For fighter info, seeIke (SSBB),Ike (SSB4), andIke (SSBU).

For the Japanese smasher, seeSmasher:Ike.

Ike
Official artworks of Ike fromFire Emblem: Path of Radiance andFire Emblem: Radiant Dawn.
Universe	Fire Emblem
Debut	Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (2005)
Smash Bros. appearances	Brawl SSB4 Ultimate
Most recent non-Smash appearance	Fire Emblem Shadows (2025, via update)
Console/platform of origin	Nintendo GameCube
Species	Beorc
Gender	Male
Place of origin	Gallia (birthplace) Crimea (surrogate home)
Designed by	Senri Kita
Englishvoice actor	Jason Adkins (Brawl/SSB4) Greg Chun (Ultimate)
Japanesevoice actor	Michihiko Hagi
Article on Fire Emblem Wiki	Ike

Ike(アイク,Ike) is a character from theFire Emblem series. As the main protagonist ofFire Emblem: Path of Radiance and deuteragonist ofFire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, Ike grows from a naive mercenary-in-training into a savvy and renowned war hero who desires to be a capable warrior like his father,Greil. Ike made hisSuper Smash Bros. series debut inSuper Smash Bros. Brawl as a playable character, and has appeared as such since then.

Origin[edit]

Following the international success ofAdvance Wars,^[1] Nintendo started releasingFire Emblem games outside Japan starting withFire Emblem: The Blazing Blade for the Game Boy Advance. The international success of that game prompted developer Intelligent Systems to begin work on a more ambitious, large-scaleFire Emblem game for the Nintendo GameCube:Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Ike's debut game, which released in 2005. His name was once used for theFire Emblem character that becameRoy.^[2]

Ike is the son ofGreil, a legendary warrior who leadsa band of mercenaries which operates inCrimea, a minor kingdom on the continent ofTellius. He and his younger sister,Mist, live with the mercenaries in a remote Crimean fort. Notably, Ike is currently the only protagonist of aFire Emblem game to have absolutely no royal, noble or divine ancestry at all; this is reflected in his initialcharacter class inPath of Radiance not being the usualLord, but rather the uniqueRanger that ultimately promotes into a Lord when he is temporarily knighted.

Path of Radiance follows Ike's exploits through theMad King's War. Having only recently been allowed by Greil to join missions with the Mercenaries, Ike encounters PrincessElincia of Crimea on the run after the neighboring Kingdom ofDaein attacked and conquered Crimea. Elincia hires the Greil Mercenaries to assist her in escaping Crimea, but after Greil himself is killed by his former student, theBlack Knight of Daein, Ike is forced to take command of the Mercenaries.

Ike's journeys with Elincia – fleeing to theBegnion Empire, assisting its EmpressSanaki in destroying a slave trafficking ring, being knighted by Elincia, and raising an army to march on Daein and take back Crimea – brings him into contact with the ancient racial tensions between thelaguz (clans of animal shapeshifters) and his fellowbeorc; with a plot by Daein's Mad King,Ashnard, to unleash a dark god sealed withina bronze medallion and remake the world; and with the sacrifices his parents made to try and stop that plot decades prior. By the end of the war, Ike's deeds have earned him respect across the world, from beorc and laguz nations alike.

Path of Radiance received a direct sequel in 2007 calledFire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, in which Ike returned as part of a larger ensemble cast of protagonists, playing out the conflicts from multiple viewpoints.Radiant Dawn is set three years later, by which time Ike has renounced his Crimean knighthood and returned to work with the Greil Mercenaries. After assisting Queen Elincia with ending an uprising in Crimea, Ike is hired by his friendRanulf, a cat laguz, to assist theLaguz Alliance in a war against Begnion, demanding reparations for the major atrocities they committed against laguz nations. This provokes a civil war in Begnion, in which Sanaki breaks away from her corrupt senate to join Ike's side, and is further complicated when Daein's army, led by the mageMicaiah, joins the war on Begnion's side.

