Ivysaur (SSBU)

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This article is about Ivysaur's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. For other uses, see Ivysaur. Also, for information about Ivysaur in regards to Pokémon Trainer, see Pokémon Trainer (SSBU), Squirtle (SSBU), and Charizard (SSBU).

Ivysaur in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Universe	Pokémon
Shares character slot with	Pokémon Trainer Charizard Squirtle
Other playable appearance	in Brawl
Availability	Unlockable
Final Smash	Triple Finish

Ivysaur is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. It was confirmed on June 12th, 2018. Along with the Pokémon Trainer, Ivysaur is classified as fighter #34.

Ivysaur's English and Japanese voices are now provided by Justin Anselmi and Inuko Inuyama, its current voice actors as of Pokémon the Series: XY.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Previously considered one of the worst characters in Brawl (especially if judged as a standalone fighter), Ivysaur has been significantly buffed to perform more effectively as a character in the Pokemon Trainer's party, fulfilling the role of a fighter with disjointed range, a conventional projectile, and setups into its powerful bud-based moves.

Ivysaur's biggest buffs come from the adjustments to the Pokémon Trainer's mechanics alongside universal gameplay changes. The type effectiveness mechanic, previously giving Ivysaur a disproportionate weakness to the common flame-type attacks throughout the cast, has been removed, while the elimination of Stamina allows Ivysaur to stay in the fight without weakening. The changes to tether recoveries removes a critical weakness in Ivysaur's recovery, due to its reliance on one.

Ivysaur's moveset has also been modified to be more useful overall. The addition of a finisher and the changes to neutral infinites makes neutral attack more consistent, while down tilt now consists of only one hit that semi-spikes. Some of Ivysaur's notoriously weak attacks, such as down smash and back aerial, have had their power increased, with down smash now having a sweetspot that can KO at realistic percents. Neutral aerial, previously a situational move that was easy to escape, now performs better and has been given larger disjointed hitboxes. Up aerial and down aerial's momentum changes are less extreme, and down aerial's infamously weak and hard-to-sweetspot meteor smash has been buffed significantly: it has now lost its sourspot and now functions as a powerful edgeguarding tool, while the changes to grounded meteor smashes grant it extremely rewarding setups at a wide percent range, including into up smash. Finally, Ivysaur now has a KO throw in the form of back throw, increased followups from up throw and down throw due to the changes to hitstun canceling, and its special moves have been improved: Bullet Seed now has a finisher, Razor Leaf's infamously unreliable trajectory is significantly more consistent, and Vine Whip no longer causes helplessness, which grants Ivysaur a new offstage attack and combo finisher.

However, Ivysaur still retains many key flaws from Brawl. Many of Ivysaur's weakest attacks are still ineffective for KOing despite their buffs, while some (such as forward and back aerials) send at a diagonal trajectory that make them mediocre for edgeguarding. Bullet Seed has had its maximum damage output significantly reduced, Razor Leaf is still a mediocre projectile despite its improvements, while Vine Whip has lost its grounded hitbox that leads into the vine. Ivysaur is still one of the few characters entirely dependent on a tether recovery, giving it notable problems offstage, which is further harmed by tethers no longer being usable out of an air dodge. Finally, the reduction to Ivysaur's weight hinders its survivability.

Regardless, Ivysaur has improved dramatically since its introduction in Brawl, although how much it has improved in relation to its party and the rest of the cast has yet to be seen.

Aesthetics

• Ivysaur's design and proportions match its appearance in more recent Pokémon games. Its flower bud now has multiple layers of petals and a smoother texture.
• Ivysaur is much more expressive than it was in Brawl.
• Ivysaur always faces the screen regardless of which direction it turns, causing all of its animations to be mirrored.

Attributes

• Like all characters, Ivysaur's jumpsquat animation now takes 3 frames to complete (down from 5).
• Ivysaur dashes faster (1.5 → 1.595).
• Ivysaur's air speed is much faster (0.752 → 0.998).
• Ivysaur weighs less (100 → 96), worsening his survivability.
• With the aforementioned, he's now less susceptible to combos.
• The Stamina mechanic has been removed, eliminating the necessity of switching out Pokémon to restore their power.
• The removal of type effectiveness significantly improves Ivysaur's staying power, as it was previously notorious for its vulnerability to the game's numerous flame attacks.
• The removal of edgehogging improves Ivysaur's tether-dependent recovery.

