is a character from the ''
Fire Emblem
is a fantasy tactical role-playing game franchise developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo. First produced and published for the Famicom in 1990, the series currently consists of sixteen core entries and five spinoffs. Game ...
'' series of
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
s. He is the central protagonist and Lord-class character of the ninth game in the series, ''
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance'' and one of the central characters in ''
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn''. Ike is one of the most popular characters in the ''Fire Emblem'' series, and has appeared in other media, most notably the ''
Super Smash Bros.''
fighting game
A fighting game, also known as a versus fighting game, is a video game genre, genre of video game that involves combat between two or more players. Fighting game combat often features mechanics such as Blocking (martial arts), blocking, grappli ...
series.
Development
The character designs were done by Senri Kita in ''
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance'', an artist new to the series.
In contrast to previous ''Fire Emblem'' games, where the protagonist was of royal blood, the main character Ike was intended to be of lower social rank, a mercenary who becomes involved in royal politics and conflict rather than being born into it. Ike was born from the many ideas for new directions being suggested for the new 3D game, with many people wanting the protagonist everyone could empathize with. His status as a mercenary was a highly requested character trait by male staff. A character that returned from previous games was Jeigan, who was this time designed as a female character named Titania.
In ''
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn'', the character movements in cutscenes were mapped using motion capture, with between 100 and 150 animations per character to implement.
The dialogue for characters was also made slightly rougher based on feedback from ''Path of Radiance''.
Ike's personality and blue hair is derived from Hector, the protagonist of ''
Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade''; the game's release in Europe and North America led Ike's creators to discover that he was one of the most popular characters in the series.
Appearances
Ike is the primary protagonist of ''
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance'', the plot of which centers around his efforts to repel an invasion and avenge the murder of his father. He also serves as one of the two main protagonists of ''
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn'', where he battles the forces of a corrupt goddess. He is also featured as a bonus character in ''
Fire Emblem Fates
''Fire Emblem Fates'' is a tactical role-playing video game for the Nintendo 3DS handheld video game console, developed by Intelligent Systems and Nintendo SPD and published by Nintendo. It was released in June 2015 in Japan, then released inter ...
'' and ''
Code Name S.T.E.A.M.'', both of which make him playable upon the player linking their
Amiibo
(, ; officially stylized as amiibo; plural: ''Amiibo'') is a toys-to-life platform by Nintendo, which was launched in November 2014. It consists of a wireless communications and storage protocol for connecting figurines to the Wii U, Ninten ...
with the game. He is also a playable character in ''
Fire Emblem Heroes
is a free-to-play tactical role-playing game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for Android and iOS. The game is a mobile spin-off of the ''Fire Emblem'' series featuring its characters, and was released on February 2 ...
'', being available in five variations based on his appearances in ''Path of Radiance'' and ''Radiant Dawn''.
Outside of the ''Fire Emblem'' series, Ike was also included in a number of other
Nintendo
is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles.
Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produce ...
related games, including the ''
Super Smash Bros.'' series. Ike was a playable character in Nintendo's 2008 cross-over fighting game ''
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' is a 2008 List of crossovers in video games, crossover fighting game, fighting video game developed by Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Wii. The third installment in the Super Smash Bros., ''Super Smash ...
'' as part of the game's core fighting cast. One of his special moves in the game is "Aether", which is a unique skill in ''Path of Radiance'' that only he can learn. He uses the weapon Ragnell, a two handed-sword which he wields with one hand. He later appeared in the follow up title, 2014's ''
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U
and (colloquially and collectively referred to as ''Super Smash Bros. 4'' or ''Smash 4'') is a group of two 2014 crossover fighting video games developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS ...
''. Coinciding with the game's release, Ike received an
amiibo
(, ; officially stylized as amiibo; plural: ''Amiibo'') is a toys-to-life platform by Nintendo, which was launched in November 2014. It consists of a wireless communications and storage protocol for connecting figurines to the Wii U, Ninten ...
figure. He once again appeared in 2018's ''
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' is a 2018 crossover fighting video game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the fifth installment in the '' Super Smash Bros.'' series, succeed ...
