List of flaws in artificial intelligence (SSB4)

The following is a list of flaws in the artificial intelligence of Super Smash Bros. 4, present in both games up to the most recent version (1.1.7) unless otherwise stated.

General

Category	Description	Character	Latest version
Attack choices	When they get close to a foe after they roll, land from midair or finish another attack, CPUs will nearly always use a grab, or occasionally a jab if the foe is not shielding, making their attack choices at close range predictable. They even do this if the foe approaches them from behind, turning around before grabbing. If the player constantly stays a safe distance away from the CPU, it will aggressively dash towards them and use a dash grab, or stop the dash in close before using another attack, making its approach predictable. The CPU will dash grab even if the player goes airborne or moves a small distance away, missing it and becoming vulnerable. CPUs additionally always pummel at least once when grabbing a foe, even with characters such as Ganondorf and Robin that have slow pummels allowing the player to easily break out of the grab. Moreover, with the exception of Donkey Kong, CPUs tend to favor their down throws to combo at low to mid percents, even with characters whose down throws are ineffective for said purpose and instead have other combo throws (such as Bowser and Kirby), and in case they do use said throws, they will rarely try to combo out of them whatsoever (an example being Bowser with his up throw). Likewise, at high percents, they almost always their back throws for KOing, even with characters such as Greninja, Marth, and Pit who have other stronger throws; the only exceptions are Charizard, Kirby, Link, and Mewtwo, who instead appropriately use their up throws in this instance.	All	1.1.7
	CPUs often fail to recognize when an opponent is in ending lag, instead, they act as though the player has the ability to attack them at any moment. This is particularly noticeable if the player uses Rest, as the CPU will continue to act cautiously, failing to recognize that Jigglypuff is vulnerable.	All
	When launched upwards and close to the player horizontally, CPUs tend to fall down and use a down aerial when in close range, which can be easily shielded and punished, instead of trying to land away safely.	All
	Like in Melee and Brawl, CPUs that launch a foe upwards will just wait for them on the ground to attack with up tilts and up smashes as they come near, rarely using other attacks or going airborne to chase them. The only exception is Mii Gunner, who will often jump and use their up aerial instead.	All
	In Training mode, CPUs set to Attack have a much higher tendency to use projectiles and other special attacks they spam (such as Falcon Kick) than in other game modes, using them even when in close to the player, causing them to be much easier to punish and impractical to battle against.	All
	CPUs make constant use of their forward smash and grab to attack at close range.	All	1.0.4
	CPUs persistently try to use certain projectiles or special moves even when only one of them can be out at a time, or when a certain period of time must pass for the special to be used again; they will just use it again with no results, causing them to become vulnerable most of the time. These moves include Clown Cannon, Mechakoopa, Wario Bike, Banana Peel, Robin's four special moves (of which Thunder and Arcfire suffer the most from this behavior), Robo Beam, Gyro, Pikmin Throw, and Bonus Fruit. When at a long distance from a player, a CPU may even stall in place trying to spam these moves, without trying to approach the player at all for a long while.	All
	When at a moderate distance from a foe, most CPUs often jump before shooting projectiles (a behavior also presented by CPU Yoshi with Egg Lay), even if these are fired in a straight horizontal trajectory, such as Water Shuriken or Charge Shot, or at an otherwise more vertical angle, such as Shot Put, causing them to miss if the foe just stays on the ground.	All
	When using a projectile repeatedly, CPUs tend to not move and reposition themselves between uses of it, causing them to constantly miss with projectiles that only cover a specific distance, such as Shot Put and Explosive Flame, leaving themselves open.	All
Shielding and Dodging	If a CPU on the ground is not in lag when a nearby player has intangibility from a roll or sidestep, it will also roll, taking the intangibility as a menace; if this is done repeatedly, the CPU will continuously roll around, seemingly rolling in lockstep with the player, attacking only if the player is not intangible as the CPU's lag ends, instead of simply punishing them. This easily allows the player to bait the CPU and get followups. CPUs also behave similarly when the player has invincibility via respawning or equipment. They will roll constantly even if the player just stays on the revival platform, doing so heedless of other hazards on stage.	All	1.1.7
	CPUs hold their shield against incoming attacks even if they have remarkable shield breaking potential (such as Hand Slap, also notorious with items like the Hammer and Home-Run Bat) or are strengthened enough by equipment to do so, allowing the player to easily set up followups and KOs on them afterward.	All
