Assist Trophy

Assist Trophy
The Assist Trophy as it appears in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	Super Smash Bros.
Appears in	Brawl SSB4
Item class	Summoning

“	Spawns a character to help you.	”
—Brawl manual description

The Assist Trophy (アシストフィギュア, Assist Figure) is an item introduced in Super Smash Bros. Brawl that, when grabbed, summons a random Nintendo or third-party character to quickly aid the holder. Assist Trophies work nearly identically to Poké Balls. However, no Pokémon come out of them, and once an Assist Trophy is grabbed, it is automatically activated, assuming the holder is standing on the ground, and not in a jump, attack, or hitstun. Some Assist Trophies must be unlocked in order to be used, such as Isaac from Golden Sun. Unlike the Poké Ball, this item can be eaten by those such as Kirby and King Dedede's Inhale and Munchlax.

The majority of Assist Trophies in Brawl are undamageable, with only Starfy and Lakitu being able to be interrupted or otherwise hit or even KO'd. In Super Smash Bros. 4, however, some Assist Trophies can be attacked, potentially interrupting their attacks or otherwise manipulating how they perform and even being able to KO them (this can be seen by their ending animations coming earlier than normal, them having their own death animation, or simply teleporting away). However, there is no reward for KOing an Assist Trophy. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, more than one Assist Trophy can be on the stage at once. A larger number of Assist Trophies are also made to be KO'd, and grant the player who KO'd them one point.

List of Assist Trophies

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

There are 27 Assist Trophies in Super Smash Bros Brawl.

Image	Assist Trophy	Relative frequency	Description	Universe	Unlock criteria
	Andross	30	Andross (as he appears in the original Star Fox) appears in the background and shoots tiles at the players.	Star Fox
	Barbara	30	Barbara strums on her guitar, creating damaging soundwaves, similar to Konga Beat, but with less range and duration.	Jam with the Band	Obtain 25 songs
	Devil	30	Devil moves the stage boundaries, causing the blast lines to move as well, leading to the possibility of easier KOs.	Devil World
	Dr. Wright	30	Doctor Wright summons buildings to rise up out of the ground. This damages opponents who are standing in the area of the building, and produces great vertical knockback. Occasionally makes a massive skyscraper.	SimCity
	Excitebikes	30	Excitebike racers ride around the stage, causing damage to those they collide with. Some of them, if on a stage with an edge, will go back and forth until their time runs out.	Excite
	Gray Fox	30	Frank Jaeger, the Gray Fox, runs around slashing opponents. Also reflects stray projectiles.	Metal Gear	Unlocked with Snake
	Hammer Bro.	30	Hammer Bro throws hammers at opponents.	Mario
	Helirin	12	Helirin floats around the stage while rotating, acting as a wall.	Kururin
	Infantry and Tanks	30	The Nintendo Wars infantrymen and tank sprites roam across the stage shooting at players. When spawning, they follow the direction of the summoner.	Nintendo Wars	Play 300 Brawls
	Isaac	24	Isaac pushes opponents off the stage by using a skill called Move, represented by giant magic hands. Its fixed knockback makes it easy to get trapped in.	Golden Sun	Play 200 Brawls
	Jeff	24	Jeff Andonuts shoots 5 homing rockets from his Multi Bottle Rocket 5 invention (4 small & 1 large) at his opponents.	EarthBound
	Jill	24	Jill attacks opponents with her drill.	Drill Dozer
	Kat & Ana	30	Kat and Ana fly in different directions slashing at anybody in front of them, but always cross in the same spot.	Wario
	Knuckle Joe	30	Knuckle Joe delivers a series of Vulcan Jabs to his opponents and finishes with either a Smash Punch or an uppercut attack named Rising Break.	Kirby
	Lakitu and Spinies	30	Lakitu drops Spinies onto the field. The Spinies will meteor smash when falling from Lakitu. Upon landing, the Spinies walk around giving damage to opponents. Lakitu can be knocked off the screen or killed.	Mario
	Little Mac	30	Little Mac runs and jumps around, attacking with powerful jabs and uppercuts.	Punch-Out!!
	Lyn	30	The screen darkens, as Lyn focuses and then, having teleported, she delivers a single, powerful strike focused on the nearest opponent, similar to Galaxia Darkness in animation and knockback.	Fire Emblem
	Metroid	30	A Metroid latches onto players and gives them damage. Can be attacked and shaken off, but prevents the victim from using recovery moves. However, if done right, the character can spam recovery moves indefinitely until the Metroid disappears.	Metroid
	Mr. Resetti	18	Mr. Resetti gives speeches about different topics. If attacked, he causes an explosion.	Animal Crossing
	Nintendog	18	A "Nintendog" (Labrador Retriever) blocks the screen.	Nintendogs
	Ray MK III	30	Ray MK III flies around the stage shooting missiles and green energy bullets.	Custom Robo	Play 100 Brawls
	Saki Amamiya	30	Saki Amamiya slashes and fires with his Canon Gun.	Sin and Punishment
	Samurai Goroh	30	Samurai Goroh slashes his swords while chasing opponents.	F-Zero
	Shadow the Hedgehog	30	Uses his "Chaos Control" ability to slow down the flow of time for around 7 seconds, affecting everyone except the summoner. Functions similarly to the Timer Item though with shorter duration, and without the risk of it backfiring.	Sonic	Unlocked with Sonic
	Starfy	40	Starfy spins, hurting players. Can be knocked off stage.	Starfy
	Tingle	30	Tingle randomly summons a variety of strange effects. It also takes longer for more Assist Trophies to spawn after his appearance than any other character. He can inflate lots of balloons and float off the stage. The balloons can lift characters, but will not give any damage. He can cause a Hammer and Golden Hammer shower. He can create a Banana Peel effect. This makes all opponents slip constantly until Tingle disappears. He can burst into flames, which gives everybody a Superspicy Curry effect. He can produce a flower graphic. This will then zoom the camera in on the character who summoned him.	The Legend of Zelda
	Waluigi	30	Waluigi repeatedly stomps players into the ground. This onslaught is followed by either a strong kick or a strike from his tennis racquet.	Mario

