Samus (サムス, Samus) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. She was suggested to appear in the then-unnamed Ultimate's announcement trailer, and was officially confirmed in the gameplay trailer on June 12, 2018 during E3 2018. Samus retains her modified Metroid: Other M design from Smash 4 and is classified as Fighter #04.
Samus is a heavyweight unique among others. She is a floaty character with slightly below average walking and dashing speeds, average air speed, above average air acceleration, high jump height and slow falling speed. These attributes grant her an easier time chasing aerial opponents and forcing air dodges, yet also cause her to be juggled rather easily. When combined with her few reliable landing options and slow falling speed, opponents will also have more time to punish Samus as she attempts to return to the stage.
Samus' moveset consists of playing defensively, as she uses her projectiles to space, rack up damage from a distance and pressure shields. Charge Shot is her most consistent KOing option out of her special moves when fully charged, due to its speed and power. Missile is mostly used for spacing, due to both its Homing and Super variants being extremely inefficient at KOing, while Bomb grants Samus various mix-ups and can aid her recovery. However, Missile and Bomb also possess valuable utility, in that they can guarantee a shield break when used in conjunction with a sufficiently charged Charge Shot or a sweetspotted back aerial. Lastly, Screw Attack is a decent out of shield option, a KOing option near the upper blast line and a viable combo finisher from aerial combo strings.
In addition, Samus has a strong air game. The changes to air dodges have benefitted her overall, as they notably improve her ability to edgeguard (especially with moves such as forward aerial or her renowed Charge Shot), while she isn't hindered as much due to her fast air speed, the ability to stall mid-air using her Bombs, and her Grapple Beam tether recovery's long range. All of Samus' aerials have no more than 20 frames of landing lag, and her back aerial is one of her best moves courtesy of its power, damage output, speed and range. Her down aerial can be a powerful meteor smash, forward aerial is a good pressuring tool due to its long duration, and up aerial is an excellent combo option. Lastly, her neutral aerial is a viable KOing option. When coupled with her high jumps, Samus' air game is also potent while she is off-stage, as she can recover from nearly anywhere on the stage, stay in position for longer periods of time due to her floatiness, or bait the opponent by stalling in the air and punishing edge-guard attempts.
Samus' grab game is also somewhat useful, as her Grapple Beam has impressive range, doubles as a tether recovery and has very little landing lag. Down throw is very useful for starting combos that deal respectable damage and can be used with her neutral, forward and up aerials at varying percentages. Many of her combos can rack up more than 30% and when using platforms to her advantage, or string together multiple times and then be finished with Screw Attack, leading to a KO or dealing 40%-50% at the very least. Up throw has decent to good KO power, becoming Samus' strongest throw. Lastly, forward and back throw can KO earlier at the ledge.
However, Samus has noticeable flaws. Samus' ground game is mediocre overall as her smash attacks are punishable, with only her forward smash being a fairly reliable KOing option due to its quick start-up lag. Her neutral attack is very mediocre, which is noticeably exemplified in its inability to connect at high percentages and thus limits Samus' anti-pressuring ability. Due to this and her average dashing speed, most Samus players will often find themselves in the air, where her strengths lie.
Samus also has issues with her recovery. Her grab aerial has very long range, her jumps are among the highest in the game, Screw Attack is fast and hard to punish, and Bomb jumping provides infinite horizontal recovery, but they are all offset by Screw Attack's only average distance, Bomb's high ending lag in the air and Samus' only average air speed and reliance on her grab aerial to grab ledges from a distance. Altogether, this results in her recovery being slightly slow, linear and predictable.
Overall, Samus is a character that performs best when using her projectiles and grab aerial for spacing in order to set up combos and either finish off pressured opponents off-stage, or KO them outright with Charge Shot. Unlike the majority of veterans, Samus' optimal playstyle is highly unorthodox; as she falls short in regard to zoning-exclusive or melee-exclusive offense, success with Samus requires careful and strategic use of her various tools to keep momentum in her favor. As such, she is a character that is hard to master, but greatly rewards patient and calculated play.
