Ike (SSB4)

Ike in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	Fire Emblem
Other playable appearance	in Brawl
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Great Aether
Tier	D (35)

Ike (アイク, Ike) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. His return to the series was confirmed in a Director's Room Miiverse post on May 23rd, 2014, the same day that Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones was released in North America in 2005. Jason Adkins (via voice clips recycled from Brawl) and Michihiko Hagi reprise their roles as Ike's voice actors in the English and Japanese versions, respectively.

Ike is currently ranked 35th out of 58 on the tier list, placing him in the D tier. This is very similar to his placement in Brawl, where he was ranked 23rd out of 38. Ike largely retains his high power and impressive range, but now boasts improved speed in regard to overall mobility and frame data. He has also gained an effective combo game, which aids his ability to space out his opponents.

However, Ike retains his flaws from Brawl: his heavy weight renders his overall mobility as below average at best despite its improvements, his very minimal amount of fast grounded attacks often leaves him vulnerable against rushdowns, combos, and projectile camping, while his recovery is still linear and easily predictable despite being long-distanced and benefiting from the new edge mechanic. He has also gained new weaknesses: his already large hurtbox is slightly larger, several of his attacks have decreased ranges and knockback, and his very useful jab cancel is extremely situational at best due to being significantly more difficult to perform into itself.

Overall, Ike's buffs have helped him remain viable despite his nerfs, as evident by him achieving a decent level of success at all levels of play, thanks to Rango, Ryo, San and Waldo.

Attributes

Ike is a heavyweight, being tied with Wario as the eighth heaviest character in SSB4. As such, he possesses slow yet powerful attacks, below average walking speed and air acceleration, slightly below average dashing speed, above average falling speed, air speed and gravity, and low jumps.

Ike's good approach is a noticeable divergence from the heavyweight archetype, though it is a trait shared with his fellow heavyweight swordsmen Shulk and Cloud. His sword, Ragnell, grants him a very long and disjointed range that is surpassed only by Shulk's Monado and Cloud's Buster Sword. Ike's neutral, forward, and back aerials are good approach options, as the former has low landing lag, while the latter two deal high shieldstun due to their damage outputs and ability to auto-cancel from a short hop, making them safe on shield. His forward aerial stands out the most, however, due to its good damage output, high knockback growth and large range in front of Ike. Aside from being his most reliable approach option thanks to these traits, it also makes him a surprisingly difficult character to punish when it is spaced properly. In addition, his aerials' speed and ranges make him capable at pressuring opponents.

Ike's combo game consists of numerous moves that are able to flow consistently with each other up to medium percentages. His neutral aerial, down tilt, up throw and down throw all launch opponents at favorable angles, allowing him to follow up with his aerials and thus perform short, yet impressively damaging combos. Up throw in particular is noteworthy, as its low knockback growth enables it to potentially lead into his forward or up aerials even at high percentages, which provides Ike with a few invaluable KO set-ups. In addition to its aforementioned benefits, forward aerial is also a good combo tool; if auto-canceled properly, it can chain into itself up to three times at medium percentages, racking up roughly 35%. Although not as consistent as the aforementioned moves, his up tilt and back throw also have combo potential: the former can lead to juggle situations, while the latter can combo into his dash attack at medium percentages if the opponent misses their tech.

All of Ike's smash attacks are among the strongest of their respective kinds, with his forward smash being noteworthy as the seventh strongest forward smash in the game. His forward and up smashes both have long ranges, which also grants them utility against both grounded and aerial opponents. Up smash in particular covers a wide, overhead arc around Ike and has a large number of active frames, making it a deadly option at the edge and a good option for punishing rolls. While these moves suffer from extreme amounts of start-up and ending lag, Ike is not reliant on them to KO. In addition to their aforementioned approach potentials, his forward and back aerials boast respectable strength, making them safe KOing options near the edge, while he also has his aforementioned KO set-ups from his up throw. Ike has an effective edge-guarding game, courtesy of a number of powerful options: his forward and back aerials, his down aerial's meteor smashing hitbox, and his neutral special, Eruption, which is chargeable and possesses a large hitbox. Furthermore, his excellent endurance enables him to use the rage mechanic effectively, boosting his already strong power.

However, Ike has a number of flaws. His size, weight, and falling speed leave him vulnerable to combos and rushdown-oriented characters, most notably Sheik, which is further compounded by his lack of options to reliably break out of them. As he is a melee-oriented character, Ike lacks a projectile, putting him at a disadvantage against camping tactics. Ike's weak out of shield potential further compounds his susceptibility to pressure, as his very low traction hinders his grab game, and he lacks options to immediately retaliate due to several of his grounded attacks having high start-up lag. By extension, his grounded attacks' lag issues render his grounded approach as comparatively poor and overall predictable. While his aerial approach is decent, it nonetheless requires proper spacing and timing of his aerials in order to be effective, as they can be punished if misused due to their noticeable ending lag.

