Gun / Gun Special
- This article is aboutJoker's neutral special move. For other guns, seeList of firearms.
| Gun/Gun Special | |
|---|---|
  Joker using Gun and Gun Special. | |
| User | Joker |
| Universe | Persona |
Gun (ガン,Gun) isJoker'sneutral special move.
Overview[edit]
Pressing the special button causes Joker to fire his gun once, and he will continually fire if the special button is pressed multiple times. Holding the special button down also causes him to continually fire the gun, but the rate of fire will not be as fast as it can be with repeated presses.
On the ground, Gun has various options:
- Joker can perform a quick,roll-like dodge while firing by pressing either left or right on the control stick while firing straight forward. These dodges will increase the knockback on a gun shot as well, making it useful offensively as well as defensively. If four dodges are used without ceasing fire, Joker loses the ability to dodge until he stops using the gun.
- These dodges have fewer invulnerability frames than a standard roll, and can be staled with repeated use just like them.
- Pressing up on the control stick or the jump button will instead allow Joker to jump while firing downwards, which can befast falled to potentially combo into various attacks. This jump has invulnerability as well.
All of this functionality is retained if the gun is used in the air, and Joker also gains two new options. However, Joker cannot jump out of Gun, instead needing to end the move before jumping.
- By holding down while firing in the air, or by jumping while firing on the ground, Joker performs a corkscrewing series of shots directly below himself. This maneuver is extremely helpful for confirming various combos, as it inflicts non-tumblehitstun, meaningdirectional influence cannot be used against it.
- By instead pressing up, Joker will spin while constantly firing his gun in a circle around him until he lands, offering greater coverage but less concentrated power than either of the other two styles. It also doesn't have much range and 20 frames of landing lag, making it generally inferior to the corkscrew maneuver.
Additionally, the Gun stalls Joker in the air when used, which can be used in conjunction with adouble jump to let him go under stages likeBattlefield[1]. Outside of this, the aerial Gun dodges can be used to recover horizontally in certain situations, which can easily be boosted in viability with Arsene.
If Arsene is present, the attack is upgraded toGun Special (ガンスぺシャル,Gun Special), and Joker will fire three bullets with each shot when firing straight forwards. The other two methods of firing become stronger, as well. The "bullets" have increased knockback values as well, making them much more favorable for forcingtech situations. The damage is also quite high and racks up quickly, allowing for Joker to force approaches effectively in a way similar toFox'sBlaster.
Much like Bayonetta's Bullet Arts, the bullets are not projectiles, but rather indirect attacks with large disjointed hitboxes. As such, they cannot be reflected or blocked bypassive shields. Unlike Bullet Arts, these bullets can actually cause flinching. Due to this, they can forceCounter attacks to trigger, allowing for some interesting offensive pressure.
Gundashing[edit]
When dodging while using the Gun in the air, if Joker hits the ground, he will slide a long distance, akin to awavedash; this is known as Gundashing. The distance travelled is influenced through the player's timing and is reduced with repeated usage due to the Gun's built-indodge staling mechanic. Like with wavedashing, the closer to the ground, the longer the distance; thus, timing it as late as possible rather thanbuffering it is crucial. Because the Gun dodge's animation plays throughout the Gundash, all Gun options (eg. jumping, additional dodges) remain available during the slide.
Due to the length of time it takes to pull off, as well as Gun's nature as a "reset button" type of attack, Gundashing's utility is limited. Its most notable utility is as platform movement, as using it out of a full hop usually gives Joker maximum distance while still landing the relevant chip damage Gun provides. For similar reasons, it can function as a pseudo-ledgedash, which is especially useful ifArsène is active thanks to the higherknockback sending foes intotumble much earlier. Offensively, Gundashing can be used forlock setups; with Arsène active, it can also be used to promptjuggle situations. Generally, Gundashing should be seen a momentum-enhancing technique that adds flow to Joker's gameplay, rather than something used as a staple option.