In addition to the above characters, scrapped Assist Trophy data for Ridley was found when hacking Super Smash Bros. Brawl. In the final game, he was a boss in The Subspace Emissary.

In Super Smash Bros. 4

Assist Trophies return in Super Smash Bros. 4 with a more iridescent design and a softer "popping" sound upon use, instead of the glass-shattering sound effect it had it Brawl. There are 39 Assist Trophies total, with 21 new trophies & 18 returning from Brawl. Both the 3DS and Wii U versions include exactly the same Assist Trophies and unlike in Brawl, there are no unlockable Assist Trophies.

Image	Assist Trophy	Relative frequency	Description	Universe
	Andross	30	Spits out projectiles at players.	Star Fox
	Ashley	32	Conjures a cloud which causes various adverse effects.	Wario
	Chain Chomp	32	Jumps at and bites players while chained to a stake.	Mario
	Color TV-Game 15	38	Two paddles on the sides of the stage bounce a ball back and forth, with the ball damaging players.	Color TV-Game
	Dark Samus	38	Rapidly shoots gunfire and creates blasts of Phazon; can be KO'd if she takes enough damage.	Metroid
	Devil	30	Devil moves the stage boundaries, causing the blast lines to move as well, leading to the possibility of easier KOs.	Devil World
	Dillon	32	Performs rolling attacks, such as a quick charge; he can be KO'd if he takes enough damage.	Dillon's Rolling Western
	Dr. Kawashima	38	Flings numbers onto the stage that can be attacked to knock them around. When they add up to 10 or more, they cause an explosion, with a sum of exactly 10 causing an explosion like a Smart Bomb.	Brain Age
	Dr. Wright	30	Dr. Wright summons buildings from within the ground. Anyone other than the summoner who touches these buildings will receive damage.	SimCity
	Elec Man	38	Moves around freely and attacks characters with electric projectiles; he can be KO'd if he takes enough damage.	Mega Man
	Ghirahim	38	Fights with a sword and throwing knives. He will teleport back onstage if he goes over the edge, but he can be KO'd if he takes enough damage.	The Legend of Zelda
	Ghosts	38	Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde make their way around the stage, moving as if in a maze while damaging and pushing opponents around.	Pac-Man
	Hammer Bro.	24	Throws hammers at opponents. It can be KO'd if it takes enough damage (with the same animation as when enemies die in Super Mario Bros.)	Mario
	Infantry and Tanks	24	Infantrymen and tank sprites roam across the stage, shooting at players. When spawning, they follow the direction of the summoner.	Nintendo Wars
	Isabelle	38	Throws fruit to heal the player who summoned her. Fruit will heal the summoner on contact; if it misses, anyone can eat the fruit off the ground.	Animal Crossing
	Jeff	30	Shoots rockets from his Multi Bottle Rocket 5 at his opponents.	EarthBound
	Kat & Ana	30	Kat and Ana fly in different directions, slashing at anybody in front of them, while crossing in the same spot.	Wario
	Knuckle Joe	30	Like in Brawl, delivers a series of Vulcan Jabs to his opponents and finishes with either a Smash Punch or an uppercut attack named Rising Break. He can be KO'd if he takes enough damage.	Kirby
