Aesthetics
Due to the aesthetic used in Ultimate, Pikachu's model has a more subdued color scheme, more closely resembling its appearance in recent mainline Pokémon games.- Two new costumes featuring the female Pikachu design, which has a heart-shaped tail, have been added. These replace its goggles and Choice Band costumes from SSB4, partially due to reintroduction of Pichu as a playable character.
- The first costume features Selene's casual cap from Pokémon Sun and Moon.
- The second costume features the Libre costume from Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.
- Pikachu faces the foreground at an angle, instead of facing directly forward. In addition, it always faces the screen regardless of which direction it turns, causing all of its animations to be mirrored.
- Like other fighters, Pikachu is significantly more expressive. It appears much angrier during some animations, such as neutral air and shielding; it also frowns when attacking or hit, unlike in Smash 4 where it had a permanent smile.
- Pikachu's cheeks flash white when it uses electric attacks.
- Pikachu only waves once during its side taunt, shortening its duration. Down taunt is also faster.
- For its side taunt, the voice clip duration of the second "Pika" has been shortened; cutting off prematurely.
- All of Pikachu's tail-based attacks now use a slap SFX rather than a kick SFX.
Attributes
Like all characters, Pikachu's jumpsquat animation takes 3 frames to complete (down from 4).- Pikachu walks slightly faster (1.24 → 1.302).
- Pikachu runs faster (1.85325 → 2.039).
- Pikachu's initial dash is faster (1.8 → 1.98).
- Pikachu's air speed is slightly higher (0.9118 → 0.957).
- Pikachu's traction is significantly higher (0.0596 → 0.132), being the fourth highest in the game.
Both rolls have more ending lag (FAF 27 → 29 (forward), 34 (back)).- Back roll grants more intangibility (frames 4-14 → 4-15).
- Spot dodge has more startup (frame 2 → 3).
- Air dodge grants more intangibility (frames 2-25 → 2-26).
- Air dodge has significantly more ending lag (FAF 31 → 51).
Ground attacks
- Neutral attack:
- Neutral attack has less ending lag (FAF 22 → 18).
- It deals less knockback (10/9/8 base/45 scaling → 12/18 base/20/30 scaling). Combined with the increased traction across the cast, this allows Pikachu to connect more hits against opponents before they are pushed out of range.
- The sweetspot and mid-strength hitboxes have been moved very slightly forward (Z offset: 7 (sweetspot)/9.5 (mid) → 7.2/9.6), marginally improving their range and thus the move's overall damage output, while the changes to jostle mechanics make up for the hitboxes not reaching in as far as a result.
- Forward tilt:
- Forward tilt has an electric effect.
- Up tilt:
- Up tilt has an altered animation, with Pikachu scooting its backside up to hit with its tail. This causes it to have less range behind Pikachu, but more range in front of Pikachu.
- Because of this, it can no longer hit opponents hanging at the ledge.
- The middle hitbox is marginally smaller (3.84u → 3.8u).
- Down tilt:
- Down tilt has an altered animation, with Pikachu's tail standing more upright at the end.
- Dash attack:
- Dash attack has significantly less ending lag (FAF 50 → 36).
- It has gained a shieldstun multiplier of 1.8×. Combined with its reduced ending lag and the increased shieldstun for ground attacks, this makes it much safer on shield, with the clean hit being only barely punishable by a shield grab.
- The clean hit deals more damage (10% → 11%) with knockback scaling not fully compensated (90 → 88), improving its KO potential.
- Its hitboxes have a shorter duration (frames 6-9 (clean)/10-16 (late) → 6-8/9-12).
- It has a higher hitlag multiplier (1.2× (clean), 1× (late) → 1.5×), making it much easier to DI.
- Forward smash:
- All portions of forward smash have more horizontal range during their latest active frames (Z offset: 9.2 → 11.2 (early), 15.6 → 18.6 (clean), 23 → 25 (late)).
- The early hit has a shorter duration, which causes the clean and late hits to be active earlier, and the late hit has a longer duration (frames 15-17 (early)/18-20 (clean)/21-22 (late) → 15-16/17-19/20-29).
- Forward smash has more ending lag (FAF 49 → 54).
- The clean hit and the late hit during its latest active frames have a smaller hitbox (4.1u → 3.6u (clean), 5.2u → 4u (late)).
- The clean hit has less base knockback during its first frame (60 → 50), making its KO ability less consistent.
