Lucario (SSBU)

Lucario in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Universe	Pokémon
Other playable appearances	in Brawl in SSB4
Availability	Unlockable
Final Smash	Aura Storm

“	Lucario is the only fighter whose attack power increases as it takes damage. A fighter that truly shines when in a pinch, choose Lucario for a thrilling battle.	”
—Super Smash Blog, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Official Site

Lucario (ルカリオ, Lucario) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. It was confirmed as a playable character on June 12th, 2018. Unlike in Smash 4, it is once again an unlockable character like in Brawl instead of a starter. Lucario is classified as fighter #41.

Sean Schemmel, Daisuke Namikawa, Jean-Marc Delhausse, Carlos Lobo, Gerhard Jilka and Luigi Fantino's portrayals of Lucario from Super Smash Bros. 4 were repurposed for the English, Japanese, French, Spanish, German, and Italian versions of Ultimate respectively.

How to unlock

Complete one of the following:

• Play VS. matches, with Lucario being the 27th character to be unlocked.
• Clear Classic Mode with Yoshi or anyone in his unlock tree, being the 1st character unlocked.
• Have Lucario join the player's party in World of Light.

With the exception of the third method, Lucario must then be defeated on Spear Pillar.

Attributes

In terms of physical attributes, Lucario is a middleweight fighter (same weight as Ice Climbers, Wolf, and Villager, making it on the lower end of middleweights) with slightly above-average height, a below-average walking speed and an average running speed, a very fast initial dash (tied for 5th fastest with Bowser, Mewtwo, Marth, and Lucina), above-average traction, very high air speed (6th fastest in this category), above-average air acceleration and falling speed, and below-average gravity; Lucario can also crawl, wall jump, and wall cling. These traits make Lucario a somewhat floaty character who can maintain aerial presence for a long time, be it onstage or offstage, while also having decent mobility and control on the ground due to its fast dashing speed and above-average traction; collectively, Lucario's overall mobility meanders between average and above-average.

Lucario's most notable strength comes from its unique fighter ability, Aura, in which damage and knockback multipliers are applied to all of its attacks depending on how much damage Lucario has taken, with the multipliers being directly proportional to its percent; the multiplier is x0.66 at 0%, increases to x1.0 (base power) at 65%, and caps out at 190% with a multiplier of x1.6. Aura multipliers are also affected by differences in stocks, with it increasing when Lucario is behind in stocks and decreasing when it is ahead. Additionally, Aura also affects the properties of its special moves; as Aura increases, the size of Aura Sphere becomes larger when charging and when fired, the blast from Force Palm has greater range, and Extreme Speed travels a greater distance. In turn, this ability can allow Lucario to rack up large amounts of damage and kill at very early percents when it has taken a lot of damage, making it useful as a comeback mechanic when Lucario is falling behind.

In terms of its grounded moveset, while its neutral attack has little to no use due to having low damage output relative to its speed, dealing only 9% at base power despite coming out at frame 7 (for reference, faster jabs such as Mario's come out frame 2 and deal 8% while slower jabs such as Bayonetta's come out frame 9 and deal 21%) its other grounded moves have some utility; forward tilt has its use as a spacing tool due its ability to be angled and kills middleweights at 145% on the edge of Final Destination at base power, up tilt is a combo starter that can combo into itself at low percents and into neutral aerial, forward aerial, and up aerial at mid percents, down tilt can combo into dash attack and forward aerial at mid percents while also having its use as a spacing tool, and dash attack, while not being very useful for killing, is a decent burst option due to it coming out fast as well as because of its fast initial dash. Its smash attacks also have their uses as disjointed kill options; up smash has its use as an anti-air that kills middleweights at 105% at base power and it can also hit grounded opponents up close with its initial scooping hitbox, making it a situational out of shield option against laggy moves, down smash covers Lucario from both sides and kills middleweights at 115% from center stage at base power, and forward smash has the greatest amount of kill power and horizontal range out of its smash attacks, being able to kill middleweights at 90% from center stage at base power while also having the potential to be safe on shield if spaced well. Its grab game also has utility; up throw and down throw can be used as combo starters, with the former being able to combo into forward aerial at low percents and neutral aerial at mid percents (as well as up aerial on bigger characters), while the latter can combo into forward aerial at low percents (with down throw > forward air > forward air > up air being its most damaging combo at low percents). Forward throw and back throw don't have much use outside of being positional throws, though the latter can have a situational use as a late kill throw.

Lucario's aerial moveset also has good utility; neutral aerial hits twice, covers Lucario from both sides and has a good amount of active frames, making it a useful edgeguarding tool that compliments its ability to maintain aerial presence. It can also combo into up tilt, down tilt, and dash attack at low and mid percents when SHFF'd. Forward aerial is fast and can combo into itself when SHFF'd, up aerial and back aerial are vertical and horizontal kill options, with the former killing middleweights at 110% at base power near the top blast zone and having situational combo potential into itself and neutral aerial when SHFF'd, and the the latter kills at 115% from base power at center stage while also being slightly disjointed. Down aerial is also unique in its uses; it is its fastest aerial at frame 4, allowing it to be an out of shield option, it stalls its movements which allows it to mix up its disadvantage and edgeguarding, and it has its use as a kill option, killing middleweights at 135% from the edge of Final Destination at base power.

Lucario's special movesest sports great versatility as well; Aura Sphere is useful as a projectile and as a kill option, with a fully charged one killing middleweights at 150% from center stage at base power. In addition, the move also maintains a hitbox behind Lucario as it is being charged, giving it use as an approach mixup and sometimes as a situational kill confirm into back aerial. Force Palm is unique in the fact that it functions as a ranged blast from a distance and as a command grab at point blank range, giving it use as an out of shield option and a kill option, as it kills middleweights at 140% at base power from center stage. Extreme Speed, being its primary recovery option, travels a good distance and has a hitbox that enables it to be used as a mixup for onstage recoveries. Finally, Double Team is a counter that has greater utility than conventional counters; the distance the move covers allows Lucario to punish the opponent when countering a projectile, and the fact that the strength of the counter is based on Aura as opposed to the strength of the countered move allows it to kill middleweights at 115% at base power regardless of the move being countered.

