Editing Villager (SSBU)

|image = {{tabber|title1=Boy|content1=[[File:Villager SSBU.png|x240px]]|title2=Girl|content2=[[File:45 Villager.png|x240px]]}}

'''Villager''' ({{ja|むらびと|Murabito}}, ''Murabito'') is a playable character in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'', officially confirmed on June 12th, 2018. Villager is now [[unlockable character|unlockable]], instead of being available from the [[starter character|start]] in ''SSB4''. Villager is classified as [[Fighter number|Fighter #45]], the first fighter number of the ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]'' [[veteran]]s.

 

Villager is ranked 72nd out of 82 on the current [[tier list]], placing him in the D- tier. This is a huge decline from his ranking in ''SSB4'', where he was ranked 25th out of 54, and worse than {{SSBU|Isabelle}}, his own [[semi-clone]].

Villager is a small [[middleweight]] (weighing the same as {{SSBU|Lucario}}, {{SSBU|Wolf}}, {{SSBU|Mythra}}, {{SSBU|Ice Climbers}}, and {{SSBU|Steve}}) who is an overall floaty character of below-average mobility. Although he has an average [[jump]]ing height, Villager sports a slow [[falling speed]] (the 12th slowest, tied with {{SSBU|Luigi}}), and below-average [[air speed]], [[air acceleration]] and [[gravity]]. Comparatively, Villager has a below-average [[walk]]ing speed and the 7th-slowest [[dash]]ing speed (although his [[initial dash]] is decent). However, his [[traction]] is tied with {{SSBU|Isabelle}}, {{SSBU|Ness}} and {{SSBU|Mr. Game & Watch}} for the 5th-highest in the game. Due to these attributes, once the opponent closes the gap, it is difficult for Villager to create space again, although his powerful camping game compensates for that to a degree.

Villager is among the most unorthodox characters on the roster with several unique moves, including multiple standard attacks that are actually projectiles, similar to {{SSBU|Mega Man}}. Villager possesses a strong [[camping]] game. His forward and back aerials are long-ranged slingshot attacks which, in combination  with [[Lloid Rocket]], are great for harassing opponents from a distance. Opposing projectiles can either be [[Pocket]]ed or blocked by a [[Timber|tree]]; Pocket can also be useful for "stealing" character-generated [[item]]s, such as {{SSB4|R.O.B.}}'s [[Gyro]], preventing them from being useable as long as Villager retains them and thus further weakening the opponent's ability to compete with him at range. Despite his poor mobility, Villager possesses a reliable [[sex kick]] in his neutral aerial that has very quick startup at frame 3, giving him a relatively easy time restraining the opponents if attempting to approach to point-blank proximity.

Should camping not be desirable, Villager's projectiles can also serve as good [[approach]]ing tools. In particular, launching Lloid Rocket and then running behind it is a strategy that limits the opponent's options and provides a chance to [[punish]] their reaction. Using his forward and back aerials in a [[short hop]] is also a good approaching option, as they are reasonably safe [[disjointed]] attacks with little [[lag]].

Despite being a middleweight, Villager possesses a surprisingly flexible recovery thanks to {{b|Balloon Trip|move}}. This move allows him to fly a great distance at a respectable speed, and is surprisingly difficult to [[gimp]]; although the balloons can be popped to render Villager [[helpless]], hitting Villager himself will allow him to simply perform the move again. Lloid Rocket further bolsters Villager's recovery, as launching it stalls his descent while threatening edgeguarders. Alternatively, Villager can ride Lloid back to the stage, although this is punishable and can be [[reflect]]ed.

