Ike Fire Emblem Guide

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Stuart Kimball

Stuart is a video gaming machine that loves delving into anything and everything. He keeps up with the latest trends and new releases, but truthfully, his passion for JRPGs always sees him gravitate toward these types of adventures. His favorites range from the brutal difficulty of Elden Ring to the whimsical fun of Fire Emblem. Then for some casual gaming, a skating game is usually his natural choice.

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• Ike Fire Emblem Guide - May 18, 2022

One of the greatest strengths of the Fire Emblem series is its vast roster of characters. Of the many personalities you meet and interact with throughout your journeys in the Fire Emblem universe, only a few have maintained such ceremonial status as Ike. From his origins in Fire Emblem Path of Radiance to his inclusion in the Super Smash Bros. series, Ike is a long-time fan favorite.

He is the central character in Fire Emblem Path of Radiance, one of the main characters in Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn, and a main asset in Fire Emblem Heroes. He is accessible through Amiibo in Fire Emblem Fates and Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia. He is a DLC character in Fire Emblem Awakening.

Who is Ike?

Ike is the first central character in the Fire Emblem series not to be born into a royal line. He is the eldest son of Elena and Greil, and he is the older sibling of Mist.

Ike is a child of the battlefield, having been brought up by his father, Greil, the leader of the Greil Mercenaries. He is a man of very few words, stoic and resilient but heartfelt, and easily earns the respect and faith of those he meets. He has very little pretenses and doesn’t hold significant expectations of those he meets.

This leads many of his allies and enemies to view him as naive. This sense of the world helps his ability to lead because he takes things at face value. He primarily treats people based on their actions instead of making judgments based on any pre-conceived opinions.

The only group that Ike has any judgment of is the nobility class. He wants nothing to do with being in the world of nobles and lords, only taking on the title of lord between the events of Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn at the request of Princess Elincia. At the beginning of Radiant Dawn, he denounces his Lordship as quickly as possible to return to his comfortable mercenary life.

He is intensely loyal, especially to those he holds close. It’s funny; before learning more about his personality, I thought Ike’s victory line “I fight for my friends” in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was pretty silly and not in line with his more stoic nature. I couldn’t be more wrong. This line perfectly encapsulates his straight-to-the-point, faithful personality.

Ike is humble by nature and does not seek recognition or excess payment for his deeds, aside from the standard mercenary fees he charges. Ike loves a challenge and takes on tests of strength as one of his greatest passions. Even after hearing that the Black Knight who killed his father was still alive, Ike admits that he is not filled with grief or anger, only that he cannot wait to face him again in combat.

Although combat trials get his blood pumping, Ike is not a proponent of war. He is very self-aware and knows what war has cost him personally. He does not wish his fate on anyone else.

All his time in combat makes his hunger insatiable. One of his significant characteristics that most of the other members of the Greil Mercenaries note is that he loves to eat. Oscar and Soren have dialogue that hints at his love of meats, especially ribs and steaks; the spicier, the better.

Ike’s Journey

Fire Emblem Path of Radiance

Ike begins his journey in Fire Emblem Path of Radiance. He starts as a member of the Greil Mercenaries under the leadership of his father, Greil. At first, he is judged by the other members and is constantly mocked and criticized for his lack of experience. Greil has plans for Ike to take over the mercenary company and pushes him twice as hard to prepare him for the coming invasion at the hands of the country of Daein.

During the invasion, Greil perishes at the hands of the Black Knight. At 17, Ike takes the reigns as the leader of the Greil Mercenaries, much to the dismay of members Gatrie and Shinon. They leave the mercenaries altogether, noting that they will not be led by someone inferior to their experience and skills.

Ike stays in the country of Gallia until it is made clear that he will receive no help in his mercenary efforts from the King, Caineghis. He decides to leave the country for Begnion, aided by members of the Laguz race. He travels around the continent of Tellius with his growing band of mercenaries. In his travels, he meets Elincia, the princess of Crimea.

