Pokémon Trainer (SSBU)
| Pokémon Trainer in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | |
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| Universe | Pokémon |
| Shares character slot with | Squirtle Ivysaur Charizard |
| Other playable appearance | in Brawl |
| Availability | Unlockable |
| Final Smash | Triple Finish |
Pokémon Trainer (ポケモントレーナー, Pokémon Trainer) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, confirmed on June 12th, 2018. Pokémon Trainer can use three interchangeable Pokémon in battle: Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard. Pokémon Trainer, unlike most characters, was not given a fighter number; instead, the Pokémon are given numbers. Squirtle is classified as Fighter #33, Ivysaur is classified as Fighter #34, and Charizard is classified as Fighter #35.
In Japanese, English, French, Spanish, Italian, and German respectively, the male Pokémon Trainer is voiced by Tomoe Hanba, Billy Bob Thompson, Emilie Guillaume, Rodri Martín, Tania de Domenico, and Maximilian Belle respectively, with the former reprising her role from Brawl and the latter five replacing Michele Knotz, Virginie Demians, Isabel Navarro, Francesca Giudice, and Dina Kuerten from Brawl. In those respective languages, the female Pokémon Trainer is voiced by Wakana Minami, Kate Bristol, Elisabeth Guinand, Tania Ugía, Giada Bonanomi, and Lea Kalbhenn. As Ultimate does not have a Korean dub, Lee Sun does not reprise his role in the Korean versions of Ultimate, instead using his Japanese voice.
How to unlock
Complete one of the following:
- Play VS. matches, with the Pokémon Trainer being the 26th character to be unlocked.
- Clear Classic Mode with Donkey Kong or anyone in his unlock tree, being the 2nd character unlocked after Bowser.
- Have the Pokémon Trainer join the player's party in World of Light.
With the exception of the third method, Pokémon Trainer must then be defeated on Pokémon Stadium.
Attributes
As the only fighter in Ultimate to use the character-swap mechanic originally used by Sheik in Melee, Pokémon Trainer is arguably the most dynamic fighter in the game, yet also one of the most demanding. Unlike other multiple-entity fighters such as Rosalina & Luma and Banjo & Kazooie, the Trainer does not fight directly, instead acting as a commander for their three Pokémon: Squirtle, Ivysaur and Charizard, only one of whom can be present in battle at any given time and can be swapped out using Pokémon Change in that order. In the absence of a stamina mechanic, players may use any or all of the three Pokémon freely without fear of becoming less effective. However, forced switching remains, with the player automatically switching to the next Pokémon upon losing a stock.
Each of the three starters covers a different archetype: Squirtle is a fast combo-based lightweight, Ivysaur is a middleweight zoner, and Charizard is a heavyweight with raw kill power and surprisingly fast movement despite its slow moves. In most cases, the most basic gameplan is to build damage with Squirtle at low percents, use Ivysaur to outrange opponents and secure advantage state at medium percents, and net KOs and recover more easily with Charizard. However, the Pokémon Trainer's versatility allows for a multitude of different gameplans depending on the player's preference and the matchup. Pokémon Change has been significantly streamlined from Brawl and has been made significantly faster and can be used in the air. This allows for more effective switching in the heat of the moment so that the current Pokémon can be easily removed from the battle and replaced if it is in a situation where its weaknesses can be easily exploited. This also allows for recovery to be extended further; for example, using Ivysaur's Vine Whip to gain a small amount of vertical height, then switching and using Charizard's Flare Blitz and Fly to provide a very extensive recovery. As such, the Pokémon Trainer can adapt to any situation simply by choosing the right creature for the job, providing for a fighting style similar to 3-on-3 fighting games where the player chooses a team of interchangeable fighters that can be exchanged in an instant.
Despite the advantages provided by the Pokémon Trainer's central mechanic, they do not provide for an infallible fighter. Most notable is the very high learning curve required to master the whole party; all three Pokémon have their own matchups and optimal reactions to different situations, requiring a very high level of commitment to become familiar with each of the three, when to switch Pokémon, and what new situations can arise from switching, requiring commitment akin to having three mains at once in a game where even handling two mains can be overwhelming. Furthermore, each of the three Pokémon is slightly more specialized in their role than other fighters of their class, and therefore has more pronounced weaknesses; Squirtle lacks KO power and survivability, Ivysaur's recovery and disadvantage continue to be very poor, and Charizard is prone to combos and has mostly unsafe moves. Because Pokémon Change operates in a set order (unlike with Monado Arts) and cannot be continuously spammed due to its cooldown, players cannot always choose which Pokémon to use in which situation and can sometimes be rendered helpless in preventing the current Pokémon's weaknesses from being exploited. This is especially notable in matchups such as Pikachu and Mr. Game & Watch where two of the three Pokémon are at a disadvantage, resulting in strained efforts to use the one optimal Pokémon as much as possible while hiding the other two away.
