Byleth Revealed as Final Character in First Fighters Pass

Nintendo finished off Fighters Pass #1 with Byleth, the main protagonist of Fire Emblem: Three Houses! Byleth releases January 28th alongside a host of content.

Byleth brings Garreg Mach Monastery to the battle. Garreg Mach Monastery operates in the same vein as Castle Siege, with multiple portions of the stage taking place in castles or civilian-populated areas, and flashy transitions to the next portion. We don’t expect Garreg to be tournament legal in any capacity.

Byleth’s moveset centers around the various weapons original to Three Houses, with each weapon corresponding to a different direction:

• The Sword of the Creator is used for up tilt, smash attack and special, with a whiplike extending blade like Ivy from Soul Calibur.
• Side attacks are represented by the long-reaching Areadbhar spear which has a tipper just like Marth.
• Down is the Aymr staff whose down b can be charged up like Dedede’s for massive damage at full charge and super armor.
• Neutral corresponds to the Failnaught bow whose incredibly fast arrows can only be fired only after a slight charge that can be shield canceled. It also has a powered-up version with no cancel but much more power.

Byleth also brings along eleven new music tracks! New remixes are denoted by an asterisk, while OSTs are unmarked. They are:

• *Fire Emblem: Three Houses Main Theme (JP)
• *Fire Emblem: Three Houses Main THeme
• Fodlan Winds Blue Skies and a Battle
• Tearing Through Heaven
• Chasing Daybreak
• Between Heaven and Earth
• Paths That Will Never Cross
• The Apex of the World
• The Edge of Dawn
• The Edge of Dawn (JP)

In addition to Byleth, Sakurai included five new Mii Fighter costumes! They are:

• Altair, from Assassin’s Creed
• Rabbid, from Rabbids
• X, from Mega Man X
• Megaman.EXE, from Mega Man
• Cuphead, from Cuphead

Finally, Sakurai wraps up the Direct with a follow-up to his previous announcement. While this is the end of the original Fighters Pass, there will be a Fighters Pass Volume 2 consisting of six characters! This Fighters Pass will be available for pre-purchase when Byleth releases on January 28th, though the contents have already been determined.

 

Crikey... so much saltiness in the live chat and absolute anger... (they kept spamming "Hoes are Mad" and overrated requested characters.

 

On one hand, Byleth looks interesting and breaks more of the traditional Fire Emblem character in Smash. On the other hand, I'm feeling a bit of bias from Sakurai because he loves Fire Emblem. Hell, this series has more characters than Zelda and Kirby for example. Only series that beat them are 3rd parties combined, Mario, and Pokemon

 

Haters gonna hate! Haters gonna hate! Ya'll have nothing to complain about! we got banjo, so we have no excuse to *****. we all knew this was gonna happen.

 

Like I said on the Cuphead Support Thread...

Byleth wasn't the character I wanted, but she was also the character I never knew I needed! They aren't strictly sword based, and I love it!

I'll definately try her out as soon as she releases. I'll jump on almost immediately.

 

I feel people would be less salty if the DLC release order was different. Perhaps if it was Joker->Hero->Terry->Byleth->Banjo. With that in mind, I adore Three Houses and am very hype to play the character and listen to the music, but I understand I might be in a minority here.

 

Well, at least there's 6 more in the second pass. Plus, Byleth sets a precedent for Nintendo characters to get in now, so it won't be all third party from here on out.

 

On one hand, Byleth looks interesting and breaks more of the traditional Fire Emblem character in Smash. On the other hand, I'm feeling a bit of bias from Sakurai because he loves Fire Emblem. Hell, this series has more characters than Zelda and Kirby for example. Only series that beat them are 3rd parties combined, Mario, and Pokemon

As mentioned close to when the fighter pass began, Nintendo chose the DLC roster, not Sakurai. He has input on if they'd make a suitable fighter but beyond that he doesn't choose them.

 

History has repeated itself.

 

Crikey... so much saltiness in the live chat and absolute anger... (they kept spamming "Hoes are Mad" and overrated requested characters.

Like Sora and Doom Guy? Characters who wouldn't have made it in regardless?

I feel people would be less salty if the DLC release order was different. Perhaps if it was Joker->Hero->Terry->Byleth->Banjo. With that in mind, I adore Three Houses and am very hype to play the character and listen to the music, but I understand I might be in a minority here.

I just don't like Niosi - I know he's not voicing Byleth now but considering he mocked everyone saying he was going to be in Smash before he got fired left a really bad taste in my mouth.

