| Fire Emblem | |
|---|---|
 Logo since 2013 | |
| Genre | Tactical role-playing |
| Developers | Intelligent Systems Koei Tecmo (2019) Atlus Omega Force Team Ninja |
| Publisher | Nintendo |
| Creator | Shouzou Kaga |
| Composer | Yuka Tsujiyoko |
| Platforms | |
| First release | Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light April 20, 1990 |
| Latest release | Fire Emblem Shadows September 25, 2025 |
| Spin-offs | |
Fire Emblem[a] is a Japanesefantasytactical role-playing video game franchise developed byIntelligent Systems and published byNintendo. First produced and published for theNintendo Entertainment System in 1990, the series currently consists of seventeen core entries and five spinoffs.
The core gameplay revolves around discrete battles between the player's team of characters and enemynon-player characters across grid-based maps. The player and enemy each take turns moving their characters across the map and having them perform combat-based actions. The games also feature a story and characters similar to traditional role-playing video games, and occasionallysocial simulation aspects as well. A notable aspect of gameplay is thepermanent death of characters in battle, rendering them unusable upon being defeated, although this aspect of the game can be turned off starting fromFire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem onwards.
The series' title refers to the "Fire Emblem", a recurring element usually portrayed as a royal weapon or shield representing the power of war anddragons. The development of the first game began as adōjin project byShouzou Kaga and three other developers, and its success prompted the development of further games in the series. Kaga headed the development of each entry until the release ofThracia 776, when he left Intelligent Systems. He went on to found his own game studio, Tirnanog, who developedTear Ring Saga.
The series debuted in the West with the seventh gameThe Blazing Blade in 2003, under the titleFire Emblem. According to the game's director, this was because of the international success of the similarly turn-basedAdvance Wars.[1] The inclusion ofMarth andRoy in the 2001fighting gameSuper Smash Bros. Melee as playable characters is also cited as a reason for the series' international release. Many games in the series sold well, although sales suffered a decline during the late 2000s. This downturn resulted in the series' near-cancellation until the critical and commercial successes ofFire Emblem Awakening (2012) andFire Emblem: Three Houses (2019).
The series has been lauded for its gameplay and is frequently cited as the seminal series in the tactical role-playing genre, codifying various gameplay elements that would come to define the genre. Characters from across the series have been included in crossovers with other video game franchises, including theSuper Smash Bros. series.
Fire Emblem's developers have described it as an "RPG simulation" that combines tactical simulation gameplay with the plot and character development of a role-playing game, creating a sense of connection with characters not present in previous tactical games.[2] Battles in theFire Emblem series take place on a grid-based map, with the player controlling a set number of characters across maps tied to the game's story and optional side stories. Each character has a specificcharacter class which gives them set abilities and affects how far they can move across the field; some classes have innate skills unique to them. Depending on the installment, a character's class can be changed or upgraded, sometimes by using special items. During a battle, a character gainsexperience points by performing actions, such as attacking an enemy, healing an ally, or slaying a foe, which typically offers the most experience points. Each character has their own stats, and once a certain level is reached they level up and new skill points are awarded randomly to their attributes, such as health, agility, or strength. A character gains more experience the more they are used in battle.[3][4][5][6]
A key element present in combat sinceGenealogy of the Holy War is the Weapon Triangle, a system governing the strengths and weaknesses that certain weapons and types of magic have against each other in arock–paper–scissors fashion. For weapons, lances have an advantage against swords, swords have an advantage against axes, and axes have an advantage against lances. In the magic system, fire is stronger than wind, wind is stronger than thunder, and thunder is stronger than fire.[7][3][4] FromThe Binding Blade throughRadiant Dawn, these three elements are collectively known as anima magic. Anima is stronger than light, light is stronger than darkness, and darkness is stronger than anima. InFates, the Weapon Triangle relationships add other weapons: swords and tomes are stronger than axes and bows, axes and bows are stronger than lances and shurikens, and lances and shurikens are stronger than swords and tomes.[8] Most games use a Weapon Durability system: after being used a certain number of times, a character's weapon will break. Different installments have various systems related to weapons: inGenealogy of the Holy War, weapons can be repaired at special shops; inPath of Radiance and future games, weapons can be bought and upgraded.Fates replaces the durability system with a system where more powerful weapons weaken some of their wielder's stats.[4][9]
