I need a second opinion of Ike's ending in Radiant Dawn

[Cryel731]

So I took it upon myself to play all of the FE games lately for the first time.
Path of Radiance has easily been the best one for me.
I think Radiant Dawn is mostly fine, I'm not a big fan of it, but I think that the ending really put me off.
Ike for me has become my favorite protagonist for FE. So the ending for him is shocking to me.

For one, Elincia and Ike don't end up together. While it's not necessary that they have to get together. I feel like Path of Radiance, especially the ending GC cutscene, basically implies that they are "together". There are some off comments like Shinon claiming that Ike is in love with Elincia when Shinon was drunk. A lot of sequences between Ike and Elincia feel like it's heading that direction. I realize that Ike directly marrying Elincia could probably be against character. Since Ike probably would never want to be a king at all and stick with the Greil Mercenaries, but I don't think not marrying her does not mean he couldn't be with her. Elincia can only marry Geoffrey. Geoffrey is...fine. That's just a big let down. It's not something that HAS to happen, but it feels like if it did happen there are basically no questions asked. Like yeah that makes sense. Something that is introduced and never followed up on. Ike and Elincia are the two most developed characters in the game anyway.

I have never liked the text endings for the FE games. It just feels really empty and anti-climatic. It's just text telling you how they lived and died. Path of Radiance at least has all characters walk up to Ike and telling him in the present what they plan to do.
I understand that they might do the text endings because just about most characters could die, and any large scale ending would be too expensive and time consuming, especially for Nintendo, but it feels really shallow regardless.

EDIT: My feelings towards how to end it. I think I would mostly be fine with the game just ending on the GC cutscene. Anything beyond that. Like the text endings, just leave a bad taste for me.

I forgot what it says for Ike's ending exactly for Radiant Dawn. It comes down to he disappears and is never heard from again. That right there just got me. I got really mad after that. Like really? I could maybe understand that for any other character, but IKE? The actual and literal hero of Tellius and 2 wars and probably fan favorite character f**ks off and is never heard from again ok. They do that to the protagonist. I don't think Ike is the type to settle down. It would be very likely that he and most of the Greil Mercenaries would stick together. If that's the case. He and the Mercenaries would easily become the most famous people on the planet. Even if Ike decided to settle  down in a backwater village somewhere. That village would easily become a tourist attraction. It kind of reminds of Disney and Luke's home. Like somehow Luke's home is not a museum after a nobody from Tatooine rises and defeats the Galactic Empire. Even if the Greil Merceneries tried to keep a low profile and get small jobs. There would be no doubt that they would get bombarded with job offers of the highest rank.

I realize that Ike is not necessarily the protagonist of Radiant Dawn. Radiant Dawn tries to add a type of moral complexity to the plot. The problem is that Ike is... Ike. It is basically impossible to side against Ike in just about any situation. He is the hero regardless of the situation he is in.

 

Edited September 10, 2023 by Cryel731

[lenticular]

Tellius is a world without any sort of mass media. No Internet, no TV, no newspapers. From memory, I don't even think they have the printing press. Portrait painting probably exists, but I can't imagine that Ike is the sort to want to sit around for hours and get painted. So how many people would actually know what Ike looked like? Basically only people who have actually met him in person, which is not that many. Other random soldiers probably saw him a little, but probably not enough to really remember his appearance in detail. So I think it's entirely plausible for him to be able to just disappear into obscurity if that's what he wants to do.

As for whether it was actually a satisfying ending for him... eh. I don't think it was terrible? I'm also not really a big fan of the little text epilogues that FE has for all its characters, so I mostly just ignore them and headcanon my own instead. I don't think Ike's is notably worse than others, though. He probably wouldn't want to stick around and play politics afterwards. The problem, if anything, is just the shift in perspective. The epilogues are from the perspective of history. It's what gets recorded in scholarly books years after the fact. Whereas for the game up to that point, we've had a more intimate perspective, from the PoV of Micaiah, Elincia and Ike. So I can see how that shift could be jarring, but it isn't something I personally cared about. If anything, I like that it's open-ended so I can head anon whatever I want without being contradicted.

[Cryel731]

My problem with the "lots of people have not seen him" and "without mass media" is that the rule is not really enforced. Ike is not necessarily a large public figure, but from I remember. Lots of people recognize figures like Micaiah almost right away on a few occasions (When Micaiah is actually trying to keep a low profile). Even before she became Pelleas' right hand. How would the common people even recognize their kings,  nobles and generals is the question that would be asked in that train of logic.

