Pac-Man (SSBU)

Pac-Man in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Universe	Pac-Man
Other playable appearance	in SSB4
Availability	Unlockable
Final Smash	Super Pac-Man

“	This fighter appears in both his classic form and his form with hands and legs. He has many unique special moves, such as using a trampoline or a fire hydrant. For his Final Smash, he grows into a giant Super PAC-MAN, chomping and launching his opponents!	”
—Super Smash Blog, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Official Site

Pac-Man (パックマン), stylized in-game as PAC-MAN, is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. He was confirmed on June 12, 2018. Pac-Man is classified as fighter #55.

How to unlock

Complete one of the following:

• Play VS. matches, with Pac-Man being the 49th character to be unlocked.
• Clear Classic Mode with Kirby or any character in his unlock tree, being the 3rd character unlocked after Jigglypuff.
• Have Pac-Man join the player's party in World of Light.

With the exception of the third method, Pac-Man must then be defeated on Pac-Land.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. 4

Possibly due to his low tier status in SSB4 (46th out of 55th), Pac-Man has been significantly buffed overall in his transition to Ultimate.

One of Pac-Man's biggest buffs involves his tether grab, which was widely regarded as the worst grab in Super Smash Bros. 4 due to its lag and hitbox issues. It is now significantly faster overall, acts as one continuous hitbox instead of separate short-lasting ones, and is more in line with the cast due to the universal increase to grab ending lag, eliminating his worst weakness and giving him one of the better tether grabs in the game. Additionally, Bonus Fruit now cycles significantly faster and allows Pac-Man to charge cancel by jumping, giving him more options and speeding up a previously slow-charging projectile. If Pac-Man picks up a fruit he previously dropped, he can begin the cycle at the one he is currently holding. This technique, dubbed Fruit Recycling, allows Pac-Man to constantly pressure with his Bonus Fruits by allowing him to switch fruits and set up new combos after catching a fruit. The Bell fruit can now paralyze opponents if Z-dropped as well, granting a new item setup.

Other improvements come in the form of changes to his mobility; his overall speed is faster compared to his mediocre speed in Smash 4. His recovery reaches further, as Power Pellet is faster and less punishable, grants even more distance, has less lag on a wall collision, and no longer makes him tumble when he runs into the ground, instead allowing him to move along the floor instead. He has also received an abundance of buffs to his standard moveset: his tilt attacks have less lag, and some of his best aerial combo initiators (such as neutral aerial and forward aerial) have altered knockback, allowing his attacks to flow better into each other. The universal reduction to landing lag further improves his respectable combo ability by allowing him access to his quick aerials, while the ability to dash cancel ground moves lets him approach with his tilts.

Some of his attacks have new benefits, with moves such as down tilt being less punishable due to momentum changes, dash attack hitting one extra time while keeping its safety, down aerial connecting better and doing more damage, and his new up tilt reaching higher while also being much faster. Finally, his mediocre KO potential has been improved, as his punishable smash attacks have less startup, Power Pellet's fully charged sweetspot is much stronger, and the aforementioned buffs to Bonus Fruit allow Pac-Man to access the Key projectile more easily.

However, Pac-Man received some noticeable nerfs that affect his combo game. The mechanics of his Bonus Fruits have been changed in many ways, severely limiting the variety of item techniques he can perform: the time window for catching fruits is now very narrow, as most of the fruits disappear almost immediately after hitting an opponent, while the Cherry and Strawberry now have a set distance and no longer linger on the ground. Z-dropped fruits cannot be picked up again, and with the changes to footstools and locks, Pac-Man can no longer perform his notorious zero-to-death footstool combos. While all these changes prevent the opponent from capitalizing on his own fruits, it also makes his item-camping play even more straightforward. Fire Hydrant's physics have also been changed, as it loses more momentum and height from each bounce, making it less effective for coverage and setups when sent flying.

His new up tilt is more situational than his previous up tilt, as it can no longer hit opponents directly next to him, and it is unable to hit his Fire Hydrant to send it at a backwards angle. Neutral and forward aerials can no longer lock, removing lock followups, though this is compensated by their adjusted knockback values which allow them to combo at a wider percent range. Pac-Jump is even more exploitable than before, as opponents can now hit the trampoline to reduce its uses. Finally, Pac-Man retains many of his former issues despite his buffs, such as mediocre range and a dependence on setups to KO.

Overall, Pac-Man's moveset is now more consistent for fighting against close confrontations, and his tools have been improved to keep up with the fast pace of Ultimate. The changes overall make Pac-Man a significantly more formidable fighter, though his playstyle has less of an emphasis over item stalling and rewards item positioning and setups more than before. Though Pac-Man's representation is generally below average, has achieved strong success competitively thanks to the efforts of notable players including Tea and Sinji; both players have achieved notable results with him, including Sinji placing 9th at Pound 2019 and 7th at MomoCon 2019, and Tea placing 13th at Frostbite 2019, 5th 2GG: Prime Saga and Umebura Japan Major 2019, and 2nd at Sumabato SP 4 and Sumabato SP 6. As a result, Pac-Man has achieved a positive reception across the community overall, where notable players such as ESAM, Dabuz, and Samsora consider him to be a high tier character.