	Lakitu and Spinies	24	A Lakitu appears on a cloud and hurls Spinies from above. The Spinies are capable of meteor smashing. Lakitu and Spinies are faster than they were in Brawl. Lakitu can be KO'd if it takes enough damage.	Mario
	Lyn	30	After a moment, appears next to an opponent and attacks with a single, strong sword swipe. She can be KO'd if she takes enough damage.	Fire Emblem
	Magnus	32	Leaps around and swings the Magnus Club. He flinches if he's attacked and can be KO'd if he takes enough damage.	Kid Icarus
	Metroid	30	Latches onto players and hits them repeatedly. Can be attacked and shaken off temporarily. It can be KO'd if it takes enough damage.	Metroid
	Midna	38	Grabs opponents and throws them, while dealing darkness damage. She can be KO'd if she takes enough damage.	The Legend of Zelda
	Mother Brain	38	She uses her signature laser attack when summoned, and is guarded by Rinka enemies. She can be KO'd if she takes enough damage.	Metroid
	Nightmare	32	Causes the screen to become dark temporarily.	Kirby
	Nintendog	30	A French bulldog blocks the screen.	Nintendogs
	Phosphora	38	Flies around quickly and shoots lightning bolts. She can be attacked, which will cause her to flinch, and she can be KO'd if she takes enough damage.	Kid Icarus
	Riki	38	He uses several different arts from Xenoblade, including Happy Happy, Freezinate, and Yoink.	Xenoblade
	Sablé Prince	32	Sablé Prince releases a cloud of dust, trapping an opponent, before he attacks as a frog or snake. He can be KO'd if he takes enough damage.	Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru
	Saki Amamiya	30	Moves around on his own accord and slashes players, and can also shoot a stream of gunfire. He can be KO'd if he takes enough damage.	Sin and Punishment
	Samurai Goroh	30	Samurai Goroh slashes his swords while chasing opponents. He can be KO'd if he takes enough damage.	F-Zero
	Shadow the Hedgehog	30	Uses his "Chaos Control" ability to slow down the flow of time, affecting everyone except the summoner. Functions similarly to the Timer item, though with shorter duration (lasting around 7 seconds), and without the risk of it backfiring.	Sonic
	Sheriff	32	Sheriff walks around in the air, shooting at opponents with his pistol. He can be KO'd (complete with his original death animation) if he takes enough damage.	Sheriff
	Skull Kid	32	Uses one of three disruptions: flipping the screen upside-down (similarly to Palkia), reversing the directional inputs of players, or making all fighters invisible.	The Legend of Zelda
	Starfy	24	Wanders around and spin attacks opponents. He can be KO'd if he takes enough damage.	Starfy
	Starman	32	Starman moves side-to-side across the stage, shooting lightning bolts out of its head at opponents. It can be KO'd (complete with the "SMAAASH!" effect from Earthbound) if it takes enough damage.	EarthBound
	Takamaru	38	Throws his pinwheel knife rooks at opponents and slashes them several times with his katana. He can be KO'd if he takes enough damage.	The Mysterious Murasame Castle
	Tingle	24	Seems to be similar to Brawl, in which he summons one of a variety of strange effects.	The Legend of Zelda
	Waluigi	30	Waluigi repeatedly stomps players into the ground. This onslaught is followed by either a strong kick or a strike from his tennis racket. He can be KO'd if he takes enough damage.	Mario

