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{{disambig2|the Ice Climbers' appearance in ''Brawl''|the characters more generally, see [[Ice Climbers]]. For other uses of "Ice Climber"|Ice Climber}}
{{disambig2|the Ice Climbers' appearance in ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl''|the characters in general, see [[Ice Climbers]]. For other uses of "Ice Climber"|Ice Climber}}
{{Infobox Character
{{Infobox Character
|name         = Ice Climbers
|name = Ice Climbers
|image       = [[File:Ice Climbers SSBB.jpg|250px|Ice Climbers]]
|image = [[File:Ice Climbers SSBB.jpg|250px]]
|game         = Brawl
|game = SSBB
|ssbgame1     = SSBM
|ssbgame1 = SSBM
|firstgame    = ''[[Ice Climber (game)|Ice Climber]]'' (1985)
|ssbgame2 = SSBU
|availability = [[Starter character|Starter]]
|availability = [[Starter character|Starter]]
|tier         = A
|tier = S
|ranking     = 4
|ranking = 2
}}
}}
The '''Ice Climbers''', known as '''Ice Climber''' ({{ja|アイス クライマー}}, ''Aisu Kuraimā'') in the Japanese versions, the ice-climbing duo from ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'', make a return in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''. They have been given a significant texture boost to their character models. Although Popo and Nana fight as a duo, only one is directly controlled by the player. The other is computer-controlled, in a manner mimicking the player. In ''Melee'', the player had the option to change the color of the costume and play as Nana, and the option still exists in ''Brawl'', however the Climbers' positions on the character select screen portrait will not change.
The '''Ice Climbers''' ({{ja|アイス クライマー|Aisu Kuraimā}}, ''Ice Climber'') return as playable characters in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''. They were confirmed on the [[Smash Bros. DOJO!!]] website on September 14, 2007.


They currently rank 4th on the official tier list, currently making them the highest-ranking veteran. This is primarily due to their extensive and intricate grab game that can completely shut down opponents once it begins. Professional Ice Climbers players are known to chain grab opponents from 0% to a KO inescapably. The partner mechanism of the character also allows opponents to have to rethink their approach, as one target can easily break combos and chain grabs. The duo also have two decent projectiles, and they are armed with a relatively powerful meteor smash. However, if the partner is KO'd, the leader cannot use [[special move]]s correctly and is somewhat helpless during recovery; a lone Ice Climber also has drastically lowered KO potential, especially due to its inability to perform a meteor smash, and is considerably more open to chain grabs and combos. The Ice Climbers, however, overall have relatively good matchups, including multiple favourable matchups against higher tiered characters, most notably {{SSBB|Falco}}.
Sanae Kobayashi is the voice of the Ice Climbers, reprising her role from ''Super Smash Bros. Melee''; her portrayal is comprised of re-purposed voice clips leftover from the recording sessions for ''Melee'', featuring returning and previously unused ones.
 
The Ice Climbers rank 2nd on the current tier list, putting them in the S tier, a noticeable improvement over their already high 8th out of 26 ranking in ''Melee'', making this their best placement in the series. This is primarily due to their extensive and intricate grab game that can potentially lead to an inescapable [[zero-to-death combo]] on any character and on any stage. The partner mechanism of the character also forces opponents to rethink their approach, as one climber can easily disrupt combos and chain grabs. The duo also has two decent projectiles, and they are armed with a relatively powerful meteor smash along with one of the largest disjointed up aerials in the game. However, if the partner climber is KO'd, the leader cannot use [[special move]]s as effectively and is somewhat helpless during recovery. A lone Ice Climber also has drastically lowered damage output and KO potential, especially due to their inability to perform a meteor smash, and is considerably more open to grabs and combos. Regardless, the Ice Climbers have very good matchups (losing to only four characters, with {{SSBB|Meta Knight}} being the only top tier they lose to), and very strong tournament results.


==Attributes==
==Attributes==
The Ice Climbers are [[weight|lightweight]] characters that have the unique property of being a "two in one" character, wherein the game considers each Climber to be a unique character in its own right. The follower is always slightly weaker than the leader, but only the follower can meteor smash with his/her forward aerial. The Ice Climbers are able to grab two different items and are even able to grab two separate characters. In addition, their unique property also makes them much harder to grab (when one Ice Climber gets grabbed, the partner can simply counterattack, making them immune to chain-grabs), and conversely allows them to have a superior grab game entirely unique to them (see "chain-grabbing and desynching" below). However, they can easily be separated by strong enough attacks. In this scenario, it is advisable to stick to and protect the partner, even if it puts the player in additional danger.  Should the CPU Climber get KO'd during the stock, the remaining Climber will have drastically reduced damage output, KO ability, and recovery, with [[Belay]] becoming practically useless and [[Squall Hammer]] loses a good deal of distance (whereas with both Climbers they are excellent recovery moves).
The Ice Climbers are [[weight|lightweight]] characters that have the unique property of being a "two in one" character, wherein the game considers each Climber to be a unique character in its own right. The follower is always slightly weaker than the leader, but only the follower can meteor smash with their forward aerial. The Ice Climbers are able to grab two different items and are even able to grab two separate characters. In addition, their unique property also makes them much harder to grab and throw effectively (when one Ice Climber gets grabbed, the partner can simply counterattack, making them immune to chain-grabs), and conversely allows them to have a superior grab game entirely unique to them (see "chain-grabbing and desynching" below). However, they can easily be separated by strong enough attacks. In this scenario, it is advisable to stick to and protect the partner, even if it puts the player in additional danger.  Should the CPU Climber get KO'd during the stock, the remaining Climber will have drastically reduced damage output, KO ability, and recovery, with [[Belay]] becoming practically useless and [[Squall Hammer]] loses a good deal of distance (whereas with both Climbers they are excellent recovery moves).


The Ice Climbers are great at dealing damage when together, have decent attack speed, and possess a few interesting attacks in their arsenal.  Their [[neutral special move]], [[Ice Shot]], is a projectile fired by each Ice Climber which slides along the ground, making it impossible to avoid by crouching/crawling.  [[Blizzard]], the [[down special move]], can freeze opponents and even cover both sides if the partner is present, or alternatively can be made to cover one side if performed while jumping with the partner, giving the attack more power. [[Squall Hammer]] is a pretty decent [[approach attack]] with good damage and speed, spinning the Ice Climbers around each other in a forward-moving hammer attack. If a player is feeling adventurous, the Belay special is a powerful KO move should the second Climber connect with the opponent, but it is generally an ill-advised use of the move given that it separates the Climbers and puts them into a helpless animation. A creative little addition to their character is that the Ice Climbers are not affected by the conditions of [[slippery]] surfaces such as ice, and they won't slide on it. This is due to the fact that they are wearing cleats. Oddly, their cleats do not affect their traction on normal surfaces, as it's second-lowest in the game ([[Luigi (SSBB)|Luigi]] has the lowest).
The Ice Climbers are great at dealing damage when together, have decent attack speed, and possess a few interesting attacks in their arsenal.  Their [[neutral special move]], [[Ice Shot]], is a projectile fired by each Ice Climber which slides along the ground, making it impossible to avoid by crouching/crawling.  [[Blizzard]], the [[down special move]], can freeze opponents and even cover both sides if the partner is present, or alternatively can be made to cover one side if performed while jumping with the partner, giving the attack more power. [[Squall Hammer]] is a decent [[approach attack]] with good damage and speed, spinning the Ice Climbers around each other in a forward-moving hammer attack. Belay, the [[up special]], is a powerful KO move should the second Climber connect with the opponent, but it is generally a risky use of the move given that it separates the Climbers and puts them into a helpless animation. A unique addition to their character is that the Ice Climbers are not affected by the conditions of [[slippery]] surfaces such as ice, and they won't slide on it. This is due to the fact that they are wearing cleats. Oddly, their cleats do not affect their [[traction]] on normal surfaces, as it is second-lowest in the game ({{SSBB|Luigi}} has the lowest).
 
The Ice Climbers are not very good at using their standard arsenal of attacks for continuous hits, normally speaking. With weak throws, small hammers, and slow movement in general (slow falling, air, and dash speed), the Ice Climbers can usually only manage one or two good hits in close before they need to resort to Ice Shots or Blizzard again. With both Climbers present, KOing generally is not too much of a problem, although their smashes are generally better at racking up the damage than at KOing.


The Ice Climbers aren't very good at using their standard arsenal of attacks for continuous hits, normally speaking. With weak throws, small hammers, and slow movement in general (slow falling, air, and dash speed), the Ice Climbers can usually only manage one or two good hits in close before they need to resort to Ice Shots or Blizzard again. With both Climbers present, KOing generally isn't too much of a problem, although their smashes are generally better at racking up the damage than at KOing.
===Chaingrabbing and desynching===
===Chaingrabbing and desynching===
[[File:ICsCG.gif|200px|thumb|Japanese Smasher {{Sm|9B}} using a combination of the IC's down throw and back throw to perform a 0 to death infinite chain grab on {{Sm|Selcia}}'s {{SSBB|Meta Knight}}. The throw is setup using a combination of [[Blizzard]] and the Climbers' forward aerial and is finished using the Ice Climbers' up smash. ]]
Many players consider the Ice Climbers to be "the King and Queen of all [[chain grab]]s" due to the fact that their two-in-one property allows for a variety of infinite chain-grab options that can combo into kill moves. For example, the lead Ice Climber can grab onto one opponent and use the [[forward throw]]. In the middle of the throw animation, the player can gain control of the CPU Climber, commanding them into performing a [[forward aerial]] spike, or grabbing again with the CPU Climber. while once again bringing the original, player-controlled Climber in for a new grab. Infinite chain grabs of this nature can be performed at any percent, on any character, on nearly any stage. One hindrance to this strategy is the Ice Climbers' short grab range and low traction, making it almost impossible to grab an opponent when they hit the player's shield(s) unless the Climbers powershield the attack.
The Ice Climbers have many different options to perform an infinite chaingrab. They can use any combination of forward throw, down throw, and back throw, but each option has different timings for every character. For example, against {{SSBB|Meta Knight}} it is most common for players to infinite using a combination of down throw and back throw, as these two throws have the largest time windows to achieve a regrab. Against large characters that are difficult to chaingrab, like {{SSBB|Snake}} and {{SSBB|R.O.B.}}, the down throw can be used in conjunction with the footstool hop and ice shots for another infinite: the hobble. A hobble is performed when the Ice Climbers' down throw sends opponents into the air, the second Ice Climber jumps and footstools the opponent back onto the ground, and as the opponent bounces, the first Ice Climber traps them with an ice shot causing a reset for another grab. The only possible break to a perfectly executed infinite is Brawl's random [[tripping]], which can occur if either climber dashes for any length of time. This can be avoided by only performing infinite chaingrabs while walking. When a chain grab has raised an opponent's damage enough, the most typically used move to KO the opponent is their [[up smash]], if a forward air meteor smash is inapplicable. All of these chain throws can be considered [[Zero-to-death combo|0-KO combos]].
For further two-in-one tricks, it is even possible to de-synchronize or "desync" the CPU partner by confusing it with erratic movement (such as [[dash-dancing]]), putting the player in control of both Climbers for as long as they are capable of maintaining it. Once the partner is desynced, the player can have it perform any move while the main Climber is in the middle of one, providing for all sorts of possible attack strategies that can be exceedingly difficult for opponents to escape from (alternating Blizzard, alternating Ice Shot). While desynced, the partner Climber has restrained movement within an invisible box around the main Climber; should they be separated or removed from this box, the CPU will take over again. This invisible box makes it so that if the player desyncs from the AI so that it charges a smash attack and they start walking or running away, the AI will slide in the player's direction while charging the smash. A unique thing that the player can do when desynced is that if they desync the AI to charge a smash attack, their Belay will cancel the AI's charging sequence and teleport it into the belaying sequence. Such techniques are extremely difficult to perform in combat, even for advanced players, due to the constant string of precise commands required for the Climbers to move/attack as intended. Nevertheless, these techniques are considered the backbone of playing the Ice Climbers at a competitive level.
==Changes from ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''==
The Ice Climbers have received a mix of [[buff]]s and [[nerf]]s. Due to the changes in grab mechanics, they can no longer [[wobble]], which previously played a part in their competitive viability. Additionally, the loss of [[wavedashing]] has also served to be problematic due to their already poor [[traction]] inhibiting their approach and mobility, though not as much as {{SSBB|Luigi}}. Their damage output is also lower, some of their moves have reduced KO power and all of their grounded moves have more ending lag.


Many would consider the Ice Climbers to be "the King and Queen of all [[chain grab]]s" due to the fact that their two-in-one property allows a variety of chain-grab options. For example, the lead Ice Climber can grab onto one opponent and use the [[forward throw]]. In the middle of the throw animation, the player can gain control of the CPU Climber, commanding him/her into performing a [[forward aerial]] spike, or grabbing again with the CPU Climber. while once again bringing the original, player-controlled Climber in for a new grab. Such strings create long and extremely damaging chain grabs capable of being performed at nearly any percent, on nearly any stage. A down side is that the Ice Climbers don't have a very good grab range and because of how much they slide, it's almost impossible to grab an opponent when they hit the player's shield unless they powershield his or her attack.
However, due to the influence of [[chaingrabs]], the Ice Climbers are considered to be overall buffed due to the improvements to their chaingrabbing ability in which makes them even more deadly than in ''Melee''. The player now has full control over the second climber during a grab allowing the player to freely chain grab and combo out of a grab. In addition, their standing grab is slightly faster and the changes to [[shield]]s makes it easier for the Ice Climbers to grab their opponents. The Ice Climbers are one of the only characters in the game who can consistently [[0-death]] the entire cast which is especially helpful as combos are generally significantly less deadly and plentiful in ''Brawl'' than in ''Melee'' due to the introduction of [[hitstun canceling]]. The partner climber is also more intelligent than they are in ''Melee'' making them more useful and less vulnerable. While the Ice Climbers' grounded movement was reduced, the rest of the cast received the same treatment and some of the moves which gave the Ice Climbers the most trouble (such as {{SSBM|Fox}}'s Shine and {{SSBM|Peach}}'s down smash) have been significantly nerfed making it harder for opponents to play around their grabs and separate them. Lastly, Blizzard is a much stronger tool than in ''Melee'' and can be a strong tool to allow the Ice Climbers to grab their opponents.


