Pit (SSB4)

Pit in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	Kid Icarus
Other playable appearance	in Brawl
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Three Sacred Treasures
Tier	C (30/31)

Pit (ピット, Pit) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. His return to the series was announced during the E3 Nintendo Direct on June 11th, 2013. Instead of retaining Lani Minella as his voice actor from the English version of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Pit is now voiced by Antony Del Rio in the English version of SSB4, who reprises his role from the English version of Kid Icarus: Uprising. Minami Takayama, who voiced Pit in the Japanese versions of Brawl and Uprising, also reprises her role.

Pit is currently ranked 30th/31st out of 58 on the tier list, placing him in the C tier and tying him with his clone, Dark Pit. This is a drop from his placement in Brawl, where he was ranked 17th out of 38. The number of differences between the Pits is extremely small, yet somewhat noticeable: Pit's forward tilt and Palutena Bow are stronger and much more maneuverable than Dark Pit's forward tilt and Silver Bow, respectively. Conversely, Silver Bow is stronger than Palutena Bow, while Electroshock Arm is a more reliable KOing option compared to Upperdash Arm.

Outside of these differences, Pit and Dark Pit share the same primary strengths and weaknesses. Their damage racking and edge-guarding potentials are strong, they boast very good approaches and neutral games, their respective bows grant them disjointed ranges, and their recoveries are long-distanced. However, both Pits have unimpressive KO potentials, which forces them to be largely reliant on their forward smashes, forward throws, sweetspotted back aerials, Upperdash/Electroshock Arms and aggressive edge-guarding in order to score KOs.

While Pit has a small playerbase, he has nevertheless managed to achieve a decent level of success: Earth has won a number of regional tournaments, while he, Kuro and KiraFlax have collectively achieved a number of above average placings at the regional and national levels in both singles and doubles play.

Attributes

Pit is a middleweight who has above average walking and dashing speeds, slightly below average traction, average air acceleration and falling speed, and below average air speed and gravity. Although his jump and double jump are both low, this flaw is largely counteracted by his three double jumps, which also grant him decent horizontal recovery. These attributes collectively render Pit's overall mobility as average, yet make him adept at adapting to most situations. Unlike most of his fellow middleweights, Pit also has above average height.

Unsurprisingly for a beginner-friendly character, Pit's greatest strength is his fast frame data. Aside from his forward tilt and forward smash, his remaining regular grounded moves and grabs have less than 10 frames of start-up lag. By extension, all of his aerials can auto-cancel with a short hop, while his rolls and sidestep have minimal ending lag. When these are coupled with his Palutena Bow's disjointed range, Pit ultimately boasts a very good approach despite his balanced attributes. This is complimented by his neutral special, Palutena Bow, which grants him very good stage control thanks to its arrow's ability to be charged and easily curved, even in mid-flight. All of these traits give Pit one of the most effective neutral games among the cast when played properly. His recovery is also one of the longest distanced in the game, thanks to his multiple double jumps and Power of Flight, his new up special move. By extension, these two traits allow Pit to edge-guard noncommittally, and in turn make him rather difficult to gimp effectively.

Much like his attributes, Pit's moveset is balanced, so much so that it seemingly has no glaring strengths of weaknesses. When this is coupled with his great neutral game, Pit's edge-guarding potential, punishment ability and conversions are all balanced compared to the rest of the cast. His ground game is a prime example of balance: his neutral attack, sweetspotted forward tilt, up tilt, dash attack and smash attacks all have decent damage outputs, and thus allow Pit to deal respectable damage to his opponents when he is grounded. Neutral attack, forward tilt, down tilt, dash attack and down smash are also useful spacing options thanks to their quick start-up, although neutral attack, down tilt and dash attack also have particular strengths. Neutral attack can be jab canceled into a grab, down tilt can combo into dash attack from low to medium percentages when used against middleweights and heavyweights, and dash attack can combo into a dashing up smash, forward aerial and up aerial from low to medium percentages. Up tilt and especially up smash are useful anti-air moves, the latter of which also boasts enough power to score KOs. Lastly, forward smash is Pit's primary KOing option, thanks to being both his longest ranged ground attack and overall strongest attack.

Unlike in Brawl, Pit now possesses a respectable grab game. His grabs' ranges have increased, while his dash grab's decreased start-up and ending lag make it much safer. However, his forward and down throws underwent the most noticeable improvements. Forward throw's increased base knockback enables it to KO at high percentages while near the edge, whereas the changes to hitstun canceling have made down throw into a very reliable combo starter. With down throw's newfound ability to combo into a dashing up smash and any of his aerials, the latter of which being effective even up to high percentages depending on the opponent, Pit has become even more capable at damage racking. Although his up and back throws have significantly less utility in comparison, they nonetheless deal respectable damage and launch opponents into unfavorable positions. These traits make them useful at keeping Pit's forward throw fresh for a later KO attempt, as well as alleviating the staleness of his other moves.

Pit's air game is also useful thanks to his aerial attacks' ability to auto-cancel, while each one also has particular strengths. Neutral aerial has the lowest amount of start-up lag out of his entire moveset and boasts a long duration, which makes it useful for edge-guarding and as a follow-up from down throw. When coupled with its great auto-cancel window, it is a very useful approaching option and a deceptively useful set-up option when SHFF'd. Forward and up aerials are, like neutral aerial, useful follow-ups from down throw. Forward aerial is also useful for approaching and excellent for edge-guarding, whereas up aerial is excellent for juggling. Back aerial is Pit's strongest aerial attack when sweetspotted, making it ideal for spacing as part of a reverse aerial rush, or for edge-guarding. Lastly, down aerial is also well suited for edge-guarding, thanks to it being a meteor smash at its start and its fairly large range, the latter of which also makes it decent at approaching.

In the transition to SSB4, Pit's special moveset underwent numerous changes to reference Kid Icarus: Uprising: his side and down specials use weapons that debuted in Uprising, his up special references Palutena's ability to grant him the Power of Flight, and his Final Smash uses the Three Sacred Treasures. These new special moves are rather versatile: Upperdash Arm consists of a dashing uppercut to any opponents in his path, similarly to Raptor Boost. It grants super armor, can deflect projectiles, function as a horizontal recovery option and is fairly powerful, thanks to its decent damage output and high base knockback. While Upperdash Arm possesses KO potential unlike Angel Ring, it lacks damage racking potential like Angel Ring does. Additionally, it is very punishable because of its noticeable start-up lag and extreme amount of ending lag, especially when it misses. Lastly, its deflection property is largely inconsequential, since it deflects projectiles at a diagonal angle instead of directly back at the opponent.

