Lucario (SSBB)

Lucario in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Universe	Pokémon
Other playable appearances	in SSB4 in Ultimate
Availability	Unlockable
Final Smash	Aura Storm
Tier	C+ (11)

Lucario (ルカリオ, Lucario), stylized as LUCARIO in Europe, is an unlockable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, originating from the Pokémon universe. Confirmation of Lucario's inclusion in Brawl was leaked before the game's release through a promotional video on the Japanese Wii website about sticker power ups. It was officially revealed on February 28, 2008.

Lucario is one of two characters in Brawl with spoken lines in every language, with the other being Pokémon Trainer. It is also the first Pokémon to speak a human language other than Japanese. Its voice actors vary depending on the language:

• In Japanese: Daisuke Namikawa, reprising his role from the Pokémon movie Lucario and the Mystery of Mew.
• In English: Bill Rogers, who would later voice different Lucarios in the Pokémon anime.
• In French: Unknown (Spoken lines only; the grunts are from the Japanese version and the Wii Remote selection sound is from the English version)
• In German: Unknown (Spoken lines only; the grunts are from the English version)
• In Italian: Luigi Fantino (Spoken lines only; the grunts are from the English version)
• In Spanish: Carlos Lobo (Spoken lines only; grunts are from the English version)
• In Korean: Shin Yong-woo

Lucario is ranked 11th on the tier list, placing it at the top of the C+ tier. Lucario is most known for its Aura property that increases its power as its damage goes up and is bolstered even further when its placing falls in a match. At high percentages, Lucario possesses KO power that rivals that of Bowser and Ganondorf, while its attacks are much faster. Outside of aura, Lucario possesses what is considered one of the strongest aerial games, with its above average air speed and floaty falling speed giving it strong aerial movement, while its amazing and well balanced aerial attacks give it some of the best offensive and defensive aerial capabilities. Lucario additionally possesses a strong defensive game to bolster its aura property farther, possessing good movement, great reach, a strong and spammable projectile in Aura Sphere, and extremely fast and long distanced rolls. Lucario also has one of the strongest comboing abilities in Brawl, possessing several effective combo starters and attacks that flow into each other well, as well as a strong grab and throw game.

However, Lucario's Aura property acts as a double-edged sword, as its attacks are extremely weak at low damage percents. Since Lucario lacks an effective gimping move and has only a few moves that aren't affected by Aura (none of which are reliable KO moves), Lucario has to be at high damage percentages to KO effectively, where it is then vulnerable to KOs itself. Lucario, despite possessing a good recovery, can be problematic; even though Lucario can cover good distance when recovering and its recovery move ExtremeSpeed is versatile with unique properties, ExtremeSpeed lacks invincibility frames and damaging hitboxes while also not being very fast. This makes ExtremeSpeed heavily vulnerable to edge-hogging and makes Lucario one of the easier characters to edge-guard. Overall, Lucario has strong matchups, with only two countered matchups against Meta Knight and King Dedede, and it has achieved strong tournament results.

How to unlock

Complete one of the following:

• Play 100 VS. matches.
• Complete Target Smash!! on all difficulty levels with one character (2 player mode also counts).
• Have Lucario join the player's party in The Subspace Emissary (The Glacial Peak).

With the exception of the third method, the player must then defeat Lucario on Spear Pillar in order to unlock it.

Attributes

Lucario's Aura Sphere at high aura.

Lucario is a character with relatively fast attack speed and decent maneuverability. It has a very strong air game due to the speed and knockback of its aerials; its forward and up airs are great for juggling and stringing into each other at low percents, the forward air is also useful as a defensive move and general combo-filler, and its down air has very fast start-up and strong edge-guarding ability. Lucario's aerials in general give it a good set of approaching and defensive moves, due to having floaty physics, decent air speed, and the ability to wall jump and wall cling. Lucario's recovery move ExtremeSpeed is bendable, allowing a variety of unpredictable recovery angles, and the ability to wall cling and wall jump after use. Most of Lucario's attacks have unexpectedly large hitboxes, most notably its forward smash.

