Zero Suit Samus (SSB4)

Zero Suit Samus in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	Metroid
Other playable appearance	in Brawl
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Gunship
Tier	A (8)

“	Zero Suit Samus Zeroes In!	”
—Introduction Tagline

Zero Suit Samus (ゼロスーツサムス, Zero Suit Samus) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. She was confirmed in the Super Smash Bros. Direct on April 8th, 2014, exactly a decade after Metroid: Zero Mission was released in Europe. Like Sheik, Zero Suit Samus is now a standalone character, meaning that she and Samus cannot transform into each other under any circumstances. Zero Suit Samus is once again voiced by Alésia Glidewell, albeit via recycled voice clips from Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Zero Suit Samus is currently ranked 8th out of 56 on the tier list, placing her in the A tier and is a small improvement from her ranking of 9th out of 38 in Brawl. Zero Suit Samus possesses a dominant air game, with two very safe aerials in her neutral and back aerials, while her up aerial is incredibly effective for juggling. Zero Suit Samus also has what is arguably the best punishment game, courtesy of her fast movement speed, a paralyzing projectile in Paralyzer, and an incredible combo game that can lead to either KOs or large amounts of damage in quick fashion. In addition, Zero Suit Samus possesses a long reaching and varied recovery, courtesy of having two tether recoveries, a third jump in Flip Jump and her new up special, Boost Kick.

While she has outstanding positives, Zero Suit Samus also has some negatives. Her grab is very poor; while it has very good range and her down throw is a reliable aerial combo starter, it is extremely slow and thus punishable if whiffed. Her ground game is also somewhat poor compared to her amazing air game, while her off-stage presence is minimal despite her great aerial mobility and varied recovery. Zero Suit Samus has a weak neutral game, requiring players to have great mix ups along with spacing to rack up damage efficiently, score KOs, and avoid getting punished. Regardless of her flaws, Zero Suit Samus is widely considered to be an outstanding character, which is evident in her consistently high tournament results from her dedicated players.

Initially considered a top 3 threat in the early Smash 4 metagame, Zero Suit Samus' ranking on the tier list suffered a slight decline due to the nerfs she received in updates 1.1.4 and 1.1.5, with some of her mains, such as Nairo achieving slightly worse, or less consistent results.

Attributes

Like in Metroid: Zero Mission, Zero Suit Samus follows a hit-and-run playstyle, which is reflected in her mobility: she has the fourth fastest walking speed, very fast dashing speed, fast air speed and high air acceleration, as well as the second strongest jumps. However, her tall frame and fast falling speed make her easy to combo, with her high gravity and low weight also making her susceptible to vertical knockback.

Zero Suit Samus' greatest asset is her excellent set of aerial attacks, which are further supplemented by her great aerial mobility. Neutral aerial has long range, low landing lag and an angle that easily allows additional follow-ups. Forward aerial is quick and decently powerful, making it a useful combo move at low percentages and a dependable off-stage KOing option. Back aerial has long range and high power, making it her most reliable aerial KOing option. Up aerial is very quick, has low base knockback and high knockback growth, as well as vertical knockback, making it an excellent all-purpose move. Lastly, down aerial is a meteor smash with a surprisingly strong landing hitbox, but it is dangerous to use off-stage due to being a stall-then-fall. Zero Suit Samus also has a grab aerial, something she can use for spacing or as a tether recovery.

Her special moves also possess a lot of versatility and give her good camping abilities. Paralyzer is quick, has decent range and the ability to paralyze the opponent, leaving them wide open to any attack. Plasma Whip has long range and, like her grab aerial, can be used for spacing or as a tether recovery. It is also Zero Suit Samus's primary means of recovery, and is overall excellent at that, granting decent vertical and very long horizontal distance. Boost Kick is very quick and very strong, making it a deadly out of shield option, as well as being a decent recovery move (although it can lack in vertical distance at times). Lastly, Flip Jump grants a lot of momentum, gives Zero Suit Samus the choice to wall jump, and even makes her intangible at the start, allowing her to move unpredictably, avoid attacks or mix up her recovery. The kick that can be performed from it is also very strong, being one of the strongest meteor smashes in the game, while also being capable of burying opponents and leaving them open to attacks, most notably Boost Kick.