Aesthetics

• As with all veterans returning from SSB4, Pac-Man's model features a more subdued color scheme.
• Pac-Man's boots now have well-defined soles on the bottom.
• Like most of the cast, Pac-Man is more expressive, now not being limited to simply smiling and surprised expressions. He now shows an angry look when using smash attacks, looks disappointed if his grab misses, and appears panicked while drowning. His mouth also briefly opens when he stands up from a crouch.
• Pac-Man's on-screen appearance has been slightly altered, now doing a slow chomp in his 8-bit form, before jumping into his modern form. In Smash 4, the chomp is quicker and stops once Pac-Man opens his mouth once.
• Pac-Man's taunts have been altered:
  • Namco Roulette's animation is faster. Its roster includes the exclusive characters from both the Wii U and 3DS versions. Additionally, Heihachi Mishima from Tekken and The Prince of All Cosmos from Katamari Damacy have been added.
  • Side taunt has been altered to show Pac-Man alternating chomps left and right twice, instead of twice on one side before turning.
  • Pixelated fairies from Pac-Land appear during Pac-Man's down taunt in place of Blinky and Pinky.
• A fairy now appears in his Pac-Land-inspired victory animation.

Attributes

• Like all characters, Pac-Man's jumpsquat animation now takes three frames to complete (down from 5).
• Pac-Man walks faster (1.045 → 1.097).
• Pac-Man dashes faster (1.52 → 1.672).
• Pac-Man's initial dash is much faster (1.6 → 1.87).
• Pac-Man's air speed is slightly higher (1.04 → 1.092).
• Pac-Man has significantly increased traction (0.045 → 0.116).
• Spot dodge has slightly less endlag (FAF 26 → 25).
• Forward roll has a slightly shorter duration (frames 4-16 → 4-15).
• Back roll has slightly increased start-up lag (frame 4 → 5), a slightly shorter duration (frames 4-16 → 5-16), and increased endlag (FAF 30 → 35).
• Neutral air dodge has a slightly longer duration (frames 3-27 → 3-29).
• Neutral air dodge has less significantly less landing lag (22 frames → 10).
• Neutral air dodge has significantly increased endlag (FAF 33 → 56).

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack:
  • Neutral attack's first hit is now a hook rather than a jab.
  • Neutral attack transitions faster.
  • Neutral attack's first and second hits no longer use set knockback, instead having minimal knockback scaling (22/16 set/ 100 scaling → 25/15 base/ 25/20 scaling (hit 1), 26/15 set / 100 scaling → 30/35 base / 30/35 scaling (hit 2)), and all but one of its hitboxes launch at a more consistent angle (80°/361° → 361°/361°/180°/361° (hit 1), 80°/361° → 361°/361°/361° (hit 2)), allowing both hits to connect into each other more reliably.
  • Neutral attack's first hit deals slightly less damage (3% → 2%).
  • Neutral attack's first and second hits have increased hitlag multipliers (1× → 1.6× (hit 1), 1× → 1.2× (hit 2)), giving the opponent more time to SDI each hit.
  • Neutral attack's first and second hits have had their two larger hitboxes replaced with smaller ones (4.2u/3.5u → 1.5u/1.7u/2u/2u (hit 1), 4.2u/3.5u → 2.5u/2.8u/3u (hit 2)), giving them less range.
  • All hits of neutral attack have shorter durations (frames 4-6 → 4 (hits 1 and 2), 4-7 → 4-5 (hit 3)).
• Dash attack:
  • Dash attack hits four times instead of three.
    • All hits after the first one have less startup lag (frame 20/30 → 19/28/37) and the last hit has comparatively less ending lag (FAF 42 → 46).
    • Dash attack deals more damage if all hits connect (9% → 10%).
  • The looping hits have much less hitlag (2x → 0.6x), making them harder to SDI out of.
  • The last hit deals less damage (5% → 4%) with knockback scaling partially compensated (60 → 65).
• Forward tilt:
  • Forward tilt has altered hitboxes (4u/4u/3u → 4.8u/3.6u/3u), and the outermost hitbox is further out (X offset: 6 → 7), improving its range overall.
• Up tilt:
  • Pac-Man has a new up tilt: a quick upwards punch.
  • Up tilt has more vertical range.
  • Up tilt has much less ending lag (FAF 34 → 25), improving its combo potential.
  • Up tilt deals slightly less damage (7% → 6.5%) and much less knockback (50 base/100 scaling → 43/68), noticeably hindering its KO potential.
    • However, its reduced knockback further improves its combo potential.
  • Pac-Man's fist has one less frame of intangibility (frame 6-10 → 7-10).
  • Up tilt's hitbox is located on Pac-Man's fist. As a result, it is generally smaller overall (6.5u → 5.5u/3.2u), and has much less horizontal reach, missing most characters on the ground even if they stand directly next to him. Due to the same factors, Pac-Man's new up tilt can no longer be used to knock Fire Hydrant backwards.
  • Up tilt launches at a slightly higher angle (96° → 93°).
• Down tilt:
  • Down tilt has less ending lag (FAF 29 → 27).
  • Pac-Man returns to his original position after attacking, rather than moving forward, making it safer to use for spacing.
  • Down tilt has more base knockback and less knockback scaling (50 base/80 scaling → 65/50), making it safer on hit at lower percents, but hindering its KO potential.
• Forward smash:
  • Forward smash has less startup lag (frame 18 → 16) with its duration increased (18-28 → 16-28, 11 frames → 13).
    • Its duration remains unchanged, giving it more ending lag.
  • Forward smash's ghost has a bigger hitbox (4.8u → 5.4u).
  • Forward smash's early hits deal noticeably more base knockback, greatly improving its KO potential despite the lower knockback scaling (25 base/99 scaling → 40/97).
• Up smash:
  • Both hits of up smash have less startup lag (frame 13/16 → 11/15) with its duration increased on the second hit (16-26 → 15-28, 11 frames → 14).
    • Its duration remains unchanged, giving it more ending lag.
  • Up smash's ghost has a larger hitbox (6.0u → 6.2u (clean), 4.0u → 4.5u (late)).
  • Up smash's first hit now uses set knockback (95 base/20 scaling → 125 set/100 scaling) and launches at a lower angle (115° → 135°). This improves its linking ability into the second hit and now allows it to be used to knock a Fire Hydrant backwards, but significantly worsens its reliability as a follow-up option off of Bonus Fruit's Bell projectile.
• Down smash:
  • Down smash has less startup lag (frame 18 → 15) with its duration increased (18-28 → 15-28, 11 frames → 14).
    • Its duration remains unchanged, giving it more ending lag.
  • Down smash's ghosts have larger hitboxes (6.0u → 6.2u (clean), 4.0u → 4.5u (late)).

