Little Mac (SSBU): Difference between revisions

Kōsuke Toriumi reprises his role as Little Mac in the game, albeit via reused voice clips from ''SSB4''.

Little Mac is a [[weight|lightweight]] with the 8th fastest [[walking]] speed, the 3rd fastest [[dashing]] speed, and above-average [[traction]], granting him effective [[out of shield]] options. He also has the 3rd fastest initial dash, which has a long duration of 15 frames, giving him a long pivot and an excellent [[dash dance]] that is surpassed only by {{SSBU|Zero Suit Samus}}'. His [[sidestep]] and [[roll]]s are tied with {{SSBU|Fox}}, {{SSBU|Sheik}} and Zero Suit Samus' for the fastest in the game, with the latter also being long-distanced, making it easy for Little Mac to punish grounded attacks and giving him excellent defensive options.

Little Mac also has below-average [[gravity]] and fast [[falling speed]] (tied with {{SSBU|King Dedede}} for the 2nd fastest), which collectively give him good vertical endurance in spite of his lightweight. Aside from his great [[air speed]] (tied with {{SSBU|Mario}}, {{SSBU|Donkey Kong}}, {{SSBU|Sonic}} and {{SSBU|Inkling}} for the 12th fastest) and his [[wall jump]], which is the 4th highest, the rest of Little Mac's aerial attributes are notoriously poor: his [[jump]] is tied with {{SSBU|Ryu}} and {{SSBU|Ken}}'s for the 5th lowest, his [[double jump]] is the 3rd lowest, his [[air acceleration]] is tied with {{SSBU|Ganondorf}}'s for the 6th lowest, and his directional [[air dodge]] travels the least amount of distance. These attributes effectively force Mac to stay on the ground as often as possible to make the use of his excellent ground mobility.

Little Mac's greatest strength is his potent ground game. None of his grounded moves have more than 15 frames of start-up, whereas only his up smash has more than 30 frames of ending lag. Only five non-special moves (forward smash, up smash, down smash, forward aerial and back aerial) become active after frame 9, with only forward smash and back aerial becoming active after frame 10. His neutral attack, in particular, is tied with Zero Suit Samus' for the fastest in the game due to activating on frame 1. When coupled with its minimal ending lag and launching angles, it is reliable for jab locking and, more notably, it and {{SSBU|Mr. Game & Watch}}'s neutral attack are the only ones in ''Ultimate'' that are capable of jab canceling reliably in spite of the universal changes to neutral attacks.

Despite his somewhat light weight, Little Mac boasts superb KO potential: his forward tilt, dash attack and smash attacks boast high damage outputs and knockback scaling, yet are also fairly fast. Forward smash can be angled, with the downward variant dealing immense shield damage and the upward variant being one of Mac's most effective vertical KO options on the ground. Up smash's coverage allows it to serve as an effective anti-air, and its sweet spot also deals a lot of shield damage. Finally, down smash is a [[semi-spike]] with a fairly long range, allowing it to [[tech chase]] as well as [[edge-guard]] easily against careless or vulnerable recoveries.

Besides their speed and strength, Little Mac's grounded moves are also difficult to interrupt, which combined with his high dashing speed gives him an excellent punish game. His tilt attacks boast [[Priority#Moves that cannot rebound|anti-rebounding priority]]; this prevents them from clanking with opposing ground attacks provided they are within priority range, allowing Mac to punish opponents very quickly due to his own attacks' high speed. While his smash attacks have normal priority, they instead boast [[super armor]] during their use. This offers Mac a unique way of punishing attacks by tanking the hit while immediately retaliating, even against typically devastating attacks, such as most forward smashes. These traits make him arguably the most difficult opponent to directly challenge on the ground for every other character in the roster, including himself.

