Editing Pac-Man (SSBU)

'''Pac-Man''' ({{ja|パックマン|Pakkuman}}), stylized in-game as '''PAC-MAN''', is a playable character in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''. He was confirmed alongside the rest of the [[veteran]]s on June 12, 2018. Pac-Man is classified as [[Fighter number|Fighter #55]]. Like in ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]'', Pac-Man reuses sound effects from various {{uv|Pac-Man}} games and [[Bandai Namco]] arcade games.

Pac-Man is currently ranked 23rd out of 82 on the tier list, placing him at the bottom of the A tier and marking a significant improvement over his appearance in ''Smash 4''. Pac-Man's greatest strengths lie in his zoning capabilities thanks to his barrage of projectiles in [[Bonus Fruit]] and [[Fire Hydrant]]. Bonus Fruit is notable for having different projectiles with distinguishing properties, with Bell being the most effective one as it confirms into KOs. His Hydrant is notorious for creating a barrier that a lot of characters can struggle to deal with up close, allowing Pac-Man to continue setting up shop behind it. His recovery is among one of, if not, the best recoveries in the game due to its outstanding travel distance of [[Power Pellet]] and mixup potential and [[Pac-Jump]] giving him a high vertical boost. This makes Pac-Man one of the hardest characters to edgeguard due to his amount of options. Pac-Man's normals are also amazing in their own right as most of them have amazing frame data and shield safety, which allows him to box out his opponents at ease. Finally, his grab, previously seen as one of the worst in ''Smash 4'', has been buffed significantly to increase its hitbox detection, allowing it to even beat spotdodges.

Despite his abundance of strengths, Pac-Man has some flaws. Pac-Man has few reliable ways to KO his opponent, with his smash attacks and aerials being pretty predictable, so holding shield can be effective against him. His projectiles can also be used against him, with the Bonus Fruit being able to be caught when shielded and used freely against him, as well as his Hydrant being able to be hit back at him by a strong enough move. His recovery, while amazing, is relatively exploitable, as both moves can be interrupted: Power Pellet can be canceled if the pellet is hit before Pac-Man dashes, and while Pac-Jump allows up to three total uses, it can be used by opponents to recover themselves, or force Pac-Man into helplessness if the trampoline is used three times.

Overall, Pac-Man's strengths outweigh his nerfs, and he his representation has been above average for most of the game's competitive lifespan, with especially strong performances from {{Sm|Tea}}.

Pac-Man, like {{SSBU|Diddy Kong}}, is reliant on his item-producing [[special move]]s to control the flow of a battle and win in the [[neutral game]]. Two special moves, [[Bonus Fruit]] and [[Fire Hydrant]], grant him numerous mix-ups for almost any situation. The fruits and objects generated by Bonus Fruit each have different attributes; in addition to functioning as useful [[spacing]], [[combo]], and [[edge-guarding]] options, some of them (primarily the apple, melon and key) notably boast respectable KO potential as a way to circumvent the sluggishness and short ranges of Pac-Man's smash attacks. As a result, Bonus Fruit allows Pac-Man to confuse and force movements from his opponents to put them in disadvantageous positions, especially off-stage.

When used in the air, [[Fire Hydrant]] functions similarly to [[Stone]], which makes it useful for covering landings or breaking combos. It is also Pac-Man's most powerful projectile when launched, which makes it a viable KO option from a distance. In addition to its offensive potential, Fire Hydrant has defensive potential, thanks to its bursts of water possessing a [[Windbox#Pushing attacks|push]] effect. As a result, the water can be used to create space, [[gimp]] poor recoveries, and even force opponents into Pac-Man's attacks.

Aside from his projectiles, Pac-Man also possesses a slow, but potent KO option in [[Power Pellet]]. Power Pellet also functions both as a great recovery and [[mindgame]] option: it can be aimed prematurely and made to curve in creative angles using his Fire Hydrant's push effect, and can function as a KO confirm from Bonus Fruit's bell. [[Pac-Jump]] is an effective vertical recovery should all of its trampoline jumps be used, and makes it safe to edge-guard off-stage, as Pac-Man will likely make it back onto the stage. It is also difficult to gimp, especially from an overhead perspective, thanks to Pac-Man's jumps having unblockable hitboxes. Due to its quick start-up and aforementioned hitboxes, Pac-Jump also functions as a good [[out of shield]] option when used properly.

Outside of his specials, Pac-Man has a good combo game. Though his ground attacks are weak with slight ending lag, Pac-Man's [[neutral attack]] and [[tilt attack]]s are fast. His tilts, in particular, also give him slightly extended hitboxes ([[forward tilt]] and [[up tilt]]) or slide him forward ([[down tilt]]), letting him attack out of shield easily or poke opponents at a safe distance. Pac-Man's [[dash attack]] is one of his best approach options, thanks to it hitting multiple times and having extremely minimal ending lag, the latter of which is very atypical for dash attacks. Pac-Man is also capable in the air; his aerial attacks are fast and can chain into themselves (especially his [[forward aerial|forward]] and [[up aerial]]s). In addition, his [[neutral aerial|neutral]] and [[back aerial]]s are effective edge-guarding options; their clean hitboxes also make them useful from out of shield and for KOing, respectively.

Unlike in ''SSB4'', Pac-Man has a respectable [[grab]] game; he possesses a rather long ranged grab with long lasting hitboxes, giving him a good grab range. His [[throw]]s have some utility: [[up throw]] has combo potential (primarily into neutral and up aerials) at low to medium percentages, whereas [[down throw]] has a decent damage output and can set up [[tech-chase]]s (most notably into Bonus Fruit's key, Power Pellet, dash attack, or a short hopped forward aerial into neutral aerial). Although the lattermost combo does not work on characters whose hurtboxes are low after missing a [[tech]], it is still beneficial, as Pac-Man can instead [[lock]] the opponent with a short hopped forward aerial at low to medium percentages. [[Forward throw]] can be used for mix-ups due to its minimal ending lag and awkward launching angle, whereas [[back throw]] is a decent KO option.

Pac-Man has a few noticeable weakness, however; arguably his biggest one is his inability to KO early because of the overwhelming majority of his moves having low base knockback. Although his tilts and aerials are fast, only Pac-Man's down and clean back aerials can KO at reasonable percentages and especially while near the left or right [[blast line]]s. Although Pac-Man's smash attacks can KO easily while near the edge thanks to their respectable damage outputs and knockback growth values, they are very punishable and predictable because of their considerable start-up and ending lag.

Although Bonus Fruit's key and a launched Fire Hydrant are viable KO options, the former needs to be charged in order to be accessible, whereas the latter can be easily used against Pac-Man just as he is about to launch it. Additionally, Pac-Man's average overall range and awkward hitboxes can make landing hits or spacing difficult against opponents with long range. His below-average overall mobility can also make it difficult to chase down opponents, create space and/or cycle through Bonus Fruit, especially against rushdown-oriented characters.

Pac-Man's grab game, while nowhere near as awful as it was in ''SSB4'', is still flawed in some ways. His grabs, despite being much more consistent, are still somewhat risky due to retaining fairly high ending lag that tether grabs are known for. Although Pac-Man's up throw now has combo potential and his back throw remains a reasonably strong KO option, his forward and down throws leave a lot to be desired. The former throw's higher damage output and base knockback make it only mediocre at best for mix-ups, whereas the latter throw has all but lost its already minimal combo potential due to its ending lag being increased.

Despite their perks, all of Pac-Man's special moves can be used against him. Bonus Fruit's objects are [[item]]s that can only exist once at a time, hence opponents can grab them out of the air, nullifying one of Pac-Man's only projectiles so long as they hold onto it. So long as Bonus Fruit is nullified, Pac-Man is disadvantaged at spacing, KOing and mindgames, while a competent opponent can even use Bonus Fruit's items against him. Fire Hydrant can be turned against him as well; it can be knocked back or reflected by opponents, even in the first few frames when it is released, making it possible for Pac-Man to immediately be dealt noticeable damage. Its push effect also affects him, and can inadvertently cost Pac-Man if he is careless.

Despite being strong, Power Pellet is highly predictable and can be interrupted by any attack, which drops a healing Power Pellet that can be used by the opponent. Pac-Jump, despite propelling Pac-Man very high vertically, can also be used by opponents for [[gimp]]ing Pac-Man's own recovery. Due to these possibilities, a good Pac-Man player must keep watch of where his items are in order to inflict the highest knockback possible at a safer range, and avoid his items' abilities being turned against him.

Overall, Pac-Man excels at mindgames and damage racking, yet his moveset's overall low base knockback and average range make it difficult for him to KO opponents early. As a result, he is dependent on utilizing traps and zoning in order to continually deal damage and set up a KO, such as collectively using his air game, Bonus Fruit, and varied recovery to edge-guard. While Pac-Man's special moves grant him a uniquely versatile moveset, they can also hinder him in battle, as one careless move can ultimately decide the momentum of not only himself, but even the whole match itself.

Pac-Man was considered to be a low-tier character in ''Super Smash Bros. 4'' (where he is ranked 45th out of 54 on the final tier list), owing to a somewhat underwhelming normal moveset, over-reliance on his special moves, constant micromanagement of his resources, the potential of all his special moves being used against him, poor KO potential and an extremely infamous [[grab]] that was burdened with huge lag and a tendency to miss due to its misleading and intermittent grabboxes. Potentially owing to his poorly regarded status, Pac-Man was dramatically buffed overall in his transition to ''Ultimate''.

One of Pac-Man's biggest buffs involves his previously infamous grab: it is now drastically quicker overall, functions as a single and continuous hitbox instead of separate and short-lasting ones, and is more in-line with the rest of the cast due to the universal increase to ending lag within grabs. When combined with his [[up throw]]'s newfound combo potential and his [[back throw]] remaining a reasonably strong KO option, Pac-Man now possesses a much more useful grab game.

Pac-Man's mediocre KO potential, one of his biggest weaknesses from ''SSB4'', has also been improved considerably, as his [[smash attack]]s have less start-up, Power Pellet's fully charged sweetspot and forward smash are much stronger, back aerial launches at a lower angle, down aerial's final hit is much stronger and launches at a much lower angle, and Bonus Fruit's aforementioned buffs allow Pac-Man earlier access to its key, which has strong KO potential on its own. All of these changes alleviate one of Pac-Man's biggest weaknesses from ''SSB4''. Finally, the universal alterations made to the mechanics in ''Ultimate'' have been beneficial to Pac-Man overall. The universally faster mobility improves his previously mediocre mobility, thus benefitting his approach. The universal reduction to [[landing lag]] further improves his respectable combo ability by allowing him access to his quick aerials, while [[dash-canceling]]'s expanded prevalence improves the utility of his tilts, thus granting him newfound approaching options by performing one of his tilt attacks out of a run.

However, Pac-Man received some noticeable nerfs, especially to his combo game. The mechanics of his Bonus Fruit's items have been altered drastically, heavily limiting the variety of item-based techniques he can perform: the time-window for catching the items is now very narrow, as most of the items disappear almost immediately after hitting an opponent, while the cherry and strawberry now have a set distance and no longer linger on the ground. Bonus Fruit's items also cannot be picked up again after being Z-dropped; when combined with the changes to [[footstool]]s and [[lock]]s, Pac-Man can no longer perform his notorious [[zero-to-death]] footstool combos. While all these changes prevent the opponent from capitalizing on his own fruits, it also homogenizes his item play. [[Fire Hydrant]]'s physics have also been changed, as it loses more momentum and height from each bounce, making it less effective for coverage and set-ups when it is launched. In addition, several moves are less useful for launching Hydrant, lessening the variety of coverage and pressure.

Overall, Pac-Man's moveset is more consistent for close-quarters combat, and his tools have been improved to catch up with the quick and aggressive pace of ''Ultimate''. The changes overall make Pac-Man more formidable, although his playstyle has less of an emphasis over item-stalling and rewards item-positioning and setups more than before. However, he still retains several of his former issues from ''SSB4'', such as mediocre melee-oriented range, a slight dependence on setups to KO, the necessity for micromanagement, and the ease of his special moves potentially being turned against him. Nevertheless, despite the buffs to other characters and the introduction of powerful DLC characters in game updates, Pac-Man has immensely improved from ''SSB4'', and is considered one of the most buffed characters in the transition to ''Ultimate'' and a highly effective character as opposed to non-viable.

Pac-Man received a mix of buffs, nerfs and glitch fixes via game updates, but was buffed slightly overall. Update 1.2.0 introduced a universal nerf by removing the ability to Z-drop items out of hitstun. This nerf hurt Pac-Man more than any other fighter, as it removed the defensive strategy of opponents getting hit by [[Bonus Fruit]]'s item that Pac-Man is holding while attacking, allowing Pac-Man to run away and possibly punish the opponent. Update 2.0.0 then buffed Pac-Man's combo potential by making his forward and down aerials autocancel earlier and having Bonus Fruit's items last longer after making contact, widening the window to follow up and more easily keep opponents in hitstun.

Update 3.0.0's near-universal nerf to projectiles' shield damage outputs noticeably affected Bonus Fruit and [[Fire Hydrant]]. Update 3.1.0 improved up smash's first hit ability to link into its second hit by adjusting its launching angle. Update 4.0.0 fixed a notorious flaw with Pac-Man being forced to drop charging Bonus Fruit while being reversed; this no longer makes Pac-Man vulnerable after being reversed and now possibly lets him punish the opponent. Update 7.0.0 enlarged Pac-Man's shield as part of a near-universal buff, while update 8.0.0 nerfed his rolls slightly by standardizing their lag with the rest of the cast's rolls.

Overall, Pac-Man fares mildly better than he did at the launch of ''Ultimate''. Although his optimal game plan has changed from that of a zoner to more of a bait-and-punish style because of the universal item and projectile nerfs and his combo-oriented buffs, Pac-Man's competitive standing has not changed much and he remains among the most significantly buffed veterans in the game (similarly to {{SSBU|Palutena}}, {{SSBU|Roy}} and {{SSBU|Pichu}}).

|neutraldesc=An alternating pair of hooks followed by a bycicle kick. Each hit has quick start-up (frame 4), but the third hit has slight ending lag and minimal knockback. it's reminniscent of Pac-Man's punch combos from ''Pac-Man World 3''.

|ftiltdesc=A side kick. It has quick start-up (frame 5), yet slight ending lag (FAF 31). Unlike the majority of forward tilts in ''Ultimate'', it retains very low base knockback and very high knockback growth. As a result, it can KO at around 160% at the edge, but is unsafe on shield and on hit at low percentages.

|utiltdesc=An uppercut. It has decent vertical range, low vertical knockback, decent start-up (frame 7) and minimal ending lag (FAF 25). It also grants intangibility to Pac-Man's fist on frames 7-10. Altogether, these traits make it useful for starting and/or extending combos. However, it cannot hit directly in front of or behind Pac-Man, making it largely suited to being an anti-air attack, platform poke, or niche edge coverage option.

|dtiltdesc=Pac-Man changes into his Classic Form and chomps downward. It has minimal ending lag and long range, since Pac-Man moves forward at a far distance. Once the move finishes, he returns back to his original position. Altogether, these traits make it a safe poking tool.

|dashdesc=Pac-Man changes into his Classic Form and slides forward while chomping repeatedly. It hits 4 times, with the last hit having low vertical knockback. This move has a long animation, but almost no ending lag (FAF 46, while the last hit comes out frame 37), making it incredibly safe (even against a shield). The hitbox comes out on frame 10, but it has a windbox on frames 3-9, making it one of the fastest dash attacks overall when combined with its very minimal ending lag. One of Pac-Man's best approach options.

|fsmashdesc=Thrusts Blinky (the red ghost) in front of himself. It has a sourspot on his arm, while Blinky himself is the sweetspot. Just like his other smash attacks, it can nullify projectiles. Deals respectable damage and high knockback while Blinky also has a long-lasting late hitbox. It has 26 frames of ending lag (FAF 53), however, and its long duration makes it easy to punish if it used carelessly.

|usmashdesc=Thrusts Inky (the cyan ghost) directly overhead. It has a brief hitbox on Pac-Man's clenched fist that is in front of him and launches the opponent directly into Inky. Inky deals decent damage and knockback while also having long-lasting late hitbox. It is Pac-Man's fastest smash attack (coming out on frame 11, with Inky coming out on frame 15) and has 24 frames of ending lag (FAF 50). However, its moderate power results in it KOing effectively beginning at around 130%.

|dsmashdesc=Crouches while thrusting Pinky and Clyde (the pink and orange ghosts, respectively) in front of and behind himself simultaneously. Pinky and Clyde are [[semi-spike]]s and have impressive range, making them ideal for gimps and punishing rolls. Like Blinky and Inky, they have long-lasting late hitboxes. However, it is Pac-Man's weakest smash attack and its 29 frames of ending lag (FAF 55) is the highest amount out of his smashes.

|nairdesc=Quickly assumes his Classic Form and then backflips repeatedly. It has very quick start-up (frame 3), a long duration, very minimal landing lag and low knockback. Altogether, these traits it useful for combos. Its clean hit is also useful for edge-guarding, although the move itself has high ending lag in the air (FAF 52). Auto-cancels in a full hop.

|fairdesc=A roundhouse kick. It has an average damage output, high base knockback and very low knockback scaling. However, it is the fastest forward aerial in the game in regard to start-up (frame 5), and the second fastest forward aerial (behind {{SSBU|Luigi}}'s) in regard to ending lag (FAF 26). It also has only 10 frames of landing lag and auto-cancels in a short hop fast fall. Altogether, these traits make it one of Pac-Man's best moves, since it can chain into itself or other moves effectively, as well as function as a reliable approach option.

|bairdesc=A dropkick. It has decent start-up (frame 9), ending (FAF 41) and landing lag (13 frames) for an aerial of its kind. It can also auto-cancel in a short hop. Its clean hitbox makes it Pac-Man's most reliable aerial for KOing, although it has only mediocre knockback for an aerial of its type.

|uairdesc=A bycicle kick. It has decent start-up, a very long duration (frames 9-16), minimal knockback and 20 frames of ending lag (FAF 37). It can also auto-cancel in a short hop, and is the only aerial in the game that can perform a functional [[drop cancel]]. It resembles the Flip Kick from ''Pac-Man World 2''.

|dairdesc=A series of stomps. Due to coming out on frame 6 and having low ending lag after the final stomp, it's one of the fastest down aerials in the game. Its last hit has massive base knockback and launches diagonally, which make it able to KO reliably below 50% while very close to the left/right [[blast line]]. Onstage, however, it does not KO until after 150% due to its mediocre knockback scaling. Pac-Man's most damaging aerial if all of its hits connect. Outside of KOing, it is also very useful for edge-guarding or as a combo finisher offstage, notably being able to KO early after 2 forward aerials.

|grabdesc=Holds his hand out to emit [[Boss Galaga]]'s tractor beam. It has noticeable start-up, but lasts a long time and has fairly long range and low ending lag for an extended grab.

|pummeldesc=A headbutt. Average power and speed.

|fthrowdesc=Reels back and then shoves the opponent away. Its below-average knockback makes it unable to KO at reasonable percentages. However, it can be used for mix-ups, due to it launching at 58° and having minimal ending lag.

|bthrowdesc=A [[wikipedia:Professional wrestling throws#Giant swing|giant swing]]. Unlike similar throws, however, it lacks a collateral hitbox. It is Pac-Man's only throw that KOs reliably, and does so beginning at around 140% at the edge.

|uthrowdesc=Swings the opponent into the air with one hand. Deals minimal damage and knockback; when coupled with its low ending lag, it can combo into neutral and up aerials at low percentages. However, its minimal power means that it will not KO until around 220%.

|dthrowdesc=Changes into his Classic Form and chomps the opponent 4 times, with the last hit dealing low knockback. It launches at 43°, making it useful for tech-chases (most notably into Bonus Fruit's key). However, its very high ending lag prevents it from having true follow-ups.

|floorfdesc=Kicks around himself while getting up.

|floorbdesc=Kicks around himself while getting up.

|floortdesc=Performs a side kick to the left and then to the right while getting up.

|nsdesc=Raises his hand to cycle through the 8 different bonus items from ''{{b|Pac-Man|game}}''. The fruits, Galaxian, bell and key each have their own damage outputs, knockback values, traveling speeds, and launching angles. All of them can be re-caught once; if Pac-Man has a bonus item in his hand, pressing the special button will continue the cycle from that object's position, also allowing him to re-catch the object again.

|ssdesc=Summons a string of Power Pellets in front of himself, then dashes quickly in his Classic Form to chomp along the trail. The string can be angled in any direction and travels very far, making it an incredible recovery option. Also has high knockback if Pac-Man hits the opponent after eating the Power Pellet. Just after eating the final Power Pellet, Pac-Man also gains [[super armor]] for 8 frames.

|usdesc=Summons a trampoline below himself, which will launch Pac-Man higher as it changes color (blue → yellow → red). Any character can jump on the trampoline, but only Pac-Man will be rendered [[helpless]] by it. Anyone other than Pac-Man himself can damage the trampoline, which also changes its coloration before destroying it entirely). Anyone, including Pac-Man, who jumps on the trampoline while it is red will be instantly rendered helpless. It can be used at edge to limit the opponent's get-up options and approach.

|dsdesc=Summons a Fire Hydrant underneath himself. When used in the air, the Fire Hydrant falls downward until it hits solid ground. Once grounded, it spurts water out of its sides twice (or on top, if someone is standing on it). This water pushes enemies and items away. If the hydrant receives 13% or more, it will be launched (taking the angle and speed of the move that launched it) and become the property of the character that dealt the tumbling blow. It is a fairly strong projectile when launched, KOing {{SSBU|Mario}} at the edge of {{SSBU|Final Destination}} at 128% with good DI. The Fire Hydrant's velocity only affects the direction an opponent is launched, and does not affect the strength or the angle of the hit. This is also one of the few non-[[item]] projectiles in the game that is subject to gravity, bouncing along the ground and slowing down after each bounce.

|fsdesc=Eats both a Power Pellet and a Super Pellet, grows enormous as a result, and then changes into his Classic Form before looping around the stage repeatedly. Pac-Man always moves in a straight line, but his angle can be altered to catch opponents running away. As the Final Smash progresses, Pac-Man moves faster and faster, then starts acquiring a red tint, after which he deals more damage to opponents. The final dash deals the most damage but travels very slowly and creates afterimages. Running into opponents chomps them, dealing knockback and turning them into ghost eyes, similarly to consumed ghosts in ''Pac-Man''. Items can also be eaten in this way, which removes them from play. Every "consumed" enemy or item gives 200 points, then 400, then 800, then 1600, then 3200, then all subsequent ones yield 7650. However, the point value is completely aesthetic.

*Assumes his Classic Form, chomps slowly, and then assumes his normal form.

*'''Up Taunt''': Performs the [[Namco Roulette]], which involves him summoning a sprite and associated sound effect from a classic Namco game.

*'''Side Taunt''': Changes into his Classic Form and chomps from side to side while his chomping sound from ''{{b|Pac-Man|game}}'' plays.

*'''Down Taunt''': Lays on the ground as a pair of fairies from ''Pac-Land'' and a few music notes appear above his head. During this, an arrangement of the first 5 notes of the intermission theme from ''Pac-Man'' plays.

* Rubs his head.

* Looks at the screen and winks while giving a thumbs up, similarly to his official render from ''SSB4''.

*'''Left:''' Appears in ball form, trips, and raises his fist.

*'''Up:''' Chases a vulnerable ghost in his large 2D form, then poses in 3D form. This is based upon the first "Coffee Break" cutscene in ''Pac-Man''.

*'''Right:''' Lands on the ground while a sign reading "7650" appears, then winks and gives a thumbs up alongside Buttercup, a fairy companion of his who debuted in ''Pac-Land''. This pose is based his official artwork for the TurboGrafx-16 version of ''Pac-Land''. Both the sign and Buttercup do not appear in Team Battles.

[[File:Victory! (Pac-Man).ogg|thumb|A remix of the jingle that plays when starting a new game in ''Pac-Man''.]]

*{{Sm|Sinji|USA}} - One of the best Pac-Man players in the world in 2019 thanks to strong major placements such as 7th at both {{Trn|Collision 2019}} and {{Trn|MomoCon 2019}}, leading him to be ranked 25th on the [[Spring 2019 PGRU]]. In the post-online metagame, he remains one of North America's best Pac-Man players who still sees some strong major results, including 9th at {{Trn|Luminosity Makes BIG Moves 2024}} and 13th at {{Trn|Collision 2024}}.

*{{Sm|Tea|Japan}} - The best Pac-Man player of all-time and the only Pac-Man player who has won major-level events, including {{Trn|Thunder Smash 3: Clash of the Pandas}}, {{Trn|Kagaribi 3}}, and {{Trn|Temple: Hermès Edition}}. He is one of three players who have won majors in all three ''Ultimate'' superregions.

Ever since the release of ''Ultimate'', Pac-Man has seen a highly positive response thanks to buffs to his mobility, [[Bonus Fruit]], and grab game, all of which improved his combo potential. As a result of the buffs, Pac-Man has seen strong results from players, most notably {{Sm|Sinji}} and {{Sm|Tea}}, ever since the early metagame. Tea in particular has won several majors and established himself as a top 10 player by 2021. Due to Pac-Man's buffs and strong playerbase, he is often considered a high-to-top tier character, which was reflected in his placement on the first tier list, where he was ranked 14th in S- tier.

 

However, following the first tier list, Pac-Man's results saw a sudden decline. This was attributed to his high learning curve, the rise of oppressive characters that either outranged him or could absorb his projectiles, such as Cloud and Mr. Game & Watch, or DLC characters such as Aegis and most notably Steve, who is considered to power creep Pac-Man due to his similar yet more effective campy playstyle. Additionally, Tea's results in 2023 were far more inconsistent than what he had in the early metagame, and although Pac-Man saw success from players such as JDV or DDee, either they were unable to match Tea's best performances with the character or only used him as an occasional counterpick. As such, Pac-Man dropped to 23rd in A tier on the second tier list.

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

By taking {{SSBU|Marth}}'s route, the player can find Pac-Man near the mushroom area.

*Pac-Man's stock icon, alongside that of the 3 different {{SSBU|Mii Fighter}} types, is among the few ones that do not depict the fighter's head. Instead, it takes on the look of Pac-Man's original arcade sprite, which also served as a life counter in the original ''Pac-Man''.

**Instead of having recolored sections of his stock icon for his [[alternate costume]]s, Pac-Man's alternate costumes are indicated by a colored tubular line underneath his stock icon. The line appears similar to the wall sections from the original ''Pac-Man''.

*Pac-Man is unlockable in {{SSBU|Kirby}}'s Classic Mode column, likely in reference to how they are spherical, easygoing protagonists who are notable primarily for eating enemies.

**Alongside {{SSBU|Jigglypuff}} and {{SSBU|Squirtle}}, both fighters appear in the "Ghosts" spirit Battle; Kirby represents Blinky, Jigglypuff represents Pinky, Squirtle represents Inky, and Pac-Man himself represents Clyde.

**In addition, {{SSBU|Mr. Game & Watch}} is another fighter to appear in one of the spirit battles where it involves ghosts from the {{uv|Pac-Man}} series. In this case, Mr. Game & Watch (using his blue alternate costume) represents [[TURN-TO-BLUE]].

**On the same video, it also shows that attacking the trampoline from [[Pac-Jump]] would turn it green, and it would also put enemies into a helpless state when they jumped on it (regardless of the current level). These also cannot be achieved in the released version of ''Ultimate''.

*If Pac-Man uses his Final Smash during a match and wins the match, and if his "up" victory pose plays, the large Pac-Man sprite will not appear, causing Pac-Man's model to appear out of thin air.

*Oddly enough, the initial animation of his [[Super Pac-Man]] Final Smash in ''Ultimate'' doesn't have Pac-Man holding any Power Pellet or Super Pellet anymore, as opposed to how it was in ''SSB4'', although he still has the animation of him eating them from the latter, appearing as he's only eating air in ''Ultimate'' before transforming into Super Pac-Man.

*The damage output of Pac-Man's forward aerial (7.65%) is a subtle Easter egg. The number 765 can be pronounced in Japanese as "na-mu-ko"; this particular number, known as a ''{{s|wikipedia|goroawase}}'' number, commonly appears in Namco games and is even referenced through Pac-Man's Final Smash.

*Humorously, the 3D model used for Pac-Man's Classic Form is labeled internally as "pizzapacman".

*Despite also debuting on the Nintendo Entertainment System or appearing at least once on the NES, {{SSBU|Peach}}, {{SSBU|Bowser}}, {{SSBU|Zelda}}, {{SSBU|Palutena}}, {{SSBU|Wario}}, {{SSBU|Ridley}}, [[Koopalings]], {{SSBU|Daisy}}, {{SSBU|King Dedede}} and {{SSBU|Meta Knight}} do not appear in Pac-Man's Classic Mode route.