Editing Little Mac (SSBU)

|image = {{tabber|title1=Normal|content1=[[File:Little Mac SSBU.png|250px]]|title2=Hoodie|content2=[[File:Little Mac-Alt5 SSBU.png|190px]]|title3=Wireframe|content3=[[File:Wireframe Mac SSBU.png|250px]]|title4=Wireframe Hoodie|content4=[[File:Little Mac-Alt7 SSBU.png|190px]]}}

'''Little Mac''' ({{ja|リトル・マック|Ritoru Makku}}, ''Little Mac'') is a playable character in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''. He was officially revealed on June 12th, 2018 alongside {{SSBU|Wario}} and the rest of the returning roster. Little Mac is classified as [[Fighter number|Fighter #49]].

Kōsuke Toriumi reprises his role as Little Mac's voice actor, albeit via reused voice clips from ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]''.

 

Little Mac is ranked 81st out of 82 on the ''Ultimate'' [[tier list]], placing him at the bottom of the E+ tier, and also being ranked as the second-lowest ranked character in the game. This is a noticeable drop from his ''Smash 4'' iteration, where he was ranked 43rd out of 54 at the lower end of mid-tier. Little Mac possesses a strong ground game thanks to his excellent ground mobility and numerous grounded kill moves. His smash attacks are especially strong as they have [[armor|super armor]] on startup and very respectable speed for their power, making them decently unchallengeable. His tilt attacks are also very respectable, as forward tilt serves as a quick and capable kill move, while down and up tilts can be used to set up combos. Finally, his special moves have also seen improvements from the previous game, most notably to Jolt Haymaker, which no longer sends Little Mac into freefall.

 

Due to Little Mac's extremely polarized nature, he is considered a rather unpopular pick in the current metagame. Despite that, he has still garnered respectable results thanks to the efforts of players such as {{Sm|Peanut}} and {{Sm|Tarakotori}}.

*Clear {{SSBU|Classic Mode}} with {{SSBU|Mario}} or any character in his unlock tree, being the 3rd character unlocked after {{SSBU|Bayonetta}}.

Little Mac must then be defeated on [[Boxing Ring]] (the [[Ω form]] is used in World of Light).

 

 

