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'''Roy''' ({{ja|ロイ|Roi}}, ''Roy'') is | '''Roy''' ({{ja|ロイ|Roi}}, ''Roy'') is a [[unlockable character]] in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''. He is a [[clone]] of {{SSBM|Marth}}, differentiated primarily by his [[sweetspot]]s being located near the center of his blade rather than the tip. He is voiced by {{s|wikipedia|Jun Fukuyama}}. | ||
Roy currently ranks 21st on the ''Melee'' [[tier list]], in the D tier, which is his worst placement in the series. Roy's advantages include an above average approach due to having one of the best [[SHFFL]]s in the game, as well as a good grab game, and among the best [[reach | Roy currently ranks 21st on the ''Melee'' [[tier list]], in the D tier, which is his worst placement in the series. Roy's advantages include an above average approach due to having one of the best [[SHFFL]]s in the game, as well as a good grab game, and among the best [[reach]]es in the game thanks to his sword. However, Roy's flaws are significant, which include having poor flexibility in his combo game, attacks that are difficult to properly land, generally possessing significantly [[lag]]gy attacks, having few moves that can KO reliably and only one of which (forward smash) that is an adequate finisher. He also possesses one of the worst recoveries in the game as [[Blazer]] travels a very short distance vertically, and being a light character that is heavily susceptible to combos; as a result, Roy has significant KOing problems while being easy to KO himself. These flaws overpower Roy's strengths, leading to numerous matchups hard countering him, especially against those who are higher ranked than him on the tier list. | ||
==How to unlock== | ==How to unlock== | ||
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Overall, Roy does not fall into any specific fighter archetype; while having a slew of powerful attacks, Roy himself is rather nimble, boasting a relatively fast dash and a long [[dash dance]], combined with very high falling speed. However, Roy has a relatively below-average air speed, similar to {{SSBM|Marth}}. A combination of a fast falling speed and low traction gives Roy a somewhat long wavedash (sixth longest in the game). | Overall, Roy does not fall into any specific fighter archetype; while having a slew of powerful attacks, Roy himself is rather nimble, boasting a relatively fast dash and a long [[dash dance]], combined with very high falling speed. However, Roy has a relatively below-average air speed, similar to {{SSBM|Marth}}. A combination of a fast falling speed and low traction gives Roy a somewhat long wavedash (sixth longest in the game). | ||
Being a clone of | Being a clone of a top-tiered character in ''Melee'' (The character in question being {{SSBM|Marth}}), Roy inherits some positive properties emblematic of Marth's game plan. Due to his movement properties and long wavedash, Roy has excellent ground-based movement. His down tilt also serves as a respectable poke and combo starter, as it will send opponents straight up when hit, allowing for a follow-up. Combined with an effective grab game, with the second-largest non-disjointed grab range (behind only Marth), Roy can somewhat emulate one portion of Marth's effective [[neutral game]] play: threatening grabs and down tilt out of his dash dance. With his ability to [[chaingrab]] some fastfallers such as {{SSBM|Fox}} and {{SSBM|Falco}} with his up throw, [[tech chase]] opponents and set up [[edgeguard]]s with his down and forward throws, as well as perform a handful of other combo setups that stem from his grab, Roy can force his opponents to respect him in the neutral while creating tangible threats as well. Roy also has a very fast [[SHFFL]] due to his fast falling speed and low-startup aerials, allowing him to further protect his space as needed. | ||
Roy also boasts high power in most of his ground-based attacks. Roy's forward smash, like Marth's, has quick startup and covers a large range; this is his primary KO move, and most of Roy's combos will end with a sweetspotted forward smash to send opponents off-stage. Its greater power up close can also punish overzealous opponents who carelessly step into Roy's threat zone, allowing for reversal situations. His other two smash attacks are more situational, but both his down and up smashes are strong when landed; the latter even has multi-hit properties and can [[spike]] when struck at the tip, although this is very situational. Roy's specials are also quite strong as well; [[Flare Blade]] is a decent edgeguarding tactic and has huge knockback nearing [[one-hit KO]] thresholds when fully charged, [[Double-Edge Dance]] can serve as a backup neutral poke with strong third and fourth hits, and [[Counter]] can be used as a devastating surprise option, turning the tables against single, strong hits when the opponent least expects it. Counter can also intercept linear recoveries, and because it scales based on move power, it will almost assuredly KO most recovering opponents if landed, unlike Marth's Counter, which often simply resets the situation. | Roy also boasts high power in most of his ground-based attacks. Roy's forward smash, like Marth's, has quick startup and covers a large range; this is his primary KO move, and most of Roy's combos will end with a sweetspotted forward smash to send opponents off-stage. Its greater power up close can also punish overzealous opponents who carelessly step into Roy's threat zone, allowing for reversal situations. His other two smash attacks are more situational, but both his down and up smashes are strong when landed; the latter even has multi-hit properties and can [[spike]] when struck at the tip, although this is very situational. Roy's specials are also quite strong as well; [[Flare Blade]] is a decent edgeguarding tactic and has huge knockback nearing [[one-hit KO]] thresholds when fully charged, [[Double-Edge Dance]] can serve as a backup neutral poke with strong third and fourth hits, and [[Counter]] can be used as a devastating surprise option, turning the tables against single, strong hits when the opponent least expects it. Counter can also intercept linear recoveries, and because it scales based on move power, it will almost assuredly KO most recovering opponents if landed, unlike Marth's Counter, which often simply resets the situation. | ||
However, Roy's primary flaw is the [[sweetspot]] placement of his moves. While it may seem that Roy has great reach on paper due to his disjointed hitbox offered by the [[Binding Blade]], this is all merely an illusion in practice. Unlike Marth, who can safely attack opponents from a distance, Roy must still go into close proximity with the opponent to deliver strong damage and knockback, as the sweetspot on his sword is closer to the hilt rather than at the tip. While attacks can become incredibly powerful at this close of a range, this causes Roy to become very vulnerable, especially against characters with powerful close-range threats. This would not be as much of a problem if Roy's sourspots had utility in setting up KOs or extending combos, but many of them do not, greatly exacerbating this weakness. While Marth's weakest sourspots actually complement his game plan, using his weaker hitboxes to precisely set up for his stronger ones, Roy's sourspots | However, Roy's primary flaw is the [[sweetspot]] placement of his moves. While it may seem that Roy has great reach on paper due to his disjointed hitbox offered by the [[Binding Blade]], this is all merely an illusion in practice. Unlike Marth, who can safely attack opponents from a distance, Roy must still go into close proximity with the opponent to deliver strong damage and knockback, as the sweetspot on his sword is closer to the hilt rather than at the tip. While attacks can become incredibly powerful at this close of a range, this causes Roy to become very vulnerable, especially against characters with powerful close-range threats. This would not be as much of a problem if Roy's sourspots had utility in setting up KOs or extending combos, but many of them do not, greatly exacerbating this weakness. While Marth's weakest sourspots actually complement his game plan, using his weaker hitboxes to precisely set up for his stronger ones, Roy's sourspots do almost nothing to the opponent in terms of knockback or damage. | ||
As a result of this very close sweetspot, Roy himself lacks a particularly reliable KO move. With the exception of his forward smash, his down smash, and the later hits of his Double Edge Dance, Roy has few options to quickly KO, and even these attacks need to connect in close ranges in order for them to have any reasonable KOing power. Further compounding Roy's problems with KOing are his aerials; even when sweetspotted, none of these aerials can reliably KO under 200%, they require good setups in order to properly connect, and none of them can easily inflict damage in the first place. While he may have two meteor smashes (the third hit of his upward Double-Edge Dance and his down air) and one spike (tippered up smash), all three are highly situational, requiring particularly lucky or skilled setups in order to properly connect. | As a result of this very close sweetspot, Roy himself lacks a particularly reliable KO move. With the exception of his forward smash, his down smash, and the later hits of his Double Edge Dance, Roy has few options to quickly KO, and even these attacks need to connect in close ranges in order for them to have any