Squirtle (SSBU)

This article is about Squirtle's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. For other uses, see Squirtle. Also, for information about Squirtle in regards to Pokémon Trainer, see Pokémon Trainer (SSBU), Ivysaur (SSBU), and Charizard (SSBU).

Squirtle in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Universe	Pokémon
Shares character slot with	Pokémon Trainer Charizard Ivysaur
Other playable appearance	in Brawl
Availability	Unlockable
Final Smash	Triple Finish

Squirtle is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. It was confirmed on June 12th, 2018. It is part of Pokémon Trainer's rotation along with Ivysaur and Charizard. Along with the Pokémon Trainer, Squirtle is classified as fighter #33.

Michele Knotz and Rikako Aikawa reprise their roles as Squirtle after having previously voiced the character in the Pokémon anime and Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and they both provide new voice clips.

Attributes

Squirtle is the smallest and lightest out of the Pokémon Trainer's Pokémon, with it being tied with Mr. Game & Watch for the 3rd-lightest character in the game. Squirtle's small size makes it a hard target to hit, but also gives its attacks (with the exception of its smash attacks) poor range. Squirtle has decent mobility overall, with average dashing and air speeds, a fast walking speed, very high air acceleration (the eighth highest), high gravity and high jump height, but a below-average falling speed and low traction. Squirtle also has the ability to crawl and wall cling. One of Squirtle's strengths is that all of its attacks outside of its smash attacks come out before frame 10 and generally have low ending lag, giving it an excellent frame data and very strong combo game when combined with its moves' low knockback. Squirtle has multiple ways to set up into its aerials, which are all fast, can all autocancel in a short hop, and have good combo potential, in addition to being decent for edge guarding, giving it a good air game and edgeguarding ability. Water Gun can also be used to edgeguard opponents as well as keep opponents out. Squirtle also has a very effective grab game, as its forward throw is very effective for edgeguarding and is strong enough to KO at around 160% with no rage, back throw is a strong KO throw and its up and down throws are potent combo starters, while it's pummel is fast and good to rack up damage. Lastly, as mentioned before, Squirtle is a very small target, making it difficult to hit.

However, Squirtle does have some weaknesses. Squirtle's overall damage output is poor, and outside of its smash attacks (which are slow) and its back throw (which can have trouble killing away from the ledge), Squirtle lacks any fast KO options, especially since some of its previous KO options (such as forward aerial and down throw) were weakened, while neutral, forward and back aerials need edgeguarding to KO, up aerial can only do so near the upper blast line and along with forward throw, they require rage to KO on their own, so Squirtle can sometimes depend on edgeguarding to score KO. Squirtle also lacks reliable KO combos as well, making it very difficult for it to close out stocks on its own. Squirtle's light weight and unimpressive recovery also make its endurance very poor, and it is no longer resistant to fire attacks due to the removal of type effectiveness, further hindering Squirtle's endurance in certain matchups. As previously mentioned, Squirtle has poor range throughout its attacks (save for its smash attacks), and it lacks a damaging projectile, making it very easy for Squirtle to be out-spaced by characters with superior range.

Overall, Squirtle should mainly be used to quickly rack up damage with its strong combo game while it and its opponents are at lower percents, and Squirtle should be swapped out with Ivysaur or Charizard to close out the opponent's stock and to survive for longer.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Squirtle was previously considered the strongest party member of the Pokémon Trainer's team in Brawl, due to a combination of its quick mobility overall, fast attacks, and excellent aerial game, which made it a potentially viable contender in competitive play. Possibly as a result, Squirtle has received a mix of buffs and nerfs overall. Unlike the other party Pokémon, Squirtle's moveset has been reworked into newer, different attacks, with many of its standard attacks being altered.

Squirtle has gained a few new or stronger KO options (such as its forward and up smashes having increased power and back throw), and has a much stronger combo game due to the weakening of hitstun canceling, with its up tilt, up and down throws, forward aerial, and back aerial gaining more combo potential. Squirtle's specials are now stronger for repositioning, as Withdraw moves faster and has more priority, and Water Gun's push force and range has been substantially increased. As a result, it now plays quite differently from Brawl, as its combo initiators and KO options have been altered. The removal of stamina also removes one of Squirtle's big limiting factors, as it can now stay in battle until the player makes a tactical swap or Squirtle is KO'd. The general mechanic changes to Ultimate also heavily benefit Squirtle. As well as the aforementioned removal of hitstun canceling, Squirtle is no longer vulnerable to chain grabs or aerial grab release combos.

However, Squirtle has received nerfs. While Squirtle's grounded movement is technically much faster, Squirtle has lost its multiple unique advanced techniques, most notably shellshifting (due to the change to its dash animation), hindering its grounded movement. Squirtle's aerial mobility has also been toned down (especially when relative to the cast), as unlike most returning veterans, Squirtle's air speed has been decreased (going from being one of the highest in Brawl to being merely average in Ultimate), which is further hindered by its decreased air acceleration. Squirtle's overall damage output is lower, making it even more dependent on combos and its speedy attacks than before, and while Squirtle has gained a few new KO options, they remain hard to land overall, and Squirtle also lost two of its most potent KO moves as well in forward aerial and down throw, in exchange for more combo ability. Its new down smash has much less ending lag, deals more damage and has lost its sourspots, but it is now weaker than the old down smash's sweetspot. Squirtle also has less juggling potential mainly due to its up aerial sending opponents at a less favorable angle, as well as being weaker and having more ending lag. Lastly, the removal of type effectiveness hinders Squirtle more than the rest of its party, as its survivability during certain matchups is much worse, as it previously had a disproportionate resistance to flame attacks compared to the rest of its party's respective weaknesses.

