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Falchion (Archanea)
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Falchion (Japanese: ファルシオン Falchion) is a regalia sword introduced in Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light. It is widely known and revered as the "blade of light" of Archanea, and it was forged by the Divine Dragon ruler Naga for mankind in order to better protect themselves against the threat of rogue dragons. It was adopted by the kingdom of Altea as one of their national treasures following its use against the Earth Dragon Medeus by the kingdom's founder, Anri, and has in the centuries since been famously used by several of Anri's descendants: Marth the Hero-King, the founder of Ylisse, and Chrom and Lucina of Ylisse.
History
In Archanea
1100 years prior to the events of Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light, and 500 years prior to the formation of the Kingdom of Archanea, it was forged by Naga from one of her own fangs along with the Binding Shield, in case mankind ever needed to defend itself from dragons, and was placed in the Fane of Raman with the Shield and Tiki, his newly-born daughter. In the year 498, during the fifth year of Medeus's reign of terror on the world, the hero Anri travelled to the Ice Dragon Temple under the guidance of Gotoh to obtain the blade, and used it to kill Medeus and end the Dolhr empire.
After the fall of Dolhr, Anri founded the kingdom of Altea, and Falchion became one of its ancestral relics, passed down through the successive kings until, one hundred years later, it belonged to Cornelius, the fourth king. In the year 602, at the onset of the War of Shadows and Medeus's revival, Cornelius departed with the blade with the intent of fulfilling his destiny as Anri's descendant, but was killed in Gra's betrayal. Gharnef took the blade and kept it safe for the majority of the war. Two years later, the blade was retrieved from Gharnef's corpse by Marth, Cornelius's son, who used it to slay Medeus for the second time.
In the year 607, in the initiating act of the War of Heroes, the forces of the Holy Empire of Archanea invaded and conquered Altea while Prince Marth was on an expedition in Grust, and the blade was again taken by the resurrected Gharnef. It was not recovered until the last moments of the war where Gharnef was slain again, and from there Marth used it to again slay Medeus, now resurrected as a Shadow Dragon.
As the following millennia passed, Falchion's divine blessing waned over time, and the blade began to decay and lose its durability; as a result, it was continually repaired over the ages, with the hilt coming to take an entirely different shape as a result of these repairs.[1] Eventually, it came into the possession of the royal family of Ylisse, the descendants of Marth, and was used by the nation's founder to defeat the Fell Dragon Grima.
By the time of Fire Emblem Awakening, this weakened Falchion (Japanese: 封剣ファルシオン Sealed Sword Falchion) was inherited by Chrom, Ylisse's prince, and used in his wars against Plegia, Valm and the Grimleal; its full power was unsealed by Naga herself to facilitate Grima's defeat, transforming it into the Exalted Falchion. A second time-displaced incarnation of Falchion, dubbed the Parallel Falchion, was brought back by Chrom's daughter Lucina from her disastrous future. One specific DLC chapter in Fates includes Chrom as an NPC, wielding the weaker state Falchion therein.
In Valentia
An identical but different Falchion exists on Valentia, forged by the dark god Duma for King Rudolf to use to imprison the earth goddess Mila. This Falchion eventually became the property of Alm, who used it to slay Duma.