Power of Flight covers an impressive amount of distance and be angled to be either directly vertical or nearly horizontal. While it does not boast the versatility and unpredictability of Wings of Icarus, it nevertheless offers better protection. Unlike Wings of Icarus, Pit can immediately reuse it upon being hit. It also briefly grants him intangibility instead of invincibility, but does so for a longer period of time, and regardless of whether he uses it on the ground or in the air. Guardian Orbitars protect Pit on his left and right sides with energy shields that reflect projectiles and push opponents back. While this seems like a direct upgrade of the Mirror Shield, the Orbitars are not indestructible like the Shield; should they end up being destroyed, they cannot be used again for 10 seconds. His neutral special, Palutena Bow, is his only special move that has been retained since Brawl, and while it is still difficult to anticipate, it has been weakened by the universal nerf to camping. Additionally, its overall damage output and range have decreased, to the point that its advanced techniques and mindgame potential have been noticeably worsened because of its arrow now vanishing after a short time or when it crosses a blast line.

Despite his strengths, Pit does have some weaknesses. Like Mario, most characters are able to outperform him in various areas: Mario himself and Luigi have more versatile combo games, Mewtwo has better mobility, Link and Toon Link are better at camping and zoning, Shulk has greater range, and Charizard is overall much stronger. Power, in particular, is Pit's most noticeable weakness, as he suffers from a lack of guaranteed KO set-ups. Like in Brawl, Pit's KO potential is overall unimpressive, as continued use of his strongest attacks can make KOing a difficult task for him if the player uses them because of their respectable damage outputs. This is compounded by stale-move negation, which forces the player to use other attacks to alleviate the staleness of said stronger moves. As a result, Pit must spend a comparatively longer time racking up damage before attempting to score a KO. While rage helps Pit in this regard, it also offsets his combo game, and his average endurance means that he cannot utilize it as consistently or effectively as heavier characters can.

While it is still long-distanced, Pit's recovery has nevertheless worsened since Brawl. Once renowned for its versatility, Pit's recovery is now linear and predictable: his double jumps are lower, gliding has been removed, and Power of Flight is largely inferior to Wings of Icarus because of it functioning much like a traditional recovery move. Additionally, while Upperdash Arm can aid Pit's horizontal recovery, it has an extreme amount of ending lag when performed in the air, making it extremely risky when improperly used as a recovery option. Lastly, Pit's grab game is slightly offset by his slightly below average traction, which can make shield grabs slightly difficult to use against characters with powerful attacks.

Pit possesses some decent custom moves. Piercing Bow, true to its name, pierces opponents and deals more damage at the cost of sacrificing control, making it very similar to Silver Bow. Conversely, Guiding Bow grants even more control over the arrow's curvature, though at the cost of a lower damage output. Interception Arm functions similarly to a counterattack and boasts better KO potential thanks to its higher damage output and knockback, yet it lacks any recovery potential because of it moving Pit very slightly backward upon being used. Breezy Flight makes Pit more difficult to gimp at its start, but at the cost of weakening his long-distanced recovery. Lastly, Amplifying Orbitars are significantly stronger reflectors, making them a better choice against projectile-reliant characters, although they lack pushboxes and have lower durability.

All in all, Pit's strengths are on par with his weaknesses. His great approach and neutral game synchronize well with his impressive damage racking potential, while his multiple jumps and Power of Flight's excellent travel distance make him fairly difficult to KO off-stage. However, Pit's unimpressive KO potential makes him largely reliant on his forward smash, Upperdash Arm and impressive edge-guarding potential in order to score KOs. Pit is commonly perceived by players to be the most balanced character in the game because of his general moveset and attributes, which results in his playstyle being that of an "all-rounder", much like Mario. As such, he has a low learning curve and is quite rewarding when played wisely, which makes him an optimal choice for beginners to learn and adapt to SSB4's pace.

However, players may overlook Pit in favor of Mario, due to the latter having better frame data and consistent KO potential. This has also been reflected in his tournament representation, which is minimal outside of Japan, much like in Brawl. Regardless, Pit has managed to achieve a decent level of success in the competitive scene: Earth has won a number of regional tournaments, while he, Kuro and KiraFlax have collectively achieved a number of above average tournament results at the regional and national levels in both singles and doubles play.

Changes from Brawl

Pit received some of the most noticeable changes of any returning veteran, similarly to Bowser, Dr. Mario, Roy, King Dedede and Charizard. Most of his moves have been heavily altered, with his special moveset being the most noticeably changed in order to reference Kid Icarus: Uprising. As a result, Pit received a mix of buffs and nerfs in the transition from Brawl, with the latter outweighing the former.

Since his special moveset has been changed to reflect Kid Icarus: Uprising, it has received a mix of both buffs and nerfs: his new side special, Upperdash Arm provides the most utility out of the three, as it has super armor, and can be occasionally used for horizontal recovery, and deflect projectiles. Guardian Orbitars, his new down special, provide protection from both sides instead of only the front, but cannot push reverse opponents at their start and have limited durability. Lastly, his new up special, Power of Flight, is more consistent, as he can use it again even if he gets hit out of it, though it has vastly less versatility due to propelling on a straight path.

Pit's previously poor grab game has been improved: the changes to hitstun canceling make his down throw into a very useful combo starter, while his forward throw is now a reliable KOing option at high percentages. The removal of meteor canceling benefits Pit overall, as he is no longer as vulnerable to meteor smashes relative to the cast. Coincidentally, his down aerial has also become capable of meteor smashing, which slightly improves his edge-guarding potential. Pit's ground mobility has become faster, which allows him to extend his combos and apply more grounded pressure to his opponents and potentially enable him to combo his weak moves into his KOing options.

