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A Reason to Fight

From Fire Emblem Wiki, your source on Fire Emblem information. By fans, for fans.
For the Berwick Saga chapter, see Saga:A Reason to Fight.
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A Reason to Fight

Cm fe10 3-6.png

Location

Ribahn River

Weather

Fog of war

Boss(es)

Lethe/Kezhda*

Previous chapter(s)

Retreat!

Next chapter(s)

Rivals Collide

What choice do I have?! I'm the general of this army. It doesn't matter how I feel. Besides, I can't let the king or the soldiers down. My duty ultimately lies with them... I'm sorry.
— Micaiah

A Reason to Fight (Japanese: 誰がための戦い Fighting for Whose Sake?) is the sixth chapter of Part III of Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. In this chapter, Micaiah and the Daein army are called into combat against the Laguz Alliance, for as of yet uncertain reasons.

Plot

Main articles: A Reason to Fight/Script and A Reason to Fight/Conversations

At the border of Begnion near the Ribahn River, Sothe questions why Daein must fight against the laguz, and for Begnion no less, and urges Micaiah not to. Micaiah remains steadfast, trusting that Pelleas still wants what is best for Daein. Despite this, she notes both that Pelleas has been more dour as of late, and that their soldiers yearn to hunt the laguz. Sothe continues urging her to stop, leading her to cut him off, saying that she has little choice in the matter as Daein's general. She offers Sothe the chance to simply leave and rejoin Ike, though he refuses, still intent on protecting her above all else. Micaiah declares that she will not allow Daein to lose another war.

Later that night, Ranulf, Skrimir and the laguz begin crossing the river. Skrimir sulks over his defeat against Zelgius, while Ranulf attempts to reassure him. Near the river, Lyre smells beorc torches, and alerts this to Ranulf, who in response calls for the laguz to halt the river crossing. In the meantime, Micaiah and her army await the laguz, ready to ambush them. In the middle of the right, Ranulf catches up to Lethe and calls for her and her men to retreat, though they refuse, not wanting to sacrifice the pride of the beast tribe. Lyre later catches up to her as well, though she is similarly brushed aside. The Black Knight then suddenly warps in, and Micaiah gives him her thanks for joining her in battle.

After a large amount of laguz are killed, Micaiah begins to see the current battle as pointless, given the innumerable laguz present. Lethe and Ranulf, on the other hand, find themselves with no opening against Daein's defenses. Before they try to head back and regroup, Micaiah proposes a ceasefire to the Laguz Alliance. She meets with the two, and claims they have no chance against both Daein and Begnion, urging the Alliance to surrender. Her ultimatum is interrupted by a fierce roar from Skrimir. Ranulf soon recognizes Sothe, informs him that Ike is leading the Alliance, and redirects the command of surrender to him and Daein. Seeing no chance of victory against Skrimir, Ike, and the full Alliance, the Daein army retreats.

Back at camp, Micaiah and Sothe reunite with General Tauroneo, who managed to sneak away by convincing Pelleas that he was bringing supplies to the army. Taking note of the enormous numbers of the Laguz Alliance, Micaiah asks Tauroneo him to help her by requesting for Pelleas to negotiate a peace treaty with them.

Beginning log

During the war between the Laguz Alliance and Begnion, the three remaining countries on Tellius--Daein, Crimea, and Goldoa--have thus far remained neutral. In Daein, the war for independence is over, and Prince Pelleas has been crowned king. Daein is now free from Begnion's rule and is once again universally recognized as a sovereign nation. Micaiah decides to honor the promise she had made and continue on as the general of Daein's armies until the country stabilizes. Most of her companions remain by her side, helping to restore their beloved country. It is their hope that Daein will recover soon, both politically and socially. Focused as they are, they realize that they can spare no time on outside concerns, including the current war in Begnion. However, King Pelleas has a mysterious change of heart and orders Micaiah into the war--on Begnion's side.

Chapter data

Easy Normal/Hard

Chapter Data
Conditions
Unit Data
Victory: Defeat 36 enemies Player Partner Other Enemy
Defeat: Micaiah or Sothe dies 2–12+1−1 5 {{{other}}} 34+11+1
Cm fe10 3-6.png
Bonus EXP
Requirement Easy Normal Hard
Clear the chapter 4,500 4,500 2,250
Experience gained by partner units Varies Varies Varies

This map's elemental affinity is Light.