Samus has historically been a lower-ranking character in the Smash Bros. series, with most of her incarnations (except Melee and post-patch SSB4) infamously considered low tier in their respective games. Even after being heavily buffed via patches, at the end of SSB4's metagame, Samus ended up as a mid tier character (tied with Robin for 37th out of 55). Likely as a result of this, Samus has been significantly buffed overall in the transition to Ultimate.
Samus' largest buffs come from the improvements made to her grab game and her repertoire of projectiles. Historically considered among the most lackluster grab games despite her grabs' long range and her down throw's excellent combo ability, all of Samus' throws have increased utility on top of dealing more damage and knockback; up throw is now her strongest throw and a viable KO option at high percents, down throw has increased combo potential due to its lower ending lag, and both forward and back throws can KO easier when close to an edge. Adding to this, Bombs explode earlier on contact with enemies, Missiles deal more damage and have less ending lag, while Super Missiles deal more knockback and stall for a longer time before flying forward, greatly improving their use for trapping; and most notably, Charge Shot can now be charged in the air, used as a combo tool due to Samus' improved mobility and its lower ending lag, and deals greater damage and knockback, which gives Samus more opportunities to charge up her most threatening move. In bulk, all of these changes have significantly strengthened her zoning and punish game. Other buffs to Samus also include many of her up-close moves dealing more knockback, most notably her down tilt, dash attack and down smash, improving her KO ability; and her previously slow and punishable roll was also notably increased in speed, making it more usable as an escape option.
Samus also benefits considerably from the universal changes to the engine. The reduced landing lag and weakening of shields makes her aerials safer to use for approaching despite their lower shieldstun. As with most other veterans, her mobility has been improved, which coupled with the ability to the ability to use any attack out of a run, the miscellaneous buffs to her standard moves and their relatively fast frame data, and the increased shieldstun, grants her a much safer close quarters game. The changes to air dodges have benefitted her overall, as they notably improve her ability to edgeguard (especially with moves such as forward aerial or her renowed Charge Shot), while she isn't hindered as much due to her fast air speed, the ability to stall mid-air using her Bombs, and her Grapple Beamtether recovery's long range. Finally, the universal changes to grabs have beneffited her likely the most of any character, as not only do her grabs now have less ending lag relative to the rest of the cast, but her standing and pivot grabs now have less ending lag as well, which further improves her grab game.
However, Samus has received nerfs that, while fewer in comparison to her buffs, have drastically affected her playstyle. The most notable is her dash attack; previously an excellent combo tool and often considered her best move, it has received higher ending lag and a more horizontal angle that prevent it from comboing, in lieu of its significantly increased power, thus repurposing it into a generic KO move with more situational use and removing her best close quarters offensive option. Furthermore, her neutral attack, infamous for its inability to connect both hits at most percents, has been made even worse by the lower knockback on the first hit and its slower transition into the second hit, removing its most reliable setups at higher percents and rendering the second hit nearly useless. Her up smash, infamous for its usual inability to connect all hits reliably, has less range, higher SDI multipliers, and no longer has set knockback, making it more inconsistent. Finally, her up aerial has increased landing lag and its looping hits inflict lower hitstun, almost completely removing the move's combo and setup potential.
In terms of indirect changes, Samus is one of the characters to be hindered the most by the nerfs to rage; not only does the lower total multiplier make it slightly harder for Samus to close out a stock if she is able to endure a hit, the fact rage doesn't apply to set knockback removes her ability to KO at very early percents by setting up a Screw Attack with high rage (which was a commonly exploitable tactic in conjunction with her dash attack). Lastly, of further note is that some of Samus' most noticeable weaknesses from previous games remain, such as a lackluster close quarters game in comparison to her spacing and zoning games, her moveset's high ending lag leaving her prone to punishment, her susceptibility to being juggled, and a vulnerable recovery despite her access to a tether option.