However, Pit has received some significant nerfs, most notably to his recovery: it is now hindered by lower and less floaty double jumps, the removal of gliding, and Power of Flight's aforementioned lack of versatility. Many of Pit's attacks also have lower damage outputs, shorter hitbox durations, and increased start-up and ending lag. This is most notably evident with Palutena Bow and his back aerial, which were one of the most reliable projectiles in Brawl and one of Pit's most reliable KOing options, respectively. In addition to the removal of gliding, other general game mechanic changes of SSB4 have indirectly nerfed Pit. Phantom footstool jumping nerfs Pit's combo game, as it allows his opponents to alleviate pressure that he can apply when edge-guarding or in the neutral game. The removal of edge-hogging in favor of edge trumping nerfs Pit's edge-guarding potential, which is further compounded by the majority of the cast having improved recoveries. Lastly, the rage mechanic is a mixed bag for Pit: while it alleviates his unimpressive KO potential, his merely average endurance results in him being unable to utilize it as consistently or effectively as other characters.

Overall, Pit's strengths from Brawl did not carry over well to SSB4, and his new strengths do not fully compensate for the nerfs to his recovery and overall damage output. As a result of these changes, Pit's position relative to the cast is debatable, considering the fact that most of his fellow veterans, particularly those that were once low-tier or bottom-tier, have also been buffed to varying degrees.

Aesthetics

• Pit's design has slightly changed. His head, eyes and hands are very slightly larger, and he has slightly longer hair, a slightly smaller nose, a sharper jawline, and shorter eyelashes. Pit's hair is also maple brown instead of auburn, and his eye color is slightly subdued. Additionally, his ornaments are metallic gold instead of aureolin, his plate fibula has a thinner plate and larger gem, his leg ring is ornate, and his buskins are thicker, have larger buckles, and their fur trim is of a significantly higher visual quality than in Brawl. Pit also wears archery gloves on both hands, instead of only wearing one on his left hand like in Brawl and Uprising. Lastly, the aesthetic used in SSB4 has resulted in his bracers being sleeker, his bracers, buskins, and left hand's gauntlet being slightly more vibrant, and his leotard having a matte finish instead of a satin finish.
• Pit is significantly more expressive. He scowls with his mouth open during certain attacks, his irises shrink while teetering and upon being screen KO'd, he appears alarmed upon tripping, he blushes while being grabbed, and he smiles during his new victory pose.
• Pit has a new victory pose based on the pose he strikes upon defeating Hades at the end of Uprising. He also has a Smash Taunt that can be used on Palutena's Temple, which mimics his conversations with Palutena in Uprising and uses an animation similar to his kneeling victory pose from Brawl.
• Pit now says "Come on!" during his up taunt, "That all you got?" during his side taunt, and occasionally "I'm finished!" upon being KO'd. These are alternate translations of his respective quotes in Japanese, which are unchanged. Down taunt is also lower pitched.
• Palutena Bow is thicker, slightly longer, and its blades' edges and fullers are metallic gold and cerulean, instead of aureolin and ultramarine, respectively. Additionally, its trail is whitish gold with cerulean accents, instead of whitish amber. Lastly, its bow and blade swings' sound clips are lower pitched.
• Palutena Bow no longer emits a sound effect upon being split apart during Pit's idle pose.

Attributes

• Pit is heavier (94 → 96). This slightly improves his endurance, but makes him slightly more susceptible to combos.
• Pit walks faster (1.18 → 1.199).
• Pit dashes faster (1.583 → 1.66215).
• Pit's air speed is slower (0.893 → 0.89).
• Pit falls faster (1.42 → 1.48). This slightly improves his vertical endurance, but makes him slightly more susceptible to combos.
• Double jumps are lower and less floaty.
• Dash's animation has changed. It is now based on Pit's running animation in Uprising.
• Roll, sidestep and air dodge now emit the same sound effect as Pit's dodge from Uprising.
• The removal of gliding hinders Pit's recovery.

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack's first and second hits deal 1% less damage (3% → 2%). Neutral infinite also deals consistent damage (1% (near)/2% (far) → 0.8%).
• Neutral attack's first, second and third hits have increased knockback (10 (base)/28 (scaling) → 38/30 (hit 1), 0 (base)/28 (scaling) → 30/30 (hit 2), 32 (base)/46 (scaling) → 60/100 (hit 3)). Its last hit also has decreased start-up lag (frame 4 → 3). Altogether, these changes make its hits connect together better, and improve its spacing potential.
• Neutral attack's last hit has a shorter duration (frames 4-10 → 3-4).
• Neutral infinite now has a finisher, a lunging outward slash.
• Pit has a new forward tilt, a scissoring slash while arcing his body. Compared to the previous forward tilt, it deals less damage (12% → 7% (base)/10% (tip)).
• Forward tilt has more knockback (12 (base)/95 (scaling) → 40/100) compared to the previous forward tilt, making it better for spacing and KOing in spite of its lower damage output.
• Forward tilt has less start-up (frame 14 → 10) and ending lag (frame 41 → 40), a longer duration (frames 14-16 → 10-14), and a more vertically expansive hitbox compared to the previous forward tilt.
• Pit has a new up tilt, a bicycle kick followed by a stretch kick. Compared to the previous up tilt, it deals less damage (3% (hit 1)/6% (hit 2)/7% (hit 3) → 2%/3%/5%), its first hit has more start-up (frame 2 → 6), and its last hit has less knockback scaling (60 → 50), more ending lag (frame 36 → 43) and a shorter duration (frames 15-18 → 15-16).
• Down tilt deals 5% less damage (11% → 6%) and has a shorter duration (frames 6-8 → 6-7).
• Down tilt has increased knockback (50 (base)/32 (scaling) → 70/50), improving its spacing potential.
• Due to its body hitbox being removed, down tilt is no longer a meteor smash, hindering its edge-guarding potential.
• Down tilt's animation has slightly changed. Pit now leans farther inward to perform the kneeling slice. This new animation increases its ending lag (frame 30 → 32).
• Pit has a new dash attack, a spinning inward slash. Due to having a consistent hitbox instead of multiple hitboxes, it deals consistent damage (11% (body)/12% (arm)/9% (blade) → 11%) unlike the previous dash attack.
• Dash attack has different knockback (14 (base)/64 (scaling) → 80/50) and less ending lag (frame 45 → 39) compared to the previous dash attack, making it better at spacing, and capable of starting combos at low to medium percentages.
• Forward smash deals less damage (7% (hit 1)/12% (hit 2) → 5%/10%). It also has a shorter duration (frames 6-8 (hit 1)/18-20 (hit 2) → 10/21).
• Forward smash is stronger, improving its KO potential.
• Forward smash's animation has changed. Pit now always splits his Palutena Bow in order to perform a downward slash before quickly reassembling it into its bow form in order to perform a spinning outward slash. This new animation increases its range, but increases its start-up (frame 6 → 10 (hit 1), frame 18 → 21 (hit 2)) and ending lag (frame 48 → 59).
• Due to receiving a late hitbox, up smash's first hit has a longer duration (frame 6 → 6-7). Additionally, its second hit has decreased start-up lag (frame 11 → 10). Lastly, its last hit is stronger, improving its KO potential.
• Up smash's animation has slightly changed. Pit now slightly leans backward while slashing upward. This new animation increases its vertical range, but increases its ending lag (frame 47 → 52) and slightly decreases its horizontal range.
• Down smash no longer deals consistent damage (13% (body)/12% (hilt)/10% (blade) (front), 10% (body)/9% (hilt)/8% (blade) → 12% (body/hilt)/10% (blade) (both)).
• Down smash has increased knockback scaling (90 → 93). Due to its angle being altered (75° → 30°), down smash's back hit is now a semi-spike.
• Down smash's animation has slightly changed. Pit now leans farther inward to perform each slash. This new animation increases its range.

