Joker (SSBU)
| Joker in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | |
|---|---|
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| |
| Universe | Persona |
| Availability | Downloadable |
| Final Smash | All-Out Attack |
| “ | Joker Steals the Show! | ” |
| —Introduction Tagline | ||
Joker (ジョーカー, Joker) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and the third third-party representative from Sega, after Sonic and Bayonetta. He was officially announced at The Game Awards 2018 on December 6th, 2018 as the first downloadable character from the Fighters Pass. He was released as part of Challenger Pack 1 on April 17th, 2019 and is classified as fighter #71.
Xander Mobus, who voiced Joker in Persona 5 in English as well as the announcer, Master Hand, and Crazy Hand in Ultimate, reprises his role as the character in the English version of the game, while Jun Fukuyama, who previously voiced the character in Japanese and also voices Roy, reprises his role in Japanese.
Attributes
Joker is a middleweight who can wall jump. He has a fast dashing speed, but his initial dash, walking and air speeds are merely average. He specializes in a mixed tricky/rushdown style gameplay, as the majority of his arsenal boasts powerful traits, though the range on his standard attacks can be a bit lacking without Arsene available. Joker also has a relatively short and thin hurtbox compared to other humanoid characters, a lot of his attacks can cross up on shield or just cross up on opponents in general, and he has a quick and long-distance roll dodge, which when combined with his quick speed makes him slippery, very hard to punish and hard to hit.
Due to his quick overall mobility, low-knockback attacks and frame data, Joker possesses a strong combo game. He has several moves in his toolkit to start combos at low percents, such as down throw, down tilt, up tilt, up special, and the first hit of his forward aerial, and last well into later percentages. His terrific grab data makes him especially effective at punishing shields (particularly from empty jumps).
Joker boasts versatile special attacks. His neutral special, Gun, is an efficient way of dealing damage while also avoiding it, as he can dodge in between shots, and its downward aerial version it's notorious for its versatility. Eiha, Joker's side special, is a slow-moving, medium range projectile that deals weak damage upon contact, but curses opponents for what is eventually 11% damage on a successful hit. His up special, Grappling Hook, is a tether recovery with high vertical reach, allowing him to safely edgeguard opponents far below the stage. It can be used as a combo starter on foes above him and also doubles as a combo extender as well. His down special, Rebel's Guard, can be used to negate knockback and halve the damage he takes while filling up his Rebellion Gauge. As it can knock opponents away, it also doubles as a counterattack, albeit a very weak one.
Joker's biggest strength is when his Rebellion Gauge is full, in which Joker summons his Persona, Arsene, to aid him in battle, similarly to Rosalina's Luma. With Arsene present, Joker's regular attacks gain a boost in damage, range, and knockback. Similarly to Cloud's Limit Break and Wii Fit Trainer's Deep Breathing, Joker's special moves also become more powerful under Arsene's influence. Gun becomes Gun Special, which can shoot multiple times quickly and deals twice as much damage. Eiha becomes Eigaon, a fast projectile that has a much larger area of impact and deals considerably more curse damage. Joker's up special becomes the Wings of Rebellion, which functions similarly to Pit's Power of Flight, granting Joker high vertical distance and possessing invincibility that starts on frame 1 on the ground or frame 3 in the air and lasts until frame 25, though it loses Grappling Hook's attack presence. His down special becomes a very effective counter/reflector in the form of Tetrakarn/Makarakarn, similar to Palutena's down special. Both counters are better than comparative moves as well; they have very low startup lag, low ending lag, a huge hitbox that completely covers Joker's body and the area around him and Tetrakarn hits for a minimum of 12% damage regardless of the attack, with an incredibly strong 1.6 multiplier, while Makarakarn greatly increases the speed and damage of reflected projectiles. Arsene is also invincible, which means opponents can't make him disappear before the depletion of the Rebellion Gauge.
However, Joker is not without any weaknesses, most of which are noticeable when he does not have Arsene active. While Joker's moves provide a lot of combo potential at lower percentages, they tend to be lackluster or underwhelming in terms of KO power and individual damage, with the exception of his forward smash. His short knife, while disjointed, also gives him poor range, especially when compared to the weapons of other fighters such as Ike and Lucina. Joker's range issues can cause him to struggle against certain small and fast characters, such as Inkling and Pikachu, as it's difficult for him to consistently apply pressure against them. When it comes to his normal recovery, Joker is reliant on his Grappling Hook, which gives him an outstanding vertical recovery, his overall horizontal recovery is lackluster as a result since the move can't be aimed horizontally. Its lack of safety makes Joker easier to gimp. This can be remedied somewhat by using the dashes from his Gun move to achieve sizable horizontal distance before employing the Grappling Hook, however, these dashes have considerable ending lag, so they must be used wisely, or it will be too late to deploy the Grappling Hook. Additionally, while Arsene is active, Joker's recovery (despite covering significantly more distance than his regular up special) is more exploitable, as the lack of hitbox and vulnerability at the end of the moves makes it easy for opponents to intercept Joker before he reaches the ledges. In fact, Joker becomes notoriously prone to two-framing. Additionally, despite Arsene's incredible power and strengths, if an opponent is able to attack Joker while Arsene is active, the Rebellion Gauge depletes very quickly and causes Arsene to disappear as a result, which removes Joker's advantage. If Joker gets Arsene at the wrong time or is unable to capitalize with him, he may be at a disadvantage.