Character relationships can be developed through support affinity both inside and outside of battle, which increases certain battle abilities.[3][10][11] A feature introduced inGenealogy of the Holy War and used in later installments is that characters who fall in love can have a child who inherits certain skills and stats from them.[7][3] One of the recurring features in the series ispermanent death, in which units defeated in battle are permanently removed from the party, with very few exceptions, one being the main character, whose death results in aGame Over instead.Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem introduced Casual Mode, in which dead characters are revived at the end of a battle.Fates added Phoenix Mode, in which defeated characters are revived on the player's next turn. Another inclusion fromFates is 'My Castle', a customizable castle serving as the player's base of operations throughout the game.[3][9][12]
TheFire Emblem games take place across unrelated settings within a medieval or Renaissance-themed time period. The main protagonist, who is usually either royalty or a mercenary, is caught in the conflict of two or more countries across a continent and fighting for their cause.[13][14][15][16] The continents of Archanea and Valentia are the settings ofShadow Dragon and the Blade of Light,Gaiden,Mystery of the Emblem, andAwakening, and were the planned setting forFire Emblem 64.[7][17][18]Genealogy of the Holy War andThracia 776 are set in Jugdral, which is distantly connected with Archanea and Valentia, whileThe Blazing Blade andThe Binding Blade take place in Elibe.The Sacred Stones is set in Magvel, andPath of Radiance andRadiant Dawn are set on the continent Tellius.[7]Fates is set on an unnamed continent, with the story instead focusing on the two powers fighting over its territory.[19][20]Three Houses takes place on the continent of Fódlan.[16]Engage is set in the continent of Elyos.
A recurring element in the series is the titular artifact known as the "Fire Emblem". InShadow Dragon and the Blade of Light and other games set in Archanea, it is a shield inset with five magical gems named after its connection to dragons and weapons of war, being the "emblem of flame".[21][20] It also appears as a family crest inGenealogy of the Holy War, a family seal inThe Binding Blade, a magic gemstone inThe Sacred Stones, a bronze medallion holding a goddess of chaos inPath of Radiance andRadiant Dawn, a sword inFates, and hereditary magical sigils inThree Houses.[22][16][20] Other magical elements, including feuding gods and mystical species such as dragons and shapeshifters, are also recurring elements in the series.[7]
The firstFire Emblem game,Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, was originally never intended as a commercial game, defined by creatorShouzou Kaga as adōjin project with three other job-holding students. However, the game's unexpected commercial success prompted the development of more games in the series.[23] The game was developed atIntelligent Systems, whose previous notable game was the strategy gameFamicom Wars.[7] Kaga worked on theFire Emblem series untilThracia 776, when he left Intelligent Systems and began development onTear Ring Saga for thePlayStation.[24] AfterThracia 776, theFire Emblem series had several releases on portable devices. In 2001, Marth and Roy, fromShadow Dragon and the Blade of Light andThe Binding Blade respectively, appeared as playable characters inSuper Smash Bros. Melee. This, alongside the international success ofAdvance Wars,[1] is cited as what led to Nintendo localizingThe Blazing Blade for Western regions under the titleFire Emblem. Due to its success overseas, it was decided to return the series to home consoles forPath of Radiance for the GameCube. Despite it arriving late in the GameCube's life cycle, it provided a late boost to sales, reaffirming Nintendo's faith in the series.[7][25] By 2010, the series was suffering from declining sales and Nintendo told Intelligent Systems that if their nextFire Emblem failed to sell above 250,000 units, the series would be canceled. This prompted Intelligent Systems to include many features new to the series inAwakening, with the intention of making it the culmination of the entire series up to that point.[26][27] The game's reception and sales ended up saving the series from cancellation, convincing Nintendo to continue production.[28]
The series' original music was composed byYuka Tsujiyoko. As the only music composer at Intelligent Systems whenShadow Dragon and the Blade of Light was in production, she acted as both composer and sound director, up untilThracia 776, when she left the company to become a freelancer after completing the score forPaper Mario.[24] She has worked on laterFire Emblem games, alongside other composers including Saki Kasuga, Hiroki Morishita, and Rei Kondoh.[29][30] The series includes several other notable staff members: Tohru Narihiro, who was involved in everyFire Emblem since the original; Masahiro Higuchi, who began as a graphics designer forGenealogy of the Holy War; and Kouhei Maeda, who wrote the scenarios for every game sinceThe Blazing Blade and became a director forAwakening.[26][25]