Little Mac's special moves also have a fair amount utility. [[Straight Lunge]] gains distance and power as it charges, deals heavy damage, and boasts a light amount of damage-based armor while charging, allowing him to withstand weak attacks before retaliating immediately afterward. As such, it is an effective tool against most [[Neutral attack#Rapid_jabs|rapid jabs]] and multihit moves even while uncharged. The move can also be canceled by shielding, giving it utility for escaping certain combo moves such as [[Witch Twist]], and it can be turned around when released, offering decent mix-up potential and a way to get out of combos. However, Straight Lunge's considerable ending lag limits its offensive utility as it can be easily intercepted or punished, while its defensive utility depends on the character and the attack. This makes it great defensively against characters with low damage output or with reliance on multi-hits, such as Sheik or {{SSBU|Meta Knight}}, but it will not help against opponents with high damage output or against single-hit aerials.

[[Jolt Haymaker]] propels Mac forward a fair distance, can be unleashed on command, grants brief [[intangibility]] during start-up, and does not lose power when used in mid-air. This makes it useful for tech-chasing, repositioning, and escaping or punishing laggy moves or projectiles, and making it Mac's only useful KO option while in the air and off-stage. Unlike in ''SSB4'', it also does not render him helpless, which noticeably improved its recovery potential and its safety while offstage. [[Rising Uppercut]] grants brief intangibility on start-up and travels fairly high when used on the ground. This makes the move an effective combo breaker; combined with the last hit's high knockback scaling, it has a very fast startup and the fact that it does not lose power in the air, is also quite potent out of shield and for scoring aerial KOs. [[Slip Counter]] is an extremely fast [[counterattack]], making it useful for escaping pressure, especially aerial combos. It is also one of the few counters that slide forward before attacking, allowing Little Mac to get close to his opponent or even recover horizontally in response to an edgeguard attempt.

Lastly, Little Mac has a unique [[fighter ability]] called the [[Power Meter]]. Shown over the [[damage meter]], the Power Meter fully charges by dealing 333% or receiving 100%. When fully charged, Straight Lunge is replaced by the [[Straight Lunge#KO Uppercut|KO Uppercut]], which can KO any character before 40%. KO Uppercut is also [[unblockable]] (barring [[Witch Time]]), boasts fast startup, and leaps slightly into the air (allowing it to catch opponents on low platforms such as {{SSBU|Battlefield}}'s); combined with its immense power, this can quickly turn the tide of a match or further secure a lead if used successfully. However, Mac loses the KO Uppercut if [[tumbling|tumbled]] after a 4 second grace period (not including [[footstool jump]]ing), forcing him to use the move quickly. KO Uppercut also has considerable end lag regardless of whether it hits or not, and its short leap can cause Mac to fall off the stage if used while next to an edge. As a result, it is unarguably one of the riskiest, yet most rewarding attacks in the entire series.

 

Despite his incredible strengths, Little Mac is held back by a slew of exploitable weaknesses, with the most notorious being his deliberately ineffective air game. His air attacks have some perks; neutral aerial is the fastest aerial attack in the game, making it a decent combo breaker, and it can combo into itself; forward and back aerials are semi-spikes, with the former being decent for combos or edgeguarding; up aerial is a fast anti-air, and down aerial is an extremely fast [[meteor smash]]. However, his aerials all have short ranges, poor damage outputs, and virtually non-existent KO potentials. While his neutral and down aerials can [[auto-cancel]] from a short hop, his forward, back, and up aerials cannot. This leaves Mac incredibly vulnerable in the air, as he has no means of properly defending himself beyond point-blank range without exhausting any of his special moves. The low power of his aerials also makes them ineffective for flinching opponents, and Mac's only aerial KO options are indeed his special moves, which are highly likely to result in [[sacrificial KO]]s if misused off-stage. This also means that Mac is more severely affected by [[stale-move negation]] than most other characters, as he is effectively limited to using little more than half of his moveset in most situations, although his variety of powerful finishers can compensate it to a degree.

