List of flaws in artificial intelligence (SSBU)

The following is a list of flaws in the artificial intelligence of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, present up to the most recent version (13.0.1) unless otherwise stated.

Universal flaws

Category	Description	Latest version
Recovery	CPUs will never recover high and directly onto the stage, always aiming for the ledge even if the opponent is covering it, allowing the opponent to easily gimp or repeatedly edgeguard them. Additionally, CPUs with damaging recoveries will always attempt to hit the opponent if they're at the ledge, making it very easy to repeatedly bait and punish their recovery.	13.0.1
	CPUs caught by Egg Lay while offstage will not attempt to mash to escape the egg early, causing them to get KO'd when they could have mashed out to survive.
Attack Patterns	CPUs with projectiles will only use them at certain ranges, limiting their character's effectiveness.
	CPUs fail to recognize when opponents are completely vulnerable from suffering high ending or landing lag such as whiffing Rest, landing with a stall-and-fall, or even when helpless. Instead of capitalizing on such openings, they act cautious and often roll away from or behind the opponent.
	CPUs will always immediately attempt to edgeguard an opponent the moment they are offstage, even if they were fighting another opponent or if it proves risky and even fatal.
	CPUs fail to recognize when team attack is on, using powerful moves when near allies and even using kill throws on them should they accidentally grab them.
	CPUs fail to recognize invincibility and super armor, aggressively challenging attacks rather than playing defensively.
	CPUs will always activate a smash attack if an opponent is moving towards them while they are charging, which can lead to them being vulnerable if the opponent stops before moving in range.
Defensive Patterns	CPUs fail to recognize slow and powerful attacks such as Ganondorf's and Bowser's forward smashes, running or jumping into them when they could've been easily reacted to and avoided.
	When bounced upwards off the stage by a meteor smash, CPUs will always use their air dodge as soon as they are actionable.
	CPUs fail to SDI attacks such as PK Fire, allowing opponents to easily rack up their damage into KO percent.
	CPUs fail to recognize command grabs such as Alolan Whip and Flame Choke, being easily grabbed when they could've challenged or avoided the attack.
	CPUs will never use their directional air dodge to gain additional distance even if they were launched far away, being unable to make it back to the stage when they otherwise could have.
	CPUs fail to recognize the nature of multihit moves, only shielding the first hit of the attack and getting hit by the consecutive hit(s).
	CPUs fail to dodge lingering attacks such as PK Thunder, allowing themselves to be easily hit all the way into KO percent.
	CPUs fail to properly DI attacks such as Flying Slam, dying much sooner than normal due to DI'ing inwards instead of outwards.
	CPUs with reflectors will always perform their reflecting move whenever a thrown projectile is present in their general direction. This is especially evident when they are recovering.
	CPUs will unnecessarily use their up special while onstage in an attempt to evade the opponent, leaving most of the CPU-controlled characters punishable.
Movement
	CPUs always approach or land towards their opponent, leaving themselves easily hit repeatedly by lingering hitboxes or even charged smash attacks.
	Whenever an item is present, CPUs will always walk towards it.
	CPUs tend to chase their opponent above them from the ground until their opponent comes within their range, often performing an up smash.

Character-specific flaws

Characters	Description	Latest version
	Continues to use forward throw and back throw at percents where up throw would be capable of KOing a fighter.	10.1.0
	Occasionally uses Stone repeatedly to no effect when standing above an opponent with a soft platform between them.
	Fails to extend her recovery with Bouncing Fish even without a double jump.
	Fails to recognize her own grab range, often whiffing her standing and dash grab due to grabbing without getting close enough to the opponent.
	Uses up throw for combos.
	Often retreats back to the ledge while in an advantageous situation against the opponent (such as on stages like Town and City).
	Fails to combo off of neutral attack beyond very low percents, using random tilts or smash attacks without getting close to the opponent.
	Fails to punish shield breaks with Flare Blade, instead uses a randomly chosen smash attack and often allowing the opponent to survive what would have been a guaranteed KO.
	Uses up throw for combos, never uses up throw to kill, and instead uses back throw when the opponent is at KO percent.
	Will always use an uncharged Flare Blade rather than the appropriate edgeguarding/KO move when the opponent is near the ledge, often failing to hit recovering/landing opponents and often getting punished afterwards.
	Fails to buffer side special, often allowing the opponent to escape or get hit by the last swing's of Roy's sourspot; will also often use the last upward swing rather than forward swing even if the opponent is at KO percent, allowing them to survive what would've been a guaranteed KO.
	Fails to hit opponents with up tilt and up smash when they are above him (such as when they are on a platform), instead uses forward tilt or forward smash repeatedly despite repeatedly whiffing and becoming very vulnerable to punishment.
	Fails to edgeguard opponents with forward aerial, back aerial, and down aerial even if the opponent is fully vulnerable; when Roy does attack offstage, he often whiffs a neutral aerial or saves the opponent with it or an up aerial.
	Fails to recognize his own grab range, often whiffing dash grab due to grabbing before getting close enough to the opponent.
	Will randomly use Mach Tornado and then drift offstage and SD with it.
	Always detonates his C4 whenever someone is near it, making absorption very easy. Additionally will not detonate it if offstage or near the projectile himself.
	Sometimes enters a loop of jumping up from an edge and using Flare Blitz across the stage, forcing it to grab the other edge and repeat the process. Charizard is usually too high to damage any standing opponent, causing it to damage itself for no benefit.
	Never tries to angle and follow opponents with Guided Robo Beam at all, making it extremely easy to avoid.
	Never charges Shadow Sneak when using it for recovery, which makes the horizontal distance traveled extremely short and leaves it open for an attack.
	Will repeatedly attempt to summon a Wild Gunman even when one is already present.
	When recovering, often uses Cross Chop before Alolan Whip, sometimes failing to recover in a situation when recovery was possible.
	Tends to use Blazing End if a recovering opponent is a short distance away from the stage and horizontally level with Pyra, allowing the opponent to anticipate the move and air-dodge towards the ledge, and promptly punish her if the move whiffed.
	When far enough offstage at low height, occasionally fails to switch to Mythra, whose recovery would have had enough horizontal reach, but uses Prominence Revolt instead, resulting in an early loss of a stock.

Item-related

Item	Description	Latest version
Bomber	CPUs prefer tossing Bombers rather than using them.	13.0.1
Fake Smash Ball	Similar to attacking Beehives and Cucco. The CPUs usually break them when they are present, often while trying to attack other players.
Hocotate Bomb	Similar to the behavior from Super Smash Bros. 4. The CPUs have poor DI if they are struck while the ship is ascending, which often causes the ship to KO them at the upper blast line.
Poké Ball	Sometimes, when Ditto is summoned, the player's clone might accidentally pick up Dragoon or Daybreak parts, preventing the real player from using them. CPUs do not shield against Kyogre's attacks.	10.1.0

Stage Related

Stage	Description	Latest version
	Computers will never attempt to complete microgames, most notably with Don't Move! and Taunt!	13.0.0

See also

• Flaws in artificial intelligence
• AI flaws (SSB)
• AI flaws (SSBM)
• AI flaws (SSBB)
• AI flaws (SSB4)