Ness inSuper Smash Bros. 4
Universe	EarthBound
Other playable appearances	inSSB inMelee inBrawl inUltimate
Availability	Unlockable (3DS) Starter (Wii U)
Final Smash	PK Starstorm
Tier	C (28-29)

Ness (ネス,Ness) returns as a playable character inSuper Smash Bros. 4. Ness was officially confirmed on October 3rd, 2014, alongsideFalco andWario, coinciding with the Western release ofSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS. As in every previousSmash Bros. installation, Ness is once again voiced by Makiko Ōmoto, who has now recorded new voice clips for both versions of the game.

Ness is ranked 28th/29th out of 54 characters on thetier list (tied withLucas), placing both him and Lucas as the lowest C tier characters. This is an improvement from his 26th out of 38 inBrawl and his best placement in the series (Although his Ultimate incarnation is considered to be much more viable). Ness no longer suffers from having 10 extragrab release frames, which was a huge detriment to his survival. Besides that, Ness possesses arguably the best grab game among the entire cast (competing withMewtwo's andLuigi's), with his forward and up throws leaving opponents in very unfavorable positions, his down throw being a great combo starter at lower percentages and his back throw being the most powerful throw in the game, on top of being difficult to DI properly. Other notable strengths include an effectiveprojectile game withPK Fire andPK Thunder, a formidable air game courtesy of his powerful aerials, and a versatile combo game thanks to his throws and aerials. Despite being a middleweight, he also has high raw KO power and high damage output, a prime example being his aerials, forward smash, PK Flash and PK Thunder 2. Finally, due to the strengths above, Ness possesses very useful options to cover getups from a ledge or on the ground.

However, Ness has rather sub-par mobility and range, which often forces him to be methodical with his approaches, or play defensively in order to gain the lead, which can leave him at a disadvantage against characters with greater range on their attacks such as Cloud. Lastly and the most problematic is his recovery. Despite being greatly improved, PK Thunder remains quite gimpable as the lightning bolt can clang with other attacks, while opponents can forcibly push Ness out of the way or even take a hit from the lightning bolt, making his recovery fail.

While Ness has poor matchups against several characters that were ranked higher than him, particularlyRosalina & Luma,Marth, andCorrin, Ness has achieved good representation and above average results thanks to top players such asFOW,BestNess,S1,The Great Gonzales,Gackt, andNAKAT.

How to unlock (3DS version only)[edit]

Complete one of the following:

• Play 10 VS Matches.
• ClearClassic Mode on any difficulty.

After completing one of the two methods, Ness must then be defeated onMagicant. Unlocking him will also unlock the stage.

Attributes[edit]

Ness is an unusual blend of character archetypes, being a short, projectile-heavy character with a high level of versatility in his moves. Ness'sweight is average, and hisfalling speed is rather slow, giving him no disadvantage with weight alone. Hiswalking speed is slow while hisdashing speed andair speed are both sub-par, but hisair acceleration is very high.

Ness possesses threeprojectiles:PK Flash,PK Fire, andPK Thunder. PK Flash can be used as an extremely powerful punishing or edge-guarding option, dealing huge knockback which can KO even Bowser, the heaviest character, under 70%. PK Fire possesses a good amount of range. It holds opponents in it when it hits them (due to being impossible to SDI out of), granting Ness guaranteed follow-ups (such as grab, an additional PK Fire, or a forward smash to finish the opponent) as long as he acts quickly enough. Also, it can be used off-stage against characters with more linear recoveries to combo into down air. PK Thunder is one of the more unique projectiles in the game. When used, the player will lose control of Ness and instead take control of a large thunderball for a few seconds. PK Thunder can essentially be used to knock opponents towards Ness for follow-ups, to mindgame opponents into a PK Thunder 2 trap to finish them, to edgeguard, and to juggle opponents. The knockback it provides can also hit an opponent over the upper blast line (especially light and floaty characters), allowing it to be used as a situationalKO move as well. His down special move,PSI Magnet, provides a psychic shield that can heal him when hit with an energy-based attack, making it extremely effective against characters with slower projectiles such as Samus or the Mii Gunner. PSI Magnet has fast start-up and end-lag; this allows Ness to cancel his double jump momentum and allows him to reverse himself mid-air more reliably, making it effective for avoiding vertical attacks such as Mario's up smash when Ness is in the air.

Ness's biggest strength is found in his superb aerial game. Most of Ness's aerial moves can be used to either space, combo, or KO. All aerials, excluding down aerial, are capable ofauto-canceling out of ashort hop. His neutral aerial possesses very little startup and ending lag, and hits on both sides of Ness, making it a usefulout of shield option. His forward aerial has quick startup, a disjointed hitbox, and traps opponents, essentially allowing it to chain into either itself or another move. It is a powerfulspacing tool and is helpful inapproaching opponents. His up aerial, one of the strongest in the game, can be used to combo at lower percents and KO reliably at higher percents. It possesses a large hitbox and little lag, making it low risk, high reward. His back aerial is another reliable KO move that possesses low lag. His down aerial can occasionally be useful in edgeguarding, although it has significant startup in comparison to his other aerials. Down aerial has a large autocancel window, giving Ness the ability to decrease the length of his shorthop, as Ness extends his hurtbox by using the move. Ness can use this property to Tomahawk much more effectively, buffer landing options, mix up his platform movement, and occasionally avoid techchase situations. Thanks to his floatiness, Ness can perform a neutral aerial or up aerial after a short hop air dodge, allowing him to jump through moves with invincibility and whiff punish.

