Marshal (Combat)

Marshal is a playable newcomer character in Super Smash Bros. Combat, and is available from the start. Marshal is a member of the Rhythm League, and his main role within the series is greeting players introducing them to the mechanics of Rhythm Heaven. Marshal, being a pretty basic design, is hiding a lot more than what first appears. Marshal's moves are all based on minigames from the Rhythm Heaven franchise, giving him a lot of variety. Marshal's power output is rather weak...if you just attack willy-nilly. Marshal has a rhythm mechanic that allows him to do more damage if you attack with a consistent rhythm.
==Attributes==
Marshal, like fellow newcomer Paper Mario, is animated in a 2D fashion. However, he is not so light as to be frail, actually being heavier than one would expect. However, Marshal is a very small target, only standing about as tall as Olimar, and combined with his high speed and wide variety of projectiles and traps that keep opponents at bay, Marshal is very difficult to pin down and land a hit on. Marshal is a rather weak character physically, not having a very high damage output as whole. However, if Marshal attacks with a consistent rhythm, the power of his attacks are doubled. And if Marshal attacks to the beat of the music playing, his attack power is tripled, making him very dangerous if the player has a good musical ear. Marshal's variety greatly makes him harder to predict than any other character, and his ability to exponentially increase his power output by simply sustaining rhythm makes him extraordinarily dangerous.
==Moveset==
*Standard attack - Marshal punches twice and then kicks. Based on "Karate Man".
*Forward tilt - Marshal takes out two drumsticks and whacks on onto the ground in front of him. This move can be sustained by keeping up a rhythm, allowing for good combos. Based on "Drummer Duel".
*Up tilt - Marshal kicks a soccer ball above his head, which travel up about twice Marshal's height. If the move is sustained with a rhythm, a basketball or football from "Double Date" will appear. Based on "Space Soccer".
*Down tilt - Marshal stomps his foot into the ground, causing a vegetable to pop out of the ground and push opponents back who are hit by it. Based on "Crop Stomp".
*Dash attack - Marshal flops onto his stomach and faces the screen before rolling towards opponents quickly. Based on "Flipper-Flop".
*Forward smash - Marshal slashes a katana in front of him, with a second slice being initiated by keeping up rhythm and aiming the control stick in another direction. Based on "Samurai Slice".
*Up smash - Marshal hits a yellow sphere or blue cube upwards like a volleyball, which flies in a strange diagonal direction. Based on "Bossa Nova".
*Down smash - Marshal sends out the two widget pieces on either side of him, which travel out quickly, running into opponents on either side. Based on "Built to Scale".
*Neutral aerial - Marshal strums a guitar, creating soundwaves around him. Based on "Big Rock Finish".
*Forward aerial - Marshal does a forward swing with a badminton racket. Based on "Air Rally".
*Back aerial - Marshal thrusts his body backwards quickly before returning to normal. Based on "Shrimp Shuffle".
*Up aerial - Marshal shoots a flask that shoots anywhere from 2 to 5 hearts upwards. Based on "Love Lab".
*Down aerial - Marshal crashes down to the ground quickly. Based on "See Saw".
*Grab - Marshal claps his hands to grab players.
*Pummel - Marshal holds opponents down and headbutts them. Based on "Blue Birds".
*Forward throw - Marshal makes the opponent strike a muscle pose before kicking them away. Based on "Ringside".
*Back throw - Marshal makes the opponent strike the "hand behind back" pose before kicking them away. Based on "Ringside".
*Up throw - Marshal hits opponents upwards. Based on "Toss Boys".
*Down throw - Marshal does an extremely fast tap dance atop on opponent. Based on "Tap Troupe".
*Floor attack (front) - Marshal punches the floor to prop himself back up.
*Floor attack (back) - Marshal kicks behind him and does the worm before flopping up.
*Floor attack (trip) - Marshal performs an attack identical to his dash attack before getting back up.
*Edge attack - Marshal swings himself above the ledge before kicking with both feet.
*Standard Special - Glee Club - Marshal charges up before delivering a vocal blast. The blast resembles a circle shockwave made of musical notes. The more Marshal charges up, the wider range this move has.
*Side Special - Airboarder - Marshal winds up before hopping on an airboard and charging forwards, zipping up and down and ramming into opponents. Marshal can jump off the board for extra aerial coverage. The board disappears after seven seconds.
*Up Special - Trampoline - Marshal summons a trampoline which he bounces on and creates a trail of stars behind him. The trampoline falls if Marshal bounces in the air, meteor smashing opponents it hits on the way down.
*Down Special - Screwbot Factory - Marshal places a Screwbot down on the ground that will automatically start walking forward on its own. The screwbot is bigger than how it appears in the game (they are half of Marshal's size) and they emit electrical soundwaves (that do electric damage) and yellow music notes. Opponents can also gain very small damage from being walked into by the bots. Marshal can have up to 3 on screen at a time and they don't have to be placed in the same direction. They disappear after walking off the stage edges or after a short amount of time. This is a tactical move. For example, they could be used for edgeguarding (because they walk off edges), distraction (opponent dodges it only to be hit by one of Marshal's other attacks) and combo'ing (you can easily hit an opponent into them). Those are just a couple examples. Screwbots also can not be destroyed!
*Final Smash - Night Walk - Marshal appears on a blue pedestal as seen in the minigame and begins to perform a shortened 45 second version of Night Walk. This actually uses a beat and the challenge is to jump along with the beat on the blue pedestal. The opponents will receive the same damage no matter where they are on the screen. How much damage though depends on the player! The better you are at hitting A on the beat the faster the damage will rise. The move ends with a large musical shockwave that sends opponents soaring (or not).
==Victory Theme==
A flourished remix of the Home Menu theme of Rhythm Heaven Fever.
==Alternate Costumes==
*Marshal's default coloration
*A pink coloration based on Miss Ribbon
*A blue coloration based on Cam
*An orange coloration based on Karate Joe in certain versions of "Karate Man"
*A pale green coloration
*A pale yellow coloration
*A wrestling gear outfit based on "Ringside"
*A Chorus Kid
*Rhythm Monkey
*An inverted color scheme
==Trivia==
*The designers reportedly played through every Rhythm Heaven game up to Rhythm Heaven Fever to design Marshal's moveset.
Category:Super Smash Bros. Characters