All in all, these traits give Lucario a decent neutral game with Aura Sphere, good advantage state, edgeguarding capabilities, and a decent disadvantage state with its fast air mobility and two specials that can be B-reversed and versatile special moves, as outside of Mewtwo, Lucario is the only character that has both a chargeable projectile that can be stored and a command grab in their special moveset, not to mention that Lucario is the only character who has a projectile that has a hitbox during its charging animation as well as a move that functions as both a command grab and a ranged attack with Force Palm. In addition, Aura gives Lucario the potential to take early stocks and to comeback from percent and stock deficits.

However, Lucario also has notable flaws. Ironically, a lot of its flaws come from its most notable strength, Aura, as the fluctuating nature of the ability makes it inconsistent in a few ways. One thing Aura makes inconsistent is how Lucario is rewarded for winning neutral; because Aura has a x0.66 multiplier, this means that Lucario starts off the match and fresh stocks as a character with extremely poor damage output, meaning that it will have to win neutral many times and/or maintain advantage really well just to rack up decent damage with little to no Aura all while the opponent can have an easier time closing those percent deficits due to not being burdened with a damage reducing multiplier. In addition to having the issue of being burdened by low Aura, it is also difficult for Lucario to make the most out of high Aura because Lucario's average weight makes it very unlikely for it to be alive at very high percents, much less at 190% for him to use the highest Aura multiplier of x1.6, and then losing a stock only becomes even worse because it puts Lucario back to being burdened by the x0.66 multiplier; this essentially means that Lucario is only at its strongest state when it is also at its most vulnerable state. Aura's inconsistency not only affects the consistency in which it can rack up damage, but also the consistency at which it can kill; the kill percents mentioned earlier are at base power when Lucario has already taken at least 65%, meaning that those kill percents are far higher when its Aura is lower, and while it can also kill at far lower percents with high Aura, the consistency of that is also hindered by its average weight. Another thing that Aura makes inconsistent is its combo game; while other characters have their bread and butter combos and kill confirms at certain percent ranges, Lucario's combos and confirms are far less consistent because the knockback of moves will keep fluctuating as Aura increases, making it so those combos at low and mid percents won't always land due to Aura giving moves too much knockback.

Outside of Aura's inconsistencies, another flaw Lucario has revolves around its frame data, as while it isn't as slow as characters like Ganondorf and King K. Rool, it is still somewhat sluggish; its jab (frame 7) and forward tilt (frame 12) are slow relative to other jabs and forward tilts while also having poor damage output and/or kill power unless it is at high Aura, all of its smash attacks come out at frame 15 or slower, and all of its aerials barring forward aerial and down aerial come out at frame 10 or slower, with such issues making its already inconsistent kill power even more inconsistent on top of the fact that its throws outside of Force Palm have very little kill power unless it is at high Aura. Its poor frame data also hinders its ability to approach, which is also worsened by its somewhat floaty nature.

Finally, Lucario's special moveset, despite being versatile, doesn't come without its flaws, as Force Palm has hitbox issues that cause the command grab to not be triggered when at close range, and Double Team can put Lucario deeper in disadvantage if used hastily. However, the most glaring flaw with its special moveset is its recovery; while Extreme Speed travels fast and covers good distance, the fact that it has 47 frames of startup makes it vulnerable to edgeguarding. Additionally, the move is also inconsistent due to not always grabbing the ledge as well as the fact that the speed and distance change with Aura, making it possible to overshoot its recovery and self destruct.

Overall, Lucario's flaws outweigh its strengths; despite the strengths it has in its special moveset and in its aerial and offstage game as well as the potential to secure early stocks and comebacks with high Aura, the potency of these strengths are undermined by Aura's many inconsistencies and its damage reducing multiplier when at percents less than 65%. On top of that, its below-average frame data and its floaty nature make its approaches inconsistent and its recovery is exploitable due to its long start-up. It is primarily from Aura's inconsistencies that players consider Lucario to be a low-tier character who is poorly designed, with many players suggesting that the character need to be reworked entirely.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. 4

Lucario has received a mix of buffs and nerfs in the transition from Smash 4 to Ultimate, receiving buffs in game updates but being heavily nerfed overall. The most notable nerf is to its Aura mechanic, as Lucario's Aura multiplier is worse than it was in Smash 4 despite 1v1 multipliers now giving a slight advantage. This, when combined with the universal weakening of the rage mechanic, makes Lucario noticeably less powerful at higher percentages, while its reduced weight makes it even easier to KO and makes it harder for it to rely on rage and Aura combined. Furthermore, some of Lucario's most reliable moves have been made less effective, with down aerial halting its momentum less if overused, back aerial being weaker, Double Team having a drastically shorter duration and intangibility and Aura Sphere can no longer be grab-canceled. While Lucario still has a strong recovery, Extreme Speed's controls have been modified to the point where holding down the control stick can accidentally lead to self-destruction, it covers less distance overall and stops its momentum at the end, worsening its recovery, especially at lower percentages. Finally, the changes in DI and air dodging, has the overall effect of limiting or even outright removing some of Lucario's previously guaranteed combos from throw, which were some of the only reliable ways for it to add damage.

However, it did receive some buffs. Lucario's overall mobility has been greatly improved due to faster horizontal movement, while the universal 3-frame jumpsquat further improves Lucario's ability to traverse the stage. Many of its attacks in general, notably its dash attack, forward smash, neutral aerial and forward aerial, are faster, more reliable and less of hindrance, while its special moves have also been improved: Aura Sphere can now be cancelled into a jump or any ground attack during a charge, allowing for mixup options, Force Palm has more range, Double Team can now home in on opponents and is much faster overall, and Extreme Speed is overall safer due to its ending and previously notorious landing lag both being lowered.

Despite its many buffs, Lucario's nerfs generally outweigh the buffs it received and is considered to be worse than its iteration in Smash 4 at launch. To make matters worse, Lucario was nerfed again in patch 2.0.0 which led to ANTi dropping the character as well as Lucario not having a significant impact in America. However, Tsu continues to use Lucario and has done very well at many Japanese tournaments.