Character data

Characters
New units

None

Required characters
Micaiah light sage ​Sothe rogue ​Black knight ​
Available characters
Edward ​Leonardo ​Nolan ​Laura ​Aran ​Meg ​Volug ​Jill ​Zihark ​Fiona ​

Note 1: The Black Knight arrives on turn 4, thus his inventory cannot be managed during preparations or from the base.
Note 2: If Zihark talks to Mordecai or Lethe/Kezhda, he will become an enemy unit. If he survives the chapter as an enemy unit, he will join Ike's party instead of Micaiah's.

Item data

Items
Name Obtainment Method
Is wii master crown.png Master Crown View base conversation "Sothe"
Is wii brave axe.png Brave Axe View base conversation "Jill"
Is wii caladbolg.png Caladbolg View base conversation "Edward"
(NTSC-U and PAL versions only)
Is wii lughnasadh.png Lughnasadh View base conversation "Leonardo"
(NTSC-U and PAL versions only)
Is wii tarvos.png Tarvos View base conversation "Nolan"
(NTSC-U and PAL versions only)
Is wii vulnerary.png Vulnerary Dropped by enemy Cat
Is wii olivi grass.png Olivi Grass Dropped by enemy Cat
Is wii olivi grass.png Olivi Grass Steal from enemy Tiger
Is wii vulnerary.png Vulnerary Steal from enemy Cat
Is wii vulnerary.png Vulnerary Steal from enemy Tiger
Is wii olivi grass.png Olivi Grass Steal from enemy Cat
Is wii vulnerary.png Vulnerary Steal from enemy Cat
Is wii olivi grass.png Olivi Grass Hidden treasure (on the right edge of the starting islet, south of the reeds)
Is wii olivi grass.png Olivi Grass Hidden treasure (on the left edge of the western islet, behind the fallen tree)
Is wii brave bow.png Brave Bow Hidden treasure (to the right of a Tiger north of ally starting positions)

Shop data

Armory and vendor

Swords Lances Axes Bows Knives Tomes Staves Items Bargains

Name Cost
Is wii bronze sword.png Bronze Sword 350
Is wii iron sword.png Iron Sword 500
Is wii steel sword.png Steel Sword 800
Is wii iron blade.png Iron Blade 800
Is wii steel blade.png Steel Blade 1,400
Is wii wind edge.png Wind Edge 700

Enemy data

Easy Normal/Hard

Enemy Units
Name Class Lv # Inventory and Skills Notes
Gallia Tiger 13 2 Fang
Shove
--
Gallia Cat 11 1 Claw
Shove
--
Gallia Tiger 12 3 Fang
Shove
--
Gallia Tiger 12 1 Fang Olivi Grass
Shove
--
Gallia Cat 13 3 Claw
Shove
--
Gallia Cat 14 1 Claw Vulnerary
Shove
--
Gallia Cat 14 1 Claw
Shove
--
Gallia Tiger 13 3 Fang
Shove
--
Gallia Cat 13 1 Claw
Shove
--
Gallia Cat 12 1 Claw VulneraryThis item is dropped upon this unit's defeat.
Shove
--
Gallia Cat 11 1 Claw
Shove
--
Gallia Tiger 11 1 Fang
Shove
--
Gallia Tiger 13 1 Fang Vulnerary
Shove
--
Gallia Cat 12 1 Claw Olivi GrassThis item is dropped upon this unit's defeat.
Shove
--
Gallia Cat 14 1 Claw Olivi Grass
Shove
--
Gallia Cat 12 6 Claw
Shove
--
Gallia Cat 12 2 Claw
Shove
--
Gallia Tiger 14 1 Fang
Shove
--
Gallia Cat 13 1 Claw Vulnerary
Shove
--
Mordecai Tiger Varies 1 Fang • Varies
Shove • Varies
• Retains his level, stats, inventory, and skills from the end of Part III, Chapter 5.
• Cannot be attacked by Zihark.
• Replaced by a generic Tiger if he died as a playable unit.
Kezhda Cat 17 1 Claw
Shove
Present only if Lethe died as a playable unit.
Lethe Cat Varies 1 Claw • Varies
Shove • Varies
• Retains her level, stats, inventory, and skills from the end of Part III, Chapter 5.
• Cannot be attacked by Zihark.
• Not present if she died as a playable unit.
Reinforcements
Name Class Lv # Inventory and Skills Notes
Gallia Cat 14 2 Claw
Shove
--
Gallia Cat 12 2 Claw
Shove
--
Gallia Tiger 13 3 Fang
Shove
--
Gallia Cat 13 4 Claw
Shove
--
Note: There may be some minor inaccuracies due to fog of war obscuring reinforcement arrival animations, among other things.

