Lucas (SSB4)

Lucas in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	EarthBound
Other playable appearance	in Brawl
Availability	Downloadable
Final Smash	PK Starstorm
Tier	C (28)

“	Lucas Comes Out of Nowhere!	”
—Introduction Tagline

Lucas (リュカ, Lucas) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. Initially absent as a playable character, Lucas' return to the series was revealed during a Nintendo Direct on April 1st, 2015. He was then made available as downloadable content on June 14th, 2015, alongside Roy and Ryu. Lani Minella reprises her role as Lucas' voice actor, albeit via recycled voice clips from Brawl and with some of the clips slightly sped up.

Lucas is currently ranked 28nd out of 55 on the tier list, placing him in C tier, tied for lowest in high tier alongside fellow EarthBound representative Ness. This is a fairly noticeable improvement from his ranking in Brawl, where he was ranked 30th out of 38. Like his fellow Ness, Lucas is no longer plagued by 10 extra grab release frames and early hitstun canceling, both of which were major detriments to his survivability and combo game, respectively. Aside from those gameplay changes, Lucas retains his fast attack speed, disjointed hitboxes, projectiles that can pressure or zone opponents, and an impressive combo game.

However, while the major issues resulting in Lucas' near bottom-tier placement in Brawl have been fixed, his overall damage output, knockback, and range were all reduced, as well as the loss of several of his more advanced techniques from Brawl, making it questionable whether the buffs or nerfs are more prevalent. Lucas also retains slow ground mobility and a recovery that is occasionally susceptible to gimps and edgeguarding.

Lucas was initially poorly regarded when he was first released, but subsequent game updates later gave Lucas buffs that allowed him to get some decent results, mostly due to the efforts of Taiheita, who has many notable placings, such as 17th in singles and 1st in doubles with Lucas at Super Smash Con 2016, along with several high placings at Sumabato and Umebura tournaments.

Attributes

Lucas' attributes remain largely unchanged since Brawl. He is a middleweight that has a very slow walking speed, slightly below average dashing speed, average gravity, above average air speed, and below average falling speed. However, his air speed and fast falling speed have become faster since Brawl, both of which somewhat improve his aerial mobility. While Lucas' mobility speed is rather unimpressive, his attack speed compensates for it; notable examples include his neutral attack, which comes out on frame 2, and his down tilt, which comes out on frame 3 and is tied with Ness, Little Mac, R.O.B., and Meta Knight's down tilts for being the fastest down tilt in the game. As a result, Lucas' attacks are useful for damage racking and initiating combos, while several of his ground attacks are safe in many situations due to their minimal ending lag.

Despite his short stature and lack of a weapon outside of his forward smash, Lucas possesses good range courtesy of disjointed hitboxes. All of his smash attacks, nearly all of his aerial attacks and some of his ground attacks are disjointed, which can be further supplemented by his projectiles. In addition to their disjointed hitboxes, Lucas' smash attacks are among the strongest in the game. Like in Brawl, his up smash is among the strongest up smashes in the game while also possessing both a large disjointed hitbox and the ability to KO as low as 54% when fully charged (or 70% for heavyweights). The first hit of his down smash is also one of the strongest in the game and is an intimidating edgeguarding option, while his forward smash has decent speed, good KO potential and can even reflect projectiles.

However, Lucas greatest strength is his grab game. Despite having the shortest-ranged tether grab in the game, his Rope Snake has the lowest amount of ending lag among all tether grabs and respectable range, while he also possesses arguably the strongest set of throws in the game. Lucas' up and back throws are among the most powerful of their kind in the game, making them two of his best KOing options. His forward throw is tied with Bowser's for the strongest of its kind, although it is significantly weaker as a KOing option in comparison to his up and back throws. His down throw benefits significantly from both its considerably reduced knockback and the changes to hitstun canceling, both of which have re-purposed it into a reliable combo starter that can be followed up with his neutral and forward aerials from 0% up until high percents (even up to the early 90% range for neutral aerial), while its combo into up aerial is a confirmed KO set-up until 100%. While these changes have removed his down throw's KO potential, this is completely mitigated due to his up and back throws' aforementioned power. Lastly, his pummel is tied with Ness, Kirby and Fox's as the third fastest in the game, which makes it ideal for quick damage racking before a throw.

Lucas also boasts a strong zoning game that is essential to his success. PK Fire and grab aerial are both powerful spacing tools with their own specific uses, the latter being able to lead into a grab or forward tilt. Lucas' combo game is also very strong. His down tilt is a good combo starter, as it can combo into itself, neutral attack, and most importantly, his grab. His neutral and forward aerials can combo into themselves at low percents, while the former can also do so into other aerials (except for his back aerial) at low percents.

