Editing Chrom (SSBU)

'''Chrom''' ({{ja|クロム|Kuromu}}, ''Chrom'') is a playable character in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''. He was announced as a newcomer alongside {{SSBU|Simon}}, {{SSBU|Richter}}, {{SSBU|Dark Samus}}, and {{SSBU|King K. Rool}} in the Nintendo Direct on August 8th, 2018. Chrom is {{SSBU|Roy}}'s [[Echo Fighter]], thus being classified as [[Fighter number|Fighter #25^ε]], though his lack of sweetspots makes him parallel Roy the same way {{SSBU|Lucina}} parallels {{SSBU|Marth}}. In addition to his role as a playable character, Chrom remains a part of {{SSBU|Robin}}'s final smash [[Pair Up]].

{{s|Wikipedia|Matthew Mercer}} and {{s|Wikipedia|Tomokazu Sugita}}, who voiced Chrom in the English and Japanese versions of ''Fire Emblem Awakening'' respectively, reprise their roles in the international and Japanese versions of ''Ultimate''. Both voice actors initially revealed their roles on their Twitter accounts [https://twitter.com/matthewmercer/status/1027209533179932672] [https://twitter.com/sugitaLOV/status/1027199951409803264].

With the exception of the third method, Chrom must then be defeated on [[Arena Ferox]].

Overall, Chrom is a very accessible and effective character and provides for a completely different playstyle from Roy despite their shared attributes and moves. His aim is to strike a balance between aggression and patience, as he has the mobility, range, and damage necessary to switch between gameplans on the fly. However, his very weak recovery mandates that players avoid being thrown off-stage and maintain stage control at all times, as not only is he vulnerable to getting edgeguarded and gimped, but can sometimes also end up in a spot where he is unable to recover at all.

All in all, Chrom's strengths outweigh his weaknesses. He has been viewed extremely positively in the early competitive scene since the release of ''Ultimate'', has multiple dedicated mains such as {{Sm|Rivers}} and {{Sm|Mr.R}} who represent him in tournaments, and is a popular secondary pick for many high-level players.

As mentioned above, the main difference between Chrom and Roy is that Chrom's attacks lack Roy's inverse tipper sweetspots, instead dealing consistent damage across the entire blade. This gives Chrom the ability to space effectively with his sword and makes him more consistent, but in turn renders him incapable of securing early stocks. Additionally, Chrom has altered animations for his neutral attack, forward tilt and up tilt where he holds his sword properly instead of holding it in a reverse grip, and his up smash, down aerial and special moves do not use the flame effect either.

Unlike Lucina, whose only other major difference from Marth is that her up tilt has a timing-based sweetspot, Chrom's additional differences are much more pronounced. His up special is [[Soaring Slash]], a move resembling [[Aether]], which makes Chrom's recovery much less safe than Roy's, but also allows him to perform a [[sacrificial KO]]. His forward tilt moves him forward slightly, giving it more range. His neutral aerial uses [[weight-independent]] knockback on its first hit (like Marth and Lucina) rather than on its second hit. Chrom's [[Counter]] deals less knockback against weaker attacks, but more knockback against stronger attacks. Lastly, his Final Smash, [[Awakening Aether]], is completely different from Roy's, being closer in function to Marth and Lucina's [[Critical Hit]] instead.

Because Chrom's lack of Roy's sweetspots and flame-based attacks spreads across his entire moveset, and his up special makes his off-stage presence much less safe for both Chrom and his opponent(s), Chrom is generally considered to be one of the most unique Echo Fighters, alongside {{SSBU|Ken}} and Lucina. As such, these three are not expected to share a spot on the tier list, and are expected to be allowed to be used with their base fighters in [[Squad Strike]].

