Editing Roy

{{ArticleIcons|melee=y|brawl=y|ssb4=y|ultimate=y|featured=y}}

{{forfighter|SSBM=y|SSB4=y|SSBU=y}} ''For other characters with the same name, see [[Roy (disambiguation)]].''

|image = {{tabber|title1=The Binding Blade|content1=[[File:SSBU spirit Roy (Fire Emblem).png|x300px]]|title2=Awakening|content2=[[File:Roy Awakening.png|x300px]]|title3=Heroes|content3=[[File:FEH Roy.png|x300px]]}}

|caption = [[File:FireEmblemSymbol.svg|50px|class=invert-dark]]

Official artwork of Roy from ''{{s|fireemblemwiki|Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade}}'' , ''{{s|fireemblemwiki|Fire Emblem Awakening}}'', and ''{{s|fireemblemwiki|Fire Emblem Heroes}}''.

|firstgame    = ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'' (2001, video game debut)<br>''{{s|fireemblemwiki|Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade}}'' (2002, origin series debut) {{Flag|Japan}}

|lastappearance=''{{s|fireemblem|Fire Emblem Engage}}'' (2023)

|games        = ''[[Melee]]''<br>''[[SSB4]]''<br>''[[Ultimate]]''

|console      = [[Nintendo GameCube]] (technical debut)<br>Game Boy Advance (proper debut)

|species      = {{s|fireemblemwiki|Human}}

|homeworld    = {{s|fireemblemwiki|Lycia}}

|creator      =

|voiceactor  = {{s|wikipedia|Jun Fukuyama}} (''Melee''/''SSB4'')

'''Roy''' ({{ja|ロイ|Roi}}, ''Roy'') is the protagonist of ''{{s|fireemblemwiki|Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade}}'', the sixth game in the {{uv|Fire Emblem}} series. He debuted in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'' as an [[unlockable character]], and returned as a playable character in both ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]'' and ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'' after being absent from ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''.

==Origin==

The lead character of what became ''{{s|fireemblemwiki|Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade}}'' underwent many changes throughout the game's development. Because it was in development at the same time as ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'', the character was chosen by ''Super Smash Bros.'' series creator [[Masahiro Sakurai]] to be a fighter in it alongside [[Marth]], another ''Fire Emblem'' character.<ref name=FE25>[http://www.sourcegaming.info/2015/12/13/sakurai-fe25/ Sakurai Interview: Fire Emblem 25th Anniversary - Source Gaming]</ref> At some point this new character was named Roy, and he first appeared in his design closest to his eventual ''Melee'' design through a preview of ''The Binding Blade'' shown at Nintendo Space World 2001.

''Melee''{{'}}s Japanese and American releases ended up preceding ''The Binding Blade''{{'}}s release by a few months. Despite ''Fire Emblem'' games being Japan-exclusive at the time, Roy was still included in ''Melee''{{'}}s international versions. According to Sakurai, Nintendo of America said "He'll be fun, so let's leave him as is," and he added that the inclusion of him and Marth led to a "reciprocal relationship" in that ''Melee'' benefited from the fanbase's perception of them as fun characters, while the ''Fire Emblem'' series in turn garnered a much larger audience thanks to their inclusion.<ref name=FE25/>

Roy hails from {{s|fireemblemwiki|Lycia}}, one of six nations of the land of {{s|fireemblemwiki|Elibe}}, and is the son of {{s|fireemblemwiki|Eliwood}}, ruler of the Lycian noble house of {{s|fireemblemwiki|Pherae}}. The game begins with Roy called back home from his studies in the province of Ostia in response to the militant nation of Bern launching invasions of Elibe's other realms. As Eliwood has fallen ill, Roy is entrusted with leading Pherae's army alongside the other armies of the Lycian League against Bern and its ruler, {{s|fireemblemwiki|Zephiel}}, who displays a mysterious thirst for the destruction of human rule. Zephiel's errant younger sister, Princess {{s|fireemblemwiki|Guinivere}}, escapes Bern and comes to Roy in defiance of her brother's motives, hoping to negotiating a treaty with Lycian nobility. Roy quickly agrees to her proposal to search for a peaceful means to end Bern's aggression.

