Zero Suit Samus (SSB4)

Zero Suit Samus in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	Metroid
Other playable appearance	in Brawl
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Gunship

“	Zero Suit Samus Zeroes In!	”
—Introduction Tagline

Zero Suit Samus (ゼロスーツサムス, Zero Suit Samus) is a playable character that appears in Super Smash Bros. 4. She was confirmed in the Super Smash Bros. Direct on April 8, 2014, a decade to the same day Metroid: Zero Mission was released in Europe in 2004. Like Sheik, she is now a completely separate character from Samus, meaning the two cannot transform under any circumstances.

She is once again voiced by Alesia Glidewell, via reused voice clips from Brawl.

Changes from Brawl

Despite being a high tier character in Brawl, Zero Suit Samus appears to have been heavily buffed overall in her transition from Brawl to Smash 4. She has received a few more KO options such as increased knockback on her new forward smash and her new up special, the Boost Kick, the latter also giving her a new out-of-shield option. She gained more follow up options thanks to her faster down throw. She also gained more spacing and recovery option thanks to her new grab aerial. Lastly, she significantly benefits from the removal of histun cancelling, which lets her combo her opponents much more efficiently and set-up reliably many attacks and KOs.

However, Zero Suit Samus has also received some nerfs, most notably to her Plasma Whip, which has lost its reliable KO potential. Less stun time on her down smash makes it slightly more difficult to follow up on other attacks. Out of combos, her aerial prowess is also slightly worse than in Brawl. Patch 1.0.4 also slightly nerfed her Paralyzer.

Zero Suit Samus currently has high tournament representation, as demonstrated by high level players such as Nairo.

Aesthetics

• Her aesthetic design, like her armored form, is mainly based on her appearance in Metroid: Other M, though she still retains her taller and more athletic build, blue eyes, and hair style from Zero Mission. Her model is now also equipped with jet boots and some metal bracelets, and has a set of alternate costumes based on her appearances in the endings of Metroid: Zero Mission and Metroid Fusion.
• Zero Suit Samus has a wider range of facial expressions, such as a grimace with one eye closed when attacking and a dull, open-mouthed expression after tripping. Her mouth movements in general are also more clearly visible.

Attributes

• Unlike in Brawl, she is a completely separate character from Samus, and the two can no longer transform into each other in any circumstance.
• Since she is no longer connected to Samus, she cannot use Power Suit Pieces, removing her powerful early-game item play.
• New "Jet Boots" provide aesthetic changes to some attacks and practical changes to others.
• Zero Suit Samus jumps slightly lower, reducing vertical recovery.
• Zero Suit Samus dashes faster (1.93 → 2.1).
• Zero Suit Samus walks slightly faster. (1.33 → 1.4).
• Zero Suit Samus's air speed is higher (1.034 → 1.2).
• Zero Suit Samus falls faster (1.43 → 1.7).

Ground attacks

• Jab combo deals 1% less damage (7 → 6%).
• Third hit of jab combos better.
• Dash attack is now a flying knee instead of a flying kick. It deals more damage (7 → 8%) but has less range and is laggier.
• Forward tilt damage values are different (6/6/9 → 8/7/8).
• Up tilt deals 1% more damage (11 → 12%) and has slightly stronger growth (80 → 90).
• Down tilt has an added sweetspot hitbox that deals 8%.
• Zero Suit Samus has a new forward smash, which is now a double kick forward. Compared to the old forward smash it comes out faster (frame 20 → frame 16), the second hit has stronger knockback (35 base/100 growth → 28 base/109 growth), and it overall deals more damage (13 → 16%).
• New forward smash has decreased reach, and can no longer hit opponents standing directly behind her.
• Up smash deals 1% less damage (12 → 11%), albeit with its knockback compensated.
• Up smash is harder to SDI out of.
• Down smash deals less damage (11 → 8/6%), weakening the powerful utility it had in Brawl, although its knockback was compensated.

Aerial attacks

• Neutral aerial is now properly affected by stale-move negation.
• Neutral aerial comes out slower (frame 6 → frame 10).
• Forward air does much less damage (17 → 12) without proper compensation on its knockback.
• Due to its reduced power, forward aerial is a better combo attack (most notably out of a down throw) and both hits can land easier.
• Back aerial deals less damage (13/12/12 → 12/10%), though with its knockback (mostly) compensated.
• Back aerial has more landing lag (9 frames → 11 frames).
• Up aerial deals less damage (10 → 8%) without proper compensation on its knockback.
• Up aerial's lower knockback makes it better for combos.
• Up aerial's start up is slower (frame 4 → frame 6).
• Down aerial has less landing lag (40 frames → 30 frames).
• Down aerial has slightly more base knockback (30 → 35), deals more damage (5/4 → 6/5%), and the landing hitbox has more growth (90 → 110).
• Zero Suit Samus now has a grab aerial, where she fires her Plasma Whip forward. Like most grab aerials, it has long horizontal range and no landing lag, and can be used to tether edges.