Like Ness, Lucas' special moveset boasts versatility in the form of PSI-based attacks, three of which are projectiles. PK Freeze can freeze his opponents, has very minimal ending lag and is viable, yet situational, as an edgeguarding option. While his PK Fire does not repeatedly hit opponents and potentially trap them like Ness' PK Fire, Lucas' deals decent knockback and can be used to give Lucas some space as it also provides a minimal amount of recoil, both on the ground and in the air. PK Thunder does not disappear like Ness' PK Thunder when it hits opponents, but instead hits them multiple times alongside boasting tighter control, while PK Thunder 2, grants Lucas farther distance. Lastly, PSI Magnet allows Lucas to deal with camping opponents that carry powerful, absorbable projectiles. However, its defensive utility also extends to Lucas' recovery, thanks to its ability to stall his descent. Unlike Ness', it also has offensive utility, thanks to it dealing damage and being a semi-spike.

However, Lucas does have his flaws. With his aforementioned sub-par mobility, fast characters such as Zero Suit Samus and Sonic can give Lucas a difficult time. Another problem is a predictable approach, reliance on his zoning tools (which can be overcome), and occasionally a lack of range in spite of his tether grab. Some of his moves require precision at times; his up aerial, whose hitbox is significantly smaller than it was in Brawl, can miss large opponents like Bowser. Another prominent example is his down smash, whose three hits are all mutually exclusive and thus gives opponents a perfect opportunity to punish Lucas if they manage to shield it. Lucas can also have problems scoring KOs despite his smash attacks' impressive strengths, as they mainly require effective reading and should be used wisely as a result. Although Lucas has a reliable tether recovery, his other method of recovery is also gimpable because of it having much slower priority than Ness, and it can be still be reflected or absorbed, most infamously by Rosalina & Luma. Like his fellow DLC characters, Lucas does not have any custom moves, which limits him in tournaments that allow character customization.

Altogether, Lucas' pros slightly outweigh his cons. He has an excellent damage racking game along with some good approach options, though his approach in general is predictable and can be faulty at times. He can also have a hard time KOing opponents outside of edgeguarding, and he is not as effective when his zoning tools can be nullified. While Lucas' initial tournament representation was poor like most of his fellow DLC characters, it has improved over time after he received buffs in game updates, to the point that he currently has both average representation and results, both of which are fair improvements from how he fared in Brawl.

Changes from Brawl

Lucas received a mix of buffs and nerfs in the transition from Brawl to SSB4. One of the most notable improvements he received was the removal of the 10 extra frames that were a part of his grab release animation, which was one of his most significant flaws. Lucas' recovery, outside of advanced techniques, has been improved, as both PK Thunder 2 and Rope Snake now cover more distance. Rope Snake has also received more utility as a zoning option due to it receiving a hitbox when used as a grab aerial. Lucas has also been indirectly buffed from the changes to hitstun canceling, which is most evident with the modifications to his down throw having resulted in it becoming one of his best combo starters.

However, the 10 extra frame grab release was not the only noticeable gameplay-related aspect that Lucas lost. He can no longer use the Zap Jump or the Magnet Pull exploits, which were his two most pivotal techniques in Brawl, although the aforementioned buffs to PK Thunder 2 and Rope Snake can compensate for this, at least in terms of recovery. In addition, many of his attacks have seen their knockback and ranges reduced, while some of them have had their ending lag increased. This is most notably seen with his aerials: his forward and back aerials lost their ability to autocancel with a short hop (although the landing lag of both is minimal), his down aerial has increased start-up lag and is no longer able to reliably set up for the infamous down tilt lock, and his up aerial has notably less range while also being static, all of which significantly hinders his already poor approach and landing options.

A number of Lucas' moves have seen their damage outputs reduced, though this is made up by his newfound combo game. He additionally has a slightly harder time KOing because of his forward and up smashes having reduced knockback alongside the loss of his advanced techniques. Despite retaining his dashing speed from Brawl, he nonetheless dashes slower than a large portion of the cast, due to a number of his fellow veterans having faster dashing speeds than in Brawl.

Overall, Lucas has not significantly improved since Brawl when compared to the rest of the cast. However, as of update 1.1.3, he is considered to be moderately better than how he was when he was initially released in SSB4, due to the buffs he received up to and including that update. By extension, his current placement on the tier list is a reflection of that perception.

