Lucario (PM)

Lucario in Project M and Project+
Universe	Pokémon
Base game appearance	Brawl
Moveset inspiration	Lucario (SSBB)
Alternate costume	Gi Lucario

Lucario is a playable character in the Brawl mod Project M. Its mechanics between Brawl and Project M have been nearly entirely reimagined.

Lucario ranks 18th out of 41 on the official tier list, toward the top of the B tier. This is a considerable drop from their placement in Brawl, where it was 11th out of 38. In the Project+ official tier list, Lucario is ranked 12th near the top of the A tier, more in line with its placement in Brawl.

Attributes

In Brawl, Lucario's aura system increased the damage and knockback of its attacks as its own damage climbed. In Project M, however, this system has been discarded in favor of giving the Steel/Fighting-type Pokémon two mechanics similar to those found in traditional fighting games, while some of its moves were altered to be reminiscent of the shotoclone, a popular fighting game archetype.

Lucario's moves deal the damage and knockback of its Brawl counterpart when at only 88% damage, but thanks to their decreased, consistent knockback and Lucario's new magic series, they are much more suitable for extensive combos. The magic series gives Lucario limited control over order-based interruptibility, where each stage in the chain can be cancelled into anything further down. On the ground, this chain is neutral/dash attack → tilt → smash attack → special move, while in the air the chain is aerial → special move. While a stage cannot be cancelled into itself, Lucario's jab, tilts, and some of its aerials can reliably link into themselves. Additionally, some setups allow for the ground chain to be started again, such as up-smash into aerial side-special grab, which can set up a tech-chase and thus an opportunity to start the magic series over with a neutral or dash attack.

Similar to the "super meter" present in the vast majority of fighting games, Lucario can build up energy through successful hits and "spend" it on powerful attacks or combo setups. Every attack Lucario lands nets it a number of "aura points" equal to the amount of damage dealt on a successful hit or 70% of the damage a shielded hit would have dealt. After amassing fifty points, Lucario will gain an aura charge, signaled to the player through a blue flash of light. Players can also remind themselves of any aura charge by examining the energy glow and trails on Lucario's hands (compare the appearance of no charges, one charge, and two charges). Lucario can store up to one hundred aura points, or two charges, and retains whatever it has stored even if it loses a stock.

Aura charges are spent by pressing the standard attack button while executing the special move the player wishes to power up. Aura Sphere and Force Palm receive drastic power boosts; "Aura Bomb" is a massive, powerful, slow-moving Aura Sphere that can hit foes trying to recover through a ledge and lasts long enough for Lucario to easily throw enemies into it for a KO, while "Force Blast" becomes significantly more powerful and becomes a spike when foes are grabbed with it in the air. Meanwhile, spending an aura charge on ExtremeSpeed or Double Team will allow the player to cancel out of it using any attack other than itself, making powerful combo, chasing, recovery, or edgeguarding options possible.

Lucario has some reworked moves reminiscent of the shotoclone, a character archetype popularized by Ryu and Ken of Street Fighter. Its up-smash is now a multi-hitting Shoryuken, a leaping uppercut that can be reversed, comes out quickly, and can be cancelled into aerial grab Force Palm to set up a tech-chase. Force Palm, when used as a grab in the air, now meteor-smashes opponents powerfully in a spinning throw. Meanwhile, Lucario's ineffectual neutral-aerial from Brawl has been replaced with a powerful hurricane kick that can KO at reasonably low percentages despite its quick startup. Double Team, while a counterattack in Brawl, now functions as a command-dash that deals no damage and instead serves as a versatile movement option that provides Lucario with invincibility. Extremespeed now deals multiple weak hits while keeping foes close enough for more combos, especially when used horizontally across a stage.

With these new techniques and mechanics, Lucario can deal massive amounts of damage over extended periods of time if it can get close enough to an opponent. However, Lucario has the same problems that would later befall its moveset inspiration Ryu; Lucario is held back by average movement speed outside of its combos and struggles when approaching foes, as Aura Sphere is short-ranged and easily intercepted. Compared to Brawl Lucario, the comparative lack of power in its attacks also holds it back from getting KOs at regular percentages, forcing Lucario to rack up more damage than other characters would need to in order to secure a KO. In turn, these flaws force Lucario to keep close to the opponent so that it never misses a chance to punish and tack on damage, which is a problem against faster close-range fighters or ones like Marth, who can use disjointed reach to keep Lucario from getting close enough.

