Editing Counter

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:''This article is about the move for the Fire Emblem representatives. For [[Palutena]]'s version, see [[Counter (Palutena)]]. For other uses, see [[Counter (disambiguation)]]. For the general class of moves, see [[Counterattack]].''

|image=[[File:SSB4 Marth Screen-6.jpg|300px]]

|caption=Marth's Counter in {{forwiiu}}.

|user=[[Marth]]<br>[[Roy]]<br>[[Ike]]<br>[[Lucina]]

==In ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''==

Counter is {{SSBM|Marth}} and {{SSBM|Roy}}'s [[down special move]] in ''Super Smash Bros. Melee''. Marth or Roy will strike a pose and a small, metallic "chink" sound will be heard. For about a second, any attack other than a grab which the character using Counter is struck by will turn them invincible for the duration of their retaliating swing. Marth's Counter deals a flat 7% [[damage]] regardless of the attack, while Roy's deals 1.5 times the original attack's damage. If the attack is a projectile (such as {{SSBM|Samus}}' [[Missile]]), it will simply be deflected behind them and upwards at about a 30 degree angle. It's worth noting explosive projectiles can still explode and will still do damage if they are struck when the invincibility ceases. If the attack is a smash attack, then the attacker will be knocked back at a 90 degree angle. If used in conjunction with {{SSBM|Mr. Game & Watch}}'s [[Oil Panic]], it is the most powerful non-charged attack in ''Melee'' (if Oil Panic has absorbed the highest possible amount of damage, which is 250% damage and delivers a [[OHKO]]).

Marth's Counter has a faster start-up time and lasts twice as long as Roy's Counter, which makes Marth's Counter more effective but less damaging.

==In ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''==

{{SSBB|Ike}} also has this attack as his down special move in ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl''. Ike's Counter is not as fast as {{SSBB|Marth}}'s, as his counter frames start roughly 6 frames after Marth's, but reflects back x1.2 damage, with the minimum damage being 10%. Marth's Counter reflects back x1.1 damage, with a minimum damage of 8%.

Since Ike's Counter is a bit slower, it cannot be used for immediate countering (although Ike's Counter has more [[knockback]] and greater range). Although Marth and Ike both have the same duration of counter frames, Ike has less vulnerability after the counter frames end, due to the slightly slower activation of his. Both Counters last the same amount of time from start (initiating the command) to finish (when the player is free to move again); Marth's simply activates faster, but his counter frames end 6 frames before Ike's. Marth's Counter leaves him vulnerable at the end of the attack while Ike's counter leaves him vulnerable at the beginning. If Marth or Ike counters a large hitbox such as Mr. Game and Watch's Oil Panic (after absorbing three strong enough projectiles that does 60% damage), it will one-hit KO anyone who is very close to Marth or Ike. There are several other moves similar to Counter: [[Double Team]], {{b|Toad|move}}, and (to a lesser extent) Wolf's {{b|Reflector|Wolf}}.

==In ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]''==

All Counters received a visual redesign that includes a wave like that of a heart monitor. {{SSB4|Marth}}'s Counter has been buffed, dealing more knockback and now reflects back x1.2 damage. {{SSB4|Lucina}}, as a [[clone]] of Marth, has the exact same Counter he does. {{SSB4|Ike}}'s Counter now activates slightly faster, now leaving him less vulnerable at startup. {{SSB4|Roy}}'s Counter also has been buffed, gaining more counter frames, knockback, and range, but its reflected damage was reduced to x1.35.

Special Move customization was added in ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]''. These are the known variations:

===Marth & Lucina===

{{CustomSet|Marth|Down|name1=Counter|desc1=Prepare for an attack and strike back if hit. The power depends on your enemy's attack.|name2=Easy Counter|desc2=Your counter stance lasts longer, but the attack power is lower.|name3=Iai Counter|desc3=A successful counter knocks back opponents behind you. Faster but does less damage.}}

{{CustomSet|Lucina|Down|name1=Counter|desc1=Prepare for an attack and strike back if hit. The power depends on your enemy's attack.|name2=Easy Counter|desc2=Your counter stance lasts longer, but the attack power is lower.|name3=Iai Counter|desc3=A successful counter knocks back opponents behind you. Faster but does less damage.}}

# '''Easy Counter''': Expanded hit window, but deals less damage.

# '''Iai Counter''' (known as '''Rush Counter''' in the [[PAL]] version): Faster, knocks opponents backwards, and deals more damage. However, it has a narrower hit window.

