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This article is about Byleth's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. For the character in other contexts, see Byleth.
Byleth
in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
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FireEmblemSymbol.svg
Universe Fire Emblem
Availability Downloadable
Final Smash Progenitor God Ruptured Heaven
Byleth (SSBU)
Byleth Joins Smash House!
—Introduction Tagline for Male Byleth
Byleth Recruits... Byleth!
—Introduction Tagline for Female Byleth

Byleth (♂: ベレト, ♀: ベレス, Byleth) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Byleth was officially announced on January 16th, 2020 as the fifth and final downloadable character from Volume 1 of the Fighters Pass. Although the male version is the default variant, the female version is available as an alternate costume. Byleth was released on January 28th, 2020, and is classified as Fighter #75.

Zach Aguilar and Jeannie Tirado, who respectively voiced the male and female versions of Byleth in Fire Emblem: Three Houses, reprise their roles in the overseas version, while Yūsuke Kobayashi and Shizuka Itō reprise their respective male and female roles in the Japanese version.

Attributes

 

As mentioned by Masahiro Sakurai during the January 16, 2020 presentation, Byleth is specifically designed to be a "distance demon," a character such asMarth or Shulk who utilizes large hitboxes to zone out opponents at mid-range. Boasting a variety of weapons, Byleth's overall reach is fittingly long in line with his archetype, and his attacks are generally very strong; to compensate for this, Byleth has poor overall speed, being one of the two slowest Fire Emblem characters in terms of mobility (alongside Robin), high startup and ending lag on many of his moves, and a rather short grab range. All of this makes Byleth's general gameplan very patient, learning the opponent's habits and waiting for them to make a mistake before covering their options with his range and arsenal of hard-hitting weapons. This is akin to Ike in Brawl, and reflects on his position as a "teacher" or "mentor" in his game of origin.

Byleth's tilts all use his sword, the Sword of the Creator. Like all other Fire Emblem characters, this allows him to fight at a safe distance with a disjointed hitbox. Neutral attack is a quick chain of attacks that act as a standard get-off-me option, especially due to the speed of Byleth's moveset. Multihit neutral version can easily deal a lot of damage up close. Up and forward tilts have wide hitboxes and decent speed, making them effective spacing attacks. Down tilt is a whip with the sword in chain form, giving it more effective distance and allowing it to combo into aerials. Finally, dash attack is a wide swipe forward, which allows it to punish whiffs but is also easily punishable itself. All of Byleth's up attacks also involve his sword; up aerial causes him to lash upwards with the sword in whip form, dealing multiple hits and acting as a good tool to deny landings or start a juggle. Its looping hits can also drag opponents downwards to initiate extended combos. Byleth also uses the Sword of the Creator in his up special, causing him to lash upwards to grab opponents or ledges. As a combat move, this up special can combo from certain moves, and causes an untechable meteor smash at high percentages; if used on offstage opponents, Byleth will hop off the opponent's head for an almost unavoidable KO. As a recovery move, the sword grants Byleth a very long tether recovery, which can grab Battlefield's ledges as low as near the bottom blast line. Most interestingly, Byleth's up special can attach to walls and perform a wall jump if it touches a wall. Altogether, these traits provide Byleth with a safe array of covering various approach options.

Byleth's more interesting options are seen in his smash attacks and aerials, where he uses the other weapons in his arsenal. Areadbhar, a long lance, is used for Byleth's side moves (forward smash, forward aerial and back aerial, and side special); it uses a tipper mechanic that deals more damage at the tip of the lance. Forward smash deals more knockback if aimed upward and tippered, allowing it to heavily punish jump options. Meanwhile, forward and back aerials are very effective spacing moves, even outranging those of Marth, and the tippers deal heavy knockback; however, they are very weak if the hilt lands, making spacing just as equally important as Marth's. Byleth's side special has him swing Areadbhar in a slow, but wide swing, and allows him to step forward if the special button is held. Its massive hitbox easily denies jump options and acts as a powerful but risky spacing option.

