Pikachu (Super Smash Flash 2)

Pikachu is a playable veteran character in Super Smash Flash 2. It is one of the characters in added in v0.8 of the SSF2 Demos, alongside other characters such as Donkey Kong and Yoshi. Its' sprites are custom made and based on its appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee.

Pikachu is currently ranked 5th on the current tier list; a small drop from its' 3rd place position last demo. Piakchu posses quick attacks, good combo ability, great recovery and amazing finishers in its forward smash, up smash, neutral aerial and down aerial. Pikachu is a strong edge guarder, be considered one of the top three edge guarders in the current demo. Pikachu can get a level of stage control with Thunder Jolt.

However, Pikachu is light which makes it easy to KO horizontally. It has poor reach in many of its attacks, forcing it to get up close to start combos (although this is remedied by its Thunder Jolt approaches). Although this gives Pikachu problems approaching characters with disjointed hitboxes, ex. and. This goes to its finishers where Pikachu needs to be close to the opponent in order to secure a KO.

Regardless, Pikachu's strengths overwhelm its flaws to make it a top tier character.

Attributes
Pikachu is a small, but fast and agile fighter. Pikachu has good mobility with having the fourth fastest dashing speed in the current demo and can perform Quick attack cancel to move around the battlefield, which gives Pikachu excellent approach options. It has a good projectile in Thunder Jolt which is very flexible, covers long distances and has good priority while it can also help set up combos. Pikachu has kill moves in its forward smash, Thunder (when the bolt of lightning hits Pikachu it produces a shockwave that deals strong knockback and using the move when the opponent is close to the upper blast line which is called thunder spiking), Skull Bash and its neutral aerial. Pikachu has a great grab game with three of its four throws being able to chain grab most of the cast. Its forward and down throw can chain grab most of the cast from mid-high percentages with its up throw being able to chain grab big characters and fast fallers. It's down throw can zero-to-death chain grab fast fallers like and  to high percentages, then up smash them and follow up with thunder. Pikachu has one of the best recoveries in the game with Skull Bash being used as horizontal recovery option and Quick Attack can be used in different directions(it can go up twice which gives Pikachu one of the best vertical recovery moves in the game). Pikachu has good combo ability with most of attacks being able to flow into each other. Its slow falling speed makes it less susceptible to combos and chain grabs then in the main Smash Bros. games.

However, Pikachu suffers from poor reach in the majority of its attacks which leaves it vulnerable to characters with disjointed hitboxes (ex. and ). Due to its light weight and slow falling speed makes Pikachu easy to KO. Most of Pikachu's KO moves are close to its body which means it needs to be close to the opponent in order to KO them.

Ground attacks

 * Standard attack: Headbutts continually. 2% per hit
 * Side tilt: Kicks forward out in front of him with both legs. 10%
 * Forward smash: Produces electricity with his cheeks. Pikachu charges a bolt of electricity in front of him, causing a lot of knockback when released. Uncharged: 14% Fully Charged: 20%
 * Up tilt: Swings tail in an arc above itself. 7%
 * Up smash: Flips very fast, attacking with its tail. Uncharged: 13% Fully Charged: 19%
 * Down tilt: Does a quick, low tail whip. 7%
 * Down smash: Discharges electricity while spinning. Uncharged: 11% Fully Charged: 13%
 * Dash attack: Bashes target with it's head like a mini Skull Bash.. 9%

Aerial attacks

 * Neutral aerial: Spins in a ball. Decent knockback and power. 10%
 * Forward aerial: An electric drill-like move forward. 7%.
 * Back aerial: Spins like a disc and hits multiple times. Four hits for 1% each last one deals 2%.
 * Up aerial: Swings tail while flipping forward. 8%
 * Down aerial: An electric drill-like move downward. 11-12%

Grabs & throws

 * Grab: Grabs the enemy with both hands.
 * Pummel: Zaps the enemy. All hits do 1%.
 * Forward throw: Places opponent on back and electrocutes them forward. can chain grab. 8%
 * Back throw: Tumbles with opponent back and throws them back. 9%
 * Up throw: Headbutts opponent upward. Can chain grab, but easy to DI out of. 10%
 * Down throw: Slams on top of opponent. Can chain grab. 10%

Other

 * Ledge attack: Backflip kick. 8%
 * 100% ledge attack: None.
 * Floor attack: Swings its body and tail around. 5%

Misc.

 * Entrance: Pops out of a Poké Ball.
 * Taunts:
 * Standard: Waves with both hands and says "Pika!".
 * Side: Topples on one leg, as if dizzy and says "Pika!".
 * Down: Same as Side.
 * Idle poses:
 * Scratches his ear.
 * Looks around.
 * Fanfare:
 * Wins: Does a 720 backflip, then spins around and looks happily at the camera.
 * Loses: Claps.

Changes from v0.9a
Pikachu has received a mix of buffs and nerfs. Pikachu is one of two characters from last demo, who were top five on the tier list, to not let their nerfs make them less effective.

Tier placement history
When first introduced in demo v0.8, Pikachu was seen as a character seen with great potential. In demo v0.8b, Pikachu was ranked 7 of B tier. In demo v0.9a, Pikachu rose up to 3rd of S tier where it was seen as a top tier character. In demo v0.9b, Pikachu dropped to 5th of S tier, but is still seen as a top tier character.