Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Character Profiles: Robin

The Super Smash Bros. series has pit Nintendo's mascots against one another in battle for the past 20 years. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on the Nintendo Switch is the culmination of this concept, bringing everyone back for one more round. Nintendo's biggest names are all back, joined by a slew of big-name third-party characters and some new faces joining the fight for the first time.

The game has been out in the wild for a little over three months, but with so many characters to choose from, Shacknews remains committed to taking a look at each and every one of the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate characters individually. And we are in the home stretch, getting to the final batch of characters.

The final version is in the consumer hands, but these profiles should still not be considered final and can be updated at any time. Any guide that has been updated will be clearly marked.

Here's what we have up so far:
#01 - Mario
#02 - Donkey Kong
#03 - Link
#04 - Samus
#05 - Yoshi
#06 - Kirby (Updated 9/8/18)
#07 - Fox
#08 - Pikachu
#09 - Luigi
#10 - Ness
#11 - Captain Falcon
#13 - Peach
#15 - Ice Climbers
#16 - Sheik
#17 - Zelda
#19 - Pichu
#21 - Marth
#23 - Ganondorf
#24 - Mewtwo
#28 - Pit
#30 - Wario
#31 - Snake
#32 - Ike
#33, #34, #35 - Pokemon Trainer
#38 - Sonic (Updated 9/3/18)
#39 - King Dedede
#40 - Olimar
#42 - R.O.B.
#44 - Wolf
#45 - Villager
#46 - Mega Man
#49 - Little Mac
#55 - Pac-Man
#60 - Ryu
#61 - Cloud
#62 - Corrin
#63 - Bayonetta (Updated 1/11/19)
#64 - Inkling (Updated 12/15/18)
#65 - Ridley
#67 - King K. Rool
#70 - Piranha Plant

Our breakdowns continue with Fire Emblem's greatest magic wielder.

Who is Robin?

Robin is the main protagonist of Fire Emblem Awakening, acting as the player avatar, meaning Robin can either be male or female. Robin is discovered by Chrom, having completely lost his/her memory. Robin soon joins Chrom in battle, acting as his chief tactician and working to prevent the dragon Grima from rising.

Robin has popped up in later Fire Emblem entries, a pioneer of the customizable avatar character concept that would later be revived with Corrin.

Robin's Moves and Fighter Overview

Robin's offense is centered almost entirely around his/her magic attacks, with the character's gimmick revolving around a tome of magic. Robin can also work with the Levin Sword, but things have somewhat changed in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, since the Levin Sword does not appear right away. It takes a little time for it to appear, so in the meantime, Robin needs to rely on magic for offense and defense.

Here are Robin's special moves:

• Thunder (Neutral B): Robin can strike with several different thunder strikes, depending on how long the player holds the B button. Arcthunder is capable of KO-ing at higher percentages.
• Elwind (Up B): Robin casts a gust of wind that takes him upward, which can also hit for minor-to-moderate damage. But be careful, because its recovery potential is reduced if the Elwind tome has been depleted.
• Arcfire (Side B): Robin shoots off a fireball that bursts into a pillar of flame when it hits the ground. It does minor damage, but can hit multiple times.
• Nosferatu (Down B): This spell finds the nearest opponents and drains their health, adding it to Robin's own.
• Pair Up (Final Smash): Robin and Chrom join forces and go to town on an opponent, finishing by slamming them to the ground for a potential KO hit.

Robin's neutral game has been significantly amplified, launching faster, performing more damage, and coming with an improved finisher that can hit the opponent multiple times. The increase in base speed has also benefitted Robin, as well as his dash attack, which now hits harder. Robin's aerials have been slightly improved, with his neutral also able to strike with the Levin Sword.

While Robin's specials are limited, they now hit harder. Thunder, in particular, deals more damage, with Arcthunder especially getting a much greater boost. Arcthunder can now KO at higher percentages. Meanwhile, Arcfire has much more combo potential, able to catch opponents, hit multiple times, and prove to be quite an inescapable move.

Esports Observations

Robin hasn't proven to be very popular in esports circles. This character is a tough nut to crack, but that doesn't mean that a few players haven't given him/her a go.

Austin "Dath" Brown is considered the best Robin in the world. And while Dath hasn't put together any specific breakdown videos, we can learn by watching him in tournament action. Here are a few exhibitions where he shows off what Robin is capable of.

California player Athena is also a pretty good Robin main, showing off the character in tournaments and through occasional lab work.

The Thunder to Arcfire isn't true, but I thought it was pretty cool anyways. pic.twitter.com/mm1wK0SI3q

— ŦƑĿ | Athena (@TFL_Athena) March 3, 2019

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is out now on Nintendo Switch. We're still going through every single character, so be sure to check back in often for more profiles. For more on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, be sure to check out our full walkthrough and guide.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?