Ice Climbers (SSBU)

Ice Climbers in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Universe	Ice Climber
Other Smash Bros. appearances	in Melee in Brawl
Availability	Unlockable
Final Smash	Iceberg

The Ice Climbers (アイスクライマー, Ice Climber) are a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. They were confirmed on June 12th, 2018. Although they are a team, the Ice Climbers are collectively classified as Fighter #15.

The Ice Climbers are once again voiced by Sanae Kobayashi, with her portrayals from Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl being repurposed for Ultimate.

How to unlock

Complete one of the following:

• Play VS. matches, with the Ice Climbers being the 10th characters to be unlocked.
• Clear Classic Mode with Link or any character in his unlock tree, being the 2nd characters unlocked after King K. Rool.
• Have the Ice Climbers join the player's party in World of Light.

With the exception of the third method, the Ice Climbers must then be defeated on Summit.

Attributes

The Ice Climbers are a pair of middleweight characters (weighing the same as Lucario, Wolf, Villager, and Steve) that have the unique property of being a "two in one" character, though each Climber is unique character in their own right. The partner (Nana, by default) has higher mobility attributes (walk and run speed, air speed, fall speed, gravity, and air acceleration), but at the same time takes more damage and knockback than the leader (Popo, by default). Also unique to the partner, only they can meteor smash with their forward aerial. Technically being 2 characters, the Ice Climbers are able to grab two different items. Unlike in previous installments, they are no longer hard to grab and throw unless the partner is the one being grabbed (when the leader is grabbed, the partner will panic). When separated, AI takes control of the partner, and guides them back to the leader. In this scenario, it is advisable to stick to and protect the partner. Should the CPU Climber get KO'd during the stock, the remaining Climber will have drastically reduced damage output, KO ability, and recovery, with Belay becoming practically useless and Squall Hammer loses a good deal of distance (whereas with both Climbers they are excellent recovery moves).

The Ice Climbers are great at dealing damage when together, have decent attack speed, and possess a few interesting attacks in their arsenal. Their neutral special move, Ice Shot, is a projectile fired by each Ice Climber which slides along the ground, making it impossible to avoid by crouching/crawling, though it can damage the Climbers themselves if the blocks are attacked. Blizzard, their down special move, can freeze opponents and has both Ice Climbers attacking one side whether on the ground or in midair. Squall Hammer is a decent approach attack with good damage and speed, spinning the Ice Climbers around each other in a forward-moving hammer attack. By mashing the button, they can gain a little height, making it a potential recovery option (albeit not an effective one). Belay, the up special, is a powerful KO move (though not as powerful as in Brawl) should the second Climber connect with the opponent, but it is generally a risky use of the move given that it separates the Climbers and puts them into a helpless animation. It is much more suited for recovery, as well as for saving the seperated partner from falling offstage. A unique addition to their character is that the Ice Climbers have their traction reversed: they are not affected by the conditions of slippery surfaces such as ice, but will slide somewhat on non-slippery surfaces.

One of the Ice Climbers' greatest weakness is their dependability on each other. While having decent damage output and KO potential, it becomes horribly diminished if the partner is KO'ed, and the fact that the partner takes more damage and knockback further compounds this problem. When separated, while the AI guides the partner back to the leader, the partner is unable to act and defend themself from any other threats. Because of this, it is important for the leader to hurry back to the partner, though this can potentially lead the leader into dangerous situations as well.

Their main recovery method, Belay, is incredibly situational. If the partner is unable to reach the ledge, than it can put the leader at a disadvantage even if they make it back to the stage. Since the partner flings the leader much higher, it is possible to overshoot the ledge, leaving the leader unable to defend themself while descending helplessly onstage.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Previously, the Ice Climbers were known for having some of the most infamously powerful damage racking capabilities thanks to their ability to wobble in Melee and infinitely chain grab in Brawl, and additionally achieve a KO from them. Possibly as a result of this, in the transition from Brawl to Ultimate, the Ice Climbers were drastically nerfed. Their grab game was significantly impacted the most; the partner climber can no longer grab or act when the leader is grabbed or throwing someone (except when in the air), the leader's grabs have noticeably more startup and ending lag, and their infamous chain grabs were completely removed.

Outside of this, the Ice Climbers have received a mixed bag. On the nerf side, the base damage output on many of their moves has decreased and many of their attacks connect less reliably when they are together due to reduced hitlag. The partner climber also no longer performs Blizzard behind the leader when used on the ground and Blizzard itself is less effective as a spacing tool due to it being almost useless when used at max range as well as it has increased ending lag. The partner climber is also launched much easier than the leader due to taking increased damage and knockback from attacks, and the AI's intelligence has been reduced leading to more likely self-destructs, making it harder for each of them to stay together. Finally, due to changes in Belay's hitboxes, the move can gain significantly less height if the hitbox is out prioritized, and its overall size is smaller, making it harder to connect against grounded opponents.

However, in terms of buffs, as with almost every other returning veteran, their mobility has been considerably increased and the partner climber is now faster than the leader, making it harder to separate them. Some of their moves, including forward smash, down smash, and forward aerial have higher damage and KO power, and the Ice Climbers have superior combo potential due to the removal of hitstun canceling and the weakening of SDI. This is further complemented by the fact that desynching remains a very powerful tool that gives the Ice Climbers highly effective combos. Thanks to improved freezing properties, the Ice Climbers can freeze opponents easier and longer, which can lead to high damage, KOs while edgeguarding, shield pressure, and follow-ups if performed correctly.

Nevertheless, the Ice Climbers are significantly less effective than in Brawl, although to what extent is unknown, especially since they are difficult to play at a high level and it is unknown how far their desync combos can be developed and be applied into competitive matches. Even with the game mechanics giving them multiple benefits, the changes have either weakened or entirely removed the tools that have made the Ice Climbers prominent. Despite this, players such as Big D, Daiki, and ???? have achieved respectable tournament results using them.

