Lucario (SSBB)

This article is about Lucario's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. For other uses, see Lucario.

Lucario
Lucario
Universe	Pokémon
Appears in	SSBB
Availability	Unlockable
Tier	B (10/11)

Lucario (ルカリオ, Rukario) is a character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. It is said to have replaced Mewtwo, though their fighting styles are different. While primarily a Fighting/Steel-type Pokémon, most of Lucario's moves are augmented with its innate ability to use "Aura", in a style very similar to Mewtwo's Psychic augmented fighting style, but with different techniques similar to martial arts. Like Mewtwo, its voice acting attributed to its telepathic abilities demonstrated in the movie Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, except it seems to speak more than Mewtwo did, especially when announcing its Final Smash, and during its victory poses. Lucario is unique among the fighters in that its attacks that rely on Aura become more powerful as it takes damage, capping at 182%. Its power also increases slightly if it is behind in a match, effectively meaning that it is more powerful if fighting at a "disadvantage".

The current tier ranks Lucario 10/11th, tied with Olimar, in the list due to its Aura properties with long ranged, long lasting attacks and the ability to build up damage through various combos and juggling as well as good balance in power and speed.

How to Unlock

Complete one of the following:

• Play 100 matches in Brawl, then defeat Lucario.
• Complete the Target Test on all difficulty levels with one character (this can be done on 1 or 2 player mode), then defeat Lucario.
• Get Lucario to join your party in The Subspace Emissary.

Attributes

In general, Lucario is a character with moderate speed and good attack range. However, due to its "high risk, high return" nature, it is very difficult to pull off a good KO without Lucario also having a high damage percent, as all his Aura-based moves have below-average knockback for their respective classes when not powered up by the Aura buff. His recovery is similarly hit and miss. Lucario has good jumps and the only any-direction (rather than just 8-way) up+B in the game, as well as the best wall jump in the game (by far) and the ability to wall cling even out of his up+B, but because ExtremeSpeed does no damage, stages without walls at the edge can make him susceptible to edge-hogging. Regardless, Lucario is an excellent character, possessing great combo potential, space control, and disjointed hitboxes, with the added bonus of being one of the better defensive/camping characters in the game.

Lucario's offensive power lies primarily in its ability to initiate combos well into the upper-mid percentages. At low damage, all of Lucario's Aura moves have weaker-than-usual knockback, which makes them relatively easy to chain into one another. The best example is his up-tilt attack, which is a great juggle despite its low damage returns, and combos well with his similarly-low-knockback up-throw. Up-tilt is quick and actually begins behind him, giving it well-rounded coverage. From there Lucario can follow up with up-airs and forward-airs, or forward-tilts and Force Palm grabs if the opponent is still close to the ground, and can finish with higher knockback moves like neutral-air or up-smash (though these moves need to hit, given their large ending lag). Speaking of Force Palm, Lucario can use it to chain-throw many characters at percents below 30%, and a few of the larger or fast-falling ones can be chained a little beyond that. Force Palm also chains fantastically out of a jab combo at any percent (before the third hit). In the air, Lucario generally has no problem chaining his forward-air into itself, lending it a weak-but-effective Wall of Pain effect, and can usually be finished off with an up-air or neutral-air for good knockback.

More than anything though, Lucario excels at ground-based defense. Opponents will find themselves wanting to approach to stem the tide of Aura Spheres coming their way, as a good Lucario will use this signature technique constantly to churn out the damage, but Lucario's disjointed hitboxes can easily pierce their approach should they not plan accordingly. F-tilt acts as a decent anti-short-hop tool when angled upward, f-smash is long-ranged, deadly, and quickly canceled, and his forever-and-a-day up-smash will make foes think twice about approaching from the air. Lucario also has an exceedingly quick, albeit short-ranged, grab that, for some reason, grabs opponents pretty effectively out of the air ("grabbing with its ears" almost, and this goes double for Force Palm). Since his opponents will usually be trying to close in, Lucario will find himself shielding out of Aura Sphere and f-tilt/smash frequently, making the grab speed invaluable and the range only a minor inconvenience. As a final defensive measure, Lucario has a unique counterattack in Double Team. It has the smallest active frames of any counter-attack in the game, but it is also the only counter capable of KOing regardless of the attack used to activate it. It does not work as an attack-multiplier, instead possessing its own inherent knockback based on Aura.

