This article is about Wario's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. For the character in other contexts, see Wario.
Wario
in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
{{{content1}}}
{{{content2}}}

WarioSymbol.svg
Universe Wario
Other playable appearances in Brawl
in SSB4

Availability Unlockable
Final Smash Wario-Man
Wario (SSBU)
Wario has unique attacks, like using his Wario Bike and releasing noxious gas. He can jump higher than normal by leaping from his bike, which comes in handy when recovering. For his Final Smash, he turns into Wario-Man and creates copies of himself for an all-out attack!
Super Smash Blog, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Official Site

Wario (ワリオ, Wario) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. He was confirmed as a playable character on June 12th, 2018. Wario is classified as fighter #30.

As in Smash 4, Charles Martinet's portrayal of Wario from Brawl was repurposed for Ultimate.

How to unlock

Complete one of the following:

  • Play VS. matches, with Wario being the 24th character to be unlocked.
  • Clear Classic Mode with Samus or any character in her unlock tree, being the seventh character unlocked after Cloud.
  • Have Wario join the player's party in World of Light.

With the exception of the third method, Wario must then be defeated on WarioWare, Inc..

Attributes

Wario is a highly agile heavyweight fighter with great aerial control and speed. While he isn't particularly fast on the ground, his ability to weave in and out of his opponents space with aerial movement is a significant aspect of his character, along with the fact that he isn't particularly large like most characters in his weight class. Furthermore, Wario boasts strong aerials, with his down and back aerials being potent kill moves, and his up aerial being a highly damaging juggling and combo tool. With the newly reduced universal jump squat, he can finally utilize his forward and neutral aerials as fast moves that can combo and pressure his opponents. Wario's air control and quick aerials also makes him effective at edgeguarding. Wario's ground game contrasts with his air game in that it focuses more on power than speed. His forward tilt and Smash are among the strongest in the cast, although the latter is extremely laggy and more for hard reads. His up and down tilts are great combo tools that could potentially lead to a kill move, and his new shoulder tackle dash attack is both extremely fast and one of the strongest dash attacks in the game. While his grabs themselves have poor speed, they are generally very damaging, with his up throw even being able to combo into his up aerial. While Wario's attacks are slightly more on the slow and strong side, his incredible mobility and high weight allow him to overwhelm his opponents through smart reads and tricky movements.

Wario's specials are unorthodox and a huge source of his strength. Chomp is a fast and short ranged command grab that heals him if he lands it, boosting his already high survivability. It also has the potential to kill near the ledge and absorb items and projectiles which will heal him and charge his Wario Waft. The Waft is perhaps his most significant move, because with time, it is a highly damaging kill move with extremely fast start up. With the Waft in his arsenal, any match can be turned around with the right read. The Wario Bike is an important but risky move with many strengths and weaknesses. It can be used to surprise unsuspecting players as an approach tool that can blow past some projectiles, dismounted and thrown as an item with kill power, a very effective recovery tool, and a way for Wario to heal and charge his Waft when he eats it. On the flip side, Wario cannot shield or dodge while on the bike and is vulnerable, can have it thrown back at him, and if it is destroyed he must wait 6 seconds before using it again, which can leave him helpless while recovering as his up special, the Corkscrew is rather lackluster as a recovery on its own.

For all of his strengths, Wario does have several weaknesses to counterbalance them. He has poor range and lacks projectile attacks outside of a dismounted Wario Bike, and thus must take a risk whenever he wants to do damage. And while his bike recovery can go a far distance, it is fairly easy to gimp him when he does it, so the Wario player has to be careful with when and how he uses it thanks to its cooldown. Also, while Wario does have some fast moves, he is certainly slower and heavier on average than most characters that share his weakness of having poor range, so he can sometimes be overwhelmed in the neutral against small characters with good range like Olimar. Wario will have to use his high mobility to bait his opponents into making mistakes and capitalize on them with his highly damaging combos and potent kill moves.

Overall, Wario is a mobile and versatile heavyweight brawler character that rewards patient players that know how to use his movement and his signature Waft special to their fullest. His damage potential and kill power rewards players heavily for finding creative ways to get around his poor range and lack of projectiles, and his movement give players just the tools to do that.

