Samus (SSBU)

Samus in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Universe	Metroid
Other playable appearances	in SSB in Melee in Brawl in SSB4
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Zero Laser

“	With her Charge Shot, Missile and Bomb, Samus has three different projectiles to keep her opponents in check from a distance. When fully charged up, her Charge Shot is quite powerful. For her Final Smash, she launches a wide laser beam that can be moved up and down!	”
—Super Smash Blog, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Official Site

Samus (サムス, Samus) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. She was suggested to appear on the then-unnamed Ultimate's announcement trailer, and officially confirmed in the gameplay trailer on June 12, 2018 during E3 2018. She retains her modified Metroid: Other M design from Smash 4 and is classified as fighter #04.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. 4

Samus has historically been a lower-ranking character in the Smash Bros. series, with her Super Smash Bros., Brawl and pre-patch SSB4 incarnations infamously considered among the worst characters in their respective games. Even after being heavily buffed via patches, at the end of SSB4's meta game, she was tied with Robin for 37th place out of 55 characters - putting her in the lower part of the mid tier. As such, Samus has received a mixture of buffs and nerfs in the transition to Ultimate, but has been significantly buffed overall. She greatly benefits from the universal changes, most notably the reduced landing lag and weakening of shields, making her aerials safer to use for approaching. Her mobility has been improved, with her previously slow and punishable roll having been significantly increased in speed, making it more usable as an escape option. Her grab game has also been considerably strengthened, with her grabs having less ending lag relative to the rest of the cast, and all throws dealing more damage and knockback; in particular, her up throw is now her strongest throw and a viable KO option at high percents, while her down throw has increased combo potential due to its lower ending lag. Adding to this, her repertoire of projectiles has been further improved, as Bombs explode earlier on contact with enemies, Missiles deal more damage and have less ending lag, Super Missiles stall for a longer time before flying forward, and most notably, Charge Shot can be charged in the air, used as a combo tool and deals far greater damage, leading the way to devastating (albeit situational) shield break combos. This gives Samus more opportunities to charge up her most threatening move, and strengthens her zoning and punish game, evoking her very projectile-heavy fighting style in her home series. Lastly, her dash attack, down tilt, up smash, sourspotted forward tilt, fully charged Charge Shot, Super Missiles and down smash all deal noticeably more knockback, improving her KO ability. With her heightened offensive power, Samus' playstyle now more closely veers towards a balanced "mighty glacier" similar to Link, with potent KO ability (particularly through her Charge Shot), generally well-rounded attributes but with below-average mobility overall.

However, Samus has received some nerfs that, while fewer in comparison to her buffs, drastically affect her playstyle. The most notable is her dash attack, previously an excellent combo tool and often considered her best move, which has received higher ending lag and a more horizontal angle that prevent it from comboing, instead being repurposed into a KO move with much more situational use. Samus is also one of the characters hindered the most by the nerfs to rage, removing her ability to take off stocks at very early percents by setting up a Screw Attack with high rage, which was a commonly exploitable tactic in conjunction with her dash attack. Furthermore, her neutral attack, infamous for its inability to connect both hits at most percents, has been made even worse by the lower knockback on the first hit and its slower transition into the second hit, removing its most reliable setups at higher percents and rendering the second hit nearly useless. Because of the nerfs to her more polarized offensive options, Samus now relies on a more patient playstyle that revolves around shield pressure and threatening foes with her improved Charge Shot.

Overall, Samus is a walking tank among the "all-rounder" characters like her Power Suit would suggest, with high endurance and focusing on hard-hitting punishes and high-DPS combos both at long range and mid range, but having difficulty dealing with rushdown and disjoints. Together with her Echo Fighter Dark Samus, Samus's results are developing more rapidly than they did in SSB4, with successes such as Joker placing highly with her at national-level tournaments such as Low Tier City 7 and 2GG: SwitchFest 2019. at several European majors, Parme doing work in Japan by placing well at Sumabato tournaments, and most notably quiK, who performs excellently at multiple European majors. Samus is therefore considered to be better relative to the cast than in SSB4 and is near-universally considered to be a high-mid or high-tier character. Additionally, she is even stronger in doubles, where a teammate can take advantage of her projectiles and trapping; Joker has attained multiple first-place finishes with his brother Meme while primarily using Samus.

Aesthetics

• Due to the aesthetic used in Ultimate, Samus has a sleeker design, and her overall color scheme is significantly more vibrant, now matching her color scheme from Metroid: Samus Returns. The Varia Suit's black vents are much more defined and detailed, and her visor is more opaque; it along with the suit's accents are lime green rather than emerald-like in Brawl.
• Samus's eighth costume, formerly based on Dark Samus, has been replaced with a black and yellow costume due to Dark Samus's inclusion as a playable fighter.
• Samus's idle animation is altered slightly; she faces the foreground at an angle instead of facing directly forward, and her Arm Cannon is positioned slightly lower.
• Air dodge's animation has changed.
• Samus emits sparks whenever she takes damage. This is shared with Dark Samus, R.O.B., and Mega Man, all of which are mechanical-based fighters.
• Samus has two new victory poses and one slightly modified:
  • She fires a Super Missile and strikes a pose similar to her official artwork.
  • She lands on the ground and readies her arm cannon.
  • Samus retains her up-inputted victory pose, however, the shots resemble the shotgun blast from her Melee Charge Shot custom move from SSB4 rather than small explosions.

