Imagine a game where video game characters from different series such as Zelda, Mario, Pokémon, etc.… could dunk it out in an all-out brawl where only one can win. You wouldn’t need to because that game is Super Smash Bros Ultimate. As a person who has over 1000 hours into the game’s series, I have seen a significant amount of casual play and competitive play alike. However, as much as I love Super Smash Bros Ultimate there is something that can’t be left unspoken. That would be my hatred for the character Pikachu in Super Smash Bros Ultimate. Pikachu is a character with a small stature, amazing frame data, an extraordinary combo game, incredible edge guarding, neutral, and success in competitive play. It’s safe to say Pikachu is one if not the best character in Super Smash Bros Ultimate.

Pikachu is one of the smallest characters in Super Smash Bros Ultimate. Though Pikachu is lighter than most the cast don’t mean he is easier to knock off the screen. Pikachu’s size makes him hard to hit and paired with his up special (Quick Attack) he can constantly attack you and putting you in a disadvantaged state. When Pikachu is in the air and uses his backward aerial attack as he lands, he pancakes onto the ground. Pancaking meaning that Pikachu’s hurtbox is shrunk and made flat like a pancake as he hits the stage. Professional Pikachu player “ESAM” described this technique in the previous game Super Smash Bros 4. This is how Pikachu’s small size makes him so threatening.

Another strong attribute of Pikachu is his lightning-fast frame data. Frame data would refer to how long actions take to appear on the screen. This would include how long the startup of the move is, how long the move is active for, and how much lag or cool down till you can perform another action. Regardless of the size of a hitbox if they frame data is slow or has heavy amounts of lag it is punishable. From the popular webpage “Ultimate Frame Data” I have analyzed each of Pikachu’s moves. Some off Pikachu’s best moves would be his up tilt attack, neutral air attack, up special attack, and up smash attack. These are the bread and butter of most Pikachu players’ playstyles. Up tilt comes out on frame 7 which I faster than most of the cast. Neutral air attack is a super-fast aerial that comes out frame 3 beating one of the fastest in the game. Up special does take 15 frames to start up but its travel speed is unmatched. Pikachu’s Up Smash comes out frame 10 which is one of the fastest in the game as well. Not only do the moves come out fast but a vast amount of them are safe on the opponent’s shield. Pikachu side b is negative 2 on a shield with is so safe that no character in the game can punish it. Little mac has an out of shield option on frame 3 and still can’t punish the electric rat. Neutral is only negative 7 on the shield so while there are options to punish the Pikachu player is still a small gap where you hit them. What makes these moves so safe is the fact they are multi-hit moves. If you drop your shield throughout the move at all you’ll take damage from it. You must parry (drop shield at the exact time the move comes out) on the last hit. This adds into what makes Pikachu’s frame data so oppress to play against.

Now about Pikachu’s combo game. While some Pikachu players will complain saying his attacks don’t do much damage, everyone else would like to disagree. His combo game is crazy because of his multi-hit attacks. Due to the moves having multiple hits, Pikachu can fast fall (falling faster by pressing down on the directional stick on the controller) his attacks so that he can grab opponents or up tilt them again for more damage. Pikachu can either deal 20 percent or 130 percent depending on how comfortable the Pikachu player is with the loops. The more percentage you have in Super Smash Bros Ultimate, the further you are set off stage from attacks. If you get trapped into the Pikachu loops, your only chance is to mash the air dodge button or hope the Pikachu player drops it. Even his basic combos can deal about 30 percent. He can start his combos off his throws, neutral air attack, forward aerial attack, up air attack, down tilt attack, and even his back air attack. If your opponent missed a tech (hitting the shield button as you hit the ground) you can be set up into a jab lock situation where the Pikachu player can jab twice into a smash attack. Tech chase (plays where you can punish your opponent for the tech opinion) are common in Pikachu matches.  This will start killing around 90-100 percent by the edge of the stage which are reasonable presents to die at in the game. Professional player “ESAM” has won major tournaments with this character and have shown the characters combo potential against the best in the world.

Pikachu is one of the best edge guarders in the game. Edge guarding is the ability to attack your opponents while they are off the stage. Some edge guards involve throwing projectiles and staying on the ground to avoid falling off the map. Another way is to go off stage and attacking your opponents with aerial attacks to keep off the stage. Pikachu can do both of those options very well. Pikachu can throw out thunder jolts to pressure his opponent off stage. His fast long-lasting aerials allow for him to cover the ledge where it is most optimal to go for in terms of recovery. If you are trying to recover low to the stage Pikachu has a power spike with his downward aerial attack sending his opponents fast into the blast zone. He can go deep off stage to hit his opponents with his back aerial attack or his forward aerial attack. If the opponent goes high Pikachu can use his downward special “Thunder” which can spike the opponent as well if they get hit near the cloud that spawns. He can confirm into a thunder off stage with his up aerial attack. While it is strict timing, if landed the opponent will lose a life almost guaranteed. If the opponent wants to recover close to the wall Thunder Jolt hugs into the stage wall and will continually hit the opponent for as long as you keep using Thunder Jolt. If the opponent does manage to get back to the stage, they already have more damage taken and they must reset the neutral. This allows the Pikachu player to formulate their next approach or chose to not engage.