Finally, Zero Suit Samus possesses numerous and reliable KO set-ups. Down smash is one of a few smash attacks of its kind that it does not hit behind Zero Suit Samus, but just like the Paralyzer, it is very quick and can paralyze the opponent, allowing her to follow it up with a forward smash, back aerial, a grab, Boost Kick or Flip Jump, with the last KOing at very low percentages. In addition, down throw itself has guaranteed follow-ups at any percentage below 160%. Depending on the opponent's DI, it can combo into forward aerial or up aerial, and sometimes back aerial and Boost Kick. This throw is also notorious for its ability to score very early KOs. Without proper DI, a series of up aerials leading into a Boost Kick can KO the majority of the cast at 50% near the upper blast line. The latter's loop hits also have high base knockback and can KO if the last hit does not land due to SDI, even with perfect DI. Even with proper DI, this combo can also KO earlier if the opponent is near close to the edge of the stage. Combined with all the above, Zero Suit Samus has one of the most potent (if not, the most potent) punish games, as well as one of the most feared.

However, Zero Suit Samus has some notable weaknesses. As mentioned before, she is light, tall, and her falling speed is right for comboing, which can lead her to an early death. As a whole, her grab game is weak overall. While her pummel and down throw are very good at racking up damage, the same can't be said about the rest of her throws. Her forward throw and back throw have no guaranteed follow-ups outside of a dash attack, while Flip Jump can only KO if the opponent reacts improperly. Her up throw cannot KO even at 240%. Her grab itself is also the third laggiest (behind Pac-Man's and Samus'), despite its long range, making it very easy to punish if it misses. All of the aforementioned drawbacks also make her very susceptible to momentum shifts, and thus grant her a surprisingly weak neutral game. Many of her attacks hit high off the ground, making it easy for short characters to crouch or not get hit. Despite her projectile having a paralyze effect, it is rather short ranged and does not stay out for very long. As a result, her approach against most defensive and zoning characters is limited to dodging their projectiles with her mobility, power shielding, and either coming in from above with an aerial or fast falling and grabbing.

Zero Suit Samus' custom moves are some of the most polarized in the game. New advantages are gained from using them, but each one has a notable disadvantage to go alongside them. In some cases, the disadvantages are seemingly larger, deeming them inferior to their standard counterparts. Blast Shot is faster and Electromagnetic Net lasts longer, but both sacrifice Paralyzer's immense utility. Plasma Dash and Whip Lash can find better offensive use, but these cases are few and far between, with the former also being less reliable at ledge trumping and more situational in recovering. Impact Kick is much stronger and Lateral Kick goes further, but the former is much slower, removing its status as a follow-up entirely, while also often not connecting with itself, and the latter KOs much later. Finally, Shooting Star Flip Kick and Low Flip have much less utility overall, with the former being difficult to hit with and the latter being less reliable for both recovering and KOing.

Overall, Zero Suit Samus' potent air and punish games make up for her weak neutral game. Despite her flaws and nerfs as of update 1.1.5, she has strong tournament presence, having high representation and very good results, with Nairo in particular being considered to be one of her best players in the world among the competitive community.

Changes from Brawl

Despite being a high-tier character in Brawl, Zero Suit Samus has been heavily buffed in the transition from Brawl to SSB4. She has received a few more KOing options, such as increased knockback on her new forward smash and her new up special, Boost Kick, the latter of which is also a new potent out of shield option. She also gained more follow up options thanks to her faster down throw as well as improved spacing and recovery options thanks to her new grab aerial. Lastly, she significantly benefits from the changes to histun canceling, which lets her combo opponents much more efficiently and reliably set-up many attacks and KOs.

However, Zero Suit Samus also received some nerfs. The most notable of these was to her Plasma Whip, which has lost its reliable KOing potential. Out of combos, her aerial prowess is also slightly worse than in Brawl. Lastly, her down smash's stun time was decreased and thus makes it slightly more difficult to follow up on other attacks, while Paralyzer was slightly nerfed in update 1.0.4.

Aesthetics

• Zero Suit Samus' design is largely based on her appearance in Metroid: Other M, while retaining her physique from Metroid: Zero Mission. Her updated design also incorporates a matching set of Jet Boots and metal bracelets, which are original to SSB4.
• Zero Suit Samus is more expressive. She now winces with one eye closed when taking damage, grimaces with both eyes closed during her Screen KO and sports a dull, open-mouthed expression after tripping.
• Zero Suit Samus now speaks while taunting instead of after taunting.
• Paralyzer's design now has purple lights in its interior, which are most visible while in its Plasma Whip configuration.
• Flip Jump's animation has slightly changed. Zero Suit Samus now produces afterimages during the move's arc and she bounces off of the opponent once she lands it.

