Zelda inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate
Universe	The Legend of Zelda
Other playable appearances	inMelee inBrawl inSSB4
Availability	Unlockable
Final Smash	Triforce of Wisdom
Tier	D (73)

Zelda (ゼルダ,Zelda) is a playable character inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate. She was confirmed as a playable character along withSheik and the rest of veterans on June 12, 2018. Unlike the game's predecessors, she isunlockable instead of being available from thestart. Zelda is classified asFighter #17.

Ultimate breaks the streak of Zelda being voiced in theSmash series by Jun Mizusawa, who voiced the character inThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time andThe Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Similar to fellowZelda fightersLink andGanondorf, Zelda has brand new voice clips provided byAyumi Fujimura, who reprises her role fromThe Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds; it would be one of her last roles before her retirement in 2019. In the Japanese opening ofWorld of Light, Fujimara provides a single line of spoken dialogue as Zelda; this line is dubbed in English by Brandy Kopp, who also voicesPalutena.

Zelda is ranked 73rd out of 82 on the currenttier list, placing her near the top of the D tier; a slight improvement from her 52nd/53rd out of 54 placement inSSB4 where she was tied withGanondorf, and her best placement in the series. She has an abundance of KO options, with power comparable to or exceeding that of heavyweights, despite being a lightweight. Among them are several outstanding kill throws andPhantom Slash, a versatile zoning and trapping tool that can start or finish combos, force approaches and apply pressure by controlling space, namely in ledge trapping. Many of her strongest attacks come out surprisingly fast and havetranscendent priority, tending to create favorable trades if not outright beating out the opponent. Several double as effective out-of-shield options, notoriouslyFarore's Wind, which is also one of the best recovery moves in the game, and herLightning Kicks—the immense power of the latter, especially as aerials, makes them versatile finishers, giving Zelda the signature ability to convert into very early KOs without the use of smash attacks.

Despite these strengths, Zelda has many notable weaknesses. Her main finishers and safe-on-shield moves require precise sweetspots or spacing, weak sourspots that can even be punishable on hit, and/or high ending lag. Her mobility is among the worst in the game, which compounds the inconsistency of these moves. The hitboxes on several of her attacks are poor, limiting their utility and giving her especially poor defense with their transcendence; she lacks fast, low-committal projectiles herself, making her susceptible to being outcamped. She also has a limited number of moves and rather small or inconsistent windows to confirm into other moves, as some of her combo moves like down tilt and neutral aerial have unfavourable angles that make them inconsistent at starting and extending combos without the proper timing or percents. Thus, as Zelda relies heavily on the committal Phantom to secure damage and KOs, as well as to compensate for her mobility, approach options and pressure, she can crumble in stretches of combat where it is unfit to use. An unfavorable combination of tallness,floatiness, a lack of landing options and her light weight results in one of the worst disadvantage states and overall endurances in the game.

Overall, Zelda plays a decent zoning game and a strong trapping game, with tools for controlling space and KOing early, but her precise hitboxes and low mobility result in poor consistency and a weak neutral and disadvantage state, making her a glass cannon with a focus on precision. Zelda is rarely represented in tournaments, but there have been dedicated players, such asYn from Japan,Naskino in France, andVen in the United States, with respectable results.

How to unlock[edit]

Complete one of the following:

• PlayVS. matches, with Zelda being the 2nd character to be unlocked.
• ClearClassic Mode withKirby or any character in his unlock tree, being the 4th character unlocked afterPac-Man.
• Have Zelda join the player's party inWorld of Light.

Zelda must then be defeated onTemple (theΩ form is used in World of Light).

Attributes[edit]

Zelda is a tall, floatylightweight character (weighing the same asSora) with overall slow mobility. While she has an above-averageair speed,initial dash andtraction, her jumps andair acceleration are below average, and she has the 22nd slowestwalking speed, the 16th slowestfalling speed, the 10th lowestgravity, and is tied withByleth for the 9th slowestrunning speed in the game. Zelda possesses the largest array oftranscendent moves in the game; her attacks are mostly based on magic, being short-ranged attacks with varying but overall modest degrees of disjoint. They also boast generally quick startup; all her normal attacks activate before frame 10, except forforward tilt,up aerial,down aerial, andforward smash. Despite her low weight, many of her attacks have impressiveKO potential and damage output, giving her power comparable to that of heavyweights. Due to these factors, Zelda can be generalized as a zoner glass cannon.

Zelda's ground game is notably safer than her aerial game due to generally being less committal and more consistent. She has decent close-quarters combat, namely in herdown tilt, a short-ranged low-profiling poke, andup tilt, a large all-around anti-air; both are quick to execute combo starters with long-lasting hitboxes. They often work in tandem withdash attack, which is her most important burst and punish option with excellent speed and large hitboxes. More situational is herneutral attack, which is her fastest move at frame 4; it can transition into arapid jab for simple damage, or sometimes combo at high percents on its own, but is short-ranged, inconsistent at comboing and unsafe on shield.Forward tilt is the biggest outlier, being much slower with narrow hitboxes and a strong but low-priority tipper; it can be used to space (especially on shield) at a longer range.

Though known for her broad power, Zelda's smash attacks are one of the few areas where she falls average in strength, although they are all still respectable finishers. Herforward smash has a good horizontal disjoint with multiple hits; it is a decent option for catching ledge getups, and due to its rather low ending lag it can be hard to punish on shield, especially if spaced and/or charged.Up smash is similarly a powerful multi-hit; though laggier and having poor horizontal range, it has a fast startup (frame 9) that can punish poorly spaced moves on shield, and has a very long duration of 23 active frames, making it effective for catching getups and landings.Down smash is a simple leg sweep with average power, being one of her few non-magic attacks, but compensates by being very fast at frame 5; hitting on both sides, the foot sweetspotssemi-spike at a nasty launch angle that can easily set up edgeguards.

Zelda possesses among the most powerful sets ofaerials in the game; uniquely, a majority of them are highly polarized with high risk and high reward, limiting their usage in neutral and forcing her to play carefully in the air. Herforward andback aerials, known as her Lightning Kicks, are by far most polarized moves. Both have fast startup at frame 6 with an incredibly strong sweetspot at her toe, making them effective punishes and deadly out of shield options. However, the sweetspot is tiny and only active for one frame. Additionally, they have high ending lag; the sourspots are also pitifully weak, even being punishable on hit at most percents. This makes them very risky.Down aerial is a vaguely similar move with a powerful single-frame clean hit on her leg, but a very weak late hit. Although slow to come out and weaker than her Lightning Kicks, the clean hit is much larger, the late hit lingers for longer and all hits meteor smash, making it useful for gimping. The clean hit has great utility in punishes, as hitting it on grounded opponents will can start a combo at nearly any percent for massive damage or a KO confirm.

Up aerial is Zelda's only truly consistent aerial, as it consists of a single strong, large and lingering hitbox. A vertically disjointed explosion with excellent power. While having relatively low landing lag, it has significant startup and ending lag and only covers the range above her, limiting its usage.Neutral aerial stands out as her only aerial to not have outstanding power or a notable sweetspot. Instead, as a multi-hit with many active frames hitting on both sides, it serves as her least committal, most versatile aerial. It can auto-cancel in a short hop, which with good execution can most reliably convert into an up tilt or dash attack at lower percents; it can also combo into dash attack when fast-falled, and a single hit can pop grounded opponents up into a variety of confirms at virtually any percent, making it a versatile combo starter. Despite being her most important all-around aerial, it lacks an autolink angle, instead having a rather convoluted set of six hitboxes that cause the move to be inconsistent and the launch direction to be volatile.

Overall, Zelda's aerials on their own can be awkward for spacing, air-to-air combat, and starting combos, instead functioning more strongly in conjunction with and as follow-ups to other moves. One of the moves that most boosts the potency of her aerials is her down special,Phantom Slash, her most important tool. It's a unique projectile with a hurtbox that she builds piece-by-piece, with its properties becoming increasingly strong by the charge, and she can have it attack before it is complete. The earliest stages are limited to zoning and body-blocking, but by the final stage, it has outstanding HP, speed, power and range. After it is complete, Zelda will also be able to move freely, while the Phantom will attack automatically after about a second if it is not manually released, granting Zelda much flexibility during this window. Phantom Slash forms the basis of Zelda's kit and is designed to compensate for Zelda's lackluster neutral, with its speed, power and mixup potential allowing her to control space, cover options, pressure, zone and trap. Its main weakness is that it cannot be charge-canceled, requiring Zelda to commit to either an early release or waiting until she is actionable. In addition, if she enters hitstun at any point before releasing the Phantom, it falls apart.

