Robin (SSBU)

Robin in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Universe	Fire Emblem
Other playable appearance	in SSB4
Availability	Unlockable
Final Smash	Pair Up
Tier	D+ (67)

Robin (ルフレ, Reflet) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. He was officially revealed on June 12th, 2018 alongside Lucina and the rest of the returning roster. As in the previous game, both male and female versions of Robin are playable, although the male Robin is showcased in promotional material and used as the default palette swap for the character. Robin is classified as Fighter #56.

David Vincent and Lauren Landa's portrayals of male and female Robin respectively from Super Smash Bros. 4 were repurposed for Western editions of Ultimate. Additionally, Yoshimasa Hosoya and Miyuki Sawashiro's portrayals of male and female Robin respectively from SSB4 were repurposed for the Japanese editions of Ultimate.

Robin is ranked 67th out of 82 on the current tier list, placing him in the D+ tier. This is a noticeable drop from his 37th/38th out of 54 placement in SSB4, where he was tied with Samus.

How to unlock

Complete one of the following:

• Play VS. matches, with Robin being the 53rd character to be unlocked.
• Clear Classic Mode with Kirby or any character in his unlock tree, being the 5th character unlocked after Zelda.
• Have Robin join the player's party in World of Light.

Robin must then be defeated on Castle Siege (the Ω form is used in World of Light).

Attributes

Robin is a tall, middleweight character who has very low ground mobility. Robin’s dashing speed is the second slowest in the game, and his walking speed is very slow. While his dashing speed is below average, Robin still has an average initial dash distance, which allows him to rely on Fox-trotting as a quicker ground movement option. Outside of these attributes, Robin's other traits are typical of a middleweight; his air speed, traction, falling speed, and gravity are all average. However, Robin's air acceleration is above average. As a result of these attributes, Robin has difficulty chasing foes and fleeing from them at the same time, though his oddly decent aerial mobility compensates this to a degree.

Robin's tomes provide a myriad of spacing, pressuring, and additional damaging capabilities. Both the Thunder and Fire tomes can disrupt opponents, rack up damage, and open up windows to chain attacks together. Thunder and the slightly stronger Elthunder peppers at mid-range or shorter, while Arcthunder travels for longer and has trapping capabilities for pressure, combos and set-ups, and Thoron pierces through opponents and deals considerable knockback. Arcfire produces a trapping, multiple hitting pillar of flame that is instrumental for approaching or disrupting approaches, pressuring, and chaining together attacks. In addition to the Fire tome, Robin's neutral attack involves the Wind tome: the former tome generates a singular explosion of fire magic that deals strong diagonal knockback, while the latter tome generates a neutral infinite consisting of wind magic that deals high damage and concludes with a blast of wind magic that deals strong vertical knockback. Elwind provides respectable vertical recovery and its first hit can be used to punish aerial and post-recovery opponents by spiking them at point-blank with the first hit. Lastly, Nosferatu is a self-healing move which heals Robin, especially if cast from behind and while having a higher damage percentage than his opponent, while it also cannot be shielded due to functioning like a grab. However, it is tricky to use, as the opponent must be at almost point-blank range to land it, although Arcthunder's trapping ability can help Robin land it easier, and it grants full-body intangibility.

Aside from using tomes, Robin's Levin Sword is a potent weapon in its own right. It is a powerful, fairly long-ranged, and electrically-charged sword that functions as a terrific offensive tool due to its excellent pressure capabilities, its impressive combo potential and its high KO power. Robin whips this out for his smash and directional aerial attacks when a smash input is inputted, and for neutral aerial when the Levin Sword is already in use. It can be swung eight times before it breaks. Robin's down smash with the Levin Sword has good ledge trapping potential, as it can hit hanging opponents and the electric shockwaves cover both sides of Robin. Despite being vastly inferior to the Levin Sword in regards to KO potential, the Bronze Sword has combo potential due to its weaker knockback. His neutral aerial covers both front and back sides successively, which can be useful for spacing in the air, and is his most effective out of shield option. His down tilt can keep away grounded opponents in front of him.

Once Robin's tomes are depleted and the Levin Sword is broken, they can act as throwable items that deal immense damage, shieldstun and knockback. Properly managing Robin's discarded weapons is crucial for optimal play, as the opportunities they can potentially grant are significant. Outside of his magic and sword attacks, Robin has two useful throws: back throw is a viable KOing option near the edge that can combo into Thoron to get early K.Os, while down throw is a reliable combo starter.

However, as previously stated, Robin suffers from numerous weaknesses, such as being the second slowest runner in the game. Furthermore, Robin lacks defensive options and has trouble brushing off opponents, especially those who are directly beneath, making Robin susceptible to rush-downs and juggles. Robin’s tilts generally have short range, making it difficult for Robin to fight at mid-range outside of the use of tomes. Many moves, specifically smash attacks and special attacks, have significant ending lag, which leaves Robin wide open for punishment proceeding his execution. His forward smash, though extremely strong, has a very limited range, sometimes completely missing fighters when said fighters crouch, and is also extremely laggy. Down smash is a strong move with a great range, however the range has limited success as the farthest part of the range is also one of the weakest parts. Up smash is a strong move with considerably less endlag compared to his other smash attacks, however it has mediocre range, and even worse range while using the Bronze Sword, whereas Robin is unable to even hit fighters standing next to him.

Lastly, Robin's durability mechanic can severely weaken Robin once he starts to lose the tomes or the Levin Sword. Losing the Levin Sword gives him pathetic K.O. power despite the Bronze Sword's respectable combo game. Losing Thunder removes one of his only zoning options, as well as losing combo potential. Losing Arcfire costs Robin damage output and even more combo potential. Losing Nosferatu makes Robin's survivability weaker, especially with his average weight. Losing Elwind is the worst case for Robin, as his double jump is merely average, leaving Robin effectively helpless while recovering should he be launched too far offstage without Elwind available.

Overall, Robin is a tactically-based character with varied spacing, damage-accumulating and KO options that must be used wisely and opportunely. At the same time, the lack of mobile and defensive options leave Robin vulnerable to pressure and combos. With this, Robin players must keep track of his weapons' durability, intelligently respond to their opponents, and take precise offensive action for success in battle.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. 4

Robin has been given a mix of buffs and nerfs in the transition to Ultimate, with both buffs and nerfs being of equal weight. While he benefits from a considerably improved advantage, the faster pace of Ultimate and the miscellaneous nerfs to some of his tools make it more difficult to capitalize on this. Collectively, it is hard to determine whether Robin was buffed or nerfed overall.

Several of Robin's attacks have reduced lag or increased KO power, while most of his formerly situational attacks are more effective due to altered hitboxes: up tilt now has grounded hitboxes, and up smash has much better horizontal reach above Robin, significantly improving their reliability. Neutral aerial can now use the Levin Sword, giving it much better utility and better edgeguarding capabilities. Robin's neutral attack, a staple in his neutral game, also fares significantly better due to several improvements with its consistency; the Elwind infinite connects significantly better, and the Arcfire finisher transitions earlier while using half the durability it used to in SSB4.

Robin's special moves have been heavily revamped. With the exception of the uncharged version, all versions of Thunder hit much harder and now function as effective KO moves, especially Thoron; the move can now also be charge-canceled by jumping. Arcfire is much harder to escape from and travels much farther, making it even more effective for combo initiating. Elwind can have its trajectory significantly altered and grants more distance, recharges faster, and pushes opponents if the wind blades hit the ground. Finally, Nosferatu has slightly more range, heals and deals damage at a faster rate; while it has fewer uses, this also allows it to generate a used tome much faster.

However, Robin's nerfs are also notable. The biggest change is to the Levin Sword, which Robin no longer starts with at the start of the match, forcing several seconds of downtime before the Levin Sword is usable. Robin's most effective tools have also been nerfed: Arcthunder's significantly lower looping duration now prevents followups unless initiated at a distance, Elwind has fewer uses, and down throw has increased knockback, reducing the percent range in which combos (such as the "Checkmate", a down throw to up aerial) can be performed. Arcfire's fire pillar now possesses a hitbox that can cancel other moves; while this allows it to cancel other projectiles and gives it use at counterzoning, the fact it can be canceled by any other hitbox makes it less reliable for ledge-trapping under some circumstances.

Universal changes to gameplay mechanics are a mixed bag for Robin, but have hurt him overall. The universal reduction to landing lag now creates safer landing options (especially with the Levin Sword's high shieldstun), and the streamlined jumpsquats allows Robin to take advantage of his extremely powerful aerials faster. The changes to air dodges now makes it easier for Robin to pressure the opponent through his powerful projectiles and sword attacks, and the introduction of directional air dodges gives Robin an emergency recovery option if he lacks Elwind. However, Robin is significantly harmed by the universal increases to mobility; despite sporting faster mobility like the rest of the cast, Robin's own mobility hasn't seen an improvement notable enough to allow him to catch up to other characters, still being one of the slowest characters in terms of grounded mobility unless he resorts to fox-trotting. As a result of this, and other veterans' faster movement, it is now easier to overwhelm Robin, while his tools don't allow him with some form of dealing with pressure.

