Ike

For fighter info, see Ike (SSBB), Ike (SSB4), and Ike (SSBU).

Ike
{{{content1}}} {{{content2}}} Official artworks of Ike from Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance and Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn.
Universe	Fire Emblem
Debut	Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (2005)
Smash Bros. appearances	Brawl SSB4 Ultimate
Most recent non-Smash appearance	Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia (2017, via amiibo)
Console/platform of origin	Nintendo GameCube
Species	Beorc
Gender	Male
Place of origin	Tellius
Designed by	Senri Kita
English voice actor	Jason Adkins (Brawl/SSB4) Greg Chun (Ultimate)
Japanese voice actor	Michihiko Hagi
Article on Fire Emblem Wiki	Ike

Ike (アイク, Ike) is a character from the Fire Emblem series. He is the main protagonist of Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, and one of the main protagonists of its sequel, Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. Initially succeeding his late father Greil as the leader of a band of mercenaries in Path of Radiance, Ike's wartime efforts ultimately lead him to become a legend known as the "Radiant Hero" (青い炎の英雄, Hero of the Blue Flame) by the end of Radiant Dawn.

Ike made his Super Smash Bros. series debut in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as a playable character, and has appeared as such since then.

Character description

By 2005, the Fire Emblem series of tactical role-playing fantasy video games had fully been established as an internationally famous and successful franchise, largely thanks to the inclusion of previous Fire Emblem protagonists Marth and Roy as playable characters in 2001's immensely successful Super Smash Bros. Melee. After Melee, another Fire Emblem game, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, was released outside of Japan and marked Ike's debut.

In Path of Radiance, Ike is the main protagonist and, per Fire Emblem tradition, progresses into a renowned hero. Ike's status as such is reflected in terms of gameplay, as he functions as an equivalent to the series' Lord class. However, Ike deviates from previous Fire Emblem main protagonists in that he is not of royal lineage. Rather, he is a newcomer to a band of mercenaries led by his father Greil, which includes his beloved younger sister Mist and his close friend Soren. To further reflect his uniqueness among the cast, Ike is the only character in Path of Radiance to possess the Ranger class.

Although he initially has shaky base statistics upon starting as a Ranger, Ike has excellent statistical growths across most of his stats, which usually results in him developing into a top-quality Lord by the end of the game, in which he maxes out his strength, speed and skill on average upon reaching his maximum level.

Path of Radiance's sequel, Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, extends the story and brings the overall story full-circle. It has been three years since the Mad King's War, and war engulfs Tellius once again as the various countries attempt to re-establish themselves.

Compared to Path of Radiance, Radiant Dawn focuses on an ensemble cast from varying viewpoints, with Ike becoming playable around mid-game. Despite this, Ike is nevertheless required to deal the finishing blow to the final boss, Ashera. Unlike in Path of Radiance, Ike's base stats are excellent, and can be bolstered even further by using Radiant Dawn's data transfer feature to obtain data from Path of Radiance.

In both games, Ike learns Aether, the most powerful skill available within the reintroduced character skill mechanic. Aether gives Ike a chance to perform a powerful two-hit combo: the first restores his Hit Points by the amount of damage he inflicts, whereas the second inflicts damage while only half of the target's defense is applied.

Aside from his main appearances, Ike appears as an optional party member in both Fire Emblem Awakening and Fire Emblem Fates. He appears in Awakening via Spotpass and DLC as an Einherjar; on a related note, Awakening also features Priam, a distant descendant of Ike who both bears a striking resemblance to him and wields a heavily aged Ragnell.

In Fates, Ike appears as an amiibo-exclusive character, sporting his Radiant Dawn design and having dialogue that references his status as a fighter in the Super Smash Bros. series. An illusory version of Ike can also be summoned in Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia via amiibo.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

As a playable character

Ike, as he appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Ike was the first Fire Emblem character to be revealed as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Despite Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn being released a year before Brawl, Ike instead sports his Ranger design from Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance.

According to Masahiro Sakurai, Ike was not intended to be on the roster early on. Rather, Sakurai devised a blank character template of a slow and very powerful swordsman, and wanted a new Fire Emblem character in Brawl. When discussing the potential new Fire Emblem character with Intelligent Systems, it was suggested he use Ike, owing to his status as the protagonist of the then-latest two games in the series. Upon this suggestion, Sakurai considered Ike, and saw him to be a perfect fit for the aforementioned character template, leading to his inclusion as the new playable Fire Emblem representative.

Ike is currently ranked 23rd on the tier list, placing him in the D tier. Thanks to the considerable size of his divinely blessed sword Ragnell, the majority of Ike's attacks are among the longest ranged and most powerful in the game. As a trade-off, however, most of his attacks are notorious for being among the slowest in the game in regard to both start-up and ending lag. Ike also possesses Aether as his up special move, which grants him armor at its beginning when he and Ragnell are separated and prior to his leap. Lastly, Ike boasts a neutral attack that is capable of being jab canceled easily and reliably into various combos, or even KOing outright.

In addition to his extremely laggy attacks, Ike also possesses a poor recovery. Despite his appearance, Ike is also a heavyweight, which hinders his mobility and renders him very susceptible to combos. Lastly, Ike lacks a projectile to compliment the range of Ragnell's blade. By extension, this leaves him susceptible to camping because of his aforementioned mobility issues. Although his weaknesses have resulted in him attaining a small playerbase, Ike has nevertheless managed to achieve respectable tournament results.

