Snake (SSBB)

This article is about Snake's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. For other uses, see Solid Snake.

Template:FA-articleSnake
Solid Snake
Universe	Metal Gear
Appears in	SSBB
Availability	Unlockable
Tier	S (2)

Unveiled at E3 2006, Snake (スネーク, Sunēku) is a character appearing in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Instead of using a gun, like he usually does in his games, he was designed instead to use explosive-type weapons from his own games. He is the first third-party character to be announced in any Super Smash Bros. game. His looks are based on the appearance he had in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. Although he's primarily Solid Snake, elements of the Snake that appears in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater and its direct sequel Metal Gear Portable Ops have been mixed in as well.

A popular rumor states that Hideo Kojima, the creator of Metal Gear, wished Sakurai (or "practically begged" according to Sakurai himself) to include Snake in Super Smash Bros. Melee, but the game was in an advanced development stage and in an early launch in Japan.

Snake is the only character whose official art on Smash Bros. DOJO!! portrays him in a different pose from his original art from his old profile.

Another note is that his victory theme is the theme to the original Metal Gear Solid game, which many fans also interpret as the "Game Over" theme.

Snake currently ranks 2nd on the tier list, thanks to his quick and powerful neutral and tilt attacks, being surprisingly the 3rd heaviest, a variety of projectiles, a solid edgeguarding game, and all-in-all, placing very well in tournaments.

How to Unlock

1. Play 15 matches in VS Mode on Shadow Moses Island
2. Play 130 matches in VS Mode
3. Have Snake join your party in the Subspace Emissary

If you do any of these things except for #3, you will have to defeat him in a Brawl to unlock him.

Role in the Subspace Emissary

Snake has stowed away somewhere on the Halberd, hiding inside a cardboard box. When his time comes, Snake emerges from his box and begins to investigate, but when he sees Lucario and Meta Knight, he hides again inside his box. Lucario sees through the box by looking at his aura, and pulls off Snake's disguise. Snake is surprised to see that he has been discovered (an exclamation point appears above his head along with the Metal Gear "you have been found" sound) and quickly assumes a fighting stance.

File:Solid Snake Subspace Emissary.jpg

Snake in the SSE

Meta Knight is glad to oblige, when Lucario senses security Primid coming from the corridor behind him, so they end up forming a partnership with Snake. After battling through the onslaught of Primid, Snake and the others meet up with Zelda and Peach. Shadowbugs make clones of Peach and Zelda, which the trio fights. Later, Snake, Lucario and Meta Knight find the bridge of the ship and are surprised to see a group of Mr. Game & Watches is maintaining the bridge. Snake and Lucario throw all of the Mr. Game & Watches out of the window, and they all land on the front deck. The Mr. Game & Watches revert into Shadowbugs and combine into a giant metallic monster called Duon. Lucario, Snake, and Falco join Fox, Sheik, and Peach to battle and defeat the monster. Snake shows up with everyone else at the entrace of Subspace and like the rest, he turns into a trophy by Tabuu's attack, but is later revived. Snake can be chosen to fight Tabuu in the final battle.

Snake is one of the few characters in the entire SSE storyline to have dialogue. When he reveals himself, he states to the player "Kept you waiting, huh?"

Exclusive Stickers

The following stickers can only be used by Snake:

• Eva: [Electric] Resistance +44
• Meryl Silverburgh: [Weapon] Attack + 7
• Naked Snake: [Specials: Indirect] Attack +32
• Solid Snake (Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes): [Arm, Leg] Attack + 7

Attributes

Snake is a heavyweight (probably because of him being a "normal" human in the Smash Bros. Universe, and plus the gadgets and weapons that he carries) character well known for not only for his powerful smash attacks, but also his strong and relatively quick tilt attacks and neutral attack combo. His best killing move is his up tilt due to it's power, speed and huge invisible hitbox, rather than his smash attacks (though his forward smash can KO very early). Snakes' forward tilt is also a good kill move because it has the knockback and damage of a smash attack with the speed and priority of a tilt attack. Snake is also known to have the lowest crawl in the game, able to dodge nearly every projectile in the game, as well as having the most projectiles in the game. Plus, Snake has a variety of edge-guarding techniques: C4, the remote missile, landmines, and his b-air.

