Squirtle (SSBB)

For information about Squirtle in regards to Pokémon Trainer, see Pokémon Trainer (SSBB), Ivysaur (SSBB), and Charizard (SSBB).

Squirtle in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Universe	Pokémon
Shares character slot with	Pokémon Trainer Charizard Ivysaur
Other playable appearance	in Ultimate
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Triple Finish

Squirtle (ゼニガメ, Zenigame), stylized as SQUIRTLE in Europe, is a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Brawl in a sense; it is one of three Pokémon that are played through Pokémon Trainer, the other two being Ivysaur and Charizard. Squirtle originated from the original Pokémon game for Game Boy as one of the initial Pokémon the player can start out with at the beginning of the adventure.

Unlike a majority of the characters, Squirtle has five different voice actors, which depend on the region and language. The voice actors respectively are as follows:

• In English: Michele Knotz
• In French: Virginie Demians
• In German: Klaus Münster
• In Japanese: Rikako Aikawa
• In Korean: Shin Yong Wu

Attributes

Squirtle is the most lightweight of the three Pokémon at Pokémon Trainer's disposal. Its light weight allows Squirtle to have fast air speed and fast attacks, which makes up for its somewhat slow dash speed. However, its light weight makes it easier to KO, as it is tied for the second lightest character in the game with Mr. Game and Watch. Squirtle's small size (the smallest in the game along with Olimar) makes it difficult to hit, but it also causes most attacks to have poor reach, causing it to have very poor matchups against superior ranged characters or with disjointed attacks like Donkey Kong or Marth. Possibly Squirtle's greatest strength is its excellent air game. Its aerials are quick and decently powerful, inflicting good amounts of damage; it also has one of the fastest air speeds and a quick and high jump. Squirtle is one of few fighters that can wall cling and crawl (the 2nd lowest crawl in the game, which can duck under many attacks such as Blaster and Wizard's Foot). Its unique dash pivot also allows it to shellshift, giving much more versatility to its otherwise mediocre ground game.

Squirtle's neutral special is Water Gun, which can be used to hamper horizontal recoveries and doubles as a decent attack which can be used to impede an enemy's approach. Its side special, Withdraw, increases Squirtle's ground speed and offers protection against most attacks, other than grabs. However, speed and direction of Withdraw can be changed if hit with a strong attack, possibly causing Squirtle to slide off the edge, KOing itself if it goes off too far. Waterfall, Squirtle's up special, has a large, disjointed hitbox, making it hard to interrupt. It can also rack up damage throughout the attack and scores multiple hits, which makes it a very useful attack. Like all of Pokémon Trainer's Pokémon, Squirtle can use its down special change places with the next Pokémon at the Trainer's disposal (in Squirtle's case, Ivysaur). However, this can be punishable and is mandatory, due to the "Stamina" mechanic (outside of the Adventure Mode) and respawning as the next one in the cycle.

Squirtle's up smash has a large area and can KO at 80-100%. Its down-aerial does multiple hits and has high horizontal knockback on the last hit, but it also has short range, little damage, and massive ending lag. Its forward smash has armor during the frames Squirtle is in its shell. However, like its down smash, it does little damage, has massive ending lag, and covers a short distance. Squirtle has decent throws (including the second strongest down throw in the game in terms of knockback, after Lucas's), but Squirtle itself is vulnerable to grab release combos by several characters, dash regrabs by many characters, and even infinite by Zero Suit Samus, due to its very poor air release animation.

