Pac-Man (SSBU): Difference between revisions

'''Pac-Man''' ({{ja|パックマン|Pakkuman}}), stylized in-game as '''PAC-MAN''', is a playable character in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''. He was confirmed alongside the rest of the [[veteran]]s on June 12, 2018. Pac-Man is classified as [[Fighter number|Fighter #55]]. Like in ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]'', Pac-Man reuses sound effects from various {{uv|Pac-Man}} games and [[Bandai Namco]] arcade games.

Pac-Man is currently ranked 14th out of 82 on the tier list, which is a significant improvement over his appearance in ''SSB4'' (where he was ranked 45th out of 54). Pac-Man's greatest strengths lie in his zoning capabilities thanks to his barrage of projectiles in [[Bonus Fruit]] and [[Fire Hydrant]]. Bonus Fruit is notable for having different projectiles with distinguishing properties, with Bell being the most effective one as it confirms into KOs. His Hydrant is notorious for creating a barrier that a lot of characters can struggle to deal with up close, allowing Pac-Man to continue setting up shop behind it. His recovery is among one of, if not, the best recoveries in the game due to its outstanding travel distance of [[Power Pellet]] and mixup potential and [[Pac-Jump]] giving him a high vertical boost. This makes Pac-Man one of the hardest characters to edgeguard due to his amount of options. Pac-Man's normals are also amazing in their own right as most of them have amazing frame data and shield safety, which allows him to box out his opponents at ease. Finally, his grab, previously seen as one of the worst in ''Smash 4'', has been buffed significantly to increase its hitbox detection, allowing it to even beat spotdodges.

Despite his abundance of strengths, Pac-Man has some flaws. Pac-Man has few reliable ways to KO his opponent, with his smash attacks and aerials being pretty predictable, so holding shield can be effective against him. His projectiles can also be used against him, with the Bonus Fruit being able to be caught when shielded and used freely against him, as well as his Hydrant being able to be hit back at him by a strong enough move. His recovery, while amazing, is relatively exploitable, as both moves can be interrupted: Power Pellet can be canceled if the pellet is hit before Pac-Man dashes, and while Pac-Jump allows up to three total uses, it can be used by opponents to recover themselves, or force Pac-Man into helplessness if the trampoline is used three times.

Overall, Pac-Man has all the tools he needs to fare well in the meta while players who know the matchup can take advantage of his weaknesses. Pac-Man has seen some strong results and representation in both a major and supermajor level from players such as {{Sm|Tea}} and {{Sm|JDV}}.

Pac-Man, like {{SSBU|Diddy Kong}}, is reliant on his item-producing [[special move]]s to control the flow of a battle and win in the [[neutral game]]. Two special moves, [[Bonus Fruit]] and [[Fire Hydrant]], grant him numerous mix-ups for almost any situation. The fruits and objects generated by Bonus Fruit each have different attributes; in addition to functioning as useful [[spacing]], [[combo]], and [[edge-guarding]] options, some of them (primarily the apple, melon and key) notably boast respectable KO potential as a way to circumvent the sluggishness and short ranges of Pac-Man's smash attacks. As a result, Bonus Fruit allows Pac-Man to confuse and force movements from his opponents to put them in disadvantageous positions, especially off-stage.

When used in the air, [[Fire Hydrant]] functions similarly to [[Stone]], which makes it useful for covering landings or breaking combos. It is also Pac-Man's most powerful projectile when launched, which makes it a viable KO option from a distance. In addition to its offensive potential, Fire Hydrant has defensive potential, thanks to its bursts of water possessing a [[Windbox#Pushing attacks|push]] effect. As a result, the water can be used to create space, [[gimp]] poor recoveries, and even force opponents into Pac-Man's attacks.

