—Medeus, when the League stormed Dolhr Keep in Chapter 24 of Shadow Dragon
Medeus, known as the Shadow Dragon, is the primary antagonist in Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, the final boss (but not the main antagonist) of Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem and their remakes, as well as the Shin Megami Tensei crossover, Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE.
He was once a prince of the Earth Dragon royal family and later the founder and Emperor of the Dolhr Empire. He was involved in all three major wars in Archanea, and was even the ultimate threat behind each one: the War of Liberation, the War of Shadows, and the War of Heroes.
While he holds the title of "Shadow Dragon", he was only truly a Dark Dragon when he was revived by Gharnef for a second time during the War of Heroes.
Profile
Background
Medeus was the prince of the Earth Dragon royal family and lived during the Golden Age of the Dragons. However, when the decline of dragonkind began to occur, where birth rates failed and the dragons slowly began to suffer degeneration, the Divine Dragon elders proposed that dragons take on human forms as Manaketes.
While the rest of the Earth Dragons, along with many dragons, pridefully rejected the notion of becoming humans, whom many dragons viewed as insects unfit to rule in their stead, Medeus was the only one that chose to take on a Manakete form, thus being spared from degenerating into madness. The degeneration of the Earth Dragons caused a great war between them and Naga's Divine Dragon tribe, resulting in the Earth Dragons being sealed away underneath the Dragon's Table. As the last remaining Earth Dragon that had not succumbed to degeneration, Naga entrusted Medeus to guard the seal.
As Medeus guarded the seal for centuries, he would be forced to watch as his fellow Manaketes were persecuted by humans, causing the former prince to slowly grow to detest mankind.
Centuries after the founding of the Holy Kingdom of Archanea, over a millennium after the Earth Dragons were sealed away, Medeus' hatred had reached its zenith, and he founded the Dolhr Empire after uniting all the Manaketes barring Divine Dragons, the empire openly hostile towards humans who didn't accept Manaketes as their masters.
Three years later, Medeus wages war on Archanea, which was known as the War of Liberation, in retaliation for how Manaketes were treated by humans. The war had Dolhr launch an attack on the Archanean capital, which fell under Dolhr's might. However, despite Medeus' attempt to wipe out the royal family, one member, princess Artemis, would escape and sought refuge in Altea, where she would meet Anri. Despite that, the victory over Archanea resulted in Medeus soon conquering the rest of the continent and ruling over the land for five years.
Eventually, a rebellion rose that was led by Duke Cartas (who had been given the Fire Emblem by Artemis to ensure he would win), and General Ordwin of Archanea. As Dolhr's forces were pushed back, Medeus decided to enter the fray himself, and easily turned the tides as he crushed Cartas' army. As all hope seemed to be lost, Anri joined the battle, wielding Falchion, which was forged by Naga's fang to give humans the ability to fight dragons. After a ferocious battle, Medeus was slain by Anri, and the Dolhr Empire had fallen.
The War of Shadows
Despite having been killed by Anri, due to Earth Dragons possessing a substantial amount of life force, Medeus had not truly died, and was soon resurrected by Gharnef, a vengeful sorcerer who intended to use Dolhr and its allies to conquer the world, then betray Medeus and kill him using the Imhullu spell and Falchion. However, due to the resurrection being incomplete, Medeus was incapable of utilizing his full powers outside the castle.
After reviving the Dolhr Empire, Medeus made use of Gharnef's schemes to acquire human nations as allies, being Grust, Gra, and Macedon. With the power of his Empire, along with his allies, and through Gra betraying Altea, Medeus had Cornelius killed and conquered Archanea once more.
However, once again, Medeus' attempt to exterminate the Archanean royal family failed once more, as princess Nyna entered the custody and protection of Camus of Grust when he occupied the capital. Despite trying to get Camus to surrender Nyna to be personally imprisoned by Medeus himself, the knight showed no fear towards Medeus and continued to refuse. Eventually, Medeus' patience ran dry, and he ordered Bulzark, a Fire Dragon Manakete, to bring a battalion and forcibly bring Nyna to him, even permitting for Camus to be killed if he should resist. Camus, however, proved to be far more trouble, as he and his men from the Sable Order annihilated the entire battalion and Bulzark himself. This forced Medeus to personally enter and confront Camus, who was by himself at that point while Nyna and his men escaped.
While Medeus praised Camus for his skill and forcing Medeus' hand, likening him to Anri even, Medeus had Camus captured, where the knight would go through torture and humiliation as an example for defying the Earth Dragon. Camus' actions, though, allowed Nyna to eventually meet Marth, who would form and lead the Archanean League and carry the Fire Emblem, and lead an assault against the Dolhr Empire. Eventually being cornered in his palace in the Dolhr Keep, Medeus confronted Anri's descendant and unleashed his full powers, but just like before, he was slain once more, ending his reign of terror for the second time.
