Rosalina & Luma (SSB4)

Rosalina & Luma; in Super Smash Bros. 4
	;
Universe	Mario
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Power Star
Tier	S (3)

This article is about Rosalina & Luma's appearances in Super Smash Bros. 4. For the character in other contexts, see Rosalina and Luma (species).

“	Rosalina & Luma Launch into Battle!	”
—Introduction Tagline

Rosalina & Luma (ロゼッタ&チコ, Rosetta & Chiko), known simply as Rosalina (ロゼッタ, Rosetta) in the customization menu and the Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS foldout, are a newcomer duo for Super Smash Bros. 4 consisting of Rosalina and a Luma. The player primarily controls Rosalina, with additional moves and inputs to control the Luma's position and attacks, hence giving the duo a "puppet fighter" playstyle. They were announced on December 18th, 2013 during a Nintendo Direct, which coincided with Rosalina's reveal in Mario Kart 8. Rosalina & Luma are the first newcomer announced after E3 2013, as well as a new Mario representative alongside Bowser Jr. Rosalina is voiced by Kerri Kane. Rosalina's proportions are based upon her appearances in Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2, although her light blue dress now has new star-shaped aesthetics and her high heels are the same shade of light blue as her dress instead of being silver.

Luma (チコ, Chiko) is a member of the star-shaped species of the same name that is under the care of Rosalina. It affectionately refers to her as its "mama". It works with Rosalina similarly to how Nana works with Popo, but is never controlled by the AI, even when separated from Rosalina. When it respawns after being KO'd, it can be replaced by a Luma of a different color, including yellow, blue, green, red, cream (which appears similar to Baby Luma), and dark brown (who is actually Polari).

Attributes

Rosalina follows an archetype previously set by characters such as Mewtwo and Zelda in that, despite her tall frame, she is very light. In fact, Rosalina is one of the lightest characters in the game, only being heavier than four characters (or five characters if Shulk is taken into consideration while he is under the effect of his Smash Monado Art). She has a slightly above average dashing speed and average air speed, giving her surprisingly good mobility compared to the other characters in her archetype. Her falling speed is one of the slowest in the game, causing her to be a very floaty character.

Rosalina is also similar to characters like the Ice Climbers and Olimar in that she is allied with another character, with her case seeing her teamed with a Luma. Luma can remain next to Rosalina to attack with her or it can be sent away with Luma Shot to attack from a distance. This allows Rosalina numerous possibilities to attack opponents, as she can essentially create combos by "pinballing" opponents back and forth between her and Luma. Luma responds to player inputs like Nana of the Ice Climbers, but it also functions on a health points (HP) system like Olimar's Pikmin, and will disappear if it is dealt 50%, essentially making Luma a blend between the two. Unlike either, Rosalina cannot summon it back, which forces her to wait for thirteen seconds until another Luma appears. Luma also can not experience status effects such as stunning or sleep, so if Rosalina happens to find herself put under a status effect that renders her unable to move or attack, Luma can still attack and fend off opponents, making it very difficult to punish Rosalina in these scenarios as long as Luma is with her.

While being a primarily defensive-minded character, Rosalina has several offensive options that allow her to rack up damage if given the opportunity. Rosalina's dash attack is one of the best in the game and is great for approaching opponents due to its outstanding priority. She also has many attacks with disjointed hitboxes, most notably each of her aerials, which are also very useful for racking up damage. Her neutral aerial, when timed correctly, can be a useful punishing option. Her forward aerial holds the opponent in, hits multiple times and syncs well with her down throw much like Ness', although it is somewhat situational due to its considerable ending lag. Her back aerial is quick and can be used in a wide range of scenarios, such as ledge-guarding. Her up aerial is one of her most effective attacks and is among the best moves in the game, as it possesses fantastic range, can easily be chained into itself and can KO off the top of some stages at very low percents when used properly. Her down aerial is one of the weaker meteor smashes in the game, however, it can still see use for ledge-guarding.

She is also gifted with a good set of smash attacks. Her forward smash, assuming Luma is next to her, is very quick and possesses a large amount of range, making it very useful to finish off opponents. Her up smash is also quick and, while it possesses less range, it is still a great KOing option regardless. Her down smash has a very different use in that it is very useful for throwing opponents off of her and proper usage of it can make it very hard for opponents to stay on her. Luma can also preform all of its smash attacks away from Rosalina so, in a scenario where it is not safe to approach the opponent to KO, Rosalina still can attempt to KO by sending Luma out.