His Hand Grenade can be used for camping being more effective with that function by shield-dropping it and throw it with more strength, though it does not explode in contact unlike other explosives. Defensively it can be used to hold the grenade, move toward an opponent, and shield just before the explosion to hit anyone around Snake without taking damage, but also making Snake's shield smaller. His Up smash, the mortar, has the longest ranged up smash in the game. In addition, the up smash is also known to have a great Smash-Boost that gives a lot of distance quickly to compensate his slow dash speed while releasing a projectile at the same time. His C4 has a variety of options. It can be used in team battle to create a "suicide-bomber" (where the C4 "Gooey Bomb" properties are placed onto the teammate), as being used on Snake himself to reuse his vertical recovery move again, the Cypher.

On the down side, Snake is a relatively big character and has a fast falling speed. Because of this, he is a good candidate for Chain grabs and combos [though his explosives (mostly his Grenades) can help with these issues].

Bigger problem areas are aerial attacks and recovery. His aerials have large startup and ending lag in them. In particular are his neutral and down air attacks, as these take large amounts of time to complete and can easily lead Snake to his death if there is no ground beneath him. These two attacks can also be escaped by players with good Smash Directional Influence and/or Quarter-Circle Directional Influence, which prevents him from getting the last hits on the attacks with good knockback while also leaving him open for punishment. With the disadvantage of having fast falling speed and large lag startup on his aerial attacks, Snake has one of the worst aerial games (although his aerials themselves are relatively as strong as his tilt attacks) that makes him vulnerable to counter-picking on stages like Rainbow Cruise and Norfair where he is forced to attack in the air.

In recovery, while he can plant C4 to make recovery nearly infinite, it's slow and predictable recovery which leaves him extremely vulnerable to spikes if not able to recover above the stage so it is highly suggested that professional Snake players have good Directional Influence. Also, simply grabbing him (or using certain specialized grabs, like Wario's Chomp) and releasing him off the edge without throwing or pummeling him doesn't let him use his Cypher again to recover unless he hits himself with a C4.

Standard Moves

Ground Attacks

• Neutral A - Punch, Punch, Spinkick. The kick has high knockback, and works as a moderate percent kill move. 14% damage. This is the combo from MGS2 and MGS:TS games for CQC (Close Quarters Combat).
• Dash Attack - Snake does a somersault forward, and ends up half-crouching at the end. Easily transitions to crouching/crawling. The somersault and subsequent transition to crouching are visually identical to those moves used by Snake in the Metal Gear Solid series. Can be canceled to his up smash to make him slide a long distance, it's much easier to cancel it if the attack connects and tap jump is off. 6-11% damage.
• Down Tilt - Snake is fully prone while crouching, and he sweeps his legs around. 10% damage.
• Up Tilt - Snake kicks one leg up vertically. This is a quick attack with great range and power, has a long horizontal disjointed hitbox which makes it a great finishing move. Much stronger on lightweighs than on heavyweights. Higher knockback when hit in the beginning. 12-13% damage.
• Forward Tilt - Does a knee-thrust forward. If you press A again, he will follow-up with an overhead swing of both arms, which has high knockback and a large range. This combo is seen during a cutscene in Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes when Snake fights Grey Fox. Knee-thrust has a chance of tripping that if happens it can be used instead his up tilt. 17-21% damage.

