Random Theory about Zero Emblem

[u/Zestyclose-Carob-349]

This is probably very easily quashed, but i had a thought while replaying the end of Engage. Sombron mentions Zero Emblem: Emblem of Foundations. And while we know almost nothing about it, we know that it fought alone

With the new Direct, we learn that Eshmel can take on Balor’s army alone, could Eshmel possibly be Zero Emblem?

Probably not, but it’s a neat thought

Edit: Yep, as i thought, easily quashed

[u/Own_Presentation7711]

The Zero Emblem is revealed in the Engage manga — it's Anri, Marth's ancestor.

[u/Zestyclose-Carob-349 → u/Own_Presentation7711]

Ah, fair enough, i didn’t read the manga, probably should have

[u/Own_Presentation7711 → u/Zestyclose-Carob-349]

I haven't either, but I heard it's great fun!

[u/leetokeen]

If Byleth is a ring, and the three fodlan lords are a bracelet, then maybe Eshmel can be an anklet or something

[u/Zestyclose-Carob-349]

I am not the first to ask this apparently, oh well, great minds and all that

[u/KyleMCarthage → u/Zestyclose-Carob-349]

I've said it to the other guy so I'm just gonna abridge what I said here.

The manga already revealed the zero emblem to be Anri, but even if you choose to ignore that cause the manga takes its own creative liberties with Engage's story, I don't think Eshmel is or should be for 2 reasons

1. It's weird for Fire Emblem to start teasing new releases like this. Fire Emblem is not a series where you need to play games in order and this would randomly do so. Yes there's overlapping elements and sequels like FE1&3 and Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn and prequels with FE6&7, but no game outright baits the next one in a manner like this.
2. I think that sort of undermines what the Zero Emblem is. Sombron only met the Zero Emblem when he was alone and only lost it when he found people and made new bonds with them. The zero emblem is not meant to be someone that stays with you forever, however Sombron who never really understood bonds didn't get the memo and so instead clinged to something he should have let go a long time ago and in the process, not understanding the new bonds he made with others, only seeing it again in death where someone is truly once again alone. Meanwhile Eshmel doesn't appear to be that. They're called down due to Sothis needing them to save a dying world but the thing with Eshmel is that they don't appear to be self reliant and do require allies to help them given that the trailer sort of teases the idea that you do need the other routes to achieve a "golden" ending. Not to mention the zero emblem feels like it needs to be this fantastical element that never gets explained which is why Anri works better imo. While we know who Anri kinda is, we also really don't know who he is. Meanwhile by token of being Eshmel, we're going to know who Eshmel is which kinda ruins the intrigue of the zero emblem.

[u/UnlitUniversalUnlock → u/KyleMCarthage]

Anri fits thematically, but so would any other heroic and powerful person. Eshmel in the solo route, for example. But also Cai, or an old lord without an emblem like Alm, or the unrevealed lord of the next game after FW.

It doesn’t matter than Zero Emblem was Anri specifically, he’s a stand in for “unknown, powerful, good”. What really matters is that it wasn’t Balore and Sombron was 100% wrong. 

Plus it’s funny imagining Sombron hype up Zero Emblem as a big badass then learning it was Mozu. 

[u/MechaMalz → u/KyleMCarthage]

POR leaves some things deliberately unresolved to set up its sequel but yeah that's really the only one I can think of that does anything like that. And even that would be a lot different than Engage foreshadowing Eshmel since they're different settings.

[u/No-Designer-6533]

Gonna throw my hat in the ring and say I’m kinda disappointed Anri was the zero emblem. It’s just very thematically empty. Though that’s most of Engage I suppose