Anima

For the affinity, see Anima (affinity).

Nino casting Fimbulvetr, a powerful ice-based anima spell, in Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade.

Anima magic or nature magic (Japanese: 理 reason) is a weapon category in the Fire Emblem series and one of its three primary types of offensive magic. This magical discipline is centered around communion with and mastery of the forces of nature itself, is chiefly associated with Mages and Sages, and its structure and approach to spell-casting is described by Canas as being elegant and refined with a sense of freedom to it. Anima magic can be further divided into four types of magic: fire, thunder, wind, and ice.

The anima weapon category in and of itself exists only in the three Game Boy Advance Fire Emblem games: The Binding Blade, The Blazing Blade and The Sacred Stones. Otherwise, anima magic exists primarily as its three subcategories—fire, thunder, and wind (ice being rolled into wind)—in Genealogy of the Holy War, Thracia 776, Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn. In the Game Boy Advance games, the anima hierarchy is comprised of a selection of tomes from all of its subcategories, and statistically are differentiated from the rival schools of light and dark magic by the average stats of each anima tome: anima tomes are balanced in their might, weight and hit and thus are fairly simple and straightforward to use, in this regard being something of a magical counterpart to lances.

Both as its own weapon category and in the form of its four separate subcategories, anima magic is affected by the trinity of magic determining weapon type superiority. In the Game Boy Advance games and Radiant Dawn, all anima spells share the same Trinity relationship with light and dark magic: anima spells have an advantage over light spells, but are disadvantaged against dark spells. Additionally, the three subcategories are governed by their own trinity structure in Genealogy, Thracia 776, Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn: wind beats thunder, thunder beats fire, and fire beats wind. In Radiant Dawn, both Trinities of Magic come into play simultaneously for anima magic.

Anima magic in the Fire Emblem series

Weapon	Available in:																	Notes
	FE01	FE02	FE03	FE04	FE05	FE06	FE07	FE08	FE09	FE10	FE11	FE12	FE13	FE14	FE15	FE16	FE17
Fire	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	Classified as fire, black magic, or a tome in other games.
Thunder	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	Classified as thunder, black magic, or a tome in other games.
Fimbulvetr	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	Classified as a tome or black magic in other games.
Elfire	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	Classified as fire or a tome in other games.
Aircalibur	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	Deals bonus damage to flying units. Unused in The Sacred Stones under the name "Alacalibur".
Bolting	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	Extended range, cannot be countered. Classified as thunder or black magic in other games.
Forblaze	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	+5 resistance when equipped. Exclusive to Athos in Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade.
Giga Excalibur	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	--
Excalibur	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	Classified as black magic or a tome in other games.
A ✓ means that the weapon is available in that game, while a ✗ indicates the contrary.

Classes capable of using anima magic

There are 8 different classes which have been able to wield anima magic as a distinct weapon type at any point in the series.

Class	Wields anima magic in:																	Notes
	FE01	FE02	FE03	FE04	FE05	FE06	FE07	FE08	FE09	FE10	FE11	FE12	FE13	FE14	FE15	FE16	FE17
Mage	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	--
Sage	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	--
Valkyrie	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	--
Archsage	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	--
Dark Druid	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	--
Pupil	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	--
Mage Knight	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	--
Druid	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	--
A ✓ means that the class wields anima magic in that game, while a ✗ indicates the contrary.

Trivia

• The North American manual for Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade claimed that the anima category contains rain-related magic, which does not exist in any Fire Emblem game. The equivalent Japanese text says "ice" instead of "rain", and it presumably refers to Fimbulvetr. This was corrected in the manual of The Sacred Stones, which replaces "rain" with "ice".

Etymology and other languages

Names, etymology, and in other regions
Language	Name	Definition, etymology, and notes
English	• Anima • Nature	• Latin: life. This name is used in dialogue, the help description of the weapon level, and weapon help descriptions in The Sacred Stones. • This name is used only in help descriptions of weapons in The Blazing Blade.
Japanese	理	"Reason", "natural order". The Binding Blade's manual prescribes the ri reading of the kanji, while the manuals of The Blazing Blade and The Sacred Stones prescribe the kotowari reading. The Binding Blade's in-game text, however, also prescribes the kotowari reading.
Spanish	Ánima	Anima
French	Nature	As above.
German	Natur	Nature
Italian	Anima	As above.

See also

• Fire
• Thunder
• Wind
• Tome