Template:SSB4 to SSBU changelist/Zero Suit Samus

Aesthetics

• Due to the aesthetic used in Ultimate, Zero Suit Samus's model features a more vibrant color scheme. The material of her Zero Suit no longer looks homogeneous; her physique has been altered as well, with her figure now being leaner and more muscular and her bust being reduced. Most of her suit is now a lighter shade of blue with a matte texture, which matches her in-game design in Metroid: Samus Returns. Her eyes are a more vibrant green and less blue. Her skin is also paler.
• Zero Suit Samus has a new idle animation. She now holds the Paralyzer in a high ready position, similar to one of her idle poses and victory animations, and no longer bounces in place.
• Zero Suit Samus's walking and running animations have been altered slightly; she now bobs with each step.
• Zero Suit Samus propels herself forward using her jet boots when performing a forward roll.
• Zero Suit Samus now strikes a pose during her down taunt animation.

Attributes

• Like all characters, Zero Suit Samus's jumpsquat takes 3 frames to complete (down from 4).
• Zero Suit Samus runs significantly faster (2.1 → 2.31).
  • Her initial dash is significantly faster (1.7 → 2.42), now being the 2nd fastest in the game.
• Zero Suit Samus walks slightly faster (1.4 → 1.47).
• Zero Suit Samus' air speed is slightly faster (1.2 → 1.26).
• Zero Suit Samus' traction is higher (0.07 → 0.116).
• Forward roll has less ending lag (FAF 28 → 27).
• Forward roll grants less intangibility (frames 4-15 → 4-12).
• Zero Suit Samus activates her Jet Boots during forward roll.
• Back roll grants less intangibility (frames 4-15 → 4-14) and has more ending lag (FAF 28 → 33).
• Spot dodge has less ending lag (FAF 25 → 24).
• Spot dodge has more startup and grants less intangibility (frames 2-15 → 3-14).
• Air dodge grants more intangibility (frames 2-25 → 2-26).
• Air dodge has significantly more ending lag (FAF 31 → 46).

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack:
  • The first hit transitions faster into the second hit (frame 12 → 6), which transitions faster into the third hit (frame 10 → 6).
  • The first and second hits have altered angles (92°/61° → 361°/180° (hit 1), 45° → 361° (hit 2)) to keep opponents on the ground, akin to other neutral attacks, and the first hit has gained a hitstun modifier, which is higher for the hitboxes closer to Zero Suit Samus (0 → 10/6/2). This allows the move to jab lock and connect more reliably overall.
  • The first and second hits' hitboxes are placed lower (Y offset: 12u/11u → 10u (hit 1), 11u/10u → 9.5u/9.8u/10u (hit 2)), allowing them to hit opponents at low heights slightly more effectively.
  • All hits have a higher hitlag multiplier (1× → 1.8×), giving opponents more time to SDI each hit and DI the last hit.
  • The first two hits have a shorter hitbox duration (frames 1-2 → frame 1 (hit 1), 2-3 → 2 (hit 2)).
  • The first and third hits have more ending lag (FAF 21 → 24 (hit 1), 32 → 35 (hit 3)).
  • The first two hits no longer use set knockback (23/45 set/100 scaling → 20/15/10 base/50/33/20 scaling (hit 1), 34/50 set/100 scaling → 30/25/20 base/40/40/30 scaling (hit 2)), causing them to connect less reliably at high percents, without granting them jab cancel setups whatsoever.
  • The first hit has an altered animation where Zero Suit Samus jabs at a slightly lower height, matching its changed hitbox positions.
  • The first and second hit consist of three hitboxes instead of two, which are smaller (3u/3.8u → 2u/2.3u/2.5u (hit 1), 2.2u/2.8u/3.5u (hit 2)).
  • The third hit has altered hitbox sizes (4.2u/3u → 4u/3.5u) and a consistent horizontal placement throughout (Z offset: 6u/2u (frame 3), 8.1u/1.1u (frame 4) → 8u/2u (frames 3-4)) This increases its range on the first active frame, but reduces its disjoint on the second active frame.
• Up tilt:
  • The first hit deals less knockback (55/85 base/30/50 scaling → 40/57/30/40), and its aerial-only hitbox launches at a higher angle (150° → 138°), allowing it to connect better into the second hit.
  • It no longer grants intangibility on Zero Suit Samus' legs, making it less effective as an anti-air.
  • It no longer has anti-rebound properties. This prevents the second hit from hitting opponents after the first hit clangs, but can also prove beneficial by allowing Zero Suit Samus to escape subsequent attacks from opponents rather than remaining stuck in the move's ending lag.
• Down tilt:
  • Down tilt has less ending lag (FAF 36 → 30). In combination with the increased shieldstun for ground attacks, this makes it safer on shield.
  • It launches at a higher angle (60° → 70°). Coupled with the above change, this gives the move combo potential at low percents.
  • It moves Zero Suit Samus a much shorter, almost negligible distance forward. This reduces its range, but improves its utility for spacing in combination with its lower ending lag.
  • It has a different animation: Zero Suit Samus uses her left leg instead of her right.
• Dash attack:
  • The innermost hitbox stretches downward (Y offset: 10u → 10u-5u), with the late hit's also being larger (4.1u → 4.5u), allowing it to hit opponents lying down more effectively.
• Forward smash:
  • Forward smash's second hit can be angled, allowing her to both hit characters in the air more reliably when angled up, and hit smaller characters when angled down.
  • Forward smash's hitboxes now properly match its animation, giving it slightly less start-up (frame 14, 27 → 13, 26).
  • The first hit has different hitboxes for grounded and aerial opponents, with altered angles (45°/40°/38° → 60°/40°/38° (grounded)/45°/18°/16° (aerial)) and set knockback (50/68/72 → 35/68/72 (grounded)/38/60/67 (aerial)), allowing it to connect more reliably into the second hit.
  • It has more ending lag (FAF 63 → 65).
  • Zero Suit Samus doesn't move forward as much, especially during the second kick. This makes it harder to hit opponents from farther away.
  • The second hit's hitboxes on Zero Suit Samus's leg have less knockback scaling (109 → 97), hindering their KO potential, especially in comparison to the hitbox on her foot.
• Up smash:
  • The last hit has less base knockback (70 → 45), but much more knockback scaling (145 → 212). This greatly increases its KO power, no longer being one of the weakest up smashes in the game, and simultaneously improves its combo potential at low percents.
• Down smash:
  • Down smash applies hitlag to Zero Suit Samus, as well as to shielding opponents, reducing her advantage over paralyzed opponents and making the move easier to punish out of shield.
  • It has a lower hitlag multiplier (1× → 0.6×) and deals much less knockback (50/40 base/90/50 scaling → 0 base/90/85 scaling), significantly reducing its paralysis time. In combination with the aforementioned change, this greatly hinders its combo potential to the point it is unsafe on hit at low percents, with the sweetspot not leading into a jab until around 12%.

