Ike

Hero of the Blue Flames
Ike
Species	Beorc
Class	FE9 Ranger FE10 Hero
Promotion	FE9 Lord FE10 Vanguard
Origin	Gallia
Affiliation	Greil Mercenaries Crimean Liberation Army
Hair color	Blue
Eye color	Blue
Weaponry	Ragnell
Base	Crimea
Relatives	Greil (father) Elena (mother) Mist (sister)
Voiced by	Jason Adkins
Debut	Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance

Ike is a main character from the Fire Emblem series. He is the star of Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance and makes a second appearance in Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. He was very humble and reluctant to take rewards or recognition. At the same time Ike was blunt in his speech and willing to tell off anyone who bothered him, no matter what their position of power was.

Background

Ike and his younger sister Mist were born in Gallia to the mercenary Greil and his wife Elena. However, early in Ike's childhood, Greil went berserk from touching Lehran's Medallion and slaughtered various friends and soldiers, as well as Elena. After this Greil moved to Crimea with the children and formed a mercenary company, Greil Mercenaries. Ike was raised with no knowledge of his father's background, including the truth about his mother's death, but he came to respect his father. Ike’s life was mostly sheltered, and he knew practically nothing about Gallia or the laguz in general. He was also close to Mist, although they constantly teased each other.

Path of Radiance

Ike underwent constant training to be a member of the Greil Mercenaries. However, Greil constantly bested him in sparring matches and refused to let him join. In "Prologue: Mercenaries", Greil finally decided to admit Ike into the mercenaries after he bested both Boyd and himself in sparring matches (although Greil was holding back). He went on his first mission in "Chapter 1: The Battle Begins", lead by Titania to fight off bandits. When Mist and Rolf were captured by bandits in "Chapter 2: Rescue", Titania ordered them to stay behind while she got help. But Ike disobeyed and convinced Boyd, Oscar and Rhys to accompany him in save them from the bandits. They were successful, but still were still scolded by Greil and Titania later.

Then in "Chapter 4: Roadside Battle", Soren returned from his studies with another group of mercenaries to report that Crimea had been attacked by Daein. Ike was put in charge of a group to scout the area and, after a skirmish with Daein forces, they discovered a young lady who claimed to be Elincia, the princess of Crimea whose existence was a national secret. The mercenaries were divided over whether or not to help Elincia, but Ike wanted to help her and Greil chose this path of action. Greil then split up the mercenaries. He distracted the Daein forces with Shinon and Gatrie, while Ike was put in charge of the group escorting Elincia to Gallia. Ike was confused by all of the responsibility Greil had suddenly entrusted him with. They were successful in delivering Elincia to Gallia, but there was no sign of Greil and the others, so Ike brought the other mercenaries on a mission to find them in “Chapter 7: Shades of Evil”.

The mercenaries were then caught up in a big battle with Daein forces, but Greil arrived with the others to help him. The Daein forces were later driven away when Gallian forces arrived. That night, Greil slipped away from their camp, and Ike followed him. He came upon Greil in the middle of a battle with The Black Knight. He saw the Black Knight fatally wound Ike, and the Black Knight almost attacked Ike too, until he was driven away by the roars of King Caineghis and Ranulf. Ike escorted the dying Greil home. In his dying words, Greil told Ike to forget about seeking revenge and to live in peace in Gallia. After Greil’s death, Ike inherited control of the mercenary company, but not everyone approved, as it caused Shinon and Gatrie to leave them. Ike had trouble with all this new responsibility, but he also had Titania and Soren to help him make important decisions with their advice.

The next day Ike returned to the area and found Ragnell, the sword blessed by the goddess Ashera. The Black Knight had offered it to Greil during their final battle, but he rejected it. Ike took Ragnell and kept it hidden among his things in hopes that it would attract the Black Knight, so he could defeat him and avenge his father. Ike and Elincia then presented themselves to Caineghis, who was a friend of Greil’s, in “Chapter 9: Gallia”. Ike and Caineghis spoke about Greil, and Ike learned that he had been born in Gallia but Caineghis did not know the secrets of Greil’s past. It was found that Gallia could not shelter Elincia, and she instead decided to travel to Begnion. Ike agreed that he and the mercenaries would act as her escort. They received passage from a kind laguz, Nasir, who warned Ike that his values would be tested over the journey. Prior to this, Ike also met a mysterious thief named Volke, who offered him a report he had prepared for Greil, but only if Ike would pay him a vast amount of gold.