Attributes

• Like all characters, Samus's jumpsquat animation takes 3 frames to complete (down from 4).
• Samus runs faster (1.504 → 1.654).
  • Samus's initial dash is slightly faster (1.86 → 1.87). However, it is much slower relative to the cast.
• Samus's air speed is faster (1.03 → 1.103).
• Samus reaches the maximum height of her jumps more quickly.
• Samus has a slightly faster falling speed (1.3 → 1.33).
• Samus's fast falling speed is faster (2.08 → 2.168). This improves her air mobility and makes her less susceptible to juggles.
• Samus's traction is higher (0.0585 → 0.082).
• Forward roll has less ending lag (FAF 40 → 35).
• Forward roll grants less intangibility (frames 4-23 → 4-19).
• Back roll has more startup and grants less intangibility (frames 4-23 → 5-20).
• Air dodge grants more intangibility (frames 3-27 → 3-29).
• Air dodge has significantly more ending lag (FAF 33 → 57).

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack:
  • The first hit has a lower hitlag multiplier (1× → 0.8×).
  • The first hit has reduced knockback to keep opponents closer to Samus (8 base/80/100 scaling → 20/15), akin to other neutral attacks. However, unlike the case with other characters, this is a nerf for Samus as it further worsens the first hit's ability to true combo into the second hit at higher percents, while also hindering its jab cancel setups.
  • The first hit transitions slower into the second hit (frame 13 → 15).
  • The first hit has gained a hitstun modifier of 4, increasing its safety on hit at low percents, although due to the aforementioned changes, it still fails to truly connect into the second hit.
• Forward tilt:
  • Forward tilt has three different hitboxes instead of four, no longer possessing a sourspot that deals 7% (8% if angled). This makes its damage output more consistent.
  • The sourspot deals more knockback (20 base/70 scaling → 30/80), increasing its safety on hit and KO potential.
• Up tilt:
  • The removal of teching for grounded meteor smashes drastically improves up tilt's combo potential.
• Down tilt:
  • Down tilt has increased knockback scaling (48 → 65), giving the move KO potential against middleweights under 160%, compared to being unable to KO under 200% in Smash 4. This change brings it closer to its Brawl strength.
  • It has more ending lag (FAF 40 → 45).
• Dash attack:
  • Dash attack has increased knockback scaling (60 → 90), allowing the clean hit KOing middleweights at around 150% from the center of Final Destination.
  • The early hit no longer deals less damage than the clean hit (7% → 10%), which makes the hits only differ in hitbox size.
  • It has drastically more ending lag (FAF 34 → 42), removing its combo potential entirely.
  • It launches at a more horizontal angle (75° → 55°), which hinders its combo and juggling potential, but further assists in its KO ability near edges.
  • It produces a visual effect similar to the Shinespark ability from Super Metroid.
• Forward smash:
  • Forward smash's innermost hitbox is larger (2.2u → 3.3u), allowing Samus to hit short nearby opponents more easily.
• Up smash:
  • Up smash has a different kind of autolink angle (366° → 368°), and the second to fourth hits use weight-independent knockback (although not on all hitboxes), allowing it to connect more reliably when used out of a run, and making it more consistent across characters.
  • The last hit has more knockback scaling (150 → 162), improving its KO potential.
  • The hitboxes aren't placed as far horizontally (X offset: 9u/9u/-1u → -3.5u/6.5u/6.5u (hit 1), 7.3u/9u/-1u → -3.5u/6.5u/6.5u (hits 2-4), 9u/-1u → -3.5u/7.8u (hit 5)), and all except the last hit's are smaller (5.5u/5.5u/4u → 4.5u/5u/5u (hit 1), 6u/5.5u/4u → 4.5u/5u/5u (hits 2-3), 6u/6u/4u → 4u/5u/5u (hit 4)), reducing the move's range.
  • It has a higher SDI multiplier (0.8× → 1×), and the first to fourth hits no longer use set knockback. Coupled with the aforementioned hitbox changes, this causes the move to connect less reliably overall.
• Down smash:
  • Down smash has drastically increased knockback scaling (46/48 (front/back) → 70/68), with the front hit and back hit KOing at around 160% and 138% (respectively) from the center of Final Destination. It is no longer the weakest smash attack in the game by a considerable margin.
  • It has an altered ending animation, with Samus retaining more momentum from the kick.

Aerial attacks

• All aerials except up aerial have less landing lag (16 frames → 9 (neutral), 24 → 14 (forward), 18 → 14 (back), 20 → 12 (down)).
• Neutral aerial:
  • Neutral aerial's second hit comes out faster (frame 16 → 14).
    • However, its total duration remains the same, increasing its ending lag.
• Forward aerial:
  • The first hit has altered angles (80°/280°/60° → 367°/18°), while the first to fourth hits deal more set knockback (15 → 25 (hit 1), 30 → 35/40 (hits 2-4)). These changes overall improve its linking capabilities.
  • The first four hits have a lower hitlag multiplier (1× → 0.8×), but a higher SDI multiplier (0.8× → 1×).
• Back aerial:
  • Back aerial has more ending lag (FAF 39 → 42).
  • It has a slightly different animation. Samus faces further behind herself while kicking and curls in her leg afterwards.
• Up aerial:
  • Up aerial deals five total hits, down from six.
  • The first four hits' feet hitboxes use the autolink angle (361° → 367°) and set knockback (0 base/130 scaling → 25 set/100 scaling), allowing them to connect more reliably.
  • The hits after the first are faster (frame 8, 11, 14, 17, 20 → 7, 10, 13, 16).
    • However, the move's total duration remains unchanged, giving it more ending lag and making it harder to combo multiple up aerials.
  • Up aerial has more landing lag (12 frames → 18).
  • The first four hits' leg hitbox deals much more set knockback (30 → 90) and launches at a higher angle (80° → 84°); however, it has gained a hitstun modifier of -10. As a result, and combined with its increased landing lag, it connects less reliably into the following hits without having increased combo potential.
  • Due to its lower amount of hits, it deals less total damage (11% → 10.9%), despite the second to fourth hits dealing more damage (1% → 1.3%).
  • Its initial auto-cancel window is shorter (frames 1-4 → 1-2).
  • The last hit has a higher hitlag multiplier (1x → 1.8×).
  • The last hit has an altered animation, with Samus thrusting her foot upward.
• Down aerial:
  • The removal of teching for grounded meteor smashes improves down aerial's combo potential onstage, compounded further by its reduced landing lag.
  • The late hit deals less damage (11% → 10%) with no compensation on knockback, hindering its KO potential.
• Grab aerial:
  • Grab aerial deals more damage (1.5% → 2.5% (hit 1), 3% → 4% (hit 2)).
  • The second hit has a slightly longer duration (frames 16-17 → 16-19).
  • It causes the Grapple Beam to retract upon hitting an opponent, hindering its utility in battles with multiple opponents.
  • The tip of the Grapple Beam stays in place instead of following Samus's vertical movement, similar to how it behaved in Melee.

