Editing Snake (SSBU)

|tier = S-

|ranking = 15

{{s|wikipedia|David Hayter}} and {{s|wikipedia|Akio Ōtsuka}}'s respective English-language and Japanese-language portrayals of Snake from ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'' were repurposed for ''Ultimate''. Additionally, the former actor confirmed they were willing to record new lines for the character, but it was decided on using only the voices from ''Brawl'' instead.<ref>https://twitter.com/DavidBHayter/status/1006580149540700160</ref> <ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/DavidBHayter/status/1404490082753646596|title=David Hayter on Twitter|quote=I offered to record new lines. But they just used the old ones.|date=June 14, 2021|accessdate=May 12, 2022}}</ref> In the Chinese and Korean versions, Snake uses his English voice clips.

Snake currently ranks 15th out of 82 on the ''Ultimate'' [[tier list]], placing him in the middle of S- tier. This is a marginal drop relative to his placement in ''Brawl'', where he was ranked 6th out of 38. While several of his individual moves have been nerfed in the transition between both games, Snake continues to retain his signature traits of immense KO power, camping prowess, and stage control, courtesy of his explosive armaments and brutal melee attacks. His [[Hand Grenade]] provides ample pressure in combat and their fast activation time enables Snake to use them as self-damage inflicting combo breakers — which he powers through thanks to his [[heavyweight]] endurance — and he can further [[B-reverse]] these to mix up his landing options. The grenades handily complement Snake's [[C4]] which can set up elaborate traps and kill situations, and the [[Nikita]] further extends Snake's control of the battlefield into off-stage. His unique mortar [[up smash]] allows Snake to strengthen his intricate ledge traps. In close-range, Snake possesses an array of high damaging moves with fast startup that can KO opponents with relative ease. His infamous [[up tilt]] still retains decent range and destructive KO power, and is able to confirm off of his highly effective down throw when at high percents. His [[dash attack]] remains a solid burst option, while attacks like [[down tilt]] and [[forward tilt]] maintain their effectivity as pokes. Furthermore, Snake's aerial game has seen tremendous improvement thanks to ''Ultimate'''s standardization of [[jump squat|jump squats]]. Having previously been subject to the worst jump squat in ''Brawl'', the universal 3 frame jump squat change allows his powerful aerials to see much more application (such as turning his fast [[down aerial]] into an [[out of shield]] option), and the addition of the directional [[air dodge]] improves his off-stage endurance.

Snake inherits several flaws that were endemic to him in ''Brawl''. His main issue is his recovery; despite the high distance [[Cypher]] provides, it remains predictable and easy to intercept, which is now made worse by it being able to be destroyed, and his slow-acting air speed makes him susceptible to gimping, despite the benefits of the game's air dodge mechanics. While he has several tools like C4 to refresh his recovery and Grenades to break out of combos in disadvantage, he's often forced to self-inflict damage just to recover or reset into neutral, and the inability to tech at high percentages further exacerbates this. Although several of his attacks having fast startup, many of his moves have notable [[end lag]], which can leave him vulnerable on block. The removal of [[DACUS]], of which he was previously one of its most proficient users, has also limited his mobility options to an extent. Finally, Snake's KO options are all fairly predictable. Since many of his kill moves like smash attacks are slow acting, he's often times limited to attacks like up tilt that are easy to anticipate, since many of his KO setups are a lot more circumstantial.

Nonetheless, his pros greatly outweigh his cons. Since the release of the game, Snake has consistently seen heavy representation among all levels of competitive play, with multiple top results posted by players such as {{Sm|ApolloKage}}, {{Sm|Shogun}}, and {{Sm|MVD}}.

