Bayonetta (SSBU)

Bayonetta in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
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Universe	Bayonetta
Other playable appearance	in SSB4
Availability	Unlockable
Final Smash	Infernal Climax

“	An Umbra Witch who equips guns on her arms and legs, Bayonetta has mastered the beautiful but brutal Bullet Arts fighting style. She can even slow down her opponents with Witch Time!	”
—Super Smash Blog, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Official Site

Bayonetta (ベヨネッタ, Bayonetta) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, making her return from the previous game. She was confirmed as a playable character on June 12th, 2018. Bayonetta is classified as fighter #63.

Hellena Taylor and Atsuko Tanaka reprise their roles in English and Japanese, albeit via recycled voice clips from Super Smash Bros. 4.

How to unlock

Complete one of the following:

• Play VS. matches, with Bayonetta being the 43rd character to be unlocked.
• Clear Classic Mode with Mario or anyone in his unlock tree, being the 2nd character unlocked after Sonic.
• Have Bayonetta join the player's party in World of Light.

With the exception of the third method, Bayonetta must then be defeated on the Umbra Clock Tower.

Attributes

Bayonetta is a tall lightweight. She has a below average walking and air speed, average traction and dashing speed with a decently fast initial dash, very fast air acceleration and fall speed, high gravity and very high jumps. This gives her a poor endurance, especially vertically, and an overall average mobility.

Bayonetta's biggest strength is her strong combo game, with her tilt attacks, forward aerial and special moves being capable of starting or extending combos. Her damage output is somewhat low, though her extensive combo game makes up for this, as her combos can quickly and easily rack up damage. She has a number of unique attributes - with her Bullet Arts, she can shoot from the guns on her hands and heels by keeping the button pressed. They are a solid pressure tool and as they are big disjointed hitboxes, they are not classified as projectiles. She can also wall cling and wall jump.

Bayonetta's ground game is reliant on her tilt attacks to help perform intricate combos. Her jab is slow, but by repeatedly button-pressing it forms a combo into itself, which can KO at very high percents. Her dash attack is also slow as it has a lot of startup lag, but can also be a situational KO move. While both her up tilt and her down tilt have small hitboxes in front of her, they are very good combo tools - up tilt is useful for getting her opponents into the air and also combos from her Heel Slide into itself or Witch Twist, while her down tilt is a good out of shield option and also has combo potential. Her forward tilt is her least useful tilt as it lacks follow-up options, though it too has combo potential, as it forms a three hit combo if repeatedly pressed.

She has very useful special moves: Bullet Climax allows to fire projectiles and is useful for KOing higher percentage opponents at left and right blast lines. Heel Slide is a reliable combo starter and shoot from her gun if the button is pressed, while After Burner Kick is a good combo extender and horizontal recovery option. Witch Twist is a great tool for extending combos and dragging the opponent to the upper blast line. Though it has little vertical distance, it can be performed twice with Bayonetta's double jump, and she can also jump cancel her second jump to grant extra vertical distance, giving her good horizontal recovery. Her Witch Time has a short duration and high ending lag, but it can slow down time for a brief period of time. If Bayonetta gets hit in a specific time when dodging or in the later frames of Witch Time, she will activate her Bat Within. This turns her into bats and moves her to a (usually) more favorable stage position, and she will take half of the attack's damage output and no knockback.

Bayonetta's air game is similarly potent for combos, with her flexible recovery meaning she can use aerial combos far offstage. Her neutral air has great range (especially with the Bullet Arts, which covers a huge area around her) and can be a KO option at very high percents. Back aerial is one of her strongest KO options because of its sweetspot and is a good combo finisher. Her forward aerial can edgeguard and, like her forward tilt, combos into itself if button pressed repeatedly. Her up aerial is fast and a useful juggling tool, though it lacks knockback. Her down aerial is a stall-then-fall aerial which is a risky landing option due to its high lag, though it has a strong landing hit which can be a useful KO option.

Her grab and throw game has some utility, though to a lesser extent than the rest of her moveset. Her down throw and up throw are her best combo throws into her aerials, with down throw also acting as a KO option at very high percents. Her forward throw can KO at very high percents and her back throw - while not as useful - can be used for getting her opponent offstage.

Bayonetta's smash attacks allow her to summon Madama Butterfly's limbs. They each have good knockback and range, but they also have low priority and noticeable lag. Her forward smash is her earliest KO option and one of her earliest attacks that can reliably kill before 100%. Her up smash covers the area directly in front of Bayonetta and can KO from the top blast line. Her down smash covers the same range as her up smash and is useful for meteor smashing her opponents from the ledge, though it can also kill from the top blast line at higher percents.

Bayonetta has very noticeable flaws, however. Most notably, while she can quickly rack up damage with her combo game, she has very few reliable KO options until around 150%, with her only real kill options before this being her aforementioned punishable smash attacks, difficult to perform back air or risky down air. Even at percents higher than 150%, her KO options outside of back aerial are unreliable or only KO at very high percentages, for example her forward throw and dash attack. Furthermore, she has a poor frame data on the ground, with her jab coming out on frame 9; this combined with the fact that Bayonetta is tall, has a high gravity and a light weight, means she has a very poor disadvantage state, being highly susceptible to being comboed and KO’d earlier than most characters without many options to escape. Finally, while Bayonetta has a recovery that grants good distance and her special moves don't leave her helpless, her recovery is very slow and prone to being exploited because of the somewhat limited distance of Witch Twist.

Overall, Bayonetta is seen as a character with a high skill cap because of her extensive, difficult to use combo game. She is a flexible combo-heavy character good at quickly racking up damage and applying pressure to opponents, though her lack of reliable KO options means she can struggle in securing the stock while also being prone to combos and kill setups herself. Due to her significantly steeper learning curve for - what most players consider - a relatively low reward, her playerbase is much weaker than it was in Smash 4, though players like CaptainZack have achieved some noteworthy results with her.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. 4

Bayonetta was unanimously considered to be the best character in Smash 4 due to her many extreme advantages, most infamously her ability to KO opponents at virtually any percentage with successful ladder combos, the best disadvantage-breaking move (and arguably the best move overall) in the game with Witch Time, great KO potential outside of her ladder combos, and an excellent recovery. Even after having received drastic nerfs in game updates, her advantages remained intact. This often caused players to label her as "broken", and many matches involving her became controversial. This includes the Smash Ultimate tournament Super Smash Bros. Invitational 2018, where the top professional Bayonetta player MkLeo pulled off a ladder KO in front of Masahiro Sakurai and almost took the tournament by partly using her. Possibly as a result of all of these events, Bayonetta has been drastically nerfed in the transition to Ultimate.

Bayonetta's already poor frame data, her major weakness in Smash 4, has been nerfed further from the previous game. Her most reliable combo starters have been weakened, with her up tilt, down tilt and forward aerial all having more ending lag; the latter in particular has been affected the most significantly, no longer allowing for any followups other than the next hits of the move unless Bayonetta lands with them. Witch Twist also has more startup and grants less distance, reducing its effectiveness as a combo starter, out of shield option, followup from other moves and recovery option. Adding to this, all of Bayonetta's special moves have received drastic nerfs that make them more risky and punishable: Bullet Climax's charge takes longer to cancel and can no longer be held indefinitely, Heel Slide and After Burner Kick's followup hits can no longer be used if they hit a shield, Witch Twist is slower and can no longer grab ledges, and Witch Time slows down opponents for much shorter except at very high percentages, alongside having noticeably more startup and ending lag, going from the uncontested best counter in Smash 4, to the hardest to land as well as arguably one of the least useful counters until high percentages.

Her KO ability has been weakened as well. Neutral, up and down aerials deal lower knockback (most significantly the former two, which no longer KO under 200% onstage), her back aerial has less range and a smaller hitbox (most notably the sweetspot), and her smash attacks only get half as much of an increase in power when charged and have increased ending lag if they hit a shielding opponent. This is exacerbated by Witch Time's decreased slowdown duration, hindering its ability to lead into safe KOs, and due to the severe nerfs to her up aerial, she can no longer KO with ladder combos unless they are initiated very close to the top blast line, and even then very high percents are often needed to reliably earn a KO. As a result, Bayonetta now has a significantly more defined main weakness, which is her lack of KO ability at higher percentages due to a lack of reliable options for KOing outside of back air. Although some of her moves have received more knockback in return, such as her neutral attack's finisher and dash attack, they still have below average knockback, and fail to compensate for her much more severely hindered finishers. This is also pronounced further by the decreased damage some of her moves deal, which slightly hinders her combo game further. Conversely, her own survivability has been worsened, as her already low weight has been decreased further, and her recovery is less effective due to Witch Twist's shorter distance, slower ledge grab, and smaller hitboxes.