Throws and other attacks

• Grabs:
  • Standing grab has less startup (frame 16 → 15).
  • Standing and pivot grab have less ending lag, especially the latter (FAF 70 → 60 (standing), 84 → 63 (pivot)).
  • Dash and pivot grab have more startup (frame 16 → 17 (dash), 17 → 18 (pivot)).
  • All grabs have decreased active frames (10 (standing)/11 (dash)/12 (pivot) frames → 8 (all)).
• Pummel:
  • Pummel deals slightly more damage (1.2% → 1.3%).
  • It has less startup (frame 3 → 1) and ending lag (FAF 9 → 7), but deals much more hitlag (4 frames → 14), drastically increasing its effective duration. This hinders its damage racking ability, no longer being one of the fastest pummels in the game.
• All throws deal more damage (9% → 10% (forward), 8% → 10% (back), 9% → 12% (up), 6% → 8% (down)).
  • Forward and back throw's knockback was not compensated, improving their KO potential.
• Forward, back and down throws now use a unique hit effect when releasing opponents, causing them to flash blue with small electric sparks.
• Samus's forward, back and up throws are no longer weight-dependent.
• Up throw:
  • Samus has a new up throw: she blasts her opponent upward with her arm cannon. It uses the flame effect, and consists of two hits instead of six, with its damage being redistributed (1% (hits 1-5), 4% (throw) → 5% (hit 1), 7% (throw)).
  • It has increased knockback scaling (70 → 80) on top of its higher damage, making it powerful enough to KO middleweights under 170%.
  • It releases opponents faster (frame 28 → 16), making it harder to DI. Opponents are also released closer to Samus.
    • However, its total duration remains the same, increasing its ending lag.
• Down throw:
  • Samus has a slightly altered animation, jumping while slamming the opponent instead of only raising her foot. Her Grapple Beam also retreats earlier, no longer extending all the way behind her after the throw.
  • Down throw releases opponents one frame slower (frame 20 → 21), but has less ending lag (FAF 42 → 38). Combined with Samus's faster jumpsquat and jump speed, this noticeably improves its combo potential.
  • It has lower base knockback (80 → 60), but higher knockback scaling (50 → 75). This gives it new followup options at low percents, such as a dash attack and dashing up smash, without hindering its combo potential at higher percents due to the aforementioned changes.
  • It launches at a slightly lower angle (80° → 74°).
• Floor attacks:
  • Back floor attack no longer has Samus firing a blast from her Arm Cannon. Because of this, it now employs a normal rather than flame effect.
• Edge attack:
  • Edge attack deals more damage (7% → 9%).

Special moves

• Charge Shot:
  • Charge Shot can now be charged in midair.
  • As with other charge specials, it can now be charge-canceled by jumping or spot dodging.
  • It can now be B-reversed.
  • It has less ending lag when not fully charged (FAF 54 → 45), now only being one frame longer than its pre-Smash 4 counterparts.
  • It deals more damage (3%-25% → 5%-28%). The uncharged version's knockback was not compensated, while the fully charged version's knockback was mostly compensated (30 base/62 scaling → 46/50), making it stronger overall.
  • The fully charged version travels faster (3.2 → 3.3).
  • Charge Shot can now be fired by pressing the attack button.
  • The fully charged version has a higher hitlag multiplier (0.7x → 1x).
    • This gives it less ending lag on hit as well as making it safer on shield.
    • However, this also makes it considerably easier to DI.
  • Charge-canceling the move incurs 4 frames of lag, rather than being instantaneous.
  • The projectile has a shorter duration (69 frames → 60).
  • The uncharged version travels slower (1.8 → 1.6).
  • It has received negative shield damage (0 (uncharged)/3 (fully charged) → -2.5/-7), weakening fully charged shots' ability to break shields.
• Missile:
  • Both Homing Missiles and Super Missiles deal more damage (5% → 8% (Homing), 10% → 12% (Super)) without compensation on knockback, improving the KO ability of Super Missiles.
  • Both types of Missiles have slightly less ending lag (FAF 57 → 55 (Homing), 59 → 58 (Super)).
  • Homing Missiles last longer (102 frames → 120).
  • Homing Missiles can turn more sharply.
  • Super Missiles have a slower initial speed (0.6 → 0.18), and take longer to start accelerating (frame 10 → 26), but accelerate twice as fast (0.08 → 0.16) and have a higher max speed (1.75 → 4.2). Overall, they behave more like Turbo Missiles from Smash 4.
  • Super Missiles don't last as long (66 → 50).
  • Samus can drift horizontally after firing a Missile in midair, and Missiles don't halt her aerial momentum.
  • Homing Missiles travel more slowly (1.3 (initial)/0.5 (minimum) → 1.15/0.4), but take longer before decelerating (56 → 85).
  • The window for inputting a Super Missile is longer (3 frames → 5).
  • Missiles have updated designs. When firing a missile, Samus's visor and armor lights briefly change colors in reference to Samus's palette changing when Missiles are selected in the original Metroid.
• Screw Attack:
  • Screw Attack has less lag before Samus begins falling.
  • Grounded Screw Attack has less startup (frame 5 → 4), making it more effective out of shield.
  • The looping hits have a lower hitlag multiplier (1× → 0.5×), and a lower SDI multiplier for the aerial version (1× → 0.5×), allowing them to transition faster and making them harder to escape.
  • The last hit has a slightly larger hitbox (9.6u → 10u), allowing it to connect better from the looping hits.
  • Due to rage being changed to not affect set knockback, the linking hits of Screw Attack can no longer KO off the top blast line at low percents, removing Samus's early KO setups.
  • Grounded Screw Attack deals up to nine hits instead of eleven, but has increased damage on its first hit (2% → 3%) and last hit (1% → 2%).
    • The last hit's knockback was not fully compensated (50 base/240 scaling → 56/190), slightly improving its KO potential.
  • The grounded version's last hit has a higher hitlag multiplier (2× → 2.5×).
  • The move uses unique sound effects on hit, rather than standard "kick" sound effects.
• Bomb:
  • Bombs explode earlier on contact (frame 22).
• Zero Laser:
  • When Samus unleashes Zero Laser, the jets on the back of her suit vent flames as exhaust, which deal damage.