Overall, Joker is a character who excels in quick movement and combos. His primary goal in each match is to rack up as much damage as possible with his devastating throw combos, and gain an early stock lead in order to massively widen the gap between him and his opponent. Arsene will greatly help Joker in dealing damage or securing the stock whenever he is out, but actively filling up the Rebellion Gauge by using Rebel's Guard to capitalize on reading an opponent's attack can be absolutely devastating for the opponent, as it gives Arsene more opportunity to see play. His viability in the competitive scene has shown to be very promising, despite his recent addition to the metagame. Joker has seen early success with dyr and Tsu placing 5th at Come to Papa 3 and Umebura Japan Major 2019 respectively using the character. Particularly, MkLeo's victories at MomoCon 2019, Smash 'N' Splash 5, CEO 2019, EVO 2019, Super Smash Con 2019, Smash Ultimate Summit 2, and 2GG: Kongo Saga, as well as Zackray's victories at The Big House 9 and Umebura SP 7 serve as a demonstration of Joker's potential as a top-tier character.
Update History
Joker has been mostly unchanged in game updates. In patch 3.1.0 a few game bugs were fixed, and Eigaon's hits now connect more reliably. With Update 4.0.0, Joker's Makarakarn was given a buff and a nerf. This nerf gave Makarakarn a damage cap for reflecting projectiles, being the usual 50% that others have. However, the searchbox became much more rounded, enabling it to catch projectiles that would otherwise fly right over Joker. Overall, Joker has become a more stable character with the changes received, with no definitive, meta-changing alterations despite his reception as one of the best characters in the game.
3.0.1
Fixed a bug where winning with a Final Smash while on Joker's route in Classic Mode would softlock the game.
Eigaon's hits connect more reliably.- Fixed an unknown glitch that resulted Joker glitching out periodically with Grappling Hook during a tether recovery.
- Fixed a rare glitch that resulted victory screen in team battles to display an incorrect character of a winning teammate.
- Joker now vocalizes when KO'd by reaching 0 HP on last stock in Stamina Mode.
Makarakarn no longer reflects projectiles that have been reflected and deal 50% or more damage, bringing it in line with other reflectors in Ultimate.- Makarakarn's vertical searchbox has been raised to 0.25u.[1]
- Grappling Hook's air resistance was changed from 0.27 → 0.24, and fighter offset from 6 → 8 making it no longer have Joker clip into the walls of stages.[2]
- Fixed an issue that caused Arsene to be summoned after getting Star KOed.
- The time it takes to move again after bouncing while lying face-down is adjusted to match other fighters.
Discovered Unlimited Rebellion Gauge glitch that resulted Pokemon Change in team battles to increase the Rebellion Gauge faster when Pokémon Trainer's Pokémon's damage is at high percentage.
- Fixed Unlimited Rebellion Gauge glitch that resulted Pokemon Change in team battles to increase the Rebellion Gauge faster when Pokémon Trainer's Pokémon's damage is at high percentage.
- Joker's collision detection during forward smash has been altered to push opponents less, no longer causing certain characters' moves to be unable to reach him from the front.
Moveset
- Joker has a Fighter ability called the Rebellion Gauge, which fills up over time. Joker can also charge it by being hit, or when Joker (or his teammates, if he is in a Team Battle) is behind in either score/stock. If Rebel's Guard is used while the opponent attacks, the Gauge fills up faster. When it is full, Joker automatically summons Arsene, who grants several changes:
- If Joker is in an unavoidable animation such as an attack, Arsene can be delayed for up to 31 frames. Arsene can also disappear in a similar fashion, although the delay is much shorter.
- Curiously, if Arsene disappears during an attack, Awakened Joker's moves will deal increased knockback without Arsene's values being applied.
- A dramatic screen effect consisting of Joker's eyes occurs (if the camera is close enough to the fighters, and the battle is either 1-on-1 or against CPU players only), where Joker removes either his masquerade mask or glasses (depending on his costume), which also alters his character icon in the HUD until the Gauge empties. If Joker is standing still during this, he gains intangibility during the animation.
- Arsene will attack in tandem with Joker during all attacks except his pummel, throws, floor attacks and edge attack, enhancing his damage output and range. Many of his moves gain an additional blue slash effect while attacking. All of Arsene's attacks use the "heavy melee" hit sounds of heavyweights such as Ganondorf.
- Joker's special moves change to "Gun Special", "Eigaon", "Wings of Rebellion", and "Tetrakarn/Makarakarn", all enhanced versions of his previous moves.
- Joker announces "Arsene!" or "Persona!" upon summoning Arsene, and "Return!" or "Enough." upon using up his Gauge. He also announces "Endure!", "Not yet!" or "More..." when being attacked while performing Rebel's Guard.
- On the first frame Joker would call out or recall Arsene, the animation can be skipped if Joker is already in an unavoidable animation.
- If Joker is in an unavoidable animation such as an attack, Arsene can be delayed for up to 31 frames. Arsene can also disappear in a similar fashion, although the delay is much shorter.
- Upon summoning Arsene, the Rebellion Gauge will slowly drain, and a small amount of Gauge will be lost each time Joker is hit.
- Joker can wall jump.
For a gallery of Joker's hitboxes, see here.
For simplicity, damage values for Joker and Arsene's individual attacks are separated by a slash (/). With Arsene active, the total damage of a move is the sum of both listed values.
