Super Smash Bros. Melee

Marth (SSBM)

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This article is about Marth's appearance inSuper Smash Bros. Melee. For the character in other contexts, seeMarth.
Marth
inSuper Smash Bros. Melee
Marth SSBM.jpg
FireEmblemSymbol.svg
UniverseFire Emblem
Other playable appearancesinBrawl
inSSB4
inUltimate
AvailabilityUnlockable
TierS (2) (North America)
S (2) (Europe)
Marth (SSBM)

Marth (マルス,Marth) is anunlockablenewcomer inSuper Smash Bros. Melee. He had been frequently requested by Japanese players, and the development team added him toMelee knowing he could be cut from its non-Japanese versions.[1] He was ultimately kept in all versions after positive reception from their non-Japanese partners,[1] and his popularity alongside fellowFire Emblem fighterRoy is cited as a reason Nintendo began releasingFire Emblem games internationally.

Marth is one of two characters who only speak Japanese in every regional version ofMelee, with the other being Roy. He is voiced byHikaru Midorikawa, who previously voiced him inthe 1996 animated adaptation ofFire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem.

Marth currently ranks 2nd out of 26 on theMeleetier list, placing him in the S tier, making him the highest-ranked unlockable character and newcomer, and marking his best placement in the series. Marth is well-known for his signature weapon'sdisjointedrange andtipper mechanic, which unlike most sweet and sour-spots, offers a win-win situation, withsweet-spots that serve as safe KO moves, and sour-spots that offer combo potential. In addition, Marth has many powerful tools at his disposal, including fast overallstartup in many of his attacks, very potentcombos andjuggling, greatedgeguarding capabilities, and a very respectable grab game, having notoriously far-reaching grabs, and throws that can set upchain grabs, edgeguards, andkill confirms. Marth also has good movement options to approach and pressure with; hisdash-dance andwavedash are among the best in the game, and complement his already-impressive range extremely well. Marth also has two very powerful options to finish combos and take stocks: hisdown aerial andforward smash, when tippered, are among the strongest in the game, while also being fast enough to use in many scenarios.

On the downside, most of Marth's moves, while safe on shield, have considerable endlag and are thus very punishable if whiffed. Hisrecovery is also problematic; whileDolphin Slash is very fast and covers decent distance, andDancing Blade offers a means ofair-stalling, it is also rather predictable, and its short duration makes it easy toedgehog, so after losing the neutral game, Marth has few options to get back on his feet, making him very susceptible to momentum shifts.

Regardless of these flaws, Marth is one of the most popular characters inMelee, and has always been regarded as one of the game's best characters, having ranked within the top 5 on every tier list. Some of his most well-known players, includingKen,Mew2King, andZain, have gone on to become among the game's greatest players.

How to unlock[edit]

Marth must be defeated in battle before he can be unlocked. There are two ways the player can encounter him:

  • One way is to use all fourteen starter characters in VS. Mode,Classic Mode,Adventure Mode, or All-Star Mode. The single-player modes do not have to be completed, and losing in them is a guaranteed way to encounter him without having to encounter other characters. If the player fails to defeat Marth, they can re-fight him by playing any character in any of these modes again. If VS. Mode is played andMewtwo's unique encounter requirement is met, then Mewtwo must be unlocked before Marth can appear.
  • Another way is to play 400 VS. matches to completion. If the player fails to defeat Marth, they can re-fight him by playing another VS. match to completion. If this method is used, fighters with lower VS. match quotas must be unlocked before Marth can be fought. Additionally, using this method whenMewtwo's unique encounter requirement is met will cause Marth to appear in place of Mewtwo.

Upon completing this, Marth will be fought on theFountain of Dreams stage, with the track "Fire Emblem" playing.

Attributes[edit]

The majority of Marth's moveset, if chained together, can be highly effective at edgeguarding.

Marth falls under the fighter archetype of being mobile, with the ability to easily outmaneuver most of his opponents; Marth has a very fastdashing speed, a longwavedash (specifically the fourth longest in the game) and rather goodjumping speed, with above averagefalling speed, contributing to a goodSHFFL. With a largedash-dance window and adisjointedhitbox, Marth has greatapproach options in this game, both on the ground and in the air.

Marth's primary strength is his range in his normal attacks; the Falchion grants Marth very large disjointed hitboxes that can allow him to safely attack from a distance. Additionally, the tip of the Falchion, its sweetspot, is remarkably easy to connect, making Marth stronger when he is further from his opponent. In addition to this, Marth's attacks are very quick in terms of startup lag, and his long wavedash and dash-dance allow him to further extend his already long reach. This long hitbox with a far away sweetspot also contributes to Marth's superb combo game.

