Ike players can finally rest easy. The much-loved Fire Emblem character has been confirmed for the new Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U by director Masahiro Sakurai himself. I don’t play Ike all that often, but I can understand folks’ concern; if my primary fighter hadn’t yet been confirmed this close to release, I’d probably have developed chronic insomnia by now. Dodged a bullet there.
The news comes — like lots of Smash news does — via Miiverse, and Ike’s redesign is looking a bit curious. In short, he’s clearly packed on some muscle, and my thoughts are best summed up by this drawing from Miiverse user “Archdan.”
In all seriousness, Ike’s redesign is far from as silly as Knuckles’ (he’s not needlessly wrapped in athletic tape, for one), and if you think about it, there’s probably an explanation behind the change. Ike is one of the most physically powerful characters in the game — shouldn’t he be a bit beefier as a result? Additionally, Sakurai notes that the design draws from Radiant Dawn this time around, as opposed to Path of Radiance, its predecessor. I’m pretty willing to accept Ike’s new form, as long as he plays similarly.
Still, there may be another reason, and this is what I’m secretly holding out for. My hope is that Sakurai and co. plan to include Chrom as well. Chrom is the hero from the recent Fire Emblem: Awakening, and is also a slim, powerful, blue-haired individual of a relatively young age. If Chrom’s in the game, the developers would want to ensure a distinction between the two characters, and not have them mistaken for “clones” that have appeared in previous Smash Bros. outings. Even if players did know the difference, having two characters who look extremely similar might seem a bit repetitive.
If Ike’s ‘roid use means Chrom is on the way, then I’m all for it. He’s certainly more than capable of holding his own. Throw in Lucina for good measure, and my dream roster is very near complete.
