Joker (SSBU)/Neutral aerial

Hitbox visualization showing Joker's neutral aerial.

Hitbox visualization showing Joker's neutral aerial when Arsene is active.

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Overview[edit]

Joker does two consecutive spins in the air while slashing with his knife. Being frame 12 (frame 15 when buffered out of a short hop), it has the second highest start-up of any of Joker's aerials, beaten only by down aerial with 13 frames of start-up. While its speed and lack of range does make it a relatively poor option to use out of shield compared to forward aerial and back aerial, it makes up for this in a number of ways. Firstly, neutral aerial possesses low landing lag, allowing it to be used as a combo starter at lower percentages while also being relatively safe on shield, only being -5 on block. Furthermore its slow start-up allows it to catch certain defensive options such as spot dodges and rolls, giving it additional utility in ledgetrapping scenarios.

When Arsène is active, Arsène slashes while laying his back on Joker's, granting neutral aerial a secondary disjointed hitbox behind him. This grants neutral aerial the ability to hit multiple times, and while its safety on shield remains unaffected, its area coverage is greatly improved, making it more potent at catching defensive options and jumping opponents.