Villager is also a very potent [[edgeguard]]er, with a wealth of options to threaten recovering opponents. His [[forward smash]], one of the strongest in ''Ultimate'', allows him to drop a bowling ball from the ledge; this is a powerful attack that can be difficult for an opponent to avoid provided that they are recovering low. If the opponent's recovery is slow enough or a tree is set up beforehand, [[Timber]] can also be performed from the ledge for an even more devastating attack, or to reduce an opponent's options should they grab the ledge. Alternatively, Villager can jump offstage and pursue with an aerial attack; his down aerial is a powerful [[meteor smash]] should it produce three turnips, while a clean hit from his slingshot has enough knockback to be deadly near the [[blast line]], and is generally the best choice against an opponent recovering high. Several of his aerials are [[sex kick]]s as well, which, when combined with his extremely long-ranged recovery, allows him to [[gimp]] opponents fairly easily.

However, Villager suffers from notable flaws. Villager's ability to set up edgeguards in the first place is impaired by his slow [[grab]]. Although his net has relatively long range, it has exceptionally high ending lag that makes it very punishable. As such, attempting to throw an opponent offstage is a risky prospect, and Villager's ability to [[shield grab]] is quite limited, although he does have other good [[out of shield]] options, such as his neutral aerial and up smash. In addition, Villager's poor mobility also allows speed demons, such as {{SSBU|Fox}} and {{SSBU|Sonic}}, to not only easily outrun him, but also immediately catch up to him and shut down Villager's camping game. Furthermore, Villager also especially struggles against characters with a [[reflection|reflector]], as since most of his projectiles are characterized with high power (like his forward smash and Timber), characters with reflectors can reflect the projectile and turn the tides by dealing a potentially deadly blow from Villager's reflected projectile that can often lead into an early KO, even at lower precents. A notable example is {{SSBU|Mr. Game & Watch}}: if Villager successfully cuts off Timber, Mr. Game & Watch can use [[Oil Panic]] and send the tree flying back to Villager with extreme knockback. By extension, Oil Panic can also reflect Villager's powerful forward smash, which is also a projectile, and can prove deadly when Villager is near the ledge, especially at higher precents of with [[rage]].

Outside of edgeguarding, Villager has multiple powerful KO moves, but none of them are easy to land from a [[neutral game|neutral situation]]. His forward smash, while powerful, is a laggy and short-ranged attack when performed onstage. Up smash is a potent KO option, but is very punishable as well and is susceptible to opponents falling out of the move entirely due to its multi-hitting nature. Lloid Rocket has relatively high KO power when ridden, but is sluggish and easy to punish. Timber's axe requires a tree to be present and has considerable ending lag, while using the tree itself is slow and requires Villager to stand in one place. Villager's up aerial is a strong [[juggling]] move and can score KOs off the upper blast line, but is somewhat luck-based and can be reasonably difficult to land. Pocketing and throwing back a sufficiently strong projectile makes for a deadly attack, generally enough to KO at medium percentages and instantly shatter full [[shield]]s, but this is matchup-dependent and will not be easily allowed by a professional opponent. Overall, if the opponent maintains control of center stage, Villager can have trouble finding KO opportunities, especially lower than medium precents.

Overall, Villager is a somewhat polarizing glass cannon camper who excels when getting his gameplan going, but struggles when the opponent holds the advantage over him. Villager excels at restraining opponents with projectiles to allow enough time to set up traps. Villager especially performs well offstage, where he can easily edgeguard and gimp most of the cast while being able to easily recover from nearly any distance. Due to his array of projectiles and [[Pocket]], Villager also has great counterplay to zoners. However, Villager does not fare better in terms of close-range encounters and can be easily overwhelmed by several rushdowners courtesy of his lackluster approach.

Villager has received a mix of buffs and nerfs in his transition to ''Ultimate''; he received relatively few direct changes, resulting in his core playstyle remaining relatively unchanged with an easier learning curve. However, while objectively buffed, the indirect changes to ''Ultimate''{{'}}s engine have pronounced his nerfs more while noticeably toning down his playstyle's efficacy. Overall, Villager has been significantly nerfed in the transition.

