Ness (SSBU)

Ness (, Ness) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. He was revealed along with the fellow EarthBound fighter and all other previous veterans on June 12, 2018. As in the original Super Smash Bros., Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and, he is unlockable, instead of being available from the start. Ness is classified as Fighter #10.

In a first for the series, does not provide Ness with any new voice clips, instead all but one of his voice lines from Super Smash Bros. 4 have been repurposed for Ultimate.

Ness is currently ranked 40th out of 82 characters on the Ultimate tier list, placing him in the B+ tier. This is a marginal improvement from his ranking in Smash 4, where he was ranked 28th/29th out of 54 characters and tied with. Ness has a fairly well-rounded design in Ultimate, with useful tools in most phases of the game. He is most notable for his strong aerial game: all of his aerials are fast, powerful, disjointed, and useful for both racking up damage and KOing. His grab game is also among the best in the cast, as all of his throws have practical uses: His down throw is a viable combo starter, and his back throw is among the strongest KO throws in the game. Furthermore Ness' specials all have flexible utility: PK Flash, PSI Magnet, and PK Fire can all start or extend combos, while the latter can quickly rack up damage and set up strong punishes. Ness's recovery has improved in Ultimate thanks to buffs to PK Thunder and PK Thunder 2 — and by virtue of having the longest directional air dodge distance in the game alongside.

However, Ness does have some weaknesses. He suffers from poor ground mobility and a lack of range in his normal attacks, which limits his approach options and forces him to play more defensively against characters with large disjoints. Still, his most glaring flaw is perhaps his recovery, which, despite its improvements, is one of the more exploitable recoveries in the game.

As a result of his strengths and weaknesses, Ness is viewed as a strong but volatile character in competitive play. Ness' competitive positioning in Ultimate is generally considered his best in the series, and players such as, , and have seen consistent success with Ness in tournaments.

How to unlock
Complete one of the following: With the exception of the third method, Ness must then be defeated on Onett.
 * Play VS. matches, with Ness being the 1st character to be unlocked.
 * Clear with  or anyone in his unlock tree, being the 1st character unlocked.
 * Have Ness join the player's party in World of Light.

Attributes
Ness is a versatile character with strong tools for a variety of situations. Although he has relatively poor ground movement — his walking speed, initial dash, and dash speed are below average — his aerial movement shines thanks to his excellent air acceleration, above-average jump height, and unique double jump cancelling ability. Further bolstering his aerial game, Ness' low gravity and low falling speed allow him to perform multiple aerials in one short hop, and all of his aerial normals can be auto-canceled. Ness has three projectiles with numerous applications, including juggling, edgeguarding, and even recovery. Despite his small stature, Ness is a middleweight, tied with, , and.

Ness' outstanding aerial movement is supported by one of the best sets of aerial normals in the entire game. His neutral aerial activates on frame 5 and functions well as a combo-breaker and out-of-shield option. It also sets up tech chase situations at middle percents and has decent knockback at high percents, making it a viable edgeguarding and KO option. His forward aerial has a large disjoint and is quite active, making it excellent for starting combos, edgeguarding, and approaching. Ness' new multi-hit up aerial is strong and great for juggling, and its drag-down properties allow Ness to set up grabs, combos, and KOs. Ness' back aerial is fast and very strong when sweetspotted, and his down aerial is a slow-but-powerful meteor smash useful for edgeguarding or starting vertical combos.

Ness' grab and throw game is also outstanding and among the best in the cast. His grab is relatively fast, and all of his throws have useful applications. Ness' down throw is a solid combo starter that will often lead into multiple forward airs, and his forward throw has very high base knockback, allowing Ness to reliably set up edgeguarding situations. Ness' up throw, while not as practical, is a solid mix-up that can set up juggling with PK Thunder or PK Flash. Most notorious, however, is Ness' back throw, which remains the most consistent kill throw in the game.

Ness' ground game, while limited by his poor ground mobility, features some powerful attacks. His forward tilt and dash attack are fast and strong enough to KO at high percents, and the latter has improved range. His up tilt is a good combo tool at low percents and can even KO at higher percents. His down tilt, which is very fast and highly spammable, can be used to two-frame, jab lock, pressure shields, confirm into a grab, or deal immense damage if the opponent is trapped at the ledge. His forward smash (baseball bat) has high start-up and ending lag, but deals very high damage and knockback, especially when sweetspotted with the tip of the bat. The bat is also a reflector with a damage multiplier of 2.0 and a speed multiplier of 2.5, giving it the second highest damage multiplier (after Kazuya's Left Splits Kick) and the single highest speed multiplier of any reflector in the game, excluding items. Ness' up and down smashes (yo-yo) have significantly improved knockback, deal damage while charging, and can hang below the stage, making them some of the best and easiest-to-use edgeguarding tools in the game.

