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Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Joker (SSBU)

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Revision as of 13:24, April 3, 2020 by 107.77.215.7 (talk) (→‎In competitive play)
This article is about Joker's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. For the character in other contexts, see Joker.
For smasher info, see Smasher:Joker.
Joker
in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
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PersonaSymbol.svg
Universe Persona
Availability Downloadable
Final Smash All-Out Attack
Joker (SSBU)
“ Joker Steals the Show! ”
—Introduction Tagline

Joker (ジョーカー, Joker) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. He was officially announced at The Game Awards 2018 on December 6th, 2018 as the first downloadable character from Fighters Pass Vol. 1. He was released as part of Challenger Pack 1 on April 17th, 2019 and is classified as fighter #71.

Xander Mobus, who voiced Joker in Persona 5 in English as well as the announcer, Master Hand, and Crazy Hand in Ultimate, reprises his role as the character in the English version of the game, while Jun Fukuyama, who previously voiced the character in Japanese and also voices Roy, reprises his role in Japanese. Arsene, despite being voice by their same respective actors in the initial reveal trailer, remains completely silent during gameplay.

Attributes

Joker is a middleweight who can wall jump. He boasts very quick mobility, with a fast dashing speed, above-average walking, air and falling speeds, above-average air acceleration and high gravity, though his initial dash is merely average. He also has a relatively thin and slightly shorter hurtbox compared to other humanoid characters and a quick and long-distance roll dodge, which when combined with his quick speed makes him slippery, hard to punish, and hard to hit.

One of Joker's biggest strengths is his frame data. Many of Joker's attacks possess fast startup and, with the exception of his smash attacks, low ending lag. This synergizes well with his excellent mobility and thin hurtbox since a lot of his attacks can cross up on shield or just cross up on opponents in general thanks to this. Due to his quick overall mobility, low-knockback attacks, and frame data, Joker possesses a strong and varied combo game. He has several moves in his toolkit to start combos at low percents, such as his up and down throws, a late down tilt, up tilt, his Grappling Hook, the first hit of his forward aerial and the looping hits of up aerial. Some of these combo starters last well into later percentages. Joker also possesses among the best grab frame data (comparable to that of Mario), which makes him especially adept at punishing shields (particularly from empty jumps).

Thanks to his fast frame data, most aspects of Joker's moveset are tailored towards comboing, giving him an overall solid regular kit. His grounded game possesses the overall faster frame data around his moveset, with his neutral attack, all tilt attacks, and dash attack all coming out before frame 10. Neutral attack is his fastest punishing option, serving as well as a "get off me" move. Forward tilt has the highest power of his tilt attacks and, while still weak, has the lowest ending lag of them, making it hard to punish. His up and down tilt serve similar purposes: placing the opponent in the air to start a combo. Down tilt also serves well as a long-ranged punish option (similarly to Cloud's own down-tilt), whereas up tilt is also one of Joker's many anti-air moves. None of Joker's smash attacks come out before frame 10, though they nevertheless remain decently fast. Forward smash has the highest power of them (although its hitboxes can be quite misleading as it will only hit in front of Joker), and up smash is his fastest smash attack as well as his strongest anti-air move. Down smash is somewhat less versatile than his other smash attacks, although it hits on both sides and can serve as a faster alternative to forward smash.

Joker's aerial game, while slightly more limited compared to his grounded game, has nevertheless interesting options. Back aerial serves as Joker's most versatile aerial, ranging from an aerial "get off me" tool and a spacing move due to its wide hitbox, to his best aerial pressuring and KOing move thanks to its very low lag. Both forward and up aerials are among his best combo moves, the former's first hit leading into other moves due to its high base knockback, whereas the latter's looping hits can set up for another grab at medium percentages or an up or down smash at high ones. Both moves' finishing hits also serve as good combo finishers outside of these ranges, with forward aerial also leading into dash attack and up aerial into Grappling Hook if the opponent does not react in time. Up aerial can also serve as a useful anti-air move and is Joker's fastest out of shield option, making him surprisingly harder to cross-up. Neutral and down aerials have the slowest startup of his aerial moves, although they have decently low landing lag and can lead to other moves when used sparingly. Neutral aerial, in particular, has the best range and combo ability of the two, both covering a wide area around Joker and sending at a high enough angle for followups.

His grab game is similar in terms of utility, with a lack of KOing options but good combo or "get off me" throws. Both up and down throws serve as combo throws, the former leading into up aerial (which can later reliably lead into Grappling Hook to continue a combo), while the latter is slightly more versatile as it can lead into forward and up aerials or a RAR back aerial. Surprisingly, this is also Joker's strongest throw, though it doesn't KO until well past realistic percentages. His forward throw is the least useful of his throws, serving primarily for setting up and edgeguard and/or putting the opponent at a disadvantage from where Joker can capitalize. Back throw has aspects of both his forward and down throws, mainly used to set up and edgeguard or put the opponent in a disadvantageous position at low percentages, while KOing near the edge at very high percentages.

Finally, Joker boasts versatile special attacks. His neutral special, Gun, is an efficient way of dealing damage at long ranges while also avoiding it, as he can dash during the move to dodge in between shots, and its grounded jumping and downward aerial versions are notorious for their versatility, the former allowing Joker to combat rush downs and/or zone breaking, and the latter being used to combat juggling. Eiha, his side special, is Joker's only projectile, being medium-ranged and slow-moving, dealing weak damage upon contact while cursing opponents for reliable damage over time. Grappling Hook, his up special, has among the most varied uses of his kit; grounded, it's one of Joker's most common combo extenders and anti-air moves. In the air, this is Joker's primary recovery move, being a tether recovery with very high vertical reach, allowing him to safely edgeguard opponents far below the stage and recover with not much issue.