Stats
Game | Icon | Level | Might | Weight | Hit | Crit | Range | Uses | Worth | WEXP | Other effects and notes |
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Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light | Sword: --* | 10 | 3 | 100 | 0 | 1 | Infinite | Cannot be sold | -- | Deals effective damage to Medeus. Negates damage from non-Manakete direct attacks. Can be used as an item to restore HP to the user. | |
Gaiden | Sword: --* | 10 | 0 | 80 | 0 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | Deals effective damage to monster classes. Restores 5 HP to the user per turn. When Duma is at 52 HP or less, it is the only weapon capable of damaging him. | |
Mystery of the Emblem | Sword: --* | 10 | 10 | 100 | 0 | 1 | Infinite | Cannot be sold | -- | Deals effective damage to dragon units. | |
Shadow Dragon [1] | E* | 12 | 7 | 100 | 0 | 1 | Infinite | Cannot be sold | 2 | Deals effective damage to dragon units and Earth Dragons. Can be used as an item to restore 10 HP. | |
Shadow Dragon [2] | E* | 7 | 9 | 90 | 0 | 1 | Infinite | Cannot be sold | 2 | Deals effective damage to dragon units and Earth Dragons. Can be used as an item to restore 10 HP to the user. | |
New Mystery of the Emblem | E* | 12 | -- | 100 | 0 | 1 | Infinite | Cannot be sold | 2 | Deals effective damage to dragon units and Shadow Dragons. Can be used as an item to restore 10 HP to the user. | |
Awakening | File:Is 3ds falchion.png | Template:Sword3DS E* | 5 | -- | 80 | 0 | 1 | Infinite | Cannot be sold | 2 | Deals effective damage to dragon units. |
Locations
Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, Shadow Dragon [1]
Dropped | Chapter 23, enemy Gharnef |
Gaiden
Treasure | Chapter 5, chest in Duma's Tower, Basement 1 |
Mystery of the Emblem, New Mystery of the Emblem
Dropped | Final-2/Chapter 23, enemy Gharnef |
Shadow Dragon [2]
Event | Chapter 24x, closing cutscene |
Awakening
Inventory | Chrom |
Fates
Unobtainable | Exclusively wielded by the NPC Chrom in Encounter with Awakening |
Other appearances
Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem (anime)
In a flashback in the first episode, Prince of Aritia, Cornelius was the bearer of Falchion (rendered in the English dub as Falcion) as in the games during the Gra betrayal. He attempted to use it to fight Gharnef, but failed and was slain. The anime's visual depiction of Falchion differs greatly from the games' depictions: its hilt is a steel-blue with a gold blade, and the sword crackles with electricity as Cornelius unsheaths it. During his attack on Gharnef, Cornelius uses it to parry some of the Imhullu tendrils launched at him.
Kirby Super Star and Kirby Super Star Ultra
In "The Great Cave Offensive", Falchion appears as one of several obtainable treasures referencing other Nintendo franchises, worth 325,000 gold. In the English version of Super Star, it was just called "Sword" as it predated the international presence of the Fire Emblem franchise; the name "Falchion" was restored to it in Super Star Ultra, the game's remake.
Super Smash Bros. series
Marth wields the Mystery of the Emblem version of Falchion in his appearances as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. All of Marth's moves, save for his pummel and throws, utilize Falchion to swipe or stab to attack. In Smash Bros., Falchion has a sweet spot at the very tip of the blade, and blows Marth inflicts with Falchion's tip - commonly referred to as "tippers" - deal greater damage and far greater knockback than attacks with any other part of the blade. Falchion's sweet spot and length are crucial parts of Marth's gameplay, and the location of Falchon's sweetspot is in contrast to Roy, whose Binding Blade has its sweet spot in its center, and to Lucina, whose Parallel Falchion lacks a sweet spot and so deals even damage across the blade.
Falchion makes several other appearances in Super Smash Bros. in various roles. The silhouette of the Mystery version of Falchion is used by the games as the icon representing the Fire Emblem series as a whole. Additionally, Chrom wields his version of Falchion from Awakening in his appearance in Robin's Final Smash, Pair Up. Lucina also wields her Falchion variant, the Parallel Falchion, in her playable appearance.
Monster Hunter: Frontier G
As part of the Chrom and Lucina armor set crossover promotion, the Wii U version of Monster Hunter: Frontier G features Falchion as a usable weapon. Chrom's armor set is accompanied by his basic Falchion (Japanese: 封剣ファルシオンI Sealed Sword Falchion I), while Lucina's armor set instead gets her Parallel Falchion variant (Japanese: 裏剣ファルシオンI Reverse Sword Falchion I); both are paired with the Fire Emblem as a shield and single-handed sword set.