 

 

Little Mac's special moves are also considerably less effective while in the air. [[Straight Lunge]] loses much of its power when used in midair, and its long charge time makes it impractical for recovery. Aerial KO Uppercut is also significantly weaker and blockable, although it still has KO potential. While Jolt Haymaker and Rising Uppercut are Little Mac's most effective aerial KO options, they are very poor for recovery, offering poor travel distance, small [[edge sweet spot]]s, and minimal intangibility. Jolt Haymaker does not cause [[helplessness]], allowing Mac to follow up with a wall jump, directional air dodge or Rising Uppercut; however, it travels a mediocre distance and can only be used once before landing or grabbing the [[edge]], leaving Mac one of the most vulnerable characters to edgeguarding as he is unable to use it again if he gets hit. Rising Uppercut loses roughly half its travel distance when used in midair, and while aerial Slip Counter can be a good response to an edgeguard attempt and get Little Mac back on stage, it loses its intangibility, can be predicted, and its end lag if unsuccessful is likely to result in Mac self-destructing or getting gimped by the opponent if used at a low enough altitude.

 

 

Because of these issues, Little Mac's [[neutral game]], while decent, is predictable, and while he has a good approach due to his excellent mobility, Mac relies more heavily than most other characters on his shield and dodges for avoiding damage and general positioning, both of which can be predicted and easily punished if overused. His short range can be problematic against characters with long or [[Hitbox#Overview|disjointed]] attacks. He also has trouble dealing with [[camping]]; while his super armor and special moves provide options for dealing with projectiles, he is still forced to approach as he lacks projectiles of his own. His short jumps and weak aerial attacks also leave Mac especially vulnerable to platform camping, arguably more so than any other character in the game. While Little Mac has a strong ground game, it has some flaws of its own. Besides his downward angled forward smash and sweetspotted up smash, none of Mac's other moves deal extra [[shield damage]] and also lack shield stun,  making his jab, up tilt, and dash attack especially unsafe against opponents who shield frequently, due to their short [[freeze frames]] despite not having a lot of end lag.

 

 

 

Overall, Little Mac excels with a defensive bait and punish playstyle: keeping constant control of the middle of the stage, capitalizing on the opponent's mistakes, staying on the ground as much as possible, and utilizing his excellent ground mobility to his advantage. Because of his polarizing strengths and weaknesses, players must reach a higher level of play than normal in order to use Little Mac effectively: he can be difficult to utilize despite his straightforward fighting style, as his severe disadvantage state forces him to play carefully despite his high mobility and power. Players must learn to utilize Little Mac's long-ranged rolls, fast air and fall speeds, and smash attacks' super armor to approach projectile-based opponents, and take advantage of his powerful ground tools to condition opponents to make mistakes.

Despite being a lower mid tier character in ''SSB4'', Little Mac has received a mix of buffs and nerfs in the transition to ''Ultimate''. While he has received good improvements both directly and from game engine changes, he also received heavy nerfs to his damage and combo potential. As a result, he is considered to be nerfed overall, and he also is mostly harmed by the universal engine changes, compared to most of the cast who benefit from said changes.

 

 

 

Little Mac also benefits heavily from some of the universal changes: since the alterations to grounded movement have returned some of the aspects of [[dash dancing]], this grants Little Mac one of the game's best dash dances. The ability to [[dash cancel]] into any grounded attack and the introduction of [[spot dodge]] canceling arguably benefit him more than any other fighter, as not only he now has access to all his grounded options at any time, he is able to avoid most laggy [[punishment]] options and retaliate immediately with his strong grounded game; both of these changes improve his hard punish game.

The changes to [[shieldstun]] make it easier for him to punish aerial approaches [[out of shield]] and make his grounded attacks safer, benefitting his ground-based playstyle, while this is complemented by the universal nerfs to grabs and [[shield grab]]s, which now make him more difficult to punish out of shield without a sufficiently ranged move. The nerfs to defensive options ([[shield]]ing, air dodges, [[roll]]s, and spot dodges) further improve his pressure ability and punish game, while he still possesses some of the best defensive options of the cast. Finally, the changes to [[jostle]] mechanics now make his attacks much harder to whiff up close, such as Straight Lunge's infamous whiffs at point-blank range in ''SSB4'', although it very rarely can still happen.