While Ness's aerials make him a formidable fighter at close quarters, he can struggle to pressure from afar. His dash attack has an exceptionally long range and is a decent approach, but leaves him vulnerable to landing aerials and is only safe if properly spaced. PK Fire covers a lot of ground and can be used to perform aPK Jump, a technique that allows Ness to approach or retreat by inputting the move 1 frame after double jumping. If Ness buffers an airdodge after double jumping, he can increase the height of his double jump. If Ness uses PSI Magnet, then PK Thunder by the ledge, he will snap immediately, rather than stalling as he would normally. By combining these two traits together, Ness can often recover without having to use PK Thunder to travel, alleviating one of his biggest weaknesses.

Ness's grab game is also very potent. His standing grab has a slightly below-average range and is fast. His pivot grab is surprisingly disjointed, and his dash grab gives him a substantial speed boost. As mentioned earlier, Ness can trap opponents with PK Fire or PK Jump to set up for a grab. Ness possesses one of the fastestpummels in the game, allowing him to deal a decent amount of damage before throwing. His down throw neatly sets up for aerial attacks, leading into a forward air chain at lower percents or an up air at higher percents. Ness's forward throw has very high base knockback and can set up edgeguards. Up throw can be used to play situationalmindgames with PK Thunder. Ness's infamous back throw is the strongest in the game; while it has very low base knockback, it has extremely high knockback scaling and is often regarded as his most effective and commonly used KO option.

Ness is far from perfect, however. He possesses below average speed in both the ground and the air, making it hard for him to chase most opponents. His ground game is also generally weak as he possesses short-ranged tilt attacks. His up and down smashes are also somewhat situational. While his up smash can be used as an out-of-shield option and his down smash as a useful edgeguarding option to two-frame opponents, both KO considerably later than his other KO options in a neutral situation, and his forward smash, while extremely powerful, possesses both high startup and ending lag, making it easily punishable if it misses. Ness's biggest flaw, however, is hisrecovery. While there have been various buffs to his recovery that make it much more reliable and viable than in previousSmash games, it is still easy to gimp if Ness is not careful enough with his double jump offstage. Characters with multiple jumps, such asJigglypuff,Kirby andMeta Knight, with counters, such as most of the Fire Emblem characters, or with moves thatreflect orabsorb, such asRosalina,Villager, andPit can force Ness into disadvantage when offstage.

Custom moves can give Ness great advantages and brand new options.PK Freeze canfreeze opponents, allowing free follow-ups, especially with PK Fire. PK Fire Burst has more range and power and always goes straight, making it a spacing tool rather than a combo tool. Lasting PK Thunder goes right through opponents and moves more slowly, allowing for better control. Recovery with PK Thunder 2 is also longer, significantly improving Ness' offstage survivability. Rolling PK Thunder travels much slower but is much stronger. While the recovery with PK Thunder 2 is mediocre due to the drastically decreased distance, the move is also significantly stronger, which allows it to KO even earlier than normal PK Thunder 2. Forward PSI Magnet is the same, but has asemi-spike hitbox in front of Ness, functioning similarly toFox'sReflector. Finally, if the opponent has no energy projectiles, PSI Vacuum is the optimal choice, as it draws opponents in and is the strongest of Ness's down special moves damage-wise.

Overall, Ness is viewed as a viable character in tournament play due to his good combo game and extremely potent kill options. Despite this, he is believed to have a somewhat volatile matchup spread; he is especially vulnerable to characters that can abuse his poor mobility and low range to zone him out. Characters such as Rosalina and Luma, Marth, and Corrin are seen as especially troublesome matchups for Ness.

Changes fromSuper Smash Bros. Brawl[edit]

Ness has been heavily buffed in the transition fromBrawl toSSB4. His grab-release animation with 10 extra frames of ending lag, which was one of his most detrimental flaws, has been removed, and many of the other flaws he had (mainly his recovery) have been addressed. Ness also greatly benefits from the general changes ofSSB4, as the new edge-trumping mechanic makes his recovery much harder to gimp, and the changes tohitstun canceling allow him to combo with his moves much more efficiently, while the weakening ofSDI makes his multi-hit moves more reliable. The introduction ofrage also benefits him as it improves his KO potential when he's at higher percents. He also greatly benefits from the removal ofchain grabbing which was one of the main reasons why his longer grounded grab release was so exploitable.

As for direct changes outside of the length of his grounded grab release animation, he has seen a mix of buffs and nerfs. Ness overall has greater mobility, his smash attacks are stronger, and his down smash can now be used as a powerful edgeguarding tool as Ness can now charge to close to a ledge and it nowsemi-spikes opponents.

