User:Scr7/Pikachu (SSBB) Guide

Pikachu in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Universe	Pokémon
Other playable appearances	in SSB in Melee in SSB4
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Volt Tackle
Tier	B (8)

This is a guide to Pikachu in SSBB made by Scr7.

Note: I always refer to Pikachu as a he.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Quick overall speed
• Very good recovery
• Good at edgeguarding
• Useful throws
• Can combo well
• Two chaingrabs
• Fairly small target
• Projectile can be useful
• Can play mindgames with Quick Attack
• Good momentum canceling - Skull Bash and uair work well

Cons

• Relatively weak air game
• Subpar range in most attacks
• Most ranged attacks are much better right next to characters, especially f-smash
• Fifth lightest character (tied with Meta Knight)
• Smallest shield in the game - vulnerable to shield stabbing
• Has a long trip animation

Summary

Pikachu is, overall, a fast character, with fast walking and dashing speeds, attacks with mostly little lag (although there are some laggy ones), and moderate air and falling speeds. His attacks are powerful, especially his smashes, and he doesn't have much trouble KOing unless his best finishers are stale. He can also combo nicely, has two chaingrabs that work on a variety of characters. A new feature he's gained from Melee is Quick Attack Cancel, allowing him to approach quickly while attacking or set up a KO move such as an nair or Thunder. Another great thing about Pikachu is his unpredictable recovery - he can travel far and has many ways to return to the stage with Quick Attack, along with Skull Bash and an occasional wall jump being other options.

Pikachu's main problems are that his air game isn't particularly effective - while he does have an aerial KO move in his nair, it negates all of his momentum, and his second most powerful aerial move - dair - is laggy unless autocancelled. Uair can be okay for combos but does next to no damage and knockback, and the bair is laggy and not very useful. Pikachu also has below average range, with its finishers needing the opponent to be near Pikachu to be effective. F-smash is an example - a powerful finisher when the opponent is next to Pikachu, but very weak at the tip of the bolt.

Matchups

Super Smash Bros. Brawl Character Matchups

Avg.

Moveset

Normal attacks

Neutral attack

Name: Headbutt

Damage: 2.1% per hit

Rating:

Description: Does an extremely quick headbutt. The ending lag is basically you letting go of the A button. It does minimal damage and it can't really followup, but it does have a chance of tripping the opponent. Don't use it much, as the opponent can easily DI out after 3-4 hits.

You can use it to counter Stale-Move Negation by attacking things like the statues in Castle Siege.

Frame data

Hits	2-3
IASA	22 (single jab)
Trip rate	10%
Advantage on block	-12 (normal shield drop) / -19 (jump/grab OoS)

Forward tilt

Name: Side Kick

Damage: 9.45% (normal), 10.5% (angled up), 8.4% (angled down)

Rating:

KO percentage: 200%

Description: Quick kick forward. Short range, but it doesn't have bad KO power for a tilt. It's rather awkward to use in combos and for spacing, but it can do both. Also, if you use it right next to the opponent, it knocks them back. I don't really like this move.

Frame data

Hits	5-10
IASA	30
Advantage on block	-14 (normal shield drop) / -21 (jump/grab OoS)

Note: This will always be the same, regardless of how the move is angled.

Up tilt

Name: Tail Whip

Damage: 7.35%/6.3%/5.25% (does more damage closer to Pikachu)

Rating:

KO percentage: 155%

Description: Whips his tail in an arc above himself, launching opponents up. This is a great move - it's fast, at lower percentages it can juggle and combo into other moves well, and at high percentages it can lead straight into a Thunder for a Thunderspike.

Frame data

Hits	7-13
IASA	24
Advantage on block	-7/-7/-8 (normal shield drop) / -14/-14/-15 (jump/grab OoS)

Down tilt

Name: Tail Sweep

Damage: 7.35%

Rating:

KO percentage: 250%

Description: Sweeps his tail along the ground in front of himself. I don't particularly like this move. It has little knockback but also launches the opponent very low to the ground, so it's hard to followup. It also has little KO power. It does have decent range however, and the first hit can trip the opponent. Still, I rarely use it.