However, the nerfs Little Mac has received to his strong grounded game and Jolt Haymaker is harsh enough to eclipse his useful buffs. His best moves for racking up damage are weaker as his neutral attack, the infinite and up tilt all deal less damage (with the latter being less safe at low percents), and the former no longer has anti-rebounding priority, while his [[down tilt]] has more ending lag, reducing its combo potential, especially beyond low percents; the latter nerf is especially notable since it weakens or outright removes most of his damage racking abilities and KO confirms. His weaker up tilt also makes it less likely to out-prioritize attacks (since it offers [[Priority#Moves that cannot rebound|anti-rebounding priority]]).

Down throw has altered and increased knockback, making it better for combos at low percentages, but worse at high percents. As a result of these changes, Little Mac's grounded game has actually become worse despite his much easier access to his options, as he now has to deal more hits and his moves have less follow-up potential, while he still lacks useful moves to edge-guard or attack offstage opponents with, apart from the newly buffed Jolt Haymaker and [[down smash]]. His recovery has also ironically become less consistent than before, as Jolt Haymaker can now only be used once before landing, making misuse or interception of it usually fatal for him.

In addition, despite some of the universal changes improving Little Mac, other indirect changes have harmed him just as much. The increased damage on [[edge attack]]s (since they now deal more than 8% throughout the cast) means Straight Lunge's armor can no longer withstand them, removing a mind game option. Since defensive options have been nerfed to become stale if overused, while Little Mac can punish opponents more easily, his defense is more exploitable since his awful aerial game makes him reliant on dodges and shielding. The limitation to a single air dodge until a character gets hit or lands on the ground, as well as the higher ending lag on one, is especially notable, as this makes him even more susceptible to juggling if his air dodge is misused, and much more susceptible to [[gimp]]ing despite his improved recovery, as combined with the ability to use Jolt Haymaker once before landing makes it difficult to fully extend his recovery.

The changes to jostle mechanics, while making his moveset more consistent, make it easier to corner Little Mac and read his fairly linear [[approach]]. However, the removal of [[perfect pivot]]ing, the universal reduction of [[jumpsquat]]s and [[landing lag]] are the changes that hinder him more than any other character; the former change eliminates his extremely strong micro spacing tactics, while the changes to dash-canceling do not fully compensate for this. Meanwhile, the latter two changes benefit his terrible aerial game far less while strengthening most of the cast's aerial games to varying degrees, making him more vulnerable to combos and aerial rushdowns, which limits him more to shielding a move or directly contesting them by making use of his smash attacks' super armor to muscle through them, which can be risky.

Overall, despite some changes to Little Mac's awful recovery and the ability to dash cancel moves, Little Mac has lost many of the tools that made him effective in the previous game. Compared to ''SSB4'', he is considered to be one of the most nerfed characters in the transition. Little Mac's perception within the competitive community has been negative since the game's release, with many top players have ranking at or the near the bottom in their tier lists, maintained by his struggle to contend with numerous top tier fighters like {{SSBU|Pikachu}} and {{SSBU|Palutena}}. Most maintain that Little Mac is a contender for the worst character in the game.

Little Mac has received a mix of buffs and nerfs via game updates, but has been buffed overall. Although update 2.0.0 granted inconsequential buffs to his neutral and up aerials, update 3.1.0 noticeably improved his ground game. Neutral attack was heavily improved in three distinct ways. Its hits connect better thanks to improved ranges and, more notably, its first and second hits had their ending lag reduced to the point that it and {{SSBU|Mr. Game & Watch}}'s neutral attack are currently the only ones in ''Ultimate'' that are capable of [[jab cancel]]ing reliably. Forward tilt connects much better against airborne opponents, which was a notorious flaw that remained unaddressed throughout ''SSB4''{{'}}s lifespan. Down tilt's range was increased to the point that it is actually on par with {{SSBU|Mii Swordfighter}}'s and out-ranges {{SSBU|Ike}}'s. Up smash gained more [[super armor]] frames, although it lost 1 active frame due to an unintentional oversight.