Aerial attacks

• Neutral aerial's loop hits deal 0.3% less damage (1% → 0.7%), which decreases its overall damage output by 2.1% (11% → 8.9%). It also has increased ending lag (frame 52 → 55).
• Neutral, up, and, down aerials have decreased landing lag (30 frames → 24).
• Neutral aerial's animation has slightly changed. Pit now swings his Palutena Bow slightly behind himself for its last hit.
• The weakening of SDI makes neutral and up aerials significantly more difficult to escape from.
• Pit has a new forward aerial, a buzzsaw-like series of slashes. Compared to the previous forward aerial, it deals less damage (15% (body)/14% (hilt)/13% (blades) → 1.5% (hits 1-2)/4% (hit 3)) and has more ending lag (frame 39 → 47).
• Forward aerial has less start-up lag (frame 12 → 11) compared to the previous forward aerial. Like the previous forward aerial, it can auto-cancel with a short hop.
• Forward aerial is weaker than the previous forward aerial. This makes it better for combos, but worse at edge-guarding.
• Back aerial deals less damage (15% (clean)/7% (late) → 12%/8%). Additionally, it has increased start-up (frame 9 → 10), ending (frame 40 → 41), and landing lag (15 frames → 20). Lastly, due to its shorter duration (frames 9-25 → 10-12), it lacks sex kick properties.
• Back aerial's animation has slightly changed. Pit now leans further back while performing the double reverse gripped thrust. This new animation re-positioned its hitbox from a diagonal placement to a slightly more horizontal placement, which makes its sweetspot more apparent, but decreases its range. It also flattens Pit's hurtbox, but horizontally expands it.
• Due to consisting of five hits instead of six, up aerial deals 2% less damage (12% → 10%). It also has increased start-up (frame 9 → 12) and ending lag (frame 45 → 50).
• Up aerial's last hit is stronger, improving its juggling potential.
• Down aerial deals 2% less damage (12% → 10%).
• Down aerial has received a sweetspot that is a meteor smash.

Throws/other attacks

• All grabs have increased ranges.
• Dash grab has decreased start-up (frame 10 → 8) and ending lag (frame 40 → 37).
• Forward throw has increased base knockback (30 → 50), improving its KO potential.
• The removal of chain grabbing hinders forward throw's combo potential.
• Up throw has altered knockback (30 (base)/100 (scaling) → 70/72) and its angle has been altered (80° → 90°), significantly hindering its combo potential.
• On some stages, down throw's first hit will not hit Peach.
• The changes to hitstun canceling significantly improve down throw's combo potential at low to medium percentages.