Overall, the Pokémon Trainer is simultaneously one of the most adaptable, most unpredictable, and most challenging fighters to play in Ultimate, as the only fighter that allows the player to bring three completely different characters into battle outside of modes like Squad Strike. With the maligned stamina and type effectiveness mechanics being removed from Brawl, the Trainer allows for many different playstyles depending on the player's familiarity and comfort with each Pokémon and its matchups. While attempting to "solo main" one of the three Pokémon is possible, it is not recommended in most cases (outside of single-stock modes such as Squad Strike itself, ironically) as players are nonetheless forced to use all three during battle, even while waiting for the cooldown on Pokémon Change; for instance, attempting to "main" Charizard while having little knowledge of Squirtle and Ivysaur will allow opponents to exploit the brief windows where using Charizard is not possible. However, it is entirely possible to centralize a playstyle around one or two preferred Pokémon and to use the remaining teammate(s) to complement them, such as with Tweek (who prioritizes Squirtle) and Puppeh (who prioritizes Charizard). Overall, this iteration of the Pokémon Trainer is considered far superior to his Brawl incarnation and has achieved very notable results in competitive play, with the unique Pokémon Change mechanic and comparative lack of restrictions allowing for a very open-ended gameplan.
Changes from Super Smash Bros. Brawl
- The list below covers the general changes of the Pokémon Trainer and their party as a whole. For information about each individual Pokémon's moveset changes, see Squirtle (SSBU), Ivysaur (SSBU), and Charizard (SSBU).
Due to being a low-tier in Brawl, Pokémon Trainer has been significantly buffed in the transition from Brawl. Notably, both the Stamina mechanic and type effectiveness have been completely removed, and Pokémon Change has been granted high utility due to the addition of aerial switching and significantly faster Pokémon switches. As such, switches between the three Pokémon have now become a unique advantage for the Pokémon Trainer alone rather than being a major mandatory commitment, and the Pokémon are now free to fight indefinitely without being limited by Stamina during battle. In addition, Ivysaur, who was previously the worst Pokémon in the party, has been greatly buffed, and the general changes to Ultimate's mechanics greatly benefit Ivysaur and Squirtle. Each of the Trainer's Pokémon is usable as its own character, but as in Brawl, usage of all three for different situations is optimal.
Despite some noteworthy buffs, Pokémon Trainer has also received some nerfs. While the removal of type effectiveness slightly benefits Charizard and greatly benefits Ivysaur, it also greatly hinders Squirtle. Additionally, while Pokémon Change has been greatly improved, it has also received a few new disadvantages as there is now a timer which prevents switching for a couple of seconds (although there are ways to work around this) and it no longer resets stale move negation, effectively weakening the next Pokémon. Squirtle has also been considerably nerfed, and Ivysaur and Charizard have received some nerfs as well.
Nevertheless, Pokémon Trainer has become a significantly more effective character than in Brawl. Despite still having a high learning curve, Pokémon Trainer has a great player base, especially compared to Brawl. While initially overshadowed by widely-acknowledged top-tier characters such as Peach and Lucina, players such as Wishes, Tweek, Puppeh, Pandarian, and Leffen have been able to take advantage of the Trainer's ability to use three different character archetypes in battle and Ivysaur's overall potency as a character in its own right to obtain significant results.
Aesthetics
The male Pokémon Trainer's model is significantly more detailed than it was in Brawl, having stylized body proportions and sharper, slimmer eyes. Additionally, the Trainer's Poké Balls have been resized to fit in his palm. Both of these changes make his design similar to the style of recent Pokémon titles.- The Pokémon Trainer has completely new alternate costumes based on protagonists in the Pokémon series. Half of them are based on the female Pokémon Trainer from FireRed and LeafGreen. In addition to distinct voice clips, the majority of her animations are unique.
- The Pokémon Trainer now turns in a battle to face the position of the Pokémon.
- The announcer no longer calls out Squirtle, Ivysaur, or Charizard on the character selection screen; instead, when selecting a Pokémon manually, a small portrait of Squirtle, Ivysaur, or Charizard appears in the upper right portion of Pokémon Trainer's portrait.
- Triple Finish has a different text box and animations; the text box is now identical to how they appear in the Generation VII games.
- The Pokémon Trainer now says "All right!" when performing an up taunt and "Yeah!" when performing a down taunt.
- On the results screen, the Pokémon Trainer is shown and announced as the winner of the fight rather than the Pokémon that was in battle.
- The Trainer's face is also used as the stock icon for all three Pokémon, although the Pokémon also have their own stock icons used for other modes.
- The Trainer now claps on the results screen, instead of looking down in disappointment like in Brawl.
- Pokémon Trainer's crowd cheer is now "I choose you!"
- Both genders of the Pokémon Trainer have unique reactions to the situation of their Pokémon, such as when it lands a hit, takes a hit, scores a KO or is KO'd.
- If the Trainer's Pokémon is moved horizontally when he is standing on the main platform of large stages (such as the Training stage), he will chase his Pokémon by dashing into them instead of a space jump.
- As with all previously cut veterans returning from Melee and Brawl, Pokémon Trainer now has a Boxing Ring title and a Palutena's Guidance conversation.
- Squirtle, Ivysaur, Charizard, as well as both Trainers now each have an individual Sound Test section, rather than being grouped together.
- In matches with five or more players, the Pokémon Trainer will not appear on-screen - instead Poké Balls will be thrown and recalled from behind the screen.