The War of Heroes
Unfortunately for the world, Medeus' second defeat would not last for long, as a mere three years later, Gharnef's spirit, which had been released from the Darksphere, had formulated another plan to restore Medeus to life.
Through Gharnef's schemes and manipulating Hardin's broken heart with the Darksphere, Gharnef had gathered four maidens with pure hearts: Lena, Maria, Elice, and Nyna. Through their life force, Medeus was revived in the depths of the Dragon's Table, now having morphed into his most powerful form: a true Dark Dragon. Along with that, due to over six centuries of absence from the completed Binding Shield, the seal holding the Earth Dragons began to break, allowing Medeus to take command of the ones that began to emerge.
However, due to the efforts of Marth and his allies, the Altean army had managed to gather the five Gemstones and completed the Fire Emblem once again as the Binding Shield after defeating Hardin. Thus, Marth and his army entered the Dragon's Table to put an end to Medeus, with Falchion in hand.
Entering their final battle, Medeus sent wave after wave of dragons of every kind, including Earth Dragons, though the Binding Shield banished the Earth Dragons once again. Medeus had the four maidens, now hypnotized, surround him as he was preparing to fully revive by sacrificing them.
Thankfully, the efforts of Julian, Minerva, Merric, and Sirius managed to free the four maidens from their hypnosis, and freed them from Medeus' clutches, thus giving Marth the opening he needed to confront Medeus without worry.
Despite the newfound power, Medeus was slain once more. As he perished, Medeus questioned how he could have been defeated again, and wondered if it was the power of the Binding Shield. With his last ounce of strength, Medeus warned the humans that this light they had was only a moment's respite, and that should the Binding Shield be lost again through humanity's evil, Medeus swore that he would arise from the depths of hell.
While Medeus claimed that he would return again, Gotoh's words seemed to indicate that this time Medeus was truly killed and would no longer be able to revive.
Personality
Not much is known about Medeus before he was overcome with his hatred for humanity. However, he was known to be more reasonable than the other Earth Dragons, choosing to become a Manakete to avoid degeneration, while the rest of his kind succumbed to it. He was also apparently considered trustworthy enough by Naga to be entrusted to watch over the seal over his fellow Earth Dragons.
However, after centuries of being forced to watch his fellow Manaketes be persecuted by humans, Medeus grew to utterly despise humanity, leading him to lead a conquest against them. He even believes that his cruelty towards humans is justified, as they had done the same to the Manaketes.
Despite this, he did allow humans to serve him and allowed those that had their uses to live. He also isn't completely above giving praise to humans, as he did so to Camus when he annihilated Medeus' battalion and Bulzark, even comparing him to Anri. However, even Camus was forced to endure hardships and humiliation as an example for defying Medeus.
Medeus is known for (repeatedly) claiming that he can always return as long as there is evil in humans' hearts. This is similar to what fellow Earth Dragon Loptous claimed in Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War.
In-Game
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light
Boss Stats
| Starting Class | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manakete | |||||||||
| Level | HP | Str | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res | Wlv | Mov |
| 20 | 45 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 16 | 6 |
| Weapon | Starting Items | ||||||||
| Dragonstone | Earthstone | ||||||||
Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem
Boss Stats
| Starting Class | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Manakete↓  Earth Dragon | |||||||||
| Level | HP | Str | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res | Wlv | Mov |
| 10 | 52 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 5 |
| Weapon | Starting Items | ||||||||
| Dragonstone ↓ Breath |  Earthstone↓  Dark Breath | ||||||||
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon
Boss Stats
| Starting Class | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Manakete↓  Earth Dragon | |||||||||
| Level | HP | Str | Mag | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res | Mov |
| 25 | 60 | 24 | 0 | 26 | 21 | 0 | 25 | 23 | - |
| Weapon | Starting Items | ||||||||
| Dragonstone | Earthstone | ||||||||
| Starting Class | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manakete ↓ Earth Dragon | |||||||||
| Level | HP | Str | Mag | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res | Mov |
| 25 | 60 | 30 | 2 | 30 | 30 | 0 | 25 | 23 | - |
| Weapon | Starting Items | ||||||||
| Dragonstone | Earthstone | ||||||||
Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem
Boss Stats
| Starting Class | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Dark Dragon | |||||||||
| Level | HP | Str | Mag | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res | Mov |
| 30 | 60 | 25 | 0 | 25 | 25 | 0 | 25 | 20 | - |
| Weapon | Starting Items | ||||||||
| Breath | Dark Breath | ||||||||
| Starting Class | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dark Dragon | |||||||||
| Level | HP | Str | Mag | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res | Mov |
| 30 | 76 | 31 | 0 | 31 | 27 | 0 | 31 | 24 | - |
| Weapon | Starting Items | ||||||||
| Breath | Dark Breath | ||||||||
Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE
Boss Stats
Fire Emblem Heroes
- Earth-Dragon King
- King of the Earth Dragons, previously defeated by the hero Anri. Resurrected by Gharnef, he seeks domination. Appears in Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem.
