Super Smash Bros. 4

Roy (SSB4): Difference between revisions

From SmashWiki, the Super Smash Bros. wiki
Jump to navigationJump to search
m (Reverted edits by Dansune (talk) to last version by Archrelico.)
mNo edit summary
 
(412 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown)
Line 7: Line 7:
|game = SSB4
|game = SSB4
|ssbgame1 = SSBM
|ssbgame1 = SSBM
|availability = [[DLC|Downloadable]]
|ssbgame2 = SSBU
|tier = G
|availability = [[Downloadable content (SSB4)|Downloadable]]
|ranking = 50
|tier = E
|ranking = 41
}}
}}
:{{Cquote|Roy Seals the Deal!|cite=Introduction tagline}}
:{{Cquote|''Roy Seals the Deal!''|cite=Introduction tagline}}
'''Roy''' ({{ja|ロイ|Roi}}, ''Roy'') is a playable character in ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]''. Initially [[Leak#Roy and Ryu data|leaked]] through data mining of update 1.0.6, Roy was formally revealed after {{SSB4|Lucas}} and released alongside him and {{SSB4|Ryu}} on June 14th, 2015, making him the third [[downloadable content|downloadable]] character released and the final downloadable [[veteran]]. {{s|wikipedia|Jun Fukuyama}} reprises his role as Roy's voice actor and, rather than appearing via recycled voice clips from ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'', he instead provides new voice clips and while mimicking his clips from ''Melee''.
'''Roy''' ({{ja|ロイ|Roi}}, ''Roy'') is a playable character in ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]''. Initially [[Leak#Roy and Ryu data|leaked]] via data mining of update [[1.0.6]],<ref>[http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/06/13/ryu-and-roy-for-smash-bros-leaked Ryu and Roy for Smash Bros. Wii U, 3DS Leaked]</ref> Roy was formally announced alongside {{SSB4|Ryu}} during a [[Nintendo Direct]] on June 14th, 2015, and was made available that same day as [[Downloadable content (SSB4)|downloadable content]] alongside {{SSB4|Lucas}} and 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> {{s|wikipedia|Jun Fukuyama}} reprises his role as Roy's voice actor from ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'', providing new voice clips that mimic the ones he recorded in the game.<ref>[https://www.sourcegaming.info/2015/06/25/ryu-roy-and-lucas-join-the-battle-sakurai-famitsu-column-vol-481/ Ryu, Roy, and Lucas join the battle!]</ref> Roy, {{SSB4|Marth}}, [[Takamaru]], the [[Prince of Sablé]], and {{SSB4|Cloud}} are the only characters that speak Japanese in every regional version of ''SSB4''.


Roy is currently ranked 50th out of 58 on the ''SSB4'' [[tier list]], placing him at the bottom of the G tier. This is a slight drop from his previous placement in ''Melee'', where he was ranked 20th out of 26, and makes him both the lowest ranking low-tier character and the lowest ranking DLC character. Two of Roy's greatest perks are his overall mobility and attack speed: his ground and air speeds are among the fastest in the game, while his attacks also boast quick start-up overall (with the exception of forward smash and down aerial), allowing him to react quickly to an enemy's openings. This complements Roy's inverse [[tipper]] mechanic, with large, easy-to-land sweetspots near the hilt of his Sword of Seals, while his fast maneuverability provides him many opportunities to deal powerful hits by simply being close to the opponent.
Roy is ranked 41st out of 54 on the [[tier list]], placing him in the E tier. This is a slight improvement to his low-tier placement in ''Melee'', where he was ranked 21st out of 26. However, due to ''SSB4''{{'}}s tier structure, Roy is actually rendered as a mid-tier character. Roy boasts good overall mobility and attack speed, owing to very fast [[dash]]ing and [[air speed]]s, alongside fast-starting attacks that allow him to quickly react to openings. When coupled with the [[Binding Blade]]'s highly damaging sweetspots, which are close to its hilt, he boasts impressive power and a number of strong KOing options at close range. In addition, Roy also benefits from gameplay changes brought about by ''SSB4'': the [[rage]] mechanic supplements his strong sweetspotted attacks, the changes to hitstun and shieldstun make his sweetspots significantly safer on hit, while the updated edge mechanics improve his recovery. Finally, Roy also has a varied combo game that is difficult to predict and grants him above average damage racking potential, with reliable combo starters from low to medium percents including forward and down throw, neutral attack, neutral and up aerial, and [[Double-Edge Dance]].


His combo game at low to medium percentages is also extremely damaging due to his throws, neutral attack and first hit of neutral aerial being able to set up into his other moves. Coupled with the power of his sweetspotted attacks, most of which are capable of KOing at realistic percentages despite their quick speed, Roy's throws and attacks are generally very rewarding to land, and he has no trouble sending damaged opponents off-stage.
Unfortunately, Roy is strongly held back by a poor approach, owing to his slow [[air acceleration]] and unsafe aerials that cannot [[autocancel]] in a [[short hop]]. On a related note, Roy is ineffective at spacing: despite having disjointed range, the Binding Blade's inconvenient sourspots force him to space his sweetspotted attacks dangerously close to opponents. In addition, Roy's combo game is also flawed: his sweetspotted moves are ineffective at performing lengthy combos past medium percents, while his forward, back and down throws are heavily reliant on reads because of their very low hitstun. Finally, Roy suffers from a poor recovery: [[Blazer]] is predictable and covers very minimal vertical distance, while his very fast [[falling speed]] not only hinders his recovery, but also makes him susceptible to combos.


However, Roy's playstyle is extremely risky due to several factors. Despite his speed, he has an ineffective [[approach]] due of his lack of a projectile. Furthermore, despite his very fast air speed, he has very slow [[air acceleration]], forcing him to be committal to his approaches in general, and makes him very open to retaliation if he whiffs a move since he is unable to retreat once he begins an approach. Roy's inverse tipper also inadvertently gives him poor range for a swordsman, which is further compounded by his attacks having considerable ending lag and his aerial attacks being incapable of [[autocancel]]ing from a [[short hop]]. Altogether, these traits render his moveset very [[punish]]able and unsafe on [[shield]] despite his overall power.
Although initially received positively, his flaws became more apparent as time went on, and as such Roy had attained below-average tournament representation. Despite this, he has achieved some degree of competitive success, thanks to the likes of players such as {{Sm|Cloudy}}, {{Sm|HyperKirby}}, and {{Sm|TheFlow}}.


His throw combos are also inconsistent due to his throws' low hitstun, and his combo game past low percentages is poor, largely due to the knockback of his sweetspotted moves being too high to allow follow-ups. This makes him heavily reliant on reads and thus giving him few KO set-ups apart from his neutral attack and neutral aerial at high percentages. Finally, Roy has what is considered one of the worst [[recovery|recoveries]] in the game: [[Blazer]]'s predictability and low vertical distance makes him vulnerable to semi-spikes, which is made worse by his very quick [[falling speed]] also making him an easy target to combo.
==Attributes==
[[File:RoyMarthComparison.jpeg|400px|thumb|Roy and {{SSB4|Marth}} performing their forward smash attacks. Note that the sweetspot is highlighted by the trail left by their swords: Roy's [[fireemblemwiki:Binding Blade (weapon)|Binding Blade]] is strongest near its hilt, whereas Marth's {{s|fireemblemwiki|Falchion}} is strongest at its blade's tip.]]


Overall, Roy is a "high-risk, high-reward" character who relies on finding openings using his speed before converging into highly damaging close range combos, while walling opponents out with fast attacks. However, he provides just as many openings to his opponent due to his attributes and laggy finishers, forcing to player to limit his approaches without being overly aggressive. As a result, he is not considered to have improved greatly from ''Melee'', which is made worse by the fact that many of the characters that he was ranked ahead of in ''Melee'', such as Mewtwo, Ness and Kirby, have been heavily buffed for their appearances in ''SSB4''.  
Unlike in ''Melee'', Roy is a [[semi-clone]] of {{SSB4|Marth}}, although he retains the attributes that differentiate the two. Compared to Marth, Roy sports the eleventh fastest [[dash]]ing speed, the fourth fastest [[air speed]], and the fifth fastest [[falling speed]] (7, 23, and 30 spots higher, respectively), alongside being 5 units [[Weight|heavier]] than Marth. Conversely, Roy [[walk]]s significantly slower, being only above-average compared to Marth, while his [[air acceleration]] is among the bottom five. Finally, Roy's long [[dash-dance|extended dash-dance]] allows him to read and punish opponents accordingly. However, his laggy initial dash (17 frames) and turnaround animations give him a poor shield buffer out of his dash and turn. Overall, this places Roy's archetype as a speedy fast-faller with polarized, linear movement. Roy's mobility is considerably faster than Marth's in regard to movement speed and air-to-ground transitioning, but his aerial fluidity is significantly limited, preventing him from easily using retreating aerials like Marth, and makes his aerial approaches committal.


Due to these factors, Roy has infamously low tournament representation and lackluster competitive success, but his tier placement is highly debated within the community due to the recent appearances of several noteworthy results. Most notoriously, {{Sm|Ryo}} managed to win two games against {{Sm|Abadango}}'s {{SSB4|Mewtwo}}, who is considered the best player of Mewtwo, at [[Super Smash Con 2016]]; this resulted in Abadango choosing {{SSB4|Rosalina & Luma}} as a counterpick despite the wide tier gap between the low-tier Roy and top-tier Mewtwo and Rosalina & Luma. While this instance has not been sufficient enough to significantly raise Roy's tier placement as of the second official tier list, several professionals believe that Roy's abilities are underrated and that he deserves a higher placement on the tier list. One example is {{Sm|ZeRo}}, one of the best ''SSB4'' players in the world, who views Roy as a mid-tier character rather than a low-tier character.  
Apart from differences in attributes, many of Roy's attacks differ from Marth's by having separate animations, which in turn give his attacks completely altered hitbox sizes, frame values and mechanical differences. This grants him a individualized playstyle compared to Marth, made most notable by his inverse [[tipper]]: the [[fireemblemwiki:Binding Blade (weapon)|Binding Blade]] deals more damage and knockback near its hilt, and much less at its blade's tip, which has very little KO potential compared to Marth's untippered [[fireemblemwiki:Falchion|Falchion]]. However, its inverse tipper is much larger than Falchion's tipper, and most of its attacks are less polarizing due to their possession of a "mediumspot" that is between both its sweetspot and sourspot. Roy's sword, along with his attributes, encourage a highly rewarding close-and-personal game with heavy emphasis on landing hits with his sword's larger sweetspot, and has little focus on distant spacing due to its ineffective sourspots.


==Attributes==
Much like his overall mobility, almost all of Roy's attacks have quick start-up, and his aforementioned speed allows him to easily close the gap between himself and his opponent to make effective use of his inverse tipper. Coupled with his sweetspot's high damage, Roy has an above-average damage racking game once he finds an opening. His most versatile combo initiators are his neutral aerial (which has quick start-up, low landing lag, and a long-lasting hitbox) and his neutral attack (which starts at frame 5 and launches at a favorable angle), both of which can start combos into his throws and tilts. His up aerial starts on frame 5 and has a deceptively long-lasting hitbox that lasts until the sword trail ends, allowing a reverse sweetspotted up aerial to start medium percent combos into neutral aerial, back aerial, or [[Blazer]], or a sourspot into [[Double-Edge Dance]] depending on the enemy's reaction. Finally, forward aerial has very early [[interruptibility]], allowing it to be used as a retreating aerial while jumping backwards, can chain into itself up to two times if Roy moves at full speed and uses his second jump, and can be used for frame-trapping against air dodges if followed up with an up aerial. His down tilt is also a good spacing option, and is useful for [[shield stab]]bing and [[edgeguard]]ing due to its semi-spike trajectory.
[[File:RoyMarthComparison.jpeg|400px|thumb|Roy and {{SSB4|Marth}} performing their forward smash attacks. Note that the sweetspot is highlighted by the trail left by their swords: Marth's Falchion is strongest at its tip, whereas Roy's Sword of Seals is strongest at its hilt.]]
Roy is a [[semi-clone]] of {{SSB4|Marth}}, sharing a handful of moves with him; however, Roy has an individualized playstyle thanks to certain mechanical differences, the most notable of which is his inverse [[tipper]]: the [[fireemblemwiki:Binding Blade (weapon)|Sword of Seals]] deals more damage and knockback near its hilt, and much less at the blade's tip. Like Marth, Roy is a [[Weight|middleweight]], but his other attributes are entirely different: Roy has better mobility, thanks to his an above average [[walking]] speed, the eleventh fastest [[dash]]ing speed, the fourth fastest [[air speed]], and the fifth fastest [[falling speed]]. His fast movement speed also gives him an effective [[dash-dance|extended dash-dance]], allowing him to read and punish opponents accordingly. However, Roy is tied for the longest initial dash animation (17 frames), giving him a poor shield buffer out of his dash, and his [[air acceleration]] is among the slowest in the game.


Roy's attacks generally have quick start-up, and his high speed allows him to easily get close to his opponent. Once Roy finds an opening, he has several ways to rack up damage. His neutral aerial is perhaps his most versatile move, thanks to its low start-up and landing lag, long-lasting hitbox, and utility as a combo starter. His neutral attack is quick and can easily lead into other moves, including his throws and tilts. He also possesses a good spacing and [[shield stab]]bing move in his down tilt. His down and forward throws launch opponents at favorable angles, opening up combo opportunities for his neutral attack, dash attack, forward tilt, neutral aerial, and [[Double-Edge Dance]]. His inverted sweetspot also benefits him. Since it is much larger than Marth's sweetspot, he on average deals higher damage more reliably from his combos (and in general) than Marth, who requires meticulous spacing for the same effect.
Tying in with his damage racking game are his throws, which launch at favorable angles for low-percent combos. Down and forward throws can chain into his neutral attack, dash attack, forward tilt, neutral aerial, Blazer and [[Double-Edge Dance]]. As Roy's combo-initiating moves can often lead straight into a grab, it is common for Roy to deal high amounts of damage through precise [[read]]s at low percents, either from an attack into a grab, or through chaining a throw into an attack, then re-grabbing. While the low [[hitstun]] of his throws prevent true follow-ups at higher percents, they also force opponents into [[tech-chase]] and air dodge scenarios, allowing Roy to condition opponents into reacting. Up throw is also able to KO outright at very high percents.


Despite his speed, Roy boasts an array of KOing options, with many of his sweetspotted attacks capable of KOing below 130%. His attacks are also less polarizing than Marth's, as most of them include an additional hitbox that is between both the sweetspot and sourspot, and so Roy does not require precise spacing to reliably land a KOing blow. While on the stage, his best KOing options are his forward tilt, forward smash, up tilt and [[Blazer]], due to their fast start-up and high power. Blazer is additionally an excellent [[out of shield]] option, granting him [[super armor]] on start-up, and can [[stage spike]] careless opponents who attempt to edgeguard him. His disjointed hitboxes lend themselves to an effective off-stage game. His forward and back aerials are quick and cover wide arcs, while his down aerial is a reliable [[meteor smash]]. [[Flare Blade]] is deadly against opponents who try to sweetspot the edge, courtesy of its charging ability, incredible power, huge hitbox, and deceptively low ending lag. His [[Counter]] is also one of the strongest in the game, as its 1.35x damage multiplier makes it devastating if used against a powerful attack. Roy's average weight and fast falling speed give him strong on-stage endurance, and he can make great use of [[rage]], which further enhances the knockback of his already powerful moves.
The power of Roy's sweetspotted moves also grant him an array of KOing options that are capable of KOing impressively early. While on-stage, his best KOing options are his forward and up tilts, forward and up smashes, and [[Blazer]], due to their quick start-up and high power. His smash attacks, in particular, are immensely powerful; forward smash is one of the strongest of its kind and can be used for hard punishes at as low as 40%, up smash is capable of KOing as low as 100%, and the sweetspotted first hit of down smash can KO at around 120%. Although Roy's offense thrives while he is on-stage, his fast air speed and disjointed range grant him an effective off-stage presence. His forward, back and down aerials each have distinct perks apart from their power: the former two are quick and have wide arcs, while the latter is a powerful [[meteor smash]] when sweetspotted. Although he is a middleweight, Roy is also one of the better users of [[rage]], as his very quick falling speed grants him impressive on-stage endurance and allows him to further enhance the knockback of his already powerful moves.


However, Roy is greatly hindered by a slew of flaws. While his hilt mechanic is one of his greatest strengths, it also forces him to fight extremely close to his opponent in order to be utilized to its fullest. This is made unsafe by his [[range]] being decidedly short for a sword fighter, resulting in a whiffed move on Roy's part leaving him heavily open to [[punishment]]. His moves have high ending lag, and so when combined with his need to fight close, Roy cannot space out his opponents as effectively as other sword-wielding characters, while also being unable to safely rush down his foes. He also suffers from a predictable approach despite his good mobility, since he has no quick options with which to close in and pressure the opponent outside of his neutral aerial, and this is made worse by his lack of a projectile. His very fast air speed is offset by his very slow air acceleration, making his aerial approach highly committal in general, much like {{SSB4|Ryu}}'s.  
Finally, each of Roy's special moves possess respectable utility. [[Flare Blade]] is a deadly edgeguarding option, especially while on-stage, thanks to its fearsome power even when uncharged, large hitbox, and deceptively low ending lag. The latter allows it to be used as a mindgame to punish edge getups, while its speed can amplify Roy's sub-par aerial mobility by granting him an aerial [[B-reverse]]. Double-Edge Dance is effective for damage racking, catching dodges, and pressuring shields; its final upward and forward hits can also KO outright. Blazer is an excellent [[out of shield]] option, grants both brief super [[armor]] on start-up and high power when grounded, can [[stage spike]] careless opponents who attempt to edgeguard Roy, and can be a [[true combo]] from his down throw at 0%, or a neutral attack at specific percents as a KO combo. Lastly, his [[Counter]] is one of the strongest [[counterattack]]s in the game, as its 1.35× damage multiplier makes it devastating when used against a powerful attack.


Roy's combo game is dangerous early on, with his follow-ups being strong and versatile at low percents. He has many decent combo starters, like his neutral attack, neutral aerial, up aerial, down throw and forward throw. However, unlike Marth, the sourspots of Roy's moves are not as reliable at creating combos; although they are still possible to perform, the sourspots require a lot of emphasis on precision in Roy's combos and can cause them to quickly lose their effectiveness. The high ending lag of Roy's moves and the low [[hitstun]] of his forward and down throws, the former of which is further compounded by the fact that most opponents can reliably tech out of its follow-ups, all hinder Roy by opening holes in his combo game due to them occasionally making it so that he has to attempt to [[read]] what his opponent will do. While Roy can combo decently past medium percents and up to high percents, most of these combos are limited.
However, Roy is hindered by a slew of flaws. Although he is granted a powerful offense, making use of it is difficult in the first place despite his remarkable mobility, mainly due to several reasons. His very fast air speed is offset by his very slow air acceleration, making his aerial approach highly committal in general, much like {{SSB4|Ryu}}'s. In addition, while his inverse tipper is one of his greatest strengths, it also forces him to fight at close range to be utilized at its fullest: only his sweetspots cause enough [[shield stun]] to prevent [[punishment]], and when coupled with his attacks having overall high ending lag (or in the case of his aerials, the inability to [[autocancel]] with a short hop), this results in him having to space attacks dangerously close against shields and negating the benefits of his disjointed sword. Finally, his [[range]] is below average for a swordsman, and when coupled with the Sword of Seal's low-utility sourspots, Roy's approach and spacing game is poor despite his good mobility, since his only quick, low-risk options that can be used to close in and pressure the opponent are his neutral aerial and falling up aerial.


In spite of his high maneuverability, Roy's [[recovery]] is somewhat notorious for its ineffectiveness. Although Blazer offers excellent protection, can be angled, and grants decent horizontal distance, it gives little vertical recovery and can be easily predicted. When combined with his high falling speed, this leaves him highly susceptible to meteor smashes, while even a sufficiently strong [[semi-spike]] can launch him too far away to recover. Additionally, players unaccustomed to his falling speed will quickly find that any misused aerial off-stage will send him too far off-stage to recover.
Roy's combo game, while powerful at low percents, become inconsistent from medium percents and onward. Although possible, Roy's sourspots are very unreliable for creating combos unlike Marth's, as they require extreme precision and only work at specific percents. His sweetspots are similar, due to them sending opponents too far for actual combos and only being effective for outright KOing at high percents. His throws also lack any true followups due to their very low hitstun: his forward throw can be easily teched, while his down throw can be air dodged out of. Overall, this makes Roy potent at damage racking, but his lack of KO setups puts him at a significant disadvantage when trying to end stocks, as it leaves him only with hard punishes.