Special moves

• Palutena Bow deals less damage (5% (uncharged)/11% (fully charged) → 3.27%/8.6%) and has decreased knockback. Palutena Bow also covers less distance, significantly hindering its advanced technical options and mindgame potential.
• Uncharged grounded Palutena Bow has increased ending lag (frame 44 → 59).
• Uncharged aerial Palutena Bow has increased start-up lag (frame 20 → 22).
• Palutena Bow's visual effects have sightly changed. Its arrow's outline is now sky blue, instead of blue.
• Palutena Bow's animation has slightly changed. Pit now uses it while leaning slightly forward and having his legs and wings spread-eagle, instead of using it while in a kneeling position. It also has updated sound effects.
• Pit has a new side special, Upperdash Arm. Pit equips the Upperdash Arm in order to perform a dashing uppercut. Unlike Angel Ring, Upperdash Arm consists of a regular hitbox and an inert hitbox instead of loop hitboxes (1%-2% → 11% (grounded)/9% (aerial)), and has a set duration (frames 16-35 (grounded dash)/frames 19-35 (aerial dash), frames 2-4 (grounded uppercut)/frames 2-5 (aerial uppercut)) instead of a potentially infinite one. This makes it capable of KOing, but makes it significantly worse at pressuring shields, and unusable for damage racking or disrupting an opponent's edge recovery.
• Compared to Angel Ring, Upperdash Arm's uppercut has less start-up lag (frame 12 → 2), less ending lag if it hits (frame 64 → 50 (grounded)/58 (aerial)), and it propels Pit much farther in the air, making it better for recovery. Like Angel Ring, it can reflect projectiles. Unlike Angel Ring, it grants super armor.
• Compared to Angel Ring, Upperdash Arm's dash has more start-up lag (frame 12 → frame 16 (grounded)/19 (aerial)), more ending lag if it misses (frame 64 → 83 (grounded)/121 (aerial)), and its reflection damage multiplier is lower (1.5x → 1x).
• Pit has a new up special, Power of Flight. Pit quickly flies in a given direction by using the Power of Flight. Unlike Wings of Icarus, Power of Flight functions like a traditional recovery move because of its linear trajectory, and thus does not allow Pit to attack while using it or perform wing dashing, making it much less versatile. Compared to Wings of Icarus, it has a shorter maximum duration (195 frames → 145.2).
• Unlike Wings of Icarus, Power of Flight can be reused immediately after Pit is hit while using it.
• Power of Flight grants intangibility regardless of whether or not Pit is on the ground, whereas Wings of Icarus grants invincibility only if he is on the ground. Compared to Wings of Icarus, its intangibility lasts longer than Wings of Icarus' invincibility (frames 1-4 → 9-19 (grounded)/15-19 (aerial)).
• Unlike Wings of Icarus, Power of Flight lacks a windbox.
• Pit has a new down special, Guardian Orbitars. Pit wields the Guardian Orbitars near his arms in order to protect himself. Like Mirror Shield, Guardian Orbitars block both melee attacks and projectiles, while reflecting the latter with 1.5x the damage and 1.7x the speed that they originally had. Unlike Mirror Shield, they shield Pit in front of and behind him, and push away opponents near him when wielded, making them safer and capable of edge-guarding.
• Unlike Mirror Shield, Guardian Orbitars are breakable, as they will be destroyed upon blocking any attack that deals at least 50% and will regenerate after 10 seconds. Compared to Mirror Shield, they have more start-up lag (frame 6 → 9) and lack super armor on start-up.
• Pit has a new Final Smash, Three Sacred Treasures. Pit wields the Three Sacred Treasures (the Arrow of Light, the Mirror Shield, and the Wings of Pegasus) in order to fire a barrage of ethereal arrows and pillars of light. Compared to Palutena's Army, Three Sacred Treasures fire more projectiles at a faster rate, making them better at pressuring. Like Palutena's Army, they have accuracy issues, which is especially evident with their concluding light pillars appearing in random locations, similarly to how PK Starstorm functioned in Brawl. Unlike Palutena's Army, they render Pit completely immobile, yet also invincible, throughout their duration.

Update history

Like Mario, Pit has received a very small number of minor changes from game updates. His only noteworthy buff was brought about by update 1.1.0, which decreased the ending lag for Palutena Bow and its custom variations. The changes to shield mechanics brought about by updates 1.1.0 and 1.1.1 also indirectly benefit Pit to a small degree, thanks to Upperdash Arm's decent damage output and very high base knockback, as well as a number of his moves having multiple hits.

1.0.6

• Fixed a glitch where Pit would clip through sloped terrain while using his edge attack as someone else grabbed the edge.

1.1.0

• Neutral infinite finisher's hitbox size increased: 5u → 6u.
• Neutral infinite finisher's z-axis displacement decreased: 9u → 8.5u.
• All variations of Palutena Bow have had their ending lag decreased by 3 frames.

