Master Ball
| Master Ball | |
|---|---|
  Official artwork of the Master Ball. | |
| Universe | Pokémon |
| Appears in | SSB4 Ultimate |
| Item class | Throwing/Summoning |
| Article on Bulbapedia | Master Ball |
The Master Ball (マスターボール, Master Ball) is an item from the Pokémon series which appears in Super Smash Bros. 4 and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Origin
In the Pokémon series, the Master Ball is one of the rarest Poké Ball variants, and the most powerful. Whereas all other Poké Ball variants may fail at capturing a wild Pokémon under certain circumstances, a Master Ball will catch any wild Pokémon without fail, regardless of their health and status. Legendary Pokémon are typically much more difficult to capture than most other Pokémon due to having very low catch rates, and are thus a prime target for a Master Ball. However, contrary to its depiction in Smash, most Mythical Pokémon (such as Arceus, Marshadow, and Genesect) cannot be legitimately found in a Master Ball; as they are event Pokémon, they can only be received in the special, all-red Cherish Ball.
Usually, only one Master Ball is obtained per save file, but they also appear as rare prizes from lottery minigames. The Master Ball is typically obtained from a character in the story at some point prior to encountering the game's main Legendary Pokémon.
Use
Like the Poké Ball, the Master Ball releases a Pokémon when thrown, but unlike the ordinary Poké Ball, it is almost guaranteed to release a Legendary or Mythical Pokémon. The only exceptions are the dud Pokémon Goldeen, which does no damage, as well as Zoroark, who is not officially considered Legendary or Mythical, but was event-exclusive at the time of its release, much like most Mythical Pokémon. Legendary Pokémon can appear from both types of Poké Balls, but a Master Ball is far more likely to contain them. Similarly-functioning Poké Balls previously appeared in Super Smash Bros. Melee in Event 37: Legendary Pokémon.
List of Master Ball Pokémon
Pokémon in this table are listed by their order in the National Pokédex. In Ultimate, at the start of a match, several Pokémon may be selected at random to never appear from Master Balls during that match. Because of this, it may not be possible to get all of them to appear in a single match, even on stages where all Pokémon can appear.
| Pokémon | Games | Relative frequency | Move | Description | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goldeen |   |
20 | Splash | Goldeen flops around the stage until it disappears or falls off the edge of the stage. It is completely harmless and does not affect gameplay in any way. | N/A |
| Moltres | |
32 | Fly | Moltres will fly up and off the stage, dealing heavy damage to opponents it comes into contact with. | 40% |
| Mew | |
18 | Fly | Mew gracefully flies off the stage. In SSB4, it drops treasure as it goes. | N/A |
| Entei | |
32 | Fire Spin | Entei produces a massive pillar of fire, trapping opponents within its vertical range. | 1% (starting hit) 0.44% (loop) 10% (finisher) |
| Suicune | |
32 | Aurora Beam | Suicune shoots a powerful horizontal beam, freezing anyone it hits. | Aurora Beam 35% 4% (direct contact) 10% (direct contact late) |
| Lugia | |
35 | Aeroblast | Lugia flies into the background and fires powerful blasts of wind in random directions. | Aeroblast 20% 30% (direct contact) |
| Latias & Latios | |
32 | Steel Wing | One of the two Eon Pokémon is summoned and flies off screen. It will then shoot across the stage in tandem with the Eon Pokémon that was not summoned, pushing away opponents that weren't hit by their attacks. | 7% |
| Kyogre | |
32 | Hydro Pump | Kyogre slowly chases an opponent while shooting a constant stream of water that pushes them off the screen. | Hydro Pump 0% 8% (direct contact) |
| Deoxys | |
32 | Hyper Beam | Deoxys appears in its Attack Forme. It ascends to the top of the stage, where it will proceed to unleash a vertical beam of energy. | Hyper Beam 1% (loop) 30% (finisher) 7% (direct contact) |
| Palkia | |
40 | Spacial Rend | Palkia will use its signature move to flip the perception of the stage, similar to Skull Kid. Palkia itself also deals damage and weak knockback to opponents who make contact with it. It also appears on the Spear Pillar stage, and as such, cannot be summoned there in Ultimate. | Spacial Rend N/A 10% (direct contact) |