One of Snake's biggest strengths is his moveset: similarly to a few other characters, such as {{SSBU|Young Link}}, the overall utility provided by Snake's moveset is so considerable that he lacks a single "bad" or "useless" move. An example of this would be his ground game. His neutral attack comes out quickly and is a good anti-pressure tool with good mixup potential. His forward tilt is a 2-hit attack with fast start-up (frame 4) and a decently sized hitbox. It also has high knockback, allowing it to KO at high percents. His up tilt is often considered one of the best in the game due to its deceptively fast start-up (frame 6), very strong KO power, and disjointed hitbox. It is also infamous for being able to be confirmed into by his down throw, which is a true combo at high percents (around 160%). His down tilt is one of his best poking tools, having fast speed (frame 6) and a great disjoint that goes beyond Snake's feet. It also puts Snake into his crouch position on the first frame of the move, making it a great way to evade certain attacks. Lastly, his dash attack comes out very quickly (frame 5) and is a useful approaching option due to its good knockback which even allows it KO at the ledge at very high percents, while it also crosses shields, grants Snake arm [[intangibility]], and has a reasonable amount of ending lag, giving him one of the game's best burst options and making it arguably the best dash attack in the game.

Snake's smash attacks offer a unique set of options. His up smash shoots a missile upwards and the height at which it travels can be increased by charging the move. This makes it great for [[edgeguard]]ing, ledgetrapping, and as an anti-air. The launcher also has a hitbox that comes out on frame 11. His [[forward smash]], while extremely slow, is incredibly strong and is decently safe on shield due to its relatively low endlag and large hitbox, making it great for hard reads or if the opponent rolls in Snake's direction. Its large hitbox also reaches beyond the ledge and allows it to [[2 frame punish]] opponents. His down smash is fast, has good KO power (especially with the second hit), possesses a disjointed hitbox on both hits that goes beyond Snake's feet and makes it a good tool for 2-framing and edgeguarding, and is relatively safe on shield if its second hit connects.

While Snake's air attributes are poor, his aerials by themselves have lots of utility. Neutral aerial is strong and deals very high damage, making it great for edgeguarding. Its first three hits can also setup into other moves if Snake lands as quickly as possible after connecting one of the hits. Forward aerial is a very powerful meteor smash with great horizontal and vertical range. Down aerial is often considered Snake's best aerial, as it comes out very quickly (frame 3), has decent range and knockback, and deals high damage, with all the hits combined dealing 20% in a short hop. The move also gives Snake a small vertical boost in the air and autocancels in a short hop. Due to its aforementioned speed, it is useful for racking up damage and is a very effective out-of-shield option. Up aerial is relatively quick, has strong vertical power, and a large disjointed hitbox that extends far beyond Snake's legs. Finally, back aerial is fast, deals high damage with powerful knockback, and has long disjointed range along with a high amount of active frames, making it a reliable landing option and a way to escape juggles as well as a potential KO move.  

Snake's grab game is also fairly versatile. His dash grab goes a surprisingly long distance thanks to him sliding forward during it. His throws, however, are where his grab game shines. Down throw is unique in that it has the [[down]] effect: while this makes it unsafe at low percents, as the opponent can react before he can, it gains enough hitstun at high percents to allow Snake to follow up reliably, with up tilt being renowned as a guaranteed KO confirm at 160%. It is also useful for [[tech chase|tech chasing]], as Snake can predict his opponent's tech option and potentially rack up more damage or possibly even KO the opponent if the player makes the correct read. His up throw can combo into his up tilt at low percents as a solid damage racker, and his back throw can combo into his dash attack at low percents as well as C4 at mid to high percents. Lastly, his forward and back throws have decent knockback scaling, making them great for setting up edgeguards or, to a lesser degree, KOing at very high percents.

