Editing Dancing Blade

|image=[[File:LucinaDancingBlade.png|300px]]

|caption= The final strike of Lucina's Dancing Blade tilted forward in ''Smash 4''.

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

When used, Marth/Lucina performs a sideways slash, which can be followed by up to three more hits with further presses of the [[special]] button. Tilting the [[control stick]] in a specific direction during the execution of any slash but the first changes its trajectory and properties: the second hit can be tilted forward or up, while the third and fourth hit can be tilted up, forward or down. Counting all hits, there is a total of 18 possible combinations.

[[Roy]]'s [[Double-Edge Dance]] is a variant of this attack, which also shares the same Japanese name.

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

In ''Melee'', the first attack is often used to gain horizontal recovery. Also, Marth will glow a color as he uses his attacks. For the first attack, he will glow red; the second, green; the third, blue; and for the last one, red again. It is quite unlikely that Marth would have to use all four attacks, since both the third and fourth strikes have much higher [[knockback]] than the first and second. It is rather difficult to pull off the full attack, as the attack requires timing on each blow to follow up.

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

Dancing Blade has seen quite a few changes since ''Melee''. Unlike in ''Melee'', Marth doesn't glow anymore when using this attack: the attacks simply change the motion trail of his sword. The colors are more coordinated, with Red always representing neutral, Blue always representing up, and Green always representing down. Secondly, the timing no longer matters, so it can be performed easily. If the first hit connects, it is nearly impossible to escape the rest of the combo when the timing is fast enough. The knockback on the third strike is decreased, allowing for better combos. The final can either be 2 [[KO]] moves at high percentages (Up can KO at 118% tipped, 142% base. Forward can KO at 140% tipped, 179% base) or a quick damage racker (Down can KO at 213% [[Tipper|tipped]], 305% base), while the upward final strike has a brand new animation (a turning upward flick as opposed to a turning slam-slash in ''Melee'').

===Reverse Dancing Blade===

In ''Brawl'', Marth's Dancing Blade can be reversed by tapping the control stick in the opposite direction a few frames after the side special move has been activated. There is no increase to damage, knockback and has no reverse animation, this makes reversing only useful if it is used to attack behind Marth. Although since Dancing Blade is so quick, it looks like there is a slight animation of Marth turning around, it is actually the start of the animation of a normal Dancing Blade that continues on the other side when Marth turns around.

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

Dancing Blade returns in ''Super Smash Bros. 4'' as {{SSB4|Marth}}'s side special move, as well as that of his [[clone]], {{SSB4|Lucina}}. Visually, the [[tipper|tip]] of the sword in Marth's version glows more brightly than the rest of the trail, while Lucina's is a full bright white blur all along her blade. The attack generally deals more damage when angled downwards, but has more ending lag, and the third hit downwards no longer meteor smashes. Additionally, it is much easier to escape out of, due to the move's lowered hitstun, less interruptibility, and its tendency to throw opponents out of the move even if the first hit connects. Overall, the move is now less effective than in ''Brawl'', although the changes to the move's knockback angles in the [[1.1.3]] update made the attack easier to chain together, making it more effective than how it was initially.

{{CustomSet|Lucina|Side|name1=Dancing Blade|desc1=Attack up to four times. Press up or down to change the combo type.|name2=Effortless Blade|desc2=You can't change the combo type, but you can wait longer between attacks. Lower damage.|name3=Heavy Blade|desc3=Each strike is stronger but launches foes, making it hard to pull off a combo.}}

#: In {{for3ds}}, this variation is a [[List of challenges (SSB4-3DS)|Challenge]] unlock, only obtainable by clearing [[100-Man Smash]] in less than 3 minutes.

# '''Heavy Blade''': Deals much more damage and knockback, and the slashes have more range; the first swing has enough knockback to be a viable KO move, and the final swings are all capable of KOing at very low percentages. However, the input timing is more strict while the hits are slower, with the resultant increase in knockback also making each separate hit almost impossible to link together.

[[File:Dancing Blade origin.gif|thumb|{{s|fireemblemwiki|Mareeta}} using Astra against {{s|fireemblemwiki|Shanam}} in ''Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War''.]]

Dancing Blade loosely resembles the [[fireemblemwiki:Astra (skill)|Astra skill]], which allows its users to unleash five consecutive blows upon an enemy when activated. Astra does not exist in any of Marth's four native games, as the skill system debuted in ''{{s|fireemblemwiki|Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War}}'' after Marth's original two games and was not included in the Nintendo DS remakes, but Marth's "King Marth" [[fireemblemwiki:Bonus units|bonus unit]] incarnation in ''{{s|fireemblemwiki|Fire Emblem Awakening}}'' does indeed possess Astra as a default skill. Lucina is also able to obtain Astra through reclassing if her mother is [[Robin|a female Avatar]], {{s|fireemblemwiki|Sully}}, or {{s|fireemblemwiki|Olivia}} in the save file in question. In their default classes in ''Awakening'', {{s|fireemblemwiki|Lord}} and {{s|fireemblemwiki|Lodestar}} respectively, Lucina and Marth's motions while using it are a strong visual parallel to the Dancing Blade motions in the ''Smash Bros.'' series.

The English version of ''{{s|fireemblemwiki|Fire Emblem Fates}}'' went on to give the [[amiibo]] incarnation of Marth and his Lodestar class a skill named {{s|fireemblemwiki|Dancing Blade}} after the ''Super Smash Bros.'' move; however, it has a different Japanese name ("Gentle Blade") and an unrelated effect, granting the user +3 to their Speed stat but -1 to their Defense stat.

File:Dancing Blade.png|The first strike of Dancing Blade in ''Brawl''.

File:SSB4_Marth Screen-8.jpg|The final forward strike of Marth's Dancing Blade in ''SSB4''.

File:LucinaDancingBlade2.png|Lucina attacking {{SSB4|Link}} with the final downward hit of Dancing Blade.

*Marth is unable to do any other hits than the first slash when having too much sideways momentum in the air.

*Like [[Dolphin_Slash|Dolphin Slash]], the sound of Dancing Blade varies between versions, except that the differences are less apart from each other. ''Brawl'''s version includes loud slash sound effects while the ''Smash 4'' version is significantly quieter.

*In ''Smash 4'', the third hit of an aerial Dancing Blade aimed upward or downwards will use their ''Melee'' animations (swinging downwards for the former, and a downward stab with a twirl for the latter), despite the move being given new animations for their grounded versions.