Finally, Bayonetta's special recovery frames have been significantly extended. While previously varied configurations of her special moves gave Bayonetta determinate amounts of landing lag regardless of how they were performed, the landing lag suffered by each combination is more varied and, in most cases, increased. Furthermore, Bayonetta's infamous ability to cancel higher amounts of landing lag with her down aerial was also removed, and landing with the move can instead cause, on most combinations, to further increase the landing lag she receives from performing certain combinations (interestingly enough, her ability to bypass landing lag with Witch Time remains, though this is largely irrelevant due to the move's increased duration). As a result of these changes, Bayonetta now suffers the highest amount of landing lag among the cast, and this also increases her vulnerability if opponents are able to fall out of her combos, allowing them to land a harder punish option on her more easily.

In spite of this, Bayonetta has also received a few noteworthy buffs. All of her dodges have been sped up relative to the rest of the cast, no longer being among the slowest in the game, while still having the ability to trigger Bat Within during their startup. Downwards After Burner Kick is a reliable combo starter due to launching grounded opponents at a higher, more suitable angle for followups, and Witch Twist is harder to SDI out of due to the lower hitlag on each hit. Witch Time can slow down opponents from much farther distances upon a successful counterattack, and has a longer counter window. Although grabs have been overall nerfed across the cast, all of Bayonetta's grabs have slightly increased range, which combined with her throws not losing their utility, improves her grab game despite their higher ending lag. Her dash attack has increased knockback and range, and reduced landing lag, improving the move as a burst or KO option. Lastly, all of Bayonetta's smash attacks now have hitboxes with transcendent priority that will only hit aerial opponents, making them impossible to cancel and significantly improving their reliability.

The universal changes to game mechanics are overall mixed for Bayonetta. The ability to dash cancel into any move improves her grounded game, though this is somewhat counterbalanced by their somewhat slow startup and her notable grounded moves losing some of their combo utility. The streamlined jumpsquats and reductions to landing lag are mostly detrimental to her; they slightly benefit Bayonetta's combo game as long as her aerials are not extended with Bullet Arts, but unlike most other characters, Bayonetta suffers higher landing lag when she lands with aerials extended with Bullet Arts. This, combined with other characters gaining either safer aerials, improved combo routes from them, or lower landing lag, has allowed them to more easily keep up with Bayonetta. On the other hand, the changes to air dodge mechanics have benefitted her overall; although Bayonetta has the second shortest distance of any directional air dodge, this nevertheless allows her to slightly extend her recovery provided she isn't able to reach the edge on time, and the increased lag on all kinds of air dodges has further improved her edgeguarding ability, despite her worse aerial game. However, none of the universal changes or her direct buffs are able to properly compensate for the comparatively much larger impact her abundance of nerfs has brought up.

Overall, Bayonetta's biggest strengths from Smash 4 that were deemed "overpowered" by some have all been severely toned down or even removed altogether; her forward air strings were removed, Witch Time is a worse disadvantage-breaking option, her recovery is worse (albeit still outstanding compared to the rest of the cast), her KO potential is much lower, her combos (especially her ladder combos) are potentially less damaging and harder to pull off, and her weaknesses from the previous game have been further defined. Furthermore, most of the rest of the cast has received comparatively larger buffs, allowing them to either keep up with or overwhelm Bayonetta due to her substantial nerfs. This gives Bayonetta a considerably higher learning curve, to the point she is widely viewed as a high-effort, low-reward character. As a result, Bayonetta performs significantly worse than her Smash 4 iteration, and is by far the most nerfed character in the transition to Ultimate. Though Bayonetta had a moderate amount of success during the beginning of Ultimate's metagame, her current representation has quickly dwindled, as many of her players, including Salem, have either dropped her or have quit competitive play altogether. This has earned her negative opinions from many players, who generally claim that she is a low-mid or low-tier character at best, with some opinions considering her a bottom five character. Despite this, players such as CaptainZack, Lima and tamim still use her at multiple tournaments, and the former has particularly been able to obtain decent results within the first six months of the game. This, along with a few buffs Bayonetta has received in update 3.1.0, makes her position in the eyes of many players highly debatable.

Aesthetics

• Bayonetta's appearance is largely the same as it was in SSB4, though her model features a more subdued color scheme. Her hair and clothes feature greater detailing and appear less glossy.
• Bayonetta's alternate costumes have been re-ordered; her original outfit now occupies her even-numbered costumes instead of the second half, similar to Cloud.
• Love is Blue and Scarborough Fair have louder sound effects to distinguish the two.
• While veterans' facial expressions were typically upgraded, Bayonetta seems to lack expressions she possessed in the previous installment, notably in her Screen KO, a wink in one of her victory animations, and during certain moves such as up tilt.
• The excess hair tendrils hanging from her outfits have more individual physics.
• Bayonetta's taunts are sped up.
• When the victory screen shows her name, Bayonetta's glasses glint at the edge. While this was present in her victory poses in Smash 4, it only showed for a brief moment.
• As with all previous downloadable fighters in SSB4, Bayonetta now has a unique Palutena's Guidance conversation.

Attributes

• Like all characters, Bayonetta's jumpsquat animation takes 3 frames to complete (down from 4).
• Bayonetta is lighter (84 → 81), further hindering her endurance.
• Bayonetta's initial dash speed (1.6 → 1.936) and run speed (1.6 → 1.76) are much faster.
• Bayonetta walks slightly faster (0.9 → 0.945).
• Bayonetta's air speed is faster (0.97 → 1.019).
• Bayonetta's traction is much higher (0.055 → 0.11).
• Forward roll has less ending lag (FAF 38 → 32). Bat Within also activates faster and has a longer duration (frames 3-5 → 2-5).
• Forward roll grants less intangibility (frames 6-19 → 6-15).
• Back roll has less ending lag (FAF 38 → 37). Bat Within also has a longer duration (frames 3-5 → 3-6).
• Back roll has more startup and grants less intangibility (frames 6-19 → 7-16).
• Spot dodge has less ending lag (FAF 30 → 26).
• Spot dodge has more startup and grants less intangibility (frames 5-19 → 6-17). Bat Within also activates slower (frame 1 → 2).
• Air dodge grants more intangibility (frames 5-27 → 5-31).
• Air dodge has more ending lag (FAF 37 → 46).
• With the reintroduction of directional air dodges, Bayonetta can take advantage of her special moves not causing helplessness by getting additional distance with a directional air dodge after using them. This slightly improves her recovery.
  • Bat Within cannot have its direction altered, instead always going straight down. If Bayonetta is hit offstage and attempts to recover with a directional air dodge, and Bat Within activates, this could cause her to self-destruct.
• Much like other characters, Bayonetta's wall jump covers significantly less distance, making her more frail while offstage.
• Bullet Arts' range has been significantly reduced on all of her moves.
• Bullet Arts are no longer susceptible to Stun Jacket.