'', where players can choose between his appearances from ''Path of Radiance'' and ''Radiant Dawn''. In January 2020, ''Fire Emblem Heroes'' made its Feh Pass service with new art and voices then revealed a next resplendent hero as Ike.
Reception
Ike has generally been a well-received character, and is known as one of the more popular ''Fire Emblem'' characters. In Nintendo's character polls for ''Fire Emblem Heroes'', Ike was voted most popular male character and had received the most overall votes in total, split between his incarnations.
Polygon
In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed ''polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two toge ...
noted that Ike was one of the most famous ''Fire Emblem'' characters, something they cited as being due to his inclusion in the ''Smash Bros'' games.
Series producer Toru Narihiro attributed an increase in popularity for both Ike and fellow ''Fire Emblem'' character
Marth Marth may refer to:
* Marth, Thuringia, Germany
People with the surname
* Albert Marth (1828–1897), German astronomer
* Christophe Marth (born 1980), French rugby player
* Frank Marth (born 1922), American actor
* Tommy Marth
Thomas Christian ...
to their appearances in ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'', adding that it grew beyond the staff's expectations. As a fighter in ''Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and WiiU'' specifically, his inclusion was generally well-received, although
Kotaku
''Kotaku'' is a video game website and blog that was originally launched in 2004 as part of the Gawker Media network. Notable former contributors to the site include Luke Smith, Cecilia D'Anastasio, Tim Rogers, and Jason Schreier.
History
...
reported that Japanese fans mocked and criticized his more muscular redesign, with some alleging that he looked more
gorilla
Gorillas are herbivorous, predominantly ground-dwelling great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or fi ...
-like than before. The top four characters in the polls received new in-game costumes; Heather Alexandra of ''
Kotaku
''Kotaku'' is a video game website and blog that was originally launched in 2004 as part of the Gawker Media network. Notable former contributors to the site include Luke Smith, Cecilia D'Anastasio, Tim Rogers, and Jason Schreier.
History
...
'' has praised Ike's original costume by stating that "Ike’s always been a bit blunt and rugged, and this costume really gets to the heart of that. He trades the heavy blue and red tones of his original outfit to trade them in for some earthier colors." There are seven total ''Fire Emblem'' characters appearing in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'', complaints again arose that he played too similar to other characters.
Masahiro Sakurai
is a Japanese video game director and game designer best known as the creator of the ''Kirby'' and '' Super Smash Bros.'' series. Apart from his work on those series, he also led the design of ''Meteos'' in 2005 and directed '' Kid Icarus: Upr ...
noted to everyone that people don't need to blame him for the addition of sword fighters and saying "Well even if it is another sword fighter, it will be fine as long as we balance them properly." Jeremy Parish of ''
Polygon
In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed ''polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two toge ...
'' ranked 73 fighters from ''
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' is a 2018 crossover fighting video game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the fifth installment in the '' Super Smash Bros.'' series, succeed ...
'' "from garbage to glorious", placing Ike at 66th, and stated that "A cloned version of fan-favorite Marth, Ike has no reason to exist in Smash." Gavin Jasper of ''
Den of Geek
''Den of Geek'' is a US and UK-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gan ...
'' ranked the Ike 44th on his list of ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' characters, stating "After Marth and Roy introduced the sword-swinging style of Fire Emblem to Smash, Ike spruced it up with some snazzier animations and attacks."
References
External links
Official Smash Bros. ProfileFire Emblem WebsiteIkea
Fire Emblem Wiki
{{Super Smash Bros.
Nintendo protagonists
Super Smash Bros. fighters
Male characters in video games
Role-playing video game characters
Fictional mercenaries in video games
Fictional war veterans
Fictional swordfighters in video games
Fire Emblem characters
Video game protagonists
Video game characters introduced in 2005