Mario (SSB4)

Mario in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	Mario
Other playable appearances	in SSB in Melee in Brawl
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Mario Finale

Mario (マリオ, Mario) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. He was confirmed on June 11th, 2013 during the E3 2013 Nintendo Direct. He was also one of the main subjects of the Developer's Direct for Smash Bros. later during E3 2013. He was among the first wave of amiibo figurines for SSB4. Mario is once again voiced by Charles Martinet, who also reprises his long-time role as Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi, albeit mostly with the same voice clips from Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Attributes

As expected, Mario is one of the most balanced characters in SSB4, possessing no overwhelming strengths or weaknesses. As such, players are often encouraged to start off as Mario to get a feel of the games' mechanics. Mario's strength, weight, and mobility are average in comparison to a majority of the cast, and aside from wall-jumping, he has no real outstanding traits like many other characters. However, this does not mean Mario is helpless; while he may not boast superior strength found in heavyweights like Bowser, or speed in characters such as Sonic, he is well-equipped to combat all characters and tackle any situation, making him a very reliable and well-rounded character.

Mario has decent approach and distancing options; his dashing speed is average and he boasts the sixth fastest air speed in the game, allowing him cover ground and get close to the opponent(s) without much trouble. If he requires space from his opponents, however, Mario can find reliance within his Fireball, Cape, and F.L.U.D.D. specials: his Fireballs have good range, decent speed, and can disrupt opponents at a distance; Cape is quick and can spin his foes around and reflect projectiles, which can ensure safety if his opponents get to close or are taking a long-ranged and/or camping approach; and F.L.U.D.D. can push fighters away or halt them in their track and can cut through projectiles.

Mario possesses quick, low lag attacks that always provide some utility in various situations. With his mobility and attacks, Mario undoubtedly possesses one of the best combo and juggling ability in the game, which are perhaps his greatest strengths. While his damage output is merely average, his approach, combos, and juggles can ensure he can rack up damage on nearly the same level as the fastest characters in the game. His overall knockback is also decent and a number of his attacks, primarily his smashes and aerials, can KO well into the early-to-mid 100s. However, more often than not will players find they need to create set-ups before Mario can get in any kills, which can be quite a challenge as most characters can trump Mario in a specific field (which is where Mario can mainly find trouble). However, this can be remedied by the rage mechanic; Mario is unique from most other non-heavyweights in that he can benefit from the knockback increase induced by rage without nearly any of his combos getting affected thanks to his approach options, allowing for more reliable kills. However, as rage comes from taking damage, Mario is at equal risk of being KOed himself.

Mario also boasts one of the most reliable throwing games; while his grab-range is sub-par (despite being better than in previous installments), his throws are versatile, as his back and forward throw can set up gimp KOs when used from the edge of a stage (and his back throw itself can KO at high percentages from an edge), and his down and up throw can set up combos, especially with his down throw if followed up by his strong up attack.

Despite being a conventional character, Mario has a few gimmicks, all of which help him surprisingly excel at edgeguarding. His forward aerial is an extremely reliable meteor smash when sweetspotted, albeit its high startup and ending lag makes a rather risky move to use offstage. His back aerial can be used for walls of pain and knock fighters farther away from the stage for edgeguarding. Mario's Fireballs can also gimp recoveries; their low knockback makes them effective in that regard. F.L.U.D.D. is another powerful edgeguarding tool that pushes enemies back without causing hitstun, allowing it to cleanly gimp characters who are helpless after using their up special. Most notably, however, Mario has what is likely the absolute best edgeguarding weapon in all the game: his Cape. When used, it can effectively and quickly gimp almost every recovery in the game, particularly if used after F.L.U.D.D.; it is especially useful against linear recoveries and helpless fighters trying to get to the ledge. His Cape can also be used to save himself from being edgeguarded, as well as give a small aid in his recovery.

