Template:SSB4 to SSBU changelist/Greninja

Aesthetics

• Greninja's model features a slightly more subdued color scheme, more closely resembling its appearance in recent mainline Pokémon games. Its body and tongue appear to have a glossy, wet sheen. The textures on Greninja's tongue have also been adjusted.
• Every move that once used water katanas now uses water kunai, similar to when Ash's Greninja uses Cut in the Pokémon anime.
• Greninja's tongue has less physics-based movement than the previous game.
• Greninja has altered animations for its sidestep, roll, and airdodge animations; it now disappears in a small whirlwind with leaves scattering, similarly to when Substitute is successful.
• Greninja's victory pose where it flips in the air and lands with its arms crossed has been altered: the camera doesn't move as much, causing Greninja's body to face away from the camera.

Attributes

• Like all characters, Greninja's jumpsquat animation takes three frames to complete (down from 4).
• Greninja dashes faster (2.08 → 2.288).
• Greninja walks faster (1.43 → 1.502).
• Greninja has increased air speed (1.18 → 1.239).
• Greninja is lighter (94 → 88). This worsens its survivability.
• The ability to tech footstools hinders Greninja's combo options.
• Greninja's down taunt, unlike other taunts, is not interruptible (unless it's used during Shadow Sneak). This makes Greninja more vulnerable while using it. However, due to how incredibly situational down taunt is, this is negligible in normal play.

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack:
  • The first two hits have lower knockback (hit 1: 30 base/30 scaling → 20 / 25/25/15/15; hit 2: 30 base/50 scaling → 20/ 25/25/20), and they now keep opponents on the ground (hit 1: 70°/60°/80° → 361°/361°/180°/361°; hit 2: 70°/60°/90° → 361°). This allows them to connect better and jab lock.
  • The third hit now uses stationary hitboxes rather than hitboxes connected to Greninja's arms.
  • The first three hits have smaller hitboxes overall (hit 1: 3u/2.5u/3.5u → 2.0u/2.0u/2.2u/2.2u; hit 2: 3u/2.5u/4u → 2.5u/2.8u/3.0u; hit 3: 5u/3u/3u → 3u/3.4u/4u). This reduces their vertical range.
  • The second hit deals more damage (1.6% → 2%).
  • The third hit deals less damage (3.5% → 3%), and thus less knockback.
  • Neutral attack's infinite hits at a considerably faster rate and now keeps opponents on the ground during the attack. It also has reduced knockback scaling (40 → 10), as well as lower hitlag (1.0x → 0.5x) and SDI (1.0x → 0.4) multipliers. These changes allow it to connect better.
  • The infinite is now comprised of one extended hitbox rather than two normal ones (size: 5.2u/6.2u → 5.5; Y/Z-offset: 7/7 → 7.5/7.5; Z-stretch: 13 → 14).
  • The infinite has gained a shieldstun multiplier of 4×. This allows it to lock opponents into their shields between each hit, and thus pressure them more effectively, but also allows them to cancel shieldstun and punish Greninja more easily if they shield 10 hits or more.
  • The infinite's finisher now has three hitboxes instead of two, with different sizes (5.6u/6.6 → 4.2u/4.2u/4.8u) and positions (ID 0: 7 Y-offset/8 Z-offset → 7.5/9; ID 1: 7 Y-offset/16 Z-offset → 7.3/13 → ID 2: 7.5 Y-offset/16.5 Z-offset. This increases its horizontal range, but lowers its vertical range.
  • The infinite's finisher has reduced hitlag (3.0x → 2.0x).
• Forward tilt
  • It deals more damage when angled (7.3% → 8.3%).
  • It has significantly altered knockback (angled up: 20/30/40 base / 110/90/70 scaling → 50 / 100/79/58; non-angled/angled down: 20/30/40 base / 110/90/70 scaling → 50 / 98/77/56). This improves its KO power if sweetspotted (especially when angled up), but hinders its KO power otherwise.
• Down tilt:
  • Greninja has a new down tilt: a downward hand sweep instead of a shin kick.
  • It deals less damage (7% → 4%).
  • It has altered knockback (60 base/40 scaling → 30/110). This slightly narrows its combo range at low percentages, but increases it from mid to higher ones, to the point it now allows for KO confirms at high percentages.
  • The move launches opponents at a more upward angle (70° → 79°/77°/75°), further improving its combo potential at high percentages.
  • It has less ending lag (FAF 27 → 23).
• Dash attack:
  • The move has an altered animation with Greninja stopping halfway through the spin.
  • It deals more damage (7% → 8%).
  • It has reduced base knockback (100 → 90).
  • It has less ending lag (FAF 31 → 29).
  • It sends at a higher angle (60° → 70°). Combined with its lower ending lag and base knockback, this improves its followup and combo ability.
• Forward smash:
  • It deals more knockback (30 base/101 scaling → 35/104).
• Up smash
  • The first hit has a new hitbox that only hits grounded opponents with significantly reduced knockback (30 base/120 scaling → 20/10) and SDI multiplier (1.0x → 0.5x), whereas the previous hitbox can now only hit aerial opponents and has reduced knockback scaling (120 → 90). This makes the first hit connect more consistently into the second hit.
• Down smash:
  • The move has much less startup lag (15 → 11), and thus a shorter duration (FAF 55 → 50).
  • Both hits' arm hitboxes are now extended (Z-stretch: 0 → 7). This removes their blindspots.

