Goku (Super Smash Flash 2)

Goku is a playable newcomer character in Super Smash Flash 2. He first appeared in the trailer turning into his Super Saiyan form releasing a True Kamehameha at the others. Despite the anticipated confirmation, he was not playable until his addition in the v0.7 of the Super Smash Flash 2 Demo.

Goku is currently ranked 6th on the current tier list; a big leap from his 12th place position last demo. Goku has received more KO power in his attacks and more priority in them as well. Goku has a solid aerial game, amazing combo ability, a good recovery and kill moves in his forward smash, forward tilt, back aerial, back and forward throw when used near the ledge and the Kamehameha (which is a OHKO when used up close to the opponent). Goku has the ability to float which gives him a good horizontal recovery and the ability to auto float-cancel which aids in his aerial game on stage. He has a projectile in Ki blasts which he can use to hinder his opponents' approach or zone with them. Gokus' down special Kaiō-ken, when activated, increases his speed, power and the hitstun of his attacks. His down aerial becomes a meteor smash and his forward aerial no longer needs to be sweet spotted to meteor smash. His time Kaiō-ken will extend if continues to hit his opponent. Due to this Goku can combo and zero-to-death the entire roster. Goku can use Kaiō-ken to slow his descent in the air and can use the Kamehameha to help him with horizontal recovery if he can no longer float.

However, Goku has problems with range in most his attacks leaving him vulnerable to characters with disjointed hitboxes (ex. and ). Goku is also tall and this makes him susceptible to combos, chain grabs, and zero-to-deaths. While Kaiō-ken has its benefits; it also has its flaws in that it damages Goku every second that its activated and the time will be extended as long as he attacks his opponent or his opponent attacks him, which makes using Kaiō-ken very risky and situational. Gokus' projectile is weak, can be out-prioritized, reflected and can be avoided by characters who are small in size. Goku's main means of vertical recovery, Instant Transmission, can be easily edge hogged due to it not having an hitbox at the end of the move.

However, Gokus' pros overcome his flaws, so therefore, he is at a very high rank on the tier list. However, due to his weaknesses as seen above, he is not higher on the tier list.

Attributes
Goku is a character that focuses on speed and power. Goku has the ability to auto float-cancel which aids in his air game with his aerials having good priority which gives him a effective air game. His down air has a lot of priority which allows him to deal with projectiles. He has a projectile in Ki blasts which he can use to zone his opponents or hinder their approach. He has KO moves in his forward smash, side tilt, forward and back throws (when used near the ledge) and back air. Goku has different recovery options with having the ability to float which covers a good horizontal distance, Instant transmission covers decent vertical distance while making him intangible for a second, he can use Kamehameha for horizontal recovery when fully charged and can use the start up of Kaiō-ken to slow his falling speed. Goku has a good grab game, possessing the twelfth longest grab in the current demo, with his up throw being a chain grab on big characters and fast fallers while being a combo starter on other characters. His down throw can chain throw characters at low percentages. His back and forward throw can be used as KO moves when used near a ledge. His down special move, Kaiō-ken, when activated increases the speed and power of his attacks. His forward air no longer needs to be sweet spotted to meteor smash and his down air becomes one with both having high base knockback making it is to KO opponents. His smash attack no longer need to be charged. With his weight and falling speed combined with his recovery options makes Goku a hard character to KO.

However, Goku suffers from poor reach in most of his attacks which leaves him vulnerable to characters with disjointed hitboxes (ex. and ). Due to Goku's height, weight and fallling speed; these all combined make him susceptible to combos, chain grabs and zero-to-death combos. Kaiō-ken is a very situational move due to it damaging Goku every second it is activated, the move stays activated every time the opponent hits him which makes him more susceptible to zero-to-deaths while using the move and loses he a lot priority in his attacks. His projectiles are weak and can be canceled out very easily by other attacks. His main means of vertical recovery, Instant transmission, can be easily edge hogged due to it not having a hitbox at the end of the move.