Aesthetics

• Due to the game's graphical improvements, the Ice Climbers gain a sleeker design with more subtle detailing in their hair and parkas, and their overall color scheme is significantly more vibrant. The duo wears coats with detailed furry lining, similar to Melee. The duo have slightly smaller more proportionate heads, more faint blushes on their cheeks, and slightly thinner eyes on top of losing the purple hue in their eyes. Their boots and hammers also appear to be covered in light powdered snow.
• Both Ice Climbers face the foreground at an angle, instead of facing directly forward. In addition, they always face the screen regardless which direction either of them turn, making all of their animations mirrored while altering some.
• The Ice Climbers have a new idle pose of them turning to look behind themselves. It replaces the animation of them dropping their hammers then lifting them back up.
• Like other fighters, the Ice Climbers are more expressive than before, they appear excited when using their specials, scowl when shielding and charging their up and down smash, and the partner climber will also panic when the leader is grabbed.
  • In addition, the partner climber will have a worried expression and wince periodically when the main climber gets frozen, dizzy, or gets attacked.
• Spot dodge and ledge-hanging animations have changed.
• The Ice Climbers only jump once when using up taunt as opposed to three times.
• In the end of a solo match, only the leading Ice Climber will be shown inside the losing pane on the results screen. Both Ice Climbers are still shown if the match ends in a No Contest.
• Their victory theme has been shortened to only contain the second half.
• The Ice Climbers' crowd cheer is "I scream, you scream, Ice Climbers!"
• Nana's crowd cheer is no longer the back sound of the menu if she is currently the leader.
• The Ice Climbers has been updated with universal features introduced in Smash 4.
  • The Ice Climbers has a Boxing Ring title, a Palutena's Guidance conversation, and two additional alternate costumes.
    • Their black costume has slightly been modified: Nana's parka is now brown instead of black. Additionally, their costumes have been re-ordered; the Nana-leading costumes now occupy the second half of their costumes instead of the even-numbered costumes, which is how their costumes were ordered in Melee
  • The Ice Climbers' voice clip numbers in Sound Test are numbered individually (i.e. "Popo: Voice [number]"/"Nana: Voice [number]"), similar to other team-based fighters as well as the Mii Fighters, Assist Trophies, Poké Ball Pokémon and bosses.
• The sound effects of the partner are quieter. This is best heard when they're either Star or Screen KO'd.

Attributes

• Like all characters, both of the Ice Climbers' jumpsquat animations take three frames to complete (down from 4).
• The partner climber is generally faster than the leader. This helps them keep up if the two are separated.
• If either Ice Climber lands a hit, the other one takes a small amount of hitlag, regardless of whether their attack connects or not.
  • This makes desyncing slightly more difficult.
• The partner climber takes 1.05x times the damage and knockback from attacks, making them slightly easier to separate and KO.
• The partner now stands slightly behind the leader, in addition to being slightly in the z-axis. This reduces the range of all of their ground moves, except down smash due to hitting behind the partner.
• The Ice Climbers walk faster (0.96 → 1.008 (leader), 1.1088 (partner)).
• The Ice Climbers dash faster (1.388 → 1.53 (leader), 1.683 (partner)). Their initial dash is also faster (1.4 → 1.68).
• The Ice Climbers' air speed is faster (0.7708 → 0.83 (leader), 0.8715 (partner)).
• The Ice Climbers' falling speed is faster (1.2 → 1.3).
• The Ice Climbers' gravity is slightly higher (0.077 → 0.082), although it is lower relative to the cast.
• As with all returning veterans, the Ice Climbers have much higher traction (0.035 → 0.077) although it is still the second lowest in the game.
• The partner climber has higher air acceleration (0.09 → 0.0945).
• The removal of chain grabbing hinders the Ice Climbers more than any other character, as it harshly reduces their damage racking and KO abilities and zero-to-death potential. They also greatly suffer from the ability to tech footstools as it removes their guaranteed lock setups from grabs.
• The partner climber's AI is worse as they have more difficulty recovering and making it back to the leader which can lead to them self destructing.
• The duration enemies are frozen from the Ice Climbers' ice attacks are much longer, allowing for easier unavoidable followups at high percentages. At very high percentages, it can even freeze them long enough to be unable to recover from near the ledge.
• Ice Climbers arguably benefit the most from the reintroduction of wavedashing because of their very low traction, significantly increasing their approach and mobility, as well as giving them more mixups with grabbing and attacking opponents.
• The partner climber's attacks affect the duo's staleness queue; in previous games, they would use the queue but could not alter it. This generally means that the duo's attacks will both stale and refresh twice as quickly.
• When the leader is KO'd by reaching 0 HP during their last stock in Stamina Mode, the partner climber instantly enters the defeat animation regardless of being hit or not, similar to Rosalina's Lumas.
  • This consequently remove the partner climber's ability to intervene the results of opponents, hindering their impact on Stamina battles.

