Rivals of Aether II Unveils Their Latest Free DLC Character – Slade

Rivals of Aether II recently revealed Slade, a shark pirate and the latest free DLC character that will be coming to the game on April 7, 2026.

They're not revealing too much just yet, but going by the trailer, Slade promises to be a very unique character. Many of his moves are leaning heavily into the pirate fantasy, with unique mechanics based around it.

When beating up enemies, they will be dropping some loot in the form of coins. Slade can then use that money to buy unique upgrades from chests that he also uses as weapons. In the trailer we can see one of the most expensive ones, which appears to be a phoenix feather, a one time save from getting eliminated by the blast zone.

Some of the other upgrades appear to be more permanent, or at least aren't one-offs. Like the earring that makes his D air launch Slade downward, or a chain hook that swaps his grab to a tether that pools opponents toward him.

Slade can also do a bit of fishing, with the caught fish serving as a projectile that he can pick up and launch, with unique interaction if they land into a chest.

Lastly, it seems that at any point he can plunder for items and power-ups, like a shuriken, boomerang, or something that looks like a water droplet.

Alongside Slade, game will be receiving other nice additions, such as a new mode, casual stages, and more, so April is shaping up to be a pretty good month of Rivals fans.