Ike Slashes His Way Back Into Super Smash Bros

With only a few weeks to go until it's unveiled at E3, Nintendo is still revealing new characters for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. Today marked the announcement of the game's thirtieth fighter, Ike from Fire Emblem.

Ike comes from the Fire Emblem series, where he appears as the protagonist of Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance and one of two protagonists from Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. He appeared in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as a playable character, but looked a bit different in his previous appearances. Whereas Ike has always been shown as a thin, teen-aged swordsman, in SSB 3DS/Wii U, he looks more grown up and far more muscular and beefy. The look seems to appeal more to Western audiences than Japanese fans who generally prefer slimmer heroes.

In Brawl, Ike was a reasonably effective character with high damage, amazing range, low speed and no projectiles. This beefed up version leads us to believe that those traits will return, and that Ike may be an even heavier character than before.

We’ll be sure to get a look at Ike and the rest of the Smash Bros. lineup on the floor of E3 next month. In the meantime, check out these images of Ike provided by Nintendo.