The latest trailer forFire Emblem Engagegives fans a glimpse into how the game’s plot will unfold around the significance of the Emblem Rings. These rings hold the power to summon versions of past heroes known as “Emblems” and many fans are looking forward to fighting alongside series favorites once again. However, the new trailer seems to reveal a twist to this Emblem-summoning mechanic that will play a significant role in the plot ofFire Emblem Engage: villains can wield corrupted heroes. This detail leaves many wondering whether the game will only feature corrupted Emblem heroes as enemies, or if there is the chance that iconic villains from throughout the series will make an appearance.
From what can be seen in the trailer, it appears as though the villains of the game have the power to corrupt Emblems and wield them against the protagonist.Heroes like Marth, Lyn, and Lucinatake on a red aura—in contrast to their typical blue aura—and fight alongside enemies. One enemy even remarks that Emblems aren’t just for the protagonist to use and another can be seen putting on an Emblem Ring as Marth begins to become corrupted. But withFire Emblem’slong history of iconic villains, it would be a shame if the only Emblems that enemies wield are those of corrupted Heroes.
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The Corrupted Hero is an Overused Trope in Fire Emblem
Fire Emblemhas had its fair shareof plots that center around the corruption of heroes.Fire Emblem Awakeningsaw the corruption of the protagonist as the Fell-Dragon Grima andFire Emblem: Three Housesfeatures the descent of several characters into villainous madness depending on which route is taken. Despite being such a common trope of the series, these plot points worked fine in the context of their original games. However, another corruption-of-the-hero plot would be huge waste of potential, as the introduction of legacy characters as Emblems opens the door not only for classic heroes, but villains as well.
Hero corruption can be a source of tragedy for both the player and the main cast, especially if the heroes have grown and bonded with the rest of the cast. However, it is also a fairlypredictable trope for theFire Emblemseriesand fans are likely expecting some iteration of this trope to occur. In order to truly demonstrate the power of the Emblem Rings, villains should be able to summon past antagonists from the series. Not only would this be more exciting for longtime fans, but it would add to the gravity of the plot and make the villains of the game much more intimidating.
Fire Emblem Has an Iconic Roster of Villains
The heroes making their appearance asEmblems inFire Emblem Engagehave already been shown off in official artwork of the game, but heroes aren’t the only iconic characters from the series. Villains like the Black Knight fromFire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Gangrel fromFire Emblem Awakening, and Garon fromFire Emblem Fateswould all make excellent Emblems for the villains ofFire Emblem Engageto summon. The gravitas these iconic foes carry would be the perfect addition to a roster of fan favorite legacy characters.
Engagecould also go for deeper cuts like Gharnef fromFire Emblem: Shadow Dragonor Lyon fromFire Emblem: The Sacred Stones.Having one villain from each game would mirror the hero Emblems and would make the most sense from a narrative standpoint. This hero versus villain tug-of-war over the Emblem Rings would make for a much more interesting struggle overall by settingEngage’s villains apart. SinceNintendohas not shown any villains returning as Emblems, it is unclear if this will actually be a plot point for the game. However, these iconic villains deserve their chance to shine again just as much as the heroes and hopefully will get some love inFire Emblem Engage.
Fire Emblem Engagereleases on July 27, 2025 for Nintendo Switch.
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