History Videogame / FireEmblemElibe

* [[RewatchBonus Replay Bonus]]: In the opening to Nils and Ninian's introductory chapter in Lyn's story, an innkeeper berates Nils, calling him a "plague upon decent folk". At first this just seems like he doesn't want to get in trouble with the Black Fang. After going further in the story, it's revealed that the Black Fang are known for only attacking the unjust and corrupt. If they were going after Nils and Ninian, the sibling would look like villains to those not in the know.

''For the game released in the West under the title ''Fire Emblem'', see ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade''''.

[[folder: Tropes in ''The Blaxing Blade'']]

-->-- Opening of ''Blazing Sword''

* ''Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword'' [[note]]Released as just ''Fire Emblem'' in the west, but near-universally called by its Japanese name -- ''Rekka no Ken'', meaning "Sword of Flame" -- or by its number for the sake of differentiation. ''Blazing Sword'' is a fan translation; "Sword of Flame" was translated as Blazing ''Blade'' within the game itself. In fact, on the Fire Emblem: Heroes website the game's name is translated as "The Blazing Blade".[[/note]] (Game Boy Advance, 2003) was the franchise's international debut, with only a single game released since then lacking an official localization. A {{prequel}} to ''The Binding Blade'', it stars Roy's father, Eliwood, as he investigates the disappearance of his own father with his friends Hector and Lyn, leading them to clash with a brotherhood of assassins called the Black Fang. This game remains a favorite of many western fans because, in addition to being a [[FirstInstallmentWins first installment in English]] and thus for a great many fans, it features one of the longer quests of the Western released games, features a large amount of replay value, and boasts a story that's rather unique in relation to the rest of the franchise.

** Due to ''Blazing Sword'' being a prequel, there are several instances where characters are ignorant of elements that were also key plot points twenty years ago, although it's not difficult to rationalize things away given the time the heroes spend undercover, Canas' determination to keep the events ''out'' of the history books, and the fact that Eliwood would probably not want to talk about the painful events his InfinityPlusOneSword caused.

* FakingTheDead: It is revealed that [[spoiler:Zephiel]] did this after a failed assassination attempt in order to turn the tables on his would-be murderer, [[spoiler:King Desmond]]. This event is alluded to in the epilogue of ''Blazing Sword''. [[spoiler:Prince Mildain of Etruria did likewise.]]
* FanRemake: A remake of ''The Binding Blade'' was made by a fan called Superluigi, which is built upon the ''Blazing Sword'' engine (itself a slightly modified version of the original ''The Binding Blade'' engine) with a bit of content taken out but a lot more added.

* KarmaHoudini: Subverted with Erik. After helping his father's attempt to start a war in Lycia and kill Eliwood and Hector in ''Blazing Sword'', he apparently [[CivilianVillain "reforms"]] and becomes the Marquess of Laus after his father's death. Years later he betrays Lycia ''[[TooDumbToLive again]]'', but this only leads to him getting killed by Roy.

* TheWorfEffect: The Lycian Alliance is thoroughly routed in the first few chapters of the game, with Hector of Ostia dying of his wounds. It's [[HarsherInHindsight all the more dire]] if you played ''Blazing Sword'' first and have firsthand experience of Hector's badassery.

[[folder: Tropes in ''Blazing Sword'']]

** Even without any casualties, ''Blazing Sword'' still has a bittersweet ending. [[spoiler:Sure, the Dragon Gate is closed, Nergal's mad schemes have been put to rest for good, and Eliwood and Hector went on to rule Pherae and Ostia for fifteen or twenty years... but Bern's royal family is still royally screwed up, Athos and Bramimond are dead (not that anyone missed Bramimond, but still...), all of those Robin Hood types from the Black Fang have been killed or scattered to the winds, and fifteen short years later, a new tyrant sits on Bern's throne...]]

* BossBonanza: ''Blazing Sword'' pits you in the final chapter against NINE bosses, though not all at once, thankfully. And when you're done, you fight the FinalBoss, though that's ''technically'' another stage. Otherwise, you face one or ''maybe'' two bosses per chapter, tops.

* CallForward: Plenty of them exist in ''Blazing Sword'', they tend not to make sense to overseas players, as ''Binding Blade'' never got released outside Japan.

