Smash Bros. Ultimate Has Revealed Its Newest Character

After teasing fans earlier this week, today's Nintendo Direct livestream revealed the latest fighter to join the roster of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Series creator and director Masahiro Sakurai wasted no time getting right to business, cueing up a beautifully-animated trailer that revealed the new challenger.

We now know that Byleth from 2019's Fire Emblem: Three Houses is the Nintendo crossover series' latest hero. What's more, the inclusion of Byleth is almost like receiving two new characters. That's because, much like in Three Houses, Smash players can choose whether to play as the male or female version of Byleth.

After a deep dive into the history and lore of the Fire Emblem series, Sakurai showed off a bit of Byleth in action. He was quick to note that the character is much lower in mobility. However, it appears that some of Byleth's techniques will more than make up for this shortcoming. 

In perhaps the most exciting aspect of Byleth's move set, the character's weapon will use a different weapon and carry out different attacks based on the direction the player pushes the joystick. These weapons, called the Heroes' Relics, look to be especially tantalizing for players who like to string together more intricate combos and fighting styles.

Players won't have to wait long to take the new challenger for a spin. Starting Jan. 28, Byleth will be available for purchase and for those who have the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Fighter Pass.

While Byleth appears to be a strong addition to the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate cast, there will certainly be those who are disappointed. Before today's presentation, some had speculated that Waluigi would finally be making his Smash debut. Others had hoped for characters like Crash Bandicoot or even Halo's Master Chief.

Still, if a game as recent as Fire Emblem: Three Houses can be represented in Ultimate, maybe there's hope yet for good ol' slimy Gooigi.