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Byleth is Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s newest fighter, as announced in today’s presentation.
Byleth is the hero of Fire Emblem: Three Houses, a mercenary who then becomes a professor at a monastery, and allies with one of the noble houses of the continent. A fairly normal career path, as you can see. Masahiro Sakurai actually played Fire Emblem: Three Houses before it was released so that he could get the best idea of how to take Byleth into the super successful fighting game. And, he added that a lot of Nintendo staff didn’t know that they were going to be a Smash fighter. He said the team worked with “utmost secrecy” on the undertaking, and that he thinks some staff will react with, “‘wow, really?’”
Female and male Byleth are available to play as, and although the fighter has limited mobility, Sakurai called the hero a “distance demon.” This is because Byleth’s attacks capture and reel in enemies with the whip sword, knock back with the axe and lance, and snipe with the bow. Moreover, the whip sword acts as a grappling hook, letting the player avoid certain death or pull other battlers down with them. In sum, distance is key to dealing serious damage to contestants.
However, fellow Fire Emblem characters’ counters will cause Byleth a lot of trouble, so be wary of these fighters. The new stage is the Garreg Mach Monastery from Three Houses, and a platform will transport the players from the marketplace, reception hall, bridge, and cathedral. Familiar faces will greet them in each section, for example, you’ll find Blue Lions at the marketplace and Black Eagles in the reception. 11 Fire Emblem tracks are being added, with Japanese and English arrangements of the Three Houses main theme. Lastly, there will be a new spirit board with popular Three Houses characters, and Sothis is the legend class.
The fighter isn’t quite ready, though. Sakurai revealed that the video was actually filmed and produced in November 2019, so what we saw today might not line up with the final rendition of Byleth. Still, it looked very impressive and Fire Emblem: Three Houses fans will feel right at home in the new stage.
Byleth and their accompanying content will become available for purchase on January 28, priced at $5.99. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is out now for the Nintendo Switch. Watch today’s Super Smash Bros. Ultimate announcement below.