The enormous war awakens and angers the goddess of order,Ashera, with the underlying conflicts having been specifically manipulated to do so, and Ike and Micaiah join forces with the released "dark god" – actuallyYune, a sympathetic goddess of chaos – to reverse Ashera's judgement and save the world. The game ends with Ike dealing the finishing blow to Ashera, for which he becomes known as the legendary "Radiant Hero" (蒼炎の勇者,Hero of the Blue Flame), and with him leaving Tellius forever for parts unknown.

Described inRadiant Dawn as "blunt, but genuine and loyal", Ike is reserved and brusque because of his rural upbringing, and starts out impatient and unfamiliar with political situations. While perpetually uncomfortable with the status and attention that the command of large armies thrusts upon him, preferring to work with the Greil Mercenaries, his strong sense of duty and loyalty compels him to accept it when he has to. Ike is also known for his sense of empathy, even toward his enemies and those who betray him, and offers almost every boss he faces an opportunity to surrender and leave the battlefield alive. His one true desire is to someday be as capable a warrior as Greil was, even long after his father's death.

In gameplay, Ike is a strong unit. In the tradition of allFire Emblem protagonists, his death in battle causes an immediate Game Over, but his good statistical performance and high utility makes him a consistent front-line force nonetheless. In Path of Radiance, he is a well-rounded swordsman with no obvious weaknesses. In Radiant Dawn, he boasts high strength and physical defense at the cost of low magical resistance. Late in his games, he gains exclusive access to two powerful tools:Aether, his unique skill, and Ragnell, aregaliasword. In every attack he makes after acquiring it, Aether gives him a small chance to trigger an acrobatic two-hit sequence that combines the effects of two other skills,Sol andLuna, that heals himself before bypassing his opponent's physical defense stat to deal more damage to them. Ragnell, meanwhile, allows him to fight both in close quarters and at a distance, attacking far-away enemies with a powerful shockwave; he is one of only threeFire Emblem main protagonists whose signature sword gives him this extra range, with the others being Roy andByleth.

Even before hisSuper Smash Bros. appearances, Ike was one of the most popular characters in theFire Emblem series, especially outside of Japan. In 2017, he was voted the single most popular male character in the inauguralChoose Your Legends popularity poll forFire Emblem Heroes (surpassed only by the top placers of the female bracket,Lyn andLucina; if votes for multiple incarnations of the same character had been tallied together, as they were in later years, Ike would have placed 1st overall).Fire Emblem Awakening features him as a bonus character, albeit unrelated to the main story, via SpotPass and DLC.Awakening also features the characterPriam, a distant descendant of Ike who bears both a striking resemblance to him and a heavily aged Ragnell. Later appearances includeCode Name: S.T.E.A.M.,Fire Emblem Fates andFire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, all viaamiibo. Ike also makes frequent appearances in the smartphone gameFire Emblem Heroes and theFire Emblem Cipher card game. Most recently,Fire Emblem Engage features Ike as one of the game's numerous Emblems, ethereal clones of protagonists from various otherFire Emblem games who dwell within special rings.

InSuper Smash Bros. Brawl[edit]

As a playable character[edit]

Ike, as he appears inSuper Smash Bros. Brawl.

Ike was the firstFire Emblem character to be revealed as a playable character inSuper Smash Bros. Brawl.^[3] Fitting his debut game, he uses hisRanger design fromFire Emblem: Path of Radiance.

