9B (9B, pronouncedQB; originally spelled 九尾, "nine tails") is a Smasher from Osaka,Kansai, Japan, considered one of the greatest JapaneseSmash players of the 2010s.
Though active duringMelee's early years (and considered to be one of the best players in the country despite his low attendance),[1] 9B first gained recognition for his performances inBrawl, where he initially playedSnake before switching to theIce Climbers. He is considered one of the greatestBrawl players of all time (being considered the best alongsideNairo in 2014) and the best JapaneseBrawl player of all time, having won a total of 7majors throughout hisBrawl career. He is especially known for playing the Ice Climbers, whom he used to win 6 majors; among these major wins were the American tournamentSKTAR 3 and the Japanese tournamentSumabatoX 6, the latter of which is one of the largestBrawl tournaments in Japan. As such, 9B is often considered the greatestBrawl Ice Climbers player of all time.
InSuper Smash Bros. for Wii U, 9B initially playedShulk before finding more success withRyu for the rest of the game's first year. However, he found even more success withBayonetta, and he became one of the first notable Bayonetta players in competitive play, winning several notable Japanese events such asSumabato 9 and finishing 5th at the AmericanmajorShots Fired 2, becoming the first Bayonetta player to place top 8 at a major. For the rest of competitive-Smash 4, 9B was considered one of the best players from Japan, ranking in the region's top 10 up until the game's final year, and frequently placed well at Japan's largest events, including 4th atUmebura Japan Major 2017. As such, he is considered one of the best Japanese Bayonetta players of all time, and was ultimately ranked 44th on thePGR 100.
9B eventually retired from competitiveSmash in late 2017. Though he only saw minimal tournament activity afterwards, he, alongsideaMSa,Ranai,Earth, andKakera, served as playtesters forSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate.[2] In addition, 9B was formerly theTO of theSumabato tournament series, organizing all of itsBrawl events and itsSmash 4 events untilSumabato 19, and is the older brother ofOkechi.
Metagame advancement[edit]
9B is said to have created the faster, yet more difficult,chaingrab for the Ice Climbers inBrawl. This involves using Popo'sdown throw to start the chain, having Nana re-grab, then executing aback throw so Popo can regrab.[3] The following description is from the Youtube video showcasing this technique, which can be found at the bottom of this page or by clicking the reference tag before this sentence. It explains how the technique works and why it is a faster chaingrab.
When you grab with Popo, naturally, Nana will grab as well. Since Popo normally grabs the opponent, Nana will be left with a dead grab animation. An experienced player in the Ice Climbers match-up knows this is the PERFECT time to MASH THE HELL OUT OF THAT CONTROLLER, as the Nana cannot re-grab just yet. Since Popo's B-Throw executes in so few frames, Nana will have to wait to finish said animation. HOWEVER, D-Throw's animation lasts significantly longer, giving Nana time to finish her grab animation DURING the throw, meaning the opponent can't mash out. After D-Throwing with Popo, Nana doesn't have a grab animation, so you can instantly throw again; buffered B-Throw being your fastest option. That's how this chain came to be.
The main mechanics of achieving this string include buffering a walk in the opposite direction after re-grabbing with Nana. The back throw will then come out accompanied by a turnaround by Popo, not a walk. This allows Popo to re-grab the opponent and thus continue the chaingrab.