	High-level CPUs always attempt to air dodge incoming attacks and grabs while airborne, even if doing so causes other dangers, such as landing lag if used right above a platform or self-destructing on stages like Jungle Japes, where the air dodge's lag can cause them to fall in the water. Additionally, if the player repeatedly uses an attack that weakly sends the CPU over them, such as an up tilt for most characters, the CPU will air dodge the second attack after getting hit by the first one but will suffer landing lag afterward, enabling the player to simply hit the CPU with the attack over again and rack up significant damage. Similar behavior occurs with high-level CPUs attempting to escape area-of-effect dangers such as an X Bomb or Assist Trophy; they will air dodge constantly and angle their recoveries in an attempt to escape the item without considering where they land, which can cause an unintentional self-destruct (most notoriously with angled recoveries such as Teleport, Fire Fox or Power of Flight) or leave them prone to harsh punishment.	All
	CPUs shielding attacks at a fair distance might hold them for a long time or constantly put them on and off until they are close to breaking, regardless of what the player does.	All	1.0.4, 1.0.2
	After shielding an attack, CPUs tend to always roll before attacking the player, rarely using shield grabs or just dropping their shield to use attacks, making them easy to predict and punish.	All	1.0.4
	When on a platform, CPUs shielding attacks from below will just hold their shields in place if attacked repeatedly or drop them to then shield the next attack again, not trying to roll or jump away until their shield is close to breaking. This allows them to be easily shield stabbed.	All
	When a player charges a special move whose charge can be held indefinitely, such as Hero's Bow or Rollout, CPUs without projectiles (or approach special moves they spam) behave rather eccentrically: they will recurrently jump and fall down while moving a slight distance forward, repeating the process and randomly rolling away from the player as they get closer, only attacking if the player is within close range as they jump or land. While they still attempt to dodge these attacks when released, this behavior can be easily exploited by unleashing the attack as they are falling down, invariably hitting them. CPUs also behave this way against a Wii Fit Trainer player using Deep Breathing, despite her becoming vulnerable, no matter how long the move is used.	All
Recovery	When recovering while above ground level, CPU Link and Toon Link at high levels will use their Boomerang even if that leaves them vulnerable against nearby edge guarders, or otherwise doesn't reach the foe at all. CPU Mario and Dr. Mario behave the same way with Fireball/Megavitamins, as does CPU Pikachu with Thunder Jolt.		1.1.7
	When using their up specials during recovery while above ground level, CPU Fox and Falco will aim for nearby onstage foes instead of a safe ledge, leaving themselves easily punishable. CPU Mii Swordfighter exhibits the same behavior with Skyward Slash Dash, assuming the move is equipped.
	CPU Bayonetta always uses Afterburner Kick when at a short distance away from the edge, often without attacking or dodging opponents after using the move and before landing.
	CPU Bayonetta never uses Witch Twist before her midair jump when recovering, thus rendering her unable to use the move a second time and allowing her to be edgeguarded more easily.
	CPU Palutena never uses Super Speed to recover, and won't try to attack after using Jump Glide even when onstage. CPU R.O.B. behaves similarly with Robo Burner, not attacking or dodging after using it until landing or grabbing an edge.
	CPU Palutena never uses Angelic Missile to recover.		1.0.4
	CPU Pac-Man never uses Power Pellet to recover.		1.1.7
	When using Pac-Jump, CPU Pac-Man often doesn't bounce on the trampoline again unless a wall in front forces him to do so, causing him to be KO'd if the first bounce doesn't achieve enough distance for him to recover.		1.0.4
	CPU Ryu never uses Focus Attack Dash Cancels to recover.		1.1.7
	When using Abandon Ship, CPU Bowser Jr. never attacks with the hammer, instead air dodging continuously when pursued until landing or grabbing an edge.		1.0.5
	CPU Mii Brawler never uses Feint Jump to recover.
	CPU Luigi, Sheik, and Zero Suit Samus never aid their recoveries with their respective down specials, causing them to fail their recoveries and get KO'd if their other recovery moves do not attain enough distance to get back onto the stage.		1.0.4, 1.0.2
	CPUs of characters with multiple midair jumps often intentionally hover by the ledge using up all of them before grabbing it, instead of simply getting back to the stage, leaving themselves open to subsequent gimps.		1.0.2, : 1.0.5 only
	Similar to the situation seen above, CPU Ness and Lucas always distance away from the stage edge to aim at it with PK Thunder 2 (or z-air in the case of Lucas), becoming extremely vulnerable to gimps.		1.1.7, : 1.0.5 onward
	CPUs never avoid or fight off edgeguarders during their recovery, making them much easier to KO than human players.	All	1.0.4
