Editing Pichu (SSBU)

Pichu is a character of extremes. As a clone of Pikachu, many of its attributes are similar, such as its even smaller size and quick mobility, though with a few noticeable differences. Pichu is the [[weight|lightest]] character in the game, has fast [[walk]]ing and above average [[dash]]ing speeds with average [[traction]], above average [[jump]]ing force, average [[air speed]] but being tied for the ninth highest [[air acceleration]], and fast [[falling speed]] while being tied for the fifth highest [[gravity]]. However, it has the lowest [[fast fall]] multiplier in the game, causing its fast-falling speed to be average. Overall, these attributes give Pichu a slightly slower grounded approach than Pikachu, make its aerials not [[autocancel]] as easily, and make it more vulnerable to combos, but also give it a much faster ground-to-air and air-to-ground approach, making its mobility as reliable as Pikachu's own.

The primary difference between Pichu and Pikachu is the former's [[recoil damage]] on its [[electric]]ity-based attacks. All of Pichu's attacks with an electric effect ([[forward tilt]], [[forward smash|forward]] and [[down smash]] attacks, [[forward aerial|forward]], [[back aerial|back]] and [[down aerial]]s, [[forward throw]], and all special moves except {{b|Thunder|Pokémon}} if the lightning bolt doesn't strike Pichu) deal recoil damage to itself, which makes it less feasible for Pichu to overuse these attacks. To compensate for this, many of Pichu's electric attacks have either increased damage, knockback (in some cases, both), or versatility. This makes it less feasible for Pichu to overuse these attacks in situations that would require their use for best results, as it could put it in a spot where the opponent may even KO Pichu with a strong enough move. Conversely, it increases the reward Pichu would receive if it can land said moves, and due to these moves increasing Pichu's percentage, this means Pichu can make effective use of [[rage]] to KO an opponent with more ease, provided it can survive long enough.

Much like Pikachu, all of Pichu's moveset aspects are solid overall, possessing very fast frame data and great utility throughout its moveset. An example of this is its incredibly capable aerial game. [[Neutral aerial]] is Pichu's fastest [[out of shield]] option, on top of not having much ending or landing lag, making it a viable edgeguarding option. Forward aerial deals the most serious damage of Pichu's aerials and has very strong combo potential, while only having decent recoil damage. Up aerial, while being Pichu's least damaging aerial, also retains very strong vertical combo capabilities. Down aerial is Pichu's main move to [[meteor smash]], and the late hit also lasts for a long while, making it another great edgeguarding tool, while also having only decent recoil damage. Finally, back aerial deals less damage than forward aerial, but is also Pichu's strongest aerial, a very good edgeguarding tool, only has decent recoil damage like its forward and down aerials, and plays a major component on Pichu's looping combos; by repeatedly performing a full jump while using a back aerial and comboing into a tilt attack (most notably up tilt) to repeat the process, Pichu can [[zero-to-death combo]] the opponent, though the timing for each move is very strict.

Aside from its up and down tilts, regarding its grounded game, it also has some interesting and useful options: forward tilt trips opponents at low percentages, can 2-frame, and has above-average power at high percentages, making it a very useful setup tool. Forward smash has the highest power of its standard moveset, lasts for a long while, and, due to its multi-hit nature, can KO at an even lower percentage. [[Up smash]] is a decent anti-air that leaves Pichu's ears [[intangible]], though it lacks in power. On the other hand, Pichu's [[neutral attack]] is mainly used for locking opponents due to its very weak knockback, and [[dash attack]] is mostly used as a fast punish option, and its low power can actually allow it to combo, though it can be risky. Its grab game is also decent - while its grabs are short-ranged, they are very fast and have the lowest ending lag in the game. As mentioned above, up and down throws have useful combo potential, with down throw usually reserved for horizontal combos, whereas up throw leads into vertical combos and can lead into Thunder as a KO set-up. Meanwhile, forward throw is Pichu's strongest throw, barely KOing at realistic percentages near the edge, which makes it a passable kill throw.

Pichu's special moveset is also varied and versatile. [[Thunder Jolt]] is a useful projectile that can reliably pressure an opponent's shield, on top of dealing low knockback and serious damage (especially if started in the air). Its low ending lag also allows it to set up into Pichu's moves if it lands during its last frames of activity. Thunder is Pichu's other projectile, though the lightning bolt itself doesn't deal much damage. As such, its primary purpose is to use the cloud's meteor smash properties to combo opponents into the shockwave part of the move when the bolt strikes Pichu - this deals the most damage to Pichu out of all its moves if this happens, so it should be used sparingly. [[Skull Bash]] and [[Agility]] serve as Pichu's recovery moves, and give it an amazing, long-distanced and unpredictable recovery - of the two, Agility deals high recoil damage if both dashes are used, but travels an incredibly long distance and is very unpredictable due to each dash being able to be inputted in multiple directions, potentially making Pichu very hard to properly edgeguard or 2-frame. Skull Bash, on the other hand, is mostly used to extend Pichu's recovery, but it also ties in as part of Pichu's "glass cannon" playstyle, as it can be charged; unlike Pikachu's own version, Pichu's fully charged Skull Bash deals immense knockback when fully charged, this being Pichu's strongest option out of a shield break.