Smash Attacks

• Up Smash - Snake takes out a mortar, which comes from MGS4, and places it in front of him. Then, he charges, and fires a mortar shell up in the air. The distance traveled vertically depends on the time spent charging; charging time does not affect damage. If charged enough, it can go great distances, even going up almost the entire height of the 'large' stage builder area. The rocket can hit any opponent in the arc upwards and subsequent fall back to the ground, and explodes on contact with an enemy or the ground. By far the longest Up-Smash in the game. Mortar can vertically knock players in front of Snake up, setting them up to be hit by the mortar shell. Can not damage Snake. Best used as smash-boost. 14% damage.
• Down Smash - Snake crouches and starts digging in the ground as he charges, and sets a landmine. This is taken from Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. Explosive damage and knockback of the mine increases the longer it was charged. This is a very slow smash, and does not actually deal any damage right away. A short while after planting the mine, it becomes active, and will detonate if anyone (including Snake) steps on it. Damage and knockback are based on how long it was charged. Also, if the platform the mine is set on disappears (like at Rainbow Cruise or Delfino Plaza) the mine falls down and if it hits ground, explodes. You can't plant more than one mine at a time though, but you can change its position by using the attack anywhere on the stage. 14-19% damage.
• Forward Smash - This weapon is from MGS3. Snake takes an RPG-7 rocket launcher and aims it at the ground directly in front of him, causing an explosion when released. It requires a few seconds to load the warhead, giving enemies a good chance to attack (similar to Ganondorf's Warlock Punch). High knockback, but low range and hits the ground, similar to Samus's Down tilt. It is a very good move for finishing off someone. It can be a One-Hit KO at best. It is 3rd highest knockback side smash in the game. Best used as punishing an opponents laggy attack and deals both high shield damage and high shield stun . 22-30% damage.

Aerial Attacks

• Neutral Aerial - Snake performs four quick kicks in the air. The fourth kick has high knockback. Best performed soon after double jump. Can also be used in a full single jump, as well as a shorthop if you time it correctly. 28% damage if all kicks connect.
• Down Aerial - Stomps multiple times beneath him, the last hit having high knockback (another attack best performed after double jump). 28% damage if all stomps connect. Doing a short hop then immediately performing this move is a way to guarantee every single hit, and can K.O. at low percentages.
• Back Aerial - Snake kicks his legs out behind him, falling completely horizontal. High range and knockback, long duration. This attack, if performed correctly on a airborne or even a grounded opponent, can result in a horizontal KO to them. The high knockback will push the opponents into the side blast line. It KOs at about 100% damage. It is also very useful for breaking Smash Balls from above. 10-16% damage.
• Forward Aerial - Snake lifts a leg to head height and axe-drops it down. Similar to DK's Forward aerial, it is slow, yet powerful, and can spike at the end. It appears to actually spike an enemy that is in front of Snake down and behind him, and can "drag" an enemy in front of him, even on the stage off to their doom if Snake is using it while recovering. Easier than most to spike with. 14-15% damage.
• Up Aerial - Thrusts his legs straight upwards, similar to his back aerial except upwards. This attack is very good for killing airborne opponents by a Star KO. At around 100% damage this can KO if you jump under the targeted airborne opponent and attack. The knockback should push the target into the upper blast line, resulting in a Star KO and is similar to his up tilt. It works especially well on light, floaty opponents (i.e. Jigglypuff, Kirby, or Meta Knight). 10-14% damage.

Grabs and Throws

• Grab - Holds his opponent in a restraining chokehold, which is a grabbing position unique to Snake.
• Pummel - Tightens his chokehold. 2% damage.
• Back Throw - Throws opponent over his knee; The same type of throw is also seen in the MGS games. 9% damage.
• Up Throw - Back suplex, similar to Jigglypuff's back throw. 10% damage.
• Down Throw - Lays opponent on the floor, causing an unconscious status (great for setting up combos). 12% damage.
• Forward Throw - Flips them over and drops them (scoop slam). 9% damage.