The war, and their quest to end it, takes Roy and Guinivere across Elibe. They fight the forces of Bern and opportunistic traitors within other countries, unite other lands behind their cause, and learn of Zephiel's ambition to return Elibe to dragon rule to right what he views as a wrong: {{s|fireemblemwiki|The Scouring}}, an ancient war in which humans drove dragons out of Elibe. To achieve their mission, Guinivere entrusts Roy with the [[fireemblemwiki:Fire Emblem (item)#Elibe|Fire Emblem]], an important gemstone in the culture of Bern which Roy uses to unlock the {{iw|fireemblemwiki|Binding Blade|weapon}}, a powerful weapon from the age of the Scouring once wielded by the forefather of Bern, {{s|fireemblemwiki|Hartmut}}.

Once he acquires the Binding Blade, Roy invades Bern and defeats Zephiel in his own castle, then—in the game's good ending—embarks on a quest to find Zephiel's ally {{s|fireemblemwiki|Idunn}}, a soulless Demon Dragon created by ancient dragons to fight back against humanity, seeking to undo the damage that the dragons did to her. Regardless of the ending the player achieves, the game ends with Roy returning to Pherae and helping rebuild, eventually succeeding his father as its marquess.

 

Roy is an upstanding and thoughtful fifteen year-old young man with a natural proclivity to help and support others. While he would prefer to avoid bloodshed and works to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict, he maintains a strong resolve to see peace return to Elibe. He is a talented tactician in his own right, and unusually is perceptive and cunning for his age: he is able to trick a traitorous vassal in his group into exposing himself, and he reacts calmly and tactically to surprises and disturbing news.

 

According to one of his allies, Roy is somewhat socially awkward, and he is quite oblivious to the obvious feelings that some of the women in his army develop for him and he even feels very uncomfortable and unpleasant with the forwardness of one of them. Roy is similar to Marth with respect to both characterization and gameplay role, and is the only character in ''The Binding Blade'' to be of the {{s|fireemblemwiki|Lord}} [[fireemblemwiki:Class|character class]]. As the commander of his army, it is necessary for Roy to [[fireemblemwiki:Objectives#Seize|seize castles and thrones]] held by enemy armies to complete chapters and progress in his quest, but if he is defeated in battle, the game is over and the player must restart from their last save point.

 

Intelligent Systems followed up ''The Binding Blade'' with a prequel set twenty years prior to Roy's adventures in Elibe: ''{{iw|fireemblemwiki|Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade}}'' (originally released outside Japan simply as "''Fire Emblem''"), the franchise's seventh installment and the first internationally-released one. The game stars Roy's father Eliwood, whose somewhat older resemblance to Roy was meant to appeal to players of ''Melee''; Roy himself appears as a five-year-old child in the game's epilogue. The game's story is laid out with ten introductory chapters starring one of Eliwood's allies, [[Lyn]], meant to introduce players to the ''Fire Emblem'' style of tactical play, with the other 20+ chapters containing the main story. Though it is a prequel, ''The Blazing Blade'' is structured so that no knowledge of ''The Binding Blade'' is required to understand its story.