Ness is perhaps best known for his special moves. His neutral special, PK Flash, is a large projectile that travels in an arc from Ness' head, gaining strength and distance depending on how long the input is held for. Because it has low ending lag and freezes opponents briefly when successful, PK Flash has great utility as a combo starter and juggling tool. It also no longer sends Ness into helplessness, making it useful for knocking opponents away from the ledge while Ness is offstage. Ness' side special, PK Fire, is a tiny projectile that travels horizontally a short distance and bursts into a pillar of flames on contact with an opponent, dealing multiple hits. When used in the air, PK Fire has a diagonal trajectory and decreased landing lag, bolstering its safety in neutral, especially on platforms. The move is infamously spammable and can set up combos, condition opponents to jump, or simply rack up damage itself. Ness' up special, PK Thunder, doubles as a versatile projectile and Ness' primary recovery option. The move sends a ball of electricity upward from Ness' head that can be guided with the control stick, costing Ness his mobility while active, but granting him the ability to pressure deep offstage, juggle opponents repeatedly, or at times KO an opponent into the upper blast zone. Ness can also send the lightning into himself at any angle, launching him in that direction for an extremely powerful PK Thunder 2 attack which also allows Ness to recover from deep offstage. Ness' down special, PSI Magnet, creates a psychic field around Ness that absorbs energy-based attacks and heals Ness a proportionate percent. PSI Magnet also has newfound offensive utility in Ultimate, as it now features an active hitbox with set knockback. The aerial hitbox can confirm into several of Ness' normal aerials, while the grounded hitbox places opponents in perfect range for a sweetspotted forward smash, making it practical in jab lock situations. PSI Magnet also alters the momentum of Ness' double jump, a form of double jump cancelling that makes for a unique aerial burst option and a stylish way to start or extend combos.

Ness' strengths are balanced by notable weaknesses. Grounded PK Fire does good damage, but is punishable on shield and easily escapable with good DI, making it generally less useful than its aerial counterpart. While Ness' hitboxes are large and powerful, he can still be stuffed out by characters with even larger disjoints. Moreover, Ness' below-average run speed and average air speed, as well as his projectiles being rather slow or short-ranged, render him slightly vulnerable to camping, especially against opponents with non-energy projectiles. Ness is also vulnerable to juggling given his floatiness and lack of reliable landing options, as well as the removal of multiple air dodges. However, Ness' most glaring weakness remains his recovery. Despite traveling a good distance, his PK Thunder 2 is quite exploitable: if the attack makes contact with an opponent or projectile mid-flight, its distance will be halved, often resulting in a gimp. Furthermore, opponents with good timing can hit Ness with a powerful attack or fall into PK Thunder 1 before he can launch himself. Because of its enormous knockback, PK Thunder 2 is also susceptible to many counters, and opponents who time their counter correctly will almost always kill Ness. Conversely, opponents who mistime an edgeguard against Ness will often die for it.

Overall, Ness is somewhat of a "glass cannon" character who excels in most offensive aspects of the game, but suffers in certain defensive situations, especially when put offstage or high above his opponent. He also struggles against characters who can outrange his disjoints, though this is less of a problem than in previous games.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. 4
Ness has been significantly buffed in his transition from SSB4 to Ultimate. Various changes to his previous options and the addition of new ones have positively impacted his playstyle, and the changes to the game's engine strengthen his kit.

Ness' ground game is better compared to previous iterations; forward tilt is now a viable KO option, dash attack has increased knockback and range, up tilt has decreased ending lag and is useful for starting combos, and down tilt racks up damage much more effectively, especially near the ledge. Among his most significant buffs are the changes to his yo-yo smash attacks (up smash and down smash), which not only regained their charging hitboxes, but now hang below the ledge to very easily set up edgeguards against most characters; up smash has also lost its early hit and has dramatically higher knockback, making it a viable KO option for the first time.

Many of Ness' other tools are more effective as well. All of his aerials, save for neutral aerial, deal more damage, and he has gained a new up aerial that hits multiple times, allowing for drag-down combos and set-ups while retaining most of its standalone KO power. Down aerial has more range, can once again be autocanceled from a short hop, and has a much stronger meteor smash effect. In terms of special moves, PK Flash charges much more quickly and no longer causes helplessness; PK Fire has reduced lag (especially landing lag, making it far more useful when used in the air) that improves its combo and set-up potential, and PK Thunder deals more damage. His most notable buff, however, comes from a significantly improved PSI Magnet; the move now has a hitbox (similarly to, although during the move rather than when canceling the move) that possesses a rehit rate, which gives it offensive use for the first time in the series, as it helps Ness extend combos and gives him newfound KO confirms at high percentages.