Moveset

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			2%	A reverse gripped downward slash, followed by a reverse gripped inward slash, followed by an upward slash. If button mashed, Pit will spin the Palutena Bow repeatedly to perform an undulating, buzzsaw-like series of slashes, which concludes with a lunging outward slash. Its can also be jab canceled into a dash grab or down tilt.
			2%
			5%
			1% (loop), 2% (last)
Forward tilt			7% (base), 10% (tip)	Arcs his body forward to perform a scissoring slash. It is decent for spacing and has a sweetspot at its tip, similarly to Falchion. Its tip is strong enough to KO middleweights at 142% while near the edge. Even though its base has the same knockback values, its lower damage output makes it significantly weaker, to the point that it KOs middleweights at 189% while near the edge. Due to it hitting on frame 10, however, it is Pit's slowest tilt attack.
Up tilt			2% (hit 1), 3% (hit 2), 5% (hit 3)	A bicycle kick followed by a stretch kick. Compared to up smash, its lower ending lag makes it safer at harassing an opponent on a platform directly above Pit. It can also combo into a neutral or an up aerial at low percentages, depending on the opponent's DI. Although its last hit has very high knockback scaling, it lacks KO potential because of said hit's low damage output.
Down tilt			6%	A kneeling outward slice. Its minimal start-up and ending lag make it better for spacing compared to forward tilt. When coupled with its average base knockback and low knockback scaling, it is also capable of starting combos into a dash attack against middleweights and heavyweights until around 50%. While it has a slight chance of tripping the opponent, its body hitbox has been removed since Brawl, which removes its ability to meteor smash opponents in the air or hanging on the edge.
Dash attack			11%	A spinning inward slash. It has low knockback scaling and launches at 60°, which allow it to combo into a dashing up smash, a forward aerial and an up aerial from low to medium percentages. However, it has moderate ending lag, making it punishable on shield.
Forward smash			5% (hit 1), 10% (hit 2)	Performs a reverse gripped inward slash with a blade, then quickly reassembles the Palutena Bow in order to perform an outward slash with the Palutena Bow. The first hit launches at 0°, which allows it to connect reliably into the second hit, which has very high knockback scaling. It KOs middleweights at 115% while near the edge, making it one of Pit's most viable KOing options.
Up smash			3% (hit 1), 2% (hit 2), 8% (hit 3)	Jumps to perform three upward slashes. It hits on frame 6, which is very fast for a smash attack, and is useful either as an anti-air attack or KOing option, as it is strong enough to KO middleweights at 131%. However, it has very minimal horizontal range despite its appearance, as it is unable to hit behind Pit. It is also only able to lead opponents into the attack if they are at point-blank range.
Down smash			12% (base), 10% (tip)	A downward angled reverse gripped thrust with one blade in front of himself, followed by a downward angled reverse gripped thrust behind himself with the other blade. It hits on frame 5, which ties it Mario, Dr. Mario, Zelda and Ryu's down smashes as the second fastest smash attack of any kind in the game, being surpassed only by Meta Knight's buffered down smash. It is very useful for punishing rolls and both hits have equal knockback scaling, although its front hit has higher base knockback. Despite this, its front hit's base KOs middleweights at 166% while near the edge because of it launching at 55°. Conversely, its back hit's base KOs middleweights at 135% while near the edge, thanks to it being a semi-spike.
Neutral aerial			0.7% (hits 1-7), 4% (hit 8)	A buzzsaw-like series of slashes in front of himself. It hits multiple times, with its last hit having high knockback scaling, though it has a smaller hitbox behind Pit that connects less reliably. It has the ability to nullify weak projectiles and its last hit has very high knockback scaling, which make it ideal approaching or edge-guarding. Due to its ability to auto-cancel, it is also a decent set-up option when SHFF'd.
Forward aerial			1.5% (hits 1-2), 4% (hit 3)	Lunges forward to perform a buzzsaw-like series of slashes. It hits multiple times, with its last hit having the second highest knockback scaling out of his entire moveset. Despite this, it is best suited for edge-guarding, spacing, or approaching because of its last hit's low damage output. It can also auto-cancel, but has a very short duration and minimal vertical range.
Back aerial			8% (base), 12% (tip)	A double reverse gripped thrust. It is Pit's longest ranged aerial and can auto-cancel, which make it a fairly useful spacing option, especially when used as part of a reverse aerial rush. It is also Pit's most reliable aerial in regard to KOing on-stage opponents, as its tip KOs middleweights at 148% while near the edge. While its base is largely ineffective, it nonetheless has very minimal follow-up potential at certain percentages. However, it has noticeable landing lag and a very small hitbox, which can make it difficult to land it sweetspot, especially on small opponents.
Up aerial			2% (hits 1-5)	An overhead, buzzsaw-like series of slashes. It hits multiple times, with its last hit launching at 68° and having the highest knockback scaling out of his entire moveset. These traits make it a useful juggling option. Even though it KOs middleweights beginning at 153% while near the upper blast line, it only does so if all of hits connect because of its last hit's very low damage output. It can also auto-cancel.
Down aerial			10%	A downward arcing reverse gripped slash with one blade. Its sweetspot is a meteor smash that is active on start-up, while its fairly large range allows it to function as an approach option. However, it has noticeable landing lag and although it can auto-cancel near its final frames, it cannot do so with a short hop.
Grab			—	Reaches out with his free hand.
Pummel			2%	A knee strike. A fairly fast pummel.
Forward throw			6% (hit 1), 4% (throw)	An upward slash. Due to having the highest knockback scaling out of his throws, it is Pit's only throw with KO potential. It also has minimal combo potential, as it can combo into a dash attack at 0% and into Palutena Bow at low percentages. However, its knockback scaling is largely offset by its throw hitbox's very low damage output. As a result, it does not KO middleweights until 173% while near the edge.
Back throw			8%	Grabs the opponent by their head, spins around with the opponent in tow, and them slams them onto the ground headfirst. It is best suited for spacing, but also has minimal combo potential. It can combo into a dash attack at low percentages, and act as a set-up into Palutena Bow at medium to high percentages.
Up throw			4% (hit 1), 7% (throw)	A handstand kick, similar to Sheik's up throw. It is Pit's most damaging throw, but its only other utility outside of dealing damage is initiating aerial pressure alongside Palutena Bow. This is due to its throw hitbox's base knockback and knockback scaling both being average, and thus very unsuitable for combos or KOing.
Down throw			2% (hit 1), 4% (throw)	Pins the opponent to the ground before slashing their back. It is Pit's best combo starter, as it can combo into a dashing up smash at 0%-10%, and into a neutral, forward and up aerial at low to medium percentages.
Floor attack (front)			7%	Gets up and slashes on either side of himself.
Floor attack (back)			7%	Gets up and then slashes in front of himself, then thrusts behind himself.
Floor attack (trip)			5%	Spins the Palutena Bow behind himself and then in front of himself.
Edge attack			7%	Performs a hook kick while climbing up.
Neutral special	Default	Palutena Bow	3.27% (uncharged), 8.6% (fully charged)	Shoots a whitish sky blue, ethereal arrow from his Palutena Bow. The arrow can be aimed left, right, or directly upward while charging, and the arrow itself can be curved in any direction in mid-flight.
	Custom 1	Piercing Bow	5.1% (uncharged), 11.7% (fully charged)	Shoots a larger and stronger arrow that pierces opponents. However, it is slower, has less range, and lacks the ability to be curved.
	Custom 2	Guiding Bow	2.1% (uncharged), 6% (fully charged)	Shoots an arrow that stays on-screen longer, has longer range, and can be curved to the point of forming two complete circles. However, it deals less damage.
Side special	Default	Upperdash Arm	11% (grounded), 9% (aerial), 1x (reflected projectiles)	Wields the Upperdash Arm to perform a dashing uppercut. It grants super armor during the dash, and reflects projectiles at roughly 45°. Despite having very high base knockback, it has low knockback scaling, which results in it KOing middleweights at 153% while near the edge. Conversely, its aerial version KOs middleweights at 179% because of its damage output and base knockback both being slightly lower. It is also an overall laggy attack, especially if it fails to hit anything.
	Custom 1	Interception Arm	13% (grounded), 11% (aerial)	Functions similarly to a counterattack, as Pit assumes a defensive stance and will attack an opponent who attacks him. However, unlike typical counterattacks, Pit will still attack an opponent that is very close to him, even if they do not attack. It also deals slightly more damage and noticeably more knockback, to the point that its grounded and aerial versions KO middleweights at 132% while near the edge and at 147%, respectively. Like counterattacks, it has fairly fast start-up and, like Upperdash Arm, it grants super armor. However, it lacks horizontal recovery potential, as Pit will only move very slightly backward after using it. There is also a slight delay until Pit throws the uppercut, which can allow opponents to shield it.
	Custom 2	Quickdash Arm	9% (grounded), 7% (aerial)	The dash is faster, which makes it better suited for horizontal recovery. The dash also continues after throwing the uppercut, while the uppercut itself launches the opponent diagonally like Electroshock Arm, both of which allow it to chase after an opponent for a potential follow-up, or avoid being punished by a shielding opponent. However, it deals slightly less damage and has significantly less knockback, to the point that its grounded and aerial versions KO middleweights at 203% while near the edge and at 235%, respectively. There is also a slight delay until Pit performs the dash.
Up special	Default	Power of Flight	—	Soars through the air by using the Power of Flight. It covers a significant amount of distance, and the flight's direction can be angled in any way except downward, making it capable of being a vertical and nearly horizontal recovery option. With a maximum duration of 2.42 seconds (145.2 frames), it also lasts much longer than the majority of other recovery moves. It also grants intangibility on frames 9-19 when used on the ground, and on frames 15-19 when used in the air.
	Custom 1	Striking Flight	9% (clean), 6% (late)	Deals damage, but has slower start-up and covers very minimal horizontal distance.
	Custom 2	Breezy Flight	—	The flight is faster and Pit emits a tornado at start-up that pushes away opponents in the opposite direction of his ascent. However, it covers less distance.
Down special	Default	Guardian Orbitars	1.5x (reflected projectiles)	Wields the Guardian Orbitars, which create twin energy shields that protect his left and right sides. These shields reflect projectiles with 50% more power and 70% more speed than they originally had. They also block melee attacks, but will break if they block an attack that deals at least 50%. Upon breaking, they require 10 seconds to regenerate. They also push away opponents who are near Pit when he wields them, making them capable of edge-guarding. However, Pit is vulnerable to attacks directly above him. They have a minimum duration of 0.3 seconds (20 frames) and a maximum duration of 1.3 seconds (80 frames).
	Custom 1	Impact Orbitars	5%	Offensive variations that deal damage and knockback, grant super armor, and are unbreakable. However, they lack the ability to reflect projectiles or block attacks.
	Custom 2	Amplifying Orbitars	2x (reflected projectiles)	Variations that have an increased reflection multiplier for both damage and speed. However, they are more fragile and lack pushboxes. They have a minimum duration of 0.27 seconds (16 frames) and a maximum duration of 2.5 seconds (150 frames).
Final Smash		Three Sacred Treasures	2% (small arrows, energy blasts), 12% (large arrows), 15% (light pillars)	Wields the Three Sacred Treasures and uses the Arrow of Light and the Mirror Shield interchangeably to attack the opponent while also using the Wings of Pegasus keep himself elevated throughout his assault. The Arrow of Light is Pit's primary method of attack, and fires three distinct types of ethereal arrows. Its whitish orange arrows are fired rapidly in a fanning motion, but deal minimal damage. Its whitish yellow arrows deal much more damage, have higher knockback, are much larger, and home in on an opponent. However, they are fired individually, appear slightly less frequently and travel slightly slower. Lastly, its whitish sky blue arrows are fired rapidly into the sky and cause pillars of light to rain down, but the pillars of light appear in random locations, similarly to how PK Starstorm functioned in Brawl. In comparison, the Mirror Shield's whitish green energy blasts are fired rapidly and simultaneously, travel in a crosshatch trajectory, and home in on the opponent's location instead of the opponent themselves, similarly to Autoreticle. However, they deal minimal damage individually and appear less frequently than any of the ethereal arrows. Three Sacred Treasures can rack up an impressive amount of damage in a short period of time, especially when used off-stage, but only its whitish yellow arrows and pillars of light have KO potential.

