Fire Emblem (universe)


 * This article refers to the entire Fire Emblem universe. For the Game Boy Advance game, see Fire Emblem (game).

The Fire Emblem (, Faiā Emuburemu) universe refers to the Smash Bros. series' collection of characters, stages, and properties that hail from Nintendo's and Intelligent System's Fire Emblem series of fantasy tactical-roleplaying RPGs. The long-running series was primarily a Japan-only series that Nintendo declined to localize abroad until the appearances of two of the series' characters, Marth and Roy, as playable characters in 2001's Super Smash Bros. Melee, sparked enough global interest that the series began international distribution. Since then, more recent protagonist Ike has received a similar starring role in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Franchise description
Fire Emblem is a long-running series of tactical role-playing RPGs developed by Intelligent Systems, with ten installments released thus far and an eleventh planned for release on the Nintendo DS. However, it is somewhat similar to the Final Fantasy series in that it is not often that games in the series are set in the same fictional worlds and universes as each other. Five universes and chronologies within five fictional fantasy worlds have been depicted in the series thus far. The first Fire Emblem, whose subtitle translates as "Shadow Dragons and the Blade of Light", was released in 1990 for the Famicom as one of the earliest games in the turn-based strategy genre, and it was officially the first such game to incorporate elements from role-playing games. Hence, it would not be dubious to credit the game with single-handedly starting the tactical role-playing genre. This is the game that introduces the character prince Marth. Nintendo decided not to distribute the game abroad, however, feeling that it would not have been successful outside of Japan based on how the original Final Fantasy for NES did not sell well abroad at the time (a heavily ironic concept under today's circumstances).

The next five games released under the name Fire Emblem would not be distributed internationally either. Fire Emblem Gaiden, the last game ever to be released exclusively for Famicom in 1993, was a side-story to the first game set in the same fictional world, but it took place on a different continent and was therefore only tangentially related to the first game (Marth did not make a return appearance). The third game, Fire Emblem: Monsho no Nazo (Secret of the Crest), released in 1994 for the Super Famicom, was both a retelling of the first game and a continuation of that universe's story concerning Marth. The fourth game, Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu (Genealogy of Holy War), released for Super Famicom in 1996, was the first to introduce a separate Fire Emblem-style universe, and the fifth game, Fire Emblem: Thracia 776, the last commercial game to be released for Super Famicom (in 1999), is a midquel taking place in between chapters of the previous game to expand on that universe. All these games have become choice import titles for emulation players.

When Super Smash Bros. Melee was being developed, Japanese fans requested that Marth be featured as a playable character, and HAL Laboratory obliged. Intelligent Systems was also developing the sixth Fire Emblem series game, Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade, released on Game Boy Advance in 2002, and it introduced another separate Fire Emblem universe, with the swordsman Roy as the main character. It was decided that Roy be included as a playable character alongside Marth in SSBM as a promotional preview character for the game. Nintendo was initially apprehensive of keeping the characters in the game when it came time to release it in the West because the characters were believed to have appeal only to Japanese gamers, but enough Western players previewing the game approved of the characters that they were kept in the game. Melee 's U.S. release and the subsequent introduction of the Fire Emblem franchise through the game prompted international attention to the franchise, and Fire Emblem titles from installment seven onwards were released internationally and were each met with success. Melee can be credited with indirectly making the franchise famous.

With Fire Emblem now an international game franchise, Intelligent Systems followed up on the sixth game with the seventh game in the series as a prequel, named simply "Fire Emblem" but often referred to by its Japanese subtitle, Rekka no Ken (Blazing Sword). It was released in North America in late 2003 and depicted the father of Roy, Lord Eliwood, son of Marquess Pherae, in an epic story taking place five years before Roy is born and twenty years before Roy's adventure in The Binding Blade takes place. It was designed with introducing North American and European gamers to the Fire Emblem-style of tactical play, so the first ten chapters serve as a tutorial storyline and the 20+ chapters afterward are the main game. After this game, subsequent Fire Emblem titles have been released internationally at a standard rate, including 2005's Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones for Game Boy Advance, which is a stand-alone world starring twin nobles Ephraim and Eirika; Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance for GameCube, depicting a racial conflict between humans ("Beorc") and transformable demi-humans ("Laguz") and starring a young mercenary named Ike, and it is the first game to feature full-motion video cinema sequences and voice acting; Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, the sequel to Path of Radiance was released on Wii, featuring Ike once again, but primarily starring the characters Micaiah and Sothe who were also introduced in Path of Radiance. The most recent installment is the upcoming Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon for Nintendo DS, which is another retelling of Shadow Dragons and the Blade of Light starring Marth.

