As with most previous entries in the tactical strategy seriesFire Emblem,the upcomingFire Emblem Engageintroduces a brand-new protagonist: the Divine Dragon Alear. InFire Emblem Engage,Alear will team up with heroes from previousFire Emblemgames to save the realm of Elyos from the looming threat of the Fell Dragon. While many fans are excited about the upcoming title, others have expressed uncertainty regarding Alear’s character design, which differs greatly from the protagonists of otherFire Emblemgames.
While Alear’s role - a Divine Dragon fighting to save their kingdom - is fairly normal byFire Emblemstandards, their design is a little more out there. Alear has split hair that is bright blue on one side and bright red on the other. They also have heterochromia, with one red eye and one blue eye. Like the previous titlesFire Emblem Awakening, Fates, Three Houses,andThree Hopes,players will be able to choose between a male and female version of Alear. Both versions possess the divided hair and eyes that have provoked mixed responses among fans of the series.
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It’s “Too Much” For Fire Emblem
Some fans have pointed out that Alear’s brightly colored design is unusual byFire Emblemstandards, and described it as feeling like “too much.” They argue that the design is naturally eye-catching and draws attention away from the other playable characters, who have plainer and more normal designs. However, a different group of fans disagrees, arguing that hair and eyes with unnatural colors have been present in theFire Emblemseries since the very beginning. The first game in the series,Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light,featured the iconic blue-haired protagonist,Marth, who has gone on to become one of the series' most recognizable characters.
While unusual hair colors are not uncommon inFire Emblemgames, split-colored hair is significantly more unusual. Very few characters in the series have had two-tone hair; the most notable examples are blue-and-pink hairedPeri fromFire Emblem Fatesand the green-and-white haired Heath fromFire Emblem: The Blazing Blade.Alear’s status as a Divine Dragon may explain their hair and eye colors - previous Divine Dragons have had unusual hair colors including green, white, and pale blue. Alternately, their hair could turn out to be plot relevant, such as the pure white hair sported byFire Emblem: Three Houses’Edelgard and Lysithea.
It Resembles an Idol or Vtuber
Shortly after the initial trailer forFire Emblem Engagewas revealed during the recent Nintendo Direct livestream event, fans began comparing Alear’s design to an idol singer or VTuber, a type of virtual YouTuber who streams using a digital avatar rather than showing their actual face. This comparison may be apt, as Mika Pikazo, who designed Alear, previously created the avatars for a number of VTubers, including Hakos Baelz and Kaguya Luna. Pikazo also designed theFate/grand ordercharacter Sei Shounagon, who has the same red-and-blue split hair color as Alear.
The comparisons between Alear and an idol singer have also led fans to bring upTokyo Mirage Sessions #FE,a previousFire Emblemspinoff title that was made in collaboration with developer Atlus and brought in elements from theShin Megami TenseiandPersonaseries. The protagonists ofTokyo Mirage Sessions#FEall worked in the entertainment industry and included several idol singers as well as actors and even the host of a cooking show. Because the characters are performers, they all have colorful and eye-catching designs; theFire Emblemcharacters they pair with in battle are also given new, more elaborate makeovers for this game.
It’s Become the Source of Memes
Fans were quick to take to social media with memes and jokes regarding Alear’s heterochromia and two-tone hair. Their appearance has been compared to the toothpaste, Pepsi-Cola, and the American flag. In particular, they have been jokingly portrayed as an enemy ofEdelgard fromFire Emblem: Three Houses,as Edelgard loathes her world’s Crest system and Alear resembles Crest brand toothpaste. If Alear can be renamed by the player, many have already decided to call them “Pepsi,” “Toothpaste,” or “VTuber” in their playthroughs ofFire Emblem Engage.
It is possible that fans will change their opinions regarding Alear when more information is released. AsFire Emblem Engageis not scheduled to release until early 2023, it is likely that more trailers and information about other characters will be revealed over the next several months. It is even possible that Alear will not be the only playable character inFire Emblem Engagewith a unique design and two-tone hair or eyes. Until then, Alear and their distinct, eye-catching design will likely remain a popular topic of conversation on social media.
Fire Emblem Engagewill release on June 01, 2025 for the Nintendo Switch.
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