Joker possesses a fighter ability unique to him in the form of Rebellion Gauge. This gauge fills up each time Joker takes damage, one of his teammates takes damage, or one of his teammates is KO'd (the latter two happenings during team battles). Joker will also respawn with some of the Rebellion Gauge filled up if he gets KO'd. His down special, Rebel's Guard, helps Joker during this, by negating the knockback he would receive from an attack and halving the damage he takes while filling up the Rebellion Gauge; this move also doubles as a counterattack, albeit a very weak one (similarly to Incineroar's Revenge) by knocking nearby opponents away. Once the Rebellion Gauge is filled up, Joker summons his Persona, Arsene, to aid him in battle, similarly to Rosalina's Luma. With Arsene present, Joker's regular attacks gain a significant boost in damage (and thus safety on shield) and knockback, as well as slightly more range, and his down aerial gains the ability to meteor smash, giving him an additional edgeguarding tool. Arsene is completely invincible during any move boosted by him, which means opponents can't make him disappear without hitting Joker, which is the only way to deplete the Rebellion Gauge faster. Similarly to Cloud's Limit Break, Joker's special moves also become more powerful under Arsene's influence. Gun becomes Gun Special, which can shoot multiple times quickly and deals more than twice as much damage. Eiha becomes Eigaon, a much faster projectile that has a larger area of impact, explodes on contact with an opponent or solid ground, and deals considerably more curse damage. Grappling Hook is replaced with Wings of Rebellion, which functions similarly to Pit's Power of Flight, granting Joker high vertical distance and possessing long-lasting invincibility during startup (that starts on frame 1 on the ground), though it loses Grappling Hook's attack presence. Finally, his down special becomes Tetrakarn/Makarakarn, a very effective counterattack and reflector similar to Palutena's Counter/Reflect Barrier. Both counters are better than comparative moves as well; both have very low startup lag (with Tetrakarn having the fastest startup of any counterattack) and the lowest ending lag of any counterattack. Tetrakarn has a huge hitbox that completely covers Joker's body and a huge area around him, and has the strongest damage multiplier of any counterattack at 1.6x (while also hitting for a minimum of 12% damage regardless of the attack). Meanwhile, Makarakarn has the third-highest damage multiplier of any reflector at 1.6x, and also greatly increases the speed reflected projectiles at 1.9x.

Despite all of these strengths, Joker is not without any weaknesses, most of which are noticeable when he does not have Arsene active. The most notable of these is the lack of quality between moves; as most of Joker's default moveset is tailored towards extending his advantage through combos, most of them tend to be highly lackluster or underwhelming in terms of KO power and individual damage. Particularly, Joker's lack of KO power can often make him reliant on gimping the opponent at early percentages, and his smash attacks, while having enough power to secure a stock against light and middleweight characters, have high ending lag, are heavily unsafe if shielded, and don't have enough power to KO heavyweights; as a result, Joker can be very susceptible to comebacks if he is not able to summon Arsene on time. His knife, while giving his attacks disjointed range, also renders said range short, especially when compared to the weapons of other fighters such as Ike and Lucina. His range issues can also cause him to struggle against certain small and fast characters, such as Inkling and Pikachu, as it's difficult for him to consistently apply pressure against them. Although Joker isn't necessarily the most vulnerable character to pressure, he is susceptible to combos because of his attributes and lack of moves to break them, and to projectile-based pressure due to his lack of ways to deal with projectiles, with Eiha failing to properly compensate. Rebel's Guard can aid with these issues, but this can also render him predictable if the move is overused.

Although Joker's moves are relegated to comboing, some of Joker's individual moves particularly lack much utility, with the most notable being his down aerial without Arsene and his grab game; the latter isn't particularly the most stellar, as Joker's throws lack guaranteed KO setups or notable KO power, with back throw only KOing at the ledge at very high percentages, and down throw KOing anywhere onstage past realistic percentages. When it comes to his normal recovery, Joker is reliant on his Grappling Hook, which gives him an outstanding vertical recovery, his overall horizontal recovery is lackluster as a result since the move can't be aimed horizontally. Its lack of safety makes Joker easier to gimp. This can be remedied somewhat by using the dashes from his Gun move to achieve sizable horizontal distance before employing the Grappling Hook, however, these dashes have considerable ending lag, so they must be used wisely, else it could be too late to deploy the Grappling Hook, leading to Joker's doom.

Since the Rebellion Gauge encourages a different kind of playstyle, Joker loses on some of his weaknesses without Arsene (such as a vulnerability to projectile camping), but this creates new weaknesses in return, meaning that if Joker gets Arsene at the wrong time or is unable to capitalize with him, he may either lose his advantage or be at a disadvantage. Notably, since all of Joker's moves hit much harder during Arsene's presence, this makes him able to deal more immediate damage at the cost of a lot of his moves' combo ability. The loss of Grappling Hook and the increased knockback on his moves means very few moves outside of his throws are capable of starting combos at low percentages, and only heavyweights are vulnerable to his limited combo ability during this state. This can cause his advantage state to be much shorter than without Arsene and allows the opponent to play more defensively to stall out the Rebellion Gauge, especially if they are nimble. Gun Special and Eigaon can remedy this, although misuse of the latter not only leaves Joker more vulnerable than Eiha, more mobile opponents are still capable of avoiding this move. Wings of Rebellion, despite reliably covering more distance than Grappling Hook, is more exploitable, as the lack of hitbox and vulnerability at the end of the moves makes it easy for opponents to intercept Joker before he reaches the ledge; in fact, Joker becomes notoriously prone to getting 2-framed. Additionally, Arsene doesn't boost Joker's throws further as mentioned above, which can leave Joker more kept at bay by shielding despite his moves' higher damage output. Lastly, despite Arsene's incredible power and strengths, the Rebellion Gauge can be depleted faster if an opponent is able to attack Joker; combined with his aforementioned vulnerability to combos, this can cause Arsene to disappear much faster until the Rebellion Gauge is filled again, removing Joker's advantage as a result.

Overall, Joker is a character whose playstyle is incredibly dynamic, but as with characters with many playstyles applicable, players should be expected to be able to smartly switch playstyles on the go. Without Arsene, Joker specializes in a hit-and-run, combo-oriented playstyle, as the majority of his arsenal boasts powerful combo ability, though he has short-range and very low power overall on his standard attacks without Arsene available. His primary goal in each match is to rack up as much damage as possible and gain an early stock lead in order to massively widen the gap between him and his opponent. Arsene greatly helps Joker in dealing damage or securing a stock whenever he is out, as he gains several powerful traits that allow him to play more rushdown-oriented when he gains the advantage, without forgoing his excellent mobility. By actively filling up the Rebellion Gauge by using Rebel's Guard to capitalize on reading an opponent's attack, this can be devastating for the opponent, as it gives Arsene more opportunity to be seen in-game. At the same time, Joker's vulnerability to combos means he will have to make use of his excellent mobility more often than not to avoid being put at a disadvantage. Joker's viability in the competitive scene has been excellent since his release, with many people citing him as a top tier character and potentially the best character in the game, thanks to strong representation and results from smashers such as Eim, MkLeo, Tsu, Tweek, Wishes and Zackray.