Outside Phantom Slash, the rest of herspecial moves take inspiration from the spells of the three Golden Goddesses that Link can use inOcarina of Time. Her neutral special,Nayru's Love, is areflector that doubles as a melee attack; it has a long duration and hits on both sides of her, with full intangibility from frames 4-13 of the move, allowing it to beat out moves, disrupt strings, two-frame and edgeguard. However, the multi-hits can be inconsistent, and it is laggy, making it highly punishable.Din's Fire, her side special, is a slow ball of fire that becomes stronger and faster the farther it travels. While the explosion has a powerful sweetspot, its slow startup and predictable trajectory make it easy to avoid; instead, it is mostly used to gimp opponents with low resources. Her up special,Farore's Wind, is an outstanding offensive teleport. It is difficult to edgeguard and to two-frame due to its intangibility, omnidirectional distance and large, strong hitboxes. LikePalutena'sWarp, she can avoid the move's ending lag byedge canceling, which grants her access to otherwise impossible movement options. It is also a reliable out of shield option, as the first hit is fast and can optionally combo into the powerful reappearance hitbox. It can situationally work as a burst option to punish laggy options or anti-zone from a distance. While having unique uses in their own rights, her specials can be strategically be used with each other for creative setups and KOs.

Zelda has good range for hergrab, with her pivot grab being one of the most disjointed in the game. While having notably slow startup, they have great reward in herthrows.Forward throw is good at setting up edge guarding and ledge traps, whileback andup throw are excellent kill throws and among the strongest of their kind.Down throw is a reliable combo starter into neutral aerial or Lightning Kick at lower percents, and is even a possible third kill throw into the latter at mid percents. All her throws can lead into a set-up Phantom with proper timing for combos or KO confirms, though forward and down throw are the most practical.

Despite her strengths, Zelda has significant weaknesses. Chief among them is her poor mobility, which hampers her ability to approach and move around safely. Her initial dash, for instance, is tied for the second laggiest in the game at 15 frames, which makes her unable to shield and rather vulnerable whenever she wants to move faster than walking. She also has a low ground speed, air acceleration, falling speed and gravity, leaving her with committal jumps, a slow, telegraphed approach and a riskyneutral game. These mobility issues dampen the effectiveness of her moveset; for example, many of her safe-on-shield or finishing moves, like her forward tilt, forward smash, Lightning Kicks and down aerial, require precise timing and spacing that is difficult to position given how slow she is. Her floatiness makes her air-to-ground transition poor and exacerbates the downsides of her already clunky aerials; as her aerials are also laggier than average, she cannot take exploit her long air time in the same way fighters with excellent aerial combat likeNess can. Since she is tall and floaty with no safe landing options or mixups, she is very vulnerable to getting juggled and ledge trapped, contributing to one of the worst disadvantages in the game and compounding her already poor endurance from her light weight.

Other issues include poor range on her normals, limiting their utility. The transcendent priority of most of her moves is a double-edged sword; while improving their offense, they give her an especial weakness against projectiles and disjoints. In particular, aerials by defaultdo not clank, except with projectiles which they can destroy; however, the entirety of Zelda's neutral and up aerials, as well as the sweetspots of her Lightning Kicks are transcendent, effectively providing none of the benefits but with all the downsides. The few aerial hitboxes that can protect her against projectiles are subpar: her kicks’ sourspots (which only deal 4%-5%), or the single-frame clean hit of down aerial. Zelda also has consistency issues (namely neutral aerial, Nayru's Love and some of the windboxes of Phantom) and extremely weak sourspots, both of which make her punishable on hit relatively often. Her combo game is polarized and often subpar, as many of her moves have too much lag or unfavorable launch angles and knockback values for reliable follow-ups or wide combo windows. Due to this, she partially relies on Phantom to land stray KOs or start or finish combos for damage-racking. All her special moves have exploitable weaknesses, as they are all committal and can be punished hard if not used correctly. With correct timing and spacing around the Phantom's possible attack ranges, opponents can punish Zelda by reading when she will use the move and preemptively closing in. If there is space, the opponent can also retreat to disengage, with Zelda not being able to do much about it except gaining some stage control. Especially against mobile characters, this forces her to play with her risky, short-ranged neutral tools and subpar mobility.

Among favorable matchups, Zelda excels against slower characters with poor ground and aerial approaches where Phantom Slash can effectively wall them out (Ice Climbers,Kirby), against large characters that become combo fodder and easy targets for her normally strict sweetspots and combos, especially those without safe options on shield, enabling easy punishes with her deadly out of shield options (King Dedede), and against poor recoveries that are very susceptible to her semi-spikes and edgeguarding moves (Ganondorf). Zelda's weaknesses cause her to struggle against quick opponents who can outbox her and/or exploit her poor movement to bait out her options and keep her in disadvantage (Fox,Sonic,Greninja,Zero Suit Samus), against characters who can out-zone and out-camp her with tools that are fast, dwarf the Phantom's range and/or can pierce through it (Simon,Mega Man,Min Min), and against characters with large disjoints who can exploit her transcendent priority (Cloud,Mythra).

Overall, Zelda's strengths include impressive kill power spread broadly across her moveset, fast and powerful out of shield options, and good stage control and ledge trapping with Phantom setups. Her weaknesses in mobility, range, frame data, consistency and sweetspot issues require her to be precise with how she spaces her attacks and to make the most out of Phantom ledge traps with proper reads and option coverage. She must be creative in her approaches to overcome her mobility issues when she does not have a lead, and in mixing up what she does to get out of disadvantage due to her floaty nature and lack of safe landing options.

Changes fromSuper Smash Bros. 4[edit]

Zelda had historically and consistently been regarded as one of the worst characters (and, at one point inSuper Smash Bros. 4, the overall worst) in previous games, due to her combination of underwhelming frame data as a whole, a lackluster special moveset, bad hitbox placements, and an undesirable mix of attributes (slow, light, tall, and floaty). WhileSSB4 had brought updates to her offensive game, her weaknesses remained, causing her to remain unviable. Likely as a result of being poorly regarded in previous games, Zelda has been significantly buffed overall in the transition toUltimate.

Zelda's moveset overall has improved. Her Lightning Kicks have slightly better autocancels, making them more usable; forward tilt, down tilt and dash attack have less ending lag, improving her boxing game. Forward aerial is now as fast as back aerial. Examples of significantly stronger moves includeforward tilt,back throw andup throw, all of which are now among the strongest of their kind. Hitbox improvements includeup aerial, which is larger with a new late hit, and her dash attack, Lightning Kicks and down aerial, all of whose sweetspots are larger. Her special moveset in particular, considered among the most situational in previous games, has seen various improvements.Din's Fire no longer causeshelplessness, has an increased duration and has a larger sweetspot, making it more usable, albeit still situational.Farore's Wind has faster startup and execution and reduced vulnerability, making it a more effective out of shield and punish option; it has more precise angles for reappearance to follow opponent DI, making the "elevator" combo more likely to connect, while also being less unsafe if it whiffs.Phantom Slash is, however, arguably by far her greatest buffed move from Smash 4. It has been heavily reworked to possess more stages with a wider variety of attack ranges, improving its zoning usage, and a new last stage allows Zelda to set it as an independent trap, allowing for intricate setups and combos. It is also much faster, in particular no longer having a special cooldown if destroyed, allowing it to be used much more frequently.

Additionally, Zelda benefits disproportionately from some of the universal changes. Her horizontal movement has been improved in her increased run speed, air speed, air acceleration and initial dash. The universal 3-framejumpsquats improve her noticeably, as she used to have one of the slowest ones; her very powerful out of shield options also become much better. Altogether, the gap in mobility between her and the rest of the cast has been slightly tightened. With the removal of teching grounded spikes, down aerial is by far her most improved combo starter, giving Zelda a plethora of untechable combos and kill confirms. With her excellent recovery, the new limits toair dodges also benefit her off-stage game more than average.

However, Zelda has received many significant nerfs as well, most notably to the hitboxes and combo game of her normals. Neutral attack is drastically smaller and is no longer safe on shield nor has consistent combo potential, removing one of her best neutral and spacing tools. Down tilt is much smaller and has a considerably worse launch angle. Neutral aerial has been nerfed greatly by the autolink removal and lower knockback harming the looping hits' consistency, completely removing their drag-down combos and making the launch direction drastically more difficult to control. Down throw's increase in knockback scaling, combined with its more horizontal launch angle removes its 50/50s at high percents. Overall, many of her old damage-racking options and kill confirms have been weakened or outright removed.

Other nerfs include her forward tilt, which is much more precise due to its slower startup, narrower hitboxes and the sweetspot losing highest priority and being drastically harder to land; the move is often weaker on average despite the damage buffs. Down aerial's late hit is worse at gimping due to its smaller hitboxes. Zelda's dash and pivotgrabs, already below average in speed, have received even more startup, although both of them have less ending lag. Farore's Wind is weaker, making it worse at early KOs, cannot travel as far and is much harder to edge cancel with, hindering one of her movement options; there is also less time to angle the teleport, slightly making it harder to combo into itself.

Although Zelda benefits from some of the changes to the game's engine, other changes have impaired her as well. The changes tojostling have made the below-average sizes of her hitboxes more salient. The new knockback speed-up effect further limits her already nerfed combo moves, as it counteracts her mobility buffs. The universally increased traction makes her edge cancels much harder and reduces shield pushback; together, with the reduction of aerials' shieldstun, it affects her set of aerials among the most, as they have high damage values; this partially cancels out their landing lag buffs. Her air dodges are also now much laggier than average, which worsens her disadvantage state.

