Editing Roy (SSB4)

:''For information on the playable [[Koopaling]], see [[Bowser Jr. (SSB4)]].

{{Infobox Character

|tier = E

}}

Roy's combo game is also flawed: his sweetspotted moves are ineffective at performing lengthy combos past medium percents, while his forward, back and down throws are heavily reliant on reads because of their very low hitstun. Finally, Roy suffers from a poor recovery: [[Blazer]] is predictable and covers very minimal vertical distance, while his very fast [[falling speed]] not only hinders his recovery, but also makes him susceptible to combos.

==Attributes==

Unlike in ''Melee'', Roy is a [[semi-clone]] of {{SSB4|Marth}}, although he retains the attributes that differentiate the two. Compared to Marth, Roy sports the eleventh fastest [[dash]]ing speed, the fourth fastest [[air speed]], and the fifth fastest [[falling speed]] (7, 23, and 30 spots higher, respectively), alongside being 5 units [[Weight|heavier]] than Marth. Conversely, Roy [[walk]]s significantly slower, being only above-average compared to Marth, while his [[air acceleration]] is among the bottom five. Finally, Roy's long [[dash-dance|extended dash-dance]] allows him to read and punish opponents accordingly. However, his laggy initial dash (17 frames) and turnaround animations give him a poor shield buffer out of his dash and turn. Overall, this places Roy's archetype as a speedy fast-faller with polarized, linear movement. Roy's mobility is considerably faster than Marth's in regard to movement speed and air-to-ground transitioning, but his aerial fluidity is significantly limited, preventing him from easily using retreating aerials like Marth, and makes his aerial approaches committal.

Much like his overall mobility, almost all of Roy's attacks have quick start-up, and his aforementioned speed allows him to easily close the gap between himself and his opponent to make effective use of his inverse tipper. Coupled with his sweetspot's high damage, Roy has an above-average damage racking game once he finds an opening. His most versatile combo initiators are his neutral aerial (which has quick start-up, low landing lag, and a long-lasting hitbox) and his neutral attack (which starts at frame 5 and launches at a favorable angle), both of which can start combos into his throws and tilts. His up aerial starts on frame 5 and has a deceptively long-lasting hitbox that lasts until the sword trail ends, allowing a reverse sweetspotted up aerial to start medium percent combos into neutral aerial, back aerial, or [[Blazer]], or a sourspot into [[Double-Edge Dance]] depending on the enemy's reaction. Finally, forward aerial has very early [[interruptibility]], allowing it to be used as a retreating aerial while jumping backwards, can chain into itself up to two times if Roy moves at full speed and uses his second jump, and can be used for frame-trapping against air dodges if followed up with an up aerial. His down tilt is also a good spacing option, and is useful for [[shield stab]]bing and [[edgeguard]]ing due to its semi-spike trajectory.

Although tournaments do not currently allow [[Character customization|custom moves]], it should be noted that Roy does not have any due to being a DLC character. As such, he must not only utilize his own special moves properly, but also adapt as best as possible against characters that possess their own custom moves.

However, Roy has also received several nerfs. Roy now stands at Marth's height, which enlarges his hurtbox, though his attacks have much shorter ranges and hitbox durations in spite of this, forcing him to fight at a much closer range, exacerbating one of his key weaknesses in ''Melee''. For the most part, Roy is also harmed by the post-''Melee'' gameplay changes: the loss of [[wavedash]]ing and L-canceling, as well as the weakening of [[dash-dancing]], noticeably worsen his approach. The general increase in range for other characters since ''Melee'', such as with {{SSB4|Donkey Kong}} and {{SSB4|Bowser}}, also indirectly hurts him. [[Double-Edge Dance]]'s first hit has almost completely lost its ability to stall his descent due to his faster falling speed, which hurts his recovery despite its improvements. Lastly, Roy's heavier weight makes him easy to combo despite falling speeds being slower in ''SSB4'' than they were in ''Melee''.