After several months at sea, they all arrived at Begnion and met the apostle and empress of Begnion, Sanaki. He nearly got in trouble when he yelled at her during their first meeting for belittling Elincia, but he found that this was only a test. While Sanaki decided whether or not she would aid Elincia, she sent the mercenaries to perform various jobs. In “Chapter 15: The Feral Frontier”, he met an underground group of laguz (led by a human child, Tormod) who were rebelling against Begnion nobles who still kept laguz as slaves after they were emancipated. Ike found that the real reason Sanaki sent him on these missions was so he could fix problems in Begnion that she could not do. He also learned of the tragedy of Serenes Forest, in which an angry mob of beorcs burned down the forest and killed nearly the entire heron tribe.

The mercenaries then investigated the corrupt Begnion noble, Oliver, and found that he had a heron prince, Reyson, held captive. Oliver escaped, and Reyson rejected their help (having grown to distrust and hate all beorcs) and retreated into the forest. Ike and the others searched Serenes Forest for days in search of Reyson or Oliver. They eventually found a trail of Oliver’s men in “Chapter 17: Day Breaks”. They also discovered another heron, Leanne. She passed out, so Ike carried her on his back for the whole chapter to keep her safe from attack. Reyson ultimately decided to help them in the battle with Oliver. After Oliver was defeated, Leanne woke up and was reunited with Reyson. Ike witnessed Sanaki’s apology to Reyson, followed by Reyson and Leanne regenerating the forest with the galdr of revival, which was similar to the lullaby Ike’s mother sang to him.

Sanaki decided to aid Elincia after this, and the Greil Mercenaries became the main part of the Crimean Liberation Army. Ike was chosen to lead, but Sanaki refused to let him lead when he was just a commoner. Although Ike was reluctant, Elincia then appointed Ike a lord and general of the army (at which point Ike changed class). General Ike then led the army in an attack on Daein starting in “Chapter 18: Crimea Marches”. Ike received further help from Reyson, as repayment for helping Leanne, as well as Janaff and Ulki, who were sent by King Tibarn to watch over Reyson. Their battles ended in victory, but it also became apparent that there was a traitor among them passing on information on their movements to the enemy. They received a high amount of spoils after winning another battle in “Chapter 19: Entrusted”. Ike used part of the money to pay Volke, at which point Volke told Ike the secrets of Greil’s past, including the truth about his mother’s death and the secrets of Lehran’s Medallion, which contained a dark god.

Ike in battle with The Black Knight

Unfortunately, soon afterwards the Medallion, which was usually in Mist’s possession, went missing. The Liberation Army eventually overtook the Daein capital after battling Ena in “Chapter 21: Without a King”, only to find that Ashnard had abandoned his throne in Daein to inhabit Crimea’s castle. Nasir allowed Ena to escape afterwards. This led Ike to realize that Nasir was the traitor, so he kept him prisoner in the camp. Soon afterwards, further reinforcements arrived from Begnion led by a man known as Zelgius. Soren told him that Begnion could use these large forces so that they could take control of Crimea after the war, so Ike had Zelgius stay behind to pick off stragglers among the Daein soldiers. Then in “Chapter 22: Solo”, Ike led a group to a temple at Nasir’s request. There they discovered more secrets about the Medallion and Greil’s past, as well as how Elena learned the resurrection galdr.

The Crimean Liberation Army then moved in to Crimea and began seizing fortresses with further aid from the laguz in the forms of Ranulf, who became good friends with Ike and Tibarn. They even received some help from Naesala, who was previously their enemy and motivated by money. Elinicia also began fighting in the army after receiving her Pegasus and her sword in “Chapter 26: Clash!”. Ike also had his showdown with the Black Knight in “Chapter 27: Moment of Fate”, at which point he unleashed Ragnell. After a difficult battle, Ike either defeated the Black Knight and avenged his father, or fled while Nasir sacrificed himself to hold back the Black Knight. Either way, the Black Knight was lost in the wreckage of the collapsing fortress afterwards, and Ike came to trust Nasir and Ena again. At Ena’s urging, they then rescued Leanne in “Chapter 28: Twisted Tower”.