Aerial attacks

• All aerials have less landing lag (Neutral: 12 frames → 7, Forward: 16 → 10, Back: 22 → 13, Up: 16 → 10, Down: 20 → 12).
• Neutral aerial:
  • Neutral aerial deals less knockback (20 base/100 scaling → 45/70). Coupled with its lowered landing lag, it can combo consistently.
  • Neutral aerial's later hits deal more damage (6% → 8.5% (mid), 3% → 6% (late)).
  • Neutral aerial's angle on all hits was increased (361 -> 50). This increases its combo potential, but removes its ability to lock.
  • Neutral aerial has larger hitboxes (7.0u → 7.6u (clean), 5.0u → 7.0u (mid), 3.5u → 4.5u (late)).
  • Neutral aerial's lowered knockback removes one of Pac-Man's former KO options, as it can no longer KO until the 180% range.
• Forward aerial:
  • Forward aerial deals more damage (5.3% → 7.65%).
  • Forward aerial has more base knockback, but less knockback scaling (7 base/90 scaling → 70/29), increasing the percent range in which the move can combo.
  • Due to the changes to its knockback, forward aerial can no longer lock opponents.
• Back aerial:
  • The changes to the Sakurai Angle allow Bair to be a stronger KO move, now killing at more reasonable percents (On Mario at Mid-FD: 169% → 158%).
• Up aerial:
  • Up aerial has an altered ending animation.
• Down aerial:
  • Down aerial's hits transition faster, with 1 frame less lag between each one.
  • Down aerial's multi-hits are larger (5.5u → 6.2u) and have gained an additional hitbox against aerial opponents, improving its range overall.
  • Down aerial has much less ending lag (FAF 60 → 50).
  • Down aerial deals more damage (1.5% → 2% (hits 1-3), 6% → 7% (hit 4), 10.5% → 13% (maximum)) with knockback compensated on the final hit (90 scaling → 80).
  • Down aerial's multi-hits deal more set knockback (10 → 35 (grounded), 10 → 22 (aerial)), and launch aerial opponents at an altered angle (100° → 130°), improving its linking ability overall.
  • Down aerial's final hit sends at a more horizontal angle (65° → 45°), granting it edgeguarding and KO potential.
  • Down aerial's final hit always sends in the direction Pac-Man is facing, improving its combo potential.

Throws/other attacks

• Grab:
  • Dash grab and pivot grab have increased start-up lag (frame 12 → 14 (dash), 12 → 15 (pivot)).
  • All grabs have significantly less ending lag (FAF 76 → 59 (standing), 76 → 67 (dash), 76 → 62 (pivot)).
  • Grab has one long-lasting hitbox instead of multiple short hitboxes (frames 12-14, 22-24 & 32-39 → 12-36).
  • Grab's blind spots have been removed.
  • Grab's tractor beam has a smoother extending and receding animation.
  • If the grab misses, Pac-Man will look disappointed.
• Pummel:
  • Pummel is much faster but deals less damage (3.25% → 1.2%).
• Forward throw:
  • Forward throw deals more damage (6% → 8%) and has more base knockback (48 → 55), improving its edgeguarding potential.
• Back throw:
  • Back throw has a visible wind effect while Pac-Man spins.
  • Back throw releases the opponent earlier (frame 28 → 25) and has significantly reduced endlag (FAF 72 → 60).
• Up throw:
  • Up throw has less ending lag (FAF 45 → 38) and base knockback (60 → 55), granting it combo potential.
• Down throw:
  • Down throw's animation has been sped up significantly.
  • Down throw releases the opponent earlier (frame 39 → 34) with its duration unchanged, increasing its endlag.