	At high levels, CPU Wario most of the time aids his recovery with Wario Bike before using Corkscrew. When knocked out of the move's jump, however, he may persistently try to use the move again even if he hasn't got the Bike back, initiating Wario's "searching around" animation and getting KO'd. He may also exhibit this behavior if his Bike is onstage due to a prior use of the move.
	In most cases, CPU Diddy Kong aims Rocketbarrel Boost horizontally, even if the stage ledge is above him, causing him to be KO'd when he could have survived otherwise. CPU Mii Gunner behaves similarly with Arm Rocket, assuming the move is equipped.
	CPU Charizard never uses Flare Blitz to recover.
	CPU Ness always aims PK Thunder 2 in the same upwards, barely horizontal trajectory when recovering, often causing him to fail to recover if the ledge or platform he is aiming at is at a more horizontal distance (as the CPU commonly won't wait to be below it to use the move either).
	At high levels, CPU Shulk often activates his Jump Art before using Air Slash to recover. However, he does this even if he had already used another Art, having to scroll all the way to the Jump Art before being able to use Air Slash, waiting too long to recover and getting KO'd.
	CPU Mega Man at high levels usually tries to use Crash Bomber after Rush Coil if he doesn't grab an edge instantly with the move, even though it doesn't affect recovery; in some occasions, this can cause him to miss a nearby ledge and get KO'd. At low levels, he may even use Crash Bomber only, without using Rush Coil at all, causing him to be KO'd without trying to recover.
	When using Soaring Axe Kick and Stone Scabbard for recovery, CPU Mii Fighters won't wait to be underneath the ledge they're aiming at, at a range the distance given by the move is more desirable for recovering, habitually using the move instantly after their midair jump and self-destructing easily because of the moves' falldown.
Other	When hit by Mega Man's up aerial, CPUs often use a midair jump after taking its repeated hits, even if they end up being pushed by the tornado towards the upper blast line, getting KO'd earlier by the move.	All	1.1.7
	When Shuriken of Light is repeatedly used against CPUs at a far distance (near to the point where the move gets maximum power), they will just hold their shield in place even if the attack doesn't reach them at all, holding it until it's close to breaking if the player doesn't ceasefire, allowing the player to get easy shield stabs and breaks on them afterward. In this situation, CPUs with reflectors will also rarely use them at all. CPUs also exhibit this behavior against the custom moves Fireball Cannon and Jumbo Hoop.	All
	CPUs still ignore when Team Attack is on, carelessly using powerful moves like smash attacks even if there are teammates with high damage near them, thus KOing them. When accidentally grabbing teammates, they will also still pummel and throw them.	All
	CPU players on a human player's team may still perform actions on similar-teamed human players, even with Team Attack off, most often at Level 6 and above. This is most frequent when a human player is charging an attack, holding down a hitbox-generating attack (such as a jab infinite), or is buried; CPU players will spam dodges for the former two, or constantly throw out smash attacks for the latter.	All
Carryover from Brawl	When launched a high distance, high-leveled CPUs will almost always air dodge after hitstun ends, very occasionally jumping or using an aerial attack instead, which allows players to easily get followups on them. In this case, they will also never interrupt their air dodges with an action besides another dodge. In this situation, CPUs may also air dodge continuously until they land, without trying to counterattack pursuing players at all, and will still air dodge when close to the ground as well, becoming vulnerable due to the landing lag.	All	1.0.4
	When grabbing ledges, CPUs frequently choose to jump from them instead of using other options, allowing players to consistently punish them with options that cover their ledge jump.	All
	During the period a player has to respawn, CPUs will jump onto a nearby platform, and flee to others when the player pursues them, without attempting to dodge their attacks.	All
	When a player and a CPU with a chargeable projectile are on opposite sides of a stage, the CPU will still constantly charge and fire the projectile in place until the player comes near, allowing them to easily reflect or absorb them.
	CPU Kirby often uses his forward aerial after a midair jump to attack edge guarders during his recovery, regardless of his level, which, while making him harder to gimp, is a very predictable and stoppable process as the CPU will never attempt to act differently.
	CPU Meta Knight tends to use Dimensional Cape over his other special moves to recover, even when Shuttle Loop and Drill Rush are vastly superior options; he usually only uses the former when a ledge is directly above him, and never uses the latter at all.
	CPUs with a Gooey Bomb or Crash Bomber stuck to them constantly shield and dodge until they wear off or explode, ignoring nearby players in the process.	All	1.1.7