The Ice Climbers' most effective chain throw is arguably their down throw. It is by far the hardest chain throw to escape from as it possesses the largest time window for Nana to grab the opponent mid throw. Performing the down throw chain grab is simple and easier relative to Ice Climbers's other chain grabs, but it is still nevertheless difficult to time. While performing the 1st down throw, the player should input the command for the subsequent down throw when the opponent hits the ground(when the colored shockwave appears). The down throw can also be used in conjunction with the footstool hop and ice shots for another infinite: the hobble, which is more useful on heavyweights. The down throw sends opponents into the air. Right before the opponent is released, the second ice climber should jump and footstool the opponent back on to the ground. As the opponent bounces, the 1st Ice Climber can trap them with multiple ice shots or move forward for another grab. Their next infinite chain throw is the forward throw. This throw is most likely the hardest chain throw to maintain, and thus the least reliable. The command for the second throw should be imputed the moment the 1st climber is about to swing his hammer. It should be noted that these chain grabs are not true infinites as they are limited by the stage length and the fact the opponents can tech after the footstool jump.  The Ice Climbers' back throw is their only true infinite, as it is not limited by the stage length. The input for the second throw should be imputed as soon as the opponent is directly above the 1st climber's head. The back throw can also be used to start the hobble, but it is much harder. It should be noted that the timing for all of the infinite throws vary depending on the opponent's percentage how heavy the opponent is.
As a result, they are one of the few characters considered to have been truly buffed from ''Melee'' to ''Brawl'', and they are widely considered to be the best character behind {{SSBB|Meta Knight}}.


For further two-in-one tricks, it is even possible to "desync" the CPU partner by confusing it with erratic movement (such as [[dash-dancing]]), putting the player in control of both Climbers for as long as they are capable of maintaining it. Once the partner is desynced, the player can have it perform any move while the main Climber is in the middle of one, providing for all sorts of possible attack strategies that can be exceedingly difficult for opponents to escape from (alternating Blizzard, alternating Ice Shot). While desynced, the partner Climber has restrained movement within an invisible box around the main Climber; should he/she be separated or removed from this box, the CPU will take over again. This invisible box makes it so that if the player desyncs themelf from the AI so that it charges a smash attack and they start walking or running away, the AI will slide in the player's direction while charging the smash. A unique thing that the player can do when desynced is that if they desync the AI to charge a smash attack, their Belay will cancel the AI's charging sequence and teleport it into the belaying sequence.
===Aesthetics===
*{{change|As with all characters, the Ice Climbers have received a drastic graphical boost, with their parkas having higher quality textures.}}
*{{change|The Ice Climbers have two new alternate costumes and Nana's orange costume is replaced with a blue one to make her look almost identical to Popo. One new costume has them in white while the other has Nana in black and Popo in grey. The player takes control of Popo in the blue skin and Nana in the new white and black skins.}}
*{{change|The red Nana blue Popo costume has darker colors, and Nana's yellow costume uses a much darker variant of yellow.}}
*{{change|Nana no longer switches positions on the character selection screen in costumes where she is the leader}}
*{{change|As on-screen appearances were not present in ''Melee'', the Ice Climbers now receive one}}.


It should be obvious that such techniques are extremely difficult to perform in combat, even for advanced players, due to the constant string of precise commands required for the Climbers to move/attack as intended. This level of extreme difficulty is what has prevented any seemingly-unfair IC techniques (outside of [[wobbling]] in ''Melee'') from seeing competitive bans, especially given that very few professional players maintain or even use them at tournaments. This lack of appearance has made their tier ranking, and whether or not it should be higher, questionable for the time being. Indeed, their recent rise on the tier list, and the fact that they are ranked 2nd in Japan suggest that their potential lies much higher than the B tier. Nevertheless, these techniques are the backbone of playing a good pair of Ice Climber; without them, they aren't particularly great, so it's essential for players who plan on using the Ice Climbers to master them.
===Attributes===
*{{buff|The Ice Climbers [[walk]] slightly faster (0.95 → 0.96).}}
*{{nerf|The Ice Climbers [[dash]] slightly slower (1.4 → 1.388).}}
*{{buff|The Ice Climbers' [[air speed]] is faster (0.7 → 0.7708) though it is still very low.}}
*{{change|As with other returning veterans, the Ice Climbers' [[falling speed]] was reduced (1.6 → 1.2). Compared to the returning veterans, however, the Ice Climbers fall faster. While this improves their endurance, it worsens their recovery and makes them more vulnerable to combos and chain grabs relative to the cast.}}
*{{change|The Ice Climbers' gravity is lower (0.1 → 0.077). While this slightly hinders their vertical endurance, it also makes them less vulnerable to chain grabs.}}
*{{buff|The Ice Climbers' [[traction]] has been unchanged (0.035). Comparing with the returning veterans, however, the Climbers' traction is higher, making it easier for them to punish out of shield although it remains the second lowest traction in the game. Their traction remains unchanged on ice which is even more effective than in Melee as traction was decreased across the board in ''Brawl''. They are also immune to [[tripping]] on ice while the rest of the cast has a higher chance of tripping on ice.}}
*{{change|The Ice Climbers are heavier (88 → 92).}}
*{{nerf|[[Jump]]squat is longer (3 frames → 4).}}
*{{buff|Both Ice Climbers can now grab a [[ledge]] at the same time, improving their recovery.}}
*{{buff|The [[AI]] level of the partner when separated has been increased, now being nearly equivalent to a level 9 CPU.}}
*{{buff|The partner climber can now mash out of a [[shield break]].}}
*{{buff|Many of the partner's attacks now have lower hitlag multipliers, making their attacks harder to [[DI]].}}
*{{buff|[[Stale move negation]] no longer affects the partner's attacks when they are performing the same attack as the leader.}}
*{{nerf|To compensate for this, however, many of the partner's attacks now deal less damage (usually around 1%-3% less) resulting in a fair amount of their moves dealing less damage when they are together, although the partner's aerials and smash attacks have higher knockback than the leader's to somewhat compensate.}}
*{{nerf|The Ice Climbers are easier to separate when attacked.}}
*{{nerf|The partner Ice Climber is now the same weight as the leader rather than heavier, and no longer has [[passive armor]], making them easier to KO.}}
*{{nerf|The removal of [[wavedashing]] has hindered the Ice Climbers' mobility and approach, especially compared to the other returning veterans, although it also hinders the rest of the cast's mobility, making it easier for the Ice Climbers to grab their opponents.}}
*{{bugfix|The [[freeze glitch]] has been completely removed.}}


===Changes from ''Melee'' to ''Brawl''===
===Ground attacks===
The Ice Climbers are one of the few characters to have been truly buffed from ''SSBM'' to ''SSBB''. Both Ice Climbers can grab on to a ledge at the same time, and Belay can be a Tether Recovery if the partner grabs a ledge first, then the leader reaches up to the ledge. The Ice Climbers' have more attack power for their special moves (Blizzard is especially buffed if the Ice Climbers are next to the opponent), but they have less smash attack power for KOing. Both Ice climbers's down smash deals more damage. The Ice Climbers can become separated easier when attacked, but they are a bit stronger by themselves. Down aerial no longer has set knockback, giving it KO potential at very high percentages (above 170%), but it no longer acts as a viable way to maintain the down throw chain grab. The partner can now squall hammer and belay alone, and a lone Ice Climber's Belay gives some slight distance. If the partner hits another character while executing Belay, the move is still completed. The partner AI is significantly advanced (near level 9) so (s)he does not die as easily.  
*[[Neutral attack]]:
**{{buff|The first hit of neutral attack deals more damage (2% → 3%) and deals more damage overall due to changes to stale move negation (8% → 11% assuming both climbers are present).}}
**{{nerf|Both hits of neutral attack have more ending lag (FAF 16 → 27 (hit 1), frame 18 → 20 (hit 2)).}}
*[[Forward tilt]]:
**{{buff|Forward tilt deals more damage (8% → 9% (solo), 15% → 16% (non angled with partner) 18% (angled with partner)) although its base knockback was compensated on the up angled version (40 → 30). The non angled version also has higher base knockback (26 → 30) and the partner's version has less hitlag (1x → 0.5x).}}
**{{nerf|Forward tilt has more startup lag (frame 6 → 9) and ending lag (FAF 28 → 32).}}
*[[Up tilt]]:
**{{buff|Up tilt has bigger hitboxes and has a reduced hitlag multiplier (1x → 0.5x (leader loop hits/partner final hit), 0.3x (partner)), making it connect more reliably especially against grounded opponents.}}
**{{nerf|Up tilt's final hit deals less damage (7% → 4%) with no compensation on its knockback and up tilt has more ending lag (FAF 42 → 48).}}
*[[Down tilt]]:
**{{buff|Down tilt deals more damage (4-5% → 6%), has higher base knockback (30 → 40) and now sends opponents in a semi spike angle as opposed to a more vertical angle (70° → 20°). While this hinders its combo potential, it significantly improves its edgeguarding potential (which is overall more useful due to the introduction of [[hitstun canceling]]). It also connects much more reliably when both climbers are present.}}
**{{nerf|Down tilt has more ending lag (FAF 29 → 31).}}
*[[Dash attack]]:
**{{nerf|Dash attack deals less damage (9% → 6%) although its knockback scaling was compensated (40 → 60). It also has more ending lag (FAF 38 → 41).}}
*[[Forward smash]]:
**{{buff|Forward smash has less startup lag (frame 13 → 12) and the sourspot deals more damage (10% → 12%). The partner's forward smash also has more knockback scaling (105 → 118).}}
**{{nerf|Forward smash's sweetspot deals less damage (14% → 13%) and both hits have less base knockback (40 → 30). It also has slightly increased ending lag (FAF 47 → 48).}}
*[[Up smash]]:
**{{buff|Up smash has less startup lag with a longer duration (frames 14-18 → 13-18)}}
**{{nerf|Up Smash has less knockback scaling (128 → 105 (leader), 113 (partner)) and it now has a sourspot which deals 9%. It also has more ending lag (FAF 44 → 50).}}
*[[Down smash]]:
**{{buff|Down smash can deal more damage since it now has two hits (20%-22% → 36%-40% (both climbers)).}}
**{{change|Down smash now launches opponents vertically (361° → 60°/83°).}}
**{{nerf|Down smash has more startup lag (frame 6 → 9) and ending lag (FAF 36 → 45). It also deals less knockback (50 (base), 110 (scaling) → 30/105 (leader), 30/113 (partner)) and it now has a sourspot which deals 10% although it launches opponents at a more vertical angle to compensate.}}


The [[Freeze glitch]] and [[Wobbling]] no longer work, but as aforementioned above, the Ice Climbers have gained more effective ways to chain grab. Their down throw no longer requires the aid of [[blizzard]] or down aerial to string chain grabs. In fact Popo can chain throw many characters by himself with the down throw almost as effectively Falco can, usually racking up percentages as high as 50%. Again, as mentioned before, their back throw is now a true infinite chain grab and can be used in conjunction with footstool jumping and ice shot to infinitely hobble.  
===Aerial attacks===
*{{change|Neutral, back and up aerials have less landing lag (20 frames → 15 (neutral/back), 32 frames → 30 (up)). Due to the removal of [[L-canceling]] however, their landing lag was not fully compensated.}}
*{{buff|Due to their lower fall speed, the Ice Climbers can now use two aerials in a short hop by using either [[back aerial]] or [[up aerial]].}}
*[[Neutral aerial]]:
**{{buff|Neutral aerial can now [[auto-cancel]] in a short hop due to the Ice Climbers' lower falling speed. Despite the partner's neutral aerial dealing much less damage (8% → 5%), it's knockback scaling was compensated (100 → 128).}}
**{{nerf|Neutral aerial deals less damage (8% → 7%) hindering its KO potential with a solo climber.}}
*[[Forward aerial]]:
**{{buff|Forward aerial deals more damage (11%/10%/9% → 12% (solo), 20% → 24% (clean with both climbers)) improving its KO potential despite the leader's forward aerial having lower knockback scaling (100 → 95) although the base knockback on the partner's sweetspot was compensated (40 → 20). It also sends opponents at a more horizontal angle (70° → 40°) improving its edgeguarding and KO potential.}}
**{{nerf|The leader's forward aerial can no longer [[meteor smash]] meaning that only the partner's forward aerial can meteor smash.}}
**{{nerf|Forward aerial has a shorter duration (frames 19-22 → 19-20).}}
*[[Back aerial]]:
**{{buff|Back aerial deals more knockback (30 (base), 100 (scaling) → 25/107 (leader), 25/128 (partner)).}}
**{{nerf|Back aerial no longer has a sweetspot which deals more damage (12% → 11%) and knockback (30 (base), 110 (scaling) → 25/107).}}
*[[Up aerial]]:
**{{buff|Clean up aerial deals more damage (8/9% → 10%) although its knockback was compensated (10 (base), 140 (scaling) → 20/120 (leader), 20/142 (partner)) and it still has a sourspot which deals 9%.}}
**{{nerf|The leader's up aerial sourspot deals less knockback although the knockback on the partner's version was compensated for its lower damage (10 (base), 140 (scaling) → 20/120 (leader), 20/142 (partner)).}}
*[[Down aerial]]:
**{{buff|Down aerial no longer has set knockback (36 (set), 110 (scaling) → 40 (base), 90 (leader scaling), 130 (partner scaling)). This gives the attack KO potential around 170%.}}
**{{change|Down aerial now acts as a [[stall-then-fall]] attack, making it risky to use offstage, but giving it recovery usage via [[down air stall]].}}
**{{nerf|Down aerial deals less damage (9% → 8%) has more startup lag with a shorter duration (frames 3-52 → 9-51) and it has more landing lag (25 frames → 42).}}