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack:
  • Neutral attack can lock opponents due to its altered angle (60° → 361°/180°) and the partner's second hit deals more damage (2% → 2.6%).
  • Neutral attack does less damage (3% → 2% (leader hit 1), 4% → 3.5% (leader hit 2), 2% → 1.5% (partner hit 1), 11% → 9.6% (total)).
  • Second hit of neutral attack has more ending lag (frame 20 → 30) and both hits have a shorter duration (frames 4-7 (hit 1), 4-6 (hit 2) → 4-5 (both)).
• Forward tilt:
  • The partner's forward tilt deals less damage (7% (non angled) → 6.75%).
  • Forward tilt has a shorter duration (frames 9-12 → 9-10).
• Up tilt:
  • The final hit of up tilt has more combo potential due to the removal of hitstun canceling. The partner's final hit also deals more knockback (40 (base), 100 (scaling) → 38/118).
  • Up tilt deals less damage (1% (loop hits) → 0.8% (leader loop hits), 0.6% (partner loop hits), 17% → 15.4% (total)), the loop hits have increased knockback (10 (base), 20 (scaling) → (65/60/20)/10) and the final hit has more startup lag (frame 23 → 24).
• Down tilt:
  • The partner's down tilt deals consistent damage (4%/5% → 4.5%) making it deal more damage at close range but makes it deal less damage at the tip of the hammer.
  • Down tilt connects less reliably at higher percents when both climbers are present.
• Dash attack:
  • The partner's dash attack deals more damage (4% → 4.5%) and has increased knockback scaling (40 → 60). Dash attack also has a longer duration (frames 11-12 → 11-14).
  • Dash attack causes less hitlag making it connect far less reliably at higher percents when both climbers are present.
• Forward smash:
  • Forward smash has less startup lag with a longer duration (frames 12-13 → 11-13). It also has less ending lag (frame 49 → 47) and has higher base knockback (30 → 50). The partner's forward smash also has higher knockback scaling (118 → 126).
  • It has an altered animation where the Ice Climbers don't slam their hammers as far, hindering its range. It also no longer has a sweetspot which deals more damage (13% → 12% (leader), 10% → 9% (partner), 23% → 21% (both)).
• Up smash
  • Up smash has less startup lag (frame 13 → 12) and the partner's up smash has higher knockback scaling (113 → 126).
  • The partner's up smash deals less damage (9% → 8.2%) and it has more ending lag (frame 48 → 50).
• Down smash:
  • Down smash is a sweep that hits one side. The partner will use the same attack facing the other way.
  • Down smash covers more horizontal ground when together and it deals more damage (12%/10% → 13% (leader), 9%/8% → 9.7% (partner)). It also has less ending lag (frame 44 → 41) and deals more knockback than the previous sweetspots (30 (base), 105 (leader scaling)/113 (partner scaling) → 45/(100/120)).
  • Down smash only hits on one side when solo. It is also drastically harder to connect with both climbers and even if it does, its maximum damage output is much lower as it no longer has two hits (42% → 22.7% (both)).

Aerial attacks

• All aerials have less landing lag (15 frames → 7 (neutral/back), 20 → 10 (forward), 30 → 14 (up), 42 → 20 (down).
• The Ice Climbers can no longer use two back or up aerials in a short hop due to their faster falling speed as well as the latter having increased ending lag.
• Neutral aerial:
  • The partner's neutral aerial deals more damage (5% → 5.25%).
  • Neutral aerial connects less reliably when both climbers are present especially at higher percents.
  • The partner's neutral aerial also has less knockback scaling (128 → 120) hindering its KO potential despite its higher damage.
• Forward aerial:
  • The partner's sourspot forward aerial deals more damage (7% → 9%).
  • The partner's forward aerial has increased knockback scaling (100 → 114) improving its KO potential when both climbers are present.
  • The removal of meteor canceling improves the partner's sweetspot's reliability.
• Back aerial:
  • Back aerial deals less damage (11% → 10% (leader), 8% → 7.5% (partner), 19% → 17.5% (both)) although its knockback scaling was compensated (107 (leader), 128 (partner) → 115/138) and connects less reliably when both climbers are present especially at higher percents.
• Up aerial:
  • The Ice Climbers have a new up aerial: an upwards hammer swing in a horizontal arc. Compared to the old up aerial, it provides much more horizontal range and hits in front of them, covering them more efficiently than before. It also has higher knockback scaling (120 (leader), 142 (partner) → 129/154.80003) improving its KO potential despite its lower damage.
  • New up aerial deals less damage (10%/9% → 9% (leader), 7%/6% → 5.75% (partner)), has more startup lag, a shorter duration (frames 6-23 → 7-11) and more ending lag (frame 30 → 36) compared to the previous one. It also has less vertical range making it much harder to connect against grounded opponents.
• Down aerial:
  • The partner's down aerial deals more damage (5% → 6%). Down aerial also auto-cancels earlier (frame 58 → 54).
  • The Ice Climbers bounce up before performing down aerial similar to Sheik's down aerial.
  • Down aerial has more startup lag with a shorter duration (frames 9-51 → 12-51).

Throws and other attacks

• Grabs have more startup (frame 6 → 8 (standing), frame 8 → 10 (dash/pivot)) and ending lag (frame 30 → 40 (standing), frame 40 → 48 (dash), frame 40 → 41 (pivot)).
• The partner climber cannot act while the leader is held by an opponent's grab while on the ground, and enters a panicking animation instead (although this can be avoided with desyncs).
• The partner climber can no longer grab, and will taunt during the leader's throw while on the ground. This removes their chain grabs and locks the Ice Climbers were infamous for in previous titles.
• Up throw deals more damage (2% (hit), 4% (throw), 6% (total) → 3%/5%/8%) and the knockback scaling on the throw was not fully compensated (28 → 26).
• Down throw has the leader grab the opponent with both hands, lift them up in the air, and slam them on the ground.
  • The changes to hitstun canceling improve down throw's combo potential beyond lower percents with a solo climber.
  • The removal of chain grabbing hinders down throw's damage racking potential at lower percents even with a solo climber. Down throw also has increased knockback scaling (100 → 116) hindering its combo potential.
• The leader's front and back floor attacks deals more damage (6% → 7%).
• The partner's floor attacks deals less damage (6% → 5.2% (front & back), 5% → 3.5% (trip)).
• Ledge attack is a horizontal swing similar to their old over 100% ledge attack. It deals consistent damage compared to the previous two ledge attacks but the partner's ledge attack is weaker (8% (hammer), 6% (body) → 8% (leader), 6% (partner).
  • New ledge attack deals less damage compared to their old over 100% ledge attack (10% (hammer), 8% (body) → 8% (leader), 6% (body)) and the Ice climbers do not hunch over when performing it making them easier to hit.