reasonable KOing power. Further compounding Roy's problems with KOing are his aerials; even when sweetspotted, none of these aerials can reliably KO under 200%, they require good setups in order to properly connect, and none of them can easily inflict damage in the first place. Roy also lacks any quick KO options. While he may have two meteor smashes (the third hit of his upward Double-Edge Dance and his down air) and one spike (tippered up smash), all three are highly situational, requiring particularly lucky or skilled setups in order to properly connect. Coupled with poor offstage options as a result of high-lag aerials that are all of high risk off the edge and a poor recovery, Roy is almost completely dependent on attempting to rack up damage with brief combo strings, culminating in a reliance on hard reads and unforced errors by the opponent to garner KOs. | ||
Roy also has limited combo ability, in stark contrast with Marth. Roy has slightly below-average air speed like Marth, but Roy's sweetspot once again hurts him. Roy cannot move fast enough in the air to hit with the hilt of his blade, causing primarily sourspotted attacks, resulting in low hitstun and hitlag attacks, impairing Roy's combo and aerial games, and even giving him a poor edgeguarding game, unlike Marth. Roy's moveset is only suitable for aggravating fastfallers, since he at least has chaingrabs and tech chases against them, and can juggle them on stages with few or no platforms such as [[Pokémon Stadium]] or {{SSBM|Final Destination}}. However, that is the extent of Roy's high-level punish game against the cast, and he has no reliable method of achieving any combos or KO setups on [[floaty]] characters such as {{SSBM|Jigglypuff}} or {{SSBM|Peach}}. Roy's combo potential is thus below-average at best, being both stage- and character-dependent unlike Marth, and has led to completely lopsided losing matchups against those aforementioned floaty characters, with almost no hope of winning in a competitive setting. | |||
Roy himself is easy to combo and edgeguard; like other fastfalling characters, his high falling speed harms him by making him extremely vulnerable to juggling. Even with fast falling speed, Roy's vertical survivability from the upper blast line is merely average due to a combination of his lighter weight than characters such as {{SSBM|Captain Falcon}} and much slower falling speed than characters like {{SSBM|Falco}}. Like Marth, Roy also has a non-stellar recovery, though his faster falling speed and higher gravity only exacerbate it to make it far worse than Marth's and among the worst in the game; adding to this, his high falling speed makes him extremely vulnerable to edgeguarding, as well as being easy to [[gimp]]. While Roy's [[Blazer]] is slightly more effective than Marth's [[Dolphin Slash]], due to its greater horizontal distance, multi-hit properties that can aggravate edgeguarders, and its ability to be controlled to an extent, it still has high ending lag, leaving him open to punishes as he lands. Additionally, while Roy can still use Double-Edge Dance to recover horizontally, it is not as effective as Marth's Dancing Blade due to his higher falling speed. | Roy himself, however, is easy to combo and edgeguard; like other fastfalling characters, his high falling speed harms him by making him extremely vulnerable to juggling. Even with fast falling speed, Roy's vertical survivability from the upper blast line is merely average due to a combination of his lighter weight than characters such as {{SSBM|Captain Falcon}} and much slower falling speed than characters like {{SSBM|Falco}}, despite him being slightly lighter than Roy. Like Marth, Roy also has a non-stellar recovery, though his faster falling speed and higher gravity only exacerbate it to make it far worse than Marth's and among the worst in the game; adding to this, his high falling speed makes him extremely vulnerable to edgeguarding, as well as being easy to [[gimp]]. While Roy's [[Blazer]] is slightly more effective than Marth's [[Dolphin Slash]], due to its greater horizontal distance, multi-hit properties that can aggravate edgeguarders, and its ability to be controlled to an extent, it still has high ending lag, leaving him open to punishes as he lands. Additionally, while Roy can still use Double-Edge Dance to recover horizontally, it is not as effective as Marth's Dancing Blade due to his higher falling speed. | ||