Perhaps the biggest positive trait Rosalina has is that, when used properly, she is practically immune to projectiles via Gravitational Pull. This move causes Rosalina to absorb and completely nullify any projectile near her, but the move itself deals no damage, although she gains projectile ownership as they are being absorbed. In addition, the move has very fast start-up (frame 2) and very little ending lag, making it very difficult for an opponent to punish her for using it. This makes Rosalina a very useful character to use against projectile-reliant characters such as Villager, as their over-reliance on projectiles causes them to have a difficult time fighting her with proper use of Gravitational Pull. The move can also see use in gimping certain recoveries, with the best example of this being Ness and Lucas' PK Thunder, as Rosalina can absorb the projectile before they can use it to recover and render them helpless as a result. In addition to Gravitational Pull, Luma can also be used as a shield for projectiles, however, this comes at the cost of depleting its HP.

Rosalina also has access to a unique advanced technique called "lunar landing". If Rosalina inputs her neutral, up or forward aerial attacks right as she lands, the aerial will not come out and she will land with zero landing lag, but Luma will continue performing with the aerial, allowing for more mix-ups, potential follow-ups and mind games. However, lunar landing requires Luma in order to actually be performed. Their dash grab also has a similar occurrence, where if Rosalina performs a dash attack and instantly grabs, Rosalina will perform a dash grab while Luma will dash attack. This makes their dash grab a lot safer, and means they can deal an extra 3% just by landing the grab. When coupled with Rosalina's good set of throws, these traits give her and Luma even greater mix-up potential, as well as more approaching and punishing options.

Despite all of her strengths, Rosalina has a few significant weaknesses. Her large frame sometimes makes it very hard to avoid attacks and her low weight causes her to be very susceptible to early KOs. While Launch Star provides very good recovery, it lacks any sort of hitbox, making her vulnerable to meteor smashes. Her biggest flaw, however, is that she is drastically weakened without Luma. Her attacks sans Luma possess some of the worst knockback in the game and their strength is drastically reduced. While Luma will appear again, the thirteen seconds it takes can be more than enough time for the opponent to land a combo or score a KO on Rosalina. As a result, players must learn to protect not just Rosalina, but Luma as well, making them rather difficult to play with. Further faults to both Rosalina & Luma were also brought about via game updates, though despite receiving many nerfs from the patches, they have a great standing in the metagame and have been fairly successful in competitive play (such as Dabuz making it to Grand Finals of GENESIS 3). Rosalina & Luma are currently ranked 3rd on the tier list, but they have below average representation due to their learning curve and very defensive playstyle.

Update history

Both Rosalina & Luma have been nerfed via game updates, with the most notable occurrence being in 1.0.4. This update saw some of her attacks receive nerfs to their damage and knockback and decreased sizes to some of their hitboxes, while Luma's respawn time was increased and saw it lose the ability to attack opponents when they throw Rosalina (although it retained its ability to attack them during grabs). The changes to game mechanics also seem to nerf Rosalina: if Luma is sent flying, due to the reduced power in her attacks, hitlag will not possibly work significantly unlike if Luma attacked alongside her, as well as being harder for her to punish out of shield. As a result, the duo are slightly more balanced than they were in the initial release of the game, although they are still a force to be reckoned with in the current metagame.

1.0.4

Luma's respawn time increased: 8 seconds → 13.
Luma can no longer attack if Rosalina is being thrown, though it still can during grabs.
Down tilt hits one frame later: 4-8 → 5-8.
Down tilt's first and second hitboxes' radii decreased: 3.5 → 3.2 (hit 1), 3 → 2.5 (hit 2).
Forward smash's knockback scaling decreased: 115 → 111.
Up smash's knockback scaling decreased: 100 → 90.
Up smash's hitbox 0 radius decreased: 5.0 → 4.0.
Luma's up smash's hitbox radius increased: 4.0 → 5.5.
Luma's late up smash deals 1% more damage: 4% → 5%.
Neutral aerial deals less damage: 6% (early), 10% (late) → 5% (early), 7.5% (late).
Neutral aerial's hitbox radii decreased: 5.0, 3.5 → 4.2, 3.0.
Neutral aerial's hitbox x-offsets decreased: 4.5, -1.5 → 3.0, -2.0.
Forward aerial's loop hits' base knockback decreased: 20/35 → 55.
Forward aerial's last hit's base knockback decreased: 60 → 50.
Forward throw's base knockback decreased: 85 → 76.
Back throw's base knockback decreased: 70 → 60.
Uncharged Luma Shot's distance decreased by about two thirds.
Luma moves faster when summoned from a distance.

1.0.6

Luma's health points decreased: 52 HP → 47.

1.0.8

Luma's health points increased: 47 HP → 50.
Neutral infinite's last hit's knockback scaling decreased: 170 → 150.

