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Throughout the entireFire Emblemfranchise, there is a recurring item known as the Fire Emblem. Sometimes it is a shield, or a special stone, while other times a person or a weapon. This titular item gives the franchise its name, with each game more or less having a version of this in it.
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The Fire Emblem is typically vital to the main character being able to defeat the main big bad or Fell Dragon. More often than not, the unique item known as the Fire Emblem is different between each game unless said game takes place in the same game world via a sequel.
What Exactly Is The Fire Emblem?
In most Fire Emblem games, the titular item acts as a central plot point for the respective story. The first appearance was, naturally, in the first game called Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light.
This is the first game introducing Marth, one of the most iconic and recognisable Fire Emblem characters to date. Since the release of Shadow Dragon, each subsequent game has used similar themes and plot devices surrounding the Fire Emblem item. Sometimes, the item is divine, while other times is intrinsically linked to the evil force in the world.
Interestingly, Fire Emblem Gaiden, which was remade as Fire Emblem: Echoes - Shadows of Valentia, is an outlier.
This game doesn’t involve any references to a Fire Emblem, despite taking place in the same world as the first Fire Emblem, as a continent separate from Archanea. Despite this, a separate version of Falchion appears.
Throughout the games, the Fire Emblem iscrucial to the main character and the story of the world, typically being the only way to vanquish evil for good and all. Another common feature most Fire Emblem objects share is that they aren’t revealed until much later in each game.
Appearance And Form In Each Mainline Game
Throughout the games, there are several Fire Emblems, but itappears that only one can exist at one time per continent, despite more existing throughout the world that contains Archanea and Jugdral.
We know this because Jugdral, the setting of Fire Emblem: Geneology of the Holy War and Thracia 766, has beenconfirmed by the developers as being in the same world as Archanea, only a different continent and many years before Shadow Dragon takes place. Each place within the world of Archanea then has its own version of the Fire Emblem.
Fire Emblem: Awakening is set 2,000 years in the future of Archanea, which has become the Halidom of Ylisse, and the Fire Emblem in this game remains the same as from the first game.
Fire Emblem Form
Archanea
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Sword of Light and Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem.
The Binding Shield
Jungdral
Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War and Fire Emblem: Thracia 766
Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade and Fire Emblem: Blazing Blade
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance and Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
The Binding Shield, or the Pedastal of Flames
Hoshido and Nohr
Emblem Alear, the 13th Emblem
The Importance Of The Fire Emblem In Each Game
Generally speaking, the Fire Emblem is usually crucial and a necessary itemneeded to defeat or seal away an ancient evil.Through various story beats, the main character will come into possession of the Fire Emblem, but it israrely a physically held object in your inventory.
The Binding Shield - Shadow Dragon
This shield is a pair made complete with the Falchion,a legendary sword used to kill Fell Dragons,previously wielded by the hero Anri in Archanea.The Divine Dragon Naga created the Binding Shield from one of her fangsto seal away Earth Dragons who had gone feral, corrupted and turned evil.
For the shield to be effective,it needs to have all five gems slotted into the face of it. Marth wields the complete set, the Falchion and the Binding Shield, to beat Medeus once in the first game and again in the sequel Mystery of the New Emblem.
Fire Emblem Awakening also takes place in Archanea, and theBinding Shield is once again used by our hero Chrom. Taking the Binding Shield with all the gems slotted in it to Tiki allows his sword, the Falchion, to slay Fell Dragons,transforming it into the Exalted Falchion.With this in hand, Chrom and Lucina defeat the Fell Dragon Grima.
Crest Of Velthomer - Genealogy And Thracia
The Crest of Velthomer is never shown in either of the games. It is mentioned only in text form, where it is also mentioned thatit belongs to one of the high houses of Grannvale.
The only important bit of information about this family is that they aredescended from one of the holy Crusaders,important figures in the world of Jungdral.
Imperial Seal Of Bern - Binding Blade and Blazing Blade
Within the world of the Binding and Blazing Blade games, there is an event in theirhistory known as the Scouring. This was a bloody moment wherehumans turned on their dragon allies and fought them in a bitter war, resulting in the dragons beingsealed away by the seal and the Binding Blade.