Edited September 10, 2023 by Cryel731

[Original Alear]

My understanding of the Medieval Era is that kings, nobles, powerful priests, etc. who have kingdoms to travel through are recognized because they typically travel with retinues of guards and courtiers to guard them and announce their presence. I don't know if it was extremely common, but the stereotypical image is a guy with a trumpet with a flag tied on it who blows the horn, and then shouts (or maybe even some other guy shouts) all the titles that the king has earned for various deeds or actions. Remember that time in the end of Part 1 when Pelleas is barely recognized/paid attention to by his own army until the Black Knight makes an appearance? It's actually a common trope in fiction for a member of royalty or privilege to end up outside of traditional trappings of power and for them to be unrecognized by their own followers.

When I worked for a (medium?) sized law firm, not everyone knew everyone in the firm, and sometimes I would get calls at my office for people who worked in other offices in the state. I don't even know if I would recognize the head of the law firm if I saw a picture of him and didn't know it was supposed to be a picture of him.

The people who recognize Micaiah IIRC are citizens of the capital of Daien in the slums, which is where she has lived for a while, I think, since living in Daien, and where the Dawn Brigade has tended to operate. I don't remember any of the cast members from Laura onward who join recognizing "The Silver Maiden." Later she is known by the troops because she's been commanding them.

I believe that in large armies w/ certain organizational styles and in certain time spans, the general might not even be that well known by the common troops and instead mostly sending things by messenger. Though there are (or were) definitely armies where the general fights on or very near the front with the men.

But I think there's some merit to what you're saying. Personally I like the idea of Ike just doing whatever. Though I wish that IS had done more with Priam than just be like "ya he might be Ike's descendant or something lol what do we know?"

Also, I don't really think there's a huge difference between getting a text message summary of a character's actions and getting the character to talk to the lord at the end of the game. I felt like they gave most of the attention to a specific character from each region - like Jill, for instance, gets more dialogue with Ike in FE9 ending than the other Daien characters IIRC.

EDIT-I didn't find Ike's battle against the Black Knight in FE10 to be stereotypically heroic. I think in his own words he wasn't battling to get vengeance, he just wanted to resolve the battle. It reminded me of the bond between Jarod and his subordinate (Alder?) in Part one of the game. I thought Ike seemed clearheaded and free during that battle. At the same time, I think I kind of wished there had been another way, but Ike and the Black Knight didn't seem to feel anguished by their battle. But when Ike battled Ashera, I thought he was heroic because he said "fighting defines me, I'll never give up til I die" or something like that.

Quote

The heroes among us, they are the true slaves. Thrust against the limits of mortality, they alone feel the bite of their shackles. So they rage. So they fight. We only have as much freedom as we have slack in our chains. Only those who dare nothing are truly free.

Edited September 10, 2023 by Original Alear

[indigoasis]

I think an alternative way to look at Ike's ending, instead of viewing it as some definitive end for the character because he was so ominously "never seen again" like plenty of stories have done with their heroes, try considering it from a more open-ended angle. Sure, he was never seen again in Tellius, but considering Priam's existence (as dubious as it is), that pretty heavily implies that Ike traveled across worlds to go do... whatever, Ike stuff, I dunno.

It might be the last of what we've seen of the original Ike, but there's a whole world of possibilities that a player can imagine from there. He was never seen again? Maybe he became a fisherman. Maybe he traveled the world outside of Tellius (there's more to the continent in the northeast). Maybe he became an interdimensional peacekeeper for Naga.

That's why stories sometimes leave certain things vague so that the player can fill in the gaps and come to their own conclusions. It also leaves the door wide open for future storytelling opportunities if anyone ever decides to revisit the character (official or fanmade). Just because one story comes to a close doesn't mean another one can't be made.

[Eltosian Kadath]

3 hours ago, Cryel731 said:

 

For one, Elincia and Ike don't end up together. While it's not necessary that they have to get together. I feel like Path of Radiance, especially the ending GC cutscene, basically implies that they are "together". There are some off comments like Shinon claiming that Ike is in love with Elincia when Shinon was drunk. A lot of sequences between Ike and Elincia feel like it's heading that direction. I realize that Ike directly marrying Elincia could probably be against character. Since Ike probably would never want to be a king at all and stick with the Greil Mercenaries, but I don't think not marrying her does not mean he couldn't be with her. Elincia can only marry Geoffrey. Geoffrey is...fine. That's just a big let down. It's not something that HAS to happen, but it feels like if it did happen there are basically no questions asked. Like yeah that makes sense. Something that is introduced and never followed up on. Ike and Elincia are the two most developed characters in the game anyway.