Attributes

• While Zero Suit Samus' metal bracelets are merely aesthetic, her Jet Boots have resulted in noticeable changes to her moveset.
• Zero Suit Samus walks faster. (1.33 → 1.4).
• Zero Suit Samus dashes faster (1.93 → 2.1).
• Zero Suit Samus' air speed is faster (1.034 → 1.2), now being the sixth fastest.
• Zero Suit Samus falls faster (1.43 → 1.7).
• Zero Suit Samus' gravity is higher (0.0884 → 0.12), especially relative to the rest of the cast. This hinders her vertical endurance and makes her more susceptible to combos, however also makes her shorthops lower and quicker.
• Jump is slightly lower.
• Zero Suit Samus is no longer connected to Samus via Final Smash, taunt, or menu input usage, with the former becoming her own separate character.
• Since she is no longer connected to Samus, Zero Suit Samus cannot use Power Suit Pieces, removing her ability to use powerful items at the start of a match.

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack deals 1% less damage (7% → 6%).
• Neutral attack connects together better.
• Zero Suit Samus has a new dash attack, a jet propelled dashing knee strike. It deals 1% more damage (7% → 8%) compared to the previous dash attack.
• Dash attack has increased start-up (frame 6 → 7), ending lag and less range compared to the previous dash attack.
• Forward tilt has altered damage outputs (6%/6%/9% → 8%/7%/8%).
• Up tilt deals 1% more damage (11% → 12%) and increased knockback growth (80 → 90).
• Down tilt has received another sweetspot that deals 8%.
• Down tilt has increased start-up (frame 5 → 8).
• Zero Suit Samus has a new forward smash, a mid-level side kick followed by another side kick at a slightly higher angle. It deals 3% more damage (13 → 16%), its second hit has altered knockback (35 (base)/100 (growth) → 28/109) and it has decreased start-up (frame 20 → 16) compared to the previous forward smash.
• Forward smash has less range compared to the previous forward smash. Unlike the previous forward smash, it also cannot hit opponents standing directly behind Zero Suit Samus.
• Up smash deals 1% less damage (12% → 11%), although its knockback was compensated.
• Up smash is harder to SDI out of.
• Down smash deals less damage (11% → 8%/6%), hindering its utility, although its knockback was compensated.
• Down smash deals less paralysis, making it harder for opponents to DI correctly, but slightly hindering its situational follow-up potential.

Aerial attacks

• Neutral aerial is now properly affected by stale-move negation.
• Neutral and up aerials have decreased start-up (frame 6 → 10 (neutral), frame 4 → 6 (up)).
• Neutral, forward, back and up aerials deal less damage (10% → 8% (neutral), 17% → 12% (forward), 13%/12%/12% → 12/10% (back), 10%/7% → 6.5% (up)), with only back aerial having its knockback mostly compensated.
• Forward aerial's decreased power makes its hits connect together better and improves its combo potential, particularly into itself or up aerial.
• Back aerial has increased landing lag (9 frames → 11).
• Up aerial's decreased knockback improves its combo potential.
• Up aerial no longer has a slash effect.
• Down aerial deals 1% more damage (5%/4% → 6%/5%), increased base knockback (30 → 35), decreased landing lag (40 frames → 30) and its landing hitbox has increased knockback growth (90 → 110).
• Zero Suit Samus now has a grab aerial. Like most grab aerials, it has long horizontal range, little to no landing lag and can be used to tether ledges.

Throws/other attacks

• Grab has decreased ending lag.
• Grab has decreased range.
• All throws are stronger, which hinders their follow-up potential at higher percentages. However, they are still not strong enough to KO reliably.
• Forward and back throws have decreased base knockback, improving their follow-up potentials with a dash attack at lower percentages.
• Down throw is faster and has improved aerial combo potential.
• Back Throw deals 2% more damage (6% → 8%), and has increased base knockback and knockback growth, allowing to put opponents off stage more easily
• Down throw deals 2% less damage (7% → 5%)