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack:
  • The first three hits have altered angles (hit 1: 55°/55°/85° → 361°/180°; hit 2: 48°/68°/82°/70° → 361°; hit 3: 68°/85°/68°/90° → 361°) and knockback (hit 1: 45/30/42 base, 25 scaling → 36/32, 8; hit 2: 45/40/38/40, 25 → 42/38, 8; hit 3: 47/47/28/28, 20 → 40, 8) to keep opponents close to Bayonetta, akin to other neutral attacks, and have gained hitstun modifiers (0 → 8 (hits 1-2), 10 (hit 3)). This allows them to connect better and jab lock.
  • The second and third hits have less startup (frame 9 → 7 (hit 2), 11 → 7 (hit 3)).
  • The rapid jab has a lower hitlag multiplier (1× → 0.6×) and SDI multiplier (0.6× → 0.4×), and has gained a hitstun modifier of 2 for each hit, making it harder to escape.
  • The rapid jab's finisher deals more knockback (70 base/90 scaling → 67/117).
  • All hits deal less damage (1.5% → 1.4% (hits 1-2), 2.7% → 2.2% (hit 3), 0.3% → 0.2% (rapid jab), 1% → 0.5% (finisher, hit 1), 6% → 5% (finisher, hit 2)).
  • The first three hits have more ending lag (FAF 26 → 32 (hit 1), 31 → 32 (hit 2), 34 → 40 (hit 3)).
  • Rapid jab finisher has transcendent priority, preventing it from being canceled out by weak attacks.
  • The rapid jab has gained a shieldstun multiplier of 15×. This allows it to lock opponents into their shields between each hit, and thus pressure them more effectively, but also allows them to cancel shieldstun and punish Bayonetta more easily if they shield 10 hits or more.
• Forward tilt:
  • The third hit has less ending lag (FAF 43 → 40), allowing it to combo into a forward aerial from low to mid percents..
  • The first and second hit have altered angles (hit 1: 60°/45°/75°/80°/45° → 58°/45°/70°/70°/50°, hit 2: 43°/75° → 48°/62°) and knockback (hit 1: 62/50/45/60/56 base, 25/15/25/15/25 scaling → 55/45/50/35/60, 15; hit 2: 60/58 base → 42/46), allowing them to connect more reliably.
  • The first and third hits deal less damage (3.5% → 3% (hit 1), 8.5% → 7% (hit 3)), though with the latter's knockback scaling mostly compensated (60 → 68).
• Up tilt:
  • The first hit's grounded hitbox launches opponents into the second hit rather than away from Bayonetta (68° → 123°), and has altered knockback (80 base/40 scaling → 100/10) allowing it to connect more consistently.
  • The second hit has more startup (11 frames → 13) and more ending lag (FAF 27 → 30), hindering the move's combo potential despite the second hit having decreased base knockback (60 → 55).
    • The second hit has more active hitbox frames (frames 11-12 → frame 13-15).
  • The first hit deals less damage when clean (5% → 1.5%), being less than the late hit's damage.
  • The first hit's aerial hitbox connects worse into the second hit due to its lower angle (110° → 123°), despite having altered knockback (80 base/40 scaling → 90/10).
• Down tilt:
  • The move has more ending lag (FAF 27 → 29), hindering its combo potential.
  • The move deals less damage (6%/7% → 5%/6%). While its knockback scaling was not fully compensated (50 → 55), its combo potential remains worse due to its increased ending lag.
• Dash attack:
  • The move has less ending lag (FAF 47 → 43).
  • It deals more knockback (85 base/55 scaling → 78/71 (clean), 80/65 (late)).
  • It has a larger hitbox (4.2u → 5u (clean), 4.5u (late)).
• Smash attacks:
  • All Wicked Weave hitboxes have been split into ground-only and aerial-only hitboxes, with the latter possessing transcendent priority. This prevents them from getting canceled out by aerial attacks.
  • They have a lower maximum damage multiplier (1.4× → 1.2×).
  • Due to the universally increased hitlag, and shields using a 0.67× hitlag multiplier that isn't propagated to the Wicked Weaves' hitboxes (effectively giving Bayonetta more hitlag relative to the opponent), they are all less safe on shield.
• Forward smash:
  • The move has less startup (frame 19 → 17).
    • However, its total duration was not fully compensated (FAF 68 → 67), giving it one frame more ending lag.
  • It has more base knockback (26 → 34/35) and a longer hitbox duration (frames 17-19 → 17-21).
  • It can be angled, though all angles still have a blindspot directly in front of her.
• Down smash:
  • The move has less startup (frame 20 → 17) and its total duration was reduced (FAF 69 → 66).
  • The second hitbox has a longer duration (frames 25-27 → 22-25).
  • The second hit's meteor smash hitbox has less knockback scaling (90 → 80).

Aerial attacks

• Forward, back and up aerial have less landing lag (14 frames → 12 (forward), 12 → 10 (back), 12 → 8 (up)).
• All aerials except down aerial have more landing lag if their Bullet Arts extensions are used (10 frames → 18 (neutral), 12 → 18 (forward), 12 → 16 (back, up)). This worsens Bayonetta's pressure ability with her neutral and up aerials.
• Neutral aerial:
  • The move deals drastically less knockback (40 base/100 scaling → 65/60 (clean), 40/90 → 65/50 (late)), no longer KOing under 300% from the center of most stages. While this allows it to combo for longer, it most significantly hinders Bayonetta's KO ability at high percents.
  • The Bullet Arts extension deals less damage (4.5% → 3%) and knockback (50 base/100 scaling → 60/85).
• Forward aerial:
  • All hits deal more damage (3% → 4% (hit 1), 2.2% → 3.3% (hit 2), 6% → 7% (hit 3)).
  • All hits have more ending lag (FAF 27 → 38 (hit 1), 32 → 40 (hit 2), 40 → 47 (hit 3)). This prevents the first hit from comboing into After Burner Kick or Witch Twist, or being used repeatedly to drag opponents offstage, significantly weakening its utility.
  • The first hit has noticeably smaller hitboxes (4u/8u → 2.8u/5.8u) and less vertical range (Y offset: 8u/16u/12u → 9.2u/14.8u/12u).
  • The first hit auto-cancels later (frame 28 → 30).
  • The third hit's angle has been altered (44° → 54°). This worsens its KO ability near the horizontal blast lines, but combined with its knockback not being compensated for its increased damage, this allows it to KO more reliably at the end of a ladder combo.
• Back aerial:
  • The move has more ending lag (FAF 30 → 35).
  • Its hitboxes are smaller (6.2u/4.8u → 4.6u/4.2u), with the sweetspot no longer being disjointed and extending over Bayonetta's foot.
• Up aerial:
  • The move deals less damage (9% → 7.5%), its knockback scaling has been reduced (90 → 80), and it launches at a more horizontal angle (75° → 55°). While this allows it to combo into back aerial and After Burner Kick, it hinders its combo potential into most other moves at higher percents, and renders it vulnerable to LSI. These nerfs significantly hinder its KO ability, no longer KOing vertically from a ladder combo until much higher percents, unless it is initiated very close to the top blast line.
  • The Bullet Arts extension deals less damage (4% → 3%).
• Down aerial:
  • The move deals set knockback to grounded opponents (30/80 base/120/50 scaling → 50/90 set/100 scaling) to lead more effectively into the landing hit, allowing it to deal more damage and KO them more effectively.
    • However, this gives the meteor smash hitboxes a random chance to trip opponents of Samus's weight and above, as they do not cause them to tumble, making it unable to lead into the landing hit.
  • It deals less knockback to aerial opponents (80 base/50 scaling → 50/65 (clean), 30/50 (late)), no longer being able to KO off a meteor smash at very low percents, and the landing hit has less knockback scaling (135 → 127), KOing later onstage.
  • It has more ending lag (FAF 48 → 53), making it harder to use offstage without self-destructing.
  • It has more landing lag (28 frames → 30).
  • As aerial footstools are techable, down aerial can no longer be confirmed into from a footstool, further worsening its KO ability.
  • It no longer deals weight-independent knockback, making it weaker against heavier opponents, but stronger against lighter ones.

Throws and other attacks

• Grabs:
  • All grabs have more range (Z2 offset: 8.7u → 9.2u (standing), 10.6u → 10.9u (dash), -14.7u → -15.5u (pivot)).
  • All grabs have more ending lag (FAF 31 → 38 (standing), 38 → 46 (dash), 36 → 41 (pivot)).
  • Dash and pivot grab have more startup (frame 9 → 10 (dash), 10 → 11 (pivot)).
  • Bayonetta's hand grabs characters using a form of Umbran magic, as seen via a slightly updated animation where she swings her hand around, which is sparkling with a noticeable Umbran purple.
• Pummel:
  • It deals much less damage (1.6% (hits 1-2) → 0.6% (hit 1), 0.7% (hit 2); 3.2% → 1.3% total).
  • It deals more hitlag per hit (4 frames → 10), but has significantly less startup (frame 7, 14 → 1, 4) and ending lag (FAF 22 → 7). This overall shortens its duration and increases the amount of times Bayonetta can pummel the opponent before throwing them or before they break out.
• Edge attack:
  • Edge attack deals more damage (7% → 9%).

