Is Robin a Character That "People didn't know they wanted until it was shown to them?"

[MindlessFire]

The quote Steve Jobs:

"It's really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them."

A lot die hard Chrom fans I know were actually much more satisfied with Robin instead Chrom especially after seeing what he can do in his reveal trailer. Even when I was browsing through many different forums, the general consensus was that Robin was a much better character to play as and a lot of people agreed with what Sakurai said about Robin much much more variety to the table as opposed to Chrom being cast another blue haired sword user.

Regarding to the quote above, do you guys and gals think that Robin was one of those characters that nobody expected that they would ever want to play as if Sakurai had played it safe and stuck with Chrom instead?

 

[TitanTeaTime]

I'm sure a lot of people in this subforum including me will tell you that they did indeed want Robin in Smash before he was announced. That's like going to the Shulk thread and asking if they expect their character to be in the game.
No offence meant, of course

 

[MindlessFire]

Of course, I was mainly referring to those people that either don't know who Robin is or skeptics that knew who he was but thought that he had 0% chance of ever making it into smash over Chrom's dead body. Not everyone in the Robin subforums had taken part of Gingerbread Man's The Avatar/Robin support thread.

 

[Hong]

Well, in the original Robin support thread, we had a lot of people who only liked the idea after they had seen our reasons for wanting the character. Even for people who haven't Fire Emblem before, they could see our concepts and movesets and be like "Oh, that's actually a pretty cool idea." Having it now in visual form only exemplifies the ideals we share with Mr. Sakurai.

I would say Robin is an example of a character a lot of people didn't know they wanted until they had seen it. Just the same, there are a host of people who wanted it but didn't think it possible, and of course the small camp of us who believed.

 

[ToothiestAura]

thought that he had 0% chance of ever making it into smash over Chrom's dead body.

Funny how this is sort of what happened.

 

[Skyblade12]

For people who didn't know Fire Emblem, absolutely.

Fire Emblem owes almost its entire western fanbase to Smash Bros. But not everyone who played Melee or Brawl know Fire Emblem. They know Marth, Roy, and Ike. Robin introduces them to several new aspects to the series, it shows off a lot more about what Fire Emblem is actually about. Balance, control, resource management.

The gimmick characters get some weird reception from the community. Sometimes they're hated for being gimmicks, other times they're adored for it. Sometimes people just hate the result it has on the competitive scene. But the gimmicky characters are interesting, and fun to play. While we've had a host of Fire Emblem characters before, they really had no gimmicks (I don't count the tipper). There was nothing to differentiate them, no new play style you could pick up when you wanted a change, or that you could explore and test with that was a radical shift from the norm.

Smash Bros. is a very different fighting game. Its characters survive and thrive by their uniqueness. Seeing a new and truly unique character for the series is going to engage a lot of people more than another swordsman ever would. The fact that, in exploring the new gimmicks, they can also explore Fire Emblem is just a bonus.

At this point, anyone who didn't know Fire Emblem at least knew enough about the series, the success of Awakening, and the series' relationship with Smash Bros., to know that we'd be getting a new Fire Emblem character. But, from all they've seen, we'd be getting another swordsman. This is something new and exciting. It's something to bring the hype.

 

[Robertman2]

Not really. I had wanted Robin and Lucina to be in.
I'm much more excited for Lucina though.

 

[Piplup]

The quote Steve Jobs:

"It's really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them."

A lot die hard Chrom fans I know were actually much more satisfied with Robin instead Chrom especially after seeing what he can do in his reveal trailer. Even when I was browsing through many different forums, the general consensus was that Robin was a much better character to play as and a lot of people agreed with what Sakurai said about Robin much much more variety to the table as opposed to Chrom being cast another blue haired sword user.

Regarding to the quote above, do you guys and gals think that Robin was one of those characters that nobody expected that they would ever want to play as if Sakurai had played it safe and stuck with Chrom instead?

I'm a diehard Chrom fan, I wanted Chrom AND Robin. They are the true representatives of Fire Emblem Awakening and are WAY better than Lucina the Marth clone. Although Robin was confirmed I was okay with that but very disapointed that Lucina was picked over Chrom. She's just a waste of character slot.

 

[False Sense]

I would say yes, for some people. Obviously, there was a large number of people who supported Robin long before he/she was actually confirmed, but there were also a number of people who were very indifferent to Robin beforehand. After he/she was revealed, a lot of people who were previously indifferent became intrigued with his/her move set and became excited for his/her inclusion.

