Manakete

The Manakete (マムクート Mamukūto, lit. Mamkute in the Japanese versions, alternately translated "Mamukoot" in Rekka no Ken in an unused weapon description) is both a race and combat shapeshifting class that recurrently appears across the Fire Emblem Series. Manaketes are essentially Dragons that have stored the bulk of their draconic power within Dragonstones and thereafter assumed a human form. Members of the class usually bear subpar base stats that are offset by their impressive Growth Rates; several level ups are all that is needed in order for their potential to be realized each time they assume their dragon form for combat purposes.

In several continuities, the more powerful Manaketes, including Naga, Forseti, Salamander, Loptyr, Grima and Anankos, are worshipped as deities.

History in the Series
Amongst the traits that define the Manakete class are their usage of Dragonstones either as items or weapons and having low stats that exponentially increase when actively engaging in combat in their dragon forms. A recurring factor is for different Manakete tribes to have different abilities; the Divine Dragon Tribe, for one, is able to inflict effective damage against other Manaketes, while the Mage Dragon Tribe is immune to magic.

In their original inception in Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi, Manaketes use Dragonstones as their weapons of choice. These Dragonstones can only be used for close-range melee combat and possess infinite durability. They are divided into different types depending on the various Manakete tribes appearing in the game, and can only be specifically used by the tribe for which they are designed for. Bantu, for one, is the only playable Manakete who can employ Firestones.

The Manakete class is altered in Mystery of the Emblem, where Dragonstones are used as items to transform before Breath weapons are utilised for combat. The number of turns player-controlled Manaketes can remain in their dragon forms is based on their Luck. This rule does not apply to enemy Manaketes with no Luck, as they will remain in their dragon form for the rest of a given skirmish after transformation. In their dragon forms, Manaketes boast a range of 1-2 with their breath attacks. For the first time in the series, Dragonstones have finite uses and will break once they run out of durability. Tiki is also granted the ability to use different types of Dragonstones, permitting her to assume other dragon forms apart from her standard Divine one. This incarnation of the Manakete class is most similar to the Laguz who will later function as its replacement in the Tellius Series.

Manaketes as a tangible class are absent from the series until the onset of Binding Blade and The Sacred Stones. While Manaketes largely revert to their original class mechanics, the Dragonstones that they wield are still limited by their durability.

In the DS remakes of the Archanea Series, most Dragonstones are usable by all Manaketes, excluding the Divinestone and Earthstone, both of which are exclusive to their respective tribe members. Manaketes in both titles are reverted to their original inception in Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi, where they directly use Dragonstones as weapons instead of utilising separate Breath weapons to attack their foes. In Shin Monshō no Nazo, Manaketes can use any Dragonstone to transform into different types of dragons, regardless of whether or not they are members of the specific Dragon Tribes that each stone is created for.

In Awakening, Manaketes are again outfitted with Dragonstones as their sole source of power. Dragonstones in this title are instituted with an attack range of 1-2 and can be purchased in shops. An enhanced version, Dragonstone+, which resembles the Divinestone, can be purchased in later stages of the game. Manaketes are vulnerable to dragon-slaying weapons, a trait that is retained even if they are reclassed into non-Manakete or other Dragon-based classes.

Profile
As a race, Manaketes are often depicted to be in conflict with humans during the course of the games' plot or in their backstories. In the Archanea Series, Manaketes are distinctly divided into tribes based on specific elements, including the fire, ice, flying and earth variations. Tribes not based off a particular element, like the magic and divine varieties, appear in the same series as well. In Mystery of the Emblem and its remake, playable Manaketes are able to employ Dragonstones derived from different tribes by means of purchasing them from a Secret Shop.

Although Manaketes are similar in concept to the Laguz of Tellius, specifically the Dragon tribe Laguz, they are different in most other ways, the most evident being that Laguz do not store their powers within stones and therefore do not require these in order to transform, but Manaketes are shown to have a much longer lifespan than the Dragon laguz, able to live for several thousand years, while the average lifespan for Dragon Laguz is approxiamately 1000 years.

Manaketes were originally planned to appear in TearRing Saga: Utna Heroes Saga, but are replaced with the similar Emiyu race in the final version. The direct descendants of the Emiyu race transform using rings instead of dragonstones.

