Which Fire Emblem game was the first to feature voice acting during battles?

The first Fire Emblem game to feature voice acting during battles was Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance.

Released for the Nintendo GameCube in 2005, Path of Radiance was a major technical step for the series. It introduced fully 3D in-game graphics, full-motion video cutscenes, and voice acting, including spoken battle lines and character reactions. The game follows Ike, a young mercenary who becomes involved in Crimea’s war against Daein.

The shift to 3D was challenging for Intelligent Systems because earlier games had used primarily two-dimensional sprites and overhead battlefields. Developers used motion capture for character movements, then exaggerated the results slightly to preserve the series’ fantasy style. The game’s battles still use the familiar turn-based grid and permanent-death mechanics.

A common mix-up is Fire Emblem: Three Houses, which is much more extensively voiced and features full spoken conversations in many scenes. However, Three Houses was released in 2019. Path of Radiance came first in the series’ history of battle voice acting, and its direct sequel, Radiant Dawn, continued the technical and narrative direction on the Wii.