Overall, Zelda's moveset has been enhanced from previous installments, making her strengths more defined, especially around Phantom Slash as the new crux of her gameplan. However, nerfs to her combo tools, hitboxes, consistency and precision have tempered her buffs by effectively transfering many of her other moves' usages and strengths to Phantom, centralizing her playstyle around the reworked move. Zelda also retains many of her previous issues fromSmash 4, with punishable/unsafe sourspots, and the combination of being slow, light, tall and floaty. Game updates have brought her moderate improvements, mostly making several moves across the board even stronger, but haven't alleviated her biggest issues. As a result, while Zelda fares notably better than in previous installments, she still underperforms compared to the rest of the cast.

Aesthetics[edit]

• Zelda's appearance is based on her design fromThe Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past,^[1][2][3] andA Link Between Worlds,^[4] with her overall design being a combination of the two.^[5] Her slightly smaller eyes, red necklace, more detailed epaulets, belt andbracers, and the white dress is fromA Link to the Past, while her crown, bangs, and the pink dress are fromA Link Between Worlds. The color scheme of herTwilight Princess design (which was her default inBrawl andSmash 4) is now the basis for an alternate costume.
  • Consequently, Zelda's hair and the jewel of her crown are once again blonde and red respectively, as opposed to brown and blue respectively, with the former being no longer tied at the bottom, similar to her predecessor inMelee; her eyes are larger; her epaulets are smaller; she wears a crimson, gem-like necklace; a sleeved, white dress with a cape and a sleeveless, pink dress with a yellow,Triforce embroidery, as opposed to a purple bodice and a white silk skirt; a more traditional, crimson belt with golden ornaments instead of a gold metallic belt with a tapestry; pants under her dress; bracers with being bare-handed instead of gloves; and open toe high heels instead of boots.
  • Zelda now has physics for her cape as a result.
  • Zelda has an updatedPalutena's Guidance conversation to coincide with the design change.
• Many of Zelda'salternate costumes have been altered:
  • The skirt of her red and blue costumes are now white, instead of maroon and navy respectively.
  • Her black costume now features a purple gradation at the edges of the sleeve and the skirt.
  • The skirt of herOcarina of Time-inspired costume is now lavender and violet, instead of white and dark purple, better matching the coloration of the original.
• The majority of Zelda's animations have been significantly altered, including her standing pose,idle poses, andwalking animations. These changes depict her as very cheerful and somewhat mischievous, making her far more expressive when compared to herSSB4 incarnation, who rarely showed any emotion.
• Zelda always faces the screen regardless of which direction she turns, causing all of her animations to be mirrored.
• All of Zelda'staunts have been altered:
  • Her up taunt is entirely new; she draws a cross pattern with magic akin to hergrab from her fingertips, uttering a short grunt similar toDaisy's down taunt.
  • Her side taunt has a faster and flashier animation.
  • Her down taunt is a more casual and joyful wave.
• Zelda hangs onto ledges with one hand.
• Zelda's dress has independent physics. She now also has cape physics due to her design change.
• Many of Zelda's attacks produce brighter, flashier magical effects.
• All of Zelda'svictory poses are completely new:
  • For the left-inputted pose, she conjures a small flame out of her finger and swirls it around playfully, akin toLucas' right-inputted victory pose.
  • For the right-inputted pose, she summons thePhantom armor and proudly poses in front of it.
  • For the up-inputted pose, she emits magic out of two fingers and points at the screen.
• Due to receiving new voice clips, Zelda is significantly more vocal overall:
  • She vocalizes in all of her taunts and victory poses, ranging from giggling during her down taunt and new up-inputted victory pose, a Kiai noise during her side taunt, and a soft sign during her new right-inputted pose.
  • Zelda vocalizes upon waking up fromsleep status when not suffering from any knockback, similar to a few other characters such asPalutena andCloud. She shares this addition withLink,Ganondorf andWolf.
  • In general, Zelda sounds significantly more dynamic, exaggerated and louder than her predecessors, in a similar vein toPit andIke in their transition fromBrawl. For instance, her attack and knockback voice clips are louder compared to theirBrawl/Smash 4 counterparts, whilestun and sleeping voice clips are quieter and longer.

Attributes[edit]

• Like all characters, Zelda'sjumpsquat takes 3 frames to complete (down from 6).
• Zeldaruns faster (1.3 → 1.43).
  • Her initialdash speed is also much faster (1.6 → 1.958). This improves her approach on the ground and gives her an above-average foxtrot.
• Zeldawalks slightly faster (0.87 → 0.914).
• Zelda'sair speed is slightly faster (1.04 → 1.092).
• Zelda'straction is much higher (0.054 → 0.116).
• Zelda's full hop has less air time (62 frames → 57). This allows her to land faster, but reduces her window to use aerials.
• Forwardroll 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 → 36).
• Spot dodge has less ending lag (FAF 28 → 27).
• Spot dodge grants less intangibility (frames 3-18 → 3-17).
• Air dodge grants more intangibility (frames 3-28 → 3-30).
• Air dodge has significantly more ending lag (FAF 34 → 57).

Ground attacks[edit]

• Neutral attack:
  • It has significantly less startup lag (frame 11 → 4), now being her fastest move and no longer being the slowest neutral attack in the game.
  • The third hit has been removed. Combined with the move's faster startup, this makes the move much less safe on shield and eliminates its combo potential at low percents.
    • However, neutral attack has gained a rapid jab with a finisher, which can be transitioned into after the second hit. This partially compensates for the lost third hit by having similar damage output and higher KO potential.
  • The first two hits deal less damage (3% → 2.5%). With the removal of the third hit, it deals much less total damage (11% → 5%).
  • The first hit lasts for 2 frames, up from 1.
  • The first two hits have a lowerhitlag multiplier (1× → 0.6×), which, with the removal of the third hit, makes the move execute faster on hit and harder to react to.
  • They have more horizontal launch angles (361°/140°/140° → 361°/361°/180°), with only the outermost hitbox sending inward now.
    • The outermost hit uses a separate outward angle (361°) for non-fighter targets, preventing Zelda from launching incoming items and projectiles toward herself.
    • Due to the inner two hits both using the Sakurai angle, they can nowjab lock and trip until high percents. The outermost hit can do so at any percent due to never lifting opponents off the ground.
  • It no longer hasset knockback (40/30 set/100 scaling → 25 base/35/30/20 scaling (hit 1), 40/25 base/25/20/25 scaling (hit 2)). The second hit has gained ahitstun modifier of 2.
    • This makes the inner hits deal more knockback at high percents, giving themjab cancel setups.
    • Compared to the inner hits, the outermost hit has notably lower knockback, making it negative on hit until high percents and unable to jab cancel until unrealistically extreme percents. This makes the move riskier to use without transitioning into the rapid jab, and makes its jab cancel ability inconsistent.
    • The knockback scaling eventually makes the move fail to connect fully, though this only occurs at extreme percents.
  • It has smaller hitboxes (3.2u/3.2u/4u (hits 1-2), 3.6u/3.6u/6u (hit 3) → 2.4u/2.4u/3.2u (hit 1), 3u/3.2u/3.5u (hit 2)). They are positioned closer to Zelda (z-offset 5.5u/9.5u/13u (all hits) → 4u/7u/10u (hit 1), 5u/8u/11.5u (hit 2)), drastically reducing the move's horizontal range and spacing utility.
    • The hitboxes are positioned lower (y-offset 12.5u (all) → 12u/12u/11.8u (hit 1), 11.8u/11.8u/11.5u (hit 2)), worsening their range above Zelda while not improving their reach below due to their smaller sizes.
    • However, there is a new hitbox in front of Zelda's lower body, improving its ability to hit shorter opponents at point-blank range.
• Forward tilt:
  • It has more startup lag (frame 10 → 12).
  • It has a shorter total duration (FAF 38 → 37), effectively reducing the ending lag by 3 frames due to the increased startup.
  • Forward tilt no longer has a blind spot directly in front of Zelda. Instead, if she is close to another character, her lunge animation will push her backwards to allow the hitbox to connect.
  • It uses five small hitboxes (2.1u/2.2u/2.3u/2.4u/2.5u) instead of three medium-sized ones (3u/3.5u/4u). This makes it much narrower, reducing its vertical range.
    • However, the outer hitbox is positioned farther out (x-offset 3.5u → 6.2u), improving its horizontal disjoint.
  • It deals more damage (12% → 15% (sweetspot), 10% → 11.5% (sourspot), which with its lower ending lag makes it safer on shield.
    • The knockback was not fully compensated on the sweetspot (50 base/88 scaling → 72/69), significantly increasing its KO potential, especially near the horizontal blast zone.
    • The sourspot has more base knockback (50 → 72), but significantly less knockback scaling (88 → 68). With its higher damage, its KO potential is slightly higher overall, especially near the horizontal blast zone, but is slightly worse from across stage.
  • The three sourspot hitboxes take priority over the two sweetspot hitboxes, making the sweetspots much harder to land, especially with the aforementioned size reduction.
  • The inner sweetspot hitbox has the same sound effect as the sourspots, despite having identical strength to the outer sweetspot.
• Up tilt:
  • Up tilt has a longer hitbox duration (frames 7-18 → 7-19), allowing it to hit opponentslying down.
  • The outermost hitbox is larger (5u → 5.5u), improving its range.
• Down tilt:
  • Down tilt has less ending lag (FAF 25 → 22).
  • It has 3 small unextended hitboxes (2.6u/2.6u/2.6u) instead of 1 medium-sized extended one (3.6u). Instead of being attached to her leg, they are now static hitboxes positioned closer to each other. Overall this notably reduces its range.
  • It sends opponents at a much lower angle (80° → 62°), and has less base knockback (20 → 15), but more knockback scaling (120 → 125). This greatly worsens its combo potential at low and high percents, and no longer has a guaranteed set-up into up aerial.
    • However, this allows it to combo more reliably into a dash attack and forward aerial at mid percents in combination with its lower ending lag and Zelda's faster jumpsquat.
• Dash attack:
  • Dash attack's sweetspot is larger (2.2u → 2.8u) and is now extended (z-offset: 12.8 → 12.6-13.2). Its other hitboxes are also larger (5u (sourspot)/4.8u (late hit) → 5.2u/5u), but their horizontal ranges were compensated on the far side (z-offset 7.8-13.8 → 7.8-13.6). Overall this improves the move's range, especially for the sweetspot.
  • The late hit has a longer duration (frames 8-10 → 8-12).
  • Dash attack has less ending lag (FAF 40 → 36).
• Forward smash:
  • The looping hits have been moved farther out (Z offset: 8/16 → 9/17), as has its final hitboxes (Z offset: 9.5/16 → 10.5/17), increasing its horizontal range while not introducing a blind spot due to the newjostle mechanics.
  • The looping hits use an autolink angle (25°/165° → 366°) and have higher set knockback (40/50 → 60/60), improving their consistency.
    • This indirectly hinders the move's KO potential slightly due to the inner hitbox pulling opponents into itself, rather than pushing outward (i.e. closer to the side blast zone).
  • The final hit is slightly larger (5.5u/6u → 5.7u/6u).
• Up smash:
  • The looping hits are larger (3.5u/3.5u/3.5u/4.2u → 3.5u/4u/4u/4.6u) and are positioned higher (y-offset 11u/17u/17u/18u → 12u/18u/18u/19u), improving its range.
    • However, this slightly decreases its lower reach. Combined withjostling, it is more difficult to punish lower opponents out of shield.
  • The looping hits use continuous hitboxes with a rehit rate, significantly reducing the gaps between its hits (frame 9/12/15/18/25/28/31 → 9-23/25-32 (rehit rate 4)).
    • However, this causes it to have only six looping hits, down from seven, reducing up smash's maximum damage (15.4% → 14.6%).
  • The side looping hits use different and higher launch angles for grounded and aerial opponents (200° → 100° (grounded)/160° (aerial)) and have different set knockback (40 → 60 (grounded)/20 (aerial)), allowing them to connect more reliably against aerial opponents, but no longer pulling in opponents standing on either side of her as easily.
  • The first four looping hits have lower knockback scaling (105 → 100), and the top looping hit has lower set knockback (40 → 20).
  • The final hit has more knockback scaling (214 → 222), improving its KO potential.
  • The side hitboxes for the final hit are smaller (7.5u/7.5u → 6.5u/6.5u).
• Down smash:
  • Down smash has higher knockback scaling (86 (front)/96 (back) → 89/100), improving its KO potential.