Archanea/Ylisse, Valentia and Jugdral
Tens of thousands of years preceding the events of Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi, in the continent of Archanea, there was no need for the Dragon Tribes to seal their draconic powers within Dragonstones, and they were therefore able to live out much of their lifespans in their true dragon forms. Considered to be immensely intelligent beings, the members of the Dragon Tribes were able to eke out a powerful empire, presiding over the continent as its overlords. However, without warning, the power of the Dragon Tribes began to slip into an alarming state of decline; they first lost their ability to bear offspring, and then they slowly began to gradually lose hold of their sentience altogether, thereafter becoming feral beasts incapable of coherent thought.

To avoid this terrible fate, the elders of the Divine Dragon Tribes, who were revered as the most powerful Dragon Tribe in existence, proposed to seal their powers into stones and spend their lives in human form, only assuming their dragon forms when the need presented itself. This was accepted and supported by the leader of the Divine Dragons, Naga. While this plan would ensure the continued survival of the dragons, this would also mean surrendering the rule of the dragons to the humans, who began to grow as a population at the time.

While many dragons accepted the proposal and began to take on human form out of fear of turning feral, there were also many who defiantly ignored the advice out of sheer arrogance, most notably the Earth Dragon Tribe, the tribe that was held in high regard to rival even the Divine Dragons. Eventually, many dragons, including almost all the Earth Dragons save for two, degenerated into madness and began attacking the humans, forcing the Divine Dragons to intervene to defend the humans. This led to a great war between the feral Earth Dragons and the Divine Dragons, eventually resulting in the Earth Dragons being defeated and sealed away under the Dragon's Alter.

However, after the remaining Earth Dragon that was spared from degeneration by becoming a Manakete, Medeus, was tasked to guard the seal of the Earth Dragons, he witnessed the great atrocity that would occur soon afterwards.

Having become the dominant race of the land, the humans began to target Makaketes in extreme prejudice, abusing and mistreating them due to the lasting fear the humans held for the dragons, along with jealousy over the Manaketes' continued longevity. The mistreatment enrages many Manaketes, the hatred being greatest in Medeus. After watching for over a millennia over the racism towards his fellow species, Medeus united the remaining Manaketes together and formed the Dolhr Empire, where Manaketes eventually went to war with humans and began to exact vengeance upon them. Ironically, the Manaketes ended up being even crueler to the humans than the humans were to them.

Zombified dragons appeared in Valentia, indicating that they might have lived on the continent at some point before being wiped out by unknown assailants.

While no Manaketes appear directly in the Jugdral series, several legendary Manaketes from the Dragon Tribe are mentioned in the backstory as having traveled to the continent in a bid to stop a rogue dragon from eradicating mankind. Their intervention is better known as the Miracle of Darna, during which the Manaketes in question transferred their divine power to twelve chosen fighters through the formation of blood rites. The twelve fighters are then reborn as the Twelve Crusaders, with the power of the Dragon Tribe infused into Holy Weapons that can only be wielded by the crusaders themselves and their descendants.

Thousands of years after Marth's time, during the events of Awakening, very few Manaketes appeared, including Naga herself, though she appeared more in an ethereal form than corporeal. Curiously, the Dragon Tribes themselves are not explicitly mentioned in the game, although the other Manaketes have a similar Dragon form to Tiki, can communicate with Naga, and can use what appear to be Divinestones.

Unfortunately, even after all that time had passed, the racism towards the Manaketes seemed to continue, as the Manakete Nowi was constantly sold as a slave to perform tricks for others until she had been saved by Gregor. Furthermore, Nowi's daughter from the future, Nah, was also held in contempt. After Nah's parents died, Nah lived with the family of one of her father's soldier friends, but they mistreated Nah, possibly even more because Nah was more than a simple Manakete, but also a half-breed. Tiki refers to Nah as the first ever half-Manakete in history, despite Morgan potentially being one as well.

The infertility issue goes unmentioned as well; it is unknown if Manaketes simply have less difficulty producing hybrids or if there is another factor at play that could possibly allow them to procreate. However, Nowi is approximately 1000 years old, indicating that some full blooded Manaketes can still be born.

Elibe


In the distant past, the Dragon tribes shared the continent with humanity and lived separately in peace. Unfortunately, this peace was not slated to last. While the exact details of the war's beginning are lost, it is known that humanity was the initial perpetrator of the war, with the Divine Dragon Tribe electing to remain neutral throughout the conflict.