Overall, Samus' changes and buffs have improved her playstyle's most noticeable attributes in her zoning and long-ranged options, and her heightened offensive power and the changes to gameplay mechanics give her more opportunities to take advantage of this playstyle, though because of the nerfs to her more polarized offensive options, Samus now relies on a more patient playstyle than before. Regardless, her changes have allowed her to veer closer to a balanced, long range-based "mighty glacier" similar to Link, with potent KO ability, generally well-rounded attributes with a high endurance but below-average mobility overall, and a focus on hard-hitting punishes and combos at both long and mid-range while having difficulty dealing with rushdown and disjoints, which evokes her very projectile-heavy fighting style in her home series. Additionally, she is even stronger in doubles, where a teammate can take advantage of her projectiles and trapping. Together with her Echo FighterDark Samus, Samus's results have developed more rapidly than they did in SSB4, with players such as Joker, Parme and quiK achieving respectable results with her at the high and top levels of competitive play. Samus is therefore considered to be better relative to the cast than in SSB4, and is near-universally considered to be a high-mid or high-tier character, much like her incarnation inMelee.
Due to the aesthetic used in Ultimate, Samus has a sleeker design, and her overall color scheme is significantly more vibrant, now matching her color scheme from Metroid: Samus Returns. The Varia Suit's black vents are much more defined and detailed, and her visor is more opaque; it along with the suit's accents are lime green rather than emerald like in Brawl.
Samus's eighth costume, formerly based on Dark Samus, has been replaced with a black and yellow costume due to Dark Samus's inclusion as a playable fighter.
Samus's idle animation is altered slightly; she faces the foreground at an angle instead of facing directly forward, and her Arm Cannon is positioned slightly lower.
Samus emits sparks whenever she takes damage. This is shared with Dark Samus, R.O.B., and Mega Man, all of which are mechanical-based fighters.
Samus has two new victory poses and one slightly modified:
She fires a Super Missile and strikes a pose similar to her official artwork.
She lands on the ground and readies her arm cannon.
Samus retains her up-inputted victory pose, however the shots resemble the shotgun blast from her Melee Charge Shot custom move from SSB4 rather than small explosions.
The first hit has a lower hitlag multiplier (1× → 0.8×).
The first hit has reduced knockback to keep opponents closer to Samus (8 base/80/100 scaling → 20/15), akin to other neutral attacks. However, unlike the case with other characters, this is a nerf for Samus as it further worsens the first hit's ability to true combo into the second hit at higher percents, while also hindering its jab cancel setups.
The first hit transitions slower into the second hit (frame 13 → 15).
The first hit has gained a hitstun modifier of 4, increasing its safety on hit at low percents, although due to the aforementioned changes, it still fails to truly connect into the second hit.
Forward tilt has three different hitboxes instead of four, no longer possessing a sourspot that deals 7% (8% if angled). This makes its damage output more consistent.
The sourspot deals more knockback (20 base/70 scaling → 30/80), increasing its safety on hit and KO potential.
Down tilt has increased knockback scaling (48 → 65), giving the move KO potential against middleweights under 160%, compared to being unable to KO under 200% in Smash 4. This change brings it closer to its Brawl strength.
Up smash has a different kind of autolink angle (366° → 368°), and the second to fourth hits use weight-independent knockback (although not on all hitboxes), allowing it to connect more reliably when used out of a run, and making it more consistent across characters.
The last hit has more knockback scaling (150 → 162), improving its KO potential.
The hitboxes aren't placed as far horizontally (X offset: 9u/9u/-1u → -3.5u/6.5u/6.5u (hit 1), 7.3u/9u/-1u → -3.5u/6.5u/6.5u (hits 2-4), 9u/-1u → -3.5u/7.8u (hit 5)), and all except the last hit's are smaller (5.5u/5.5u/4u → 4.5u/5u/5u (hit 1), 6u/5.5u/4u → 4.5u/5u/5u (hits 2-3), 6u/6u/4u → 4u/5u/5u (hit 4)), reducing the move's range.
It has a higher SDI multiplier (0.8× → 1×), and the first to fourth hits no longer use set knockback. Coupled with the aforementioned hitbox changes, this causes the move to connect less reliably overall.
Down smash has drastically increased knockback scaling (46/48 (front/back) → 70/68), with the front hit and back hit KOing at around 160% and 138% (respectively) from the center of Final Destination. It is no longer the weakest smash attack in the game by a considerable margin.
