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Mario (SSB4)

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This article is about Mario's appearance in Super Smash Bros. 4. For the character in other contexts, see Mario.
Mario
in Super Smash Bros. 4
Mario
MarioSymbol.svg
Universe Mario
Other playable appearances in SSB
in Melee
in Brawl
Availability Starter
Final Smash Mario Finale
Mario's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

Mario (マリオ, Mario) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. He was confirmed on June 11th, 2013 during the E3 2013 Nintendo Direct.[1] He was also one of the main subjects of the Developer's Direct for Smash Bros. later during E3 2013.[2] He was among the first wave of amiibo figurines for SSB4. Mario is once again voiced by Charles Martinet, who also reprises his long-time role as Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi, albeit mostly with the same voice clips from Super Smash Bros. Brawl. [3]

Attributes

As expected, Mario is one of the most balanced characters in SSB4, possessing no overwhelming strengths or weaknesses. As such, players are often encouraged to start off as Mario to get a feel of the games' mechanics. Mario's strength, weight, and mobility are average in comparison to a majority of the cast, and aside from wall-jumping, he has no real outstanding traits like many other characters. However, this does not mean Mario is helpless; while he may not boast superior strength found in heavyweights like Bowser, or speed in characters such as Sonic, he is well-equipped to combat all characters and tackle any situation, making him a very reliable and well-rounded character.

Mario has decent approach and distancing options; his dashing speed is average and he boasts the seventh fastest air speed in the game, allowing him cover ground and get close to the opponent(s) without much trouble. If he requires space from his opponents, however, Mario can find reliance within his Fireball, Cape, and F.L.U.D.D. specials: his Fireballs have good range, decent speed, and can disrupt opponents at a distance; Cape is quick and can spin his foes around and reflect projectiles, which can ensure safety if his opponents get to close or are taking a long-ranged and/or camping approach; and F.L.U.D.D. can push fighters away or halt them in their track and can cut through projectiles.

Mario possesses quick, low lag attacks that always provide some utility in various situations. With his mobility and attacks, Mario undoubtedly possesses one of the best combo and juggling ability in the game, which are perhaps his greatest strengths. While his damage output is merely average, his approach, combos, and juggles can ensure he can rack up damage on nearly the same level as the fastest characters in the game. His overall knockback is also decent and a number of his attacks, primarily his smashes and aerials, can KO well into the early-to-mid 100s. However, more often than not will players find they need to create set-ups before Mario can get in any kills, which can be quite a challenge as most characters can trump Mario in a specific field (which is where Mario can mainly find trouble). However, this can be remedied by the rage mechanic; Mario is unique from most other non-heavyweights in that he can benefit from the knockback increase induced by rage without nearly any of his combos getting affected thanks to his approach options, allowing for more reliable kills. However, as rage comes from taking damage, Mario is at equal risk of being KOed himself.

Mario also boasts one of the most reliable throwing games; while his grab-range is sub-par (despite being better than in previous installments), his throws are versatile, as his back and forward throw can set up gimp KOs when used from the edge of a stage (and his back throw itself can KO at high percentages from an edge), and his down and up throw can set up combos, especially with his down throw if followed up by his strong up attack.

Despite being a conventional character, Mario has a few gimmicks, all of which help him surprisingly excel at edgeguarding. His forward aerial is an extremely reliable meteor smash when sweetspotted, albeit its high startup and ending lag makes a rather risky move to use offstage. His back aerial can be used for walls of pain and knock fighters farther away from the stage for edgeguarding. Mario's Fireballs can also gimp recoveries; their low knockback makes them effective in that regard. F.L.U.D.D. is another powerful edgeguarding tool that pushes enemies back without causing hitstun, allowing it to cleanly gimp characters who are helpless after using their up special. Most notably, however, Mario has what is likely the absolute best edgeguarding weapon in all the game: his Cape. When used, it can effectively and quickly gimp almost every recovery in the game, particularly if used after F.L.U.D.D.; it is especially useful against linear recoveries and helpless fighters trying to get to the ledge. His Cape can also be used to save himself from being edgeguarded, as well as give a small aid in his recovery.

Despite all these advantages, however, Mario is not without his faults: as mentioned above, he can be outclassed by characters who excel in a specific field, such as Sonic in speed, Luigi in comboing, Bowser in knockback, etc., which can hinder his approaching options. His approach can also be hindered by characters with long-range or disjointed hitboxes, such as Marth or Shulk, mostly thanks to his own mediocre attack range. His recovery is also sub-par, as his Super Jump Punch is predictable and its distance is only slightly above average, making it easy to gimp Mario's recovery. While he can add mix-up to his recovery with his wall-jump, it can be difficult to execute due to most stages not having flat walls to perform it with, making it risky.