Special Moves

• Bonus Fruit:
  • All Bonus Fruit except the second and third fruits cycle significantly faster (Apple: frame 54 → 52, Melon: 78 → 72, Galaxian: 102 → 92, Bell: 126 → 112, Key: 150 → 132).
  • Bonus Fruit can be jumped or air dodged out of while charging.
  • Cherry, Apple and Key deal slightly more damage (Cherry: 4% → 4.3%, Apple: 9% → 9.5%, Key: 15% → 16%).
  • When Z-dropped, Bonus Fruit's Bell can stun the opponent.
  • If Pac-Man grabs a fruit he's previously thrown or dropped, Bonus Fruit is able to be recycled through the items again. This allows him to store his items in a similar manner to Pocket, create possible setups from his Bell to his Key, reduce the opportunities for his opponents to use his fruits against him, and keep up pressure with his more powerful fruits for a longer period of time.
    • Bonus Fruit's new recycling mechanic allows fruits to be caught again if they are charged slightly before throwing, as they are considered a newly generated item.
  • Bonus Fruit's toss has reduced endlag (FAF 45 → 42).
  • Bonus Fruit's Strawberry and Orange take slightly longer to charge (Strawberry: frame 19 → 20, Orange: frame 29 → 32).
  • Orange and Bell deal slightly less damage (Orange: 8% → 7.5%, Bell: 8% → 7.5%).
  • Cherries and Strawberries have a limited airtime before they disappear automatically, significantly lowering their maximum distance. It is no longer possible to bounce them off platforms to extend their lifetime.
  • Key deals slightly less knockback (KOs Mario at 100% → 104% from the edge of Final Destination).
  • Bonus Fruit's items can only be Z-dropped once before being unable to be recatched by anyone. This limits Pac-Man's combo potential and removes his zero-to-deaths, but makes it harder for other players to limit his usage of Bonus Fruit.
  • Dropped fruits (either from being thrown or if an opponent knocks it out of Pac-Man's charge process) will only bounce once before disappearing instead of lingering on the floor for around three seconds. This makes it difficult for anyone to take advantage of dropped fruits, and significantly limits fruit-catching methods.
  • Bonus Fruits that hit an enemy pop into air for a much shorter time. This makes it much harder to recatch fruits after they hit enemies, but it also makes it harder for the enemies to grab it in the air.
  • The sprites used during Bonus Fruit have been redrawn with thinner outlines. If Pac-Man tries generating a fruit while one is in play, a pixelated "pop" effect will display instead of a puff of smoke.
• Power Pellet:
  • Power Pellet has been sped up overall.
  • All variants of Power Pellet travel further, with the fully-charged version traveling almost the full length of Final Destination.
  • Fully charged Power Pellet's sweetspot is much stronger, and can KO at 110% at the middle of Final Destination.
  • Power Pellet has less ending lag when colliding with a wall.
  • Power Pellet no longer makes Pac-Man tumble onto the ground when the Pac-Dot trail is aimed at the floor. Instead, he will move along the ground in the last horizontal direction he moved in during the attack.
  • Pac-Man's afterimages when using Power Pellet go from yellow to orange and then red. Pac-Man also flashes white and red after eating the power pellet.
• Pac-Jump:
  • Pac-Jump's trampoline has a hurtbox.
    • This means Pac-Jump's trampoline can be used to block projectiles.
    • The trampoline can be attacked by other players, but not by Pac-Man. Based on the power of the attack, the trampoline's uses will be reduced, from as little to one use or all uses.
  • Pac-Jump has a longer duration (frames 4-17 → 4-21).
  • Pac-Jump's trampoline comes out on frame 10 rather than frame 1, so the move is no longer unblockable.
  • Pac-Jump's attack damage increases with time, similar to Dr. Mario's neutral air (Early: 7% → 5%, Middle: 6%, Late: 5% → 7%).
  • Pac-Man's afterimages when using Pac-Jump are more visible and go from yellow to white.
  • At the peak of each jump, the damage increases.
• Fire Hydrant:
  • Fire Hydrant has altered physics, acting heavier and losing more height and speed from each bounce.
  • Fire Hydrant's heavier physics makes it easier to hit grounded opponents.
  • Fire Hydrant's new physics significantly reduce its overall coverage and distance when bouncing.
  • Aerial Fire Hydrant has increased start-up lag, now matching the grounded version's start-up (frame 9 → 12).
    • Its duration was unchanged, reducing its endlag.
  • Fire Hydrant's fall attack has a reduced hitlag multiplier (1.5× → 1×).
  • Fire Hydrant's hitbox extends further downwards when falling (Y offset: 6 → 6-2).
• Super Pac-Man:
  • Super Pac-Man has been changed. Pac-Man still transforms into a two-dimensional sprite to launch enemies, but automatically moves forward and loops around the screen, slowly building up speed. His trajectory can be adjusted by aiming him up or down. He will also eat items he runs into during the move. Aesthetically, the move resembles Pac-Man Championship Edition 2, featuring pulsating lights in the background and a rising pitch as the move progresses.

Update History

1.2.0

• Bonus Fruit's Key will no longer be discarded when it is recycled.
• The universal change removing the ability to Z-drop items out of hitstun reduces Pac-Man's ability to get out of combos when holding a Bonus Fruit.
• Dash grab changes Pac-Man's facial expression like his other grabs.

2.0.0

• Forward aerial auto-cancels earlier (frame 43 → 26), which allows it to autocancel out of a short hop fast fall.
• Down aerial auto-cancels earlier (frame 56 → 50), matching the move's interruptibility.
• Bonus Fruits take longer to disappear after hitting an opponent (30 frames → 32), giving him slightly more time to grab it again.
  • Cherry no longer disappears immediately after hitting an opponent.

3.0.0

• Bonus Fruit deals less shield damage.
• Fire Hydrant has more range below it when it is falling.
• Fire Hydrant deals less shield damage.
• Several basic animations, such as idle and crouch animations, have been adjusted.

3.1.0

• Fixed an issue that resulted in Pac-Man facing the wrong way.
• Up smash's hits connect more reliably (Frame 11 Hitbox Angle 112 → 135).

4.0.0

• Pac-Man will no longer drop his Bonus Fruit if he is hit with a move that Reverses while charging the attack.

Moveset

• Pac-Man can crawl and wall jump.

For a gallery of Pac-Man's hitboxes, see here.