Special moves

• Ice Shot:
  • Ice Shot deals more damage (1%-3% → 2-2%-3.5%). It also has less ending lag (frame 60 → 56).
  • Ice Shot can function as a projectile blocker since the sliding ice pieces won't get destroyed by any projectiles, and will cancel them out no matter how powerful they are.
  • Ice Shot makes a different sound effect.
  • Ice Shot has more startup lag (frame 17 → 18).
  • Reflected ice chunks can damage the Ice Climbers.
• Squall Hammer:
  • Solo Squall Hammer ends with a stronger hit that deals mild diagonal damage and knockback. The move also has less startup lag (frame 12 → 10).
  • Desynced Squall Hammer can be used to trap opponents between both Ice Climbers.
  • Squall Hammer makes a twinkling sound effect when used.
  • Squall Hammer grants much less vertical distance with mashing and it has more ending lag with both climbers (frame 70 → 78).
  • Squall Hammer doesn't sweetspot the ledge anymore.
• Belay:
  • Belay covers slightly more distance with a solo climber and the solo climber has more control while using it.
  • When both climbers are present, the solo climber covers more vertical distance but less horizontal.
  • Belay uses a unique sound effect rather than regular jump sound from Ice Climber.
  • The partner's hitbox on Belay can be out prioritized. If it is, then the leader will rise no higher than when the move is done solo.
  • Belay has a smaller hitbox making it harder to land against grounded opponents.
• Blizzard:
  • Both Ice Climbers aim Blizzard forward while on the ground, similarly to their aerial version in previous games. This increases its damage output when used on the ground, but means that Blizzard can no longer hit opponents behind them, hindering its spacing potential.
  • Blizzard freezes opponents for a longer period of time.
  • Blizzard deals less damage at close range (2% → 1.7%) and it has more ending lag (frame 80 → 85). It also no longer causes hitstun or freezes opponent when used at far range removing its ability to lock and hindering its spacing potential.
• Iceberg:
  • Iceberg spins and features a teetering Polar Bear that launches opponents with greater knockback. During the move, a Condor will circle around the top of the screen, which the Ice Climbers can grab onto, and it will also deal damage to opponents that touch it.
  • When paired, the Ice Climbers no longer make a "clapping" sound upon activating Iceberg.
  • Iceberg lasts a shorter duration. This makes it less threatening to opponents, but also makes it less likely to lose the partner climber.
  • The iceberg can be moved across the stage.
  • Iceberg no longer freezes opponents.
  • Iceberg no longer causes platforms to damage opponents.

Update history

Aside from glitch fixes, the Ice Climbers have received a mix of buffs and nerfs via game updates, but have been buffed slightly overall. Update 2.0.0 improved the partner climber's AI in order to make them follow the leading climber more reliably, though at the cost of making desyncing harder to perform. Aside from this, Belay's edge grabbox was enlarged, which improved its recovery potential.

Following this, the Ice Climbers would not receive any noteworthy changes until update 9.0.0. This update decreased the partner's damage and knockback multipliers, which made them less susceptible to being separated from the leader. Belay was also noticeably improved, thanks to its tether recovery distance being lengthened, and the leader no longer being inadvertently prevented from using it if the partner used it. Aside from these buffs, a few moves were improved slightly: dash attack has slightly more range and improved consistency, down smash is slightly stronger, and Squall Hammer will sweetspot edges earlier.

Overall, the Ice Climbers fare mildly better than they did at Ultimate's launch.

1.2.0

• The Ice Climbers have been affected, although the changes are currently unknown.

2.0.0

• The partner Ice Climber's AI has been improved: the partner will now follow the main climber better.
  • This makes desyncs even harder to perform.
• The ledgegrab-box for Belay has been increased.
• Fixed a bug that allowed the partner climber to survive after the leader runs out of stocks.

3.0.0

• Partner climber's AI was adjusted.
  • The partner climber returns to the leader when grabbing an opponent.
  • Scenarios where desyncs would occur have changed.
• The hitlag multiplier of the final hit of the partner climber's up tilt has been increased.
• Iceberg via the FS Meter deals more knockback.

3.1.0

• Ice Climbers recover midair jumps in the same way as other fighters.
• Partner climber will no longer jump when pressing the jump button right after a grab. This removes its combo and 0-to death potential.
• An unknown glitch that launches the partner climber at significant high knockback has been fixed.

4.0.0

• Partner climber is no longer able to ledge trump opponents.

5.0.0

• The partner can now ledge-trump opponents, fixing an issue introduced in 4.0.0.

6.1.0

• Fixed the Buster Wolf freeze glitch that cause Terry and the partner climber to become unable to move while intangible.

7.0.0

• Overall shield size has been increased.

8.0.0

• Pummel has a larger hitbox (4.8u → 5.8u) that is placed further horizontally (Z offset: 6.4u → 7.4u), allowing it to connect more consistently.
• Iceberg:
  • Iceberg slows opponents more during startup.
  • The Iceberg appears much faster, and the peak's hitbox size was increased.
  • The Condor has a larger search radius (8u → 9.5u), making it easier to grab onto.

9.0.0

• The partner climber takes less damage and knockback (1.05× → 1.02×), making them harder to separate.
• The partner climber's AI behavior has been adjusted.
• Dash attack:
  • The outer hitbox has been extended forward (Y offset: 5u → 5u—7.5u), increasing its range.
  • It has increased hitlag (1× → 1.2×), allowing both climbers' dash attacks to connect more reliably.
• Down smash has more base knockback (45 → 50).
• Squall Hammer sweetspots edges earlier (frame 61/63 → 55/57).
• Belay:
  • Belay has increased tether recovery distance.
  • The player is no longer prevented from using the move if it is automatically used by the partner climber.

