Pair Up

Pair Up (, Double) is Robin's Final Smash.

Overview
Robin summons Chrom through a warp circle. Chrom will travel a set distance from where he is summoned (a little less than half the length of Final Destination), and swipe at the first opponent in his path. If he misses, the Final Smash will fail. When he does catch at least one opponent, Chrom's critical hit portrait from Fire Emblem Awakening appears as he yells "On my mark!" (, Join with me!). Once an opponent is caught, the two unleash their attacks: Chrom with the Falchion, and Robin circling the unfortunate foe while unleashing and  spells, assailing the opponent multiple times. Finally, Robin performs, shouting the name of their spell followed by Chrom yelling "We're not done yet!" (, Take that~!), and the two strike the opponent(s) at the same time, rocketing the foe(s) to the ground and rebounding towards the upper blast line.

This attack ends up dealing 45% damage&mdash;5% with the initial strike, 26% for the flurry of attacks (13 strikes at 2% damage each), and 14% for the finishing strike. The knockback from the final blow cannot be teched. It can KO an opponent with at least 45% damage under average circumstances. The move usually takes place high above the center of the stage, except for stages that can cause an OHKO due to the map having a central pit (like Gaur Plain) or a very high central platform (like Yoshi's Story), as well as stages where the center of the stage is obstructed (Great Plateau Tower).

Successfully using the Final Smash will restore Robin's Levin Sword and all his tomes to full durability. Overall, the attack is very akin to Ike's Great Aether, only Robin stays in midair when the move ends, risking much less of a self-destruct in comparison.

Events
In The Falchion's Seal, Robin must acquire a Smash Ball and use Pair Up against a Giant. Defeating it normally only causes it to respawn.

Origin


Pair Up is a mechanic that was introduced in , presented in that game as having been invented by Robin themself based on an impromptu rescue of Chrom by. When Paired Up, two units act as a single force upon the battlefield, conveying significant advantages: the lead unit of the Pair Up pair receives boosts to their combat stats from the supporting unit, based on the supporting unit's own stats and class, and the support unit has a chance to actively assist the lead unit combat by following up their attacks with a strike of their own (a Dual Strike) or blocking an incoming enemy attack entirely (a Dual Guard). The Final Smash depicts a series of Dual Strikes.

For the final blow of the Final Smash, Robin uses, the most powerful common fire magic tome and the fire elemental counterpart to Thoron.

In more recent Fire Emblem games, units announce incoming critical hits and special skills with a brief, loud start-up in which their face briefly cuts in across the screen, accompanied by a dramatic one-liner. The Final Smash imitates this for Chrom, reusing his portrait from Awakening.

Chrom's dialog in the Final Smash is derived from his in-combat dialogue in Awakening:


 * If Chrom is a Pair Up supporting unit, he may say "On my mark!" when the lead unit initiates combat. In Smash, this line occurs in the place of the critical hit/special skill announcement one-liner.
 * If Chrom performs a Dual Strike, he may say "We're not done yet!" However, in Smash, he shouts it much more fiercely than in Awakening.

Trivia

 * Chrom's attack animations greatly resemble Ike's animations during his Great Aether, save for a few differences such as some of his stances and his last three hits. This is likely a time and resource-saving measure, as both Pair Up and Great Aether have similar durations, making it efficient to reuse animations. Also notable is the fact that Chrom's Falchion swings use a glowing tipper graphic similar to 's (only in SSB4), and yet makes the deep "striking" sounds of Ike's Ragnell.
 * It is common for Pair Up in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS to start producing loud static noises if the match has multiple players and items or if too many visuals or sounds occur while it is active. This is possibly due to the 3DS not having enough processing power to process all the sound and particle effects together at once.
 * During a Mini Smash, Chrom is tiny, like.
 * Although is used during this Final Smash, the Bolganone tome cover is not used, instead using the same cover as Arcfire.
 * Bolganone is depicted as a magma geyser in the Fire Emblem series, while in SSB4, it is shown as bursts of flames.
 * Pair Up provides a possible explanation as to how Robin's equipment can be replenished during battle; in Awakening, Chrom provided nearby allies with Convoy access.
 * This is one of the three trapping Final Smashes (the others being Omega Blitz and Secret Ninja Attack) whose finishing blow, when used on a custom stage with a curved platform underneath the player, will send the other player sideways upon landing on said platform.
 * The trophy for Pair Up shows Chrom in a stance that is almost identical to his artwork on the front cover of Fire Emblem Awakening.
 * Despite being a playable character, Robin still summons him during the Final Smash in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate even if Chrom is already present during the match. This makes the move one of two Final Smashes in the game that involve a non-playable appearance by another playable character, the other being 's version of Zero Laser.
 * Furthermore, Chrom's playable model is the same one used for Pair Up.