For what it is worth, part of your issue is that the Path of Radiance translation team took a lot of creative liberties with Ike and Elincia's relationship, while the Radiant Dawn translation team was more faithful to the original intent, where Ike and Elincia had a far less personal relationship, that wasn't heading that direction. At least that is what I heard back in the day, I am not a translation expert myself.

 

4 hours ago, Cryel731 said:

 

I forgot what it says for Ike's ending exactly for Radiant Dawn. It comes down to he disappears and is never heard from again. That right there just got me. I got really mad after that. Like really? I could maybe understand that for any other character, but IKE? The actual and literal hero of Tellius and 2 wars and probably fan favorite character f**ks off and is never heard from again ok. They do that to the protagonist. I don't think Ike is the type to settle down. It would be very likely that he and most of the Greil Mercenaries would stick together. If that's the case. He and the Mercenaries would easily become the most famous people on the planet. Even if Ike decided to settle  down in a backwater village somewhere. That village would easily become a tourist attraction. It kind of reminds of Disney and Luke's home. Like somehow Luke's home is not a museum after a nobody from Tatooine rises and defeats the Galactic Empire. Even if the Greil Merceneries tried to keep a low profile and get small jobs. There would be no doubt that they would get bombarded with job offers of the highest rank.

I thought the ending was a bit cliche, but not necessarily out of character for him. Ike wasn't willing to just sit on his laurels, always seeking greater, and greater adventures, even when the rest of the Greil Mercenaries were willing to settle down. Tellius had become too peaceful to provide a challenge great enough for Ike, and so he went off into the unknowns beyond the borders of the maps we see to find an even greater challenge, and what became of him in that beyond is either a tale for another time, or a tale left untold.

 

[Vicious Sal]

4 hours ago, lenticular said:

Tellius is a world without any sort of mass media. No Internet, no TV, no newspapers. From memory, I don't even think they have the printing press. Portrait painting probably exists, but I can't imagine that Ike is the sort to want to sit around for hours and get painted. So how many people would actually know what Ike looked like? Basically only people who have actually met him in person, which is not that many. Other random soldiers probably saw him a little, but probably not enough to really remember his appearance in detail. So I think it's entirely plausible for him to be able to just disappear into obscurity if that's what he wants to do.

As for whether it was actually a satisfying ending for him... eh. I don't think it was terrible? I'm also not really a big fan of the little text epilogues that FE has for all its characters, so I mostly just ignore them and headcanon my own instead. I don't think Ike's is notably worse than others, though. He probably wouldn't want to stick around and play politics afterwards. The problem, if anything, is just the shift in perspective. The epilogues are from the perspective of history. It's what gets recorded in scholarly books years after the fact. Whereas for the game up to that point, we've had a more intimate perspective, from the PoV of Micaiah, Elincia and Ike. So I can see how that shift could be jarring, but it isn't something I personally cared about. If anything, I like that it's open-ended so I can head anon whatever I want without being contradicted.

Fun fact, there is physical evidence portrait painting exists in Tellius, Oliver has a portrait of himself in the 4-4 map!

[Jotari]

I find Ike's ending in Radiant Dawn completely in character for him. He is consistently not enamoured by the celebrity of becoming famous. He's already done it once before, PoR ends with him becoming a Crimean noble which he very quickly gets sick of and vanishes from the public eye until they save Lucia. Becoming the most famous man on the continent is definitely something he'd run away from. The only questionable thing is him leaving the other mercs, but, like, they have their own lives and ambitions too independent of Ike. And Soren and Ranulf can follow him if you A support.

Edited September 10, 2023 by Jotari

[Cryel731]

I didn't say that you couldn't have interpretative endings. Some of the best endings are interpretative, but there is a difference between like The Godfather ending and saying that Michael Corleone keels over and dies in an unknown location somewhere... (Which is what happened).

I guess interpreting the ending would be nice. Or could be nice.
I would like to see that interdimensional Ike ending.

My problem comes with the fact that it is in the script that he f**ks off. You can have the Casablanca style ending. Which is fine. ("This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship" final line from that movie). And then there is like some guy, 200 years later saying "Oh yeah, Ike, we have no idea where he went".

I could do without the endings, really.

