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Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War (JP) is the fourth installment in the Fire Emblem series, released in Japan only in 1996. The game was originally to be titled as Fire Emblem: Light Inheritors. Although the game never left Japan as of 2023, it is a popular in the West. Many of the character and location names in the game have been localized through Fire Emblem Awakening and Fire Emblem Heroes.

It is notable for its large maps and the introduction of both marriage and children to the franchise, not to be revisited again until Fire Emblem Awakening.

Gameplay[]

This game has a lot that differentiates it from other games in the series. As opposed to the other Fire Emblem games, where the player must seize a single goal to complete a chapter, this game has the player seizing multiple castles per chapter, with much larger maps to compensate.

As a result, the game is only 10 chapters long, split into two segments. Captured castles also take the place of shops, arenas, armories, and the convoy that can be found in the other Fire Emblem games, with all of them accessible from any allied castle.

Promoting units can only be done from the player's starting castle, however. Also unlike other games is the fact that there is no limit on the number of units that the player can deploy on any given map, which is balanced by giving the player fewer controllable units throughout the game.

Another large aspect of the game is the generation system, which determines what units you can control during the second half of the game. The characters paired during Book 1 of the game will have their children controllable during Book 2 with their stats being a hybrid of their parents' stats.

Setting[]

Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War is set in the continent of Jugdral.

  • Grannvale
  • Verdane
  • Agustria
  • Silesse
  • Aed Desert
  • Isaach
  • Manster
  • Thracia
  • Miletos

Plot[]

Translated from Japanese Wikipedia article

Prologue[]

In Grann 440, a man named Galle drank the living blood of Loptous, one of the ancient dragons, in the place where he crossed the sea. He created the Lopt Order that worshiped the dark god Loptous, and in 447, he destroyed the Gran Republic, which had ruled the continent of Jugdral until then, and the next year the Lopt Empire was established. After that, the mutiny such as massacres and child sacrifices ensued.

In Grann 535, the Crusader Maira, a member of the royal family of the Lopt Empire, rebelled, but to no avail and was executed. In Grann 611, the Free Liberation Army was formed in various places, but it was also defeated, and in Grann 632, a few survivors were cornered by Fort Dana. There, Naga, the king of the dragon family, who was worried about the confusion caused by the imperial family’s bloodline, came with 11 compatriots and gave them divine weapons (the Miracle of Dahna). This gave birth to the Twelve Crusaders, and in Grann 648, the Lopt Empire was overthrown and the Seven Duchies of Grannvale and the five surrounding kingdoms were established.

Although peaceful times continued for decades on end, people gradually became corrupt, and the descendants of the Lopt Empire and the Lopt Order were subject to severe persecution.

First Generation[]

Prologue: The Birth of the Holy Knight[]

In Grann 757, the allied city of Dahna in the Aed Desert in eastern Jugdral was besieged by barbarians from the Kingdom of Isaach, and word reached the Kingdom of Grannvale that its inhabitants had been massacred. King Azmur is up in age, so his son Prince Kurth, heir to the Tome of Naga the Crusader of Light, sets out on an expedition to spearhead the nobles across Grannvale. With only a few troops left in the Kingdom of Grannvale, the Kingdom of Verdane, which should have formed a western alliance, suddenly betrayed the alliance and attacked, conquering the Duchy of Yngvi. When Sigurd, nobleman of Chalphy, learns that Edain, noblewoman of Yngvi, has been abducted by Munnir, the first prince of the Kingdom of Verdane, knowing that he has a small legion to help his childhood friend, and fights the army of Verdane from Grannvale with his best friend Quan and other allies who have rushed to reinforce him.

Chapter 1: The Spirit Forest's Maiden[]

To come to Edain's rescue, Sigurd invades the Kingdom of Verdane. Along the way, he rescues Shannan, the prince of the Kingdom of Isaach, who has been taken hostage to a swordswoman by the name of Ayra, and decides to hide him as he is still a child, although their nations are at war against each other. After defeating Munnir, Sigurd fatefully encounters Deirdre, the priestess of the Spirit Forest. Sigurd has fallen in love with her, but he is told that she is forbidden to mingle with outsiders lests she brings chaos to the world. They subsequently reunite, and she loves him in return.

