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Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for various Fire Emblem titles.The Nintendo Direct from Sept. 13 revealed many exciting surprises including a brand-new game for the Fire Emblem franchise, Engage. The new title for the Nintendo Switch is set for a Jan. 20, 2023 release date.
This game seems to allow the main protagonist, Alear to summon the powers and abilities of past protagonists from the previous Fire Emblem games using what are known as Engage Rings. These rings appear to be the primary concept of the game as well as the power of past heroes.
Ephraim
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Ephraim is one of the main protagonists of Fire Emblem: Sacred Stones alongside his twin sister, Eirika. He fights with a lance, the only protagonist to do so until Dimitri, and seeks to save his childhood friend, Lyon.
Lyon is the host for the main antagonist of the game, the Demon King Fomortiis. While Ephraim and his sister are successful in defeating the demon and restoring peace to the lands, he is unable to save his friend's life, giving the story a bittersweet end.
Seliph
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Seliph is a boy who lost everything. Despite that, he stood tall and rose as the champion of Judgral. He is the main protagonist of the second half of Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War and seeks to avenge his father's death and defeat his half-brother, Julius.
Successfully Seliph is able to kill Arvis, the man responsible for his father's death, and alongside his sister, who he never knew about, defeat Julius. While Seliph's father Sigurd's death was tragic and dark, it opened up the possibilities for a beautiful and compelling story surrounding Seliph, which was certainly successful.
Marth
Marth is the first protagonist to appear in the Fire Emblem games debuting in Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light. He is given one of the fullest stories out of the main characters with the remake of the first game called Shadow Dragon beginning a long prologue of Marth's use and the fall of his kingdom.
This sets up Marth's objective to reclaim his kingdom and then eventually fight against the Shadow Dragon threatening the world, Medeus. The sequel game, New Mystery of the Emblem, focuses on Marth as a king and how he continues to protect the people of Archanea and even becomes their High King.
Leif
Leif initially debuted in one of the best Fire Emblem games, Genealogy of the Holy War, however he appears as the main protagonist of the game's interquel, Thracia 776. This game helps broaden the world of Jugdral and does a magnificent job of telling the story of the son of a tragic hero.
One of the most important plot points in Genealogy of the Holy War is the Brands and Holy Blood that signify the descendants of the 12 Crusaders allowing them to wield the holy weapons. Despite Leif being the son of Quan, who wielded the legendary Gáe Bolg, he couldn't. This makes his story one of an underdog despite being born into such a gifted family. The game focuses on him developing into his own hero and becoming someone worthy to stand alongside his cousin, Seliph.
Micaiah
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Micaiah, one of the best female protagonists in Fire Emblem, serves as one of the two main protagonists of Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. She is seen as a savior in Daein and is known for her remarkable ability called Sacrifice which allows her to heal any wounds while simultaneously exhausting her own energy.
Due to her being one of the "Branded" she appears much younger than she really is. She begins her journey as a freedom fighter to a priestess savior to a queen. Her perspective at the beginning of the story gives a unique view of the world of Tellius as she seeks for peace with Daein who were originally the main antagonists of the previous game, Path of Radiance.
Eliwood
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Eliwood is one of the three main protagonists of Blazing Blade, the first Fire Emblem game to ever be released in the U.S. and a prequel to Binding Blade. He is the father of Roy and the Marquess of Pherae.
His romance with Ninian, the ice dragon, is one of the best features of the game as well as his enticing heroism as he wields the blade he hates, Durandal. His relationship with the blade is unique due to him attacking Ninian in her dragon form (before he knew what she was). But in the end, he embraces the blade and is able to save the world alongside Hector and Lyn.
Sigurd
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Sigurd is the main protagonist of Part I of Genealogy of the Holy War. He was everything a knight and a noble should be--courageous, chivalrous, kind, and caring. In many ways, he's the most traditional sense of a heroic noble and seems to have few faults.
However, the war forces him into some tight situations that force him to cut down one of his childhood friends, Eldigan. And while Sigurd stood tall, he was betrayed by another one of his friends, Arvis who murdered him and most of his other comrades. Arvis didn't stop there either as he stole Sigurd's wife (who is also Arvis's half-sister) for himself.
Dimitri
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Dimitri is one of the main protagonists in Fire Emblem: Three Houses and is the King of Faerghus. He undergoes one of the most unusual character developments any character has had in a Fire Emblem game, standing as both a vllain and a hero in his game.
Dimitri initially appears to be a humble and courageous man, but he holds a secret lust for revenge. When his need for vengeance becomes unrestrained, Dimitri loses himself and becomes a much more villainous man. His revenge-to-redemption arc changes his character as he tries to become the type of king of whom his father would have been proud.
Ike
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Ike is the hero of Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. He's also one of the protagonists in Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, a great hidden gem on the Nintendo Wii. He stands as a unique character compared to the previous protagonists due to his upbringing as a mercenary and his lack of royal blood.
Despite that, Ike proves to be a hero who stands against kings and gods. He fights against the tyranny of the Mad King Ashnard, for equality between the Laguz and the Beroc, and for the lives of all the people of Tellius against the Goddess of Order, Ashera.
Edelgard
Edelgard is without a doubt the best protagonist featured in the Fire Emblem franchise. She appears in Fire Emblem: Three Houses as the leader of the Black Eagles and later the Emperor of the Adrestian Empire. She fights for peace but uses the means of warfare to achieve that peace.
Many find her ideals right but her tactics wrong. Edelgard is convinced hers is the only way because other methods have failed. While she chooses some questionable allies, such as Those Who Slither in the Dark, they're only temporary allies — because Eldelgard turns on them. Depending on which path the player chooses in the game, Edelgard can be either a hero who achieves her goals or a villain who is stopped in her tracks.