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 within a similar timeframe: Fire Emblem on November 3rd, 2002 in North America, The Sacred Stones and Path of Radiance on November 4th, 2005 in Europe, and Radiant Dawn on November 11th, 2007 in North America. He was among the first wave of amiibo figures that are compatible with SSB4.

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

Attributes

Marth is a character based around the concept of tippers, gaining the most reward for proper spacing and remaining a specific distance away from his opponent. However, compared to his strong showing in the previous two games, he is weaker overall in SSB4 due to the many nerfs placed upon him, which make this iteration of him in SSB4 inferior to his Melee and Brawl iterations.

The fundamental ideas of Marth remain intact. He has above-average movement speed overall and a moveset full of disjointed hitboxes that tend to cover wide arcs, allowing him to fight a step away from danger most of the time; in particular, having the fastest walk speed in the game lets him move quickly without being forced into his dash attack or up smash. Forward tilt, up tilt, and forward aerial are good examples of attacks that cover a lot of ground and keep Marth relatively safe when properly spaced. His up special, Dolphin Slash lets him recover from below and edge sweetspot quickly, though its path remains linear and easy to cover. Shield Breaker gives Marth a horizontal boost when used in the air, acting as an alternate recovery option or situational edgeguard tool, and is capable of breaking shields more easily than in previous installments.

However, Marth has also seen a wide range of nerfs that limit his potential. Most importantly, his overall range is much shorter, with altered hitboxes and animations resulting in less range for many attacks, undermining his former advantage. His moveset is also slower in general compared to Brawl, with many of his attacks being given more startup lag, more ending lag, or shorter hitbox duration. With the removal of chaingrabbing, all of Marth's throws have less utility, being too weak for reliable KOs yet too strong for reliable followups. Overall, these changes combine to hinder both his approach and his punishing abilities.

With customs turned on, Marth gains some options to address some of his drawbacks. Dashing Assault lets him punish landings and rolls, create trap situations, and force opponents off stage. Crescent Slash gives Marth more horizontal recovery, but with less vertical recovery; it also grants him a fairly reliable followup from his forward throw and aerials at low percents and can punish air dodge landings. Iai Counter has quicker counter start up (3 frames), increased range, and damage, but it has fewer counter frames. It can also be used situationally to improve Marth's recovery. Even if it does not hit the opponent, the dashing animation allows Marth to avoid attacks safely.

Changes from Brawl

Marth was heavily nerfed overall in his transition from Brawl to SSB4, although he did receive a few positive changes. 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. Because of those changes, he now has less reach relative to the rest of the cast, weakening one of his key advantages in previous games. Many of his staple moves, most notably his forward aerial and down tilt, have more ending lag, weakening his ability to control space effectively. His throws are also too strong to combo but too weak to KO, effectively removing most confirmed follow-ups from his grab and hindering his ability to put opponents in unsafe positions. Because of these changes, Marth's moves are more punishable, especially on shield, and less rewarding when landed overall, making his neutral and punish games much more inconsistent than they were in Brawl. As a result, Marth has a comparatively high technical learning curve, requiring precisions on landing tippers, punishes, and mixups.

Since update 1.0.6, Marth has been receiving multiple buffs, giving him more followup options and lessening lag from all aerials and some special moves. Thanks to these buffs, Marth is now more viable than he previously was, though compared to Brawl he still remains nerfed overall. While some changes, like a stronger Counter and better Shield Breaker, serve to aid Marth slightly in tournaments, Marth nonetheless has a middling playerbase with decent to slightly below average low-level results but sparse high-level results.

Aesthetics

• Marth's 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, improving his endurance but making him easier to combo in the new physics (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 and the second hit deals more knockback. It also sends opponents upward, allowing for 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 has a slightly larger hitbox radius overall.
• Up smash comes out one frame later (12 → 13), 1 frame shorter hitbox duration (6 frames → 5), and has slightly more ending lag.
• 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). Hitbox duration of both hits additionally lasts 1 frame shorter (3 frames → 2).