However, Ness has seen more direct nerfs overall. Ness' damage output is overall lower, and a variety of his moves have smaller hitboxes. His aerial game has seen some downgrades as his forward aerial deals less damage, has more landing lag and has much smaller hitboxes making it a less effective spacing tool while his down aerial has less range, is considerably weaker and it has lost its extremely lenientauto-cancel window making it no longer auto-cancel in a short hop and making it a much worse move overall. His down throw also has considerably increased knockback, hindering its setup potential at higher percents.

Overall, Ness is significantly better than he ever was in previousSuper Smash Bros. games due to the general changes to the mechanics greatly benefiting him overall, and he has also seen solid tournament representation and greatly improved results due to his vast improvement.

Aesthetics[edit]

• Ness has a brighter color palette, and has lost the blushes on his cheeks and the indigo hue in his eyes. He is also slightly taller and thinner, with a smaller and more proportionate head and a smaller backpack. He also lacks the partial yellow stripe that he had at the bottom of his shirt.
• Ness' backpack now has more various color schemes depending on his alternate costume, such as a blue backpack for his yellow outfit, and a red backpack for his green outfit, whereas in previous titles, his backpack for those aforementioned costumes used the default color scheme instead.
• Ness is more expressive.
• All of Ness' PSI-based attacks now use a graphic effect similar to Lucas's attacks (forward aerial, up smash, etc.) instead of using the same graphic effect as his double jump.

Attributes[edit]

• Nesswalks faster (0.86 → 0.8635).
• Nessdashes faster (1.39 → 1.46265).
• Ness' groundedgrab release has much less ending lag (FAF 41 → 30), now matching the rest of the cast, and making him significantly less vulnerable to grab release follow-ups, especially when combined with the removal ofchain grabbing. The changes to air releases also benefit him as he is far less susceptible to air release follow-ups.
• Air dodge has less startup lag (frame 4 → 3) and ending lag (FAF 49 → 34).
• All of Ness'selectric attacks except for his specials are now amagic effect.
• Ness' gravity is higher (0.0711 → 0.077).
• Rolls have less ending lag (FAF 32 → 31).
• Rolls have a shorter duration (frame 4-19 → 4-17).
• Spot dodge has more startup lag, a shorter duration (frames 2-20 → 3-18) and more ending lag (FAF 26 → 28).
• The changes inshieldstun make some of his attacks slightly less safe on shield compared to the cast.

Ground attacks[edit]

• Neutral attack:
  • The first hit of neutral attack deals 1% less damage (3% → 2%) and all three hits have smaller hitboxes (3u/3u/2.5u → 3u/2u (hits 1 & 2), 4.5u/4u/3.8u → 4u/2.4u (hit 3)).
• Forward tilt:
  • Forward tilt deals less damage (12%/11%/10% → 9% (unangled)/10% (angled)).
• Up tilt:
  • Up tilt now involves Ness releasing a PSI spark from his hands, increasing its vertical reach.
  • Up tilt has slightly higher startup (frame 5 → 7) and its old hitbox is now a sourspot that deals 2% less damage. Its hitboxes are also smaller (7.2u/7.2u → 6.5u/4.0u) to compensate for the increased vertical range.
  • Up tilt's animation is more similar to that ofSmash 64, and its sweetspot now has a magic sound effect instead of a punching sound effect.
• Down tilt:
  • Down tilt now has a sourspot at the end of Ness's foot that deals less damage (4% → 2%) with its base knockback only slightly increased (3 → 6). Down tilt also has smaller hitboxes (4.32u/2.88u/3.36u → 2.5u/2.5u).
• Dash attack:
  • Dash attack now launches in front of Ness instead of behind him (100° → 80°), making follow-ups easier. The final hit also deals more knockback (70 (base), 100 (scaling) → 80/104) and has a bigger hitbox (5u → 6u).
  • The first hit of dash attack no longer deals consistent damage (5% → 4%/7%/3%). This makes it better against aerial opponents, but worse against grounded ones. Dash attack also has more intense lighting effects.
  • The second hit of dash attack deals less damage (4% → 2%), and as the first hit no longer deals consistent damage, dash attack as a whole no longer deals consistent damage (13% → 9%/11%/13%).
• Forward smash:
  • Forward smash deals drastically more knockback (50 (base), 62 (scaling) → 70/67) (now having the same knockback values as its JapaneseSmash 64 counterpart), going from a forward smash of above-average power inBrawl to one of the most powerful forward smashes inSmash 4. Its reflector now has a speed and power multiplier, drastically improving its punishing utility.
  • Forward smash's strongest tipper hitbox has been completely removed, so that its maximum damage potential when uncharged has been lowered (24% → 22%). Its other hitboxes are also smaller (2.9u/3.6u/3.8u/4.099983u → 2.3u/2.6u/3.0u) and its reflector now has a limit, where if he tries to reflect a projectile that is too strong to reflect, Ness will experience about 300 frames (5 seconds) of ending lag.
• Yoyo:
  • Both up smash and down smashes are now properly affected by smash charging, making them deal more damage when charged.
  • Yo-yo smashes are charged while still in Ness's hand, removing their pre-charge hitboxes.
  • Yo-yo is colored green instead of yellow.
• Up smash:
  • Up smash has much less startup lag with a longer duration (frames 10-34 → 6-30).
  • Up smash has more ending lag (FAF 55 → 56).
• Down smash:
  • Down smash has less ending lag (FAF 62 → 46).
  • Down smash is now a semi-spike (55° → 28° (front), 33° (back)), greatly improving its edgeguarding ability.
  • Down smash's main hit deals less damage (13% → 10%), and its knockback was not fully compensated (90 (base), 60 (scaling) → 60/80 (front), 50/80 (back)).
  • Down smash now has weak initial hits before its front and back hits, which deal 1% damage and low knockback; linking into the main hit. It hits four times at the front and two times at the back.
    • Because of this, the front hit deals more damage overall (13% → 14%).
    • However, the back hit deals less damage overall (13% → 12%).
  • Down smash is no longer constantly active (frames 10-33 → 10-15/17-18/23-25/26-29/31-32).

