It happened again during the final Super Smash Bros. Ultimate reveal. The screen faded to black, a sword gleamed, and half the internet collectively lost its mind while the other half groaned so loud you could hear it from orbit. Byleth was joining the fray. Then came Pyra and Mythra, but the damage was done—the "too many anime swordsmen" meme had reached its final, most powerful form. If you've spent any time in the fighting game community, you know that Fire Emblem Smash characters are the most polarizing group of fighters in the history of Nintendo’s crossover brawler.
Honestly? It's kind of hilarious.
You have a franchise that, for decades, was barely clinging to life in the West, yet it somehow occupies more slots on the Smash roster than The Legend of Zelda or Metroid. It feels disproportionate. It feels weird. But if you actually dig into the frame data, the history of Intelligent Systems, and the way Masahiro Sakurai designs his games, the presence of these eight (or technically more, depending on how you count Echo Fighters) heroes makes a weird kind of sense. They aren't just "blue-haired Marth clones." Most of them, anyway.
The Marth Foundation and the "Clone" Problem
Let's look at where the salt started. Back in Melee, we got Marth and Roy. At the time, Marth was a revelation. He introduced the "tipper" mechanic—the idea that hitting an opponent with the very end of your sword deals massive damage and knockback, while hitting them with the hilt is like slapping them with a wet noodle. It rewarded precision. It was high-level play personified.
Then came Roy.
Roy was effectively a "clone" in Melee, a character added late in development to bolster the roster using existing assets. Unlike Marth, Roy’s "sweet spot" was in the center of the blade. He was a wet-noodle-at-the-tip kind of guy. For years, this established a pattern. Fans started seeing Fire Emblem Smash characters as efficient development shortcuts. Lucina and Chrom only reinforced this later on as Echo Fighters. When you look at the roster and see four characters who share the same "Dancing Blade" side-special and a similar counter-move, it’s easy to feel like you’re being cheated out of a more unique representative like Geno or Isaac from Golden Sun.
But here is the thing: Echo Fighters don't "take" spots. Sakurai has been transparent about this in his Famitsu columns and YouTube videos. They are "freebies." If Lucina hadn't been added as a Marth variant, we wouldn't have gotten a brand-new character with a unique moveset in her place; we just would have had one less character.
Breaking the Sword User Stereotype
If you're still stuck on the idea that every Fire Emblem character plays the same, you probably haven't played Robin or Byleth lately.
Robin is basically a resource management sim masquerading as a zoner. You have to track your Levin Sword durability and your tome uses. Once you run out of Elwind, you can’t recover. You’re dead. It’s a brilliant translation of Fire Emblem's weapon durability mechanic into a real-time environment. It’s stressful. It’s rewarding. It’s nothing like Marth.
Then you have Byleth. People were mad when Byleth was announced. "Another one?" was the cry heard 'round the world. But Byleth doesn't even use a sword for half their kit. They use the Heroes' Relics: a spear for long-distance pokes, an axe for shield-breaking power, and a bow for projectiles. Byleth is slow. Like, really slow. They play more like a heavy-hitter—a "pseudo-heavy"—than a traditional sword-swinger.
And don't even get me started on Corrin. Whether you like Fire Emblem Fates or not, Corrin’s kit is bizarre. Turning your arm into a giant lance? Pining people to the ground with a Dragon Fang? It’s distinct.
Why Fire Emblem gets so much love from Sakurai
- The Protagonist Factor: Every Fire Emblem game features a new lead character. Unlike Mario or Zelda, where the lead is almost always the same, Fire Emblem is an anthology.
- Global Sales vs. Japanese Popularity: While the series blew up in the West with Awakening in 2012, it has been a staple in Japan since the Famicom days.
- Weapon Diversity (Mostly): While they all hold swords, the way they move varies from the "glass cannon" style of Roy to the "space controller" style of Ike.
- Ease of Implementation: Humanoid characters with swords are generally easier to balance in a platform fighter than weird, abstract entities or giant monsters.
The Ike Shift: Power Over Speed
Ike changed the game in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Before him, Fire Emblem was synonymous with "fast, frail, and technical." Ike showed up with Ragnell and basically told everyone to sit down. He’s heavy. He’s cumbersome. His Eruption neutral-B can kill at absurdly low percentages.
In Ultimate, Ike underwent a massive glow-up. He became one of the best "fundamental" characters in the game. If you want to learn how to play Smash properly—learning when to jump, how to time your aerials, and how to punish mistakes—Ike is your guy. He doesn't rely on gimmicks. He relies on raw, unadulterated strength and a sword that has a hitbox the size of a small school bus.
Dealing with the "Counter" Meta
If there is one thing that genuinely annoys people about Fire Emblem Smash characters, it’s the Down-B. The Counter.
Almost all of them have one. It’s a polarizing mechanic because it feels like a "get out of jail free" card in casual play. You're charging up a giant smash attack, and the opponent just presses two buttons and kills you with your own momentum. It feels cheap.