Overall, Robin's playstyle, while essentially left unchanged from SSB4, has nonetheless been improved, allowing him to play to his strengths with more ease, and many of his worst issues have been patched up. However, his worsened down throw combos have removed his previously guaranteed KO setup, forcing Robin to find other setup methods to KO the opponent, though thanks to Arcfire's utility, this isn't as big of an issue. That being said, Robin still possesses some of his former flaws, such as problems with escaping pressure, a few awkward hitboxes, and mediocre grounded mobility. The latter issue is especially prevalent due to the faster pace of Ultimate, which brings the extent of many of Robin's buffs into question; the game's engine now prioritizes faster, more aggressive playstyles, and the prevalence of fast characters has caused Robin's powerful neutral game and disadvantage state to be worse than before. In bulk, Robin's changes have not significantly improved his standing, instead performing worse relative to the cast in Ultimate than in SSB4.

Aesthetics

• As with all veterans returning from SSB4, Robin's model features a more subdued color scheme. Both genders have hair that is more stylized, and eyes that appear sharper.
• The player can now see how many uses Robin's Levin Sword and each Tome has located above their icon on the damage meter, akin to Inkling's ink gauge and Hero's MP Gauge.
• Several of Robin's alternate costumes have different hair colors that no longer match the color of Robin's coat. For example, male Robin's green costume now has light brown hair and female Robin's red costume has blonde hair. These typically reference other Fire Emblem characters rather than just Robin's own customization options.
• Robin shares a new victory theme with Lucina and Chrom that is based off "Id (Purpose)" from Fire Emblem Awakening.
• The trail effects for both of Robin's swords are much more opaque, with the trails for the Bronze Sword also being recolored from blue to green.
• The particle effects of Robin regaining tomes and the Levin Sword are more opaque, making it much easier to tell when the weapon in question has recharged.
• Robin's victory poses have been altered:
  • The left-inputted victory pose now causes flames to swirl from both hands.
  • The up-inputted victory pose no longer generates a sword trail.
  • The right-inputted victory pose has Chrom properly loop during the post-victory animation, although he no longer blinks and always keeps his eyes open.
• The Bronze Sword is no longer present in Robin's clapping animation.
• Palutena's Guidance conversation for Robin has been changed, presumably due to Chrom being upgraded to a playable character.

Attributes

• Like all characters, Robin's jumpsquat animation takes three frames to complete (down from 7).
• Robin runs faster (1.15 → 1.265) going from the slowest in SSB4 to the second-slowest in Ultimate.
  • Robin's initial dash is much faster (1.5 → 1.815).
• Robin's air speed is slightly faster (1 → 1.05).
• Robin's traction is higher (0.055 → 0.105).
• Robin no longer starts the match with the Levin Sword, and instead has to wait for it to appear. This only occurs on Robin's first stock, as subsequent stocks start with it.
• The particle effect of Robin regaining tomes and the Levin Sword are more opaque, making it much easier to tell when the weapon in question has recharged.
• The Levin Sword is no longer put away automatically after going unused for 8 seconds.
• The duration of item throws have been standardized in Ultimate. Robin benefits from this, with the endlag for every throw being reduced (Forward: FAF 29 → 24, Back: 29 → 24, Up: 29 → 23, Down: 21 → 19, Dash: 39 → 29). This greatly improves the safety and combo potential of discarded tomes and swords when thrown.
• The speed damage multiplier of discarded tomes and swords has been decreased (3.0 → 2.2), reducing their damage and KO potential.
• Discarded tomes have significantly less base damage (8% → 3%) with knockback not compensated, greatly decreasing their KO potential.
  • However, this also improves their combo potential.

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack:
  • The first two hits of neutral attack have altered animations and hitboxes, reducing their horizontal range.
    • The first hit of neutral attack now functions as an anti-air but is also much easier to low profile.
  • The first two hits of neutral attack have reduced knockback and a lower launch angle, reducing their utility in jab cancelling but allowing them to lock.
  • The first two hits of neutral attack are much less active, with the second hit having higher startup (frames 4-7 → 4-5 (hit 1), 4-8 → 5-6 (hit 2)).
  • Neutral attack's fire finisher has a reduced cost, allowing for more uses before recharging (6 → 12).
  • Neutral attack's fire finisher has less startup (frame 10 → 6), allowing it to connect more reliably.
    • its FAF is unchanged, causing it to be less safe on shield.
  • Neutral infinite has less startup lag (frame 9 → 4) and a faster rehit rate (frames between hits: 3 → 1).
  • Neutral infinite and its finisher both have larger hitboxes that extend closer to the ground, giving it more range and allowing it to connect more reliably.
  • Neutral infinite has a lower launch angle (80° → 361°) with reduced knockback (14 base/30 scaling → 10/11) to keep opponents grounded, alongside lower hitlag (1 → 0.4) and SDI (0.8 → 0.6) multipliers. These changes allow it to connect much more reliably.
  • Neutral infinite's wind finisher has considerably higher endlag (FAF 41 → 48).
  • Neutral attack deals less damage (3%/3% → 2%/1.5% (hits 1-2), 1% → 0.9% (infinite)).
  • The wind and fire finishers both have altered, more opaque particle effects.
  • The infinite has gained a shieldstun multiplier of 3×. This allows it to lock opponents into their shields between each hit, and thus pressure them more effectively, but also allows them to cancel shieldstun and punish Robin more easily if they shield 10 hits or more.
• Forward tilt:
  • Forward tilt has higher base knockback (50 → 62).
  • Forward tilt's hitbox has been moved closer to Robin (Z-offset: 15u → 14u), slightly reducing its horizontal range and disjoint.
  • Forward tilt has an altered animation with Robin leaning into the attack more, further reducing its disjoint.
• Up tilt:
  • Up tilt has less ending lag (FAF 36 → 33).
  • Up tilt has an altered animation, allowing it to hit much closer to the ground on both sides.
  • Up tilt is active slightly longer (frames 6-13 → 6-14).
• Down tilt:
  • Down tilt has an altered animation and hitbox setup, slightly reducing its range.
• Dash attack:
  • Dash attack has significantly less ending lag (FAF 50 → 42).
• Smash attacks:
  • If a smash attack uses the last charge of the Levin Sword, the discard is now dropped shortly before the move's FAF instead of when the animation ends.
  • Smash attacks while the Levin Sword is depleted grant a slightly larger recharge boost (20 frames → 24).
• Forward smash:
  • The clean hit of Levin Sword's forward smash deals more knockback (50 base/87 scaling → 53/90).
  • The late hit with the Levin Sword deals much more damage (5% → 10%) with higher knockback scaling (70 → 80). This significantly improves its KO potential to the point that it can now kill below Sudden Death percents, KOing middleweights at around 165% from the center of Final Destination.
  • Forward smash's launch direction is no longer based on which side of Robin the target is on, instead always launching in the direction Robin is facing.
• Up smash:
  • Up smash with the Levin Sword now has a different animation from the Bronze Sword. Robin's sword levitates out of his right hand and does a twirl while flying upwards, increasing its range and horizontal coverage.
  • The clean hit of Levin Sword's up smash deals more knockback (45 base/84 scaling → 55/86).
  • The late hit with the Levin Sword deals much more damage (5% → 10%) with higher knockback scaling (70 → 80), significantly improving its KO potential.
• Down smash:
  • The clean sparks (Levin Sword only) travel outwards, increasing their range.
  • The clean sparks now hit aerial opponents, improving the move's utility in edge guarding and ledge trapping.
  • The clean sparks transition into the late sparks one frame sooner (frame 24 → 23).
  • The late sparks deal more damage (8% → 10%) with higher knockback scaling (80 → 100), significantly improving their KO potential.