Aesthetics

• Lucas' design has changed. He is slightly taller and has a slightly larger head; slightly longer hair; a slightly smaller nose; a sharper jawline; and his eyes no longer have a blue tint. Additionally, Lucas' shoes are smaller, and each of his shirt's stripes are equally horizontal. Lastly, the aesthetic used in SSB4 has resulted in Lucas having a sleeker design, and his overall color scheme being more vibrant.
• Lucas is more expressive and, unlike in Brawl, significantly less depressive. He now consistently smiles, and scowls during some attacks.
• Many of Lucas' animations have been changed to match Ness'.
• PK-based attacks have updated visual and sound effects.
• Side taunt's animation has slightly changed. Lucas now keeps his eyes open while using it, instead of closing them.
• Due to the aesthetic used in SSB4, Rope Snake's skin is of a significantly higher visual quality than in Brawl.

Attributes

• Lucas' air speed is faster (1.05 → 1.1).
• Lucas' fast falling speed is faster (1.918 → 2.192), improving his air game and making him less susceptible to juggling.
• Jumpsquat is faster (5 frames → 4).
• The removal of the extra 10 frames of Lucas' grab release significantly improve his endurance.
• Zap Jump and Magnet Pull have been removed, significantly hindering Lucas' advanced technical options.

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack's first and second hits deal less damage (3% (both) → 2.5% (hit 1)/2% (hit 2)). Their mid and far hitboxes also now launch at 66°/87° and 70°/88°, respectively. Altogether, these changes improve its jab canceling potential.
• Sweetspotted dash attack deals 1% more damage (12% → 13%). Its sweetspot has also been re-positioned to the blast's tip, improving its range.
• Sourspotted dash attack deals 1% less damage (10% → 9%) and has decreased knockback.
• Dash attack has decreased start-up (frame 17 → 15) and ending lag (frame 42 → 39).
• Up and sourspotted forward tilts deal less damage (11% → 9.5% (up), 9% → 7.5% (sourspotted forward)).
• Forward tilt has increased start-up (frame 6 → 7) and ending lag (frame 23 → 26).
• Late up tilt deals 1% more damage (4% → 5%). Up tilt also has decreased ending lag (frame 40 → 37).
• Down tilt deals 3% less damage (6% → 3%) and its close hitbox now launches at 76°, improving its combo potential.
• Down tilt has increased ending lag (frame 14 → 16) and slightly decreased range. It also no longer trips opponents, with only its tipper hitbox locking in opponents.
• Forward smash has decreased base knockback (60 → 50), hindering its KO potential. It has also received a sourspot on all of its untippered hitboxes that deals 1% less damage.
• Forward smash has updated sound effects.
• The 19% damage increase to shields and the increase to shieldstun significantly improve clean smash attacks' shield pressuring potentials.
• Up smash has decreased knockback (50 (base)/85 (growth) → 48/77), hindering its KO potential. It also has smaller hitboxes (14u/13u/12u/10u/10u → 12u/11u/10u/8u/6.5u) and can no longer launch edge-hanging opponents into its main hitbox.
• Down smash's first hit has increased base knockback (40 → 43), improving its KO potential.
• Down smash has smaller hitboxes (10u/12u/14u → 8u/9.8u/12u) and now consists of mutually exclusive hits.

Aerial attacks

• Due to consisting of five hits instead of eight, neutral aerial deals 5% less damage (17% → 12%). Additionally, it has increased start-up (frame 5 → 7) and ending lag (frame 40 → 45). Lastly, its SDI multiplier has increased (1× → 2×).
• Due to their angles being altered (105° → 367°), neutral aerial's loop hits connect together better. Additionally, its last hit has decreased base knockback (70 → 40) and now launches at 60°. Lastly, it has decreased landing lag (18 frames → 13). Altogether, these changes grant it combo potential.
• Due to having significantly tightened autocancel windows, neutral, forward, and up aerials no longer autocancel from a short hop. This slightly hinders their approach potentials.
• Forward aerial deals less damage (12% (sweetspot)/10% (sourspot)/8% (late) → 11.5% (sweetspot)/9% (sourspot)) and has lost its late hitbox. It also has a smaller hitbox (5.5u → 5u) and its sourspot has a shorter duration (6 frames → 2).
• Forward aerial has decreased landing lag (15 frames → 12), improving its approach potential.
• Back aerial's non-meteor sweetspot deals 2% more damage (10% → 12%) and has increased knockback.
• The removal of meteor canceling significantly improves back and down aerial's reliability.
• Up aerial has increased start-up lag (frame 5 → 7), a shorter duration (6 frames → 3), and a smaller hitbox (7u → 5.2u). Its hitbox is also no longer attached to Lucas' head during its animation.
• Up aerial now launches at 80°. This improves its KO potential in spite of its knockback remaining unchanged.
• Up aerial has increased hitlag (1× → 1.1×). This makes it safer on shield, but easier to DI.
• Down aerial's first three hits deal 1.5% less damage (5% → 3.5%), which decreases its overall damage output by 4.5% (20% → 15.5%). It also has increased start-up lag (frame 4 → 10) and decreased autocancel timings (frame 35 → 48), removing its combo potential into down tilt.
• Down aerial has decreased landing lag (28 frames → 24).
• Grab aerial has received a hitbox that deals damage (4% (clean)/2.8% (late)), granting it spacing potential. It also has increased range as a tether recovery.

