Since the announcement of Byleth as a new DLC character, fans have voiced their disappointment towards what has been interpreted as a bias towards the FE series – stating that other franchises deserved recognition.
The latest issue of Famitsu magazine highlights that Sakurai "understand[s]" that "there are too many Fire Emblem characters". However, shown in a translation from Nintendo Everything, it is Nintendo who "brings their thoughts to the table."
Sakurai said, "I’m not exactly aware of what Nintendo’s future release plans are, so I go along with what they decide." Suggestions have been made that Nintendo pushed the introduction of Byleth into the game’s roster in order to add a character from the new installment of the Fire Emblem franchise – Three Houses.
For this fighter, an important factor was being able to turn the protagonist of a game that people are playing right now into a fighter that players could experience immediately in Smash Bros.
Masahiro Sakurai
Yet, the issue of swordfighter’s was in Sakurai’s power to consider, as he "ended up implementing the three houses’ leaders' 'Hero Relics' as some of their moves to keep with elements present in Three Houses."
However, fans have more to look forward to, as Sakurai is set to release the second round of DLC fighters. Although nothing has been confirmed yet, speculation and potential leaks have suggested characters such as Dante from Devil May Cry and a DOOM fighter may be joining the fray.