The Ice Climbers also had some purely cosmetic changes. Their orange costume was removed. With their blue costume, they can look almost exactly the same (one Ice Climber's parka has just a small shade difference). The white one is almost the same, but the gloves are different colors. Lastly, squall hammer now sends off flakes of ice if both Ice Climbers are present.
===Throws/other attacks===
*[[Grab]]s:
**{{buff|Standing grab has less startup lag (frame 7 → 6).}}
**{{nerf|Dash grab has more startup lag (frame 7 → 8).}}
**{{buff|The partner is now controlled by the player rather than the AI when grabbing a foe, enabling the player to effectively control the direction in which to throw the foe, significantly extending chaingrabs and allowing for easy kill setups. This means that despite the removal of [[Wobbling]], the Ice Climbers can still effectively [[zero-death]] the entire cast which while more difficult to perform, it still remains inescapable and is overall more versatile.}}
*[[Pummel]]:
**{{nerf|Pummel deals less damage (3% → 1%) and its speed wasn't increased enough to compensate (frame 26 → 19).}}
*{{nerf|All throws except down throw deal less damage (11% → 8% (forward), 7% → 6% (back), 11% → 6% (up)).}}
*[[Back throw]]:
**{{buff|Back throw is now a true infinite chaingrab. It can also be used in conjunction with [[footstool]] jumping and Ice Shot to [[lock]] the opponent.}}
*[[Up throw]]:
**{{change|Up throw has higher base knockback (110 → 120).}}
*[[Down throw]]:
**{{buff|Down throw's knockback was tweaked with down throw dealing much less knockback (70 (base), 40 (scaling) → 30/100). When combined with the removal of [[DI]] against moves which don't put opponents into [[tumble]], this makes the attack more reliable for chain-grabbing both with or without the partner.}}
**{{buff|Down throw no longer requires the aid of [[Blizzard]] or down aerial to string chaingrabs due to the greater degree of control the player has over the partner.}}


===Brawl Manual Description===
===Special moves===
A pair that hits one after the other. Popo is in blue and Nana is in pink.
*{{change|The Ice Climbers have different voice clips when performing their specials, and all specials have different sound effects.}}
*[[Ice Shot]]:
**{{buff|Ice Shot is no longer [[absorb]]able and can now be [[B-reversing|B-reversed]].}}
**{{nerf|Ice shot deals less damage (5% → 3%). The hammer also no longer has a hitbox, heavily reducing the move's maximum damage output (26% → 6%) and increasing the move's startup lag (frame 15 → 17).}}
**{{change|Landing with the move from the air now results in an animation where the Climbers crash land on their rears. The landing lag is the same, however.}}
*[[Squall Hammer]]:
**{{buff|Squall Hammer connects more reliably, making it easier to rack up damage with it.}}
**{{change|Squall Hammer now sends off flakes of ice if both Ice Climbers are present. The loop hitboxes also deal more consistent damage, though it is still very inconsistent (1-4% → 2-3%).}}
**{{nerf|Squall Hammer no longer grants any vertical distance unless both Ice Climbers are present.}}
*[[Belay]]:
**{{buff|Belay now acts as a [[tether recovery]] when used close to a ledge; the partner will first shoot to the ledge, then the leader will immediately reach up to it. A lone Ice Climber's Belay also covers slightly more distance, allows them to move left or right, and allows the climber to turn around, no longer leaving the climber helpless if they are facing away from the ledge.}}
**{{nerf|The partner climber travels less horizontal distance when using Belay. It also has more landing lag (25 frames → 30).}}
*[[Blizzard]]:
**{{buff|Blizzard deals consistent damage (1-2% → 2%) and it connects more reliably. It also freezes opponents significantly sooner and more reliably. It can now also be B-reversed.}}
*[[Iceberg]]:
**{{change|The Ice Climbers now have a Final Smash: Iceberg. They summon an enormous iceberg up from the ground that covers almost the entire stage, damaging and freezing enemies who touch it.}}


==Moveset==
==Moveset==
''This assumes that both Ice Climbers are present.''
''For a gallery of Ice Climbers' hitboxes, see [[Ice Climbers (SSBB)/Hitboxes|here]].''<br>
====Ground attacks====
''Note: This assumes that both Ice Climbers are present.''
=====Normal=====
{{MovesetTable
*[[Neutral attack]] - The Ice Climbers swing their hammers in front of themselves. Leader, first hit 3%, second hit 4%. Partner, 2% both hits. Total, 2%-11%. Start-up of 4 frames.
|game=SSBB
*[[Dash attack]] - They do a short jump and swing their hammers in front of themselves. The leader does 6%, while the partner does 4%. Total, 4%-11%. Hits on frame 11-12.
|neutralcount=2
*[[Forward tilt]] - Similar to the neutral attack, but with one hand. Leader, 7%. Partner, 9%. Total, 7%-16%. Hits on frame 9-12.
|neutralname=&nbsp;
*[[Up tilt]] - They spin their hammers over their heads, dealing multiple hits. Leader, 6 hits of 3%, then 4%. Partner, 4 hits of 1%, then 3%. Total, 1%-17%. Hitbox out on frame 8.
|neutral1dmg=3% (leader), 2% (partner)
*[[Down tilt]] - They crouch and sweep their hammers on the ground in front of them. Leader, 6%. Partner, 2%-5%. Total, 6%-11%. Hitbox out on frame 8 and it ends on frame 11.
|neutral2dmg=4% (leader), 2% (partner)
|neutraldesc=A horizontal swipe followed by an upward swing.
|ftiltname=&nbsp;
|ftiltangles=3
|ftiltupdmg=9% (both)
|ftiltsidedmg=9% (leader), 7% (partner)
|ftiltdowndmg=9% (both)
|ftiltdesc=Does a side swing with their hammers. Can be angled up or down, with the partner dealing more damage if angled up or down.
|utiltname=&nbsp;
|utiltdmg=1% (hits 1-6), 4% (hit 7 [leader]), 3% (hit 7 [partner])
|utiltdesc=Twirl their hammers over their heads, creating a lingering hitbox that deals multiple hits. Can often lead to a grab at low percents.
|dtiltname=&nbsp;
|dtiltdmg=6% (leader), 4-5% (partner)
|dtiltdesc=Sweep their hammers across the ground in front of them. Used generally for [[gimping]] recoveries such as {{SSBB|Snake}}'s [[Cypher]].
|dashname=&nbsp;
|dashdmg=6% (leader), 4% (partner)
|dashdesc=Leaps forward and swings their hammers in front of themselves.
|fsmashname=&nbsp;
|fsmashdmg={{ChargedSmashDmgSSBB|13}}/{{ChargedSmashDmgSSBB|12}} (leader), {{ChargedSmashDmgSSBB|10}}/{{ChargedSmashDmgSSBB|9}} (partner)
|fsmashdesc=Lifts their hammers over their heads, then smashes them straight down. Deals good knockback it both Ice Climbers' hammers connect. Deals less damage if the opponents hit the hilt of the hammers and more damage if they hit the head.
|usmashname=&nbsp;
|usmashdmg={{ChargedSmashDmgSSBB|11}}/{{ChargedSmashDmgSSBB|9}} (leader), {{ChargedSmashDmgSSBB|9}}/{{ChargedSmashDmgSSBB|8}} (partner)
|usmashdesc=Swings their hammers in an arc over their heads. Good as a finisher from chain grabs. Deals more damage if the opponent hit the head of the hammer.
|dsmashname=&nbsp;
|dsmashdmg={{ChargedSmashDmgSSBB|12}}/{{ChargedSmashDmgSSBB|10}} (leader), {{ChargedSmashDmgSSBB|9}}/{{ChargedSmashDmgSSBB|8}} (partner)
|dsmashdesc=Spins around and sweeps the ground with their hammers. Can hit up to four times if the opponent is really close and at low percentages. The second most damaging down smash in the game if all four hits connect. Deals more damage if the opponent hits the head of the hammer.
|nairname=&nbsp;
|nairdmg=7% (leader), 5% (partner)
|nairdesc=Spin in a circle with their hammers outstretched. Good for aerial [[spacing]].
|fairname=&nbsp;
|fairdmg=12% (leader), 12% (partner sweetspot), 7% (partner sourspot)
|fairdesc=Holds their hammers up and bring them down in a similar fashion to their forward smash. The partner can [[meteor smash]] opponents if the move is [[sweetspot]]ted.
|bairname=&nbsp;
|bairdmg=11% (leader), 8% (partner)
|bairdesc=Turns around and does a backswing with their hammers.
|uairname=&nbsp;
|uairdmg=10%/9% (leader clean), 7% (leader late), 7%/6% (partner clean), 5% (partner late)
|uairdesc=Thrust their hammers above themselves like their up tilt, but with only one [[hitbox]] per Ice Climber.
|dairname=&nbsp;
|dairdmg=8% (leader), 5% (partner)
|dairdesc=Hold their hammers below themselves and falls downwards. A [[stall-then-fall]] move, with the stall being almost unnoticeable. Has very large landing lag if not [[auto-cancelling|auto-cancelled]].
|grabname=&nbsp;
|grabdesc=&nbsp;
|pummelname=&nbsp;
|pummeldmg=1%
|pummeldesc=A headbutt. The leader pummels the opponent, whereas the player has some control over the partner while pummeling.
|fthrowname=&nbsp;
|fthrowdmg=3% (hit 1), 5% (throw)
|fthrowdesc=Hits opponent forward with their hammers. If the player walks slightly forward with the partner before using, they can regrab the opponent again right after they use the attack, making this throw a [[chaingrab]].
|bthrowname=&nbsp;
|bthrowdmg=6%
|bthrowdesc=Throws opponent behind. Usable in a [[chaingrab]].
|uthrowname=&nbsp;
|uthrowdmg=2% (hit 1), 4% (throw)
|uthrowdesc=Throw opponent upwards then hits them with hammer.
|dthrowname=&nbsp;
|dthrowdmg=6%
|dthrowdesc=Spins and then throws the opponent to the ground. Can be used to chain grab infinitely with good timing if both Ice Climbers participate.
|floorfname=&nbsp;
|floorfdmg=6%
|floorfdesc=Gets up and spins around, hitting with their hammers.
|floorbname=&nbsp;
|floorbdmg=6%
|floorbdesc=Gets up and swipes their hammers on both sides.
|floortname=&nbsp;
|floortdmg=5%
|floortdesc=Gets up and spins around, hitting with their hammers.
|edgefname=&nbsp;
|edgefdmg=8% (hammer), 6% (body)
|edgefdesc=Quickly gets up and slams their hammer on the ground.
|edgesname=&nbsp;
|edgesdmg=10% (hammer), 8% (body)
|edgesdesc=Slowly gets up and swipes their hammer forwards.
|nsname=Ice Shot
|nsdmg=1-3%
|nsdesc=Each Ice Climber fires a chunk of ice that slides along the ground and bounces off walls. When used in midair, the Ice Climbers will gain a slight boost in the air, but it will only work once before landing on the ground.
|ssname=Squall Hammer
|ssdmg=2-3% (loop)
|ssdesc=Both Ice Climbers spin around together while moving along the ground, consisting of many hits. It can also be used as a recovery move by mashing the [[B button]], which causes both Ice Climbers to rise in the air. It gains more distance when both Ice Climbers are present.
|usname=Belay
|usdmg=16%
|usdesc=The leading Ice Climber throws the following Ice Climber in the air with a rope. The following Ice Climber then pulls the leader upwards. If there is a nearby edge, the following Climber will target it, leading to a safe recovery for both Ice Climbers. Each Ice Climber become [[helpless]] after the move is used.
|dsname=Blizzard
|dsdmg=1-2%
|dsdesc=Each Ice Climber blows icy wind from their hands, damaging nearby opponents. When the move is used on the ground, the partner will shoot in the direction opposite of the leader.
|fsname=Iceberg
|fsdmg=2% (hit), 5% (frozen)
|fsdesc=The Ice Climbers summon a huge Iceberg into the middle of the field. Touching the iceberg results in freeze damage, and possibly becoming frozen. Being frozen when pushed off the edge can lead to a swift KO, as the frozen player falls with full speed.
}}


