Zelda (SSB4)

Zelda in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	The Legend of Zelda
Other playable appearances	in Melee in Brawl
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Light Arrow
Tier	J (56)

Zelda (ゼルダ, Zelda) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. She was announced on December 26th, 2013, the date on which The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds was released in Japan. Jun Mizusawa, who voiced Zelda in Melee, Brawl, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, reprises her role albeit via recycled voice clips from Brawl.

Zelda is currently ranked 56th on the tier list, making her the lowest ranked character in the game. Aside from being even worse than her ranking of 37th out of 38 in Brawl, it is also her worst ranking in the series overall. Some of her greatest strengths include Farore's Wind, which has impressive utility as a long-distanced recovery move, and is her strongest finisher and a decent out of shield option, her fast and strong Lightning Kicks, and fairly powerful attacks in general. However, numerous severe flaws completely outweigh these strengths: her mobility, frame data, hitbox placements, survivability, and neutral game are all among the weakest, and her projectiles are also middling. A large number of her attacks are KO moves that require the landing of a sweetspot to be effective, resulting in her KOing ability being rather weak and netting her an abundance of ineffective moves. Din's Fire is slow, easily avoidable, and leaves Zelda vulnerable and helpless while in use, though it has use in doubles by supporting a teammate. Phantom Slash requires charging to cover any actual distance and can even be rendered temporarily inactive if the Phantom is destroyed, but if timed properly, it can become a useful edge-guarding option and also possesses impressive power when fully charged. Finally and most notably, Zelda can no longer Transform into Sheik to alleviate her weaknesses, due to the latter having become an entirely separate character. This is compounded even further by the massive amount of buffs Sheik received, and her placement at the very top of the tier list. Thus, in spite of the numerous buffs she received through patches, Zelda has garnered virtually no results or representation in competitive play.

Attributes

Zelda's character archetype continues to be the same as in Melee and Brawl: she is tall, light and floaty with a rather slow falling speed, low gravity (though both have become faster since Brawl and when compared to Melee), below average walking speed and the fifth slowest dashing speed in the game. Although her air speed and air acceleration are both above average, her mobility is still rather sub-par overall. When coupled with a poor neutral game, this results in Zelda having a poor approach.

Zelda defies most other character playstyles. While her approach is lacking, her out of shield and punish games are quite strong. She is generally played defensively, but a moderately aggressive playstyle can offer a noticeable benefit. She has an average amount of combo starters, such as falling neutral aerial (which can chain into a grab or up tilt), up tilt (which can chain into itself or her aerials), down tilt (which can chain into a grab, any of her tilts or any of her aerials) and down throw (which can chain into either her neutral, up or back aerials). Both her down aerial on grounded opponents and her neutral attack can start combos or tech chases, while Nayru's Love can also start tech chases. Zelda has some powerful KOing options: her up smash, forward smash, all of her aerials (except neutral aerial) and all of her specials (except Nayru's Love and Din's Fire) can score KOs rather easily. In term of projectiles, she has a decent one in Phantom Slash. As a chargeable attack, Phantom Slash sports both offensive and defensive capabilities and can even be used for edge-guarding against recovering opponents, as it can KO them surprisingly early if fully charged. It also blocks Zelda from many attacks and projectiles, until the Phantom breaks, resulting in the move being rendered inactive for 9 seconds. Phantom Slash can also be used rather effectively when coming down from the upper corners of the stage to apply pressure to an opponent standing at the ledge. However, its ending lag, its poor reach at the lowest charges and its susceptibility to being reflected may hinder its use if it is not used wisely. Din's Fire has been nerfed from Brawl (even though it was already a below average projectile in that game) and has very little utility outside of having a chance of getting extra damage on the opponent when edge-guarding. Even then, it is very easy to jump or air dodge even when the player predicts the opponent's movements. However, it can KO at higher percentages.

As already mentioned, Zelda has many ways to punish mistakes out of shield: she can use her fast and strong Lightning Kicks, her neutral aerial and Nayru's Love. But her best out of shield option and unarguably her greatest strength is Farore's Wind. In addition to being long-ranged and virtually unpredictable for the opponent to counter if used wisely, Farore's Wind is now one of Zelda's most viable KOing options due to being heavily buffed. Its powerful disappearing hitbox sends opponents directly upward, and if Zelda follows them straight up with its reappearing hitbox, it can KO characters around as low as 65%.