 

Although he did not appear in a new game for nine years after ''The Blazing Blade'', Roy started making regular appearances with Marth and [[Ike]] in various ''Fire Emblem'' crossovers and spinoffs in 2012 when he appeared as a bonus SpotPass and DLC {{s|fireemblemwiki|Einherjar}} in ''{{s|fireemblemwiki|Fire Emblem Awakening}}''. In 2017, Roy's design was updated to reflect his modernized appearance in ''Super Smash Bros. 4'', combining elements from ''The Binding Blade'' and ''Awakening'': ''{{s|fireemblemwiki|Fire Emblem Heroes}}'' featured him as a summonable hero (with his first variant more closely resembling his ''Super Smash Bros. 4'' design instead of his original design from ''The Binding Blade''), debuting Ray Chase as his English voice actor, and ''{{s|fireemblemwiki|Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia}}'' allows players to summon an illusory phantom of Roy using his ''Super Smash Bros.'' [[amiibo]]. Roy has also made frequent appearances in the ''{{s|fireemblemwiki|Fire Emblem Cipher}}'' trading card game from 2016 up until its discontinuation in 2020. Most recently, ''{{s|fireemblemwiki|Fire Emblem Engage}}'' features Roy as one of the game's numerous Emblems, ethereal clones of protagonists from various other ''Fire Emblem'' games who dwell within special rings.

[[File:Roy SSBM.jpg|200px|thumb|Roy, as he appears in ''Super Smash Bros. Melee''.]]

Roy makes his ''Super Smash Bros.'' series debut (and by extension, his debut in any game) as an [[unlockable character]] in ''Super Smash Bros. Melee''. He can be unlocked in two ways: beating either {{SSBM|Classic Mode}} or {{SSBM|Adventure Mode}} as {{SSBM|Marth}} on any difficulty, or playing 900 [[Versus Mode]] matches. He was added as a [[clone]] of Marth due to ''The Binding Blade'' nearing the end of its development at the time.<ref name=FE25/><ref name=MeleeDojo>[https://www.sourcegaming.info/2016/01/07/meleepage-roy/ News Flash! Smash Bros. Dojo: Roy - Source Gaming]</ref> Roy is voiced by {{s|wikipedia|Jun Fukuyama}}; the character was known as "Ike" during the recording sessions.<ref name=FE25/> Like Marth, he only speaks Japanese in all versions of ''Melee''.

Roy wields the {{s|fireemblemwiki|Binding Blade}} (referred to as the Sword of Seals in ''Melee''), which is used for almost every one of his moves, aside from his grabs and throws. In contrast to Marth's {{iw|fireemblemwiki|Falchion|Archanea}}, the Binding Blade is most powerful near its hilt instead of at its tip.<ref name=FE25/><ref name=MeleeDojo/> True to its depiction in ''The Binding Blade'', it also has a multitude of [[flame]]-based attacks. Roy's neutral special move, [[Flare Blade]], is a chargeable sword strike akin to Marth's [[Shield Breaker]]. However, it can be charged up to 5 seconds, after which it will unleash an explosion powerful enough to [[one-hit KO]] virtually any opponent, although Roy receives 10% [[recoil damage]] as a side effect.

Roy's side special move, [[Double-Edge Dance]], functions like Marth's [[Dancing Blade]] in that it is a series of up to four sword slashes determined by the number of times the special button is pressed and which direction the control stick is pressed during each swipe. Roy's up special move, [[Blazer]], deals more damage, hits multiple times and emits flames compared to Marth's [[Dolphin Slash]], yet it is also slower.<ref name=MeleeDojo/> Lastly, Roy's down special move, [[Counter]],<ref name=FE25/> functions similarly to Marth's: it has a larger damage multiplier (1.5×) and is thus capable of easily KOing opponents who use a sufficiently strong attack, yet it has more start-up, a shorter duration,<ref name=MeleeDojo/> and a sourspot.

 

Roy and Marth were a primary subject of the "tier wars" at GameFAQs that lasted between 2003 and 2004, determining which among these two very similar fighters was the better character, while Marth ultimately won by a very large margin. This has been reflected in his ranking of 21st out of 26 on the current tier list, which places him in the D tier and renders him a low tier character. Despite being universally considered an inferior clone of Marth, Roy developed a loyal fanbase nonetheless.