Base Stats
Rarity: ✯✯✯✯✯
 | Title | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earth-Dragon King | |||||
| Group | |||||
 Infantry | |||||
| Level | HP | Atk | Spd | Def | Res |
| 1 40 | 17/18/19 36/40/43 | 10/11/12 40/44/47 | 2/3/4 15/18/21 | 11/12/13 35/38/41 | 9/10/11 39/43/46 |
| Skills | Weapon | ||||
 Shadow Breath Chilling Wind |  Breath | ||||
Skills
| Type | Name | Prerequisite | Default | Unlocked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Fire Breath | - | - | - |
| Fire Breath+ | - | - | - | |
| Flametongue | - | - | - | |
| Shadow Breath | - |  | - | |
 | Chilling Wind | - | - | - |
| Glacies | Chilling Wind | - | - | |
| A |  Def Res Ideal 1 | - | - | |
 Def Res Ideal 2 | Def Res Ideal 1 | - | ||
 Def Res Ideal 3 | Def Res Ideal 2 | - | ||
 Def Res Ideal 4 | Def Res Ideal 3 | | ||
| B |  Assured Rebirth | - | | |
| C |  Canto Control 1 | - | - | |
 Canto Control 2 | Canto Control 1 | - | ||
 Canto Control 3 | Canto Control 2 | - |
Overall
|
Subjective: The following part of this article is based upon the editor's personal experiences and opinions, and therefore may not be applicable for all readers.
|
Base Set
Counters
Skill Inheritance
Meet Some of the Heroes
| Earth-Dragon King Medeus | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Medeus is the king of the mighty Earth Dragons. He supported the path chosen by Naga, ruler of the Divine Dragons, and chose to live among humans as a manakete. | ||
|
In order to protect mankind, Naga sealed away the Earth Dragons, who had been driven berserk by madness. and tasked Medeus with guarding the Dragon Altar, where they slumbered. Medeus watched over the world from atop the Dragon Altar, witnessing as the once powerless humans grew in strength and began to exact harm upon the manaketes, who wished only to live in peace. | ||
|
Enraged by this betrayal, Medeus established the Dolhr Empire, under which he subjugated mankind. However, the human folk resisted his oppression, and eventually he was defeated by the hero Anri. | ||
|
A hundred years have passed since then, and a revived Medeus is now attempting to subjugate mankind once more. What will become of his world? I'm worried about what comes next! | ||
| Closely Associated Characters | |||
| Gharnef | A student of Gotoh, the White Sage. Hatched a scheme to revive the Shadow Dragon, Medeus, and rule the world. | ||
| Naga | Ruler of the Divine Dragons. Takes on a variety of appearances in the presence of humans, and is said to have saved the world from despair. She seals away the corrupted Earth Dragons, and entrusts guardianship of the seal to Medeus. | ||
| Marth | Prince of Altea and inheritor of the Hero Anri's blade, as well as the duty it represents. Great-grandson of Marcelus. He fights to put an end to the ambitions of the revived Medeus. | ||
- Last Earth Dragon
- The only Earth Dragon who decided to follow Naga and become a manakete. He guards the Dragon Altar in Dolhr. Appears in Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem.
Base Stats
Rarity: ✯✯✯✯✯
 | Title | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Last Earth Dragon | |||||
| Group | |||||
| Infantry | |||||
| Level | HP | Atk | Spd | Def | Res |
| 1 40 | 18/19/20 37/41/44 | 9/10/11 46/49/53 | 3/4/5 16/19/22 | 11/12/13 39/42/46 | 11/12/13 44/47/50 |
| Skills | Weapon | ||||
| Ancient Betrayal Chilling Wind |  Breath | ||||
Skills
| Type | Name | Prerequisite | Default | Unlocked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fire Breath | - | - | - |
| Fire Breath+ | - | - | - | |
| Flametongue | - | - | - | |
| Ancient Betrayal | - | | - | |
| Chilling Wind | - | - | - |
| Glacies | Chilling Wind | - | - | |
| A |  Def Res Scowl 1 | - | - | |
 Def Res Scowl 2 | Def Res Scowl 1 | - | ||
 Def Res Scowl 3 | Def Res Scowl 2 | | ||
| C |  Atk Ploy 1 | - | - | |
 Atk Ploy 2 | Atk Ploy 1 | - | ||
 Atk Ploy 3 | Atk Ploy 2 | - |
Overall
|
|
Subjective: The following part of this article is based upon the editor's personal experiences and opinions, and therefore may not be applicable for all readers.
