While Alear’s role - a Divine Dragon fighting to save their kingdom - is fairly normal by Fire Emblem standards, their design is a little more out there. Alear has split hair that is bright blue on one side and bright red on the other. They also have heterochromia, with one red eye and one blue eye. Like the previous titles Fire Emblem Awakening, Fates, Three Houses, and Three Hopes, players will be able to choose between a male and female version of Alear. Both versions possess the divided hair and eyes that have provoked mixed responses among fans of the series.

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It’s “Too Much” For Fire Emblem

Some fans have pointed out that Alear’s brightly colored design is unusual by Fire Emblem standards, and described it as feeling like “too much.” They argue that the design is naturally eye-catching and draws attention away from the other playable characters, who have plainer and more normal designs. However, a different group of fans disagrees, arguing that hair and eyes with unnatural colors have been present in the Fire Emblem series since the very beginning. The first game in the series, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, featured the iconic blue-haired protagonist, Marth, who has gone on to become one of the series’ most recognizable characters.

While unusual hair colors are not uncommon in Fire Emblem games, split-colored hair is significantly more unusual. Very few characters in the series have had two-tone hair; the most notable examples are blue-and-pink haired Peri from Fire Emblem Fates and the green-and-white haired Heath from Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade. Alear’s status as a Divine Dragon may explain their hair and eye colors - previous Divine Dragons have had unusual hair colors including green, white, and pale blue. Alternately, their hair could turn out to be plot relevant, such as the pure white hair sported by Fire Emblem: Three Houses’ Edelgard and Lysithea.

It Resembles an Idol or Vtuber

Shortly after the initial trailer for Fire Emblem Engage was revealed during the recent Nintendo Direct livestream event, fans began comparing Alear’s design to an idol singer or VTuber, a type of virtual YouTuber who streams using a digital avatar rather than showing their actual face. This comparison may be apt, as Mika Pikazo, who designed Alear, previously created the avatars for a number of VTubers, including Hakos Baelz and Kaguya Luna. Pikazo also designed the Fate/grand order character Sei Shounagon, who has the same red-and-blue split hair color as Alear.

The comparisons between Alear and an idol singer have also led fans to bring up Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE, a previous Fire Emblem spinoff title that was made in collaboration with developer Atlus and brought in elements from the Shin Megami Tensei and Persona series. The protagonists of Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE all worked in the entertainment industry and included several idol singers as well as actors and even the host of a cooking show. Because the characters are performers, they all have colorful and eye-catching designs; the Fire Emblem characters they pair with in battle are also given new, more elaborate makeovers for this game.

It’s Become the Source of Memes

Fans were quick to take to social media with memes and jokes regarding Alear’s heterochromia and two-tone hair. Their appearance has been compared to the toothpaste, Pepsi-Cola, and the American flag. In particular, they have been jokingly portrayed as an enemy of Edelgard from Fire Emblem: Three Houses, as Edelgard loathes her world’s Crest system and Alear resembles Crest brand toothpaste. If Alear can be renamed by the player, many have already decided to call them “Pepsi,” “Toothpaste,” or “VTuber” in their playthroughs of Fire Emblem Engage.

It is possible that fans will change their opinions regarding Alear when more information is released. As Fire Emblem Engage is not scheduled to release until early 2023, it is likely that more trailers and information about other characters will be revealed over the next several months. It is even possible that Alear will not be the only playable character in Fire Emblem Engage with a unique design and two-tone hair or eyes. Until then, Alear and their distinct, eye-catching design will likely remain a popular topic of conversation on social media.

Fire Emblem Engage will release on January 20, 2023 for the Nintendo Switch.

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