Special moves

• Plasma Whip deals 6% less damage (19% → 13%), hindering its KO potential outside of stage spikes and edge-guarding.
• Zero Suit Samus has a new up special, Boost Kick. It is a jet propelled, upward split-legged side kick followed by an outside crescent kick. Compared to her previous up special, Plasma Wire, Boost Kick is very powerful (KOing below 100% near the ledge) and has much more utility, as it can be used for punishing rolls, mindgames and as a potent finisher either out of shield or as a follow-up from down smash, up aerial, down throw and Flip Jump, the latter of which is done on grounded opponents at the end of move's arc.
• Compared to Plasma Wire, Boost Kick has less vertical range and cannot meteor smash.
• Flip Jump deals 2% more damage (12% → 14%) and is no longer a sex kick, giving it a consistent damage output regardless of when it hits. It can also bury opponents.
• Zero Suit Samus has a new Final Smash, Gunship. She jumps into her Gunship and fires laser blasts from the front of the screen, similarly to Snake's Grenade Launcher in Brawl. Compared to Power Suit Samus, it deals more damage overall and provides much more stage control.

Update history

Zero Suit Samus has been nerfed in game updates. Update 1.0.4 standardized her air dodge in order for it to match the rest of the cast's air dodges, which basically increased its landing lag, while Paralyzer had its ending lag increased. Update 1.1.4 affected her weight and her Boost Kick was nerfed, as it now KOs around 5% later. Her most substantial nerf was update 1.1.5, which affected her damage racking potential, by decreasing the damage outputs of her neutral aerial, up aerial and down throw, while all of her grabs had their active frames decreased. Despite these direct nerfs, Zero Suit Samus received indirect buffs due to the changes to shield mechanics brought about in update 1.1.1, as the changes benefit her electric attacks, particularly her neutral aerial, very safe on shield. Flip Jump's kick is also one of her few non-electric moves to benefit from these changes. Regardless of these nerfs, Zero Suit Samus is still a strong and effective choice in competitive play.

1.0.4

• Air dodge has more landing lag (14 frames → 21), now matching the rest of the cast.
• Up smash has more startup lag (frame 8 → 10).
• Up smash's first hit has a longer duration (frame 8 → 10-11).
• Up smash's loop hits all start 3 frames later.
• Paralyzer has more ending lag (FAF 25 (from release) → 29).
• Fully charged Paralyzer launches grounded opponents at a lower angle (60° → 315°), now keeping them on the ground. This not only makes it harder for Zero Suit Samus to get aerial followups out of the move (along with its higher ending lag) but it also notably prevents her from re-stunning fast fallers with another fully charged paralyzer, removing the move's ability to potentially infinite fast fallers.
• Fully charged paralyzer now has a negative trip chance against grounded opponents (0% → -100%). This prevents the move from tripping grounded opponents despite its adjusted angle.

1.1.4

• Zero Suit Samus is slightly lighter (81 → 80).
• Boost Kick's final hit has less knockback scaling (220 → 209), hindering its KO potential.
• Boost Kick's final hit launches opponents at a slightly lower angle launch angle (50° → 48°). This hinders its KO potential near the upper blastzone and while this does improve its KO potential near the horizontal blastzone, this is offset by the move's lower knockback, make it KO later horizontally regardless.

1.1.5

• Neutral aerial deals less damage: 10% → 8%, though with its knockback compensated (40 base/80 scaling → 38/96). Additionally, some of its hitboxes have less range (hitbox 1 front: 6u → 5.7u, hitbox 1 back: 6u → 5.6u).
• Neutral aerial has modified stretch positioning (hitbox 1 front X-axis: 11 → 10, hitbox 2 front X/Y-axis: 20/7.5 → 19/7, hitbox 1 back X/Y-axis: 9/14.6 → 6.6/13.8, hitbox 2 back X/Y-axis: 16/17 → 15/16.5). This gives it less horizontal range, but it can now hit small characters on the ground.
• Up aerial deals less damage: 8% → 6.5%, though with its knockback scaling compensated (110 → 125).
• The last active frames for all of her grabs are 4 frames shorter without its ending lag compensated: frame 29 → 25. This makes it more difficult to grab opponents out of their rolls or sidesteps with all of her grabs.
• Back throw's second hit deals more damage (4% → 6%). It also has altered knockback (70 base/60 scaling → 72/45).
• Down throw's second hit deals less damage (5%/7% total → 3%/5% total), though its knockback was also slightly increased (100 base/25 scaling → 90/60), making it somewhat more difficult to combo opponents at high percents.
• Plasma Whip has been improved: the first hit has more base knockback (80 → 100), the loops hits deal slightly more damage (.8% → 1.2%), the final hit deals more damage (6% → 7.5%), and various adjustments have been made to allow all of its hits to connect better. It also has less ending lag (27 → 24 frames).