Attributes
The Stamina mechanic has been removed, eliminating the need to switch out Pokémon to restore their power.- Type effectiveness has been removed, which affects the three Pokémon in different ways:
Loss of type effectiveness greatly nerfs Squirtle, who no longer takes less knockback from flame damage.- Loss of type effectiveness greatly benefits Ivysaur, who no longer takes extra knockback from flame damage.
- Loss of type effectiveness also slightly buffs Charizard, who no longer takes extra knockback from water damage, which is more prevalent than in Brawl.
- Squirtle is now selected as the starting Pokémon by default when the player chooses Pokémon Trainer on the character select screen. This selection can still be changed before starting the match by pressing
or 
, or highlighting the Pokémon. In Brawl, a random starting Pokémon would be chosen by default if the player did not choose a Pokémon on the character select. If an amiibo of the Pokémon Trainer's Pokémon is used, the default starting Pokémon will be locked into this Pokémon.
Special moves
- Pokémon Change:
- Pokémon Change executes much faster, and no longer requires the game to load the next Pokémon with every switch. This significantly increases its safety, and allows it to potentially string into another Pokémon's moves.
- It can now be used in the air. This allows the player to mix up their recovery between different Pokémon, and to utilize its intangibility frames as a pseudo-air dodge, with the notable advantage of coming out on frame 1. As a result, it poses much less of a risk than in Brawl as a defensive option.
- It has a cooldown of around two seconds after the Pokémon switch is executed. However, it can be skipped by using another special move.
- It no longer resets stale-move negation, effectively weakening the next Pokémon when the current Pokémon switches.
- It can no longer skip the ending lag of the switch if performed near the edge of a moving platform, although it still grants Ivysaur an extra midair jump.
- Triple Finish:
- Triple Finish deals less total damage (58% → 44.3%).
Update history
Although Pokemon Trainer does not receive direct changes from game updates, some changes listed resolve mostly game breaking bugs in the game.
Fixed a glitch where button mashing Pokémon Change canceled Monkey Flip's knockback.[1]
- Fixed a glitch where Pokémon Change would not properly switch Pokémon during Special Smash.
- Fixed a Ditto-related glitch where Pokémon Trainer would enter on-stage in Training Mode.
- The duration of ledge invincibility is no longer shortened when using Pokémon Change in the air before grabbing the ledge.
5.0.0
Pokémon Trainer did not receive changes in this update.
- The Unlimited Rebellion Gauge glitch has been fixed.
- Fixed a bug in Garden of Hope that caused the Pokémon to remain tiny after escaping the fully constructed pot if they used Pokémon Change at the top of the pot.
Moveset
Pokémon Trainer is a three-in-one character who battles using three Pokémon: Squirtle, Ivysaur and Charizard. As the fourth and "main" entity of the character group, the Trainer stays in the background and does not directly participate in the battle. Only one Pokémon is active at once, and all three of them have different movesets and abilities.
It is possible to change which Pokémon the Pokémon Trainer starts with at the beginning of a match. On the character select screen, Pokémon Trainer has the starting Pokémon's portrait to the upper-right of the portrait. If the Y button is pressed, or if the Pokémon's portrait is hovered over and selected, the starting Pokémon is toggled to the next one. The default starting Pokémon is Squirtle, which can be toggled to Ivysaur, then Charizard, then back to Squirtle.
The three Pokémon have separate movesets and attributes. The only moves shared by the Pokémon are their down special move, Pokémon Change, and their Final Smash, Triple Finish.
Pokémon Change involves the Pokémon Trainer recalling the currently active Pokémon and sending out the next one to replace it. The order that the Pokémon are changed in is the same as toggling on the character select screen: Squirtle changes to Ivysaur, Ivysaur to Charizard, and Charizard to Squirtle.
Triple Finish is a combination attack for which the Pokémon Trainer temporarily brings out all three Pokémon to attack simultaneously. The attack covers a large range and does damage to opponents caught in it. Once the move is over, the two inactive Pokémon are recalled.
While not directly controllable, the Pokémon Trainer can be seen standing in the background of the stage, commanding the Pokémon and reacting to the Pokémon's situation. There are various animations and voice lines that differ for the male and female Pokémon Trainers.
The Pokémon Trainer is able to move around somewhat on most stages, running toward the current Pokémon if it is far enough away, and will also turn to face the position of the Pokémon at most times. On some stages, the Pokémon Trainer stands on a special platform in the background rather than standing on a part of the stage's background. On these stages, the Pokémon Trainer can not move around but will still turn to face the Pokémon.
Pokémon Trainer does not appear in the background during battles with five or more players, in Squad Strike's Tag Team mode, or on Custom Stages, but can still be heard shouting commands. The Poké Ball and its energy effects can be seen traveling towards the foreground, implying that the Pokémon Trainer is in the foreground, outside of the camera's view. This also happens in certain single-player and co-op modes.
The Pokémon Trainer reacts to various situations and inputs:
- When the active Pokémon performs a special move, the Pokémon Trainer gestures with one arm, pointing in a specific direction based on the input or direction the Pokémon is facing:
- Neutral special move: Points left or right, based on the direction the Pokémon is facing.
- Side special move: Points left or right, based on the direction the move was used in.
