Editing Shulk (SSBU)

|image = [[File:Shulk SSBU.png|250px]]

'''Shulk''' ({{ja|シュルク|Shuruku}}, ''Shulk'') is a playable character in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''. He was confirmed on June 12th, 2018. Shulk is classified as fighter #57.

Adam Howden and Shintarō Asanuma reprise their roles as Shulk's voice actors in the English and Japanese versions of the game through mostly reused voice clips from ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]''.

*Clear {{SSBU|Classic Mode}} with {{SSBU|Pikachu}} or any character in its unlock tree, being the second character unlocked after {{SSBU|Villager}}.

With the exception of the third method, Shulk must then be defeated on [[Gaur Plain]].

Shulk has received a mix of buffs and nerfs from his transition to ''Ultimate''. His infamously sluggish moveset has been sped up in several ways, most notably from the universal reduction of [[landing lag]] and lag reduction for some of his most commonly used moves, alongside the ability to [[autocancel]] some aerials, a trait he was previously notable for lacking. In addition, his most notable KO moves are now stronger, the implementation of canceling a dash with any ground move allows him to approach with his high-ranged tilts, and the addition of pseudo [[dash dancing]] alleviate his low [[traction]] and turnaround time.

Shulk's defining [[Monado Arts]] have also been altered significantly, now performing much like [[Monado Arts|Hyper Monado Arts]] from ''Smash 4''. Their benefits have been boosted: Speed and Buster now grant Shulk true followups and throw combos, Shield allows him to stay grounded even after withstanding [[smash attack]]s at high percents, and Smash now buffs Shulk's KO potential to such an extent that he is capable of KOing extremely early with throws and tilts.

However, Shulk's previously heavy [[weight]] has been reduced, his very damaging [[neutral attack]] has been toned down, and his [[throws]] are all less damaging, with [[down throw]] no longer being the strongest in the game. His infamous [[Vision]] had its knockback reduced, making it less effective for KOs at low percents. Finally, his Monado Arts also last significantly shorter, have much longer recharge times, and their drawbacks have been amplified, making each Art even riskier to use but much more rewarding.

As a result, Shulk's playstyle revolves less around taking advantage of Monado Arts at all times, and he now depends on using his improved kit to make use of his stronger, short-lasting Monado Art abilities. As of now, it is unknown how his changes affect him compared to the rest of the cast.

===Aesthetics===

*{{change|As with all [[veteran]]s returning from ''SSB4'', Shulk's model features a more subdued color scheme. In addition to losing most of the glossy sheen from his clothes and hair, Shulk's clothing now features simple detailing, his face is more defined, and his hair is somewhat less tousled.}}

*{{change|Shulk's alternate costumes now alter his hair color to match each party member they represent.}}

**{{change|His hair colors are now dirty blonde, black, auburn, black, silver, and orange for the palette swaps of [[Fiora]], [[Dunban]], Reyn, Sharla, Melia, and [[Riki]] respectively.}}

*{{change|Shulk's muscles are more prominently defined in his shirtless alternate costume.}}

*{{change|Shulk's idle stance has been slightly altered, as his chest now visibly moves as he breathes.}}

*{{change|Moves that originally caused the [[Monado]] to glow with a blue outline now completely cover its blade with an opaque blue glow.}}

*{{change|Shulk's second jump freefall animation has been altered, with his limbs no longer being straightened out. This brings it closer to how Shulk jumps in ''Xenoblade Chronicles''.}}

*{{change|During Shulk's hip-posing [[victory pose]], the Monado now glows with a sword trail when swung, and Shulk gives a wide grin at the end.}}

*{{buff|Like all characters, Shulk's [[jumpsquat]] animation now takes three frames to complete (down from 5).}}

*{{buff|Due to the backward-facing hitstun state now applying to all attacks, [[Back Slash]] is less situational and can potentially combo out of his other moves with its effective damage.}}

*{{Change|Shulk is lighter, reducing his endurance substantially, however, this change makes him less susceptible to combos.}}

*{{change|All of Shulk's moves with an initial hit (such as up aerial, forward smash and up smash) cause significantly more [[freeze frames]] on the first hit.}}