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  Lucario using Aura Bomb.

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  Lucario using aerial Force Palm.

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  Lucario canceling ExtremeSpeed into neutral air.

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  Lucario using the updated Double Team.

Changes from Brawl to PM

Lucario has a revamped aura mechanic that allows it to strengthen its special moves rather than increasing its power the more it is hurt. In addition, Lucario's fighting style is more combo oriented. Many of Lucario's moves have less startup and its combo game is significantly more deadly. One downside to Lucario's new moveset however is that most of its moves have shorter durations.

Attributes

• Aura mechanics revamped. Lucario no longer gains strength the more it is hurt, but instead its attacks allow it to store up "aura charges" to empower its special moves, as described above.
  • Aura enhanced Aura Sphere drastically increases its size to where it is even bigger than Lucario, along with increased damage and knockback. It also travels slower, giving it edge-guarding use.
  • Aura enhanced Force Palm increases its damage and knockback, and also changes it from a Meteor Smash to a Spike in the air
  • Aura enhanced ExtremeSpeed and Double Team allows Lucario to cancel its respective moves and string combos.
  • Up taunt gives Lucario 5 aura points but also deals 5% damage to Lucario until it gains an aura charge. Up taunt can also be held to continue generating aura points.
  • Lucario starts off every match with one aura charge.
• Lucario can now cancel the endlag of its moves by stringing attacks in the order of "neutral attack/dash → tilt → smash → special" or "aerial → special", allowing it to create fast and highly damaging true combos that may even outright KO.
• Walk speed is higher (1.0 → 1.3).
• Running speed is significantly higher (1.414 → 1.85).
• Lucario's air speed is slightly higher (0.987 → 1.0).
• Lucario's air acceleration is lower (0.07 → 0.035).
• Jump squat shortened (5 → 3 frames), granting Lucario more ease in heckling with aerials, in addition to a fast (albeit short) wavedash.
• Lucario's traction is higher (0.0734 → 0.095) although relative to the cast, it has gone from the highest in Brawl to the 2nd highest in Project M. This makes it easier for him to punish out of shield although it gives him a very short wavedash.
• Lucario falls faster (1.2 → 2) going from the 32nd fastest faller out of 39 characters in Brawl to the 9th fastest out of 41 characters in Project M. This significantly improves its endurance but makes it much more vulnerable to combos.
• Lucario's gravity is higher (0.0625 → 0.125) Going from the 5th lowest in Brawl to the 9th highest in Project M.
• Lucario can no longer wall cling.

Ground Attacks

• Jab 2 and 3 have less startup lag (frame 9 → 8). Jab 1 also has less end lag (frame 21 → 19)
• All jabs have a shorter duration (frames 6-9 (jab 1), frames 9-12 (jab 2), frames 9-14 (jab 3) → 6-7/8-9/8-11).
• Lucario has a new forward tilt: a backhanded punch. It consists of one hitbox that deals 1%/3% less total damage than the previous forward tilt. It also has a shorter duration (frames 12-19 → 10-14).
• Forward tilt has less startup lag (frame 12 → 10) and end lag (frame 30 → 27).
• Up tilt deals 1% more damage and has less end lag (frame 33 → 28).
• Up tilt has a slightly shorter duration (frames 5-15 → 5-14).
• Down tilt has less startup lag (frame 9 → 5).
• Down tilt deals 1% less damage, but now has a sweetspot that deals 1% more than Brawl's down tilt.
• Down tilt has a shorter duration (frames 9-15 → 5-8).
• Lucario now has a crawl attack: a low sweeping kick that deals 9%/10% damage.
• Forward smash has less startup lag (frame 21 → 19).
• Forward smash has a shorter duration (frames 21-30 → 19-23).
• Lucario has a new up smash: a leaping uppercut with repeating hitboxes leading to a strong final hit. It has less startup lag (frame 12 → 10), end lag (frame 57 → 44) deals 4% more total damage and can be turned around during start-up and jump-canceled on hit, making it overall much more useful than its old incarnation.
• Up smash has a shorter duration (frames 12-37 → 10-23).
• Down smash has less startup lag (frame 17 → 12).
• Down smash has a slightly shorter duration (frames 17-23 → 12-17).