- Up special move: Points towards the direction the Pokémon is facing, or upwards if the Pokémon is above.
- When using the Pokémon's down special move, Pokémon Change, the Pokémon Trainer throws the next Pokémon's Poké Ball toward the Pokémon's position, then holds up the previous Pokémon's Poké Ball as it is recalled in energy form. The Pokémon Trainer then puts the Poké Ball away in his backpack (male) or her purse (female) and pulls out the next Pokémon's Poké Ball. The Pokémon Trainer also says a voice line, either encouraging the next Pokémon or praising the previous Pokémon.
- Pokémon Change cannot be used again until this animation completes or is interrupted by using another special move.
- When using the Final Smash, Triple Finish, the Pokémon Trainer throws the other two Pokémon's Poké Balls out and points toward the direction the move was used in for the duration of the attack while saying a voice line including the name of the move. Once the attack is over, the Pokémon Trainer recalls the other two Pokémon and puts the Poké Ball away in his backpack or her purse.
- Pokémon Change cannot be used until this animation completes or is interrupted by using another special move.
- When the active Pokémon lands a hit, the Pokémon Trainer does a small fist pump with a happy expression.
- When the active Pokémon scores a KO:
- The male Trainer raises his left fist and fist pumps, while nodding and winking, with a happy expression.
- The female Trainer jumps into the air with her right arm raised, doing a full spin mid-jump, and does a double fist pump as she lands.
- When the active Pokémon is hit:
- The male Trainer throws his left fist downwards with a distressed expression.
- The female Trainer winces with a distressed expression.
- When the active Pokemon has changed into a different active Pokemon type:
- The male Trainer might say "Come back!" during a fight.
- The female Trainer might say "Return!" during a fight.
- When the active Pokémon is KO'd:
- The male Trainer shakes his head while covering his face with his left hand. He may say "Ah!" or "Dang it!"
- The female Trainer shakes her head while covering her face with her left hand. She may say "Aah!" or "Dang it!"
- When the active Pokémon is stunned (including from a shield break) or buried:
- The male Trainer puts his left hand on the back of his head and looks downward with a distressed expression. He will say one of three lines: the Pokémon's name in a distressed tone, "Wake up!" or "Get a hold of yourself!"
- The female Trainer puts her left hand on the side of her head and looks downward with a distressed expression. She will say one of three lines: the Pokémon's name in a distressed tone, "Wake up!" or "You've got this!"
On-screen appearance
Pokémon Trainer sends out the starting Pokémon from its Poké Ball while saying "Go!" and the Pokémon's name; the female Trainer winks and smiles while doing so.
Taunts
Male
- Up taunt: Triumphantly raises his right hand into the air, saying "All right!"
- Side taunt: Fist pumps with his left hand.
- Down taunt: Fist pumps with his left hand while posing triumphantly, saying "Yeah!"
Male Pokémon Trainer's up taunt.
Male Pokémon Trainer's side taunt.
Male Pokémon Trainer's down taunt.
Female
- Up taunt: Fist pumps with her left hand while triumphantly raising her right hand into the air, saying "All right!"
- Side taunt: Fist pumps with her left hand.
- Down taunt: Jumps slightly off the ground while doing a double fist pump, saying "Yay!"
Female Pokémon Trainer's up taunt.
Female Pokémon Trainer's side taunt.
Female Pokémon Trainer's down taunt.
Idle poses
Male
- Rubs his left leg with his left hand.
- Jumps gently on the spot twice.
Male Pokémon Trainer's first idle pose
Male Pokémon Trainer's second idle pose
Female
- Wipes her brow with her left hand.
- Stretches her right arm, holding her elbow with her left hand.
Female Pokémon Trainer's first idle pose
Female Pokémon Trainer's second idle pose
Victory poses
The male Trainer can say "You all did great!" (よくやったな、みんな！, Good job, everyone!), while the female Trainer can say "Everyone did great!" (みなさんは素晴らしい！, All of you did great!). They will either say a non-specific line, or a Pokemon-specific line. In Team Battles, if there is more than two players on the winning team, the Pokémon will not be present, but this does not affect the Trainer's lines. The male and female Trainers also have variations in their own pose depending on the gender of the Trainer, similarly to the Inklings.
- Left: The Trainer throws a Poké Ball up. The male Trainer poses before catching the Poké Ball and holding it in front of him, while the female Trainer performs a twirl, catches it, and holds it out in front of her. The only animation the Pokémon Trainers use during team victories.
- Up: The Pokémon does one of its moves, and the Trainer cheers it on. The male trainer ends his pose by raising his left arm high in the air with a fist pump. The female trainer ends her pose by bending her left elbow with a fist pump.
- Right: The Trainer pets the Pokémon.
Squirtle
During Squirtle's victory poses, the male Trainer might say "Good job, Squirtle!" (よくやったな、ゼニガメ！ This translates to "Good job, Squirtle!"), while the female Trainer can say "We did it, Squirtle!" (やったね、ゼニガメ！ This translates to "We did it, Squirtle!").
- Left: Jumps and spins around on its shell in a breakdance move, and then lands and poses.
- Up: Spits water quickly in three directions, does a backflip, then poses with its arm in the air.