* DiscOneFinalDungeon: Chapter 19 of ''Blazing Sword''. The whole first half of the game leads up to a showdown with Darin, who you kill, and Ephidel, [[spoiler:who then gets [[TheUnfought unceremoniously sucked into the Dragon's Gate and presumably slaughtered by a dragon]] when the ''real'' BigBad makes his intentions and ability known]]. If you take Sain into the battle, he has some special dialogue at the start about [[GenreBlind how he and the others think this is the final battle]] and how he'll slay Darin ForGreatJustice.

* EliteFour: The Four Fangs of ''Blazing Sword'', who are most elite members of the Black Fang, each with their own RedBaron titles - [[LadyOfBlackMagic Ursula "the Blue Crow"]], [[TheStoic Lloyd Reed "the White Wolf"]], [[HotBlooded Linus Reed "the Mad Dog"]], and [[{{Tykebomb}} Jaffar "the Angel of Death"]], all of whom report to Brandon Reed, the boss of the Black Fang. Furthermore, the game shows that membership in the Four Fangs is not static, as former Four Fangs members [[PsychoForHire Jerme the Death Kite]] (demoted due to Jaffar being a better assassin) and [[TheSociopath Pascal Grentzer the Crazed Beast]] ([[EvenEvilHasStandards ousted due to being too ruthless]]) make appearances, as well.
* {{Elopement}}: Lyndis's parents did this in the backstory to ''Blazing Sword''. Her mother, Lady Madelyn, was the daughter of the Marquis of Caelin. Her father, Hassar, was the leader of the Lorca Tribe, one of the three tribes of Sacae, a group of nomadic people. In order to stay together, Madelyn left Caelin to live with her lover on the Sacaen plains.

* ForcedTutorial: ''Blazing Sword'', the first game in the series released outside Japan, contained "Lyn's Tale", an unskippable ten-chapter prologue to the main quest that [[ExpositionBreak explained the game's mechanics in excruciating detail]], complete with forced moves and luck manipulation. Japanese veterans of the series were none too pleased with it (though linking the game to ''Binding Blade'' allowed you to skip the tutorials), and western players who had read the manual routinely curse it as well. Later games made the tutorials optional, and replaying Lyn's quest in "Hard Mode" allows the player to ignore the tutorials (though you lose Sain's dialog to a female tactician), with the option to skip Lyn's mode entirely (not recommended, but possible).

* NonEntityGeneral: ''Blazing Sword'' is the series's only aversion.

* NostalgiaLevel: Several chapters in ''Blazing Blade'' take place at the same location as a chapter in ''Binding Blade.'' To wit:
** [[http://serenesforest.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/14.png Chapter 14 of Blazing Sword]]: [[http://serenesforest.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Chapter4.png Chapter 4 of The Binding Blade]] (Laus)
** [[http://serenesforest.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/23B.png Chapter 23 (Lloyd) of Blazing Sword]]: [[http://serenesforest.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Chapter2.png Chapter 2 of The Binding Blade]] (Bern/Pherae border)
** [[http://serenesforest.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/27.png Chapter 27 of Blazing Sword]]: [[http://serenesforest.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Chapter21.png Chapter 21 of The Binding Blade]] (The Shrine of Seals)
** [[http://serenesforest.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/28.png Chapter 28 of Blazing Sword]]: [[http://serenesforest.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Chapter8x.png Chapter 8x of The Binding Blade]] (Durandal's cavern)
** [[http://serenesforest.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/30H.png Chapter 30 (Hector mode) of Blazing Sword]]: [[http://serenesforest.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Chapter12x.png Chapter 12x of The Binding Blade]] (Armads' cavern)
** [[http://serenesforest.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/29.png Chapter 29 of Blazing Sword]]: [[http://serenesforest.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Chapter8.png Chapter 8 of The Binding Blade]] (Inside Castle Ostia)
** [[http://serenesforest.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/29x.png Chapter 29x of Blazing Sword]]: [[http://serenesforest.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Chapter7.png Chapter 7 of The Binding Blade]] (Outside Castle Ostia)

* PlotArmor: Important non-lord characters will retreat when defeated rather than die, though they remain unusable for the rest of the game. In ''Blazing Sword'', this also applies to Bartre and Karel, since they're still around in ''Binding Blade'', as well as to Pent, Louise, Rath, Karla, and Nino (all of whom canonically survived long enough to have children).

* PlotTumor: While Roy fights artificial beings himself, Blazing Sword goes much further with exploring the concept of artificial life, and makes Nergal's Morphs much more important to the plot.