Aesthetics

• Similar to all veterans returning from Smash 4, Lucario's model has a more subdued color scheme, and its fur has a more detailed texture.
• Aura is now cyan in color instead of indigo at earlier percentages, and its visual effects are smoother. At higher Aura levels, the flames produced are more intense, becoming indigo in color, which leave behind a trail as Lucario moves. Purple electricity starts emanating from its paws, and the spikes on each paw begin to glow white. The appendages on the back of its head also rise up as Aura grows in power.
• Many of Lucario's attacking animations have been updated from SSB4. Notably, Lucario stands on one foot more in its attacks, particularly with its smash attacks and Double Team.

Attributes

• Like all characters, Lucario's jumpsquat animation takes 3 frames to complete (down from 5).
• Lucario walks slightly faster (1.05 → 1.103).
• Lucario runs faster (1.55 → 1.705).
  • Lucario's initial dash is significantly faster (1.8 → 2.255).
• Lucario's air speed is much higher (1.09 → 1.281), now being on par with Wolf's.
• Lucario's air acceleration is higher 0 → 0.01 (base), 0.07 → 0.08 (additional), 0.07 → 0.09 (max).
• Lucario's traction is higher (0.0736 → 0.116). However, due to traction being significantly increased across the cast, it no longer has the highest traction in the game going from first out of 58 to eighteenth out of 76 characters.
• Lucario is lighter (99 → 92), making it more difficult to survive at higher percents to take advantage of Aura.
• Aura:
  • Aura's baseline damage percent is lower (70% → 65%), allowing Lucario to reach normal strength faster.
  • The ceiling damage multiplier (at 190% damage) is lower (1.7× → 1.67×), reducing Lucario's damage racking and KO potential at the highest Aura level (although it remains considerably above average).
  • Stock Aura has been revised, using a new formula of 1 - 0.085 * rank * players if Lucario is placing higher than opponents, and 1 + 0.2 * rank * players if placing lower than them. As a result, except for a rank of +2 with at least four players, or -2 with more than two players, all the possible multipliers have been increased (-2 rank: 1.333× → 1.4× (2 players); -1 rank: 1.143×-1.231×-1.33× → 1.2×-1.3×-1.4× (2 to 4 players); +1 rank: 0.888×-0.842×-0.8× → 0.915×-0.8725×-0.83×; +2 rank: 0.8×-0.727× → 0.83×-0.745× (2-3 players)), having less of a hindering effect when Lucario is placing ahead.
    • However, the multipliers for a rank of +2 or -2 with at least four players have been reduced, especially the latter (+2 rank: 0.667× → 0.66×; -2 rank: 2× → 1.8×). This reduces the Anubis Combo's extreme comeback factor, making Lucario more reliant on taking damage to reap the benefits of Aura.
• The weakening of rage reduces Lucario's KO potential at high percents. When combined with the changes to Aura and Lucario's reduced weight, it has become considerably less threatening when damaged.

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack:
  • Neutral attack's hits connect much more consistently.
  • All three hits of neutral attack have less ending lag (FAF 34, 38, 41 → 25, 27, 36).
  • The first two hits of neutral attack can jab lock opponents.
  • The first two hits of neutral attack have gained a hitstun modifier of 6.
  • Neutral attack's first hit has less startup (frame 6 → 5).
  • The first hit has fewer active frames (frames 6-8 → 5-6).
  • The final hit has fewer active frames (frames 9-11 → 9-10).
• Dash attack:
  • Dash attack now has a sweetspot located on Lucario's foot during the early frames of the attack. This new sweetspot deals more damage (10%) and knockback than the rest of the attack, letting it KO earlier.
  • The sourspot of the clean hit does more damage (8% → 8.5%).
  • Dash attack's sweetspot has more range (hitboxes: 3.0u → 3.6u (clean), 2.8u → 2.9u (late)).
  • Lucario now lands on its feet after using dash attack; previously, it fell on its side after the kick.
• Forward tilt:
  • The first hit has higher set knockback (20 → 25/30), and uses the autolink angle against aerial opponents (80° → 361° (grounded)/366° (aerial)), allowing it to connect more reliably into the second hit.
  • Forward tilt's second hit deals more knockback (50 base/95 scaling → 57/105).
  • Forward tilt has a new animation, with Lucario leaning back before the palm thrust. In addition, the updated visual on the Aura effect matches the hitboxes much better.
• Up tilt:
  • Up tilt has a new animation; Lucario jumps slightly higher when kicking, and kicks in an overall more animated fashion. It then quickly hops back into place at the end of the attack.
• Down tilt:
  • Down tilt has less startup (frame 9 → 7) and ending lag (FAF 25 → 21). This improves its safety and combo potential.
  • Down tilt's new animation has Lucario crouch low to the ground while kicking. This allows it to lower its profile and dodge more attacks while using down tilt.
• Forward smash:
  • Forward smash's clean hit has a larger hitbox (5.5u → 5.7u), and greater horizontal extension (Z offset: 4.7-10.2 → 5-11.7), improving its range.
  • Forward smash becomes active earlier (frame 22 → 19).
  • Forward smash has more vibrant Aura effects.
  • Forward smash's animation is more animated and snappy compared to SSB4. It also now ends the attack standing on one foot.
  • The new animation of forward smash has Lucario lean back at the start of the attack, allowing it to evade attacks before retaliating with its own.
• Up smash:
  • Up smash has an altered animation, with Lucario raising its leg much higher while releasing the blast of Aura. The charging stance is different, and the blast of Aura is much wider than before to match the hitbox more accurately.
  • Up smash's first hit has more horizontal range (Z offset: -4–4 → -5–5).
  • Up smash's second hitbox is larger (8u → 8.8u), and lower down (Y offset: 25 → 23.5), improving its horizontal range and allowing it to connect better against opponents pulled up from the ground, but reducing its vertical range.
• Down smash:
  • Down smash has less startup (frame 19 → 16), with its total duration reduced as well (FAF 55 → 52).
  • Down smash has a new animation; instead of raising its arms into the air and bringing them down, Lucario now briefly stands on one foot before stomping it to the ground while simultaneously releasing Aura from its palms.
  • The charging animation of down smash now has Lucario fold its arms while crouching in front of its chest instead of waving its arms in a circular motion.
    • Due to the change in stance, Lucario is less vulnerable to attack while charging down smash.