Aerial Attacks

• Lucario has a new neutral aerial: a spinning hurricane kick with longer range, deals 4% more damage on the clean hitbox and 2% more on the late, and lingers after a strong initial hit. It also has a longer duration (frames 6-7 (clean) 8-24 (late) → 9-15 (clean), 16-28 (mid), 29-41 (late) and less end lag (frame 69 → 55).
• Neutral aerial has more startup lag (frame 6 → 9) and more landing lag (9 frames → 14). It can also no longer auto cancel in a short hop.
• Forward aerial deals 6%/7% more damage on its clean hitbox and 2% more on its late. It also has less startup lag (frame 7 → 4).
• Forward aerial has a shorter duration (frames 7-21 → 4-9 (clean), 10-12 (late)) and has more end lag (28 frames → 39). Lucario can no longer perform two forward aerials in a short hop.
• Back aerial deals 2% more damage and now has a sweetspot that deals 3% more. It also no longer has a late hitbox. It also has less startup lag (frame 15 → 10).
• Back aerial now turns Lucario around.
• Back aerial has a shoter duration (frames 15-28 → 10-13) and more landing lag (15 frames → 18).
• Up aerial deals 1% more damage and now has a sweetspot that deals 2% more. It also has less startup lag (frame 10 → 7).
• Up aerial has a shorter duration (frames 10-22 → 7-10).
• Down aerial no longer stalls Lucario as it is performing it reducing down aerial's stalling potential. Down aerial also has a shorter duration (frames 4-7 (hit 1), 11-14 (hit 2) → 4-5/11-12), more end lag (frame 29 → 36) and landing lag (9 frames → 22). It can also no longer auto cancel in a short hop or be performed twice in a short hop.

Throws/other attacks

• Standing grab has more startup lag (frame 6 → 7), standing and dash grabs have more end lag (frame 30 (both) → frame 31 (standing), frame 40 (dash)). All grabs also have a shorter duration (3 frames → 2).
• Pivot grab has slightly decreased end lag (31 frames → 30).
• Pummel deals more damage (1% → 2%) but has significantly increased end lag (7 frames → 23).
• Forward throw deals less knockback. This improves its combo potential but hinders its KO potential.
• Back throw deals less knockback improving its combo potential.
• Up throw deals higher knockback however due to the changes in Project M's physics, it can still combo and chaingrab fast fallers.
• Down throw deals less knockback. When coupled with the changes in Project M's physics, this grants it combo and chaingrab potential.
• Down throw deals 3% less damage.

Special Moves

• Aura Sphere is slower when charged and has fewer charge levels.
• Force Palm meteor smashes aerially grabbed opponents.
• ExtremeSpeed now deals damage and knockback with repeating hitboxes for a total of 13% damage.
• Double Team is no longer a Counterattack; it is now a short dash which grants invincibility. While in the air, Lucario will dash diagonally downwards. This makes Double Team more versatile, allowing Lucario to slip behind its opponents and attack an unguarded part of the enemy, with its aerial version allowing Lucario to return to the ground more quickly.

