Joker (SSBU)/Up special

Overview
Joker's up special has two variants depending on if Arsène is active.

Without Arsène, Joker's up special is Grappling Hook, in which Joker fires a grappling hook into the air at a slight angle. In the air this move acts as a tether recovery, boasting a very good ledge grab range. Grappling Hook also grants Joker a small vertical boost the first time it is used in the air, aiding with his recovery, however subsequent uses lose this property until Joker is able to grab ledge or land. The move does possess a hitbox in the air, however hitting it is very precise as the size of the hitbox is very small, only seeing use a finisher for vertical combos near the top blastzone where landing another up aerial is impossible. Likewise with its ability to grab opponents if used on the ground, the hitbox is very small and can be blocked, but provides Joker with a semi-reliable combo starter if he is able to catch opponents above him - additionally, Joker is also able to grab items from afar using Grappling Hook. Finally, like with other tether recoveries in the game, it loses its ability to grab the ledge after tethering to it three times, provided Joker is unable to safely make it back on stage during any recovery attempts.

With Arsène, Joker's up special is Wings of Rebellion, where Joker flies into the air using Arsène's wings. This move is similar in concept to 's and 's Power of Flight where the user travels a long distance without an accompanying hitbox for protection. Unlike Power of Flight however, Wings of Rebellion grants Joker full intangibility for a much longer period (frames 1-25 on the ground, frames 3-25 in the air) at the cost of being more restrictive on where Joker can travel, only able to travel directly upward or at an angle. While this does make him more susceptible to being 2-frame punished compared to his vanilla up special, it is still an impressive recovery move that allows Joker to recover from far below the stage.

Overall, Joker has a strong set of up specials with and without Arsène, which synergise well with his other specials in order to make his recoveries much more tricky to intercept.

Grounded Grappling Hook

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Throw

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Aerial Grappling Hook

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Wings of Rebellion

 * Grounded
 * Aerial
 * Aerial