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

For the first time in the series, multiple assist trophies can appear at once. Players are rewarded points in Timed Matches when KOing a defeatable Assist Trophy. The item itself reuses the rainbow dome from SSB4. The following assist trophies have been confirmed to appear.

Image	Assist Trophy	Relative frequency	Description	Universe
	Andross		Spits out projectiles at players.	Star Fox
	Bomberman		Drop bombs which create an X shaped explosion similar to an X Bomb.	Bomberman
	Burrowing Snagret			Pikmin
	Color TV-Game 15		Two paddles on the sides of the stage bounce a ball back and forth, with the ball damaging players.	Color TV-Game
	Dr. Wright		Dr. Wright summons buildings from within the ground. Anyone other than the summoner who touches these buildings will receive damage.	SimCity
	Ghirahim		Fights with a sword and throwing knives. He will teleport back onstage if he goes over the edge, but he can be KO'd if he takes enough damage.	The Legend of Zelda
	Ghosts		Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde make their way around the stage, moving as if in a maze while damaging and pushing opponents around.	Pac-Man
	Hammer Bro.		Throws hammers at opponents. It can be KO'd if it takes enough damage.	Mario
	Knuckles		Burrows underground before emerging with a rising uppercut. Can strike using a homing attack similar to Sonic's.	Sonic the Hedgehog
	Knuckle Joe		Like in Brawl and SSB4, delivers a series of Vulcan Jabs to his opponents and finishes with either a Smash Punch or an uppercut attack named Rising Break. He can be KO'd if he takes enough damage.	Kirby
	Krystal		Wanders around the stage and attacks fighters with her staff. She can be KO'd if she takes enough damage.	Star Fox
	Lyn		After a moment, appears next to an opponent and attacks with a single, strong sword swipe. She can be KO'd if she takes enough damage.	Fire Emblem
	Midna		Grabs opponents and throws them, while dealing darkness damage. She can be KO'd if she takes enough damage.	The Legend of Zelda
	Metroid		Latches onto players and hits them repeatedly. Can be attacked and shaken off temporarily. It can be KO'd if it takes enough damage.	Metroid
	Mother Brain		She uses her signature laser attack when summoned, and is guarded by Rinka enemies. She can be KO'd if she takes enough damage.	Metroid
	Nintendog		A toy poodle blocks the screen.	Nintendogs
	Riki		He uses several different arts from Xenoblade, including Happy Happy, Freezinate, and Yoink.	Xenoblade
	Rodin		Attacks with giant arms similar to Bayonetta's Wicked Weaves. Generates random items and tosses them at the summoner.	Bayonetta
	Squid Sisters		Performs a concert and shrinks the blast line.	Splatoon
	Starfy		Wanders around and spin attacks opponents. He can be KO'd if he takes enough damage.	The Legendary Starfy
	Starman		Starman moves side-to-side across the stage, shooting lightning bolts out of its head at opponents. It can be KO'd (complete with the "SMAAASH!" effect from Earthbound) if it takes enough damage.	EarthBound
	Sukapon			Joy Mech Fight
	Takamaru		Throws his pinwheel knife rooks at opponents and slashes them several times with his katana. He can be KO'd if he takes enough damage.	The Mysterious Murasame Castle
	Waluigi		Waluigi repeatedly stomps players into the ground. This onslaught is followed by either a strong kick or a strike from his tennis racket. He can be KO'd if he takes enough damage.	Mario

Trophy descriptions

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

File:Assist Trophy Trophy.jpg

The Assist Trophy trophy in Brawl.