Aside from his projectiles, Pac-Man also possesses a slow, but potent KO option in [[Power Pellet]]. Power Pellet also functions both as a great recovery and [[mindgame]] option: it can be aimed prematurely and made to curve in creative angles using his Fire Hydrant's push effect, and can function as a KO confirm from Bonus Fruit's bell. [[Pac-Jump]] is an effective vertical recovery should all of its trampoline jumps be used, and makes it safe to edge-guard off-stage, as Pac-Man will likely make it back onto the stage. It is also difficult to gimp, especially from an overhead perspective, thanks to Pac-Man's jumps having unblockable hitboxes. Due to its quick start-up and aforementioned hitboxes, Pac-Jump also functions as a good [[out of shield]] option when used properly.

Outside of his specials, Pac-Man has a good combo game. Though his ground attacks are weak with slight ending lag, Pac-Man's [[neutral attack]] and [[tilt attack]]s are fast. His tilts, in particular, also give him slightly extended hitboxes ([[forward tilt]] and [[up tilt]]) or slide him forward ([[down tilt]]), letting him attack out of shield easily or poke opponents at a safe distance. Pac-Man's [[dash attack]] is one of his best approach options, thanks to it hitting multiple times and having extremely minimal ending lag, the latter of which is very atypical for dash attacks. Pac-Man is also capable in the air; his aerial attacks are fast and can chain into themselves (especially his [[forward aerial|forward]] and [[up aerial]]s). In addition, his [[neutral aerial|neutral]] and [[back aerial]]s are effective edge-guarding options; their clean hitboxes also make them useful from out of shield and for KOing, respectively.

Unlike in ''SSB4'', Pac-Man has a respectable [[grab]] game; he possesses a rather long ranged grab with long lasting hitboxes, giving him a good grab range. His [[throw]]s have some utility: [[up throw]] has combo potential (primarily into neutral and up aerials) at low to medium percentages, whereas [[down throw]] has a decent damage output and can set up [[tech-chase]]s (most notably into Bonus Fruit's key, Power Pellet, dash attack, or a short hopped forward aerial into neutral aerial). Although the lattermost combo does not work on characters whose hurtboxes are low after missing a [[tech]], it is still beneficial, as Pac-Man can instead [[lock]] the opponent with a short hopped forward aerial at low to medium percentages. [[Forward throw]] can be used for mix-ups due to its minimal ending lag and awkward launching angle, whereas [[back throw]] is a decent KO option.

Pac-Man has a few noticeable weakness, however; arguably his biggest one is his inability to KO early because of the overwhelming majority of his moves having low base knockback. Although his tilts and aerials are fast, only Pac-Man's down and clean back aerials can KO at reasonable percentages and especially while near the left or right [[blast line]]s. Although Pac-Man's smash attacks can KO easily while near the edge thanks to their respectable damage outputs and knockback growth values, they are very punishable and predictable because of their considerable start-up and ending lag.

Although Bonus Fruit's key and a launched Fire Hydrant are viable KO options, the former needs to be charged in order to be accessible, whereas the latter can be easily used against Pac-Man just as he is about to launch it. Additionally, Pac-Man's average overall range and awkward hitboxes can make landing hits or spacing difficult against opponents with long range. His below-average overall mobility can also make it difficult to chase down opponents, create space and/or cycle through Bonus Fruit, especially against rushdown-oriented characters.

Pac-Man's grab game, while nowhere near as awful as it was in ''SSB4'', is still flawed in some ways. His grabs, despite being much more consistent, are still somewhat risky due to retaining fairly high ending lag that tether grabs are known for. Although Pac-Man's up throw now has combo potential and his back throw remains a reasonably strong KO option, his forward and down throws leave a lot to be desired. The former throw's higher damage output and base knockback make it only mediocre at best for mix-ups, whereas the latter throw has all but lost its already minimal combo potential due to its ending lag being increased.

