Marth (SSB4)

Marth in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	Fire Emblem
Other playable appearances	in Melee in Brawl
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Critical Hit

Marth (マルス, Marth) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. He was announced on the official website on November 7th, 2013; years before, four Fire Emblem games were released on November 3, November 4, and November 11.

Marth is voiced once again by Hikaru Midorikawa, albeit using clips from Melee and Brawl, despite having appeared outside Japan.

Attributes

Marth is a tall, mid-weighted character, with his size being identical to his past appearances. Most likely due to Marth being a top/high tier character in the past in Melee and Brawl, he has been showered with nerfs without much compensation at all.

Marth's height gives him good reach against other characters, however, a huge nerf that was given to Marth was a shorter sword - meaning smaller hitboxes. It should be noticed that Marth's range is much less safe overall from his appearance in Brawl. This forces players to be much more observant when approaching and being defensive. Majority of Marth's staple moves are either slower, or the hitbox does not last as long (i.e down tilt, forward air, down air). As far as movement, Marth shares the fastest walk speed out of the entire cast with Lucina, he has a slightly faster running speed from Brawl, but slightly slower air speed from Brawl. It should be noted that Marth's combo game has been noticeably toned down especially concerning his forward aerials and up aerials compared to Brawl and Melee. Lastly, Marth's grab utility has been nearly removed as Marth has only one semi-reliable combo throw and a weak kill throw.

Marth's special moves that were very important for competitive play (Dancing Blade and Dolphin Slash) have seen noticeable nerfs with Shield Breaker and Counter being better than they were in Brawl. Dancing blade, which was known for being almost inescapable in Brawl, has increased endlag and does not connect as reliably; also, the third downard hit of dancing blade doesn't meteor smash anymore, removing one of Marth's edge-guard mixups. Dolphin slash does less damage but from recent patches was given a knockback buff; since edge-hogging no longer exists in Super Smash Bros. 4, dolphin slash allows Marth to recovery at a safe, low, distance where he can sweetspot grab the ledge without fear of someone stealing it from him compared to his past appearances. Thanks to the universal change in Super Smash Bros. 4 regarding no reduction to shield damage, shield breaker can now break shields easier; the move, however, remains unsafe if it does not break the opponents shield, or if missed. Take note that shield breaker now gives a slight horizontal boost when used unfully charged in the air; when fully charged, the move launches Marth a good distance horizontally forward in the air. Counter in this game is stronger having a damage multiplier of 1.2x and having more knockback growth compared to Brawl.

Learning how to play Marth requires a lot of patience and reading. Since Marth has a shorter sword, and majority of his staple moves have been heavily nerfed, this puts Marth in an awkward situation. Forward air is no longer safe on shield or landing, completely removing it's former utility as an approach option. Down tilt is much less unsafe as a poke and edge guard due to the hitbox being much smaller and having increased endlag. Down air's animation is reverted, much harder to meteor smash (the sweetspot lasts 1 frame and meteors only if hit in the middle of the swing arc), and hits 3 frames slower. Marth's approach game hence, is very unsafe and unrewarding compared to other characters. What is worthy to note from past patches is that Marth's jab is better; it can reliably combo into itself now, and depending on the opponent's percentage, character weight, and Marth's rage, jab can combo into a grab, forward tilt, or forward smash. It should also be noted that the Ken Combo does not exist for Marth unless the opponent makes the mistake of jumping after the fair before the dair; this means that Ken Combo is not a real combo for Marth anymore. Marth's grabs all now have much more knockback without much utility to put the opponent in bad positions; combine that with the fact that Marth doesn't benefit from the universal removal of chaingrabs that he had in Brawl. Marth's combo throw is now down throw, which leads to back air/up air at low to mid percents and very rarely to another aerial. Up throw can kill floaties at 150% minus rage, and can kill almost the entire cast at 150% with rage all on Final Destination. Forward throw can combo to forward smash if and only if the opponent DI's inward, which requires a DI mixups. With Marth having shorter range, having his staple moves much nerfed, having almost no combo game now, and having a sub-par grab game, Marth players have to rely on getting tippers much more than past appearances. Marth has to play more read-heavy and defensive to wall out opponents due to his now poor neutral game.