Ike's recovery is also problematic. He is vulnerable to semi-spikes, as Aether and Quick Draw are highly predictable due to functioning as strictly vertical and strictly horizontal recovery options, respectively. However, both moves are further compounded by specific faults. Quick Draw must be charged in order to cover more distance and unless it hits an opponent, it renders Ike helpless and thus unable to be used in tandem with Aether. In comparison, Aether covers almost no horizontal distance, which can lead to an invariable self-destruct if it is used too far from the edge.

Ike gains some benefits from his custom moves. Both Tempest and Furious Eruption improve his already good edge-guarding potential, yet possess noticeable traits. Tempest charges faster and generates a windbox that pushes opponents far and/or gimp recoveries, and stalls Ike's descent when used in the air similarly to Cape. In comparison, Furious Eruption is noticeably stronger than Eruption, has more vertical range and launches opponents upward, making it very good on stages with low ceilings. Close Combat grants transcendent priority during its dash, which allows it to ignore projectiles and shields, making it even better for recovering. Aether Drive functions as a diagonal recovery option that Ike lacks with Aether and Quick Draw, but at the cost of losing his only means of vertical recovery. Paralyzing Counter allows Ike to stun the opponent, but at the cost of his counterattack being significantly weaker. Lastly, Smash Counter functions oppositely, as it boasts knockback strong enough to one-hit KO many strong moves, although its lag is significant enough that many moves with low lag will end fast enough for the opponent to block the counterattack.

Overall, Ike's weaknesses are exploitable, yet his strengths are also prevalent. While his predictable recovery and susceptibility to combos, juggles and camping are noticeable flaws, they can be worked around with careful play, as shown by players such as Ryo.

Changes from Brawl

Ike had received a mix of buffs and nerfs from Brawl to SSB4. His attack speed is noticeably faster; in particular, his forward aerial has decreased start-up lag and auto-cancels from a short hop, and, combined with its range, gives Ike a very reliable approach option. Most of his aerials have significantly reduced landing lag as well. His mobility has been improved, with a quicker dash speed and considerably faster air speed. As such, Ike has a better neutral game than in Brawl. He also benefits from the universal gameplay changes. The changes to hitstun canceling improve his combo game by making his down tilt, up throw, and down throw into reliable combo starters into his aerials at a variety of percentages. The new edge mechanics aid his recovery greatly, as Aether was very susceptible to edge-hogging in Brawl. Ike is also heavier then he was in Brawl, improving his endurance. Lastly, the introduction of rage boosts Ike's already high power, while his heavy weight allows him to make great use of this mechanic.

However, Ike has also received some significant nerfs. His range has been reduced, making it slightly more difficult for Ike to space out his opponents. To compensate for his increased attack speed, many of his moves deal less damage and knockback. Ike's jab cancel, which he made extensive use of in Brawl, is now extremely situational due to becoming significantly difficult to perform into itself and having down tilt as its only reliable follow-up. Aside from Counter, his specials have been nerfed, with Eruption being the most noticeably affected, as it deals less damage, knockback, and only grants super armor when fully charged. His aerials have also lost their transcendent priority, although this is a double-edged sword rather than an outright nerf; while Ike's aerials can now cancel out other moves upon clashing, his forward aerial is now his only aerial that is a consistently effective approach option. Ike's hurtbox is now slightly larger, which combined with his increased weight make him more vulnerable to combos then he was in Brawl.

Overall, Ike is generally considered to be a better character than in Brawl due to his buffs being more helpful. While initially having poor representation in competitive play, it has improved over time due to the numerous buffs he received from game updates. Additionally, even though his playerbase is still relatively small, the efforts of players like Ryo have resulted in Ike's competitive representation and results being average.

Aesthetics

• Ike's design is now based on his appearance in Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, the sequel to Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. As such, he now sports his attire as a Hero class unit, a taller and muscular physique, slightly shorter hair, a stern expression and slightly smaller eyes. Unlike in Path of Radiance, Radiant Dawn and Brawl, his eyes are a very slightly lighter shade of blue. Ike is also more expressive overall.
• Ike's boots' sound clips are much higher pitched.
• Ragnell's flames are now sky blue, rather than reddish orange. This is a reference to Ike's "Hero of the Blue Flame" title in the Japanese version of Radiant Dawn. Its swings' sound clips are also much higher pitched.

Attributes

• Ike is taller. This makes his hurtbox slightly larger and while this would improve his overall range, this is largely mitigated by the majority of his attacks having decreased ranges due to smaller hitboxes and altered hitbox placements.
• Ike is heavier (105 → 107). This improves his endurance, but makes him more susceptible to combos.
• Ike walks slower (0.88 → 0.869).
• Ike dashes faster (1.371 → 1.5).
• Ike's air speed is faster (0.9212 → 1.08).
• Double jump is higher.
• Ike's jumpsquat is slower (6 frames → 7).

