Ranking EVERY Fire Emblem Box Art!

[@mauricesteel4995]

7:50 there is the blantant symbolism here on the cover is while Seliph occupies the most space on the cover, he is illuminated by the knight shining above, Sigurd, because thats how Gen2 works, you harvest the fruit of Sigurd's many friendships he formed to defeat evil once and for all. Sigurd is shining so hard in this picture, almost like he is the sun who lights the path Seliph follows.

[@nessdbest8708]

I recognize you!

[@Allukard353]

Thanks for putting my thoughts into words for me lol. I felt like it was a sort of 'all Sigurd has done being propped up, and he serves as an important figure even past his death' thing. Still need to play the game, but that's the feeling I got.

[@gundamuser]

@@nessdbest8708i feel like i see you everywhere

[@brandonwilliams6119]

I remember you from Mangs livestreams!

[@nessdbest8708]

@@brandonwilliams6119 same

[@greatdane7252]

10:37 The Wyvern Rider actually is Deen. The one on the far left is Fergus.

[@BigKlingy]

@@greatdane7252 Yeah I kinda noticed that in editing but was packing for my holiday and didn't have time to re record that audio.

[@greatrieck]

I just wanna say as someone watching the video still one of the things I love about the FE4 box art is it showing both Sigurd and Seliph, with Sigurd being in the background not because he isn’t important, but because he represents the legacy of which Selioh is forced to follow. Just my thoughts anyway.

[@BigKlingy]

@@greatrieck Great way of looking at it.

[@greatrieck]

@ as an FE4 fanatic it’s just how I see it. I also had a thought about why Robin wasn’t as prominent on the cover for Awakening: He was not the big sole focus of the story unlike other avatars that come after. With Robin he was the last avatar to while being a major character was still a support character overall to Chrom. Then with Fates that’s when the Avayat was the protagonist? Making you and in turn the avatar the focus.

[@LunarBoo]

If they really needed to add another character from Gaiden, why Valbar and not Clive???

[@BigKlingy]

@@LunarBoo Exactly. Clive is at least kinda plot relevant.

[@wolfherojohnson2766]

Or Lukas

[@ggsrealm5678]

Clive and Lukas aren’t really that important in the original Gaiden. I believe that the only dialogue they have is when they join you. Now, why they chose Valbar when he also only has 1 line of dialogue is beyond me lmao

[@AzumarillConGafasBv]

VALBAR IS COOL

[@brandonwilliams6119]

Gaiden got the biggest glow up with the remake

[@silveracies9876]

As someone who is almost finished a marketing degree, this was a really interesting video. Video game box art is not as talked about as other parts of a game (which is understandable) but it still is very effective. Shadow Dragon & Blade of Light: The right-to-left thing is really neat, as while I am not too much into visual design, I know a similar design philosophy exists in the West (only, left to right). The cape is also really well done. Genealogy: I like this art, as it frames Sigurd over Seliph, with Sigurd being in the middle of the sun - maybe its symbolism on how Sigurd's actions, both positive and negative, affect Seliph and the world at large by the time Part II begins. Path of Radiance: I like how Ike's sword is shining a light against a dark sky taken up by the villains - showing how he opposes their ideology, and how Ike is the light that the main characters will follow. Awakening: I have a theory as to the diagonal lines (besides looking cool). In the final map of the game, you are on Grima's back as it is flying through the sky - and all the characters besides Lucina seem to be falling down. It may also explain why Robin isn't here - if this is set after the killing blow (and Robin dealt it)... would Robin still exist at this moment? Fates: A really cool detail I just caught: remember about reading order? The Western-based Nohr is on the left, and the Japanese-inspired Hoshido is on the right. How do those nations tend to read again? Three Houses: I like how Claude is positioned upside-down, as compared to the rest of the major characters, he is the only one to really question (and thus, get to the truth) surrounding several big mysteries in Fodlan and the Church of Serios - his skepticism is making the story turn on its head. Engage: I almost wish Marth was behind Alear and two of the lords (I'd say pair them as Alfred/Timerra and Diamant/Ivy) were on the left. That way, it doesn't seem like F!Alear was less prominent than M!Alear, it still shows off an emblem, those four characters still get prominence, and it just removes how busy the right side is.

[@BigKlingy]

@@silveracies9876 There's gotta be a ton of effort put into it, and I'm sure a good or bad box can impact a game's sales. Really like your thoughts on PoR, Fates and Genealogy.

[@unoriginal581]

My personal theory for why Robin isn’t on Awakening box art is because they didn’t want players to feel like there was a set design. They wanted people to feel like “Hey, you decide how Robin looks and nothing can tell you otherwise”. Now of course, they could have just used a hooded character but you get the point

[@BigKlingy]

@@unoriginal581 Probably true. Also why all cutscenes are from their perspective. Giving Byleth and Alear fixed designs was a huge help for cutscenes.

[@brandonwilliams6119]

Or maybe because Awakening was seen as a last hurrah until it did numbers, heck even Kris got to be on the Boxart for New Mystery and Kris is the least talked about Avatar. But not as much as Mark FE7

[@megarotom1590]

@@BigKlingyI would argue though that I preferred the awakening method. Idk there was just something very charming about the 1st person cutscenes and the avatar creation I can see why they changed it but I still miss it Admittedly some bias when Robin is still my favorite Avatar to date

[@doppeldipper7111]

Ephraim is wearing pants.

[@aleisterleopold6229]

Fergus is the guy in the far left of Thracia's box art. Deen IS the wyvern rider

[@hansgretl1787]

I like that the weapons of the three house leaders all come together in the middle, symbolizing how they all inevitably get caught up in a conflict with one another.

[@toumabyakuya]

24:47 I feel that the reason why they didn't add Robin to the box art was because they didn't want to create a "canon Robin", they wanted Robin's look and gender to be chosen by the player and for all players to be right when it came to "canon Robin".

[@aidanspence1178]

Didn't stop them doing that with Corrin

[@BigKlingy]

@@toumabyakuya Another comment said something similar. That's also why all the cutscenes are from Robin's first person view. Removing customisation meant they could actually do pre rendered cutscenes for the protagonist I 3H and Engage.

[@toumabyakuya]

@@aidanspence1178 They simply changed their opinion with Fates.

[@forsetimaster0689]

I absolutely love Genealogy's box art. Sigurd (and the gen 1 cast in general) have this aura of mystery around them to the gen 2 cast, either dying before their children were born or leaving and never being seen again. By putting Sigurd in the background behind Seliph, the art perfectly captures that story aspect of how, even indirectly, Sigurd's army and its legacy affect the second half of the story.

[@BigKlingy]

@@forsetimaster0689 Love your user name. And I do agree with this angle... I just wish I'd realised the guy at the bottom was Seliph years ago.

[@Sandstorm_150]

I was just thinking about the prominence of yellow in Thracia's boxart around two weeks ago, and I love it. Makes me think of a picture I'd see in an older history book.

[@BigKlingy]

@@Sandstorm_150 It's cool, I just wonder if yellow as a colour has more significance to the world or Thracia or its themes.

[@wingedjellifish11235]

11:17 I personally really like the palette of Thracia's art. The way the whole scene is kind of washed over with those light gold and cream tones combined with the direction of the shadows makes it look (to me at least) like they're all facing a really bright light source, like a sunrise. It just feels appropriate.

[@BigKlingy]

@@wingedjellifish11235 I'm seeing a lot of love for Thracia here, and I'm very okay with that.

[@unstablepc5913]

I love Shadow Dragon's cover for how batshit insane it is from a marketing standpoint.

[@BigKlingy]

@@unstablepc5913 Hey' let's just have a logo and plain map background! Reminds me of the Kirby cover Sakurai says wasn't great at selling the game, but at least that one had an artistic wood carved look.

[@SteelPokeNinja]

16:40 Pretty sure those are pants, they’re just white so the orange tinge makes them look kinda skin colored 19:56 I think Leonardo and probably Volug are also here too, as you can see an Archer and a Laguz on the other side of the cavalier, it’s just the Archer’s dropped bow seems to block their face and the Laguz is half cut off

[@BigKlingy]

@@SteelPokeNinja 16:40 Yeah the orange-ness of the cover makes them look skin coloured.

[@nicolasbanidol2371]

4:39 the villain in the background is actually the final boss Duma. There is in a trading cardgame where we get a new version of the artwork and it's clearly Duma with his helmet on in his humanoid form.

[@BigKlingy]

@@nicolasbanidol2371 Weird that Duma's human form doesn't appear in the original Gaiden.

[@megarotom1590]

Claude being upside down caused a cascade of memes, 12/10 (Joking ofc)

[@gaius5901]

I love this random obscure ranking of FE box arts Havent seen your videos in a while, but this brought me back You should do more, specifically Fire Emblem related

[@BigKlingy]

I'm going to be doing some Thracia videos pretty soon. Eager to get back to Fire Emblem, I really enjoyed doing Engage last year. (It sucks seeing so much hate or otherwise overlooking of Engage in the broader online community because it's a game I never get tied of)

[@DeadmanNC1]

21:40 Id argue that three houses saw the biggest mainstream success as it sold twice as much as awakening.

