Which Fire Emblem game was the series' first title on a handheld console?

The Binding Blade was the Fire Emblem series’ first title on a handheld console. Released for Nintendo’s Game Boy Advance in 2002, it moved the traditionally home-console strategy RPG to portable hardware for the first time.

The game stars Roy, the young marquess of Pherae, who leads an alliance against the Bern Kingdom. Its story takes place on the continent of Elibe and follows Roy’s campaign alongside figures such as Merlinus, Marcus, and his father Eliwood. The game is also known internationally through Roy’s appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee.

The Binding Blade is often confused with Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade, which was released for the same handheld system in 2003 and served as a prequel. The Sacred Stones was another Game Boy Advance entry, but it followed both games in Japan.

The title was not the first Fire Emblem released outside Japan; that distinction belongs to The Blazing Blade, localized simply as Fire Emblem. The question concerns hardware chronology, making The Binding Blade the correct answer.