Many people in the western world are familiar with Intelligent Systems long-runningFire Emblemfranchise thanks to Marth and Roy’s appearance inSuper Smash Bros. Melee, which set the stage for the series' first English release: 2003’sFire Emblem: The Blazing Bladeon Game Boy Advance. Every game since has been available outside of Japan, andFire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Lightwas finally localized for Switchlast year to celebrate its 30th anniversary.
However, those who are only familiar with the series thanks to its multitude of fighters inSuper Smash Bros.may not know what the titular “Fire Emblem” refers to. Part of this is likely because the Fire Emblem as an object differs across the mainline game. Some complained whenThree Houses' Byleth was added toSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatelast year, but fans of the franchise know their world and mythology differ greatly from those of Marth or Ike. By understanding what the Fire Emblem is for different characters, one can start to appreciate the series' wider lore.Spoilers ahead.
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Archanea is the home continent of Marthin the originalShadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, as well as its sequels and remakes. The Binding Shield is one of the sacred treasures from the country of Archanea within, and in the original game it is bestowed upon Marth by its princess Nyna to help in his quest to stop the revival of the Shadow Dragon, Medeus. When that shield is reunited with its five gemstones, it becomes the Fire Emblem.
Fire Emblem: Awakeningtakes plays on the same continent hundreds of years later, leaving both the Falchion and the Binding Shield in the care of the royal family of Ylisse: Chrom, Lissa, and Emmeryn.Chrom’s daughter Lucinaalso comes into possession of the shield, but is unable to awaken its powers to defeat the Fell Dragon Grima in her own timeline and returns to the past alongside other children of Chrom’s army, the Shepherds.
The next newFire Emblemappears inFire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy Warand its spin-off/sequelThracia 776, in which the Fire Emblem is the family crest of Velthomer.
In the first act of theGenealogy’s multi-generational conflict, the heir to Velthomer, Arvis, becomes the emperor of Jugdral’s central kingdom Grannvale by manipulating his fellow statesmen. Arvis kills Lord Sigurd’s army, and the second half of the game followsSigurd and Deirdre’s son Seliphas he leads a liberation army against Arvis' son Julius; corrupted by an evil force.
In Elibe, the continent housingFire Emblem: The Binding Bladeand its prequelFire Emblem: The Blazing Blade, the Fire Emblem is the imperial seal for the nation of Bern. In the nation’s history it was used to seal away dragons, and inThe Blazing BladeEliwood, Hector, and Lynmust recover the item so it can be used to coronate King Zephiel. When Eliwood’s son Roy becomes the hero years later during the events ofThe Binding Blade, Zephiel uses the Fire Emblem to free the Demon Dragon Idunn so he can begin a conquest of the land.
The series' thirdGame Boy Advance title,Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, takes place on the continent of Magvel, split into five primary nations: Renais, Frelia, Jehanna, Rausten, and Grado. Each royal family houses a Sacred Stone once used to seal away the Demon King Fomortiis, and Grado’s stone becomes known as the Fire Emblem because it holds the imprisoned soul.
Prince Lyon splits Grado’s stone in two while attempting to bring his father Vigarde back from the dead, which lets the Demon King possess him. Lyon starts a war with all the other nations to destroy the remaining stones so Fomortiis can return to full power, draggingRenais' twin lords Eirika and Ephraiminto a conflict on two fronts across Magvel.
The Fire Emblem of Tellius, the continent for the GameCube gameFire Emblem: Path of RadianceandWii gameRadiant Dawn, is an item called Lehran’s Medallion. Much of its import is in the background lore of the games, as the medallion holds the Goddess of Chaos Yune after she was sealed away by the Goddess of Order Ashera - two halves of the progenitor deity Ashunera. Ashera wishes to destroy the lawless, chaotic world rather than reunite with her other half, but Yune is freed by the maiden protagonist Micaiah toward the end ofRadiant Dawn.
Fire Emblem Fatesis split into three games:Birthright,Conquest, andRevelations.Birthrighthas theplayer-insert protagonist Corrinjoin their birth family in Hoshido, whereasConquesthas them join their adoptive family in Nohr. However,Revelationsreveals Corrin’s lineage is also drawn to the hidden third kingdom of Valla, and the Silent Dragon Anankos who has gone mad and drives the other nations to war from the shadows.
No matter which route a player takes, Corrin receives the Yato: A sacred sword that transforms based on its proximity to other legendary weapons held by members of theroyal families in Nohr or Hoshido. InRevelations, Corrin is able to join forces with his family on both sides, and thus his blade becomes the Omega Yato - also known as the Fire Emblem.
In therecord-breaking Switch entryFire Emblem: Three Houses, the Fire Emblem is another name for the Crest of Flames which represents the progenitor Goddess, Sothis. Crests are symbols of hereditary blood found in members of the Church of Seiros, Adrestian Empire, Kingdom of Faerghus, and Leicester Alliance that denote either a direct connection to the Goddess or one of the noble families descending from the Ten Elites.
By exploring the game’s various storylines, players learn the elites received their Crests by killing Sothis and many of her children, though they were stopped bySaint Seiros, who later goes by the name Rhea. The Liberation King Nemesis stole the Crest of Flames from Sothis, and many years later Byleth receives it as part of Rhea’s attempts to bring the Goddess back. Byleth spends much of the early game interacting with Sothis, but she eventually merges with the character, leading to Byleth becoming a deity themselves.
WhileThree Housesis the latest mainlineFire Emblemgame on the market, its high sales no doubt suggest another will be coming in the near future. In the meantime, fans can also explore spin-off games likeTokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encoreto see how the Fire Emblem itself emerges in different contexts.