Revisions

v2.5b

• Is now able to on-hit cancel during hitlag, which also effectively reduces the startup of the move by 1, and is able to OHC using the C-Stick during hitlag.
• Jab 2 hits and can transition into jab 3 slightly faster to match the animation.
• Jab 3 hits and ends earlier in the animation, reaches crouching and landing opponents better, and base knockback and angle lowered slightly.
• Dash attack weak hitbox ends sooner when it lowers its leg and the graphic ends, angle lowered a bit, and has less base knockback and more growth.
• Forward tilt hitbox comes out sooner, its arm during the swing is intangible, and IASA is much earlier.
• Down tilt foot aura hitbox does more damage and meteors against grounded foes.
• Neutral air has new graphical and sound effects, and damage and knockback are increased.
• Forward air autocancels sooner, strong hit has slightly reduced base knockback, increased growth, and lasts slightly longer.
• Back air hand aura hitbox on strong hit does more damage, base knockback, and has a more horizontal trajectory.
• Up air foot aura hitbox does slightly more damage, base knockback, growth, and sends more vertically.
• Dash grab and turn grab have a third grab box added.
• Up throw release point adjusted to be more in front and look less awkward, and knockback growth increased significantly.
• Double Team is reversible and preserves horizontal momentum on startup.
• Double Team movement during dash increased and smoothed out to provide more momentum when canceled at any length, goes a slightly longer distance overall, and in the air transitions into fall better.
• Back air weak late hit removed.
• Aerial super Force Palms throw knockback growth reduced a bit.
• Lucario's glowing hands for the first charge towards a super are fainter and blue, second charge is white when it has two.
• All of Lucario's hitbox placements, sizes, and durations cleaned up. Graphical effects adjusted to, in most cases, represent the outermost hitboxes.
• Jabs, dash ttack, forward/up/down tilt are now SDIable like normal.
• Jab 2 and forward smash are slightly more advantaged on block.
• Jab 3, forward tilt, and up tilt are more advantaged on block.
• dash Attack, down tilt, and down smash are slightly less advantaged on block.
• Many of Lucario's sound effect timings corrected.
• Spot dodge invincibility duration adjusted to be more appropriate for its total duration compared to the next best dodge tier.
• Jab 1 & 2 inner hits link better into the next jab.
• Dash attack no longer buffers into special moves on hit by holding down the special button, and works like any other OHC input that requires pressing the button.
• Dash attack has new graphical effects, uses aura element, travels a shorter distance, and IASA is a bit later.
• Dash attack strong hit duration shortened to be able to space for the weak hit better, sends much more horizontally except for at the foot aura hitbox, and knockback adjusted slightly.
• Forward tilt has a lower angle, more base knockback, and less growth.
• Down tilt startup greatly reduced, damage decreased slightly, and IASA is earlier.
• Forward smash hitbox ends sooner, slightly less base knockback on weak hit, and momentum is preserved on startup to be able to slide during it.
• Up smash charges up properly, scaling damage and knockback accordingly when charged.
• Up smash animation cleaned up, has an aura trail added to the fist, and it steps into the move instead of back giving it much more range.
• Up smash links better, is able to cancel into landing while moving downwards, and knockback growth on the final hit decreased slightly.
• Down smash startup greatly reduced, knockback growth decreased slightly, and inside hitbox on his front side is clankable like the other three hitboxes.
• Forward air foot aura hitbox on strong hit does increased damage, base knockback, and has a more vertical trajectory.
• Forward air weak hit damage decreased slightly, knockback growth increased, and the hit duration is reduced.
• Back air strong hit does slightly more damage, has less base knockback and growth, and lasts slightly longer.
• Up air autocancels sooner, IASA is much earlier, and knockback growth and hit duration are decreased.
• Down air second hit has less base knockback and more growth.
• Forward throw startup speed adjusted to look more like a throw than a spasm.
• Down throw speed is weight dependent and has significantly less startup to be harder to DI.
• Down throw damage and angle decreased slightly, has less base knockback, and more growth.
• Quick get up attack does not whiff when the opponent are standing very close to the edge.
• Aura Sphere charge cancel now has its own animation which allows canceling into wait instead of into Shield, and the charge hits' hitlag is increased.
• Super Force Palm and ExtremeSpeed are no longer activated with the C-Stick.
• Force Palm's grab has more startup, but grab duration is slightly longer.
• Force Palm's attack hitboxes adjusted in damage and knockback, with the closest being the strongest.
• Grounded Force Palms near instant interrupt removed, animation shortened, and the Normal version has less base knockback and more growth.
• ExtremeSpeed hitboxes adjusted so that the final hit will actually come out before the animation ends, and has a hitbox when grabbing the edge.
• ExtremeSpeed uses weight dependent set knockback on multihits and super cancel instead of base knockback and no growth, and the multihits are not as SDIable.
• ExtremeSpeed and Double Team have priority over Force Palm for OHCs when inputting diagonally.
• Double Team startup increased significantly, but is intangible when it begins to move instead of partially into the dash.

