Mr. Game & Watch (SSB4)

Mr. Game & Watch in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	Game & Watch
Other playable appearances	in Melee in Brawl
Availability	Unlockable
Final Smash	Octopus
Tier	D (40)

Mr. Game & Watch (Mr.ゲーム＆ウォッチ, Mr. Game & Watch) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. After making a cameo in Pac-Man's trailer, Mr. Game & Watch was announced during the Super Smash Bros. for Wii U 50-Fact Extravaganza on October 23rd, 2014. Like in Melee and Brawl, he uses Game & Watch-esque sound effects to represent his "voice".

Mr. Game & Watch is currently ranked 40th out of 58 on the tier list, placing him at the bottom of the D tier and making him the lowest ranking mid-tier character. This is a drop from his ranking in Brawl, where he was ranked 16th out of 38. Mr. Game & Watch's strengths include great combo and air games and, despite being a lightweight, a high overall damage output on par with some heavyweights. His overall mobility is also decent, with his recovery in particular being impressive due to Fire's long-ranged distance, large edge sweetspot, and general safety. He is also good at edgeguarding, due to his recovery and moderately fast aerials. His landing lag, while not supplemented by autocancels, is actually quite low and is among the best in the game in terms of the total amount of frames in aerial move lag upon landing.

However, Mr. Game & Watch possesses notable weaknesses as well. A big flaw is his surprising inability to KO at higher percentages despite dealing a lot of damage quickly. This is due to his finishers being plagued in one way or another, including inconsistent KO set-ups (such as down throw into up aerial) and KOing options that are too sluggish or have large sourspots (such as forward and down smashes, respectively). Additionally, while he has surprisingly good range for his size due to his disjointed hitboxes, he still has shorter range than a handful of the cast, such as Shulk, Ike, Marth, and Cloud. He is also the third lightest character in the game, making him prone to getting KO'd quite easily, which is further exacerbated by the loss of Bucket Braking.

His grab game is also lackluster outside of down throw, as his pummel is one of the slowest in the game, and none of his other throws possess the same utility that his down throw does, nor are they strong enough to KO at realistic percentages. His neutral game is also lacking, due to having no aerials that autocancel from a short hop and his limited amount of safe options on shield. Lastly, some of his moves are considered to be situational, due to either needing luck (Judge) or needing the opponent to have an energy-based projectile (Oil Panic).

Overall, Mr. Game & Watch's strengths are generally on par with his weaknesses. While his tournament representation is poor overall due to his noticeable character flaws and unpopularity in competitive play, he has still achieved above average tournament results, such as Regi placing 17th at EVO 2016.

How to unlock

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS

• Play 90 VS Matches.
• Complete Classic Mode 10 times.

Mr. Game & Watch must then be defeated on Flat Zone 2.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

• Play 80 VS Matches.
• Clear Classic Mode on Intensity 2.0 or higher with 5 characters.

Mr. Game & Watch must then be defeated on Flat Zone X.

Attributes

Mr. Game & Watch's archetype as a lightweight slightly differs from the majority of his fellow lightweights. While he is small, has the third lightest weight, the fifth slowest falling speed, below average gravity, low jumps and is tied for the seventh fastest air acceleration, he has average walking and dashing speeds, a low short hop and above average air speed. Overall, Mr. Game & Watch's speed when moving is quite exceptional for a lightweight, but his low falling speed can be somewhat detrimental. His short size also makes him difficult to hit, especially when crouching.

Unlike most lightweights, Mr. Game & Watch has moves with disjointed hitboxes, with some of them reaching relatively far from him. His damage output is above average, and he has a good combo game, allowing him to easily rack up a decent amount of damage with few moves. His down throw is a reliable combo starter, being able to be followed by his up tilt (on floaty characters) or neutral attack (on fast-fallers) at low percents, Judge, up smash or Oil Panic from low to high percents, all aerials except down aerial from mid to high percents, and Fire at high percents. His combo game is further compounded by his great air game, with his neutral, forward, back and up aerials having good combo utility and being fairly damaging.

His neutral aerial has pretty high range above him and does very high damage if all hits connect and the last hit has moderate knockback, making it difficult to punish, as well as being rarely escaped by SDI and able to be followed up by other moves. His forward aerial has decent range and knockback (when clean), making it useful for edgeguarding, and the late hit can be followed up by another attack when late despite the moves' ending lag. His back aerial, while less damaging than in Brawl, is still pretty useful due to its disjointed range and low knockback that allows it to be followed by another one, giving it effective wall of pain ability. His up and down aerials are mainly used for KOing. His up aerial is his strongest one, but its windbox can make it difficult to connect into the second hit, which carries all the knockback. Nevertheless, its windbox can also safely space the move and juggle opponents. Meanwhile, his down aerial is an effective meteor smash as well as being a stall-then-fall, giving Mr. Game & Watch an effective move for edgeguarding, ending a stock early, and getting out of juggles.