Of course, Lucario's biggest advantage is its aura. A Lucario at KO percent gains enough extra damage on its attacks to reduce the opponent's survivability by a few dozen percent, in addition to increasing the already-large hitbox size of most of its moves. Aura also increases Lucario's power when it is behind in the match; both these factors combined allow it more chance to stage a comeback than some other characters. Other tools include Aura Sphere, a multi-purpose projectile that can bother approaches or KO at high percents (for both players).

While Lucario's floatiness gives it control in the air, it does leave it susceptible to juggling despite its down aerial's momentum-halting properties. Most of its ground attacks are also on the slow side, and its grounded mobility is average at best (although it does have a fast fox-trot), so it must use its aerials to keep the opponent out of close range. But the biggest problem is that aura is a two-way street; when at low damage (such as at the start of every stock) Lucario's entire moveset is weakened, and when it has a lead in stocks its power decreases even further, which makes it difficult to make headway on the opponent at the start of a match and can make it harder to hold a lead than some other characters. The reduced damage also comes with reduced power, meaning Lucario has a hard time getting KOs until its damage reaches a certain amount. It also lacks a meteor smash outside of Footstool Jumps, its recovery cannot deal damage and so is a bit easier to interrupt (plus it cannot fight off edgehoggers at all), and its counter move (Double Team) is too slow to be useful, and the counterattack can even be shielded.

Lucario is the epitome of risk versus reward. Its aura rewards it for falling behind and punishes it for pulling ahead, encouraging close matches and come-from-behind victories.

Techniques

Anubis combo

In team play, the strength of Lucario's aura is based on the amount of stocks it has compared to all of the other players, including its teammates. The aura grows stronger when Lucario has less stocks than everyone else, and weaker when it has more. A Lucario can be at very high power if it has only one stock remaining but its teammate has three. The stock count and high damage can combine to provide maximum power to Lucario's aura. This phenomenon is known as the Anubis combo. In doubles matches where the Anubis combo is exploited, the Lucario is usually the aggressor, dealing high amounts of damage and knockback as the aura grows stronger after losing stocks, while the other player camps and avoids combat, holding onto their stocks for as long as possible. Mew2King (Meta Knight) and Trela (Lucario) were a notorious team at SKTAR that utilized this strategy, winning the doubles tournament after being knocked into losers' bracket.