Aerial attacks[edit]

• Neutral aerial:
  • Neutral aerial has a shorter duration (frames 5-24 → 5-15).
  • The hand hitboxes have been positioned closer to Ness (x offset: 0.33 → 0), slightly decreased their range.
• Forward aerial:
  • Forward aerial's looping hits have a decreased SDI multiplier (1.5x → 0.8x), which, along with the weakening of SDI, makes forward aerial significantly more difficult to escape from.
  • The looping hits' angle has been altered (361° → 366°).
    • This allows them to connect more reliably (with the move now being able to reliably chain into itself), improving Ness's comboing and damage-racking capabilities.
    • However, this also removes their ability tolock opponents, removing Ness' most reliable aerial locking tool at higher percents.
  • The final hit has increased knockback (24 (base), 145 (scaling) → 32/150) improving forward aerial's edgeguarding potential but hindering its ability to chain into itself.
  • Forward aerial a higherhitlag multiplier (0.5x → 1x (loop), 1.5x (final)).
  • Forward aerial deals less damage (2% → 1% (loop), 11% → 7% (total)), has smaller hitboxes (8.1u → 5u/1.5u (loop hits), 9u → 8u (final)) and the final hit has a shorter duration (frames 20-21 → 20).
  • Forward aerial has increased landing lag (12 frames → 20) andauto-cancels later (frame 30 → 33).
• Back aerial:
  • Back aerial has increased landing lag (12 frames → 17).
• Up aerial:
  • Up aerial has an altered animation where Ness swings his head faster.
    • This new animation increases the move's horizontal range.
    • However, this also makes the move slightly harder to use as an anti-air.
  • Up aerial's hitbox has been marginally repositioned (y offset: 3.408 → x offset: 3.4).
  • Up aerial has increased landing lag (12 frames → 14).
• Down aerial:
  • Late down aerial deals more damage (9% → 10%).
  • Down aerial has a new animation, where Ness spins during its startup, and he is facing a different orientation as he kicks downward with his toes instead of the stamp of his foot. The kick additionally now produces a spark of energy below Ness's foot.
  • Down aerial's hitbox is now static, rather than being attached to Ness' foot. This means that the hitbox now stays in the same position relative to Ness, rather than moving with his foot.
  • Down aerial uses the strong magic sound effect on hit instead of a strong/medium punch sound.
  • Down aerial has a shorter duration (frames 20-23 (clean)/24-28 (late) → 20-21/22-24).
  • Down aerialauto-cancels much later (frame 29 → 50), removing its ability to auto-cancel in a short hop, let alone straight after the hitboxes cease.
  • Down aerial has drastically decreased base knockback (90 → 20 (clean)/30 (late)), with both hits now being incapable of KOing at realistic percentages, even with the removal ofmeteor canceling and the late hit's increased damage.
  • Down aerial has smaller hitboxes (6.54u → 3.9u (clean)/6u (late)).
  • The late hit launches opponents at a slightly higher angle (361° → 45°).

Throws/other attacks[edit]

• Grabs:
  • All grabs are positioned further outwards (z offset: 6.8 (standing)/8 (dash)/-12 (pivot) → z stretch: 8/10/14), improving their range and no longer being the shortest-ranged grabs in the game.
  • Pivot grab has more startup lag (frame 6 → 10), no longer being the fastest in the game.
  • Dash and pivot grab have more ending lag (FAF 36 (both) → 43 (dash), 41 (pivot)).
  • Dash grab has a smaller grabbox (4u/3.5u/3.5u → 3.2u).
• Pummel:
  • Pummel deals slightly more damage (1% → 1.2%).
• Down throw:
  • The changes tohitstun canceling and DI significantly benefit down throw, as Ness can now use it to set up into his aerials much more effectively at lower percents when combined with its lowered base knockback (90 → 70).
  • Down throw has fewer fire graphics.
  • Down throw's fire hits deal less damage (1% → 0.6%), reducing its total damage output (9% → 7%).
  • The throw has much more knockback scaling (30 → 80), hindering its combo potential at higher percents.

