Super Smash Bros. 4

Bayonetta (SSB4)

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This article is about Bayonetta's appearance in Super Smash Bros. 4. For the character in other contexts, see Bayonetta.
Bayonetta
in Super Smash Bros. 4
Bayonetta
BayonettaSymbol.svg
Universe Bayonetta
Availability Downloadable
Final Smash Infernal Climax
Tier S (2)
Bayonetta (SSB4)
“ Bayonetta Gets Spammy! ”
—Introduction Tagline

Bayonetta (ベヨネッタ, Bayonetta) is a character and newcomer in Super Smash Bros. 4, and is the seventh and final downloadable character. She was announced alongside Corrin during the Super Smash Bros. - Final Video Presentation on December 15th, 2015 and both were released on February 3rd, 2016. She is the sixth third-party character to be introduced in SSB4, following fellow SEGA character Sonic, Capcom's Mega Man and Ryu, Bandai Namco's Pac-Man and Square Enix's Cloud. Bayonetta was added to the game as the winner of the Smash Bros. Fighter Ballot, being the highest-voted character in Europe and among the top 5 in North America, making her the overall #1 worldwide among realizable characters. Her default appearance is based on her redesign for Bayonetta 2, but with slightly modified proportions, most notably in her height. Bayonetta's English voice actress, Hellena Taylor, and her Japanese voice actress, Atsuko Tanaka, both reprise their roles in Super Smash Bros. 4.

Bayonetta currently ranks 2nd out of 55 on the tier list (behind Mario), making her the highest-ranked DLC character, newcomer, and third-party character. Bayonetta's top placing is primarily due to her powerful combo game; almost all of her attacks can reliably combo into one another, leading to powerful 50/50 mixups at high percentages, and she even has zero-to-death potential. Furthermore, a majority of her best KO attacks can be easily comboed into, and she can also start combos by using Witch Time or Bat Within on opponents who make mistakes, giving her a safe approach; further bolstering her approach is a number of decent zoning options, such as Bullet Climax and her unique Bullet Arts. Bayonetta also boasts a long, safe recovery with both After Burner Kick and Witch Twist granting significant distance, directional flexibility, and enormous hitboxes, which is further supplemented with her ability to wall jump and wall cling. She herself is capable of edge-guarding many characters with her quick aerials, including several which can become sex kicks if held and a number of powerful grounded options as well, such as a large and powerful meteor smash in her down smash.

Bayonetta's primary flaw is her poor frame data on the ground, with many of her grounded attacks coming out on frame 9 or later, as well as frequently having high cooldown lag, especially on her smash attacks. Some of her specials gain more landing lag the more she uses them in the air, making her landings relatively exploitable if her combos whiff. Furthermore, despite her long recovery, Bayonetta is still considered a lightweight, and when considering her large hurtbox, she is easier to hit and KO than most other characters. Finally, players must exercise caution with her Witch Time, due to its poor effectiveness on multi-hitting moves, and its lowering efficiency if used too often.

Bayonetta has historically achieved excellent tournament results and representation, even after she received infamous nerfs in 1.1.6, with Pink Fresh winning 2GGT: KTAR Saga with her, along with players like Mistake and CaptainZack placing high in nationals such as Super Smash Con 2017 and GENESIS 4 respectively, while Salem most notably achieved success from winning EVO 2017, DreamHack Atlanta 2017 and 2GGC: Fire Emblem Saga.

Attributes

Bayonetta, much like in her home series, is a combo-heavy fighter, with many multi-hitting attacks and chainable moves. Unlike Ryu, Bayonetta specializes in aerial combos that consist of fewer hits, with her special moves being a main component in many of them. However, she shares a similar problem with Ryu in that her overall mobility is just average, with a slow walking speed, average dashing, below average air speed, but she has high air acceleration, jump force, falling speed (the ninth fastest), and gravity, attributes similar most other combo-based characters. Similar to Sheik, she is also tall and light, which when combined with her fast falling speed and high gravity makes her a rather frail fighter overall.

Bayonetta's greatest and most defining strength is her infamous punishment game, unarguably the best among the entire cast. One of its components is a special mechanic, Bullet Arts, where holding the attack/special button during many of her attacks extends the ending animation to allow her to shoot. Depending on how long the relevant button is held, Bayonetta will fire up to ten (with some exceptions) invisible bullets from each used gun with no hitstun (unless the opponent is at a point blank position), and have long range (about the size of half of Final Destination) as a way to rack up damage. Most of these bullets are arced in the direction that her attack faces her, while many shoot bullets in separate directions, such as her down tilt (forward and backwards). With this in effect, Bayonetta has the potential to deal more than standard damage should her Bullet Arts connect. Tapping the attack button again during Bullet Arts transitions to the next move in her attack chain (if applicable), but she must do this before she twirls her guns to put them to rest (signifying the end of her combo). Bullets are also considered to be disjointed hitboxes attached to her, leaving them as unreflectable. With this ability, she has a very good damage racking game, and can camp to force opposing approaches by dealing chip damage at a distance, or simply hold down the attack button after a whiffed aerial attack to pelt opponents with minor damage, making a missed attack less of a detriment for her compared to other fighters, and granting her a good neutral game. Bayonetta also has a more traditional projectile variant in her neutral special, Bullet Climax. Unlike Bullet Arts, it has visible bullets, but they cause hitstun and can be charged to increase their power, making them usable to edgeguard recovering opponents.