Note: All numbers are listed as base damage, without the 1v1 multiplier.
| Name | Damage | Description | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neutral attack | 2%/0.7% | Joker: Performs an inward slash, backhanded stab, then an outward slash. Arsene: Performs an upward swipe, downwards finger point, then a hand thrust. The first two hits can jab lock. Functions as a typical get-off me and is one of Joker's quickest punishes. | ||
| 1.5%/0.7% | ||||
| 4%/3% | ||||
| Forward tilt | 3% (hit 1), 5%/5% (hit 2) | Joker: Performs a double thrust with his knife, with the second thrust going at a higher angle. Arsene: Thrusts his right hand forward before raising it in a beckoning gesture. The move can be angled, and both hits are performed with one button press. With Arsene, the second hit is capable of KOing Mario from the edge of Final Destination at around 125%. Useful as a spacing tool due to its range, with Joker moving forward at a decent distance after the first hit and the hitbox in the second hit reaches even over the knife. Comes out on frame 8 and is a very useful defensive option. | ||
| Up tilt | 4% (hit 1), 1%/0.7% (hits 2-4), 1%/3.9% (hit 5) | Joker: An upwards swing with his knife that sends it spinning into the air, before Joker catches it backhandedly. Arsene: Raises his hand with a beckoning gesture, emanating electricity from his palm. The initial swing sends opponents into the spinning knife, which deals multiple hits before sending opponents vertically. With Arsene, the looping hits gain an electric effect, and can KO at around 135%. The move cannot hit opponents behind Joker. Useful for anti-airing opponents that are in close proximity to Joker. | ||
| Down tilt | 6%/7% | Joker: A baseball slide. Arsene: A baseball slide alongside Joker. Based off of Joker's ability to slide under lasers in Persona 5. Unlike similar moves like Cloud's and Simon's, Joker's down tilt does not lose strength during the late hitboxes. Easily leads into up tilt and aerial attacks until high percents and has great range . If Arsene is not out, it sends at a good angle for Grappling Hook. | ||
| Dash attack | 2% (hit 1), 6%/6% (hit 2) | Joker: Performs a roundhouse kick followed by a spinning side kick. Arsene: A delayed football kick, which comes out alongside Joker's second kick. With Arsene, the second hit can KO at the edge at around 105%. The speed and distance of this move make it one of Joker's best punishing tools, as it's safe an shield and it can cross-up opponent's shields when used at a certain distance. | ||
| Forward smash | 14%/8% | Joker: Rears back and swings downwards with both hands directly in front of him. Arsene: Swings his arms downwards, causing an X-shaped slash in front of the duo. Moves Joker slightly forward while attacking. Without Arsene, the move KOs at around 76% from the edge of the stage, making it Joker's strongest finisher. However, despite Joker moving forward, its range is rather poor due to the length of his knife. Oddly, despite the knife leaving a trail that extends behind Joker, the attack can only hit in front of him. With Arsene, the move gains slightly more range and even higher KO power, KOing at around 55% from the edge of the stage. Can be an extremely potent punish or trapping tool, but its lag makes it highly punishable itself so it should be used with caution. | ||
| Up smash | 12%/5% | Joker: Spins inwards while facing the screen, performing a knife uppercut with his right arm. Arsene: Waves his left arm above himself. Has low horizontal range and a short-lasting hitbox, but covers a large area above Joker, making it a good anti-air. Like up tilt, this move cannot hit enemies behind Joker. With Arsene, the move gains extra range and KO power. KOs at around 130%/100% (without/with Arsene). Joker's fastest smash attack and strongest punish tool against enemies directly above him. Particularly effective against opponents on platforms. Resembles the second hit of Joker's standard three hit attack in Persona 5. | ||
| Down smash | 12%/6% | Joker: Sweeps the floor with a knife swipe in front of himself, then behind. Arsene: Kicks in front, then behind himself. Both hits deal the same amount of damage and lack reach, though Arsene boosts its range slightly. KOs at around 112%/73% near the edge (without/with Arsene). Functions as a typical sweeping smash attack and should be used to punish people who air dodge onto the ground or roll behind Joker. Resembles the first hit of Joker's standard three hit attack in Persona 5. | ||
| Neutral aerial | 7%/4% | Joker: Strikes in a circle while doing two inward corkscrews in the air. Arsene: Lays his back against Joker and slashes alongside him, forming a perfect circle slash around the duo. Serves as one of Joker's best spacing tools, having excellent range around him due to its wide coverage, though it has a very small hitbox located on the knife and the lack of shield pressure can make it risky when used carelessly. It also autocancels late, only doing so in a double jump. On hit it can lead to combos from down tilt, and it can condition the opponent into blocking making it good for granting grab opportunities. | ||
| Forward aerial | 2% (hit 1), 5%/8% (hit 2) | Joker: A hook kick, followed by a roundhouse kick. Arsene: A delayed roundhouse kick that comes out alongside Joker's second kick. The first kick has low knockback growth and sends opponents lightly upwards, allowing it to initiate aerial combos into itself or other aerials; it can even catch air dodges with a smash attack, and is a very good edgeguarding option. With Arsene, the second kick becomes a powerful KO move that can KO opponents at 100% from the edge, and even earlier when edge-guarding thanks to its base knockback. | ||
| Back aerial | 9%/7% | Joker: An upward swipe behind himself. Arsene: A swift downward chop of his hand, causing the duo's attacks to interlock with each other. Wide hitbox, but lacks reach for both versions. It's an effective pressure tool against onstage and especially offstage opponents due to its incredible speed and low lag. With Arsene, its hitbox size increases due to Arsene mirroring Joker's attack, and it is capable of KOing at around 80% from the edge, and similarly to his Forward aerial, can kill at very early percents while edge-guarding due to its base knockback, making it a very strong KO option. Joker's only aerial that can autocancel in a short hop. | ||
| Up aerial | 0.75% (hits 1-4), 3%/7% (hit 5) | Joker: A corkscrew flying kick with a finishing kick. Arsene: A delayed upwards hand swing in tandem with Joker's last hit. Like Sheik and Greninja's up aerial, the move's hitboxes are positioned high on Joker's legs, making it difficult to hit small or medium-sized fighters and has a very low damage output, only dealing 6% without Arsene. However, the looping hits use the autolink angle; as a result, it can be used to drag opponents down consistently to extend combos. With Arsene, a full hop up air can KO at around 110%. Seems to resemble Joker spinning in the opening cinematic for Persona 5. | ||