On-screen appearance

• Slowly descends onto the stage while surrounded by a ray of sparkling light shining down from the sky.

Taunts

• Up taunt: Separates the Palutena Bow and crouches down, then twirls its blades before standing up, crossing them over his head and saying "Come on!" (勝負だ！, Let's battle!)
• Side taunt: Separates the Palutena Bow and then slashes with its blades before striking a pose while saying "That all you got?" (まだまだ！, Not just yet!)
• Down taunt: Holds the Palutena Bow/its blades in one hand/each hand and spreads out his arms and wings, as a few feathers are loosed from his wings.
• Smash taunt: Activates Palutena's Guidance. Kneels down before contacting Palutena, Viridi, Dark Pit (when fighting against him) and even Chrom (when fighting against Robin). Pit then receives information on one of his opponents; this goes for every character in the game, including himself, with altered conversations for the Koopalings and the male Wii Fit Trainer. There is a specific conversation reserved for the downloadable characters, but the dialogue remains the same regardless of what downloadable character Pit is facing. Palutena's Guidance can be used only on Palutena's Temple, and is performed by rapidly pressing the button which activates Pit's down taunt. Pit will hold a pose for a few seconds prior to the conversation starting. This can only be done once per match. If Pit gets hit while holding his pose before the conversation starts, it will be canceled. If Pit is KO'd, the conversation will end. Lastly, if there is more than one opponent on-screen when the conversation begins, one of the opponents will be randomly chosen to be discussed.

Up taunt	Side taunt	Down taunt

Idle poses

• Briefly fiddles with his Palutena Bow. Pit will split it into its blades if it is in its bow form.
• Impatiently hops in place.

Crowd cheer

	English	Japanese
Cheer
Description	Pit! Pit! This is it!	Pit-to!
Pitch	Group chant	Female

Victory poses

An orchestral excerpt of Kid Icarus' title screen theme.

• Descends from the sky and slashes his blades while saying "It's game over for you!" In Japanese, he yells "撃破ー!" (Struck down-!). It is very similar to his side taunt.
• Slightly turns to his right side while rearing his right arm back, then thrusts it forward to strike the V sign while saying "Victory!" and sporting either a toothy smirk or a neutral expression. In Japanese, he yells "ピース!" (Peace!) It is very similar to the pose he strikes after defeating Hades in Kid Icarus: Uprising.
• Slowly spins the Palutena Bow in front of himself, then strikes a pose while saying "That was easy!" or "What's up now?!" In Japanese, he says "楽勝楽勝!" (Easy win easy win!/Easy peasy!). It is very similar to his pose in his official artwork for Brawl.

In competitive play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character	Custom sets available
Pit	3111	3112	1113	2113	3113
	2111	2112	1112	3311	3121

Notable players

Active

•  Chompy - He has wins over players such as JJROCKETS and Hoenn.
•  Earth - The best Pit player in the world. Ranked 35th on the Panda Global Rankings v3.
•  KiraFlax
•  Kuro
•  Len

Inactive

•  Nairo
•  Paseriman
•  Pink Fresh

Tier placement and history

Pit has been perceived as a mid-tier character since SSB4's release. While players pointed out the nerfs to his defense, they also pointed out the buffs to his offense. Despite his playerbase and tournament results being among the most sparse in competitive play, players such as Earth, KiraFlax, Kuro, and Plastic Poptart spearheaded his metagame and proved he is still a rather viable character in competitive play, with this consensus also being applied to Dark Pit. Earth's efforts in competitive play, most notably his 13th placing at GENESIS 3, further cemented Pit's viability, and resulted in him being ranked 18th on the first tier list, only one spot below his clone.