The war that is better known as The Scouring broke out thereafter, one that lasted for generations. Eventually, eight Human Generals armed with Divine Weapons managed to turn the tide in humanity's favor. The clashing of these godlike weapons triggered the occurrence of a world-changing cataclysm known as the Ending Winter. Causing severely erratic disruptions in the seasonal changes of the world's climate, Dragons were forced to conserve their power in stones to survive, in a fashion that is similar to their Archanean counterparts.

Having lost the war to mankind, the Dragon Tribes fled the world through a portal known as the Dragon's Gate. Those who were unaware of the gate's existence unwittingly remained on the continent, only to be routed by humanity, barring one. The only Dragons to remain on the continent were the Divine Dragons and allies who formed the hidden civilization Arcadia, where humans and dragons cohabited in a desert utopia in peaceful bliss.

The Dragon Tribes known to exist on Elibe took the form of four different varieties: Fire, Ice, Divine and Mage (referred to as "Demon Dragons" in Rekka no Ken). The Mage Dragons are said to exist as unnatural creations that came into being due to the corruption of Divine Dragons.

Magvel
In Magvel, only one unique type of Manakete surfaces, and it is unknown if any other dragon types inhabit the continent. Described as "halfway between man and monster", the Manaketes turn into yellow fire-breathing dragons.

Eight hundred years in the past, the Demon King Fomortiis ruled the continent, suppressing both humans and Manaketes alike. Eventually, a powerful Manakete known as Morva led a group of Five Heroes and succeeded in sealing away the Demon King. Dracozombies also exist, with some residing in the Black Temple and Lagdou Ruins; these former Manakete were presumably killed and used against their own tribe by Fomortiis.

Deliberately leading a life of humble seclusion, Morva led a solitary existence in Darkling Woods, guarding the Demon King's corpse. During this time, Morva adopted an orphaned Manakete known as Myrrh.

While other Manaketes are known to exist, only Morva and Myrrh directly appear in The Sacred Stones. Both are revered by the residents of Caer Pelyn as "Great Dragons".

Fates
Thousands of years before the events of Fates take place, twelve ancient dragons waged war amongst one another. In a bid to gain the upper hand, each dragon used humans like pawns to fight for them, empowering them with drops of their blood. The humans who were infused with the dragons' blood thereafter assumed the royal helms of various nations as a result. Eventually, the bestial urges brought on by their growing power led the dragon race to discard their physical forms, becoming spirits and leaving the world entirely. Only two of these dragons are known to have refrained from resorting to such a drastic measure: the Rainbow Sage and Anankos.

While the Rainbow Sage assumed a human form to delay his own degeneration, Anankos foresaw that he would one day turn feral, and thus made desperate attempts to delay the process. Some of the measures that Anankos took included him penning three versions of a song that harboured the power to suppress and weaken him, alongside creating a Dragonstone to limit the full extent of his power. Eventually, only a fragment of the Dragonstone remained, and it was used in a ritual by songstresses who were trained to vocalise the aforementioned song. In a cruel twist of fate, the ritual ended in tragedy, as singing the song led to the unfortunate consequence of the songstresses losing their lives. This in turn led to Anankos' inevitable downfall, where he lapsed into a state of unbridled madness. The method employed by Anankos to seal his powers within a Dragonstone is similarly emulated by Azura in the main storyline, who infuses one such stone with the Avatar's draconic power, giving them a means to transform without succumbing to their destructive urges.

The Astral Dragons appearing in the same title are known to exist within a world that is disparate from that of Fates. According to Lilith, these enigmatic dragons are benevolent in nature, existing for the purpose of acting as the "stars that guide travelers" under the eaves of night.

The term "Manakete" is used very sparsely in these games, with a lone example hidden in the B-Support between the female Avatar and Caeldori. However, the term is used passively in the context of discussing fiction romance novels, so it remains unclear as to whether manaketes actually exist in Fates' universe, or are simply storytelling devices as dragons would be in the real world.

Characteristics
Manaketes have extraordinary lifespans, lasting over several millennia. Complementing their longevity is the fact that they tend to age slowly. Tiki illustrates this fact particularly well; first appearing with the appearance of a young girl during Marth's time, she only assumes the appearance of a young adult by the time Chrom is born 2000 years later. The human body of a Manakete is much more fragile than that of natural humans, and this severely exploitable weakness heavily contributed to the human race prevailing over them during The Scouring.

