Editing Zelda (SSB4)

|availability = [[Starter character|Starter]]

|tier = G

}}

Jun Mizusawa reprises her role as Zelda's voice actor, albeit via recycled voice clips from ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'' and ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''.

Zelda also boasts an array of KOing options, most notably her forward smash, up smash, [[sweetspot]]ted [[Lightning Kick]]s, up aerial and sweetspotted down aerial. By extension, [[Farore's Wind]] is a very potent and powerful KO move, reliably KOing any character below 100% while near the upper blast line, which makes it especially potent from [[out of shield]] when it can be applied. She also has a solid grab game, with her back throw being a solid KO option near the ledge and her down throw being a potent combo throw, even at higher percents.

Lastly, she does not have a particularly effective out of shield game. While Farore's Wind is a very strong out of shield option, it is a frame 8 option and it has limited range. In addition to this, the first hit of the move can be [[Directional influence|DI]]ed, which Zelda has to predict and follow and if she misses the second hit, she is left wide open for a large punish. As for her other options, her up smash is frame 9 and has abysmal range, making it useless out of shield, her shield grab is frame 10 and while it does have decent range, its range is not incredible either, taking its startup lag into account. Her aerials are difficult or even impossible to land in some cases (especially against shorter characters) and while down tilt and down smash are solid, they are frame 12 options. When combined with her below average traction. this makes it very difficult or even impossible for her to punish moves which are either spaced well or even moves which are fairly negative on shield, which overall makes her struggle with shield pressure, although her down tilt and down smash are solid [[power shield]] punishes.

==Attributes==

Zelda's ground game is very middling in comparison to her air game, but each of her grounded attacks have some degree of utility. Her grab game, in particular, is widely agreed as the best aspect of her ground game. Zelda's grabs have fairly long ranges despite not being [[Grab#Tether grab|tether grabs]], and her pummel is among the most damaging in the game in spite of its moderately slow speed. Forward and back throws are useful for setting up edge-guards, yet each have a certain quirk: the former is among the damaging forward throws in the game, whereas the latter has KO potential while near the edge. Up and down throws possess combo potential, but vary noticeably in effectiveness. Up throw is decent for combos at low percentages, although it is especially useful against heavyweights and fast-fallers. However, it can also be followed up by up air, which can KO fast-fallers, especially with rage. Down throw has greater combo versatility in comparison, most notably in the form of its up aerial combo, which KOs lightweights as early as 92% and super heavyweights as early as 115%.<ref name="UAir">[https://smashboards.com/threads/zelda-finger-bangs-everyone.436530/ Zelda Zelda Finger Bangs Everyone.]</ref> Although DI can occasionally make the set up harder to perform, the effectiveness of its up aerial combo will remain largely intact so long as Zelda utilizes it with proper timing.<ref name="UAir"/>

However, Zelda possesses a number of glaring weaknesses. She has the inconvenient combination of being tall, light and floaty, which collectively make her susceptible to both combos and early KOs. Although Zelda's mobility has improved, it has only done so marginally at best, and thus remains overall sub-par. Despite her power, Zelda's KO potential is inconsistent: in addition to having very short durations, her strongest attacks are burdened with very weak sourspots (dash attack; down smash; Lightning Kicks; and down aerial), punishable amounts of lag (forward tilt; forward/up smashes; up aerial; and Phantom Slash), or both (Din's Fire and Farore's Wind). To further compound this, only up aerial has set-ups (up tilt, down tilt and down throw) that are largely consistent past medium percentages.<ref name="UAir"/>

==Changes from ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''==

Overall, Zelda's much better combo game supplements her stronger [[out of shield]] game. However, she is still burdened with a poor approach and neutral game, owing to the buffs to her mobility being marginal at best (especially since many other characters also had their mobility improved to varying degrees), while she also received significant nerfs to some of her key moves in the previous game. While she overall greatly benefits from the changes to ''Smash 4''{{'}}s mechanics, they were not enough to offset her weaknesses. As a result, she is still considered to be one of the worst characters in the game with her tournament results remaining poor for the most part.

