Editing Samus (SSB4)

|ranking = 37

'''Samus''' ({{ja|サムス|Samusu}}, ''Samus'') is a playable character in ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]''. Her return to the series was confirmed in the [[E3 2013]] trailers on June 11th, 2013, while she was also among the first wave of [[amiibo]] figures that are compatible with ''SSB4''. However, unlike in ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'', Samus is no longer capable of transitioning into {{SSB4|Zero Suit Samus}}, with the latter now becoming a standalone character.

Samus is currently ranked 37th out of 55 on the [[tier list]] (tied with {{SSB4|Robin}}), placing her at the bottom of D tier and middle of mid tier. This is a good improvement over her bottom-tier placement in ''Brawl'', where she was ranked 32nd out of 38. Samus possesses numerous projectiles in the form of her [[Charge Shot]], [[Missile]] and [[Bomb (Samus)|Bomb]], all of which grant her strong zoning potential alongside her [[Grapple Beam]]. Charge Shot also functions as a fearsome KOing option and a strong [[punish]]ing option in many situations due to its high damage output and excellent knockback, while her Bomb and Grapple Beam can aid her recovery. Samus also possesses a good air game that allows for powerful and highly damaging combos when she finds or sets up an opening, which is further supplemented by set-ups in the form of her dash attack, up tilt, down aerial, down throw and Grapple Beam.

Samus is unique among her fellow heavyweights. While she is tied with {{SSB4|Bowser Jr.}} as the sixth heaviest character in the game, she is a [[Falling speed#Floaty|floaty]] character with slightly below average [[walking]] and [[dash]]ing speeds, average [[air speed]], above average air acceleration, high jump height and slow [[falling speed]]. These attributes grant her an easier time chasing aerial opponents and forcing air dodges, yet also cause her to be juggled rather easily. When combined with her few reliable landing options and slow falling speed, opponents will also have more time to punish Samus as she attempts to return to the stage. In addition, many of her moves artificially extend her hurtboxes, leading to trades, an opponent grabbing her invisible hurtboxes and, in some cases, getting punished after landing a move despite her being visually out of range of the opponent's counterattack. Furthermore, some of the hitboxes on her moves, most notably up smash, forward smash and up aerial, have the issue of failing to connect properly or even whiffing outright.

Samus' moveset is defensive, as she uses her projectiles to space, rack up damage from a distance and pressure shields. [[Charge Shot]] is her most consistent KOing option out of her special moves, courtesy of its increased speed and power. [[Missile]] is mostly used for spacing, due to neither its Homing or Super variants being extremely inefficient at KOing, while [[Bomb (Samus)|Bomb]] grants Samus various mix-ups and can aid her recovery. However, Missile and Bomb also possess valuable utility, in that they can guarantee a shield break when used in conjunction with a sufficiently charged Charge Shot or a sweetspotted back aerial. Lastly, [[Screw Attack]] is a decent out of shield option, a KOing option near the upper blast line and a viable combo finisher from aerial combo strings. Combined with rage, it can KO very early.

However, Samus is not flawless. While her grab range is among the longest in the game as with other tether grabs, the ending lag on all of Samus' grabs makes her very easy to punish if whiffed, and none of her throws can reliably KO on their own. Samus' ground game is mediocre overall as her smash attacks are punishable, with only her forward smash being a fairly reliable KOing option due to its quick start-up lag. Her neutral attack is very mediocre, which is noticeably exemplified in its inability to connect at high percentages and thus limits Samus' anti-pressuring ability. Her tilts can combo, KO, and have decent range, but suffer from her unique hurtbox issue. Due to this and her average dashing speed, most Samus players will often find themselves in the air, where her strengths lie.

Samus also has slight issues with recovery. Her grab aerial has very long range, her jumps are among the highest in the game, Screw Attack is fast and hard to punish, and Bomb jumping provides infinite horizontal recovery, but they are all offset by Screw Attack's only average distance, Bomb's high ending lag in the air and Samus' only average air speed and reliance on her grab aerial to grab ledges from a distance. Altogether, this results in her recovery being linear and predictable.

