List of flaws in artificial intelligence (SSB4)

The following is a list of flaws in the artificial intelligence of Super Smash Bros. 4, present in both games up to the most recent version (1.1.7) unless otherwise stated.

General

Category	Description	Character	Latest version
Attack choices	When they get close to a foe after they roll, land from midair or finish another attack, CPUs will nearly always use a grab, or occasionally a jab if the foe is not shielding, making their attack choices at close range predictable. They even do this if the foe approaches them from behind, turning around before grabbing. If the player constantly stays a safe distance away from the CPU, it will aggressively dash towards them and use a dash grab, or stop the dash in close before using another attack, making its approach predictable. The CPU will dash grab even if the player goes airborne or moves a small distance away, missing it and becoming vulnerable. CPUs additionally always pummel at least once when grabbing a foe, even with characters such as Ganondorf and Robin that have slow pummels allowing the player to easily break out of the grab. Moreover, with the exception of Donkey Kong, CPUs tend to favor their down throws to combo at low to mid percents, even with characters whose down throws are ineffective for said purpose and instead have other combo throws (such as Bowser and Kirby), and in case they do use said throws, they will rarely try to combo out of them whatsoever (an example being Bowser with his up throw). Likewise, at high percents, they almost always their back throws for KOing, even with characters such as Greninja, Marth, and Pit who have other stronger throws; the only exceptions are Charizard, Kirby, Link, and Mewtwo, who instead appropriately use their up throws in this instance.	All	1.1.7
	CPUs often fail to recognize when an opponent is in ending lag, instead, they act as though the player has the ability to attack them at any moment. This is particularly noticeable if the player uses Rest, as the CPU will continue to act cautiously, failing to recognize that Jigglypuff is vulnerable.	All
	When launched upwards and close to the player horizontally, CPUs tend to fall down and use a down aerial when in close range, which can be easily shielded and punished, instead of trying to land away safely.	All
	Like in Melee and Brawl, CPUs that launch a foe upwards will just wait for them on the ground to attack with up tilts and up smashes as they come near, rarely using other attacks or going airborne to chase them. The only exception is Mii Gunner, who will often jump and use their up aerial instead.	All
	In Training mode, CPUs set to Attack have a much higher tendency to use projectiles and other special attacks they spam (such as Falcon Kick) than in other game modes, using them even when in close to the player, causing them to be much easier to punish and impractical to battle against.	All
	CPUs make constant use of their forward smash and grab to attack at close range.	All	1.0.4
	CPUs persistently try to use certain projectiles or special moves even when only one of them can be out at a time, or when a certain period of time must pass for the special to be used again; they will just use it again with no results, causing them to become vulnerable most of the time. These moves include Clown Cannon, Mechakoopa, Wario Bike, Banana Peel, Robin's four special moves (of which Thunder and Arcfire suffer the most from this behavior), Robo Beam, Gyro, Pikmin Throw, and Bonus Fruit. When at a long distance from a player, a CPU may even stall in place trying to spam these moves, without trying to approach the player at all for a long while.	All
	When at a moderate distance from a foe, most CPUs often jump before shooting projectiles (a behavior also presented by CPU Yoshi with Egg Lay), even if these are fired in a straight horizontal trajectory, such as Water Shuriken or Charge Shot, or at an otherwise more vertical angle, such as Shot Put, causing them to miss if the foe just stays on the ground.	All
	When using a projectile repeatedly, CPUs tend to not move and reposition themselves between uses of it, causing them to constantly miss with projectiles that only cover a specific distance, such as Shot Put and Explosive Flame, leaving themselves open.	All
Shielding and Dodging	If a CPU on the ground is not in lag when a nearby player has intangibility from a roll or sidestep, it will also roll, taking the intangibility as a menace; if this is done repeatedly, the CPU will continuously roll around, seemingly rolling in lockstep with the player, attacking only if the player is not intangible as the CPU's lag ends, instead of simply punishing them. This easily allows the player to bait the CPU and get followups. CPUs also behave similarly when the player has invincibility via respawning or equipment. They will roll constantly even if the player just stays on the revival platform, doing so heedless of other hazards on stage.	All	1.1.7
	CPUs hold their shield against incoming attacks even if they have remarkable shield breaking potential (such as Hand Slap, also notorious with items like the Hammer and Home-Run Bat) or are strengthened enough by equipment to do so, allowing the player to easily set up followups and KOs on them afterward.	All