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack deals less damage (4% (hit 1)/5% (hit 2)/7% (hit 3) → 3%/3%/5%). Its first hit has increased start-up (frame 3 → 4) and ending lag (FAF 17 → 24) and its second hit has increased ending lag (FAF 20 → 28). These changes significantly hinder its jab cancel potential. Its third hit also has a shorter duration (frames 10-14 → 5-8) and has lost its KO potential.
• Neutral attack's third hit has decreased start-up lag (frame 10 → 5). This makes neutral attack transition faster overall.
• Dash attack deals more damage (8% (tip)/7% (blade) → 14%/11%), has increased knockback growth (70 → 78) and has decreased start-up lag (frame 18 → 15). It also received a late hitbox that deals 9% and is stronger than the move's previous knockback (70 (base)/70 (growth) → 60/100). Altogether, these changes improve its KO potential.
• Forward tilt now deals consistent damage (15% (blade)/14% (upper body)/12% (lower body) → 12.5%).
• Forward tilt has decreased knockback (38 (base)/100 (growth) → 30/97), hindering its KO potential.
• Forward tilt has decreased start-up (frame 17 → 13) and ending lag (FAF 56 → 42).
• Up tilt deals 2% more damage (12% → 14%) and has decreased start-up (frame 13 → 11) and ending lag (FAF 50 → 48).
• Up tilt has decreased base knockback (70 → 50). Sourspotted up tilt also has a shorter duration (frames 14-29 → 14-21).
• Down tilt deals 6% less damage (14% → 8%) and can no longer meteor smash.
• Down tilt has altered knockback (55 (base)/100 (growth) → 70/70), decreased start-up (frame 16 → 7) and ending lag (FAF 55 → 29), and altered angles (270°/270°/40°/40° → 80° (all)). Altogether, these changes significantly improve its combo potential.
• Sourspotted forward smash deals 2% more damage (17% → 19%). Forward smash also has a longer duration (frames 31-34 → 31-35).
• Forward smash has decreased knockback (50 (base)/100 (growth) → 40/90), hindering its KO potential. It also has increased ending lag (FAF 80 → 84).
• Up and down smashes have lost their transcendent priority. When coupled with Ike's decreased overall range, these changes hinder their utility.
• Up smash has increased knockback growth (85 → 86), slightly improving its KO potential.
• Down smash deals 1% more damage (13% (hit 1)/16% (hit 2 clean) → 14%/17%), has increased base knockback (30 → 40) and has altered angles (65°/70°/75°/82° (both) → 48° (hit 1, hit 2)/61° (late hit 2)). Altogether, these changes improving its KO potential.
• Down smash's late second hit has a shorter duration (frames 34-44 → 34-36).

Aerial attacks

• All aerials have lost their transcendent priority, which allows them to cancel out non-transcendent projectiles. This improves their safety, but hinders their approach potentials.
• Neutral aerial deals 1% more damage (9% → 10%), has decreased start-up (frame 15 → 12) and ending lag (FAF 76 → 60), and its angle has been altered (70° → 80°). Altogether, these changes significantly improve its combo potential.
• Neutral aerial has received a sourspot that deals 7%. It also has increased landing lag (13 frames → 14).
• Forward, back, up, and down aerials have decreased landing lag (22 frames → 18 (forward), 22 frames → 19 (back), 19 frames → 16 (up), 29 frames → 23 (down)).
• Forward aerial has increased base knockback (20 → 30). Additionally, it has decreased start-up (frame 18 → 12) and ending lag (FAF 60 → 55). Lastly, it can now auto-cancel from a short hop. Altogether, these changes improve its KO potential and grant it approach potential.
• Up aerial deals 3% less damage (14% → 11%), but its knockback was not compensated enough (40 (base)/100 (growth) → 55/94), hindering its KO potential. However, it is still one of the strongest up aerials in SSB4.
• Up aerial has decreased start-up lag (frame 15 → 13).
• Clean down aerial deals 1% less damage (16% → 15%) and has decreased base knockback (40 → 30), hindering its KO potential. Down aerial also received a non-meteor smash sourspot and lost its late hitbox.

Throws/other attacks

• All grabs have increased ending lag (FAF 30 → 33 (standing), FAF 40 → 41 (dash), FAF 36 → 39 (pivot)).
• Dash grab has decreased start-up lag (frame 12 → 10).
• Pivot grab has increased start-up lag (frame 9 → 11).
• All throws deal 1% more damage (6% → 7%).
• Forward throw has increased knockback (50 (base)/50 (growth) → 55/75). This improves its spacing potential, but hinders its tech-chasing potential.
• Back throw has increased knockback (50 (base)/50 (growth) → 55/75). This improves its edge-guard potential, but hinders its tech-chasing potential at high percentages.
• Up throw has decreased ending lag.
• The changes to hitstun canceling improve up and down throws' combo potentials at low to medium percentages.