Overall, Squirtle is much faster and its combo game has improved drastically, giving it an excellent damage racking ability, but most of its main weaknesses, including its poor range and KO power, have been further exacerbated, resulting in Squirtle being retooled to fit more in line with the speedy, combo-centric playstyle it used to represent in the Pokémon Trainer's team. As of now, it remains to be seen how Squirtle will perform without its advanced techniques and how it fares compared to the cast, although it is generally agreed upon that Squirtle is no longer the Pokémon Trainer's best Pokémon by a large margin.

Aesthetics

• Squirtle's design and proportions have changed. It has slightly larger eyes, which are a darker shade of magenta and its nostrils and eyelids are less pronounced. It has a rounder head, stubbier arms and legs, and its shell has a sleeker, shinier design. It is more vibrantly colored overall, with its skin being a lighter shade of blue and the top of its shell being a lighter shade of brown with the bottom being a lighter shade of yellow. Due to these changes, it now matches its appearances in the more recent Pokémon titles.
• Squirtle has received three new alternate costumes.
• Much like other characters, Squirtle always faces the screen regardless of which direction it is facing, making its stance mirrored.
• Squirtle has a more upright stance.
• Squirtle shows much more emotion, with its eyes changing size in certain animations. It appears angry when jabbing, and it looks shocked when attacked.
• Squirtle is now proportioned correctly to the Pokémon Trainer in its victory poses.
• Squirtle's side taunt has a different ending animation. It now teeters clumsily after spinning on its tail.
• Squirtle has a new dash animation, now involving it surfing on a small wave of water.
• Squirtle no longer retreats inside its shell when turning while dashing, spot dodging, rolling forward or backwards, and its supine and prone positions when knocked down.
  • Due to Squirtle's new dash and turnaround animations, Squirtle can no longer shellshift, removing many of its advanced techniques.
• Squirtle no longer retreats into its shell outside of Withdraw, so cannot make use of armor frames.
• Squirtle has a new crouch and crawl animation, a comical defensive crouch while covering its head with its hands. These new animations do not shrink Squirtle's hurtbox as much, making it easier to hit Squirtle while it's crouching or crawling.

Attributes

• Squirtle's hurtboxes are smaller matching Squirtle's model more closely.
• Like all characters, Squirtle's jumpsquat animation now takes three frames to complete (down from 4).
• Squirtle walks faster (1.2 → 1.281).
• Squirtle dashes significantly faster (1.37 → 1.76), going from 30th fastest of 39 characters to being tied with Mario, Ken and Bayonetta for the 33rd fastest of 79 characters. This improves Squirtle's grounded approach and somewhat compensates for the removal of shellshifitng.
• Squirtle's traction is higher (0.042 → 0.088) going from the 3rd lowest to the 13th lowest.
• Squirtle's falling speed is slightly higher (1.3 → 1.35).
• Squirtle's gravity is much higher (0.1067 → 0.128).
• Squirtle's air speed is slower (1.081 → 1.01), especially when relative to the cast. It has went from the 7th highest out of 39 characters to the 52nd highest out of 77 characters.
• Squirtle's air acceleration is lower (0.12 → 0.105), although it still is among the highest.
• Squirtle's crawling speed is slower.
• The Stamina mechanic has been removed, eliminating the necessity of switching out Pokémon to restore their power.
• Type effectiveness has been removed. This affects Squirtle the most adversely out of the Pokémon Trainer's party, as it previously had a disproportionate resistance to the common flame attacks of the cast. This also hinders the effectiveness of Squirtle's water attacks against Charizard.
  • However, this does improve Squirtle's endurance against Ivysaur's grass attacks as well as increasing the power of its water based attacks against Ivysaur.
• Squirtle's aerial grab release animation sends Squirtle much further out as gravity no longer affects how high a character is aerial grab released. When combined with Squirtle being able to act much sooner (30 frames as opposed to 50 frames plus 3 frames of landing lag) and the removal of chain grabbing, this makes Squirtle significantly less vulnerable to aerial grab releases as it no longer suffers from being a victim to many inescapable grab release follow ups (including an infinite chain grab from Zero Suit Samus).
• The changes to grounded grab releases combined with Squirtle's slower/shorter ranged jab has removed Squirtle's ability to get a guaranteed jab on opponents out of a grounded grab release.
• The removal of meteor canceling hinders Squirtle the most adversely out of the Pokémon Trainer's party as while it doesn't hinder Squirtle's endurance against meteor smashes as much as Ivysaur, Squirtle lacks a meteor smash of its own so Squirtle receives no compensation for the removal of the mechanic unlike Ivysaur.
• Spot dodge has less ending lag (FAF 26 → 24).
• Spot dodge has more startup lag and a shorter duration (frames 2-20 → 3-16).
• Forward roll has less ending lag (FAF 30 → 28).
• Rolls have a shorter duration (frames 4-19 (both) → 4-15 (back), 4-14 (forward) and back roll has more ending lag (FAF 30 → 33).
• Air dodge has less startup lag (frame 4 → 2).
• Neutral air dodge has a shorter duration (frames 4-29 → 2-26) and has more ending lag (FAF 40 → 53).