Update history

Joker has been nerfed in game updates. In patch 3.1.0 a few game bugs were fixed, and Eigaon's hits now connect more reliably. With Update 4.0.0, Joker's Makarakarn was given a buff and a nerf. This nerf gave Makarakarn a damage cap for reflecting projectiles, being the usual 50% that others have. However, the searchbox became much more rounded, enabling it to catch projectiles that would otherwise fly right over Joker. Update 7.0.0 reduced the horizontal range of downward aerial Gun and Arsene loses more rebellion gauge when hit if there are two to three combatants in the match.

 
A comparison of the range of downward aerial bullets pre and post 7.0.0

  3.0.1

  •   Fixed a bug where winning with a Final Smash while on Joker's route in Classic Mode would softlock the game.

  3.1.0

  •   Eigaon's hits 2-4 force backwards knockback instead of forward, connecting more reliably.
  •   Fixed an unknown glitch that resulted Joker glitching out periodically with Grappling Hook during a tether recovery.
  •   Fixed a rare glitch that resulted victory screen in team battles to display an incorrect character of a winning teammate.
  •   Joker now vocalizes when KO'd by reaching 0 HP on last stock in Stamina Mode.

  4.0.0

  •   Grappling Hook's air resistance was changed from 0.27 → 0.24, and fighter offset from 6 → 8, making it no longer have Joker clip into the walls of stages.[1]
  •   Makarakarn no longer reflects projectiles that have been reflected and deal 50% or more damage, bringing it in line with other reflectors in Ultimate.
  •   Makarakarn's vertical searchbox has been raised to 0.25u.[2]
  •   Fixed an issue that caused Arsene to be summoned after getting Star KOed.

  5.0.0

  •   The ending lag after bouncing when prone has been decreased to be in line with the rest of the roster.

  6.0.0

  7.0.0

  •   Downward aerial Gun's hitboxes do not spread out as far (Z2 offset: -9/0/9 → -2/0/2), noticeably reducing their horizontal range below Joker, especially at their maximum reach.
  •   Arsene loses more time on the Rebellion Gauge when taking damage in a match with two to three combatants (Lost frames: Damage Received * 12 → Damage Received * 16).

Moveset

  • Joker has a Fighter ability called the Rebellion Gauge, which fills up over time. Joker can also charge it by being hit, or when Joker (or his teammates, if he is in a Team Battle) is behind in either score/stock. If Rebel's Guard is used while the opponent attacks, the Gauge fills up faster. When it is full, Joker automatically summons Arsene, who grants several changes:
    • If Joker is in an uninterruptible animation such as an attack, Arsene can be delayed for up to 31 frames. Arsene can also disappear in a similar fashion, although the delay is much shorter.
      • Curiously, if Arsene disappears during an attack, Awakened Joker's moves will deal increased knockback without Arsene's values being applied.
    • A dramatic screen effect consisting of Joker's eyes occurs (if the camera is close enough to the fighters, and the battle is either 1-on-1 or against CPU players only), where Joker removes either his masquerade mask or glasses (depending on his costume), which also alters his character icon in the HUD until the Gauge empties. If Joker is standing still during this, he gains intangibility during the animation.
    • Arsene will attack in tandem with Joker during all attacks except his pummel, throws, floor attacks and edge attack, enhancing his damage output and range. Many of his moves gain an additional blue slash effect while attacking. All of Arsene's attacks use the "heavy melee" hit sounds of heavyweights such as Ganondorf.
    • Joker's special moves change to "Gun Special", "Eigaon", "Wings of Rebellion", and "Tetrakarn/Makarakarn", all enhanced versions of his previous moves.
    • Joker announces "Arsene!" or "Persona!" upon summoning Arsene, and "Return!" or "Enough." upon using up his Gauge. He also announces "Endure!", "Not yet!" or "More..." when being attacked while performing Rebel's Guard.
      • On the first frame Joker would call out or recall Arsene, the animation can be skipped if Joker is already in an uninterruptible animation.
  • Upon summoning Arsene, the Rebellion Gauge will slowly drain, and a small amount of Gauge will be lost each time Joker is damaged.
  • Joker can wall jump.

For a gallery of Joker's hitboxes, see here.

For simplicity, damage values for Joker and Arsene's individual attacks are separated by a slash (/). With Arsene active, the total damage of a move is the sum of both listed values.

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

  Name Damage Description
Neutral attack   2%/0.7% Joker: Performs an inward slash, backhanded stab, then an outward slash.
Arsene: Performs an inwards upward swipe, followed by a second swipe with the opposite arm, then a hand thrust.

The first two hits can jab lock. Functions as a typical get-off me and is one of Joker's quickest punishes. With Arsene, each hit gains a darkness effect.

1.5%/0.7%
4%/3%
Forward tilt   3% (hit 1), 5%/5% (hit 2) Joker: Performs a double thrust with his knife, with the second thrust going at a higher angle.
Arsene: Thrusts his right hand forward before raising it in a beckoning gesture.

The move can be angled, and both hits are performed with one button press. With Arsene, the second hit (which now causes a darkness effect) is capable of KOing Mario from the edge of Final Destination at around 125%. Useful as a spacing tool due to its range, with Joker moving forward at a decent distance after the first hit and the hitbox in the second hit reaches even over the knife. It comes out on frame 8 and is a very useful defensive option.

Up tilt   4% (hit 1), 1%/0.7% (hits 2-4), 1%/3.9% (hit 5) Joker: An upwards swing with his knife that sends it spinning into the air, before Joker catches it backhandedly.
Arsene: Raises his hand with a beckoning gesture, emanating electricity from his palm.

The initial swing sends opponents into the spinning knife, which does multiple hits before sending opponents vertically. With Arsene, the looping hits gain an electric effect, and can KO at around 135%. The move cannot hit opponents behind Joker. Useful for anti-airing opponents that are in close proximity to Joker.

Down tilt   6%/7% Joker: A baseball slide.
Arsene: A baseball slide alongside Joker.