Chapter 2: Crisis in Agustria[]

Sigurd's conquest of Verdane disrupted the neighboring Dominion of Agustria. King Imka, the peace-loving leader of Agustria, is assassinated, and his firstborn son Chagall plots to invade Verdane. Attempting to stop it, Eldigan, the king of Nordion, was incarcerated, and Nordion is attacked from Heirhein Castle, which was supposed to be within the same union. Sigurd, who is stationed in Evans Castle on the border of Grannvale, Verdane, and Agustria, was informed by Eldigan's sister Lachesis of his best friend Eldigan's plight, and with Grannvale's approval, Sigurd sets out to reinforce Lachesis. Sigurd conquered most of Agustria to rescue Eldigan, but the Kingdom of Grannvale treated the cities he conquered like vassals. Rebuked by Eldigan himself, who came to Chagall's aid, Sigurd promises that he will depart in a year, and that King Azmur of Grannvale approves of him.

Chapter 3: Eldigan the Lionheart[]

Sigurd continues to negotiate with Grannvale to reclaim Agusti, but has been at a stalemate for six months due to a conflict from his homeland. King Chagall plots to retake the royal capital of Agusti, and Sigurd responds, but his wife Deirdre is bound in Castle Agusti to care for his son Seliph, who was born there sometime earlier. Claud, the Duke of Edda, arrives from Grannvale and informs him that Prince Kurth has been assassinated and Sigurd's father Byron is suspected. Claud went to the Bragi Tower in the region to reveal the truth. Deirdre leaves Seliph in Shannan's care to meet up with Sigurd. On the way, Manfroy, the high priest of the Loptr Church, appears before her and mindwipes and abducts her in order to resurrect the Dark God Loptous. Unaware of this, Sigurd confronts King Eldigan, who has been deployed on orders of King Chagall. After defeating him (or Chagall executing him, who returned to confront Chagall after a talk with Lachesis), Sigurd kills Chagall. Discouraged by the death of his best friend, Sigurd is informed by Shannan that Deirdre has gone missing. Praying to the god Bragi, Claud learns that the assassination of Prince Kurth and the conquest of Isaach were the result of a conspiracy by Reptor of Friege, but even the god Bragi could not see the mastermind. He tries to return to Grannvale to inform King Azmur of this fact, but the enemy is relentless, and the Kingdom of Grannvale sends a large army to brand Sigurd a traitor and arrest him. At a critical point in time, Silesse, a neutral country to the northeast, takes Sigurd's army into exile.

Chapter 4: Dance in the Skies[]

Sigurd's army, which has spent a year in exile in the Kingdom of Silesse, assists Queen Rahna in quelling the civil war cause two of the late king's brothers, who have made a secret pact with Grannvale. After the civil war is settled, Sigurd returns to his homeland Grannvale when he receives word that Lombard, Duke of Dozel of Grannvale, is heading to confront him.

Chapter 5: The Door of Fate[]

In the early spring of Grann 760, Sigurd confronts Lombard's army and reunited with his dying fugitive father Byron and inherits the Holy Sword Tyrfing. Foreseeing a fierce battle, Sigurd places his son Seliph in care of Shannan and his aide Oifey to flee to the Kingdom of Isaach. Quan, the Prince of Leonster, who was en route to reinforce Sigurd, was killed along with his wife Ethlyn by the enemy King Travant of Thracia, and his daughter Altena, heir to the the lance Gáebolg, was taken away. After defeating Reptor, Sigurd believes the words of Arvis, Duke of Velthomer, who stood neutral in the kingdom, that "Sigurd's name was cleared" and headed to Belhalla, the royal capital of Grannvale.

Second Generation[]

Translated from Japanese Wikipedia article.

Battle of Belhalla[]

Having had Deirdre as his wife, Arvis welcomes Sigurd in Belhalla. As husband of Deirdre, he accuses Sigurd of treason and confronts him. Shortly after a reunion with his wife Deirdre, Sigurd is murdered by Arvis's flame tome Valflame. Sigurd's allies are also annihilated by Grannvale's all-out attack, except for a few survivors. After conquering the Kingdoms of Silesse and Leonster on Sigurd's side and unifying the continent, Arvis takes the throne as the first Emperor of the Grannvale Empire. At first, a benevolent regime was established to achieve Arvis's ideal of a free and just world, but after his son Julius awakened as the vessel of the Dark God Loptous, the Empire goes tyrannical.

Chapter 6: Light Inheritors[]

17 years after the Battle of Belhalla, Sigurd's orphaned son Seliph was hidden in Isaach's abbey Tirnanog. While Oifey and Isaach's prince Shannan are away, the Empire discovers their whereabouts, and Ganeishire dispatches a subjugation army. As leader of Isaach's liberation army, Seliph decides to take up arms and starts the Isaachian Liberation War against King Danann of the Dozel family, who rules Isaach with an iron fist. On the way, King Lewyn of Silesse shows up to guide Seliph and entrusts Julia, an amnesiac girl. Together with his allies, Seliph liberates Isaach.