=====[[Smash attack]]=====
===Stats===
*[[Forward smash]] - They lift their hammers over their head, then smash straight down. It looks similar to how they attack in [[Ice Climber (game)|their own game]]. Leader, 11%-13% uncharged, 16%-18% fully charged. Partner, 9%-10% uncharged, 13%-14% fully charged. Total, 9%-23% uncharged, 13%-32% fully charged. Hits on frame 12-13.
*[[Up smash]] - They swing their hammers upwards. Leader, 11% uncharged, 15% fully charged. Partner, 9% uncharged, 13% fully charged. Total, 9%-20% uncharged, 13%-28% fully charged. Hits from frame 13 to 18.
{{technical data|Needs short hop and double jump heights}}
*[[Down smash]] - They sweep their hammers on the ground all the way around themselves. Because the back swipes' hitboxes extend a bit in front of the climbers and the back and forward swipes are two separate hits, this attack inflicts huge damage if the target is at close range and both climbers are present, making it ideal for [[Home-Run Contest]]. This is the second most damaging down smash in the game if both Ice Climbers hit, following Lucas who has the most damaging down smash. Low knockback, though it can KO opponents around 150% unless fully charged. Leader, 12% uncharged, 16% fully charged (-2% if facing opponent at close range). Partner, 8% uncharged, 12% fully charged (strangely, +1% to the back swipe). Total, 8%-41% uncharged, 11%-56% fully charged. Front hit on frame 9-11, back hit on frame 14-17.
{{Attributes
|cast      = 39
|weight    = 92
|rweight    = 24-25
|dash      = 1.4
|rdash      = 22-27
|run        = 1.388
|rrun      = 27
|walk      = 0.96
|rwalk      = 24
|trac      = 0.035
|rtrac      = 38
|airfric    = 0.015
|rairfric  = 6-12
|air        = 0.7708
|rair      = 35
|baseaccel  = 0.01
|rbaseaccel = 7-36
|addaccel  = 0.08
|raddaccel = 10-17
|gravity    = 0.077
|rgravity  = 22
|fall      = 1.2
|rfall      = 32-35
|ff        = 1.68
|rff        = 33-35
|jumpsquat  = 4
|rjumpsquat = 1-10
|jumpheight = 34.69501461
|rjumpheight= 13
|shorthop  = ?
|rshorthop  = ?
|djump      = ?
|rdjump    = ?
}}


=====Other=====
===[[Announcer]] call===
*[[Ledge attack]] - They climb up the ledge and swing hammers over their heads. 8% each hit.
{{audio|Needs announcer calls from other languages.}}
*100% ledge attack- They slowly get up and swing their hammers low to the ground. 10% each.
<gallery>
*[[Floor attack]] - They quickly get up and hammer in both directions. This is surprisingly similar to their Down Smash, in that the back swipes' hitboxes extend a bit in front of them, and the back and forward swipes are two separate hits, making it shockingly powerful at close range (assuming both climbers fell and are in the same position). 6% each hit. Total, 6%-24%.
Ice Climbers English Announcer SSBB.wav|English
*Trip attack - They quickly get up and spin around with their hammers extended. This is surprisingly similar to their Down Smash, in that the back swipes' hitboxes extend a bit in front of them, and the back and forward swipes are two separate hits, making it shockingly powerful at close range (assuming both climbers tripped and are in the same position). 5% each hit. Total, 5%-20%.
</gallery>


====[[Aerial attack]]s====
===[[Wii Remote selection sound]]===
*[[Neutral aerial]] - The Ice Climbers swing in a circle with hammers outstretched. Leader, 7%. Partner, 5%. Total, 5%-12%. Hits on frame 6-23.
{{SelectSound|char=Ice Climbers|no-s=y|desc=An Ice Shot sound is heard and both Ice Climbers say "Youp!"}}
*[[Forward aerial]] - The Ice Climbers lift their hammers over head then swing forward, like their side smash. If the partner hits, the attack will be a meteor smash if placed correctly. Leader, 12%. Partner, 7%; 12% if sweet-spotted. Total, 7%-24%. Hits on frame 19-20.
*[[Back aerial]] -They swing their hammers behind themselves. Leader, 11%. Partner, 8%. Total, 8%-19% damage. Hits from frame 8 to 11.
*[[Up aerial]] - They stick their hammers above their head. High knockback, disjointed hitbox. Leader, 10% when it first comes out, 7% during the rest of the attack. Partner, 7% when it first comes out, 5% during the rest of the attack. Total, 5%-17%. Hitbox out on frame 6 and it ends on frame 23 (strongest hit on frame 6-9).
*[[Down aerial]] - A [[Stall-Then-Fall]]. They fall with their hammers below themselves. The stall is almost unnoticeable. Leader, 8%. Partner, 5%. Total, 5%-13%. Start-up of 5 frames (it usually ends on frame 51).


====[[Grab]]s & [[throw]]s====
===[[On-screen appearance]]===
*[[Pummel]] - Headbutt. Does 1% per hit. While the leader does the pummeling, the partner can be controlled and can move or [[buffer]] any other move in the Ice Climbers' moveset to use when a throw is completed by the leader. Otherwise, the partner either does nothing or does its neutral attack.
{{Appearance
*Forward throw - Hit with hammer. If the player walks slightly forward with the partner climber (see pummel) before using, he/she can grab the enemy again right after they use the attack, making this a [[chain grab]]. If used near the edge and combined with their partner using a short hop then forward air, it can KO at 50%. Does 8%.
|desc=The Condor flies in with them hanging off its feet, then they jump off.
*[[Back throw]]- Spin around and hit with hammer. The player can use the other Ice Climber to turn around and re-grab the enemy much in the fashion of the chain grab with the forward throw. This does not cause movement of the Ice Climbers like the latter chain grab as the enemy is thrown back and forth between the Ice Climbers. Does 6% damage.
|char=IceClimbers
*[[Up throw]] - Throw upwards then smash with hammer. Inflicts 6%. Extremely weak and can not KO until 469%.
|game=SSBB}}
*[[Down throw]] - Spike on ground. Is another chain grab, but the player doesn't need both climbers to execute this one. With both climbers present the other Climber can quickly grab the enemy as they bounce off the ground which will last as long as the player can manage, unlike the other chain grab with down throw, which breaks after certain amounts of damage. Does 6%.


The Ice Climbers have many infinite chain grabs with their forward throw, back throw, and down throw; however these do not receive the attention of other infinite techniques due to the high difficulty of using them and the different timing required for every character and percent per character.
===[[Taunt]]s===
{{Taunt/SSBB
|char=IceClimbers
|desc-up=They set down their hammers and jump up and down. In the Ice Climber NES game, this is the victory celebration of the Ice Climbers during the results screen (albeit without the flag).
|desc-side=They will point their hammers diagonally upward shout "Yup!", as wind blows behind them (same as in ''[[Melee]]'', only with different sound effects).
|desc-down=They dance in a circle.}}


If the controls have been customized, it is possible for the Climbers to use a forward smash twice, making a "smash throw" gimp kill possible.
===[[Idle pose]]s===
{{Idle
|desc-1=Spin their hammers.
|desc-2=Drops their hammers off their shoulders then picks them back up.
|image-1=Ice Climbers Popo Idle Pose 1 Brawl.png
|image-2=Ice Climbers Popo Idle Pose 2 Brawl.png}}


===Special Moves===
===[[Crowd cheer]]===
{{Special Moves|char=Ice Climbers}}
{{Crowd
|char=Ice Climbers
|game=Brawl
|desc-us=Na-Na! Po-po
|desc-jp=Ice-cli-mer!
|pitch-us=High female, then Deep male
|pitch-jp=Group chant}}
*In the NTSC-U and PAL versions, when playing as Nana, the Back sound of the menu plays in lieu of the crowd chant.
**The fact that the crowd chant changes (albeit in a glitchy manner) depending on which Climber is leading the pair might indicate that the lead Climber's name was intended to be chanted first by the crowd.


===[[Taunt]]s===
===[[Victory pose]]s===
*'''Up:''' They set down their hammers and jump up and down. In the Ice Climber NES game, this is the victory celebration of the Ice Climbers during the results screen (albeit without the flag). They also do the same when they reach the mountain top in SSE.
{{Victory/SSBB
*'''Side:''' They will point their hammers diagonally upward shout "Yup!", as wind blows behind them (same as in ''[[Melee]]'', only with different sound effects).
|victory-theme=IceClimbersTheme.ogg
*'''Down:''' They dance in a circle.
|victory-desc=A cover of the music that played when the Ice Climbers grabbed the feet of the [[Condor]] at the end of a bonus level in ''Ice Climber''.
|desc-up=Both nod and high five one another.
|desc-left=Both jump up and down (their victory pose from ''[[Ice Climber (game)|Ice Climber]]'').
|desc-right=Nana hides behind Popo, only showing her face as Popo shifts from left to right.
|char=IceClimbers}}
 
==In [[competitive play]]==
===Notable players===
{{cleanup|[[SmashWiki:Cleanup of the Notable Players sections|To fit these guidelines]]}}
:''See also: [[:Category:Ice Climbers players (SSBB)]]''
*{{Sm|9B|Japan}} - Widely considered the best Ice Climbers player in the world and one of the best players in Japan along with {{Sm|Edge}}, notably winning [[SKTAR 3]].
*{{Sm|DeLux|USA}} - Placed 5th at [[WHOBO 5]].
*{{Sm|ESAM|USA}} - Considered one of the best players in the United States during the game's later stages; although famous primarily for his Pikachu, has used an Ice Climbers co-main to great success, defeating players such as Kakera and {{Sm|ZeRo}} using them.
*{{Sm|Kakera|Japan}} - Known as one of the top players in Japan, placed 5th at [[Apex 2012]].
*{{Sm|lain|USA}} - A nationally dominant player during his peak from 2009-2010.
*{{Sm|Miyacchi|Japan}} - Defeated players such as 9B, Smasher, Nagahari, Earth, OCEAN, Suinoko, Shu, Kei and Masashi.
*{{Sm|Nakat|USA}} - Quickly rose as a top Ice Climbers player in 2013, with a 4th place at [[SKTAR 2]] and wins over {{Sm|Mew2King}}, {{Sm|Anti}}, {{Sm|Nairo}}, and {{Sm|ZeRo}}.
*{{Sm|Vinnie|USA}} - A nationally dominant player in the later stages of ''Brawl'''s life, after switching to Ice Climbers from {{SSBB|Mr. Game & Watch}}.
*{{Sm|Yunon|Japan}} - Defeated players such as Shu, Kuroobi, and RAIN.
 
===Tier placement and history===
In the first year of ''Brawl''{{'}}s [[metagame]], the Ice Climbers were ranked as high tier characters but weren't considered a particularly dominant force, given how weak Popo alone is after Nana is KO'd, and their powerful grab tactics being unrecognized at the time. However, Ice Climbers players soon began to utilize their infinite [[chain grab]]s, giving them an extremely powerful [[zero-to-death]] option against any other character, which shot them up the tier list. Players found dealing with this difficult, as it completely changed the way players fought the Ice Climbers, with the matchup now revolving around avoiding getting grabbed at all, and the Ice Climbers were able to completely shut down characters who lacked effective means to avoid grabs or separate the Climbers. {{Sm|lain}} became the character's first top level player in 2009 and 2010, achieving multiple major top 8 placements, such as {{Trn|Apex 2009}} and {{Trn|S.N.E.S.}} This resulted in the Ice Climbers being considered uncontested top tiers by the [[Brawl Back Room]]'s [[List of SSBB tier lists (NTSC)#Fourth tier list (February 26, 2010)|the fourth tier list]] where they ranked 5th, just short of two years after ''Brawl''{{'}}s American release. However, the Ice Climbers were held back by their relative lack of top representation compared to other top tiers, and lain was never able to win a major over other top tier mains. Additionally, the existence of numerous extremely unfavorable stage [[counterpick]]s kept the Ice Climbers in check, preventing them from becoming truly dominant. In the earlier ''Brawl'' metagame, multiple stages with scrolling [[platform]]s and [[hazard]]s, such as [[Rainbow Cruise]], [[Brinstar]], and [[Norfair]], were available as counterpicks; these stages favored more air-based gameplay and made it much more difficult for the Ice Climbers to complete a zero-to-death chain grab without getting interrupted by the stage.
 
As ''Brawl''{{'}}s metagame further refined, the Ice Climbers' tournament presence continued to grow. The Ice Climbers' worst stages also happened to be {{SSBB|Meta Knight}}'s strongest stages; as Meta Knight's dominance over the ''Brawl'' scene continued to grow, Rainbow Cruise, Brinstar, and Norfair eventually were banned in all Meta Knight legal tournaments due to his unmatched aerial prowess on those stages. The other two stages with more minor moving platforms and hazards, [[Halberd]] and [[Delfino Plaza]], also became more frequently banned due to Meta Knight's dominance there, and usually only one of these stages was available as a counterpick, which gave Ice Climbers mains the opportunity to play around this with a stage ban. These factors allowed the Ice Climbers to truly shine in the ''Brawl'' scene. Although lain became inactive, a new wave of even better Ice Climbers players arose from 2011 to 2014. {{Sm|9B}}, {{Sm|Vinnie}}, {{Sm|ESAM}}, {{Sm|Kakera}}, and {{Sm|NAKAT}} quickly became some of the biggest tournament threats in both North America and [[Japan]], achieving multiple first place victories at events such as {{Trn|SumabatoX 6}}, {{Trn|SKTAR 3}}, and the MK-banned {{Trn|WHOBO 4}} and {{Trn|WHOBO 5}}; 9B in particular was considered by many to be the outright best player in all of Japan. As a result, the Ice Climbers became one of most dominant characters in tournaments behind Meta Knight, and this coincided with their rise to 2nd place on the eighth and final Brawl Back Room tier list in 2013, right underneath Meta Knight in their own tier above the rest of the characters. Some players argued that since the Ice Climbers have access to a zero-death on every character that works at any percent, they could be tied for first place with Meta Knight, or could even be first place themselves; however, despite these advancements, the Ice Climbers' results never approached Meta Knight's uncontested dominance before the end of ''Brawl''{{'}} active competitive life at the release of ''Smash 4''.
 