Moveset

• Although the Ice Climbers have among the lowest traction in the game, their traction is completely unaffected by slippery terrain such as ice.
• The partner Ice Climber will taunt whenever the leader throws an opponent.

For a gallery of the Ice Climbers' hitboxes, see here.

Note: All numbers are listed as base damage, without the 1v1 multiplier.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			leader: 2% partner: 1.5%	The Ice Climbers swing their hammers horizontally, and then vertically. A great get off me tool that does decent damage to boot.
			leader: 3.5% partner 2.6%
Forward tilt	↗			The Ice Climbers swing their hammers horizontally. Has high knockback growth, being able to kill at around 80%-90% at the ledge on most characters.
	→		leader: 9% partner: 6.7%
	↘
Up tilt			leader: 0.8% (hits 1 - 6), 4% (hit 7) partner: 0.6% (hits 1 - 6), 3% (hit 7)	The Ice Climbers twirl their hammers over their heads. This creates a lingering hitbox that hits multiple times. A useful combo starter that can begin a chain of up aerials.
Down tilt			leader: 6% partner: 4.5%	The Ice Climbers sweep their hammers across the ground in front of themselves. A steep semi-spike that gives the Ice Climbers a great poking tool in neutral due to its quick startup, decent range, and low endlag. It is also a capable edgeguarding move due to its strengths.
Dash attack			leader: 6% partner: 4.5%	The Ice Climbers leap forward, swinging their hammers in front of themselves. It deals mostly vertical knockback that can start combos, but has weak knockback and is ineffective for KOing.
Forward smash			leader: 12% partner: 9%	An overhead swing of their hammers, smashing them in front of themselves.
Up smash			leader: 11% partner: 8.2%	The Ice Climbers swing their hammers in an overhead arc.
Down smash		Hammer Sweep	leader: 13% partner: 9.7%	The Ice Climbers sweep their hammers across the ground in a specific direction (the leader attacks in front, while the partner attacks behind). If the partner is absent, however, this move will only hit on one side.
Neutral aerial			leader: 7% partner: 5.2%	The Ice Climbers spin in place with their hammers outstretched.
Forward aerial		Hammer Slam	leader: 12% partner: 12% (sweetspot), 9% (sourspot)	The Ice Climbers perform a somersaulting overhead swing of their hammers in a manner similar to their forward smash. The partner's hammer has a sweetspot that can meteor smash opponents.
Back aerial			leader: 10% partner: 7.5%	The Ice Climbers swing their hammers horizontally behind themselves. Both hits are extremely safe on shield, with the secondary climber's hit being one of the few moves that is positive on shield.
Up aerial			leader: 9% partner: 6.7%	The Ice Climbers swing their hammers above themselves in an arc. An excellent juggle tool that can quickly rack up damage both desynced and synced, and can even kill confirm off of a down throw at around 70% on most characters.
Down aerial			leader: 8% partner: 6%	The Ice Climbers hold their hammers below themselves and fall downward. A stall-then-fall, but it is unable to meteor smash at all, unlike most attacks of its kind. As a result, it's usually used as a niche landing option.
Grab			—	The leader reaches in front of themselves with their free hand. Its grab range is short, being the shortest in the game.
Pummel			1%	A headbutt. The partner takes no action at all.
Forward throw			3% (hit), 5% (throw)	The leader knocks the opponent away with their hammer.
Back throw			6%	The leader throws the opponent behind themself.
Up throw			3% (hit), 5% (throw)	The leader tosses the opponent upward and hits them with their hammer. It has the second highest base knockback of any up throw, but the weakest knockback growth, rendering it incapable at KOing, even at very high percents.
Down throw			6%	The leader lifts the opponent over their head with both hands and slams them on the ground. Ice Climbers' only throw with KO potential, it can KO middleweights at around 214% on Final Destination. It is also effective for starting combos, especially when desynced.
Floor attack (front)			leader: 7% partner: 5.2%	The Ice Climbers swing their hammers around themselves as they get up.
Floor attack (back)			leader: 7% partner: 5.2%	Same as the frontal floor attack.
Floor attack (trip)			leader: 5% partner: 3.5%	Gets up and spins around, hitting with their hammers.
Edge attack			leader: 8% partner: 6%	The Ice Climbers climb up and slam their hammers in front of themselves.
Neutral special		Ice Shot	3.5~2.2% (ice chunks), 3.5% (hammers)	Each Ice Climber summons a small stalagmite of ice and hits it with their hammer, causing it to slide along the ground, gradually shrinking as it travels. It bounces off walls and shields. If attacked by an opponent, the ice rebound and will hurt the Ice Climbers if they touch it. The ice can freeze opponents at high percents. The first midair use will pop the Ice Climbers up slightly.
Side special		Squall Hammer	both: 2.2% (loop), 4% (final)	The Ice Climbers stand back-to-back while spinning around an axis with their hammers outstretched, hitting opponents multiple times. The attack is concluded with them swinging their hammers upward, which launches opponents away. By repeatedly tapping the special move button, the Ice Climbers will rise in the air, allowing them to recover. This, however, also renders them helpless. If only one Climber is present, the move deals less damage and reduced knockback, and gains less height. Squall Hammer is usually used as a method to begin desyncs, and can trap opponents between each Ice Climber once a desync is achieved.
Up special		Belay	16% (partner)	The leading Ice Climber throws the partner the air with a rope. The partner then pulls the leader upwards. If there is a nearby edge, the partner will target it, and then proceed to pull the leader to the ledge as well. While rising, the partner is invincible, allowing for a safe recovery for both Ice Climbers; additionally, the partner Ice Climber possesses a hitbox that deals powerful vertical knockback, though it is rather difficult to use as a combo finisher due to the difficulty of aiming the partner. Without a partner, the move will grant essentially no distance. Each Ice Climber becomes helpless after the move is used.
Down special		Blizzard	both: 1% (far loop), 1.7% (close loop)	The Ice Climbers blow a gust of cold air in front of themselves, potentially freezing opponents. If used on an already frozen opponent, they will remain frozen for slightly longer. With both Ice Climbers present, this move can deal a maximum of 31.5%, though it is also a risky move due to its duration.
Final Smash		Iceberg	13% (peak, rising), 11%/9%/7% (iceberg), 16% (Polar Bear), 5% (Condor)	The Ice Climbers summon a rotating iceberg to rise up from the center of the stage. For the duration of the Final Smash, it can be moved left and right. The range of how far it can move is shown by the mist. The iceberg deals damage to opponents who touch it: the closer they are towards the top, the more damage they take. Towards the base of the iceberg is a Polar Bear, which has high launching power. A Condor also appears, flying above, which the Ice Climbers can grab onto. This allows the iceberg to be more easily controlled without worry of self destruction, although the partner will be at risk of potentially being pushed offstage if they fail to grab it. Upon ending, the iceberg will lower itself, and the Condor will fly off to the side of the stage.