Update history

Samus has received a mix of buffs and nerfs via game updates being buffed overall.

Update 2.0.0 increased the range of Samus' Missile, which allows her to space better and deal damage at safer ranges, though the move has increased ending lag when used in the air (no longer being faster than Dark Samus' version). Additionally, Bomb is less laggy when grounded, which allows her to act out of it more effectively, and reduces her chances of getting punished.

However, the nerfs to the shield damage of various projectiles in update 3.0.0 affect Samus more negatively than most other characters, as she can no longer use her Charge Shot to apply shield pressure as effectively as she could in previous versions, reducing its potency.

Update 7.0.0 would later provide Samus with more substantial changes, with all of them being buffs. Her shield size was considerably increased (which was a change other characters received). Her dash attack's early hitbox deals 3% more damage, making it stronger. Up and down smash, and her up throw all deal more knockback. And finally, her aerial Grapple Beam deals more damage and has a longer hitbox duration, slightly improving her spacing game.

2.0.0

• Missiles follow the Pokémon Trainer's new Pokémon if they switch after the missile was fired.
• Missile has more range.
• Aerial Missile has slightly more ending lag (FAF 60 → 62), no longer being less laggy than Dark Samus's version.
• Bomb has less endlag when used on the ground (FAF 49 → 47).

3.0.0

• Charge Shot deals significantly less shield damage (0 → -2.5 (uncharged); 3 → -7 (fully charged).
• Samus no longer launches herself off screen when grab and Bomb occur at the same time.
  • However, the phantom knockback would still occur at the exact frame of the hitbox and the explosion.
• Created visual glitch where Samus’s tether grab beam would disconnect from her arm when performed in the air before landing.

3.1.0

• Up smash's hits connect more reliably.
• Fixed tether beam glitch from 3.0.0.

4.0.0

• The lag upon waking up from the sleep effect has been adjusted, matching the rest of the cast.
• Certain hitboxes of up smash no longer use set weight, fixing a glitch that caused their position vector to last much longer than usual and launch opponents much farther if the move was interrupted.

7.0.0

• Overall shield size has been increased by 1.025×.
• Dash attack's early hit no longer deals less damage than the main hit (7% → 10%).
• Up smash's last hit has more knockback scaling (150 → 162), noticeably improving its KO potential.
• Down smash has more knockback scaling (58 → 70 (hit 1), 58 → 68 (hit 2)), drastically improving its KO potential.
• Grab aerial deals more damage (1.5% → 2.5% (hit 1), 3% → 4% (hit 2)), and the second hit has a longer duration (frames 16-17 → 16-19).
• Up throw has more knockback scaling (72 → 80), drastically improving its KO potential.

Moveset

• Samus can wall jump.
• Samus possesses a tether attack and grab.

For a gallery of Samus' hitboxes, see here.