Throws/other attacks

• All grabs have decreased start-up lag (frame 13 → 12 (standing), frame 16 → 14 (dash), frame 15 → 12 (pivot)) and increased durations (1 frame → 8).
• Standing and dash grabs have decreased ending lag (frame 70 → 45 (standing), frame 80 → 55 (dash)).
• Pivot grab has increased ending lag (frame 50 → 61).
• Pummel deals 1.8% less damage (3% → 1.2%), significantly hindering its damage racking potential.
• Pummel's duration has decreased (12 frames → 9), making it tied for the third fastest pummel in the game.
• Up throw has increased knockback growth (65 → 69), improving its KO potential.
• Down throw deals 0.5% less damage (7% → 6.5%) and has decreased knockback growth (100 → 51). When coupled with the changes to hitstun canceling, these changes grant it combo potential at low to high percentages, but remove its KO potential.
• Down throw's animation has changed. Lucas now aesthetically buries opponents headfirst upon throwing them.
• Front and back floor attacks deal 1% more damage (6% → 7%).
• Edge attack now deals consistent damage (6%/8% → 7%).

Special moves

• Fully charged PK Freeze deals 3% more damage (19% → 22%) and travels farther.
• PK Freeze travels slightly slower and takes longer to fully charge. It also goes lower than Lucas' body, similarly to PK Flash, which results in it no longer exploding on contact with the ground. Unlike PK Flash, using PK Freeze right before it makes contact with the ground does not count as it being fully charged.
• The 19% damage increase to shields and the increase to shieldstun significantly improve fully charged PK Freeze's shield pressuring potential.
• PK Fire deals 1% more damage (8% → 9%).
• PK Thunder is larger and travels slightly faster. This improves its recovery potential and, when coupled with the weakening of SDI, makes it significantly more difficult to escape from.
• PK Thunder 2 covers slightly more distance, improving its recovery potential. It can also be reused immediately after Lucas bounces off of a wall, significantly improving its safety.
• PK Thunder's visual effects have changed. It is now violet, instead of blue.
• PSI Magnet is significantly larger.
• PSI Magnet deals 1% less damage (9% → 8%) and only the center of the orb deals damage, whereas the entire orb dealt damage in Brawl. Its healing multiplier has also decreased (2.5× → 1.2×). Altogether, these changes hinder its utility. Additionally, PSI Magnet also now swirls healing projectiles for a moment, creating a slight delay before Lucas can actually be healed. Lastly, it has received a blind spot directly behind Lucas, hindering its safety.
• PSI Magnet's animation has slightly changed. Lucas now keeps both eyes open during it, instead of closing one of them.
• PK Starstorm now functions identically to Ness' version. It deals 6% less damage per hit (14% → 8%), but the falling stars are now fired in a line that can be aimed in a fanning motion from the top-center of the stage. While this gives it blind spots, it results in a more consistent damage output when the stars do hit.
• PK Starstorm now has a flame effect, instead of an electric effect.
• PK Starstorm's animation and visual effects have changed. Lucas now strikes the same pose during it, and the falling stars are now sky blue, instead of whitish yellow. These changes make it appear virtually identical to Ness' version.

Update history

Lucas has been buffed via game updates. Update 1.1.0 saw all of his grabs' ending lag decreased and as well as subtle range improvements to his forward and down tilts, though they still do not match up to his range in Brawl. The changes to shield mechanics in updates 1.1.0 and 1.1.1 have been a mixed bag for Lucas; the changes make his sourspotted moves less safe on shield, but his sweetspotted moves safer on shield. Lastly, update 1.1.3 gave Lucas a number of noticeable buffs: his standing grab, dash grab, and forward aerial all had their lag decreased, his neutral aerial's damage output was increased, and forward tilt's sweetspot had its size and duration increased. As a result of these buffs, Lucas is considered better than he was when he was initially released.