According to Tiki, pure-blooded manaketes have larger jaws than half-manakete hybrids in their dragon state, and as they age, his or her dragon form's claws and fangs sharpen. Their dragon hides toughen the more they are struck in battle.

The longevity of Manaketes comes at a price: Tiki succinctly explains that due to the long lives that they lead, they will lose many of their human companions due to the latter's shorter lifespans. Additionally, Manaketes face an infertility problem, a fact that greatly dampens their rate of reproduction. However, Nowi is a dragon that was born 1000 years prior to Awakening, indicating that it is still possible for Manaketes to mate. Furthermore, both Nowi and Tiki are able to mate with humans and can give birth to a Manakete hybrid, with Nah being able to do the same if she mothers Morgan.

By far, the most severe problem that Manaketes face is the threat of degradation. The longer they remain in their dragon forms, the more likely they will go insane, and this has thus led to some Archanean dragons resorting to assuming human forms in order to avoid this. The Dragons in Fates transformed into spirits for much the same reasons as well.

While Manaketes will eventually experience the effects of old age, it is unclear if they ever outright die from old age. Bantu best illustrates this fact; originally appearing in Marth's time as a wizened old man, he is still alive and well 2000 years later in Awakening. It has been revealed through Ninian that it is possible for factors like an unsuitable living atmosphere to drastically reduce the lifespans of Manaketes.

Manaketes presumably possess the ability to put either themselves or others into suspended animation. The Divine Dragon King Naga, for one, sent his newborn daughter Tiki into suspended animation, which is why Tiki, despite having lived for over a thousand years by the time the War of Shadows breaks out, only spent ten years awake and thus possessed the emotional maturity of a child her physical age. Manaketes can dream in this "sleeping" state, as revealed by the constant nightmares that haunt Tiki in her dreams.

When mortally wounded, extremely powerful Manaketes will often go into a deep slumber until they recover their strength. Jahn best illustrates this trait; throughout the years following the end of the Scouring, he went into hiding in the Dragon Temple and entered a state of slumber to recuperate.

According to Nah, Manaketes are also known to be able to detect the intentions of others through their olfactory senses. It is not made clear whether this is a trait shared by all Manaketes or one that is only confined to a selected few.

Nah also reveals in her S-rank support conversation with Brady that Manaketes are able to transfer part of their lifespans to others through the use of their Dragonstones. This is not entirely confirmed to be true, as Nah admits that she only learnt of this from Nowi and is unsure of the possibility.

Hybrids
Manaketes are also able to mate with humans, a fact that will give rise to offspring who are fertile half-breeds. Several such individuals have appeared across the series, and they include Al from Hasha no Tsurugi, Sophia from Binding Blade, and Nah and potentially Morgan from Awakening. These hybrid characters usually assume normal human classes, although in some cases they are able to transform into their dragon form with Dragonstones. These hybrid children also inherit the Manakete race's long lifespan, although not to the same extent as their full-blooded parents.

Through Nah's support conversations with the female Avatar, it is revealed that even though hybrids do not have full dragon blood flowing through their veins, they are still very much given to the destructive urges that their full-blooded ancestors are known to be plagued with. Nah brings up her need to uncontrollably "exercise", generally by reigning destruction in some remote locale. This is very similar to the violent rages that a degenerating dragon is compelled by nature to engage in once a month, with Anankos admitting it to be something similar to his situation.

Nils, Ninian, the Avatar of Fates, their child Kana and any other children they may bear are considered to be a special type of hybrid. This is owing to the fact that the potency of the dragon blood that they possess is far stronger due to them being parented by at least one non-Manakete dragon. Such individuals are never referred to as Manaketes in the games that they appear in, and they seem to age like any other normal human would. In the case of Nils and Ninian, while they age rather slowly within the dragon realm, they are observed to experience more rapid growths in the human realm; Lyn's remark on Nils' slight growth after meeting each other a year after their first encounter is very telling of this fact.

Appearance
Most male Manaketes appear as hooded, hunched-over humanoids with small wings extending from their backs, although the more notable ones may appear younger and assume an upright stance. Often depicted donning robes, many Manaketes also display draconic features like fangs, claws and unnatural skin tones. Manaketes of the Divine Dragon tribe are known to deviate from this rule, appearing more human-like in appearance and demeanour. While many Manaketes generally have long or pointed ears in human form, hybrids may or may not bear such a feature.