While Roy may appear like he has enough tools as a character to function, in reality, he struggles with nearly every aspect of ''Melee''. His excellent movement is not only outclassed by Marth, but simply does not compensate for his many weaknesses in both the advantage and disadvantage states. Roy's moveset is full of low-impact hitboxes that struggle to push any sort of advantage against non-fastfalling opponents, while he | While Roy may appear like he has enough tools as a character to function, in reality, he struggles with nearly every aspect of ''Melee''. His excellent movement is not only outclassed by Marth, but simply does not compensate for his many weaknesses in both the advantage and disadvantage states. Roy's moveset is full of low-impact hitboxes that struggle to push any sort of advantage against non-fastfalling opponents, while he is almost trivial to combo, edgeguard, and KO himself. While Roy's raw power up close can punish careless opponents, hoping that opponents make unforced errors is not a reliable strategy. As such, unlike Marth, Roy is a poor character at higher levels of play with sparse representation. | ||
==Version history== | ==Version history== | ||
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|neutral1dmg=5% (blade), 3% (tip), 6% (body) | |neutral1dmg=5% (blade), 3% (tip), 6% (body) | ||
|neutraldesc=Identical to Marth's; he slashes in front of himself. However, Roy only slashes once, and at a slower rate than Marth. Additionally, Roy's version is devoid of [[buffer]], meaning the player has to press the attack button one at a time instead of mashing it. | |neutraldesc=Identical to Marth's; he slashes in front of himself. However, Roy only slashes once, and at a slower rate than Marth. Additionally, Roy's version is devoid of [[buffer]], meaning the player has to press the attack button one at a time instead of mashing it. | ||
|ftiltname=Sharp Edge ({{ja| | |ftiltname=Sharp Edge ({{ja|シャープエッジ|Shāpu Ejji}}) | ||
|ftiltdmg=10% (blade), 7% (tip), 12% (body) | |ftiltdmg=10% (blade), 7% (tip), 12% (body) | ||
|ftiltdesc=A fast upward swipe with the Binding Blade while leaning forward. Deals more damage if the opponent is closer to Roy. Can KO at high percentages or when the [[blast line]] is close by. | |ftiltdesc=A fast upward swipe with the Binding Blade while leaning forward. Deals more damage if the opponent is closer to Roy. Can KO at high percentages or when the [[blast line]] is close by. | ||
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|usmashdmg={{ChargedSmashDmgSSBM|2}} (hits 1-4), {{ChargedSmashDmgSSBM|10}} (hit 5) | |usmashdmg={{ChargedSmashDmgSSBM|2}} (hits 1-4), {{ChargedSmashDmgSSBM|10}} (hit 5) | ||
|usmashdesc=A relatively quick sword thrust upwards with fire effects. Can act as an unorthodox spike if the enemy is hit on the sword's tip during the start of the attack, though this is highly situational. This attack is a multi-hit attack and the last hit has decent vertical knockback, if enemy is hit at the base. All hits can approximately deal up to {{ChargedSmashDmgSSBM|16.56}} damage due to [[stale move negation]]. | |usmashdesc=A relatively quick sword thrust upwards with fire effects. Can act as an unorthodox spike if the enemy is hit on the sword's tip during the start of the attack, though this is highly situational. This attack is a multi-hit attack and the last hit has decent vertical knockback, if enemy is hit at the base. All hits can approximately deal up to {{ChargedSmashDmgSSBM|16.56}} damage due to [[stale move negation]]. | ||
|dsmashname=Whirlwind Blade ({{ja| | |dsmashname=Whirlwind Blade ({{ja|旋風のブレード|Senpū no Burēdo}}) | ||
|dsmashdmg={{ChargedSmashDmgSSBM|21}}/{{ChargedSmashDmgSSBM|14}} (front), {{ChargedSmashDmgSSBM|16}}/{{ChargedSmashDmgSSBM|8}} (back) | |dsmashdmg={{ChargedSmashDmgSSBM|21}}/{{ChargedSmashDmgSSBM|14}} (front), {{ChargedSmashDmgSSBM|16}}/{{ChargedSmashDmgSSBM|8}} (back) | ||
|dsmashdesc=Sweeps his sword on the ground towards the front, then towards the back. A decent finisher, useful for vertical KOs, though there is rather high ending lag. Deals less damage if the opponent hits the tip of Roy's sword. | |dsmashdesc=Sweeps his sword on the ground towards the front, then towards the back. A decent finisher, useful for vertical KOs, though there is rather high ending lag. Deals less damage if the opponent hits the tip of Roy's sword. | ||
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|nairdmg=4% (hit 1), 8% (hit 2 base), 5% (hit 2 tip) | |nairdmg=4% (hit 1), 8% (hit 2 base), 5% (hit 2 tip) | ||
|nairdesc=Two swipes around him via an inward slash then a full outward spin, with decent knockback and damage if sweetspotted. | |nairdesc=Two swipes around him via an inward slash then a full outward spin, with decent knockback and damage if sweetspotted. | ||
|fairname=Aerial Swipe ({{ja| | |fairname=Aerial Swipe ({{ja|エアリアル スワイプ|Eariaru Suwaipu}}) | ||
|fairdmg=8% (base), 5% (tip) | |fairdmg=8% (base), 5% (tip) | ||
|fairdesc=Swipes sword in front of him with surprising range and tends to be a primary combo tool due to its speed and recovery. | |fairdesc=Swipes sword in front of him with surprising range and tends to be a primary combo tool due to its speed and recovery. | ||
