Ike (Fire Emblem)

Note: Not to be confused with Ike from South Park

Ike is the main character of Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance and one of the main characters in Radiant Dawn. He is the son of Greil and Elena who is the leader of the Greil Mercenaries after the death of his dad. He was seen as the newest member of the Greil Mercenaries and was seen as an outcast by others like Boyd and Shinon. As news of Daein's invasion eventually reaches Greil's ears, Ike is pushed into working twice as hard, all in order to ensure that he is well prepared to take over the reins of the company. During the events of Radiant Dawn, he was granted a court title and land in recognition of his distinguished service. However, he disliked being caught up in politics and in-fighting between the other nobles and renounced his title to return to a life of simplicity with the other mercenaries. Soon after this, he was contacted by Bastian, Count of Fayre, about rumors of a rebellion against Queen Elincia. Bastian had told him that in preparation to counter this with an ambush, Ike and his crew would have to seemingly abandon their homeland of Crimea and go into hiding.

Why He Rocks

 * 1) Ike is described as a blunt yet passionate and humble hero who would earn other's respect and trust very easily. Reyson is a good example of this as he started to trust Ike in Path of Radiance after long having held all beorc in contempt.
 * 2) He is one of the few beorc who refuses to hold prejudice against the Laguz and shares Elincia's desire to be between the two races. Yes, he is concerned about their actions, but that didn't stop him from having to trust a Laguz like defending Ranulf.
 * 3) Because of what he has been through on the battlefield, he has a more adult view of the world. Hating saying more than needs to be said, he is always stouthearted, leading some to perceive this as him acting above his actual ability.
 * 4) He's very protective of his friends and family. It has gotten to the point where he decided to join the side of the Laguz Alliance in the war against the Begnion Empire.
 * 5) He has a passion for fighting strong warriors like the Black Knight as Ike knew that he wanted to anticipate a challenge against the latter.
 * 6) *He also wanted to fight Caineghis in a one-on-one match just to test strength.
 * 7) His backstory is relateable. You see, his dad died and Ike was seen as an inexperienced fighter to the Greil Mercenaries. That didn't stop Ike from training very hard and becoming a leader to the Greil Mercenaries.
 * 8) Character development: Ike at first is rather naive in his introduction, but he starts to mature on during the events of the story. In Radiant Dawn, he's fully mature that a lot of people remark on his resemblance to his late father. Another thing is that he was insecure about being a leader, but he legit became a military leader who inspires respect on both sides of the conflict.
 * 9) While he did liberate Crimea from Daein, he still remains rather humble, and seeks no reward for his actions, save for the fees he charges as a mercenary.
 * 10) He may be a tough hero who loves to test his strength, but he doesn't take any joy in war and is never eager to raise a blade. As the war has cost him dearly, he hopes by his efforts to keep others from losing what he has lost.
 * 11) Ike can be considered a character who eventually becomes an ace in the war later on. There's even a chance where he can possibly solo the entire game of Radiant Dawn.
 * 12) He can be seen as a breakout character who has gotten a lot more praise ever since Super Smash Bros. Brawl came out.
 * 13) Ike is pretty sharp against many bosses so you get to see him be such a snark to the big bosses.
 * 14) The scene where he fought the Black Knight in Radiant Dawn is epic. While Ike did admit how much of an enemy the Black Knight is, he admits how it was the same guy who was a teacher of sorts who guided him and his encounters with the knight made Ike polish his fighting skills.
 * 15) He is able to wield the Ragnell, it's a personal sword that Ike can only use which can deal a lot of damage as well as having range. It gets even more epic when it is enhanced by Yune's power of chaos.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) Ike used to doubt his own abilities as a leader early on. He also used to not be a great fighter in his first appearance as well as being naive.
 * 2) His way with words is lacking in elegance, but tries his best.
 * 3) Despite being stoic, he does have his fits of emotion.

Trivia

 * His name is short for Isacc. It's a Biblical patriarch whose name means 'he laughs.' His father, Abraham, prayed to God for a son and was finally given Isaac although he and his wife, Sarah, were too old to bear children. When told by God that she would have a child despite her venerable old age, laughed to herself at the seemingly impossible thought and mocked Abraham and God in her heart. In this way, then, the name 'Ike' would be a reference to an important son and heir, but also to one who brings laughter and happiness. Ike's birth name suits him well, as he is the son of a legendary mercenary Greil/Gawain and Ike eventually inherited the Greil Mercenaries succeeding his father in his place.
 * He serves as a reference to Dwight D. Eisenhower, whose nickname was Ike. Eisenhower was both an American general during World War II and later the 34th President of the United States, which may be an allusion to Ike's high rank. Eisenhower was also loved by his men and commonly ranked among the best presidents. In Super Smash Bros Brawl, when Ike sustains high damage and survives for a period of time, the crowd may cheer "We Like Ike", Eisenhower's campaign slogan.
 * Has a great appetite.
 * If Ranulf and Ike share an A-rank support, it is revealed that Ranulf goes on a journey, with no mention of Ike. However, if they do not support each other, such a journey will not be mentioned.
 * In Fire Emblem Heroes, Chapter 10-1 reveals that he is considered the strongest hero in all the worlds.
 * Ike is the only lead of a main series Fire Emblem game who never marries, either during the course of his games or in any of his endings.
 * Shares similarities with Byleth from Fire Emblem Three Houses.
 * Both are not of royal blood but mercenaries guided by their father, a famous former knight, who is then murdered, spurring them toward action against the killers.
 * Both were raised with a false history of their own pasts.
 * Both became inactive for an amount of time but returned in order to stop a war as the commander of an army.
 * They both have to face former allies and receive divine powers.
 * Big eaters
 * Their signature weapons, Ragnell and the Sword of the Creator, both stand out as non-magical swords with ranges 1-2.