—Ashnard, to Reyson in Path of Radiance
Ashnard, also known as the Mad King, is the 13th King of Daein and the main antagonist of Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. He wields the wicked sword Gurgurant, and his mount is the twisted body of Rajaion, the Black Dragon prince of Goldoa. He is unlocked by completing fifteen playthroughs of the game.
Ashnard appears as a Trophy and a Sticker in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and as a Spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Profile[]
The 13th King of the nation of Daein, Ashnard wages war on Crimea in an effort to ignite a continent-wide conflict. Despite having numerous older brothers, he was eventually crowned King of Daein shortly after the death of his father. Under his rule, Daein became a militarized government emphasizing physical superiority, most notably under a doctrine of "might makes right." After many shifts in his military structures, Ashnard has posed himself as a looming conqueror for Tellius in order to ignite a continent spanning war.
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In order to usurp the birthright of Daein's royal line, Ashnard utilized a Blood Pact with his father as the secondary party, albeit without him knowing what he was signing. When his father unknowingly broke the terms of the contract, the pact's penalty was evoked and numerous Daein citizens perished. During the "plague" that swept through Daein, Ashnard used the discord and chaos to kill his father and usurp the throne. To hide all evidence, he immediately destroyed the Blood Pact.
At some point, Ashnard met Almedha, daughter of the Dragon Laguz King Dheginsea. Knowing of her heritage, Ashnard immediately courted her, though officially the two never wed. Together, the two sired a son who Ashnard had hoped, due to his parentage, would exhibit some special power for his ambitions. The boy showed no special traits, much to his disappointment. Hearing of birth of his nephew and fearing that Ashnard may be using Almedha and the boy as hostages, Prince Rajaion left for Daein to rescue the two. Rajaion was captured and brought before Ashnard. Impressed by his might, Ashnard handed Rajaion over to Izuka as he wished to make Rajaion into a dragon mount. After numerous experiments, Rajaion was transformed into an exceptionally powerful Feral One and Ashnard's mount as requested.
No longer needing his wife and son, he abandoned both, with Almedha remaining a political hostage over Goldoa and the fate of their son left unknown.
Path of Radiance[]
Ashnard's goal is to obtain Lehran's Medallion, the Fire Emblem, which holds the spirit of a dark god that thrives on chaotic energies. Although he obtains the medallion and makes numerous efforts to sow the seeds of war across Tellius, he is ultimately defeated by the Greil Mercenaries despite being able to use the medallion to gain god-like power. Ashnard's wyvern mount is in fact not a wyvern at all, but the warped form of Rajaion, the prince of Goldoa, a Black Dragon laguz, and Ena's fiancé as well as the brother of Ashnard's de facto wife, Almedha. Before becoming king, he was a great warrior who was able to almost single-handedly grant victory to Daein in a minor conflict between Daein and Begnion. His rise to power was considered highly unlikely, because a long list of other relatives stood ahead of him in line for the throne. Although it is publicly believed that a major illness led to the deaths of the other potential rulers, in reality, they were all killed by Ashnard.
Radiant Dawn[]
The consequences of Ashnard's actions lead to the formation of the Begnion Occupational Army to suppress Daein from uprising and reigniting Ashnard's ambitions. However, their cruel oppression lead to the sudden revelation of the identity of Ashnard's son, Pelleas. Dawn Brigade, later turned into the Daein Liberation Army, freed Daein from Begnion's occupation by Pelleas' decree.
While numerous other wars had occurred since Ashera went into her thousand year slumber, Ashnard's war was one of many recent events that Ashera used to justify enacting her Judgement earlier than anticipated.
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Depending on the events of Radiant Dawn, it is revealed that Ashnard and Almedha's son is actually Soren.
Personality[]
Ashnard is the very personification of a tyrant, having no qualms exerting his will over his populace. He readily executed his own father's assassination and coerced himself ahead of his birthright to secure his position without a shred of remorse. His subjects mean nothing to him and he believes in destroying the social structure of Daein, and inevitably all of Tellius, and forming a total kratocracy; the strong rule, the weak submit. Ashnard loathes the societal structure set by Begnion, though he does believe in his own twisted sense of "peace", as the weak should find comfort in their own submission. Surprisingly, he shows no prejudice against the Laguz, aside from the fact that he uses the derogatory sub-human slur, as he states that species and class hold no preferential advantage in his vision for the world so long as the individual holds superior might or is willing to do what it takes to obtain it.