Little Mac is a [[weight|lightweight]] with very impressive ground mobility: he has the 8th fastest [[walking]] speed, the 3rd fastest [[dashing]] speed, and above-average [[traction]], granting him effective [[out of shield]] options. He also has the 3rd fastest initial dash, which has a long duration of 15 frames, giving him a long pivot and an excellent [[dash dance]] that is surpassed only by {{SSBU|Zero Suit Samus}} and {{SSBU|Mythra}}. His [[sidestep]] and [[roll]]s are tied with {{SSBU|Fox}}, {{SSBU|Sheik}} and Zero Suit Samus' for the fastest in the game, with his rolls giving the third longest distance in the game behind {{SSBU|Samus}} and {{SSBU|Dark Samus}}. These stats overall translate to him having excellent ground coverage and makes it easy for Little Mac to keep up with and punish opponents contesting with him on the ground, while also giving him fast and effective grounded defensive options. He also has fast [[falling speed]] (tied with {{SSBU|King Dedede}} for the 2nd fastest) and below-average [[gravity]], which collectively give him good vertical endurance in spite of his status as a lightweight. Aside from his great [[air speed]] (tied with {{SSBU|Mario}}, {{SSBU|Donkey Kong}}, {{SSBU|Sonic}} and {{SSBU|Inkling}}'s for 13th fastest) and his [[wall jump]], which is the 4th highest, the rest of Little Mac's aerial attributes are notoriously poor: his [[jump]] is tied with {{SSBU|Ryu}} and {{SSBU|Ken}}'s for the 5th lowest, his [[double jump]] is the 3rd lowest, his [[air acceleration]] is tied with {{SSBU|Ganondorf}} for the 6th lowest, and his directional [[air dodge]] travels the least amount of distance. These attributes effectively force Mac to stay on the ground as often as possible to make the use of his excellent ground mobility.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alongside these setbacks, Little Mac is further held back by a slew of exploitable weaknesses. As expected, Mac's weak air mobility and high falling speed make him incredibly susceptible to [[gimp]]s from [[meteor smash]]es, semi-spikes, and even footstool jumps, especially if he doesn't have his double jump. Compounding this, his directional air dodge has the least distance in the game, and his air dodge's ending lag is only average relative to the cast due to the universal changes to air dodges, since the ending lag depends on the character's falling speed and gravity. Thus, it is not only a situational option while in a disadvantaged state, but also poor as a normal recovery move. Mac can grab the ledge by using a directional air dodge if he is close enough, however, allowing him to cover the remaining distance to the ledge, making it very useful if combined with his double jump and special moves. His special moves are also considerably less effective while in the air. [[Straight Lunge]] loses much of its power when used in midair, and its long charge time makes it impractical for recovery. Aerial KO Uppercut is also significantly weaker and blockable, although it still has both KO and Recovery potential. While Jolt Haymaker and Rising Uppercut are Little Mac's most effective aerial KO options, they are very poor for recovery, offering poor travel distance, small [[edge sweet spot]]s, and minimal intangibility. Jolt Haymaker does not cause [[helplessness]], allowing Mac to follow up with a wall jump, directional air dodge or Rising Uppercut; however, it travels a mediocre distance and can only be used once before landing or grabbing the [[edge]], leaving Mac one of the most vulnerable characters to edge-guarding as he is unable to use it again if he gets hit. Rising Uppercut loses roughly half its travel distance when used in midair, and while aerial Slip Counter can be a good response to an edge-guard attempt and get Little Mac back on stage, it loses its intangibility, can be predicted, and its end lag if unsuccessful is likely to result in Mac self-destructing or getting gimped by the opponent if used at a low enough altitude. As a result, it is most beneficial to attempt to recover horizontally, rather than vertically, which is nearly impossible depending on if Mac is merely launched, or (semi-)spiked. These traits result in Little Mac having more difficulty with recovering than most other characters, being commonly cited as one of, if not the worst, recovery of the cast overall. While his below-average gravity and high falling speed grant solid vertical endurance for a lightweight, they also make him very vulnerable to combos and juggling. Additionally, the super armor granted by Mac's smash attacks still causes him to take full damage and must be timed carefully to avoid being punished. These traits make Mac extremely prone to momentum shifts; his lacking air game and overall frailty allows opponents to easily combo or even [[zero-to-death]] him after one mistake, even if Mac was otherwise dominating the match.

 

Because of these issues, his [[neutral game]], while decent, is predictable, and while he has a good approach due to his excellent mobility, Mac relies more heavily than most other characters on his shield and dodges for avoiding damage and general positioning, both of which can be predicted and easily punished if overused. His short range can be problematic against characters with long or [[Hitbox#Overview|disjointed]] attacks. While these issues can be mitigated with Mac's impressive ground speed, he also has trouble dealing with [[camping]]; his super armor and special moves provide options for dealing with projectiles, but he is still forced to approach, as he lacks projectiles of his own. His short jumps and weak aerial attacks also leave Mac especially vulnerable to platform camping, arguably more so than any other character in the game. While Mac is very effective at tech chasing due to his high ground speed, forward throw and wide, semi-spiking down smash, his combo potential is otherwise underwhelming, which combined with his linear neutral can sometimes make it difficult to safely rack up damage despite his attacks' high damage output. As a whole, Little Mac's poor combo game and lack of true KO confirms require him to win neutral exchanges more often in order to succeed, especially when trying to close out a stock since his most reliable KO options cannot be comboed into effectively at higher percentages outside of Jolt Haymaker or Rising Uppercut. Players must also be careful and know when to attack and play defensively, or else Little Mac could quickly lose the neutral game, and find themselves at a significant disadvantage.