*{{change|Chrom has an additional voice clip for taking light knockback, an alternate KO voice clip, and a voice clip when performing a tech, waking up from a sleep and emerging from underwater.}}

*{{change|As of the 3.0.0 update, Chrom has a distinct victory theme from Roy, shared with Lucina and Robin based off of "Id (Purpose)" from ''Fire Emblem Awakening.'' However, in prior versions, Chrom and Roy shared the same victory theme.}}

*{{change|Chrom's [[List_of_swords#Sealed_Falchion|Sealed Falchion]] lacks a [[Sweet spot (hitbox)|sweetspot]] and [[sourspot]] compared to Roy's Binding Blade. As a result, it always deals consistent damage and knockback throughout, like {{SSBU|Lucina}}'s Parallel Falchion.}}

**{{buff|Chrom has more effective reach than Roy, as Roy cannot take advantage of his long reach due to his weak and largely inefficient sourspots.}}

**{{buff|This makes Chrom's combos, edgeguarding and KOing ability more consistent.}}

**{{nerf|Chrom cannot secure KOs as early as Roy can.}}

*{{change|Unlike Roy, Chrom does not hold his sword in a backward grip for his neutral attack, forward tilt and up tilt. This marginally alters the hitbox placements of those moves.}}

*{{buff|Chrom's [[neutral attack]] has more horizontal range due to an altered animation where Chrom holds his sword in a regular grip, as opposed to a reversed one.}}

*{{buff|Chrom's [[forward tilt]] moves him slightly forward unlike Roy's variant. Its altered animation also causes him to hit lower, enabling him to more reliably hit shorter or crouching opponents, and grants him the ability to hit ledge-hanging opponents with the move. Altogether, these changes improve its range considerably.}}

*{{buff|Up smash has drastically less hitlag, making it harder to DI correctly.}}

*{{change|Chrom's [[neutral aerial]] uses [[weight-independent]] knockback on the first hit like {{SSBU|Marth}} and {{SSBU|Lucina}}'s, rather than on the second hit like Roy's. As a result, the first hit connects into the second more reliably, but is less effective for comboing into other moves, while the second deals more knockback to lighter opponents, but less to heavier ones.}}

*{{change|Chrom's forward aerial launches at the [[Sakurai angle]], unlike Roy's which launches at 42 degrees.}}

**{{change|Flare Blade uses the [[normal]] effect. Additionally, it is aesthetically different; instead of charging up with flames for a fiery explosion, Chrom's sword charges with a wind vortex before it unleashes a powerful shockwave. Additionally, as the move is charged, the Sealed Falchion's blade slowly sparkles from the blade's base to the tip, indicating its charge level, while dust and debris kick up around Chrom. This effect is similar to the version of Roy's Flare Blade in ''Melee''.}}

**{{change|Chrom uses only one voice clip upon releasing Flare Blade once sufficiently charged, similarly to how {{SSBU|Marth}} and {{SSBU|Lucina}} vocalize when performing [[Shield Breaker]], instead of using multiple voice clips depending on charge level.}}

**{{nerf|However, the move can only catch up to two opponents at once.}}

Chrom has received some few changes via game updates, being slightly nerfed overall. Update 2.0.0 reduced the knockback of Soaring Slash's meteor smash hitbox, making it more likely for Chrom to be KOed first during the descent. Previously, this move was quite infamous for being a fairly reliable [[sacrificial KO]] that could be easily confirmed from his aerials, mainly forward aerial and neutral aerial, a series of kill confirms collectively referred to as the "Chrombo"; the consistency of the "Chrombo" made Chrom incredibly proficient at capitalizing from comeback situations. After the update, it is still possible to perform a "Chrombo", but it will only be reliable if Chrom has a stock advantage. It is now also safer to go offstage to edgeguard a Chrom at his last stock, as even being caught by Soaring Slash won't result in Chrom suddenly gaining the advantage, though this is still slightly inconsistent depending from Chrom's height when initiating the move. The same update, however, also buffed his down aerial as well; the move now autocancels earlier, matching its interruptibility. Update 3.0.0 increased the vertical range of Chrom's dash grab, much like with {{SSBU|Marth}}, {{SSBU|Roy}} and {{SSBU|Lucina}}, fixing an issue that prevented them from grabbing a shielding {{SSBU|R.O.B.}}. Update 3.1.0 improved his up smash, enabling its linking hits to connect into each other more reliably, a problem that update 7.0.0 once again addressed by removing the rare instances where opponents would trip out of the last hit.