The Ice Climbers are among the most disliked characters in ''Brawl'' by both casual and competitive players, since they possess a reliable zero-death against any character, something no other character has access to, with many players supporting the ban of the infinite chain grabs in tournaments. Due to the prominent competitive philosophy at the time of ''Brawl'' however, zero-death chain grabs were uncommonly singled out for banning in tournament rulesets, and with the definition of what construes an "infinite chain grab" usually being rigid, players of the Ice Climbers could find loopholes to avoid using it while still nearly securing stocks with each grab, making opponents' predicaments effectively the same. Some tournaments in the post-''Smash-4'' era, such as [[Glitch 2]], have banned the Ice Climbers altogether alongside Meta Knight, due to being considered [[broken|too powerful]], especially when Meta Knight is banned, further fueled by their unpopularity among opponents and spectators alike.
 
==Role in [[The Subspace Emissary]]==
[[File:Subspace iceclimbers.PNG|frame|Ice Climbers in ''[[SSE]]''.]]
The Ice Climbers were first seen climbing up a mountain together, possibly in pursuit of the [[Halberd]] or they were just climbing. When {{SSBB|Meta Knight}} passed them going up the mountain, the Ice Climbers took it as a challenge and jumped up the mountain with Meta Knight. Once they reached the top, the Ice Climbers celebrated with their "victory" for getting up the mountain first, until they and Meta Knight found {{SSBB|Lucario}}, who was looking for a fight with Meta Knight, so the Ice Climbers watch from the side nervously. After the fight, the winner revives the loser, to their relief, and the Halberd crashes the [[Great Fox]] into the mountain.  Although Meta Knight and Lucario managed to board the Halberd, the Ice Climbers (ironically) are thrown back to the ground towards {{SSBB|Marth}}, {{SSBB|Lucas}}, the {{SSBB|Pokémon Trainer}}, and {{SSBB|Ike}}. After facing some more [[Subspace Army]] troopers (with help from {{SSBB|Mario}} and {{SSBB|Link}}'s group), the Ice Climbers teamed up with the other heroes as they journeyed into [[Subspace]] but are turned into trophies by [[Tabuu]]. Ice Climbers are then revived by {{SSBB|King Dedede}}, {{SSBB|Luigi}}, {{SSBB|Ness}}, and {{SSBB|Kirby}} and help the other smashers defeat Tabuu and restore the World of Trophies to normal.
 
===Playable appearances===
*[[The Glacial Peak]]
*[[Entrance to Subspace]]
*[[The Great Maze]] (if rescued in [[Subspace (Part II)]])
 
===Exclusive [[sticker]]s===
These stickers can only be used by the Ice Climbers, or a select few including them:
*Balloon Fight Enemy: [Specials: Indirect] Attack +4
*Donbe: [Slash] Resistance +26
*Duck: Launch Resistance +20
*Fat Hockey Player: [Specials: Indirect] Attack +12
*F-Type: [Throwing] Attack +22
*Nana: [Specials: Direct] Attack +29
*Wild Gunman: [Specials: Indirect] Attack +5
*Yakuman Player: [Electric] Resistance +28


===On-screen appearance===
==In Solo Modes==
*The Condor flies in with them hanging off its feet, then they jump off.
==={{SSBB|Classic Mode}}===
In Classic Mode, Ice Climbers can appear as an opponent in Stage 9 on [[Summit]]. Ice Climbers can also appear as an opponent in Stage 11, but only if they haven't appeared in Stage 9.


===Cheer===
===[[All-Star Mode]]===
Na Na! (high female voices) Po Po! (deep male voices)
In All-Star Mode, Ice Climbers are fought in Stage 4 on [[Summit]].


==Matchups==
===[[Event Match]]es===
{{SSBBMatchupTable|iceclimbers=yes}}
====Solo Events====
*'''[[Event 11: Yoshi's Rainbow]]''': As the Ice Climbers, the player must KO six {{SSBB|Yoshi}}s in the order of red, pink, yellow, green, cyan, and blue.
*'''[[Event 17: Super Waterfall Climb]]''': {{SSBB|Zelda}} must survive on [[Rumble Falls]] until the background changes into a waterfall. Two pairs of Ice Climbers will try to hinder the player's progress.
*'''[[Event 34: All-Star Battle Melee]]''': Ice Climbers are one of the opponents fought in this event. All opponents are newcomers from ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''.


==Event Matches==
====Co-Op Events====
*'''[[Event 11: Yoshi's Rainbow]]''' - As the Ice Climbers, [[KO]] six [[Yoshi]]s in the order red, pink, yellow, green, pale blue, blue.
*'''[[Co-Op Event 10: The R.O.B.'s of Tomorrow]]''': {{SSBB|Lucario}} and the Ice Climbers must defeat five {{SSBB|R.O.B.}}s of varying sizes on [[Summit]].
*'''[[Event 34: All-Star Battle Melee]]''' - The Ice Climbers are one of the eight opponents the player must fight from ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' that return for ''Brawl''.
*'''[[Co-Op Event 21: The True All-Star Battle]]''': Both players select a character and take on the entire roster on {{SSBB|Battlefield}}.
*'''[[Co-Op Event 10: The R.O.B.'s of Tomorrow]]''' - Teamed with [[Lucario]], KO [[R.O.B.]]s of increasing size.
===[[Congratulations_screen#Super_Smash_Bros._Brawl|Congratulations Screens]]===
<center>
<gallery>
Ice Climbers Congratulations Screen Classic Mode Brawl.png|Classic Mode
Ice Climbers Congratulations Screen All-Star Brawl.png|All-Star Mode
</gallery>
</center>


==Role in [[Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary]]==
==[[Trophies]]==
[[File:Subspace iceclimbers.PNG|frame|Ice Climbers in the Subspace Emissary]]The Ice Climbers were first seen climbing up a mountain together, possibly in pursuit of the [[Halberd]] or they were just climbing. When [[Meta Knight (SSBB)|Meta Knight]] passed them going up the mountain, the Ice Climbers took it as a challenge and jumped up the mountain with Meta Knight. Once they reached the top, the Ice Climbers celebrated with their "victory" for getting up the mountain first, until they and Meta Knight found [[Lucario (SSBB)|Lucario]], who was looking for a fight with Meta Knight, so the Ice Climbers watch from the side nervously. After the fight, the [[Halberd]] crashes the [[Great Fox]] into the mountain.  Although Meta Knight and Lucario managed to board the Halberd, the Ice Climbers (ironically) are thrown back to the ground towards [[Marth (SSBB)|Marth]], [[Lucas (SSBB)|Lucas]], the [[Pokémon Trainer (SSBB)|Pokémon Trainer]], and [[Ike (SSBB)|Ike]]. After facing some more [[Subspace Army]] troopers, the Ice Climbers teamed up with the other heroes as they journeyed into [[Subspace]] and helped them battle [[Tabuu]].
The Ice Climbers' main and [[Final Smash]] trophies can be obtained by clearing {{SSBB|Classic Mode}} and [[All-Star]] mode respectively with the Ice Climbers.


[[File:Ice Climbers - Brawl Trophy.png|thumb|left|135x230px|Ice Climbers' trophy in ''Brawl''.]]
{{Trophy/Fighter
|name=Ice Climbers
|image=Ice Climbers - Brawl Trophy.png
|mode=Classic
|desc=The one in blue is Popo, and the one in pink is Nana. They use their incredible jumping powers and hammers to break blocks and climb to the summit. They grab veggies, and if they can catch the condor at the end, they conquer the mountain. Other than breaking blocks, their hammers are good for sending foes flying, climbing down from blocks, and destroying icicles.
|gamelist={{Trophy games|console1=NES|game1={{b|Ice Climber|game}}}}
|game=Brawl
}}
{{clrl}}


==Trophy description==
{{Trophy/Fighter
|name=Iceberg
|image=Iceberg - Brawl Trophy.png
|desc=The Ice Climbers' Final Smash. This giant ice mountain appears in the middle of a stage--it's incredibly slippery, so it's hard to control yourself when traversing it. In addition to being slick, this ice is also COLD, so opponents will take damage just from touching it. Attack the ice, and it will take damage and slowly shrink. Is it actually useful? That's a mystery.
|gamelist={{Trophy games|console1=Wii|game1=Super Smash Bros. Brawl}}
|game=Brawl
}}
{{clrl}}


''The one in blue is Popo, and the one in pink is Nana. They use their incredible jumping powers and hammers to break blocks and climb to the summit. They grab veggies, and if they can catch the condor at the end, they conquer the mountain. Other than breaking blocks, their hammers are good for sending foes flying, climbing down from blocks, and destroying icicles. ''
==[[Alternate costume (SSBB)#Ice Climbers|Alternate costumes]]==
{{Trophy games|console1=NES|game1=Ice Climber}}
Nana becomes the leading, player-controlled character when using the 2nd, 4th, and 6th costumes shown below. The stock icons for these costumes change to reflect this, but the character select portraits always show Popo in front.
<br clear="all" />
{|style="margin:1em auto 1em auto;text-align:center"
==[[Palette swap (SSBB)#Ice Climbers|Costumes]]==
|-
[[File:alt-iceclimbers2.jpg|frame|center|The Ice Climbers' [[palette swap]] in SSBB]]
|colspan=6|[[File:Ice Climbers Palette (SSBB).png]]
|-
|{{Head|Ice Climbers|g=SSBB|s=25px}}
|{{Head|Ice Climbers|g=SSBB|s=25px|cl=Red}}
|{{Head|Ice Climbers|g=SSBB|s=25px|cl=Blue}}
|{{Head|Ice Climbers|g=SSBB|s=25px|cl=Black}}
|{{Head|Ice Climbers|g=SSBB|s=25px|cl=Green}}
|{{Head|Ice Climbers|g=SSBB|s=25px|cl=White}}
|}


Note: Popo and Nana switch positions for their 2nd, 4th, and 6th costumes shown above, but they do not switch positions on the selection screen like they did in ''Melee''.
==Gallery==
<gallery>
SSBBDojoIceClimbers1.jpg|[[Taunt]]ing on {{SSBB|Yoshi's Island}}.
SSBBDojoIceClimbers2.jpg|Using [[Blizzard]] on {{SSBB|Link}} on [[Rumble Falls]].
SSBBDojoIceClimbers3.jpg|Popo [[footstool]]ing {{SSBB|Kirby}} on [[Lylat Cruise]].
SSBBDojoIceClimbers4.jpg|Taunting on [[Delfino Plaza]].
</gallery>


==Trivia==
==Trivia==
*Along with [[Pokemon Trainer (SSBB)|Pokémon Trainer]], [[Diddy Kong (SSBB)|Diddy Kong]], and [[Jigglypuff (SSBB)|Jigglypuff]], the Ice Climbers are one of the only characters to have a unique "Defeated/No Contest" pose different from the traditional hand clapping, with their head down while rubbing their eyes, making it seem as if they are crying. This pose is a reference to the one they make in ''Ice Climber'' after failing in a bonus level.
*Along with {{SSBB|Pokémon Trainer}}, {{SSBB|Diddy Kong}}, and {{SSBB|Jigglypuff}}, the Ice Climbers are one of the only characters to have a unique "Defeated/No Contest" pose different from the traditional hand clapping, with their head down while rubbing their eyes, making it seem as if they are crying. This pose is a reference to the one they make in ''Ice Climber'' after failing in a bonus level.
**If one looks carefully, Nana can actually be seen smirking while crying while Popo is frowning. This is fixed in ''[[Ultimate]]''.
*In Stamina mode, it is possible for the partner to die before the leader. Regardless of whether this happens or not, the partner will lay on the ground motionless, but not blink red.
*In Stamina mode, it is possible for the partner to die before the leader. Regardless of whether this happens or not, the partner will lay on the ground motionless, but not blink red.
*The partner can disappear during some [[Final Smashes]] if the leader is KO'd, leaving the opponent attacking nothing. Some examples are Ike's, Meta Knight's, Link's/Toon Link's, and Marth's, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZBtchSyaUc as seen here.]
*If the partner is caught in a trapping [[Final Smash]] and the leader is KO'd, the partner will disappear, leaving the opponent attacking nothing. Some examples are {{SSBB|Ike}}'s, {{SSBB|Meta Knight}}'s, {{SSBB|Link}}'s, and {{SSBB|Toon Link}}'s, and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZBtchSyaUc as seen here].
*Both Ice Climbers must win a microgame in the [[WarioWare, Inc.]] stage to be rewarded.
*Both Ice Climbers must win a microgame in the [[WarioWare, Inc.]] stage to be rewarded.
*The Ice Climbers are one of the only 2 characters (the other being King Dedede) that almost entirely depend on a weapon that isn't a sword; they use hammers instead.
*Certain Final Smashes, especially trapping ones, can cause the trailing Ice Climber's special effects to be slowed down under the effect of a [[Timer]] (Nana's stays even after the Timer is done). The effects end when one or both of the Ice Climbers are KO'd.
*Certain Final Smashes, especially trapping ones, can cause the trailing Ice Climber's special effects to be slowed down under the effect of a [[Timer]] (Nana's stays even after the Timer is done).
*When CPU controlled, if one Ice Climber is [[Star KO]]'d, the partner will sometimes [[taunt]].
*''[[Brawl]]'' is the only game where the portraits of the Ice Climbers are not swapped around when Nana is in the lead, the only game where their default costume is not available in [[Team Battle]]s and the only game where Nana takes the lead in all even numbered costumes.
*If the leader dies in Stamina Mode without losing all their stamina, the partner won't disappear and can keep playing normally. This was later fixed in ''Ultimate''.
*If the leader loses their stamina after the partner has been KO'd but they didn't lose all their stamina in Stamina Mode, the partner will respawn in the middle of the stage but will still be defeated.
*The Ice Climbers, {{SSBB|Ganondorf}}, {{SSBB|Meta Knight}}, {{SSBB|Mr. Game & Watch}}, and {{SSBB|Samus}} are the only characters whose icon in the Subspace Emissary and the Sticker menu is not based on their renders.


