Grappling Hook / Wings of Rebellion
| Grappling Hook/Wings of Rebellion | |
|---|---|
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{{{content2}}} Joker using Grappling Hook and Wings of Rebellion. | |
| User | Joker |
| Universe | Persona |
Grappling Hook (ワイヤーアクション, Wire Action) is Joker's up special move in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Overview
When the move is used, Joker will shoot a grappling hook upwards at an angle while being boosted up slightly (although the boost only works once in the air). It acts as a tether recovery, similar to the Ice Climbers' Belay and Ivysaur's Vine Whip, and can pull opponents closer to Joker if it hits them while Joker is grounded. It can also grab items; if the item is small like a Pitfall, he will automatically grab it, and if it's a large item like a Crate, it falls next to him. If used in the air, the move instead has a weak hitbox that can be used to push the opponent into the blast zone if they're already close. Also, Joker may utter one of the same voice clips used for his smash attacks, grunting or saying "There!" or "You're mine!" when using this move. Similar to Isabelle's Fishing Rod, this move is treated as a projectile, and thus it can be reflected and doesn't grab through shields. Unlike Fishing Rod, if Grappling Hook is reflected, instead of Joker taking damage, the move is cancelled out, leaving both fighters unharmed. While grabbing the ledge with the Grappling Hook, like most tether recoveries, pressing down can allow Joker to cancel the grapple, giving some minor recovery mixup utility.
Upon the throw's success, Joker gains enough frame advantage to always hit a forward aerial or up aerial until around 110%, giving the move a lot of utility. Grappling Hook's grab hitbox will not work if the opponent is already in hitstun, limiting its use to starting combos against characters with frame 1 escape options, rather than extending them. However, characters without frame 1 escape options technically can't stop it from catching them. Grappling Hook has a few ways to confirm it, with the last hit of up aerial while Joker is close to the ground being the only "true" one; this can be set up with a fast fall up aerial out of down throw with precise timing. Outside of this, up tilt has situational use as a frame trap with this at lower percentages. Grappling Hook's combo-starting opportunities are extremely powerful if it connects, opening up numerous openings for drag down up aerial combos thereafter, thereby making it a crucial portion of Joker's combo game.
If Arsène is present when the move is inputted, Joker will instead use Wings of Rebellion (反逆の翼, Wings of Rebellion), which has Joker fly upwards with Arsène's wings, or at a slight angle, akin to Power of Flight. Joker is intangible during Wings of Rebellion from frame 1 to 25 if used on the ground, and from frames 3 to 25 if it is used in the air. Much like Power of Flight, the move deals no damage and renders Joker helpless, making it strictly a recovery tool. It has a sub-par 2-frame animation, leaving Joker vulnerable to long-lasting hitboxes on the ledge, such as Banjo & Kazooie's down tilt. This can, however, be mitigated by using Wings of Rebellion closer to the ledge, wherein Joker's intangibility will transition into his ledgegrab animation, making him hard or even impossible to hit.
Instructional quote
 Move List |
 |
Throws a grappling hook to grab edges and opponents. While Arsene is active, flies upward using Arsene's wings. |
Origin
Joker can be seen using a grappling hook in some transition animations of Persona 5's pause menus, though he never uses one in the game itself until the re-release Persona 5 Royal.
In Persona 5 Royal, Joker uses a grappling hook to reach far-off locations when dungeon crawling. He can also use the grappling hook for combat; by increasing his rank in the Faith Confidant, he learns the Chaînés Hook ability, allowing him to latch onto unaware enemies from afar and zip towards them for an ambush (curiously, this is the exact opposite of how the attack interacts with opponents in Smash Bros.). The animation for the attack in Smash Bros., with Joker's spinning flourish before shooting the hook out of his left sleeve, is identical to his animation when using the grappling hook in Royal. Royal received its first previews showcasing the use of the grappling hook a few days after Joker's DLC release, heavily suggesting that the idea for having the grappling hook in his moveset came from Royal.
Wings of Rebellion has no solid base in Persona 5, but is likely based on the fact that Arsène is capable of flight. It is also a possible reference to the intro of the game, which shows Joker summoning Arsène to take flight. The name of the attack calls back to a speech that is heard whenever Joker begins a new Confidant: a voice informs him that the bond he has just forged "shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity."
Gallery
Grappling Hook as shown by the Move List in Ultimate.
Names in other languages
Grappling Hook
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
 Japanese |
ワイヤーアクション, Wire Action |
 English |
Grappling Hook |
 French |
Grappin |
 German |
Greifhaken |
 Spanish |
Cable |
 Italian |
Rampino |
 Chinese (Simplified) |
绳索动作 |
 Chinese (Traditional) |
繩索動作 |
 Korean |
와이어 액션, Wire Action |
 Dutch |
Grijphaak |
 Russian |
Крюк |
Wings of Rebellion
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| Japanese |
反逆の翼 |
| English |
Wings of Rebellion |
| French |
Ailes rebelles |
| German |
Schwingen der Rebellion |
| Spanish |
Alas de rebelión |
| Italian |
Ali della ribellione |
| Chinese |
反抗之翼 |
| Korean |
반역의 날개 |
| Dutch |
Vleugels van de Rebellie |
| Russian |
Крылья бунтаря |
Trivia
- Grappling Hook is one of three tether recovery up specials that was not introduced in Brawl, the other two being Sword of the Creator and ARM Hook.
- Notably, all 3 were introduced through DLC in Ultimate.
- Occasionally, a glitch can occur upon using Grappling Hook for recovery which results Joker's animation breaking, causing him to move erratically. This was fixed in version 3.1.0.