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack:
  • Neutral attack's neutral infinite now has a finishing hit: a double vine slap. This makes it less punishable.
• Forward tilt:
  • Forward tilt has increased range.
• Down tilt:
  • Down tilt hits once instead of twice.
  • Down tilt deals less damage overall (2% + 5% → 5.5%).
• Dash attack:
  • Dash attack has a new animation, with Ivysaur performing a shoulder charge/headbutt.
• Forward smash:
  • Forward smash now has a sourspot towards the end of the move that deals slightly less damage (14%).
• Down smash:
  • Down smash can deal more damage, with the damage being greater towards the tips of the vines (12% (far)/10% (mid)/8% (near)). The near hit of the attack still deals as much damage as any part of the attack dealt previously (8%).
  • Down smash has increased range.

Aerial attacks

• Neutral aerial:
  • Neutral aerial has a new animation: Ivysaur points its bud towards the screen and spins its leaves, hitting 8 times.
  • Neutral aerial deals less damage overall (2% for 7 hits → 1% for 7 hits + 2% for final hit).
  • Neutral aerial has increased range, and its hitboxes are disjointed.
  • Neutral aerial has more landing lag.
• Forward aerial:
  • Forward aerial no longer has a sourspot, consistently dealing 12% damage.
• Back aerial:
  • Back aerial's second hit no longer has a sourspot.
  • Back aerial deals more damage (2% + 2%/3% → 3% + 6%).
  • Back aerial's first hit has slightly more startup.
  • Both hits of back aerial have slightly less range.
• Up aerial:
  • Up aerial no longer causes Ivysaur to fast fall, instead just giving it a moderate amount of downwards momentum. This makes it easier to use as a conventional aerial attack and less risky to use offstage. Ivysaur can still fast fall manually when using up aerial, allowing it to mix up its positioning when using the move.
  • Up aerial deals slightly less damage (16% → 15%).
• Down aerial:
  • Down aerial no longer has a sourspot, now consistently dealing 10% damage and always meteor smashing. Additionally, its knockback has been improved. This significantly improves its utility, as it was notoriously ineffective as a meteor smash in Brawl.
    • Due to the changes to grounded meteor smashes, down aerial's strong meteor smash capabilities can be used to set up tech traps against opponents who are launched off the ground, granting it newfound combo potential.
  • Down aerial no longer halts Ivysaur's horizontal momentum as much as before.

Throws/other attacks

• Standing grab has less endlag.
• Pummel deals less damage (3% → 1.3%).
• Forward throw deals more damage (8% → 10%).
• Back throw deals more damage (10% → 12%).
• Up throw deals less damage (10% → 9%).
• Down throw deals less damage (10% → 7%).
• Floor attacks deal more damage (6% → 7%).
• Edge attack deals more damage than the previous fast edge attack, but less than the previous slow edge attack (8%/6% (fast), 10% (slow) → 9%).

Special moves

• Bullet Seed:
  • Bullet Seed's maximum duration is reduced (5 seconds → 2 seconds).
  • Bullet Seed's maximum potential damage is reduced (~60% → ~20%).
  • Bullet Seed now has a finishing hit, making it less punishable.
  • Bullet Seed's seeds are larger but less numerous.
• Razor Leaf:
  • Razor Leaf travels faster.
  • Razor Leaf's tap input variant travels further.
  • Razor Leaf's random trajectory has been made significantly less variable, greatly improving its consistency.
• Vine Whip:
  • Vine Whip no longer causes helplessness in the air, and it can be used repeatedly.
  • Vine Whip can now be angled, allowing the attack's reach to be more vertical or more horizontal.
  • Vine Whip on the ground consistently deals 11% damage for non-sweetspot hits, matching the aerial version. Previously, it had various lower damage amounts for different parts of the vine.
  • Vine Whip on the ground no longer has a hitbox directly in front of Ivysaur.
  • Vine Whip can no longer be performed out of an air dodge.
• Pokémon Change:
  • Pokémon Change is much faster and can now be used in the air, allowing the user to potentially combo into another Pokémon's moves or choose the recovery move that suits their situation best. Like in Brawl, it also offers brief intangibility during the switch, giving it the functionality of a dodge, even in the air.
    • If Pokémon Change is used repeatedly, it will grant no invincibility frames for a period of time. Pokémon Change also has a cooldown of around 2 seconds.
• Triple Finish:
  • Pokemon Trainer's Final Smash, Triple Finish, has a different textbox that closely resembles the aesthetics of the Generation VII Pokémon games.
  • Ivysaur's attack, Solar Beam, has updated graphics.