While he has fairly damaging moves, Mr. Game & Watch also has plenty of reliable and powerful finishers for his weight class, which can put him on par with some heavyweights. The most notable examples include his forward and down tilts at high percents, all of his smash attacks, his aerials, Judge 9 and Oil Panic. Finally, his special moveset is pretty decent, albeit polarized. His neutral special, Chef, is weak but can effectively stun players, as well as work as an efficient anti-pressure option from afar. His up special, Fire, grants exceptional vertical distance and deals average knockback, as well as slows his descent down after usage, giving Mr. Game & Watch an amazing recovery that is also difficult to edgeguard. His side special, Judge, is infamously polarized due to being luck-based; its effects range from causing no knockback while damaging Mr. Game & Watch himself (1) to inflicting extremely high knockback that can KO even at very low percents (9). Finally, Oil Panic can absorb three energy-based projectiles (or one extremely powerful energy-based projectile) before unleashing a powerful attack that can score a one-hit KO depending on how much damage it has absorbed. However, it only works on characters with absorbable projectiles such as Zelda and Samus, making it very situational and generally not that useful.

While Mr. Game & Watch does have many positive traits, he also possesses many notable weaknesses. Due to his two-dimensional nature, he is one of the lightest characters in the game, which makes him susceptible to early KOs, especially vertically. He has a very short roll that is quite slow, often punishable even when used sparingly. His grab game is also very poor outside of grab combos: his grab still has very short reach, his pummel is slow and he has no useful throws other than his down throw. His attacks, despite possessing large, disjointed hitboxes that are far reaching from him, mostly have poor to mediocre reach, making spacing less effective when against long-reaching sword users (such as Cloud and Shulk). Their range was also nerfed from Brawl, with his attacks being much less wide and far. While the majority of his moveset has quick startup, it suffers from particularly high ending and landing lag in most of his attacks, allowing him to be easily punished when his moves are whiffed. Finally, some of his special moves are considered to be situational depending on the matchup, with Judge being an unsafe move in general due to its randomness, and Oil Panic being only useful when facing a character with an absorbable projectile.

Mr. Game & Watch has a few noteworthy custom moves. Short-Order Chef is weaker, but much faster, allowing him to space more easily. Chain Judge has no special effects but deals more damage the higher the number is, significantly improving the move's consistency and damage racking capabilities. Heavy Trampoline grants less distance at the cost of being stronger, while Trampoline Launch has no parachute at the cost of granting more distance and being stronger as well.

All in all, Mr. Game & Watch's pros and cons are generally even. Like his fellow lightweight Mewtwo, Mr. Game & Watch can be considered a glass cannon due to his overall damage output and his ability to finish opponents, yet being very susceptible to being finished earlier than most characters. Due to his scarce tournament representation as of late, he ranks below average in most tournaments and has very few players. However, Mr. Game & Watch's playerbase includes notable players such as KOSSismoss, Regi and Songn, who have managed to achieve decent tournament results with him.

Changes from Brawl

Mr. Game & Watch was overall nerfed in his transition to SSB4, with the buffs he received failing to compensate for the more drastic nerfs to his important abilities. Many of his moves have increased lag, such as his neutral, forward and back aerials no longer autocanceling with short hops, which weakens his options to approach or punish opponents. The changes to hitstun canceling can be considered a double-edged sword for Mr. Game & Watch: they indirectly removed Bucket Braking and momentum canceling, which were integral to his past success, yet they improve his combo game thanks to making his down throw capable of initiating highly damaging combos.

His smash attacks, while becoming slightly weaker, are still viable options that reliably KO under 100%, and some of his other moves are still strong. While Oil Panic has had its valuable Bucket Braking ability removed, it also fills faster, letting Mr. Game & Watch use one of his most situational moves more frequently. His recovery has also been improved due to his faster air speed, Fire's increased vertical distance, and Oil Panic's newly acquired jump boost mechanic. As a result, some players, such as GimR and Regi, have shown he is still a decent character despite no longer being as viable as he was before.

Aesthetics

• Mr. Game & Watch's design has changed. He now has a rounder head, a slightly smaller and rounder nose, a slightly wider torso, circular hands, shorter arms, slightly smaller feet, and a thinner outline that is layered gray and white. Altogether, these changes make Mr. Game & Watch appear much more in line with his appearance in Game & Watch Gallery 4. His animations are also choppier, which better simulate the frame-by-frame movement within the Game & Watch series.
• Mr. Game & Watch has a new down taunt. He now sits down and sighs, instead of jumping once with his hands open. This originates from the Game & Watch version of Mario Bros.

Attributes

• Mr. Game & Watch is smaller. This makes his hurtbox slightly smaller, but slightly hinders his range.
• Due to the general change in size between small and large characters, Mr. Game & Watch's smaller size significantly improves his crouch's defensive potential.
• Mr. Game & Watch walks faster (1.1 → 1.1242).
• Mr. Game & Watch dashes slower (1.553 → 1.5264).
• Mr. Game & Watch's air speed is faster (1.081 → 1.12).
• Walk's animation has changed. Mr. Game & Watch now walks more flippantly while he repeatedly looks back and forth. This originates from Helmet.