===Aesthetics===

*{{change|Roy is more expressive. He smiles during his fist pumping idle pose, and either scowls or sternly clenches his teeth during some attacks.}}

*{{change|[[Jump]], [[sidestep]], and [[shield]] break's animations have changed.}}

===Attributes===

*{{nerf|Roy is taller, making his hurtbox slightly larger. While this would also improve his overall [[range]], this is largely mitigated by the majority of his moveset having smaller hitboxes and/or altered hitbox placements because of the aforementioned alterations to most of his sword-based attacks' animations.}}

*{{nerf|Roy [[walk]]s slower (1.2 → 1.15).}}

*{{change|The removal of [[chain grab]]bing both helps and hinders Roy. It results in him no longer being susceptible to chain grabs, while his faster falling speed results in him no longer being susceptible to pseudo-chain grabs. However, it hinders his damage racking potential.}}

*{{nerf|The weakening of [[Dash-dance|dash-dancing]] and the removal of [[wavedash]]ing significantly hinder Roy's approach.}}

===Ground attacks===

===Aerial attacks===

*{{change|All aerials have decreased landing lag (20/10 frames (normal/L-canceled) → 11 (neutral), 20/10 frames → 13 (forward), 24/12 frames → 16 (back), 18/9 frames → 14 (up), 32/16 frames → 23 (down)). Due to the removal of [[L-canceling]], however, they are not fully compensated.}}

===Throws/other attacks===

*{{nerf|All grabs have significantly decreased ranges.}}

*{{buff|Dash grab has decreased start-up lag (frame 10 → 8).}}

===Special moves===

==Update history==

'''{{GameIcon|ssb4}} [[1.1.0]]'''

*{{buff|[[Blazer]] has received additional hitboxes.}}

*{{change|{{GameIcon|ssb4-3ds}}Roy performs his down [[taunt]] instead of his fist pump [[idle pose]] after a player chooses a path in [[Classic Mode]].}}

==Moveset==

{{MovesetTable

|game=SSB4

|neutralcount=1

|neutraldesc=A reversed gripped upward slash. Easily chains into itself, forward tilt and a grab at low percents, and his forward and up aerials at high percents. Starts at frame 5, making it a great tool for spacing, combos, and stopping approaches.

|ftiltdmg=12.5% (sweetspot), 9% (near), 8% (far)

|ftiltdesc=A reverse gripped downward slash. Very strong for a tilt attack, it usually KOs around 120% from center-stage when sweetspotted, making it a viable KO option. However, it has noticeable ending lag, making it punishable. The sweetspot is safe on shield if Roy does not directly touch the opponent's shield.

|utiltname= 

|utiltdesc=A reverse gripped overhead arcing slash. Very strong like his forward tilt, it usually KOs around 110% when sweetspotted. However, it has rather low horizontal range and high ending lag, which make it very punishable on shield.

|dtiltdesc=A kneeling thrust, identical to {{SSB4|Marth}} and {{SSB4|Lucina}}'s down tilts, but with lower range. Has the lowest amount of ending lag out of his tilt attacks, and is useful for [[shield stab]]bing, edgeguarding or starting [[Tech-chasing|tech-chases]] thanks to it being a [[semi-spike]]. However, it has much less knockback growth than his other tilts.

|dashname= 

|dashdesc=An inward horizontal slash across the ground. It has good KO potential for a dash attack, KOing when sweetspotted around 130%, however it has moderate start-up and high ending lag, making it very unsafe on shield.

|fsmashname= 

|fsmashdmg={{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|20}} (close), {{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|17}} (mid), {{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|12}} (far)

|fsmashdesc=Rotates his body to perform a lunging, two-handed downward slash. It is one of the strongest forward smashes in the game when sweetspotted, as it can KO as low as 40% with [[rage]]. It also has very long disjointed range due to Roy lunging while performing it, and it comes out on frame 14, which is rather fast for a smash attack of its power. However, it has high ending lag and its hitbox does not last long, which make it very punishable when whiffed. It is based on his regular attack as a Great Lord in ''Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade''.

|usmashdmg={{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|1}} (hit 1), {{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|2}} (hits 2-4), {{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|10}} (hit 5)

|dsmashname= 

|dsmashdesc=A kneeling outward slash in front of himself and then behind himself. Weaker than his other smash attacks, but it has the fastest start-up, and is useful for punishing rolls. Can KO uncharged around the 120% range if sweetspotted with the front hit, and around 100% sweetspotted with the back hit. While it has very quick start-up, it has the longest ending lag of all his smash attacks, which makes it very punishable when whiffed.

|nairdesc=An inward slash followed by a spinning, outward slash. One of Roy's most useful spacing and combo options thanks to its quick start-up, long-lasting duration, and low landing lag. The second hit is capable of attacking behind him, and the sourspot can catch opponents before he lands. The first hit is risky due to its short range, but it is a surprisingly effective combo starter. Very useful for KO set-ups at high percents, as landing the first hit can lead into an up tilt, up smash, or [[Blazer]].