Character-specific

Character	Description	Latest version
	CPU Mario and Dr. Mario tend to use Cape/Super Sheet after a jump instead of their superior aerial attacks, leaving themselves open to punishes if predicted correctly.	1.1.7
	CPU Luigi tends to use Luigi Cyclone when approaching the player.
	When floating towards the player, CPU Peach will never cancel the float to air dodge incoming attacks; as she often floats to approach from the ground, this can be easily exploited to fatally KO her. Additionally, at high levels, if the player goes offstage and CPU Peach is at the edge, she will always float offstage for the maximum duration without attempting to attack or air dodge, only moving horizontally towards them. This flaw not only leaves her open to punishment from unusually slow attacks such as fully charged smash attacks but can also be limitlessly exploited, allowing the player to win against her by repeatedly going offstage and punishing her.
	The CPUs characters shown left use their grab special moves (Flying Slam, Egg Lay, Chomp, Nosferatu, Inhale, Force Palm, and Confusion respectively) almost as much as their grab, and in the same instances, leaving themselves open to attacks if they miss (since they are usually laggier than regular grabs).	1.1.7, : 1.0.5 onward
	When above the player in midair, the CPUs shown left (especially Captain Falcon and Ganondorf) often use their stall-then-fall specials (Bowser Bomb, Yoshi Bomb, Stone, Falcon Kick, Wizard's Foot, Power Thrust and downward Afterburner Kick respectively), even if these can be easily avoided and punished.	1.1.7
	CPU Rosalina tends to use her forward or back air as hitstun ends upon being launched far, even if no foes are close to her or Luma, allowing the player to hit her out of the moves' endlag and potentially get followups and KOs.	1.1.7, : 1.0.5 onward
	CPU Rosalina will never intentionally attempt to make the Luma attack projected away from her upon using Luma Shot, only calling it back to use the move over again, causing Luma to be easily KO'd by foes. She will also persistently try to call Luma back even when it's stunned from an attack (the period during which it cannot be called back), leaving herself open to enemy attacks.	1.0.4
	CPU Bowser Jr. spams Clown Kart Dash when at far distances from the player. This usually also leads to him SDing on walk-off stages such as Bridge of Eldin.	1.1.7 (1.0.6 onward)
	CPU Wario often uses Wario Bike when at far distances from the player. He additionally most of the time turns around as he gets close to the foe, even if that causes him to not hit at all, and also attempts to use the move even if his Bike is onstage and away from him, initiating his "searching around" animation and failing to do so.	1.1.7
	When grabbing a foe, CPU Donkey Kong will only use his cargo throw, and then almost always his cargo up throw, only using his cargo down throw when grabbing foes near an edge. He also often initiates and finishes the cargo throw instantly, never moving except to turn around if close to an edge and facing away from it, and not pummeling the foe until very high percentages.
	CPU Diddy Kong never attempts to pick up his Banana Peels, even when he intentionally spawns them.	1.1.0
	When punishing an opponent after a shield break, CPU Link and Toon Link only use the first hit of their forward smash, with CPU Link also not charging it at all, thus missing on significant damage and, due to the first hit's very low knockback scaling (in order to connect into the second hit), rendering them unable to KO the opponent whatsoever.	1.1.7 (1.0.6 onward)
	CPU Sheik tends to use Burst Grenade when distanced away from the player (like she does with Needle Storm) and hold it even after the player gets close, allowing them to unleash a powerful attack on her.	1.1.7
	CPU Samus often repeatedly uses Bombs when above the player, even if there is a platform below her.
