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{{Infobox Character General
{{Infobox Character General
|name          = Shulk
|name          = Shulk
|image          = [[File:Shulk Artwork XBC1.png|250x400px]]
|image          = [[File:Shulk Artwork.png|250x400px]]
|caption        = [[File:XenobladeSymbol.svg|50px|class=invert]]
|caption        = [[File:XenobladeSymbol.svg|50px|class=invert]]
Official artwork of Shulk from<br>''{{iw|xenoserieswiki|Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition}}''.
Official artwork of Shulk from<br>''{{iw|xenoserieswiki|Xenoblade Chronicles}}''.
|universe      = {{uv|Xenoblade Chronicles}}
|universe      = {{uv|Xenoblade Chronicles}}
|firstgame      = ''{{iw|xenoserieswiki|Xenoblade Chronicles}}'' (2010)
|firstgame      = ''{{iw|xenoserieswiki|Xenoblade Chronicles}}'' (2010)
|lastappearance = ''{{iw|xenoserieswiki|Xenoblade Chronicles 3}}'' (2022, cameo)
|lastappearance = ''{{iw|xenoserieswiki|Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed}}'' (2023)
|games          = ''[[SSB4]]''<br>''[[Ultimate]]''
|games          = ''[[SSB4]]''<br>''[[Ultimate]]''
|console        = Wii
|console        = Wii
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The story begins with a surprise attack on Colony 9 by a horde of Mechon, led by a powerful new model who is immune to the Monado, who Shulk and company would later come to know as [[Metal Face]]. Dunban's inability to continue using the Monado forces Shulk to take it up, and to everyone's surprise, not only can he control it even better than Dunban ever did, but it spontaneously shows him [[vision]]s of the future, a power that nobody had previously known about. With Shulk's help, Colony 9 withstands the Mechon assault, but Fiora is killed by Metal Face.
The story begins with a surprise attack on Colony 9 by a horde of Mechon, led by a powerful new model who is immune to the Monado, who Shulk and company would later come to know as [[Metal Face]]. Dunban's inability to continue using the Monado forces Shulk to take it up, and to everyone's surprise, not only can he control it even better than Dunban ever did, but it spontaneously shows him [[vision]]s of the future, a power that nobody had previously known about. With Shulk's help, Colony 9 withstands the Mechon assault, but Fiora is killed by Metal Face.


After the battle, Shulk and Reyn set out on a journey across Bionis to pursue Metal Face and get revenge for the loss of Fiora and the others. The two follow both Shulk's visions and rumors of Mechon movements. Along the way, they become involved in various struggles by the people of Bionis against both the Mechon and various forces native to Bionis itself, and are joined by new and old allies including Dunban and [[Riki]]. Shulk also slowly begins to discover new powers of the Monado, and is mentored by the enigmatic seer {{iw|xenoserieswiki|Alvis}}, both in person and in his dreams, on the nature of the sword and what both its power and similar powers in the world philosophically represent.
After the battle, Shulk and Reyn set out on a journey across Bionis to pursue Metal Face and get revenge for the loss of Fiora and the others. The two follow both Shulk's visions and rumors of Mechon movements. Along the way, they become involved in various struggles by the people of Bionis against both the Mechon and various forces native to Bionis itself, and are joined by new and old allies including Dunban and [[Riki]]. Shulk also slowly begins to discover new powers of the Monado, and begins to unravel the nature of the sword and what both the sword's power and similar powers in the world philosophically represent.
 
Shulk and his party later travel to Mechonis as part of a unified push by all the peoples of Bionis to stop the Mechon once and for all, but soon begin to pursue a different path from the allied forces as they are introduced to the true nature of the ancient conflict between the Bionis and Mechonis. They come into conflict with {{iw|xenoserieswiki|Egil}}, a {{iw|xenoserieswiki|Machina}} who is the self-appointed leader of Mechonis and creator of the Mechon, and his desire for vengeance against the Bionis for what it did to his fellow Machina. Shulk becomes determined to break the cycle of vengeance between Bionis and Mechonis, and to ensure that all the peoples of the world can live self-determined lives free of the dictates of such higher powers.