His unorthodox style makes him a less popular pick than many characters, but the few that use him well have found great success in competitive play.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. 4

Wario's moveset has been slightly altered to be more reflective of the Wario Land series, as the series' iconic Shoulder Tackle and Ground Pound are now referenced in his dash attack and down throw respectively.

Wario has been significantly buffed in the transition from SSB4 to Ultimate. With a faster dash speed and higher air speed, Wario's overall mobility has been improved, allowing for both safer approaches and recovery. Directional airdodges also add a new option to his already great and versatile recovery. Changes to game mechanics have benefited him, as the universal 3-frame jumpsquat allows him to utilize his strong air game better than he previously could. Wario also received multiple new KO'ing options, most notably his new dash attack, which deals greater knockback, and can also be used as an effective tech-chasing tool. Chomp also now heals damage from Wario when biting an opponent or eating projectiles, overall improving his survivability.

Wario did receive a few nerfs however, the most notable being to the Wario Bike. Similarly to its Brawl incarnation, the bike can no longer be used immediately after despawning or being destroyed, forcing Wario to wait 6 seconds before it can be used again. As such, Wario cannot always rely on the bike for recovery, should he end up offstage while its cooldown is in effect. However, the bike's new scaled knockback helps compensate when used offensively as a projectile.

Because of these changes, Wario has been a very high-placing character in many Smash Bros. Ultimate tournaments, due to players such as Tweek, Glutonny, TheReflexWonder, and HIKARU utilizing him to win major tournaments such as Valhalla II, Let's Make Moves, Glitch 6, and Frostbite 2019, as well as high place finishes at GENESIS 6.

Aesthetics

  •   As with all veterans returning from SSB4, Wario's model features a more subdued color scheme. Similarly to his appearance in Brawl, his clothing now features simple detailing.
  •   Down taunt has a more comical, "poppier" animation, and is much faster.
  •   Wario's air dodge animation is slightly different with Wario's hands now being outstretched for the duration of the dodge.
  •   Wario begins walking forward for the victory animation involving him patting his belly, then farting. He also keeps a shocked expression throughout, and takes slightly longer to sniff and scratch his head.
  •   Wario's head no longer faces the screen in his victory animation involving his bike.
  •   When Wario is footstooled, he has a different animation. Rather than his head acting like a spring, he instead has a more traditional footstool animation.

Attributes

  •   Like all characters, Wario's jumpsquat animation now takes three frames to complete (down from 6).
  •   Wario runs faster (1.5 → 1.65).
    •   Wario's initial dash is significantly faster (1.3 → 1.837).
  •   Wario walks slightly faster (0.847 → 0.889).
  •   Wario's air speed is higher (1.21 → 1.271).
  •   Wario's gravity is higher (0.092 → 0.107).
  •   Wario's traction has increased (0.07 → 0.106). However, it is much lower relative to the cast, going from the 3rd highest to the 42nd highest. Despite this, this makes it easier for him to punish out of shield.
  •   Forward roll has more lag (29 frames → 30) and less intangibility (4-16 frames → 4-15).
  •   Back roll has more lag (29 frames → 35) and slower startup, subsequently reducing intangibility frames as well (4-16 frames → 5-16)

Ground Attacks

  • Neutral attack:
    •   Neutral attack has more hitlag.
    •   The first hit of neutral attack has less endlag (31 frames → 29) and transitions into the second hit faster (frame 14 → 10).
    •   The first hit now has the Sakurai angle and less knockback, allowing it to connect into the second hit much easier at higher percents.
  • Forward tilt:
    •   Forward tilt has a different animation. It is now a heavy-handed slap.
    •   Forward tilt's sweetspot now does consistent damage (13% (not angled)/14% (angled up)/12% (angled down) → 13%).
      •   Forward tilt no longer has a sourspot.
  • Up tilt:
    •   Up tilt has less startup (frame 12 → 8) and less endlag (35 frames → 27).
    •   Up tilt deals less damage (10% (clean)/6% (late) → 6%/5%) and knockback. While this reduces KO potential, it has much better combo potential.
    •   Up tilt no longer has any intangibility frames on Wario's head or arms.
  • Down tilt
    •   Down tilt more reliably combos into other fast moves at higher percentages, such as jab, dash attack, and forward tilt.
  • Dash attack:
    •   Wario has a new dash attack, his "Shoulder Tackle" Dash Attack from the Wario Land series, that was previously the basis of his forward smash in Brawl.
    •   Dash attack deals considerably more damage (7% (clean)/4% (late) → 11%/5%) and knockback. It now works as an incredibly fast grounded KO option, particularly when combined with down tilt.
    •   Dash attack travels further.
    •   Dash attack has slightly more startup (frame 4 → 5).
    •   Dash attack is no longer able to trip opponents.
  • Forward smash:
    •   Wario's fist on forward smash enlarges more, giving it slightly more range.
    •   Forward smash does slightly more damage (19% → 20%).
  • Up smash:
    •   Up smash covers more horizontal range.
    •   Clean up smash does more damage (16% → 17%).
  • Down smash:
    •   Down smash has less endlag (67 frames → 61).
    •   Wario now has a surprised facial expression when using down smash.