Mario's custom moves are highly polarized in comparison to his balanced default moves, and thus effectively define the basics of alternate movesets. This allows a Mario player to either cover a hole in his abilities while possibly creating another, or put everything into excelling in a certain area. His Fireball alternatives are a common custom archetype of speed vs. power - fast fireball is much quicker, but weaker and doesn't follow gravity. Fire Orb is much bigger and stronger, hitting multiple times, but is incredibly sluggish to throw and has almost no range. Similarly, Gust Cape deals less damage in exchange for producing a blast of wind that can push opponents some distance, while Shocking Cape is much more powerful when hitting with the cape itself, but only destroys projectiles instead of reflecting, and gives no aerial boost. His Super Jump Punch customs are also a common up-special archetype of recovery vs. power. Super Jump goes higher, but cannot hit enemies. Explosive Punch hits incredibly hard, but gives less height. His F.L.U.D.D alternatives both give a power increase, but in different ways. Scalding F.L.U.D.D. charges faster and damages enemies instead of pushing, but this takes away its edgeguarding potential over helpless enemies as a result, as well as having worse range. High-Pressure F.L.U.D.D. pushes much harder and has improved range, but takes longer to charge, and the recoil pushes Mario backwards.

All-in-all, Mario is the jack-of-all-trades who can go up against anyone with near-guaranteed reliability, but is not truly a master in any specific fields, though he has a noticeable advantage against fighters with linear recoveries and has one of the best combo capability in the game. Nonetheless, Mario is a choice that most can rely on and easily master.

Changes from Brawl

Mario has been noticeably buffed from Brawl to SSB4, given that he was a low-tier character. He is considerably nimbler and stronger than in past games, and is much more capable of comboing and KOing. His reach is somewhat greater as well. One of the only notable nerfs Mario seems to suffer from is an overall decrease in damage output. Also, as many characters with disjointed hitboxes who were a large threat to Mario in Brawl, such as Marth, were nerfed or reworked, Mario can now handle them more easily than in previous games. Furthermore, the change to the ledge mechanics makes his linear recovery harder to edgeguard. Lastly, in tournaments and other situations where custom specials are available, his edgeguarding game is improved further with tools such as Fast Fireball, Gust Cape, and High-Pressure F.L.U.D.D., all of which are potent at gimping. Overall, Mario has received major buffs to his maneuverability and combo game.

Aesthetics

  • Change Instead of the more realistic look he had in Brawl, Mario has a more cartoonish and sleeker look that more closely resembles his appearances in the Mario games. His clothes are more brightly colored, and the seams in his overalls are much less accentuated. His proportions are more inline with recent 3D Mario games such as Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario 3D World. For example, his head is smaller than it was in Brawl to fit with these proportions.
  • Change The sound Mario's up taunt makes is similar to the sound heard when obtaining a power-up in the recent Mario games.
  • Change When a Fireball hits a foe, the sound effect when an enemy is defeated in Super Mario Bros. plays.
  • Change Fireballs look more realistic, with smoke and ashes coming out of the flames on each Fireball. The same thing applies with the Mario Finale.
  • Change Hitting with the Cape now makes a sound effect akin to Mario spinning his cape in Super Mario World, but at a faster and higher-pitched sound.
  • Change Super Jump Punch makes a slightly higher-pitched "ding" on the last hit.
  • Change The coins from the Super Jump Punch are now rendered in 3D and designed to look closer to the Star Coins from the New Super Mario Bros. series.
  • Change After using or fully charging F.L.U.D.D., it does not stay on his back.

Attributes

  • Change Mario's chest faces the foreground regardless of whether he's facing left or right.
  • Buff Mario has significantly increased air speed (0.94 → 1.15), with it now being the seventh fastest in SSB4.
  • Buff Mario jumps considerably higher.
  • Buff Mario dashes slightly faster (1.5 → 1.6).
  • Change Mario's falling speed has been increased (1.28 → 1.5) making him less vulnerable to juggling but slightly more susceptible to combos.
  • Nerf Mario's traction has been significantly decreased (0.6 → 0.45), now being tied for the 10th worst instead of being tied for 11th best in Brawl. This makes it harder for him to punish out of shield.