On-screen appearance

• The Condor flies in with them hanging off its feet. They then jump off while high fiving each other, and the Condor flies off.

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  Ice Climbers' on-screen appearance

Taunts

• Up taunt: They set down their hammers and jump up and down once. This is their victory animation during the results screen in Ice Climber.
• Side taunt: They point their hammers diagonally upward and shout "Yup!", as wind blows behind them.
• Down taunt: They dance in a circle.

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  Ice Climbers' up taunt.

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  Ice Climbers' side taunt.

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  Ice Climbers' down taunt.

Idle poses

• Both twirl their hammers.
• Popo looks backward curiously.

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  Ice Climbers' first idle pose

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  Ice Climbers' second idle pose

Victory poses

• Left: Both jump up and down infinitely. Based on their victory animation in Ice Climber, similar to their up taunt.
• Up: Both nod and high five one another.
• Right: Nana hides behind Popo, only showing her face as Popo shifts from left to right.

The second half of the track that plays when Popo or Nana grab the feet of the Condor at the end of a bonus stage in Ice Climber.

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In competitive play

Before release, players were quick to note that the Ice Climbers lost their most powerful tool from Brawl: their infamous zero-to-death chain grab. That, along with changes to gameplay mechanics removing several combo tools, caused players to believe that the Ice Climbers wouldn't be viable, a belief that held on throughout the early metagame. As such, the Ice Climbers’ representation was minuscule.

It wasn't until a few months after Ultimate's release that the Ice Climbers' playerbase started to make breakthroughs, with the few that stuck with them discovering new desync setups and high-damaging combos. This allowed the Ice Climbers to gain better representation as the metagame progressed, with Kie using them as a co-main in Japan. Most notably, Big D picked the Ice Climbers up and was able to place well at a national level. Despite this success, many players believe that the character's playstyle is too complicated for them to be viable, and the general consensus agrees that the Ice Climbers are low-mid to mid-tier. The new advanced techniques, however, have helped their mains with how little match-up experience there has been from opponents to learn from.

Notable players

Active

Any number following the Smasher name indicates placement on the Fall 2019 PGRU, which recognizes the official top 50 players in the world in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate from July 13th, 2019 to December 15th, 2019.

•  ???? - Co-mains Ice Climbers with Mewtwo and placed 1st at Midwest Arcadian and 49th at Frostbite 2020. He is known for his contributions to Ice Climbers' metagame. Currently ranked 12th in the Michigan Power Rankings.
•  Big D (#49) - The best Ice Climbers player in the world. Placed 1st at Emerald City 8, 4th at Battle of BC 3, and 25th at Get On My Level 2019 with both Ice Climbers and King Dedede, and 1st at The Pinnacle 2019, 9th at Play With Heart, 17th at Mainstage, and 25th at 2GG: Kongo Saga with solo Ice Climbers. Has defeated zackray, ProtoBanham, Dark Wizzy, Pandarian, BestNess, Goblin, and Suarez with Ice Climbers.
•  Daiki - Placed 9th at Seibugeki 4, 25th at Umebura SP 4, and 33rd at Umebura SP 6. Has wins over ProtoBanham and Suinoko.
•  Dynax - Placed 33rd at CEO 2019 and 65th at The Big House 9 . Has wins over Aaron and saj.
•  Harasen - Placed 25th at Umebura SP 5 and 49th at EVO Japan 2020. Curretly ranked 99th on the Japan Player Rankings. Had wins over Eim ,Hikaru, and Zaki.
•  Kie - Tri-mains Ice Climbers with Peach and Palutena and is the best Ice Climbers player in Japan. Placed 2nd at Sumabato SP 3, 3rd at Sumabato SP 4, 7th at Sumabato SP 2, and 25th at Umebura Japan Major 2019 using Ice Climbers as one of his characters.
•  murasat - Known for his contributions to the Ice Climbers' metagame. Placed 13th at Shulla-bra SP 3, 17th at Shulla-bra SP 4, and 65th at EVO Japan 2020 with wins on Mao and Kishiru.
•  Nikukyu - Placed 17th at Sumabato SP 12 with a win over KEN, and 25th at Sumabato SP 9. Also has beaten Compact, Atelier, and Lunamado.
•  Salva - The best Ice Climbers player in Mexico. Placed 13th at both Ragnarok and WeTecThose 9, 17th at Smash Fest to the Sky, and 33rd at Smash Factor 8. Has a win over Bernie.
•  Spammage - The best Ice Climbers in Australia. Placed 17th at Phantom 2020. Has wins over Whissle, Shadrew, and Ryzuul.