Multiple artists are associated with the series. The characters ofMystery of the Emblem andGenealogy of the Holy War were designed by Katsuyoshi Koya, who later worked on designs for theFire Emblem Trading Card Game. Katsuyoshi, who was unsatisfied with his work on the series, stepped down forThracia 776. The designer forThracia 776 was Mayumi Hirota, whose brief tenure with the series ended when she left Intelligent Systems with Kaga after the game's completion. Nevertheless, her art for the series was described by Kaga as his favorite up to that point.[31][32] Other artists involved in later games are Eiji Kaneda (The Binding Blade), Sachiko Wada (The Sacred Stones) and Senri Kita (Path of Radiance,Radiant Dawn).[33] ForShadow Dragon, the character artwork was remade byGhost in the Shell artistMasamune Shirow.[34] The in-game portraits were instead designed by longtime contributor Daisuke Izuka, who returned as character designer for the remake ofMystery of the Emblem.[33] ForAwakening, art director Toshiyuki Kusakihara worked with character designerYūsuke Kozaki, who was brought in to give a new look to the series.[26][35] Kozaki later returned as character designer forFates andHeroes.[28] ForEchoes: Shadows of Valentia, illustrator Hidari was hired to revise classicGaiden designs in addition to creating new ones.[36] To depict a "glamorous, aristocratic society" inThree Houses, Intelligent Systems contracted character designer Chinatsu Kurahana, best known for her work onotome games such asUta no Prince-sama,[37] while freelance artist Kazuma Koda provided the concept art.[38] Kurahana returned to design protagonist Shez, Arval, and the house leaders in its spin-off,Warriors: Three Hopes, with Kusakihara filling in for the rest of the cast.[39]
| 1990 | Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light |
|---|---|
| 1991 | |
| 1992 | Gaiden |
| 1993 | |
| 1994 | Mystery of the Emblem |
| 1995 | |
| 1996 | Genealogy of the Holy War |
| 1997 | Archanean War Chronicles |
| 1998 | |
| 1999 | Thracia 776 |
| 2000 | |
| 2001 | |
| 2002 | The Binding Blade |
| 2003 | The Blazing Blade |
| 2004 | The Sacred Stones |
| 2005 | Path of Radiance |
| 2006 | |
| 2007 | Radiant Dawn |
| 2008 | Shadow Dragon |
| 2009 | |
| 2010 | New Mystery of the Emblem |
| 2011 | |
| 2012 | Awakening |
| 2013 | |
| 2014 | |
| 2015 | Fates |
| Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE | |
| 2016 | |
| 2017 | Heroes |
| Echoes: Shadows of Valentia | |
| Warriors | |
| 2018 | |
| 2019 | Three Houses |
| 2020 | Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE Encore |
| 2021 | |
| 2022 | Warriors: Three Hopes |
| 2023 | Engage |
| 2024 | |
| 2025 | Shadows |
| 2026 | Fortune's Weave |
There are currently seventeen games in the coreFire Emblem series, of which fourteen have been original games and three have been remakes.[40][28]
The first entry in the series,Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, was released in 1990 for the JapaneseFamicom. A second game for the Famicom,Fire Emblem Gaiden, was released in 1992. It is known for having unusual mechanics compared to the rest of the series, such as dungeon exploration. It takes place in a similar timeframe asShadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, but on a different continent. In 1994,Mystery of the Emblem was released for theSuper Famicom, containing both a remake ofShadow Dragon and the Blade of Light and a sequel of the first game. Two more games were released for the Super Famicom in 1996 and 1999 respectively:Genealogy of the Holy War andThracia 776.[41][7]
The next entry released wasThe Binding Blade in 2002 for theGame Boy Advance.[7][42] A prequel toThe Binding Blade,The Blazing Blade, was released for the Game Boy Advance the following year.[41] It was released overseas under the titleFire Emblem in 2003 in North America and 2004 in Europe, becoming the first official release of theFire Emblem series in these regions.[43][44] This is due in part to the inclusion of Marth and Roy inSuper Smash Bros. Melee for the GameCube in 2001, and the earlier release (and success) ofAdvance Wars in the West,[45] prompting Intelligent Systems and Nintendo to finally release Fire Emblem in the West. The final entry for the Game Boy Advance,The Sacred Stones, was released in 2004 in Japan, and in 2005 in North America and Europe.[41][7][46]
The ninth installment in the series,Path of Radiance, was released worldwide on theGameCube in 2005. It was the firstFire Emblem game to feature 3D graphics, voice acting, and full-motion animated cutscenes.[41][7][47][48] A direct sequel toPath of Radiance,Radiant Dawn was released for the Wii in 2007 in Japan and North America, and 2008 in Europe.[41][49][50]
In 2008, the series returned to handheld systems with two releases for theNintendo DS.Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon, an expanded remake of the first game, was released in 2008 in Japan and Europe, and 2009 in North America.Shadow Dragon makes use of unique DS features unavailable to the Famicom and introduced new characters, added additional story elements, revamped mechanics, and modernized graphics.[51][52][53] A Japanese-only entry,New Mystery of the Emblem, was released in 2010 for the DS as an expanded remake ofMystery of the Emblem.[54][55][26]
The series moved to theNintendo 3DS withFire Emblem Awakening, the thirteenth game in the series, released in 2012 in Japan and 2013 in North America and Europe.[56][57][58]Awakening was a major critical and commercial success, and is credited for revitalizing the franchise.[59] The second entry for the Nintendo 3DS,Fates, was released in June 2015 in Japan, February 2016 in North America, and in May 2016 for Europe and Australia.Fates comes in three versions: two physical versions titledBirthright andConquest, and a third route titledRevelation released asdownloadable content.[60][61]Fates was later re-released as a special version with all three versions included. A third entry,Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, was released on the Nintendo 3DS in April 2017 in Japan and in North America and Europe the following month.[62][63][64]Echoes is an enhanced remake ofGaiden, maintaining many of the unique features ofGaiden while revamping the graphics and script, and adding several ease-of-play improvements.
