During the September 2022 Nintendo Direct, Intelligent Systems and Nintendo announcedFire Emblem Engage, the 17th main installment of the strategy RPG franchise. In trueFire Emblemfashion, a group of evil mages seek to resurrect a dark dragon and destroy the world. Alear - the male or female dragon child protagonist whose hair has been compared to the Pepsi logo - awakens after a thousand years to help save the world from this threat.
But Alear and company can equip special “Emblem Rings” that allow them to summon heroes from other worlds - and even fuse together to become the ultimate warrior. Though details haven’t been fully revealed, the Emblem Rings promise to add another layer of customization beyond skills and classes.The trailer forFire Emblem Engageshowed a stained-glass mosaic featuring 12 Emblems, one from each mainFire Emblemtitle (minus remakes and one direct sequel).
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Marth - Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon
It would not beFire Emblemwithout Marth. The least-surprising entry in this list, Marth seems to be the first - and most important - Emblem that players will receive. Featured prominently on the game’s key art and in its announcement trailer, the protagonist from the firstFire Emblemgame seems to have a strong connection with Alear. Though the role Emblems will play isn’t yet known, Marth seems to be a character in his own right rather than an emotionless echo.
Celica - Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
The magic-wieldingdeuteragonist ofShadows of Valentiagives the Emblem cast some spell-slinging representation. The priestess appeared inFire Emblem Engage’s trailer, where she is summoned by a regal-looking mage named Celine. The two combine their strength to devastate an enemy soldier with the Ragnarok spell, so it is safe to say Celica will be a great Emblem for caster characters.
Sigurd - Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War
The first protagonist from the Japan-exclusiveGenealogy of the Holy Warmakes his western debut inFire Emblem Engage,Fire Emblem Heroesnotwithstanding. The famous Knight Lord teams up with a noble cavalier named Alfred in the trailer, enhancing his prodigious mounted combat abilities. Though Sigurd has yet to get his ownFire Emblem Echoes-style remake, Sigurd fans can look forward to seeing him ride into battle inFire Emblem Engage.
Leif - Fire Emblem: Thracia 776
Like Sigurd,Fire Emblem Engageis Leif’s first foray into the western world outside a mobile gacha game. Leif’s inclusion inFire Emblem Engageis a big deal consideringThracia 776is notoriously difficult, even amongFire Emblemgames, and bad timing led it to be the worst-selling title in the franchise’s history. Little is known about Leif’s appearance inFire Emblem Engage, but his return to the franchise will be a victory nonetheless.
Roy - Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade
Roy is one of the firstFire Emblemcharacters western fans met alongside Marth inSuper Smash Brothers Melee. However, unlike Marth,Roy’s originalFire Emblemgame has yet to be released outside of Japan. Nevertheless, the fiery Lord will certainly be an impactful Emblem, especially if he comes equipped with the Blazing Sword, Durandal.
Lyndis - Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade
The Sacaen swordswoman Lyndis is the representative fromThe Blazing BladeinFire Emblem Engage. One of thethree Lords from the firstFire Emblemgame to leave Japan, Lyn is a fan favorite with a unique design and samurai-esque fighting style reminiscent of famousFire EmblemSwordmasters. While the axe-wielding Hector could have been an interesting inclusion, Lyn was ultimately the better pick - in no small part to prevent the Emblems from all being male.
Eirika - Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
The fencing princess Eirika was chosen torepresentThe Sacred Stonesover her spear-wielding twin brother, Ephraim. Though little is known about her in-game appearance, the strong-willed and kind-hearted Eirika will likely be an excellent Emblem for characters with high speed and skill.
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Ike - Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
As thethirdFire Emblemcharacter to hitSuper Smash Bros., Ike is an obvious pick forFire Emblem Engage. Curiously, Ike seems to be taking on the axe-wielding Brave Mercenary appearance fromFire Emblem Heroes, rather than wielding the Divine Blade Ragnell. This is probably to balance out the otherwise sword-heavy pool of Emblem characters and provide synergy with axe-wielding Fighters and Berserkers.
Micaiah - Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
The Dawn Brigade’s infamous Light Mage is therepresentative for thePath of RadiancesequelinFire Emblem Engage. Micaiah is the firstFire Emblemlord to fight exclusively with magic, and joins Celica as one of the few magic-using Emblems in the game. Micaiah will surely be an invaluable Emblem for characters who use magic or healing.
Lucina - Fire Emblem Awakening
The time-traveling princess beats Chrom and Robin asEngage’srepresentative fromFire Emblem Awakening. However, like Ike, she seems to come with an unexpected twist. Rather than wielding Falchion, Lucina appears to be the bow-wielding Legendary Lucina fromFire Emblem Heroes, despite never wielding one inAwakening. This will likely allow her to be a powerful Emblem pick for bow-users, like Snipers and Bow Knights.
Corrin - Fire Emblem Fates
The female version of Corrin steps forward torepresentFire Emblem Fatesin the next title. Her Emblem is special - though she often wields a sword, Corrin has the ability to transform into a dragon. Since Alear is also a dragon, perhaps Corrin’s Emblem Ring will have some special interactions with Alear if they are able to take a draconic form as well.
Byleth - Fire Emblem: Three Houses
To round out the cast of Emblems, the male version of Byleth fromFire Emblem: Three Houseswill be inEngagetoo. With an appearance in bothSuper Smash Bros. UltimateandFire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, Byleth has quickly racked up almost as many game appearances as series staples like Marth and Ike. The tactician will undoubtedly be a versatile Emblem for many characters with his flexible Sword of the Creator.
Though few details are known aboutFire Emblem Engage, these characters are all certain to appear. That said, there always could be others who aren’t in the mosaic, or who could appear later on in DLC. Likewise, some could show up as NPCs, and one of theantagonists equips an Emblem Ring in theFire Emblem Engagetrailer, suggesting there could be some villainous Emblems too.
