Aesthetics
As with all veterans returning from SSB4, R.O.B.'s model features a more subdued color scheme. His body has a duller matte finish, and his eyes are less reflective. As a result, he more closely resembles the original peripheral.
R.O.B.'s eye expressions are now seen properly at all times, as in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.- Up and side taunt's animations have been slightly altered:
- During his up taunt, R.O.B. now slightly lifts his arms while spinning.
- During his side taunt, R.O.B. now emits purple flashing sparkles from his eyes instead of white, and he claps twice.
- R.O.B.'s victory animations have been updated to be more expressive:
- The first one where he spins his arms and rotates his head, and flexes his arms while rotating his head, now has him advance forward slowly on the ground while he rotates his hands before performing the rest of his victory pose.
- The second one where he hovers in the air and spins, then lands and rotates his head while continuously lowering and rising his arm base, now has him advance forward before taking off, and he spins twice in quick succession before landing.
- The third one where he turns his head and flashes the lights in his eyes, now has him spin once before vigorously clapping three times while flashing the lights in his eyes in a more exaggerated manner, then continuously slightly rising his arms and clapping, slowly lowering them after each clap.
Attributes
R.O.B.'s character model is smaller. This makes his hurtbox slightly smaller, while keeping his range mostly intact.- R.O.B.'s prone animation has been altered: he lies on the floor compacted instead of straightened. This makes him harder to hit and lock.
- Like all characters, R.O.B.'s jumpsquat animation takes 3 frames to complete (down from 5).
- Double jump animation has been altered: R.O.B. spins horizontally while jumping.
- R.O.B. walks slightly faster (1.122 → 1.178).
- R.O.B. runs faster (1.568 → 1.725).
- His initial dash speed is much faster (1.3 → 2.002).
- R.O.B.'s running animation has been slightly altered: he crouches slightly while running forward. This makes him harder to hit vertically, but easier to hit horizontally.
- R.O.B.'s air speed is slightly higher (1.08 → 1.134).
- R.O.B.'s traction has been increased (0.06 → 0.105).
Forward roll grants less intangibility (frames 4-16 → 4-15).- Back roll has more startup with less intangibility (frames 4-16 → 5-16), and more ending lag (FAF 30 → 35).
- Spot dodge has less ending lag (FAF 27 → 26).
- Air dodge grants more intangibility (frames 3-27 → 3-29).
- Air dodge has more ending lag (FAF 33 → 51).
- The reintroduction of directional air dodges benefits R.O.B. to a larger degree than most other characters, improving his edgeguarding ability without leaving him much more vulnerable to it, due to his flexible aerial game and recovery.
Ground attacks
- Neutral attack:
- The first hit can be held for a consecutive jab.
- Both hits consist of three hitboxes instead of one, which are smaller (3.5u → 2.5u/2.5u/2.8u (hit 1), 3.4u/3.4u/3.6u (hit 2)), but placed farther horizontally (Z offset: 12.5u-4u → 6.5u/10.2u/14.2u (hit 1), 13u-5u → 6.5u/10.5u/14u-15u (hit 2)). This improves their range, properly covering the tips of R.O.B.'s arms.
- The first hit launches at different angles (100° → 361°/180°) to keep opponents on the ground, and has more base knockback (4 → 18/23), but less knockback scaling (70 → 15), in addition to a hitstun modifier of 5 on the two innermost hitboxes. This allows it to jab lock and connect more reliably into the second hit.
- The second hit has a higher hitlag multiplier (1× → 2×), making it easier to DI.
- Forward tilt:
- Forward tilt deals more damage (5%/6%/8% → 7%/8%/10%).
- It has more base knockback (30 → 48), but less knockback scaling (100 → 77). This makes the move safer on hit at low percentages, while still slightly improving its KO power due to its increased damage.
- Due to the changes to jostle mechanics, the sourspot is harder to land compared to the middlespot and sweetspot, despite having its priority changed to be higher than theirs.
- It uses stationary hitboxes rather than connecting them to R.O.B.'s arm.
- Up tilt:
- R.O.B. no longer faces the screen directly during the move, much like his taunts.
- Dash attack:
- Dash attack has less ending lag (FAF 36 → 32), improving its combo potential in combination with R.O.B.'s faster jumpsquat.
