Ike (SSBU): Difference between revisions

Ike is currently ranked 71st out of 82 on the [[tier list]], placing him in the upper of D- tier. This is a slight drop compared to his tier placement in ''SSB4'', where he was ranked 39th out of 54, and is his worst placement in the series. Ike's best assets lie in his overall power and range, having some of the strongest moves in the game. His neutral aerial's low landing lag and base knockback make it an effective option for spacing and initiating combos, including into KO confirms. Additionally, Ike has a promising combo game, as he is able to use down tilt, neutral aerial, down throw and, to a lesser extent, his up throw to confirm into combos at various percentages.

However, Ike also has some polarizing weaknesses, most notably his poor disadvantage state. Due to his tall height, heavy [[weight]], slow mobility, and sluggish frame data, Ike is especially susceptible to combo-oriented and/or speedy fighters. In addition, Ike suffers from a linear recovery and is reliant on his [[double jump]]; therefore, a reasonably strong [[semi-spike]] is generally sufficient to KO him while he is offstage, especially if he has already utilized his double jump.

Although Ike originally achieved very promising results during the early metagame of ''Ultimate'', courtesy of players such as {{Sm|MkLeo}} and {{Sm|Ryuga}}, his representation notably declined due to his best players either dropping him or becoming inactive. Despite currently having below-average representation, Ike has nevertheless maintained some tournament success in the current metagame, thanks to dedicated mains such as {{Sm|Tora}} and {{Sm|PsyKoD}}.

|dsmashdesc=A kneeling, two-handed outward slash in front of himself and then behind himself. It is Ike's fastest smash attack by a considerable margin, hitting on frame 13. The front hit is considerably weaker than Ike's other smash attacks, but still boasts respectable power, KOing opponents at around 105% from the center of Final Destination. As a result, it is Ike's most reliable smash attack overall; however, its 35 frames of ending lag make it very punishable if it misses or is shielded. On the other hand, the back hit is slower, coming out on frame 32, and has a much weaker late hit, but its hitboxes have a longer duration, and the clean hit is far stronger, dealing impressive damage and KOing opponents at around 85% while having less ending lag compared to the front hit.

|nairdesc=A downward arcing slash underneath himself. It has the lowest landing lag out of Ike's aerials, and its hitboxes have a long duration, provide wide coverage around and below Ike, and launch opponents vertically. Altogether, these traits make it an infamously reliable combo starter when [[SHFF]]'d, while also being a relatively safe spacing option. It is renowned for reliably comboing into a wide variety of attacks, including neutral attack, tilts and grab at low percentages, and an aerial attack (including itself) at low to medium percentages. At higher percents, it can be followed up with any of Ike's aerials and eventually becomes a notoriously reliable KO set-up into [[Aether]] near 80%, though at even higher percentages this stops being the case. It is Ike's least damaging aerial, but as of update 8.0.0, its knockback has increased to the point that it can function as a situational KO option at very high percentages while near the upper blast line. While it has excellent strengths, it is very predictable due to its hitbox starting above Ike's head, meaning the hitbox tends to connect around head level for opponents. As a result, it comes out slower than expected and is relatively easy to shield. Its long duration and high ending lag also makes it punishable if used high up in the air, as well as risky to use offstage. Finally, it is unable to autocancel even with a jump, requiring a double jump to do so.

|bairdesc=Quickly turns around to perform an outward slash. Due to its hitting on frame 7, it is Ike's fastest aerial. When coupled with its high damage and knockback for its speed, long horizontal range, and low landing lag, it is one of Ike's most viable approach and KO options. It can KO middleweights at around 120% from the center of Final Destination. Like the rest of Ike's aerials, however, its high ending lag prevents it from being used offstage as safely. It also has a short vertical range. Ike's only aerial move that he can autocancel in a short hop.

|nsdesc=Lifts Ragnell in front of himself in a two-handed reverse grip, and plunges it into the ground to produce a pillar of blue flames. It has [[transcendent priority]] and is [[charge]]able, causing Ragnell to become engulfed in [[flame]]s that become more prominent the longer it is charged. Its impressive vertical range and respectable power even when uncharged make it useful for edge-guarding, hitting recovering opponents before they can grab the edge if timed properly. When reaching full charge level, it grants super [[armor]] and produces one additional flame pillar away from Ike, or two if held for the maximum duration, significantly increasing its horizontal range; however, it also deals 10% [[recoil damage]] to him in the process. It can KO middleweights at around 150% when uncharged, and at around 55% from center stage when fully charged. The flame pillars at full charge deal more damage the closer to their base opponents are hit. A fully charged Eruption is also capable of instantly breaking a full shield, similarly to a fully charged [[Shield Breaker]].

|ssdesc=Kneels on one knee and readies himself to charge forward. If an opponent comes in range, Ike will perform a lunging outward slash. When fully charged, the slash is strong enough to KO middleweights at around 120%. However, it has a high ending lag if no opponent comes in range. In midair, it renders Ike [[helpless]] if he does not hit an opponent, but can still function reliably as an alternate recovery option due to the long horizontal distance it provides when charged, as well as its very low landing lag if timed properly.

|usdesc=Performs the {{iw|fireemblemwiki|Sol|skill}} portion of {{iw|fireemblemwiki|Aether}}, which sees Ike throwing Ragnell directly upwards, causing it to spin before he leaps upward to grab Ragnell, perform a somersaulting series of slashes, then conclude with a descending slash. It covers a respectable amount of vertical distance, but almost no horizontal distance. It grants super armor when initiated and until Ike begins rising, which is longer if the move is used on the ground, while all but its first hit have transcendent priority. Although it is primarily used for recovering, it can also function as a useful damage racking option when all of its hits connect due to its high total damage. The start of its descending hitbox also meteor smashes opponents, allowing it to be used for a [[sacrificial KO]]. As of update 2.0.0, its descending hitbox has less knockback, which makes it slightly less reliable at KOing opponents early. As of update 8.0.0, its landing hit has significantly more knockback and a much more horizontal launching angle, to the point that it KOs middleweights as low as 70% near the edge.

|dsdesc=[[fireemblemwiki:Counter|Parries]] and then [[counterattack]]s against any incoming attacks with a reverse gripped downward slash while Ragnell is covered in blue flames. It is slow for a counterattack, activating on frame 9, and has high ending lag, but is among the strongest counterattacks in the game. Additionally, due to granting Ike full intangibility on frames 8-15, it can effectively be used to retaliate against attacks one frame before its counter window.

*{{Sm|Tora|Japan}} - The best Ike player in the world since 2023, regularly placing well at events including 7th at the superregional {{Trn|Karisuma SP 15}}, 25th at the major {{Trn|Maesuma TOP 15 "FINAL"}}, and 33rd at the supermajor {{Trn|Maesuma TOP 13}}.

This unfortunately continued on the second and current tier list where he fell from his previous 65th placement to 71st in the D- tier, registering Ike as a low tier character, with some people going so far as to admit that he is one of the worst characters (and hands down the worst Fire Emblem character besides [[Robin (SSBU)|Robin]]) in the game and should be ranked lower.