So for the people who did not already support Robin, yes, Robin was a character people didn't know they wanted until it was shown to them.

 

[True Blue Warrior]

I'm a diehard Chrom fan, I wanted Chrom AND Robin. They are the true representatives of Fire Emblem Awakening and are WAY better than Lucina the Marth clone. Although Robin was confirmed I was okay with that but very disapointed that Lucina was picked over Chrom. She's just a waste of character slot.

Lucina only got in as an convenient clone addition, so yeah...

 

[Deleted member]

I say yes.

I feel as though that how Robin was handled by representing Fire Emblem with his mechanics and gimmicks was what won people over. He isn't some character that used sword-swipes and strikes and whatnot; he is a character that can use two types of swords and many different tomes. He brought something new to the Smash universe that no other character could.

I think that people were won over by Robin for that gimmick alone as well as not be a character that is simply someone with a sword.

 

[KageJuin]

Pretty much.

I wanted Robin all along and Sakurai delivered on everything!
differn tomes? check
limited use? check
sword? check
male or female? check

He gave a bonus of the Levin sword!!!


now I just hope he at least has different hair types and colors.
Wishful thinking, but I am hoping for the voluptuous female body, as my Robin has that body in my game. highly doubt it, though.

 

[RPGatWill]

This was definitely a case of Not knowing what you want until you're shown. Despite Fire Emblem Awakening's success even in the west, an alarming amount of people (Especially ones that play smash) don't seem to know or CARE about the fire emblem cast or characters. They've only wanted the main protagonist from the newest game for I don't know why.

Mostly, before Ike was revealed, most people simply thought Chrom would replace Ike like Ike replace Roy. I admit I was among them. Once Ike was revealed, I thought Robin would be the best next pick because of his magical abilities and importance to awakening.

Others went back to Roy because it was what they knew. They didn't know anything about Awakening besides Chrom being the 'main' character. (I am such a Fire Emblem geek that I think every single character is important, and placing them above each other is silly.) Now that Robin has been revealed and they can see what he/she brings, they are now on board. It's the principle in its entirety.

At least for most.

 

[CoolEric258]

As someone who's never played Fire Emblem, I didn't care for Robin at first. But as time progressed, I slowly warmed up to him. I don't consider him/her a main, but at least intersting. However, Ike will always be my favorite Fire Emblem character in Smash.

 

[Banjodorf]

Going to be parroting a lot of the thread, but mostly.

A lot of people who play Smash only know about Fire Emblem through the characters we've had. A concept like Robin wouldn't occur to them, and the fact that he/she has been so well received is great! (Now people know Fire Emblem isn't only about blue hair and swordfighting!)

I always had hope for the character, but I'm glad to see it actually realized in a way that's turning so many heads.

 

[CroonerMike]

I would agree.

I really didn't care for any FE characters until I saw the trailer. Interestingly enough, I've beaten the game twice and I still wasn't really caring for a new FE character. When I saw the trailer I thought "Hmmm Chrome" but I was pleasantly surprised. Robin looks really unique to me and I am excited to learn how to use him.

 

[WakerofWinds]

I think I'll be a bit different from most of the people in here in one way or another. When Melee was released I loved Roy; he was easily my favorite character. When Fire Emblem was released I bought it as soon as I found it. I introduced all of my close friends to the series, and I played it constantly.

I've owned (and played the heck out of) every Fire Emblem game released in the west, but I've never played any of the others, unfortunately.

I was paying attention to the announced characters, but I wasn't the sort of person who came to Smashboards to voice my support for Isaac. I hadn't even thought of Robin as a potential character, but as soon as he was announced: I knew I wanted him in Smash. So yes, I didn't know I wanted him until he was in.

 

[Unicorn]

I can't speak for everyone but personally I would say yes. I'm a big Awakening fan, and I like Robin a lot. The cloak is cool. The hair is cool. The magic is definitely cool. But I still like Chrom better. I would never have believed in a thousand years that we would get 4 fire emblem characters in Smash4, and so I chose the character that I liked best out of the three that really had a shot in my eyes. (Lucina, Chrom, Robin)

I was wrong.
I was very, very, wrong.