Code Name: S.T.E.A.M
Marth wields Falchion in his guest appearance in Code Name: S.T.E.A.M., and Lucina wields her Parallel Falchion in Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. as well. [2]
Trivia
- As part of a promotional campaign for the US release of Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon, Nintendo of America commissioned the firm OlliN Sword Design to produce a life-size replica of Falchion. The sword was made with a stainless steel blade and a bronze guard, pommel and grip with embedded carnelian and lapis gems, measures 45 1/2 inches (115 centimeters), and is reportedly so heavy that raising it is a challenge.[3] It is uncertain how many were produced, although the quantity is presumably very small. One of these Falchion replicas was given away in a promotional raffle at Nintendo's Shadow Dragon booth at Anime Boston 2009,[4] and another surfaced six years later in a tweet by Nintendo of America, as part of a joke talking about the New Nintendo 3DS.[5]
- Tyrfing, a regalia sword appearing in games after Falchion's introduction, bears a distinct resemblance to Falchion in both of its designs: its original Genealogy of the Holy War design is very similar to the Mystery of the Emblem version of Falchion, and its Awakening redesign similarly bears a great resemblance to Falchion's Awakening redesign. However, the design of Falchion in the DS remakes differs greatly; it is possible they did this to distance Falchion from Tyrfing
Gallery
Artwork of Falchion from Mystery of the Emblem.
Artwork of Falchion from Shadow Dragon.
Artwork of Falchion from Awakening.
Marth wielding Falchion in Shadow Dragon's opening sequence.
Marth killing a Fire Dragon with Falchion in Shadow Dragon's opening.
Marth wielding Falchion in Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light.
Marth wielding Falchion in Mystery of the Emblem.
Non-canon
Marth wielding Falchion in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
Marth wielding Falchion in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
Marth wielding Falchion in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
Falchion and the Fire Emblem in Monster Hunter: Frontier G.
Etymology and other languages
Names, etymology, and in other regions | ||
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Language | Name | Definition, etymology, and notes |
English |
• Falchion |
• A falchion is a medieval single-edged sword reminiscent of a scimitar or dao. It should be noted that Falchion does not resemble an actual falchion at all. This name is used in all appearances from Super Smash Bros. Melee onward. |
Spanish |
Falchion |
As above. |
French |
Falchion |
As above. |
German |
Falchion |
As above. |
Italian |
Falchion |
As above. |
Russian |
фальшион |
Falchion. Used only in the Russian version of Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, as no Fire Emblem game has as yet been officially released in the region. |
Korean |
팔시온 |
Falchion; a transliteration of the English/Japanese name. Used only in the Korean version of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, as no Fire Emblem games have been released in South Korea as of yet. |
References
- ↑ "Owain: Hark! Your partner fang resists the remorseless arrow of time! It is infused with the breath of gods and the passion of ages. Should a thousand thousand years pass, it shall never know the red sleep!
Lucina: That one is simple. Falchion's blade will never dull or rust no matter how much time passes.
Owain: But where fang meets sinew, Falchion remains a mortal work. Even genius cannot hope to stop the turning of the great wheel! And so it is reborn with each generation; transformed, butever the same in spirit.
Lucina: Hmm... But parts of the sword other than the blade DO wear out over time. The guard and pommel have been replaced over the years, changing its appearance. But it remains Falchion still." — Owain and Lucina, Fire Emblem Awakening - ↑ Nintendo Direct 1.14.2015 (YouTube video), , Published: 14 January, 2015, Retrieved: 25 January, 2015
- ↑ Grzybowski, M., Custom Shop presents: Nintendo Fire Emblem Replica Sword, OlliN Sword Design, Published: November 27, 2010, Retrieved: February 14, 2015
- ↑ Pandalicious, Fire Emblem Interactive!, Electric Sista Hood, Published: May 27, 2009, Retrieved: February 14, 2015
- ↑ Nintendo of America, Pick up a New Nintendo #3DS XL? Here's a tip on how to (and how NOT to) access your memory card:, Twitter, Published: February 14, 2015, Retrieved: February 14, 2015
See also
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Fire Emblem Gaiden | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem: Heroes of Light and Shadow | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Fire Emblem Awakening | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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