Moveset

• Zero Suit Samus can crawl and wall jump.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			1.5%	A knifehand strike followed by a pistol-whip followed by an elbow strike. Despite its unimpressive damage output, it comes out at frame 1, tying it with Little Mac's neutral attack for having the fastest start-up of any neutral attack in the game. This gives it a useful amount of utility, such as interrupting attacks, acting as an out of shield option, or using its first hit to act as a set-up into Boost Kick for a KO at high percentages.
			1.5%
			3%
Forward tilt	↗		8% (leg), 6.5% (body)	A roundhouse kick. It can be angled, with the non-angled version dealing the least amount of damage, while the downward angled version can trip opponents at low percentages.
	→		7% (leg), 6% (body)
	↘		8% (leg), 6.5% (body)
Up tilt			5% (hit 1), 7% (hit 2)	A butterfly kick-styled scissors kick performed from a variation of the 2000, a breakdancing move. It is a semi-effective alternative to her down smash for hitting opponents on both sides. Can set up juggles and KO at high percentages, although it has high ending lag and does not hit grounded short characters like Kirby.
Down tilt			8% (leg), 6% (foot)	A legsweep. Opponents hit by her foot are launched upward, while opponents hit by her leg are launched diagonally. Can combo into other moves well from low to high percentages alike, though its combo potential is situational. It can also be used to dodge projectiles and other attacks if timed correctly.
Dash attack			8% (clean), 5% (late)	Activates her Jet Boots to perform a jet propelled knee strike. It can lead into a successful cross-up as a counter to opponents who try to grab her after power shielding. While it is fast, it does not have much range and has high ending lag.
Forward smash			5% (hit 1), 11% (hit 2)	A mid-level side kick followed by another side kick at a slightly higher angle. Due to activating her Jet Boots, the second kick has a visible sweetspot in the form of a small blast of fire at the tip of her foot. KOs around 110%-125%, making it her strongest smash attack. It is also the only attack involving her Jet Boots' thrusters that deals flame damage.
Up smash			4% (hit 1), 0.8% (hits 2-6), 3% (hit 7)	Spins in place while re-configuring her Paralyzer into a handle to unleash a whip of plasma above her head in a swirling motion. It hits multiple times, has fast start-up, disjointed vertical range and decent horizontal range, although only the whip's tip deals knockback. It can also act as a follow-up from down throw at low percentages.
Down smash			8% (near), 6% (far)	Aims down and shoots her Paralyzer at the ground in front of her. It deals low damage, has delayed knockback and, like Mewtwo's down smash, it only hits on one side. However, it is a useful set-up option due to paralyzing the opponent for a short time, with notable follow-ups including her forward smash, a grab or Boost Kick. With precise timing offstage, down smash can lead into a sweetspotted Flip Jump for a meteor smash. The blast is a projectile and thus can be absorbed, although it cannot be reflected due to being fired downward.
Neutral aerial			8% (hit 1), 8% (hit 2)	Re-configures her Paralyzer into a handle and spins a whip of plasma forward around herself. It has fairly long range and has below average knockback, which allows it to function as a useful set-up option for other aerials. However, it can be easily be punished against shielding opponents if it is poorly spaced.
Forward aerial			5% (hit 1), 7% (hit 2)	A flying kick followed by a roundhouse kick. The second hit is stronger and slightly faster than the first hit and it can be landed without landing the first hit, but requires correct timing to do so. However, it is difficult to land both hits unless taking advantage of upward and forward momentum from a jump. It is an ideal follow-up option from down throw if the opponent's DI has been read properly, as well as a decent KOing option off-stage at high percentages.
Back aerial			12% (foot), 10% (leg)	A spinning back kick. Its sweetspot is at her heel, which deals high knockback and can KO around 105% near the edge, making it a reliable KOing option.
Up aerial			6.5%	A backflip kick. Arguably her best aerial due to its excellent combo potential and juggling ability, courtesy of its fast start-up, low base knockback and high knockback growth. It can combo into itself at low percentages and, with enough rage, it can lead into Boost Kick after a second one has been landed, leading to a KO. Due to its low base knockback, it is unsafe on hit against characters that have fast neutral aerials to counter with.
Down aerial			6% (aerial), 5% (grounded), 5.5% (landing)	A diagonal flying kick, similar to Sonic and Sheik's down aerials. It is a meteor smash if her heel hits the opponent. Due to being a stall-then-fall, it is dangerous if Zero Suit Samus does not land on-stage, as it will not stop descending for some time. However, its extremely fast descent speed enables it to function as a counter to juggling.
Grab aerial		Plasma Whip	3% (early), 6% (clean)	Re-configures her Paralyzer into a handle and unleashes a whip of plasma forward. It is excellent for spacing, useful for edge-guarding and is a tether recovery. However, it has high ending lag.
