Southern California, abbreviated as SoCal, is a Smash region located in the United States. "SoCal" is generally defined to include the southern half of the state of California, centered on the Los Angeles and San Diego metropolitan areas. It deliberately excludes Northern California and the San Francisco Bay Area, as the state's large size has resulted in the development of largely separate Smash scenes in its two halves.
Since the inception of competitive Melee, Southern California has been home to one of the largest and most active Smash scenes. This can be attributed to the huge population of the Los Angeles area, as well as its prominent air hub and heavy usage of the automobile facilitating transportation to tournaments. SoCal has long been considered the strongest Melee in the world, home to both Ken, one of the strongest and most iconic players of the pre-Brawl era, and Mango, one of the Five Gods. The region is also known as one of the strongest Smash 4 regions, and was considered the second-strongest Brawl region in the United States (after the Tristate Area) during the game's competitive lifetime. Fueled by its large population, SoCal is home to some of the U.S.'s largest tournament activity, hosting both frequent locals and large nationals. It is one of the two strongest regions for Project M as well (the other being the Tristate Area), having numerous national threats.
See also: SoCal Power Rankings and Category:Southern California smashers
Super Smash Bros.
Notable players
Globally ranked players
These SoCal players are ranked on SSB64 League's 2018 64 League Rankings
| 64 League ranking | Name | Characters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | Hero Pie |    |
|
| 22 | Cobr |   |
|
| 40 | Janitor |  |
|
| 54 | Bard | |
Ranked in both SoCal and NorCal. |
Other notable players
- D35 : Formerly ranked 61st on the 2016 64 League Rankings.
- Kyle Tree : Formerly ranked 33rd on the 2016 64 League Rankings.
- Near : Formerly ranked 44th on the 2016 64 League Rankings.
- SotoH : Formerly ranked 53rd on the 2016 64 League Rankings.
- Wookiee : Formerly ranked 46th on the 2016 64 League Rankings and also a tournament organizer for the Snosa series.
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Notable players
Globally ranked players
These SoCal players are ranked on the 2019 MPGR.
| SSBMRank | Name | Characters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Mango |   |
One of the Five Gods of Melee; considered the best player in the world at various stages of his career, with EVO 2013 and EVO 2014 championships under his belt. |
| 11 | S2J |  |
One of the best Captain Falcon players in the world. |
| 12 | Fiction |  |
|
| 13 | SFAT | |
Originally from Northern California, but currently lives in SoCal. He is considered to be one of the best Foxes in the country; also known for teaming with PewPewU, forming one of the most dominant doubles teams in the world. |
| 17 | Captain Faceroll |  |
|
| 20 | Lucky | |
One of the best Fox players for a good portion of Melee's history. |
| 26 | ARMY |  |
|
| 31 | Westballz | |
One of the best Falco players in the United States. |
| 33 | Mike Haze | |
Also known as a top Marth player in Brawl and a veteran tournament director for the region. |
| 46 | HugS |  |
One of the best Samus players in the world. |
| 61 | Nut | |
|
| 67 | Squid | |
|
| 70 | KoDoRiN |  |
|
| 75 | Kurv |  |
|
| 82 | Franz |  |
Currently the best Dr. Mario player in the world. |
| 88 | Zeo | |
Other top players
- CDK : Formerly ranked 46th on the 2016 SSBMRank.
- DieSuperFly : Known as a top Sheik in the pre-Brawl era, ranking 10th on the 2005 RetroSSBMRank.
- Eddy Mexico : While technically residing in Mexico, he frequently attends events in SoCal and was formerly ranked 16th on the SoCal Melee Power Rankings.
- Fly Amanita : Considered among the best Ice Climbers mains in the world; formerly ranked 11th on the SoCal Power Rankings and 30th on the 2015 SSBMRank.
- Jace
- Ken : Considered the best player in the world from 2003-2006, earning him the nickname "The King of Smash". Formerly ranked 87th on the 2016 SSBMRank.
- Lego
- MegaXmas
- MoJoe
- null
- Recipherus : Ranked 2nd on the 2001-2003 RetroSSBMRank. Won Snexus 2, Tournament Go 3, and IVGF Northwest Regionals.
- Smashdaddy : Formerly ranked 86th on the 2018 MPGR.