- Forward smash:
- Forward smash has more knockback scaling (100 → 105 (sweetspot)/110 (middlespot, sourspot)), improving its KO potential.
- The sweetspot and middlespot are extended farther horizontally (Z offset: 12u/22u → 14u/24u (non-angled), 11.3u/21.2u → 13.3u/23.2u (angled)), making them easier to land.
- It has an altered charging animation where R.O.B. lifts his arms and doesn't lean forward, better resembling its charging animation from Brawl. This gives R.O.B. a more favorable hurtbox placement while charging the move.
- It starts charging earlier (frame 10 → 7).
- Down smash:
- The first two hits' hitboxes remain static at R.O.B.'s sides, instead of following his arms as he spins, improving the consistency of their range.
- The first two hits have less knockback (30 base/40 scaling → 20/20), allowing them to connect more reliably.
- It starts charging later (frame 2 → 4), making it less likely to be charged on accident and thus delayed.
- The move only hits three times instead of five, reducing its total damage up close despite the first two hits dealing more damage (2% (hits 1-4 base)/1.5% (hits 1-4 tip) → 3.5% (hits 1-2 base)/3% (hits 1-2 tip); 13%/11% total → 12%/11%).
- The first two hits have a shorter duration with gaps between them (frames 7-14 → 7-8, 11-12), no longer using a rehit rate.
Aerial attacks
- All aerials have less landing lag (12 → 7 frames (neutral), 15 → 9 (forward), 22 → 13 (back, up), 21 → 12 (down).
- Neutral aerial:
- Neutral aerial has less startup with a longer hitbox duration (frames 18-32 → 14-32).
- It deals more damage (8%/6% → 9.5%/7.5%) with knockback not fully compensated (50 base/100/98 scaling → 48/52 base/90/83 scaling), slightly improving its KO potential, while still having increased combo potential due to its lower landing lag.
- The sourspot takes priority over the sweetspot. As a result, the sourspot is easier to land for combos up to higher percents, but the sweetspot requires more precise spacing to be landed.
- Forward aerial:
- Forward aerial has a longer hitbox duration (frames 6-7 → 6-8).
- Back aerial:
- Back aerial deals more damage (12%/10% → 15/13% (clean), 6%/4.5% → 9%/7.5% (late)) with knockback not fully compensated (32 base/100 scaling → 41/35 base/87/83 scaling (clean), 30 base/100 scaling → 35 base/76/74 scaling (late)). This noticeably improves its KO potential, with the clean sweetspot KOing at around 115% from the center of Final Destination.
- The late hit has a longer duration (frames 24-29 → 24-32).
- Up aerial:
- The last hit has less startup with a longer duration (frame 26 → frames 23-24), allowing it to connect better from the previous hits.
- However, the move's total duration remains unchanged, increasing its ending lag.
- Down aerial:
- Down aerial grants more vertical momentum upon on startup (0.1 → 0.7), improving its edgeguarding ability, and allowing R.O.B. to use it closer to the ground without landing before it comes out.
- R.O.B. faces further forward when performing the move.
Throws and other attacks
- Grabs:
- All grabs have more ending lag (FAF 31 → 38 (standing), FAF 38 → 46 (dash), FAF 37 → 41 (pivot)).
- Standing and pivot grab have less startup (frame 7 → 6 (standing), frame 11 → 10 (pivot)).
- Standing grab has more range (Z2 offset: 10.6u → 11.6u).
- Dash and pivot grab have less range (Z2 offset: 12.7u → 12.2u (dash), -18.1u → -17.3u (pivot).
- Pummel:
- R.O.B. has a new pummel: he headbutts the opponent instead of squeezing them in his grip.
- It deals more hitlag (4 frames → 14), but has less startup (frame 2 → 1) and much less ending lag (FAF 17 → 7), shortening its effective duration by one frame.
- It deals less damage (2% → 1.3%).
- Forward throw:
- R.O.B. has a new forward throw: he throws the opponent overhead with one arm.
- It releases the opponent later (frame 7 → 11) with its total duration unchanged, reducing its ending lag. Compounded with R.O.B.'s faster initial dash, this grants the move combo potential at low percents.
- Back throw:
- It has an altered animation: R.O.B. turns to face the direction in which he threw the opponent, and his arms performs a full spin around.