- Right: The Pokémon Trainer holds Squirtle, then kneels down and puts it on the ground, and rubs its chin and head.
Ivysaur
During Ivysaur's victory poses, both Trainers can say "Way to go, Ivysaur!" In Japanese, the male Trainer says がんばったな、フシギソウ！, while the female Trainer says がんばったね、フシギソウ！, both of which translate to "You did great, Ivysaur!"
- Left: Runs forward, does a backflip, then strikes a pose.
- Up: Whips two vines forward, then poses with its vines extended.
- Right: The Pokémon Trainer pets Ivysaur, who then jumps on the Trainer, but the Trainer puts it back down and continues to pet it.
Charizard
During Charizard's victory poses, the Pokémon Trainer might say "You did it, Charizard!" (リザードン, あなたは最高です！, This translates to "Charizard, you're the best!"), while the female Trainer can say "You're amazing, Charizard!" (すごいね、リザードン！, This translates to "Amazing, Charizard!").
- Left: Stomps and rears its head back to roar upward, then strikes a pose.
- Up: Uses Flare Blitz downwards to descend from the sky and crash into the ground, bounces out of it and lands on its feet, then strikes a pose.
- Right: The Pokémon Trainer pets its head and neck.
In competitive play
Perception on the Pokémon Trainer was very positive before release. The changes to the character's infamously counter-intuitive mechanics, specifically the removal of Stamina and type effectiveness, alongside the significantly faster switch time for Pokémon Change, had players excited for the character's return since Brawl. On release, the Pokémon Trainer was a very rare sight in the young competitive metagame, as the character's learning curve initially discouraged many potential players. Despite players such as Leffen, Ned, and Pandarian expressing interest in Pokémon Trainer early on, results were sporadic, with only Demitus slightly missing Top 8 at Midwest Mayhem Ultimate. Furthermore, prior to version 4.0.0, the Trainer's playstyle had some detractors due to Ivysaur being overtuned compared to its teammates while Charizard was considered a very lackluster character, leading to optimal play requiring unbalanced use of the three Pokémon and a more predictable and exploitable gameplan.
Three months after release, the Pokémon Trainer began taking notable results thanks to the efforts of Leffen, with his 17th place placing at GENESIS 6 and an upset against WaDi cementing him as the best Pokémon Trainer player at the time. Despite Leffen dropping the character for a short period, citing an overreliance on gimmicks, other players began to exploit the Trainer's multiple strengths and overall potential. As a result, the Pokémon Trainer began appearing more often in tournament play, with Wishes and Pandarian taking in strong tournament results.
The Trainer's results have significantly improved as the metagame progressed, with players achieving impressive placings. Players like Puppeh took 5th at CEO 2019, and most notably, Tweek, who had an impressive streak at many national tournaments, scored 1st at Low Tier City 7, 2nd at EVO 2019, and 3rd at Super Smash Con 2019. These results caused the team-based fighter to become impressively popular for a time, up until the start of 2020.
While the Pokémon Trainer has had an inconsistent first year due to being dropped for other characters by numerous players, overall results and representation have been excellent, with Pandarian, Ned, and HIKARU being listed on the Fall 2019 PGRU. While more commonly used as a co-main by players such as Tweek as of 2020, the Pokémon Trainer is regarded extremely highly by players and considered a viable pick in tournament play, having accumulated results comparable to other top-tier characters.
Notable players
Any number following the Smasher name indicates placement on the Fall 2019 PGRU, which recognizes the official top 50 players in the world in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate from July 13th, 2019 to December 15th, 2019.
Active
Alphicans - Placed 1st at Salt Flats 2019, 5th at Canada Cup 2019, 9th at The Pinnacle 2019, and 13th at Play With Heart. Has wins over Duwang and 2ManyCooks.
Atelier - Co-mains Pokémon Trainer with Wolf and is one of the best Pokémon Trainer players in Japan. Placed 1st at Maesuma TOP 3, 2nd at Maesuma TOP 2, 5th at Sumabato SP 12, 17th at both Sumabato SP 10 and EVO Japan 2020, and 25th at EGS Cup 3 using both characters.
Beast - Placed 33rd at Glitch 8 - Missingno and 49th at Shine 2019. Has wins over ZD, Zenkai, Sinji, Juice, Rivers, Zomba, and Juuuuul. Notable for primarily using Charizard.
Genialo - One of the best Pokémon Trainer players in Mexico. Placed 4th at BIT MASTER MTY 7, 5th at BIT MASTER MTY 8, 9th at BIT MASTER MTY 9, and 25th at Smash Factor 8.
Griffith - The best Pokémon Trainer in France. Placed 9th at Salty Arena Cup Ultimate 4, 17th at both Ultimate Fighting Arena 2019 and Ultimate WANTED 2, and 33rd at Albion 4. Ranked 10th on the French Power Rankings with mostly Pokémon Trainer.- HIKARU (#41) - The best Pokémon Trainer player in Japan and one of the best Pokémon Trainer players in the world. Placed 17th at EVO 2019, 13th at Umebura SP 6, 9th at Umebura SP 7, and 1st at Sumabato SP 7. Garnered wins over Kome and Lea.