[@BigKlingy]

I meant the most mainstream success AT THE TIME. Probably should've said "the first to achieve mainstream success". Also, I guess as someone who was right there during the unexpected Awakening boom (can you believe most FE fans didn't even think it'd get localized?), it's just hard to think of 3H being even bigger.

[@naeshaunedwards7731]

Honestly, I like Azura being in the middle, and think it makes sense. It’s almost as if it’s representing that no matter what side you choose, Azura will follow Corrin and what they think is the right path.

[@BigKlingy]

@@naeshaunedwards7731 Yeah that makes sense. It's just a shame Azura never caught on the way IS probably hoped. These's a lot of speculation as to why, some think she gets blamed for a lot of the controversial plot points like the Throne of Hoshido and Valla Curse. (Since she's the one to explain both)

[@hadoukenfighter]

for the FE10 box art you can see Leo getting destroyed down there, poor dude.

[@brandonwilliams6119]

You really opened my eyes on FE1’s Boxart and made me appreciate it even more, the symbolism of Marth's Cape and seeing all the minor characters in it, Sheeda right next to him, and the whole contrasting with blue and red armies as a way of telling the viewer that this is game about war. FE6 kinda shares the same theming of FE1 not just with character archetypes but also in its Boxart, Lilina is featured next to Roy except Roy doesn’t have that cool symbolism that Marth has with cape.

[@GoonCommander]

Fergus = Manster Dagdar - Violdrake Linoan = Tahra Dorias = Leonster Eyvel = Manster (Return)

[@mauricesteel4995]

14:50 even if Lyn isn't prominent in the story, she is prominent in the game, as not only she is the first one you see and interact with, her story is the first part you are obligated to play, so she does shows up before the other too, to the point of causing something similar to what happened to Terra in FF6, who is also the first character you play as, but isn't the main character of the story at all, but since you spend the first half of the game with her, people get more attached to her in general, to the point that Lyn represents FE7 in Engage, and Terra represents FF6 in Dissidia Final Fantasy.

[@BigKlingy]

@@mauricesteel4995 Agreed on all of this. People like to rag on Lyn's "irrelevance", but that's only true in a superficial sense.

[@ultimateshadow7522]

1:20 You're having fun with this, I can tell! 3:53 **Cries in pain ala Zeke von Genbu** 4:02 "And now it's burned into my brain forever..." 4:29 I could see Myson working. Zeke would be fun, but, you know... 5:02 *In this context. 6:40 Its kind of funny that they hammered out Medeus's current design, despite the fact that it's unused in game. 8:06 I was just about to say that. 10:22 He looks evil. Are we supposed to want him slandered? 12:29 Unfortunate. I wonder why Guinevere isn't here? 14:17 Foreshadowing on the box art? 15:00 I love this description! 15:18 It is kind of amazing that as far as the rest of the world is concerned, none of this even happened. The world could have ended, and no one even knew! 16:37 "I can be fashionable and a badass at the same time!" 16:50 I give them bonus points for warning that Dracozombies are a thing. 17:34 HA! Ashnard got Kellam-ed! 19:49 It's amazing what you can find when you magnify something a thousand times! 21:15 It's ridiculous that Kris gets hate for being the first Avatar when they're the least invasive to the plot. 21:44 Which confused the heck out of everyone in Awakening's SpotPass DLC. Also RIP redeemable villains. 22:36 I think I saw a rendition of this in one of the Cipher artbooks. 23:17 This is an interesting case of All There in the Manual. All of these are playable characters, but I've heard at least one person tell me they missed recruiting Tharja because she seemed like a generic extra villain and killed her. **Cue Heimler Jokes** 24:54 Ok, um... Azura gets cut in half doing this. I just wanted to point that out. If you know, you know. 25:38 Poor Azura. I can't think of any main character in a Fire Emblem game that gets crapped on more than her. Even her own son gets to upstage her with more singing lines in Heirs of Fate's final map! She was DLC (albeit AMAZING DLC) in Fire Emblem Warriors despite being the main character after Corrin. Also, probably a side effect of this, she barely gets any Support Conversations in Warriors! 27:17 Could you elaborate on that? 29:21 I love the tier names!

[@SomeAsian]

For FE1: I was expecting ironic Pants memes, not to be wowed by FE1 having actually genius art. For Thracia: The yellow always felt like a sunrise-ish color. Maybe it's supposed to be a "Our struggle will end now" vibe? For Binding Blade: At this point EVERYTHING about Lilina in promotional material is false advertising, she's nowhere near as important in this game as everything else says she is. ...Well, until this game's inevitably remade and Lilina becomes the 2nd Lord because... duh. For Sacred Stones: If that's Lyon in the back... he looks so hilariously evil which doesn't fit him at all. For Radiant Dawn: I know Ike's return was a bit of a secret, but the cover depicting Micaiah and Ike, and their armies clashing would've gone so unbelievably hard. For Three Houses: I love how the three lords make a triangle. For Engage: Maybe it's a bit... TOO bright. It's a good idea, but... it kinda hurts my eyes.

[@BigKlingy]

@@SomeAsian Your RD idea is great. Maybe for a remaster, since they no longer attempt to hide Ike being in RD. (Smash and Engage using his RD design) And yes, Lilina Lord when??

[@azurerider812]

Re: Lyon being unfittingly evil It does fit. Trust. You'll see come late game.

[@FullMetalFeline]

As an artist who loves Fire Emblem, loved this video idea! I know you said you weren't critiquing the quality of the art, but the anatomy of Sigurd's horse is inexcusable lol. At first glance I thought it was some weird wolf at first with its bizarre hunchbacked neck and what is up with it's legs and hooves? My favourite by a clear mile is the Path of Radiance box art. Path of Radiance was my first Fire Emblem game and I bought it purely based on the cover art. I had no idea what type of game it even was, but I adore that illustration The technical skill, style, colour pallet, composistion and imagery is everything I personally like. No other cover really comes close to it for me, there's a maturity and moodieness aboiut it as an art piece. I agree that Radiant Dawn's is much to be desired. Though the two games share the same illustrator, I much prefer Path of Radiance's art direction generally. I would have liked something much more in keeping with the tone of PoR. RD's is overally bright and colour saturated. To avoid spoilers, I think I would have had a more moody cover based primarily on the new characters, such as the Dawn Brigade, maybe Pelleas and his mother could have been on there. Ashera looming in the back perhaps.

[@BigKlingy]

@@FullMetalFeline Yeah sometimes there's some very egregious anatomy issues in art, though it's hard for someone less artistically gifted, like me, to notice sometimes.

[@FullMetalFeline]

@@BigKlingy I'm an animal specialist so I'm particularly savvy on anything creature related! It's interesting how the technical skill has really progressed over time. Early video game covers in general I expect often involved a lot of in house people doing them or random people someone knew rather than professional illustrators. I get the impression from a lot of early FE covers that they had reasonable skill drawing the anime style of the time, but not the flexibility for other subjects (like horses).

[@mariovsonic999]

I think the wyvern knight in the back is Dean, and the mercenary behind Linoan is Fergus. Edit: I think the Gaiden overlooker is supposed to be Duma.

[@BigKlingy]

@@mariovsonic999 Yeah it dies seem like it's meant to be Duma's human form... which never appears in original Gaiden.

[@TheIvoryDingo]

27:16 I think the lack of clashing armies might instead be signified by the weapons of the three lords cross in the middle to symbolise how they will eventually clash... on two of the four routes...

[@WhimsyHeath]

15:17 ive heard that a surprisingly good way to summarise fire emblem games in pokemon terms is: Nasty plot vs. swords dance.this quote is about right for what you said here!

[@BigKlingy]

@@WhimsyHeath LOL I guess that's true. Even more literally in Mystery, FE4, FE5, Awakening, Heroes and 3H, which have sword using Dancers!

[@nicolasbanidol2371]

Three Hopes very plot is like Pokemon Fire Red Leaf Green. You chose if you're a boy or a girl the profes-I mean archbishop tells to chose your starter/lord and the rival is the professor's grandchild.

[@paperboy1790]

As someone with less experience on fire emblem than my cat, good video!

[@blackdragoncyrus]

Gaiden Valbar shall forever remain a mystery.

[@BigKlingy]

@@blackdragoncyrus He's so well advertised for someone with only... I think 2 lines in the original. Heck, he can die before you even get the chance to recruit him!

[@Jax_Two]

Thracia's gives off such a cool vibe. The way the camera is placed below the characters and they're all looking off into the distance gives a really somber feeling. Like they know they have a long journey ahead of them, but they're determined regardless. When I think of Thracia, this is the kind of feeling I think of.