In addition to his disjointed range, Marth has a fantasticcombo andjuggle ability; despite a slightly below averageair speed, with a combination of good jumping prowess, and an average falling speed, as well as quick, low lag, high-ranged, easy-to-sweetspot aerials, Marth has among the best air games inMelee, and a great combo ability. Additionally, Marth'sgrab game is also good, as mentioned before due to a surprisingly long grab range (the longest of the non-grapple grabs, thanks to it extending far past his hand). Histhrows possess low damage and knockback, allowing him to chain his throws into each other and combo into other attacks. In particular, his up throw canchain throw mostfast fallers at low to mid percentages, and it can directly segue into an up tilt or an aerial, and can be used for KOing at high percents on a platform due to being the third strongest up throw in the game. Marth's long dash-dance also makes him a superbtech-chaser.

Marth also has several powerful attacks in his arsenal; some of them are very fast and have high range, such as his up tilt, while others can KO at close ranges, such as the ReverseDolphin Slash technique. Marth's forward smash is feared due to its high speed and power when tipped, with the capability to "break" through someprojectiles found in the game thanks to its priority; it also works well when wave-smashed, due to Marth's long wavedash. Marth's down tilt andShield Breaker act as goodedgeguarding options, with the former being asemi-spike and the latter have a large hitbox. Most notable, however, is hisdown aerial, which acts as a powerfulspike in NTSC regions, and an equally powerfulmeteor smash in PAL regions; it can KO reliably even as low as 40%, and many of Marth's attacks can easily combo into his down air, most notably hisforward aerial as part of theKen Combo. Marth also has access to a grounded meteor in hisDancing Blade. While its uses for KOing are somewhat situational, it can set up tech-chases well, as well as freejab resets.

Marth's primary flaw is his inconsistency in closing out stocks, known in the community asMarthritis. Many of his quick, safe moves greatly lack in KO power, and while his more powerful options are strong enough to KO at virtually any percent, they are extremely difficult to land. Many of them (including his tipped smash attacks and Dolphin Slash) are highly committal and unsafe to use in theneutral game, and there is no guarantee that he will connect with the correct hitbox in a neutral situation, even if they land. This forces Marth to secure KOs at early percents, usually through edgeguarding or combo setups that specifically ensure he connects with his KO option of choice. However, if Marth racks up too much damage, he will no longer have access to these setups as the opponent will be sent too far away by his combo starters to follow up on. Marth will then often be relegated to poking at the opponent with singular, weak hits to slowly accumulate damage, unable to KO them except through committal reads.

Another problem for Marth is his lack of defensive options. His average weight not only leaves him vulnerable to powerful attacks, it is also being enough to be vulnerable to combos such as Fox'swaveshine combos in NTSC regions. More significantly, while Marth's attacks are very fast in terms of startup, they travel in predictable, low-duration arcs and have high ending lag, exemplified through attacks such as his down aerial. This leads to Marth having a terribleout of shield game due to the low duration and high ending lag of his moves, while also leaving him open to punishment. His edge attack performed at higher percentages is also one of the easily punishable edge attacks in the game, leaving him with a notable disadvantage when he takes too much damage and is forced to stall at the ledge in those scenarios. Marth also demands significant knowledge of spacing with his aerials in order to properly combo. For most of his attacks, the sweetspot hitboxes have the lowest priority, so they only hit if none of the weaker hitboxes connect on that frame. In many cases, a specific hitbox is needed to extend the punish.

Overall, Marth's long reach, excellent combos, and powerful finishers result in him being a very potent character in the current metagame. A Marth player must be wary of his weaknesses and spacing, but due to his low technical learning curve, Marth is an effective character to pick up and play.

Version history[edit]

Like some other characters, Marth received some changes in thePAL version ofMelee, which slightlynerfed him overall, as he lost the ability to reliably KO and edgeguard with his down aerial. In addition, he is also lighter and his air speed is lower; hindering his endurance and making him even easier to edgeguard. However, because other top-tier characters, such asFox andSheik, were also noticeably nerfed, Marth has an easier time fighting against them, improving his matchup spread overall. As such, he is considered to be better relative to most of the top-tier cast in PAL than in NTSC.

NTSC 1.01

PAL

  • Nerf Marth'sweight has been decreased (87 → 85).
    • Buff However, this change also makes him immune toFox'swaveshine combos as he is now light enough to be knocked down by Fox's shine.
  • Nerf Marth'sair speed is lower (0.9 → 0.85).
  • Nerf Down aerial's sweetspot's angle has been altered (290° → 270°) allowing it to bemeteor cancelled. This significantly hinders its reliability.

Moveset[edit]

Marth's aerial attacks
Marth is notorious for having an unreasonably disjointed grab range even reaching farther thanYoshi’s tongue.