It has an altered ending animation, with Samus retaining more momentum from the kick.
The first hit has altered angles (80°/280°/60° → 367°/18°), while the first to fourth hits deal more set knockback (15 → 25 (hit 1), 30 → 35/40 (hits 2-4)). These changes overall improve its linking capabilities.
The first four hits have a lower hitlag multiplier (1× → 0.8×), but a higher SDI multiplier (0.8× → 1×).
The first four hits' feet hitboxes use the autolink angle (361° → 367°) and set knockback (0 base/130 scaling → 25 set/100 scaling), allowing them to connect more reliably.
The hits after the first are faster (frame 8, 11, 14, 17, 20 → 7, 10, 13, 16).
However, the move's total duration remains unchanged, giving it more ending lag and making it harder to combo multiple up aerials.
Up aerial has more landing lag (12 frames → 18).
The first four hits' leg hitbox deals much more set knockback (30 → 90) and launches at a higher angle (80° → 84°); however, it has gained a hitstun modifier of -10. As a result, and combined with its increased landing lag, it connects less reliably into the following hits without having increased combo potential.
Due to its lower amount of hits, it deals less total damage (11% → 10.9%), despite the second to fourth hits dealing more damage (1% → 1.3%).
Its initial auto-cancel window is shorter (frames 1-4 → 1-2).
The last hit has a higher hitlag multiplier (1x → 1.8×).
The last hit has an altered animation, with Samus thrusting her foot upward.
It has less startup (frame 3 → 1) and ending lag (FAF 9 → 7), but deals much more hitlag (4 frames → 14), drastically increasing its effective duration. This hinders its damage racking ability, no longer being one of the fastest pummels in the game.
Samus has a new up throw: she blasts her opponent upward with her arm cannon. It uses the flame effect, and consists of two hits instead of six, with its damage being redistributed (1% (hits 1-5), 4% (throw) → 5% (hit 1), 7% (throw)).
It has increased knockback scaling (70 → 80) on top of its higher damage, making it powerful enough to KO middleweights under 170%.
It releases opponents faster (frame 28 → 16), making it harder to DI. Opponents are also released closer to Samus.
However, its total duration remains the same, increasing its ending lag.
Down throw releases opponents one frame slower (frame 20 → 21), but has less ending lag (FAF 42 → 38). Combined with Samus's faster jumpsquat and jump speed, this noticeably improves its combo potential.
It has lower base knockback (80 → 60), but higher knockback scaling (50 → 75). This gives it new followup options at low percents, such as a dash attack and dashing up smash, without hindering its combo potential at higher percents due to the aforementioned changes.
It launches at a slightly lower angle (80° → 74°).
It has less ending lag when not fully charged (FAF 54 → 45), now only being one frame longer than its pre-Smash 4 counterparts.
It deals more damage (3%-25% → 5%-28%). The uncharged version's knockback was not compensated, while the fully charged version's knockback was mostly compensated (30 base/62 scaling → 46/50), making it stronger overall.
The fully charged version travels faster (3.2 → 3.3).
Charge Shot can now be fired by pressing the attack button.
The fully charged version has a higher hitlag multiplier (0.7x → 1x).
This gives it less ending lag on hit as well as making it safer on shield.
However, this also makes it considerably easier to DI.
Charge-canceling the move incurs 4 frames of lag, rather than being instantaneous.
The projectile has a shorter duration (69 frames → 60).
The uncharged version travels slower (1.8 → 1.6).
It has received negative shield damage (0 (uncharged)/3 (fully charged) → -2.5/-7), weakening fully charged shots' ability to break shields.
Both Homing Missiles and Super Missiles deal more damage (5% → 8% (Homing), 10% → 12% (Super)) without compensation on knockback, improving the KO ability of Super Missiles.
Both types of Missiles have slightly less ending lag (FAF 57 → 55 (Homing), 59 → 58 (Super)).
Super Missiles travel faster and stall initially before flying forward, similar to the Turbo Missile custom move from Smash 4. This allows them to effectively stay out for a longer time, improving their camping potential.