Aerial attacks

• All aerials have less landing lag (12 frames → 7 (neutral), 15 → 11 (forward), 13 → 10 (back), 15 → 14 (up), 32 → 30 (down)).
• Neutral aerial:
  • The move has considerably less ending lag (FAF 65 → 53).
• Forward aerial:
  • It has much more knockback scaling (84 → 95), improving its KO power.
  • The move has a new, smaller extended hitbox directly in front of Greninja (size: 3u; Y/Z-offset: 7.5/8; Y-stretch: 8.5). This removes its blindspot.
  • The move's two other hitboxes are smaller (5.4u/4.4u → 4.7u/3.7u), and one of them is offset further from Greninja (Y-offset: -7 → -8). This creates a new blindspot between them.
• Back aerial
  • The move has less ending lag (FAF 46 → 41).
  • The first hit sends at different angles, one of them being a different autolink angle (365°/30°/30° → 367°/35°/35°). This allows it to connect better into the second hit.
  • The third hit deals more damage (4% → 6%), though with its knockback scaling mostly compensated (120 → 95).
  • It has bigger hitboxes (hits 1 and 2: 5u/4u/2u → 5.5u/4.3u/2.5u; hit 3: 5.8u/4.5u/2u → 5.8u/4.5u/2.5u).
• Up aerial:
  • The fifth hit now sends at an autolink angle (85° → 367°). This allows it to connect slightly better into the final hit.
  • The fifth hit no longer has both based and set knockback, instead only using base knockback (45 base/10 set → 55 base). This makes it connect marginally less consistently at very high percentages.
• Down aerial:
  • The move has less ending lag if it misses (FAF 57 → 52).
  • Greninja no longer loses its double jump when it lands down aerial.
  • The move has more ending lag when it hits an opponent, hindering its combo potential and making it slightly less safe on shield.
  • Its hitboxes are smaller (clean: 6u → 4.3u; late: 7u → 5.2u) and higher up (Y-offset: -2 → 0.1).

Throws and other attacks

• Grab:
  • Standing and pivot grab have one frame faster startup (standing: frame 11 → 10; pivot: frame 15 → 14).
  • Dash grab has slower startup (frame 9 → 13).
  • Dash grab's grabbox doesn't extend out as far (Z-stretch: 20 → 17.5), reducing its range.
  • Pivot grab's grabbox extends further (Z-stretch: -22 → -25.3), increasing its range. It is now the largest non-tether pivot grab in the game.
• Pummel:
  • It deals less damage (2% → 1%).
  • It has faster startup (frame 6 → 2), deals more hitlag (4 frames → 11) and has less ending lag, making it significantly faster than in Smash 4.
• Forward throw:
  • The move consists of two hits rather than one. Both deal more damage overall (5% throw → 3.5% hit 1/4.5% throw/8% total).
  • The throw has less base knockback, but significantly more knockback scaling (70 base/45 scaling → 65/100), improving its KO power.
• Back throw:
  • Greninja has a new back throw: it turns around and throws the opponent with both hands.
  • It deals more damage (8% → 9%).
  • Its animation is faster, making it harder to DI properly.
• Edge attack has increased damage (7% → 9%).
• Down taunt
  • Down taunt has increased ending lag (FAF 80 → 110), further reducing its very limited utility.
  • Greninja now suffers hitlag when down taunt connects, however the opponent only suffers hitlag on the ground, as the air only hitboxes are flinchless, and thus cannot inflict hitlag. This effectively reduces the move's hit rate.

Special moves

• Water Shuriken:
  • Water Shuriken has slightly increased range.
  • Opponents don't fall out of the fully charged shuriken as much as before.
  • Uncharged Water Shuriken has less knockback scaling (85 → 45).
  • Water Shuriken looks sharper.
• Shadow Sneak:
  • It can now be used multiple times in midair.
  • Shadow Sneak's shadow travels faster.
  • Both attack variants have less startup.
  • Forward Shadow Sneak has a new animation: it is a forward kick instead of a handstand kick. It launches at a much lower angle (48° → 36°), improving its KO potential.
  • Greninja now cloaks itself in a whirlwind before disappearing.
  • The shadow is notably darker, and the shadow's eyes flash red just before release. This makes it easier to predict the attack.
• Hydro Pump:
  • Hydro Pump now has an arrow pointing in the direction of travel, similar to Pikachu's Quick Attack and Pichu's Agility.
  • Hydro Pump can now be ledge-cancelled.
  • Greninja no longer loses its double jump if it is hit out of Hydro Pump.
  • The water shots have considerably reduced knockback (65 (base)/100(scaling) → 60/80), and smaller hitboxes (6u → 4.7u), greatly reducing the move's offensive utility.
• Substitute:
  • The counter window is longer (frames 8-29 → 8-34).
  • It has more ending lag if it misses (FAF: 65 → 70).
  • Substitute slows down the opponent when the attack activates, allowing the attack to land more consistently.
  • All of the attack's variants have one frame faster startup (frame 41 → 40).
  • All of the attack's variants now grant Greninja intangibility during the attack (frames 1-37 → 1-56).
  • All of the attack's variants have slightly more ending lag (FAF: 85 → 87).
  • The side variant has much less knockback scaling (100 → 85).
  • The up and diagonal up variants deal less damage (up: 14% → 13%; diagonal up: 13% → 12) and have less knockback scaling (both: 100 → 95), noticeably hindering their KO power.
  • The down variant deals less damage (14% → 13%) and has less knockback (grounded: 100 scaling → 95; aerial: 50 base/100 scaling → 25/65). This hinders its KO power; particularly, the aerial version is no longer among the strongest meteor smashes in the game.
  • The diagonal down variant deals less damage (13% → 12%) without compensation on knockback, hindering its KO power.
  • Substitute has more vibrant particle effects.
• Secret Ninja Attack:
  • Greninja now turns into Ash-Greninja during its Final Smash.
  • Greninja and its opponents are no longer silhouetted during the attack.
  • The final hit deals considerably less knockback, reducing the move's KO potential to the point where it is now weaker than the similar final smashes of Robin and Mii Brawler, both of which also deal less knockback now.