Moveset

The following damage values were calculated without the 1.2× damage multiplier that is active during one-on-one fights.

For aerial attacks, full hop damage values are shown. Hovering over them shows the short hop damage values (aerial attacks performed during a short hop have a 0.85× damage multiplier).

Note: All numbers are listed as base damage, without the 1v1 multiplier.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			2%	Ivysaur whips a vine, then another if the button is pressed again. If the button is pressed repeatedly or if the first two hits connects, it then begins a series of rapid vine slaps, with a finishing hit at the end. The first two hits can jab reset.
			2%
			0.5% (rapid hits), 2% (finisher)
Forward tilt			1.5% (hits 1-6), 2% (hit 7)	Ivysaur leans forward and spins the leaves around its bulb like a helicopter blade, hitting multiple times. Has decent range in front of Ivysaur, but contrary to its looks, the move cannot hit behind Ivysaur. Has a slight amount of startup. Hits 7 times, with the last hit dealing decent horizontal knockback, though with low knockback growth. Ivysaur's only tilt with KO potential, though it KOs very late at around 185% from the edge of Final Destination.
Up tilt			7%	Ivysaur pushes its vines against the ground to propel itself upwards. Decent upwards knockback and good upwards range, but it lacks hitboxes beside Ivysaur, making it difficult to hit grounded opponents. Can lead into aerials at low percents.
Down tilt			5.5%	Ivysaur whips a vine quickly along the ground in front of it. Very fast, can hit opponents hanging on ledges, and deals semi-spike knockback of mild strength, but deals very low damage while lacking followup options due to its ending lag. Useful as a poking option, or as an approach option out of a dash.
Dash attack			12% (clean), 10% (late)	Ivysaur leaps forward in a sliding tackle. Fast startup with decent base knockback, which sends opponents diagonally upwards; however, it has significant difficulty KOing due to its angle and low knockback growth, only doing so around 185% from the edge of Final Destination. The late hit of the move deals much less knockback, but at the same angle.
Forward smash			16% (clean), 14% (late)	Ivysaur plants its vines on the ground and launches its body forward in a tackle before landing where it started. The move can be angled up or down, though its power does not change. Deals good knockback, is rather fast, and has deceptively good range, although it shifts Ivysaur's hurtbox forward and has noticeable ending lag. The earliest hit deals the most knockback and damage, and can KO at 85% from the edge of Final Destination.
Up smash		Exploding Flower	17%	Ivysaur looks upward and, after a brief pause, launches a burst of spores from its bulb above itself. A very powerful move that deals vertical knockback. It is Ivysaur's most damaging regular attack and one of the strongest up smashes in the game, but it has extremely high startup and ending lag, making it suited for hard punishes. Additionally, while it has a large hitbox, it lacks in horizontal range. KOs at 83% on Final Destination.
Down smash			12% (far), 10% (mid), 8% (near)	Ivysaur quickly whips two vines across the ground simultaneously, one in front of it and one behind. Ivysaur's fastest smash attack both in terms of startup and endlag, making it rather safe. However, it deals relatively low knockback and damage for an attack of its kind. The tips of Ivysaur's vines deal the most knockback and damage, and they can hit opponents hanging on ledges. The sweetspot KOs at 105% from the edge of Final Destination.
Neutral aerial			1% (hits 1-7), 2% (hit 8)	Ivysaur spins with its bud facing towards the screen, hitting with its leaves. The leaf hitboxes are disjointed. Hits 8 times, with the last hit dealing moderate knockback. Due to its speed, duration and coverage, it is a good move for aerial contesting or approaching. It has noticeable landing lag and cannot autocancel from a short hop, but ends right before a full hop, allowing the first hit of back air to act as a covering attack while landing.
Forward aerial			12%	Ivysaur slaps forward with a vine. Good overall coverage in front of Ivysaur, though it has some slight startup. Deals diagonal knockback and can true combo into angled Vine Whip at low percents. It can also combo into itself at low percents, though this is not guaranteed. At mid percents, it can potentially chain into an up aerial. Due to its upward angle, it has difficulty KOing offstage, but can KO earlier if the enemy is close to the top blast line. Autocancels from a short hop.
Back aerial			3% (hit 1), 6% (hit 2)	Ivysaur spins around vertically and hits behind itself with two vines, one after the other. The first hit is very weak and designed to combo into the second hit, which deals weak diagonal knockback. The first hit can start guaranteed combos once Ivysaur lands, though this may be difficult due to how fast the attack transitions. Good range like its forward aerial and can combo into itself, although this is not guaranteed. Additionally, it is very weak, and has significant difficulty KOing due to its angle. Autocancels from a short hop.