Ike serves as Elincia’s bodyguard and rouses the Crimean Liberation Army, leading them to reclaim their homeland from the Daenic invasion under the approval of the Empress of Begnion, Sanaki.

Before he can strike the final blow to the Daenic invasion, Ike reveals that he has had the Divine Blade Ragnell since his father’s death. He challenges the Black Knight to a duel in the tower of Nados Castle on the eastern Crimean front. With the Divine Blade Ragnell at his side and help from his sister Mist, Ike defeats the Black Knight and destroys Nados Castle.

Ike continues his campaign by assisting princess Elincia and eventually defeats the Daenic “Mad King” Ashnard. This allows Elincia to rise to the position of Queen of Crimea, ending the Daenic invasion. Ike is known throughout the land by the title of “Patriotic Hero.”

Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn

Picking up where Path of Radiance left off. Ike, now 20, is granted the title of noble and given land in the kingdom of Crimea by Queen Elincia. Ike is not a fan of the political disputes of the court and renounces his title to lead a much simpler life as the leader of the Greil Mercenaries once again.

Soon after leaving the court, Ike is approached by Bastian, a count, with rumors that there is a plot to overthrow Queen Elincia. Bastian also states that Ike and his mercenaries would have to go into hiding to protect themselves. This leads Ike to interrupt the execution of the leader of the Royal Guard, Lucia.

Returning to mercenary headquarters, Ike is visited by Ranulf, a member of the Laguz race that helped Ike escape to Crimea in Path of Radiance. Ranulf describes growing tensions between the Laguz Alliance and Begnion. Ike is resistant to engaging in combat of such a large scale again but agrees to help on behalf of the Laguz Alliance as a favor to Ranulf.

The conflict rises to such a peak that the goddess of law and order, Ashera, is awoken from her thousand-year sleep. She unleashes her holy judgment upon the land of Tellius, turning almost every member of each faction to stone. This only leaves the greatest warriors of each army unharmed, including Ike.

At the same time, the goddess of chaos, Yune, breaks free from her entrapment in Lehran’s Medallion. Side note: this is the same medallion that caused Greil to go berserk and accidentally murder Ike and Mists’ mom, Elena. Yune is released and uses Micaiah, one of the other main protagonists of Radiant Dawn, as a vessel to communicate with others.

Ike forms a truce with the Yune-controlled forces of Micaiah and heads for the Tower of Guidance that Ashera inhabits. While climbing the floors of the tower, Ike confronts the Black Knight. Ike challenges the Black Knight to a one-on-one duel once again and can finally avenge his father entirely. Ike reminisces about his many encounters with the Black Knight. He is thankful for all the Black Knight has shown him and the skills he gained in their many fights. He takes the Black Knight’s sword Alondite, the sister sword, to his father’s sword Ragnell.

Yune blesses Ike with her powers after proving himself in battle. He gains the title of “The Radiant Hero” and departs from the continent of Tellius, living on as a legend.

Fire Emblem Awakening

Ike does not appear as a primary or playable character in the main story of Fire Emblem Awakening. Still, he is mentioned by one of his supposed descendants Priam, who carries the blade of Ragnell. Robin and Chrom visit a village inhabited by “The Radiant Hero” to meet Priam instead.

In the DLC map Rogues and Redeemers 3, Chrom must fight against 50 of the greatest warriors of the Fire Emblem series. Ike is among the ranks and agrees to join your party after completing the map.

In Fire Emblem Fates and Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, Ike is only brought in through Amiibo functionality.