The universal changes in Ultimate have improved Ness as well, especially the new air dodge mechanics and general buffs to aerial attacks. The return of directional air dodges benefits Ness tremendously, as his own directional air dodge travels further than that of any character (aside from Lucas), providing a reliable recovery option aside from the notoriously exploitable PK Thunder 2. The removal of multiple air dodges also enables Ness to pressure opponents in the air with PK Thunder more consistently. Furthermore, Ness' already great aerial game is further compounded by the universal reductions to landing lag, improving their safety and combo potential.

However, Ness has also received a few nerfs. His new up aerial has less horizontal range, requires landing all hits (which start from behind and move in an arc above Ness) to deal considerable damage, and sends at a lower angle that hinders its KO potential, worsening Ness' ability to juggle opponents. His grab game has been toned down, as his slower, more standard pummel cannot rack up damage as effectively, back throw is very slightly worse for KOing (though it remains the strongest throw in the game), down throw's higher ending lag hinders its combo potential past low to mid-percents, and the universal nerfs to grabs affects Ness just as much as the rest of the cast, as grabbing is a key component to his gameplan. Lastly, the power of his yo-yo smash attacks now only increases by half as much when charged, and PK Flash, in exchange for its much faster charge, is significantly weaker when fully charged.

Overall, the buffs to Ness' neutral game, punish game, edgeguarding, and recovery outweigh the few nerfs he received, and while his main weaknesses —such as lack of range and an exploitable recovery— are still present, they are generally to a lesser extent than in previous Smash games. Thus, despite his similar position among the roster, Ness performs better than in SSB4, and his incarnation in Ultimate is widely considered his strongest in the Smash series to date.

Update history
Ness has received a mix of buffs and nerfs, but he was buffed overall. Update 2.0.0 increased autocancel frames for up aerial matching the ending lag of the move and his down aerial deals more damage while keeping the knockback the same. Update 3.0.0, nerfed yo-yo charging smash attacks which was infamous for breaking shields easily. He also received buffs such as PK Flash having a larger hitbox, and physics changes to the yo-yo that improved its potential as an edge guarding tool. Update 3.1.0 reverted the yo-yo physics back to its pre-patch state, and his neutral attack connects more reliably.

However, Ness has received a number of buffs in 9.0.0. Up tilt, dash attack and up throw deal more damage, though with knockback adjusted for the former two. In addition, down aerial and PK Flash have less start-up lag. Overall, Ness remains a strong character who can compete well with the rest of the cast.

 

 

 

 

Moveset
For a gallery of Ness' hitboxes, see here.
 * Ness possesses a special jump. When jumping in midair, Ness will ascend in a floatier, curved trajectory. The upward momentum of Ness' double jump can be canceled by inputting a special move or throwing an item. This trait is shared with, , , and.

On-screen appearance

 * Ness teleports onto the stage with PSI Teleport, ending in an explosion leaving him covered in soot which he then shakes off his body.

Taunts

 * Up taunt: Turns toward the screen and nods while saying "Okay." The pose is similar to that of his clay model from EarthBound.
 * Side taunt: Swings his bat out in front of him and strikes a pose, similar to how baseball players use it to indicate they are hitting a home run.
 * Down taunt: Waves his hand in an S motion while emitting a stream of PSI from his finger.

Idle poses

 * Look to his left, then to his right.
 * Places his finger to his forehead before pointing it forward.

Crowd cheer
 

Victory poses

 * Left: Walks in then looks around with a surprised expression, before rubbing the back of his head while smiling (his "character chosen" animation in Super Smash Bros., albeit much more subtle).
 * Up: Skips into the victory screen, then nods slightly, holding a pose similar to his official clay model, up taunt, and official Brawl render.
 * Right: Swings his bat once, then strikes a pose similar to his side taunt.

Most historically significant players
See also: Category:Ness players (SSBU)


 * - One of the best Ness players in the United States. He began attending more out-of-region events in 2022 and has seen strong showings such as 13th at and 17th at . He is ranked 91st on the UltRank 2022 for the second half of 2022.
 * - The best Ness player of all time, having placed top 8 at more majors than any other Ness player. He finished 3rd at both and, the highest placements for a Ness player at a major.
 * - The best Ness player in Europe since the end of the online era, and was also the second-best Ness player in Europe in the early metagame. He placed top 32 at several majors, including 13th at and 25th at both  and . Since late-2022, he has been playing Ness as a secondary alongside.
 * - The best Ness player in Europe in the early metagame and was also a top 10 player in Europe during that time. Consistently placed top 8 at European tournaments, including placing 7th at the supermajor and 5th at the superregional . He has been mostly inactive since early-2020, occasionally entering tournaments while using secondaries.
 * - Came to prominence in the online metagame, placing 2nd at the . He has also established himself as one of two best Ness players in the United States in 2022, placing 5th at the major as well as the superregionals  and . However since early-2023 he has shifted his focus towards, although he still uses Ness as a secondary.
 * - The second-best Ness player of all time. He has consistently placed top 64 at majors, including 5th at and 9th at both  and . He was also one of the best players in the online metagame, and notably won, the largest Smash tournament in terms of entrants.