During the events of the Blazing Blade, the Seal of Bern is stolen by thieves who plan on using it tounlock the seal on the dragons and bring them back. Prince Zephiel of Bern also needs this seal as it allows him to become the king of Bern, giving it significant importance in the nation’s history as an heirloom. This story follows the heroes Lyn, Hector, and Eliwood whoreturned the seal to the rightful place in Bern.
Years later, Eliwood’s son Roy is embroiled in another plot to unleash the dragons on the continent of Elibe.King Zephiel has used the seal to free the Demon Dragon Idunnand begins a bloody invasion of the rest of the continent.
Eventually, Zephiel’s sister steals the seal and delivers it to Roy.Roy uses the seal to unlock the Shrine of Binding, to find the Binding Bladethat ultimately helps him defeat Zephiel and the dragons.
Grado’s Sacred Stone - The Sacred Stones
On the continent of Magvel, there exist five Sacred Stones.All of them belong to the five nations of the land,and eachone holds a part of the Demon King who was sealed in them by the five heroes in the past.
The most important stone is the onebelonging to the nation of Grado since it contains the soul of the Demon King.This stone became known as the Fire Emblem. Lyon, a prince of Grado, uses the Fire Emblem to revive his father, but in doing sohe becomes corrupted and possessed by the Demon King.
Through the events of the game,Eirika and Ephraim try to protect the Sacred Stones, with all but one being destroyed.The final stone, which belonged to the nation of Rausten, was saved and used to seal away the Demon Kingat the end of the game.
Lehran’s Medallion - Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn
At the start of the world in this game, there existed two goddesses who were each other’s counterparts.Ashera, the goddess of Order and Yune the goddess of Chaos. One day, Ashera decided to dispose of Yune due to her chaotic nature. Instead of killing Yune,Ashera was convinced to place her spirit inside a special amuletcalled Lehran’s Medallion.
With Yune’s chaotic spirit inside the amulet, Ashera bargained that if war did not break out for the next 1,000 years, Yune would be freed. As time went on, rumours spread about the medallion holding the spirit of a cursed God. At the time we begin Ike’s journey, King Ashnard has the medallion and wants to use it to start a war and free the dark god inside the amulet.
This iteration of the Fire Emblem takes on a more sinister and cursed mythos,seemingly corrupting people who come into contact with it, demonstrated when Ike’s father Griel touches the amulet and it drives him into a frenzy where he kills his wife.Eventually, Yune is freed from the medallion and Ashera is killed by Ikeand his group to free their world from their influence.
Omega Yato - Fates
The Yato is one of five legendary weapons forged by the Rainbow Sage, who wanted humans to have the power to fight dragons. As Corrin progresses through the game, their Yato sword isstrengthened and enhanced by the other legendary weapons, all of which are welded by Corrin’s siblings, eventually changing to become the sword’s true form, the Omega Yato.
In its true form, the Yato is known as the Fire Emblem and it is capable of killing Fell Dragons.This only happens if you reach the end of the third route of the game, getting the Revelations ending. As the Fire Emblem, this sword is immensely powerful and only Corrin can wield it to bring about the defeat ofAnankos, the evil dragon who has been surreptitiously corrupting the world.
Crest Of Flames - Three Houses
In the world of Fodlan, there are 22 Crests, all of which are special boons believed to be gifted by the Goddess Sothis.Among these Crests, the Crest of Flames is the most important and powerful of them all.
While the Crest of Flames is never called the Fire Emblem in Three Houses, it is the closest approximation to it in terms of significance.
Emblem Alear - Engage
In the world of Elyos, there existsEmblems that are the souls of the lords and heroes who safeguard the land. In Engage, these Emblems are the heroes from previous games, such as Marth, Roy, Lyn, Corrin, Ike, and so on.
Within the game world, Emblems are strong beings who seem to be completely undying. They exist within rings and can only be summoned out by someone with Dragon’s blood in their veins.
During the events of Engage,our main character Alear sacrifices themselves, but the Emblems have a power they can only use once: to revive someone who has been corrupted.
Alear is effectively resurrected as the 13th Emblem of the game, also referred to as the Fire Emblem.With this, Alear is more powerful, and they can harness the power of Emblems, letting their companions bond with them through the Ring of the Connector to become even stronger.
