Editing Inkling (SSBU)

'''Inkling''' ({{ja|インクリング|Inkuringu}}, ''Inkling'') is a playable character in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''. Although the default costume is female, both of the genders associated with this character are playable. They were the first character that was teased to appear in the then-unnamed ''Ultimate'' in its first teaser trailer at the end of the March 8th, 2018 [[Nintendo Direct]], and officially announced as a newcomer in ''Ultimate''{{'}}s [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L93H7YC-83o E3 2018 trailer], alongside {{SSBU|Daisy}} and {{SSBU|Ridley}}. Inkling is classified as [[Fighter number|Fighter #64]], the first fighter number of the [[newcomer]]s.

{{iw|inkipedia|Yuki Tsuji}} reprises his role as the voices of both the Inkling's male and female counterparts in all regions, albeit via recycled voice clips from ''{{iw|inkipedia|Splatoon}}'' and ''{{iw|inkipedia|Splatoon 2}}''.

However, Inkling is weighed down by several factors that prove problematic to her. Her well-rounded neutral and advantage are almost entirely offset by the borderline fatal flaw of having no reliable KO options. All of her [[smash attack|Smash attacks]] (as well as the [[Splat Roller]]) are difficult to score clean hits with and highly punishable on block or whiff, the [[sweet spot (hitbox)|sweet spot]] of her [[forward aerial]] is similarly precise, and her back aerial is prone to [[stale-move negation|staling]] due to its frequent usage. This makes her reliant on [[edgeguarding]], [[predicting|reads]] and situational moves like up aerial and back throw for a lot of KOs; things she can perform decently with but none of which she particularly excels at compared to other characters. Her up throw KO confirm only partially alleviates this issue, as it has varying percentage windows depending on character and stage, and it is further influenced by [[rage]]. Moreover, the KO confirm highlights another issue, which is Inkling's linear game plan. Despite having a strong combo game, it is almost entirely centered on Inkling having to grab the opponent since she lacks in the way of reliable combo starters, making her options fairly predictable. Her [[out of shield]] options are also sub-par due to awkward hitbox coverage, meaning she plays weaker when on the defensive.

Inkling's greatest strength is, fittingly, fast general movement and attack speed. Inkling's dash is notable for shifting their entire hurtbox during movement, which in some cases allows them to low-profile through certain attacks, and its obscure animation - which shares a visual similarity with her spot dodge animation - as well as their strong initial dash gives the character one of the strongest and most deceptive [[dash-dance]]s in the entire game. While the range on many of their attacks is rather lacking, this is made up for by decently fast frame data (although many of her moves have noticeable lag), which allows Inkling to put their fast mobility to good use and rush opponents down in a flurry of moves. Additionally, Inkling boasts a strong ground and aerial offense, with many moves being capable of stringing together, particularly when coupled with an [[up throw]], which is an effective combo initiator until high [[percent]]s and can even [[KO]] through its setups. As a result, opponents can have a tough time finding openings in her offense, since their high speed and low landing lag allow their to weave around any foe very easily and an extremely potent [[combo]] ability easily turns any mistake on their end into a potential combo starter.

The character's damage racking potential is further enhanced by the unique {{b|ink|status}} mechanic, lifted from their origin series. Select moves - such as [[Splattershot]] - will cover opponents in ink, which increases damage dealt to them up to a maximum of 1.5×, though this will wear off over time. When an opponent is fully inked, many combos are capable of effectively dishing out surprising amounts of damage over a short period on careless opponents. Because of these traits, alongside aforementioned ones, Inkling sports what is commonly believed by many to be the best [[neutral attack]] in the game. It has respectable startup due to it coming out on frame 3. It sports good range and its rapid jab to finisher can occasionally apply enough ink to reach the ink's full damage multiplier, which sets up the opponent for massive [[damage]] strings. As a downside, ink also affects the power of certain moves, such as the aforementioned neutral attack infinite, [[forward throw]], [[special move]]s and [[smash attack]]s, which lose significant KO power or damage when the ink tank is empty (with some moves being rendered completely unusable). Due to this, Inkling has to recharge the ink tank by going into a "charging" stance once the ink tank is completely depleted. As this leaves Inkling wide open to attacks with no escape options till the charge animation ends, managing the ink supply with care is crucial, and it is important to keep a safe distance from the opponent when recharging.