Aymr, an axe, is used for Byleth's down moves (down smash, down aerial, down special); it is an extremely slow, yet powerful weapon that deals high damage and knockback on all moves that use it. Down smash is slow overall, but hits very hard and can KO as early as 90%. Down aerial is an equally slow swing downwards with extreme landing lag, but it is among the strongest meteor smashes when it lands, making it also among the most rewarding. Finally, Byleth's down special causes him to charge Aymr in a super armored stance, before unleashing a powerful, Special Zoom-inducing swing. It has a surprisingly wide hitbox that starts behind Byleth's head, making it much like Warlock Punch; a high-risk, high-reward move that can catch opponents by surprise. Down special can also pass through platforms and turn around in the opposite direction, which can help in mind games.

Finally, Failnaught is a bow which is used for Byleth's neutral moves (neutral aerial and neutral special). Neutral aerial is a long-lasting, wide-ranged spinning move much like Palutena's, making it a good option out of shield due to its fast startup, and can also initiate combos or edgeguard with its looping hits. His neutral special also charges up Failnaught with an arrow, which can be shot at two different strengths: a slow but strong arrow that acts as a sniping option and passable spacing projectile, or a very delayed shot that deals very high damage, knockback and shield damage. Unlike every Link's respective Bows, Byleth can cancel Failnaught's charge before he reaches the delayed charge shot, though he is unable to cancel it after he reaches that point. Byleth's neutral special can also turn around before the delayed charge shot.

Byleth is not without flaws, however. Due to his mobility being among the worst in Ultimate, his approach is very committal. This flaw is further stressed due to many attacks having slow startup (e.g. down smash/down aerial), narrow hitbox placements (e.g. forward/back aerials), or even both (e.g. forward smash). His dash attack, neutral aerial and side special are exceptions, but are easily punishable on shield due to their ending lag, while the lattermost is dangerously unsafe if the sweetspot does not land. This flaw becomes even more dangerous with Failnaught’s unique charge properties, as while the arrows fired from it are powerful and fast, but also equally as dangerous if reflected as Byleth cannot cancel the move after charging it halfway through. Byleth’s abundance of KO options is also a problem, as it becomes easy for characters with counterattacks to punish his many KO options if used frequently.

Byleth’s grab game is also flawed. While he has an up throw that deals passable damage and a high-percentage kill option with his forward throw, his pummel is very slow and his throws in general are ineffective for starting combos due to high base knockback. When combined with his short grab, Byleth’s grab game is only useful at point blank range, and typically used to deal damage if other moves stale.

Finally, even though Byleth has a large array of KO moves, they are not always reliable. His up smash, like certain other multi-hitting up smashes, is below-average in KO power and has almost no grounded hitboxes, making it ineffective against grounded opponents. His side and up special moves have strict hitboxes that only work from a specific horizontal distance or above Byleth, respectively. His down special, despite its aforementioned strengths, is very punishable due to its startup and ending lag throughout, leaving Byleth very vulnerable to grabs. Lastly, his most reliable KO moves will only KO starting after high percentages, making it tough for him to KO effectively.

Moveset

 
  • Byleth features a multitude of weapons throughout his moveset, all which utilize the Heroes' Relics in Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Each weapon is designated to a different attacking "direction".
    • The Sword of the Creator is Byleth's default weapon and is wielded throughout all animations that do not involve any other weapon. It is used for Byleth's neutral attack, tilt attacks and throws, though it is also designated to upward moves like up smash, up aerial and up special. Certain moves cause the sword to change into its chain form, extending its reach.
    • Areadbhar is a lance wielded by Dimitri. It is used for Byleth's forward and back moves, such as forward smash and back aerial. Areadbhar features a tipper mechanic similar to Marth's, with the hilt dealing comparatively low knockback and damage.
    • Aymr is an axe wielded by Edelgard. It is used for Byleth's down moves, such as down smash and down special. Aymr boasts incredibly high damage and knockback on all moves that feature it, though at the cost of extreme lag.
    • Failnaught is a bow wielded by Claude. It is used for Byleth's neutral moves, with only neutral aerial and neutral special causing Byleth to wield it. Unlike the prior weapons, Failnaught does not feature any particular traits.

