Changes: Pikachu (Super Smash Flash 2)

Revision as of 22:24, 22 June 2020

This article is about Pikachu's appearance in Super Smash Flash 2. For general information about the character, see Pikachu.

Pikachu is a veteran starter character in Super Smash Flash 2. Pikachu had numerous sprite changes during early development but the final design used when he was finally incorporated into the game is completely custom-made and based on its appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Its voice clips and moveset are directly taken from the same game.

Pikachu is ranked 3rd of S tier. Pikachu posses quick attacks, decent combo ability, great recovery, and good finishers in its up smash, forward smash, back aerial, Thunder, and down aerial. Pikachu is a strong edge guarder, being considered one of the best edge guarders in the game.

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.: Lloyd and Sora. This also goes to its finishers as well, where Pikachu needs to be close to the opponent in order to secure a KO. Another problem Pikachu has is its poor combo game, where it mainly has to rely on strings that do not send opponents into enough hitstun.

Attributes

See also: Pikachu (Super Smash Flash 2)/Hard data

Pikachu is a small, but fast and agile fighter. Pikachu has good mobility with having the sixth fastest dashing speed in the current demo and can perform Quick attack cancel to move around the battlefield, which gives Pikachu excellent approach options.

Pikachu has reliable KO moves in its forward smash, up smash, Thunder (when the bolt of lightning hits Pikachu it produces a shockwave that deals strong knockback), Pikachu and its down aerial.

Pikachu has poor grab range, contested for the shortest grab in the current demo, Pikachu has a great grab game and throw game. Down throw is good for setting up combos, while also being an effective chain grab on fast and high fallers with being able to be followed up with an up smash at death percents. Forward throw is also good for setting up combos. Up throw is can chain grab Fox and being followed up by up smash on certain characters at death percents.

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).

However, Pikachu suffers from poor range in the majority of its attacks which leaves it vulnerable to characters with disjointed hitboxes (ex. Marth and Meta Knight). Pikachu also has problems dealing with certain projectiles which is another approaching problem.

Despite Pikachu's light weight, it is an average faller and its wonky hurtbox makes it susceptible to combos. Pikachu's own combo game is below average due to its attacks sending the opponent into little hitstun to allow for more follow ups.

Moveset

Ground attacks

Attack	Description	Damage
Standard attack	Does a quick headbutt. Can cancel into itself.	2%
Forward tilt	Kicks forward out in front of him with both legs.	7%
Up tilt	Swings tail in an arc above itself.	7%
Down tilt	Does a quick, low tail whip.	7%
Dash attack	Bashes target with its head, similarly to the Skull Bash. Has a lot of endlag.	8%
Forward smash	Produces electricity with its cheeks. Pikachu charges a bolt of electricity in front of him, causing a lot of knockback when released.	20%
Up smash	Flips very fast, attacking with its tail.	15%
Up smash	Flips very fast, attacking with its tail.	9%
Down smash	Discharges electricity while spinning.	2%
Down smash	Discharges electricity while spinning.	3%

Aerial attacks

Attack	Description	Damage
Neutral aerial	Spins in a ball. Decent knockback and power.	12%
Neutral aerial	Spins in a ball. Decent knockback and power.	6%
Forward aerial	An electric drill-like move forward.	2%
Forward aerial	An electric drill-like move forward.	3%
Back aerial	Kicks behind itself, its small foot getting slightly larger for a short second.	9%
Up aerial	Swings tail while flipping forward.	5%
Down aerial	An electric drill-like move downward.	12%
Down aerial	An electric drill-like move downward.	2%

Grab and throws

Attack	Description	Damage
Grab	Grabs the enemy with both hands.	N/A
Pummel	Zaps the enemy.	1%
Forward throw	Places opponent on back and electrocutes them forward. Can chain grab only a few characters.	2%
Back throw	Tumbles with opponent back and throws them back.	9%
Up throw	Headbutts opponent upward. Can chain grab fast fallers, but easy to DI out of.	5%
Down throw	Slams on top of opponent. Can combo into up tilt, aerial attacks, and up smash. Can chain grab fast fallers and high fallers.	5%

Other attacks

Attack	Description	Damage
Floor attack	Swings its body and tail around.	5%
Ledge attack	Performs a backflip kick.	8%

Special moves

Attack	Name	Description	Damage
Standard special move	Thunder Jolt	Pikachu fires a ball of electricity in front of him that bounces across the ground and edges. If used midair, the jolt travels diagonally downward.	6%
Side special move	Skull Bash	Pikachu charges up and then blasts himself forward with a powerful headbutt. The longer the charge, the more distance is traveled. Can be used for recovery.	12%
Up special move	Quick Attack	Pikachu does a quick dash in one of 8 directions. If any direction that is not identical to the first one is inputted, Pikachu will boost in that direction, making Quick Attack very unpredictable and flexible.	2%
Down special move	Thunder	A lightning bolt with infinite range spawns above Pikachu and travels downwards, acting as a powerful meteor smash and by extension one of the best edgeguarding tools in the entire game. If the bolt collides with Pikachu, the area around him is charged with electricity for immense knockback.	17%
Down special move	Thunder		11%
Final Smash	Volt Tackle	Pikachu transforms into a huge ball of lightning that can be controlled by the player and hurt other characters. Pressing the attack button causes Pikachu to discharge electricity around him, causing higher damage and knockback.	5%

Misc.

Misc.	Description
On-screen appearance	Pops out of a Poké Ball.
Taunts	Standard	Waves with both hands and says "Pika! Pika!".
	Side	Rolls around on the floor and says "Pika!".
	Down/Up	Emits electricity from the ground while saying "Pi!"
Idle poses	Stands on its toes and looks around.
Victory theme	A short excerpt from the title screen of Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue.
Victory pose	Does a 720° backflip, then spins around and looks happily at the camera.
Lose	Claps to the Winner.

Changes from v0.9b

Main article: Pikachu (Super Smash Flash 2)/Changelog

Pikachu was nerfed in the transition from 9b to Beta, with the changes to priority effectively taking away one of its strongest aspects. Pikachu's frame data was also nerfed in its tilts, making them harder to get follow ups with or throw out as much. Also, Pikachu went from having one of the strongest grab & throw games from thoughout various demos, to having one of the worst, due to it losing a chain grab, losing its follow ups from grabs and kill confirms. Pikachu, is still a solid fighter, but not as potent as it once was.