Aerial attacks[edit]

• All aerials have less landing lag (19 frames → 12 (neutral), 23 → 15 (forward), 25 → 16 (back), 19 → 12 (up), 18 → 12 (down)).
• Lightning Kicks and down aerial have unique sound effects when used.
• Neutral aerial:
  • Neutral aerial has altered hitlag (1× (all) → 0.6× (looping hits)/2× (last hit)).
  • Neutral aerial is vulnerable toSDI again (0× → 0.8× (looping hits), 1× (last hit)).
  • The looping hits useweight-independent knockback.
  • The looping hits now use different hitboxes for aerial versus grounded opponents.
  • On aerial opponents, instead of 2 medium hitboxes, the looping hits now consist of 4 small extended hitboxes (4.7u/4.7u → 1.5u/1.5u/1.5u/1.5u). This gives them much less range in the z-axis, being significantly narrower than even a Lightning Kick sweetspot. Additionally, due to being extended, they no longer interpolate.
    • They no longer use theautolink angle (366° → 132°/230° (front), 152°/210° (back)), causing the move to connect less reliably. Due to the angles constantly sending in toward Zelda's opposite side and no longer matching her movement, the opponent's final launch position and direction are far less controllable, making follow-ups more difficult, especially from an auto-canceled short hop.
    • The aerial hitboxes have drastically lower knockback and thus hitstun (75 set/100 scaling → 30 base/10 scaling (bottom hits), 15 base/10 scaling (top hits)). This makes it much easier for the opponent to punish Zelda if they fall out of the looping hits, and completely removes neutral aerial’s drag-down combo potential at realistic percents despite the move’s lower landing lag.
  • On grounded opponents, the looping hits' angles send more outward from Zelda (80° → 70°), making it harder to connect subsequent hits.
    • They also no longer use set knockback (75 set/100 scaling → 50 base/80 scaling), now sending into tumble at higher percents. Combined with the new knockback speed-up effect, at higher percents it becomes harder or even impossible to fully connect the move against grounded opponents, due to the first hit sending them too far.
    • However, the angle and knockback changes improve a single hit's combo potential on grounded opponents if used in afast fall, especially the higher their percent.
    • Due to the removal of set knockback, the front hit's higher damage now makes it stronger than the back hit.
    • The hitboxes are slightly larger (4.7u → 5u).
    • The hitboxes are positioned on more of a slant, with the front hit reaching lower, and the back hit reaching higher and more inward (y-offset 11 (front)/12 (back) → 10/13, z-offset 7.6/-6 → 7.6/-5).
  • The hand hitboxes for the final hit are positioned on more of a slant (y-offset 11 (front)/12 (back) → 9/13.5). They are larger (4u → 5u) and are positioned slightly farther out (z-offset 7.6/-6 → 8.5/-7), increasing their range.
  • The last hit has less base knockback (40 → 35), allowing it to combo for longer, but reducing its KO potential.
• Lightning Kick:
  • Zelda now uses a specific voice clip when performing either her forward or back aerial; it somewhat resemblesFox,Falco,Pit andDark Pit's voice clips when they performFox Illusion,Falco Phantasm,Palutena Bow andSilver Bow respectively.
  • On top of themagic effect, the sweetspots now have additional unique lightning effects on hit. These are purely aesthetic and not to be confused with theelectric effect.
  • The sweetspot hitboxes are now static instead of being attached to Zelda's toe. They are slightly larger (1.9u → 2.2u) and extend into the Z-axis (X offset: -1–1), making it easier to land and preventing it from missing due to opponents leaning into the Z-axis.
• Forward aerial:
  • Forward aerial has less startup (frame 9 → 6), with its total duration reduced as well (FAF 53 → 50).
  • Itauto-cancels earlier (frame 50 → 43), although still not fast enough to auto-cancel in a short hop.
  • Its initial auto-cancel window is shorter (frames 1-3 → 1-2).
• Back aerial:
  • Back aerial has less ending lag (FAF 53 → 50).
  • It auto-cancels earlier (frame 52 → 45).
  • The sourspots have a longer duration (6-9 → 6-10).
  • The sweetspot has more base knockback (28 → 30).
• Up aerial:
  • Up aerial has a new late hit that deals 12%, doubling the move's hitbox duration (frames 14-16 → 14-16 (clean)/17-19 (late)).
  • The hitbox is larger (8u → 9u).
  • Its hitbox is higher up (Y offset: 23 → 26.5). Combined with its larger size, this noticeably improves its range above Zelda, but introduces a blindspot and makes it very hard (or even impossible) to hit grounded opponents onstage.
  • It has more base knockback (30 → 55), but less knockback scaling (84 → 73 (clean)/70 (late)). Overall, it KOs earlier, especially near the top blast zone.
  • It auto-cancels slightly earlier (frame 55 → 54), with its auto-cancel window no longer exceeding its animation length.
  • It has a new animation which is longer than the previous one (54 frames → 63). This increases the amount of time Zelda cannot grab the ledge after using the move.
• Down aerial:
  • Down aerial's clean hit is larger, and has an additional hitbox that covers Zelda's lower leg, giving it more range (4u → 4.2u/4u). They are also positioned farther up and down (X offset: 0 → 2/-1). This removes its blind spot and makes it easier to land.
  • The late hit has smaller hitboxes (6u/6u → 5u/5u), reducing its range and worsening its gimping potential.
  • The removal of teching for grounded meteor smashes improves down aerial's combo potential onstage, combined with its reduced landing lag.

