Fire Emblemhas always been a strong franchise in its own right, butFire Emblem: Three Housesmade waves. Historically the franchise has mostly found its fans in Japan. After all, for the first decade of its 30 year lifespan,Fire Emblemonly released in Japan. Recent entries leading up toFire Emblem: Three Houseshave built up the games' popularity outside Japan, though, and Nintendo is frequently promoting it in lots of ways. For instance, Nintendo invitedThree Housesprotagonist Byleth toSuper Smash Bros Ultimatelast year. Although some fans complained of another swordfighter, it wouldn’t be fair to say that Byleth is just another one.
Byleth actually has a remarkably large arsenal of weapons that they use inSmash, thanks to the Heroes' Relics inFire Emblem: Three Houses.The Relics are mythical weapons that are only meant to be used by those who bear one of the many Crests that characters may have inFire Emblem.Each Relic is associated with a particular Crest, and if a Relic and its user’s Crests match, then the user can unlock all kinds of incredible powers from the weapon.Byleth, however, gets a special passas far asSmashis concerned and uses four of these Relics to great effect.
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The Ancient Relics
The most important weapon in Byleth’s arsenal is the Sword of the Creator. This impressive blade can transform into a whip, and Byleth uses that trait frequently inSmash.The Sword of the Creator serves a central role inFire Emblem: Three Houses' plot, falling into Byleth’s hands a significant way into the game. Although the Sword is missing the stone that would denote the Crest it associates with it, Byleth can wield it to its full potential. AnyThree Housesfan probably quickly let the Sword become Byleth’s signature weapon. InSmash,Nintendo did the same.
A couple of Byleth’s special attacks use remarkable weapons like Failnaught and Areadbhar. The bow Failnaught gives Byleth a ranged attack, and is associated with the Crest of Riegan. InThree Houses, talented archer Claude has a Crest of Riegan, and this head of the Golden Deer house is closely tied to Failnaught. Similarly, Areadbhar is a lance associated with the Crest of Blaiddyd, which reflects Blue Lions house leader and lance master Dimitri. Players who associate with the Blue Lions canfind Areadbhar at Dimitri’s sideonce they progress far enough in the game.
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Beyond Fodlan’s History
The Sword of the Creator, Failnaught, and Areadbhar all come from Fodlan’s history, associated with a circle of warriors of extraordinary power. However, the axe Amyr is different from the other weaponsByleth has inSmash.This weapon isn’t one of the Heroes' Relics, but a new powerful weapon specifically made for Black Eagles house leader Edelgard. This axe bears the mark of Seiros, a very different entity from the heroes associated with the Relics. Edelgard’s mastery of axes and Crest of Seiros, however, make her uniquely suited to wield Amyr.
Byleth’s weapons inSmash Ultimatearen’t just nods toThree Houses,they’re specific references to some of the game’s most important characters. Claude, Dimitri, and Edelgard are all crucial characters no matter what route the player takes. Although they couldn’t all be put in the game, Byleth still acknowledges their students by showing off their skills with the house leaders' signature weapons. As important as the Relics are to the game’s lore and plot, they’re largely meant to be references to the titular three houses. The result is aSmashfighter that’s really unlike any other. Byleth has some powerful far-reaching attacks thanks to their pupils' Relics. It’s another example of theSmashdeveloper’s remarkable talent for creating unique movesets that are also love letters to the source material.
Fire Emblem: Three HousesandSuper Smash Bros Ultimateare available now for Nintendo Switch.
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