Ness (SSBU)

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Ness in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Universe	EarthBound
Other playable appearances	in SSB in Melee in Brawl in SSB4
Availability	Unknown
Final Smash	PK Starstorm

Ness (ネス, Ness) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. He was confirmed on June 12th, 2018. Makiko Ōmoto reprises her role as Ness through archived voice recordings.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. 4

NOTE: SmashWiki is not speculative. Please refrain from adding detailed data values derived from pre-release gameplay footage, such as the E3 demo. Such data (damage values, launch trajectories, frame data, etc.) are subject to change before the official release.

Developers buffed Ness for his appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Among his most notable buffs are his faster dash, his stronger up smash, his stronger back throw, and the strengthening of many of his other moves, which now deal more damage.

Aesthetics

• As with all veterans returning from SSB4, Ness's model features a more subdued color scheme. As a result, his color scheme now more closely resembles his in-game sprite rather than his clay model like previous games. As with his appearance in Brawl, some of the detailing on his clothes and weapons are more prominent, such as the vertical stitching of his socks.
• Like many other characters, Ness faces the screen more often than he did in the previous games.
• The text on Ness' yo-yo now reads "SUPER NINTENDO 2018 MOTHER" and has trailing aftereffects when in motion.
• Many of Ness' PSI moves now have their respective PSI graphics from EarthBound.
• Ness has a new idle animation.
• Ness's air dodge now resembles its Melee iteration more closely.
• Ness's bat victory pose is altered, as he swings his bat once and poses instead of swinging multiple times.
• Ness is more astonished in his look-about victory pose.

Attributes

• Like all characters, Ness's jumpsquat animation now takes three frames to complete.
• Ness jumps higher.
• Ness has a faster air speed.
• Ness dashes more quickly.

Ground Attacks

• Jab now connects more reliably.
• Jab does slightly less damage.
• Ness' yo-yo smashes now have charging hitboxes like in previous Smash entries. The yo-yo can also hang below the ledge, improving Ness's edge-guarding abilities.
• Ness' up smash is significantly stronger and kills opponents more reliably.

Aerial Attacks

• PSI now emits from Ness's hands in his neutral air, similar to Zelda's magic. This increases his range.
  • It also uses a different sound effect.
• Ness now waves his hands and emits PSI in the air in his up air, in a manner similar to Peach's up air. It deals more damage and hits five times.
• New up air has less horizontal range and is worse for landing overall.
  • Up air now produces a magic effect.
• Back air now deals more damage.
• Down air now has reduced endlag and is much stronger.

Throws/other attacks

• Ness now grabs and holds his opponents and pummels them with PSI, mirroring Zelda's grab.
  • Magic sounds and visual effects accompany the pummel instead of normal pummel effects.
• Ness' pummel is noticeably slower.
• Knockback on down throw is stronger, reducing his chance of doing combo setups.
• Ness' down throw uses the PK Fire effect from EarthBound like in Brawl and Melee.

Special moves

• Ness no longer free falls after using PK Flash in the air.
• PK Flash moves more quickly and travels much longer.
• PK Flash can now travel through platforms.
• Ness poses differently when using PK Fire, pointing in the direction of the move instead.
  • He also gets some slight pushback, similar to Lucas's pushback after using it on the ground.
  • Ness leaves a red spark on his shooting hand until he fires PK Fire, similar to the effect in Lucas' down smash.
• PK Fire starts up more slowly.
• PK Fire has faster cooldown.
• PK Fire's hitbox is larger.
• PK Thunder now has an angle indicator to indicate Ness's PK Thunder 2 trajectory when the ball of lighting travels close enough to him.
• PK Thunder 2 covers more distance.
• PK Thunder 2 has reduced knockback.
• PSI Magnet now has the on-screen effect from EarthBound and visible suction around the outside of the magnet.
• PSI Magnet no longer makes Ness lose all of his horizontal momentum in the air, similar to its behavior in Brawl.
• PSI Magnet is now slightly larger, with a hitbox similar to Lucas's version of the move.
• PSI Magnet now deals damage to opponents who enter it, in addition to pushing them away.
• PK Starstorm is now similar to its Brawl iteration, firing slower meteors that spread out over the stage. Paula and Poo join Ness in his Final Smash, and PK Starstorm particle effects and the Eight Melodies background pattern from EarthBound also appear during the Smash.

Alternate costumes

Gallery

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  Ness idling on the Bridge of Eldin.

• 

  Performing his up smash on Kalos Pokémon League.

• 

  Performing PK Flash on Frigate Orpheon.

• 

  Throwing Fox on Tortimer Island.

• 

  Crouching next to Jeff in Onett.

• 

  Dashing in Smashville.

• 

  Dodging Bowser's Bowser Bomb with Ike on Gaur Plain.

• 

  Diddy Kong trying to steal Ness's banana on Moray Towers.

• 

  Ness crouching under a Bomber next to Ganondorf on Gaur Plain.

• 

  Expelled by a Launch Star on Yoshi's Island.

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  Frozen by Alolan Vulpix on Tortimer Island.

• 

  Taunting in Onett.

Character Showcase Video

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Trivia

• Ness is the only one of the four original unlockable characters from Smash 64 to be playable in the E3 demo.
  • Ness is also the only one to appear on the box art. However, Captain Falcon is also featured in the full group artwork.
• Ness's stock icon in Ultimate bears a strong resemblance to his stock icons from Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. 4.
• Ness's yo-yo reads "SUPER NINTENDO 2018" and "MOTHER", in reference to his console of origin, Ultimate's set year of release, and his home series.
• Following a Nintendo Direct on August 8, 2018, fan art of an insidious Ness wielding Death's Scythe and jokes hailing him as Death or the Grim Reaper surfaced on the Internet after the Direct showed him using it to instantly KO Bowser Jr. and his father in battle. This flurry of art mirrors similar Internet memes of Villager that appeared before the release of Super Smash Bros. 4.