Sheik
- For fighter info, seeSheik (SSBM),Sheik (SSBB),Sheik (SSB4), andSheik (SSBU).
- For the Japanese smasher, seeSmasher:Sheik.
| Sheik | |
|---|---|
   Official artwork for various iterations of Sheik. | |
| Universe | The Legend of Zelda |
| Debut | The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998) |
| Smash Bros. appearances | Melee Brawl SSB4 Ultimate |
| Most recent non-Smash appearance | Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition (2018) |
| Console/platform of origin | Nintendo 64 |
| Species | Hylian, disguised asSheikah |
| Gender | Female, disguised as male. |
| Place of origin | Hyrule |
| Created by | Toru Osawa Shigeru Miyamoto Yoshiaki Koizumi |
| Designed by | Yoshiki Haruhana |
| Voice actor | Jun Mizusawa (Melee/Brawl/SSB4) Ayumi Fujimura (Ultimate) |
| Article on Zelda Wiki | Sheik |
Sheik (シーク,Sheik) is a character fromThe Legend of Zelda universe. Sheik debuted inThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, claiming to be one of the last survivingSheikah and aidingLink by teaching himwarp songs. In actuality, however, Sheik is the magically-induced alter ego ofPrincess Zelda.
Origin[edit]
Sheik is a Sheikah who debuted inThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Contrasting withImpa, the only other Sheikah seen in the game, Sheik's identity and voice are concealed with conservative clothing and a scarf.
Sheik first appears beforeLink soon after his spirit is unsealed after being contained within theChamber of Sages for seven years. Upon meeting Link, Sheik reveals to him his true quest: he is now old enough to properly become theHero of Time, and now that he has acquired the Light Medallion fromRauru, theSage of Light, he must also awaken five other Sages and acquire their respectiveMedallions in order to become powerful enough to stopGanondorf and save Hyrule.
Following this, Sheik appears before Link at various instances to teach himwarp songs to help him on his quest. Sheik also imparts words of wisdom before mysteriously disappearing each time, typically via the explosive flash of aDeku Nut. When all six Sages are awakened, Link arrives at theTemple of Time near the end of the game and is greeted by Sheik, who uses the Triforce of Wisdom to reveal herself asPrincess Zelda. She explains that afterGanondorf conquered Hyrule during Link's absence, she and Impa were forced to go into hiding, and Impa taught Zelda the ways of the Sheikah to both hide her identity and defend herself if she is forced into combat.
Though Sheik has not made another appearance in a mainlineZelda game to date, her design within theSuper Smash Bros. series has been updated over time to match the aesthetics of other installments in the series. When Zelda's design was changed to herTwilight Princess appearance inBrawl, Sheik was also altered to match, now using a design based on concept art the development team created specifically forBrawl. Because Zelda and Sheik were split into unique fighters inSSB4, their designs diverged inUltimate; while Zelda uses her look fromA Link Between Worlds, Sheik was given a unique appearance combining theTwilight Princess design with theStealth Set, armor based on her design which is available to Link inBreath of the Wild.
Sheik is usually depicted as stoic and reserved, rarely showing emotion. The only instances are brief episodes of surprise and concern when herself and the surrounding area are in danger, especially when Link is nearby. Sheik has very melancholic demeanor, often waxing poetic about time and its effect on the mind, particularly with age. This is likely due to herself being partly responsible for Link's involvement in the conflict and his seven year slumber, having used that time to think about those consequences. Sheik is also proficient with aharp, which she uses to teach Link various melodies on his ocarina.
Sheik is occasionally assumed to be male or a male persona of Zelda, but it is the official stance of Nintendo that Sheik is female, just as Zelda is.[1] She merely disguises herself as male, which her trophy inMelee speculates to be the result of magic. Themanga adaptation ofOcarina of Time suggests that Zelda uses the Triforce of Wisdom to actually become male while disguised as Sheik, though this is considered non-canon to the games.
TheSuper Smash Bros. games consistently refer to Sheik as female, but the Super Smash Blog forUltimate once referred to Sheik as male;[2] however, an official Nintendo Twitter account which reposted the information altered it to refer to her as female[3], suggesting it to be a mistake. Likewise, while Sheik is referred to with female pronouns in herUltimateMove List andtips,Palutena andViridi refer to Sheik as male in the correspondingPalutena's Guidance conversation inUltimate (likely as an intentional joke, sincePit knows that Sheik's true identity is Zelda).
InSuper Smash Bros. Melee[edit]
As a playable character[edit]
Sheik is one of the new characters introduced inSuper Smash Bros. Melee. Rather than being a full-fledged character, she is a transformation ofZelda, which makes them the only characters inMelee to possess such an ability. In addition to her ability toTransform into Zelda, Sheik'sVanish is based on her usage of Deku Nuts inOcarina of Time.