Aerial attacks

• Neutral aerial:
  • Neutral aerial now consists of six hitboxes which surround Lucario rather than consisting of two hitboxes on its right arm (6u/4u (clean)/4.5u/3.3u (late) → 4.6u/4.6u/4.6u/4.6u/3.6u/3.6u (both)). This allows the move to hit behind Lucario much sooner and lead into the second hit; increasing its potency.
    • This also allows the attack to drag opponents forwards if they are behind Lucario, improving its followup potential.
  • It has less landing lag (9 frames → 5).
  • The first hit has more startup lag (frame 8 → 10).
  • The first hit has a longer hitbox duration (frames 8-11 → 10-14).
  • The second hit has less startup lag (frame 22 → 18).
  • The second hit has a shorter hitbox duration (frames 22-29 → 18-21).
    • Altogether, these changes allow both hits to connect much more reliably.
  • It auto-cancels earlier (frame 39 → 36).
  • Its initial auto-cancel window is shorter (frames 1-7 → 1-4).
  • It has a new animation; Lucario spins more quickly than it did in Smash 4.
    • This new animation is longer (54 frames → 56), slightly increasing the amount of time Lucario cannot grab ledges after performing the move.
• Forward aerial:
  • Forward aerial has less landing lag (18 frames → 9).
  • Lucario can grab ledges sooner after using forward aerial (64 frames → 52).
• Back aerial:
  • Back aerial has less startup lag (frame 16 → 13).
  • It deals less damage (15% → 14%/13%), hindering its KO potential.
  • It has more ending lag (FAF 49 → 50).
  • Its initial auto-cancel window is longer (frames 1-3 → 1-4).
  • The burst of aura from its animation has better adjusted to more accurately better match its hitboxes.
  • It has a new animation which is slightly shorter than the previous animation (63 frames → 61). This slightly decreases the amount of time Lucario cannot grab ledges after performing the move.
• Up aerial:
  • Up aerial has less landing lag (22 frames → 13).
  • The clean hit has a larger hitbox (4.0u → 5.0u).
  • The late hit has a shorter hitbox duration (frames 12-15 → 12-13).
  • It has an altered animation, with Lucario backflipping following the initial kick.
    • This new animation is longer (50 frames → 54), slightly increasing the amount of time Lucario cannot grab ledges after performing the move.
• Down aerial:
  • Down aerial stalls Lucario's movement less on successive uses (vertical speed: 0.1 (always) → 0.1/-0.2/-0.5/-0.8/-1.1/-1.4/-1.68).
  • It has more landing lag (9 frames → 12).
  • It has a new animation which is longer than the previous animation (31 frames → 40). This increases the amount of time Lucario cannot grab ledges after performing the move.

Throws and other attacks

• Grab:
  • All grabs have more startup (frame 6 (standing)/8 (dash)/9 (pivot) → 7/10/11) and drastically more ending lag (FAF: 29 (standing)/36 (dash)/34 (pivot) → 40/47/43).
  • Pivot grab has more range (Z-stretch: -15.2 → -16.5).
  • Lucario now grabs and holds the opponent with one palm, as opposed to clinching them.
    • Grab's new animation makes it less disjointed.
• Pummel:
  • It has a new animation, with Lucario attacking with one palm while keeping its stance, as opposed to bashing the opponent with its two palms.
  • It has faster startup (frame 2 → 1).
  • It has less ending lag (FAF 8 → 7), but deals considerably more hitlag (1x (6 frames) → 2.1x (13 frames)), increasing its effective duration.
  • It deals more damage (1% → 1.3%).
    • Relative to the rest of the cast, Lucario's pummel is now average in both damage and speed, as opposed to the fastest but among the weakest.
• Forward throw:
  • It now consists of a two-hit move (8% → 5% hit 1/3% throw), giving the move a collateral hitbox to hit opponents near Lucario (angle: 361°; knockback: 60 base/100 scaling). This gives it utility against bystanders or two-in-one characters.
  • The throw has altered knockback (70 base/55 scaling → 60/92), reducing it overall.
• Up throw:
  • It deals more knockback (70 base/70 scaling → 90/60), significantly hindering its combo potential.

