Ness inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate
Universe	EarthBound
Other playable appearances	inSSB inMelee inBrawl inSSB4
Availability	Unlockable
Final Smash	PK Starstorm
Tier	B- (44)

Ness (ネス,Ness) is a playable character inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate. He was revealed along with the fellowEarthBound fighterLucas and all other previous veterans on June 12, 2018. As in the originalSuper Smash Bros.,Super Smash Bros. Brawl, andSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, he isunlockable, instead of being available from thestart. Ness is classified asFighter #10.

In a first for the series,Makiko Ōmoto does not provide Ness with any new voice clips; instead, all of his voice lines fromSuper Smash Bros. 4 have been repurposed forUltimate, save for thePK Freeze voice clip.

Ness is currently ranked 44th out of 82 characters on theUltimatetier list, placing him at the top of the B- tier. While this could be seen as a slight drop fromSmash 4, when he was ranked 28th/29th out of 54 characters (tied withLucas), his incarnation inUltimate is generally considered his strongest in the series. Ness has a fairly well-rounded design inUltimate, with useful tools in most phases of the game. He is most notable for his fantastic air game: all of his aerials can autocancel in a short hop, have low landing lag and are fast, powerful, disjointed, and useful for both racking up damage and KOing. His grab game is also among the best in the cast, as all of his throws have practical uses: His down throw is a viable combo starter, his forward and up throws force opponents in unfavourable situations where they can be juggled or edgeguarded and his back throw is among the strongest KO throws in the game. Furthermore, Ness' specials all have flexible utility:PK Flash,PSI Magnet, andPK Fire can all start or extend combos, while the latter can quickly rack up damage and set up strong punishes. Ness's recovery has improved inUltimate thanks to buffs toPK Thunder and PK Thunder 2 — and by virtue of having the longest directional air dodge distance in the game alongsideLucas.

However, Ness does have some exploitable weaknesses. He suffers from poor grounded mobility and a lack ofrange in his normal attacks. Altogether, characters with large and/ordisjointed hitboxes can easily outrange Ness, forcing him to play defensively and leaving him with few options in neutral and disadvantage. Because of his slow mobility on the ground, his approach options are also limited, especially when combined with his aforementioned sub-par range. Still, his most glaring flaw is perhaps his recovery, which, despite its improvements, is exploitable by many characters.

As a result of his strengths and weaknesses, Ness is viewed as a strong but volatile character in competitive play. Players such asGackt,Scend, andSyrup have seen consistent success with Ness in tournaments.

How to unlock[edit]

Complete one of the following:

• PlayVS. matches, with Ness being the 1st character to be unlocked.
• ClearClassic Mode withKirby or anyone in his unlock tree, being the 1st character unlocked.
• Have Ness join the player's party inWorld of Light.

With the exception of the third method, Ness must then be defeated onOnett.

Attributes[edit]

Ness is a versatile character with strong tools for a variety of situations. Although he has relatively poor ground movement — hiswalking speed,initial dash, anddash speed are below average, as well as hisair speed — his aerial movement shines thanks to his excellentair acceleration, above-averagejump height, and uniquedouble jump cancelling ability. Further bolstering his aerial game, Ness' lowgravity and lowfalling speed allow him to perform multiple aerials in oneshort hop, and all of his aerial normals can beauto-canceled. Ness has three projectiles with numerous applications, includingjuggling,edgeguarding, and evenrecovery. Despite his small stature, Ness is a middleweight, tied withLucas,Mii Brawler, andInkling.

Ness' outstanding aerial movement is supported by one of the best sets of aerial normals in the entire game. His neutral aerial activates on frame 5 and functions well as a combo-breaker and out-of-shield option. It also sets up tech chase situations at middle percents and has decent knockback at high percents, making it a viable edgeguarding and KO option. His forward aerial has a large disjoint and is quite active, making it excellent for starting combos, edgeguarding, and approaching. Ness' new multi-hit up aerial is strong and great for juggling, and its drag-down properties allow Ness to set up grabs, combos, and KOs. Ness' back aerial is fast and very strong when sweetspotted, and his down aerial is a slow-but-powerful meteor smash useful for edgeguarding or starting vertical combos.

Ness' grab and throw game is also outstanding and among the best in the cast. His grab is relatively fast, and all of his throws have useful applications. Ness' down throw is a solid combo starter that will often lead into multiple forward airs, and his forward throw has very high base knockback, allowing Ness to reliably set up edgeguarding situations. Ness' up throw, while not as practical, is a solid mix-up that can set up juggling with PK Thunder or PK Flash. Most notorious, however, is Ness' back throw, which remains the most consistent kill throw in the game.

Ness' ground game, while limited by his poor ground mobility, features some powerful attacks. His forward tilt and dash attack are fast and strong enough to KO at high percents, and the latter has improved range. His up tilt is a good combo tool at low percents and can even KO at higher percents. His down tilt, which is very fast and highly spammable, can be used to two-frame, jab lock, pressure shields, confirm into a grab, or deal immense damage if the opponent is trapped at the ledge. His forward smash (baseball bat) has high start-up and ending lag, but deals very high damage and knockback, especially when sweetspotted with the tip of the bat. The bat is also areflector with a damage multiplier of 2.0 and a speed multiplier of 2.5, giving it the second highest damage multiplier (after Kazuya'sLeft Splits Kick) and the single highest speed multiplier of any reflector in the game, excluding items. Ness' up and down smashes (yo-yo) have significantly improved knockback, deal damage while charging, and can hang below the stage, making them some of the best and easiest-to-use edgeguarding tools in the game.