Despite their perks, all of Pac-Man's special moves can be used against him. Bonus Fruit's objects are [[item]]s that can only exist once at a time, hence opponents can grab them out of the air, nullifying one of Pac-Man's only projectiles so long as they hold onto it. So long as Bonus Fruit is nullified, Pac-Man is disadvantaged at spacing, KOing and mindgames, while a competent opponent can even use Bonus Fruit's items against him. Fire Hydrant can be turned against him as well; it can be knocked back or reflected by opponents, even in the first few frames when it is released, making it possible for Pac-Man to immediately be dealt noticeable damage. Its push effect also affects him, and can inadvertently cost Pac-Man if he is careless.

Despite being strong, Power Pellet is highly predictable and can be interrupted by any attack, which drops a healing Power Pellet that can be used by the opponent. Pac-Jump, despite propelling Pac-Man very high vertically, can also be used by opponents for [[gimp]]ing Pac-Man's own recovery. Due to these possibilities, a good Pac-Man player must keep watch of where his items are in order to inflict the highest knockback possible at a safer range, and avoid his items' abilities being turned against him.

Overall, Pac-Man excels at mindgames and damage racking, yet his moveset's overall low base knockback and average range make him difficult for him to KO opponents early. As a result, he is dependent on utilizing traps and zoning in order to continually deal damage and set up a KO, such as collectively using his air game, Bonus Fruit, and varied recovery to edge-guard. While Pac-Man's special moves grant him a uniquely versatile moveset, they can also hinder him in battle, as one careless move can ultimately decide the momentum of not only himself, but even the whole match itself.

Possibly due to his low tier status in ''Super Smash Bros. 4'' (where he is ranked 45th out of 54 on ''SSB4''{{'}}s tier list), Pac-Man was buffed significantly overall in his transition to ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''. One of Pac-Man's biggest buffs involves his [[grab]], which was widely regarded as the worst grab in ''SSB4'' due to its lag and hitbox issues. It is now significantly faster overall, acts as a single, continuous hitbox instead of separate, short-lasting ones, and is more in line with the cast due to the universal increase to grab ending lag. When coupled with his [[up throw]]'s newfound combo potential and his [[back throw]] remaining a reasonably strong KO option, Pac-Man now possesses a decent grab game.

Additionally, [[Bonus Fruit]] now cycles significantly faster and allows Pac-Man to [[charge cancel]] by jumping, giving him more options in the process. If Pac-Man picks up one of Bonus Fruit's items he previously dropped, he can begin the cycle at the one he is currently holding. This technique, dubbed the [[Fruit Recycle]], allows Pac-Man to constantly pressure with his Bonus Fruit's items by allowing him to switch items and set up new combos after catching an item. Bonus Fruit's bell, in particular, can now [[paralyze]] opponents if it is Z-dropped, granting him a new item set-up.

Other improvements come in the form of changes to his mobility; his overall speed is faster compared to his mediocre speed in ''SSB4''. His [[recovery]] reaches further, as [[Power Pellet]] is faster and less punishable, grants even more distance, has less lag on a wall collision, and no longer makes him tumble when he runs into the ground, instead allowing him to move along the floor. Pac-Man has also received an abundance of buffs to his standard moveset: his up and down [[tilt attack]]s have less lag, and some of his best aerial combo starters (such as [[neutral aerial]] and [[forward aerial]]) have altered knockback, allowing his attacks to flow better into each other. The universal reduction to landing lag further improves his respectable combo ability by allowing him access to his quick aerials, while the ability to [[dash cancel]] ground moves lets him approach with his tilts.

Some of Pac-Man's attacks have new benefits: [[down tilt]] is less punishable due to its momentum changes and lower ending lag, [[dash attack]] gains an additional hit while having even less ending lag (relative to its final hit), [[down aerial]]'s hits link together much better and inflict more damage, and his new [[up tilt]] being faster overall and having higher vertical range. Finally, Pac-Man's mediocre KO potential has been improved: his [[smash attack]]s have less start-up, Power Pellet's fully charged sweetspot and forward smash are much stronger, back aerial launches at a lower angle, down aerial's final hit is much stronger and launches at a much lower angle, and Bonus Fruit's aforementioned buffs allow Pac-Man earlier access to its key.