Full-Blooded
====Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi / Mystery of the Emblem / Shadow Dragon / Shin Monshō no Nazo====
 * Tiki (Divine Dragon) - Princess of the Divine Dragon Tribe and daughter of Naga.
 * Bantu (Fire Dragon) - Caretaker of Tiki and acts as a grandfather to her.
 * Nagi (Divine Dragon) - A mysterious lady from an alternate realm who bears an uncanny resemblance to Tiki.
 * Mannu (Fire Dragon) - A Manakete king who presides over the reclusive Pyrathi Isles.
 * Khozen (Fire Dragon) - A loyal subordinate of Medeus who helps Grust and Dolhr hold Archanea.
 * Morzas (Mage Dragon) - A loyal subordinate of Medeus from the Basilisk clan.
 * Xemcel (Mage Dragon) - A loyal subordinate of Medeus who is put in charge of guarding Dolhr Keep.
 * Medeus (Earth Dragon) - Prince of the royal Earth Dragon family.

Former Manaketes

 * Gotoh (Divine Dragon) - Teacher of Miloah and Gharnef, he is revered as the White Sage.
 * Xane (Divine Dragon) - A mischievous, fun-loving subordinate of Gotoh who guides Marth's army through Anri's Way.

Binding Blade

 * Fae (Divine Dragon) - A Divine Dragon child residing in the village of Arcadia.
 * Idenn (Mage Dragon, former Divine Dragon) - A former Divine Dragon who is kidnapped and corrupted into a soulless Mage Dragon.
 * Jahn (Fire Dragon) - A spiteful survivor of The Scouring who seeks vengeance against mankind.
 * Ain (War Dragon) - A War Dragon who is instructed to guard Jutes.

The Sacred Stones

 * Morva - Foster father of Myrrh and the leader of the Manakete Tribe in the Darkling Woods.
 * Myrrh - Foster daughter of Morva who disguises herself as a mortal girl to investigate the great evil plaguing Magvel.

Awakening

 * Tiki (Divine Dragon) - Priestess of Naga in Valm.
 * Grima (Fell Dragon) - The Fell Dragon with a fanatic cult following who thrusts the world into chaos.
 * Nowi (unspecified) - A Manakete of unknown origin and tribe and the mother of Nah.

Binding Blade

 * Roy (If mother is Ninian, Ice. Unknown if he is actually a Manakete.) - Son of Eliwood and the wielder of the hallowed Sword of Seals.
 * Sophia (unspecified) - A soft-spoken Shaman who is a resident of Arcadia.

Rekka no Ken

 * Nils (Ice Dragon) - Brother of Ninian, he and his sister pose as a performing troupe to evade the notice of the Black Fang.
 * Ninian (Ice Dragon) - Sister of Nils, she and her brother pose as a performing troupe to evade the notice of the Black Fang.

Awakening

 * Nah (unspecified) - Daughter of Nowi.
 * Female Morgan (If mother is Nowi or Nah (Unspecified) or Tiki (Divine Dragon))

Trivia

 * The names "Mamkute" and "Manakete" are trademarked by Intelligent Systems.
 * In Rekka no Ken, when Flametongue is selected to use for an attack, the description indicates that it is "For Mamukoot only!". (This description can only be viewed if the item is obtained illegitimately and placed in a player unit's inventory).
 * Other than Bantu, all recruitable members of the Manakete class are female, with the other playable male Manaketes appearing in other human classes, such as Xane and Gotoh.
 * In Awakening, the Manakete class is female-exclusive.
 * The Manakete's Dragon form in Awakening seems to be based on the leafy seadragon.
 * A generic class portrait for the Manakete class exists in the data for Shin Monshō no Nazo. However, as all manaketes in-game are named characters or bosses, it is only viewable by exploring the game's resources or through the use of cheat devices.
 * Story details in Mystery of the Emblem and its remake, as well as Support conversations in Awakening, indicate that each Manakete has only one Dragonstone and cannot use any other, but this is contradicted by gameplay mechanics.
 * The type of Dragonstone used in Awakening is not made particularly clear; generally, it is assumed to be of Divine origin due to Tiki's usage of them, alongside the Dragonstone+'s strong resemblance to the classic Divinestone.
 * Nowi mentions that she is able to breathe fire despite attacking with ice in animations, while Manaketes of the divine dragon tribe have generally used Mist Breath or Ice Breath. Nowi also mentions that she uses ice breath in the official Awakening manga, further making matters more convoluted.