Finally, Snake's special moves allow for many fantastic options. His neutral special, [[Hand Grenade]], is arguably one of the best projectiles in the game for many reasons. It is infamous for starting on frame 1, which lets Snake instantly escape combos once he is out of hitstun and also makes it to where opponents must be cautious when trying to combo or juggle him in an effort to not get hit by his grenades. Grenades are also very useful for zoning and as defensive options, as Snake can shield while holding one to make pressuring his shield dangerous. They are also very useful for stage control, ledge trapping, setups, and as camping tools. His side special, [[Remote Missile]], is his best edgeguarding tool, thanks to its controllable movement, strong knockback, and low commitment, as Snake can edgeguard opponents with ease without leaving the stage. His down special, [[C4]], is a remote activated bomb with strong power. It can also be difficult to see at times due to its small size and is among the best trapping and stage-controlling tools in the game thanks to how it essentially puts certain parts of the stage "off-limits" and forces opponents to move in a different part of the stage where Snake can continually pressure them. Additionally, Snake can attach it to the opponent if he is close enough, which gives him an opportunity to deal high damage or potentially KO at high percents, especially if used as confirm out of his back throw. It can also be used to extend his recovery by placing one down in midair and detonating it immediately. Lastly, his up special [[Cypher]] is his main recovery move and goes a considerable distance and doesn't leave him helpless. It also provides Snake with some damaged based armor, and a useful lingering hitbox that can cover his air dodge to the ledge.

In spite of his strengths, Snake still has noticeable weaknesses, one of which being his frame data. While he does have several moves with remarkably quick start-up (jab, down aerial, back aerial, Hand Grenade, down smash, and all of his tilts), the majority of his moveset has very high endlag, making them easy to punish if missed. While his aforementioned forward aerial and forward smash are quite strong, they have the highest startup lag of their types in the game. His reliance on explosive projectiles in the neutral can be a downside in matchups against characters with energy-absorbing moves, such as {{SSBU|Ness}}, {{SSBU|Lucas}}, or {{SSBU|Mr. Game & Watch}}.

His recovery can also be very vulnerable at times. Though the Cypher does have positive attributes, it can be rather slow and easy to catch. Many moves can hit right though the armor, and if it gets destroyed without Snake taking damage, he will become helpless. This situation can easily lead to a lost stock when recovering low. There is also a period of time after the Cypher is deployed in which it can not be acted out of.

These issues lead to Snake favoring a very high recovery in most situations. Unfortunately, getting back to stage from so far up offers the opponent a large window of time to chase down his landing. To evade a good opponent, the Snake player must consistently mix-up his landing with different movement options and attacks. Mastery of Snake's explosives, falling aerials, air dodges and reverse specials is required for a safe and consistent return to the stage.

Snake also has a notoriously poor disadvantage state. As a heavy character he is still vulnerable to combo strings and juggling. Grenade somewhat mitigates this issue as it can be used as a frame one combo breaking tool. However, this tactic does have downsides. If the grenade activates, Snake will receive damage and knockback. At higher percents, he may end up at a greater disadvantage or possibly lose a stock. Some characters can also hit Snake without ever triggering the grenade. Carelessly thrown grenades can also be used by opponents, who will often have better follow-ups at their disposal than Snake. Finally, some of Snake's aerial moves  can be punished due to their noticeable landing lag if they fail to hit an opponent.

Snake can also struggle to kill. Snake's two most reliable killing options (up tilt and down throw) can be rather predictable at times. This is especially true for down throw. High level players know that reaching 159% means a 100% guaranteed death to Snake's next grab. Though Nikita missiles are strong for edgeguarding, many characters have a variety of options to deal with Nikita. This issue can be partially mitigated by shield canceling it after the missile gets hit to activate a secondary hitbox. However, this tactic significantly reduces the damage and knockback of the Missile.

Overall, Snake is a zoning and stage-trapping oriented character with versatile specials and projectiles for forcing the opponent to move into a disadvantageous position. However, this doesn't necessarily mean he is required to stay at a distance to be most effective. He possesses several fast and  strong melee attacks, which can easily rack up damage, and keep the opponent off of him. Throughout the first year of ''Ultimate'', Snake achieved impressive results thanks to players such as {{Sm|Ally}} and {{Sm|MVD}}. However, after Ally was banned from events, Snake's results have gotten slightly worse, but he nonetheless has top level representatives such as {{Sm|ApolloKage}}, {{Sm|MVD}}, {{Sm|DIO}} and {{Sm|Shogun}}.

