Super Smash Bros. 4

Zelda (SSB4): Difference between revisions

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(*sigh* Better?)
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==Attributes==
==Attributes==
Zelda defies most other character archetypes resulting in a unique playstyle. Her approaching game is not the best while her out of shield and punish game is quite strong. She is generally played defensive but playing her aggressive without committing too much can offer large benefit. She has an average amount of combo starters such as falling neutral aerial (into grab or up tilt), up tilt (into more up tilts and aerials), down tilt (into tilts, grab or aerials) and down throw (into neutral and up aerials depending on rage and percents). Both her down aerial on grounded opponents and her jab can start combos or tech chases, depending on the opponent's percents and teching skills, [[Nayru's Love]] can also start tech chases. Zelda has some powerful KOing options: her up smash, forward smash and all of her aerials except of her neutral aerial can score KOs rather easily. In term of projectiles, she has a decent one in [[Phantom Slash]]. A chargeable attack, Phantom Slash sports both offensive and defensive capabilities and can even be used for edge-guarding against recovering opponents, as it can KO them surprisingly early if fully charged. Phantom Slash can also be used rather effectively when coming down from the upper corners of the stage to apply pressure to an opponent standing at the ledge. However, its ending lag, its poor reach at the lowest charges and its susceptibility to being [[Reflection|reflected]] may hinder its use if it is not used wisely. As already mentioned, Zelda has many ways to punish mistakes out of shield: she can use her fast and strong [[Lightning Kick]]s, her neutral aerial and [[Nayru's Love]]. But her best out of shield option and unarguably her greatest strength is [[Farore's Wind]]. In addition to being long-ranged and virtually unpredictable for the opponent to counter if used wisely, Farore's Wind is now one of Zelda's most viable KOing options due to being heavily buffed. Its powerful disappearing hitbox sends opponents directly upward, and if Zelda follows them straight up with its reappearing hitbox, it can KO characters around as low as 65%. Zelda can also stall herself in midair with [[Nayru's Love]] similarly to {{SSB4|Mario}} while using [[Cape]].  
Zelda's character archtype continues to be the same as in ''Melee'' and ''Brawl'': she is tall, light and floaty, with her [[falling speed]] being rather slow and having low [[gravity]] -though both of them are faster compared to her previous iterations-, along with having below average [[walking]] speed and her [[dashing]] speed being the fifth slowest in the game, though she has decent [[air speed]] and [[air acceleration]]. Even so, her mobility is still pretty low; this, combined with an arguably poor [[neutral game]], gives Zelda a poor approach.


Like {{SSB4|Mewtwo}}, Zelda has the inconvenient combination of being light and floaty, making her easy to KO and also being rather slow in midair. Her main way of dealing with projectiles, [[Nayru's Love]], is rather laggy. [[Phantom Slash]], her other defense against long-ranged pressure, is slightly situational and, along with [[Din's Fire]], do not help her camp very well. She has very laggy attacks with a few poorly placed hitboxes, making it a little difficult for her to KO despite her power.
Zelda defies most other character playstyles. While her approaching game is lacking, her out of shield and punish game is quite strong. She is generally played defensive but playing her aggressive without committing too much can offer large benefit. She has an average amount of combo starters such as falling neutral aerial (into grab or up tilt), up tilt (into more up tilts and aerials), down tilt (into tilts, grab or aerials) and down throw (into neutral and up aerials depending on rage and percents). Both her down aerial on grounded opponents and her jab can start combos or tech chases, depending on the opponent's percents and teching skills, [[Nayru's Love]] can also start tech chases. Zelda has some powerful KOing options: her up smash, forward smash and all of her aerials except of her neutral aerial can score KOs rather easily. In term of projectiles, she has a decent one in [[Phantom Slash]]. A chargeable attack, Phantom Slash sports both offensive and defensive capabilities and can even be used for edge-guarding against recovering opponents, as it can KO them surprisingly early if fully charged. Phantom Slash can also be used rather effectively when coming down from the upper corners of the stage to apply pressure to an opponent standing at the ledge. However, its ending lag, its poor reach at the lowest charges and its susceptibility to being [[Reflection|reflected]] may hinder its use if it is not used wisely.
 
As already mentioned, Zelda has many ways to punish mistakes out of shield: she can use her fast and strong [[Lightning Kick]]s, her neutral aerial and [[Nayru's Love]]. But her best out of shield option and unarguably her greatest strength is [[Farore's Wind]]. In addition to being long-ranged and virtually unpredictable for the opponent to counter if used wisely, Farore's Wind is now one of Zelda's most viable KOing options due to being heavily buffed. Its powerful disappearing hitbox sends opponents directly upward, and if Zelda follows them straight up with its reappearing hitbox, it can KO characters around as low as 65%. Zelda can also stall herself in midair with [[Nayru's Love]] similarly to {{SSB4|Mario}} while using [[Cape]].
 
As mentioned above, however, Zelda has the inconvenient combination of being light and floaty, making her easy to KO and also being rather slow in midair. Her main way of dealing with projectiles, [[Nayru's Love]], is rather laggy. [[Phantom Slash]], her other defense against long-ranged pressure, is slightly situational and, along with [[Din's Fire]], do not help her camp very well. She has laggy attacks with a few poorly placed hitboxes, making it a little difficult for her to KO despite her power.


Zelda possesses arguably some of the worst [[Character customization|custom moves]] in the game, as they fail to fix her significant problems. Nayru's Rejection reverses opponents, but has slighty increased starting lag and is overall weaker than Nayru's Love, with the saving grace being its increased intangibility. Farore's Windfall meteor smashes opponents, but only travels straight up while still halting her momentum while gaining no benefit from a double jump, and does not start KOing opponents regularly until the 400% range and higher, removing her most notable KOing option in the process. Aside from these, her remaining custom moves are only situational at best.
Zelda possesses arguably some of the worst [[Character customization|custom moves]] in the game, as they fail to fix her significant problems. Nayru's Rejection reverses opponents, but has slighty increased starting lag and is overall weaker than Nayru's Love, with the saving grace being its increased intangibility. Farore's Windfall meteor smashes opponents, but only travels straight up while still halting her momentum while gaining no benefit from a double jump, and does not start KOing opponents regularly until the 400% range and higher, removing her most notable KOing option in the process. Aside from these, her remaining custom moves are only situational at best.


