Kempf

About

Kempf is a major antagonist featured in the Super Famicom game, Fire Emblem: Thracia776. He is introduced in chapter 11 of said game, written with a generally arrogant nature. His characterization is more infamous in the "Shaya" fan translation of the game, where creative liberties were taken with his lines, such as calling his associate – Olwen – a "stupid bitch" and describing that the main character – Leif – has fallen into his trap "In America". The latter quote would be used to permanently define his character in a satirical manner, with many fans describing him as a patriotic American.

Origin

Kempf is a boss character who appears in Thracia776, the fifth entry in the Fire Emblem franchise. He is first mentioned in Chapter 10, where the enemy unit Fred mentions he had sent Olwen in for reconnaissance, as an act of contempt towards her.^[1] He will then make his first appearance in Chapter 11, awaiting Leif's Army for battle. He is the antagonist of said chapter, as well as several other chapters later on. He has short, silver hair and a smug, contemptuous expression; as can be seen in the image below.

The Shaya Patch

While Thracia776 has had several fan translations in the past (see "Luxifer Angel"'s menu patch in 2003^[2]), the most notorious translation comes from the translator known as "Shaya". On March 2nd, 2008, Shaya would release a version of Thracia776 that would have the full story completely translated, as opposed to simple menu text^[3].

While an ambitious and ultimately successful effort, the Shaya translation of Thracia776 would be remembered more for its many mistakes rather than its merits. The patch would have several text/font errors in the script, and more notably a bunch of out-of-place jokes and references. Supposedly, the referential humor was put in place intentionally for play-testers to proofread his script as proof they were paying attention before its eventual release.

!

Kempf in particular would be a standout star as a result of Shaya's shortcomings and the playtesters' complacency, and would often referred to by some laughable quotes.

"In America"

His most famous line comes from a scripted sequence when the main character – Leif – and his army are lured into the heart of Chapter 11's fortress. This will prompt Kempf to lock several doors behind Leif's and his units, and say the following:

“Hahaha! The idiots have fallen right into my trap! In America!

An example of the scripted sequence can be found, below, on the left. This is an obvious reference to Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged Episode 12 by LittleKuriboh, where the character "Bandit Keith" says a near identical line while also adding "In America" at the end of the sentence (right). This is often the most cited line when giving criticism to Shaya's patch, as well as a notorious example against trusting fan translations in general.

While a rather infamous line in its early days, most Thracia fans nowadays have somewhat of an ironic reverence towards the "In America" quote in recent years, often embracing the meme in fanart and shitposting. Kempf himself will often be drawn as incredibly patriotic, either wearing or standing behind the image of the American Flag.

"Stupid Bitch"

After Player Preparations in chapter 11, there will be a conversation between Kempf and his associate, Olwen. In the middle of a heated argument between the two, Kempf will provoke Olwen into physical retaliation. As Olwen attempts to draw a sword, Kempf will make a rather childish insult and refer to Olwen as a "Stupid Bitch". An example can be seen below.

While not nearly as memorable as his "In America" quote, fans will still often use "Stupid Bitch" in memes about Kempf.

"Murder Hollace"

"Murder Hollace" is the name of Chapter 11x of Thracia in several translation patches (including Shaya's). It is also the supposed mistranslated name for the tactical strategy that Kempf himself declares in said chapter. After player preparations, Bishop Oltof doubts how he can buy time for the general as he reports this to his superiors. Kempf will then suggest using "Murder Hollace" as a last-resort plan to hold Leif's army back. An example of the conversation can be found in the video below (at timestamp 5:43).

The word "Hollace" appears to be a literal translation of the Japanese word "ホレス" ("Horesu" in English) and was believed by many fans to actually mean "holes" when properly translated to English.^[4] This would mean they would be "Murder Holes", based off of a real-life defensive design used in castles and forts. These holes would be used to pour molten oil onto unsuspecting victims attempting to lay siege on a castle.^[5] However, some have debated it could also mean "halls" based on the design of the map (Shown Left). This would be slightly more accurate, as there are no proper ceilings to be used as a mechanic in Fire Emblem games.

Another theorized translation comes from the more modern "Project Exile" patch, which renames the chapter and battle tactic as "Ballistrarie". A "Ballistraria" is an actual architectural design used in castles to allow castle defenders to fire crossbows through small holes,^[6] as a method to fend off invaders charging a stronghold long narrow halls. This would also most accurately describe the strategy being employed, as the enemies are attacking through the walls, instead of via a ceiling trap.

"Murder Holes" would eventually be the confirmed translation when the switch title "Fire Emblem Engage" released. Here, Leif's "Emblem" will refer to the murder holes in a given dialogue (Shown Below).

Regardless, "Murder Hollace" is often the go-to term used by fans of Thracia776 when talking about this chapter.

Fire Emblem Heroes Inclusion

On December 5th, 2019, the Voice Actor "Brandon Winckler" would confirm in a now-deleted tweet on Twitter that he would be voicing the role of Kempf in Fire Emblem Heroes (shown Left). This would also be reposted the same on Facebook five days later, where it can still be visible to this day (Shown Right). Both announcements would directly reference the "In America!" bit from the Shaya Patch of Thracia, with many fans on Reddit^[8] on Gamefaqs^[9] eagerly taking note.

Brandon Winckler himself also acknowledges the meme around Kempf in now-deleted responses, with examples that have been screencapped below. He ultimately confessed how much he underestimated how well-known the quote was it was until after seeing the comments section of his tweet.

Rivalry with Reinhardt

A lesser known detail about Kempf is his obsessive self-appointed rivalry with Reinhardt, the brother of Olwen. In-game, Kempf will belittle Olwen and badmouth Reinhardt's name in front of her. Outside of the game, his rivalry expands into something more meta-contextual, with the "Choose Your Legends" Polls and mobile game "Fire Emblem Heroes" showcasing this.

2017 would be a notable year for Kempf, as he would be slightly more popular than his rival by twenty votes.^[4] However, since Reinhardt would be released in Fire Emblem Heroes in the same year^[10], he would eventually gain more time to be loved by fans. With how powerful Reinhardt eventually became in the metagame of F.E. Heroes, Kempf's jealous remarks can be seen more as bitter favoritism the fanbase would have towards his Rival.^[11](W.I.P.)

Search Interest

Various Examples

External References