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|uairdmg=9% (base), 6% (tip) | |uairdmg=9% (base), 6% (tip) | ||
|uairdesc=Swipes above outward while doing a delayed backflip. Meant to be a [[juggle]] tool, but is often subpar due to its low early knockback. | |uairdesc=Swipes above outward while doing a delayed backflip. Meant to be a [[juggle]] tool, but is often subpar due to its low early knockback. | ||
|dairname=Half Moon ({{ja|ハーフムーン| | |dairname=Half Moon ({{ja|ハーフムーン|Hāfu Mūn}}) | ||
|dairdmg=9% (base), 6% (tip) | |dairdmg=9% (base), 6% (tip) | ||
|dairdesc=Swipes below via an outward wide slash. [[Meteor smash]]es opponents who come in contact with Roy's body, but is rather weak and has nearly unrecoverable ending lag. The move's sweetspot is extremely tiny; which is located at Roy's right arm and left shoulder (meaning that Roy has to overlap the opponent significantly), making it more difficult to hit with than {{SSBM|Jigglypuff}}'s [[Rest]]. | |dairdesc=Swipes below via an outward wide slash. [[Meteor smash]]es opponents who come in contact with Roy's body, but is rather weak and has nearly unrecoverable ending lag. The move's sweetspot is extremely tiny; which is located at Roy's right arm and left shoulder (meaning that Roy has to overlap the opponent significantly), making it more difficult to hit with than {{SSBM|Jigglypuff}}'s [[Rest]]. | ||
|grabname=Grab ({{ja|つかみ|Tsukami}}) | |grabname=Grab ({{ja|つかみ|Tsukami}}) | ||
|grabdesc=Roy reaches out with his free hand. Due to Roy being shorter than Marth, his grab range is slightly shorter, making it the 5th longest grab range overall and the second longest non-tether grab. | |grabdesc=Roy reaches out with his free hand. Due to Roy being shorter than Marth, his grab range is slightly shorter, making it the 5th longest grab range overall and the second longest non-tether grab. | ||
|pummelname=Knee ({{ja| | |pummelname=Knee ({{ja|膝|Hiza}}) | ||
|pummeldmg=3% | |pummeldmg=3% | ||
|pummeldesc=Knees the opponent. | |pummeldesc=Knees the opponent. | ||
|fthrowname=Bounce ({{ja| | |fthrowname=Bounce ({{ja|バウンス|Baunsu}}) | ||
|fthrowdmg=5% | |fthrowdmg=5% | ||
|fthrowdesc=Grabs and pushes forward, tripping them with his leg. | |fthrowdesc=Grabs and pushes forward, tripping them with his leg. | ||
|bthrowname=Throw Away ({{ja| | |bthrowname=Throw Away ({{ja|捨てる|Suteru}}) | ||
|bthrowdmg=5% | |bthrowdmg=5% | ||
|bthrowdesc=Pulls the opponent behind him and extends his leg simultaneously. | |bthrowdesc=Pulls the opponent behind him and extends his leg simultaneously. | ||
|uthrowname=Emblem Toss ({{ja| | |uthrowname=Emblem Toss ({{ja|エンブレムトス|Enburemu Tosu}}) | ||
|uthrowdmg=5% | |uthrowdmg=5% | ||
|uthrowdesc=Thrusts opponent upwards. Can chain grab [[fast-faller]]s at lower percentages. It is the second strongest up throw in the game. | |uthrowdesc=Thrusts opponent upwards. Can chain grab [[fast-faller]]s at lower percentages. It is the second strongest up throw in the game. | ||
|dthrowname=Slam ({{ja| | |dthrowname=Slam ({{ja|スラム|Suramu}}) | ||
|dthrowdmg=6% | |dthrowdmg=6% | ||
|dthrowdesc=Tosses the foe to the ground. Has chain grab and frame-trap potential. | |dthrowdesc=Tosses the foe to the ground. Has chain grab and frame-trap potential. | ||
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*{{Sm|NEO|USA}} - Considered to be the best Roy player of all time with many results other Roy players still have yet to match. He was the closest a Roy player has gotten to winning a North American regional with his 2nd place at {{Trn|Pound}} and made other peaks with Roy such as 4th at {{Trn|MLG DC 2005}}. | *{{Sm|NEO|USA}} - Considered to be the best Roy player of all time with many results other Roy players still have yet to match. He was the closest a Roy player has gotten to winning a North American regional with his 2nd place at {{Trn|Pound}} and made other peaks with Roy such as 4th at {{Trn|MLG DC 2005}}. | ||
*{{Sm|Sethlon|USA}} - Was considered to be the current best Roy player in the world after NEO's retirement, due to his popularity and widely acclaimed combo video ''Ashes to Ashes.'' While his results were not at the same caliber as NEO, he made some respectable placements such as 49th at {{Trn|GENESIS}}. | *{{Sm|Sethlon|USA}} - Was considered to be the current best Roy player in the world after NEO's retirement, due to his popularity and widely acclaimed combo video ''Ashes to Ashes.'' While his results were not at the same caliber as NEO, he made some respectable placements such as 49th at {{Trn|GENESIS}}. | ||