Trophy

Ike's trophy in Brawl.

Ike

A member of Crimea's top fighting force, the Greil Mercenaries. He's a man of few words whose blunt manner gives the impression that he's uncaring, but he's actually a passionate hero. He was crucial to the reconstruction of Crimea. In Radiant Dawn, he continues to show his deep sense of honor and leads the Greil Mercenaries to the aid of the Laguz Alliance.

: Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (2005)

: Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn (2007)

Stickers

Name	Game	Effect	Character(s)
Ike	Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance	Attack +23
Ike	Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn	Attack +27

Ike (Fire Emblem Path of Radiance)

Ike (Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn)

In Super Smash Bros. 4

As a playable character

Ike, as he appears in Super Smash Bros. 4.

Ike returns as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. Unlike in Brawl, he now sports his Hero design from Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. Ike is currently ranked 40th on the tier list, placing him in the E tier. The majority of Ike's frame data saw noticeable improvement primarily in the form of decreased lag, thanks largely to game updates throughout SSB4's lifespan. His mobility has also improved, thanks to his faster dashing and air speeds, as well as his higher double jump. Changes to game mechanics have also benefited Ike: the changes to hitstun canceling grant his up and down throws respectable combo potential at varying percentages, while the removal of edge-hogging significantly improves Aether's reliability as a recovery option.

However, Ike's power and range have been slightly toned down. Despite gaining a varied combo game, Ike's renowned jab cancel has been significantly worsened to the point of being extremely situational. Lastly, Ike's mobility is below-average at best in spite of its improvements, which results in him remaining susceptible to combos, rushdowns and camping.

Ultimately, Ike's buffs have somewhat improved his viability since Brawl and especially SSB4's early days. Although Ike currently has a small playerbase like in Brawl, players such as Ryo have demonstrated that he remains a formidable character as long as his strengths are utilized to the fullest and his easily exploitable weaknesses are circumvented. To reflect this, his playerbase has achieved decent results at both regional and national level of tournament play, much like in Brawl.

Trophies

Ike

One of the main characters from the Fire Emblem series. Having fought in the Mad King's War, restored the fallen nation of Crimea, and taken on the Begnion Empire, Ike is rightly called a hero. He has the strength to back the title—one good swing of his blade can launch the heaviest of foes.

One of the main characters from the Fire Emblem series. Having fought in the Mad King's War, played a huge part in restoring the fallen nation of Crimea, and taken on the Begnion Emprire, Ike is rightly called a hero. And he has the strength to go with that title. One good swing of his blade can launch even the heaviest of fighters.

Ike (Alt.)

Ike's side smash is a powerful two-handed sword strike. It's one of the best launch attacks in the entire game, though it will leave you wide open when you use it. For Eruption, one of his specials, you stab the ground and unleash a pillar of fire. Charging for too long will hurt Ike, so be careful!

Ike's side smash is a powerful two-handed sword strike. It's one of the best launch attacks in the entire game, so even though it leaves you open, it's a real winner. For Eruption, one of his specials, you stab the ground and unleash a pillar of fire that hits anyone nearby. If you charge it too long, though, you'll hurt yourself, so be careful!

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  Classic (3DS)

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  Classic (Wii U)

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  Alt. (3DS)

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  Alt. (Wii U)

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

As a playable character

Ike's Path of Radiance design, as he appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Ike returns as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Unlike his previous appearances, Ike is now an unlockable character, his Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn designs are both available for selection, and Greg Chun has become his English voice actor since succeeding Jason Adkins as of Fire Emblem Heroes.

Spirits

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  614. Ike (Path of Radiance)

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  615. Ike (Radiant Dawn)

Gallery

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  Ike's Radiant Dawn design, as he appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Trivia

• Although Ike is eventually promoted to the Lord class in Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, he appears as a Ranger in Brawl and a Hero in SSB4. As such, he is the first playable Fire Emblem character to not appear as a Lord upon debuting in the Super Smash Bros. series.
• Ike is the first Fire Emblem character in the Super Smash Bros. series to be a starter character.
  • He is also the first Fire Emblem character to speak English in the Super Smash Bros. series, and the first one to have a change in voice actor.
• Ike is the only Fire Emblem character in the Super Smash Bros. series who has an up smash that is not an upward thrust.
• Ike appears in several downloadable chapters as an Einherjar in Fire Emblem Awakening. This includes all three of the aptly named Smash Brethren chapters, which reference Ike's involvement in the Super Smash Bros. series.
• Ike and Ganondorf are the only characters in the Super Smash Bros. series to revert to an earlier design used for their debut appearance in a later installment.
  • Unlike Ganondorf, however, Ike's Radiant Dawn design used in SSB4 is available as an alternate costume in Ultimate.
• Because the Spanish language does not contain /aɪ/ (as in "eye"), Ike's name is pronounced as /ˈiː-kɛ/ ("ee-keh") in the Spanish versions of Brawl, SSB4, and Ultimate. While the Italian language lacks this as well, his name is pronounced properly in Italian nonetheless.
• Ike and R.O.B. are the only characters whose default costumes became alternate costumes in a later installment.
  • While Link and Zelda both have alternate costumes that resemble their prior appearances, they are not directly based on their prior appearances. For example, Link's Wild Set of clothes is based on his original design, but is not the general design used in previous Super Smash Bros. games.