Assist Trophy
AssistTrophyWiiU.png
The Assist Trophy as it appears in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe Super Smash Bros.
Appears in Brawl
SSB4
Item class Summoning
Spawns a character to help you.
Brawl manual description

The Assist Trophy (アシストフィギュア, Assist Figure) is an item introduced in Super Smash Bros. Brawl that, when grabbed, summons a random Nintendo or third-party character to quickly aid the holder. Assist Trophies work nearly identically to Poké Balls. However, no Pokémon come out of them, and once an Assist Trophy is grabbed, it is automatically activated, assuming the holder is standing on the ground, and not in a jump, attack, or hitstun. Some Assist Trophies must be unlocked in order to be used, such as Isaac from Golden Sun. Unlike the Poké Ball, this item can be eaten by those such as Kirby and King Dedede's Inhale and Munchlax.

The majority of Assist Trophies in Brawl are undamageable, with only Starfy and Lakitu being able to be interrupted or otherwise hit or even KOed. In Super Smash Bros. 4, however, some Assist Trophies can be attacked, potentially interrupting their attacks or otherwise manipulating how they perform and even being able to KO them (this can be seen by their ending animations coming earlier than normal, them having their own death animation, or simply teleporting away). However, there is no reward for KOing an Assist Trophy.

List of Assist Trophies

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

There are 27 Assist Trophies in Super Smash Bros Brawl.

Image Assist Trophy Relative frequency Description Universe Unlock criteria
  Andross 30 Andross (as he appears in the original Star Fox) appears in the background and shoots tiles at the players.  Star Fox
  Barbara 30 Barbara strums on her guitar, creating damaging soundwaves, similar to Konga Beat, but with less range and duration. Jam with the Band Obtain 25 songs
  Devil 30 Devil moves the stage boundaries, causing the blast lines to move as well, leading to the possibility of easier KOs. Devil World
  Dr. Wright 30 Doctor Wright summons buildings to rise up out of the ground. This damages opponents who are standing in the area of the building, and produces great vertical knockback. Occasionally makes a massive skyscraper. SimCity
  Excitebikes 30 Excitebike racers ride around the stage, causing damage to those they collide with. Some of them, if on a stage with an edge, will go back and forth until their time runs out. Excite
  Gray Fox 30 Frank Jaeger, the Gray Fox, runs around slashing opponents. Also reflects stray projectiles.  Metal Gear Unlocked with Snake
  Hammer Bro. 30 Hammer Bro throws hammers at opponents.  Mario
  Helirin 12 Helirin floats around the stage while rotating, acting as a wall. Kururin
  Infantry and Tanks 30 The Nintendo Wars infantrymen and tank sprites roam across the stage shooting at players. When spawning, they follow the direction of the summoner. Nintendo Wars Play 300 Brawls
  Isaac 24 Isaac pushes opponents off the stage by using a skill called Move, represented by giant magic hands. Its fixed knockback makes it easy to get trapped in. Golden Sun Play 200 Brawls
  Jeff 24 Jeff Andonuts shoots 5 homing rockets from his Multi Bottle Rocket 5 invention (4 small & 1 large) at his opponents.  EarthBound
  Jill 24 Jill attacks opponents with her drill. Drill Dozer
  Kat & Ana 30 Kat and Ana fly in different directions slashing at anybody in front of them, but always cross in the same spot.  Wario
  Knuckle Joe 30 Knuckle Joe delivers a series of Vulcan Jabs to his opponents and finishes with either a Smash Punch or an uppercut attack named Rising Break.  Kirby
  Lakitu and Spinies 30 Lakitu drops Spinies onto the field. The Spinies will meteor smash when falling from Lakitu. Upon landing, the Spinies walk around giving damage to opponents. Lakitu can be knocked off the screen or killed.  Mario
  Little Mac 30 Little Mac runs and jumps around, attacking with powerful jabs and uppercuts.  Punch-Out!!
  Lyn 30 The screen darkens, as Lyn focuses and then, having teleported, she delivers a single, powerful strike focused on the nearest opponent, similar to Galaxia Darkness in animation and knockback.  Fire Emblem
  Metroid 30 A Metroid latches onto players and gives them damage. Can be attacked and shaken off, but prevents the victim from using recovery moves. However, if done right, the character can spam recovery moves indefinitely until the Metroid disappears.  Metroid
  Mr. Resetti 18 Mr. Resetti gives speeches about different topics. If attacked, he causes an explosion.  Animal Crossing
  Nintendog 18 A "Nintendog" (Labrador Retriever) blocks the screen.  Nintendogs
  Ray MK III 30 Ray MK III flies around the stage shooting missiles and green energy bullets. Custom Robo Play 100 Brawls
  Saki Amamiya 30 Saki Amamiya slashes and fires with his Canon Gun. Sin and Punishment
  Samurai Goroh 30 Samurai Goroh slashes his swords while chasing opponents.  F-Zero
File:ShadpwAT.jpg Shadow the Hedgehog 30 Uses his "Chaos Control" ability to slow down the flow of time for around 7 seconds, affecting everyone except the summoner. Functions similarly to the Timer Item though with shorter duration, and without the risk of it backfiring.  Sonic Unlocked with Sonic
  Starfy 40 Starfy spins, hurting players. Can be knocked off stage. Starfy
  Tingle 30 Tingle randomly summons a variety of strange effects. It also takes longer for more Assist Trophies to spawn after his appearance than any other character.
  • He can inflate lots of balloons and float off the stage. The balloons can lift characters, but will not give any damage.
  • He can cause a Hammer and Golden Hammer shower.
  • He can create a Banana Peel effect. This makes all opponents slip constantly until Tingle disappears.
  • He can burst into flames, which gives everybody a Superspicy Curry effect.
  • He can produce a flower graphic. This will then zoom the camera in on the character who summoned him.
 The Legend of Zelda
  Waluigi 30 Waluigi repeatedly stomps players into the ground. This onslaught is followed by either a strong kick or a strike from his tennis racket.  Mario

