This is the tier list created by the Smash Back Room, ranking each character in SSB4 from best to worst based on votes from 53 professionals at said game. Please note that Corrin and Bayonetta aren't included due to being released as DLC 2 days after the tier list's creation. Also, this list dosen't account character customization, and assumes Mii Fighters are restricted to default movesets. Now, on with the rankings!
S Tier
1: Sheik: Zelda's alter-ego is considered the best character in the game, and for good reason! With a near untouchable Down-B (Bouncing Fish), nearly un-rivaled frame data, extremly long combo strings, and very strong KO moves thrown into her arsenal, nearly EVERYTHING Sheik does is nigh-unpunishable with just a small bit of advanced skill, making her combo ability and netural game basically Godlike,and her edguarding game is similarly fantastic. Overall, Sheik is the clear dominator of this game, near-universally viewed as the best character.
2: Zero Suit Samus: The bounty hunter is next up in line. She packs a SOLID air game, as her n-ar and especially b-air are pretty untouchable, her up air iss an outstanding juggle tool, and her air mobility is amazing. She recovers quite far too, with her Boost Kick having decent range, and two alternate options in Plasma Whip and Flip Jump. Oh yeah, but none of this would matter without her punish game, probably the best in the game, as she can paralyze opponents and juggle and combo to absurd lengths. Overall, while her neutrual game is still below-average, she more than makes up for that with her dominating versatality.
3: Rosalina and Luma: It seems that now it's the lady's time to shine in Smash, as 3rd pace also goes to a female. Rosy and Luma have a very powerful commanding presence on-stage thanks to their 2-in-once presence allowimg for possibly the most creative and unpredictable mixups in the game, and Luma's KO moves are plentiful, fast, and absurdly strong. Plus, their most useful attacks are their fastest and/or their longest ranged, making their neutrual game excellent. Probably their only magor flaw is how Luma gets KOed like a b****, leaving Rosalina alone with among the worst overall knockback in the game. Overall, they are an insanley powerful and speedy bunch, capable of comboing you in a flash.
A Tier
4: Ryu: Mr. Fighting Game himself takes the head of A Tier, and for quite simple reasons. First, Ryu is, without a doubt the combo master of SSB4, if only due to some Street Fighter mechanices being carried over into his arsenal. A magority of his attacks have a hitstun multiplier of at LEAST 1.8, so his speedy attacks are almost immposible to counter out of sheild if done right. Lastly, he has a mutitude of ways to recover, making him very unpredictable off-stage. However, he's just as easy to gimp if he's left with just Shroyuken, and he can struggle with KOs. That past, Ryu's a solid pick, though he requires a lot of skill.
5: Pikachu: The Pokemon mascot continues his trend of being high tier in SSB4, in large part thanks to his outstanding combo ability, which is one of the best with his speedy, frame 10 or less attacks and low power. Plus, his recovery is definetly one of the best as well, due to the distance provided by his Quick Attack and Skull Bash. However, his KO strength is AWFUL, as opponents usually survive Pika's blows up to 150% damage, and Quick Attack is hard to master. However, he is still among the best for good reason.
6: Sonic: The mascot of Sega returns to flaunt his speed in yo face, but unlike in Brawl he has good reason this time around! This time, he's fast in every regard, not just mobility, having among the best frame data, cool down, combo ability, etc. Plus, his neurual game is incredible as a result of such speed, and his grab game is one of the best, with THREE of his throws capble of KOing. However, while his strength was improved, it's still quite difficult for Sonic to KO sometimes, and his recovery is still... easily telegraphed, but has high distance potential. However, he overall deserves his spot.
7: Fox: Team Star Fox leader returns for the fourth game, and better than ever (except for Melee)! His combo game is outstanding, he is among the fastest, both in terms of mobility and frame data, and his KO power dosen't fall short, with many KO moves including his up smash, as deadly as it's always been. However, he is among the easiest to combo AND KO, due to his light weight and fast fall and gravity. Plus, his throw game is troublesome, having no combo throws or KO throws (except past 200%), making him weak to sheilds. However, he remains a solid top 10.
8: Mario: The King of Nintendo makes an... forseen return, but now even better than before. His stats are the most balanced in the game, with average, walk, run, KO power, agility, frame data, etc. However, something not so average is his combo potential, one of the best in SSB4, thanks to his u-tilit, d-throw, u-air, etc, and his above-average edgeguard, with the Cape possibly being the best edgeguard. However, he lacks range compared to the likes of Shulk, and he can be outclassed by those who excel in a specific area. Overall, Mario is one of the most fun characters to play, and rightfully so!