Samus can drift horizontally after firing a Missile in midair, and Missiles don't halt her aerial momentum.
Missiles have updated designs. When firing a missile, Samus's visor and armor lights briefly change colors in reference to Samus's palette changing when Missiles are selected in the original Metroid.
Screw Attack has less lag before Samus begins falling.
Grounded Screw Attack has less startup (frame 5 → 4), making it more effective out of shield.
The looping hits have a lower hitlag multiplier (1× → 0.5×), and a lower SDI multiplier for the aerial version (1× → 0.5×), allowing them to transition faster and making them harder to escape.
The last hit has a slightly larger hitbox (9.6u → 10u), allowing it to connect better from the looping hits.
Due to rage being changed to not affect set knockback, the linking hits of Screw Attack can no longer KO off the top blast line at low percents, removing Samus's early KO setups.
Grounded Screw Attack deals up to nine hits instead of eleven, but has increased damage on its first hit (2% → 3%) and last hit (1% → 2%).
The last hit's knockback was not fully compensated (50 base/240 scaling → 56/190), slightly improving its KO potential.
The grounded version's last hit has a higher hitlag multiplier (2× → 2.5×).
The move uses unique sound effects on hit, rather than standard "kick" sound effects.
Aside from glitch fixes, Samus has received a mix of buffs and nerfs via game updates, but has been buffed overall.
Update 2.0.0 increased Missile's range, which allows her to space better and deal damage at safer ranges. However, it also received more ending lag when used in the air, which standardized it with Dark Samus' version. Additionally, grounded Bomb is less laggy, which allows her to act out of it more effectively and reduces her chances of getting punished.
However, update 3.0.0's near-universal nerf to projectiles' shield damage outputs hindered Samus more so than most other characters, as it noticeably worsened Charge Shot's shield pressuring potential. Following this, update 3.1.0 improved up smash's linking hits as part of a near-universal buff.
Update 7.0.0 would later provide Samus with substantial buffs. Up smash, down smash and up throw each gained considerable increases to their knockback, which noticeably improved their KO potentials. On a similar note, early dash attack deals 3% more damage: this makes it functionally identical to the clean hit, and thus improved dash attack's consistency as a situational, yet viable KO option. Aside from these improved KO options, aerial Grapple Beam's damage output and hitbox duration were increased, which slightly improved her spacing game. Lastly, Samus' shield was enlarged as part of a near-universal buff.
Fixed an issue where Samus' grounded up special gained slightly less height in the first few frames, resulting in it gaining less height overall than intended.
Straight (ストレート) / Cannon Hammer (アームキャノンハンマー, Arm Cannon Hammer)
3%
A left-handed jab followed by a forearm club with the Arm Cannon. Despite dealing above-average damage for a neutral attack, it is poor overall, as opponents can usually act out before the second hit connects by shielding or using a fast attack, while the second hit may not even connect at high percentages. Depending on the opponent's weight, it is safe and a true combo at high percents, but only if the first hit connects relatively close to the arm and not at the fist. The second hit does have KO potential at very high percentages, however, and the first hit is very fast, coming out on frame 3, making it a decent interrupt tool.
Does a roundhouse kick. Deals more damage and knockback at her foot, while her leg deals less damage and knockback. Can be angled, which causes it to deal more damage, but may cause it to miss shorter characters on the ground if angled up. The foot sweetspot deals rather potent knockback for a tilt attack, which can KO at the edge at around 125%. At varying percentages, depending on which part of the move is landed, it can lead into a guaranteed Charge Shot, as regardless of teching, Charge Shot can catch the opponent's option in time if they are knocked down.
Does a axe kick, which is similar to Captain Falcon's up tilt. It behaves unusually as it meteor smashes grounded opponents, but launches aerial opponents at a horizontal angle. This allows it to set up combos against the former at a wide range of percents, while still being a reliable edgeguard tool, due to its wide coverage and powerful enough knockback to KO aerial opponents at around 95% at the edge. At high percents, the grounded meteor can also set up KO confirms into a fully charged Charge Shot. However, the move has noticeable startup, due to coming out on frame 15, making it Samus's slowest normal attack on the ground.