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

  Name Damage Description
Neutral attack   1.5% A knife-hand strike, followed by a roundhouse kick, and finally a flurry attack with the whip sword. If the button is held, Byleth will finish with another kick.
2%
4.5%
0.4% (loop), 3.5% (last)
Forward tilt   11% An elegant outward slash done at a downward angle.
Up tilt   10% Swings his sword in an upward arc over his head.
Down tilt   8% A low swipe with his whip-sword.
Dash attack 13% (blade), 9% (hilt) An inward swipe while sliding forward.
Forward smash   19.5% (tip), 13% (shaft) Thrusts Areadbhar forward. Can be angled, though the upward-angled variation is the strongest.
18% (tip), 12% (shaft)
17.2% (tip), 11.5% (shaft)
Up smash 2% (hits 1-3), 10% (hit 4), 16% (total) Swings his whip-sword above himself, hitting multiple times.
Down smash   23% Sweeps Aymr from front to back. Has extremely high shield damage, with a fully charged down smash able to break a full shield with one hit. Has powerful knockback
Neutral aerial rowspan="1" 2.5% (hits 1-3), 3% (hit 4), 10.5% (total), 1% (landing) Spins Failnaught around himself, hitting multiple times.
Forward aerial   12.7% (tip), 8.5% (shaft) Swings Areadbhar horizontally forward.
Back aerial 15% (tip), 10% (shaft) Thrusts Areadbhar backward.
Up aerial   3% (hits 1-2), 5.5% (hit 3), 11.5% (total) Swings his whip-sword upward, hitting multiple times.
Down aerial 19% Swings Aymr downward, with the ability to meteor smash opponents. Deals heavy damage to shields. It is also the strongest meteor smash in the game spiking at 0 and kills Grounded opponents from 80 to 100%.
Grab   Grabs with his left hand.
Pummel   1.5% Knees the opponent.
Forward throw   3% (hit 1), 3% (throw) An upward slash with the sword in its whip form.
Back throw   7% (throw), 5% (collateral) Wraps the Sword of the Creator around his opponent and swings them around twice, throwing them behind on the second spin.
Up throw   6% (hit 1) 3% (throw) Shoves the opponent upward with his sword.
Down throw   3% (hit 1), 2% (throw) A downward slash with the sword in its whip form.
Forward roll
Back roll
Spot dodge
Air dodge
Techs
Floor attack (front)
Floor getups (front)
  7% Slashes behind and then in front of himself.
Floor attack (back)
Floor getups (back)
  7% Same as his front floor attack.
Floor attack (trip)
Floor getups (trip)
  5% Slashes in front and then behind himself.
Edge attack
Edge getups
  9% Performs a low outward slash while climbing up.
Neutral special Failnaught 12% (normal), 29% (fully charged) Byleth pulls out the Hero's Relic Failnaught to fire an arrow. He can charge it for more speed and damage, change directions while charging, and can charge-cancel with shield until a certain duration. Charging at its maximum duration will fire a powerful arrow that has a similar animation and range to the staff item. A fully charged arrow can nearly break full shields. It must be charged a bit before it can be fired, similarly to how Bullet Climax cannot be shield-canceled instantaneously and must charge first.
Side special Areadbhar 17.2% (ground tip), 11.5% (ground shaft), 14.2% (aerial tip), 9.5% (aerial shaft) Byleth lunges forward while swinging the Hero's Relic Areadbhar upward with impressive horizontal and vertical range. If the move is smash-inputted, Byleth lunges forward farther, further improving its range. The aerial version has him spin it in an arc around him, covering area his aerial attacks don't but at expense of lag. Areadbhar possesses a sweetspot on its blade, as opposed to the weaker shaft.
Up special Sword of the Creator 1% (hit 1), 3% (grab), 9.4% (bounce) Byleth whips the Sword of the Creator upward, acting as a tether recovery very similar to Joker's Grappling Hook in function. It can also attach to walls and allow Byleth to jump off, up to three times consecutively without landing. If it connects with an opponent, Byleth reels the opponent in and bounces off of them. At higher percents, this bounce will untechably meteor smash.
Down special Aymr 36% (ground hit), 8% (shockwave), 25% (aerial hit) Byleth channels all of his energy into a sluggish, but colossally powerful slash using the Hero's Relic Aymr. It has super armor during startup, can be reversed, and Byleth can drop through platforms while performing it. Like other "bold" moves (such as Falcon Punch, Warlock Punch, and Hatchet Man), it triggers Special Zoom. When successfully executed, Aymr can crush shields in a single hit. When it is used successfully while falling off the battlefield, by an edge, and it hits the battlefield, Byleth will be suspended, ending the fall.
Final Smash Progenitor God Ruptured Heaven 10% (initial hit), 20% (strike), 15% (end), 45% (total) Byleth lashes out with the Sword of the Creator, exclaiming "I'll finish with this!". The lash itself has decent range and can trap up to three opponents at once. Upon a hit, he and Sothis combine their power to perform Byleth's signature Combat Art Ruptured Heaven, with Sothis saying "Your will and mine are now as one!", as Byleth extends the Sword of the Creator to unleash an earth-rending twister. As the targets are struck by the shockwave, Sothis says "The end approaches!" before they're launched diagonally upwards with respectable power.