| Down aerial | 8%/8% | Joker: An upside-down knife swing with a bit of delay before the swipe, similarly to Marth's down aerial. Arsene: A delayed foot stomp that comes out a couple of frames after Joker's attack, instead of at the same time like his other moves. Unlike Joker's attack, it meteor smashes opponents. Somewhat of a niche move due to its lack of safety and startup, down air occasionally sees use as a crossup tool. With Arsene, it is a powerful all-purpose move due to its hitbox duration, combo potential and meteor smashing properties. | ||
| Grab | — | Reaches out with one arm. All of Joker's throws have him toss the opponent with a blue energy. Unlike his other moves, Arsene does not affect the power of Joker's throws. | ||
| Pummel | 1.3% | Knees his opponent. | ||
| Forward throw | 8% | Tosses the opponent forward with a flourish of his arm. | ||
| Back throw | 10% | Trips the opponent over his foot, similar to Marth's back throw. KO’s Mario at roughly 135% at the edge of Final Destination. | ||
| Up throw | 7% | Throws the opponent directly upwards with a flourish. KOing middleweights at around 221% on Final Destination. At low-mid percentages, it combos into up aerial. | ||
| Down throw | 7% | Magically slams the opponent onto the ground while posing and flourishing his left arm, sending the opponent bouncing upwards. An effective combo starter that can combo into aerials. It can also initiate long combo strings of falling up aerial's looping hits into grab, or Grappling Hook into followups. KOing middleweights at around 200% on Final Destination. | ||
| Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge |
— | — | ||
| Techs | — | — | ||
| Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front) |
7% | Slashes in front of himself, then behind himself. | ||
| Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back) |
7% | Slashes behind himself, then in front of himself. | ||
| Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip) |
5% | Kicks behind himself, then in front of himself. | ||
| Edge attack Edge getups |
9% | Climbs up and slashes outward. | ||
| Neutral special | Gun/Gun Special | Gun: 5%-3%-1% (standard, close-mid-far), 3%-0.8% (ground jump, close-far), 3% (circling), 4%-1.2% (downward, close-far) Gun Special: 6%-3%-1% (standard, first bullet), 2%-1.5%-1% (standard, second and third bullets), 3%-1/0.8/0.5% (ground jump, first and second looping hits) 4.5% (circling), 4%-1.2% (downward, first bullet), 1.6%-0.8% (downward, second bullet) |
Fires his gun once with a tap of the special move button. Like with Bayonetta's Bullet Arts, the shots technically are not projectiles, but rather indirect attacks with large disjointed hitboxes. As such, they cannot be reflected or blocked by the shields of all versions of Link or Hero. The shots decay in damage and knockback based on the opponent's distance from Joker, dealing no knockback at the furthest distance. The button can be held to fire multiple times; additionally, Joker can dodge between shots by tilting the control stick horizontally, with each use causing the dodge to slow down (much like a roll or sidestep). If he is in midair, he can either fire in a circle around himself (in a similar fashion to Bayonetta's Bullet Arts up aerial) by tilting up, or below himself in a corkscrewing fashion by tilting down. On the ground, Joker can also press the jump button to perform a diagonal jump while rapidly firing shots downwards. When Arsene is out, it becomes Gun Special, where it fires three bullets with each shot for the standard version, and two bullets per shot for the aerial downward version. Both Gun and Gun Special have penetrative properties, meaning they can pass through multiple opponents, and the downward aerial version in particular,is notorious for its sheer versatility: it can counter combos and juggles, edgeguarding effectively, and rack up damage quickly, as Gun has low ending lag and is spammable when used in the air. The closest version of Gun can also lock opponents. | |
| Side special | Eiha/Eigaon | Eiha: 1% (hit 1), 2% (hit 2), 1% (gradual damage), 11% (total) Eigaon: 1% (hit 1), 0.5% (hit 2-4), 2.5% (hit 5), 1.5% (gradual damage), 17% (total) |
An extremely small projectile that travels at a diagonal angle downwards, similar to PK Fire. It deals little initial damage, but curses opponents and inflicts further damage over time. Each use causes Joker to hover slightly. When Arsene is present, it becomes Eigaon, which travels faster and farther, has an area of effect on hit, hits multiple times, has higher knockback, and deals further damage over time. Eiha has low knockback, but due to it being vertical it can function as a niche KO option near the upper blast line. | |
| Up special | Grappling Hook/Wings of Rebellion | Grappling Hook: 11% (grounded), 5% (aerial) Wings of Rebellion: 0% |
Shoots out a grappling hook at an upward angle. It functions as a tether recovery. As an attack, the grounded version can grab opponents, dragging them towards Joker and launching them above himself with low ending lag and knockback, making it a reliable combo starter. The aerial version cannot grab and only deals low vertical knockback, but can act as a niche KO option at the upper blast line. However, the hook can be difficult to use due to its small size and hitbox position, and much like Isabelle's Fishing Rod, Grappling Hook can be shielded despite its grab properties. When Arsene is out, it becomes Wings of Rebellion, where Joker flies upwards or at a angle (again depending on input) using Arsene's wings. It has no hitboxes, therefore dealing no damage or knockback, but grants a long period of intangibility on startup (frames 1-25 if used on the ground; frames 3-25 if used in midair). Wings of Rebellion also travels considerable distance, going higher than most recovery up specials and being able to recover far below the stage. | |
| Down special | Rebel's Guard/Tetrakarn/Makarakarn | Rebel's Guard: 2.4% Tetrakarn: 1.6× (12% minimum) Makarakarn: 1.6× |