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

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			2%	Two punches, followed by a bicycle kick. Comes out quickly (All hits are frame 4), but the third hit has some endlag, and little knockback.
			2%
			4%
Forward tilt			8%	Pac-Man kicks forward, throwing his arms back with an angered expression. Very quick (frame 5), and can kill around 160% at the edge. However, it does possess decent endlag (FAF 31), making it unsafe on shield at close range.
Up tilt			6.5%	Punches upward, hopping up slightly. Has decent vertical range, with low vertical knockback and minimal ending lag (Frame 7, FAF 25), making it good to start or extend combos. Pac-Man's fist has intangibility from frames 7 to 10. Cannot hit Pac-Man's sides, however, making it only usable as an anti-air or niche ledge coverage option.
Down tilt			6%	Pac-Man changes into his Classic Form and chomps downward. Has long range since Pac-Man moves forward at a far distance and once the move finishes, he returns back to his original position, making down tilt a safe poking tool.
Dash attack		PAC Dash Bite	2% (hits 1-3), 4% (hit 4)	Pac-Man changes into his Classic Form and slides forward, chomping repeatedly. Hits four times, with the last hit having low vertical knockback. This move has a long animation, but almost no ending lag (FAF 46, while the last hit comes out frame 37), making it incredibly safe (even against shield). One of Pac-Man's best approach options.
Forward smash			15% (sour), 16% (sweet), 8% (late)	Reels back before throwing Blinky (the red ghost) in front of him. Has a sourspot on his arm, while the ghost itself is the sweetspot. Just like his other smash attacks, it can nullify projectiles. Deals respectable damage and high knockback, and has a long-lasting late hitbox. Has 26 frames of ending lag (FAF 53), however, and its long duration makes it easy to punish if not used properly.
Up smash			3% (launcher), 14% (Inky), 7% (late)	Balances on one foot while throwing Inky (the cyan ghost) upward. Has a launcher hitbox in front of him. Also has a long-lasting late hitbox. Has decent knockback, but struggles to kill at higher percents, approaching 130%. His fastest smash attack, coming out on frame 11 (With the second hit on frame 15), with an FAF of 50 and 24 frames of ending lag, making it his most reliable.
Down smash			13% (clean), 6% (late)	Crouches while throwing Pinky and Clyde (the pink and orange ghosts respectively) to either side. The weakest of Pac-Man's smashes, but it sends at a very low angle (29°) for gimps. Also has the highest ending lag of his smashes (FAF 55), with 29 frames of lag, making it unsafe to use outside of punishing rolls, although it has impressive range.
Neutral aerial			10% (clean), 6% (late)	Spins around in his Classic Form. Very fast (frame 3), and lasts a long time. Very little landing lag and knockback, so it is good for combos, but has high ending lag in the air (FAF 52). Autocancels in a full hop.
Forward aerial			7.65%	A roundhouse kick in front of him. Extremely fast (frame 5), with very little ending/landing lag (FAF 26, 10 frames of landing lag), making it interruptible 17 frames after the hitbox ends and is one of, if not the fastest of its type. Can chain into itself, or other moves effectively for combos due to its excellent frame data, average damage output, high base knockback and very low knockback scaling and autocancels in a short hop fast fall. All this attributes make it one of Pac-Man's best moves and a good approach option.
Back aerial			11.8% (clean), 7% (late)	A dropkick behind himself. Decently fast (frame 9, FAF 41) and autocancels in a short hop, but has decent landing lag (13 frames) and mediocre knockback for an aerial of its type. Pac-Man's most reliable killing aerial.
Up aerial			10%	A sweeping bicycle kick above Pac-Man, similar to the Flip Kick from Pac-Man World 2. Decently fast startup and very long duration (frame 9-16), and has little knockback, and somewhat low ending lag (FAF 37) with 20 frames of lag. It autocancels in a short hop and it also is the only aerial in the game which can perform a functional drop cancel.
Down aerial			2% (hits 1-3), 7% (hit 4)	Stomps below himself four times, with the last hit sending diagonally. Has massive base knockback, able to kill reliably below 50% close to the blast zone. Onstage, though, it does not kill until after 150% due to its mediocre knockback scaling. Pac-Man's most damaging aerial if all hits connect and is very good for edgeguarding.
Grab			—	Pac-Man holds his hand out to produce a long tractor beam (based on Galaga). A tether grab, but cannot be used to grab ledges. Pac-Man appears disappointed if he doesn't grab an opponent. Noticeable startup(Standing: Frame 12, FAF 59. Dash: Frame 14, FAF 67. Pivot: Frame 15, FAF 62), but lasts a long time, has quite far reach and low ending lag for a tether grab.
Pummel			1.3%	Slams his head into the opponent.
Forward throw			8%	Reels back, then tosses the opponent at a 58° angle. Too much ending lag to combo, and too little knockback to kill, but can be used for mixups due to its awkward launch angle .
Back throw			11%	Similar to Mario and Wario's, though it does not have a collateral hitbox. Grabs opponent and swings them around twice, throwing them behind on the second spin. Kills around 140% on the ledge. Pac-Man's most damaging throw, and his only reliable kill throw.
Up throw			5%	Swings his arm upward to throw the opponent into the sky. Has little knockback and endlag so it can combo, and kills around 220%.
Down throw			1.5% (hits 1-3), 6% (hit 4)	Changes into his Classic Form and chomps the opponent four times, with the last hit dealing low knockback. Sends at a low angle for techchases, but has very high ending lag.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Kicks around himself while getting up.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	Kicks around himself while getting up.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Performs a side kick to the left and then to the right while getting up.
Edge attack Edge getups			9%	Performs a legsweep while climbing up. Surprisingly high range for a move of its type.
Neutral special		Bonus Fruit	4.3% (cherry), 6% (strawberry), 7.5% (orange), 9.5% (apple), 12% (melon), 9% (Galaxian), 7.5% (bell), 16% (key)	Pac-Man cycles through 8 different objects, each with their own damage output, knockback, speeds, and angles. All can be recaught once, and if Pac-Man has a Fruit in his hand, pressing B will continue the cycle from that Fruit's position, also allowing him to recatch the fruit again.
Side special		Power Pellet	3% (before eating Power Pellet), 4% (uncharged), 12% (fully charged)	Pac-Man summons a string of Pellets in front of him, then chomps along the trail. The string can be angled in any direction and travels very far, making it an incredible recovery option. Also has high knockback if Pac-Man hits the opponent after eating the Power Pellet. Just after eating the final pellet, as well, Pac-Man has Heavy Armor up to 100 knockback units for a short time.
Up special		Pac-Jump	5-7% (early), 6-8.42% (mid), 7-10% (late)	Summons a trampoline below him, which will launch Pac-Man higher as it changes color (from blue, to yellow, to red). Any character can jump on the trampoline, but only Pac-Man will be sent into freefall from it. Anybody but Pac-Man himself can harm the trampoline (which sends it into different colors before destroying it entirely). Any character who jumps on a red trampoline will be instantly forced into freefall.
Down special		Fire Hydrant	9% (falling), 13% (tumbling)	Summons a Fire Hydrant, which falls downward until it hits the ground. Once grounded, it spurts water out of its sides twice (or on top, if someone is standing on it). This water pushes enemies and items away. If the hydrant takes 13% or more, it will tumble (taking the angle and speed of the move that launched it), dealing damage to anyone who gets hit by it.
Final Smash		Super Pac-Man	20% (yellow), 28% (red)	Pac-Man eats a Power Pellet and a Super Pellet, grows large, and turns into his classic 2D form before looping around the stage repeatedly. He always moves in a straight line, but his angle can be altered to catch opponents running away. As the Final Smash progresses, Pac-Man moves faster and faster, then starts acquiring a red tint, after which he deals more damage to opponents. Ultimately, he slows down before the Final Smash ends.