Kneels and quickly thrusts her Arm Cannon downward to fire a small, fiery blast. It is very fast, due to coming out on frame 6, and deals respectable damage and knockback for a tilt attack, KOing at around 160% off the top blast line. It is useful as a close range anti-pressure option on opponents in front of Samus, or as a punishment option. However, its very high ending lag leaves it easy to punish if shielded or missed.
A shoulder tackle with a white aura around Samus, similar to the Shinespark technique from her home series. Deals more damage and knockback at the start and the middle of the attack, KOing opponents at around 150% from the center of Final Destination, and earlier near edges. However, the late hit is noticeably weaker, and the move lacks combo potential, especially compared to its previous appearance. This move originates from the Shinespark technique, first becoming available in Super Metroid.
Quickly thrusts her Arm Cannon forward to fire a small, fiery blast. Functions similarly to Mario's forward smash, with the blast being the most powerful part of the move. It is one of the fastest forward smashes in the game, coming out on frame 10, while the blast has the highest knockback out of her smash attacks, KOing at around 100% from center stage. However, it is rather weak otherwise, with the Arm Cannon KOing at around 135% and the sourspot taking priority over the sweetspot. It can be angled like her forward tilt, with the upward angle dealing more damage and knockback, though it can typically miss as a result; conversely, the downward angle can hit ledge hanging opponents, but deals slightly less damage and knockback.
Fires five fiery blasts in an overhead arcing motion. True to its name, this move works best as an anti-air attack, as its multiple hits give a good amount of aerial protection. Conversely, it is unable to hit grounded opponents unless they are close enough to Samus. It is also her most damaging smash attack, dealing 18% total uncharged. However, due to its hits being spread above Samus, it can fail to fully connect if the opponent is hit from too far. If all 5 hits connect, it can KO middleweights at around 100% from ground level.
Does a spinning legsweep. A semi-spike with decent speed and high base knockback, allowing it to set up edgeguards and punish rolls effectively. The front hit can KO middleweights center stage around 150%, with the back hit KOing even earlier at around 135%.
A spinning roundhouse kick, similar to the aerial version of the Counter Attack from Metroid: Other M. Comes out in frame 8. Hits on both sides quickly and can autocancel with a short hop fast fall. Its front hit and sweetspotted back hit also deal powerful knockback, which makes it a viable KOing option offstage or near the edge, as well as a decent combo finisher and one of the strongest aerials of its type.
Fires five fiery blasts in a slow, downward arcing motion. Fast, coming out on frame 6, thus having the second lowest startup lag of Samus's aerials. The first four hits drag opponents into the rest of the move using the autolink angle, with the last hit carrying the entire attack's knockback. Samus' main aerial move for both combos and protection. Extremely useful as an edge get-up option or against air dodges due to its multiple hits, and using the move immediately after a short hop can hit opponents with the last hit before Samus lands again. It's her only aerial that does not autocancels In a short hop. It can KO middleweights at around 155% from center-stage if all hits connect.
A back kick. It is fast and deals powerful knockback when sweetspotted, which makes it an excellent KOing option, especially when edgeguarding. When sweetspotted, it is among the strongest back aerials in the game, KOing Mario at 100% from center stage.
Does a upward corkscrew kick, hitting multiple times. It is her fastest aerial, due to coming out on frame 5. Grounded opponents can be hit by the last hitbox if Samus lands while starting the move in the air, although it is difficult to do so, and risky due to the move's high landing lag. It can be used as a follow-up after a dash attack, grounded up tilt, down aerial, or down throw, all of which can be followed up with another up aerial and/or can be finished off with a Screw Attack. On stages with platforms, it even has potential for a zero-to-death when using a platform to extend the combo. Can KO if used high enough and close to the blast line.
Swings her Arm Cannon in a downward arcing motion. Hitting with the move's trail meteor smashes opponents, while the edges of the move at the very start and end deal decent horizontal knockback. Autocancels from a short hop, and due to its relatively low ending lag, the meteor smash is excellent for starting combos on grounded opponents, much like her up tilt.