Special moves

• Uncharged Eruption deals 1% more damage (9% → 10%). It also reaches its charged stages faster and Ike is able to release a fully charged Eruption without receiving any recoil damage, improving its reliability.
• Uncharged Eruption has lost its super armor frames, hindering its safety.
• Fully charged Eruption deals 2% less damage (37% → 35%) at its bottom and has decreased knockback (30 (base)/80 (growth) → 20/70). Its second through eighth charged stages also deal less damage and knockback. Altogether, these changes hinder its KO potential and remove its ability to one-hit KO.
• Eruption has updated sound effects.
• Quick Draw deals 3% less damage (9% (uncharged)/16% (fully charged) → 6%/13%). It also takes longer to fully charge (60 frames → ≈88) and has increased ending lag (FAF 42 → 57) when it does not hit an opponent, hindering its safety.
• Quick Draw has increased base knockback (50 → 70). It also has decreased start-up (frame 17 → 16) and landing lag, covers more distance, and no longer renders Ike helpless if he hits something, improving its recovery potential.
• Aether deals 5% less damage (25% → 20%) and can now only spike at the start of its descent, hindering its KO potential. It also has decreased super armor frames (frames 18-38 → 18-21) and no longer allows Ike to grab edges from behind while using it, hindering its safety and recovery potential, respectively.
• Aether no longer moves Ike forward without directional input.
• Counter has decreased start-up (frame 11 → 9) and ending lag (FAF 60 → 59 (Counter), FAF 37 → 35 (counterattack)). It also has altered knockback (50 (base)/62 (growth) → 48/100), significantly improving its KO potential.
• Counter's counterattack has increased start-up lag (frame 4 → 5) and a shorter duration (frames 4-7 → 5-6).
• Counter now grants intangibility, rather than invincibility.
• Counter has updated sound effects.
• Great Aether deals 18% less damage (78% → 60%).
• Great Aether has updated sound effects.

Update history

Ike has been heavily buffed via game updates. The most notable buffs were brought about by update 1.0.8, which decreased the lag of his grounded and aerial attacks , and in some cases, increased their power. The increased shieldstun in update 1.1.1 also helps Ike's sluggish yet very powerful attacks by making them safer on shield, though this results in his out of shield options becoming slightly more situational due to his poor traction.

1.0.4

• The third hit of neutral attack has less startup lag (frame 8 → 6), allowing it to connect more reliably.
  • However, its total duration was not fully compensated (FAF 40 → 39), giving it slightly more ending lag.
• Forward tilt has considerably lower ending lag (FAF 54 → 45).
• Down tilt has considerably lower ending lag (FAF 39 → 29).
• Down tilt deals more damage (7% → 8%).
• Down tilt has smaller hitboxes (4u → 3.8u/3u).
• Down tilt now launches opponents vertically (361° → 80°) and it has more base knockback but less knockback scaling (50 (base), 90 (scaling) → 70/70). When combined with its lower ending lag, this grants down tilt combo potential.
  • However, this also hinders its edgeguarding potential.
• Down smash has less ending lag (FAF 74 → 71).
• Down smash launches opponents at a lower angle (52° (hit 1/hit 2 (clean))/65° (hit 2, late) → 48°/61°.
• Forward aerial has less startup (frame 16 → 13) and ending lag (FAF 60 → 55).
• Forward aerial auto-cancels earlier (frame 42 → 38), now being able to do so in a short hop.
• Forward aerial has a shorter duration (frames 16-20 → 13-16).
• Forward aerial has a shorter initial auto-cancel window (frames 1-5 → 1).
• Forward aerial has larger hitboxes (4.5u → 5u) although the far hitboxes have been moved closer to Ike to compensate for their horizontal range (y offsets: 9.5/6.5 → 9/6.2).
• Back aerial deals more damage (13% → 14%), improving its KO potential.
• Down aerial has larger hitboxes (4.8u/4.5u/5.3u → 6u/5.5u/6.3u).
• Great Aether's multi hits extend further away from Ike (z offset: 50/10/22/34/46 → 62/12/24/38/52), giving them more range.

1.0.6

• Fixed a glitch where Aether Drive behaved erratically when used in slow motion.
• Counter's knockback growth increased: 74 → 100, improving its KO potential.

1.0.8

• Neutral attack transitions faster and its last hit's hitbox now matches its animation.
• Forward tilt's damage output altered due to it now consisting of one hitbox instead of two: 14% (clean)/12% (late) → 12.5%.
• Forward tilt's start-up lag decreased: 15 frames → 13.
• Up tilt's duration and vertical range increased.
• Dash attack has been improved. It deals 4% more damage: 10% (clean tip)/7% (clean blade)/5% (late) → 14%/11%/9%, its start-up lag decreased: 18 frames → 15, its overall range and knockback increased, and it launches opponents at a more horizontal angle.
• Neutral, up and down aerials' ending lag decreased: 16 frames (neutral)/18 frames (up)/ 26 frames (down) → 14/15/23.
• Forward aerial has been improved. It has decreased start-up: frame 14 → 12 and ending lag: 57 frames → 55 and its hitbox now matches its animation.
• All variations of Quick Draw have had their start-up lag decreased: 19 frames → 16.
• Aether's vacuum properties altered.

1.1.0

• Up aerial's knockback altered: 40 (base)/100 (growth) → 55/94.
• Down throw's collateral hitbox moved forward: -7u → -5u.