Reinforcements

  • Note: These reinforcements are often concealed by fog of war, and as a result, some may not be recorded here.
  • Turn 3
    • 2 unshifted Cats from the southeast corner of the map
    • 1 unshifted Tiger from the northern border of the map
    • 1 unshifted Tiger from the eastern border of the map (Normal/Hard only)
  • Turns 4 and 6
    • 2 unshifted Cats from the northern border of the map
    • 1 (Easy)/2 (Normal/Hard) unshifted Tiger(s) from the northwest corner of the map
  • Turn 5 enemy phase
    • 2 unshifted Cats from the southeast corner of the map
    • 1 unshifted Tiger from the eastern border of the map (Normal/Hard only)
  • Turns 7 and 8 (Normal/Hard only?)
    • 2 unshifted Cats from the northern border of the map
    • 2 Tigers; one from the eastern border of the map, one from the northwest corner of the map
    • 1 unshifted Tiger from the eastern border of the map
    • 1 Cat from the northwest corner of the map
    • 1 unshifted Cat from the northwest corner of the map

Partner data

Partner Units
Name Class Lv # Inventory and Skills Notes
Daein Halberdier 4/5 1 Steel Lance Vulnerary
Critical +5 Shove
--
Daein Bishop 2/3 1 Physic Heal
Shove
--
Daein Sniper 3/4 1 Steel Bow Vulnerary
Critical +10 Shove
--
Daein Halberdier 3/4 2 Steel Lance Vulnerary
Critical +5 Shove
--
Reinforcements
Name Class Lv # Inventory and Skills Notes

Boss data

Main articles: Lethe and Kezhda

Lethe Kezhda

Small portrait lethe fe10.png
Cat
Level Varies
Affinity Is wii heavenaffin.png
Constitution 6»11
Stats
Max HP Varies Speed Varies
Strength Varies Luck Varies
Magic Varies Defense Varies
Skill Varies Resistance Varies
Movement 7»9 Weight 11»31
Inventory Skills
Claw
Varies
Shove
Varies
Weapon Levels
Swords -- Lances -- Axes -- Bows -- Knives -- Strike weapons Varies
Fire magic -- Thunder magic -- Wind magic -- Light magic -- Dark magic -- Staves --
Biorhythm
Best
Good
Normal
Bad
Worst
Note: Lethe retains her level, stats, inventory, and skills from the end of the previous chapter. If she died as a playable unit, then Kezhda will appear instead as a replacement for her.

Strategy


This section has been marked as a stub. Please help improve the page by adding information.


This section details unofficial strategies that may help with completion of the chapter. This may not work for everybody.

This chapter marks the first time that the player can fight against characters who were previously playable in earlier chapters: Lethe or Mordecai. Depending on how well they trained while playable in Part II, they may or may not be difficult to take down. Do not worry if their HP is dropped to zero in this chapter; they will simply retreat in lieu of dying permanently.

Do note that this is the first chapter since the end of Part I in which Micaiah's party is once again playable. However, they were last available during a time where most of the enemies are at their weakest as base classes, whereas in this chapter, they are fairly high-leveled laguz that are dangerously fast and hard-hitting (especially the Tiger laguz). This can prove a problem, since the enemy's levels and stats aren't scaled accordingly with Micaiah's party, most of whom might not have promoted into their second tier advanced classes yet. The tools that they need to effectively combat the beast laguz via bonus damage are also limited; Beast Killers are only available in limited quantities from shop bargains, the Beastfoe skill scroll is a missable hidden treasure that can only be found in Part I, Chapter 4, and the player has no fire magic users in their party (the mages Tormod and Ilyana have already left the party since the end of Part I). Thus, the player may need to readjust their strategies in order to successfully complete this chapter without loss. Fortunately, all of Micaiah's chapters in Part III has her team accompanied by allied partner units to help mitigate the difficulties of her chapters.

If Zihark speaks to Mordecai or Lethe/Kezhda, he will defect to the Laguz Alliance and become an enemy unit, owing to his morals regarding the laguz and his prior friendship with his allies in Path of Radiance. If he survives the chapter after this, he will join Ike's party instead of Micaiah's party. This is not recommended, however, as Ike's party has more than enough capable units, while Micaiah's party is much more lacking in this regard. Additionally, getting Zihark to Mordecai or Lethe/Kezhda in the first place requires him to slog through the swamp and survive repeated attacks from the enemy laguz, which is much more difficult than it may seem; unless he is already promoted to a Trueblade or is supporting someone with an earth affinity, his durability will be insufficient for him to survive long enough to reach his former comrades. If the player intends have Zihark join the Laguz Alliance, they should have Jill carry him across the swamp and drop him off at the northeastern part of the map. Once Zihark becomes an enemy unit, this will put him at a risk of getting killed in retaliation by the player's units or the partner units; if he dies as an enemy unit, he's gone for good.