Roy's high falling speed causes another problem: he is very susceptible to [[combo]]s while on-stage. His unsafe moves offer opponents many opportunities to punish him, and none of his moves are generally reliable enough to consistently break combos. Because of this, many characters with reliable combo moves can rack up large amounts of damage and easily force him off-stage, where he could potentially lose his stock if dealt with accordingly. Finally, due to his status as a DLC character, Roy does not have any [[Character customization|custom moves]], significantly hurting him in tournaments allowing them; while this is a problem shared with other DLC characters, it arguably affects Roy the most due to the comparatively low utility of his special moves.
Lastly, Roy's offstage endurance is notoriously poor. His very quick falling speed makes him extremely susceptible to [[combo]]s, and as none of his moves are generally reliable enough to consistently break combos, many characters with reliable combo moves can rack up large amounts of damage and easily force him off-stage. To add to this issue, Roy's only [[recovery]] move, Blazer, is notoriously ineffective despite his impressive mobility: although it offers excellent protection, can be angled, and covers a decent amount of horizontal distance, it covers little vertical distance and is predictable. When coupled by his very quick falling speed, he is highly susceptible to meteor smashes, and even a sufficiently strong [[semi-spike]] can launch him too far away to recover. Additionally, players unaccustomed to his falling speed will quickly find that any misused aerial off-stage will send him too far to recover.


Overall, Roy's weaknesses are considered more prevalent than his strengths. While commonly viewed as falling under the rushdown and/or glass cannon archetypes, Roy instead relies on limited aggression, playing around an opponent's shields and reactions using his excellent speed, and finding a single opening in which to capitalize on. From there, he can dominate opponents with his decent combo game and threatening finishers, although he cannot be too overzealous due to his own vulnerability to combos from faster characters, as well as a poor recovery, predictable [[approach]], risky KO set-ups, and ironically short range for a swordsman.
Although tournaments do not currently allow [[Character customization|custom moves]], it should be noted that Roy does not have any due to being a DLC character. As such, he must not only utilize his own special moves properly, but also adapt as best as possible against characters that possess their own custom moves.


Despite initially being viewed as a viable high-tier character and possibly the best swordsman in the game, Roy has become infamous for having among the worst tournament representation within the entire roster, as he sees little to no use from professional players aside from {{Sm|All Might}}, {{Sm|Ryo}} and {{Sm|Sethlon}}. This in turn has resulted in him lacking noteworthy results.
Overall, Roy's strengths are on par with his weaknesses. While his character archetype is commonly viewed as being in the rushdown and/or glass cannon categories, he cannot effectively function in either role due to his poor recovery, unimpressive range for a swordsman, and vulnerability to combos. Instead, his optimal playstyle consists of limited aggression: capitalizing on enemy openings with his excellent mobility, and pressuring them with both his powerful sweetspots and effective combo game, but approaching cautiously and spacing his sweetspots safely enough to circumvent his flaws. As a result of these traits, Roy has sparse tournament representation and results at high-level play, although he has nevertheless achieved some competitive success, thanks to players such as {{Sm|Hyper Kirby}} and {{Sm|Cloudy}}.


==Changes from ''Melee''==
==Changes from ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''==
Roy is frequently placed within a group of characters ({{SSB4|Bowser}}, {{SSB4|Dr. Mario}}, {{SSB4|Charizard}}, {{SSB4|King Dedede}} and {{SSB4|Pit}}) that are the most noticeably reworked [[veteran]]s in ''SSB4''. In Roy's case, several of his moves were de-cloned from {{SSB4|Marth}}, to the point that he is now a semi-clone instead of a full clone. Amidst this, Roy received a mix of buffs and nerfs, despite being a low-tier character in ''Melee''. While he was objectively buffed overall, the changes to game physics, when paired with his nerfs, are enough to make it difficult to determine whether he was overall buffed or nerfed.
Roy is frequently placed within a group of characters ({{SSB4|Bowser}}, {{SSB4|Dr. Mario}}, {{SSB4|Charizard}}, {{SSB4|King Dedede}} and {{SSB4|Pit}}) that are the most noticeably reworked [[veteran]]s in ''SSB4''. In Roy's case, several of his moves were de-cloned from {{SSB4|Marth}} in a similar vein to {{SSBB|Falco}} and {{SSBB|Ganondorf}} in ''[[Brawl]]'', to the point that he is now a semi-clone. Although Roy received a mix of buffs and nerfs in the transition from ''Melee'' to ''SSB4'', he has overall been buffed.


Among Roy's buffs are his greatly improved mobility, now having a faster dashing speed and one of the fastest air speeds in the game, as well as his moveset being notably more rewarding than in ''Melee'': most of his moves are different from Marth, such as his new neutral attack, forward and up tilts, dash attack and down aerial, all of which improve his up close and combo games, and many of which are more reliable KO moves. His damage output is higher, and his sweetspotted attacks are considerably more powerful, giving him a bevy of new KOing options, which generally alleviates his main weakness from ''Melee''. His attack speed is faster overall, with his aerials in particular having significantly reduced ending and landing lag, [[L-canceling]] notwithstanding. Lastly, the addition of [[rage]], along with his heavier weight, boosts his KO power even further should he survive to high percents. Roy's recovery is generally better, thanks to [[Blazer]]'s improved horizontal distance, his faster air speed and the introduction of edge trumping.
Among Roy's buffs are his greatly improved mobility, now having a much faster dashing speed and one of the fastest air speeds in the game, as well as his moveset being notably more rewarding than in ''Melee'': most of his moves are different from Marth, such as his new neutral attack, forward and up tilts, dash attack and down aerial, most of which have reduced lag, improved hitbox placements, and increased power, improving his close-ranged offense and combo game, and giving him more reliable KO moves. His damage output is much higher, and his sweetspotted attacks are considerably more powerful, giving him a bevy of new KOing options, which generally alleviates his main weakness from ''Melee''. His attack speed is faster overall, with his aerials in particular having significantly reduced ending and landing lag, [[L-canceling]] notwithstanding. The addition of [[rage]] boosts his KO power even further, while his heavier weight allows him to use it quite effectively. He also has much better endurance thanks to a his much higher weight. Lastly, Roy's recovery is generally better, thanks to [[Blazer]]'s improved horizontal distance, his faster air speed, and the removal of [[edge hogging]].


However, Roy has also received significant nerfs. Roy now stands at Marth's height, which enlarges his hurtbox, though his attacks have much shorter reach and hitbox durations in spite of this, forcing him to fight even closer to the opponent, exacerbating one of his key weaknesses in ''Melee''. For the most part, Roy is also harmed by the post-''Melee'' gameplay changes: the loss of [[wavedashing]] and [[L-canceling]], as well as the weakening of [[dash-dancing]], noticeably worsen his approach. The general increase in range for other characters since ''Melee'', such as with {{SSB4|Donkey Kong}} and {{SSB4|Bowser}}, also indirectly hurts him. [[Double-Edge Dance]]'s first hit has almost completely lost its ability to stall his descent due to Roy's increased falling speed, which hurts his recovery. Along with the removal of [[Meteor smash#Meteor canceling|meteor canceling]] and the improved recoveries of the rest of the cast, Roy is arguably easier to edgeguard than in ''Melee'', despite his improved recovery. Finally, despite the slower falling speeds in the game compared to ''Melee'', Roy is still easy to combo, since he is heavier than in ''Melee''. As a result of the previous two changes, Roy's overall survivability is slightly worse than in ''Melee''.  
However, Roy has also received several nerfs. Roy now stands at Marth's height, which enlarges his hurtbox, though his attacks have much shorter ranges and hitbox durations in spite of this, forcing him to fight at a much closer range, exacerbating one of his key weaknesses in ''Melee''. For the most part, Roy is also harmed by the post-''Melee'' gameplay changes: the loss of [[wavedash]]ing and L-canceling, as well as the weakening of [[dash-dancing]], noticeably worsen his approach. The general increase in range for other characters since ''Melee'', such as with {{SSB4|Donkey Kong}} and {{SSB4|Bowser}}, also indirectly hurts him. [[Double-Edge Dance]]'s first hit has almost completely lost its ability to stall his descent due to his faster falling speed, which hurts his recovery despite its improvements. Lastly, Roy's heavier weight makes him easy to combo despite falling speeds being slower in ''SSB4'' than they were in ''Melee''.


Overall, both Roy's strengths and weaknesses are more pronounced than in ''Melee''. While his sweetspotted attacks are more rewarding, he has to fight even closer in order to rack up damage due to his decreased range, while his sub-par survivability makes his playstyle highly risky. Due to this, it is difficult to say how much Roy has improved from ''Melee'', if at all, considering most of his fellow veterans were also buffed to varying degrees.
Overall, Roy's strengths are much more pronounced than in ''Melee'', though he retains most of the same weaknesses as well. While his sweetspotted attacks are considerably more rewarding, he still has to fight up close in order to rack up damage, while his sub-par endurance makes his playstyle risky. Despite Roy having been overall buffed, other veterans were also buffed to varying degrees, which downplays his strengths in ''SSB4''{{'}}s metagame.


===Aesthetics===
===Aesthetics===
*{{change|Roy's design is now a combination of his appearance as a {{s|fireemblemwiki|Great Lord}} in ''{{s|fireemblemwiki|Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade}}'' and his appearance as an [[fireemblemwiki:Downloadable content in Fire Emblem Awakening#Characters|Einherjar]] in ''{{s|fireemblemwiki|Fire Emblem Awakening}}''. He also has smaller eyes, a slightly more muscular physique, and slightly shorter hair.}}
*{{change|Roy's design is now a combination of his appearances in ''{{s|fireemblemwiki|Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade}}'' and ''{{s|fireemblemwiki|Fire Emblem Awakening}}''. His taller height, more muscular physique, slightly smaller eyes, and Turkey red hair are from ''Awakening'', whereas his facial structure and hairstyle are from ''The Binding Blade''. Roy's {{s|wikipedia|cuirass}}, {{s|wikipedia|pauldron}}s, and boots are also from his attire in ''The Binding Blade'', whereas his {{s|wikipedia|vambrace}}s, {{s|wikipedia|poleyn}}s, greaves, and gloves are from his attire as an [[fireemblemwiki:Downloadable content in Fire Emblem Awakening#Characters|Einherjar]] in ''Awakening''.}}
*{{change|The [[fireemblemwiki:Binding Blade (weapon)|Sword of Seals]]' trail now clearly indicates its sweetspot at its hilt, similarly to {{s|fireemblemwiki|Falchion}}'s trail showcasing its sweetspot on its tip.}}
*{{change|Roy's shirt, pants, headband, and cape are now amalgamations of his respective articles of clothing in ''The Binding Blade'' and ''Awakening'', whereas his poleyns are amalgamated with the design of his pauldrons. Additionally, Roy's boots are now coyote brown with gray toe boxes, carnelian bootstraps, and metallic gold soles. Lastly, his gloves are now carnelian, instead of blue. These changes are unique to ''SSB4''.}}
*{{change|Roy now swings the Sword of Seals in a reverse grip or with both hands. As a result, Roy's Sword of Seals now appears "heavier" compared to {{SSB4|Marth}}'s Falchion and {{SSB4|Lucina}}'s {{s|fireemblemwiki|Parallel Falchion}}, which they appear to swing with less effort.}}
*{{change|Roy now has eight costumes much like the rest of the cast. He has received six new alternate costumes, each of which is based on {{s|fireemblemwiki|Alen}}, [[fireemblemwiki:Lance_(character)|Lance]], {{s|fireemblemwiki|Marcus}}, {{s|fireemblemwiki|Zephiel}}, {{s|fireemblemwiki|Cecilia}}, and his father, {{s|fireemblemwiki|Eliwood}}.}}
*{{change|Roy now has an [[on-screen appearance]]. He appears via [[fireemblemwiki:Warp (staff)|warp magic]] with the Sword of Seals stuck in the ground, after which he pulls it out.}}
*{{change|Roy has been updated with universal features introduced in ''Brawl''.}}
*{{change|Roy now has unique [[idle pose]]s, rather than variations of Marth's. However, he has the same stance as Marth while holding a light [[item]].}}
**{{change|Roy uses various voice clips for any move between any [[tilt attack]], his [[dash attack]], and all [[aerial attack]]s except for his down aerial.}}
*{{change|[[Jump]], [[sidestep]], and [[shield]] break animations have changed.}}
**{{change|Roy has an [[on-screen appearance]] and two new [[taunt]]s. His taunt from ''Melee'' has been moved to his down taunt.}}
*{{change|Roy is more expressive. He smiles during his fist pumping idle pose, and either scowls or sternly clenches his teeth during some attacks.}}
*{{change|The [[fireemblemwiki:Binding Blade (weapon)|Binding Blade]]'s trail now clearly indicates its sweetspot's location, similarly to {{s|fireemblemwiki|Falchion}}.}}
*{{change|Aside from retaining some of Marth's animations, Roy now swings the Binding Blade in a reverse grip or with both hands. This has translated to his moveset, be it through a tweaked animation or a completely new move.}}
*{{change|Roy now has unique idle animation, instead of variations of Marth's, and has two new [[idle pose]]s. However, his stance while holding a light [[item]] is identical to {{SSB4|Marth}}'s.}}
*{{change|Roy has a new [[victory pose]]. He now spins the Binding Blade one and a half times and then sheaths it rather than planting it on the ground.}}
*{{change|[[Jump]], [[sidestep]], and [[shield]] break's animations have changed.}}


===Attributes===
===Attributes===
*{{nerf|Roy is taller, as he now stands at Marth's height. This makes his hurtbox larger. Additionally, while this would improve his overall [[range]], this is largely mitigated by the aforementioned alterations to his sword swings making many of his attacks having smaller hitboxes and altered hitbox placements.}}
*{{nerf|Roy is taller, making his hurtbox slightly larger. While this would also improve his overall [[range]], this is largely mitigated by the majority of his moveset having smaller hitboxes and/or altered hitbox placements because of the aforementioned alterations to most of his sword-based attacks' animations.}}
*{{change|Roy is [[weight|heavier]] (85 → 95). This improves his endurance, but makes him more susceptible to combos.}}
*{{change|Roy is significantly [[weight|heavier]] (85 → 95), going from a heavier lightweight to an average middleweight (tied with {{SSB4|Robin}} and {{SSB4|Pac-Man}}). This improves his endurance, but makes him more susceptible to combos.}}
*{{nerf|Roy [[walk]]s slower (1.2 → 1.15).}}
*{{nerf|Roy [[walk]]s slower (1.2 → 1.15).}}
*{{buff|Roy [[dash]]es faster (1.61 → 1.95).}}
*{{buff|Roy [[dash]]es much faster (1.61 → 1.95).}}
*{{buff|Roy's [[air speed]] is faster (0.9 → 1.24).}}
*{{buff|Roy [[jump]]s higher (28.36337281 → 30.969999).}}
*{{change|Roy [[falling speed|falls]] slower (2.4 → 1.8), although he still has the fifth fastest falling speed in the game.}}
**{{change|Roy's [[short hop]] height is also higher (9.132671053 → 13). Compared to the returning veterans, however, Roy's short hop height is lower, going from the fifth lowest out of 26 characters to the sixth lowest out of 58.}}
*{{nerf|The removal of [[wavedash]]ing and [[L-canceling]] and the weakening of [[dash-dancing]] have hindered Roy's neutral and approach games.}}
*{{buff|Roy's [[air speed]] is drastically faster (0.9 → 1.24), going from the 12th fastest in ''Melee'' to the fourth fastest.}}
*{{change|As with the returning veterans, Roy's [[falling speed]] was decreased (2.4 → 1.8). Compared to the returning veterans, however, Roy falls faster. Improving his vertical endurance, but also making him more susceptible to combos.}}
*{{change|The removal of [[chain grab]]bing both helps and hinders Roy. It results in him no longer being susceptible to chain grabs, while his faster falling speed results in him no longer being susceptible to pseudo-chain grabs. However, it hinders his damage racking potential.}}
*{{nerf|The weakening of [[Dash-dance|dash-dancing]] and the removal of [[wavedash]]ing significantly hinder Roy's approach.}}


===Ground attacks===
===Ground attacks===
*{{buff|Roy has a new neutral attack, a reverse gripped upward slash. Compared to the previous neutral attack, it deals more damage (3%/5%/6% → 4.8%/7.5%/7.5%) and base knockback (30/5 → 40/32), has less ending lag (interruptibility frame 26 → 23) and it has a different angle ([[Sakurai angle|361°]] → 62°/32°). Altogether, these traits make it better for combos.}}
*[[Neutral attack]]:
*{{nerf|Neutral attack has more start-up lag and its duration is 2 frames shorter (frame 4-8 → 5-7) compared to the previous neutral attack.}}
**{{buff|Roy has a new neutral attack, a reverse gripped upward slash. Compared to the previous neutral attack, it deals more damage (3%/5%/6% → 4.8%/7.5%/7.5%) and base knockback (30/5 → 40/32), has less ending lag (FAF 26 → 23) and has a different angle ([[Sakurai angle|361°]] → 62°/32°). Altogether, these traits make it significantly better for combos.}}
*{{buff|Roy has a new forward tilt, a reverse gripped inward slash. Compared to the previous forward tilt, it deals more damage (12%/10%/7% → 12.5%/9%/8%) and knockback (60/30 (base)/70 (scaling) → 30/40 (base)/100/80 (scaling)) and has less start-up (frame 9 → 8) and ending lag (interruptibility frame 40 → 32). Altogether, these traits making it better for KOing.}}
**{{nerf|Neutral attack has more start-up lag and its duration is shorter (frame 4-7 → 5-7) compared to the previous neutral attack.}}
*{{nerf|Forward tilt's duration is 2 frames shorter (5 frames → 3) compared to the previous forward tilt.}}
*[[Forward tilt]]:
*{{buff|Roy has a new up tilt, a reverse gripped overhead arcing slash. Compared to the previous up tilt, it deals more damage (6%/8%/9%/10% → 7%/12%), making it much stronger than the previous up tilt despite having less knockback scaling (120/118/116/100 → 103). It also has less start-up (frame 7 → 6) and ending lag (interruptibility frame 40 → 39) and its sourspot has more base knockback (20 → 30). Altogether, these traits make it better for KOing and combos.}}
**{{buff|Roy has a new forward tilt, a reverse gripped downward slash. Compared to the previous forward tilt, it deals more damage (12%/10%/7% → 12.5%/9%/8%) and knockback (60/30 (base)/70 (scaling) → 30/40 (base)/100/80 (scaling)) and has less start-up (frame 9 → 8) and ending lag (FAF 40 → 32). Altogether, these traits making it better for KOing.}}
*{{nerf|Up tilt's duration is 2 frames shorter (7 frames → 5) compared to the previous up tilt.}}
**{{nerf|Forward tilt's duration is shorter (5 frames → 3) than the previous forward tilt's.}}
*{{nerf|Sweetspotted down tilt deals 1% less damage (12% → 11%).}}
*[[Up tilt]]:
*{{buff|Sourspotted down tilt deals 0.5% more damage (6% → 6.5%).}}
**{{buff|Roy has a new up tilt, a reverse gripped overhead arcing slash. Compared to the previous up tilt, it deals more damage (6%/8%/9%/10% → 7%/12%) and the sweetspot has more knockback scaling, making it much stronger, while the sourspots deal consistent damage and less knockback scaling (120/118/116/100 → 103). It also has less start-up (frame 7 → 6) and ending lag (FAF 40 → 39) and its sourspot has more base knockback (20 → 30). Altogether, these traits make it better both for KOing and combos.}}
*{{buff|Down tilt has decreased start-up lag (frame 8 → 7) and its angle has been altered (80° → 30°), improving its edgeguard and [[tech-chase]] potentials and granting it the ability to [[semi-spike]].}}
**{{nerf|Up tilt's duration is shorter (7 frames → 5) than the previous up tilt's.}}
*{{nerf|Down tilt has decreased base knockback (90/70 → 50/40), increased ending lag (interruptibility frame 20 → 22) and its duration is 1 frame shorter (3 frames → 2). Additionally, its new angle significantly hinders its combo potential.}}
*[[Down tilt]]:
*{{buff|Roy has a new dash attack, an inward horizontal slash. Compared to the previous dash attack, it deals more damage (12%/6% → 13%/9%), knockback (70/35 (base)/55/60 (scaling) → 65/60 (base)/82/60 (scaling)) and its sweetspot has a different angle (110° → 52°). Altogether, these traits make it better for KOing.}}
**{{nerf|Sweetspotted down tilt deals less damage (12% → 11%).}}
*{{nerf|Dash attack has more start-up (frame 12 → 13) and ending lag (interruptibility frame 40 → 50) compared to the previous dash attack.}}
**{{buff|Sourspotted down tilt deals more damage (6% → 6.5%).}}
*{{buff|Due to the damage multiplier for fully charged smash attacks being increased from ''Melee'' to ''SSB4'' (1.3671x → 1.4x), fully charged forward and up smashes deal more damage (27.324%/16.4052% → 28%/16.8% (forward), 22.639176% → 23.8% (up)).}}
**{{buff|Down tilt has decreased start-up lag (frame 8 → 7).}}
*{{nerf|Roy has a new forward smash, a turning two-handed slash based on his regular attack as a Great Lord in ''Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade''. Compared to the previous forward smash, its sweetspot has decreased base knockback (80 → 70) and it has received a "medium-spot" that deals 3% less damage (20% → 17%), the latter of which makes it have a smaller sweetspot. Its also has more start-up (frame 12 → 14) and ending lag (interruptibility frame 54 → 55), less vertical range, and its duration is 1 frame shorter.}}
**{{change|Down tilt has decreased base knockback (90/70 → 50/40). Due to its angle being altered (80° → 30°), it is also now a [[semi-spike]]. These changes improve its edgeguarding and [[tech-chasing]] potential, but significantly hinder its combo potential.}}
*{{buff|Forward smash has more knockback scaling (65 → 70), making it better at KOing compared to the previous forward smash.}}
**{{nerf|Down tilt has increased ending lag (FAF 20 → 22) and a shorter duration (3 frames → 2).}}
*{{buff|Due to the changes to [[stale move negation]], up smash deals 0.44% more damage (16.56% → 17%). It also has decreased start-up lag and its duration is 2 frames longer (frame 15-24 → 12-23). Additionally, its [[spike]] hitbox now properly keeps opponents in place for the other hits. Lastly, Roy's arm is now intangible throughout its duration.}}
*[[Dash attack]]:
*{{nerf|Up smash has increased ending lag (interruptibility frame 46 → 59) and its last hit has decreased base knockback (73 → 70).}}
**{{buff|Roy has a new dash attack, an inward horizontal slash. Compared to the previous dash attack, it deals more damage (12%/6% → 13%/9%), knockback (70/35 (base)/55/60 (scaling) → 65/60 (base)/82/60 (scaling)) and its sweetspot has a different angle (110° → 52°). It also does not suffer from the infamously poor hitbox issues at close range from Melee due to it being a different attack. Altogether, these traits make it better for KOing.}}
*{{nerf|Down smash's front hit deals less damage (21%/14% → 15%/10%) and both of its hits' durations are 1 frame shorter (3 frames → 2).}}
**{{nerf|Dash attack has more start-up (frame 12 → 13) and ending lag (FAF 40 → 50) compared to the previous dash attack.}}
*{{buff|Down smash's back hit deals more damage (16%/8% → 17%/11%). It also has decreased ending lag (interruptibility frame 72 → 63) and its angles have been altered (75°/361° → 50°/47°/361°).}}
*[[Forward smash]]:
*{{change|Down smash's knockback properties have been reversed, making the back hit being stronger than the front hit.}}
**{{nerf|Roy has a new forward smash, a rotating two-handed downward slash based on his regular attack as a Great Lord in ''Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade''. Compared to the previous forward smash, its sweetspot is smaller because of it having a "medium-spot" that deals 3% less damage (20% → 17%). It also has more start-up (frame 12 → 14) and ending lag (FAF 54 → 55), less vertical range, and a shorter duration (3 frames → 2).}}
**{{change|Sweetspotted forward smash has different knockback compared to the previous forward smash's sweetspot (80 (base)/65 (scaling) → 70/70).}}
**{{buff|Due to the damage multiplier for fully charged smash attacks being increased from ''Melee'' to ''SSB4'' (1.3671× → 1.4×), fully charged forward smash deals more damage (27.324%/16.4052% → 28%/16.8%).}}
**{{buff|The 19% damage increase to [[shield]]s and the increase to [[shieldstun]] make sweetspotted forward smash significantly better at pressuring shields compared to the previous forward smash's sweetspot.}}
*[[Up smash]]:
**{{buff|Due to the damage multiplier for fully charged smash attacks being increased from ''Melee'' to ''SSB4'' (1.3671× → 1.4×), fully charged up smash deals more damage (22.639176% → 23.8%).}}
**{{buff|Due to the changes to [[stale move negation]], up smash deals 0.44% more damage (16.56% → 17%), although its base knockback was compensated (73 → 70). It also has decreased start-up lag and a longer duration (10 frames → 12). Additionally, its [[spike]] hitbox now properly keeps opponents in place for the other hits. Lastly, it now grants intangibility to Roy's arm throughout its duration.}}
**{{nerf|Up smash has significantly increased ending lag (FAF 46 → 59).}}
*[[Down smash]]:
**{{nerf|Down smash's front hit deals less damage (21%/14% → 15%/10%), hindering its KO potential.}}
**{{buff|Down smash's back hit deals more damage (16%/8% → 17%/11%) and its angles have been altered (75°/361° → 50°/47°/361°), improving its KO potential. It also has decreased ending lag (FAF 72 → 63).}}
**{{change|Down smash's knockback properties have been reversed, making the back hit stronger than the front hit.}}
**{{nerf|Down smash has a shorter duration (6 frames → 4).}}
**{{buff|The 19% damage increase to shields and the increase to shieldstun significantly improve sweetspotted down smash's shield pressuring potential.}}