Based off of Joker's ability to slide under lasers in Persona 5. Unlike similar moves like Cloud's and Simon's, Joker's down tilt does not lose strength during the late hitboxes. Easily leads into up tilt and aerial attacks until high percents and has a great range. If Arsene is not out, it sends at a good angle for Grappling Hook.

Dash attack   2% (hit 1), 6%/6% (hit 2) Joker: Performs a roundhouse kick followed by a spinning side kick.
Arsene: A delayed football kick, which comes out alongside Joker's second kick.

With Arsene, the second hit can KO at the edge at around 105%. The speed and distance of this move make it one of Joker's best punishing tools, as it's safe on shield and it can cross-up opponent's shields when used at a certain distance.

Forward smash   14%/8% Joker: Rears back and swings downwards with both hands directly in front of him.
Arsene: He swings his arms downwards, causing an X-shaped slash in front of the duo.

Moves Joker slightly forward while attacking. Without Arsene, the move KOs at around 76% from the edge of the stage, making it Joker's strongest finisher. However, despite Joker moving forward, its range is rather poor due to the length of his knife. Oddly, despite the knife leaving a trail that extends behind Joker, the attack can only hit in front of him. With Arsene, the move gains slightly more range and even higher KO power, KOing at around 55% from the edge of the stage. It can be an extremely potent punish or trapping tool, but its lag makes it highly punishable itself so it should be used with caution.

Up smash   12%/5% Joker: Spins inwards while facing the screen, performing a knife uppercut with his right arm.
Arsene: Swings his leading arm above himself.

It has a low horizontal range and a short-lasting hitbox, but covers a large area above Joker, making it a good anti-air. Like up tilt, this move cannot hit enemies behind Joker. With Arsene, the move gains extra range and KO power. KOs at around 130%/100% (without/with Arsene). Joker's fastest smash attack and strongest punish tool against enemies directly above him. Particularly effective against opponents on platforms. Resembles the second hit of Joker's standard three-hit attack in Persona 5.

Down smash   12%/6% Joker: Sweeps the floor with a knife swipe in front of himself, then behind.
Arsene: Kicks in front, then behind himself.

Both hits deal the same amount of damage and lack reach, though Arsene boosts its range slightly. KOs at around 112%/73% near the edge (without/with Arsene). Functions as a typical sweeping smash attack and should be used to punish people who air dodge onto the ground or roll behind Joker. Resembles the first hit of Joker's standard three-hit attack in Persona 5.

Neutral aerial   7%/4% Joker: Strikes in a circle while doing two inward corkscrews in the air.
Arsene: Lays his back against Joker and slashes alongside him, forming a perfect circle slash around the duo.

Serves as one of Joker's best spacing tools, having an excellent range around him due to its wide coverage, though it has a very small hitbox located on the knife and the lack of shield pressure can make it risky when used carelessly. It also autocancels late, only doing so in a double jump. On a hit, it can lead to combos from down tilt, and it can condition the opponent into blocking making it good for granting grab opportunities.

Forward aerial   2% (hit 1), 5%/8% (hit 2) Joker: A hook kick, followed by a roundhouse kick.
Arsene: A delayed roundhouse kick that comes out alongside Joker's second kick.

The first kick has low knockback growth and sends opponents lightly upwards, allowing it to initiate aerial combos into itself or other aerials; it can even catch air dodges with a smash attack and is a very good edgeguarding option. With Arsene, the second kick becomes a powerful KO move that can KO opponents at 100% from the edge, and even earlier when edge-guarding thanks to its base knockback.

Back aerial   9%/7% Joker: An upward swipe behind himself.
Arsene: A swift downward chop of his hand, causing the duo's attacks to interlock with each other.

Wide hitbox, but lacks reach for both versions. It's an effective pressure tool against onstage and especially offstage opponents due to its incredible speed and low lag. With Arsene, its hitbox size increases due to Arsene mirroring Joker's attack, and it is capable of KOing at around 80% from the edge, and similarly to his Forward aerial, can kill at very early percents while edge-guarding due to its base knockback, making it a very strong KO option. Joker's only aerial that can autocancel in a short hop.

Up aerial   0.75% (hits 1-4), 3%/7% (hit 5) Joker: A corkscrew flying kick with a finishing kick.
Arsene: A delayed upwards hand swing in tandem with Joker's last hit.

Like Sheik and Greninja's up aerial, the move's hitboxes are positioned high on Joker's legs, making it difficult to hit small or medium-sized fighters and has a very low damage output, only dealing 6% without Arsene. However, the looping hits use the autolink angle; as a result, it can be used to drag opponents down consistently to extend combos. With Arsene, a full hop up air can KO at around 110%. It seems to resemble Joker spinning in the opening cinematic for Persona 5.

Down aerial   8%/8% Joker: An upside-down knife swing with a bit of delay before the swipe, similarly to Marth's down aerial.
Arsene: A delayed foot stomp that comes out a couple of frames after Joker's attack, instead of at the same time as his other moves. Unlike Joker's attack, it meteor smashes opponents.

Somewhat of a niche move due to its lack of safety and startup, down air occasionally sees use as a crossup tool. With Arsene, it is a powerful all-purpose move due to its hitbox duration, combo potential and meteor smashing properties. The meteor smash itself is decently strong, KOing at around 60% at ground level.