	High-level CPUs always attempt to air dodge incoming attacks and grabs while airborne, even if doing so causes other dangers, such as landing lag if used right above a platform or self-destructing on stages like Jungle Japes, where the air dodge's lag can cause them to fall in the water. Additionally, if the player repeatedly uses an attack that weakly sends the CPU over them, such as an up tilt for most characters, the CPU will air dodge the second attack after getting hit by the first one but will suffer landing lag afterward, enabling the player to simply hit the CPU with the attack over again and rack up significant damage. Similar behavior occurs with high-level CPUs attempting to escape area-of-effect dangers such as an X Bomb or Assist Trophy; they will air dodge constantly and angle their recoveries in an attempt to escape the item without considering where they land, which can cause an unintentional self-destruct (most notoriously with angled recoveries such as Teleport, Fire Fox or Power of Flight) or leave them prone to harsh punishment.	All
	CPUs shielding attacks at a fair distance might hold them for a long time or constantly put them on and off until they are close to breaking, regardless of what the player does.	All	1.0.4, 1.0.2
	After shielding an attack, CPUs tend to always roll before attacking the player, rarely using shield grabs or just dropping their shield to use attacks, making them easy to predict and punish.	All	1.0.4
	When on a platform, CPUs shielding attacks from below will just hold their shields in place if attacked repeatedly or drop them to then shield the next attack again, not trying to roll or jump away until their shield is close to breaking. This allows them to be easily shield stabbed.	All
	When a player charges a special move whose charge can be held indefinitely, such as Hero's Bow or Rollout, CPUs without projectiles (or approach special moves they spam) behave rather eccentrically: they will recurrently jump and fall down while moving a slight distance forward, repeating the process and randomly rolling away from the player as they get closer, only attacking if the player is within close range as they jump or land. While they still attempt to dodge these attacks when released, this behavior can be easily exploited by unleashing the attack as they are falling down, invariably hitting them. CPUs also behave this way against a Wii Fit Trainer player using Deep Breathing, despite her becoming vulnerable, no matter how long the move is used.	All
Recovery	When recovering while above ground level, CPU Link and Toon Link at high levels will use their Boomerang even if that leaves them vulnerable against nearby edge guarders, or otherwise doesn't reach the foe at all. CPU Mario and Dr. Mario behave the same way with Fireball/Megavitamins, as does CPU Pikachu with Thunder Jolt.		1.1.7
	When using their up specials during recovery while above ground level, CPU Fox and Falco will aim for nearby onstage foes instead of a safe ledge, leaving themselves easily punishable. CPU Mii Swordfighter exhibits the same behavior with Skyward Slash Dash, assuming the move is equipped.
	CPU Bayonetta always uses After Burner Kick when at a short distance away from the edge, often without attacking or dodging opponents after using the move and before landing.
	CPU Bayonetta never uses Witch Twist before her midair jump when recovering, thus rendering her unable to use the move a second time and allowing her to be edgeguarded more easily.
	CPU Palutena never uses Super Speed to recover, and won't try to attack after using Jump Glide even when onstage. CPU R.O.B. behaves similarly with Robo Burner, not attacking or dodging after using it until landing or grabbing an edge.
	CPU Palutena never uses Angelic Missile to recover.		1.0.4
	CPU Pac-Man never uses Power Pellet to recover.		1.1.7
	When using Pac-Jump, CPU Pac-Man often doesn't bounce on the trampoline again unless a wall in front forces him to do so, causing him to be KO'd if the first bounce doesn't achieve enough distance for him to recover.		1.0.4
	CPU Ryu never uses Focus Attack Dash Cancels to recover.		1.1.7
	When using Abandon Ship, CPU Bowser Jr. never attacks with the hammer, instead air dodging continuously when pursued until landing or grabbing an edge.		1.0.5
	CPU Mii Brawler never uses Feint Jump to recover.
	CPU Luigi, Sheik, and Zero Suit Samus never aid their recoveries with their respective down specials, causing them to fail their recoveries and get KO'd if their other recovery moves do not attain enough distance to get back onto the stage.		1.0.4, 1.0.2
	CPUs of characters with multiple midair jumps often intentionally hover by the ledge using up all of them before grabbing it, instead of simply getting back to the stage, leaving themselves open to subsequent gimps.		1.0.2, : 1.0.5 only
	Similar to the situation seen above, CPU Ness and Lucas always distance away from the stage edge to aim at it with PK Thunder 2 (or z-air in the case of Lucas), becoming extremely vulnerable to gimps.		1.1.7, : 1.0.5 onward
	CPUs never avoid or fight off edgeguarders during their recovery, making them much easier to KO than human players.	All	1.0.4
	At high levels, CPU Wario most of the time aids his recovery with Wario Bike before using Corkscrew. When knocked out of the move's jump, however, he may persistently try to use the move again even if he hasn't got the Bike back, initiating Wario's "searching around" animation and getting KO'd. He may also exhibit this behavior if his Bike is onstage due to a prior use of the move.