However, at high-level competitive play, counters are actually quite risky. If you whiff a counter, you’re stuck in "endlag" (recovery frames) for what feels like an eternity. A good player will bait out your counter, wait for the animation to end, and then hit you with a fully charged attack anyway. It’s a mind game. It’s a test of nerves. But because so many Fire Emblem reps have it, it contributes to that feeling of "sameness" that the community complains about.
The Competitive Reality of the Roster
Look at the tier lists. You'll see Roy and Lucina consistently hovering near the top. Why? Consistency.
In a game like Smash Ultimate with over 80 characters, consistency is king. Roy has some of the most oppressive "kill confirms" in the game. His jab into a back-air is a terrifyingly reliable way to end a stock. Lucina, meanwhile, is the ultimate "honest" character. She doesn't have Marth's tipper, which means her damage is consistent across the whole blade. She is the baseline. If you can't beat a good Lucina, you probably aren't as good at the game as you think you are.
On the flip side, you have Marth, who has actually fallen off quite a bit. In a fast-paced game like Ultimate, hitting those precise tippers is harder than ever. It’s ironic—the original hero, the face of the franchise, is often considered worse than his "clone," Lucina, simply because she’s more reliable.
Visual Design and the "Anime" Complaint
Let’s be real: the complaint isn't really about swords. It’s about the aesthetic.
Smash is a celebration of gaming history. You have Mr. Game & Watch, Steve from Minecraft, and Banjo-Kazooie. Then you have eight people who look like they stepped out of the same modern fantasy anime. They have similar hair, similar capes, and similar serious expressions.
This is where the fatigue sets in. When fans are hoping for a representative from a "dead" franchise or a completely different genre (like an FPS or a traditional fighter), seeing another blue-haired royal feels like a missed opportunity. It’s a clash of expectations. Nintendo sees Fire Emblem as one of its "big three" RPG franchises alongside Pokemon and Xenoblade. Fans, however, often see it as a niche series that's overrepresented because the developer has a soft spot for it.
Mastering the Fire Emblem Playstyle
If you actually want to win with these characters, you have to embrace the "swordie" lifestyle. This means understanding "spacing."
Spacing is the art of being just far enough away that your sword can hit the enemy, but their fists or shorter weapons can't hit you. This is why Fire Emblem Smash characters are so frustrating to play against. A good Roy player will keep you in a "blender"—constantly hitting you, resetting the neutral, and never letting you get close enough to grab them.
- Tip 1: Stop fishing for counters. Seriously. Use them once or twice a match to keep your opponent honest, but don't rely on them.
- Tip 2: Use your aerials. Characters like Ike and Lucina live and die by their Neutral-Air (Nair) and Forward-Air (Fair).
- Tip 3: Learn the "recovery" paths. Most Fire Emblem characters have linear recoveries. If you get knocked off-stage, you are vulnerable. You need to learn how to mix up your timing so you don't get "edge-guarded" immediately.
Why We Should Probably Give It a Rest
At the end of the day, Fire Emblem saved itself. Before Fire Emblem Awakening came out on the 3DS, the series was on the chopping block. It was going to be cancelled if it didn't sell. It sold. It sold a lot.
The inclusion of these characters in Smash acted as a massive marketing engine for the series. Without Marth and Roy in Melee, most Westerners would never have known what a "Fire Emblem" even was. We wouldn't have Three Houses or Engage. The "overrepresentation" is a symptom of success.
Is it annoying that we have three different versions of Marth's moveset? Kinda. Is Byleth actually a fun and unique character that deserves a spot? Honestly, yeah. The roster is a snapshot of Nintendo’s history, and like it or not, Fire Emblem is a huge part of that history now.
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Step-by-Step: How to Choose Your Fire Emblem Main
- Do you like speed and aggression? Pick Roy or Chrom. They want to be in your face, hitting hard and fast. Roy is slightly better if you can handle the "sweet spot" at the base of the sword.
- Do you prefer a "wall of pain" style? Pick Lucina or Marth. You win by being annoying and keeping the opponent at the end of your blade.
- Are you a fan of weird gimmicks and spells? Robin is your only choice. Just be prepared to manage your "mana" like you're playing a different game entirely.
- Do you want to feel like a raid boss? Ike is the way to go. He’s slow, but two or three good hits and your opponent is at 60%.
- Do you like long-range poke and variety? Byleth offers the best tools for controlling the stage from a distance without being a dedicated "projectile" character.
The next time you see a blue-haired swordsman on the character select screen, try not to groan. Instead, appreciate the "disjointed hitboxes." Appreciate the fact that you can hit someone from halfway across the stage without actually touching them. It’s a specific kind of power trip that only Fire Emblem Smash characters can provide.
Next Steps for Players:
Go into Training Mode and turn on the "Show Hitboxes" overlay. Look at the difference between Marth’s sword tip and Roy’s hilt. Understanding where the "red" zones are in their swings will instantly make you a better player, whether you’re playing as them or trying to figure out how to finally stop losing to your friend’s Ike. Once you see the math behind the sword, the "anime" exterior matters a whole lot less.