As mentioned above, however, Zelda has the inconvenient combination of being light and floaty, making her easy to KO and also being rather slow on the ground. Her main way of dealing with projectiles, Nayru's Love, is rather laggy. Phantom Slash, her other defense against long-ranged pressure, is slightly situational and, along with Din's Fire, do not help her camp very well. She has some laggy attacks with a few poorly placed hitboxes, making it a little difficult for her to KO despite her power. Because of this, Zelda's only consistently reliable KOing options are her forward and up smashes, Lightning Kicks and Farore's Wind, all of which, other than her forward smash, are easily punishable. Despite having a reliable recovery, Farore's Wind can cause her to recover in the wrong direction if she recovers from the stage slopes. Zelda also cannot move in her free fall animation until a few seconds afterwards due to Farore's Wind's high ending lag.

Zelda's custom moves are arguably some of the worst in the game, as they fail to fix her significant problems and only a few are slightly better than the default versions. Nayru's Rejection reverses opponents, but has slightly increased starting lag and is overall weaker than Nayru's Love, with the only saving grace being its increased intangibility. It also does not have the same benefits as Mario's Cape, as it does not leave the opponent in free fall. Farore's Windfall meteor smashes opponents, but only travels straight up while still halting her momentum while gaining no benefit from a double jump. Unless used near the edge or in the air, it has very little KO potential, only KOing opponents regularly until the 400% range and higher, removing her most notable KOing option in the process. She does have a few notable ones, however. Her Phantom Breaker can break shields very easily, although it does less damage and travels a set distance. Din's Blaze moves slower, but explodes with much stronger knockback, and if used carefully, it can be a deadly edge-guarding option. Aside from these, her remaining custom moves are only situational at best.

In the end, Zelda relies on a patient but somewhat slow play style of her superb out of shield game to score the KO. Like in Melee and Brawl, Zelda has very poor tournament representation and little noteworthy results, with only a handful her notable players being dedicated mains.

Changes from Brawl

Despite being infamous for her status as the second worst character in Brawl, Zelda has received a mix of buffs and nerfs in the transition to SSB4. Due to her major flaws not being properly alleviated, however, she is considered to be nerfed overall. Most of them were mostly to her power, with her down smash and up tilt having their knockback significantly reduced, her up and down smashes having less range, and Din's Fire being less maneuverable and harder to hit with. Her Lightning Kicks have lost a lot of their utility, due to them having less power and higher ending and landing lag, worsening her approach. Most notably, she has also lost her ability to Transform into Sheik, and due to the latter being significantly buffed in the transition from Brawl to SSB4, Zelda no longer has access to the numerous benefits that her alter-ego now possesses.

However, Zelda also received some buffs. Farore's Wind is now a risky but very viable KOing option, especially from out of shield, due to the significant increases to its damage output and knockback. Due to losing Transform, Zelda received a new down special in Phantom Slash. In addition to being a fairly strong projectile and capable edge-guarding option, the Phantom itself can block opponents' attacks and enable Zelda to attack from behind it, and also helps her cover almost all ledge get-up options. Lastly, Zelda's combo game, which was practically nonexistent in previous games, has been noticeably improved; her up tilt's increased speed and lowered knockback enables it to chain into itself much like her down tilt can, her neutral aerial is now better for combos as well, while her down throw's altered launching trajectory sets her up for better aerial follow-ups.

These buffs, however, only compensate for her damage racking game. She still possesses a poor neutral game, and despite the buffs to her slow attacking speed and mobility, they still remain quite slow.

Aesthetics

• Zelda once again appears as her The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess incarnation, but her overall color scheme is now noticeably brighter to appear in-line with SSB4's vibrant aesthetics. Her face is also much more expressive.
• Most of Zelda's moves have updated visual effects and sound effects.
• Zelda's magically-based moves now have a magic effect instead of an electric effect.
• Air dodge and sidestep's animations have changed.

Attributes

• Zelda dashes faster (1.224 → 1.3).
• Zelda walks faster (0.8 → 0.87).
• Zelda's air speed is faster (0.987 → 1.04).
• Zelda falls faster (1.13 → 1.35).
• Zelda's gravity is higher (0.067 → 0.071), allowing her to reach her maximum falling speed faster.
• Zelda can no longer Transform into Sheik, with the latter becoming her own separate character. As a result, Zelda can no longer access Sheik's mobility to greatly alleviate her own and she also cannot benefit from the plethora of buffs that Sheik has received.