That being said, I'm a little irritated with people putting Banjo on this sort of pedestal. I love Banjo, I really do, but I don't feel like making him last as some sort of big send-off would really make him a much better character.

Likewise, I would've liked Byleth better had Byleth been like the "Extra" DLC fighter like Plant, instead of being actually the final fighter for the Fighters Pass...

BUT we have Fighters Pass 2 with six characters so.... I don't think Byleth's significance will last too much...

 

Only bad thing about this is the lack of God-Shattering Star in the music tracks...

 

Haters gonna hate! Haters gonna hate! Ya'll have nothing to complain about! we got banjo, so we have no excuse to *****. we all knew this was gonna happen.

See, this is the sort of uncritical, unproductive claptrap that makes fandom looks pathetic and worthy of mockery.

No, we didn't "all know" this was going to happen. We didn't have any reason to even SUSPECT this would happen. We who bought (and I stress BOUGHT, as Sakurai didn't give these characters to us for free) the Fighter's Pass on the premise of good faith didn't have any reason to suspect that a Fire Emblem character would be thrust upon us at the eleventh hour, especially considering the likes of Joker, Banjo, Hero, and Terry were (if not all stellar) interesting picks. Knowing how reviled Fire Emblem characters are in Smash, this feela very much like a middle finger. IMO, if I pay for something and get what I deem to be a lackluster return, that gives ne every right to complain.

And now Sakurai and Nintendo want me to pony up for another "mystery" pass on the premise of good faith again? No. No, I don't think I will. That doesn't make me ungrateful--again, no one gave me this for free. What it makes me is a more cautious consumer than I was before. Had I known the first pass included Byleth, I would not have bought it.

Just to put things into perspective:

- Fire Emblem now has eight characters in the game. This includes Byleth. That is 10% of the roster.

- One-fifth of the Fighter's Pass, 20%, is a character from a series that has what many feel is an overabundance of representation. Not only did few people want Byleth because of this, but the fact that Byleth is from Fire Emblem hurts whatever uniqueness he/she may have brought to the table (honestly, Akira from Astral Chain could have done the same without the Fire Emblem stigma).

I don't understand the marketing rationale, here. It baffles me.

 

See, this is the sort of uncritical, unproductive claptrap that makes fandom looks pathetic and worthy of mockery.

No, we didn't "all know" this was going to happen. We didn't have any reason to even SUSPECT this would happen. We who bought (and I stress BOUGHT, as Sakurai didn't give these characters to us for free) the Fighter's Pass on the premise of good faith didn't have any reason to suspect that a Fire Emblem character would be thrust upon us at the eleventh hour, especially considering the likes of Joker, Banjo, Hero, and Terry were (if not all stellar) interesting picks. Knowing how reviled Fire Emblem characters are in Smash, this feela very much like a middle finger. IMO, if I pay for something and get what I deem to be a lackluster return, that gives ne every right to complain.

And now Sakurai and Nintendo want me to pony up for another "mystery" pass on the premise of good faith again? No. No, I don't think I will. That doesn't make me ungrateful--again, no one gave me this for free. What it makes me is a more cautious consumer than I was before. Had I known the first pass included Byleth, I would not have bought it.

Just to put things into perspective:

- Fire Emblem now has eight characters in the game. This includes Byleth. That is 10% of the roster.

- One-fifth of the Fighter's Pass, 20%, is a character from a series that has what many feel is an overabundance of representation. Not only did few people want Byleth because of this, but the fact that Byleth is from Fire Emblem hurts whatever uniqueness he/she may have brought to the table (honestly, Akira from Astral Chain could have done the same without the Fire Emblem stigma).

I don't understand the marketing rationale, here. It baffles me.

But no complaints about pokemon or mario?

 

Like Sora and Doom Guy? Characters who wouldn't have made it in regardless?

Everyone is an expert on everything in hindsight.

That being said, I'm a little irritated with people putting Banjo on this sort of pedestal. I love Banjo, I really do, but I don't feel like making him last as some sort of big send-off would really make him a much better character.

It's not so much about the quality of the character as it is the anti-climax of the reveal. If the point was to get people hyped to sell Season 2 passes, this was a baffling way to do it.

Likewise, I would've liked Byleth better had Byleth been like the "Extra" DLC fighter like Plant, instead of being actually the final fighter for the Fighters Pass...

I completely agree. Had this been the case, the salt would be considerably less. Nintendo could have conceivably done this, too, as I'm sure another character is ready to go. And even if it isn't, revealing the first character of Pass 2 would have built up some good faith again. So many right paths, and again they chose the single wrong one.

BUT we have Fighters Pass 2 with six characters so.... I don't think Byleth's significance will last too much...

