Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Sheik (SSBU)

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This article is about Sheik's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. For the character in other contexts, see Sheik.
Sheik
in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Sheik SSBU.png
ZeldaSymbol.svg
Universe The Legend of Zelda
Other playable appearances in Melee
in Brawl
in SSB4
Availability Unlockable
Final Smash Sheikah Dance
Sheik (SSBU)
Now Sheik joins the battle wearing the Sheikah costume from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Keep the pressure on your opponent by using his [sic] speedy dash to quickly close in on (or get away from) your opponent!
Super Smash Blog, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Official Site

Sheik (シーク, Sheik) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. She was officially confirmed on June 12th, 2018 alongside Zelda and the rest of the returning roster. Sheik is classified as fighter #16.

Sheik is now voiced by Ayumi Fujimura, who voices her alter-ego in The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds and portrays her in Ultimate as well. She replaces Jun Mizusawa.

How to unlock

Complete one of the following:

With the exception of the third method, Sheik must then be defeated on Gerudo Valley.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. 4

Like most dominating characters, Sheik in Smash 4 was considered the one of the most potent characters (and the best character in the middle of the game's lifetime) due to her infamous neutral game even after receiving the most nerfs from game updates, which did little to reduce her effectiveness. Possibly as a result of her dominance, Sheik has been nerfed overall in the transition from Smash 4 to Ultimate.

Sheik's notable nerfs are from her attacks in which it now deal far less damage, due to her main combo moves like all tilts, neutral aerial and forward aerial, in addition to Needle Storm and Bouncing Fish. This requires her to string even more hits together in order to rack up notable amounts of damage, exacerbated by her lack of KO ability. Her already poor survivability has also been worsened due to her weight being decreased, and while the weakening of rage makes her combos more consistent, it gives her more difficulty KOing at high percentages. Furthermore, while Sheik benefits from the universally faster jumpsquats and lower landing lag like the rest of the cast, most other characters have received more significant buffs in those aspects, due to her having already had the overall fastest frame data in Smash 4, allowing more characters to keep up with her.

Sheik did receive some buffs besides universal changes, however. Her rapid jab connects much more reliably and its finisher has less ending lag, making it more effective for damage racking despite its individual hits dealing less damage. Her up tilt, down tilt and Needle Storm (especially the aerial version) also have less ending lag, improving their combo potential, while her generally least used moves in Smash 4 such as her dash attack, down smash, down aerial and up throw deal more damage. Most notably, however, her back aerial deals more damage and knockback, improving its previously lacking KO potential when sweetspotted (though it is still a relatively weak aerial), and her pummel has gone from one of the slowest to one of the fastest, allowing it to be used more safely.

Overall, Sheik's nerfs outweight her buffs, making her worse than her Smash 4 iteration, though it is currently unknown how much they will exactly end up affecting her in Ultimate's metagame. Her current representation in Ultimate has been below average, with many notable players such as Vinnie, Mr. R, and VoiD dropping her in favor of other characters.

Aesthetics

Attributes

  • Buff Like all characters, Sheik's jumpsquat animation now takes 3 frames to complete (down from 4).
  • Buff Sheik's initial dash speed (1.7 → 2.178) and run speed (2.016 → 2.42) are faster.
  • Buff Sheik's air speed is faster (1.1 → 1.155).
  • Change Sheik's weight has been decreased (81 → 78), now being lighter than Kirby. This further worsens her endurance, but makes her less susceptible to combos.
  • Buff Sheik's traction is higher (0.06 → 0.106).
  • Buff Forward roll has less ending lag (FAF 28 → 27).
  • Nerf Forward roll grants less intangibility (frames 4-15 → 4-12).
  • Nerf Back roll grants less intangibility (frames 4-15 → 4-14) and has more ending lag (FAF 28 → 33).
  • Buff Spot dodge has less ending lag (FAF 25 → 24).
  • Nerf Spot dodge has more startup and grants less intangibility (frames 2-15 → 3-14).
  • Buff Air dodge grants more intangibility (frames 2-25 → 2-26).
  • Nerf Air dodge has significantly more ending lag (FAF 31 → 45).