Inactive

•  Wishes - Has a strong Ice Climbers secondary. Placed 17th at Let's Make Big Moves and The Scarlet Classic V.

Classic Mode: Duos for Days

Ice Climbers' congratulations screen.

The Ice Climbers fight two characters from a given universe in each stage. To go with the duo theme, both Master Hand and Crazy Hand are fought regardless of the difficulty.

Round	Opponent	Stage	Music
1	Link and Zelda	Great Plateau Tower	Main Theme - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
2	Ryu and Ken	Suzaku Castle	Ryu Stage
3	Villager and Isabelle	Smashville	Title Theme - Animal Crossing: Wild World (Brawl)
4	Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong	Jungle Japes	Jungle Level (Melee)
5	Palutena and Pit	Palutena's Temple	Title Theme - Kid Icarus
6	Mario and Peach	Princess Peach's Castle	Main Theme - New Super Mario Bros.
Bonus Stage
Final	Master Hand and Crazy Hand	Final Destination	Master Hand / Crazy Hand

Credits roll after completing Classic Mode. Completing it as the Ice Climbers has Ice Climber (Brawl) accompany the credits.

Role in World of Light

Finding the Ice Climbers in World of Light

Although the Ice Climbers have been absent from the World of Light opening cutscene, they were vaporized and later imprisoned alongside the rest of the fighters (sans Kirby) when Galeem unleashed his beams of light.

The Ice Climbers are unlocked in the southern portion of the snowy mountain area. Unlocking them eliminates the ice paths so they can be traversed in both directions as well as opening a path to the hidden forest.

Fighter Battle

No.	Image	Name	Type	Power	Stage	Music
15		Ice Climbers	Grab	7,500	Summit (Ω form)	Ice Climber (Brawl)

Spirit

The Ice Climbers' fighter spirit can be obtained by completing Classic Mode. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 500 coins. Unlocking the Ice Climbers in World of Light allows the player to preview the spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a fighter spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. Each fighter spirit has an alternate version that replaces them with their artwork in Ultimate.

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  606. Ice Climbers

In Spirit battles

Conditions in italic aren't listed on the Spirit Battle preview screen.

As the main opponents

Spirit				Battle parameters							Inspiration
No.	Image	Name	Series	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music	Character
114		Freezie	Mario Bros. Series	•Ice Climbers		1,600	Mario Bros. (Battlefield form)	•Item: Freezie	•The enemy starts the battle with a Freezie	Mario Bros.
373		Mr. Frosty	Kirby Series	•Ice Climbers (80 HP)		2,200	Dream Land (Battlefield form)	•Hazard: Ice Floor	•The floor is frozen •The enemy's ice and water attacks have increased power •Stamina battle	Ice Cream Island
457		Lapras	Pokémon Series	•Ice Climbers		3,800	Wuhu Island (Rocks at sea)	•Buoyancy Reduced	•You can't swim	Pokémon Red / Pokémon Blue Medley
531		Kyurem	Pokémon Series	•Ice Climbers		4,700	Summit (Battlefield form)	•Hazard: Ice Floor	•The floor is frozen •Timed battle (1:30) •The enemy favors special moves	Battle! (Reshiram / Zekrom)
860		Cyrus & Reese	Animal Crossing Series	•Ice Climbers		9,400	Smashville	•Item Tidal Wave •Hazard: Low Gravity	•Gravity is reduced •Certain items will appear in large numbers after a little while	2:00 a.m. - Animal Crossing: Wild World	Reese (Nana), Cyrus (Popo)
878		Ice Man	Mega Man Series	•Ice Climbers (140 HP)		4,600	Summit (Battlefield form)	•Hazard: Ice Floor	•The floor is frozen •The enemy's ice and water attacks have increased power •The enemy has super armor and is hard to launch or make flinch •Stamina battle	Ice Man Stage
1,099		Duon	Super Smash Bros. Series	•Giant Ice Climbers (150 HP)		4,100	Halberd (Ship deck)	•Item: Shooting Types	•Stamina battle •The enemy's shooting items have increased power •The enemy is giant	Boss Battle Song 1	Duon's gun side (Nana) and sword side (Popo)
1,137		Olaf	Advance Wars Series	•Ice Climbers		2,200	Summit (Battlefield form)	•Move Speed ↓ •Hazard: Ice Floor	•The floor is frozen •You have reduced move speed after a little while •The enemy starts the battle with a Steel Diver	Filled with Hope
1,308		Caroline & Justine	Persona Series	•Ice Climbers		9,700	Kalos Pokémon League (hazards off)	•Sudden Damage	•You take serious damage after a little while •Timed battle (1:00)	Aria of the Soul

As minions

Spirit				Battle parameters							Inspiration
No.	Image	Name	Series	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music	Character
607		Condor	Ice Climber Series	•Ridley (80 HP) •Ice Climbers (80 HP)		4,500	Summit (Battlefield form)	•Hazard: Ice Floor	•Defeat the main fighter to win •The floor is frozen •Timed stamina battle (1:00)	Ice Climber (Brawl)	Ice Climbers

Alternate costumes

Their 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th costumes swap Popo and Nana, making Nana controllable. The stock icons and character select portraits change to reflect this. Popo and Nana act separately in terms of their costume's color.

Gallery

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  Ice Climbers' amiibo.

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  Ice Climbers' fighter card.

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  Ice Climbers' unlock notice.

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  Ice Climbers on Magicant.

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  Attacking a Metroid with Blizzard on Final Destination.

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  Nana grabbed by the Arcade Bunny's claw on Wii Fit Studio.