- Jayy - The best Pokémon Trainer player in Canada. Co-mains Pokémon Trainer with Meta Knight and placed 2nd at Press Less 2019, 5th at Polybash 2019, 7th at DreamHack Montreal 2019, 17th at Super Smash Con 2019, 33rd at both Get On My Level 2019 and 2GG: Nightmare on Smashville, and 65th at The Big House 9. Wins over Myran, Sonido, and LingLing.
- Ned (#37) - One of the best Pokémon Trainer players in the world. Placed 1st at NEW GAME PLUS: The ULTIMATE Overnight Experience, 3rd at Retro Arena 64, 9th at Midwest Mayhem Ultimate, DreamHack Atlanta 2019, and Combo Breaker 2019, 13th at The Big House 9, and 17th at Frostbite 2019 with Pokémon Trainer as one of his characters. Has wins over Marss, Nairo, ESAM, kameme, Wishes, Salem, Stroder, Kola, and Daybreak.
- Pandarian (#33) - One of the best Pokémon Trainer players in the world. Placed 1st at Ascension VI, 3rd at Play With Heart, 5th at Battle of BC 3, 7th at Ultimate Nimbus and Low Tier City 7, 13th at Port Priority 5 and Mainstage, 17th at both EVO 2019 and 2GG: Nightmare on Smashville, and 25th at both Super Smash Con 2019 and The Big House 9. Has wins over ESAM, MVD, Sinji, MuteAce, Stroder, Dark Wizzy, Mr E, Goblin, Suarez, Captain L, Maister, and BestNess. Notable for using Charizard more extensively and optimally than other Pokémon Trainer players.
- Puppeh - One of the best Pokémon Trainer players in the world. Placed 5th at CEO 2019, 13th at Just Roll With It! 11, 33rd at Pound 2019, and 49th at Smash 'N' Splash 5. Ranked 1st on the MD/VA Ultimate Rankings. Has wins over Nairo, Samsora, ESAM, and Abadango. He is well known for Charizard being his best Pokémon of the three.
- SweetT - Placed 9th at both Heart of Battle and The Kid, the Goat, and the Mang0, 17th at Ultimate Nimbus, and 33rd at SoCal Chronicles.
Tarik - The best Pokémon Trainer in Germany, with a Greninja secondary. Placed 1st at Calyptus Cup X: Powwer Up, 2nd at DreamHack Leipzig 2020, 7th at Syndicate 2019 as one of his characters, and 17th at Valhalla III with solely Pokémon Trainer.- TemporaryPlan - The best Southwest Pokémon Trainer player, ranked 7th in Utah. Placed 7th at LAN King Smash Royale XI and 97th at GENESIS 7. Has wins over HIKARU, Pokepen, and VaLoR.
- Tweek (#3) - The best Pokémon Trainer player in the world, most notably, with Squirtle. Placed 1st at Low Tier City 7, 2nd at EVO 2019, 3rd at Super Smash Con 2019 and Frostbite 2020, and 5th at both Glitch 7 - Minus World and The Big House 9. He has defeated Dabuz, Marss, Samsora, Abadango, and Sandstorm.
- XIFL - The best Pokémon Trainer player in Hong Kong. Placed 2nd at both Triple Showdown and REV Major 2019, 4th at Pearl One as well as 13th at Uprising 2019.
Inactive
- Demitus - One of the first Pokémon Trainer players with noteworthy results. Placed 9th at Midwest Mayhem Ultimate and 17th at Retro Arena 64. Currently inactive.
Leffen (#51) - The best Pokémon Trainer player in Europe and one of the best Pokémon Trainer players in the world. Placed 1st at DreamHack Winter 2019, 7th at Valhalla II, and 17th at both GENESIS 6 and Super Smash Con 2019 with wins over WaDi, Maister, Salem, Mr.R, and Tweek. He temporarily shifted his focus to Roy, Joker, and Pichu before picking back up the character as a full main. Currently inactive to focus on Melee.- MiSaiki - Used Pokémon Trainer to place 3rd at Ascension II, 4th at Ascension III, and 9th at Ascension. Formerly ranked 2nd on the Arizona Ultimate Power Rankings. He has since switched to Joker and is on a semi-hiatus status.
- Wishes - Formerly one of the best Pokémon Trainer players in the world before dropping them for Joker. Placed 3rd at Suplex City Smash, 9th at both Frostbite 2019 and Collision 2019, and 17th at Smash 'N' Splash 5 with wins over Light, Samsora, Tea, yeti, Dark Wizzy, and Fatality.
- Zackray (#7) - Uses Pokémon Trainer as one of his many secondaries. Placed 1st at KVOxTSB 2019, 3rd at Sumabato SP 5, and 7th at Umebura Japan Major 2019 using Pokémon Trainer as one of his characters.