For a gallery of Marth's hitboxes, seehere.
For simplicity, if, for example, Marth's blade does 4% damage while the tip does 6%, and the attack has no other hitboxes, it is written as 4%/6%.

 NameDamageDescription
Neutral attackSlash (スラッシュ)
Counter Slash (コンビネーションスラッシュ,Combination Slash)
4%/6%Slashes the Falchion twice in front of himself. Useful for both offensive and defensivespacing, especially when used with wavedashing due to the move's non-committal nature with regards to movement. The first hit of jab is highly useful foredgeguarding linear recoveries, while the second hit can be used to cover many unorthodox recovery options when combined with the first jab (such as a shortenedFox Illusion orFalco Phantasm). If Marth is wearing aBunny Hood, he performs both jabs at twice the speed.
4%/6%
Forward tiltSharp Edge (ハードエッジ,Hard Edge)9%/13%A fast upward swipe while leaning forward. Has good horizontal reach.
Up tiltAnti-Air Slash (アンチエアスラッシュ)Clean: 9% (blade), 12% (tip), 8% (body)
Late: 10% (blade), 13% (tip), 9% (body)
Swings his sword in a large arc above his head, with a large hitbox that can peg opponents behind him. This move has many varied uses; most notably, it can interrupt hasty attacks and juggle and trap opponents in conjunction with a forward smash, a neutral aerial, or an up aerial on top of platforms. It can also set up aerial combos. At high percentages, it is an effective KO move, KOing reliably at 130% and above when tippered.
Down tiltLow Stab (ロースラスト,Low Thrust)9% (blade), 10% (tip), 8% (body)A quick crouching Falchion poke. As it pokes out and is asemi-spike, it is very useful for edgeguarding, and is also a staple in Marth's neutral game as it can safely be used to interrupt dash-dancing and wavedashing approaches or follow-ups. It may lead into a grab follow-up below 100%. It also has a high number ofinterruptibility frames. Because of this property, Marth is unable to shield as quickly as compared to other actions such as dashing or performing smash attacks.
Dash attackRaid Chop (レイドチョップ)11% (blade), 12% (tip), 9% (body)A quick upward sweeping diagonal slash with high range and relatively high damage. Depending on where on the sword it connects, it can either send opponents behind him, in front of him or above him. Very good for setting up combos, but has high ending lag.
Forward smashDragon Killer (ドラゴンキラー)14%/20%Rotates his body clockwise with a strong arc-like swing from his head to the ground. Very fast and long ranged. The knockback of the move is strongest on the tipper hitbox of the sword, otherwise being rather weak when untippered.
Up smashJustice Sword (ジャスティスソード)8% (sides),15% (blade),18% (tip)A quick, direct upward thrust. The move has very weak sourspots next to Marth if used on the ground, so it is not a reliable KO move on grounded enemies next to Marth, but it can act as a surprise KO option on enemies directly above him in the air or on platforms. Oddly, the Falchion's tip doesn't have a hitbox at all; the "tipper" hitbox is instead located at the middle of the blade.
Down smashWhirlwind Blade (ワールウィンド,Whirlwind)11%/16% (both sides)Sweeps his sword on the ground towards the front, then towards the back. If tippered, it sends opponents upward with high vertical knockback,Star KOing opponents at high percentages, and is the strongest down smash in the game and 3rd most powerful smash attack overall (only behindBowser's forward smash andPikachu's up smash). If hit at the base, it sends opponents with low horizontal knockback, but it can still KO at high percentages. It is generally not a safe option to use in most situations, as the attack has a fair amount of ending lag and takes longer to fully execute than his other smash attacks (despite having the fastest amount of start-up out of his smash attacks).
Neutral aerialDouble Slash (ダブルスラッシュ)4% (hit 1), 10% (hit 2)Two horizontal slashes around himself. Both hits connect easily, and can follow up into each other. Oddly enough, both the tipper hitbox and the non-tipper hitbox deal the same damage and knockback; the only difference between the 2 hitboxes is the sound effect.
Forward aerialAerial Swipe (フラッグカット,Flag Cut)10% (blade), 13% (tip), 9% (body)Does a forward vertical slash downwards. It is considered Marth's most versatile aerial as it is his fastest and has the most combo potential. It also has the least ending lag of all his aerials and it is his safest aerial on shield since it deals 7 frames of shield stun and has 7 frames of endlag; Marth can dash-dance away after doing this move on shield. Because of its ability to link into virtually any other of Marth's moves, it is an ideal move to set up edgeguarding. The move however has a very short duration and thus despite its speed, it is unsafe if spammed in neutral.
Back aerialAbout Face (アッパースイング,Upper Swing)10% (blade), 13% (tip), 9% (body)Slashes the Falchion from bottom to top behind him in an inward swipe. The attack has the unusual property of turning Marth around when used in the air; in this regard, his back aerial can be used to potentially set up aKen Combo or can be used to quickly steal a ledge.