*{{Sm|Zain|USA}} - Uses Roy under the moniker "DontTestMe"; started using Roy in the | *{{Sm|Zain|USA}} - Uses Roy under the moniker "DontTestMe"; started using Roy in the Slippy era to moderate success, defeating {{Sm|2saint}}, {{Sm|Ginger}}, and {{Sm|bobby big ballz}} in online tournaments. His 7th place finish at {{Trn|Wavedash 2023}} marked Roy's most notable offline tournament placing since NEO's results in the Golden Age. Has wins over {{Sm|Nickemwit}} and {{Sm|Kürv}} offline. | ||
===Tier placement and history=== | ===Tier placement and history=== | ||
On the current tier list, Roy ranks 21st, in the D tier. Roy has consistently ranked very low on most revisions of the [[tier list]], with his highest being only 15th on two separate occasions. His severe weaknesses, such as his poor effective threat range, fast-falling physics coupled with very poor recovery, and nearly nonexistent combo game on floaty characters, have resulted in terrible matchups against many top- and high-tiered characters (particularly non-fastfallers) that completely stop his mains from progressing far into tournaments. | On the current tier list, Roy ranks 21st, in the D tier. Roy has consistently ranked very low on most revisions of the [[tier list]], with his highest being only 15th on two separate occasions. His severe weaknesses, such as his poor effective threat range, fast-falling physics coupled with very poor recovery, and nearly nonexistent combo game on floaty characters, have resulted in terrible matchups against many top- and high-tiered characters (particularly the non-fastfallers) that completely stop his mains from progressing far into tournaments. This holds him back far too much in competitive play to place consistently in high-level tournaments without the use of a secondary character. | ||
Roy's moveset also does not boast the potential creativity of other characters, especially Marth, owing to his over-reliance on his very few good combo extenders and KO moves. This has resulted in much less nuance and optimization possible in Roy's [[metagame]], making the Roy matchup very easy to learn and catch up with. Additionally, because he is very similar to Marth, a top-tiered character that any competitive player knows how to fight against, Roy players cannot rely on matchup inexperience to win sets, unlike mains of other uncommon characters. While {{Sm|NEO}}, arguably the greatest Roy player of all time, managed to place top 8 consistently in the early ''Melee'' metagame, even he had to use Marth and Sheik secondaries to succeed at higher-stakes tournaments such as MLG. NEO, and many of Roy's best representatives, have either become inactive in the tournament scene or have dropped him for other characters (or other ''Smash'' games altogether), further hurting Roy's results in tournaments. | Roy's moveset also does not boast the potential creativity of other characters, especially Marth, owing to his over-reliance on his very few good combo extenders and KO moves. This has resulted in much less nuance and optimization possible in Roy's [[metagame]], making the Roy matchup very easy to learn and catch up with. Additionally, because he is very similar to Marth, a top-tiered character that any competitive player knows how to fight against, Roy players cannot rely on matchup inexperience to win sets, unlike mains of other uncommon characters. While {{Sm|NEO}}, arguably the greatest Roy player of all time, managed to place top 8 consistently in the early ''Melee'' metagame, even he had to use Marth and Sheik secondaries to succeed at higher-stakes tournaments such as MLG. NEO, and many of Roy's best representatives, have either become inactive in the tournament scene or have dropped him for other characters (or other ''Smash'' games altogether), further hurting Roy's results in tournaments. | ||
Roy's only notable results in the current ''Melee'' metagame have been through Marth players, such as {{Sm|Zain}} and {{Sm|Mew2King}}, [[sandbagging]] with him in lower-stakes tournaments or matches. Zain has seen a notable amount of success with Roy in online tournaments and at the regional level; notably, he placed 7th at {{Trn|Wavedash 2023}}, the character's best performance since NEO's placements in the Golden Age. However, the majority of Zain's best wins have been against fastfallers, outside of a handful of fringe sets where he barely scraped out wins against {{SSBM|Jigglypuff}} players, some of them not even ranked in the top 100. Thus, his tournament runs with Roy only reinforce what has been known about him for years already, both in terms of strengths and limitations, and it is clear that Zain's success with Roy is entirely due to his phenomenal abilities as a player rather than Roy offering any unique positive qualities as a character to fuel that success. Despite Zain's attempts to push the character, Roy's | Roy's only