Ness is perhaps best known for his special moves. His neutral special,PK Flash, is a large projectile that travels in an arc from Ness' head, gaining strength and distance depending on how long the input is held for. Because it has low ending lag and freezes opponents briefly when successful, PK Flash has great utility as a combo starter and juggling tool. It also no longer sends Ness intohelplessness, making it useful for knocking opponents away from the ledge while Ness is offstage. Ness' side special,PK Fire, is a tiny projectile that travels horizontally a short distance and bursts into a pillar of flames on contact with an opponent, dealing multiple hits. When used in the air, PK Fire has a diagonal trajectory and decreased landing lag, bolstering its safety in neutral, especially on platforms. The move is infamously spammable and can set up combos, condition opponents to jump, or simply rack up damage itself. Ness' up special,PK Thunder, doubles as a versatile projectile and Ness' primary recovery option. The move sends a ball of electricity upward from Ness' head that can be guided with the control stick, costing Ness his mobility while active, but granting him the ability to pressure deep offstage, juggle opponents repeatedly, or at times KO an opponent into the upper blast zone. Ness can also send the lightning into himself at any angle, launching him in that direction for an extremely powerfulPK Thunder 2 attack which also allows Ness to recover from deep offstage. Ness' down special,PSI Magnet, creates a psychic field around Ness that absorbs energy-based attacks and heals Ness a proportionate percent. PSI Magnet also has newfound offensive utility inUltimate, as it now features an active hitbox with set knockback. The aerial hitbox can confirm into several of Ness' normal aerials, while the grounded hitbox places opponents in perfect range for a sweetspotted forward smash, making it practical injab lock situations. PSI Magnet also alters the momentum of Ness'double jump, a form ofdouble jump cancelling that makes for a unique aerial burst option and a stylish way to start or extend combos.

Ness' strengths are balanced by notable weaknesses. Grounded PK Fire does good damage, but is punishable on shield and easily escapable with goodDI, making it generally less useful than its aerial counterpart. While Ness' hitboxes are large and powerful, he can still be stuffed out by characters with even larger disjoints. Moreover, Ness' below-average run speed and average air speed, as well as his projectiles being rather slow or short-ranged, render him slightly vulnerable tocamping, especially against opponents with non-energy projectiles. Ness is also vulnerable tojuggling given his floatiness and lack of reliable landing options, as well as the removal of multiple air dodges. However, Ness' most glaring weakness remains his recovery. Despite traveling a good distance, his PK Thunder 2 is quite exploitable: if the attack makes contact with an opponent or projectile mid-flight, its distance will be halved, often resulting in a gimp. Furthermore, opponents with good timing can hit Ness with a powerful attack or fall into PK Thunder 1 before he can launch himself. Because of its enormous knockback, PK Thunder 2 is also susceptible to manycounters, and opponents who time their counter correctly will almost always kill Ness. Conversely, opponents who mistime an edgeguard against Ness will often die for it.

Overall, Ness is somewhat of a "glass cannon" character who excels in most offensive aspects of the game, but suffers in certain defensive situations, especially when put offstage or high above his opponent. He also struggles against characters who can outrange his disjoints, though this is less of a problem than in previous games.

Changes fromSuper Smash Bros. 4[edit]

Ness has been significantly buffed in his transition fromSSB4 toUltimate. Various changes to his previous options and the addition of new ones have positively impacted his playstyle, and the changes to the game's engine strengthen his kit.

Ness' ground game is better compared to previous iterations;forward tilt is now a viable KO option,dash attack has increased knockback and range,up tilt has decreased ending lag and is useful for starting combos, anddown tilt racks up damage much more effectively, especially near the ledge. Among his most significant buffs are the changes to his yo-yo smash attacks (up smash anddown smash), which not only regained their charging hitboxes, but now hang below the ledge to very easily set up edgeguards against most characters; up smash has also lost its early hit and has dramatically higher knockback, making it a viable KO option for the first time.

Many of Ness' other tools are more effective as well. All of his aerials, save for neutral aerial, deal more damage, and he has gained a newup aerial that hits multiple times, allowing for drag-down combos and set-ups while retaining most of its standalone KO power.Down aerial has more range, can once again be autocanceled from a short hop, and has a much strongermeteor smash effect. In terms of special moves,PK Flash charges much more quickly and no longer causeshelplessness;PK Fire has reduced lag (especially landing lag, making it far more useful when used in the air) that improves its combo and set-up potential, andPK Thunder deals more damage. His most notable buff, however, comes from a significantly improvedPSI Magnet; the move now has a hitbox (similarly toLucas, although during the move rather than when canceling the move) that possesses a rehit rate, which gives it offensive use for the first time in the series, as it helps Ness extend combos and gives him newfound KO confirms at high percentages.

The universal changes inUltimate have improved Ness as well, especially the newair dodge mechanics and general buffs to aerial attacks. The return of directional air dodges benefits Ness tremendously, as his own directional air dodge travels further than that of any character (aside from Lucas), providing a reliablerecovery option aside from the notoriously exploitable PK Thunder 2. The removal of multiple air dodges also enables Ness to pressure opponents in the air with PK Thunder more consistently. Furthermore, Ness' already great aerial game is further compounded by the universal reductions to landing lag, improving their safety and combo potential.

However, Ness has also received a few nerfs. His new up aerial has less horizontal range, requires landing all hits (which start from behind and move in an arc above Ness) to deal considerable damage, and sends at a lower angle that hinders its KO potential, worsening Ness' ability to juggle opponents. His grab game has been toned down, as his slower, more standardpummel cannot rack up damage as effectively,back throw is very slightly worse for KOing (though it remains the strongest throw in the game),down throw's higher ending lag hinders its combo potential past low to mid-percents, and the universal nerfs to grabs affects Ness just as much as the rest of the cast, as grabbing is a key component to his gameplan. Lastly, the power of his yo-yo smash attacks now only increases by half as much when charged, and PK Flash, in exchange for its much faster charge, is significantly weaker when fully charged.

Overall, the buffs to Ness' neutral game, punish game, edgeguarding, and recovery outweigh the few nerfs he received, and while his main weaknesses —such as lack of range and an exploitable recovery— are still present, they are generally to a lesser extent than in previousSmash games. Thus, despite his similar position among the roster, Ness performs better inUltimate than inSSB4.