I guess for example, Volke. It makes sense that he would just simply disappear. But for me the difference comes from the text itself telling me this information instead of me coming to that conclusion myself.

Granted, I could ignore it. But this is Ike. I'm waging war on Nintendo HQ for a 20 year old game.

Given the plausibility that Ike would run away from his fame and glory and go find adventure. I could probably see that. I cannot see the idea that he is gone completely. If the ending read "He went to find adventure and [was never seen again]" my reaction would not be as strong.
To me that is less interpretative and more the writer saying "ah who cares lol I'm getting payed ¥7.50 an hour".
He was never seen again may as well be "Insert Text Here".

I forgot about Priam. He was accessible only through a hack for the 3DS. I almost completely ignored it. It was the first game I played. When I got to Priam it was like the 3rd playthrough. The Awakening Spotpass paralogues basically break the plot. So, Emmeryn and Gangrel. So I would say that is pretty dubious. I guess it's a happier ending?
I didn't even know Priam was maybe probably Ike's descendant.

I like Ike the most. His type of heroism is not the typical "Hero Archetype". I guess that may go to Marth the most.
If Ike and Marth were confronted with some god like villain, and this God decided to give a long winded monologue on whatever. Marth would reply with a speech about hope and friendship or something. My guy Ike would probably cut him short and instead say "You talk too much".

His approach for me with the Black Knight as for heroism is that he no longer needed revenge. He was calm and had found peace with it (I think). All he wanted was to have closure with it. He had no malice toward him anymore. Overcoming anger is more heroic to me I guess. 
Ike does not think so much about morality. He just does what he knows is right. I think that is one of the major themes.
Among the constantly debating nobility and pantomiming double faces, Ike does not care. 
He doesn't play politics or tea time and speaks his mind.

Within character, I suppose that he could go somewhere and seek another adventure. That would be fine by me. However, 
The script is headcanon's worst enemy.

 

Edit: About Elincia. Like I've said, I don't think they have to get married to be together. There is also unfortunately never a clear explanation on their relationship on whether or not they have feelings. There is also the fact that Elincia's uncle is still alive. He is the rightful heir. She may not want to, and neither would her uncle, but she could concede the crown. In the beginning this was more likely to happen I think. Perhaps not later on. Even after Radiant Dawn, the nobility is probably still undermining her authority. Her uncle's presence could minimize that, but I don't know. 

Edited September 10, 2023 by Cryel731

[Eltosian Kadath]

13 minutes ago, Cryel731 said:

 

Given the plausability that Ike would run away from his fame and glory and go find adventure. I could probably see that. I cannot see the idea that he is gone completely. If the ending read "He went to find adventure and [was never seen again]" my reaction would not be as strong.
To me that is less interpretative and more the writer saying "ah who cares lol I'm getting payed ¥7.50 an hour".
He was never seen again may as well be "Insert Text Here".

Seeing as his ending is:

Quote

Ike

Once he saw stability returned, Ike left on a journey to lands still unknown. He was never seen again.

It really isn't that far off from your hypothetical there. Ike is journeying into the mysteries of unexplored land, and never returns to share what he discovered with the lands Tellius.

[Etrurian emperor]

I never really liked Ike's ending since I'm never fond of the ''this character disapears without a trace!'' sort of endings. It seems a lazy way of saying ''we couldn't think of anything better so you just imagine what happens to them!'' 

I do sorta like him not ending up with Elincia. Given her personality Elincia would never abandon Crimea, and given his personality Ike would be miserable as king. It just wouldn't work. Regardless of their dynamic I think them not ending up together is the most logical outcome for them.

 

[vanguard333]

I should point out that Path of Radiance is my favourite video game of all time, and Ike is one of my favourite video game protagonists (tied with Link from The Legend of Zelda).

While I really liked Radiant Dawn overall, Ike's ending is easily one of my least favourite things about it. Ike abruptly leaving everything and disappearing forever is generic, out-of-nowhere, out-of-character and just plain dumb. Knowing Ike and how much he would want to preserve Greil's style of swordsmanship, I figured he'd become a swordsmanship teacher or something like that; something believable.

I also didn't like Ike and Elincia's fantastic dynamic from Path of Radiance being abruptly dropped in Radiant Dawn. However, apparently, the heavily-implied romance between them in Path of Radiance was exclusive to the North American localization and was not in the original Japanese version; hence it not being continued in Radiant Dawn. With that in mind, I understand the decision to drop it in Radiant Dawn, but it still means that Path of Radiance is a game where I outright prefer the changes made in the localization.