However, the most notable point of Bayonetta's punishment game resides in her combo game. All of her moves possess very large range and up tilt, down tilt, up throw, forward aerial's first hit and Heel Slide serve as good combo starters; they all launch opponents into the air, where from there she can mix and match her aerials, such as aerial attacks (most notably multiple forward aerials), Witch Twist, and After Burner Kick, which can result in massive damage and can wall of pain or even zero-death opponents. This also gives her a good edge-guarding game, especially with a powerful back aerial, a neutral and up aerial that can frame-trap recovering opponents, and a meteor smash in down aerial that is incredibly powerful even at low percentages and surprisingly recoverable for a stall-then-fall. Her down special, Witch Time, is also a staple on her moveset: it is a counterattack with very fast startup that, if landed, it slows down targets to 1/8 of their speed and leaves them extremely wide open to her combos or charged smash attacks (though the opponent takes a reduced damage multiplier of x1.2 for smash attacks, and it does not negate lingering hitboxes that can interrupt her attempt to counterattack). Using Witch Time wisely is crucial to victory, as it can decide the outcome of the opponent and even turn the tides of the match instantly if the opponent is careless. She also benefits from her unique safety net in Bat Within, which negates all knockback and reduces damage for attacks that would have hit her if her counter activates too late or during the starting frames of any of her dodging methods. The latter essentially gives Bayonetta a frame 1 air dodge and sidestep, and a frame 3 roll, breaking many combos that would otherwise be true on other characters regardless of their escape options. Furthermore, Bat Within enables Bayonetta to teleport in a given (usually more favorable) position, enabling her to punish her attacker afterwards if used wisely, although it often moves her too far to exploit her opponent's vulnerability.

In regards to the potency of her moveset, Bayonetta has some notably strong and/or useful attacks that can help her close out stocks once the opponent is at high damage, even more so with the help of her Witch Time, which serves as the glue on her surplus punishment game. All of her smash attacks are powerful and useful, with forward smash having the biggest hitbox out of them, up smash being the fastest and strongest, and down smash being a meteor smash that serves as an extremely useful edgeguarding move. Her up aerial is her main aerial to KO out of her combos, as they often take the opponent to the upper blast line, where she can finish the combo off with the up aerial to net a relatively early KO. Back aerial, while having slow startup, is her most powerful and damaging one and has long range, and can be used to finish an opponent in a similar vein to her up aerial, through the use of a combo that carries the opponent to the lateral blast lines. Down aerial's notably high base knockback often KOs opponents at very low percentages if they are below or at the stage's height. Her forward throw is strong, though due to it launching opponents at a slightly high angle and being commonly used, it can often fail to KO, and thus it is one of her last resort KOing options. Witch Twist is also infamous for causing very early KOs due to the hits' high base knockback. To complement her punishment game, her recovery is among the most flexible in the game, as After Burner Kick gives her fair horizontal distance, and while Witch Twist comes up vertically short, she can re-use it after a midair jump. Her wall jump/cling also helps her recovery and can often leave the opponent on an unfavorable position. She can also use Witch Twist, double jump, Witch Twist again up to three frames after, and restore her double jump, allowing her to mix-up her recovery. Her punish game also complements her recovery, as the immense range of her special attacks allows her to easily edge-guard break opponents, and edgeguard or even KO them in return. Thus, like Sheik, Bayonetta is among the hardest characters to successfully edgeguard, with very few characters such as Palutena having options that can keep her away from the stage.

Even with her set of strengths, Bayonetta has some weaknesses that are quite exploitable. Her tall frame and light weight makes her rather easy to combo and KO (though it is worth mentioning she technically has a frame 1 air dodge, making her harder to combo by characters whose combo ability isn't perfectly linear). Her frame data is also quite polarized: while her aerial attacks have very low ending lag, many of her grounded attacks have notable start-up and ending lag, especially her smash attacks, making them unsafe on shield, and leaves her vulnerable to opponents that have better frame data than her while grounded, like Pikachu or Little Mac. Her smash attacks also do not terminate on hit, rendering them unable to hit any character with an active hitbox, while being unable to trade with most attacks if they make contact with her. Her position after performing After Burner Kick and/or Witch Twist in the air can be exploitable, as the more of these moves she uses in the air, the longer landing lag she will receive at the end, leaving Bayonetta punishable if they are whiffed and if she is forced to land on the ground. Despite Bullet Arts granting her a relatively good neutral game, her approach is fairly poor, as her few options in dash attack, dash grab and Heel Slide are predictable. Despite her abundance of KOing options, she is reliant on Witch Time to land her smash attacks, spacing to land her aerials, on forward throw to KO the opponent if her level of rage is high, and her combos to carry the opponent to the blast lines and KO them with an aerial attack. When it comes to escape her combos, Bayonetta has a 2.0× SDI multiplier on her multi-hit/combo moves, causing her combos to fail if the player doesn't read their opponent's DI and SDI, and this causes her zero-death combos to get stale. Her rolls, sidestep, and air dodge all have noticeable ending lag (though her rolls end three frames earlier than Samus's), and the former two also have among the slowest start-ups out of all the characters in terms of invincibility. Witch Twist doesn't travel much vertical distance on its own, making her recovery short-ranged if she doesn't use or has already used her second jump or her After Burner Kick. Finally, she lacks customs specials, like the other DLC characters, though due to the huge utility her special moveset has, it is more of a nuisance to her.

