Credits: TheEnd (help with translations)

Using the alias of “goinkyo-san” (literally Mr. Retired), Shouzou Kaga often posted on Intelligent System’s old, now-defunct Fire Emblem message board, to inform fans of Fire Emblem-related news, express his opinions and answer questions asked by fans. Below are summaries of his most interesting posts.

Post 41 – The Next Game

Not surprisingly, fans frequently asked when the next game was coming out and what it would be like.

These were Kaga’s early thoughts on the next game in the series (the previous release was Genealogy of the Holy War).

Platform: Super Famicom (SNES)

Game system: Same as Mystery of the Emblem

Scenario: a sub-story of Dark Dragon and Sword of Light

Theme: “Story of men who go to war”

Aiming for a strategy game that reflects real war

Release date: Possibly next spring?

Graphics will be brand new (similar style to Mystery of the Emblem?)

Difficulty will very high (the N64 version will be tailored to beginners)

Sounds a bit like Thracia 776 to me.

Post 164 – Celice’s Gender

Kaga’s response when asked if Celice was originally planned to be female. You know, since his face looks like Diadora’s…

“From the conceptual stage, Celice was always male. Him being male has a big meaning in this story. I don’t think that players choosing a gender, name, etc. for the main character will happen in future games, because I think the hero is not the same as the player.”

Hmm, I wonder, does the Tactician from Blazing Sword count as a main character?

Post 3913 – New FE’s System and Etc.

More details about the next game. This time, it’s pretty clear that it’s Thracia 776.

Kaga mentions that the team is hard at work developing the next Fire Emblem, which they’re aiming to release during Autumn. The platform is planned to be the Super Famicom.

The Mystery of the Emblem system is used as the base and there have been a few changes. At the time of writing, a lot of things hadn’t been completely decided so some things might still change.

New Stats

Muscular Strength (affects the ability to wield weapons, Speed is not reduced within the range of this stat) – Axe Fighters can finally conquer their low Speed handicap.

Mobility (rate of acting again, up to a maximum of two actions per turn) – Makes strong soldiers more dominant from a strategic point of view

Removed Stats

Luck (doesn’t appear on the status screens, but exists internally) – Creates an element of uncertainty

Weapon Level (replaced with a skill level for each weapon type) – Individuality of characters who wield two or more weapon types with different efficiency

New Weapon Stats

Weapon Durability (rate of weapon breaking, determines the amount of weapon uses that are reduced)

New Commands

Capture (capture enemy units, reduces own battle strength) – Avoid meaningless battles, obtain the enemy’s items

Rescue/Carry (rescue an ally, ride together with an ally) – Increases strategy and drama

Steal (Thief units can steal weapons, Skill belonging to Thieves) – Weapons are determined by country, not all weapons are available from the Armory

Others

If you don’t look in guidebooks, you won’t find special tips, hidden events or hidden items.

Internal parameters are strengthened, data is not available to the public.

Enemy units are reduced in number and more stronger. They have been adjusted carefully one by one (DATACP).

Usage of outdoor battles, castle battles, street battles and night battles.

Gained experience is low, max Level is 20. Promotion increases the base stats.

Events occur naturally based on internal parameters.

System and scenario is simple. Priority given to game balance.

Total number of maps will be 35-40. In one playthrough, there will be around 20 maps.

Kind of amusing how they wanted an excuse for people to go buy the guidebooks…

Post 3931 – One’s Dream (Long Read)

Whilst rearranging his hard drive, Kaga noticed a large amount of mysterious files, which turned out to be early story ideas. Some of which he decided to shared because they seemed interesting. It appears many of them are “What if…” scenarios and shouldn’t be taken too seriously. Kaga stressed that “what happened afterwards” should be true for any player.

Leen (1)

Sylvia (aged 18) escaped to a monastery at Darna, as per Claude’s recommendation. After leaving Leen behind, she left and wandered around in search of Claude. Three years later, she reunited with Claude, but he had tragically changed. Sylvia became his eyes and his limbs, watching the changing times and keeping an eye on their children. As for Corple, he was born when Sylvia was 23 years old. Afterwards, Leen married Aless and become the Queen of Agustria, while Corple became the head of Edda. Two years later, they finally reunited with Sylvia (aged 38). However, Claude perished after his role ended. Later, his name was carved into the relief at the altar of the 26 saints.