[@BigKlingy]

@@Jax_Two Thracia's art in general, its title screen, character art, etc, has this really grand, semi-tragic quality to it.

[@AzumarillConGafasBv]

Echoes and Conquest clears, I'm afraid

[@eliotwildermann]

This was a great vid 😊

[@nickbullinger141]

Thracia's title music is the best in the franchise. Hey, that could be a video too.

[@jaredfayette2567]

Ah, so this is the mysterious video during the vacation you talked about. I thought it'd be something Thracia related (namely a mechanics video or something of that sort), but I'm honestly more fine with this as this seems like a fun topic. 0:28- I shall post a similar disclaimer for talking about the art here as well since at best for me, I "understand" certain concepts or ideas, but have no way to properly articulate it. As such, I apologize to all and any artists for what I may or may not say. lol 1:20- "Yes, he has no pants." - BigKlingy 2024. Got to get a few more in before the end of 2024. 3:03- No, I think those are two are in the center and right back are Leah and Navarre. 3:28- As for the art overall, yeah, I have to agree here. All weirdness aside from the early installment art that came before the more "grounded" stuff we'd see from FE3 until the start of the 3DS era of FE, solid box art, iconic to many fans, and is a lot better than I realized when you talked about all of those little details. Very solid box art. 3:50- I'll admit to some bias as the box art is the same as the art on the cartridge that I ended up becoming fond of seeing when I pop SD in, but after talking about the first cover art, I will concede to it being quite a step down. While it struggles to do the main purpose of conveying what FE/the game is like, I don't think it's outright bad box art; While it's not as exciting as other FE box arts, it does however still stand out thanks to the art of the map. The fading/wear on the map (like you see at the bottom right) at least helps to set the feeling of the setting being from a long time ago for an old legend, which I think for a remake of FE1 fits well, so it gets points there. Could be better, but could be worse. 4:01- "... and it's not just because of Alm's infamously phallic armor..." - BigKlingy 2024. 4:29- Not just Valbar, but extremely oddly discolored Valbar. That color combo for him is giving me the same vibes as that infamously bad Mega Man cover where he's also blue and yellow while having a gun instead of his buster. 5:01- Agreed. Not a huge fan of this cover either. However, to play Devil's advocate, something about this art feels very DnD for me or at least some art you'd find for some kind of other fantasy adventure game, which I think works better in convey Gaiden since I honestly think Gaiden is a better RPG than a SRPG with how it feels and plays, so I think the box art unintentionally does do it some justice there. 6:05- Agreed. Really don't have much else to say. Echoes' cover does the job well. Honestly it does feel a little bland for me, but I'd be hard press to say it's anything below average. Just maybe could have used some sprucing up. 7:05- It does a little bit, but not as badly as Ogma's sword does for Caeda's Pegasus; That man is going to unintentionally send it to the glue factory with how he's handling his sword. 7:15- Highly doubt it. 7:38- Overall, I think it does the job fine. Another well recognized piece of FE art, it begins FE having a more consistent feeling of "grounded-ness" when compared to FE1 & 2's that were either a bit goofy or too adventure fantasy, and begins to help standardize some characters' designs for later games, which I think helps a lot for conveying what both this game and FE are like. My only issues with it is the proportions of some characters as well the overlapping with the swords; Could have been a bit more consistent and less cluttered. Other than that, good box art. 9:42- FE4's art is great to me. I don't think the main character confusion isn't as bad since not only does it fit with the eventual "shake up" with the game, but I still think it conveys what FE4 is about really well. Inadvertently saw by the (at the time) top comment by Mauricesteel when going in here, but they perfectly convey what makes it work of Sigurd being treated as this legendary mythical figure (which many players have gone on to treat him as) that leaves a lasting legacy and impact on his son Seliph's journey. Plus I think it perfectly shows the dynamic of the two characters of Sigurd being this amazing hero (which makes the tragedy he runs into hurt much more when it happens) and how Seliph has to start off from the bottom and have to rise to the occasion in order to live up to both his father's legacy and the new wave of hope people have in the son of Sigurd. It fantastically paints the multi-generation aspect of FE4 perfectly and sets the player up for it when it happens. Speaking of paint, I also adore the painted look of this game's art, specifically how it invokes images of stuff you'd see in the Sistine Chapel, which perfectly fits with the holy war aspect of this game. Overall, just fantastic art. 10:16- Specifically Deen, which given how powerful he is, fair he's there. Also the man you ended up calling Deen is Fergus. lol 10:39- POOR DEEN. LMAO 11:28- Some odd character inclusion/exclusions aside, Thracia's box art is also great to me. Love how you pointed out the more serious/somber facial expressions of the characters since despite it being the "smallest" FE game in terms of scope, it's one of the best games, nay the best game, that captures the ordeals of a small army of heroes fighting against an evil empire and knowing how grim those odds are and yet are heroes are still steeled to fight anyway. As for the "yellow" of the box art, I like it for two reasons. First it gives a very "faded" look in a similar way I gave SD's box art in this being an old legend of yore, which fits perfectly with the opening narration for FE5. As for the other reason, the yellow always gave me the feeling of a new and bright dawn, which perfectly fits for FE5 since despite the dangers and grim odds against Leif, his rebellion really is the start of a new dawn that Thracia (and consequentially, the rest of Jugrdal) desperately needs after the rise of the Granvelle/Loptyr Empire, so I love how the box art conveys that as well. Overall, another amazing piece. 12:34- OBJECTION! Sorry, wanted to do that after AAI2, but seriously though, her death does have an impact on the plot since if she dies in her join chapter, it does lock you into the bad ending of the game, so making her important on the box art is a subtle hint to keep her safe. Also it is interesting how there's a few variations on the ending post-final chapter depending on if she's alive/dead and got an A Rank with Roy. 13:31- Odd placement of the allies aside, I think the FE6 cover art is bit better than you gave it credit. I honestly like the color contrast you disliked since I think it sells (and maybe even sadly better at that), the ideal logical clash between Roy and Zephiel. Roy believes in the hope of humanity and acts as their beacon, hence both his stronger colors and how most of the light is on his part of the cover while Zephiel believes in the worst of humanity and wants to destroy it, which causes his part of the cover to have all of the darker aspects and the actual war/fighting part of it. That I really like, hence this cover gets a better grade than me. 15:41- Yeah, really don't have much to add for FE7's art. Most of what you said really covers everything. I do think there's a bit too much open space in this cover at times, but other than that, solid art. 16:39- ... Klingy... I think you need your eyes checked. That man is wearing pants. The wrinkles in the clothing, both what you see zoomed in on his right leg and around his left boot when you zoom out show that. Xp 17:16- I still think the cover art does a good job. I think both of the twins are still prominent enough and I really do like how Lyon's positioned; Both with a mournful expression and one that can't face his friends properly while the Twins strike a pose together, which I think does well to show Lyon's personal insecurities and what ultimately leads him down the path he goes on. My only complaint is the monsters getting a bit shafted like you said, but other than that, great cover art. Breaking this up due to YT so... One moment...

[@jaredfayette2567]