According toMasahiro Sakurai, Ike was not intended to be on the roster early on. Rather, Sakurai devised a blank character template of a slow and very powerful swordsman, and wanted a newFire Emblem character inBrawl. When discussing the potential newFire Emblem character withIntelligent Systems, it was suggested he use Ike, owing to his status as the protagonist of the then-latest two games in the series. Upon this suggestion, Sakurai considered Ike, and saw him to be a perfect fit for the aforementioned character template, leading to his inclusion as the new playableFire Emblem fighter.^[4]

Thanks to the considerable size of his blessed sword,Ragnell, the majority of Ike's attacks are among the longest ranged and most powerful in the game.^[3] As a trade-off, however, most of his attacks are notorious for being among the slowest in the game in regard to both start-up and ending lag.^[5] Ike also possessesAether as his up special move, which grants himarmor at its beginning when he and Ragnell are separated and prior to his leap.^[3] Unlike his fellowFire Emblem fighterMarth, Ike's moveset features a number of unarmed strikes (specifically punches, kicks, and a headbutt) alongside sword swings. On a related note, hisneutral attack canjab cancel easily and reliably into various combos, or even KO outright.

In addition to his extremely laggy attacks, Ike also possesses a poor recovery. Despite his appearance, Ike is also a heavyweight, which hinders his mobility and renders him very susceptible to combos. Lastly, Ike lacks a projectile to compliment Ragnell's range; by extension, this leaves him susceptible to camping because of his aforementioned mobility issues. Although Ike's weaknesses have resulted in him attaining a small playerbase, he has nevertheless managed to achieve respectable tournament results. As a result, Ike is ranked 23rd out of 38 on the currenttier list; this places him in the D tier, and posits him as a mid-tier character.

Trophy[edit]

Ike's trophy inBrawl

Ike

A member of Crimea's top fighting force, the Greil Mercenaries. He's a man of few words whose blunt manner gives the impression that he's uncaring, but he's actually a passionate hero. He was crucial to the reconstruction of Crimea. In Radiant Dawn, he continues to show his deep sense of honor and leads the Greil Mercenaries to the aid of the Laguz Alliance.

:Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance

:Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn

Stickers[edit]

Name	Game	Effect	Fighter(s)
Ike	Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance	Attack +23	Marth Ike
Ike	Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn	Attack +27	Marth Ike

Ike (Fire Emblem Path of Radiance)

Ike (Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn)

InSuper Smash Bros. 4[edit]

As a playable character[edit]

Ike, as he appears inSuper Smash Bros. 4.

Ike returns as a playable character inSuper Smash Bros. 4. Unlike inBrawl, he instead sports his aged-upHero design fromFire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. The majority of Ike's frame data saw noticeable improvement primarily in the form of decreased lag, thanks largely to game updates throughoutSSB4's lifespan. His mobility has also improved, thanks to his faster dashing and air speeds, as well as his higher double jump. Changes to game mechanics have also benefited Ike: the changes tohitstun canceling grant his up and down throws respectable combo potential at varying percentages, while the removal ofedge-hogging significantly improvesAether's reliability as arecovery option.

However, Ike's power and range have been slightly toned down. Despite gaining a varied combo game, Ike's renownedjab cancel has been significantly worsened to the point of being extremely situational. Lastly, Ike's mobility is below-average at best in spite of its improvements, which results in him remaining susceptible to combos, rushdowns andcamping.

Ultimately, Ike's buffs have somewhat improved his viability sinceBrawl and especiallySSB4's early days. Although Ike currently has a small playerbase like inBrawl, players such asRyo have demonstrated that he remains a formidable character as long as his strengths are utilized to the fullest and his easily exploitable weaknesses are circumvented. To reflect this, his playerbase has achieved decent results at both regional and national level of tournament play, much like inBrawl. As a result, Ike is ranked 39th out of 54 on the current tier list; this places him in the E tier, and posits him as a mid-tier character.

Trophies[edit]

Ike's trophy inSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS

Ike's trophy inSuper Smash Bros. for Wii U

Ike

One of the main characters from the Fire Emblem series. Having fought in theMad King's War, restored the fallen nation ofCrimea, and taken on theBegnion Empire, Ike is rightly called a hero. He has the strength to back the title—one good swing of his blade can launch the heaviest of foes.

:Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (10/2005)

:Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn (11/2007)

One of the main characters from the Fire Emblem series. Having fought in the Mad King's War, played a huge part in restoring the fallen nation of Crimea, and taken on the Begnion Empire, Ike is rightly called a hero. And he has the strength to go with that title. One good swing of his blade can launch even the heaviest of fighters.

:Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (11/2005)

:Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn (03/2008)

Ike (Alt.)'s trophy inSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS

Ike (Alt.)'s trophy inSuper Smash Bros. for Wii U

Ike (Alt.)

Ike's side smash is a powerful two-handed sword strike. It's one of the best launch attacks in the entire game, though it will leave you wide open when you use it. ForEruption, one of his specials, you stab the ground and unleash a pillar of fire. Charging for too long will hurt Ike, so be careful!

:Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (10/2005)

:Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn (11/2007)

Ike's side smash is a powerful two-handed sword strike. It's one of the best launch attacks in the entire game, so even though it leaves you open, it's a real winner. For Eruption, one of his specials, you stab the ground and unleash a pillar of fire that hits anyone nearby. If you charge it too long, though, you'll hurt yourself, so be careful!

:Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (11/2005)

:Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn (03/2008)

InSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]

As a playable character[edit]

Ike (Path of Radiance), as he appears inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Ike returns as a playable character inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate. Unlike his previous appearances, Ike is now anunlockable character, hisPath of Radiance andRadiant Dawn designs are both available for selection,^[6] and Greg Chun has become his English voice actor since succeeding Jason Adkins as ofFire Emblem Heroes. Both designs have unique voice clips, with some different phrases and theRadiant Dawn design having a deeper, gruffer tone than thePath of Radiance design, reflecting the age difference.

Ike's moveset has been subtly reworked to better resemble hisFire Emblem depictions, in which several of his moves had their lag decreased by varying amounts in exchange for a slight loss in power. Ike has seen a mix of buffs and nerfs, but was nerfed overall.

The most notable improvements consist of his new up aerial sporting much greater range,Eruption generating additional fiery pillars when sufficiently charged,Aether'stranscendent priority and much higher knockback making it into a risky yet rewarding KO option (especially from out of shield), and his neutral aerial's lower start-up lag, landing lag and damage output collectively making it somewhat infamous as both a neutral game option and combo starter.

Ike's appearance inUltimate has generally been considered his most successful appearance in the series to date, thanks to his playerbase achieving arguably his best tournament results relative to his appearances inBrawl andSSB4. However, despite this, Ike ranks 74th out of 82 characters, lower than his 39th out of 54 inSSB4.

Spirits[edit]

Gallery[edit]

• 

  Ike (Radiant Dawn), as he appears inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Names in other languages[edit]

Language	Name
Japanese	アイク,Ike
English	Ike
French	Ike
German	Ike
Spanish	Ike
Italian	Ike
Chinese	艾克,Ike
Korean	아이크,Ike
Dutch	Ike
Russian	Айк
Portuguese	Ike

Trivia[edit]