Despite all these advantages, however, Mario is not without his faults: as mentioned above, he can be outclassed by characters who excel in a specific field, such as Sonic in speed, Luigi in comboing, Bowser in knockback, etc., which can hinder his approaching options. His approach can also be hindered by characters with long-range or disjointed hitboxes, such as Marth or Shulk, mostly thanks to his own mediocre attack range. His recovery is also sub-par, as his Super Jump Punch is predictable and its distance is only slightly above average, making it easy to gimp Mario's recovery. While he can add mix-up to his recovery with his wall-jump, it can be difficult to execute due to most stages not having flat walls to perform it with, making it risky.

Mario's custom moves are highly polarized in comparison to his balanced default moves, and thus effectively define the basics of alternate movesets. This allows a Mario player to either cover a hole in his abilities while possibly creating another, or put everything into excelling in a certain area. His Fireball alternatives are a common custom archetype of speed vs. power - fast fireball is much quicker, but weaker and doesn't follow gravity. Fire Orb is much bigger and stronger, hitting multiple times, but is incredibly sluggish to throw and has almost no range. Similarly, Gust Cape deals less damage in exchange for producing a blast of wind that can push opponents some distance, while Shocking Cape is much more powerful when hitting with the cape itself, but only destroys projectiles instead of reflecting, and gives no aerial boost. His Super Jump Punch customs are also a common up-special archetype of recovery vs. power. Super Jump goes higher, but cannot hit enemies. Explosive Punch hits incredibly hard, but gives less height. His F.L.U.D.D alternatives both give a power increase, but in different ways. Scalding F.L.U.D.D. charges faster and damages enemies instead of pushing, but this takes away its edgeguarding potential over helpless enemies as a result, as well as having worse range. High-Pressure F.L.U.D.D. pushes much harder and has improved range, but takes longer to charge, and the recoil pushes Mario backwards.

All-in-all, Mario is the jack-of-all-trades who can go up against anyone with near-guaranteed reliability, but is not truly a master in any specific fields, though he has a noticeable advantage against fighters with linear recoveries and has one of the best combo capability in the game. Nonetheless, Mario is a choice that most can rely on and easily master.

Changes from Brawl

Mario has been significantly buffed from Brawl to SSB4, given that he was a low-tier character. He is considerably more nimble and stronger than in past games, as well as being more capable of comboing and KOing. His reach is somewhat greater as well. The only true nerf Mario seems to suffer from is an overall decrease in damage output. However, the large aforementioned buffs to his maneuverability, knockback, and comboing makes this nerf largely negligible. Also, with the general nerf/rebalance to most characters with disjointed hitboxes (such as Marth), who were a large threat to Mario in Brawl, Mario can now handle them more easily and last longer against them, although they are still a potential threat that Mario players should still be wary of. Furthermore, the change to the ledge mechanics makes his linear recovery harder to edgeguard. Lastly, in tournaments and other situations where custom specials are available, his edgeguarding game is improved further with tools such as Fast Fireball Gust Cape, and High-Pressure F.L.U.D.D. Overall, Mario's intended role as the most "well-equipped" character appears to have been restored, and even improved with his excellent aerial mobility and edgeguarding capabilities.

Aesthetics

• Instead of the more realistic look he had in Brawl, Mario has a more cartoonish and sleeker look that more closely resembles his appearances in the Mario games. His clothes are more brightly colored, and the seams in his overalls are much less accentuated. His proportions are more inline with recent 3D Mario games such as Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario 3D World. For example, his head is smaller than it was in Brawl to fit with these proportions.
• The sound Mario's up taunt makes is similar to the sound heard when obtaining a power-up in the recent Mario games.
• When a Fireball hits a foe, the sound effect when an enemy is defeated in Super Mario Bros. plays.
• Hitting with the Cape now makes a sound effect akin to Mario spinning his cape in Super Mario World, but at a faster and higher-pitched sound.
• Super Jump Punch makes a slightly higher-pitched ding on the last hit.
• The coins from the Super Jump Punch are now designed closer to the Star Coins from the New Super Mario Bros. series.
• After using or fully charging F.L.U.D.D., it does not stay on his back.