Fires the Grapple Beam. A useful spacing option due to having only 8 frames of landing lag. It autocancels from a full hop and has impressive range, being the longest grab aerial in game. In addition to its recovery and spacing capabilities, it is good at setting up combos at close range upon landing, due to its low landing lag. Unlike in previous games, however, hitting an opponents causes the Grapple Beam to retract earlier, while not reducing the move's ending lag.
Fires the Grapple Beam from Super Metroid. It has impressive range and is the longest tether grab in the game. However, it is tied with her Zero Suited form's grab as the second slowest in terms of ending lag, making it very punishable if missed.
Twirls the opponent overhead, then flings them forward. Although its knockback has been increased, it remains too weak for KOing at realistic percents, unless Samus has rage and is at the edge of the stage.
Puts the opponent above herself and blasts them upward with her Arm Cannon. Samus's most damaging and strongest throw, possessing enough knockback to KO middleweights around 150% from ground level and without rage. At low percents, it can also combo into an up aerial against large characters, as well as Screw Attack against most characters, though the latter will only connect its hits reliably on a few characters.
Swings the opponent high above her head, then slams them onto the ground. A reliable combo starter, with its followups including a dash attack, small step forward smash or dashing up smash at low percents, a neutral, back or up aerial up to mid percents, and a forward aerial up to high percents.
Charges a ball of energy and fires it. Boasts excellent KO potential when fully charged, and is a useful intercepting move at a low charge. KOs at 70%-110% depending on rage and the opponent's weight and DI. Can be used to break shields if used in conjunction with her neutral attack, up or down tilts, aerials, Bomb and Super Missile. When using her forward tilt to launch the opponent into tumbling, it can set up a guaranteed combo into Charge Shot regardless of the opponent's tech option, as Charge Shot will always catch their tech direction. A non-fully charged Charge Shot has way less endlag than its fully charged counterpart, allowing for followups and combos at various percentages at the cost of less power.
Fires a Missile, which homes in on the opponent. If the special button is tapped like a smash attack, Samus will instead fire a Super Missile, which stays in place for a short while before traveling in a straight line, and deals more damage and knockback. Both variations deal low knockback, but can be used to break a shield if used in conjunction with a fully charged Charge Shot. Both Missile variations can also be used as set-ups by opening up an opportunity for a grab aerial, or Charge Shot, while the Super variation sets up better for a true combo into a forward jumping Charge Shot at high percentages. The Homing variation is also useful for catching recoveries and forcing air dodges, which can open up punishment opportunities.
3% (grounded hit 1), 1% (grounded hits 2-8), 2% (grounded hit 9), 1% (aerial hits 1-12)
Leaps upward to perform a high-speed somersault while discharging energy. Shoots upward if initiated from the ground, while it gains distance slower if started in the air. A useful out of shield option, due to coming out on frame 4 on the ground, and deals good knockback that can KO around 100% while near the upper blast line.
Rolls into her Morph Ball form and drops a Bomb, which explodes after a set time. Useful to force an opponent to shield and for edgeguarding, being capable of 2 frame punishes if timed correctly. It can also break shields depending on their health if used along with her up and down tilts or a fully charged Charge Shot.
Left: Lands on the ground and readies her Arm Cannon.
Up: Fires multiple Power Beams from her Arm Cannon while kneeling, then strikes a pose. The pose is based on her appearance on the cover of Metroid II: Return of Samus.
Right: Fires a Super Missile and strikes a pose similar to her official artwork.
A flourished remix of the theme 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 or Kraid.
Initial impressions of Samus in Ultimate were negative: players pointed out how she lost the combo potential of her dash attack, one of her most useful tools in Smash 4, along with her general lack of mechanical changes compared to fellow veterans such as Link. Her unsafe jab, seemingly unchanged from Smash 4 and once again acknowledged in in-game tips, became a common point of mockery. This viewpoint, however, quickly changed as the metagame progressed. Players cited her improved projectile game and KO potential, as well as her terrifying shield-break potential with Charge Shot as one of her primary strengths. While patches have nerfed the latter, Samus retained most of her previous strengths and benefited from the nerfs to some of her most difficult matchups such as Wolf, Olimar and Pichu. Furthermore, both Samus and her echo fighter Dark Samus, who is preferred by some players due to her marginally better hitboxes and roll, continued to see success in tournament: players such as Joker and quiK have placed highly at several national tournaments, including 17th at The Big House 9 for the former and 2nd at Syndicate 2019 for the latter. As a result, most players agree that the Samuses are at least a high mid-tier character; with some professionals ranking the character higher, especially following their buffs in version 7.0.0.