* {{Retcon}}: The Dragon's Gate concept seems to be something like this; going by what Jahn says near the end of ''Binding Blade'', the dragons, bar himself, Idenn, and the population of Arcadia, were all slaughtered at their weakest by the humans in a brutal genocide. ''Blazing Sword'' reveals they were simply chased into an AlternateDimension. Granted, Jahn was sealed before that happened so he had no way of knowing, but it still smells faintly of backpedalling.

* SpannerInTheWorks: Kishuna in the first chapter he appears in ''Blazing Sword''. The boss (who, incidentally, comes off as a [[TheChessmaster chessmaster]]-type character, what with remarks like "battle is an equation") of that chapter has long-range magic that will do some nasty damage to your non-magic party members... had the aforementioned Magic Seal not made his conveniently-timed unexpected appearance.

* YouBastard / TakeThatAudience: If you play with a Tactician in ''Blazing Sword'' and get an E or D ranking overall, several characters on the Battle History screen will say something along the lines of either "What were you thinking?", "You need more practice", or just flat out say "You suck" (though [[JerkAss some units]], namely Karel and Jaffar, will say things like this even if you [[DudeWheresMyRespect played decently]] and [[DoWellButNotPerfect got a C or B rank]]). And the ending notes that future historians were baffled at how you led Eliwood and co. to victory with [[{{Scrub}} 'such incomprehensible']] strategies.

* [[spoiler: SealedGoodInACan: In a matter of speaking. Al was originally sealed as a child some time after the Scouring War by his own father, Harmut, but was later unsealed alongside his mother some time after ''Blazing Swords'' takes place, as he's roughly the same age as Roy is.]]

* ''Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword'' [[note]]Released as just ''Fire Emblem'' in the west, but near-universally called by its Japanese name -- ''Rekka no Ken'', meaning "Sword of Flame" -- or by its number for the sake of differentiation. ''Blazing Sword'' is a fan translation; "Sword of Flame" was translated as Blazing ''Blade'' within the game itself. [[/note]] (Game Boy Advance, 2003) was the franchise's international debut, with only a single game released since then lacking an official localization. A {{prequel}} to ''The Binding Blade'', it stars Roy's father, Eliwood, as he investigates the disappearance of his own father with his friends Hector and Lyn, leading them to clash with a brotherhood of assassins called the Black Fang. This game remains a favorite of many western fans because, in addition to being a [[FirstInstallmentWins first installment in English]] and thus for a great many fans, it features one of the longer quests of the Western released games, features a large amount of replay value, and boasts a story that's rather unique in relation to the rest of the franchise.

* ''Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword'' [[note]]Released as just ''Fire Emblem'' in the west, but near-universally called by its Japanese name -- ''Rekka no Ken'', meaning "Sword of Flame" -- or by its number for the sake of differentiation. ''Blazing Sword'' is a fan translation; "Sword of Flame" was translated as Blazing ''Blade'' within the game itself. [[AscendedFanon Both games are referred to by these titles on the Fire Emblem: Heroes website.]][[/note]] (Game Boy Advance, 2003) was the franchise's international debut, with only a single game released since then lacking an official localization. A {{prequel}} to ''The Binding Blade'', it stars Roy's father, Eliwood, as he investigates the disappearance of his own father with his friends Hector and Lyn, leading them to clash with a brotherhood of assassins called the Black Fang. This game remains a favorite of many western fans because, in addition to being a [[FirstInstallmentWins first installment in English]] and thus for a great many fans, it features one of the longer quests of the Western released games, features a large amount of replay value, and boasts a story that's rather unique in relation to the rest of the franchise.

* ''Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword'' [[note]]Released as just ''Fire Emblem'' in the west, but near-universally called by its Japanese name -- ''Rekka no Ken'', meaning "Sword of Flame" -- or by its number for the sake of differentiation. ''Blazing Sword'' is a fan translation; "Sword of Flame" was translated as Blazing ''Blade'' within the game itself.[[/note]] (Game Boy Advance, 2003) was the franchise's international debut, with only a single game released since then lacking an official localization. A {{prequel}} to ''The Binding Blade'', it stars Roy's father, Eliwood, as he investigates the disappearance of his own father with his friends Hector and Lyn, leading them to clash with a brotherhood of assassins called the Black Fang. This game remains a favorite of many western fans because, in addition to being a [[FirstInstallmentWins first installment in English]] and thus for a great many fans, it features one of the longer quests of the Western released games, features a large amount of replay value, and boasts a story that's rather unique in relation to the rest of the franchise.