However, Gundashing remains niche for a multitude of reasons. The setup is very slow and, despite theintangibility, it remains punishable if used liberally; ergo, it can be unwieldy to use. This is somewhat worsened by the Gun's weakhitbox without Arsène, which makes it difficult to use offensively without being up-close in the first place. Largely requiring a jump prior to usage also makes it much more committal than it lets on as well, making it somewhat vulnerable to anti-airs. These factors make Gundashing a niche, situational technique, though it remains effective in said situations.
Instructional quote[edit]
 Move List |  | Fires a gun forward. While Arsene is active, the power and number of shots that can be fired increases. |
Origin[edit]
Firearms are a class of weapon used in severalMegami Tensei games, including every main game in thePersona series. InRevelations: Persona andPersona 5, all party members carry both a melee weapon and a firearm they can switch between in battle. InPersona 5, party members can pull out their gun during their turn in a battle and fire it as many times as they wish until the current magazine runs out. The exaggerated, cartoonish muzzle flash inSmash Bros. closely resembles the one used inPersona 5 for most gun attacks.
Joker uses semi-automatic pistols, while the other members of the Phantom Thieves use different types of firearms. While they are actually realistic models and not genuine guns, the nature of the Metaverse allows them to function as if they were real. The gun Joker uses inSmash Bros. is his initial gun inPersona 5. Referred to in-game as the Tkachev, it is based off the Type 54, a Chinese copy of the Tokarev TT-33. Joker's gun inSmash Bros. uses the same sound effects as his guns inPersona 5.
Joker's neutral stance when firing inSmash Bros., with his knees slightly bent and the gun tilted to the side, resembles a left-handed version of one of his animations when using Uchikomi, an offensive maneuver he can learn from ace shogi player Hifumi Togo as he progresses through the Star Confidant. The acrobatic maneuvers he can perform when using Gun is likely a reference to the Down Shot special attack he can learn from Shinya Oda, an elementary schooler who is a light gun game prodigy, during the Tower Confidant. The animation for Down Shot shows Joker gracefully dodging and leaping into the air while firing at the enemy.
The blue muzzle flash from Gun Special resembles the ethereal blue thePersona series uses to represent Personas. The attack may serve as a reference to Snipe and Cripple (renamed Gun Boost and Gun Amp, respectively, inPersona 5 Royal), two skills Personas can learn inPersona 5. Snipe and Cripple both passively boost the damage of all gun attacks. Arsène does not learn either normally, but he can be taught them via Fusion or Skill Cards. Gun Special may also reference other elements of skills that Joker can learn from Shinya; Down Shot shows Joker firing his gun in three-round bursts, downing the enemy. Additionally, Down Shot is referred to as Gun Special in the battle menus ofPersona 5. Upon reaching Rank 10 of the Confidant, Joker learns the Oda Special, a skill that allows his bullets to ignore an enemy's resistances. It could also be a reference to the skill Triple Down, which hits all enemies with gun damage three times.
The bullets being treated as a physical attack instead of a reflectable projectile is possibly a reference to them (and Gun skills as a whole, such as Dream Needle inPersona 5 Royal) being treated as physical attacks inPersona 5.
Gallery[edit]
Artwork of Joker with his gun, the Tkachev, inPersona 5
Gun as shown by theMove List inUltimate.
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
 Japanese | ガン /ガンスぺシャル,Gun / Gun Special |
 English | Gun / Gun Special |
 French | Tir / Tir spécial |
 German | Pistole / Pistolen-Spezial |
 Spanish | Pistola / Pistola especial |
 Italian | Pistola / Pistola speciale |
 Chinese (Simplified) | 枪 /枪ＳＰ |
 Chinese (Traditional) | 槍 /槍SP |
 Korean | 건 /건 스페셜,Gun / Gun Special |
 Dutch | Pistool / Speciaal Pistool |
 Russian | Выстрел /Спецвыстрел |
Trivia[edit]
- In Joker's gameplay trailer, when describing the move, the narrator said, "For his neutral special, he wields a gun." The line from the trailer has become ameme in theSmash community, due to the bluntness and simplicity of the line.
- InPersona 5, the guns do not work in the real world and only function as such in the Metaverse, which takes place in a person's cognition. InSmash, Joker is able to utilize guns as weapons, which lines up with how the world ofSuper Smash Bros. takes place within someone's imagination, with the characters simply being toys in real life.