1.1.1

• Tempest has been improved. Uncharged Tempest deals 4% more damage: 1% → 5%, its hitboxes' duration increased by 2 frames and it ends 4 frames faster. Charged and fully charged Tempest's initial windboxes' durations increased by 2 frames and are adjusted slightly backward. Later frames' durations increased by 3 frames and the move ends 4 and 2 frames faster, respectively.
• Furious Eruption has been improved. Its sweetspot and fully charged sourspot's hitbox sizes increased: 7u (uncharged sweetspot)/8u (charged sweetspot)/10u (fully charged sweetspot)/15u (fully charged sourspot) → 8.5u/10u/12.5u/16u and have been adjusted upward. Its other hitboxes' durations increased: 12 frames (uncharged second)/16 frames (charged second)/16 frames (fully charged second) → 15/19/19.
• Furious Eruption's first hit's duration decreased: 12 frames (uncharged)/16 frames (fully charged) → 10/14.
• Smash Counter's knockback altered: 48 (base)/100 (growth) → 90/70.
• Third victory pose's animation has slightly changed. Ragnell's blade now glows briefly at the end of the animation.

1.1.4

• Sourspotted forward smash deals 2% more damage: 17% → 19%.
• Sourspotted forward smash's angle altered: 60° → 57°.
• Neutral aerial deals 1% more damage: 9% → 10% (clean), 6% → 7% (late).
• Neutral aerial's angle altered, improving its ability as a set-up.: 70° → 80°.
• Forward aerial deals 1% more damage and its range increased.: 12% → 13%
• Eruption's hitbox lasts 2 frames longer.
• Hard tripping now grants five frames of invincibility.