In ''Brawl'', Snake was considered among the best characters in the game thanks to his extreme damage output and knockback, huge disjointed hitboxes, excellent endurance due to a combination of very high weight and great momentum canceling, an excellent projectile and zoning game with his explosives, and a chain grab with his down throw which he could tech-chase. Due to his top-tier status in ''Brawl'' (placed 6th out of 38 characters), Snake received a mix of buffs and nerfs in the transition to ''Ultimate''. When it comes to direct changes, Snake has seen significant nerfs to many of his strengths, like his incredible power and large hitboxes, being noticeably toned down. Despite this however, none of the nerfs removed his most important traits that made him one of the best characters in ''Brawl''. Furthermore, Snake also greatly benefits from the universal changes which compensates for most of the heavy nerfs he received, along with buffs given to his projectiles. As a result, he was only slightly nerfed overall.

Directly, Snake has suffered from several critical nerfs to his moveset. His damage output and KO power from ''Brawl'' has been toned down, as his [[neutral attack]], [[forward tilt]], [[down tilt]], [[dash attack]], [[forward smash]], and all of his aerials have decreased damage, knockback, or both. As a result of these changes, his damage racking ability and KO potential, while still above average, has been substantially weakened. Additionally, while he still possesses large disjoints in his attacks, his [[range]] has been significantly nerfed, as the infamously large hitboxes on his attacks are now much smaller or have been completely removed; his [[up tilt]] in particular is the primary example as its controversially large disjointed range has been drastically reduced. Furthermore, all of his explosions can now be [[absorb]]ed, worsening his matchups against characters with  absorption based moves such as [[Ness]], [[Lucas]], and [[Mr. Game & Watch]], and due to his new [[down smash]] no longer involving Snake placing a landmine, this removes one of his main tools for stage control. Lastly, Snake's [[weight]] is much lighter, now being a heavyweight character instead of a super heavyweight while [[Cypher]] can now be destroyed by opponents if their attack is powerful enough, weakening his offstage presence.

Some of the indirect changes have also been detrimental for Snake. The removal of [[chain grab|chain grabbing]] and [[DACUS]] have altered Snake's playstyle: the former hinders his [[down throw]]'s damage racking and [[tech chase]] potential which is further compounded by down throw's reduced damage, while the latter eliminates one of his best approaching options. Finally, due to the removal of [[momentum canceling]], as well as Snake's reduced weight and Cypher's vulnerability to being destroyed, his overall endurance has been dramatically crippled, which is further exacerbated by the changes to teching, as this hinders his bomb recovery by making [[tech]]s impossible to perform at high enough percents. Altogether, Snake is much easier to KO, especially since the changes to [[hitstun canceling]] makes him much more susceptible to combos.  

However, Snake immensely benefits from the universal changes to ''Ultimate'''s game engine. Similar to the rest of the veterans, Snake has had his mobility improved in all aspects, although it is still below average, and decreased [[landing lag]] in all of his aerial attacks, giving him landing options. Most importantly however, Snake benefits the most from the universal 3 frame [[jumpsquat]] as his jumpsquat is no longer the slowest in the series, massively improving his ground to air transitioning as well as his [[out of shield]] game. Additionally, while the removal of chain grabbing hurts his down throw's tech chasing potential, it more importantly improves his endurance as he is no longer vulnerable to highly damaging chain grabs from certain characters, most notably [[Pikachu]] and [[King Dedede]]. The changes to [[air dodge]]s and hitstun canceling benefit Snake as well: the reintroduction of directional air dodges improves his recovery by allowing him to get additional distance to the ledge after using Cypher, and the lingering hitbox on Cypher can cover his air dodge, while the changes to hitstun canceling also allow him to utilize his projectiles as setup tools into his attacks much more effectively. Finally, the shield changes and increased [[shieldstun]] (especially for tilts) makes his moves safer on shield and harder to punish despite many having lowered damage.  