Up aerialLuna Slash (ルナスラッシュ)10% (blade), 13% (tip), 9% (body)A forward-to-back upward wide sword slash ending in a full delayed somersault. It is not particularly powerful regardless of where on the sword it hits, but conversely it shows no mercy juggling opponents when combined with forward smash, up tilt, and other aerials.
Down aerialHalf Moon (ハーフムーン)10% (blade), 13% (tip), 9% (body)A forward-to-back outward sword slash downwards. The attack, whensweetspotted, sends opponents flying downward. InNTSC regions, the attack is aspike, whilePAL regions, it's ameteor smash. Due to its high ending lag and Marth's lackluster recovery, the attack is of high risk if used offstage at a low altitude. Regardless, the move is extremely useful anywhere else on the stage due to its long horizontal reach making it a great tech chase option (for reading rolls) as well as an out of shield option. This is the primary finish to a Ken Combo.
GrabGrab (つかみ)Marth grabs the opponent with his free hand. It's the 4th longest grab range overall and the single longest non-tether grab.
PummelKnee (つかみニーバット,Grab Kneebutt)3%Knees the opponent.
Forward throwBounce (ロールオーバー,Roll Over)4%Trips the opponent with his leg as he pushes them forward.
Back throwThrow Away (レッグフッカー,Leg Hooker)4%Pulls opponents behind him and extends his leg simultaneously.
Up throwEmblem Toss (キャスティング,Casting)4%A powerful upward throw with one arm. Can chain throw fast fallers at low percentages, and is the third strongest up throw in the game.
Down throwSlam (グラブドロップ,Grab Drop)5%Slams the opponent to the ground, sending them behind him. Can set up a tippered forward smash at low percentages.
Forward roll
Back roll
Spot dodge
Air dodge
Techs
Floor attack (front)
Floor getups (front)
 6%Sweeps his sword on the ground, front to back.
Floor attack (back)
Floor getups (back)
 6%A quick stab to the left followed by a horizontal slash to the right.
Edge attack (fast)
Edge getups (fast)
 8% (sword), 6% (hilt)Flips onto ledge with a quick downward diagonal slash downwards. Hitbox only exists on Marth's right arm arm and his sword, meaning that foes close to the ledge Marth is hanging on can avoid the attack.
Edge attack (slow)
Edge getups (slow)
 8% (sword), 6% (hilt)Slowly gets up and performs a quick arcing slice upwards. Just like his quick edge attack, opponents can avoid the attack if they are close to the ledge Marth is currently hanging on, and is one of the more punishable edge attacks in the game.
Neutral specialShield Breaker7-27%, 28% (fully charged)Marth holds the Falchion over his head before doing a powerful overhead slash in a similar fashion to his forward smash. When the move is fully charged, it will break any shield in one hit, unless the attack isperfect shielded. This attack hastranscendent priority.
Side specialDancing BladeVariesA sequence of Falchion slashes with several variations based oncontrol stick inputs. All variations have transcendent priority. For the first attack, Marth glows red; the second, green; the third, blue; and for the last one, red again.
Up specialDolphin Slash10% (startup blade & body), 13% (startup tip), 7% (leap blade & tip), 6% (leap body)A high-speed jumping uppercut slash that can be reversed before frame 6. Has many uses, but is very risky to use due to the large degree of vulnerability Marth receives if the move is whiffed. The move is easily used in the middle of a combo (though DI must be correctly read); it can be used as an alternative (instead of a down air) to finish a Ken Combo. It is also Marth's fastest option to punish rolls (provided he is close enough) as well as his fastestout of shield option. This attack has transcendent priority.
Down specialCounter7%Assumes a defensive stance and retaliates against incoming attacks. The damage and knockback of the attack will always be the same, regardless on what attack is being countered. When Marth's Counter is successful he may either say "そこだ!" ("There!"), "させるものか!" ("I won't allow that!"), or "見切った!" ("I saw through (your attack)!")
Dancing Blade
HitDamageDescription
First Hit (Neutral)4%Does a vertical slash, has little knockback: incapable of KOing.
Second Hit (Up)5%Does an upwards slash.
Second Hit (Neutral)5%Does a stab, has a little more knockback then the first slash, but still not much.
Third Hit (Up)6%Does a weak vertical slash.
Third Hit (Neutral)10%Does a fairly powerful horizontal slash. KOs at around 120%.
Third Hit (Down)10%Stabs at the ground. Decent KO option. Has an unorthodox meteor smash hitbox.
Fourth Hit (Up)10%Does a very powerful jumping slash. KOs at around 100%.
Fourth Hit (Neutral)14%Does a very powerful vertical slash. KOs at around 100%
Fourth Hit (Down)3% (hit 1-4), 5% (hit 5)Does a flurry of lower stabs. The last hit launches opponents away.

