Roy (SSB4)

For information on the playable Koopaling, please see Bowser Jr. (SSB4).

Roy in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	Fire Emblem
Other playable appearance	in Melee
Availability	Downloadable
Final Smash	Critical Hit

“	Roy Seals the Deal!	”
—Introduction tagline

Roy (ロイ, Roy) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4 as the third downloadable character. First leaked through datamining of the 1.0.6 update, Roy would ultimately be revealed and was released alongside Lucas and Ryu on June 14th, 2015. Roy is also the third of three Super Smash Bros. Melee characters that were cut from Super Smash Bros. Brawl to return for Super Smash Bros. 4, after Dr. Mario and Mewtwo.

Roy is once again voiced by Jun Fukuyama, who reprises his role from Melee, which include some mimicking his soundbites from Melee (like with Mewtwo) and some new quotes both for his reveal trailer and the game itself. Roy speaks Japanese regardless of the game's region, as with Marth and a number of Assist Trophies.

Changes from Melee

Roy has been significantly buffed in his transition to SSB4 from Melee, where he was considered a low-tier character. The hitbox placements on many of Roy's attacks (e.g. down air) have been improved, and his power and speed have overall been increased. While his range, incredible grab range, and the hitbox duration of many of his ground attacks have been decreased, the aforementioned buffs he got in almost every other aspect make these nerfs rather negligible. The new rage mechanic also allows him to dish out even more knockback with his already powerful attacks. Overall, Roy is now considerably more viable than his Melee incarnation.

Roy additionally received some minor and drastic changes that further distinguish his moveset and animations from Marth's, converting Roy to a semi-clone status.

Aesthetics

• Roy's design has changed from his original appearance as a Lord in Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade to a combination of his appearance as a Master Lord in the same game and his DLC appearance in Fire Emblem: Awakening.
• Roy now has completely unique idle stances as opposed to having a variant of Marth's.
• Roy now has an on-screen appearance.
• Roy has new walking and jumping animations.
• In a similar vein to those of Marth and Lucina, Roy's sword trails now indicate the sweetspot with a white arc - in Roy's case, it's near the hilt of the blade.
• Most of Roy's sword swings look aesthetically "heavier", with him swinging the Sword of Seals backhandedly or with two hands (with his new animations causing them to seem like it takes some effort, even in one of his new victory poses). As a result, Roy's Sword of Seals feels like a heavier Broadsword than Marth/Lucina's "lighter" Falchion, which they swing with less effort.

Attributes

• Many of Roy's attacks, such as his forward smash and his up special move, Blazer, now are performed while holding his sword with a reverse grip, and have different swings and hitboxes compared to Marth as a result.
• Roy is significantly heavier (85 → 95), now being heavier than Marth rather than lighter. It additionally makes him become a middleweight from a lightweight.
• Roy dashes significantly faster (1.61 → 1.91), surpassing Marth's as the 9th fastest dashing speed.
• Roy walks slightly slower (1.2 → 1.15).
• Roy has drastically increased air speed (0.9 → 1.21), now being the 3rd fastest in the game, tied with Wario.
• Roy falls much slower (2.4 → 1.8), though he still has the 5th fastest falling speed in the game.
• Roy now stands at Marth's height, which makes his hurtbox bigger.
• The majority of Roy's attacks have less reach because of reduced hitbox sizes and altered placements.

