Luffy is a newcomer startercharacter for Super Smash Flash 2. He was revealed during the Day 4 stream at Super Smash Con 2016. His sprites are edited from the One Piece game for Game Boy Advance and the One Piece: Gigant Battle! series. Certain animations are custom made, using his appearance based on the second part of One Piece. He has been confirmed as both the final manga and anime character and the final starter character on Beta's roster. Luffy was one of the most requested characters to be included for a number of years and was added to the game due to the massive popular demand despite the developers' initial refusal to add any more manga and anime characters.
However, Luffy's major flaw is how he can extend his hurtbox by using certain moves that allow him to stretch his body to various lengths, notably his side special, as it is very laggy, both during its start and its end. Alongside that, Gum-Gum Balloon loses its leaping distance after every usage in the air and Gum-Gum Snap only can grab ledges above its hitbox.
This article requires to be rewritten or expanded.
The information is not outdated nor incomplete, although it can be rewritten for a more formal explanation and better clarity. It may require an expansion going further on missing details.
Luffy is a medium-weight character that is known for stretching his body to out-space opponents. A lot of his moves such as his up smash, forward smash, neutral special move, side special move, and forward tilt make use of this type of spacing, granting him medium to long range. Despite his average dashing speed, Luffy can space opponents in matches. Luffy is also equipped with a lot of edgeguarding options. His down aerial and forward aerial can meteor smash opponents, while his back aerial can kick opponents away from the stage.
His special moveset is also very useful. Gum-Gum Pistol and Gum-Gum Rocket are both command grab moves, meaning that shields cannot stop it. In case of the latter, this can help Luffy reach his opponents more easily, or, if he is in midair, help him recover horizontally, and in the case of the former, it leads to the opponent getting grabbed, and Luffy is able to use any of his throws on them. Additionally, Gum-Gum Snap possesses above-average reach for a tether recovery, and can give him an upward boost in midair. Finally, Luffy's down special, Gum-Gum Balloon, is a good "get off of me" option due to its windbox, and if it is used in the air, he can gain a vertical boost much like Gum-Gum Snap, further extending his recovery.
Despite these numerous strengths, Luffy has his fair share of weaknesses, one of which is his signature attribute. Despite his tremendous reach, whenever Luffy uses moves that stretch his body parts, he also stretches his hurtboxes as well, letting opponents easily disrupt the move by hitting his arm/hands with a simple jab or a projectile. This is especially true with his neutral and side special moves, and in the case of the latter, subjects him to a large amount of lag, allowing opponents to easily punish Luffy is he misses. This, coupled with Luffy's tall frame and weight, makes him very susceptible to characters with a camping-heavy or combo-oriented playstyle, as he has no reliable way to deal with projectiles, and is very easy to combo due to his height and weight.
His recovery options also worsen his offstage survivability. Gum-Gum Rocket can provide him with horizontal recovery, but this is only true if Luffy connects with a careless edgeguarder, making it a situational recovery. Additionally, while Gum-Gum Balloon can grant Luffy some vertical and horizontal distance and super armor, using this move again before landing on the ground will grant him less vertical distance than the first time he used it. Furthermore, though Gum-Gum Snap can also give Luffy a vertical boost, this can only happen if he has not used his midair jump, and doing so will count as him using it, giving Luffy almost no chance of returning to the stage if Gum-Gum Snap misses the ledge.
While Luffy is a character of potential, his extended hurtboxes, lackluster recovery, and a lack of KO options hold him back from the higher tiers, keeping him a low-tier character.
Performs a quick punch, followed by a flurry of rapid punches and finishing with a long-ranged punch forward. The player can continue the flurry by repeatedly pressing or holding the attack button after the first hit. The punches cover a large range in front of Luffy and are disjointed. Based on Gum-Gum Gatling Gun (ゴムゴムの銃乱打).
Kicks forwards while stretching his leg. Long-ranged and launches opponents at a semi-spike angle, making it useful for forcing opponents off-stage, but has slow ending lag. Based on Gum-Gum Stamp (ゴムゴムのスタンプ).
Slides across the ground while kicking. One of his few moves that does not use extended limbs, and thus useful for close-range combat. Good for approaching and setting up follow-ups.
Punches downwards in an arc while running. Has high knockback but high startup lag and a small hitbox, making it a strong but situational KO move best used in mixups, tech chases, and jab locks. Based on Gum-Gum Bullet (ゴムゴムの銃弾).
Rears his arm backwards and then punches forward. The range of his arm lengthens based on how long the move is charged for. Has strong knockback, sweetspotting at the fist, and fast startup for a smash attack, able to be comboed into from a neutral or down aerial.
Kicks his leg upward and extends it high up. His fastest smash attack, allowing it to be used for starting and extending combos in addition to launching opponents, although it is generally not a KO move until high percents. Based on Gum-Gum Battle Axe (ゴムゴムの戦斧), except it is not followed by a stomp.
Kicks close to the ground around himself, hitting on both sides. A fast KO move that can follow up various other moves and cover for rolling or downed opponents. Based on Gum-Gum Whip (ゴムゴムの鞭).
Stretches out his arms and legs, attacking with all at once. One of his best combo and approaching moves, having little startup and landing lag and impressive range around him, as well as dealing little knockback to opponents.
Flips forward twice with his arms extended behind him and then performs a double axe handle. Has high startup lag but considerable range and meteor smashes opponents hit. Effective for edgeguarding and can follow up an aerial Gum-Gum Rocket.
Kicks downwards with both feet while stretching his legs out. A meteor smash with weak knockback but very long range, making it effective for spacing while landing, setting up into grounded follow-ups, and edgeguarding safely. Based on Gum-Gum Spear (ゴムゴムの槍).
Stretches his neck very far backwards, then snaps his head back, headbutting the opponent. Has high knockback and KOs at high percents. Based on Gum-Gum Bell (ゴムゴムの鐘).
Does a backflip while swinging the opponent backwards with his legs. It knocks the opponent to the ground, setting up for tech chases, and can combo into an aerial attack.
Hurls one of his arms forward. Upon making contact with an opponent, he will pull them toward him, grabbing them if grounded and letting go if airborne. If the forward input is pressed just as Luffy's hand grabs them while airborne, he will instead hurl himself forward towards the opponent. Can also tether onto ledges.
Thrusts both of his arms forward. Upon making contact with an opponent, he will grab onto them and pull himself at high speed toward them, slamming into them. Resets Luffy's midair jump when successfully grabbing an opponent, allowing for follow-ups and even an infinite. However, its large hurtboxes and high ending lag if failed make it risky to use. Can also tether onto ledges.
Thrusts his arm upwards. Upon making contact with an opponent, he will grab them and boost upwards, meteor smashing the opponent. Very fast and can be used to extend combos. Can also tether onto ledges, and extra height is gained when used while jumping.
Puffs himself up with air. He gains heavy armor while growing, and nearby opponents are pushed away. When used in midair, he momentarily stalls and rises upward while deflating, which can be used to recover. However, the amount of time he stalls and rises decreases each time the move is used before landing.
Spins his straw hat on his finger then puts it back on his head while grinning at the screen as he poses.
Changes and revisions[]
Main article: Luffy (Super Smash Flash 2)/Changelog
Changes in v1.1.0[]
Luffy's side smash has been drastically buffed. His arm now stretches outward and covers more distance when fully charged. Along with more overall horizontal knockback the attack becomes a more reliable KO option.
Luffy is heavier (Weight increased 80 → 98).
The final attack in his infinite jab has less knockback KOing much later.
Before his reveal as a playable character, Luffy was one of the most requested characters in SSF2. This led to many hoaxes pertaining to his reveal.
Luffy was technically revealed years before his official introduction in a "faked" April Fools' Day image that actually showed off an earlier version of him before he was reworked.
When electrocuted, instead of showing Luffy's skeleton, Luffy's body will show meat in his stomach.
Luffy, along with Mario, Bandana Dee, and Lloyd, are the only characters so far to wear their default costumes in Team Battle when they are on the red team.
Luffy's render in SSF2 bears a strong resemblance to his appearances on the manga covers of One PieceVol. 1 and Vol. 61.
Although his up-smash is called "Gum-Gum Battle Axe", the move itself resembles another of Luffy's moves, "Gum-Gum Volcano" (ゴムゴムの火山), as his leg only shoots upwards.
Luffy's crouching animation closely resembles the pose he strikes before activating Gear Second in One Piece.
Luffy's down/up taunt is based on a pose he does during the Straw Hat Pirates fashion show in Episode of Luffy: Adventure on Hand Island.
Actor Iñaki Godoy stated he first discovered the character Luffy through Super Smash Flash 2, and years later would be cast as that character in the Netflix live action One Piece series. [1]