| SSBM tier list |
| Top tier |
| Fox |
| Falco |
| High tier |
| Sheik |
| Marth |
| Peach |
| Middle tier |
| Captain Falcon |
| Ice Climbers |
| Samus |
| Dr. Mario |
| Jigglypuff |
| Mario |
| Ganondorf |
| Low tier |
| Link |
| Luigi |
| Donkey Kong |
| Roy |
| Young Link |
| Pikachu |
| Bottom tier |
| Yoshi |
| Zelda |
| Mr. Game and Watch |
| Ness |
| Bowser |
| Kirby |
| Pichu |
| Mewtwo |
| SSB tier list |
| Top tier |
| Pikachu |
| Kirby |
| Ness |
| High tier |
| Fox |
| Captain Falcon |
| Middle tier |
| Jigglypuff |
| Mario |
| Yoshi |
| Low tier |
| Donkey Kong |
| Luigi |
| Bottom tier |
| Link |
| Samus |
A tier list is a ranking of each character's metagame, based on 1-on-1 battles with tournament settings.
SSB tier list
This list is cited from a GameFAQs post and generally reflects the sentiments of top-level SSB players.
Current SSBM tier list
This is the eighth Smash Back Room NTSC tier list since its inception. This list is current of 7/10/2006, but is subject to change at any time.
Explanation to the Existence of Tiers
Despite the constant controversy over their existence, it remains proven fact that Tiers are real. The list itself, of course, is subject to change at any time: The Smash Community has never said that the rankings of characters are constant. Meta-game shifts largely, and this does effect the ranks on the List. This happens rarely, but nonetheless does happen.
As for the explanation itself, mathematics and statistics are all that are needed to prove that Tiers exist. It's given that none of the characters in this game are exactly the same. Thus, a large number of variables exist, and because of this, it's impossible to achieve the same level of play with all characters. None of the characters are balanced because of this, and so, Tiers exist.
They also exist at all levels of play, however the rankings are highly distorted from casual play to competitive play, due to different strategies and playstyles between the levels.
If you desire more info, go to XiF's Tier Essay, which can be found on a link below.