Chapter 7: Beyond the Desert and Chapter 8: The Dragon Knights of Thracia[]

Leif, orphaned son of Quan the Prince of Leonster, Leif amassed an army to reclaim his homeland, but he was disastrously defeated by the large army of King Bloom of the Friege family that ruled the region and was isolated from Leonster Castle. To save his cousin from the predicament, Seliph heads to Leonster. Tormented by Ishtar, heir to the thunder tome Mjölnir, Seliph and his allies defeat King Bloom and confront the Thracian army attacking the Republic of Manster.

Chapter 9: For Whose Sake[]

Previous battles had been to liberate Jugdral from Grannvale Empire, but this time, Seliph's army invades the Grannvale Empire's only ally, the Kingdom of Thracia. Seliph struggles to wage war with someone other than the Grannvale Empire, but is reprimanded by Lewyn and decides to take up arms. General Hannibal of Thracia advises King Travant of a truce, but this is rejected, ensuing an all-out war. Travant entrusts his successor Arion with the Celestial Spear Gungnir and fights against Seliph's army but is defeated. Arion also fights Seliph's army, but just before he is defeated, Julius the Dark Prince shows up and takes him away. Then the Kingdom of Thracia is overthrown by the liberation army.

Chapter 10: Light and Darkness[]

Leaving Thracia, the liberation army has reached the Republic of Miletos, south of the Grannvale Empire, and marches towards Grannvale. Julia is kidnapped by Manfroy, who unknowingly appears in the Free City of Peruluke, which Seliph's army liberated earlier. The liberation army rushes to Castle Miletos to save the rounded-up children who escaped a merciless child hunt. Emperor Arvis appears at Miletos and orders the rounded-up children to be freed, but Julius the Crown Prince stops them, showing that his father no longer holds real power. The children of Miletos are sent to Grannvale and Seliph's army rushes to Sigurd's home Castle Chalphy. Entrusted by Julius with the garrison of Castle Chalphy, Arvis entrusts the Holy Sword Tyrfing to Priest Palmark, Sigurd's aide, and the priest flees the castle with the children. He is reunited with his daughter Julia, who was brought in by Manfroy. After regaining her memory and reconnecting with her father Arvis, Julia is taken by Manfroy to Castle Velthomer. Arvis was prepared to fight against the liberation army, but he was cut off as he called his wife and daughter by name.

Epilogue: The Last Crusade[]

A little over a year after the uprising in Isaach, the liberation army's campaign encouraged the inhabitants of various countries in Jugdral to rise up to liberate Silesse and amass an army in Agustria. Having liberated the Duchy of Chalphy, Seliph fights against the Empire's elite army in their homeland Grannvale. After Seliph liberated Edda, Dozel, and Friege, Lewyn reveals that the hidden truth of the holy war, the power of the Crusaders, was due to the blood of the ancient dragon tribe. In her father's home Castle Velthomer, Julia is reunited with her brother Julius. Having become a vessel of the Dark God Loptuous, Julius attempts to kill his twin sister Julia, but Manfroy uses dark magic to manipulate and brainwash Julia to fight against the liberation army. After Seliph defeats Manfroy in Castle Velthomer, Julia is redeemed from Manfroy's spell and comes to her senses and settles the score with her twin brother Julius. She travels to the royal capital Belhalla with the Naga Tome that her father Arvis had hidden in Castle Velthomer and brings him salvation by defeating Julius. Therefore, Loptous was overthrown. Lewyn did not return to Silesse, but departed, and those who of Crusader blood returned to their respective countries and became monarchs in order to rebuild the desolate nations. Seliph also strives to realize a prosperous world free of prejudice and tyranny, and begins a reign and will be revered as holy king by generations to come.

Playable Characters[]

​First Generation[]

​Second Generation[]

Non-playable characters[]

Reception[]

As of 2002, the game had sold 494,216 units, making it the second-best-selling Fire Emblem title at the time. Famitsu rated the game 31/40. Tony Green from RPGamer gave the game a 7/10. He praised it for its easy-to-learn gameplay, but criticized the difficulty spike after the first two chapters and the language barrier.

Other media[]

Sigurd appeared in Fire Emblem Engage as part of the 12 Emblem Rings. His Bond Rings are Deirdre, Arden, Azelle, Quan, Ethlyn, Ayra, Lachesis, Lewyn, Erinys, and Seliph.

External links[]

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