Attributes

• Mario's chest faces the foreground regardless of whether he's facing left or right.
• Mario has significantly increased air speed (0.94 → 1.15), with it now being the sixth fastest in SSB4.
• Mario jumps higher.
• Mario dashes slightly faster (1.5 → 1.6).
• Mario's falling speed has been increased (1.28 → 1.5) making him less vulnerable to juggling but slightly more susceptible to combos.
• Mario's traction has been significantly decreased (0.6 → 0.45), now being tied for the 10th worst instead of being tied for 11th best in Brawl. This makes it harder for him to punish OoS.

Ground attacks

• Jab, forward tilt, up tilt, and dash attack deal less damage (9%, 8%, 7%, and 9/7% → 8%, 7%, 5%, and 8/6% respectively).
• Down tilt has much less ending lag, allowing it to be a close range spacer and combo move.
• Up tilt has had its knockback severely reduced, increasing its comboing and juggling ability, able to deal around 20% damage on most characters if used repeatedly.
• Due to its reduced knockback, up tilt is no longer a reliable KO move.
• Forward smash has a larger blast radius, giving it a larger hitbox. It also has slightly more knockback growth (90 → 99).
• Up smash has slightly more knockback growth (90 → 94).
• Down smash's back hit has much stronger knockback growth (75 → 100) but less base knockback (35 → 30) making it overall stronger at K.O. percents.
• Down smash's front hit deals much less damage (15% → 10%) and can no longer K.O. under 150% unless used near the edge.

Aerial attacks

• Forward aerial is faster and deals more damage (13% → 14%).
• Forward aerial has increased base knockback (20 base → 32 base).
• Back aerial is much easier to use for a wall of pain due to Mario's much faster air speed and high jump.
• Up aerial angle changed from 55 degrees to 75 degrees, which makes it a much better combo move.
• Neutral, down, up and back aerials deal less damage (10%, 12%, 11%, and 12% → 8%, 10%, 7%, and 10% respectively), with their knockback compensated except for Neutral aerial.
• Back and up aerials have 2 more frames of landing lag (10 → 12 frames).
• The hits of Mario Tornado link to one another drastically better than in Brawl. The final hit also deals significantly more knockback growth (80 → 100).

Throws/other attacks

• Mario now grabs with one hand as opposed to two (he still uses both hands during his pummel, however).
• Mario's grab range is slightly better.
• All throws deal 1% less damage.
• Since back throw does 1% less damage this makes it weaker despite its slightly increased growth (63 → 66).
• Down throw has drastically less base knockback (75 → 40), allowing it to combo into other moves more reliably at lower percentages, most infamously up tilt.
• Down throw angle changed from 80 to 68 degrees and has much more knockback growth (40 → 90) making it send away and followups less reliable at higher percents.

Special moves

• Fireballs travel a distance further.
• Fireballs come out on frame 16 instead of 13, have much more endlag (IASA 43 → 53) and its damage relies on distance rather than consistently doing 5%.
• Cape deals slightly less damage and gives slightly less lift in the air.
• Mario's means of approach with Cape are hindered by the lack of Cape Gliding.
• Mario can dash over an edge and grab it right after flinging Cape if timed correctly.
• Super Jump Punch gains more recovery distance.
• F.L.U.D.D. has increased range and push force.
• Mario Finale does more damage than in Brawl.
• Mario Finale's startup also dramatically slows opponents down, making it much easier to land the attack especially in close range.

Update history

1.0.4

• Up tilt deals less damage (6.3% → 5.5%), but the slight knockback decrease the damage reduction brings makes it slightly easier to followup at high percentage.