Nanna (0)

The pregnant Lachesis (19) entrusted Delmud to Oifey and returned to her parent’s home in North Thracia to protect Eltshan’s wife and son. She received a cold welcome from Eltshan’s wife (who despised Sigurd and Lachesis) and so left the Demon Blade Mistolteen in her hands, before leaving. Afterwards, the Empire’s eyes were concentrated at Tirnanogue, so Lachesis instead escaped to Fin’s location. She gave birth to Nanna in the following year and raised her together with Fin. When Nanna was 8 years old, Lachesis wished to reunite with Delmud at Tirnanogue. Despite Fin’s strong warning, Lachesis made her decision and afterwards there was no news of her.

Later, Agustria was conquered and the prison camp at Silvail was liberated. Many children were held here, by order of the Loputo Sect, but they were cared for by a woman who they adored like their own mother (she had also been taken prisoner by the empire). As the commander of Agustria’s liberation army, Delmud reunited with his mother here. Lachesis briefly noticed it at a glance, perhaps he reminded her of Beowolf? Afterwards, Lachesis also happily reunited with Nanna and Aless.

Sety (1)

He was left with Queen Rahna. Fury believed Levin’s promise that he would return alive from the Battle of Barhara and so escaped to Silesia. Half a year later, Silesia was attacked by the imperial army and Fury prepared to leave to fight, but she was persuaded by Rahna to escape to Thove instead. Rahna was killed by the imperial troops to safeguard her citizens. Later, Emperor Alvis executed the soldier who killed her, as well as the commanding officer, and held a funeral for her. Many months later, after he was thought to have died, Levin returned. For Fury, his return was like a dream come true. For some reason, Levin stayed with Fury for five years and Fee was born the year after his return. The next year, he proclaimed that he would be traveling and disappeared (at the time, Sety was 7 years old and Fee was 4 years old).

After that he would leave for half a year to two years at a time, wandering aimlessly, before returning home for a few days to live with Fury and then leave again. The last time he left home was when Sety was 13 years old and Fee was 10 years old. Two years after that, Fury fell dangerously ill and Sety left home in search of his father. Although Fee desperately tried to nurse her mother, half a year later, Fury departed from the living world. Fee sent a letter to Sety to inform of their mother’s death and Sety continued traveling to tell Levin. When Fee decided to journey out herself, it had been four years since she last saw her father (now she was 14 years old). During her travel, she has a fateful encounter with Arthur, who was of a similar age as herself, but of course neither of them realised the significance of their meeting.

Arthur (1)

Like Sety, he was entrusted to Queen Rahna’s care. His father, Azel, wanted to stop Tiltyu from fighting in the war using any means necessary, since Tiltyu intended to persuade her father Leptor all by herself. Leptor was convinced that his beloved Tiltyu had been taken hostage by Sigurd. After the battle with her father, Tiltyu was both mentally and physically exhausted and was left in a terribly weakened state. The day before their triumphant return, Sigurd commanded Azel to go to Silesia, to show Tiltyu her child’s face in hopes of helping her recover. Azel felt bad, but since he loved Tiltyu he agreed to leave the battlefield. As the Imperial Army was preparing to attack, Rahna invited the two of them to escape to her land, and also so that Tiltyu would recover faster. Azel wished to protect Rahna’s trust (in helping those who were powerless) and decided to live with the citizens.

Two years later, Tiltyu recovered from her illness and gave birth to a lovely daughter. By then, Grandbell’s conquest of the continent was over and at long last the world was settling down. Emperor Alvis aimed to construct a world where there was equality and no discrimination and he swiftly executed measures such as releasing slaves, banishing corrupt aristocrats and arresting vile merchants, which led to overwhelming support from his people. With the way things were going, Azel’s standpoint in organising rebellion was no longer welcome. Instead, he became viewed as a criminal by the villagers (at the time, the involvement clause was enacted and it was possible for a whole village to be punished for aiding a criminal. Things were different in Fury’s homeland however).

Azel was troubled. Was this what he had been fighting for? If this was really the ideal world then why would he consider preventing his brother from realising his ideals? No, that can’t be right. Father Claude used to say that if the objective is righteous but the means are wrong, failure will most certainly be the result. My brother is wrong. He’s definitely wrong!! Azel made a resolve to travel to Barhara. He would speak with his brother and everything would become clear, as it would be left to the peoples’ choice. He thought this was the best way to deal with his brother. Tiltyu clung onto him crying. If he went then he would surely die. However Azel’s decision had been made and he left Tiltyu and their two children to begin his journey. His decision wasn’t something you could easily mark as right or wrong.