But yeah, even with the knowledge that Ike and Elincia apparently was never a thing in the original version of Path of Radiance, Elincia ending up with Geoffrey in Radiant Dawn was really weird and a bit dumb. They're foster-siblings and they came across way too much as siblings to me for me to buy the idea of a romance between them, and I say that as someone who defends the Sothe & Micaiah romance.

[FlamesOfRagnell]

I love Ike's ending because it seems like he just had enough of the bullshit going on constantly in Tellius, he just said "fuck this shit I'm out." After all, he accomplished what he set out to do on a personal level. His business with the Black Knight is finished and his friends are safe from the ultimate threat. It's up to interpretation whether he goes on to fight for the little guy against bandits and whatnot, or just lives quietly from then on. 

 

As for the Elincia thing, I thought that relationship would have made sense but being with Soren also makes sense, if you believe the implications (I do). 

[Cryel731]

I think my feelings for Elincia and Ike are particularly strong. The fact that they didn't follow up on the dynamic, even if not romantically. Is bizarre to me.

The problem that I noticed (It may just be me), is that I think Elincia is just kind of sidelined from the story completely. They are "trying" to do the multiple perspectives thing, but the problem is that Radiant Dawn is mostly "The Micaiah Show". Ike is a (large) supporting character, and Elincia is there sometimes.

I feel like learning that Ike and Elincia was not a thing in the JP version does something to me I didn't want.
Even if that was the case, it does feel like she was mostly absent from the story. I also don't think there was a reason not to do it. Changes like that from the JP to American versions a lot of the time from what I see become permanent mainstays.
Even if the reason is just because it was not in the JP version. Her presence for me feels shortened. By extension her dynamic feels more like it was cut rather than just absent.

As for Ike leaving, it does become difficult to argue the interpretative approach. A lot of ideas can also get distorted that way.
I do like to believe he goes and does something big. The problem does come from the wording itself.

If the text reads "Once he saw stability returned, Ike left on a journey to lands still unknown. He was never seen again."

Translation is "He got bored, pissed off to an unknown location. idk lol"

You could change the wording a little bit so it does not sound so indecisive. The problem is also how short the statements are.

At the very least there could have been effort put into it. A cool GCI cutscene of Ike getting a mission from a far away land. With Soren and Titania present (at least them).
And then he walks away into the sunset or whatever after accepting. 
That's like the same idea, just presented in a way that is much more conclusive and palatable.

[Cryel731]

Nintendo, please hire me.

I'll write your script.

[Jotari]

2 hours ago, Cryel731 said:

I think my feelings for Elincia and Ike are particularly strong. The fact that they didn't follow up on the dynamic, even if not romantically. Is bizarre to me.

The problem that I noticed (It may just be me), is that I think Elincia is just kind of sidelined from the story completely. They are "trying" to do the multiple perspectives thing, but the problem is that Radiant Dawn is mostly "The Micaiah Show". Ike is a (large) supporting character, and Elincia is there sometimes.

I feel like learning that Ike and Elincia was not a thing in the JP version does something to me I didn't want.
Even if that was the case, it does feel like she was mostly absent from the story. I also don't think there was a reason not to do it. Changes like that from the JP to American versions a lot of the time from what I see become permanent mainstays.
Even if the reason is just because it was not in the JP version. Her presence for me feels shortened. By extension her dynamic feels more like it was cut rather than just absent.

As for Ike leaving, it does become difficult to argue the interpretative approach. A lot of ideas can also get distorted that way.
I do like to believe he goes and does something big. The problem does come from the wording itself.

If the text reads "Once he saw stability returned, Ike left on a journey to lands still unknown. He was never seen again."

Translation is "He got bored, pissed off to an unknown location. idk lol"

You could change the wording a little bit so it does not sound so indecisive. The problem is also how short the statements are.

At the very least there could have been effort put into it. A cool GCI cutscene of Ike getting a mission from a far away land. With Soren and Titania present (at least them).
And then he walks away into the sunset or whatever after accepting. 
That's like the same idea, just presented in a way that is much more conclusive and palatable.

By GCI, I assume you mean a CG (computer generated) cutscene. In which case I have to I form you that, yes, the game already has that. An image of Ike walking away with Ettard instead of Ragnell is the very last thing you see.

Ike being sidelined for Micaiah is also the exact opposite of the complaint most people towards Radiant Dawn.