His megalomania, war-obsession, and power-thirst leave no room for any meaningful bonds aside from those who submit to his vision. Some truly follow his dogma while others comply out of fear. Despite some of the fanatical loyalty of some of his soldiers, Ashnard is uncaring to their fates and never remembers the names of those who either fail to leave an impression on him or simply do not abide by his rhetoric, such as the highly respected Shiharam. He has even threatened to feed one of his most loyal and powerful generals, Petrine, to his wyvern if she so much as refused to follow his orders. As mentioned above, he has no loyalty to his family as he coldly killed his father and later abandoned his mistress and son when the latter showed no apparent special traits.
Ashnard is completely blinded by his thirst for conflict since the main reason he started the war was to awaken the dark god inside Lehran's Medallion, fully knowing that it would cast judgement on the people of Tellius. Despite its powerful, berserk inducing effects on most people, he was simply empowered by its chaotic energies and barely changed other than an increase in intensity. He even laughs at his death, shortly lamenting that the conflict created was not enough to awaken the dark god.
Ashnard does hold some level of respect for mighty warriors, showing preferential treatment if not outright excitement at battling capable warriors. Several of his Endgame pre-battle quotes have highlighted several individuals he deemed worthy enough to remember or hunger for battle, such as Ike, Gawain, Tauroneo, Nasir, and Tibarn. Interestingly, at first he overlooked Mist and deemed her weak, but changed his mind and expressed interest in her once she revealed that she was Gawain's daughter.
In-Game[]
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance[]
Help Description: The Mad King of Daein. He desired to remake the world by releasing the chaos of Lehran's medallion, so that strength would dictate authority. He lost the war and his life to Crimea.
Base Stats[]
*Only Ragnell, Dragon Breath, Giffca, Naesala, Tibarn, and certain S-Rank weapons can hurt him in both forms.
*The Second Battle commences right after you kill Normal Ashnard.
Overall[]
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Subjective: The following part of this article is based upon the editor's personal experiences and opinions, and therefore may not be applicable for all readers.
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Ashnard can be a difficult boss on Hard mode and above. While on Easy or Normal difficulty, Ike is often capable of besting Ashnard on his own but having help from Giffca and Elixirs does help quite a bit as the former can inflict more damage and the latter is helpful in case Aether hasn't been activating. But on Hard Mode, Ike is often the only character who can match him reliably during the first battle, and the second battle has him grow stronger to the point where he can kill maxed stats Ike in two hits. It is important to come prepared for the final chapter with some good healing utility and Ike may need to rely on enemy phase combat to be safe from getting one turn killed.
Fire Emblem Awakening[]
SpotPass[]
| Starting Class | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Wyvern Lord | |||||||||
| Level | HP | Str | Mag | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res | Mov |
| 20 | 78 | 44+2 | 25 | 35 | 30 | 10 | 39 | 29 | 8 |
| Skills | Weapon | Starting Items | |||||||
 Strength +2
 Renewal |  Lance - B Axe - A |  Brave Axe* | |||||||
*Enemy only; joins unequipped
Fire Emblem Heroes[]
- Mad King
- The thirteenth ruler of Daein. Plotting to wield his power to rule without opposition, he plunges the whole continent of Tellius into war. Appears in Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance.
Base Stats[]
Rarity: | Title | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mad King | |||||
| Group | |||||
 Flying | |||||
| Level | HP | Atk | Spd | Def | Res |
| 1 40 | 15/16/17 36/39/42 | 7/8/9 30/33/36 | 4/5/6 15/18/21 | 7/8/9 28/31/34 | 7/8/9 24/27/30 |
| Skills | Weapon | ||||
 Steel Sword |  Sword | ||||
| Title | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mad King | |||||
| Group | |||||
| Flying | |||||
| Level | HP | Atk | Spd | Def | Res |
| 1 40 | 15/16/17 37/40/43 | 8/9/10 32/35/38 | 4/5/6 16/19/22 | 8/9/10 30/33/36 | 7/8/9 25/28/31 |
| Skills | Weapon | ||||
Silver Sword Dragon Gaze | Sword | ||||
Skills[]
| Type | Name | Prerequisite | Default | Unlocked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Iron Sword | - | - | - |
| Steel Sword | - | - | - | |
| Silver Sword | - | - | - | |
| Gurgurant | - | - |  | |
 | Dragon Gaze | - | | - |
| Dragon Fang | Dragon Gaze | - | | |
| A |  Distant Def 1 | - |  | |
 Distant Def 2 | Distant Def 1 |  | ||
 Distant Def 3 | Distant Def 2 | | ||
| C |  Even Atk Wave 1 | - | - | |
 Even Atk Wave 2 | Even Atk Wave 1 | - | ||
 Even Atk Wave 3 | Even Atk Wave 2 | |
Overall[]
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Subjective: The following part of this article is based upon the editor's personal experiences and opinions, and therefore may not be applicable for all readers.
