When yet ANOTHER Fire Emblem character was announced as DLC for Super Smash Bros Ultimate, some fans were disappointed to see the series receive further representation in the game. What fans may not realize is how integral Smash has been to the release of Fire Emblem outside of Japan.
Though the JRPG franchise will be celebrating its 30th birthday this year, it was a Japanese exclusive for its early years. Nintendo considered removing Marth and Roy from international releases of Super Smash Bros Melee, but their inclusion ultimately introduced gamers outside of Japan to the series. This prompted Nintendo to localize 2003's Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade as Fire Emblem in the West.
Since Smash has been such an important part of its history, let's take a look at each of the eight Fire Emblem characters on Ultimate's roster.
MARTH
The franchise's original hero, Marth debuted in Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light. He also stars in the sequel, Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem.
Marth is the prince of Altea, a kingdom on the continent of Achanea. In Shadow Dragon, Marth has to unite the kingdoms to take down the dragon-emperor, Medeus. In the sequel, set three years later, Marth must confront a former friend and defeat Medeus once and for all with his legendary sword, Falchion.
ROY
Melee may have introduced Western players to Fire Emblem as a whole, but it also introduced Japanese players to Roy. Because Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade was delayed, Roy was actually playable in Smash four months before the release of his own game.
Roy is a noble from Lycia who is entrusted with an army upon his father's illness. Though a peaceful young man by nature, he understands the importance of his role in ending the conflict on the continent Elibe and is a talented and cunning tactician.
IKE
Unlike Marth and Roy, the protagonist of Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Ike, is not a royal or noble. The son of a legendary mercenary, Ike has to take control of the Greil Mercenaries after his father is killed by the Black Knight. Ike also appears in the sequel, Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, this time sharing the spotlight with another character, Micaiah.
Ike's appearance in Super Smash Bros Brawl uses his Path of Radiance design. In Super Smash Bros for Wii U and 3DS (often referred to as Super Smash Bros 4), he appears as his Radiant Dawn design. Ultimate allows players to choose between the two versions.
ROBIN
Fire Emblem: Awakening is the only game in the franchise to have multiple characters playable in Smash and for a good reason: it saved the franchise. Had it not sold well, Awakening would have been the final Fire Emblem game. Fortunately for fans, the game was wildly successful worldwide allowing the series to continue to this day.
Robin, one of Awakening's three protagonists, is the default name for an avatar character whose name, appearance, and gender can be selected by the player. Both male and female variants of Robin are playable in Smash 4 and Ultimate.
An amnesiac, Robin only remembers Chrom's name and their own. After proving to be a masterful tactician in battle, Robin joins Chrom and his army, the Shepards. Along with their Levin Sword, Robin also fights using magical tomes. In Smash, these have a finite number of uses before they need to recharge, a reference to the weapon durability system in many of the Fire Emblem games.
LUCINA
If Lucina reminds you of Marth, that's intentional. Apart from being an Echo Fighter in Ultimate and a clone of him in Smash 4, Lucina is a distant descendant of Marth and goes by his name while disguised for part of the game.
In Awakening, Lucina is Chrom's daughter and a time-traveller from a version of the future in which the ancient Fell Dragon Grima has been resurrected and destroyed the world. She and the other children of her father's militia, the Shepards, travel back in time to try and reverse the devastation.
The most traditional of Awakening's protagonists and the last to be introduced to Smash as a playable character, Chrom is the prince of Ylisse and younger brother of the Exault. He is the leader of the Shepards and fights with Falchion, the legendary sword of his ancestor, Marth.
After appearing as part of Robin's Final Smash and as a Mii Costume in Smash 4, Chrom was added as an Echo Fighter of Roy.
CORRIN
Like Robin, Corrin is an avatar character from Fire Emblem Fates. Corrin is half-dragon and can transform into a dragon in both their own game and in Smash. They were added as one of the final DLC characters in Smash 4.
Corrin grew up in the kingdom of Nohr, but was abducted from the rival kingdom Hoshido as a small child. Upon discovering the truth, Corrin must decide between the family they grew up with and the family they were taken from. In a third option released as DLC, Corrin can choose neither, instead recruiting both sides to fight the true cause of the war.
BYLETH
The protagonist of the latest game in the series, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Byleth is another avatar character. However, unlike Robin and Corrin, their appearance cannot be customized. Their alternate costumes in Ultimate reference other important characters from Three Houses.
Like Ike, Byleth is the child of a mercenary leader. When their father Jeralt reluctantly rejoins the Knights of Seiros, Byleth becomes a professor at Garreg Mach Monastery's Officers Academy. There, they lead one of the school's houses, greatly impacting the trajectory of the game.
Byleth is scheduled to release for Ultimate on January 28.