Overview of the Emblem

Since 2013, Fire Emblem has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity that allowed the series to overcome the threat of cancellation and sell millions of units. Nintendo even (temporarily) revived the original Fire Emblem for an official English localization to celebrate its 30th anniversary, which seemed maddeningly unlikely less than a decade ago.

The amount of games in the Fire Emblem franchise is nothing to scoff at, especially with a portion of them still unavailable outside Japan. Hopefully this article helps inform newcomers and veterans alike of the numerous Fire Emblem games, along with related titles and cameos.

Last updated on August 31, 2021.

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FIRE EMBLEM GAMES
Mainline Fire Emblem titles and direct spin-offs.

Famicom: 1990 (JP) | Nintendo Switch: 2020 (NA/PAL)

The first Fire Emblem meshes the turn-based gameplay of Famicom Wars — the predecessor to Advance Wars — with role-playing game elements, thereby establishing the foundation for every Fire Emblem to follow. However, signature features such as the Weapon Triangle weren’t introduced until several games later. Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light stars Prince Marth after the Dolhr Empire invades the country of Altea and forces him to flee. Years later, Marth returns with a fledgling army to free the occupied nations and defeat Dolhr’s leader, the earth dragon Medeus.

Famicom: 1992 (JP)

On the neighboring continent of Valentia, childhood friends Alm and Celica separately fight against King Rudolf of Rigel, whose army invaded Zofia and murdered the royal family. Players control two independent armies, each featuring their own characters, locations to visit, and battles to fight. Furthermore, weapon degradation was dropped and towns can be freely explored, similar to traditional RPGs. Unfortunately, virtually every new feature was removed by the next game. Over two decades later, Gaiden received a complete remake on Nintendo 3DS under the name Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia.

Super Famicom: 1994 (JP)

Mystery of the Emblem features a remake of the original Fire Emblem, albeit with several characters and chapters removed, along with a direct sequel, making for two games on a single Super Famicom cartridge. The latter story sees Hardin, Marth’s ally and the newly crowned emperor of Archanea, causing trouble, so Marth takes up the Falchion and Shield of Seals again to reclaim his country and end the conflict. Both “Books” abandon the features established by its predecessor, Gaiden, instead playing largely identical to the first Fire Emblem, and were later remade as separate titles on Nintendo DS.

Super Famicom: 1996 (JP)

One of, if not the most important Fire Emblem release, Genealogy of the Holy War introduces the Weapon Triangle and special Skills, along with marrying characters whose stats impact their children — all staples of the franchise as of 2019. Much larger maps featuring multiple castles needing conquering hasn’t returned, however. The story of Genealogy spans two generations of soldiers in the far-off continent of Jugdral, beginning with Sigurd before moving onto his son, Seliph, almost two decades later.

Super Famicom: 1997 [Satellaview] (JP)

Created for the Japan-only Satellaview peripheral on Super Famicom, Archanea Saga, or BS Fire Emblem for short, consists of four timed battles set chronologically before the original Fire Emblem and stars existing characters such as Minerva. Like other Satellaview games, BS Fire Emblem features voice acting, a first for the franchise. Unfortunately, there is no official way to play the game as the Satellaview service was discontinued, although the maps were recreated (without the timer or voice acting) as a bonus feature in New Mystery of the Emblem on Nintendo DS.

Super Famicom: 1999 [Nintendo Power] (JP) / 2000 [regular cartridge] (JP)

The final game by series creator Shouzou Kaga before his departure from Intelligent Systems, Thracia 776 initially released on the Japan-only Nintendo Power service (no relation to the U.S. magazine of the same name), but was later re-released on a regular Super Famicom cartridge long after the release of the Super Famicom’s successor. Maybe that’s why Thracia 776 is the worst-selling game in the franchise. The story is a midquel to Genealogy of the Holy War that stars Leif, one of the second generation units.

Game Boy Advance: 2002 (JP)

With series creator Shouzou Kaga gone, Intelligent Systems made a clean break from the previous games with The Binding Blade, simplifying or removing many features and introducing a new setting divorced from the world that came before. The game is most notable for introducing the modern Support system, at least. Roy, son of Blazing Blade protagonist Eliwood, leads the Lycian League against the mighty nation of Bern, led by King Zephiel. To complete his schemes, Zephiel awakens the long-sealed Demon Dragon Idenn.