Overall, Bayonetta's strengths noticeably outweigh her weaknesses. She can dish out large amounts of punishing damage in her combos once she reads the opponent and exploits their vulnerabilities, but must also be careful not to let her opponent take advantage of her own weaknesses, though due to the high range and priority her attacks have, doing so is a difficult task to begin with. Perhaps the only characters that she has problems against are those who can camp well against her, or have much a much better neutral game than she does, such as Rosalina & Luma or Diddy Kong for the former point and Sheik for the latter one, but outside of that, she can easily dominate and punish characters who cannot properly capitalize on her weaknesses. She has arguably the highest tournament representation among the entire roster, with smashers including Salem, Mistake, CaptainZack, Abadango, Lima, JK, tyroy, and 9B having used her with consistently strong results in regional and national tournaments. However, while Bayonetta was quickly considered the best character in the game upon release, opinions varied on how dominating she was in tournaments; while some regions went as far as to ban her from tournaments due to her overpowering potential, others claimed that Bayonetta's supposed potential did not yield the overwhelming success other characters had previously attained, such as Sheik and Diddy Kong. Update 1.1.6 ultimately nerfed a variety of Bayonetta's attributes, putting her more in line with the rest of the cast; while not significantly crippled, her tournament representation and results both fell in response. Despite these nerfs, her excellent tournament results have led to her being widely seen as the best character in the game and one of the most competitively viable characters in the entire roster when her high learning curve is properly mastered to her fullest.

Update history

Bayonetta has been noticeably nerfed in game updates since her debut. She was at first slightly nerfed in 1.1.5: her up and forward smash are slightly weaker, her down aerial's animation has more ending lag, her Heel Slide has more ending lag, and her infamous Witch Time has more ending lag, shorter duration, decays more with each use, and has a slower regeneration rate after usage. However, these changes did not reduce her effectiveness as she was still widely perceived as the best character in the game due to her immense strengths, while the effectiveness of other top tier characters, notably Sheik and Zero Suit Samus, being toned down in the same patch further exacerbated her dominance.

However, 1.1.6 significantly nerfed Bayonetta by directly worsening her combo game, with the effectiveness of her combo starters being weakened and her combos becoming easier in general to escape: her down tilt and forward aerial both have slightly more ending lag, while the former has less range and the latter is less powerful, both versions of After Burner Kick and Witch Twist have doubled SDI multipliers that make it easier to escape her combos, non-input ABK has increased knockback scaling that renders it worse for comboing at high percents, input ABK has a much worse launch angle that outright removes nearly all of her zero-to-death combos and makes it easier to DI (now only works if the opponent has poor DI towards her), and Witch Twist has altered knockback values that limit its combo ability at higher percentages. Despite these changes, however, people have compared her to Diddy Kong in that while she initially seemed to be much less effective after her nerfs, her greatest strengths have remained intact. As a result, while she is no longer the best character in the game by a considerable margin, she is still a very popular and successful character in competitive play.

Super Smash Bros. 4 1.1.5

  • Bug fix Bayonetta's shielding animation has been changed so her legs are not spaced as far apart, which could cause thin grabs (e.g. most tethers) to miss.
  • Nerf Forward smash deals less knockback (25 base/105 scaling → 26/102), hindering its KO potential.
  • Nerf Up smash has less knockback scaling (92 → 90), slightly hindering its KO potential.
  • Nerf Down aerial has more ending lag (FAF 43 → 48), making it considerably riskier to use off stage.
  • Nerf Heel Slide's second hit has more startup (frame 53 → 54) and ending lag (FAF 68 → 73).
  • Buff Heel Slide's second hit has a longer duration (frames 53-57 → 54-59).
  • Nerf Witch Twist deals less damage (4% (hit 1 grounded)/3% (hit 1 aerial)/0.3% (loop hits)/8.5%/7.5% (total grounded/aerial) → 3%/2%/0.2%/7%/6%).
  • Nerf Witch Time has more ending lag (FAF 45 → 50).
  • Nerf Witch Time's slowdown duration scales less as the opponent's percent increase (0.2 → 0.1), reducing its slowdown time at higher percents.
  • Nerf Witch Time's minimum slowdown time is shorter (30 frames → 20).
  • Nerf Witch Time decays more with each use (50 frames → 75 frames).
  • Nerf Witch Time regenerates slower (0.08 frames per frame → 0.06 frames per frame).

Technical changelist

Comparison of Bayonetta's shielding animation between 1.1.4 and 1.1.5. The original version could have grabs miss between her separated legs.
Change Old value New value
Heel slide (button held) duration 72 frames 77 frames
Witch Time total frames 44 frames 49 frames
Witch Time (standard) slowdown duration INT(180+Opponent's %/5) INT(180+Opponent's %/10)
Witch Time (Bat Within) slowdown duration INT(120+Opponent's %/5) INT(120+Opponent's %/10)
Witch Time duration penalty per use 50F/50F 75F/50F
Witch Time duration recovery per frame 0.08F/0.08F 0.06F/0.041F


Super Smash Bros. 4 1.1.6

  • Nerf Forward aerial's first two hits deal less damage (3.8%/2.8% → 3%/2.2%), while the third hit has lower knockback scaling (82 → 68). In addition, a frame speed multiplier of 1.2x has been added to frame 29. This makes the move autocancel on frame 35 and be interruptible on frame 40.
  • Nerf Upward After Burner Kick has higher knockback scaling (40/30/100 → 50/38/112), which makes it more difficult to combo at high percentages.
  • Nerf Downward After Burner Kick deals less damage (8% → 6.5%), has a different launch angle (80° → 60°), less range (6.5 → 4.5) and a higher SDI multiplier (1x → 2x). This makes the move much worse at comboing, even if the opponent applies no DI.
  • Nerf Down tilt has less range (3.5 → 2.8) and slightly more ending lag (FAF: 26 → 27).
  • Nerf Down aerial's landing hit has lower knockback scaling (140 → 135).
  • Nerf Witch Twist has a higher SDI multiplier (1x → 2x), allowing opponents to escape her combos and KO confirms. The upper part of the middle hit also deals less knockback (160 fixed/100 scaling → 140/97) and all have less range (Y offset: 24 → 21, radius: 8 → 7).
    • Buff Due to Witch Twist's autolink angle knockback, the change in SDI multiplier allows opponents to be KO'd easily at early percent near close to the upper blast line.
  • Buff Last hit of first Witch Twist deals less knockback (50 base/105 scaling → 55/80), allowing for more follow-ups at higher percentages.
  • Nerf Last hits of first and second Witch Twist has a smaller hitbox (radius: 9 → 8.5) and lower vertical positioning (Y offset: 20 → 19). The last hit of second Witch Twist has increased base knockback (30 → 50).