1.1.1

Neutral infinite deals 0.3% less damage: 2% → 1.7%.
Floaty Star Bit's ending lag decreased.
Guardian Luma's ending lag decreased by 1 frame.
Guardian Luma's hitboxes have some changes.

Moveset

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			R: 2% L: 2%	R: Swings her wand twice followed by emitting a spark of energy between her hands. Alternatively, the first two wand swings can be followed by a series of wand strikes that culminate in a final wand strike. L: A punch followed by a kick followed by a backflip kick. Alternatively, the punch and kick can be followed by a series of rapidly twirling punches that culminate with a corkscrewing headbutt. Ideal to harass and zone against opponents. Good for punishing moves against attacks that have little ending lag. Can be used to put space between opponents. If spaced and timed correctly, it can deal up to 30%.
			R: 1% L: 2%
			R: 3% L: 4%
			R: 2% (loop), 3% (last) L: 1.2% (loop), 3% (last)
Forward tilt			R: 6% (leg), 5% (body) L: 4.3%	R: Roundhouse kicks with both legs while floating. Disjointed range and knockback. L: Performs a roundhouse kick. Medium to short range. High range and decent knockback when combined. Can be used to zone and edge-guard opponents. However, it leaves Luma vulnerable above as it has high ending lag.
Up tilt			R: 8% L: 8% (clean), 4% (mid), 3% (late)	R: Floats straight up and emits a planetary ring that rises up from her head. Hits through platforms. L: An upward headbutt. Hitbox comes out fast. When combined, it is more useful to disrupt aerial and approaching opponent, even though opponents with long range can hit Rosalina and Luma out of this attack. Luma deals high base knockback, but low knockback scaling, which does not KO until 140%.
Down tilt			R: 4.5% L: 3.5%	R: Dropkicks along the ground. L: Headbutts at a downward angle. Good for spacing and edge-guarding due to its speed, especially when combined. Luma can semi-spike opponents.
Dash attack			R: 3% (hit 1), 4% (hit 2) L: 3%	R: Lunges through the air while emitting stardust above her head, ramming the enemy with her head and body. Difficult to interrupt. L: Performs a similar lunging headbutt, except that it backflips at the end of performing it. Ideal for suprising opponents and can re-position Luma to make Rosalina advance in good distance.
Forward smash			R: 12% L: 7% (arm), 5% (body)	R: A double palm thrust that emits a spiral galaxy-shaped blast. Does not KO until 110%. L: Performs a powerful punch. Can KO at 95%. Decent range, high knockback and has transcendent priority, it can KO at 90% when combined. Ideal for edge-guarding and gimping, but has slow start-up.
Up smash			R: 12% L: 6% (clean), 5% (late)	R: Performs a backward-arcing headbutt. Comes out very fast and has a hitbox on her back. Has intangibility on her head. L: Performs a backflip kick. Good knockback, though it does not KO until 130%. Comes out 10% later than Rosalina. Great knockback if spaced correctly. Can be used to surprise opponents that comes to her and punish rolling opponents.
Down smash			R: 7% (hit 1), 9% (hit 2) L: 4% (hit 1), 5% (hit 2)	R: A spinning shin kick that hits on both sides, similarly to Zelda's down smash. However, Rosalina emits spiral galaxy-shaped blasts on both sides. L: A spinning kick that hits backward and then forward. Inescapable damage at low percents and ideal for punishing rolls.
Neutral aerial			R: 5% (early), 7.5% (late) L: 4% (hit 1), 3% (hit 2)	R: Somersaults forward and emits a starry trail of energy at the end of her feet. L: A spinning kick that hits forward and then backward, which looks identical to its down smash. Can be used to surprise an unsuspecting opponent. Sends opponents in the direction where Luma is attacking. Can alternate the timing of the attack to confuse opponents in the process. Ideal for combos, gimping, and edge-guarding, since the player can control its attack trajectory. Less punishable with Luma and useful for mindgames and zoning. Can be used with the "lunar landing" technique, which can lead into many different follow ups, but is best used as an alternate approach option, as Luma will attack around Rosalina while she moves.
Forward aerial			R: 1% (loop hits), 4% (last hit) L: 5%	R: A slow backflip kick that emits a spiral galaxy-shaped blast with a starry trail of energy at her feet. L: Spins in the air. Launches opponents with decent diagonal knockback. Can be used for edge-guarding and anti-aerials, though it aims slightly above the opponent. Although it has high landing lag, this can be mitigated by auto-canceling, but only from a full hop. Can be used in unison with the "lunar landing" technique. Rosalina lands while Luma hits the opponent into the air, which can follow up with up smash at very low percents, and with up aerial at higher percents.
Back aerial			R: 11% L: 4%	R: A double back kick that emits a spiral galaxy-shaped blast at the end of her feet. Comes out fast and put opponents toward the ledge. L: A double back kick. Attacks at two different altitudes with gimping capabilities. Low ending lag and has a disjointed hitbox. Useful for SHFFing, gimping, and edge-guarding. This move can also gain extra milage from the "lunar landing" technique, which can lead into a grab at low percents, and act as a spacing move in a SHFF.
Up aerial			R: 10% (clean), 5% (mid), 2% (late) L: 4%	R: Emits a planetary ring above her head. L: A backflip kick, which hits opponent in front of and above itself. High vertical knockback. One of the most versatile up aerials in the game, its large disjointed hitbox can easily stop attacks above Rosalina and is useful for juggling and frame traps. It also has high KO potential, especially if the opponent is close to the upper blast line.