Grab   — Reaches out with one arm. All of Joker's throws have him toss the opponent with blue energy. Unlike his other moves, Arsene does not affect the power of Joker's throws.
Pummel   1.3% Knees his opponent.
Forward throw   8% Tosses the opponent forward with a flourish of his arm.
Back throw   10% Trips the opponent over his foot, similar to Marth's back throw. KO’s Mario at roughly 135% at the edge of Final Destination.
Up throw   7% Throws the opponent directly upwards with a flourish. KOing middleweights at around 221% on Final Destination. At low-mid percentages, it combos into up aerial.
Down throw   7% Magically slams the opponent onto the ground while posing and flourishing his left arm, sending the opponent bouncing upwards. An effective combo starter that can combo into aerials. It can also initiate long combo strings of falling up aerial's looping hits into grab, or Grappling Hook into followups. KO's middleweights at around 200% on Final Destination.
Forward roll
Back roll
Spot dodge
Air dodge 		— —
Techs — —
Floor attack (front)
Floor getups (front) 		  7% Slashes in front of himself, then behind himself.
Floor attack (back)
Floor getups (back) 		  7% Slashes behind himself, then in front of himself.
Floor attack (trip)
Floor getups (trip) 		  5% Kicks behind himself, then in front of himself.
Edge attack
Edge getups 		  9% Climbs up and slashes outward.
Neutral special Gun/Gun Special Gun: 5%-3%-1% (standard, close-mid-far), 3%-0.8% (ground jump, close-far), 3% (circling), 4%-1.2% (downward, close-far)
Gun Special: 6%-3%-1% (standard, first bullet), 2%-1.5%-1% (standard, second and third bullets), 3%-1/0.8/0.5% (ground jump, first and second looping hits) 4.5% (circling), 4%-1.2% (downward, first bullet), 1.6%-0.8% (downward, second bullet)		 Fires his gun once with a tap of the special move button. Like with Bayonetta's Bullet Arts, the shots technically are not projectiles, but rather indirect attacks with large disjointed hitboxes. As such, they cannot be reflected or blocked by the shields of all versions of Link or Hero. The shots decay in damage and knockback based on the opponent's distance from Joker, doing no knockback at the furthest distance. The button can be held to fire multiple times; additionally, Joker can dodge between shots by tilting the control stick horizontally, with each use causing the dodge to slow down (much like a roll or sidestep). If he is in midair, he can either fire in a circle around himself (in a similar fashion to Bayonetta's Bullet Arts up aerial) by tilting up, or below himself in a corkscrewing fashion by tilting down. On the ground, Joker can also press the jump button to perform a diagonal jump while rapidly firing shots downwards. When Arsene is out, it becomes Gun Special, where it fires three bullets with each shot for the standard version, and two bullets per shot for the aerial downward version. Both Gun and Gun Special have penetrative properties, meaning they can pass through multiple opponents, and the downward aerial version, in particular, is notorious for its sheer versatility: it can counter combos and juggles, edge guard effectively, and rack up damage quickly, as Gun has low ending lag and is spammable when used in the air. The closest version of Gun can also lock opponents.
Side special Eiha/Eigaon Eiha: 1% (hit 1), 2% (hit 2), 1% (gradual damage), 11% (total)
Eigaon: 1% (hit 1), 0.5% (hit 2-4), 2.5% (hit 5), 1.5% (gradual damage), 17% (total)		 An extremely small projectile that travels at a diagonal angle downwards, similar to PK Fire. It deals little initial damage, but curses opponents and inflicts further damage over time. Each use causes Joker to hover slightly. When Arsene is present, it becomes Eigaon, which travels faster and farther, has an area of effect on hit, hits multiple times, has higher knockback, and deals further damage over time. Eiha has low knockback, but due to its being vertical it can function as a niche KO option near the upper blast line.
Up special Grappling Hook/Wings of Rebellion Grappling Hook: 11% (grounded), 5% (aerial)
Wings of Rebellion: 0%		 Shoots out a grappling hook at an upward angle. It functions as a tether recovery. As an attack, the grounded version can grab opponents, dragging them towards Joker and launching them above himself with low ending lag and knockback, making it a reliable combo starter. The aerial version cannot grab and only deals low vertical knockback but can act as a niche KO option at the upper blast line. However, the hook can be difficult to use due to its small size and hitbox position, and much like Isabelle's Fishing Rod, Grappling Hook can be shielded despite its grab properties. It can also let Joker grab physical items such as Peach’s turnips from afar. When Arsene is out, it becomes Wings of Rebellion, where Joker flies upwards or at an angle (again depending on input) using Arsene's wings. It has no hitboxes, therefore doing no damage or knockback, but grants a long period of intangibility on startup (frames 1-25 if used on the ground; frames 3-25 if used in midair). Wings of Rebellion also travels considerable distance, going higher than most recovery up specials and being able to recover far below the stage.
Down special Rebel's Guard/Tetrakarn/Makarakarn Rebel's Guard: 2.4%
Tetrakarn: 1.6× (12% minimum)
Makarakarn: 1.6×		 Joker takes a defensive position, during which any direct damage done to him in this state is reduced by 0.4× and builds his Rebellion Gauge. Its period can be extended for at least 1.5 seconds, and if an attack was successfully countered, Joker performs a darkness-infused backhanded swipe at the end of the move that weakly launches opponents away. It quickly refills the Rebellion Gauge to summon Arsene, and when he is summoned, he will power up Joker's special attacks and attack with him, significantly increasing the damage, range, and power of his attacks and giving him a large advantage state compared to the rest of the cast, similarly to Rosalina's Luma, although he cannot be sent out as he follows Joker's movements. When Arsene is out, it becomes Tetrakarn against melee attacks and Makarakarn against projectiles, countering and reflecting them respectively. Both Tetrakarn and Makarakarn are extremely powerful and are notorious for having some of, if not the best startup, end lag, and damage of all other counters and reflectors, especially given the near-universal nerfs to counters in Ultimate, having extremely generous frame data and damage multiplier, as well as an abnormally huge hitbox around Joker that makes extremely hard to challenge it without getting punished and KO'd. With a four-frame startup for all variants, Rebel's Guard is a highly useful defensive option.
Final Smash All-Out Attack 3% (trapping hit), 33.6% (cinematic), 13% (ending screen) Joker rushes forward, trapping opponents. If he misses, Joker can also rush backward if the control stick is pushed backward. If any fighter is hit during either of these swipes, they are attacked by Joker and three other Phantom Thieves. (The two possible groups are Ann, Ryuji, and Morgana and Makoto, Haru, and Yusuke.) They then rush at the opponent quickly, with either Futaba or Morgana commenting on the attack. After the barrage is complete, Joker lands in front of the opponent as the screen changes into a splash screen, with Joker in the front gripping his glove, the text "The Show's Over" appearing to the left, and the shadow of the unlucky fighter in the background, spewing sparkles. Causes an instant KO if the opponent was at 64% before Joker struck them when the cinematic is over. If the Final Smash's possible resulting KO is the final KO needed to win, the splash screen will remain throughout the victory screen. Arsene will not affect All-Out Attack.

On-screen appearance

  • Drops from the top of the screen, similar to how the party begins most battles in Persona 5, then adjusts a glove just like in his up taunt.

