Editing Ivysaur (SSBU)

'''Ivysaur''' ({{ja|フシギソウ|Fushigisō}}, ''Fushigisou'') is a playable character in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''. It was confirmed on June 12th, 2018. Along with the Pokémon Trainer, Ivysaur is classified as [[Fighter number|Fighter #34]].

As with other playable characters from the ''Pokémon'' franchise, Ivysaur is voiced by several voice actors in different languages, each of them reprising their roles from the respective dubs for ''Pokémon the Series: XY''. The voice actors are as follows:

 

*Justin Anselmi in English, succeeding Craig Blair's portrayal from ''Brawl''.

*Inuko Inuyama in Japanese, succeeding Tomoko Kawakami's portrayal also from ''Brawl''.

 

Ivysaur is one of the characters made playable from [[Pokémon Trainer]], alongside the likes of [[Squirtle]] and [[Charizard]]. It is a [[Weight|middleweight]] fighter, having a below average [[dash]] and [[gravity]], an average [[Jump|jump height]], and high [[traction]]. While {{SSBU|Squirtle}} will automatically be the first Pokémon on-screen if Pokémon Trainer is selected, pressing the [[Y button]] on the character select screen will toggle Ivysaur as first. In relation to [[Pokémon change]], the order is always Ivysaur-{{SSBU|Charizard}}-Squirtle. If Squirtle is [[KO]]'d, Ivysaur will always appear on the next [[revival platform]].

 

One of Ivysaur's biggest strengths is its range, as its vine-based attacks (neutral attack, up tilt, down tilt, down smash, forward aerial, back aerial, and [[Vine Whip]]) all have very generous range that allow Ivysaur to keep foes at a distance with relative ease. Among said attacks, they all either synergize as get-off-me options (down tilt/down smash), mix-up options (up tilt/neutral aerial) or niche KO moves (forward aerial and Vine Whip), which grant Ivysaur a decently effective ranged toolkit. Altogether, this mix gives Ivysaur among the most effective range in the game, made more effective by said moves all having at most 15 frames of startup.

Another strength that Ivysaur has is its strong air game. Every aerial Ivysaur has is either a powerful KO move or a potent combo tool and serves as the basis of its powerful advantage state. While its back aerial is among the weakest of aerial attacks in the game, its aforementioned range allows it to keep foes at a distance. Its weak nature allows it to combo into itself at low percentages and at higher percentages can lead into Vine Whip in certain situations. Its neutral aerial has use as a combo extender due to its looping hits using the autolink angle, although its low power makes it easy to intercept. Its up and down aerials are notorious for their KO power and large hitboxes, while its forward aerial, despite its slow startup, is a reliable combo starter into Vine Whip due to its diagonal knockback. Additionally, none of its aerial attacks have more than 17 frames of landing lag, making them good for air-to-ground approaches.

Ivysaur's grab game is also useful. While all of its grabs are active on frame 13, they are among the longest-reaching in ''Ultimate'' and are decently fast overall, which further adds to Ivysaur's already strong range. To boot, all of its throws deal at least 7% damage. While its forward throw is ironically unsuitable for both combos and KOs due to its high base knockback and low knockback growth, its back throw is a good KO option at the edge, and its up throw is a decent low-percentage combo tool. However, of particular note is its down throw: despite its low damage, its has strong combo potential until around 100%, while its knockback scaling also makes it the strongest down throw in the game, allowing it to KO in situations where back throw cannot.

Finally, Ivysaur has a useful array of special moves. [[Bullet Seed]] is a fast, multi-hitting attack that hits foes directly above Ivysaur with decent damage, allowing it to work well as an anti-air. [[Razor Leaf]] is a projectile that despite its slow startup, lingers for a short time and has low knockback, allowing it to be used effectively for stage control, combo setup, or general spacing. Lastly, [[Vine Whip]] is Ivysaur's primary recovery move and a strong KO option when sweetspotted, and like other tethers in ''Ultimate'', has a very long range. Notably, it can hit below the ledge and its animation is very fast, leading to tricky mix-ups for unsuspecting opponents.