==Changes from ''Brawl''==
==Changes from ''Brawl''==
Zelda has received a mix of buffs and nerfs in the transition from Brawl to SSB4, most of the nerfs she received where mostly too her already over abundant strength, and while several of her moves have less range and or power, these are in turn counteracted by makeing several of her moves more combo based such as her up tilt. The result of lowering the knockback of her moves give her a ligitemente  combo game, which was practically nonexistent in previous games. All of these changes make Zelda much  better than she was in melee and much better than she was brawl. However despite her buffs, Zelda still suffers from a unfortunate and moderately flawed character build ( being tall, lightweight, easy to K.O.) and despite the buffs to her slow speed, she's still quite slow. Overall many agree that Zelda is much improved from her melee incarnation, but is still debatable how effective of a fighter Zelda really is.
Zelda has received a mix of buffs and nerfs in the transition from Brawl to SSB4, however, few of her major flaws were addressed during the transition. Most of the nerfs she received were mostly to her power, this is most evident on her [[Lightning Kick]]s, while her up smash, down smash, up aerial, and up tilt had their knockback significantly reduced, her up and down smashes have less range, and Din's Fire is less maneuverable and harder to hit with. Most notably, she has also lost her ability to Transform into Sheik, and due to the latter being significantly buffed in the transition from ''Brawl'' to ''SSB4'', Zelda no longer has access to the numerous benefits that her alter-ego now possesses.
 
However, Zelda has also received some noticeable buffs. Farore's Wind, while risky, is now a very viable KOing option and out of shield option due to the significant increases to its damage output and knockback. Due to losing Transform, Zelda received a new down special in Phantom Slash. In addition to being a fairly strong projectile and capable edge-guarding option, the Phantom itself can block opponents' attacks and enable Zelda to attack from behind it. Lastly, while some of her moves are less powerful, several of them have been made more combo-based, courtesy of her up tilt's increased speed enabling it to chain into itself much like her down tilt can, while her down throw's altered launching trajectory sets her up for better aerial follow-ups. The result of lowering the knockback and increasing the speed of her moves give her a significantly improved combo game, which was practically nonexistent in previous games, and improves her previously mediocre damage racking capabilities. As of update [[1.0.6]], Zelda has also received multiple buffs as well.


Zelda has also received some noticeable buffs. Farore's Wind, while risky, is now a very viable KOing option and out of shield option due to the significant increases to its damage output and knockback. Due to losing Transform, Zelda received a new down special in Phantom Slash. In addition to being a fairly strong projectile and capable edge-guarding option, the Phantom itself can block opponents' attacks and enable Zelda to attack from behind it. Lastly, Zelda's combo game has been improved, courtesy of her up tilt's increased speed enabling it to chain into itself much like her down tilt can, while her down throw's altered launching trajectory sets her up for better aerial follow-ups. Unfortunately, zeldas major flaws still persist and were not fully addressed in the transition, in addition her moves do lees damage and knock back, this is extremely evident in her lighting kicks, they now have more  end lag and startup makeing them less useful overall.
All of these changes make Zelda more balanced than she was in ''Melee'' and ''Brawl''. However, despite her buffs, Zelda still suffers from a unfortunately flawed character build (being tall, light and floaty) and despite the buffs to her slow attacking speed and mobility, they still remain quite slow. Overall, it is debatable how much has she improved from ''Brawl''.


===Aesthetics===
===Aesthetics===
*{{change|Zelda once again appears as her ''Twilight Princess'' incarnation, but her overall color scheme is now noticeably brighter to appear in-line with ''SSB4'''s vibrant aesthetics. Her face is also more expressive.}}
*{{change|Zelda once again appears as her ''Twilight Princess'' incarnation, but her overall color scheme is now noticeably brighter to appear in-line with ''SSB4'''s vibrant aesthetics. Her face is also more expressive.}}
*{{change|Most of Zelda's magically augmented moves no longer have an electrical effect. They also have updated graphics and sound effects.}}
*{{change|Most of Zelda's moves have updated graphics and sound effects.}}
*{{change|Zelda's down throw has additional fiery effects and the re-appearance hit of [[Farore's Wind]] now has a slash effect instead of fiery effects.}}
*{{change|Up taunt has a different animation.}}
*{{change|Zelda's air dodge, sidestep, Lightning Kick and up taunt have new animations.}}


===Attributes===
===Attributes===
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*{{buff|Zelda's [[air speed]] is faster (0.987 → 1.04).}}
*{{buff|Zelda's [[air speed]] is faster (0.987 → 1.04).}}
*{{buff|Zelda [[Falling speed|falls]] faster (1.13 → 1.35).}}
*{{buff|Zelda [[Falling speed|falls]] faster (1.13 → 1.35).}}
*{{buff|Zelda's [[gravity]] is higher (0.067 → 0.071), allowing her to reach her maximum falling speed faster.}}
*{{change|Zelda's air dodge and sidestep have new animations.}}
*{{change|Zelda's magically augmented moves no longer have an [[electric]] effect, instead having a [[magic]] effect<!--Literally!-->.}}