In line with the other playable characters, Roy as a playable character is featured on three trophies: a normal trophy acquired by beating the Classic Mode with Roy on any difficulty, and Smash Red and Smash Blue trophies are won by beating the Adventure and All-Star Modes, respectively.

|name=Roy

|desc=The son of the lord of Pharae Principality, Roy was studying in Ostia when the Kingdom of Bern invaded League of Lycia. [[fireemblemwiki:Eliwood|His father]] fell ill at this time, so Roy assumed leadership of Pharae's armies. After his fateful meeting with the Princess Guinevere, his destiny became inextricably linked with the fate of the entire continent.

|gamelist-ntsc={{Trophy games|game1=Fire Emblem|release1=Japan Only}}

{{Trophy

|name=Roy

|image=Roy Trophy (Smash).png

|desc=While Roy's moves are well balanced, he's a little on the slow side, and doesn't excel at midair combat. His blade, the Sword of Seals, gives him excellent reach, and makes his Double-Edge Dance slightly different than Marth's Dancing Blade. When it's fully charged, Roy's destructive Flare Blade delivers an instant KO.

 

|image=Roy Trophy (Smash 2).png

|mode=All Star

Roy is one of the five playable characters in ''Melee'' who did not return as a playable character in ''Brawl''. His only appearance in the game is as a sticker of his official artwork from ''Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade''. Roy is also referenced in the title of "Winning Road - Roy's Hope", a theme from his game that can be played on [[Castle Siege]].

{{main|Beta elements (SSBB)#Fighters}}

While Roy does not appear as a playable character in ''Brawl'', data of what appears to be the character has been uncovered through hacking as ef_roy.pac., alongside [[Dr. Mario]] and [[Mewtwo]]. The exact reason why the data is included is unknown, though it is commonly believed that Roy was planned to be included as a playable character before being cut for unknown reasons. Of particular note is that the data for Roy includes his own unused fanfare, as "snd_bgm_Z39_FROY", further indicating that he was intended to be playable in ''Brawl''.

! Fighter(s)

[[File:Roy_SSB4.png|thumb|250px|Roy, as he appears in ''Super Smash Bros. 4''.]]

Although Roy did not return as a playable character in the base version of ''Super Smash Bros. 4'', the rearranged song "Winning Road - Roy's Hope" from ''The Binding Blade'' returns from ''Brawl'' for {{forwiiu}}.

Due to data mining of update 1.0.6, Roy's presence as a playable character within the game's files was [[Leak#Roy and Ryu data|leaked]] in mid-April 2015.<ref>[https://www.sourcegaming.info/2015/04/18/all-about-ryu-and-roys-files/ All About Ryu and Roy's Files - Source Gaming]</ref> He was then made available as [[Downloadable content (SSB4)|downloadable content]] on June 14th, 2015 alongside {{SSB4|Lucas}} and {{SSB4|Ryu}}.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWM-SCjIuNg Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U - New Content Approaching 6.14.15]</ref> Jun Fukuyama reprised his role as Roy's voice actor via new lines that mimic his lines in ''Melee''.<ref name=FE25/> Roy is one of five characters that only speak Japanese in all ''SSB4'' versions, alongside Marth, [[Takamaru]], the [[Prince of Sablé]], and {{SSB4|Cloud}}.

In the transition to ''SSB4'', Roy underwent a considerable overhaul, both aesthetically and mechanically. Due to Masahiro Sakurai's desire to modernize Roy's design, his attire became a combination of his design from ''The Binding Blade'' and his {{s|fireemblemwiki|mercenary}} design from ''{{s|fireemblemwiki|Fire Emblem Awakening}}''. In reference to ''SSB4''{{'}}s co-lead developer [[Bandai Namco]], Sakurai jokingly referred to this updated design as having "a sort of ''[[Tales]]''-ish appearance."<ref name=Dream/>

 

Due to acknowledging Marth's superiority to Roy in ''Melee'', Sakurai sought to modify Roy's attributes and moveset.<ref name=Dream>[https://www.sourcegaming.info/2016/02/23/nintendo-dream-interview-with-sakurai-part-2/ Nintendo Dream Interview with Sakurai: Part 2 - Source Gaming]</ref> To this end, several of Roy's animations now consist of him swinging the Binding Blade in a reverse grip,<ref name=FE25/> while the Binding Blade itself is drastically stronger.<ref name=FE25/><ref name=Dream/> In addition, Roy's already excellent [[dashing]] speed is even faster, and unlike in ''Melee'', he now boasts an extremely fast [[air speed]]. Due to these changes, Roy was effectively de-[[clone]]d into a semi-clone of Marth.