Moveset

For a gallery of Lucario's hitboxes, see here.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack		Sweep (はらい) / Thrust (つき) / Kick Up (けりあげ)	3%	Lucario waves its hand forward, does a palm thrust, and then kicks high. Both the 2nd and 3rd hit moves Lucario a bit forward. The first hit can be jab cancelled, allowing Lucario to combo into a grab or a tilt.
			2%
			5%
Forward tilt		Palm Strike (はどうさい)	5% (hit 1), 6% (hit 2 body), 8% (hit 2 arm)	Lucario puts its paw forward and creates two small blasts of blue aura. Can be aimed up or down.
Up tilt		Turning Kick (せんかいしゅう)	6%	Lucario swings its leg in an arc over its head. Can be used to juggle opponents at low percentages. There is a sweetspot at the tip of its foot that deals slightly more knockback.
Down tilt		Leg Sweep (あしばらい)	7%	Lucario thrusts its leg forward while crouching, similar to Ganondorf's down tilt.
Dash attack		Jump Kick (とびげり, Dropkick)	10% (clean), 7% (late)	Lucario slides one leg forward on the ground, hitting low. Aura is not involved in this attack.
Forward smash		Aura Strike (はどうげき)	14% (arms), 16% (blast)	Lucario fires a small burst of aura forward. At 170% and fully charged, it has the fourth largest knockback out of all forward smashes in the game.
Up smash		Aura Palm (はどうしょう)	13% (clean), 9% (late)	Lucario holds its paw above its head and fires a burst of aura upwards while spinning in place. Great move to use below platforms like Battlefield as the hiboxes are above Lucario and can damage opponents who are close to it.
Down smash		Aura Split (はどうさい)	14%	Lucario crouches and then fires two bursts of aura on either side. At 170% and fully charged, it's one of the most powerful down smashes in the game.
Neutral aerial		Spiral Fist (せんくうけん)	11% (clean), 7% (late)	Lucario extends both of its hands with blue energy, and spins. It has long ending lag in the air, but minimal landing lag along with almost no startup. Great for setting up another attack after landing on the ground due to the minimal lag, but can only be done at low percentages.
Forward aerial		Airstrike (くうしゅうきゃく)	5%	Lucario kicks forward in a slight upwards tilt. It can hit twice in one short hop and can always hit another time if an enemy is hit with the first one.
Back aerial		Twist Thrust (ひねりつき)	12% (clean), 9% (late)	Thrusts its arm behind itself, releasing aura. It has great horizontal knockback along with a large hitbox with good horizontal reach. One of the strongest back aerials in the game if Lucario is at full power.
Up aerial		Vertical Kick (ちょくじょうしゅう)	10%	Thrusts its leg upward. One of the strongest up aerials in the game, knockback-wise, when Lucario is at full power.
Down aerial		Rapid Kicks (ちょくじょうしゅう)	8% (both hits)	Stomps downwards twice powered by aura. When the move is started, it halts Lucario's momentum in the air.
Grab		Grab (つかみ)	—
Pummel		Grab Surge (つかみはどう)	1%	Sends an instant pulse of aura into its opponent. Very fast.
Forward throw		Single Hit (たんだ)	10%	Uses aura to blast opponent forward. Good horizontal knockback at higher damages and is Lucario's fastest throw.
Back throw		Body Drop (たいおとし)	10%	Throws opponent backwards onto the ground. Aura is not involved in this attack.
Up throw		Thrust Up (おしあげ)	1% (hit 1), 5% (throw)	Performs an uppercut, throwing the opponent upwards. Can chain throw heavyweights and fast fallers at very low percentages.
Down throw		Slam (たたきつけ)	10%	Holds the foe over its head, then slam them to the ground. Aura is not involved in this attack. Can set up an aerial combo at low to mid percentages quite effectively, becoming less effective at higher percentages.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			6%	Spins around while getting up, kicking on one side, and punching on the other. Aura is not involved.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			6%	Spins around while getting up, kicking both sides. Aura is not involved.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Gets up and kicks both sides. Aura is not involved.
Edge attack (fast) Edge getups (fast)			8% (aura), 6% (body)	Quickly gets back on the stage, attacking with a burst of Aura.
Edge attack (slow) Edge getups (slow)			10%	Slowly climbs onto the stage while bringing its feet over its head and then kicks.
Neutral special		Aura Sphere	0.75% (charge), ≈18.75% (fully charged)	A chargeable aura blast. Increases in size and deals more damage the more damage Lucario has.
Side special		Force Palm	10% (aura close), 9% (aura mid), 8% (aura far), 13% (throw)	Fires a burst of aura in front of itself. If the opponent is close to Lucario, the move acts like a grab, with it blasting the foe with aura at point-blank range.
Up special		ExtremeSpeed	0%	Lucario launches itself in a predetermined direction. It is possible to change directions during the dash, as well as being able to wall cling if Lucario comes in contact with a wall, making it a very useful recovery move.
Down special		Double Team	11%	Lucario poses, which acts as a counterattack. If Lucario is attacked, it will disappear and counter with a sliding kick from the left or right (depending on the direction the analog stick or control pad is held in).
Final Smash		Aura Storm	6%/15% (startup), 1% (hits 1-31), 10% (hit 32) (47%/56% total)	Lucario flies to the top of the screen in the center of the stage and then shoots a powerful beam attack. If Lucario at 170%, it deals 78% damage and is a one-hit KO against most characters.