	CPU characters with chargeable projectiles that can be stored often spam weak projectiles after unleashing a fully charged one, even if they don't reach the foe at all.	1.0.4
	CPU Zero Suit Samus tends to use Flip Jump when at a medium distance from the player, often failing to hit with it.	1.1.7
	She also tends to use Plasma Whip against players near the move's maximum range.
	About half of the time when a projectile is fired at them, CPU Pit and Dark Pit will use Upperdash Arm/Electroshock Arm to reflect it instead of Guardian Orbitars, even if they are in the air or during recovery, leaving them extremely vulnerable due to the move's heavy aerial ending lag especially if they fail to hit the projectile, and in the latter case, even failing to recover and getting KOed.
	CPU Palutena spams Super Speed (if equipped) when at far distances from the player.
	CPU Marth and Lucina tend to spam Dancing Blade to attack the player at close distances.
	CPU Lucina almost always tries to combo her down throw into Dolphin Slash, even when this often proves to be a poor attempt at doing so, it is easily avoidable by DIing away and leaving her vulnerable afterward.	1.0.4
	The CPUs shown left (most notably Little Mac and Shulk) constantly use their counterattacks against the player if they use a powerful attack (such as an aerial or smash) near them, even if it doesn't hit the CPUs, leaving themselves open to baits and punishes. They sometimes also randomly use them after launching an attack or near the edge of the stage against recovering foes, even if they don't attack at all.	1.1.7
	When the player is knocked down, CPU Ike will nearly always use Quick Draw, even at a distance where the player is able to roll behind him to avoid the attack. Prior to version 1.1.1, he would also exhibit this behavior when the player grabbed a ledge.
	CPU Robin never attempt to pick up Tomes or Levin Swords they drop.
	CPU Kirby tends to incorrectly use copy abilities like PK Flash and Warlock Punch that aren't campable projectiles, which he uses even against foes out of the moves' range, or Monado Arts, which he uses at inappropriate moments (such as using Shield or Smash at low percentages).
	When the player is knocked down or hanging on a ledge, CPU Meta Knight will almost always use Mach Tornado regardless of his distance from the foe, which often proves to be ineffective.
	CPU Little Mac tends to use Straight Lunge when at a medium distance from the player.
	CPU Little Mac doesn't properly notice when his Power Meter is maxed out, using his neutral special in the same instances he would use Straight Lunge, thus using his KO Uppercut too far from the opponent and wasting it, while not taking advantage of releasing it when a player is close to him. He also tries to use it against players falling down nearby or hanging on ledges; an attempt that can be easily avoided.
	CPU Fox and Falco sometimes use Fox Illusion/Falco Phantasm or Fire Fox/Bird instead of their Blaster from far distances, even if these moves don't cover enough distance or are otherwise extremely punishable.
	CPU Falco always shoots only two or three times when using Blaster on the ground, and doesn't end the move quicker even if the player gets close to him, becoming vulnerable to attacks.
	Besides Thunder Jolt, CPU Pikachu tends to jump forward and use Thunder when approaching, even if it doesn't hit at all and leaves Pikachu vulnerable right in front of the player.
	CPU Jigglypuff almost always attacks with Rollout when at far distances, and turns around as it is near the foe to hit on the way back rather than immediately, making it easily punishable. Additionally, if initiating the move too close to an edge, it will roll completely off the stage and not stop until it eventually self-destructs, even at high levels.
	CPU Jigglypuff never uses Rest at high levels, missing the opportunity to use it when in close range to a foe; at low levels, it uses the move very rarely and when at a far distance from the player, leaving itself extremely vulnerable to attacks.