9: Diddy Kong: Yup, the annoying monkey is still in top 10. While we can kiss the hated pre- 1.06 Diddy Kong bye-bye, he is still a powerful force, with his Bannana being the death of combatants with poor neutrual games. Plus, his combo game is great with his speedy u-air, u-tilt, and asformentioned Banana. However, he's plagued by a below-average recovery, as despite it's potentially outstanding distance, in the time you usually get to charge, the distance is pretty lacking. Plus, he has difficulty KOing due to predictable KO moves. However, while no longer a plague to Smashers, he is still a respectable top 10.
10: Meta Knight: Remember the days when Meta Knight = too OP? Thankfully, you no longer have to worry about that. Now, he is just a shell of his Brawl past. But don't write him off as trash just yet! His frame data is still among the best despite attack speed nerfs, and his combo game is still solid (but not overpowering) with his u-air, d-throw, and dash attack, among others, and his recovery is still among the best, with all 4 of his specials still usable for recovery, and is air speed is no longer one of the slowest. However, he is lightweight, making him easy to launch, and camping works like a charm against him, so he barely scrapes the top 10.
B Tier
11: Villager: Kicking off B tier is the Animal Crossing player himself. First off, his capabilities at a distance are ABSURD, and his zoning is the best in the game, so he OBLITERATES characters with poor anti-zoning tools like King Dedede. Plus, if that weren't enough, his recovery is also THE best in the game with his infamous Balloon Trip. I swear, he can recover from just about anything that dosen't kill him. Finally, some of his moves defy the structual archetype and are completely unique and unnpredictable. However, since he has so many projectiles, I bet you can guess what Reflectors do to him... Plus, his stelluar recovery is counterbalanced by his light weight. He's an interseting option if you can get around his flaws.
12: Cloud Strife: This character has reated a big impact in the metagame already for several reasons. One, his moblity is ABSURD, and his combo game is pretty OK. Oh yeah, and his range surpasses even SHULK's, allowing him to play keep-away effectivley due to his frame data. Finally, you may know this, but his Limit Breaks give a whole new element to him, helping him kill, combo, and recover, But, without Limit Breaks, his recovery is on par with Ganondorf, Dr Mario, and Little Mac for the worst in the game, a big detriment against foes like Sheik, and his KO power is suprisingly poor and inconsistent. He's been going back and forth, so you may see him lose his footing...
13: Ness: Finally, after three Smash games of ridicule, Ness's worked his way up! First up is his sheer combo game (aka, PK Fire), which gives his combos outstanding damage. Plus, his KOing ain't half-bad either, with his f-smash, u-air, PK Thunder (can KO at 30%), and more. Lastly his recovery's been imroved, allowing him to recover more safely than ever before! However, his speed's still below-average, and his recovery can still be gimped laughably easily. All in all, he's now a choice you won't regret!... One thing: NEVER use him against Rosalina. EVER.
C Tier
14: Captain Falcon: The Fan Favorite return once again, and has regained his lost glory from Smash 64 and Melee! First, the hitstun changes give him back his amazing combo power, and his speed+power combo works even better now, giving him absurd combo and KO ability AND his air game is fasicnatingly good. However, his recovery remains... one of the worst, being entirley possible to gimp him under 50%! Plus, in contast to his mobility, his attack speed is poor, forcing spacing (though his reach surpasses some sword-weilders). However, he's an exceedingly fun character for any player that likes to win with style!
15: Yoshi: Mario's happy-go-lucky steed is determined to carry on his back not only Mario, but sucess! So, his Egg Throw is even BETTER at zoning and recovery than before, two big +s for Yoshi players. In addition, he is one of the fastest characters in the game mobilty wise, allowing him to space well, especially with his Mario-level combo ability. Honestly, though... his grab game is ABYSMAL in every sense of the word.. and his recovery is still pretty unusual. Whereas certianley not as styilistic as his fellow C-Tierer, Yoshi can still be a force in the right hands!
D Tier
16: Luigi: Mario's lanky twin bro returns for the 4th game in a row, ready to prove his worth! With his infamous d-throw, the most versatile throw in all of SSB4, his combo game makes him one of the combo masters, with among the fastest overall attacks to boot! To add another positive, he's no slouch at KOing, with his deadly Fire Jump Punch, and all three of his smash attacks. However, he isn't flawless; his traction both hurts and aids, and his recovery was hit hard from Brawl, along with his only average mobility. Still, do not mess with the green thunder!
17: Dark Pit: The imperfect clone of Pit actually outscores his regular counterpart this time, though not by very much. He is pretty much a carbon copy of Pit, right down to having identical combos, frame data, and knockback on their moves. Their taunts even last the exact same amount of time despite being different. Dark Pit's forward tilt is weaker, and his Silver Bow is harder to aim than the Palutena's Arrow, but he takes one spot over his original due to his Electroshock Arm being a much better kill move than the UpperDash Arm.