|neutralname= 

|neutraldesc=An upward slash while keeping the Sealed Falchion horizontal. It comes out on frame 5, making it Chrom's fastest ground attack. A great combo starter, due to launching at a rather high angle and having low knockback and ending lag. It can easily start combos into a grab, tilts, aerials, or [[Double-Edge Dance]]. Just like Roy's neutral attack, it is effective at comboing into a [[reverse aerial rush]] back aerial for a highly potent KO confirm; compared to Roy however, it is easier to land thanks to Chrom's lack of sourspots. Additionally, its altered animation gives it slightly more range than Roy's neutral attack at the height of the slash.

|ftiltname= 

|ftiltdesc=A downward slash. Powerful for a tilt considering its speed. Unlike Roy's forward tilt, it moves him slightly forward, and its altered animation means that its hitboxes reach much lower, enabling it to hit crouching, prone, or ledge-hanging opponents reliably.

|utiltname= 

|dtiltname= 

|dashname= 

|dashdesc=An inward horizontal slash across the ground. Powerful for a dash attack, KOing at around 130% near the ledge. However, it has noticeable startup and ending lag, which makes it very unsafe on shield.

|fsmashname= 

|fsmashdesc=Rotates his body to perform a lunging, two-handed downward slash. Has high ending lag and a short hitbox duration, but hits hard for its speed, has good range, and is a good punishing tool. It is based on Roy's regular attack as a Great Lord in ''Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade''.

|usmashname= 

|usmashdesc=An upward thrust, which surrounds the Sealed Falchion's blade with wind and concludes with a small blue explosion. A good anti-air attack, as Chrom's sword arm is granted [[intangibility]] throughout the attack (frames 10-23), though mediocre for ground combat due to it having small horizontal hitboxes. Has enough power to KO at around 100% uncharged. Unlike Roy's version, the move lacks flame properties.

|dsmashname= 

|nairname= 

|fairname= 

|fairdesc=A downward slash. Very quick, auto-cancels in a short hop, and has KO potential at high percentages. It can also be used in quick succession due to its low ending lag, making it possible to perform a [[wall of pain]]. Unlike Roy's forward aerial, it launches opponents at the [[Sakurai angle]].

|bairname= 

|uairname= 

|dairname= 

|grabname= 

|pummelname= 

|pummeldmg=1.2%

|pummeldesc=A knee strike. A fairly fast pummel.

|fthrowname= 

|bthrowname= 

|uthrowname= 

|dthrowname= 

|nsdesc=Rears back and charges the Sealed Falchion in wind before performing a lunging, two-handed downward slash that generates a powerful shockwave; as it charges, the Sealed Falchion will also slowly glow with a blue sparkle from the hilt to the tip. Unlike Roy's version, it does not have a flame effect. Chrom can turn around while charging the move. Functions similarly to [[Eruption]], as it can be charged before unleashing the explosion, with the shockwave's size growing as it charges. It has very high knockback growth even while uncharged, and the ability to quickly increase its damage output via charging. When fully charged, it will [[OHKO]] every character in the game, with the exception of {{SSBU|Bowser}} from center-stage and {{SSBU|Shulk}} with the Shield [[Monado Art]]. A fully-charged Flare Blade is also capable of instantaneously breaking a full shield, similar to a fully-charged [[Shield Breaker]].