Moveset

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			3%	Squirtle punches once, thrust both its legs forward, and then flips forward and hits with its tail. The first hit has decent range and comes out on frame 1 making it a strong tool to stuff out approaches. The second and third hits can be shielded but the second hit is capable of tripping opponents. Both the first and second hits have set knockback and are good tools to lock opponents.
			2%
			4%
Forward tilt			6%	Squirtle gets on all fours and slaps forward with its tail. Has quick startup coming out on frame 4 and has low ending lag making it a decent spacing tool on the ground. Can be angled.
Up tilt			6%	Squirtle hops up onto its tail, headbutting upwards. Very quick and can lead into other moves at low percentages including itself and up aerial.
Down tilt			2% (hits 1-4), 5% (hit 5)	Squirtle gets on its belly and withdraws its limbs, then spins forward, sweeping with its tail. It is Squirtle's slowest tilt and it is a multi-hit move which is fairly unreliable although it is Squirtle's most damaging tilt if all hits connect.
Dash attack			9% (clean), 7% (late)	Squirtle runs, turns around while jumping, and hits with the back of its shell. Knocks opponents behind Squirtle if hitbox connects.
Forward smash			14%	Squirtle withdraws into its shell and launches forward. Has armor the entire time Squirtle is inside its shell. Can be angled.
Up smash			3% (hit 1), 13% (clean sweetspot), 11% (clean sourspot), 9% (mid), 7% (mid late), 5% (late)	Slams hands onto the ground, sending twin geysers into the air. A powerful vertical finisher, being Squirtle's most powerful attack and when combined with shellshifting, it can be a very powerful approach option.
Down smash			11%	Squirtle withdraws into its shell and spins, shooting water out of both sides. This attack overall deals small damage and has short range but it is Squirtle's fastest smash attack and has a decently long duration.
Neutral aerial			9% (clean), 6% (late)	Squirtle withdraws into its shell and spins in midair, releasing water from all sides. A good defensive move for spacing.
Forward aerial			12% (clean), 6% (late)	Squirtle thrusts both its legs forward, hitting quickly. Has fast startup coming out on frame 5 and a good edgeguarding move. It is a fairly powerful aerial with decent KO potential. Has sex kick properties.
Back aerial			10% (clean), 6% (late)	Squirtle thrusts its tail backward, hitting opponents behind itself. Good for both gimping and edgeguarding. It is weaker than forward aerial but it lingers for longer and it has less ending and landing lag. Has sex kick properties.
Up aerial			11%	Squirtle flips upward, using its tail to knock opponents vertically. Somewhat weak, having a hard time KOing foes with good DI and it has high landing lag although it is a very strong juggling tool with a decent damage output, decent range and low ending lag being Squirtle's fastest aerial in terms of ending lag by a large margin.
Down aerial			1% (hits 1-5), 5% (hit 6)	Squirtle thrusts its tail downward, spinning around in a multi-hit attack. Similar to Mario's Mario Tornado, but with more vertical range due to the tail and the last hit inflicts decent horizontal knockback. It cannot auto-cancel out of a short hop and has a somewhat high amount of landing lag.
Grab			—
Pummel			2%	Headbutts the grabbed opponent. Relatively fast. Can grab release into a jab on most characters due to Squirtle having a frame 1 jab.
Forward throw			2% (hit 1), 7% (throw)	Puts its opponent in front of itself, and then kicks them. Can potentially chain grab at extremely low percents.
Back throw			5% (hit 1), 5% (throw)	Puts its opponent behind itself, and then kicks their back. Hard to follow up due to its high knockback.
Up throw			2% (hit 1), 9% (throw)	Throws its opponent upward and tackles them while in its shell. Has moderate KO power.
Down throw			2% (hit 1), 5% (throw)	Throws its opponent on the ground and slams on top of them. It is Squirtle's strongest throw in terms of knockback being able to KO around 150% at center stage. It is the second strongest down throw in the game behind Lucas'.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			6%	Flips with its tail forwards and then backwards.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			6%	Flips with its tail forwards and then backwards.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Gets up and flips its tail forwards and then backwards.
Edge attack (fast) Edge getups (fast)			8% (tail), 6% (body)	Gets up and whips its tail forward.
Edge attack (slow) Edge getups (slow)			10%	Slowly gets up and headbutts forward.
Neutral special		Water Gun	1-2% (water uncharged) (14% maximum damage)	Squirtle shoots out water similar to Mario's F.L.U.D.D. The move can charged to spray more water out with more range but does not deal any damage and only pushes opponents. If the B button is pressed with no charge, Squirtle shoots out a short-ranged attack that can deal up to 14% damage to opponents who are close by.
Side special		Withdraw	3% (startup), 6-8% (slide)	Squirtle retreats inside its shell and speeds across the stage, powered by a jet of water shooting out the back of its shell. Throughout the entire move, Squirtle is immune to both damage and knockback. The speed of the move can be altered by smashing the control stick.
Up special		Waterfall	2% (hits 1-3), 1% (hits 4-9), 3% (hit 10)	A torrent of water appears that Squirtle "surfs" on top of it. The attack does multiple hits with minor knockback towards the end. It is difficult to interrupt as a recovery move, as the hitbox is large, disjointed, and directly in front of Squirtle. The movement direction of the attack can be slightly altered with the control stick to be more vertical or more horizontal although it does not cover a very large distance.
Down special		Pokémon Change	0%	The Pokémon Trainer calls Squirtle back by throwing a Poké Ball and then sends out Ivysaur.
Final Smash		Triple Finish	1% (Hydro Pump)	The Pokémon Trainer sends out both Charizard and Ivysaur and all three Pokémon perform a combination attack.

On-screen appearance

• The Pokémon Trainer releases Squirtle from a Poké Ball and yells "Go Squirtle!"

Taunts

• Up taunt: Backflips, spreads out its arms and opens its mouth saying "Squirtle, Squirtle".
• Side taunt: Spins on its tail and squirts out water and says "Squirtle".
• Down taunt: Goes into its shell and hops while spinning.

Up taunt	Side taunt	Down taunt

Idle poses

• Jumps twice excitedly.
• Waggles its arms in front of itself.

Crowd cheer

	English	Japanese
Cheer
Description	Po-ké-mon!	Po-ké-mon!
Pitch	Group chant	Group chant

Wii Remote selection sound

• The Trainer releases a Poké Ball and says "Go for it!".

Pokémon Trainer's selection sound

Victory poses

Note: The Pokémon Trainer says "Good job, Squirtle!" in all three victory poses.

An excerpt from the main theme of the Pokémon series. It is shared with Pikachu, Jigglypuff, and Lucario.

• Up: Squirts water in three directions, does a backflip, then poses.
• Left: Does some poses, spins around doing a breakdance move, and ends on its bottom scratching its head.
• Right: Pokémon Trainer kneels down and hugs Squirtle, who says "Squirtle Squirtle".

Up	Left	Right

In competitive play

Matchups

Super Smash Bros. Brawl Character Matchups

Avg.

Role in The Subspace Emissary

Pokémon Trainer commanding Squirtle in The Subspace Emissary.

When introduced, Pokémon Trainer's only Pokémon is Squirtle, and thus, it is his main Pokémon for much of the story until Ivysaur and Charizard are later found in the ruins. Despite this, Squirtle only appears in the very first cutscene Pokémon Trainer is introduced in. Stamina doesn't apply in Adventure Mode as it does in normal play.

Stickers

All three of Pokémon Trainer's Pokémon share the same trophy base.

If the player wishes to power up Squirtle specifically, [Tail] and [Water] will supply the greatest power boosts. The remaining relevant attacks are spread between [Body]/[Spin], [Leg] and [Head].

If the player wishes to balance between the three, the major attacks Squirtle shares with Charizard are [Tail] and [Body] attacks, and shares [Leg] and [Spin] attacks with Ivysaur.

In Event Matches

Note: Squirtle is only featured in one event that does not include the Pokémon Trainer.

Solo Events

• Event 8: Go! Triple Finish!: The player controls Pikachu, who must defeat Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard on Pokémon Stadium.

Trophy

Squirtle's trophy is obtained by clearing Classic Mode with the Pokémon Trainer and delivering the final hit to Master Hand with Squirtle.

Squirtle

A Tiny Turtle Pokémon. In times of danger, it pulls its arms and legs inside its shell to protect itself from enemy attacks. When it conceals its neck, it also shoots a powerful stream of water from its mouth. Its shell not only protects its body, it also reduces water friction when it's in the water. When it levels up, it evolves into Wartortle.

: Pokémon Red/Blue

: Pokémon FireRed/LeafGreen

• 

  Classic Mode trophy

Alternate costumes

Gallery

• 

  Triple Finish dialogue box.

• 

  Pokemon Trainer using Triple Finish.

• 

  Squirtle using Water Gun.

• 

  Squirtle using Withdraw.

• 

  Squirtle using Waterfall.

Trivia

Squirtle drowning in Brawl.

• Surprisingly, Squirtle actually carries crates and barrels faster than the larger Charizard and Ivysaur.
• Along with Sonic, Sheik and Zero Suit Samus, Squirtle is one of the only characters to not be seen in trophy form during The Subspace Emissary. While Ivysaur and Charizard are both turned into trophies before their capture, and Pokémon Trainer is turned into a trophy by Tabuu's Off Waves, Squirtle is never actually turned into a trophy by means of ambush, a Dark Cannon, etc.
  • Coincidentally, all four of these characters begin with the letter 'S' and have blue color schemes by default.
• Curiously, Squirtle's visible outer body parts are larger, by volume, than its shell.
• Squirtle is one of the few characters in Brawl to not have a meteor smash.
• Squirtle is the only playable Pokémon in Brawl that doesn't have a trophy of any other Pokémon of its evolution line. Charizard has Charmander and Ivysaur has Bulbasaur, Jigglypuff has Igglybuff, Lucario has Riolu, and Pikachu has Pichu.
• During Pokémon Trainer's victory pose with Squirtle, it is much larger than it should be, standing only 1'8" in the games while Red is 4'11".
• The Brawl Guide erroneously states that Squirtle is heavier than Ivysaur, Squirtle is a light-middleweight, and Ivysaur is a lightweight, when it is actually the other way around.
• Squirtle is one of the four characters who can KO with all of its throws in Sudden Death.
• Interestingly, though Squirtle is a water-type Pokémon with swimming capabilities in the Pokémon games, it can drown in water. The same is also true for Greninja.
• Squirtle is the only playable Pokémon in Brawl:
  • To not to evolve from another Pokémon (Jigglypuff evolves from Igglybuff, Lucario evolves from Riolu, and Pikachu evolves from Pichu).
  • Who Pokémon Trainer uses and is not an evolved form (Charizard and Ivysaur are evolved forms of Charmeleon and Bulbasaur, respectively).

External links

• Pokémon Trainer's page at Smash Bros. DOJO!!