Down aerial			R: 8% (clean), 7% (mid), 6% (mid-late), 2% (late) L: 5%	R: Emits a planetary ring below herself. L: Stomps downward. Luma's most viable KOing option courtesy of its great knockback. It can hit the opponent even if they are slightly next to Luma instead of directly below it. Though difficult to land, Rosalina can meteor smash opponents when sweetspotted. Even if sourspotted, it results in a semi-spike. Hits through platforms and it is best used to hit opponents below her. Both are useful for gimps and edge-guarding as it sends opponents far.
Grab			—	A relatively long range grab. It is worth noting that Rosalina's dash grab can benefit from Luma's dash attack. Whilst running, inputting a dash attack and instantly grabbing can make Rosalina perform her dash grab, while Luma still performs dash attack. This makes their dash grab safer, and also means they can potentially deal 3% upon landing a dash grab. Works well in unison with the actual dash attack for a 50/50 mix up.
Pummel			2%	Strikes the opponent with her wand. A very fast pummel.
Forward throw			9%	Makes the opponent float in front of her with anti-gravity and flings them forward. Can combo at very low percents.
Back throw			11%	Spins the opponent around her body once with anti-gravity and then tosses them behind herself. Decent knockback.
Up throw			7%	Throws the grabbed opponent into the air with anti-gravity. Ideal for combos against heavier characters and fast-fallers.
Down throw			9%	Bounces the opponent off the ground with anti-gravity. A useful combo starter.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%
Edge attack Edge getups			7%
Neutral special	Default	Luma Shot	5% (stage 1), 9% (stage 2), 10%-11% (stage 3), 13%-14% (stage 4), 15%-16% (stage 5)	Rosalina launches Luma forward. This move is chargeable for more power and range, with a fully charged Luma Shot being capable of KOing middleweights at 103% near the edge. Luma stops after either hitting something or reaching the end of its path. Luma will remain at the place it stopped until it is recalled back to Rosalina by tapping the special button again. Luma will eventually float back to Rosalina's position if it is not recalled after a long enough time and as long as it is above ground. However, Luma will be susceptible to falling into the bottom blast line and thus be KO'd if it is off-stage and not recalled soon enough. Since Luma is involved in this attack, this move will have no effect during Luma's respawn time.
	Custom 1	Luma Warp	1%	Rosalina teleports Luma a set distance away at a much faster speed, but at the cost of a fixed damage output that is noticeably weaker than even the lowest charged Luma Shot.
	Custom 2	Power Luma Shot	33%	Rosalina launches Luma at a much slower speed, though Luma deals much more damage.
Side special	Default	Star Bits	2.8% (per hit) 8.4 (total)	Rosalina commands Luma to shoot three Star Bits forward, which pierce through opponents. Despite the Star Bits' appearance, they are not projectiles, meaning that they cannot be reflected or absorbed. When used in sync with Luma Shot, it can allow Rosalina to keep opponents at bay, although it can also leave her wide open if the opponent gets between her and Luma. Like Luma Shot, this move will have no effect during Luma's respawn time.
	Custom 1	Floaty Star Bit	2.8% (per hit)	Luma shoots a large and slow Star Bit that hits multiple times. The start-up is slightly more sluggish, the Star Bit stays on-screen for a longer period of time and it is a true projectile, which means it can be reflected or absorbed.
	Custom 2	Shooting Star Bit	5%	Luma fires a much faster Star Bit that travels a greater distance, but gets weaker over time and does not pierce through opponents. Like Floaty Star Bit, it is a true projectile, which means it can be reflected or absorbed.
Up special	Default	Launch Star	0%	Rosalina uses a Launch Star, which shoots her upwards at an angle determined by the player. The momentum from this move carries over into her helplessness, which could prove dangerous if one is careless.
	Custom 1	Launch Star Plus	0%	Rosalina uses a more powerful Launch Star to propel her to safety. It offers a quicker ascent, but no angle control.
	Custom 2	Launch Star Attack	3% (first hit), 1% (loop hits), 5% (last hit)	Rosalina uses a Launch Star that grants her less distance, but allows her to damage opponents by colliding into them.
Down special	Default	Gravitational Pull	0%	Rosalina waves her wand around herself, mimicking the Star Cursor from Super Mario Galaxy. The wand waving motion draws in projectiles, orbiting them around herself and damaging anyone who gets too close, and even vacuums nearby items to Rosalina. Furthermore, any items thrown at Rosalina become her property and are also drawn in beside her, rendering them useless as well. This move can also be very effective for gimping characters with recoveries that involve projectiles, such as Ness' PK Thunder 2.
	Custom 1	Catch & Release	6%	Rosalina sucks in opponents instead of projectiles and items, and blows them away with an explosion when they touch her. Unlike Gravitational Pull, Rosalina can be interrupted while performing the move.
	Custom 2	Guardian Luma	3% (growing), 5% (shrinking)	Luma enlarges considerably and functions like a shield. Luma also damages nearby foes, but its newfound size wears off fairly quickly.
Final Smash		Power Star	3% (stars), 8% (Power Star loop), 12% (Power Star last)	Rosalina summons a slowly expanding Power Star to fire stars around it. The Power Star itself can inflict extreme amounts of damage to opponents. Throwing the opponent into the Power Star can cause up to around 250%, potentially turning it into a one-hit KO.