===Ground attacks===
===Ground attacks===
*{{buff|[[Neutral attack]] deals 2% more damage (6% → 8%) and its hits connect together better.}}
*{{buff|[[Neutral attack]] deals 2% more damage (6% → 8%) and its hits connect together better.}}
*{{buff|[[Dash attack]]'s sweetspot has increased base knockback (70/70 → 85/70 (body), 50/70 → 80/50 (hand)).}}
*{{buff|[[Dash attack]]'s sweetspot has increased base knockback (70/70 → 85/70 (body), 50/70 → 80/50 (hand)), making it now capable of KOing at low percents.}}
*{{buff|Dash attack is now capable of KOing at low percents.}}
*{{change|[[Forward tilt]] no longer launches opponents backward. This makes it more of a KOing option when sweetspotted, though it can no longer be followed up by her back [[Lightning Kick]] as a result.}}
*{{change|[[Forward tilt]] no longer launches opponents backward. This makes it more of a KOing option when sweetspotted, though it can no longer be followed up by her back [[Lightning Kick]] as a result.}}
*{{nerf|Forward tilt deals less damage (13%/12%/11% → 12%/10%) and has slightly decreased range.}}
*{{nerf|Forward tilt deals less damage (13%/12%/11% → 12%/10%) and has slightly decreased range.}}
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*{{nerf|Up tilt deals 3.8% less damage (11% → 7.2%) and has decreased base knockback (65 → 45). As a result, it no longer KOs until around 150% despite its increased knockback scaling.}}
*{{nerf|Up tilt deals 3.8% less damage (11% → 7.2%) and has decreased base knockback (65 → 45). As a result, it no longer KOs until around 150% despite its increased knockback scaling.}}
*{{nerf|[[Down tilt]] deals less damage (8%/7% → 5.5%), though its knockback scaling has been compensated (80 → 120).}}
*{{nerf|[[Down tilt]] deals less damage (8%/7% → 5.5%), though its knockback scaling has been compensated (80 → 120).}}
*{{buff|[[Forward smash]] has decreased SDI multipliers, so opponents can no longer escape the move. It is also stronger (30/105 → 37/110).}}
*{{buff|[[Forward smash]] has decreased SDI multipliers, so opponents can no longer escape the move. The last hit is also stronger (30/105 → 37/110).}}
*{{nerf|[[Up smash]] has decreased knockback scaling (20/210 → 24/190).}}
*{{nerf|[[Up smash]] has decreased knockback scaling (20/210 → 24/190).}}
*{{nerf|Up and [[down smash]]es have decreased range.}}
*{{nerf|Up and [[down smash]]es have decreased range.}}
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*{{buff|[[Lightning Kick]]s ([[forward aerial]] and [[back aerial]]) are easier to land due to altered hitbox placements.}}
*{{buff|[[Lightning Kick]]s ([[forward aerial]] and [[back aerial]]) are easier to land due to altered hitbox placements.}}
*{{nerf|Both Lightning Kicks have decreased base knockback. They also have significantly longer ending lag and landing lag.}}
*{{nerf|Both Lightning Kicks have decreased base knockback. They also have significantly longer ending lag and landing lag.}}
*{{change|Both Lightning Kicks have a slightly different animation.}}
*{{nerf|[[Up aerial]] has decreased knockback scaling (110 → 90).}}
*{{nerf|[[Up aerial]] has decreased knockback scaling (110 → 90).}}
*{{buff|[[Down aerial]]'s sweetspot has a bigger hitbox and can now land on grounded opponents.}}
*{{buff|[[Down aerial]]'s sweetspot has a bigger hitbox and can now land on grounded opponents.}}
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*{{buff|[[Down throw]] now launches opponents at 100°, allowing for better follow-ups.}}
*{{buff|[[Down throw]] now launches opponents at 100°, allowing for better follow-ups.}}
*{{nerf|Down throw deals 4% less damage (10% → 6%).}}
*{{nerf|Down throw deals 4% less damage (10% → 6%).}}
*{{change|Down throw has additional fiery effects.}}
*{{buff|[[Up throw]] has decreased base knockback, allowing for better follow-ups.}}
*{{buff|[[Up throw]] has decreased base knockback, allowing for better follow-ups.}}


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*{{buff|[[Farore's Wind]] deals more damage (6% → 12%/13%/16%/18%), travels farther, has less start-up lag and has significantly more knockback, capable of KOing heavy characters below 70% and light characters below 50%. Its grounded first hit additionally sends the opponent directly upward, allowing it to combo into the re-appearance hit, creating a risky but strong out of shield option.}}
*{{buff|[[Farore's Wind]] deals more damage (6% → 12%/13%/16%/18%), travels farther, has less start-up lag and has significantly more knockback, capable of KOing heavy characters below 70% and light characters below 50%. Its grounded first hit additionally sends the opponent directly upward, allowing it to combo into the re-appearance hit, creating a risky but strong out of shield option.}}
*{{nerf|The re-appearance hitbox of Farore's Wind now has a sourspot that deals less damage.}}
*{{nerf|The re-appearance hitbox of Farore's Wind now has a sourspot that deals less damage.}}
*{{change|The re-appearance hit of [[Farore's Wind]] now has a slash effect instead of a fire effect.}}
*{{buff|Zelda has a new down special move, [[Phantom Slash]]. Phantom Slash enables her to summon a {{s|zeldawiki|Phantom}} that shoots forward like a projectile before slashing with its sword. The Phantom can block attacks and the move can be charged to shoot the Phantom further, although the charge cannot be stored.}}
*{{buff|Zelda has a new down special move, [[Phantom Slash]]. Phantom Slash enables her to summon a {{s|zeldawiki|Phantom}} that shoots forward like a projectile before slashing with its sword. The Phantom can block attacks and the move can be charged to shoot the Phantom further, although the charge cannot be stored.}}
*{{nerf|Due to it being able to act as a projectile, Phantom Slash can be [[Reflection|reflected]] or [[Pocket]]ed. The Phantom can also be destroyed, which temporarily prevents Zelda from re-using the move.}}
*{{nerf|Due to it being able to act as a projectile, Phantom Slash can be [[Reflection|reflected]] or [[Pocket]]ed. The Phantom can also be destroyed, which temporarily prevents Zelda from re-using the move.}}
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==Update history==
==Update history==
Zelda began receiving notable buffs beginning with update [[1.0.6]]. The hits of her forward and up smashes now connect together much better, while the latter smash attack has increased knockback and range. Phantom Slash has also received improvements in the forms of decreased ending lag the removal of a blind spot. Her neutral attack, up tilt, and down tilt all deal more damage, while her neutral, up, and down aerials have less ending lag.
Zelda began receiving notable buffs beginning with update [[1.0.6]]. The hits of her forward and up smashes now connect together much better, while the latter smash attack has increased knockback and range. Phantom Slash has also received improvements in the forms of decreased ending lag the removal of a blind spot. Her neutral attack, up tilt, and down tilt all deal more damage, while her neutral, up, and down aerials have less ending lag. Additionally, up tilt now has true combo potential and neutral aerial has become better for spacing. She is also slightly benefitted from the changes to the shield mechanics brought about in updates [[1.1.0]] and [[1.1.1]], due to her multi-hit moves and Lightning Kicks being safer on shield, making her hard to punish. However, despite the significant amount of buffs Zelda has received, they do not address her major issues.
Additionally, up tilt now has true combo potential and neutral aerial has become better for spacing. Despite the significant amount of buffs Zelda has received, they do not address her major issues. She is also one of the characters to not noticeably benefit from the changes to the shield mechanics brought about in updates [[1.1.0]] and [[1.1.1]], although she is not harmed by them either.