Aesthetics[edit]

• Due to the aesthetic used inUltimate, Ness' model features a more subdued color scheme, now more closely resembles his sprite inEarthBound. The detailing on his clothes and weapons are more prominent, such as the stitching on his socks.
• Ness faces the foreground at an angle, instead of facing directly forward. In addition, he always faces the screen regardless of which direction he turns, causing all of his animations to be mirrored while altering some, such as his dash animation.
• Ness' idle animation has been altered: he keeps his arms to his side rather than swinging them around.
• Ness, like many other characters, has been made much more expressive. He is much angrier when attacking, such as using his tilts. His eyes bulge and grow more circular when he is hit or frozen. His eyebrows are much more prominent when attacking or stunned.
• Ness' PSI graphic effects have been changed: both rings are thinner and are colored magenta instead of just the smaller circle, closely resembling the appearance of Hypnosis inMother 3.
• Air dodging animation has changed.
• Ness'victory poses have been slightly altered:
  • His left-inputted victory pose now shows Ness with a more astonished expression.
  • His up-inputted victory pose now shows Ness skipping into the victory area instead of hopping in place.
  • His right-inputted victory pose now has Ness swing his bat only once instead of multiple times, in a similar manner to hisforward smash.
• Ness has a new victory theme; it is an arrangement of the last two out of the Eight Melodies fromEarthBound Beginnings.
• Ness' cyan costume is darker and more of a green color.

Attributes[edit]

• Like all characters, Ness'jumpsquat animation takes 3 frames to complete (down from 5).
• Nessruns faster (1.46265 → 1.609).
  • Ness'initial dash is significantly faster (1.3 → 1.826).
• Nesswalks slightly faster (0.8635 → 0.907).
• Ness'air speed is faster (0.9588 → 1.007).
• Ness'traction has been significantly increased (0.0546 → 0.131), going from average to being tied for the fifth-highest traction in the game.
• Ness'jumping height has been increased (34.47 → 34.48 (full hop), 34.47 → 45.65 (double hop), 68.95 → 80.13 (maximum)).
• Forwardroll has less ending lag (FAF 31 → 30).
• Forward roll grants lessintangibility (frames 4-17 → 4-15).
• Back roll has more startup with less intangibility (frames 4-17 → 5-16), and more ending lag (FAF 31 → 35).
• Spot dodge has less ending lag (FAF 28 → 26).
• Spot dodge grants less intangibility (frames 3-18 → 3-17).
• Air dodge has significantly more ending lag (FAF 34 → 60), being one of the slowest.
• Air dodge grants more intangibility (frames 3-28 → 3-30).
• The reintroduction of directional air dodges benefits Ness more than the rest of the cast, as his directional air dodge grants more distance compared to other characters' (a trait he shares withLucas), and it provides him with a reliable recovery mixup to avoid leaving himself vulnerable by usingPK Thunder.

Ground attacks[edit]

• Neutral attack:
  • The first hit drags opponents towards Ness with the farthest hitboxes (361° → 180°), and the second hit uses a different angle throughout (70° → 361°). Both hits also have altered knockback (8 base/50 scaling → 30/20 base/25/15 scaling (hit 1), 30/20/25/20 (hit 2)). This allows for the full neutral attack to connect more reliably.
  • Consecutive uses of the first hit are faster (9 frames → 7).
  • The first hit transitions faster into the second hit (frame 7 → 5), which transitions faster into the third hit (frame 7 → 6).
  • All hits have a higherhitlag multiplier (1× → 1.7× (hit 1), 1.2× (hit 2), 2× (hit 3)), giving opponents more time toSDI each hit andDI the last hit.
  • The second hit deals less damage (2% → 1.5%).
  • The third hit has a shorter hitbox-duration (frames 6-9 → 6-7).
• Forward tilt:
  • Forward tilt has drastically increased base knockback (12 → 35), turning it into a viable KO option starting at around 155% from the center ofFinal Destination.
  • It deals more damage when not angled (9% → 10%), no longer dealing less damage than the angled versions, and thus making its KO ability consistent.
  • The hitboxes have been moved slightly inwards (X offset: 0.7u/2.9u → 0.6u/2.7u), marginally reducing its range.
• Up tilt:
  • Up tilt has less startup, with the sweetspot having a longer duration (frames 7-8 → 5-6 (sourspot)/5-8 (sweetspot)), and less ending lag (FAF 32 → 29). This improves its combo potential and allows it to function more effectively as an anti-air.
  • It deals more damage (7% → 9% (spark), 5% → 7% (body)) with knockback not fully compensated (42 base/126 scaling → 46/113), improving its KO potential, without worsening its combo ability due to its reduced lag and Ness' faster jumpsquat.
• Down tilt:
  • Down tilt deals more damage (4%/2% → 4.5%/3%).
  • It can be interrupted earlier by actions besides another down tilt (FAF 14 → 12).
  • Its base knockback and knockback scaling have been reversed (3/6 base/20 scaling → 20/3). This increases its safety on hit at low percents so that opponents in range can no longershield in-between hits, improving its reliability for racking up damage.
  • The increasedshieldstun for tilts allows down tilt to repeatedly hit and keep opponents locked into their shields until they get out of the move's range or areshield stabbed, improving its offensive utility.
  • It no longer has a bonustrip chance, removing its guaranteed setups.
• Dash attack:
  • Dash attack's second hit extends backwards (Z offset: 16u → 13u-16u), improving its ability to hit opponents next to Ness.
  • The last hit deals more damage (4% → 6%) and knockback (80 base/104 scaling → 85/113), significantly improving its KO potential, despite launching at a lower angle (80° → 70°).
• Yo-yo (up smash anddown smash):
  • Up smash and down smash once again have their charging hitboxes fromMelee andBrawl, hitting opponents repeatedly for 1% damage per hit. Unlike in those games, however, charging these moves still increases their damage, making the charging hitboxes far more useful. Notably, the mechanic where Ness cannot charge the move if too close to the ledge did not return, making it much easier to have the yo-yo hang over the ledge with a constant hitbox while charging, improving its edgeguarding potential.
  • They have a lower maximum damage multiplier (1.4× → 1.2×) and cannot be held as long as most other smash attacks.
  • The text on the yo-yo reads "SUPER NINTENDO 2018 MOTHER".
• Up smash:
  • Up smash has less ending lag (FAF 56 → 53).
  • It no longer possesses an early hit that deals 9%, allowing it to KO more consistently.
  • It has considerably more knockback scaling (60 → 79), significantly improving its KO potential, no longer being the weakest in the game.
  • It has more startup (frame 6 → 10), no longer hitting behind Ness during its first active frames.
• Down smash:
  • Down smash deals one hit less at both sides, increasing its startup (frame 10 → 12) and reducing its total damage (12% → 11%).

