Editing Snake (SSBU)

{{s|wikipedia|David Hayter}} and {{s|wikipedia|Akio Ōtsuka}}'s portrayals of Snake from ''Brawl'' were repurposed for the English and Japanese version of ''Ultimate'' respecitvely, with the former initially [https://twitter.com/DavidBHayter/status/1006580149540700160 confirming on Twitter] that he would be reprising his role as Snake.

*Clear {{SSBU|Classic Mode}} with {{SSBU|Link}}, being the 5th character in his unlock tree after {{SSBU|Meta Knight}}.

With the exception of the third method, Snake must then be defeated on [[Shadow Moses Island]].

Snake is a tall heavyweight character, being tied with {{SSBU|R.O.B.}} and {{SSBU|Banjo & Kazooie}} as the 18th heaviest character. Much like several other heavyweight zoners, Snake has poor overall mobility; while he has above-average [[traction]], his [[dashing speed]], [[initial dash]], [[walk speed]], and [[air speed]] are all below-average, and he is also tied with {{SSBU|Simon}} and {{SSBU|Richter}} for the slowest [[air acceleration]] in the game. As a result of his mobility, Snake is highly reliant on zoning and trapping with his projectiles in the neutral.

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. 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 not as notorious as his other tilts, but it still has good range and speed. Lastly, his dash attack comes out very quickly (frame 5) and is a useful approaching option, while it also crosses shields and has a reasonable amount of ending lag.

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 edgeguarding, edge trapping, and as an anti-air. The launcher also has a hitbox that comes out in 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. His down smash is fast and has good KO power, while also hitting on both sides of him.

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. Forward aerial is a strong meteor smash with great horizontal 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. Due to its aforementioned speed, it can be used as a potent out-of-shield option. Up aerial and back aerial are both long ranged and strong, although due to Snake's playstyle and mobility, they aren't used quite as much as most of his other moves.

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. 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. 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.

Lastly, Snake's special moveset allows 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 as zoning tools and 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, and just using them 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. 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 (down aerial, Hand Grenade, up tilt, forward tilt), 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, and reverse specials is required for a safe and consistent return to the stage.

Snake also has one of the worst disadvantage states in the game. 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, none of Snake's aerial moves offer disjointed hitboxes or limb intangibility.

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 missle 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 quit competing in ''Ultimate'' at the national level, Snake's results have dwindled over time. Nevertheless, he is still generally considered a top tier character or a high tier character at worst.

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. As a result, he was only slightly nerfed overall.

The most notable buffs he received were to his previously slow mobility, although it is still below average. The universal 3-frame jumpsquat and Snake's improved air speed give Snake better options when transitioning from the ground to the air, while the reduced landing lag on all of his aerials gives him landing options. In addition, many of his moves have been given reduced startup (e.g. neutral and down aerial's multi hits) or end lag (e.g. down tilt and forward smash), or even both (e.g. down smash). His [[Remote Missile]] is significantly faster and more controllable making it a stronger tool against opponents who are off stage and his C4 is overall a faster and stronger tool. Finally, the removal of chain grabbing significantly benefits his endurance.

However, Snake also received many glaring nerfs as well. Due to Snake's very high weight being reduced to be more in-line with similarly sized characters, the removal of [[momentum canceling]] and given that Cypher can now be destroyed, his overall endurance especially while offstage is much weaker. In addition, while his ground game still remains strong, it has been nerfed in several ways; his neutral attack has less range and is significantly weaker, his forward tilt has less range, deals far less damage, the first hit has been altered removing its ability to [[trip]] and the second hit is slower and weaker. His up tilt's infamously deceptive horizontal range has been reduced, and the explosions from his explosion-based attacks can now be absorbed, worsening his matchups against {{SSBU|Ness}}, {{SSBU|Lucas}}, and {{SSBU|Mr. Game & Watch}}. While he has seen some improvements to his aerials, they are all weaker (especially down aerial) and many of his attacks have much smaller hitboxes or the hitboxes were removed altogether, worsening his range, although he still possesses large disjoints in his attacks. As a result, his extreme power and KO ability from Brawl, while still above average, was weakened significantly, removing jab 3 and down tilt's KO potential and making almost all his attacks weaker. The removal of DACUS and the Gatling combo severely limit his approach options despite the aforementioned increase to his mobility. Lastly. while the removal of chain grabbing improves his endurance, it also means that he cannot chain grab with his down throw severely reducing its damage racking and [[tech chase]] potential.

