Overview
Shulk's neutral special in SSB4 is Monado Arts. Each hit of the special button will show one of five different Arts: Jump, Speed, Shield, Buster, and Smash, in that order. When an Art is shown (but not yet activated), all inputs of the special button will switch to the next Art, regardless of directional inputs; this allows Shulk to move while selecting Arts without being interrupted by his other special attacks, such as Back Slash. This move has the unique property of being usable even while in hitstun.
An Art will activate after roughly one second with no special-button inputs, and when it does, it will last for 16 seconds, though it can be deactivated early by pressing the special button three times in quick succession with no directional inputs. However, once an Art deactivates, the player must wait 10 seconds before it becomes available again. Shulk strikes a pose when an Art activates, and each pose can be cancelled at any point. These poses also cancel the landing lag of his aerials and air dodge, which enables an advanced technique called Monado Art Landing Lag Canceling.
Each Art has its own distinct set of positives and drawbacks, as listed below:
| Monado Art | Colour | Effects |
|---|---|---|
| Jump | Green |  Increased jump force +50% air speed +22% falling speed +22% damage taken
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| Speed | Blue | +70% walking speed +70% dashing speed +30% air speed Decreased jump force -20% damage dealt Less knockback dealt
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| Shield | Yellow | -33% damage taken -22% knockback taken -50% shield damage taken -30% damage dealt Less knockback dealt Decreased jump force -40% walking speed -40% dashing speed -40% air speed
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| Buster | Purple | +40% damage dealt -32% knockback dealt +13% damage taken
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| Smash | Red | +18% knockback dealt -50% damage dealt +7% knockback taken
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