Rankings[edit]
| Ranking | Time period | Rank | Character(s) | Notes |
|---|
| SSBBRank 2014 | January 11th, 2013-June 1st, 2014 | 1st |  | Tied withNairo |
| Ranking | Time period | Rank | Character(s) | Notes |
|---|
| PGR v1 | January 30th, 2015-May 7th, 2016 | 17th |  | X-Factor: +3 |
| PGR v3 | January 7th-June 18th, 2017 | 23rd | | X-Factor: -5 |
| PGR 100 | January 30th, 2015-November 18th, 2018 | 44th | | |
| Ranking | Time period | Rank | Character(s) | Notes |
|---|
| OrionRank 2016 | March 15th-December 18th, 2016 | 44th | | |
| OrionRank 2017 | December 24th, 2016-December 24th, 2017 | 27th | | |
EventHubs[edit]
| Ranking | Time period | Rank | Character(s) | Notes |
|---|
| EH 2016 SSB4Rank | January 2nd, 2016-February 4th, 2017 | 30th | | |
| Ranking | Time period | Rank | Character(s) | Notes |
|---|
| v1 | November 2015-October 2016 | 8th | | |
| v2 | February 2016-February 2017 | 5th | | |
| v3 | May 2016-May 2017 | 5th | | |
| v4 | January 2017-January 2018 | 7th | | |
| Ranking | Rank | Character(s) | Notes |
|---|
| October 25th, 2015 | 14th |  | |
| December 12th, 2015 | 8th | | |
| January 13th, 2016 | 13th | | |
| April 3rd, 2016 | 6th | | |
| May 1st, 2016 | 7th | | |
| June 20th, 2016 | 8th |  | |
| Ranking | Rank | Character(s) | Notes |
|---|
| March 1st, 2016 | 4th | | |
| March 15th, 2016 | 4th | | |
| April 1st, 2016 | 4th | | |
| April 13th, 2016 | 2nd | | |
| April 28th, 2016 | 1st | | |
| May 5th, 2016 | 2nd | | |
Tournament placings[edit]
| Tournament | Date | 1v1 placement | 2v2 placement | Partner |
|---|
| KetubatoX 2 | August 17th-18th, 2008 | 9th / ≥48 | — | — |
| Numabura Season 1-1 | December 27th, 2008 | 1st / 96 | — | — |
| KetubatoX 4 | August 15th, 2009 | 5th / 96 | — | — |
| KetubatoX 5 | March 20th-21st, 2010 | 3rd | — | — |
| SumabatoX .3 | July 18th, 2010 | 2nd | — | — |
| SumabatoX 1 | August 22nd, 2010 | 17th | — | — |
| SumabatoX 2 | September 18th, 2010 | 2nd | — | — |
| SumabatoX 3 | October 30th, 2010 | 1st | — | — |
| KetubatoX 6 | November 27th, 2010 | 2nd | — | — |
| SumabatoX 4 | December 4th, 2010 | 1st | — | — |
| SumabatoX 5 | January 22nd, 2011 | 1st | — | — |
| Sun Rise Tournament rehearsal | February 11th, 2011 | 1st / >48 | — | — |
| SumabatoX 6 | March 12th, 2011 | 1st | — | — |
| SumabatoX FES | May 4th, 2011 | 3rd | — | — |
| SumabatoX 7 | June 25th, 2011 | 25th / 66 | 2nd | Rakyawo |
| SumabatoX 8 | September 4th, 2011 | 17th | — | — |
| SumabatoX 9 | October 9th, 2011 | 1st | — | — |
| SumabatoX 10 | November 19th, 2011 | 1st | — | — |
| SumabatoX 11 | December 25th, 2011 | 1st | — | — |
| SumabatoX 12 | February 11th, 2012 | 1st | — | — |
| SumabatoX Light | March 2012 | 9th | — | — |
| SumabatoX 13 | May 5th, 2012 | 2nd | — | — |
| SumabatoX 14 | June 9th, 2012 | 1st / ~80 | — | — |
| SumabatoX 15 | August 5th, 2012 | 1st | — | — |
| Sun Rise Tournament | August 10th-12th, 2012 | 5th | — | — |
