Super Smash Bros. Melee/Ness

Basic Techniques

Standard Attacks

Button(s)	Description/notes
	An unremarkable neutral .
	Two unremarkable neutral s.
	A quick combo that can sometimes be comboed into a bat.
Forward +	An excellent move for intercepting people, this kick has surprisingly good knockback and quick startup time.
Dash +	Projects an orb of energy in front of Ness. Quite powerful and a decent setup at higher damages. Very useful.
+	One of Ness' most annoying moves, this kick can be repeated ridiculously fast. It's best used to annoy people.
+	Ness claps his hands over his head. This move has excellent priority, decent damage and isn't too laggy. It can sometimes be a bit awkward to get used to though.
Smash Forward +	Ness swings his bat. Does about 20% damage and has significant knockback. It's a great edge guard. Great for KOs and great knockback.
Smash +	Ness stalls his yo-yo behind him, then spins it in an arc over his head. This is basically a down tilt that you can charge up. Very little knockback, but decent damage. Note that you can only charge this attack if the yo-yo ends up resting on a flat surface.
Smash +	Just like down smash, but forward. You can only charge up this attack if the yo-yo is on a flat surface.

Aerial Attacks

Button(s)	Description/notes
	Ness spins around for a bit, doing some physical (i.e. not PK) damage. This move is often overlooked and can be useful sometimes.
Forward +	Ness attacks the opponent with a flurry of PK lightning. While this move traps the opponent for a while to rack up damage, it then shoves the opponent away from Ness. Useful when avoiding throws or when returning to the stage.
Back +	This move is pure pain. It's a lot like Zelda's bair - sweet spot it by hitting with the tip of Ness' foot and you'll do crazy damage and knock the sucker away. Otherwise, it's weak as a kitten. An extremely useful KO move as well as a combo finisher.
+	Ness does a downward kick, causing decent damage. Considered Ness's spike move, it can be used to stop an opponent before he returns to the stage.
+	Ness does an upward headbutt to the openent, doing decent damage. Used often in aerial combos to juggle the opponent or as a combo finisher.

Special Attacks

Button(s)	Attack	Description/notes
	PK Flash	A somewhat controlable ball of light is emitted from Ness' head, release to make it explode, at full power, it is quite devastating. It is very slow, and will be negated if the light hits a wall, or if Ness is attacked before it is set off.
+	PK Thunder	A controlable ball of electricity is emitted from Ness' head, it lasts quite a while and can be really annoying to enemies. If you hit Ness with his PK Thunder, he will be launched in the direction you hit him as if hit by a hammer to do some decent damage.
+	PSI Magnet	A Barrier that will take any energy-based attack and make it heal Ness instead of damage him.
() +	PK Fire	Ness emits a thunderbolt from his fingers, if it hits the enemy, it bursts into a pillar of fire. When used in the air the thunderbolt is shot down diagonally.

Throws

Button(s)	Description/notes
	Ness throws his opponent into the ground and assaults them with a PK Fire barrage.
Forward	Ness sends his opponent flying away with his psychic powers.
	Ness spins his opponent on his finger and then sends them flying upward.
Back	Same as forward, but backwards. Better for K.O.'s. Works well in combination with the PK Flash (See Advanced Techniques below).

Pros and Cons

Summary

Ness, despite being a low-tier character, has massive potential. He is one of the trickiest characters in the game. He has a few very powerful moves. The thing that really holds players back is his steep learning curve. Ness is a great character for those who want to work hard and surpass high-tier players with a low-tier character.

Pros

• Extremely tricky.
• A few extremely powerful moves (i.e. bat, bair, PK Flash) considering his small stature.
• Often unexpected (not many people play a good Ness).
• Multiple projectile attacks.
• Plays a great aerial game.
• High priority.

Cons

• Very difficult to master
• Recovery with + is initially difficult for beginners.

Advanced Techniques

Baseball bat (Smash Forward + ) + PK Flash

If you play one on one, this is an invaluable technique. While somewhat near the edge of a stage, use a baseball bat to knock the other player of the edge. While he trying to get back, start holding down . This will start Ness's PK Flash. Hold the analog stick in the direction of the edge so that when the green ball reaches the apex above Ness, it will start to go down towards edge of the stage. Time the move so that by the time your opponent comes back to the stage, the green ball is at full power. (The amount of time is different depending on your opponent: for instance, Kirby will take longer to get back to the stage then Ganondorf.) Release to deal maximum damage just as your opponent tries to climb to the stage. Because it's at full power, this move almost surely knock out any opponent over 50% damage.

• It is also possible to have the PK Flash ball come back toward Ness. This way, when your opponent tries to come back and attack you, they will be attacked instead.
• Usually you want to stand near the edge to perform this move. You can have the PK Flash ball come back toward Ness, and at the same time it's going toward the edge. This way, if you time it wrong, the player won't be able to attack you since they would get hit by the PK Flash if they did.
• You don't need to use the baseball bat. Any move that throws another player over the side of the stage far enough will work. Using the Back Throw works the best (esp. at higher damages). Block often, so when your opponent gets near the edge of the stage, perform a roll to the edge to get closer to the edge than them. Then, use a back throw to throw them over the edge. A back throw is actually more likely than a forward throw to throw the player completely offscreen for a K.O. at higher damages (100% or greater).

Headbutt (Aerial Up + ) + PK Thunder ( Up)

Doing this move requires a firm command of Ness's PK Thunder to aim it where you want it to take you. Once you have an opponent trapped in a barrage of headbutts preventing him from landing on the stage, you can pull this off. First the opponent needs to have around 80% or more so that the attack will be lethal. Do one more headbutt and as soon as you do, take out your PK Thunder and aim in a direction where your opponent will fall. It's tricky at first, but try to predict where he will be when you hit yourself with it to attack him head on.

PK Inferno (Grab + Down) + Home-Run Swing (Smash Forward)

A very simple combo to pull off, you simply use PK Inferno on your opponent and use your smash on him while he's on fire. If the opponent DI's horizontally away from you after you use the PK Inferno, PK Shove him instead. If he DI's up, use your Headbutt (Aerial Up + ) on him.

Offense Defense

If you use your baseball bat (+) on homing projectiles, you can send them back and inflict damage on your foe(s). If you use your PK Fire (+) on a Bob-omb, you can not only block yourself but give a lot of damage to foes around the combination (so one good hit after, and they're gone).