- Vavez
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Notable players
Globally ranked players
See also: SoCal Power Rankings and Category:Southern California smashers
The following players were ranked on CLASH Tournaments' 2014 SSBBRank.
| SSBBRank | Name | Characters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Tyrant |  |
Considered the best player on the West Coast and one of the best Meta Knights in the country in Brawl's later stages. |
| 17 | Larry Lurr |   |
The best Falco in the United States, famous for winning Apex 2010; previously known as DEHF. |
| 28 | Rich Brown |  |
One of the best Olimars in the United States. Currently ranked 11th on the 2016-2017 SSBBRank. |
| 38 | SlayerZ |   |
Considered one of the best Peach players in the United States. |
| 46 | mikeHAZE |  |
The best Marth main in the United States; also known as a prominent tournament director in SoCal. |
| 63 | Tearbear | |
Known as one of the best players on the West Coast during his prime from 2010-2011. |
| 82 | K9 | |
Originally from Arizona, but has also lived in SoCal. |
Other top players
- DSF : Known as one of the best players in United States when he was active in Brawl's early days, with notable placings such as 1st at AxisGaming.
- Fiction
: The best Wario player in the world in Brawl's early days, ranking 6th on the 2009 RetroSSBBRank.
Super Smash Bros. 4
Notable players
Globally ranked players
These players are ranked on Panda Global Rankings 100.
| PG ranking | Name | Characters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Larry Lurr |  |
The best Fox main of all time and one of the best players in the world. |
| 11 | VoiD |  |
Known as the current best Sheik player and one of the best players in the world. |
| 27 | Elegant |  |
The best Luigi player in the world. |
| 29 | falln |  |
One of the best Rosalina & Luma players in the world. |
| 47 | Armando |   |
One of the best Meta Knight players in the world and the best Falco in the world. |
| 52 | Rich Brown |  |
One of the three best Mewtwo players in the United States and among the best in the world. |
| 61 | Zenyou |  |
One of the best and most technical Mario players in the world. |
| 62 | K9sbruce |  |
One of the best Diddy Kong and Sheik players in SoCal. |
| 64 | Tyrant | |
One of the best Meta Knight players in the world. |
| 67 | Charliedaking | |
One of the best Fox players in the world. |
| 98 | Eon | |
One of the best Fox players in the world. |
Other top players
- Mr. ConCon : The best Luigi player in the world prior to patch 1.1.1.
- Nicko
: One of the two best Shulk players in the world. - Tearbear
: Formerly ranked 50th on the Panda Global Rankings v1.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Notable players
Globally ranked players
These players are ranked on Panda Global's Fall 2019 PGRU.
| PG ranking | Name | Characters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | Elegant |  |
The best Luigi player in the world. |
| 36 | Nicko |  |
One of the two best Shulk players in the world. |
| 38 | VoiD |    |
One of the two best Sheik players in the world, as well as one of the best Pichu players. |
Other top players
- Charliedaking
: One of the best Wolf players in the world. - Larry Lurr
: One of the best Wolf and Falco players in the world. - Razo
: One of the best Peach players in the United States. - T3 DOM
: Currently the best Richter player in the world. - Nito
: One of the best Ken players in the United States.
Project M
Notable Players
Globally Ranked Players
These players were ranked on the PMRank 2019.
| PMRank | Name | Characters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | Yung Quaff |  |
One of the best Meta Knight players in the world. |
| 21 | Sneez |   |
One of the best R.O.B. players in the world. |
| 30 | Tealz | |
|
| 35 | Nezergy |  |
One of the best Mr. Game & Watch players in the world. |
| 40 | Sabre | |
One of the best Ivysaur players in the world. |
| 42 | Dumshiny |  |
The best King Dedede player in the world. |
Other notable players
- Aero : Formerly ranked 27th on the PMRank 2016.
- Aion
: Formerly ranked 42nd on the PMRank 2016. - Blank : The best Zero Suit Samus player in the world, being formerly ranked 8th on the PMRank 2018.
- Dr.
: The best active Zelda player in the world. - iPunchKidsz
: The best Lucario player in the world prior to becoming inactive, formerly ranking 15th on the PMRank 2016. - Jason Waterfalls : Formerly ranked 38th on the PMRank 2016.
- Jose V
: One of the best Ness players in the world, being formerly ranked 38th on the PMRank 2018. - LoyaL : Formerly ranked 47th on the PMRank 2017.
- Lucky
- Machiavelli : The best Ivysaur player in the world prior to becoming inactive, being formerly ranked 26th on the PMRank 2016.
- Red Ranger
: The best Ganondorf player in the world. - Sosa : The best Project M player in the world, and, by extension, the best Wario player in the world prior to his hiatus.
- Venom
: One of the best Captain Falcon players in the world, being formerly ranked 25th on the PMRank 2016. - Westballz
- YadoR
: The best Kirby player in the world. - Zenokids