On-screen appearance

• Starts out as the classic Pac-Man sprite, makes a slow chomp, and then jumps out of it into his normal form.

Taunts

• Up Taunt: Namco Roulette, where he summons a sprite and associated sound effect from a classic Namco game.
• Side Taunt: Turns into his classic design and chomps from side to side while a sound from Pac-Man plays.
• Down Taunt: Lays on the ground as a 5-note jingle plays, while fairies from Pac-Land and a few music notes appear above his head.

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  Pac-Man's up taunt, summoning the sprite of Gil.

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  Pac-Man's side taunt.

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  Pac-Man's down taunt.

Idle Poses

• Scratches his head.
• Looks at the screen and winks while giving a thumbs up, similarly to his official art from Smash 4.

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  Pac-Man's first idle pose

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  Pac-Man's second idle pose

Victory poses

• Left: Appears in ball form, trips, and raises a fist.
• Up: Chases a vulnerable ghost in 2D form, then poses in 3D form.
• Right: Lands on the ground while a sign reading "7650" appears, then winks and gives a thumbs up with a pixelated fairy. This pose is based on Pac-Land. Both the sign and pixelated fairy do not appear in Team Battles.

A remix of the jingle that plays when starting a new game in Pac-Man, as well as completing levels in Pac-Man World 2.

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In competitive play

During E3's pre-release of Ultimate, Pac-Man garnered a generally mediocre reception; this was because many players considered Pac-Man to not have significantly improved from his SSB4 counterpart outside of his buffed grab. As a result, many players thought of him as lower-mid tier, or even a low tier character, much like his standing in SSB4.

However, upon the release of Ultimate, Pac-Man has achieved increasingly strong results by both Sinji and Tea; Tea in particular has gone on to place Top 8 at multiple major and supermajors such as Umebura Japan Major 2019, 2GG: Prime Saga, Mainstage, all while taking sets off of multiple top level players. As a result, Pac-Man has achieved a significantly stronger reception from the community, where he is mostly regarded as a high tier character.

Any number following the Smasher name indicates placement on the Spring 2019 PGRU, which recognizes the official top 50 players in the world in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate from February 1st, 2019 to July 7th, 2019.

Notable players

•  EKING - The best Pac-Man player in Puerto Rico. Placed 1st at Winter Clash 2019, 25th at Come to Papa 3, and 49th at CEO 2019. Has wins over Myran and Blank.
•  Kiwi - The best Pac-Man player in New England. Placed 7th at Return to Subspace 2 and 13th at both Overclocked Ultimate and CT GamerCon 3.
•  kou - One of the best Pac-Man players in Japan. Placed 17th at Sumabato SP 2 and 25th at KVOxTSB 2019.
•  PurpleDebo - The best Pac-Man player in the Netherlands. Placed 13th at Lightning: Strikes Twice and The Ultimate Performance 2, 17th at Elysium: Yggdrasil, and 25th at Syndicate 2019. Has wins over Griffith, adom, and WhYYZ.
•  Sinji (#25) - The best Pac-Man player in the United States and one of the best ones in the world. Was also considered the best Pac-Man player in the world in Smash 4. Placed 7th at both Collision 2019 and MomoCon 2019, 9th at Pound 2019, and 25th at both GENESIS 6 and CEO 2019. Has wins over VoiD, Myran, Cosmos, Shoyo James, and Fatality.
•  Tea (#15) - The best Pac-Man player in the world. Placed 1st at Sumabato SP 2 and Thunder Smash 3: Clash of the Pandas, 2nd at Sumabato SP, Sumabato SP 6, Seoul Smash X, 2GG: Run it Back, and 2GG: SwitchFest 2019, 5th at 2GG: Prime Saga, Umebura Japan Major 2019, Mainstage, and Smash Ultimate Summit 2, 9th at Umebura SP 5, 13th at Frostbite 2019, and 17th at Umebura SP 4. Has wins over ESAM, Cosmos, Maister, Salem, Dabuz, Marss, Tweek, Samsora, Glutonny, and Shuton.

Classic Mode: Ageless Classic

Pac-Man's congratulations screen.