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack:
  • Squirtle's full neutral attack has a different animation, now consisting of a punch, a jumping kick, and a roundhouse tail whip.
  • The second and third hits of neutral attack have less startup lag with the third hit also having a longer duration (frame 5 → 4 (hit 2), frame 6 → 5-6 (hit 3)). The third hit also has less ending lag (FAF 36 → 31).
  • The first two hits have altered knockback (10 (set), 100 (scaling) → 25/20 (base)/(20/15) (hit 1), 15/100 → 25/(25/20). This makes it no longer possible to block the second and third hits if the first hit connects. One of the first hit's hitboxes also sends opponents towards Squirtle (361° → 180°).
    • However, their altered knockback also makes the first two hits connect less reliably into each other and the third hit at higher percents especially with their reduced range.
  • All three hits have smaller hitboxes (4u/3u/3u/3u → 1.5u/1.8u/2.2u/2.2u (hit 1), (4.5u/4u/3.5u → 2.2u/2.5u/2.8u) (hit 2), (5u/4u/3u → 3.2u/3.5u/3.8u/ (hit 3)) and Squirtle no longer inches forward when performing the second and third hits, greatly hindering their range.
  • The first hit of neutral attack has more startup lag (frame 1 → 2), and deals less damage (3% → 2%).
  • The second hit deals less damage (2% → 1.5%) and no longer has a 20% trip chance removing its setup potential.
• Forward tilt:
  • Forward tilt has more startup lag with a shorter duration (frames 4-6 → 5-6).
  • Forward tilt deals less damage (6% → 5%), although its base knockback was compensated (8 → 20).
  • Forward tilt has less range in front of Squirtle (5u/4u/3u → 2u/2.6u/3.6u).
• Up tilt:
  • The removal of hitstun canceling improves up tilt's combo potential at higher percents once Squirtle's opponents enter tumble.
  • Up tilt has less range (6u/8u → 5u/5.2u) and more ending lag (FAF 18 → 20), slightly hindering its combo potential at lower percents especially when combined with the changes to vertical knockback (with falling speed/gravity no longer acting as a force against vertical knockback).
• Down tilt:
  • Squirtle has a new down tilt, a ground-level leg sweep with a water effect. It only hits once and has less ending lag (FAF 37 → 29). It also always sends opponents horizontally (20° (loop hits)/65° (final hit) → 38°) improving its reliability and edgeguarding potential.
  • Down tilt has more startup lag (frame 6 → 8).
  • Down tilt deals less damage (13% → 9%) and knockback (40 (base), 130 (scaling) → 50/73).
  • Down tilt has smaller hitboxes (4u/4u/4u (loop hits)/7u/7u (final hit) → 3u/3.6u/2.1u/4.2u) reducing its range above Squirtle.
• Dash attack:
  • Squirtle has a new dash attack: it lunges out with a kick with both feet, similar to Bowser's forward smash, which produces a corkscrew of water.
  • Dash attack has less ending lag (FAF 42 → 35) and the late hit has increased knockback (45 (base), 30 (scaling) → 70/50).
  • Dash attack has more startup lag with a shorter duration (frames 6-22 → 8-17).
  • The clean hit deals less damage (9% → 8%) and both hits have smaller hitboxes (5u/4u → 4.2u/3.5u).
• Smash attacks:
  • All of Squirtle's smash attacks uses the drumbeat sound rather than the twittering sound.
• Forward smash:
  • Squirtle has a new forward smash: it now lashes a torrent of water in front of itself, instead of doing a tackle in its shell.
  • New forward smash has much less ending lag (FAF 65 → 50), deals more damage (14% → 15%), and has increased base knockback (18 → 35), greatly improving its KO potential.
  • New forward smash has more startup lag (frame 18 → 20) and no longer has armor.
• Up smash:
  • Up smash reaches much higher and its late hits deal more damage (11%/9%/7%/5% → 12%/10%/9%/8%) and have increased knockback scaling (90 → 92).
  • The removal of DACUS (and more significantly pump sliding) greatly hinders up smash's approach potential. The strong hit also has more startup lag (frame 20 → 21).
  • Squirtle no longer leaps up and pounds the ground to generate the torrents of water; instead, it points upwards as the torrents burst upward. The sweetspot also has altered knockback (70 (base), 87 (scaling) → 60/92).
• Down smash:
  • Squirtle has a new down smash: it spits out water around it low to the ground.
  • New down smash deals more damage (11% → 13%), no longer has sourspots and has much less ending lag (FAF 53 → 40).
  • Down smash has more startup lag with a shorter duration (frames 17-29 → 18-19 (hit 1), 24-25 (hit 2)) and decreased knockback compared to the previous sweetspot (21 (base), 102/85 (scaling) → 50/74), hindering its KO potential despite its higher damage.