==External links==
==External links==
*[http://www.smashbros.com/en_us/characters/iceclimbers.html Ice Climbers' page at Smash Bros. DOJO!!.]
*[http://www.smashbros.com/wii/en_us/characters/iceclimbers.html Ice Climbers' page at Smash Bros. DOJO!!.]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHfGqpHBZI4 Chain Grab Tutorial]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHfGqpHBZI4 Chain Grab Tutorial]
*[http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=199966 Ice Climber Character Guide on SWF]
*[http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=199966 Ice Climber Character Guide on SmashBoards]
*[http://vimeo.com/4534483 Ice Climbers' Chain Grabbing Every Character, 0% to death]
*[http://vimeo.com/4534483 Ice Climbers' Chain Grabbing Every Character, 0% to death]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ag4JkYeC5o Ice Climbers' hitbox size of each of their moves, shown with Popo]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ag4JkYeC5o Ice Climbers' hitbox size of each of their moves, shown with Popo]
{{SSBBCharacters}}
{{SSBBCharacters}}
{{Ice Climber universe}}
{{Ice Climber universe}}
[[Category:Characters (SSBB)]]
[[Category:Ice Climbers (SSBB)| ]]
[[Category:Ice Climber universe]]
[[Category:Trophies (SSBB)]]
[[es:Ice Climbers (SSBB)]]

Latest revision as of 22:10, November 9, 2024

This article is about the Ice Climbers' appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. For the characters in general, see Ice Climbers. For other uses of "Ice Climber", see Ice Climber.
Ice Climbers
in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Ice Climbers SSBB.jpg
IceClimberSymbol.svg
Universe Ice Climber
Other playable appearances in Melee
in Ultimate

Availability Starter
Final Smash Iceberg
Tier S (2)
Ice Climbers (SSBB)

The Ice Climbers (アイス クライマー, Ice Climber) return as playable characters in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. They were confirmed on the Smash Bros. DOJO!! website on September 14, 2007.

Sanae Kobayashi is the voice of the Ice Climbers, reprising her role from Super Smash Bros. Melee; her portrayal is comprised of re-purposed voice clips leftover from the recording sessions for Melee, featuring returning and previously unused ones.

The Ice Climbers rank 2nd on the current tier list, putting them in the S tier, a noticeable improvement over their already high 8th out of 26 ranking in Melee, making this their best placement in the series. This is primarily due to their extensive and intricate grab game that can potentially lead to an inescapable zero-to-death combo on any character and on any stage. The partner mechanism of the character also forces opponents to rethink their approach, as one climber can easily disrupt combos and chain grabs. The duo also has two decent projectiles, and they are armed with a relatively powerful meteor smash along with one of the largest disjointed up aerials in the game. However, if the partner climber is KO'd, the leader cannot use special moves as effectively and is somewhat helpless during recovery. A lone Ice Climber also has drastically lowered damage output and KO potential, especially due to their inability to perform a meteor smash, and is considerably more open to grabs and combos. Regardless, the Ice Climbers have very good matchups (losing to only four characters, with Meta Knight being the only top tier they lose to), and very strong tournament results.

Attributes[edit]

The Ice Climbers are lightweight characters that have the unique property of being a "two in one" character, wherein the game considers each Climber to be a unique character in its own right. The follower is always slightly weaker than the leader, but only the follower can meteor smash with their forward aerial. The Ice Climbers are able to grab two different items and are even able to grab two separate characters. In addition, their unique property also makes them much harder to grab and throw effectively (when one Ice Climber gets grabbed, the partner can simply counterattack, making them immune to chain-grabs), and conversely allows them to have a superior grab game entirely unique to them (see "chain-grabbing and desynching" below). However, they can easily be separated by strong enough attacks. In this scenario, it is advisable to stick to and protect the partner, even if it puts the player in additional danger. Should the CPU Climber get KO'd during the stock, the remaining Climber will have drastically reduced damage output, KO ability, and recovery, with Belay becoming practically useless and Squall Hammer loses a good deal of distance (whereas with both Climbers they are excellent recovery moves).

The Ice Climbers are great at dealing damage when together, have decent attack speed, and possess a few interesting attacks in their arsenal. Their neutral special move, Ice Shot, is a projectile fired by each Ice Climber which slides along the ground, making it impossible to avoid by crouching/crawling. Blizzard, the down special move, can freeze opponents and even cover both sides if the partner is present, or alternatively can be made to cover one side if performed while jumping with the partner, giving the attack more power. Squall Hammer is a decent approach attack with good damage and speed, spinning the Ice Climbers around each other in a forward-moving hammer attack. Belay, the up special, is a powerful KO move should the second Climber connect with the opponent, but it is generally a risky use of the move given that it separates the Climbers and puts them into a helpless animation. A unique addition to their character is that the Ice Climbers are not affected by the conditions of slippery surfaces such as ice, and they won't slide on it. This is due to the fact that they are wearing cleats. Oddly, their cleats do not affect their traction on normal surfaces, as it is second-lowest in the game (Luigi has the lowest).

The Ice Climbers are not very good at using their standard arsenal of attacks for continuous hits, normally speaking. With weak throws, small hammers, and slow movement in general (slow falling, air, and dash speed), the Ice Climbers can usually only manage one or two good hits in close before they need to resort to Ice Shots or Blizzard again. With both Climbers present, KOing generally is not too much of a problem, although their smashes are generally better at racking up the damage than at KOing.

Chaingrabbing and desynching[edit]

Japanese Smasher 9B using a combination of the IC's down throw and back throw to perform a 0 to death infinite chain grab on Selcia's Meta Knight. The throw is setup using a combination of Blizzard and the Climbers' forward aerial and is finished using the Ice Climbers' up smash.

Many players consider the Ice Climbers to be "the King and Queen of all chain grabs" due to the fact that their two-in-one property allows for a variety of infinite chain-grab options that can combo into kill moves. For example, the lead Ice Climber can grab onto one opponent and use the forward throw. In the middle of the throw animation, the player can gain control of the CPU Climber, commanding them into performing a forward aerial spike, or grabbing again with the CPU Climber. while once again bringing the original, player-controlled Climber in for a new grab. Infinite chain grabs of this nature can be performed at any percent, on any character, on nearly any stage. One hindrance to this strategy is the Ice Climbers' short grab range and low traction, making it almost impossible to grab an opponent when they hit the player's shield(s) unless the Climbers powershield the attack.

The Ice Climbers have many different options to perform an infinite chaingrab. They can use any combination of forward throw, down throw, and back throw, but each option has different timings for every character. For example, against Meta Knight it is most common for players to infinite using a combination of down throw and back throw, as these two throws have the largest time windows to achieve a regrab. Against large characters that are difficult to chaingrab, like Snake and R.O.B., the down throw can be used in conjunction with the footstool hop and ice shots for another infinite: the hobble. A hobble is performed when the Ice Climbers' down throw sends opponents into the air, the second Ice Climber jumps and footstools the opponent back onto the ground, and as the opponent bounces, the first Ice Climber traps them with an ice shot causing a reset for another grab. The only possible break to a perfectly executed infinite is Brawl's random tripping, which can occur if either climber dashes for any length of time. This can be avoided by only performing infinite chaingrabs while walking. When a chain grab has raised an opponent's damage enough, the most typically used move to KO the opponent is their up smash, if a forward air meteor smash is inapplicable. All of these chain throws can be considered 0-KO combos.

For further two-in-one tricks, it is even possible to de-synchronize or "desync" the CPU partner by confusing it with erratic movement (such as dash-dancing), putting the player in control of both Climbers for as long as they are capable of maintaining it. Once the partner is desynced, the player can have it perform any move while the main Climber is in the middle of one, providing for all sorts of possible attack strategies that can be exceedingly difficult for opponents to escape from (alternating Blizzard, alternating Ice Shot). While desynced, the partner Climber has restrained movement within an invisible box around the main Climber; should they be separated or removed from this box, the CPU will take over again. This invisible box makes it so that if the player desyncs from the AI so that it charges a smash attack and they start walking or running away, the AI will slide in the player's direction while charging the smash. A unique thing that the player can do when desynced is that if they desync the AI to charge a smash attack, their Belay will cancel the AI's charging sequence and teleport it into the belaying sequence. Such techniques are extremely difficult to perform in combat, even for advanced players, due to the constant string of precise commands required for the Climbers to move/attack as intended. Nevertheless, these techniques are considered the backbone of playing the Ice Climbers at a competitive level.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. Melee[edit]

The Ice Climbers have received a mix of buffs and nerfs. Due to the changes in grab mechanics, they can no longer wobble, which previously played a part in their competitive viability. Additionally, the loss of wavedashing has also served to be problematic due to their already poor traction inhibiting their approach and mobility, though not as much as Luigi. Their damage output is also lower, some of their moves have reduced KO power and all of their grounded moves have more ending lag.

However, due to the influence of chaingrabs, the Ice Climbers are considered to be overall buffed due to the improvements to their chaingrabbing ability in which makes them even more deadly than in Melee. The player now has full control over the second climber during a grab allowing the player to freely chain grab and combo out of a grab. In addition, their standing grab is slightly faster and the changes to shields makes it easier for the Ice Climbers to grab their opponents. The Ice Climbers are one of the only characters in the game who can consistently 0-death the entire cast which is especially helpful as combos are generally significantly less deadly and plentiful in Brawl than in Melee due to the introduction of hitstun canceling. The partner climber is also more intelligent than they are in Melee making them more useful and less vulnerable. While the Ice Climbers' grounded movement was reduced, the rest of the cast received the same treatment and some of the moves which gave the Ice Climbers the most trouble (such as Fox's Shine and Peach's down smash) have been significantly nerfed making it harder for opponents to play around their grabs and separate them. Lastly, Blizzard is a much stronger tool than in Melee and can be a strong tool to allow the Ice Climbers to grab their opponents.

As a result, they are one of the few characters considered to have been truly buffed from Melee to Brawl, and they are widely considered to be the best character behind Meta Knight.

Aesthetics[edit]

  • Change As with all characters, the Ice Climbers have received a drastic graphical boost, with their parkas having higher quality textures.
  • Change The Ice Climbers have two new alternate costumes and Nana's orange costume is replaced with a blue one to make her look almost identical to Popo. One new costume has them in white while the other has Nana in black and Popo in grey. The player takes control of Popo in the blue skin and Nana in the new white and black skins.
  • Change The red Nana blue Popo costume has darker colors, and Nana's yellow costume uses a much darker variant of yellow.
  • Change Nana no longer switches positions on the character selection screen in costumes where she is the leader
  • Change As on-screen appearances were not present in Melee, the Ice Climbers now receive one.

Attributes[edit]

  • Buff The Ice Climbers walk slightly faster (0.95 → 0.96).
  • Nerf The Ice Climbers dash slightly slower (1.4 → 1.388).
  • Buff The Ice Climbers' air speed is faster (0.7 → 0.7708) though it is still very low.
  • Change As with other returning veterans, the Ice Climbers' falling speed was reduced (1.6 → 1.2). Compared to the returning veterans, however, the Ice Climbers fall faster. While this improves their endurance, it worsens their recovery and makes them more vulnerable to combos and chain grabs relative to the cast.
  • Change The Ice Climbers' gravity is lower (0.1 → 0.077). While this slightly hinders their vertical endurance, it also makes them less vulnerable to chain grabs.
  • Buff The Ice Climbers' traction has been unchanged (0.035). Comparing with the returning veterans, however, the Climbers' traction is higher, making it easier for them to punish out of shield although it remains the second lowest traction in the game. Their traction remains unchanged on ice which is even more effective than in Melee as traction was decreased across the board in Brawl. They are also immune to tripping on ice while the rest of the cast has a higher chance of tripping on ice.
  • Change The Ice Climbers are heavier (88 → 92).
  • Nerf Jumpsquat is longer (3 frames → 4).
  • Buff Both Ice Climbers can now grab a ledge at the same time, improving their recovery.
  • Buff The AI level of the partner when separated has been increased, now being nearly equivalent to a level 9 CPU.
  • Buff The partner climber can now mash out of a shield break.
  • Buff Many of the partner's attacks now have lower hitlag multipliers, making their attacks harder to DI.
  • Buff Stale move negation no longer affects the partner's attacks when they are performing the same attack as the leader.
  • Nerf To compensate for this, however, many of the partner's attacks now deal less damage (usually around 1%-3% less) resulting in a fair amount of their moves dealing less damage when they are together, although the partner's aerials and smash attacks have higher knockback than the leader's to somewhat compensate.
  • Nerf The Ice Climbers are easier to separate when attacked.
  • Nerf The partner Ice Climber is now the same weight as the leader rather than heavier, and no longer has passive armor, making them easier to KO.
  • Nerf The removal of wavedashing has hindered the Ice Climbers' mobility and approach, especially compared to the other returning veterans, although it also hinders the rest of the cast's mobility, making it easier for the Ice Climbers to grab their opponents.
  • Bug fix The freeze glitch has been completely removed.

