I could totally understand people wanting Mewtwo to return buffed since he's really popular among Pokemon fans and never deserved to be treated as a low-tier in the first place.
But what REALLY baffles me is that Smash Bros fans really want Roy to return. The problem with that is that, as far as I know, the Fire Emblem fandom considers Roy to be one of the blandest, most uninteresting Lords in the whole series. And he was both a clone AND low-tier in Melee, both of which are points against him.
Let's compare to Lucina. Even though her fans are upset that she's a clone, they're still generally happy that she's in the game since she's a very likable character. They're even defending the fact that she's a clone in spite of the anti-clone sentiment.
I'll direct this question in particular to Fire Emblem fans: do you actually like him as a character? This is different from liking him for his fiery sword. I'm asking: do you like his characterization?
I have played through all Fire Emblem games, and I look forward to firsthand playing all three routes of Fates.
Roy is one of the most interesting lords to me. From his down-to-earth nature, naive and awkward moments, smart moments where he does and says things that catch other characters off guard or exposes their intentions, noble/kind traits, and ability to handle so much responsibility as just a young boy, I don't see why people feel the need to downplay him just because they wanted "unique" lord or FE character that will never get in smash #489534, or because they want their own bandwagon or flavor of the month character they care so little about, that they talk down characters out of salt or just because they think it helps their own character's chances. It's so lame. He's not bland, he's just cliche. He's still a pretty cool guy. All Fire Emblem lords are extremely cliche besides PoR Ike, so I just don't get it.
Roy. Cliche? Yes. Bland?
Hell no.
FE fans don't give him credit, yet praise characters who have much less going for them in personality, importance, viability, and depth, like Hector and Lucina. Hector falls off before mid-game and doesn't get enough to pick him back up, especially in HNM/HHM, and Lucina is entirely redundant halfway through the game at Lv10 unpromoted when you have so many ways to break the game by then that she's useless, even from a novice standpoint I've seen plenty of this. Hector is a third-wheel brute that never really develops at all, Lucina's entire character plays off of being in Marth's shadow with traits that intentionally make her uninteresting. I find Roy a better character than both of them in every way. In terms of pure character, I think Roy's much better than the FE2 lords, the FE8 lords, the FE7 lords, Micaiah, Sothe, Chrom, Lucina, and Kamui.
If you find Lucina any bit likable, you're in for a treat with Roy.
As for stats, Roy has his share of weaknesses. Low base stats and late promotion+SoS go against him. I never did Hammerne the SoS and still never starved on uses, so I don't consider SoS's low durability a weakness. He has excellent growths, fast supports with a highly viable and large support roster, and lots of early-game utility, but he falls off for quite a while (where he can still meatshield with HP bulk to help other units and build supports to be even more unstoppable after promotion as well as help other units, both making him a dedicated team player) and picks back up as a beast, though not that much more than other units. You can easily play around his weaknesses, and he functions like a pawn in chess. That's what Japanese players like about him.
Roy is not one of the strongest lords. However, I'd take him over a good handful of lords stat-wise, and many personality-wise.
I wanted him in Smash because his lack of inclusion was an injustice. The character who was there after series creator Shozou Kaga and his team poofed, on top of FE64's cancellation and 776's notably poor launch long through the N64's life on the SNES of all times, the character who was a large part of bringing Fire Emblem to the west, the character who our first overseas title built off of, and one of the most requested DLC characters of all time should not be left out. FE6 and 7 both reviewed and sold incredibly well. "True" series fans should embrace what Roy did and see that we wouldn't have Ike, Lucina, or Robin without him, at least in Smash. Ike did exist in FE64, but that's a scrapped project with very little progress which wouldn't be touched on until a decade later as PoR.
Roy did a lot for Fire Emblem, so even if many can't appreciate it, he is a highly justified choice. Those who like Roy for his playstyle or Fire Emblem appearance or to defend veterans learn these things.
Roy detractors are either pure Smash fans who don't want him and dig for whatever they can find because salt, Awakening-only players because they could care less about anything other than modern FE, or a small niche of western FE fans who constantly scream and jack off over lords that make it easier for novice players to do a basic playthrough and their waifus. It's disgusting and these are the parts of the fanbase that make me ashamed of it.
Many Fire Emblem fans love Roy and wanted him back. Mainly cringey ones didn't.
I found Roy very interesting in Smash via characterization and how unique he was as a clone, but I saw his declone potential and wanted them to go that route. Clone or not, Fire Emblem owes a lot to Roy and his lack of inclusion was questionable. He wasn't in to promote FE6, he was in because a Marth clone was needed and he had the most to offer as one. He was chosen to represent Fire Emblem rather than FE6, and it's easy to see this with his DLC inclusion.
FYI, Sakurai loves Fire Emblem and has played through all titles, even all three routes of Fates already. He understands the history of the series, both via the games and outside of them. That's why it makes sense Roy was added.