In addition to the above characters, scrapped Assist Trophy data for Ridley was found when hacking Super Smash Bros. Brawl. In the final game, he was a boss in The Subspace Emissary.

In Super Smash Bros. 4

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Assist Trophies return in Super Smash Bros. 4 with a more iridescent design and a softer "popping" sound upon use, instead of the glass-shattering sound effect it had it Brawl. There are 39 Assist Trophies total, with 21 new trophies & 18 returning from Brawl. Both the 3DS and Wii U versions include exactly the same Assist Trophies and unlike in Brawl, there are no unlockable Assist Trophies.

Image Assist Trophy Relative frequency Description Universe
  Andross Spits out projectiles at players.  Star Fox
  Ashley Conjures a cloud which causes various adverse effects.  Wario
  Chain Chomp Jumps at and bites players while chained to a stake.  Mario
  Color TV-Game 15 Two paddles on the sides of the stage bounce a ball back and forth, with the ball damaging players. Color TV-Game
  Dark Samus Rapidly shoots gunfire and creates blasts of Phazon; can be K.O'd if she takes enough damage.  Metroid
  Devil Devil moves the stage boundaries, causing the blast lines to move as well, leading to the possibility of easier KOs. Devil World
  Dillon Performs rolling attacks, such as a quick charge; he can be K.O'd if he takes enough damage. Dillon's Rolling Western
  Dr. Kawashima Flings numbers onto the stage that can be attacked to knock them around. When they add up to 10 or more, they cause an explosion. Brain Age
  Dr. Wright Dr. Wright summons buildings from within the ground. Anyone other than the summoner who touches these buildings will receive damage. SimCity
  Elec Man Moves around freely and attacks characters with electric projectiles; he can be K.O'd if he takes enough damage.  Mega Man
  Ghirahim Fights with a sword and throwing knives. He will teleport back onstage if he goes over the edge, but he can be K.O'd if he takes enough damage.  The Legend of Zelda
  Ghosts Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde make their way around the stage, moving as if in a maze while damaging and pushing opponents around.  Pac-Man
  Hammer Bro.[1] Throws hammers at opponents, can be K.O'd if it takes enough damage (with the same animation as when enemies die in Super Mario Bros.)  Mario
  Infantry and Tanks Infantrymen and tank sprites roam across the stage, shooting at players. When spawning, they follow the direction of the summoner. Nintendo Wars
  Isabelle Throws fruit to heal the player who summoned her. Fruit will heal the summoner on contact; if it misses, anyone can eat the fruit off the ground.  Animal Crossing
  Jeff Shoots rockets from his Multi Bottle Rocket 5 at his opponents.  EarthBound
  Kat & Ana Kat and Ana fly in different directions slashing at anybody in front of them, but always cross in the same spot.  Wario
  Knuckle Joe Like in Brawl, delivers a series of Vulcan Jabs to his opponents and finishes with either a Smash Punch or an uppercut attack named Rising Break, he can be K.O'd if he has taken enough damage.  Kirby
  Lakitu and Spinies A Lakitu appears on a cloud and hurls Spinies from above. The Spinies are capable of meteor smashing. Lakitu and Spinies are faster than they were in Brawl, Lakitu can be K.O'd if taken enough damage.  Mario
  Lyn Attacks unsuspecting characters with a single, strong sword swipe, can be K.O'd if taken enough damage.  Fire Emblem
  Magnus Leaps around and swings the Magnus Club. He flinches if he's attacked and can be K.O'd if he takes enough damage.  Kid Icarus
  Metroid Latches onto players and damages them. Can be attacked and shaken off, but prevents the victim from using recovery moves. It can be K.O'd if it takes enough damage.  Metroid
  Midna Grabs opponents and throws them, while dealing darkness damage. She can be K.O'd if she takes enough damage.  The Legend of Zelda
  Mother Brain She uses her signature laser attack when summoned, and is guarded by Rinka enemies. She can be K.O'd if she takes enough damage.  Metroid
  Nightmare Causes the screen to become dark temporarily.  Kirby
  Nintendog A French bulldog blocks the screen.  Nintendogs
  Phosphora Flies around quickly and shoots lightning bolts. Can be attacked, which causes flinching, and can be K.O'd if she takes enough damage.  Kid Icarus
  Riki He uses several different arts from Xenoblade, including Happy Happy, Freezinate, and Yoink.  Xenoblade
  Sablé Prince Sablé Prince releases a cloud of dust, trapping an opponent, before he attacks as a frog or snake. He can be K.O'd if he takes enough damage. Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru
  Saki Amamiya Moves around on his own accord and slashes players, and can also shoot a stream of gunfire. He can be K.O'd if he takes enough damage. Sin and Punishment
  Samurai Goroh Samurai Goroh slashes his swords while chasing opponents. He can be K.O'd if he takes enough damage.  F-Zero
  Shadow the Hedgehog Uses his "Chaos Control" ability to slow down the flow of time, affecting everyone except the summoner. Functions similarly to the Timer item, though with shorter duration (lasting around 7 seconds), and without the risk of it backfiring.  Sonic
  Sheriff Sheriff walks around in the air, shooting at opponents with his pistol. He can be K.O'd if he takes enough damage (albeit with his original death animation). Sheriff
  Skull Kid Inverts the stage, similarly to Palkia, reverse the directional inputs, turns everything backwards, or turns everyone invisible.  The Legend of Zelda
  Starfy Wanders around and spin attacks opponents. He can be K.O'd if he takes enough damage. Starfy
  Starman Starman moves side-to-side across the stage, shooting lightning bolts out of its head at opponents. It can be K.O'd if it takes enough damage (albeit with the "SMAAASH!" effect from Earthbound.)  EarthBound
  Takamaru Throws his pinwheel knife rooks at opponents. He can be K.O'd if he takes enough damage. The Mysterious Murasame Castle
  Tingle Seems to be similar to Brawl, in which he summons one of a variety of strange effects.  The Legend of Zelda
  Waluigi Waluigi repeatedly stomps players into the ground. This onslaught is followed by either a strong kick or a strike from his tennis racket. He can be K.O'd if he takes enough damage.  Mario