*{{change|Zelda has received two new [[alternate costume]]s,}} one of them being based on her appearance in either ''A Link to the Past'' or ''A Link Between Worlds'' (which would eventually inspire her current design in the next game). Her red alternate costume now depicts her as wearing gloves like her default color (in ''Brawl'', her red costume did not have gloves for some reason, even though her other colors, including her default, still do). Her ''Ocarina of Time''-based alternate costume is now colored purple instead of pink.

*{{change|Zelda is significantly more expressive. She now scowls while using most attacks and when hanging from an edge; smiles during one of her [[victory pose]]s; winces in pain after [[tripping]]; appears alarmed while [[teeter]]ing; and winces depressingly while [[Floor recovery|laying prone/supine]].}}

*{{change|[[Sidestep]], [[air dodge]] and up [[taunt]]'s animations have changed.}}

*{{change|Zelda vocalizes less frequently while [[jump]]ing, a trait shared with many other characters except {{SSB4|Falco}}.}}

===Attributes===

*{{buff|Zelda [[walk]]s faster (0.8 → 0.87).}}

*{{buff|Zelda's [[air speed]] is faster (0.987 → 1.04).}}

*{{nerf|Zelda's [[air acceleration]] is significantly lower (0.1 → 0.065), noticeably hindering her aerial approach and retreat options.}}

**{{buff|As transformations took a long time to load in ''Brawl'', this meant Zelda got a much more reliable [[Phantom Slash|down special]] which also functions as an attack.}}

**{{nerf|However, she can no longer access Sheik's significantly better mobility and combo potential to alleviate her own weaknesses.}}

**{{nerf|However, the removal of [[glide toss]]ing hinders her approach with items.}}

===Ground attacks===

*[[Neutral attack]]:

***{{nerf|However, this also gives them less range above Zelda.}}

**{{nerf|The first two hits' burst hitbox is smaller (4.5u → 4u).}}

*[[Forward tilt]]:

**{{nerf|Forward tilt has a shorter duration (frames 12-14 → 10-11).}}

**{{nerf|Forward tilt deals less damage (13% (hand)/12% (arm)/11% (body) → 12% (outer hand)/10% (inner hand/arm)), hindering its KO potential.}}

**{{nerf|Forward tilt's body hitbox has been removed, reducing the move's range inside of Zelda, despite the arm hitbox being moved closer to her (x offset: 0 → -1).}}

*[[Up tilt]]:

**{{change|The arm hitbox is positioned closer to Zelda (x offset: 2 → 1).}}

*[[Down tilt]]:

**{{change|Down tilt has a lower extra trip chance (40% → 20%), although its altered launch angle makes it incapable of tripping regardless.}}

*[[Dash attack]]:

**{{nerf|Dash attack has a shorter duration (frames 6-8 (clean)/9-13 (late) → 6-7/8-10), reducing the move's overall range as its animation was unchanged.}}

**{{nerf|Dash attack has more ending lag (FAF 38 → 40).}}

*[[Forward smash]]:

**{{change|The hitboxes are positioned marginally higher (y offset: 9.07 → 9.1).}}

*[[Up smash]]:

**{{buff|The final hit deals more knockback (20 (base), 210 (scaling) → 24/214), improving its KO potential.}}

*[[Down smash]]:

**{{nerf|The front hit has less knockback scaling (95 → 86) hindering its KO potential.}}

***{{buff|However, this also allows to leg hitbox to trip opponents, despite the move having a lower trip chance (30% → 20%).}}

**{{nerf|Down smash has smaller hitboxes (5u/5u/4u → 4.2u/3u). The leg hitbox now uses an extended hitbox, although this does not fully compensate for the removal of the upper leg hitbox.}}

***{{buff|However, this does also give the front hit more consistent horizontal range.}}

===Aerial attacks===

*[[Neutral aerial]]:

**{{nerf|Neutral aerial has more ending lag (FAF 50 → 51) and a longer animation (49 frames → 57).}}

**{{nerf|Neutral aerial has more landing lag (12 frames → 19).}}

*[[Lightning Kick]]s:

**{{buff|Lightning Kicks' animations have slightly changed. Zelda now leans and faces away from the direction where she kicks, and has her arms positioned differently. These new animations make her hurtbox narrower.}}

***{{nerf|However, these animations are also longer (49 frames → 62), increasing the amount of time Zelda cannot grab ledges after performing a Lightning Kick.}}