Classic Mode: The Future Champion
Pokémon Trainer's route refers to the player's goal of becoming the Pokémon Champion in the Pokémon games. Like in Pikachu's route, the opponents are all Pokémon and all rounds are on Pokémon stages. Each round will start with the Pokémon chosen on the character select screen regardless of which one was active at the end of the previous round.
| Round | Opponent | Stage | Music |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Pikachu |
Pokémon Stadium | Main Theme - Pokémon Red & Pokémon Blue (Melee) |
| 2 |  Jigglypuff |
Pokémon Stadium | Battle! (Trainer Battle) - Pokémon X / Pokémon Y |
| 3 |  Lucario |
Unova Pokémon League | Battle! (Trainer) - Pokémon Sun / Pokémon Moon |
| 4 |  Incineroar |
Kalos Pokémon League | Battle! (Elite Four) / Battle! (Solgaleo/Lunala) |
| 5 |  Greninja |
Pokémon Stadium 2 | Battle! (Champion) - Pokémon X / Pokémon Y |
| 6 |  ( ) Opposite-gender Pokémon Trainer |
Pokémon Stadium 2 | The Battle at the Summit! |
| Bonus Stage | |||
| Final |  Mewtwo, then Master Hand |
Final Destination | Pokémon Red / Pokémon Blue Medley (Mewtwo) Master Hand (Master Hand) |
Note: Items are disabled in every round.
Completing Classic Mode as Pokémon Trainer has Main Theme - Pokémon Red & Pokémon Blue (Brawl) accompanying the credits that roll every time the player finishes a Classic route, with the selected Pokémon playable during the credits minigame rather than the actual Trainer.
Role in World of Light
The male Pokémon Trainer was among the fighters summoned to fight the army of Master Hands.
During the opening cutscene, the Pokémon Trainer was present on the cliffside when Galeem unleashed its beams of light. Working together with Bowser and his Fire Breath, he sent out Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard in an attempt to fight back against the beams with Triple Finish, to no avail. All four were vaporized and placed under Galeem's imprisonment along with the rest of the fighters (excluding Kirby).
The male Pokémon Trainer can be found at the southeast near the maze that resembles Pac-Maze. Defeating him also allows access to all of his Pokémon as well as his female counterpart.
Fighter Battle
| No. | Image | Name | Type | Power | Stage | Music |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33-35 |  |
Pokémon Trainer |  |
7,500 | Battlefield (Ω form) | Main Theme - Pokémon Red & Pokémon Blue (Brawl) |
Spirits
While Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard's fighter spirits are obtained by completing Classic Mode as Pokémon Trainer, the spirits for the Trainers themselves are only available periodically for purchase in the shop for 500 coins. Unlocking Pokémon Trainer 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. Unlike most fighters, the spirits for Pokémon Trainer only use their artwork from Ultimate, rather than also having alternative artwork from a previous appearance.
412. Pokémon Trainer (Male)
413. Pokémon Trainer (Female)
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Alternate costumes
Only the starting Pokémon is shown on the character selection screen; it can be changed by pressing Y or by hovering the cursor over it and selecting it. Each of Pokémon Trainer's alternate costumes references a protagonist from the first seven generations of the Pokémon games.
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Gallery
Artwork of all playable Pokémon characters and Poké Ball Pokémon, as posted by the official Pokémon Twitter account.
Pokémon Trainer's fighter card.
Pokémon Trainer's unlock notice.
Pokémon Trainer's amiibo.
Charizard using Flare Blitz on Prism Tower.
Ivysaur taunting on Gaur Plain.
The Pokémon trio running from a Burrowing Snagret on The Great Cave Offensive.
Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard on Skyworld.
The female Trainer throwing a Poké Ball on Prism Tower.
Squirtle attacking Inkling with Water Gun on Pokémon Stadium 2.
Squirtle getting splashed by Isabelle on Delfino Plaza.
Squirtle struck by Lucario on the Bridge of Eldin.
Charizard with Lucina on Skyworld.
Ivysaur attacking a Leaf Shielding Mega Man with its dash attack on Tortimer Island.
Female Pokémon Trainer with a taunting female Pikachu on Battlefield.
Squirtle, Ivysaur and a giant golden Pikachu on Pokémon Stadium 2.
Ivysaur taunting with Sheik on Tomodachi Life.
Character Showcase Video
Trivia
- Pokémon Trainer is the only composite character:
- To have been separated in a sequel and later reformed back into a composite character.
- To become unlockable in any game, as Zelda and Sheik were starters in Melee and both alongside Pokémon Trainer, Samus and Zero Suit Samus were all starters in Brawl. Zero Suit Samus, Zelda and Sheik became unlockable in Ultimate, but they were split into separate characters by then.
- To have male and female variants.
- To have a Smash Taunt (Palutena's Guidance) for each of the interchangeable characters, as well as the unplayable Trainer.
- To be represented via amiibo, specifically four; one for the male Pokémon Trainer, and one for each of his three Pokémon (with Charizard carrying over from SSB4), although the female Trainer lacks an amiibo of her own. This also makes the Pokémon Trainer the only character in the Smash series to be summonable via multiple Smash series amiibo depicting different characters.
- As the pairings of Zelda/Sheik and Samus/Zero Suit Samus remain split up unlike in Brawl, Pokémon Trainer's ability to switch characters has now become a unique character attribute, despite being the only transformation that cycles between different entities rather than alter-egos of the same person.
- Each of the three Pokémon appear as solo CPU characters during Classic Mode, World of Light, and spirits battles without the presence of Pokémon Trainer. They also use individual stock icons. In World of Light, if the player selects Pokémon Trainer as well as the individual Pokémon to start with, its stock icon is used on the battle preview screen as well.