In regard to [[Character customization|custom moves]], Samus benefits from a few. Apex Screw Attack has slightly more start-up lag and the recovery it provides is slightly worse, but it deals more damage and outstanding knockback, to the point of KOing most middleweights at 75% from the stage and as low as 50% near the upper blast line. Screw Rush, while making her vertical recovery worse, grants more horizontal distance, deals more damage and KOs earlier then Screw Attack depending where it is used on-stage, making it more useful for damage racking. Relentless Missile, while traveling slower, has more accurate tracking as a homing missile while dealing less damage. Turbo Missile travels more distance and is considerably faster than both Missile and Relentless Missile, but at the cost of dealing less damage overall.

Dense Charge Shot is dependent on the matchup and the player's playstyle. As one of the strongest projectiles in the game, it takes a bit longer to charge, and has much less speed and range. However, it gives Samus multiple set-ups due to the length of time the Charge Shot stays in the air and with the increased damage, can force shield breaks much easier and KO much easier. Slip Bomb, while dealing less damage, has the useful property of tripping grounded opponents and meteor smashing airborne opponents, making it useful as a set up for a grab or a punish and an edge-guarding option to spike the opponent. Mega Bomb can be used to stall opponents, since Samus can stay next to the Mega Bomb itself while waiting until it explodes, allowing Samus to either retreat, launch Missiles, charge her Charge Shot, or force an approach. Melee Charge Shot has a shorter charge time than both Charge Shot and Dense Charge shot, while also having considerably more [[hitstun]] and shieldstun with the inclusion of extra pushback after its use, making it extremely safe if shielded or even whiffed.

Samus has received a mix of [[buff]]s and [[nerf]]s in the transition from ''Brawl'' to ''SSB4'', but has been buffed overall due to her buffs fixing one of her main issues in ''Brawl'' combined with the game's mechanics greatly benefiting her overall. Samus has gained several new KOing options, the most notable of which is [[Charge Shot]], which has drastically increased speed and knockback. The other noteworthy options include her forward smash, up smash, neutral aerial, forward aerial and [[Screw Attack]] improving one of her main weaknesses in the previous game. Forward smash now has a powerful sweetspot in the form of a fiery blast at the tip of her Arm Cannon. Neutral aerial, forward aerial, back aerial, up aerial up smash and Screw Attack have each have had their knockback improved, most notably on neutral aerial (and only to the last hit in Screw Attack's case). Additionally, forward aerial, up smash and Screw Attack's multiple hits now connect better due to alterations to those moves along with the weakening of [[SDI]] to further ensure that opponents cannot escape their respective last hits.  

Aside from her new KOing options, Samus benefits from the general changes between ''Brawl'' and ''SSB4''. With the changes to [[hitstun canceling]] and [[DI]], Samus' combo game has been improved. Some of her attacks (most notably her dash attack) have been altered to give them much greater followup potential, and she is able to combo attacks into each other far easier, with multiple combo starters and combo oriented moves, including dash attack, up tilt, forward aerial, up aerial and down aerial. Samus also greatly benefits from the introduction of [[rage]] as it not only further supplements her improved KO power but it also allows her to KO with her grounded Screw Attack at insanely early percents and her high weight and solid recovery allow her to build up rage. The changes to shields, shield damage and [[shieldstun]] also benefit her, as she can use her Charge Shot, Super Missile and Bomb in tandem with other moves to easily break shields.

Samus' falling speed and gravity have noticeably increased. This makes it much easier for Samus to land however, it also hinders her aerial output as she can no longer perform two aerials in a short hop and it makes her more susceptible to combos.  