Ground attacks

• Neutral infinite now deals consistent damage (1%-3% → 1%).
• Neutral attack has received a finisher, a large blast of gas from the insecticide pump.
• The weakening of SDI makes neutral infinite significantly more difficult to escape from.
• Clean forward tilt no longer deals consistent damage (10% → 10% (chair)/9% (body)).
• Forward tilt has received a late hitbox that deals 4%. This lengthens its duration (6 frames → 8), but makes it more susceptible to punishment at low to medium percentages.
• Forward tilt has increased ending lag (20 frames → 21).
• Forward and down tilts are stronger.
• Due to consisting of two hitboxes instead of one, up tilt no longer deals consistent damage (8% → 7% (both)). This enables it to hit twice at low percentages, but makes it unable to effectively hit opponents in front of or above Mr. Game & Watch because of its hitboxes being smaller than the previous one.
• Up tilt has decreased start-up lag (frame 13 → 10).
• Up tilt has increased ending lag (8 frames → 14).
• Down tilt has received a windbox above its hitbox. This improves its safety, but results in it dealing 8% less damage (9% → 1%) against aerial opponents.
• Down tilt has increased ending lag (10 frames → 29).
• Dash attack deals 1% less damage (11% → 10%) and has increased ending lag (8 frames → 19).
• Dash attack is stronger, despite its decreased damage output, granting it it KO potential at high percentages.
• Dash attack has received a late hitbox that deals 6.5%. This lengthens its duration, but makes it more susceptible to punishment at low to medium percentages.
• Forward smash's sourspot now takes priority over its sweetspot. Its late hitbox has also been removed, hindering its safety (reduced from 17 frames → 2 frames). Its knockback growth was reduced as well, hindering its KO potential (98 → 91).
• Forward smash's animation has slightly changed. Mr. Game & Watch now swings the torch with both hands, instead of just one.
• Up smash deals 2% less damage (18% → 16%) and has decreased knockback, hindering its KO potential. It also has increased ending lag (10 frames → 14) and a shorter duration (4 frames → 2).
• Up smash now grants partial invincibility on frames 4-25.
• Down smash has increased range.
• Down smash's sourspot is larger and weaker. It also has increased ending lag (33 frames → 42) and decreased knockback growth (98 → 85), hindering its KO potential (KO'ing about 20% later), but it is still one of the most powerful down smashes in the game.

Aerial attacks

• Neutral aerial's hits connect together better and its last hit has increased knockback, improving its reliability.
• Neutral aerial has increased ending lag (35 frames → 43) and can no longer autocancel.
• Neutral and up aerials have increased landing lag (9 frames → 12).
• The weakening of SDI makes neutral and back aerials significantly more difficult to escape from.
• Forward aerial deals 4.5% less damage (16% → 11.5%), significantly hindering its KO potential.
• Forward aerial has decreased landing lag (22 frames → 15).
• Due to consisting of four hits instead of five, back aerial deals 6% less damage (15% → 9%). It also has increased landing lag (12 frames → 19).
• Back aerial's hits connect together better, improving its reliability.
• Up aerial has smaller hitboxes.
• Up aerial's second hit has increased knockback, granting it KO potential at high percentages.
• Down aerial deals less damage (14% (sweetspot)/13% (sourspot)/6% (landing) → 11% (attack)/3.5% (landing)) and has increased landing lag (15 frames → 28).

Throws/other attacks

• All grabs have increased ranges.
• Pummel deals 0.2% more damage (3% → 3.2%).
• All throws transition faster, allowing less time for the opponent to DI effectively.
• Down throw deals 2% less damage (6% → 4%).
• Due to its angle being altered (270° → 80°), down throw is no longer a meteor smash, now being simply a weaker version of his up throw. This improves its combo potential, but removes its tech-chasing potential.
• The changes to hitstun canceling significantly improve down throw's combo potential at low to high percentages.
• Front and back floor attacks deal 1% more damage (6% → 7%).

Special moves

• Judge can now have the same number appear consecutively, instead of having to cycle through three subsequent swings. This removes the need to pull "dummy" hammers, but also makes it overall more random.
• The weakening of SDI makes Judge 5 significantly more difficult to escape from.
• Fire has decreased start-up lag and covers more vertical distance, improving its recovery potential.
• Fire's animation changed. Mr. Game & Watch now descends in a choppy frame-by-frame motion, instead of a smooth, swaying motion.
• The removal of the grab release glitch allows Mr. Game & Watch to re-use Fire if he has been grabbed in midair.
• Oil Panic can now fill up multiple units at once if a projectile is strong enough, significantly improving its reliability.
• Aerial Oil Panic increases a jump's height and floatiness when used immediately after a jump. However, it also no longer stalls Mr. Game & Watch.
• Oil Panic has increased ending lag.
• The removal of momentum canceling removes Bucket Braking, significantly hindering Mr. Game & Watch's endurance.
• Octopus deals 1% less damage (16% → 15%) and has a shorter duration (17 seconds → 15).
• Octopus' visual effects have changed. It now emits the Final Smash aura throughout its duration.

