Roy (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate)

This article is about Roy's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. For other uses, see Roy.

“	Get up close and personal for major damage! Unlike Marth, Roy’s attacks are more powerful the closer you get to the base of his blade. For his Final Smash, his sword bursts into flames and sends anyone caught in the blast flying.	”
—Description from the Super Smash Blog.

Roy
Universe	Fire Emblem
Also appears in	Melee 3DS/Wii U
Availability	Unlockable
Final Smash	Critical Hit
Tier	A (19)
Character Statistics
Number of Jumps	2
Character Stats
Weight	Middleweight
Voice Actors
Voiced by (English)	Ray Chase
Voiced by (Japanese)	Jun Fukuyama

Roy is a veteran fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, first playable in Super Smash Bros. Melee. He was confirmed to return on June 12th, 2018 during E3 2018.

When unlocked, he is fought at Castle Siege like Marth.

Attributes

Strengths

• Roy's increased sweet-spot size and fast moves give him a deadly combo game.
• Excellent frame data and KO power for a swordfighter.
• Superb overall mobility all of which are shared with his echo fighter Chrom having very fast dashing speed (13 fastest), air speed (4th fastest), and falling speed (12 fastest tied with 4 other characters) along with a fast initial dash.
• Has a lot of kill moves, including forward tilt, up tilt, back air, down air, Flare Blade, Double-Edge Dance, Blazer, and all of his smash attacks.
• His throws have low base knockback, allowing him to pull more follow ups and combos.
• Can adapt his sourspot attacks to his advantage, as they are useful combo starters and for juggling.
• Down Aerial can Meteor Smash.
• Very powerful counter attack.
• Damage and knockback are greatly increased if at the middle part of his blade close to the hilt.
• Excellent Aerial attacks giving more combo and juggle potential. They also provide edge-guarding opportunities.
• Can rack up damage pretty quick, thanks to his speed and power.
• Flare Blade can score earlier KOs even when uncharged, since it has very high knockback scaling. It also has low ending lag, being able to be used safely in the air.
• Blazer can be aimed vertically or horizontally, increasing his recovery potential depending on the situation.

Weaknesses

• Exploitable recovery.
• Despite his excellent mobility, some aspects or his movement are relatively mediocre compared to his other movement attributes. His walking speed is only slightly above average while he has fairly low jumps along with a slow air acceleration despite his great air speed which makes his air mobility very committal.
• Sourspotted attacks are very weak and will not KO even at high percentages.
• Flare Blade can be predictable and easy to avoid.
• If Flare Blade is fully charged, it causes 10% recoil.
• His smash attacks have noticeable ending lag and are punishable.
• Up air has very low knockback, so it is unreliable for KOs.
• His sword has lower range, in comparison to other sword fighters.
• No projectiles.

Summary

To be added.

Changes from 3DS/Wii U

Roy has been significantly buffed from the previous game, by fixing some of his largest weaknesses and enhancing his ability to rush down and combo other characters.

Attributes

• Like Marth, Roy now speaks in English in international versions of the game.
• Roy now has a 3 frame jumpsquat, down from 5 in SSBWU/3DS.
• Significantly faster initial dash.
• Hilt sweetspots have increased in size.
• Air acceleration increased.

Ground Attacks

• Jab has more vertical range.
• Dash attack has less landing lag.
• Forward smash now hits overhead and has less startup.

Aerial Attacks

• All aerials have less landing lag.
• Forward air can now autocancel within a short hop.
• Up air is stronger.

Grabs and Throws

• Forward throw is now an elbow strike.

Special Attacks

• Double-Edge Dance is now executed faster.
• Double-Edge Dance's last hit has increased knockback.
• Flare Blade can be reversed just before launching the attack.

Moveset

Ground Attacks

Normal

• Neutral Attack (Slash): Roy slashes one time while holding the blade with a reverse grip.
• Forward Tilt (Sharp Edge): Does a swift overhead slash.
• Up Tilt: Does an upward slash.
• Down Tilt (Low Stab): Stabs downward.
• Dash Attack: Halts and slashes forward while bending for more reach.

Smash Attacks

• Forward Smash: Roy lunges and slashes forward forcefully.
• Up Smash (Flame Sword): A relatively quick sword thrust upwards with fire effects.
• Down Smash: Swipes his sword on both his sides.

Other attacks

• Floor Attack (Front): Gets up while slashing to the left and then to the right.
• Floor Attack (Back): Gets into a kneeling position and then slices around himself as he gets up.
• Floor Attack (Trip): Hops briskly to his feet to perform a thrust to the left and a slash to the right.
• Ledge Attack: Slashes his sword in front of him.