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack deals more damage (4%/5%/6% → 4%/7%/7%), has less ending lag, and sends opponents at 60 degrees which gives it more combo potential.
• Neutral attack has 1 frame more start up and has noticeably less range. Its hitbox duration is shortened by 1 frame.
• Neutral attack is now an upward leaning lift-slice in reverse grip, and only has a single input.
• Forward tilt has significantly more knockback (60 base/70 growth → 30 base/100 growth). It also has 1 frame less start up.
• Forward tilt's hitbox duration is shortened by 2 frames.
• Forward tilt has Roy lean forward for an inward reap-slash via reverse grip.
• Up tilt deals more damage (6%/8%/9%/10% → 7%/12%), making it much stronger despite it's lower growth (116 → 103).
• Up tilt's late hitbox duration was shortened by 2 frames.
• Up tilt now has Roy swinging his sword in a more overhead grip while bringing it to his side instead of behind him. The animation is more vertical than horizontal.
• Down tilt has 1 frame less start-up. It also now sends opponents at 30 degrees, making it much better for edgeguarding. It also allows Roy to set up a tech-chase.
• Down tilt no longer sends opponents at a vertical trajectory, almost completely removing all its combo potential. Its hitbox duration is shortened by 1 frame. Its sweetspot deals less damage (12% → 11%).
• Dash attack deals 1% more damage (12% → 13%) and has much stronger knockback (70 base/55 growth → 65 base/82 growth).
• Dash attack starts up slightly slower than before due to the new animation.
• Dash attack animation involves Roy slashing inward into a braking stop with an inward sweep slash.
• Forward smash has slightly less ending lag and slightly more growth (65 → 70).
• Forward smash has 2 frame slower start-up and the hitbox duration lasts 1 frame shorter.
• Forward smash's animation changed to Roy bringing his sword behind himself, then slashing forward in a reaping two-handed slash from a turn (and no longer has a fire effect on hit). This animation is somewhat shared with the Mii Swordfighter.
• Up smash hits link together better. It also has 3 frames less start-up and slightly less ending lag.
• Up smash last hit has slightly less base knockback (73 → 70).
• The first hit of up smash now has no knockback, removing the attack's ability to spike, but allows the move to link together and deal damage more reliably. The last hit also now produces an explosion.
• Down smash's front hit sends foes at a more horizontal trajectory. The back hit additionally deals 2% more damage.
• Down smash deals less damage (28% fully charged → 21% fully charged). Both hits of down smash lasts 1 frame shorter.
• The knockback properties of Roy's down smash have been reversed, with the back hit being stronger.

Aerial attacks

• Neutral aerial hits on frame 6 instead of frame 7. The second swing hits on frame 15 instead of frame 17. It also has less ending and landing lag.
• Forward aerial has less ending and landing lag.
• Forward aerial hits on frame 10 instead of frame 5 and 7.
• Forward aerial's animation has Roy's legs positioned differently, and swings his blade while leaning forward with his right side more.
• Back aerial has less ending and landing lag.
• Up aerial has slightly less ending and landing lag, and it also has more knockback, making it a better juggling tool. The hitbox lasts 2 frames longer.
• Neutral, forward and back aerials all deal more damage and are significantly stronger, now being able to KO reliably.
• Roy has a new down aerial, a take-down two-handed slash below himself similar to Ike's. It is overall much better, being much stronger across all hitboxes (6%/9% → 10/15%), with the sourspot now being able to KO grounded opponents at around 160%. It also has extended reach underneath Roy and has a much more favorable placement for the meteor smash hitbox that makes it significantly easier to land. The move also has much less ending and landing lag, and with proper timing, it can also be used out of a forward air to Ken Combo.
• New down aerial has less diagonal reach, lasts 2 frames shorter, and takes a bit longer to start up.

Throws/Other Attacks

• Roy can no longer chaingrab opponents using his throws.
• All of Roy's grabs have less range.
• Roy's dash grab comes on frame 8 instead of frame 10.
• Down throw now sends opponents directly above Roy, making it much better for follow-ups.
• Pummel and down throw deal 1% less damage (pummel: 3% → 2%, down throw: 6% → 5%).
• Floor attack (front & back) deals 1% more damage (6% → 7%).

Special moves

• Flare Blade has much less ending lag, with Roy now being able to act out of it almost immediately. It can also now be charged up to a maximum of 48% without causing recoil damage (up from 41% in Melee).
• Flare Blade has slightly more start up lag and takes slightly more time to fully charge.
• Flare Blade has a different sound when charging; when fully charged, the sound vanishes before the move's explosion. All stages of the attack now unleash an actual, yet minor explosion, with most of the higher stages unleashing the original large explosions from Melee. It also has more intense fire effects.
• Double-Edge Dance requires less technical precision, and each individual hit has less start-up (except the first hit and fourth hit down input).
• The first hit of Double-Edge Dance has 2 frames more start-up, and each individual hit deals less damage and knockback.
• The variants of Double-Edge Dance's third hit can no longer KO, but it can easily combo into the 4th hit.
• Double-Edge Dance's final up input now has a brand new animation, where Roy does an upward launching slash in a recovering turn, as opposed to a forward hopping more pronounced version of his forward final input. Marth's Dancing Blade final upward input has undergone the same change since Brawl.
• Blazer deals more damage, and the final hit is much stronger, now being able to KO at high percentages, and has lasting hitboxes near the peak of the move unlike in Melee. It also now has intangible frames on startup if used from the ground. Blazer additionally carries much more horizontal momentum near its peak, and can be tilted left or right before startup to cover a notable amount of horizontal range, increasing Roy's horizontal recovery.
• Blazer gains slightly less distance.
• Blazer's first hit has much lower set knockback. This allows every hit to connect even better than in Melee at the loss of its ability to OHKO the lightest characters.
• Blazer now has Roy perform the move in reverse grip, along with a new helpless animation to go with it.
• Counter has 7 more counter frames. It also has much more knockback and can now KO off countered smash attacks starting under 40%. The move's horizontal range is also longer.
• Counter's damage multiplier is reduced (1.5x → 1.35x).
• Counter has a slightly tweaked animation: Roy holds his hand out for the entirety of the move, along with pointing his sword downward instead of upward. His counter slash animation is instead an outward swatting one-handed slash that's low angled.
• Roy now has a Final Smash, Critical Hit. Unlike Marth's and Lucina's, Roy's is a stationary focused attack rather than a directional straight line.