Lucario does have an issue with killing, as it is necessary for him to have a damage percent of at least 100% before he can begin to reliably KO. If Aura is accounted for, Lucario has a number of KO moves at any range, even possessing some killing throws. Forward throw and back throw are the most potent aspect of his grab game, as one can kill at slightly lower percents with high Aura (forward, Aura-based), whereas the other can do so at slightly higher percents with no Aura (back, physical). Outside of that, Lucario's best kill moves are d-air and f-smash, with both having the capabilities to surprise opponents, send them flying, and prevent them from punishing even on a miss. Lucario's powerful Aura Sphere gives him one final ace up his sleeve for kills at any distance, should it be fully charged, though with high Aura even partially charged ones can kill.

Lucario is at his best when he is higher than 100% after getting the first kill, taking only minimal damage as the match progresses to increase his damage output and kill potential while sacrificing combo ability. The difficulty, naturally, lies in getting that first kill without first getting killed, which is especially the case for Lucario, and is his major drawback along with his somewhat gimpable recovery (depending on the stage). However, even when drastically behind in a match, Lucario's Aura allows it to utilize solid defensive play to regain even footing with his opponent, making it the number one "comeback character" in the game.

Aura

Lucario is unique among the fighters in that its attacks that rely on Aura become more powerful as it takes damage, capping at around 180% (when attacks are twice as strong). Its power also increases if it is behind in a match (and decreases once it pulls ahead), effectively meaning that it is more powerful if fighting at a "disadvantage." If a player is skilled enough, they can survive to over 180% while churning out deadly Aura-based attacks, using hit-and-run tactics to win. Conversely, a Lucario fighting with 0% damage and a stock advantage has practically no kill power, so it is always wise to play defensively with Lucario.

As a general idea, Lucario's power is increased by about 1% (from the base damage) for every 2% on its damage meter, up to 180%. It also gets an additional multiplier based on its current stock standing in stock matches (80% at a 2-stock advantage, 90% if ahead by 1 stock, 120% if behind by 1 stock, and 140% if at a 2-stock disadvantage).

Moveset

Note: Lucario's Aura-powered attacks gain power and knockback at higher damages.

Ground Attacks

Normal

• Neutral attack - Lucario slashes forwards, does a palm thrust, and then kicks high. Each hit has blue aura accompanying it and moves Lucario a fair bit forward. A good combo starter before the third hit. Initial damage: 1st hit is 2%, 2nd is 1%, 3rd hit is 4%. Total damage is 7%.
• Dash attack - Lucario slides one leg forward on the ground, hitting low. Aura is not involved in this attack. 10% damage at outset, with useful pop-up behind him should the move land towards its end. Like most dash attacks, very vulnerable to shieldgrabs.
• Strong Down - Sweeps one leg out along the ground. Paws flare with aura when it does this. Hits in front and in back.
• Strong Side - Puts its paws together in front of itself with two small blasts of blue aura. Quicker and shorter ranged than its Forward smash. Can be aimed up or down a bit. Small amount of IASA frames allow it to cancel into itself effectively.
• Strong Up - Swings its leg in an arc over its head. Quick and can juggle. Hitting with only the Aura-powered foot gives the move a sweet-spot for higher damage/knockback. Similar to DK's up-tilt.

Smash

• Side Smash - Lucario places its paws together in front of itself and shoots a blast of blue aura energy, with great range and a good amount of active frames. Attack is strongest when only Aura blast connects. Move has IASA frames very quickly after active frames finish, making it unusually difficult to punish for such a strong move. A great Smash. Initial damage is 10%.
• Down Smash - Lucario brings its paws down to either side of it in a downwards slapping motion, similar in appearance to Sheik's Up Smash, except with blue aura around the hands. Horizontal knockback. Noticeable starting and ending lag, coupled with only decent range, make this his most difficult Smash to land. Even so, attack speed is pretty fast.
• Up Smash - Lucario holds its paw above its head, with a large burst of blue aura from it, and spins in place. Damages enemies in front and behind of Lucario, with the attack having an exceptional amount of active frames (lasting until nearly the end of the move). Good anti-air move.

Other

Ledge Attack - Lucario quickly gets back on the stage, attacking with a burst of Aura. Excellent range and a disjointed hitbox make this a very good ledge attack.

Over 100% Ledge Attack - Lucario slowly brings its feet over its head (a semi-flip) and kicks, releasing aura.

Floor attack - Spins around while getting up, kicking on one side, and punching on the other.