19:10 Pt. 1- I'm honestly going to blame that more so on the Gamecube while I adore it, it apparently didn't sell as well as other consoles (which saddens me), so when you're releasing a more niche SRPG on that system, it was already going to be a huge blow to its sales numbers sadly. 19:10 Pt. 2- That aside, love PoR's art cover. I honestly think it does its job incredibly well. Perfectly sells our heroes outside maybe mystifying the Herons (although I still like how they're on the cover given how important they end up being), love how our heroes are "surrounded" by our enemies to sell the classic FE formula of heroes reclaiming their home land from a greater force, and I ADORE how the Black Knight is looking down towards Ike given how Ike's story of growth is tied to what the Black Knight does in the plot and how the one of the ultimate measure of Ike's growth is him overcoming the Black Knight (say what you want to say about that fight mechanically in PoR, that' still an amazing moment in all of FE), so I love how this cover art sells that. Fantastic cover overall. 20:52- I think that was bit of a harsher assessment. Especially given how besides the odder ally and enemy usage, I think the cover does a good job. Only good however since the real issue I have with this cover is the sole focus on Part 1. It perfectly conveys Part 1 great, the Dawn Brigade's struggles against an occupation army and fighting for a new dawn for their nation, but I wish it incoperated elements of the later parts. If the cover conveyed a multi-perspective struggle it'd be great even if it had the same issues you complained about. But as is, I only think RD's only a mid tier cover. Better than you gave it credit for, but still lacking. 22:10- For this art, I think it's alright, but it's greatly held back by one thing; That frikin black box. So much cover space is taken up by it. Yes it'd be harder to put stuff in that space given the art they chose for above it, but that black box takes up a lot of space and ends up making this cover feel so much more cramped and limited compared to other FE Box Arts. 23:38- When it really should have been nice my goodness this art is gorgeous. Does everything the actual box art does, except WAY better, gives a lot more focus on the other villains and antagonists, love the colors here as well as that game logo at the bottom left, and shows more player characters than just Marth and Kris. Overall amazing art, should be the rightful box art and not that poser. My only real issue here is how Marth and Kris are "floating" here and but other than that, fantastic stuff. 24:24- Besides the lack of Robin, I'm mostly fine with Awakening's Cover as I more or less share the same points as you. However, I'm a little bit not a fan of the "void" here for whatever reason. And another thing too is that I feel like with Awakening's Cover, from here on, I feel like we lose a sense of a "grounded" feel that I talked about earlier with FE3. Something about the art here sells the shift as FE as a whole as well, which I guess does a good job at showing what this game and later FEs are like, which good for conveying how'll the game will be, but something just feels off to me with something being missing. Only Echoes really had a more grounded feeling, but after that, it's gone again. It's hard for me to describe really. Fine enough cover art, but begins of trend of something feeling off. 25:57- Despite my complaint I just listed above, I do like Fates' cover art. The fact alone you can line up the box arts for it makes it great on its own, but I do appreciate how perfectly it sells the choice Fates focuses on. My only issue is how it kind of has that "void" feeling as well and feels just a tad too bit fantastical (though not an over bearing degree). 27:09- Yeah, 3H's cover is mostly fine. Simple but effective. But it also does feel a bit too barren for me. While I'm not going to give it the damning label of "minimalistic" (in the bad way), but it does feel rather empty and places a lot more stock on the main three and which you side with, which does come with a massive YMMV depending on how you like each route. Just wished this cover conveyed more about the game. 27:38- While I get that... I think it's way too colorful and bright, even for FE standards. Way too many bright colors, especially when you look at it digitally since my goodness that shine on all of characters and those rocks hurt to look at. Thankfully physical box art tones it down a bit, but still suffers that too many bright colors look as it feels like visual stimulus overload. 29:17- lol At the Valbar bit, but for Engage's cover as a whole I'm not a fan of. It feels a bit too much like a cartoon, maybe even more than FE1's since at least that game gets the excuse of early installment weirdness in the 80s/early 90s that every first game got. Again, not a fan of the extreme bright colors and how cluttered it feels. And can we also frikin address how Alfred looks kind of sinister on the cover? Something about the posing the smile, and how the coloring and lighting on him makes him look a lot more evil than he actually is. Like I thought the man was going to be evil or a jerk royal at least, which honestly let me down when he turned out to not be that kind of character at all and why it took me so long at a minimum be fine with him. While the cover art does a good job at conveying the much lighter game that Engage will be, I think it does a REALLY poor job at drawing people in and might make people turn against it even if they aren't long time FE fans who preferred more of the grounded stuff. 29:31- Going to make my own list later in another comment as a reply to this one. In other news, a good bit. For MD, pulled for Dragoon, didn't get him but did craft him since I got some unwanted URs to pay for him. Going to still pull on that pack later when I have the gems since besides getting a second Dragoon sounds funny, still want to pull for me True Draco stuff (especially since I got one Master Peace already) as well as getting Knightmare Goblin to see what that enables for me. For Brothership, I'm confident in saying I'm now 80%, maybe a bit more, done with the game. Still really liking it despite some dips (at least to me) I don't quite enjoy, but still a solid time. That said, I am in pain with some of the challenges as the Painful Blows 2 and 3 ones will be harder for me to get than I realized and I just got done "Do It Yourself" after nearly two hours of grinding for it. Also unrelated to games, but to be honest with you guys, for the last several years I was oddly ad free despite not using any blockers to only now be forced to have ads yet again and I think YT is taunting me as half of the new ads I've gotten are for blockers. I hate it here. lol

[@jaredfayette2567]

As for my personal rating of the cover arts here (and they will be listed in order for clarity's sake)... S [Near Perfect]: FE1, FE12's "Alt Cover" Art, PoR, & FE4. A [Fantastic]: All of Fates', Echoes, & FE5. B [Great]: FE8, FE3, FE6, & FE7's. C [Fine/Average]: Awakening, RD, 3H, & SD. D [Below Average/Has Issues]: FE12's "Real" Box Art, Engage, & Gaiden. F [Bad]: None. Overall, I think FE does a fantastic job on Box Art, at least for mainline games (will need to look at spin off stuff later). Even the stuff I really don't like is only below average; Nothing ever dives into anything bad in spite of my criticism of the new games' box arts not having a more "grounded" feel FE had from FE3 to NM. I do wish we see more box art that harkens back to that era instead, but outside of my harsher criticisms of Engage's box, the newer stuff's been fine. Might just be my issues might just be tied to how the series is versus how it was the tone was for my favorite games and I'm taking it out on the box art. And with that all said and done, this was a fun exercise to go the cover art Klingy.

[@BerserkerRohan]

@jaredfayette2567 I only really understand the vibe when it comes to cover art. FE1 does give you a good idea of what Fire Emblem is about it since FE was partly responsible for introducing the SRPG genre and the cover showcasing a large cast of characters helps showcase an important part of this genre. Simplistic box art might be one of my favourites considering one of my favourite box arts I might mention later but I felt Shadow Dragon should have focused on more especially with how this game's official art really stands out with Masamune Shirow's artstyle. I general, Gaiden's official art is just all over the place with characters not matching up at all with what they look like in game. The main thing I like about it is Duma in the background since it does show he will be quite the important force in the story but other than that, it is a really strange one, and Echoes does a better job with the major focus on Alm and Celica and what kind of characters they are like. FE3 does have a very striking box art with the playable characters being in your face so I wonder if that was one reason why this game really gravitated to the Japanese audience considering this was the best selling game in the series in Japan for a while. FE4's box art really fits with how Sigurd and Seliph are portrayed in the game with both their gameplay and stories so it is probably one of my favourites as well. The yellow is a perfect fit for this new era of Jugdral that Leif is going to help usher in as well. Also, the late Mayumi Hirota also did some amazing work with the official art for the characters which can be seen on this box art as well. I like how that is highlighted by Zephiel looking away from Roy which is a subtle hint at their different ideals as well. Other than that, it is a pretty standard FE box art but not a bad one. Putting Eliwood front and centre is a very smart idea since people are going to notice his similarities to Roy if they played Melee helping this game be the gateway to FE it was designed to be. Lyon looks very mysterious on the cover as well which I say fits with him acting very different in both routes as well. PoR might be my favourite here since I really like how the heroes and villains are positioned since it gives you good idea of who is going to be very relevant to the plot and darker colours shows how intense of battle this war is going to be as well. The focus on Part 1 is cool and does show that the Dawn Brigade are going to be an important part of this plot but it would have been more interesting if they had a way to incorporate the other important factions as well. I say more of the background should have been shown instead of the black we got but FE12's cover is a personal favourite since the muted colours help sell that this battle with Hardin is going to be a tragic one. More background detail would have been nice for Awakening but the larger focus on the cast this time around does help showcase that this game is going to be a very character focused one as well. Fates really sells it premise well with its box art and it may help you choose what side you feel like going with as well. Again, 3H conveys its main theme quite well on the cover so it works quite well although the main thing I remember about it is the upside down Claude memes and it is hard to say if that is a good or bad thing. I do think the characters are positioned a bit strange on Engage's cover since a lot of them get obscured and then Marth is very big which makes sense with him being Alear's right hand man at the start of the plot but a bit strange considering he is gone but forgotten for a lot of Engage. Other than that, I like it just because I really like Alear's character design and it feels like what is going on is going to be very exciting. I hope my replies give you a good idea of what my favourite covers are as well since making a list is going to be tough for me. Your list is pretty cool as well especially with PoR near the top as well. While on the topic of box art, I really want to shout out the US version of the Gran Turismo 1 box art since it is one of my favourites despite being a simple one, it really fits what Gran Turismo is all about and what it helped pioneer as well and it must have been successful with Gran Turismo 1 being the best selling PS1 game. Good to hear that you got Dragoon and hopefully you make good use of him in the future as well. Glad to hear Brothership is 80% of the way there and I wish you all the best with the major challenges you got coming up as well. As for myself, I have been making good progress with both Innocent Sin on the channel and Eternal Punishment on my own time with Eternal Punishment in particular becoming very fun now that I am starting to feel more comfortable with it. My brother did get all S ranks for Shadow Generations and that was an experience shall we say and now in his own time, he is focusing on collecting the collectibles and then that hopefully means that we can tackle Sonic Generations together. We also played some Street Fighter 6 just now and I gave M Bison a go who proved quite a challenge to play so there were mostly losses but in the end, I was satisfied with the progress I made with him. I am also super excited for Mai Shiranui after seeing her teaser trailer who will be coming around January and February.