 

Roy also received his own [[Final Smash]]; in his case, it is [[Critical Hit]].<ref name=Dream/> Unlike {{SSB4|Marth}} and {{SSB4|Lucina}}'s versions, however, Roy performs it similarly to his {{s|fireemblemwiki|critical hit}} animation in ''The Binding Blade'': he remains stationary as he swings the Binding Blade in a circular motion, then performs a downward slash to generate a powerful explosion.<ref name=Dream/>

 

Thanks to his increased overall damage output, modified frame data, and his updated moves being much stronger than his previous ones, Roy is much more capable at dealing damage and KOing. Roy was also buffed indirectly via gameplay changes: the changes to hitstun canceling grant his modified down throw respectable combo potential, the changes to shield mechanics significantly improve his sweetspots' safety on shield, and [[rage]] supplements his already impressive power.

 

However, the Binding Blade's inverse [[tipper]] mechanic still requires Roy to get dangerously close to opponents to strike with the sword's sweetspot, which is counter-intuitive for a swordsman. Aside from this, Roy also received direct and indirect nerfs: his reworked animations decreased the ranges on some moves, while the weakening of [[dash-dancing]] and the removal of both [[wavedashing]] and [[L-canceling]] weakened his approach.

 

Due to achieving decent results in spite of below-average representation, Roy is ranked 41st out of 54 on the current [[tier list]]. This places him in the E tier, and renders him a mid-tier character.

 

[[File:MarthRoyPaletteSwap3DS.jpg|thumb|left|Marth's purple alternate costume in ''Super Smash Bros. 4''.]]

{{SSB4|Marth}} has a new [[Alternate costume (SSB4)#Marth|alternate costume]] based on Roy's design in ''The Binding Blade''.

{{clrl}}

{{main|List of SSB4 trophies (Fire Emblem series)}}

|desc=Roy, the main character of Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade, returns for the first time since Melee! In The Binding Blade, Roy led the troops of Pherae into battle in his ailing father's stead, and now he brings his speed and talent for short-range combat into this game. His sword, the Sword of Seals, is uniquely powerful at the base of the blade.

|gamelist={{Trophy games|console1=GBA|game1=Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade|release1=2002 (JP)}}

 

|desc=Flare Blade creates an explosion in front of Roy that can be charged by holding down the button. Take care, though, because at the highest levels of charge, Roy himself will catch fire and take damage! His side special, Double-Edge Dance, changes for each strike after the first depending on whether you hold up or down while attacking.

|gamelist={{Trophy games|console1=GBA|game1=Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade|release1=2002 (JP)}}

 

[[File:Roy SSBU.png|thumb|250px|Roy, as he appears in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''.]]

Roy returns as a playable character in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''.<ref name=E3>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L93H7YC-83o Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - E3 2018 - Nintendo Switch]</ref> Like his fellow ''Fire Emblem'' fighter {{SSBU|Marth}}, Roy is now fully voiced in English outside of the Japanese version, with Ray Chase reprising his role from ''{{s|fireemblemwiki|Fire Emblem Heroes}}''.