	CPU Greninja almost always approaches with Shadow Sneak when at far distances.
	CPU Ness and Lucas tend to use PK Thunder 2 to approach when at far distances, giving the player a long amount of time to dodge and punish them, or even hit them with a charged attack. They additionally use it even if there are platforms above them, causing the beam to vanish and interrupting the attack.
	When using PK Flash, CPU Ness always charges the move to nearly its maximum against grounded opponents, no matter how close they are to him, allowing them to punish him with powerful attacks such as charged smashes.	1.0.4, 1.0.2
	CPU Captain Falcon and Ganondorf spam Falcon Kick/Wizard's Foot at far distances from the player.	1.1.7
	They additionally tend to use Raptor Boost/Flame Choke against foes near the moves' maximum range.
	CPU Villager rarely performs Timber properly, failing to detect where he planted the sapling or tree to initiate the next phases of the move, and occasionally even attacking his own tree (instead of using the ax) when it grows.	1.0.4
	If the player doesn't approach, CPU Olimar will often persistently use Pikmin Throw in place even after having thrown all possible Pikmin.	1.1.7
	CPU Wii Fit Trainer using Deep Breathing never attempts to end the move earlier, and may use it repeatedly even though it becomes slower every use, allowing players to easily punish them with powerful attacks such as charged smashes.	1.0.4
	If the player and a CPU Pac-Man are in opposite sides of a stage, he will try to summon a Bonus Fruit even if there is already one on stage and it is picked up by the player, resulting in him persistently using the move in place with no effect, often for prolonged amounts of time.	1.1.7
	CPU Pac-Man often uses Fire Hydrant when above the player, even if there is a platform below him.
	CPU Sonic spams Spin Charge to approach from far distances.
	CPU Sonic always uses Homing Attack after using his up throw against a player, which is too slow to hit them before they are able to dodge in comparison to Sonic's other, more reliable followups, and leaves him close enough to the player for them to punish him.
	After being launched upwards, CPU Mewtwo will sometimes Teleport diagonally down as it falls even if not attacked, leaving it highly vulnerable afterward. It will even do this near edges on some stages, causing it to self-destruct. Mewtwo additionally uses Teleport instead of a roll in some occasions to dodge certain special moves such as Kirby's Stone, often self-destructing when doing this near an edge.
	CPU Cloud always cancels Limit Charge with a roll or shield drop, instead of going for a faster option like canceling it with an attack.
	CPU Cloud will still often use Blade Beam from long distances upon acquiring Limit Break, using it on the said move instead of saving it up for a stronger one like Finishing Touch.
	If the player holds their crouch a long distance away from CPU Cloud, it will take them a long time to get close and hit the opponent.
	CPU Bayonetta may use downward Afterburner Kick even if close to the edge, causing her to plummet offstage and self-destruct.
	After slowing down an opponent with Witch Time, CPU Bayonetta will often either move around slowly without attacking or attack repeatedly in place regardless of the opponent's position from her, allowing them to get out of the move unpunished.
	CPU Mii Brawler often uses Burning Dropkick at far distances to approach. If they have Onslaught equipped instead, they often use it against foes near the move's maximum range.
	After down throw, CPU Mii Brawler tends to not jump before using Helicopter Kick, thus missing with the move and becoming vulnerable.
	CPU Mii Swordfighter often uses Power Thrust when approaching the player.
	CPU Mii Swordfighter uses Hero's Spin on the ground when an opponent goes above them, even though the attack can't hit from this position, leaving the CPU extremely vulnerable.
	CPU Mii Gunner never fires Laser Blaze continuously, always shooting once at a time.