This is where I'm afraid we disagree. Or, at least, I think people who bought Pass 1 and are chapped by Byleth's inclusion are going to be gunshy about ponying up for Pass 2. I know I am. And this bends back to the point about Banjo. It's all about good faith, optics, etc. Ending on Banjo increases hype for Pass 2, and likely sells more of them. You can begin badly and still make money, but you can't end badly.

But no complaints about pokemon or mario?

No. Mario is the flagship franchise and Pokemon is insanely popular worldwide. In addition, each character (mostly) brings something new to the table. But if you want to take Mario and Pokemon to task for having too many characters, too much representation in relation to how important or popular or commercially successful they are worldwide, that's fine. You may have a point. I don't think so, but you may. If you were to try to gauge the commercial importance of a series by the roster, though, you would think Fire Emblem tops Zelda worldwide. Which I don't believe is the case.

If you like Fire Emblem, good for you. Here's a cookie. But as far as I'm concerned, there's too much of it in Smash. I'm obviously not alone in that.

 

I love Fire Emblem but personally I dislike the inclusion of Byleth for two main reasons:

1) He/she barely classifies as an actual character. They are mostly just a self-insert OC who, unlike Robin and Corrin who had the same role, don't have any dialogue or personality that allows them to stand as their own character (and the bit of it they tried to give in FE Heroes for the tie-in event mostly just harps on the fact they are a teacher). They also really don't have any inherent charm to them. I haven't seen a single person express interest in M!Byleth, let alone to the point of wanting to see them in Smash, and any interest in F!Byleth begins and ends on their sex appeal from what I've seen. For all intents and purposes, very few people were generally wanting this character. Even if you wanted Three Houses to have a fighter in Smash, it likely wasn't Byleth.

2) I'm kinda sick of Fire Emblem being reduced to a series that only gets new characters to coincide with the latest release. It not only makes the choices boring, but not many people are super attached to the characters at that point if their game is only out a little while (made worse in Byleth's case due to the fact that there isn't a character to attach to at all here). Smash fans are generally gonna dislike Fire Emblem no matter what, so they could at least give us a legacy Fire Emblem character for once that surprises people and many people in the Fire Emblem community like. Characters like Hector and Ephraim are good examples. Intelligent Systems often runs popularity polls, especially in relation to FE Heroes, so it's not like they don't have that data.

Besides that, I feel like if Byleth had to be a new fighter, then they should have announced them when they announced Banjo, and saved Banjo for now. It would have been more appropriate since Fire Emblem was close to releasing back then so it may have actually benefited from the marketing (since that was obviously the mindset behind this inclusion, and nothing else). And Byleth may have served as a "break" from the more exciting announcements of the first season pass, leaving Banjo as a nice note to finish it on.

They look fine enough to play though and at least they are sort of representing the Weapon Triangle in some way. And at least we have six more characters coming.

I'm not super passionate about Ultimate as a game at this point, but most of the additions have been pretty cool. Byleth was the first one I kinda feel didn't need to be here, though, just based on what they represent conceptually.

 

No. Mario is the flagship franchise and Pokemon is insanely popular worldwide. In addition, each character (mostly) brings something new to the table.

If you like Fire Emblem, good for you. Here's a cookie. But as far as I'm concerned, there's too much of it in Smash. I'm obviously not alone in that.

I honestly don't like fire emblem at all. I don't actually think the problem is that theres to many of them in smash... I think it more like Byleth's trailer admitted. Theres way to many swordsman

 

Happy their in! But yeah I can understand if people are upset you have a right to be!

 

I honestly don't like fire emblem at all. I don't actually think the problem is that theres to many of them in smash... I think it more like Byleth's trailer admitted. Theres way to many swordsman

That's likely a big part of it, too. Of the eight, five are sword users. Four of those five are basically clones. Less than 50% of the Fire Emblem characters present on the roster bring something new or different to the table.

 

That's likely a big part of it, too. Of the eight, five are sword users. Four of those five are basically clones. Less than 50% of the Fire Emblem characters present on the roster bring something new or different to the table.

Agreed, which is why I'm so hyped for Byleth! They're bringing all sorts of new things to the roster!

 

Pretty lame if ya ask me. I was expecting a big reveal to be the 5th DLC, especially since this was originally supposed to end the DLC. Fire Emblem has way too many reps imo and it's rivaling Pokemon and Super Mario in reps and has passed big IPs such as Zelda. On the bright side this pretty much deconfirms the idea that the DLC will only be 3rd party.

 

i do like 3 houses but byleth was such a dull character, a sure that was the point but still

 

Everyone is an expert on everything in hindsight.