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack deals 5% more damage (6% → 11%) and its hits connect together better. Additionally, it has 1 frame less endlag (FAF 25 → FAF 24).
• Sweetspotted dash attack has altered knockback (70 base/70 growth → 85/70 (body), 50 base/70 growth → 80/50 (hand)). This makes it capable of KOing at medium percents.
• Dash attack has fewer active frames (6-13 → 6-10).
• Forward tilt comes out 2 frames sooner (frame 12 → frame 10) and has 2 frames less endlag (FAF 40 → FAF 38).
• Forward tilt has a larger Z position (3 → 3.5), giving it more range.
• Forward tilt deals less damage (13%/12%/11% → 12%/10%) but with it's knockback compensated, and its hitbox duration is 1 frame shorter (12-14 → 10-11).
• Forward tilt no longer launches opponents backward. This makes it more of a KOing option when sweetspotted, though it can no longer be followed up by her back Lightning Kick as a result.
• Up tilt has increased knockback growth (105 → 110). Thanks to it's significantly decreased cooldown (FAF 48 → FAF 30), it can also chain into itself at low percents, or be followed up by an aerial at higher percents.
• Up tilt deals 3.8% less damage (11% → 7.2%), and has decreased base knockback (65 → 45). As a result, it no longer KOs until around 150% despite its increased knockback growth.
• Up tilt's animation has been altered.
• Down tilt deals less damage (8%/7% → 5.5%), though its knockback growth has been compensated (80 → 120). Its trapping qualities were removed due it no longer having a meteor hitbox.
• Forward and up smashes have decreased SDI multipliers, so opponents can no longer escape from any of these moves.
• Forward smash's last hit has slightly increased knockback (30 base/105 growth → 37/110).
• Up smash has slightly increased knockback (20 base/210 growth → 24/214).
• Forward and up smashes have more ending lag (forward: FAF 40 → FAF 50, up: FAF 57 → FAF 64).
• Up and down smashes have very slightly decreased range.
• Down smash's second hit has increased knockback growth (85 → 96). It additionally has less endlag (FAF 40 → FAF 37).
• Down smash's first hit comes out 1 frame later (no longer being the fastest down smash in the game), lasts 1 frame shorter, and has decreased knockback growth (95 → 86). Zelda's leg is no longer intangible during down smash.

Aerial attacks

• Neutral aerial is slighly altered. Rather than dealing the same damage if all the hits connect at the front or back, the move now deals slightly increased damage at the front, and slightly decreased damage at the back (13% → 15% front/11% back). This means the move has the potential to deal more damage, but requires correct spacing. To help with this, the back hits now drag the opponent toward the front hits. The move as a whole also connects much easier, be it at the front or the back, making the move overall buffed.
• Neutral aerial's final hit has increased knockback (130 base/120 growth → 130 base/130 growth), giving it more combo potential, such as into a sweetspot forward or back aerial.
• Both Lightning Kicks (forward aerial and back aerial) are easier to land due to altered hitbox placements and less freeze frames when sweetspoted (5 → 2), making work similarly to down aerial.
• Both Lightning Kicks have decreased base knockback and significantly longer ending and landing lag. Their hitboxes also come out slower (8 → 9 (forward), 4 → 6 (back)), although they are still among the fastest and the most powerful aerials in the game.
• Both Lightning Kicks have had their animations slightly changed.
• Up aerial deals 2% more damage: 15% → 17% and has a larger hitbox (7u → 8u), but with compensated knockback (110 → 84).
• Up aerial has activated faster and less landing lag .
• Down aerial's sweetspot has a bigger hitbox and can now land on grounded opponents.
• Sweetspotted down aerial has decreased knockback (50 base/90 growth → 40/65).

Throws/other attacks

• Standing and dash grabs have more reach: 10.5 (standing)/13.5 (dash) → 11.5/14.5.
• Standing and pivot grabs come out faster (frame 12 → 10 (standing), frame 14 → 11 (pivot)).
• Pivot grab has less reach: -18.7 → -16.7.
• Up throw has altered knockback (80 base/50 growth → 50/60), allowing for better follow-ups against fast-fallers or heavyweights.
• Down throw deals 4% less damage (10% → 6%).
• Down throw now launches opponents at 100°, allowing for better follow-ups.
• Down throw's animation has slightly changed. It now has additional fiery effects.