Changes from Brawl

Likely due to his dominance in Melee and Brawl, Marth was overwhelmingly nerfed overall. The minimal amount of buffs he received are all negligible and not enough to compensate for the much more massive nerfs. While his sword length was not directly nerfed, Marth has different sword swing animations for some of his attacks, which reduce the reach of those attacks overall. Aside from those changes, he now has less reach relative to the rest of the cast, obsoleting one of his key advantages in previous titles. Many of his staple moves, most notably his forward aerial and down tilt, have more end lag, weakening his ability to control space effectively. Due to his slower movement and the aforementioned nerfs to his reach and endlag, his neutral game and punish game, along with his approaches, are now incredibly inconsistent. Marth's attacks are overall less rewarding on hit, as he lost many guaranteed setups into KO moves; this has drastically decreased his comboing and KOing potential. His grabs also launch enemies farther but were not given KOing ability at reasonable percentages to compensate, completely removing direct grab follow-ups, as well as hindering his ability to put opponents in unsafe positions. Additionally, unlike other characters who were nerfed for SSB4, Marth does not appear to benefit as much from most of the game's universal changes.

Due to his nerfs, Marth players now have to rely much more on gimmicks (such as raw tippers, Shield Breaker, and Counter) and the opponent's mistakes to maintain control of the match. However, these gimmicks do not serve to aid Marth at all in competitive play, and despite the efforts of a small amount of dedicated Marth players such as Mr. E, he currently has very poor representation in large SSB4 tournaments.

Marth has been slightly buffed so far from updates however, such as in 1.0.6, more notably 1.0.8 (minus the small nerf to damage on Marth's jab), and 1.1.0. Marth's jab now transitions faster thus linking more reliably, the second hit has increased knockback, and has improved follow-up capabilities due to the angle change. His neutral air and up tilt have less endlag and up tilt has increased knockback on all hitboxes making it a better KO move. His aerials have slightly less landing lag. Dolphin Slash has increased knockback scaling, almost reverting itself back to its Brawl days. However, none of the buffs so far have compensated for his worsened approach ability and neutral game.

Aesthetics

• Visually, Marth's appearance has been updated. His design takes elements from his attire seen in Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem, Heroes of Light and Shadow and Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (as opposed to his design from Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem, which was used in Melee and Brawl).
• Marth's attack trails are much brighter at the tip; this makes the sweetspot of his attacks more visible than in previous games.

Attributes

• Marth is slightly heavier than in Brawl (87 → 90)
• The change in units of distance grants Marth more disjoint relative to his hurtboxes but since the change affects the entire cast, Marth ends up having less reach overall relative to the reach of other characters. Additionally, the sizes of his hitboxes have been reduced. Overall, Marth's moves are less safe than they were in previous games.
• Marth's air speed is slightly slower (1.034 → 1.02).
• Marth's running speed is slightly faster (1.7 → 1.785).
• Marth's falling speed is very slightly faster (1.5 → 1.58).

Ground attacks

• Up tilt (8/9/12 → 5/6/9%), down tilt base (8/9 → 7%), forward smash (14/19 → 13/18%), down smash (13/14 → 8/12%), and up smash sourspot (4/14 → 3/13%) all deal less damage than in Brawl. Knockback compensated on up tilt, up smash, and forward smash however.
• Jab now comes out one frame later (4/2 → 5/3) and has slightly more ending lag.
• Jab now transitions faster.
• Jab's second hit deals more knockback.
• Jab now sends upwards allowing for new follow-ups and mix-ups.
• Forward tilt has more knockback (40 base/80 growth → 55 base/85 growth) and has more vertical range.
• Forward tilt comes out one frame later (7 → 8).
• Down tilt has more ending lag. It only lasts 2 frames instead of 3, and has a significantly smaller hitbox. It also can no longer move Marth forward, removing its ability to pseudo crawl.
• Dash attack has a noticeably smaller hitbox.
• Forward smash has slightly more ending lag.
• Up smash comes out one frame later (12 → 13), lasts 5 frames instead of 6, and has slightly more ending lag.
• Up smash has a slightly larger hitbox radius overall.
• Back hit of sweet-spotted down smash has more growth (80 → 88). It also deals slightly more damage (16 → 17).
• Front hit of down smash is weaker despite its increased growth on both the sweet and sourspots (70/80 → 88). Both hits last 2 frames instead of 3.