===Aerial attacks===
===Aerial attacks===
*{{buff|All aerials have decreased ending lag (interruptibility frame 50 → 46 (neutral), 35 → 30 (forward), 43 → 36 (back), 49 → 42 (up), 64 → 52 (down)).}}
*{{buff|All aerials have decreased ending lag (FAF 50 → 46 (neutral), FAF 35 → 30 (forward), FAF 43 → 36 (back), FAF 49 → 42 (up), FAF 64 → 52 (down)).}}
*{{nerf|Due to the removal of [[L-canceling]], all aerials' landing lag were not fully compensated and increased all of them as a result (20/10 (normal/L-canceled) → 11 (neutral), 20/10 → 13 (forward), 24/12 → 16 (back), 18/9 → 14 (up), 32/16 → 23 (down)), hindering his neutral game.}}
*{{nerf|Neutral, forward, and up aerials autocancel later (frame 32 → 47 (neutral), frame 30 → 33 (forward), frame 30 → 38 (up)). Forward aerial in particular no longer has an autocancel window, losing its ability to autocancel.}}
*{{buff|Neutral, forward, back and down aerials deal more damage (4%, 8%/5% → 4%/6% (neutral), 8.5%/5%, 8%/5% → 11%/7% (forward), 9%/6% → 12%/9% (back), 6%/9% → 10%/15% (down)).}}
*{{change|All aerials have decreased landing lag (20/10 frames (normal/L-canceled) → 11 (neutral), 20/10 frames → 13 (forward), 24/12 frames → 16 (back), 18/9 frames → 14 (up), 32/16 frames → 23 (down)). Due to the removal of [[L-canceling]], however, they are not fully compensated.}}
*{{nerf|Neutral, forward, and up aerials autocancel later (frame 32 47 (neutral), frame 30 → 33 (forward), frame 30 → 38 (up)), which removes forward aerial's ability to autocancel.}}
*[[Neutral aerial]]:
*{{buff|Neutral aerial's hits have decreased start-up lag (frame 7-8 → frame 6-7 (hit 1), frame 17-20 → frame 15-21 (hit 2)). Its second hit also has increased knockback scaling (80 → 100) and its angle has been altered (361° → 50°). Altogether, these traits improve its combo potential.}}
**{{buff|Due to consisting of a sweetspot and a sourspot instead of a consistent hitbox, neutral aerial's first hit no longer deals consistent damage (4% → 6%/4%).}}
*{{buff|Forward aerial deals more knockback (30/10 (base)/70 (scaling) → 50/80).}}
**{{buff|Neutral aerial's sweetspotted second hit deals 0.5% more damage (8% 8.5%).}}
*{{nerf|Forward aerial's animation has slightly changed. Roy now swings the Sword of Seals while further leaning forward and with his legs being positioned differently. Compared to the previous animation, its hitbox now comes out later (frame 5 → 10).}}
**{{buff|Neutral aerial has decreased start-up lag (frame 7 → frame 6 (hit 1), frame 17 → frame 15 (hit 2)). Its second hit also has increased knockback scaling (80 → 100) and its angle has been altered (361° → 50°). Altogether, these changes improve its combo and KO potential.}}
*{{buff|Back aerial has increased knockback scaling (70 → 100), improving its KO potential. It also autocancels earlier (frame 34 → 32).}}
*[[Forward aerial]]:
*{{buff|Up aerial's duration is 2 frames longer (5 frames → 7) and its sweetspot has increased knockback (20 (base)/70 (scaling) → 40/80), improving its juggling potential.}}
**{{buff|Forward aerial deals more damage (8%/5% → 11%/7%) and has increased knockback (30/10 (base)/70 (scaling) → 50/80), significantly improving its KO potential.}}
*{{buff|Roy has a new down aerial, a two-handed slash between his legs, similar to {{SSB4|Ike}}'s down aerial. Compared to the previous down aerial, it has more vertical range, its sweetspot is easier to land, and its sourspot is able to KO grounded opponents around 160%, making it better at KOing. Its increased damage output and the removal of [[Meteor smash#Meteor canceling|meteor canceling]] also make its meteor smash considerably stronger than the previous down aerial's.}}
**{{nerf|Forward aerial's animation has slightly changed. Roy now swings the Binding Blade while lunging farther inward. This new animation doubles its start-up lag (frame 5 → 10).}}
*{{nerf|Down aerial has less diagonal range, comes out later, and its duration is 2 frames shorter (frames 7-10 → 16-17) compared to the previous down aerial.}}
*[[Back aerial]]:
*{{change|Down aerial has different knockback (40 (base)/70 (scaling) → 20/30 (base)/90 (scaling)) compared to the previous down aerial.}}
**{{buff|Back aerial deals 3% more damage (9%/6% → 12%/9%) and has increased knockback scaling (70 → 100), significantly improving its KO potential. It also autocancels earlier (frame 34 → 32).}}
*[[Up aerial]]:
**{{buff|Up aerial's duration is longer (5 frames → 7) and its sweetspot has increased knockback (20 (base)/70 (scaling) → 40/80), improving its juggling potential.}}
*[[Down aerial]]:
**{{buff|Roy has a new down aerial, a two-handed downward slash between his legs, similar to {{SSB4|Ike}}'s down aerial. Compared to the previous down aerial, it deals much more damage (6%/9% → 10%/15%), has more vertical range, its sweetspot is easier to land, and its sourspot has KO potential against grounded opponents. It also has higher knockback (40 (base)/70 (scaling) → 20/30 (base)/90 (scaling)) compared to the previous down aerial, improving its KO potential.}}
**{{nerf|Down aerial has less horizontal range, more start-up lag, and a shorter duration (frames 7-10 → 16-17) compared to the previous down aerial.}}
**{{buff|The removal of [[Meteor smash#Meteor canceling|meteor canceling]] makes down aerial significantly better at meteor smashing compared to the previous down aerial.}}


===Throws/other attacks===
===Throws/other attacks===
*{{nerf|All grabs have significantly decreased ranges.}}
*{{nerf|All grabs have significantly decreased ranges.}}
*{{buff|Dash grab has decreased start-up lag (frame 10 → 8).}}
*{{buff|Dash grab has decreased start-up lag (frame 10 → 8).}}
*{{nerf|Pummel deals 1% less damage (3% → 2%).}}
*[[Pummel]]:
*{{buff|Pummel is faster.}}
**{{nerf|Pummel deals 1% less damage (3% → 2%).}}
*{{buff|Up throw deals 1% more damage (5% → 6%).}}
**{{buff|Pummel is faster (24 frames → 15).}}
*{{nerf|Up throw has decreased knockback scaling (130 → 100), hindering its KO potential.}}
*[[Up throw]]:
*{{nerf|Down throw deals 1% less damage (6% → 5%).}}
**{{buff|Up throw deals more damage (5% → 6%).}}
*{{buff|Down throw's angle has been altered (361° → 80°), improving its combo potential.}}
**{{nerf|It has reduced knockback scaling (130 → 100), hindering its KO potential in spite of its higher damage output.}}
*{{change|The removal of [[chain grab]]bing both helps and hinders Roy. It results in him no longer being susceptible to chain grabs while his faster falling speed results in him no longer being susceptible to pseudo-chain grabs. However, it hinders his damaging racking potential.}}
*[[Down throw]]:
*{{buff|Front and back floor attacks deal 1% more damage (6% → 7%).}}
**{{nerf|Down throw deals less damage (6% → 5%).}}
**{{buff|It launches at a higher angle (361° → 80°), which coupled with its lower damage output significantly improves its combo potential.}}
*[[Floor attack]]:
**{{buff|Front and back floor attacks deal more damage (6% → 7%).}}
**{{change|Due to the introduction of [[tripping]] in ''Brawl'', Roy has received a floor attack after tripping.}}


===Special moves===
===Special moves===
*{{buff|[[Flare Blade]] can be charged up to deal more damage before the full charge without receiving recoil damage (41% → 45%). It also has increased interruptibility for a few frames upon its hitbox coming out, despite its ending lag.}}
*[[Flare Blade]]:
*{{nerf|Flare Blade has increased start-up lag, its duration is 2 frames shorter (frame 16-21 23-26), a smaller hitbox, and its takes slightly more time to fully charge. Additionally, it has received a sourspot at the edges of the attack that deals 15% less damage (50% → 35%) and has significantly decreased knockback scaling (83 → 70).}}
**{{buff|Flare Blade can be charged up to deal more damage before the full charge without receiving recoil damage (41% → 45%). It also has increased interruptibility for a few frames upon its hitbox being active in spite of its ending lag.}}
*{{change|Flare Blade has updated visual and sound effects, the latter of which stops being emitted when fully charged and before the move's explosion. All of its stages now unleash a minor explosion, with most of the higher stages unleashing the large explosions from ''Melee''.}}
**{{nerf|Flare Blade has increased start-up lag, its duration is shorter (6 frames 4), a smaller hitbox, and it takes slightly more time to fully charge. It has also received a sourspot at the edges of the attack that deals 15% less damage (50% → 35%) and has less knockback scaling (83 → 70).}}
*{{change|Flare Blade's animation has slightly changed. Roy now briefly lifts the Sword of Seals with both hands to his left side when returning to his neutral stance.}}
**{{change|Flare Blade has updated visual effects. All of its stages now unleash a minor explosion, with most of the higher stages unleashing the large explosions from ''Melee''. It also has updated sound effects, as it now stops emitting sound when fully charged and before its explosion.}}
*{{buff|[[Double-Edge Dance]] requires less technical precision. Aside from the first and fourth downward hits, every other hit has decreased start-up lag. Additionally, Double-Edge Dance's third downward hit no longer consists of multiple hits and launches at a lower trajectory, improving its reliability to connect with the fourth hit.}}
**{{change|Flare Blade's animation has slightly changed. Roy now briefly lifts the Binding Blade with both hands to his side when returning to his neutral stance.}}
*{{nerf|Double-Edge Dance deals less damage and knockback, has decreased vertical range and increased ending lag. Roy's increased falling speed also significantly hinders its first hit's recovery potential. Additionally, its third upward hit is no longer a meteor smash, removing its KO potential.}}
**{{change|Roy has gained a new voice clip for releasing a fully charged Flare Blade. In ''Melee'', it used his blast KO voice clip.}}
*{{change|Double-Edge Dance now has [[transcendent priority]]. This improves its reliability at close range, but removes its ability to cancel non-transcendent [[projectile]]s.}}
*[[Double-Edge Dance]]:
*{{change|All variations of Double-Edge Dance's third hit connect together better with the fourth hit, improving their combo potentials. However, they have lost their KO potentials.}}
**{{buff|Aside from its first and fourth downward hits, [[Double-Edge Dance]]'s other have decreased start-up lag. Its third downward hit also no longer consists of multiple hits and launches at a lower trajectory. These changes make its hits connect together better.}}
*{{change|Double-Edge Dance's animation has changed. The slashes are now identical to {{SSBB|Marth}}'s [[Dancing Blade]] from ''Brawl''.}}
**{{nerf|Double-Edge Dance deals less damage and has decreased knockback, vertical range, and increased ending lag. Additionally, Roy's faster falling speed significantly hinders its first hit's recovery potential. Lastly, its third upward hit is no longer a meteor smash, removing its KO potential.}}
*{{buff|[[Blazer]] deals 2.82% more damage (13.18% → 16%) and its last hit has increased knockback (10 (base)/100 (scaling) → 40/130), improving its KO potential. Its has also received more intangibility frames on start-up if used from the ground and its last hit has received lasting hitboxes, improving its safety. Additionally, it grants significantly more horizontal distance near its peak, improving its horizontal recovery potential. Lastly, it can be reversed before start-up.}}
**{{change|All variations of Double-Edge Dance's third hit connect together better with its fourth hit. This improves their combo potentials, but removes their KO potentials.}}
*{{nerf|Blazer grants less vertical distance, hindering its vertical recovery potential.}}
**{{buff|Double-Edge Dance now has [[Priority#Transcendent priority|transcendent priority]], improving its reliability.}}
*{{change|Blazer's first hit has significantly decreased set knockback (200 → 160/120). This allows every hit to connect together better, but removes its one-hit KO potential against the lightest characters.}}
**{{buff|The 19% damage increase to shields and the increase to shieldstun significantly improve Double-Edge Dance's last downward hits' shield pressuring potential.}}
*{{change|Blazer's animation has slightly changed. Row now performs the jumping slash while holding the Sword of Seals in a reverse grip.}}
**{{change|Double-Edge Dance's animation has changed. The slashes are now identical to [[Dancing Blade]] from ''Brawl''.}}
*{{nerf|[[Counter]]'s damage multiplier has decreased (1.5x → 1.35x), slightly hindering its KO potential. However, it is still one of the strongest counterattacks in the game.}}
*[[Blazer]]:
*{{buff|Counter has increased knockback (30 (base)/90/70 (scaling) → 35 (base)/100/70 (scaling)) and its duration is 7 frames longer (13 frames → 19), granting it KO potential when countering smash attacks at low percents.}}
**{{buff|Blazer deals more damage (13.18% → 16.8%) and its last hit has increased knockback (10 (base)/100 (scaling) → 40/130), improving its KO potential. It also has lingering hitboxes at its end, and can be reversed before start-up. It also travels more horizontal distance and the grounded version received more intangibility frames on start-up.}}
*{{buff|Counter's animation has changed. Its counterattack now resembles Roy's long-ranged basic attack animation with the Sword of Seals in ''Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade''. Compared to the previous animation, its has more horizontal range.}}
**{{nerf|Blazer travels less vertical distance.}}
*{{change|Roy now has a [[Final Smash]], [[Critical Hit]]. Unlike Marth's and Lucina's Critical Hits, which propel them at a high speed in a straightforward line, Roy's Critical Hit is stationary and has him swing the Sword of Seals around himself, which can trap opponents, before performing a slash in front of himself that emits a short-ranged explosion. Unlike Marth's and Lucina's Critical Hit, Roy's Critical Hit is not a [[one-hit KO]].}}
**{{change|Blazer's first hit has significantly decreased set knockback (200 → 160/120). This makes its hits connect together better, but removes its one-hit KO potential against the lightest characters.}}
**{{change|Blazer's animation has slightly changed. Roy now performs the jumping slash while holding the Binding Blade in a reverse grip.}}
*[[Counter]]:
**{{nerf|Counter's damage multiplier has decreased (1.→ 1.35×), although its knockback was somewhat compensated (30 (base)/90/70 (scaling) → 35 (base)/100/70 (scaling)), hindering its KO potential. Additionally, the damage cap can only reach a maximum of 50%, now matching the rest of the [[Counterattack|multiplier based counterattacks]] in ''Smash 4''.}}
***{{bugfix|Due to its change, Counter-stacking no longer crashes the game.}}
**{{buff|Counter's duration is longer (frames 8-20 8-27).}}
**{{buff|Counter's animation has changed. Its counterattack now resembles Roy's long-ranged basic attack with the Binding Blade in ''Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade''. This new animation increases its horizontal range.}}
*[[Critical Hit]]:
**{{change|Roy now has a Final Smash, Critical Hit. Unlike Marth and Lucina's Critical Hit, Roy's version is stationary and has him swing the Binding Blade around himself before performing a slash in front of himself that emits a short-ranged explosion.}}


==Update history==
==Update history==
Roy received some minor buffs from game updates. Update 1.1.0 gave [[Blazer]] additional hitboxes, making it easier to land. However, the same update reduced the damage outputs of its first and last hits, which slightly weakened its KO potential. The changes to shield mechanics brought about by updates 1.1.0 and [[1.1.1]] have made Roy's sweetspotted attacks much safer at the cost of his sourspotted attacks being unsafer, to the point where his [[semi-clone]], {{SSB4|Lucina}}, has safer attacks than both him and Marth. Lastly and most prominently, update 1.1.4 decreased the landing lag on all of his aerials and improved Double-Edge Dance's start-up and ending lag.
Roy has been slightly buffed via game updates. Update [[1.1.0]] gave [[Blazer]] additional hitboxes, making it easier to land. However, the same update reduced the damage outputs of its first and last hits, which slightly weakened its KO potential. The changes to shield mechanics brought about by updates 1.1.0 and [[1.1.1]] have made Roy's sweetspotted attacks much safer at the cost of his sourspotted attacks being unsafer, to the point where his [[semi-clone]], {{SSB4|Lucina}}, has safer attacks than both him and Marth. Lastly, update [[1.1.4]] decreased the landing lag on all of Roy's aerials, which improved his neutral and up aerials' combo potentials when they are [[Short hop fast fall L-cancel#Short hop fast fall|SHFF]]'d, and decreased Double-Edge Dance's start-up and ending lag.