- Up smash:
- Up smash's early hit has a longer duration, with the late hit having a shorter duration instead (frames 10-11 (early)/12-13 (clean)/14-17 (late) → 10-12/13-14/15-17).
- Down smash:
- Down smash's looping hits have a lower SDI multiplier (0.8× → 0.5×) and launch opponents closer to Pikachu (170° → 178°), allowing them to connect more reliably.
- The last hit always sends in the direction Pikachu is facing, and launches at a more horizontal angle (50° → 37°), improving its KO and edgeguarding potential.
- The last hit has slightly less base knockback (55 → 51), but more knockback scaling (190 → 192).
Aerial attacks
- All aerials have much less landing lag (24 frames → 9 (neutral), 15 → 12 (forward), 30 → 18 (back), 24 → 14 (up), 40 → 22 (down)).
- Neutral aerial:
- Pikachu has a new neutral aerial: it discharges electricity around itself, hitting 4 times, similarly to Mewtwo's neutral aerial.
- Neutral aerial has a longer duration (frames 3-5 (clean)/6-20 (late) → 3-6, 9-12, 15-18, 21-22) with its total duration is unchanged, reducing its ending lag.
- The first three hits use the autolink angle (367°). This allows Pikachu to drag opponents down with the move and combo into many of its ground attacks, which is further complemented by its lower landing lag.
- The last hit launches at a more vertical angle (361° → 60°). Combined with its multi-hit nature, this significantly improves its combo potential.
- It deals slightly more damage if all hits connect (8.5% (clean), 5.5% (late) → 1.8% (hits 1-3), 3.5% (hit 4); 8.9% total).
- Its hitboxes have altered size (7u (clean hit), 4.5u (late hit) → 5.5u (looping hits), 6u (last hit)), increasing its range compared to the previous late hit, but making the hitboxes smaller than the previous clean hit.
- It auto-cancels slightly later (frame 35 → 37), although it can still auto-cancel in a short hop.
- Due to it hitting multiple times, the launching hit deals less damage (8.5% → 3.5%) with knockback not fully compensated (30 base/104 scaling → 50/140), no longer KOing at realistic percentages.
- It has a lower hitlag multiplier (1× → 0.8×).
- Forward aerial:
- Forward aerial hits six times instead of five, and deals more damage if all hits connect (1.7% (hits 1-4), 3% (hit 5) → 1.4% (hits 1-5), 4.8% (hit 6); total: 9.8% → 11.8%).
- It has lower hitlag multipliers (0.7× → 0.5× (looping hits), 2.2× → 1.5× (last hit)), making it harder to SDI out of.
- The looping hits have different angles (74°/280° → 35°/310°/60°/290°), allowing them to connect better.
- The last hit deals less base knockback (50 → 40), but has more knockback scaling (150 → 154), which alongside its higher damage output improves its combo and KO potential.
- It has slightly more startup lag (frame 10 → 11).
- However, its total duration is unchanged, giving it one frame less ending lag.
- The hits' timings have been altered (frames 10-12, 14-16, 18-20, 22-24, 26 → 11-25 (rehit rate: 3), 27).
- Back aerial:
- Back aerial auto-cancels earlier (frame 48 → 38), allowing it to auto-cancel in a short hop.
- The last hit always sends behind Pikachu, making it easier to combo and edgeguard with.
- The looping hits have larger hitboxes (3.5u/3.5u → 4.2u/4.2u), allowing them to connect better.
- The last hit has less knockback scaling (180 → 160), increasing its combo potential, but reducing its KO potential.
- It hits six times instead of eight with its damage compensated (0.8% (hits 1-7), 3% (hit 8) → 1% (hits 1-5), 3.6% (hit 6)) and its animation has been sped up.
- This drastically reduces its ending lag (FAF 59 → 44), significantly improving its combo potential to the point it can combo into itself several times at low percents.
- However, this shortens the duration of its hitboxes (frames 4-33 → 4-25).
- It has an altered ending animation, with Pikachu spreading out its limbs while in a more upright position.
- Up aerial:
- Up aerial's clean hit deals more damage (5%/4% → 6%/5%) with no compensation on knockback, allowing it to KO at very high percents.
- Down aerial:
- Down aerial has gained a clean hit during its first two active frames, which deals more damage (12% → 13%) and meteor smashes opponents (361° → 270°), with knockback not properly compensated (20 base/84 scaling → 16/86). This allows it to start combos onstage and improves Pikachu's edgeguarding ability.
