Lucario
- For fighter info, see Lucario (SSBB), Lucario (SSB4) and Lucario (SSBU).
| Lucario | |
|---|---|
  Official artwork of Lucario from Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Versions. | |
| Universe | Pokémon |
| Debut | Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team (2005, cameo) Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Versions (2006, playable debut) |
| Smash Bros. appearances | Brawl SSB4 Ultimate |
| Most recent non-Smash appearance | Pokémon Café Mix (2020) |
| Console/platform of origin | Game Boy Advance (cameo) Nintendo DS |
| Species | Lucario |
| Gender | Varies |
| Place of origin | Sinnoh |
| English voice actor | Bill Rogers (Brawl) Sean Schemmel (SSB4/Ultimate) |
| Japanese voice actor | Daisuke Namikawa |
| French voice actor | Jean-Marc Delhausse |
| German voice actor | Gerald Jilka |
| Spanish voice actor | Carlos Lobo |
| Italian voice actor | Luigi Fantino |
| Article on Bulbapedia | Lucario (Pokémon) |
Lucario (ルカリオ, Lucario) is a creature from the Pokémon series. It debuted in the series' fourth generation, and represents that generation as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Smash Bros. 4, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Origin
Lucario is a bipedal canine Pokémon, and is categorized within the Pokédex at #448 as the "Aura Pokémon". Lucario is a dual Fighting/Steel-type Pokémon and the evolved form of Riolu; in the Pokémon core series, Riolu evolves when it gains a level while having a sufficiently high amount of friendship rating and only during morning, daytime, and afternoon hours. Lucario is able to detect and wield Aura, a spiritual energy that surrounds every living thing.
According to the Pokédex, by picking up on the Aura emanating from others, it can read their thoughts and movements; a well-trained Lucario, in particular, can sense and read the feelings of creatures over half a mile away. Lucario also understands human speech, and is even capable of communicating telepathically in human languages.
Prior to its official debut in the main series, Lucario made its first appearance in the eighth Pokémon movie, Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, and additionally appeared as a non-playable cameo in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team. Despite being one of the most prominently marketed fourth generation Pokémon in the lead-up to the release of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, it has no real plot prominence in those games, being only available after hatching from a Riolu egg gifted to the player during their visit to Iron Island, and being used on the teams of Riley, Maylene and Cynthia.
However, Lucario is notable within Kalos, the setting of Pokémon X and Y, the first games within the series' sixth generation. In Kalos, Lucario is renowned as the first Pokémon to have achieved Mega Evolution in the region. This is reflected by its significance to the plot of X and Y: it is the first Pokémon the player initiates Mega Evolution with, and a very large statue of its Mega Evolution, Mega Lucario, is a centerpiece within the Tower of Mastery.
Several Lucario have made appearances in the anime, such as the Lucario who starred in the eighth movie, Korrina's Lucario, who was trained to use its Mega Evolution form after initial difficulty, and Ash Ketchum's Lucario, who evolved from a Riolu that Ash received as an Egg.
Lucario has high Attack and Special Attack stats and average Speed, but low defenses; in particular, its Special Attack statistic is unusually high for a Fighting type, reflecting its mastery over the control of Aura, further evidenced by its access to moves like Aura Sphere. Lucario's high offenses make it a versatile and slightly unpredictable Pokémon, as it can effectively run physical, special or mixed movesets. Its three abilities reflect its stoic and brave character: Inner Focus prevents it from flinching or (starting with Gen 8) having its Attack dropped by Intimidate, Steadfast raises its Speed if it flinches, and Justified raises its Attack after it is hit by a Dark type move.
While holding a Lucarionite, Lucario can undergo Mega Evolution to become Mega Lucario. As Mega Lucario, its already impressive offensive and speed statistics are boosted considerably, and it gains Adaptability as its ability, which further supplements its offenses by powering up its Fighting and Steel type attacks.