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  Striking Captain Falcon with Squall Hammer on Summit.

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  Popo performing his forward smash on Kongo Falls.

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  Performing their neutral aerial on Spirit Train.

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  Taunting on Skyloft.

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  With Mario, Donkey Kong, Link, Samus, Pit, Villager and Inkling on Battlefield.

Trivia

• One of the Ice Climbers' preview pictures show them using Blizzard against a Metroid, referencing the species' weakness to cold in the Metroid series.
• The Ice Climbers and R.O.B. are the only fighters that cannot receive a series bonus, since they don't have any primary spirits from their own series.
  • Prior to the 10.1.0 update patch, Cloud also shared this distinction.
• When the leader climber is grabbing and pummeling an opponent, the partner's animation will lag for every pummel hit.
• Hitting the accompanying Ice Climber will not cause controllers to shake if the vibration setting is turned on. This applies for everything from normal attacks, throws, or Final Smashes.
• When played on the world map for World of Light, only the leading Ice Climber appears.
• If the partner is caught in a non-cutscene trapping Final Smash (e.g Triforce Slash, Great Aether, Omnislash) and the leader is KO'd, the partner will disappear, leaving the opponent attacking nothing. A similar situation occurs in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
• When getting hit from behind, the Ice Climbers' back-hitting/wallbounce hitstun animation causes them to freeze for a brief moment before going into their tumbling animation. This is due to additional frames being added past the final point of the animation.
  • The animation itself mimics how hitstun animations worked from Smash 64 to Brawl.
  • The freeze itself is a reference to the duo's dying animation in Ice Climber, in which they freeze for a brief moment after touching an enemy.
• When navigating the camera around the Ice Climbers during certain animations, such as their ledge hanging animations, the furry linings on the bottom of their coats and around their wrists seem to detach from their jacket, exposing multiple gaps. There's also gaps when looking at their face in certain angles between the furry lining.
  • Additionally, zooming in on Popo's face reveals a gap between his hair and furry lining.
  • Also, looking closely at Nana's hair reveals a small gap underneath between her hair and forehead.
• In a Stock or Stamina battle, if the leading Ice Climber gets KO'd, the vanishing effects of the partner does not appear whenever the leader respawns.
• Ice Climbers' Classic Mode route is similar to Banjo & Kazooie's, as both are themed around duos.
• If one looks closely at one of the Ice Climber's non-leading foot during their tech wall jump animation, it twists the other way during the move. This can be more easily seen if the match is currently slowed down.
• While most other characters have the announcer say "(character) wins!" at the victory screen, the Ice Climbers have the announcer say "Ice Climbers win!". The "(character) win!" audio clip is usually reserved for the Japanese version, though it is most likely used with the Ice Climbers because of their two-in-one nature and name. Rosalina & Luma and Banjo & Kazooie also share this distinction.
  • In Spanish, French, German, and Italian, the name tag and voice clip from the announcer on the victory screen is slightly different from the one used on the character select screen, instead featuring a noticeable translation of "the" (los, les, die, and gli Ice Climbers, respectively). This trait is shared with Wii Fit Trainer, Pokémon Trainer, Villager, Inkling, Hero, Zombie, Enderman, and the Mii Fighters.
• In the Ice Climbers' battle portrait, the partner Ice Climber is slightly lower than they are in their full artwork, in order to make their face fully visible. Banjo & Kazooie are the only other figher with such an edit.
• The Ice Climbers and Lucas are the only playable characters who use sprites as their Fighters Spirit image.
• The AI level for the partner Ice Climber (Nana by default) is 77 out of 100, which is slightly higher than a level 8 CPU (75 out of 100); the non-standard number is likely a pun on Nana's name, as one of the ways to say seven in Japanese is "なな (nana)".
• While most characters have two different set of knockback-based voice clips, the Ice Climbers are the only exception to this rule as they use either their low or high knockback voice clips or remain silent, regardless of their knockback speed.
  • Additionally, the Ice Climbers are the only characters that retain their voice clips from Brawl but do not make use of their unused knockback voice clips, a trait shared with Link, Captain Falcon and Ganondorf from Smash 4.
• The Ice Climbers are the only characters who have less dash-to-run frames when performing a pivot dash instead of a regular dash.
• When playing on a custom stage, there's a visual glitch in the Ice Climber's on-screen appearance where the Condor does not disappear and only does so once "GO!" appears on the screen.
• If both Ice Climbers perform a smash attack with the Home-Run Bat, Nana will vocalize first, which is during the windup rather than before the swing. This is a carryover from Brawl, where all character will grunt during the windup animation. This is shared with Falco.
• If Nana is the leader, the Ice Climbers' knockback voice clips won't play for unknown reasons.
• The Ice Climbers' description on the North American amiibo website is based on their trophy description from Melee.
• The Ice Climbers, Daisy, Duck Hunt, Ken, R.O.B., and Cloud are only non-DLC characters who don't appear in more than one spirit battles from their home series. Dr. Mario doesn't appear in any Mario spirit battles at all. This is not counting Olimar, who appears only in Mockiwi spirit battle as himself, but is fought in other spirit battles as Alph.
  • While the Mii Fighters technically represent the Super Smash Bros. universe, they appear in most of Mii-related spirit battles.
• Uniquely, instead of being supported by a clear stand on their amiibo, the Ice Climbers are instead supported by a blue iceberg, which is not present in their official render. This makes the Ice Climbers one of four characters to have a distinction present in their amiibo that is not present in their official artwork, the others being Mr. Game & Watch's interchangeable poses, Joker's plastic flames support, and Banjo & Kazooie's plastic Jiggy support.
• The Ice Climbers are one of only five characters to predominantly use their left hands to wield their weapon, sharing this trait with Young Link, Toon Link, Rosalina & Luma, and Sephiroth.