Ragnell

Ragnell (ラグネル Raguneru) is the personal Sword of Ike, and originates from the Tellius Series of Fire Emblem. The sword also appears in Fire Emblem Awakening as a weapon primarily wielded by Priam, a self-claimed descendant of Ike. Statistically similar to its sister blade, Alondite, the main differences between the two are appearance and the fact that Ike is the only one who can wield Ragnell, while Alondite does not have a character lock after leaving the Black Knight's possession.

Ragnell boasts high values in both Might and Hit Rate, meaning it is both a damage dealing and accurate weapon for Ike. The sword is also able to be used at range. This attribute is especially useful in Path of Radiance, giving Ike a ranged attack option despite solely wielding swords, which are generally only melee range. In Path of Radiance the Ragnell also negates critical hits, except for those caused by the Wrath skill.

Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
Ragnell is, alongside its sister sword, Alondite, blessed by the goddess Ashera, and was originally wielded by the first Apostle, Altina, to vanquish Yune. Taking on the appearance of a large golden sword with a black hilt, the blessings of Ashera renders it unbreakable.

In the events of Path of Radiance, Ragnell is first introduced in Chapter 7, where the Black Knight, prior to engaging his former instructor, Greil, in a duel, offers him the blade, citing a desire to witness him at his full strength. In response, Greil casts aside the blade in favor of Urvan, an axe, a choice that ultimately proves to be fatal, as he is defeated and mortally wounded by the Black Knight's well-placed thrust of the Alondite through his stomach.

Ike takes Ragnell into his possession afterwords, as he later draws it in his confrontation with the Black Knight in the second segment of Chapter 27, ultimately emerging triumphant from the battle. He then continues to wield the blade as his principal weapon of choice until he succeeds in retaking Castle Crimea from Ashnard's clutches, whereupon he, by virtue of it being a national treasure of Begnion, passes it into the hands of Apostle Sanaki.

Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
Ragnell resurfaces in Chapter 11 of the third segment of Radiant Dawn, where, upon appointing Ike as the overarching commander of the newly-formed Apostle's Army, Sanaki bequeathes the sword to him, passing it off as a form of down payment. As she does so, she reveals that she had, prior to escaping from the treacherous plot hatched by the senators, lifted Ragnell from its resting place. With the sword in hand, Ike later wields it in the final showdown that he wages against Zelgius in the second Rebirth chapter. Ike emerges as the victor of the battle, and as he prepares to vacate the area, both Ragnell and Alondite, driven tip-first into the ground in front of Zelgius' lifeless body, glow in unison. On Yune's urging, Ike picks up Alondite, and depending on whether certain criteria have been fulfilled, the repressed memory of Ike and Mist witnessing the death of their mother at Greil's hands is triggered.

Ragnell plays one last prominent role in the final Rebirth chapter, where it is imbued with Yune's power of chaos, allowing Ike to land the finishing blow on Ashera.

Fire Emblem Awakening
A weaker, although still potent, Ragnell appears in Awakening. Making its first formal appearance in Paralogue 23, this version of Ragnell is wielded by a Hero named Priam, claiming to be the descendant of Ike. The ensuing skirmish that he wages with Chrom's troops sees him primarily wielding the blade as his weapon of choice, one that enhances the formidable nature of his battle prowess.

In Awakening Ragnell shows clear wear, the blade itself being cracked and pale. This along with its limited durability implies that the blessing is gone. When used at range, Ragnell is simply thrown, rather than launching shockwaves as it did in the Tellius series. Additionally, any unit can now wield Ragnell. Ragnell can also be randomly obtained from a chest in Xenologue 15.

Fire Emblem Fates
Ragnell appears as the signature weapon of an amiibo Ike. Like all other weapons of amiibo units, Ragnell can only be used by Ike and cannot be removed from his inventory. It retains its ability to attack from a distance. But unlike Awakening, Ragnell once again launches shockwaves like it did in Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn.

Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance and Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
*Only in Path of Radiance.

Fire Emblem Awakening
*-Infinite usage on Enemy Priam in Paralogue 23.

Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance

 * Event
 * Ch. 27-2 - Prior to the start of the battle that Ike wages with the Black Knight in Castle Nados.
 * }

Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn

 * Event
 * Part 3: Ch. 11 - During the interim before the player is granted access to the Camp menu.
 * }

Fire Emblem Awakening

 * Inventory
 * Priam
 * Treasure
 * Xeno. 15 - Random from Chest.
 * }
 * }

Fire Emblem Fates

 * Inventory
 * Ike amiibo (Bound)
 * }

Super Smash Bros. Series
Ragnell is wielded by Ike in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. In Brawl, the blade could produce red colored flames, while in Smash 4, it produces blue flames.

Code Name: S.T.E.A.M.
Ragnell appears in Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. and is wielded by Ike. Ragnell keeps its signature ability to launch shockwaves at distant enemies.

Etymology
In Arthurian legend, Dame Ragnell (or Ragnelle) was a hideously ugly woman whom Sir Gawain was forced to marry, the result of her knowing the answer to the riddle "What do women most desire?". To this end, the riddle was one that was particularly vital to Gawain, because someone had challenged King Arthur to solve the riddle, compelling Gawain to be honour-bound to discovering the answer for his liege. In accordance to the latter version of the tale, in return for marrying Gawain, Ragnell divulged the riddle's answer to the King, where she revealed that what women wanted most is their own way. On the night of the wedding, Ragnell revealed that she was a young woman under a spell, and presented Gawain with two choices: Either she became old and ugly at night and beautiful during the day, or vice versa. Gawain, remembering the answer to the riddle, ceded the authority of selecting amongst the choices to Ragnell. This essentially broke the spell, allowing Ragnell to revert to her original beautiful form. This is a reinterpretation of Chaucer's "The Wife of Bath's Tale" from "The Canterbury Tales". In "The Wife of Bath's Tale", however, the knight who seeks the riddle is not Sir Gawain, though he is a member of Arthur's court. He is forced to seek an answer to the riddle by Queen Guinevere after he has raped a woman. If he fails to answer the riddle, King Arthur vows to put the knight to death.

Trivia

 * Ragnell in Radiant Dawn is, so far, the only weapon in the series to give its user unique map model that is not shared with any other weapon. (Specifically it shows Ike wielding Ragnell, rather than his normal sword)
 * Ragnell is also wielded by an enemy Paladin in wave 2 of the secret battles of Castle Apotheosis.
 * Although Ragnell is meant to represent it's Radiant Dawn incarnation in Fire Emblem Fates, it's ingame model shows it as aged and cracked like it was in Awakening. The same is true with it's weaker counterpart, [Ike's Backup]. This is likely to be an oversight on the game's development, and to not waste time by recreating a new model for the weapon.