I started liking Fire Emblem around 2010 when few people knew of the series and most people only knew the characters from #SuperSmashBrothers. When I dove into the franchise, I realized not only were there very few English installments to play, but the games were hard to find. I guess #Nintendo decided not to make as many copies of Fire Emblem as other titles back in the day. The transition from scarce Game Boy Advance cartridges to a series that now has yearly releases, a mobile app, and a huge fan base is mind boggling.

The Pre-Orders And DLC Are Much More Interesting

When Fire Emblem Awakening was first released it wasn’t hard for me to get a copy, because there was only the standard edition. My Gamestop only got one copy of the game around release day and called me right away saying “Hey, we got a copy of Fire Emblem and you’re the one that ordered it.” Fast forward to the recent release of Fire Emblem Echos: Shadows of Valentia, I had to fight to beat the rush for the special edition.

When the game finally released, I went to pick it up and bought the DLC season pass. The same guy I spoke to in 2012 stated “It’s Fire Emblem, so a bunch of people will buy the season pass.” This was incredible. While it’s frustrating to try and beat the rush to get the limited editions pre-ordered, it’s a great problem to have if it means the series will continue.

We Went From Almost No Fire Emblem.. To Fire EmblemCrossover Games

Most of us already know that #FireEmblem almost ended with Awakening due to the lack of sales and we clearly know how that turned out. Now to a long time fan, the fact that the series almost ended came at no shock. It was hard to find western fans of the series prior to Awakening. Now not only do we have tons more games but also crossovers with the Warriors and Shin Megami Tensei series?

It’s really interesting to see Fire Emblem released in a new gameplay genre that can only really be accomplished in crossover titles, but to come from a mindset of being shocked to have a new Fire Emblemgame at all to seeing other companies want to crossover with the series was an amazing revelation signifying how far the series has grown in such a short time.

Voice Actors/Actresses Are All Over This Bandwagon

I can easily recall how Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance and Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn had voice acting but it did not feature any well known voice actors and you didn’t hear any of them promoting the game. However, not only are well known voice performers lending their talents to the series but they are loving the whole experience.

You have several voice performers tweeting about how they are this character or that character and having conversations with each other about the series. It used to be hard to find two people talking about the series at all and now we have known performers talking on and on about it and several people joining in on the excitement.

Fire Emblem Collectors Are Everywhere

Now that Nintendo is producing more copies of Fire Emblem games, we see copies of the game everywhere, including conventions. People everywhere are searching far and wide for voice performers to sign copies of their Fire Emblem game boxes and you hear tales of all sorts of mishaps and lucky breaks in people’s attempts to get said autographs. Now that I have so many autographs on my game, more on the back, I feel so much more connected to the franchise.

Plus, I quite enjoy the expressions I get when voice performers try to find a spot to sign. As you can see they are very determined to sign the front.

There Are More Amiibo For Fire Emblem Than Pokémon

Besides the obvious surge of popularity, this is one of the most surprising things about the newfound fame for Fire Emblem. Currently there are six Pokemon amiibos, one for each Pokemon fighter in Super Smash Brothers: Wii U/3DS. Not only does Fire Emblem have the five, soon to be seven, amiibos for super smash brothers but two more for the release of Fire Emblem Echos: Shadows of Valentia which brings the current total up to seven.

Fire Emblem Cosplayers Are Everywhere

You know a series has gotten popular when you see a bunch of cosplayers dressed up as some of the characters. Not only have there been an increase of Fire Emblem cosplayers, but well-known cosplayer Yaya Han has actually taken a particular liking to her new costume of Camilla from #FireEmblemFates.

The days of Fire Emblem‘s obscurity are over. It’s quite a shocking experience for a long-term fan like myself to go from being surprised that a new Fire Emblem game is actually coming and being literally the one fan in my entire area, to having to regularly keep up with Fire Emblem news so that other fans don’t beat me to the awesome pre-order bonuses. It’s a truly wonderful experience to see a series that I have called my personal favorite for so long gain such popularity and I am excited to see where the series will go from here.