Note: All numbers are listed as base damage, without the 1v1 multiplier.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack		Straight and Cannon Hammer	3%	A left-handed jab followed by a forearm club with the Arm Cannon. Despite dealing above-average damage for a neutral attack, it is poor overall, as opponents can usually act out before the second hit connects by shielding or using a fast attack, while the second hit may not even connect at high percentages. Depending on the opponent's weight, it is safe and a true combo at high percents, but only if the first hit connects relatively close to the arm and not at the fist. The second hit does have KO potential at very high percentages, however.
			8%
Forward tilt	↗		11% (foot), 10% (leg), 9% (body)	A reverse roundhouse kick. Deals more damage and knockback at her foot, while her leg deals less damage and knockback. Can be angled, which causes it to deal more damage, but may cause it to miss shorter characters on the ground if angled up. The foot sweetspot deals rather potent knockback for a tilt attack, which can KO at the edge at around 125%. At varying percentages, depending on which part of the move is landed, it can lead into a guaranteed Charge Shot, as regardless of teching, Charge Shot can catch the opponent's option in time if they are knocked down.
	→		10% (foot), 9% (leg), 8% (body)
	↘		11% (foot), 10% (leg), 9% (body)
Up tilt			13% (grounded), 12% (aerial)	An axe kick, which is identical to Captain Falcon's up tilt. It behaves unusually as it meteor smashes grounded opponents, but launches aerial opponents at a horizontal angle. This allows it to set up combos against the former at a wide range of percents, while still being a reliable edgeguard tool, due to its wide coverage and powerful enough knockback to KO aerial opponents at around 95% at the edge. At high percents, the grounded meteor can also set up KO confirms into a fully charged Charge Shot. However, the move has noticeable startup, due to coming out on frame 15, making it Samus's slowest normal attack on the ground.
Down tilt			12%	Kneels and quickly thrusts her Arm Cannon downward to fire a small, fiery blast. It is very fast, due to coming out on frame 6, and deals respectable damage and knockback for a tilt attack, KOing at around 160% off the top blast line. It is useful as a close range anti-pressure option on opponents in front of Samus, or as a punishment option. However, its very high ending lag leaves it easy to punish if shielded of missed.
Dash attack			10% (clean), 6% (late)	A shoulder tackle with a white aura around Samus, similar to the Shinespark technique from her home series. Deals more damage and knockback near the middle of the attack, KOing opponents at around 150% from the center of Final Destination, and earlier near edges. However, the late hit is noticeably weaker, and the move lacks combo potential, especially compared to its previous appearance.
Forward smash	↗		13% (Arm Cannon), 15% (blast)	Quickly thrusts her Arm Cannon forward to fire a small, fiery blast. Functions similarly to Mario's forward smash, with the blast being the most powerful part of the move. It is one of the fastest forward smashes in the game, coming out on frame 10, while the blast has the highest knockback out of her smash attacks, KOing at around 100% from center stage. However, it is rather weak otherwise, with the Arm Cannon KOing at around 135% and the sourspot taking priority over the sweetspot. It can be angled like her forward tilt, with the upward angle dealing more damage and knockback, though it can typically miss as a result; conversely, the downward angle can hit ledge hanging opponents, but deals slightly less damage and knockback.
	→		12% (Arm Cannon), 14% (blast)
	↘		11% (Arm Cannon), 13.5% (blast)
Up smash		Cover Fire	3% (hits 1-4), 6% (hit 5)	Fires five fiery blasts in an overhead arcing motion. True to its name, this move works best as an anti-air attack, as its multiple hits give a good amount of aerial protection. Conversely, it is unable to hit grounded opponents unless they are close enough to Samus. It is also her most damaging smash attack, dealing 18% total uncharged. However, due to its hits being spread above Samus, it can fail to fully connect if the opponent is hit from too far. If all 5 hits connect, it can KO middleweights at around 100% from ground level.
Down smash			10% (front), 12% (back)	A legsweep. A semi-spike with decent speed and high base knockback, allowing it to set up edgeguards and punish rolls effectively. The front hit can KO middleweights center stage around 150%, with the back hit KOing even earlier at around 135%.
Neutral aerial			10% (hit 1), 9% (hit 2, clean), 8% (hit 2, late)	A spinning roundhouse kick, similar to the aerial version of the Counter Attack from Metroid: Other M. Comes out in frame 8. Hits on both sides quickly and can autocancel with a short hop fast fall. Its front hit and sweetspotted back hit also deal powerful knockback, which makes it a viable KOing option offstage or near the edge, as well as a decent combo finisher and one of the strongest aerials of its type.
Forward aerial			3% (hit 1), 1.6% (hits 2-4), 5% (hit 5)	Fires five fiery blasts in a slow, downward arcing motion. Fast, coming out on frame 6, thus having the second lowest startup lag of Samus's aerials. The first four hits drag opponents into the rest of the move using the autolink angle, with the last hit carrying the entire attack's knockback. Samus' main aerial move for both combos and protection. Extremely useful as an edge get-up option or against air dodges due to its multiple hits, and using the move immediately after a short hop can hit opponents with the last hit before Samus lands again. It's her only aerial that does not autocancels In a short hop.
Back aerial			14% (clean foot), 12% (clean leg), 9% (late)	A back kick. It is fast and deals powerful knockback when sweetspotted, which makes it an excellent KOing option, especially when edgeguarding. When sweetspotted, it is among the strongest back aerials in the game, KOing at around 110% from center stage.
Up aerial			3% (hit 1), 1.3% (hits 2-5), 4% (hit 5)	A diagonal corkscrew flying kick, hitting multiple times. It is her fastest aerial, due to coming out on frame 5. Grounded opponents can be hit by the last hitbox if Samus lands while starting the move in the air, although it is difficult to do so, and risky due to the move's high landing lag. It can be used as a follow-up after a dash attack, grounded up tilt, down aerial, or down throw, all of which can be followed up with another up aerial and/or can be finished off with a Screw Attack. On stages with platforms, it even has potential for a zero-to-death when using a platform to extend the combo. Can KO if used high enough and close to the blast line.
Down aerial			10% (early, late), 14% (clean)	Swings her Arm Cannon in a downward arcing motion. Hitting with the move's trail meteor smashes opponents, while the edges of the move at the very start and end deal decent horizontal knockback. Autocancels from a short hop, and due to its relatively low ending lag, the meteor smash is excellent for starting combos on grounded opponents, much like her up tilt.
Grab aerial		Grapple Beam	2.5% (hit 1), 4% (hit 2)	Fires the Grapple Beam. A useful spacing option due to having only 8 frames of landing lag. It autocancels from a full hop and has impressive range, being the longest grab aerial in game. In addition to its recovery and spacing capabilities, it is good at setting up combos at close range upon landing, due to its low landing lag. Unlike in previous games, however, hitting an opponents causes the Grapple Beam to retract earlier, while not reducing the move's ending lag.
Grab		Grapple Beam	—	Fires the Grapple Beam. It has impressive range and is the longest tether grab in the game. However, it is tied with her Zero Suited form's grab as the second slowest in terms of ending lag, making it very punishable if missed.
Pummel			1.3%	A palm strike. Has moderate damage and speed relative to other pummels.
Forward throw			10%	Twirls the opponent overhead, then flings them forward. Although its knockback has been increased, it remains too weak for KOing at realistic percents, unless Samus has rage and is at the edge of the stage.
Back throw			10%	Swings the opponent behind herself. Slightly more effective for KOing and setting up edgeguards than her forward throw, due to its lower launch angle.
Up throw			5% (hit 1), 7% (throw)	Puts the opponent above herself and blasts them upward with her Arm Cannon. Samus's most damaging and strongest throw, possessing enough knockback to KO middleweights around 150% from ground level and without rage. At low percents, it can also combo into an up aerial against large characters, as well as Screw Attack against most characters, though the latter will only connect its hits reliably on a few characters.
Down throw			8%	Swings the opponent high above her head, then slams them onto the ground. A reliable combo starter, with its followups including a dash attack, small step forward smash or dashing up smash at low percents, a neutral, back or up aerial up to mid percents, and a forward aerial up to high percents.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Swings her Arm Cannon in front of herself and then fires a blast behind herself.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	Performs a low-level roundhouse kick.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Performs a shin kick in front of herself and then a back kick behind herself.
Edge attack Edge getups			9%	Performs a legsweep while climbing up.
Neutral special		Charge Shot	5% (uncharged), 28% (fully charged)	Charges a ball of energy and fires it. Boasts excellent KO potential when fully charged, and is a useful intercepting move at a low charge. KOs at 70%-110% depending on rage and the opponent's weight and DI. Can be used to break shields if used in conjunction with her neutral attack, up or down tilts, aerials, Bomb and Super Missile. When using her forward tilt to launch the opponent into tumbling, it can set up a guaranteed combo into Charge Shot regardless of the opponent's tech option, as Charge Shot will always catch their tech direction.
Side special		Missile	8% (Homing), 12% (Super)	Fires a Missile, which homes in on the opponent. If the special button is tapped like a smash attack, Samus will instead fire a Super Missile, which stays in place for a short while before traveling in a straight line, and deals more damage and knockback. Both variations deal low knockback, but can be used to break a shield if used in conjunction with a fully charged Charge Shot. Both Missile variations can also be used as set-ups by opening up an opportunity for a grab aerial, or Charge Shot, while the Super variation sets up better for a true combo into a forward jumping Charge Shot at high percentages. The Homing variation is also useful for catching recoveries and forcing air dodges, which can open up punishment opportunities.
Up special		Screw Attack	3% (grounded hit 1), 1% (grounded hits 2-8), 2% (grounded hit 9), 1% (aerial hits 1-12)	Leaps upward to perform a high-speed somersault while discharging energy. Shoots upward if initiated from the ground, while it gains distance slower if started in the air. A useful out of shield option, due to coming out on frame 4 on the ground, and deals good knockback that can KO around 100% while near the upper blast line.
Down special		Bomb	4% (contact), 5% (explosion)	Rolls into her Morph Ball form and drops a Bomb, which explodes after a set time. Useful to force an opponent to shield and for edgeguarding, being capable of 2 frame punishes if timed correctly. It can also break shields depending on their health if used along with her up and down tilts or a fully charged Charge Shot.
Final Smash		Zero Laser	0.5% (fringe loop), 1.5% (main loop), 2.5% (fringe blast), 5.5% (main blast)	Fires a very large, bluish white energy beam. The beam can be angled vertically during the Final Smash.