Special moves[edit]

• PK Flash:
  • PK Flash travels faster. It travels even faster and gains even more distance if directed behind Ness. Turning around before using this move might prove useful, depending on the prediction.
  • PK Flash is now a much darker green.
• PK Fire:
  • PK Fire travels slightly farther.
  • PK Fire has slightly more ending lag. It now travels much farther back to Ness ifreflected rather than petering out after traveling its set distance.
  • PK Fire's effect after hitting an opponent produces darker colored flames and more smoke.
  • When interrupted whilst starting up PK Fire, Ness stops reciting the attack's name.
• PK Thunder:
  • PK Thunder travels faster, has less ending lag, much larger hitboxes, deals much better knockback, travels in a drastically tighter arc, and goes through opponents until the tail disconnects from Ness with 1% more damage, making him less susceptible to beinggimped.PK Thunder 2 is much faster, and when Ness bounces off a wall while recovering with it, he can initiate PK Thunder again during the bounce.
  • PK Thunder is now light blue like inMelee.
• PK Thunder 2:
  • PK Thunder 2 has increased ending lag.
• PSI Magnet:
  • PSI Magnet has significantly less ending lag, with Ness now being able to act out of it much quicker. The magnet is also larger, increasing its range.
  • PSI Magnet swirls projectiles around it, causing a slight delay until Ness can actually be healed. If Ness were to drop PSI Magnet and/or be launched, the absorbed projectiles may take even longer to reach him, but they will still heal him eventually.
  • The swirling of captured attacks by PSI Magnet utterly nullifies even projectiles that would continue past Ness, includingThoron andPikachu'sThunder.
  • PSI Magnet is now light blue like inMelee.
• PK Starstorm:
  • PK Starstorm now fires a thin, aimable line of meteors from the top-center of the stage, similar to howAura Storm functioned. This enables it to deal damage more reliably at the cost of having blind spots.
  • PK Starstorm now has aflame effect, instead of an electric effect.

Update history[edit]

Ness has been slightly nerfed overall in game updates. His most notable nerfs are the reduced damage output to his down throw and PK Fire having slightly more endlag. The changes to shield mechanics also hamper him slightly due to the majority of his non PSI-based moves having a rather low damage output. Ness has also got some other useful buffs, however, such as a faster PSI Magnet and his down aerial having a bigger hitbox and lasts one more frame (though it's still his least useful aerial), and while the buffs do not truly compensate for his nerfs, he remains a strong character.

1.0.4

• The period Ness can be at his maximum fall speed before using hard landing lag has been lengthened: 4 → 5 frames.
• PK Thunder and all custom variations have 6 frames more ending lag.
• Down throw's five hits have gained additional hitboxes, allowing them to hit Mr. Game & Watch.
• Down throw's five hits before release deal less damage: 1% → 0.6%.
• Down throw's release has increased knockback: 90 base/30 growth → 70/80, hindering its combo ability at high percents.

1.0.6

• Forward smash's has an updated sound effect when reflecting projectiles.
• Down throw's screen shaking effect is more pronounced.

1.0.8

• The PK Starstorm trophy adds "Ness" in parentheses onceLucas is downloaded, as Lucas's trophy is also named "PK Starstorm"
• PK Thunder 2 has a greater deceleration rate (0.072 → 0.08), making it cover less distance.
  • PK Thunder 2 has a lower deceleration rate after hitting an opponent (0.072 → 0.064), making it cover the same distance after hitting an opponent despite the previous change.
• PSI Magnet and its custom variants' minimum hold time has been decreased (30 frames → 18 (PSI Magnet), 26 frames → 16 (PSI Vacuum), 36 frames → 20 (forward PSI Magnet)).
• PSI Magnet absorbs projectiles faster (20 frames → 6).

1.1.0

• Down aerial's meteor smash hitbox size increased: 3.5u → 3.9u and duration increased.
• PK Fire's ending lag increased.

1.1.1

• Rising PK Flash has less startup lag when it is detonated (frame 8 → 6).
• Rising PK Flash deals more damage (2% → 4%) and knockback (80 (base)/30 (scaling) → 50/80), improving its KO potential.
• Rising PK Flash's range increased (10 → 13).
• Rising PK Flash's first hitbox's duration decreased (3 frames → 2).
• Rising PK Flash has a smaller size multiplier (2.2x → 2x).
• Rising PK Flash minimum charge increased.
• PK Freeze range increased (10 → 11).
• PK Freeze has less startup lag when it is detonated (frame 15 → 8).
• PK Freeze deals more damage (8% → 10%) and has a larger damage multiplier (0.11x → 0.16x).
• PK freeze has more landing lag (25 frames → 30).
• PK Fire Burst deals 1% more damage: 1%/8% → 2%/9% and hits earlier.

1.1.3

• PSI Magnet heals halved damage from absorbing teammates' projectiles.

Moveset[edit]

For a gallery of Ness's hitboxes, seehere.