Special moves

• Nayru's Love has less ending lag, more intangibility frames (5-12 → 5-15) and its hits connects better.
• Nayru's Love deals 3% less damage (15% → 12%).
• Nayru's Love's back hit no longer swirls a trapped target in front of Zelda.
• Din's Fire has gained a sweetspot in the middle of the explosion that deals increased knockback. However, its sourspot deals decreased knockback.
• Din's Fire deals less damage (16%/8% → 14%/7%). Din's Fire's travel distance, maneuverability and explosion range has been reduced, making it far more unwieldy to control. It must also must travel a set distance away from Zelda before it can be detonated, leaving her open if it misses. Overall, this overrides its buff because of its nerf, being already very predictable, avoidable, and cannot camp against most characters in Brawl.
• Farore's Wind deals more damage (6% → 12%/13%/16%/18%). Grounded Farore's Wind's first hit launches the opponent directly upward, allowing it to combo into the re-appearance hit. This makes it a risky but very effective KOing option, especially when performed from out of shield. Its reappearance hit has stronger knockback (40 base/100 growth → 90/90), travels farther and has less start-up lag, making it capable of KOing heavy characters below 70% and light characters below 50%.
• Farore's Wind's reappearance hit now has a sourspot that deals less damage and knockback.
• Farore's Wind's reappearance hit now has a slash effect instead of a fire effect.
• Zelda has a new down special:Phantom Slash. Phantom Slash enables her to summon a Phantom that shoots forward like a projectile before slashing with its sword. The Phantom can block attacks and the move can be charged to shoot the Phantom further, although the charge cannot be stored or held indefinitely.
• Phantom Slash can be reflected or Pocketed due to it functioning as a projectile. The Phantom can also be destroyed, which temporarily prevents Zelda from reusing the move.
• Light Arrow deals 2% less damage (42% → 40%) and has decreased knockback.

Update history

Zelda began receiving notable buffs beginning with update 1.0.6. The hits of her forward and up smashes now connect together much better, while the latter smash attack has increased knockback and range. Phantom Slash has also received improvements in the forms of decreased ending lag the removal of a blind spot. Her neutral attack, up tilt, and down tilt all deal more damage, while her neutral, up, and down aerials have less ending lag. Additionally, up tilt now has true combo potential and neutral aerial has become better for spacing. She is also slightly benefited from the changes to the shield mechanics brought about in updates 1.1.0 and 1.1.1, due to her multiple hitting moves and Lightning Kicks being safe on shield, making her harder to punish. However, despite the significant amount of buffs Zelda has received, they do not address her major issues such as her sub-par movement and poor neutral game.

1.0.4

• Up tilt deals 0.7% more damage: 6.5% → 7.2%.
• Pivot grab's z-offset decreased: -4 – -18.7 → -4 – -15.7.

1.0.5

• Pivot grab's animation slightly changed.
• Some attacks have improved visual effects.

1.0.6

• Forward smash's SDI multipliers decreased, enabling opponents to be kept in place better.
• Forward smash's loop hits' angles altered, enabling the move's hits to connect better.
• Phantom Slash's ending lag decreased.
• Phantom stays out for roughly a quarter of a second longer.
• Phantom's respawn time increased: 6 seconds → 9.
• Back Lightning Kick has improved visual effects.

1.0.8

• Up smash's knockback increased, KOing about 20% earlier.
• Up smash's SDI multipliers decreased, enabling opponents to be kept in place better.
• Up smash's multiple hits' hitbox sizes increased: 3 → 3.5.
• Neutral, up, and down aerials' landing lag decreased by 3 frames: 22/22/21 → 19/19/18.
• Neutral aerial's front hits and back hits have had their damage outputs reversed: 1% → 2% (front), 2% → 1% (back).

1.1.0

• Neutral attack deals 2% more damage: 6% → 8%.
• Neutral attack's hits connect better and launches opponents at a more favorable angle.
• Neutral attack's final hit's knockback altered: 24 base/150 growth → 35/130.
• Neutral attack's heavy position, bone, angle, size, and weight-based knockback adjusted on all hits.
• Up tilt's ending lag decreased: 32 frames → 29. This allows Zelda to perform true combos with it.
• Down tilt deals 1% more damage: 4.5% → 5.5%.
• Phantom Slash has a new 0% hitbox that leads into the sword's hitbox at low charges and pushes opponents away at high charges. This essentially removes the move's blind spot.
• Phantom Slash's ending lag decreased by 5 frames.