|fairname= 

|fairdesc=A downward slash. It is fairly strong when sweetspotted, as it can KO opponents reliably while on-stage and especially off-stage. Good for air-to-air combat because of its low ending lag. It is possible to jump out of one from a short hop, and it can be used twice before landing from a jump. If performed fast enough, it can combo into itself when using his double jump.

|bairdesc=Rotates his body to perform an upward slash. It is stronger than forward aerial, and can KO opponents reliably while on-stage and especially off-stage. Covers good vertical and horizontal range, but has rather high ending lag. Like with Marth and Lucina's back aerials, it turns Roy around when used. Unlike their back aerials, however, its sourspot can [[lock]] opponents at medium percents if they miss a tech.

|uairname= 

|uairdesc=A backflipping, upward arcing slash. The weakest of Roy's aerials in terms of damage and knockback, but it is his fastest one, due to it coming out on frame 5 (the same as his neutral attack). Its large arc and speed also make it suitable for juggling and/or combos, as it is able to follow up with most of his grounded attacks at low percents while he is falling, and into his aerials at high percents. Its sourspot also has a long duration, which allows it to function as a KO set-up, such as into back aerial or Blazer.

|grabname= 

|grabdesc=Reaches out with his free hand.

|uthrowdmg=6%

|uthrowdesc=Heaves the opponent upward with his free hand. Like Marth and Lucina's up throws, it is Roy's only throw with KO potential, although it starts KOing slightly later in comparison (at around 170%).

|dthrowdmg=5%

|dthrowdesc=A one-armed body slam. Aesthetically, it appears almost identical to forward throw, with its only difference being a shockwave effect to indicate the opponent hitting the ground. Mechanically, it functions much differently, as it launches the opponent directly above Roy and is a [[true combo]] into Blazer on most characters up to medium percents. Like Roy's forward throw, this throw causes very low hitstun, but its low base knockback and low knockback growth allow it to combo into neutral attack, up tilt and forward tilt at low percents, with the neutral attack combo allowing for the possibility of chaining into another grab if the opponent does not react in time. It can also combo into a neutral aerial, forward aerial and up aerial at medium percents.

|edgedmg=8%

|edgedesc=Performs an outward slash while climbing up.

|fsname=Critical Hit

|fsdmg=1% (hits 1-10), 35% (hit 11)

}}

===[[On-screen appearance]]===

{{appearance

|char=Roy

|game=SSB4}}

{{Taunt/SSB4

|char=Roy

===[[Idle pose]]s===

{{Idle

|image-1=RoyIdlePose1WiiU.jpg

|image-2=RoyIdlePose2WiiU.jpg}}

|victory-theme=FireEmblemTheme.ogg

|victory-desc=An orchestral excerpt of the title theme from ''{{s|fireemblemwiki|Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light}}'', which has since become the main theme of the ''Fire Emblem'' series.

|char=Roy}}

==In [[competitive play]]==

===Tier placement and history===

==[[Alternate costume (SSB4)#Roy|Alternate costumes]]==

{|style="margin:1em auto 1em auto;text-align:center"

|-

|-

|{{Head|Roy|g=SSB4|s=50px}}

==[[List of Super Smash Bros. 4 character trailers#Roy|Reveal trailer]]==

==Gallery==

SSB4 Roy SplashArt.png|Roy's splash art.

Roy_amiibo.png|Roy's [[amiibo]].

Roy Screen-1.jpg|Using his down taunt.

Roy Screen-2.jpg|Using his new neutral attack on {{SSB4|Captain Falcon}}.

==Trivia==

*Roy's pose in his official art is nearly identical to his pose in his official art for ''Melee''.

*Aspects of Roy's sound design have been carried over from ''Melee'':

**All of his sourspotted attacks emit a punch/kick sound effect, instead of a slash sound effect.

**When he is [[dizzy]], his corresponding voice clip loops constantly, instead of playing only once.

**He uses more than one voice clip for his smash attacks.

*Roy's up smash, Flame Sword, shares the same name as {{SSB4|Mega Man}}'s forward aerial.

*Roy, {{SSB4|Marth}}, and {{SSB4|Cloud}} are the only characters to speak Japanese in every regional version of ''SSB4''.

*Like Marth in his transition from ''Melee'' to ''Brawl'', Roy's first and third [[victory pose]]s have swapped quotes.

<!--If you're gonna write something about the Roy/Roy Koopa or Superspicy Curry references in the trailer, don't, because they are already on the SSB4 trailers page-->

==References==

{{SSB4Characters}}

{{Fire Emblem universe}}

[[Category:Downloadable content]]