Trip attack - Lucario kicks forwards, then backwards.

Aerial Attacks

• Neutral Aerial - Lucario extends both of its hands with blue energy, and spins. The end effect is similar to Mewtwo's Neutral aerial, except with blue aura bursts instead of psychic sparks and much more knockback. Large amount of ending lag in the air, but minimal landing lag.
• Forward Aerial - Lucario kicks forward with a slight upwards tilt. The end has a small burst of blue aura energy, like most of Lucario's moves. It can also hit twice in one short hop and can always hit another time if an enemy is hit with the first one. This is a good combo move. Initial damage is 3%.
• Up Aerial - Lucario kicks similarly to its forward aerial, but higher, hitting in front of its head. Entire body is a hitbox, but sweet spot is the Aura burst near the foot.
• Down Aerial - Lucario pauses in the air, thrusts its feet together downwards, and lets out a fairly large burst of aura energy. Fairly long duration, and has unique properties that make it an incredibly powerful move. When it starts the move, all of its momentum is immediately canceled. This allows it to be used as an aid for recovery (stopping horizontal or vertical knockback to keep from going off the edge). It can also be used to perform a "pseudo-SHFFL": if used immediately after jumping, Lucario will cease to jump and immediately use the attack, making it one of the lowest possible attacking aerial moves. There is also no landing lag when doing this, as the entirety of the move is performed stationary in midair. Initial damage of first hit is 5%, 2nd hit is 6%. All together is 11%. Excellent knockback on 2nd hit.
• Back Aerial - Lucario slams one paw backwards, similar in appearance to Ganondorf's Back aerial. Accompanied by standard little burst of blue aura. Significant start-up time and landing lag, making it a poor choice near the ground, but a lasting hitbox makes it powerful for edge-guarding. Great knockback.

Grabs and Throws

• Pummel: Sends an instant pulse of Aura into its opponent with little lag (if any). Very low damage at low Aura percents makes up for speed, being the only pummel in the game capable of doing no damage on a hit. Great for counteracting Stale-Move Negation on other attacks. 1% alternately, losing speed but gaining power as Aura increases, to a max of 2% each pummel.
• Forward Throw: Uses Aura to blast opponent forward after twirling them once. Initial damage is 7%. Great horizontal knockback with higher Aura percents.
• Down Throw: Slams opponent straight into the ground in front of Lucario. Aura is not used in this attack. 10% damage. Decent setup attack at middle percents.
• Back Throw: Turns and slams the opponent behind itself. Aura is not used in this attack. 10% damage. An excellent kill-throw at high percents when near the edge due to great horizontal knockback, similar to Snake's forward throw.
• Up Throw: Uses aura to hit the opponent upwards with its paw. Initial damage is 4%. Extremely low knockback and knockback increase (even with Aura) make this an excellent combo move at practically any realistic combat percent.

Taunts

Up: Rises into the air, yells, and blue aura is emitted from its body.

Side: Moves its paws and puts one forward, and blue aura is emitted from that paw.

Down: Takes a martial arts stance similar to Link's taunt from the original.

Use In Training Mode

Since charging Aura Sphere causes enemies that touch the charging spere to be hit, it is possible to create a stage that bounces a large character, in Training Mode, back to the sphere, creating the ability to get extortionate combos which unlock the required trophies.

Role in The Subspace Emissary

Meta Knight is making his way up a snowy mountain with the Ice Climbers in pursuit. Meta Knight is trying to catch the Halberd which has flown overhead. At the top, he encounters Lucario in a meditative stance on the peak of the mountain. Lucario challenges Meta Knight and the two fight, as the Ice Climbers nervously watch on. After the battle, the victor revives the other from his trophy state. The pair deem each other worthy and shake hands, making an alliance. Suddenly the Halberd slams the Great Fox into the mountain, and Lucario and Meta Knight board it. After managing to get onto the Halberd, the two pass by Snake, who is hidden in his box. Lucario, being the only one who notices something suspicious about the box, uses its aura to peer into it. Seeing Snake huddled inside, Lucario removes it, and Snake realises that his cover is blown. Meta Knight draws his sword, but just as he and Snake prepare to fight, Lucario steps in, having sensed a mass of Primids approaching, and the three team up to fight through.