However, Samus also received a few nerfs. The most significant nerf being the fact that she is no longer connected to {{SSB4|Zero Suit Samus}}. As such, she can no longer utilise her Zero Suit counterpart's far superior mobility and moveset to alleviate her own. As for Samus' more direct nerfs, some of Samus' moves her nerfed frame data with her landing lag in particular being significantly increased. While this is a common nerf across the cast, it harmed Samus more than most other returning veterans as Samus went from having the lowest average landing lag in the game to having fairly mediocre landing lag on her aerials with down aerial and forward aerial seeing the largest increase to their landing lag. This is especially an issue with forward aerial as it can no longer [[auto-cancel]] in a short hop. While her KO potential has improved, some of Samus' previous KO moves, such as her down tilt and down smash, have reduced KO potential. [[Missile]] is harder to camp with due it no longer auto-canceling on landing, though her projectiles overall are still powerful and useful in their own right. Additionally, Samus' overall damage output is lower (though it is higher relative to the cast) and despite her improved combo potential, some of her moves have reduced followup potential most notably her landing forward aerial and down aerial. One move which notably got nerfed however was her [[grab aerial]]. While it has increased tether range and it benefits from the changes to ledges, it has increased landing lag, deals less damage and has altered knockback hindering its spacing and followup potential.  

*{{buff|Samus [[Walking|walks]] faster (1.05 → 1.0615).}}

*{{buff|Samus [[dash]]es faster (1.445 → 1.504).}}

*{{buff|Samus' [[air speed]] is faster (0.987 → 1.03).}}

*{{change|Samus' [[falling speed]] is faster (1.07 → 1.3).}}

*{{buff|Samus' [[fast fall]]ing speed is much faster (1.498 → 2.08).}}

*{{change|Samus' [[gravity]] is much higher (0.058 → 0.077).}}

*{{nerf|[[Spotdodge]] has a shorter duration (frames 2-20 → 2-17) and more ending lag (FAF 26 → 27).}}

*{{nerf|Samus is no longer connected to {{SSB4|Zero Suit Samus}} via [[Final Smash]], taunt, or menu input usage, with the latter becoming her own separate character. This removes Samus' ability to switch into her Zero Suit counterpart mid-match to adapt to different matchups utilising Zero Suit Samus' far superior mobility and frame data.}}

**{{buff|Forward tilt has adjusted hitbox properties. Its non-angled variant has received two sweetspots covering the lower leg and foot that deal more damage and received sourspots on her upper leg and body that deal the same damage as in ''Brawl'' (7%/8% → 7%/8%/9%/10%). Additionally, its upward and downward angles have each received a sweetspot on her foot that deals 1% more damage (10% → 11%). Lastly, its sweetspots have increased base knockback (10 → 30).}}

**{{nerf|Down tilt deals 2% less damage (14% → 12%) and has decreased knockback scaling (60 → 48), hindering its KO potential.}}

**{{buff|Dash attack has received an early hitbox that deals 7% and prevents point-blank whiffing. It also has adjusted hitbox timings and a longer duration (frames 8-10 (clean)/11-16 (late) → 8-9 (early)/10-13 (clean)/14-18 (late)), decreased ending lag (FAF 38 → 34) and altered knockback (30/20 (base), 80 (scaling) → 80/60). When coupled with the changes to [[hitstun canceling]], these changes significantly improve its combo potential now being her best combo starter.}}

**{{buff|Forward smash has received a sweetspot and a sourspot. The sweetspot is at the tip of the Arm Cannon and deals more damage (14%/13%/12% → 15%/14%/13.5%) and base knockback (20 → 40), while the sourspot deals more knockback (20 (base), 100 (scaling) → 16/112), making it stronger despite its lower damage. Forward smash also has much greater reach because of the sweetspot, restoring its utility from ''Melee''.}}

*{{nerf|Samus' faster falling speed removes forward aerial's ability to auto-cancel in a short hop drastically hindering its approach potential combined with its much higher landing lag. This also prevents Samus from performing two neutral, back or up aerials in a short hop.}}

**{{buff|Samus has a new [[neutral aerial]], a modified version of the Counter Attack's roundhouse kick from ''Metroid: Other M''. Compared to the previous neutral aerial, it deals more damage (9%/6% → 10%/9%/8%) and significantly more knockback (10 (base), 80 (scaling) → 40/100), making it significantly better at KOing. It also has much better range behind her and launches at a lower angle (361° → 32°), making it better at edgeguarding.}}