Stats[edit]

Announcer call[edit]

• English/Japanese/Chinese

• French

• German

• Italian

• Russian

• Spanish

On-screen appearance[edit]

• Ness teleports on the screen using PSI Teleport. He then shakes the ash off of his body.

Taunts[edit]

• Up taunt: Turns to the screen and nods his head while saying "Okay".
• Side taunt: Takes his bat out and points it in front of him.
• Down taunt: Releases a wave of PSI from his finger.

Up taunt	Side taunt	Down taunt

Idle poses[edit]

• Looks around curiously.
• Closes his eyes and places his fingers on his forehead, concentrating his PSI, and then points it forward.

Crowd cheer[edit]

	Cheer (English)	Cheer (Japanese)	Cheer (Spanish)
Cheer
Description	Su-per Ness!	Ness Ness Ness!	Vi -- va Ness! *claps 5 times*
	Cheer (French)	Cheer (German)	Cheer (Italian)
Cheer
Description	Ness Ness Ness ! Ohhhhh !	Ness Ness Ness! Jaaaaa!	Forza Ness ole ole!

Victory poses[edit]

• Skips in place and then nods similar to his up taunt.
• Looks to his sides quickly before facing the screen, putting his hand on the back of his head.
• Swings his bat multiple times, then points it forward.

Incompetitive play[edit]

Official Custom Moveset Project[edit]

Character	Custom sets available
Ness	1112	1121	1122	1311	1312
	1321	1322	1212	2111	1113

Most historically significant players[edit]

See also:Category:Ness players (SSB4)

•  BestNess - A known Ness player for most of competitiveSmash 4, as well as the best Ness player in the world in 2018, with some of Ness's best regional performances, such as winningSuper Smash Fight Club 4 overElegant andNed, and placing 7th atSCR 2018 defeatingZenyou. He also had some of Ness's best major performances since FOW, placing 13th atThe Big House 8 defeatingVinnie, placing 25th atGENESIS 5, and defeatingLight atSuper Smash Con 2018.
•  FOW - Ness's most well-known representative, as well as the greatest Ness player of all-time, ranking as high as 12th on thePGR v1 thanks to strong major performances such as 5th atGENESIS 3 and 7th atEVO 2015. His activity at national-level events dwindled in mid-2016; however, he remained a strong threat at events he did attend, including placing 13th at2GGC: Nairo Saga, and was ultimately ranked 57th on thePGR 100, the highest-ranking solo-Ness player on the list.
•  Gackt - Japan's best Ness player in the game's later years and one of the best Ness players in the world in 2018, having become infamous for his offensive usage of PK Thunder 2. His breakout event was atThe Big House 7, where he defeatedANTi andLocus to place 17th, and although he remained inconsistent, he nevertheless remained one of Ness's most notable representatives after FOW's inactivity, placing 5th atRikabura 8 defeatingAbadango, as well as 9th atUmebura 32.
•  NAKAT - One of the best Ness players of all-time, co-maining the character alongsideFox. He primarily played Ness to place 7th atSuper Smash Con 2015 and 13th atPound 2016, but played more Fox as time went on. However, he once again began focusing on Ness in 2017, most notably using primarily Ness to place 13th atEVO 2017 and 17th at bothGameTyrant Expo 2017 and2GGC: Fire Emblem Saga. He was ultimately ranked 49th on thePGR 100 with both Fox and Ness, the only Ness player in the top 50.
•  Shaky - The second-best solo-Ness player after FOW in the early metagame, placing 5th atParagon Los Angeles 2015 and 7th atCEO 2015 and ranking 16th on thePGR v1. Despite low activity for the rest of competitiveSmash 4, he was still recognized as one of the game's best Ness players, ranking 83rd on thePGR 100.
•  S1 - The best Ness player in Europe, as well as one of Europe's best players overall, ranking 5th on theEuropean Smash 4 Power Rankings. He regularly made top 8 appearances at European events, which includes some of Europe's largest events such as 7th atB.E.A.S.T 6 andSyndicate 2017. Internationally, his best performance was placing 5th atMidwest Mayhem 11.
•  taranito - Japan's best Ness player in the game's earlier years, placing 5th atUmebura 25 defeatingTsu and 13th atSumabato for THE BIG HOUSE defeating9B. Although eventually surpassed by Gackt, taranito remained the second-best Ness player in Japan, with placements such as 17th at bothEVO Japan 2018 andUmebura 34.
•  The Great Gonzales - Although a known player in Tristate prior, having defeatedScAtt atKTAR XIX and placed 9th atApex 2016, he is best known for his run to 5th atRoyal Flush defeatingMr.E,Pink Fresh, andWaDi. He has since become one of North America's best Ness players, with performances such as 17th atSmash 'N' Splash 3 and 25th atFrostbite 2018, defeatingLima in the latter event. In addition, he wonSupernova 2024 in the post-Ultimate metagame, the largest tournament win for a Ness player.