Snake has also received some direct improvements to his toolkit. Down tilt has lower [[ending lag]] and increased damage, making it safer as a poking and shield pressuring tool, up tilt has slightly increased KO potential on both the clean and late hit with the clean hit having a longer duration, and his dash attack has both increased base knockback and a lower angle on the clean hit, with the clean hit also having a longer duration, allowing it to setup [[edgeguard]] opportunities and making it far more effective as a burst option despite its reduced knockback scaling, especially at lower percents. Snake's aerials have received enhancements as well: his [[neutral aerial|neutral]] and [[down aerial]]s' multihits have reduced [[startup]] and better linking angles, significantly improving their consistency and potential as follow ups, while down and [[back aerial]] can now [[autocancel]] in a short hop and full hop respectively. Due to the direct improvements it has received along with Snake's significantly faster jumpsquat, down aerial is much more effective and reliable as a fast and highly damaging out of shield option. Additionally, his smash attacks have also received notable buffs: forward smash has decreased ending lag which makes it harder to punish and safer on shield when combined with the shield changes, [[up smash]] has increased KO and ledgetrapping potential, and his new down smash is much faster than its previous incarnation, giving Snake another  edgeguarding tool as well as a more reliable way to punish rolls. Furthermore, while down throw is less useful for tech chasing and deals less damage, it immobilizes opponents on the ground for a specific amount of time depending on their percent before the throw, giving Snake guaranteed KO setups at high percents including a KO confirm into up tilt once the opponent is at 160%. Lastly, his special moves have also been given improvements: [[Hand Grenade]]s have less lag when they are generated and explode faster (the latter can be both benefical and detrimental depending on the circumstance), while [[C4]] detonates faster and has less ending lag in all aspects. The most crucial upgrade however, was to [[Remote Missile]]: it is easier to control and much more maneuverabile, reaches its top speed at a faster rate, and has less ending lag both when canceled and upon hitting the opponent, vastly improving its utility and granting Snake one of the best edgeguarding tools in the game.  

In the end, the changes Snake received has toned down almost all of his strongest traits that are deemed as overpowered, such as his impressive endurance, notoriously high damage output, and most infamously, his disproportionately large hitboxes. However, while the direct nerfs Snake has received are of greater quantity than his buffs, the direct changes have also improved his strengths in specific areas, most notably his edgeguarding, while the changes to universal mechanics has nevertheless improved his most severe flaws in ''Brawl'', such as his aerial game and mobility (both of which were considered to be amongst the worst in ''Brawl''). Snake also retained most of his key traits from his ''Brawl'' incarnation: while most of them are much weaker in ''Ultimate'', they remained very respectable comparing to the majority of the cast. Due to this, while Snake theoretically fared much worse than his ''Brawl'' incarnation, he remained as a very viable choice in tournaments with players such as {{Sm|MVD}}, {{Sm|Salem}}, {{Sm|ScAtt}}, and {{Sm|Shogun}}, achieving very strong results with him. His reception has mostly been extremely positive, especially during the game’s initial release, where he was considered to be a top-tier character, with some even considering him to be the single best character in the game. In more recent time however, Snake’s results has somewhat diminished as the meta progresses, due to his best player {{Sm|Ally}} no longer competing in Ultimate’s national level, and his other best players’ results has become somewhat inconsistent. Furthermore, as the meta progresses, more players have learned to effectively exploit his weaknesses. Regardless, Snake remains as a top-tier contender, similar to his placement in ''Brawl'', and has continued to be a popular choice across all levels of play with great success.

|grabdesc=Reaches in front of himself with both of his arms, grabbing and holding his opponent in a restraining chokehold. The grabbing position itself is unique to Snake. Has decent range for a non-tether grab, although it is rather slow for one as a trade-off, starting on frame 8. However, since he kneels down and leans forward to grab the opponent, he can be hit by an attack that wouldn't hit him normally. Based on a similar maneuver from the ''Metal Gear Solid'' games.

|pummeldesc=Tightens his chokehold.

|bthrowdesc=Snake performs a sasae tsurikomi ashi{{ref|a}}, shifting the restrained opponent towards him, trips them with a sweep of his leg, and flips them over, slamming them on the ground behind him. It has very low ending lag, allowing it to combo into dash attack at low percentages, and into an attached C4 as a kill confirm at around 90%. It can also KO middleweights by itself at around 148%. Resembles his primary throw from ''Metal Gear Solid'' and ''Metal Gear Solid 2''.

|dthrowdesc=Lays the opponent on the floor, putting the opponent into a downed status. How soon an opponent can act depends on their damage. At high percents, it gives Snake guaranteed follow-up options, with the most reliable one being up tilt starting at 160%. It resembles a similar CQC maneuver from the ''Metal Gear Solid'' series, in which Snake rendered enemies unconscious by suffocating them.