**{{nerf|Neutral aerial has more startup lag with a much shorter duration (frames 5-24 → 8-11/16-24), and significantly smaller hitboxes compared to the previous neutral aerial, hindering its range in front of her. Its altered angle and knockback also means that it no longer [[lock]]s opponents removing one of Samus' most reliable locking tools.}}

**{{buff|Back aerial's sourspot deals 2% more damage (10% → 12%) and both hits have higher knockback scaling (95/90 (sourspots), 88 (clean) → 98 (both)), making it among the strongest back aerials in the game, improving its KO potential. It also received a late hit on frames 11-14 that deals 9% and knockback that enables it to be used in a [[Wall of Pain]], improving its utility. Back aerial also has slightly reduced ending lag (FAF 40 → 39).}}

**{{nerf|Back aerial auto-cancels later (frame 32 → 42).}}

*{{buff|All grabs have decreased start-up (frame 17 → 16 (standing/dash), frame 19 → 17 (pivot)) and ending lag (FAF 94 (standing)/74 (dash)/96 (pivot) → 69/67/83).}}

**{{bugfix|Pummel now always hits every fighter.}}

***{{buff|This removes its ability to whiff.}}

**{{buff|Up throw now deals full damage to all lightweights.}}

**{{buff|The changes to hitstun canceling and the weakening of [[DI]] significantly improves down throw's followup potential.}}

*[[Floor attack]]:

**{{buff|Front floor attack deals 1% more damage (6% → 7%).}}

**{{change|Back floor attack and edge attack deal consistent damage (6%/8% → 7%).}}

**{{buff|Fully charged Charge Shot has increased knockback scaling (56 → 62), improving its KO potential. Charge Shot also charges slightly faster and travels significantly faster.}}

**{{buff|Missiles have decreased startup lag (frame 20 (Homing)/23 (Super) → 18/21), longer durations (frames 18-116 (Homing)/21-82 (Super) → 18-118/21-84), and decreased ending lag on the ground (FAF 60 (both) → 57 (Homing)/59 (Super)). Super Missile also has increased base knockback (40 → 50), slightly improving its KO potential.}}

**{{nerf|Samus can only have two Homing Missiles and one Super Missile onscreen at the same time. If she attempts to shoot another one while one is already on-screen, she will perform the firing animation, but no Missile will be fired. Homing Missile also appears to target less reliably. Additionally, Missile covers less distance and Missile no longer auto-cancels on landing, hindering its utility.}}

**{{buff|Bomb has decreased ending lag (FAF 47 → 45). Additionally, aerial Bomb can be used faster. When coupled with her faster air speed, these changes improve its horizontal recovery potential.}}

|neutralname=Straight and Cannon Hammer

|ftiltname= 

|utiltname= 

|dtiltname= 

|dashname= 

|fsmashname= 

|usmashname=Cover Fire<!--official from all-star trophy-->

|dsmashname=&nbsp;

|nairname=&nbsp;

|nairdesc=A spinning roundhouse kick. Hits on both sides quickly and can auto-cancel with a short hopped fast fall. One of the strongest neutral aerials as of update 1.1.5, its first few frames deal very powerful knockback, which makes it a viable KOing option off-stage or near the edge. It is also a decent combo finisher.

|fairname=&nbsp;

|bairname=&nbsp;

|bairdesc=A back kick. It is fast and deals powerful knockback when sweetspotted, which makes it an excellent KOing option, especially while edge-guarding. However, it has a small hitbox like her neutral aerial. When sweetspotted, it is among the strongest back aerials in the game. When sourspotted, it can be used as a [[Wall of Pain]]. KOs under 100% and around 80% at the edge.

|uairname=&nbsp;

|uairdesc=A diagonal corkscrew flying kick. Hits multiple times, though only the last hit deals moderate knockback. Unlike most multi-hitting attacks, the opponent can easily be launched before the move is complete if Samus does not follow the opponent's previous launch direction. Grounded opponents can be hit by the last hitbox if Samus lands while starting the move in the air, although it is difficult to do so. It is her fastest aerial, due to coming out on frame 5. Useful for landing, breaking some certain combos, and countering aerial approaches. Can be used as a follow-up after a dash attack, grounded up tilt, down aerial, or down throw, all of which can be followed up with another up aerial and/or can be finished off with a [[Screw Attack]]. On stages with platforms, it can even [[zero-to-death]] the entire cast when using a platform to extend the combo.