**{{buff|The sweetspots have a slightly larger hitbox (1.7u → 1.9u), making them slightly easier to land.}}

**{{buff|The changes to shields significantly improve Lightning Kicks' safety and effectiveness on shield, especially the sweetspots, which are no longer burdened against shielding opponents by their extreme hitlag.}}

**{{buff|The introduction of [[frame canceling]] benefits Lightning Kicks due to their sweetspots' extremely high hitlag, which can give them much less landing lag when they connect if timed and spaced properly.}}

*[[Forward aerial]]:

**{{nerf|Forward aerial has more startup lag (frame 8 → 9).}}

**{{nerf|Forward aerial has slightly more landing lag (22 frames → 23).}}

**{{nerf|Forward aerial auto-cancels much later (frame 25 → 50) no longer doing so in a short hop.}}

**{{nerf|The sweetspot has lower base knockback (35 → 24), hindering its KO potential.}}

*[[Back aerial]]:

**{{nerf|Back aerial has more startup lag (frame 5 → 6).}}

**{{nerf|Back aerial has more landing lag (22 frames → 25).}}

**{{nerf|Back aerial auto-cancels much later (frame 26 → 52) no longer doing so in a short hop.}}

**{{nerf|Back aerial overall has slightly reduced range due to its new animation, with its range now being more in line with forward aerial.}}

**{{nerf|The sweetspot has lower base knockback (40 → 28), hindering its KO potential.}}

*[[Up aerial]]:

**{{nerf|Up aerial has lower knockback scaling (110 → 84), noticeably hindering its KO potential despite its increased damage.}}

*[[Down aerial]]:

**{{buff|Down aerial now has an initial auto-cancel window during its first three frames.}}

**{{buff|Down aerial has less landing lag (21 frames → 18).}}

===Throws/other attacks===

*[[Grab]]s:

**{{buff|Standing and pivot grabs have less start-up lag (frame 12 (standing)/14 (pivot) → 10/11).}}

**{{nerf|All grabs have more ending lag (FAF 30 → 38 (standing), FAF 40 → 47 (dash), FAF 36 → 45 (pivot)).}}

**{{nerf|All grabs have smaller grabboxes (4.8u → 3.8u (standing/pivot)/3u (dash)).}}

*[[Forward throw]]:

**{{change|Zelda releases opponents from forward throw earlier (frame 33 → 30). This makes it harder to DI (especially for heavier characters due to the changes to weight dependent throws) but gives it more ending lag as its total duration was unchanged.}}

***{{buff|However when combined with the changes to hitstun canceling and DI, these changes improve its combo potential.}}

*[[Down throw]]:

**{{nerf|The loop hits deal less damage (2% → 1%), reducing the throw's total damage output (10% → 6%).}}

===Special moves===

*[[Nayru's Love]]:

**{{nerf|Zelda no longer has access to her "[https://youtu.be/8djTa_wHqtE Love jump]" technique, hindering Nayru's Love's recovery and mixup potential.}}

*[[Din's Fire]]:

*[[Farore's Wind]]:

**{{change|Farore Wind's second hit now has a [[slash]] effect instead of a flame effect.}}

*[[Phantom Slash]]:

**{{buff|Zelda has a new down special, Phantom Slash. Phantom Slash is a [[charge]]able attack that summons a {{s|zeldawiki|Phantom}} and propels it forward in order to attack with its sword and/or block incoming attacks.<ref name="Direct"/> Unlike [[Transform]], it deals damage at any level of charge and has very high knockback when fully charged, making it capable of zoning and KOing. Despite this, Phantom Slash cannot be [[charge-cancel]]ed or held indefinitely.}}

**{{buff|Phantom Slash is far less punishable than Transform and gives Zelda an additional zoning, edgeguarding, and KOing option.}}

*[[Light Arrow]]:

**{{nerf|Light Arrow's initial deals 2% less damage (3% → 1%), making Light Arrow slightly weaker overall and removing its [[one-hit KO]] potential.}}

|game=SSB4

|neutralcount=1

|neutral1dmg=3% (hits 1-2), 5% (hit 3)

|ftiltdmg=12% (hand), 10% (arm)

|ftiltdesc=A magically-infused, outward fanning knifehand strike. It can be angled and its sweetspot, which is located at Zelda's hand, possesses respectable power. Its sweetspot KOs middleweights at 119%/107% (''3DS''/''Wii U'') while near the edge of {{SSB4|Final Destination}}. Its sourspot, which is located at Zelda's arm, is also reliable for KOing in spite of it being noticeably weaker. Its sourspot KOs middleweights at 140%/129% (''3DS''/''Wii U'') while near the edge of Final Destination. However, it has noticeable ending lag and a narrow hitbox. Due to its body hitbox being removed since ''Brawl'', it also has a very small blind spot near Zelda's torso.

|utiltdmg=7.2%

|utiltdesc=Waves her arm in an overhead arcing motion while her hand is infused with magical energy. Due to it hitting on frame 7 and having minimal ending lag, it is a reliable combo starter. It can combo into itself, neutral attack, forward tilt, forward smash, [[Nayru's Love]], and [[Farore's Wind]] at low percentages; into neutral aerial from low to medium percentages; and up aerial at medium percentages. It is also decent as both a follow-up from down tilt and as an anti-air attack. However, it is no longer a viable KOing option like in ''Brawl'' because of its lower damage output and altered knockback values.

|dtiltdmg=5.5%

|dtiltdesc=A kneeling shin kick. Due to it hitting on frame 5, it is Zelda's fastest tilt attack. When coupled with it launching at 80°, its minimal ending lag and deceptively long-lasting hitbox, it is also her most reliable combo starter. It can combo into itself, neutral attack, forward tilt, up tilt, forward smash, a grab and Farore's Wind at low percentages; into neutral and forward aerials at medium percentages; and into a dashing up smash and up aerial at medium to high percentages.

|dashdmg=12% (clean base), 9% (clean tip), 6% (late)

|dashdesc=A double palm thrust that emits a blast of magical energy from her hands, similarly to {{SSB4|Peach}}'s dash attack. Due to it hitting on frame 6, it is one of the fastest dash attacks in the game. To compliment this, its sweetspot's base is strong enough to KO middleweights at 130%/115% (''3DS''/''Wii U'') while near the edge of Final Destination. However, it has noticeable ending lag, while its other hitboxes lack KO potential.

|fsmashdmg={{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|1}} (hits 1-4), {{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|13}} (hit 5)

|fsmashdesc=A palm thrust that emits a multiple-hitting blast of magical energy. Its last hit's respectable damage output and very high knockback growth make it strong enough to KO middleweights at 93%/83% (''3DS''/''Wii U'') while near the edge of Final Destination. Its multiple hits also make it useful for pressuring shields, especially when it is charged. Due to it hitting on frame 16, however, it has the highest start-up lag out Zelda's smash attacks. It also has a punishable amount of ending lag.

|usmashdmg={{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|2}} (hits 1-4), {{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|0.8}} (hits 5-7), {{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|5}} (hit 8)

|usmashdesc=Waves her arm twice in an overhead fanning motion while her hand is infused with magical energy. It hits on frame 9, which is fairly fast for a smash attack. When coupled with its multiple hits and its last hit's extremely high knockback growth, it is useful for both KOing and pressuring shields. Its last hit KOs aerial middleweights at 110%/100% (''3DS''/''Wii U'') from anywhere on Final Destination. However, it has minimal horizontal range and a punishable amount of ending lag.

|dsmashdmg={{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|12}} (front), {{ChargedSmashDmgSSB4|10}} (back)

|dsmashdesc=A spinning shin kick. Due to it hitting on frame 5, it is tied with {{SSB4|Pit}}, {{SSB4|Dark Pit}}, {{SSB4|Mario}}, {{SSB4|Dr. Mario}}, and {{SSB4|Ryu}}'s down smashes for the second fastest smash attack of any kind in the game, being surpassed only by {{SSB4|Meta Knight}}'s [[buffer]]ed down smash. It is also a [[semi-spike]] that hits on both sides, which make it very useful for punishing rolls or setting up an edge-guard. Although it is Zelda's weakest smash attack, it is still quite powerful, and has rather low ending lag. Its front hit KOs middleweights at 135%/126% (''3DS''/''Wii U'') while near the edge of Final Destination. In comparison, its back hit KOs them at 143%/132% (''3DS''/''Wii U'') while near the edge of Final Destination.

