Marth (Fire Emblem)
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| Marth | |
|---|---|
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| Game series | Fire Emblem series |
| First game | Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi (1990) |
| Creator(s) | Shouzou Kaga |
| Voice actor(s) (English) | Spike Spencer |
| Voice actor(s) (Japanese) | Hikaru Midorikawa |
Marth (マルス Marusu/Mars?) is a video game character from the Fire Emblem series of video games. More specifically, he is the central protagonist and Lord-class character of the original game, Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryuu to Hikari no Tsurugi (The Dark Dragon and Sword of Light) and the third game, Fire Emblem: Monshō no Nazo (Mystery of the Emblem). He is the only character in the history of the series to star as the central character in more than one Fire Emblem game.
Although Marth's Fire Emblem titles were released only in Japan, he has acquired more widespread international attention through his appearance in the Nintendo brawler Super Smash Bros. Melee. Nintendo of Japan had originally intended to make him playable only in the game's Japanese release, but when he garnered favorable attention during the game's North American localization, Nintendo of America decided to keep both him and fellow Fire Emblem protagonist Roy in the North American and European versions. The appearance of Marth and Roy sparked a greater level of western interest in the Fire Emblem series, and it was in part because of this that Nintendo began releasing the games internationally beginning with the seventh title in the series.
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[edit] Appearances
- Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryuu to Hikari no Tsurugi, released for the Famicom in 1990. (A.K.A "Book I" in Monshō no Nazo[1])
- Fire Emblem: Monshō no Nazo, released for the Super Famicom in 1993. (A.K.A "Book II")
- An anime adaptation based on the events on both games. It was produced by KSS in Japan in 1996 and its two episodes were localized by ADV Films in North America.[2] See also: Fire Emblem Anime
- Super Smash Bros. Melee as an unlockable character along with Roy.
[edit] Synopsis of Fire Emblem: Monshō no Nazo, Book I
Marth is prince of Altea and a direct descendant of Anri, the warrior who slayed the dark dragon Medeus. However, after an attack from the neighbouring kingdom of Dolua, Marth is forced to become an exile in the neighboring nation of Talis. His sister Ellis is taken hostage after his father is killed battling the evil priest Garnef. With the help of the Altean knight Jeigan, the Talisian Princess Sheeda, and others, Marth embarks on a quest to find the sacred sword known as Falchion and the Fire Emblem that will allow him to wield it. Only then will he be able to confront Garnef and the resurrected Medeus, win back the kingdom of Altea, and rescue his sister.
[edit] Synopsis of Fire Emblem: Monshō no Nazo, Book II
After the defeat of Medeus and new Doluan Empire, Marth spent his days reconstructing the great kingdoms, returned the Fire Emblem and its pieces along with Falchion back to their original locations, and became ruler of Altea for five years. It wasn't until rumours had it that Hardin (a former ally of Marth) had begun to conquer various countries in Akanea with the help of the Mamkutes (Manaketes in the U.S.) that Marth was forced to leave his rule of Altea. Hearing these tales, Marth gathered a new army and marched to Grunia. When Marth and his men arrived, several of his former allies were fleeing or some were murdered during the pillages of Hardin. Marth then travelled to Macedonia where he met Linda, who had been keeping the Fire Emblem safe from harm.
Marth noticed however, that several pieces of the Fire Emblem were gone, specifically the gems from the crest. Tracing one of them to the Dragon's Mountain, Marth considered that they may have well scattered all across the land. Heading back to Grunia, Marth reunited with Sheeda who then leads Marth to General Lang. After Marth retrieved most of the gems, he headed back to Altea and found Hardin had conquered it in his absence. Marth, however, defeats the invaders and finds another gem. He leaves to see Gra, a kingdom that had seen a similar fate to what happened to Altea.