{{CustomSet|Ike|Down|name1=Counter|desc1=Block and counter an enemy attack. The strength of your strike depends on their attack.|name2=Paralyzing Counter|desc2=A counter that paralyzes enemies instead of dealing damage.|name3=Smash Counter|desc3=Deliver a slower, more powerful attack when countering.}}

#'''Paralyzing Counter''': Paralyzes enemies instead of damaging them.

#'''Smash Counter''': Slower, but much more powerful. It will result in an OHKO, if he countered a very strong attack (a hitbox that deals around 35% damage).

{{CustomSet/Single|Roy|Down|name=Counter|desc=The strength of this counterattack relates to how strong the triggering attack was.}}

[[File:CounterFEOrigin.png|thumbnail|The Counter skill in ''{{iw|fireemblemwiki|Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn}}''.]]

Counter is based on a core element of ''Fire Emblem'' gameplay: in all games of the series, when a unit attacks another unit, the targeted unit will perform a counter-attack to strike back at their attacker if they currently have an equipped weapon with a compatible {{s|fireemblemwiki|range}}.<ref>[http://www.sourcegaming.info/2015/12/13/sakurai-fe25/ Source Gaming: "Sakurai Interview: Fire Emblem 25th Anniversary"]</ref>

Additionally, ''[[fireemblemwiki:Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance|Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance]]'' introduced the identically-named {{s|fireemblemwiki|Counter}} [[fireemblemwiki:Skills|skill]], which reflects any damage dealt to the skill's user back at the enemy. The skill does not exist in Marth or Roy's native games, however, and their appearance in ''Melee'' predates its introduction. In both of Ike's games the Counter skill can be assigned to him through the use of the [[fireemblemwiki:Skill items|Counter scroll item]]. Through reclassing to the {{s|fireemblemwiki|Warrior}} class, Marth, Roy and Ike can all obtain the Counter skill as {{s|fireemblemwiki|bonus units}} in ''{{s|fireemblemwiki|Fire Emblem: Awakening}}''; however, Lucina is unable to obtain Counter under any circumstances in ''Awakening'', as it is exclusive to male units, and her father, Chrom, cannot pass it down to her either, both because he doesn't have access to the warrior class and because Aether is the only skill he can pass down to his daughters even if he did.

Marth Counterattack.jpeg

SSB4 Ike Screen-7.jpg|Ike's Counter in ''Super Smash Bros. for Wii U''.

LucinaCounter.png|Lucina's Counter in ''Super Smash Bros. for Wii U''.

Lucina_Counterattack_SSB4.jpeg

*Marth's Counter can be used on Kirby's {{b|Inhale|Kirby}} attack in ''Brawl'' or any other [[Vacuum]] created by an attack.

*If three or more Marths are playing, it is possible to repeatedly Counter to huge amounts of damage. For this to work with Ike or Roy, who have slower counter strikes and slower counter activations than Marth, it is recommended to have four players play as Ike or Roy.

*Marth can use Counter on the tides of lava and acid on [[Norfair]] and [[Brinstar]]. When the stage-wide wave of lava appears on Norfair, Marth can stand outside of the Capsule and time Counter correctly to avoid the damage.

*Since only damage is countered, not knockback, the [[forward smash]] of a [[Home-Run Bat]] will deal less knockback when countered.

**Marth counters with an outward slash; Roy and Ike on the other hand both counter with inward slashes while holding in reverse grip.

**Lucina's counterattack shares the same animation as Marth's; however, her counter-readying pose mirrors her battle stance in ''Awakening'', which is further referenced in her official ''Smash 4'' artwork and her up taunt.

*[https://tcrf.net/Super_Smash_Bros._Brawl#Unused_Sounds Unused sounds] exist for Ike that were intended for his version of Counter, where he shouts "Take this!", "Gotcha!" and "You're through!". In the final product, he only shouts, "You're open!"

**A [https://tcrf.net/Super_Smash_Bros._for_Nintendo_3DS#Lucina similar situation] applies to Lucina, shouting "My turn!" and "You're mine!". These voice lines were implemented only for Lucina after the 1.0.8 patch, where she would say them rarely after countering an attack.

*In ''SSB4'', there existed a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RC1Lr-plMW4 bug] where, if Marth were to use Counter just after being kicked off an edge, he propelled backwards, which mostly would result in being KO'd. This glitch was patched in a later update.

*Ike's Counter contains a window of [[Invincibility frame|invincibility]] during the first few frames of activation. As such, [https://miiverse.nintendo.net/posts/AYMHAAACAAADVHkxkyWY4w it can block] [[Critical Hit]] without taking damage.

*Counter, as a ''Fire Emblem'' move, is shared by the most playable characters, with 4.

{{Multiple Special Moves|Marth|Ike}}

{{Multiple Special Moves|Roy|Lucina}}