| Gun/Gun Special | |
|---|---|
{{{content1}}}
{{{content2}}} Joker using Gun and Gun Special. | |
| User | Joker |
| Universe | Persona |
| “ | Fires a gun forward. While Arsene is active, the power and number of shots that can be fired increases. | ” |
| —Description from Ultimate's Move List | ||
Gun (ガン, Gun) is Joker's neutral special move in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Overview
Pressing the special button causes Joker to fire his gun once, and he will continually fire if the special button is pressed multiple times. Holding the special button down also causes him to continually fire the gun, but the rate of fire will not be as fast as it can be with repeated presses.
On the ground, Gun has various options;
- Joker can perform a quick, roll-like dodge while firing by pressing either left or right on the control stick while firing straight forwards. These dodges will increase the knockback on a gun shot as well, making it useful offensively as well as defensively. If four dodges are used without ceasing fire, Joker loses the ability to dodge until he stops using the gun.
- These dodges have fewer invulnerability frames than a standard roll, and can be staled with repeated use just like them.
- Pressing up on the control stick or the jump button will instead allow Joker to jump while firing downwards, which can be fast falled to potentially combo into various attacks. This jump has invulnerability as well.
All of this functionality is retained if the gun is used in the air, and Joker also gains two new options. However, Joker cannot jump out of Gun, instead needing to end the move before jumping.
- By holding down while firing in the air, or by jumping while firing on the ground, Joker performs a corkscrewing series of shots directly below himself. This maneuver is extremely helpful for confirming various combos, as it inflicts non-tumble hitstun, meaning directional influence cannot be used against it.
- By instead pressing up, Joker will spin while constantly firing his gun in a circle around him until he lands, offering greater coverage but less concentrated power than either of the other two styles. It also doesn't have much range and 20 frames of landing lag, making it generally inferior to the corkscrew maneuver.
Additionally, the Gun stalls Joker in the air when used, which can be used in conjunction with a double jump to let him go under stages like Battlefield[1]. Outside of this, the aerial Gun dodges can be used to recover horizontally in certain situations, which can easily be boosted in viability with Arsene.
If Arsene is present, the attack is upgraded to Gun Special (ガンスぺシャル, Gun Special), and Joker will fire three bullets with each shot when firing straight forwards. The other two methods of firing become stronger, as well. The "bullets" have increased knockback values as well, making them much more favorable for forcing tech situations. The damage is also quite high and racks up quickly, allowing for Joker to force approaches effectively in a way similar to Fox's Blaster.
Much like Bayonetta's Bullet Arts, the bullets are not projectiles, but rather indirect attacks with large disjointed hitboxes. As such, they cannot be reflected or blocked by passive shields. Unlike Bullet Arts, these bullets can actually cause flinching. Due to this, they can force Counterattacks to trigger, allowing for some interesting offensive pressure.
Gundashing
There's a unique tech with Joker's Gun which involves landing while executing a forward or backward dodge with it. This is known as a Gundash. Through this, Joker will slide a long distance, akin to a wavedash. The distance of a Gundash can vary, mainly depending on the player's timing. The later the dodge is performed, the longer the dash will be, just like how Wavedashing works.
The applications with this are somewhat limited due to how long it takes to pull off, but it's very useful when executed in the right circumstances. For example, it can be used in a way akin to a ledgedash would be in Melee, allowing for Joker to have increased options to use if he's being oppressed on the ledge. On the flip side, Gundashing to the ledge is also very possible to set up for an edgeguard. Gundashing close to the ledge and then using the Jump option to rain bullets on the opponent for a gimp is also a very powerful option in this respect.
Outside of setting up for ledge options, Gundashing can also be used to press advantage by using its properties to slide while using attacks or increase Joker's general speed even further. Holding B will keep Joker using the Gun, meaning all the options it provides are also still available. As a result, Gundashing close and using another Bullet can potentially set up for a tech situation or perform a lock.
Origin
Guns are a class of weapon used in Persona 5. In the original game, party members can pull out their gun during their turn in a battle, and fire it as many times as they wish until the current magazine runs out. However, they have a limited supply of ammunition and cannot restore it without either using rare items or leaving the current Palace (or Mementos, as the case may be). In Persona 5 Royal, however, ammo is replenished at the end of every fight.
Joker uses semi-automatic pistols, while the other members of the Phantom Thieves use different types of firearms. While they are actually realistic models and not genuine guns, the nature of the Metaverse allows them to function as if they were real.
Joker's acrobatic maneuvers when using Gun is likely a reference to the Down Shot special attack he can learn from Confidant Oda Shinya, an elementary schooler who is a light gun game prodigy. The animation for Down Shot shows Joker gracefully dodging and leaping into the air while firing at the enemy.
Gun Special is a reference to the other skills that Joker can learn from Shinya. Down Shot shows Joker firing his gun three times in a row, downing the enemy. Upon reaching Rank 10 of the Confidant, Joker learns the Oda Special, a skill that allows his bullets to ignore an enemy's resistances. It could also be a reference to the skill Triple Down, which hits all enemies with gun damage three times.
The gun Joker uses is his initial gun in Persona 5. Referred to in-game as the Tkachev, it is based off the Type 54, a Chinese copy of the Tokarev TT-33.
Gallery
Artwork of Joker with his gun, the Tkachev, in Persona 5
Gun as shown by a Skill Preview in Ultimate.
Trivia
- Gun has become partly famous for becoming part of a group of viral videos that would add random sounds to the sound effects created by Gun, over a mashup between the song Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) by Eurythmics and ambiance music from the educational program Kahoot!.
- The sound effect gained even more popularity by being played over other songs, such as Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen, and Revenge, a Minecraft-based parody of DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love by Usher.