Game Boy Advance: 2003 (JP/NA) / 2004 (EU)

While it doesn’t make significant changes to the franchise, The Blazing Blade is notable for being the first Fire Emblem released outside Japan. The big addition is a voiceless tactician to represent the player, who doesn’t fight and has limited impact on the story. For Japanese fans with this and The Binding Blade, linking them together allows them to skip Lyn’s Tale, which serves as an extended tutorial. Joined by his friends Hector and Lyn, Eliwood confronts a dangerous cult that kidnapped his father, set twenty years before Roy’s adventure.

The Blazing Blade originally released in North America and Europe as simply Fire Emblem, but Fire Emblem Heroes confirmed its official English subtitle.

Game Boy Advance: 2004 (JP) / 2005 (NA/EU)

As a spiritual successor to Fire Emblem Gaiden, The Sacred Stones revived the navigable map and non-story skirmishes, but otherwise doesn’t make any great leaps forward. Princess Eirika of Renais flees her country as the Grado Empire invades, but soon pushes into Grado territory to find Ephraim, her missing brother. The siblings separate almost immediately after reuniting, leaving the player to decide which character to follow for six chapters. The Sacred Stones is the only game with no concrete connection to any other Fire Emblem title.

Nintendo GameCube: 2005 (JP/NA/PAL)

When Daein invades Crimea, its western neighbor, Princess Elincia becomes the last surviving member of the Crimean royal family. On the run, she encounters Ike and the Greil Mercenaries, so they travel through laguz territory to plead for assistance from the powerful Begnion theocracy. After not being on a home console in six years, Path of Radiance took advantage of the GameCube to create the first 3D Fire Emblem. Pity that it’s a fairly ugly game. It also introduced the “base screen” and, more importantly, shapeshifting laguz.

Wii: 2007 (JP/NA) / 2008 (PAL)

Radiant Dawn, direct sequel to Path of Radiance, doesn’t alter gameplay or use the unique features of the Wii, but instead experiments with storytelling by switching between a handful of protagonists. This allows players to fight against characters they’ve previously controlled, at least until the casts unite to fight a bigger threat. Ike, leader of the Greil Mercenaries, and Queen Elincia return, but much of the focus is spent on newcomer Micaiah, the Silver-Haired Maiden, as she fights for Daein’s independence.

Nintendo DS: 2008 (JP/EU) / 2009 (NA/OC)

The second remake of the first Fire Emblem is more faithful to the original by bringing back chapters removed from Mystery of the Emblem, while also including characters and features, such as the Weapon Triangle, from later games. New “Gaiden Chapters” shows Marth’s escape from Altea prior to the main story along with serving as a tutorial, yet Shadow Dragon is often criticized for ugly graphics, no support conversations, and bonus chapters only accessible by allowing characters to die.

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Nintendo DS: 2010 (JP)

New Mystery of the Emblem, as the name implies, is a remake of the second half (the sequel portion) of Mystery of the Emblem. Unlike Shadow Dragon, New Mystery added much more, including Casual Mode and a customizable avatar, the “Hero of Shadow,” who’s more relevant to the story than Blazing Blade‘s tactician. Following the prologue chapters, the character joins Marth’s personal guard and becomes close friends during the conflict with Emperor Hardin. As a bonus, the four maps from BS Fire Emblem were recreated in New Mystery.

Nintendo 3DS: 2012 (JP) / 2013 (NA/PAL)

With Fire Emblem on the verge of cancellation, Intelligent Systems created Awakening as a final hurrah with many features from past games, including children, Skills, an overworld, and an avatar. References to the series are everywhere, especially in the downloadable content. The story follows Chrom, Marth’s ancestor, as he leads an army alongside his trusted tactician against the Fell Dragon Grima. At the same time, a youth named Marth foretells a catastrophic future in which Chrom dies and Grima wins.