Unlike Zelda, Sheik boasts very fast attack speed and excellent mobility. When coupled with her deceptively powerful smash attacks and terrific neutral game, Sheik was initially deemedbroken by some players, until the evolution ofMelee's metagame revealed that she has a poor recovery and a mediocre neutral game. Nevertheless, Sheik's strengths still largely outweighed her weaknesses, reflected by her current ranking being 5th out of 26 on the tier list.
Trophies[edit]
As a playable character, Sheik has three trophies - a normal trophy won beating theClassic Mode with Sheik on any difficulty, and "Smash Red" and "Smash Blue" trophies are acquired by beating the Adventure and All-Star modes, respectively.
- Sheik
- This is Zelda's alter ego. Using a variation of the name of the ancient Sheikah tribe, she appears before Link and teaches him melodies instrumental to his success. It's believed that she's not just a quick-change artist, but rather that she is able to instantaneously alter her clothing and her eye and skin color by using her magical skills.
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (11/98)
.png)
- SheikSMASH
- Strategically switching between Zelda and Sheik is key. Compared to her Zelda form, Sheik is nimble and has gorgeous moves, but she lacks a strong knockout attack. The number of needles thrown in Needle Storm is based on how long you hold the B Button before releasing it. Use the Control Stick to wave the Chain after brandishing it.
- B: Needle Storm
- Smash B: Chain
.png)
- SheikSMASH
- The best strategy to use when playing as Sheik is to let her flow from one powerful attack into another, like a river of quicksilver. Zelda has some techniques with more punch, however, so in one-on-one battles, use Transform as needed. Sheik only travels a short way when using Vanish, but the move comes with a small explosion that damages foes around her.
- Up & B: Vanish
- Down & B: Transform
InSuper Smash Bros. Brawl[edit]
As a playable character[edit]
UnlikeMelee,Super Smash Bros. Brawl does not feature thePrincess Zelda fromOcarina of Time. Instead, she has been succeeded by her descendant, the Zelda fromThe Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Due to this, many debates initially came about as to whether or not Sheik would return.
Many argued that because Sheik did not appear inTwilight Princess, Zelda would not be able toTransform into Sheik. By extension, many cited the fact that theHero of Time had also been succeeded by his own descendant, the Link fromTwilight Princess, who features special moves that were reworked to fit withTwilight Princess' aesthetics. Conversely, others argued that even though the Zelda inMelee was explicitly theOcarina of Time incarnation, she was not supposed to be based on any specific Zelda, but rather an amalgamation of all Zelda's past and present. As a result, they argued that theTwilight Princess incarnation of Zelda would not be prevented from being able to Transform into Sheik as her ancestor could inMelee.
The debate was settled with the revelation of Sheik's inclusion in Famitsu's review ofBrawl. Shortly thereafter,Smash Bros. DOJO!! confirmed Sheik's inclusion via its January 16th update. Sheik's special moves have remained unchanged, but much like Zelda, Link, andGanondorf, she now features an updated design based onTwilight Princess' aesthetics.
Sheik's updated design was created forBrawl to represent theTwilight Princess version of Zelda.[4] Her new design noticeably includes a braided ponytail, similar to Zelda's design inTwilight Princess.
Sheik's playstyle is largely similar to how it was inMelee, though she now has aFinal Smash,Light Arrow, that she shares with Zelda. However, her KO potential has been severely weakened, while her endurance has also worsened. As a result, Sheik is currently ranked 25th out of 38 on the tier list, which renders her as a mid-tier character.
Trophy[edit]
Sheik has a trophy that is awarded each timeClassic Mode is completed with Sheik on any difficulty.
- Sheik
- The persona Zelda adopted to escape from Ganondorf. She completely hid all traces of her Zelda identity and appeared to Link as the last member of the Sheikah tribe. She taught Link essential ocarina melodies and then vanished in an instant. She didn't appear very often--rather, she would show up to support Link in crucial situations.
:The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Sticker[edit]
| Name | Game | Effect | Fighter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sheik | The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time | AttackBodySpin+017  Attack +17 | Link Zelda Ganondorf Toon Link    |
.png) Sheik (Zelda: Ocarina of Time) |
InSuper Smash Bros. 4[edit]
As a playable character[edit]
Sheik returns as a playable character inSuper Smash Bros. 4. Although she has retained herTwilight Princess design, her overall color scheme is now more vibrant because ofSSB4's aesthetics. By extension, she now has analternate costume that features the color scheme of her attire inOcarina of Time.
Unlike in previous installments, Sheik is now a standalone character, likeZero Suit Samus andCharizard. She has also gained two new special moves, one of which compensates for her independence from Zelda:Burst Grenade replacesChain (and also results in her side taunt being modified), andBouncing Fish replacesTransform.