[Zapp Branniglenn]

It's unrequited love, plain and simple. It sucks for Elincia, but Ike never shown any romantic affection for her. They're lifelong pals, but I feel like by the events of Radiant Dawn Elincia had grown out of it anyway.

I can't speak to why precisely Ike leaves. Sure you could point out there's no more work for a merc when the land is at peace. But him leaving the company and his only surviving family behind implies to me that he abandons mercenary work in search of something loftier. And if we never hear from him again, I'm guessing he found it. Door's still open for IS to make a new fire emblem game in a unique universe only for an older, grizzlier Ike to show up and steal the show. Fire Emblem: Final Radiance.

[Cryel731]

6 hours ago, Zapp Branniglenn said:

Door's still open for IS to make a new fire emblem game in a unique universe only for an older, grizzlier Ike to show up and steal the show. Fire Emblem: Final Radiance.

Interdimensional Ike goes on to battle Fire Emblem's Thanos. haha I love it. I wanna see it. 

 

Edit: Don't say it already exists. It doesn't. You're imagining things. I need like 20 movies building up to it first.

Edited September 12, 2023 by Cryel731

[Original Alear]

20 hours ago, Jotari said:

By GCI, I assume you mean a CG (computer generated) cutscene. In which case I have to I form you that, yes, the game already has that. An image of Ike walking away with Ettard instead of Ragnell is the very last thing you see.

Ike being sidelined for Micaiah is also the exact opposite of the complaint most people towards Radiant Dawn.

Shit, I never noticed that it was Ettard instead of Ragnell in particular. I'm kinda glad I still hang out around here over things like this.

Oh, for a second I fooled myself and I thought you meant Alondite instead of Ragnell rather than Ettard instead of Ragnell, because apparently my brain went Japanese on me and assumed you meant JP Ettard (which is Alondite in US in case anyone doesn't know).

If they had for some reason had Ike wielding the BK's sword instead of his own 18 might proof, I would've wondered why forever.

Edited September 12, 2023 by Original Alear

[Jotari]

4 hours ago, Original Alear said:

Shit, I never noticed that it was Ettard instead of Ragnell in particular. I'm kinda glad I still hang out around here over things like this.

Oh, for a second I fooled myself and I thought you meant Alondite instead of Ragnell rather than Ettard instead of Ragnell, because apparently my brain went Japanese on me and assumed you meant JP Ettard (which is Alondite in US in case anyone doesn't know).

If they had for some reason had Ike wielding the BK's sword instead of his own 18 might proof, I would've wondered why forever.

Yeah that was a real weird move by the localizers. Part of me thinks the Japanese included his Radiant Dawn weapon just to fuck with the localizers.

[Original Alear]

55 minutes ago, Jotari said:

Yeah that was a real weird move by the localizers. Part of me thinks the Japanese included his Radiant Dawn weapon just to fuck with the localizers.

Oh. I just realized. Ike and Zelgius getting their swords named after Arthurian maidens...obviously it means they're married to swords/warfare/phallic symbols and they'll never fall in romantic love with a woman. Besides Aimee.

Edited September 12, 2023 by Original Alear

[Jotari]

1 hour ago, Original Alear said:

Oh. I just realized. Ike and Zelgius getting their swords named after Arthurian maidens...obviously it means they're married to swords/warfare/phallic symbols and they'll never fall in romantic love with a woman. Besides Aimee.

I really don't know what localizers are thinking when they do stuff like that. Like when you get a really foreign name and you change it to something more English sounding, fair enough. When you have something that sounds foreign for a Japanese audience but too generic for an English one, like Hyrda->Anankos, fair enough. When you have something that is trying to be English in Japanese and changing it to more accurate English, fair enough. But why change one perfectly understandable English reference to another English reference. I wonder when we eventually get an Iago in Japanese will they change him to Macbeth.

[Original Alear]

14 minutes ago, Jotari said:

I really don't know what localizers are thinking when they do stuff like that. Like when you get a really foreign name and you change it to something more English sounding, fair enough. When you have something that sounds foreign for a Japanese audience but too generic for an English one, like Hyrda->Anankos, fair enough. When you have something that is trying to be English in Japanese and changing it to more accurate English, fair enough. But why change one perfectly understandable English reference to another English reference. I wonder when we eventually get an Iago in Japanese will they change him to Macbeth.

Well apparently they did that (I didn't know that) in Fates. And there's also Macbeth from Seisen no Keifu IIRC. Assuming they do an FE4 remake, it'd be great if they called him Iago in English as well!