In update 7.0.0, Little Mac was among the numerous characters whose shields were enlarged, which decreased his vulnerability to [[shield stab]]bing. Update 8.0.0 increased the ending lag of both his [[Floor attack|trip attack]] and backward [[rolling tech]] by 1 frame apiece, which standardized them with the rest of the cast's. Most recently, update 11.0.0 undid update 3.1.0's unintentional decrease to up smash's active frames.

|neutraldesc=A left-handed jab, followed by a right-handed hook, followed by a left-handed uppercut. If the button is mashed, Little Mac will perform an extremely fast flurry of alternating punches, followed by a right uppercut. Holding the attack button will have Little Mac repeat the first hit rapidly. Like in ''SSB4'', it is one of the fastest attacks in the game, with the first hit coming out on frame 1. As a result, it is an excellent point-blank interrupting tool, although it is held back by its mediocre range. The first two hits can [[lock]] floored characters, although this is difficult to perform on most characters due to the move's height. The first two hits have very low ending lag, allowing for reaction-based reads or the ability to [[jab cancel]] into [[Rising Uppercut]]; this acts as a KO combo at various percents, with hit 2 working past around 145%, and hit 1 working past 200%. However, this combo can be safely shielded. The third hit can lead into Jolt Haymaker at low percents. The infinite racks up damage quickly, but opponents are likely to fall out of it if they are far away from Little Mac.

|ftiltdesc=A {{iw|wikipedia|one-two combo}}. The first hit leads into the second hit, which deals excellent knockback that can KO {{SSBU|Mario}} from the edge of [[Final Destination]] at 90%. Due to the first hit coming out at frame 4 and the second at frame 12, it is extremely fast while also being one of the strongest forward tilts in the game. It also has anti-rebounding priority and the longest range of his tilts, due to Mac moving slightly forward during both hits, especially the first, making it useful out of a dash, especially coupled with [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCNqH7a3hfQ pivot canceling], being able to punish attacks from more than half of Final Destination away. However, this makes the move inconsistent at high percents. As of update 3.1.0, the second hit connects much more reliably on opponents in the air, unlike in ''SSB4''. It somewhat resembles Piston Hondo's Hondo Rush in the NES and Wii versions of ''Punch-Out!!''

|utiltdesc=An overhead arcing backfist. Very fast due to coming out on frame 4, and has low ending lag. It covers the entirety of Little Mac's body and a wide arc above him, which allows him to use it as a quick option to punish overhead attacks or rolls. One of Little Mac's combo starters, up tilt has anti-rebounding priority, low knockback and speed. The back hit combos better due to Mac having less end lag. Combos into itself at low percents, and [[Rising Uppercut]] or [[KO Uppercut]] at low/mid percents if the opponent is close to him. It can also lead to tilts or smash attacks depending on an opponent's reaction. However, it is unsafe on hit at very low percents, and has questionable shield safety, but due to Little Mac ducking during the move, it also can low profile some aerials and projectiles, allowing its use as an approach tool, and making direct punishes challenging for some characters. It resembles Don Flamenco's Twirling Backhand used during Title Defense Mode in the Wii version of ''Punch-Out!!'', albeit performed vertically instead of horizontally.

|dtiltdesc= A crouching {{iw|wikipedia|short straight-punch}}. Like his neutral attack and tilts, it has anti-rebounding priority and has an extremely fast startup at frame 3. It has lost part of its formidable combo potential from ''SSB4'' due to its higher ending lag, though it is still good for combos due to its multiple perks: it possesses a vertical angle, can combo into tilts at 0%, has consistent combos at mid percents into [[Jolt Haymaker]], and can frame trap into forward aerial, dashing Rising Uppercut, dash attack, and smash attacks. Can confirm into KO Uppercut at extremely specific percents, usually around 60, although the window can widen a lot (down to 40%) with rage. Otherwise, it is mainly used to force opponents into a landing situation for Mac to capitalize on. As of update 3.1.0, down tilt's range now exceeds those of some swordfighters, now being on par with {{SSBU|Mii Swordfighter}}'s and longer than {{SSBU|Ike}}'s due to a disjoint on the hitbox on Mac's fist, giving it impressive range. It is one of Mac's main neutral tools due to its combo potential, speed, range, and relative safeness on shield compared to the rest of his attacks. It can also 2-frame which can lead to Jolt Haymaker, forward tilt or KO Uppercut for a KO confirm.