[@jaredfayette2567]

@@BerserkerRohan And that's fine since "vibes" are still important for cover art. That helps to sell it. That's very true as well for FE1's cover art, which only makes it better. You know what, that's a good point. SD's cover art doesn't really take advantage of the best aspects of SD's art that was really good. That's fair to deduct points there. True, it's very all over the place. Also yeah, other commenters pointed out; Neat seeing Duma's OG art then. But yeah, good for Echoes for doing a better box art job overall. That would make sense if that's why FE3 was one of the best selling FEs by showing off the characters so well. She really did such wonderful artwork. May she rest in peace. Such a shame she's gone, but at least her art will let her memory live on. That's also really nice as well with FE6's Box Art. For all the crap I give FE6, I must give my respects for the box art. On one hand, it probably did benefit the game so well to have Eliwood so focused on the cover, but on the other, I do have to wonder if him being the prominent face on the cover caused a lot of the mistaking Eliwood for Roy confusion. lol True as well for Sacred Stone's Cover art. Good set up for that mystery. Exactly, that's why PoR's box art is great. Like I said, it does rep Part 1 really well, but given how large RD is, a cover that encapsulates all of it would work better. Fair for the Hardin part, that part's great. I just hate the black box obscures it. Also fair for Awakening's. At least it does well with focusing on its characters. Again, Fate's box art is great. Probably the only good thing about selling the game in different versions for that combined cover art. lol Simple but effective, but wished there was a bit more. As for upside down Claude, it's 50-50 for me. It's both goofy in the best and worst ways for me. lol True, the character positioning for Engage also isn't the best either. Don't worry, I think I got a good idea of your list too. Looking it up, I can see why you ended up really liking it. As do I. Just need to figure out what the Extra Deck for Shining Sarc should look like besides Dragoon. Many thanks. The challenge will mostly be finding what enemies will be the perfect target for taking in all of that damage. Great to hear Innocent Sin's been a great LP so far and nice to hear Enteral Punishment is working well. Well done with your brother getting all of the S Ranks. And good to hear more progress in SF6 has been going well too. Nice seeing you progress with more characters in that game. Oh, so that's why I saw Mai stuff in SF6. Thought I accidentally mistook KoF stuff as SF stuff, but I see what I probably saw was an announcement of that DLC.

[@BerserkerRohan]

@@jaredfayette2567 It did help make the SRPG genre seem fresh and exciting on the surface as well. Having Marth front and centre with that artstyle would have been really cool to see for Shadow Dragon. Duma had a lot of presence on Gaiden's box art which was probably the only good thing about it since Echoes was a big improvement. I feel that had to play some kind of factor for FE3's success. Her contribution for Fire Emblem official art will always live on as well. The vibe was interesting to feel with FE6's box art especially with it ushering in a new era of Fire Emblem. I am pretty sure I heard some stories of Eliwood being mistaken for Roy on the box art. It was a really cool way to portray Lyon. Again, PoR is probably my favourite in the series. Something like Ike and Micaiah facing each other would have been very interesting to see. A strange decision since I feel the logo would have stood out enough without that black we see. Awakening does feel like it is ushering in a new era of Fire Emblem with its box art as well. A very fair point about Fates. That is a good way to describe upside down Claude. It does make Engage feel a bit uneven. Maybe I need to go over a list of my favourite box arts at some point as well. I wish you the best with figuring what enemy is going to be best for that. Persona 2 has been treating me quite nicely it seems. It did prove quite a challenge for him not being familiar with Sonic but glad to see him make it in the end. I also got some interesting ideas for other characters to try out and even some to reexamine as well. Her gameplay trailer will be highly anticipated just because Mai is going to be quite different from her KOF counterpart.

[@NoahOfTheArc]

Interesting discussion. It makes me appreciate all these artworks more.

[@AquaLantern]

19:20 I always thought Radiant Dawn's cover was a bit weird, especially Micaiah's pose. It does NOT look like she's casting a spell to fight that wyvern rider, it looks like she's about to give an extremely shiny high-five! 23:45 It also alludes to the name of Lucina's weapon: The Parallel Falchion, since it's literally parallel to Chrom's Falchion. 27:10 The white-ish blue helps the 4 protagonist's stand out, due to a unifying color they all share: Black. Gareg Mach uniforms are mostly black, and so is Byleth's armor and cape. Hence, having a brighter blue and white as the background helps the characters pop and draws your eyes. Oh, also clouds are featured prominently due to the first half being named White Clouds, a symbol of calm skies. Or, in this case, "the calm before the storm" due to being before the War Phase.

[@BigKlingy]

@@AquaLantern 19:20 lol that's... true. 23:45 That's true too, although only in English, in Japanese it's more like "otherworldly falchion".

[@Delta_dragon.]

4:54 Is it me, or is Alm's right leg bending in the opposite direction near his calf? It looks like he had bird legs. 16:38 Those look like pants to me, but perhaps I'm confusing them with something else.

[@Lucas17031]

I can finally bring this up! Dragalia rant incoming- sorry not sorry, but this is a nerd out moment for me- In the Dragalia x FE crossovers, not only was there a version of FE 1's boxart in the DL artstyle. (Including pantsless Marth, Notte in place of Ceada, Euden, the Dragalia MC and his closest Allies in Marth's cape, and the DL villians in place of the FE ones) But also for the 2 crossovers' title screens having a striking resemblance to FE Awakening's boxart! With the Dragalia characters plus the respective crossover characters. (Alfonse, Fjorm, Veronica and Marth for event 1 and Sharena, Peony, Y!Tiki and Chrom for event 2) which I think is so AWESOME! If you google Dragalia lost x FE, You should see em all pop up.

[@Mindfire13]

I love that Y!Tiki is doing the same pose as A!Tiki! (I miss Dragalia Lost. At least it got an actual ending)

[@Lucas17031]

​@@Mindfire13I miss Dragalia as well.... That's why I jumped at the chance to nerd out like this-

[@raphaelsorel6907]

Dang, you made me feel nostalgic for it to make a comeback. Fingers crossed.

[@levobertus]

I feel like you're kind of ignoring the pretty obvious point behind the composition of FE4's cover. Sigurd is on the top in an almost knight in the shining armor kind of pose, but notice how he's charging forward, war literally in his trail, his horse staring down the cliff while he's not looking, right before the fall, hinting at the imminent doom that will befall him in the game. Seliph in front below him makes sense too, because he has to pick up where Sigurd fell and carry on the legacy Sigurd passed down on him. I think it nicely shows the 2 generations system of the game and how the story progresses overall. Also worth noting is that the composition also draws attention to Sigurd, too. Seliph is not the only point of interest in the picture. I think just focusing on how he takes up more space misses the point here.

[@qtpie1144]

The Wyvern Rider is definitely Deen. And the far left guy is Fergus 😂 I think you confused their haircuts or something? And as for the Sigurd art, it comes off more as like a mythical hero. He’s shining and hard to clearly see. Unobtainable, I.e. how Seliph feels about his dad. He’s such a huge figure that he can only dream about becoming.

[@Sean_Bird]

Mystery of the Emblem: A weird opinion, but I think they should have pushed Gharnef a bit further into the background then he is, the way he's positioned and colored makes him look less like someone who shadows over the heroes, and instead he seems like another member of the crew. Also, Caeda looks really small due to her positioning, it makes her look kinda goofy. Binding Blade: One minor detail I like is that Wolt is the closest of the characters to Roy's left, since he was a childhood friend of Roy. I hope that part of his character gets a bit more promenance if FE6 ever gets remade. Sacred Stones: I'm pretty sure Ephraim is wearing pants, the color of his legs matches Eirika's skirt a lot more then their skin. Awakening: This box art is referenced in Chrom and Lucina's Super Attack in Project X Zone 2, where they finish the move by recreating their poses from it as they rush at their enemy. Engage: I wonder if they made Marth so prominent on the box art for marketing purposes, since this game was supposed to be an anniversary title I believe. As for Timerra, well, they try to have her on the same level as the rest of the main royals after you get out of Solm, though it doesn't really help her much. I think Hortensia getting obtained after her and Fogado causing the Elusian royals to get more importance in the most plot important Slom chapter also did her no favors.

[@jsilvuh6194]

You really sold me on FE1's boxart, it's great stuff! I also really like FE4's boxart. Even though Seliph is more prominent on it, Sigurd is the one with the light around him, as if it's his legacy that Seliph aspires to live up to. I have a soft spot for Three Houses' boxart as well. All the main characters take up the appropriate amount of space on the cover, the house leaders' weapons crossing over hints at their eventual conflict in Part 2, and upside down Claude was great meme material back in the game's heyday.

[@B_A-tr]

2:00 are they? If i remember correctly all units in fe1 have 0 res without stat boosters. Something i noticed with fe4's cover is that with how sigurd is placed, he looks like hes riding of a cliff to me. Hes riding head first into his own demise

[@Alnix2]

19:49 I wanna say I'm making out Leonardo in the cover to right of the Begnion sword cav with the bow covering his face

[@BigKlingy]

@@Alnix2 Rip. Poor Leonardo, he's a lot like FE5 Ronan.