Moveset

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			2.5%	Mario jabs with one fist, his other fist, and then finishes with a forward kick. The attack originates from Super Mario 64.
			2.5%
			4%
Forward tilt			7%	Mario performs a roundhouse kick.
Up tilt			5.5%	Mario performs a spinning uppercut from Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. Infamous for comboing into itself until around 50% and being very hard to escape.
Down tilt			5% (foot), 7% (body)	Mario sweeps with his leg low to the ground.
Dash attack			8% (clean), 6% (late)	Mario slides forward and kicks with both feet as done in Super Mario 64. Can combo into Up B at low %s.
Forward smash	↗		17.85% (fire), 14.7% (arm)	Mario thrusts his arm forward and produces a small blast of fire. It is larger than in previous installments. Angled up it K.O.s at 99% sweetspotted and 118% sour, unangled at 105% sweet and 124% sour, and angled down at 101% sweet and 120% sour.
	→		17% (fire), 14% (arm)
	↘		17.51% (fire), 14.42% (arm)
Up smash			14%	Mario performs a strong headbutt skyward. K.O.s at 123% and up from the middle of FD.
Down smash			10% (front), 12% (back)	Mario performs a breakdance sweep that originated from Super Mario 64. Front hit K.O.s at 162% and up from the middle of FD. Back hit K.O.s at 133% and up from the middle of FD.
Neutral aerial			8% (clean), 5% (late)	Mario does a sex kick similar to a move from Super Mario 64. K.O.s at the edge at 163%.
Forward aerial			12% (early), 14% (clean), 10% (late)	Mario swings his fist forward and initiates a meteor smash upon impact. Sourspot can also K.O. horizontally near the edge at 140%.
Back aerial			10.5% (clean), 7% (late)	Mario spins and kicks backward. It appears to be based on his original forward aerial from Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 64. K.O.s at 127% near the edge.
Up aerial			7%	Mario performs a somersault and kicks backward. Great juggler and combo move, can K.O. near the upper blastline above 140%.
Down aerial		Mario Tornado	1% (hits 1-5), 5% (hit 6), 2% (landing)	Mario spins with both both fists outward. It was one of Mario's special moves up until Super Smash Bros. Brawl. It is likely based on the Spin Jump that originated from Super Mario World. Good combo and anti juggler move, can K.O. near the upper blastline above 140%.
Grab			—	Mario's grab range is relatively short.
Pummel			3.25%	Headbutts opponent.
Forward throw			8%	Mario spins his opponent around once and tosses the opponent forward.
Back throw			11% (throw), 8% (collateral)	A powerful throw that has Mario spinning the opponent three times and throwing the opponent in the opposite direction grabbed. Originates from Super Mario 64. Can K.O. reliably below 150% near the edge.
Up throw			7%	Mario throws his opponent high into the air with both hands. Good throw for fastfallers.
Down throw			5%	Mario slams his opponent into the ground. This throw can be followed up with several options, most notably up tilt and up smash.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Gets up then kicks behind him, then in front of him.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	Gets up then punches behind him, then in front of him.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Kicks behind him, then in front of him while getting up.
Edge attack Edge getups			7%	Does a somersault and then kicks upwards from a laying down position.
Neutral special	Default	Fireball	5% (early), 4% (late)	Mario fires a weak, bouncy ball of flames that is shot from his hand as a projectile.
	Custom 1	Fast Fireball	3% (early), 2.3% (mid), 1.5% (late)	Mario quickly fires a weak ball of flame directly forward, akin to a shot from the Ray Gun. It does not bounce on the ground.
	Custom 2	Fire Orb	1.5% per hit	A slow but large orb of fire is launched from Mario's hand in an arc. It will damage any opponent it hits in its predetermined path until it fades away, because unlike the other two variants of Fireball it does not disappear upon impact.
Side special	Default	Cape	7%	Mario swings a cape from Super Mario World that reflects projectiles and enemies. It can also be used as a brief but continuously available recovery.
	Custom 1	Shocking Cape	11.2%	An offensive variant of Cape that shoots electricity. It cannot be used to reflect projectiles, although it can destroy them on contact.
	Custom 2	Gust Cape	5%	Mario shoots a small gust of wind from his cape, pushing his opponent back in addition to turning them around. The cape deals slightly less damage.
Up special	Default	Super Jump Punch	5% (hit 1), 1% (hits 2-5), 3% (hit 6)	Mario performs a rising uppercut that releases aesthetic coins from those it hits.
	Custom 1	Super Jump	0%	A recovery giving more distance than the standard Super Jump Punch, at the cost of not having a hitbox.
	Custom 2	Explosive Punch	8% (hit 1), 13% (hit 2)	A much stronger recovery move that causes explosive fire damage instead of releasing star coins. However, it covers far less distance than the standard Super Jump Punch.
Down special	Default	F.L.U.D.D.	0%	Mario pulls out F.L.U.D.D. from Super Mario Sunshine, which will blast jets of water to push back opponents, but not damage them. Mario can change the angle of the stream.
	Custom 1	Scalding F.L.U.D.D.	1.2% per hit	The jets of water fired are now extremely hot, and hence have steam emitting from them. It deals rapid fire damage that keep the enemy in place rather than pushing them back. It charges 40% faster at the expense of range.
	Custom 2	High-Pressure F.L.U.D.D.	0%	The water will push back foes further than the normal F.L.U.D.D. and does so with more force, but takes 60% longer to charge.
Final Smash		Mario Finale	3% (bigger fireball), 2% (smaller fireball)	Mario's final smash from Super Smash Bros. Brawl. He shoots a massive, continuous tornado of flames horizontally across the stage.