Aerial attacks[edit]

• All aerials have much less landing lag (18 frames → 8 (neutral), 20 → 12 (forward), 17 → 10 (back), 14 → 8 (up), 28 → 12 (down)).
• Neutral aerial:
  • Ness emits PSI from his hands when using the move. It also uses amagic effect and SFX, rather than a neutral effect and a punch SFX.
• Forward aerial:
  • Forward aerial deals more damage (1% → 1.5% (hits 1-3), 4% → 5.5% (hit 4); 7% → 10% (total)), with knockback scaling adjusted on the final hit (150 → 128), resulting in more knockback at high percents, improving its KO potential.
• Back aerial:
  • Back aerial's outer-hitbox has been moved outward and down (X offset: 2.7u → 3.7u, Y offset: 0u → 2u), improving its horizontal range and better matching the inner-hitbox in height.
• Up aerial:
  • Ness has a new up aerial: he waves his hand in an overhead arc while emitting PSI from his index finger. It is a multi-hit move, dealing up to five hits.
  • Up aerial has a longer hitbox duration (frames 8-11 → 8-14 (hits 1-4), 15-16 (hit 5)), and more disjointed vertical range above Ness.
  • It has less ending lag (FAF 42 → 34). Coupled with its longer duration and multi-hit nature (guaranteeing opponents are launched during the latest active frames), this allows it to combo into itself in the air from low to mid percents.
  • The first four hits use theautolink angle (366°). This allows Ness to drag opponents down to the ground with the move and combo into several others, which is further complemented by its lower landing lag.
  • It deals more total damage (13% → 2.5% (hits 1-4), 5% (hit 5); 15% total), with knockback adjusted on the last hit (13 base/109 scaling → 40/180). The move deals more knockback at low to mid percents, but deals less knockback at very high percents (≈110+%), overall KOing earlier.
    • If not all hits connect, the move may do less damage than it used to.
  • Up aerial has drastically decreased horizontal range, hindering its use for landing and approaching directly.
  • Itauto-cancels later (frame 27 → 34), matching its interruptibility.
  • The last hit launches at a more horizontal angle (85° → 73°). While this allows it to combo better into other moves at low percents, such as neutral and forward aerial, it greatly hinders its KO potential, as it is vulnerable toLSI.
• Down aerial:
  • Down aerial has less startup (frame 20 → 18) and ending lag (FAF 60 → 53).
  • It deals more damage (12% → 14% (clean), 10% → 12% (late)) and knockback (20 base/70 scaling → 37/74 (clean), 70 scaling → 74 (late)), making it a significantly strongermeteor smash and no longer one of the weakest.
  • It has a longer duration (frames 20-21 (clean)/22-25 (late) → 18-20/21-24).
  • It auto-cancels earlier (frame 50 → 39), allowing Ness to auto-cancel it in ashort hop like in earlierSmash titles.
  • The clean hit has a much larger hitbox (3.9u → 6u), making it easier to land.
  • The removal ofteching for grounded meteor smashes, coupled with down aerial's immensely decreased landing lag and better auto-cancel window, significantly improve its combo potential onstage.
  • Down aerial uses a kick SFX instead of a magic SFX on hit.
  • Its animation was reversed to make Ness face the screen. The landing animation was also tweaked.

Throws and other attacks[edit]

• Nessgrabs andpummels his opponents using PSI, with accompanying sound effects.
• Forward, back and up throws are no longerweight-dependent.
• Grabs:
  • Standing grab has increased ending lag (FAF 35 → 38).
  • Dash grab has more startup (frame 8 → 9) and ending lag (FAF 43 → 46), and slightly less horizontal range (Z2 offset: 10u → 9.8u).
• Pummel:
  • Pummel deals slightly more damage (1.2% → 1.3%).
  • It has less startup (frame 3 → 1) and ending lag (FAF 10 → 7), but deals much more hitlag (4 frames → 14), drastically increasing its effective duration. This hinders its damage-racking ability, no longer being one of the fastest pummels in the game.
  • It uses a magic effect, rather than a neutral effect.
• Back throw:
  • Back throw has an altered animation. Due to this new animation, Ness releases the opponent closer to himself, slightly reducing its KO potential.
• Up throw:
  • Up throw deals more damage (10% → 12%) with no compensation on knockback, allowing it to KO middleweights at around 180%, though this is rarely practical.
• Down throw:
  • Down throw's first three hits have a lower hitlag multiplier (1× → 0.5×), allowing it to execute faster.
  • Ness launches the opponent from it earlier (frame 30 → 27), and it has slightly increased ending lag (FAF 50 → 51), reducing its combo potential.
  • While the move's total damage is unchanged, it deals four hits before the throw instead of five, which have redistributed timings (frames 10/14/18/22/26 → 6/10/14/27) and damage values (0.6% (hits 1-5) → 0.5% (hits 1-3), 1.5% (hit 4)).
• Edge attack:
  • Edge attack deals more damage (7% → 9%).