1.1.0

• Forward tilt's sweetspot and sourspot hitbox sizes increased: 4u (sweetspot)/2u (sourspot) → 4.4u/2.2u.
• Forward tilt's horizontal displacement decreased: 1.6 → 0.
• Down tilt improved. Its displacement increased: 0 → 3.5, its horizontal displacement increased: 2.7 → 3 and its far hitbox's horizontal displacement increased: 7 → 7.2.
• Down tilt's knockback altered: 10 (base)/50 (growth) → 18/45.
• Down tilt's close and middle hitboxes angles' altered: 70° (close)/0° (middle) → 76°/40°.
• Sourspotted forward aerial deals 1% more damage: 8% → 9%.
• Forward aerial's vertical displacement increased: 1 → 2.9.
• Forward aerial's sourspot hitbox size decreased: 3.8u → 3.3u.
• All grabs' ending lag decreased: frame 56 (standing)/frame 66 (dash/pivot) → 51/61.
• Grab's early and late grabboxes' sizes increased: 2.5u (early)/2.4u (late) → 3u/2.8u.
• PK Thunder's hitbox size increased: 3.5u → 3.8u.

1.1.3

• Forward tilt hitbox size: 4.4 → 4.7.
• Neutral air looping hits damage: 1% → 2%.
• Forward air landing lag: 15 frames → 12
• Standing grab and dash grab had their ending lag decreased by 5 frames: 50/60 → 45/55.
• All grabs have sped up animations.
• PSI Magnet heals half damage from absorbing teammates' projectiles.