Update history

Mr. Game & Watch has received a small mix of buffs and nerfs via game updates. His tilts have had minor tweaks, which includes down tilt becoming more potent and up tilt less reliable. Chef's pan became one unit larger. Back air had a decent buff: its landing lag was reduced by 5 frames, which is a common aerial to land with. The changes to shield mechanics in update 1.1.1 notably benefit him indirectly; especially his moves that hit multiple times or have high damage outputs. This includes his dash attack, smash attacks, safer landings with back and forward aerial, as well as Judge 3/9 for slightly easier shield breaks in rare circumstances. However, his potential in doubles play has been significantly weakened due to Oil Panic now dealing halved damage should he absorb a teammate's projectile.

1.0.6

• Up tilt's second hit's angle altered: 100° → 115°, hindering its combo potential.
• All variations of Chef have had their pan's hitbox size increased: 5.76u → 6.76u.

1.0.8

• Down tilt's knockback increased: 10 (base)/120 (scaling) → 40/125.
• Down tilt's windbox size increased: 9u → 10.5u.
• Back aerial's landing lag decreased: 24 frames → 19.

1.1.3

• Oil Panic deals halved damage from absorbed teammates' projectiles.

Moveset

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			3%	Rapidly presses an insecticide pump, pumping gas onto the opponent. Excellent for escaping pressure and hard to escape from. The last hit can KO at very high percents near the edge. Originates from Green House.
			1% (loop), 2% (last)
Forward tilt			10% (clean chair), 9% (clean body), 4% (late)	Thrusts a chair forward to hit with its legs. It is a semi-spike and the chair is a fully disjointed hitbox. Has decent KO potential at high percents when clean, especially near the edge. Originates from Lion.
Up tilt			7% (hit 1), 7% (hit 2)	Swings a flag overhead. Good as a follow-up from down throw, but its very small hitboxes make it inconsistent at connecting both hits. The second hit launches opponents upward and backward, which can combo into his back aerial at medium percents. Combos into itself with fast-fallers and heavyweights at lower percents. KOs at very high percentages. Originates from Flagman.
Down tilt			6% (clean), 1% (late)	Flips a manhole. Has a windbox capable of juggling opponents from above, as well as destroy or derail projectiles with proper timing. It is a semi-spike and deals strong horizontal knockback, making it capable of KOing under 150% near the edge. Very useful for pushing recovering opponents high up, especially against those who cannot immediately grab the edge with their special moves, such as Little Mac and Cloud. Originates from Manhole.
Dash attack			10% (clean), 6.5% (late)	Performs a sliding headbutt while wearing a helmet. It has good range and is very fast, sliding Mr. Game & Watch forward in a choppy frame-by-frame manner, making it difficult to react to. This move is a tool for both risky approaching and safe punishing. Low ending lag, good knockback, and high amount of active frames make it a decent KOing option near the edge and useful for edgeguarding before an opponent can grab the edge. Originates from Helmet.
Forward smash			18% (flame), 14% (handle)	Swings a lit torch downward. The sweetspot is at the flame, while the sourspot is at the torch. Has a disjointed hitbox with great base knockback and even greater knockback scaling, as well as coming out relatively quickly and having good interruptibility. Its sweetspot KOs at 106%, while its sourspot KOs at 130%. Originates from Fire Attack.
Up smash			16%	Performs an upward headbutt while wearing a diving helmet. The hitbox extends a short way above the helmet. Has noticeable start-up lag, but an invincibility frame window upon start-up. This lets Mr. Game & Watch perform a pseudo-counterattack against almost all attacks that hit him during start-up, which makes it good for interrupting aerial approaches or attacks. It also has low ending lag, making it a viable strategy to spam at KO percents. One of the strongest up smashes in the game, KOing at 102% uncharged and 60% fully charged. Originates from Octopus.
Down smash			15% (hammers), 13% (body)	Swings two hammers downward and on both of his sides. Solid range. Hammer heads deal vertical knockback while the handles semi-spike. When sweetspotted, this is one of the most powerful down smashes in the game, KOing at 105%. However, the sourspot cannot KO reliably below 150%. Its fast interrupting ability can surprise people by using it again after a missed one. It is effective at edgeguarding as the sourspot semi-spikes, and even though the sweetspot has vertical knockback, its great knockback can still KO a recovering opponent. Originates from Vermin.