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl
As a playable character
Lucario is unique in that the more damage it takes, the more damage, range, and knockback its own attacks have (based on the actual ability of most Lucario in the Pokémon series). This only applies to its Aura-based attacks, which are noted by bluish, flame-like wisps. A few of Lucario's attacks do not use Aura, such as its dash attack and back throw, among others. This trait makes it not particularly useful at the beginning of a stock, but by surviving to a high level of damage, it becomes considerably lethal. It possesses the ability to both wall jump and wall cling; its wall jump in particular is by far the highest in the game, and the height gained by this scales with Aura.
Aura Sphere, its neutral special, is a chargeable ranged blast comparable to Samus' Charge Shot. Force Palm, its side special is a short-ranged blast, or at point-blank range, a throw. ExtremeSpeed, its up special, is a non-damaging recovery move and will propel Lucario in any direction aimed. Double Team, its down special, is a counterattack that is Aura-based and has a damage output that caps at about 15%.
Lucario is ranked 11th on the tier list, placing it in the C+ tier.
Trophy
- Lucario
An Aura Pokémon. It can track energy called Aura, which is given off by all living creatures. It's a unique combination of both Fighting and Steel-type Pokémon. Lucario evolves from Riolu during the day if its happiness has reached its maximum point. It specializes in attacks that use Aura energy, like Dark Pulse and a can't-miss technique, Aura Sphere.
: 
Sticker
| Name | Game | Effect | Character(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucario | Pokémon series |  Attack +41
|
|
.png) Lucario (Pokémon series) |
In Super Smash Bros. 4
As a playable character
Lucario returns as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. Physically, it has been updated to have its proportions more akin to its appearances in Pokémon X and Y. Lucario also has a new Final Smash, Mega Lucario, which replaces Aura Storm. Sean Schemmel, the voice actor of Sir Aaron's Lucario from the film Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, confirmed that he would be reprising his role as Lucario in the game.
Lucario is ranked 17th out of 55, placing it in the B tier. Lucario's Aura mechanic has been strengthened in the transition from Brawl to SSB4, and it now affects Lucario's entire moveset. When coupled with the new rage mechanic, Lucario has the potential to KO any opponent at early percentages when its own damage percentage is high. The changes to hitstun canceling have also granted its up and down throws impressive combo potential. However, Lucario also received some nerfs. Its smash attacks in particular are slower, while Force Palm and its neutral, forward and down aerials have worsened combo potentials. Extreme Speed also saw a large increase in ending lag if it ends in the air, leaving Lucario highly open to punishment upon landing on the ground. Regardless of the nerfs, Lucario is still viewed as a viable choice for competitive play, thanks to it achieving decent results.
Trophies
- Lucario
A Fighting/Steel-type Pokémon that excels in combat through the reading and manipulation of Aura. As Lucario takes more damage, its attacks grow in strength. At maximum power, Lucario deals triple damage and its Aura Sphere is particularly devastating! Foes won't even know what hit them!
This Fighting- and Steel-type Pokémon can sense the movements of its enemies using its Aura abilities, and is even said to be able to see enemies when they're invisible. As it takes damage, its attacks grow in strength. At maximum power, its deals triple damage, which can make its Aura Sphere attack a real force to be reckoned with!
- Lucario (Alt.)
- Lucario's up special Extreme Speed will send this Pokémon soaring on the path you choose. Lucario flies farther the more damage it's taken. Lucario makes use of its Aura for the side special Force Palm. At extremely close range, Lucario will grab an enemy first, dealing additional damage.
- The Extreme Speed up special sends Lucario rushing in your chosen direction, and you can adjust the flight path mid-air. Also, the more damage Lucario takes, the further it will go. For the Force Palm side special, Lucario attacks with its Aura. Using it while close to an enemy adds a grab to the move and deals extra damage.