Shulk is clever and level-headed, but is also socially clumsy, sheltered, and lacking in life experience. He is easily absorbed in his work, especially his studies of the Monado, to the point of neglecting his own health and his surroundings. Coming from a scientific background, Shulk usually approaches situations rationally and methodically, sometimes to the point of a social faux pas: once, where the Monado accidentally went off in Reyn's hands, his knowledge that it was incapable of harming Bionis lifeforms like Fiora angered her when he seemed to care more about a lab machine it destroyed than the (in his mind, non-existent) possibility of it killing her.
Shulk is clever and level-headed, but is also socially clumsy, sheltered, and lacking in life experience. He is easily absorbed in his work, especially his studies of the Monado, to the point of neglecting his own health and his surroundings. Coming from a scientific background, Shulk usually approaches situations rationally and methodically, sometimes to the point of a social faux pas: once, where the Monado accidentally went off in Reyn's hands, his knowledge that it was incapable of harming Bionis lifeforms like Fiora angered her when he seemed to care more about a lab machine it destroyed than the (in his mind, non-existent) possibility of it killing her.
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Shulk's main weakness is that his high damage output can easily draw attention and he does not have much health to survive being the target of enemies, making him a glass cannon. He also lacks ether attacks, which is problematic against enemies good at dodging his physical arts, and his complex character design renders the game's AI rather poor at controlling him when the player is playing as someone else.
Shulk's main weakness is that his high damage output can easily draw attention and he does not have much health to survive being the target of enemies, making him a glass cannon. He also lacks ether attacks, which is problematic against enemies good at dodging his physical arts, and his complex character design renders the game's AI rather poor at controlling him when the player is playing as someone else.
Shulk also appears in ''{{iw|xenoserieswiki|Xenoblade Chronicles 2}}''. Despite being a {{iw|xenoserieswiki|Homs}}, he functions as a {{iw|xenoserieswiki|Blade|XC2}} who can be equipped to any of the game's playable Drivers. [[Rex]], [[Pyra]], and the rest of the party first meet him and Fiora in the Land of Challenge, where they team up and take on challenging battles given to them by the {{iw|xenoserieswiki|Nopon Archsage}}. After clearing them, Shulk and Fiora are given the Alrest Linkring, an item that enables them travel with Rex across {{iw|xenoserieswiki|Alrest}} in spirit form. When equipping Shulk, Drivers can wield the Monado as their own and use its various Arts, and also gain access to Shulk's {{iw|xenoserieswiki|vision|XC2}} ability from his own game.
Although the Land of Challenge scenario is not explicitly canon, Shulk's voiced cameo during one of the climactic cutscenes of the final battle demonstrates that ''Xenoblade Chronicles 2'' and the original ''Xenoblade Chronicles'' take place simultaneously in parallel universes. It would be in ''{{iw|xenoserieswiki|Xenoblade Chronicles 3}}'' that confirms the aforementioned statement as it is explained in the last chapter; both universes were separated in a distant past before uniting as one after the events of both games. Furthermore, Shulk, along with his team, cameo in a flashback from {{iw|xenoserieswiki|Melia}}, which happens in her last Hero Quest. Shulk himself presumably died before the events of the game, the only traces of his existence being stories told by Melia, and a statue in the {{iw|xenoserieswiki|City}}, depicting an older form of himself. He is set to return in the Vol. 4 DLC for ''Xenoblade Chronicles 3'', almost identical to his statue.


==In ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]''==
==In ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]''==
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{{main|Shulk (SSB4)}}
{{main|Shulk (SSB4)}}
[[File:Shulk SSB4.png|thumb|left|Shulk as he appears in ''Super Smash Bros. 4''.]]
[[File:Shulk SSB4.png|thumb|left|Shulk as he appears in ''Super Smash Bros. 4''.]]
Shulk was [[leak]]ed as a playable character three weeks before the release of {{for3ds}} on [[YouTube]] videos from a video used to rate the game by ESRB, before being officially confirmed on August 29th, 2014. On May 19th, 2014, before the leaks and his official reveal, Shulk's English voice actor, Adam Howden, had [https://twitter.com/A_HOWDZ/statuses/468458294223581184 posted on his Twitter] that he had done recording for a game he was not allowed to talk about.
Shulk was [[leak]]ed as a playable character three weeks before the release of {{for3ds}} on [[YouTube]] videos from a video used to rate the game by ESRB, before being officially confirmed on August 29th, 2014. On May 19th, 2014, before the leaks and his official reveal, Shulk's English voice actor, Adam Howden, had [https://twitter.com/A_HOWDZ/status/468458294223581184 posted on his Twitter] that he had done recording for a game he was not allowed to talk about.