Up aerial			15%	Ivysaur shoots a burst of spores upwards from its bulb, which causes Ivysaur to move downwards slightly. If done near the peak of a full hop, Ivysaur will not experience much downwards momentum. A damaging move with a large hitbox above Ivysaur alongside powerful vertical knockback and little startup lag, making it a strong aerial. Autocancels from a full hop, and has low enough ending lag to be used in a short hop to challenge opponents on the platforms of Battlefield. Despite its power, it deals low damage to shields.
Down aerial			10%	Ivysaur turns upside-down and shoots a burst of spores downwards from its bulb, similarly to up aerial. Ivysaur's descent is stalled slightly when this move is used. Like up aerial, it is a powerful aerial, as it acts as a meteor smash with good power and no sourspot, all while having fast startup and a large hitbox. It is capable of hitting opponents easily out of a short hop; after 78%, it will cause grounded opponents to launch off the floor, allowing Ivysaur to punish missed techs with a multitude of moves, including any ground move or Bullet Seed. At higher percents, up aerial will work as a KO combo at 130%, while up smash can act as a potent hard read from a wide range of percents. Finally, it can meteor smash opponents hanging on ledges. As a result, down aerial is one of Ivysaur's most useful aerial moves.
Grab			—	Ivysaur extends its vines forward to grab an opponent with them. Above average range, but has rather high ending lag for a standard grab.
Pummel			1.3%	Ivysaur headbutts the opponent while holding them with its vines.
Forward throw			5% (hits 1 & 2)	Ivysaur holds the opponent in front of itself with its vines and headbutts them forward. The headbutt can affect bystanders. Has too much base knockback for combos and too little knockback growth to KO, hence its only use is to send opponents offstage.
Back throw			12%	Ivysaur swings the opponent with its vines while turning around, tossing them backwards. This causes Ivysaur to turn to face the other direction when it is used. Deals good diagonal knockback, being Ivysaur's most powerful throw in terms of damage and knockback, and KOs rather early at 109% near the edge of Final Destination.
Up throw			4% (hit 1), 5% (hit 2)	Ivysaur holds the opponent above itself with its vines and hits them with its bud, sending them upwards. Has combo potential at low percents, allowing combos into Bullet Seed or up aerial at 0%, or up aerial or Vine whip at around 30%. After 45%, it loses combo potential due to its knockback growth.
Down throw			7%	Ivysaur holds the opponent above itself with its vines and slams them into the ground while doing a frontflip. Ivysaur's best combo throw, which can start combos into up aerial or dash canceled up tilt at 0%. At around 60%, it can lead into Vine Whip, which can KO at around 83% if the sweetspot lands.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Ivysaur gets up with a horizontal spin, kicking to each side.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	Ivysaur whips both sides with its vines as it gets up.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Ivysaur stands up and hits both sides with its vines.
Edge attack Edge getups			9%	Ivysaur climbs up and swipes a vine in front of itself.
Neutral special		Bullet Seed	3% (startup), 1.2-1.5% (seeds), 2% (contact), 3% (final seed)	Ivysaur sends a barrage of seeds ascending from its bulb. Ivysaur will continue the move while the button is held, for up to 2 seconds. The seeds deal less damage the further they travel before hitting. There is a hitbox on Ivysaur's body and at its sides when the move is started, to launch opponents into the seeds, and there is also a hitbox on Ivysaur's body during the move, for the same purpose. The last seed Ivysaur fires deals greater knockback, to launch opponents away. The move has a maximum damage output of about 19.4%. Overall, the move is useful for deterring aerial approaches, or racking up damage through combos into it.
Side special		Razor Leaf	8% (clean), 6% (mid), 4% (late)	Ivysaur flings a single spinning leaf forward as a projectile, which can hit multiple opponents. The leaf has a random moderate curve to its trajectory, though this effect is significantly less noticeable than in Brawl. If the move is performed with a tap input, the leaf's distance and speed are increased. It has no KO potential, making it a conventional projectile for deterring approaches or racking up damage.
Up special		Vine Whip	11% (general), 13% (sweetspot)	Ivysaur whips a vine diagonally upwards. The move functions as a tether recovery, and does not cause helplessness. The vine can be angled diagonally forward by holding the directional input forward, and will otherwise aim upwards. Ivysaur will gain a slight upwards boost when the move is used in the air, but only once until it grabs an edge or lands. As an attack, the vine has moderate knockback, but there is a sweetspot at the tip of the vine which deals powerful knockback. Some of Ivysaur's aerials and throws can lead into the sweetspot, allowing for strong combos.
Down special		Pokémon Change		The Pokémon Trainer calls Ivysaur back by throwing a Poké Ball at it, and then sends out Charizard.
Final Smash		Triple Finish	~50% total	The Pokémon Trainer sends out both Squirtle and Charizard, and all three Pokémon perform a combination attack involving powerful trapping attacks with long horizontal range. For Ivysaur's contribution to the attack, it uses Solar Beam, a long beam of energy that traps opponents for repeated damage.