Aerial Attacks

  •   All aerials have less landing lag (Neutral: 12 frames → 7, Forward: 16 → 10, Back: 27 → 16, Up: 12 → 7, Down: 19 → 18).
  • Neutral aerial:
    •   Neutral aerial has a much bigger hitbox on the first hit, and said hit has a late hit that deals 3%, which covers the entire frame gap between it and the second hit.
    •   Clean hit of neutral aerial's first hit deals slightly less damage (6.5% → 6.0%).
    •   Neutral aerial's second hit comes out slower (frame 15 → 20).
    •   Neutral aerial's second hit now has a slightly stronger late hit near the end of the move, dealing 5%.
    •   Neutral aerial has less endlag (49 frames → 45).
    •   Neutral aerial auto-cancels earlier (frame 44 → 43).
  •   Up aerial has less knockback, making it a better combo move, but hindering its KO ability.
  • Back aerial:
    •   Back aerial has an altered animation which doesn't have Wario's head protrude as much as before, making it safer to use.
    •   Back aerial does significantly more knockback.
    •   It's initial auto-cancel window has been reduced (frames 1-5 → 1-4).
  •   Down aerial has a slight animation change, with him putting his arms around his head, his hands together in a diving pose.

Throws/other attacks

  • Grab:
    •   All grabs are now active for 3 frames instead of 2.
    •   All grabs have more endlag (Standing: 29 frames → 35, Dash: 36 → 43, Pivot 35 → 38).
      •   Dash and pivot grabs also have more startup (Dash: frame 8 → 11, Pivot: 8 → 12).
    •   Wario's hand is placed lower when grabbing someone.
  •   Wario now pokes slightly upward during his pummel animation.
  •   All of Wario's throws have been altered with more exaggerated animations.
    •   Specifically, Wario's down throw animation appears more forceful, with Wario clenching his fists upon contact, making the move bear a closer resemblance to the Ground Pound from the Wario Land games.
  •   Up throw deals less damage (11% → 8%) and knockback, letting Wario combo out of it from low to mid percents.
  •   Down throw deals more damage (8% → 11%).
  •   Forward throw deals less knockback, being worse for KO'ing.
  •   Forward throw now has a collateral hitbox that deals 4%.

Special Moves

  • Chomp:
    •   Chomp now heals Wario while biting an opponent (0.6% per bite).
    •   Chomp can now heal Wario if he eats most projectiles.
    •   Chomp does more damage per bite (2% → 2.5%).
    •   Chomp now has much more knockback and is capable of KO'ing at high percents.
    •   Chomp no longer has head intangibility.
    •   Chomp has more endlag on whiff (37 frames → 41).
    •   Chomp's explosion from eating explosives has reduced self-damage (5% → 3.6%).
    •   Wario is now unable to consume some stage items, such as fruits in Tortimer Island, via Chomp.
  • Wario Bike:
    •   Wario Bike now has a 6 second cooldown before being usable again.
    •   Wario Bike no longer bounces as much when thrown, giving less options as a projectile.
    •   A thrown Bike now has much more knockback than it had previously, now capable of launching opponents a fair distance and KO'ing at high percents.
    •   Wheelie slam comes out faster, to where it is now able to hit opponents as soon as the bike drops down, allowing it to hit opponents in the air more easily.
    •   Aerial Wario Bike now has physics when Wario isn't riding it, rather than staying static in animation.
    •   Wario gets thrown forward and put into tumble when he hits a wall whilst riding Wario Bike.
    •   Wario Bike now releases smoke and sparks to signify how much damage it has taken.
    •   Wario now continually pumps his fist while performing a wheelie with the Wario Bike.
  • Corkscrew:
    •   Corkscrew's hits connect far more reliably.
  • Wario Waft:
    •   Wario Waft's fart cloud's visual effects have been redone.
    •   Wario now turns away from the screen when executing a fully-charged Wario Waft.
    •   A fully charged Waft now triggers Special Zoom.
    •   Full Waft's late hit now has hitlag.
  • Final Smash:
  •   Wario-Man is no longer a transformation. Instead, Wario dashes forward, and if the rush connects, Wario-Man performs a cinematic comic book-style attack that launches enemies away at the end.