|dashdesc=A lunging {{iw|wikipedia|overhand|boxing}}. It is fast for a dash attack (frame 7), travels a decent distance, and can be a situational burst KO option, having enough knockback to KO Mario at 136% from the edge of Final Destination, thus making it moderately strong for a dash attack. It can also hit opponents hanging on edges, and due to its generous hitbox, finds a lot of use trapping opponents on ledge. However, due to its lack of shieldstun, it is notoriously punishable on shield, however it can cross up most of the cast on shield. The angle is different for the 3 frames in which the hitbox is active, as it launches at 80° at frame 7, 70° at frame 8, and 60° at frame 9; the late hit is notable for being able to combo into KO Uppercut. It can combo into itself at low percents. It heavily resembles Von Kaiser's Von Kaiser Wave used during his Title Defense battle in the Wii version of ''Punch-Out!!''

|fsmashdesc=Steps forward and throws one of three right-handed punch variations, depending on which angle the [[control stick]] is tilted. It's active on frame 14 (15 if angled down) and has a moderate amount of ending lag (26 frames of lag), making it surprisingly fast for its power. Little Mac also rushes forward during before the hitbox becomes active, giving it deceptively good range, but the hitboxes don't reach far in front of him. It is pretty versatile for a forward smash or smash attack in general, as each directional input behaves almost like different moves as opposed to other forward smashes just changing their angle of attack, allowing Little Mac options for powerful knockback either horizontally or vertically, or dealing heavy damage or shield damage.

''Down'': A body hook. It deals the most damage out of all three punch variations, but its extremely low knockback scaling makes it unusable for KOing. Its high [[shieldstun]] makes it safer on shield than the other two punch variations, and it deals heavy shield damage, allowing it to deplete more than half a shield. It also grants super armor on frames 9-15. Down-angled forward smash has a very low angle, and coupled with its extremely low knockback allows it to set up many [[tech-chasing]] situations.

|usmashdesc=An uppercut. Its first frame is highlighted by a spark, which acts as a sweetspot that possesses a [[flame]] effect and deals significant shield damage (breaking a shield at full health if fully charged) and is among the strongest up smashes in the game. Its sourspot also makes it useful for aerial protection and for KOing, thanks to its respectable damage output, high knockback scaling, and hitbox placement. Fast despite its power, coming out on frame 10. However, it has the highest amount of ending lag out of his grounded moves with 34 frames, making it punishable if not used carefully. Despite its appearance, it also only hits in front of Little Mac, but it has good vertical range, reaching high enough to challenge opponents standing on the bottom platforms of {{SSBU|Battlefield}}, and low enough to reach some opponents on a ledge. It also grants super armor on frames 8-13.

|dsmashdesc=Spins 180° to throw a quick, downward angled right hook in front of himself and then behind himself. It comes out on frame 10 and acts as a powerful [[semi-spike]] which hits on both sides. Coupled with its long-range, it is one of Little Mac's [[edgeguarding]] options. Like his other smash attacks, it grants super armor (frames 7-10 and 15-17). Unlike most down smashes, both of its hits have the same damage outputs. Down smash also posses a low knockback angle which can set up [[tech-chasing]] situations, and it can hit twice in extremely specific situations if the first hit sends the opponent into the second.

|uairdesc=An upward arcing hook. It is extremely fast for an up aerial (frame 5), though this is significantly offset by its short-range, short hitbox duration, and noticeable ending lag. It autocancels in a full hop If used while near the ground, it can combo into up tilt, Rising Uppercut, or KO Uppercut at high percents. It is also usable as an anti-air against opponents on platforms if no other options are available. It vaguely resembles the celebratory jump Little Mac performs during his victory animation in the Wii version of ''Punch-Out!!''

|dairdesc=A palm thrust. The fist hitbox is a sourspot but acts as a [[meteor smash]]. It autocancels in a short hop and is one of the quickest meteor smashes in the game due to coming out on frame 7 and having low ending lag, but is situational due to its extremely low knockback and damage, with its meteor smash being ineffective against anyone but fast-fallers unless Little Mac footstool jumps on the opponent immediately after. The meteor smash hitbox also acts like a sourspot, dealing less damage than the hitbox on his arm. However, it can [[lock]] floored opponents, allowing Mac to finish them with any of his strongest attacks. It can also gimp, being good with opponents with poor recoveries, especially vertically. It will only KO at 247% at the earliest.

|grabdesc=[[wikipedia:Grappling hold#Clinch hold|Clinches]] the opponent. In addition to having average range, Little Mac possesses moderate ending lag in his grabs. Unlike in SSB4, Mac's grab no longer has blindspots on his hand and arm. Its range can be increased by performing a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1If8eSLKwI roll cancel boost grab]and it can even be used to [[cross-up]] opponents, although this is difficult to pull off. His dash grab has long-range, as he rushes forward at a rather far distance before the grab box comes out, and his pivot grab also has decent range, but they both have noticeable startup lag as well. It heavily resembles Bear Hugger's Bear Hug in the Arcade and SNES versions of ''Super Punch-Out!!'', and the Wii version of ''Punch-Out!!''

|pummeldesc=A body hook. Low damage, but it is one of the fastest in the game, making it great for racking up damage before a throw.

|fthrowdesc=Rears his arm back and throws an overhand. It is Little Mac's second most damaging throw and can be used to set up an edgeguard. At low-to-mid percents, it can tech-chase, and if the opponent does not tech, it can be followed into a dash attack or other options out of a dash at low percents. Nearby opponents will be launched at a near-perfect vertical trajectory.

|dthrowdesc=A [[wikipedia:Professional wrestling attacks#Double axe handle|double axe handle]]. Its knockback was increased from the previous installment, which makes it harder to lead into combos. Nearby opponents will be launched at a near-perfect vertical trajectory. It can combo into neutral attack, a jumping Jolt Haymaker, or Rising Uppercut at low percents. On stages with platforms at mid percents it can put his opponent directly above him in a tech situation, which can be followed up by an up smash, KO Uppercut, Jolt Haymaker, or a down air to lock and open up further followups, should they fail to [[tech]]. It heavily resembles King Hippo's Hippo Squeeze n' Squash from the Wii version of ''Punch-Out!!''

|edgedesc=Throws a lunging punch while climbing up the edge.

|nsdesc=Rears his arm back and then throws a dashing cross. It is chargeable, grants [[super armor|heavy armor]] with a damage threshold of 8% (9.6% on 1v1) while charging, can be reversed upon release, and propels Little Mac at a good distance forward, which increases with charge. The charge can be canceled by pressing the shield button. When fully charged, it deals consistent 30% damage throughout the move, lacking a weaker late hit and launching the opponent away with extreme knockback, KOing opponents at 30% at ledge. Not fully charged variants have anti-rebounding priority, and due to its lingering hitbox and ability to be canceled, is a viable mixup option to beat out [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTAhN-hmkzA predictable moves or projectiles]. Due to the frame 1 heavy armor, it can be useful to prevent the opponent from starting a combo with a tilt or extending the combo with an aerial attack, giving Mac a way to escape from combos and juggle situations. However, it depends on the move and sometimes the character, as it's not useful against hits that deal more than 8%.