The game formula consistent among Fire Emblem titles is a departure from other tactical role-playing games; whereas in games like Final Fantasy Tactics the emphasis is on equipping weapons and armor on each unit and using area-of-effect magic spells and skills to affect multiple units, Fire Emblem games place emphasis on positioning stronger and weaker units relative to each other on the field and preserving the life of each individual unit, with weapons (that each has a durability meter that lowers after each attack and breaks after the meter is empty) and healing items being mostly the only items in each unit's inventory. A hallmark of the series is that whenever a unit falls in battle, regardless of how important a character that unit is to the storyline, that character is gone for the rest of the game, which can result in harder difficulty and missed plot developments, and it's an automatic game-over if the game's main hero dies. Since a general objective to each Fire Emblem installment is to keep the dozens and dozens of game characters that comprise your unit stable alive, many players reset the game whenever an ally is slain. This makes for a game series that is intense and hardcore, and is therefore popular with tactical players, and it is also popular for its anime depictions of high-fantasy characters and worlds.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee
The case of Fire Emblem in Super Smash Bros. Melee is odd; it features two Fire Emblem characters, their respective game trophy sets, appropriate musical and sound selections in the sound test, and absolutely nothing else, whereas other franchises additionally have stages, items, and more trophies as well, giving reason to classify Fire Emblem as being a "bonus" franchise in the game. There is evidence that a Fire Emblem stage was planned, however; hidden in the game's debug menu is a stage titled AKANEIA, named after the fictional continent where Marth's story takes place, but it was apparently never designed or was removed because selecting it from the menu will crash the game. Additionally, at the time of Melee's release, no Fire Emblem title had been released outside of Japan, making Marth and Roy the first Japan-only characters to appear in the Super Smash Bros series.

Characters

 * Marth: The prince of the kingdom of Altea, Marth (whose name had been had been interpreted as "Mars" in subtitles of the Fire Emblem OVA) is forced to become an exile in the neighboring nation of Talis when the kingdom of Doluna attacks Altea, killing his father and taking his sister Ellis hostage. He embarks on a quest to find the sacred sword of light known as Falchion and the Fire Emblem shield that will allow him to wield it, as well as restoring the kingdom and rescuing Ellis. When he does find the two pieces of equipment, he takes the fight to the driving force behind the Doluan invasion, the evil priest Garnef and his resurrection of the dark dragon, Medeus. He slays them and rescues both Ellis and Altea. As a Melee fighter, Marth is widely considered top-tier for his effective blend of speedy and powerful swordsmanship, with an effective "sweet spot" at the tip of his Falchion, and he is the favorite character of "King of Smash" Ken Hoang. His effectiveness as a fighter as well as his decidedly bishounen character design have contributed to his status as one of Melee 's most popular characters.
 * Roy: The star of the sixth Fire Emblem, The Binding Blade, Roy is the 15-year-old son of Eliwood, one of the stars of the game's prequel that was the first game in the series to be localized and distributed internationally. He is upstanding and idealistic like other Fire Emblem main protagonists and is also rather perceptive and cunning for his age. When the militant nation of Bern wages war on the league of nations called the League of Lycia, which Roy's Pherae is a part of, and when Eliwood falls ill, he is called in to lead Pherae's armies. He ends up journeying across the continent of Elibe on a quest to defeat Bern's King Zephiel and stop his mysterious thirst for world domination, an effort that will eventually avert a catastrophic war between humans and dragons. As a Melee fighter, Roy is a slower clone of Marth, but his forward smash is more powerful at the center of his blade. He is made to be a good character to use against opponents in single-player mode, but he is lower-tier than Marth because he lacks Marth's vital advantages. Even though Roy is considered low tier by many, his fanbase is still quite large.

Music

 * 33: Fire Emblem: A medley of two Fire Emblem tracks, the first of which is the "character recruitment" music in The Binding Blade and Fire Emblem (Rekka no Ken), and after some piano-based music, the second tune is the official Fire Emblem series theme. This is heard as a secondary track on Hyrule: Temple and is often heard accompanying Marth and Roy in Single-player mode. In Fire Emblem (Rekka no Ken), this song is used as a track called 'Together, We Ride!'


 * 48: Fire Emblem Team Victory: The victory fanfare of Marth and Roy is the last line from the aforementioned "character recruitment" theme, and can be heard as the last line in "33: Fire Emblem," before the music loops back to the beginning.

Full Trophy List

 * Marth's three game trophies
 * Roy's three game trophies

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Perhaps in response to Fire Emblem gaining popularity worldwide, the series is visibly represented in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Marth returns, with Ike as the new Fire Emblem playable. Roy does not return as a playable character, although he does return as a sticker.

Characters

 * [[Image:Icon-ike.gif|right]]Ike: The main character of Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Ike is shown in his Ranger outfit from the beginning of his first game. He is very obviously a swordsman, but unlike most sword fighters in the SSB series, he focuses less on speed and more on power. He is able to use his Aether skill as a special ability, which involves him throwing his sword into the air, jumping up and catching it, then bringing the sword crashing down on his opponent. His Final Smash, Great Aether, is an enhanced version of Aether.