Special moves

• Bullet Climax:
  • The move's bullets have more range.
  • Fully charged bullets deal more knockback (20 base/150 scaling → 15/190).
  • The move has more ending lag (FAF 71 → 76).
  • It needs to be fully charged before it can be charge-canceled.
  • It is unleashed automatically if held for more than 80 frames after its charge starts, preventing it from being held indefinitely.
  • The bullets have received negative shield damage (0 → -0.3 (uncharged), -0.6 (charged)).
• Heel Slide and After Burner Kick have lower hitlag multipliers (Heel Slide: 1.2× → 0.9× (hit 1), 1× (hit 2); After Burner Kick: 2× → 1.4× (up), 1.5× → 1.2× (down)), although this is offset by the universal increase to hitlag, except in battles with more than two players.
• Heel Slide:
  • The second hit comes out faster (frame 54 → 51).
  • Both hits have less ending lag (FAF 78/73 → 67/68).
  • All hits deal less damage (9%/8.5%/8% → 8%/7.5%/7% (hit 1, clean/mid/late), 6% → 5% (hit 2)).
  • It has an increased SDI multiplier (1× → 1.3×).
  • The second hit cannot be performed if the first hit is shielded. Combined with the changes to jostle mechanics preventing the move from crossing up shields, this makes it much easier to punish.
  • The second hit has a shorter hitbox duration (frames 54-59 → 51-55).
• After Burner Kick:
  • The normal version travels on a more horizontal angle and gains less vertical height, worsening her recovery.
  • Both variations bounce farther away when hitting a wall, sometimes not snapping the ledge afterwards, requiring the use of a directional air dodge to grab the ledge.
  • The second After Burner Kick can no longer be used if the first one is shielded, hindering its mixup and pressure abilities.
  • The downwards version can be inputted by pressing down during the first five frames of After Burner Kick.
  • The downwards version launches grounded opponents at a higher angle (60° → 80°), much like in Smash 4 before update 1.1.6, allowing it to be a reliable combo starter once again.
  • The downwards version can no longer be auto-canceled.
  • The downwards version has a higher SDI multiplier (2× → 2.5×).
• Witch Twist:
  • The window for Bayonetta to regain her double jump if the move is used after it has been increased (3 frames → 4).
  • The move's looping hits have a lower hitlag multiplier (1.3× → 0.8×), and the first hit can no longer be SDIed, making it harder to escape.
  • One of the first hit's hitboxes is slightly larger if used in the air (5u → 5.3u).
  • The move has more startup (frame 4 → 6) and ending lag (FAF 29 → 32), slightly weakening it as an out of shield option and followup.
  • It gains less height, making it even harder to drag opponents to the top blast line, as well as worsening her recovery.
  • It takes much longer to sweetspot edges from the front (frame 11 → 27), and can no longer sweetspot them from behind.
  • The first hit's body hitbox is much smaller (4u (grounded)/5u (aerial) → 2.5u/3u), no longer extending behind Bayonetta, preventing it from hitting opponents behind her into the multi-hits. The subsequent hits' hitboxes are also smaller (7u → 5u/4.5u/2u (looping hits), 8.5u → 6.5u (last hit)) and placed higher, meaning they cannot hit some crouching or shorter opponents such as Pichu.
    • However, since 3.1.0, it received a new smaller hitbox on Bayonetta's body to help it connect into the rest of the multi-hits more consistently.
• Witch Time:
  • Witch Time's counter window is slightly longer (frames 5-21 → 8-27), no longer being the shortest, with Bat Within's window taking place later (frames 18-29 → 24-35). It also grants more intangibility (frames 5-16 → 8-23).
  • The slowdown hitbox is twice as large (30u → 60u), allowing it to affect opponents from much farther distances.
  • Its slowdown duration has a lower penalty per use (75 frames → 60), and its minimum duration via penalty is slightly longer (20 frames → 22).
  • It has more startup (frame 5 → 8) with significantly more ending lag if missed (FAF 50 → 67), and slightly more ending lag upon activation (FAF 35 → 40). This makes the move harder to activate, riskier to use out of disadvantage, and much more punishable if unsuccessful, now having among the slowest startup and ending lag of all counterattacks, rather than among the fastest.
  • Its base slowdown duration has been halved (180 frames → 90). This causes a 300% Witch Time to be equivalent to a 0% Witch Time in Smash 4, and drastically reduces its utility in combination with its higher ending lag, no longer being effective at any percent range even against uncharged smash attacks.
    • However, its duration scaling with the target's percent is higher (0.1 → 0.3), causing it to increase by one frame for every 3.3334% the opponent takes, rather than every 10%. This allows it to reach its maximum slowdown duration faster (600% → 500% fresh).
  • Its slowdown duration is reduced by 30 frames if used against a projectile, weakening its ability to punish opponents from a distance.
  • Its regeneration per frame is slower (0.06 → 0.04).
  • Countered projectiles change ownership to Bayonetta's.
  • The screen turns dark whenever a character is affected by Witch Time.
• Infernal Climax:
  • When Witch Time is activated, opponents move a little faster. This makes it easier to dodge her attacks but effectively reduces intangibility for every consecutive dodges during the Final Smash.
  • Infernal Climax deals less damage before releasing opponents (30% → 28% (Gomorrah), 15% → 13% (full Climax Gauge)).
    • However, when the Final Smash ends, opponents take an additional 10% damage.
  • The Climax Gauge takes longer to fill up, requiring more button presses in order to achieve a full gauge.
  • Each successful input to fill the Climax Gauge uses a distinct sound effect from the Bayonetta games.
  • The black fade transition into the cinematic was removed, now immediately cutting in instead.

Recovery frames

• Witch Twist has less landing lag (19 → 18).
• After Burner Kick has less landing lag (20 → 18).
• Witch Twist to After Burner Kick has less landing lag (26 → 22).
• Downwards After Burner Kick has much more landing lag if it connects (20 → 30).
• Whiffed downwards After Burner Kick can no longer auto-cancel, and it has 20 frames of landing lag.
• Whiffed downwards After Burner Kick is treated as an After Burner Kick instead of nothing, causing overall more landing lag on missed combos.
• Landing lag from air dodging or using an aerial after Witch Twist is reduced (26 (one WT)/43 (two WT) → 22/38).
• Several combinations of moves give her less landing lag (30 → 28, 43 → 38).
• Downwards After Burner Kick's landing hitbox has 40 recovery frames after any combo, causing more landing lag on average (31 (minimum)/43 (maximum) → 40).

Update history

Bayonetta received a mix of nerfs and buffs in game updates, but has been buffed overall. Before 3.1.0, she received few and relatively minor changes to her moveset, weakening Witch Time's duration scaling, and making Bullet Climax less effective on shield much like most other projectiles, but allowing Bayonetta to grab ledges easier after neutral aerial, while leaving her Bullet Arts unaffected by Stun Jacket. However, update 3.1.0 gave Bayonetta a much larger amount of buffs, particularly Witch Time having more counter frames and intangibility frames alongside swifter regeneration, which makes it more reliable even through multiple uses. This greatly increased Witch Time's usability as a counter, with its incarnation in the base game having arguably the worst frame data for a counter and no guarantee for a reward when landing it. Witch Twist and After Burner Kick both have less landing lag, making Bayonetta less punishable after performing combos and opening new opportunities for applying pressure. Her dash attack's clean hit deals more knockback, making it a semi-reliable kill option on lighter characters. Neutral attack gained a slightly longer-lasting hitbox on the first hit, which down smash also received for its meteor smash, and also greater knockback for its final blow after the rapid jab. 3.1.0's buffs allow Bayonetta to KO with a couple more moves at higher percents, along with giving her a more reliable counter. The update also improved her up tilt by allowing it to connect reliably even at very high percents, all of which helps turn Bayonetta into a more fluid and functional character compared to the base game. Her most significant changes are Witch Time being able to trigger more reliably and Bat Within retaining the same duration but occurring later in the move, which helps alleviate the move's high ending lag.

1.1.0

• Witch Time's minimum duration after the penalty for repeated uses is increased (5 frames → 22).
• Witch Time's duration scaling is lower (40 → 30).
• Witch Time's regeneration per frame is slower (0.04 → 0.03).
• A glitch with Witch Time has been created, with its slowdown duration now being capable of underflowing and becoming extremely long under certain circumstances.

2.0.0

• Bayonetta can grab edges earlier after using neutral aerial (59 frames → 57).
• Fixed the Witch Time slowdown glitch.

3.0.0

• Bullet Climax deals less shield damage (0 (both) → -0.3 (uncharged)/-0.6 (charged)).
• Bullet Arts are no longer susceptible to Stun Jacket.

3.1.0

• Neutral attack:
  • Neutral attack 1 has a longer hitbox duration (frames 9-11 → 9-12).
  • Neutral infinite's finisher deals more knockback at high percents (70 base/100 scaling → 67/117).
• Dash attack's clean hit deals more knockback at high percents (80 base/65 scaling → 78/71).
• Up tilt's first hit connects more reliably into the second (Knockback scaling: 20 → 10; hitbox 0 angle: 113° → 123°).
• Down smash's second hit has a longer hitbox duration (frames 25-27 → 25-28).
• After Burner Kick:
  • After Burner Kick has less landing lag (one kick: 20 frames → 18, two kicks: 30 → 26).
    • This does not affect Downwards After Burner Kick and most combos that start with or land on the ground with the move, but most combos that finish with the move and land normally have reduced landing lag.
• Witch Twist:
  • Witch Twist has less landing lag when used twice (32 frames → 28).
  • Witch Twist has an additional hitbox, making its hits connect more reliably.
• Witch Time:
  • Witch Time has a longer counter window (frames 8-21 → 8-27) and grants more intangibility (frames 8-17 → 8-23). The Bat Within window takes place later (frames 18-29 → 24-35) without changing the move's total duration, reducing its ending lag.
  • Witch Time regenerates faster (0.03 → 0.04).