**{{nerf|During dash attack, Shulk doesn't slide as far. This reduces the move's range slightly.}}

**{{buff|Forward tilt is stronger and KOs earlier (108% → 97%, at the edge of Final Destination).}}

**{{change|Up tilt's ending animation has been altered, with Shulk crouching lower.}}

**{{nerf|Due to changes to the Buster art, up tilt's freeze frames and higher horizontal launch angle makes it difficult to follow up itself.}}

**{{buff|First hit's blade hitbox of down smash KOs earlier (81% → 78% at the edge of Final Destination).}}

**{{buff|Neutral aerial's hitbox timing is unchanged despite the faster animation speed, meaning the ending frames can now connect with opponents, and the full move now covers 360 degrees.}}

**{{buff|Due to its landing lag being reduced, neutral aerial can now true combo into several aerials depending on Shulk's active Monado Art.}}

**{{change|Neutral aerial's sweetspot has been reversed, with the beam blade dealing less damage instead of more. While this increases the chance of the blade hitbox hitting at the beginning, this also makes the larger beam hitbox more likely to land after the initial startup .}}

**{{buff|Due to its landing lag being reduced, neutral forward can now true combo into itself or other aerials depending on Shulk's active Monado Art.}}

**{{change|The final frames of forward aerial no longer send opponents behind Shulk. This removes its niche [[stage spike]] and combo abilities, but makes it more consistent.}}

**{{buff|Back aerial can now [[autocancel]] from a full hop.}}

**{{buff|Back aerial's hitbox has been adjusted to be parallel to the ground. This makes it easier for the attack to hit grounded opponents without going over their heads.}}

**{{nerf|Back aerial's early hitbox has been removed, preventing the Monado's blade from hitting opponents in front of Shulk. This also makes it more difficult to use back aerial as a landing option.}}

**{{nerf|Back aerial starts slightly later (frame 18 → 19).}}

**{{buff|Up aerial has significantly lower ending lag (frame 71 → 60).}}

**{{buff|Down aerial can now autocancel.}} [https://youtu.be/3C41FWu2hg8?t=93]

**{{buff|Down aerial appears to have more range.}}

**{{change|Pummel deals less damage (3% → 1.2%) but is much faster.}}

**{{nerf|Forward throw's second hit deals less damage (8% → 5%).}}

**{{buff|Forward throw is much stronger with the Smash art active, capable of KOing at 110% at the edge of Final Destination.}}

**{{nerf|Back throw's second hit deals less damage (9% → 6%).}}

**{{buff|Back throw is now Shulk's strongest throw with the Smash art active, capable of KOing at 90% at the edge of Final Destination.}}

**{{buff|Changes to the Smash art now allow the Monado Purge combo (up throw to up air) to KO at around 70%, though this is escapable.}}

**{{nerf|Down throw's second hit deals less damage (4% → 2.5%).}}

**{{nerf|Down throw is no longer the strongest down throw in the game, even with the Smash Art active.}}

**{{buff|Changes to the Buster Art now allow down throw to true combo into down tilt or forward tilt until around 60%.}}

**{{buff|Monado Arts can now be selected quicker by holding the Special button, holding the stick in a direction, then releasing the Special button. His Monado Arts are mapped to the following: up for Smash, upper left for Jump, lower left for Speed, upper right for Buster, and lower right for Shield. The previous method of selecting Monado Arts has still been retained.}}

***{{buff|This new method of switching allows the user to switch Monado Arts without needing to cancel the current one, opening up more combo potential and flexibility through switching from certain Monado Arts.}}

***{{change|Arts that are on cooldown now have a bar under them to show how much longer until they can be used again. A timer bar also appears to show how long until the active Art deactivates.}}

**{{buff|Monado Arts can be activated immediately during hitstsun.}}

**{{buff|Monado Arts activate significantly faster when selecting Arts individually.}}

**{{change|[[Monado Arts#Monado Art Landing Lag Cancel|Monado Art Landing Lag Canceling]] is still capable of being performed, though the faster activation time means the timings now require quicker reflexes.}}

***{{buff|The addition of selecting Arts through the Art wheel now allows Shulk access to MALLC at any time, without having to time landings with his jumps.}}