Special moves

• Due to the changes to Lucario's Aura baseline percent and ceiling multiplier, its affected special move attributes (namely the size of Aura Sphere and Force Palm's wave, and Extreme Speed's travel distance) increase faster from low to mid percents, but gain slightly less of an increase with maximum Aura.
• Aura Sphere:
  • Aura Sphere is visually closer to how it appears in recent Pokémon games. It has an "energy absorption" effect while charging and no longer emits a trail of smoke when launched.
  • Aura Sphere can now be jump-canceled, even in the air. Additionally, it can now be canceled into any grounded option while charging with an advanced technique called Charge Storage Cancelling.
    • With Lucario's increased air speed, this makes it possible to edge-guard opponents by charging Aura Sphere and then cancelling it into an aerial, as well as improving its movement when combined with B-Reverses, Wavebounces, etc.
  • Moving the control stick down has Lucario spot dodge, much like how moving it left or right has it roll.
  • Lucario cannot shield immediately out of Aura Sphere, making it less safe to charge.
  • Lucario cannot use its standard grab out of a charging Aura Sphere without shielding, as pressing the Z button fires the Aura Sphere.
  • The aerial charge animation for Aura Sphere was altered; it now more closely resembles the grounded charging animation.
  • Fully charged Aura Sphere has a larger hitbox (2.0u → 2.6u).
• Force Palm:
  • Force Palm has increased grab range.
  • Force Palm's blast deals more knockback (45 base/48 scaling → 48/58).
  • Force Palm's projectile deals less damage with the far hit (7% → ~5%).
  • Force Palm's sweetspot has less range (Z2 offset: 11 → 8), making the sourspot more likely to connect.
  • Force Palm's hitbox now matches its Aura graphics more closely.
  • Force Palm's grab triggers Special Zoom if Lucario has at least around half of its maximum Aura (with a damage multiplier of 1.14× or higher).
  • The animation for Force Palm has been completely changed; instead of pulling its left paw back before thrusting it forward with a stomp to release a blast of Aura, Lucario now moves its paws in a circle around its body while crouching low to the ground before gathering its paws together and releasing a blast of Aura from its left paw.
• Extreme Speed:
  • Extreme Speed has less ending lag, and landing lag (60 frames → 35).
  • Extreme Speed now has a hitbox upon directly crashing into the ground or a wall, making it safer to use for recovery.
  • Crashing into a wall now sends Lucario upward as opposed to stopping it in place. This greatly increases the safety of the recovery.
  • Extreme Speed can grab the edges after Lucario has grabbed an edge six times. Starting with Ultimate, other special moves can't grab edges after the player has grabbed an edge six times before landing or taking hitstun.
  • Extreme Speed's controls have been modified; the initial flight direction is locked in a short period of time before flight begins, which can lead to unintentional self-destructs.
  • Extreme Speed travels less distance overall.
  • Extreme Speed now halts at the end of the move, making it worse for recovering at low percents.
  • The animation for Extreme Speed has been updated; Lucario now gathers Aura in its paws at the start of the move. If it is grounded, dust ripples appear around Lucario as it gathers Aura. Additionally, the streams of Aura during flight are much bigger and more colorful than before. At the end of the flight, a gust of wind envelops the front of Lucario to indicate the attack portion of the move.
• Double Team:
  • When performing the attack, Lucario now moves into the direction the control stick is being held rather than from it, making the move more intuitive.
  • Double Team deals more damage (11% → 12.5%).
  • Double Team's counterattack activates faster (frame 28 → 16), making the attack much more consistent.
  • Lucario leaves blue-colored afterimages of itself in the location where it stood just before the attack.
  • Double Team has less ending lag on an unsuccessful counter (FAF 80 → 71), decreasing the window of time where Lucario can be punished.
  • Double Team can now track opponents that activate the counterattack; Lucario will teleport to the attacker's location (within a certain range) and start its counterattack.
  • Double Team now slows down time for the opponent that attacked Lucario. This allows Double Team to punish many more attacks, greatly increasing its reliability.
  • Double Team has far fewer active frames (frames 5-39 → 5-24), no longer having the longest frame window in the game, instead having one of the shortest.
  • Double Team has significantly fewer intangibility frames (5-39 → 4-13), no longer covering the entire counter window.
  • Double Team stalls less in the air (fall speed: 1 → 1.5, gravity: 0.03 → 0.05).
  • Double Team's momentum in the air carries over into Lucario's own movement, which both benefits and hinders its recovery potential, as it can help with recovering when facing towards the stage, but prevent recovery (or even lead to a self-destruct) when facing away from the stage.
  • The animation for Double Team has completely changed; instead of moving its arms in a circular motion while crouching, Lucario now stands upright with its left leg raised while holding a pose. It then pulls its right paw back while holding its martial arts-like stance. A vortex of wind surrounds Lucario throughout the entire animation.
• Final Smash:
  • Lucario's Final Smash has been reverted to Aura Storm. It now Mega Evolves into Mega Lucario before performing the attack.
    • Compared to Aura Storm in Brawl, the beam fired is much wider, improving the move's horizontal reach.
    • As a result, the undead glitch on the Stamina Mode, and results screen glitch on the timed team battle have been removed.
    • Due to Lucario's voice clips being re-recorded in Smash 4, Lucario says "Max aura!" instead of "Watch the power of aura!" when Aura Storm is activated, and is now silent when firing the beam.

Update history

Lucario has received a mix of buffs and nerfs from game updates, but has been buffed overall.

2.0.0

• Lucario can grab ledge faster after using forward aerial (64 frames → 52).
• Aura Sphere has less hitlag during the charge (0.78× → 0.5×), allowing characters to escape it much easier.
• The Final Smash Meter version of Aura Storm has a higher knockback multiplier (x0.7 → x0.77).

3.0.0

• Aura Sphere deals less shield damage ((0/3 (uncharged/fully charged) → -2.3/-4).

3.1.0

• All hits of neutral attack have less ending lag (FAF 32, 35, 39 → 27, 27, 36).
• Dash attack's sweetspot has more range (hitboxes: 3.0u → 3.6u (clean), 2.8u → 2.9u (late)).
• Forward tilt's second hit deals more knockback (50 base/95 scaling → 54/98).
• Forward smash's sweetspot has a slightly larger hitbox (5.5u → 5.7u).
• Up smash's hits connect more reliably.
• Neutral aerial has two additional hitboxes that can only hit grounded opponents.
• Up aerial's clean hit has a larger hitbox (4.0u → 5.0u).
• Up aerial's late hit has less range (Y offset: 17u-12u → 17u-13u).
• Down aerial's hits connect more reliably.
• Down aerial's lower hitboxes have more range (size: 4.2u → 4.6u; Y offset: 2u → 2.2u).
• Aura Sphere no longer pushes opponents away as much while charging.
• Fully charged Aura Sphere has a larger hitbox (2.0u → 2.6u).
• Aura Sphere travels farther.
• Aura Sphere has less ending lag (FAF 57 → 52. Out of charging: FAF 49 → 43).
• Force Palm has more grab range (Z offset: 4.8u/6.5u → 5.3u/7.4u).
• Opponents no longer move through Lucario during Force Palm's startup.

6.0.0

• Lucario's portrait now briefly shows upon activating Final Smash Meter version of Aura Storm.

7.0.0

• Overall shield size has been increased.

Moveset

• Lucario's moveset is affected by Aura. Each move lists the percentages according to Lucario's damage: 0%/65%/190%.
  • Lucario's Aura effects also change in regard to place. When at a -1 placing, Lucario's Aura gains a multiplier of 1.125×.