|dairname=&nbsp;

|zairname=[[Grapple Beam]]

|grabname=Grapple Beam

|pummelname=&nbsp;

|fthrowname=&nbsp;

|bthrowname=&nbsp;

|uthrowname=&nbsp;

|uthrowdesc=Hoists the opponent overhead and then blasts them upward. Can combo into Screw Attack or up aerial at 0% against heavyweights or fast-fallers, but it otherwise launches opponents too high for follow-ups. However, on a platform, it can zero-to-death the same characters when followed up by her up aerial and then Screw Attack. Like her forward and back throws, it possesses low knockback growth.

|dthrowname=&nbsp;

|usc2desc=Deals more damage (albeit less total damage)!and much more knockback, which grants it much better KO potential, to the point that it can KO as low as 50% near the upper blast line and without rage, depending on weight and DI. However, it only hits twice and covers significantly less horizontal distance.  

{{Crowd

|char=Samus

|game=SSB4

|desc-us=Sa-mus!

|desc-jp=Sa-mus!

|pitch-us=Group chant

|pitch-jp=Group chant}}

==In [[Competitive play|competitive play]]==

===Notable players===

<!--If you are planning to add a player you consider to be notable, please provide tournament results in some shape or form (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.-->

*{{Sm|Pyreeze|USA}} - One of the best Samus players in the United States, has wins over {{Sm|Elegant}}, {{Sm|Konga}}, {{Sm|KOSSismoss}} and more. Ranked 7th on the [[Washington Power Rankings#Super Smash Bros. for Wii U rankings|Western Washington Smash 4 Power Rankings]].

*{{Sm|YB|Japan}} - The best Samus player in Japan and a "Wi-Fi Warrior".

 

*{{Sm|Jonny Westside|USA}} - The best Samus player in the world when he was active. Formerly ranked 17th on the [[SoCal Power Rankings#Super Smash Bros. for Wii U rankings|SoCal Smash 4 Power Rankings]]. He has a win over {{Sm|Mr. ConCon}}. Went on a hiatus mid-2016.

*{{Sm|KayJay|Austria}} - The second best Samus player in Europe when he was active. Placed 13th at [[Smashdown World]]. Ranked 6th on the [[Austria Smash 4 Power Rankings]]. He has wins over {{Sm|Sodrek}}, {{Sm|Luigi player}}, {{Sm|Chimera}}, {{Sm|Anragon}} and more.

*{{Sm|Salem|USA}} - He has wins over {{Sm|Saj}}, {{Sm|Ryo}}, {{Sm|Dyr}}, and {{Sm|Kome}} with Samus.

 

Samus was initially considered to have improved from ''Brawl'', due to the improvements to her KO potential, a trait she previously lacked in tournament play. However, it soon became clear the buffs to other bottom-tier characters, such as {{SSB4|Mario}}, {{SSB4|Captain Falcon}} and {{SSB4|Link}}, had made them significantly better than her. When combined with glaring blind spots on her hitboxes, extended hurtboxes, and continued struggle to KO, Samus would later be considered one of the worst characters in the game. Despite the buffs gained in game updates, notably update [[1.1.1]], her poorly regarded status remained intact, with only a handful of dedicated mains, such as {{Sm|IcyMist}}, {{Sm|KayJay}}, {{Sm|Afro Smash}} and {{Sm|Jonny Westside}}, having a notable tournament impact. As such, she was ranked 51st on the first ''4BR'' [[tier list]], becoming a bottom-tier character.