* TheEmpire: The game kicks off when Bern decides it's going to be this and starts a widespread campaign of conquest.

** Sacae: A far-eastern nation with a notable tradition of horseback riding and archery, and a traditional religion that worships the sky and earth. Clearly meant to be based upon Mongolia, with a dash of Japan (Myrmidons clearly use katanas and many of them, ''especially'' Karel, are heavy with "wandering samurai" tropes).

* TheFederation: The Lycian Alliance is a confederation of independent fiefdoms that unite militarily when faced with an outside threat. [[spoiler:In the end, it's united into a single country under Lilina and possibly Roy.]]

* TurnCoat: After Hector's defeat at Araphen, Marquess Erik of Laus sides with Bern to avoid a similar fate. [[{{Irony}} This just gets him killed by Roy's army instead.]]

* LostForever: If you don't meet the conditions to unlock the bonus chapters, you will never see the Divine Weapons, and failing to collect just one of them means you won't face the TrueFinalBoss.

* LuckBasedMission: In Battle Before Dawn, there's no physical way to reach Jaffar in time to guarantee that he will live on any mode, but especially Hector Hard Mode. If the enemies kill him before he can use his Elixir, then he dies, meaning you don't get a side chapter ([[CaptainObvious and you can't recruit him]]). In fact, Zephiel, who you [[EscortMission need to protect]], can be killed 3 turns before you can ''get to the area''.
** In ''Blazing Sword'', attempting to defeat Kishuna in "Prisoner of Magic" can be tough. He has an incredible health, good defense, enough Evasion to ensure that ''nobody'' at this point in the game except Lyn, Eliwood, and Guy will have more than a 50% chance to hit him at all, and is a living AntiMagic field. He won't fight back, but you have to take out every last hitpoint in a single turn or he'll disappear. While you aren't required to kill him to proceed with the game, you ''do'' have to kill him to reach Chapter 19xx.
*** Even more so trying to kill him in "Genesis", where he retreats as soon as you attack him or open the door to his chamber. (And his position makes him impossible to hit with anything other than a Longbow, though in Hector's Story he at least moves around enough to be within range of a regular ranged weapon.) This time, though, you aren't actually supposed to defeat him, and there's nothing lost if he retreats rather than being defeated.
** Chapter 11 of ''Blazing Sword'' in Hector's story involves Hector and Matthew sneaking out of a castle while being pursued by assassins. There are only two of you and over a dozen of them. Good strategy helps, but a lot of the mission is praying you don't get screwed by the RNG.

* TheWorfEffect: The Lycian Alliance is thoroughly routed in the first few chapters of the game, with Hector of Ostia dying of his wounds. It's [[HarsherInHindsight all the more dire]] if you played ''Blazing Sword'' first and have firsthand experience of Hector's {{badass}}ery.

* BadAss:
** Hector, with a side of BoisterousBruiser. WordOfGod says he was the basis for Ike in the Tellius series.
** Pent, who can completely destroy the enemy forces in "The Living Legend" and entirely by himself if left alone.

* PlotArmor: Important non-lord characters will retreat when defeated rather than die, though they remain unusable for the rest of the game. In ''Blazing Sword'', this also applies to Bartre and Karel, since they're still around in ''Binding Blade''.

** Of all the characters in the game. Karla has a particularly obscure recruitment method. You need to be on Hector's Story, you need to bring Bartre to "Battle Preparations" (the optional shopping trip before the final battle), and ''he needs to be promoted and at least Lv 5''. Do all this and she appears on the map, and you have to have them fight, with ''both'' surviving a round of combat (which parctically requires Bartre to hold the Iron Rune since Karla is a [[CriticalHitClass Swordmaster]]). This makes sense if you've played ''Binding Blade'', where Bartre joined as a Lv 5 Warrior and had a daughter with Karla, but since that game was NoExportForYou, Western fans were left with no hints to this recruitment.

* MotiveDecay: The Black Fang were always a group of assassins, but apparently they started off as a noble one that targeted the unjust. This slowly slipped away when Nergal had Sonia infiltrate by marrying their leader, Branden, and so Nergal had his own group of psychopaths and fanatic followers added...