Inkling also has powerful offstage capability due to their attributes. Despite having a relatively linear [[recovery]], Inkling is able to vary it by [[double jump]]ing out of [[Splat Roller]] in combination with the very long-reaching [[Super Jump]], allowing the recovery to be less predictable and allowing their to stay airborne for extended periods. Inkling's Super Jump also has a very generous [[edge sweetspot]] range, making it hard for certain characters to [[2 frame punish]] them, and due to its deceptive startup hitbox, it can be used to [[gimp]] off-stage opponents or even [[stage spike]] them in some cases. Coupled with the sheer speed of the moves, this makes it difficult to challenge Inkling with an offstage [[edgeguard]]. Inkling also has one of the best [[air speed]]s to supplement this and likewise can edgeguard very proficiently through strong usage of [[aerial]]s. Among the most notable is their [[back aerial]], which is one of her safest moves not only offstage but also in the [[neutral game]], as it sports a notable [[disjoint]] - making it one of Inkling's safest moves on [[shield]] if properly [[spacing|spaced]] - and is able to combo into itself at mid-percents, which can lead to a [[wall of pain]] in certain situations. Their [[forward aerial]] exchanges the disjoint and overall versatility for strength, having stronger [[knockback]] when [[sweet spot (hitbox)|sweetspotted]] which can lead to guaranteed off-stage KOs at mid-to-high percents and its [[sourspot]] can make for a decent gimping tool on select characters. Inkling's [[Splat Bomb]]s are a crucial tool both in neutral and when covering the [[edge]]; while the bomb can be thrown off-stage to intercept the opponent, the angle and awkward timer of the bomb also makes for a powerful frame trapping tool, particularly on opponents that are recovering on the ledge.

Even with a solid set of strengths, the character is not without several weaknesses. Despite having high damage racking potential, most of Inkling's strongest KO moves are all comparatively unsafe - particularly Splat Roller and several smash attacks - often forcing the character to rely on [[read]]s, edgeguarding, and immaculate spacing in order to guarantee a KO at earlier percents. While this issue is partially alleviated by Inkling being one of the few characters in the game to have a [[Kill confirm|KO confirm]] off of a [[grab]], the percentage windows vary from character to character - with the confirm being borderline impossible on a select few characters - and it is also affected by [[rage]]. The ink mechanic also forces Inkling to be resourceful with many of their moves, as without ink, they lose access to several crucial attacks such as Splat Roller and Splat Bomb. Despite Inkling's strong aerial combo game, it is highly centralized around grabs due to their lacking a reliable grounded combo starter. This is further compounded by Inkling's mediocre regular ground attacks; despite sporting disjointed hitboxes on her [[forward tilt]] and [[down tilt]], they possess little utility outside of spacing due to neither leading into any follow-ups. Finally, Inkling also suffers from dubious hitbox placements, notably in their [[up tilt]] which lacks decent horizontal coverage, as well as their [[neutral aerial]], meaning that, despite their good aerial speed, they possess neither the most reliable landing options at a disadvantage, nor the best [[out of shield]] options.

Overall, Inkling is a rounded character with solid mobility stats and solid damage racking capability overall. Their deceptive traits and a strong set of attacks make her a versatile fighter that excels both at defensive and offensive play. However, their lack of easy KO options relative to the upper-tier cast forces the character to maintain strong consistency in her play, as she can occasionally struggle to score KOs and make up [[stock]] deficits, particularly against opponents who have a much easier time KOing or stuffing out their movement options. In addition, Inkling's potential in [[doubles]] was noted by [[Masahiro Sakurai]] himself as being one of the character's strengths, allowing teammates to rack up damage even faster.  

There were glimmers of hope for Inkling as new Inkling players started to make waves in the post-online metagame. In Japan, {{Sm|Shirayuki}} established himself as a consistent threat in his scene, which included a 2nd-place finish at {{Trn|Maesuma TOP 9}}, the highest placement for an Inkling player at an ''Ultimate'' major. Futhermore, the United States saw the rise of {{Sm|Colorondo8}}, who despite having more mixed results compared to Shirayuki still saw several respectable major placements and wins. Finally, Space did not fully drop Inkling and has pulled the character out from time-to-time. As a result, although Inkling's representation in the current metagame pales in comparison to her representation in the early metagame, it is nonetheless respectable, leading to Inkling's placement on the first tier list, where she was ranked 46th and later ranked 49th on the second and current tier list as an upper-mid tier character.

The Inklings of both genders were among the fighters that were summoned to fight the army of [[Master Hand]]s.

Inkling Girl's fighter spirit can be obtained by completing {{SSBU|Classic Mode}} as Inkling. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 300 Gold, but only after Inkling has been unlocked. Unlocking Inkling in World of Light allows the player to preview the first spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a fighter spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. Inkling Boy has a fighter spirit of his own, only available through the shop. Each fighter spirit has an alternate version that replaces them with their artwork in ''Ultimate''.

*Inkling, {{SSBU|Snake}}, and {{SSBU|Steve}} are the only characters who cannot angle their shield by holding the special move button while shielding. In Inkling's case, this is due to the shield and special button combination being used to refill her ink gauge.