Special moves[edit]

• PK Flash:
  • PK Flash has less startup (frame 44 → 40), travels faster, and reaches its full charge much quicker (frame 150 → 117).
  • It has less ending lag (uncharged: FAF 70 → 62).
  • It can travel throughsoft andsemisoft platforms. It also no longer dissipates immediately upon making contact withhard platforms, allowing its full charge to be unleashed on the ground by simply holding the button, much like inMelee.
  • The explosion has a longer hitbox duration (1 → 5 frames) and is larger (size multiplier: 0.9× uncharged/1.43× fully charged → 1.05×/1.8×).
  • It no longer causeshelplessness when performed in the air, allowing Ness to hit opponents near edges from offstage without self-destructing.
  • It has much more base knockback (10 → 50), with knockback scaling barely compensated (70 → 65), strengthening it at lower charge levels. Combined with its lower ending lag, and the increased hitlag inUltimate, which effectively lengthens the move's frame advantage on hit due to its projectile properties, it can also start combos at low to mid percents if the opponent is hit close enough to Ness.
  • It deals significantly less damage when fully charged (37% → 27%), hindering its KO potential despite its increased knockback values.
  • PK Flash has a more aquamarine color and emits its respectiveEarthBound graphic (specifically the "α" form) upon detonating.
• PK Fire:
  • PK Fire has less startup (frame 21 → 18), with its total duration reduced as well (FAF 59 → 56).
  • It has significantly less landing lag (30 frames → 12), improving the aerial version's zoning ability.
  • The spark is bigger and deals more damage on its initial hit (4% → 6%).
  • Due to the universal nerfs to roll-intangibility frames, PK Fire can catch rolls more effectively.
  • The flame pillar has a faster rehit rate (11 → 7), but no longer has a hitbox that deals more damage (2%/1% → 1%). As a result, it cannot deal as much damage, but it is more consistent overall.
  • PK Fire pushes Ness back slightly, similar toLucas's PK Fire.
  • Ness uses one hand to fire the projectile while emitting a red spark from his index finger. Diamond-shaped PSI energy also rises up within the fire pillar, resembling PK Fire γ's graphics fromEarthBound.
• PK Thunder:
  • PK Thunder deals more damage (8% → 11%) and has increased knockback scaling (50 → 55), allowing it to KO near the top blast line at high percents.
  • The new air dodging mechanics significantly improve its edgeguarding ability, allowing Ness to pressure opponents more reliably and force them to spend their air dodge, leaving them open to punishes.
  • PK Thunder emits yellow hexagon-shaped PSI energy, which more closely resembles its appearance inEarthBound.
  • It has an angle indicator when the ball of lighting moves close to Ness. While this allows for the player to more accurately determine the trajectory Ness will travel during PK Thunder 2, it also makes it more predictable to opponents.
• PK Thunder 2:
  • PK Thunder 2 travels further.
  • In addition to its full intangibility during frames 1-9, it grants intangibility on Ness' head during frames 10-32, improving its safety for recovery.
  • The window for using PK Thunder again after bouncing off a wall is much bigger. In addition, Ness enters the rebound animation when bouncing against the ground, instead of beingknocked down, allowing him to use PK Thunder a second time.
  • When hit by PK Thunder 2, the opponent is always launched in the horizontal direction Ness is facing. This makes KOing at very low percents much less likely if the opponent gets hit behind Ness.
  • The clean hit triggersSpecial Zoom upon hitting an opponent.
• PSI Magnet:
  • PSI Magnet beginsabsorbing projectiles faster (frame 10 → 7), and has less ending lag (FAF 30 → 25).
  • It no longer halts Ness' horizontal momentum in the air, functioning as it did inBrawl, improving Ness' movement options.
  • It has gained a hitbox close to Ness from frame 7 onward, which deals 4% damage with weakset knockback, and can rehit opponents every 10 frames. This grants the move offensive utility, and alongside the changes above, allows it to be used in combos. The lingering hitbox can also destroy weak projectiles, improving its safety when used for absorption.
  • PSI Magnet emits pink diamond-shaped PSI from the center, more closely resembles its appearance inEarthBound. It also features a visible suction effect around the magnet.
• PK Starstorm:
  • PK Starstorm summons slower meteors that spread out over the stage, similar to itsBrawl iteration, but can still be aimed horizontally like theSmash 4 iteration.Paula andPoo accompany Ness during the move. PK Starstorm particle effects fromEarthBound accompany each meteor, and the Sound Stone's background pattern appears in the stage's background.
  • Ness no longer sinks downward while channeling PK Starstorm while airborne. In addition, if this Final Smash was initiated while in the air, Ness is propelled upward a moderate amount at the conclusion. This can assist in recovery.

Update history[edit]

Ness has received a mix ofbuffs andnerfs, but he was buffed overall. Update 2.0.0 increased autocancel frames for up aerial matching the ending lag of the move and his down aerial deals more damage while keeping the knockback the same. Update 3.0.0, nerfed yo-yo charging smash attacks which was infamous for breaking shields easily. He also received buffs such as PK Flash having a larger hitbox, and physics changes to the yo-yo that improved its potential as an edge guarding tool. Update 3.1.0 reverted the yo-yo physics back to its pre-patch state, and his neutral attack connects more reliably.

However, Ness has received a number of buffs in 9.0.0. Up tilt, dash attack and up throw deal more damage, though with knockback adjusted for the former two. In addition, down aerial and PK Flash have less start-up lag. Overall, Ness remains a strong character who can compete well with the rest of the cast.

2.0.0

• Up aerial autocancels earlier (frame 45 → 34), matching the move's interruptibility.
• Down aerial deals more damage (12%/10% → 14%/12%) with its knockback scaling compensated (84/86 (clean/late) → 74).

3.0.0

• Up smash and down smash are automatically unleashed from charging state earlier (charge hold: 60 frames → 30) and hit less often while charging (rehit rate: 3 → 4).
• PK Flash has more range ( Size multiplier: 0.9×-1.7× → 1.05×-1.8×).
• The physics of Ness' yo-yo string are stiffer. This improves the consistency of up smash and down smash at the ledge.

3.1.0

• Neutral attack 2 has more range and the hitbox is moved forward, causing it to connect into neutral attack 3 more reliably.
• The physics of Ness' yo-yo string have been reverted back to their pre-3.0.0 properties.

9.0.0

• Up tilt deals more damage (7% → 9% (spark), 5% → 7% (body)), with knockback compensated (42 base/140 scaling → 46/113).
  • However, the knockback was slightly overcompensated, and the sweetspot now KOs slightly later.
• Dash attack's third hit deals more damage (4% → 6%) without full compensation on knockback (80 base/133 scaling → 85/113), improving its KO potential (KOing middleweights at around 150% with no DI, and 190% with the most optimal DI, down from around 175% and 220% respectively).
• Down aerial has less startup (frame 20 → 18), with its total duration reduced as well (FAF 55 → 53).
• Up throw deals more damage (10% → 12%) with no compensation on knockback, allowing it to KO middleweights at around 180%.
• PK Flash has less startup (frame 44-121 → 40-117), with its total duration reduced as well (FAF 66-143 → 62-139).

