Byleth (Smash Plus)

Byleth is a playable character in Super Smash Brothers Plus for the Nintendo Switch Plus. Representing the Fire Emblem universe, he is listed as Fighter #56 in Smash's modified numbering system and is classified as a Middleweight Fighter. He is hidden at the start of the game, but can be unlocked through random encounters in Versus Mode or by scoring at least 10 KOs on the Garreg Mach Monastery stage.
Contrary to most swordfighters in the game, Byleth's best gameplay options are at midrange. Byleth comes equipped with a variety of different weapons to zone out opponents and change gameplay style slightly, giving you a variety of options. This is necessary due to the flaws within Byleth's overall attributes, mainly boasting some of the worst mobility in the game. Compounding this are that many of his better attacks (in terms of launch power) have heavy start-lag, making every approach very commital. Against quicker opponents or players who are able to adapt quickly, Byleth will easily be overwhelmed. The best approach to using Byleth is to use your varied tools to fend off opponents, waiting for them to make a mistake first and then counter. Byleth has two normal jumps and no additional movement options.
==Moveset==
===Basic Attacks===
*Neutral Jab- Byleth unleashes a three hit combo consisting of a knifehand strike, a roundhouse kick and then a side kick to knock foes away. Alternatively it can lead to a rapid jab with the Sword of the Creator's whip form, launching on the final hit.
*Side Tilt- Byleth performs a downward slash with his sword. Comes out quickly, acting as a good spacing tool.
*Up Tilt- Byleth swings his sword over his head from front to back. Attack is good for juggling opponents.
*Down Tilt- Byleth swings the Sword of the Creator forward in its whip form low to the ground.
*Dash Attack- Byleth hits a running downward swing with his sword. Despite its power, it has very noticeable endlag.
*Grab & Pummel- Byleth has a short range grab with his free hand. He pummels with a knee strike.
*Forward Throw- Byleth whips the opponent forward with the Sword of the Creator.
*Back Throw- Byleth wraps the whip form of the Sword of the Creator around the opponent and then flings them behind.
*Up Throw- Byleth tosses the opponent straight up into the air with the Sword of the Creator.
*Down Throw- Byleth pins the opponent on the ground and then whips them with the Sword of the Creator, popping them back up for further combos.
*Neutral Air- Byleth spins the Failnaught bow around himself in a full circle. Comes out the quickest of his aerial attacks.
*Forward Air- Byleth swings Areadbhar forward horizontally. Best used as a spacing tool.
*Back Air- Byleth stabs the Areadbhar spear backwards. Similar to the forward air, but does more damage.
*Up Air- Byleth flails the Sword of the Creator above his head in whip form, hitting multiple times and launching on the final attack.
*Down Air- Byleth swings Aymr downward, creating a powerful hit that is very slow to come out.
===Smash Attacks===
*Side Smash- Byleth stabs Areadbhar forward with a quick flourish. It is fairly slow for a forward smash, but has great power, particularly at the sweetspot right on the tip of the blade. The attack can be angled up or down based on controller input.
*Up Smash- Byleth swings the Sword of the Creator above his head in its Whip Form. Attack hits multiple times and is Byleth's fastest Smash Attack overall, but also his weakest in terms of damage and knockback.
*Down Smash- Byleth swings Aymr in front of himself and then behind himself. Both swings do the same amount of damage, but like all attacks using the ax, it comes out incredibly slow and has high endlag if it misses.
===Special Moves===
*Neutral Special: Failnaught- Byleth pulls out the bow, Failnaught, and fires a single charged arrow in different directions. Holding the special button past a certain point though will charge the attack, commiting you to it, and fire a far more powerful shot across the stage that can KO at medium range percentages. However, while accessing this power shot, Byleth is completely wide open to counterattack.
*Side Special: Areadbhar- Byleth swings the Areadbhar lance up in front of himself from low to high in a quick swing, all while lunging forward. If input as a Smash Attack, then Byleth will lunge further and the swing will cover more horizontal distance. Like with the Side Smash attack, the sweetspot is on the blade, causing much more damage and knockback then if the enemy is hit by the weaker shaft. Arguably the most versatile of Byleth's Special Moves.
*Up Special: Sword of the Creator- Byleth extends the Sword of the Creator up at an angle in whip form. If it attaches itself to an opponent, then Byleth will jump up to meet the opponent and then footstool them to the ground, gaining more height and dealing minor damage to the foe. However, this jump gains meteor properties if the foe is hit with damage greater than 50%. Its more reliable utility is as a recovery move, where it has impressive vertical range to latch onto the edges of stages. However its horizontal range is lacking compared to other recovery moves.
*Down Special: Aymr- Byleth charges energy while holding the axe Aymr, before slamming it down on the ground with a powerful strike. While it has ungodly startup time, Byleth has Super Armor during it, meaning he will not suffer knockback from attacks. If it does connect, it will send opponents flying, but it is easy to punish if it misses as well. Like the Falcon and Shadow Punch, Players can change the direction they are facing while charging the attack, to mixup options.
*Final Smash: Progenitor God Ruptured Heaven- Byleth uses an extended whip of the Sword of the Creator in front of himself, trapping up to three foes. If anyone is hit by the whip, they are sent to a cutscene where Byleth receives power from the goddess Sothis, which allows him to use an earthshaking whip to send the opponents flying once the Final Smash ends.
===Miscellaneous===
*Entry Animation- Byleth enters the field using Warp Magic, pointing a pointer at the opponent before assuming a battle ready stance.
*Idle Animation 1- Byleth changes the grip on the Sword of the Creator, striking a pose before returning to normal stance.
*Idle Animation 2- Byleth stamps his foot twice on the ground before resuming normal stance.
*Side Taunt- Byleth points the Sword of the Creator forward and says "Let the Lesson Begin."
*Up Taunt- Byleth swings the Sword of the Creator to behind his back, while closing his free hand in a fist and holding it against his chest.
*Down Taunt- Byleth swings the Sword of the Creator in its whip form once while saying "Try Me."
*Victory Animation 1- Byleth plants the Sword of the Creator into the ground, next to the other Heroes' Relics, while saying "Each battle, a chance to grow."
*Victory Animation 2- Byleth performs two swings with the Sword of the Creator, holding his fist next to his chest as he says "Allow Me to Demonstrate."
*Victory Animation 3- Byleth swings the whip form of his sword around himself, finishing by pointing it forward and saying "No Hesitation."
==Playable Skin==
Byleth has an alternate playable skin of a Female version of himself. Aside from voice acting differences, there is no difference between the characters.
==How to Unlock==
Byleth can be unlocked any of the following ways:
*Playing Versus Matches until he randomly shows up as a "Challenger Approaching" fight. Defeat him to unlock him.
*Score at least 10 KOs in a Single Match on the Garreg Mach Monastery stage.
*Unlock him in the Finale of World of Light by defeating him.
*Pay 1,000 gold in a shop, where he can randomly appear (though rarely.)
Category:Super Smash Bros. Characters
Category:Super Smash Bros. (series)
Category:Smash Plus Characters