|ssdesc=An overhand version of the {{s|wikipedia|Superman punch}}. It can be used almost instantly by pressing the special button immediately after first pressing it. Gives brief [[intangibility]] on the ground during startup and its long hitbox duration allow it to punish moves effectively. It deals high damage and good knockback, making it a great combo finisher and reliable KO move at the ledge, even in the air. It does not render him helpless if used in midair, making it a good horizontal recovery option. However, it can only be used once before landing, thus the player must use it carefully due to Little Mac's mediocre recovery. Jolt Haymaker was given more range as of update 3.1.0, allowing the grounded version to hit opponents on the bottom platforms of {{SSBU|Battlefield}}, and expanding upon its use as a usable punish against jumpy opponents. B-reversing this move (called a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyNdOil6TMI wavemaker]) allows it to rise slightly higher and closer, allowing up tilt to confirm into this move, as well as even having [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyb5m8zKNhQ applications as an edgeguarding tool].

|usdesc=A right-handed, jumping corkscrew uppercut, followed immediately by a left-handed uppercut. The first uppercut hits multiple times, whereas the second uppercut hits once and has extremely high knockback. Thanks to Little Mac's excellent traction, it is a very potent [[out of shield]] option and is also one of his only reliable aerial finishers aside from Jolt Haymaker. It also grants 3 frames of intangibility on start-up, while the grounded version covers a decent amount of vertical distance. Conversely, the aerial version is less effective at covering vertical distance and granting maneuverability compared to the grounded version, which makes it very ineffective for recovery. Using an aerial (primarily his neutral aerial) directly before using Rising uppercut will [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=widRuJ29m2k move Little Mac forward just like the grounded version]. It resembles Little Mac's Three-Star Punch in the Wii version of ''Punch-Out!!''

|dsdesc=Assumes a [[wikipedia:Boxing styles and technique#Stances|full crouch stance]] and, if hit, immediately [[counterattack]]s by {{s|wikipedia|slipping}} inside to throw an uppercut. It shoots Little Mac forward during the counterattack, allowing it to hit distant opponents and act as a recovery extended offstage, albeit with high risk. Due to the counter window being active on frame 5, it has one of the fastest startups of any counter, making it an effective defensive option. However, the mechanics of the uppercut's delivery, such as the short delay and Mac's own movement, can also make it infrequently whiff. Can also be used to [[edgeguard]] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvAFdvRDTuo characters with rising hitboxes on their recoveries], such as Link or another Little Mac. It vaguely resembles Glass Joe's Delayed Right Hook used during Title Defense Mode in the Wii version of ''Punch-Out!!''

Little Mac has a unique mechanic known as the Power Meter, which is permanently shown above his [[damage meter]]. Inflicting damage or receiving damage will charge the meter; when full, Little Mac's neutral special ([[Straight Lunge]]) is replaced by the KO Uppercut. Of note is that the meter is also charged if Little Mac hits a shield or invincibility and if he is hit while in shield or invincibility. KO Uppercut has multiple perks: it can KO almost the entire cast around 35%, has very fast startup, grants [[super armor]] right before the hitbox appears, and is [[unblockable]]. This only applies to the grounded version, as the aerial version is significantly weaker and blockable, KOing opponents at above 80%. It can be used as a last-resort recovery option, but this is ill-advised unless Little Mac is recovering up high, as the move has high endlag and does not snap to the edge.

*Walks onto the stage while throwing a series of punches before tossing his hooded sweatsuit off. If either of Little Mac's sweatsuit alternate costumes is being used, he will still perform the tossing animation while keeping his sweatsuit on.

Little Mac wears a {{iw|wikipedia|championship belt}} in all three of his victory poses.<br>

Little Mac's opponents are fighters who specialize in {{iw|wikipedia|hand-to-hand combat}}. During the battles, every item except [[Sandbag]] is disabled. As such, Sandbag can be hit, but will only spawn visual confetti.

|2||{{CharHead|Ryu|SSBU|hsize=20px}}||[[Suzaku Castle]]||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Street Fighter|Ryu Stage}}''||Possibly references Piston Hondo, one of Little Mac's recurring opponents.

|6||{{CharHead|Donkey Kong|SSBU|hsize=20px}}||Boxing Ring ([[Ω form]])||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Donkey Kong|Donkey Kong / Donkey Kong Jr. Medley}}''||References the boss battle against Donkey Kong in the Wii version of ''Punch-Out!!''