Aerial attacks

• All aerials have less landing lag (10 frames → 8 (neutral), 16 → 10 (forward), 11 → 10 (back), 9 → 5 (up), 30 → 24 (down)).
• Forward aerial:
  • Zero Suit Samus kicks at a slightly lower height, allowing her to hit grounded characters more easily at the start of a short hop.
  • The first hit has different hitboxes against grounded opponents, which launch at a higher angle (361° → 50°) and have more base knockback (50 → 60), allowing it to connect better into the second hit.
  • The first hit transitions faster into the second (frame 16 → 13).
    • However, the move's total duration remains the same, increasing its ending lag.
  • The second hit has less knockback scaling (116 → 104), hindering its KO potential.
• Back aerial:
  • The sourspot is larger (2.5u → 3.5u), placed closer to Zero Suit Samus (X offset: 1.5u → -1u), and takes priority over the sweetspot. While this covers a blindspot on Zero Suit Samus' upper leg, it most notably makes the sweetspot harder to land, as the sourspot previously covered a very small space and was thus almost negligible.
  • The move has a slightly altered animation: Zero Suit Samus is more upright while kicking and her left leg is more inward.
• Up aerial:
  • Up aerial has slightly more ending lag (FAF 34 → 35). This hinders her ability to combo and juggle her opponents without landing, and makes successful ladder combos into Boost Kick much harder to pull off.
• Down aerial:
  • Down aerial has less knockback scaling against grounded opponents (90 → 60), allowing it to connect better into the landing hit.
  • The landing hitbox is larger (8u → 9u), extends farther horizontally (Z offset: -1u–1u → -1.5u–1u), and is positioned higher (Y offset: 6u → 7u). This improves its range, especially against opponents above or behind Zero Suit Samus, further helping it connect from the main hitboxes.
  • The landing hit can combo into a forward aerial at low percents due to its increased range and the move's lower landing lag.
• Grab aerial:
  • Grab aerial has less ending lag (FAF 60 → 50).
  • It has a lower hitlag multiplier (1× → 0.7×).
  • It causes the Plasma Whip to retract upon hitting an opponent, hindering its utility in battles with multiple opponents.
  • It has less tether range.
  • It deals consistent damage (3% early/6% clean → 5%). It is less than the previous clean hit, but more than the early hit.
  • It has a different hitbox size inbetween the previous early and clean hits (2u (early)/4u (clean) → 3u).
  • The Plasma Whip droops and lays on the ground during landing lag.