Update History

  2.0.0

  •   Wario can grab ledges faster after using down aerial (76 frames → 72).

Moveset

Note: All numbers are listed as base damage, without the 1v1 multiplier.

  Name Damage Description
Neutral attack   4% A one-two punch that links into aerials. Similar to his two punch combo from Wario World.
5%
Forward tilt   13% A quick, heavy-handed slap. The move can be angled, has considerable range and is a versatile kill option at ledge.
Up tilt   6% (clean), 5% (late) Wario thrusts his outstretched hands upwards. Provides little knockback but is a potent combo starter, linking into many aerials and most notably, can confirm into Wario Waft. Possibly based off of Wario's victory animation in Wario Land II upon unlocking Time Attack mode.
Down tilt   4% Wario violently pokes the ground with his index finger, damaging opponents as he does so. Provides very little knockback and can combo into aerials and ground moves, most notably Dash Attack. Likely based on the "Touch" themed microgames from the WarioWare series.
Dash attack Shoulder Tackle 11% (clean), 5% (late) Wario performs his signature "Shoulder Tackle" dash attack from the Wario Land series. A powerful kill move with an extremely short startup at frame 5 and potential combo starter. The late hit is weaker, but launches opponents at an upward angle, where Wario can follow up with aerials.
Forward smash   20% Wario winds back greatly with his fist, and delivers an enormous backhanded punch. Nearly the same range as his forward tilt. Has high endlag and the slowest startup of Wario's smash attacks, but is extremely powerful.
Up smash   17% (clean), 13% (late) A hard hitting, arcing headbutt. Wario's head enlarges significantly during the attack and extends upward. The attack has high launching power and covers a fair amount of both vertical and horizontal range. May be based on the third hit of his basic attack combo in Wario World.
Down smash   13% (clean), 10% (late) Spins on the ground thrice, bashing foes with his head. The move consists of three hits, though generally only one hit connects. The first hit is capable of KO'ing at high percents while subsequent hits are much weaker.
Neutral aerial   6% (hit 1; clean), 3% (hit 1; late), 4% (hit 2; clean) 5% (hit 2; late) Wario inflates his belly and spins in the air with his arms and legs spread wide. Very fast startup. The attack has two separate hitboxes that act independently from each other. Both hits can combo into each other at low percents. The late hit can lead into another aerial and even Wario Waft. Visually similar to Wario's crouch-jump from Virtual Boy Wario Land and Wario Land: Shake It!.
Forward aerial   7% (clean), 4.5% (late) A quick kick forwards. The first few frames do more damage and knockback. Very low knockback, but starts up very fast, making it useful for gimping or escaping pressure. The late hit can lock and also combos easily into other aerials at low percents.
Back aerial   12% Wario propels his head backwards. A viable KO move as it is his strongest aerial knockback-wise. Also has relatively low startup and sends at a semi-spike angle. Autocancels if used immediately after a short-hop.
Up aerial Hand Slap 13% Wario claps his hands and feet together in mid-air. His strongest aerial damage-wise with the best vertical knockback as well. A potent combo starter. If used after a fastfall, it can lead into an aerial and Wario Waft at low-mid percent.
Down aerial   1.2% (hits 1-6), 4% (hit 7) Wario puts his hands above his head and spins while upside down, drilling with his hands and head. The last hit has powerful diagonal knockback that can KO at high percents. When landing with it before the final hit, it can often lead into a half waft.
Grab   Grabs the opponent by the torso with one hand. Based on his one-handed grabs in the Wario Land series.
Pummel   1.6% Pokes the opponent in the gut with his index finger. Likely based on the "Touch" themed microgames from the WarioWare series.
Forward throw   12% (throw), 4% (collateral) Launches the opponent forward with his rear-end.
Back throw Wild Swing Ding 7% (throw), 8% (collateral) The Wild Swing Ding attack from Wario World. Grabs the opponent by the legs, spins them around three times and launches him/her behind himself, damaging those who come in contact with the spin.