Taunts

• Transforms into Super Mario as if he obtained a Super Mushroom. He immediately shrinks back to normal size afterwards. It is based on Super Mario Bros.
• Takes off his hat, twirls around, and says "Hoo-hoo!" He then puts his hat back on. It is based on his level clear animation from New Super Mario Bros..
• Spins in the air and falls to the ground with his legs in the air. This is a reference to his dying animation from Donkey Kong.

On-Screen Appearance

A green Warp Pipe appears. Mario leaps out in an iconic pose and shouts "Let's-a go!". It is based on how he warps to Peach's Castle in Super Mario 64.

Idle Poses

• Moves his head from left to right and holds his fist in front of his face.
• Moves his hat.

Victory Fanfare

A flourished remix directly from Brawl based on the sound clip that would play when Mario reaches the end of a level in Super Mario Bros. It is shared with Luigi, Peach, and Dr. Mario.

Victory Poses

• Makes fire explode from his palm and strikes a pose.
• Winds up for a punch and steps forward while punching in front of the screen.
• Does a short spin-jump and lands in a strong-man pose. It originates from his "character chosen" animation in Super Smash Bros..

In Competitive Play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character	Custom sets available
Mario	2312	2332	2212	2232	1312
	1313	1332	1212	1213	2213

Notable players

•  Ally
•  Dark Wizzy
•  Nyani
•  Squeak
•  Viva

Trophies

Mario

As iconic as iconic gets, this gaming celebrity is known for saving the world from Bowser. He's got amazing jumping skills and makes use of a wide range of transformations. In his free time, he plays too many sports to count. In Smash Bros., he's a well-rounded fighter you can rely on. Say it with me: "It's-a me, Mario!"

It's-a him! Maaario! Whether he's wearing one of his special outfits or just his normal blue dungarees, this running, jumping, Bowser-bashing, princess-saving hero is an all-round superstar. And in this game, he's got enough tricks up his sleeve to deal with anything. If you don't know which fighter to pick, Mario's a solid choice.

: Donkey Kong Classics 09/1988

: Super Mario Bros. 10/1985

Mario (Alt.)

Super Jump Punch is an up-special move that lets you leap high into the air, carrying any fighters you strike along with you. You'll be invincible for a moment after you launch this attack. The default side-special move, Cape, will flip a fighter around. Keep a foe from returning with this move!

Mario's Super Jump Punch takes you high into the air, and if you catch an opponent with it, they'll go up with you. Try to hit them at the very start of the move to do the most damage. His default side special, Cape, can flip fighters around. If you're really crafty, you can even use it to keep someone from getting back on the stage!