Aerial attacks

• All aerials have less landing lag (neutral: 18 → 11, forward: 18 → 11, back: 19 → 11, up: 18 → 11, down: 26 → 16).
• Smash input aerials while the Levin Sword is depleted grant a slightly larger recharge boost (20 frames → 24).
• If an aerial uses the last charge of the Levin Sword, the discard is now dropped at the start of the aerial's auto-cancel window instead of when the animation ends.
• Neutral aerial:
  • Neutral aerial has less startup (frame 9 → 7 (hit 1), 22 → 20 (hit 2)), with its total duration reduced as well (FAF 50 → 48).
  • Robin can now use the Levin Sword for neutral aerial. Like other aerials with the Levin Sword, this gives it more range, increased damage (7% → 11.5%), a lingering late hit, and an electric effect.
    • Unlike other aerials with the Levin Sword, neutral aerial gains increased knockback scaling (55 → 64), giving it much greater KO potential compared to its Bronze Sword version than other aerials.
    • Neutral aerial with the Levin Sword uses durability as a result of the change, and Robin can no longer switch to the Bronze Sword while in midair if the Levin Sword is equipped.
    • Neutral aerial with the Levin Sword auto-cancels much later (frame 32 → 40) and cannot auto-cancel in a short hop.
    • The player can hold both the special move and attack buttons at the same time to switch to the Levin Sword while using neutral aerial. While not mentioned in-game, this only works if the player has the A+B Smash Attack control option enabled.
  • Neutral aerial deals marginally less damage with the Bronze Sword (7% → 6.9%).
  • The size of all hitboxes on neutral aerial with the Bronze Sword have been greatly decreased (5u → 3u), reducing its coverage.
  • Neutral aerial with the Bronze Sword is now transcendent, removing its ability to hit projectiles.
• Forward aerial:
  • Forward aerial with the Levin sword auto-cancels one frame later (frame 27 → 28), reducing its safety and combo potential when used rising.
  • Forward aerial's launch direction is no longer based on which side of Robin the target is on, instead always launching in the direction Robin is facing.
• Up aerial:
  • Up aerial with the Levin Sword auto-cancels one frame later (frame 27 → 28), reducing its safety and combo potential when used rising.
• Down aerial:
  • Down aerial with the Levin Sword transitions from the early hit to the middle hit one frame later (frame 15 → 16), increasing the duration of the early hit while reducing the duration of the middle hit.
  • The middle hit of down aerial with the Levin Sword has an increased hitlag multiplier (1.0 → 1.5).

Throws and other attacks

• Grab:
  • A halo-like indicator appears during Robin's grab, visualizing its range. This halo also appears when successfully grabbing an opponent.
  • The speed of Robin's throws are no longer weight-dependent.
  • Dash grab and pivot grab have more startup lag (frame 8 → 10 (dash), 9 → 11 (pivot)).
  • Dash grab and pivot grab have less ending lag (FAF 49 → 47 (dash), 46 → 42 (pivot)).
  • All grabs have had their hitboxes moved farther from Robin (Z-offset 2: 8.7u → 9.2u (standing), 10.7u → 11u (dash), 14.7u → 15.7u (pivot)), improving their horizontal range overall.
• Forward throw:
  • Forward throw deals more base knockback (82 → 95), allowing it to better set up for edgeguards.
• Down throw:
  • Down throw deals more knockback (30 base/88 scaling → 50/108). Now it is capable of KOing below 200%, but it has less effective follow-up potential at mid percents and hinders the “checkmate” combo.

Special moves

• Thunder:
  • Thunder charges appear as a shrinking circle, with each stage shrinking until resizing into the next stage with a different color. This makes it easier to tell what level Thunder is at.
    • Thunder charges are denoted by different colors: blue for Thunder, yellow for Elthunder, and purple for Arcthunder.
  • Thunder charges much faster (Elthunder: frame 38 → 33, Arcthunder: frame 108 → 73, Thoron: frame 168 → 133).
  • Thunder, Elthunder, and Arcthunder have less startup lag (frame 11 → 8).
  • Thunder can be charge-canceled by jumping.
  • Charge-cancelling Thunder now has a brief animation, enabling Charge storage canceling but making defensive options out of it slower.
  • Thunder deals more damage (4.5% → 5.5%).
  • Elthunder has a bright yellow color.
  • Elthunder deals more damage (10.5% → 11%) with knockback not compensated, KOing earlier.
  • Elthunder travels faster (2.5 → 2.8).
  • Elthunder has a lower duration (46 frames → 42).
  • Arcthunder deals significantly more damage (10% → 23.6%).
    • The final hit deals more drastically more damage (1% → 8%) with knockback not fully compensated (60 base/280 scaling → 85/85), improving its KO potential.
  • The rehit rate of Arcthunder's vortex has been decreased (6 frames → 4), allowing it to lock in shield and granting it shield break confirms when combined with its increased damage.
  • Arcthunder is extended below and above the projectile, allowing it to hit shorter characters more easily (Y offset : 0 → -0.7—0.7).
  • Arcthunder's projectile is active for longer (59 frames → 72).
  • The duration of Arcthunder's vortex has been greatly reduced (34 frames → 17). The hitlag multiplier of the final hit has also been decreased (2 → 0.6), reducing its hitlag despite its higher damage. As a result, Robin can no longer act fast enough to follow up unless the move connects at a distance.
  • Thoron has a lower launch angle (60° → 45°), significantly increasing its KO potential at ledge.
  • Thoron has much higher base knockback but much lower scaling (50 base/230 scaling → 75/191), further increasing its KO potential at ledge but reducing it at center stage.
  • Thoron comes out slower (frame 20 → 23).
  • Thoron cannot be held to make the beam longer, instead being as long as the previous held version by default. This means the move has more endlag overall since it cannot be tapped for less (FAF 62-71 → 74).
• Arcfire:
  • Arcfire's initial fireball has a longer duration (frames 17-50 → 17-76), traveling much further before expiring.
  • Arcfire’s initial fireball now has a lower launch angle (100° → 115°) and uses set knockback, making it link more consistently.
  • Arcfire's initial fireball is slightly bigger (1.6u → 1.8u).
  • Arcfire deals more damage if all hits connect (10% → 15.1%).
  • The hitbox of Arcfire's pillar now grows throughout the move's duration, making it much more difficult to escape.
  • The looping hits of Arcfire’s pillar have reduced knockback (22 set knockback → 15), making it more difficult to escape.
  • Arcfire's pillar now has a hurtbox that can take 10% before causing it to explode. This allows it to absorb incredibly strong projectiles such as a fully charged Charge Shot, but also causes it to get destroyed by strong getup attacks like Bowser's.
  • The pillar's launching hit has reduced knockback growth (115 → 110), slightly reducing its KO potential without a follow up.
  • Arcfire's pillar no longer activates when the initial fireball hits another hitbox.
• Elwind:
  • Elwind projectiles are thicker and more opaque.
  • Elwind's projectiles can be angled, letting Robin go twice in the same direction, improving horizontal recovery by making it less linear and less predictable. Additionally, the move has been sped up and can travel further horizontally.
  • Elwind sends Robin much higher.
  • Robin grabs ledges faster when using Elwind backwards (frame 52 → 39).
  • Elwind's projectiles push opponents away when they hit the ground.
  • Elwind has fewer uses before needing to recharge (9 → 5).
  • When using Elwind while depleted, Robin will gain a short upward boost upward, slightly improving the chance of a successful recovery.
    • The short boost does not render Robin helpless, meaning he can follow up with a midair jump or directional air dodge.
  • A sourspot was added to the first active frame of the first blade, giving it much better coverage of Robin’s body but making it harder to spike with.
  • The second blade now has an early hit that deals more damage (5% → 7%) with increased knockback growth (80 → 90), allowing it to KO much earlier.
• Nosferatu:
  • Nosferatu is more opaque and has fewer particles, looking more like a dark whirlpool instead of a cloud of particles.
  • Nosferatu has less ending lag (FAF 56 → 50).
  • Nosferatu's release less ending lag (FAF 38 → 32), making it much safer on hit.
  • Nosferatu's healing formula has been altered, allowing it to heal slightly more per hit.
  • Nosferatu's grab has a much shorter duration (155 frames → 80), causing it to heal much less overall when it fully connects.
  • Nosferatu's air only hitbox has been extended towards Robin, allowing it to connect more reliably against aerial opponents.
  • Nosferatu's hits now do more damage (0.8% → 2%), allowing Robin deal damage at a faster rate than before.
  • Nosferatu's collateral hitbox is now significantly larger (3u → 8u), making it much more difficult to contest in free-for-alls and team battles.
  • Nosferatu's rehit rate is now decreased based on the number of players (up to 6), allowing Robin to heal and deal damage faster in free-for-alls and team battles.
  • Robin grabs ledge much earlier out of Nosferatu (frame 59 → 37), allowing it to be used at ledge without resulting in a self-destruct.
  • Nosferatu has fewer uses before needing to recharge (4 uses → 3).
    • However, this allows Robin to expend its charges and use the book as a throwing item faster.
  • Nosferatu recharges faster (40 seconds → 30).
• Pair Up:
  • The swing at the end of Chrom's dash now has a launcher, giving the move more range.
  • The final hit deals more damage (14% → 18%).
  • The final hit has significantly lower knockback scaling (162 → 118), dealing slightly less knockback overall despite its increased damage.