Stats[edit]

NTSC

StatsWeightDash speedWalk speedTractionAir frictionAir speedAir accelerationGravityFalling speedJumpsquatJump heightDouble jump heightEmpty landing lag
Value871.5 – Initial dash
1.8 – Run
1.60.060.0050.90.02 – Base
0.03 – Additional
0.0852.2 – Base
2.5Fast fall
435.09 - Base
13.995 -Short hop
25.1884

PAL

StatsWeightDash speedWalk speedTractionAir frictionAir speedAir accelerationGravityFalling speedJumpsquatJump heightDouble jump heightEmpty landing lag
Value851.5 – Initial dash
1.8 – Run
1.60.060.0050.850.02 – Base
0.03 – Additional
0.0852.2 – Base
2.5Fast fall
435.09 - Base
13.995 -Short hop
25.1884
Jump Frame Data
JumpAir timeFF input window for Earliest FFAir time for Earliest FF
Full Hop5928-3145
Full Hop (instant aerial)5727-3043
Short Hop3817-2026
Short Hop (instant fair/bair)3616-1924
Short Hop (instant upair)3816-2025
Short Hop (instant dair)3716-1925
Short Hop (instant nair)3716-1924

Announcer call[edit]

Taunt[edit]

  • Twirls his sword, then raises it in front of him, saying, "みんな、見ていてくれ!" ("Everyone, please watch me!")
Marth-Taunt-SSBM.gif

Idle pose[edit]

  • Brushes hair out of his face.
Marth Idle Pose Melee.gif

Crowd cheer[edit]

Cheer (International)Cheer (Japanese)
Cheer
DescriptionMarth -- Marth -- Marth!Mar - usu!

Victory poses[edit]

A rendition of a portion of the main theme of theFire Emblem series.
  • Turns with pride, spins the Falchion, then clashes it to the ground and says "僕は負ける訳には行かないんだ!", which translates to: "I cannot afford to lose!"
  • Sheaths his sword and says "今回は僕の勝ちだね?", which translates to: "This time it's my victory, isn't it?"
  • Poses with his sword sheathed and his right arm out and says "今日も生き延びることが出来た。", which translates to: "Today I have survived."
Marth-Victory1-SSBM.gifMarth-Victory2-SSBM.gifMarth-Victory3-SSBM.gif

Incompetitive play[edit]

Most historically significant players[edit]

See also:Category:Marth players (SSBM)