 

Overall, Little Mac excels with a very specific, methodical playstyle that is reminiscent of a real-life boxer; a defensive bait and punish style, that entails keeping constant control of the middle of the stage, capitalizing on the opponent's mistakes, staying on the ground as much as possible, and utilizing his excellent ground mobility to his advantage. Because of his polarizing strengths and weaknesses, players must reach a higher than average level of play than most other fighters in order to use Little Mac effectively: he can be difficult to utilize despite his straightforward fighting style, as his severe disadvantage state forces him to play extremely carefully, despite his high mobility and power. Players must learn to utilize Little Mac's long rolls, fast air and fall speed, and super armor on smash attacks to approach projectile-based opponents, and take advantage of his powerful ground tools to condition opponents to make mistakes.

In addition, despite some of the universal changes improving Little Mac, other indirect changes have harmed him just as much. The increased damage on [[edge attack]]s (since they now deal more than 8% throughout the cast) means Straight Lunge's armor can no longer withstand them, removing a mind game option. The nerfs to defensive options to become stale if overused, while letting Little Mac punish opponents more easily, make his defense more exploitable due to his awful aerial game making him reliant on dodges and shielding. The limitation to a single air dodge until a character gets hit or lands on the ground, as well as the higher ending lag on one, is especially notable, as this makes him even more susceptible to juggling if his air dodge is misused, and much more susceptible to [[gimp]]ing despite his improved recovery, as combined with the ability to use Jolt Haymaker once before landing makes it difficult to fully extend his recovery. The changes to jostle mechanics, while making his moveset more consistent, make it easier to corner Little Mac and read his fairly linear [[approach]]. However, the removal of [[perfect pivot]]ing, the universal reduction of [[jumpsquat]]s and [[landing lag]] are the changes that hinder him more than any other character: the former change eliminates his extremely strong micro spacing tactics, while the changes to dash-canceling do not fully compensate for this; the latter two changes benefit his terrible aerial game far less while strengthening most of the cast's aerial games to varying degrees, making him more vulnerable to combos and aerial rushdowns and limits him more to shielding a move or directly contesting them by making use of his smash attacks' super armor to muscle through them, which can be risky.

Overall, despite some changes to Little Mac's awful recovery, safety on shield and the ability to dash cancel moves, Little Mac has lost many of the tools that made him effective in the previous game such as his deadly hit confirms, and is now forced to contend with the rest of the cast's improvements due to the revamped game physics, which leads to a less rewarding and much more patient playstyle then ever before. All of this amounts to Little Mac performing worse than he did in ''SSB4''.

{{SSB4 to SSBU changelist|char=Little Mac}}

Little Mac received a mix of buffs and nerfs via game updates, but was buffed overall. Although update 2.0.0 granted inconsequential buffs to his neutral and up aerials, update 3.1.0 noticeably improved him in a number of ways. Neutral attack, in particular, was buffed in three distinct ways. Its hits connect better thanks to improved ranges and, more notably, its first and second hits had their ending lag reduced to the point that it and {{SSBU|Mr. Game & Watch}}'s neutral attack are currently the only ones in ''Ultimate'' that are capable of [[jab cancel]]ing reliably. Most notably, neutral attack gained an unintentional mechanic that decreased the ending lag of its third hit by 10 frames if it was inputted manually. This oversight gave his neutral attack the ability to combo into itself (via [[dash-canceling]]), forward smash, grab, and [[Jolt Haymaker]] at low to medium percentages. The sheer effectiveness of this mechanic even resulted in {{Sm|Sol}}, a pioneer of Little Mac's metagame in ''SSB4'', christening it the "Dreamland Express" as proposed by his Twitch chat. In addition to neutral attack, Little Mac's ground game was buffed in a few other ways. Forward tilt connects much better against airborne opponents, which was a notorious flaw that remained unaddressed throughout ''SSB4''{{'}}s lifespan. Down tilt's range was increased to the point that it is actually on par with {{SSBU|Mii Swordfighter}}'s and out-ranges {{SSBU|Ike}}'s. Up smash gained more [[super armor]] frames, although its active frames were shortened unintentionally. [[Jolt Haymaker]] received an additional hitbox that increased its vertical range; this not only improved its utility as a follow-up from down tilt, but also enables its grounded version to hit opponents on {{SSBU|Battlefield}}'s low platforms. KO Uppercut, [[Slip Counter]] and uncharged [[Straight Lunge]] had their ending lag reduced by varying amounts. Lastly, Little Mac indirectly benefits from the changes to shield damage for projectiles in update 3.0.0, as they make it somewhat easier for him to handle camping.