Ground attacks

  • Neutral attack:
    • Change The first and second hits, as well as the neutral infinite, have altered angles and knockback to keep opponents close to Sheik, akin to other neutral attacks.
      • Buff This allows them to connect better and jab lock.
      • Buff The neutral infinite also comes out faster (frame 9 → 5) and deals drastically less hitlag, allowing it to connect more reliably from the second hit and making it harder to escape.
      • Nerf However, this worsens Sheik's guaranteed jab cancel setups with the first and second hits, which played a large part in the utility of her neutral attack in Smash 4.
    • Buff The neutral infinite's finisher has less ending lag (FAF 53 → 42), no longer being the slowest in the game.
    • Nerf All hits except the first deal less damage (3% → 1.6% (hit 2), 0.8%/0.6% → 0.3% (infinite), 3% → 2% (finisher)).
  • Forward tilt:
    • Nerf Forward tilt deals less damage (4% → 3%), with knockback compensated.
  • Up tilt:
    • Buff Up tilt has less ending lag (FAF 36 → 33).
    • Buff The second hit comes out faster (frame 19 → 17), allowing it to connect better from the first hit.
    • Nerf Both hits deal less damage (5% → 3% (hit 1), 6% → 4% (hit 2)), with knockback compensated.
    • Nerf The first hit is harder to connect against grounded opponents, due to characters no longer being able to walk or run through each other.
  • Down tilt:
    • Buff Down tilt has less ending lag (FAF 30 → 27), improving its combo potential.
    • Change It deals less damage (5% → 4.5%). However, this also allows it to combo for longer.
  • Dash attack:
    • Buff Dash attack has less ending lag (FAF 41 → 35).
    • Buff It deals more damage (6.5% → 7% (clean), 4.5% → 5% (late)) without compensation on knockback, improving its KO potential.
  • Forward smash:
    • Buff Forward smash has less ending lag (FAF 51 → 45).
    • Buff The second hit comes out faster (frame 26 → 20), allowing it to connect better from the first hit.
  • Up smash:
    • Nerf Up smash can no longer hit twice.
  • Down smash:
    • Buff Down smash has less ending lag (FAF 55 → 52).
    • Buff The first hit deals more damage (3% → 4%).
    • Buff The second hit launches at a lower angle, improving its KO potential.

Aerial attacks

  • Buff All aerials have reduced landing lag (10 frames → 6 (neutral), 10 frames → 5 (forward), 12 frames → 7 (back), 21 frames → 13 (up), 30 frames → 22 (down)).
  • Neutral aerial:
    • Nerf Neutral aerial deals less damage (8%/7% → 6%/5% (clean), 5%/4% → 4%/3% (late)), with knockback compensated on the clean hit.
    • Nerf The late hit has increased knockback, hindering its combo potential at higher percents.
  • Forward aerial:
    • Nerf Forward aerial deals less damage (4.3%/5% → 3.8%/4.5%), with knockback compensated.
  • Back aerial:
    • Buff Back aerial deals more damage (7%/8% → 7.5%/9.5% (clean), 5% → 6% (late)).
    • Buff It deals considerably more knockback, with the clean hit's sweetspot now KOing middleweights at around 175% from the center of most stages, compared to being unable to KO under 200% in Smash 4.
  • Up aerial:
    • Buff Up aerial's looping hits deal less hitlag, making them harder to SDI out of.
  • Down aerial:
    • Buff Down aerial deals more damage (8% → 10%).
    • Buff The landing hit has increased base knockback.

Throws/other attacks

  • Nerf Grab has less range.
  • Nerf All grabs have increased ending lag (FAF 28 → 37 (standing), 35 → 45 (dash), 33 → 40 (pivot)).
  • Nerf Dash and pivot grab have more startup (frame 8 → 9 (dash), 9 → 11 (pivot)).
  • Pummel:
    • Change Sheik has a new pummel, a knee strike rather than an elbow jab.
    • Change It is significantly faster, but deals much less damage (3.1% → 1%).
  • Up throw:
    • Buff Up throw deals more damage (2% → 3% (throw), 5% → 6% (total)).
    • Nerf Up throw deals more knockback, diminishing its combo potential while not granting it KO potential.
  • Down throw:
    • Buff Down throw has decreased knockback, improving its combo potential.
  • Edge attack:
    • Buff Edge attack deals more damage (7% → 9%).

Special Moves

  • Needle Storm:
    • Buff Needle Storm's charge can now be canceled by jumping or spot dodging.
    • Buff It has less ending lag, allowing for better followups with the aerial version.
    • Nerf It deals less damage per needle (1.9% → 1.5% (clean), 1.2% → 0.8% (late)).
    • Nerf Its charge can no longer be canceled immediately by rolling, instead incurring 4 frames of lag beforehand.
    • Change The flight trajectory of aerial needles has been altered from approximately a 45° angle to a shallower 30° angle. This makes them worse as a followup from aerials at lower percents, but better at higher percents.
    • Change Sheik can now throw the needles with the attack button while charging.
    • Change Sheik now holds the needles in her hand.
  • Burst Grenade:
    • Buff Burst Grenade no longer leaves Sheik helpless in the air.
    • Buff It has less ending lag upon releasing the grenade.
    • Change The grenade's vortex is now clear/white rather than light blue.
  • Vanish:
    • Buff Vanish grants intangibility earlier when used on the ground (frame 19 → 14).
    • Change Sheik emits a gold flash right before she disappears.
  • Bouncing Fish:
    • Buff After the first kick of Bouncing Fish hits an opponent, successive kicks deal more damage (12% → 13%), which also improves their KO potential.
    • Nerf It no longer grants intangibility.
    • Nerf It has slightly more startup (frame 17 → 18).
    • Nerf The first kick deals less damage (12% → 11%), with knockback compensated.
    • Change Bouncing Fish produces a splash of water at the start.
  • Sheikah Dance:
    • Change Sheik has a new Final Smash called Sheikah Dance, replacing Light Arrow. Sheik dashes forward while the Sheikah symbol flashes on-screen. If the initial attack lands, Sheik will trap the opponent in place and repeatedly slash them with her dagger before launching them away, similar to Triforce Slash.