'''{{GameIcon|ssb4}} [[1.1.0]]'''
'''{{GameIcon|ssb4}} [[1.1.0]]'''
*{{change|Blazer's first and last hits deal 1% less damage|6.5% (hit 1 sweetspot)/5% (hit 1 sourspot), 9% (hit 5 sweetspot)/8% (hit 5 sourspot)|5.5%/4%, 8%/7%. This makes its first hit connect together better, but hinders its KO potential.}}
*{{buff|[[Blazer]] has received additional hitboxes.}}
*{{buff|[[Blazer]] has received additional hitboxes.}}
*{{nerf|Blazer's first and last hits deal 1% less damage|6% (hit 1 sweetspot)/5% (hit 1 sourspot), 9% (hit 5 sweetspot)/8% (hit 5 sourspot)|5%/4%, 8%/7%, hindering its KO potential.}}
*{{change|{{GameIcon|ssb4-3ds}}Roy performs his down [[taunt]] instead of his fist pump [[idle pose]] after a player chooses a path in [[Classic Mode]].}}
*{{change|{{GameIcon|ssb4-3ds}}Roy performs his down [[taunt]] instead of his fist pump [[idle pose]] after a player chooses a path in [[Classic Mode]].}}


Line 151: Line 191:


==Moveset==
==Moveset==
*For simplicity if, for example, Roy's blade does 6% damage while the tip does 4%, and the attack has no other hitboxes, it is written as 6%/4%.
''For a gallery of Roy's hitboxes, see [[/Hitboxes|here]].''
{{MovesetTable
{{MovesetTable
|game=SSB4
|game=SSB4
|neutralname=&nbsp;
|nocustoms=y
|neutralname=Slash ({{ja|リフトスラッシュ|Rifuto Surasshu}}, ''Lift Slash'')
|neutralcount=1
|neutralcount=1
|neutral1dmg=7.5% (sweetspot), ≈4.65% (sourspot)
|neutral1dmg=7.5%/4.8%
|neutraldesc=A reversed gripped upward slash. Easily chains into itself, forward tilt and a grab at low percents, and his forward and up aerials at high percents. Starts at frame 5, making it a great tool for spacing, combos, and stopping approaches. Overall, it is one of Roy's most versatile attacks.
|neutraldesc=A reversed gripped upward slash. Easily chains into itself, forward tilt and a grab at low percents, and his forward and up aerials at high percents. Starts at frame 5, making it a great tool for spacing, combos, and stopping approaches.
|ftiltname=&nbsp;
|ftiltname=Sharp Edge ({{ja|オーバーバッシュ|ōbābasshu}}, ''Over Bash'')
|ftiltdmg=12.5% (sweetspot), 9% (near), 8% (far)
|ftiltdmg=12.5% (sweetspot), 9% (near), 8% (far)
|ftiltdesc=A reverse gripped slash forward in a diagonal arc. Very strong for a tilt attack, it usually KOs around 120% from center-stage when sweetspotted, making it a viable KO option. However, it has noticeable ending lag, making it punishable. The sweetspot is safe on shield if Roy does not directly touch the opponent's shield.
|ftiltdesc=A reverse gripped downward slash. Very strong for a tilt attack, it usually KOs around 120% from center-stage when sweetspotted, making it a viable KO option. However, it has noticeable ending lag, making it punishable. The sweetspot is safe on shield if Roy does not directly touch the opponent's shield.
|utiltname=&nbsp;
|utiltname=Anti-air Slash ({{ja|アンチエアスラッシュ|Anchi Ea Surasshu}})
|utiltdmg=12% (sweetspot), 7% (sourspot)
|utiltdmg=12%/7%
|utiltdesc=A reverse gripped overhead arcing slash. Very strong like his forward tilt, it usually KOs around 110% when sweetspotted. However, it has rather low horizontal range and high ending lag, which makes it very punishable on shield.
|utiltdesc=A reverse gripped overhead arcing slash. Very strong like his forward tilt, it usually KOs around 110% when sweetspotted. However, it has rather low horizontal range and high ending lag, which make it very punishable on shield.
|dtiltname=&nbsp;
|dtiltname=Low Stab ({{ja|ロースラスト|Rō Surasuto}}), ''Low Thrust'')
|dtiltdmg=11% (sweetspot), 6.5% (sourspot)
|dtiltdmg=11%/6.5%
|dtiltdesc=A crouching thrust, identical to {{SSB4|Marth}}'s and {{SSB4|Lucina}}'s down tilts. Much weaker than Roy's other tilts due to using the Sword of Seals' tip, but it has the lowest amount of ending lag among them and is good for edgeguarding or starting tech-chases.
|dtiltdesc=A kneeling thrust, identical to {{SSB4|Marth}} and {{SSB4|Lucina}}'s down tilts, but with lower range. Has the lowest amount of ending lag out of his tilt attacks, and is useful for [[shield stab]]bing, edgeguarding or starting [[Tech-chasing|tech-chases]] thanks to it being a [[semi-spike]]. However, it has much less knockback growth than his other tilts.
|dashname=&nbsp;
|dashname=Raid Down ({{ja|レイドダウン|Reido Daun}})
|dashdmg=13% (sweetspot), 9% (sourspot)
|dashdmg=13%/9%
|dashdesc=An inward horizontal slash. It has good KO potential for a dash attack, KOing when sweetspotted around 130%, however it has moderate start-up and high ending lag, making it very unsafe on shield.
|dashdesc=An inward horizontal slash across the ground. It has good KO potential for a dash attack, KOing when sweetspotted around 130%; however, it has moderate start-up and high ending lag, making it very unsafe on shield.
|fsmashname=&nbsp;
|fsmashname=Power Slash ({{ja|パワー スマッシュ|Pawā Sumasshu}})
|fsmashdmg={{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|20}} (close), {{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|17}} (mid), {{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|12}} (far)
|fsmashdmg={{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|20}} (close), {{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|17}} (mid), {{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|12}} (far)
|fsmashdesc=Rotates his body to perform a lunging, two-handed downward slash. It is one of the strongest forward smashes in the game if sweetspotted and has become somewhat infamous for KOing at percents as low as 40% with rage. It also has a decently large sweetspot, very long disjointed range due to Roy lunging while performing it, and it hits on frame 14-15, which is rather fast for a forward smash of its power. However, it has high ending lag and its hitbox does not last long, leaving him very vulnerable to attacks if the swing misses.
|fsmashdesc=Rotates his body to perform a lunging, two-handed downward slash. It is one of the strongest forward smashes in the game when sweetspotted, as it can KO as low as 40% with [[rage]]. It also has very long disjointed range due to Roy lunging while performing it, and it comes out on frame 14, which is rather fast for a smash attack of its power. However, it has high ending lag and its hitbox does not last long, which make it very punishable when whiffed. It is based on his regular attack as a Great Lord in ''Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade''.
|usmashname=Flame Sword
|usmashname=Flame Sword ({{ja|フレイムソード|Fureimu Sōdo}})
|usmashdmg={{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|1}} (hit 1), {{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|2}} (hits 2-4), {{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|10}} (hit 5)
|usmashdmg={{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|1}} (hit 1), {{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|2}} (hits 2-4), {{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|10}} (hit 5)
|usmashdesc=An upward thrust, which ignites the Sword of Seals' tip and concludes with a small explosion. Powerful enough to KO middleweights around 100% while uncharged. Good for juggling opponents in the air, as Roy's arm gains invincibility during the attack. If the initial portion of the thrust connects, the attack's multiple hits are much slower than if the opponent is only caught in the explosion. If it hits someone that is not on the ground (with all hits), it does additional damage and knockback. High ending lag like his other smash attacks.
|usmashdesc=An upward thrust, which ignites the Binding Blade's tip and concludes with a small explosion. Powerful enough to KO middleweights around 100% while uncharged. Good for juggling opponents in the air, as it grants intangibility to Roy's arm throughout its duration. The attack's multiple hits transition faster if the initial portion of the thrust connects. The move also deals 1% more damage on an aerial opponent (for a total of 18% if all hits connect). High ending lag like his other smash attacks.
|dsmashname=&nbsp;
|dsmashname=Whirlwind ({{ja|ワールウインド|Wāru'uindo}})
|dsmashdmg={{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|15}} (front sweetspot), {{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|17}} (back sweetspot) {{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|10}} (front sourspot), {{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|11}} (back sourspot)
|dsmashdmg={{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|15}}/{{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|10}} (front hit) {{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|17}}/{{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|11}} (back hit)
|dsmashdesc=A crouching outward slash in front of himself and then behind himself. Weaker than his other smash attacks, but it comes out the fastest, and is useful for punishing rolls. Can KO uncharged around the 120% range if sweetspotted with the front hit, and around 100% sweetspotted with the back hit. While it has very quick start-up, it has the longest ending lag of all his smash attacks, which makes it extremely punishable when whiffed.
|dsmashdesc=A kneeling outward slash in front of himself and then behind himself. Weaker than his other smash attacks, but it has the fastest start-up, and is useful for punishing rolls. Can KO uncharged around the 120% range if sweetspotted with the front hit, and around 100% sweetspotted with the back hit. While it has very quick start-up, it has the longest ending lag of all his smash attacks, which makes it very punishable when whiffed.
|nairname=&nbsp;
|nairname=Double Slash ({{ja|ダブルスラッシュ|Daburu Surasshu}})
|nairdmg=6% (hit 1 sweetspot), 4% (hit 1 sourspot), 8.5% (hit 2 sweetspot), 5% (hit 2 sourspot)
|nairdmg=6%/4% (hit 1), 8.5%/5% (hit 2)
|nairdesc=An inward horizontal slash followed by a spinning, outward horizontal slash. A useful spacing and combo option due to its quick startup and low landing lag. The second hit is capable of attacking behind him. The first hit is risky due to its short range, but it is a surprisingly effective combo starter. It is one of Roy's only useful moves for KO set-ups at high percents, as landing the first hit can lead into an up tilt, up smash or [[Blazer]].
|nairdesc=An inward slash followed by a spinning, outward slash. One of Roy's most useful spacing and combo options thanks to its quick start-up, long-lasting duration, and low landing lag. The second hit is capable of attacking behind him, and the sourspot can catch opponents before he lands. The first hit is risky due to its short range, but it is a surprisingly effective combo starter. Very useful for KO set-ups at high percents, as landing the first hit can lead into an up tilt, up smash, or [[Blazer]].
|fairname=&nbsp;
|fairname=Flag Cut ({{ja|フラッグカット|Furaggu Katto}})
|fairdmg=11% (sweetspot), 7% (sourspot)
|fairdmg=11%/7%
|fairdesc=Slashes forward in a diagonal arc. If sweetspotted, this move deals moderate knockback which can KO opponents early near the edge. Good for air-to-air combat because of its low ending lag. It is possible to jump out of one from a short hop, and it can be used twice before landing from a full hop. If fast enough, Roy can combo a forward aerial straight into another using his second jump. Its 13 frames of landing lag makes it generally unsafe to use on shield at close range.
|fairdesc=A downward slash. It is fairly strong when sweetspotted, as it can KO opponents reliably while on-stage and especially off-stage. Good for air-to-air combat because of its low ending lag. It is possible to jump out of one from a short hop, and it can be used twice before landing from a jump. If performed fast enough, it can combo into itself when using his double jump.
|bairname=&nbsp;
|bairname=About Face ({{ja|アッパースイング|Appā Suingu}}, ''Upper Swing'')
|bairdmg=12% (sweetspot), 9% (sourspot)
|bairdmg=12%/9%
|bairdesc=Rotates his body to perform an upward swipe. Good KO potential when sweetspotted, and can get early KOs when used off-stage. Covers good vertical and horizontal range. Like with Marth and Lucina's back aerials, it has the interesting property of turning Roy around when used. The sourspot can [[lock]] opponents who miss a tech at medium percents. It shares his forward aerial's landing lag, making it unsafe to hit the sweetspot in neutral.
|bairdesc=Rotates his body to perform an upward slash. It is stronger than forward aerial, and can KO opponents reliably while on-stage and especially off-stage. Covers good vertical and horizontal range, but has rather high ending lag. Like with Marth and Lucina's back aerials, it turns Roy around when used. Unlike their back aerials, however, its sourspot can [[lock]] opponents at medium percents if they miss a tech.
|uairname=&nbsp;
|uairname=Luna Slash ({{ja|ルナスラッシュ|Runa Surasshu}})
|uairdmg=9% (sweetspot), 6% (sourspot)
|uairdmg=9%/6%
|uairdesc=A backflipping, upward arcing slash. The weakest of Roy's aerials in terms of damage and knockback, but its large arc and speed makes it suitable for juggling and/or combos. Also his fastest aerial, starting at frame 5 (the same as his neutral attack). Due to Roy's falling speed, a short hopped up aerial's hitbox still stays active once Roy lands, allowing a late hit to connect against grounded opponents. This late hit can also combo into most of his ground moves at low percents.
|uairdesc=A backflipping, upward arcing slash. The weakest of Roy's aerials in terms of damage and knockback, but it is his fastest one, due to it coming out on frame 5 (the same as his neutral attack). Its large arc and speed also make it suitable for juggling and/or combos, as it is able to follow up with most of his grounded attacks at low percents while he is falling, and into his aerials at high percents. Its sourspot also has a long duration, which allows it to function as a KO set-up, such as into back aerial or Blazer.
|dairname=&nbsp;
|dairname=Half Moon ({{ja|メテオドロップ|meteodoroppu}}, ''Meteor Drop'')
|dairdmg=15% (sweetspot), 10% (sourspot)
|dairdmg=15%/10%
|dairdesc=A downward two-handed slash between his legs, similar to {{SSB4|Ike}}'s down aerial. There is a powerful [[meteor smash]] hitbox near the Sword of Seals' hilt, while the rest of its blade launches opponents upward. KOs around 130% when sweetspotted on-stage. However, it has considerable ending and landing lag, which makes it risky to use off-stage, especially due to Roy's falling speed.
|dairdesc=A two-handed, downward slash between his legs, similar to {{SSB4|Ike}}'s down aerial. It has a powerful [[meteor smash]] hitbox near the Binding Blade's hilt, while the rest of its blade launches opponents upward. KOs around 130% when sweetspotted on-stage. However, it has considerable ending and landing lag, which makes it risky to use off-stage, especially due to Roy's very high falling speed.
|grabname=&nbsp;
|grabname=Grab ({{ja|つかみ|Tsukami}})
|grabdesc=Reaches out with his free hand.
|grabdesc=Reaches out with his free hand.
|pummelname=&nbsp;
|pummelname=Grab Kneebutt ({{ja|つかみニーバット|Tsukami Nībatto}})
|pummeldmg=2%
|pummeldmg=2%
|pummeldesc=A knee strike. A fairly fast pummel.
|pummeldesc=A knee strike. A fairly fast pummel.
|fthrowname=&nbsp;
|fthrowname=Roll Over ({{ja|ロールオーバー|Rōru Ōbā}})
|fthrowdmg=5%
|fthrowdmg=5%
|fthrowdesc=Flings the opponent forward. Has low ending lag and low knockback, allowing it to combo into a neutral attack or forward tilt at low percents, and a dash attack at medium percents. However, this loses effectiveness at medium to high percents, as opponents will be able to tech and roll away. It sometimes combos into up smash if the opponent does not react. Also works very well as a set-up to his neutral aerial, which, when hit, can extend into even more combos.
|fthrowdesc=Spins and flings the opponent forward. While the throw only causes very low hitstun, its low ending lag and low knockback allow it to combo into a neutral attack or forward tilt at low percents, and a dash attack at medium percents. It can also potentially combo into a dashing up smash if the opponent does not react in time, and works very well as a set-up for a neutral aerial, which, when hit, can chain into even more combos. At high percents, it is also able to set up a tech-chase.
|bthrowname=&nbsp;
|bthrowname=Leg Hooker ({{ja|レッグフッカー|Reggu Fukkā}})
|bthrowdmg=5%
|bthrowdmg=5%
|bthrowdesc=Tosses the opponent over his leg, sending them behind and above him. Very weak diagonal knockback that causes the throw the have a somewhat fixed trajectory even at high percentages. Low hitstun like his other throws, but its angle allows Roy to read the opponent's reaction and capitalize on it. If the opponent does not expect it, this can lead into down aerial at low percents or a back aerial for a KO at high percents near the edge, although the latter requires precise timing.
|bthrowdesc=Tosses the opponent behind himself. Has weak diagonal knockback that causes the throw to have a somewhat fixed trajectory even at high percents. Low hitstun like his other throws, but its angle allows Roy to read the opponent's reaction and capitalize on it. If the opponent does not expect it, this can lead into down aerial at low percents or a back aerial for a KO at high percents near the edge, although the latter requires precise timing.
|uthrowname=&nbsp;
|uthrowname=Casting ({{ja|キャスティング|Kyasutingu}})
|uthrowdmg=6%
|uthrowdmg=6%
|uthrowdesc=Flings the opponent upward with his free hand. Like Marth's and Lucina's up throws, this is Roy's only throw with KO potential, as it starts KOing around 170%.
|uthrowdesc=Heaves the opponent upward with his free hand. Like Marth and Lucina's up throws, it is Roy's only throw with KO potential, although it starts KOing slightly later in comparison (at around 170%).
|dthrowname=&nbsp;
|dthrowname=Slam ({{ja|グラブドロップ|Gurabo Doroppu}}, ''Grab Drop'')
|dthrowdmg=5%
|dthrowdmg=5%
|dthrowdesc=Throws the opponent against the ground with one arm, bouncing them upwards. Good combo potential, as it launches the opponent directly above Roy. This is made better by the fact that it has low base knockback and low knockback growth. However, its low hitstun makes it unreliable on [[Falling speed#Floaty|floaty]] characters and other characters past low percents. It is a [[true combo]] into Blazer on most characters until medium percents. At low percents, it also combos into neutral attack, up tilt and forward tilt. If the opponent does not react, stringing a combo into neutral attack may lead into another grab.
|dthrowdesc=A one-armed body slam. Aesthetically, it appears almost identical to forward throw, with its only difference being a shockwave effect to indicate the opponent hitting the ground. Mechanically, it functions much differently, as it launches the opponent directly above Roy and is a [[true combo]] into Blazer on most characters up to medium percents. Like Roy's forward throw, this throw causes very low hitstun, but its low base knockback and low knockback growth allow it to combo into neutral attack, up tilt and forward tilt at low percents, with the neutral attack combo allowing for the possibility of chaining into another grab if the opponent does not react in time. It can also combo into a neutral aerial, forward aerial and up aerial at medium percents.
|floorfname=&nbsp;
|floorfname=&nbsp;
|floorfdmg=7%
|floorfdmg=7%
Line 218: Line 261:
|floortname=&nbsp;
|floortname=&nbsp;
|floortdmg=5%
|floortdmg=5%
|floortdesc=Hops briskly to his feet and then does a thrust to the left and a slash to the right.
|floortdesc=Hops briskly to his feet to perform a thrust to the left and a slash to the right.
|edgename=&nbsp;
|edgename=&nbsp;
|edgedmg=8%
|edgedmg=8%
|edgedesc=Slashes outward while climbing up.
|edgedesc=Performs an outward slash while climbing up.
|nsdefname=Flare Blade
|nsname=Flare Blade
|nsdefdmg=6%-45%, 50% (fully charged sweetspot), 36% (fully charged sourspot)
|nsdmg=6%-45%, 50% (fully charged sweetspot), 36% (fully charged sourspot)
|nsdefdesc=Rears back and ignites the Sword of Seals' blade before performing a lunging two-handed downward slash, which causes a fiery explosion. Functions similarly to Ike's [[Eruption]] and can be charged for a maximum of five seconds before unleashing the explosion, with the explosion's size growing as it charges. With high base knockback at almost all charge levels and very high knockback growth, it is one of Roy's most viable KOing options. When fully charged, it is capable of [[one-hit KO]]ing all but {{SSB4|Bowser}} and {{SSB4|Shulk}} with the [[Monado Arts|Shield Art]] active from center-stage. However, a fully charged explosion deals 10% recoil damage. To further supplement its power, it has surprisingly little ending lag, as Roy is able to act out of it almost immediately. The fully charged explosion also has a sourspot at its edges that deals much less damage and knockback and is not a OHKO. However, the sourspot is still powerful, as it KOs at 41%. It is possibly Roy's best option to use to punish a [[stun]]ned opponent because of its OHKO potential when fully charged, especially considering Roy's good shield pressuring potential.
|nsdesc=Rears back and ignites the Binding Blade's blade before performing a lunging, two-handed downward slash that generates an explosion. Functions similarly to [[Eruption]], as it can be charged before unleashing the explosion, with the explosion'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 is capable of [[one-hit KO]]ing all but {{SSB4|Shulk}} with the [[Monado Arts|Shield Art]] active and {{SSB4|Bowser}} from center-stage. To further supplement its power, it has surprisingly minimal ending lag, as Roy is able to act out of it almost immediately. However, a fully charged explosion deals 10% [[recoil damage]]. The fully charged explosion also has a sourspot at its edges that deals much less damage and knockback and is not a OHKO, though it is still powerful enough to KO at 41%. It is possibly Roy's best option to use to punish a [[stun]]ned opponent because of its OHKO potential when fully charged, especially considering Roy's good shield pressuring potential.
|nsc1name=N/A
|ssname=Double-Edge Dance
|nsc1dmg=
|ssdmg=Varies
|nsc1desc=
|ssdesc=A combination of sword swings, which can be influenced by directional inputs. Its animations are identical to [[Dancing Blade]] and its first hit stalls Roy's descent, although it is largely ineffective for recovery because of his falling speed being much faster than Marth and Lucina's. However, its overall knockback is slightly stronger than Dancing Blade, and the last hit of each variation deals [[flame]] damage unlike Dancing Blade because of the Binding Blade's blade igniting.
|nsc2name=N/A
|usname=Blazer
|nsc2dmg=
|usdmg=5.5% (grounded hit 1), 4.5% (aerial hit 1), 1.1% (grounded hits 2-4), 1% (aerial hits 2-4), 8% (grounded hit 5), 6% (aerial hit 5)
|nsc2desc=
|usdesc=A jumping reverse gripped slash, which ignites the Binding Blade's blade. Hits multiple times and can be angled diagonally, though this causes the slash to cover less vertical distance. A viable [[out of shield]] and KOing option, its grounded version is more powerful, as it KOs around 110% if all hits connect. Its grounded version also grants brief super armor at its beginning. However, it is a sub-par recovery option, due to it covering decent horizontal distance, but very minimal vertical distance.
|ssdefname=Double-Edge Dance
|dsname=Counter
|ssdefdmg=3%-5% (first hit), 2%-3% (second forward hit), 2%-3% (second upward hit), 1%-3% (second downward hit), 2%-3% (third forward hit), 3% (third upward hit), 4% (third downward hit), 6% (last forward hit), 5% (last upward hit), 2% (last downward hits 1-4), 6% (last downward hit 5)
|dsdmg=1.35× (minimum 9%)
|ssdefdesc=A combination of sword slashes. The type of slashes can be influenced by directional inputs. The finishing slash is one of three options: an upward slice with good KO power at high percents but low range (tilting the control stick up), a strong slash with good KO power at high percents near the edge (no control stick input or tilting the control stick forward), or a flurry of low-angled thrusts that deal the most amount of damage but the least amount of knockback (tilting the control stick down). Its animations are identical to [[Dancing Blade]] and its first hit stalls Roy's descent, although it is largely ineffective for recovery due to his falling speed being much faster than Marth's and Lucina's. However, its overall knockback is slightly stronger than both versions of Dancing Blade and the last hit of each variation deals [[flame]] damage unlike either version of Dancing Blade, due to igniting the Sword of Seals' blade.
|dsdesc=[[fireemblemwiki:Counter|Parries]] and then [[counterattack]]s against any incoming attacks with an outward slash that ignites the Binding Blade's blade. It has the highest damage multiplier of any counterattack in the game by default, with only [[Vision]] surpassing it while the [[Monado Arts|Buster Art]] is active. However, its counter window is relatively short, and it is tied with [[Double Team]] for having the third highest amount of start-up lag out of every counterattack in the game. Roy may also say "{{ja|いまだ!|Imada!}}" (''"Now!"'') or "{{ja|そこ!|Soko!}}" (''"There!"'') if successful. Its counterattack is based on his long-ranged basic attack with the Binding Blade.
|ssc1name=N/A
|ssc1dmg=
|ssc1desc=
|ssc2name=N/A
|ssc2dmg=
|ssc2desc=
|usdefname=Blazer
|usdefdmg=5% (hit 1 sweetspot), 4% (hit 1 sourspot), 1% (hits 2-4), 8% (hit 5 sweetspot), 7% (hit 5 sourspot)
|usdefdesc=A jumping reverse gripped slash, which ignites the Sword of Seals' blade. Hits multiple times, can be angled diagonally and grants super armor at the beginning of the move. If all of its hits connect, it KOs at around 110% on the ground. A viable out of shield or KOing option, but rather mediocre if used for recovery.
|usc1name=N/A
|usc1dmg=
|usc1desc=
|usc2name=N/A
|usc2dmg=
|usc2desc=
|dsdefname=Counter
|dsdefdmg=1.35x (min 8%)
|dsdefdesc=Parries and then [[fireemblemwiki:Counter|counterattacks]] against any incoming attacks with a slash, which ignites the Sword of Seals' blade. Damage and knockback dealt scale on the move that is countered. Roy may additionally yell "{{ja|いまだ!|Imada!}}" (''"Now!"'') or "{{ja|そこ!|Soko!}}" (''"There!"'') if successful.
|dsc1name=N/A
|dsc1dmg=
|dsc1desc=
|dsc2name=N/A
|dsc2dmg=
|dsc2desc=
|fsname=Critical Hit
|fsname=Critical Hit
|fsdmg=1% (hits 1-10), 35% (hit 11)
|fsdmg=1% (hits 1-10), 35% (hit 11)
|fsdesc=Swings the Sword of Seals in a fully circular arc before slamming it downward, generating a powerful explosive slash that engulfs the attacked area in flames. Unlike Marth's and Lucina's Critical Hit, Roy's is not a one-hit KO. The circular trail can connect up to four times from the front; if the move is performed with an opponent behind Roy, it can hit up to ten times, which traps the opponent until the last slash is dealt.
|fsdesc=Swings the Binding Blade in a circular motion, which ignites its blade, before performing a two-handed, downward slash that generates a powerful explosion. Unlike Marth and Lucina's Critical Hit, Roy's is not a one-hit KO. The circular swing can hit up to four times from the front, though it can hit up to ten times if performed on an opponent behind Roy. It is based on the Binding Blade's {{s|fireemblemwiki|range}}d attack in ''The Binding Blade''.
}}
 
