Nintendo’sFire Emblemseries has delivered decades worth of wondrous characters and storylines. The series continues to herald noble and honorable protagonists who unite people of all races and classes for a common cause.
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Fire Emblem’shistory of lead characters largely featured characters of a noble and royal bloodline. However, more recent titles showcased heroes who have inherited neither royalty nor nobility and have only fought for a righteous cause.
Updated Jul 22, 2025, by Megan Smith:Fire Emblem continues to create some of the most iconic main characters with its recently released titleFire Emblem Engage. While the game once again follows some tropes of past Fire Emblem titles, this is the first time the players have had a fully-voiced protagonist who is at the center of the story.
A Fire Emblem protagonist is either an incredibly dangerous foe to face in battle, tending to carry the player’s entire team during the first couple of stages, or has an incredibly well-thought-out story. Since considering the recent game these are by far thebest Fire Emblem main characters.
19Sharena
When consideringFire Emblemprotagonists players often forget the titleFire Emblem Heroes, especially the likes of the bright and cheerful princess Sharena. Continuing the trope of royal main characters at the start ofFire Emblem Heroesmany players will rely on Sharena to keep their team protected.
However,underneath that cheery exterioris a girl that can’t recall if she’s truly the real princess of Askran since swapping places so many times with a girl that looks exactly like her in the dream realm. No matter if she is the real Sharena or not, she is more than willing to protect her people, especially her friends.
18Corrin
In addition toturning into a literal dragonin combat that can easily hold its own when overrun, Corrin is by far one of the most interestingFire Emblemcharacters players have been given by Nintendo. As a sheltered royal, it’s surprising to see how well Corrin is able to lead as well as possibly unite two kingdoms.
Without considering the differences in the paths chosen inFire Emblem Fates, the one thing that stays the same about her is a main character who must consider which family is important to them, their adopted one or their supposed birth family.
17Roy
Son of Marquess Pherae, Eliwood, Roy initially appeared inFire Emblem: Binding Blade. Known as the Young Lion, Roy sought to save his home from the invasion of the neighboring kingdom, Bern. The king, fueled by vengeance, sought to give the continent of Elibe back to dragon kind. Roy embarked on a journey to save his homeland.
Roy learned to befriend dragons and trust those closest to him, such as his childhood friend, Lilina, his retainer, Marcus, and his teacher, Cecilia. Wielding the Binding Blade, Roy would defeat King Zephiel before fighting against the Demon Dragon, Idunn, who controlled the beasts. Yet, rather than slaying the girl, he used the Binding Blade to break the seal on her heart and give her one more chance at life.
Unfortunately, while Roy may be a strong character inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate,in the context ofThe Binding Bladehe struggles as a unit due to his incredibly late promotion and his lack of mobility.
16Micaiah
Michaiah ofFire Emblem: Radiant Dawnis the protagonist of the game’s first story arc, aiming to free her country from occupation. While the vast majority ofFire Emblemprotagonists utilize physical offense through the use of weapon types like swords and lances, Micaiah is not just one of the few magic-locked protagonists in the series, but she’s also the only light mage in the series.
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A glass cannon with terrible survivability, Micaiah is able to deal solid magical damage in the early chapters of Radiant Dawn, making great use of the Thani Tome. Additionally, while most protagonists are relegated to playing offense and attacking, upon promotion, Micaiah received healing utility as she gains access to staves.
15Ephraim & Eirika
This pair of twins, heirs to the royal house of Renais, originally debuted inFire Emblem: Sacred Stones. When the Kingdom of Grado invades and their father dies protecting it, they set off to recruit allies and win their kingdom back from the country of Grado.
Their tale belies a darker twist, as their childhood friend, Lyon, was possessed by a demonic being. Between Ephraim’s battle prowess and Eirika’s deep-rooted resolve, the two fight to the bitter end to restore their friend. Alas, despite their failed efforts to return their childhood friend, they proceed to do what’s necessary to save their country. Keep Ephraim in the frontlines when players play his mode. InSacred Stones, he ranks amongthe best units in the game. In contrast,keep Eirika under protection.
While Ephraim is a solid lord who has access to ranged attacks thanks to the use of Javelins, Eirika’s sword-locked nature, and mediocre growth rates leave much to be desired.
14Azura
Another great protagonist ofFire Emblem Fatesis the deuteragonist Azura. While Corrin was kidnapped by Nohr and was treated as a sheltered royal, Azura was the retaliation of this by Hoshido. Unloved by her own father in Nohr as well as distant from her half-siblings, she had a much better life in Hoshido which show how similar yet different Corrin and Azura lived.
Besides her backstory, Azura is an expert dancer and songstress that players were sure to keep on their team at all times inFire Emblem Fates.
13Marth
The original protagonist of the series,Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragonbegan Marth’s quest to free his Kingdom of Altea. The young prince set off with his retainers and the refugee from Talys,Caeda, journeying across the Archanean continent. Marth defeated the Earth Dragon, Medeus, and saved Archanea from being ruled by the Earth Dragons.
However, his story continued in Mystery of the Emblem. The King of Archanea chose to wage war and invade the lands. Marth set off to defeat him, only later learning Hardin became a man possessed. Gharnef, who leads the cult of Medeus, revived the being as the Dark Earth Dragon. Threatening to take the world once more, Marth engaged the dragon in one more battle. His trust in his friends saw him gain power, love, and trust among everyone he met.
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While Marth can do substantial damage with his personal weapon the Falcion once it is obtained, he doesn’t have access to promotion and tends to have somewhat of a mobility problem.
12Lyn
Players adoreFire Emblemcharacters with tragic backstories and Lyn fromFire Emblem: The Blazing Bladeis no different. Before the events of the game Lyn and the rest of the Lorca tribe lived peacefully however her family and the rest of the tribe met an untimely fate at the hands of bandits.
Lyn is skilled in a wide variety of combat, while she may be seen asthe most powerful Emblembow user inFire Emblem Engage, the Lyn in The Blazing Blade was shown to be an even better sword master.
11Leif
It’s hard to find a more underratedFire Emblemprotagonist than Leif. First appearing inFire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy Waras the son of Quan and Ethlyn, Leif would go on to be the main protagonist ofFire Emblem: Thracia 776.
While he lacks a mount, hindering his mobility when outside, he has one of the best personal weapons of anyFire Emblemprotagonist, the Light Brand, letting him attack from afar from the start. For a character that is focused on avoiding failure, Leif can be seen as one of the unique characters from the second generation.
10Chrom
The brother of the Exalt of Ylisse, and leader of the Shepherds, Chrom debuted inFire Emblem: Awakening. Ordinarily leading his knights into battle to defend their borders, the Plegian army invaded. After kidnapping and executing the Exalt, Emmeryn, Chrom sought vengeance and defeated King Gangrel in Plegia.
From there on, he would save his homeland from the invasion of Valm and later stop the resurrection of the Fell Dragon, Grima. Despite his efforts being in vain, his Shepherds, tactician Robin, and his daughter from the future, Lucina, would stand with him once more to end the threat of Grima.
With solid growth rates and the best availability of any character inAwakening, Chrom is a solid unit that can deal considerable physical damage throughout the entirety of the game.
