Ayra

"You better not double-cross me Kinbois, because I'll hunt you down and put your head to a stick! Even if it takes me to the ends of hell! Got it!?"

- Ira to Kinbois concerning Shanan's fate at Genoa Castle in Verdane

Ira (アイラ, Aira) is a young female swordfighter from Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu, a 1996 release for the Super Famicom. Most English-speaking players call her Ayra as originally translated in an early fan translation. Her name is translated Aira in the most recent version of the fan translation patch to the game, but she is still called Ayra by the English-speakers.

Ira was the first female swordfighter in Fire Emblem history. She has been credited for introducing the current form of the Myrmidon class, which would later be the trademark for the Nabarl archetype. She also possesses the special skill known as the Shooting Star Sword.

She is the first recruitable enemy in the game. Due to the difficulty of recruiting her, Ira may be killed off as an enemy by players who are new to Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu (which would be a huge loss to Siglud's party and regretful to Celice's party), but she is very highly praised by more knowledgeable fans of the game and is one of the most popular characters in the game.

Ira is the first character to appear in the default demo sequence of the game, alongside Shanan. She is officially introduced at the beginning of Chapter 1 of Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu, shortly after Eltshan is through meeting with Siglud in Evans castle. When she is introduced, Kinbois talks with her, and she threatens him with death if he double-crosses her.

Ira possesses the skills Pursuit, Awareness, and the Shooting Star Sword (which in Jugdral only Isaacian royalty can master). She is considered one of the more versatile characters of Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu, and vies in competition with Levn, the prince of Silesia, and Briggid, lord of Jungby, among others, for this title.

She is a great suitor ability-wise for just about any playable male character in Siglud's tale other than Siglud and Cuan, being arguably the best suitor of Holyn, Lex, Dew, or Noish. However, since she does not let Levn pass the Holsety spell or Claud pass the Valkyrie staff on to Celice's generation, pairings with those two are rarely considered. Holyn and Lex tend to be most often dubbed her best suitors, both due to the skillsets they provide her children (Lakche and Skasaher) and because either of them can give her a Brave Sword, one of the better weapons in the game. However, it is possible to pair her with someone else after having one of them give her the sword.

Biography
Princess Ira, a descendant of Odo, one of the 12 Jugdral Crusaders, was born and raised in Isaac castle, the capital city located in southern Isaac. She is the daughter of King Mananan and an anonymous deceased queen, and half-sister of King Mariccle, 12 years her senior.

According to most unofficial sources, she was born in the Gran Calendar year 738 (according to the Osawa Manga adaptation she was born in Gran Calendar year 740); she stands 169 centimeters tall, weighs 53 kilograms, and her blood type is AB. She knew only Holyn before the onset of Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu.

In the Gran Calendar year 757 (the onset of Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu), when her half-brother Mariccle was King of Isaac, Prince Kurth made the decision to have the Kingdom of Grandbell subdue the Kingdom Isaac. This came about due to the leader of Rivough, one of the major cities of Isaac, invading the city of Darna which was under Grandbellian protection.

That conflict, known as the Isaacian-Grandbellian war, forced Mariccle's half-sister Ira and his son Shanan and to flee the country. Mariccle foresaw that he would not survive the war, and wanted his son to be safe so he could return to Isaac and take the throne in the future. They eventually came to the Kingdom of Verdane and Ira ended up working for Prince Kinbois as a mercenary, since he has threatened her with killing her ward Shanan.

Ira has an iron will, she is coldhearted towards strangers and is nice and caring to those who are close to her. As an Isaacian warrior, she is willing to reciprocate trust in whomever she carries a conversation with.

Character history
In Gran 757, the Kingdom of Isaac was on the verge of destruction. In the meantime of the Prologue chapter of Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu, Prince Kurth from Barhara Castle, Grandbell, makes the decision for the Grandbellian army to invade Ira's country, the Kingdom of Isaac, because of public outcry involving the Isaacian barbarians from Rivough attacking Darna. Darna was once a peaceful dukedom and was cooperating with Grandbell, but there were reports of massive slaughter being caused by the Rivough army.