Thanks to Pichu's attributes, one of its key strengths is its playstyle versatility - depending on the situation, it can make use of its moveset to adapt and play accordingly. Pichu's great mobility, compact size, and useful projectile give it an impressive neutral game and make it slippery, allowing it to play defensively by virtue of using a bait-and-punish-oriented playstyle that allows it to avoid the opponent's attacks and gradually poke at them or outright break through their offense. However, if the situation arises, Pichu can nevertheless play very aggressively, as it also has one of the best advantage states in the game by virtue of its raw damage, excellent frame data and impressive combo ability, allowing it to pressure the opponent into commiting and retaliating accordingly, and almost all of its aerials have some sort of edgeguarding potential, which can quickly lead into a lost stock.

Despite these strengths, Pichu still has a myriad of critical flaws, some of which are shared with Pikachu, but are much more pronounced; the most notable of these is its immense frailty. While its offstage survivability is incredible thanks to its recovery's long distance and unpredictability, it has an awful survivability overall due to its ludicrously low weight, resulting in it being very easily KO'd off of a stray hit as long as the move is decently strong, and the existence of rage further pronounces this issue. Its very fast falling speed and gravity also leave it pretty vulnerable to combos (although its neutral air can remedy this issue), meaning that Pichu can also be easily put in KO percentage from one or two combos. Adding insult to injury, the recoil damage Pichu suffers from using its electric attacks can rack up very quickly if it overuses said moves, which is a flaw no other character has at the level of Pichu (some characters have only one move that can deal recoil damage), and can potentially throw it into a much more devastating position if it happens. As a result of all these issues, despite its excellent recovery and great mobility, Pichu's disadvantage state is poor, and if Pichu isn't able to KO the opponent, they can easily turn the tables on it, which can easily and quickly lead to a lost stock just as Pichu can potentially and quickly end one.

Another of Pichu's most notable flaws is that while its very small size results in it being slippery, it also results in it having a deceptively short range (much shorter than Pikachu), requiring it to be pretty close to the opponent to rack up damage, which can be risky. Pichu's mobility, very quick frame data and useful projectile in Thunder Jolt can help remedy this, but the prevalence of many characters with faster mobility and/or disjoints can still give it trouble at approaching, and Thunder Jolt's recoil damage makes it unfeasible for Pichu to keep the opponent away for too much, forcing it to approach and further exacerbating its range issues, despite its reliable moveset. Furthermore, despite its moveset's higher consistency in regards to power, Pichu's range issues mean it can often have difficulty landing its otherwise powerful KO moves and set-ups, as the former aren't disjointed (with the sole exception, forward smash, still having short range), and the latter are very limited, possessing only up throw to Thunder at mid-high and high percentages, and down tilt to down aerial near the edge at mid-percentages. Pichu's edgeguarding ability, while respectable, pales in comparison to Pikachu's due to its attributes, resulting in Pichu not having as much air time as Pikachu can, though this is slightly mitigated by its moves' stronger knockback.

Lastly, although its moveset is versatile, a few of Pichu's attacks still lack some notable kind of utility. Down smash, although covering on both sides of Pichu, has unremarkable range, deals recoil damage, and, unlike Pikachu, sends at a disappointing angle for KOing, with its higher power compared to Pikachu failing to compensate. Forward throw can have difficulty at KOing the opponent at realistic percentages because Pichu will usually find itself using it to set up an edgeguard, whereas back throw's sole purpose is shared with forward throw.

Overall, like Pikachu, Pichu is best described as a quintessential glass cannon but sacrifices weight and attack range for more power and speed. While Pikachu can control the neutral game more aggressively and has more flexibility in its combos, Pichu can function in a variety of playstyles that range from a defensive, bait-and-punish-oriented playstyle to a more aggressive, rushdown-oriented one whenever it is needed. However, Pichu's atrocious endurance and recoil damage mean that an aware opponent can dominate Pichu just as easily as it can dominate the opponent. While both characters have similar playstyles, they differ significantly in execution, as Pichu's recoil damage requires the player to make very mindful use of their resources at hand. When mastered, however, a skilled Pichu can potentially end stocks in a finger snap before they can end its own.