|ssdesc=A sequence of sword slashes with several variations based on directional input. Four slashes total, with each capable of being altered in direction, allowing for eighteen total possible combinations. Standard strikes are trailed red, high strikes are trailed blue, and low strikes are trailed green. Unlike Roy's version, however, the last hit of each variation lacks flame hitboxes, and each hit deals equal damage throughout the entire blade; this makes it effectively identical to Lucina's Dancing Blade, if not superior due to having slightly more damage and knockback.

|dsdmg=1.35× (minimum 9%)

| Fourth Hit (Neutral) || 5.2% || Turns counterclockwise, steps forward, and does very powerful vertical slash downward. This is the strongest finisher in regards to knockback, KOing middleweights near the edge by itself around 115%.

*'''Up taunt''': Looks at the screen as he twirls the Sealed Falchion twice, then assumes a stance highly similar to his pose from his official art in ''Fire Emblem Awakening'', saying "Come at me!" ({{ja|かかってこい！|Kakatte koi!}}, ''Come at me!'')

*'''Down taunt''': Twirls the Sealed Falchion twice, then holds the blade of the sword on his left hand as he finishes, saying "I will not fail!" ({{ja|俺は負けん！|Ore wa maken!}}, ''I won't lose!'') This was one of his battle quotes from ''Awakening''.

SSBUChromIdle1.gif|Chrom's first idle pose

SSBUChromIdle2.gif|Chrom's second idle pose

[[File:FireEmblemAwakeningVictoryThemeUltimate.ogg|thumb|A short orchestral cover of "Id (Purpose)" from ''{{s|fireemblemwiki|Fire Emblem Awakening}}''.]]

==In competitive play==

Prior to the release of ''Ultimate'', players were wary of Chrom's ability as a fighter, due to players perceiving his reliance on [[Soaring Slash]] granting him possibly one of the worst recoveries in the game, alongside {{SSBU|Roy}}'s mediocre standing in ''Smash 4'' (due to Chrom being an [[Echo Fighter]] of him). Mindsets were quickly turned upon release however, as Roy's myriad of buffs allowed Chrom to perform as a highly effective swordfighter, with a powerful overall damage output and excellent speed; in addition, Chrom's access to balanced hitboxes made him less risky in comparison, and Soaring Slash also granted him a notorious KO combo out of forward aerial, allowing him to perform a [[sacrificial KO]] that would always lead to his opponent dying first. This made Chrom extremely popular during the first few months, with him being considered one of the best swordfighters in the game alongside {{SSBU|Ike}} at the time.

Update 2.0.0 eventually worsened the effectiveness of Chrom's Soaring Slash combo, and his exploitable recovery has also been taken advantage of as the meta grew, which caused his player count to drop as time passed. Both Chrom and Ike would also be overlooked in favor of {{SSBU|Lucina}} and Roy, who were quickly gaining prominence in competitive play as two of the best swordfighters in the game. As a result, players would eventually drop him entirely or designate him as a reliable pocket character, while some would turn to use him alongside Roy for different matchups. Regardless, while Chrom has not been as prominent of a pick as he initially was, he is still considered a very effective fighter, with him commonly being used as secondary for notable professional players as a replacement for Roy or Lucina.

In the online meta, Chrom would experience a precipitous drop in terms of results and representation, with a [https://www.pgstats.com/articles/who-is-picked-and-used-deep-in-brackets-super-smash-bros-ultimate-character-analysis PGstats analysis] of deep bracket picks suggesting that Chrom is the worst online character in the game by a large margin based on paltry win rates and pick rates. This can be attributed to the online environment exacerbating Chrom's fragile disadvantage state, particularly off-stage, making his echo counterpart Roy a much safer pick. Chrom's issues were particularly brought to light when {{Sm|Mr.R}}, who mains the character and ranked 44th in the [[Fall 2019 PGRU]], fell early in bracket and failed to qualify for [[Smash World Tour 2021]] in the European online qualifiers, citing his inability to play the character online as a big reason for his underperformance.