Neutral aerial			5% (hit 1), 4% (hits 2-4)	Tosses out a pair of fish from a bowl. Multiple hitboxes enable it to covers every area except below him. This move deals 17% if all four hits are used, making it a potent down throw combo. It also combos into itself at mid-range percents. However, the hits fail to connect together at high percents, and the opponent will fall out. The last hit has moderate knockback, allowing it to KO at high percents, but only lasts for 1 frame. Originates from Tropical Fish.
Forward aerial			11.5% (clean), 6% (late)	Swings a boxed package. A fully disjointed hitbox. Clean hit lasts for only a frame, and the weak hit can be used for a lock after a footstool. Can be used for edgeguarding at higher percents. Originates from the Game & Watch version of Mario Bros.
Back aerial			2% (hits 1-3), 3% (hit 4), 3% (landing)	Swings a snapping turtle. A fully disjointed hitbox. If shielded, opponents often drop their shields too soon due to the turtle's hitlag causing it to have unexpected duration when it is landed. With proper spacing, it is quite safe on shield as well despite a lack of shieldstun. Can combo into itself up to 3 or even 4 times depending on opponent DI. The landing hitbox launches opponents vertically, while landing the final aerial hitbox launches opponents horizontally. Because of the last aerial hitbox's properties, it can be used for a wall of pain in conjunction with reverse aerial rush effectively. Originates from Turtle Bridge.
Up aerial			7% (hit 1), 9% (hit 2)	Blows air upward twice. Notorious for its huge wind area outside the main hitbox, with the wind being more powerful the closer the opponent is to Mr. Game & Watch, while its second hit has high knockback. Connecting both hits can KO from 70%-120%, although getting the second hit is difficult without proper alignment. Down throw into up air is a true kill confirm at specific percentage windows. Spamming this move can make it difficult for opponents to land. The wind hitbox can be used to help teammates with their vertical recovery, and can also be used to possibly gimp certain character's recoveries like Ness or Lucas' should they not be ready to change the direction of PK Thunder's arc. Originates from Spitball Sparky.
Down aerial			11% (attack), 3.5% (landing)	Drops downward while holding a key beneath himself. A stall-then-fall, it meteor smashes powerfully on the first frames. Can be moved left or right a bit. While it can cause Mr. Game & Watch to self-destruct while using it off-stage, his effective recovery and the move being being slower than other stall-then-falls makes this unlikely. It is a safe option when edgeguarding and has KO potential at high percents. Originates from the Game & Watch version of Donkey Kong Jr.
Grab			—	Reaches out. Originates from Mario's Cement Factory.
Pummel			3.2%	Hits the opponent with a bell. It is tied with Luigi's as the fourth most damaging pummel in the game, but is also the fourth slowest pummel in the game. Originates from the Game & Watch's alarm feature.
Forward throw			8%	Juggles the opponent and tosses them forward. Originates from Ball.
Back throw			8%	Juggles the opponent and tosses them backward. Originates from Ball.
Up throw			8%	Juggles the opponent and tosses them upward. Combos into Fire, as well as up aerial and rarely neutral aerial at low percents. This makes it good for short, high damage burst combos early on. Originates from Ball.
Down throw			4%	Juggles the opponent and drops them downward. Deals half as much damage as the other throws, but makes up for this with its impressive combo potential. Combos include neutral attack (on fast-fallers), forward tilt, up tilt (on floaty characters) and down tilt from 0% to low percents, up smash, Judge, and Oil Panic from low to medium percents, neutral and up aerials from medium to high percents, and Fire at high percents. Guaranteed follow-ups stop around 130%, though up aerial can KO at high percents if the opponent's reaction is read. Despite its lower damage output, it KOs most of the cast earlier than his up throw does on Final Destination. Originates from Ball.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Swings a hammer downward in front of himself and then behind himself. It is very fast. Originates from Vermin.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	Swings a hammer downward in behind himself and then in front of himself. Originates from Vermin.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Swings a hammer downward in front of himself and then behind himself. Originates from Vermin.
Edge attack Edge getups			7%	Swings a bell forward while climbing up. Originates from the Game & Watch's alarm feature.
Neutral special	Default	Chef	5% (pan), 4% (bacon/steak/shrimp/fish)	Flips food out of a frying pan. Moves slowly through the air in varying arcs. The food can be used defensively to cancel attack animations of opponents as a zoning tool as well as to prevent aerial approaches and can be used for edgeguarding against opponents with linear recoveries. Hitting with the pan itself is much more rewarding when edgeguarding, as the pan is a semi-spike and can gimp opponents with short-ranged recoveries, such as Ganondorf.