In Competitive Play

Notable players

•  Sethlon

Update history

1.1.0

• Blazer has hitboxes added to both ground and aerial version.
• The first and last sweetspotted hits of Blazer deal less damage (6%/9% → 5%/8%).

Moveset

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			7.5% (sweetspot), ~4.65% (sourspot)	Roy slashes his sword upwards in reverse-grip, ending at shoulder height. Easily combos into itself, grab, and forward tilt at low percentages, and his forward and up airs at higher percentages. Overall a great spacing and combo tool; one of Roy's most useful attacks.
Forward tilt			12.5% (sweetspot), 9% (near), 8% (far)	Swings his sword downwards in a reverse-grip while stepping forwards, stopping the end motion with his left-hand. Very strong for a tilt when sweetspotted, with low start up and rather low endlag. KO's sweetspotted at around 130%.
Up tilt			12% (sweetspot), 7% (sourspot)	Roy does a wide-arced slash above his head to the left in reverse-grip. Very strong along with his forward tilt, KOing at around 120% sweetspotted. However, it has rather low horizontal range and some end lag.
Down tilt			11% (sweetspot), 6.5% (sourspot)	Crouches and jabs his sword briskly at the enemy's feet. Much weaker than Roy's other tilts, but it comes out the quickest, and is good for tech chasing and edgeguarding.
Dash attack			13% (sweetspot), 9% (sourspot)	Roy leaps forward briefly before dealing a low-angle horizontal slash to the left. Has good KO potential at around 130% when sweetspotted.
Forward smash			20% (close), 17% (mid), 12% (far)	Roy leans forward and deals a two-handed crescent slash downwards after spinning around. Hits on frame 14-15, which is rather fast for a forward smash of its power. It is one of the strongest forward smashes in the game if sweetspotted at the hilt of his sword, and has a very long disjoint as Roy leans forward while performing it. However, it has high ending lag and its hitbox does not last long, leaving him very vulnerable to attacks if the swing misses.
Up smash		Flame Sword	1% (hit 1), 2% (hits 2-4), 10% (hit 5)	Roy thrusts his sword skyward as it ignites in flames, with an explosion on the final hit. Powerful enough to KO middleweights around the 100% mark uncharged. Good for guarding opponents in the air, as Roy's arm gains invincibility during the attack and if it hits someone that is not on the ground (with all hits), it does additional damage and knockback.
Down smash			15% (front, sweetspot), 17% (back, sweetspot) 10% (front, sourspot), 11% (back, sourspot)	Briskly sweeps his sword in front and then behind him. Weaker than his other smash attacks, but it comes out the quickest, and is useful for punishing rolls.
Neutral aerial			6%/4% (first hit, sweetspot/sourspot), 8%/5% (second hit, sweetspot/sourspot)	Roy quickly swipes to the left with the back of the blade, then swipes again while spinning. The second hit is capable of attacking behind him. A useful spacing option due to its quick startup and low landing lag. The first hit can autocancel.
Forward aerial			11%/7% (sweetspot/sourspot)	Roy swings his sword one-handedly in a downwards chop. If sweetspotted, this move deals high knockback which can KO opponents early near the edge.
Back aerial			12%/9% (sweetspot/sourspot)	Roy spins towards the left, using the motion to slash upwards with an underhand swing using one hand. Very good KO potential when sweetspotted, as it has high knockback. Covers good vertical and horizontal range. It has the interesting property of turning Roy around when used. This means at low percents, Roy can use a back air and then immediately follow up with another aerial attack for more damage.
Up aerial			9%/6% (sweetspot/sourspot)	Roy does a backflip and swings with a wide arc above him before righting himself again, in a similar manner to Marth's up aerial. The weakest of Roy's aerials in terms of dishing out damage, and is mainly used for juggling and/or combos.
Down aerial			15%/10% (sweetspot/sourspot)	Roy spreads his legs in the air before slicing downwards with a two-handed chop. Meteor smashes powerfully when hit with the sword's hilt, if not it sends opponents upwards. Hefty ending and landing lag. Closely resembles Ike's down aerial. KO's on stage sweetspotted around 120%.
Grab			—	Roy bends forward and reaches out with his left hand.
Pummel			2%	Roy knees the opponent. Somewhat fast, making it good for racking up damage on grabbed enemies.