However, Ivysaur is held back by various flaws. Perhaps Ivysaur's most prominent issue is its ground game: while its tilt attacks have strong range, they are also equally lacking in power. Down tilt serves as a quick "get-off-me" option, and is his fastest grounded option at frame 4. Up tilt hits directly above Ivysaur and can lead into up air at certain percentages, though it does not have a scoop hitbox, leading to it being a niche move at best. While its smash attacks possess high power, they are generally predictable due to slow startup. Its up smash is among the strongest in the game, but it has very slow startup at 26 frames, while its horizontal range renders it hard to approach with against grounded opponents. Down smash suffers from the opposite problem: while decently fast, it fails to KO until very high percentages, a fact made worse by its sourspots. Arguably its most useful smash attack is forward smash, which when timed correctly can cover all ledge options and is generally safe on shield at full range. Its dash attack is a good burst option, but also suffers from low knockback scaling and cannot KO reliably. Finally, due to said problems, Ivysaur is very susceptible to stale-move negation, meaning it will almost constantly rely on its ranged attacks, all of which deal low damage.

Ivysaur also has a problematic recovery. Its [[air speed]] is mediocre, ranking 60th in Smash Ultimate. While its up and down aerials provide different vertical movement options, they are only useful when close to the stage due to their ending lag. Vine Whip has long range as a tether, but only works if Ivysaur is sufficiently close to a ledge, where it is susceptible to stage spikes. Altogether, this makes it infeasible for Ivysaur to recover when above the stage, where any sufficiently strong semi-spike or meteor smash can potentially keep it away from ledges.

Finally, due to a lackluster air speed and falling speed, Ivysaur is highly susceptible to juggle situations and has a poor overall disadvantage state. Although Ivysaur has a plethora of amazing aerials, none of them are particularly effective in disadvantage and without a jump Ivysaur has few options to get back on the ground. Ivysaur has the opportunity to switch to Charizard for better air speed and another jump, but such options are committal and can lead to an even further punish.

Altogether, Ivysaur fills the "zoner" role for Pokemon Trainer's lineup, with its long range, disjointed attacks, and projectile allowing it to excel at keeping opponents out. It is the middle of the three in weight, and is usually used around mid-high percent because of its strong advantage state, combos, and zoning ability.

 

If the player wishes to centralize their gameplan around Ivysaur, knowledge of Charizard is recommended. Charizard's immense power in combination with their similar range to Ivysaur's allows a player to switch between a defensive zoner and offensive aerial gameplan that allows them to keep control over the pace of a battle with ease. Additionally, Charizard's wealth of recovery options and additional mid-air jump covers Ivysaur's lackluster recovery, and their super heavyweight status gives them an edge when staying alive for as long as possible is required.

Ivysaur was previously considered the worst Pokémon in the {{SSBU|Pokémon Trainer}}'s party and one of the worst characters in ''Brawl'' (especially if judged as a standalone fighter), due to its large amount of significant weaknesses, namely poor damage outputs on its attacks, notable KO problems due to laggy finishers, bad aerial game, even worse recovery, and one of the worst special movesets in the game. Most likely in an attempt to create a higher balance within the team, Ivysaur has been heavily buffed in the transition to ''Ultimate'', and is by far the most buffed Pokémon in the Pokémon Trainer's party.

Ivysaur's biggest buffs come from the adjustments to the Pokémon Trainer's mechanics alongside universal gameplay changes. The [[type effectiveness]] mechanic, which previously gave Ivysaur a disproportionate weakness to the common [[flame]]-type attacks throughout the cast, has been removed, while the elimination of [[Pokémon Change#Stamina|stamina]] allows Ivysaur to stay in the fight without weakening its moves. The universal increase to mobility benefits Ivysaur, significantly improving its [[air speed]]. The universally decreased [[landing lag]] on aerials fixes its poor aerial approach, and now grants its moves combo potential, which is especially bolstered by the changes to [[hitstun canceling]]. However, and most notably, the removal of [[edgehogging]] in favor of ledge trumping considerably improves its exploitable recovery, allowing [[Vine Whip]] to grab the ledge. This is further helped by the ability to use [[Pokémon Change]] in the air, allowing Ivysaur to gain access to {{SSBU|Charizard}}'s better recovery in case it's not able to teturn to the stage.