Shulk uses the Monado as his weapon, which grants him the longest overall reach in the game, even outclassing other swordsmen like [[Ike]] and [[Cloud]], and uses an ability from his original game, [[Monado Arts]], to adapt quickly in combat by tweaking his abilities. While active, they grant him multiple perks such as a greatly improved [[edgeguard]]ing game (with Jump) or an extremely damaging moveset (with Buster), at the cost of giving him disadvantages as well. He also has one of the more effective counters in [[Vision]], which grants an especially long counter window when fresh along with high range and power.
Shulk uses the Monado as his weapon, which grants him the longest overall reach in the game, even outclassing other swordsmen like [[Ike]] and [[Cloud]], and uses an ability from his original game, [[Monado Arts]], to adapt quickly in combat by tweaking his abilities. While active, they grant him multiple perks such as a greatly improved [[edgeguard]]ing game (with Jump) or an extremely damaging moveset (with Buster), at the cost of giving him disadvantages as well. He also has one of the more effective counters in [[Vision]], which grants an especially long counter window when fresh along with high range and power.
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Shulk returns as a playable fighter in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'', albeit as an unlockable character instead of a starter character like in ''Super Smash Bros. 4''. Aesthetically, his moveset is largely the same, with the most notable change being Mecha-[[Fiora]] participating in [[Chain Attack]]. Mechanically, however, Shulk's moveset received several noticeable improvements. [[Monado Arts]] can be chosen directly via a rotary dial-like interface instead of having to cycle through them via button presses. The Arts also have more significant buffs at the cost of significant debuffs, shorter durations, and longer cooldowns.
Shulk returns as a playable fighter in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'', albeit as an unlockable character instead of a starter character like in ''Super Smash Bros. 4''. Aesthetically, his moveset is largely the same, with the most notable change being Mecha-[[Fiora]] participating in [[Chain Attack]]. Mechanically, however, Shulk's moveset received several noticeable improvements. [[Monado Arts]] can be chosen directly via a rotary dial-like interface instead of having to cycle through them via button presses. The Arts also have more significant buffs at the cost of significant debuffs, shorter durations, and longer cooldowns.


Along with this, Shulk's frame data has been sped up noticeably (although it is still rather slow) and he benefits immensely from the near-universal reduction to landing lag on aerials. Aside from forward smash, the rest of Shulk's multi-hit moves also connect much more reliably due to various types of hitbox adjustments. In addition to these buffs, the Monado retains its high damage output (even without Monado Arts active) and long range. This has led to Shulk gaining much higher representation and better results than in ''SSB4''. Although it is unclear where he ranks among the cast, it is widely agreed that Shulk is significantly stronger than he was in ''SSB4''.  
Along with this, Shulk's frame data has been sped up noticeably (although it is still rather slow) and he benefits immensely from the near-universal reduction to landing lag on aerials. Aside from forward smash, the rest of Shulk's multi-hit moves also connect much more reliably due to various types of hitbox adjustments. In addition to these buffs, the Monado retains its high damage output (even without Monado Arts active) and long range. This has led to Shulk gaining much higher representation and better results than in ''SSB4''. Although it is unclear where he ranks among the cast, it is widely agreed that Shulk is significantly stronger than he was in ''SSB4'', ranking at the bottom of the S- tier at 19th out of 82 as a top tier character.  
{{clr}}
{{clr}}


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==Trivia==
==Trivia==
*Shulk is the first playable character not created by Nintendo to be solely created by a Nintendo-owned subsidiary (being [[Monolith Soft]]). He would later be joined by [[Dark Samus]] (who was created by Retro Studios).
**Although [[Lucas]] and [[Dark Pit]] debuted in games developed by Nintendo-owned subsidiaries (Brownie Brown and Project Sora, respectively), ''Mother 3'' was co-developed by [[HAL Laboratory]], whereas Project Sora was a joint venture that involved [[Sora Ltd.]] (who owned 28% of the company), both of which are second-party developers.
*Shulk, [[Wii Fit Trainer]], [[Rosalina]] and the [[Mii Fighter]]s are the only characters whose console of origin is the Nintendo Wii.
*Shulk, [[Wii Fit Trainer]], [[Rosalina]] and the [[Mii Fighter]]s are the only characters whose console of origin is the Nintendo Wii.
*Excluding Wii Fit Trainer in the PAL regions or when the Switch's region settings are set to Europe, Shulk and [[Bayonetta]] are the only two British accented fighters in the series.
*Almost all of Shulk's voice clips in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series are exact lines of dialogue he uses in ''Xenoblade Chronicles'', albeit rerecorded.
*Almost all of Shulk's voice clips in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series are exact lines of dialogue he uses in ''Xenoblade Chronicles'', albeit rerecorded.
*Shulk's official height, [https://xeno-underground.net/katimus/monado_archives/xba_033.jpg as listed] in the ''Xenoblade Chronicles'' artbook, is 171cm or 5'7". In the [[Palutena's Guidance]] conversation regarding him, [[Palutena]] correctly states that he is 171cm in Japanese, but inaccurately claims he is 5'6" in English.
*Shulk's official height, [https://xeno-underground.net/katimus/monado_archives/xba_033.jpg as listed] in the ''Xenoblade Chronicles'' artbook, is 171 cm or 5'7". In the [[Palutena's Guidance]] conversation regarding him, [[Palutena]] correctly states that he is 171 cm in Japanese, but inaccurately claims he is 5'6" (around 168 cm) in English.


{{Characters}}
{{Characters}}
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