**{{change|Monado Arts's kanji graphics are now stylized and shown in solid colored, thick-outlined text. Upon activation, the kanji flashes with a cartoon-styled burst.}}

**{{change|Monado Arts now displays the name of the art in addition to the kanji, like on the HUD.}}

**{{bugfix|Switching or deactivating Arts immediately resets Shulk's movement attributes (e.g. he no longer keeps his high dash speed if he is dashing when the Speed Art expires).}}

**{{change|Monado Arts now have significantly amplified strengths and weaknesses, alongside much shorter durations and longer cooldowns, making the move similar to his previous custom move, [[Monado Arts#Customization|Hyper Monado Arts]].}}

**Jump Art:

***{{nerf|Jump Art lasts significantly shorter and has a longer cooldown (16s → 6s duration, 10s → 18s cooldown).}}

***{{nerf|Jump Art increases Shulk's damage vulnerability even more (1.22x → 1.3x).}}

***{{nerf|Speed Art lasts significantly shorter and has a longer cooldown (16 s → 8s duration, 10s → 16s cooldown).}}

***{{buff|Speed Art grants an even lower jump and higher ground speed than before. Combined with the reduced landing lag of his aerials, Speed is now a more effective aerial rushdown and spacing tool.}}

***{{buff|Due to the altered dash mechanics, Speed now grants Shulk an excellent [[dash dance]].}}

***{{nerf|Speed Art lowers Shulk's damage even more (0.8x → 0.7x).}}

***{{nerf|Speed Art's shorter jumps make the Art even worse for recovering vertically.}}

***{{nerf|Shield Art lasts significantly shorter and has a longer cooldown (16 s → 6s duration, 10s → 18s cooldown).}}

***{{buff|Shield Art grants a significantly higher amount of survivability, allowing Shulk to stay grounded even if hit by smash attacks at mid-high percents. He can even interrupt throw combos or tilts by retaliating with an attack while Shield is active, since he can usually react faster than his opponent.}}

***{{nerf|Shield Art lowers Shulk's damage even more (0.7x → 0.5x).}}

***{{nerf|Shield Art's Meter goes down upon being hit. Alongside the reduced duration, this removes Shield's ability to stall matches for a noticeable period of time.}} [https://youtu.be/oroapSPtDas?t=213]

***{{nerf|Buster Art lasts significantly shorter and has a longer cooldown (16s → 10s duration, 10s → 14s cooldown). However, it is now the longest-lasting and quickest-charging Monado Art.}}

***{{buff|Buster lowers Shulk's knockback even more and grants significantly higher [[freeze frames]]. This gives Shulk true combos while it is active, significantly improving his damage racking potential.}}

***{{nerf|Buster Art increases Shulk's damage vulnerability even more (1.13x → 1.3x).}}

***{{nerf|Smash Art lasts significantly shorter and has a longer cooldown (16 seconds → 8s duration, 10s → 16s cooldown).}}

***{{buff|Smash Art boosts Shulk's knockback even more, allowing his forward smash to KO at the edge of Final Destination beginning from 45%.}}

***{{nerf|Smash Art harsly lowers Shulk's survivability, allowing Mario's forward smash to KO him from the middle of Final Destination at 65%.}}

***{{nerf|Smash Art lowers Shulk's damage even more (0.5x → 0.3x).}}

**{{buff|Back Slash is slightly faster.}}

**{{buff|Back Slash's blade hitbox KOs earlier (79% → 74% from the edge of Final Destination).}}

**{{buff|Shulk can now snap onto ledges while using Back Slash, after enough travel time.}}

**{{buff|The distance Back Slash travels can now be affected by holding down left or right.}}

**{{nerf|Front-hitting Back Slash KOs later.}}

**{{change|Back-hitting Back Slash now causes a yellow burst effect, similar to the graphic shown when a party member successfully lands an Art's bonus effect in ''Xenoblade Chronicles'' (in this case, hitting the back of an enemy).}}

*[[Air Slash]]:

