I think you have a good point. Expanding Soldier & Dragoon into the Samurai/Knight/Paladin space is a good idea but it has to be handled carefully because there's already a lot of confusion/conflation going on with those two classes and, unless we're VERY clear on who goes into what class, it will just get worse!
So yeah, I'm okay with adding Paladin to Soldiers, but there will be kind of an ambiguity with Agrias (Holy Knight) and Basch (Paladin in RW), and I'm not sure whether they fit Soldier or Dragoon better. I'm kind of curious which characters people think are definitely Dragoon-like and which characters are definitely Soldier-like, and which ones are in-between enough that they shouldn't be given to either. Maybe a more detailed poll will be needed here?
Some of my own thoughts, which may not be very accurate:
Soldiers -- Tend to be associated with the military, yet personality-wise tend to be independent leaders who make decisions and work for a wider good (i.e. saving the world as a whole) rather than serve one person loyally. I also think of Soldiers as being more outgoing, flexible, and energetic than Dragoons who are more calm and reserved.
Dragoons -- While Kain is strongly associated with the military, later Dragoons (Cid, Fang, Kimahri) tend to be distant from/unrelated to the military, and instead have a particular person or a more narrow cause they're dedicated to. In this sense, I think Auron and Cyan fit here naturally because they work alone but have bound themselves to a certain cause.
Agrias I think fits under either because at the beginning of the game she's very focused on Ovelia and is more a pure Knight, but over time she becomes part of a bigger group and more Soldier-like in her role. So I don't know what to do with her.
Basch and Beatrix I don't know enough about to argue where they fit. Basch seems to me to have kind of a quiet/serious/loyal personality so maybe Dragoon? I don't know.
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So yeah, I'm okay with adding Paladin to Soldiers, but there will be kind of an ambiguity with Agrias (Holy Knight) and Basch (Paladin in RW), and I'm not sure whether they fit Soldier or Dragoon better. I'm kind of curious which characters people think are definitely Dragoon-like and which characters are definitely Soldier-like, and which ones are in-between enough that they shouldn't be given to either. Maybe a more detailed poll will be needed here?
Some of my own thoughts, which may not be very accurate:
Soldiers -- Tend to be associated with the military, yet personality-wise tend to be independent leaders who make decisions and work for a wider good (i.e. saving the world as a whole) rather than serve one person loyally. I also think of Soldiers as being more outgoing, flexible, and energetic than Dragoons who are more calm and reserved.
Dragoons -- While Kain is strongly associated with the military, later Dragoons (Cid, Fang, Kimahri) tend to be distant from/unrelated to the military, and instead have a particular person or a more narrow cause they're dedicated to. In this sense, I think Auron and Cyan fit here naturally because they work alone but have bound themselves to a certain cause.
Agrias I think fits under either because at the beginning of the game she's very focused on Ovelia and is more a pure Knight, but over time she becomes part of a bigger group and more Soldier-like in her role. So I don't know what to do with her.
Basch and Beatrix I don't know enough about to argue where they fit. Basch seems to me to have kind of a quiet/serious/loyal personality so maybe Dragoon? I don't know.