Presumably due to his mid tier status in ''Super Smash Bros. 4'', Roy has been significantly buffed in the transition to ''Ultimate''. He benefits immensely from universal changes, arguably more so than any other fighter: the standardization of 3 frame jumpsquats and gerenal reduction of landing lag greatly improve the utility of his powerful aerial attacks, while the return of dash dancing and expanded utility of dash canceling does much the same for his strong grounded attacks. The Binding Blade's hilt sweetspot is also much larger, his attacks' already high knockback has increased even further, and his movement and frame data are both faster. Overall, these changes collectively improved Roy's tournament representation and results to a significant degree, with most players agreeing that he has become a high tier fighter, where he ranks 19th out of 82 on the [[tier list]].

SSBU spirit Roy (Fire Emblem).png|612. '''''Roy (Fire Emblem)'''''

 

==Names in other languages==

|ja={{ja|ロイ|Roi}}, ''Roy''

|en=Roy

|fr=Roy

|de=Roy

|it=Roy

|es=Roy

|nl=Roy

|pt=Roy

|ko={{rollover|로이|Roi|?}}, ''Roy''

|zh_tw={{rollover|羅伊|Luōyī|?}}, ''Roy''

|zh_cn={{rollover|罗伊|Luōyī|?}}, ''Roy''

 

*Roy's official artwork pose for both ''Melee'' and ''SSB4'' resembles his [[fireemblemwiki::File:Bs fe06 roy great lord binding blade.png|neutral pose]] as a {{s|fireemblemwiki|Great Lord}} when wielding the {{iw|fireemblemwiki|Binding Blade|weapon}} in ''Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade''.

*Due to ''Melee'' launching before ''Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade'', Roy is one of two characters who can claim a ''{{b|Super Smash Bros.|series}}'' game as their debut game. The other is [[Mr. Game & Watch]], who is a composite of older Game & Watch characters with original elements added.

*Roy is the only character whose moveset is based on Marth's that does not wield a variation of the {{iw|fireemblemwiki|Falchion|Archanea}}, and the only one to not have any connection to Marth in the ''Fire Emblem'' games.

*Roy's [[crowd cheer]], "Roy's our boy!", has become popular among ''Super Smash Bros.'' fans, and is often used as a meme. The cheer's popularity was even touched upon in ''{{iw|fireemblemwiki|Fire Emblem Heroes}}'', in which the Brave Lion variant of Roy says it as one of his voice clips.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vg_ocz24HRw Roy's Our Boy (2017) Fire Emblem Heroes]</ref>

*Prior to ''Ultimate'', Roy, [[Toon Link]] and [[Young Link]] were the only swordsmen in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series whose swords consistently produced a punch/kick sound effect instead of a slashing sound effect for the majority of their moves.

*Roy and Lucas are the only two fighters whose intended debut games have not been released outside of Japan. Additionally, they both come from games that had long development cycles and transitioned from the Nintendo 64 to the Game Boy Advance.

*Roy's English voice actor, Ray Chase, has said in interviews that Roy was one of his [[main]]s (the other being [[Dr. Mario]]) in previous ''Super Smash Bros.'' games before he was casted in the role.<ref>Lee, O. [https://www.asiancrush.com/interview-with-ray-chase-final-fantasys-noctis-and-fire-emblems-roy-and-alfonse/ "Interview with Ray Chase, FINAL FANTASY’s Noctis and FIRE EMBLEM’s Roy and Alfonse"]. AsianCrush. Published December 5th 2018. Retrieved December 5th, 2018</ref>

*As of ''SSB4'', Roy shares his name with [[Koopalings|Roy Koopa]], another playable character, making it the only repeated name in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' roster. However, Roy Koopa is an [[Alternate costume|alternate character]] that shares a slot with [[Bowser Jr.]] instead of being a full-fledged character.

**Owing to this, both of them are seen together in official screenshots several times, such as the Congratulations screen of Roy's Classic Mode route in ''Ultimate''.

*Roy, [[Pit]], and [[Palutena]] are the only characters who received a modernized redesign in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series that would be later featured in their respective home series.

*In the [[Palutena's Guidance]] about Roy, [[Viridi]] says that Roy spends his days in Ostia as a noble while ''Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade'' states that he does so in Pherae.