Moveset

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			2.5%	A right-legged roundhouse kick, followed by a right-legged hook kick, followed by a left-legged reverse roundhouse kick. The last hit has slightly more range. Hits first on frame 2 and can combo into a dash attack at low to medium percents.
			2%
			4%
Forward tilt			11% (sweetspot), 7.5% (sourspot)	A palm thrust that emits a small blast of PSI energy from his hand. It can be angled and has a disjointed hitbox, although its sweetspot is located inside of the blast. This move's sourspot can lock opponents at low percents.
Up tilt			1.5% (hit 1), 8% (clean hit 2), 5% (late hit 2)	Telekinetically tilts himself upside down to perform a vertical thrust kick that emits a blast of PSI energy from his foot. It can combo into itself, a neutral aerial or an up aerial at low to medium percents.
Down tilt			3%	A legsweep. Although weak, it is fast and reliable for either racking up damage or chaining into itself, a neutral attack or a grab. Hits on frame 3, making it tied with Ness, Little Mac, R.O.B., and Meta Knight's down tilts for being the fastest down tilt in the game. The edge of down tilt can lock opponents at low to medium percents.
Dash attack			13% (sweetspot), 9% (sourspot)	A dashing palm thrust that emits a blast of PSI energy from his hand. Has noticeable start-up and deals more damage the farther the opponent is from Lucas.
Forward smash			14% (base), 15% (tip), 1.5× (reflected projectiles)	Swings a stick in front of himself. The stick's tip deals slightly more damage and knockback, while the move overall functions very similarly to Ness' forward smash, including the ability to reflect projectiles. Compared to Ness' version, it has less start-up and ending lag, but deals less damage, knockback and has a lower damage multiplier when reflecting projectiles.
Up smash			2% (hit 1), 19%, 18%, 16%, 14%, or 12% (clean to late hit 2)	Emits a large blast of PSI energy above his head. Despite in-game tips saying it is the most powerful up smash in the game and can attack opponents hanging on the edge, neither of these tips are true; it is only the fifth strongest up smash in the game, and completely whiffs most edge-hanging characters unless their head pokes above the edge. It is a "high-risk, high-reward" attack; it has an extreme amount of ending lag, which makes it very punishable if missed, but it is strong enough to KO at 80% when uncharged and at 54% when fully charged. It also has other positives, as it renders Lucas invincible on frames 1-4, grants intangibility to his head on frames 15-29 and has a very large hitbox, making it a good anti-air attack if used correctly. It appears to be based on PK Love, Lucas' signature PSI attack from Mother 3.
Down smash			17% (clean), 14% (mid), 11% (late)	Aims his arm diagonally downward and emits three consecutive blasts of PSI energy towards the ground while holding his hand in a finger gun gesture. With each blast, its range increases at the expense of damage and knockback. It is one of the strongest down smashes in the game when clean, as it is able to KO as low as 60% near the edge depending on the opponent's weight and DI. If it is timed well, it can also catch recovering opponents before they grab the edge. Has a bit of start-up lag, but low ending lag. Despite seemingly being composed of three distinct hits, it can only strike an opponent once due to how its single hitbox is coded, making it somewhat unsafe on shield.
Neutral aerial			2% (hits 1-4), 4% (hit 5)	A cartwheel that emits a blast of PSI energy around his torso. Each hit has numerous freeze frames and it has good combo potential, despite being susceptible to SDI.
Forward aerial			11.5% (sweetspot), 9% (sourspot)	A flying kick that emits a blast of PSI energy from his foot. It is is fast and disjointed, making it a good off-stage option and one of Lucas' better spacing options. Its sweetspot deals the most knockback and can KO at high percents. This move's sourspot can lock opponents at early percents.
Back aerial			12% (sweetspot), 9% (sourspot), 7% (late)	A backflip kick that emits a trail of PSI energy from his foot. It can meteor smash at the tip of his foot and has disjointed reach, with its weakest hitbox being at the tip. The last hitbox of this move can lock opponents at early percents.
Up aerial			13%	An upward headbutt. Its hitbox has become smaller since Brawl and is now static and misleading, but it deals respectable high damage and knockback, which make it a viable KOing option near the upper blast line.
Down aerial			3.5% (hits 1-3), 5% (hit 4)	An alternating series of stomps, with each stomp emitting a small blast of PSI energy from his feet. Like his back aerial, it is disjointed and has a meteor smash hitbox below himself on the fourth and last hit. The move itself is also difficult to fully land on smaller grounded opponents, such as Pikachu and Kirby. The last hitbox of this move can lock opponents at early percents.
Grab aerial		Rope Snake	4% (clean), 2.8% (late)	Unfurls Duster's Rope Snake in front of himself. It can damage opponents and act as a tether recovery.
Grab		Rope Snake	—	Unfurls Duster's Rope Snake in front of himself. His standing grab is deceptively fast, although his pivot grab is very slow.
Pummel			1.2%	A headbutt. Tied with Ness, Kirby and Fox's pummels as the third fastest pummel in the game. However, it is the least damaging pummel in the game.
Forward throw			10%	Telekinetically throws the opponent in front of himself. Among the strongest forward throws in the game, behind Bowser's and Wario's. It KOs around 100%-160% near the edge, depending on the opponent's weight and DI.
Back throw			10%	Telekinetically throws the opponent behind himself. It is his strongest throw and the third strongest back throw in the game, being surpassed only by Ness and Villager's, respectively. It can KO even super heavyweights at 158% near the edge without rage.
Up throw			10%	Telekinetically whirls the opponent around his head, then throws them directly overhead. The third strongest up throw in the game, being surpassed only by Mewtwo and Charizard's, as it KOs around 120%-180% depending on the opponent's weight and DI.
Down throw			6.5%	Telekinetically slams the opponent into the ground head first. Lucas' primary combo throw, as it can be followed by either a very quick up tilt, neutral aerial, forward aerial, or up aerial depending on the opponent's weight and DI, with the up aerial combo being capable of KOing at high percents. Although the opponent appears buried, this is merely aesthetic.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Kicks around himself while getting up.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	Kicks around himself while getting up.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Kicks behind himself and then in front of himself while getting up.
Edge attack Edge getups			7%	Performs a low-angle kick while climbing up.
Neutral special	Default	PK Freeze	9%-22%	Emits a snowflake-shaped blast of PSI energy from his head that freezes opponents. The direction of the blast's path can be controlled, it can be made stronger by holding the special button and it can be concluded at a deceptively fast speed. However, it renders Lucas helpless if used in the air.
	Custom 1	N/A
	Custom 2	N/A
Side special	Default	PK Fire	3% (lightning), 6% (fire)	Thrusts both of his hands forward to release a lightning bolt-shaped PSI projectile from his hands. Unlike Ness' PK Fire, Lucas' version results in a brief, fiery explosion of PSI energy that launches the opponent backward, rather than a long-lasting pillar of fiery PSI energy. It is further differentiated from Ness' version in that it flies straight ahead regardless of whether it is used on the ground or in the air, as well as causing a minimal amount of recoil both on the ground and in the air, making it more effective as a spacing tool than Ness' PK Fire.
	Custom 1	N/A
	Custom 2	N/A
Up special	Default	PK Thunder	2.5% (projectile head), 0.8% (projectile tail, rapid hits), 8% (PKT2 initial), 2% (PKT2 rapid hits 1-5), 1.5% (PKT2 rapid hits 6-10), 10% (PKT2 last)	Emits a streaming, electrical PSI projectile from his head. Like Ness' PK Thunder, it can be directed into Lucas to launch him at a high speed. Unlike Ness' version, it does not disappear after hitting an opponent and instead hits multiple times, giving it damage racking potential. This effect also applies PK Thunder 2, with Lucas hitting an opponent multiple times upon colliding with them.
	Custom 1	N/A
	Custom 2	N/A
Down special	Default	PSI Magnet	8% (ending), heals 2.5× the damage of absorbed projectiles	Thrusts his arm forward to emit a glowing orb of PSI energy around his outstretched hand. Any energy-based projectiles it absorbs will heal him, although it no longer absorbs energy projectiles that are launched directly at his back like it did in Brawl. Unlike Ness' PSI Magnet, Lucas' version can be used offensively, due to it dealing damage and semi-spike knockback to opponents inside of it when it dissipates.
	Custom 1	N/A
	Custom 2	N/A
Final Smash		PK Starstorm	8% (per hit)	Summons a shower of falling stars to repeatedly hit the opponent. The stars that descend in a column from the top-center of the stage and can be angled in a fanning motion throughout its duration.

