Lucas (SSB4)

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Lucas in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	EarthBound
Other playable appearance	in Brawl
Availability	Downloadable
Final Smash	PK Starstorm

“	Lucas Comes Out of Nowhere!	”
—Introduction Tagline

Lucas (リュカ, Lucas) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4 as the second downloadable character, released alongside Roy and Ryu on June 14th, 2015. He was confirmed to be a playable character during the Nintendo Direct presentation on April 1st, 2015.

Lucas is voiced once again by Lani Minella, using recycled voice clips from Brawl, with some of his voice clips slightly sped up.

Changes from Brawl

In the transition from Brawl to Smash 4, Lucas received a mix of buffs and nerfs. The most notable improvement being that his 10 extra frame grab release animation, which was one of his most significant flaws (shared with Ness), has been removed. However, he can no longer use the Zap Jump or Magnet Pull, which were his two most pivotal techniques in Brawl, and many of his attacks deal less damage. His combo ability has been improved in some areas (e.g. down throw, neutral air, up air) while toned down in others (e.g. jab combo, pummel, forward tilt, up tilt) and many of his attacks are more reliable on technical offense (e.g. neutral air, down air, PK Thunder 2, etc.). His recovery has been considerably buffed, with an increase in distance traveled by PK Thunder 2, as well as his Tether recovery gaining more range and a new hitbox that deals damage. Overall, the mix of buffs and nerfs make it difficult to determine whether or not Lucas has been buffed or nerfed, as well as how they will affect him overall.

Aesthetics

Like Ness, Lucas is slightly taller and thinner, with a smaller and more proportionate head. Lucas' colors are more vibrant; his shirt now has completely horizontal stripes, he has a more rosy blush and has lost the blue hue in his eyes.

• Like Ness, Lucas now uses updated sounds for PSI related attacks.
• Lucas now keeps both eyes open while performing PSI Magnet, while in Brawl, he kept one eye shut.

Attributes

• The extra 10 frames of Lucas' grab release have been removed, putting him in line with all other characters.
• Lucas' overall speed on the ground and in the air is faster.
• Lucas's double jump is slightly faster.
• Lucas can no longer use the Zap Jump or Magnet Pull, limiting his advanced player options.

Ground attacks

• Damage reduction on jab combo (10% → 8%), up tilt (11% → 9%), down tilt (6% → 3%) and sourspot forward tilt (9% → 7%).
• Neutral attack is more reliable and transitions into its final hit faster.
• Dash attack's sweet-spot deals 1% more damage and is now located at the tip instead of Lucas's hand.
• Down tilt sends vertically when hit with Lucas's leg, which gives it slightly better combo potential at high percent.
• Down tilt no longer trips opponents.
• Up smash damage: 29% → ~29.3%

Aerial attacks

• Damage reductions on neutral aerial (17% → 8%), forward aerial (12% → 11%) and down aerial (20% → 15%).
• Neutral, up and forward aerial no longer auto cancel in a short hop, hindering Lucas's approach options.
• Neutral aerial connects reliably with the final hit sending opponents above Lucas, making it an effective combo starter with its reduced knockback. It also has less landing lag.
• Neutral aerial consists of less hits, has slightly slower startup and increased hitlag.
• Neutral aerial has a different animation, with Lucas posing oddly throughout the move.
• Back aerial is stronger on all hitboxes.
• Down aerial connects more reliably and has a slightly stronger meteor.
• Up aerial is stronger and can now KO grounded opponents starting in the 140-150% range.
• Up aerial has a different animation, having a closer resemblance to Ness's up aerial.

Throws/other attacks

• Standing grab and dash grab have reduced cool down.
• Pivot grab is slower and has increased cool down.
• Lucas's tether, his Rope Snake, is much longer and does not immediately retract to his typical size. It has also gained a hitbox in midair, which does 4% damage.
• Pummel deals 1.2% instead of 3%, Meaning that Lucas no longer has the best pummel in the game.
• Up and back throws have more KO potential.
• Down throw has decreased endlag and drastically reduced knockback, which when combined with the removal of hitstun cancelling, grants Lucas an excellent combo starter, allowing him to chain into aerial attacks (except for back air) at percentages up to around 150% depending on weight, rage, staleness and DI.
• Down throw deals less damage and can no longer KO due to it's significantly reduced knockback.
• Down throw aesthetically buries opponents during its execution.