A large part of Ivysaur's moveset has been modified and is significantly more useful overall. The addition of a finisher and the changes to neutral infinites makes its [[neutral attack]] more reliable for racking up damage, while [[down tilt]] consists of a single hit that [[semi-spike]]s. Some of Ivysaur's notoriously weak attacks, such as [[down smash]] and [[back aerial]], have had their damage and knockback considerably increased, with down smash gaining a sweetspot that can KO at realistic percents. Tying in with its improved air physics, Ivysaur's aerial game has received several enhancements: it has a new, disjointed [[neutral aerial]] that performs much better than its old one, due to its [[autolink angle]] and the weakening of [[SDI]] from ''Brawl'' enabling it to connect much more reliably. [[Up aerial|Up]] and [[down aerial]]s' momentum changes are less extreme, and down aerial has been heavily buffed, as its small meteor smash sweetspot deals more damage and is slightly larger, and its large sourspot now meteor smashes as well, turning the move into a powerful edgeguarding tool.

In addition, Ivysaur's throw game is vastly more useful; it now has a more reliable KO throw in its [[back throw]], alongside reliable combos from [[up throw]] and [[down throw]], while it is also one of the characters to be the least affected by the universal nerfs to [[grab]]s, as only its pivot grab's lag was increased, and all grabs except its dash grab have more range. Lastly, its entire special moveset has been improved in several ways: [[Bullet Seed]] has gained a finisher (though the move remains situational overall), [[Razor Leaf]] is noticeably more useful as a [[projectile]] due to its previously unreliable trajectory being more consistent and the changes to hitstun canceling granting it extreme combo potential, and Vine Whip has faster startup, can be angled, and no longer causes helplessness, giving Ivysaur a powerful combo finisher and more opportunities to recover. Altogether, these changes immensely improve Ivysaur's neutral game, damage racking, and zoning abilities, putting them more in line with the rest of the cast.

 

All in all, Ivysaur has become a drastically better character since its introduction in ''Brawl'', especially relative to the rest of the cast. While it has been retooled to fit more in line as the zoner the Pokémon Trainer's party, and it has received nerfs in game updates, Ivysaur is now considered to be the most useful Pokémon of the three, with traits like decent weight, disjointed attacks, a conventional projectile, and combos and setups into its most powerful moves, allowing Ivysaur to fill in the gaps its partners lack, namely Squirtle's lack of power at the cost of attack speed, Charizard's slow moveset in detriment of power, and both Pokemon's melee range in exchange for slower movement speed.

Ivysaur was the most nerfed out of all three of Pokémon Trainer's Pokémon. Its biggest nerfs were to its infamously potent down aerial: in addition to its sweetspot becoming smaller, its sourspot's already low knockback was decreased even further. Additionally, Razor Leaf is slower and aerial Vine Whip deals less knockback, weakening it as a combo finisher. As a result of these nerfs and simultaneous buffs to Charizard, Pokémon Trainer's playstyle has become significantly less Ivysaur centric, with some even believing that Ivysaur is now the worst Pokémon within the trio rather than the best.

|neutralname=Whip Sweep ({{ja|ムチはたき|Muchi Hataki}}) / Whip Combo ({{ja|ムチムチコンボ|Muchi Konbo}}) / Whip Barrage ({{ja|ムチれんだ|Muchi Renda}}) / Whip Finish ({{ja|ムチフィニッシュ|Muchi Finisshu}})

|neutraldesc=Whips its vine forwards, then another if the button is pressed again. If the button is pressed repeatedly or if the first two hits connect, it then begins a series of rapid vine slaps, with a finishing hit at the end. The first two hits can [[jab reset]]. Uniquely, if the A button is held, Ivysaur will use hits 1 and 2 repeatedly, whereas most characters will repeat their first jab only.

|ftiltname=Windmill Cutter ({{ja|ふうしゃカッター|Fūsha Kattā}})

|ftiltdesc=Leans forward and spins the leaves around its bulb like a helicopter blade, hitting multiple times. It has decent range in front of Ivysaur, but contrary to its looks, the move cannot hit behind Ivysaur. Has a slight amount of startup. Hits 7 times, with the last hit dealing decent horizontal knockback, though with low knockback growth. Ivysaur's only tilt with KO potential, though it KOs very late, at around 185% from the edge of {{SSBU|Final Destination}}.