On-screen appearance

  • Appears from a magic circle, tapping a ruler to their palm. Afterwards, they draw the Sword of the Creator.

Taunts

  • Up Taunt: Swings the Sword of the Creator to his right leg, and puts his left fist to his chest while looking into the sky. Female Byleth has an altered stance, with one foot in front of the other. Based off of Byleth's victory pose with a sword equipped.
  • Side Taunt: Brandishes the Sword of the Creator forward and says, "Let the lesson begin!" or "Stay focused." The former quote is from Byleth's critical hit quote, while the latter is from when they are selected on the battlefield.
  • Down Taunt: Extends the Sword of the Creator around himself and says, "Try me."

Idle poses

  • Twirls the Sword of the Creator into a backhanded grip while striking a pose, before returning to his original position. If using a female costume, the Sword of the Creator is instead held in a standard grip with a more energetic pose.

Victory poses

Note: Unlike most characters, two of Byleth's victory animations are different between genders.

Both

  • Plants the Sword of the Creator into the ground along with the other Hero's Relics which are also planted into the ground. They proceed to say "Each battle, a chance to grow." Afterwards, they swing their left arm out while facing their back to the screen and then lower said arm to their side. Combines their win quote after a battle with the game over screen, where all four main Relics are planted on the ground.

Male

  • Swings the Sword of the Creator outward, saying "Allow me to demonstrate!" He then raises his left hand towards his chest as he looks outward. Based off of Byleth's victory pose when wielding a sword, combined with one of his critical hit quotes.
  • With the Sword of the Creator in its whip form, Byleth swings it around the front of his body in a circular motion, saying "No hesitation!" After striking the ground, the sword reverts to its original form, with Byleth posing with it held in a standard grip. Uses the quote from his critical hit activation.

Female

  • Swings the Sword of the Creator outward before holding the sword behind her in a reverse grip, saying "Allow me to demonstrate!" She then looks toward the screen as opposed to looking into the distance.
  • With the Sword of the Creator in its whip form, she swings the whip in front of herself twice (each time in a different direction) while saying "No hesitation", and then holds it up towards her face in a vertical manner.
An excerpt of the main theme from Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

Classic Mode: A Heroic Legacy

Byleth's Classic Mode route's theme is on Fire Emblem games, fought in order of release year. All battles are stamina battles. The player always starts with 100 HP.