Stats

Fire Emblem Path of Radiance

Availability: Start of Game

Starting Class: Ranger

Affinity: Earth

Base Stats

Skills: None

Weapon: Sword – D

Starting Item: Iron Sword

Growth Rates

Possible Support Conversations

• Titania
• Oscar
• Soren
• Lethe
• Reyson
• Ranulf
• Elincia

Bond Support

Mist: 10%

Promotions

After completing Chapter 17

Class: Lord

Weapon Level: C (Only if your sword mastery stat is at level D)

Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn

Availability: Starting at the Prologue of Chapter 3, then Intermittently Throughout the Rest of the Game

Starting Class: Hero

Affinity: Earth

Base Stats

Growth Rates

Bond Support

• Mist: 10%
• Soren: 5%
• Titania: 5%
• Ranulf: 5%
• You can transfer your data from Path of Radiance for any character with an A support rating for a 5% boost

Promotions

After completing Chapter 3-E

Class: Vanguard

Skills: Aether, Nihil

Weapon Level: A

Fire Emblem Awakening

Starting Class: Hero

Skills: Aether, Patience, Sol, Axebreaker, Luna

Weapon: Sword – A, Axe – C

Starting Items: Ragnell

DLC Stats (Rouges and Redeemers 3)

Fire Emblem Fates

Note: Ike is only Available Through Amiibo. After Fighting and Defeating Him in his “Hero Battle,” he will Join your Party

Starting Class: Vanguard

Skills: Heavy Blade, Veterans Intuition

Weapons: Sword – C, Axe – D

Starting Items: Ragnell

Base Stats

Growth Rates

Maximum Status Modifiers

Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia

Note: Only by Using Mila’s Turnwheel and a Connected Amiibo, You can Summon a Ghostly Apparition Version of Ike

Starting Class: Hero

Skills: None

Starting Item: Ragnell

Base Stats

Fire Emblem Heroes

Path of Radiance

Title: Young Mercenary

Rarity: 5 Stars

Group: Infantry

Skills: Ragnell, New Moon

Weapon: Sword

Stats

Title: Young Mercenary

Rarity: Resplendent 5 Stars

Group: Infantry

Skills: Ragnell, New Moon

Weapon: Sword

Stats

Brave Heroes

Title: Brave Mercenary

Rarity: 5 Stars

Group: Infantry

Skills: Urvan, New Moon

Weapon: Axe

Stats

Title: Brave Mercenary

Rarity: Resplendent 5 Stars

Group: Infantry

Skills: Urvan, New Moon

Weapon: Axe

Stats

Legendary Heroes

Title: Vanguard Legend

Rarity: 5 Stars

Group: Infantry

Skills: Ragnell, Daylight

Weapon: Sword

Greil’s Devoted

Title: Stalwart Heart

Rarity: 5 Stars

Group: Armored

Skills: Heart’s Blade+, Daylight

Weapon: Sword

Stats

Dark Burdens

Title: Zeal Unleashed

Rarity: 5 Stars

Group: Infantry

Skills: Chaos Ragnell, New Moon

Weapon: Sword

Stats

Unlikely Friends

Title: Close-Knit Siblings

Rarity: 5 Stars

Group: Infantry

Skills: Sturdy War Sword, Daylight

Weapon: Sword

Stats

Other Appearances

Ike is not confined to only appearing in the Fire Emblem series. He shows up in a few other mainline Nintendo games across various systems.

Super Smash Bros.

At his introduction into the series, Ike was only the third Fire Emblem character in the Super Smash Bros. games as a playable character, after Roy and Marth. He was first featured as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Nintendo Wii. He is the counter opposite of Marth in terms of gameplay. Ike is heavy and slow, with a significant wind-up for most of his moves. This is in direct contrast to Marth’s quick mobility and rapid move set. The counterbalance to his slow pace is his crushing damage. He can send players out of the arena at very low percentages, especially when his attacks are charged. He was also the first Fire Emblem character in Super Smash Bros. to speak English.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Ike is featured wielding Ragnell and wearing his Ranger outfit, as seen in Path of Radiance. Interestingly enough, this goes against his mainline Fire Emblem series status, as you cannot wield Ragnell when you are a Ranger class.

If you use Snake’s ability to use the Codec in Super Smash Bros. Brawl when talking about Ike, the conversation goes like this.

“Snake: This swordsman’s gonna be tough to beat.