 * [[Image:Icon-marth.gif|right]]Marth: The original Fire Emblem lord returns, once again as a secret fighter. While his moveset is mostly unchanged, his Shield Breaker has been altered from a slashing maneuver to a stabbing move. Marth's Final Smash, Critical Hit, is the most powerful Final Smash of the game, inflicting 60% damage and killing enemies instantly.

Assist Trophy

 * Lyn: A major character from Fire Emblem (Rekka no Ken), she charges her blade, then vanishes and reappears while slashing an opponent that is the closest to her.

Stage

 * [[Image:Castlesiege.png|right]]Castle Siege: Contrary to much speculation when the stage was first shown in trailers, this stage does not represent any specific Fire Emblem title, but rather the series as a whole. The stage takes place on top of a castle under attack. As time passes, the roof will collapse and fighters will be able to do battle in the castle's interior, which will feature destructible statues. After yet more time passes, the ground will give way and players will fall into the underground, which consists of a dark cavern filled with lava. After some time in the underground, the locale will reset to the top of the castle again and the cycle begins anew.

Music

 * Fire Emblem Theme - An orchestrated version of the Fire Emblem theme, because the series is now worldwide, the song is made with Latin lyrics, performed by the same group behind the main theme. It is used on the Castle Siege stage.
 * With Mila's Divine Protection (Celica Map 1) - Taken from Fire Emblem Gaiden. It is used on the Castle Siege stage.
 * Attack - A merger of two battle themes taken from Fire Emblem (Rekka no Ken), the first title of the series to be localized. It is used on the Castle Siege stage.
 * Preparing to Advance - A pre-battle scene song taken from Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones. It is used on the Castle Siege stage.
 * Winning Road - Roy's Hope - Taken from Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade, the title which Roy originates from. It is used on the Castle Siege stage.
 * Shadow Dragon Medley - A medley of various songs from the original Fire Emblem, Shadow Dragons and the Blade of Light. It is used on the Castle Siege stage.
 * Ike's Theme - The track "Eternal Bond", taken directly from Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. It is used on the Castle Siege stage.
 * Against the Dark Knight - The battle theme when facing The Black Knight in Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. It is used on the Castle Siege stage.
 * Crimean Army Sortie - Taken from Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. It is used on the Castle Siege stage.
 * Power-Hungry Fool - Oliver's theme, taken from Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. It is used on the Castle Siege stage.
 * Victory is Near - The near victory battle map music, taken from Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. It is used on the Castle Siege stage. This song is also played during Ike's Classic Mode credits.
 * Fire Emblem (Melee) - A rehashed version of the song which appeared in Melee. It is used on the Castle Siege stage.  This song is also played during Marth's Classic Mode credits.
 * Fire Emblem series victory - Derived from the main Fire Emblem theme heard in all the games.

Trophies

 * Ike
 * Great Aether
 * Marth
 * Critical Hit
 * Lyn
 * Ashnard
 * Elincia
 * Black Knight
 * Sothe

Stickers

 * Marth (Fire Emblem: Monsho no Nazo)
 * Shiida (Fire Emblem: Monsho no Nazo)
 * Nabaaru (Fire Emblem: Monsho no Nazo)
 * Roy (Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade)
 * Lilina (Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade)
 * Deke (Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade )
 * Rutoga (Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade)
 * Eliwood (Fire Emblem)
 * Hector (Fire Emblem)
 * Lyn (Fire Emblem)
 * Guy (Fire Emblem)
 * Ninian (Fire Emblem)
 * Eirika (Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones)
 * Ephraim (Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones)
 * Myrrh (Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones)
 * Joshua (Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones)
 * Ike (Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance)
 * Mist (Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance)
 * Greil (Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance)
 * Ashnard (Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance)
 * Black Knight (Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance)
 * Ike (Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn)
 * Micaiah (Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn)
 * Sothe (Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn)

Note: "Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken" was released as "Fire Emblem" outside of Japan. Ankoku Ryuu to Hikari no Tsurugi was translated as "Shadow Dragons and the Blade of Light" in SSBB, and Fuuin no Tsurugi was translated as "The Binding Blade".

Masterpiece
Fire Emblem: Monsho no Nazo ("Secret of the Crest") is a playable Virtual Console Demo game in Japanese version of Brawl. It stars Marth and was the first Fire Emblem game released to the Virtual Console in Japan. It is not present in the North American release.

Lord Representation in the Super Smash Bros. series
Note: This list does not acknowledge trophies of those who also appear as playable fighters or Assist Trophies.

= Japan only

Game Representation in the Super Smash Bros. series
= See Lord representation