4.0.0

• Bayonetta's up and side taunts no longer cause her voice clips to delay or cut off after finishing her taunting animation.
• Down aerial descends immediately when using the move after being launched.

7.0.0

• Overall shield size has been increased by 1.05x.
• Created a visual glitch where Bayonetta's clothes do not disappear during her smash attacks after being hit within their first few frames.

Moveset

• Bayonetta can extend and/or alter all standing normals, aerials, Side Special and Up Special by holding the button, resulting in thin, no-knockback hitboxes outstretching from wherever her pistols are pointing. See Bullet Arts.

• When a sidestep, roll, or airdodge (neutral or directional) is inputed, if Bayonetta is hit by an attack before her intangibility window, she will transform into a flock of bats and negate all knockback from said attack, while taking a fraction of the damage. See Bat Within.
  • If Bat Within is activated from a roll or directional airdodge, the bats will travel to whatever direction the dodge was initially inputed to go. Neutral airdodges travel downward and spot dodges don’t cause any positional influence.

• Bayonetta Recovery Frames

• Bayonetta can wall jump and wall cling.

For a gallery of Bayonetta's hitboxes, see here.

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

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			1.4%	Bayonetta performs 3 pistol whips (a lunge with her left gun, a back-handed strike with her right, and an uppercut with the left), then performs a barrage of pistol whips, concluded by a thrusting pistol whip. Bayonetta will only enter the rapid strike if the button is mashed. The Bullet Arts version of all hits of the combo has her shoot her guns forward, with the exception of the third hit, which shoots forward and upward in a diagonal direction behind herself. Based on Bayonetta's Punch + Punch + Punch • Punch (PPP • P) combo while wielding Love is Blue.
			1.4%
			2.2%
			0.2% (loop), 0.5% (penultimate hit), 5% (last)
Forward tilt		Consecutive Kicks	3%	Bayonetta performs 3 consecutive kicks (a front kick, a spin kick, and an upward roundhouse kick), the last hit knocking the opponent diagonally upward. Functions like a neutral attack, requiring further inputs to continue the combo. The Bullet Arts version of each strike has her fire her guns at different angles: the first is straight forward, the second is slightly upward, and the third is diagonally upward. If up close, the subsequent hits may fail to connect. Based on Bayonetta's Kick + Kick + Kick combo while wielding Love is Blue.
			3%
			7%
Up tilt			1.5% (hit 1, clean), 2% (hit 1, late), 6% (hit 2)	An upwards pistol whip. Hits twice. At low percents, can combo into up air. The first hit has a hitbox slightly above and in front Bayonetta's head that does slightly more damage than on the ground, but it can only hit midair opponents. The Bullet Arts version of this move fires her gun above her. Useful as an anti air or combo tool, although the second hit sometimes won't connect due to positioning and very high percents. It is based on the delayed punch launcher.
Down tilt		Kick Attack	6% (foot), 5% (leg)	A sweep kick to launch opponents airborne. Its combo reliability is somewhat inconsistent. The Bullet Arts version of this move fires two guns in front of herself and one behind herself. Based on the final hit of Bayonetta's Punch + Punch + Kick (PPK) combo while wielding Love is Blue.
Dash attack		Stiletto	10% (early), 8% (late)	The Stiletto: a forward rushing pistol whip. It has noticeable start-up, but travels far and can kill at higher percents. The Bullet Arts version of this move fires her gun in front of herself.
Forward smash			14% (wrist), 16% (fist)	Uses Wicked Weaves to summon Madama Butterfly's arm, which is used to throw a punch. It has great horizontal range and Madama Butterfly's hitbox cannot be reversed. However, it has high ending lag and low priority, making it fairly easy to cancel out. It can be angled slightly upward and downward. A blindspot will always be present directly in front of Bayonetta, regardless of angle. The Bullet Arts version of this move fires her gun depending on how the smash was angled: forward if unangled, slightly upward if angled up, and slightly downward if angled down. Based on the final hit of Bayonetta's Punch + Punch + Punch • Punch (PPP • P) combo while wielding Love is Blue.
Up smash			17% (clean), 16% (mid), 15% (late)	Uses Wicked Weaves to summon Madama Butterfly's arm, which is used to throw an uppercut. It hits directly in front of Bayonetta, and thus leaves her vulnerable from behind and directly above. It has rather noticeable start-up, high ending lag and low priority, but it is her strongest attack when clean, as it is capable of KOing middleweights around 100%. Madama Butterfly's hitbox cannot be reversed. The Bullet Arts version of this move fires one gun forward and one upward. It is based on the delayed punch Wicked Weave launcher.
Down smash		Heel Stomp	5% (Bayonetta), 16% (Madama Butterfly, clean), 15% (Madama Butterfly, late)	The Heel Stomp; Bayonetta stamps her foot on the ground while simultaneously using Wicked Weaves to summon Madama Butterfly's foot, which stomps shortly after her. There is a hitbox on Bayonetta's leg that leads into the main hitbox. It can meteor smash opponents that are either on the edge or in midair, making it a potent edge-guarding option. Like up smash, it only hits in front of her, has high ending lag and low priority, but has considerable vertical range. Madama Butterfly's hitbox cannot be reversed. The Bullet Arts version of this move fires the guns on her feet downward into the ground, ricocheting off the ground and traveling upwards at an angle behind Bayonetta.
Neutral aerial			8% (clean), 6% (late), 3% (Bullet Arts extension)	A spinning roundhouse kick. It hits around Bayonetta and continuing the input for the Bullet Arts version has her continue to spin for a few seconds. It has very good coverage, as it can hit opponents adjacent and/or below her. The Bullet Arts version of this move fires her guns to her sides both horizontally and diagonally below her, and is useful for edgeguarding as it can last quite long. It is based on the aerial Bullet Climax in Bayonetta.
Forward aerial			4% (hit 1), 3.3% (hit 2), 7% (hit 3)	Bayonetta performs 2 pistol whips (a straight with her left, and a backhanded strike with her right), and a downward-arc spin kick. Functions like a neutral attack, requiring further inputs to continue the combo. The Bullet Arts version of this move fires in front of her for the first two hits, while the third hit fires three guns downward (two of them being slightly diagonal) and one upward. Is best used as a combo finisher, or edgeguard tool due to the multiple hits. Based on Bayonetta's aerial Punch + Punch + Kick (PPK) combo while wielding Love is Blue.
Back aerial			10% (leg), 13% (foot)	A high-angle back kick. The Bullet Arts version of this move fires one gun behind her at an upward angle, and is useful for killing. Based on the second hit of Bayonetta's aerial Punch + Kick (PK) combo while wielding Love is Blue.
Up aerial			7.5% (kick), 3% (Bullet Arts extension)	A bicycle kick. Very fast. Can combo from Witch Twist at low percents. The Bullet Arts version of this move has her fire her guns, whilst she performs a modified version of the aú aberto[1], one of many cartwheeling kicks in capoeira. While this version deals less damage, it provides excellent coverage that covers wide areas around her, making it useful for edge-guarding and dealing additional damage. It is based on the kick launcher in Bayonetta.
Down aerial			7% (body), 8% (leg), 9% (heel), 5% (landing)	A split-legged axe kick. A stall-then-fall with low duration and ending lag, which allows her to safely recover afterward if used off-stage. It is a meteor smash when hitting with her heel, while its landing hit has extremely high knockback, both of which make it a viable, but punishable KOing option overall. Can be used after her special move combos to catch opponents who attempt to punish her increased landing lag. The Bullet Arts version fires one gun from her heel forward, but only upon landing. It is based on Bayonetta's standard aerial kick in Bayonetta.
Grab			—	Reaches out, with her hand emanating purple Umbran Magic.
Pummel		Slap Punish Attack	0.6% (hit 1), 0.7% (hit 2)	The Slap Punish Attack. It has average speed, but is unique in that it consists of two hits per input. As a result, it is possible for the opponent to break free in the middle of the pummel, and thus miss the second hit entirely.
Forward throw		Tetsuzanko[2]	7% (hit), 3% (throw)	The Tetsuzanko, a technique based on the tie shan kao[3] used in Bajiquan. It is her strongest throw in knockback and damage. She occasionally says "十年早いんだよ! (Ten years too early!)", even in the English version of the game. The quote is a reference to Akira Yuki's famous quote in the Virtua Fighter series, and is said by Bayonetta herself as a special easter egg line in Bayonetta.
Back throw			3% (kick), 6% (throw)	A jumping roundhouse kick. Particularly weak for a back throw. Possibly based on the final hit of her Punch + Punch + Punch + Kick (PPPK) combo while wielding Love is Blue.
Up throw			3% (kick), 4.5% (throw)	An outside crescent kick. A good combo starter that can lead into Witch Twist or up aerial until medium to high percents. The pose Bayonetta assumes afterward is based on the final hit of her Punch + Punch + Kick (PPK) combo while wielding Scarborough Fair.
Down throw			3% (stomp), 5% (throw)	Stomps the opponent into the ground. Can be used as a combo starter, although unreliable. Also has unusually high knockback growth, enabling it to kill off the top when not in position for forward throw to do so. Based on the final hit of Bayonetta's Punch + Punch + Punch + Kick + Kick + Kick (PPPKKK) combo while wielding Love is Blue.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)		Break Dance	7%	A low-angle kick performed from a windmill, an acrobatic technique used in breakdancing.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)		Break Dance	7%	A low-angle kick performed from a windmill.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	A low-angle kick performed from a windmill.
Edge attack Edge getups			9%	Performs a hook kick while climbing up.
Neutral special		Bullet Climax	1.35% (uncharged), 2.7% (charged)	Fires bullets at a slight angle. When held, Bayonetta instead fires Charge Bullets, which are stronger but only active during the first four shots. The move can be cancelled by shielding or rolling, but only when fully charged. Due to its angle, it is useful for edge-guarding and hindering aerial approaches. Bayonetta alternates between two animations while charging and firing for each time she uses Bullet Climax: either she stands in a semi-crouching position and fires the guns in her hands, or she does a handstand and fires the guns on her feet. Both function identically, although Kirby's Copy Ability fires from noticeably different heights. This move takes inspiration from the Bullet Climax and Charge Bullet techniques from Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2, respectively.
Side special		Heel Slide/After Burner Kick	8% (Heel Slide, hit 1, clean), 7.5% (Heel Slide, hit 1, mid), 7% (Heel Slide, hit 1, late), 5% (Heel Slide, hit 2), 6% (After Burner Kick, standard, early/late), 7% (After Burner Kick, standard, clean), 6.5% (After Burner Kick, downward, kick), 5% (After Burner Kick, downward, landing)	A kick that functions differently when used on the ground or in midair. Heel Slide: On the ground, she performs the Heel Slide. If the button is held, Bayonetta will then follow it up with an aú aberto. She will also fire the guns on her feet as she slides. It is her primary combo starter, due to the follow-up kick launching the opponent upward. If the first hit is shielded, however, she will not transition to the aú aberto. She will also be under considerable endlag, leaving her open to punishing. After Burner Kick: In the air, she alternately performs the After Burner Kick, which can be performed twice in a row as long as the first kick connects. If shielded, it can't transition into another After Burner Kick. It can be angled downward by two different methods: holding the control stick down before inputting the move (moving the stick in a quarter-circle), or by flicking the control stick down as soon as the move is inputted but before the move comes out. The second method takes strict timing: if not correctly, she will end up doing the standard After Burner Kick. If the button is held for the standard version, Bayonetta will fire the guns on her feet (one slightly upward, and one slightly downward). Both versions of After Burner Kick are her primary aerial follow-ups. All based on the individual techniques from the Bayonetta games, with minor differences.
Up special		Witch Twist	3% (ground, hits 1 and 7), 0.2% (hits 2 - 5), 2% (air, hit 1)	An ascending, corkscrew pistol-whip. It hits multiple times but covers minimal vertical distance and extremely minimal horizontal distance, similarly to Rising Uppercut. Despite this, Witch Twist is still a very useful recovery option, as using it after a jump allows Bayonetta to use her double jump, and then use another Witch Twist. Holding the button has Bayonetta fire her guns from her hands and feet; hitting anyone directly above or below, to her sides, and slightly diagonally under her. Based on the technique of the same name from Bayonetta, as well as a variation from Bayonetta 2 known as Witch Strike; the ability to hold guns is taken from the former, but lacks the dodging spinning kick at the start. Otherwise performs identically to the latter, including the ability to use a second one after a double jump. With precise timing (a 3 frame window to be exact), a Double Jump can be cancelled into Witch Twist, thereby saving her jump in a similar way to Smash 4. This drastically improves her combo game and enables some particularly powerful ladder combos, as well as some much needed recovery mix-ups. This can be executed with both the first and second Witch Twists (as long as the double jump is unused) only to use the double jump right after, essentially giving her a maximum of three midair jumps, though only one would reach the top of its arch.
Down special		Witch Time	—	Uses her magic to slow down time around an opponent who attacks her. Its duration is dependent on several factors: the opponent's damage (more damage = longer duration), whether the attack was direct or indirect (indirect attacks such as projectiles result in a shorter duration), and frequency (using Witch Time too often will decrease the duration). However, if Witch Time is activated too late, then Bat Within is activated instead. Bat Within teleports Bayonetta in any direction, but unlike in the Bayonetta series, it halves the damage received, rather than negating it. Based on the same ability from the Bayonetta games, albeit only slowing down the attacking opponent as opposed to all opponents.
Final Smash		Infernal Climax	28% (Gomorrah), 13% (bonus spell), 10% (end)	Activates Witch Time to affect the whole stage. While this effect is active, Bayonetta has a limited time to deal damage to her opponents in order to fill up the Climax Gauge. The Climax Gauge will also fill itself up slowly. Once it is filled, she has to deal knockback to any opponent before a cutscene occurs. The cutscene consists of her using her hair as a conduit to summon Gomorrah, who then damages any opponents suffering hitstun from Bayonetta's attacks by chomping them four times before they are launched with set knockback. The attack button can be mashed during the attack to fill a second Climax Gauge that deals an additional 15% after the cutscene. Once the cutscene ends, anyone with 100% or more will be instantly KO'd. Anyone below 100% will take an additional 10% as the Final Smash ends.