Nintendo 3DS: 2015 (JP) / 2016 (NA/EU)

Fire Emblem Fates is the umbrella name for three titles about Corrin, a prince or princess of two kingdoms, and the conflict between these nations. Birthright sees Corrin side with Hoshido, and is a simpler game comparable to Awakening, while Conquest has Corrin join Nohr with a tougher campaign more like pre-Awakening games. There’s also Revelation, in which Corrin refuses to choose and instead battles against a third hidden nation instigating the war between Hoshido and Nohr. However, Revelation is only available via download from the 3DS eShop — unless you’re lucky enough to have purchased the elusive limited edition version of Fates, which contains all three adventures on a single cartridge.

Wii U: 2015 (JP) / 2016 (NA/PAL) | Nintendo Switch: 2020 (Worldwide)

Announced as a crossover between Fire Emblem and Shin Megami Tensei, ♯FE is more of a strange metamorphosis of the two. Set in modern-day Japan, the story follows Itsuki Aoi and his companions from the Fortuna Entertainment group as they fighting using Mirages — reimagined takes of Fire Emblem characters from the first game and Awakening. Although ♯FE plays similar to a regular Shin Megami Tensei game, the battle system is about exploiting enemy weaknesses to chain attacks, a clever combination of SMT and Fire Emblem systems.

Android / iOS: 2017 (Worldwide)

The player is called upon by the Order of Heroes to fight on behalf of the Kingdom of Askr against the numerous armies that threaten it, although story is secondary to collecting and raising heroes and antagonists alike from across the Fire Emblem franchise. As Heroes is a free-to-play Gotcha game, Orbs are necessary to obtain random characters, and can be obtained by completing in-game tasks or dropping real-world money. Fire Emblem gameplay is redesigned to fit on a single screen with players typically controlling only four units, although additional mechanics such as Skills and a simplified Support system add a little complexity.

As of August 2021, Fire Emblem Heroes is still being updated with new content.

Nintendo 3DS: 2017 (Worldwide)

Alm and Celica return in a 3DS remake of Fire Emblem Gaiden. On the continent of Valentia, the northern kingdom of Rigel invades the southern Zofia. As Alm leads the resistence to retake Zofia before marching into enemy lands, Celica undertakes a parallel mission to uncover the whereabouts of the goddess Mila. Gimmicks that made Gaiden unique remain, including explorable dungeons and lack of a Weapon Triangle, while Support conversations similar to the GBA titles are added. Perhaps the biggest additions are voice acting for almost every line of dialogue and a new post-game chapter that ties into Fire Emblem Awakening.

Nintendo Switch / Nintendo 3DS: 2017 (Worldwide)

Monsters attack the Kingdom of Aytolis, forcing Prince Rowan and Princess Lianna to flee from their home and come in contact with Fire Emblem heroes from different worlds. As this is a Musou game, the fluff story isn’t as important as stabbing dozens upon dozens of enemies, although the Weapon Triangle and other elements taken from Fire Emblem offer more strategy than a typical Musou. The majority of heroes come from Shadow Dragon, Awakening, and Fates, but Lyn from The Blazing Blade and Celica from Echoes: Shadows of Valentia are unlockable. Nine more characters from these games were later added as paid DLC.

Nintendo Switch: 2019 (Worldwide)

On the continent of Fódlan, the nations of Adrastea, Fergus, and Leicester occupy the majority of the land, but it’s the Church of Seiros that holds the power. Byleth is recruited to Garreg Mach Monastery, the seat of the Church, as a professor to teach one of three classes, each representing one of the three nations. However, a group with a bloodier agenda moves in the shadows, forcing the characters to take up arms in a conflict spanning the continent. Customization is a major focus, allowing players to determine each student’s goals. That, in turn, impacts the classes they’re able to choose and the Skills they learn.

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RELATED GAMES
Unreleased games and non-FE titles developed by Shouzou Kaga.

PlayStation: 2001 (JP)

Fire Emblem in all buy name, TearRing Saga was developed by Shouzou Kaga, creator of Fire Emblem, after leaving Intelligent Systems. As evident from pre-release comments, Kaga originally invisioned that TearRing would take place in the same world as his Fire Emblem titles (1-5), and was even called “Emblem Saga” at one point. If Kaga moved away from these intentions to avoid legal action from Nintendo, it didn’t work. Even so, the story is pure Fire Emblem: heroes Runan and Enteh fight against the invading Zoa Empire.

