ShadeStrider

So, I think Fire Emblem Fates had three pretty trashy stories.

But if I were to make the next Fire Emblem, I might use the neighboring empires thing as a part of my story.

Instead of Nohr being evil and Hoshido being good, I would have tried to write the two empires to be a moral gray. That way, there would actually be a choice.

And, because I have a thing for Student and Mentor dynamics in stories, I'd have the Main character have a predecessor that had to make the same choice... 6 years before. Let me detail it: The MC always makes the opposite choice of the predecessor. The predecessor's backstory is that she made her choice, and later she offered herself up as a POW to the opposite side, in exchange for peace between the two empires, which was ultimately futile, since the peace... did not last. The MC is on the opposite side, so he will meet the predecessor due to some plot point (I really don't want to go with the whole "chosen one" thing, since its really overused in stories like this). After a quest involving using magic to return the predecessor's strength (Because being imprisoned for six years can take a toll on a person's physical and mental well-being) and freeing her from Imprisonment, the two start working together for some other cause. The Predecessor then helps to guide the MC (who barely has any combat experience) towards becoming a better soldier and teaches him how to use his tools and surroundings properly and effectively.

I also want to erode the common Anime Tropes with considering our two main characters. No Yanderes here.

I'd also put more emphasis on cinematics, because I am a huge Metal Gear Solid fan.