Special moves

• PK Freeze is slightly slower, takes longer to fully charge, now going lower than Lucas's body, similar to Ness's PK Flash. Because of this, PK Freeze no longer explodes when it touches the ground. Unlike PK Flash, using the move right before it hits the ground does not count as being fully charged.
• PK Freeze travels farther.
• PK Freeze can no longer be absorbed.
• PK Thunder is larger, and PK Thunder 2 can be used again after hitting a wall (similar to Ness'). Its trapping abilities are also better and has a stronger final hit. In addition, PK Thunder 2 shoots slightly more distance.
• PK Thunder moves slightly faster. This makes it easier to recover if an opponent goes offstage attempting to gimp Lucas, but also makes situational mindgames slightly harder to play out.
• PK Thunder 2 deals less damage.
• PSI Magnet is now larger than in Brawl, where it was only centered around his hand.
• PSI Magnet deals less damage. It also heals Lucas significantly less (1.2x instead of 2.5x the damage of absorbed projectiles) then it did in Brawl.
• PK Starstorm now fires an aimable line of meteors from the top-center of the stage (similar to Aura Storm), just like Ness' version. This leaves it with blind spots but deals more reliable damage when it does hit. Lucas's pose when using PK Starstorm now matches Ness's pose. Lucas's version is much thicker than Ness's. It keeps a consistent width of three meteors throughout, rather than the width of 1.5 meteors Ness's does.

Moveset

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			2.5%	Kicks with his right leg twice, then does a spinkick with his left.
			2%
			4%
Forward tilt			11% (sweetspot), 7.5% (sourspot)	Launches a small burst of PK energy that does more damage further from Lucas.
Up tilt			1.5% (hit 1), 8% (clean hit 2), 5% (late hit 2)	Does a flipkick as his foot becomes surrounded by PK energy.
Down tilt			3%	Crouches and does a spinning kick. Weak, but fast and comboes into itself easily.
Dash attack			13% (sweetspot), 9% (sourspot)	Lunges forward, sending forth a burst of PK energy. Does more damage further away.
Forward smash			14% (base), 15% (tip)	Whacks nearby opponents with a stick. Deals more damage at the tip.
Up smash			2% (hit 1); 19%, 18%, 16%, 14%, or 12% (clean to late hit 2)	Releases a burst of PK energy from above his head. Slow, but Lucas's most powerful attack. Claimed by the game to be the strongest of all up-smashes.
Down smash			17% (hit 1), 14% (hit 2), 11% (hit 3)	Fires three consecutive bursts of PK energy, each one with more range but less power than the last.
Neutral aerial			1% (hits 1-4), 4% (hit 5)	Spins around, releasing rapid bursts of PK energy.
Forward aerial			11.5% (sweetspot), 8% (sourspot)	Kicks, launching a burst of PK energy in front of himself.
Back aerial			12% (sweetspot), 9% (sourspot), 7% (late)	Kicks downwards from a backflip, leaving a trail of PK energy. Can meteor smash.
Up aerial			13%	Headbutts.
Down aerial			3.5% (rapid hits 1-3), 5% (final hit)	Launches rapid bursts of PK energy below himself.
Grab aerial			4% (clean), 2.8% (late)	Sends his Rope Snake in front of him to damage enemies.
Grab			—	Sends his Rope Snake in front of him. Can be performed in midair as a tether.
Pummel			1.2%	Headbutts the opponent. Can be done extremely rapidly.
Forward throw			10%	Uses telekenisis to launch the opponent in front of himself.
Back throw			10%	Telekenetically tosses the opponent behind him.
Up throw			10%	Telekenetically whirls the opponent around his head, then throws them straight up.
Down throw			6.5%	Telekenetically slams the opponent into the ground headfirst, leaving them briefly buried.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Gets up and kicks at opponents from either side.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	Gets up and kicks at opponents from either side.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Gets up and kicks back and forth.
Edge attack Edge getups			7%	Climbs onto the stage and performs a low kick.
Neutral special	Default	PK Freeze	9%-22%	Releases a burst of blue, snowflake-shaped PK energy that can freeze opponents. The direction of the burst's path can be controlled, and the attack can be made stronger by holding the special button.
	Custom 1	N/A
	Custom 2	N/A
Side special	Default	PK Fire	3% (lightning), 6% (fire)	Lucas throws a lightning bolt-like projectile that turns into a burst of fire upon contact. His PK Fire doesn't leave a pillar of flame like Ness's, and also has the same trajectory whether it is launched on the ground or in midair.
	Custom 1	N/A
	Custom 2	N/A
Up special	Default	PK Thunder	2.5% (projectile head), 0.8% (projectile tail rapid hits), 8% (PKT2 initial hit), 2% (PKT2 rapid hits 1-5), 1.5% (PKT2 rapid hits 6-10), 10% (PKT2 final hit)	Launches a purple stream of lightning that can be directed into Lucas to launch him. Unlike Ness' version, it doesn't fizzle out after hitting a foe, and causes repeated damage. The latter also applies to his PK Thunder 2.
	Custom 1	N/A
	Custom 2	N/A
Down special	Default	PSI Magnet	8% (ending), heals 1.2x the damage of absorbed projectiles.	Creates a glowing orb in front of Lucas. Any energy-based projectiles it absorbs will heal him. Additionally, the orb can damage opponents inside of it when it dissipates, which allows it to be used as a situational KO move at high percents.
	Custom 1	N/A
	Custom 2	N/A
Final Smash		PK Starstorm	8% per hit	Summons a column of falling stars. Can be angled at any time and can hit opponents multiple times.