AFire Emblem game was announced for theNintendo Switch during a Fire Emblem focusedNintendo Direct in January 2017.[65] The game was officially revealed asFire Emblem: Three Houses during the Nintendo Direct presentation atE3 2018, and was released in July 2019.[66]Fire Emblem Engage, a second entry for Nintendo Switch, was announced during a September 2022 Nintendo Direct and released in January 2023.[67]Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave, an entry for theNintendo Switch 2, was announced in September 2025 and is scheduled to be released in 2026.[68]
In 1997, an episodic prequel toMystery of the Emblem titledBS Fire Emblem: Archanea Senki-hen was released throughSatellaview.[69] The events ofArchanea Senki were included in the remake ofMystery of the Emblem.[70]BS Fire Emblem is considered an official part of the series by some developers, but not generally by fans.[35] A crossover with theShin Megami Tensei series,Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE, was released in December 2015 in Japan and worldwide in June 2016 for theWii U.[71]Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE was developed byAtlus rather than Intelligent Systems and combines gameplay, narrative, and aesthetic elements from both theFire Emblem andShin Megami Tensei series. On January 17, 2020, an enhanced version titledTokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE Encore was released on Nintendo Switch.[72]Fire Emblem Heroes is a spin-offgacha game for Android and iOS, and was released in February 2017 for mobile devices.[73]Heroes is a crossover of characters from across theFire Emblem series, rather than with another series, and also introduced original characters not seen in any otherFire Emblem game. A crossover with theDynasty Warriors series,Fire Emblem Warriors, was released for theNew Nintendo 3DS andNintendo Switch in 2017.[74] It was developed byOmega Force andTeam Ninja. A secondWarriors game, based onThree Houses, and titledFire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes was announced in aNintendo Direct on February 9, 2022, and released on June 24, 2022.[75]Fire EmblemShadows, the second mobile game in the series was announced and released on September 25, 2025, as a social deduction strategy game.[76]
Characters from theFire Emblem series have appeared in a number of other games as cameos or as part of crossovers. This includes multiple entries in theSuper Smash Bros. series, beginning with protagonists Marth and Roy inSuper Smash Bros. Melee.[7][77] Characters from the series also appeared in Intelligent Systems' strategy gameCode Name: S.T.E.A.M. as optional characters unlocked viaamiibo.[78]
AFire Emblem game was initially in development for theNintendo 64 and its peripheral64DD. Originally codenamedFire Emblem 64, it was first revealed byShigeru Miyamoto in 1997.[79] Ultimately, due to poor sales for the 64DD and internal structural changes at Intelligent Systems,Fire Emblem 64 was cancelled in 2000 and development shifted to what would becomeFire Emblem: The Binding Blade.[80][7][81] Work done forFire Emblem 64 was incorporated intoThe Binding Blade.[80][42]
An additional RTS-based game for theWii was planned and would have been released afterFire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, but after trial and error and an unfocused development schedule, the project was cancelled.[82] Intelligent Systems never planned aFire Emblem game for theWii U. Nintendo producer Hitoshi Yamagami said such a game would need to sell 700,000 copies to be profitable.[83] A rumoredFire Emblem remake for the Nintendo 3DS had been in development following the success ofEchoes. According to the reports, it was one of many video games that had been in development for the platform late in its life but were ultimately scrapped, with many speculating those projects could be moved to the Nintendo Switch.[84]
| Game | Year | Units sold (in millions) | GameRankings | Metacritic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light | 1990 | 0.33[85] | - | - |
| Gaiden | 1992 | 0.32[85] | - | - |
| Mystery of the Emblem | 1994 | 0.78[85] | - | - |
| Genealogy of the Holy War | 1996 | 0.50[85] | - | - |
| Thracia 776 | 1999 | 0.11[85] | 99%[86] | - |
| The Binding Blade | 2002 | 0.35[87] | - | - |
| The Blazing Blade | 2003 | - | 89%[88] | 88[89] |