Throws/other attacks

• Her grab has much less ending lag.
• Her grab has shorter range.
• All throws are stronger, which weakens Zero Suit Samus's follow-up options after a grab at higher percentages.
• Forward and back throws have less base knockback, which allow her to follow with a dash attack at lower percentages.
• Down throw is faster and leads into aerials more efficiently.

Special moves

• Zero Suit Samus fires Paralyzer in an altered pose.
• Plasma Whip deals much less damage (19 → 8) and is no longer a reliable KO option outside of stage spikes and edgeguarding.
• New up special: Boost Kick, an upwards-moving dive kick deals multiple hits leading into a finishing blow. It has much more utility than Plasma Wire and is extremely powerful (KOing below 100% near the ledge). It can be used for punishing rolls, mindgames, and as a fatal combo finisher out of up aerial, down smash, Flip Jump (on grounded opponents at the end of move's arc), and down throw at high percentage. It is also a good out of shield option.
• Boost Kick lacks a meteor smash effect. It also doesn't reach quite as far vertically as Plasma Wire did, reducing Zero Suit Samus's recovery slightly.
• Flip Jump can now bury opponents. It also does more damage (12 → 14%).
• Flip Jump no longer has sex kick properties, now dealing the same damage regardless of when it hits.
• Flip Jump now produces an afterimage graphical effect. Zero Suit Samus also bounces off of her opponent once she connects.
• Zero Suit Samus has a new Final Smash involving her jumping into her Gunship and firing from the front of the screen, similar to Snake's Final Smash in Brawl.