- This makes Pokémon Trainer one of two characters that is only fought as their original fighter in World of Light (the other being Cloud).
- Despite this, a puppet fighter of the male Trainer appears during the Army of Puppets cutscene.
- The male Pokémon Trainer shares his English voice actor, Billy Thompson, with another playable Pokémon character, Greninja. Thompson has confirmed this in a Tweet where he jokingly asserted that the Pokémon Trainer's name is Momo and later joked about Pokémon Trainer being his "most hated role yet" due to fan mockery.
- The official render of the female Pokémon Trainer uses her Pokémon's default colors, as does her appearance in the promotional image for the "The Ultimate Partnership" Online Tourney; however, in the game, they use an alternate color scheme.
- The Trainer's Pokémon do not appear on the victory screen if there are three or more players on the winning team, nor do they appear on the "No Contest" screen in all cases. Despite this, Ivysaur can still be heard whenever it's the fighter with the highest score/stock count at the end of a match. Additionally, if Pokémon Trainer loses all stocks but still wins in a Team Battle, the next Pokémon will be shown on the victory screen rather than the last one KO'd.
- When freeing Pokémon Trainer from Galeem, the male Trainer's eyes will be normal in-battle despite his pre-battle render having the red-eye glow that other World of Light spirit fights has. His Pokémon will have possessed red eyes, however.
- Prior to launch, there was a glitch where Pokémon Trainer could win a time match regardless of the score. This would only occur when Sudden Death was supposed to happen. It is not clear whether this has since been patched out or not.
- On the character selection screen, the icon in the Japanese version shows Pokémon Trainer's name within only one row, while in the English version it is shown with two rows. This trait is shared with Captain Falcon, Mr. Game & Watch, Zero Suit Samus, Wii Fit Trainer, Rosalina & Luma, the Mii Fighters, Piranha Plant, and Banjo & Kazooie.
- Pokémon Trainer, like Ike, Wii Fit Trainer, Inkling, and Byleth, is one of the few characters to have alternate costumes with different animations: Nearly all of their animations differ between the male and female Pokémon Trainers, though their gender-unique animations apply only to the Trainers themselves, not their Pokémon.
- Pokémon Trainer can be directly controlled by the player, in a sense; in World of Light, the Trainer can be moved around the world map, in a coincidental parallel to the Pokémon games where the Trainer is used to navigate the world while the Pokémon are controlled in battle. However, during the Classic Mode credits minigame as well as when freeing a spirit from the Spirit Board, the selected default Pokémon is used with the Trainer being absent; this is likely due to both Trainers having no animations for using items, unlike their Pokémon.
- In Spanish, German, French, and Italian, the voice clip from the announcer on the victory screen is slightly different from the one used on the character select screen, instead featuring a noticeable translation of "the" (respectively, "el Entrenador Pokémon"/"la Entrenadora Pokémon", "der Pokémon-Trainer"/"die Pokémon-Trainerin", "le Dresseur de Pokémon"/"la Dresseuse de Pokémon", and "l'Allenatore di Pokémon"/"la Allenatrice di Pokémon"). The fighter shares this trait with Wii Fit Trainer, Inkling, Villager, Hero, the Ice Climbers, Zombie, Enderman, and the Mii Fighters.
- Pokémon Trainer is the first character whose slot contains multiple fighters, but does not have an announcer clip for all of them. In Brawl, this was the case, with the announcer clip changing depending on the selected Pokémon (with the default Pokémon Trainer selection resulting in a random Pokémon being sent out), but this was changed in Ultimate. Curiously, the pronunciation of the Pokémon Trainer's clip was different in the Japanese version of Brawl, but remains the same in Japanese and English in Ultimate. This is likely because the pronunciation of "Pokémon" has been standardized between languages since Brawl.
- Pichu is the only Pokémon that is not encountered in Pokémon Trainer's Classic Mode route.
- On Mementos and King of Fighters Stadium, the Pokémon Trainer appears in front of the non-playable characters that populate the stage, rather than being in the same plane as them.
- The Pokémon Trainer is one of 4 characters whose Fighter Spirit uses their Ultimate's artwork as opposed to in their home series. The others are Wii Fit Trainer, Robin, and Cloud.
- If Pokémon Trainer is present in an 8-Player Smash, the sound effects for transitioning to the results screen will be out of sync, with the sound playing before the animation.
- The male Pokémon Trainer's official artwork closely resembles his battle sprite from Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen.
- If a game modification is used to enable instant KOs during a result screen, Pokémon Trainer will instantly change animations from the victory/defeated animation to the weeping "Pokémon KO'd" animation.
- In World of Light, Pokémon Trainer is one of the few fighters who is not affiliated with Dharkon in any way, as his encounter as himself is associated with Galeem. Squirtle, Ivysaur, Wii Fit Trainer, Ness, Roy, Olimar, Toon Link, Little Mac, and Mii Gunner all share this distinction as well.
- If the game is hacked to select one of the Pokémon Trainer's specific Pokémon to play as, the Trainer will function normally aside from multiple of the same costume being able to be selected, and using each Pokémon's stock icon (which changes with the Pokémon in play) rather than the Trainer's own.
References
