February’s Nintendo Direct was full of exciting information and news, but one of the most anticipated snippets of information was the reveal of the next DLC character for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Fans now know that Pyra and Mythra will be joining the battle as one playable character, working together to take down other iconic fighters from Nintendo and beyond. Though this means that players wanting Dr. Eggman in Smash are likely disappointed, these two characters were highly requested in their own right. Even so, there are a great deal of players that aren’t familiar with either of them or their game of origin, so a refresher might be helpful.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Fighters Pass 2 has been full of surprises, with characters like Steve and Sephiroth catching fans off guard. Even the first DLC character from this season, Min Min, was a surprise since most thought the ARMS representative would be Spring Man. Though many were hoping for another third-party character to take up this DLC spot, Pyra and Mythra are both first-party characters from Nintendo, specifically from Xenoblade Chronicles 2. In fact, they are the same character, which explains how they can switch back and forth freely in-game.
Both Pyra and Mythra are from Xenoblade Chronicles 2, the direct sequel to Xenoblade Chronicles. Even for those that aren’t familiar with the franchise, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate players will at the very least recognize one of its main characters. Shulk serves as the primary protagonist in the original Xenoblade Chronicles, where he wields the mythical blade Monado. This weapon grants Shulk a variety of abilties, but most importantly it allows him to see into the future. This is showcased in the intro cutscene to the World of Light game mode where he sees Galeem capture all the fighters moments before it happens.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 continues the story, this time focusing on a new character named Rex. Despite being the main character of that game, Rex isn’t the representative in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, as that honor instead goes to Pyra. Traveling alongside Rex throughout the majority of the game, Pyra reveals herself to be the Aegis, a legendary blade with tremendous power. These blades are essentially living weapons, and Pyra pairs herself with Rex. The main premise of Xenoblade Chronicles 2‘s story sees Rex attempting to escort Pyra back to Elysium, a mythical paradise where the Aegis blade’s immortality was designed.
As a Blade, Pyra has access to immense power, but she normally can’t access it on her own. In order to make the most of this latent ability, Pyra must pair with a “Driver” and grant her power to them. In Xenoblade Chronicles 2, this Driver is Rex, but strange circumstances allow Pyra to draw on her own power. In battle, she uses powerful fire elemental attacks to devastate her foes, many of which were directly shown off in her reveal trailer for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Techniques like Flame Nova and Prominence Revolt are all direct references to her abilities in the game.
Just by watching Pyra’s reveal trailer, it’s clear that she is a heavy hitter. Imbuing her melee attacks with fire, she appears to have great range and high damage. Like other fire element characters, her attacks inflict high knockback as well, meaning she’ll likely be on the heavier side to compensate. In terms of named attacks, at least four are shown in the trailer. The first one fans see is Smash Flare, and Rex tells viewers that this is Pyra charging her smash attacks with fire. She also uses Flame Nova, a spinning attack that could well be her side special; Prominence Revolt, an attack that seems similar to Ike’s Aether up special; and Blazing End, which sees Pyra throw her sword and is probably a neutral special.
Pyra is also an Aegis blade, so the uninitiated may be confused as to why Pyra is able to transform into Mythra. The answer does dive into spoilers for the story of Xenoblade Chronicles 2, so those still planning on playing through it may want to avoid spoilers for the time being. As it happens, Mythra is also an Aegis, and in fact Pyra is an alternate personality created by Mythra.
Long ago in the lore of Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Mythra took part in the Aegis War. To make a long story short, this war resulted in the deaths of three Titans, and Mythra felt great guilt for her part in this war. In response, she sealed herself away, creating the alternate personality of Pyra to take her place. Though Pyra is weaker than Mythra, she is still an Aegis and therefore very powerful. Partway through the story of Xenoblade Chronicles 2, the characters all learn the truth of this and Mythra reawakens. From this point forth, she and Pyra are able to switch between one another freely.
Whereas Pyra’s abilities are all fire-based, Mythra’s power is pure light. This often takes the form of blades or arrows of light that she can use against her enemies, but also relates to her incredible speed. Mythra is able to harness her power to move at the speed of light, and in her true form she can move even faster. Just like Pyra, many of her in-game abilities were directly referenced in her reveal trailer for Super Smash Bros. Utimate during February’s Nintendo Direct.
In contrast to Pyra, Mythra is likely to be a much quicker and more mobile character, but as usual this will come at the cost of speed. Mythra’s attacks are imbued with light element energy, and her five named attacks come straight from Xenoblade Chronicles 2. Lightning Buster is a series of blows that have very long range, but the attack looks like it must be charged. Next, Mythra uses Photon Edge, moving at the speed of light to attack her enemies from every direction. Ray of Punishment appears to be an up special, while Chroma Dust probably replaces another attack when in the air. Mythra also has access to Foresight, allowing her to dodge enemy attacks with ease.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is avaialble now on Nintendo Switch.
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