Sheik has been buffed significantly in the transition fromBrawl toSSB4, thanks to many of her attacks being partially reverted to how they functioned inMelee, or updated outright. Unlike inMelee, she now has a noticeably betterneutral game andrecovery. Her neutral game benefits fromNeedle Storm's faster travel speed and increased knockback, as well as her fasterwalking,dashing, andair speeds.
In comparison, Sheik's recovery benefits from her much faster airspeed, Bouncing Fish's ability to function as a horizontal recovery option, and the removal ofedge-hogging. Outside of these changes, Sheik still boasts unarguably the best frame data among the cast, which results in her retaining an excellent combo game, and makes her exceedingly difficult topunish.
However, Sheik retains a low overall damage output, mediocre smash attacks, unimpressive endurance, a lack of reliable KO setups at high percentages, and only a handful of KOing options (sweet spotted up smash, up aerial,Vanish's disappearing hitbox, and Bouncing Fish). In addition, game updates heavily nerfed some of Sheik's most viable options, such as weakening her forward aerial, hindering her forward and down throws' combo potentials at high percentages, and decreasing Needle Storm's range.
Overall, Sheik's strengths largely outweigh her weaknesses, and she has achieved great tournament representation and results as a result. To reflect this, Sheik is currently ranked 4th out of 55 on the tier list, and she has maintained her status as a top-tier character throughoutSSB4's lifespan like inMelee.
As a costume[edit]
A Sheik Mask is available as headgear for allMii Fighter types.
Trophies[edit]
- Sheik
In The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Sheik claimed to be a surviving Sheikah. However, this was just a cunning disguise for Princess Zelda so that she could escape Ganondorf. In Smash Bros., she's the complete opposite of Zelda, striking with fast attacks that can keep an opponent off balance.
In The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Sheik claimed to be a surviving Sheikah. However, this was just a cunning disguise used by—SPOILER ALERT!—Princess Zelda so she could hide from Ganondorf. In Smash Bros., she's the complete opposite of Zelda, striking with fast attacks that can unbalance her foes.- :The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (11/1998)
:The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (06/2011)
Sheik is introduced in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time as the "survivor of the Sheikah", although it turns out to be Zelda, who took on the disguise to hide from Ganondorf. Sheik's ninja-like speed is a real contrast with Zelda's, and it allows for sneaky, fast-paced attacks that overwhelm opponents before they can even react.- :The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (12/1998)
- :The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (06/2011)
- Sheik (Alt.)
- Sheik's Burst Grenade side special throws a small grenade that draws in nearby fighters before exploding. Once the button has been released, it'll hop or explode after a time. The down special Bouncing Fish is an attack where Sheik strikes with both heels, falling similarly to the way a fish might flop around.
- Sheik's Burst Grenade side special throws a small grenade that draws in nearby fighters before exploding. Once the button has been released or after a time, it'll hop and explode. The down special Bouncing Fish is an attack where Sheik strikes with both heels, falling similarly to the way a fish might flop around.
- :The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (11/1998)
- :The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (06/2011)
- Sheik's Burst Grenade side special throws a small grenade that draws in nearby fighters, then explodes. Hold the button longer to throw it further. The down special Bouncing Fish is a fish-like flop forwards that has Sheik attack with both heels on the way down. If the move connects, Sheik will bounce back up into the air.
- :The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (12/1998)
- :The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (06/2011)
InSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]
As a playable character[edit]
Sheik returns as a standalone character inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate. However, her design has been overhauled to referenceThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild; Sheik now wears the Stealth Chest Guard and Stealth Tights from the Stealth Set, while her mask is now similar to its appearance as headgeararmor inBreath of the Wild. Unlike her previous appearances, Sheik is now anunlockable character instead of astarter character.
As Sheik was top tier for most ofSmash 4 even in spite of the nerfs she received in updates, she was drastically nerfed in the transition toUltimate. Her damage output was severely reduced, forcing her to rack up extremely long strings of hits to deal any notable damage. Her already low weight was also decreased even further, and she doesn't benefit much from universal mobility improvements compared to other characters. Sheik's initially abysmal perception has slowly improved thanks to recent buffs however, and currently she is generally agreed to be mid-tier.
As a costume[edit]
The Sheik Mask returns as headgear for allMii Fighter types.
Spirit[edit]
174.Sheik
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
 Japanese | シーク,Sheik |
 French | Sheik |
 German | Shiek |
 Spanish | Sheik |
 Italian | Sheik |
 Chinese | 希克,Sheik |
 Korean | 시크,Sheik |
 Dutch | Sheik |
 Russian | Шиик |
 Portuguese | Sheik |
Trivia[edit]
- Sheik andGanondorf both made their playable debuts inSuper Smash Bros. Melee, and both made their playable debuts outside of theSuper Smash Bros. series inHyrule Warriors.