Grab		Plasma Whip	—	Gets on one knee, re-configures her Paralyzer into a handle and unleashes a whip of plasma forward. While it has long horizontal range, it also has considerable ending lag. The tip has slightly more vertical range, which is useful against small characters such as Kirby, who can otherwise crouch under the grab.
Pummel			2%	A knee strike. It is fairly fast.
Forward throw			2% (hit 1), 7% (throw)	Launches the opponent forward with a small, point-blank energy blast from her Paralyzer.
Back throw			2% (hit 1), 6% (throw)	A roundhouse kick. It is an infamous set-up for Flip Jump while near the edge due to Flip Jump's meteor smashing ability, depending on DI and opponent's reaction. It can also lead into her back aerial until around 90-110% as a DI mixups against opponents attempting to DI away from down throw.
Up throw			2% (hit 1), 8% (throw)	A backflip kick. It has the most knockback out of all of her throws, but has somewhat high ending lag, making it less suitable for initiating aerial combos compared to her down throw.
Down throw			2% (hit 1), 3% (throw)	Pins the opponent down to the ground and then axe kicks them. An ideal combo starter, as it can lead into her forward, back (if the opponent's DI is read properly) and up aerials, a running up smash or function as a KO combo with Boost Kick at high percentages. Above 130% depending on rage, she can set up a semi-guaranteed KO move with up aerial (against opponents attempting to jump out or air dodge) or Boost Kick (against opponent attempting to air dodge)
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%
Edge attack Edge getups			7%
Neutral special	Default	Paralyzer	4% (uncharged), 6% (charged)	Shoots a paralyzing energy blast from her Paralyzer. It can be charged for a longer stun time, but at the cost of lowered speed.
	Custom 1	Blast Shot	2% (uncharged), 3.5% (charged)	The blast is faster and has more range, but deals less damage and cannot inflict paralysis.
	Custom 2	Electromagnetic Net	0.8% (uncharged most), 1% (uncharged end), 1% (charged most), 2% (charged end)	The blast initially has little range, but explodes in an ever-increasing range.
Side special	Default	Plasma Whip	2% (whip, near), 1.2% (whip, far), 7.5% (tip)	Re-configures her Paralyzer into a handle and unleashes a whip of plasma forward. The whip itself deals repeated damage and its tip has a flame sweetspot, which launches opponents. Useful for spacing and can function as a tether recovery like her grab aerial.
	Custom 1	Plasma Dash	2% (per hit)	A dashing pistol-whip instead of a whipping strike. As a result of not using a whip of plasma, it cannot grab ledges.
	Custom 2	Whip Lash	— (whip), 6% (tip)	It draws in the opponent instead of pushing them away, while only the tip deals damage and knockback.
Up special	Default	Boost Kick	5% (first), 1.3% (loop), 4% (last)	Activates her Jet Boots to perform a jet propelled, diagonal split-legged side kick followed by an outside crescent kick. One of Zero Suit Samus' best KOing options, as it can KO the majority of the cast at roughly 100%, while also being an excellent out of shield option. However, if it misses or the last hit does not connect, it leaves Zero Suit Samus vulnerable due to it rendering her helpless.
	Custom 1	Impact Kick	6% (hit 1), 14% (hit 2)	The hits deal more damage and knockback, but the Jet Boots' thrusters do not deal loop hits, which decreases its reliability of connecting the first and last hits.
	Custom 2	Lateral Kick	5% (first), 1.3% (loop), 5% (last)	The hits deal slightly more damage and the second hit grants horizontal distance, but the first hit grants noticeably less vertical distance.
Down special	Default	Flip Jump	8% (stomp), 14% (kick)	An arcing corkscrew jump. It functions as a third jump and grants full intangibility on start-up, as well as seemingly granting partial intangibility on her head and lower body while flipping. It can deal damage in two ways: upon contact at the end of the jump, or by pressing either the attack button or special button during the jump. Upon contact, Zero Suit Samus performs a footstool stomp, which buries grounded opponents and meteor smashes aerial opponents. Pressing the attack or special buttons makes her perform a diagonal flying kick, which deals more damage, has high KO potential and has a sweetspot at her foot that is a meteor smash. However, the move has high ending lag overall.
	Custom 1	Shooting Star Flip Kick	8% (stomp), 17% (clean kick), 14% (late kick)	The jump grants less horizontal distance. However, the flying kick functions similarly to down aerial, albeit launching Zero Suit Samus at a more horizontal angle. The flying kick's sweetspot also deals more damage.
	Custom 2	Low Kick	4% (stomp), 8% (clean kick), 6% (late kick)	The jump grants very little vertical distance and no intangibility, but a considerable amount of horizontal distance. Jumping while flipping helps Zero Suit Samus land faster. The stomp and kick also deal less damage.
Final Smash		Gunship	0.8% (loop), 10% (last)	Summons her Gunship from the background and jumps into it as it flies into the foreground. While Zero Suit Samus is piloting it, a reticle appears on the screen, allowing her to fire a maximum of five double lasers at any spot she chooses. When 15 seconds have passed or she has fired five shots, she will return to the stage from the sky, ending this Final Smash.