On-screen appearance

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Arrives from a Save Station.

Taunts

• Up taunt: Salutes vigorously with her left arm as her thrusters activate.
• Side taunt: Faces the screen and changes her Arm Cannon to its Zero Laser configuration.
• Down taunt: Aims her Arm Cannon behind herself, then kneels while aiming it in front of herself.

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  Samus's up taunt.

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  Samus's side taunt.

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  Samus's down taunt.

Idle poses

• Rubs her Arm Cannon with one finger.
• Brings her Arm Cannon down and then pulls it back up.

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  Samus's first idle pose

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  Samus's second idle pose

Victory poses

• Left: Lands on the ground and readies her Arm Cannon.
• Up: Fires multiple shots from her Arm Cannon while kneeling, then strikes a pose. The pose is based on her appearance on the cover of Metroid II: Return of Samus.
• Right: Fires a Super Missile and strikes a pose similar to her official artwork.

A flourished remix of the theme that would play when Samus Aran obtained a new power-up or addition to her Power Suit. It would also play when Samus defeated Ridley or Kraid.

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In competitive play

Initial impressions of Samus in Ultimate were very negative, primarily because she had lost the combo potential of her dash attack, one of her most useful tools in Smash 4, along with her general lack of aesthetic or mechanical changes compared to fellow veterans such as Link (her unsafe jab, seemingly unchanged from Smash 4 and once again acknowledged in in-game tips, was a common point of mockery). This led players to believe that Samus had stagnated from her Smash 4 incarnation, and many pre-release tier lists ranked Samus as one of the worst characters in the game (or even the single worst) based on initial impressions.

However, as the game launched and time went on, Samus began to amass some results and improve her reputation more quickly than in Smash 4, largely due to her improved projectile game and KO potential; until her nerfs in version 3.0.0, many people cited her terrifying shield-break potential with Charge Shot as one of her primary strengths. While said nerfs have made shield breaks more difficult to pull off using the character, Samus retained her other previous strengths and weaknesses and benefited from the nerfs to some of her most difficult matchups such as Wolf, Olimar and Pichu, causing her loss of shield break setups to only become a slight nerf in the long run. As such, Samus' results continue to be moderately successful for her low representation, particularly when combined with her Echo Fighter Dark Samus, who is preferred by some players over the original Samus due to her marginally better hitboxes and roll. While considered for a long time to be a semi-viable mid-tier character, some players even went as far as to claim that Samus may be high-tier, or nearly just as good as she was in Melee where she was ranked among the top 10, an opinion that became more widespread after a string of tournament successes by Joker and especially quiK, and after her buffs in Version 7.0.0.

Notable players

Any number following the Smasher name indicates placement on the Fall 2019 PGRU, which recognizes the official top 50 players in the world in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate from July 13th, 2019 to December 15th, 2019.