Moveset[edit]

• Ness possesses a special jump. When jumping in midair, Ness will ascend in a floatier, curved trajectory. The upward momentum of Ness' double jump can becanceled by inputting a special move or throwing an item. This trait is shared withMewtwo,Lucas,Kazuya, andSora.

For a gallery of Ness' hitboxes, seehere.

Note: All numbers are listed as base damage, without the1v1 multiplier.

Stats[edit]

Announcer calls[edit]

• English/Japanese/Chinese

• Dutch

• French

• German

• Italian

• Russian

• Spanish

On-screen appearance[edit]

• Ness teleports onto the stage with PSI Teleport, ending in an explosion leaving him covered in soot which he then shakes off his body.

• 

  Ness's on-screen appearance

Taunts[edit]

• Up taunt: Turns toward the screen and nods while saying "Okay." The pose is similar to that of his clay model fromEarthBound.
• Side taunt: Swings his bat out in front of him and strikes a pose, similar to how baseball players use it to indicate they are hitting a home run.
• Down taunt: Waves his hand in an S motion while emitting a stream of PSI from his finger.

• 

  Ness' up taunt.

• 

  Ness' side taunt.

• 

  Ness' down taunt.

Idle poses[edit]

• Look to his left, then to his right.
• Places his finger to his forehead before pointing it forward.

• 

  Ness' first idle pose.

• 

  Ness' second idle pose.

Crowd cheer[edit]

	Cheer (English)	Cheer (Japanese/Chinese)	Cheer (Italian)	Cheer (Dutch)	Cheer (French)
Cheer
Description	Su-per Ness!	Ness Ness Ness!	Forza Ness ole ole!	Ness Ness Ness! - Go - Ness Ness Ness! - Go - Ness Ness Ness! - Go - Ness Ness Ness!	Ness Ness Ness! Ohhhhh!

	Cheer (German)	Cheer (Spanish)	Cheer (Russian)	Cheer (Korean)
Cheer
Description	Ness Ness Ness! Yaaaaa!	Viva Ness! *claps 5 times*	Ness! Ness! Ness!	Ne - seu!

Victory poses[edit]

• Left: Walks in then looks around with a surprised expression, before rubbing the back of his head while smiling (his "character chosen" animation inSuper Smash Bros., albeit much more subtle).
• Up: Skips into the victory screen, then nods slightly, holding a pose similar to his official clay model, up taunt, and officialBrawl render.
• Right: Swings his bat once, then strikes a pose similar to his side taunt.

Incompetitive play[edit]

Most historically significant players[edit]

See also:Category:Ness players (SSBU)

•  ATATA - One of the best Ness players in North America, peaking at 91st on theUltRank 2022. He was first known for winningMidwest Arena 2: Doubles Masters after defeatingMuteAce, and has since performed well at many other Midwest events, such as winningCOMBO BREAKER 2025, defeatingRiddles atFrosty Faustings XVII 2025, and placing 9th atRiptide 2023. Outside of his region, his best performances include placing 9th atRise 'N Grind and 17th at bothGet On My Level 2022 andSupernova 2024, notably winning the Ness ditto against Scend at the former event and Gackt at the latter.
•  Gackt - The greatest Ness player of all time, known for his frequent usage ofPK Rocket outside of recovery. He was the first Ness player to place top 8 at more than one major and is the highest-placing solo-Ness player in any officialSmash game, having placed 3rd atKagaribi 7,Maesuma TOP 12, andS Factor 11. He has been ranked in the global top 50 and top 100 for longer than any other Ness player, with his best placement being 23rd on theLumiRank 2024.1.
•  PeW - The best Ness player in Europe in the post-pandemic metagame and one of the best in Europe in the early metagame. He has been ranked in the continent's top 50 since the early metagame and has placed highly at several European events, including winningVulcan overTarik, and placing 5th at bothKings of Fields 95 andGlory 2.0, as well as 7th atWANTED S4 C3 - Saint Valentin Edition. He eventually switched toMin Min in 2023, though he maintains Ness as a secondary.
•  PkChris - One of the best Ness players in North America since the early metagame, with his best performances taking place in the post-pandemic metagame. He is best known for his performance atLuminosity Makes BIG Moves 2025, where he defeatedMkLeo and finished 9th overall. In addition, he had also placed 9th atLuminosity Makes Moves Miami 2025 and 13th atCavalier Clash 7, alongside having defeatedLima atSupernova 2024. He was ranked 107th on theLumiRank 2024.2 and was the highest-ranking solo-Ness player on the list, becoming the first solo-Ness player to outrank Gackt.
•  S1 - The best Ness player in Europe in the early metagame and one of the overall best players in the continent. He has placed highly at many of Europe's largest events during this time, including 5th atValhalla III, 7th atAlbion 4, and 9th atSyndicate 2019, all the while defeating several of Europe's best players during this time includingSpace andMeru. As such, he was ranked 60th on theOrionRank 2019. He became inactive following this era, only appearing at a handful of events while playing other characters.
•  Scend - One of the best Ness players in the world in the early metagame and in the early years of the post-pandemic metagame, peaking at 37th on theOrionRank Ultimate: Eclipse. He is best known for placing 5th at bothLet's Make Big Moves 2022 andLost Tech City 2022, as well as 9th at bothLow Tier City 7 andMomoCon 2022, notably defeatingESAM at Lost Tech City andLight at Low Tier City 7. In addition, he was considered one of the best players in the online metagame, and notably wonThe Box, the largestSmash event of all time in terms of entrants.
•  Syrup - One of the greatest Ness players of all time, although he was only a Ness main in the online metagame and the early years of the post-pandemic metagame. During this time, he first broke out after placing 2nd at the online eventSWT: NA Northeast Ultimate Online Qualifier, and has seen similar performances offline, including placing 5th atGet On My Level 2022,Shine 2022, andApex 2022. Though he switched toSteve in 2023, he maintains Ness as a counterpick and uses him in events that ban Steve, such asPatchwork 2025: All Patched Up!, where he finished 5th. Notably, he wonCavalier Clash 6 using Ness to defeatSparg0, marking one of the best Ness performances inUltimate.

