Lucas

Lucas
The in-game sprite of older Lucas from Mother 3.
Universe	EarthBound
Debut	Mother 3 (2006)
Smash Bros. appearances	Brawl SSB4 Ultimate
Most recent non-Smash appearance	Mother 3 (2006)
Console/platform of origin	Game Boy Advance
Species	Human
Gender	Male
Place of origin	Earth
Created by	Shigesato Itoi
Voice actor	Lani Minella
Article on WikiBound	Lucas

Lucas (リュカ, Lucas) is a character in the EarthBound/Mother universe, debuting in the Japan-only Mother 3 for Game Boy Advance.

Character description

Lucas is the main protagonist of Mother 3. He is a timid young boy that is 9-10 years old at the beginning of the game, though he turns 12-13 by the end. Lucas is Claus' younger twin. After the intro when he grows up, he is drafted by Wess to find Duster and Kumatora. He learns PSI (known as "PK" in Brawl and in Japan) and begins to battle against the Pigmask Army to pull 4 of the 7 sacred needles to awaken the Dark Dragon living under the Nowhere Islands.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee

When Masahiro Sakurai updated the original Smabura-Ken with Ness's profile on July 17th, 2001, he said that Lucas was meant to replace Ness as a playable character, but Ness was included due to time constraints, and likely due to the cancellation in 1999 of EarthBound 64, the first version of Mother 3 that had been worked on.

“	Actually, at first, I planned to change him [Ness] into the protagonist of Mother 3 [Lucas], but for various reasons during the delay, I settled back on the original idea. (実は当初、MOTHER3の主人公に変更する予定でしたが、いろいろあって遠回りしながら、元のさやに収まりました。)	”
—Masahiro Sakurai, Smabura-Ken Ness page (Japanese)

Both Ness and Lucas would ultimately appear as playable characters in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Lucas, as he appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Lucas is a playable newcomer to the Super Smash Bros. series in Brawl. His special moves, originally revealed on the Smash Bros. DOJO!! website, are similar to Ness's, but have some key differences. For example, Lucas's PK Thunder goes through opponents, dealing multiple hits, while Ness's PK Thunder deals a single heavy blow. Lucas also has physics that are near identical to Ness's, but the majority of Lucas's moves are completely different from Ness's, leaving him as a semi-clone of Ness. Lucas's Final Smash is PK Starstorm, which he shares with Ness.

Lucas is ranked 30th on the tier list in E tier. The main reason for his lower-mid placing is the additional 10 frames he gets when grab released, like Ness. This makes him vulnerable to grab release followups from every character, including zero-death chain grabs from Marth and Donkey Kong.

Trophy description

The Lucas trophy from Brawl.

Lucas

The younger of twin brothers living in Tazmily Village in the Nowhere Islands. He's a kind boy who can communicate with animals, but he's shy and never really got over the tragedy that struck his mother. He fights a warped dictatorship, hunts the Seven Needles, and crosses swords with his missing brother, Claus. In the end, the young boy with psychic PSI powers grows up.

: Mother 3 (Japan Only)

Sticker

Name	Game	Effect	Character(s)
Lucas	Mother 3	Attack +13

Lucas (Mother 3)

In Super Smash Bros. 4

File:LucasSSB4.png

Lucas as he appears in Super Smash Bros. 4.

Although he did not make it onto the roster upon the initial worldwide release, Lucas was announced as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4 via DLC that was released on June 14th, 2015. He also made a cameo as a trophy in both versions. In addition, his special moves from Brawl became available as custom special moves for Ness.

Trophy description

The Lucas trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

Lucas

Before adventuring, Lucas was a timid, cautious boy. His journey has made him a stronger person. Maybe he met someone to spend his life with... Hang on—we're moving way too fast! For now, remember that Lucas and Ness are favorites in the hearts of EarthBound fans.

Once upon a time, Lucas was a bit of a cry-baby. You might even say he was a wimp. But then, well...he had more than his fair share of rough times and toughened up a bit. Who knows what he's up to now? Whatever he's doing, his story - much like Ness's - lives on in the hearts of all Mother series fans.

: Mother 3 (Japan Only)

Trivia

• Lucas' PSI shapes are polygon-based, compared to Ness' circle-based PSI effects. This is most clearly seen in the dash attacks.
• Lucas' home village is transcribed as Tazumili in the NTSC Brawl, but Mother 3 creator, Shigesato Itoi, stated that the village is Tazmily when written in the Latin alphabet. This was corrected in the PAL release of Brawl.
• Lucas, Shulk, and Dark Pit are the only playable characters that have only appeared in their debut game outside of their Smash appearances.
  • Of these three, Lucas is the only character to have debuted in Brawl.
• Strangely, although Lucas has only appeared in a Japanese-exclusive game, he is voiced by Lani Minella, an American actress.
• All of Lucas' special moves in Brawl are not available to him in Mother 3; they are all learned by Kumatora instead.
  • Ness somewhat shares this property, having all his special moves except PK Flash learned by Paula and Poo.
  • Alongside the Rope Snake, Lucas's jab and down tilt are references to Duster, whose primary form of attack is a series of spin-kicks.
• As a non-fighter, Lucas' trophy in Super Smash Bros. 4 reuses his model from Brawl, a trait shared with the Pokémon Trainer and the Ice Climbers, who also shared Lucas' initial fate of being cut from the game. Additionally, the trophy's pose bears a striking resemblance to his Brawl artwork, albeit with his pose mirrored.
• Lucas was originally one of three starter characters to be cut, with the others being Ice Climbers and Pokémon Trainer. However, he was later brought back as a DLC fighter.

External links

• Ness's Smabura-Ken page, including comment about his intended exclusion from Melee - Translated by Google
• Lucas' Smash Bros. DOJO!! (US) page