Aerial attacks

• Nair (12/18 → 8/11%), fair (10/13 → 7/10%), bair (11/14 → 9/12%), uair (10/13 → 9/12%), and dair sourspots (12 → 11%) all deal from moderate to severely less damage than in Brawl without much compensation on their knockback.
• Neutral aerial has more landing lag (9 frames → 12 frames).
• Neutral aerial is 2.5 units larger.
• Forward aerial now hits 2 frames slower. It only lasts 3 frames instead of 4 and has 7 frames more landing lag (9 frames → 16 frames). It also can no longer be interruptible at frame 34, meaning Marth can no longer do another aerial after a short hop forward air.
• Back aerial has slightly less landing lag (21 frames → 17 frames).
• Up aerial has more landing lag (9 frames → 14 frames).
• Down aerial has less landing lag (32 frames → 24 frames).
• Down aerial starts at frame 9 instead of 6. Its sweetspot only lasts 1 frame; it no longer meteor smashes unless the tipper hits in the middle of the swing arc, has less base knockback (40 → 20), and the hitboxes that used to meteor now send foes sideways with moderate knockback and deal 1% less damage (14 → 13%). All of this significantly worsens his ability to approach with his down air.
• Marth now instead swipes outward from the back instead of his front, essentially flipping its animation around from Melee and Brawl.

Throws/other attacks

• Marth's grab comes out 1 frame later (6 → 7) and has 1 frame more ending lag. It also has less grab range.
• All of his setup throws have significantly higher base knockback, which removes most of his follow-up options after a grab.
• Down throw sends foes at an upwards trajectory, which can give some new follow-up options at low percents, but it removes Marth's ability to tech-chase.
• Up throw has more base knockback (60 → 70).

Special moves

• Shield Breaker deals less shield damage (42 → 30), however with the removal of damage reduction on shields, it allows the move to break shields more easily. It also now gives Marth a horizontal boost when used in the air, regardless of whether it is charged or not, aiding Marth's recovery.
• Marth no longer steps an extra distance forward when using the move, and because of the general decrease of his range, the move's range is much shorter.
• Downward Dancing Blade deals slightly more damage.
• Dancing Blade has more ending lag, and the third hit downward no longer meteor smashes. It is also harder to connect each hit together compared to Brawl, due to the fact of each hit having more hitstun and less IASA frames.
• Dolphin Slash deals less damage (13% to 11%) making it weaker. A Reversed Dolphin Slash is also slightly harder to hit with.
• Counter has increased growth (40 → 60), being able to KO reliably off of strong countered attacks at very low percentages (having a damage multiplier of 1.2x instead of 1.1x like in Brawl).
• Marth now grunts instead of talking while using Counter.

Update History

1.0.6

• Jab hit 1 IASA: Frame 29 → Frame 26
• Forward tilt IASA: Frame 39 → Frame 35
• Dancing Blade hit 1 IASA: Frame 45 → Frame 42
• Dancing Blade combos more consistently

1.0.8

• Jab improved; both hits link more reliably as the transition is faster and jab 1 now produces vertical-based knockback, and the second hit deals increased knockback. The first hit also now has followup potential outside of transiting to the second hit.
  • Due to the angle change of Jab 1, the move can no longer Jab Lock.
• Both hits of jab deal 1% less damage.
• All hitboxes of up tilt now deal vertical knockback, with improved base knockback, making it a better KO move. It additionally has 3 less frames of ending lag.
• Neutral aerial has 3 less frames of landing lag.
• Dolphin Slash has slightly improved knockback scaling.
• Dolphin Slash and Crescent Slash deal slightly more hitlag.