Pac-Man fights classic characters who debuted on the Nintendo Entertainment System or appeared in an NES game at least once. These characters are listed in accordance to their original release date, similar to All Star-Mode in SSB4. To go with the theme, Pac-Man faces Dracula as the final boss of his route as he was the oldest boss who debuted on the NES console, like many characters in his route.

Round	Opponent	Stage	Music
1	Mario , Luigi , and Donkey Kong	75m (Battlefield form)	PAC-MAN
2	Duck Hunt	Duck Hunt	No music
3	Ice Climbers and R.O.B.	Wrecking Crew (Battlefield form)	Power-Up Music - Wrecking Crew
4	Young Link , Samus , Simon , and Pit	Hyrule Castle	Overworld Theme - The Legend of Zelda
5	Little Mac , Mega Man , and Snake	Boxing Ring	Mega Man Retro Medley
6	Marth , Dr. Mario , and Kirby	Dream Land GB	Kirby Retro Medley
Bonus Stage
Final	Dracula	Castlevania	Dwelling of Doom

Credits roll after completing Classic Mode. Completing it as Pac-Man has PAC-MAN'S PARK / BLOCK TOWN accompany the credits.

Role in World of Light

Finding Pac-Man in World of Light

Although Pac-Man does not appear in the World of Light opening cutscene, he was vaporized and later imprisoned alongside the rest of the fighters (except Kirby) when Galeem unleashed his beams of light.

By taking Marth's route, the player can find Pac-Man near a mushroom area.

Fighter Battle

No.	Image	Name	Type	Power	Stage	Music
55		Pac-Man	Grab	3,300	Pac-Land (Ω form)	PAC-MAN

Spirits

PAC-MAN's Fighter Spirit can be obtained by completing Classic Mode. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 500 coins. Unlocking Pac-Man in World of Light allows the player to preview the first 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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  946. PAC-MAN

In Spirit battles

As the main opponent

Spirit				Battle parameters
No.	Image	Name	Series	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music
51	File:Chainchomp.png	Chain Chomp	Super Mario series	•Metal Pac-Man		4,000	Yoshi's Island (Battlefield form)	•Assist Trophy Enemies (Chain Chomp)	•Hostile assist trophies will appear •The enemy favors side specials •The enemy is metal	Main Theme - Super Mario 64
53		Nipper Plant	Super Mario series	•Tiny Pac-Man (×8)		1,900	Super Mario Maker (Battlefield form)	N/A	•The enemy loves to jump •Defeat an army of fighters	Ground Theme - Super Mario Bros. 3 (Remix)
58	File:Hothead Spirit.png	Hothead	Super Mario series	•Curry Pac-Man		2,000	Mushroom Kingdom U (Slide Lift Tower)	•Item: Hothead	•The enemy breathes fire •The enemy is easily distracted by items	Castle / Boss Fortress - Super Mario World / SMB 3
108		Starlow	Mario & Luigi series	•Pac-Man •Luigi •Mario		3,300	Brinstar (Battlefield form)	•Tiny •Giant	•The enemy is giant •The enemy is tiny after a little while	Tough Guy Alert!
109	File:Broque Monsieur Spirit.png	Broque Monsieur	Mario & Luigi series	•Pac-Man		1,800	Mario Bros. (Battlefield form)	•Defense ↑ •Item: Blocks	•The enemy has increased defense •The enemy shields often •The enemy's shield has extra durability	Tough Guy Alert!
305		Tap-Tap	Yoshi series	•Metal Pac-Man		2,200	Yoshi's Island	N/A	•The enemy is metal	Wildlands
311	File:Burt Spirit.png	Burt the Bashful	Yoshi series	•Giant Pac-Man		2,000	Super Happy Tree (Ω form)	N/A	•The enemy deals damage when falling •The enemy is giant •The enemy has increased defense	Fortress Boss - Super Mario World
378	File:Chef Kawasaki Spirit.png	Chef Kawasaki	Kirby series	•Pac-Man		9,000	Green Greens	•Assist Trophy Enemies (Chef Kawasaki) •Item: Food	•Hostile assist trophies will appear •The enemy becomes more powerful after eating •The enemy is easily distracted by items	Gourmet Race (Brawl)
441		Magneton	Pokémon series	•Metal Pac-Man (×3)		2,200	Pokémon Stadium 2 (Electric type)	N/A	•Stamina battle •The enemy is metal	Main Theme - Pokémon Red & Pokémon Blue (Melee)
444	File:Electrode Spirit.png	Electrode	Pokémon series	•Pac-Man		3,600	Saffron City	•Bob-omb Festival •Item: Exploding Types	•Bob-ombs will rain from the sky after a little while •The enemy is easily distracted by items	Main Theme - Pokémon Red & Pokémon Blue (Brawl)
725		Lurchthorn	Kid Icarus series	•Pac-Man Team (×6)		1,800	Reset Bomb Forest	•Item: Super Scope	•The enemy is easily distracted by items •The enemy starts the battle with a Super Scope •Defeat an army of fighters	Wrath of the Reset Bomb
821		Mockiwi	Pimin series	•Giant Pac-Man •Ally: Olimar		1,500	Garden of Hope	N/A	•Join forces with a CPU ally •Stamina battle •The enemy is giant	Over Wintry Mountains
875		Mettaur	Mega Man series	•Pac-Man		1,800	Wrecking Crew	N/A	•Stamina battle •The enemy shields often •The enemy doesn't like to jump	Cut Man Stage
950	File:Bonus Fruit Spirit.png	Bonus Fruit	Pac-Man series	•Pac-Man (x2)		2,100	Pac-Land (Ω form)	N/A	•Timed battle •The enemy favors neutral specials	PAC-MAN
1,039	File:Bisk Spirit.png	Bisk	Splatoon series	•Pac-Man		1,700	Saffron City	•Move Speed ↑	•The enemy's kicks and knee strikes have increased power •The enemy has increased move speed after a little while	Endolphin Surge
1,110		Bytans	Super Smash Bros. series	•Pac-Man Team (×4)		1,800	Kongo Falls (Ω form)	•Item: Balls	•The enemy is easily distracted by items	Step: The Plain
1,121	File:Bubbles Spirit.png	Bubbles	Clu Clu Land seies	•Pac-Man		1,800	75m (Battlefield form)	•Item: Unira	•The enemy is easily distracted by items	Clu Clu Land
1,183		Moe	The Legendary Starfy series	•Pac-Man		1,600	Tortimer Island	N/A	•The enemy shields often •The enemy's shield has extra durability	Tortimer Island Medley
1,208		Telly	Chibi-Robo! series	•Tiny Pac-Man		3,700	Living Room	•Item: Throwing Types	•The enemy is easily distracted by items •The enemy falls slowly •The enemy starts the battle with a Rocket Belt	Noisy Notebook
1,224	File:Bacteria.png	Kurikin	Kurikin Nano Island Story	•Pac-Man (×4)		1,400	Hanenbow	•Tiny •Item: Unira	•All fighters are tiny •The enemy is easily distracted by items	Electroplankton (Original)
1,249		Zip	FlingSmash	•Pac-Man		2,200	Golden Plains	•Assist Trophy Enemies (Chain Chomp) •Hazard: Low Gravity	•Gravity is reduced after a little while •Hostile assist trophies will appear	Mole Patrol
1,286		Clip & Snip	Snipperclips - Cut it out, together! series	•Pac-Man •Kirby		3,600	PictoChat 2	N/A	•The enemy starts the battle with a Killing Edge	Noisy Notebook
1,292	File:Boss galaga.png	Boss Galaga	Galaga series	•Tiny Pac-Man Team (×5)		3,400	Lylat Cruise (Battlefield form)	•Item: Boss Galaga	•Items will be pulled toward the enemy •The enemy is easily distracted by items •Defeat an army of fighters	Galaga Medley