- Sheik is the only character in theSuper Smash Bros. series to have been ranked at the very top of the tier list in two different games; she was ranked 1st onSSB4's first tier list, and was ranked 1st onMelee's first seven tier lists.
- She andDiddy Kong are also the only characters in theSuper Smash Bros. series to have been ranked 1st on an installment's respective tier list, and then later lose that position on said installment's subsequent tier list.
- Sheik is the only playableZelda character to be a one-shot character in her home series. Because her design was updated to match the then-latestZelda game inBrawl (Twilight Princess) andUltimate (Breath of the Wild) in spite of this,Melee is the only game to use a canonical design for her.
- Strangely enough, despite3DS featuring the playableZelda cast introduced inMelee in theirOcarina of Time designs, referencing their appearances in that game as trophies, Sheik was not given a trophy, makingSSB4 the only game where Sheik's canonical design is not directly referenced at all.
- Sheik's appearance inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate marks the first time in any video game where she is shown using her dagger.
- Ironically, Sheik's dagger does not appear to be equipped in her design.
- InUltimate, Sheik is the only character to have her moves written solely in kanji, including her Final Smash.
- In bothMelee andSmash 4, Sheik is somewhat ironically near the top of the tier list, while her true form as Zelda is near the bottom.
- In fact,the first tier list forSSB4 listed Zelda as the worst character in the game while Sheik was the best.
- Zelda and Sheik are the only characters whose voice actor remained the same in three installments in a row across all regions before being recasted. If regional differences are ignored, this also applies toFalco (in Japanese) andMarth (in international releases) as well.
- Coincidentally, all four debuted inMelee.
References[edit]
- ^Zelda fans debate Sheik's gender, but here's Nintendo's final word
- ^Super Smash Blog
- ^Nintendo Versus
- ^"The pictures at the bottom right represent what Zelda fromTwilight Princess would look like if she transformed into Sheik. They were drawn forSuper Smash Bros. Brawl." (Hyrule Historia, page 174)
| Playable characters | |
|---|---|
| Super Smash Bros. | Captain Falcon ·Donkey Kong ·Fox ·Jigglypuff ·Kirby ·Link ·Luigi ·Mario ·Ness ·Pikachu ·Samus ·Yoshi |
| New inMelee | Bowser ·Dr. Mario ·Falco ·Ganondorf ·Ice Climbers ·Marth ·Mewtwo ·Mr. Game & Watch ·Peach ·Pichu ·Roy ·Sheik ·Young Link ·Zelda |
| New inBrawl | Diddy Kong ·Ike ·King Dedede ·Lucario ·Lucas ·Meta Knight ·Olimar (Pikmin) ·Pit ·Pokémon Trainer (Squirtle ·Ivysaur ·Charizard) ·R.O.B. ·Snake ·Sonic ·Toon Link ·Wario ·Wolf ·Zero Suit Samus |
| New inSmash 4 | (Alph) ·Bayonetta ·Bowser Jr. (Koopalings) ·Cloud ·Corrin ·Dark Pit ·Duck Hunt ·Greninja ·Little Mac ·Lucina ·Mega Man ·Mii Brawler ·Mii Gunner ·Mii Swordfighter ·Pac-Man ·Palutena ·Robin ·Rosalina &Luma ·Ryu ·Shulk ·Villager ·Wii Fit Trainer |
| New inUltimate | Banjo &Kazooie ·Byleth ·Chrom ·Daisy ·Dark Samus ·Hero ·Incineroar ·Inkling ·Isabelle ·Joker ·Kazuya ·Ken ·King K. Rool ·Min Min ·Mythra ·Piranha Plant ·Pyra ·Richter ·Ridley ·Sephiroth ·Simon ·Sora ·Steve (Alex,Zombie,Enderman) ·Terry |
| Character Inspirations forMii FighterCostumes inSuper Smash Bros. 4 | |
|---|---|
 Mii Brawler | Akira ·Captain Falcon ·Flying Man ·Heihachi ·Jacky ·King K. Rool ·Knuckles ·Toad |
 Mii Swordfighter | Ashley ·Black Knight ·Chrom ·Dunban ·Gil ·Link ·Lloyd ·Monster Hunter ·Takamaru ·Viridi ·Zero |
 Mii Gunner | Fox ·Geno ·Inkling ·Isabelle ·K.K. Slider ·MegaMan.EXE ·Proto Man ·Samus ·Tails ·X |
| Headgear only | Barbara ·Chain Chomp ·Chocobo ·Daisy ·Inkling Squid ·Luigi ·Majora's Mask ·Mario ·Meta Knight ·Peach ·Red Shell ·Sheik ·Shy Guy ·Spiny ·Super Mushroom ·Waluigi ·Wario ·Zelda |