Taunts

Morgana appears for each of Joker's taunts. If he is present, Arsene will also rear back and flourish with his left arm when Joker taunts, making a pose identical to his official artwork.

  • Up taunt: Smiles and tugs his glove while facing towards the camera, imitating the splash screen from the end of All-Out Attack. Morgana pumps his paw while saying "Looking cool, Joker!" before posing akimbo.
  • Side taunt: Poses with his gun pointed, gun arm over his dagger arm. Morgana poses akimbo and playfully laughs while showing starry eyes.
  • Down taunt: Faces his back towards the camera. Morgana goes "He-hey!" while bouncing on the spot, before crossing his arms.

If Joker is involved in a fight with more than four fighters, Morgana will not appear during his taunts.

  • Joker's up taunt.

  • Joker's side taunt.

  • Joker's down taunt.

Idle poses

  • Twirls his knife towards his chest.
  • Twirls his gun before posing.

  • Joker's first idle pose

  • Joker's second idle pose

Victory poses

In all three of his victory poses, the transition to the victory screen will showcase a puff of cartoony smoke with star decals, and ending screen will always result in Joker moving continuously to the left with the results background being dimmed down, replicating the victory screen from Persona 5. Upon accessing the results screen, Joker will say "Begone," "Nice," or "Hah!" If there are three or more players, the color scheme will match the player's port (CPUs are always red). In Team Battles, the color will match the player's team color. If Joker wins on Mementos, the color of the victory screen will match the color of the stage, and the victory music will be replaced with the corresponding victory fanfare from the game Mementos' design is currently derived from.

  • Left: Morgana happily bounces around Joker. Joker gestures to Morgana before running towards the left.
  • Up: Joker scratches his head as Morgana, transformed as the Morganamobile, drives up next to Joker, picks him up, and drives towards the left.
  • Right: Morgana turns dramatically toward the screen, which ends up hitting him in the face. Joker gestures to Morgana before running towards the left.
  • Special: If Joker wins a Stock or Stamina match with All-Out Attack, the match will conclude on the splash screen without returning to gameplay, and this will persist into the victory screen, just like in Persona 5.
  • Team: If Joker is in a Team Battle and someone else poses in front, he will perform an exclusive animation where he tightens his glove and maintains a stance with his knife, although both of these are ported directly from his in-game up taunt and idle animation respectively. If he poses in front, none of the other fighters on his team will be seen.
Joker's default victory theme, ripped directly from the battle results screen of Persona 5, entitled "Triumph".
Joker's victory theme after winning in the Persona 4 version of Mementos, ripped directly from the battle results screen of Persona 4, entitled "Period".
Joker's victory theme after winning in the Persona 3 version of Mementos, ripped directly from the battle results screen of Persona 3, entitled "After The Battle".

When transitioning to the results screen, one of the Phantom Thieves will say one of the following quotes in place of the announcer's usual "[character] wins!"

Phantom Thief Quotes
Ryuji Sakamoto ...Hah! Losers!
Yeah-hah! Nice!
Ha-ha! Who's next?
Morgana Smash is as wild as ever, eh Joker?
A brilliant victory!
Alright! Victory!
Mm-mm! Good work!
Ann Takamaki Feels great, huh?
Aren't we the best?
Done and done!
Yusuke Kitagawa And the curtain... falls.
We've done it!
Well... Onto the next triumph!
Makoto Niijima No time to waste!
Don't forget this feeling!
Done and done!
Futaba Sakura Heh heh heh! They're done for!
Impressive!
Okay! Moving right along!
Haru Okumura That was graceful!
Onto the next battle!
So much for them!

In competitive play

Joker had a mixed albeit positive reception on his release. Many players praised his great movement with his horizontal and vertical speed alongside his great combo ability, and noted how all these traits were supplemented when Arsene was activated, granting him even greater damage and kill potential. However, many also noted how Joker had difficulty killing when Arsene was not active, given that his kill setups are unsafe on shield and quite difficult to consistently land, as well as many of his moves outright having low base knockback or knockback growth, which resulted in players labeling his kill potential as "inconsistent". As well, players also remarked base Joker's relatively low damage output per move, seemingly exploitable recoveries in both of Joker's forms (with and without his persona activated), and lack of out of shield options. Thus, opinions on him were divided. Smashers such as Tweek and CaptainZack held high opinions of Joker upon his release, labeling him as a potential top tier character, although others such as VoiD and Leffen regarded him as a low-high tier and a mid-tier character respectively.

However, opinions regarding Joker's attributes have progressively grown since the success that MkLeo has attained with the character. His combination of quick movement, remarkable frame data, and combos, alongside the devastating power of Arsene giving him a powerful advantage state, has granted him a large following, with many high-level players solo maining him or using him as a secondary. Some of them started to use their previous main less, or even dropped it in favor of him, such as Tweek, who mained Wario with a Pokémon Trainer secondary, and was considered the second-best player overall in Ultimate, as he started using them much less in favor of Joker. MkLeo, however, considered the best Ultimate player in the world, is the most notable example, using Joker's traits to great effect to win multiple S-Tier tournaments, while Zackray has also won one co-maining him with R.O.B. and Wolf, including being able to 3-stock Maister using the up air infinite. However, some argue against Joker's strengths due to MkLeo's skill as a player allowing him to push the character extremely far, as not many players outside of Zackray have come close to his achievements with the character. Regardless, Joker is commonly considered a top tier and one of the best characters in the game, and some top players go as far as to name him the single best character in Ultimate at most. Despite the recent nerfs Joker has received in patch 7.0.0, initial impressions seem to lean towards him still remaining to be a very strong contender in the metagame with MkLeo winning Frostbite 2020, and Zackray getting 7th using Joker as one of his characters.

Notable players

Active

Any number following the Smasher name indicates placement on the Fall 2019 PGRU, which recognizes the official top 50 players in the world in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate from July 13th, 2019 to December 15th, 2019.

Inactive

Classic Mode: Shadows

 
Joker's congratulations screen.

Joker mainly fights opponents relating to shadows. On every round, the former enemy fighter becomes an ally to him under a new alternate costume, referencing how in Persona 5, Joker can negotiate with the Shadows and recruit them as Personas, freeing the corrupted demon in the process. Additionally, some items and Assist Trophies are references to Persona 5, such as the Kapp'n Assist Trophy referencing the Morgana Bus. The final boss makes reference to the god Yaldabaoth, the final boss of Persona 5, with the final boss theme Our Beginning also present. In addition, all rounds aside from the second round take place on Mementos.