Stats

This article or section may require additional technical data. The editor who added this tag elaborates: Needs short hop and double jump heights You can discuss this issue on the talk page or edit this page to improve it.

Stats	Weight	Dash speed	Walk speed	Traction	Air friction	Air speed	Air acceleration	Gravity	Falling speed	Jumpsquat	Jump Height	Double jump Height
Value	100	1.8 – Initial dash 1.414 – Run	1.0	0.0736	0.005	0.987	0.0 – Base 0.07 – Additional	0.0625	1.2 – Base 1.68 – Fast-fall	5	37.6278125 - Base ? - Short hop	?

Announcer call

This article could use additional or higher-quality audio files. The editor who added this tag suggests: Needs announcer calls from other languages. If you have a good audio file for this article, upload it here.

• English/Japanese

Wii Remote selection sound

• Lucario grunts, similar to its up smash.

Lucario's selection sound

On-screen appearance

• Lucario enters the stage, gathering aura in its hands as it slowly falls to the ground.

Taunts

• Up taunt: Rises into the air, growls, and blue aura is emitted from its body.
• Side taunt: Moves its paws and puts one forward, and blue aura is emitted from that paw.
• Down taunt: Takes a martial arts stance similar to Link's down taunt.

Up taunt	Side taunt	Down taunt

Idle poses

• Moves its arms in a circular motion.
• Assumes a more determined stance

Crowd cheer

	English	Japanese
Cheer
Description	Lu-ca-ri-o!	Ru - Ka - Rio!
Pitch	Group chant	Group chant

Victory poses

An excerpt from the main theme of the Pokémon series.

• Up: Says "The aura is mine" and slowly clasps two of its paws together.
• Left: Says "Behold the aura" and does a crane-like stance.
• Right: Faces to the right with its palm out in front of it and growls.

Up	Left	Right

In competitive play

Notable players

This article or section may require a cleanup. The editor who added this tag believes this page should be cleaned up for the following reason: To fit these guidelines You can discuss this issue on the talk page or edit this page to improve it.

See also: Category:Lucario players (SSBB)

•  Azen - While more famous for his Melee dominance, was considered one of the best Brawl players in the United States from 2008-2009, and was a major force in the development of Lucario's metagame.
•  Junebug - Although better known in Project M, was considered one of the best Lucario players in Brawl, most notably defeating Mew2King at KTAR 6 and DEHF at MLG DC 2010.
•  Ksizzle - Mained Lucario along with Meta Knight, and was one of the most dominant players in the United States in 2009-2010.
•  Lee Martin - Mained Lucario along with Meta Knight, and was considered one of the best players in the United States during the MLG era.
•  Trela - Considered the best Lucario player during his prime, and defeated Mew2King at SKTAR, placing 5th.
•  Zucco - A top Lucario main from the Tristate Area.

Tier placement and history

Lucario has always been one of the prominent high tier characters in Brawl. It was ranked 9th on the first tier list (September 2008). Though it dropped to 14th place on the third tier list (July 2009), players such as Junebug, Trela, and Lee Martin gained great tournament results with Lucario, allowing it to be able to maintain a position around 11-12th since then. Lucario is currently ranked 11th place in the upper-mid tier, in the eighth and current tier list, as of April 2013.

Role in The Subspace Emissary

Lucario in SSE.