However, Pac-Man received some noticeable nerfs that affect his combo game. The mechanics of his Bonus Fruit's items have been changed in many ways, severely limiting the variety of item techniques he can perform: the time window for catching the items is now very narrow, as most of the items disappear almost immediately after hitting an opponent, while the cherry and strawberry now have a set distance and no longer linger on the ground.

Bonus Fruit's items also cannot be picked up again after being Z-dropped; when coupled with the changes to [[footstool]]s and [[lock]]s, Pac-Man can no longer perform his notorious [[zero-to-death]] footstool combos. While all these changes prevent the opponent from capitalizing on his own fruits, it also makes his item-camping play even more straightforward. [[Fire Hydrant]]'s physics have also been changed, as it loses more momentum and height from each bounce, making it less effective for coverage and set-ups when it is launched. In addition, many moves are less useful for launching Hydrant, lessening the variety of coverage and pressure.

Pac-Man's new up tilt is more situational than his previous up tilt, as it can no longer hit opponents directly next to him, and it is unable to launch Fire Hydrant backward. Neutral and forward aerials have lost their ability to [[lock]], although this is compensated by their adjusted knockback values enabling them to combo at wider percentages. [[Pac-Jump]] is even more exploitable than before, as opponents can now hit the trampoline to reduce its uses. Finally, Pac-Man retains many of his former issues despite his buffs, such as mediocre overall range and a dependence on setups to KO.

Overall, Pac-Man's moveset is more consistent for close-quarters combat, and his tools have been improved to keep up with the fast pace of ''Ultimate''. The changes overall make Pac-Man a significantly more formidable fighter, although his playstyle has less of an emphasis over item stalling and rewards item positioning and setups more than before. Although Pac-Man's representation is generally minimal, he has obtained very strong results competitively regardless, thanks to the efforts of players such as {{sm|EKING}}, {{sm|Sinji}} and especially {{sm|Tea}}. As a result, Pac-Man has achieved a positive reception across the community overall, where he is near universally considered to be a high tier character in comparison to his low tier status in ''SSB4'', with some players like {{sm|Mew2King}} and {{sm|MkLeo}} even claiming that Pac-Man is a top tier fighter.

Pac-Man received a mix of buffs, nerfs and glitch fixes via game updates, but was buffed slightly overall. Update 1.2.0 introduced a universal nerf by removing the ability to Z-drop items out of hitstun. This nerf hurt Pac-Man more than any other fighter, as it removed the defensive strategy of opponents getting hit by [[Bonus Fruit]]'s item that Pac-Man is holding while attacking, allowing Pac-Man to run away and possibly punish the opponent. Update 2.0.0 then buffed Pac-Man's combo potential by making his forward and down aerials autocancel earlier and having Bonus Fruit's items last longer after making contact, widening the window to follow up and more easily keep opponents in hitstun.

Update 3.0.0's near-universal nerf to projectiles' shield damage outputs noticeably affected Bonus Fruit and [[Fire Hydrant]]. Update 3.1.0 improved up smash's first hit ability to link into its second hit by adjusting its launching angle. Update 4.0.0 fixed a notorious flaw with Pac-Man being forced to drop charging Bonus Fruit while being reversed; this no longer makes Pac-Man vulnerable after being reversed and now possibly lets him punish the opponent. Update 7.0.0 enlarged Pac-Man's shield as part of a near-universal buff, while update 8.0.0 nerfed his rolls slightly by standardizing their lag with the rest of the cast's rolls.

Overall, Pac-Man fares mildly better than he did at the launch of ''Ultimate''. Although his optimal game plan has changed from that of a zoner to more of a bait-and-punish style because of the universal item and projectile nerfs and his combo-oriented buffs, Pac-Man's competitive standing has not changed much and he remains among the most significantly buffed veterans in the game (similarly to {{SSBU|Palutena}}, {{SSBU|Roy}} and {{SSBU|Pichu}}).