*Snake's stealth camouflage disengages to reveal himself to his opponent(s). Snake then announces "Kept you waiting, huh?" upon appearing. Taken from the beginning of the Tanker chapter in ''Metal Gear Solid 2''.

**'''[[Smash Taunt]]''': Kneels down and contacts his support team - [[Colonel Roy Campbell]], [[Otacon]], and [[Mei Ling]], and even [[Slippy Toad|Slippy Toad]] (only when in a match with {{SSBU|Falco}}) - via his [[codec]]. This is possible only on Snake's home stage, [[Shadow Moses Island]], can only be done on characters that were playable in ''Brawl'', cannot be done on {{SSBU|Ike}}'s Radiant Dawn costume, and is performed by inputting the down taunt command extremely quickly. Snake will hold a pose for a few seconds, then a conversation between Snake and his support team will begin. This can only be done once each round and if the player is hit while Snake is holding his pose before the conversation starts, it is canceled. However, the player can be hit while the conversation is going, though the conversation ends if Snake is KO'd, which, in a nod to the ''Metal Gear Solid'' game over screens, causes the character Snake was talking with to shout ''"SNAAAAAAAAKE!!"''. It can be done with any number of other players on the screen; if there is more than one opponent, the game will randomly choose one to talk about.

SSBUSnakeIdle1.gif|Snake's first idle pose

SSBUSnakeIdle2.gif|Snake's second idle pose

*'''Left:''' Does a spin kick, a sidekick, and then finishes in a CQC stance, all while saying "Not even close!" ("{{ja|まだまだだな。|Mada mada da na.}}", ''Not yet.''). The pose is a reference to the end of ''Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots'' when Old Snake fights Liquid Ocelot.

*'''Up:''' Seen in a crouching position from the side, saying "Colonel, mission accomplished." ("{{ja|大佐、任務完了だ。|Taisa, ninmu kanryōda.}}", ''Colonel, mission accomplished.'') into his codec.

*'''Right:''' Crawls forward a step and rolls into a crouching position, saying into his codec "This is Snake. I'm done here." ("{{ja|こちらスネーク、これより帰還する。|Kochira Sunēku, kore yori kikan suru.}}", ''This is Snake, returning from here.'').

[[File:SnakeTheme.ogg|thumb|A small excerpt of the main theme of ''Metal Gear Solid''. In the game, this excerpt is used twice: when VR Training is completed, and when [[Solid Snake]] is caught and the player earns a Game Over.]]

In the early metagame, Snake was an incredibly popular character. The character’s multiple strengths, including a frame 1 option to break combos, great edgeguarding tools, and guaranteed kill setups at higher percents, enabled mains to develop a vibrant metagame. These strengths gave the character one of the highest representations in the metagame: Snake placed 2nd in representation for the first half of 2019,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1AJs-mj5TTdkmkl7nhj4twJymVPTLTUdT0MBToL1cxDs/edit#gid=0|OrionRank 2019 mid-year character score}}</ref> while Snake was one of the most common characters used by power ranked players in 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/LoopBarnard/status/1252705963557208064|title={{Sm|Barnard's Loop}}'s PR data}}</ref> The high reception to the character was backed up by strong major results coming from players such as {{Sm|Ally}}, {{Sm|MVD}}, and {{Sm|Salem}}. This overwhelmingly positive reception led many players to consider Snake as one of the best characters in the game.

This high perception, however, wouldn't last as players began learning how to play around Snake's strengths while using Snake's lacking disadvantage state in their favor. Furthermore, Snake's top-level representation also began to suffer mid-2019 due to Ally's ban, MVD's decline in results, and Salem picking up other characters to use alongside Snake. Although Snake continued to have high representation going into, during, and out of the online metagame, players began wondering whether Snake was starting to fall out of the metagame.