Maybe I underestimated Sakurai. Maybe I overestimated Chrom. Maybe I like swords too much. It doesn't matter. Robin is clearly the superior character and far more deserving of a slot.
When I watched the trailer, and Lucina got revealed as playable, I was about to cry. Lucina over Chrom and Robin! (and Anna?)
Preposterous! But then...

TIME TO TIP THE SCALES!
OMGOMGOMGOGJOGMOGMOGHKjf; lkahwefoiajdkfaspodfjidf sadkfl YEEEEEEEES!

After hearing that line, I went from being a mild Chrom supporter to an absolute acolyte of Robin. Chrom could never have shifted the paradigm like Robin seemingly has.

TLDR; Yes.

Also, obligatory reminder that Roy should be DLC or something, because I say something about Roy everytime I post, and I don't want to break tradition.

 

[L9999]

I got to say this is my case. I don't really wish for newcomers because Sakurai is the master here, and I just wanted all the veterans back ( Ness to be exact). Then when I saw Robin it was like.........wow. Take that Gematsu trash. I really like the idea of a Mage Knight now and bonus points because I didn't expect Robin. Robin is 10 times better than what Chrom could be.

 

[Delzethin]

It looks like the sudden wave of Robin support isn't just from people who hadn't played Awakening or didn't realize how unique he could be as a fighter. There've also been a lot of Robin supporters coming out of the woodworks who thought he didn't have a chance and were afraid of getting ridiculed by Gematsu zealots.

How the scales have tipped, huh, guys?

 

[Shiliski]

I wanted a Mage Knight. I hoped I'd get Ganondorf decloned and remade as a Mage Knight (or at least magic + sword user), but I'll be happy with Robin in that role.

 

[TerraRizerKing]

Well that sorta applies to me. I didn't really care for robins introduction into smash but after the reveal I Like the variety he brings. A little something different than the "blue haired, sword wielding protagonist". However I still wanted chrom a lot more than I wanted lucina. Even less now that we know shes a marth clone.

 

[SS-bros14]

Mostly. I know me and some other people have wanted Robin for awhile though.

 

[Waluridleykryrool]

I just wanted a non swordsman fire emblem character, the series has so many other weapons and classes it was pretty sad that swordsmen were the only ones used.

 

[•Col•]

To the people that didn't know anything or very little about Fire Emblem.. Yes. Particularly, those Chrom 'supporters' that only supported him because he was the newest FE lord, or Awakening was the first FE game they had played. Looking back it's hard to believe that there were a large amount of people claiming that Ike may be replaced with Chrom..

Heck, just look at a lot of the fan reactions to the trailer out there. The majority of the ones that I've seen, the viewer didn't even know who Robin is or which game he is even from.

Once it was shown off what he could do though.. People not that familiar with FE could see the potential that a character like him could bring to the table (pretty much exactly what Robin supporters have been saying all along).. There isn't another character on the roster that uses both swords and is able to use magic.. Not to mention the whole durability mechanic just a nice little touch to show off a game mechanic from FE. Another plus is that Robin represents the most important character/element in every Fire Emblem game which people seem to overlook.. The tactician.

 

[20YY SS | Saiblade]

I wanted Chrom before the trailer, now I'm fine with Chrom's deconfirmation and Robin's confirmation.

 

[RPGatWill]

What made me so sad is I went back to watch people's reactions to the smash reveal of Lucina and Robin. About three in every twenty actually knew who the characters were, which made me so sad! Fire Emblem Awakening and really all the FE games are so good and they really do deserve their 4 reps, and yet almost no one STILL knows the series outside of smash.

Robin's still a character people didn't realize they wanted, but it's seeming to be mostly because they never even played the game.

 

[20YY SS | Saiblade]

What made me so sad is I went back to watch people's reactions to the smash reveal of Lucina and Robin. About three in every twenty actually knew who the characters were, which made me so sad! Fire Emblem Awakening and really all the FE games are so good and they really do deserve their 4 reps, and yet almost no one STILL knows the series outside of smash.

Robin's still a character people didn't realize they wanted, but it's seeming to be mostly because they never even played the game.

Yeah, they sadly never played it. I recommend it though! It's a great game.

 

[Skyblade12]

What made me so sad is I went back to watch people's reactions to the smash reveal of Lucina and Robin. About three in every twenty actually knew who the characters were, which made me so sad! Fire Emblem Awakening and really all the FE games are so good and they really do deserve their 4 reps, and yet almost no one STILL knows the series outside of smash.