** The playable characters themselves play with, subvert, or even avert the usual personalities and traits that come with their archetypes, which can be found in better detail on the character pages. Some prominent examples are the Cleric (Serra) and the Troubadour (Priscilla), as well as the [[ThoseTwoGuys red and green cavaliers]] swapping personalities, a very gentle-natured axe fighter (Dorcas), and the first thief you get (Matthew) being a spy working for the nobility as opposed to just another ruffian.

* TooAwesomeToUse: You'll come across several awesome weapons of which there is only one (perhaps 2) obtainable copies and probably be too reluctant to actually use them, save for the final chapter. The best example of this are the 3 "Brave Weapons". They are a powerful sword, lance, and axe, respectively, and only one obtainable copy of each can be found in the game. They guarantee a doubling of your overall strikes (meaning two attacks if too heavy or slow, and four if said character can double-attack normally)... and thus use up their durability ''fast''. They can potentially break in a grand total of ''5 uses''.

* WeatherOfWar

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Due to ''Blazing Sword'' being a prequel, there are several instances where characters are ignorant of elements that were also key plot points twenty years ago, although it's not difficult to rationalize things away given the time the heroes spend undercover, Canas' determination to keep the events ''out'' of the history books, and the fact that Eliwood would probably not want to talk about the painful events his InfinityPlusOneSword caused.

* LeeroyJenkins: Certain NPC's (recruitable or not) will run in and attack the first enemy they see no matter how suicidal it is. Watch as Erk the squishy mage picks a fight with a decent-sized army if left to his own devices.

* TheChurch: The Church of Saint Elimine. Most monks, clerics, and bishops are members of it. Not clear what they actually teach, though, other than it was founded by a [[LightEmUp light magic using]] member of the legendary heroes who drove away the dragons in the ancient war. (said founder was vaguely referenced as later having AscendedToAHigherPlaneOfExistence.)

* DoomedByCanon: [[spoiler:Nino, Jaffar, and possibly Erk are killed by bounty hunters or are in hiding. Roy's mother is implied to have died giving birth to Roy, meaning this can either be Fiora, Ninian, or Lyndis. Whoever Hector marries is never mentioned in Binding Blade, and the possibilities include Florina, Farina, and (again) Lyn. Karla dies of illness some time after giving birth to Fir. Canas dies trying to stop a blizzard, and his son is raised by his grandmother -- both appear in ''The Binding Blade''. Not to mention, the Black Fang. Hector dies onscreen in ''The Binding Blade'', and he's actually told that he'll die a violent death for taking Armands; furthermore, outside sources say Oswin dies in the same battle, protecting Hector. Athos and Bramminond don't make it to ''The Binding Blade''. Rath's grandfather and daughter are both in 'The Binding Blade'', but neither of them mentions him, implying the worst. Nino is on the run, regardless if she's married or not in her endings, and her sons mention that the priest who ran the orphanage they were in was killed -- in Lucius' ending, he starts an orphanage, so it's possible that he died as well. Given her loyalty to Bern and Zephiel, and the fact that she never appears in ''The Binding Blade'', it's not looking great for Vaida, and possibly Heath as well.]] This has a lesser impact on western players who never got ''The Binding Blade''

* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: The first thing Zephiel does when he reaches Lycia is lead a direct assault on Lycia's main army, going ''personally'' with two of his best generals to make sure Hector doesn't make it out alive. The result being that Lycia is very nearly defeated by Bern days after the two go to war.

* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: ArtificialStupidity aside, the AI of these games became ''highly'' pronounced as simply not caring about whether or not they won...so much as they kill ''one'' of your units and make you RageQuit and restart the chapter.

* LongLostRelative: [[spoiler:It's all but stated that Nergal is Ninian and Nils' father, with the biggest hint being his extended death quote, which you can only get by doing an extremely obscure sidequest in Hector's Hard mode. In it, he mentions the children's mother Aenir. Other relatives are Dart, who is Rebecca's long-lost brother Dan, Priscilla's brother Raymond is Raven, and it's strongly hinted that Canas is Nino's uncle]]. The main plot of Lyn's story has her discovering an entire long-lost ''side of her family'', as she was unaware of her Lycian heritage up until Chapter 2. What's more, by the end of her story, only she and her grandfather are the remaining members of House Caelin.