Moveset

  Name Damage Description
Neutral attack   1.5% Bayonetta's Punch + Punch + Punch • Punch (PPP • P) combo from Bayonetta 2. If button mashed, it is followed by a barrage of pistol-whips that concludes a thrusting pistol-whip. It has an excellent damage output for a neutral infinite, as the Bullet Arts version is capable of dealing 19% if all of its hits connect. It is also very hard to SDI out of, but due to being active on frame 9, it is the third slowest neutral attack in the game, behind King Dedede and Zelda's. All hits of the combo shoots her guns forward, with the exception of the third hit, which shoots forward and upward in a diagonal direction behind herself. In addition, she may sometimes shout "Get out!" when it is performed.
1.5%
2%
0.5% (loop), 1% (penultimate hit) 6% (last)
Forward tilt   3% (hit 1), 3% (hit 2), 8% (hit 3) Bayonetta's Kick + Kick + Kick (KKK) combo while wielding Love is Blue. Like Meta Knight's forward tilt, it functions similarly to a neutral attack: pressing the attack button will cause Bayonetta to perform the first hit, while subsequently pressing the attack button will cause her to perform the second and last hits. It is her slowest tilt attack, due to being active on frame 12. The last hit launches opponents diagonally upward, while holding the attack button down on any part of the attack allows her fire her guns at different angles: forward, then slightly upward, then diagonally upward.
Up tilt   5% (early), 6% (clean) An upward pistol-whip. One of her faster tilts, though it can only hit opponents in front of and/or above herself. It can lead into aerial combos, while its clean hitbox can combo into itself. The Bullet Arts version fires both guns upward. It is based on the delayed punch launcher.
Down tilt   7% (heel), 6% (leg) The final hit of Bayonetta's PPK combo while wielding Love is Blue. Her most reliable anti-pressure option and grounded combo starter, due to its range, vertical launching angle and speed. The Bullet Arts version fires two guns in front of herself and one behind herself.
Dash attack   10% (clean), 8% (late) The Stiletto. It has noticeable start-up. The Bullet Arts version fires both guns in front of herself.
Forward smash   14% (wrist), 16% (fist) Uses Wicked Weaves to summon Madama Butterfly's arm, which is used to throw a punch. It has great horizontal range and Madama Butterfly's hitbox cannot be reversed. However, it has high ending lag and low priority, making it fairly easy to cancel out. It can also be dodged by fighters with low crouches, such as Wii Fit Trainer, or by standing directly in front of Bayonetta due to a blind spot between her and Madama Butterfly's wrist. If the button is held, Bayonetta will also fire in front of her. KOs at 104% from the center of Final Destination when not charged. It is based on the final hit of Bayonetta's PPP • P combo in Bayonetta 2.
Up smash   17% Uses Wicked Weaves to summon Madama Butterfly's arm, which is used to throw an uppercut. It hits directly in front of Bayonetta, and thus leaves her vulnerable from behind and directly above, similarly to Palutena's up smash. It has rather noticeable start-up, high ending lag and low priority, but it is her strongest attack, as it is capable of KOing middleweights around 100%. The Bullet Arts version fires one gun forward and one upward. It is based on the delayed punch Wicked Weave launcher. Madama Buterfly's hitbox cannot be reversed.
Down smash   5% (Bayonetta), 15% (Madama Butterfly) The Heel Stomp. It has a hitbox on Bayonetta's leg that leads into the main hitbox. It can meteor smash opponents that are either on the edge or in midair, making it a potent edge-guarding option. Like up smash, it only hits in front of her, has high ending lag and low priority, but has considerable vertical range. While powerful, its launching angle results in it KOing at 146% from anywhere on-stage. Oddly, the Bullet Arts version fires the guns on her feet downward into the ground, making it useless except for opponents directly touching her back. Madama Butterfly's hitbox cannot be reversed.
Neutral aerial   8% (clean), 5% (late) A spinning roundhouse kick, similar to Samus' neutral aerial. It hits around Bayonetta and continuing the input for the Bullet Arts version has her continue to spin for a few seconds. It has very good coverage, as it can hit opponents adjacent and/or below her. It is based on the aerial Bullet Climax in Bayonetta.
Forward aerial   3% (hit 1), 2.2% (hit 2), 6% (hit 3) Bayonetta's aerial PPK combo while wielding Love is Blue. Each hit on an opponent will make Bayonetta float slightly, allowing each of its hits to connect easily. A superb option for aerial and off-stage combos. The Bullet Arts version fires in front of her for the first two hits, while the third hit fires two guns downward (with one being slightly diagonally) and one upward.
Back aerial   13% (heel), 10% (leg) A high-angle back kick. Its respectable damage output, high knockback and low ending lag make it one of Bayonetta's most viable KOing options, as it KOs at 110% while near the edge. The Bullet Arts version fires one gun behind her at an upward angle.
Up aerial   9% (kick), 5% (late) A bicycle kick. Very fast with little ending lag, along with decent knockback, making it a good juggling and KOing option near the upper blast line. The Bullet Arts version has her perform a modified version of the aú aberto, one of many cartwheeling kicks in capoeira. While this version deals less damage, it provides excellent coverage that covers wide areas around her, making it useful for edge-guarding and dealing additional damage. It is based on the kick launcher in Bayonetta.
Down aerial   7% (leg), 8% (heel), 5% (landing) A split-legged axe kick. A stall-then-fall with low duration and ending lag, which allows her to safely recover afterward. It is a meteor smash when hitting with her heel, while its landing hit has extremely high knockback, both of which make it a viable, but punishable KOing option overall. The Bullet Arts version fires one gun from her heel forward, but only upon landing. It is based on Bayonetta's standard aerial kick in Bayonetta.