Update history

Robin received a mix of buffs, nerfs and a single glitch fix via game updates, but was buffed slightly overall. Update 2.0.0 made Elwind safer for recovering by shortening its edge lockout time when it is used backwards. Update 3.0.0 decreased the shield damage outputs of Thunder, Elthunder and Arcfire as part of a near-universal nerf to projectiles.

However, update 6.0.0 provided a number of useful buffs for Robin. The most notable ones were to Thunder and Arcfire: the former had its charge times sped up significantly, whereas the latter gained significantly more active frames. As a result, Robin's respectable zoning ability and trapping potential were improved by a fairly noticeable degree. This update also granted Robin a few quality of life buffs: forward tilt's higher base knockback improved its spacing potential, neutral aerial's overall lag was decreased (which also improved it as a follow-up from down throw), and the Levin Sword's durability will replenish slightly faster upon using the Bronze Sword for smash attacks.

Update 9.0.0 granted transcendent priority to neutral infinite's finisher as part of a near-universal buff, while update 13.0.1 improved neutral infinite's damage racking potential and range.

Overall, Robin fares slightly better than he did at the launch of Ultimate, although not enough to change his position in the metagame.

2.0.0

• Robin grabs the ledges faster when using Elwind backwards (52 frames → 39).
• The left victory pose was changed from Robin holding a Thunder tome to an Arcfire tome, matching the fire magic used in the animation.

3.0.0

• Thunder and Elthunder deal less shield damage (0 → -2.5/-5.5 (Thunder/Elthunder)).
• Arcfire deals less shield damage (0 → -1/-0.6/-2 (hits 1/2-8/9)).

3.1.0

• Fixed an issue that resulted in Robin losing functionality when getting hit by Lucas's PSI Magnet and absorbing Thoron at the same time.

6.0.0

• Smash attacks while the Levin Sword is depleted grant a slightly larger recharge boost (20 frames → 24).
• Forward tilt has more base knockback (50 → 62).
• Neutral aerial has less startup (frame 9 → 7 (hit 1), 22 → 20 (hit 2)), with its total duration reduced as well (FAF 50 → 48).
• Thunder charges faster (Elthunder: frame 38 → 33, Arcthunder: frame 88 → 73, Thoron: frame 148 → 133).
• Arcfire's initial fireball has a longer duration (frames 17-61 → 17-76), traveling much farther before expiring.

9.0.0

• Rapid jab finisher has transcendent priority, preventing it from being canceled out by weak attacks.

13.0.1

• Neutral attack:
  • Rapid jab deals more damage (0.7% → 0.9%).
  • Rapid jab and finisher extends slightly further forward (Z: 11.0 → 12.0 (loop), 16.0 → 17.0 (last hit)).

Moveset

• The Bronze Sword has very minimal KO potential due to dealing low damage and significantly low knockback. It also has unimpressive reach, shorter-lasting hits, and minimal freeze frames. However, its weak strength enables it to combo somewhat effectively, especially at higher percents. Conversely, the Levin Sword has significantly greater KO potential, due to it dealing significantly more damage and knockback. In addition to dealing electric damage, it has a greater reach than the Bronze Sword, freeze frames and a lingering hitbox, the latter of which deals less damage if it hits late.
• Robin cannot immediately use the Levin Sword: its durability must reach maximum capacity before being used. This only occurs at the beginning of the match.
• Robin's tilt attacks solely use the Bronze Sword, while smash attacks use the Levin Sword, provided that it is not broken. All aerials can use either sword - if Robin tilts a direction in midair, the Bronze Sword will be used, but if Robin taps a direction like a smash attack, the Levin Sword will be used instead.
  • Robin can now also use the Levin Sword for a neutral aerial by pressing the attack button and the special move button simultaneously. However, this only works if the player has the A+B Smash Attack control option enabled.
  • If the player has smash attacks mapped to their C-Stick and the Levin Sword is available, the Robin will always use the Levin Sword for aerials if the C-Stick is used for the attack direction, as the game still reads the input as a smash attack despite Robin being in midair. If the C-Stick is mapped to tilt attacks, then using the C-Stick while in midair will always use the Bronze Sword (unless the Levin Sword was brought out beforehand, in which case it will need to be put away and the Bronze Sword brought out- see below).
• After using the Levin Sword for any attack, Robin will continue to use it for all directional aerial attacks until it either breaks, or Robin uses an attack that resets the current sword to the Bronze Sword (i.e. neutral attack, tilt attacks, dash attack, floor attacks, and edge attack).
• KOing opponents will speed up the recharging time for all of Robin's weapons.
  • Using smash-inputted aerials and smash attacks will speed up the recharging time for the Levin Sword.