Joker takes a defensive position, during which any direct damage done to him in this state is reduced by 0.4× and builds his Rebellion Gauge. Its period can be extended for at least 1.5 seconds, and if an attack was successfully countered, Joker performd a darkness-infused backhanded swipe at the end of the move that weakly launches opponents away. It quickly refills the Rebellion Gauge to summon Arsene, and when he is summoned, he will power up Joker's special attacks and attack with him, significantly increasing the damage, range and power of his attacks and giving him a large advantage state compared to the rest of the cast, similarly to Rosalina's Luma, although he cannot be sent out as he follows Joker's mivements. When Arsene is out, it becomes Tetrakarn against melee attacks and Makarakarn against projectiles, countering and reflecting them respectively. Both Tetrakarn and Makarakarn are extremely powerful, as are notorious for having some of, if not the best startup, endlag, and damage of all other counters and reflectors, especially given the near universal nerfs to counters in Ultimate, having extremely generous frame data and damage multiplier, as well as a abnormally huge hitbox all around Joker that makes extremely hard to challenge it without getting punished and KOd. With a four frame startup for all variants, Rebel's Guard is a highly useful defensive option. | |
| Final Smash | All-Out Attack | 3% (trapping hit), 33.6% (cinematic), 13% (ending screen) | Joker rushes forward, trapping opponents. If he misses, Joker can also rush backwards if the control stick is pushed backwards. If any fighter is hit during either of these swipes, they are attacked by Joker and three other Phantom Thieves. (The two possible groups are Ann, Ryuji, and Morgana and Makoto, Haru, and Yusuke.) They then rush at the opponent quickly, with either Futaba or Morgana commenting on the attack. After the barrage is complete, Joker lands in front of the opponent as the screen changes into a splash screen, with Joker in the front gripping his glove, the text "The Show's Over" appearing to the left, and the shadow of the unlucky fighter in the background, spewing sparkles. Causes an instant KO if the opponent was at 64% before Joker struck them when the cinematic is over. If the Final Smash's possible resulting KO is the final KO needed to win, the splash screen will remain throughout the victory screen. Arsene will not affect All-Out Attack. | |
On-screen appearance
- Drops from the top of the screen, similar to how the party begins most battles in Persona 5, then adjusts a glove like in his up taunt.
Taunts
Morgana appears for each of Joker's taunts. If he is present, Arsene will also rear back and flourish with his left arm when Joker taunts, making a pose identical to his official artwork.
- Up taunt: Smiles and tugs his glove while facing towards the camera, imitating the splash screen from the end of All-Out Attack. Morgana pumps his paw while saying "Looking cool, Joker!", before posing akimbo.
- Side taunt: Poses with his gun pointed, gun arm over his dagger arm. Morgana poses akimbo and playfully laughs, while showing starry eyes.
- Down taunt: Faces his back towards the camera. Morgana goes "He-hey!" while bouncing on the spot, before crossing his arms.
If Joker is involved in a fight with more than four fighters, Morgana will not appear during his taunts.
Joker's up taunt.
Joker's side taunt.
Joker's down taunt.
Idle Poses
- Twirls his knife towards his chest.
- Twirls his gun before posing.
Joker's first idle pose
Joker's second idle pose
Victory poses
Notes: In all three of his victory poses, the transition to the victory screen will showcase a puff of cartoony smoke with star decals, and ending screen will always result in Joker moving continuously to the left with the results background being dimmed down, replicating the victory screen from Persona 5. Upon accessing the results screen, Joker will say "Begone.", "Nice.", or "Hah!" If there are three or more players, the color scheme will match the player's port (CPUs are always red). In Team Battles, the color will match the player's team color. If Joker wins on Mementos, the color of the victory screen will match the color of the stage, and the victory music will be replaced with the corresponding victory fanfare from the game Mementos' design is currently derived from.
- Left: Morgana runs toward the screen, which ends up hitting him in the face. Joker gestures to Morgana before running towards the left.
- Up: Joker scratches his head as Morgana, transformed as the Morganamobile, drives up next to Joker, picks him up, and drives towards the left.
- Right: Morgana happily bounces around Joker. Joker gestures to the bouncing Morgana before running towards the left.
- Special: If Joker wins a Stock or Stamina match with All-Out Attack, the match will conclude on the splash screen without returning to gameplay, and this will persist into the victory screen, just like in Persona 5.
- Team: If Joker is in a Team Battle and someone else poses in front, he will perform an exclusive animation where he tightens his glove and maintains a stance with his knife, although both of these are ported directly from his in-game up taunt and idle animation respectively. If he poses in front, none of the other fighters on his team will be seen.
When transitioning to the results screen, one of the Phantom Thieves will say one of the following quotes in place of the announcer's usual "[character] wins!"
| Phantom Thief Quotes | |
|---|---|
| Ryuji Sakamoto | ...Hah! Losers! |
Yeah-hah! Nice! | |
Ha-ha! Who's next? | |
| Morgana | Smash is as wild as ever, eh Joker? |
A brilliant victory! | |
Alright! Victory! | |
Mm-mm! Good work! | |
| Ann Takamaki | Feels great, huh? |
Aren't we the best? | |
Done and done! | |
| Yusuke Kitagawa | And the curtain... falls. |
We've done it! | |
Well... Onto the next triumph! | |
| Makoto Niijima | No time to waste! |
Don't forget this feeling! | |
Done and done! | |
| Futaba Sakura | Heh heh heh! They're done for! |
Impressive! | |
Okay! Moving right along! | |
| Haru Okumura | That was graceful! |
Onto the next battle! | |
So much for them! | |
In competitive play
Joker has had a progressively promising showing in competitive play since his release; his combination of quick movement and combos, alongside the devastating power of Arsene giving him a powerful advantage state, has granted him a large following, with many high level players solo maining him or using him as a secondary. MkLeo, considered the best Ultimate player in the world, is one such example, using Joker's traits to great effect to win multiple S-Tier tournaments, while Zackray has also won one co-maining him with R.O.B. and Wolf, including being able to 3-stock Maister. However, some argue against Joker's strengths due to MkLeo's skill as a player allowing him to push the character extremely far, as not many players have come close to his achievements with the character. Regardless, Joker is commonly considered a top tier and one of the best characters in the game, and some top players go as far to name him the single best character in Ultimate at most.