v2.6b

• Aerial Force Palm grab collisions adjusted to cover slightly more vertical area.
• Double Team can be interrupted sooner on the ground.
• Forward tilt animation improvements, and provides more forward momentum when canceled early.
• Aura Sphere charge ball startup begins hitting slightly later and is held closer in at the start to not interfere with knockback as easily when canceled into during hitlag.
• Fixed a glitch with aerial Force Palm used directly out of hitstun where Lucario would fall after grabbing an enemy.
• ExtremeSpeed cancel end animation transitions better into fall.

v3.0

• Lucario starts each stock with an Aura charge.
• Neutral air is now a multi-hit aerial with similar power.
• Up throw has slightly less endlag.
• Down throw has slightly less total duration.
• Double Team has less startup and is invincible slightly longer. Same total duration.
• Wallcling can no longer be activated out of ExtremeSpeed ending.
• Fully charge Aura Sphere travels slightly slower.
• Aura Sphere charging scales travel speed slightly more quickly.
• Final Smash beam is larger, turns faster and further, and is more powerful.

v3.5

• Shield size was increased from 6.5 to 8.6
• Lucario has gained a crawling tilt
• He once again has Aura charges carried over between stocks
• Powered and non-powered aerial Force Palm's angles were decreased
• Double Team's invincibility frames end 3 frames earlier (28 to 25), and does not refresh on hit

v3.6

• Lucario has a new running animation.
• A new feature was implemented in Lucario's up taunt, enabling players to gain 5 aura points every 40 frames if said taunt is held for a certain duration.
  • As a drawback, Lucario will gain 5% damage in the same instance. This feature is omitted if it is at maximum power.
• Lucario has more aura visuals as an indication to its increase in power.

Moveset

Up to date as of version 3.6.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			3%	Lucario thrusts one hand forward, does a palm thrust, and then kicks high. Each hit has whitish blue aura accompanying it and moves Lucario a fair bit forward. The first hit can combine with other attacks well, especially grabs, and is part of the Magic Series. By using the first strike, Lucario can initiate a Force Palm grab, standard grab or tilt to start a combo.
			2%
			5%
Forward tilt			10%	Lucario spins around and performs a backhanded punch. This move can be part of a Magic Series, as all tilts are. Lucario's right arm is intangible when performing this attack.
Up tilt			7%	Lucario kicks in an arc over its head. The move come out quick and can juggle.
Down tilt			6% (body), 8% (aura)	Lucario thrusts one leg forward while crouching. The sweetspot is the burst of aura, which meteor smashes grounded opponents.
Crawl attack			9% (body), 10% (aura)	Lucario performs a low sweeping kick attack towards nearby opponents. Lucario's leg flares up while performing the attack.
Dash attack			10% (clean) 7% (late)	Lucario does a kick attack, with the animation used from its previous version of Double Team. This attack is based off the medium and heavy kicks from the Street Fighter series.
Forward smash			14% (body), 16% (aura)	Lucario thrusts both its arms out and releases a small blast of aura forward. This move has great range and a good amount of active frames. The sweetspot is blast of aura, which can KO heavyweights at around 115% if hit near the edge.
Up smash			8% (hit 1), 1% (hits 2-4), 6% (hit 5)	Inspired by the Shoryuken uppercut attack from Capcom's Street Fighter series, Lucario performs a multi-hitting leaping uppercut, ending with a strong final hit. It deals up to 17% damage, and can be jump-canceled on hit and turned around during the start-up. It has overall much more utility than its original up smash from Brawl.
Down smash			14%	Lucario crouches and then fires two bursts of aura to either side. It has rather slow start-up and noticeable ending lag for a down smash if the move misses.
Neutral aerial			15% (clean), 12% (mid), 9% (late)	Lucario performs a one-legged spinning kick in midair. Based on the Tatsumaki Senpukyaku from the Street Fighter series. It's possible to hit the same opponent twice with this move, but requires good positioning.
Forward aerial			11% (clean leg), 12% (clean foot), 8% (late)	Lucario kicks one leg forward with a slight upwards tilt. Hitbox extends everywhere except above Lucario. The sweetspot is at the tip of the foot, which deals more damage, and is Lucario's fastest aerial at start-up.
Back aerial			14% (body), 15% (aura)	Lucario thrusts one arm backwards, radiating a small burst of bluish white aura. It has good horizontal reach and the sweetspot is the burst of aura, which deals slightly more damage and stronger horizontal knockback. This move turns Lucario around in the air.
Up aerial			11% (body), 12% (aura)	Lucario thrusts one leg upward, similar to its forward aerial but kicks higher, hitting in front of its head. This move has a sweetspot located at the aura burst near Lucario's foot, which deals more damage and knockback. Overall, this move has good defensive capabilities due to the hitbox covering Lucario's entire body.
Down aerial			8% (hits 1-2)	Lucario pauses in the air and thrusts both feet downwards, letting out a fairly large burst of aura energy. When Lucario starts the move, all of its momentum is immediately canceled. It can be used to perform a "pseudo-SHFFL", and if used immediately after jumping, Lucario will cease to jump and immediately use the attack, making it one of the lowest possible attacking aerial moves. There is also no landing lag when performing this move, since Lucario's momentum is stopped, which preventing it from landing before the move is complete. Excellent knockback on second hit, which allows Lucario to stage spike with it. Often considered one of its best attacks due to having almost no start-up lag and being a great combo finisher.
Grab			—	Grabs the enemy with both of its hands.
Pummel			2%	Sends an instant pulse of aura into the opponent.
Forward throw			10%	Lucario uses aura to blast the opponent forward. Lucario's fastest throw.
Back throw			10%	Lucario turns and slams the opponent onto the ground. Has relatively fast speed.
Up throw			1% (hit 1), 5% (throw)	Lucario performs an uppercut, throwing the opponent upwards. Low knockback allows this to set up follow-up attacks and can chain throw heavyweights and fast fallers at very low percentages.
Down throw			7%	Lucario holds the foe over its head, then slam them to the ground. It can set up combos at low percentages quite effectively, but becomes less useful for at higher percentages. This move somewhat depends on the opponent's DI, but leaves them in a vulnerable position regardless of where they are sent flying.
Floor attack (front)			6%	Lucario spins around while getting up, kicking on one side, and punching on the other.
Floor attack (back)			6%	Lucario spins around while getting up, kicking on both sides.
Floor attack (trip)			5%	Lucario gets up and kicks forwards, then backwards.
Edge attack (fast)			7% (body), 8% (aura)	Lucario quickly climbs back on the stage, attacking with a burst of aura. Excellent range makes this a very good ledge attack.
Edge attack (slow)			10%	Lucario slowly climbs onto the stage while bringing its feet over its head, and then kicks downward. Rather slow and not recommended unless as surprise attack.
Neutral special		Aura Sphere/Aura Bomb	≈0.75% (charge hits), 6-15% (Aura Sphere), 25% (Aura Bomb)	Lucario charges a spherical aura blast. Pressing the special button again will cause Lucario to fire it. This move now has only five levels of charge, the final one being available for only two frames before full charge. The super version of this attack which can be activated by pressing both the A and B button is an extremely large Aura Bomb that moves even slower than the normal fully charged version and does much greater damage and knockback. The sphere also has hitboxes around Lucario's hands on startup, making it a viable close range option. Its monstrous size and low speed makes it a useful edgeguarding tool.
Side special		Force Palm/Force Blast	10%/8%/6% (aura close/mid/far), 13% (throw), 6% (escape)	Fires a burst of aura in front of itself. If the opponent is close to Lucario, the move acts like a grab, with Lucario blasting the foe with aura at point-blank range. When grabbing an opponent in the air, Lucario will throw them downwards, acting as a meteor smash. The super version of the move which is activated using the side b input along with the A button and it increases the damage and knockback of the throw, and makes the aerial version a spike.
Up special		ExtremeSpeed	1% (hits 1-9), 5% (hit 10), 2% (pelvic thrust)	Lucario launches itself in a predetermined direction. The super version cancels the move with a pelvic thrust (the move's animation taken directly from Lucario's neutral aerial from Brawl) that deals slight knockback, which then can be canceled into any other attack except another ExtremeSpeed.
Down special		Double Team	—	Lucario dashes a short distance forward, gaining invincibility frames during the dash. When used in the air, Lucario will instead dash diagonally downwards. This move can be canceled into any normal attack at the cost of one aura charge.
Final Smash		Aura Storm	6%/15% (start up), 2% (hits 1-31), 10% (hit 32)	Lucario flies to the top of the screen in the center of the stage and then shoots a powerful beam attack. The beam can be angled left and right with the control stick.