Moveset

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			1.5%	Palm strike, pistol whip, elbow. It is notable for having the fastest start up of any jab (tied with Little Mac). It activates on frame 1 making it incredible for interrupting attacks and an incredible out of shield option.
			1.5%
			3%
Forward tilt	↗		8% (leg), 6.5% (body)	An around-the-body kick. Can be angled. When angled down at low percentages, it can trip.
	→		7% (leg), 6% (body)
	↘		8% (leg), 6.5% (body)
Up tilt			5% (hit 1), 7% (hit 2)	Does a handstand split while spinning in place, legs moving up vertically. Pretty high knockback at high percentages. Replaces hed down smash as a semi-effective means of hitting opponents on both sides.
Down tilt			8% (leg), 6% (foot)	A prone leg-sweep. Knocks upwards from afar, knocks diagonally at close range. Can combo into other moves well at low and high percentages alike, though this is situational.
Dash attack			8% (clean), 5% (late)	Does a flying knee forward. When powershielded, opponents often try to shield grab her, only for her to succesfully do a cross-up.
Forward smash			5% (hit 1), 11% (hit 2)	Does a double kick forward. The second hit has a visible sweetspot, being the small burst of fire at the tip of Samus' foot, which is stronger and deals flame damage. Her strongest smash attack, and a reliable finisher out of a down smash. KOs in the late 110s.
Up smash			4% (hit 1), 0.8% (hits 2-6), 3% (hit 7)	Spins in place, extending the Plasma Whip up above her head in a swirl. Hits multiple times, has long vertical disjointed range and decent horizontal range, and fast startup. Only the tip of the plasma whip does knockback.
Down smash			8% (near), 6% (far)	Aims down and shoots her gun at the ground in front of her. Only hits in front. Low damage and delayed knockback, but paralyzes the target for a short time. Unique attack that can be followed up by a forward smash, a grab, Boost Kick, or another move. The shot is a projectile, and although it can't be reflected, it can still be absorbed.
Neutral aerial			10% (hit 1), 10% (hit 2)	Spins the Plasma Whip around herself. Fairly long range, but with below average knockback, though this lets her followup with other aerials.
Forward aerial			5% (hit 1), 7% (hit 2)	Two forward kicks, with the second being stronger and slightly faster than the first. It is difficult to hit with both kicks unless taking advantage of upward and forward momentum from a jump. Second kick can be landed without first kick, but it requires correct timing. Good when used out of a down throw if read the opponents' DI.
Back aerial			12% (foot), 10% (leg)	Backward kick, has high knockback. KOs at 105% near the edge.
Up aerial			8%	Flip kicks both legs above her head. Arguably her best aerial, it is excellent at juggling due to its fast startup, and even better at comboing due to its low base knockback and high scaling. It can combo into itself at low percents and, with enough rage, it can lead into a Boost Kick after a second one has been landed, leading to a KO.
Down aerial			6% (aerial), 5% (grounded), 5.5% (landing)	A stall-then-fall. Samus stalls momentarily in midair, and then shoots down diagonally (similar to Sonic and Sheik's down aerials). If it hits at the first frames of the move, it is a meteor smash. It is dangerous if she doesn't land onstage, as it will not stop until for some time, however, its extremely fast vertical descent speed makes it an effective way to counter juggling.
Grab aerial			3% (early), 6% (clean)	Fires her Plasma Whip forward. Long horizontal range and no landing lag.
Grab			—
Pummel			2%	Knees her victim. A fairly fast pummel.
Forward throw			2% (hit 1), 7% (throw)	Hits opponent forward with gun.
Back throw			2% (hit 1), 4% (throw)	Kicks opponent behind herself. Is infamous for leading into a Flip Kick near the edge for a potential spike.
Up throw			2% (hit 1), 8% (throw)	Flips into the air and kicks the opponent upward. This is her most powerful throw, knockback wise. However, it has somewhat high ending lag, with a down throw being the preferred way to get opponents into the air for combos.
Down throw			2% (hit 1), 5% (throw)	Slams opponent on ground and then axe kicks them. Ideal for combos, it can combo into an up air, forward air/back air (if read the opponent's DI), a running up smash or a Boost Kick at high percents.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%
Edge attack Edge getups			7%
Neutral special	Default	Paralyzer	4% (uncharged), 6% (charged)	Samus pulls out her gun and fires a paralyzing shot. Can be charged for longer stun time.
	Custom 1	Blast Shot	2% (uncharged), 3.5% (charged)	Higher range and speed, but weaker with no paralyzation.
	Custom 2	Electromagnetic Net	0.8% (uncharged most), 1% (uncharged end), 1% (charged most), 2% (charged end)	Shot has little range but explodes in an ever-increasing range.
Side special	Default	Plasma Whip	2% (wire, near), 1% (wire, far), 6% (sweetspot)	Samus fires the plasma whip from her gun forwards a distance. The whip itself does repeated damage but the tip has a fiery sweetspot, which knocks foes away.
	Custom 1	Plasma Dash	2% (per hit)	Instead of using her whip, Samus performs a dashing gun strike.
	Custom 2	Whip Lash		Draws in the opponent instead of pushing them away. Only the tip does anything.
Up special	Default	Boost Kick	5% (first), 1.3% (loop), 4% (last)	A rising jump kick attack, ending with a swift roundhouse. Very powerful when the last kick connects, and one of her best KO moves, KOing the majority of the cast at roughly 100%. Excellent out of shield option.
	Custom 1	Impact Kick	6% (hit 1), 14% (hit 2)	The kicks are more powerful, but are performed only twice.
	Custom 2	Lateral Kick	5% (first), 1.3% (loop), 5% (last)	The move travels more horizontal distance than vertical distance.
Down special	Default	Flip Jump	8% (footstool), 14% (kick)	A quick leaping dodge that can also strike enemies on descent, burying them. Pressing the attack button makes Samus do a reverse kick that has high KO potential.
	Custom 1	Shooting Star Flip Kick	8% (footstool), 17% (clean kick), 14% (late kick)	The manual kick flies downwards.
	Custom 2	Low Kick	4% (footstool), 8% (clean kick), 6% (late kick)	The jump attains little height, but more sideways distance.
Final Smash		Gunship	0.8% (loop), 10% (last)	Samus summons her Gunship from the background and jumps into it as it flies into the foreground. While Samus is piloting her ship, a reticle appears on the screen, allowing her to fire a maximum of five double lasers at any spot she chooses. When enough time has passed or she has fired six lasers, she will return to the stage from the sky, ending the Final Smash.

Taunts

• Up: Throws her gun into the air, spins and catches it behind her and says "Is that all?".
• Side: Activates her whip, flicks it and says "Try me".
• Down: Samus spins multiple times quickly on one foot, twirling her plasma whip around her like a rhythmic gymnast and says, "You're mine!"

Idle poses

• Checks her Paralyzer.
• Stands up straight and looks around, holding her Paralyzer to her face.

On-screen appearance

Jumps out of her gunship and lands with her jet boots.