  • USA Azen - Top old-school Marth player from MD/VA. Considered one of the best on the East Coast in the pre-Brawl era. WonMLG Atlanta 2004,Tournament Go 6, andMLG New York Playoffs 2006.
  • USA KDJ - One of the best players from 2006-2008; triple-mained with Fox and Sheik before retiring. WonMLG Long Island 2007 using Marth to beatChuDat, and placed 2nd atCataclysm 3 and 17th atApex 2012 using Marth as a secondary. He focused on Marth more in the latter half of his career, beating players such asLa Luna before retiring from competition in 2016.
  • USA Ken - Referred to as the "King of Smash". Considered the first person to have a dominant presence in theMelee scene, and as such, was the undisputed best smasher from 2003 to 2006. He was the first Marth player to win a major, namelyTournament Go 4, and continued to win multiple MLG tournaments andEVO World 2007. He popularised and named theKen combo.
  • USA KoDoRiN - One of the best Marth players in the world, currently second best behind Zain. He made his breakout during the COVID-19 pandemic through online tournaments, and continued improving at offline tournaments with placements such as 3rd atMainstage 2021, also taking multiple wins overCody Schwab andHungrybox. He cracked top 10 on theMPGR Summer 2022 rankings, being the 10th best player on the list.
  • USA La Luna - A Marth player with competitive history dating back from 2011, becoming one of the best Marth players in the world in the late 2010s. Considered a top 30 player around this time, and ranked 19th during theSSBMRank 2017 season, with placements of 3rd atGet On My Level 2017 and 7th atEVO 2017, beating players such asLeffen andChuDat. He was banned from tournaments in 2020 due to controversies relating to previous behaviors at tournaments.
  • USA Mew2King - One ofthe Five Gods. Widely considered to be one of the best Marth players of all time. Known for his very precise punish game with the character and contributed largely to the advancement of his metagame, along withPPMD. He won many populated tournaments throughout the history ofMelee primarily using Marth, includingMELEE-FC Diamond,Shine 2016, andSmash Summit 6.
  • USA PewPewU - The best Marth player in California and one of the best in the world before retiring. He is one of the best solo Marth players of all time, being the first one to be ranked top 10 on an SSBMRank/MPGR ranking, doing so inSummer 2015 SSBMRank. He placed top 8 at multiple supermajors such as 4th atSuper Smash Con 2018, 5th atGENESIS 6, and 7th atEVO 2016. Throughout the 2010s, he remained a top 20 player and was considered the best solo Marth player in the modern era before Zain's rise in the scene. He was also well known for his proficiency in doubles with static partnerSFAT, becoming one of the best doubles teams inMelee history.
  • USA PPMD - One of the Five Gods, co-mainingFalco and Marth. Considered one of the best Marth players in terms of neutral game and against floaty characters. One of his most notable feats was winningApex 2015, beatingArmada in grand finals with Marth, which is considered one of the most notable grand finals sets inMelee history. He retired from competition due to health-related reasons.
  • USA Rishi - One of the best Marth players in the world. He had a breakout into the scene in 2016 and improved over time, peaking in 2018 with 7th atSuper Smash Con 2018 andSmash Summit 7. He became mostly inactive in the post-Project Slippi era, but has placed 7th atSuper Smash Con 2022 and 9th atCollision 2023 with a rank of 43rd onSSBMRank 2022.
  • New Zealand Spud - The best Marth player in Australia/New Zealand. Showed dominance in his country, winning events such asBattle Arena Melbourne 11, and has made appearances in North America, with 33rd at bothGENESIS 7 andThe Big House 10 with wins overSFAT andn0ne.
  • USA Taj - Although better known for hisMewtwo play, Taj was one of the best Marth players in the world during the post-Brawl era, and frequently relied more on Marth in later stages of the bracket. Notably defeatedMang0 andPPMD atGENESIS 2, where he placed 3rd, and placed 5th atMELEE-FC Diamond and 13th atEVO 2013 with primarily Marth. He is also known for his great performances in the Marth ditto, beating top players such asPewPewU.
  • USA Zain - The greatest Marth player of all time. He is the first solo Marth player to dominate tournaments since Ken, winning supermajors such asGENESIS 7,GENESIS 8, andSuper Smash Con 2023. He was the number 1 player in the world duringSSBMRank 2022, making him the first non-God to be given the title.

Tier placement and history[edit]

Very early in theMeleemetagame, Marth had a negative low-level perception despite being high-tier, as players generally relied onrolling andC-stick abuse to play him. However, this impression would not last very long, as Marth players such asKen andAzen would emerge in the scene shortly before the third tier list iteration (June 2003) to show the world how the character was played at a high level. Notably, Ken decisively wonTournament Go 4 with Marth, introducing the uses ofdash-dancing,chaingrabbing, and a higher focus onspacing andaerial combat, including the creation of the infamousKen Combo. He and Azen would continue incorporating advanced techniques into Marth's metagame, developing the foundation for his precise movement through dash-dancing andwavedashing, and showed how powerfully he could punish enemies off small mistakes and reads.

Because of these contributions to Marth's metagame, Ken's and Azen's continued rivalry and dominance over their respective regions, and Ken's eventual rise to the very top of competitive play as the undisputed King of Smash, Marth moved up to the top tier and solidified his place there for the rest of the Golden Era. He would usually place around the second to fourth highest spot on the list, only being considered merely high-tier again once in the eighth tier list (July 2006), where he dropped to fourth place. However, in the ninth tier list (October 2008), he again moved up to second place, in what would become his highest tier placing in all the tier lists. Despite not ever being placed at the top of the tier list, it could be argued that Marth saw the best results in practice for the majority of this era.

In the post-Brawl metagame, however, Marth's results saw a slight decline from what they were before. AfterMew2King's absolute dominance with Marth for a short time span aroundBrawl's release, Marth's tournament performance began to fall, as newer players learned to exploit his weaknesses while the representation he had stopped being as dominant. Ken and Azen faded away from competitiveMelee, and Mew2King eventually switched to playing primarilySheik during this era, reserving Marth for very specific matchups on certain stages. There were certainly up-and-coming Marth players around this time, such asTai andPewPewU, accompanied by strong veterans such asTaj, who kept Marth's results up. However, they were not as dominant relative to the field as those who came before them. This led to players questioning Marth's true viability in the metagame, which coincided with a drop to fifth place on the tenth tier list in September 2010, and a fourth place finish on the eleventh tier list in July 2013.

Marth's playerbase had also seemingly given up on him as a character; these jaded voices about Marth's viability tainted the community's views on him as a whole. Notable examples include Ken himself claiming in 2012 that Marth was now allegedly a mid-tier character who lost in every important top-tier matchup, and Mew2King ranking Marth as 5th in his personal 2014 tier list, claiming that Marth could only ever hope to win onFinal Destination against those characters. However, while some of these top players were complaining, other players were doing serious work in the background to innovate and push the character. Community members such asKadano compiledMarth's frame data and ways to apply that knowledge, and players such as the aforementioned PewPewU andPPMD would put all of this discussion into practice on the biggest stage.