Special Moves

Taunts

All: Puts a cardboard box over himself, which is removable. Depending on which button you press, Snake will get in the box in a different position. When he removes it, the enemy receives some damage (if they are in close range). The box can also be picked up and thrown by opponents. This gives 2% damage, making it the second damaging taunt next to Luigi's down taunt. Surprisingly, you can destroy the Smash Ball with the taunt with one hit of the box.

Smash Taunt: Kneels down and contacts his support team -- Colonel Campbell, Otacon, and Mei Ling, and also Slippy Toad (only when in a Brawl with Falco Lombardi) -- via codec. Snake then receives info on one of his opponents; this goes for every fighter in the game, including himself, and with separate conversations for Sheik and Zero Suit Samus. You can do this, only on Snake's home stage Shadow Moses Island, by quickly flicking the down taunt button + the D-Pad button. Then a conversation between Snake and his support team will occur (although there is a easter egg in which Slippy from Star Fox will talk to Snake if Falco is the subject of conversation). You can only do this once each round and if you are hit while starting the conversation, it won't happen. However, you can be hit while the conversation is going, but the conversation ends if Snake is KO'd (Which, in a nod to the Metal Gear Solid game over screens, causes the character Snake was talking with to shout "SNAAAAAAAAKE!!") It can be done with Snake and another character, but if you have more than one character and Snake, the taunt will randomly choose one character to talk about. If another character is Snake and is chosen, when he talks to the colonel he will tell him that he is fighting himself.

Costume Gallery

File:Alt-snake.jpg

Snake's Costume Changes

Trivia

• Smash Bros. Dojo said Ganondorf is the largest and bulkiest of all human characters in the game. Although he is indeed the largest, Snake is bulkier (or heavier, really) than Ganondorf.
• In the MGS games, the exclamation mark would appear over enemies' heads when they found Snake. In the Subspace Emissary (as well as on the Shadow Moses Island stage), it appears over the head of the character found.
• Snake is one of the only characters to talk in Subspace Emissary, saying "Kept ya waiting, huh?". By doing this, he also breaks the fourth wall, a common element in the Metal Gear series.
• In a nod to MGS3: Snake Eater, Snake is the only character who talks when he eats food or other edible items. He will commonly make a "Nom" sound; will occasionally say "Tasty!"; and will rarely say "Good!".
• Snake is the only character who hails from an M-Rated game series.
• Snake carries an H&K MK23 SOCOM .45 caliber pistol in a leg holster, but he never uses it in combat. Similarly, Captain Falcon carries a futuristic pistol which he nevers uses in-game.
• Snake is the only character who can hit himself with his down smash as well having an up smash that serves as a projectile.
• Unlike most characters, who are helpless after using their Up Special, Snake will remain active even after using his Up Special move (Other examples are Zero Suit Samus, R.O.B., Sonic, Yoshi and Mr. Game & Watch).
• Snake's crowd cheer, 'Snake! Snake! SNAAAAAAAKE!!!,' seems to be a nod to his 'Game Over' screens. The crowd will also chant longer (on average) for Snake than any other character.
• Solid Snake himself wears a teal colored bandanna. It's Naked Snake, AKA Big Boss, who wore the dark green bandanna that Snake is seen wearing in Brawl. However, the Bandanna item in Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2 (which gives Snake infinite ammo) is also dark green. They might have let Snake wear that bandanna to explain why he has infinite ammo during battle. Another interesting Naked Snake characteristic is that Solid Snake never had a full beard as he does in Brawl, only stubble at most. It was Naked Snake who had the full beard. Taking many of the similarities listed above, many have come to the conclusion that this incarnation of Snake in Brawl is actually a mixture of both Solid and Naked Snake.
• Snake can plant his mines (down smash) in the Landmaster, but it will explode right after it becomes active, damaging anyone next to it (except the tank driver, of course).
• Snake is currently the highest ranking unlockable character on the tier list.

External links

• Solid Snake's page at Smash Bros. Dojo!!
• Player uses box as an edgeguard.
• Snake Character Guide at SWF