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Double-Edge Dance
! Hit
! Damage
! Description
|-
| First Hit (Neutral) || 3%/2% || A downwards slash towards the left while stepping forwards.
|-
| Second Hit (Up) || 3%/2% || Does an upwards lifting slash.
|-
| Second Hit (Neutral) || 3%/2% || Does a right-to-left swiping stab angled slightly downwards.
|-
| Third Hit (Up) || 4%/3% || Turns his body and swings upwards.
|-
| Third Hit (Neutral) || 4%/3% || Does an upwards swing while stepping forward.
|-
| Third Hit (Down) || 4%/3% || Steps forward and does a backhanded stab towards the ground before twirling.
|-
| Fourth Hit (Up) || 7%/5% || Performs a twirling overhead half-moon slash.
|-
| Fourth Hit (Neutral) || 6%/4% || Twirls counterclockwise and produces a strong downward.
|-
| Fourth Hit (Down) || 2% (hit 1-4), 5%/3% (hit 5) || Steps forward, bends close to the ground, and does a flurry of five stabs. The last hit launches opponents away.
|}
 
===Stats===
{{Attributes
|cast = 58
|weight = 95
|rweight = 30-32
|dash = 1.4
|rdash = 42-46
|run = 1.95
|rrun = 11
|walk = 1.15
|rwalk = 24-27
|trac = 0.06
|rtrac = 14-24
|airfric = 0.005
|rairfric = 52-54
|air = 1.24
|rair = 4
|baseaccel = 0.02
|rbaseaccel = 8-9
|addaccel = 0.03
|raddaccel = 54-56
|gravity = 0.114
|rgravity = 9
|fall = 1.8
|rfall = 5-8
|ff = 2.9
|rff = 6
|jumpsquat = 5
|rjumpsquat = 14-41
|jumpheight = 30.969999
|rjumpheight = 45
|shorthop = 13
|rshorthop = 52-53
|djump = 28
|rdjump = 48-49
}}
}}
===[[Announcer]] call===
{{audio|Needs announcer calls from other languages.}}
<gallery>
Roy English Announcer SSB4-SSBU.wav|English/Japanese/Chinese
</gallery>


===[[On-screen appearance]]===
===[[On-screen appearance]]===
{{appearance
{{appearance
|desc=Warps onto the stage using [[fireemblemwiki:Warp (staff)|warp magic]] while crouching, with the Sword of Seals stuck in the ground when he appears. He then pulls it out with a flourish before assuming his idle stance. This is a reference to one of his victory poses in ''Melee'', where he plunged the Sword of Seals into the ground.
|desc=Warps onto the stage using [[fireemblemwiki:Warp (staff)|warp magic]] while crouching, with the Binding Blade stuck in the ground when he appears. He then pulls it out with a flourish before assuming his idle stance.
|char=Roy
|char=Roy
|game=SSB4}}
|game=SSB4}}
Line 272: Line 359:
{{Taunt/SSB4
{{Taunt/SSB4
|char=Roy
|char=Roy
|desc-up=Triumphantly holds the Sword of Seals diagonally above his head.
|desc-up=Triumphantly holds the Binding Blade overhead.
|desc-side=Winds back before striking a pose while holding the Sword of Seals in a reverse grip while saying "{{ja|僕 は 負けない!|Boku wa Makenai!}}" (''"I won't lose!"'') This line was one of his victory quotes in ''Melee''.
|desc-side=Winds back before striking a pose while holding the Binding Blade in a reverse grip while saying "{{ja|僕は負けない!|Boku wa makenai!}}" (''"I won't lose!"'') This line was one of his victory quotes in ''Melee''.
|desc-down=Kneels and twirls the Sword of Seals behind himself while yelling "Heee-ya!" This taunt returns from ''Melee''.}}
|desc-down=Kneels and twirls the Binding Blade behind himself while yelling "Heee-ya!" This taunt returns from ''Melee''.}}


===[[Idle pose]]s===
===[[Idle pose]]s===
{{Idle
{{Idle
|desc-1=Pumps his fist while smiling. Unusually, this is actually a part of his standing animation, and can be seen on the [[character customization]] screen, unlike other idle poses.
|desc-1=Pumps his fist while smiling.
|desc-2=Rubs the edge of the Sword of Seals' blade.
|desc-2=Rubs the edge of the Binding Blade.
|image-1=RoyIdlePose1WiiU.jpg
|image-1=RoyIdlePose1WiiU.jpg
|image-2=RoyIdlePose2WiiU.jpg}}
|image-2=RoyIdlePose2WiiU.jpg}}
Line 287: Line 374:
|game=SSB4
|game=SSB4
|char=Roy
|char=Roy
|desc-us=Roy's our Boy!
|desc-us=Roy's our boy!
|desc-jp=Roy! Roy! Roy!
|desc-jp=Roy! Roy! Roy!
|pitch-us=Female
|pitch-us=Female
Line 296: Line 383:
|victory-theme=FireEmblemTheme.ogg
|victory-theme=FireEmblemTheme.ogg
|victory-desc=An orchestral excerpt of the title theme from ''{{s|fireemblemwiki|Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light}}'', which has since become the main theme of the ''Fire Emblem'' series.
|victory-desc=An orchestral excerpt of the title theme from ''{{s|fireemblemwiki|Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light}}'', which has since become the main theme of the ''Fire Emblem'' series.
|desc-1=Swipes the Sword of Seals once over his shoulder, then swipes it down and behind him while facing left with his free hand clenched, saying "{{ja|真の戦いは、これからだ。|Shin no tatakai wa, korekara da.}}" (''"The real battle is yet to come."'')
|desc-1=Swings the Binding Blade once over his shoulder, then swings it down and behind him while facing left with his free hand clenched, saying {{ja|真の戦いは、これからだ|Shin no tatakai wa, korekara da}} (''"The real battle is yet to come."'')
|desc-2=Spins the Sword of Seals one and a half times and then sheaths it, saying "{{ja|苦しい戦いだった。|Kurushī tatakai datta.}}" (''"That was a difficult battle."'') This replaces his victory animation from ''Melee'', where he plunged the Sword of Seals into the ground.
|desc-2=Spins the Binding Blade one and a half times and then sheaths it, saying "{{ja|苦しい戦いだった|Kurushī tatakai datta}}" (''"That was a difficult battle."'') This replaces his victory animation from ''Melee'', where he plunged the Binding Blade into the ground.
|desc-3=Flourishes the Sword of Seals in a circle before posing with it by his side, saying "{{ja|守るべきもののために、負けられない!|Mamoru beki mono no tame ni, makerarenai!}}" (''"For the sake of those I must protect, I will not lose!"'')
|desc-3=Flourishes the Binding Blade in a circle before posing with it by his side, saying "{{ja|守るべきもののために、負けられない!|Mamoru beki mono no tame ni, makerarenai!}}" (''"For the sake of those I must protect, I will not lose!"'')
|char=Roy}}
|char=Roy}}


==In [[competitive play]]==
==In [[competitive play]]==
===Notable players===
===Most historically significant players===
====Active====
<!--This character has a ten player limit for this section. Before adding and/or removing a player, read these guidelines: https://www.ssbwiki.com/SmashWiki:Notability#%22Most_historically_significant_players%22_guidelines -->
*{{Sm|Izaw|Sweden}}
*{{Sm|Ryo|USA}}
*{{Sm|Serew|Netherlands}}
*{{Sm|Serge|Mexico}}
*{{Sm|Sethlon|USA}}
*{{Sm|Static|USA}}
*{{Sm|Hyper_Kirby|USA}}


====Inactive====
''See also: [[:Category:Roy players (SSB4)]]''
*{{Sm|Neath|France}}
 
*{{Sm|NEO|USA}}
*{{Sm|Cloudy|Mexico}} - The greatest Roy player of all-time. He is best known for many noteworthy performances in Mexico, ranking top 10 in the country for most of ''Smash 4'' and placing 2nd at {{Trn|Smash Fest 3}}, defeating several of Mexico's best players including {{Sm|Maister}} and {{Sm|Chag}}, as well as 9th at {{Trn|Smash Factor 6}}, defeating {{Sm|Kameme}}. He seldomly left Mexico, with his most notable out-of-region performance being 33rd at {{Trn|2GGC: Fire Emblem Saga}}.
*{{Sm|ZeRo|Chile}}
*{{Sm|komorikiri|Japan}} - Better known for using {{SSB4|Cloud}} and {{SSB4|Sonic}}, but had a noteworthy Roy secondary used in the latter half of 2017, most notably to defeat {{Sm|CaptainZack}} at the {{Trn|2GG Championship}}. In addition, he used exclusively Roy to place 5th at {{Trn|Sumabato 20}} and 9th at {{Trn|Sumabato 21}}, some of the best solo placements for a Roy player at ranked events.
*{{Sm|TheFlow|France}} - The best Roy player in Europe, ranking 30th on the [[European Smash 4 Power Rankings]]. He is best known for placing 7th at {{Trn|Albion 3}} and regularly placing highly at French events, including winning several Neokan weeklies and placing 4th at [https://www.start.gg/tournament/smash-3-days-4/event/big-wanted-1v1-single Big Wanted #1] and 5th at [https://www.start.gg/tournament/wanted-9-hollywood-edition-1/details WANTED 9: Hollywood Edition].
*{{Sm|Hyper Kirby|USA}} - The best Roy player in the United States, often considered a mid-tier hidden boss, as his tournament activity was mostly in Georgia. He often placed top 3 at Gwinnett Brawl events, and as a result, was able to defeat Georgia's PGR-ranked players {{Sm|ScAtt}} and {{Sm|Fatality}} numerous times. His 17th-place finish at {{Trn|MomoCon 2017}} marks the best placement from a Roy player at a major, and he had also placed 25th at both {{Trn|DreamHack Atlanta 2017}} and {{Trn|MomoCon 2018}}.
*{{Sm|Ryo|USA}} - Used Roy as a secondary to his Ike, and was known for his advancements to Roy's metagame. He placed 9th at {{Trn|Super Smash Con 2016}}, 25th at {{Trn|CEO 2017}}, and 33rd at {{Trn|2GGT: ZeRo Saga}}; however, those events were primarily with Ike.


===Tier placement and history===
===Tier placement and history===
Roy's initial perception among the community was very positive; players almost immediately recognized his powerful offense due to the prominent strengths of his sweetspotted attacks, heavily damaging throw set-ups, and significantly improved mobility. These views were especially noted because his semi-clone, {{SSB4|Marth}}, as well as {{SSB4|Lucina}}, were considered poor characters at the time. Despite his extremely low representation, which is unseen of a perceived high-tier character, most of the community believed that Roy was a viable character, with {{Sm|ZeRo}} notably going as far as saying he was the best sword-wielding character in the game.
Throughout the game’s competitive lifespan, Roy's standing relative to the cast was among divisive compared to most of the cast. Upon his release, Roy was perceived very positively among the community; players almost immediately recognized his powerful offense due to the prominent strengths of his sweetspotted attacks, heavily damaging throw set-ups, and significantly improved mobility. These views were especially noted because his semi-clone {{SSB4|Marth}}, and by extension Marth's clone {{SSB4|Lucina}}, were considered poor characters at the time. As such, many in the community believed that Roy was a viable character, with some even claiming him to be the premier swordfighter in the game. This perception, however, was heavily disputed due to his low representation for a perceived high-tier and difficulty in initiating combo setups. Further supporting the disputers were the buffs to characters considered worse than Roy in later updates, with a corresponding increase in tournament results and representation. Conversely, Roy's representation remained unimpressive, and his vulnerability to combos, weak recovery, and an ineffective close-ranged playstyle due to his poor approach and unimpressive range became more apparent as time went on. As such, opinions on Roy quickly declined, and he was ranked 32nd on the first ''4BR'' [[tier list]], placing him at the top of the low-tier.


Even so, his viability was then disputed due to his poor tournament representation and results; furthermore, characters considered worse than him received a variety of buffs in later updates, with a corresponding increase in tournament results and representation than Roy, while his weaknesses were made much more apparent to the community. As such, opinions on Roy quickly started to change due to his vulnerability to combos, weak recovery, and how his playstyle forces him to approach as close as possible despite having a weak approach. In spite of these flaws and his poor representation and results, Roy was ranked 32nd on the first tier list, placing him at the top of the F tier and making him the highest ranked low-tier character.
Update [[1.1.4]] granted Marth and Lucina major buffs that significantly increased their effectiveness, allowing both characters, especially Marth, to receive improved results, eventually leading to their viability reassessments. Conversely, Roy only gained minor landing lag decreases to his aerials, and as such, remained a low-tier character due to the minimal effectiveness of his buffs from update 1.1.4. The lack of significant breakthroughs to his lackluster approaches and middling combo game only served to further damage Roy's negative perception, and he plummeted on the second tier list to 50th, placing him at the bottom of the low-tier.


However, update [[1.1.4]] granted Marth and Lucina major buffs that significantly increased their effectiveness, while Roy only gained minor landing lag decreases to his aerials. This resulted in them achieving improved results (most notably the former) from professionals and saw their opinions reassessed as those of a high-tier and a mid-tier character, respectively, whereas Roy remained a low-tier character. His position relative to the cast, however, was still disputed; some professionals like ZeRo reconsidered him to be on the low end of the mid-tier, others like {{Sm|Abadango}} considered him one of the worst characters in the game. In spite of his poor tournament representation, he had received some results from the few professionals who do main him. The biggest upset occurred at [[Super Smash Con 2016]], where {{Sm|Ryo}} used Roy at in an impressive, yet ironical two-game win streak over Abadango's {{SSB4|Mewtwo}}, with Abadango later counterpicking Ryo's Roy with {{SSB4|Rosalina & Luma}} and winning by a slim margin. These results, however, were not enough to repair Roy's negative perception, and subsequently saw Roy being ranked 50th on the second tier list, placing him at the bottom of the G tier and resulting in him plummeting from the top of the low-tier to the bottom of the low-tier.
After the second tier list, Roy was finally able to see some advancements in his metagames thanks to dedicated players, allowing his representation to improve ever-so slightly. Ryo's secondary Roy, which allowed him to place 9th at {{Trn|Super Smash Con 2016}}, was one of the first noteworthy performances for Roy, and additional secondary usage and noteworthy regional performances allowed him to rise to 44th on the third tier list. 2017, however, was by far the best year for Roy yet, as it featured several high major placements from {{Sm|Hyper Kirby}}, {{Sm|Cloudy}}'s run to 9th at {{Trn|Smash Factor 6}} defeating {{Sm|Kameme}}, and {{Sm|komorikiri}} successfully using solo-Roy at several {{Trn|Sumabato}} events and defeating {{Sm|CaptainZack}} at {{Trn|2GG Championship}}. Despite this success, Roy only rose slightly to 41st on the fourth and final tier list, though due to the expansion of the tiers, he is now ranked as a mid-tier character. While a number of top players consider his placement to be accurate due to his polarized toolkit causing him to struggle against numerous characters, many other players agreed that Roy could potentially rise just a bit higher thanks to his good power and mobility, as well as impressive results at smaller yet notable events such as Cloudy's run to 2nd at {{Trn|Smash Fest 3}} and {{Sm|TheFlow}}'s run to 7th at {{Trn|Albion 2}}.


All in all, Roy's standing relative to the cast remains among the most contentious of all characters to these days; his tournament representation and overall results still remain poor overall, though with the big feat of three Roy players achieving Top 32 at [[Smash the Record 2016]], his overall viability remains a huge topic of debate.
==In Solo Modes==
===[[All-Star Mode]]===
In All-Star Mode, Roy is fought in Stage 6 in the 3DS version or Stage 2 in the Wii U version if he has been downloaded alongside {{SSB4|Zero Suit Samus}}, {{SSB4|Ike}}, {{SSB4|Lucas}}, {{SSB4|Olimar}}, {{SSB4|Lucario}}, {{SSB4|Toon Link}}, {{SSB4|Villager}}, and {{SSB4|Bowser Jr.}}


==Trophies==
===[[Congratulations screen]]s===
:'''Roy'''
::''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.''
 