On-screen appearance

• Jumps out of her Gunship and uses her Jet Boots to briefly hover before landing.

Taunts

• Up taunt: Tosses her Paralyzer into the air, spins once and catches it behind her, saying "Is that all?"
• Side taunt: Re-configures her Paralyzer into a handle and swings a whip of plasma in a circular motion, saying "Try me."
• Down taunt: Re-configures her Paralyzer into a handle and then twirls a whip of plasma around her like a rhythmic gymnast while spinning multiple times on one foot, saying "You're mine!"

Up taunt	Side taunt	Down taunt

Idle poses

• Checks her Paralyzer.
• Stands up straight and looks around, holding her Paralyzer up to her face.

Crowd cheer

	English	Japanese
Cheer
Description	Ze-ro Suit!	Ze-ro Suit! Samus!
Pitch	Group chant	Group chant

Victory poses

A flourished remix directly from Brawl based on the sound clip that would play when Samus Aran obtained a new power-up or addition to her Power Suit. It would also play when Samus defeated Ridley and Kraid.

• Performs Flip Jump and then performs a jet propelled somersault while grunting.
• Re-configures her Paralyzer into a handle and swings a whip of plasma before saying "Be still."
• Performs a stretch kick before grunting and striking a pose. The pose is vaguely similar to the Screw Attack symbol used to represent the Metroid universe.

In competitive play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character	Custom sets available
Zero Suit Samus	1311	1312	1112	2311	2111
	2312	2112	1211	1332	1132

Notable players

Active

•  ANTi
•  Choco
•  Deimos
•  Griffith
•  Marss
•  Nairo
•  Nick Riddle
•  quiK
•  Remzi
•  SmashSK
•  V115

Inactive

•  Ned

Tier placement and history

Like Sheik, Zero Suit Samus has widely been viewed as a top-tier character ever since release. She became infamous for her highly rewarding grab combos that could lead into early vertical KO's, varied methods of setting up KO's with her down throw, back throw, down smash, and Paralyzer, her ability to escape pressure with her aerial mobility and down special, and as of patch 1.1.1, the incredible safety of her neutral aerial. Though her representation has always been somewhat limited for a character of her perceived strength, her status as a top-tier has been supported by the effort of a few dedicated professionals, with Nairo being among the best players in the world. At the same time, players would often point out the weaknesses in Zero Suit Samus' laggy grab and lackluster ground game, though these weren't severe enough to prevent her from placing at 2nd on the first version of Smash 4 's tier list.

However, Zero Suit Samus has been heavily nerfed across game updates, with patch 1.1.5 being the most detrimental by making it even harder to land grabs, lowering the damage of her most frequently used attacks, decreasing the safety of her neutral aerial, and limiting the combo potential of her throws. Such nerfs would be reflected in the second version of the tier list, with Zero Suit Samus dropping 6 spots to 8th place, though she remains a top-tier character.

