| Greninja | |
|---|---|
  Official artwork of Greninja from Pokémon X and Y. | |
| Universe | Pokémon |
| Debut | Pokémon X and Y (2013) |
| Smash Bros. appearances | SSB4 Ultimate |
| Most recent non-Smash appearance | Pokémon Sun and Moon, via Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon Special Demo Version (2016) |
| Console/platform of origin | Nintendo 3DS |
| Species | Greninja |
| Gender | Varies |
| Place of origin | Kalos |
| Designed by | Yūsuke Ōmura |
| English voice actor | Billy Bob Thompson |
| Japanese voice actor | Yūji Ueda |
| French voice actor | Frederic Clau |
| German voice actor | Benedikt Gutjan |
| Article on Bulbapedia | Greninja (Pokémon) |
- For fighter info, see Greninja (SSB4).
Greninja (ゲッコウガ, Gekkouga) is a fictional creature from the Pokémon series which debuted in the series' sixth generation. It appears as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4.
Creature description
Greninja is a dual Water/Dark-type frog Pokémon, which is themed after ninjas and its species is fittingly known as the "Ninja Pokémon". It was introduced in the Pokémon series within the series' sixth generation, as part of Pokémon X and Y. Greninja is the final evolved form of the starter Pokémon Froakie, who in turn evolves into middle stage Frogadier before evolving into Greninja at level 36. According to the Pokédex and based on its statistics in the Pokémon games, Greninja is extremely fast (in fact, it has the highest raw speed statistic of any Water-type Pokémon or fully evolved starter Pokémon) and relies on this speed in battle and to confound its prey with swift, ninja-like grace before striking with its Water Shuriken move, which is said to be able to shear metal. In exchange, however, it is rather frail due to having and has low defenses.
In the Pokémon games, Greninja has access to numerous unique abilities. In addition to Water Shuriken, which it uses in Super Smash Bros., it is also the only Pokémon able to learn Mat Block, where it flips a tatami mat in front of itself to shield itself and its allies from incoming attacks. In addition to these two unique moves, it has access to a diverse range of offensive and status moves; it can even uniquely take advantage of them with its rare Hidden Ability Protean, which changes its type to match each move it uses and ensures it gets the maximum possible power out of every attack. Its prowess in Pokémon battles courtesy of Protean has led to Greninja to being considered an extremely powerful and useful Pokémon by the competitive Pokémon scene, to the point that is even viewed as an "Uber-tier" Pokémon in the same vein as Mewtwo. In Pokémon Sun and Moon, Greninja appears as a bonus Pokémon obtainable via the game's demo version. This Greninja has the ability to transform into its more powerful "Ash-Greninja" form from the Pokémon anime via the "Battle Bond" ability.
In Super Smash Bros. 4
- Main article: Greninja (SSB4)
Greninja debuts as a newcomer in Super Smash Bros. 4. It was first revealed in the Super Smash Bros. Direct on April 8, 2014, alongside fellow Pokémon representative Charizard. Fittingly for ninja-inspired character, Greninja is very quick and mobile much like Sheik, yet possesses more consistent KO power overall in comparison to her. It also possesses special moves that can catch opponents off guard, such as Shadow Sneak and Substitute.
Greninja is currently ranked 21st out of 58 on the tier list, placing it in the C tier. Greninja's strengths include very fast overall mobility and great combo potential, most notably with up and down tilts. Water Shuriken also grants it a decent projectile, which not only has fairly good travel distance, but is also capable of being thrown out for a fast attack, or charged up for greater power. Despite these positives, Greninja's flaws include unusually high ending lag in its moveset, especially its smash attacks, Substitute being a weak counterattack due to its low power, and a poor grab game due to its overall sluggishness and unreliability to start combos or even KO. Regardless of these issues, as well as being noticeably nerfed in update 1.0.4, Greninja is still viewed as a viable choice for competitive play, earning it decent results.
Trophies
Greninja
This Water/Dark-type Pokémon is the fully evolved form of Froakie. It's just as fast and dangerous as any other ninja, and the throwing stars it can make out of water can shear metal. In Smash Bros., as well as being a graceful, speedy fighter, it can also use moves like Hydro Pump that let it travel through the air and avoid falling.
This Water- and Dark-type Pokémon is the fully evolved form of Froakie. It is just as fast and dangerous as its name suggests, and the throwing stars it can make out of water can shear metal. In this game, as well as being a graceful, speedy fighter, it can also use moves like Hydro Pump to let it move through the air and avoid falling.- Appears In
: Pokémon X and Pokémon Y (10/2013)
Greninja (Alt.)
- Greninja's Substitute down special lets you teleport to dodge attacks and then strike back, making it an effective and hard-to-predict way to counterattack. You can also control where you reappear by inputting directions. When you vanish, sometimes you'll be replaced by a log, other times by a cuddly toy.
- Greninja's Substitute down special lets you teleport to dodge attacks and then strike back, making it an effective and hard-to-predict way to counter-attack. You can also control where you reappear. When you vanish, sometimes you'll be replaced by a log, and other times by a Substitute doll.
- Appears In
- : Pokémon X and Pokémon Y (10/2013)
Classic (3DS)
Classic (Wii U)
Alt. (3DS)
Alt. (Wii U)
Trivia
- Masahiro Sakurai decided to add Greninja to Super Smash Bros. 4 long before the release of Pokémon X and Y, having initially reserved a space on the roster for a brand new Pokémon. Sakurai's only source material for designing the character was concept drawings of Greninja.[1]
- Prior to Corrin's appearance as downloadable content, Greninja was the most recently-debuted character to become playable in the Super Smash Bros. series.
References
