This article was originally written for TheNintendoVillage.com, a website I founded and ran from 2018 to 2021.

When Byleth was revealed to be the final Fighters Pass Vil.1 character, many expressed their disappointment at the inclusion of yet another Fire Emblem character, the eighth to join the fight. We thought it was an unusually safe choice too. As it turns out, Sakurai agrees.

Writing in his weekly Famitsu column, the series director apparently expresses his belief that there’s too many Fire Emblem characters in the game, and too many swordfighters. He explains though, that the ultimate decision about who’s included isn’t down to him, but rather Nintendo.

He goes on to say that he ultimately relies on implementing different tactics to help differentiate the various characters and sword fighters. We think it’s fair to say he does a reasonably decent job of differentiating the various additions from each series.

Do you agree with Sakurai? Or are you quite happy with the addition of Byleth? Let us know down in the comments.

Source: Japanese Nintendo