódlan's Leicester Alliance, but on his father's side, he is heir to Almyra, an enemy country to Fódlan. As a child, Claude was discriminated against for his heritage, leading to him developing his deceptive and roguish nature. Despite his seemingly goofy personality, though, he is an extremely skilled fighter, leader, and strategist.
Claude's backstory is a major part of the game's Golden Deer route, but recently the game's developers revealed even more details. In the most recent issue of Nintendo Direct, the directors of Fire Emblem: Three Houses revealed that "Claude" was an assumed name for the trickster prince. Nintendo's Genki Yokota and Intelligent Systems' Toshiyuki Kusakihara stated that Claude's real name is "Khalid," although this was never revealed in the game itself.
The reveal was initially meant to happen in-game, according to Kusakihara, but the scene just didn't fit with the flow of the game. The scene in question would have had Nader, a general from Almyra, refer to Claude by his birth name of Khalid. Without this scene, however, the reveal is left for fans to discover through other means.
Claude's use of a pseudonym was hinted at in the game's Cindered Shadows DLC. The DLC focuses on a fourth House hidden beneath the school, called the Ashen Wolves, while also featuring characters from the base game.
One of Claude's lines in the DLC hints that he may be using an assumed name. When talking to Balthus, a member of the Ashen Wolves, Claude tells him, "Claude's a common name in Fodlan. It's just too dashing for new moms to pass up. It's even a popular choice for fake names. Just a good, solid, all-purpose moniker, you know?" While players can interpret this line as Claude being witty, it turns out that he was hinting at his use of the common name as an alias.
While the reveal of Claude's real name may be surprising, the fact that he chose to live under an assumed name should not be a shock to players. A central aspect of Claude's backstory is the discrimination that he suffered due to his heritage, both on his mother's and father's side. It makes sense that he would try to mask his true identity behind an alias while at Garreg Mach Monastery, to avoid attracting attention to himself.
As one of Fire Emblem: Three Houses' most popular characters, Claude's story attracts a lot of interest. His wit and charm draw many players to choose the Golden Deer House, and he greatly enhances the game's narrative through his presence. The reveal of his real name adds another layer of intrigue to this already deep and enjoyable character.