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

Note: All numbers are listed as base damage, without the 1v1 multiplier.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack		Right Chop (ライトチョップ) / Combination Chop (コンビネーションチョップ) / Fire (ファイアー) / Wind (ウインド) / Wind Finish (ウインドフィニッシュ)	2%	An upward slash followed by a downward slash. The move can then proceed to a third finishing hit or into a neutral infinite, depending on whether the attack button is held or button mashed. The former is a fiery explosion, and the latter is a barrage of blade-shaped blasts of wind magic that hits multiple times and ends with a more powerful blast that launches the opponent directly upwards. Both of these third hits have very high knockback for neutral attacks, and are viable KO options starting from around 130%. However, using one drains the durability of the Arcfire or Elwind tome, respectively, with the neutral infinite draining more durability the longer it is sustained. If the wind tome is depleted, Robin will always use the fire third hit regardless of how it is inputted, while if the Arcfire tome is depleted, inputting a gentleman jab will result in a lack of third hit and the player will have to input correctly if they want the wind neutral infinite. If both are depleted, Robin will only be able to use the first two sword slashes.
			1.5%
			5% (Arcfire finisher)
			0.9% (Elwind loop), 2% (Elwind final hit)
Forward tilt		Front Hack (フロントハック)	7.5%	An outward turning, downward slash. A weak, though decent spacing option. As it shifts Robin's hurtbox quite a bit before striking, it gives a big boost in range, making it almost as big as Cloud's Forward Tilt. However, the lack of reward makes this move limited in uses, Jab being a much better grounded punish with KO potential.
Up tilt		Upper Swing (アッパースイング)	6%	An inward turning, upward slash. Its arc is rather generous, making it useful for catching jumps if an opponent is close by. At low percents, it is able to combo into itself.
Down tilt		Leg Cutter (レッグカッター)	6%	A crouching, outward slash. Short ranged but very quick and is a decent combo starter, allowing for followups such as dash attack.
Dash attack		Short Stab (ショートスタッブ)	10% (clean), 6% (late)	Slides forward, thrusting the Bronze Sword at a low angle. Low range but causes Robin to dash forward slightly, making it a decent burst option. It is also decently powerful, and can KO near the ledge at high percents.
Forward smash		Neck Striker (ネックストライカー)	Bronze: 9.6% Levin: 16% (clean), 10% (late)	An underhanded outward thrust. A powerful KO option; with the Levin Sword, it also possesses a lingering hitbox. The clean hit can KO rather early, while the late hit, though much weaker, is capable of KOing around 165% from the center of Final Destination.
Up smash		Rising Thrust (ライジングスラスト) / Spinning Sword (スピニングソード)	Bronze: 9% Levin: 10% (early), 15% (clean), 10% (late)	The animation differs depending on the sword that is used: if it is the Bronze Sword, Robin thrusts it upward. If it is the Levin Sword, Robin will gesture upwards with the Levin Sword, which causes it to levitate out of his hand, twirling backwards from Robin's facing direction once before he catches it. The Levin Sword's sweetspot hitbox lasts for the duration of it twirling upwards and has great coverage, capable of hitting opponents on the ground and behind Robin. The Levin Sword's sourspot is smaller, but has very high active frames (16 frames), making it overall good against aerial opponents. In contrast, the Bronze Sword version is unremarkable, and functions similar to a very weak version of Hero's up smash.
Down smash		Earth Knock (アースノック) / Earth Shocker (アースショッカー)	Bronze: 8% Levin: 15% (clean), 12% (late)	Kneels and strikes the floor via a slash with the equipped sword. The Levin Sword generates brief sparks on both sides of Robin, which can hit opponents even after getting up, thus warding off punishment attempts on either side. It can also break a full shield if fully charged and all of its hitboxes connect. The Bronze Sword is significantly weaker and lacks the sparks, meaning it can only hit in front of Robin. However, it does send at a very low angle, making it a good punish option at the ledge.
Neutral aerial		Double Chop (ダブルチョップ)	Bronze: 6.9% Levin: 11.5%	An inward slash forwards, followed by an outward slash backward. If the special move and attack button are pressed (provided the A+B control setting is turned on), Robin will switch to the Levin Sword. The Levin Sword version of this move deals increased damage and covers both sides with increased range, but it cannot autocancel in a short hop. Unlike in SSB4, using neutral air will not put away the Levin Sword.
Forward aerial		Air Upper Swing (エアアッパースイング)	Bronze: 7.5% Levin:12.5% (clean), 5% (late)	An upward swipe. Because of its arc, it can catch grounded opponents while in the air. Outside of edgeguards, it has very poor KO potential with the Bronze Sword, but its knockback makes it easy to combo with, usually into itself, or other aerials. The Levin version also has combo potential, being able to combo into other aerials at low percents such as neutral aerial and another forward aerial when SHFF'd.
Back aerial		Backhand Slash  (バックハンドスラッシュ)	Bronze: 9% Levin: 15% (clean), 5% (late)	A backward thrust. Fast, but has a somewhat narrow hitbox which can make landing it awkward, though it still autocancels from a short hop. The Levin variant is one of the most powerful backairs in the game, being able to KO middleweights under 80% at the ledge of Final Destination. It can hit a few frames after ending while using the Levin Sword, with the vertical launch angle of the late hit allowing for combos into another Levin aerial such as up aerial or another back aerial. Strongly resembles sword animations for the Cavalier and Paladin classes throughout the Fire Emblem series.
Up aerial		Arc Slash (アークスラッシュ)	Bronze: 7.8% Levin: 13% (clean), 5% (late)	An upward overhead slash. It is a great juggling option with the Bronze Sword due to its low knockback and large arc, while it is one of Robin's most effective aerials with the Levin Sword due to its massive range and KO potential. It has lingering hitboxes with the Levin Sword and can combo into itself and neutral aerial at low percents when SHFF'd. When inputting a short hop aerial up air using a full tilt of the control stick, the game will interpret this as a smash input, and Robin will always switch to his Levin Sword if it is available.
Down aerial		Undercut (アンダーカット)	Bronze: 7.2% Levin: 11% (clean), 8% (late)	A downward slash. It also hits slightly in front of Robin. The sweet spot in the middle of the Levin Sword can meteor smash while it is swung down, while the Bronze Sword cannot meteor smash at all. The move has a lingering hitbox in both of its versions, with the lingering hit of the Bronze version sending lower than the Levin version, which gives both versions a niche use for edgeguarding. Has high landing lag (16 frames).
Grab		Grab (つかみ)	—	Wraps the opponent in a whirling stream of magic. The grab's range is visualized by a halo. This halo enlargens when Robin successfully grabs an opponent. Pivot grab has great range, and Robin has one of the best roll cancel grabs in the game, allowing them to cover a large distance when mastered.
Pummel		Grab Force Attack (つかみフォースアタック)	1.5%	A point-blank burst of magic. It is unique compared to other pummels, having more power than pummels like Mario but less than others like Bowser, and its electric effect makes it much slower than most other pummels barring Kazuya. As a result, it is arguably the worst pummel in the game overall.
Forward throw		Force Kinesis (フォースキネシス)	8%	Magically shoves the opponent forward. Has moderate base knockback but low knockback scaling, making it more suited for sending opponents offstage.
Back throw		Reverse Kinesis (リバースキネシス)	11%	Turns around and magically tosses the opponent backward. Robin's strongest throw, with very high base knockback and decently high knockback growth.
Up throw		Launch Kinesis (ローンチキネシス)	9%	Magically heaves the opponent upwards.
Down throw		Pressure Kinesis (プレッシャーキネシス)	6%	Magically slams the opponent onto the ground, launching them vertically upward. Its knockback has been increased from the previous game, which allows for KOs below 200%. However, this removes Robin's ability to perform effective follow-ups, but it can still combo into up tilt at low percents and neutral aerial at mid percents.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Swipes forward with the Bronze Sword, then backward.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	Same as frontal floor attack, but strikes backward first.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Same as back floor attack.
Edge attack Edge getups			9%	Performs a thrust with the Bronze Sword while climbing up.
Neutral special		Thunder	5.5% (Thunder), 11% (Elthunder), 6% (Arcthunder, hit 1), 2.4% (Arcthunder, looping hits), 8% (Archthunder, finisher), 2.6% (Thoron)	Robin casts thunder magic from a Thunder tome. It is a chargeable projectile with distinct properties for each charge level: Thunder is produced when the move is uncharged. It is a small, weak, and very short-ranged projectile, but it is very fast and can catch approaching opponents off-guard, allowing for a follow-up attack. Can combo into Dash Attack even at high percents, leading to potential KOs around 100% at the ledge. Elthunder is produced after a brief charge. It is a small, fast projectile that traverses the entire stage, with decent damage and knockback. While not a viable KO option on its own before extreme percents, its knockback can be powerful enough to finish off opponents recovering offstage. Arcthunder is produced after a more lengthy charge. Unlike the previous levels, Arcthunder is initially quite slow, but it accelerates over time. It explodes in a small X-shape on contact with an opponent or hitbox, dealing multiple hits and significant knockback, KOing at 120% from the edge of Final Destination. Thoron is produced at full charge. It is a massive energy beam long enough to cover the entire stage, dealing multiple hits to anyone caught in it and KOing at 90% from the edge of Final Destination. However, it has an extremely long startup and endlag (especially in the air), and if Robin is hit before releasing the beam, the charge will be lost. Despite acting like a projectile, Thoron's hitbox is connected to Robin, and the entirety of the beam will move with Robin's movements if used in the air.
Side special		Arcfire	2% (hit 1), 1.2% (hits 2-8), 4% (final explosion)	Robin casts fire magic from an Arcfire tome. It creates a tiny fireball that travels diagonally downward from above Robin’s head and bursts into a pillar of flame on impact with an opponent or shield. Opponents trapped in the flame pillar take multiple hits and are pushed slightly upwards, and when the pillar expires, it explodes, dealing a fair amount of upward knockback. It is primarily useful for disrupting approaches and capitalizing on the opponent's reaction, while it can also be used for edgeguarding, either by directly attacking the opponent or covering the edge as they attempt to grab it. However, if the initial fireball meets any hitbox from the opponent, the fireball will dissipate without detonating. Can combo and kill-confirm into up smash; can also combo into itself, aerials, and Nosferatu if timed properly, and on top of that, it makes the opponent vulnerable to footstooling, which can be followed up with a jab lock or down smash, if the opponent fails to tech, otherwise, sets up a tech chase.
Up special		Elwind	5% (first blade), 7% (second blade)	Robin casts wind magic downward twice from the Elwind tome, which propels Robin a great distance upwards. Elwind's projectiles can also be angled, allowing for a great horizontal recovery as well as vertical. If used when the Elwind tome has 2 durability units remaining, Robin will only cast one wind blade, providing significantly less momentum. If used while fully depleted, Robin will not generate any wind blades but will gain a short upward boost, slightly improving the chance of survival. Although difficult to use as an attack, the first wind blade has a meteor smash effect on the first few frames, and both blades generate a small push effect on impact with the ground.
Down special		Nosferatu	2% (loop)	Robin casts Nosferatu on a nearby opponent to drain their health and heal Robin, while also dealing damage to other nearby opponents. This acts as a command grab and will bypass shields. The healing increases in power the more damage Robin has compared to the opponent, healing upwards of 40% if the difference is over 100. The healing power also increases if used on an opponent facing away from Robin. Nosferatu only has three uses before it runs out of durability; this can be used in Robin's advantage to easily create a throwable tome. If Nosferatu connects in midair, Robin will become helpless once the move ends.
Final Smash		Pair Up	2% (trapping hit), 3% (initial hit), 1.3% (hits 2-21), 18% (final hit)	Summons Chrom via warp magic to pair up and attack. Chrom slashes the opponent upward into the air and then he and Robin relentlessly attack the opponent, with Chrom repeatedly slashing with his Falchion, while Robin casts thunder and fire magic, including Bolganone. After they finish their barrage, they perform a final simultaneous strike that spikes the opponent to the ground, which deals enough recoil to launch them towards the upper blast line. Upon successful use, all of Robin's weapons (including the ones that have yet to break) will have their durability restored.

Stats

Stats	Weight	Dash speed	Walk speed	Traction	Air friction	Air speed	Air acceleration	Gravity	Falling speed	Jumpsquat	Jump height	Double jump height
Value	95	1.815 – Initial dash 1.265 – Run	0.936	0.105	0.007	1.05	0.01 – Base 0.07 – Additional	0.089	1.5 – Base 2.4 – Fast-fall	3	33.21 - Base 16.02 - Short hop	33.21

Durability system

Robin using Arcfire and the tome's durability meter depleting upon being used, as shown via Move List.

Robin has a unique fighter ability: true to the Fire Emblem series, where items break after being used too many times, Robin's tomes and Levin Sword do the same if they are used too often. If Robin attempts to use an attack that uses durability-affected weaponry and is interrupted by an attack while attempting to use it, then that will count as one use of the weapon, even if no damaging hitbox is produced. Robin always carries the last tome and sword that was used in each hand, provided their durability has not depleted. The amount of remaining durability is displayed in the form of a bar that appears above his icon on the HUD. Once a depleted weapon is restored, a unique animation of the weapon appearing in one hand with a flash of light will start, provided that Robin is standing completely still; tomes appear in the left hand while holding it up in the air, while the Levin Sword reappears in the right hand while flicking it in a manner similar to one of Robin’s idle poses. These poses can be canceled, similarly to taunts.

If Robin fully depletes a weapon, it will be tossed backward, hitting any opponents before it disappears. In the case where Robin is sent flying by knockback immediately after depleting a weapon, the used weapon will be dropped on the ground before Robin is knocked back. They disappear almost immediately after hitting the ground once, but they can also be picked up and thrown. The Levin Sword deals 15% when smash thrown, while the tomes deal 12.3% when smash thrown, making both attacks decent surprise KOing options due to their high base knockback. The discarded weapons can also lock if Z-dropped on an opponent.

If Robin does not have the proper tome for a given special move and tries to perform it, Robin will perform the animation but will not produce any hitboxes. For the Levin Sword, all such attacks will instead use the Bronze Sword, which cannot break, but has a shorter range, deals considerably less damage and knockback, and also lacks the Levin Sword's lingering electrical hitboxes.

Weapons restore gradually after they have been depleted, which is displayed as the meter refilling its units. When Robin scores a KO, it reduces the respawn timer for all currently-regenerating weapons by a small amount. Alternatively, aerials and smash attacks will hasten the respawn time for the Levin Sword.

Durability points for weapons do not replenish while Robin is using a tome, and the only way to replenish a weapon is to get a new copy of it. Respawning after being KO'd also has all of the weapons replenished, as does Pair Up, though only if it is used successfully.

Levin Sword

Durability	8
Recharge time	10 seconds
Time reduced per KO	-3.0 seconds
Bronze Sword smash attack/smash aerial	-0.4 seconds
Durability cost
Smash attacks/aerials	1

Thunder tome

If the tome has less durability than the spell requires, it can still be performed, though the tome will be immediately depleted afterward. If Kirby copies Robin, he will lose the Copy Ability altogether once he depletes his tome.

Durability	20
Recharge time	12 seconds
Time reduced per KO	-1.5 seconds
Durability cost
Thunder	1
Elthunder	3
Arcthunder	5
Thoron	8

Arcfire tome

Durability	6
Recharge time	12 seconds
Time reduced per KO	-1.0 second
Durability cost
Arcfire	1
Neutral attack finisher	0.5

Elwind tome

Durability	10
Recharge time	6 seconds
Time reduced per KO	-2.0 seconds
Durability cost
Elwind	1 (per blade)
Neutral attack	1 (per second)

Nosferatu tome

Durability	3
Recharge time	30 seconds
Time reduced per KO	-1.0 second
Durability cost
Nosferatu	1

Announcer call

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.

• English

• Japanese/Chinese

On-screen appearance

• Warps onto the stage via a Warp staff.

• 

  Robin's on-screen appearance

Taunts

• Up Taunt: Points the currently held sword upward. Male Robin says "Let's tip the scales!" (戦局を変える., I'll change the state of war.), while female Robin says, "Time to tip the scales!" (戦局を変えます., I'll change the state of war.)
• Side Taunt: Magically suspends the active sword and tome in the air, rotates the sword in place and flips through the tome's pages using magic, and says, "Prepare yourself!" In Japanese, male Robin says 覚悟はいいかい?, (Are you prepared?), while female Robin says 覚悟はいいですか?, (Are you prepared?)
• Down Taunt: Magically encircles themself with the active sword and tome before pointing their hand towards the camera. Male Robin says "You're not ready!" (やってやるさ., Let's do it then.), while female Robin says, "Here I go!" (いきますよ!, Let us go!)

• 

  Robin's up taunt.

• 

  Robin's side taunt.

• 

  Robin's down taunt.

Idle poses

• Closes both eyes and turns around, opening the active tome to read it briefly.
• Slowly waves the active sword forwards with a flourish.

• 

  Robin's first idle pose.

• 

  Robin's second idle pose.

Crowd cheer

	Cheer (English)	Cheer (Japanese/Chinese)	Cheer (Italian)	Cheer (Dutch)	Cheer (French)
Cheer			File:Robin Cheer Italian SSBU.ogg
Description	Ro - bin!	Ref - let!	Daaaaaraen!	Ro - bin!	Ro - bin! Da - raen

	Cheer (German)	Cheer (Spanish)	Cheer (Russian)	Cheer (Korean)
Cheer		File:Robin Cheer Spanish NTSC SSBU.ogg
Description	Da - ra - ean!	¡Ro - bin! ¡Daraen! ¡Daraen! ¡Ra ra ra!	Robin! *claps 2 times*	Ro - bu - in!

Victory poses

• Left: Generates flames with a wave of their hands, then spreads out the free arm. Male Robin says "The key to victory lies within." ("勝利の秘策はここにある, The secret to victory is here.). Female Robin says "Ha! Checkmate." ("私の策にはまりましたね!, According to plan!).
  • If Lucina is present after a match, male Robin sometimes says "Lucina, I hope I didn't hurt you." ("ルキナ、痛くなかったかい?, Lucina, are you hurt?). If this quote plays, male Robin will not generate flames from his hands. This quote is rather glitchy, as it can play even if Lucina does not participate in a match.
• Up: Crosses arms with weapons in hand, then spins clockwise and swings the Levin Sword. Male Robin says "I'm always three steps ahead." ("常に三手先を考えるんだ。", I always think three steps ahead.). Female Robin says "A good tactician has nothing to fear." ("戦略を練れば、恐るるに足りません。, If you have a strategy, there is nothing to fear.).
• Right: Faces the screen while back to back with Chrom, before turning around posing with their weapons. Male Robin says "It seems our fates are joined." ("僕たちは互いに絆で結ばれているんだ。, We are bonded by mutual ties.). Female Robin says "I've got your back." ("私が、あなたの半身になります。, I'll be your other half.).
  • If Lucina is present after a match, female Robin sometimes says "How can you protect Chrom if you can't protect yourself?" ("そんなことじゃ、クロムさんを守れませんよ!, You can't protect Chrom like that!).
  • If Robin's Final Smash has been used during the match, Chrom will sometimes say "My strength is yours!" (お前は俺が守る!, I'll protect you!), the same quote Chrom shouts when a unit pairs up with him in Awakening.

A short orchestral cover of "Id (Purpose)" from Fire Emblem Awakening.

• 
• 
• 

In competitive play

Most historically significant players

See also: Category:Robin players (SSBU)

•  Angel - The best Robin player in the United States online metagame, reaching a peak of 13th on the Wi-Fi Warrior Rank v7 and strong performances at large online events such as placing 4th at The Box: Lunch Box 18, 7th at The Airlock, and top 8 at several Coinbox events. Although not as active offline, he notably placed 33rd at the major Let's Make Big Moves 2022.
•  Juuuuul - The first Robin player with noteworthy major results and was the best Robin player in the early metagame. He has defeated many of Tristate's best players in early-Ultimate, including LeoN at Player's Ball Ultimate and Mr. E at Return to Yoshi's Island. At majors, he placed 13th at Suplex City Smash and Defend the North 2019, which remained the untied best placements for a Robin player at a major event for several years afterwards. He became inactive in 2020.
•  Leaf - The best Robin player in the world since 2023. His breakout performance was at DELTA 5, where he placed 13th and upset Zackray, the best Robin performance in Ultimate at that time. Since then, Leaf has achieved performances that no other Robin player has been able to match, including placing 3rd at DELTA 7.5 defeating Umeki, and 17th at DELTA 8 defeating Maister and BassMage, and becoming the only Robin player to officially be ranked in a Smash Ultimate ranking, ranking 62nd on LumiRank 2024.1.
•  morrocoYo - The best Robin player in South America who is one of Venezuela's best players, winning several of South America's largest events including Stone Ocean 7 and Smash Cup 24. Outside of Venezuela, he has also placed 49th at the Smash World Tour 2021 Last Chance Qualifier. He was ranked as an honorable mention for the 101st-150th positions on the LumiRank 2023 due to having no activity at majors.
•  Synergy - Active since the early metagame and was the best Robin player in 2021, placing 25th at both Super Smash Con: Fall Fest and CEO 2021. Since then he remains one of the best Robin players in the United States, most notably defeating MKBigBoss at Luminosity Makes BIG Moves 2024.

Tier placement and history

Despite being buffed during the transition from Smash 4, Robin remained a relatively unpopular character for most of competitive play, due to his lackluster speed, weak defensive options, and the weapon durability system. As such, Robin was often overlooked for other characters who did his job better, and despite efforts from players such as Jul in the early metagame, Robin's representation in the metagame remained rather small, and only decreased further following Jul's inactivity.