Ground attacks

  • Nerf Jab, forward tilt, up tilt, and dash attack deal less damage (9%, 8%, 7%, and 9/7% → 8%, 7%, 5%, and 8/6% respectively).
  • Buff Down tilt has much less ending lag, allowing it to be a close range spacer and combo move.
  • Buff Up tilt has had its knockback severely reduced, which noticeably increased its comboing and juggling ability to the point that it is able to deal around 20% damage on most characters if used repeatedly.
  • Nerf Due to its reduced knockback, up tilt is no longer a reliable KO move.
  • Buff Forward smash has a larger blast radius, giving it a larger hitbox. It also has slightly more knockback growth (90 → 99).
  • Buff Up smash has slightly more knockback growth (90 → 94).
  • Buff Down smash's back hit has much stronger knockback growth (75 → 100) but less base knockback (35 → 30), making it a viable KO option at high percents.
  • Nerf Down smash's front hit deals much less damage (15% → 10%) and can no longer KO under 150% unless used near the edge.

Aerial attacks

  • Buff Forward aerial is faster and deals more damage (13% → 14%). It also has increased base knockback (20 base → 32 base).
  • Buff Back aerial is much easier to use for a wall of pain due to Mario's much faster air speed and high jump.
  • Buff Up aerial angle changed from 55 degrees to 75 degrees which makes it a much better combo move.
  • Nerf Neutral, down, up and back aerials deal less damage (10%, 12%, 11%, and 12% → 8%, 10%, 7%, and 10% respectively), with their knockback compensated except for Nair.
  • Nerf Back and up aerials have 2 more frames of landing lag (10 → 12 frames).
  • Buff The hits of Mario Tornado link to one another drastically better than in Brawl. The final hit also deals significantly more knockback growth (80 → 100).

Throws/other attacks

  • Change Mario now grabs with one hand as opposed to two (he still uses both hands during his pummel, however).
  • Buff Mario's grab range is slightly better.
  • Nerf All throws deal 1% less damage.
  • Nerf Back Throw deals slightly more knockback growth (63 → 66). But it deals 1% less damage; making it slightly weaker.
  • Buff Down throw has drastically less base knockback (75 → 40), allowing it to combo into other moves more reliably at lower percentages, most notably up tilt.
  • Nerf Down throw's angle changed from 80 degrees to 68 degrees and gained much more knockback growth (40 → 90), which makes followups less reliable at higher percents.

Special moves

  • Buff Fireballs have higher falling speed, allowing them to hit the ground faster. They also travel significantly further in the air.
  • Nerf Fireballs come out on frame 16 instead of 13, have much more ending lag (IASA 43 → 53), and their damage relies on distance rather than consistently doing 5%.
  • Nerf Cape deals slightly less damage and gives less lift in the air.
  • Nerf Mario's means of approach with Cape are hindered by the lack of Cape Gliding.
  • Buff Mario can dash over an edge and grab it right after flinging Cape if timed correctly.
  • Buff Super Jump Punch gains more recovery distance.
  • Buff F.L.U.D.D.'s range and pushforce has been increased.
  • Buff Mario Finale does more damage than in Brawl.
  • Buff Mario Finale's startup also dramatically slows opponents down, making it much easier to land the attack especially in close range.

Update history

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS 1.0.4

  • Change Up tilt deals less damage (6.3% → 5.5%), but the slight knockback decrease the damage reduction brings makes it slightly easier to followup at high percentage.

Super Smash Bros. 4 1.0.6

  • Buff Part of forward smash made irreversible.
  • Change Part of Mario's forward smash's hitbox moved slightly higher.