Up throw   4% (hit 1), 4% (throw), 4% (collateral) Wario tosses the opponent up and punches them upwards with enlarged fists.
Down throw   4% (hit 1), 7% (throw), 4% (collateral) Throws the opponent on the ground and slams them with his rear end. Hits the opponent at a low angle behind Wario, which can lead to follow ups. The move and exaggerated animation are based on the ground pound move from Wario Land and Wario World.
Forward roll
Back roll
Spot dodge
Air dodge
Techs
Floor attack (front)
Floor getups (front)
  7% Wario gets up and pokes his finger both forwards and backwards. A potential reference to the "Touch" themed microgames from the WarioWare series.
Floor attack (back)
Floor getups (back)
  7% Wario spins around, punching with his fist extended.
Floor attack (trip)
Floor getups (trip)
  5% Wario thrusts his fists in front of him, then kicks his legs behind him.
Edge attack
Edge getups
  10% Crawls up the ledge and flips onto his back, attacking with his fists.
Neutral special Chomp 2.5% (each bite), 5% (throw), 0.6 (self-heal) Wario opens his mouth and closes it upon the opponent, chewing on those who are caught, healing .6% damage per bite. Has a long range and very fast startup. It can be used to consume items and projectiles, healing 1% damage. Eating explosives will cause them to detonate inside of Wario, but the explosion will damage nearby foes. Healing items consumed with Chomp heal 1.5x more damage than normal. Consuming items lessens the time necessary to charge the Wario Waft. Based on the Hot Dog Hog microgame from the WarioWare series and the Hyper Suction move from Wario World.
Side special Wario Bike Wario climbs aboard his trademark Wario Bike and races around the stage, damaging opponents in his path. Tilting the opposite direction will make him turn around, dealing more damage if the opponents are slammed by the back tire. Holding up will produce a wheelie, and pressing down during a wheelie makes the bike perform an extremely powerful ground slam. After dismounting the bike, Wario can destroy it, throw it at opponents, or eat it with Chomp. When thrown, the Wario Bike can launch opponents a fair distance, even KO'ing them at high percents. In the air, the bike gives a small initial vertical hop along with a free jump via dismounting it. After losing the Wario Bike, Wario cannot summon another bike for 6 seconds. If the player tries to do so before the cooldown ends, Wario will instead, look helplessly around the stage for his bike.
Up special Corkscrew 5%(first hit),1.3%(hits 2-5),4%(final hit) Wario launches himself into the air, hitting enemies multiple times while spinning. The final hit has decent diagonal knockback, KO'ing at high percents. The move can be steered diagonally left or right. Possibly based on the Corkscrew Conk from Wario World. While both moves feature vertical ascension, the two moves are different visually.
Down special Wario Waft Flatulence that grows in strength and knockback the longer it goes unused. Its charge cannot be lost in any way without using the move itself. By Chomping items, the Wario Waft grows stronger by 1.5 seconds. There are 4 levels of charge, all with varying effects: at no charge, the waft will always trip opponents but deals no damage and is the slowest waft (frame 16), the second level is the the second slowest (frame 10), the third level (half-charged) is the fastest (frame 5) and has good KO potential, and the fully charged waft deals the most damage and knockback, has a huge hitbox and armor (frame 5-10), and also sends Wario flying upwards with a headbutt that has equally powerful KO potential.
Final Smash Wario Man 10% (tackle), 1.2% (successive hits), 12% (fart), 10% (throw) Wario consumes a bulb of garlic and propels himself into his opponents. If the move connects, Wario transforms into the masked anti-hero, Wario Man from the WarioWare series and splits himself into multiple copies, dealing a series of blows to opponents caught into the attack. The final blow is delivered by an explosive fart that launches the opponents, KO'ing them at mid to high percents. The strength of the final fart is not affected by the charge of Wario's down special.