notable results in the current ''Melee'' metagame have been through Marth players, such as {{Sm|Zain}} and {{Sm|Mew2King}}, [[sandbagging]] with him in lower-stakes tournaments or matches. Zain has seen a notable amount of success with Roy in online tournaments and at the regional level; notably, he placed 7th at {{Trn|Wavedash 2023}}, the character's best performance since NEO's placements in the Golden Age. However, the majority of Zain's best wins have been against fastfallers, outside of a handful of fringe sets where he barely scraped out wins against {{SSBM|Jigglypuff}} players, some of them not even ranked in the top 100. Thus, his tournament runs with Roy only reinforce what has been known about him for years already, both in terms of strengths and limitations, and it is clear that Zain's success with Roy is entirely due to his phenomenal abilities as a player rather than Roy offering any unique positive qualities as a character to fuel that success. Despite Zain's attempts to push the character, Roy's metagame still remains rather stagnant, with players' opinions of him only marginally improving overall. | ||
===The "Tier Wars" and comparison to Marth=== | ===The "Tier Wars" and comparison to Marth=== | ||
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*'''[[Event 49: All-Star Match Deluxe]]''': Roy is the fifth opponent fought in this series of staged battles. The selected character battles him on Temple with a stock of 2 while Roy has 1. With a timer of four minutes, the player must defeat him and the other five characters one-by-one with the overall time and damage: {{SSBM|Dr. Mario}}, {{SSBM|Falco}}, {{SSBM|Pichu}}, {{SSBM|Young Link}} and {{SSBM|Ganondorf}}. | *'''[[Event 49: All-Star Match Deluxe]]''': Roy is the fifth opponent fought in this series of staged battles. The selected character battles him on Temple with a stock of 2 while Roy has 1. With a timer of four minutes, the player must defeat him and the other five characters one-by-one with the overall time and damage: {{SSBM|Dr. Mario}}, {{SSBM|Falco}}, {{SSBM|Pichu}}, {{SSBM|Young Link}} and {{SSBM|Ganondorf}}. | ||
=== | ===Ending images=== | ||
<center><gallery> | <center><gallery> | ||
RoyClassicMode.jpg|Classic Mode | RoyClassicMode.jpg|Classic Mode. | ||
RoyAdventureMode.jpg|Adventure Mode | RoyAdventureMode.jpg|Adventure Mode. | ||
RoyAllStarMode.jpg|All-Star Mode | RoyAllStarMode.jpg|All-Star Mode. | ||
</gallery></center> | </gallery></center> | ||
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**Whose icon on the [[character selection screen]] has a different background color on his name (the background color is almost pure black on his name while other characters have a red and black color mix for their background color for their names). | **Whose icon on the [[character selection screen]] has a different background color on his name (the background color is almost pure black on his name while other characters have a red and black color mix for their background color for their names). | ||
**Who makes no appearance as a CPU whatsoever in {{b|Classic Mode|SSBM}}. | **Who makes no appearance as a CPU whatsoever in {{b|Classic Mode|SSBM}}. | ||
*Roy's files and debug menu listings do not reference him specifically: he is instead referred to internally as "EMBLEM", most prominently in the [[debug menu]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tcrf.net/Super_Smash_Bros._Melee/Master_Debug_Menu#CHAR_SELECT|title=Super Smash Bros. Melee/Master Debug Menu|site=The Cutting Room Floor|published=2015-03-09|retrieved=2015-03-16}}</ref> and his texture files refer to him with the codename "Fe", an abbreviation of "Fire Emblem".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://smashboards.com/threads/melee-hacks-and-you-updated-1-7-11.247119/page-2#post-8291198|author=Steelia|title=Guide - Melee, Hacks, and You -- *UPDATED 1/7/11*|site=Smashboards|published=September 3, 2009|retrieved=March 16, 2015}}</ref> This suggests that Roy was chosen as the Marth clone relatively late in development. | *Roy's files and debug menu listings do not reference him specifically: he is instead referred to internally as "EMBLEM", most prominently in the [[debug menu]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tcrf.net/Super_Smash_Bros._Melee/Master_Debug_Menu#CHAR_SELECT|title=Super Smash Bros. Melee/Master Debug Menu|site=The Cutting Room Floor|published=2015-03-09|retrieved=2015-03-16}}</ref> and his texture files refer to him with the codename "Fe", an abbreviation of "Fire Emblem".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://smashboards.com/threads/melee-hacks-and-you-updated-1-7-11.247119/page-2#post-8291198|author=Steelia|title=Guide - Melee, Hacks, and You -- *UPDATED 1/7/11*|site=Smashboards|published=September 3, 2009|retrieved=March 16, 2015}}</ref> | ||