Doubts on Snake, however, eventually faded as Snake's popularity remained. Old mains such as MVD, {{Sm|Shogun}}, and {{Sm|DIO}} continued to see strong, yet somewhat inconsistent, results on a major level, while new names, most notably {{Sm|ApolloKage}}, appeared on the national scene. This has allowed Snake to maintain his high representation in the metagame, and players in the current metagame still consider Snake to be a top tier, making him ranked 15th on the first and current tier list.

===Most historically significant players===

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''See also: [[:Category:Snake professionals (SSBU)]]''

*{{Sm|Ally|Canada}} - The best Snake player in the world during the early metagame but has since been banned. Placed 1st at {{Trn|Pound 2019}}, 2nd at {{Trn|Battle of BC 3}}, 3rd at {{Trn|CEO 2019}}, and 5th at {{Trn|2GG: Prime Saga}}. Unofficially ranked 6th on the [[Spring 2019 PGRU]].

*{{Sm|AlanDiss|Mexico}} - The best Snake player in Mexico. Placed 1st at  both {{Trn|Warlock Fighters 5° Anniversary}} and {{Trn|Viva la Smash}}, 3rd at {{Trn|Tijuana At War 2022}}, 13th at {{Trn|Delfino Maza RETA 2022}}, and 17th  at {{Trn|Smash Factor 9}} with wins over players such as {{Sm|Sparg0}}, {{Sm|Glutonny}}, and {{Sm|Maister}}. Ranked 8th on the [[Mexican Power Rankings]].

*{{Sm|ApolloKage|USA}} - The current best Snake player in the world. Placed 1st at {{Trn|DreamHack Atlanta 2022}}, 5th at both {{Trn|Let's Make Moves Miami}} and {{Trn|Mainstage 2022}}, 7th at {{Trn|Low Tide City 2022}}, and 9th at {{Trn|Double Down 2022}} with wins over players such as {{Sm|Shuton}}, {{Sm|Kola}}, and {{Sm|Sonix}}. Ranked 34th on the [[PGRU v3 NA]].

*{{Sm|DIO|Japan}} - The best Snake player in Japan. Placed 3rd at {{Trn|Sumabato SP 25}}, 5th at {{Trn|Sumabato SP 8}}, 7th at both {{Trn|Umebura SP 4}} and {{Trn|Umebura SP 9}}, and 9th at  {{Trn|Maesuma TOP 7}}, with wins over players such as {{Sm|Shuton}}, {{Sm|Abadango}}, and {{Sm|Miya|p=Honshu}}. Ranked 25th on the [[Japan Player Rankings]].

*{{Sm|Mr.R|Netherlands}} - Formerly co-mained Snake alongside {{SSBU|Chrom}} and was the best Snake player in Europe in the early metagame. Placed 3rd at {{Trn|Ultimate WANTED 2}}, 5th at {{Trn|Smash Factor 8}}, {{Trn|Ultimate Fighting Arena 2019}} and {{Trn|Valhalla III}}, and 9th at {{Trn|2GG: Prime Saga}} with wins over players such as {{Sm|MkLeo}} and {{Sm|Sparg0}}. Ranked 44th with the character on the [[Fall 2019 PGRU]].

*{{Sm|MVD|USA}} - One of the best Snake players in the world. Placed 4th at {{Trn|Super Smash Con: Fall Fest}}, 5th at both {{Trn|Let's Make Big Moves}} and {{Trn|CEO 2021}}, 7th at {{Trn|Pound 2019}}, and 13th at {{Trn|GENESIS 7}} with wins over players such as {{Sm|Tweek}}, {{Sm|Samsora}}, and {{Sm|ESAM}}. Ranked as high as 17th on the [[Spring 2019 PGRU]] and currently ranked 30th on the [[PGRU v3 NA]].