Round Opponent Stage Music Notes
1 Mr. Game & Watch   (×6) Mementos Last Surprise
2 Giant Kirby   Kalos Pokémon League Aria of the Soul Mr. Game & Watch   is a CPU ally. Possibly a reference to Black Frost. The stage choice likely represents the recurring Velvet Room of the Persona franchise.
3 Samus   and Dark Samus   Mementos Mass Destruction Kirby   is a CPU ally. Possibly a reference to Aigis, Metis, and Jack Frost.
4 Meta Knight   Mementos (Battlefield form) Beneath the Mask Dark Samus   is a CPU ally. References the masked Shadows before engaging in combat.
5 Link  , Toon Link   and Young Link   Mementos Reach Out To The Truth Meta Knight   is a CPU ally. Possibly references to Izanagi.
6 Giant Incineroar   Mementos (Ω Form) Rivers In the Desert Link   is a CPU ally. Link is possibly a reference to Izanagi-no-Okami and Incineroar being Shido.
Bonus Stage
Final Master Hand Mementos (Ω Form) Our Beginning On Intensity 7.0 or higher, Crazy Hand joins the fight alongside Master Hand. The music and stage likely refer to the final boss of Persona 5, Yaldabaoth.

Credits roll after completing Classic Mode. Completing it as Joker has Wake Up, Get Up, Get Out There accompany the credits. As a downloadable character, Joker uses the same character unlock tree as Mario.

Role in World of Light

 
The message that shows Joker's availability in World of Light

Due to his status as downloadable content, Joker does not have a legitimate role in World of Light. Instead, he is unlocked for use in the mode after freeing 10 fighters from Galeem's control. If loading an existing save file that meets this condition prior to downloading Joker, he is immediately unlocked.

Spirits

Joker's Fighter Spirit can be obtained by completing Classic Mode. It also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 500 coins, but only after Joker has been downloaded. Unlocking Joker in World of Light allows the player to preview the first spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a Fighter Spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. His student outfit has a Fighter Spirit of its own, available through the shop. Each Fighter Spirit has an alternate version that replaces them with their artwork in Ultimate. Arsene also makes an appearance in Joker's Fighter Spirits, having a unique render when shown with Joker's Ultimate artwork. Because of this, Joker's Ultimate renders in his Fighter Spirits will show him without his mask/glasses on.

Additionally, he appears in the Phantom Thieves of Hearts Spirit.

  • Jack Thief Spirit.png

    1,304. Joker (Phantom Thief)

  • Jack Student Spirit.png

    1,305. Joker (Student)

  • 1,306. Phantom Thieves of Hearts

Spirit Battle

As the main opponent

Spirit Battle parameters Inspiration
No. Image Name Series Enemy Fighter(s) Type Power Stage Rules Conditions Music Character
1,306
 
 Phantom Thieves of Hearts Persona series •Joker  
•Pikachu  
•Captain Falcon  
•Zero Suit Samus  
•Chrom  
•Sheik  
 
 13,300 Mementos •Sudden Final Smash
•Item: Daybreak Parts 		•The enemy will suddenly have a Final Smash when the enemy's at high damage
•Reinforcements will appear during the battle 		Wake Up, Get Up, Get Out There Joker

Alternate costumes

 
               

Trailers

Introduction trailer

Trailer on the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate website.
Version that played at The Game Awards 2018.

Gameplay trailer

Proper gameplay reveal, titled "The Masked Rebel".

Gallery

  • Joker artwork, as posted on the official Japanese Persona Twitter account by Shigenori Soejima.

  • A tease of Joker's model from the February 13th, 2019 Nintendo Direct.

  • A view of Joker's in-game model from behind.

  • The ad that leaked Joker’s artwork

  • Joker's splash art.

  • JokerJoinsTheBattleSSBU.jpg

    Joker's unlock notice after downloading him from the Nintendo eShop.

  • Joker on Fourside.

  • Joker wielding his gun on Moray Towers.

  • Joker attacking with Arsene on Mementos.

  • Joker with Morgana on Skyloft.

  • Joker posing with Arsene on Spear Pillar.

  • Joker in his school outfit with Inkling and Isabelle on Delfino Plaza.