Nintendo 64: Cancelled

Not much was known about Maiden of Darkness, commonly called Fire Emblem 64, in the years since its cancellation. Fortunately, the book “The Making of Fire Emblem” revealed several details. Rumors that FE64 transitioned onto Game Boy Advance to become The Binding Blade are true, although little from the original project, including story and practically every character, made the journey between platforms. Even Roy, one of the few elements from FE64 to survive the move, was redesigned (pictured above) and renamed (originally called Ike, not to be confused for the character from Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn).

Serenes Forest and Kantopia translated and covered Maiden of Darkness, so check out the links provided.

PlayStation 2: 2005 (JP)

Perhaps hoping to keep Nintendo from releasing the lawyers again, the second TearRing Saga less resembles Fire Emblem than its predecessor, starting with how the square grids on maps were changed to hexagons. Weapons and magic also differ more, although the story of Prince Reese of Chinon struggling to repel an invasion by the Raze Empire is still pretty Fire Emblem. Berwick Saga has no connection to the first TearRing Saga, despite being from the same series.

Wii: Unreleased

An experimental internal project designed to widen Fire Emblem‘s audience, “Illusive Wii Title” was divulged in 2015’s “The Making of Fire Emblem” book. The project seemingly looked to real-time strategy games for inspiration, with Pikmin being name-dropped; the limited information reveals a 3-person party visiting a small town, and they could explore a field of wandering enemies (no random encounters), although art associated with the project reveals grander locations. “Illusive Wii Title” eventually sputtered to a halt, so Intelligent Systems instead created a remake of the original Fire Emblem. Again.

Serenes Forest and Kantopia translated and covered “Illusive Wii Title,” so check out the links provided.

Nintendo Switch / Nintendo 3DS: 2017 (April Fools’)

Don’t get too excited because Fire Emblem: Battle of Revolution is actually an April Fools’ joke by Intelligent Systems. This supposed Switch and 3DS title featured graphics reminiscent of the Famicom games and is set in Japan’s Edo period as opposed to a fantasy world. Free DLC was said to involve a “Running Marth,” while other shown characters are clearly from the redesigned cast of Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia.

PC: 2016 (JP) | Steam: 2019 (ENG)

Shouzou Kaga returns! When the Solvian Empire attacks the nation of Meleda, leading to the crumbling of the Anti-Imperial Alliance, a nobleman named Zade is tasked with ensuring the safety of Princess Atholphis. Vesteria Saga I: Knight of the Fallen Kingdom and the Star Priestess was developed with the program SRPG Studio, making it appear decidedly less professional than previous Kaga titles. Dangen Entertainment officially localized the game into English and released it onto Steam for purchase in 2019.

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OTHER GAMES
Cameos abound, whether that’s characters, costumes, or simply references.

Super Nintendo: 1996 (JP/NA) / 1997 (PAL) | GBA: 2008 (JP/NA) / 2009 (EU)

The Great Cave Offensive is a sub-game in Kirby Super Star that allows players to, among other activities, collect a variety of treasures, including several that reference other Nintendo games. Examples include a Koopa shell from Super Mario and the Screw Attack power-up from Metroid, with Marth’s Falchion (left sword) among the treasures. Possibly due to Fire Emblem‘s Japan-only status at the time, Falchion was localized as Sword. This is corrected in Kirby Super Star Ultra for Game Boy Advance, with a new sprite (right sword), too.

Nintendo GameCube: 2001 (JP/NA) / 2002 (PAL)

The second Smash Bros. remains an important moment for Fire Emblem as it introduced the West to the franchise, leading to a building of interest that helped convince Nintendo to release the seventh Fire Emblem outside Japan. While Marth was brand new to Western gamers, his clone Roy was making his introductions to the whole world as Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade, where he acts as protagonist, wasn’t released in Japan yet. The musical track “Fire Emblem” plays on various levels, most typically Temple, although there’s evidence of a scrapped Fire Emblem stage named “AKANEIA”.

Nintendo GameCube: 2004 (NA [applicable version])

In English versions of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, a young Toad reveals that he’s playing Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade, known at the time as simply Fire Emblem. Furthermore, he reveals that it “ROCKS HIS SOCKS!!!” Interestingly, the Japanese version of The Thousand-Year Door lacks this reference, as reported by Legends of Localization, instead bringing up the original Super Mario Bros. (This holds true in German, if the comments for the Legends of Localization article are factual.)