Alternatively, the player can have Zihark defect to Ike's team by talking to him with Lethe or Mordecai (or Brom and Ilyana with data transfer from Path of Radiance) in the next chapter, which is much less riskier than doing so in this chapter.

Trivia

Etymology and other languages

Names, etymology, and in other regions
Language Name Definition, etymology, and notes
English

A Reason to Fight

--

Japanese

誰がための戦い

Fighting for Whose Sake?

Spanish

Una razón para luchar

A reason to fight

French

Combat justifié

Justified fighting

German

Kampfeswille

Fighting spirit

Italian

Un motivo per lottare

A reason to fight

Gallery

← Retreat! • A Reason to Fight • Rivals Collide →
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
Playable characters Part I AranBlack KnightEdwardFionaIlyanaJillLauraLeonardoMegMicaiahMuarimNailahNolanRafielSotheTauroneoTormodVikaVolugZihark
Part II AstridBromCalillDanvedElinciaGeoffreyHaarHeatherKieranLeanneLetheLuciaMakalovMarciaMordecaiNealuchiNephenee
Part III BoydGatrieIkeJanaffKyzaLyreMiaMistOscarRanulfReysonRhysRolfShinonSigrunSorenTanithTitaniaUlki
Part IV BastianCaineghisEnaGarethGiffcaKurthnagaLehranNaesalaNasirOliverPelleasRenningSanakiSkrimirStefanTibarnVolke
Non-playable characters AimeeAlderAlmedhaAmyAshuneraDanielJorgeLargoMustonNicoYuneZelgius
Bosses Part I AgonyBurtonDjurIsaiyaJarodLavertonPainPugoRadminWystanZaitan
Part II LudveckMarajTashoriaYeardleyZeffren
Part III CallumGoranIkeIstvanLethe/KezhdaLombrosoMicaiahRoarkRommitSeptimusSergeiSigrunSilvanoVeyona
Part IV AsheraBlack KnightCatalenaDheginseaHetzelIzukaLekainLevailNumidaOliverSephiranValtomeYuma
Background characters AltinaElenaGreilLanvegaLilliaLoraziehMisahaRajaionRamonSoan
Regalia and personal weapons AlonditeAmitiAshera StaffBalberithBaselardCaladbolgCreiddyladCymbelineDouble BowEttardFloreteLughnasadhMatronaRagnellRexauraRexboltRexcaliburRexflameTarvosThaniUrvanVague KattiWishblade
Chapters Part I P: Under Gray Skies • 1: Maiden of Miracles • 2: The Dispossessed • 3: A Faint Light • 4: A Distant Voice • 5: The Lost Heir • 6: Raise the Standard (stage 1stage 2) • 7: A Gathering Hope • 8: Glory Unwanted • 9: One SurvivesE: Daein, Arise!
Part II P: On Drifting Clouds • 1: Winds of Rebellion • 2: Tides of Intrigue • 3: Geoffrey's ChargeE: Elincia's Gambit
Part III P: The Great Advance • 1: Laguz and Beorc • 2: Stormclouds • 3: River Crossing • 4: The General's Hand • 5: Retreat! • 6: A Reason to Fight • 7: Rivals Collide • 8: Incandescent Glow • 9: Marauders • 10: The Heart of Crimea • 11: Just Cause • 12: The Price • 13: Blood ContractE: From Pain, Awakening
Part IV P: Chaos Named • 1: Road to the Empire • 2: Silent World • 3: Distortions • 4: Revelations • 5: Unforgivable SinE: Rebirth (1)E: Rebirth (2)E: Rebirth (3)E: Rebirth (4)E: Rebirth (5)
Locations TelliusBegnion (SienneTower of Guidance) • CrimeaDaeinDesert of DeathGalliaGoldoaGrann DesertHatariKilvasPhoenicisSerenes Forest
Groups, objects and events Ancient languageBlood pactDawn BrigadeDisciples of OrderGreat FloodGreil MercenariesLaguz AllianceLehran's MedallionMad King's War • Races (BeorcBrandedLaguzZunanma) • Serenes MassacreWarp Powder
Lists Base conversationsChaptersCharacters (Availability chart) • Classes (Class change) • Hidden treasureItemsScriptsSkillsWeapons
Related topics Data transferList of version differences (Name chart) • Other games (Path of Radiance) • Pre-release information (Unused content) • Sound RoomTimeline