Grab   — Reaches out. Bayonetta's grab has slightly above average range for a non-tether grab, while her dash grab has deceptively long range.
Pummel   1.6% (per hit) The Slap Punish Attack. It has average speed, but is unique in that it consists of two hits per input. As a result, it is possible for the opponent to break free in the middle of the pummel, and thus the second hit entirely.
Forward throw   7% (hit 1), 3% (throw) The Tetsuzanko (鉄山靠, Iron Mountain Lean), a technique based on the tie shan kao used in Bajiquan. It is her strongest and most versatile throw, as it KOs at 155% while near the edge and launches opponents at an angle that is very ideal for edge-guarding. She occasionally says "十年早いんだよ! (Ten years too early!)", even in the English version of the game. The quote is a reference to Akira Yuki's famous quote in the Virtua Fighter series, and is said occasionally by Bayonetta herself in Bayonetta.
Back throw   3% (hit 1), 6% (throw) A jumping roundhouse kick. It can be used to set-up an edge-guard with Bullet Climax at medium to high percents.
Up throw   3% (hit 1), 4% (throw) An outside crescent kick, similar to Lucario's up tilt. A good combo starter that can lead into Witch Twist or up aerial until medium to high percents. The pose Bayonetta assumes afterward is based on the final hit of her PPK combo while wielding Scarborough Fair.
Down throw   3% (hit 1), 5% (throw) The final hit of Bayonetta's PPPKKK combo while wielding Love is Blue. It can lead into her Heel Slide at low to medium percents.
Forward roll
Back roll
Spot dodge
Air dodge 		— —
Techs — —
Floor attack (front)
Floor getups (front) 		  7% A low-angle kick performed from a windmill, an acrobatic technique used in breakdancing.
Floor attack (back)
Floor getups (back) 		  7% A low-angle kick performed from a windmill.
Floor attack (trip)
Floor getups (trip) 		  5% A low-angle kick performed from a windmill.
Edge attack
Edge getups 		  7% Performs a hook kick while climbing up.
Neutral special Default Bullet Climax 1.34% (uncharged), 2.5% (charged) Fires bullets at a slight angle. When held, Bayonetta instead fires Charge Bullets, which are stronger but only active during the first two shots. While holding the charge, it can be canceled by rolling. Due to its angle, it is useful for edge-guarding and hindering aerial approaches. Bayonetta may perform one of two animations while charging and firing; both function identically, although Kirby's Copy Ability fires from noticeably different heights. This move takes inspiration from the Bullet Climax and Charge Bullet techniques from Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2, respectively.
Custom 1 N/A
Custom 2 N/A
Side special Default Heel Slide 8% (Heel Slide, kick), 6% (Heel Slide, follow-up kick), 6% (After Burner Kick, standard), 6.5% (After Burner Kick, downward) A kick that functions differently when used on the ground or in midair. On the ground, she performs the Heel Slide. If the button is held, Bayonetta will then follow it up with an aú aberto, one of many cartwheeling kicks in capoeira. It is her primary combo starter, due to the follow-up kick launching the opponent upward. While it is unsafe on shield, it is difficult to punish nonetheless due to its speed and duration. It can also be used to bait an air dodge from opponents who anticipate the follow-up kick, and then punish them with a smash attack. In the air, she alternately performs the After Burner Kick, which can be performed twice in a row as long as the first kick connects, and can be angled downward by holding down before attacking. Both versions of After Burner Kick are her primary aerial follow-ups. All based on the individual techniques from the Bayonetta games, with minor differences.
Custom 1 N/A
Custom 2 N/A
Up special Default Witch Twist 4% (hit 1), 0.3% (hits 2-4), 3% (hit 5) An ascending, corkscrew pistol-whip. It hits multiple times, but covers minimal vertical distance and extremely minimal horizontal distance, similarly to Rising Uppercut. Despite this, Witch Twist is still a very useful recovery option, as using it after a jump allows Bayonetta to use her double jump, and then use another Witch Twist. It comes out on frame 4, making it Bayonetta's fastest move, and possesses a disjointed hitbox at its very end. Based on the technique of the same name from Bayonetta, as well as a variation from Bayonetta 2 known as Witch Strike; the ability to hold guns is taken from the former, but lacks the dodging spinning kick at the start. Otherwise performs identically to the latter, including the ability to use a second one after a double jump.
Custom 1 N/A
Custom 2 N/A
Down special Default Witch Time — Uses her magic to slow down time around an opponent who attacks her. Its duration increases the more damaged the opponent is, but decreases when used too frequently. It is also the only counterattack that is capable of working on some unblockable attacks, with the exception of grabs. However, if Witch Time is activated too late, then Bat Within is activated instead. Bat Within teleports Bayonetta in any direction, but unlike in the Bayonetta series, it halves the damage received, rather than negating it. Bat Within can also be triggered by Bayonetta's sidestep. Based on the same ability from the Bayonetta games, albeit only slowing down the attacking opponent as opposed to all opponents.
Custom 1 N/A
Custom 2 N/A
Final Smash Infernal Climax 30% (Gomorrah), 15% (bonus spell) Activates Witch Time to affect the whole stage. While this effect is active, Bayonetta has a limited time to deal damage to her opponents in order to fill up the Climax Gauge. Once it is filled, she has to deal knockback to any opponent before a cutscene occurs. The cutscene consists of her using her hair as a conduit to summon Gomorrah, who then damages any opponents suffering hitstun from Bayonetta's attacks by chomping them four times before they are launched with set knockback. The attack button can be mashed during the attack to fill a second Climax Gauge that deals an additional 15% after the cutscene. It is very powerful, as opponents can be KO'd under 100% if they are close to the blast lines, while they are instantly KO'd if they have 100% or more once the cutscene ends.