Tier placement and history[edit]

Opinions on Ness' competitive viability have shifted throughout the game's lifespan. During the early metagame, smashers immediately noticed the vast buffs made to Ness, including the removal of the 10 extra frame grab-release animations, significant improvements to his combo game, and edge-trumping making his recovery less exploitable. These buffs, alongside Ness having one of the best throw games inSSB4, a highly versatile aerial game, and excellent KO power and damage output, led many players to believe that Ness was at least a high tier, with a few going as far as to call him a top tier. These claims were backed up with above-average results in competitive play throughout the first two years of the game's lifespan, withFOW playing 5th atGENESIS 3 and 7th atEVO 2015 andShaky placing 7th atCEO 2015 and 9th at GENESIS 3. Ness's positive reception solidified him into the 13th position on the first official4BRtier list. This reception continued onto the second tier list, where Ness saw a small drop to 16th, mainly due to the additions ofBayonetta andCorrin.

Over time, however, Ness' flaws came to be more apparent, with players noticing that his subpar mobility, mediocre ground game, and notably gimpable recovery made him struggle against several high and top tiers, most notablyRosalina & Luma andCorrin. As a result, opinions on Ness began to fall off drastically: his results stagnated as many of his best players became less active by the end of 2016. In addition, Ness's fellowEarthBound representative and pseudo-cloneLucas saw a shift in perception: while Lucas was initially considered inferior to Ness, over time, opinions shifted the other way around due to Lucas' buffs received from patches and his commendable results thanks toTaiheita. At the same time, Ness gained new counters in the form ofMarth andLucina, whose buffs also helped create a large spike in popularity. Although Ness still saw strong results, such as FOW placing 17th at2GGT: ZeRo Saga andS1 placing 5th atBEAST 7, it did not compensate the loss of his stagnant results he had already suffered. This resulted in a much larger decline to 24th on the third tier list, being tied withPac-Man for the largest tier drop between the second and third tier lists; this drop also had him reassessed as a mid-tier character.

Throughout 2017, several mains began to return to the scene, with FOW briefly coming out of retirement to place 13th at2GGC: Nairo Saga and 25th at2GGC: Civil War. NAKAT, despite using Ness as a secondary in favor of Fox in 2016, began to co-main Ness. With Ness, NAKAT saw great results such as 3rd atSmash Factor 6, 13th atEVO 2017, and 17th at bothGameTyrant Expo 2017 and2GGC: Fire Emblem Saga. Other notable players includeThe Great Gonzales, who placed 5th atRoyal Flush and 17th atSmash 'N' Splash 3, andGackt, who had a breakout performance atThe Big House 7 by defeatingANTi,Locus, andMistake, ultimately placing 17th. These improved results, however, failed to shift opinions on Ness, as many top players, includingZeRo,Dabuz,MkLeo, andNairo, widely believed that Lucas was superior to Ness. Due to this, Ness dropped once again on the fourth and final tier list to 28th/29th, now sharing the spot with Lucas, though due to the expansion of the tiers, he was once again considered a high tier character.

This placement, as well as his tie with Lucas, was challenged in 2018, as several dedicated players, including Gackt, S1, andBestNess, continued to see above-average placements at a national level, with Gackt placing 17th atEVO Japan 2018, S1 placing 5th atMidwest Mayhem 11, and BestNess placing 13th atThe Big House 8, to name a few. Furthermore, Lucas's results dropped significantly as Taiheita entered retirement. With Ness's rise by the end of the game's active lifespan as well as improved results over characters such asGreninja,Villager, andBowser, players such as Dabuz once again believed that Ness was the superiorEarthBound character and deserved to be higher on the tier list.

Despite the ups and downs Ness had faced, he is unanimously considered superior to any of his previous incarnations, although several players use secondaries in order to complement the character on a national level.

In Solo Modes[edit]

All-Star Mode[edit]

In All-Star Mode, Ness is fought in Stage 5 in the 3DS version (if he has been unlocked) or Stage 3 in the Wii U version alongsidePikachu,Jigglypuff,Sheik,Ganondorf,Mewtwo,Charizard,Diddy Kong, andCloud.

Event Matches[edit]

Solo Events[edit]

• All-Star Battle: Secret: Ness is one of the opponents fought in this event. All opponents are characters that have been unlockable in previousSuper Smash Bros. games.
• It's Past Your Bedtime!: AsJigglypuff, the player must make Ness,Bowser Jr. andToon Link fall asleep at the same time by using Sing.
• Playing Tricks: Ness must bury twoVillagers at the same time withPitfalls.

Co-op Events[edit]

• The Ultimate Battle: Two players select a character and must defeat the entire roster.
• Visiting Onett: Ness andVillager must defeatKirby,Meta Knight,Fox,Falco,Olimar, andRosalina & Luma.

Congratulations Screens[edit]

Trophies[edit]

Ness's default trophy is obtained by clearing Classic Mode as Ness. His alternate trophy is obtained by clearing All-Star Mode as Ness in the 3DS version or purchasing it in the Trophy Shop for 1000G in the Wii U version (the latter can only appear after clearing Classic or All-Star as Ness). The PK Starstorm (Ness)^[1] trophy is obtained only in the Wii U version by clearing All-Star Mode as Ness.