On-screen appearance

Rosalina and Luma enter the battlefield through a cloud of stardust. Upon entry, it is shown that the dust was emitted from Rosalina's wand.

File:Battle Entrance (Rosalina & Luma).jpg

Taunts

Up taunt: Rosalina and Luma lean forward and spin, like a planet on its axis while Luma chirps cheerfully.
Side taunt: Puts her hand on her hip, leans back, waves her wand and says "Mmm hmm!" while Luma nods its head.
Down taunt: Crouches, waves her wand and slowly rises up while Luma dances around.

Up taunt	Side taunt	Down taunt

Idle poses

Leans forward and looks into the distance.
Taps her wand in midair.

Crowd cheer

	English	Japanese
Cheer
Description	Ro-sa-li-na!	Rosetta! Chi-ko!
Pitch	Group chant	Group chant

Victory poses

A slight remix of the orchestrated tune that plays upon collecting a Power Star in Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2. Alternatively, this same tune will play when one first accesses Super Mario Galaxy on its title screen.

Rosalina poses gracefully and says "All right!" while Luma circles her.
Luma flies in after Rosalina motions with her wand while giggling.
Luma jumps into Rosalina's arms and she catches it.

In competitive play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character	Custom sets available
Rosalina & Luma	2311	2313	2321	2323	2111
Rosalina & Luma	2121	2211	2221	1311	2331

Notable players

Active

Inactive

Abadango

Reveal trailer

<youtube>pPdutb_6DZU</youtube>

Trophies

Rosalina & Luma

The mysterious Rosalina lives in the Comet Observatory with the Lumas. In Smash Bros., Rosalina and Luma can fight in different places at the same time. If you can trap someone between Rosalina and Luma, you'll be able to unleash incredible damage with their joined attacks!

The mysterious Rosalina lives in the Comet Observatory with the Lumas. She first traveled with them in search of their mother. In Smash Bros., Rosalina and Luma can fight in different places at the same time. If you can trap someone between Rosalina and Luma, you'll be able to unleash incredible damage!

Rosalina and the Lumas have been close ever since she travelled the galaxy with one to help the little star find its mother. Now, the commander of the Comet Observatory appears in this game, with her trusty companion fighting alongside her. Their greatest strength is being able to attack together at the same time.

: Super Mario Galaxy 11/2007

: Super Mario 3D World 11/2013

Rosalina & Luma (Alt.)

Rosalina can pull in items and projectiles around her with her Gravitational Pull move. Her up special Launch Star is a diagonal jump and, though harmless, it has exceptional range. You also have some control over Rosalina's trajectory when she uses it.

With a flick of Rosalina's wand, the move Gravitational Pull draws in items - even ones that are stuck somewhere. Her Launch Star up special is a diagonal jump that can be aimed slightly. It doesn't deal any damage, but it helps you jump higher and stay in the air longer, making it ideal for getting back to the stage easily.