Ground attacks

 * Standard attack 1: Energy pulse with hand. 3%
 * Standard attack 2: Punches with other hand. 3%
 * Down tilt: Punches while crouching. 7%
 * Down smash: Uses "Kiai" (気合い). Goku thrusts his hands out from either side, emitting a force that deals severe damage. 10% uncharged, 14% fully charged.
 * Side tilt: Kicks out in front of him. 13%
 * Forward smash: Powerfully punches forward. 15% uncharged, 21% fully charged.
 * Up tilt: Punches diagonally upwards out in front of him. 6%
 * Up smash: Quickly flings up his fist while jumping. 13% uncharged, 19% fully charged.
 * Dash attack: Elbow strike. The move is stronger when you're closer to the opponent. 8% (sour-spotted at the elbow only). 10% when sweet-spotted (whole hit connects on the opponent).

Aerial attacks

 * Neutral aerial: Spin kick. 11%
 * Forward aerial: Hammer fist. Strong meteor smash when sweet spotted at the fist. 11%
 * Back aerial: Back spinning kick. Slow and weak and rather easy to punish. 12%
 * Up aerial: Flip Kick. Good juggler, and Goku's fastest aerial. 10%
 * Down aerial: Uses "Feet Kamehameha" (足かめはめ波, Ashi Kamehameha). This is a Stall-Then-Fall. Goku shoots diagonally downwards hands first like a missile. Anyone who touches him will be sent diagonally up. The move does two hits. The second hit is stronger than the first. However, Goku must be careful about using this move off-stage, due to his limited vertical recovery. 8% first hit, 3% second hit, 11% if both hits connect. Has a lot of priority and can cancel out certain projectiles. When hit by the Ki part of the attack; the opponent will be sent at different angles.

Grabs & throws

 * Grab: Reaches with his hand out to grab.
 * Pummel: Punches opponent. 1-3% per hit.
 * Forward throw: Slams energy into the opponent forward with both hands. 12%
 * Back throw: Uses "Doragon wa nage" (ドラゴンは投げ, "Dragon Toss", Viz Serialization: "Dragon Throw"). Spins the opponent around several times quickly before throwing the opponent backwards. Very fast and powerful throw. 14%
 * Up throw: Punches the opponent upwards. Very similar to his Up Smash in appearance. 9%
 * Down throw: Uses "Taiyō-ken" (太陽拳, "Fist of the Sun", Viz Serialization: "Solar Flare"). Goku conjures a flash of light that traps opponents with stong hitstun, can chain throw. 5%

Other

 * Ledge attack: Hammer fist. 10%
 * 100% ledge attack: None for now.
 * Floor attack: Jumps up off the ground feet first, attacking both sides for 10%.

Misc.

 * Entrance: Jumps off the Kintoun (筋斗雲, "Plot Box Cloud", Viz serialization: "Flying Nimbus") and lands on the stage releasing energy around him.
 * Taunts:
 * Standard: Happily raises up two fingers to show the sign of peace and laughs.
 * Side: Thrusts his head forward, yelling loudly, commonly referred to as the Big Head Yell in the anime and manga series.
 * Down: Powers up, similar to the Kaiō-ken (except with blue energy around him instead of red).
 * Special abilities: Can float in midair by holding the jump key, only for a few seconds, but Super Saiyan Goku can float for as much time as desired.
 * Fanfare: Eyecatcher Music from the Dragon Ball Z original soundtrack.
 * Wins: Jumps up happily and nearly falls, but is saved by his Kintoun. Goku lays down and laughs happily on his Kintoun.
 * Loses: Claps to the winner with his bangs covering his face.

Tier placement history
When Goku was first introduced in demo v0.7a; he was seen as a top tier character like and. On the lists for demo v0.7; Goku was 3rd of A tier on the first list and ranked 2nd of A tier on the second list. In demo v0.8b; Goku's position dropped to 12th at the bottom of C tier where he was seen as a mid tier character. In demo v0.9a; Goku rose to 6th of what can be considered A tier, where he is now seen as a top tier character again.