|nairdmg=2.5% (hits 1-4 front), 1.5% (hits 1-4 back), 5% (hit 5)

|nairdesc=Spins with her arms outstretched and infused with magical energy. Due to it hitting on frame 6, it is tied with back aerial for the lowest amount of start-up lag out of Zelda's aerials. It has a decent amount of utility: it can be used as a follow-up from down throw; as a combo starter when [[SHFF]]'d; or as an edge-guarding option and autocancels in a short hop.

|fairdmg=20% (clean foot), 4% (clean leg, late)

|fairdesc=A magically-infused flying kick. Its sweetspot is at the tip of her foot, and has both an outstanding damage output and high knockback growth. Its sweetspot KOs middleweights at 74%/66% (''3DS''/''Wii U'') while near the edge of Final Destination. Its sweetspot is easier to land if it hits the opponent at the beginning of the move. However, its sourspots lack KO potential and are very unsafe because of their extremely low damage outputs and average knockback growth. Its considerable ending lag also makes it punishable at low percentages, even if it is sweetspotted.

|bairdmg=20% (clean foot), 4% (clean leg, late)

|bairdesc=A magically-infused flying kick. It functions almost identically to forward aerial, with the only differences being that it hits on frame 6 (which ties it with neutral aerial for the lowest amount of start-up lag out of Zelda's aerials) and its sweetspot has slightly more base knockback and knockback growth. Its sweetspot KOs middleweights at 71%/62% (''3DS''/''Wii U'') while near the edge of Final Destination. However, it has the highest amount of landing lag out of Zelda's aerials.

|uairdmg=17%

|dairdmg=16% (clean), 5% (late leg), 4% (late foot)

|grabdesc=Restrains the opponent with magic. Zelda's grabs have long ranges, but noticeable start-up lag.

|pummeldmg=3%

|pummeldesc=A blast of magical energy. Moderately slow, but one of the most damaging pummels in the game.

|fthrowdmg=12%

|fthrowdesc=Magically spins the opponent in front of herself and then throws them away. It is Zelda's most damaging throw, and one of the most damaging forward throws in the game. It is also useful for setting up edge-guards, but lacks KO potential because of its low knockback growth.

|bthrowdmg=11%

|bthrowdesc=Magically spins the opponent and turns around with them in tow before throwing them away. It is Zelda's only throw with KO potential, although it is also useful for setting up an edge-guard. It KOs middleweights at 158%/145% (''3DS''/''Wii U'') while near the edge of Final Destination.

|uthrowdmg=11%

|uthrowdesc=Magically spins the opponent overhead and then throws them upward. It is one of the most damaging up throws in the game, and has decent combo potential, especially against heavyweights and fast-fallers. It can combo into neutral aerial at low percentages; up aerial at medium percentages; and Farore's Wind at high percentages. However, each of these combos are heavily dependent on the opponent's DI.

|dthrowdmg=1% (hits 1-4), 2% (throw)

|dthrowdesc=Magically shoves the opponent underneath herself and then blasts them with fiery, magical energy from her hands. It launches at 100°, which allows it to combo into neutral aerial, up aerial and, if timed precisely, back aerial. Its neutral and back aerial combos are easily avoidable with DI, especially past low percentages. In comparison, its up aerial combo is more consistent, especially if Zelda utilizes it with proper timing. Its up aerial combo also boasts the ability to KO any character at high percentages. However, this combo will lose its effectiveness while Zelda has a high level of [[rage]].

|nsc1name=Nayru's Rejection

|nsc1dmg=1% (loop), 5% (last), 1.2× (reflected projectiles)

|nsc2name=Nayru's Passion

|nsc2dmg=15%

|usc1name=Farore's Squall

|usc1dmg=—

|usc2name=Farore's Windfall

|usc2dmg=4% (hit 1), 7% (hit 2)

|dsdefname=Phantom Slash

|dsdefdmg=6% (uncharged), 14% (charged), 11% (fully charged hit 1), 13% (fully charged hit 2)

|fsdmg=1% (hit 1), 39% (first opponent), 29% (second opponent), 21% (third opponent) 17% (fourth opponent), 13% (fifth opponent), 9% (sixth opponent), 7% (seventh opponent)

|fsdesc=Wields [[zeldawiki:Zelda's Bow|her bow]] and fires a {{s|zeldawiki|Light Arrow}} forward. Although it no longer has [[one-hit KO]] potential like in ''Brawl'', it is still one of the strongest Final Smashes in the game, especially when hitting its first opponent. It KOs middleweights at 2% while near the edge of Final Destination in the ''3DS'' version.