Round Opponent Stage Music Notes
1 Marth   Temple Story 5 Meeting References how Marth used Temple as his home stage in Super Smash Bros. Melee, due to it not having a Fire Emblem stage. Marth starts with 100 HP.
2 Roy   Arena Ferox (Battlefield form) Winning Road - Roy's Hope Roy starts with 100 HP.
3 Ike (×2)     Castle Siege Eternal Bond The Radiant Dawn Ike will appear once the Path of Radiance Ike is defeated. Both Ike CPUs start with 100 HP.
4 Robin  , Lucina   and Chrom   Arena Ferox Id (Purpose) (Remix) Team battle. Robin, Lucina, and Chrom start with 50 HP.
5 Corrin (×2)    Coliseum Lost in Thoughts All Alone (for 3DS / Wii U) Team battle. The two Corrins wearing white and black is likely a reference to Birthright and Conquest. They start with 100 HP.
6 Byleth (×3)       Garreg Mach Monastery Fódlan Winds Represent the house leaders in Fire Emblem: Three Houses. The red Byleth prefers down specials, the blue one prefers side specials, and the yellow one prefers neutral specials, referencing the weapons of Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude respectively. The costumes will still be worn even when playing with one of them. They start with 100 HP.
Bonus Stage
Final Master Hand and Crazy Hand Final Destination Code Name: F.E. The player has Marth  , Roy  , Ike  , Robin   and Corrin   as CPU allies with 30 HP.

Credits roll after completing Classic Mode. Completing it as Byleth has Paths That Will Never Cross accompany the credits.

Role in World of Light

 
The message that shows Byleth's availability in World of Light

Due to their status as downloadable content, Byeth does not have a legitimate role in World of Light. Instead, they are unlocked for use in the mode after freeing 10 fighters from Galeem's control. If loading an existing save file that meets this condition before downloading Byleth, they are immediately unlocked.

Spirits

Byleth's Fighter Spirits can be obtained by completing Classic Mode. They are also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 300 coins, but only after Byleth has been downloaded. Unlocking Byleth in World of Light allows the player to preview the first spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As Fighter Spirits, they cannot be used in Spirit Battles and are purely aesthetic. Each Fighter Spirit has an alternate version that replaces it with its artwork in Ultimate.

In Spirit battles

As the main opponent

Spirit Battle parameters
No. Image Name Series Enemy Fighter(s) Type Power Stage Rules Conditions Music
1,382 Edelgard Fire Emblem series Byleth   5,000 Castle Siege (Battlefield form) •Hazard: Lava Floor •The floor is lava
•The enemy has super armor and is hard to launch of make flinch
The Apex of The World
1,384 Dimitri (Fire Emblem) Fire Emblem series Byleth  
Ganondorf  
5,000 Distant Planet (Ω form) N/A •Stamina Battle
•The enemy has increased attack power
Between Heaven and Earth
1,386 Claude Fire Emblem series Byleth   5,000 Gaur Plain (Ω form) •Hazard: Left is Right, Right is Left
•Hazard: Poison Floor
•The floor is poisonous
•Left and right controls suddenly reverse
Blue Skies and a Battle
1,388 Sothis Fire Emblem series Byleth   13,400 Spear Pillar (Ω form) •Rule: Health Recovery
•Rule: Sudden Final Smash
•The enemy will suddenly have a Final Smash
•The enemy is healed significantly when the enemy's at high damage
Fire Emblem: Three Houses Main Theme

As a minion

Spirit Battle parameters Inspiration
No. Image Name Series Enemy Fighter(s) Type Power Stage Rules Conditions Music Character
1,393 Hilda (Fire Emblem) Fire Emblem series Villager  
Byleth  
2,400 Garreg Mach Monastery (Bridge) •Rule: Attack Power ↑ •The enemy gets a major stat boost when badly damaged. Paths That Will Never Cross Claude

Alternate costumes

 
               
  • Like Robin and Corrin, Byleth has a female variation for half of their alternate costumes.