Colonel: Fighting Ike, eh, Snake? Ike is the leader of the Greil Mercenaries. He may look too refined to be a fighter… But he has one heck of a sword arm.

Snake: Yeah, he’s swinging that two-handed sword around with only one hand. I don’t even want to get near him.

Colonel: That’s the holy blade of Ragnell. It’s an extremely powerful sword. But don’t forget, Snake, you’re armed to the teeth yourself. To your opponents, you might just be their worst nightmare. The distance between you and your enemy is a crucial element in battle. Using that distance can give you an advantage against some enemies.

Snake: Yeah, I’ve got the same feeling…”

Super Smash Bros. 3DS and Wii U

His appearance changes from his Ranger garb in Brawl to his Hero attire from Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn. 

If you use Paluntena’s Guidance as Pit, They will have a conversation about Ike.

“Pit: Does Ike look a little different to you? A little…tougher?

Palutena: Hmm…

Pit: His clothes look different, and his sword looks even more menacing.

Palutena: Yes, I suppose you’re right.

Pit: And he definitely hasn’t aged well.

Palutena: Well, compared to gods and angels like us, Ike is just a baby.

Viridi: I don’t know how old you are, Pit, but you don’t look like you’ve grown at all.

Pit: Oh, like you’re one to talk! How old are you, anyway? Ten?

Viridi: A goddess never reveals her age, Pit.

Palutena: Break it up you two. Back to Ike. He has a powerful side smash that will send you flying, but that is also his weakness.

Viridi: He’s very vulnerable at that time, so dodge it and strike back!

Pit: I claim this victory in the name of Skyworld! SKYWORLD! SKYWORLD!

Viridi: YEAH! SKYWORLD! SKYWORLD! SKYWORD! SKYWORLD!”

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Ike has the ability to wear both versions of his costume from Brawl and 3DS/Wii U. 

If you engage in Palutena’s guidance as Pit in Ultimate, Pit, Viridi, and Palutena will converse.

Pit: It’s Ike!

Viridi: There are two versions of Ike. The Path of Radiance version and the Radiant Dawn version.

Pit: Dawn? Radiance?

Viridi: He’s basically either a mercenary or a hero.

Palutena: The two versions of Ike may look and sound a bit different, but his strength doesn’t change at all.

Viridi: But one of them is three years older than the other. Shouldn’t the older one be stronger?

Palutena: Yeah, you’d think the older one would have three more years of training under his belt.

Pit: Maybe he skipped three years of arm days.

Palutena: I somehow doubt that. Have you seen the way he swings that sword? One blow from that sword can do more damage than two of yours, Pit. Be careful.

Mario Maker Wii U

Ike is available to play as in Super Mario Maker for Wii U. Using his amiibo or completing a 100 Mario Challenge will unlock his sprite. The change is only cosmetic.

Trivia

• Ike is the only central character of a primary series Fire Emblem game which never gets married.
• In Super Smash Bros., If Ike is doing well, the crowd will chant, “We like Ike!” This could reference president Dwight D. Eisenhower, whose campaign slogan was “I like Ike.”
• Although the Lord and Hero classes can not equip knives, Ike wears a dagger at his side.
• Ike claims to be Crimean even though he has no blood connection to the country, his bloodline is technically Daein, and he was born in Gallia.

FAQs

Summary

I got introduced to Ike through his inclusion in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. I was drawn into his move set with its massive sword attacks and his blunt, gruff demeanor. I went back to play the games he was featured in and discovered the enormous depth of his story and the weight of his impact on the greater Fire Emblem universe. Like in the games he is featured in, he has taken on a legendary status among the higher echelon of Fire Emblem characters in the real world. His popularity in Super Smash Bros. has cemented him as a classic Nintendo character, even if you’ve never heard of Fire Emblem.

For more interesting readings about Fire Emblem check out:

• Fire Emblem Cavalier
• Fire Emblem Pegasus Knight
• Fire Emblem Swordmaster
• Fire Emblem Sniper Class Guide