{{Trophy games|console1=GBA|game1=Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade}}
 
:'''Roy (Alt)'''
::{{flag|ntsc}} ''His sword, the Sword of Seals, is uniquely powerful at the base of the blade. 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.''
 
::{{flag|pal}} ''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.''
 
{{Trophy games|console1=GBA|game1=Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade}}
 
:'''Critical Hit'''
::{{flag|ntsc}} ''For Roy’s Final Smash, he traps enemies in a circular swing of the blade, brings it up behind him, and then, in a blast of fire, brings the blade down for a powerful finisher! The downward attack is powerful on its own but doesn’t have much range, so make sure you’re close enough to hit your enemies with the full combo and really seal their fate!''
 
::{{flag|pal}} ''For Roy’s Final Smash, he traps enemies in a circular swing of the blade, brings it up behind him, and then, in a blast of fire, brings the blade down for a powerful finisher! The downward attack is powerful on its own but doesn’t have much range, so make sure you’re close enough to hit your enemies with the full combo and really seal their fate!''
<center>
<center>
====3DS====
<gallery>
SSB4-3DS Congratulations Classic Roy.png|Classic Mode
SSB4-3DS Congratulations All-Star Roy.png|All-Star Mode
</gallery>
====Wii U====
<gallery>
<gallery>
RoyTrophy3DS.png|Classic (3DS)
SSB4-Wii U Congratulations Classic Roy.png|Classic Mode
RoyAltTrophy3DS.png|Alt. (3DS)
SSB4-Wii U Congratulations All-Star Roy.png|All-Star Mode
RoyTrophyWiiU.png|Classic (Wii U)
RoyAltTrophyWiiU.png|Alt. (Wii U)
CriticalHitRoyTrophyWiiU.png|[[Critical Hit]] (Roy)
</gallery>
</gallery>
</center>
</center>
==[[Trophies]]==
Roy's default trophy is obtained by clearing Classic Mode as Roy. His alternate trophy is obtained by clearing All-Star Mode as Roy in the 3DS version or booting up the game after downloading Roy in the Wii U version. The Critical Hit (Roy) trophy is obtained only in the Wii U version by clearing All-Star Mode as Roy.
{{Trophy/Fighter
|name=Roy
|image-3ds=RoyTrophy3DS.png
|image-wiiu=RoyTrophyWiiU.png
|mode=Classic
|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)}}
}}
{{clrl}}
{{Trophy/Fighter
|name=Roy (Alt.)
|image-3ds=RoyAltTrophy3DS.png
|image-wiiu=RoyAltTrophyWiiU.png
|mode=Alt
|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)}}
}}
{{clrl}}
{{Trophy/Fighter
|name=Critical Hit (Roy)
|image=CriticalHitRoyTrophyWiiU.png
|desc-ntsc=For Roy's Final Smash, he traps enemies in a circular swing of the blade, brings it up behind him, and then, in a blast of fire, brings the blade down for a powerful finisher! The downward attack is powerful on its own but doesn't have much range, so make sure you're close enough to hit your enemies with the full combo and really seal their fate!
|desc-pal=For Roy's Final Smash, he traps enemies in a circular swing of the blade, brings it up behind him and then, in a blast of fire, brings the blade down for a powerful finisher! The downward attack is powerful on its own, but doesn't have much range, so make sure you're close enough to hit your enemies with the full combo and really seal their fate!
|game=ssb4-wiiu
}}
{{clrl}}


==[[Alternate costume (SSB4)#Roy|Alternate costumes]]==
==[[Alternate costume (SSB4)#Roy|Alternate costumes]]==
{|style="margin:1em auto 1em auto;text-align:center"
{|style="margin:1em auto 1em auto;text-align:center"
|-
|-
|colspan=8|[[Image:Roy Palette (SSB4).png]]
|colspan=8|[[File:Roy Palette (SSB4).png]]
|-
|-
|{{Head|Roy|g=SSB4|s=50px}}
|{{Head|Roy|g=SSB4|s=50px}}
Line 369: Line 472:


==[[List of Super Smash Bros. 4 character trailers#Roy|Reveal trailer]]==
==[[List of Super Smash Bros. 4 character trailers#Roy|Reveal trailer]]==
<youtube>w8XIj05irtU</youtube>
{{#widget:YouTube|id=w8XIj05irtU}}


==Gallery==
==Gallery==
Line 375: Line 478:
SSB4 Roy SplashArt.png|Roy's splash art.
SSB4 Roy SplashArt.png|Roy's splash art.
Roy_amiibo.png|Roy's [[amiibo]].
Roy_amiibo.png|Roy's [[amiibo]].
Roy unlock notice SSB4-Wii U.png|Roy's unlock notice in {{forwiiu}} after downloading him from the [[Nintendo eShop]].
Roy Screen-1.jpg|Using his down taunt.
Roy Screen-1.jpg|Using his down taunt.
Roy Screen-2.jpg|Using his new neutral attack on {{SSB4|Captain Falcon}}.
Roy Screen-2.jpg|Using his new neutral attack on {{SSB4|Captain Falcon}}.
Line 382: Line 486:
Roy Screen-6.jpg|Alongside {{SSB4|Zero Suit Samus}} and {{SSB4|Wii Fit Trainer}}.
Roy Screen-6.jpg|Alongside {{SSB4|Zero Suit Samus}} and {{SSB4|Wii Fit Trainer}}.
Roy Screen-7.jpg|Using [[Flare Blade]] on {{SSB4|Link}}.
Roy Screen-7.jpg|Using [[Flare Blade]] on {{SSB4|Link}}.
Roy Screen-8.jpg|All of Roy's alternate costumes.
Roy Screen-8.jpg|All of Roy's [[alternate costume]]s.
Roy Screen-9.jpg|Using Double-Edge Dance's last forward hit on [[Rosalina & Luma (SSB4)|Rosalina]] and {{SSB4|Yoshi}}.
Roy Screen-9.jpg|Using Double-Edge Dance's last forward hit on [[Rosalina & Luma (SSB4)|Rosalina]] and {{SSB4|Yoshi}}.
Roy Screen-10.jpg|Using his up taunt alongside male and female {{SSB4|Robin}}.
Roy Screen-10.jpg|Using his up taunt alongside male and female {{SSB4|Robin}}.
Line 388: Line 492:


==Trivia==
==Trivia==
*Roy makes a few references to his home game:
*Roy and {{SSB4|Ryu}} are the only DLC characters to be released on the same day as their announcement.
**His forward smash resembles [http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/fireemblem/images/2/29/Roy_masterlord_sword.gif/revision/latest?cb=20111031235847 his regular attack as a Great Lord in ''The Binding Blade''], to the point where the freeze frame upon landing is modeled after the exact frame as the ending blow of said attack.
**[[Counter]]'s counterattack animation resembles his long-ranged basic attack animation with the Sword of Seals.
**His up taunt is based on the [http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/fireemblem/images/f/fa/RoyBindingBladeArt.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20081114132041 cutscene illustration] from ''The Binding Blade'' where he draws the Sword of Seals for the first time.
*Roy's pose in his official art is nearly identical to his pose in his official art for ''Melee''.
*Roy's pose in his official art is nearly identical to his pose in his official art for ''Melee''.
*Roy is the only one of the DLC veterans to not have had a trophy depicting them in the base game.
*Aspects of Roy's sound design have been carried over from ''Melee'':
*Aspects of Roy's sound design have been carried over from ''Melee'':
**All of his sourspotted attacks emit a punch/kick sound effect instead of a slashing sound effect.
**All of his sourspotted attacks emit a punch/kick sound effect, instead of a slash sound effect.
**He uses different voice clips when using battering [[item]]s.
**He uses different voice clips when using battering [[item]]s.
**When he is [[dizzy]], his corresponding voice clip loops constantly instead of playing only once.
**When he is [[dizzy]], his corresponding voice clip loops constantly, instead of playing only once.
**He uses more than one voice clip for his smash attacks.
**He uses more than one voice clip for his smash attacks.
**He only has one voice clip upon being KO'd.
**He only has one voice clip for taking light knockback (shared with {{SSB4|Mario}}, {{SSB4|Kirby}}, {{SSB4|Dr. Mario}}, {{SSB4|Ness}} and {{SSB4|Mewtwo}}).
**He only has one voice clip upon being blast KO'd (also shared with Mewtwo, as well as {{SSB4|Jigglypuff}} and {{SSB4|Bayonetta}}).
*Roy's up smash, Flame Sword, shares the same name as {{SSB4|Mega Man}}'s forward aerial.
*Roy's up smash, Flame Sword, shares the same name as {{SSB4|Mega Man}}'s forward aerial.
*Roy, {{SSB4|Marth}}, and {{SSB4|Cloud}} are the only characters to speak Japanese in every regional release of ''SSB4''.
*Like Marth in his transition from ''Melee'' to ''Brawl'', Roy's first and third [[victory pose]]s have swapped quotes.
*If Roy's [[on-screen appearance]] occurs on one of [[Distant Planet]]'s leaf [[platform]]s, he will descend with the leaf, but the Binding Blade will remain stationary in the air until it returns to Roy once the battle actually starts.
*Roy, Ryu, Cloud, {{SSB4|Corrin}}, and {{SSB4|Bayonetta}}'s voice clips are in much lower quality than the rest of the cast in {{for3ds}}.
<!--If you're gonna write something about the Roy/Roy Koopa or Superspicy Curry references in the trailer, don't, because they are already on the SSB4 trailers page-->
<!--If you're gonna write something about the Roy/Roy Koopa or Superspicy Curry references in the trailer, don't, because they are already on the SSB4 trailers page-->
*If Roy's [[on-screen appearance]] occurs on one of the leaf platforms in [[Distant Planet]], he will descend with the leaf, but the Sword of Seals will remain stationary in the air until it returns to Roy once the battle actually starts.
*Roy's new [[Final Smash]] is less powerful than his fully-charged Flare Blade.
*Roy is one of only two characters in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series to have the same name as another playable fighter, his counterpart being the [[Koopaling]] named [[Bowser Jr.|Roy Koopa]]. This is referenced in an official image on the ''Super Smash Bros. 4'' website.
**Additionally, despite having the same name, the [[announcer]] has two different voice clips for announcing ''Fire Emblem'' Roy's and Roy Koopa's names.
*Roy is the only DLC fighter in the series to not have a projectile of any sort.
 
==References==
{{reflist}}


{{SSB4Characters}}
{{SSB4Characters}}
{{Fire Emblem universe}}
{{Fire Emblem universe}}
 
[[Category:Roy (SSB4)| ]]
[[Category:Characters (SSB4)]]
[[Category:Roy (SSB4)]]
[[Category:Downloadable content]]
[[Category:Downloadable content]]
[[Category:Trophies (SSB4-3DS)]]
[[Category:Trophies (SSB4-Wii U)]]
[[es:Roy (SSB4)]]

Latest revision as of 18:01, November 23, 2024

This article is about Roy's appearance in Super Smash Bros. 4. For the character in other contexts, see Roy.
For information on the playable Koopaling, see Bowser Jr. (SSB4).
Roy
in Super Smash Bros. 4
Roy SSB4.png
FireEmblemSymbol.svg
Universe Fire Emblem
Other playable appearances in Melee
in Ultimate

Availability Downloadable
Final Smash Critical Hit
Tier E (41)
Roy (SSB4)
Roy Seals the Deal!
—Introduction tagline

Roy (ロイ, Roy) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. Initially leaked via data mining of update 1.0.6,[1] Roy was formally announced alongside Ryu during a Nintendo Direct on June 14th, 2015, and was made available that same day as downloadable content alongside Lucas and Ryu.[2] Jun Fukuyama reprises his role as Roy's voice actor from Super Smash Bros. Melee, providing new voice clips that mimic the ones he recorded in the game.[3] Roy, Marth, Takamaru, the Prince of Sablé, and Cloud are the only characters that speak Japanese in every regional version of SSB4.

Roy is ranked 41st out of 54 on the tier list, placing him in the E tier. This is a slight improvement to his low-tier placement in Melee, where he was ranked 21st out of 26. However, due to SSB4's tier structure, Roy is actually rendered as a mid-tier character. Roy boasts good overall mobility and attack speed, owing to very fast dashing and air speeds, alongside fast-starting attacks that allow him to quickly react to openings. When coupled with the Binding Blade's highly damaging sweetspots, which are close to its hilt, he boasts impressive power and a number of strong KOing options at close range. In addition, Roy also benefits from gameplay changes brought about by SSB4: the rage mechanic supplements his strong sweetspotted attacks, the changes to hitstun and shieldstun make his sweetspots significantly safer on hit, while the updated edge mechanics improve his recovery. Finally, Roy also has a varied combo game that is difficult to predict and grants him above average damage racking potential, with reliable combo starters from low to medium percents including forward and down throw, neutral attack, neutral and up aerial, and Double-Edge Dance.

Unfortunately, Roy is strongly held back by a poor approach, owing to his slow air acceleration and unsafe aerials that cannot autocancel in a short hop. On a related note, Roy is ineffective at spacing: despite having disjointed range, the Binding Blade's inconvenient sourspots force him to space his sweetspotted attacks dangerously close to opponents. In addition, Roy's combo game is also flawed: his sweetspotted moves are ineffective at performing lengthy combos past medium percents, while his forward, back and down throws are heavily reliant on reads because of their very low hitstun. Finally, Roy suffers from a poor recovery: Blazer is predictable and covers very minimal vertical distance, while his very fast falling speed not only hinders his recovery, but also makes him susceptible to combos.

Although initially received positively, his flaws became more apparent as time went on, and as such Roy had attained below-average tournament representation. Despite this, he has achieved some degree of competitive success, thanks to the likes of players such as Cloudy, HyperKirby, and TheFlow.

Attributes[edit]

Roy and Marth performing their forward smash attacks. Note that the sweetspot is highlighted by the trail left by their swords: Roy's Binding Blade is strongest near its hilt, whereas Marth's Falchion is strongest at its blade's tip.

Unlike in Melee, Roy is a semi-clone of Marth, although he retains the attributes that differentiate the two. Compared to Marth, Roy sports the eleventh fastest dashing speed, the fourth fastest air speed, and the fifth fastest falling speed (7, 23, and 30 spots higher, respectively), alongside being 5 units heavier than Marth. Conversely, Roy walks significantly slower, being only above-average compared to Marth, while his air acceleration is among the bottom five. Finally, Roy's long extended dash-dance allows him to read and punish opponents accordingly. However, his laggy initial dash (17 frames) and turnaround animations give him a poor shield buffer out of his dash and turn. Overall, this places Roy's archetype as a speedy fast-faller with polarized, linear movement. Roy's mobility is considerably faster than Marth's in regard to movement speed and air-to-ground transitioning, but his aerial fluidity is significantly limited, preventing him from easily using retreating aerials like Marth, and makes his aerial approaches committal.

Apart from differences in attributes, many of Roy's attacks differ from Marth's by having separate animations, which in turn give his attacks completely altered hitbox sizes, frame values and mechanical differences. This grants him a individualized playstyle compared to Marth, made most notable by his inverse tipper: the Binding Blade deals more damage and knockback near its hilt, and much less at its blade's tip, which has very little KO potential compared to Marth's untippered Falchion. However, its inverse tipper is much larger than Falchion's tipper, and most of its attacks are less polarizing due to their possession of a "mediumspot" that is between both its sweetspot and sourspot. Roy's sword, along with his attributes, encourage a highly rewarding close-and-personal game with heavy emphasis on landing hits with his sword's larger sweetspot, and has little focus on distant spacing due to its ineffective sourspots.

Much like his overall mobility, almost all of Roy's attacks have quick start-up, and his aforementioned speed allows him to easily close the gap between himself and his opponent to make effective use of his inverse tipper. Coupled with his sweetspot's high damage, Roy has an above-average damage racking game once he finds an opening. His most versatile combo initiators are his neutral aerial (which has quick start-up, low landing lag, and a long-lasting hitbox) and his neutral attack (which starts at frame 5 and launches at a favorable angle), both of which can start combos into his throws and tilts. His up aerial starts on frame 5 and has a deceptively long-lasting hitbox that lasts until the sword trail ends, allowing a reverse sweetspotted up aerial to start medium percent combos into neutral aerial, back aerial, or Blazer, or a sourspot into Double-Edge Dance depending on the enemy's reaction. Finally, forward aerial has very early interruptibility, allowing it to be used as a retreating aerial while jumping backwards, can chain into itself up to two times if Roy moves at full speed and uses his second jump, and can be used for frame-trapping against air dodges if followed up with an up aerial. His down tilt is also a good spacing option, and is useful for shield stabbing and edgeguarding due to its semi-spike trajectory.

Tying in with his damage racking game are his throws, which launch at favorable angles for low-percent combos. Down and forward throws can chain into his neutral attack, dash attack, forward tilt, neutral aerial, Blazer and Double-Edge Dance. As Roy's combo-initiating moves can often lead straight into a grab, it is common for Roy to deal high amounts of damage through precise reads at low percents, either from an attack into a grab, or through chaining a throw into an attack, then re-grabbing. While the low hitstun of his throws prevent true follow-ups at higher percents, they also force opponents into tech-chase and air dodge scenarios, allowing Roy to condition opponents into reacting. Up throw is also able to KO outright at very high percents.

The power of Roy's sweetspotted moves also grant him an array of KOing options that are capable of KOing impressively early. While on-stage, his best KOing options are his forward and up tilts, forward and up smashes, and Blazer, due to their quick start-up and high power. His smash attacks, in particular, are immensely powerful; forward smash is one of the strongest of its kind and can be used for hard punishes at as low as 40%, up smash is capable of KOing as low as 100%, and the sweetspotted first hit of down smash can KO at around 120%. Although Roy's offense thrives while he is on-stage, his fast air speed and disjointed range grant him an effective off-stage presence. His forward, back and down aerials each have distinct perks apart from their power: the former two are quick and have wide arcs, while the latter is a powerful meteor smash when sweetspotted. Although he is a middleweight, Roy is also one of the better users of rage, as his very quick falling speed grants him impressive on-stage endurance and allows him to further enhance the knockback of his already powerful moves.

Finally, each of Roy's special moves possess respectable utility. Flare Blade is a deadly edgeguarding option, especially while on-stage, thanks to its fearsome power even when uncharged, large hitbox, and deceptively low ending lag. The latter allows it to be used as a mindgame to punish edge getups, while its speed can amplify Roy's sub-par aerial mobility by granting him an aerial B-reverse. Double-Edge Dance is effective for damage racking, catching dodges, and pressuring shields; its final upward and forward hits can also KO outright. Blazer is an excellent out of shield option, grants both brief super armor on start-up and high power when grounded, can stage spike careless opponents who attempt to edgeguard Roy, and can be a true combo from his down throw at 0%, or a neutral attack at specific percents as a KO combo. Lastly, his Counter is one of the strongest counterattacks in the game, as its 1.35× damage multiplier makes it devastating when used against a powerful attack.

However, Roy is hindered by a slew of flaws. Although he is granted a powerful offense, making use of it is difficult in the first place despite his remarkable mobility, mainly due to several reasons. His very fast air speed is offset by his very slow air acceleration, making his aerial approach highly committal in general, much like Ryu's. In addition, while his inverse tipper is one of his greatest strengths, it also forces him to fight at close range to be utilized at its fullest: only his sweetspots cause enough shield stun to prevent punishment, and when coupled with his attacks having overall high ending lag (or in the case of his aerials, the inability to autocancel with a short hop), this results in him having to space attacks dangerously close against shields and negating the benefits of his disjointed sword. Finally, his range is below average for a swordsman, and when coupled with the Sword of Seal's low-utility sourspots, Roy's approach and spacing game is poor despite his good mobility, since his only quick, low-risk options that can be used to close in and pressure the opponent are his neutral aerial and falling up aerial.

Roy's combo game, while powerful at low percents, become inconsistent from medium percents and onward. Although possible, Roy's sourspots are very unreliable for creating combos unlike Marth's, as they require extreme precision and only work at specific percents. His sweetspots are similar, due to them sending opponents too far for actual combos and only being effective for outright KOing at high percents. His throws also lack any true followups due to their very low hitstun: his forward throw can be easily teched, while his down throw can be air dodged out of. Overall, this makes Roy potent at damage racking, but his lack of KO setups puts him at a significant disadvantage when trying to end stocks, as it leaves him only with hard punishes.

Lastly, Roy's offstage endurance is notoriously poor. His very quick falling speed makes him extremely susceptible to combos, and as none of his moves are generally reliable enough to consistently break combos, many characters with reliable combo moves can rack up large amounts of damage and easily force him off-stage. To add to this issue, Roy's only recovery move, Blazer, is notoriously ineffective despite his impressive mobility: although it offers excellent protection, can be angled, and covers a decent amount of horizontal distance, it covers little vertical distance and is predictable. When coupled by his very quick falling speed, he is highly susceptible to meteor smashes, and even a sufficiently strong semi-spike can launch him too far away to recover. Additionally, players unaccustomed to his falling speed will quickly find that any misused aerial off-stage will send him too far to recover.

Although tournaments do not currently allow custom moves, it should be noted that Roy does not have any due to being a DLC character. As such, he must not only utilize his own special moves properly, but also adapt as best as possible against characters that possess their own custom moves.

