Anima
- For the affinity, see Anima (affinity).
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.[1] Anima magic can be further divided into four types of magic: fire, thunder, wind, and ice.[2][3]
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.[4] The equivalent Japanese text says "ice" instead of "rain", and it presumably refers to Fimbulvetr.[2] This was corrected in the manual of The Sacred Stones, which replaces "rain" with "ice".[3]
Etymology and other languages
Names, etymology, and in other regions | ||
---|---|---|
Language | Name | Definition, etymology, and notes |
English |
• Anima |
• Latin: life. This name is used in dialogue, the help description of the weapon level, and weapon help descriptions in The Sacred Stones. |
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. |
References
- ↑ "Canas: ...Ahh, anima magic is quite wondrous... Its polished magic system and refined theory are quite elegant...
Nino: Oh yeah?
Canas: My wife and I are magic users like yourself. When I look at one of my wife's tomes, it truly lightens my heart... Anima is the magic of nature... This communion with the spirit of all things unleashes the heart. This magic makes us feel free..." — Canas and Nino, Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade - ↑ 2.0 2.1 "
理 とは、炎 ・雷 ・風 ・氷 の魔 法 のことを指 します。" — Manual, page 55, Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade
"「理 」とは、炎 ・雷 ・風 ・氷 の魔 法 を指 します。" — Japanese manual, page 31, Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade
"「理 」とは炎 ・雷 ・風 ・氷 の魔 法 を指 します。" — Japanese manual, page 37, Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones - ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Anima is made up of fire, thunder, wind, and ice." — North American manual, page 39, Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
- ↑ "Anima is made up of fire, thunder, wind, and rain." — North American manual, page 35, Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade
See also
Weapon types | ||||||
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Anima magic | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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