On-screen appearance

Pokémon Trainer releases Ivysaur from its Poké Ball while saying "Go!" or "Ivysaur!"

Taunts

• Up taunt: Shakes from side to side, spinning its bud and leaves.
• Side taunt: Stands on its front legs and walks around while saying "Ivy, Ivy, Ivy." Ivysaur briefly falls over before the taunt ends.
• Down taunt: Extends its vines into the air and spins around in a dance, while saying "Saur, Ivy, Ivy."

Idle poses

• Steps from side to side.
• Looks around, then shakes its body.

Victory poses

During Ivysaur's victory poses, the Pokémon Trainer says randomly either "You all did great!" (male)/"Everyone did great!" (female) or "Way to go, Ivysaur!"

• Up: Whips two vines forward, then poses with its vines extended.
• Left: Runs forward, does a backflip, then strikes a pose.
• Right: Pokémon Trainer pets Ivysaur, and it jumps on him, but Pokémon Trainer puts it back down and continues to pet it.

Role in World of Light

Pokémon Trainer was among the fighters that were summoned to fight against the army of Master Hands, and he brought his three Pokémon with him.

During the opening cutscene, Ivysaur was sent out by Pokémon Trainer, along with Squirtle and Charizard, shortly before Galeem unleashed his beams of light. Under Pokémon Trainer's command, Ivysaur used Solar Beam in an attempt to fight the beams of light, but this attempt failed. Pokémon Trainer, Squirtle, Ivysaur and Charizard were all vaporized and placed under Galeem's imprisonment along with the other fighters, excluding Kirby.

Pokémon Trainer can be found at the southeast near the maze that resembles Pac-Maze. Defeating him allows access to all of their Pokémon.

Gallery

• 

  Artwork of all playable Pokémon characters and Poké Ball Pokémon, as posted by the official Pokémon Twitter account.

• 

  Ivysaur in Pokémon Trainer's fighter card.

• 

  Ivysaur taunting on Gaur Plain.

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  With Squirtle, Charizard, and a Burrowing Snagret on The Great Cave Offensive.

• 

  With Squirtle and Charizard on Skyworld.

• 

  Attacking a Leaf Shielding Mega Man with its dash attack on Tortimer Island.

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  With Squirtle and a giant golden Pikachu on Pokémon Stadium 2.

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  Taunting with Sheik on Tomodachi Life.

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  Taunting with Villager on 3D Land.

Trivia

• Ivysaur is the only playable character in Ultimate whose up special is solely a tether recovery. Zero Suit Samus and Olimar each received new up specials in Super Smash Bros. 4, while the Ice Climbers' Belay can function without a tether.
• With Vine Whip no longer causing it to experience helplessness, Ivysaur is now one of the few fighters in the game that is unable to put itself in a helpless state without touching a red trampoline from Pac-Jump.