Victory Fanfare

A flourished remix directly from Brawl based on the sound clip that would play when Samus Aran obtained a new power-up or addition to her Power Suit. It would also play when Samus defeated Ridley and Kraid. It is shared with Samus.

Victory Poses

• ZeroSuitSamusPose1WiiU.png
• ZeroSuitSamusPose2WiiU.png
• ZeroSuitSamusPose3WiiU.png

• Backflips to the screen.
• Slashes with her energy whip and says "Be still."
• Does a side kick flex, making the Screw Attack symbol.

In Competitive Play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character	Custom sets available
Zero Suit Samus	1311	1312	1112	2311	2111
	2312	2112	1211	1332	1132

Notable players

•  BengalsRZ
•  Choco
•  Leon
•  Marss
•  Nairo
•  Nick Riddle
•  Serudos

Update history

1.0.4

• Air dodge landing lag standardized from 15 frames to 22.
• Uncharged Paralyzer has a few more recovery frames.
• Up smash startup: 8 frames → 10
• Up smash first hitbox length: 1 frame → 2
• Up smash timing: hits on 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 28-29 → hits on 10-11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 26, 28-29
• Paralyzer (default), when fully charged, now has different effect on grounded versus aerial opponents.
  • Grounded opponent angle: 60 → 315

Alternate costumes

Trophies

Zero Suit Samus

Samus is far from helpless when her Power Suit is deactivated. Sure, she loses a lot of the moves and weapons she had access to before, but her Jet Boots pick up the slack! She also has the Paralyzer, a versatile weapon that can shock her rivals or change into a Plasma Whip to grab edges and enemies.

Without her Power Suit, Samus Aran may not have her usual strength, specials moves or over-powered arm cannon, but her Jet Boots definitely kick things up a notch in their own way. The Paralyzer, her gun, does just what you'd expect it to, but it can also turn into a whip for attacking and grabbing onto edges while falling.

: Metroid: Zero Mission (02/2004)

: Metroid: Other M (08/2010)

Zero Suit Samus (Alt.)

Zero Suit Samus's up special Boost Kick involves a series of fast kicks that end with a swift, sideways-launching one. A perfectly executed attack will hit eight times! Her down special Flip Jump can bury a grounded fighter in the dirt. She can kick midflip by pressing the special button.

Zero Suit Samus's Boost Kick up special finishes with a swift sideways kick. If you start the move close to an opponent, you can hit them up to eight times and launch them sideways! Her main down special, Flip Jump, buries opponents if you land on them at the end of it. Alternatively, press the button again mid-flip for a drop kick.

: Metroid: Zero Mission (02/2004)

: Metroid: Other M (08/2010)

Gunship (Zero Suit Samus)

Samus's Gunship is her way of travelling through space and her base of operations when exploring hostile planets. In Zero Suit Samus's Final Smash, she can use her Gunship to fire powerful beams at other fighters, hitting them multiple times, even if they're hiding off-screen! At least they can be thankful it doesn't go on forever.

Samus's spaceship carries her through space and serves as her base of operations during her missions. Zero Suit Samus will call down and board her Gunship with her Final Smash. Once she's in the pilot's seat, she has a short time to unleash up to five powerful shots from the ship's weapons. Foes aren't safe even hiding off-screen!

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  Classic (3DS)

• 

  Alt. (3DS)

• 

  Classic (Wii U)

• 

  Alt. (Wii U)

• 

  Gunship (Final Smash)

Gallery

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  Zero Suit Samus's splash art.

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  Zero Suit Samus's amiibo.

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  Holding her Paralyzer.

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  Firing her Paralyzer.

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  Firing an attack at Link.

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  An aerial attack.

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  Below a suited Samus.

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  Using jet boots in the air.

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  A handstand attack.

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  Wearing a Bunny Hood.

• SSB4 - ZSS Screen-9.jpg

  Her appearance in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

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  A diving pose.

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  Zero Suit Samus, with her power suit, showing off their rockets.

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  Zero Suit Samus about to kick Pit, who is trapped by a Metroid.

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  Flip Jump with Wii Fit Trainer.

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  Zero Suit Samus fighting Rosalina in the Boxing Ring.

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  Zero Suit Samus's black palette swap fighting Pac-Man

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  Zero Suit Samus's doing her new Boost Kick.

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  Zero Suit Samus's alternate costumes based on Metroid: Zero Mission and Metroid Fusion.

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  The alternate costumes as they appear in the 3DS version.

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  Zero Suit Samus alongside Ridley in the Pyrosphere.