1.1.1

• Neutral aerial's back hits now drag opponents towards the front hits, allowing the move to deal more damage from this position.
• Farore's Squall's hitbox duration increased by 1 frame.
• Farore's Squall's ending lag decreased by 6 frames.
• Nayru's Passion's explosion hitbox start-up decreased by 5 frames.
• Nayru's Passion's windbox start-up decreased by 2 frames.
• Nayru's Passion's windbox's position altered.

1.1.4

• Light Arrow's visual effects modified.

1.1.5

• Jab deals more damage: 8% → 11%. Its knockback was compensated however (35 (base)/130 (growth) → 40/95).
• Forward tilt startup and ending lag decreased: frame 12 (startup)/39 (ending lag) → 10/37. The Z position was also slightly increased to give it more reach: 3u → 3.5u.
• Down smash has less ending lag: 40 frames → 37.
• Neutral air deals more damage: 11% (front)/7% (back) → 15/11%. The knockback was compensated: 160/160/140/140 → 130/130/110/100.
• Up air deals 2% more damage: (15% → 17%), and has a larger hitbox: 7u → 8u. Its knockback was compensated, however (90 → 84).
• Nayru's Love has more intangibility frames: 5-12 → 5-15. This now makes it overlap with the first hitbox's first active frames, making it harder to have another attack cancel it.
• All grabs have more reach: 10.5 (standing)/13.5 (dash)/-15.7 (pivot) → 11.5/14.5/-16.7.