**{{buff|Air Slash KOs earlier (118% → 106% from the edge of Final Destination).}}

**{{buff|The second hit of Air Slash has faster startup, making it easier to connect both hits of the move.}}

**{{change|Air Slash now snaps to the ledge during the first swing instead of the second swing.}}

***{{nerf|Air Slash's second hit has a shorter range.}}

***{{nerf|Air Slash has a smaller edge sweetspot, making the entire move harder to snap to the ledge with.}}

*[[Vision]]:

**{{change|Vision's backdrop is significantly brighter.}}

**{{nerf|Vision deals noticeably less base knockback, hindering its ability to KO at low percentages.}}

***{{buff|However, due to changes to Smash Art, Vision can now KO much earlier despite its decreased damage multiplier.}}

**{{bugfix|[[Vision#Vision Sliding|Vision Sliding]] has been removed.}}

**{{change|[[Fiora]] appears during Chain Attack, attacking with Shulk in addition to [[Riki]] and [[Dunban]]. Camera angles have been adjusted to accommodate for her, and Shulk has gained an additional voice clip that calls out her name. Additionally, Riki and Dunban have more detailed models.}}

Each of the opponents represent one of Shulk's [[Monado Arts]] and are fought in the cycling order of each art in ''Super Smash Bros. 4''. The battle against Mega Man, continuing the theme, represents Monado Enchant from ''Xenoblade Chronicles'' (represented by the kanji for "Machine"), which share's the Monado's ability to damage Mechon armor with his party.

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

|1||{{SSBU|Falco}}||[[Lylat Cruise]]||Space Armada||

|2||{{SSBU|Sonic}}||[[Windy Hill Zone]]||Windy Hill - Zone 1||

|3||Giant {{SSBU|King K. Rool}}||[[Jungle Japes]]||Crocodile Cacophony||

|4||{{SSBU|Cloud}}||[[Midgar]]||Let the Battles Begin!||

|5||{{SSBU|Little Mac}}||[[Boxing Ring]]||World Circuit Theme||

|6||{{SSBU|Mega Man}}||[[Wily Castle]]||Metal Man Stage||

|colspan="5"|Bonus Stage

|Final||{{SSBU|Master Hand}}||{{SSBU|Final Destination}}||Master Hand||On intensity 7.0 and higher, {{SSBU|Crazy Hand}} fights alongside Master Hand, and the track ''Master Hand / Crazy Hand'' plays during the battle.

After the Master Hands begin turning into energy for [[Galeem]] to absorb, Shulk experiences a [[vision]] of the future, where all of the fighters are annihilated and the universe engulfed in light. Shulk turns back attempting to warn everyone, but remains speechless. Unfortunately, his vision comes true when Galeem unleashes a shower of light that vaporizes Shulk off-screen and imprisons him with the rest of the fighters except for {{SSBU|Kirby}}.

In the mode proper, he can be found right over a cliff that leads to a waterfall.

SSBUWebsiteShulk2.jpg|Activating the Smash Monado Art on {{SSBU|Battlefield}}.

SSBUWebsiteShulk3.jpg|Shulk fighting {{SSBU|Samus}} on [[Gaur Plain]].

SSBUWebsiteLucina3.jpg|Shulk getting attacked by {{SSBU|Lucina}} on [[Temple]].

SSBUWebsite11.jpg|Shulk activating the Buster Monado Art on Battlefield.

===Character Showcase Video===

<youtube>XWeR6XmzZyI</youtube>

*Shulk's pose in his official render resembles the pose he performs when selecting [[Monado Arts]] from the move's menu.

*Shulk's artwork was one of the three that have been updated on the official site, alongside {{SSBU|Falco}} and {{SSBU|Palutena}}. In his case, the lighting on his hair and face have been modified, making his features appear less flat.  

*Shulk's backhanded [[victory pose]] has an animation inconsistency: his mouth may either stay open or closed when his name is called out on the victory screen.

*Shulk is one of the few fighters to spin differently in their [[Star KO]]: he spins forwards instead of away from the screen, similarly to how Star KOs acted in ''Smash 4''. He shares this trait with {{SSBU|Cloud}}, {{SSBU|Corrin}}, {{SSBU|Incineroar}} and {{SSBU|Inkling}}.

{{Xenoblade universe}}

[[Category:Shulk (SSBU)]]