Ground attacks[edit]

  • Neutral attack:
    • Buff The first hit of neutral attack deals more damage (2% → 3%) and deals more damage overall due to changes to stale move negation (8% → 11% assuming both climbers are present).
    • Nerf Both hits of neutral attack have more ending lag (FAF 16 → 27 (hit 1), frame 18 → 20 (hit 2)).
  • Forward tilt:
    • Buff Forward tilt deals more damage (8% → 9% (solo), 15% → 16% (non angled with partner) 18% (angled with partner)) although its base knockback was compensated on the up angled version (40 → 30). The non angled version also has higher base knockback (26 → 30) and the partner's version has less hitlag (1x → 0.5x).
    • Nerf Forward tilt has more startup lag (frame 6 → 9) and ending lag (FAF 28 → 32).
  • Up tilt:
    • Buff Up tilt has bigger hitboxes and has a reduced hitlag multiplier (1x → 0.5x (leader loop hits/partner final hit), 0.3x (partner)), making it connect more reliably especially against grounded opponents.
    • Nerf Up tilt's final hit deals less damage (7% → 4%) with no compensation on its knockback and up tilt has more ending lag (FAF 42 → 48).
  • Down tilt:
    • Buff Down tilt deals more damage (4-5% → 6%), has higher base knockback (30 → 40) and now sends opponents in a semi spike angle as opposed to a more vertical angle (70° → 20°). While this hinders its combo potential, it significantly improves its edgeguarding potential (which is overall more useful due to the introduction of hitstun canceling). It also connects much more reliably when both climbers are present.
    • Nerf Down tilt has more ending lag (FAF 29 → 31).
  • Dash attack:
    • Nerf Dash attack deals less damage (9% → 6%) although its knockback scaling was compensated (40 → 60). It also has more ending lag (FAF 38 → 41).
  • Forward smash:
    • Buff Forward smash has less startup lag (frame 13 → 12) and the sourspot deals more damage (10% → 12%). The partner's forward smash also has more knockback scaling (105 → 118).
    • Nerf Forward smash's sweetspot deals less damage (14% → 13%) and both hits have less base knockback (40 → 30). It also has slightly increased ending lag (FAF 47 → 48).
  • Up smash:
    • Buff Up smash has less startup lag with a longer duration (frames 14-18 → 13-18)
    • Nerf Up Smash has less knockback scaling (128 → 105 (leader), 113 (partner)) and it now has a sourspot which deals 9%. It also has more ending lag (FAF 44 → 50).
  • Down smash:
    • Buff Down smash can deal more damage since it now has two hits (20%-22% → 36%-40% (both climbers)).
    • Change Down smash now launches opponents vertically (361° → 60°/83°).
    • Nerf Down smash has more startup lag (frame 6 → 9) and ending lag (FAF 36 → 45). It also deals less knockback (50 (base), 110 (scaling) → 30/105 (leader), 30/113 (partner)) and it now has a sourspot which deals 10% although it launches opponents at a more vertical angle to compensate.

Aerial attacks[edit]

  • Change Neutral, back and up aerials have less landing lag (20 frames → 15 (neutral/back), 32 frames → 30 (up)). Due to the removal of L-canceling however, their landing lag was not fully compensated.
  • Buff Due to their lower fall speed, the Ice Climbers can now use two aerials in a short hop by using either back aerial or up aerial.
  • Neutral aerial:
    • Buff Neutral aerial can now auto-cancel in a short hop due to the Ice Climbers' lower falling speed. Despite the partner's neutral aerial dealing much less damage (8% → 5%), it's knockback scaling was compensated (100 → 128).
    • Nerf Neutral aerial deals less damage (8% → 7%) hindering its KO potential with a solo climber.
  • Forward aerial:
    • Buff Forward aerial deals more damage (11%/10%/9% → 12% (solo), 20% → 24% (clean with both climbers)) improving its KO potential despite the leader's forward aerial having lower knockback scaling (100 → 95) although the base knockback on the partner's sweetspot was compensated (40 → 20). It also sends opponents at a more horizontal angle (70° → 40°) improving its edgeguarding and KO potential.
    • Nerf The leader's forward aerial can no longer meteor smash meaning that only the partner's forward aerial can meteor smash.
    • Nerf Forward aerial has a shorter duration (frames 19-22 → 19-20).
  • Back aerial:
    • Buff Back aerial deals more knockback (30 (base), 100 (scaling) → 25/107 (leader), 25/128 (partner)).
    • Nerf Back aerial no longer has a sweetspot which deals more damage (12% → 11%) and knockback (30 (base), 110 (scaling) → 25/107).
  • Up aerial:
    • Buff Clean up aerial deals more damage (8/9% → 10%) although its knockback was compensated (10 (base), 140 (scaling) → 20/120 (leader), 20/142 (partner)) and it still has a sourspot which deals 9%.
    • Nerf The leader's up aerial sourspot deals less knockback although the knockback on the partner's version was compensated for its lower damage (10 (base), 140 (scaling) → 20/120 (leader), 20/142 (partner)).
  • Down aerial:
    • Buff Down aerial no longer has set knockback (36 (set), 110 (scaling) → 40 (base), 90 (leader scaling), 130 (partner scaling)). This gives the attack KO potential around 170%.
    • Change Down aerial now acts as a stall-then-fall attack, making it risky to use offstage, but giving it recovery usage via down air stall.
    • Nerf Down aerial deals less damage (9% → 8%) has more startup lag with a shorter duration (frames 3-52 → 9-51) and it has more landing lag (25 frames → 42).

Throws/other attacks[edit]

  • Grabs:
    • Buff Standing grab has less startup lag (frame 7 → 6).
    • Nerf Dash grab has more startup lag (frame 7 → 8).
    • Buff The partner is now controlled by the player rather than the AI when grabbing a foe, enabling the player to effectively control the direction in which to throw the foe, significantly extending chaingrabs and allowing for easy kill setups. This means that despite the removal of Wobbling, the Ice Climbers can still effectively zero-death the entire cast which while more difficult to perform, it still remains inescapable and is overall more versatile.
  • Pummel:
    • Nerf Pummel deals less damage (3% → 1%) and its speed wasn't increased enough to compensate (frame 26 → 19).
  • Nerf All throws except down throw deal less damage (11% → 8% (forward), 7% → 6% (back), 11% → 6% (up)).
  • Back throw:
    • Buff Back throw is now a true infinite chaingrab. It can also be used in conjunction with footstool jumping and Ice Shot to lock the opponent.
  • Up throw:
    • Change Up throw has higher base knockback (110 → 120).
  • Down throw:
    • Buff Down throw's knockback was tweaked with down throw dealing much less knockback (70 (base), 40 (scaling) → 30/100). When combined with the removal of DI against moves which don't put opponents into tumble, this makes the attack more reliable for chain-grabbing both with or without the partner.
    • Buff Down throw no longer requires the aid of Blizzard or down aerial to string chaingrabs due to the greater degree of control the player has over the partner.

Special moves[edit]

  • Change The Ice Climbers have different voice clips when performing their specials, and all specials have different sound effects.
  • Ice Shot:
    • Buff Ice Shot is no longer absorbable and can now be B-reversed.
    • Nerf Ice shot deals less damage (5% → 3%). The hammer also no longer has a hitbox, heavily reducing the move's maximum damage output (26% → 6%) and increasing the move's startup lag (frame 15 → 17).
    • Change Landing with the move from the air now results in an animation where the Climbers crash land on their rears. The landing lag is the same, however.
  • Squall Hammer:
    • Buff Squall Hammer connects more reliably, making it easier to rack up damage with it.
    • Change Squall Hammer now sends off flakes of ice if both Ice Climbers are present. The loop hitboxes also deal more consistent damage, though it is still very inconsistent (1-4% → 2-3%).
    • Nerf Squall Hammer no longer grants any vertical distance unless both Ice Climbers are present.
  • Belay:
    • Buff Belay now acts as a tether recovery when used close to a ledge; the partner will first shoot to the ledge, then the leader will immediately reach up to it. A lone Ice Climber's Belay also covers slightly more distance, allows them to move left or right, and allows the climber to turn around, no longer leaving the climber helpless if they are facing away from the ledge.
    • Nerf The partner climber travels less horizontal distance when using Belay. It also has more landing lag (25 frames → 30).
  • Blizzard:
    • Buff Blizzard deals consistent damage (1-2% → 2%) and it connects more reliably. It also freezes opponents significantly sooner and more reliably. It can now also be B-reversed.
  • Iceberg:
    • Change The Ice Climbers now have a Final Smash: Iceberg. They summon an enormous iceberg up from the ground that covers almost the entire stage, damaging and freezing enemies who touch it.

Moveset[edit]

For a gallery of Ice Climbers' hitboxes, see here.
Note: This assumes that both Ice Climbers are present.

  Name Damage Description
Neutral attack   3% (leader), 2% (partner) A horizontal swipe followed by an upward swing.
4% (leader), 2% (partner)
Forward tilt ↗   9% (both) Does a side swing with their hammers. Can be angled up or down, with the partner dealing more damage if angled up or down.
→ 9% (leader), 7% (partner)
↘ 9% (both)
Up tilt   1% (hits 1-6), 4% (hit 7 [leader]), 3% (hit 7 [partner]) Twirl their hammers over their heads, creating a lingering hitbox that deals multiple hits. Can often lead to a grab at low percents.
Down tilt   6% (leader), 4-5% (partner) Sweep their hammers across the ground in front of them. Used generally for gimping recoveries such as Snake's Cypher.
Dash attack   6% (leader), 4% (partner) Leaps forward and swings their hammers in front of themselves.
Forward smash   13%/12% (leader), 10%/9% (partner) Lifts their hammers over their heads, then smashes them straight down. Deals good knockback it both Ice Climbers' hammers connect. Deals less damage if the opponents hit the hilt of the hammers and more damage if they hit the head.
Up smash   11%/9% (leader), 9%/8% (partner) Swings their hammers in an arc over their heads. Good as a finisher from chain grabs. Deals more damage if the opponent hit the head of the hammer.
Down smash   12%/10% (leader), 9%/8% (partner) Spins around and sweeps the ground with their hammers. Can hit up to four times if the opponent is really close and at low percentages. The second most damaging down smash in the game if all four hits connect. Deals more damage if the opponent hits the head of the hammer.
Neutral aerial   7% (leader), 5% (partner) Spin in a circle with their hammers outstretched. Good for aerial spacing.
Forward aerial   12% (leader), 12% (partner sweetspot), 7% (partner sourspot) Holds their hammers up and bring them down in a similar fashion to their forward smash. The partner can meteor smash opponents if the move is sweetspotted.
Back aerial   11% (leader), 8% (partner) Turns around and does a backswing with their hammers.
Up aerial   10%/9% (leader clean), 7% (leader late), 7%/6% (partner clean), 5% (partner late) Thrust their hammers above themselves like their up tilt, but with only one hitbox per Ice Climber.
Down aerial   8% (leader), 5% (partner) Hold their hammers below themselves and falls downwards. A stall-then-fall move, with the stall being almost unnoticeable. Has very large landing lag if not auto-cancelled.
Grab   —  
Pummel   1% A headbutt. The leader pummels the opponent, whereas the player has some control over the partner while pummeling.
Forward throw   3% (hit 1), 5% (throw) Hits opponent forward with their hammers. If the player walks slightly forward with the partner before using, they can regrab the opponent again right after they use the attack, making this throw a chaingrab.
Back throw   6% Throws opponent behind. Usable in a chaingrab.
Up throw   2% (hit 1), 4% (throw) Throw opponent upwards then hits them with hammer.
Down throw   6% Spins and then throws the opponent to the ground. Can be used to chain grab infinitely with good timing if both Ice Climbers participate.
Forward roll
Back roll
Spot dodge
Air dodge 		— —
Techs — —
Floor attack (front)
Floor getups (front) 		  6% Gets up and spins around, hitting with their hammers.
Floor attack (back)
Floor getups (back) 		  6% Gets up and swipes their hammers on both sides.
Floor attack (trip)
Floor getups (trip) 		  5% Gets up and spins around, hitting with their hammers.
Edge attack (fast)
Edge getups (fast) 		  8% (hammer), 6% (body) Quickly gets up and slams their hammer on the ground.
Edge attack (slow)
Edge getups (slow) 		  10% (hammer), 8% (body) Slowly gets up and swipes their hammer forwards.
Neutral special Ice Shot 1-3% Each Ice Climber fires a chunk of ice that slides along the ground and bounces off walls. When used in midair, the Ice Climbers will gain a slight boost in the air, but it will only work once before landing on the ground.
Side special Squall Hammer 2-3% (loop) Both Ice Climbers spin around together while moving along the ground, consisting of many hits. It can also be used as a recovery move by mashing the B button, which causes both Ice Climbers to rise in the air. It gains more distance when both Ice Climbers are present.
Up special Belay 16% The leading Ice Climber throws the following Ice Climber in the air with a rope. The following Ice Climber then pulls the leader upwards. If there is a nearby edge, the following Climber will target it, leading to a safe recovery for both Ice Climbers. Each Ice Climber become helpless after the move is used.
Down special Blizzard 1-2% Each Ice Climber blows icy wind from their hands, damaging nearby opponents. When the move is used on the ground, the partner will shoot in the direction opposite of the leader.
Final Smash Iceberg 2% (hit), 5% (frozen) The Ice Climbers summon a huge Iceberg into the middle of the field. Touching the iceberg results in freeze damage, and possibly becoming frozen. Being frozen when pushed off the edge can lead to a swift KO, as the frozen player falls with full speed.

Stats[edit]

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Stats Weight Dash speed Walk speed Traction Air friction Air speed Air acceleration Gravity Falling speed Jumpsquat Jump Height Double jump Height
Value 92 1.4 – Initial dash
1.388 – Run		 0.96 0.035 0.015 0.7708 0.01 – Base
0.08 – Additional		 0.077 1.2 – Base
1.68 – Fast-fall		 4 34.69501461 - Base
? - Short hop		 ?