Forward throw			5%	Roy throws the opponent forward with a spin.
Back throw			5%	Roy flings the opponent over his shoulder and behind him.
Up throw			6%	Roy tosses the opponent upwards with his right hand.
Down throw			5%	Roy slams the opponent onto the floor in front of him with his left hand. Very good combo potential, as it sends the opponent above Roy and causes high hitstun. This is made better by the fact that it has low base knockback and low knockback scaling.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Roy slashes to the left, then the right as he gets up.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	Roy gets into a kneeling position, then does a spinning cut as he gets up.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Roy hops briskly to his feet then deals a stab to the left and a slash to the right.
Edge attack Edge getups			8%	Roy handstand-flips himself onto the stage, then slashes horizontally to the right.
Neutral special	Default	Flare Blade	6%-45%, (50% when fully charged, sweetspot), (36% when fully charged, sourspot)	A move similar to Ike's Eruption, with Roy charging his blade with flames for a maximum of five seconds before slamming it onto the ground, causing an explosion. The explosion's size grows as it charges. High base knockback at almost all charge levels and VERY high knockback scaling, capable of one-Hit KOing every single character in the game (except Bowser) from the center of Final Destination when charged to the max. Deals 10% recoil damage to Roy when unleashing a fully charged strike. It additionally has very low ending lag, making it safe to use for aerial edgeguarding, and can be used to bait enemies who think the move has longer endlag than it really does. Probably the best option to use on an opponent with a broken shield in the entire game because of the OHKO potential when fully charged.
	Custom 1	N/A
	Custom 2	N/A
Side special	Default	Double-Edge Dance	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% (Final Forward Hit), 5% (Final Upward Hit), 2% (First 4 slashes of Final Downard Hit), 6% (Last slash of Final Downward Hit)	A combo of sword slashes in a fashion identical to Marth and Lucina's Dancing Blade. The type of slashes he performs can be influenced by directional inputs, the attacks being little to no difference in animation from Marth and Lucina's, though the knockback is slightly stronger on Roy's end.
	Custom 1	N/A
	Custom 2	N/A
Up special	Default	Blazer	5%/4% (First Hit sweetspotted/sourspotted), 1% (3 Hits), 8%/7% (Last Hit sweetspotted/sourspotted)	Roy performs a slow rising slash infused with fire that deals multiple hits, which can also be angled diagonally. Grants super armor at the beginning of the move. If all hits connect, KO's at around 110% on the ground. Great option to be used out of shield because of the super armor frames at the beginning of the move.
	Custom 1	N/A
	Custom 2	N/A
Down special	Default	Counter	1.35x damage multiplier (min 8%).	A counter similar to other counterattacks, with Roy posing and then retaliating against any attacks that hit him during its counter frames with a blazing slash. Damage and knockback dealt depends on the move that is countered, with a damage multiplier of 1.35x.
	Custom 1	N/A
	Custom 2	N/A
Final Smash		Critical Hit	1% (1-10 hits), 35% (ending hit)	Roy swings the Sword of Seals in a full circle arc before slamming it downwards, generating a powerful explosive slash that engulfs the attacked area in flames. Unlike Marth and Lucina's Critical Hit, Roy's isn't a One-Hit KO. The circular trail can connect up to four times from the front; if the move is performed with an enemy behind Roy, it can hit up to ten times, which traps the opponent until the final slash is dealt.

Roy's special moves

Neutral special	Flare Blade
Side special	Double-Edge Dance
Up special	Blazer
Down special	Counter
Final Smash	—	Critical Hit

Taunts

• Up Taunt: Triumphantly holds the Sword of Seals above his head pointing towards the side, unlike Marth (who points it skywards).
• Side Taunt: Winds back before posing, holding the Sword of Seals backhanded toward the screen while saying "僕 は 負けない!", which translates to "I won't lose!" This line was one of his victory quotes in Melee.
• Down Taunt: Kneels and the Sword of Seals behind him while yelling ¨Hee-ya!¨. It is a returning taunt from Melee and the yell is one of his attacking lines when using moves.