Notable players
Active
Any number following the Smasher name indicates placement on the Spring 2019 PGRU, which recognizes the official top 50 players in the world in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate from February 1st, 2019 to July 7th, 2019.
Eim - One of the best Joker players in Japan. Placed 3rd at Uprising 2019, 4th at Sumabato SP 7, and 33rd at EVO 2019 with solo Joker.
Hero - Placed 33rd at Shine 2019 and 65th at Super Smash Con 2019. Ranked 12th on the Massachusetts Ultimate Power Rankings with wins over Tyroy, Pugwest, and DKwill.
Lemmon - Placed 5th at both The Pinnacle 2019 and VORTEX, 17th at Super Smash Con 2019, and 49th at MomoCon 2019.
MkLeo (#1) - The best Joker player in the world, as well as the overall best player in the world. Placed 1st at MomoCon 2019, Smash 'N' Splash 5, CEO 2019, EVO 2019, Super Smash Con 2019, Uprising 2019, Smash Ultimate Summit 2, and 2GG: Kongo Saga, 2nd at Smash Factor 8 and Shine 2019, and 4th at Get On My Level 2019 with primarily Joker. Has wins over Tweek, Nairo, Samsora, Dabuz, Marss, Maister, ESAM, Zackray, Light, and ProtoBanham.
Space - Mains Inkling and has a strong Joker secondary. Placed 1st at The Ultimate Performance and Smashwick 4, 2nd at The Ultimate Performance 2, and 3rd at Syndicate 2019. Ranked 1st on the Dutch Ultimate Power Rankings.- Stroder (#29) - Has a strong Joker secondary and is considered one of the best Joker players in the United States. Placed 1st at both Ascension IV and Ascension V with Joker as one of his characters.
- Tsu (#44) - One of the best Joker players in Japan. Placed 4th at The Kid, the Goat, and the Mang0 and 5th at Umebura Japan Major 2019 using Joker alongside Lucario and Mii Swordfighter.
- Tweek (#2) - One of the best Joker players in the world. Placed 1st at Return to Yoshi's Island, 2nd at Tri-state Showdown: Fall 2019, 13th at DreamHack Atlanta 2019, and 33rd at Smash 'N' Splash 5 with solo Joker. Has wins over Dabuz, Nairo, and Rivers.
- Tyroy - Placed 5th at Combo Breaker 2019.
- Venom - Co-main Joker with Ken and is considered the best Joker player in Canada. Placed 17th at Defend the North 2019 and 25th at Get On My Level 2019 with primarily Joker and Ken. Ranked 3rd on the Montreal Ultimate Power Rankings.
- Wishes (#21) - One of the best Joker players in the United States. Placed 9th at both CEO 2019 and Defend the North 2019 with both Joker and Pokémon Trainer.
wusi - One of the best Joker player in Germany. Placed 3rd at Luxembourg Gaming Xperience 2019 and 5th at Calyptus Cup X: Purple Age with solo Joker.- Zackray (#12) - Co-mains Joker with R.O.B. and Wolf and is one of the best Joker players in the world. Placed 1st at EGS Cup 2, Sumabato SP 8, The Big House 9, Sumabato SP 9 and Umebura SP 7, with Umebura SP 7 going solo Joker, 7th at Smash Ultimate Summit 2 and 25th at Umebura SP 4. Has wins over Maister, Nairo, Tweek, Marss, Shuton, Kameme and Raito.
- Zagoo - The best Joker player in Michigan. Placed 5th at Chronicles of Olympus V, 7th at Frostbite: Ursa Minor 3, 9th at both Guardian I and Summer Games 2. Has wins over Daybreak, Gomakenpi, and BooBear. Ranked 8th on the Michigan Ultimate Power Rankings.
Inactive
- dyr - Placed 5th at Come to Papa 3 and 49th at The Big House 9.
- VoiD (#9) - Formerly one of the best Joker players in the United States. Placed 13th at 2GG: SwitchFest 2019, 25th at Super Smash Con 2019, and 49th at Shine 2019. Mainly plays Pichu and Sheik now, but still has Joker as a secondary.
- Wrath - Co-mained Joker with Sonic. Placed 17th at MomoCon 2019 and 33rd at both CEO 2019 and Super Smash Con 2019 prior to dropping Joker for Sonic.
Classic Mode: Shadows
Joker mainly fights opponents relating to shadows. On every round, the former enemy fighter becomes an ally to him under a new alternate costume, referencing how in Persona 5, Joker can negotiate with the Shadows and recruit them as Personas, freeing the corrupted demon in the process. Additionally, some items and Assist Trophies are references to Persona 5, such as the Kapp'n Assist Trophy referencing the Morgana Bus. The final boss makes reference to the god Yaldabaoth, the final boss of Persona 5, with the final boss theme Our Beginning also present. In addition, all rounds aside from the second round take place on Mementos.
| Round | Opponent | Stage | Music | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mr. Game & Watch  (×6) |
Mementos | Last Surprise | |
| 2 | Giant Kirby  |
Kalos Pokémon League | Aria of the Soul | Mr. Game & Watch  is a CPU ally. Possibly a reference to Black Frost. The stage choice likely represents the recurring Velvet Room of the Persona franchise.
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| 3 | Samus  and Dark Samus  |
Mementos | Mass Destruction | Kirby  is a CPU ally. Possibly a reference to Aigis, Metis, and Jack Frost.
|
| 4 | Meta Knight  |
Mementos (Battlefield form) | Beneath the Mask | Dark Samus  is a CPU ally. References the masked Shadows before engaging in combat.
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| 5 | Link  , Toon Link  and Young Link  |
Mementos | Reach Out To The Truth | Meta Knight  is a CPU ally. Possibly references to Izanagi.