Aerial Attacks

• Neutral aerial (Double Slash): Slashes two times around him.
• Forward aerial: Swipes his sword in front of him.
• Back aerial: Turns around and swipes his sword.
• Up aerial: Swipes his sword upward.
• Down aerial (Half-Moon): Swipes his sword downward.

Grabs and Throws

• Pummel: Hits the opponent with his knee.
• Forward Throw: Knocks opponent forward.
• Back Throw: Tosses foe behind him.
• Up Throw: Thrusts opponent upwards.
• Down Throw (Slam): Tosses the foe to the ground.

Special Moves

Roy's Special Moves
	Melee	3DS/Wii U	Ultimate
Standard Special	Flare Blade
Side Special	Double-Edge Dance
Up Special	Blazer
Down Special	Counter
Final Smash	—	Critical Hit

Taunts

• Up Taunt: Roy lifts his blade to the air, and utters a triumphant "Huh!"
• Down Taunt: Roy crouches into a low fighting stance, spins his sword behind him, growls "Saaaah!"
• Side Taunt: Roy poses, brandishes his blade and says "I won't lose!"

On-Screen Appearance

Roy appears Kneeling in a glowing circle of magical symbols, with his sword stuck in the ground next to him. He then stands, swings his sword in a slow arc over his head, and steps into a neutral stance.

Victory Poses

• Spins his sword one and a half times and then sheathes it, saying "That was a fierce battle."
• Flourishes his sword and poses with it by his side, saying "Failure is not an option."
• Swings his sword around and poses with it, saying "Now the true battle begins!"

Classic Mode: A Journey of Swords

Roy's opponents consist of entirely sword-fighters, with the exception of the final round.

In competitive play

When Ultimate released, Roy looked promising in the meta due to the universal decreased landing lag on aerials and ability to use tilts out of a dash, which drastically fixed one of his biggest weaknesses. Along with his excellent mobility and some of the strongest KO power in the game, many professionals believed that Roy could potentially be a top-tier character. However, people also noticed that his echo fighter, Chrom, despite having less power and a significantly worse recovery than Roy, was more consistent due to his lack of sourspots, making him noticeably better at spacing than Roy. Chrom also had a notorious sacrificial KO move from his forward aerial to Soaring Slash. As such, Chrom was widely agreed to be one of the best characters in the game and was considered to be better than Roy. Despite this, Roy has achieved many noteworthy results and is still thought to be significantly improved from 3DS/Wii U, as he’s agreed to be a high-tier or even top-tier character.

Chrom would later receive a nerf to his Soaring Slash, which made it so that it will KO himself before his opponent when performing a sacrificial KO. Most professionals now believe that Roy is better than Chrom because of Roy’s better KO power and recovery.

In more recent times, Roy has achieved consistent success through players such as Kola, Goblin, Stroder, and Cyro. Roy also performs well against many meta-relevant characters, such as Wolf, Zero Suit Samus, R.O.B., Sonic, Fox, and Olimar. ESAM, Tweek, Dabuz, Marss, and MkLeo also view Roy as a top-tier character, with some players believing that he is better than Lucina and one of the best swordfighters alongside Pyra/Mythra and Shulk.

Role in World of Light

Although Roy does not appear in the World of Light opening cutscene, he was vaporized and later imprisoned alongside the rest of the fighters (sans Kirby) when Galeem unleashed his beams of light.

Roy appears in The Final Battle as one of the last fighters imprisoned by Galeem. He is one of the few obligatory unlocks. Defeating him leads to a fight with Master Hand and the subsequent reveal of Bayonetta's location.

Palette Swaps

Tips

Tips about a character's background and how to use that character can appear at random intervals on the loading screen. The player can also access the full list of tips at any time in the "Vault" section. The following tips are copied verbatim from the in-game text.