Item-related

Item	Description	Latest version
Explosives	Like in Brawl, CPUs throw explosives such as Deku Nuts and Smart Bombs against foes too close to them even if that causes them to get caught in the explosions that follow, self-destructing in the process (especially with Bob-ombs). CPU players (including high-leveled ones) also typically throw containers and explosives at their feet (most likely programming for throwing Poké Balls), which can cause an untimely self-destruct.	1.1.7
	CPUs often inadvertently attack Cuccos and Beehives in an attempt to attack other players.
	CPUs still exhibit most flaws from Brawl when using the Hammer.
	CPUs do not recognize Franklin Badges, and often use projectiles (including fully charged ones) on players who are wearing them, even though this may prove to be fatal.
	While CPUs are overall better at avoiding dangerous items activated by anyone other than them, this can become a problem with Motion-Sensor Bombs, Uniras and Bumpers. If one is activated between the thrower and a CPU, it will repeatedly walk up to it, only to back up at the last second (either by jumping backward, rolling, or sidestepping) and occasionally use a random attack, rarely managing to jump over it unless there are other CPUs at the same side. If these items are activated close to a CPU and the player goes to its other side, the CPU may also roll straight into them trying to dodge them.
	If a CPU is cornered near the edge of a stage by a player facing away from them while wearing a Back Shield, the CPU may continuously attack the shield or roll backward rather than trying another option such as jumping over the player.
	CPUs will chase after Poison Mushrooms even though they give a fighter affected by one a disadvantage.
	When a player near them has partial intangibility from a dodge, CPU Bowser, Little Mac, and Lucario still roll during their Final Smashes to "avoid" them instead of attacking them, despite becoming invincible to knockback, allowing the player to easily stall them out until the Final Smashes wear off. CPU players will also group up under Final Smashes that send opponents to the top of the screen, and wander aimlessly or attack constantly even if the resultant ending hit can cause them to be KO'd (such as those from Great Aether and Omnislash).
	After using Shadow Mario Paint, CPU Bowser Jr. will repeatedly spam Clown Cannon (without charging it) in place until it wears off, regardless of his level.
	CPUs won't use the Ore Club correctly; when holding it, they often stand in place and use its forward tilt repeatedly as if expecting this to produce a projectile, even though a forward smash must be used to do this. They also do this with most other battering items, persistently using jabs and forward tilts with them even if the foe is not in range.	1.0.4
	CPUs have a habit of walking into activated Hocotate Bombs, which often leads to them getting lifted off the ground with them and KOed off the top blast line.	1.1.7

Stage-related

Stage	Description	Latest version
	On The Great Cave Offensive, CPUs will still jump to use aerials or try to reach higher-placed foes even if below a low ceiling with Danger Zones, receiving avoidable damage and eventually self-destructing if they are above 100%.	1.1.7
	On Jungle Hijinxs, CPUs exhibit numerous behavioral oddities: When in a different layer than a human player, they often linger in their current layer for long periods of time without following the player. When they do chase them, they will often perform repeated short hops below the barrel cannons instead of jumping full height, causing themselves to miss. Additionally, they do not normally wait for the appropriate amount of time after launching from a barrel cannon, and thus enter other cannons while on fire, potentially self-destructing.
	CPUs have a difficult time chasing opponents on the moving platform above the stage, often hitting themselves with the spikes below it or failing to get on it at all. CPU Little Macs, in particular, have a very hard time chasing their opponents on this stage without self-destructing.
	On Windy Hill Zone, when knocked off the edges, CPUs will often delay their recoveries even if that causes them to hit the rotating springs, usually getting KO'd in the process. Their tendency to do this does not change even if they bounce to the side instead, as they will once again not recover soon enough, which effectively KOs them seeing how low the springs are positioned.
	On Delfino Plaza and stages with a similar layout, CPUs will usually aim their recoveries below the main platform instead of aiming for the ledges (thus requiring less height to recover), causing them to get KO'd if their recovery moves do not grant enough distance to propel them above the platform when they could have given enough distance for them to grab the ledges instead.	1.0.4, 1.0.2
	On Corneria, CPUs will attempt to grab items even if they fall onto the Great Fox's laser blaster, often not being able to make it back onto the ship's deck afterward (repeatedly jumping in place or off the gun only to get back onto it), forcing them to stay put until they are inevitably blasted offscreen.	1.0.4
	In the third section of Paper Mario, CPUs who are standing on the Bowser's head won't pay attention to when the head rotates, often focusing on fighting anyone else who may be on there too, rather than maintaining their footing, often resulting in them falling off and not making it back to the stage.
	CPUs would constantly try to break the blocks on the stage, often spamming aerials or forward smashes, with the latter having no use on the blocks.

Update history

1.0.5

• AI is matched to that of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, significantly improving it. In addition, some other changes were made:
  • CPUs now instantly shoot to the ledge of the stage with their up special when underneath it, preventing them from self-destructing in an attempt to dodge attacks while recovering.
  • CPU Luigi, Sheik, and Zero Suit Samus now use their down specials to recover, though Luigi uses it without rising.
  • CPU Bowser Jr. now uses Clown Kart Dash to recover.
  • CPU Ness at high levels no longer uses PK Flash on land, now using it only for edge guards.