Currently, there are a few notable Robin players who perform well regionally, including morrocoYo, who dominates competitive Ultimate in Venezuela; Leaf, who has a few notable major placements; and Whisky, who regularly places well at Mexican events. However, both morrocoYo and Whisky have limited appearances at a national-level, while Leaf's results remain inconsistent. As such, opinions on Robin have largely remained the same since the early metagame, which is reflected in Robin's placement on the first tier list, where he is ranked 62nd as a lower-mid tier, and then he dropped farther to 67th on the second tier list in the D+ tier.

Classic Mode: Thunder and Flames

Robin's congratulations screen.

Robin fights each round against two fighters (with the exception of Round 6): one that wields electricity, and one that wields fire.

Round	Opponent	Stage	Music	Notes
1	Pichu and Charizard	Pokémon Stadium	Prelude (Ablaze)	Charizard's Pokémon Trainer is absent.
2	Zero Suit Samus and Roy	Coliseum	Winning Road - Roy's Hope
3	Pikachu and Incineroar	Pokémon Stadium 2	Destiny (Ablaze)
4	R.O.B. and Ken	Norfair	Conquest (Ablaze)
5	Dr. Mario and Bowser	Mushroom Kingdom II	Duty (Ablaze)
6	() Opposite-gender Robin	Arena Ferox	Id (Purpose)
Bonus Stage
Final	Master Hand	Final Destination	Master Hand (Less than 7.0 intensity) Master Hand / Crazy Hand (Intensity 7.0 or higher)	On intensity 7.0 and higher, Crazy Hand fights alongside Master Hand.

Note: Every round except the bonus stage and boss plays a track from Fire Emblem.

Credits roll after completing Classic Mode. Completing it as Robin has Id (Purpose) (Remix) accompany the credits.

Role in World of Light

Finding Robin in World of Light

Although neither male nor female of Robin appear in the World of Light opening cutscene, they were vaporized and later imprisoned alongside the rest of the fighters (except Kirby) when Galeem unleashed his beams of light.

Male Robin was one of the many fighters that fell under Dharkon's control upon Galeem's first defeat. He can be found in the Dracula's Castle sub-area as the last fighter to be awakened aside from Richter before confronting Dracula; a ghost blocks Robin on the ladder below, and if Wario had been previously awakened by rotating the lever blocking him, said lever must be switched back to its original orientation for the cannon to ricochet off and destroy the ghost.

Fighter Battle

No.	Image	Name	Type	Power	Stage	Music
56		Robin	Grab	10,700	Castle Siege (Ω form)	Prelude (Ablaze)

Spirits

Male Robin's fighter spirit can be obtained by completing Classic Mode. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 300 Gold, but only after Robin has been unlocked. Unlocking Robin in World of Light allows the player to preview the first spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a fighter spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. Female Robin also has a fighter spirit of her own, available through the shop. Unlike most fighters, the spirits for Robin only use their artwork from Ultimate, rather than also having alternative artwork from a previous appearance.

• 

  616. Robin (Male)

• 

  617. Robin (Female)

In Spirit Battles

As the main opponent

Spirit				Battle parameters							Inspiration
No.	Image	Name	Series	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music	Character
103		Mallow	Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars	•Robin ×3		4,100	Magicant	•Item: Lightning	•The enemy's magic attacks have increased power •The enemy favors neutral specials	Time's Running Out!
111		Antasma	Mario & Luigi Series	•Robin		4,300	Peach's Castle (Battlefield form)	•Item: Food •Hazard: Slumber Floor	•The floor is sleep-inducing •The enemy becomes more powerful after eating •The enemy is easily distracted by items	The Grand Finale
185		Agahnim	The Legend of Zelda Series	•Robin ×2		3,600	Temple (Ω form)	•Reflect-Damage Buffed	•The enemy's magic attacks have increased power •The enemy favors special moves •All fighters' reflected projectiles have increased power	Dark World (Brawl)
224		Zant	The Legend of Zelda Series	•Robin		4,100	Bridge of Eldin (Battlefield form)	•Giant	•The enemy is giant after a little while •Timed battle (2:00) •Only certain Pokémon will emerge from Poké Balls (Abra)	Main Theme - The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
317		Hongo	Yoshi Series	•Robin		2,000	Super Happy Tree	•Sudden Final Smash	•The enemy will suddenly have a Final Smash after a little while	Yoshi's Story (64)
355		Magolor	Kirby Series	•Robin		9,300	Halberd	•Hazard: Screen Flip	•The screen will suddenly flip •The enemy's magic attacks have increased power	CROWNED
359		The Three Mage-Sisters	Kirby Series	•Robin		3,600	Dream Land (Battlefield form)	N/A	•The enemy's special moves have increased power	A Battle of Friends and Bonds 2	Zan Partizanne (yellow costume) Flamberge (red costume) Francisca (pink costume)
376		Plasma Wisp	Kirby Series	•Robin		2,300	Prism Tower (Battlefield form)	•Item: Hothead •Hazard: Zap Floor	•The floor is electrified •The enemy favors neutral specials	City Trial
605		The Skull	F-Zero Series	•Robin		1,900	Big Blue	N/A	•The enemy's magic attacks have increased power •The enemy favors down specials	Brain Cleaner
626		Merric	Fire Emblem Series	•Robin		1,700	Castle Siege	N/A	•The enemy's magic attacks have increased power •The enemy favors special moves	Shadow Dragon Medley
628		Linde	Fire Emblem Series	•Robin		4,100	Temple (Battlefield form)	•Hazard: Zap Floor	•The floor is electrified •The enemy's magic attacks have increased power	Shadow Dragon Medley
636		Gharnef	Fire Emblem Series	•Robin		2,700	Unova Pokémon League (Battlefield form)	•Hazard: Slumber Floor	•The floor is sleep-inducing •Timed battle (1:30) •The enemy favors down specials	Lords-A Chance Encounter
643		Julius	Fire Emblem Series	•Robin (120 HP)		2,200	Castle Siege (Battlefield form)	•Hazard: Lava Floor	•The floor is lava •The enemy's explosion and fire attacks have increased power •Stamina battle	Power-Hungry Fool
652		Nino	Fire Emblem Series	•Robin		3,600	Arena Ferox	N/A	•The enemy's magic attacks have increased power •The enemy favors up specials in the air	Attack - Fire Emblem
655		L'Arachel	Fire Emblem Series	•Robin •Sheik •Wario		1,600	Castle Siege	•Health Recovery	•The enemy is healed when the enemy's at high damage	Preparing to Advance
656		Lyon	Fire Emblem Series	•Robin •Giant Ridley		3,700	Unova Pokémon League (hazards off)	N/A	•Reinforcements will appear after an enemy is KO'd •The enemy is giant	Preparing to Advance
658		Soren	Fire Emblem Series	•Robin •Ike		1,800	Temple (Battlefield form)	•Magic and PSI Unleashed	•The enemy favors special moves •All fighters' magic and PSI attacks have increased power	Victory Is Near
684		Leo	Fire Emblem Series	•Robin		9,200	Reset Bomb Forest (hazards off)	•Hazard: High Gravity	•Your jumping power decreases •The enemy starts the battle with a Black Hole •The enemy's melee blows will heal them when they hit	Lost in Thoughts All Alone (for 3DS / Wii U)
793		Blaze the Cat	Sonic The Hedgehog Series	•Robin		4,100	Green Hill Zone (Battlefield form)	•Hazard: Lava Floor	•The floor is lava •The enemy's explosion and fire attacks have increased power •The enemy starts the battle with a Fire Flower	Reach for the Stars
1,017		Balder	Bayonetta Series	•Giant Robin (140 HP)		4,200	Umbra Clock Tower (hazards off)	N/A	•The enemy's special moves have increased power •Stamina battle •The enemy's FS Meter charges quickly	The Legend Of Aesir
1,060		Yoko Belnades	Castlevania Series	•Robin		3,800	Spear Pillar (Battlefield form)	N/A	•The enemy's magic attacks have increased power •The enemy's special moves have increased power	Lost Painting
1,063		Hector (Castlevania)	Castlevania Series	•Robin •Ridley		3,700	The Great Cave Offensive (Battlefield form)	•Item: Battering Types	•Reinforcements will appear during the battle	Lament of Innocence
1,071		Death	Castlevania Series	•Robin		9,400	Dracula's Castle	•Hard to Launch •Sudden Damage	•You take serious damage after a little while •You are hard to launch •The enemy starts the battle with a Death's Scythe	Nothing to Lose
1,074		Shaft	Castlevania Series	•Robin		1,700	Dracula's Castle (Ω form)	•Move Speed ↓ •Invisibility	•You have reduced move speed •The enemy is invisible	Dance of Gold
1,171		Ivan	Golden Sun Series	•Robin		2,300	Onett	•Hazard: Heavy Wind	•Dangerously high winds are in effect after a little while •The enemy starts the battle with a Gust Bellows	Battle Scene / Final Boss - Golden Sun
1,246		Orville	Takt of Magic	•Robin •Pit •Zelda		3,400	PictoChat 2	N/A	•Defeat the main fighter to win	Struggle Against Chaos
1,274		Kageshina Kurabe	Nintendoji	•Robin		1,800	The Great Cave Offensive	•Item Tidal Wave	•Certain items will appear in large numbers after a little while	Boss 1 - Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword
1,307		Igor	Persona Series	•Robin •Ridley ×3		10,600	Kalos Pokémon League (hazards off)	•Health Recovery •Item: Assist Trophy	•Defeat the main fighter to win •Start with 300% damage •You are healed significantly after a little while	Aria of the Soul
1,391		Dorothea	Fire Emblem Series	•Robin •Jigglypuff ×3		2,400	Garreg Mach Monastery (Reception Hall)	N/A	•Defeat the main fighter to win •The enemy's electric attacks have increased power	Fódlan Winds
1,448		The Turks & Rufus Shinra	FINAL FANTASY Series	•Robin •Mii Gunner ×2 (Moveset 2223, Business Suit - White) •Mii Brawler (Moveset 2123, Business Suit - White) •Mii Swordfighter (Moveset 2123, Business Suit - White)		7,700	Fourside (Battlefield form)	•Item: Exploding Types	•Reinforcements will appear after an enemy is KO'd •Reinforcements will appear during the battle •The enemy starts the battle with a Steel Diver	Those Who Fight (AC Version)	Rufus Shinra
1,457		Elvis & Adelle	Bravely Default	•Robin •Sheik		3,800	Reset Bomb Forest (forest)	•Attack Power ↑	•The enemy's magic attacks have increased power •The enemy has increased attack power after a little while •The enemy favors side specials	Save the World, Heroes!	Elvis
1,509		Xion	Kingdom Hearts Series	•Robin (80 HP) •Robin ×2 (60 HP)		3,700	Delfino Plaza (rooftop)	N/A	•Defeat the main fighter to win •Stamina battle	Shrouding Dark Cloud	Roxas and Axel (default costume)