Moveset

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			3%	A jab, followed by a front kick, followed by a kneeling downward slash. It comes out on frame 4, has a respectable overall damage output, moderate knockback, and its second and third hits' range making it very useful for damage racking and spacing. Although its ability to jab cancel into itself has been significantly weakened, it can still jab cancel into a down tilt due to the latter's speed.
			3%
			5%
Forward tilt			12.5%	An outward slash. It has a moderate amount of start-up lag due to coming out on frame 13, and moderate ending lag. However, it can be angled, has impressive range and deals high knockback growth, which allows it to KO at 125% near the edge.
Up tilt			14% (clean), 10% (late)	Hops to thrust Ragnell's blade upward while holding it parallel to the ground. It deals high knockback growth, which allows its clean hitbox to KO at 120%, but has moderate start-up and ending lag. It also has good vertical range and numerous active frames.
Down tilt			8%	A kneeling inward slice. One of Ike's best combo starters due to it coming out on frame 7, having fairly average ending lag, good range and launching at 80°. Its range also makes it good for edge-guarding. However, its average base knockback and average knockback growth render it unable to combo past medium percentages or KO at reasonable percentages.
Dash attack			14% (clean tip), 11% (clean blade), 9% (late)	A lunging upward slice. One of the slower dash attacks in the game, due to coming out on frame 15, but it has very impressive range since Ike gains a speed boost when using it. Deals high knockback, with its clean tip hitbox being capable of KOing at 121% near the edge. It can be used to efficiently punish poor landings, though it should be used wisely when doing so due to its considerable ending lag.
Forward smash			19% (early), 22% (clean blade), 19% (clean tip)	A lunging downward slash. Deals impressive damage overall and fairly high knockback growth, making it the seventh strongest forward smash in the game when it was previously the second strongest in Brawl. While at the center of the stage, its clean blade hitbox KOs at as early as 75% on middleweights. Although it works best when punishing the opponent, the move itself is easily punishable as well, due to its extreme amounts of start-up and ending lag making it one of the slowest smash attacks in the game.
Up smash			17% (clean), 10% (late)	An overhead arcing slash. Its clean hitbox deals impressive damage and fairly high knockback, which allow it to KO at 112%. Unlike his other smash attacks, it hits on both sides and above Ike due to him swinging Ragnell on a 180° arc. However, it has extreme amounts of start-up and ending lag, though not as severely as his forward smash. A reliable KOing option against aerial or rolling opponents, as well as being better than his down smash at punishing the latter because of its greater range.
Down smash			14% (hit 1), 17% (hit 2), 8% (hit 2 late)	A kneeling outward slash in front of himself and then behind himself. Ike's fastest smash attack in regard to start-up lag, due to coming out on frame 13. Both hits deal high knockback, but the first hit deals less damage and KOs at 119% near the edge. In comparison, the clean second hit deals more damage and KOs at 99% near the edge. However, it has the same amount of ending lag as his up smash, while its second hit's short range makes it difficult to hit rolling opponents.
Neutral aerial			10% (clean), 7% (late)	A circular slash around himself. Has a large number of active frames and impressive range due to Ike swinging Ragnell almost 360°, making it a reliable and safe spacing option. Due to it launching at 80° and having both low base knockback and low landing lag, it is also a great combo starter into grabs, tilts and aerials when performed from a short hop and depending on the opponent's damage. However, it has a moderate amount of start-up lag due to coming out on frame 12, and very high aerial ending lag.
Forward aerial			13%	A downward slash. Covers the entirety of Ike's front, making it capable of hitting above himself and below himself. It comes out on frame 12 like his neutral aerial and has moderate landing lag, although this can be mitigated by auto-canceling from a non-fast falling short hop. When coupled with its high knockback growth, these traits make it Ike's most viable approach option. It is also a viable KOing option, as it KOs at 125% near the edge.
Back aerial			14%	Quickly turns around to perform an outward slash. Comes out on frame 7, making it Ike's fastest aerial. When coupled with its high knockback growth, impressive range and ability to be auto-canceled from a short hop, it is one of Ike's most viable KOing options, as it KOs at 117% near the edge. Additionally, it is a viable approach option when used as a part of a reverse aerial rush. Despite its range, it has a narrow hitbox with a minimal number of active frames. It also suffers from considerable aerial ending lag and moderate landing lag.
Up aerial			11%	A circular overhead slash. It has numerous active frames, with its hitbox starting behind Ike, as well as good horizontal range. However, it has minimal vertical range. Like his back aerial, its fairly high knockback growth makes it a viable KOing option, as it KOs at 112% near the upper blast line.
Down aerial			15%	A downward slash between his legs. It is Ike's most damaging aerial and has high knockback growth, which allows it to KO at 123% on-stage and while near the edge. It also has impressive range below him, and is a very powerful meteor smash when hitting with Ragnell's tip during the initial portion of the swing. However, it only consists of 2 active frames, has the highest amount of start-up and landing lag out of his aerials, as well as moderately high landing lag.
Grab			—	Reaches out with his free hand. Ike's overall grab range is average.
Pummel			3%	A headbutt. Moderately slow, but one of the most damaging pummels in the game.
Forward throw			3% (hit 1), 4% (throw)	A front kick. It is a semi-spike and thus a reliable edge-guard set-up at high percentages, but oddly has very minimal tech-chasing potential.
Back throw			3% (hit 1), 4% (throw)	A reverse roundhouse kick. It is a semi-spike like his forward throw, making it a reliable edge-guard set-up at high percentages. Unlike forward throw, it is much better at tech-chasing, which it can do alongside a dash attack from low to medium percentages.
Up throw			3% (hit 1), 4% (throw)	Plunges Ragnell into the ground and double axe handles the opponent upward. It has average base knockback, average knockback growth and launches at 87°, giving it good combo potential into his aerials until high percentages.
Down throw			3% (hit 1), 4% (throw)	A one-handed body slam followed by a double knee drop. It has average base knockback, very high knockback growth and launches at 80°, giving it decent combo potential at low percentages, with one notable combo being into Aether at 0%. Its knockback growth also makes it Ike's strongest throw, although it will not KO until 183% and while Ike is affected by maximum rage.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Swings Ragnell around himself.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	Swings Ragnell around himself.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Swings Ragnell around himself.
Edge attack Edge getups			8%	Performs an outward slash while climbing up.
Neutral special	Default	Eruption	10% (uncharged), 35% (fully charged bottom), 28% (fully charged middle), 26% (fully charged top)	Lifts and holds Ragnell in front of himself with both hands in a reverse grip before plunging it into the ground to emit an explosive pillar of fire. Has transcendent priority and is chargeable. While uncharged, it has a longer downward reach until fully charged and the tip of Ragnell's blade can meteor smash. It has high vertical range, which increases as it charges, making it good for edge-guarding. When fully charged, it grants super armor frames upon being performed and can KO as low as 45%, but Ike receives 10% recoil damage.
	Custom 1	Tempest	5% (uncharged), 8% (grounded fully charged), 14% (aerial fully charged)	Emits a vortex of wind instead of a pillar of fire. The vortex is a windbox that pushes opponents away and stalls Ike's descent if used in midair, making it excellent for edge-guarding and useful for aiding his recovery. It also charges faster than Eruption and Furious Eruption and, unlike either move, does not deal recoil damage. However, it also deals much less damage.
	Custom 2	Furious Eruption	7% (uncharged), 27% (grounded fully charged bottom), 20% (grounded fully charged top), 32% (aerial fully charged bottom), 25% (aerial fully charged top)	The pillar of fire's vertical hitbox is larger, especially when charged, and the move stays out a few frames longer than Eruption. However, Ike receives 10% recoil damage when charged halfway and 15% recoil damage when fully charged. When fully charged, it KOs as early as 30% and launches opponents vertically, making it better at KOing than Eruption. It also grants transcendent priority.
Side special	Default	Quick Draw	6% (uncharged), 13% (fully charged)	Kneels on one knee and readies himself to charge forward and perform an outward slash upon contact. The charge can be held indefinitely. However, failing to hit anything results in high ending lag and, if used in midair, rendering Ike helpless.
	Custom 1	Close Combat	4% (uncharged, fully charged), 7% (fully charged far)	Performs a shoulder tackle instead of an outward slash. It pierces opponents, launches them upward, grants transcendent priority during the dash, and is better for recovery than Quick Draw. However, this comes at the cost of dealing less damage.
	Custom 2	Unyielding Blade	7% (uncharged), 19% (fully charged)	Deals more damage and grants super armor for the duration of the charge and the lunge. However, this comes at the cost of its range and speed being decreased.
Up special	Default	Aether	6% (hit 1 clean), 4% (hit 1 late), 1% (hit 2), 3% (descent), 6% (landing)	Performs the Aether skill by throwing Ragnell upward, launching nearby opponents in the air while Ragnell spins in place and hits a few times while trapping opponents, before Ike leaps up and grabs Ragnell to perform a descending slash. Grants 4 frames of super armor starting on frame 18 and ending on frame 21. It grants poor horizontal distance, but respectable vertical distance, and can even spike opponents if used correctly. Aside from its initial hitbox, its other hitboxes have transcendent priority, a trait that also applies to its custom moves.
	Custom 1	Aether Drive	9% (hit 1 clean), 6% (hit 1 late), 1% (hit 2), 5% (descent), 9% (landing)	Ragnell is thrown much farther out, but not as high, granting it much greater horizontal distance at the cost of some vertical distance. It also deals more damage.
	Custom 2	Aether Wave	6% (hit 1 clean), 4% (hit 1 late), 1% (hit 2), 3% (descent), 10%/8%/6%/4% (landing)	Ragnell emits an energy wave upon landing, but the entire attack deals less damage overall. Its entire animation is also significantly faster than Aether's and Aether Drive's, which results in it having minimal trapping potential in comparison to them. Based on Ragnell's ability in Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance and Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn to attack at a longer range by firing an energy wave.
Down special	Default	Counter	1.2x (min 10%)	Parries and then counterattacks against any incoming attacks with a reverse gripped downward slash. Comes out on frame 9 and has a duration of 26 frames.
	Custom 1	Paralyzing Counter	1% (base)	The counterattack stuns the opponent, similarly to Mewtwo's Disable. Like Disable, the stun's duration is longer the more damaged the opponent is, but it also deals minuscule damage due to not being a true counterattack. Comes out on frame 11 and has a narrower counter window due to having a duration of 13 frames.
	Custom 2	Smash Counter	≈1.5x (9% (base), 15% (min))	The counterattack has a larger hitbox and deals more damage and considerably more knockback. However, Ike counterattacks after a delay instead of instantly. As a result, opponents can easily avoid it, especially if it is used in the air. As a result, it is best used against moves that have considerable ending lag. Comes out on frame 11 and has a duration of 27 frames.
Final Smash		Great Aether	5% (hit 1), 2% (hits 2-14), 5% (hit 15), 4% (hit 16), 10% (hit 17)	Performs an upward slash while Ragnell's blade is engulfed in flames. If any opponents are hit, they are launched upward and Ike throws Ragnell into the air along with them. He then leaps up, catches Ragnell while its blade is still aflame, and unleashes a devastating series of slashes and thrusts as well as two alternating kicks. Ike then concludes the combo with a descending, two-handed slash that slams the opponent to the ground and creates a massive explosion upon impact. The explosion launches the opponent and any bystanders towards the upper blast line.