Bullet Arts

Bullet Arts (バレットアーツ, Bullet Arts) is one of Bayonetta's signature mechanics, based on the Umbra Witches' fighting style of the same name.

Bullet Arts deal 0.5% each, and can be used after the initial animation of almost every attack. The rapid firing can be held for a few seconds, and the bullets have moderate range. However, in stark comparison to their appearance in the Bayonetta series, the bullets themselves are actually invisible, since their hitboxes are similar to a grab aerial's instead of a typical projectile's. The bullets cause flinching at point-blank range, but otherwise deal no hitstun, much like Fox's Blaster. Thus, they can be used to essentially "steal" KOs in timed matches.

Technically, the bullets are not projectiles, but rather indirect attacks with large disjointed hitboxes. As such, they cannot be reflected or blocked by the Hylian/Hero's Shields, though they can be slowed down by another Bayonetta using Witch Time. Bullet Arts are also capable of traveling through multiple characters at once, and thus will hit anyone or anything in their line of fire.

Bat Within

Bat Within (バットウィズイン, Bat Within) is Bayonetta's other signature mechanic, based on the defensive technique of the same name.

Bat Within activates when Bayonetta is hit by an attack early during rolls, sidesteps, or air dodges, or late during Witch Time. Nimble/Dodgy Dodger Equipment does not affect this window. When this happens, Bayonetta transforms into a flock of bats, halves the amount of damage inflicted, and continues moving in the direction she was traveling; for a roll, she will advance in the same direction, and for a sidestep or after Witch Time, she will stay in place. She can travel in any direction if done during her air dodge, but needs to have jumped prior if she wants to rise with it.

When Bat Within is activated, she endures some ending lag, meaning that it is possible to extend a combo on her if it was activated by a faster attack or a long-lasting, multiple hitting attack. While Bat Within makes Bayonetta's rolls, sidestep and air dodge appear to be the best in the game, each of them possess noticeable ending lag. To compound this, several characters, such as Duck Hunt and Mewtwo, have rolls, sidesteps, or air dodges that start up just 1 frame later without being nearly as vulnerable at the end.

Bat Within also has the distinction of being treated as a counterattack that does not strike back; therefore, it does not trigger against grabs, Final Smashes, or unblockable attacks. Although difficult, it is possible to simultaneously activate both Witch Time and Bat Within if Bayonetta is struck precisely when their activation windows overlap. However, doing this is actually a hindrance, as she will still receive halved damage while Witch Time's slowdown effect on the opponent is reduced.

On-screen appearance

  • Emerges from her Bat Within form while surrounded by the Umbra Witches' symbol, then proceeds to wield her guns.
BayonettaOnScreenAppearanceSSB4.gif

Taunts

  • Up taunt: Twirls around, moves both arms around her in a graceful manner, then strikes a pose with both arms over her head, saying, "If you need to learn how to talk to a lady, ask your mum." The ending is slightly different depending on the direction Bayonetta faces. It is based on her long taunt from Bayonetta 2.
  • Side taunt: Gracefully spins around, then points both guns directly in front of herself, saying, "New 'do, dead you." The quote comes from her short taunt while wielding Salamandra in Bayonetta 2.
  • Down taunt: Strikes a number of poses while flourishing her guns before looking away and then looking forward, while her glasses briefly emit a light purple glint upon concluding. Based on the dances she performs prior to fighting the first Joy she encounters in Bayonetta.
    • Due to the length of Bayonetta's taunts, they are capable of being canceled halfway through their animations.
Up taunt Side taunt Down taunt
BayonettaUpTauntSSB4.gif BayonettaSideTauntSSB4.gif BayonettaDownTauntSSB4.gif

Idle poses

  • Waves one of her guns in an inviting motion.
  • Holds her left gun in front of herself, and her right gun upward beside her head. This idle pose only occurs once she ends any ground attack, and reverts to her standard idle animation after a few seconds.
BayonettaIdlePose1SSB4.jpg BayonettaIdlePose2SSB4.jpg

Crowd cheer

English Japanese
Cheer
Description Bay-o! Bayo-nett-a!
Pitch Group chant Group chant

Victory poses

The first few notes of Let's Hit the Climax! followed by the jingle that plays upon completing a Verse in Bayonetta.
  • Faces her back to the screen while holding her guns up beside her face, then performs a pirouette before concluding with a pose that involves her aiming her guns in front of herself, saying, "That all you got?" (全力を見せてよ, Show me your full power.) or "You're making it easy." (楽勝ね, Too easy.)
  • Performs the Break Dance while either saying "Dreadful." (退屈だわ, Boring.) or "Don't make me beg." while her glasses briefly emit a light purple glint upon concluding. The quote comes from her short taunt while wielding Takemikazuchi in Bayonetta 2.
  • Strikes a number of poses while flourishing her guns before concluding by looking away and then looking forward while saying "Miss me, baby?" (私はここよ, I'm right here.) while her glasses briefly emit a whitish purple glint upon concluding. This is a shortened version of her down taunt.
BayonettaPose1WiiU.gif BayonettaPose2WiiU.gif BayonettaPose3WiiU.gif

In competitive play

Notable players

Active

Inactive

Tier placement, history and tournament bans in various regions

Bayonetta was, along with Corrin, one of the only two characters to miss on the first 4BR tier list, due to them being available two days after the tier list was released. Her initial perception on the community has been, however, positive since the game's release, albeit in a controversial way. Players pointed out her abundance of strengths, namely her extremely strong combo game with zero to death potential, her excellent recovery, a decent neutral game despite her average mobility, the strength of her moveset despite being a light character alongside guaranteed KO setups with Witch Time, and the ability to punish the opponent for trying to punish her due to the former move. Despite her strengths being slightly toned down in update 1.1.5, the nerfs to Sheik and Zero Suit Samus further bolstered the controversy surrounding her, and people stated she was too good in competitive play while comparing her to Brawl's Meta Knight, and certain regions even had officially or considered banning the character from their tournaments. Regions stated that unlike Sheik before update 1.1.5, "she is very simple to pick up". Following update 1.1.6, after the tremendous nerfs she received, all of the regions that had banned have removed the ban since then, while any region that had considered her ban also desisted after said update.