[@tirex3673]

24:38 More notably, Lucina‘s paralel falchion is parallel to chroms falchion

[@samm174]

The guy on the left of the thracia artwork is Fergus. I think the wyvern rider in the back is supposed to be Dean

[@BigKlingy]

@@samm174 Yeah I noticed that in editing.

[@NotGeno]

It's funny how evil Alfred's expression in his art is

[@jaredfayette2567]

Okay thank goodness someone else addressed it. I thought I was going crazy as I felt like I'm the only person who noticed that part of the cover for the longest time, so it's nice seeing others finally drawing attention to it.

[@BigKlingy]

@NotGeno His official art too. Imo, still not as weird as how ooc Lapis's first line of dialogue was.

[@camilaherrera-ramirez2704]

Happy 20k subs🎉🎉🎉

[@BigKlingy]

@@camilaherrera-ramirez2704 I just noticed! Can't really react to it since I'm in Japan now, but thanks for all the support.

[@RangerJackWalker]

1:19 More important than not having pants is just how phallic the Falchion is with Marth's pose. Like, people talk about Alm's dong armour but what about Marth's massive dangling Falchion?

[@radrex7337]

I wanted to make a video like this myself!

[@SteelandSouls]

Also, in regards to Robin's omission, placing a Robin on the cover would be - in effect - canonizing him. If the aim is to customize how Robin looks, then you want to avoid skewing what the player's perception of that may be. You can get away with that later once you save your franchise from being cancelled. But for the time, you want the player to define who Robin is. The only reason we have a "canon" look for Robin is simply because those were the default settings.

[@plates7245]

Interestingly, Robin has no character art from Awakening. As seen in Smash Ultimate's Robin spirit just using his smash art.

[@BigKlingy]

@@plates7245 They probably didn't want to canonize any version, given all their customization options.

[@TheJaredPunch]

Speaking of Fire Emblem, I’m going back to redue some of my analysis for the Engage characters, and I have started the draft for my Metaphor X Persona 3 crossover.

[@starmaker75]

Speaking of metaphor and persona. Wonder what metaphor enthic/race the persona characters would be: For me, here the what got for some: Ahikiko, shinjiro, and Joker: paripus. Joker being paripus would be fitting and add the whole "bring crap on by society" . Also the Paripus we see are the one that really into "up root the system and institution" stuff given the candidate loveless and catherine. I mean even basilo used to join Louise for sinialr reasons Ryuji: rouassainte or parpius Mitsuru and youske: Clemar Ann: nidia mixed race(oh god, ann with nidia eyes is somewhat cursed image there)

[@TheJaredPunch]

@ I would personally keep the MCs as Elda. Given what we know about them.

[@tailoredmuffin3668]

Just wanted to point out that the wyvern rider in Thracia's box art. The guy at the far left is Fergus

[@nessdbest8708]

Lots of mispronunciations in this video, 10:25 Also thats Fergus by Linnean. DEAN is the wyvern rider.

[@BigKlingy]

@@nessdbest8708 What did I mispronounce, exactly?

[@nessdbest8708]

@@BigKlingy Thracia, Dean is also supposed to be pronounced the same way Sean is, & Caeda isn't pronounced SHE-DA. There might be more & you also labeled fe6 as the last japan only game when it isn't. Moreover, Ephraim is most CERTAINLY wearing pants. Ok, thats enough of me reeking out over details. Great video BTW long-time viewer here saying that your unused content videos are easily my favorite!

[@BigKlingy]

@@nessdbest8708 I'm used to Caeda written out as Shiida, and I haven't played Warriors where it's spoken aloud. Also, is Dean really pronounced that way? I don't think he's in Heroes?

[@nessdbest8708]

@@BigKlingy He ain't, but thats how his name is pronounced in japan

[@BigKlingy]

@@nessdbest8708 Makes sense given Gaiden already had a Deen. Good to know before I start recording Thracia.

[@ThePaulineu]

This is a great idea for a video

[@jameskozy7254]

Path of radiance and awakening box art are goated

[@PkmnMasterNeb]

Always loved the cover of fates. Not a big fan of the games but the three side contrast is perfect. My favorite is probably PoR though. Absolutely perfect imo. SoV is a very close second.

[@BigKlingy]

@@PkmnMasterNeb PoR's cover is really really good.

[@SteelandSouls]

To defend the Gaiden art work. There is some narrative symbolism with having Alm front and center and Celica to the side as their approaches to the war are fundamentally different. Alm sought direct conflict with Rudolf and challenged the army directly while Celica sought a more passive route seeking peace through appealing to the gods. She fought, of course, which is why she's still charging in with a sword, but her aim was not at the direct foe as seen with Alm against Rudolf. Valbar, while not a narratively significant character, could be placed there to demonstrate the idea of support. An armored knight serving as the best representation of that with Valbar being one of the first you actually encounter and to balance out Celica's direction on the cover.

[@AlexLopez-qz4tz]

Oooo would love for you to rank SMT box art at some point keep it up ❤

[@LintuWaterfall-ey9xo]

for the Engage box art I think they have Marth so prominate is because Engage was designed to celebrate Fire Emblem as a whole. This is an anniversary game, right? So they might of thought to use Marth's popularity and familiarity as a means to sell this game. As for Timerra, I think she is there on the box art with the others because she is also the lead royal of her respective kingdom. She's also prominate in the opening cinematic, too, after all. So while she might not have as much story as the other 3, she is still an equal to them.

[@BigKlingy]

@@LintuWaterfall-ey9xo Timerra is technically one of the 4 "main" Royals (the ones who retreat instead of die), which is why she's there. I've always felt that she was the least justified of all of them, she rarely adds anything to the story with her lines. Which is sad, because I love her character.

[@BaudshawSky]

8:25 a tragic WHAT

[@BigKlingy]

@@BaudshawSky Pawn. He's used by Granvalle's nobles and Arvis, basically, and he has no idea until it's too late.

[@BaudshawSky]

@ Lol, your accent made it sound a bit different 😂

[@BigKlingy]

@@BaudshawSky Australians pronounce some things... interestingly. (Though Americans saying tube as "toob" still gets me)

[@weepingdalek2568]

I thought the villain on the Gaiden box art was Duma's human form rather than Rudolf

[@BigKlingy]

@@weepingdalek2568 It probably is, though you never see it in the NES version.

[@weepingdalek2568]

@BigKlingy I just looked at it closer and yeah I don't think I can see it being Rudolf at least Rudolf doesn't have the long flowing hair If anything that's just another interesting decision they made with Gaiden's box art (why include Duma's human form if you never see it in the game?)

[@jpg99999]

My favorite has got to be awakening. It's very character focused, which I think suits awakening very well.

[@matts5747]

2:25 Huh never noticed that before 4:04 Also never noticed that before 4:47 I assumed Duma 8:10 A big reason is probably horse 9:24 I could also see a double sided art happening. One side focused on Gen 1 the other on Gen 2 11:26 I think it's to sell the idea of this being an "old story" and helps its more mutes and thus makes it look more serious 12:34 I see an FE6 remake changing that 16:39 Did not notice that thrice... 17:51 Looking at the full art for this, I feel this is another very anime one, just in a different way than FE3 23:03 Kellam's been Wazosikid 25:01 I'm surprised outside Gen 7 and the og Rescue Team, Pokémon hasn't done more with dual box art like this game had where it's literally taking a piece of art and splitting it in two 29:03 Also odd how their ordered. You'd think they'd be ordered in the recruitment, but it just seems to be an order Out of all these, I have a bias towards Fates cover because first game and all, but as you said, it shows its premise well

[@airlock7367]