Throws and other attacks

• Grabs:
  • All grabs have less ending lag, especially pivot grab (FAF 69 → 59 (standing), 72 → 67 (dash), 80 → 62 (pivot)).
  • Standing grab has less startup (frame 16 → 15), and the hitbox on the Plasma Whip has a longer duration (frames 16-25 → 15-25).
  • The changes to jostle mechanics prevent dash grab from whiffing when initiated too close to the opponent.
  • Dash and pivot grab have more startup (frame 16 → 17 (dash), 17 → 18 (pivot)).
  • Standing and dash grab's hitboxes at close range have a shorter duration (frames 16-19 → 15-17 (standing), 16-18 (dash)).
• Pummel:
  • Pummel deals less damage (2% → 1.3%).
  • It deals more hitlag (4 frames → 14), but has less startup (frame 2 → 1) and much less ending lag (FAF 16 → 7).
• Forward throw:
  • Zero Suit Samus has a new forward throw: a kick to the opponent's chest.
  • It releases opponents at a lower angle (45° → 33°), allowing it to set up tech-chases.
  • It has more startup (frame 6 (hit 1), 8 (release) → 8, 9).
    • However, its total duration remains the same, giving it one frame less ending lag.
  • It deals less damage on release (7% → 4%), with the first hit dealing more damage instead (2% → 5%), and only base knockback slightly compensated on the former (50 → 58). This makes it less effective for getting opponents offstage, but allows it to set up tech-chases for longer.
  • It no longer uses an electric effect and SFX, instead using a neutral effect with kick SFX, but the first hit has a higher hitlag multiplier (1× → 1.5×).
• Back throw:
  • The first hit has a larger hitbox (4u → 5u) that is placed higher (Y offset: 12u → 16u) and farther horizontally (Z offset: -12u → -14u), allowing it to hit bystanders more effectively.
• Up throw:
  • Up throw deals much more knockback (80 base/60 scaling → 65/93), allowing it to KO under 170% without LSI.
  • The first hit's hitbox follows Zero Suit Samus' leg instead of remaining static in front of her, allowing it to hit bystanders above her more effectively.
• Down throw:
  • Down throw has less startup (frame 26 (hit 1), 28 (release) → 20, 22).
    • However, the hitbox now has 8 frames of hitlag when it connects. This makes Zero Suit Samus release the opponent slightly later despite the release occuring earlier in the animation.
  • It deals more damage (2% (hit 1), 3% (throw) → 4% (both); 5% total → 8%).
  • It has a longer total duration (FAF 46 → 52). When combined with its faster startup, this significantly increases its ending lag. This completely removes its guaranteed followups, no longer being Zero Suit Samus' most reliable combo starter, to the point it has gone from one of her best moves, to arguably becoming her worst, and is her least useful throw.
• Edge attack:
  • Edge attack deals more damage (7% → 9%).