===Notable players===

''Any number following the Smasher name indicates placement on the [[Fall 2019 PGRU]], which recognizes the official top 50 players in the world in [[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]] from July 13th, 2019 to December 15th, 2019.''

*{{Sm|Blank|USA|p=Florida}} - Placed 17th at {{Trn|Smash 'N' Splash 5}}, 25th at both {{Trn|Low Tier City 7}} and {{Trn|Come to Papa 3}}, and 33rd at both {{Trn|Glitch 6}} and {{Trn|Frostbite 2019}}. Ranked 5th on the [[Florida Power Rankings#Central Florida 2|Central Florida Ultimate Power Rankings]].

*{{Sm|Canakrn|Canada}} - Placed 13th at {{Trn|VORTEX}}, {{Trn|Smash at The Comic Strip: Punching Up}}, and {{Trn|Salt Flats 2020}}. Ranked 8th on the [[Alberta_Power_Rankings#Summer_2019_3|Edmonton Power Rankings]].

*{{Sm|Dertolo|Chile}} - The best Chrom player in Chile. Co-mains Chrom and {{SSBU|Diddy Kong}}. Placed 2nd at both {{Trn|Smash Chile - Civil War}} and {{Trn|Royalty 3}}, and has wins over {{Sm|Frido}}, {{Sm|Harlonga}}, and {{Sm|Sekai Doggo}}. He is currently ranked 4th at the [[Chilean Power Rankings]].

*{{Sm|komorikiri|Japan}} - One of the best Chrom players in Japan. Placed 5th at {{Trn|Sumabato SP 2}}, 9th at {{Trn|Sumabato SP}}, 13th at {{Trn|Sumabato SP 6}}, and 25th at {{Trn|Sumabato SP 9}} using Chrom as one of his characters.

*{{Sm|MattyG|USA}} - One of the best Chrom players in the world. Placed 5th at {{Trn|Return to Subspace 2}}, 13th at both {{Trn|Let's Make Moves}} and {{Trn|Frostbite 2020}}, and 17th at {{Trn|Pound 2019}}. Ranked 14th on the [[New England Power Rankings#Super Smash Bros. Ultimate rankings|New England Ultimate Power Rankings]].

*{{Sm|Mr.R|Netherlands}} (#44) - Currently the best Chrom player in the world. Placed 4th at both {{Trn|Ultimate Nimbus}} and {{Trn|VCA 2019}}, 5th at both {{Trn|Smash Factor 8}} and {{Trn|Ultimate Fighting Arena 2019}}, 9th at both {{Trn|2GG: Prime Saga}} and {{Trn|2GG: SwitchFest 2019}}, and 13th at {{Trn|EVO 2019}}. Has wins over {{Sm|MkLeo}}, {{Sm|ESAM}}, and {{Sm|Nairo}}.

*{{Sm|Rivers|USA}} - One of the best Chrom players in the world. Placed 2nd at both {{Trn|Suplex City Smash}} and {{Trn|Play With Heart}}, 7th at {{Trn|NYXL Pop-Up!}}, 9th at {{Trn|Frostbite 2019}}, and 13th at both {{Trn|Glitch 6}} and {{Trn|2GG: SwitchFest 2019}}. Has wins over {{Sm|Cosmos}}, {{Sm|Dabuz}}, and {{Sm|ESAM}}.

*{{Sm|Rydle|Spain}} - Placed 5th at {{Trn|Codec Call}}, and 13th at both {{Trn|Codec Call 4}} and {{Trn|Codec Call 5}}.

*{{Sm|Sriks|Australia}} - Uses Chrom as a secondary. Placed 1st at {{Trn|SEA Major 2019}} and 2nd at {{Trn|Sunny Side Up}} with both Roy and Chrom, as well as 5th at {{Trn|Melbourne Esports Open}} with solo Chrom.