On-screen appearance

• Rides in on a Mr. Saturn-style coffee table, then hops off. The table is based on the one that Lucas rides in order to reach Saturn Valley in Mother 3.

Taunts

• Up taunt: Trips, shakes his head, and gets back up.
• Side taunt: Duster's Rope Snake taps Lucas on the shoulder and has a brief conversation with him, as Lucas shrugs at it.
• Down taunt: Positions his right hand up to his forehead and grunts while generating small bursts of PSI energy from his index and middle fingers, then swings his hand downward to emit a trail of PSI energy.

Up taunt	Side taunt	Down taunt

Idle poses

• Taps the toes of his shoes on the ground.
• Shakes his fists in front of his face in a cowardly motion.

Crowd cheer

	English	Japanese
Cheer
Description	Lu-cas!	Ryuuu-ka!
Pitch	Female	Female

Victory poses

A flourished, sped-up remix of a portion of EarthBound Beginnings' theme song.

• With his back toward the screen, Lucas crouches while poking at something on the ground with a large stick. After the camera zooms in, he then turns his head around to face the screen and says "Huh?" while briefly sporting a surprised expression.
• Forcefully pulls one of the Seven Needles out of the ground, sending it flying off-screen while Lucas looks toward the screen.
• Bends down on one knee and waves his right arm in from himself while releasing blasts of PSI energy from his index and middle fingers.

In competitive play

Notable players

Active

•  Agehasama - One of the better Lucas players in Japan, placing 13th at Sumabato 19 and 17th at Sumabato 20. He has wins over Sigma, Oisiitofu, and Gomamugitya.
•  Clade
•  Hakii
•  JeBB
•  K3H
•  Mekos - Considered to be the best Lucas player in the United States. Placed 13th at Momocon 2016 and Glitch 2. He has wins over Nairo, Saj, and Scatt.
•  Taiheita - Widely considered to be the best Lucas player in the world. Placed 17th in singles play at Super Smash Con 2016 and 1st in doubles play at Super Smash Con 2016. Ranked 49th on the Panda Global Rankings v2, and 15th on the JAPAN Power Rankings. He has wins over Abadango, Marss, 9B, Kameme, T, Earth, Edge, Ranai, and ikep.

Inactive

•  Kodystri - Formerly ranked 8th on the Georgia Power Rankings before switching to Rosalina & Luma. He has wins over Pink Fresh, ScAtt, and NickRiddle.
•  Marss
•  NAKAT
•  Pink Fresh
•  SpaceDong

Tier placement and history

During his release, Lucas was considered to have improved from Brawl due to the changes to the game physics benefitting him. However, it would very soon become clear Lucas had lost most of his benefits from Brawl, and would go on to be considered among his previous game's placement. Following the buffs to his attacks, as well as decent tournament representation and results (the latter point being largely due to Taiheita), he would be ranked 36th in the first tier list, as a low-tier character. However, players would prove that Lucas' buffs had indeed benefitted him a lot and that he was now a capable character with reliable combo potential and KO power. Due to receiving notable results from Taiheita in 17th place at Super Smash Con 2016, Lucas rose up in the second tier list to 33rd, officially putting him in the mid-tier.

He would then see a very slight rise to 32nd on the third and current tier list. While not having as much tournament representation as other mid-tiered characters, his results have been good enough to secure his current placement. Despite this, Lucas' current placement is debatable; although it is unknown whether he will rise or fall in the current metagame because of his current results not being as strong in America as they are in Japan, ZeRo, who is the best SSB4 player in the world, views Lucas as a high-tier character as he placed Lucas 21st on his tier list. However, due to the positive view on Lucas he has risen to 28th on the 4th tier list, tied with Ness for the bottom of high tier.

Trophies

Lucas comes with matching character trophies, which are unlocked as usual. However, his alt. trophy will also be automatically granted upon booting up the version. His existing non-fighter trophy remains in the game, completely unchanged; both it and the Classic trophy are simply labeled as "Lucas" in-game.

Lucas (non-fighter)

Before adventuring, Lucas was a timid, cautious boy. His journey has made him a stronger person. Maybe he met someone to spend his life with... Hang on—we're moving way too fast! For now, remember that Lucas and Ness are favorites in the hearts of EarthBound fans.