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 Snake has not received many buffs in return, 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 has been able to exploit his weakness more effectively than before. Regardless, Snake remains as a top-tier contender, similar to his placement in ''Brawl'', and has continued to be popular choice across all levels of play with great success.

Aside from glitch fixes, Snake has received a mix of buffs and nerfs through game updates.

|neutralname= 

|neutraldesc= The Punch + Punch + Kick combo from ''{{s|wikipedia|Metal Gear Solid}}'' and ''{{s|wikipedia|Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes}}''.

|ftiltname= 

|ftiltdmg=4% (hit 1), 9% (hit 2, body), 10% (hit 2, arm), 11% (hit 2, fists)

|utiltname= 

|utiltdesc=An upward scorpion kick. One of Snake's best KO options due to its fast startup, decent range, and high knockback. Starting at 160%, Snake has a true KO setup into up tilt from down throw, and can even KO earlier if the opponent's reaction is read after the down throw. It is the fourth strongest up tilt in the game, only losing to {{SSBU|Sephiroth}} when tippered, {{SSBU|Mega Man}} and {{SSBU|Ganondorf}}, capable of KOing middleweights starting at 106%.

|dtiltname= 

|dtiltdesc=A low spin kick while prone. Deals very high damage for a tilt of its speed, coming out on frame 6, and it also possesses good disjointed range, with the outermost hitboxes reaching over his foot. It serves as one of Snake's best poking tools in the neutral.

|dashname= 

|dashdesc=Does a somersault forward. Moves Snake forward by a large distance, it comes out on frame 5, making it one of the fastest dash attacks in the game, it has intangibility on his arm for the entire hitbox duration (frames 5-12), and it can combo into itself at low and mid percents. This makes it one of the best dash attacks and burst options in the game. Has a reasonable level of knockback, but not enough to make it a reliable KO move. The somersault and subsequent transition to crouching are visually identical to those moves used by Snake in the ''Metal Gear Solid'' series.

|fsmashname= 

|fsmashdesc= Snake takes out an {{s|wikipedia|RPG-7}} rocket launcher and aims it at the ground directly in front of himself, causing a huge explosion. It has an extremely slow startup (frame 41), but it is one of the strongest smash attacks in the game, being able to KO exceptionally early. It starts KOing Mario at the ledge at 40%, and at 67% from center-stage uncharged. Additionally, it is safe on shield because it has surprisingly low ending lag for its power, and can 2-frame punish opponents reliably due to its very large hitbox that reaches below the stage. Interestingly, it can be absorbed by moves like [[PSI Magnet]] and [[Oil Panic]] which makes it one of the few non-projectile moves to have this property.

|usmashname= 

|dsmashname= 

|dsmashdesc=A double-sided kick. Launches opponents at horizontal angles with considerable knockback, with the back hit being much stronger. One of Snake's fastest ground moves, coming out on frame 8 and the back hit being moderately safe on shield (-14) for a smash attack. The move has impressive range, as it has a disjoint that reaches beyond Snake's foot, allowing it to 2-frame opponents if timed correctly. The front and back hits KO Mario starting at 108% and 85%, respectively.

|nairname= 

|nairdesc=Snake performs four kicks in quick succession. At low percents against heavy and fast-falling characters, a short-hopped neutral aerial can lead to a neutral attack, tilts, and a short-hop down aerial. The last hit is very powerful, KOing Mario at the ledge starting at 112%. Additionally, it deals extremely high damage, being the second most damaging neutral aerial in the game, dealing 21% unstaled and only losing to Bowser's.

|fairname= 

|bairname= 

|bairdesc=Snake dropkicks behind himself, planking in the air. Has fairly fast start-up along with very good range and disjointed hitboxes, just like Snake's other attacks, and very high damage excellent horizontal knockback when hit cleanly and especially when sweetspotted. It has considerable ending lag like his other aerials, so it is very punishable if it misses. Has [[sex kick]] properties. Interestingly, the sweetspot has a weaker kick sound effect than the sourspot, which has a heavy kick sound effect. The sweetspot KOs Mario at 90% at the ledge, and at 126% from center-stage.

