Super Smash Bros./Characters

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There are 12 playable characters in Super Smash Brothers; eight that are available at the start, and four that can be unlocked in single player mode through completion of certain challenges (Luigi, Ness, Captain Falcon, and Jigglypuff). All characters have certain advantages and disadvantages. Most of a character's strength is in how they are are used in combat, making stratification by ability difficult to establish. Therefore, because of the subjective nature, the tiers that are suggested within the articles should not be considered authoritative.

To become familiar with the characters, a brief summary for each character is provided below. To find out more detail specific information pertaining to a character, click on the in-depth guide link. The compiled information found in the in-depth guide should provide a more complete picture of who the character is and what they are capable of. Some of the things that are included in the in-depth guides include:

• Complete description of all the character's moves
• An analysis of how to play the character on tournament stages
• Common combos
• Advanced techniques specific to the character.

NOTICE: THIS SECTION IS CURRENTLY UNDERGOING RECONSTRUCTION! SOME OF THE INFORMATION MAY BE INACCURATE OR LACKING THE DETAILS AS PROMISED ABOVE. WE ARE WORKING AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE TO BRING THE MOST UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE.

Captain Falcon

As a top tier character, Captain Falcon can dominate a game with his speed and power. Falcon's ability to combo his opponents up to a high percentage in a short amount of time makes him an excellent 1 vs 1 character. However, because of the chaotic nature of multiplayer Smash, Falcon's ability to take control of a game is diminished, as isolating an opponent to combo them is difficult with multiple adversaries. In order to have a successful fight using Falcon, one must always keep in mind that he is a momentum character. Using his speed to move an opponent to a more isolated area, followed by relentlessly piling on damage with aerial attacks, is a great formula for success with Captain Falcon.

• In-depth Captain Falcon guide

Donkey Kong

The large primate from the old arcade-style Mario games is back again. With a mixture of endurance and power, Donkey Kong is a middle tier with potential. The largest influence on his tier position is his size and lack of speed, which leave him vulnerable to attack. Relying heavily on his power, he dominates games by keeping things simple. With an attack style that focuses on well timed grabs and aerial attacks, DK is a character that can take charge in a hurry. If one is looking for a character with a great deal of creativity, then he may not be the best choice. However, if someone is looking for pure power, then he may be the the right candidate for the job.

• In-depth Donkey Kong guide

Fox

Fox McCloud is the protagonist in Nintendo's futuristic Star Fox games. He is the second-fastest character in the game, and definitely among the most agile. With an immobilizing projectile game, quick aerial execution, and the speed to chase an opponent across the map, Fox has the potential to be very deadly. However, Fox is a precision character so his full potential can only be unlocked with a deep understanding of his moves and timing.

• In-depth Fox guide

Jigglypuff

See Unlockable Characters for info on unlocking Jigglypuff.

Jigglypuff joins Pikachu as one of two playable Pokémon in the game. She is light, has relatively short range, and if her shield is broken she flies straight up to her death. However, she is very mobile in the air, has 5 midair jumps instead of 1, has an amazing horizontal recovery and high-priority moves. This along with the game-breaking power of her Rest move makes Jigglypuff a force to be reckoned with.

• In-depth Jigglypuff guide

Kirby

Hailing from the old-school Kirby series of the original NES days, Kirby carries into the game a variety of abilities he has in the other games in his series, including the ability to suck other characters inside himself and take their abilities. While some of his moves are regarded as cheap by many players, when mastered, his drill kicks and tilt combos can be lethal.

• In-depth Kirby guide

Link

Although hindered by a less-than-ideal up-B recovery, Link can be devastating in the right hands. His amazing projectile game can be used to offset his lack of speed and he has many powerful defensive options as well as the ability to combo spectacularly. It takes time to learn to play Link correctly, but he can become one of the most fun characters to play.

• In-depth Link guide

Luigi

• In-depth Luigi guide

Mario

When one thinks "Nintendo", this guy comes to mind. Mario and his games fill many of the spots for top-selling games of all time. In Super Smash Bros., Mario has fantastic aerial recovery time, a great u-air juggle, and very annoying fireballs, but isn't quick enough to keep up with the likes of Fox or Captain Falcon.

• In-depth Mario guide

Ness

Ness is a young psychic boy (exact age unknown), protagonist from Nintendo's Earthbound RPG series. Ness is a hidden character, so you will have to unlock to use him in versus play. To do this, you have to beat the game on Normal difficulty with 3 stock, no continues, and then defeat him in 1v1 combat. He is probably one of the more difficult characters to play with, since his third jump is very tricky to pull off for a new player, and his floaty, circular second jump can weird out even veteran players. He is a fairly light, slow character with powerful attacks, and is the only character with a healing move.

Note that it is extremely difficult to unlock Ness without proper practice with one character: To do this: Learn all their attacks, Create combo attacks, learn other characters attacks and make counter-attacks, then learn other characters counter-attacks and prevent them.

• In-depth Ness guide

Pikachu

An electric Pokémon from the game series of the same name, Pikachu is very powerful and agile. He is so powerful and agile, in fact, that he has been considered "cheap" by the unenlightened. I myself find few disadvantages to the little guy, but then again, he's my main. He has one of the best recoveries, if not the best, in the game and has a simply unavoidable edgeguard. He suffers from short range on the ground, is relatively light, and takes a good level of skill to play well, but this electric mouse could very well be your route to victory.

• In-depth Pikachu guide

Samus

Samus is a master of distance, but an all around good character to play. Various moves need to be mastered to be an effective Samus player.

• In-depth Samus guide

Yoshi

Yoshi comes from the popular Mario series, and brings into the game some of his abilities from the series such as his ability to suck people up with his long tongue. He is generally considered one of the worst players in the game due to his lack of a third recovery technique (which he attempts to make up for with an extra-high second jump) and his general slowness. He does have powerful melee attacks, though their slowness makes them easily avoidable.

• In-depth Yoshi guide