I mean, I knew Sora wasn't going to make it in this go around, and I never had faith in Doom Guy given from what I heard from the Japanese fan base a while back.

 

I couldn’t help but literally burst out laughing at the “too many swords” reference in the trailer.

Anyways, I’m looking forward to playing as Byleth when he comes out next week.

 

I couldn’t help but literally burst out laughing at the “too many swords” reference in the trailer.

Anyways, I’m looking forward to playing as Byleth when he comes out next week.

theyre out on the 29th

 

theyre out on the 29th

So it is. I guess I’m still sleepy then...

 

After the prior four characters? I'm not entirely seeing how Byleth is a problem. Not really excited for them, but not against them in any way either.

Is eight too many fire Emblem characters? Absolutely not. Fire Emblem is fairly popular stateside, and one of the most popular Nintendo IPs in Japan (remember, they don't like Zelda or Metroid much) so them having so many makes a bit of sense.

Are there too many swordfighters? Not really. Most games with a fantasy bent have a sword wielding hero. Even some modern games (No More Heroes and Ninja Gaiden, for example) have sword wielders, and the main character is almost always the first choice.

Would Edelgard, Demitri or Claude have been a better choice? No. Picking any one alone would piss off the fans of the other two houses, and trying to stick them in as a single unit who can swap would miss the entire point of the story.

As for Byleth's lack of an actual character? Better than Corrin's super variable character that always edges on unlikable, I'd say.

 

I just find it deflating that this character is taking up the spot of this fighter's pass. So far, the character's in the pass had been all great surprises and seemed to have everyone in awe while this inclusion seems standard. Joker was the highlight of the 2018 game awards, Hero was another big surprise representing a big RPG series, Banjo was a long-shot wish for many due to it being owned by Microsoft, and Terry was just surprise for many that had no idea he existed.

I think the structuring of the fighter's pass does not help in this feeling, it set a big precedence and even Sakurai's speech before the reveal was one that seemed like we would be in for a big secret most likely from a 3rd party. It being revealed as another Fire Emblem character just makes me think why it was even that big of a secret? Are all characters treated with this much secrecy?

Byleth just doesn't feel like this big surprise or awe inspiring moment. Would be just as dull if they added in a Pokemon from Sword/Shield, which this reveal makes me feel like it will happen in the second pass... It's getting to the point that it feels obligatory to add a character from the latest game to these series and that takes away the excitement.

 

I just find it deflating that this character is taking up the spot of this fighter's pass. So far, the character's in the pass had been all great surprises and seemed to have everyone in awe while this inclusion seems standard. Joker was the highlight of the 2018 game awards, Hero was another big surprise representing a big RPG series, Banjo was a long-shot wish for many due to it being owned by Microsoft, and Terry was just surprise for many that had no idea he existed.

I think the structuring of the fighter's pass does not help in this feeling, it set a big precedence and even Sakurai's speech before the reveal was one that seemed like we would be in for a big secret most likely from a 3rd party. It being revealed as another Fire Emblem character just makes me think why it was even that big of a secret? Are all characters treated with this much secrecy?

Byleth just doesn't feel like this big surprise or awe inspiring moment. Would be just as dull if they added in a Pokemon from Sword/Shield, which this reveal makes me feel like it will happen in the second pass... It's getting to the point that it feels obligatory to add a character from the latest game to these series and that takes away the excitement.

Agreed. Not worth the build up, and definitely doesn't inspire confidence or build hype for Pass 2.

 

Agreed, which is why I'm so hyped for Byleth! They're bringing all sorts of new things to the roster!

Actually, to play Devil's Advocate to my own point...

For those who bought the pass, it only costs $1.03 for Byleth (the pass is $24.99, and buying each individually is a total of $29.95)--so if you look at it that way, the lesser reveal cost less money for those of us who bought the pass.

 

Agreed. Not worth the build up, and definitely doesn't inspire confidence or build hype for Pass 2.

I'm still getting the pass. While I think that the reveal was dull, I don't have anything against his actual inclusion and I probably will have fun fighting with/against him with my friends. I'm certain fighter pass 2 will have many good characters as well that I will want to buy so I'm just going to get the pass.

 

Is anybody actually genuinely shocked about Byleth? After Marth and Roy in Melee and the growing support for Fire Emblem games in the west we had Ike in Brawl, Lucina and Robin added in Sm4sh with Roy returning as DLC. Then we had Corrin as DLC. The switch has a new Fire Emblem game and that protagonist is a DLC character. I know there are a lot of swordies already but a lot of people (myself included) genuinely like playing as them.