Wii: 2008 (Worldwide)

Marth returns for Brawl, but Roy is replaced by Ike from Path of Radiance as a slower, yet more powerful fighter. Furthermore, Lyn from The Blazing Blade appears as an Assist Trophy, while the stage Castle Siege is added. This battlefield alternates between atop a besieged castle to within the castle itself to inside a lava-filled cavern, presumably beneath the castle, before starting again. Although Castle Siege isn’t indicative of any specific game, these are three common scenarios. New songs, trophies, and stickers adds to Fire Emblem‘s representation.

Wii U: 2013 (JP)

This Japan-only title released on multiple consoles, but only the Wii U version contains costumes allowing players to appear like weird, realistic versions of Chrom and Lucina. It also adds a handful of Fire Emblem-themed weapons. Just tell me that not!Lucina isn’t staring into your soul.

Nintendo 3DS / Wii U: 2014 (Worldwide)

Masahiro Sakurai, creator of Smash Bros., went a little Fire Emblem crazy in Smash for 3DS / Wii U, with Robin (of both sexes) and Lucina joining veterans Marth and Ike. Roy and Corrin (again, of both sexes) were added later as downloadable content, while Chrom appears during Robin’s Final Smash. Beyond new and returning songs and trophies, Fire Emblem gained two stages. Arena Ferox, a location in Fire Emblem Awakening, is exclusive to 3DS, while the Wii U version gets Coliseum, inspired by a reoccurring location, alongside Brawl‘s Castle Siege.

Nintendo 3DS: 2015 (JP/NA/EU)

Given that Intelligent Systems developed this unusual turn-based/real-time strategy game, it’s little surprise that Fire Emblem amiibo unlocks content. Marth, Ike, (male) Robin, and Lucina join the likes of John Henry, Lion (from The Wizard of Oz), and Tom Sawyer under the command of Abraham Lincoln to fight off invading aliens. So, Fire Emblem characters appearing isn’t the strangest part of this game. Should one of the four guest characters perish, they’re no longer playable until their amiibo is scanned again, which is a nod to Fire Emblem‘s Perma-Death.

Wii U: 2015 (Worldwide)

Super Mario Maker has no shortage of costumes for Mario to change into by obtaining the Mystery Mushroom, so it’s little surprise that Fire Emblem is among them. We’re specifically talking about fighters who shipped with Smash for 3DS / Wii U, meaning Marth, Ike, Lucina, and (male) Robin. The musical samples are taken from the original Fire Emblem. Mario falling into a pit causes the jingle to play for when an allied unit dies, while completing a level leads to, appropriately, the stage completion theme.

Wii U: 2015 (Worldwide) / Nintendo 3DS: 2017 (Worldwide)

Yoshi won’t take up arms against any invading Koopa army, but players with Fire Emblem amiibo for Ike, Lucina, Marth or Robin can unlock Yoshi patterns designed after whichever character was scanned. The 3DS port, Poochy & Yoshi’s Woolly World, adds the Corrin amiibo into the mix.

Nintendo 3DS: 2015 (JP) / 2016 (NA/PAL)

A crossover between Capcom, Namco Bandai, and Sega, Project X Zone 2 adds a handful of Nintendo characters alongside its already plump collection of heroes and villains. Chrom and Lucina from Fire Emblem Awakening join the cast with Fiora from Xenoblade Chronicles (Monolith Soft, the company behind Xenoblade, is the developer), although only with Japanese voices. Sad to say, Matt Mercer fans are out of luck.

Android / iOS: 2016 (Worldwide)

Nintendo’s first foray into mobile gaming is more of a social media application based around answering questions for friends to read, allowing everyone to learn a little more about one another. Users are represented by customizable Mii avatars, and Nintendo added Fire Emblem costumes to celebrate the release of Fire Emblem Heroes. Miitomo closed two years later.