1.1.0

• Neutral aerial's first hit damage increased (2%/3% → 3%/4%). Neutral aerial's second hit damage increased (6%/8% → 7%/9%).
• Up tilt's end frame reduced (39 → 36).
• Forward Air landing lag reduced (18 → 16).
• Up Air landing lag reduced (16 → 14).
• Down Air landing lag reduced (28 → 24).
• Back Air landing lag reduced (19 → 17).
• Dolphin Slash (Up Special) landing lag reduced (23 → 20).
• Shield Breaker (Neutral Special) end frame reduced (52 → 50).
• Dancing Blade has 5 more frames to input the next hit.

Technical changelist

Change	Old value	New value
Jab 1 damage	4%/6%	3%/5%
Jab 1 angle	Sakurai angle	78°/65°/90°
Jab 1 knockback growth	50/70	30
Jab 1 base knockback	20/30	55
Jab 1 hitlag	1	0.7
Transition from Jab 1 to Jab 2	frame 21	frame 17
Jab 1 ending frame increased	26	28
Jab 2 angle	Sakurai angle	100
Jab 2 initial base knockback	50	65
Jab 2 (late) base knockback	40	52
Up tilt angle	Sakurai angle/100°	100°
Up tilt base knockback	50/40	65/52
Up tilt endlag	42 frames	39 frames
Neutral air landing lag	15 frames	12 frames
Dolphin Slash knockback growth	68	74
Dolphin Slash/Crescent Slash hitlag multiplier	0.5	0.7

