Character

Fire Emblem is a fantasy tactical role-playing game franchise developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo. First produced and published for the Family Computer in 1990, the series currently consists of sixteen core games and four spinoffs. Gameplay revolves around the tactical movement of characters across grid-based environments, while incorporating a story and characters similar to traditional role-playing video games.

A notable aspect of gameplay is the permanent death of characters in battle, removing them from the rest of the game when they are defeated. In newer titles, from Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem onwards, players get to choose between Classic mode, in which characters permanently die, or Casual mode, in which fallen characters are revived for the next battle. The series title refers to the "Fire Emblem", a recurring element in the series that is usually portrayed as a royal weapon or shield representing the power of war and dragons. The development of the first game began as a dōjin project by Shouzou Kaga and three other developers. Its success prompted the development of further titles in the series. Kaga headed the development of each entry until the release of Thracia 776, when he left Intelligent Systems and founded his game studio to develop Tear Ring Saga.

No games in the series were released outside of Japan until two characters, Marth and Roy, were included as playable characters in the 2001 fighting game Super Smash Bros. Melee. Their popularity, as well as the international success of the turn-based Advance Wars, eventually convinced Nintendo to release the next game, The Blazing Blade, in Western regions under the title Fire Emblem in 2003. Many games in the series have sold well, despite a decline during the 2000s which resulted in the series' near-cancellation. Individual entries have generally been praised, the series as a whole has been lauded for its gameplay, and it 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 multiple games have also been included in crossovers with other franchises.