* ''Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword'' [[note]]Released as just ''Fire Emblem'' in the west, but near-universally called by its Japanese name -- ''Rekka no Ken'', meaning "Sword of Flame" -- or by its number for the sake of differentiation. ''Blazing Sword'' is a fan translation; "Sword of Flame" was translated as Blazing ''Blade'' within the game itself.[[/note]] (Game Boy Advance, 2003) was the franchise's international debut, with only a single game released since then lacking an official localization. A {{prequel}} to ''The Binding Blade'', it stars Roy's father, Eliwood, as he investigates the disappearance of his own father with his friends Hector and Lyn, leading them to clash with a brotherhood of assassins called the Black Fang. This game remains a favorite of many western fans because, in addition to being a [[FirstInstallmentWins first installment]] for a great many fans, it features one of the longer quests of the Western released games, features a large amount of replay value, and boasts a story that's rather unique in relation to the rest of the franchise.

* ''Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword'' [[note]]Released as just ''Fire Emblem'' in the west, but near-universally called by its Japanese name -- ''Rekka no Ken'', meaning "Sword of Flame" -- or by its number for the sake of differentiation. ''Blazing Sword'' is a fan translation; "Sword of Flame" was translated as Blazing ''Blade'' within the game itself.[[/note]] (Game Boy Advance, 2003) was the franchise's international debut, with only a single game released since then lacking an official localization. A {{prequel}} to ''The Binding Blade'', it stars Roy's father, Eliwood, as he investigates the disappearance of his own father with his friends Hector and Lyn, leading them to clash with a brotherhood of assassins called the Black Fang. This game remains a favorite of many western fans because it features one of the longer quests of the Western released games, features a large amount of replay value, and boasts a story that's rather unique in relation to the rest of the franchise.

** Sacae: A far-eastern nation with a notable tradition of horseback riding and archery, and a traditional religion that worships the sky and earth. Clearly meant to be based upon Mongolia.

** Etruia: Clearly meant to be based on Medieval Rome: it is the seat of the Church of the game's resident CrystalDragonJesus and a nation with a high level of civilization. Notably, the real life civilization of Etruria was a state in what is now Central Italy which was conquered by Rome.

* HateSink: Nergal and his minions are evil, sure, but even they have their fans and [[spoiler: Nergal has a fairly sympathetic backstory if you jump through hoops to get the secret sidequest mentioned above]]. The Black Fang are ultimately sympathetic despite their terrible deeds. But pretty much the entire fandom wants King Desmond dead.

* ''Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword'' [[note]]Released as just ''Fire Emblem'' in the west, but near-universally called by its Japanese name -- ''Rekka no Ken'', meaning "Sword of Flame" -- or by its number for the sake of differentiation. ''Blazing Sword'' is a fan translation; "Sword of Flame" was translated as Blazing ''Blade'' within the game itself.[[/note]] (Game Boy Advance, 2003) was the franchise's international debut and the beginning of it finally averting NoExportForYou. A {{prequel}} to ''The Binding Blade'', it stars Roy's father, Eliwood, as he investigates the disappearance of his own father with his friends Hector and Lyn, leading them to clash with a brotherhood of assassins called the Black Fang. This game remains a favorite of many western fans because it features one of the longer quests of the Western released games, features a large amount of replay value, and boasts a story that's rather unique in relation to the rest of the franchise.

* '''''Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade''''' [[note]]Japanese title ''Fuuin no Tsurugi'', meaning "Sword of Seals".[[/note]] (GameBoyAdvance, 2002) stars Roy, ''Fire Emblem'''s other representative in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Melee'', as he attempts to repel the invading forces of Bern. The game was well-received in Japan, but in the west, the reception among fans was more mixed. On the one hand, it was praised for introducing the super-popular "[[RelationshipValues Support]]" feature, which allows characters to build their relationships by spending a lot of time together in battle and remains a big draw for the series. At the same time, due to technological constraints, it was forced to drop many of the mechanics introduced in the console-era, though it was able to add its own as well.
* '''''Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword''''' [[note]]Released as just ''Fire Emblem'' in the west, but near-universally called by its Japanese name - ''Rekka no Ken'', meaning "Sword of Flame" - or by its number for the sake of differentiation. Blazing Sword is a fan translation; "Sword of Flame" was translated as Blazing ''Blade'' within the game itself.[[/note]] (GameBoyAdvance, 2003) was the franchise's international debut and the beginning of it finally averting NoExportForYou. A {{prequel}} to ''The Binding Blade'', it stars Roy's father, Eliwood, as he investigates the disappearance of his own father with his friends Hector and Lyn, leading them to clash with a brotherhood of assassins called the Black Fang. This game remains a favorite of many western fans because it features one of the longer quests of the Western released games, features a large amount of replay value, and boasts a story that's rather unique in relation to the rest of the franchise.