Taunts

• Lucas trips, shakes his head, and gets back up.
• Lucas creates PSI sparks with his fingers, moving his arms in a sideways motion.
• Duster's Rope Snake taps him on the shoulder and has a brief conversation with Lucas, as Lucas shrugs towards it.

On-Screen Appearance

Rides in on a Mr. Saturn-style coffee table, then hops off. The table is based on the one that Lucas rides to Saturn Valley in Mother 3.

Victory Fanfare

A flourished remix coming directly from Brawl. It is a sped-up remix of a portion of the title theme from the original MOTHER for the Famicom Disk System.

Victory Poses

• LucasPose1WiiU.png
• LucasPose2WiiU.png
• LucasPose3WiiU.png

• He forcefully pulls one of the large needles (from Mother 3) before the large needle flies off-screen with a trail of sparkles while Lucas looks towards the screen. This is very similar to his Up Smash.
• With his back towards the screen, crouching, Lucas does something on the ground with a large stick before turning his head around towards the screen, saying "Hmm?".
• He bends down on one knee and shoots hexagonal PK shocks from his fingers in the air in front of him.

Alternate costumes

Trophy

While not playable at the release of the game, there has always been a trophy of Lucas in both versions; this trophy matches his appearance in Brawl. Upon his release, he additionally received two (three in the Wii U version) trophies that match the format of the other playable characters. The existing non-fighter one remains unchanged, as with Mewtwo's non-fighter trophy.

Lucas (non-fighter)

Before adventuring, Lucas was a timid, cautious boy. His journey has made him a stronger person. Maybe he met someone to spend his life with... Hang on—we're moving way too fast! For now, remember that Lucas and Ness are favorites in the hearts of EarthBound fans.

Once upon a time, Lucas was a bit of a cry-baby. You might even say he was a wimp. But then, well...he had more than his fair share of rough times and toughened up a bit. Who knows what he's up to now? Whatever he's doing, his story - much like Ness's - lives on in the hearts of all Mother series fans.

: Mother 3

Lucas

The younger of the twin brothers from Nowhere makes his triumphant return to the game of Smash. Hailing from the Japan-only game Mother 3, Lucas's specialty is psychic projectile attacks. He can use these PSI attacks to do things like absorb enemy projectiles and deal supernatural damage!

Lucas, the younger of the twin brothers from Tazmily, comes originally from the Japan-only game, Mother 3, and now makes his triumphant return to Super Smash Bros.! Here he makes great use of his PSI powers with lots of projectile attacks, and can use his faster attacks on anybody who gets too close.

: Mother 3

Lucas (Alt.)

Lucas's up special PK Thunder can hit enemies multiple times, but if you hit yourself with it, you can then tackle and launch opponents! Lucas's up smash has the strongest launch power of any fighter's up smash. The range for this attack is wide, and it's strongest right after Lucas unleashes the attack.

Lucas's up special, PK Thunder, can either hit enemies multiple times, or hit Lucas himself to push him into a powerful charge attack. Meanwhile, his up smash attack is the most powerful launching move in the entire game, so make good use of it! It's a wide-range attack that is most effective right after Lucas unleashes it.

: Mother 3

PK Starstorm (Lucas)

You can adjust the direction of the shooting stars in this attack! Rain stars down on multiple fighters at once, or be mean and pick on a single fighter. The choice is yours! If a star connects, it will deal ongoing fire damage, making it hard for opponents to return to the stage.

• 

  Non-fighter (3DS)

• 

  Non-fighter (Wii U)

• 

  Classic (3DS)

• 

  Alt. (3DS)

• 

  Classic (Wii U)

• 

  Alt. (Wii U)

• 

  PK Starstorm

Annoucement Video

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Gallery

• 

  Splash art.

• 

  On Coliseum.

• 

  Using PK Thunder.

• 

  Lucas's on-screen appearance.

• 

  Performing down taunt alongside Ness.

• 

  Using PK Fire with Ness.

• 

  Shaking his fists at the Wii Fit Trainer.

• 

  Healing himself.

• 

  Alternate costumes.

• 

  On Magicant with "Claus."

• 

  Taunting with Rope Snake.

Trivia

• Lucas is the only playable character in SSB4 to not have appeared in a non-Smash game released outside of Japan.
• The tagline used for Lucas is a reference to his home of Tazmily Village being located on the Nowhere Islands.
• Segments of Lucas's trailer reference certain elements in Mother 3.
  • One scene references the endgame fight against the Masked Man, represented by Lucas's new gray costume holding a Beam Sword, and his standard costume wearing a Franklin Badge.
  • Another scene references Lucas with his twin brother Claus, and the family dog Boney (represented by a brown costume Duck Hunt).
• Because of his non-fighter trophy, Lucas is the only character who has both Brawl and SSB4 character models in the same game.
• Due to the removal of slow edge recovery options, Lucas no longer has any attack where he directly punches (his +100% edge attack in Brawl).
• Lucas is the only veteran to appear as DLC to not have new voice clips.