3DS Classic Mode trophy

Wii U Classic Mode trophy

Ness

Hailing from Onett, a small town in Eagleland, this young boy's ordinary looks hide his psychic powers. Ness fought against the evil Giygas in EarthBound, and in Smash Bros. he unleashes some of the same PSI moves. Watch out for PK Thunder, a guided attack that can also launch Ness like a rocket!

Hailing from Onett, a small town in Eagleland, this young boy sports ordinary looks that hide his psychic powers. Ness fought against the evil Giygas in EarthBound, and in Smash Bros. he unleashes some of the same PSI moves. Watch out for PK Thunder, a guided attack that can also launch Ness like a rocket!

:EarthBound (06/1995)

From Onett in Eagleland comes this young lad. He may not look like much, but he has powerful psychic abilities, and they really come in handy in EarthBound. They come in handy in this game, too. Did you know you can control his PK Thunder bolt? Aim it at Ness himself to send him flying, absolutely clobbering anyone in his path!

:EarthBound (1994 (JP))

:Mother 1+2 (2003 (JP))

3DS All-Star Mode trophy

Wii U alternate trophy

Ness (Alt.)

Ness may have psychic powers, but that doesn't mean he shies away from getting physical. His side smash packs a real punch if you hit enemies with the end of his bat, and it can even deflect projectiles! His up and down smashes also have a lot of range—Ness can land his strikes with ease!

Ness may have psychic powers, but that doesn't mean he shies away from getting physical. His side smash packs a real punch if you hit enemies with the end of his bat, and it can even deflect projectiles! His up and down smashes also have a lot of range—try giving them a spin!

:EarthBound (06/1995)

Ness may have psychic powers, but that doesn't mean he shies away from getting physical. His side smash packs a real punch if you hit enemies with the end of his bat, and it can even reflect projectiles! His up and down smashes also have a lot of range, meaning when you play as Ness, it's always easy to land hits on your foes!

:EarthBound (1994 (JP))

:Mother 1+2 (2003 (JP))

PK Starstorm (Ness)^[1] trophy

PK Starstorm (Ness)^[1]

In EarthBound, this PSI ability belonged to Poo, the Crown Prince of Dalaam and one of Ness's friends. Ness must have learned it especially for Smash Bros.! The attack makes a shower of meteors fall onto the stage, damaging any foes it hits. While the attack's in progress, Ness is invincible and can adjust the meteors' trajectory.

Alternate costumes[edit]

Gallery[edit]

• 

  Ness'amiibo.

• 

  Ness' unlock notice inSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

• 

  Posing withJeff.

• 

  Posing withPikachu.

• 

  Showing off his yo-yo.

• 

  Posing withToon Link.

• 

  Posing next toMr. Saturn.

• 

  AttackingSheik withPK Thunder.

• 

  UsingPK Starstorm.

• 

  OnBattlefield.

• 

  OnMagicant.

• 

  AttackingStarmen.

• 

  UsingPSI Magnet.

• 

  UsingPK Flash onBowser.

• 

  UsingPK Fire.

Trivia[edit]

• Ness andPalutena are the only characters inSSB4 with different voice clips for custom moves; in Ness's case, he has a unique voice clip when usingPK Freeze.
• Ness'samiibo description on the North Americanamiibo website is based on his trophy description fromMelee.
• InSuper Smash Bros. for Wii U, Ness's yo-yo in this game reads "SUPER NINTENDO 2014" and "MOTHER", in reference to his console of origin,SSB4's year of release, and his home series; however, inSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, though hard to make out, it instead reads "SUPER NINTENDO 2008", indicating the texture was reused fromBrawl.
• Ness's custom special PK Freeze is one of only three custom specials in the game that have a preview image featuring a non-silhouetted character besides the user of the attack (alongsideMega Man's Ice Slasher andLucas's PK Freeze). This is likely due to the characters being frozen.
• Ness and Jigglypuff are the only original 12 characters to be excluded from the newcomer poster art.
• One set of Ness's custom moves references Lucas's moveset inBrawl (and as later included inSmash 4).
• Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS is the only game where Ness andCaptain Falcon do not have the sameavailability.

v • d • e EarthBound (Mother) universe
Fighters	Ness (SSB ·SSBM ·SSBB ·SSB4 ·SSBU) ·Lucas (SSBB ·SSB4 ·SSBU)
Assist Trophies	Jeff ·Starman
Boss	Porky
Stages	Onett ·Fourside ·New Pork City ·Magicant
Items	Mr. Saturn ·Franklin Badge ·Ramblin' Evil Mushroom
Enemies	Devil Car ·Starman
Other	Boney ·Flying Man ·Kumatora ·Paula ·Poo ·Porky Statue ·Rope Snake ·Ultimate Chimera
Trophies,Stickers andSpirits	Trophies (SSBM ·SSBB ·SSB4) ·Stickers ·Spirits
Music	Brawl ·SSB4 ·Ultimate
Masterpiece	EarthBound
Related content	Home-Run Bat ·MEGALOVANIA

• Characters (SSB4)
• EarthBound universe
• Ness (SSB4)
• Trophies (SSB4-3DS)
• Trophies (SSB4-Wii U)