	Custom 1	XXL Chef	2% (pan), 9% (bacon), 8% (steak), 7% (shrimp/fish)	Flips a single, large piece of food that deals more damage, but each flip takes significantly longer, while the food projectiles travel much slower. Bacon has some vertical KO potential at very high percents. Each flip visibly shakes the screen.
	Custom 2	Short-Order Chef	0.5% (pan), 2% (bacon), 1.5% (steak), 1% (shrimp/fish)	Flips three weaker food out of a frying pan in front of the player very quickly, opening a zoning and approach option. Fish cause no hitstun.
Side special	Default	Judge	2%-32% (Varies)	Swings a hammer in front of him, and raises a flag with a random number from 1-9 with his other hand. It can have any one of 9 effects, which vary based on number; 1 only damages himself, while 9 is a is strong enough to be a virtual one-hit KO. An infamous follow-up from his down throw, but timing for a true combo is very strict. Judge 1: An extremely weak swing that does not make the opponent flinch. It is the least damaging Judge attack and deals 12% recoil damage regardless of whether or not it hits. Judge 2: A weak swing that deals minimal knockback. It has a 20% chance of tripping the opponent. Judge 3: A weak swing, although it launches the opponent backward. It deals significant shield damage. Judge 4: A swing that has a slash effect and launches opponents diagonally forward. Judge 5: A swing that has an electric effect and hits multiple times. Judge 6: A swing that has a flame effect and is a semi-spike. Has the second strongest knockback of all Judge attacks. Judge 7: A swing that deals moderate knockback and produces an apple if it hits the opponent. The apple heals 4%. Judge 8: A swing that has a freeze effect and deals very low knockback. Emits the "ping" sound effect that is usually associated with one-hit KOs. Judge 9: An extremely powerful swing that deals very high knockback. It is the most damaging Judge attack and emits the "ping" sound effect like Judge 8. Similar in nature to a charged swing from the Home-Run Bat, but the hit's base knockback is much lower, which makes it generally unable to KO at extremely low percents.
	Custom 1	Extreme Judge	5%/23% (Varies)	Only chooses numbers 1 and 9, though with less extreme effects for each. Judge 1: Deals 5% to both the opponent and Mr. Game & Watch. Judge 9: Deals 23% to the opponent, but has much less knockback compared to the regular version.
	Custom 2	Chain Judge	1%-28.4% (Varies)	Instead of additional effects, the number displayed equals the number of hits the attack will deal. The initial hits trap opponents while the final hit knocks opponents away, making the move more consistent at the cost of limiting its range of effects.
Up special	Default	Fire	6%	Jumps off a trampoline and then descends while wearing a parachute. Capable of canceling into any move when falling. Has KO potential at high percents near the left and right blast lines. Very good at stage spiking, due to out-prioritizing most aerials and dealing strong knockback, making Mr. Game & Watch very difficult to edgeguard. The move can also be used as a possible follow-up option after up throw at low percentages against fast-fallers and heavyweights.
	Custom 1	Heavy Trampoline	16% (clean), 10% (late)	The jump deals more damage, but grants less height.
	Custom 2	Trampoline Launch	12% (near), 8% (far)	Functions like a traditional recovery move, as Mr. Game & Watch simply jumps and deals damage. The jump grants more height, deals more damage and has KO potential at high percents near the upper blast line, but has no parachute or lasting hitbox.
Down special	Default	Oil Panic	Based on absorbed attacks	Holds an oil drum, which absorbs energy-based projectiles. Once three units are absorbed, it turns into a powerful attack consisting of Mr. Game & Watch sending out a large splash of oil from his oil drum. It has very minimal start-up lag that inflicts 2.8× the accumulated damage of the absorbed attacks, capping to 60%. OHKOs when it inflicts 60%. Despite its appearance, the oil spill is not a projectile and thus cannot be reflected.
	Custom 1	Efficient Panic	Based on absorbed attacks	The oil drum only requires one projectile to be completely filled and has less ending lag when a projectile is absorbed, but the oil spill is weaker and has less range.
	Custom 2	Panic Overload	Based on absorbed attacks	The oil spill is bigger and slower, but the oil drum's absorption radius is smaller.
Final Smash		Octopus	15%	Transforms into the large octopus that appears in its eponymous game, Octopus. It lasts for 15 seconds and damage is dealt on contact, while its range can be increased by pressing the attack button. Its front tentacles have the highest maximum range, and vice versa. The Octopus is also able to float on top of water during its use, and can fast-fall.