Meeting even more old friends, he finds a secret passage to Hardin's fortress and assaults his army. Marth realizes it is hopeless defeating Hardin and uses Starlight dust to make Hardin powerless. Hardin then surrenders to Marth and begs for forgiveness. Marth discovers that Hardin was possessed by the evil priest Garnef himself, who finishes him off. Hardin drops the last piece of the Fire Emblem as he passes away. Marth then heads to Dolua where Garnef lurks and defeats him by using the Starlight, but only then to find the new reborn Medeus, guarded by Earth Dragons and possessed clerics. The Fire Emblem emits a power that forces the Earth Dragons to retreat, giving Marth's army the opportunity to save the clerics and for Marth to defeat Medeus once and for all with a slash of the Falchion. Marth then returns home to rebuild all of Akanea, where he will surely live peacefully for the rest of his life.
[edit] Super Smash Bros. Melee
Marth is unlocked when the player has completed classic mode with all the default (non-unlockable) characters at least once. He appears on the basis of the official Fire Emblem: Monshou no Nazo artwork and in-game appearance. He uses his sword Falchion as his main weapon.
Due to the fact that there was no current Fire Emblem game in North America at the time [3] , Marth (and Roy alike) only spoke in Japanese. Here is a list of what Marth is saying, translated into English:
- Marth's taunt in battle is "Minna, miteite kure!" which translates to "Everyone, look at me!"
- Marth's counter move is performed while saying "Soko da," which translates to "there it is"; in other words, he sees an opening to counter.
- Marth's three possible statements he makes with a victory pose after he wins a match are:
- "Konkai wa boku no kachi da ne?" which translates to "Seems like I won this time."
- "Kyou mo ikinobiru koto ga dekita," which translates to "I managed to stay alive today too."
- "Boku wa makeru wake-ni wa ikanainda!" which translates to "There's no way I can lose!"
As one of the four swordfighters in Super Smash Brothers Melee (alongside Roy, Link, and Young Link), he has a considerably long reach. His reach is slightly longer than that of his counterpart Roy, and is also the longest of the four swordsmen. The tip of his blade - its "sweet spot" - is markedly stronger than the middle of his blade (his standard weapon is a Rapier in the first Fire Emblem game, which is why it is the strongest at the tip). His only real weaknesses are a lack of projectile attacks and poor endurance. However, his power, long reach, high priority of moves, speed, powerful air attacks and combos make him a formidable foe; indeed, Marth is considered a top tier combatant by the competitive Smash community. In comparison to Roy, Marth relies generally on using the speed, stun and knockback properties of his otherwise weak attacks in combination with his throws to overwhelm the opponent, typically from the air, in contrast to Roy's powerful ground attacks and sheer power. Marth's sweet spot at the sword's tip is subtly more powerful than Roy's sweet spot at the center of the blade.
[edit] Notes and Trivia
- Marth was voiced by Hikaru Midorikawa in the Japanese version of the anime and Super Smash Bros. Melee. In the western localization of the anime by ADV Films, he is voiced by Spike Spencer.
- In the English localization of the OVA, Marth was referred to as "Mars", but with the release of Super Smash Bros. Melee, Nintendo of America officially localized his name as "Marth". However, it is worth noting that Melee's debug menu, which was written and programmed by the game's Japanese developer, lists his name as "Mars." [4]
- Marth is Ken Hoang's best character in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
[edit] References
| By game |
Genealogy of the Holy War characters • Fire Emblem (GBA) characters • Sacred Stones characters • Path of Radiance characters |
|---|---|
| Main characters |
Marth • Celice • Sigurd • Roy • Lyn • Eliwood • Hector • Ephraim • Eirika • Ike • Elincia • |
| Villains/Antagonists |
Garnef • Medeus • Doma • Hardin • Alvis • Manfloy • Julius/Loputousu • Reidrick • Veldo • Zephiel • Nergal • Prince Lyon / Demon King • The Black Knight • Ashnard • Sephiran |
| Enemy Groups |
Dolua Empire • Grandbellian Empire • Loputo Sect. • Schwarze Rosen • Kingdom of Bern • Black Fang • Grado Empire • Kingdom of Daein/Daein Army • Imperial Senate of Begnion • |
| Locations | Akaneia • Jugdral • Elibe • Magvel • Tellius |