As a minion

Spirit				Battle parameters							Inspiration
No.	Image	Name	Series	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music	Character
667		Lissa	Fire Emblem Series	•Isabelle •Robin •Chrom		3,300	Arena Ferox	N/A	•Take your strongest team into this no-frills battle	Duty (Ablaze)	Robin
1,064		Jonathan Morris	Castlevania Series	•Richter •Robin		9,300	Dracula's Castle	N/A	•The enemy's throwing-type items have increased power	Jail of Jewel	Charlotte Aulin
1,168		Isaac	Golden Sun Series	•Mii Swordfighter (Moveset 1222, Isaac Wig, Isaac's Outfit, High Voice Type 1) •Palutena •Robin •Roy		8,900	Wuhu Island (Swaying Bridge)	•Assist Trophy Enemies (Isaac)	•The enemy's magic attacks have increased power •Hostile assist trophies will appear •Reinforcements will appear during the battle	Battle Scene / Final Boss - Golden Sun	Ivan
1,247		Frey & Freya	Zangeki no Reginleiv	•Link •Robin		3,700	Reset Bomb Forest	•Giant	•The enemy's melee weapons have increased power •The enemy's magic attacks have increased power •You are giant	Save the World, Heroes!	Freya
1,328		Hero's Comrades	DRAGON QUEST Series	•Ike (120 HP) •Tiny King Dedede (120 HP) •Zero Suit Samus (100 HP) •Sheik (130 HP) •Tiny Robin (90 HP) •Zelda (110 HP) •Link (100 HP)		13,300	Yggdrasil's Altar	N/A	•The enemy has increased melee-weapon damage and move speed •The enemy's smash attacks have increased power •Stamina battle	The Hero Goes Forth with a Determination	Veronica
1,412		Kevin & Charlotte	Mana Series	•Incineroar •Tiny Robin		9,100	Hyrule Castle (hazards off)	•Health Recovery •Attack Power ↑	•The enemy has increased attack power when the enemy's at high damage •The enemy is healed significantly when the enemy's at high damage	Preparing to Advance	Charlotte
1,422		Tressa & Cyrus	OCTOPATH TRAVELER	•Villager •Robin		9,400	Luigi's Mansion	•Item: Battering Items •Hazard: Heavy Wind	•Dangerously high winds are in effect after a little while	Battle Scene / Final Boss - Golden Sun	Cyrus
1,461		Amalthus	Xenoblade Chronicles Series	•Giant Dark Samus (120 HP) •Robin x5 (50 HP)		9,500	Shadow Moses Island (Ω form)	•Health Recovery	•The enemy has super armor but moves slower •Stamina battle •Reinforcements will appear after an enemy is KO'd	Praetor Amalthus - The Acting God -	Indoline Loyalists
1,514		Rauru	The Legend of Zelda Series	•Mewtwo (100 HP) •Zelda (70 HP) •Giant R.O.B. (70 HP) •Robin (60 HP) •Inkling (60 HP) •Charizard (60 HP) •Pit (60 HP)		13,000	Temple (Battlefield form)	N/A	•Stamina battle •The enemy favors neutral specials •Reinforcements will appear after an enemy is KO'd	Calamity Ganon Battle - Second Form	Gerudo Sage of Lightning

Alternate costumes

Gallery

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  Artwork of all playable Fire Emblem characters and Assist Trophies, as posted on the official Japanese Fire Emblem Heroes Twitter account.

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  Screenshot of all playable Fire Emblem characters on Arena Ferox, as posted on the official Japanese Fire Emblem Twitter account.

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  Robin's fighter card.

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  Robin's unlock notice.

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  Male Robin on Coliseum.

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  Male Robin using Arcfire on Temple.

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  Male Robin hitting Villager and Sonic with his down smash on Wily Castle.

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  Male Robin Taunting with Toon Link on Wii Fit Studio.

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  Female Robin attacking Wii Fit Trainer using her neutral infinite on Temple.

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  Male and female Robins in their green and pink costumes, respectively, on Tomodachi Life.

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  Female Robin and Chrom standing back-to-back on Coliseum.

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  Male Robin using Arcfire on Gaur Plain.

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  With all playable Fire Emblem veterans on Coliseum.

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  HUD showing Female Robin and the amount of health the Thunder tome has remaining.

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  Being attacked by Eleven while Erdrick attacks Wario on Yggdrasil's Altar.

Trivia

• Despite now being a playable character, Chrom still appears in Pair Up and Robin's victory poses, even if Chrom is in the fight with Robin.
  • This makes Robin one of the two characters who have a separate playable character in one of their victory poses, the other being Piranha Plant (with Mario appearing in one of its victory poses).
• Robin is the only character with no attacks that fall under the physical supertype, with all of Robin's moves being of only the following types: Sword, Magic, Throwing, and Typeless. This makes Robin the only character with no moves that can be buffed by the "Physical Attack ↑" Spirit effect.
• The cover of Robin's Thunder tome will change to match its current level of charge.
• When Robin uses Thoron, he will become immune to tripping from attacks that don't use the slip effect (such as Wario's uncharged Wario Waft or Banana Peels), even if the attack has a 100% trip chance (e.g. Pichu's forward tilt). The only way to re-enable tripping is to respawn. This also happens with Kirby's Copy Ability, even if the Copy Ability disappears.
• Both of Robin's fighter spirits are two of only 11 fighter spirits in the game to use their in-game render for their spirit artwork instead of original artwork from their game. The other characters are both male and female Pokémon Trainer, both male and female Wii Fit Trainer, Cloud's alternate costume from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, all three Mii Fighters, and Kazuya.
• Both the thigh armor and leg warmers around Robin's boots appear to completely vanish when looked at from the inside. This oddity was not present in either gender's Super Smash Bros. for Wii U in-game models or on their official Ultimate artworks.
• In Sound Test, most characters with male and female alternate costumes have two identical announcer voice clips, as placeholders to accommodate for languages with gendered nouns (for example, Inkling in Spanish is "Inkling chica" for female costumes and "Inkling chico" for male costumes). Unusually, Robin also has two announcer voice clips, even though their name is the same between genders in all languages. Furthermore, Corrin and Byleth only have one voice clip each, meaning this is unique to Robin.
• Robin is the only character who travels to Mushroom Kingdom II in Classic Mode.
• Coincidentally, the Robin puppet fighters' appearance in World of Light highly resembles future Robin's appearance when possessed by Grima in Fire Emblem Awakening, especially the ones who are affiliated with Galeem, complete with red eyes.