*Roy does not feature a sheath during gameplay and his "Challenger Approaching" screen like Marth does; this is considered unusual, as Roy has a sheath in his victory poses, official art, character select portrait and all three of his trophies, as well as his unused Classic Mode introduction. This also happens in ''Smash 4'' and ''Ultimate'', but the sheath appears when he uses his [[Critical Hit|Final Smash]]. | **This suggests that Roy was chosen as the Marth clone relatively late in development. | ||
* | *Roy does not feature a sheath during gameplay and his "Challenger Approaching" screen like Marth does; this is considered unusual, as Roy has a sheath in his victory poses, official art, character select portrait and all three of his trophies, as well as his unused Classic Mode introduction. | ||
**This also happens in ''Smash 4'' and ''Ultimate'', but the sheath appears when he uses his [[Critical Hit|Final Smash]]. | |||
*Roy and {{SSBM|Marth}} are the only two characters in ''Melee'' that speak Japanese even in the international versions. | |||
*Roy and Marth are the only playable characters in ''Melee'' that do not have a stage representing their universe, though hacked data shows that [[AKANEIA|one was planned]]. | *Roy and Marth are the only playable characters in ''Melee'' that do not have a stage representing their universe, though hacked data shows that [[AKANEIA|one was planned]]. | ||
**In ''Melee''{{'}}s [[All-Star Mode]], Roy is fought on {{SSBM|Final Destination}}. In his two Event Match appearances and his unlock battle, he appears on [[Temple]]. | **In ''Melee''{{'}}s [[All-Star Mode]], Roy is fought on {{SSBM|Final Destination}}. In his two Event Match appearances and his unlock battle, he appears on [[Temple]]. | ||
*Roy and {{SSBM|Young Link}} are the only fighters to use their KO cry for other uses. Roy's is used when fully charging [[Flare Blade]] and Young Link's is used during his Star KO animation. {{SSBM|Kirby}} also mimics this unique property when he copies Roy and releases a fully-charged Flare Blade. | *Roy and {{SSBM|Young Link}} are the only fighters to use their KO cry for other uses. Roy's is used when fully charging [[Flare Blade]] and Young Link's is used during his Star KO animation. {{SSBM|Kirby}} also mimics this unique property when he copies Roy and releases a fully-charged Flare Blade. | ||
*Roy with his Flare Blade, {{SSBM|Mr. Game & Watch}} with his [[Judge]], and {{SSBM|Pichu}} with most of its electric attacks are the only characters in ''Melee'' to have attacks that directly inflict recoil damage. {{SSBM|Kirby}} can also harm himself if he copies either Roy or Pichu. | *Roy with his Flare Blade, {{SSBM|Mr. Game & Watch}} with his [[Judge]], and {{SSBM|Pichu}} with most of its electric attacks are the only characters in ''Melee'' to have attacks that directly inflict recoil damage. {{SSBM|Kirby}} can also harm himself if he copies either Roy or Pichu. | ||
*Due to ''Fire Emblem'' games being Japan-exclusive at the time, Sakurai discussed Roy's exclusion from the American version of ''Melee'' with Nintendo of America. In the end, Roy was kept in every non-Japanese version alongside Marth.<ref>[http://www.sourcegaming.info/2015/12/13/sakurai-fe25/ Sakurai Interview: Fire Emblem 25th Anniversary - Source Gaming]</ref> | |||
*All of Roy's sourspotted attacks make a punch/kick sound effect instead of a slashing sound effect. | |||
*Ironically, Roy's sword trails indicate that the sweetspot is at the tip of the sword. | *Ironically, Roy's sword trails indicate that the sweetspot is at the tip of the sword. | ||
*Because [[fireemblemwiki:Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade|Roy's intended debut game]]'s release was delayed into March 2002, Roy is one of two characters who can claim a ''Smash'' game as their first appearance. The other one is {{SSBM|Mr. Game & Watch}}, a composite of older Game & Watch characters with some original elements. | |||
*Roy's design in ''Melee'' is taken from the version of ''Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade'' shown at Nintendo Space World 2001. There are some differences, though, like the lack of sleeves and the lack of a jewel on Roy's armor. | |||
*Possibly as a result for his somewhat high learning curve and being a popular low-tier substitute for high-level smashers such as {{Sm|Mew2King}} and {{Sm|Ken}}, the term "skilled Roy" is a common gag inside the ''Melee'' community for being an unbeatable character, with the phrase "A skilled Roy can beat any {{SSBM|Fox}}. This is why I main Roy." being a good example of it. | |||
*Roy and Marth are the only characters that can perform the [[Whispy blink glitch]]. | |||
==References== | ==References== |