'''{{GameIcon|ssb4-3ds}} [[1.0.4]]'''
'''{{GameIcon|ssb4-3ds}} [[1.0.4]]'''
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|bairname=[[Lightning Kick]]
|bairname=[[Lightning Kick]]
|bairdmg=20% (clean foot), 4% (clean leg, late)
|bairdmg=20% (clean foot), 4% (clean leg, late)
|bairdesc=Performs a flying kick behind her. Same as her forward air, but it comes out 2 frames faster. The sweetspot is also a bit stronger, KOing around the 60%-80% range
|bairdesc=Performs a flying kick behind her. Same as her forward air, but it comes out 3 frames faster. The sweetspot is also a bit stronger, KOing around the 65%-85% range.
|uairname=&nbsp;
|uairname=&nbsp;
|uairdmg=15%
|uairdmg=15%
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|dairname=&nbsp;
|dairname=&nbsp;
|dairdmg=16% (clean), 5% (late leg), 4% (late foot)
|dairdmg=16% (clean), 5% (late leg), 4% (late foot)
|dairdesc= Stomps below her with a single foot. It [[meteor smash]]es opponents caught below Zelda's waist; the initial hitbox deals a powerful meteor smash, whereas later hitboxes hit opponents with a weaker meteor smash. A very useful [[edge-guard]]ing option, it can also work well as a follow-up from a down smash.  
|dairdesc=Stomps below her with a single foot. It [[meteor smash]]es opponents caught below Zelda's waist; the initial hitbox deals a powerful meteor smash, whereas later hitboxes hit opponents with a weaker meteor smash. A very useful [[edge-guard]]ing option, it can also work well as a follow-up from a down smash.  
|grabname=&nbsp;
|grabname=&nbsp;
|grabdesc=Waves her left arm down and her right arm up, restraining the opponent in front of her with magical energy. Fairly large grab range.
|grabdesc=Waves her left arm down and her right arm up, restraining the opponent in front of her with magical energy. Fairly large grab range.
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|nsc2name=Nayru's Passion
|nsc2name=Nayru's Passion
|nsc2dmg=15%
|nsc2dmg=15%
|nsc2desc=Sucks in opponents and explodes. The explosion has high knockback. Does not reflect
|nsc2desc=Sucks in opponents and explodes. The explosion has high knockback. Does not reflect.
|ssdefname=Din's Fire
|ssdefname=Din's Fire
|ssdefdmg=3-7% (sourspot), 7-14% (sweetspot)
|ssdefdmg=3-7% (sourspot), 7-14% (sweetspot)
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|fsname=Light Arrow
|fsname=Light Arrow
|fsdmg=1% (hit 1), 39% (throw first opponent) 29% (throw second opponent) 21% (throw third opponent)  
|fsdmg=1% (hit 1), 39% (throw first opponent) 29% (throw second opponent) 21% (throw third opponent)  
|fsdesc=Zelda takes put her light bow, which is the same bow she calls upon the gods in ''Twilight Princess'' to attack [[Ganondorf]] when on horse. She then fires an arrow of light sideways that deals significant damage and knockback -though with less damage for each consecutive enemy hit-, knocking opponents at a 45 degree angle.
|fsdesc=Zelda takes out her light bow, which is the same bow she calls upon the gods in ''Twilight Princess'' to attack [[Ganondorf]] by horse. She then fires an arrow of light sideways that deals significant damage and knockback -though with less damage for each consecutive enemy hit-, knocking opponents at a 45 degree angle.
}}
}}



Revision as of 04:57, November 12, 2015

This article is about Zelda's appearance in Super Smash Bros. 4. For the character in other contexts, see Princess Zelda.
Zelda
in Super Smash Bros. 4
Princess Zelda
ZeldaSymbol.svg
Universe The Legend of Zelda
Other playable appearances in Melee
in Brawl

Availability Starter
Final Smash Light Arrow
Zelda (SSB4)

Zelda (ゼルダ, Zelda) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. She was announced on December 26th, 2013, the date on which The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds was released in Japan.

Her voice actress is Jun Mizusawa, who voiced her in Melee, Brawl, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Her sound clips were reused from Brawl.

Attributes

Zelda's character archtype continues to be the same as in Melee and Brawl: she is tall, light and floaty, with her falling speed being rather slow and having low gravity -though both of them are faster compared to her previous iterations-, along with having below average walking speed and her dashing speed being the fifth slowest in the game, though she has decent air speed and air acceleration. Even so, her mobility is still pretty low; this, combined with an arguably poor neutral game, gives Zelda a poor approach.

Zelda defies most other character playstyles. While her approaching game is lacking, her out of shield and punish game is quite strong. She is generally played defensive but playing her aggressive without committing too much can offer large benefit. She has an average amount of combo starters such as falling neutral aerial (into grab or up tilt), up tilt (into more up tilts and aerials), down tilt (into tilts, grab or aerials) and down throw (into neutral and up aerials depending on rage and percents). Both her down aerial on grounded opponents and her jab can start combos or tech chases, depending on the opponent's percents and teching skills, Nayru's Love can also start tech chases. Zelda has some powerful KOing options: her up smash, forward smash and all of her aerials except of her neutral aerial can score KOs rather easily. In term of projectiles, she has a decent one in Phantom Slash. A chargeable attack, Phantom Slash sports both offensive and defensive capabilities and can even be used for edge-guarding against recovering opponents, as it can KO them surprisingly early if fully charged. Phantom Slash can also be used rather effectively when coming down from the upper corners of the stage to apply pressure to an opponent standing at the ledge. However, its ending lag, its poor reach at the lowest charges and its susceptibility to being reflected may hinder its use if it is not used wisely.