|utiltname=Whip Lift ({{ja|ムチリフト|Muchi Rifuto}})

|utiltdesc=Handstands and thrusts its feet upwards. Decent upwards knockback and good upwards range, but it lacks hitboxes beside Ivysaur, making it difficult to hit grounded opponents. It can lead to aerials at low percents. Due to it lifting Ivysaur's hurtbox upwards, it can dodge certain ground-level attacks.

|dtiltname=Leg Sweep ({{ja|あしもとはたき|Ashimoto Hataki}})

|dtiltdesc=Whips its vine quickly along the ground forwards. Very fast, can hit opponents hanging on ledges, and deals semi-spike knockback of mild strength, but deals very low damage while lacking followup options due to its ending lag. Useful as a poking option, or as an approach option out of a dash.

|dashname=Shoulder Tackle ({{ja|かたタックル|Kata Takkuru}})

|dashdesc=Leaps forward in a sliding tackle. Fast startup with decent base knockback, which sends opponents diagonally upwards; however, it has significant difficulty KOing due to its angle and low knockback growth, only doing so around 185% from the edge of Final Destination. The late hit of the move deals much less knockback, but at the same angle.

|fsmashname=Whip Charge ({{ja|ムチチャージ|Muchi Chajī}})

|fsmashdesc=Plants its vines on the ground before lunging itself forward to headbutt. The move can be angled up or down, though its power does not change. Deals good knockback, is rather fast, and has deceptively good range, although it shifts Ivysaur's hurtbox forward and has noticeable ending lag. The earliest hit deals the most knockback and damage, and can KO at 85% from the edge of Final Destination.

|usmashname=Exploding Flower ({{ja|ばくれつフラワー|Bakuretsu Furawā}})

|usmashdesc=Launches a burst of spores from its bulb above upwards. A very powerful move that does vertical knockback. It is Ivysaur's most damaging regular attack and one of the strongest up smashes in the game, but it has extremely high startup and ending lag, making it suited for hard punishes. Additionally, while it has a large hitbox, it lacks in horizontal range. KOs at 83% on Final Destination.

|dsmashname=Double Whip ({{ja|ダブルムチ|Daburu Muchi}})

|dsmashdesc=Quickly whips its two vines across the ground in both sides of it. This is its fastest smash attack both in terms of startup and ending lag. While it has decent range and can two-frame, its forward smash does a better job for KOing. However, it deals relatively low knockback and damage for an attack of its kind. The tips of Ivysaur's vines do the most knockback and damage, and they can hit opponents hanging on ledges. The sweetspot KOs at 127% near the edge of Final Destination.

|nairname=Ivy Leaf ({{ja|フシギリーフ|Fushigi Rifū}}, ''Fushigi Leaf'')

|nairdesc=Spins with its bud facing towards the screen, hitting with its leaves. The leaf hitboxes are disjointed. Hits 8 times, with the last hit dealing moderate knockback. Due to its speed, duration, and coverage, it is a good move for aerial contesting or approaching. It has noticeable landing lag and cannot auto-cancel from a short hop, but has deceptively low ending lag, allowing Ivysaur to use another aerial before landing when done from a full hop.

|fairname=Whip Dunk ({{ja|ムチダンク|Muchi Danku}})

|fairdesc=Swings its vine forwards. Good overall coverage in front of Ivysaur, though it has some slight startup. Deals diagonal knockback and can true combo into angled [[Vine Whip]] at low percents. It can also combo into itself at low percents, though this is not guaranteed. At mid percents, it can potentially chain into an up aerial. Due to its upward angle, it has difficulty KOing offstage, but can KO earlier if the enemy is close to the top blast line. Ivysaur's only aerial that can [[autocancel]] in a short hop.

|bairname=Whip Wheel ({{ja|ムチホイール|Muchi Hoīru}})

|bairdesc=Backflips and swings its vines backwards. The first hit is very weak and designed to combo into the second hit, which does weak diagonal knockback. The first hit can start guaranteed combos once Ivysaur lands, though this may be difficult due to how fast the attack transitions. It has great horizontal range and low landing lag, making it well-suited for spacing. It can set up into itself and other moves, although this is not guaranteed. Additionally, it is very weak and has significant difficulty KOing due to its angle.