On-Screen Appearance

Appears from a spell circle, similar to others from his franchise, albeit crouching. The Sword of Seals is stuck in the ground when he appears, and Roy pulls it out before assuming his idle stance.

Idle Poses

• Pumps his fist.
• Swipes his hand lightly against the Sword of Seals while holding it in front of himself.

Victory Fanfare

This victory theme is a small orchestral cover from the title theme of the first Fire Emblem game, which has since become the main theme of the series. It is shared with Marth, Ike, Robin, and Lucina.

Victory Poses

• RoyPose1WiiU.png
• RoyPose2WiiU.png
• RoyPose3WiiU.png

• Swipes his sword once over his shoulder, then swipes it down and behind him while facing left, saying "真の戦いは、これからだ。", which translates to "The true fight is about to start."
• Spins the Sword of Seals one and a half times and then sheaths it, saying "苦しい戦いだった。", which translates to "It was a difficult fight." Replaces his old victory animation from Melee where his sticks the Sword of Seals in the ground.
• Flourishes his sword and poses with it by his side, saying "守るべきもののために、負けられない!", which translates to "For those whom I must protect, I will not lose!".

Alternate costumes

Reveal Trailer

<youtube>w8XIj05irtU</youtube>

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.

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.

: Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade

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.

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.

: Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade

Critical Hit

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!

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!

• 

  Classic (Wii U)

• 

  Alt. (Wii U)

• 

  Critical Hit (Roy)

Gallery

• 

  Splash art.

• 

  Taunting in front of a wall of fire.

• 

  Roy attacking Captain Falcon.

• 

  Roy attacking Lucario.

• 

  Critical Hit.

• 

  Roy and Roy.

• 

  Roy with Zero Suit Samus and Wii Fit Trainer.

• 

  Flare Blade.

• 

  All of Roy's alternate color schemes.

• 

  Performing Double-Edge Dance.

• 

  Roy posing with both Female and Male Robin.

• 

  Roy & Marth performing a side smash. Note that the sweetspot is highlighted by the trail left by their swords. Marth's Falchion's strongest part is at its tip while Roy's Sword of Seal's strongest part is at its hilt.

Trivia

• As with Mewtwo, Roy's official artwork is posed almost identically to his Melee official artwork.
• Roy's introduction makes a reference to the Sword of Seals, aka the Binding Blade.
• The segment of Roy's trailer where he attacks Roy Koopa is a reference to how they are the only characters to share the same name (in all languages). This is referenced in several official pictures on both the official Smash 4 website and ingame, where Roy Koopa appears along with Roy in one of the pictures on his profile page on the official website, and the All-Star clear picture on the 3DS.
• Roy's up smash shares the same name as Mega Man's forward aerial, Flame Sword.
• In the 3DS version of Smash 4, Roy (along with Mr. Game & Watch) is one of the only characters not to use a taunt during his pose in Classic Mode once he chooses a path. Instead, he uses one of his idle poses, his fist pump.
• All of Roy's sourspotted attacks make a punch/kick sound effect instead of a slashing sound effect. This is carried over from Melee.
  • Roy, Young Link and Toon Link are the only swordfighters in Super Smash Bros. whose swords consistently produce punch/kick sound effects instead of a slashing sound effect for the majority of their attacks, albeit Roy's coming from his sourspotted attacks.
• Roy is one of the four characters to use different voice clips when using any of his smash attacks. The other three are Wii Fit Trainer, Rosalina, and Ryu.
  • Additionally, Roy and Ryu are the only two characters to use different sound clips when using battering items.
• When Roy uses his Final Smash, Critical Hit, his sword sheath (as seen in his official artwork) will appear out of nowhere on his back and disappears abruptly once the Final Smash ends, where Roy sheaths his sword while posing before quickly drawing it out again.
• Like Dr. Mario, Roy has a unique stance from the character he is a clone of but has the same stance as them when holding an item, in Roy's case he goes to Marth's stance when holding a light item.
• In Roy's reveal trailer, there is an brief scene where Roy performs his down taunt next to the Superspicy Curry item. This is actually a reference to one of the winners of the Melee photo contest. The picture is called "The Ultimate Curry" and can be found here.
• Roy only has one voice clip when being KO'd along with Mewtwo. This is a likely call back to Melee, as both are returning Melee veterans, and most characters only had one KO voice clip until Brawl.
  • Likely as another Melee reference, if Roy is stunned, he will use his voice clip constantly instead of only once. He is the only character in SSB4 to do so.
• Roy is the only returning Melee character that can't wall jump.
• Roy is the only veteran from the Fire Emblem series to receive new voice clips.