1.0.6

• CPUs now unleash a fully charged smash attack on a foe stunned from a broken shield, instead of a random attack.
• CPUs now attempt to steal ledges from foes.
• CPUs with multiple jumps no longer hover by the ledge of the stage when recovering.
• CPUs wait for a couple of seconds before using Share Stock.
• CPU Luigi properly rises when using Luigi Cyclone to recover. He now combos his down throw into two forward airs instead of an up air.
• CPU Bowser Jr. uses Clown Kart Dash on land much more often and now uses the hammer when recovering with Abandon Ship.
• CPU Marth and Lucina perform all hits of Dancing Blade more often but have a higher tendency of using the move.
• CPU Sonic now uses Spin Dash before his midair jumps to recover.
• CPU Mii Brawler now uses Feint Jump to recover.

1.0.8

• CPUs with z-airs now integrate them into midair combat.
• CPUs use down throws more often, and additionally, more CPU characters such as Ness and Link are coded to use down throw combos.

1.1.0

• CPU Mr. Game & Watch now combos his down throw into an up air or Judge.
• CPU Robin now combos his down throw into a jab or uptilt.

1.1.1

• CPU R.O.B. now combos his down throw into an up air.
• CPU Ike now uses Eruption against foes on ledges instead of Quick Draw.

1.1.3

• A bug causing CPUs to do nothing at all on custom stages with a certain setup has been fixed.

Specific setups

In comparison to other Smash games, the AI in Smash 4 since the release of the Wii U version has been coded to always combo the throws (majorly down throws) of most characters into a certain attack (usually an aerial or special move) when at high levels. This greatly improves the CPUs' damage racking capacities, although it can also result in them missing their followup attack and becoming vulnerable if the opponent has some damage already and reacts with proper DI since the CPU will often jump in the same way and attack at a specific interval instead of trying to read the opponent's DI. Additionally, some CPUs such as Olimar will not use any attacks out of their down throw despite having potential setups, such as forward air in the case of Olimar, while others such as Mewtwo will do so even if their down throw doesn't allow any guaranteed combos.

In addition to this, high-level CPUs will sometimes followup the setup hits of some jabs into another move rather than always using the full jab, an example being CPU Captain Falcon using Falcon Dive after his second jab. As with the case above, however, not all of these are inescapable, and some even leave the CPUs more punishable than if they hadn't used the move at all.

Some known CPU setups are:

Out of jabs

• Bowser: First jab to Bowser Bomb.
• Rosalina, Bowser Jr., and Mewtwo: Second jab to down tilt.
• Palutena: First jab twice to down smash.
• Fox and Mewtwo: Second jab (first in Mewtwo's case) to grab.
• Captain Falcon: Second jab to Falcon Dive.

Out of down throws

• Neutral attack: Robin.
• Up tilt: Link, Lucas (at low percentages), Robin.
• Dash attack: Falco, Mewtwo, Pac-Man, Sonic.
• Up smash: Pit and Dark Pit (at low percentages).
• Neutral air: Ike, Lucas.
• Forward air: Luigi, Rosalina, Samus, Zero Suit Samus, Pit, Palutena, King Dedede, Lucario, Ness*, Dark Pit, Mega Man, Mii Swordfighter.
• Back air: Diddy Kong.
• Up air: Mr. Game & Watch, Diddy Kong, Sheik, Pit, Ike, R.O.B., Dr. Mario, Dark Pit, Lucas, Ryu, Mii Brawler.
• Super Jump Punch: Mario.
• Luigi Cyclone: Luigi.
• Wizard's Foot: Ganondorf.
• Boost Kick: Zero Suit Samus.
• Shuttle Loop: Meta Knight**.
• Judge: Mr. Game & Watch.
• Helicopter Kick: Mii Brawler.

*Always uses the move twice, immediately midair jumping before the second use.

**Uses forward air instead if a custom move is over Shuttle Loop.

See also

• Flaws in artificial intelligence
• AI flaws (SSB)
• AI flaws (SSBM)
• AI flaws (SSBB)

External links

A video showcasing the CPUs' poor navigation of several stages, allowing a lucky player to win against level nine CPUs by doing nothing.