An 11-volume manga adaptation, ''[[http://www.mangahere.co/manga/fire_emblem_hasha_no_tsurugi/ Fire Emblem: Champion's Sword]]'' [[note]]Commonly known just by its untranslated Japanese name, ''Hasha no Tsurugi''[[/note]], was also published between 2002 and 2005. It revisits and modifies the plot of ''The Binding Blade'' through the point of view of four original characters exclusive to this manga: young swordsman (well, teen) Al, Princess Tiena of Tania Castle, her loyal knight Gant, and MasterSwordsman Kilmar. They help Roy and his troops in the war against Bern, while on their own quest: searching for the [[McGuffin Fire]] [[TitleDrop Emblem]].

* BeautyEqualsGoodness: ''The Binding Blade'' gives us some subversions in a series that plays this trope straighter than an arrow most of the time: The axe-wielding Gonzales (whose ugliness and low intelligence makes him feared), and the plain-looking Dorothy (with her small eyes and plain, boyish clothing).

* TheUnfought: [[spoiler: Idoun, mentioned in the manga.]]

* GameMod: Fan translator gringe, who headed the development 2013 translation patch, has made a hack that changes stats to more closely resemble those of later GBA installments.

* NoExportForYou: Most Western players know it through a fan-created translation patch, as the game has never been officially localized.

** Even without any casualties, Fire Emblem 7 still has a bittersweet ending. [[spoiler:Sure, the Dragon Gate is closed, Nergal's mad schemes have been put to rest for good, and Eliwood and Hector went on to rule Pherae and Ostia for fifteen or twenty years... but Bern's royal family is still royally screwed up, Athos and Bramimond are dead (not that anyone missed Bramimond, but still...), all of those Robin Hood types from the Black Fang have been killed or scattered to the winds, and fifteen short years later, a new tyrant sits on Bern's throne...]]

* CallForward: Plenty of them exist in ''Blazing Sword'', they tend not to make sense to overseas players, as ''Binding Blade'' [[NoExportForYou never got released outside of Japan]].

* DoomedByCanon: [[spoiler:Nino, Jaffar, and possibly Erk are killed by bounty hunters or are in hiding. Roy's mother is implied to have died giving birth to Roy, meaning this can either be Fiora, Ninian, or Lyndis. Whoever Hector marries is never mentioned in Binding Blade, and the possibilities include Florina, Farina, and (again) Lyn. Karla dies of illness some time after giving birth to Fir. Canas dies trying to stop a blizzard, and his son is raised by his grandmother - both appear in Fire Emblem 6. Not to mention, the Black Fang. Hector dies onscreen in Fire Emblem 6, and he's actually told that he'll die a violent death for taking Armands; furthermore, outside sources say Oswin dies in the same battle, protecting Hector. Athos and Bramminond don't make it to 6. Rath's grandfather and daughter are both in 6, but neither of them mention him, implying the worst. Nino is on the run, regardless if she's married or not in her endings, and her sons mention that the priest who ran the orphanage they were in was killed - in Lucius' ending, he starts an orphanage, so it's possible that he died as well. Given her loyalty to Bern and Zephiel, and the fact that she never appears in 6, it's not looking great for Vaida, and possibly Heath as well.]] This has a lesser impact on western players who [[NoExportForYou never got Fire Emblem 6]].

** Chapter 11 of ''[=FE7=]'' in Hector's story involves Hector and Matthew sneaking out of a castle while being pursued by assassins. There are only two of you and over a dozen of them. Good strategy helps, but a lot of the mission is praying you don't get screwed by the RNG.