Lucario using a fully charged Aura Sphere with maximum strength Aura, as shown via Move List.

“	As Aura's power increases, your attack power increases as well. The more unfavorable the match is for you, the more power you gain. Aura's Power increases • When you have fewer KOs than opponents • The more you've been KO'd • As your damage increases • As your HP decreases in Stamina Mode Aura Sphere will get bigger, and the speed and power of it will increase. You can also leap higher and quicker when using Extreme Speed.	”
—Move List Description, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

• Lucario is able to crawl, wall cling, and wall jump.

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

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

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			2.5%	The kham choui[1] (a downward sweeping punch in Shaolin Kung Fu), followed by the choong choui[2] (a jab-style punch in Shaolin Kung Fu), followed by a stretch kick.
			2%
			3%
Forward tilt			4% (hit 1), 6% (hit 2)	The kap theai choui[3] (a low-angle cross-style punch in Shaolin Kung Fu). Hits twice. At higher levels of aura, it becomes a viable KO option.
Up tilt			6% (foot), 5%	An outside crescent kick above itself. A good juggling and combo tool. Has a sweetspot on its foot.
Down tilt			5%	A kneeling Hapkido-style shin kick. It can be used in rather quick succession and has decent range.
Dash attack			8.5% (sourspot), 10% (sweetspot), 7% (late)	A flying kick. Its decent speed and good range allow it to function as a decent punishment tool, and its sweetspot allows it to KO at very high percentages.
Forward smash			16% (clean), 13% (late)	A double palm thrust, which emits a burst of Aura. When at max aura, it is extremely powerful; it is the strongest smash attack in the game overall, as it has the potential to one-hit KO almost every fighter in the roster when fully charged. However, its noticeable startup and ending lag makes it punishable.
Up smash			4% (hit 1), 14% (clean hit 2), 9% (late hit 2)	A modified version of the long choui[4] (an uppercut-styled punch in Shaolin Kung Fu), while emitting a blast of Aura. Hits twice. One of the strongest up smashes in the game, and the most damaging smash attack in the game when at max aura.
Down smash			14%	Thrusts its palms in front and behind, while emitting blasts of Aura. Resembles a modified version of the kap theai choui. Hits on both of its sides simultaneously, making it a good option to punish rolls. Very strong at max aura, KOing below 60% at the ledge at max aura.
Neutral aerial			8% (hit 1), 6% (hit 2)	Spins while emitting Aura from its paws. It hits twice, and the first hit can be used to combo into grounded moves on landing.
Forward aerial			6%	A stretch kick. Its diagonal-vertical launch angle and low knockback make it an excellent combo tool, allowing it to string into itself and combo into moves like neutral aerial and up aerial.
Back aerial			14% (clean), 13% (late)	The sou choui[5] (a sweeping punch in Shaolin Kung Fu). At max aura, it is one of the strongest back aerials in the game, KOing at around 50% at the ledge. However, it is Lucario's slowest aerial.
Up aerial			11% (clean), 6% (late)	A high front kick with a delayed backflip at the end. Extremely powerful at max aura, capable of KOing at around 80% even at ground level. Outside of that, it makes for a good juggling tool. Its late hit can act as a potential KO setup into its sweetspot on landing.
Down aerial			5% (hit 1), 6% (hit 2)	Stomps twice, emitting blasts of Aura with each stomp. It stalls Lucario in the air temporarily and deals great damage at higher levels of aura.
Grab			—	Clinches the opponent.
Pummel			1.3%	A surge of Aura. Quite fast.
Forward throw			5% (hit), 3% (throw)	Shoves the opponent away. A very fast throw, along with being one of the strongest forward throws in the game at max aura.
Back throw			10%	The tai otoshi[6], a Judo throw. It deals very high damage and knockback when at max aura.
Up throw			5% (hit), 6% (throw)	The pao choui[7] (an uppercut-styled punch in Shaolin Kung Fu). One of Lucario's best combo starters, as it can follow up with a neutral aerial, forward aerial, and an up aerial or back aerial as a 50/50 KO setup.
Down throw			7%	Holds the opponent over its head and then slams them into the ground. A good combo starter, as it can combo into a forward aerial, a neutral aerial or an up aerial.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Kicks around itself before getting up.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	Same as its frontal floor attack.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Kicks behind itself and then in front of itself while getting up.
Edge attack Edge getups			9%	Performs a double palm thrust that emits a small blast of Aura while climbing up.
Neutral special		Aura Sphere	6.9%~17.2% (move), 0.6% (charge loop)	A chargeable, condensed sphere of Aura. Pressing the special button again will make Lucario fire the sphere. Its size scales with Aura and has a hitbox while charging, comboing into back air at mid percents . The charge can be cancelled into into dodge, shield, and jump.
Side special		Force Palm	11.8% (close blast), 5.4% (far blast), 13% (throw), 10% (throw collateral)	Fires a stream of Aura. Its blast's range scales with Aura. If the opponent is close to Lucario, the move acts like a grab, with Lucario grabbing the opponent and then striking them with a palm thrust at point-blank range. At half of its maximum Aura or more, it triggers Special Zoom, and deals immense damage and knockback, KOing at around 60% near the ledge.
Up special		Extreme Speed	6% (dash), 4% (impact)	Propels itself in a predetermined direction by blasting streams of Aura from its forepaws. Has a hitbox at the end of its animation, and upon crashing directly into a wall or the ground, Lucario will bounce. This can be used to bounce off the sides of the stage towards the ledge, but isn't recommended on stage due to ending lag. Extreme Speed's distance scales with Aura.
Down special		Double Team	12.5%	Performs a kata. If Lucario is attacked, it will disappear while emitting afterimages and then counterattacks with a flying kick. The direction Lucario kicks in can be controlled. Lucario will also aim above or below if it is hit accordingly. Unlike most counters, it does not scale based on the attack it counters; it scales based on Lucario's aura.
Final Smash		Aura Storm	0.8% (loop), 11.5% (final hit)	Mega Evolves into Mega Lucario, then leaps up above the center of the stage, and firing a huge stream of Aura. Increases in power depending on Lucario's Aura and can achieve OHKO power at max aura if all hitboxes connect.