	In most cases, CPU Diddy Kong aims Rocketbarrel Boost horizontally, even if the stage ledge is above him, causing him to be KO'd when he could have survived otherwise. CPU Mii Gunner behaves similarly with Arm Rocket, assuming the move is equipped.
	CPU Charizard never uses Flare Blitz to recover.
	CPU Ness always aims PK Thunder 2 in the same upwards, barely horizontal trajectory when recovering, often causing him to fail to recover if the ledge or platform he is aiming at is at a more horizontal distance (as the CPU commonly won't wait to be below it to use the move either).
	At high levels, CPU Shulk often activates his Jump Art before using Air Slash to recover. However, he does this even if he had already used another Art, having to scroll all the way to the Jump Art before being able to use Air Slash, waiting too long to recover and getting KO'd.
	CPU Mega Man at high levels usually tries to use Crash Bomber after Rush Coil if he doesn't grab an edge instantly with the move, even though it doesn't affect recovery; in some occasions, this can cause him to miss a nearby ledge and get KO'd. At low levels, he may even use Crash Bomber only, without using Rush Coil at all, causing him to be KO'd without trying to recover.
	When using Soaring Axe Kick and Stone Scabbard for recovery, CPU Mii Fighters won't wait to be underneath the ledge they're aiming at, at a range the distance given by the move is more desirable for recovering, habitually using the move instantly after their midair jump and self-destructing easily because of the moves' falldown.
Other	When hit by Mega Man's up aerial, CPUs often use a midair jump after taking its repeated hits, even if they end up being pushed by the tornado towards the upper blast line, getting KO'd earlier by the move.	All	1.1.7
	When Shuriken of Light is repeatedly used against CPUs at a far distance (near to the point where the move gets maximum power), they will just hold their shield in place even if the attack doesn't reach them at all, holding it until it's close to breaking if the player doesn't ceasefire, allowing the player to get easy shield stabs and breaks on them afterward. In this situation, CPUs with reflectors will also rarely use them at all. CPUs also exhibit this behavior against the custom moves Fireball Cannon and Jumbo Hoop.	All
	CPUs still ignore when Team Attack is on, carelessly using powerful moves like smash attacks even if there are teammates with high damage near them, thus KOing them. When accidentally grabbing teammates, they will also still pummel and throw them.	All
	CPU players on a human player's team may still perform actions on similar-teamed human players, even with Team Attack off, most often at Level 6 and above. This is most frequent when a human player is charging an attack, holding down a hitbox-generating attack (such as a jab infinite), or is buried; CPU players will spam dodges for the former two, or constantly throw out smash attacks for the latter.	All
Carryover from Brawl	When launched a high distance, high-leveled CPUs will almost always air dodge after hitstun ends, very occasionally jumping or using an aerial attack instead, which allows players to easily get followups on them. In this case, they will also never interrupt their air dodges with an action besides another dodge. In this situation, CPUs may also air dodge continuously until they land, without trying to counterattack pursuing players at all, and will still air dodge when close to the ground as well, becoming vulnerable due to the landing lag.	All	1.0.4
	When grabbing ledges, CPUs frequently choose to jump from them instead of using other options, allowing players to consistently punish them with options that cover their ledge jump.	All
	During the period a player has to respawn, CPUs will jump onto a nearby platform, and flee to others when the player pursues them, without attempting to dodge their attacks.	All
	When a player and a CPU with a chargeable projectile are on opposite sides of a stage, the CPU will still constantly charge and fire the projectile in place until the player comes near, allowing them to easily reflect or absorb them.
	CPU Kirby often uses his forward aerial after a midair jump to attack edge guarders during his recovery, regardless of his level, which, while making him harder to gimp, is a very predictable and stoppable process as the CPU will never attempt to act differently.
	CPU Meta Knight tends to use Dimensional Cape over his other special moves to recover, even when Shuttle Loop and Drill Rush are vastly superior options; he usually only uses the former when a ledge is directly above him, and never uses the latter at all.