FE1: that's Minerva, not Cain. ... she looked kinda scuffed in FE1 but who didn't amirite. anyway, yes, I LOVE the detail of the cape so much. like, the thing that people don't seem to understand with Marth is that, when he says that his real strength is his friends and allies, he's not doing a generic shonen routine, that was a hard lesson that he had to learn along the way! and this being as foremost of a theme in the game as you can have given all the technical limitations, I really, really like how this cover emphatizes it FE11: ... lol. lmao even. I'm obssessed with fictional maps but this is too much even for me FE2: it's not known for certain who's the big bad guy in the back there, but it's widely believed that it was recently established, or intended all along, to be Duma. which would further accentuate the bizarreness of this cover because, well, he does not appear in that form at all in the game! FE4: one thing I think about this cover is that it must've been very, very intentional that Sigurd is appearing above Seliph. you know what's something that's usually read from top to bottom? A LITERAL GENEALOGY. that said, I think it's also a pretty neat artistic touch that they put Sigurd above and still managed to ensure that Seliph is shown more proeminently, because, yeah -- regardless of what the fandom thinks I think he's obviously intended to be moreso the de facto protagonist of the story FE5: I do think that Linoan is kiiind of a major character, in that way that you can only so much be in a game where everyone can die -- same as, say, Minerva or indeed Lilina. also one of the most striking character designs of the roster, so she's got that going for her as well. (I wonder if maybe someone just thought Valbar looked really neat--) FE7: my favorite thing about this cover is how much of the protagonists' personalities come through in their poses; they really aren't *just* being displayed. Eliwood stands firm and proper, with Durandal held in a defensive position; Lyn lunges forward with a war cry, seemingly about to do some lightning iai shenanigans to an unlucky offscreen sop; and Hector is taking a look around, cautiously assessing every angle of the fight around him, covering his friends' back. FE8: ... and then you have a cover where your protagonists really are just standing there, and their standing-thereness takes up nearly the entire thing. I think the only thing this cover advertises is that Sachiko Wada rules (which is correct and should be said but tell me more about the game here--). also yeah no Ephraim absolutely is wearing pants, you can see them bunching up around his boots FE9: what really mystifies me with this cover is the look on Ike's face. why's he staring at me with them big ol' eyes FE10: so this is where I'm going to strongly disagree. first of all, I have empirical, if anedoctal, evidence that this cover is effective advertisement, because it worked on me; FE10 was the first one I bought, and the cover going as hard as it does was a big factor-for. anyway, to us who played the game this is a "generic wyvern rider" that Micaiah and Sothe are fighting, but maybe we should all not have forgotten that a generic wyvern rider is A DUDE RIDING A DRAGON INTO BATTLE. like, look at that fucking wyvern again, I don't think we've ever gotten one so up-close on a cover and it's fucking badass. plus, I also think it's actually very, very much thematic -- of part I specifically, anyway. like, Micaiah and Sothe are both pretty scruffy-looking; they don't look like they stand a chance at all against the DUDE RIDING A DRAGON INTO BATTLE. but they're making a stand anyway, bathed in the light of hope that Micaiah radiates from her fingers. and I actually even think that deploying a generic enemy for the cover hits a thematic note! the Dawn Brigade's battle isn't a romantic duel against a slick villain -- it's a desperate struggle against a crushing machine of oppression. the Occupation Army does have a sort of a face in Jarod, but for the most part they're brutal and distant, callously murdering Daeins without a twitch in their faces. I do think this cover, if nothing else, does an excellent job emphatizing the fact that, at least in Part I, you play as the downtrodden, the underdogs. FE12: it is indeed the case that Kris is referred to, and readily offers themself to be, Marth's *shadow*. I feel like this placement on the cover is very, very evocative of that. FE14: I think Azura's placement at the dead center is less to do with implicit plot importance than it is with her being the one who's caught in the middle in this conflict, no matter. (not that she wasn't indeed very heavily pushed in marketing) FE15: the fact that I'm in doubt about this shows that it's something that could use some work, but to me these soldiers around Alm and Celica don't necessarily look like they're fighting them; they sorta look like they might be standing at attention, awaiting their orders. FE16: the thing I don't much like about this cover is that it really doesn't look like the three house lords are in conflict; just the opposite, they seem to be coming together, combining arms. I still remember how the early marketing in this game had everyone thinking that the house lords were going to get together in the end, and that is... exactly what doesn't happen! (that said, for all that we've dragged Upside Down Claude, I do think it's neatly symbolic of his status as the big outsider, the one who's always looking at things from a whole different angle. shame that Edelgard and Dimitri don't convey nearly as much personality with their poses!) FE17: Emblem Marth himself wasn't that directly plot important in the end, but the Emblems as a whole still are both central to the game's story and the chief feature that was being advertised, so I do think it's perfectly justified for him to have taken such a proeminent billing. maybe it'd have been better if wasn't ONLY him, but this cover is also sorta cluttered enough as it is, and cramming a whole lot of them in there would make them look less important on the whole.

[@LucyTheLamia]

Engage's boxart just has too much going on. I'm fine with all the royals being there (even if Timerra doesn't do much compared to the others) but Marth being the most prominent figure just doesn't do the game any favors. Maybe if they contrasted the royals with each of the emblems that represent every era of FE (Marth, Lyn, Ike, and Lucina just as an idea?) Lumera being there also felt like a massive tease when I first played the game because I assumed that would be Alear's dragon form which never happened.

[@BigKlingy]

@@LucyTheLamia Marth is just too big there. It's a nice cover conceptually but it could've been pared back a bit.

[@darkjaden-fe]

......Ephraim is VERY clearly wearing pants what are you talking about lmao

[@ashleyvanbeek7045]

Micaiah really should have been fighting the evil soldier from the first storyline. He's not memorable, but he's a villain that's not a spoiler.

[@thisisntevenmyfinalform2025]

I'm just here to glaze fates since it's my favorite FE game

[@BigKlingy]

@@thisisntevenmyfinalform2025 The boxart is pretty good, though again, I wish they did more with the wheels.

[@hero-kingzet4876]

Clearly, FE4's box art is an abstract reference to the Holy Trinity. The Father: Sigurd The Son: Seliph And the Holy Spirit: The light that shines down on them. Jokes aside, this was a cool video and an enjoyable watch. I was gonna share more of my thoughts on the FE4 box art, but other commentors have more or less expressed my same thoughts. The only thing I would change on your tier list is swapping the positions of the Fates games with 3H and FE7. Those games better represent what their going for. 3H box art is kinda lame in my opinion. I believe it would have been better to choose gray or silver as the background color instead of purple or blue (as you stated in your video). That could have at least been a hint to the Church route. Purple, I guess, is used to represent Byleth...? I don't know. It never made sense to me. FE1's box art is very much PEAK FE box art for no reason, but I'm here for it.

[@gamerzorro3508]

When I was about to watch this video, I said to myself that FE2 was going to be last on your list, with maybe another early game being low. It really says something that I COMPLETELY forgot about Shadow Dragon’s box art, because holy crap is it bad and a huge insult compared to the original, which is actually amazing? (I’ve never really thought about FE1’s box art before, but yeah it’s definitely fantastic, massive surprise they nailed it first try!)

[@BigKlingy]

@@gamerzorro3508 I don't know what they were thinking with Shadow Dragon. At all.

[@sunniestglobe5717]

I want to add Fire Emblem Warriors, Three Hopes, and Tokyo Mirage Sessions (even though they are spin-offs like Heroes, they are still Fire Emblem games). For Fire Emblem Warriors art cover, it's good, but it really deserves more detail and add more characters that are in the game. Three Hopes I really like, Female Byleth and Male Shez Swords clash, the three lords at the bottom, as well as Sothis on Byleth side and Arval on Shez side showing that they are in the heads of Byleth and Shez. Tokyo Mirage Sessions, it has an amazing art cover but needs to have each character in the carnage form, other than that, it's a masterpiece

[@BigKlingy]

@@sunniestglobe5717 I actually did do the spinoffs in the original cut of this, but felt I didn't have a ton to say about them. Except Warriors 1 in the bottom tier, it's just the stock 3D art of a bunch of characters.

[@sunniestglobe5717]

@BigKlingy Ah okay

[@JordiumZ]

Lucina and Chrom falchion are parallel because she uses the parallel Falchion also Robin isn't on boxart because he a self insert

[@JordiumZ]

that's why the opening scene and alot of scenes are from Robins point of view in the game

[@BigKlingy]

@@JordiumZ I'd normally agree but it's not quite called Parallel Falchion in Japanese, that's a localization embellishment. The Japanese name more means "reverse side", so it's less parallel in the sense of geometry and more "parallel universe".

[@kokorikopi]

I guess it's also worth bringing up the Warriors boxarts. OG Warriors has an extremely bland one, especially with Fates taking up three spots while Awakening only has Chrom, not even taking the opportunity to mirror Robin and Corrin? Marth's gotta be in the center for marketing reasons, but he's definitely the least important of the legacy characters. Three Hopes has a pretty nice one, though. Perhaps it's not representative of the story's actual focus, but talking about Three Hopes' story for too long gives me a headache. It's got striking visuals, a good color palette, and some nice little details. I like how Dimitri and Edelgard are not clashing, but still facing apart, signifying their roles in Azure Gleam-- and there's the migraine again.

[@RangerJackWalker]

I like the full art piece for Fates but the individual covers feel a little lacking. Azura gets completely cut from the covers. Revelation doesn't have a proper cover as such but maybe that would either be just the Corrins and Azura or the full art piece.

[@goodhelmetjunior3399]

Before Watching. Awakening is in my top 5 Boxart, for the longest time, thought Sayri was Panne lol

[@BigKlingy]

@@goodhelmetjunior3399 If only.