| SumabatoX 16 | September 15th, 2012 | 2nd | 2nd | Pilky |
| SumabatoX 17 | November 11th, 2012 | 2nd | — | — |
| Apex 2013 | January 11th-13th, 2013 | 9th | 97th | Punishment Divine |
| SumabatoX 18 | February 16th, 2013 | 1st | — | — |
| SumabatoX 19 | March 30th, 2013 | 1st | — | — |
| SumabatoX 20 | May 11th, 2013 | 1st | — | — |
| SumabatoX 21 | June 29th, 2013 | 1st | — | — |
| SumabatoX 22 | August 23rd, 2013 | 5th | — | — |
| SumabatoX 23 | September 30th, 2013 | 1st | — | — |
| SumabatoX 24 | November 23rd, 2013 | 1st | — | — |
| Kansai Round Robin | December 2nd, 2013 | 1st | — | — |
| SumabatoX 25 | January 13th, 2014 | 1st | — | — |
| SumabatoX 26 | February 22nd, 2014 | 3rd | 5th | Phisakura |
| SumabatoX 27 | March 29th, 2014 | 1st | — | — |
| KVO 2014 | May 5th, 2014 | 3rd | — | — |
| 3on3 tournament | June 14th, 2014 | — | 3rd | Pitch |
| SKTAR 3 | May 31st-June 1st, 2014 | 1st | 7th | Mekos |
| Sumabato X Final | August 23rd-24th, 2014 | 5th (forfeit) | — | — |
| Tournament | Date | 1v1 placement | 2v2 placement | Partner |
|---|
| Sumabato 0 | October 25th, 2014 | 9th | — | — |
| Tournament | Date | 1v1 placement | 2v2 placement | Partner |
|---|
| Pre-KVO 2015 | December 27th, 2014 | 9th | — | — |
| Karisuma 2 | February 14th, 2015 | 4th | — | — |
| KSB 2015 | May 2nd-4th, 2015 | 17th | — | — |
| Karisuma 3 | May 23rd, 2015 | 5th | — | — |
| Karisuma 4 | July 25th, 2015 | 9th | — | — |
| Umebura F.A.T. | September 21st-22nd, 2015 | 5th | — | — |
| Karisuma 5 | October 10th, 2015 | 2nd | — | — |
| Hirosuma 2 | November 15th, 2015 | 2nd | — | — |
| Umebura Niconico Qualifiers | November 29th, 2015 | 5th | — | — |
| Pre-KVO 2016 | December 19th, 2015 | 5th | — | — |
| Wombo Wednesday #21 | January 13th, 2016 | 5th | — | — |
| GENESIS 3 | January 15th-17th, 2016 | 49th | 9th | Earth |
| SHI-G Tournament | February 7th, 2016 | 13th | 17th | Umeki |
| Sumabato 7 | February 11th, 2016 | 13th | — | — |
| Shots Fired 2 | March 5th-6th, 2016 | 5th | 5th | Ranai |
| Sumabato 8 | March 12th, 2016 | 2nd | — | — |
| Hirosuma 3 | March 20th, 2016 | 3rd | — | — |
| Karisuma 6 | April 3rd, 2016 | 1st | — | — |
| Sumabato 9 | April 9th, 2016 | 1st | — | — |
| Umebura 22 | April 24th, 2016 | 9th | — | — |
| KSB 2016 | April 29th-May 1st, 2016 | 7th | — | — |
| Battle Arena Melbourne 8 | May 13th-15th, 2016 | 3rd | 9th | MGK |
| Sumabato 10 | May 29th, 2016 | 33rd | — | — |
| Hirosuma 4 | June 12th, 2016 | 1st | — | — |
| Sumabato 11 | June 18th, 2016 | 25th | — | — |
| Karisuma 8 | June 25th, 2016 | 13th | — | — |
| PSG Classic 2016 | July 13th, 2016 | 9th | — | — |
| EVO 2016 | July 15th-17th, 2016 | 129th | — | — |
| Sumabato for THE BIG HOUSE | July 30th-31st, 2016 | 25th | — | — |
| Umebura S.A.T. | August 20th-21st, 2016 | 49th | — | — |
| Sumabato 12 | August 27th, 2016 | 9th | — | — |
| Umebura 25 | September 10th, 2016 | 25th | — | — |
| Hirosuma 5 | September 18th, 2016 | 3rd | — | — |