Recovery Frames

After using Witch Twist, Afterburner Kick, or Downwards Afterburner Kick, upon landing, Bayonetta will be unable to move for a set amount of frames depending on the combination of moves used. Recovery Frames are in tiers, with each tier having more recovery frames than the previous. The tiers are: 18 frames, 20 frames, 22 frames, 26 frames, 28 frames, 30 frames, 38 frames, 40 frames, and 50 frames. In addition, air dodges and aerial end lag may add to her recovery frames.

On-screen appearance

• Emerges from her Bat Within form while surrounded by the Umbra Witches' symbol, then proceeds to wield her guns.

Taunts

• Up taunt: Twirls around, moves both arms around her in a graceful manner, then strikes a pose with both arms over her head, saying, "If you need to learn how to talk to a lady, ask your mum." (レディの扱い方、ママに教えて貰いなさい, If you can't handle a lady, ask your mum.) This taunt has been significantly shortened from the last game, although it can still be cancelled. It is based on her long taunt from Bayonetta 2.
• Side taunt: Gracefully spins around, then points both guns directly in front of herself, saying, "New 'do, dead you." (動くと死ぬわよ, You move, you die.) The quote comes from her short taunt while wielding Salamandra in Bayonetta 2.
• Down taunt: Strikes a pose while flourishing her guns before looking away and then looking forward, while her glasses briefly emit a light purple glint upon concluding. Significantly shortened from the last game, although it can still be cancelled. Based on the dances she performs prior to fighting the first Joy she encounters in Bayonetta.

• 

  Bayonetta's up taunt.

• 

  Bayonetta's side taunt.

• 

  Bayonetta's down taunt.

Idle poses

• Waves one of her guns in an inviting motion, while resting the other on her hip.
• Holds her left gun in front of herself, and her right gun upward beside her head. This idle pose only occurs once she ends any ground attack, and reverts to her standard idle animation after a few seconds.

• 

  Bayonetta's first idle pose

• 

  Bayonetta's second idle pose, assumed only after a ground attack

Victory poses

All of Bayonetta's victory quotes are based on taunts from Bayonetta 2 while wielding various weapons; the associated weapon for each is listed in parentheses.

• Left: Dances and says "Miss me, baby?" (Chernobog; "私はここよ", I'm right here.). The dance is similar to her down taunt, with a slightly different ending pose.
  • In the Japanese version, Bayonetta does not turn her head.
• Up: Performs the Break Dance move then strikes a pose, saying "Dreadful." (gun-type weapons or Rodin; "退屈だわ", Boring.) or "Don't make me beg." (Takemikazuchi; "遠慮しないで", Don't be shy.). The ending pose is similar to her crouch.
• Right: Bayonetta steps back and sticks up her guns, pirouettes like a ballerina, then aims her guns to the right with a pose, saying "That all you got?" (Alruna; "全力を見せてよ", Show me your full power.) or "You're making it easy." (Rakshasa; "楽勝ね", Too easy.).