Announcer call[edit]

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The editor who added this tag suggests: Needs announcer calls from other languages.
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  • English

Wii Remote selection sound[edit]

  • An Ice Shot sound is heard and both Ice Climbers say "Youp!"
Ice Climbers' selection sound

On-screen appearance[edit]

  • The Condor flies in with them hanging off its feet, then they jump off.
IceClimbersOnScreenAppearanceSSBB.gif

Taunts[edit]

  • Up taunt: They set down their hammers and jump up and down. In the Ice Climber NES game, this is the victory celebration of the Ice Climbers during the results screen (albeit without the flag).
  • Side taunt: They will point their hammers diagonally upward shout "Yup!", as wind blows behind them (same as in Melee, only with different sound effects).
  • Down taunt: They dance in a circle.
Up taunt Side taunt Down taunt
IceClimbersUpTauntBrawl.gif IceClimbersSideTauntBrawl.gif IceClimbersDownTauntBrawl.gif

Idle poses[edit]

  • Spin their hammers.
  • Drops their hammers off their shoulders then picks them back up.
Ice Climbers Popo Idle Pose 1 Brawl.png Ice Climbers Popo Idle Pose 2 Brawl.png

Crowd cheer[edit]

English Japanese
Cheer
Description Na-Na! Po-po Ice-cli-mer!
Pitch High female, then Deep male Group chant
  • In the NTSC-U and PAL versions, when playing as Nana, the Back sound of the menu plays in lieu of the crowd chant.
    • The fact that the crowd chant changes (albeit in a glitchy manner) depending on which Climber is leading the pair might indicate that the lead Climber's name was intended to be chanted first by the crowd.

Victory poses[edit]

A cover of the music that played when the Ice Climbers grabbed the feet of the Condor at the end of a bonus level in Ice Climber.
  • Up: Both nod and high five one another.
  • Left: Both jump up and down (their victory pose from Ice Climber).
  • Right: Nana hides behind Popo, only showing her face as Popo shifts from left to right.
Up Left Right
IceClimbers-VictoryUp-SSBB.gif IceClimbers-VictoryLeft-SSBB.gif IceClimbers-VictoryRight-SSBB.gif

In competitive play[edit]

Notable players[edit]

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See also: Category:Ice Climbers players (SSBB)
  • Japan 9B - Widely considered the best Ice Climbers player in the world and one of the best players in Japan along with Edge, notably winning SKTAR 3.
  • USA DeLux - Placed 5th at WHOBO 5.
  • USA ESAM - Considered one of the best players in the United States during the game's later stages; although famous primarily for his Pikachu, has used an Ice Climbers co-main to great success, defeating players such as Kakera and ZeRo using them.
  • Japan Kakera - Known as one of the top players in Japan, placed 5th at Apex 2012.
  • USA lain - A nationally dominant player during his peak from 2009-2010.
  • Japan Miyacchi - Defeated players such as 9B, Smasher, Nagahari, Earth, OCEAN, Suinoko, Shu, Kei and Masashi.
  • USA Nakat - Quickly rose as a top Ice Climbers player in 2013, with a 4th place at SKTAR 2 and wins over Mew2King, Anti, Nairo, and ZeRo.
  • USA Vinnie - A nationally dominant player in the later stages of Brawl's life, after switching to Ice Climbers from Mr. Game & Watch.
  • Japan Yunon - Defeated players such as Shu, Kuroobi, and RAIN.

Tier placement and history[edit]

In the first year of Brawl's metagame, the Ice Climbers were ranked as high tier characters but weren't considered a particularly dominant force, given how weak Popo alone is after Nana is KO'd, and their powerful grab tactics being unrecognized at the time. However, Ice Climbers players soon began to utilize their infinite chain grabs, giving them an extremely powerful zero-to-death option against any other character, which shot them up the tier list. Players found dealing with this difficult, as it completely changed the way players fought the Ice Climbers, with the matchup now revolving around avoiding getting grabbed at all, and the Ice Climbers were able to completely shut down characters who lacked effective means to avoid grabs or separate the Climbers. lain became the character's first top level player in 2009 and 2010, achieving multiple major top 8 placements, such as Apex 2009 and S.N.E.S. This resulted in the Ice Climbers being considered uncontested top tiers by the Brawl Back Room's the fourth tier list where they ranked 5th, just short of two years after Brawl's American release. However, the Ice Climbers were held back by their relative lack of top representation compared to other top tiers, and lain was never able to win a major over other top tier mains. Additionally, the existence of numerous extremely unfavorable stage counterpicks kept the Ice Climbers in check, preventing them from becoming truly dominant. In the earlier Brawl metagame, multiple stages with scrolling platforms and hazards, such as Rainbow Cruise, Brinstar, and Norfair, were available as counterpicks; these stages favored more air-based gameplay and made it much more difficult for the Ice Climbers to complete a zero-to-death chain grab without getting interrupted by the stage.

As Brawl's metagame further refined, the Ice Climbers' tournament presence continued to grow. The Ice Climbers' worst stages also happened to be Meta Knight's strongest stages; as Meta Knight's dominance over the Brawl scene continued to grow, Rainbow Cruise, Brinstar, and Norfair eventually were banned in all Meta Knight legal tournaments due to his unmatched aerial prowess on those stages. The other two stages with more minor moving platforms and hazards, Halberd and Delfino Plaza, also became more frequently banned due to Meta Knight's dominance there, and usually only one of these stages was available as a counterpick, which gave Ice Climbers mains the opportunity to play around this with a stage ban. These factors allowed the Ice Climbers to truly shine in the Brawl scene. Although lain became inactive, a new wave of even better Ice Climbers players arose from 2011 to 2014. 9B, Vinnie, ESAM, Kakera, and NAKAT quickly became some of the biggest tournament threats in both North America and Japan, achieving multiple first place victories at events such as SumabatoX 6, SKTAR 3, and the MK-banned WHOBO 4 and WHOBO 5; 9B in particular was considered by many to be the outright best player in all of Japan. As a result, the Ice Climbers became one of most dominant characters in tournaments behind Meta Knight, and this coincided with their rise to 2nd place on the eighth and final Brawl Back Room tier list in 2013, right underneath Meta Knight in their own tier above the rest of the characters. Some players argued that since the Ice Climbers have access to a zero-death on every character that works at any percent, they could be tied for first place with Meta Knight, or could even be first place themselves; however, despite these advancements, the Ice Climbers' results never approached Meta Knight's uncontested dominance before the end of Brawl' active competitive life at the release of Smash 4.

The Ice Climbers are among the most disliked characters in Brawl by both casual and competitive players, since they possess a reliable zero-death against any character, something no other character has access to, with many players supporting the ban of the infinite chain grabs in tournaments. Due to the prominent competitive philosophy at the time of Brawl however, zero-death chain grabs were uncommonly singled out for banning in tournament rulesets, and with the definition of what construes an "infinite chain grab" usually being rigid, players of the Ice Climbers could find loopholes to avoid using it while still nearly securing stocks with each grab, making opponents' predicaments effectively the same. Some tournaments in the post-Smash-4 era, such as Glitch 2, have banned the Ice Climbers altogether alongside Meta Knight, due to being considered too powerful, especially when Meta Knight is banned, further fueled by their unpopularity among opponents and spectators alike.

Role in The Subspace Emissary[edit]

Ice Climbers in SSE.

The Ice Climbers were first seen climbing up a mountain together, possibly in pursuit of the Halberd or they were just climbing. When Meta Knight passed them going up the mountain, the Ice Climbers took it as a challenge and jumped up the mountain with Meta Knight. Once they reached the top, the Ice Climbers celebrated with their "victory" for getting up the mountain first, until they and Meta Knight found Lucario, who was looking for a fight with Meta Knight, so the Ice Climbers watch from the side nervously. After the fight, the winner revives the loser, to their relief, and the Halberd crashes the Great Fox into the mountain. Although Meta Knight and Lucario managed to board the Halberd, the Ice Climbers (ironically) are thrown back to the ground towards Marth, Lucas, the Pokémon Trainer, and Ike. After facing some more Subspace Army troopers (with help from Mario and Link's group), the Ice Climbers teamed up with the other heroes as they journeyed into Subspace but are turned into trophies by Tabuu. Ice Climbers are then revived by King Dedede, Luigi, Ness, and Kirby and help the other smashers defeat Tabuu and restore the World of Trophies to normal.

Playable appearances[edit]

Exclusive stickers[edit]

These stickers can only be used by the Ice Climbers, or a select few including them:

  • Balloon Fight Enemy: [Specials: Indirect] Attack +4
  • Donbe: [Slash] Resistance +26
  • Duck: Launch Resistance +20
  • Fat Hockey Player: [Specials: Indirect] Attack +12
  • F-Type: [Throwing] Attack +22
  • Nana: [Specials: Direct] Attack +29
  • Wild Gunman: [Specials: Indirect] Attack +5
  • Yakuman Player: [Electric] Resistance +28

In Solo Modes[edit]

Classic Mode[edit]

In Classic Mode, Ice Climbers can appear as an opponent in Stage 9 on Summit. Ice Climbers can also appear as an opponent in Stage 11, but only if they haven't appeared in Stage 9.

All-Star Mode[edit]

In All-Star Mode, Ice Climbers are fought in Stage 4 on Summit.

Event Matches[edit]

Solo Events[edit]

Co-Op Events[edit]

Congratulations Screens[edit]

  • Classic Mode

    Classic Mode

  • All-Star Mode

    All-Star Mode

Trophies[edit]

The Ice Climbers' main and Final Smash trophies can be obtained by clearing Classic Mode and All-Star mode respectively with the Ice Climbers.

Classic Mode trophy
Ice Climbers
The one in blue is Popo, and the one in pink is Nana. They use their incredible jumping powers and hammers to break blocks and climb to the summit. They grab veggies, and if they can catch the condor at the end, they conquer the mountain. Other than breaking blocks, their hammers are good for sending foes flying, climbing down from blocks, and destroying icicles.
NES: Ice Climber
Iceberg trophy
Iceberg
The Ice Climbers' Final Smash. This giant ice mountain appears in the middle of a stage--it's incredibly slippery, so it's hard to control yourself when traversing it. In addition to being slick, this ice is also COLD, so opponents will take damage just from touching it. Attack the ice, and it will take damage and slowly shrink. Is it actually useful? That's a mystery.
Wii: Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Alternate costumes[edit]

Nana becomes the leading, player-controlled character when using the 2nd, 4th, and 6th costumes shown below. The stock icons for these costumes change to reflect this, but the character select portraits always show Popo in front.

Ice Climbers Palette (SSBB).png
Ice Climbers (SSBB) Ice Climbers (SSBB) Ice Climbers (SSBB) Ice Climbers (SSBB) Ice Climbers (SSBB) Ice Climbers (SSBB)

Gallery[edit]

Trivia[edit]

  • Along with Pokémon Trainer, Diddy Kong, and Jigglypuff, the Ice Climbers are one of the only characters to have a unique "Defeated/No Contest" pose different from the traditional hand clapping, with their head down while rubbing their eyes, making it seem as if they are crying. This pose is a reference to the one they make in Ice Climber after failing in a bonus level.
    • If one looks carefully, Nana can actually be seen smirking while crying while Popo is frowning. This is fixed in Ultimate.
  • In Stamina mode, it is possible for the partner to die before the leader. Regardless of whether this happens or not, the partner will lay on the ground motionless, but not blink red.
  • If the partner is caught in a trapping Final Smash and the leader is KO'd, the partner will disappear, leaving the opponent attacking nothing. Some examples are Ike's, Meta Knight's, Link's, and Toon Link's, and as seen here.
  • Both Ice Climbers must win a microgame in the WarioWare, Inc. stage to be rewarded.
  • Certain Final Smashes, especially trapping ones, can cause the trailing Ice Climber's special effects to be slowed down under the effect of a Timer (Nana's stays even after the Timer is done). The effects end when one or both of the Ice Climbers are KO'd.
  • When CPU controlled, if one Ice Climber is Star KO'd, the partner will sometimes taunt.
  • Brawl is the only game where the portraits of the Ice Climbers are not swapped around when Nana is in the lead, the only game where their default costume is not available in Team Battles and the only game where Nana takes the lead in all even numbered costumes.
  • If the leader dies in Stamina Mode without losing all their stamina, the partner won't disappear and can keep playing normally. This was later fixed in Ultimate.
  • If the leader loses their stamina after the partner has been KO'd but they didn't lose all their stamina in Stamina Mode, the partner will respawn in the middle of the stage but will still be defeated.
  • The Ice Climbers, Ganondorf, Meta Knight, Mr. Game & Watch, and Samus are the only characters whose icon in the Subspace Emissary and the Sticker menu is not based on their renders.

External links[edit]


v • d • e
Fighters in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Veterans Bowser · Captain Falcon · Donkey Kong · Falco · Fox · Ganondorf · Ice Climbers · Jigglypuff · Kirby · Link · Luigi · Mario · Marth · Mr. Game & Watch · Ness · Peach · Pikachu · Samus · Yoshi · Zelda / Sheik
Newcomers Diddy Kong · Ike · King Dedede · Lucario · Lucas · Meta Knight · Olimar · Pit · Pokémon Trainer (Charizard · Ivysaur · Squirtle) · R.O.B. · Snake · Sonic · Toon Link · Wario · Wolf · (Zero Suit Samus)
v • d • e
Ice Climber (universe) Ice Climber universe
Fighter Ice Climbers (SSBM · SSBB · SSBU)
Stages Icicle Mountain · Summit
Items Vegetables
Enemies Polar Bear · Topi
Other Condor
Trophies, Stickers and Spirits Trophies (SSBM · SSBB) · Stickers · Spirits
Music Brawl · Ultimate
Masterpiece Ice Climber
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