Tier placement and history[edit]

Ness was received positively in the early metagame, as the numerous buffs he received during the transition fromSmash 4 and the addition of several new mechanics inUltimate improved his neutral, advantage, recovery, and movement options. Ness' early results reflected these improvements: he saw strong performances at majors from players such asGackt andScend, and regionally, he was represented well by a multitude of players, includingATATA,Awestin,PeW,S1, andFOW. As such, Ness was widely considered a high-tier character in the early metagame ofUltimate. This perception was solidified in online play, as the presence of increasedinput lag ostensibly makes his quick aerials even safer and his recovery more difficult to challenge, allowing players such as Scend andSyrup to flourish during theCOVID-19 pandemic, which temporarily relegated all large tournaments to an online format. This success was the most apparent with Scend being considered one of the best players in North America's online metagame, as well as his victory atThe Box, the largest online tournament of all time.

In the post-pandemic metagame, Ness enjoyed great results in the early years of the metagame, especially from Gackt, who was a regular in the top 50 for some time and had several top 8 major performances under his belt. However, his results at the highest level of competitive play declined as the metagame progressed. Similar to previousSmash titles, Ness' limited attack range hindered his neutral against certain characters, particularly swordfighters such asLucina andShulk. He also struggled to recover without the use of his double jump, and his floatiness left him susceptible to juggling. Furthermore, the newer metagame featured the rise of many other characters that had superior range (such as theDLC characterSteve) or could exploit Ness' recovery (such asMr. Game & Watch), which made Ness' weaknesses even more apparent. As such, at this level of competitive play, Ness' best players faced inconsistency (e.g. Gackt placing top 3 atKagaribi 7, then 49th atMaesuma TOP 8 a month later) or picked up other characters that were better suited for the new metagame (e.g. Syrup becoming more successful after picking up Steve).

Despite the lower reputation, Ness remains popular at regional and superregional events, thanks to in-region performances from players such as ATATA,PkChris, andSumaho. As such, Ness' overall representation has remained in or around the top 20 for most of the metagame. In addition, Ness players have continued to make notable runs and upsets at top level play from time-to-time, such as Syrup's Ness counterpick taking a win over bothSparg0 andHurt in theUltRank 2025 season and two Ness players — Gackt and PkChris — having defeatedMkLeo. Though no longer considered a high tier character, his tier list position has remained consistently in the middle of the cast, fluctuating between high to mid 40s on the first three tier lists. Notably, earlier tier lists had players from Japan rank Ness lower on their tier lists, while players in North America ranked Ness higher.^[1][2]

Classic Mode: Home to Onett![edit]

Ness'congratulations screen.

Ness fights opponents largely based on his journey inEarthBound in reverse fromMagicant toOnett.

Round	Opponent	Stage	Music	Notes
1	Ness	Magicant	Magicant (for 3DS / Wii U)	The opponent has his blue alternate costume equipped, referencing Ness' younger self that he encounters in Magicant. If the player is using the blue alternate costume, default Ness will appear as the enemy instead.
2	Lucas	New Pork City	You Call This a Utopia?!
3	R.O.B. (x3)	Fourside	Fourside	A reference to the Sentry Robots fought in theMonotoli Building.
4	Sheik	Gerudo Valley	Bein' Friends	A reference toDusty Dunes Desert.Mr. Saturn is the only item that spawns.
5	Toon Link (x2)	Luigi's Mansion	Unfounded Revenge / Smashing Song of Praise	A reference to the zombies fought inThreed. When used, the only Assist Trophy summoned will beJeff.
6	Villager andIsabelle	Onett	Onett Theme / Winters Theme	A reference to theSharks and the dogs fought in Onett. When used, the only Assist Trophy summoned will beStarman.
Bonus Stage
Final	Master Hand	Final Destination	Master Hand(Less than 7.0 intensity) Master Hand / Crazy Hand(7.0 or higher intensity)	Crazy Hand teams up with Master Hand on Intensity 7.0 or higher.

Note: Every stage plays a track from theEarthBound universe, no matter what universe the stage originates from.

Credits roll after completing Classic Mode. Completing it as Ness hasSmiles and Tears accompany the credits.

Role inWorld of Light[edit]

Finding Ness in World of Light

Although Ness has been absent from the World of Light opening cutscene, he was vaporized and later imprisoned alongside the rest of the fighters (minusKirby) whenGaleem unleashed his beams of light.

Ness can be found in a pink cloud area reminiscent ofMagicant, and to access him the player needs to defeat theFlying Manspirit.

Fighter Battle[edit]

No.	Image	Name	Type	Power	Stage	Music
10		Ness	Attack	7,500	Magicant (Ω form)	Magicant (for 3DS / Wii U)

Spirit[edit]

Ness' fighter spirit can be obtained by completingClassic Mode as Ness. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 300 Gold, but only after Ness has been unlocked. Unlocking Ness in World of Light allows the player to preview the spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a fighter spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. His fighter spirit has an alternate version that replaces it with his artwork inUltimate.