| Shulla-bra VIII | September 24th, 2016 | 5th | — | — |
| Sumabato 13 | September 25th, 2016 | 33rd | — | — |
| Karisuma 10 | October 8th, 2016 | 5th | 2nd | Nojinko |
| Sumabato 14 | October 22nd, 2016 | 4th | 9th | Kei |
| Dubai Dojo | November 25th-26th, 2016 | 1st | 2nd | Kei |
| Hirosuma Tokaigi Qualifiers | December 11th, 2016 | 9th | — | — |
| 2GGT: ZeRo Saga | December 16th-18th, 2016 | 25th | 9th | Nietono |
| Sumabato Tokaigi Qualifiers | December 25th, 2016 | 13th | — | — |
| SGC 2017 | January 7th-8th, 2017 | 2nd | — | — |
| Karisuma Tokaigi Qualifiers | January 14th, 2017 | 4th | — | — |
| Smash of the Titans 15 | January 19th, 2017 | 2nd | — | — |
| GENESIS 4 | January 20th-22nd 2017 | 13th | 33rd | FILIP |
| Sumabato 15 | January 28th, 2017 | 2nd | 33rd | ch |
| Umebura Tokaigi Qualifiers | February 4th, 2017 | 3rd | — | — |
| Niconico Tokaigi 2017 | February 11th-12th, 2017 | 7th | — | — |
| Sumabato 16 | February 25th, 2017 | 1st | — | — |
| Karisuma 12 | March 11th, 2017 | 1st | 5th | ikep |
| Hirosuma: Revolution | March 19th, 2017 | 5th | — | — |
| Wednesday Night Fights 2017 Winter Season 1.6 | March 22nd, 2017 | 1st | — | — |
| 2GGC: Civil War | March 24th-26th, 2017 | 13th | 33rd | Nietono |
| Sumabato x Cyclops #1 | April 5th, 2017 | 7th | — | — |
| Sumabato x Cyclops #2 | April 12th, 2017 | 2nd | — | — |
| Sumabato 17 | April 16th, 2017 | 17th | — | — |
| Karisuma 13 | April 23rd, 2017 | 9th | — | — |
| Sumabato x Cyclops #4 | April 27th, 2017 | 4th | — | — |
| KSB 2017 | May 4th-6th, 2017 | 9th | — | — |
| Umebura Japan Major 2017 | May 6th-7th, 2017 | 4th | 17th | Masashi |
| Sumabato x Cyclops #5 | May 12th, 2017 | 2nd | — | — |
| Sumabato x Cyclops #6 | May 17th, 2017 | 2nd | — | — |
| Sumabato x Cyclops #7 | May 24th, 2017 | 1st | — | — |
| Hirosuma 6 | June 3rd, 2017 | 3rd | — | — |
| Sumabato 18 | June 18th, 2017 | 5th | — | — |
| Sumabato x Cyclops #11 | June 22nd, 2017 | 2nd | — | — |
| Karisuma 14 | June 24th, 2017 | 1st | — | — |
| Toryumon Weekday Tournament x STUDIO SKY #6 | June 28th, 2017 | 5th | — | — |
| Umebura 27 | July 1st, 2017 | 9th | — | — |
| Sumabato x Cyclops #13 | July 7th, 2017 | 2nd | — | — |
| 4th Annual PSG Classic | July 12th, 2017 | 4th | — | — |
| EVO 2017 | July 14th-16th, 2017 | 25th | — | — |
| Sumabato x Cyclops #15 | July 21st, 2017 | 1st | — | — |
| Sumabato x Cyclops #17 | August 4th, 2017 | 2nd | — | — |
| Sumabato 19 | August 12th, 2017 | 2nd | — | — |
| Dubai Dojo 2 | August 25th-26th, 2017 | 2nd | 7th | Prado |
| Kyojin Dojo | December 30th, 2022-January 1st, 2023 | 17th | — | — |
- 9B is known for frequently self-destructing with Bayonetta inSmash 4, mostly doing so after having taken a stock from an opponent after a combo involving her special moveset. This is sometimes referred to as the "9B dive".
External links[edit]
Gameplay videos[edit]
References[edit]
SSBBRank 2014: 1st
PGR 100: 44th
5th / 64 atJapan United Smash Festa Round-Robin 3
