Many people in the western world are familiar with Intelligent Systems long-running Fire Emblem franchise thanks to Marth and Roy's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee, which set the stage for the series' first English release: 2003's Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade on Game Boy Advance. Every game since has been available outside of Japan, and Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light was finally localized for Switch last year to celebrate its 30th anniversary.
However, those who are only familiar with the series thanks to its multitude of fighters in Super Smash Bros. may not know what the titular "Fire Emblem" refers to. Part of this is likely because the Fire Emblem as an object differs across the mainline game. Some complained when Three Houses' Byleth was added to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate last year, but fans of the franchise know their world and mythology differ greatly from those of Marth or Ike. By understanding what the Fire Emblem is for different characters, one can start to appreciate the series' wider lore. Spoilers ahead.
Archanea and Ylisse
Archanea is the home continent of Marth in the original Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, as well as its sequels and remakes. The Binding Shield is one of the sacred treasures from the country of Archanea within, and in the original game it is bestowed upon Marth by its princess Nyna to help in his quest to stop the revival of the Shadow Dragon, Medeus. When that shield is reunited with its five gemstones, it becomes the Fire Emblem.
Fire Emblem: Awakening takes plays on the same continent hundreds of years later, leaving both the Falchion and the Binding Shield in the care of the royal family of Ylisse: Chrom, Lissa, and Emmeryn. Chrom's daughter Lucina also comes into possession of the shield, but is unable to awaken its powers to defeat the Fell Dragon Grima in her own timeline and returns to the past alongside other children of Chrom's army, the Shepherds.
Jugdral
The next new Fire Emblem appears in Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War and its spin-off/sequel Thracia 776, in which the Fire Emblem is the family crest of Velthomer.
In the first act of the Genealogy's multi-generational conflict, the heir to Velthomer, Arvis, becomes the emperor of Jugdral's central kingdom Grannvale by manipulating his fellow statesmen. Arvis kills Lord Sigurd's army, and the second half of the game follows Sigurd and Deirdre's son Seliph as he leads a liberation army against Arvis' son Julius; corrupted by an evil force.
Elibe
In Elibe, the continent housing Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade and its prequel Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade, the Fire Emblem is the imperial seal for the nation of Bern. In the nation's history it was used to seal away dragons, and in The Blazing Blade Eliwood, Hector, and Lyn must recover the item so it can be used to coronate King Zephiel. When Eliwood's son Roy becomes the hero years later during the events of The Binding Blade, Zephiel uses the Fire Emblem to free the Demon Dragon Idunn so he can begin a conquest of the land.
Magvel
The series' third Game Boy Advance title, Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, takes place on the continent of Magvel, split into five primary nations: Renais, Frelia, Jehanna, Rausten, and Grado. Each royal family houses a Sacred Stone once used to seal away the Demon King Fomortiis, and Grado's stone becomes known as the Fire Emblem because it holds the imprisoned soul.
Prince Lyon splits Grado's stone in two while attempting to bring his father Vigarde back from the dead, which lets the Demon King possess him. Lyon starts a war with all the other nations in order to destroy the remaining stones so Fomortiis can return to full power, dragging Renais' twin lords Eirika and Ephraim into a conflict on two fronts across Magvel.
Tellius
The Fire Emblem of Tellius, the continent for the GameCube game Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance and Wii game Radiant Dawn, is an item called Lehran's Medallion. Much of its import is in the background lore of the games, as the medallion holds the Goddess of Chaos Yune after she was sealed away by the Goddess of Order Ashera - two halves of the progenitor deity Ashunera. Ashera wishes to destroy the lawless, chaotic world rather than reunite with her other half, but Yune is freed by the maiden protagonist Micaiah toward the end of Radiant Dawn.
Nohr and Hoshido
Fire Emblem Fates is split into three games: Birthright, Conquest, and Revelations. Birthright has the player-insert protagonist Corrin join their birth family in Hoshido, whereas Conquest has them join their adoptive family in Nohr. However, Revelations reveals Corrin's lineage is also drawn to the hidden third kingdom of Valla, and the Silent Dragon Anankos who has gone mad and drives the other nations to war from the shadows.
No matter which route a player takes, Corrin receives the Yato: A sacred sword that transforms based on its proximity to other legendary weapons held by members of the royal families in Nohr or Hoshido. In Revelations, Corrin is able to join forces with his family on both sides, and thus his blade becomes the Omega Yato - also known as the Fire Emblem.
Fodlan
In the record-breaking Switch entry Fire Emblem: Three Houses, the Fire Emblem is another name for the Crest of Flames which represents the progenitor Goddess, Sothis. Crests are symbols of hereditary blood found in members of the Church of Seiros, Adrestian Empire, Kingdom of Faerghus, and Leicester Alliance that denote either a direct connection to the Goddess or one of the noble families descending from the Ten Elites.
By exploring the game's various storylines, players learn the elites received their Crests by killing Sothis and many of her children, though they were stopped by Saint Seiros, who later goes by the name Rhea. The Liberation King Nemesis stole the Crest of Flames from Sothis, and many years later Byleth receives it as part of Rhea's attempts to bring the Goddess back. Byleth spends much of the early game interacting with Sothis, but she eventually merges with the character, leading to Byleth becoming a deity themselves.
While Three Houses is the latest mainline Fire Emblem game on the market, its high sales no doubt suggest another will be coming in the near future. In the meantime, fans can also explore spin-off games like Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore to see how the Fire Emblem itself emerges in different contexts.