It was not until update [[1.1.5]] when Samus gained her most efficient buffs, which allowed her moveset to flow significantly better, improving her offense and eliminating the majority of her blindspots. This resulted in her achieving significantly better placements at tournaments, and benefitting from nerfs given to characters with preferable matchups against her, such as {{SSB4|Bayonetta}}, {{SSB4|Diddy Kong}}, {{SSB4|Sheik}} and {{SSB4|Zero Suit Samus}}. These traits saw Samus ranked 45th on the second tier list and placed in the low tier, eventually rosing to 41st on the third tier list, at the top of the low tier. Her more bountiful results have resulted in her becoming a more stable character, and has seen her rise to 37th on the fourth and current tier list, now a mid-tier character, sharing the spot with {{SSB4|Robin}}. As such, she is considered a far more viable character after game updates, and significantly better than how she was in ''Brawl'', with some smashers, such as {{Sm|ESAM}} and  {{Sm|Dabuz}}, claim that a higher placement in the tier list is needed, despite her relatively below-average representation.

 

 

 

::{{Trophy games|console1=NES|game1=Metroid (08/1987)|console2=SNES|game2=Super Metroid (04/1994)}}

 

:'''Samus (Alt.)'''

::{{flag|ntsc}} ''Samus protects herself from overhead enemies with her up smash, Cover Fire, which can land multiple hits on anyone it connects with. Samus also fires a homing missile by holding sideways and pressing the special- attack button or launches a Super Missile by quickly tapping sideways instead.''

::{{flag|pal}} ''Samus' up smash attack, Cover Fire, fires five small blasts overhead, making it great for countering incoming aerial attacks. Her Missile attack fires a homing missile if you hold sideways and then press the special button, but if you do these things at the same time, you'll fire a Super Missile.''

::{{Trophy games|console1=NES|game1=Metroid (08/1987)|console2=SNES|game2=Super Metroid (04/1994)}}

::{{flag|ntsc}} ''Samus unleashes a massive, long-range beam from her Arm Cannon as her Final Smash. Fighters on the edges of the beam will be drawn in, taking more and more damage. The sheer power of this weapon makes it tough to aim once it's firing, but it's possible to adjust the beam up and down.''

::{{flag|pal}} ''In Samus' Final Smash, she unleashes a huge laser beam from her Arm Cannon that draws opponents to the centre of the beam. Quite handy, since the closer they are to the centre, the more damage they'll take! You can also angle it up and down (albeit slowly), letting you catch more of your enemies and create more havoc.''

SamusTrophy3DS.png|Classic (3DS)

SamusAltTrophy3DS.png|Alt. (3DS)

SamusTrophyWiiU.png|Classic (Wii U)

SamusAltTrophyWiiU.png|Alt. (Wii U)

ZeroLaserTrophyWiiU.png|{{b|Zero Laser|Samus}}

==In [[Event Match]]es==

===Solo Events===

* '''[[All-Star Battle: Regulars]]''': Samus is one of the opponents fought in this event. All of the opponents are the eight starter characters of the [[List of Super Smash Bros. series characters#"Perfect-attendance crew"|"perfect-attendance crew"]] from ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]''

* '''[[Galactic Avenger]]''': Samus must defeat [[Dark Samus]] and [[Ridley]] in a [[Stamina Mode|Stamina Battle]]. Dark Samus has 150 HP on Easy/Normal and 180 HP on Hard.

* '''[[Identity Crisis]]''': As {{SSB4|Sheik}} and {{SSB4|Zelda}}, the player must defeat Samus and {{SSB4|Zero Suit Samus}}.

===Co-op Events===

* '''[[Final Battle Team-Up]]''': Samus, using her Dark Samus [[alternate costume]], is one of the opponents the players must defeat.

* '''[[Poisonous Planet]]''': Samus and {{SSB4|Olimar}} must defeat two giant {{SSB4|Charizard}} in a [[Stamina Mode|Stamina Battle]] before their own health is depleted due to being [[flower]]ed.

* '''[[The Ultimate Battle]]''': Two players select a character and must defeat the entire roster.

SSB4 - Tether Recovery.jpg|Samus and Link simultaneously grabbing an edge with their [[Grapple Beam]] and [[Hookshot and Clawshot|Clawshot]] [[Tether recovery|tether recoveries]].