Lucario in the SSE

Not long after, the trio meets up with Zelda and Peach as their trophies are cloned by the Shadow Bugs. Once the clones are taken care of, Snake, Lucario and Meta Knight discover that the Halberd bridge is being piloted by a group of Mr. Game & Watches. They knock all of the Mr. Game & Watches out of the window, and they all land near Peach, Sheik, and Fox who have gathered on the deck of the ship. The Mr.G&Ws then revert into Shadow Bugs, which fuse into Duon. Lucario and Snake leap from the bridge to the aid of the trio already there, and they are joined by Falco, skydiving from his Arwing. They battle and defeat the monster, who collapses into wrecked metal, Shadow Bugs and Mr. Game & Watch's trophy. Peach revives him so he can join your party. Meta Knight, with the Halberd once again in his control, steers his vessel into brighter skies.

Lucario is later selectable in the Entrance to Subspace level, and is present when Tabuu turns all characters back into trophies. You must find its trophy in one of the Subspace levels, then you may choose it as part of your team for the Great Maze and for the fight against Tabuu himself.

Exclusive Stickers

The following stickers can either only be used by Lucario, or can only be used by a select few, including Lucario:

• Charizard: [Arm, Leg] Attack +10
• Deoxys: [Slash] Attack +10
• Entei: [Flame] Attack +20
• Goldeen: [Leg] Attack + 4
• Gulpin:[Electric] Attack +16
• Jigglypuff: [Body, Spin] Attack +31
• Jirachi: [Arm, Leg] Attack + 7
• Meowth: [Slash] Attack + 5
• Metagross: Launch Resistance +23
• Mew: [Body, Spin] Attack + 4
• Moltres: [Flame] Attack +20
• Pokémon Trainer: [Arm, Leg] Attack +13
• Staryu: [Specials: Direct] Attack + 3
• Togepi: [Body, Spin] Attack +11
• Torchic: [Flame] Attack + 8
• Box Boxer: [Aura] Attack +26
• Chikorita: [Aura] Attack +13
• Chozo Statue: [Aura] Attack +25
• Dry Bones: [Aura] Attack +17
• Lakitu: [Aura] Attack + 6
• Lucario: [Aura] Attack +41
• Munchlax : [Aura] Attack +13
• Rachel: [Aura] Attack +11
• Rayquaza: [Aura] Attack +24
• Starman: [Aura] Attack + 6

Pallet Swaps

File:Alt-lucario.jpg

Lucario's Pallet Swaps

Trivia

• In the Pokémon series average Lucario cannot use Aura to communicate with humans. This ability was unique to the Lucario in Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew. The Lucario from the movie never had a Poké Ball either, being from a time when they didn't exist. Lucario is the only Pokémon in Brawl not to use the standard Pokémon On-Screen Appearance of emerging from a Poké Ball, suggesting that the Lucario in Brawl is the same one from the film.
• Lucario, like all Pokémon in Brawl, has no specified gender and is primarily referred to as "it". However, there are two instances in Brawl in which Lucario is (likely mistakenly) referred to as "he" (Snake's Codec Message and the description for Event 25: The Aura is with Me). All other text in the game refer to Lucario as "it" . This also suggests that Lucario in Brawl is the same in the movie, as that Lucario was referred as a "he."
• Although implied to just be communicating with a form of telepathy, Lucario's mouth moves in sync with its victory quotes.
• Many have jokingly made analogies between Lucario and the main protagonist of the hit anime Dragon Ball Z, Goku mainly because of the similarities between Lucario's Final Smash and Goku's Kamehameha wave; and the fact that the English voice actor of Lucario in both the movie and the game, Sean Schemmel, also voices Goku in the anime and many games.
• With its first appearance in 2007, Lucario is the "youngest" fighter in Brawl. However, if this Lucario is indeed the same one as in the film it should be one of the oldest characters by literal means.
• If Lucario uses Double Team with a Pikmin attached to it and attacking, the Pikmin will "vanish" with Lucario.
• Reversal, a move Lucario can learn, is very weak, but increases in power the less healthy it is. The Aura property may come from this.
• Lucario's Pummel actually takes two hits to do 1% damage when it has low damage.
• If Lucario has a fully charged aura sphere and fires it at close range to a larger foe (ex. King Dedede, Bowser), while they are shielding, the Aura Sphere will have no effect, but will hover close to the ground for a few seconds before disappearing.

External links

• Gameplay footage and Final Smash
  
• Official DOJO!! Page
• Brawl Central's Lucario Character FAQ