Overall, Roy's strengths are on par with his weaknesses. While his character archetype is commonly viewed as being in the rushdown and/or glass cannon categories, he cannot effectively function in either role due to his poor recovery, unimpressive range for a swordsman, and vulnerability to combos. Instead, his optimal playstyle consists of limited aggression: capitalizing on enemy openings with his excellent mobility, and pressuring them with both his powerful sweetspots and effective combo game, but approaching cautiously and spacing his sweetspots safely enough to circumvent his flaws. As a result of these traits, Roy has sparse tournament representation and results at high-level play, although he has nevertheless achieved some competitive success, thanks to players such as Hyper Kirby and Cloudy.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. Melee[edit]

Roy is frequently placed within a group of characters (Bowser, Dr. Mario, Charizard, King Dedede and Pit) that are the most noticeably reworked veterans in SSB4. In Roy's case, several of his moves were de-cloned from Marth in a similar vein to Falco and Ganondorf in Brawl, to the point that he is now a semi-clone. Although Roy received a mix of buffs and nerfs in the transition from Melee to SSB4, he has overall been buffed.

Among Roy's buffs are his greatly improved mobility, now having a much faster dashing speed and one of the fastest air speeds in the game, as well as his moveset being notably more rewarding than in Melee: most of his moves are different from Marth, such as his new neutral attack, forward and up tilts, dash attack and down aerial, most of which have reduced lag, improved hitbox placements, and increased power, improving his close-ranged offense and combo game, and giving him more reliable KO moves. His damage output is much higher, and his sweetspotted attacks are considerably more powerful, giving him a bevy of new KOing options, which generally alleviates his main weakness from Melee. His attack speed is faster overall, with his aerials in particular having significantly reduced ending and landing lag, L-canceling notwithstanding. The addition of rage boosts his KO power even further, while his heavier weight allows him to use it quite effectively. He also has much better endurance thanks to a his much higher weight. Lastly, Roy's recovery is generally better, thanks to Blazer's improved horizontal distance, his faster air speed, and the removal of edge hogging.

However, Roy has also received several nerfs. Roy now stands at Marth's height, which enlarges his hurtbox, though his attacks have much shorter ranges and hitbox durations in spite of this, forcing him to fight at a much closer range, exacerbating one of his key weaknesses in Melee. For the most part, Roy is also harmed by the post-Melee gameplay changes: the loss of wavedashing and L-canceling, as well as the weakening of dash-dancing, noticeably worsen his approach. The general increase in range for other characters since Melee, such as with Donkey Kong and Bowser, also indirectly hurts him. Double-Edge Dance's first hit has almost completely lost its ability to stall his descent due to his faster falling speed, which hurts his recovery despite its improvements. Lastly, Roy's heavier weight makes him easy to combo despite falling speeds being slower in SSB4 than they were in Melee.

Overall, Roy's strengths are much more pronounced than in Melee, though he retains most of the same weaknesses as well. While his sweetspotted attacks are considerably more rewarding, he still has to fight up close in order to rack up damage, while his sub-par endurance makes his playstyle risky. Despite Roy having been overall buffed, other veterans were also buffed to varying degrees, which downplays his strengths in SSB4's metagame.

Aesthetics[edit]

  • Change Roy's design is now a combination of his appearances in Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade and Fire Emblem Awakening. His taller height, more muscular physique, slightly smaller eyes, and Turkey red hair are from Awakening, whereas his facial structure and hairstyle are from The Binding Blade. Roy's cuirass, pauldrons, and boots are also from his attire in The Binding Blade, whereas his vambraces, poleyns, greaves, and gloves are from his attire as an Einherjar in Awakening.
  • Change Roy's shirt, pants, headband, and cape are now amalgamations of his respective articles of clothing in The Binding Blade and Awakening, whereas his poleyns are amalgamated with the design of his pauldrons. Additionally, Roy's boots are now coyote brown with gray toe boxes, carnelian bootstraps, and metallic gold soles. Lastly, his gloves are now carnelian, instead of blue. These changes are unique to SSB4.
  • Change Roy now has eight costumes much like the rest of the cast. He has received six new alternate costumes, each of which is based on Alen, Lance, Marcus, Zephiel, Cecilia, and his father, Eliwood.
  • Change Roy has been updated with universal features introduced in Brawl.
  • Change Roy is more expressive. He smiles during his fist pumping idle pose, and either scowls or sternly clenches his teeth during some attacks.
  • Change The Binding Blade's trail now clearly indicates its sweetspot's location, similarly to Falchion.
  • Change Aside from retaining some of Marth's animations, Roy now swings the Binding Blade in a reverse grip or with both hands. This has translated to his moveset, be it through a tweaked animation or a completely new move.
  • Change Roy now has unique idle animation, instead of variations of Marth's, and has two new idle poses. However, his stance while holding a light item is identical to Marth's.
  • Change Roy has a new victory pose. He now spins the Binding Blade one and a half times and then sheaths it rather than planting it on the ground.
  • Change Jump, sidestep, and shield break's animations have changed.

Attributes[edit]

  • Nerf Roy is taller, making his hurtbox slightly larger. While this would also improve his overall range, this is largely mitigated by the majority of his moveset having smaller hitboxes and/or altered hitbox placements because of the aforementioned alterations to most of his sword-based attacks' animations.
  • Change Roy is significantly heavier (85 → 95), going from a heavier lightweight to an average middleweight (tied with Robin and Pac-Man). This improves his endurance, but makes him more susceptible to combos.
  • Nerf Roy walks slower (1.2 → 1.15).
  • Buff Roy dashes much faster (1.61 → 1.95).
  • Buff Roy jumps higher (28.36337281 → 30.969999).
    • Change Roy's short hop height is also higher (9.132671053 → 13). Compared to the returning veterans, however, Roy's short hop height is lower, going from the fifth lowest out of 26 characters to the sixth lowest out of 58.
  • Buff Roy's air speed is drastically faster (0.9 → 1.24), going from the 12th fastest in Melee to the fourth fastest.
  • Change As with the returning veterans, Roy's falling speed was decreased (2.4 → 1.8). Compared to the returning veterans, however, Roy falls faster. Improving his vertical endurance, but also making him more susceptible to combos.
  • Change The removal of chain grabbing both helps and hinders Roy. It results in him no longer being susceptible to chain grabs, while his faster falling speed results in him no longer being susceptible to pseudo-chain grabs. However, it hinders his damage racking potential.
  • Nerf The weakening of dash-dancing and the removal of wavedashing significantly hinder Roy's approach.

Ground attacks[edit]

  • Neutral attack:
    • Buff Roy has a new neutral attack, a reverse gripped upward slash. Compared to the previous neutral attack, it deals more damage (3%/5%/6% → 4.8%/7.5%/7.5%) and base knockback (30/5 → 40/32), has less ending lag (FAF 26 → 23) and has a different angle (361° → 62°/32°). Altogether, these traits make it significantly better for combos.
    • Nerf Neutral attack has more start-up lag and its duration is shorter (frame 4-7 → 5-7) compared to the previous neutral attack.
  • Forward tilt:
    • Buff Roy has a new forward tilt, a reverse gripped downward slash. Compared to the previous forward tilt, it deals more damage (12%/10%/7% → 12.5%/9%/8%) and knockback (60/30 (base)/70 (scaling) → 30/40 (base)/100/80 (scaling)) and has less start-up (frame 9 → 8) and ending lag (FAF 40 → 32). Altogether, these traits making it better for KOing.
    • Nerf Forward tilt's duration is shorter (5 frames → 3) than the previous forward tilt's.
  • Up tilt:
    • Buff Roy has a new up tilt, a reverse gripped overhead arcing slash. Compared to the previous up tilt, it deals more damage (6%/8%/9%/10% → 7%/12%) and the sweetspot has more knockback scaling, making it much stronger, while the sourspots deal consistent damage and less knockback scaling (120/118/116/100 → 103). It also has less start-up (frame 7 → 6) and ending lag (FAF 40 → 39) and its sourspot has more base knockback (20 → 30). Altogether, these traits make it better both for KOing and combos.
    • Nerf Up tilt's duration is shorter (7 frames → 5) than the previous up tilt's.
  • Down tilt:
    • Nerf Sweetspotted down tilt deals less damage (12% → 11%).
    • Buff Sourspotted down tilt deals more damage (6% → 6.5%).
    • Buff Down tilt has decreased start-up lag (frame 8 → 7).
    • Change Down tilt has decreased base knockback (90/70 → 50/40). Due to its angle being altered (80° → 30°), it is also now a semi-spike. These changes improve its edgeguarding and tech-chasing potential, but significantly hinder its combo potential.
    • Nerf Down tilt has increased ending lag (FAF 20 → 22) and a shorter duration (3 frames → 2).
  • Dash attack:
    • Buff Roy has a new dash attack, an inward horizontal slash. Compared to the previous dash attack, it deals more damage (12%/6% → 13%/9%), knockback (70/35 (base)/55/60 (scaling) → 65/60 (base)/82/60 (scaling)) and its sweetspot has a different angle (110° → 52°). It also does not suffer from the infamously poor hitbox issues at close range from Melee due to it being a different attack. Altogether, these traits make it better for KOing.
    • Nerf Dash attack has more start-up (frame 12 → 13) and ending lag (FAF 40 → 50) compared to the previous dash attack.
  • Forward smash:
    • Nerf Roy has a new forward smash, a rotating two-handed downward slash based on his regular attack as a Great Lord in Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade. Compared to the previous forward smash, its sweetspot is smaller because of it having a "medium-spot" that deals 3% less damage (20% → 17%). It also has more start-up (frame 12 → 14) and ending lag (FAF 54 → 55), less vertical range, and a shorter duration (3 frames → 2).
    • Change Sweetspotted forward smash has different knockback compared to the previous forward smash's sweetspot (80 (base)/65 (scaling) → 70/70).
    • Buff Due to the damage multiplier for fully charged smash attacks being increased from Melee to SSB4 (1.3671× → 1.4×), fully charged forward smash deals more damage (27.324%/16.4052% → 28%/16.8%).
    • Buff The 19% damage increase to shields and the increase to shieldstun make sweetspotted forward smash significantly better at pressuring shields compared to the previous forward smash's sweetspot.
  • Up smash:
    • Buff Due to the damage multiplier for fully charged smash attacks being increased from Melee to SSB4 (1.3671× → 1.4×), fully charged up smash deals more damage (22.639176% → 23.8%).
    • Buff Due to the changes to stale move negation, up smash deals 0.44% more damage (16.56% → 17%), although its base knockback was compensated (73 → 70). It also has decreased start-up lag and a longer duration (10 frames → 12). Additionally, its spike hitbox now properly keeps opponents in place for the other hits. Lastly, it now grants intangibility to Roy's arm throughout its duration.
    • Nerf Up smash has significantly increased ending lag (FAF 46 → 59).
  • Down smash:
    • Nerf Down smash's front hit deals less damage (21%/14% → 15%/10%), hindering its KO potential.
    • Buff Down smash's back hit deals more damage (16%/8% → 17%/11%) and its angles have been altered (75°/361° → 50°/47°/361°), improving its KO potential. It also has decreased ending lag (FAF 72 → 63).
    • Change Down smash's knockback properties have been reversed, making the back hit stronger than the front hit.
    • Nerf Down smash has a shorter duration (6 frames → 4).
    • Buff The 19% damage increase to shields and the increase to shieldstun significantly improve sweetspotted down smash's shield pressuring potential.

Aerial attacks[edit]

  • Buff All aerials have decreased ending lag (FAF 50 → 46 (neutral), FAF 35 → 30 (forward), FAF 43 → 36 (back), FAF 49 → 42 (up), FAF 64 → 52 (down)).
  • Nerf Neutral, forward, and up aerials autocancel later (frame 32 → 47 (neutral), frame 30 → 33 (forward), frame 30 → 38 (up)). Forward aerial in particular no longer has an autocancel window, losing its ability to autocancel.
  • Change All aerials have decreased landing lag (20/10 frames (normal/L-canceled) → 11 (neutral), 20/10 frames → 13 (forward), 24/12 frames → 16 (back), 18/9 frames → 14 (up), 32/16 frames → 23 (down)). Due to the removal of L-canceling, however, they are not fully compensated.
  • Neutral aerial:
    • Buff Due to consisting of a sweetspot and a sourspot instead of a consistent hitbox, neutral aerial's first hit no longer deals consistent damage (4% → 6%/4%).
    • Buff Neutral aerial's sweetspotted second hit deals 0.5% more damage (8% → 8.5%).
    • Buff Neutral aerial has decreased start-up lag (frame 7 → frame 6 (hit 1), frame 17 → frame 15 (hit 2)). Its second hit also has increased knockback scaling (80 → 100) and its angle has been altered (361° → 50°). Altogether, these changes improve its combo and KO potential.
  • Forward aerial:
    • Buff Forward aerial deals more damage (8%/5% → 11%/7%) and has increased knockback (30/10 (base)/70 (scaling) → 50/80), significantly improving its KO potential.
    • Nerf Forward aerial's animation has slightly changed. Roy now swings the Binding Blade while lunging farther inward. This new animation doubles its start-up lag (frame 5 → 10).
  • Back aerial:
    • Buff Back aerial deals 3% more damage (9%/6% → 12%/9%) and has increased knockback scaling (70 → 100), significantly improving its KO potential. It also autocancels earlier (frame 34 → 32).
  • Up aerial:
    • Buff Up aerial's duration is longer (5 frames → 7) and its sweetspot has increased knockback (20 (base)/70 (scaling) → 40/80), improving its juggling potential.
  • Down aerial:
    • Buff Roy has a new down aerial, a two-handed downward slash between his legs, similar to Ike's down aerial. Compared to the previous down aerial, it deals much more damage (6%/9% → 10%/15%), has more vertical range, its sweetspot is easier to land, and its sourspot has KO potential against grounded opponents. It also has higher knockback (40 (base)/70 (scaling) → 20/30 (base)/90 (scaling)) compared to the previous down aerial, improving its KO potential.
    • Nerf Down aerial has less horizontal range, more start-up lag, and a shorter duration (frames 7-10 → 16-17) compared to the previous down aerial.
    • Buff The removal of meteor canceling makes down aerial significantly better at meteor smashing compared to the previous down aerial.

Throws/other attacks[edit]

  • Nerf All grabs have significantly decreased ranges.
  • Buff Dash grab has decreased start-up lag (frame 10 → 8).
  • Pummel:
    • Nerf Pummel deals 1% less damage (3% → 2%).
    • Buff Pummel is faster (24 frames → 15).
  • Up throw:
    • Buff Up throw deals more damage (5% → 6%).
    • Nerf It has reduced knockback scaling (130 → 100), hindering its KO potential in spite of its higher damage output.
  • Down throw:
    • Nerf Down throw deals less damage (6% → 5%).
    • Buff It launches at a higher angle (361° → 80°), which coupled with its lower damage output significantly improves its combo potential.
  • Floor attack:
    • Buff Front and back floor attacks deal more damage (6% → 7%).
    • Change Due to the introduction of tripping in Brawl, Roy has received a floor attack after tripping.

Special moves[edit]

  • Flare Blade:
    • Buff Flare Blade can be charged up to deal more damage before the full charge without receiving recoil damage (41% → 45%). It also has increased interruptibility for a few frames upon its hitbox being active in spite of its ending lag.
    • Nerf Flare Blade has increased start-up lag, its duration is shorter (6 frames → 4), a smaller hitbox, and it takes slightly more time to fully charge. It has also received a sourspot at the edges of the attack that deals 15% less damage (50% → 35%) and has less knockback scaling (83 → 70).
    • Change Flare Blade has updated visual effects. All of its stages now unleash a minor explosion, with most of the higher stages unleashing the large explosions from Melee. It also has updated sound effects, as it now stops emitting sound when fully charged and before its explosion.
    • Change Flare Blade's animation has slightly changed. Roy now briefly lifts the Binding Blade with both hands to his side when returning to his neutral stance.
    • Change Roy has gained a new voice clip for releasing a fully charged Flare Blade. In Melee, it used his blast KO voice clip.
  • Double-Edge Dance:
    • Buff Aside from its first and fourth downward hits, Double-Edge Dance's other have decreased start-up lag. Its third downward hit also no longer consists of multiple hits and launches at a lower trajectory. These changes make its hits connect together better.
    • Nerf Double-Edge Dance deals less damage and has decreased knockback, vertical range, and increased ending lag. Additionally, Roy's faster falling speed significantly hinders its first hit's recovery potential. Lastly, its third upward hit is no longer a meteor smash, removing its KO potential.
    • Change All variations of Double-Edge Dance's third hit connect together better with its fourth hit. This improves their combo potentials, but removes their KO potentials.
    • Buff Double-Edge Dance now has transcendent priority, improving its reliability.
    • Buff The 19% damage increase to shields and the increase to shieldstun significantly improve Double-Edge Dance's last downward hits' shield pressuring potential.
    • Change Double-Edge Dance's animation has changed. The slashes are now identical to Dancing Blade from Brawl.
  • Blazer:
    • Buff Blazer deals more damage (13.18% → 16.8%) and its last hit has increased knockback (10 (base)/100 (scaling) → 40/130), improving its KO potential. It also has lingering hitboxes at its end, and can be reversed before start-up. It also travels more horizontal distance and the grounded version received more intangibility frames on start-up.
    • Nerf Blazer travels less vertical distance.
    • Change Blazer's first hit has significantly decreased set knockback (200 → 160/120). This makes its hits connect together better, but removes its one-hit KO potential against the lightest characters.
    • Change Blazer's animation has slightly changed. Roy now performs the jumping slash while holding the Binding Blade in a reverse grip.
  • Counter:
    • Nerf Counter's damage multiplier has decreased (1.5× → 1.35×), although its knockback was somewhat compensated (30 (base)/90/70 (scaling) → 35 (base)/100/70 (scaling)), hindering its KO potential. Additionally, the damage cap can only reach a maximum of 50%, now matching the rest of the multiplier based counterattacks in Smash 4.
      • Bug fix Due to its change, Counter-stacking no longer crashes the game.
    • Buff Counter's duration is longer (frames 8-20 → 8-27).
    • Buff Counter's animation has changed. Its counterattack now resembles Roy's long-ranged basic attack with the Binding Blade in Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade. This new animation increases its horizontal range.
  • Critical Hit:
    • Change Roy now has a Final Smash, Critical Hit. Unlike Marth and Lucina's Critical Hit, Roy's version is stationary and has him swing the Binding Blade around himself before performing a slash in front of himself that emits a short-ranged explosion.

Update history[edit]

Roy has been slightly buffed via game updates. Update 1.1.0 gave Blazer additional hitboxes, making it easier to land. However, the same update reduced the damage outputs of its first and last hits, which slightly weakened its KO potential. The changes to shield mechanics brought about by updates 1.1.0 and 1.1.1 have made Roy's sweetspotted attacks much safer at the cost of his sourspotted attacks being unsafer, to the point where his semi-clone, Lucina, has safer attacks than both him and Marth. Lastly, update 1.1.4 decreased the landing lag on all of Roy's aerials, which improved his neutral and up aerials' combo potentials when they are SHFF'd, and decreased Double-Edge Dance's start-up and ending lag.

Super Smash Bros. 4 1.1.0

  • Change Blazer's first and last hits deal 1% less damage: 6.5% (hit 1 sweetspot)/5% (hit 1 sourspot), 9% (hit 5 sweetspot)/8% (hit 5 sourspot) → 5.5%/4%, 8%/7%. This makes its first hit connect together better, but hinders its KO potential.
  • Buff Blazer has received additional hitboxes.
  • Change Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DSRoy performs his down taunt instead of his fist pump idle pose after a player chooses a path in Classic Mode.

Super Smash Bros. 4 1.1.4

  • Buff Neutral aerial landing lag: 13 → 11
  • Buff Forward aerial landing lag: 15 → 13
  • Buff Up aerial landing lag: 16 → 14
  • Buff Back aerial landing lag: 19 → 16
  • Buff Down aerial landing lag: 28 → 23
  • Buff Double Edge Dance improved. The first hit hits one frame earlier (7 → 6), has one frame less of endlag both grounded and in the air (IASA: 42/32→ 41/31).


Moveset[edit]

  • For simplicity if, for example, Roy's blade does 6% damage while the tip does 4%, and the attack has no other hitboxes, it is written as 6%/4%.

For a gallery of Roy's hitboxes, see here.