Aerial attacks

• All aerials except back aerial have less landing lag (12 frames → 8 (neutral), 12 → 6 (forward), 21 → 6 (up), 19 → 16 (down)).
• Neutral aerial:
  • Squirtle has a new neutral aerial: a midair cartwheel.
  • New neutral aerial deals more damage (9% (clean), 6% (late) → 10%/7%), has much bigger hitboxes (5u/3u → 6.5u/5.5u) and has less ending (FAF 46 → 42).
  • The late hit has altered knockback (15 (base), 100 (scaling) → 35/90).
  • The sweetspot deals more base knockback but less knockback scaling, (20 (base), 100 (scaling) → 30/85) making it weaker despite the higher damage.
• Forward aerial:
  • Forward aerial has less ending lag (FAF 38 → 36). The late hit also deals more knockback (30 (base), 90 (scaling) → 50/94). Combined with the decreased damage and knockback of the sweetspot and the changes to hitstun canceling, it has much better combo potential.
  • Forward aerial's sweetspot deals much less damage (12% → 7%) and launches opponents at a higher angle (45° → 48°). Its knockback wasn't fully compensated (30 (base), 94 (scaling) → 50/96) hindering its KO potential.
  • Forward aerial auto-cancels later (frame 28 → 35).
  • Forward aerial has smaller hitboxes (6.5u/5.5u → 4u/3.5u (clean), 5.5u/4.5u → 3.5u/3.5u (late)).
  • Forward aerial's kick now produces a corkscrew of water.
• Back aerial:
  • Back aerial is now a multi-hit move, and has Squirtle spin in a horizontal corkscrew while stretching out its tail, similar to Pikachu's back aerial.
  • Back aerial deals more damage (10% (clean)/6% (late) → 1% (loop hits), 6% (final hit) 11% (total)) and auto-cancels earlier (frame 28 → 22).
  • Back aerial's multihit properties improves its combo potential.
  • Back aerial has slightly more ending (FAF 35 → 36) and doubled landing lag (9 frames → 18). It also has slightly less KO potential as the final hit's knockback wasn't fully compensated (20 (base), 97 (scaling) → 55/95).
• Up aerial:
  • Up aerial has less startup lag with a longer duration (frames 6-7 → 5-9).
  • Up aerial deals less damage (11% → 7%) without full compensation on its knockback (30 (base), 94 (scaling) → 40/115) hindering its KO potential.
  • Up aerial has more ending lag (FAF 25 → 30) and auto-cancels later (frame 18 → 20).
  • Up aerial has significantly reduced range (6.7u/6.7u → 3.6u/3.4u/3.2u) making it harder to land on grounded opponents.
  • Up aerial sends opponents at a more diagonal angle (80° → 64°), hindering its juggling potential, making it susceptible to LSI and further hindering its KO potential.
• Down aerial:
  • The final hit of down aerial has less startup lag (frame 23 → 22). Down aerial also has less ending lag (FAF 51 → 45), and auto-cancels earlier (frame 45 → 35), enabling it to do so in a short hop.
  • The multi hits have a lower hitlag multiple (1x → 0.8x).
  • The multi-hits deal more damage (1% → 1.5%) but the move now only has 5 hits instead of 6 to compensate.
  • Down aerial has less range (6u/6u → 4.2u/4.4u/4.6u (loop hits), 9u/9u → 5.5u/6u (final hit)).
  • The final hit of down aerial deals less damage (5% → 4%) and much less knockback (70 (base), 105 (scaling) → 50/85), reducing its edgeguarding potential, and eliminating any KO potential it once had. It also has a higher SDI multiplier (0.2x → 1x).
    • Its lower knockback combined with down aerial's reduced lag has turned it into a viable combo move at lower percents. It also deals slightly more damage due to the afromentioned changes to the multihits (11% →11.5%).

Throws/other attacks

• Grabs:
  • Squirtle's grabs have new animations.
  • Squirtle no longer slides across the stage when connecting a grab which can help or hinder it depending on the situation.
  • Standing (FAF 30 → 35) and pivot grab (FAF 36 → 38) have more ending lag.
• Pummel:
  • Pummel is much faster (17 frames → 5).
• Forward throw:
  • Forward throw deals less damage (9% → 8%).
  • Squirtle releases the opponent sooner (frame 14 → 12) but the throw has more ending lag (FAF 32 → 35).
  • Forward throw has noticeably higher knockback scaling (75 → 92), improving its edgeguarding and KO potential despite its lower damage.
• Back throw:
  • Squirtle has a new back throw where it lifts the opponent over its head and throws them behind it, similar to Dr. Mario's new back throw.
  • Back throw has more KO potential as it now only consists of a throw (5% (hit), 5% (throw) → 8%) and deals more knockback (60 (base), 100 (scaling) → 30/128).
  • Back throw deals less damage (10% → 8%) and Squirtle releases the opponent later (frame 16 → 27) making it easier to DI.
• Up throw:
  • The changes to hitstun canceling grants up throw greater combo potential at lower percents.
  • Up throw has a new animation where Squirtle no longer goes into its shell.
  • Up throw deals less damage (9% → 5% (throw), 11% → 7% (total)) and knockback (70 (base), 72 (scaling) → 80/65) hindering its KO potential but also further improving its combo ability.
• Down throw:
  • Down throw deals less knockback (80 (base), 140 (scaling) → 45/110). This grants it combo potential but removes its KO potential no longer being one of the strongest down throws. It also has an altered angle (55° → 68°).
  • Squirtle releases the opponent much later (frame 11 → 30) and down throw's ending lag was compensated (FAF 28 → 47). This makes down throw easier to DI.
• Floor attacks:
  • Floor attacks have less ending lag (FAF 50 → 46), deal more damage (6% → 7%) and shield damage (1 → 8) without full compensation on their knockback scaling (50 → 48) although their angles were altered to compensated (361° → 48°).
  • Floor attacks have more startup lag (frame 12 (front), frame 15 (back) → 19 (both)).
• Edge attack:
  • Edge attack deals more damage compared to Squirtle's previous fast edge attack (8%/6% → 9%), has more intangibility (frames 1-26 → 1-30) and it no longer has set knockback (110 (set), 100 (scaling) → 90 (base)/20).
  • Edge attack has less range (5u/5u/5u → 4.5u).

