The Hero-King returns to Smash as the primary Fire Emblem representative. Marth's playstyle still revolve primarily around landing tipper strikes, sweetspots at the tip of his sword whenever he attacks. With good mobility and great range offered by his Falchion, Marth should have no trouble landing tippers with some player expertise. Marth is noticeably weaker than his past iterations, although the basic traits that made him strong is still there. His main flaw is his inability to KO, since his KO moves need precise spacing to unleash their true power. Overall, Marth is a solid character with a balanced, defensive playstyle that is sure to reward good spacing and calculated strategy.
Basic Attributes
Marth is a jack-of-all-trades with above average speed and range, so his stats are mostly average. He is a middleweight, bordering on being light. Marth is notable for having the highest walking speed, as well as above average dashing speed. Marth's jumps are moderately high, and he is slightly floaty. Marth's rolls cover good distance, but they're not particularly fast. Lastly, one of Marth's signature attributes is his tipper attacks. Every move that uses his sword hits harder at the tip. Always aim to land tipper hits when playing Marth.
Moveset Analysis
Standard Attacks
Control |
Attack |
Info
|
Wii U GamePad / Pro Controller |
Wii Remote + Nunchuk |
Wii Remote (sideways)
|
Wii Classic Controller |
GameCube Controller |
Nintendo 3DS
|
(+)
|
(+)
|
(+)
|
Dual Strike
|
Marth slashes two times with his sword.
|
(+)
|
(+)
|
(+)
|
( or )+
|
( or )+
|
( or )+
|
Rapier Swipe
|
Marth slashes in front of him.
|
( or )+
|
( or )+
|
( or )+
|
+
|
+
|
+
|
Falchion Arch
|
Marth slashes in an arc above him.
|
+
|
+
|
+
|
+
|
+
|
+
|
Sword Thrust
|
Marth stabs with his sword low to the ground.
|
+
|
+
|
+
|
while dashing
|
while dashing
|
while dashing
|
Lunging Slash
|
Marth swipes while lunging forward.
|
while dashing
|
while dashing
|
while dashing
|
while hanging
|
while hanging
|
while hanging
|
|
Marth climbs up and swings his sword low.
|
while hanging
|
while hanging
|
while hanging
|
Smash Attacks
Control |
Attack |
Info
|
Wii U GamePad / Pro Controller |
Wii Remote + Nunchuk |
Wii Remote (sideways)
|
Wii Classic Controller |
GameCube Controller |
Nintendo 3DS
|
Smash ( or )+
|
Smash ( or )+
|
( or )++
|
Dragon Slayer
|
Marth swings his sword down to the ground.
|
Smash ( or )+
|
Smash ( or )+
|
Smash ( or )+
|
Smash +
|
Smash +
|
++
|
Rapier Stab
|
Marth thrusts his sword upward.
|
Smash +
|
Smash +
|
Smash +
|
Smash +
|
Smash +
|
++
|
Low Swing
|
Marth slashes low to the ground in both directions, with the second swipe stronger than the first. The move does vertical knockback without a tipper and horizontal knockback when tippered.
|
Smash +
|
Smash +
|
Smash +
|
Air Attacks
Control |
Attack |
Info
|
Wii U GamePad / Pro Controller |
Wii Remote + Nunchuk |
Wii Remote (sideways)
|
Wii Classic Controller |
GameCube Controller |
Nintendo 3DS
|
|
|
|
Double Spin
|
Marth swings his sword in a circle, hitting twice on both sides.
|
|
|
|
+
|
+
|
+
|
Aerial Swipe
|
Marth swings his sword downward.
|
+
|
+
|
+
|
+
|
+
|
+
|
Turnaround Slash
|
Marth swings his sword upward behind him. This move makes Marth face the opposite direction in the air.
|
+
|
+
|
+
|
+
|
+
|
+
|
Altean Skies
|
Marth swings his sword over him.
|
+
|
+
|
+
|
+
|
+
|
+
|
Meteor Slash
|
Marth swings his sword downward. Landing a tipper as the sword reaches the center results in a strong and satisfying meteor smash.
|
+
|
+
|
+
|
Throws
Control |
Attack |
Info
|
Wii U GamePad / Pro Controller |
Wii Remote + Nunchuk |
Wii Remote (sideways)
|
Wii Classic Controller |
GameCube Controller |
Nintendo 3DS
|
after grab
|
after grab
|
after grab
|
Swordsman's Knee
|
Marth knees the grabbed opponent.