As already mentioned, Zelda has many ways to punish mistakes out of shield: she can use her fast and strong Lightning Kicks, her neutral aerial and Nayru's Love. But her best out of shield option and unarguably her greatest strength is Farore's Wind. In addition to being long-ranged and virtually unpredictable for the opponent to counter if used wisely, Farore's Wind is now one of Zelda's most viable KOing options due to being heavily buffed. Its powerful disappearing hitbox sends opponents directly upward, and if Zelda follows them straight up with its reappearing hitbox, it can KO characters around as low as 65%. Zelda can also stall herself in midair with Nayru's Love similarly to Mario while using Cape.

As mentioned above, however, Zelda has the inconvenient combination of being light and floaty, making her easy to KO and also being rather slow in midair. Her main way of dealing with projectiles, Nayru's Love, is rather laggy. Phantom Slash, her other defense against long-ranged pressure, is slightly situational and, along with Din's Fire, do not help her camp very well. She has laggy attacks with a few poorly placed hitboxes, making it a little difficult for her to KO despite her power.

Zelda possesses arguably some of the worst custom moves in the game, as they fail to fix her significant problems. Nayru's Rejection reverses opponents, but has slighty increased starting lag and is overall weaker than Nayru's Love, with the saving grace being its increased intangibility. Farore's Windfall meteor smashes opponents, but only travels straight up while still halting her momentum while gaining no benefit from a double jump, and does not start KOing opponents regularly until the 400% range and higher, removing her most notable KOing option in the process. Aside from these, her remaining custom moves are only situational at best.

Changes from Brawl

Zelda has received a mix of buffs and nerfs in the transition from Brawl to SSB4, however, few of her major flaws were addressed during the transition. Most of the nerfs she received were mostly to her power, this is most evident on her Lightning Kicks, while her up smash, down smash, up aerial, and up tilt had their knockback significantly reduced, her up and down smashes have less range, and Din's Fire is less maneuverable and harder to hit with. Most notably, she has also lost her ability to Transform into Sheik, and due to the latter being significantly buffed in the transition from Brawl to SSB4, Zelda no longer has access to the numerous benefits that her alter-ego now possesses.

However, Zelda has also received some noticeable buffs. Farore's Wind, while risky, is now a very viable KOing option and out of shield option due to the significant increases to its damage output and knockback. Due to losing Transform, Zelda received a new down special in Phantom Slash. In addition to being a fairly strong projectile and capable edge-guarding option, the Phantom itself can block opponents' attacks and enable Zelda to attack from behind it. Lastly, while some of her moves are less powerful, several of them have been made more combo-based, courtesy of her up tilt's increased speed enabling it to chain into itself much like her down tilt can, while her down throw's altered launching trajectory sets her up for better aerial follow-ups. The result of lowering the knockback and increasing the speed of her moves give her a significantly improved combo game, which was practically nonexistent in previous games, and improves her previously mediocre damage racking capabilities. As of update 1.0.6, Zelda has also received multiple buffs as well.

All of these changes make Zelda more balanced than she was in Melee and Brawl. However, despite her buffs, Zelda still suffers from a unfortunately flawed character build (being tall, light and floaty) and despite the buffs to her slow attacking speed and mobility, they still remain quite slow. Overall, it is debatable how much has she improved from Brawl.

Aesthetics

  • Change Zelda once again appears as her Twilight Princess incarnation, but her overall color scheme is now noticeably brighter to appear in-line with SSB4's vibrant aesthetics. Her face is also more expressive.
  • Change Most of Zelda's moves have updated graphics and sound effects.
  • Change Up taunt has a different animation.

Attributes

  • Nerf Zelda can no longer Transform into Sheik, with the latter becoming her own separate character. Since Sheik has been significantly buffed in the transition from Brawl to SSB4, Zelda no longer has access to the numerous benefits that her alter-ego now possesses.
  • Buff Zelda dashes faster (1.224 → 1.3).
  • Buff Zelda walks faster (0.8 → 0.87).
  • Buff Zelda's air speed is faster (0.987 → 1.04).
  • Buff Zelda falls faster (1.13 → 1.35).
  • Buff Zelda's gravity is higher (0.067 → 0.071), allowing her to reach her maximum falling speed faster.
  • Change Zelda's air dodge and sidestep have new animations.
  • Change Zelda's magically augmented moves no longer have an electric effect, instead having a magic effect.

Ground attacks

  • Buff Neutral attack deals 2% more damage (6% → 8%) and its hits connect together better.
  • Buff Dash attack's sweetspot has increased base knockback (70/70 → 85/70 (body), 50/70 → 80/50 (hand)), making it now capable of KOing at low percents.
  • Change Forward tilt no longer launches opponents backward. This makes it more of a KOing option when sweetspotted, though it can no longer be followed up by her back Lightning Kick as a result.
  • Nerf Forward tilt deals less damage (13%/12%/11% → 12%/10%) and has slightly decreased range.
  • Buff Up tilt has increased knockback scaling (105 → 110) and is faster. It can also chain into itself at low percents and be followed up by an aerial at higher percents.
  • Nerf Up tilt deals 3.8% less damage (11% → 7.2%) and has decreased base knockback (65 → 45). As a result, it no longer KOs until around 150% despite its increased knockback scaling.
  • Nerf Down tilt deals less damage (8%/7% → 5.5%), though its knockback scaling has been compensated (80 → 120).
  • Buff Forward smash has decreased SDI multipliers, so opponents can no longer escape the move. The last hit is also stronger (30/105 → 37/110).
  • Nerf Up smash has decreased knockback scaling (20/210 → 24/190).
  • Nerf Up and down smashes have decreased range.
  • Buff Down smash's second hit has increased knockback scaling (85 → 96).
  • Nerf Down smash's first hit comes out 1 frame later, lasts 1 frame shorter, and has decreased knockback scaling (95 → 86). Zelda's leg is also no longer intangible during the attack.