• In His Series: Roy, known as the Young Lion, is the main protagonist of Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade. His father, Eliwood, was the main protagonist of the 2003 Game Boy Advance game, Fire Emblem.
• Boosting Flare Blade (Neutral Special): As you hold down the button, the attack gradually grows in strength. It's unleashed when you let go of the button or when the move is fully charged.
• Overpower with Flare Blade (Neutral Special): Try charging this move right after launching a foe off of the stage, and then smack them with it when they try to recover!
• Flare Blade Techniques (Neutral Special): While holding the button, you can use the control stick to turn around and release your charged attack in the other direction. This is a good way to surprise unsuspecting opponents.
• Double-Edge Dance Patterns (Side Special): Press the button repeatedly for a four-hit combo. You can change the finishing move by pressing up or down during the combo.
• Double-Edge Dance Techniques (Side Special): If you aim up on the third hit and to the side on the fourth, the power of the fourth hit increases and it will be easier to hit with the full blade.
• Blazer's Traits (Up Special): Roy is momentarily invincible when he uses this move. Unleash it while on the ground to absorb a few hits, and then launch opponents.
• Turning Blazer (Up Special): Roy can lash out in the opposite direction with this move if you quickly tap backward before he begins his ascent.
• Blazer's Angle (Up Special): By pushing left or right during Roy's ascent, you can adjust the angle of the move. However, this stops him from climbing as high.
• Counter (Down Special): When Counter is used in midair, it has less launching power than when it's used successfully on the ground. For a match-deciding moment, you're probably better off getting into stance on the ground.
• Counter's Attack Power (Down Special): The move is a little slow to start and only lasts a short while, but if used successfully on an incoming attack, it can deal 1.35x damage back at the enemy.
• Using Counter (Down Special): One sneaky strategy is to counter an opponent in midair as they try to stop you from recovering. Roy falls pretty quickly, though, so it's risky!
• Critical Hit (Final Smash): A blade surrounded by fire swings through nearby opponents. If you jump into a pack of enemies, you can take them all out in one shot.
• Slash (Neutral Attack): A backhanded, upward sword slash. Unlike most neutral attacks, it doesn't include any follow-ups, but it has speed and power to make up for it.
• Sharp Edge (Side Tilt Attack): Roy takes a step forward as he unleashes this move, making it easier to strike with the whole blade and do a lot more damage.
• Low Stab (Down Tilt Attack): This fast, crouching sword strike has low power, but it turns Roy into a small target. it's great for disrupting enemy attacks.
• Flame Sword (Up Smash Attack): Roy's up smash, Flame Sword, is an upward jab of his fiery blade. His sword arm is invulnerable during this, making the move good against air attacks.
• Double Slash (Neutral Air Attack): Roy performs a double sword slash in midair. This attack's speed makes it ideal for disrupting enemy attacks and getting in close.
• Half Moon (Down Air Attack): If you can hit the foe with the full blade, this move has a meteor effect. It's powerful straight down, but aim carefully, because it lacks horizontal range.
• Slam (Downward Throw): Enemies thrown by this move will bounce and then momentarily float in front of Roy. That's a good time for a follow-up attack!
• Sword Characteristics: Unlike Marth, Roy's attacks are more powerful the closer you get to the base of his blade. If you can get up close and personal with your opponent, you can deliver some powerful blows.

Trivia

• In Roy's fighter showcase video, 25: Roy, he is seen at the beginning performing a dash animation that differs from that present in the final game.
• Roy's English Star KO scream, much like Zelda in Melee, could be considered a meme by the Smash community, as they see it as one of the most terrifying and overdone in the game. Ray Chase, Roy's VA, even acknowledged this fact on twitter.

Gallery

Roy in his yellow alt.

Roy in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Roy along with Kirby and Ike in the Arena Ferox stage.

Roy along with Kirby in the Coliseum stage.

Roy and Roy together.

Roy's unused running animation.

Roy along with Marth and Kirby in the Pilotwings stage.

Roy along with Byleth in the Garreg Mach Monastery stage.

Roy holding the Poké Ball item.

External links

25 Roy – Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Fire Emblem universe
Characters	Marth (Melee  · Brawl  · 3DS/Wii U  · Ultimate) Roy (Melee  · 3DS/Wii U  · Ultimate) Ike (Brawl  · 3DS/Wii U  · Ultimate) Robin (3DS/Wii U  · Ultimate) Lucina (3DS/Wii U  · Ultimate) Corrin (3DS/Wii U  · Ultimate) Chrom (Ultimate) Byleth (Ultimate)
Side Characters	Assist Trophies	Lyn  · Black Knight  · Tiki
	Mii Fighter Costumes	Chrom  · Black Knight
	Background characters	Claude von Riegan  · Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd  · Edelgard von Hresvelg  · Rhea
	Others	Anna  · Sothis
Stages	Castle Siege  · Arena Ferox  · Coliseum  · Garreg Mach Monastery
Item	Killing Edge
Music	List of Music (Fire Emblem series)
Collectibles	Trophies	Melee Trophies  · Brawl Trophies  · 3DS Trophies  · Wii U Trophies
	Stickers	List of Stickers (Fire Emblem series)
	Spirits	List of spirits (Fire Emblem series)
	Masterpieces	Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light  · Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem