Fire Emblem has always been a strong franchise in its own right, but Fire Emblem: Three Houses made waves. Historically the franchise has mostly found its fans in Japan. After all, for the first decade of its 30 year lifespan, Fire Emblem only released in Japan. Recent entries leading up to Fire Emblem: Three Houses have built up the games’ popularity outside Japan, though, and Nintendo is frequently promoting it in lots of ways. For instance, Nintendo invited Three Houses protagonist Byleth to Super Smash Bros Ultimate last 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 in Smash, thanks to the Heroes’ Relics in Fire 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 in Fire 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 pass as far as Smash is concerned and uses four of these Relics to great effect.
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 in Smash. The Sword of the Creator serves a central role in Fire 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. Any Three Houses fan probably quickly let the Sword become Byleth’s signature weapon. In Smash, 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. In Three 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 can find Areadbhar at Dimitri’s side once they progress far enough in the game.
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 weapons Byleth has in Smash. 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 in Smash Ultimate aren’t just nods to Three 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 a Smash fighter that’s really unlike any other. Byleth has some powerful far-reaching attacks thanks to their pupils’ Relics. It’s another example of the Smash developer’s remarkable talent for creating unique movesets that are also love letters to the source material.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses and Super Smash Bros Ultimate are available now for Nintendo Switch.
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