Throws and other attacks[edit]

• Zelda's animation when holding aSuper Scope orGust Bellows has been altered, as she now holds the item in a manner similar to a rifle.
• Grabs:
  • Standing grab has more ending lag (FAF 38 → 40).
  • Dash and pivot grabs have more startup lag (frame 11 → 13 (dash), 14 (pivot)).
    • However, dash grab's total duration was not fully compensated (FAF 47 → 48), giving it one frame less ending lag.
  • Dash grab has less range (Z2 offset: 14.5u → 13.3u).
  • Pivot grab has significantly increased range (Z2 offset: -16.7u → -19.2u), becoming one of the farthest-reaching non-tether pivot grabs in the game.
  • Pivot grab has less ending lag (FAF 45 → 43).
  • All grabs use separate, narrower hitboxes for aerial opponents (3.8u/3.0u/3.8u (standing/dash/pivot) → 1.9u/1.5u/1.9u).
• Pummel:
  • Pummel deals morehitlag (5 frames → 14), but has significantly less startup (frame 7 → 2) and ending lag (FAF 25 → 8), shortening its duration.
  • It deals much less damage (3% → 1.3%).
  • Zelda grabs and pummels opponents with one hand instead of two.
• Forward, back, and up throws have new animations, and Zelda's hands emit brighter trails of magic. The speed of these throws no longer depends on the opponent's weight, making them slower for lighter opponents and faster for heavier opponents.
• Forward throw:
  • Forward throw deals less damage (12% → 10%) and knockback (70 base/50 scaling → 100/30). This significantly hinders its KO potential despite launching at a lower angle (45° → 42°), to the point where it can no longer KO under 215% even near the ledge.
    • However, the changes to up throw more than compensate due to KOing earlier from any point on stage.
    • The higher base knockback improves its potential to launch off stage at low percents, and the low knockback scaling now gives Zelda a consistent throw to combo into a delayed Phantom.
• Back throw:
  • Back throw deals more damage (11% → 12%) and has less base knockback (80 → 40), but more knockback scaling (60 → 90), greatly improving its KO potential, especially from center stage.
• Up throw:
  • Up throw has much higher knockback scaling (60 → 82), allowing it to KO middleweights at around 150%, while in SSB4, it was unable to KO until around 200%.
  • It has increased combo potential due to Zelda's faster jumpsquat and jump speed.
  • It sends opponents at a marginally less vertical angle (88° → 87°).
• Down throw:
  • Down throw's four looping hits deal more damage (1% → 1.5%), increasing its total damage (6% → 8%).
  • The looping hits use thefire effect instead ofmagic.
  • It has less base knockback (85 → 75), but more knockback scaling (55 → 85), marginally increasing its combo potential at lower percents in combination with Zelda's faster jumpsquat and jump speed, while reducing it at higher percents.
  • It has marginally more ending lag (FAF 70 → 71) and sends opponents at a less vertical angle (100° → 104°), leaving it unable to combo into an up aerial at low-mid percents and further hindering its follow-up potential at high percents.
    • Due to the more outward angle, neutral aerial is a less reliable follow-up on DI away, forcing the user to use a Lightning Kick more often, which is much more precise.
• Edge attack:
  • Edge attack deals more damage (7% → 9%).

Special moves[edit]

• Nayru's Love:
  • It no longer halts vertical momentum, allowing Zelda to move in the air while using the move.
  • Its intangibility starts one frame earlier (frame 5 → 4).
  • Its reflective hitbox has a shorter duration (frames 5-43 → 5-41). The intangibility also ends two frames earlier, reducing its duration by one frame (frames 5-15 → 4-13).
  • The hitboxes have less startup lag (frame 13 → 11), with their total duration reduced as well (FAF 60 → 58).
  • The inner looping hit is larger (6u → 8.5u) and positioned lower (y-offset 8 → 7). This allows it to hit below stage.
    • However, the inner looping hit does not stretch as far (z-offset -4 to 4 → -0.5 to 0.5), slightly reducing the looping hits' horizontal range against aerial opponents.
    • The final hit now has less vertical range than the looping hits, increasing the chance of the move not connecting fully.
• Din's Fire:
  • Din's Fire no longer leaves Zeldahelpless in the air.
  • Zelda has a lower gravity upon using the move (0.019 → 0.012), improving its off-stage usage.
  • It has improved maneuverability (angle addition per frame 1.375° → 1.645°, maximum angle 74.5° → 78°).
  • It travels a slightly longer distance.
  • The explosion's duration is longer (2 frames → 6 frames).
  • Its hitboxes are larger, especially the sweetspot (2.1u → 3.5u (sweetspot), 4.5u → 4.8u (sourspot)).
  • The flame has a more stylized appearance.
• Farore's Wind:
  • Farore's Wind's first hit has less startup lag (frame 8 → 6), improving its out of shield utility. It also has a longer duration (1 frame → 2).
  • Zelda's speed is reduced on the move's startup, making her easier to hit and reducing the added distance from a jump.
  • Zelda disappears and begins her teleport sooner (frame 21 → 17).
  • Zelda has more precise angles of teleport direction, allowing her to land its second hit on enemies who DI the initial hit.
  • Its teleport duration is shorter (20 frames → 18), slightly decreasing its maximum distance and worsening its ability to combo into itself at high percents.
    • However, in conjunction with the faster startup, this makes the second hit come out faster (frame 41-42 → 35-36) and the move interruptible sooner (FAF 81 → 76).
    • The intangibility duration is marginally shorter (frames 21-39 → 17-34) but is no longer shorter than the teleport duration. Furthermore, there is no longer a single frame of vulnerability before the reappearance hitbox comes out.
  • It shows small green orbs that follow Zelda's path during her teleport.
  • A more intense green/yellow vortex is produced at the start and end of the move.
  • The second hit has less base knockback (90 (sweetspots)/70 (sourspots) → 80/60), with only the aerial version's sweetspot having its knockback scaling compensated, though not fully (90 → 94). This hinders its KO potential, especially near the side blast zones for the grounded hits and the top blast zone for the aerial hits.
  • Due to her highertraction, Zelda does not slide as far on the ground on reappearance, makingedge canceling significantly harder.
  • Zelda can drift and fast fall in the air much sooner after reappearing, reducing her vulnerability.
• Phantom Slash:
  • Phantom Slash has been heavily reworked. The Phantom armor assembles itself behind Zelda rather than appearing fully formed out of a portal in front of her. It is a single-press chargeable move; pressing the special move button again will cause the incomplete armor to attack at its current charge level. The move has seven charge levels, with five different types of attacks:
    • 1st: Kick (frame 15)
    • 2nd: Punch (frame 20)
    • 3rd: Outward slash (frame 28)
    • 4th: Overhead slash (frame 38)
    • 5th: Upward slash (frame 50, can be delayed up to frame 120)
    • Most notably, the new overhead slash makes it harder for opponents to jump over the Phantom to punish Zelda during the move's charge. Combined with the Phantom's much faster charge, the move has significantly improved zoning utility.
  • The Phantom charges behind Zelda instead of in front, leaving her more vulnerable since it has to travel a short distance before it can hit in front of her.
  • Releasing the Phantom has less ending lag (FAF 47 → 40).
  • If she doesn't release the Phantom, Zelda can now move freely starting on frame 67 while the Phantom remains in place. This creates a significant overlap between frames 67 and 120 where Zelda can simultaneously move freely and manually release the fully charged Phantom at any moment. This improves Zelda's neutral and advantage state, and mitigates the move's vulnerability to reflectors.
  • The Phantom's windboxes are stronger, especially for the highest charges. This improves the move's consistency and gimping potential.
  • All hitboxes are nowtranscendent, improving their offensive utility.
  • Phantom Slash deals less damage overall, especially when fully charged (≈6%-≈8% (1st level), ≈11%-≈15% (2nd), ≈24% total (3rd) → 5.9% (kick), 8.2% (punch), 10.5%/11.8% (outward slash), 14.1%/15.4% (overhead slash), 17.7% (upward slash)), as the fully charged hit only hits once. It has also received negativeshield damage (0 → -1, -1.5, -2, -2.5, -3).
  • The last level has more base knockback (32 → 60), but less knockback scaling (100 → 75), and launches at a lower angle (50° → 46°). This makes it better for KOing at the ledge, but worse from afar.
  • All attacks have a longer hitbox duration, and all after the first also have less startup (frame 11 (1st), 13-14 (2nd), 18-19, 24-27 (3rd) → frames 11-12 (kick), 8-12 (punch), 8-11 (outward/overhead slash), 7-17 (upward slash)).
  • There is no longer a cooldown if the Phantom is destroyed. Once the armor disappears, the move can be used again immediately, improving the Phantom's overall utility.
• Final Smash:
  • Zelda has a new Final Smash calledTriforce of Wisdom. She magically opens a glowing, triangular portal that sucks in the opponent and immobilizes them while dealing damage. If the opponent is at or above 100% damage before the portal closes, they are "sealed away" andinstantly KO'd; otherwise, they receive set knockback. Other opponents above 100% damage can be launched significantly if they are within a certain radius of the portal when it closes.
  • Compared toLight Arrow, Triforce of Wisdom has a significantly longer duration and more range covering the entire stage, making it almost impossible to avoid. It also deals more total damage (40% → 67%).
  • Triforce of Wisdom can only trap one opponent, making it less effective in battles with more than two players.
  • Triforce of Wisdom does not produce theHome-Run Batsound effect, unlike Light Arrow.