}}

===[[Announcer]] call===

<gallery>

Zelda English Announcer SSB4-SSBU.wav|English/Japanese/Chinese

==In [[competitive play]]==

===[[Official Custom Moveset Project]]===

{{OfficialCustomMoves

|set10=2312

}}

===Most historically significant players===

<!--This character has a ten player limit for this section. Before adding and/or removing a player, read these guidelines: https://www.ssbwiki.com/SmashWiki:Notability#%22Most_historically_significant_players%22_guidelines -->

''Any number following the Smasher name indicates placement on the [[PGR 100]], which recognizes the official top 100 players in [[Super Smash Bros. 4]] of all time.''

*{{Sm|Bonren|USA}} - Placed 17th at {{Trn|Super Smash Fight Club 3}} and 25th at both {{Trn|DreamHack Austin 2018}} and {{Trn|Low Tier City 6}} with wins over players such as {{Sm|Elegant}} and {{Sm|Karna}}.

*{{Sm|Rizeasu|Japan}} (#68) - Plays Zelda alongside a variety of character and is considered one of the best Zelda players in the world. Placed 2nd at {{Trn|Sumabato Tokaigi Qualifier 2}}, 7th at {{Trn|Sumabato 28}}, and 13th at {{Trn|Karisuma 16}} with wins over players such as {{Sm|Kuro}}, {{Sm|ikep}} and {{Sm|Rain}}.

*{{Sm|ven|USA}} - One of the best Zelda players in the world. Placed 7th at {{Trn|DVDA 7}}, 17th at {{Trn|Port Priority: 4Ever}}, 25th at {{Trn|Smash Masters League: Battle for Vegas}}, 33rd at {{Trn|2GGT: Mexico Saga}}, and 49th at {{Trn|2GGC: Nairo Saga}} with wins over players such as {{Sm|Zenyou}}, {{Sm|Koolaid}}, and {{Sm|Venom}}. Ranked 4th on the [[Las Vegas Power Rankings]].

==[[Trophies]]==

==In [[Event Matches]]==

*Zelda is the only playable character in ''SSB4'' to have [[Alternate costume (SSB4)#Zelda|an alternate costume]] that inspired her default design in a subsequent ''Super Smash Bros.'' game. In this case, her incarnation from ''A Link Between Worlds'' (with some design elements of her incarnation from ''A Link to the Past'') succeeds her ''Twilight Princess'' incarnation as of ''Ultimate''.

**Her ''Twilight Princess'' incarnation would become the basis of [[Alternate costume (SSBU)#Zelda|an alternate costume]] in ''Ultimate''.

*''SSB4'' is the final game where {{SSB4|Kirby}}'s [[List of Copy Abilities|Zelda hat]] resembles Young Zelda's headdress from ''Melee'', even though Zelda's ''Twilight Princess'' incarnation succeeded her ancestor from ''Ocarina of Time'' as a playable character as of ''Brawl''.

*''SSB4'' marks the final appearance of Zelda as a starter character.

*Originally, Zelda was still going to turn into Sheik in this game and vice versa, but the two characters were split apart instead due to the limitations of the Nintendo 3DS. A similar issue was also the case for Samus and Zero Suit Samus when their Final Smash was concerned, and Pokémon Trainer, who was dropped in favor of his Charizard operating on its own.

*Coincidentally enough, a figurine of Zelda by First Four Figures based on her design from ''Twilight Princess'' (which inspired her design in ''Brawl'' and ''SSB4'') for some reason is colored more like her appearance in this game than in her source game proper (for example, the tapestry on her dress is colored differently, being indigo instead of gray like in the actual game), surprisingly enough, even in her possessed form during the final battle in that game (which also got her own figurine as well).

==References==