The Dreamland Express was removed in update {{SSBU|4.0.0}}. While the other buffs that Little Mac gained in update 3.1.0 were still worthwhile, the removal of the Dreamland Express was still a significant hindrance to his combo potential and his perception in the competitive scene. Following this, update 7.0.0 enlarged Little Mac's shield as part of a near-universal buff, which decreased his vulnerability to [[shield stab]]bing. Update 8.0.0 increased the ending lag of both his [[Floor attack|trip attack]] and backward [[rolling tech]] by 1 frame apiece, which standardized them with the rest of the cast's. Update 11.0.0 undid update 3.1.0's unintended nerf to up smash's active frames.

After an absence of changes, Little Mac received a number of useful buffs via update 13.0.0. Up tilt gained more hitstun, which made it safer on hit and improved its combo potential, particularly into [[Rising Uppercut]] for a consistent KO confirm. On a related note, grounded Rising Uppercut gained more knockback, which improved its KO potential. Downward angled forward smash's shield damage output was increased, which helps Mac further pressure the opponent. Uncharged Straight Lunge's knockback was increased, its ending lag was decreased, and it gained the ability to be unleashed and canceled earlier. Altogether, these buffs collectively improve its safety, mix-up, and KO potentials. Lastly, Slip Counter's damage multiplier was increased to the point that it is on par with [[Gut Check]] and [[Counter Throw]] as the second-most damaging [[counterattack]] in the game.

Overall, Little Mac fares better than he did at the launch of ''Ultimate'', thanks to his buffs granting him more potential set-ups, improved consistency, and slightly safer offense.  

'''{{GameIcon|ssbu}} {{SSBU|2.0.0}}'''

{{UpdateList (SSBU)/2.0.0|char=Little Mac}}

'''{{GameIcon|ssbu}} {{SSBU|3.1.0}}'''

{{UpdateList (SSBU)/3.1.0|char=Little Mac}}

'''{{GameIcon|ssbu}} {{SSBU|4.0.0}}'''

{{UpdateList (SSBU)/4.0.0|char=Little Mac}}

'''{{GameIcon|ssbu}} {{SSBU|7.0.0}}'''

{{UpdateList (SSBU)/7.0.0|char=Little Mac}}

'''{{GameIcon|ssbu}} {{SSBU|8.0.0}}'''

{{UpdateList (SSBU)/8.0.0|char=Little Mac}}

 

'''{{GameIcon|ssbu}} {{SSBU|11.0.0}}'''

{{UpdateList (SSBU)/11.0.0|char=Little Mac}}

 

{{UpdateList (SSBU)/13.0.0|char=Little Mac}}

*'''Left:''' Throws a feint punch against Doc Louis, who stumbles before they both pose with an arm raised while facing towards the camera.

*'''Up:''' Doc Louis bumps Little Mac with his belly before holding up Little Mac's arm, as a referee would after a boxing match.