Ira's father Mananan was going to reveal to Prince Kurth that only the Rivough army attacked Darna, but he was assassinated by Duke Reptor of Freege under Manfroy's influence. For this reason, Manfroy and Reptor wanted the Isaacian-Grandbellian war to continue, in a conspiracy scheming with Duke Langobalt, in order to obtain more power for themselves.

At the time of the Isaacian-Grandbellian war, the defeated men and children of Isaacian royalty were to be executed, and although the case for women was instead slavery, this would usually end up with rape and torture to death. Mariccle foresaw his own death and the fall of Isaac, and he did not want Ira or Shanan to go through this suffering. Grandbell's military might was far beyond that of Isaac. Therefore, he ordered Ira and Shanan to flee from Isaac, through Manster (which includes Lenster), through Miletos, through the south tip of Grandbell (near Jungby), and eventually to Verdane, in order to escape Isaac's conflict with Grandbell.

At the time, Verdane was the only country that was not under Grandbellian protection, and that country was also hostile toward Grandbell. Even if Ira and Shanan were to stay, with peaceful relations to Grandbell, in any of the countries that are under Grandbellian protection, they could be presented as prisoners to Grandbell if their identity was revealed to Barhara royalty at the time.

Upon arrival to Verdane, Shanan found his new life in Verdane amusing, making a game out of it, but Ira was struggling to find her own way in life. She found out that she had no alternative but to work as a mercenary for Kinbois, son of King Batou and brother of Jamka. She shows up with Kinbois in Chapter 1 of Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu, taking place in the Gran Calendar year 757. She is employed to guard his castle, Genoa, while he advances northward to retake the castle of Evans, recently taken by Siglud's army in their attempt to rescue Adean of Jungby from Verdane's Prince Gandolf. Kinbois, having left only a pittance of his army at Genoa, had Shanan locked in the dungeon to prevent Ira from shirking her duty; Ira would threaten to impale Kinbois on a stick in order to prevent him from breaking his promise.

When Siglud and his forces come too close to Genoa Castle, Ira declares that she will kill anyone coming near her, and she begins to fight. Siglud has to conquer Genoa Castle, rescuing Shanan in the process, without killing off Ira, and Shanan will explain the situation to Siglud; Thereafter, Siglud is able to recruit Ira.

Upon learning that Genoa castle has been taken by Grandbell, Ira's thoughts turn towards Shanan, whom the Grandbellians will surely imprison if they find him, and heads for Genoa to rescue him before that happens. Siglud comes across her before she gets back and informs her of Shanan's safety, and she joins Siglud's army for the time being. Later in Chapter 1, after Siglud is through talking with her, Ira talks with Cuan about the political situation between Isaac and Grandbell. Cuan's father, King Calf of Lenster, has a high opinion of Ira's father Mananan. Ira said to Cuan that in response to her father's death, her brother Mariccle launched a full-scale war against Granndbell. However, Grandbell's military might is far beyond that of Isaac and Mariccle died in Battle.

As the player learns later, Mananan was assassinated by the Duke of Freege, Reptor, as he journeyed to Barhara to explain the situation with Rivough to Prince Kurth. Even after she joins Siglud's party, Ira still views Grandbell as her sworn enemy, but Siglud tells her that he does not want to ever have to fight against her, and he does not care too much about the war with Isaac, which ends in the meantime of Chapter 2, when her older brother Mariccle dies and the Balmung ends up in Yied Shrine, later to be found by Shanan.

In Chapter 3, either Lex or Holyn may give Ira the Brave Sword, since things are going to become harder as the player advances through the game. If second generation does not inherit her Brave Sword, it can be found on Coruta in Chapter 8.

