Editing Ness

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:''For fighter info, see [[Ness (SSB)]], [[Ness (SSBM)]], [[Ness (SSBB)]], [[Ness (SSB4)]], and [[Ness (SSBU)]].''

|caption      = [[Image:EarthboundSymbol.svg|50px]]

Official clay model of Ness from ''{{s|wikibound|Mother 2}}''.

|lastappearance= ''{{s|wikibound|Mother 3}}'' (cameo, 2006) {{flag|Japan}}<!--The New Pork City theater-->

|gender      = Male  

|creator      = [[Shigesato Itoi]]  

'''Ness''' ({{ja|ネス|Nesu}}, ''Ness'') is the main character of the cult classic SNES RPG ''[[EarthBound (game)|EarthBound]]'', the most successful game in the ''Mother''/''EarthBound'' franchise. He appears as the sole representative of both the game and the series in ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' and ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''. He appears in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'' and ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]'' alongside fellow ''Mother'' representative, [[Lucas]], who hails from ''[[Mother 3]]''. His voice actress in all four games is Makiko Ōmoto, who voices him in English with a false American accent.

==Character description==

[[File:NessSprite.gif|thumb|left|90px|The in-game sprite of Ness posing for a picture from ''EarthBound''.]]

In ''{{b|EarthBound|game}}'', Ness is a courageous, kind, and helpful boy from the fictional town of [[Onett]] located in north-western Eagleland. His {{s|wikibound|favorite food}} is steak and his signature PSI move, named for his favorite thing is {{s|wikibound|PSI Rockin}}. He possesses strong psychic powers, and in the year 199X, utilizes his abilities to defeat an alien invasion by the forces of {{s|wikibound|Giygas}}, the villain of the original ''{{iw|wikibound|Mother|video game}}''. Ness is the successor to {{s|wikibound|Ninten}}, the hero of ''Mother'', sharing a very similar design and some abilities; however, the two are distinct characters.

On a dark night in the year 199X, Ness gets woken up by a meteorite crash. He investigates the crash site, where he meets his neighbor [[Pokey Minch]] and an alien named {{s|wikibound|Buzz Buzz}}. Buzz Buzz tells him that he is the boy who will save the world, and sends him on a mission to collect the {{s|wikibound|Eight Melodies}} that tie together the Earth's power. He is joined in this quest by {{s|wikibound|Paula}}, [[Jeff]], and {{s|wikibound|Poo}}. By recording and collecting the Eight Melodies using his {{s|wikibound|Sound Stone}}, Ness gains access to the realm of [[Magicant]] within his mind and unlocks the power necessary to defeat Giygas. Five years after the release of ''EarthBound'', Ness would make a surprise appearance in ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' and continue to be playable in the series, carrying his legacy.

Although capable of wielding several types of weapons, such as {{s|wikibound|slingshot}}s and {{s|wikibound|yo-yo}}s, Ness's signature weapon is a {{s|wikibound|baseball bat}}. Ness's PSI powers include [[PK Flash]], PSI Rockin, {{s|wikibound|Lifeup}}, and a variety of status moves. Several PSI techniques used by Paula and Poo ([[PK Fire]], [[PK Thunder]], [[PSI Magnet]], and [[PK Starstorm]]) would be borrowed by Ness for combat in the [[Super Smash Bros. (series)|''Super Smash Bros.'' series]].

==In ''Super Smash Bros.''==

Ness was a bit of surprise addition to the roster for the original ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' Many players had never expected such an obscure character to turn up in the game, which seems to be reflected in-game as he is a secret character, unlocked by completing the 1P Game on a difficulty of Normal or higher, with three lives or less and using no continues. Strangely, none of Ness's special moves are his own; his special attacks, the [[PSI Magnet]], [[PK Fire]] and [[PK Thunder]], (B + Down, B and B + Up, respectively), were originally used by one of his party allies, Paula in ''[[EarthBound (game)|EarthBound]]''. A possible explanation for this discrepancy is offered in the sequel to this game, ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'', which states that Paula may have taught him these techniques. Ness is ranked 10th out of 12 on the current [[tier list]].

:''Ness was a seemingly-average kid from Onett, but in truth, he was destined for much more. When a strange meteorite landed near his hometown, the little boy with psychic powers set out to save the world. Little has been said of Ness' character, and much remains hidden.''