Aerial attacks

  • Buff Neutral aerial has increased knockback scaling (130/120 → 160) and more combo potential.
  • Nerf Neutral aerial deals less damage (15% → 11%/7%) and has a smaller hitbox.
  • Buff Lightning Kicks (forward aerial and back aerial) are easier to land due to altered hitbox placements.
  • Nerf Both Lightning Kicks have decreased base knockback. They also have significantly longer ending lag and landing lag.
  • Change Both Lightning Kicks have a slightly different animation.
  • Nerf Up aerial has decreased knockback scaling (110 → 90).
  • Buff Down aerial's sweetspot has a bigger hitbox and can now land on grounded opponents.
  • Nerf Down aerial's sweetspot is weaker (50/90 → 40/65).

Throws/other attacks

  • Buff Down throw now launches opponents at 100°, allowing for better follow-ups.
  • Nerf Down throw deals 4% less damage (10% → 6%).
  • Change Down throw has additional fiery effects.
  • Buff Up throw has decreased base knockback, allowing for better follow-ups.

Special moves

  • Buff Nayru's Love has less ending lag.
  • Change Nayru's Love's back hit no longer swirls a trapped target in front of Zelda.
  • Nerf Nayru's Love deals 3% less damage (15% → 12%).
  • Buff Sweetspotted Din's Fire has increased knockback.
  • Nerf Din's Fire deals less damage (16%/8% → 14%/7%) and it has decreased knockback (sourspot), while the explosion's range has been noticeably reduced. The maneuverability and travel distance of the fireball have also been lowered, making it far more unwieldy to control. It must also must travel a set distance away from Zelda before it can be detonated, leaving her open if it misses.
  • Buff Farore's Wind deals more damage (6% → 12%/13%/16%/18%), travels farther, has less start-up lag and has significantly more knockback, capable of KOing heavy characters below 70% and light characters below 50%. Its grounded first hit additionally sends the opponent directly upward, allowing it to combo into the re-appearance hit, creating a risky but strong out of shield option.
  • Nerf The re-appearance hitbox of Farore's Wind now has a sourspot that deals less damage.
  • Change The re-appearance hit of Farore's Wind now has a slash effect instead of a fire effect.
  • Buff Zelda has a new down special move, Phantom Slash. Phantom Slash enables her to summon a Phantom that shoots forward like a projectile before slashing with its sword. The Phantom can block attacks and the move can be charged to shoot the Phantom further, although the charge cannot be stored.
  • Nerf Due to it being able to act as a projectile, Phantom Slash can be reflected or Pocketed. The Phantom can also be destroyed, which temporarily prevents Zelda from re-using the move.
  • Nerf Light Arrow deals 2% less damage (42% → 40%) and has weaker knockback.

Update history

Zelda began receiving notable buffs beginning with update 1.0.6. The hits of her forward and up smashes now connect together much better, while the latter smash attack has increased knockback and range. Phantom Slash has also received improvements in the forms of decreased ending lag the removal of a blind spot. Her neutral attack, up tilt, and down tilt all deal more damage, while her neutral, up, and down aerials have less ending lag. Additionally, up tilt now has true combo potential and neutral aerial has become better for spacing. She is also slightly benefitted from the changes to the shield mechanics brought about in updates 1.1.0 and 1.1.1, due to her multi-hit moves and Lightning Kicks being safer on shield, making her hard to punish. However, despite the significant amount of buffs Zelda has received, they do not address her major issues.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS 1.0.4

  • Buff Up tilt deals 0.7% more damage: 6.5% → 7.2%.
  • Nerf Pivot grab's z-offset decreased: -4.0 – -18.7 → -4.0 – -15.7.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS 1.0.5

  • Change Pivot grab's animation altered.
  • Change Some attacks have improved visual effects.

Super Smash Bros. 4 1.0.6

  • Buff Forward smash's SDI multipliers decreased, enabling opponents to be kept in place better.
  • Buff Forward smash's loop hits' angles altered, enabling the move's hits to connect better.
  • Buff Phantom Slash's ending lag decreased.
  • Buff Phantom stays out for roughly a quarter of a second longer.
  • Nerf Phantom's respawn time increased: 6 seconds → 9.
  • Change Back Lightning Kick has improved visual effects.

Super Smash Bros. 4 1.0.8

  • Buff Up smash's knockback increased and it KOs 20% earlier.
  • Buff Up smash's SDI multipliers decreased, enabling opponents to be kept in place better.
  • Buff Up smash's multiple hits' hitbox sizes increased: 3 → 3.5.
  • Buff Neutral, up, and down aerials' landing lag decreased by approximately 3 frames.
  • Change Neutral aerial's front hits and back hits have had their damage outputs reversed: 1% → 2% (front), 2% → 1% (back).

Super Smash Bros. 4 1.1.0

  • Buff Neutral attack deals 2% more damage: 6% → 8%.
  • Buff Neutral attack's hits connect better and launches opponents at a more favorable angle.
  • Buff Neutral attack's final hit's base knockback increased: 24 → 35.
  • Nerf Neutral attack's final hit's knockback growth decreased (150 → 130).
  • Change Neutral attack's heavy position, bone, angle, size, and weight-based knockback adjusted on all hits.
  • Buff Up tilt's ending lag decreased: 32 frames → 29. This allows Zelda to perform true combos.
  • Buff Down tilt deals 1% more damage: 4.5% → 5.5%.
  • Buff Phantom Slash has a new 0% hitbox that leads into the sword's hitbox at low charges and pushes opponents away at high charges. This essentially removes the move's blind spot.
  • Buff Phantom Slash's ending lag decreased by 5 frames.

Super Smash Bros. 4 1.1.1

  • Buff Neutral aerial's back hits now drag opponents towards the front hits, allowing the move to deal more damage from this position.
  • Buff Farore's Squall's hitbox duration increased by 1 frame.
  • Buff Farore's Squall's ending lag decreased by 6 frames.
  • Buff Nayru's Passion's explosion hitbox start-up decreased by 5 frames.
  • Buff Nayru's Passion's windbox start-up decreased by 2 frames.
  • Change Nayru's Passion's windbox's position altered.