On-screen appearance

• Teleports on stage, floats for a second, gathers aura in its hands, and then lands

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  Lucario's on-screen appearance

Taunts

• Up Taunt: Floats in mid-air and growls, emitting aura from its body.
• Side Taunt: Moves one hand forward and one behind its back, growling.
• Down Taunt: Stands on one foot and holds one hand in mid-air. This taunt is very similar to Link's down taunt.

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  Lucario's up taunt.

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  Lucario's side taunt.

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  Lucario's down taunt.

Idle poses

• Stretches both arms out, one on each side, slowly lowers its body and assumes its normal stance again.
• Moves its arms in a circular motion before assuming to its normal stance again.

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  Lucario's first idle pose

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  Lucario's second idle pose

Victory poses

• Left: Aura pulsates out of its paws, then does a crane-like stance, saying "Behold the power of aura." ("満ちるぞ,この波導！", I am filled with aura!).
• Up: Moves its paws in front of itself, then clasps them together, saying "The aura is with me!" ("波導は我にあり！", The aura is with me!).
• Right: Moves its paw to its left side and groans while aura radiates off its body.

A small excerpt of the title theme of Pokémon Red, Blue, Yellow, and Green Versions, a track which would go on to become the Pokémon main theme and the title theme for the entire series.

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• 
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In competitive play

When Ultimate got released, many players noticed that Lucario had a lot of potential and that it was better than its already strong Smash 4 incarnation. This was due to many of its options either becoming faster and more reliable along with the character greatly befitting from the game's mechanics. On top of this, Donkey Kong, who was previously considered to be a hard counter to Lucario in Smash 4, was now an easier matchup. Because of this, many players considered Lucario as a solid high-tier character with some saying it had the potential to rise into the top tier.

Unfortunately, as the meta advanced, players recognized that the character's nerfs overshadowed the many buffs it received. This was because of aura's overall weaker damage multiplier, down air not being as safe for disadvantage, Aura Sphere having less versatility, its recovery being worse, the removal of some of its kill confirms, and some characters such as Bowser, Wario, and Ness proving to be very troublesome for Lucario. As a result, players' opinions on Lucario dropped and it obtained a below-average player base throughout Ultimate's metagame, with some players such as ESAM claiming that it's a low-tier character at best. Despite this, players such as Tsu and Jeda have still placed fairly well at tournaments: Tsu placed 5th at Umebura Japan Major 2019, while Jeda placed 13th at Syndicate 2019 and 17th at Albion 4. As of now, Lucario's current state of viability is uncertain mainly because of its low playerbase.

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.

Active

•  Eeveecario - Placed 17th at Abierto Guadalajara Ultimo Reto and 97th at GENESIS 7.
•  Jeda - The best Lucario in Europe. Placed 3rd at BURST 4, 5th at Ultimate WANTED 1, 9th at Stunfest 2019, and 17th at Albion 4. Ranked 6th on the French Ultimate Power Rankings.
•  Kir - Placed 13th at EGS Cup, 49th at Umebura SP 7, and 65th at both Umebura SP 5 and Umebura SP 6.
•  Labot - Placed 3rd at Awakening 5 and 13th at BOILINGPOINT BRAWL. Has a win over Tsuba.
•  Tsu - The best Lucario player in the world. Placed 5th at Umebura Japan Major 2019, 9th at Umebura SP 2 and Thunder Smash 3: Clash of the Pandas, and 13th at Umebura SP 3. Has wins over Abadango, Fatality, Prodigy, and Zackray.
•  Vivi - The best Lucario player in the United States. Placed 17th at Defend the North 2019 and 33rd at Let's Make Moves. Has wins over Venia, UtopianRay, and Daybreak.

Inactive

•  ANTi - A Snake and Mario co-main with a strong Lucario secondary. Placed 2nd at DreamHack Dallas 2019, 7th at Combo Breaker 2019, and 9th at Smash at The Paramount. While he hasn't officially dropped the character, he now only plays Snake and Mario in recent tournaments.
•  Gomamugitya - Placed 33rd at Sumabato SP with a win over shky.

Classic Mode: Counter Encounters

Lucario's congratulations screen.

Lucario fights characters with counterattacks.

Round	Opponent	Stage	Music	Notes
1	Shulk and Little Mac	Gaur Plain	Time to Fight! - Xenoblade Chronicles
2	Palutena and Bayonetta	Umbra Clock Tower	Red & Black
3	Marth and Lucina	Coliseum	Story 5 Meeting
4	Mii Swordfighter (x6)	Spear Pillar	Battle! (Wild Pokémon) - Pokémon Diamond / Pokémon Pearl	Horde Battle. Mii Swordfighter costume combinations: Yiga Clan Mask and Yiga Clan Outfit Takamaru Wig and Takamaru Outfit Isaac Wig and Isaac's Outfit Dunban Wig and Dunban Outfit Black Knight Helm and Black Knight Armor Vince's Hat and Vince's Outfit
5	Roy , Ike , and Corrin	Castle Siege	The Devoted
6	Greninja	Pokémon Stadium 2	Battle! (Champion) - Pokémon X / Pokémon Y
Bonus Stage
Final	Master Hand	Final Destination	Master Hand (Less than 7.0 intensity) Master Hand / Crazy Hand (Intensity 7.0 or higher)	On intensity 7.0 and higher, Crazy Hand fights alongside Master Hand.

Credits roll after completing Classic Mode. Completing it as Lucario has Route 209 - Pokémon Diamond / Pokémon Pearl accompany the credits.

Role in World of Light

Lucario's location in World of Light

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

During the opening cutscene, Lucario was present on the cliffside when Galeem unleashed his beams of light. Lucario dodged a beam of light using Double Team, but was hit by a beam Greninja avoided a moment later, vaporizing it and placing it under Galeem's imprisonment along with the rest of the fighters, excluding Kirby.

In the mode proper, Lucario can be found on the corner of a stone wall.