On-screen appearance

• Warps onto the stage using warp magic and grunts while briefly slashing outward.

Taunts

• Up taunt: Holds Ragnell with both hands and in front of himself while growling loudly as wind blows through his cape.
• Side taunt: Holds Ragnell to his side, saying "Prepare yourself!" In the Japanese version, he says 覚悟しろ。 (Get prepared.)
• Down taunt: Plunges Ragnell into the ground, says "Hmph!" as wind also blows through his cape, then removes Ragnell from the ground.

Up taunt	Side taunt	Down taunt

Idle poses

• Taps Ragnell's blade on his shoulder.
• Rubs the edge of Ragnell's blade.

Crowd cheer

	English	Japanese
Cheer
Description	We like Ike!	Ai-ku!
Pitch	Group chant	Male

Victory poses

An orchestral excerpt of the title theme from Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, which has since become the main theme of the Fire Emblem series.

• Plunges Ragnell into the ground and then crosses his arms, saying "You'll get no sympathy from me."
• Swings Ragnell twice, then casually holds it while its blade rests on his shoulder while saying "I fight for my friends." In the Japanese version, Ike says "守る べき もの の ため 戦う だけ だ" Because the Japanese quote is significantly longer than the English quote, there is a moment of silence before his name is announced in non-Japanese versions.
• Uses Aether.

In competitive play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character	Custom sets available
Ike	2222	2122	2212	2232	3222
	3122	3212	3232	2111	3111

Notable Players

Active

•  A
•  Justice
•  Nojinko
•  ProBeans
•  Ryo
•  San
•  SM
•  Waldo

Inactive

•  Rango
•  Ryuga

Tier placement and history

Upon SSB4's release, Ike's buffs to his speed were quickly noticed, but so were the nerfs to the power of some of his moves. Eventually, it became clear Ike had lost a lot of power, with the increased speed not properly compensating for it and other of his flaws from Brawl not being addressed, and was seen as a non-viable character. However, game updates would buff Ike (e.g, making his forward aerial autocancel, increasing the damage on some of his moves, altering the angles on them to increase their combo or KO potential), to the point that he would begin achieving results, particularly around the time of update 1.0.8, with smashers like Rango, Ryo, Ryuga, San and Waldo. As such, he originally ranked at 26th on the first 4BR tier list, a fairly noticeable improvement from his tier placement in Brawl.