Active

•  Advo - The best Samus player in the United States. Placed 7th at Saints Gaming Live 2019 and 9th at Guardian I using both Samus and Dark Samus.
•  Afro Smash - Placed 9th at Regen 2019 and 49th at Albion 4. Has wins over aperture and Magi.
•  IcyMist - Placed 13th at Class Change Monk and 65th at Frostbite 2020 with solo Samus. She has wins over Biddy and Skilly.
•  Joker - The best Samus player in Mexico and one of the two best ones in the world. Placed 7th at 2GG: SwitchFest 2019, 9th at Low Tier City 7 and 13th at Ragnarok using Samus as one of his characters. Has taken sets off ESAM, Rivers, WaDi and Elegant.
•  Lian - Placed 17th at Valhalla II and 33rd at Bifrost III - Sessrumnir.
•  Morsecode762 - Placed 5th at both Spring Training and Summer Games 2. Has a win over Frosty.
•  Parme - The best Samus player in Japan. Placed 9th at both Sumabato SP 4 and Sumabato SP 6, 13th at Sumabato SP 3, Sumabato SP 5, and Sumabato SP 7.
•  Ryoku - Placed 13th at Holiday Heist 5 and 33rd at Guardian I. Has wins over Advo and Komota.
•  quiK - The best Samus player in Europe and one of the two best ones in the world. Placed 2nd at Syndicate 2019, Valhalla III, and Ultimate WANTED 2, 3rd at VCA 2019, 4th at ICARUS V, 7th at Elysium: Yggdrasil, 9th at Albion 4, and 17th at 2GG: Prime Saga. He has defeated players such as Mr. R, Meru, Samsora, Glutonny, Elegant, and KEN.

Inactive

•  ESAM (#14) - Formerly used her as a secondary at many locals and placed 13th at Glitch 6. Has multiple wins over MVD.

Classic Mode: Another Planet, Another Bounty

Samus' congratulations screen.

The opponents Samus faces are akin to the battles that she has faced throughout the Metroid series. In addition, all of the battles take place on stages from the Metroid universe.

Round	Opponent	Stage	Music	Notes!
1	Wolf	Brinstar	Title Theme - Metroid
2	Giant King K. Rool	Brinstar (Ω form)	Brinstar Depths	References Samus' battles with Kraid
3	R.O.B. (x6)	Brinstar Depths	Brinstar (Melee)
4	Giant Ridley	Norfair	Vs. Ridley	References Samus' battles with Ridley
5	Mewtwo , Bowser , and Charizard	Norfair (Ω form)	Multiplayer - Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
6	Dark Samus	Frigate Orpheon	Vs. Parasite Queen	References Samus' battle with Dark Samus
Bonus Stage
Final	Master Hand	Final Destination	Master Hand (Less than 7.0 intensity) Master Hand / Crazy Hand (7.0 or higher intensity)	On Intensity 7.0 or higher, Crazy Hand teams up with Master Hand.

Credits roll after completing Classic Mode. Completing it as Samus has Ending - Metroid accompany the credits.

Character unlock tree

Samus' Classic Mode character unlock tree includes the following characters in order:

1. Inkling
2. Wii Fit Trainer
3. Pit
4. Incineroar
5. Dark Samus
6. Cloud
7. Wario
8. Dark Pit

Each character can be unlocked by clearing Samus' Classic Mode, or the Classic Mode of any preceding character, if all preceding characters have been unlocked. Once all the above characters are unlocked, clearing Classic Mode with any of them will default to Mario's character unlock tree, starting with Sonic.

Role in World of Light

Finding Samus in World of Light

Samus was among the fighters summoned to the cliffside to fight an army of Master Hands.

During the opening cutscene, Samus was present when Galeem unleashed his beams of light. Samus attempted to fight back against the beams by shooting them with her arm cannon, but to no avail. Samus was vaporized and placed under Galeem's imprisonment alongside the rest of the fighters (except for Kirby).

In gameplay, Zero Suit Samus has a separate awakening battle from Samus.

Samus can be found blocking the path of the bridge once engulfed in light and a location reminiscent of Pac-Maze. Defeating her is necessary to progress through the story, making her an obligatory unlock.

Samus is later seen among several other fighters, making their last stand against Galeem and Dharkon. She also shows up in the ending where Galeem emerges victorious against Dharkon, witnessing Galeem engulf the world in light.

Fighter Battle

No.	Image	Name	Type	Power	Stage	Music
04		Samus	Shield	7,500	Brinstar (Ω form)	Title Theme - Metroid

Spirits

Samus's Fighter Spirit can be obtained by completing Classic Mode. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 500 coins. Unlocking Samus in World of Light allows the player to preview the first spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a Fighter Spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. Each Fighter Spirit has an alternate version that replaces them with their artwork in Ultimate.

Additionally, Samus makes an appearance in various Primary and Support Spirits. Note that Zero Suit Samus' Fighter Spirit is not listed here due to her status as a separate playable character (despite the fact that she is the puppet/possessed fighter who represents Young Samus).

