Intelligent Systems' Fire Emblem franchise is about as classically medieval fantasy-themed as video games come. Since the original Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, most every entry focuses on royalty, retainers, nobles, peasants, and anyone in-between coming together to face off against demons, dragons, and ruthless Empires looking to take over peaceful lands.
That being said, a lot of modern entries have attempted to shake things up with different thematic overlays. Fire Emblem Fates presents a continent embroiled in war between the traditionally medieval European land of Nohr and the feudal Japanese-inspired land of Hoshido. Meanwhile, the latest game Fire Emblem: Three Houses centers around an academy not unlike Hogwarts for future warriors and leaders across three nations, with tensions bubbling just under the surface. While rumors suggest the next title in development is a remake, Intelligent Systems should consider a maritime theme whenever gets to its next original entry.
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Though dragons, dark mages, and cruel dictators are often the main antagonists in Fire Emblem games, pirates have been a ubiquitous threat from the beginning. Pirates and brigands are common beginner-level enemies, either as hired mercenaries or simply as gangs causing havoc for common folk – an injustice that pure-of-heart Lords like Marth cannot let stand. In fact, when players boot up 1990's Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light (either on NES or its recent English-localized Switch port), the first group they do battle with is the Galder Pirates. High-ranking member Gazzak is the first boss character to appear in the franchise.
Many entries include nautical missions where characters have to do battle aboard seafaring ships, with Fire Emblem Gaiden and its remake Echoes: Shadows of Valentia notable for having an extended Act 2 in which Celica's army takes on numerous threats at sea. However, pirates aren't always bad guys in Fire Emblem games. In Shadow Dragon, Darros is a member of the Galder Pirates whom Marth can persuade to switch sides; again setting up for a trend of enemy recruitment that appears throughout the franchise. In a later entry, Sacred Stones on Game Boy Advance, the trainee unit Ross can promote from his initial Journeyman class into a Pirate, letting him become a Berserker or Warrior afterward.
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The developer's interest in pirates has seemingly become more pronounced through its successful mobile gacha game Fire Emblem Heroes. Heroes is a celebration of the franchise in that characters from every game can be summoned and used in battle, with more coming every other week or so. A Feh Channel update video released on August 1, 2021 revealed its next special summoning event is "Perilous Seas," featuring characters in pirate garb for a festival who will only be available for a limited time.
Intelligent Systems has cycled through many themes for characters in Heroes since the game released in 2017, from holidays like Halloween, Christmas, and New Years' Eve to celebrations of summertime and weddings. This year marks the second annual pirate festival, featuring characters from Radiant Dawn, Fates, and Thracia 776, as well as a new take on the mobile game's original character Surtr – ruler of the Norse Mythology-inspired Muspell. In 2020, the "Pirate's Pride" event included original character Veronica alongside representatives from The Binding Blade, Radiant Dawn, Genealogy of the Holy War, and Fates. Most notably, a unique version of Darros from Shadow Dragon could be recruited for free.
With this repeat interest, it's surprising that Intelligent Systems hasn't made a game based around the concept yet. Granted, many fans have expressed frustration with seafaring, ship-based combat missions in past entries, so it would take a lot of work to design a satisfying game around that conceit. However, given Ike has become one of the most recognizable characters in the franchise for his role in Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn, despite only being a mercenary, it's easy to imagine a Fire Emblem game based around a pirate crew rather than a noble prince's army could do well.
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