Villager's camping abilities have been considerably improved. [[Pocket]] not only now stores projectiles and items indefinitely, but also has less ending lag after pocketing them, and Villager can now pocket items with a grab. [[Lloid Rocket]] has notably increased knockback at low percentages, allowing Villager to win the neutral game easier. The universal reduction on [[landing lag]] benefits all of Villager's aerials, and [[down aerial]] now has a sweetspot that always meteor smashes, instead of doing it if he uses three turnips; these changes further improve his dominant air game. Villager's ground and grab games have seen a few improvements as well. [[Neutral attack]] now a rapid jab and a finisher, significantly improving its safety and damage racking ability; [[down tilt]]'s sourspot is stronger; his dash attack is much faster; his up smash connects better and is more powerful; and down smash has increased range and is more reliable for burying and harder to escape from. Villager's grabs are much faster and can pocket items, while his throws have both better edge guarding potential (forward and back throws) and combo potential (down throw).

Some of the universal changes to gameplay benefit Villager; aside from lower landing lag on his aerials, his previously mediocre mobility has been improved, with faster ground and air speeds and a universal 3-frame jumpsquat improving his combo potential, notably with his throws. The changes made to [[air dodging]] also noticeably benefit Villager, as he can more easily punish opponents after a mistake, giving his aerial attacks further utility and notably improving their [[edge-guarding]] ability; and he can use one to recover with ease thanks to his floatiness.

Villager also received some notable direct nerfs, though. Most of Villager's ground attacks also have more ending lag and/or less range, while the raw power throughout his standard moveset has been toned down, notably on his [[forward smash]] and all [[tilt attack]]s; notably, up tilt is no longer among the strongest of its kind. Down aerial also had its startup nearly doubled, making it harder for Villager to combat juggling. His previously heavily disjointed pivot grab has much less range, counterbalancing some of the benefits his grab game has received. The changes to neutral attack remove its ability to reliably [[jab cancel]] and removes his KO confirms from ''SSB4'', most infamously to [[Timber]]'s axe. While Villager's recovery remains incredibly long-distanced, it has been nerfed nonetheless, as the helium for [[Balloon Trip]] now takes longer to recharge, which allows opponents to edgeguard Villager much more easily. Villager is also noticeably lighter, which further hurts his survivability.

 

Overall, Villager's gameplan is largely the same as in ''SSB4'' as a result of receiving less direct changes than most of the cast; however, the significantly changed environment has effectively crippled his defensive playstyle, forcing Villager to shift to a more offensive playstle that's far less effective, and this is further pronounced by his worse survivability and lower raw power. Despite receiving buffs by game updates, they do not properly compensate for the gameplay changes making his kit less effective. Egregiously, most veterans have received various buffs to varying degrees, with melee-based characters benefitting more from the increased mobility and projectile-based veteran characters receiving buffs that address some of their issues against opposing camping, allowing them to overcome Villager. Lastly, ''Ultimate'' has seen the return of veterans like {{SSBU|Snake}} and {{SSBU|Young Link}}, while introducing newcomers such as {{SSBU|Hero}} and {{SSBU|Min Min}}, all of which have zoning abilities that are just as strong, alongside greater range, outclassing Villager in competitive play. All in all, Villager fares drastically worse in ''Ultimate'' than in ''SSB4'', being one of the most nerfed characters in the transition.

Overall, whether Villager fares better or worse since launch is debatable. The projectile nerfs negatively affected the keep away aspect of Villager's gameplan, though this was at least partially if not fully compensated with improved trapping capabilities and stuffing out slower opponents.  

|nairname=Forward Somersault ({{ja|前転|Zenten}})

|fairname=Front Slingshot ({{ja|前パチンコ|Zen Pachinko}})

|bairname=Back Slingshot ({{ja|後パチンコ|Go Pachinko}})

|bairdesc=Like the forward aerial, but aimed backward. It has a slightly slower startup but deals more knockback and damage compared to their forward aerial, and is interruptible 4 frames earlier. Useful for KOing opponents if Villager's forward air becomes too stale to do so reliably due to excessive use.

|uairname=Upward Turnips ({{ja|上カブ|Jō Kabu}})

|dairname=Downward Turnips ({{ja|下カブ|Shita Kabu}})

SSBUVillagerIdle1.gif|Villager's first idle pose.