Update History

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate 2.0.0

  • Buff Up smash's first hit has more range.
  • Buff Down smash connects more reliably.
  • Buff Sheik can grab ledges faster after using forward aerial.
  • Buff Up aerial auto-cancels earlier (frame 47 → 44), matching the move's interruptibility.
  • Buff Burst Grenade has less endlag.

Moveset

Note: All numbers are listed as base damage, without the 1v1 multiplier.

  Name Damage Description
Neutral attack  
{{{neutral2dmg}}}
Forward tilt  
Up tilt  
Down tilt  
Dash attack  
Forward smash  
Up smash  
Down smash  
Neutral aerial  
Forward aerial  
Back aerial  
Up aerial  
Down aerial  
Grab  
Pummel  
Forward throw
Back throw
Up throw
Down throw
Forward roll
Back roll
Spot dodge
Air dodge
Techs
Floor attack (front)
Floor getups (front)
 
Floor attack (back)
Floor getups (back)
 
Floor attack (trip)
Floor getups (trip)
 
Edge attack
Edge getups
 
Neutral special Needle Storm
Side special Burst Grenade
Up special Vanish
Down special Bouncing Fish
Final Smash Sheikah Dance

Victory poses

  • Kicks once, spins on the ground, then poses.
  • Crouches, swipes with her hand twice, then stands up.
  • Performs two kicks, then takes a ninja stance.
A flourished and abridged remix of the theme that plays when Link obtains a Triforce Piece in The Legend of Zelda and has since become the main theme of The Legend of Zelda series.

Classic Mode: Masquerade

Sheik's opponents are characters who wear masks or other forms of headwear to conceal their identity.

Round Opponent Stage Music Notes
1 Meta Knight Fountain of Dreams Forest Stage
2 Captain Falcon Big Blue Death Wind
3 Samus Norfair Opening/Menu - Metroid Prime
4 Roy Koopa Mushroom Kingdom U Underground Theme - Super Mario Land
5 Little Mac Boxing Ring Tunnel Scene - X-Scape Little Mac is in his wireframe with hoodie costume.
6 Mii Fighter Team Final Destination Meta Crystal The Mii Fighters are all wearing masks or helmets.
Bonus Stage
Final Master Hand Final Destination Master Hand On intensity 7.0 and higher, Crazy Hand fights alongside Master Hand, and the track Master Hand / Crazy Hand plays during the battle.

Role in World of Light

Although Sheik does not appear in the World of Light opening cutscene, she was vaporized and later imprisoned alongside the rest of the fighters (sans Kirby) when Galeem unleashed his beams of light.

During the mode itself, Sheik can be unlocked early on shortly after rescuing Mario, where the player arrives at a crossroads and has the choice to rescue her, Marth or Villager. If one of the others is rescued first, Sheik's path will be blocked by a force field created by Master Hand, which will disappear upon defeating a boss or can be circumvented by looping back to the other side.

Sheik has a separate awakening battle from Zelda, who appears in the opening cutscene.

Spirits

Sheik's Fighter Spirit can be obtained by completing Classic Mode. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 500 coins. Unlocking Sheik in World of Light allows the player to preview the spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a Fighter Spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. Each Fighter Spirit has an alternate version that replaces them with their artwork in Ultimate.

Alternate costumes

Palette swap (SSBU)
Sheik (SSBU) Sheik (SSBU) Sheik (SSBU) Sheik (SSBU) Sheik (SSBU) Sheik (SSBU) Sheik (SSBU) Sheik (SSBU)

Gallery

Character Showcase Video

Trivia

  • Sheik is currently referred to with male pronouns on the Smash Blog [1] despite being referred to with female pronouns in every Smash appearance thus far, as well as on various other official Nintendo social websites.[2][3][4] Likewise, the game itself uses both female and male pronouns: Sheik is referred to with female pronouns in her moveset and tips, while Palutena and Viridi refer to Sheik with male pronouns in Palutena's Guidance, albeit in the latter instance is done for comedic purposes as Pit then mentions her being an alter-ego of Zelda.
  • Ultimate is the first Smash game where Sheik's design is based off of a different The Legend of Zelda game than her alter-ego, Zelda.
  • Ultimate is also the first installment in the series that gives Sheik a Final Smash different from Zelda's.
  • Like in the previous installment, Sheik will revert to her Brawl idle animation while holding a small throwable item.
  • In Palutena's Guidance, Sheik is referred to in the sense of having been present before in Smash 4 ("Sheik appears to be wearing a traditional Sheikah outfit this time around."), despite every other newly recorded Zelda character guidance bringing up the characters having separate incarnations throughout the franchise (Ganondorf being the same person, Link being a different person than before and Zelda and Young Link being specific incarnations). This implies that she's the same version of Zelda/Sheik seen in Brawl and 4 that was based upon the scrapped Twilight Princess design.

References