Update history[edit]

Zelda has been buffed overall via game updates, receiving the biggest changes in update 7.0.0, followed by update 13.0.0. A majority of the changes focused on augmenting the power of her kill moves, with up smash, down smash, up aerial, and especially forward tilt and down special being stronger. Hitbox buffs made up aerial, down aerial's clean hit and Din's Fire's sweetspot larger, and increased the hitbox duration of up aerial and Din's Fire. Small frame data buffs reduced the ending lag of her jab by 1 frame and the landing lag of neutral aerial by 3 frames, making their combos more viable. Multihit angle adjustments made forward smash more consistent; while also intending to do the same for neutral aerial, its angle changes were a mixed bag in practice, only improving its consistency in some cases, but making the final hit's launch direction much more volatile and thus making auto-cancel combos more difficult.

Aside from the mixed change to neutral aerial's angles, Zelda has also received two minor nerfs, though negligible as the first was eventually negated, and the second reversed a very brief unintended bug. In update 3.0.0, Phantom's shield damage was reduced, but the later 7.0.0 damage buff completely compensated for this. The 9.0.1 patch introduced a shadow buff that allowed Zelda to displace the Phantom much more easily; this bug was fixed just three weeks later in update 9.0.2.

Overall, compared to release, Zelda's raw power has been accentuated, but without inherent or major changes to her neutral, inconsistencies and combo trees.

3.0.0

• Phantom Slash deals less shield damage (0 (all) → -1 (1st charge)/-1.5 (2nd charge)/-2 (3rd charge)/-2.5 (4th charge)/-3 (5th charge)).

4.0.0

• Medium and fast walking animations have been adjusted to prevent her dress from clipping.

7.0.0

• Overall shield size has been increased.
• Forward tilt deals more damage (10%/12% → 11.5%/15%), with knockback scaling not fully compensated (70/70 → 68/69). This significantly improves its KO potential to the point it is even stronger than inSmash 4, with the sweetspot KOing at around 120% from the center ofFinal Destination.
• Neutral aerial's looping hits launch aerial opponents at more horizontal angles (92°/270°/92°/270° → 132°/230°/152°/210°), causing them to connect more reliably if Zelda is drifting away, but less reliably when Zelda is rising or falling.
  • Due to now sending toward Zelda's opposite side, the final hit's launch direction is much more volatile. This makes follow-ups more difficult, especially from an auto-canceled short hop.
• Neutral aerial has less landing lag (15 frames → 12), matching itsBrawl counterpart. This improves its combo potential, making KO setups intoLightning Kicks more reliable.
• Up aerial has a bigger hitbox (8u → 9u), increasing its range.
• Up aerial's clean hit has more knockback scaling (70 → 73).
• Up aerial has a new late hit that increases its duration (frames 14-16 → 14-19), and deals less damage (17% → 12%) with knockback not compensated.
• Din's Fire's sweetspot is larger (2.6u → 3.5u), and the explosion's hitbox is active for longer (4 frames → 6).
• Phantom Slash deals more damage on all charges (4.7% → 5.9% (level 1), 6.6% → 8.2% (level 2), 8.5%/9.4% → 10.5%/11.8% (level 3), 11.3%/12.2% → 14.1%/15.4% (level 4), 14.1% → 17.7% (level 5)), with knockback scaling partly compensated on the highest two charges (60 → 57 (level 4), 75 → 68 (level 5)).

9.0.2

• Fixed an issue where Zelda's momentum after usingPhantom in the air was different from what was intended.
  • This means she can no longer exploit this bug to improve the move's safety.

10.1.0

• Forward smash has received various adjustments that allow the move to connect more reliably:
  • The first four hits send at anautolink angle (25°/165 → 366° (both)) and have more set knockback (40/50 → 60 (both)).
    • This tends to pull opponents toward the center of the near hitbox. In the majority of cases, this marginally reduces the move's KO potential compared to before.
  • The last hit's hitbox at Zelda's arm is slightly larger (5.5u → 5.7u).
  • All hits have received a -100% trip chance, preventing them from tripping opponents and missing subsequent hits due to the trip's intangibility.

11.0.0

• Changed the length of vulnerability whencrumpling to be consistent with other fighters.

13.0.0

• The first hit of neutral attack has less ending lag (FAF 25 → 24).
• Neutral infinite's loop hits deal more damage (0.2% → 0.4%).
• Up smash has higher knockback scaling (214 → 222).
• Down smash has higher knockback scaling (86 (front)/96 (back) → 89/100).
• Down aerial's clean hit has a larger hitbox (3.2u/3u → 4.2u/4u).

Moveset[edit]

For a gallery of Zelda's hitboxes, seehere.

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

Stats[edit]

Announcer call[edit]

This article could use additional or higher-quality audio files. The editor who added this tag suggests:Needs announcer calls from other languages. If you have a good audio file for this article, upload ithere.

• English/Japanese/Chinese

On-screen appearance[edit]

• Appears facing the screen, generating magical sparkles from between cupped hands. Zelda then flourishes her hands while smiling before assuming her idle pose.

• 

  Zelda's on-screen appearance

Taunts[edit]

• Up taunt: Places her hand on her hip, while generating magic and twirling it in front of her.
• Side taunt: Closes her eyes and summonsDin's Fire between cupped hands.
• Down Taunt: Giggles and waves with a smile.

• 

  Zelda's up taunt.

• 

  Zelda's side taunt.

• 

  Zelda's down taunt.

Idle poses[edit]

• Brushes her hair while looking back.
• Smiles and performs a pondering gesture with a finger tapping her cheek.

• 

  Zelda's first idle pose.

• 

  Zelda's second idle pose.

Crowd cheer[edit]

	Cheer (English)	Cheer (Japanese/Chinese)	Cheer (Italian)	Cheer (Dutch)	Cheer (French)
Cheer
Description	Zel - da!	Zel - da!	Zeeeeel - da!	Zel - da!	Zel - da!

	Cheer (German)	Cheer (Spanish)	Cheer (Russian)	Cheer (Korean)
Cheer
Description	Zel - da!	Zeeeeel - da!	Zel - da! Zel - da!	Zelda!

Victory poses[edit]

• Left: Creates magic with her fingertips and waves it around.
• Up: Creates fire from her fingertip and waves it around while giggling.
• Right: Assembles aPhantom behind her with a snap of her finger and poses with it.

Incompetitive play[edit]

Most historically significant players[edit]

See also:Category:Zelda players (SSBU)

•  Free KayFlock - One of the best Zelda players in North America, first debuting in the early metagame under the tag "ZeroTwoNone" and notably placing 13th atTri-state Showdown: Fall 2019 and 17th atReturn to Yoshi's Island. He went on hiatus in the online metagame before returning in 2023, achieving several notable major performances such as 17th atCavalier Clash 6, and 33rd at bothLuminosity Makes Moves Miami 2023 andLuminosity Makes BIG Moves 2024, in addition to defeatingShinyMark at the former event. He is the second Zelda player to rank in the top 100 globally, ranking 95th in thefirst half of 2025. He is also the third Zelda player to place 9th at a major, doing so atAfterburner 2026.
•  Maipan - The second-best Zelda player in Japan. He is best known for placing 17th atDELTA 8, defeatingZackray andTea along the way. Although very inconsistent at other events, he had a few other noteworthy events including placing 17th atDELTA 7.5 and 33rd atSeibugeki 13 defeatingTamaPDaifuku in the latter event. He was ranked 143rd on theLumiRank 2024.1.
•  Naskino - The best Zelda player in Europe is a top 50 player on the continent in the post-online metagame, ranking 37th on theEuropean Ultimate Power Rankings for the first half of 2023. He has consistently placed highly at several events, most notably 13th atKing Of Fields 95 3 and 17th atTemple: Hermès Edition. He retired in 2024.
•  ven - The best Zelda player from 2019 to 2022. His best results were in the early metagame thanks to strong performances such as 17th at2GG: Prime Saga defeatingESAM and 33rd at2GG: Kongo Saga defeatingElegant; he was also the first Zelda player ranked on a global ranking, ranking 83rd on theOrionRank Ultimate: Six Months In. Although less consistent since, he has still seen some strong results, including 9th atLVL UP EXPO 2023, which remains unbeaten as the best Zelda placement at a major.
•  Yn - The best Zelda player in the post-pandemic metagame, especially since 2023. He has the best peaks for a Zelda player, including placing 9th at bothMaesuma TOP 11, defeatingTea, andMaesuma TOP 14.5 "in Hyogo", both of which are tied for the highest placement from a Zelda player at a major. In addition, he is known for placing 3rd atKyokkan 5 defeatingSnow andRyuoh. He was ranked 114th on theLumiRank 2024.1, which marks the highest a Zelda player has ranked since the early metagame.