[@magnusprime962]

FE1 is a fantastic piece. Every part comes together to sell the game’s identity to the player. Shadow Dragon absolutely failed to live up to it, sporting the most generic box art ever. Gaiden looks good minus the codpiece, but it does feel pretty generic and safe. Echoes is definitely a vast improvement. I think having Regelian soldiers on both sides of Alm and Celica actually helps symbolize how the actions of Regel brought them together, but also make them feel trapped in conflict. Mystery of the Emblem looks like a Fantasy OVA cover more than a strategy game. It looks good, but if I didn’t know who the characters were I wouldn’t see it and go “That’s a Fire Emblem game!” Some other people have talked about how Sigurd is positioned in front of the Sun, so I won’t repeat them, but I do appreciate how the art sells the story of the game. This is a game where the actions of the first generation loom large over the second and determine how that generation starts. But no matter what happens, that generation is still heroic and powerful in their own right. The first generation did their best to prepare the world for the second to make it better. I think the reason the Thracia characters look more like warriors is because their expressions are more grim and their faces aren’t as round. Nana especially has a very pointy chin. I suppose Thracia’s art is a bit generic, but I think it’s well composed and exciting. The coloring makes me feel like the sun is rising on the characters, which could symbolize how their struggles are finally starting to bear fruit at the end of the game. I haven’t played Binding Blade, but the contrast between the colorful protagonists and the muddy right side could be meant to symbolize how they bring light and color to a darker, more murky world. But it might also just be a poor design choice. Blazing Blade is fairly solid, though not exceptional. It achieves its purpose and looks good. If I were giving out grades, it would get a B+. If Blazing Blade got a B+, Sacred Stones gets a B-. It’s solid, but not impressive. It looks good, but tells me very little beyond who the heroes and villain are. Path of Radiance feels like a first draft that needed some reworking to me. It’s a very busy piece, and the muted colors at the top swallow the characters up. There’s good ideas here, but it doesn’t gel together. This is probably going to be our biggest point of disagreement, but I think Radiant Dawn’s cover is actually alright. Not anything too special, but I like how Micaiah’s light spell symbolizes the Sun dawning. It’s a C+ at best, but it’s better than FE3 or FE9. New Mystery is a much better piece than both the original and its direct predecessor. It’s simple, but not too simple. It does its job well and then goes home. Considering the sales figures and influx of fans I’d argue that Three Houses had more mainstream success than Awakening. But that’s off-topic. Awakening’s art is pretty good. The characters look like they’re jumping down into battle, and their poses help convey their personalities. Lucina is of course jumping the opposite direction, but that makes sense. She’s jumping back to the past while they’re fighting to save the future. To build off of your point about the Falchions, they’re parallel. That’s both a nice nod to the weapon name, but it also shows they have the same goal as you said. Fates is good and certainly emphasizes the game’s main selling point, but it also feels a bit safe. The background could’ve been better utilized to showcase the contrasts between the two nations. 3H definitely utilizes its simplicity to its advantage. Each of the Lords is given equal space, and their poses help convey aspects of their personalities. Claude feels the most obvious, but that might be partly because I’ve played Verdant Wind twice (the Golden Deer are my favorite class). Engage is a huge contrast with 3H, and sadly not in a good way. It’s way too busy and with so many bright colors it’s hard to know where to focus. The characters on the right end up blending together because of how muddled the whole thing is. Overall I’d say my favorite cover is Awakening. It looks simple on the surface but it belies a greater depth. It’s a smart, dynamic, and appealing piece.

[@dryzalizer]

Great video, I have to agree the box art of FE1 is so well done! -Gaiden's box art is so bad, Echoes really sets things right. -I think the Thracia 776 character on the far left could be Fergus, Dean's hair is usually shown as longer and he's probably the dragon rider. Either that or it's Arion, which does make some sense as he's near both of the others but off in the distance. It's hard to say for sure, Fergus isn't associated with those characters at all. Fergus also is usually shown with a more blue-colored shirt. -Upside-down 3H Claude does it for me, without that the cover would have been pretty weak. -Obligatory tier list graphic to end things, heck yeah!

[@BigKlingy]

@@dryzalizer When I started to record this, I was VERY surprised how much I liked FE1's boxart.

[@Lucas17031]

Separate comment for this to not detract from the Dragalia rant Fun fact! In FE Warriors 1, for one Azura's specials, she strikes the pose she does on the cover art, and then does 3 slashes for the 3 routes. I think that's neat and a good reference! I don't think anyone else does something like this-

[@BigKlingy]

@Lucas17031 That's like the equivalent of the obligatory "Sonic does the Adventure cover pose" moment in most major Sonic things.

[@polyman6859]

Predictions before finishing: FE2 and FE11 are the worst. (I'll come back to this after finishing lol). Edit: Not even 5 mins in and I'm right LOL

[@dikzak7551]

0:14 Any chance it was the SuperGeekMike video on this, love his content.

[@BigKlingy]

@@dikzak7551 Yep. Was going to show the thumbnail but figured there wasn't much overlap between FE and DnD KZbin audiences.

[@mauricesteel4995]

19:48 IS could've put, i dunno, Ike, who is Micaiah's enemy for most of the game? that surely would be a lot more attention grabbing than "A Wyvern Rider".

[@BigKlingy]

@@mauricesteel4995 They wanted to keep Ike a secret.

[@nicolasbanidol2371]

They could have put Jarrod (the main antagonist of part 1) or Lekain (the central antagonist).

[@lokouba]

9:10 most people also havent played/finished the game

[@andresalasthemessenger]

Oh U for Thracia... Little BigKlingy knows it seems like.. Very Understandable.. Cover for Sacred Stones.. Ouch. Stings. But for Ephraim/Eirika with Lyon shows the sort of the focus around it's theme & ties of the boxart. Awakening.. Oof Kellam. (Robin I C..) Cool boxart & the crossover game got it for a reference if U know what I mean or just yourself to figure out. Sorry FEH.. Yeet. 3 Houses was nice to put there.. No 3 Hopes tho but oh well. Engage.. True about Timerra but she was included later on with the rest of important characters tho. About Marth.. Well he was to be of a huge importance with Alear throughout so makes sense he was the beginning of the Fire Emblem time he was to be left of a legendary figure.. Grandiose as it sounds.. (Well someone is also a figure to behold of a more majestic part & the other is so manly but yeah..)

[@yasahana4447]

The reason the west thinks of Sigurd is cause the people who know Sigurd are mostly heroes players. Seliph really is the protagonist so he really should be front and center

[@BigKlingy]

@@yasahana4447 Even before Heroes, Sigurd always felt like the face of FE4 in the west.

[@MLESoup]

I feel the exact same way about the Radiant Dawn cover! Favorite FE game, but disappointing box art.

[@BigKlingy]

RD deserves better. As it always does.

[@starmaker75]

My thoughts of the cover, I guess FE 1: yeah this is a good cover. Classic 1970s and 1980s fanasty poster, although fire emblem 1 relase 1990. Overal nice cover or even poster FE shadow dragon: yeah pretty bland Fe 2: Yeah, it not thay. Why is vlaidator there then Mycen Echoes: one of my favorite cover. Again, I love the contrast of both alm and celica. In fact i wanted to comossied an artist to put 2 characters in alm and cleica pose. FE 3: a nice anime poster that fitting for this fire emblem FE 4: it good for the second gen part, but I wished we got a cover for the first gen. FE 5: at first, I thought it was pretty bland, but as you analyze it I do like the ready-ness and somewbat somber tone. Fitting for that game FE 6: pretty good poster. It does the job FE 7: also pretty good poster. FE 8: despite the background having little too much with the orange color , it is a good FE 9: a pretty bada$$ cover and it gives a "let do it this" FE 10: not as good as path of radiance, but still give the point across. FE 12: the cover reminds me of a manga. Also hi kris dremmurr, fancy seeing you here in a fire emblem game, just wonder where susie, noelle and ralsei. FE 13: nostalgic aside, i do line this cover. It like the first gen is going foward, while lucina going the other way. Also lol that kellam joke FE 14/fates: this may be one of my favorite cover from this series. Like the contrast of nohr and hoshido. It gives a impression of what could have been. FE 16/three houses: simple , but it gives the point across. Also it gave us upside claude, so it get points there FE 17/enage: i admit it little too munch going on.

[@tobiasarevalo9929]

The only one i actually like is awakening and fates,yusuke kozaki's art is so much better than ANYTHING on the list

[@adamshadow9881]

Fire Emblem content, right as started Three Houses? It's destiny.

[@goodhelmetjunior3399]

29:19 and both are peak

[@gamerunit7280]

I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm in top 0.2% of bigklingy fans that's what KZbin gaming recap says

[@BigKlingy]

@@gamerunit7280 Well, congratulations!

[@usvidragonslayer3091]

Cool

[@JordiumZ]

female warriors in the 90s and in JRPGs aren't rare but good video

[@psirockin2251]

No pants gang!!!

[@espelhodasconstelacoes]

Awesome video man! Just subbed! God bless ya and Jesus loves ya!

[@Catsouptin5108]

I hate how rambley this video is and how it's clear how little research and effort when into it when random things get said with no thought or insight given. which can be fine if the person talking is interesting or funny but this is boring.