** [[http://serenesforest.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/14.png Chapter 14 of Fire Emblem 7]]: [[http://serenesforest.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Chapter4.png Chapter 4 of Fire Emblem 6]] (Laus)
** [[http://serenesforest.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/23B.png Chapter 23 (Lloyd) of Fire Emblem 7]]: [[http://serenesforest.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Chapter2.png Chapter 2 of Fire Emblem 6]] (Bern/Pherae border)
** [[http://serenesforest.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/27.png Chapter 27 of Fire Emblem 7]]: [[http://serenesforest.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Chapter21.png Chapter 21 of Fire Emblem 6]] (The Shrine of Seals)
** [[http://serenesforest.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/28.png Chapter 28 of Fire Emblem 7]]: [[http://serenesforest.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Chapter8x.png Chapter 8x of Fire Emblem 6]] (Durandal's cavern)
** [[http://serenesforest.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/30H.png Chapter 30 (Hector mode) of Fire Emblem 7]]: [[http://serenesforest.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Chapter12x.png Chapter 12x of Fire Emblem 6]] (Armads' cavern)
** [[http://serenesforest.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/29.png Chapter 29 of Fire Emblem 7]]: [[http://serenesforest.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Chapter8.png Chapter 8 of Fire Emblem 6]] (Inside Castle Ostia)
** [[http://serenesforest.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/29x.png Chapter 29x of Fire Emblem 7]]: [[http://serenesforest.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Chapter7.png Chapter 7 of Fire Emblem 6]] (Outside Castle Ostia)

* BeautyEqualsGoodness: ''The Binding Blade'' gives us some subversions in a series that plays this trope straighter than an arrow most of the time: the axe-wielding Gonzalez (whose ugliness and low intelligence makes him feared), and the plain-looking Dorothy (with her small eyes and plain, boyish clothing).
* {{BFS}}: Exaccus, which somehow turns into a trident when not in use.

* DarkIsNotEvil: Raigh, Sophia, and Niime, the three dark magic users of the game.

* LastOfHisKind: Yahn claims to be the last dragon, even his battle theme is named after that fact. Technically, there are other dragons around, [[spoiler:but Idoun is not a "true" dragon since she became a Dark Dragon and the war dragons she created are not real dragons, either]]. However, there are dragons on the other side of the Gate and in Arcadia.
* LighterAndSofter: The art style, sprites, and battle animations when compared to all of the previous games in the series, especially the [[DarkerAndEdgier Jugdral Series]]. Colourwise, this was actually justified because by the time these two games came out, the original Game Boy Advance (The one without backlit screens) was still commonplace - it made it easier to see. You can spot a change in ''The Sacred Stones'' gaining a more brown tone compared to these games, while still retaining the artstyle, though.

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: While this is par for the course in ''Fire Emblem'', Binding Blade takes it UpToEleven. Most games give the player a couple of characters per class (e.g. two myrmidons, a couple of prepromotes) in case the player loses the first or prefers a different balance. This game has two separate cavalier/paladin squads, ''three'' armor knights, two prepromoted archers, three thieves... including the bonus characters, there are sixty-two playable characters.

* OurDragonsAreDifferent: The Fire Dragons have ''wings made of fire.''

* PolarOppositeTwins: Raigh and Lugh, respectively. The former sports a snarky grin and has a reputation for being cold and heartless, whereas the latter is kind and cheery. Both are potent [[BlackMage magic users]], though.

* RecurringElement: There are many aspects of ''Fuuin'' that are extremely similar to ''Mystery of the Emblem'', including some of the characters (Miledy is a very blatant {{Expy}} of Minerva in terms of class, looks, and personality) and parts of the plot (mostly about Idoun being the "Dark Dragon", all of the liberation that Roy does). There are also plenty of differences, but it's one reason why its prequel is considered superior by many.
* RelationshipValues: ''Binding Blade'' introduced the support system in its modern form, patterned after the marriage system from the fourth game. Certain characters build friendships or romance by ending turns next to each other, quickly for some and glacially slow for others.

* SortingAlgorithmOfEvil: In Chapter 3, Zephiel, Idoun, and Narcian--all of them very powerful fighters--are all present at Araphen Castle. Idoun, the FinalBoss, offers to take out Roy's band of low-level fighters and mercenaries, but Zephiel declines and departs with her, leaving the matter to Narcian. ''He'' promptly turns the matter over to a low-level knight so he can lech on Clarine. This happens again in Chapter 13, but instead to a low-level Wyvern Lord and a large force of Etrurian cavalry.

* IHaveYourWife: King Mordred is held hostage by Bern forces [[spoiler:at the instigation of his Trecherous Advisor, Roartz]] to force Etruria's top generals to fight Roy's army.

* TheWorfEffect: The Lycian Alliance is thoroughly routed in the first few chapters of the game, with Hector of Ostia dying of his wounds. It's [[HarsherInHindsight all the more dire]] if you played ''Blazing Sword'' first and have firsthand experience of Hector's [[{{Badass}} badassery]].