Moveset

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			3% (hits 1-2) 5% (hit 3)	Sticks her hand out in front of herself and emits a small blast of magical energy, pushing opponents slightly backward. A decent combo starter at low percents. It hits on frame 11, making it the slowest neutral attack in the game, although its cooldown is minimal.
Forward tilt			12% (hand), 10% (arm)	An outward fanning knife-hand strike with her hand surrounded in magical energy. Can be angled. Moderately powerful for a tilt.
Up tilt			7.2%	Waves her arm in an overhead arcing motion, with her hand surrounded in magical energy. Due to its speed, it can combo into itself at low percents and into an aerial at medium percents. The back hit has much more combo potential than the front hit.
Down tilt			5.5%	A crouching shin kick. Due to its speed and its ability to slightly launch opponents into the air, it can combo into itself at low percents and then be followed up with a forward tilt or a forward smash. It also has unexpectedly long duration and very low ending lag.
Dash attack			12% (clean base), 9% (clean tip), 6% (late)	A double palm thrust that produces a blast of magical energy from her hands, similarly to Peach's dash attack. Sweetspot is located at the beginning of the move. Can KO at medium to high percents near the edge.
Forward smash			1% (hits 1-4), 13% (hit 5)	Charges magical energy in her right hand and then performs a palm thrust that produces a blast of magical energy, hitting opponents multiple times before knocking them away. Decently high knockback at high percents, and can KO around 108%. Can also be used to pressure shields.
Up smash			2% (hits 1-4), 0.8% (hits 5-7), 5% (hit 8)	Charges magic energy in her left hand and waves in an overhead fanning motion, hitting opponents multiple times before knocking them away. High knockback, but low range. Can KO around 100% when uncharged.
Down smash			12% (hit 1), 10% (hit 2)	A spinning shin kick that hits on both sides, knocking opponents away. Acts as a semi-spike and can be used as a set-up for a down air when knocking the opponent off-stage.
Neutral aerial			2.5% (hits 1-4 front), 1.5% (hits 1-4 back), 5% (hit 5)	Zelda twirls with her arms outstretched and emits magical energy along her arms that hits the opponent multiple times around her before knocking them away. Useful for catching opponents off-guard and can be used as a follow-up from her down throw.
Forward aerial		Lightning Kick	20% (clean foot), 4% (clean leg, late)	Performs a flying kick while emitting magical energy from her foot. Its sweetspot lies at the tip of her foot and deals considerable damage and knockback. The sweetspot is easier to connect if it hits the opponent at the beginning of the move. Otherwise, it deals low damage knockback. Despite its positives, its ending lag is considerable enough for Zelda to get punished at low percents, even if the sweetspot connects. Can KO around the 70%-90% range near the edge if sweetspotted.
Back aerial		Lightning Kick	20% (clean foot), 4% (clean leg, late)	Performs a flying kick behind herself while emitting magical energy from her foot. Functions almost identically to her forward aerial, with the only differences being that it comes out 3 frames faster and its sweetspot is also a bit stronger, KOing around the 65%-85% range if sweetspotted.
Up aerial			17%	Brings her arm above her head and launches a fiery explosion from her index and middle fingers. Slow and requires precise timing to connect, but it has impressive knockback and can KO starting around 118% on a grounded opponent. It can also clip through the bottom of stage ledges and have the hitbox go slightly above the ledge or narrow areas of the stage.
Down aerial			16% (clean), 5% (late leg), 4% (late foot)	Performs a single foot stomp while emitting magical energy from her foot. It meteor smashes opponents caught below Zelda's waist; the initial hitbox deals a powerful meteor smash, whereas later hitboxes hit opponents with a weaker meteor smash. A very useful edge-guarding option, it can also work well as a follow-up from a down smash.
Grab			—	Waves her left arm down and her right arm up, restraining the opponent in front of her with magical energy. Fairly large grab range.
Pummel			3%	Waves her arms quickly in front of the opponent, blasting them with magical energy. A moderately slow pummel.
Forward throw			12%	Spins the opponent in front of her and throws her opponent away. One of the most damaging forward throws in the game. Useful for putting the opponent off-stage.
Back throw			11%	Spins the opponent and circles them around herself, then throws them behind her. This is her strongest throw and it can KO starting at 135% near the edge.
Up throw			11%	Forces her opponent above her, throwing it upward. One of the most damaging up throws in the game. On fast-fallers, can be followed up with a neutral aerial or up aerial if timed well enough.
Down throw			1% (hits 1-4), 2% (throw)	Forces her opponent under her and blasts them with fiery magical energy from her hands, which launches them above her. A reliable combo starter, it can be followed up with a neutral aerial and, if timed precisely, an up aerial or a back aerial. At high percents, Zelda can follow it up with an up aerial or back aerial to score a relatively secure KO.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Kicks in front of herself and then behind herself.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	Same as her front floor attack, but with a different animation.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Same as other floor attacks, but with a different animation.
Edge attack Edge getups			7%	Brings herself onto the edge and kicks her opponent away.
Neutral special	Default	Nayru's Love	2% (loop front), 1% (loop back), 5% (last front), 4% (last back)	Creates a crystal that slashes enemies and reflects projectiles 1.6x their original damage with 1.25x their speed. Has 10 frames of intangibility from frames 5-15.
	Custom 1	Nayru's Rejection	1% (loop), 5% (last)	Weaker overall, but reverses opponents and pushes them away. Has more start-up lag in exchange for increased intangibility. Has the same speed growth as Nayru's Love, but its reflection multiplier is only 1.2x.
	Custom 2	Nayru's Passion	15%	Sucks in opponents and explodes. The explosion has high knockback, at the cost of the crystal losing its reflection property.
Side special	Default	Din's Fire	3%-7% (sourspot), 7%-14% (sweetspot)	Shoots a fireball of magical energy when the special button is held. It can be aimed up or down. Releasing the button causes it to explode. The longer the button is held down, the farther the blast will travel, automatically detonating when it reaches its maximum distance. It will put Zelda in to a helpless state is used in midair.
	Custom 1	Din's Flare	7% (sourspot), 14% (sweetspot)	The fireball moves faster and has increased range and deals the same damage regardless of how long it is held. However, it can barely be adjusted vertically.
	Custom 2	Din's Blaze	3.8%-9% (sourspot), 7.6%-18% (sweetspot)	The fireball has much more vertical movement and an increased explosion size, but it is slower to detonate and travels much slower.
Up special	Default	Farore's Wind	6% (hit 1), 10% (ground hit 2 near), 7% (ground hit 2 far), 12% (ground hit 2 near), 8% (ground hit 2 far)	Teleports in a given direction, dealing damage at both ends. When combined with a jump, its range is greatly increased. The first hit launches opponents upward, possibly leading in to the second hit if it is aimed up. The second hit possesses very high knockback, being able to KO as low as 50% near the upper blast line depending on weight and DI, making it one of Zelda's most reliable KOing options and a powerful out of shield option. Has high ending lag in the air if missed, and Zelda cannot move around for more than a second.
	Custom 1	Farore's Squall	0%	A defensive teleport rather than an offensive one. Instead of dealing damage, it pushes opponents away with a large windbox at the beginning. This wind comes out extremely quick, making it useful for escaping pressure from an opponent. It also travels slightly farther, even more so if extended with a jump, and its slower speed allowing for better maneuverability. The first hit has set knockback, but does no damage. It also takes much longer to start up, and telegraphs where Zelda is going due to it emitting magical particles.
	Custom 2	Farore's Windfall	4% (hit 1), 7% (hit 2)	The teleport can only go straight upward, but it meteor smashes opponents when Zelda reappears. Unlike the other versions, it gains no benefits when combined with a jump, though there is some horizontal control over Zelda. It also has considerably less KOing power, as it does not start KOing until the 400% range.
Down special	Default	Phantom Slash	6% (uncharged), 14% (charged), 24%-26% (fully charged), 11% (fully charged hit 1), 13%-15% (fully charged hit 2)	Conjures a Phantom and propels it forwards, slashing enemies and blocking attacks. A chargeable projectile, charging longer increases the distance covered and the slashing attack is altered. When fully charge, it becomes a two-hit attack. However, since the Phantom is considered a projectile, it can be reflected and Pocketed. The Phantom is also considered a physical entity and provides a few benefits as a result; it can slow down players that try to move through it (except for the Zelda that conjured it) and block some non-penetrating hits (due to the Phantom having set health on all charges and customs). Unlike Din's Fire, it will not put Zelda into a helpless state if used in midair.
	Custom 1	Phantom Breaker	5% (uncharged), 12% (charge) 20% (fully charged), 9% (fully charged hit 1), 11% (fully charged hit 2)	Travels a set distance, which is approximately the distance of a Phantom Slash at its second charge, which results in a minimally charged Phantom traveling farther and a fully charged Phantom traveling less distance when compared to Phantom Slash. As its name implies, it deals more shield damage, but less regular damage.
	Custom 2	Phantom Strike	8% (uncharged), 20% (charged), 28%-30% (fully charged) 14% (fully charged hit 1), 14%-16% (fully charged hit 2)	Materializes directly in front of Zelda instead of shooting forward at varying ranges, but deals more damage and reaches its full charge in half the time.
Final Smash		Light Arrow	1% (hit 1), 39% (first opponent), 29% (second opponent), 21% (third opponent)	Zelda takes out her bow, which is the same bow she calls upon from the Spirits of Light in Twilight Princess to attack Ganondorf while riding with Link on Epona. She then fires a single Light Arrow that launches opponents at 45° and does significant damage and knockback, though the damage and knockback decrease for each consecutive opponent hit.