Special Moves

• Water Gun:
  • Water Gun charges much faster, covers significantly more distance, and has a much stronger pushing ability due to having significantly more set knockback (9 (set), 0 (scaling) → 45/100), able to reach the entirety of Battlefield when fully charged and having enough pushing force to KO off-stage opponents by pushing them into the blast zone. It also has less ending lag (FAF 72 → 64).
  • Uncharged Water Gun no longer generates a damaging close-range hitbox, and acts like other charge levels.
• Withdraw:
  • Withdraw is much faster and has high priority.
  • Withdraw now stops on impact, preventing it from racking up further damage. It also has more startup lag (frame 19 → 23) and cannot be cancelled as early (frame 60 → 75).
  • Squirtle now gets knocked on its back for a long period of time if an opponent jumps on its shell, which combined with its low weight makes it extremely vulnerable, thus reducing the move's safety as an approach tool.
• Waterfall:
  • Waterfall has less startup lag (frame 10 → 9).
  • Waterfall has an altered hitlag multiplier (1x/0x → 0.7x) and the multi hits have a reduced SDI multipler (2x → 1x) making it significantly more difficult to escape from.
  • Waterfall's multi hits have altered damage (2% (hits 1-2), 1% (hits 3-9) → 1.4% (all)).
  • Waterfall only hits 8 times instead of 10 causing it to deal less damage (15% → 12.8%).
  • Waterfall has softer, more realistic water sound effects.
• Pokémon Change:
  • Pokémon Change is much faster due to no longer having to load the next Pokémon during every switch, and it can now be used in the air. Like in Brawl, it also offers brief invincibility upon switching out, though the quicker switch time allows it to potentially combo into another Pokémon's moves, or function somewhat as an alternative "air dodge". It also allows the user to choose the recovery that suits a situation best and it refreshes ledge invincibility giving Pokémon Trainer a unique stall option.
  • Spamming Pokémon Change will grant no invincibility frames for a period of time, and now has a cooldown of around 2 seconds (which can be skipped by using a special move). Additionally, Pokémon Change no longer resets stale move negation, effectively weakening Ivysaur when Squirtle switches, and if it is performed off the edge of a moving platform, it will no longer skip the ending lag of the switch (although Ivysaur will still gain an extra mid-air jump if the technique is performed).
• Triple Finish:
  • Triple Finish has a different text box and animations, making it identical to how they appear in the Generation VII games.
  • Triple Finish has overall less damage potential (58% → 44.3%).

Moveset

• Squirtle can crawl, wall cling, and wall jump.

For a gallery of Squirtle's hitboxes, see here.