Moveset

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

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			3%/5%	Slashes Falchion twice in front of himself. If spaced and timed correctly, this move has amazing and almost limitless follow-up capabilities as it can link into any of his smashes and tilts which can link into his other moves. (Some of this will only work if the opponent is very close to the player.)
			4%/6%
Forward tilt			9%/12%	A fast forward leaning Falchion swipe upward.
Up tilt			6% (blade), 5% (body), 9% (tip)	Swings Falchion in a large arc above his head, with a large hitbox that can hit enemies behind him.
Down tilt			7%/10%	A quick crouching Falchion poke. Can link into a grab if the move is un-tipped.
Dash attack			10% (blade), 9% (body), 12% (tip)	A quick upward sweeping diagonal slash.
Forward smash			13%/18%	Rotates body counter-clockwise with a strong arc-like one-handed swing from his head to the ground. Moderately fast startup, but high ending lag. Although lackluster when sourspotted, this move has surprisingly potent knockback when tipped, being able to KO opponents near the edge at as low as 65%. In fact, when tippered it has the 3rd highest knockback of any forward smash, being tied with Ganondorf. Despite this, the move's low range compared to Marth's previous incarnations makes this a somewhat difficult move to hit.
Up smash		Justice Sword	3% (ground), 13% (blade), 17% (tip)	A quick, direct upward thrust. The weak grounded hit can knock nearby opponents into the main attack. Good for aerial protection and chasing down landing opponents.
Down smash			8%/12% (hit 1), 12%/17% (hit 2)	Sweeps Falchion on the ground toward the front outward then toward the back inward. Weak for a smash attack unless tipped, where it'll do moderate knockback. High ending lag makes it punishable.
Neutral aerial			2%/3% (hit 1), 6%/8% (hit 2)	Two horizontal slashes around himself via in inward slash followed into a full 360 outward spin. The second hit can hit on both sides of Marth, and can be used to create space by short hopping then fast falling immediately after using the move in the air.
Forward aerial			7%/10%	Does a forward vertical slash (up to down).
Back aerial			9%/12%	Slashes Falchion from bottom to top behind him in an inward swipe. Has the interesting property of turning Marth around, changing facing direction.
Up aerial			9%/12%	A forward to back upward Falchion slash in a delayed somersault.
Down aerial			11% (blade), 13% (non-meteor tip), 14% (meteor tip)	A forward to back downward outward slash with Falchion. If the tipper hits in the middle of the swinging arc, it sends opponents downwards, meteor smashing powerfully; this is easier said than done, and players have to learn the timing and range of this move to put its meteor effect to good use. Other hitboxes when tipped results in moderate knockback. High ending and landing lag.
Grab			—	Grabs the enemy with his left hand. Good range.
Pummel			2%	Knees the enemy.
Forward throw			4%	Grabs and pushes forward, tripping with his leg. Can be used to set-up a Crescent Slash from low to mid percentage.
Back throw			4%	Turns around and pulls the enemy over his outstretched leg, tripping them.
Up throw			4%	Powerful upward throw with one arm. Can KO at very high percentages.
Down throw			5%	Throws opponent to the ground with one arm, bouncing them upwards. Primary follow-up throw.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%
Edge attack Edge getups			7%
Neutral special	Default	Shield Breaker	8%/9% (uncharged), 22%/24% (fully charged)	Marth charges up Falchion at chest level before powerfully thrusting it forward. This attack deals high amounts of shield damage. If fully charged and used in the air, this move will thrust Marth in whatever direction he's facing, giving him a somewhat horizontal recovery.
	Custom 1	Storm Thrust	4% (uncharged), 11% (fully charged)	The stab produces a blast of wind from the tip, with pushing strength dependent on the charge level. In exchange, the attack is weaker than normal.
	Custom 2	Dashing Assault	6%/5%/3% (ground uncharged early/mid/late), 7%/6%/4% (air uncharged early/mid/late), 16%/13%/9% (ground fully charged early/mid/late), 17%/14%/10% (air fully charged early/mid/late)	Marth performs a lunging thrust with Falchion. Deals less damage, but propels Marth forwards.
Side special	Default	Dancing Blade	3%/4% (parts 1-2), 4%/5% (part 3 up/side), 3%/4% (part 3 down), 6%/8% (part 4 up), 5%/7% (part 4 side), 2% (part 4 down hits 1-4), 4%/6% (part 4 hit 5)	A sequence of Falchion slashes with several variations based on control stick tilts; If it is tilted up on the final blow, Marth will perform an uppercut with good KO'ing potential. Tilted down: A flurry of stabs that wears down shields. Neutral or side: Produces a strong swing downwards.
	Custom 1	Effortless Blade	2%/3% (parts 1-3), 4%/5% (part 4)	Makes the hits easier to link, but can only use the side/neutral option. Since Marth swings with less vigor (hence the name), the attack is also weaker.
	Custom 2	Heavy Blade	7%/9% (part 1), 9%/11% (part 2), 10%/12% (part 3), 13%/15% (part 4 up), 14%/16% (part 4 side), 2.2% (part 4 down hits 1-4), 11%/13% (part 4 down hit 5)	Marth slashes with more force, but the controller input time is stricter and the hits are harder to link.
Up special	Default	Dolphin Slash	11% (clean), 7% (late blade), 6% (late body)	Marth performs a rapid jumping slash that can be reversed. Has a powerful sweetspot located in the first few frames.
	Custom 1	Crescent Slash	7% (clean), 12% (late blade), 6% (late body)	Marth uses a lower Dolphin Slash that gains more horizontal distance. It gives Marth an access to his only one true follow-up from forward throw and grab release combo against some characters. Using this attack against the ledge enlarges its hitbox. Ideal for interrupting recoveries, gimp, stage-spike, and edgeguarding. However, it has less vertical distance.
	Custom 2	Dolphin Jump	0%	Jumps higher, deals no damage.
Down special	Default	Counter	1.2x (min 8%)	Marth assumes a defensive stance and retaliates against incoming attacks. The power of the counterattack scales with the strength of the attack blocked.
	Custom 1	Easy Counter	0.7x (min 4%)	Marth holds his stance longer, and strikes with less power. Has decreased damage scaling, but has a wider trigger window.
	Custom 2	Iai Counter	1.3x (min 6%)	Marth strikes the opponent while moving behind them at lightning speed. Inflicts more damage, knocks foes behind him, and is much quicker, but the trigger window is stricter.
Final Smash		Critical Hit	60%	Marth lunges in one direction, attacking the first opponent. Immense knockback, enough to one-hit KO any character.