Finally, they advanced upon the Crimean capital in “Endgame: Repatriation” and battle Daein’s Mad King Ashnard. After Ashnard was killed and the medallion returned to the herons, Ike decided to remain general for a while until things called down in Crimea. He then planned to give up his title and return to leading the Greil Mercenaries. But Sephiran did not approve of this, because, even though he did not tell it to Ike, Ike’s story would inspire many more rising heroes as well as more war, which was what Ashnard wanted in the end. In the final scene, Ike and Elincia were chosen to speak before the people of Crimea, and he boosted her self confidence before the presentation.

Radiant Dawn

Part 2: Of Countries and Kings

In the course of the three years between Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn, Ike lived up to his word by eventually giving up his peerage and returning to leading the Greil Mercenaries. The mercenaries left their fort at Altea at some point and maintained a low profile afterwards, only showing up every now and then to perform odd jobs at some villages. Before he left for Daein in Radiant Dawn, Bastian alerted the mercenaries of Ludveck’s intentions to rebel against Elincia and asked Ike to help. The Greil Mercenaries did not show up until the end of "Endgame: Elincia’s Gamble", when Ike lead the Greil Mercenaries to rescue Lucia from being hanged and fought off the remainder of Ludveck’s forces.

He then was reunited with Elincia and explained his story to her, apologizing for not alerting her of his presence sooner because they did not want to ruin the element of disguise. Ike also received disturbing news from Elincia, of a Daein Liberation Army that was formed like a dark mirror of their Crimean Liberation Army, headed by Micaiah, a powerful figurehead and general like Ike, and Pelleas, the long-lost heir to Daein’s throne whom had shown up as suddenly as Elincia had. But Ike was more troubled when Elincia told him that the Black Knight had been sighted aiding the Daein Liberation Army, despite being believed to be dead. Elincia acknowledged the idea that it could be a new Black Knight, but she also said that no remains were found of the original in the remains of Castle Nados. He also met with Leanne, whom had requested the help of his mercenaries, but she only gave him the cryptic message to help her brothers.

Part 3: Intersecting Vows

Ike and the mercenaries returned to Altea, where Ike prepared to renew his hunt for the Black Knight. But Ranulf then met with him in "Prologue: The Great Advance" and asked Ike to aid the forces of the Laguz Alliance Army in battle with Begnion, due to the testimony of the recently-discovered heron Rafiel, whom claimed that it was the corrupt Begnion senators and not Ashnard whom had been behind the Serenes Massacre. Ike was uncertain about whether or not to help until Ranulf told him that the Begnion senate not only refused to listen to the laguz messengers, but they also killed one of the messengers. Ike decided to put his search for the Black Knight on hold (thinking they were bound to meet again anyway) and joined up with the Laguz Alliance Army.

With the help of the mercenaries, the Laguz Alliance Army was able to push their way into Begnion at first with several great victories. Their first blow arrived when Naesala betrayed the army and gave Begnion and advantage by preventing Tibarn from holding off the Begnion Central Army, which was unbelievably large and under the commander of the tactical genius Zelgius. They were able to form strategies to go around the Central Army in Chapter 3: River Crossing. However, their advantage collapsed after Skrimir accepted Zelgius’s challenge to a duel and lost, being brutally wounded in the process, in "Chapter 4: The General’s Hand". Zelgius gave them three days to arrange a peace treaty with Begnion, and knowing that they would not reach true peace, the Laguz Alliance Army opted to retreat to Gallia.

Ike three years later

Despite Zelgius promising them no harm for the next three days, the Daein Royal Army arrived to block their path across the Ribahn River. Ike led the mercenaries in a battle with the Daein soldiers in "Chapter 7: Rivals Collide", as a diversion while the rest of the alliance crossed the river. During the process, Ike had brief reunions with Sothe, whom had fought under him three years ago and now was working with Micaiah, and the Black Knight, along with several other people Ike had fought alongside who were previously affiliated with Daein. Ike also met with Micaiah for the first time. The battle ended when Micaiah ordered a retreat after the main force of the Laguz Alliance had crossed the river and begun attacking Micaiah’s rear ranks.