The opponents Samus faces are akin to the battles that she has faced throughout the Metroid series. In addition, all of the battles take place on stages from the Metroid universe.
Each character can be unlocked by clearing Samus' Classic Mode, or the Classic Mode of any preceding character, if all preceding characters have been unlocked. Once all the above characters are unlocked, clearing Classic Mode with any of them will default to Mario's character unlock tree, starting with Sonic.
Samus was among the fighters summoned to the cliffside to fight an army of Master Hands.
During the opening cutscene, Samus was present when Galeem unleashed his beams of light. Samus attempted to fight back against the beams by shooting them with her arm cannon, but to no avail. Samus was vaporized and placed under Galeem's imprisonment alongside the rest of the fighters (except for Kirby).
In gameplay, Zero Suit Samus has a separate awakening battle from Samus.
Samus can be found blocking the path of the bridge once engulfed in light and a location reminiscent of Pac-Maze. Defeating her is necessary to progress through the story, making her an obligatory unlock.
Samus is later seen among several other fighters, making their last stand against Galeem and Dharkon. She also shows up in the ending where Galeem emerges victorious against Dharkon, witnessing Galeem engulf the world in light.
Samus's fighter spirit can be obtained by completing Classic Mode. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 300 Gold. Unlocking Samus in World of Light allows the player to preview the first spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a fighter spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. Her fighter spirit has an alternate version that replaces it with her artwork in Ultimate.
Additionally, Samus makes an appearance in various primary and support spirits. Note that Zero Suit Samus' fighter spirit is not listed here due to her status as a separate playable character (despite the fact that she is the puppet/possessed fighter who represents Young Samus).
Samus' neutral attack's notorious unreliability is alluded to in one of the tips, stating that "Foes can often put up their shields in between the first and second hits of this combo. It's safer to just hit with the first attack and then flee."
Samus is the only female character on the game's starting roster (excluding Pikachu's female alternate costumes).
Samus is the only one of the original 8 characters from Smash 64 to have an Echo Fighter, that being Dark Samus.
Samus is the only character to have an Echo Fighter that represents a separate entity in addition to a non-clone fighter representing an alternate form of herself.
In her official artwork, Samus's pose matches the image of her alongside Anthony Higgs from Metroid: Other M. This same image was used on the official Other M website with Higgs removed, and was used as Samus' primary promotional image across various media prior to the release of Metroid: Samus Returns.
While Samus' playable design has not been updated to the more recent Metroid: Samus Returns, her fighter spirit uses her artwork from said game rather than Other M. This suggests that Samus' retention of her SSB4 design is a consequence of newer Metroid games having been introduced too late in the development cycle for Ultimate to properly integrate their designs into the game; the newest design overhaul in the base roster belongs to Link, with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild having been released many months before Samus Returns and teased for several years beforehand.
When fighting off the fifty puppet fighter army as Master Hand in World of Light, Samus is one of the eight fighters fought there, being affiliated with Galeem.
Out of all the eight fighters affiliated with either Galeem or Dharkron, Samus is the only female.
Samus, Dark Samus, Mr. Game & Watch, and Pac-Man are the only fighters who do not emit red-flashing eyes in the Spirit Battle previews in World of Light.
Due to the aesthetic used in Ultimate, Samus has a sleeker design, and her overall color scheme is significantly more vibrant, now matching her color scheme from Metroid: Samus Returns. The 
Like all characters, Samus's 
Forward roll grants less 
Missiles follow the 
Created visual glitch where Samus’s tether grab beam would disconnect from her arm when performed in the air before landing.
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