A capsule that contains characters who will help you out in battle. You won't know who's in the capsule until you open it. It may be someone everyone knows or someone who's a bit of a mystery. The majority of these characters are invulnerable, so attacking them is not an option. You know what that means, right? RUN!

Super Smash Bros. 4

Assist Trophy trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

Assist Trophy trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

This strange capsule contains a guest character who will aid you in your battle. Who will emerge? Grab it to find out! Maybe it'll be a famous character from a popular game, or perhaps a goofy sidekick here to prove his or her worth. Too bad you can't choose who shows up or control them...

A mystery capsule containing a guest character who'll stand by you in battle. You won't know who's in it till you open it! It could be almost anyone from all sorts of games - a famed warrior or a slightly loopy sidekick! Whoever it is, you can't control them, so you'll just have to trust them.

: Super Smash Bros. Brawl (03/2008)

: Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

Trivia

• Hammer Bro. is the only Assist Trophy character to appear as an enemy in the Subspace Emissary.
  • It is also one of the five Assist Trophies to appear as an enemy in Smash Run, along with Starman, Lakitu and Spinies (Albeit, using their 3D designs), Chain Chomp, and Metroid.
• In Brawl's Classic Mode, if the character who summoned an Assist Trophy is KO'd, the Assist Trophy goes away. However, this does not happen in All-Star Mode.
• In the GameCube preview issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly, the Super Smash Bros. Melee article comments that Nintendo originally tried to implement Assist Trophies in Melee. The only trophy concept they gave details on was one that would release the ducks from Duck Hunt to fly around the stage and interfere with the fighters.^{[citation needed]}
• In the Smash Direct for SSB4, Waluigi was shown as a Wario series Assist Trophy, despite never appearing in a Wario game. By the game's release, he is corrected to represent the Mario series, like in Brawl.
• Sometimes in SSB4, the silhouette figure within the Assist Trophy capsule will blink its eyes.
• Attendants at the 2007 Whobby Game Festival who played a demo of Brawl claimed to have seen Assist Trophies of Duster from Mother 3, Muddy Mole from Mole Mania, and Rosalina, but the veracity of the claims was never proven, and there is no evidence in the final game that these characters were ever planned.
  • Similarly, attendants of E3 and players of the Smashfest event claimed to have seen Chunky Kong as an Assist Trophy in Super Smash Bros. 4, although he was not seen in any following public demos, and is absent in the 3DS and Wii U version of the game.
• In Brawl, the Mario universe is the only universe to have more than one Assist Trophy.
  • In Super Smash Bros. 4, it is tied with The Legend of Zelda for the most Assist Trophies, with four.
• Jill, Prince Sablé, Ray MK III, Magnus, and Phosphora are the only Assist Trophy characters that have appeared in only one game outside of their Smash appearances.
• The Donkey Kong, Yoshi, and Pokémon series are the only three franchises with playable characters in every installment to lack Assist Trophies.
  • Because the Pokémon series uses Poké Balls instead, the Donkey Kong and Yoshi series are the only two of these three to lack any assist characters whatsoever.
• Little Mac is the only Assist Trophy in the series to make the cut as a playable character in a later installment.

Gallery

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  Assist Trophy item from Brawl

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  Kirby, about to release an Assist Trophy character

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  A collection of all Assist Trophies from Brawl, as well as an Assist Trophy capsule

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  Mario next to an Assist Trophy in SSB4

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  The "Assist Trophy" trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U