In Chapter 5, after Siglud conquers Lubeck Castle, Ira's children, Lakche and Skasaher, flee with Shanan, Oifaye, and Celice to Isaac, eventually settling for the time being at Tilnanogue, and they were raised there alongside Adean's children Lester and Rana and Rackesis' son Delmud, with Adean acting as a surrogate mother. After that Ira talks with Siglud, and informs him that she has finished her duties to raise Shanan and that she wants to stay with Siglud until the Battle of Barhara (also known as the Barhara Massacre) at the end of Chapter 5 where Siglud and his army fall into a fatal trap set by Alvis and his mage unit.

Neither the game Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu itself nor other official sources reveal her fate at the Battle of Barhara, and her fate is highly debated. According the manga adaptation by Oosawa Mitsuki, Ira survived the Battle of Barhara but died years afterwards, but this is not confirmed. She is presumed dead during the ending of the game; however, it is unconfirmed whether she died in or survived the Battle of Barhara or whether she died afterwards, or whether she remained alive at the time of the game ending.

Ira herself was not mentioned in Fire Emblem: Thracia 776, and that game confirms that the other female members of Siglud's army who were present in the Battle of Barhara survived; that has made some sources to assume that Ira died in the Battle of Barhara. Another possibility is that she survived the Battle, but was captured by the Loputo Sect on her way to Isaac and was turned into stone by Veld.

Recruitment
"Then put down your sword. As a descendant of Baldo, the crusader of light, I will not betray you."

- Siglud, recruiting Ira

Ira is initially hostile toward Siglud and his army, since she is from Isaac and most of his forces already in his army including himself are from Grandbell. Cuan, Fin, and Ethlin from Lenster in the Manster District (Lenster nobility having ties with both Grandbell and Isaac), and Dew the thief are the only exceptions at the time of Ira's recruitment.

Getting Ira to join Siglud's forces is somewhat difficult, but she is worth the effort. First, Siglud and his forces have to lure her away from Genoa Castle,(it is best to send down Alec and Arden because they are resistant to her meteor attack and be sure to equip them with their weakest weapons) to allow Siglud room to take it over; if she is nearby when he does, she will attack him (and likely either kill him, or die herself). Siglud can recruit Ira after subduing Genoa.

Recruit Conversation
Siglud: Ira, wait! We've got Prince Shanan. You don't need to fight anymore!

Ira: What!? YOU rescued Shanan? Prove it to me!

Siglud: Prince Shanan told me that you're the younger sister to the King of Isaac. He also said that you'd be hostile towards us since we're from Grandbell. But consider the facts. You have a young prince to protect. Is this war really worth risking your life over!?

Ira: My brother, the king, was prepared for death when he entrusted Shanan with me. We've come this far ... But you're right. I can't risk my life for Verdane! I must see Shanan through until he's old enough to become a respectable king.

Siglud: Then put down your sword. As descendant of Baldo, the Crusader of Light, I will not betray you.

Ira: ... Consider yourself reciprocated then. That's the way of the Isaacian warrior. For now I consecrate my sword to thee. But I still view Grandbell as my sworn enemy. Just so prepare for the day when that enemy may include you.

Siglud: War sure can be cruel. Ira, warrior of Isaac ... I pray that day never comes.

Death Quotes
"Shanan ... I'm sorry"

- If Ira dies as an enemy

"Shanan, be strong."

- If Ira dies as a playable character and does not have a lover

"Shanan, be strong. , I want to see you again ..."

- If Ira dies as a playable character and has a lover

In-Game
Ira fits the Nabarl archetype, let alone the Nyna archetype, but both in unique ways. What is unique about her as a Nabarl is that she is not equipped with Killing Edge but is equipped with the Shooting Star sword skill, which is later known as Astra. What is unique about her as a Nyna is that her homeland Isaac is invaded by the main character's country and that she is recruited by a nobleman from the invading country. She started the Swordmaster class, which would later become a trademark of the Nabarl archetype.