|uairname=Exploding Descent ({{ja|ばくれつきゅうこうか|Bakuretsu Kyūkōka}})

|uairdesc=Expels a burst of spores upwards from its bulb, which causes Ivysaur to move downwards slightly. If done near the peak of a full hop, Ivysaur will not experience much downwards momentum. A damaging move with a large hitbox above Ivysaur alongside powerful vertical knockback and little startup lag; it is one of the strongest up aerials in the game in terms of damage and knockback. Ivysaur's strongest aerial. Autocancels from a full hop, and has low landing lag, allowing it to be used in a short hop fast fall to challenge opponents on platforms. Despite its power, it deals low damage to shields.

|dairname=Rear Exploding Flower ({{ja|うらばくれつフラワー|Ura Bakuretsu Furawā}})

|dairdesc=Turns upside-down and expels a burst of spores downwards from its bulb, similarly to its up aerial. Ivysaur's descent is stalled slightly when this move is used. Like up aerial, it is a powerful aerial, dealing decent knockback for a [[meteor smash]], while having fast startup on frame 11 and an extremely large disjointed hitbox. The move has a sweetspot closer to the bulb that deals much more knockback, though the sourspot still meteor smashes. It is capable of hitting opponents easily out of a short hop, even from above platforms; at higher percents, it will cause grounded opponents to launch off the floor, allowing Ivysaur to punish missed techs and/or tech-chase with a multitude of moves, including any ground move or [[Bullet Seed]]. At even higher percents, up aerial will work as a KO combo at 130%, while up smash can act as a potent hard read from a wide range of percentages. Its enormous hitbox allows it to hit most characters below the stage before they can even sweetspot the ledge. As a result, down aerial is one of Ivysaur's most useful aerial moves. However, it only lasts for 2 frames, and due to its extreme ending lag of 51 frames, it's very punishable when missed or shielded.

|grabname=Grab ({{ja|つかみ|Tsukami}})

|grabdesc=Extends its vines forward to grab an opponent with them. High range for a non-tether grab, but slow startup and high ending lag for a standard grab.

|pummelname=Grab Headbutt ({{ja|つかみずつき|Tsukami Zutsuki}})

|pummeldesc=Headbutts the opponent while holding them with its vines. Average power and speed.

|fthrowname=Vine Sling ({{ja|つるスリング|Tsuru Suringu}})

|fthrowdesc=Headbutts the opponent forwards. It can affect bystanders. Has too much base knockback for combos and too little knockback growth to KO, hence its only use is to send opponents offstage.

|bthrowname=Vine Throw ({{ja|つるとばし|Tsuru Tobashi}})

|bthrowdesc=Spins around before tossing the opponent away. This causes Ivysaur to turn to face the other direction when it is used. Deals good diagonal knockback, being Ivysaur's most powerful throw in terms of damage and knockback, and KOs rather early at 109% near the edge of Final Destination.

|uthrowname=Vine Thrust ({{ja|つるつきあげ|Tsuru Tsukiage}})

|uthrowdesc=Holds the opponent upwards and hits them with its bud. Has combo potential at low percents, allowing combos into Bullet Seed or up aerial at 0%, or up aerial or Vine whip at around 30%. After 45%, it loses combo potential due to its knockback growth.

|dthrowname=Vine Drop ({{ja|つるおとし|Tsuru Otoshi}})

|dthrowdesc=Frontflips and slams the opponent against the ground. Ivysaur's best combo throw, which can start combos into up aerial or dash canceled up tilt at 0%. At around 60%, it can lead to Vine Whip, which can KO at around 83% if the sweetspot lands. Surprisingly, this is also the strongest down throw in the game, being able to KO middleweights at around 161%.

|floorfdesc=Gets up with a horizontal spin, kicking to each side.

|floorbdesc=Swings both sides with its vines as it gets up.

|floortdesc=Stands up and hits both sides with its vines.

|edgedesc=Climbs up and swings its vine forwards. This is the fastest edge attack of the three Pokémon, coming out on frame 21 (as compared to Squirtle's frame 28 and Charizard's frame 24).