On-screen appearance

• Teleports onto the stage with magic glowing between her hands and sparkles rising up from the floor around her.

Taunts

• Up taunt: Holds one arm straight up, with her hand glowing with magic. Her pose is more elegant than in Brawl.
• Side taunt: Turns toward the screen and puts her hands together in front of her torso, conjuring a small magical flame between them.
• Down taunt: Smiles, waving to the side while leaning forward slightly.

Up taunt	Side taunt	Down taunt

Idle poses

• Brushes the back of her hair.
• Loosely holds one arm and then looks in multiple directions.
• With one hand on her elbow, she puts one hand on her neck, puts it back down and then taps her arm with one finger.

Crowd cheer

	English	Japanese
Cheer
Description	Zel-da!	Zel-da!
Pitch	Group chant	Group chant

Victory poses

A flourished remix directly from Brawl. It is a remix of the fanfare when Link obtained a Triforce Piece in The Legend of Zelda for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

• Clasps her hands together, which glow with magic, as if praying. She then turns her head and looks up towards the sky.
• Turns her head to the left and loosely holds one arm with the other to pose in an elegant stance that is identical to her Melee artwork. At the end of the animation, she will either look into the distance or look at the camera.
• Conjures a flare of Din's Fire between her hands in front of her and stares at it. Appears almost identical to her side taunt.

In competitive play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character	Custom sets available
Zelda	1213	1313	1212	1312	1223
	1323	3212	3312	2213	2312

Notable players

Active

•  ven

Inactive

•  Nairo
•  maXy

Trophies

Zelda

This is the namesake of the Legend of Zelda games. Her appearance may change, but she always plays an important role. In Smash Bros., she's quick on the draw when it comes to magic, though a bit slow when moving. She has a new move that summons a Phantom to her aid.

This is the Zelda they're talking about in the titles of all the Legend of Zelda games. Though her appearance can change from game to game, her importance in the story usually doesn't. In this game, she's a bit slow, but her impressive magic skills make up for it. Power up her brand new special, Phantom Slash, by holding down the button.