She starts as a dangerous enemy who is very difficult to recruit. Because of that, she is often killed off by new players of the game, but she is highly praised by more knowledgeable fans of the game. Recruiting her is found to be worth the effort, and she is easy to train. She can be trained to promotion without Boss Abuse or Elite Ring.

Partially thanks to her high speed and skill paired with her relatively high strength and above-average other stats, but mostly due to her Shooting Star Sword skill, Ira can easily defeat almost all enemies, the only real threat to her being Reimia and her mercenary band in Chapter 4, and Reptor in Chapter 5. She also possesses Awareness, making her a perfect candidate to take down bosses who have Great Shield.

She is well paired with just about any playable male character besides Siglud and Cuan. Her children, the twins Lakche and Skasaher, inherit everything they need from her, and no suitor of hers can really mess them up. She is best paired with Holyn, Lex, Dew, or Noish. It is not recommended to pair her with Alec, despite having respectable stat growths, because he offers no new skills for Lakche or Skasaher. It is also good to pair Ira with Levn, because like Noish, he offers the Critical skill as well as magic stat growths, but the downside is that Ira does not let him pass Holsety to second generation. It is somewhat not recommended to pair Ira with Claud, as Claud offers no skills and Ira does not let him pass down Valkyrie staff. However, he offers Magic stats allowing Lakche and Skasaher to take advantage of magic swords. She is often paired with either Holyn or Lex during ranked runs.

Base Stats
|Sword Fighter |Minor Odo |4 |32 |11 |0 |16 |17 |3 |7 |1 |6 |Pursuit Awareness Shooting Star |Sword - A |Iron Blade


 * Gold: 3000

Growth Rates
(With Holy Blood Bonuses)


 * HP: 70%
 * Strength: 30%
 * Magic: 5%
 * Skill: 60%
 * Speed: 30%
 * Luck: 20%
 * Defense: 20%
 * Resistance: 5%

Promotion Gains

 * Promotes to Swordmaster
 * Strength: +5
 * Magic: +0
 * Skill: +5
 * Speed: +5
 * Defense: +2
 * Resistance: +3
 * Movement: +0

Conversations
In Chapter 1, after Genoa Castle is captured, Siglud can talk to Ira to recruit her.

In Chapter 1, after Ira is recruited, Cuan can talk to her, but nothing will result of it.

In Chapter 3, if neither Ira, Lex, or Holyn has a lover, either can talk to her, and she will gain a Brave Sword and 100 love points with who talks to her.

In Chapter 5, after Lubeck Castle is captured, Siglud can talk to Ira, but nothing will result of it.

In Chapter 5, if Ira's lover is Lex, Holyn, or Arden, she can talk to him, but nothing will result of it.

Love Growths

 * Siglud: N/A
 * Cuan: N/A
 * Fin: 0+2
 * Noish: 0+2
 * Alec: 0+2
 * Arden: 0+2
 * Lex: 0+2
 * Azel: 0+2
 * Midayle: 0+2
 * Dew: 0+2
 * Jamka: 0+2
 * Holyn: 0+2
 * Levn: 50+2
 * Beowolf: 50+2
 * Claud: 200+2

Etymology

 * Ira is Latin for Wrath. Ira is also a diminutive form of Irina, a given feminine Slavic name and Irene, meaning peace. Ira is also a given unisex Hebrew name meaning watchful.

Trivia

 * Ira is the rare figurine in the Fire Emblem: Exceed a Generation Trading Figure collection.
 * The Fire Emblem Treasure family tree reveals that Mariccle and Ira may have different mothers. Many fans believe that they have different mothers, as suggested by the fact that Shanan lacks the Nihil skill.
 * Ira is paired with Lex in the Oosawa Mitsuki manga adaptation of the game. In the adaptation, they fought against each other when the they first met.
 * In the Fujimori Nuts manga, Ira is first courted by Alec but rejects his affections. Later, she is paired with Holyn, whose child self had appeared in her dreams of her childhood, though it took Ira a lot to recognize her "old friend/first love" or sorts in him.