Lucario plays a supporting role in The Subspace Emissary near the climax. It mostly interacts with Meta Knight. Meta Knight is making his way up a snowy mountain with the Ice Climbers in pursuit. Meta Knight is trying to catch the Halberd which has flown overhead. At the top, he encounters Lucario in a meditative stance on the peak of the mountain. Lucario challenges Meta Knight and the duo fight as the Ice Climbers nervously watch on. After the battle, the victor revives the other from their trophified state. The pair deem each other worthy and shake hands, forming an alliance. Suddenly, the Halberd slams the Great Fox into the mountain and Lucario and Meta Knight board it whilst the Ice Climbers are knocked off the mountain into the valley below. After managing to get onto the Halberd, the duo pass by Snake, who is hiding in his box. Lucario, being the only one who notices something suspicious about the box, uses its aura to peer into it. Seeing Snake huddled inside, Lucario removes it and Snake realizes that his cover is blown. Meta Knight draws his sword, but just as he and Snake prepare to fight, Lucario steps in, having sensed a mass of Primids approaching, and the trio team up to fight through.

Not long after, the trio meets up with Peach and Zelda as their trophies are cloned by the Shadow Bugs. Once the doppelgängers are taken care of, Snake, Lucario and Meta Knight discover that the Halberd is being piloted by a quintet of false Mr. Game & Watches. The trio knock all of the Mr. Game & Watches out of the window, where they land near Peach, Zelda (disguised as Sheik) and Fox who have gathered on the deck of the ship. The Mr. Game & Watches then dissolve into Shadow Bugs, which form into Duon. Lucario and Snake leap from the bridge to the aid of the trio already there, as they are joined by Falco, who ejects from his Arwing. They battle and defeat the monster, which leaves the trophy of the real Mr. Game & Watch behind. Peach revives him and he subsequently joins the player's party as Meta Knight reclaims the Halberd.

Lucario is later selectable in the Entrance to Subspace level and is present when Tabuu turns all characters back into trophies. The player must find its trophy in one of the Subspace levels, then they may choose it as part of their team for the Great Maze and for the fight against Tabuu himself.

Playable appearances

• The Glacial Peak
• Battleship Halberd Interior
• Battleship Halberd Bridge
• Entrance to Subspace
• The Great Maze (if rescued in Subspace (Part II))

Exclusive stickers

The following stickers can either only be used by Lucario, or can only be used by a select few, including the character itself:

• Charizard: [Arm, Leg] Attack +10
• Deoxys: [Slash] Attack +10
• Entei: [Flame] Attack +20
• Goldeen: [Leg] Attack + 4
• Gulpin:[Electric] Attack +16
• Jigglypuff: [Body, Spin] Attack +31
• Jirachi: [Arm, Leg] Attack + 7
• Meowth: [Slash] Attack + 5
• Metagross: Launch Resistance +23
• Mew: [Body, Spin] Attack + 4
• Moltres: [Flame] Attack +20
• Pokémon Trainer: [Arm, Leg] Attack +13
• Staryu: [Specials: Direct] Attack + 3
• Togepi: [Body, Spin] Attack +11
• Torchic: [Flame] Attack + 8
• Box Boxer: [Aura] Attack +26
• Chikorita: [Aura] Attack +13
• Chozo Statue: [Aura] Attack +25
• Dry Bones: [Aura] Attack +17
• Lakitu: [Aura] Attack + 6
• Lucario: [Aura] Attack +41
• Munchlax : [Aura] Attack +13
• Rachel: [Aura] Attack +11
• Rayquaza: [Aura] Attack +24
• Starman: [Aura] Attack + 6

In Solo Modes

Classic Mode

In Classic Mode, Lucario can appear as an opponent or ally in Stage 3 if it has been unlocked along with Pikachu, Jigglypuff, and Pokémon Trainer on Pokémon Stadium 2 or Spear Pillar (with the latter available if it has been unlocked). Lucario can also appear as an opponent in Stage 11, but only if it hasn't appeared in Stage 3.

All-Star Mode

In All-Star Mode, Lucario is fought in Stage 18 alongside Pikachu, Jigglypuff, and Pokémon Trainer on Pokémon Stadium 2 or Spear Pillar (with the latter available if it has been unlocked).