Fighter Battle

No.	Image	Name	Type	Power	Stage	Music
41		Lucario	Attack	3,300	Spear Pillar (Ω form)	Battle! (Team Galactic)

Spirits

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

Additionally, Lucario's Mega Evolved form appears as a Primary Spirit.

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  417. Lucario

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  505. Mega Lucario

In Spirit battles

As the main opponent

Spirit				Battle parameters							Inspiration
No.	Image	Name	Series	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music	Character
505		Mega Lucario	Pokémon Series	•Lucario		9,400	Coliseum (Battlefield form)	•Sudden Final Smash	•The enemy will suddenly have a Final Smash •Lucario's Aura has increased power	Battle! (Trainer Battle) - Pokémon X / Pokémon Y
509	File:Dialga Spirit.png	Dialga	Pokémon Series	•Giant Lucario		9,700	Spear Pillar (Dialga only)	•Earthquake •Sudden Final Smash	•The enemy will suddenly have a Final Smash •Periodic earthquakes will shake the stage after a little while •The enemy is giant	Battle! (Dialga/Palkia) / Spear Pillar
525	File:Cobalion Spirit.png	Cobalion, Terrakion, & Virizion	Pokémon Series	•Lucario •Duck Hunt •Yoshi		9,000	Kalos Pokémon League	N/A	•The enemy's melee weapons have increased power •The enemy can unleash powerful critical hits at random •The enemy starts the battle with a Beam Sword	N's Castle	Virizion
526		Tornadus (Incarnate Forme)	Pokémon Series	•Lucario		4,300	Skyworld (clouds only)	•Hazard: Heavy Wind	•Dangerously high winds are in effect •The enemy starts the battle with an Ore Club	N's Castle
534		Keldeo (Ordinary Form)	Pokémon Series	•Lucario		3,500	Unova Pokémon League	N/A	•Stamina battle •Only certain Pokémon will emerge from Poké Balls (Keldeo) •The enemy's FS Meter charges quickly	N's Castle
542		Xerneas	Pokémon Series	•Lucario		9,400	Garden of Hope (hazards off)	•Flowery	•You constantly take minor damage •Only certain Pokémon will emerge from Poké Balls (Xerneas) •The enemy is injured but powerful	Battle! (Champion) - Pokémon X / Pokémon Y
740		Young Cricket	WarioWare Series	•Lucario		1,900	Suzaku Castle	•Item Tidal Wave	•The enemy's dash attacks have increased power •Certain items will appear in large numbers after a little while	Chun-Li Stage Type A
857		Kicks	Animal Crossing Series	•Lucario		3,600	Town and City	•Move Speed ↑ •Slippery Stage	•The stage's platforms are very slippery •All fighters have increased move speed	Plaza / Title Theme - Animal Crossing: City Folk / Animal Crossing: Wild World
991	File:Fei Long Spirit.png	Fei Long	Street Fighter Series	•Lucario		2,000	Arena Ferox (Ω form)	•Jump Power ↓	•The enemy's punches and elbow strikes have increased power •The enemy's kicks and knee strikes have increased power •Stamina battle	Fei Long Stage Type B
998	File:Gen Spirit.png	Gen	Street Fighter Series	•Lucario		3,600	New Pork City (Ω form)	•Jump Power ↓	•Lucario's Aura has increased power •Stamina battle •All fighters have reduced jump power	Fei Long Stage Type A
999		Karin	Street Fighter Series	•Lucario		3,900	Wuhu Island (hazards off)	•Jump Power ↓	•Stamina battle •All fighters have reduced jump power •The enemy has increased move speed and reduced weight	Cammy Stage Type B

As a minion

Spirit				Battle parameters							Inspiration
No.	Image	Name	Series	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music	Character
522		Zoroark	Pokémon Series	•Wolf •Lucario (×3)		3,500	Prism Tower	N/A	•Only certain Pokémon will emerge from Poké Balls (Zoroark) •Reinforcements will appear after an enemy is KO'd	Battle! (Reshiram / Zekrom)	Zoroark using illusions of Raikou, Entei, and Suicune from the movie Pokémon — Zoroark: Master of Illusions

Alternate costumes

Gallery

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

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  Lucario's fighter card.

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  Lucario's unlock notice.

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  Taunting on Temple.

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  Lucario charging Aura Sphere on Find Mii.

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  Lucario attacking Greninja on Pokémon Stadium 2.

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  Using its dash attack on an aerial Squirtle on the Bridge of Eldin.

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  Performing its neutral aerial in front of Samus on Prism Tower.

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  Lucario using its down tilt on Snake on Moray Towers.

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  Lucario, Wolf and Fox sleeping around Chrom with Super Leaf equipped on Living Room.

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  Taunting with Mewtwo and Fox on Coliseum.

Trivia

• Lucario and Charizard are the only characters to have had their Final Smash change between games only to have it revert back to the original Final Smash. In Lucario's case, it had Aura Storm in Brawl, changed to Mega Lucario in Smash 4, and then reverted back to Aura Storm in Ultimate. However, it does transform into Mega Lucario for the duration of Aura Storm. In Charizard's case, it had Triple Finish in Brawl, changed to Mega Charizard X (as it was a standalone character) for Smash 4, and reverted back to its original Final Smash Triple Finish in Ultimate (as a consequence of being regrouped back into Pokemon Trainer's party).
  • Both characters are also characters from the Pokémon universe.
• Despite also having a type of counter, Peach, Daisy, Chrom, King K. Rool, and Incineroar do not appear in Lucario's Classic Mode route.
• The Tip about Lucario's Aura being able to reach a multiplier of ×2.5 is both true and false: as of recent updates, ×1.6 is the maximum multiplier. However, Lucario at 0% has a ×0.6 multiplier on its attacks, making the net change about ×2.5.
• Lucario is the only Pokémon character whose animations are not mirrored.

Notes

1.^ translates to "Smashing Punch"

2.^ translates to "Thrust Punch"

3.^ translates to "Armpit Punch"

4.^ translates to "Wave Punch"

5.^ translates to "Sweeping Punch"

6.^ translates to "Body Drop"

7.^ translates to "Cannon Punch"