Moveset

  Name Damage Description
Neutral attack   2.5% Mario jabs twice and then finishes with a forward kick. Originates from Super Mario 64.
2.5%
4%
Forward tilt   7% Mario performs a roundhouse kick.
Up tilt   5.5% Mario performs a spinning uppercut from Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. Infamous for comboing into itself until around 50% and being very hard to escape.
Down tilt   5% (foot), 7% (body) Mario sweeps with his leg low to the ground.
Dash attack   8% (clean), 6% (late) Mario slides forward and kicks with both feet as done in Super Mario 64. Can combo into Up B at low percents.
Forward smash   17.85% (fire), 14.7% (arm) Mario thrusts his arm forward and produces a small blast of fire. It is larger than in previous installments. KOs at 99% sweetspotted and 118% sourspotted when angled up, at 105% sweetspotted and 124% sourspotted when unangled, and at 101% sweetspotted and 120% sourspotted when angled down.
17% (fire), 14% (arm)
17.51% (fire), 14.42% (arm)
Up smash   14% Mario performs an upward headbutt. KOs at 123% and up from the middle of Final Destination.
Down smash   10% (front), 12% (back) Mario performs a breakdance sweep that originated from Super Mario 64. Front hit KOs at 162% and up from the middle of Final Destination. Back hit KOs at 133% and up from the middle of Final Destination.
Neutral aerial   8% (clean), 5% (late) Mario does a sex kick similar to a move from Super Mario 64.
Forward aerial   12% (early), 14% (clean), 10% (late) Mario swings his fist forward and initiates a meteor smash upon impact. Sourspot can also KO horizontally near the edge at 140%.
Back aerial   10.5% (clean), 7% (late) Mario performs a dropkick. It appears to be based on his original forward aerial from Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 64. KOs at 127% near the edge.
Up aerial   7% Mario performs bicycle kick. Great juggler and combo move, can KO near the upper blastline above 140%.
Down aerial Mario Tornado 1% (hits 1-5), 5% (hit 6), 2% (landing) Mario spins with both both fists outward. It was one of Mario's special moves up until Super Smash Bros. Brawl. It is likely based on the Spin Jump that originated from Super Mario World. Good combo and anti-juggling move and can KO near the upper blastline above 140%.
Grab   Mario's grab range. It is relatively short.
Pummel   3.25% Headbutts the opponent.
Forward throw   8% Mario spins his opponent around once and tosses the opponent forward.
Back throw   11% (throw), 8% (collateral) A powerful throw that has Mario spinning the opponent three times and throwing them in the opposite direction grabbed. Originates from Super Mario 64. Can KO reliably below 150% near the edge.
Up throw   7% Mario throws his opponent high into the air with both hands. Good throw for fast fallers.
Down throw   5% Mario slams his opponent into the ground. This throw can be followed up with several options, including Super Jump Punch, his up smash, and most notably up tilt and up smash.
Floor attack (front)   7% Gets up then kicks behind him, then in front of him.
Floor attack (back)   7% Gets up then punches behind him, then in front of him.
Floor attack (trip)   5% Kicks behind him, then in front of him while getting up.
Edge attack   7% Does a somersault and then kicks upwards from a laying down position.
Neutral special Default Fireball 5% (early), 4% (late) Mario fires a weak, bouncy ball of flames from his hand as a projectile.
Custom 1 Fast Fireball 3% (early), 2.3% (mid), 1.5% (late) Mario quickly fires a weak ball of flame directly forward, akin to a shot from the Ray Gun. It does not bounce on the ground.
Custom 2 Fire Orb 1.5% per hit A slow but large orb of fire is launched from Mario's hand in an arc. It will damage any opponent it hits in its predetermined path until it fades away, because unlike the other two variants of Fireball it does not disappear upon impact.
Side special Default Cape 7% Mario swings a cape from Super Mario World that reflects projectiles and enemies. It can also be used as a brief but continuously available recovery.
Custom 1 Shocking Cape 11.2% An offensive variant of Cape that discharges electricity. It cannot be used to reflect projectiles, although it can destroy them on contact. This variation does not stall Mario in the air. Does not turn opponents around but launches.
Custom 2 Gust Cape 5% Mario shoots a small gust of wind from his cape, pushing his opponent back in addition to turning them around. The cape deals slightly less damage.
Up special Default Super Jump Punch 5% (hit 1), 1% (hits 2-5), 3% (hit 6) Mario performs a rising uppercut that releases aesthetic coins from those it hits.
Custom 1 Super Jump 0% Grants more distance than the standard Super Jump Punch, but at the cost of not having a hitbox.
Custom 2 Explosive Punch 8% (hit 1), 13% (hit 2) Much stronger than the Super Jump Punch and causes explosive fire damage instead of releasing coins, but at the cost of losing far less recovery distance.
Down special Default F.L.U.D.D. 0% Mario pulls out F.L.U.D.D. from Super Mario Sunshine, which will blast jets of water to push back opponents, but not damage them. Mario can change the angle of the stream.
Custom 1 Scalding F.L.U.D.D. 1.2% per hit The jets of water fired are now extremely hot, and hence have steam emitting from them. It deals rapid fire damage that keep the enemy in place rather than pushing them back. It charges 40% faster at the expense of range.
Custom 2 High-Pressure F.L.U.D.D. 0% The water will push back foes further than the normal F.L.U.D.D. and does so with more force, but takes 60% longer to charge.
Final Smash Mario Finale 3% (bigger fireball), 2% (smaller fireball) Mario's Final Smash from Super Smash Bros. Brawl. He shoots a massive, continuous tornado of flames horizontally across the stage.