PPMD's pickup of Marth as a dual main was especially notable, as he found that his playstyle was uniquely suited to taking onArmada'sPeach and other floaty characters, which other Marth mains had significantly struggled against in recent years. Despite not all of his encounters going his way, the fact that PPMD, who had just developed this Marth recently, was already doing so well in matchups traditionally considered difficult for Marth showed that the character had tons of room to grow past what the metagame had established. Going into 2013 and beyond, Marth would gradually return to prominence. PewPewU would take a set againstHungrybox atApex 2015, demonstrating thatpivot tipper forward smashes allowed Marth to consistently KO Jigglypuff off of a throw. PPMD wonApex 2015 relying mostly on Marth in the final bracket stages, showing that Marth can still win supermajors despite the greater matchup knowledge against him. Mew2King would finally return to playing more Marth in bracket, eventually opting to even use Marth against Armada's Peach himself, and outright forcing Armada off Peach inSmash Summit 6, which he resoundingly won.

All of this culminates into the state of the modern metagame, whereZain has risen to prominence as a solo Marth main, blending together all the styles of Marth that came before him to become one of the most dominant players in the game. He has won a significant number of supermajors includingGENESIS 7 andGENESIS 8, and boasts a positive record againstHungrybox, completely turning the Marth-Jigglypuff matchup on its head with his gameplan in it and consistency in executing pivot tippers. Zain's reign at the top has even led some top players (particularly Fox and Falco players) to begin complaining about how strong Marth is, even sometimes picking up Sheik secondaries to have an easier time with the matchup - the complete opposite of what was said and done in previous eras where Marth's results were more sparse. Reflecting this, the thirteenth tier list, released in March of 2021, ranks Marth as the second best character in the game once again, only behind Fox.

PAL viability[edit]

Like several other top-tier characters, Marth was nerfed in the PAL version ofMelee. His down aerial, a powerful spike in NTSC, had its launch angle changed in PAL, making it an equally powerful meteor smash. As such, it may seem as if Marth is worse in PAL overall. However, Marth still retains many other options to KO enemies, and has several other potent (albeit less reliable) options to substitute for down aerial in the aforementioned Ken Combo and other combos, such as his neutral aerial or a reverseDolphin Slash. Marth was also made slightly lighter, which slightly impairs his survivability, but allows him to escape several ofFox's waveshine follow-ups. The most notable option loss for Fox is waveshine tograb, which greatly impairs Fox's ability to rack up damage on Marth by converting from a shine and forces Fox players to use weaker options instead.

Because some other top-tier characters, such as Fox orSheik, were nerfed more significantly than he was, Marth has a much easier time fighting against them than he does in NTSC versions, as he maintains almost all of the advantages he has against those characters, while no longer having to deal with all of the things that made those matchups difficult. Aside from the aforementioned loss of several waveshine follow-ups for Fox, Marth also able to edgeguard Fox more efficiently, due to the nerf inFire Fox's recovery distance. Sheik's disadvantages in the neutral game are still prevalent against Marth, as she must still cope with his range. However, Sheik's down throw is much less of a threat than it is in NTSC, as its launch angle does not guarantee KO setups (such as forward or up aerials) in PAL. These new advantages, as well as various other changes to Marth's matchups, make Marth arguably stronger relative to the cast than he is in NTSC, though he is still ranked 2nd.

Despite Marth's theoretical superiority in PAL, there exist very few notable Marth mains in PAL regions, withreaper,Mahie andSalepate being the extent of his current representation; both Mahie and Salepate have also struggled to make an impact outside of France. Furthermore,Ice, once considered one of Europe's best Marth mains, later chose to exclusively main Fox to improve his standings in tournaments.

In 1-P Mode[edit]

InClassic Mode[edit]

In Classic Mode, Marth can appear in one-on-one matches, team battles alongsideLink andZelda, and as a metal opponent in the mode's penultimate stage. In his appearances, bar his metal match, Marth appears onGreat Bay. On a team with Zelda, he appears onTemple. In all such instances, the track "Fire Emblem" plays on the stage, which does not occur in any other mode. Unusually, this does not happen when fighting Marth + Link, during which it will still play the "Great Bay" theme.

InAdventure Mode[edit]

Marth makes no appearances in the game's single-player Adventure Mode. Music associated with him, however, can play in theUnderground Maze.

InAll-Star Mode[edit]

In All-Star Mode, Marth and his allies are fought onFountain of Dreams, as Marth was not designated a specific home stage. When fought on the stage, the track "Fire Emblem" plays instead of the standard music.