In Spirit Battles[edit]

As the main opponent[edit]

Spirit				Battle parameters							Inspiration
No.	Image	Name	Series	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music	Character
307		Slugger & Green Glove	Yoshi Series	•Ness •Lucas		1,500	Yoshi's Island	•Item:Beastball	•The enemy starts the battle with aHome-Run Bat	Obstacle Course - Yoshi's Island	Slugger
565		Ninten	EarthBound Series	•Ness Team (60 HP)		13,700	Magicant (hazards off)	N/A	•The enemy's PSI attacks have increased power •Stamina battle •The enemy's FS Meter charges quickly	Bein' Friends
571		Starman	EarthBound Series	•MetalNess (140 HP)		4,200	Lylat Cruise	•Assist Trophy Enemies (Starman) •Item: Stars	•Stamina battle •Hostile assist trophies will appear •The enemy is metal	Unfounded Revenge / Smashing Song of Praise
579		Ramblin' Evil Mushroom	EarthBound Series	•Ness		1,600	Distant Planet	•Item: Ramblin' Evil Mushroom	•The enemy starts the battle with a Ramblin' Evil Mushroom	Humoresque of a Little Dog
1,087		Nico Fire Nico Flame	StreetPass Mii Plaza Series	•Ness •Fox •Sonic		1,500	Big Blue	•Uncontrollable Speed	•All fighters move faster and can't stop quickly	Wii Sports Resort
1,116		Pitcher & Batter	Baseball	•Ness •Lucas×2		1,700	Pokémon Stadium 2 (hazards off)	•Item Tidal Wave •Item: Sports	•The enemy favors side smash attacks •The enemy starts the battle with aHome-Run Bat •Certain items will appear in large numbers	Baseball (Training)	Batter
1,466		Sophia	Persona Series	•Ness •MetalR.O.B.×3 (INT)/×3 (JP/CH/KR)		9,500	New Pork City (Battlefield form)	N/A	•Defeat the main fighter to win •The enemy is metal	Light Plane (Vocal Mix) (for 3DS / Wii U)
							Mementos (Battlefield form)[SB 1]			Last Surprise[SB 1]
1,519		Power Pro-Kun, Aoi Hayakawa, & Mamoru Ikari	eBASEBALL: POWER PROS	•Ness •Toon Link •Villager		9,600	Pokémon Stadium 2 (hazards off)	•Item:Beastball	•The enemy starts the battle with aHome-Run Bat	Baseball (Training)	Power Pro-Kun

As a minion[edit]

Spirit				Battle parameters							Inspiration
No.	Image	Name	Series	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music	Character
566		Ana	EarthBound Series	•Villager (100 HP) •Ness (80 HP)		9,200	Magicant (hazards off)	N/A	•Stamina battle •The enemy heals over time	Pollyanna (I Believe in You)	Ninten
570		Flying Man	EarthBound Series	•Mii Brawler Team×5 (50 HP) (Moveset2122, Flying Man Hat, Flying Man Outfit) •Ness (100 HP)		9,100	Magicant (hazards off)	N/A	•Defeat the main fighter to win •Stamina battle	Magicant	Ness
572		Paula	EarthBound Series	•Villager (120 HP) •Ness (120 HP)		13,300	Onett	•Sudden Final Smash	•The enemy will suddenly have a Final Smash •The enemy's PSI attacks have increased power •Stamina battle	Smiles and Tears	Ness
576		Ness's Father	EarthBound Series	•ClearSnake •Ness		13,500	Onett	N/A	•Defeat the main fighter to win •The enemy is invisible	Humoresque of a Little Dog	Ness
1,156		Girl from Hajimari no Mori	Hajimari no Mori	•Villager •Ness		2,300	Duck Hunt (Battlefield form)	•Hazard: Fog	•The stage is covered in fog •The enemy favors down specials	Yūyūki Medley	Protagonist ofHajimari no Mori

Alternate costumes[edit]

Gallery[edit]

• 

  Ness's fighter card.

• 

  Ness's unlock notice.

• 

  Nessidling on theBridge of Eldin.

• 

  Performing hisup smash onKalos Pokémon League.

• 

  PerformingPK Flash onFrigate Orpheon.

• 

  ThrowingFox onTortimer Island.

• 

  Crouching next toJeff inOnett.

• 

  Dashing inSmashville.

• 

  DodgingBowser'sBowser Bomb withIke onGaur Plain.

• 

  Diddy Kong trying to steal Ness'banana onMoray Towers.

• 

  Ness crouching under aBomber next toGanondorf on Gaur Plain.

• 

  Ness strikingBowser Jr. withDeath's Scythe onYoshi's Story.

• 

  Expelled by aSuper Launch Star onYoshi's Island.

• 

  Frozen byAlolan Vulpix on Tortimer Island.

• 

  Using his side taunt in Onett.

• 

  Ness being teleported away byAbra onArena Ferox.

Fighter Showcase Video[edit]

Trivia[edit]

• Ness was the only one of the four originalunlockable characters fromSuper Smash Bros. 64 to be playable in the E3 demo.
  • Ness is also the only one to appear on the box art. However,Captain Falcon is featured in the full group artwork.
• Although most characters from the originalSuper Smash Bros. arenumbered by their debut game's original release date, Captain Falcon and Ness can be considered an exception;F-Zero was originally released in 1990, four years beforeEarthBound. Additionally, inSuper Smash Bros., Captain Falcon will always be fought first if the unlock conditions for both him and Ness are met simultaneously. However, it is also possible that Ness is numbered per the 1989 release ofMother, which is also how he is ordered inBrawl'sAll-Star Mode.
• Ultimate marks the first time sinceSuper Smash Bros. Melee where Ness' artwork depicts him holding his baseball bat.
• Ultimate is the firstSmash game in which Ness has a greater number of aerials that use PSI than Lucas, being 5 to 4 as opposed to 2 and 3 to 3 inBrawl andSmash 4 respectively.
• Ness being unlocked by clearing Classic Mode as Kirby could be a reference to Ness being unlocked onDream Land in the originalSuper Smash Bros., that both are voiced by Makiko Ōmoto, or that both are from games developed byHAL Laboratory, Inc.
• As ofUltimate's release, Ness has had more different victory themes than any other character, receiving new ones inBrawl andUltimate, in addition to his original one from the first two games.
• Ness is one of the only two unlockable characters inUltimate who can be the first character unlocked in more than one way, as he is the first character to be unlocked through VS. Matches and the first unlock inKirby's Classic Mode tree. The other character who shares this distinction isVillager.
• Despite the fact that Ness'sPSI Magnet can absorbBob-omb explosions, Ness cannot absorb explosions from the Bob-ombs that drop from the sky duringSudden Death.

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 (SSBU)
• EarthBound universe
• Ness (SSBU)
• Spirits