|
after grab
|
after grab
|
after grab
|
after grab
|
after grab
|
after grab
|
Hero Fling
|
Marth tosses the grabbed opponent forward.
|
after grab
|
after grab
|
after grab
|
after grab
|
after grab
|
after grab
|
Stoic Toss
|
Marth throws the grabbed opponent backward with a quick fling.
|
after grab
|
after grab
|
after grab
|
after grab
|
after grab
|
after grab
|
To the Sky
|
Marth tosses the grabbed opponent upward.
|
after grab
|
after grab
|
after grab
|
after grab
|
after grab
|
after grab
|
Princely Slam
|
Marth throws the grabbed opponent into the ground.
|
after grab
|
after grab
|
after grab
|
Special Attacks
Control |
Attack |
Info
|
Wii U GamePad / Pro Controller |
Wii Remote + Nunchuk |
Wii Remote (sideways)
|
Wii Classic Controller |
GameCube Controller |
Nintendo 3DS
|
|
|
|
Shield Breaker
|
Marth stabs forward with enough force to wear down shields. The move can be charged for more damage and knockback, and it will break a fresh shield instantly at full charge.
|
|
|
|
Storm Thrust
|
Marth creates a whirlwind that pushes enemies away without causing flinching when he thrusts. The move can still damage foes when hit with the sword, but its power is drastically reduced.
|
Dashing Assault
|
Marth charges forward while thrusting his sword, doing lower damage and knockback in exchange for forward movement.
|
( or )+
|
( or )+
|
( or )+
|
Dancing Blade
|
Marth does a combination of up to four attacks by inputting this move multiple times in quick succession. His first attack is a downward strike. For the second strike, it will be a stab by default or an upward strike if angled upward. For the third strike, it will be an upward strike by default, a higher upward strike if angled upward, or a low stab if angled downward. For the finisher, it is a slash that does sideways knockback by default, an upward slash that launches foes if angled upward, or multiple trapping stabs if angled downward.
|
( or )+
|
( or )+
|
( or )+
|
Effortless Blade
|
The timing for each strike is more lenient, but Marth can only perform the default red-streak combo.
|
Heavy Blade
|
Each of Marth's strikes have increased power, making it difficult if not impossible to combo each hit into the other.
|
+
|
+
|
+
|
Dolphin Slash
|
Marth jumps up high like a leaping dolphin while slashing with his sword.
|
+
|
+
|
+
|
Crescent Slash
|
Marth jumps up diagonally like a crescent moon while slashing with his sword. This variant trades vertical distance for horizontal movement.
|
Dolphin Jump.
|
Marth jumps extra high, but he cannot attack enemies with this move.
|
+
|
+
|
+
|
Counter
|
Marth goes into a defensive stance. If he is hit during this stance, he will strike back with increased force.
|
+
|
+
|
+
|
Easy Counter
|
The window for Marth to counter an attack is prolonged, but Marth's counterattack becomes weaker than the attack being countered.
|
Iai Counter
|
Marth counterattacks by slashing past the opponent. The counter is quicker to execute but slightly weaker.
|
Taunts
Control |
Info
|
Wii U GamePad / Pro Controller |
Wii Remote + Nunchuk |
Wii Remote (sideways)
|
Wii Classic Controller |
GameCube Controller |
Nintendo 3DS
|
|
|
+
|
Marth holds his sword up high.
|
|
|
|
( or )
|
+
|
|
Marth dramatically sheathes his sword.
|
( or )
|
( or )
|
( or )
|
|
|
+
|
Marth raises his sword and says "Mina, mite ite kure!", or "Everyone, look at me!" in Japanese.
|
|
|
|
Final Smash - Critical Hit
Marth charges forward extremely quickly, striking the first foe in his path with massive damage and knockback. This is one of the strongest Final Smashes in the game, capable of causing a one-hit KO in almost any situation. However, it is also the riskiest, as Marth will keep charging until he reaches the edge. Using this on a walkoff stage or in the air, and a miss will cause Marth to charge to his doom, although you can cancel the move early by pressing the button again. This Final Smash is rather difficult to utilize, since there is a fairly long delay after Marth initiates the move until he actually rushes forward, during which opponents could respond. Try to use this when enemies are grouped together to maximize your chances of hitting one. Remember to cancel it if it looks like you've missed.