At this time, Alvis was plagued by nightmares every night, tormented by his loneliness. If he and Azel reunited, his heart would have been moved. However Manfroy wouldn’t allow something like that to happen. As soon as he appeared at the palace, Azel was petrified using magic and sent to a deep sleep that he would not awaken from for a long time. When he finally awoke, it would be ten years later, when Yuria had received the power of Narga and was able to use advanced magic to undo his petrification at the recently unearthed secret basement underneath the royal palace. Azel whose appearance was as youthful as when he was 28 years old came face to face with Arthur and Tiltyu and surprised the two of them. There had also been another miracle, where Claude had exchanged his own life to resurrect Tiltyu (27 years old at the time) who had been carefully buried in an icebox at Silesia by her brother, Blume (after this, the Valkyrie Staff never worked again).

As well returning to life, so did their memories and they lived happily at Silesia as they had desired. Moving backwards a little. Tiltyu had remained at Silesia, spending her time worrying about Azel’s safety and waiting for his return, although of course she wouldn’t hear from him. As her tears subsided, a group of imperial soldiers launched an attack on their hideout. Apparently, the soldiers had been informed by villagers who feared they would bring disaster. Arthur who was 7 years old was playing at the riverside and was safe from the attack, but his 4 year old sister Tinny and his mother were kidnapped, and afterwards Arthur lived with a kind old woman in the neighbouring village and grew up in Silesia. (Levin/Holsety was watching over him in the shadows.) He was visited by a traveling merchant (who was really Levin) and learnt various things from him. Mysterious magic was taught to him in this manner. When he was 16, he heard from some merchants that his mother had passed away and his sister was at Manster and so Arthur decided to leave on a journey.

Lester (2)

Sigurd pleaded especially to Adean to care for the children at Isaac. (Adean herself had two children of her own to look after.) While departing for Zaxon, Queen Rahna strongly urged the mothers and children to remain at Silesia, but if Sigurd was to be defeated, Grandbell would try to defeat the children of the rebels and Silesia would be engulfed in war and so they refused. (For Levin, and Tiltyu and Azel’s children, Grandbell wouldn’t consider them as interferences and so they alone were entrusted to Rahna.) The others who went to Isaac with Celice included Adean and Jamka’s son Lester, Lachesis and Beowolf’s son Delmud, as well as Ira and Lex’s twins Skasaher and Lakche. There were also Shanan and Oifey. Claude disagreed with these arrangements, but Sylvia stubbornly didn’t want to leave Claude’s side and Sigurd allowed their child (a girl named Leen) to go with Sylvia and Claude so the two could leave together. (So the baby Leen wasn’t taken in by Adean.)

Adean worked busily as a mother for the six children (seven, after Lana was born during the following year) and taught them to read and write at the monastery at Tirnanogue. The villagers respected Prince Shanan, who would become their next king, and Adean did not spare their co-operation as much as possible. Oifey and Shanan were taught swordsmanship from the elderly swordfighters. As they were taught the way of the Isaacian royal family’s swordsmanship, the two’s capability (especially Shanan’s) steadily increased and soon far exceeded their elders by several years. Time flowed for sixteen years and the children grew up wonderfully, wrapped in Adean’s kindliness. Later, after requesting from Lester, Adean left for Verdane and lived an isolated life. At her tombstone was carved the words “Wife of the Heroic King Jamka”.

Post 4020 – I Too Can’t Help But Be Interested (Laughs)

Kaga mentions being nervous about posting his “dream scenario”. However, there is a reason for this since the original text cannot be taken at face value. Especially as the game was originally going to be split into 3 parts. So they aren’t official settings, nor are they based on official settings. They are just mere dreams, he supposes.

In any case, it seems the pairings were divided into various patterns (at least 0, 1 and 2). Pattern (1) includes Ira x Lex and Briggid x Jamka. While, for instance, Adean x Jamka and Ira x Holyn are Pattern (2) pairings.

In Pattern (1), all the female 1st Generation characters survive (or are brought back to life). In Fury and Levin’s case, after some time passes, they are brought back to life by the power of Holsety.

Yurius was also going to return to his original state at the end (through the power of Yuria’s love). Sadly only a few of the 1st Generation male characters survived. The third part was going to be a story about the parents and children reuniting. Those who weren’t Sigurd’s regular subordinates would not make a triumphant return (but are subjugated).