The first few notes of "Time For The Climax!", followed by the jingle that plays upon completing a verse in Bayonetta.

• 
• 
• 

In competitive play

Ever since the beginning of Ultimate's metagame, Bayonetta has had hardly any success in tournaments. This is largely due to many of her playerbase and top players dropping her in favor of other characters as a result of her nerfs. Bayonetta has widely been considered to be a "high effort low-reward" character as she has to work significantly harder to win neutral, rack up damage, and close out stocks than a vast majority of the cast. The changes to her have caused top players to have very negative opinions on her with many players regarding her as an unviable character that isn't worth the effort.

In subsequent patches, Bayonetta received many buffs that made her strongest options more consistent. On top of this, players like CaptainZack, Lima, and Geist continue to use her to moderate success. Both of these have allowed her perception to be better than before, however she is still considered to be a shell of her former self and continues to have low representation in the current metagame.

Notable players

Any number following the Smasher name indicates placement on the Fall 2019 PGRU, which recognizes the official top 50 players in the world in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate from July 13th, 2019 to December 15th, 2019.

•  Geist - Placed 33rd at both Frostbite 2019 and Pound 2019.
•  Lima - Co-mains Bayonetta with Peach and is considered one of the best Bayonetta players in the world prior to his initial retirement. Placed 9th at Ultimate Gamer Miami and 33rd GENESIS 6.
•  Salem (#30) - Has a strong Bayonetta secondary. Placed 13th at Glitch 7 - Minus World with a win over 8BitMan. He additionally placed 2nd at Tampa Never Sleeps 8 and 25th at GENESIS 7 using Bayonetta as one of his characters.
•  Shadow_PR - The best Bayonetta player in the Carribbean and one of the best in the United States. Placed 2nd at First Attack 2019 beating both Dominican and Puerto Rican top players, among them Sharpyzard, Excel_Zero, and LingLing. Also placed 9th at Standoff 2019 and 17th at DreamHack Dallas 2019, Low Tier City 7, and GENESIS 7 with mostly Bayonetta, and has defeated Suarez, Ismon, Lima, and Pandarian.
•  Rage - Placed 4th at DreamHack Winter 2019 and 13th at Valhalla III, with wins over Armada, Oryon, and VinS.
•  tamim - One of the best Bayonetta players in the world prior to his initial retirement. Placed 5th at Glitch 6, 7th at LAN ETS 2019, 13th at Ultimate Gamer Miami, and 17th at Let's Make Moves.

Inactive

•  CaptainZack - The best Bayonetta player in the world before his hiatus. Widely known for his Daisy and Peach secondaries as well. Placed 3rd at Battle of BC 3, 9th at GENESIS 6, 13th at MomoCon 2019, and 17th at Let's Make Moves. Has wins over Nairo, Salem, and Wishes.

Classic Mode: The Requiem of Fallen Wings

Bayonetta's congratulations screen.

All of Bayonetta's opponents have wings, in reference to her battles against angels and specific fights from Bayonetta. The final battle is against a giant Palutena.

Round	Opponent	Stage	Music	Notes
1	Dark Pit	Umbra Clock Tower	One Of A Kind	A reference to the Loptr boss fight from Bayonetta 2. Takes place in same location.
2	Falco	Castle Siege	Tomorrow Is Mine (Bayonetta 2 Theme) (Instrumental)	A reference to the Flaming Affinity from Bayonetta.
3	Ridley	Reset Bomb Forest	Riders Of The Light	A reference to the Inspired Angels from Bayonetta & Bayonetta 2.
4	Giant Charizard	Skyloft	Time For The Climax!	A reference to Fortitudo from Bayonetta & Bayonetta 2.
5	Meta Knight	Skyworld	Theme Of Bayonetta - Mysterious Destiny (Instrumental)	A reference to the Masked Lumen from Bayonetta 2.
Bonus Stage
6	Pit (x6)	Skyworld	Let's Hit The Climax!	Horde Battle. A reference to the Affinity Angels, which usually attack in groups.
Final	Giant Palutena	Palutena's Temple (Ω form)	The Legend of Aesir	A reference to Jubileus, The Creator from Bayonetta.

Note: When fighting Charizard, its Pokémon Trainer is absent. Additionally, every stage plays a track from the Bayonetta universe, no matter what universe the stage originates from.

Credits roll after completing Classic Mode. Completing it as Bayonetta has Let's Dance, Boys! accompany the credits.

Role in World of Light

Finding Bayonetta in World of Light

Bayonetta was among the fighters summoned to the cliffside to fight against the army of Master Hands.

During the opening cutscene, Bayonetta was present when Galeem unleashed his beams of light. Bayonetta dodged a beam of light, activating her Bat Within, but she was then vaporized immediately after she reformed her body, and later placed under Galeem's imprisonment alongside the rest of the fighters, excluding Kirby.

Bayonetta was one of the many fighters that fell under Dharkon's control upon Galeem's first defeat, and the last fighter to be found to be imprisoned by him. In The Final Battle, she is called by Dharkon as part of his reinforcements after Roy is awakened and Master Hand is beaten. She is a necessary unlock to achieve the true ending, as awakening her leads to a battle with Crazy Hand that frees him from Dharkon's control (both of whom's defeats greatly shifts the balance of power in Galeem's favor).

Fighter Battle

No.	Image	Name	Type	Power	Stage	Music
63		Bayonetta	Shield	12,500	Umbra Clock Tower (Ω form)	Tomorrow Is Mine (Bayonetta 2 Theme) (Instrumental)

Spirits

Bayonetta's Fighter Spirit can be obtained by completing Classic Mode. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 500 coins. Unlocking Bayonetta in World of Light allows the player to preview the first spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a Fighter Spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. Her alternate outfit from the first Bayonetta has a Fighter Spirit of its own, available through the shop. Each Fighter Spirit has an alternate version that replaces them with their artwork in Ultimate.

Additionally, her younger form, Cereza, appears as a Support Spirit.

• 

  1,006. Bayonetta (Bayonetta 2)

• 

  1,007. Bayonetta (Bayonetta)

• 

  1,015. Cereza

In Spirit battles

As the main opponent

Spirit				Battle parameters
No.	Image	Name	Series	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music
97		Kammy Koopa	Paper Mario series	•Bayonetta		2,000	Paper Mario	•Invisibility	•All fighters are invisible after a little while •The enemy starts the battle with a Star Rod	Airship Theme - Super Mario Bros. 3
142	File:Candy Kong Spirit.png	Candy Kong	Donkey Kong series	•Bayonetta		3,800	Kongo Falls	•Item: Bananas	•The enemy starts the battle with a Banana Gun •The enemy has increased move speed	Mangrove Cove
202		Koume & Kotake	The Legend of Zelda series	•Bayonetta (×2) ()		3,700	Gerudo Valley	N/A	•The enemy starts the battle with a Fire Flower •The enemy starts the battle with a Freezie	Gerudo Valley
222		Midna	The Legend of Zelda series	•Bayonetta		9,200	Bridge of Eldin (hazards off)	•Assist Trophy Enemies (Midna) •Item: Transforming Types	•Hostile assist trophies will appear	Midna's Lament
745	File:Captain Syrup.png	Captain Syrup	Wario Land series	•Bayonetta •Giant King Dedede		3,500	Pirate Ship	N/A	•Items will be pulled toward the enemy •The enemy is giant •The enemy is easily distracted by items	The Great Sea / Menu Select
768		Strangelove	Metal Gear Solid series	•Bayonetta •Metal R.O.B.		1,600	Midgar (Battlefield form)	N/A	•Defeat the main fighter to win •Reinforcements will appear during the battle •The enemy is metal	Main Theme - METAL GEAR SOLID PEACE WALKER
961	File:Elma Spirit.png	Elma	Xenoblade Chronicles series	•Bayonetta		9,400	Gaur Plain	•Temporary Invincibility	•Sometimes the opponent will be invincible after a while •Weapons (swords, etc.) deal more damage •The opponent will be equipped with a Killing Edge	Xenoblade Chronicles Medley
1,003		Juri	Street Fighter series	•Bayonetta		3,800	New Pork City (Ω form)	•Attack Power ↑ •Jump Power ↓	•Stamina battle •The enemy has increased attack power when the enemy's at high damage •The enemy favors side specials	Vega Stage
1,008	File:Gommorah Spirit.png	Gomorrah	Bayonetta series	•Bayonetta		3,200	Umbra Clock Tower	•Sudden Final Smash •Sudden Damage	•You take serious damage after a little while •The enemy will suddenly have a Final Smash after a little while	Let's Hit The Climax!
1,009		Madama Butterfly	Bayonetta series	•Bayonetta		13,900	Umbra Clock Tower	•Hazard: Poison Cloud	•The stage is covered in a poisonous cloud •Stamina battle •The enemy favors smash attacks	Let's Hit The Climax!
1,010		Jeanne	Bayonetta series	•Bayonetta		9,400	Umbra Clock Tower	N/A	•The enemy's ranged weapons have increased power •Stamina battle	Red & Black
1,020		Prophet	Bayonetta series	•Bayonetta		3,800	Umbra Clock Tower	•Item: Timer	•The enemy's punches and elbow strikes have increased power •Stamina battle	The Legend Of Aesir
1,024	File:Alruane.png	Alraune	Bayonetta series	•Bayonetta		1,900	Garden of Hope (Ω form)	N/A	•Stamina battle •The enemy's battering items have increased power •The enemy starts the battle with a Lip's Stick	Tomorrow Is Mine (Bayonetta 2 Theme) (Instrumental)
1,066		Shanoa	Castlevania series	•Bayonetta		9,900	Brinstar Depths (Ω form)	•Sudden Final Smash •Hazard: Heavy Wind	•The enemy will suddenly have a Final Smash after a little while •Dangerously high winds are in effect •The enemy's special moves have increased power	Twilight Stigmata
1,100		Tabuu	Super Smash Bros. Series	•Metal Bayonetta		13,900	Final Destination	•Sudden Damage	•Stamina battle •You'll occasionally take sudden damage after a little while •The enemy is metal	Boss Battle Song 2
1,290		Twintelle	ARMS	•Bayonetta		3,700	New Donk City Hall	N/A	•The enemy's smash attacks have increased power •The enemy favors smash attacks •The enemy starts the battle with a Drill	New Donk City
1,402	File:Lotus Spirit.jpeg	Lotus	Warframe	•Bayonetta		3,600	Frigate Orpheon (Battlefield form)	•Assist Trophy Enemies (Gray Fox)	•Hostile assist trophies will appear	The Keeper of the Lake