Judge Damage Data

Numbers	Judge	Extreme Judge	Chain Judge
1	2%	5%	1%
2	4%	-	2% (hit 1), 3% (hit 2)
3	6%	-	3% (hits 1-3)
4	8%	-	2% (hits 1-3), 3% (hit 4)
5	3% (hits 1-4)	-	3% (hits 1-5)
6	12%	-	2% (hits 1-5), 3% (hit 6)
7	14%	-	2.5% (hits 1-6), 4% (hit 7)
8	9%	-	2.4% (hits 1-7), 4.2% (hit 8)
9	32%	23%	2.3% (hits 1-8), 10% (hit 9)

Oil Panic Data

	Damage Needed to Fill Up the Bucket			Oil Damage
Move	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Minimum	Maximum
Oil Panic	< 10%	10%-20%	> 20%	18%	60%
Efficient Panic	-	-	> 1%	10%	24%
Panic Overload	< 10%	10%-20%	> 20%	15%	45%

On-screen appearance

• Moves along a row of Game and Watch LCD frames until reaching the foreground.

Taunts

• Up taunt: Rings his bell at a high angle. Originates from the Game & Watch's alarm feature.
• Side taunt: Rings his bell at a low angle. Like his up taunt, it originates from the Game & Watch's alarm feature.
• Down taunt: Sits down and sighs. Originates from the Game & Watch version of Mario Bros. when Mario and Luigi finished a level.

Up taunt	Side taunt	Down taunt

Idle poses

• Hops in place.
• Briefly looks behind himself.

Crowd cheer

	English	Japanese
Cheer
Description	Game and Watch!	Game and Watch!
Pitch	Group chant	Group chant

Victory poses

An original flourished medley based on the typical beeping noises emitted by Game & Watch characters and/or objects.

• Happily hops about in choppy poses, tripping halfway, before teetering on one foot.
• Rings his bell.
• Jumps up and down in the air.

In competitive play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character	Custom sets available
Mr. Game & Watch	3331	3321	3311	1331	1321
	1311	3323	3131	2331	2311

Notable players

•  ChillyChili - Ranked 6th on the Alabama Smash 4 Power Rankings.
•  expansioN - Ranked 10th on the Austria Smash 4 Power Rankings.
•  Extra - Ranked 1st and 2nd on the Victoria Smash 4 and the Australia Smash 4 Power Rankings, respectively.
•  GimR - One of the first and most known Mr. Game & Watch players in North America. Placed 17th at Paragon Orlando 2015 and 13th at PAX Prime 2015.
•  Kakpu - Arguably the best Mr. Game & Watch player in Europe. Has won tournaments in Luxembourg and has had close sets with LoNg0uw and vyQ.
•  KOSSismoss - The best Mr. Game & Watch Player in the United States. Ranked 5th on the NorCal Smash 4 Power Rankings. Placed 7th at 2GGT: The False Awakens and 5th at 2GGT: Mexico Saga.
•  Regi - The best Mr. Game & Watch player in the world. Ranked 13th on the Mexican Smash 4 Power Rankings. Placed 13th at EVO 2015, 17th at EVO 2016 and 7th at Smash Factor 5.
•  Songn - The best Mr. Game & Watch player in Japan. Placed 4th at Super Sumabato and 9th at Sumabato for THE BIG HOUSE. Has a win over MkLeo.
•  Strobics - Ranked 9th on the Central Florida Smash 4 Power Rankings.

Tier placement and history

Since the early metagame, Mr. Game & Watch has maintained a mixed perception in regard to his tier placement and viability, due to the fact that he had been nerfed overall in his transition from Brawl. Players acknowledged his heavily damaging combos, raw power and having one of the best recoveries in the game, but also his very light weight, lackluster range and sub-par grab game. Mr. Game & Watch's results had always been rather obscure until EVO 2015, where Regi placed 13th (out of 1,926 entrants), and opinions of his potential became more positive over time due to some decent results brought by GimR as well. This led him to being ranked 35th on the first 4BR tier list.

However, Mr. Game & Watch's overall tournament results and representation still remain rather low in competitive play, even with the recent high placings of KOSSismoss and Regi's relatively higher placing of 17th (out of 2,662 entrants) at EVO 2016. Regardless, these results allowed Mr. Game & Watch to only negligibly drop to 37th on the second tier list, a drop attributable to the inclusion of Corrin and Bayonetta, due to their absence from the first tier list. Despite these traits, and the fact his tournament success have dropped compared to Summer 2016, he now ranks at 40th on the third and current tier list; while his results remain scarce, his rather high placings have allowed him to not drop significantly on the tier list.

Trophies

Mr. Game & Watch

Game & Watch was first released in 1980, making the series the father of the Game Boy and Nintendo DS. Or maybe an older sibling? Anyway...in Smash Bros., Mr. Game & Watch uses distinct retro moves to damage his foes. However, he's only two dimensional, so he's pretty easy to send flying.

Game & Watch was a series of handheld video games that started in 1980, which pretty much makes Mr. Game & Watch the father of the Game Boy and Nintendo DS. Or maybe an older sibling? Anyway...in Smash Bros., Mr. Game & Watch uses distinct retro moves to damage his foes. However, he only has two dimensions, so he's pretty easy to send flying.

Game & Watch was a series of handheld video games that started in 1980, before even the Game Boy. In this game, you can play as the guy who starred in them, moving about in his quirky, oh-so-retro little way. He can string together some pretty powerful attacks but, unfortunately, being 2D makes him very easy to launch.

Game & Watch (04/1980)

Mr. Game & Watch (Alt.)

Mr. Game & Watch's Oil Panic special catches shots and turns them into oil. After catching three, the bucket will be full and you'll be able to throw oil all over your enemies. Some shots, like Samus's fully powered Charge Shot, will fill the bucket in one go! Throwing the oil you get from a shot like that can KO your foes in a flash!

Game & Watch (04/1980)

Octopus

The Game & Watch title Octopus featured a hero collecting treasure while avoiding a bothersome giant octopus's tentacles. Activate Mr. Game & Watch's Final Smash to transform into that octopus! Ram into opponents, and use the attack button to extend the tentacles. The only thing you can't do is change the direction you're facing.