Game updates, however, would start making clear other characters had benefitted from them as much as him (most notably Bowser, Marth, Lucina, and Mewtwo) and they would eventually start to trump Ike in terms of results. This was further compounded with the introduction of Corrin and Bayonetta, and Ryuga dropping Ike for the former character, and Rango dropping Ike for Cloud. Thus, despite his great playerbase, Ike has since then seen lower and more average placings at tournaments, and he has since dropped to 35th on the second tier list, though he would retain the 35th spot on the third and current tier list. Ike's tier placement is a fair topic of debate, with some arguing he should be placed higher due to his strengths, while some argue he should be placed lower due to his results being stagnant.

Trophies

Ike

One of the main characters from the Fire Emblem series. Having fought in the Mad King's War, restored the fallen nation of Crimea, and taken on the Begnion Empire, Ike is rightly called a hero. He has the strength to back the title—one good swing of his blade can launch the heaviest of foes.

One of the main characters from the Fire Emblem series. Having fought in the Mad King's War, played a huge part in restoring the fallen nation of Crimea, and taken on the Begnion Emprire, Ike is rightly called a hero. And he has the strength to go with that title. One good swing of his blade can launch even the heaviest of fighters.

: Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (10/2005)

: Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn (11/2007)

Ike (Alt.)

Ike's side smash is a powerful two-handed sword strike. It's one of the best launch attacks in the entire game, though it will leave you wide open when you use it. For Eruption, one of his specials, you stab the ground and unleash a pillar of fire. Charging for too long will hurt Ike, so be careful!

Ike's side smash is a powerful two-handed sword strike. It's one of the best launch attacks in the entire game, so even though it leaves you open, it's a real winner. For Eruption, one of his specials, you stab the ground and unleash a pillar of fire that hits anyone nearby. If you charge it too long, though, you'll hurt yourself, so be careful!

: Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (10/2005)

: Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn (11/2007)

Great Aether

Ike's Aether up special is combined with a relentless barrage of sword blows in this powerful Final Smash. He knocks targets into the air with an upward swing, and then they're stuck there as he strikes over and over. Finally, he slams them down to the ground and launches them. Just make sure that first strike hits!

Ike's Aether up special is combined with a relentless barrage of sword blows in this powerful Final Smash. He knocks his target into the air with an upward swing, and then they're stuck there as he strikes again and again. Finally, he slams them down to the ground and launches them. Just make sure that first strike hits!

• 

  Classic (3DS)

• IkeAllStarTrophy3DS.png

  Alt. (3DS)

• 

  Classic (Wii U)

• 

  Alt. (Wii U)

• 

  Great Aether

In Event Matches

Solo Events

• All-Star Battle: Brawl: Ike is one of the opponents fought in this event. All of the opponents debuted in Brawl.
• The Ultimate Swordsman: Ike must defeat Link, Marth, Meta Knight, Toon Link, male Robin, female Robin and Shulk. All of the opponents wield swords.

Co-op Events

• Mirror Magic: Ike and Lucina must defeat Ganondorf, a giant metal dark Ike and a giant metal dark Lucina.
• The Ultimate Battle: Two players select a character and must defeat the entire roster.

Alternate costumes

Gallery

• 

  The Pic of the Day revealing Ike's return to the series.

• 

  Ike's amiibo.

• 

  Using Aether on Zero Suit Samus.

• 

  Using Counter against Little Mac's Straight Lunge.

• 

  Alongside a taunting Villager.

• 

  One of Ike's idle poses.

• 

  Using his dash attack against Samus' dash attack.

• 

  A close-up of Ike in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

• 

  Alongside Marth.

• 

  Ike's other idle pose.

• 

  On Halberd.

• 

  Using his up smash on Samus and Sheik in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

• 

  Ike being attacked by the fish on Balloon Fight.

• 

  Ike using a Rocket Belt on Find Mii.

• 

  Using Eruption on Mario in a pre-release picture.

• 

  Ike fighting Robin.

Trivia

• Ike is the only Fire Emblem character in the game with an up aerial that does not involve a backflip or turning around, and an up smash that is not an upward thrust.
• Ragnell's flames initially retained their reddish orange coloration from Brawl. However, they were changed to sky blue in the final release, in reference to Ike's "Hero of the Blue Flame" title in the Japanese version of Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn.
• The start-up lag of Ike's up taunt is almost as long as his forward smash attack's start-up lag.
  • His up and side taunts also slightly resemble his forward and up smashes, respectively.
• Prior to Corrin's debut in the Super Smash Bros. series, Ike was the only Fire Emblem character to have an idle stance that has him lead with his left side and have his sword arm act as his following arm.