: Donkey Kong Classics 09/1988

: Super Mario Bros. 10/1985

Mario Finale

Break the Smash Ball and unleash Mario's Final Smash. Mario will fire a devastating blast of fire in the direction he's facing. The attack covers a wide range and travels far, so it's best to fire this from one side of the stage to the other. The damage is impressive, and it can actually carry foes right off the screen!

When Mario gets his hands on a Smash Ball, he can activate this Final Smash. Flames spiral outwards in two intertwining stream, catching opponents in the wide blast with ease. It deals plenty of damage, and can also push foes off the screen entirely. Fire it from an elevated position to take full advantage of its vertical range!

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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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  Mario Finale

In Event Matches

Solo Events

• All-Star Battle: Regulars: Mario is one of the opponents fought in this event. All opponents are starters from the original Super Smash Bros. game.
• Below the Belt: Mario must protect a damaged Little Mac from a giant Little Mac.
• Family Ties: The player controls Bowser Jr., who is aided by a giant Bowser, and must defeat Mario and Luigi.
• Oh Yeah, Luigi Time!: A giant Mario serves as an ally to Luigi, who must defeat a giant Wario.
• Princess Punch-Up!: Mario and Peach are opponents in a stock battle against Zelda and Link.
• The FINAL Final Battle: The player must defeat Mario, alongside Sonic, Mega Man, and Pac-Man.
• The Original Heavyweights: Mario must defeat Bowser and Donkey Kong.
• Wrecking Mario: Mario must destroy all of the building on Wrecking Crew.

Co-op Events

• 1988: Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong must defeat 3 Marios, each one larger than the last.
• A Lurking Menace: Mario and Luigi must defeat Bowser Jr. After some time, a giant Bowser will appear and the players must defeat him as well.
• Flat Fracas: A shadow Mario and a giant shadow Donkey Kong are opponents fought by Wario and Mr. Game & Watch.
• Solidarity: Olimar and Rosalina & Luma must defeat Mario and Luigi. When they are defeated, Bowser and Bowser Jr. must be defeated as well.
• The Ultimate Battle: Two players select a character and must defeat the entire roster.
• Wrecking Bros.: Mario and Luigi must destroy all of the building on Wrecking Crew. Wario and King Dedede will try to stop the players.

Alternate costumes

Gallery

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  Mario in the Nintendo Direct from April 8th, 2014.

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  Alternate artwork. (Without fireball.)

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  Mario's amiibo.

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  Neutral aerial.

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  Up aerial.

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  Mario finishing his forward tilt.

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  Cape.

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  Back aerial.

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  Side taunt, after KOing Luigi.

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  Mario and Luigi jumping.

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  Mario, Sonic, and Mega Man on Battlefield.

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  Mario and Luigi in a section of the Super Mario 3D Land stage.

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  Mario meteor smashes Kirby with his forward aerial.

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  Mario, Pikachu, Bowser and Pit on a red plane in Wuhu Island.

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  Mario's Fireball colliding with Sonic's neutral attack.

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  Mario and Luigi both staring at each other.

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  Mario, Peach, and Rosalina.

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  Facing Kirby, Samus and Toon Link.

• Smash.4 - Star Cursor 01.gif

  Mario's F.L.U.D.D. being deflected by Rosalina.

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  Mario in Smash Run.

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  Mario air dodging with Mega Man

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  Mario with Mega Man's dog, Rush.

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  Mario jumping with the Wii Fit Trainer

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  Fox jumping near Mario.

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  Mario and an Orne in the 3DS version.

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  Mario in an outfit based on NES Open Tournament Golf.

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  F.L.U.D.D. in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

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  Scalding F.L.U.D.D.

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  Mario using the High-Pressure FLUDD in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS

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  Fast Fireball.

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  Fire Orb.

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  Super Jump.

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  Explosive Punch.

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  Shocking Cape.

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  Gust Cape.

Trivia

• Based on hitbox data, the Super Jump Punch making a different sound on the final hit seems to have been intended to be in all three previous games.
• A glitch from 1.0.7 shows when Mario performs his side taunt, his hair is missing when taking off his cap, revealing the inside of his head.