Reveal trailer

Gallery

Trivia

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  • Byleth is the only character in Volume 1 of the Fighters Pass to not be from either a third-party company or a new universe, and is the second such DLC character for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, after Piranha Plant.
  • Byleth, like Ike, Pokémon Trainer, Wii Fit Trainer, and Inkling, is one of the few characters to have alternate costumes with different animations.
    • Female Byleth holds the Sword of the Creator with its tip pointed upwards, while male Byleth holds it with its tip pointed downwards. All animations that can be played from their stand animations (like their idle animations) are subsequently affected through the animation blending.
    • Their victory poses are different. Byleth is also the only fighter where the camera angles will also change depending on the costume, rather than just the animations.
  • With his debut in Three Houses in July 2019, Byleth is currently the most recent fighter to appear in Ultimate and, by extension, the entire Super Smash Bros. series. He is also the first character in the game to make his gaming debut after Ultimate's original release in December 2018, which was also the case with fellow Fire Emblem characters Roy and Corrin in their debuts.
    • Correspondingly, Byleth is currently the only fighter in Ultimate to have debuted on the Nintendo Switch.
  • Byleth is the fifth fighter to receive an invitation letter in their reveal trailer, after Villager, Isabelle, Joker, and Terry.
  • Byleth is the only character whose alternate costume is displayed alongside his default costume on the official Ultimate site, and is one of two characters in general to have this trait, with Robin's page on the official SSB4 site similarly showing both genders, unlike other characters with alternate costumes.
    • Additionally, because male and female Byleth have different names in Japanese, Korean, and Chinese, the lists of fighters on the website names both of them in those languages.
  • Byleth is the first and only character with two different introduction taglines in the same trailer. This is due to male and female versions having different names in Japanese.
  • According to Sakurai's presentation, Byleth's development was worked in secret; even most of Nintendo worldwide did not know about this inclusion. Only the development team and other stakeholders knew.
  • Byleth is the only DLC fighter in Ultimate not to have been revealed before their presentation video's release. While none of Joker's contents were revealed before his video's release, the character himself was confirmed four months prior at The Game Awards 2018.
  • Byleth's Classic Mode route is similar to Lucina's, as both fight Fire Emblem characters as opponents.
  • Byleth, Terry, Hero and Ryu are the only characters who have stamina battles for their Classic Mode routes.
  • If excluding Kazooie, the female variant of Byleth is the first female DLC character in Ultimate.
    • Additionally, Byleth is the second DLC character to have a male and female variant, following Corrin in SSB4.
  • Byleth and Hero are the only Fighters Pass characters whose pages were available on the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate website the same day they were announced.
  • Byleth and Ivysaur are the only characters in Ultimate to have an exclusively tether-based up special, as Joker gains Wings of Rebellion through Arsene.
    • His tether is also the first one in Ultimate that can grab opponents while the user is airborne.
    • His tether is also the first since Melee to be able to grab walls.
  • Byleth, along with Robin and Corrin, shares the unique distinction of being Fire Emblem characters:
    • That have male and female variants, with all of their default costumes being male.
    • That have access to projectiles.
  • Robin and Byleth are the only Fire Emblem characters whose down specials are not counterattacks.
    • Also like Robin, Byleth utilizes more than one weapon.
  • Byleth is the only Fire Emblem character whose smash attacks do not play the sword sharpening sound effect when charging. However, he will still use the sharpening sound effect when charging a battering item.
  • Byleth is one of two female characters with moves that have super armor, along with Wendy.
    • Coincidentally, they are both alternate costumes.
  • For unknown reasons, the Korean reveal of Byleth had been delayed, being revealed on January 22, 2020, rather than January 16 like in other regions.
  • When Byleth is Star KO'd, he shouts, "My battle ends here...!" This is a reference to a line of dialogue when he exhausts his health in Fire Emblem: Three Houses. He shares the distinction of speaking a full sentence during a Star KO with Pit.
    • As of Byleth's release, Pit and Byleth are the only characters to say anything for their Star KOs.
    • Both, additionally, do not say a sentence in Japanese.
  • When KO'd by reaching 0 HP in Stamina Mode, Byleth uses his heavy knockback scream rather than his standard KO scream. This also applies to Mario, Dr. Mario, Hero and Terry.
  • Byleth is so far the only DLC character to appear in multiple spirit battles. Joker, Hero, and Banjo & Kazooie only appear in one, while Piranha Plant and Terry don't appear in any.
    • Not to mention, that neither gender of Byleth appear in their default costume in these spirit battles, and is so far the only DLC character with this distinction.
  • Byleth is the only character other than Jigglypuff in Ultimate with only one idle pose. However, the female variant has a different idle pose than the male one. This also makes Byleth the only character to have a different idle pose between alternate costumes.
  • Byleth is the only male Fire Emblem character to smile during their clapping animation.