Moveset

  Name Damage Description
Neutral attack   2.5% (hits 1-2) 3% (hit 3) Sticks her hand out in front of herself and shoots a small blast of magical energy, pushing opponents slightly backward. A decent combo starter at low percents.
Forward tilt   12% (hand), 10% (arm) An outward fanning knifehand strike with her hand surrounded in magical energy. Can be angled. Moderately powerful for a tilt.
Up tilt   7.2% Waves her arm above her head in an arcing motion, with her hand surrounded in magical energy. Due to its speed, it can combo into itself at low percents and into an aerial at medium percents. The back hit has much more combo potential than the front hit.
Down tilt   5.5% Crouches and performs a shin kick. Due to its speed and its ability to slightly pop opponents into the air, it can combo into itself at low percents and then be followed up with a forward tilt or a forward smash.
Dash attack   12% (clean base), 9% (clean tip), 6% (late) A double palm thrust that produces a blast of magical energy con her hands, similar to Peach. Sweetspot is located at the beginning of the move. Can KO at medium-high percents near the edge.
Forward smash   1% (hits 1-4), 13% (hit 5) Charges magic energy in her right hand, then performs a palm thrust that produces a blast of magical energy, hitting opponents multiple times before knocking them away. Decently high knockback at high percents, and can KO at ~108%. Can also be used to pressure shields.
Up smash   2% (hits 1-4), 0.8% (hits 5-7), 5% (hit 8) Charges magic energy in her left hand and waves it in an arcing motion above her head twice, hitting opponents multiple times before knocking them away. High knockback, but low range. Can KO around 100% uncharged.
Down smash   12% (hit 1), 10% (hit 2) A spinning shin kick that hits on both sides, knocking opponents away. The fastest down smash in the game, it is also a semi-spike and can be used as a set-up for a down air when knocking the opponent off-stage.
Neutral aerial   2% (hits 1-4 front), 1% (hits 1-4 back), 3% (hit 5) Zelda spins on her own axis, emitting magical energy along her arms that hits the opponent multiple times around her before knocking it away. Useful for catching opponents off-guard and can be used as a follow-up from her down throw.
Forward aerial Lightning Kick 20% (clean foot), 4% (clean leg, late) Performs a flying kick. Tecnically a sex kick, it deals considerable damage and knockback if the opponent is hit at the beginning of the move and if just the tip of her boot strikes the opponent. Otherwise, it deals low damage knockback. Despite its positives, its endlag is considerable enough for Zelda to get punished at low percents, even if the sweetspot connects. Can KO around the 70%-90% range near the edge if sweetspotted.
Back aerial Lightning Kick 20% (clean foot), 4% (clean leg, late) Performs a flying kick behind her. Same as her forward air, but it comes out 3 frames faster. The sweetspot is also a bit stronger, KOing around the 65%-85% range.
Up aerial   15% Brings her arm above her head and launches a fiery explosion from her index and middle fingers. Slow and requires precise timing to connect, but it has impressive knockback and can KO starting at ~118% (on a grounded opponent). It can also clip through the bottom of stage ledges and have the hitbox go slightly above the ledge or narrow areas of the stage.
Down aerial   16% (clean), 5% (late leg), 4% (late foot) Stomps below her with a single foot. It meteor smashes opponents caught below Zelda's waist; the initial hitbox deals a powerful meteor smash, whereas later hitboxes hit opponents with a weaker meteor smash. A very useful edge-guarding option, it can also work well as a follow-up from a down smash.
Grab   Waves her left arm down and her right arm up, restraining the opponent in front of her with magical energy. Fairly large grab range.
Pummel   3% Waves her arms quickly in front of the opponent, blasting it with magical energy. A moderately slow pummel.
Forward throw   12% Spins the opponent in front of her and throws her opponent away. One of the most damaging forward throws in the game. Useful for putting the opponent off-stage.
Back throw   11% Spins the opponent and circles them around herself, then throws them behind her. This is her strongest throw, and it can KO starting at 135% near the edge.
Up throw   11% Forces her opponent above her, throwing it upward. One of the most damaging up throws in the game. On fast-fallers, can be followed up with a neutral aerial or up aerial if timed well enough.
Down throw   1% (hits 1-4), 2% (throw) Forces her opponent under her and blasts it with fiery magic enegy from her hands, which launches them above her. A reliable combo starter, it can be followed up with a neutral aerial and, if timed precisely, an up aerial or a back aerial. At high percents, Zelda can follow it up with an up aerial or back aerial for a relatively secure KO.
Forward roll
Back roll
Spot dodge
Air dodge
Techs
Floor attack (front)
Floor getups (front)
  7% Kicks in front of herself and then behind herself.
Floor attack (back)
Floor getups (back)
  7% Same as her front floor attack, with a different animation.
Floor attack (trip)
Floor getups (trip)
  5% Same as other floor attacks, with a different animation.
Edge attack
Edge getups
  7% Brings herself onto the edge and kicks her opponent away.
Neutral special Default Nayru's Love 2% (loop front), 1% (loop back), 5% (last front), 4% (last back) Creates a crystal that slashes enemies and reflects projectiles 1.5 times their original damage with 1.25 times their speed. Has 8 frames of intangibility from frames 5-12.
Custom 1 Nayru's Rejection 1% (loop), 5% (last) Weaker overall, but reverses opponents and pushes them away. Has more startup lag in exchange for increased intangibility.
Custom 2 Nayru's Passion 15% Sucks in opponents and explodes. The explosion has high knockback. Does not reflect.
Side special Default Din's Fire 3-7% (sourspot), 7-14% (sweetspot) Shoots a fireball when the special button is held. It can be aimed up or down. Releasing the button causes it to explode. The longer the button is held down, the farther the blast will travel, automatically detonating when it reaches its maximum distance. It will put Zelda in to a helpless state is used in midair.
Custom 1 Din's Flare 7% (sourspot), 14% (sweetspot) Faster, has more range and deals the same damage regardless of how long it is held, but can barely be adjusted vertically.
Custom 2 Din's Blaze 3.8-9% (sourspot), 7.6-18% (sweetspot) Much more vertical movement and increased explosion size, but slower to detonate and travels much slower.
Up special Default Farore's Wind 6% (hit 1), 10% (ground hit 2 near), 7% (ground hit 2 far), 12% (ground hit 2 near), 8% (ground hit 2 far) Teleports in a given direction, dealing damage at both ends. When combined with a jump, its range is greatly increased. The first hit launches opponents up, possibly leading in to the second hit if aimed up. The second hit possesses very high knockback, being able to KO as low as 50% near the upper blast line (depending on weight and DI), making it one of Zelda's most reliable KOing options, and a powerful out of shield option.
Custom 1 Farore's Squall 0% A defensive teleport rather than an offensive one; instead of dealing damage, it pushes opponents away with a large windbox at the beginning. This wind comes out extremely quick, making it useful for escaping pressure from an opponent. It also travels slightly farther, -moreso if extended with a jump- and slower, allowing for more manoeuvrability. The first hit has set knockback, but no damage. It also takes much longer to start up, and telegraphs where Zelda is going with light particles.
Custom 2 Farore's Windfall 4% (hit 1), 7% (hit 2) Can only teleport straight up, but meteor smashes opponents upon reappearing. No benefits when combined with a jump, though there is some horizontal control over Zelda. It also has considerably less KOing power, as it does not start KOing until the 400% range.
Down special Default Phantom Slash 6% (uncharged), 14% (mid-charged), 24-26% (full charged), 11% (first hit, full charge), 13-15% (second hit, full charge) Conjures a Phantom and propels it forwards, slashing enemies and blocking attacks. A chargeable projectile, charging longer increases the distance covered and the slashing attack is altered. When fully charge, it becomes a two-hit attack. However, since the Phantom is considered a projectile, it can be reflected and Pocketed. The Phantom is also considered a physical entity and provide a few benefits as a result; it can slow down players that try to move through it (except for the Zelda that used it) and block some non-penetrating hits (due to the Phantom having set health on all charges and customs). Unlike Din's Fire, it will not put Zelda into a helpless state if used in midair.
Custom 1 Phantom Breaker 5% (uncharged), 12% (mid-charge) 20% (fully charged), 9% (fully charged hit 1), 11% (fully charged hit 2) Travels a set distance, which is approximately the distance of a Phantom Slash at its second charge, which results in a minimally charged Phantom traveling farther and a fully charged Phantom traveling less distance when compared to Phantom Slash. As its name implies, it deals more shield damage, but less regular damage.
Custom 2 Phantom Strike 8% (uncharged), 20% (mid-charged), 28-30% (fully charged) 14% (fully charged hit 1), 14-16% (fully charged hit 2) Materializes directly in front of Zelda instead of shooting forward at varying ranges, but deals more damage and reaches its full charge in half the time.
Final Smash Light Arrow 1% (hit 1), 39% (throw first opponent) 29% (throw second opponent) 21% (throw third opponent) Zelda takes out her light bow, which is the same bow she calls upon the gods in Twilight Princess to attack Ganondorf by horse. She then fires an arrow of light sideways that deals significant damage and knockback -though with less damage for each consecutive enemy hit-, knocking opponents at a 45 degree angle.