They then entered the Kouku Caves in "Chapter 8: Incandescent Glow" in a desperate attempt to reach Gallia without being followed by Begnion’s forces. However, they instead arrived in Goldoa, where Ike and his group were accosted by Goldoan patrols who accused them of trespassing and wanted them to return to the caves. Talking to Goldoa’s King Dheginsea, Ike expressed his anger at Dhehinsea for letting his fellow laguz suffer and for opting to send them back to the caves, where they would most likely die trying to find the path to Gallia. Eventually Nasir and Ena were able to convince the Dragon King to let them escort the Laguz Alliance Army to Gallia. Ike then protected Elincia from Begnion soldiers in "Chapter 10: The Heart of Crimea". They then received support from Elincia and, after "Chapter 11: Just Cause", Sanaki as well.

Sanaki returned Ragnell to Ike and named him leader of the new army, which consisted of the Laguz Alliance combined with parts of the Crimean and Begnion armies. Their purpose was to overthrow the corrupt senators whom had seized control of Begnion. But first the army set their aim on Daein. Ike and Micaiah's armies clashed again in "Chapter 13: Blood Contract", but this conflict was halted when Kurthnaga arrived with Elincia in an attempt to force the opposing sides into peace talks. However, after conferring with the Daein side, Kurthnaga joined with them, infuriating Ike. The battle began anew in "Endgame: From Pain, Awakening". Mist collapsed on the battlefield in the middle of battle, so Ike pulled back. They found the seal on Lehran's Medallion was weakening, and the god would be free soon. Mist instructed them to free the god within with the galdr of awakening rather than through the force of the war. But it wound up being Micaiah and not Sanaki who was able to awaken Yune from the medallion. Ashera was awoken at the same time and immediately turned most of the world's population into stone. Ike and his comrades were among the few spared.

Part 4: Gods and Men

Ike soon learned that Yune was not as malevolent as he had heard, and she was offended to be called a dark god. After apologizing to Yune, she decided to accept his apology and gave him new strength as a sign of her forgiveness (which promoted Ike to Vanguard class). Ashera was the true threat, as she saw the world as imperfect and sought to destroy everything so she could start again. Yune then split all of the forces into three armies so that each could take separate routes to Sienne, where they could fight Ashera in the Tower of Guidance. Ike was put in charge of the Greil Army. Just as the armies were parting, Ranulf met with Ike. Since they were going to different armies, Ranulf had no time to find proof so he simply told Ike his suspicions that the Black Knight was none other than Zelgius.

During the journey, Ike was able to bond with Rafiel and Kurthnaga and learned more of their back stories as he reached out to them. The armies all met up at Sienne in "Final Chapter: Rebirth" and began scaling the Tower of Guidance. Ike met up with the Black Knight once more, who confirmed his identity as Zelgius. They met in combat once last time together, with Zelgius blocking off any outside interference with a magical barrier (although the barrier did not affect Support bonuses). Ike was victorious, and Zelgius was mortally wounded. Ike stood by Zelgius in his last moments. Zelgius confided part of his backstory to Ike, and Ike acknowledged Zelgius as both his father's killer and his last teacher due to all the training he went through because of the Black Knight. As he died, Zelgius acknowledged that Ike had become as skilled as his father.

As they scaled the tower, Yune also confided more of her backstory to Ike and the others, and gave Ragnell her blessing. Ike was also able to console Micaiah and listen to her story, and he helped her just from listening as Micaiah's reminiscing convinced her not to abandon Sothe after the war ended. In the final battle with Ashera, ultimately it was Ike who delivered the final blow to Ashera with Ragnell. Following this, Yune was ready to depart from this world due to all the troubles that the gods had caused, but Ike convinced her to stay by saying that even if they were imperfect, the gods gave normal people something to aspire to.

Afterwards, Ike left on a journey to unknown lands, and he was never seen again. Depending on whether or not he had an A Support with them, he was possibly accompanied in this journey by either Soren or Ranulf.

Support Conversation Summaries

Ike is capable of having Support conversations with seven other characters in Path of Radiance.