The neutral state in fighting games is referred to as the point in the match where neither opponent is in advantage or disadvantage. The point of neutral is placed your opponent at a disadvantaged stage meaning they are being pressured or attacked. In Super Smash Bros Ultimate disadvantage would be stuck underneath, off the side of the stage, or in an opponent’s combo. Pikachu’s play style allows him to play either a heavily aggressive rush down style or more passive bait and punish playstyle. A rush down Pikachu would most likely engage with up special and use his superior aerials to lock down the opponent before they have the chance to move. A bait and punish Pikachu plays more passively by spacing with Thunder Jolt and waiting for their opponent to miss space an attack so they go in and deal damage. Once they’ve done that they retreat and reset the neutral until they can safely kill their opponent. Both playstyles are annoying and challenging to deal with. Depending on how your character plays the Pikachu player may end up switching styles in the middle of the fight. Taking neutral away from Pikachu is a difficult task to achieve but if possible, it allows you a chance at taking down the terrifying rat.

While only a few notable Pikachu players have done well at major tournaments. Professional players alike all claim Pikachu to be the best in the game. The most notable Pikachu player “ESAM” has had major success with character. On September 15th, 2019 he won Glitch 7 which was a major tournament where some of the best players in the world attended.  He placed 3rd at Glitch 8. At one of the most recent majors Genesis 7, he places 4th. In the past year, he hasn’t placed lower than 65th -96th in a major tournament. His recent placements have been the most consistently high of his entire Super Smash Bros career. He loves telling people how busted (amazing) Pikachu is in this game. In an interview where they asked him about his playstyle. He responded with “I just T Jolt (Thunder Jolt) and Back Air (Backward Aerial Attack) and you can’t punish it.” In more depth, he essentially is explaining he don’t need to be unsafe because very little of his moves allow for it. Pikachu allows him to dictate the pace of the game and the opponents are forced into playing into his hand. After watching many tournaments and seeing those words take fortuitous. It shows clearly the potential of what this character can do in a tournament bracket.

After reviewing all the data given, I hope this gives insight into why Pikachu is the best character in the game. With a small statue that hard to hit, frame data that makes opponents trapped on defense, a combo game that will make you regret getting hit once, an edge guarding game that makes getting backing to stage a dream and less of reality, one of the safest and strongest neutral in the game, and success in tournament. Not many can hold a candle to the oppress electric rat known as Pikachu. Therefore, Pikachu is the best character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

• The Amount of Characters

As of patch 7.0.0 for Smash Ultimate, there are currently 75 characters to play from. With so many characters and play-styles it is easy to find a main character to play to your hearts content. The game developers also claimed to have 6 other characters in development for the next updates.

• The Stages

The game is filled with many stages from different games. While only a few are tournament legal it is fun going through and playing them all.

• The Music

Smash Ultimate has many popular songs from the characters main games like Pokemon, Super Mario, Fire Emblem, etc… This gives the game a vast amount of music to play while the battle commences.

• Competitive Scene

The competitive scene in Smash Ultimate is growing vastly and many new players are breaking into the scene as of late. A great example is mister who is the best game and watch player in the world.

• Learning Curve

There is a large learning curve for smash ultimate. The difference between how a casual player plays compared to a pro player is vastly different. Learning the fundamentals of the game is fun and exciting to me.

• Both Competitive and Casual

Smash Ultimate is a great game to play competitively and still fun playing casually. This allows for both kinds of players to enjoy the same game.

• Play-styles

With over 70 characters there is tons of different playstyles. You can an aggessive fighter with speed and power, a range fighter that keeps their opponent far from them, or a slow heavy with great survivability and power.

• Spikes/Meteor Smashes

The most satisfying move in Smash Ultimate is a spike. It sends you opponent downwards into blast zone and looks visual impressive

• Combos

Combos in Smash Ultimate aren’t usually “true” or combos where the opponent has options to avoid damage. You have to predict your opponents options and continue your strings

• Balancing

Smash Ultimate is the most balances Smash Bros game in history. Even with the vast cast of characters the game allows everyone to be played and do decently in tournament.

Hello, my name is Anthony and I play competitive Super Smash Bros. I’ve been playing Super Smash Bros since 2008. I currently play competitive Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. I main Hero and play on the Florida Gulf Coast University E-Sports. I want to create this blog so I can share my opinions on the game and all of its characters. I named the blog “I Hate Pikachu” to express how dislike the character in a humorous manner.

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

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