Next thing people will be shocked that we get another pokemon in the 2nd DLC pack. Brawl added Lucario and PT and Sm4sh added Greninja and Ult added Incineroar and they just released pokemon sword and shield. Even though we have lots of pokemon characters don't be shocked if we get another.

It made me sad to see the tens of thousands of downvotes on the youtube vid of the Direct already. We already have sooo many characters we want and many we thought we'd never get and several nobody ever wanted. Nobody was trying to get characters like Piranha Plant, G&W, Ice Climbers, Duck Hunt or Pichu in Smash before they were added. A lot of people wanted Byleth. I'd venture to guess more people want Byleth than people who wanted Joker or Terry. You can't ever please everyone but it seems like there is an unnecessary amount of negativity. Sorry they didn't add in Geno or battle Disney to get Sora in I guess.

I will say this from what we have seen of Byleth's moveset thus far: at least he isn't another Marth/Lucina/Roy/Chrom/Ike. His down B isn't a counter which shows they are trying to mix things up a little bit. His Up B, while some might just compare it to Joker's, is very different from any of the other Fire Emblem characters. He has a projectile. My first impression is that even with greater disjoint range than Marth his slow movement and seemingly high endlag will probably keep him from being a powerhouse. Maybe he is just Robin/Corrin with Link's B and Richter's nair and Joker's Up B but he seems more unique than most of the other FE characters upon their release. I don't think Corrin got nearly as much hate and I feel confident Byleth was more requested than Corrin. Maybe it's just bc it was the last Fighter Pack character and people got their hopes up. It could be a long while before we get any other DLC characters. Would people be less upset if Byleth was released in Fighter Pass 2 alongside some other character as a dual release? It kinda feels that way. Good or bad most of us are gonna get all the DLC characters regardless.

 

I fail to see why another FE character was added. Sakurai might as well have included another Mario or Pokémon character. These, along with Zelda, over-represent the roster. There is a lack of fairness. Sure, it's Sakurai's property (or Nintendo's, or whoever), but who is responsible for ensuring financial security? The consumers. Not that it matters. I've quit SSBU.

 

I wasn't really expecting Byleth by any means. Part of me was thinking that it would be Crash Bandicoot, simply because CTR: Nitro-Fueled officially began its newest GP today. But I guess he could show up in a future fighters pass.

 

I love Byleth's inclusion for 3 reasons:
1. Fe: Byleth looks amazing
2. The mechanics look very interesting. Although I am worried about the slow movement.
3. The memes that soon followed the salty comments.

As far as I'm concerned, the complaints surrounding the character are nothing more than pretentious posturing at this point. After Plant, Joker, and Hero, I doubt that I can ever take any complaint seriously from this community. Especially when I'm seeing complaints like "Oh, he's such a boring character in his game" despite the fact that his moveset in smash is anything but.

 

So I have a question. Why would this pack be ready by December 2021? Are we getting another pack after this one?

 

I'm still getting the pass. While I think that the reveal was dull, I don't have anything against his actual inclusion and I probably will have fun fighting with/against him with my friends. I'm certain fighter pass 2 will have many good characters as well that I will want to buy so I'm just going to get the pass.

I'm on the fence, admittedly. Though knowing I paid less for Byleth than I thought helps, and the likelihood of a second FE character is slim.

 

I'm glad I didn't bought this pass. After Ken, Incineroar and Piranha Plant, Nintendo totally lost my trust, and of this five characters, I know now that I will only buy Banjo & Kazooie. Not saying Joker, Hero and Terry are bad choices, just that I don't know them and don't wanna pay to play as them. But Fire Emblem getting ANOTHER rep while Zelda and Donkey Kong are still so miserable? Makes me angry. And yes I would feel the same if it was another Pokémon.

 

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So I have a question. Why would this pack be ready by December 2021? Are we getting another pack after this one?

Not accoding to current knowledge... I wouldn't be surprised if they threw out a non-pass character somewhere between now & 2022

 

Sakurai bought this toy a while back so he could use the rifle as a reference for his work (obviously talking about smash). Everyone dismissed this as anything important because it was assumed that it was used for the MK 2 mii costume or whatever its called, but i do not think Sakurai would need a reference for a character like the mii. It's literally just a copy paste situation if you want to make an MK 2 costume. There is also currently no character in the game that has a gun like this. Maybe snake, but sakurai could just use his model from brawl if he needed a reference. I think this could be a hint towards a character that hasn't arrived yet. What do you guys think?

 

Corrin, Piranha Plant, Byleth... am I supposed to care anymore?