Note: All numbers are listed as base damage, without the 1v1 multiplier.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			2%	Squirtle punches, kicks, and then swipes forwards with its tail. The first hit comes out very quickly (frame 2), making it a strong tool to interrupt approaches. The combo generally links very reliably. The third hit has good knockback for a jab, KOing at about 200% at the edge of Final Destination.
			1.5%
			4%
Forward tilt			5%	Squirtle crouches down and spins, swiping forward with its tail. Can be angled. Comes out quickly (frame 5) and has low ending lag, making it a decent spacing and locking tool, but it is weak. Squirtle's tail is intangible for the first 8 frames of the move. KOs at about 240% at the edge of Final Destination.
Up tilt			5%	Squirtle hops up and bashes its head upwards. Comes out quickly (frame 5), has minimal ending lag, and is weak, making it a potent combo tool, and due to Squirtle's jump, it has good vertical range, making it an effective anti-air; it can lead into a variety of moves depending on percentage, including itself, forward tilt, down tilt, neutral aerial, forward aerial, and up aerial. It can lead into up special for a KO as well, at about 130% on Final Destination. However, the move has almost no horizontal range, missing opponents next to Squirtle unless they are practically touching it. KOs at about 290% on Final Destination.
Down tilt			9%	Squirtle spins on its side, sweeping forward with its tail. It is Squirtle's slowest tilt (frame 8), but also its most powerful and is one of the strongest of its type, KO'ing at about 150% at the edge of Final Destination without rage.
Dash attack			8% (clean), 7% (late)	Squirtle leaps forward a small distance, doing a dropkick. Comes out on frame 8, while the late hit begins on frame 12. Weak, but has low ending lag, so it's useful for combos. The clean hit KOs at about 335% on Final Destination.
Forward smash			15%	Squirtle leans back, then swings its head forward while spitting water. Can be angled. Somewhat slow startup at frame 20, but has great range, low ending lag and high knockback, KOing at about 75% at the edge of Final Destination.
Up smash			3% (initial ground hit), 13% (clean), 12% (early), 10% (mid), 9% (late), 8% (latest)	Squirtle crouches down and then stands up, creating two water geysers simultaneously, one on each side of it. Slow startup at frame 21, but has significant vertical range. There is an early hit on grounded targets which deals fixed knockback to launch them into the main hit. A powerful vertical finisher. KOs at about 103% on Final Destination if it hits cleanly.
Down smash			13%	Squirtle crouches down and spins on its shell, spitting water forward then backward with great range. Squirtle's fastest smash attack, both in startup and FAF, only having 15 frames of ending lag after the hitbox in the second hit ceases. Great power, KOing at about 96% at the edge of Final Destination.
Neutral aerial			10% (clean), 7% (late)	Squirtle turns to its side (such that the back of its shell faces the screen) and spins quickly. Comes out quickly (frame 4), making it good to combo into, and the late hit lasts a while (frame 7-26), making it good for approaching or edge-guarding. Decent knockback, KOing at about 155% at the edge of Final Destination.
Forward aerial			7% (clean), 6% (late)	A dropkick that produces a small corkscrew of water. Comes out very quickly (frame 5), and is good for combos. Decent range and somewhat disjointed due to the jet of water produced by Squirtle's feet. The clean hit KOs at about 170% at the edge of Final Destination, making it also good for edgeguarding.
Back aerial			1% (rapid hits, up to 5), 6% (final hit)	Squirtle thrusts its tail backward, spinning around in a multi-hit attack. Comes out very quickly (frame 5). Has the highest landing lag of Squirtle's aerials (18 frames), but auto-cancels earlier (frame 22). KOs at about 145% at the edge of Final Destination, making great for edgeguarding, but is one of the weakest of its type.
Up aerial			7%	Squirtle flips upward, using its tail to knock opponents vertically. Comes out quickly (frame 5), and is a potent juggling and combo tool. Of Squirtle's aerials, this has the earliest FAF (frame 30) and auto-cancel window (frame 20), as well as low landing lag (6 frames). KOs at about 190% on Final Destination, so it can KO if used at high percents near the blast line.
Down aerial			1.5% (rapid hits, up to 5), 4% (final hit)	Squirtle thrusts its tail downward, spinning around in a multi-hit attack similarly to back aerial. Comes out quickly (frame 6), though later than Squirtle's other aerials. Has high landing lag (16 frames) and auto-cancels relatively late (frame 35) like neutral and forward aerials, although they can all autocancel in a short hop. KOs at about 250% at the edge of Final Destination.
Grab			—	Squirtle grabs the opponent with one hand.
Pummel			1%	Squirtle headbutts the grabbed opponent. Decently fast.
Forward throw			2% (hit 1), 6% (throw)	Squirtle puts the opponent in front of itself and does a jumping kick on them. KOs at about 165% at the edge of Final Destination. Good for edgeguarding and has decent knockback, but requires high percentages and rage to KO reliably.
Back throw			8%	Squirtle lifts the opponent with both arms and tosses them behind itself. This move turns Squirtle to face the other direction. Squirtle's strongest throw, KO'ing at about 120% at the edge of Final Destination.
Up throw			2% (hit 1), 5% (throw)	Squirtle tosses the opponent above itself and headbutts them in a similar manner to its up tilt. Good combo potential, leading into neutral aerial at lower damages and up aerial until about 60%. KOs at about 295% on Final Destination.
Down throw			2% (hit 1), 5% (throw)	Squirtle puts the opponent on the ground and then slams onto them with its shell. This is a good combo throw, leading into forward aerial and up aerial at a variety of percentages. KOs at about 240% on Final Destination.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Squirtle spins around onto its feet while swiping its tail forwards and then backwards.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	Squirtle spins on the back of its shell while swiping its tail forwards and then backwards, then hops up onto its feet.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Squirtle stands up while swiping its tail forwards and then backwards.
Edge attack Edge getups			9%	Squirtle climbs up and whips its tail forward. Being slow to come out, this attack should be used cautiously (it takes 28 frames to come out, compared to Ivysaur's 21 frames and Charizard's 24 frames).
Neutral special		Water Gun	0%	Squirtle charges up, then spits out streams of water. The water does not deal damage or cause flinching, serving only to push opponents, similarly to Mario's F.L.U.D.D. The move can be charged for up to around one second. The charging can be cancelled by either pressing the special button, which uses the move at its current charge, or by jumping, shielding, or rolling, all of which preserve the current charge. The charge is still preserved when switching to other Pokémon, but is lost upon being KO'd as Squirtle. The longer the move is charged, the more water is sprayed and the further it will travel, increasing the move's effectiveness. The spray of water can also be angled. Very useful for edgeguarding and gimping, similarly to Mario's F.L.U.D.D.
Side special		Withdraw	~13%	Squirtle retreats into its shell and slides across the stage at high speed. If it hits a wall, it will continue sliding in the opposite direction; if it hits an opponent, it bounces out of its shell and the move ends. Throughout the move, Squirtle is immune to damage, but can have its sliding trajectory altered by knockback. Additionally, if Squirtle is footstooled on during the move, it is put into a vulnerable state for about two seconds as it lies on the ground, stuck on its back. If the move is performed with a tap input, it travels a bit further and faster, and deals a bit more damage.
Up special		Waterfall	1.4% (rapid hits, up to 7), 3% (final hit)	Squirtle creates a wave of water and rides it upwards. The attack deals multiple hits, and is difficult to interrupt as a recovery move, as the hitbox is large, disjointed, and directly in front of Squirtle. The movement direction of the move can be slightly altered with the control stick to be more vertical or more horizontal. Squirtle becomes helpless after using this move.
Down special		Pokémon Change		The Pokémon Trainer calls Squirtle back by throwing a Poké Ball at it, and then sends out Ivysaur.
Final Smash		Triple Finish	~50% total	The Pokémon Trainer sends out both Ivysaur and Charizard, and all three Pokémon perform a combination attack involving powerful trapping attacks with long horizontal range. For Squirtle's contribution to the attack, it uses Hydro Pump, a large cone-shaped vortex of water that pulls nearby opponents into the attack.