- Due to this clean hitbox being smaller (5.7u → 5.5u), the move's range on startup is reduced.
Throws and other attacks
- Grabs:
- Standing grab has a larger hitbox (3.1u → 4u), slightly increasing its range despite extending slightly less far horizontally (Z2 offset: 8.1u → 7.9u).
- All grabs have more startup (frame 6/8/9 (standing/dash/pivot) → 7/11/12) and ending lag (FAF 28/35/33 → 37/45/40).
- Dash and pivot grab do not extend as far horizontally (Z2 offset: 9.8u → 9u (dash), 13.4u → 12.7u (pivot)), reducing their range.
- Pikachu grabs the opponent with one hand instead of two.
- Pummel:
- Pummel deals more hitlag (3 frames → 12), but has less startup (frame 3 → 1) and significantly less ending lag (FAF 16 → 6), slightly shortening its duration.
- It deals less damage (1.9% → 1%).
- When pummeling, Pikachu headbutts the victim as well instead of just using electricity.
- Forward throw:
- Forward throw no longer has any hitlag, executing faster as a result.
- Back throw:
- Back throw releases the opponent faster (frame 31 → 26), with its total duration unchanged. This increases its ending lag and shortens the distance Pikachu moves back before throwing, making it less effective for setting up edgeguards, while still giving the opponent enough time to DI.
- The throw's speed is no longer weight-dependent.
- Up throw:
- Up throw deals more damage (1% → 3% (hit 1), 3% → 5% (throw), 4% → 8% total) with knockback scaling not fully compensated (150 → 129), granting it KO potential at around 170%.
- The first hit deals knockback to bystanders, rather than simply damaging them, making the move safer to use in doubles play.
- Its increased knockback reduces its combo potential, especially into Thunder.
- Down throw:
- Down throw inflicts 9 frames of hitlag on the opponent upon release. While making it easier to DI, this noticeably improves its combo potential.
- The first hit is coded to disappear on the same frame it comes out. As a result, the throw deals less damage (8% → 5%) and no longer hits bystanders, but oddly enough, Pikachu and the thrown opponent still experience hitlag from the first hit.
- It launches at a slightly more vertical angle (80° → 83°).
- Edge attack:
- Edge attack deals more damage (7% → 9%).
- It has increased intangibility (frames 1-20 → 1-25).
- It has more ending lag (FAF 54 → 56).
Special moves
- Thunder Jolt:
- Thunder Jolt has less ending lag (FAF 58 → 52).
- It has less base knockback (25 → 18 (grounded), 45 → 35 (aerial)).
- It has negative shield damage (0 → -2.5/-2/-1.5/-1 (grounded), -1.9 (aerial)).
- Skull Bash:
- Skull Bash deals marginally more damage when uncharged (6.1714% → 6.2%) and has more knockback scaling at all charges (62 → 78).
- It has less ending lag it if doesn't hit an opponent (FAF 81 → 75).
- If the move hits an opponent, it causes Pikachu to bounce back in a recoil animation with much less ending lag (FAF 45 → 22), even if the opponent shields it, making it safer to use.
- Quick Attack:
Quick Attack no longer has RCO lag.- Pikachu's body no longer stretches as much during the move, which means opponents cannot hit Pikachu by attacking the space above it.
- Quick Attack cancelling is no longer possible, hindering Pikachu's approach options, especially from the ledge.
- It has an angle indicator to telegraph Pikachu's trajectory. This may help prevent missed directional inputs, but makes Pikachu's movement more predictable.
- Thunder:
- Thunder's discharge has more knockback scaling (66 → 77), improving its KO potential.
- The meteor smash at the cloud deals set knockback (74 base/60 scaling → 55 base/125 set/60 scaling), allowing it to connect more consistently into the discharge.
- When struck by the bolt, Pikachu glows a bright yellow while flashing a dark tint, much like its depiction in the Pokémon anime.
- Volt Tackle:
- Volt Tackle involves Pikachu dashing forward quickly while surrounded by a ball of electricity. If this initial attack connects, Pikachu traps the opponent in place and speeds around the stage at different angles, racking up damage before launching opponents with an electric blast at the end of the move.
- Volt Tackle is easier to control, requiring only a single button press rather than having to control Pikachu's slippery movement.
- Pikachu can no longer chase down opponents if the initial attack misses, and may self-destruct if initiated too close to the edge.