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 Ike, Robin, Lucina, and Roy.

Victory Poses

• MarthPose3WiiU.png
• MarthPose1WiiU.png
• MarthPose2WiiU.png

• Sheaths his sword and says "今日も生き延びることが出来た。", which translates to "Today I have survived."
• Turns with pride, spins his sword then clashes it to the ground, and says "今回は僕の勝ちだね。", which translates to "This time it's my victory, isn't it?"
• Poses with his sword sheathed and his right arm out and says "僕は負ける訳には行かないんだ。", which translates to "There's no way I can lose!"

In Competitive Play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character	Custom sets available
Marth	3113	3123	1123	3133	1133
	3121	1121	3111	1131	3131

Notable players

•  Ally
•  Mr.E
•  Nicko

Alternate costumes

Trophies

Marth

The first hero from the Fire Emblem series, Marth is the prince of Altea and descendant of the hero Anri. In Smash Bros., he's known as an exceptional swordfighter, swinging his blade with grace. Striking with the tip will maximize the damage dealt. Teach aggressive foes a lesson with his strong Counter move.

Marth, the prince of Altea, is the hero of the first ever Fire Emblem game and its remake, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon. In this game, his graceful sword skills are what set him apart. Strike with the tip of his blade to deal extra damage, and use his Counter skill to defend yourself, no matter which directions you're being attacked from.

: Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light (JP)

: Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem (JP)

Marth (Alt.)

Marth's side special Dancing Blade is a four-stage attack. Aim and time your strikes carefully! The tip of his sword does the most damage. For his up smash, Justice Sword, he thrusts his blade into the air. You can use it to block attacks from above and launch nearby foes.

Marth's side special, Dancing Blade, is a four-stage attack. Aim and time your strikes carefully! As usual, the tip of his sword does the most damage. For his up smash, Justice Sword, he thrusts his blade into the air. You can use it to block attacks from above, and even to launch nearby enemies off the ground."

: Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light (JP)

: Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem (JP)

Critical Hit (Marth)

Marth raises his Exalted Falchion to the sky and then rushes forward to deal an incredibly powerful blow, almost certainly KO'ing anyone and everyone who gets hit! When it's used in the air, he'll fly forward a certain distance. On the ground, however, he'll only dash to the edge of the platform he's standing on.

Marth raises his Exalted Falchion to the sky, then rushes forwards to deal an incredibly powerful blow, almost certainly KOing anyone and everyone who gets hit! When used in the air, he'll fly forwards a set distance, but on the ground, he'll only dash up to the edge of the platform he's standing on.

• MarthTrophy3DS1.png

  Classic (3DS)

• MarthTrophy3DS2.png

  Alt. (3DS)

• 

  Classic (Wii U)

• 

  Alt. (Wii U)

• 

  Critical Hit

Gallery

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  Marth in the Nintendo Direct from April 8th, 2014.

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  Marth's amiibo.

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  The pic of the day shown during Marth's reveal.

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  Front and Back shots of Marth's new design.

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  Marth's appearance in the 3DS version.

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  Posing with sword.

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  Battling with Link.

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  Using down smash on Wii Fit Trainer.

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  Holding sword out.

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  Attacking around himself with the sword; appears to be his neutral aerial.

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  Using Counter against Fox's dash attack.

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  Using Dolphin Slash on Mega Man.

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  Dancing Blade.

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  Posing with Peach.

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  Marth and Link performing their, respectively, forward tilt and neutral jab.

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  Marth lying down after being knocked onto the ground.

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  Close-up image of Marth and Luigi's faces.

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  Marth and Samus near a Steel Diver.

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  The results of Marth using Shield Breaker on Mega Man.

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  In battle with Zelda.

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  Landing with Ike.

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  Marth on the cover of the 3DS version.

Trivia

• Despite now grunting instead of talking when doing his Counter, he still has his sound effects in his Sound Test.
  • In Roy's trailer, Marth can be heard talking while using Counter, rather than grunting.