Trophies

Zero Suit Samus

Samus is far from helpless when her Power Suit is deactivated. Sure, she loses a lot of the moves and weapons she had access to before, but her Jet Boots pick up the slack! She also has the Paralyzer, a versatile weapon that can shock her rivals or change into a Plasma Whip to grab edges and enemies.

Without her Power Suit, Samus Aran may not have her usual strength, specials moves or over-powered arm cannon, but her Jet Boots definitely kick things up a notch in their own way. The Paralyzer, her gun, does just what you'd expect it to, but it can also turn into a whip for attacking and grabbing onto edges while falling.

: Metroid: Zero Mission (02/2004)

: Metroid: Other M (08/2010)

Zero Suit Samus (Alt.)

Zero Suit Samus's up special Boost Kick involves a series of fast kicks that end with a swift, sideways-launching one. A perfectly executed attack will hit eight times! Her down special Flip Jump can bury a grounded fighter in the dirt. She can kick midflip by pressing the special button.

Zero Suit Samus's Boost Kick up special finishes with a swift sideways kick. If you start the move close to an opponent, you can hit them up to eight times and launch them sideways! Her main down special, Flip Jump, buries opponents if you land on them at the end of it. Alternatively, press the button again mid-flip for a drop kick.

: Metroid: Zero Mission (02/2004)

: Metroid: Other M (08/2010)

Gunship (Zero Suit Samus)

Samus's Gunship is her way of travelling through space and her base of operations when exploring hostile planets. In Zero Suit Samus's Final Smash, she can use her Gunship to fire powerful beams at other fighters, hitting them multiple times, even if they're hiding off-screen! At least they can be thankful it doesn't go on forever.

Samus's spaceship carries her through space and serves as her base of operations during her missions. Zero Suit Samus will call down and board her Gunship with her Final Smash. Once she's in the pilot's seat, she has a short time to unleash up to five powerful shots from the ship's weapons. Foes aren't safe even hiding off-screen!

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  Classic (3DS)

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  Alt. (3DS)

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  Classic (Wii U)

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  Alt. (Wii U)

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  Gunship (Final Smash)

In Event Matches

Solo Events

• A Situation of some Gravity: Zero Suit Samus must defeat Rosalina & Luma in a one stock match while her gravity is set to heavy.
• All-Star Battle: Brawl: Zero Suit Samus is one of the opponents fought in this event. All opponents debuted in Brawl.
• Bounty Hunter Clash: Captain Falcon must defeat Zero Suit Samus in a two stock match. Two Villagers, each with one stock, will fight both Captain Falcon and Zero Suit Samus and must be defeated as well.
• Identity Crisis: Zelda and Sheik must defeat Samus and Zero Suit Samus.

Co-op Events

• Peach in Peril: Zero Suit Samus is one of the opponents Bowser and Bowser Jr. must defeat without KOing Peach.
• The Ultimate Battle: Two players select a character and must defeat the entire roster.

Alternate costumes

Gallery

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  Zero Suit Samus' splash art.

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  Zero Suit Samus' amiibo.

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  Preparing to use Plasma Whip.

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  Preparing to use Plasma Whip.

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  Using Plasma Whip against Link.

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  Using her forward aerial.

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  Fighting her Power Suit.

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  Jumping, which displays her Jet Boots' thrusters in use.

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  Using up tilt.

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  Wearing a Bunny Hood while next to Luigi and King Dedede.

• SSB4 - ZSS Screen-9.jpg

  Zero Suit Samus in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

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  Air dodging.

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  Zero Suit Samus with her Power Suit, showing off their thrusters.

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  Zero Suit Samus about to land the second hit of her neutral aerial on Pit, who is trapped by a Metroid.

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  Using Flip Jump while next to Wii Fit Trainer.

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  Zero Suit Samus fighting Rosalina on Boxing Ring.

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  Zero Suit Samus fighting Pac-Man while wearing her black alternate costume.

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  Using Boost Kick.

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  Two of Zero Suit Samus' new alternate costumes, based on her civilian clothes seen in the endings of Metroid Fusion and Metroid: Zero Mission.

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  The civilian alternate costumes as they appear in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

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  Zero Suit Samus alongside Ridley on Pyrosphere.

Trivia

• Zero Suit Samus is the only character in the game who has more than one way to access her tether recovery.
  • She is also the only character in SSB4 who has a special move that can function as a tether recovery.