Taunts

  • Up Taunt: Holds one arm straight up, with her hand glowing with magic. Her pose is more elegant than in Brawl.
  • Side Taunt: Turns toward the screen and puts her hands together in front of her torso, conjuring a small magical flame between them.
  • Down Taunt: Smiles, waving to the side while leaning forward slightly.

Idle Poses

  • Loosely holds one arm and then looks in multiple directions.
  • Brushes the back of her hair.
  • With one hand on her elbow, she puts one hand on her neck, puts it back down and then taps her arm with one finger.

On-Screen Appearance

Teleports onto the stage with magic glowing between her hands and sparkles rising up from the floor around her.

Victory Fanfare

A flourished remix directly from Brawl. It is a remix of the tune that will play when Link obtained a Triforce Piece in The Legend of Zelda for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is shared with Link, Sheik, Ganondorf, and Toon Link.

Victory Poses

  • Clasps her hands together -which glow with magic- as if in prayer, then turns her head and looks up towards the sky.
  • Turns her head to the left and loosely holds one arm with the other, making an elegant stance. Identical to her Melee artwork. In the Wii U version, she looks at the camera.
  • Conjures a small, magical flame between her hands in front of her, similar to her side taunt.

In Competitive Play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character Custom sets available
Zelda (SSB4) Zelda 1213 1313 1212 1312 1223
1323 3212 3312 2213 2312

Notable players

In Event Matches

Solo Events

Co-op Events

Trophies

Zelda
Ntsc This is the namesake of the Legend of Zelda games. Her appearance may change, but she always plays an important role. In Smash Bros., she's quick on the draw when it comes to magic, though a bit slow when moving. She has a new move that summons a Phantom to her aid.
Pal This is the Zelda they're talking about in the titles of all the Legend of Zelda games. Though her appearance can change from game to game, her importance in the story usually doesn't. In this game, she's a bit slow, but her impressive magic skills make up for it. Power up her brand new special, Phantom Slash, by holding down the button.
NES: The Legend of Zelda (08/1987)
Wii: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (11/2006)
Zelda (Alt.)
Ntsc Zelda's forward air attack, Lightning Kick, is a valiant kick with a magically charged tip. Striking with just the glowing spot will deal heavy damage and launch your opponent. Din's Fire, her explosive side special, can be guided up and down and has a greater blast if the button is held.
Pal Zelda's forward air attack, Lightning Kick, is a single-footed, electrically charged strike. Hit your opponent with just the glowing spot to deal heavy damage and launch them. Her Din's Fire side special can be guided up and down, and makes a bigger blast the longer you hold the button. It'll explode as soon as you let go.
NES: The Legend of Zelda (08/1987)
Wii: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (11/2006)
Light Arrow (Zelda)
In many of the Legend of Zelda games, the sacred Light Arrows are required to defeat the final boss. In this game, Zelda fires one straight across the screen for her Final Smash. If it passes through multiple foes, the ones hit first will take the most damage. The Light Arrow has a lot of launching power, making it great for getting KOs!

Alternate costumes

Zelda Palette (SSB4).png
Zelda (SSB4) Zelda (SSB4) Zelda (SSB4) Zelda (SSB4) Zelda (SSB4) Zelda (SSB4) Zelda (SSB4) Zelda (SSB4)

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