: The Legend of Zelda (08/1987)

: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (11/2006)

Zelda (Alt.)

Zelda's forward air attack, Lightning Kick, is a valiant kick with a magically charged tip. Striking with just the glowing spot will deal heavy damage and launch your opponent. Din's Fire, her explosive side special, can be guided up and down and has a greater blast if the button is held.

Zelda's forward air attack, Lightning Kick, is a single-footed, electrically charged strike. Hit your opponent with just the glowing spot to deal heavy damage and launch them. Her Din's Fire side special can be guided up and down, and makes a bigger blast the longer you hold the button. It'll explode as soon as you let go.

: The Legend of Zelda (08/1987)

: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (11/2006)

Light Arrow (Zelda)

In many of the Legend of Zelda games, the sacred Light Arrows are required to defeat the final boss. In this game, Zelda fires one straight across the screen for her Final Smash. If it passes through multiple foes, the ones hit first will take the most damage. The Light Arrow has a lot of launching power, making it great for getting KOs!

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  Classic (3DS)

• ZeldaAllStarTrophy3DS.png

  Alt. (3DS)

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  Classic (Wii U)

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  Alt. (Wii U)

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  Light Arrow

In Event Matches

Solo Events

• All-Star Battle: Melee: Zelda is one of the eight opponents that must be fought in this event. These eight characters debut in Melee, and reappear in Smash 4.
• Identity Crisis: As Sheik the player must defeat Samus. After defeating her, the player must defeat Zero Suit Samus. Zelda can appear if Sheik is KO'd.
• Princess Punch-Up!: As Zelda with Link as a CPU ally, the player must defeat a team of Peach and Mario.
• The Demon King and the Goddess: As Ganondorf, the player must defeat a team of Link and Zelda. After the two are defeated or some time has passed, Giant Palutena appears and the player must defeat her.
• Unwavering Chivalry: As Meta Knight, the player must defeat Marth without defeating Peach or Zelda. Defeating any of the princesses results in a failure.

Co-op Events

• Peach in Peril: Zelda is one of the opponents Bowser and Bowser Jr. must defeat without KOing Peach.
• The Ultimate Battle: Two players choose a character and must defeat everyone on the roster.

Alternate costumes

Gallery

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  Zelda in the Nintendo Direct from April 8th, 2014.

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  Zelda's amiibo.

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  The pic of the day shown during Zelda's reveal.

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  Zelda's appearance.

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  Zelda and Link in the 3DS version.

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  Zelda using Phantom Slash to strike Fox.

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  Zelda next to Link summoning a fairy.

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  Zelda in Skyloft.

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  Zelda and Donkey Kong.

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  Zelda teetering in front of Rosalina.

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  Zelda's pose when she charges Phantom Slash.

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  Zelda near a knocked down Link.

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  Zelda behind Link and Peach.

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  Zelda's forward tilt.

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  Zelda performing her down taunt to Mario and Mega Man.

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  Zelda with Toon Link.

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  Zelda using Farore's Wind.

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  Zelda's side taunt.

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  Zelda's neutral aerial.

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  Zelda watching Link and Peach.

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  Neutral aerial with Samus.

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  Down taunt with Toon Link.

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  Neutral aerial with Rosalina.

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  Zelda's neutral attack.

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  Posing with Donkey Kong and Samus.

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  Zelda and Link.

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  Being attacked by Marth.

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  One of Zelda's idle poses.

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  With Olimar and a Yellow Pikmin.

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  Zelda and Mega Man's forward smash attacks.

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  Zelda with Peach and Rosalina.

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  Zelda jumping away from Mario.

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  Zelda's default stance.

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  Beginning of Din's Fire.

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  Laying down with a Purple Pikmin.

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  Another one of Zelda's idle poses.

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  Zelda in the 3DS version.

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  Another 3DS screenshot.

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  Posing in the 3DS version.

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  Using her neutral attack on Samus.

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  End of forward smash.

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  Zelda with King Dedede and Peach.

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  "Curiouser and curiouser ..."

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  "Ah--soft and squishy." [1]

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  Battling Rosalina as Viridi approaches from the background.

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  Zelda using Din's Fire on Toon Link.

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  Zelda using Phantom Slash only to miss Yoshi doing his forward tilt.

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  Back-to-back with Sheik.

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  Zelda being attacked by a Polar Bear in Smash Run.