On-screen appearance

  • Crashes onstage with his bike while laughing. Wario then jumps off and his bike explodes as he dusts himself off.

Taunts

  • Up taunt: Belly-laughs so hard that his jaw unhinges, and has to manually close his mouth with his hands.
  • Side taunt: Wiggles his butt at the screen with his hands extended in each direction while snickering.
  • Down taunt: Faces the screen and shouts "Wah!" three times, with the third "Wah!" having the most enthusiasm. For each "Wah!" Wario holds up three fingers that form a "W" (his initials), first with his left hand, then his right, then both hands at the same time.
  • Bike taunt: Laughs and faces the screen while doing his signature "W" hand sign with both hands, and then picks his nose with his left hand.

Idle poses

  • Crosses his arms, fists clenched.
  • Scratches his bottom while looking towards the screen.

Victory poses

  • Pats his belly, then farts, sniffs his behind, and scratches his head, saying "Ooh!" in surprise.
  • Does donuts with his motorcycle, stops facing the screen saying "Yes." plucks the end of his mustache, and holds up three fingers in the shape of a W.
  • Laughs uncontrollably, falling on the ground and laughing still.
A remix of Stonecarving City's stage theme from Wario Land: Shake It!.

In competitive play

Notable players

Classic Mode: I'm-a Gonna Win!

All of Wario's opponents are champions who utilize brute strength and hard, heavy-hitting attacks, much like Wario himself. The title refers to Wario's catchphrase in the international version of Mario Kart 64: "I'm-a Wario! I'm-a gonna win!"

Round Opponent Stage Music Notes
1 Ganondorf Coliseum Death Mountain
2 Charizard Pokémon Stadium 2 Victory Road - Pokémon Ruby / Pokémon Sapphire Charizard's Pokémon Trainer is absent.
3 Ike Arena Ferox Against the Dark Knight
4 King Dedede Fountain of Dreams Gourmet Race (Melee)
5 King K. Rool Kongo Falls Crocodile Cacophony
6 Incineroar Pokémon Stadium The Battle at the Summit!
Bonus Stage
Final Master Hand Final Destination Master Hand On intensity 7.0 and higher, Crazy Hand fights alongside Master Hand, and the track Master Hand / Crazy Hand plays during the battle.

Role in World of Light

Although Wario does not appear in the World of Light opening cutscene, he was vaporized and later imprisoned alongside the rest of the fighters (except Kirby) when Galeem unleashed his beams of light.

Wario was one of the many fighters that fell under Dharkon's control upon Galeem's first defeat. He can be found in the Dracula's Castle sub-area. A switch must be pressed to change the orientation of the lever blocking him.

Fighter Battle

No. Image Name Type Power Stage Music
30 Wario Attack 10,100 WarioWare, Inc. (Ω form) WarioWare, Inc.

Template:-

Spirits

Wario's default Fighter Spirit can be obtained by completing Classic Mode. Both the default and alternate Fighter Spirits are also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 500 coins. As Fighter Spirits, they cannot be used in Spirit Battles and are purely aesthetic. Each Fighter Spirit has an alternate version that replaces them with their artwork in Ultimate.

Wario also makes an appearance as a Primary Spirit as his alter ego, Wario-Man.

Alternate costumes

 
               

Gallery

Character Showcase Video

Trivia

  • Wario's entry on the Japanese Super Smash Blog was on August 2nd, 2018, the same day WarioWare Gold was released in Japan.
  • Wario's buttons on his overalls in the E3 video, his showcase video, and one of his website screenshots were incorrectly gold, as opposed to their usual white. However, in the final game, the error was corrected.
  • Wario and Meta Knight are the only playable antagonists that are not fought by their respective main protagonists in Classic Mode.
  • One of the Japanese website screenshots that show Wario using his neutral aerial shows him doing the move with an angry expression on his face, which was changed in the final release with Wario having a happy expression while using that move.