| The Sacred Stones | 2004 | - | 85%[90] | 85[91] |
| Path of Radiance | 2005 | - | 86%[92] | 85[93] |
| Radiant Dawn | 2007 | - | 79%[94] | 78[95] |
| Shadow Dragon | 2008 | - | 81%[96] | 81[97] |
| New Mystery of the Emblem | 2010 | - | - | - |
| Awakening | 2012 | 2.37[98] | 93%[99] | 92[100] |
| Fates | 2015 | 3.09[98] | 89%[101] | 88[102][b] |
| Echoes: Shadows of Valentia | 2017 | 1.00[98] | 83%[106] | 81[107] |
| Three Houses | 2019 | 4.12[98] | 89%[108] | 89[109] |
| Engage | 2023 | 1.61[110] | - | 80[111] |
Sales in Japan were the highest withShadow Dragon and the Blade of Light but progressively declined with future games, which sold 329,087; 324,699; 776,338; 498,216 and 106,108 copies respectively. As of 2002, total sales had reached over two million copies.[85]Awakening topped the total sales of bothRadiant Dawn and theMystery of the Emblem remake in its first week. It went on to sell 2.35 million copies worldwide and become the best-sellingFire Emblem game in Western territories at the time.[112][113]
In 2007, a Japanese public poll namedMystery of the Emblem as one of the country's All Time Top 100 video games.[114] Speaking toUSGamer,Massive Chalice creator Brad Muir commented on howFire Emblem had influenced the game, referring to it as "[a] venerable strategy series", making positive reference to its gameplay and character relationships.[115] In her review ofAwakening,IGN's Audrey Drake said that "Far too few people have played theFire Emblem series", calling it "[a] darling of the hardcore strategy RPG crowd - and one of the shining gems of the genre".[116][42]
Several journalistic sites have cited its low notoriety in the west as an effect of Nintendo's sporadic localization efforts, along with its place in a niche game genre. At the same time, they have praised the series' gameplay, regularly noting its high difficulty and relationship mechanics.[13][14][6][117] The series has been cited as an inspiration for later tactical role-playing games, withGamasutra namingTactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together,Final Fantasy Tactics and theDisgaea series as being influenced by its design.[6][118] In 2014,Destructoid writer Chris Carter praised the series' mechanics, and at the same time choseMystery of the Emblem,Path of Radiance, andAwakening in his list of the five best games in the series.[13]Awakening is generally cited as having brought the series more publicity and player attention outside of Japan.[13][118]
After Kaga left Intelligent Systems, he founded a studio called Tirnanog and began development on a game titledEmblem Saga, a strategy role-playing game for the PlayStation. The game bore multiple similarities to theFire Emblem series, and Nintendo filed a lawsuit against Tirnanog for copyright infringement. The first suit failed, and the court ruled in Tirnanog's favor. Nintendo filed a second lawsuit, and this time was awarded a cash settlement of ¥76 million. Nevertheless, Tirnanog and publisherEnterbrain were still allowed to publish the entry, though they changed its name to "Tear Ring Saga", and eventually developed a sequel. Nintendo attempted taking a third lawsuit to the Japanese Supreme Court in 2005, but the second ruling was upheld.[119][120][121][122]
A short, two episodeoriginal video animation series based onMystery of the Emblem[123] released in 1996. These anime episodes were released in North America in 1998,[124] five years beforeThe Blazing Blade was localized, making them the first officialFire Emblem media to be released in the region.[125] Nintendo producedAmiibo figures of severalFire Emblem characters; they are compatible withFates,Echoes: Shadows of Valentia,Three Houses,Code Name: S.T.E.A.M.,Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, andSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate.[126][127][128][129] Manga based on the games have also been produced, includingThe Binding Blade,Awakening, andEngage.[130][131][132] Twotrading card games have been made with theFire Emblem franchise:Fire Emblem: Trading Card Game, which was released from 2001–2006, andFire Emblem 0 (Cipher), which was released in 2015 and was discontinued in late 2020 with the twenty second expansion pack being the last one.[131][33][31]
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