Trophy descriptions

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

File:Assist Trophy Trophy.jpg
The Assist Trophy trophy in Brawl.

A capsule that contains characters who will help you out in battle. You won't know who's in the capsule until you open it. It may be someone everyone knows or someone who's a bit of a mystery. The majority of these characters are invulnerable, so attacking them is not an option. You know what that means, right? RUN!

Super Smash Bros. 4

 
Assist Trophy trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.
 
Assist Trophy trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
  This strange capsule contains a guest character who will aid you in your battle. Who will emerge? Grab it to find out! Maybe it'll be a famous character from a popular game, or perhaps a goofy sidekick here to prove his or her worth. Too bad you can't choose who shows up or control them...
  A mystery capsule containing a guest character who'll stand by you in battle. You won't know who's in it till you open it! It could be almost anyone from all sorts of games - a famed warrior or a slightly loopy sidekick! Whoever it is, you can't control them, so you'll just have to trust them.
 : Super Smash Bros. Brawl (03/2008)
 : Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

Trivia

  • Hammer Bro. is the only Assist Trophy character to appear as an enemy in the Subspace Emissary.
  • In Brawl's Classic Mode, if the character who summoned an Assist Trophy is KO'd, the Assist Trophy goes away. However, this does not happen in All-Star Mode.
  • In the GameCube preview issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly, the Super Smash Bros. Melee article comments that Nintendo originally tried to implement Assist Trophies in Melee. The only trophy concept they gave details on was one that would release the ducks from Duck Hunt to fly around the stage and interfere with the fighters.[citation needed]
  • In the Smash Direct for SSB4, Waluigi was shown as a Wario series Assist Trophy, despite never appearing in a Wario game (bar one cameo). By the game's release, he is corrected to represent the Mario series, like in Brawl.
  • Sometimes in SSB4, the silhouette figure within the Assist Trophy capsule will blink its eyes.
  • Attendants at the 2007 Whobby Game Festival who played a demo of Brawl claimed to have seen Assist Trophies of Duster, Muddy Mole, and Rosalina, but the veracity of the claims was never proven, and there is no evidence in the final game that these characters were ever planned.
    • Similarly, attendants of E3 and players of the Smashfest event claimed to have seen Chunky Kong as an Assist Trophy in Super Smash Bros. 4, although he was not seen in any following public demos, and is absent in the 3DS and Wii U version of the game.
  • In Brawl, the Mario universe is the only universe to have more than one Assist Trophy.
    • In Super Smash Bros. 4, it is tied with The Legend of Zelda for the most Assist Trophies, with four.
  • Jill, Prince Sablé, Ray MK III, Magnus, and Phosphora are the only Assist Trophy characters that have appeared in only one game outside of their Smash appearances.
  • The Donkey Kong, Yoshi, and Pokémon series are the only three franchises with playable characters in every installment to lack Assist Trophies.
    • Because the Pokémon series uses Poké Balls instead, the Donkey Kong and Yoshi series are the only two of these three to lack any assist characters whatsoever.
  • Little Mac is the only Assist Trophy in Brawl to make the cut as a playable character in the next game.

References

Gallery