• LikeGanondorf, Ike's fighter design and portrayal in theSuper Smash Bros. series feature many noticeable inaccuracies to his home games:
  • Although Ike boasts impressive strength within both series, his own games feature his speed stat as noticeably one of his best stats. He is known for a unique style of swordsmanship pioneered by his father, where a two-handed sword is wielded in one hand with surprising fluidity. This is not reflected in theSuper Smash Bros. series, where his overall mobility is poor, and his moves feature large start-up and end lag.Robin andByleth underwent a similar decrease in speed upon also becoming fighters.
  • Despite Ike being a heavyweight fighter, his weight inPath of Radiance is relatively low. While his weight did increase considerably inRadiant Dawn to coincide with the significant physical growth he underwent between the games, he is still far from being among the heaviest units in the game.
  • Ragnell's long-ranged energy shockwave in theFire Emblem series is replaced with the fieryEruption.
    • Although Eruption is unique to theSuper Smash Bros. series, it heavily resemblesBolganone, a very powerfulfiretome/magic in theFire Emblem series.
  • As Ike's up special move, Aether loses both of its special effects fromFire Emblem, and only consists of its first sword-throwing hit.
    • In comparison,Chrom would later usehis own version of Aether as his Final Smash inUltimate which, despite also lacking the special effects, is identical to both hits of its depiction inFire Emblem Awakening.
• Ike is the onlyFire Emblem fighter to be a heavyweight.
• Although Ike is eventually promoted to theLord class inFire Emblem: Path of Radiance, he appears as aRanger inBrawl and aHero inSSB4. As such, he is the first playableFire Emblem character to not appear as a Lord upon debuting in theSuper Smash Bros. series.
• Ike is the firstFire Emblem fighter to be astarter character.
  • He is also the firstFire Emblem fighter to both speak English in theSuper Smash Bros. series and have a change in voice actor.
• Ike appears in several downloadable chapters as anEinherjar inFire Emblem Awakening. This includes all three of the aptly namedSmash Brethren chapters, whichreference Ike's involvement in theSuper Smash Bros. series.
• Ike andGanondorf are the only fighters to revert to an earlier design used for their debut appearance in a later installment.
  • Unlike Ganondorf, however, hisRadiant Dawn design used inSSB4 is available as an alternate costume inUltimate.
• Because the Spanish language does not contain /aɪ/ (as in "eye"), Ike's name is pronounced as /ˈiː-kɛ/ ("ee-keh") in the Spanish versions ofBrawl,SSB4, andUltimate. While the Italian language lacks this as well, his name is pronounced properly in Italian nonetheless.
• Ike andR.O.B. are the only fighters whose default costumes became alternate costumes in a subsequent installment.
  • WhileLink andPrincess Zelda both have alternate costumes that resemble their counterparts in previous installments, they are not directly based on said counterparts. For example, Link's Wild Set of clothes is based on the traditional attire his counterparts have worn throughoutThe Legend of Zelda series, but it is not the general design used by the other playable Links in previousSuper Smash Bros. games.
• Ike andCorrin are the onlyFire Emblem fighters who can usecounterattacks, yet whose movesets are not based onMarth's moveset.
• Ike andRoy are the onlyFire Emblem fighters who are playable in theSuper Smash Bros. series to not be playable inFire Emblem Warriors. This does not includeByleth, who debuted after that game's release.
  • Byleth, however, would later appear inFire Emblem Warriors' successor,Fire Emblem: Three Hopes.
• Ike'scrowd cheer, "We like Ike!", is a slight variation of a campaign slogan used byDwight "Ike" Eisenhower during theUnited States' presidential elections in 1952.

References[edit]

v • d • e Fire Emblem universe
Fighters	Marth (SSBM ·SSBB ·SSB4 ·SSBU) ·Roy (SSBM ·SSB4 ·SSBU) ·Ike (SSBB ·SSB4 ·SSBU) ·Lucina (SSB4 ·SSBU) ·Robin (SSB4 ·SSBU) ·Corrin (SSB4 ·SSBU) ·Chrom (SSBU) ·Byleth (SSBU)
Assist Trophies	Lyn ·Black Knight ·Tiki
Stages	Castle Siege ·Arena Ferox ·Coliseum ·Garreg Mach Monastery
Item	Killing Edge
Other	Sothis
Trophies,Stickers andSpirits	Trophies (SSBM ·SSBB ·SSB4) ·Stickers ·Spirits
Music	Brawl ·SSB4 ·Ultimate
Masterpieces	Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light ·Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem

• Characters
• Fire Emblem universe
• Ike
• Trophies (SSBB)
• Trophies (SSB4-3DS)
• Trophies (SSB4-Wii U)
• Stickers
• Spirits