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Base Set[]
Counters[]
Skill Inheritance[]
Meet Some of the Heroes[]
| Mad King Ashnard | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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The Kingdom of Daein is the most powerful military state in all of Tellius. Ashnard is its thirteenth king, and he's a brave and mighty leader who is said to have been a match for an entire troop of pegasus knights! | ||
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The sight of Ashnard riding his black wyvern, his sword Gurgurant in hand, is enough to strike fear in the hearts of all who oppose him. But there's something even more terrifying about him… | ||
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That something is the wicked power contained in the medallion he carries! Normally, it imbues people with supernatural strength, driving them berserk, but Ashnard's willpower is so strong that he can control it! | ||
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Ashnard was a powerhouse even without the medallion's strength, but now he's practically unstoppable. Is there anyone in this world who could possibly defeat him? | ||
| Closely Associated Characters | |||
| Black Knight | One of Daein's Four Riders. An enigmatic knight encased in pitch-black armor. Serves Ashnard. | ||
Quotes[]
Path of Radiance[]
Awakening[]
Engage[]
—Ashnard's defeat quote
Heroes[]
Non-Canon Appearances[]
Super Smash Bros. Series[]
Super Smash Bros. Brawl[]
Brawl Trophy Profile[]
| Type | Image | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Ashnard | 
|
The 13th king of Daein, feared across the land as the "Mad King." He ignited a continent-wide war after attacking the neighboring kingdom of Crimea. Aiming to free the dark goddess locked inside Lehran's Medallion, he is stopped and defeated by Crimean forces. Ashnard's armor is blessed by the goddess, like the Black Knight's, and he uses the sword Gurugant. |
Sticker Info[]
| Name | Image | Artwork from | Effect in The Subspace Emissary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashnard |  |
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance | [Slash] - Resistance +34 Usable by: Marth, Ike |
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[]
Spirit Info[]
| No. | Name | Image | Type | Class | Slots | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 663 | Ashnard | 
|
Support | ★★☆☆ (Advanced) | 1 | Toss & Meteor |
Spirit Battle[]
| Spirit | Enemy Fighter(s) | Type | Power/Class | Stage | Rules | Conditions | Music |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. 663 Ashnard |
•Ganondorf •Charizard |
Attack | 3,600/ ★★☆☆ (Advanced) | Reset Bomb Forest (hazards off) | •Defense ↑ | •Stamina battle •The enemy has increased defense |
"Against the Dark Knight" |
Fire Emblem 0 (Cipher)[]
Ashnard is illustrated in the trading card game with the following cards:
Choose Your Legends Placement History[]
| Round | Placement | Character Version | Votes |
|---|
| CYL1 | 366 |  Path of Radiance |
465 |
| CYL2 | 237 ↑129 |
Path of Radiance |
983 ↑518 |
| CYL3 | 187 ↑50 |
Path of Radiance |
1,336 ↑353 |
| CYL4 | 149 ↑38 |
Path of Radiance |
1,027 ↓309 |
| CYL5 | 383 ↓234 |
Path of Radiance |
130 ↓897 |
| CYL6 | 417 ↓34 |
Path of Radiance |
105 ↓25 |
| CYL7 | 349 ↑68 |
Path of Radiance |
84 ↓21 |
Trivia[]
- Ashnard is one of the several final bosses in the series to move. The others are Idunn, Fomortiis, Duma, Garon and Nemesis. That said, Ashnard moves only on Hard Mode.
- Despite being the main antagonist of the game, Ashnard himself never appeared in any of the game's numerous cutscenes.
- Ashnard shares his title of "Mad King" with Gangrel.
- He's one of the few final bosses to only fight as a human. Most other final bosses, on the other hand, are either dragons or supernatural-powered beings, and tend to transform into monstrous creatures after being defeated as humans. While he has a dragon, he never uses it in battle and only attacks with his sword.
- Ashnard's armor is blessed by the goddess in a similar manner to the armor worn by Black Knight, who was the person who originally gifted the armor to Ashnard in the first place.
- Ashnard makes a cameo appearance during the Royal Repatriation Lost Lore event in Heroes.
Gallery[]
- See main article: Ashnard/Gallery.