	CPUs with a Gooey Bomb or Crash Bomber stuck to them constantly shield and dodge until they wear off or explode, ignoring nearby players in the process.	All	1.1.7

Character-specific

Character	Description	Latest version
	CPU Mario and Dr. Mario tend to use Cape/Super Sheet after a jump instead of their superior aerial attacks, leaving themselves open to punishes if predicted correctly.	1.1.7
	CPU Luigi tends to use Luigi Cyclone when approaching the player.
	When floating towards the player, CPU Peach will never cancel the float to air dodge incoming attacks; as she often floats to approach from the ground, this can be easily exploited to fatally KO her. Additionally, at high levels, if the player goes offstage and CPU Peach is at the edge, she will always float offstage for the maximum duration without attempting to attack or air dodge, only moving horizontally towards them. This flaw not only leaves her open to punishment from unusually slow attacks such as fully charged smash attacks but can also be limitlessly exploited, allowing the player to win against her by repeatedly going offstage and punishing her.
	The CPUs characters shown left use their grab special moves (Flying Slam, Egg Lay, Chomp, Nosferatu, Inhale, Force Palm and Confusion respectively) almost as much as their grab, and in the same instances, leaving themselves open to attacks if they miss (since they are usually laggier than regular grabs).	1.1.7, : 1.0.5 onward
	When above the player in midair, the CPUs shown left (especially Captain Falcon and Ganondorf) often use their stall-then-fall specials (Bowser Bomb, Yoshi Bomb, Stone, Falcon Kick, Wizard's Foot, Power Thrust and downward Afterburner Kick respectively), even if these can be easily avoided and punished.	1.1.7
	CPU Rosalina tends to use her forward or back air as hitstun ends upon being launched far, even if no foes are close to her or Luma, allowing the player to hit her out of the moves' endlag and potentially get followups and KOs.	1.1.7, : 1.0.5 onward
	CPU Rosalina will never intentionally attempt to make Luma attack projected away from her upon using Luma Shot, only calling it back to use the move over again, causing Luma to be easily KO'd by foes. She will also persistently try to call Luma back even when it's stunned from an attack (the period during which it cannot be called back), leaving herself open to enemy attacks.	1.0.4
	CPU Bowser Jr. spams Clown Kart Dash when at far distances from the player. This usually also leads to him SDing on walk-off stages such as Bridge of Eldin.	1.1.7 (1.0.6 onward)
	CPU Wario often uses Wario Bike when at far distances from the player. He additionally most of the time turns around as he gets close to the foe, even if that causes him to not hit at all, and also attempts to use the move even if his Bike is onstage and away from him, initiating his "searching around" animation and failing to do so.	1.1.7
	When grabbing a foe, CPU Donkey Kong will only use his cargo throw, and then almost always his cargo up throw, only using his cargo down throw when grabbing foes near an edge. He also often initiates and finishes the cargo throw instantly, never moving except to turn around if close to an edge and facing away from it, and not pummeling the foe until very high percentages.
	CPU Diddy Kong never attempts to pick up his Banana Peels, even when he intentionally spawns them.	1.1.0
	When punishing an opponent after a shield break, CPU Link and Toon Link only use the first hit of their forward smash, with CPU Link also not charging it at all, thus missing on significant damage and, due to the first hit's very low knockback scaling (in order to connect into the second hit), rendering them unable to KO the opponent whatsoever.	1.1.7 (1.0.6 onward)
	CPU Sheik tends to use Burst Grenade when distanced away from the player (like she does with Needle Storm) and hold it even after the player gets close, allowing them to unleash a powerful attack on her.	1.1.7
	CPU Samus often repeatedly uses Bombs when above the player, even if there is a platform below her.
	CPU characters with chargeable projectiles that can be stored often spam weak projectiles after unleashing a fully charged one, even if they don't reach the foe at all.	1.0.4
	CPU Zero Suit Samus tends to use Flip Jump when at a medium distance from the player, often failing to hit with it.	1.1.7
	She also tends to use Plasma Whip against players near the move's maximum range.
	About half of the time when a projectile is fired at them, CPU Pit and Dark Pit will use Upperdash Arm/Electroshock Arm to reflect it instead of Guardian Orbitars, even if they are in the air or during recovery, leaving them extremely vulnerable due to the move's heavy aerial ending lag especially if they fail to hit the projectile, and in the latter case, even failing to recover and getting KOed.
	CPU Palutena spams Super Speed (if equipped) when at far distances from the player.
	CPU Marth and Lucina tend to spam Dancing Blade to attack the player at close distances.
	CPU Lucina almost always tries to combo her down throw into Dolphin Slash, even when this often proves to be a poor attempt at doing so, it is easily avoidable by DIing away and leaving her vulnerable afterward.	1.0.4