As a minion

Spirit				Battle parameters							Inspiration
No.	Image	Name	Series	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music	Character
690	File:Ball Spirit.png	Ball	Game & Watch series	•Mr. Game & Watch •Pac-Man •Jigglypuff •Kirby		3,900	Flat Zone X (hazards off)	•Item: Balls	•The enemy favors grabs and throws •The enemy's throwing type items have increased power	Flat Zone 2	Ball
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	Clyde

Alternate costumes

Gallery

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  Pac-Man's fighter card.

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  Idling on 3D Land.

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  Pac-Man using Power Pellet on Wii Fit Trainer on Super Mario Maker.

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  Pac-Man throwing a melon on Mushroomy Kingdom.

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  Pac-Man using his down smash on Yoshi on Big Blue.

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  Dodging Mr. Game & Watch's Chef on Tortimer Island.

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  Holding a tiny Olimar on Distant Planet.

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  Getting hit by Link's Spin Attack on Spirit Train.

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  With Olimar, Mario, and Sonic on Gaur Plain.

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  Air dodging on Green Greens.

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  Using his forward smash on Kalos Pokémon League

Trivia

• Pac-Man's stock icon, alongside that of the three different Mii Fighter types, is among the few ones that do not depict the character's head. Instead, it takes on the look of Pac-Man's original arcade sprite, which also served as a life counter in the arcade game.
  • Instead of having recolored sections of his stock icon for his alternate costumes, his palette swaps are represented by a colored neon bar underneath his stock icon, which appear similar to the wall sections from the original Pac-Man.
• Pac-Man's artwork in Ultimate resembles his artwork in Pac-Man Vs., albeit with Pac-Man angled differently.
• Pac-Man is unlockable in Kirby's Classic Mode column, likely referencing how the two are round balls that primarily revolve around eating enemies.
  • Alongside Jigglypuff, both fighters appear in the "Ghosts" spirit Battle; Kirby represents Blinky, Jigglypuff represents Pinky while Pac-Man himself represents Clyde.
  • Pac-Man is the only third-party character in Kirby's unlock column.
• In Pac-Man's showcase video, it shows that the water from Fire Hydrant can be punched out of the air, but this is not possible in the final game.
• Pac-Man is the only character who travels to Wrecking Crew in Classic Mode.
• Pac-Man is the only character who fights a Classic Mode opponent in a round without music.
• Pac-Man and Wolf are the only characters who fight Snake for a Classic Mode opponent, considering the latter not only faces an alternate version of himself in his own route, but is also the least common fighter for Classic Mode routes in general.
  • Pac-Man is also the only character to face Simon without Richter in his route.
• Kirby, Mr. Game & Watch, Wii Fit Trainer and Terry are the only characters who face Pac-Man as a Classic Mode opponent.
• Pac-Man’s Classic Mode Route is vaguely similar to Mr. Game & Watch’s, as both characters fight retro video game characters from the NES era for opponents.
  • Coincidentally, they are chronologically the oldest fighters in Ultimate.
• Pac-Man is the only non-DLC third-party fighter from Super Smash Bros 4. not to appear in the World of Light Trailer.
• If Pac-Man uses his Final Smash during a match and wins the match, if his "Up" victory pose plays, the large Pac-Man sprite will not appear, causing Pac-Man's model to appear out of thin air.
• Pac-Man's forward aerial deals exactly 7.65%, which is a subtle easter egg: the number 765 can be pronounced in Japanese as "na-mu-ko". This particular number, known as a goroawase number, commonly appears in Namco games and is even referenced through Pac-Man's Final Smash.