|uairname= 

|uairdesc=Snake dropkicks straight upwards, similar to his back aerial. It has fairly fast start-up with good vertical reach and powerful vertical knockback, and its hitbox acts as a large disjont, as the final hitbox goes much higher compared to Snake's feet. It still has considerable ending lag, like the rest of Snake's aerials., although it can autocancel in a short hop, making it safer than his other aerials as a landing tool.

|dairname= 

|dairdesc=Snake launches four subsequent stomps below himself. A powerful damage-racking out-of-shield option, as it has the fastest startup of any down aerial in the game, coming out at frame 3, and like Snake's other aerials and several other attacks, the first three stomps are disjointed, with hitboxes that reach under his legs. The third and fourth kicks add vertical speed, allowing Snake to slow his fall and autocancel the move from a short hop. Oddly, shortly after the first kick, Snake is pushed downwards slightly.

|grabname= 

|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.

|pummelname= 

|pummeldesc=Tightens his chokehold.

|fthrowname= 

|bthrowname= 

|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''.

|uthrowname= 

|uthrowdesc=Snake suplexes his opponent, slamming them back-first. Can combo into his up tilt at low percents, and KO middleweights at around 180%.

|dthrowname=Silent Takedown

|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''.

*'''All taunts''': Puts a [[Cardboard Box|cardboard box]] over himself, which is removable. All three of his taunts are variations of this, though with slight differences in {{rollover|animation|the "Up" variation has Snake pull out the box from his left side; the "Side" variation has Snake sit down and pull the box over himself; the "Down" variation has Snake kneel down and pull over the box from in front of himself|?}} and cancelability. His up taunt is the fastest to cancel, his down taunt is the slowest, and his side taunt is between the two of them speed-wise. When he removes it, any nearby enemies will receive damage. The damage ranges from 1.8% to 3.1%. The box can also be picked up and thrown by opponents, although any character will automatically throw the box once it is picked up. The box falls a considerable distance when removed over a ledge, making it a possible edgeguarding option.

**'''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 Smash 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 competitive play==

Snake has been a very popular character in ''Ultimate's'' first year; the PGStats team found that within over 3000 PR ranked players worldwide, Snake was the most popular character [https://twitter.com/LoopBarnard/status/1252705963557208064]. The character’s multiple strengths, including a frame 1 option to break combos, great edgeguarding tools, guaranteed kill setups at higher percents, enabled mains to develop a vibrant metagame. Through the early stages of the competitive scene, he was widely considered to be a top three character in the game, as characters did not develop proper defensive countermeasures. Following {{Sm|Ally}}'s retirement and a slightly slower pace of the game, however, Snake mains were unable to match the same successes as prior. {{Sm|MVD}} has gotten multiple 49th place or lower placings at majors, Salem has had inconsistent placings and primarily used {{SSBU|Hero}} in bracket, and Shogun held relatively few tournament placings outside of Japan, while his domestic results are not as strong as his international placings. Additionally, players began to discover matchups that he struggles in, such as against {{SSBU|Pikachu}} and {{SSBU|Palutena}}, and there was more developed counterplay to his lacking disadvantage state and mobility. However, Snake is still widely considered a top tier.

<!--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 are 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|ApolloKage|USA}} - The best Snake player in the Midwest. Placed 5th at both {{Trn|Smash Out 2019}} and {{Trn|Kumite in Tennessee 2020}}, 7th at {{Trn|Sweet Spot 6}}, 9th at {{Trn|Frosty Faustings XII 2020}}, and 17th at {{Trn|Spotlight}}.

*{{Sm|C-|USA}} - Placed 7th at {{Trn|Save Point: The PA State Championship}} and has wins over players such as {{Sm|Perkinips}} and {{Sm|IcyMist}}.

*{{Sm|DIO|Japan}} - One of the best Snake players in Japan. Placed 7th at {{Trn|Umebura SP 4}}, 17th at both {{Trn|Umebura SP}} and {{Trn|Sumabato SP}}, 25th at {{Trn|Sumabato SP 4}}, and 33rd at {{Trn|Umebura Japan Major 2019}}. Has wins on {{Sm|T}}, {{Sm|Abadango}}, and {{Sm|Shuton}}.