On-screen appearance

Pokémon Trainer releases Squirtle from its Poké Ball while saying "Go!" or "Squirtle!"

Taunts

• Up Taunt: Backflips once, then raises its arms up and says "Squirt!"
• Side Taunt: Spins around on its tail, before briefly making itself dizzy.
• Down Taunt: Retreats into its shell, then spins around once.

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  Squirtle's up taunt.

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  Squirtle's side taunt.

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  Squirtle's down taunt.

Idle poses

• Hops twice excitedly.
• Leans forward and waggles its arms in front of itself.

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  Squirtle's first idle pose

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  Squirtle's second idle pose

Victory poses

During Squirtle's victory poses, the Pokémon Trainer says randomly either "You all did great!" (male)/"Everyone did great!" (female) or "Good job, Squirtle!" (よくやったな、ゼニガメ！), while the female Trainer can say "We did it, Squirtle!" (やったね、ゼニガメ！).

• Left: Jumps and spins around on its shell in a breakdance move, and then lands and poses.
• Up: Spits water quickly in three directions, does a backflip, then poses with its arm in the air.
• Right: Pokémon Trainer holds Squirtle in his arms, then kneels down and puts it on the ground, and rubs its chin and head.

A small excerpt of the title theme of Pokémon Red, Blue, Yellow, and Green Versions, a track which would go on to become the Pokémon main theme and the title theme for the entire series.

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Role in World of Light

Finding Pokémon Trainer in World of Light

Pokémon Trainer was among the fighters that were summoned to fight against the army of Master Hands, and he brought his three Pokémon with him.

Squirtle was sent out by Pokémon Trainer, along with Ivysaur and Charizard, shortly before Galeem unleashed his beams of light. Under Pokémon Trainer's command, Squirtle used Water Gun in an attempt to fight the beams of light, but this attempt failed. Pokémon Trainer, Squirtle, Ivysaur and Charizard were all vaporized and placed under Galeem's imprisonment along with the other fighters, excluding Kirby.

Pokémon Trainer can be found at the southeast near the maze that resembles Pac-Maze. Defeating him allows access to all of their Pokémon.

Fighter Battle

No.	Image	Name	Type	Power	Stage	Music
33-35		Pokémon Trainer	Attack	7,500	Battlefield (Ω form)	Main Theme - Pokémon Red & Pokémon Blue (Brawl)

Spirits

Squirtle's Fighter Spirit can be obtained by completing Classic Mode. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 500 coins. Unlocking Squirtle in World of Light allows the player to preview the spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a Fighter Spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. Each Fighter Spirit has an alternate version that replaces them with their artwork in Ultimate.