Even so, while her perception suddenly dropped in the eyes of many smashers, it became positive again due to the smashers that kept maining her in competitive play adapting to a newer, more creative playstyle, similar to Diddy Kong after update 1.0.8. While her results were initially not as amazing as before, her strong tournament representation and results culminated in her being placed at 11th place on the second 4BR tier list. Said tournament representation and results would become even more bountiful as time passed, in particular due to Salem, Captain Zack, Pink Fresh and Saj's strong results within their regions, with the former two also making it to Top 8 at two major tournaments. As a result of this, she held the 1st placing on the third tier list (in another similarity to Diddy Kong with the previous tier list); this tier rise is the second largest between the second and third tier lists, with people stating that while the nerfs did make a difference in how simple it was to pick her up, they didn't hold her back from being considered one of the best characters in the game.

At first, opinions on Bayonetta's placing on the tier list were mixed, as some people were in favor of her taking the top spot, whereas others stated against her that her dominance was still not as high as other characters like Diddy Kong and Sheik. However, after Salem won two recent major tournaments in EVO 2017 and DreamHack Atlanta 2017, her perception now fully leans towards her placing being accurate, which when combined with Bayonetta's more consistent results, allowed her to hold the 1st placing on the fourth and current tier list.

Banned (lifted after 1.1.6)
Ban considered

Reveal trailer

<youtube>3Tv3w1V5_Mg</youtube>

Trophies

In addition to the normal three fighter trophies, Bayonetta has an additional trophy of her design from the original Bayonetta game.

Bayonetta
North America Bayonetta is one of the last of the near-extinct Umbra Witches clan. She's a master of the Bullet Arts and can use her hair as a conduit to bring forth Infernal Demons. She brings all these skills and more to Smash, where she'll unleash additional damage if you hold the attack button. Damage and distract your foes with this move!
Europe Bayonetta is one of the last of the long-extinct Umbra Witches clan. She's a master of the Bullet Arts, and can use her hair as a conduit to bring forth Infernal Demons. She brings all these skills and more to Smash, where if you hold down the attack button, she'll fire bullets at the enemy. They don't just do damage; they even work as a feint!
Bayonetta (01/2010)
Wii U: Bayonetta 2 (10/2014)
Bayonetta (Alt.)
If you use Bayonetta's side special in midair, she'll do a diagonal kick upward that goes through platforms. If you press down just before doing the move, it'll turn into a downward attack! Plus, if you hit an enemy in midair, you can use the attack again before you hit the ground–great for combos and recoveries!
Bayonetta (01/2010)
Wii U: Bayonetta 2 (10/2014)
Infernal Climax
Before her Final Smash, Bayonetta enters Witch Time, during which she can attack the enemy to fill her magic gauge. If it fills up, she summons the demon Gomorrah, who chomps down on the unfortunate foe! Keep pressing the button during during Gomorrah's attack to increase damage. If it hits 100%, the enemy will be instantly KO'd!
Bayonetta (Original)
North America This Umbra Witch awakens after hundreds of years without any memories of her past life. Usually Bayonetta spends her days pretending to be a nun to lure out angels, until a witch with the same powers as her starts to slowly bring her memories back. She ends up embroiled in a battle to save the world.
Europe This Umbra Witch awakens after hundreds of years without any memories of her past life. She spends her days with shenanigans like dressing as a nun to lure out angels to fight, until a witch with the same powers as her starts to slowly bring her memories back. As her memories return, she ends up embroiled in a battle to save the world!
Bayonetta (01/2010)


  • Classic (3DS)

    Classic (3DS)

  • Alt. (3DS)

    Alt. (3DS)

  • Original (3DS)

    Original (3DS)

  • Classic (Wii U)

    Classic (Wii U)

  • Alt. (Wii U)

    Alt. (Wii U)

  • Original (Wii U)

    Original (Wii U)

Alternate costumes

Bayonetta's default outfit is based on her appearance in Bayonetta 2 and is equipped with Love is Blue. She has an alternate outfit based on her appearance in the original Bayonetta, known as "A Witch With No Memories", and is equipped with Scarborough Fair. Depending on the costume, various visual effects will be one of two colors (which directly correlates to the aesthetic theme of both Bayonetta games): Blue for Bayonetta 2 and red for Bayonetta. One of Bayonetta's alternate outfit color schemes is based on Jeanne, her childhood friend and friendly rival. While using Jeanne's color scheme, Bayonetta's Smash attacks as well as her final smash will have the hair surrounding Madama Butterfly's limbs and Gomorrah colored white.

Her appearance while doing Wicked Weaves (summoning Madama Butterfly in her smash attacks and summoning Gomorrah in Infernal Climax) is less revealing than in the Bayonetta games, as she retains most of her clothing while performing them.

In the Japanese version of the game, Bayonetta is voiced in Japanese by Atsuko Tanaka while wearing her Bayonetta 2 outfit and in English by Hellena Taylor while wearing her original outfit, making her the the only character who speaks a different language depending on the costume. This references the fact that Bayonetta did not have Japanese voice acting in its initial release; Japanese dubbing was introduced for the Wii U version after Hideki Kamiya was impressed with the Japanese voice-acting done for the animated movie: Bayonetta: Bloody Fate.