*{{Sm|Kepler|Switzerland}} - The best Snake player in Switzerland. Placed 1st at [https://smash.gg/tournament/herofest-2019-smash-bros-ultimate-nintendo-tournament/details HeroFest 2019], 5th at {{Trn|Smile and Wave(s)}}, 13th at {{Trn|DoKomi 2019}}, 33rd at {{Trn|Ultimate Fighting Arena 2019}}, and 49th at {{Trn|Albion 4}}.

*{{Sm|Mr.R|Netherlands}} (#44) - Co-mains Snake with {{SSBU|Chrom}} and is considered the best Snake player in Europe. Placed 3rd at {{Trn|Expand Gong 4}}, 5th at {{Trn|Smash Factor 8}}, and 9th at both {{Trn|2GG: Prime Saga}} and {{Trn|Collision 2019}} using Snake as one of his characters. Has wins over {{Sm|MkLeo}} and {{Sm|Sparg0}}.

*{{Sm|MVD|USA}} - One of the best Snake players in the world. Placed 1st at {{Trn|Don't Park on the Grass 2018}} and {{Trn|Come to Papa 3}}, 4th at {{Trn|Smash Conference United}}, 5th at {{Trn|Let's Make Big Moves}}, and 7th at both {{Trn|Frostbite 2019}} and {{Trn|Pound 2019}}. Has wins over {{Sm|Myran}}, {{Sm|Dark Wizzy}}, {{Sm|Tweek}}, {{Sm|Samsora}}, {{Sm|Lea}}, and {{Sm|ESAM}}. Ranked 1st on the [[Oklahoma Power Rankings#Super Smash Bros. Ultimate|Oklahoma Ultimate Power Rankings]].

*{{Sm|Pasta B0i|Canada}} - One of the best Snake players in Canada. Placed 4th at {{Trn|SKL: Prairie Pummel}} and 9th at both {{Trn|Smash at The Comic Strip: Punching Up}} and {{Trn|Salt Flats 2020}}.

*{{Sm|Pelca|USA}} - The best Snake player in New England. Placed 4th at {{Trn|Return to Subspace 2}}, 9th at {{Trn|Pound 2019}}, 13th at {{Trn|Collision 2019}}, and 25th at {{Trn|Frostbite 2019}}.

*{{Sm|Pipp|USA}} - The best Snake player in Tennessee. Placed 3rd at {{Trn|Buccaneer Brawl}}, 33rd at {{Trn|MomoCon 2019}}, 49th at {{Trn|Pound 2019}}, and 65th at {{Trn|Super Smash Con 2019}}.

*{{Sm|ScAtt|USA}} (#40) - Co-mains Snake with {{SSBU|Mega Man}} and is one of the best Snake players in the world. Placed 9th at both {{Trn|Come to Papa 3}} and {{Trn|The Big House 9}}, and 25th at both {{Trn|MomoCon 2019}} and {{Trn|Super Smash Con 2019}}.

*{{Sm|Smokk|Canada}} - Co-mains Snake with Wolf and placed 4th at {{Trn|Frostfire 2020}}, 9th at {{Trn|Mango's Birthday Bash}}, 17th at {{Trn|DreamHack Montreal 2019}}, and 33rd at {{Trn|Let's Make Big Moves}} using Snake as one of his characters.

*{{Sm|Vinny G|USA}} - Placed 7th at {{Trn|Come to Papa 3}}, 17th at {{Trn|CEO 2019}}, and 25th at {{Trn|MomoCon 2019}}.

*{{Sm|xPx|China}} - One of the best Snake players in China. Placed 9th at {{Trn|Smash Odyssey GZstage}} and 17th at both {{Trn|Taipei Major 2019}} and {{Trn|Smash That Ash}}. He is well known for his destructive projectiles game style and use of explosives with Snake.

*{{Sm|Ally|Canada}} - The best Snake player in the world prior to his ban. 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}}. Has wins over {{Sm|Myran}}, {{Sm|T}}, {{Sm|Samsora}}, {{Sm|LeoN}}, {{Sm|Light|p=Connecticut}}, {{Sm|Marss}}, and {{Sm|Dabuz}}. Formerly ranked 1st on the [[Montreal Power Rankings#Super Smash Bros Ultimate rankings|Montreal Ultimate Power Rankings]].