Classic (3DS)
Classic (Wii U)
Alt. (3DS)
Alt. (Wii U)
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
As a playable character
Lucario is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Similar to its debut in Brawl, Lucario is an unlockable character instead of a starter like in SSB4; however, unlike in Brawl where it was encountered later on in the unlocking process, Lucario can potentially be the first character unlocked in the game as the first character in Yoshi's Classic Mode character unlock tree.
Lucario was praised by its potential advantages in the early Ultimate meta, and was considered a relatively viable character. However, its weakness became clearer as time passed due to the amount of nerfs it received from the transition, making Lucario a relatively unknown character in the meta. Currently, most top professional players consider Lucario either a low mid or a low tier, with even some players considering it as a bottom 5 character.
Spirits
Fighter spirit
417. Lucario
Primary spirit
| No. | Image | Name | Type | Class | Slots | Base 
|
Max
|
Base 
|
Max
|
Base 
|
Max
|
Ability | Series |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 505 |  |
Mega Lucario |  |
★★★ | 3 | 2806 | 8421 | 1655 | 4966 | 993 | 2979 | Initial Damage 30% | Pokémon Series |
Names in other languages
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
 Japanese |
ルカリオ, Lucario |
 English |
Lucario |
 French |
Lucario |
 German |
Lucario |
 Spanish |
Lucario |
 Italian |
Lucario |
 Chinese (Simplified) |
路卡利欧, Lucario |
 Chinese (Traditional) |
路卡利歐, Lucario |
 Korean |
루카리오, Lucario |
 Dutch |
Lucario |
 Russian |
Лукарио |
 Portuguese |
Lucario |
Trivia
- As Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew released 4 months before the release of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team, Lucario is the only fighter in the series to technically first appear in non-video game media (in this case a movie).
- Like Charizard in Super Smash Bros. 4 and Mewtwo, Lucario draws inspiration from a particular member of its species depicted in the Pokémon anime. In Lucario's case, it is largely based on Sir Aaron's Lucario from Lucario and the Mystery of Mew. Like Sir Aaron's, it can speak the human language telepathically and, as of SSB4, it is voiced by Sean Schemmel and Daisuke Namikawa in English and Japanese, respectively; Schemmel and Namikawa portrayed that specific Lucario as well. However, the only difference is that unlike Smash's incarnation of Lucario, the Lucario in Lucario and the Mystery of Mew is completely incapable of Mega Evolving, as the Lucario species was already introduced long before the concept of Mega Evolution was even introduced.
- It is likely that the Lucario in Smash series is a male, as evident by its voice actors use to voice Sir Aaron's Lucario.
- Lucario and Mewtwo are the only two playable Pokémon characters whose onscreen appearances do not involve them emerging from a Poké Ball.
- Lucario possesses the best wall jump and wall cling durability in the Super Smash Bros. series.
- It is also the only character who can activate wall clinging through its up special.
- Lucario has special moves that are super effective against its Steel-typing: Aura Sphere which of its self is a reference to the Hadoken and Force Palm. It shares this trait with Mewtwo, who has Shadow Ball, and Incineroar, who has the moves Cross Chop and Revenge.
- Carlos Lobo, the Spanish voice actor for Lucario, also voices the announcer in the Spanish versions of Brawl, SSB4 and Ultimate. Jean-Marc Delhausse, its French voice actor, voiced the announcer in the French version of Super Smash Bros., in which Lucario was not present, as well as Ivysaur and several Poké Ball Pokémon throughout the series. Luigi Fantino, Lucario's Italian voice actor, also provided the voice for the announcer in Italian versions of the game from Brawl onwards.
- Lucario is the only playable Pokémon that speaks a human language in all international versions, unlike Mewtwo.
- Despite speaking telepathically, Lucario appears to be moving its mouth during its victory poses.
- With its debut on September 2006, Lucario is the most recently debuted playable character in Brawl.
- Lucario is the only playable character that made their video game debut on the Nintendo DS.
References