:*[[EarthBound (game)|EarthBound]] (SNES)

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==In ''Super Smash Bros. Melee''==

[[File:Ness SSBM.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Ness as he appears in ''[[Melee]]''.|left]]

 

Ness returns in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'', though this time as a default character. He keeps all of his special moves and, as all other veterans, gains a fourth one: [[PK Flash]], which is assigned as his neutral special move. PK Flash is Ness's first "true" special attack, as his other two offensive moves were not used by him in ''[[EarthBound (game)|EarthBound]]''. PK Fire was also changed to Ness's side special.

During the development of ''Melee'', Ness was intended to be removed and replaced by [[Lucas]]; the eventual delay and cancellation of EarthBound 64, however, caused Ness to stay in the game.

Ness was [[nerf]]ed from ''Smash 64'' to ''Melee'', similar to {{SSBM|Kirby}} and {{SSBM|Pikachu}}. One major reason is his very weak [[grab]] range. He is ranked 23rd out of 26 on the [[tier list]] in F tier, which contrary to popular belief, is a slight improvement from being 10th out of 12 in the first game.

===Main trophy===

:''Ness is a young boy who's mastered the psychic power known as PSI. Ness was living a normal life in the suburbs of Onett until a meteor crashed into a nearby mountain and sent him on a wild adventure. Believing in the ultimate powers of wisdom, courage, and friendship, Ness proves that some heroes come in small packages.''

Ness Trophy Melee.png|Ness [Classic Mode] trophy

Ness Trophy (Smash).png|Ness [Smash, Adventure Mode] trophy

Ness Trophy (Smash) 2.png|Ness [Smash, All-Star Mode] trophy

</gallery>

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==In ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl''==

On January 20, 2008, Edible, a [[GameFAQs]] member, made a topic in the site's Brawl message board about an official trailer on the Japanese Wii website that leaked Ness (as well as {{SSBB|Lucario}} and {{SSBB|Jigglypuff}}) being playable characters in the game. In [http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/3259/iup542612bd3.jpg this screenshot] taken of the video, a Ness icon can clearly be seen in the lower right hand corner when the Claus sticker is selected, confirming Ness's return in playable form. The video in question can be viewed [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfuGSKXA20w here].

Ness was a default character in ''[[Melee]]'', but back as an unlockable in ''[[Brawl]]''. Ness was officially revealed to be a playable character in ''Brawl'' on February 1st, 2008, the day after ''Brawl'' came out in Japan.

Ness is currently ranked 26th on the [[tier list]] in D tier, being [[buff]]ed from ''Melee'', with a general increase in the power and speed of his attacks, and being equipped with a vastly superior grab. However, he gained a major flaw in the additional 10 frames of lag he gets when grab released, making him very vulnerable to [[grab release]] combos, most infamously the [[Zero-to-death combo|zero-to-death]] grab release from {{SSBB|Marth}} as well as {{SSBB|Donkey Kong}}.

Ness - Brawl Trophy.png|The Ness trophy in ''Brawl''

:''An average boy whose life changed when he found a meteor and an alien on a nearby mountain. The alien warned him of a future threat, and adventure ensued. He can use energy known as PSI and also wields a bat and yo-yo. This brave youth gives his all to defeat the evil Giygas.''

{{Trophy games|console1=SNES|game1={{b|EarthBound|game}} ''(Japan and US Only)''|console2=N64|game2=[[Super Smash Bros.]]}}

! Character(s)

| {{Head|Ness|g=SSBB|s=16px}}{{Head|Lucas|g=SSBB|s=16px}}

Ness currently ranks 28th out of 55 on the [[tier list]] (being tied with {{SSB4|Lucas}}), making this his highest tier placement to date. He has been heavily buffed from his ''Brawl'' incarnation, with not only his extra grab release frames removed, but also the general changes brought about by ''SSB4'', such as the removal of [[hitstun]] cancelling and [[edge-hogging]], proving beneficial to him as well, as now he possesses an efficient and strong aerial combo game, and he can more easily recover with PK Thunder, since he can grab hold of an edge regardless if an opponent is hanging from it or not. Slamming into a wall during [[PK Thunder 2]] no longer leaves Ness immediately helpless, as now he is capable of initiating PK Thunder a second time, and PK Thunder's projectile now goes through opponents until its "tail" leaves Ness' body, improving his overall recovery further. Yet, his reliance on using PK Thunder to recover is still susceptible to being intercepted and foiled, especially by {{SSB4|Rosalina}} and {{SSB4|Villager}}. Nonetheless, as a result of his vast improvement from the three previous games, Ness has gained decent results in tournaments.

::{{Flag|North America}} ''Hailing from Onett, a small town in Eagleland, this young boy's ordinary looks hide his psychic powers. Ness fought against the evil Giygas in Earthbound, and in Smash Bros. he unleashes some of the same PSI moves. Watch out for PK Thunder, a guided attack that can also launch Ness like a rocket!''

::{{Flag|Europe}} ''From Onett in Eagleland comes this young lad. He may not look like much, but he has powerful psychic abilities, and they really come in handy in EarthBound. They come in handy in this game, too. Did you know you can control his PK Thunder bolt? Aim it at Ness himself to send him flying, absolutely clobbering anyone in his path!''

:'''Ness (Alt.)'''

::{{Flag|North America}} ''Ness may have psychic powers, but that doesn't mean he shies away from getting physical. His side smash packs a real punch if you hit enemies with the end of his bat, and it can even deflect projectiles! His up and down smashes also have a lot of range-Ness can land his strikes with ease!''

::{{Flag|Europe}} ''Ness may have psychic powers, but that doesn't mean he shies away from getting physical. His side smash packs a real punch if you hit enemies with the end of his bat, and it can even reflect projectiles! His up and down smashes have a lot of range, meaning when you play as Ness, it's always easy to land hits on your foes!''

NessTrophy3DS.png|Classic (3DS)

NessTrophyWiiU.png|Classic (Wii U)

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==In ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''==

[[File:Ness_SSBU.png|thumb|Ness as he appears in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'']]

Ness is confirmed to return as a playable character in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' He uses additional PK attacks in his Up-air, N-air, and pummel. He no longer uses his signature headbutt in the previous games since he swings his arms in his up-air and has multi-hitting properties. He also no longer headbutts the opponents, instead he hurts his opponents with PK similar to Zelda's pummel. He also uses more assets from his debut game EarthBound, the respective PK moves uses the effects from the game. Poo and Paula also accompany him in PK Starstorm.

 

*Starting in ''Melee'', the texture on Ness' yo-yo says the release year, with ''Melee''{{'}}s saying "HALLAB NINTENDO 2001 DOLPHIN LOOP". In ''Brawl'', this was changed to "SUPER NINTENDO MOTHER 2008"; in ''SSB4'' the digits were changed to 2014, and in ''Ultimate'' it was changed to 2018.

*''Super Smash Bros. 64'' is the only game in which Ness was not leaked when he's an unlockable fighter. This happened with the latter in Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Sticker leak) and Super Smash Bros. for 3DS (ESRB leak).

*Although Ness's specials are called "PK (Name)" (excluding [[PSI Magnet]]) in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series, they are called "PSI (Name)" in ''EarthBound''; however, the "PK" prefix was used in the game's Japanese incarnation, ''Mother 2'', and in all other ''Mother'' games due to the fact PK is used in Japanese versions instead of PSI.

*Ness is the only character who has appeared in all five ''Smash'' games that has not made a playable appearance outside of ''Smash'' in the 21st century, discounting the Ness costume in Super Mario Maker.

**Ness is also the only character in all five ''Smash'' games that has only been playable in one game outside of the series.

**Ness is also one of four characters whose three-dimensional appearances are only in Smash, the others being [[Lucas]], the [[Ice Climbers]], and [[Duck Hunt]]. [[Mr. Game & Watch]] does not count since there wasn't an actual character named Mr. Game & Watch in the [[Game & Watch]] series; additionally, Mr. Game & Watch is coded to be two-dimensional (though his actual model is three-dimensional).

*While Ness' game (''EarthBound'') was released in North America and takes place in a stand-in for America, his in-game voice in SSB, Melee and Brawl speaks with a Japanese accent, whereas Lucas, whose game (''[[Mother 3]]'') was released only in Japan, speaks using an American one.

*Ness's "Okay" taunt is based on the voice at the beginning of EarthBound saying "Ok desu ka" (Which roughly translates to: Is this okay?) when the player gives a name to a character. Shigesato Itoi apparently provided this quote for EarthBound without realizing it.

*Ness was considered being replaced by [[Lucas]] in ''Melee'', and [[Jigglypuff]] being cut in ''Melee'' and ''Brawl''<ref>http://www.sourcegaming.info/2015/08/17/sakuraibrawlquestions/</ref>, making them the only known members of the "Original 12" that were considered being cut at certain points in the development of subsequent games in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series.