Once upon a time, Lucas was a bit of a cry-baby. You might even say he was a wimp. But then, well...he had more than his fair share of rough times and toughened up a bit. Who knows what he's up to now? Whatever he's doing, his story - much like Ness's - lives on in the hearts of all Mother series fans.

: Mother 3

Lucas

The younger of the twin brothers from Nowhere makes his triumphant return to the game of Smash. Hailing from the Japan-only game Mother 3, Lucas's specialty is psychic projectile attacks. He can use these PSI attacks to do things like absorb enemy projectiles and deal supernatural damage!

Lucas, the younger of the twin brothers from Tazmily, comes originally from the Japan-only game, Mother 3, and now makes his triumphant return to Super Smash Bros.! Here he makes great use of his PSI powers with lots of projectile attacks, and can use his faster attacks on anybody who gets too close.

: Mother 3

Lucas (Alt.)

Lucas's up special PK Thunder can hit enemies multiple times, but if you hit yourself with it, you can then tackle and launch opponents! Lucas's up smash has the strongest launch power of any fighter's up smash. The range for this attack is wide, and it's strongest right after Lucas unleashes the attack.

Lucas's up special, PK Thunder, can either hit enemies multiple times, or hit Lucas himself to push him into a powerful charge attack. Meanwhile, his up smash attack is the most powerful launching move in the entire game, so make good use of it! It's a wide-range attack that is most effective right after Lucas unleashes it.

: Mother 3

PK Starstorm (Lucas)

You can adjust the direction of the shooting stars in this attack! Rain stars down on multiple fighters at once, or be mean and pick on a single fighter. The choice is yours! If a star connects, it will deal ongoing fire damage, making it hard for opponents to return to the stage.

Lucas uses his PSI powers to summon a stream of shooting stars, the angle of which you can control. It's good for attacking an entire group during a free-for-all...or if you want to make things tougher for a single person. Even if the attack only hits once, it deals ongoing fire damage, making it harder to get back to the stage.

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  Non-fighter (3DS)

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  Non-fighter (Wii U)

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  Classic (3DS)

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  Alt. (3DS)

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  Classic (Wii U)

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  Alt. (Wii U)

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  PK Starstorm

Alternate costumes

Reveal trailer

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Gallery

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  Lucas' splash art.

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  Lucas' amiibo.

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  Using his forward aerial.

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  Using PK Thunder against Falco.

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  Lucas' on-screen appearance.

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  Using his down taunt alongside Ness' down taunt.

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  Using PK Fire against Bowser alongside with Ness using PK Fire against Sonic.

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  One of Lucas' idle poses alongside Wii Fit Trainer and Villager.

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  Using PSI Magnet to heal himself.

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  All of Lucas' alternate costumes.

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  Lucas on Magicant with another Lucas wearing the Claus alternate costume.

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  Using his side taunt.

Trivia

• A few aspects regarding Lucas' status in SSB4 tied in to a number of significant dates for the EarthBound series:
  • He was confirmed in the same month that his origin game, Mother 3, was first released.
  • The announcement details for Lucas and update 1.0.8 were revealed on the same day as EarthBound's 20th anniversary.
  • The day he became available to purchase was the same day that EarthBound Beginnings was released internationally for the Wii U Virtual Console.
  • His amiibo's release date in Japan was the same day that Mother 3 was released on the Japanese Wii U Virtual Console.
• Lucas' dashing animation is similar to his running animation in Mother 3.
• Due to his non-fighter trophy using his character model from Brawl, Lucas is the only character who has both his Brawl and SSB4 character models in the same game.
• Lucas is the only starter character and newcomer from Brawl to be available as downloadable content.
  • He is also the only DLC character with a tether grab.
• As Lucas' down throw technically does not bury opponents and instead forces them into a unique position, if the character being thrown flinches lightly, they will snap back to their original position. In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, the skirts of Peach's, Zelda's and Rosalina's dresses cannot keep up with the velocity change and will stay up. This technical oversight leads to odd results. However, this oversight does not occur in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.
• Lucas' amiibo description on the official amiibo website is a combination of his Classic Mode trophy descriptions from Brawl and SSB4.
  • Oddly, his amiibo description carried over his Brawl trophy's mistranslation of his home, Tazumili Village, rather than its correct translation, Tazmily Village.
• Lucas is the only veteran DLC character to have recycled voice clips.
  • He is also the only veteran DLC character to not have his voice actress in the DLC credits. His voice actress, however, was in the original credits before his return.
  • He is also the only DLC character to speak English in the Japanese version of the game, though Bayonetta can be technically included if her "A Witch With No Memories" alternate costume is counted.
• Oddly, Lucas' forward aerial has a hitbox that will load, but will then be deleted at the same time it appears. This hitbox deals 6% and has a punching sound effect on contact. However, it can be restored via modding.