Robin's still a character people didn't realize they wanted, but it's seeming to be mostly because they never even played the game.

Yeah. I honestly got frustrated watching reaction vids to that one because of how few people actually knew the characters. Almost everyone "knew" Chrom (or "Chrome", as 90% of them called him), but didn't have any clue who the others were.

The reaction vids from people who actually played Awakening are so much better. "Lucina's in?! Awesome! Wait, who's that? Oh my gosh, is that the Avatar? *Splash page* Squee!!"

 

[ミスティック Speed]

I feel that some people who didn't know Robin wouldn't of really wanted him, but after they saw how he plays, I feel most were satisfied.
As for me, I was hoping and praying for Lucina and Robin for a long while...xD

 

[Raijinken]

I was suggesting Robin (under the name Avatar) to my friends last year, when everyone still assumed the newcomer would be Chrom, if there was a new FE character at all. As much as I'd have liked Soren or a lance/axe user, Robin made the most sense as a plot-centric character with more than a sword. So, no. I knew I wanted Robin well before I was shown Robin. I just didn't expect it to actually happen.

 

[LIQUID12A]

I'll describe my thoughts on this in a progressing bracket:

>watches trailer, is disappointed
>gets Awakening, loves it
>rewatches trailer, gets hype not had the first time
>remembers lingering desire for a battlemage
>Remembers Robin fitting to a T
>profit

 

[Rocket Raccoon]

No, that would be Wii Fit Trainer.

 

[20YY SS | Saiblade]

Seriously, Robin is going to be insanely hype.

 

[ShyKChan]

Okay, this here caught my eye. A few months back, my friend and I were the only Chrom supporters in our group. I supported Chrom cause he's the poster boy for FEA. He seemed deserving of a spot to me (I've only played FEA's demo ^^. But as time went on, he would've been just another "blue haired swordsman" to me. The Robin and Lucina reveal got me hyped and I didn't even consider Robin's possibility as a Sm4sh rep beforehand. He'll bring a fresh, new playstyle in sm4sh!

tl:dr Yes!

 

[Ragna22]

I think that was the case but probably not the intention and that's been the cqse for just about every fighting game I remember when Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 was coming out people were giving characters like Dormammu and She-Hulk a lot of hate, then fast forward to now and there's quite a bunch of Dormammu and She-Hulk players

 

[Hong]

Yeah. I honestly got frustrated watching reaction vids to that one because of how few people actually knew the characters. Almost everyone "knew" Chrom (or "Chrome", as 90% of them called him), but didn't have any clue who the others were.

Not to sound arrogant, but it bothers me that these same people were a lot of the same folks who just threw Chrom on their rosters with 60 other characters.

As an actual Chrom fan, I didn't like it at all.

 

[LIQUID12A]

Yeah. I honestly got frustrated watching reaction vids to that one because of how few people actually knew the characters. Almost everyone "knew" Chrom (or "Chrome", as 90% of them called him), but didn't have any clue who the others were.

The reaction vids from people who actually played Awakening are so much better. "Lucina's in?! Awesome! Wait, who's that? Oh my gosh, is that the Avatar? *Splash page* Squee!!"

Spoiler

Your ideal reaction video:

 

[Ragna22]

Not to sound arrogant, but it bothers me that these same people were a lot of the same folks who just threw Chrom on their rosters with 60 other characters.

As an actual Chrom fan, I didn't like it at all.

I'll admit to being one of those people but I did it because the leak seemed very credible to me at the time so I just threw Chrom in as a prediction more than anything, I know nothing about Fire Emblem outside of the one with Lyn but you know what? Despite that, Robin is one of the newcomers I'm most hyped for because I love the concept of his/her move set.

 

[Hong]

I'll admit to being one of those people but I did it because the leak seemed very credible to me at the time so I just threw Chrom in as a prediction more than anything, I know nothing about Fire Emblem outside of the one with Lyn but you know what? Despite that, Robin is one of the newcomers I'm most hyped for because I love the concept of his/her move set.

That's fine. I understand.

A lot of our supporters before the reveal were from people who had not played Fire Emblem, either. All they had to see was just a taste of what Robin could do that other Fire Emblem characters couldn't. Also that sick robe.