| Giratina | |
40 | Dragon Breath | Giratina will unleash powerful whirlwinds that can carry opponents off-screen. | Dragon Breath 2% 6% (direct contact) |
| Darkrai | |
40 | Dark Void | Darkrai throws vortexes of shadow at the nearest opponents, sucking them in and causing them to fall asleep. As they sleep, their damage percentage gradually increases as a result of Darkrai's Bad Dreams ability. | 1% (hit) 1% (loop grounded) 2% (loop airborne) |
| Arceus | |
40 | Gravity | Arceus will stomp the ground three times, meteor smashing airborne opponents each time it does. If there is no ground below an opponent, they will be OHKOed. | 0% |
| Victini | |
40 | Victory Star | In SSB4, Victini will boost the attack power and launch resistance of its summoner and their teammates. In Ultimate, it grants the summoner an instant Final Smash. | N/A |
| Zoroark | |
40 | Fury Swipes | Zoroark will teleport after an opponent and attempt to slash them. If it hits, they will be trapped and slashed multiple times, like most trapping Final Smashes. | 7% (hit 1) 1% (hits 2, 4, 6-9, 12-15) 2% (hits 3, 5, 10-11) 13% (finisher) |
| Kyurem | |
40 | Icy Wind | Kyurem appears in its Neutral Forme. It will releases frigid gusts from its sides that will freeze opponents within its range. | 12% 13% (close)  11% (far)
|
| Keldeo | |
40 | Secret Sword | Keldeo appears in its Resolute Forme. It chases after opponents and performs large slashes with its horn. | 18% |
| Meloetta | |
25 | Echoed Voice | Meloetta attacks with sound waves that bounce across the stage. | 12% |
| Genesect | |
40 | Techno Blast | Genesect jumps around while shooting blasts from the cannon on its back. It can also stop and fire a large laser beam. The beam can penetrate walls. | 8% (bolts) Techno Blast 30% |
| Xerneas | |
40 | Geomancy | Xerneas uses its signature move to boost the stats of every player in the battle. However, it will give a larger boost to its summoner than other players. In Ultimate the boost is only applied to the summoner. | N/A |
| Tapu Koko | |
32 | Electric Terrain; Discharge | Tapu Koko lets out a large net of electricity to deal multiple hits to opponents. It also releases multiple electrical beams while attacking. | Electric Terrain 1.6% Discharge 3% (bolt close), 12% (bolt mid), 22% (bolt far) |
| Solgaleo | |
40 | Sunsteel Strike | Using its signature move, Solgaleo teleports around the stage while unleashing a powerful beam of flame. | 25% |
| Lunala | |
40 | Moongeist Beam | Lunala teleports to the background of the stage upon being summoned. It then uses its signature move to shoot out a large beam of light that drags towards the top of the screen. | 30% (clean hit) 23-28% (late) |
| Marshadow | |
40 | Spectral Thief | Marshadow stuns opponents by disguising itself as a shadow, then appears next to them and throws a powerful punch. | 10% (trapping hit) 22.5% (punch) |
Trophy
- Master Ball
These valuable, powerful balls can capture any wild Pokémon. In Smash Bros., hard-to-find Pokémon often pop out of them. You can easily identify a Master Ball by the distinct purple appearance and large M on the top. A Pokémon within a Master Ball may turn the tide of battle.
: Pokémon Red & Pokémon Blue (09/1998)
: Pokémon X & Pokémon Y (10/2013)
A rare type of Poké Ball that never fails to catch a Pokémon. Throw one in this game, and the Mythical or Legendary Pokémon inside will come to your aid. Master Balls are easy to identify due to their purple colour and the large M on them. Use one to quickly turn the tide of any battle!- : Pokémon Red/Blue (10/1999)
- : Pokémon X/Y (10/2013)
Gallery
Mario holding a Master Ball.
Luigi with a Poké Ball, and Mario with a Master Ball.
Render of a Master Ball from Ultimate.
Lucas holding a Master Ball in Ultimate.
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
 Japanese |
マスターボール | Master Ball |
 English |
Master Ball | — |
 French |
Master Ball | — |
 German |
Meisterball | Master Ball |
 Spanish |
Master Ball | — |
 Italian |
Master Ball | — |
 Chinese (Simplified) |
大师球 | Master Ball |
 Chinese (Traditional) |
大師球 | Master Ball |
 Korean |
마스터볼 | Master Ball |
 Dutch |
Meesterbal | Master Ball |
 Russian |
Мастер-Болл | Master Ball |
