Pyra and Mythra from Xenoblade Chronicles 2 will be joining Super Smash Bros. Ultimate sometime this March, according to Nintendo’s most recent Nintendo Direct event last February 17, 2021. Shortly after, Masahiro Sakurai, the developer of the Super Smash Bros. franchise, held a demonstration featuring the two characters, revealing that Pyra and Mythra would be entering the game’s roster as the ninth DLC fighters later today.
Pyra and Mythra first appeared in Xenoblade Chronicles 2, which was released back on December 1, 2017, for Nintendo Switch. Monolith Soft, the first-party Nintendo studio once run by Bandai Namco and responsible for beloved JRPGs like Xenosaga and, on the Switch, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, created the game. The open-world action RPG has been a cult success on the Switch, leading Monolith Soft to release Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition in 2020, a port of the original Wii title.
Pyra and Mythra will be launched on the Nintendo eShop as the newest warriors to enter Super Smash Bros. Ultimate after Final Fantasy 7’s Sephiroth was released back in January, according to Masahiro Sakurai’s presentation. He also went through Pyra and Mythra’s movesets in detail.
Although the two characters share a roster slot, they must be controlled separately; but, like Zelda and Sheik, they can be swapped out in the middle of a battle. Pyra and Mythra’s assaults are both based on their Xenoblade Chronicles 2 attacks.
Pyra’s moveset prioritizes strength with slow but powerful attacks, while Mythra prioritizes speed with quick but weaker attacks, as Sakurai points out in the presentation. Both protagonists have exclusive smash and special abilities, with some of Mythra’s moves inspired by the Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna – The Golden Country DLC, which was published in 2018. Sakurai says that the addition of Pyra and Mythra would entice players to play Xenoblade Chronicles 2, but that certain aspects of the characters’ presence would not ruin the game for some fans.
Pyra/Mythra is the fourth character to be added to the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Fighters Pass 2 and already has a total of six players. A recent theory suggests that Monster Hunter or Crash Bandicoot will be the next characters to enter the game, but this seems impossible now that Monster Hunter Mii costumes will be released alongside Pyra and Mythra. It is unknown when Nintendo will reveal the next character, although it is expected to happen at the next Nintendo Direct show, which will most likely take place in the summer.