*'''Right:''' Runs and turns his back towards the screen, shuffles his feet, then throws a spinning uppercut while Doc Louis cheers him on.<br>

In all of Little Mac's victory poses, Doc Louis will say one of the following quotes random depending on which pose is selected and which costume is used:

|colspan=3| <center>'''Note:''' Doc Louis will randomly say "Y'know, that belt looks good on you, son." ({{ja|そのベルトはお前が着けてるのが一番だな！|Sono beruto wa omae ga tsuke teru no ga ichibandana!}}, ''That belt is best on you!'') regardless of which costume is used.</center>

! Left !! Up !! Right

| "You win, Mac!"<br>({{ja|おまえの勝ちだ、マック！|Omae no kachida, Makku!}},  ''Your win, Mac!'') || "World Circuit's all yours, Mac!"<br>({{ja|ワールドサーキットはお前のもんだ！|Wārudo Sākitto wa omae no monda!}}, ''The World Circuit is yours!'') || "Ahh, winnin' feels good, don't it?"<br>({{ja|勝つのは気分がいいな！|Katsu no wa kibun ga ii na!}}, ''It feels good to win!'')

| "Was that a little too easy for ya, son?"<br>({{ja|お前にはちょろすぎたってか？|Omae ni wa choro sugitatte ka?}}, ''Was that too easy for you?'') || "(in tandem with the [[announcer]]) And the winner is… Little Mac!"<br>({{ja|勝者、リトル・マック！|Shōsha, Ritoru Makku!}}, ''The winner, Little Mac!'') || "Way to go, Mac! You're the champ, baby!"<br>({{ja|お前がチャンプだッ！|Omae ga chanpu da!}}, ''You're the champ!'')

| "Nice work, Mac. You got it all figured out."<br>({{ja|さすがだな！いい線行ってるぞ！|Sasugada na! Ii sen  itteruzo!}}, ''As expected! You have a great fighting spirit!'') || "You got what it takes, Mac!"<br>({{ja|やっぱりお前は抜群だな！|Yappari omae wa batsugunda na!}}, ''I knew it, you're unmatched!'') || "I think I hear a chocolate bar callin'."<br>({{ja|帰ったらチョコバー祭りといくか！|Kaettara chokobā matsuri to iku ka!}}, ''When I get home, I'll go to the chocolate bar festival!'')

| "I could barely keep my eyes on ya, son."<br>({{ja|何だか透けて見えちまったよ|Nandaka sukete mie chimatta yo}}, ''It's like I can see right through you!'') || "You making my eyes water, son."<br>({{ja|目がチッカチカしやがる|Me ga chikkachika shi ya garu}}, ''You're making my eyes sore!'') || "Just like old times, huh?"<br>({{ja|懐かしい感じがしやがる|Natsukashī kanji ga shi ya garu}}, ''I feel nostalgic.'')

[[File:Victory! (Little Mac).ogg|thumb|A remix of the theme that plays when Little Mac defeats an opponent in the NES and Wii versions of ''Punch-Out!!'']]

Little Mac's route features opponents that, like him, specialize in {{iw|wikipedia|hand-to-hand combat}}. During each Round, every item except the [[Sandbag]] is disabled. As such, the Sandbag can be hit, but will only spawn confetti.

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

|1||{{CharHead|Incineroar|SSBU|hsize=20px}}||[[Boxing Ring]]||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Pokémon|Battle! (Elite Four) / Battle! (Solgaleo/Lunala)}}''||

|2||{{CharHead|Ryu|SSBU|hsize=20px}}||[[Suzaku Castle]]||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Street Fighter|Ryu Stage}}''||Could also possibly reference Piston Hondo, a Japanese boxer and one of Little Mac's recurring opponents.

|3||{{CharHead|Mii Brawler|SSBU|hsize=20px}} (x4)||[[Arena Ferox]]||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Super Smash Bros.|Battlefield - Super Smash Bros. Brawl}}''||The stage represents a typical stadium.<br>Mii Brawler costume combinations:

|4||{{CharHead|Captain Falcon|SSBU|hsize=20px}}||[[Port Town Aero Dive]]||''{{SSBUMusicLink|F-Zero|Dream Chaser}}''||

|5||{{CharHead|Little Mac|SSBU|hsize=20px|color=Wire}}||Boxing Ring||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Punch-Out!!|Jogging / Countdown}}''||If the player uses the Wireframe Mac costume, the {{Head|Little Mac|g=SSBU|s=20px}} default Little Mac appears as the enemy.

|6||{{CharHead|Donkey Kong|SSBU|hsize=20px}}||Boxing Ring ([[Ω form]])||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Donkey Kong|Donkey Kong / Donkey Kong Jr. Medley}}''||References the boss battle against Donkey Kong in the Wii version of ''Punch-Out!!''

|colspan="5"|[[Bonus Stage]]

|Final||{{SSBU|Master Hand}}||{{SSBU|Final Destination}}||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Super Smash Bros.|Master Hand}}'' <small>(Less than 7.0 intensity)</small><br>''{{SSBUMusicLink|Super Smash Bros.|Master Hand / Crazy Hand}}'' <small>(Intensity 7.0 or higher)</small>||On intensity 7.0 and higher, {{SSBU|Crazy Hand}} fights alongside Master Hand.

Although Little Mac does not appear in the World of Light opening cutscene, he was vaporized and later imprisoned alongside the rest of the fighters (sans {{SSBU|Kirby}}) when [[Galeem]] unleashed his beams of light.

 

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

!Power

|-

|[[File:Little Mac SSBU.png|center|108x108px]]

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

|[[Boxing Ring]] ([[Ω form]])

Little Mac's fighter spirit can be obtained by completing {{SSBU|Classic Mode}}. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 300 Gold, but only after Little Mac has been unlocked. Unlocking Little Mac 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. His fighter spirit has an alternate version that replaces it with his artwork in ''Ultimate''.

Additionally, Little Mac makes an appearance as a primary spirit as Giga Mac.

SSBU spirit Little Mac.png|932. '''''Little Mac'''''

SSBU spirit Giga Mac.png|933. Giga Mac

SSBUWebsiteLittleMac2.jpg|Using the third hit of his neutral attack on {{SSBU|Ganondorf}} on [[Coliseum]].

SSBUWebsiteBowser3.jpg|Using Jolt Haymaker to avoid and retaliate against {{SSBU|Bowser}}'s down smash on [[Mushroomy Kingdom]].

SSBUWebsiteIncineroar2.jpg|Hit by {{SSBU|Incineroar}}'s dash attack on [[Big Blue]].

SSBUWebsitePikachu6.jpg|Getting hit by {{SSBU|Pikachu}}'s down throw in the Boxing Ring.

SSBUWebsiteSnake2.jpg|Getting hit by the third hit of {{SSBU|Snake}}'s neutral attack on Kalos Pokémon League.

SSBUWebsiteRodin4.jpg|Little Mac struck by [[Rodin]]'s [[After Burner Kick]] on the [[Great Plateau Tower]].

===Fighter Showcase Video===

*Little Mac's Showcase Video has him follow {{SSBU|Wario}}'s [[Wario Bike|motorbike]] while wearing his pink sweatsuit. This is a reference to the ''Punch-Out!!'' series, where Little Mac runs alongside [[Doc Louis]] on his bicycle.

*Little Mac's Classic Mode has a high spawn rate of [[Sandbag]], as a reference to his reveal video where he has a Sandbag in his training ring, as well as usage of similar punching bags by real-life boxers.

*Like in ''Smash 4'', Little Mac's wireframe alternate costume has dark green hair in-game, as opposed to it being black in his render.

*In Little Mac's [[on-screen appearance]], there are two inconsistencies that weren't present in ''Super Smash Bros. 4'':

**The left-facing animation will have Little Mac facing away from the camera when walking into the stage, but after removing said sweatshirt, he repositions himself to face the screen.

**The P7 alternate costume involving Wire-Frame Mac will show his sweatshirt colored green when he enters the stage, but when removing the sweatshirt, its color changes to pink.

*There is an animation error in Little Mac’s aerial [[Rising Uppercut]]. On the third frame of the animation, his leg becomes contorted, with his calf bent nearly 180 degrees and his foot sticking out of his thigh. This error also appears in ''Smash 4''.