early 2003. It was the second title in the Fire Emblem series to have been developed for the Game Boy Advance while also being compatible with the newly released Game Boy Advance SP, an upgraded version of the GBA. It was released on April 25, 2003. Prior to 2017, the game's Japanese subtitle was translated as The Sword of Flame. In 2017, the subtitle was officially translated by Nintendo as The Blazing Blade. The game was later released on the Virtual Console for Wii U on May 14, 2014. Localization The concept of localizing a Fire Emblem game in the West had been around for some time, but the combined elements of extensive use of text and a view that tactical RPGs would be met with low sales overseas had kept the series exclusive to Japan. Another major factor was the appearance of Roy from The Binding Blade and Marth from the first Fire Emblem in the 2001 fighting game Super Smash Bros. Melee. The director of Melee, Masahiro Sakurai, had wanted to include Marth since the original Super Smash Bros., and included him as part of a push for more sword-wielding characters. Gameplay-wise, Roy was included to act as a clone of Marth, and his inclusion was partially to advertise the upcoming release of Binding Blade in Japan (three months after the release of Melee). There were difficulties including both Marth and Roy, as the Fire Emblem series had not seen an overseas release at that point. Sakurai, with support from Nintendo of America, managed to keep Marth and Roy in the game. The growing base of tactical role-playing games including Advance Wars, in addition to the interest garnered by the appearance of Roy and Marth in Melee, meant Nintendo was more willing to bring Fire Emblem overseas. Speaking in a later interview, localization producer Tim O'Leary said that localizing the title was more difficult than its successor The Sacred Stones, but was smaller in scale than Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. A Western release was first hinted at in mid-2003, when it was listed on a leaked release list from Nintendo of America. It was first shown at the 2003 Electronic Entertainment Expo, along with a playable demo. For its Western release, the subtitle was removed, with it simply being dubbed "Fire Emblem". The game released in North America on November 3, 2003; in Australia on February 20,