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| 6 | Giant Incineroar  |
Mementos (Ω Form) | Rivers In the Desert | Link  is a CPU ally. Link is possibly a reference to Izanagi-no-Okami and Incineroar being Shido.
|
| Bonus Stage | ||||
| Final | Master Hand | Mementos (Ω Form) | Our Beginning | On Intensity 7.0 or higher, Crazy Hand joins the fight alongside Master Hand. The music and stage likely refer to the final boss of Persona 5, Yaldabaoth. |
Credits roll after completing Classic Mode. Completing it as Joker has Wake Up, Get Up, Get Out There accompany the credits. As a downloadable character, Joker uses the same character unlock tree as Mario.
Role in World of Light
Due to his status as downloadable content, Joker does not have a legitimate role in World of Light. Instead, he is unlocked for use in the mode after freeing 10 fighters from Galeem's control. If loading an existing save file that meets this condition prior to downloading Joker, he is immediately unlocked.
Fighter Battle
| No. | Image | Name | Type | Power | Stage | Music | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 71 |  |
Joker | There is no fighter battle for Joker, this fighter is obtained by awaking 10 fighters after he is downloaded. | ||||
Spirits
Joker's Fighter Spirits can be obtained by completing Classic Mode. They are also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 500 coins, but only after Joker has been downloaded. Unlocking Joker in World of Light allows the player to preview the first spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As Fighter Spirits, they cannot be used in Spirit Battles and are purely aesthetic. Each Fighter Spirit has an alternate version that replaces them with their artwork in Ultimate. Arsene also makes an appearance in Joker's Fighter Spirits, having a unique render when shown with Joker's Ultimate artwork. Because of this, Joker's Ultimate renders in his Fighter Spirits will show him without his mask/glasses on.
Additionally, he appears in the Phantom Thieves of Hearts Spirit.
- Jack Thief Spirit.png
1,304. Joker (Phantom Thief)
- Jack Student Spirit.png
1,305. Joker (Student)
1,306. Phantom Thieves of Hearts
In Spirit Battles
As the main opponent
| Spirit | Battle parameters | Inspiration | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Image | Name | Series | Enemy Fighter(s) | Type | Power | Stage | Rules | Conditions | Music | Character |
| 1,306 |  |
Phantom Thieves of Hearts | Persona series | •Joker  •Pikachu  •Captain Falcon  •Zero Suit Samus  •Chrom  •Sheik 
|
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13,300 | Mementos | •Sudden Final Smash •Item: Daybreak Parts |
•The enemy will suddenly have a Final Smash when the enemy's at high damage •Reinforcements will appear during the battle |
Wake Up, Get Up, Get Out There | Joker |
Alternate costumes
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Trailers
Introduction Trailer
Gameplay Trailer
Gallery
Joker artwork, as posted on the official Japanese Persona Twitter account by Shigenori Soejima.
A tease of Joker's model from the February 13th, 2019 Nintendo Direct.
A view of Joker's in-game model from behind.
The ad that leaked Joker’s artwork
Joker's splash art.
- JokerJoinsTheBattleSSBU.jpg
Joker's unlock notice after downloading him from the Nintendo eShop.
Joker on Fourside.
Joker wielding his gun on Moray Towers.
Joker posing with Arsene on Spear Pillar.
Joker in his school outfit with Inkling and Isabelle on Delfino Plaza.
Trivia
- Joker's internal codename within the game files is "jack". It is probably a wordplay on "jack" and "joker" being both types of playing cards; additionally, it may reference Atlus' mascot Jack Frost. The codename was reportedly discovered on November 2018 by dataminers on a leaked retail copy. However, this discovery was only made public on January 2019, after Joker had already been officially revealed.
- Joker is the only character who can airdodge multiple times without landing in Ultimate, due to Gun allowing him to dodge between shots.
- However, prior to version 1.1.0, Bowser Jr. was able to air dodge multiple times after using Abandon Ship!.
- Joker is the first selectable character in the series to share their voice actor with the announcer in the English version of the game, barring Master Hand's playable appearances, as Master Hand is not a normally selectable character outside of these circumstances.
- Joker and Piranha Plant are the only DLC in the series to be announced before the game's release.
- Additionally, they are also the only DLC to appear in another DLC's reveal trailer (both appearing in Banjo & Kazooie's).
- Joker and Inkling are the only newcomers in Ultimate to be announced without any gameplay footage in their first reveal trailer.
- While Terry's reveal trailer doesn't feature gameplay footage, a brief showcase was showed by Masahiro Sakurai during the same Nintendo Direct.
- Joker has two reveal trailers, and is the only character with this distinction.
- Joker's first reveal trailer has two variants. One which was played during The Game Awards 2018, and one which was officially posted online afterwards with dialogue altered to remove references to the Game Awards.
- Out of all the character reveals in both Smash 4 and Ultimate, Joker is the only character to be revealed at/in a non-Nintendo event/video.
- Joker is the first and so far only DLC character in Ultimate to not have a tagline in their first reveal trailer.
- Joker, Bowser, Zero Suit Samus, Mega Man, Bowser Jr., Ridley, Incineroar, and Banjo & Kazooie are the only characters who make any sounds during their idle animations.
- In Joker's reveal trailer, it is mentioned that he must have gone to The Game Awards 2018 to steal a treasure. According to Masahiro Sakurai in a Famitsu column, the treasure was an invitation to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. [3]
- The invitation is depicted as being enclosed in an envelope with a wax seal in the shape of the Super Smash Bros. logo. This is a callback to previous character reveal trailers for Villager in Smash 4 and Isabelle in Ultimate, and was later re-used in the reveal trailer for Terry.