Aerial attacks

• Neutral aerial (6% (first hit tipped), 9%/12% (second hit) → 4% (first hit tipped), 7%/9% (second hit)), forward aerial (10/13 → 7/10%), back aerial (11/14 → 9/12%), up aerial (10/13 → 9/12%), and down aerial sourspots (12 → 11%) all deal less damage than in Brawl without much compensation on their knockback.
• Neutral aerial is 2.5 units larger.
• Neutral aerial has more landing lag (9 frames → 12 frames).
• Forward aerial now hits 2 frames slower. It only lasts 2 frames instead of 4 and has 7 frames more landing lag (9 frames → 16 frames). It also is no longer 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, however still cannot KO until around Sudden Death due to still having low knockback scaling.
• 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.

Special moves

• Shield Breaker deals less shield damage (42 → 30), but is heavily compensated with the removal of damage reduction on shields, allowing 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 Shield Breaker, and because of the general decrease of his range, the move's range is much shorter.
• Dancing Blade's first hit aids Marth's recovery much lesser.
• 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% → 11%), making it slightly weaker. A Reversed Dolphin Slash is also slightly harder to hit with.
• Counter has increased knockback growth (40 → 60) and reflects more damage (1.1x multiplier → 1.2x), being able to KO reliably off of strong countered attacks at very low percentages.
• 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 the first hit now produces vertical-based knockback, while the second 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.

Technical changelist 1.0.8

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

1.1.0

• The changes to hitlag makes Marth's tippers slightly more safe on shield.
• All hits of neutral aerial deal 1% more damage.
• Up tilt's ending lag is reduced by 3 frames.
• Forward, up, and back aerials have 2 less frames of landing lag.
• Down aerial landing lag has 4 less frames of landing lag.
• All variations of Dolphin Slash have 3 less frames of landing lag.
• All variations of Shield Breaker have 2 less frames of ending lag.
• Dancing Blade's first, second and third strikes have 5 more frames of input window duration.

Technical changelist 1.1.0

Change	Old value	New value
Up tilt ending lag	39 frames	36 frames
Neutral aerial damage (1st hit)	2%/3%	3%/4%
Neutral aerial damage (2nd hit)	6%/8%	7%/9%
Forward aerial landing lag	18 frames	16 frames
Up aerial landing lag	16 frames	14 frames
Back aerial landing lag	19 frames	17 frames
Down aerial landing lag	28 frames	24 frames
All variations of Shield Breaker ending lag	52 frames	50 frames
All variations of Dolphin Slash landing lag	23 frames	20 frames

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 37%. 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			3%/4% (hit 1), 7%/9% (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 high 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. Low:Green, Med:Red, and High:Blue.
	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. Most damage at midpoint. Lots of end lag.
	Custom 2	Dolphin Jump	0%	Jumps higher, deals no damage. Lots of end lag.
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. Starts up on the 6th frame and lasts 22 frames.
	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. Starts up on the 6th frame and lasts 29 frames.
	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. Has an electric effect. Starts up on the 3rd frame and lasts 14 frames.
Final Smash		Critical Hit	60%	Marth lunges in one direction, attacking the first opponent. Immense knockback, enough to one-hit KO any character. Press the button again to stop.

Taunts

• Up: Points the Falchion upwards with light emitting at the tip. This is similar to his stance before he performed a critical hit in Fire Emblem.
• Side: Swings the Falchion twice before resheathing it.
• Down: Swings the Falchion around and says: みんな、見ていてくれ！ ("Everyone, watch me!")

Idle Poses

• Holds his hand to his chest and then takes a breath.
• Brushes his hair out of his face.

On Screen Appearance

Warps onto the stage using warp magic with a twirl and unsheathes the Falchion.

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

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

• Turns with pride, spins the Falchion 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 the Falchion 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!"
• Sheaths the Falchion and says "今日も生き延びることが出来た。", which translates to "Today I have survived."

In Competitive Play

Official Custom Moveset Project

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

Notable players

•  AirVault
•  Ally
•  False
•  Mr.E
•  Nicko
•  JustTheTip

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

• 

  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.