Trivia

  • Joker's internal codename within the game files is "jack". It is probably a wordplay on "jack" and "joker" being both types of playing cards; additionally, it may reference Atlus' mascot, Jack Frost. The codename was reportedly discovered in November 2018 by data miners on a leaked retail copy. However, this discovery was only made public in January 2019, after Joker had already been officially revealed.
  • Joker is the only character who can air dodge multiple times without landing in Ultimate, due to Gun allowing him to dodge between shots.
  • Joker is the first selectable character in the series to share their voice actor with the announcer in the English version of the game, barring Master Hand's playable appearances, as Master Hand is not a normally selectable character outside of these circumstances.
  • Joker and Piranha Plant are the only DLC in the series to be announced before the game's release.
  • Joker and Inkling are the only newcomers in Ultimate to be announced without any gameplay footage in their first reveal trailer.
    • While Terry's reveal trailer doesn't feature gameplay footage, a brief showcase was showed by Masahiro Sakurai during the same Nintendo Direct.
  • Joker is one of two fighters who has two reveal trailers, he shares this distinction with Terry.
    • Joker's first reveal trailer has two variants. One which was played during The Game Awards 2018, and one which was officially posted online afterward with dialogue altered to remove references to the Game Awards.
    • Out of all the characters reveals in both Smash 4 and Ultimate, Joker is the only character to be revealed at/in a non-Nintendo event/video.
  • Joker is the first and so far only DLC character in Ultimate to not have a tagline in their first reveal trailer.
  • Joker, Bowser, Zero Suit Samus, Mega Man, Bowser Jr., Ridley, Incineroar, and Banjo & Kazooie are the only characters who make any sounds during their idle animations.
  • In Joker's reveal trailer, it is mentioned that he must have gone to The Game Awards 2018 to steal a treasure. According to Masahiro Sakurai in a Famitsu column, the treasure was an invitation to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.[3]
    • The invitation is depicted as being enclosed in an envelope with a wax seal in the shape of the Super Smash Bros. logo. This is a callback to previous character reveal trailers for Villager in Smash 4 and Isabelle in Ultimate, and was later re-used in the reveal trailer for Terry.
    • An instrumental arrangement of Life Will Change plays fittingly during the reveal, as the song plays while the Phantom Thieves are infiltrating a Palace to steal a treasure after sending out a calling card.
      • Interestingly, despite Life Will Change being featured, it is not available as a track in-game.
    • Coincidentally, the concept of Palaces in the Persona series is vaguely similar to the "world of imagination" concept used to justify the Super Smash Bros. games, where events and characters are imaginary and are affected by cognition in the "real world" (including toys, such as Joker's Gun, becoming real and functional similar to the fighters themselves). As such, Joker's announcement and inclusion in the Smash Bros. world, particularly with regards to the "treasure" being stolen, can be considered a variation of the Phantom Thieves infiltrating a Palace.
  • After Sonic and Bayonetta, Joker is the third guest fighter to represent Sega, as Atlus was acquired by Sega Sammy Holdings in 2013.
  • Joker is the second character to have his victory theme directly ripped from a non-Smash game, the first being Sonic.
    • He is also the second character whose victory theme plays continuously rather than playing the results theme afterward, with the first being Cloud.
  • Joker had his render leaked on March 31st, 2019, by Best Buy before his official render was revealed.
  • Joker is the only character so far whose character render changes under certain circumstances, as his mask (or glasses, in his alternate costume) will be removed when Arsene is present.
  • Joker is the only character so far who utilizes a knife in his standard moveset.
  • Joker is the only character with the distinction of having more than one victory theme in one game.
  • Joker's Classic Mode can be considered an antithesis of Mewtwo's. Both characters "recruit" the opponent they defeated on the previous round; however, Mewtwo's partners are turned into "corrupted" alternate costumes, while Joker's allies now have light alternate costumes to represent that they were "purified".
  • Joker is the only character in the series who:
    • has more than three victory poses, with the presence of his normal three, his All-Out Attack victory screen, and his exclusive Team Battle victory pose.
    • is not announced on the results screen, instead, there is a comment from one of the Phantom Thieves.
    • has a victory pose reserved for Team Battles.
    • can manually select a victory pose if he is the leading character of a winning team in a Team Battle.
  • Joker is one of the few characters to speak during a KO: his alternate KO line has him saying "What?!" ("済まない...", "I'm sorry...").
  • Excluding use of a Boss Galaga, Joker is one of the few fighters to spin differently in their Star KO: he spins forwards instead of away from the screen, similar to how Star KOs acted in Smash 4. He shares this trait with Cloud, Corrin, Incineroar, Inkling and Shulk.
  • When KO'd by reaching 0 HP in Stamina Mode with no stock remaining, Joker uses a unique knockout scream rather than his KO or high damage voice clips, although this can be difficult to hear under normal circumstances due to extremely low volume. Banjo & Kazooie also share this trait.
    • Additionally, Arsene laughs maniacally if Joker is KO'd in this way. However there is only an animation and no audio.
  • Prior to patch 4.0.0, a glitch can occur if Joker is defeated by a Star KO with a full Rebellion Gauge: Arsene will appear in the background, hovering where Joker was KO'd.
  • If Arsene is activated by a CPU Joker on the Online Training stage, although his model will unmask as normal, Joker's render will remain masked.
  • Joker is the only character who speaks when transitioning from the victory animation to the results, saying either "Begone," "Nice," or "Hah!"
  • Joker is the only character to not have the announcer talk and not have the crowd chant during his victory animation.
  • Joker is the only character in the Fighters Pass whose demonstration video is not hosted by Masahiro Sakurai. Instead, he had a Nintendo Direct-styled presentation.
    • Additionally, Joker is the second DLC character to not have his entire moveset demonstrated, following Piranha Plant, and is also the only challenger on the Fighters Pass with this distinction.

References

  1. ^ @Meshima_ (August 1, 2019). Meshima_ on Twitter. “"Undocumented Joker change, these are related to Grappling Hook so probably they fixed the glitch regarding to tether recovery. air_resist_hang: 0.27 -> 0.24. fighter_offset: 6 -> 8. Also Tetrakarn reflect box has slightly buffed, now having 0.25u larger vertical range"”
  2. ^ @Meshima_. Meshima_ on Twitter.
  3. ^ https://nintendoeverything.com/sakurai-on-smash-bros-ultimate-jokers-reveal-getting-some-rest-and-more/


v • d • e
Fighters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Veterans Bayonetta · Bowser · Bowser Jr. · Captain Falcon · Cloud · Corrin · Dark Pit · Diddy Kong · Donkey Kong · Dr. Mario · Duck Hunt · Falco · Fox · Ganondorf · Greninja · Ice Climbers · Ike · Jigglypuff · King Dedede · Kirby · Link · Little Mac · Lucario · Lucas · Lucina · Luigi · Mario · Marth · Mega Man · Meta Knight · Mewtwo · Mii Fighter (Mii Brawler · Mii Gunner · Mii Swordfighter) · Mr. Game & Watch · Ness · Olimar · Pac-Man · Palutena · Peach · Pichu · Pikachu · Pit · Pokémon Trainer (Charizard · Ivysaur · Squirtle) · R.O.B. · Robin · Rosalina & Luma · Roy · Ryu · Samus · Sheik · Shulk · Snake · Sonic · Toon Link · Villager · Wario · Wii Fit Trainer · Wolf · Yoshi · Young Link · Zelda · Zero Suit Samus
Newcomers Banjo & Kazooie · Byleth · Chrom · Daisy · Dark Samus · Hero · Incineroar · Inkling · Isabelle · Joker · Kazuya · Ken · King K. Rool · Min Min · Piranha Plant · Pyra / Mythra  · Richter · Ridley · Sephiroth · Simon · Sora · Steve · Terry
v • d • e
  Persona universe
Fighter Joker (SSBU) (Arsène)
Stage Mementos
Other Ann Takamaki · Futaba Sakura · Haru Okumura · Makoto Niijima · Morgana · Protagonist (Persona 3) · Protagonist (Persona 4) · Ryuji Sakamoto · Teddie · Yusuke Kitagawa
Spirits Spirits
Music Ultimate

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