Tier placement and history[edit]

Players were initially divided on Zelda's competitive viability. Many players pointed out that her key issues, most notably her low mobility and poor endurance, were retained from previous games. On the other hand, other players were more optimistic towards the character due to improved frame data over herSmash 4 iteration, particularly on her out-of-shield options, as well asPhantom Slash's higher utility. This optimism, coupled with strong early performances from players such asMystearica,Naskino, andven, led many to believe the character was a solid mid-tier, with some arguing that she could be a potential high-tier.

This optimism did not last for long, as Zelda's polarizing nature became more noticeable as time went on: despite receiving buffs in updates 7.0.0 and 13.0.0 that mostly augmented her power, Zelda's inconsistencies, poor mobility, disadvantage, and highly risky neutral remained critical weaknesses. As a result, Zelda players began struggling in the developing metagame, and they either dropped the character (such as Mystearica) or saw worse results and consistency than before (such as ven). Although Zelda players continued to do well in all three superregions, with Naskino,Yn, andFree KayFlock putting up noteworthy performances throughout the post-pandemic metagame, opinions on Zelda remained low, especially after Naskino's retirement and Yn's continued inconsistency for most of his career. As a result, Zelda has remained in the bottom 10 on the first three lists, ranking 75th on the first before rising two spots to 73rd in the second tier list and remaining there on the third and current tier list. Despite her low placement, this incarnation of Zelda is still considered her best incarnation in the entire series.

Classic Mode: Wisdom Prevails[edit]

Zelda'scongratulations screen.

Zelda's opponents are antagonists and she fights each of them on stages that hail fromThe Legend of Zelda series.

Round	Opponent	Stage	Music	Notes
1	Wario	Great Plateau Tower	Main Theme - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
2	Bowser	Skyloft	Ballad of the Goddess (Original)
3	Mii Swordfighter (×5)	Temple	Temple Theme	Horde Battle (3 at a time) The Mii Swordfighters are dressed in the Yiga Clan Mask and Yiga Clan Outfit.
4	GiantKing K. Rool	Bridge of Eldin	Dark World (for 3DS / Wii U)	A possible reference to King Bulblin.
5	Dark Samus	Gerudo Valley	Hidden Mountain & Forest
6	Link (×4)	Hyrule Castle	Great Temple / Temple
Bonus Stage
Final	Ganondorf, thenGanon	Sacred Land	Calamity Ganon Battle - Second Form(Ganondorf) Death Mountain(Ganon)	AMaxim Tomato spawns on the stage after Ganondorf is KO'd.

Credits roll after completing Classic Mode. Completing it as Zelda hasHidden Mountain & Forest accompany the credits.

Role inWorld of Light[edit]

Finding Zelda in World of Light

Zelda is among the fighters that are summoned to fight the army ofMaster Hands.

During the opening cutscene, Zelda tries to rally the other fighters to fight the army of Master Hands by saying, "Stow your fear; it's now or never!" ("ここまで来たらやるしかないでしょう!",Now that we've made it this far, there's no turning back!), and is present on the cliffside whenGaleem unleashes his beams of light. She andMewtwo attempt to reflect the beams usingNayru's Love andConfusion, respectively, but this attempt fails, and both of them are vaporized and placed under Galeem's imprisonment along with the rest of the fighters (excludingKirby).

Zelda is one of the many fighters that falls underDharkon's control upon Galeem's first defeat. She is unlocked inThe Dark Realm atSacred Land, on the bottom left corner of the land which makes up the Triforce of Wisdom. The player must defeat the spirit ofImpa (which is revealed by solving a clock-based puzzle) to clear a boulder that's blocking the path to her unlock battle and then theZael andUxie, Mesprit, & Azelf spirits. Unlocking her reveals the Triforce of Wisdom in the center of the map. IfYoung Link is unlocked, the boulders leading toCloud's unlock battle and the Master Sword clear out.

Zelda is later seen among several other fighters, making their last stand against Galeem andDharkon. She is also seen in the bad ending where Galeem emerges victorious against Dharkon, witnessing Galeem engulf the world in light.

Fighter Battle[edit]

No.	Image	Name	Type	Power	Stage	Music
17		Zelda	Shield	10,100	Temple (Ω form)	Ocarina of Time Medley

Spirits[edit]

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

Additionally, different incarnations of Zelda appear as primary and support spirits.

In Spirit Battles[edit]

As the main opponent[edit]

Spirit				Battle parameters
No.	Image	Name	Series	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music
187		Marin	The Legend of Zelda Series	•Zelda •Link		4,600	Tortimer Island (Battlefield form)	•Hazard: Slumber Floor	•The floor is sleep-inducing •Timed battle (1:30)	Tal Tal Heights
189		Young Zelda	The Legend of Zelda Series	•Zelda •Young Link		3,700	Hyrule Castle	N/A	•Take your strongest team into this no-frills battle	Ocarina of Time Medley
195		Malon	The Legend of Zelda Series	•Zelda		3,600	Smashville	•Item Tidal Wave •Item:Cucco	•The enemy becomes more powerful after eating •Certain items will appear in large numbers	Ocarina of Time Medley
201		Great Fairy	The Legend of Zelda Series	•GiantZelda		9,500	Fountain of Dreams (Battlefield form)	•Health Recovery	•The enemy's special moves have increased power •The enemy is healed significantly when the enemy's at high damage •The enemy's FS Meter charges quickly	Ocarina of Time Medley
215		Din	The Legend of Zelda Series	•Zelda×2		4,000	Bridge of Eldin (Battlefield form)	•Hazard: Lava Floor	•The floor is lava •The enemy favors side specials	Ballad of the Goddess (Remix)
216		Nayru	The Legend of Zelda Series	•Zelda×2		3,500	Bridge of Eldin	•Temporary Invincibility	•The enemy will occasionally be invincible after a little while •The enemy favors neutral specials	Ballad of the Goddess (Original)
236		Hilda (The Legend of Zelda)	The Legend of Zelda Series	•Zelda •BunnyYoung Link		9,100	Temple	•Assist Trophy Enemies (Nightmare)	•Hostile assist trophies will appear	Lorule Main Theme
238		Zelda (Breath of the Wild)	The Legend of Zelda Series	•Zelda (50 HP) •Link (60 HP) •Inkling (30 HP) •Donkey Kong (60 HP) •Falco (50 HP) •Zero Suit Samus (50 HP)		9,200	Great Plateau Tower	N/A	•Stamina battle •Reinforcements will appear after an enemy is KO'd •Defeat an army of fighters	Main Theme - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
258		Phantom	The Legend of Zelda Series	•ClearZelda		3,800	Spirit Train (Battlefield form)	N/A	•The enemy's down special has increased power •The enemy favors down specials •The enemy is invisible	Full Steam Ahead
582		Hinawa	EarthBound Series	•Zelda •Lucas		13,100	Yoshi's Island	•Easy to Launch	•All fighters are easy to launch	Mother 3 Love Theme
659		Mist	Fire Emblem Series	•Zelda •Ike		3,500	Reset Bomb Forest (hazards off)	•Health Recovery •Defense ↑	•The enemy has increased defense when the enemy's at high damage •The enemy is healed when the enemy's at high damage	Victory Is Near
1,053		Maria Renard	Castlevania Series	•Zelda •Falco •Charizard •Incineroar		3,700	Reset Bomb Forest (hazards off)	N/A	•The enemy starts the battle with aCucco	Slash
1,065		Charlotte Aulin	Castlevania Series	•Zelda •Richter		3,700	Bridge of Eldin (Battlefield form)	N/A	•The enemy's special moves have increased power •The enemy favors side specials •Reinforcements will appear during the battle	Hail from the Past
1,174		Jenna	Golden Sun Series	•Zelda		3,500	Temple (Battlefield form)	•Assist Trophy Enemies (Isaac)	•Hostile assist trophies will appear •The enemy favors side specials	Battle Scene / Final Boss - Golden Sun
1,236		Shop Assistant	Style Savvy Series Nintendo presents: Style Boutique Series	•Zelda		3,600	Tomodachi Life	•Item: Transforming Types	•The enemy is easily distracted by items	Style Savvy: Trendsetters
1,241		Yuri Kozukata	Fatal Frame Series Project Zero Series	•Zelda		9,200	Luigi's Mansion	•Assist Trophy Enemies (Yuri Kozukata)	•Hostile assist trophies will appear	Main Theme - Luigi's Mansion (Brawl)
1,365		Nakoruru	SAMURAI SHODOWN Series	•Zelda (140 HP) •TinyFalco (40 HP)		3,800	Yoshi's Island (winter)	•Attack Power ↑ •Item: Swords	•Defeat the main fighter to win •Stamina battle •The enemy has increased attack power when the enemy's at high damage	Banquet of Nature - SAMURAI SHODOWN
1,442		Aerith	FINAL FANTASY Series	•Zelda •Cloud		7,500	Fountain of Dreams	•Health Recovery	•Defeat the main fighter to win •The enemy is healed after a little while	Aerith's Theme
				•Mii Swordfighter (Moveset1312, Aerith's outfit, Normal Voice Type 6)[SB 1] •Cloud
1,489		Kokorowa	Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin	•Zelda •R.O.B.×2 (INT)/×2 (JP/CH/KR)		3,700	Suzaku Castle	N/A	•Defeat the main fighter to win •The enemy favors down specials	Boss 1 - Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword

As a minion[edit]

Spirit				Battle parameters							Inspiration
No.	Image	Name	Series	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music	Character
1,107		Fighting Alloy Team	Super Smash Bros. Series	•Captain Falcon Team×4 •Zelda Team×4 •Mario Team×4 •Kirby Team×4		3,300	Final Destination (Battlefield form)	N/A	•Take your strongest team into this no-frills battle	Cruel Smash	Blue Alloy
1,246		Orville	Takt of Magic	•Robin •Pit •Zelda		3,400	PictoChat 2	N/A	•Defeat the main fighter to win	Struggle Against Chaos	Charlotte (Takt of Magic)
1,328		Hero's Comrades	DRAGON QUEST Series	•Ike (120 HP) •TinyKing Dedede (120 HP) •Zero Suit Samus (100 HP) •Sheik (130 HP) •TinyRobin (90 HP) •Zelda (110 HP) •Link (100 HP)		13,300	Yggdrasil's Altar	N/A	•The enemy has increased melee-weapon damage and move speed •The enemy's smash attacks have increased power •Stamina battle	The Hero Goes Forth with a Determination	Serena
1,411		Duran & Angela	Mana Series	•Roy •Zelda •Tiny BunnyKirby×2		9,200	Gaur Plain (Ω form)	•Item:Ramblin' Evil Mushroom	•Reinforcements will appear after an enemy is KO'd	Filled with Hope	Angela
1,456		Seth & Gloria	Bravely Default Series	•Mii Swordfighter (Moveset:3223, Chrom Wig, Dunban Outfit) •Zelda		9,400	Delfino Plaza (Large Island)	•Health Recovery •Defense ↑ •Item: Swords	•The enemy has increased defense after a little while •The enemy is healed when the enemy's at high damage •The enemy's melee blows will heal them when they hit	Jergingha - Planet Destruction Form	Gloria
1,461		Lora	Xenoblade Chronicles Series	•Lucina •Zelda •Cloud		3,800	Jungle Japes (Battlefield form)	N/A	•Defeat the main fighter to win	Battle!!/Torna	Haze
1,514		Rauru	The Legend of Zelda Series	•Mewtwo (100 HP) •Zelda (70 HP) •GiantR.O.B. (70 HP) •Robin (60 HP) •Inkling (60 HP) •Charizard (60 HP) •Pit (60 HP)		13,000	Temple (Battlefield form)	N/A	•Stamina battle •The enemy favors neutral specials •Reinforcements will appear after an enemy is KO'd	Calamity Ganon Battle - Second Form	Zelda (Tears of the Kingdom)

As an ally[edit]

Spirit				Battle parameters							Inspiration
No.	Image	Name	Series	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music	Character
243		Calamity Ganon	The Legend of Zelda Series	•GiantGanondorf •Ally:Zelda		13,900	Great Plateau Tower (Ω form)	•Sudden Damage	•You lose if your CPU ally is KO'd •You'll occasionally take sudden damage after a little while •The enemy is giant	Calamity Ganon Battle - Second Form	Zelda (Breath of the Wild)

Alternate costumes[edit]

Gallery[edit]

• 

  Artwork of allThe Legend of Zelda characters, as posted on the official Legend of Zelda Twitter account.

• 

  Zelda's fighter card.

• 

  Zelda's unlock notice.

• 

  Zelda idling onTemple.

• 

  Using her neutral aerial in her red costume onTortimer Island.

• 

  Zelda using her forward tilt onKing Dedede onColiseum.

• 

  Kneeling next to a sleepingPichu on Tortimer Island.

• 

  UsingFarore's Wind onLuigi's Mansion.

• 

  Idling in her dark costume onSpirit Train.

• 

  Zelda taunting next toGanondorf onHyrule Castle.

• 

  Zelda givingRosalina a high-five onPrism Tower.

• 

  Firing aSuper Scope atYoshi onMario Galaxy.

• 

  Taunting nearDonkey Kong onKapp'n's bus on Temple.

• 

  Zelda,Ridley,Jigglypuff, and theIce Climbers onSummit.

• 

  UsingPhantom Slash on Mario Galaxy.

• 

  With all playableThe Legend of Zelda veterans on theGreat Plateau Tower.

• 

  With Link and Ganondorf on the Great Plateau Tower.

• 

  Zelda with Cloud in Tortimer Island.

Fighter Showcase Video[edit]

Trivia[edit]

• Masahiro Sakurai chose to base Zelda's design inUltimate off of herA Link to the Past andA Link Between Worlds incarnations instead of her more recentBreath of the Wild incarnation because that version of Zelda, according to him, "is more into research than fighting."^[1][2][3][4] He also mentioned in a subsequent Nintendo Treehouse Live event that he chose this design to better representThe Legend of Zelda franchise as a whole instead of having all of its fighters come from the same game.
• Zelda's current default design was previouslyan alternate costume in terms of coloration of her model, whereas her previous default design based onTwilight Princess has now becomean alternate costume in that same regard.
  • Coincidentally, Zelda was revealed inSSB4 at the same timeA Link Between Worlds was released, which inspired her current design.
  • With Ganondorf'sTwilight Princess incarnation still directly referenced via a spirit, as well as Link's Wolf form from that game, Zelda is the only returningZelda character fromSSB4 that doesn't have herTwilight Princess design directly referenced inUltimate at all.
• Zelda can be unlocked by Kirby via his Classic Mode route, which may reference their team-up fromBrawl's Adventure Mode,The Subspace Emissary.
• Zelda is currently the only playableThe Legend of Zelda character inUltimate whose design originates from either a handheld game or a non-3D game.
  • She is also the onlyZelda character whose design comes from the"Fallen Hero" timeline.
• TheWorld of Light opening marks Zelda's first spoken line of dialogue in theSmash series. Outside Japan, it is also the first time in the series that anyZelda character is voiced in English.
  • Zelda is one of the few characters to have her cutscene dialogue dubbed in English, but otherwise keep her Japanese voice actress's battle cries, afterFox andFalco inMelee. She is also the only character to speak English in a cutscene while still having a Japanese KO line (with her yelling "いやぁっ!" (Nooo!)).
  • Unlike inBreath of the Wild, which was dubbed into multiple languages, Zelda speaks English in all Western language versions ofUltimate.
  • She is the secondZelda character to speak inSmash, the first beingSheik inMelee.
• Zelda is the onlyThe Legend of Zelda character whose animations are mirrored.
• Zelda's Classic Mode route is vaguely similar toDiddy Kong's, as both characters fight villains and/or final bosses of various series for opponents.
• Zelda,Peach,Falco,Olimar,Duck Hunt, andDark Pit are the only fighters to appear as allies in Spirit Battles.
• Ultimate marks the first time Kirby's Zelda hat no longer resembles Young Zelda's wimple fromOcarina of Time. It is also the first time the hat reflects how she appears in-game, as her appearance inMelee is based on her adult design fromOcarina of Time, and herBrawl andSSB4 designs are based on her appearance inTwilight Princess.
• Gravity on Zelda's hair is temporarily disabled whenever she performs her hair-brushing idle pose.

References[edit]

v • d • e The Legend of Zelda universe
Fighters	Link (SSB ·SSBM ·SSBB ·SSB4 ·SSBU) ·Sheik (SSBM ·SSBB ·SSB4 ·SSBU) ·Zelda (SSBM ·SSBB ·SSB4 ·SSBU) ·Young Link (SSBM ·SSBU) ·Ganondorf (SSBM ·SSBB ·SSB4 ·SSBU) ·Toon Link (SSBB ·SSB4 ·SSBU)
Assist Trophies	Tingle ·Skull Kid ·Midna ·Ghirahim ·Moon
Bosses	Ganon
Stages	Hyrule Castle ·Great Bay ·Temple ·Bridge of Eldin ·Pirate Ship ·Gerudo Valley ·Spirit Train ·Skyloft ·Great Plateau Tower Underground Maze (Adventure Mode)
Items	Heart Container ·Bunny Hood ·Deku Nut ·Fairy Bottle ·Cucco ·Bombchu ·Beetle ·Gust Bellows
Enemies	Bubble ·Cucco ·Darknut ·Like Like ·Octorok ·Peahat ·ReDead ·Stalfos
Other	Bulblin ·Dark Link ·King Bulblin & Lord Bullbo ·King of Red Lions ·Koume & Kotake ·Majora's Mask ·Navi ·Phantom ·Sacred Land ·Tetra ·Yiga Clan
Trophies,Stickers andSpirits	Trophies (SSBM ·SSBB ·SSB4) ·Stickers ·Spirits
Music	Brawl ·SSB4 ·Ultimate
Masterpieces	The Legend of Zelda ·Zelda II: The Adventure of Link ·The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Related content	Fire Bar

• Characters (SSBU)
• The Legend of Zelda universe
• Zelda (SSBU)
• Spirits

• Articles in need of audio