Pikachu (SSBU): Difference between revisions

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As in ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]'', {{s|wikipedia|Ikue Ōtani}}'s portrayals of Pikachu from ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'' and ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'' were repurposed for ''Ultimate''.
As in ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]'', {{s|wikipedia|Ikue Ōtani}}'s portrayals of Pikachu from ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'' and ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'' were repurposed for ''Ultimate''.


Pikachu is ranked 13th out of 82 on the current [[tier list]], placing it in the S- tier and making it the highest ranked ''Pokémon'' fighter. This is a notable improvement from its 15th out of 54 placement in ''SSB4''. Pikachu's strengths come from his overall great mobility all around. His most prominent strengths are in his neutral and edgeguarding game, due to the fast startup and low endlag of all his aerials. Aside from being used in edgeguarding, all of his aerials also auto-cancel on a short hop which grants it utility for [[out of shield]] punishes, and even potential [[zero-to-death]] combos. Despite his poor range, Pikachu also posseses strong grab game. His back and forward throw allow him to set up combos leading to edgeguards. Down throw is a viable combo starter thanks to being able to combo into many of his attacks such as his neutral aerial.
Pikachu is ranked 13th out of 82 on the current [[tier list]], placing it in the S- tier and making it the highest ranked ''Pokémon'' fighter. This is a notable improvement from its 15th out of 54 placement in ''SSB4''. Pikachu's strengths come from his overall great mobility all around. Its most prominent strengths are in its neutral and edgeguarding game, due to the fast startup and low endlag of all its aerials. Aside from being used in edgeguarding, all of its aerials also auto-cancel on a short hop which grants it utility for [[out of shield]] punishes, and even potential [[zero-to-death]] combos. Despite his poor range, Pikachu also posseses strong grab game. Its back and forward throw allow him to set up combos leading to edgeguards. Down throw is a viable combo starter thanks to being able to combo into many of its attacks such as his neutral aerial.


Pikachu's specials are also potent: [[Thunder Jolt]] is a far-travelling projectile with the ability to climb walls and ceilings. [[Quick Attack]] is a fast, unpredictable and long distanced attack which is widely viewed as one of the best recoveries in the game as a result, especially combined with [[Skull Bash]]'s usage for horizontal distance. [[Thunder]] is a powerful attack with high vertical range, the cloud also has a [[Meteor smash|meteor]] effect at startup which allow certain attacks such as its up throw to combo into Thunder.
Pikachu's specials are also potent: [[Thunder Jolt]] is a far-travelling projectile with the ability to climb walls and ceilings. [[Quick Attack]] is a fast, unpredictable and long distanced attack which is widely viewed as one of the best recoveries in the game as a result, especially combined with [[Skull Bash]]'s usage for horizontal distance. [[Thunder]] is a powerful attack with high vertical range, the cloud also has a [[Meteor smash|meteor]] effect at startup which allow certain attacks such as its up throw to combo into Thunder.


Pikachu does have notable weaknesses, however. Due to being one of the lightest fighters in the game, his survivability is hindered against characters with strong finishers. As mentioned prior, it has poor range, with having most of his attacks sans forward smash lacking disjoints giving it few options to approach. Pikachu also struggles to KO effectively due to none of his aerials having the ability to KO onstage, furthermore down smash and back throw are only effective finishers at the edge. Lastly, his reliance on projectiles provide him with a noticeable disadvantage against characters who can counter or absorb his projectiles, such as {{SSBU|Ness}} and {{SSBU|Mr. Game & Watch}}.
Pikachu does have notable weaknesses, however. Due to being one of the lightest fighters in the game, its survivability is hindered against characters with strong finishers. As mentioned prior, it has poor range, with having most of its attacks sans forward smash lacking disjoints giving it few options to approach. Pikachu also struggles to KO effectively due to none of its aerials having the ability to KO onstage, furthermore down smash and back throw are only effective finishers at the edge. Lastly, his reliance on projectiles provide him with a noticeable disadvantage against characters who can counter or absorb its projectiles, such as {{SSBU|Ness}} and {{SSBU|Mr. Game & Watch}}.


Overall, Pikachu's strengths outweigh its weaknesses. Since before the release of ''Ultimate'', many players had strong expectations from Pikachu with him being seen by many as a top tier character. Despite having a small playerbase, he has seen notable competitive success thanks to players such as {{sm|ShinyMark}} and {{sm|ESAM}}. Outside of this, however, Pikachu's results are noticeably much more mediocre in comparison to other top tier characters, further coupled with the aforementioned Smashers' inconsistency to place well in tournaments, leading many to debate Pikachu's status as a top tier character.
Overall, Pikachu's strengths outweigh its weaknesses. Since before the release of ''Ultimate'', many players had strong expectations from Pikachu with him being seen by many as a top tier character. Despite having a small playerbase, he has seen notable competitive success thanks to players such as {{sm|ShinyMark}} and {{sm|ESAM}}. Outside of this, however, Pikachu's results are noticeably much more mediocre in comparison to other top tier characters, further coupled with the aforementioned Smashers' inconsistency to place well in tournaments, leading many to debate Pikachu's status as a top tier character.