Frame data

Hits	7-9
IASA	19
Trip rate	30%
Advantage on block	-2 (normal shield drop) / -9 (jump/grab OoS)

Dash attack

Name: Running Headbutt

Damage: 7.35%

Rating:

Description: Does a running headbutt while falling forward. I don't like this move at all. It's too laggy to followup, and it leaves Pikachu very vulnerable, along with being easy for the opponent to shield grab Pikachu. Its knockback isn't too bad, so it can get opponents offstage, but there are almost always better options.

Frame data

Hits	5-16
IASA	50
Advantage on block	-35 (normal shield drop) / -42 (jump/grab OoS)

Smash attacks

Forward smash

Name: ThunderShock

Damage: Template:DamageWhenCharged (frames 15-17), Template:DamageWhenCharged (frames 18-20), Template:DamageWhenCharged (frames 21-22)

Rating:

KO percentage: 110%

Description: Releases a bolt of electricity in front of himself. Doesn't have too much lag (with 15 frames of startup lag and minimal ending lag), and has some good KO power. Unfortunately, you need to be really close to the opponent for the move to actually work - if you hit with the tip of the bolt, it does very weak knockback instead. So against someone who can easily stay at a distance like Marth, this move is unreliable. But against someone with lower range and spacing capabilities, this isn't a bad KO option at all.

Frame data

Hits	15-22
From charge, hits on	2
IASA	50
Advantage on block	-26, -24, -21 (normal shield drop) / -33, -31, -28 (jump/grab OoS)

Up smash

Name: Tail Flip

Damage: Template:DamageWhenCharged/Template:DamageWhenCharged (frames 9-10) (more damage closer to Pikachu), Template:DamageWhenCharged (frames 11-12), Template:DamageWhenCharged (frames 13-16)

Rating:

KO percentage: 125%

Description: Flips while attacking with his tail upwards. This is definitely one of Pikachu's best moves. It is very fast (9 frames startup), has high vertical KO power (despite being nerfed quite a bit from Melee), and can easily lead into a Thunderspike. Just like all up smashes, you can do this out of a dash, which is what I usually do. You can also easily followup with a down throw with this, whether it's just a single throw or a chaingrab finisher. As I said, the move isn't nearly as powerful as in Melee, but since Thunderspiking is much more effective, this doesn't matter too much if you're going for a Thunderspike. At low percentages, it can also be used for juggling and as a combo starter. A problem is that, again, you need to be quite close to the opponent for the move to be effective, but not as much as the forward smash.

Frame data

Hits	9-16
From charge, hits on	5
IASA	44
Advantage on block	-22/-23, -21, -21 (normal shield drop) / -29/-30, -28, -28 (jump/grab OoS)

Down smash

Name: Electric Spin

Damage: Template:DamageWhenCharged, Template:DamageWhenCharged, Template:DamageWhenCharged, Template:DamageWhenCharged, Template:DamageWhenCharged, Template:DamageWhenCharged, Template:DamageWhenCharged (7 hits) (maximum: Template:DamageWhenCharged)

Rating:

KO percentage: 125%

Description: Spins around on the ground while surrounded with electricity, a multi-hit attack. It has only 6 frames of startup lag, being Pikachu's fastest smash. I like this move because it can rack up damage nicely and the final hit has good vertical KO power (and can lead into a Thunderspike like the up smash), but I understand that it isn't too hard to SDI out of it before the final hit (which is where all of the knockback comes from). If you use the move too much, you'll be predictable. That said, it can be very useful as a sort of "panic" option for spacing. It can also counter Stale-Move Negation due to having multiple hits.

Frame data

Hits	6-7, 9-10, 12-13, 15-16, 18-19, 21-22, 24
From charge, hits on	2
IASA	55
Advantage on block	-44, -41, -38, -35, -32, -29, -25 (normal shield drop) / -51, -48, -45, -42, -39, -36, -32 (jump/grab OOS)

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The rest is coming soon.