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  264. Samus Aran

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  269. Gravity Suit

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  270. Fusion Suit

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  271. Phazon Suit

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  272. Dark Suit

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  273. Light Suit

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  274. Young Samus

In Spirits battles

As the main opponent

Spirit				Battle parameters
No.	Image	Name	Series	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music
269		Gravity Suit	Metroid series	•Samus		3,800	Castle Siege (Underground Cavern)	•Hazard: High Gravity	•Your jumping power decreases	Sector 1
276	File:Chozo Statue.png	Chozo Statue	Metroid series	•Samus		3,600	Brinstar	Item: Screw Attack	•The enemy starts the battle with a Screw Attack	Brinstar Depths (Melee)
293		Kanden	Metroid series	•Samus		1,700	Brinstar	•Item: Motion-Sensor Bomb	•The enemy is easily distracted by items	Psycho Bits
294		Trace	Metroid series	•Samus		1,900	Norfair (Battlefield form)	•Invisibility	•The enemy is invisible	Psycho Bits
896		Skull Man	Mega Man series	•Reflect Samus		3,900	Wily Castle (Ω form)	•Reflect-Damage Buffed	•The enemy reflects projectiles •Stamina battle •All fighters' reflected projectiles have increased power	Mega Man 4 Medley
1,093		Sandbag	Super Smash Bros. series	•Samus		2,000	Pokémon Stadium 2 (Ω form)	•Item: Home-Run Bat	•Timed Battle •The enemy prefers not to move	Online Practice Stage - Super Smash Bros. for 3DS / Wii U
1,150		ST Falcon	Battle Clash	•Samus		1,900	Port Town Aero Drive	•Item: Super Scope	•The enemy starts the battle with a Super Scope	Marionation Gear
1,162	File:Flare.png	Flare	Custom Robo series	•Samus		1,800	Pokémon Stadium	N/A	•Stamina battle •The enemy starts the battle with a Ray Gun •The enemy starts the battle with a Rocket Belt	Marionation Gear

As a minion

Spirit				Battle parameters							Inspiration
No.	Image	Name	Series	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music	Character
899	File:Dark Man 4 Spirit.png	Dark Man 4	Mega Man series	•Mega Man •Samus (×3)		1,400	Wily Castle (Battlefield form)	N/A	•Stamina battle •The enemy's shield has extra durability •Reinforcements will appear after an enemy is KO'd	Dark Man Stage	Dark Man 1, Dark Man 2, Dark Man 3
1,127	File:Diskun.png	Diskun	Disk System	•Young Link •Pit •Simon •Samus		9,100	Temple (Battlefield form)	N/A	•Take your strongest team into this no-frills battle	Famicom Medley	Samus Aran (Metroid for the Famicom Disk System)
1,163	File:Bayonette.png	Bayonette	Custom Robo series	•Dark Samus •Samus		1,900	Mushroomy Kingdom (Battlefield form)	N/A	•The enemy's side special has increased power •Stamina battle •The enemy favors side specials	Marionation Gear	Spear
1,348		Kloster (Grief)	DAEMON X MACHINA	•Snake •Dark Samus •Samus (x2)		9,500	Frigate Orpheon	•Attack Power ↑ •Item: Shooting Types	•The enemy has increased attack power after a little while •Reinforcements will appear after an enemy is KO'd	Mechanical Rhythm	Kloster
1,353		S-Tetrimino & Z-Tetrimino	Tetris series	•Zero Suit Samus •Samus		4,300	Mushroom Kingdom U (Slide Life Tower)	•Sudden Final Smash •Item: Screw Attack	•The enemy will suddenly have a Final Smash	Chill (for 3DS / Wii U)	S-Tetrimino

Alternate costumes

Gallery

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  Samus' fighter card.

• SamusJoinsTheBattleSSBU.jpg

  Samus's unlock notice when obtaining her in World of Light.

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  Samus on The Great Cave Offensive.

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  Alongside her Bomb in Onett.

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  Back throwing Mega Man with her Grapple Beam on Find Mii.

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  About to fire a Missile at Mother Brain on Lylat Cruise.

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  Preparing her Charge Shot on Summit.

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  Taunting on Coliseum in her Gravity Suit-inspired costume.

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  Samus getting hit by Bayonetta's forward smash on Spirit Train.

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  Buried by the Inkling's Splat Roller on Figure-8 Circuit.

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  Samus watching an aerial Lucario on Prism Tower.

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  Samus getting launched by Shulk's dash attack on Gaur Plain.

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  Samus's Charge Shot getting reflected by Palutena on Temple.

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  Posing behind her Zero Suited self on Gaur Plain.

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  Struck by Bewear's uppercut on Wuhu Island.

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  Getting launched by Lunala's Moongeist Beam along with Fox and Palutena on Summit.

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  Firing a Missile on Wrecking Crew.

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  With Mario, Donkey Kong, Link, Ice Climbers, Pit, Villager and Inkling on Battlefield.

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  Samus, Palutena, Villager, and Shovel Knight fighting on Find Mii Ω with the Moon about to crash into the stage.

Trivia

• Samus' neutral attack's notorious unreliability is alluded to in one of the tips, stating that "Foes can often put up their shields in between the first and second hits of this combo. It's safer to just hit with the first attack and then flee."
• Samus is the only female character on the game's starting roster (excluding Pikachu's female alternate costumes).
• Samus is the only one of the original 12 characters (and only starter character) from Smash 64 to have an Echo Fighter, that being Dark Samus.
  • Samus is the only character to have an Echo Fighter that represents a separate entity in addition to a non-clone fighter representing an alternate form of herself.
• Samus is the only Original 8 fighter whose Classic Mode unlock column has no characters who debuted in Melee.
• Samus is one of only four characters who face no humans in Classic Mode, despite her penultimate echo opponent Dark Samus possessing human-like traits.
  • The other three fighters who share this attribute with Samus are Yoshi, Pichu, and Bayonetta.
• Samus is the only character to travel to all Metroid universe stages in Classic Mode.
• In her official artwork, Samus's pose matches the image of her alongside Anthony Higgs from Metroid: Other M. This same image was used on the official Other M website with Higgs removed, and was used as Samus' primary promotional image across various media prior to the release of Metroid: Samus Returns.
• While Samus' playable design has not been updated to the more recent Metroid: Samus Returns, her Fighter Spirit uses her artwork from said game rather than Other M. This suggests that Samus' retention of her SSB4 design is a consequence of newer Metroid games having been introduced too late in the development cycle for Ultimate to properly integrate their designs into the game; the newest design overhaul in the base roster belongs to Link, with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild having been released many months before Samus Returns and teased for several years beforehand.
• Samus' Down Special appearance, Bomb, always utilizes its default colors regardless if she has an alternate costume on. Dark Samus also shares this distinction.
• When fighting off the fifty puppet fighter army as Master Hand in World of Light, Samus is one of the eight fighters fought there, being affiliated with Galeem.