This article is about Pikachu's appearance in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U. For other uses, see Pikachu. Pikachu (ピカチュウ, Pikachu) is a playable starter character in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. It was confirmed June 11th, 2013 during E3 2013 and was among the first wave of amiibo. Visually, Pikachu has a brighter yellow appearance than Brawl.
Pikachu currently ranks 15th on the tier list. Despite many of Pikachu's moves having decreased damage, many others have gained increased knockback, keeping it at the top of the B tier with its rapid yet powerful moves, along with the new Meteor Smashing capabilities of Thunder.
Attributes[]
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To be added
Differences from Super Smash Bros. Brawl[]
Pikachu was overall balanced between nerfs and buffs.
Ground Attacks[]
Forward Tilt causes less damage.- Up Tilt has much less ending lag.
- Side Smash Attack deals less damage, even when sweetspotted.
- Down Smash Attack traps opponent even further, making it harder to DI out of. However, it has increased ending lag.
- Dash Attack's sweetspot is much stronger.
Aerial Attacks[]
- Neutral Air Attack's sweetspot deals less damage.
- Forward Aerial has much less ending lag and the final hit causes stronger knockback, enough to KO.
- Back Air Attack's final hit causes stronger knockback, enough to KO. However, it deals less damage.
- Up Air Attack has much less ending lag and lower knockback scaling. However, this deals less damage.
Pikachu's stats by Kurogane Hammer
Grabs and Throws[]
- Down Throw causes more knockback.
Special Attacks[]
- Skull Bash's total distance when fully charged is longer.
- Quick Attack cannot be cancelled on the ground anymore, removing's Pikachu QAC technique from Brawl.
- Thunder has shorter vertical range, and it is now capable of causing Meteor Smash if the opponent touches the upper part of the bolt near the cloud, at the start of the move.
- Volt Tackle is slower and causes less damage and knockback, but lasts longer. Additionally, a small sparkballl (that causes no damage) now indicates where Pikachu will move, aiding the player to control it.
Moveset[]
Ground Attacks[]
Normal[]
- Standard Attack: Headbutts forward. (1%)
- Forward Tilt: Handstands and kicks forward. (9%)
- Up tilt: Swings its tail above it in an upward arc. (5%)
- Down tilt: Sweeps its tail forward. (6%)
Smash Attacks[]
- Side Smash Attack: Sends a spark of electricity forward. (15%-21%)
- Up Smash Attack: Swings its tail above it in an upward arc. (14%-19%)
- Down Smash Attack: Spins around with its tail extended, dealing electrical damage. (13%-21%)
Other attacks[]
- Dash attack: Headbutts while dashing. (10%)
- Ledge attack: Hits with its tail. (8%)
- Get-up attack: Gets up while spinning around once with its tail extended. (7%)
Aerial Attacks[]
- Neutral aerial: Curls up like a ball and spins around, hitting with its tail. (5%)
- Forward aerial: Headbutts forward in midair, dealing electrical damage. (5%)
- Back aerial: Spins around, hitting with its outstretched arms and tail. (6%)
- Up aerial: Swings its tail above it in an upwards arc. (5%)
- Down aerial: Headbutts downwards, dealing electrical damage. (16%)
Grabs and Throws[]
- Pummel: Electrocutes the opponent. (2%)
- Forward throw: Places the opponent on its head and electrocutes them. (10%)
- Back throw: Rolls backwards before tossing the opponent behind it. (10%)
- Up throw: Headbutts the opponent upwards. (4%)
- Down throw: Slams the opponent on the ground with its back. (7%)
Special Moves[]
| Pikachu's Special Moves | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 64 | Melee | Brawl | 3DS/Wii U | Ultimate | |
| Standard Special | Thunder Jolt | ||||
| Side Special | — | Skull Bash | |||
| Up Special | Quick Attack | ||||
| Down Special | Thunder | ||||
| Final Smash | — | Volt Tackle | |||
Taunts[]
Up taunt: Small bolts come out while he is saying "Piiiii!".
Side taunt: Waves his hand, as if saying hello, while saying "Pika! Pika!"
Down taunt: Rolls like a dog and says "Pikaaaaa!" while doing it.
In Competitive Play[]
Pikachu was initially perceived as a top-tier character, thanks to its approach and mindgame potentials courtesy of Quick Attack, its strong combo game and edge-guarding potential, its ability to evade attacks courtesy of its small size and low crouch, and its jab lock set-ups into KOs. As each of these traits were demonstrated very effectively in competitive play by ESAM, Pikachu was ranked 5th on the first tier list. However, there was also a vocal fraction of players who did not agree on Pikachu's initial placement, mainly due to ESAM being the only notable Pikachu player who placed well in tournaments, which was insufficient enough in comparison to the significant results and representation of other well-regarded characters. Other criticisms included Pikachu's lack of reliable KO set-ups, its KO potential in general, the high landing lag of its aerials, and its poor range.
The debate over Pikachu's tier placement would become even more prevalent due to ESAM's results eventually declining due to the strengths of other well-regarded characters, as well as Pikachu's unfavorable matchups against Mario and Ness becoming more apparent. These criticisms were further exacerbated by Pikachu's representation still remaining fairly minimal for a high-tier character, and altogether resulted in its ranking on the first tier list being met with widespread disapproval. As expected, Pikachu's tier placement saw a noticeable drop on the second tier list, where it was ranked 12th. Despite ESAM placing at 3rd at UGC Smash Open, Pikachu's tier placement saw another drop, now being ranked 15th on the third tier list. Pikachu's results, while rare, have remained pretty strong nonetheless, which has allowed it to hold on the 15th placing on the fourth and current tier list.
Trophy Description[]
Pikachu[]
Recognized the world over, Pikachu is an Electric-type Pokémon that stores energy in its cheeks for use in battle. In Smash Bros., Pikachu is a well-rounded fighter with speedy, powerful electric attacks. Quick Attack can be used twice in a row if two directions are input, one after another.
- Game Boy - Pokémon Red & Pokémon Blue (09/1998)
- Game Boy - Pokémon Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition (10/1999)
Pikachu (Alt)[]
Pikachu's Thunder Jolt fires off a ball of electricity that bounces across the stage, getting weaker as it travels. It does more damage to enemies in the air. The default down special, Thunder, causes a lightning strike that both shocks the opponents and turns Pikachu invincible for a split second.
Other features[]
To be added
Costume Gallery[]
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Pikachu wears the hats of the male trainers from Red/Blue, Gold/Silver, Ruby/Sapphire, and X/Y as his alternate costumes. It also sports a Choice Band as one of its alternates.
- When Pikachu is wearing the Red/Blue trainer hat or the Choice Band, it seems to be in its shiny form.
- Pikachu is the only Pokémon in which all of its customized moves have the original move's name in it.
- Pikachu's 4th costume with the swimming goggles is a reference to the Swimmer trainers.
- When Pikachu gets pummeled when being grabbed, it is seen to have teeth.
- This is also seen whenever it grabs an edge.
- When Pikachu gets stunned, its eyes become swirls. This is a reference to the Pokémon anime, when Pokémon display that same expression when fainting.
Gallery[]
External links[]
- Pikachu's page on the Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U Website
- Low Percentage Pikachu KO Confirm
- Pikachu's Frame Data at Kurogane Hammer
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