*{{Sm|Salem|USA}} - Co-mained Snake with {{SSBU|Hero}} and was considered one of the best Snake players in the world in the early metagame but has since been banned. Placed 1st at both {{Trn|Port Priority 5}} and {{Trn|Ultimate Gamer Miami}}, 3rd at {{Trn|Ultimate Nimbus}}, and 5th at {{Trn|Pound 2019}} with wins over players such as {{Sm|MkLeo}}, {{Sm|Stroder}}, and {{Sm|MVD}}. Ranked 30th on the [[Fall 2019 PGRU]].

*{{Sm|ScAtt|USA}} - Co-mains Snake with {{SSBU|Mega Man}} and is one of the best Snake players in the United States in the early metagame. Placed 9th at both {{Trn|Come to Papa 3}} and {{Trn|The Big House 9}}, 13th at {{Trn|Tampa Never Sleeps 8}}, 17th at {{Trn|Shine 2019}}, and 25th at {{Trn|Super Smash Con 2019}}. Ranked 40th on the [[Fall 2019 PGRU]].

*{{Sm|Shogun|Japan}} - One of the best Snake players in Japan, and was the best Snake player in Japan pre-pandemic. Placed 7th at {{Trn|Sumabato SP 9}}, 9th at {{Trn|Umebura SP 7}}, 13th at {{Trn|Double Down 2022}}, and 17th at both {{Trn|EVO 2019}} and {{Trn|EVO Japan 2020}} with wins over players such as {{Sm|Cosmos}}, {{Sm|Shuton}}, and {{Sm|Kameme}}. Ranked 22nd on the [[Japan Player Rankings]].

|1||{{Head|Inkling|g=SSBU|s=20px}}{{Head|Inkling|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Blue}} {{SSBU|Inkling}} (x2)||[[Moray Towers]]||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Metal Gear|Encounter}}''||

|2||{{CharHead|Diddy Kong|SSBU|hsize=20px}}||[[Kongo Falls]]||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Metal Gear|Theme of Tara}}''||

|4||{{CharHead|Link|SSBU|hsize=20px}}||[[Jungle Japes]]||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Metal Gear|Snake Eater}}''||

|5||{{Head|Samus|g=SSBU|s=20px}}{{Head|Samus|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Blue}} {{SSBU|Samus}} (x2) and {{Head|R.O.B.|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Grey}}{{Head|R.O.B.|g=SSBU|s=20px}} {{SSBU|R.O.B.}} (x2)||[[Norfair]]||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Metal Gear|Main Theme - METAL GEAR SOLID PEACE WALKER}}''||Horde Battle.

During the opening cutscene Snake was present on the cliffside when [[Galeem]] absorbed the Master Hands and unleashed his beams of light. While the other fighters were attempting to deflect or dodge the beams, Snake hid in his cardboard box; this obviously proved useless, as a beam of light vaporized him and his box, placing him under Galeem's imprisonment along with the rest of the fighters, except for {{SSBU|Kirby}} (humorously, the box itself is also a spirit that can be obtained in World of Light).

Snake can be found in the [[Base]] sub-area reminiscent of his series, where [[Galleom]] is fought.

SSBUWebsiteLuigi4.jpg|Getting hit by {{SSBU|Luigi}}’s neutral attack on Coliseum.

*Snake is the only fighter in ''Ultimate'' that will emit a voice line when eating a [[food]] item, with phrases along the lines of ''"Mmhmmm!"'', ''"Good!"'' and ''"Tasty!"''. This is a clear reference to ''Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater'', where Snake will elicit a reaction when eating.

*Oddly enough, unlike other characters, holding the special move button while [[shield]]ing as Snake does not allow him to angle the shield without triggering dodges (or [[jump]]ing if [[tap jump]] is turned on); he can only do this by holding multiple shield buttons. While this also applies to {{SSBU|Inkling}}, it is because of the special move input while shielding being designated for refilling their [[Ink Tank]].

*Despite also specializing in explosives and projectile weapons, {{SSBU|Mega Man}} and {{SSBU|Bowser Jr.}} do not appear in Snake’s Classic Mode route.