- Up throw:
- Up throw releases the opponent earlier (frame 65 → 58) with its total duration unchanged, increasing its ending lag. This hinders its combo ability past low percents, although it is somewhat compensated by R.O.B.'s faster jumpsquat.
- Down throw:
- Down throw buries opponents, much like Banjo & Kazooie and King K. Rool's down throws.
- The throw's bury effect allows for more read-based followups, including up tilt and up aerial, and gives R.O.B. more reliable KO setups into up smash and up aerial at high percents, effectively substituting his "Beep Boop" setup from Smash 4.
- It deals half as much damage (10% → 5%).
- It has more ending lag (FAF 66 → 76). Combined with the move's bury effect and lower damage, this significantly hinders its combo potential from low to mid percents, as opponents can mash fast enough to escape before R.O.B. is able to initiate another attack.
Special moves
- Robo Beam:
- Super Robo Beam deals significantly more damage (10% → 15%).
- Both stages of Robo Beam have larger hitboxes (1.5u → 2u (Robo Beam), 3u → 3.5u (Super Robo Beam)) that are placed farther horizontally (Z offset: 0u → 3u (Robo Beam), 2u (Super Robo Beam)). Super Robo Beam's hitbox also extends backward after its first three active frames (Z offset: 0u → 2u–-16u), covering the beam's tail.
- Both stages launch opponents at lower angles (80° → 60° (Robo Beam), 60° → 45° (Super Robo Beam)), improving their effectiveness for edgeguarding.
- Both stages deal negative shield damage (0 → -2.2 (Robo Beam), -3.7 (Super Robo Beam)).
- Super Robo Beam has much less knockback scaling (70 → 43), hindering its KO potential despite its increased damage, unless it hits near the edge.
- Super Robo Beam's graphic is flashier.
- Arm Rotor:
- The move has less startup (frame 16 → 13) and ending lag (FAF 106-133 → 86-108), improving its safety and utility as a followup option, especially to KO offstage. It also reflects projectiles faster (frame 16 → 13).
- The looping hits use set knockback (20 base/70 scaling → 40/50 set/65/70 scaling), an autolink angle (120°/145°/145°/361° → 367°), and have a much lower hitlag multiplier (0.7× → 0.2×). Additionally, the move in general has slightly larger hitboxes (3.3u/3.3u/4.3u/3.3u → 4.5u/4u/3.3u/3.3u (looping hits), 5.5u → 6u (last hit)), and the last hit extends further inward (Z offset: -4u–14u → -4.5u–14u). These changes allow the move to connect significantly more reliably, make it harder to escape from, and increase its range behind R.O.B., increasing the move's reliability.
- Akin to its Brawl counterpart, Arm Rotor has much less horizontal maneuverability on the ground.
- The looping hits deal more damage (1% → 1.5%), but have a slower rehit rate (3 frames → 5), reducing the move's damage output if all hits connect (16%-25% → 10.5%-18%).
- However, it still racks up more damage overall when extended, due to its significantly improved linking ability.
- The last hit has a lower hitlag multiplier (3.4× → 2.4×).
- The last hit has a more exaggerated animation.
- Robo Burner:
- Robo Burner's fuel has a longer duration (~110 frames → 143).
- It can be canceled by a double jump or air dodge, should these options be available. In combination with the aforementioned buff, this further improves R.O.B.'s recovery, allowing him to avoid edgeguards more effectively and get additional distance with a directional air dodge.
- The move has new particle effects.
- R.O.B. has a gauge on his chassis that shows how much fuel he has left. The gauge is split into three pieces, and changes color as each piece is emptied, going from light blue to yellow, then to red.
- Gyro:
- Like other charge-cancelable moves, Gyro can be canceled by spot dodging or jumping.
- If R.O.B. grabs a Gyro he's previously thrown or dropped, it can be returned to its dock and charged again. This allows him to store his Gyro in a similar manner to Pocket, reducing the opportunity for his opponents to use it against him, and allowing him to keep up pressure with it for a longer period of time.
- It deals less damage when thrown as an item (8.9%-11% → 6.7%-7.9% (forward)).
- It deals less shield damage.
- Final Smash:
- R.O.B. has a new Final Smash called Guided Robo Beam, in which he fires multiple small red beams that ricochet and home in on enemies, before firing a larger green beam that enlarges at the last second. This is an improvement over Super Diffusion Beam, as it is much easier to hit opponents.