In competitive play

Most historically significant players

See also: Category:Lucario players (PM)

•  Rongunshu - Co-mains Lucario with Marth and is considered the best Lucario player in the world, notably winning the first major with Lucario at the unofficial Riptide 2022 side event, Undertow 2022. Ranked #6 on PMRank 2022.
•  iPunchKidsz - "IPK" was widely considered to be the best Lucario during his active years. His highly optimized use of Aura Sphere Canceling (ASC) revolutionized Lucario's punish game.
•  Fearless - Ranked #20 on PMRank 2022 and ranked 1st on the Houston Project M Power Rankings, Fearless is known for his strong neutral game utilizing dash dancing.
•  Poilu - Was formerly ranked #22 on PMRank 2019 and 1st on the European Project M Power Rankings prior to moving to Canada. Known for his unconventional use of ExtremeSpeed as a low-percent kill option.
•  SipMastah - Very strong Lucario Multi main alongside Meta Knight, Sonic, and Diddy Kong. Ranked #9 on PMRank 2022.
•  Boat - Lucario and Pit dual main ranked #42 on PMRank 2023.
•  Fudgepop01 - Notable labber and creator of many guides and tech posts driving the development of Lucario's metagame.

Alternate costumes

Project M

Lucario has more variety with its palettes, which stand out more in team battles. Lucario would later coincidently gain an almost identical black palette swap in Smash 4.

3.5 included a costume inspired by the Black Belt class from the Pokémon franchise. It has the Fighting and Steel type emblems from the TCG on the back, an Expert Belt, and a Focus Band. This costume also has a black variation with a Choice Band and the Cobble Badge replacing the type emblems on the back.

Lucario's alternate costumes in PM

Project+

In Project+, Lucario received an updated shiny costume, which most notably has accurate eyes to the actual shiny. The additional Black Belt costumes reference Dan, Ken, and Sean from the Street Fighter series. The headbands for these color are the Choice Scarf, Focus Sash, and Muscle Band respectively.

Lucario's alternate costumes in P+

Secret costumes:

Z-Secret Costume (Mega Lucario): Lucario's Mega Evolutions introduced in Generation VI, being activated when it is holding Lucarionite and the player Mega Evolves it. This design is playable via its Final Smash in Super Smash Bros. 4.

R-Secret Costume (Sir Aaron Lucario): Based on an alternate costume from Pokémon Unite, where it wears the outfit worn by Sir Aaron, who, alongside his partner Lucario, were major characters in the 8th Pokémon film, Lucario and the Mystery of Mew.

Trivia

• Lucario's yellow palette swap, which resembles its Shiny coloration, has a minor cosmetic error in Project M that gives Lucario blue eyes instead of red. This cosmetic error has been fixed as of version 2.3 of Project+.
  • As a reference to the Pokémon series, in Project+, Lucario's shiny alternate costume emits sparkles during its entrance. This trait is shared with the rest of the playable Pokémon in the mod.
• Coincidentally, Street Fighter was formally represented beginning in Super Smash Bros. 4 by including Ryu as a playable fighter, and would gain more representation when he returned alongside newcomer Ken in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. As mentioned before, many elements of Street Fighter inspired Lucario's changes in the mod:
  • Lucario's alternate costume loosely resembles the character's attire, despite it being meant to reference the Black Belt class from the Pokémon series. Project+ introduced recolors for this costume that resemble characters related to Ryu and Ken, such as Dan Hibiki and Sean Matsuda, with the former two appearing in Ultimate.
  • Lucario has attacks that match the 3 staple moves of the "shoto" characters from Street Fighter; its neutral special Aura Sphere resembles the Hadoken, its new up-smash is an uppercut reminiscent of the Shoryuken, and its neutral aerial is a spinning kick that resembles the Tatsumaki Senpukyaku. Ryu has used all of the aforementioned moves throughout the Street Fighter series.

External links

• Labbing Discord Tech Post