|nsdesc=Ivysaur sends a barrage of seeds ascending from its bulb. Ivysaur will continue to use the move as long the special button is held, it can be held for up to 2 seconds. The seeds deal less damage the further they travel before hitting. There is a hitbox on Ivysaur's body and at its sides when the move is started, to launch opponents into the seeds, and there is also a hitbox on Ivysaur's body during the move, for the same purpose. The last seed does greater knockback to launch opponents away. The move has a maximum damage output of about 19.4%. Overall, the attack is useful for deterring aerial approaches or racking up damage through combos into it.

|fsdmg=0.2% (Solar Beam), 5% (Finisher)

|fsdesc=The {{SSBU|Pokémon Trainer}} sends out both {{SSBU|Squirtle}} and {{SSBU|Charizard}}, and all three Pokémon perform a combination attack involving powerful trapping attacks with long horizontal range. For Ivysaur's contribution to the attack, it uses {{iw|bulbapedia|Solar Beam|move}}, a long beam of solar energy that traps opponents for repeated damage. Serves as the finisher and traps opponents that may be at the far end of the beam. Deals damage every 5 frames.

SSBUIvysaurIdle1.gif|Ivysaur's first idle pose.

SSBUIvysaurIdle2.gif|Ivysaur's second idle pose.

The male {{SSBU|Pokémon Trainer}} was among the fighters that were summoned to fight against the army of [[Master Hand]]s, and he brought his three Pokémon with him, including Ivysaur.

{|class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"

!style="width:5%;"|No.

!style="width:5%;"|Image

!Name

!Type

!Power

!Stage

!Music

|33-35

|[[File:Pokémon Trainer SSBU.png|center|64x64px]]

|{{SSBU|Pokémon Trainer}}

|{{SpiritType|Attack}} <center>{{color|#dc1029|Attack}}</center>

|7,500

|{{SSBU|Battlefield}} ([[Ω form]])

|''{{SSBUMusicLink|Pokémon|Main Theme - Pokémon Red & Pokémon Blue (Brawl)}}''

{{clr}}

Ivysaur's fighter spirit can be obtained by completing {{SSBU|Classic Mode}} as Pokémon Trainer, along with Squirtle's and Charizard's if they already haven't been obtained. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 300 Gold, but only after Pokémon Trainer has been unlocked. Unlocking Pokémon Trainer in World of Light allows the player to preview the spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a fighter spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. Its fighter spirit has an alternate version that replaces it with its artwork in ''Ultimate''.

SSBU spirit Ivysaur.png|415. '''''Ivysaur'''''

==In Spirit Battles==

|{{SpiritTableName|Petey Piranha (Super Mario Strikers)|customname=[[Petey Piranha]] (Super Mario Strikers)|size=64}} {{Flag|North America}}<br>Petey Piranha (Mario Strikers) {{Flag|PAL}}

|''Super Mario Strikers'' Series {{Flag|North America}}<br>''Mario Strikers'' Series {{Flag|PAL}}

|{{SpiritType|Grab}}

|{{SpiritTableName|Tektite|size=64}}

|{{SpiritType|Shield}}

|{{SpiritTableName|Geemer|link=y|size=64}}

|{{SpiritType|Shield}}

|{{SpiritTableName|Venusaur|link=y|size=64}}

|{{SpiritType|Shield}}

|{{SpiritTableName|Chikorita|link=y|size=64}}

|{{SpiritType|Grab}}

|{{SpiritTableName|Shaymin (Land Forme)|size=64}}

|{{SpiritType|Grab}}

|{{SpiritTableName|Chespin|link=y|size=64}}

|•{{SSBU|Ivysaur}} {{Head|Ivysaur|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Green}}×3

|{{SpiritType|Shield}}

|{{SpiritTableName|Rowlet|size=64}}

|{{SpiritType|Shield}}

*Ivysaur, {{SSBU|Byleth}}, and {{SSBU|Min Min}} are the only three playable characters in ''Ultimate'' whose up special is solely a [[tether recovery]].

*Whenever Ivysaur performs a ledge jump, it is briefly seen holding onto the ledge with its right foot (left foot when facing left). This is possibly due to being an animation carryover from ''Brawl''.