- An instrumental arrangement of Life Will Change plays fittingly during the reveal, as the song plays while the Phantom Thieves are infiltrating a Palace to steal a treasure after sending out a calling card.
- Interestingly, despite Life Will Change being featured, it is not available as a track in-game.
- Coincidentally, the concept of Palaces in the Persona series is vaguely similar to the "world of imagination" concept used to justify the Super Smash Bros. games, where events and characters are imaginary and are affected by cognition in the "real world" (including toys, such as Joker's Gun, becoming real and functional similar to the fighters themselves). As such, Joker's announcement and inclusion in the Smash Bros. world, particularly with regards to the "treasure" being stolen, can be considered a variation of the Phantom Thieves infiltrating a Palace.
- After Sonic and Bayonetta, Joker is the third guest fighter to represent Sega, as Atlus was acquired by Sega Sammy Holdings in 2013.
- Because he is a downloadable character, Joker uses Mario's character unlock column; as such, all three Sega characters in the game are technically in the same column. Additionally, they can all be unlocked one after the other, by downloading Joker, clearing Classic Mode with him to unlock Sonic, and then with Sonic to unlock Bayonetta.
- Joker is the second character to have his victory theme directly ripped from a non-Smash game, the first being Sonic.
- He is also the second character whose victory theme plays continuously rather than playing the results theme afterwards, with the first being Cloud.
- Joker had his render leaked on March 31st, 2019, by Best Buy before his official render was revealed.
- Joker is the only character so far whose character render changes under certain circumstances, as his mask (or glasses, in his alternate costume) will be removed when Arsene is present.
- Joker is the only character so far who utilizes a knife in his standard moveset.
- Joker is the only character with the distinction of having more than one victory theme in one game.
- Joker's Classic Mode can be considered an antithesis of Mewtwo's. Both characters "recruit" the opponent they defeated on the previous round; however, Mewtwo's partners are turned into "corrupted" alternate costumes, while Joker's allies now have light alternate costumes to represent that they were "purified".
- Joker and Donkey Kong's Classic Mode routes are the only time in the Super Smash Bros. series where Master Hand is not fought on the respective game's Final Destination, not counting the Master Hand glitch in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
- Joker travels to the second fewest number of stages in his Classic Mode route with 2, traveling to Mementos (in all three forms) and Kalos Pokémon League.
- In English, Joker and Sheik are the only characters whose Classic Mode titles are each one word.
- Given that Giant Kirby appears in Round 2 of his Classic Mode route, Joker is one of two characters who fights an opponent originating as a minor boss from Melee's Adventure Mode. The other is Yoshi who faces a Giant Bowser as his penultimate opponent.
- Joker is the only character in the series who:
- has more than three victory poses, with the presence of his normal three, his All-Out Attack victory screen, and his exclusive Team Battle victory pose.
- is not announced on the results screen, instead having a comment from one of the Phantom Thieves.
- has a victory pose reserved for Team Battles.
- can manually select a victory pose if he is the leading character of a winning team in a Team Battle.
- Joker is the only middleweight fighter who doesn't share the same weight as another character.
- He is set of weight of 93, which means he’s heavier than Ice Climbers, Lucario, Wolf, and Villager each, but lighter than Ness, Lucas, Mii Brawler, and Inkling each.
- Joker is the third character with the ability to counter attacks and to reflect projectiles in his default moveset, the first two being Palutena and King K. Rool, respectively.
- Joker is one of the few characters to speak during a KO: his alternate KO line has him saying "What?!" ("済まない...", "I'm sorry...").
- Joker is one of the few fighters to spin differently in their Star KO: he spins forwards instead of away from the screen, similarly to how Star KOs acted in Smash 4. He shares this trait with Cloud, Corrin, Incineroar, Inkling and Shulk.
- When KO'd by reaching 0 HP in Stamina Mode, Joker uses a unique knockout scream that's not taken from either his KO or high damage voice clips, although this can be difficult to hear under normal circumstances. Banjo & Kazooie also shares this trait.
- The presence of Joker in the Phantom Thieves of Hearts spirit and its fight having a puppet of him may imply that he was captured and had produced copies by Galeem. However, this may not have been taken under consideration by the developers. Additionally, it is unknown to what extent Galeem and Dharkon have involvement with Spirits not found in World of Light, as the only spirits not appearing in the mode but are confirmed victims of Galeem are Hades and Hanenbow, the former mentioned in an interview with Masahiro Sakurai, and the latter seen in the World of Light opening cutscene.
- Excluding Bowser Jr. (with the Koopalings) and the four iterations of Hero, Joker has the most versions of artwork as a single character. He has his standard Phantom Thief and Student outfit, and secondary versions of those featuring Arsene (where Joker’s mask or glasses is taken off).
- Prior to patch 4.0.0, a glitch can occur if Joker is defeated by a Star KO with a full Rebellion Gauge: Arsene will appear in the background, hovering where Joker was KO'd.
- If Arsene is activated by a CPU Joker on the Online Training stage, although his model will unmask as normal, Joker's render will remain masked.
- Joker is the only character who speaks when transitioning from the victory animation to the results, saying either "Begone.", "Nice.", or "Hah!"
- Joker is the only character to not have the announcer talk and not have the crowd chant during his victory animation.
- Joker is one of the few characters to have someone (Morgana) appear during their taunts.
- Joker is currently the only character in the Fighters Pass whose demonstration video is not hosted by Masahiro Sakurai.
References
 Persona universe
| |
|---|---|
| Fighter | Joker (SSBU) (Arsène) |
| Stage | Mementos |
| Other | Ann Takamaki · Futaba Sakura · Haru Okumura · Makoto Niijima · Morgana · Protagonist (Persona 3) · Protagonist (Persona 4) · Ryuji Sakamoto · Teddie · Yusuke Kitagawa |
| Spirits | Spirits |
| Music | Ultimate |