*{{Sm|ANTi|USA}} - One of the best Snake players in the United States. Placed 17th at {{Trn|Let's Make Big Moves}} and {{Trn|EVO Japan 2020}} with wins over players such as {{Sm|Big D}} and {{Sm|AIR}}. He has since left the community amidst allegations of sexual assault.

*{{Sm|Bushi|USA}} - Formerly the best Snake player in the Midwest. Placed 2nd at {{Trn|Midwest Mayhem Ultimate}} and 3rd at {{Trn|Spring Training}}. Currently inactive in competitive play.

*{{Sm|Peli|England}} - Used Snake as a secondary to his {{SSBU|King Dedede}} before dropping him. Placed 2nd at {{Trn|Manchester Conquest 4}} and 25th at {{Trn|Ultimate Fighting Arena 2019}}.

*{{Sm|Salem|USA}} (#30) - Co-mained Snake with {{SSBU|Hero}} and was considered the best Snake player in the world prior to his ban. Placed 1st at both {{Trn|Port Priority 5}} and {{Trn|Ultimate Gamer Miami}}, 3rd at {{Trn|Ultimate Nimbus}}, and 5th at {{Trn|Pound 2019}}. Has wins over {{Sm|ZD}}, {{Sm|Stroder}}, {{Sm|MVD}}, and {{Sm|MkLeo}}.

*{{Sm|yeti|USA}} (#51) - Originally played both Snake and {{SSBU|Mega Man}} before going solo Mega Man. Placed 1st at {{Trn|Retro Arena 64}}, 2nd at {{Trn|Be Mine?}}, 5th at {{Trn|Full Bloom 5}}, and 9th at {{Trn|GENESIS 6}}. Has wins over {{Sm|Zenyou}}, {{Sm|Ravenking}}, {{Sm|Sonix}}, and {{Sm|Drystan}} with the character.

Snake's opponents all use projectile weapons. Additionally, all the items that spawn are either projectile weapons or explosives, to go with the theme of the route. OSP stands for On-Site Procurement, which is the condition for many of Snake's missions in the series. The boss of his route, [[Galleom]], fits with the theme due to it using explosive projectile weapons during his fight.

|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.

|6||{{Head|Snake|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Green}} Snake||Shadow Moses Island||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Metal Gear|MGS4 ~Theme of Love~}}''||A possible reference to Les Enfants Terribles, a government project in the ''Metal Gear'' series that creates clones of Big Boss, including Solid Snake himself. The CPU will be the {{Head|Snake|g=SSBU|s=20px}} default Snake if the player chooses the green alternate costume.

Note: All stages except for the final round will play a song from the Metal Gear series, no matter what universe the stage originated from.

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.

|[[Final Destination]]

{{-}}

==[[Spirit]]s==

Snake's fighter spirit can be obtained by completing [[Classic Mode]]. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 500 coins. Unlocking Snake 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==

|

|

Snake Ultimate artwork.png|Image of Snake as posted on the official Japanese Metal Gear Twitter account.

Snake amiibo.png|Snake's [[amiibo]].

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

SSBUAnnouncerGo!.png|Snake and King K. Rool begin their battle at [[Kongo Jungle (SSBM)|Kongo Falls]].

=== Character Showcase Video ===

*Snake was announced to return in ''Ultimate'' on June 12th, 2018, which was also the 10 year anniversary of ''Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots''.

*Snake is the only returning third-party character to have his [[Final Smash]] completely changed.

**While [[Super Sonic]] and [[Super Pac-Man]] have different mechanics, they retain the same concept.

*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 in 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]].

*There's a glitch regarding the use of [[Cypher]] where if Snake gets fired out of [[Barrel Cannon]] or is hit by the tornado in [[Hyrule Castle]], any aerial action performed will leave him helpless. Additionally, if Snake performs a [[tech]], throws an item and lands, or gets knocked down and stands back up, the helplessness will be stored, causing him to lose access to the move while grounded and will becomes helpless once he leaves the ground by either jumping or falling off the stage. This glitch is a carryover from ''Brawl''.

[[Category:Third party characters]]