InEvent Matches[edit]

Marth appears in multiple Event Matches:

  • Event 40: All-Star Match 4: Marth is the first opponent fought in this series of staged battles. The selected character battles him on theTemple stage with a stock of 2 while Marth has 1. With a timer of four minutes, the player must defeat him and the other four characters one-by-one with the overall time and damage:Luigi,Jigglypuff,Mewtwo, andMr. Game & Watch.
  • Event 41: En Garde!: A one-on-one battle between the player as Marth and the enemyLink on the Temple stage, with the two characters having 2 stock each and unlimited time.
  • Event 46: Fire Emblem Pride: The player battles and must defeat a team of Marth and Roy in an untimed match in the Hyrule Temple stage, with all three characters receiving 3 stock.

Congratulations Screens[edit]

  • Classic Mode

    Classic Mode

  • Adventure Mode

    Adventure Mode

  • All-Star Mode

    All-Star Mode

Trophies[edit]

In addition to the normal trophy about Marth as a character unlocked by completingClassic Mode as Marth on any difficulty, there are two trophies about him as a fighter, unlocked by completingAdventure Mode andAll-Star Mode respectively as Marth on any difficulty. Each of the trophies can also be unlocked by playing 100, 200, and 300 versus matches respectively as Marth:

Classic Mode trophy
Marth
The betrayed prince of the Kingdom of Altea, the blood of the hero Anri flows in Marth's veins. He was forced into exile when the kingdom of Dolua invaded Altea. Then, wielding his divine sword Falchion, he led a revolt and defeated the dark dragon Medeus. Afterwards, Altea was annihilated by King Hardin of Akanea.
Fire Emblem (Japan Only)
Adventure ModeSMASH trophy
MarthSMASH
Marth is a magnificent swordsman. While his swordplay is faster than that of Link, he lacks power, and his quickness is offset by a marginal endurance. His Shield Breaker gains power the longer it's held. The Dancing Blade combination uses both the Control Stick and the B Button to produce a series of up to four attacks.
B: Shield Breaker
Smash B: Dancing Blade
All-Star ModeSMASH trophy
MarthSMASH
The tip of Marth's blade causes the most damage, so you should try to create adequate distance between you and your enemy to gracefully strike with that point. Marth's Dolphin Slash is fast and powerful, but it leaves him vulnerable upon landing. Marth uses Counter to block a foe's attack and deal a return strike. If you're fighting a Counter-happy Marth, grab him.
Up & B: Dolphin Slash
Down & B: Counter

Alternate costumes[edit]

Marth Palette (SSBM).png
Marth (SSBM)Marth (SSBM)Marth (SSBM)Marth (SSBM)Marth (SSBM)

Gallery[edit]

Trivia[edit]

  • Marth andRoy are the only playable characters inMelee that do not have a stage representing their universe, though data obtained through hacking shows thatone was planned.
  • In thedebug menu, Marth is known as "MARS", likely to keep his name close to its Japanese pronunciation.
    • Coincidentally, this matches his name in the English dub for theFire Emblem OVA.
  • In the debug menu of the game, Marth has an additional phrase that goes unused:"レッツダンス!" "Rettsu dansu!", the English phrase "Let's Dance!" approximated phonetically in Japanese.

References[edit]

External links[edit]


v • d • e
Fighters inSuper Smash Bros. Melee
VeteransCaptain Falcon ·Donkey Kong ·Fox ·Jigglypuff ·Kirby ·Link ·Luigi ·Mario ·Ness ·Pikachu ·Samus ·Yoshi
NewcomersBowser ·Dr. Mario ·Falco ·Ganondorf ·Ice Climbers ·Marth ·Mewtwo ·Mr. Game & Watch ·Peach ·Pichu ·Roy ·Young Link ·Zelda (Sheik)
v • d • e
Fire Emblem (universe)Fire Emblem universe
FightersMarth (SSBM ·SSBB ·SSB4 ·SSBU) ·Roy (SSBM ·SSB4 ·SSBU) ·Ike (SSBB ·SSB4 ·SSBU) ·Lucina (SSB4 ·SSBU) ·Robin (SSB4 ·SSBU) ·Corrin (SSB4 ·SSBU) ·Chrom (SSBU) ·Byleth (SSBU)
Assist TrophiesLyn ·Black Knight ·Tiki
StagesCastle Siege ·Arena Ferox ·Coliseum ·Garreg Mach Monastery
ItemKilling Edge
OtherSothis
Trophies,Stickers andSpiritsTrophies (SSBM ·SSBB ·SSB4) ·Stickers ·Spirits
MusicBrawl ·SSB4 ·Ultimate
MasterpiecesFire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light ·Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem