Editing Palutena (SSBU)

'''Palutena''' ({{ja|パルテナ|Parutena}}, ''Palutena'') is a playable character in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'', officially confirmed on June 12th, 2018. Palutena is classified as [[Fighter number|Fighter #54]].

Brandy Kopp and {{s|wikipedia|Aya Hisakawa}} reprise their role as the voice of Palutena in the English and Japanese versions of the game, albeit via recycled voice clips from ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]''. However, they did record new [[Palutena's Guidance]] conversations for every character who was not playable in the base roster of ''Smash 4'', aside from the DLC characters in Fighters Passes Vol. 1 and 2.

*Clear {{SSBU|Classic Mode}} with {{SSBU|Kirby}} or anyone in his unlock tree, being the last character unlocked after {{SSBU|Lucas}}.

With the exception of the third method, Palutena must then be defeated on [[Palutena's Temple]].

Palutena is a tall [[Weight|middleweight]]. Her [[Walk|walking speed]], [[Dash|dash speed]], [[air acceleration]] and [[gravity]] are above average (with her air acceleration being the fifth best in the game), her [[traction]] and [[falling speed]] are both average, and her [[air speed]] is below average. In addition, she has relatively high [[jump]]s, giving her overall excellent mobility, albeit being a bit slower in the air.

Palutena has a dynamic, well-rounded moveset. She has both excellent combo potential and good zoning tools, meaning she can be played effectively either defensively or offensively. Her staff counts as a [[Hitbox|disjointed hitbox]] and she has two [[projectile]]s in her moveset as part of her special moves, meaning she can apply safe pressure from a distance and force approaching opponents off her. Her projectiles are unique by the fact that they are completely unconventional. Her aerial-based moveset, speed and versatility means she can easily overwhelm opponents and quickly rack up damage.

Her [[ground attack]]s are generally the weakest part of her moveset, but they can be useful. Her [[jab]] has good range, can be held to deal more damage and can also be [[jab cancel]]led into other moves. Her [[dash attack]] is very fast and grants Palutena partial [[invincibility]]; it is also a KO option around 160%. Her [[tilt attack]]s are somewhat situational: forward tilt has a long-lasting hitbox and can be used to intercept approaching opponents and [[Floor recovery|floor recoveries]]. Her down tilt has utility for [[edgeguarding]] opponents, while her up tilt - her tilt attack with the fastest startup - can be used for forcing opponents into the air and is even a viable KO option at higher percents.

Outside of her grounded attack moves, Palutena’s ground game is strong thanks to her [[grab]]s and throws having good utility, with her grabs being quick and having good range. Her down throw is her strongest combo throw, comboing into all of her aerials and having KO confirms at higher percents. Her back throw is her strongest throw, being capable of killing from the ledge around 130%, while her forward throw also has a kill confirm at higher percents with [[Explosive Flame]]. Her up throw is the weakest of her throws, though it still has utility for forcing opponents into the air where Palutena’s can safely apply aerial pressure.

Palutena's [[smash attack]]s are very viable KO options due to each having excellent range and dealing decent damage. Up smash has a very long-lasting hitbox and covers a lot of vertical range directly in front of Palutena; it can be used to KO opponents in the air and even intercept air dodges due to how long the hitbox lasts. Her forward and down smashes are similar, both in their damage output and the fact that they have a wind effect to move opponents away from Palutena if they are just outside of the move’s hitbox.

The strongest part of Palutena's moveset, however, is her [[aerial]]s, each having strong combo or KO potential. Despite all of her aerials having rather high ending lag, this is compensated by their very low landing lag and generous autocancel windows making them very safe on shield. Her neutral aerial is a very fast and safe move, being Palutena’s best combo tool by far as it combos into her other aerial attacks (including itself) until reasonably high percents, while also having KO potential at very high percents. Her up aerial is an extremely good juggling tool capable of killing off the top blast zone around 100% (even on heavyweights), with its fairly large, long-lasting hitbox making it difficult to avoid. Her back aerial, like her dash attack, grants invincibility on Palutena's shield. It has the strongest knockback of any of her aerials and is one of Palutena’s best KO options, especially from down throw. Her forward aerial, while not quite as strong, is a good combo finisher with KO potential towards the side blast zones at very high percents. While her down aerial is generally considered the weakest of her aerials, if used offstage it can have a meteor smash effect, meaning it can kill opponents at the bottom blast zone.

Additionally, Palutena’s [[special move]]s each have utility, most prominently for zoning. Her Explosive Flame can be used on opponents some distance from Palutena, and is good for forcing them into the air or for securing KOs from the top blast zone at higher percents. Her neutral special attack, [[Autoreticle]], while not quite as useful as Explosive Flame, is another projectile which can apply safe pressure and rack up damage from a distance. Her up special, [[Warp]], is a teleport which grants invincibility on frames 16-32. In addition to being useful for getting into a more favourable stage position, its invincibility makes it an extremely useful recovery tool which, combined with Palutena’s high jumps, gives her a very good recovery. Finally, her down special is a counter which acts similarly to Lucina and Marth’s counter when used on nearby opponents, but can also reflect projectiles from a distance. Lastly, several of her moves, such as her tilts and aerial moves, have additional shield damage, making her good at pressuring, especially since her forward and back aerials can autocancel in a short hop fast fall.

Although Palutena has very good strengths, she does have a number of noticeable weaknesses. Her most glaring problem is her mediocre ground game, with all of her grounded attacks bar her dash attack coming out on frame 8 or later and almost all of her moves either have high startup (smash attacks and down tilt), punishable ending lag (forward, back and down aerials and smash attacks) long duration (all of her tilts) or all three (forward tilt and special moves), making her very vulnerable if her attacks miss or are dodged or shielded. While some of her grounded attacks have the potential to KO, such as forward tilt, up tilt and dash attack, it is not until much higher percents than her other attacks. This is another weakness of Palutena - while a number of her moves have the potential to KO at reasonable percents, she can still struggle to secure kills due to her options being either somewhat risky or situational. Though her back aerial is a reliable kill option at reasonable percents, it has high ending lag and her smash attacks each have a noticeable amount of startup and very high ending lag, making them punishable, while Explosive Flame is also easily punishable if whiffed due to its endlag and her up aerial relies on Palutena being underneath her opponent. Furthermore, while Palutena’s recovery is decent in its distance, Warp leaves her helpless and lacks a hitbox to protect her, which - combined with the fact that Palutena is a tall character - means that her recovery can be easily exploited by opponents who know how to intercept teleport recoveries.

Despite this, Palutena is generally considered at worst a high tier character due to her versatility, well-roundedness and relatively easy combo game. Her lack of overwhelming weaknesses means that there are few opponents she struggles against, and thus her representation at tournaments has generally been excellent thanks to players like Nairo maining her and achieving noteworthy results. However, some players like ZeRo have voiced their opinion that Palutena’s relative simplicity means her representation may dwindle over time. However, he has since taken back the statement.

Palutena had been considered a low-mid tier character in ''Smash 4'' (ranking dead last of mid tier), and suffered from poor tournament representation even after receiving buffs via updates. In the transition to ''Ultimate'', she has been drastically [[buff]]ed, to the point where she is considered to be one of the most improved returning characters, similarly to the changes {{SSBU|Pichu}} received.

In addition to the universal mobility buffs, nearly the entirety of Palutena's moveset has been improved in various ways, many of which are substantial. Starting with her ground game, [[forward tilt]], having previously been considered the worst of its kind, has less startup and ending lag, connects both hits reliably, and has increased power; likewise, [[up tilt]] has increased power and connects more reliably, while [[down tilt]] has a longer duration and more favorable angles of knockback. [[Dash attack]] deals more damage and has much less ending lag, allowing Palutena to better take advantage of the [[invincibility]] at the front of the move. Furthermore, all her [[smash attack]]s have less ending lag, [[forward smash]] and [[down smash]] have stronger [[windbox]]es, and [[up smash]] has a much longer duration, allowing it to catch airborne opponents more effectively.

Palutena's aerial game has been further strengthened, now being one of the most efficient aspects of her moveset. The most notable example is [[neutral aerial]], which has larger hitboxes, connects more reliably, consistently launches opponents in the direction Palutena is facing, and heavily benefits from the universally decreased [[landing lag]] on [[aerial attack]]s. As such, it has become one of Palutena's most reliable [[approach]] options, and more infamously, it can [[combo]] into itself multiple times to rack up large amounts of damage, as well as other aerials. [[Forward aerial]] and [[down aerial]] both deal more damage without compensation on their knockback, with the latter also having a longer duration (previously lasting only one frame), while [[back aerial]] has increased knockback and no longer possesses a sourspot. Additionally, [[up aerial]] deals slightly more damage and [[auto-cancel]]s much earlier, no longer failing to auto-cancel in a full hop. These changes amount to noticeably improving Palutena's KO ability overall, allowing her to close stocks better at high percents with her safer options, which is complemented by their lower landing lag. As for her [[grab]] game, her [[throw]]s have received few changes, but more notably, [[back throw]] KOs more effectively near edges due to launching opponents at a lower angle.

Moreover, Palutena's [[special move]]set, previously considered among the most situational in ''Smash 4'', has undergone an overhaul with considerable improvements. Instead of having [[Reflect Barrier]] as her [[side special]] and {{b|Counter|Palutena}} as her [[down special]], both moves have been merged into her down special, which triggers Counter or Reflect Barrier depending on whether the attack it blocks is [[reflect]]able or not, while her new side special is [[Explosive Flame]], previously one of her custom [[neutral special]]s in ''Smash 4''. This effectively gives Palutena an additional move, and makes her the only character alongside the {{SSBU|Mii Fighter}}s to retain a former [[custom move]]. In addition to this, all of her returning special moves have been buffed. [[Autoreticle]]'s shots are faster and deal both more damage and knockback, while Explosive Flame is likewise considerably stronger (KOing opponents reliably at high percents), has much less ending lag, and can be summoned at two different distances depending on control stick input. This greatly improves Palutena's zoning capabilities, allowing her to threaten opponents from diverse positions, and gives her a more defined strength of long ranged attacks that have excellent utility. Lastly, [[Warp]] grants slightly more [[intangibility]], and from her down special, Counter has less startup (no longer being the slowest in the game), a longer window, and less ending lag especially upon a successful counterattack, in addition to dealing more knockback, while Reflect Barrier has a much higher damage multiplier on reflected projectiles.

In spite of her myriad of buffs, Palutena did still receive some notable nerfs. Although her full [[neutral attack]] connects more reliably, the first hit can no longer be used for [[jab cancel]] setups at high percents due to its altered knockback. Up tilt has fewer active frames, making it slightly worse as an anti-air attack, while back aerial's invincibility is slower and shorter, preventing it from blocking opposing attacks as consistently, and up aerial has more startup. Additionally, as Reflect Barrier can no longer be triggered on command, it is less effective for preemptively deterring projectile use. However, these nerfs are largely outweighed by the larger and more significant amount of buffs she has received, while other nerfs, such as the increased ending lag on her grabs and reduced [[shield damage]] on her projectiles, have also affected the rest of the cast.

Palutena's buffs have improved her standing in ''Ultimate''{{'}}s [[metagame]] by a large margin, with a huge representation at all levels of play, and she has consistently attained high placements in tournaments thanks to players such as {{Sm|Nairo}}, {{Sm|Gen}}, and {{Sm|Zinoto}}. Additionally, unlike other prominent characters in the metagame since the game's release, such as {{SSBU|Peach}}, {{SSBU|Pichu}}, and {{SSBU|Olimar}}, Palutena has not received any drastic nerfs in [[updates]]. As a result, she is widely considered a top tier character by the ''Smash'' community, as well as one of the best characters in the game, if not the best.

Palutena has received a mixture of buffs and nerfs in updates, being somewhat nerfed overall. Update {{SSBU|2.0.0}} made Warp safer to recover with, and reduced her neutral aerial's hitlag, making it harder to SDI. In {{SSBU|3.0.0}}, however, she has been affected by the universal reduction of shield damage for projectiles, and as a result, Autoreticle and Explosive Flame are less effective for shield pressure when used in conjunction. Update {{SSBU|7.0.0}} granted her a mix of buffs and nerfs but nerfed her overall: while down smash and up tilt's last hit are stronger, her notorious neutral aerial has less range in the final hit and down throw has more knockback, worsening her combo potential. Update {{SSBU|11.0.0}} worsened her dash attack and forward aerial's saftey by increasing their endlag and landing lag respectively, and decreased her standing grab range, slightly hindering her grab combo ability. Overall, Palutena still remains a highly viable character, but the game updates have made her perform slightly worse.

|neutralname= 

|neutraldesc=Thrusts her staff forward, emitting a blast of light from its orb. While holding her staff out, she then proceeds to attack with repeated bursts of light, followed by a final burst from an upward swipe. The first hit can lock. The final hit does decent knockback allowing it to function as a situational KO move. However, it is slow for a neutral attack, coming out on frame 8.

|ftiltname= 

|ftiltdesc=Telekinetically twirls her staff in front of herself, inwards. This move can hits twice altogether if the tail of the staff hits the opponent. Its long duration and range allows it to punish sidesteps and backward rolls. The second hit has slightly more range than that of the first. However it comes out on frame 14, and its long duration and high lag makes it very punishable if missed.

|utiltname= 

|utiltdesc=Kneels and telekinetically twirls her staff overhead. Unlike her forward and down tilts, it has KO potential due to the high knockback scaling on the last hit. It also has the lowest startup lag of her tilts, coming out on frame 8. However, its long duration and noticeable ending lag make it punishable. It also has a blindspot that makes it almost impossible to hit small or crouching characters like Kirby.

|dtiltname= 

|dtiltdesc=Kneels and telekinetically twirls her staff along the ground in front of herself. A good spacing tool, and can even punish sidesteps. Slow startup on frame 14 but a low 12 frames of ending lag and has a long 14 frames duration. If the opponent is hit in the air it will be launched vertically, and it's a semispike if it hits opponents on the ground. It is one of the few moves in the game that has a longer duration than ending lag, and because of these attributes combined, it's one of the best moves for edgeguarding and 2-framing opponents. It also has the lowest ending lag of a move in her movest, even less than the first hit of her jab.

|dashname= 

|dashdesc=Rams into the opponent with her shield. Its clean hitbox grants partial [[invincibility]] to Palutena's body and arm (frames 5 and 6 on her upper body; 7-16 on her arm). Her shield emits a shine, which indicates the duration of its hitbox. Fast startup on frame 6, although it is unsafe on shield. The clean hit has decent knockback and KOs around 160%.

|fsmashname= 

|fsmashdesc=Conjures a pair of ethereal wings and flaps them forward. Great range. This move has a huge windbox near the tips of the wings that can [[push]] away opponents and potentially [[gimp]] recoveries. The tip of the wings is weaker compared to the inner part. Has quite a bit startup lag at frame 18, tied with up smash, and very high ending lag with 43 frames, making this move very punishable. Occasionally, Palutena utters "Goddess Wings!" when using this move.

|usmashname= 

|usmashdesc=Raises her staff skyward, conjuring a cyan beam of light that erupts from the ground in front of herself. Has the second highest vertical range of any up smash in the game, surpassed only by {{SSBU|Snake}}'s. The beam has three hitboxes: one at the base, one at the middle, and one at the top. It has a long-lasting 18-frame duration, and unlike her other smash attacks, has a moderate 28 frames of ending lag, making it her most reliable smash attack. However the long duration and moderate ending lag still makes it very punishable if missed or dodged and it has almost no horizontal range in front of Palutena and without covering her from directly above and behind.

|dsmashname=

|nairname= 

|nairdesc=Telekinetically spins her staff around herself. Has the lowest amount of startup lag in her moveset, coming out on frame 5. Notorious for its ability to effectively combo into itself and into other aerials, being capable of comboing into itself at low percents until four times, and especially for its importance to Palutena's gameplan thanks to its low ending and landing lag, making it very spammable. It also can easily set up an edgeguard when fast fallen, and due to its high knockback scaling, it has enough knockback to KO middleweights at around 150% on the edge of Final Destination. All of these traits combined make it one of her best moves and is arguably one of the best moves in the game due to its effectiveness. Autocancels in a full hop.

|fairname= 

|fairdesc=A flying kick. It has long disjointed range and is somewhat disjointed, as the hitbox extends beyond Palutena's leg. It has a generous autocancel window, doing so in a short hop fast fall, and has decent knockback, allowing it to set up edgeguards at high percents. Comes out on frame 9, but it has high ending lag and a short hitbox duration.

|bairname= 

|bairdesc=Rotates her body to slam her shield behind her. Much like her dash attack, the clean hitbox grants invincibility around her upper body, and the duration of its hitbox is indicated by a shine. Its invincibility is brief, which is just before the hitbox first comes out (frame 7). Like her fair, it has a generous autocancel window, allowing it to autocancel in a short hop fast fall. It has a large hitbox, but is unable to cover Palutena at point-blank range. It also has 40 frames of ending lag, making it very punishable if not used close to the ground.

|uairname= 

|uairdesc=Twirls while emitting her halo above her. Comes out on frame 10, and is tied with down aerial for being the slowest start-up of Palutena's aerials. It has several hitboxes that grant great coverage above Palutena. It has good power and can KO reliably around 110%. Autocancels in a full hop.

|dairname=Purging Kick

|dairdesc=A downward roundhouse kick. Unlike most meteor smashes, it will always meteor smash midair opponents, thanks to its consistent hitbox. It is also fairly fast for a meteor smash, coming out on frame 10. Conversely, it will obliquely launch grounded opponents (grounded opponents in front of Palutena are launched behind her, and vice versa), which allows it to be used as a punishment option from [[out of shield]] when SHFF'd. However it is unarguably Palutena's worst aerial for a number of reasons. Due to it hitting on frame 10, it is tied with her up aerial for her slowest aerial. It also has the shortest range, duration, and worst autocancel window of her aerials (autocanceling late in a full hop), while its knockback is only average for a meteor smash at best. It also has immense ending lag (47 frames) which is among the laggiest aerials in the game. Additionally, it only lasts 2 frames and combined with its lack of vertical reach make it hard to use effectively. This makes it among the hardest to land aerials in the game and as such, makes it a very high risk, but only moderate reward move with characters like {{SSBU|Ivysaur}}, {{SSBU|Luigi}} and {{SSBU|Cloud}} having noticeable better meteor smashes at a similar or even faster speed.

|grabname=

|grabdesc=Telekinetically clinches the opponent. Palutena's standing grab range is above-average, while her pivot grab also has impressive range. However, her grab has a noticeable amount of ending lag.

|pummelname= 

|pummeldesc=Emits a small burst of light.

|fthrowname= 

|fthrowdesc=Slightly curls herself and then telekinetically pushes the opponent forward while throwing out her arms. It is Palutena's second-most damaging throw, but only has utility as an edgeguard set-up.

|bthrowname= 

|bthrowdesc=Telekinetically lifts the opponent and then performs an inverted version of the {{s|wikipedia|Arabesque|ballet position}} (a ballet position) to fling the opponent backward. It is Palutena's most damaging throw, and her only throw that KOs at reasonable percentages, doing so at around 130% on middleweights on the edge of Final Destination, and it is also useful for setting up an edgeguard.

|uthrowname= 

|dthrowname= 

|dthrowdesc=Telekinetically lifts the opponent, then slams them onto the ground. It is Palutena's most useful throw, thanks to its high base knockback, very low knockback growth, and diagonal launching angle. Because of this, it is a potent combo starter at a wide range of percents, being able to set up neutral aerial strings at low to mid percents (or just combo into any of her aerials) and can even set up for KO confirms into back aerial at high percents, although after update 7.0.0, this is noticeably more difficult to pull off.

|floorbdesc=Same as her frontal floor attack.

|nsdesc=Illuminates her staff's orb to aim [[icaruspedia:Autoreticle|a reticle over the opponent, and then fires three energy blasts at that location]]. It will only fire the blasts if nothing blocks her target, and if the opponent is within range and not [[Intangibility|intangible]]. The shots can [[lock]], although due to the changes on locking, it has even less use to initiate combos. It can be used as a way for stopping direct approaches and to force an approach. It is also able to hit opponents behind Palutena, such as if she is moving when it fires and if the opponent is at the maximum horizontal range toward her. Although situational, it also has very minor recovery potential, thanks to it briefly stalling her descent. However, it has high ending lag, regardless of whether or not it targets anything. Its very minor knockback also makes it poor for spacing.

|ssdesc=Creates [[icaruspedia:Explosive Flame|a multi-hitting explosion]] approximately 4 character lengths away from herself. If inputted like a smash attack, the explosion hits approximately 7.5 spaces away. The ability to change its range makes it a decent spacing and zoning tool, as well as an edge-guarding option. This move has good KO potential, thanks to its loop hits reliably trapping the opponent, and its last hit having impressive knockback. However it is very punishable if missed. However, it is safe on shield due to its minimal ending lag.

|usdesc=[[icaruspedia:Warp|Disappears and then reappears]] in a chosen direction. It quickly covers both a respectable amount of vertical distance and a decent horizontal distance while rendering Palutena invisible (frames 16-32). It can also be [[Ledge-canceling|edge-canceled]], which grants it defensive and re-positioning potentials. However, it renders Palutena [[helpless]] after she reappears (unless it is edge-canceled) and lacks a hitbox to protect her.

|fsdmg=40.8% (maximum damage)

|fsdesc=Illuminates her staff's orb and twirls around repeatedly before firing a {{s|icaruspedia|Black Hole}} from her staff's orb, after which she quickly retreats off-stage in order to fire a {{s|icaruspedia|Mega Laser}} into the Black Hole. The Black Hole does not deal damage, but [[pull]]s the opponent into itself and places them in a [[tumbling]] state. Conversely, the Mega Laser hits multiple times before concluding with a final hit that launches the opponent and dissipates the Black Hole.

*Walks out of a golden door that is decorated with her halo's design and emits a bright, shining light.

PalutenaOnScreenAppearanceSSBU.gif|Palutena's on-screen appearance

SSBUPalutenaIdle1.gif|Palutena's first idle pose

SSBUPalutenaIdle2.gif|Palutena's second idle pose

==In competitive play==

Since the beginning of ''Ultimate,'' Palutena has always had a very positive reception among the ''Smash'' community, as many top players noticed her considerable buffs from ''Smash 4'' early on and was agreed on as a high tier for much of 2019. However, after {{Sm|Nairo}} won {{Trn|Mainstage}} and {{Trn|Let's Make Big Moves}}, her already strong reception and results have further increased, with strengths such as her notorious neutral aerial, KO confirms from her down throw, and her relatively low learning curve becoming even more apparent, while her few weaknesses are relatively minor. This has to led to nearly all top players to believe she is a top tier, with many claiming she is among the best in the game, alongside {{SSBU|Pikachu}}, {{SSBU|Joker}}, and {{SSBU|Peach}}.

Although since Nairo was banned from competitive play, the meta is now currently represented with players such as {{Sm|Abadango}}, {{Sm|Jagaimo}}, {{Sm|Gen}}, {{Sm|Chag}}, {{Sm|Compact}}, and many more.

===Notable players===

====Active====

<!--If you are planning to add a player you consider to be notable, please provide tournament results in some shape or form in the edit summary (be it a link to a results thread or bracket of placing high in a tournament of other notable players or a video of them beating a notable player). Winning tournaments without notable players present is generally not enough to warrant a spot.-->

''Any number following the Smasher name indicates placement on the [[Fall 2019 PGRU]], which recognizes the official top 50 players in the world in [[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]] from July 13th, 2019 to December 15th, 2019.''

 

*{{Sm|Abadango|Japan}} (#24) - Co-mains {{SSBU|Wario}} with Palutena and is considered the best Palutena main in the world after Nairo's ban. Placed 1st at {{Trn|Just Roll With It! 11}}, 2nd at {{Trn|Eastern Powerhouse Invitational FINAL}} and {{Trn|EGS Cup 3}}, 5th at {{Trn|The Kid, the Goat, and the Mang0}}, 7th at {{Trn|2GG: Grand Tour - South Carolina}}, with wins over {{Sm|Kirihara}}, {{Sm|Takera}}, {{Sm|VoiD}}, {{Sm|ProtoBanham}}, {{Sm|Shuton}} and {{Sm|KEN}}.

*{{Sm|BestNess|USA}} (#43) - Uses Palutena as a secondary and placed 2nd at {{Trn|Smashpoint}}, {{Trn|Ascension V}}, {{Trn|Ascension VI}}, and 4th at {{Trn|Crown}} with both {{SSBU|Ness}} and Palutena.

*{{Sm|Chag|Mexico}} - Co-mains Palutena and {{SSBU|Inkling}} and is considered the best Palutena player in Mexico. Placed 3rd at {{Trn|BIT MASTER MTY 5}}, 13th at {{Trn|Smash Factor 8}}, and 33rd at {{Trn|EVO 2019}}.

*{{Sm|Compact|Japan}} - One of the best Palutena players in Japan. Placed 5th at {{Trn|Karisuma SP 7}}, 9th at {{Trn|Karisuma SP 5}}, and 17th at both {{Trn|EVO Japan 2020}} and {{Trn|Sumabato SP 12}}. He has defeated players such as {{Sm|Zackray}}, {{Sm|Nietono}}, {{Sm|DoubleA}}, {{Sm|Atelier}}, {{Sm|Lunamado}}, {{Sm|You3}}, and {{Sm|ikep}}.

*{{Sm|Dabuz|USA}} (#9) - Has a strong Palutena secondary and is considered one of the best Palutena players in the world. Placed 2nd at both {{Trn|Smash at The Paramount}} and {{Trn|Let's Make Moves}}, 4th at both {{Trn|GENESIS 6}} and {{Trn|CEO 2019}}, and 9th at {{Trn|MomoCon 2019}} using Palutena as one of his characters.

*{{Sm|Etsuji|Japan}} (#34) - Has a strong Palutena secondary and is considered one of the best Palutena players in Japan. Placed 2nd at {{Trn|EGS Cup 2}}, 9th at {{Trn|Umebura SP 5}}, and 33rd at {{Trn|Super Smash Con 2019}} with both Palutena and Lucina.

*{{Sm|Frozen|USA}} - One of the best Palutena mains in the world. Placed 3rd at {{Trn|Collision 2019}}, 49th at {{Trn|Frostbite 2019}}, and 13th at {{Trn|Smash at The Paramount}}. Has wins over {{Sm|Cosmos}}, {{Sm|Light|p=Connecticut}}, and {{Sm|Tweek}}.

*{{Sm|Gen|USA}} - One of the best Palutena players in the world. Placed 9th at {{Trn|Glitch 7 - Minus World}}, 13th at {{Trn|Get On My Level 2019}} and {{Trn|Let's Make Big Moves}}, and 17th at {{Trn|Shine 2019}}. Has wins over {{Sm|Light|p=Connecticut}}, {{Sm|Salem}}, and {{Sm|ZD}}.

*{{Sm|Jagaimo|Japan}} - One of the best Palutena players in the world. Placed 4th at {{Trn|Eastern Powerhouse Invitational FINAL}}, 9th at {{Trn|EVO Japan 2020}}, {{Trn|Umebura SP 5}}, {{Trn|Sumabato SP 10}},  and 13th at {{Trn|Umebura SP 7}}. Has wins over {{Sm|Zackray}}, {{Sm|kameme}}, {{Sm|Gackt}}, and {{Sm|Etsuji}}.

*{{Sm|Kie|Japan}} - Tri-mains Palutena with {{SSBU|Peach}} and {{SSBU|Ice Climbers}}. Placed 2nd at {{Trn|Sumabato SP 3}} and 3rd at {{Trn|Sumabato SP 4}} with a win over {{Sm|Raito}}.

*{{Sm|Light|p=Germany|Germany}} - The best Palutena player in Europe. Placed 3rd at {{Trn|Valhalla II}}, 7th at {{Trn|Calyptus Cup Inkstrike}}, and 33rd at {{Trn|Frostbite 2019}}.

*{{Sm|LuiS|Luxembourg}} - The best Palutena player in Luxembourg. Placed 9th at both {{Trn|Tech Republic IV}} and {{Trn|VCA 2019}} as well as 13th at {{Trn|Syndicate 2019}}. He has wins over players such as {{Sm|Meru}} and {{Sm|Oryon}}.

*{{Sm|MuteAce|USA}} - Uses Palutena as a secondary. Placed 5th at {{Trn|Super Ascension}}, 9th at {{Trn|DreamHack Atlanta 2019}}, 17th at {{Trn|Let's Make Big Moves}}, and 25th at {{Trn|Frostbite 2020}} with both Peach and Palutena. Has wins over {{Sm|Samsora}} and {{Sm|Raito}}.

*{{Sm|Mystearica|USA}} - Placed 17th at {{Trn|Let's Make Big Moves}}, 25th at {{Trn|Frostbite 2020}} with solo Palutena, and 13th at {{Trn|Spotlight}} and 65th at {{Trn|GENESIS 7}} in conjunction with {{SSBU|Zelda}}. Has defeated {{Sm|BestNess}}, {{Sm|Lui$}}, and {{Sm|Gomakenpi}} with the character.

*{{Sm|Phantom|USA|p=Connecticut}} - The best Palutena main in New England. Placed 4th at {{Trn|Overclocked Ultimate II}} and 13th at {{Trn|Pound 2019}} with wins over {{Sm|Mr.R}} and {{Sm|Ryuga}}.

*{{Sm|Samsora|USA}} (#2) - Uses Palutena as a secondary. Placed 2nd at {{Trn|Smash Ultimate Summit 2}} using Palutena as one of his characters. Has wins over {{Sm|Nairo}} and {{Sm|MuteAce}}.

*{{Sm|Scr7|UK}} - The best Palutena main in the United Kingdom. Placed 4th at {{Trn|Albion 4}} and 13th at {{Trn|Regen 2019}} with wins over {{Sm|MVD}} and {{Sm|Mr.R}}. Ranked 17th on the [[European Smash Rankings]].

*{{Sm|Tag|France}} - The best Palutena player in France. Placed 3rd at {{Trn|European SEL Clash}}, 5th at {{Trn|SEL 4: Crêpes Strikes Back}}, 9th at {{Trn|Smash4Glory - Ultimate Edition}}, and 33rd at {{Trn|Albion 4}}. Has wins over {{Sm|Glutonny}}, {{Sm|quiK}}, {{Sm|PeW}}, {{Sm|Ogey}}, {{Sm|Jeda}}, and {{Sm|Oryon}}. Ranked 16th on the [[French Power Rankings]] and 40th on the [[European Smash Rankings]].

*{{Sm|UtopianRay|USA}} - One of the best Palutena mains in the United States. Placed 17th at {{Trn|Glitch 6}}, {{Trn|Frostbite 2019}}, and {{Trn|Pound 2019}}.

 

*{{Sm|Nairo|USA}} (#4) - Formerly the best Palutena player in the world before leaving competitive ''Smash'' due to allegations of sexual misconduct. Placed 1st at {{Trn|Mainstage}} and {{Trn|Let's Make Big Moves}}, 2nd at {{Trn|Glitch 6}}, 3rd at {{Trn|Shine 2019}}, 4th at {{Trn|The Big House 9}}, and 5th at {{Trn|Super Smash Con 2019}}.

*{{Sm|The Great Gonzales|USA}} - One of the best Palutena players in the world before switching to {{SSBU|Mr. Game & Watch}}. Placed 3rd at {{Trn|The Scarlet Classic V}}, 13th at {{Trn|Smash 'N' Splash 5}}, and 25th at {{Trn|Collision 2019}}. Has wins over {{Sm|ScAtt}}, {{Sm|Suarez}}, and {{Sm|Tweek}}.

|6||{{Head|Pit|g=SSBU|s=20px}} {{Head|Pit|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Yellow}} {{Head|Pit|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Red}} {{SSBU|Pit}} (x3) and {{Head|Dark Pit|g=SSBU|s=20px}} {{Head|Dark Pit|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Green}} {{Head|Dark Pit|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Brown}} {{SSBU|Dark Pit}} (x3)||[[Palutena's Temple]]||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Kid Icarus|Underworld}}''||Horde Battle

Note: Most stages play a track from the {{uv|Kid Icarus}} universe, no matter what universe the stage originated from, with the only exception being Umbra Clock Tower.

{{-}}

Palutena's fighter spirit can be obtained by completing [[Classic Mode]]. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 500 coins. Unlocking Palutena 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. Each fighter spirit has an alternate version that replaces them with their artwork in ''Ultimate''.

==In Spirit battles==

|{{iw|nookipedia|Serena}}

===Character Showcase Video===

*Palutena is the only character to have two previously separate moves merge into one, being Counter and Reflect Barrier.

*Palutena's artwork was one of three to have been updated on the official site, alongside {{SSBU|Falco}} and {{SSBU|Shulk}}. Compared to [[:File:Palutena_SSBU_No_Halo.png|her original artwork]], her halo was added, her chiton now covers up more of her thigh, her hair became a brighter green, her lips shrank, and her eyes grew. Overall, these changes make it more consistent with the official artwork from both [[:File:Palutena Uprising.png|''Kid Icarus: Uprising'']] and [[:File:Palutena SSB4.png|''Smash 4'']] (especially the latter), as well as her in-game model.

*Due to age rating issues, the slit in her chiton was changed to cover up more of her thigh beginning in the 1.0.6. update for Japanese releases of ''SSB4''. This change was retained in ''Ultimate'', including all international versions.

**As Palutena's Fighter Spirit artwork uses an unaltered illustration from ''Kid Icarus: Uprising'', it depicts her chiton still revealing most of her thigh. This is probably an oversight, as the Spirits for Camilla from ''Fire Emblem: Fates'' and Mythra from ''Xenoblade Chronicles 2'' had modified artwork to be less provocative.

***This oversight appears to be shared with the Fighter Spirits for {{SSBU|Bayonetta}} and female {{SSBU|Corrin}}, who likewise use unaltered artwork from their games of origin, but have had censorship applied to them in their playable forms.

*An interview with [[Masahiro Sakurai]] revealed that Palutena and Bayonetta were under consideration to survive Galeem's attack in the World of Light opening. They were turned down in favor of {{SSBU|Kirby}}, due to both fighters being very complex characters to use for beginners and that other characters of their series were also turned into spirits, stating that Palutena couldn't do anything to escape as all other ''Kid Icarus'' deities like Hades were also turned into spirits.

**Both Palutena and Bayonetta are in the Final Battle map, appearing as the last of all fighters. This implies that Galeem (and eventually Dharkon) knew how big of a threat Palutena and Bayonetta were (Palutena being a Goddess, and Bayonetta's slaughter of two gods) to his plans, so he kept them as a last resort.

*Oddly, Palutena's internal files of voice clips for her smash attack uses the same three-number codes (e.g. "003" in case of "Goddess wings!" voice clip) used for special moves, Final Smashes, and [[on-screen appearance]]s of characters whose voice clips are ported from ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'' (including partial ones like {{SSBU|Sonic}}), as well as few other characters such as Kirby, {{SSBU|Ness}}, {{SSBU|King Dedede}}, {{SSBU|Lucario}}, {{SSBU|Robin}}, and Rosalina & Luma, instead of using the "attack" descriptor that smash attacks usually share with neutral attack, tilt attacks, dash attack, aerial attacks, and floor attacks. This was also present in ''Smash 4''. {{SSBU|Daisy}} shares a similar (but not entirely the same) oddity with her on-screen appearance and [[Daisy Bomber]].