As a minion

Spirit				Battle parameters							Inspiration
No.	Image	Name	Series	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music	Character
225	File:Agitha.png	Agitha	The Legend of Zelda series	•Peach •Bayonetta		1,900	Kongo Falls	•Item: Beehive	•Take your strongest team into this no-frills battle	The Hidden Village	Butterfly
672	File:GangrelSpirit.png	Gangrel	Fire Emblem series	•Wolf •Bayonetta		3,700	Find Mii (Ω form)	N/A	•Defeat the main fighter to win •The enemy has increased attack power	Id (Purpose) (Remix)	Aversa
973		Zeke	Xenoblade Chronicles series	•Cloud •Bayonetta		2,500	Kongo Falls (Battlefield form)	•Sudden Final Smash •Hazard: Zap Floor	•Survive until the timer runs out •The floor is electrified •The enemy will suddenly have a Final Smash after a little while	Those Who Stand Against Our Path - Xenoblade Chronicles 2	Pandoria
1,015		Cereza	Bayonetta series	•Tiny Isabelle •Bayonetta		1,900	Luigi's Mansion	N/A	•Defeat the main fighter to win	Let's Dance, Boys!	Bayonetta
1,319		Professor Riggs & Plaise & Lerna	Nintendo Labo series	•Dr. Mario •Bayonetta •Young Link		2,500	Paper Mario	•Attack Power ↑ •Defense ↑	•The enemy has increased defense after a little while •The enemy has increased attack power after a little while	Title Theme - Super Mario Maker	Lerna Lotte
1.406	File:Ring Spirit.jpeg	Ring	Ring Fit Adventure	•Wii Fit Trainer •Bayonetta		3,800	Garden of Hope	N/A	•Defeat the main fighter to win •The enemy starts the battle with a Gust Bellows •The enemy is invisible	Boss Battle	Ring's Fitness Attacks

Alternate costumes

Just as in Smash 4, Bayonetta's voice is dependent on her costume when the language is set to Japanese, Chinese or Korean: her Bayonetta 2 outfit has her speaking in Japanese, while her original Bayonetta outfit retains her English voice. This is a reference to how the first Bayonetta game originally only had English audio even in Japan, not receiving a Japanese dub until the Wii U port.

Gallery

• 

  Artwork of Bayonetta, Rodin, and Madama Butterfly as posted on the official Japanese PlatinumGames Twitter account.

• 

  Bayonetta's fighter card.

• 

  Taunting on Umbra Clock Tower.

• 

  Performing Bullet Climax on Skyworld.

• 

  Attacking Ganondorf on Mario Galaxy.

• 

  Jumping next to Villager on Tortimer Island.

• 

  Attacking Samus with her forward smash on Spirit Train.

• 

  Crouching near Mr. Saturn on Yoshi's Story.

• 

  Performing After-Burner Kick on Castle Siege.

• 

  Taunting near Dark Pit on Great Plateau Tower.

• 

  Wall clinging with Diddy Kong on Alolan Exeggutor.

• 

  Bayonetta using a Wicked Weave against Isaac's Pound Psynergy on Kalos Pokémon League.

Trivia

A comparison of Bayonetta's contrasting size
to Ganondorf during normal gameplay (left) vs. the
"No Contest" screen (right).

• On the "No Contest" screen, Bayonetta's model is significantly taller than it is during normal gameplay. No other character model seems to grow on this screen; however, bigger characters like Bowser shrink.
• Bayonetta's official artwork strongly resembles her official artwork for Bayonetta 2, albeit with her arms pointed outwards rather than inwards.
  • Likewise, Bayonetta's official artwork based on the first game resembles her official artwork for Bayonetta, only mirrored.
• An interview with Masahiro Sakurai revealed that Bayonetta and Palutena were under consideration to survive Galeem's attack in the World of Light opening. They were turned down in favor of Kirby, due to both women being very complex characters to use for beginners and that other characters of their series were also turned into spirits, stating that Bayonetta couldn't escape to Purgatorio as Galeem's attack reached there and her enemies were turned into spirits.
  • Both Palutena and Bayonetta are in the Final Battle map, appearing as the last of all fighters. This implies that Galeem (and eventually Dharkon) knew how big of a threat Palutena and Bayonetta were (Palutena being a Goddess and Bayonetta's slaughter of two gods) to his plans, so he kept them as a last resort.
  • While Palutena is designed to always be one of the final characters unlocked, outside of World of Light, Bayonetta can be unlocked very early, potentially as the second character to be unlocked (by clearing Classic Mode with Mario, Sonic and/or any DLC character twice).
• Bayonetta is the only third-party character and the only sole franchise representative unlocked in the Final Battle realm in World of Light.
• In all versions of the game, Bayonetta has two separate menus for her Sound Test voice clips, one for her Bayonetta 2 design and one for her Bayonetta design, despite both versions of Bayonetta using the same voice clips in western versions. This is because the Japanese version has separate voice clips for her in Japanese and English.
  • Oddly, the Bayonetta design has an extra clip in the sound test where she says "Boom!", despite her Bayonetta 2 design also saying this line in-game.
• Bayonetta is one of few fighters who fight a character otherwise playable in their Classic Mode route's boss round. The others are Jigglypuff, Bowser, Mega Man, Hero and Terry.
• Bayonetta's Fighter Spirit for her default costume reuses her artwork from Bayonetta 2, where it depicts the back of her legs uncovered rather than the wearing silver leggings. This is probably an oversight, as the Spirits for Camilla from Fire Emblem Fates and Mythra from Xenoblade Chronicles 2 had modified artwork to be less provocative.
  • This oversight appears to be shared with the Fighter Spirits for Palutena and female Corrin, who likewise use unaltered artwork from their games of origin, but have had censorship applied to them in their playable forms.
• Since Bayonetta's Bullet Arts behave as disjointed hitboxes rather than projectiles, Spirits that affect physical attack power can affect her Bullet Arts Extensions.
• Bayonetta and Mii Fighters are the only characters in Ultimate who portraits don't extend out of their battle UI. However, in Bayonetta's case, this only applies to when using her costume based on original game.
• When Bayonetta spot dodges, there is a chance that she will say "Dreadful", with the pose and phrase referencing her short taunt while having equipped a gun-type weapon in Bayonetta 2.
  • This makes her one of two characters, the other being Terry, to play a voice sound clip during any type of ground dodge.
• Bayonetta is the third-party character with the most encounters in Classic Mode, appearing in ten routes.

Notes

1.^ translates to "Open Cartwheel"

2.^ translates to "Iron Mountain Lean"

3.^ translates to "By Iron Mountain"