Which Fire Emblem game introduced the Support Conversation system?

The Fire Emblem game that introduced the Support Conversation system was Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade. Released for the Game Boy Advance in Japan in 2002, it added dedicated conversations between compatible characters who fought near one another over several turns.

Support points gradually unlock C-, B-, and A-rank conversations. These scenes reveal characters’ histories, personalities, motivations, and relationships while also granting battlefield bonuses based on their elemental affinities. The system helped give a large tactical cast more individual character development.

The answer is sometimes confused with Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade, the first Fire Emblem game released internationally in English. However, The Blazing Blade is a prequel that launched later and expanded on the support format rather than introducing it. Earlier games had relationship or conversation mechanics, especially Genealogy of the Holy War, but The Binding Blade established the recognizable Support Conversation system used by later entries.