Taunts

  • Transforms into Super Mario as if he obtained a Super Mushroom. He immediately shrinks back to normal size afterwards. It is based on Super Mario Bros.
  • Takes off his hat, twirls around, and says "Hoo-hoo!" He then puts his hat back on. It is based on his level clear animation from New Super Mario Bros..
  • Spins in the air and falls to the ground with his legs in the air. This is a reference to his dying animation from Donkey Kong.

On-Screen Appearance

A green Warp Pipe appears. Mario leaps out in an iconic pose and shouts "Let's-a go!". It is based on how he warps to Peach's Castle in Super Mario 64. [4]

Idle Poses

  • Moves his head from left to right and holds his fist in front of his face.
  • Adjusts his hat.

Victory Fanfare

A flourished remix directly from Brawl based on the sound clip that would play when Mario reaches the end of a level in Super Mario Bros. It is shared with Luigi, Peach, and Dr. Mario.

Victory Poses

  • Winds up for a punch and steps forward while punching in front of the screen.
  • Makes fire explode from his palm and strikes a pose.
  • Does a short spin-jump and lands in a strong-man pose. It originates from his "character chosen" animation in Super Smash Bros..

In Competitive Play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character Custom sets available
Mario's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Mario 2312 2332 2212 2232 1312
1313 1332 1212 1213 2213

Notable players

Trophies

Mario
Ntsc As iconic as iconic gets, this gaming celebrity is known for saving the world from Bowser. He's got amazing jumping skills and makes use of a wide range of transformations. In his free time, he plays too many sports to count. In Smash Bros., he's a well-rounded fighter you can rely on. Say it with me: "It's-a me, Mario!"
Pal It's-a him! Maaario! Whether he's wearing one of his special outfits or just his normal blue dungarees, this running, jumping, Bowser-bashing, princess-saving hero is an all-round superstar. And in this game, he's got enough tricks up his sleeve to deal with anything. If you don't know which fighter to pick, Mario's a solid choice.
NES: Donkey Kong Classics 09/1988
NES: Super Mario Bros. 10/1985
Mario (Alt.)
Ntsc Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS Super Jump Punch is an up-special move that lets you leap high into the air, carrying any fighters you strike along with you. You'll be invincible for a moment after you launch this attack. The default side-special move, Cape, will flip a fighter around. Keep a foe from returning with this move!
Pal Mario's Super Jump Punch takes you high into the air, and if you catch an opponent with it, they'll go up with you. Try to hit them at the very start of the move to do the most damage. His default side special, Cape, can flip fighters around. If you're really crafty, you can even use it to keep someone from getting back on the stage!
NES: Donkey Kong Classics 09/1988
NES: Super Mario Bros. 10/1985
Mario Finale
Ntsc Break the Smash Ball and unleash Mario's Final Smash. Mario will fire a devastating blast of fire in the direction he's facing. The attack covers a wide range and travels far, so it's best to fire this from one side of the stage to the other. The damage is impressive, and it can actually carry foes right off the screen!
Pal When Mario gets his hands on a Smash Ball, he can activate this Final Smash. Flames spiral outwards in two intertwining stream, catching opponents in the wide blast with ease. It deals plenty of damage, and can also push foes off the screen entirely. Fire it from an elevated position to take full advantage of its vertical range!

In Event Matches

Solo Events

Co-op Events

Alternate costumes

Mario Palette (SSB4).png
Mario's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. MarioHeadWhiteSSB4-U.png MarioHeadBlueSSB4-U.png MarioHeadYellowSSB4-U.png MarioHeadBlackSSB4-U.png MarioHeadGreenSSB4-U.png MarioHeadStripedSSB4-U.png MarioHeadPurpleSSB4-U.png

Gallery


Trivia

  • Based on hitbox data, the Super Jump Punch making a different sound on the final hit seems to have been intended to be in all three previous games.
  • A glitch from 1.0.7 shows when Mario performs his side taunt on Gerudo Valley Final Destination form, his hair is missing when taking off his cap, revealing the inside of his head.

References