• Elincia- In the first conversation, Elincia feels out of place due to the trouble she has preparing herself for battle. However, Ike assures her that even he had trouble when he was starting out as a mercenary. He told her he learned so much from his father training him constantly, and he and Elinica came from different worlds. He told Elincia there was no shame in asking the others for help. In the second conversation, Elinicia tries practicing alone. Ike offers to ber her training partner and reminds her of what he said about not being afraid to ask for help. Ike says that he knows what it's like, as he lost his own father and then gained much responsibility himself, although he admitted a mercenary company was different then a country, but he managed to endure all his difficulties because he had all his friends to back him up. Finally he reminds Elincia that the same is true for her, and she is not alone. In the final conversation, Ike tells Elincia about her vast improvements on the night before the march on Crimea's capital to battle Ashnard. Elinica claims it is because she had Ike as a strong role model, but Ike does not think himself to be a good role model. They then reminisce about the earlier parts of her journey and Elincia's attempt to fit in with the mercenaries by telling them to give the enemies a "sound thrashing". Elincia said she had initially felt despair after fleeing Crimea to Gallia, but she now realized there were rays of hope poking through. She swore on the next day she would reclaim Crimea or die in the attempt, and Ike was willing to commit to helping Elincia achieve this to his dying breath.
• Lethe- Lethe watches Ike training out of curiousity. She brags about the advanced senses of the laguz. In response, Ike asks Lethe to train him to fight like a laguz. In the second conversation, Ike is surprised when Lethe says that Ike did better than she expected in the last battle. She realizes that he must train so much because it's hard to control a weapon that isn't connected to his body, so she decided to uphold her bargain and give him laguz training, while warning him of its danger. In the final conversation, Lethe was impressed by Ike's progress and complimented her, which once more surprised Ike. Lethe then invites Ike to come to Gallia after the war to train in order to take the swordsmanship running in his blood to the next level. Ike agrees, so long as Lethe is his sparring partner, and Lethe tells him she might even look forward to it.
• Oscar- In the first conversation, Ike asks to spar with Oscar, only to find he is busy cooking the evening meal while Mist is busy training with her staff. Oscar is surprised when Ike comments his cooking style, as Oscar was never sure he liked his cooking since only Mist, Shinon and Rhys commented his cooking, and he was sure that Ike, Greil, Titania and Gatrie would eat anything in front of them. Ike assures Oscar that he always liked his cooking by reminding him how Mist's cooking almost made him sick. Oscar then suggests that Ike encourage Mist as her cooking skills improve. In the second conversation, Ike and Oscar discuss the power of the laguz and wonder how they should battle laguz enemies. Oscar tells Ike he is pretty amazing. Ike tries to tell Oscar he is the one with the experience and talent, but Oscar assures Ike he has natural talent and tells Ike he would follow him anywhere. In the final conversation, they talk about how intense their battles have become, and Oscar asks if there's anything he could do to help Ike. Ike tells Oscar the best thing he could do is to stay by his side, and Oscar agrees to stay there until the end. Ike then tells Oscar he has an urge for his cooking and asks him to help Mist prepare the night's dinner, and Oscar eagerly obeyed.
• Ranulf- Ranulf meets up with Ike while he's in a late night training session, wanting to talk with him but seeing that Ike is "crazy" at the moment. Ranulf explains that he considers Ike crazy due to the blunt and straightforward way he deals with people, such as his yelling at the apostle. They then begin telling jokes and laughing together. In the second conversation, Ike meets up with Ranulf, thinking he is training or showing some secret laguz power, only to find that Ranulf hates training and is only exercising. He then tells Ike about his tail and almost lets slip the laguz secret to keeping their tails from getting in their way when they sleep, although he is disappointed that Ike does not persist in asking him about the secret. In the final conversation, Ike comes upon Ranulf when he's jumpy due to the negative energy being emitted from Ashnard's headquarters. He is able to calm himself down but is ashamed that a beorc saw him in such a state and admits that he does not completely trust Ike. Ike then tells Ranulf that he trusts him completely, but Ranulf calls him dumb and walks away, leaving Ike to wonder whether Ranulf was giving friendly advice or if he was angry.