Tier placement and history
Initial opinions on Ness were rather positive, due to the myriad of buffs he received during the transition from Smash 4 and benefiting from new mechanics in Ultimate, all of which improved his neutral, advantage, recovery, and movement options. As a result, early results from Ness were rather strong thanks to the strong performances from and, as well as a myriad of strong regional players such as , , and. This led many players to consider Ness as a solid high-tier character.

Although Ness's representation in the metagame continued to remain in the top 20, as well as the rise of new players such as, Ness's weaknesses became more apparent as the metagame progressed. Notably, his limited range hindered his performances as the metagame was often populated with swordfighters or characters that could outrange Ness. In addition, his best players either became rather inconsistent -- for example, Gackt's performances ranged from a top 3 finish at to placing 49th at  a month later -- or picked up secondaries to alleviate Ness's weaknesses -- for example, Syrup eventually picked up  as a co-main. This has led opinions on Ness to vary: while many still view Ness as a high-tier, especially in the United States, others, notably in Japan, hold a lower opinion of the character. This varying opinion is currently reflected in Ness's position in the current tier list, where he is ranked 40th as the second-highest upper-mid tier character.

Ness is considered an even stronger character in Ultimate's online mode, as the presence of increased input lag ostensibly benefits him more than other characters, making his already fast aerials even safer and his recovery more difficult to challenge. These perceived advantages, while traditionally dismissed as meaningless in high-level competition, gained unforeseen significance as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which temporarily relegated all major tournaments to an online format. Ness' strong online results include impressive first-place finishes by at  and, the latter of which featured a $10,000 prize pool and the largest bracket of any Smash tournament (online or offline) to date.

: Home to Onett!
Ness fights opponents largely based on his journey in EarthBound in reverse from Magicant to Onett.

Note: Every stage plays a track from the universe, no matter what universe the stage originates from.

Credits roll after completing Classic Mode. Completing it as Ness has  accompany the credits.

Role in World of Light
Although Ness has been absent from the World of Light opening cutscene, he was vaporized and later imprisoned alongside the rest of the fighters (minus ) when Galeem unleashed his beams of light.

Ness can be found in a pink cloud area reminiscent of Magicant, and to access him the player needs to defeat the Flying Man spirit.

Spirit
Ness' fighter spirit can be obtained by completing. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 300 Gold, but only after Ness has been unlocked. Unlocking Ness 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. His fighter spirit has an alternate version that replaces it with his artwork in Ultimate.

Trivia

 * Ness was the only one of the four original unlockable characters from Super Smash Bros. 64 to be playable in the E3 demo.
 * Ness is also the only one to appear on the box art. However, is featured in the full group artwork.
 * Although most characters from the original Super Smash Bros. are numbered by their debut game's original release date, Captain Falcon and Ness can be considered an exception; F-Zero was originally released in 1990, four years before EarthBound. Additionally, in Super Smash Bros., Captain Falcon will always be fought first if the unlock conditions for both him and Ness are met simultaneously. However, it is also possible that Ness is numbered per the 1989 release of Mother, which is also how he is ordered in Brawl's All-Star Mode.
 * Ultimate marks the first time since Super Smash Bros. Melee where Ness' artwork depicts him holding his baseball bat.
 * Ultimate is the first Smash game in which Ness has a greater number of aerials that use PSI than Lucas, being 5 to 4 as opposed to 2 and 3 to 3 in Brawl and Smash 4 respectively.
 * Ness being unlocked by clearing Classic Mode as Kirby could be a reference to Ness being unlocked on in the original Super Smash Bros., that both are voiced by Makiko Ōmoto, or that both are from games developed by HAL Laboratory, Inc.
 * As of Ultimate's release, Ness has had more different victory themes than any other character, receiving new ones in Brawl and Ultimate, in addition to his original one from the first two games.
 * Ness is one of the only two unlockable characters in Ultimate who can be the first character unlocked in more than one way, as he is the first character to be unlocked through VS. Matches and the first unlock in 's Classic Mode tree. The other character who shares this distinction is.
 * Despite the fact that Ness's PSI Magnet can absorb Bob-omb explosions, Ness cannot absorb explosions from the Bob-ombs that drop from the sky during Sudden Death.

Ness (SSBU)