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  414. Squirtle

In Spirit battles

As the main opponent

Spirit				Battle parameters
No.	Image	Name	Series	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music
37	File:Green Koopa.png	Koopa Troopa	Super Mario series	•Squirtle		1,700	3D Land	•Defense ↑ •Item Tidal Wave •Item: Green Shell	•The enemy has increased defense after a little while •Certain items will appear in large numbers •The enemy is easily distracted by items	Ground Theme - New Super Mario Bros. U
55	File:Boom Boom Spirit.png	Boom Boom	Super Mario series	•Giant Squirtle		4,400	Unova Pokémon League (Battlefield form)	N/A	•The enemy has super armor and is hard to launch or make flinch •The enemy can deal damage by dashing into you •The enemy is giant	Fortress Boss - Super Mario Bros. 3
86		Standard Kart	Mario Kart series	•Squirtle Team (×4)		2,100	Figure-8 Circuit	•Item: Green Shell	•The enemy favors side specials	Mario Circuit - Super Mario Kart
157	File:Ellie the Elephant.png	Ellie	Donkey Kong series	•Squirtle Team (x4)		2,100	Jungle Japes	N/A	•The enemy favors neutral specials	Snakey Chantey
254		Fishman	The Legend of Zelda series	•Squirtle		1,600	Pirate Ship	•Hazard: Left Is Right, Right Is Left •Buoyancy Reduced	•You can't swim •Left and right controls will suddenly reverse after a little while	The Great Sea / Menu Select
303		Toadies	Yoshi series	•Squirtle Team (×4)		4,200	Yoshi's Island	N/A	•The enemy's throws have increased power •The enemy starts the battle with a Rocket Belt	Flower Field
333		Kine	Kirby series	•Squirtle •Kirby		3,600	Wuhu Island (Rocks at sea)	•Buoyancy Reduced	•You can't swim •The enemy starts the battle with a Freezie	Float Islands
423	File:Blastoise Spirit.png	Blastoise	Pokémon series	•Giant Squirtle		4,100	Delfino Plaza	•Defense ↑	•The enemy has increased defense •The enemy is giant •The enemy starts the battle with a Super Scope	Main Theme - Pokémon Red & Pokémon Blue (Brawl)
434		Psyduck	Pokémon series	•Squirtle		1,800	Saffron City	•Hazard: Screen Flip	•The screen will suddenly flip after a little while	Main Theme - Pokémon Red & Pokémon Blue (64)
472		Wooper	Pokémon series	•Squirtle		1,600	Garden of Hope (Battlefield form)	•Earthquake	•Periodic earthquakes will shake the stage after a little while	Pokémon Gold / Pokémon Silver Medley
496		Kyogre	Pokémon series	•Giant Squirtle		4,100	Great Bay (Battlefield form)	N/A	•Only certain Pokémon will emerge from Poké Balls (Kyogre)	Victory Road - Pokémon Ruby / Pokémon Sapphire
503		Piplup	Pokémon series	•Squirtle (×4)		2,100	Garden of Hope	N/A	•Take your strongest team into this no-frills battle	Battle! (Wild Pokémon) - Pokémon Diamond / Pokémon Pearl
515		Manaphy	Pokémon series	•Squirtle		13,300	Kalos Pokémon League	•Move Speed ↓ •Jump Power ↓	•You have reduced jump power •You have reduced move speed	Pokémon Center - Pokémon Red / Pokémon Blue
521		Oshawott	Pokémon series	•Squirtle		1,600	Tortimer Island	N/A	•Only certain Pokémon will emerge from Poké Balls (Oshawott) •The enemy has increased attack power when badly damaged	Route 23 - Pokémon Black 2 / Pokémon White 2
786	File:Chao Spirit.png	Chao	Sonic the Hedgehog series	•Squirtle Team (x4)		2,100	Windy Hill Zone	•Item: Food	•The enemy becomes more powerful after eating •The enemy is easily distracted by items	Escape from the City
804	File:Blue Pikmin Spirit.png	Blue Pikmin	Pikmin series	•Tiny Squirtle Team (×12)		4,000	Distant Planet (Raining)	N/A	•The enemy's ice and water attacks have increased power •Timed Stamina battle •Water and ice attacks aren't as effective against the enemy	Main Theme - Pikmin (Original)
818	File:IridescentGlintBeetle.png	Iridescent Glint Beetle	Pikmin series	•Gold Squirtle		4,400	Distant Planet	N/A	•Timed Stamina battle •The enemy tends to avoid conflict	Forest of Hope
1,038		Jelfonzo	Splatoon series	•Clear Squirtle		1,700	Saffron City	N/A	•The enemy is invisible	Don't Slip
1,273	File:Eddy Spirit.png	Eddy	Fluidity: Spin Cycle	•Squirtle		1,600	Hanenbow	•Hazard: Screen Flip	•The screen will suddenly flip after a little while	Electroplankton (Remix)

As a minion

Spirit				Battle parameters							Inspiration
No.	Image	Name	Series	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music	Character
700		Turtle Bridge	Game & Watch series	•Mr. Game & Watch •Squirtle •Morton •Bowser		1,700	Flat Zone X (hazards off)	N/A	•The enemy favors back air attacks	Flat Zone	Turtle
791	File:Cream and Cheese Spirit.png	Cream & Cheese	Sonic the Hedgehog series	•Isabelle •Tiny Squirtle		3,500	Green Hill Zone	•Hazard: Low Gravity	•Gravity is reduced •The enemy takes less damage while in the air	Rooftop Run	Cheese
948	File:Ghosts spirit.png	Ghosts	Pac-Man series	•Kirby •Jigglypuff •Squirtle •Pac-Man		3,500	Pac-Land (Battlefield form)	•Assist Trophy Enemies (Ghosts)	•Hostile assist trophies will appear	PAC-MAN	Inky

Gallery

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  Artwork of all playable Pokémon characters and Poké Ball Pokémon, as posted by the official Pokémon Twitter account.

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  Squirtle in Pokémon Trainer's fighter card.

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  Squirtle's amiibo.

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  Squirtle taunting on Battlefield.

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  With Ivysaur, Charizard, and a Burrowing Snagret on The Great Cave Offensive.

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  With Ivysaur and Charizard on Skyworld.

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  Attacking Inkling with Water Gun on Pokémon Stadium 2.

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  Squirtle getting splashed by Isabelle on Delfino Plaza.

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  Struck by Lucario on the Bridge of Eldin.

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  With Ivysaur and a giant golden Pikachu on Pokémon Stadium 2.

Trivia

• Squirtle and Falco are the only fighters not to receive any changes through updates, as of 6.0.0.
• Despite being a Water-type Pokémon with swimming capabilities in the Pokémon series, Squirtle can drown in water like every other character. The same is also true for Greninja.