Special moves

• Paralyzer:
  • Instead of only having an uncharged and fully charged variant, Paralyzer now functions like any other charge move. This means that Zero Suit Samus can now release the move at any time, with the shots scaling in damage, duration, knockback and paralysis time as they are charged further.
    • This also makes Paralyzer safer, as if Zero Suit Samus starts charging the move, she no longer has to commit to the fully charged version.
  • The shots have a longer duration (22 frames (uncharged)/46 frames (fully charged) → 24/48).
  • The shots have increased set knockback for both uncharged and fully charged blasts (18 (uncharged)/65 (fully charged) → 21/70).
  • The shots are more orange in color.
  • The shots have a lower hitlag multiplier, especially after their first active frame (2x → 1x (clean)/0.7x (late)). This results in the move paralyzing opponents for a shorter period of time despite the changes to the paralysis formula, especially outside of point blank range, hindering the move's setup potential.
• Plasma Whip:
  • Plasma Whip's second and last hits deal more damage (1.2% → 2% (hit 2), 7.5% → 8% (last hit)), and it deals an additional hit of 1.2% damage on the same frame as the second hit. This moderately increases its total damage (13.1% → 15.6%).
  • All hits have larger hitboxes (4u/2.5u (hit 1), 2.8u (hit 2), 3.2u (hit 3), 3.5u (hit 4), 4.6u (hit 5) → 4u/3.5u (hit 1), 4u (hit 2), 3.5u (hit 3), 3.7u (hit 4), 4u (hit 5), 6u (hit 6)).
  • The first five hits use different angles (30°/10° → 20°/10° (hit 1), 10° (hits 2-4) → 17° (hits 2-3), 15° (hits 4-5)) and set knockback (100/60 base/30/70 scaling → 50/80 set/100 scaling (hit 1), 60 base/65 scaling (hits 2-4) → 80 set/100 scaling (hit 2), 60/100 (hit 3), 65/100 (hit 4), 60/95 (hit 5)), allowing them to connect more reliably.
  • The last hit has less startup with a longer duration (frames 32-34 → 31-35).
  • The last hit launches at a lower angle (60° → 55°), and deals much more knockback (45 base/105 scaling → 47/138) on top of its increased damage. This significantly increases its power to the point it can KO at around 135% from the center of Final Destination if all hits connect (comparing to the previous version not KOing until around 195%), restoring most of its utility from Brawl and giving Zero Suit Samus another reliable finisher.
  • A different variation of the attack can be used by holding the special move button throughout it, which has Zero Suit Samus swing the Plasma Whip back and above her, instead of releasing a spark from its tip. This variation has more ending lag (FAF 56 → 63), and replaces the last hit with four hits (frames 31-35 → 31-32, 37-38, 42-43, 46-47) that use the electric effect and deal 4% each (though they cannot feasibly link into each other), launching opponents vertically (107°/95°/80°/75°) with different knockback (98 base/62 scaling) and a hitstun modifier of 4. This allows it to set up opponents for juggles, with the later hits having true combos into aerial attacks, and gives it anti-air properties.
  • Plasma Whip has reduced tether range and takes longer to tether to the ledge. This reduces its utility as a recovery tool, although it can still be used as a recovery move with proper timing.
• Boost Kick:
  • The aerial version's first hit and both versions' subsequent hits have lower set knockback (150 → 130 (hit 1, aerial), 110 → 50 (hits 2-5), 16/12 (hit 7) → 12/10 (hit 6, grounded), 10/16 (hit 6, aerial)), and the second to fifth hits use the autolink angle (87° → 367°), allowing them to connect more reliably.
  • The last hit has less startup (frame 36 → 35).
  • It has more startup lag (frame 4 → 6).
  • It has more landing lag (23 frames → 30).
  • It hits seven times instead of eight, with the previous sixth hit being removed, dealing less total damage as a result (16.8% → 15.5%). The new sixth hit has more startup to compensate (frame 24 → 28).
  • The grounded version's first hit has lost its farthest hitbox, reducing its range to the point Zero Suit Samus has to be right next to the opponent in order for it to connect. This worsens its effectiveness as an out of shield option.
  • The aerial version's last hit has less knockback scaling (209 → 184), causing it to KO roughly 25% later than the grounded version unless it is used close to the top blast line.
  • The move no longer experiences RCO lag.
• Flip Jump:
  • Flip Jump travels slightly faster and has less ending lag (FAF 50 → 39).
  • The manual kick can be inputted earlier (frame 19 → 14). Combined with the jump's faster animation, reduced ending lag, and her neutral aerial's reduced landing lag, this significantly improves its utility as a finisher as her neutral aerial can combo into the kick much more consistently.
  • The footstool stomp has much less ending lag in the air (FAF 85 → 60), and bounces Zero Suit Samus a shorter distance upward, allowing her to reach opponents sooner after they are buried.
  • It can no longer be ledge canceled.
  • The flip no longer grants intangibility on Zero Suit Samus's head, legs and feet for its entire duration after the full intangibility on frames 3-12 ends.
  • The kick has a shorter duration (frames 9-14 → 9-12).
  • The footstool stomp's burying hitbox deals much less knockback (60 base/100 scaling → 10/90), significantly hindering its followup potential, no longer possessing KO setups until very high percents if the opponent mashes fast enough.
  • The kick uses the "small" kick sound effect on hit rather than the "large" one.
• Final Smash:
  • Zero Suit Samus has a new Final Smash, Zero Laser. She summons her gunship, but temporarily dons her Varia Suit (using the same model as the playable version) and fires a single, long-lasting laser from the top of the ship, similarly to Aura Storm. The players choose where to aim the laser with a targeting reticle.
  • Zero Laser deals significantly increased damage compared to a single laser (0.8% loop hits/10% last/17.2% total → 1.2%/1.6% loop hits/20%/25% last/51.2%-66.6% total), and the last hit has much higher knockback, making it more powerful.
  • Zero Laser only has a single use compared to Gunship's maximum of five shots, making it deal less total damage if all hits connect (86% → 66.6%). The last hit also has a delay before being fired, meaning the Final Smash can miss. This makes it less versatile and consistent.