|
Base Set
Counters
Skill Inheritance
Meet Some of the Heroes
| Last Earth Dragon Medeus | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
What an imposing figure... There's no doubt about it—that's Medeus, the king of the Earth Dragons, now appearing as he was in his younger days! | ||
|
The dragons had reached the limits of their kind, and taking human form was the only way they could survive. But not many dragons would accept this, and Medeus was the sole Earth Dragon to become a manakete. | ||
|
The Earth Dragons had imposing builds, and Medeus retained a heavy frame even after adopting human form. Oh, but I notice his dragon's tail is making an escape from the back of his magnificently decorated robes! | ||
|
When the Earth Dragons succumbed to degeneration and went berserk, Naga, ruler of the Divine Dragons, sealed them away. From then on, Medeus, the last of the Earth Dragons, watched over the land of Dolhr, where his kin sleep. | ||
| Closely Associated Characters | |||
| Naga | Ruler of the Divine Dragons. Takes on a variety of appearances in the presence of humans, and is said to have saved the world from despair. Sealed away the berserk Earth Dragons and entrusted their fate to Medeus. | ||
Quotes
Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light
—Medeus' battle quote
—Medeus' death quote
Mystery of the Emblem
—Medeus' battle quote in Book 1
—Medeus' battle quote in Book 2
—Medeus' defeat quote in Book 1
—Medeus' death quote in Book 2
Shadow Dragon
—Medeus's battle quote
—Medeus' battle quote against Nagi
—Medeus' death quote
New Mystery of the Emblem
—Medeus' battle quote
—Medeus' battle quote against Marth
—Medeus' battle quote against Kris
—Medeus' death quote
Engage
—Medeus' defeat quote
Heroes
Non-Canon Appearances
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Spirit Info
| No. | Name | Image | Type | Class | Slots | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 635 | Medeus | 
|
Support | ★★☆☆ (Advanced) | 1 | Lava-Floor Resist |
- Spirit Battle
| Spirit | Enemy Fighter(s) | Type | Power / Class | Stage | Rules | Conditions | Music |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. 635 Medeus |
•Ridley | Attack | 3,600 / ★★☆☆ (Advanced) | Castle Siege (Magma Cavern) | •Giant | •The enemy is giant after a little while •Stamina battle |
"Lords-Showdown" |
Fire Emblem 0 (Cipher)
Medeus is illustrated in the trading card game with the following cards:
Choose Your Legends Placement History
| Round | Placement | Character Version | Votes |
|---|
| CYL1 | 622 |  Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light/Shadow Dragon |
107 |
| 705 |  Mystery of the Emblem/New Mystery of the Emblem |
62 | |
| CYL2 | 516 ↑106 |
Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light/Shadow Dragon |
223 ↑116 |
| 673 ↑32 |
Mystery of the Emblem/New Mystery of the Emblem |
79 ↑17 | |
| CYL3 | 311 ↑205 (From highest) |
Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light/Shadow Dragon/Mystery of the Emblem/New Mystery of the Emblem |
653 ↑351 (From combined) |
| CYL4 | 295 ↑16 |
Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light/Shadow Dragon/Mystery of the Emblem/New Mystery of the Emblem |
429 ↓224 |
| CYL5 | 286 ↑9 |
Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light/Shadow Dragon/Mystery of the Emblem/New Mystery of the Emblem |
260 ↓169 |
| CYL6 | 206 ↑80 |
Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light/Shadow Dragon/Mystery of the Emblem/New Mystery of the Emblem |
467 ↑207 |
| CYL7 | 308 ↓102 |
Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light/Shadow Dragon/Mystery of the Emblem/New Mystery of the Emblem |
126 ↓341 |
| CYL8 | 388 ↓80 |
Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light/Shadow Dragon/Mystery of the Emblem/New Mystery of the Emblem |
54 ↓72 |
Trivia
- Medeus is sometimes referred to as the Earth Dragon King, such as in Chapter 1 of New Mystery of the Emblem. Assuming this isn't referring to his position as ruler of Dolhr, it's possible Medeus has been crowned in lieu of the absence of any other candidates.
- Medeus in Mystery of the Emblem is one of the three final bosses whose defeat does not result in an instant victory, as the player still has to seize the throne afterwards. The others are Veld and Julius.
- Medeus made his first appearance in Fire Emblem Heroes as a cameo during the Star and Savior Lost Lore event before his debut as a playable character.
Gallery
- See main article: Medeus/Gallery.