  Name Damage Description
Neutral attack Slash (リフトスラッシュ, Lift Slash) 7.5%/4.8% A reversed gripped upward slash. Easily chains into itself, forward tilt and a grab at low percents, and his forward and up aerials at high percents. Starts at frame 5, making it a great tool for spacing, combos, and stopping approaches.
Forward tilt Sharp Edge (オーバーバッシュ, Over Bash) 12.5% (sweetspot), 9% (near), 8% (far) A reverse gripped downward slash. Very strong for a tilt attack, it usually KOs around 120% from center-stage when sweetspotted, making it a viable KO option. However, it has noticeable ending lag, making it punishable. The sweetspot is safe on shield if Roy does not directly touch the opponent's shield.
Up tilt Anti-air Slash (アンチエアスラッシュ) 12%/7% A reverse gripped overhead arcing slash. Very strong like his forward tilt, it usually KOs around 110% when sweetspotted. However, it has rather low horizontal range and high ending lag, which make it very punishable on shield.
Down tilt Low Stab (ロースラスト), Low Thrust) 11%/6.5% A kneeling thrust, identical to Marth and Lucina's down tilts, but with lower range. Has the lowest amount of ending lag out of his tilt attacks, and is useful for shield stabbing, edgeguarding or starting tech-chases thanks to it being a semi-spike. However, it has much less knockback growth than his other tilts.
Dash attack Raid Down (レイドダウン) 13%/9% An inward horizontal slash across the ground. It has good KO potential for a dash attack, KOing when sweetspotted around 130%; however, it has moderate start-up and high ending lag, making it very unsafe on shield.
Forward smash Power Slash (パワー スマッシュ) 20% (close), 17% (mid), 12% (far) Rotates his body to perform a lunging, two-handed downward slash. It is one of the strongest forward smashes in the game when sweetspotted, as it can KO as low as 40% with rage. It also has very long disjointed range due to Roy lunging while performing it, and it comes out on frame 14, which is rather fast for a smash attack of its power. However, it has high ending lag and its hitbox does not last long, which make it very punishable when whiffed. It is based on his regular attack as a Great Lord in Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade.
Up smash Flame Sword (フレイムソード) 1% (hit 1), 2% (hits 2-4), 10% (hit 5) An upward thrust, which ignites the Binding Blade's tip and concludes with a small explosion. Powerful enough to KO middleweights around 100% while uncharged. Good for juggling opponents in the air, as it grants intangibility to Roy's arm throughout its duration. The attack's multiple hits transition faster if the initial portion of the thrust connects. The move also deals 1% more damage on an aerial opponent (for a total of 18% if all hits connect). High ending lag like his other smash attacks.
Down smash Whirlwind (ワールウインド) 15%/10% (front hit) 17%/11% (back hit) A kneeling outward slash in front of himself and then behind himself. Weaker than his other smash attacks, but it has the fastest start-up, and is useful for punishing rolls. Can KO uncharged around the 120% range if sweetspotted with the front hit, and around 100% sweetspotted with the back hit. While it has very quick start-up, it has the longest ending lag of all his smash attacks, which makes it very punishable when whiffed.
Neutral aerial Double Slash (ダブルスラッシュ) 6%/4% (hit 1), 8.5%/5% (hit 2) An inward slash followed by a spinning, outward slash. One of Roy's most useful spacing and combo options thanks to its quick start-up, long-lasting duration, and low landing lag. The second hit is capable of attacking behind him, and the sourspot can catch opponents before he lands. The first hit is risky due to its short range, but it is a surprisingly effective combo starter. Very useful for KO set-ups at high percents, as landing the first hit can lead into an up tilt, up smash, or Blazer.
Forward aerial Flag Cut (フラッグカット) 11%/7% A downward slash. It is fairly strong when sweetspotted, as it can KO opponents reliably while on-stage and especially off-stage. Good for air-to-air combat because of its low ending lag. It is possible to jump out of one from a short hop, and it can be used twice before landing from a jump. If performed fast enough, it can combo into itself when using his double jump.
Back aerial About Face (アッパースイング, Upper Swing) 12%/9% Rotates his body to perform an upward slash. It is stronger than forward aerial, and can KO opponents reliably while on-stage and especially off-stage. Covers good vertical and horizontal range, but has rather high ending lag. Like with Marth and Lucina's back aerials, it turns Roy around when used. Unlike their back aerials, however, its sourspot can lock opponents at medium percents if they miss a tech.
Up aerial Luna Slash (ルナスラッシュ) 9%/6% A backflipping, upward arcing slash. The weakest of Roy's aerials in terms of damage and knockback, but it is his fastest one, due to it coming out on frame 5 (the same as his neutral attack). Its large arc and speed also make it suitable for juggling and/or combos, as it is able to follow up with most of his grounded attacks at low percents while he is falling, and into his aerials at high percents. Its sourspot also has a long duration, which allows it to function as a KO set-up, such as into back aerial or Blazer.
Down aerial Half Moon (メテオドロップ, Meteor Drop) 15%/10% A two-handed, downward slash between his legs, similar to Ike's down aerial. It has a powerful meteor smash hitbox near the Binding Blade's hilt, while the rest of its blade launches opponents upward. KOs around 130% when sweetspotted on-stage. However, it has considerable ending and landing lag, which makes it risky to use off-stage, especially due to Roy's very high falling speed.
Grab Grab (つかみ) Reaches out with his free hand.
Pummel Grab Kneebutt (つかみニーバット) 2% A knee strike. A fairly fast pummel.
Forward throw Roll Over (ロールオーバー) 5% Spins and flings the opponent forward. While the throw only causes very low hitstun, its low ending lag and low knockback allow it to combo into a neutral attack or forward tilt at low percents, and a dash attack at medium percents. It can also potentially combo into a dashing up smash if the opponent does not react in time, and works very well as a set-up for a neutral aerial, which, when hit, can chain into even more combos. At high percents, it is also able to set up a tech-chase.
Back throw Leg Hooker (レッグフッカー) 5% Tosses the opponent behind himself. Has weak diagonal knockback that causes the throw to have a somewhat fixed trajectory even at high percents. Low hitstun like his other throws, but its angle allows Roy to read the opponent's reaction and capitalize on it. If the opponent does not expect it, this can lead into down aerial at low percents or a back aerial for a KO at high percents near the edge, although the latter requires precise timing.
Up throw Casting (キャスティング) 6% Heaves the opponent upward with his free hand. Like Marth and Lucina's up throws, it is Roy's only throw with KO potential, although it starts KOing slightly later in comparison (at around 170%).
Down throw Slam (グラブドロップ, Grab Drop) 5% A one-armed body slam. Aesthetically, it appears almost identical to forward throw, with its only difference being a shockwave effect to indicate the opponent hitting the ground. Mechanically, it functions much differently, as it launches the opponent directly above Roy and is a true combo into Blazer on most characters up to medium percents. Like Roy's forward throw, this throw causes very low hitstun, but its low base knockback and low knockback growth allow it to combo into neutral attack, up tilt and forward tilt at low percents, with the neutral attack combo allowing for the possibility of chaining into another grab if the opponent does not react in time. It can also combo into a neutral aerial, forward aerial and up aerial at medium percents.
Forward roll
Back roll
Spot dodge
Air dodge
Techs
Floor attack (front)
Floor getups (front)
  7% Gets up while slashing to the left and then to the right.
Floor attack (back)
Floor getups (back)
  7% Gets into a kneeling position and then slices around himself as he gets up.
Floor attack (trip)
Floor getups (trip)
  5% Hops briskly to his feet to perform a thrust to the left and a slash to the right.
Edge attack
Edge getups
  8% Performs an outward slash while climbing up.
Neutral special Flare Blade 6%-45%, 50% (fully charged sweetspot), 36% (fully charged sourspot) Rears back and ignites the Binding Blade's blade before performing a lunging, two-handed downward slash that generates an explosion. Functions similarly to Eruption, as it can be charged before unleashing the explosion, with the explosion'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 is capable of one-hit KOing all but Shulk with the Shield Art active and Bowser from center-stage. To further supplement its power, it has surprisingly minimal ending lag, as Roy is able to act out of it almost immediately. However, a fully charged explosion deals 10% recoil damage. The fully charged explosion also has a sourspot at its edges that deals much less damage and knockback and is not a OHKO, though it is still powerful enough to KO at 41%. It is possibly Roy's best option to use to punish a stunned opponent because of its OHKO potential when fully charged, especially considering Roy's good shield pressuring potential.
Side special Double-Edge Dance Varies A combination of sword swings, which can be influenced by directional inputs. Its animations are identical to Dancing Blade and its first hit stalls Roy's descent, although it is largely ineffective for recovery because of his falling speed being much faster than Marth and Lucina's. However, its overall knockback is slightly stronger than Dancing Blade, and the last hit of each variation deals flame damage unlike Dancing Blade because of the Binding Blade's blade igniting.
Up special Blazer 5.5% (grounded hit 1), 4.5% (aerial hit 1), 1.1% (grounded hits 2-4), 1% (aerial hits 2-4), 8% (grounded hit 5), 6% (aerial hit 5) A jumping reverse gripped slash, which ignites the Binding Blade's blade. Hits multiple times and can be angled diagonally, though this causes the slash to cover less vertical distance. A viable out of shield and KOing option, its grounded version is more powerful, as it KOs around 110% if all hits connect. Its grounded version also grants brief super armor at its beginning. However, it is a sub-par recovery option, due to it covering decent horizontal distance, but very minimal vertical distance.
Down special Counter 1.35× (minimum 9%) Parries and then counterattacks against any incoming attacks with an outward slash that ignites the Binding Blade's blade. It has the highest damage multiplier of any counterattack in the game by default, with only Vision surpassing it while the Buster Art is active. However, its counter window is relatively short, and it is tied with Double Team for having the third highest amount of start-up lag out of every counterattack in the game. Roy may also say "いまだ!" ("Now!") or "そこ!" ("There!") if successful. Its counterattack is based on his long-ranged basic attack with the Binding Blade.
Final Smash Critical Hit 1% (hits 1-10), 35% (hit 11) Swings the Binding Blade in a circular motion, which ignites its blade, before performing a two-handed, downward slash that generates a powerful explosion. Unlike Marth and Lucina's Critical Hit, Roy's is not a one-hit KO. The circular swing can hit up to four times from the front, though it can hit up to ten times if performed on an opponent behind Roy. It is based on the Binding Blade's ranged attack in The Binding Blade.
Double-Edge Dance
Hit Damage Description
First Hit (Neutral) 3%/2% A downwards slash towards the left while stepping forwards.
Second Hit (Up) 3%/2% Does an upwards lifting slash.
Second Hit (Neutral) 3%/2% Does a right-to-left swiping stab angled slightly downwards.
Third Hit (Up) 4%/3% Turns his body and swings upwards.
Third Hit (Neutral) 4%/3% Does an upwards swing while stepping forward.
Third Hit (Down) 4%/3% Steps forward and does a backhanded stab towards the ground before twirling.
Fourth Hit (Up) 7%/5% Performs a twirling overhead half-moon slash.
Fourth Hit (Neutral) 6%/4% Twirls counterclockwise and produces a strong downward.
Fourth Hit (Down) 2% (hit 1-4), 5%/3% (hit 5) Steps forward, bends close to the ground, and does a flurry of five stabs. The last hit launches opponents away.

Stats[edit]

Stats Weight Dash speed Walk speed Traction Air friction Air speed Air acceleration Gravity Falling speed Jumpsquat Jump height Double jump height
Value 95 1.4 – Initial dash
1.95 – Run
1.15 0.06 0.005 1.24 0.02 – Base
0.03 – Additional
0.114 1.8 – Base
2.9Fast-fall
5 30.969999 - Base
13 - Short hop
28

Announcer call[edit]

Sound.png This article could use additional or higher-quality audio files.
The editor who added this tag suggests: Needs announcer calls from other languages.
If you have a good audio file for this article, upload it here.

On-screen appearance[edit]

  • Warps onto the stage using warp magic while crouching, with the Binding Blade stuck in the ground when he appears. He then pulls it out with a flourish before assuming his idle stance.
RoyOnScreenAppearanceSSB4.gif

Taunts[edit]

  • Up taunt: Triumphantly holds the Binding Blade overhead.
  • Side taunt: Winds back before striking a pose while holding the Binding Blade in a reverse grip while saying "僕は負けない!" ("I won't lose!") This line was one of his victory quotes in Melee.
  • Down taunt: Kneels and twirls the Binding Blade behind himself while yelling "Heee-ya!" This taunt returns from Melee.
Up taunt Side taunt Down taunt
RoyUpTauntSSB4.gif RoySideTauntSSB4.gif RoyDownTauntSSB4.gif

Idle poses[edit]

  • Pumps his fist while smiling.
  • Rubs the edge of the Binding Blade.
RoyIdlePose1WiiU.jpg RoyIdlePose2WiiU.jpg

Crowd cheer[edit]

English Japanese
Cheer
Description Roy's our boy! Roy! Roy! Roy!
Pitch Female Female

Victory poses[edit]

An orchestral excerpt of the title theme from Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, which has since become the main theme of the Fire Emblem series.
  • Swings the Binding Blade once over his shoulder, then swings it down and behind him while facing left with his free hand clenched, saying 真の戦いは、これからだ ("The real battle is yet to come.")
  • Spins the Binding Blade one and a half times and then sheaths it, saying "苦しい戦いだった" ("That was a difficult battle.") This replaces his victory animation from Melee, where he plunged the Binding Blade into the ground.
  • Flourishes the Binding Blade in a circle before posing with it by his side, saying "守るべきもののために、負けられない!" ("For the sake of those I must protect, I will not lose!")
RoyPose1WiiU.gif RoyPose2WiiU.gif RoyPose3WiiU.gif

In competitive play[edit]

Most historically significant players[edit]

See also: Category:Roy players (SSB4)

  • Mexico Cloudy - The greatest Roy player of all-time. He is best known for many noteworthy performances in Mexico, ranking top 10 in the country for most of Smash 4 and placing 2nd at Smash Fest 3, defeating several of Mexico's best players including Maister and Chag, as well as 9th at Smash Factor 6, defeating Kameme. He seldomly left Mexico, with his most notable out-of-region performance being 33rd at 2GGC: Fire Emblem Saga.
  • Japan komorikiri - Better known for using Cloud and Sonic, but had a noteworthy Roy secondary used in the latter half of 2017, most notably to defeat CaptainZack at the 2GG Championship. In addition, he used exclusively Roy to place 5th at Sumabato 20 and 9th at Sumabato 21, some of the best solo placements for a Roy player at ranked events.
  • France TheFlow - The best Roy player in Europe, ranking 30th on the European Smash 4 Power Rankings. He is best known for placing 7th at Albion 3 and regularly placing highly at French events, including winning several Neokan weeklies and placing 4th at Big Wanted #1 and 5th at WANTED 9: Hollywood Edition.
  • USA Hyper Kirby - The best Roy player in the United States, often considered a mid-tier hidden boss, as his tournament activity was mostly in Georgia. He often placed top 3 at Gwinnett Brawl events, and as a result, was able to defeat Georgia's PGR-ranked players ScAtt and Fatality numerous times. His 17th-place finish at MomoCon 2017 marks the best placement from a Roy player at a major, and he had also placed 25th at both DreamHack Atlanta 2017 and MomoCon 2018.
  • USA Ryo - Used Roy as a secondary to his Ike, and was known for his advancements to Roy's metagame. He placed 9th at Super Smash Con 2016, 25th at CEO 2017, and 33rd at 2GGT: ZeRo Saga; however, those events were primarily with Ike.

Tier placement and history[edit]

Throughout the game’s competitive lifespan, Roy's standing relative to the cast was among divisive compared to most of the cast. Upon his release, Roy was perceived very positively among the community; players almost immediately recognized his powerful offense due to the prominent strengths of his sweetspotted attacks, heavily damaging throw set-ups, and significantly improved mobility. These views were especially noted because his semi-clone Marth, and by extension Marth's clone Lucina, were considered poor characters at the time. As such, many in the community believed that Roy was a viable character, with some even claiming him to be the premier swordfighter in the game. This perception, however, was heavily disputed due to his low representation for a perceived high-tier and difficulty in initiating combo setups. Further supporting the disputers were the buffs to characters considered worse than Roy in later updates, with a corresponding increase in tournament results and representation. Conversely, Roy's representation remained unimpressive, and his vulnerability to combos, weak recovery, and an ineffective close-ranged playstyle due to his poor approach and unimpressive range became more apparent as time went on. As such, opinions on Roy quickly declined, and he was ranked 32nd on the first 4BR tier list, placing him at the top of the low-tier.

Update 1.1.4 granted Marth and Lucina major buffs that significantly increased their effectiveness, allowing both characters, especially Marth, to receive improved results, eventually leading to their viability reassessments. Conversely, Roy only gained minor landing lag decreases to his aerials, and as such, remained a low-tier character due to the minimal effectiveness of his buffs from update 1.1.4. The lack of significant breakthroughs to his lackluster approaches and middling combo game only served to further damage Roy's negative perception, and he plummeted on the second tier list to 50th, placing him at the bottom of the low-tier.

After the second tier list, Roy was finally able to see some advancements in his metagames thanks to dedicated players, allowing his representation to improve ever-so slightly. Ryo's secondary Roy, which allowed him to place 9th at Super Smash Con 2016, was one of the first noteworthy performances for Roy, and additional secondary usage and noteworthy regional performances allowed him to rise to 44th on the third tier list. 2017, however, was by far the best year for Roy yet, as it featured several high major placements from Hyper Kirby, Cloudy's run to 9th at Smash Factor 6 defeating Kameme, and komorikiri successfully using solo-Roy at several Sumabato events and defeating CaptainZack at 2GG Championship. Despite this success, Roy only rose slightly to 41st on the fourth and final tier list, though due to the expansion of the tiers, he is now ranked as a mid-tier character. While a number of top players consider his placement to be accurate due to his polarized toolkit causing him to struggle against numerous characters, many other players agreed that Roy could potentially rise just a bit higher thanks to his good power and mobility, as well as impressive results at smaller yet notable events such as Cloudy's run to 2nd at Smash Fest 3 and TheFlow's run to 7th at Albion 2.

In Solo Modes[edit]

All-Star Mode[edit]

In All-Star Mode, Roy is fought in Stage 6 in the 3DS version or Stage 2 in the Wii U version if he has been downloaded alongside Zero Suit Samus, Ike, Lucas, Olimar, Lucario, Toon Link, Villager, and Bowser Jr.

Congratulations screens[edit]

3DS[edit]

Wii U[edit]

Trophies[edit]

Roy's default trophy is obtained by clearing Classic Mode as Roy. His alternate trophy is obtained by clearing All-Star Mode as Roy in the 3DS version or booting up the game after downloading Roy in the Wii U version. The Critical Hit (Roy) trophy is obtained only in the Wii U version by clearing All-Star Mode as Roy.

3DS Classic Mode trophy
Wii U Classic Mode trophy
Roy
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.
GB Advance: Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade (2002 (JP))
3DS All-Star Mode trophy
Wii U alternate trophy
Roy (Alt.)
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.
GB Advance: Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade (2002 (JP))
Critical Hit (Roy) trophy
Critical Hit (Roy)
NTSC For Roy's Final Smash, he traps enemies in a circular swing of the blade, brings it up behind him, and then, in a blast of fire, brings the blade down for a powerful finisher! The downward attack is powerful on its own but doesn't have much range, so make sure you're close enough to hit your enemies with the full combo and really seal their fate!
PAL For Roy's Final Smash, he traps enemies in a circular swing of the blade, brings it up behind him and then, in a blast of fire, brings the blade down for a powerful finisher! The downward attack is powerful on its own, but doesn't have much range, so make sure you're close enough to hit your enemies with the full combo and really seal their fate!

Alternate costumes[edit]

Roy Palette (SSB4).png
Roy (SSB4) Roy (SSB4) Roy (SSB4) Roy (SSB4) Roy (SSB4) Roy (SSB4) Roy (SSB4) Roy (SSB4)

Reveal trailer[edit]

Gallery[edit]

Trivia[edit]

  • Roy and Ryu are the only DLC characters to be released on the same day as their announcement.
  • Roy's pose in his official art is nearly identical to his pose in his official art for Melee.
  • Roy is the only one of the DLC veterans to not have had a trophy depicting them in the base game.
  • Aspects of Roy's sound design have been carried over from Melee:
    • All of his sourspotted attacks emit a punch/kick sound effect, instead of a slash sound effect.
    • He uses different voice clips when using battering items.
    • When he is dizzy, his corresponding voice clip loops constantly, instead of playing only once.
    • He uses more than one voice clip for his smash attacks.
    • He only has one voice clip for taking light knockback (shared with Mario, Kirby, Dr. Mario, Ness and Mewtwo).
    • He only has one voice clip upon being blast KO'd (also shared with Mewtwo, as well as Jigglypuff and Bayonetta).
  • Roy's up smash, Flame Sword, shares the same name as Mega Man's forward aerial.
  • Like Marth in his transition from Melee to Brawl, Roy's first and third victory poses have swapped quotes.
  • If Roy's on-screen appearance occurs on one of Distant Planet's leaf platforms, he will descend with the leaf, but the Binding Blade will remain stationary in the air until it returns to Roy once the battle actually starts.
  • Roy, Ryu, Cloud, Corrin, and Bayonetta's voice clips are in much lower quality than the rest of the cast in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.
  • Roy's new Final Smash is less powerful than his fully-charged Flare Blade.
  • Roy is one of only two characters in the Super Smash Bros. series to have the same name as another playable fighter, his counterpart being the Koopaling named Roy Koopa. This is referenced in an official image on the Super Smash Bros. 4 website.
    • Additionally, despite having the same name, the announcer has two different voice clips for announcing Fire Emblem Roy's and Roy Koopa's names.
  • Roy is the only DLC fighter in the series to not have a projectile of any sort.

References[edit]