Although impressive, Pit's tournament results, however, have never been as outstanding as other mid-tier characters. Despite Earth's better placing of 9th at EVO 2016, Pit's tier placement would drop on the second tier list, where he was ranked 24th and three spots above Dark Pit. While Earth had another strong showing at GENESIS 4 by placing 25th, Pit continued to lack of widespread success because of his very small playerbase. As a result, his tier placement dropped yet again, this time to 30th/31st on the third and current tier list. In addition to sharing this ranking with his clone, this drop is also tied with Yoshi and Kirby's for the second largest between the second and third lists.

Trophies

Pit

Pit is the captain of Palutena's royal guard. Despite the wings on his back, Pit needs the Power of Flight from Palutena in order to truly fly. In Smash Bros., he can still get more air than most, with four jumps and a special move that boosts him higher. He has a new reflect move—it protects both sides!

Despite being an angel with wings and all that jazz, Pit can't fly without a little bit of help from his favourite goddess, Palutena. In this game, he's good at both close and ranged combat, and can even deflect projectiles. On top of that, with a high-flying up special and the ability to jump four times in mid-air. He's also got great recovery skills.

: Kid Icarus (08/1987)

: Kid Icarus: Uprising (03/2012)

Pit (Alt.)

Pit's side special Upperdash Arm delivers an uppercut so strong, it can send foes flying for a KO. If you miss and fall off the stage, Pit's up special can bring him soaring back. Another of Pit's specials is Palutena Bow, which fires arrows Pit can aim even after they've left the bow.

Pit's Upperdash Arm special launches him forwards to strike with an uppercut. It's so powerful, it can deliver an instant KO! If you accidentally dash off the stage with it, one of his up special will get you back on easily. His Palutena Bow special can be charged up, shot straight up into the air, and you can even guide the arrows mid-flight!

: Kid Icarus (08/1987)

: Kid Icarus: Uprising (03/2012)

Three Sacred Treasures

The Arrow of Light, the Wings of Pegasus and the Mirror Shield-three legendary artifacts that Pit once used to defeat the evil Medusa. When you activate Pit's Final Smash, he can use them in this game, too! After firing a barrage of different bow attacks, his final shot will cause powerful light pillars to rain down on the battlefield.

The Arrow of Light, the Wings of Pegasus and the Mirror Shield - three legendary artifacts that Pit once used to defeat the evil Medusa. And when you activate his Final Smash, he can use them in this game too! After firing a medley of different bow attacks, his final shot makes powerful light pillars rain down on the battlefield.

• 

  Classic (3DS)

• PitAllStarTrophy3DS.png

  Alt. (3DS)

• 

  Classic (Wii U)

• 

  Alt. (Wii U)

• 

  Three Sacred Treasures

In Event Matches

Solo Events

• All-Star Battle: Brawl: Pit is one of the opponents fought in this event. All of the opponents debuted in Brawl.
• Doppelgänger Duel: As Dark Pit, the player must defeat Pit in a Stamina Battle.
• The Break of Day: Pit must defeat three Dark Pits using the Daybreak.

Co-op Events

• An Offering of Coins: Pit and Dark Pit must collect 1000G from a shadow Pit and a shadow Dark Pit in a Coin Battle.
• The Ultimate Battle: Two players select a character and must defeat the entire roster.

Alternate costumes

Gallery

• 

  Pit in the Nintendo Direct from April 8th, 2014.

• 

  Pit's amiibo.

• 

  Pit's appearance during E3 2013.

• 

  Pit as he appears in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

• 

  Pit as he appears in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

• 

  Alongside Wii Fit Trainer.

• 

  Using Palutena Bow.

• 

  Using Palutena Bow while Mega Man uses his down tilt.

• 

  Using Guardian Orbitars, his new down special.

• 

  Using Palutena Bow on Villager, who is throwing a previously grabbed arrow at him.

• 

  Using his down taunt.

• 

  Using Upperdash Arm, his new side special, against Pikachu's Thunder Jolt.

• 

  Using his neutral attack's first hit against Samus' Missile.

• 

  Mario, Pikachu, Bowser, and Pit fighting on Pilotwings.

• 

  Pit's Palutena Bow and Link's Hero's Bow colliding.

• 

  Rolling away from Toon Link's forward tilt.

• 

  Jumping while Wii Fit Trainer uses Header.

• 

  Using Upperdash Arm on Fox in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

• 

  Using Upperdash Arm in the air in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

• 

  Using Palutena Bow in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

• 

  Using Power of Flight, his new up special.

• 

  Using his forward smash on Donkey Kong.

• 

  Alongside Villager on Wily Castle.

• 

  Sonic hitting Pit with the Ore Club.

• 

  Using Upperdash Arm on Link.

• 

  Using Three Sacred Treasures, his new Final Smash.

• 

  Zero Suit Samus preparing to use her forward aerial on Pit while a Metroid is attacking him.

• 

  Using his up taunt alongside Greninja and Little Mac.

Trivia

• Pit was the first Brawl newcomer confirmed to reappear in SSB4.
• Of all the characters who made the transition from Brawl to SSB4, Pit underwent the most changes to his special moves, with his previous side special, up special, down special and Final Smash being replaced.
  • Despite this, Mirror Shield has technically remained a part of his moveset, albeit now as a part of his new Final Smash.
• Pit and Dark Pit are the only characters with two reflectors in their default movesets.
• In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, Pit and Dark Pit's wings will not be outlined if outlines are turned on.
• Both Pit and Dark Pit, akin to the former in Brawl, have some of their moves not applying to their respective bows being in their bow forms or being split into blades. The moves that fit this are their down tilts, dash attacks, up specials, down taunts (despite both of them being different), rolls and sidesteps (only if the latter two are done at the frame before their shielding animation properly occurs).