SSBUVillagerIdle2.gif|Villager's second idle pose.

''See also: [[:Category:Villager players (SSBU)]]''

*{{Sm|JAVI ON EARTH|USA}} - The best Villager player in North America, placing well at several events in their region, including 13th at {{Trn|CEO 2021}} defeating {{Sm|Goblin}} and {{Trn|Let's Make Moves Miami}} defeating {{Sm|Kola}}. They are the only other Villager player ever ranked globally, ranking 101st on the [[OrionRank Ultimate: Eclipse]].

*{{Sm|kept|Japan}} - The best Villager player of all-time who was at his peak in 2019, with placements such as 9th at {{Trn|Umebura SP 6}}, 13th at {{Trn|Super Smash Con 2019}}, 17th at {{Trn|The Big House 9}} and 25th at {{Trn|EVO 2019}}, defeating {{Sm|Gackt}} at Umebura and {{Sm|Dark Wizzy}} at Super Smash Con. In addition, he is the only Villager player to top 8 a major, placing 7th {{Trn|Umebura SP 5}}, and was the only Villager player ranked top 100 globally, ranking 72nd on the [[OrionRank 2019]]. Since then, kept remained one of the few Villager players who could place highly at majors but would never be ranked top 100 globally again.

 

In the early metagame, players noticed how the changes to the game's mechanics, which increases the pace of the game and encourages more aggressive gameplay over camping, impaired Villager's camping playstyle by making one of his biggest strengths less effective. As such, opinions on Villager have been low for most of ''Ultimate''{{'}}s lifespan, and although Villager was able to receive some notable representation from players such as {{Sm|kept}} and {{Sm|JAVI ON EARTH}}, Villager's overall representation in ''Ultimate'' remained in the bottom 20 for most of the game's competitive lifespan. As such, Villager was ranked 69th on the first tier list, ranking towards the end of the lower-mid tier in the C- tier.  

 

Even with this low ranking, Villager's playerbase remained stagnant as kept's results became increasingly inconsistent and JAVI ON EARTH's activity remained mostly in Florida. Not helping Villager was the rise of several characters ranked below Villager, including {{SSBU|Lucario}}, {{SSBU|Donkey Kong}}, and Villager's semi-clone {{SSBU|Isabelle}}. Isabelle especially was considered by many, especially in Japan, to be better than Villager due to Isabelle possessing a more skilled playerbase and better representation in the metagame, especially by mid-2023. As such, Villager slipped three spots to 72nd on the second tier list, ranking in the D- tier.

Villager Boy's fighter spirit can be obtained by completing {{SSBU|Classic Mode}}. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 300 Gold, but only after Villager has been unlocked. Unlocking Villager 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. Villager Girl also has a fighter spirit of her own, available through the shop. Each fighter spirit has an alternate version that replaces them with their artwork in ''Ultimate''.

|•{{SSBU|Villager}} {{Head|Villager|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Pink}}<br>•{{SSBU|Mii Brawler}} {{Head|Mii Brawler|g=SSBU|s=20px}} (Moveset [[Flashing Mach Punch|2]][[Burning Dropkick|2]][[Thrust Uppercut|3]][[Head-On Assault|1]], Toad Hat, Toad Outfit, High Voice, Type 7)

[[File:Villager%27s_cut_palettes.png|thumb|The two cut Villager costumes (top) and the final costumes (bottom).]]

*When Villager uses his Up Special, the color of the balloons that appear depends on who controls the character (gray for CPU, red for P1, blue for P2, etc.). {{SSBU|Isabelle}} also shares this trait.

*In the [[results screen]] after a [[team battle]], if the winning team consists of Villager in the front and {{SSBU|Ken}} behind him to the left, Villager’s net will clip through Ken’s arm.