*{{Sm|tk3|Japan}} - The best Chrom player in Japan and one of the best in the world. Placed 4th at {{Trn|Sumabato SP 11}}, 7th at both {{Trn|KVOxTSB 2019}} and {{Trn|Sumabato SP 8}}, 17th at both {{Trn|Sumabato SP 4}} and {{Trn|Sumabato SP 6}}, and 33rd at {{Trn|Umebura Japan Major 2019}}. Has beaten {{Sm|Kome}}, {{Sm|DIO}}, and {{Sm|takera}}.

*{{Sm|Yei|Costa Rica}} - Placed 7th at {{Trn|Smash Factor 8}} using mostly Chrom.

*{{Sm|Fuji|Japan}} - One of the best Chrom players in Japan. Placed 17th at {{Trn|Umebura SP}}, 25th at {{Trn|Sumabato SP}}, {{Trn|Sumabato SP 2}}, and {{Trn|KVOxTSB 2019}} using both Chrom and {{SSBU|Roy}}.

*{{Sm|MkLeo|Mexico}} (#1) - Has a strong Chrom secondary. Placed 1st at {{Trn|Uprising 2019}} using Chrom to defeat {{Sm|Gackt}}.

*{{Sm|RAIN|Japan}} - Considered one of the best Chrom players in Japan before switching to {{SSBU|Cloud}}. Placed 17th at {{Trn|Umebura SP}} and 33rd at {{Trn|Umebura SP 2}}.

*{{Sm|Tweek|USA}} (#3) - The best Chrom player in the world within the first few months of the metagame., Placed 1st at {{Trn|Sky's Ultimate Invitational}} and {{Trn|Let's Make Moves}}, as well as 4th at {{Trn|NYXL Pop-Up!}}

Chrom fights mainly in team battles, in homage to ''Fire Emblem Awakening'''s Pair Up system, in which two units can team up to deal additional damage to an opponent. The first round instead recreates his duel with Lucina in [[fireemblemwiki:Two Falchions|Chapter 4]] of ''Awakening''.

|5||{{CharHead|Peach|SSBU|hsize=20px}} and {{CharHead|Daisy|SSBU|hsize=20px}}||{{SSB4|Mario Circuit}}||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Mario Kart|Rainbow Road - Mario Kart: Double Dash!!}}''||{{Head|Robin|g=SSBU|s=20px}} Robin is a CPU ally.

{{-}}

Chrom's fighter spirit can be obtained by completing [[Classic Mode]]. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 500 coins. Unlocking Chrom in World of Light allows the player to preview the first spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a fighter spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. Each fighter spirit has an alternate version that replaces them with their artwork in ''Ultimate''.

==In Spirit battles==

|[https://megamitensei.fandom.com/wiki/Yusuke_Kitagawa Yusuke Kitagawa]

Kirby Chrom.jpg|Chrom preparing to use [[Counter]] with {{SSBU|Kirby}} on Coliseum.

ChromSoaringSlash.jpg|Chrom using [[Soaring Slash]]

===Character introduction video===

*In ''SSB4'''s [[Palutena's Guidance]], [[Viridi]] teases Chrom for being too similar to Ike, calling him a "carbon copy". Although Chrom is an Echo Fighter, his moves are instead derived from {{SSBU|Roy}}.

*Chrom is one of the few characters that speak during a [[KO]], sometimes exclaiming, "Sorry!'.

*Prior to the [[List_of_updates_(SSBU)#3.0.0|3.0.0 update]], Chrom was the only character from ''Fire Emblem Awakening'' not to have the [[victory theme]] based on "Id (Purpose)", as he used the default ''Fire Emblem'' theme instead.

*Chrom is the only [[clone]] character not to be in the same {{SSBU|Classic Mode}} unlock tree as his base; he is in {{SSBU|Yoshi}}'s character tree, while Roy is in {{SSBU|Mario}}'s unlock tree.

**However, Chrom shares the same unlock tree as his ancestor, Marth, and his daughter, Lucina.