• Game&WatchTrophy3DS.png

  Classic (3DS)

• Game&WatchAllStarTrophy3DS.png

  Alt. (3DS)

• 

  Classic (Wii U)

• 

  Alt. (Wii U)

• 

  Octopus

In Event Matches

Solo Events

• All-Star Battle: Melee: Mr. Game & Watch is one of the opponents fought in this event. All of the opponents debuted in Melee.
• Great Fox Defense: As Falco, the player must defeat three Mr. Game & Watches without allowing a single one to land on the stage. The first Mr. Game & Watch has 3 stocks on Easy, 5 on Normal and 7 on Hard. The second Mr. Game & Watch has 2 stocks on Easy, 3 on Normal and 5 on Hard. The third Mr. Game & Watch has 1 stock on Easy, 2 on Normal and 4 on Hard.
• That Elusive 9: Mr. Game & Watch must defeat a metal Mr. Game & Watch by using Judge 9.

Co-op Events

• Keep 'Em off the Ship!: Fox and Falco must defeat four Mr. Game & Watches without allowing a single one to land on the stage. The first Mr. Game & Watch has 4 stocks on Easy, 8 on Normal and 11 on Hard. The second Mr. Game & Watch has 5 stocks on Easy, 9 on Normal and 12 on Hard. The third Mr. Game & Watch has 4 stocks on Easy, 7 on Normal and 9 on Hard. The fourth Mr. Game & Watch has 3 stocks on Easy, 6 on Normal and 8 on Hard.
• Secret Smash: Mr. Game & Watch and Duck Hunt must defeat another Duck Hunt and Mr. Game & Watch.
• The Ultimate Battle: Two players select a character and must defeat the entire roster.
• Unlikely Allies: Ganondorf and Palutena must defeat sixteen Mr. Game & Watches.

Alternate costumes

Gallery

• 

  Mr. Game & Watch's amiibo.

• 

  Alternate amiibo stances.

• 

  Mr. Game & Watch's first four alternate costumes.

• 

  Using Judge 9 on King Dedede.

• 

  Using his up tilt on Toon Link, Ness, and Villager.

• 

  Using Oil Panic on Fox.

• 

  Using his netural attack's finisher on Mega Man.

• 

  Using up smash on Final Destination.

• 

  Using Chef alongside Kirby, who copied him.

• 

  Using Octopus in water.

• 

  Using Fire while surrounded by fire.

• 

  Using his forward tilt against the Mii Fighters wearing Lion Hats on Flat Zone 2, in reference to the Game & Watch game Lion.

Trivia

• Mr. Game & Watch's official artwork in Super Smash Bros. 4 is the first in the series to feature him without his bell.
• Mr. Game & Watch is the first and only veteran to be officially shown but not confirmed before Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS's release, due to him having been revealed in Pac-Man's trailer.
  • Mr. Game & Watch is one of three characters to have been teased before their official reveal, with the other two being Dark Pit and Duck Hunt.
• Mr. Game & Watch was the last veteran to be shown as a playable character by an official source, as Jigglypuff was shown off multiple times in the 50-Fact Extravaganza, while Mr. Game & Watch was not revealed until after the Direct was over.
• As he has an outline of his own, Mr. Game & Watch does not use a black outline like the rest of the characters in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS. As a result, it is his gray and white outline that changes colors to denote his team affiliation and other such effects.
• Unlike his other attacks, Mr. Game & Watch's down tilt is rendered in 3D. This was also the case in Brawl.
  • However, it will be rendered in 2D if it is used at the edge of a stage/platform, or if used on 2D stages like Flat Zone X, Flat Zone 2, Super Mario Maker, etc.
• Mr. Game & Watch has many various animations in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS that are different in comparison to how they appear in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
  • The parachute used in Fire and its custom variations spreads further out in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS than in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
  • When using up aerial, his head visibly inflates then deflates in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and remains stagnant in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
  • His hands in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS are spread out when running, but in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, his hands are clenched fists.
    • Oddly, when Mr. Game & Watch uses his taunts, his hands change back to how they appeared in Brawl. This only occurs in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
• In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, Mr. Game & Watch does his hopping idle pose, rather than a taunt, after choosing a path in Classic Mode.
• Mr. Game & Watch, Wii Fit Trainer, and Bayonetta are the only three characters to have special charging sounds for their smash attacks, with his being a low-pitched beeping noise.
  • He is also the only veteran with this trait.
• Mr. Game & Watch and R.O.B. are the only unlockable veterans in both versions to appear in a newcomer's poster art.
  • Mr. Game & Watch and Lucina are the only unlockable characters to appear in more than one newcomer's poster art.
• Although he lacks visible eyes, Mr. Game & Watch's character select screen portrait in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U still emits the small sparkle effect when he is selected, with the sparkle appearing where his eyes would be positioned.