Alternate costume (SSB4)
Bayonetta (SSB4) Bayonetta (SSB4) Bayonetta (SSB4) Bayonetta (SSB4) Bayonetta (SSB4) Bayonetta (SSB4) Bayonetta (SSB4) Bayonetta (SSB4)

Gallery

Trivia

  • Bayonetta is the only female third-party playable character in the Super Smash Bros. series.
  • Bayonetta and Cloud are the only characters to change weapons as part of their alternate costumes. In Bayonetta's case, her A Witch With No Memories costume has her using the Scarborough Fair. Along with Wario in Brawl, they are also the only characters who pose differently in their artwork when wearing alternate costumes that change their outfits.
  • Bayonetta's pose in her artwork for her "A Witch With No Memories" costume is based on her artwork for her appearance in Anarchy Reigns.
  • If a battle ends while Bayonetta is speaking through a taunt, it can still be heard, even over the announcer. This also happens with Wii Fit Trainer.
  • If Bayonetta grabs a Hammer or Golden Hammer with her forward aerial and stops the attack in midair without performing all three hits, the hammer's music will not play.
SSB4-WiiU - Bayo Jump Crest 01.pngSSB4-WiiU - Bayo Jump Crest 02.png
Magnify-clip.pngMagnify-clip.png
The Umbra Witches' symbol appears when Bayonetta jumps
and when she lands
  • Some of Bayonetta's animations outside of her attacks reference the Bayonetta series:
    • When Bayonetta jumps, she leaves behind a blue Umbra Witch symbol, and emits a magenta Umbra Witch symbol and when she lands. However, she does not emit the symbol during her double jump.
    • Her on-screen appearance is a reference to when she enters Purgatorio, as she appears within the realm via the Umbra Witches' symbol.
    • Her crouch is a reference to the Break Dance technique, where she strikes a similar pose at the end of the attack.
    • Her ability to wall cling references the Witch Walk ability usable by Umbra Witches during a full moon.
    • When she plucks Grass, she will uproot the item with a kick and then grab it in midair, much like how she picks up weapons from the ground. She also transitions through this animation slower than every other character in SSB4.
    • Her sidestep's animation is based off her Love is Blue weapon taunt from Bayonetta 2.
    • The pose Bayonetta assumes when having her attacks interrupted with another attack is based off her Kafka weapon taunt from Bayonetta 2.
    • She has a special idle pose once she stops any ground attack, which returns to her standard idle pose after a few seconds pass. This is based on her attack pose from her home franchise. Her arms down position is used when traversing open areas with no enemies, while holding her arms up with her guns, and placing one foot on its toe, is the pose she takes when enemies are near by. Players performing attack animations in her home series without enemies near by will have her take her attack pose for a few seconds, before reverting into her idle pose.
    • After using an Assist Trophy or the Special Flag, Bayonetta will blow a kiss. This could be a reference to the Infernal Kiss ability, which enables her to break down divine barriers, or her target lock-on animation.
    • When damaged, roses appear around her body where starburst-shaped effects would normally appear. This references how, in the Bayonetta series, those who are damaged and have blood drawn will have it turn into something different before being blown away. In Bayonetta's case, rose petals fly off of where she would normally bleed, which makes her the only character in the Super Smash Bros. series to reference external bleeding.
  • Bayonetta is the only newcomer in SSB4 to have one voice clip when being KO'd via blast lines.
  • Bayonetta, Mr. Game & Watch, and Wii Fit Trainer are the only three characters in SSB4 with unique sound effects for charging their smash attacks.
  • Bayonetta possesses unique technical data:
    • She is the first character in the Super Smash Bros. series to have a smash attack that is a meteor smash that works on aerial targets, and is not part of an automatic combo that negates the downward knockback.
    • She is the only character that can affect opponents who have invincibility frames, such as those from the Super Star item or from dismounting a revival platform, thanks to Witch Time.
    • She and Ryu are the only characters whose neutral attacks require multiple button presses in order to be fully performed. In Bayonetta's case, merely holding the attack button triggers her Bullet Arts.
  • Although difficult to hear, Bayonetta's guns will emit their respective firing sound effects. Her default costume uses Love is Blue's firing sound effect from Bayonetta 2, whereas her "A Witch With No Memories" costume uses Scarborough Fair's firing sound effect from Bayonetta.
v • d • e
Fighters in Super Smash Bros. 4
Veterans Bowser · Captain Falcon · Charizard · Diddy Kong · Donkey Kong · Dr. Mario · Falco · Fox · Ganondorf · Ike · Jigglypuff · King Dedede · Kirby · Link · Lucario · Lucas · Luigi · Mario · Marth · Meta Knight · Mewtwo · Mr. Game & Watch · Ness · Olimar · Peach · Pikachu · Pit · R.O.B. · Roy · Samus · Sheik · Sonic · Toon Link · Wario · Yoshi · Zelda · Zero Suit Samus
Newcomers Bayonetta · Bowser Jr. · Cloud · Corrin · Dark Pit · Duck Hunt · Greninja · Little Mac · Lucina · Mega Man · Mii Fighter (Mii Brawler · Mii Gunner · Mii Swordfighter) · Pac-Man · Palutena · Robin · Rosalina & Luma · Ryu · Shulk · Villager · Wii Fit Trainer
v • d • e
Bayonetta (universe) Bayonetta universe
Fighter Bayonetta (SSB4 · SSBU)
Assist Trophy Rodin
Stage Umbra Clock Tower
Other Madama Butterfly
Trophies and Spirits Trophies · Spirits
Music SSB4 · Ultimate
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