Event Matches

Solo Events

• Event 22: Monkeys Unite: As Diddy Kong allied with a giant Donkey Kong, the player must defeat Sheik and Lucario on Rumble Falls.
• Event 25: The Aura Is With Me: As Lucario, starting at 182% damage, the player must defeat Sheik and Ness on Spear Pillar.
• Event 39: All-Star Battle x2: Lucario is one of the eight opponents fought in this event along with King Dedede, Ike, R.O.B., Toon Link, Snake, Sonic, and Wolf.

Co-Op Events

• Co-Op Event 10: The R.O.B.'s of Tomorrow: As Lucario and the Ice Climbers, both players must defeat five R.O.B.s of varying sizes on Summit.
• Co-Op Event 21: The True All-Star Battle: Both players select a character and take on the entire roster on Battlefield.

Ending Images

• 

  Classic Mode

• 

  All-Star Mode

Trophies

Lucario's main and Final Smash trophies can be obtained by clearing Classic Mode and All-Star mode respectively with Lucario.

Classic Mode trophy

Lucario

An Aura Pokémon. It can track energy called Aura, which is given off by all living creatures. It's a unique combination of both Fighting- and Steel-types. Lucario evolves from Riolu during the day if its happiness has reached a certain point. It specializes in attacks that use Aura energy, like Dark Pulse and a can't-miss technique, Aura Sphere.

: Pokémon Diamond/Pearl

Aura Storm trophy

Aura Storm

Lucario's Final Smash. After flying off the screen, Lucario reappears in its center. It then launches a powerful Aura attack against all foes within a certain distance. The key to this attack is the ability to change its angle--it's a must to sweep slowly left and right to hit selected enemies multiple times. The last blow will send the victim flying away.

LUCARIO's Final Smash. After flying off the screen, LUCARIO reappears in its center. It then launches a powerful Aura attack against all foes within a certain area. The key to this attack is the ability to change its angle--it's a must to sweep slowly left and right to hit selected enemies multiple times. The last blow will send the victim flying away.

: Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Alternate costumes

Gallery

• 

  Fighting Sheik in Luigi's Mansion.

• 

  Posing on Skyworld.

• 

  Charing Aura Sphere on Port Town Aero Dive.

• 

  Using its neutral aerial on Samus on Distant Planet.

• 

  Aura Sphere size when Lucario has low damage.

• 

  Aura Sphere size when Lucario has high damage.

• 

  The grab portion in Brawl. Note the light-bending graphics.

• 

  Double Team in Brawl.

• 

  Attack portion of the move in Brawl.

• 

  Aura Storm in Brawl.

• 

  An image of Aura Storm's full length. Note the visible Temple.

Trivia

• Lucario is one of only three characters in Brawl able to perform three aerials in one short hop (in Lucario's case, rising forward aerial, two down aerials), the others being Meta Knight (three up aerials) and Luigi (rising forward aerial, forward aerial, then neutral aerial or up aerial).
• If Lucario is at above 170% and is behind by two stocks, its forward smash will become the most powerful in the game, with even more knockback than King Dedede's.
• Lucario has the highest traction of any character in Brawl.
• Lucario is the only playable Pokémon in Brawl that did not debut in Generation I.
• It was a common belief around the time of Brawl's release that Lucario "replaced" Mewtwo from Super Smash Bros. Melee, due to them having a similar neutral special, and those upset at Mewtwo's exclusion naturally looking for a scapegoat to blame for it (or accept as the reason why Mewtwo was cut). However, leftover data on Brawl's disc shows that both Mewtwo and Lucario were both meant to be playable in Brawl, and just basic observance of their movesets and overall designs shows them to be nothing alike aside from their similar neutral specials. A similar and equally untrue belief existed for Ike and Roy.
• Not counting Melee, Lucario is the first playable Pokémon whose on-screen appearance does not involve it being released from a Poké Ball. It would be followed by Mewtwo.

External links

• Gameplay footage and Final Smash
• Official DOJO!! Page
• Brawl Central's Lucario Character FAQ
• Lucario Character Guide on SmashBoards
• Lucario's hitbox size of each of its moves