Android / iOS: 2018 (Worldwide)

Dragalia Lost is no stranger to crossovers, adding Mega Man, Persona 5 Strikers, and Monster Hunter to its ranks of adventurers, but Fire Emblem came first. Twice. The first instance, titled “Fire Emblem Lost Heroes,” allowed players to recruit Marth, Fjorm, and Veronica, with Alfonse as a free unit. “Fire Emblem Kindred Ties,” the second event, saw Sharena as a free unit, with Chrom, Peony, and Tiki as recruitable. Each crossover also came with weapons iconic to several of the characters, such as the Falchion. Loki and Thórr appear as enemies.

Nintendo Switch: 2018 (Worldwide)

Ultimate, the latest title in the Super Smash Bros. franchise, features every combatant from the franchise’s history, meaning that every Fire Emblem character returns. Furthermore, Chrom was upgraded to playable fighter, while Byleth (of both sexes) joined as DLC. The previous three Fire Emblem stages — Castle Siege, Coliseum, and Arena Ferox — also appear, as does Garreg Mach Monastery with the Byleth DLC. Lyn reappears in Support Trophy form, joined by the Black Knight and (older) Tiki. Lastly, the Killing Edge weapon is a usable item.

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SOURCES

Baum, C. (2016). Series Analysis: Fire Emblem. Retrieved from http://sourcegaming.info/2016/02/23/series-analysis-fire-emblem/

PushDustin (2015). The Definitive Unused Fighters List in Smash. Retrieved from https://sourcegaming.wordpress.com/2015/04/13/the-definitive-unused-fighters-list-in-smash/

Sato (2015). A First Look At The Fire Emblem Creator’s New Strategy RPG Project. Retrieved from http://www.siliconera.com/2015/07/16/a-first-look-at-the-fire-emblem-creators-new-strategy-rpg-project/

Serenes Forest (n.d.). Emblem Saga. Retrieved from http://serenesforest.net/general/emblem-saga/

Smashpedia (n.d.). Tier list. Retrieved from http://supersmashbros.wikia.com/wiki/Tier_list

VincentASM (2015). Fire Emblem: Battle of Revolution Surprise Reveal! Retrieved from http://serenesforest.net/2015/12/09/the-making-of-fire-emblem-64/

VincentASM (2015). Making of Fire Emblem: The Illusive Wii Fire Emblem. Retrieved from http://serenesforest.net/2015/12/27/making-of-fire-emblem-the-illusive-wii-fire-emblem/

VincentASM (2015). The Making of Fire Emblem 64. Retrieved from http://serenesforest.net/2015/12/09/the-making-of-fire-emblem-64/

VincentASM (2016). Vestaria Saga: Early-game Character Profiles. Retrieved from https://serenesforest.net/2016/09/06/vestaria-saga-early-game-character-profiles/#more-33240

VincentASM (2016). Vestaria Saga: Second Trailer. Retrieved from https://serenesforest.net/2016/06/06/vestaria-saga-second-trailer/#more-32253

XKAN (2015). Fire Emblem Wii (Unreleased) Design Document Translations – FE 25th Anniversary. Retrieved from https://kantopia.wordpress.com/2015/12/22/fire-emblem-wii-unreleased-design-document-translations-fe-25th-anniversary/

XKAN (2015). Fire Emblem 64 Screenshot + Design Work Scans – 25th Anniversary Book. Retrieved from https://kantopia.wordpress.com/2015/12/09/fire-emblem-64-screenshot-design-work-scans-25th-anniversary-book/

XKAN (2015). Toru Narihiro – Interview on Fire Emblem for Wii Translation – FE 25th Anniversary. Retrieved from https://kantopia.wordpress.com/2015/12/23/toru-narihiro-interview-on-fire-emblem-for-wii-translation-fe-25th-anniversary/

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Content to Add:

Daigasso! Band-Brothers (Fire Emblem music)
Daigasso! Band-Brothers P (Fire Emblem music)
Donkey Konga 3 (Fire Emblem music)
Glory of Heracles (Archanea reference)
Metal Combat: Falcon’s Revenge (Fire Emblem sound)
One Piece: Super Ground Battle! X (Marth costume)
Trace Memory (Path of Radiance reference)
WarioWare: Get It Together! (Fire Emblem: Three Houses microgame)
WarioWare Gold (Fire Emblem Awakening microgame)