Ike in Super Smash Bros. Brawl

• Reyson- In the first conversation, Ike checks up on Reyson and finds that he is fine except from the negative energy of the battles tiring him out. Ike offers him a special supper to boost his energy, but this leads Reyson to tell him a story of how he tried eating some of the food in Tibarn's diet in hopes of becoming powerful like him, only to become sick and bedridden for ten days. Reyson tells Ike about the despair he felt from a lack of power but is glad that he was able to live and see Leanne again, and finds he has great spirtual strength. In the second conversation, Ike sees how tired Reyson looks and asks if he has been pushing Reyson too hard. Reyson takes offense to this question and at one point threatens to punch him after Ike says he must be used to people fussing over him. Ike asks Reyson if he can even attack him, and Reyson mentions that he was able to punch Oliver but cracked the bones in the back of his hand at the same time, but assured Ike that it felt good. In the final conversation, Ike checks up on Reyson again, and Reyson says he is determined to participate in the final battles and confront Ashnard to discover the truth. Ike says he wants to help Reyson, and he seems to be offended at first until Ike elaborates that he needs Reyson's help in return, since they each possess unique powers and can reach future victories by combining these powers. Reyson appreciates this, and Ike warns him to hang in there because the end is near.
• Soren- Soren reads a report to Ike and notices how tired he is, so he tells him to take a break and nap. In the second conversation, Ike asks Soren why he's been so quiet and moody lately. Soren replies by telling him the story of his foster parents and their cruel treatment of him. Soren is prepared to tell Ike about his birth parents as well, but changes his mind and walks out on Ike. In the final conversation, Ike asks Soren why he's insecure about himself after all he's been through and tells Soren if he doesn't tell Ike, he won't be able to tell anyone and will continue to suffer. Soren admits that he is one of The Branded, only to find that Ike doesn't think of him any differently. Soren then mentions that it was Ike's family who helped him after he was stranded in Gallia, which is why Soren considers Ike to be his only friend.
• Titania- In the first conversation, Ike asks Titania to spar with him and even though Titania thinks Ike no longer needed her lessons, Ike tells her he does. He asks Titania about when she met his father, but she quickly changes the subject back to training. In the second conversation, Ike asks politely about how Titania met Greil. She says she didn't tell Ike about those times only because it was hard to talk about her past, not because she had anything to hide from Ike. She tells Ike about her first meeting with Greil and Ike during his infancy. In the third conversation, Ike thanks Titania for all she had done for his family and for Greil. Ike guesses that Titania loved Greil and thanks her for making his final years happy. Titania is moved to tears and cannot speak clearly, but she agrees to continue aiding and supporting Ike so that he could gain experience and strength closer to his father's.

Ike also has an in-built Support bonus with Mist (which boosts Ike's chances of delivering a critical hit and vice-versa), Soren (which protects Soren from enemy critical hits) and Elincia (which protects Ike from enemy critical attacks).

In Radiant Dawn, Ike automatically has Bond Supports with Mist, Soren, Titania and Ranulf.

Abilities

Ike is an excellent swordsman, having inherited his father’s unique sword-fighting style. He also has an ability called Aether, which simultaneously heals Ike and hurts enemies.

Other Appearances

• Ike is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, with Aether as one of his special moves. The game uses his Path of Radiance look. He has two unlockable trophies in the game, one normal one and one depicting his Final Smash. There are also two stickers of Ike using his official art from Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn.
  • Within Brawl's "The Subspace Emissary", Ike appears quite suddenly in the Battlefield Fortress Stage to help Marth and Meta Knight by using Aether to make The Ancient Minister drop his Subspace Bomb. Of the three, Ike was shown as more impulsive and eager to enter battle. The three swordsmen then traveled throughout the land and fought off various minions of the Subspace Army, including the robotic boss Galleom, until Meta Knight departed to pursue the Halberd. In the meantime, Ike and Marth continued fighting off Subspace minions until the other heroes arrived to help them, forming the main party that then traveled into Subspace for the final battles.

Trivia

• In the beta of Path of Radiance, Ike's name was actually Paris.
• Also in the beta, Ike's personal weapon switched from Rapier, to Longsword, then finally to Regal Sword.
• Unused Support data from Path of Radiance indicates that he was originally intended to also have Support conversations with Zihark; this is accompanied by unused epilogue dialogue which would presumably appear if Ike and Zihark had reached A Rank Support.