Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War is the fourth game in the Fire Emblem series, developed by Intelligent Systems and released by Nintendo for the Super Famicom in Japan on May 14, 1996. Shouzou Kaga directed, designed and wrote it; it was the last Fire Emblem produced by Gunpei Yokoi, and Yuka Tsujiyoko composed the music. It was first planned for March 1996 under the working title Inheritors of Light, and time pressure cut the intended three-act story to two.
The original run sold 494,216 units. The game was never officially localized and remains exclusive to Japan, although an English fan translation exists, and many of its character and place names later gained official English forms through Fire Emblem Heroes.
It returned on the Japanese Virtual Console for Wii in 2007, Wii U in 2013 and New Nintendo 3DS in 2016, and was added to Nintendo Switch Online in Japan on May 26, 2021.12
Names and releases
| Region | Title on the box | Platform | Date | Publisher | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JP | ファイアーエムブレム 聖戦の系譜 | SNES | May 14, 1996 | Nintendo | 2 |
| JP | ファイアーエムブレム 聖戦の系譜Virtual Console; Wii Shop Channel closed on 31 January 2019 | Wii | Jan 30, 2007 | Nintendo | 2 |
| JP | ファイアーエムブレム 聖戦の系譜Virtual Console; eShop closed on 28 March 2023 | Wii U | Apr 27, 2013 | Nintendo | 2 |
| JP | ファイアーエムブレム 聖戦の系譜New Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console; eShop closed on 28 March 2023 | Nintendo 3DS | Aug 27, 2016 | Nintendo | 2 |
| JP | ファイアーエムブレム 聖戦の系譜Nintendo Switch Online, Japan only | Switch | May 26, 2021 | Nintendo | 2 |
Also known as: ファイアーエムブレム 聖戦の系譜 JP2Seisen no Keifu JP1Descent of Jihad JP1Inheritors of Light JP1
Version differences
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Contentprerelease
The game was planned for March 1996 under the working title Inheritors of Light; staff said it was rebuilt two or three times, and the planned three-act story was cut to two acts for lack of time.1
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TextFire Emblem Heroes
There is no official English version, but many character and location names got official English forms through Fire Emblem Heroes (2017).1
Translations
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English Fan
—SNES · Japanese versionReleased
An English fan translation exists; the game itself was never officially localized.1
Where to play legally today
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Nintendo Switch Online Subscription
Reception
The original print run sold 494,216 units (as of 2002), making it the second best-selling Fire Emblem title at the time. Famitsu scored it 9, 6, 8 and 8, the lowest average for a Fire Emblem game on the Super Famicom, while RPGFan gave it 90/100.1
In lists
Sources
Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13
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