Ice Climbers (SSBM)

The Ice Climbers (, Ice Climber) are playable characters in Super Smash Bros. Melee. They are voiced by Sanae Kobayashi in the game.

They rank 8th on the tier list (in the B+ tier). Among the Ice Climbers' strengths are their devastating grab game. When both Popo and Nana are alive, the Ice Climbers can land a zero-to-death on any character in the game off of a grab through wobbling, and can perform hand-offs in settings where wobbling is banned to achieve nearly as punishing results. They are immune to chain grabs and some other combo setups, as if one Climber gets grabbed, the partner can hit them out of the grab at any time. The Ice Climbers have access to fast and powerful smash attacks, great disjoint on their hammer moves, such as up aerial and back aerial, and one of the longest wavedashes in the game, aiding their offensive capabilities. They also can perform various techniques through desyncing, which allows the player to control both Climbers at different times; when combined with their Blizzard projectile, this makes the Ice Climbers especially difficult to break through defensively. Their unique attributes and threat of an instant KO off of a grab forces other characters to adopt unique and often frustrating playstyles against the Ice Climbers.

However, the Ice Climbers are crippled by the difficulty of keeping both Climbers together at the same time. The Ice Climbers can easily be separated when hit by most attacks, which gives the opponent an opportunity to freely KO the CPU-controlled Climber, leaving the player with just one Ice Climber until they lose a stock. A single Ice Climber, known as "Sopo", loses access to its grab punishes and has one of the lowest damage outputs and worst recoveries in Melee. The Ice Climbers also are hindered by their low traction, which causes them to slide farther across the stage when hit in shield, limiting their ability to land shieldgrabs and other punishes. Despite their threat of a zero-death, the Ice Climbers tend to lose against most other top tiers, as opponents can KO the partner climber to make wobbling difficult. This includes an especially poor matchup against, as her float canceling techniques allows her to attack the Ice Climbers from the air without much fear of getting punished. Additionally, the Ice Climbers' low gravity and air speed makes them vulnerable to air stalling and evasion tactics, such as by the aforementioned Peach or. Regardless, the Ice Climbers have strong matchups against the majority of the cast, and can hold their own against most high and top-tiers.

Attributes
The Ice Climbers have arguably the most unusual fighting style in all of Melee; the player is tasked with controlling two characters at once, and their fighting potential becomes considerably worse should Nana (or Popo depending on which costume is selected) be KOed. Outside of this, their unique physics make them difficult to use; they boast an above average jumping height alongside low air and falling speed, and their traction is also among the lowest in the game.

As a result of this quirk, the Ice Climbers have among the most powerful ground-based approaches in the game. Disjointed hitboxes, a variety of useful tilts and smashes, and a long, floaty wavedash give the Ice Climbers a wide variety of options on the ground. Their most powerful tool on the ground is their grab; despite having below-average grab range, they boast low knockback throws, giving them significant chain throwing potential. They can also perform the Wobbling infinite out of a grab, which is the most powerful single technique in the game if players can master it. In addition, the presence of Nana allows players to significantly rack up damage on opponents when they grab them. The presence of Nana also makes grabs and chain throws against Popo difficult to utilize, as she can potentially attack opponents during their grab to break it. Furthermore, the Ice Climbers have among the best projectiles in the game, Ice Shot; it is a ground-based projectile that limits the opponent's approach options, and falls off edges very quickly, allowing it to cover various low recovery options. While short-ranged, Blizzard can also have approaching applications, as Popo and Nana face the same direction when the attack is used during a short-hop; it can also be used as a reliable tool to rack up damage off a grab if Nana uses it while Popo pummels. The Ice Climbers also have the ability to perform the Freeze glitch, which prevents their opponent from moving in any capacity when performed. Due to its game-breaking potential, the tactic is banned in tournaments.

The Ice Climbers' desynching techniques also have powerful ground-based applications. Since it essentially allows the control of both Climbers to some degree, experienced players can force Nana to perform certain tasks while Popo is occupied. This includes grabbing opponents immediately after Popo has thrown them (known as a hand-off) and attacking them while Popo keeps them locked in place, among other powerful benefits. Desynching, however, requires significant practice to use consistently, making the Ice Climbers one of the most technically demanding characters in the game.

Despite a powerful ground-based approach, they have a difficult aerial approach. A high jumping height, low falling speed, slow, laggy aerials, and the second lowest air speed in the game (behind only ) give the Ice Climbers a poor SHFFL. Their low aerial and falling speeds also make pursuing airborne enemies extremely difficult. Some of the Ice Climbers' aerials have powerful applications; their down aerial keeps the enemy mostly in place due to its set knockback, allowing Popo to regrab if Nana uses it after a throw, and their neutral and back aerials are good spacing tools, with the latter having reliable KOing ability under 150%. However, due to their poor air speed and falling speed, and only one situational meteor (their forward aerial), their air game does not complement their powerful ground game overall. These various traits also give the Ice Climbers a below-average edgeguarding game, and they lack an extremely effective off-stage option. In addition, the Ice Climbers have the second worst traction in the game; similar to Luigi, this makes them highly reliant on wavedashing to approach, and technical errors, such as mistimed air dodges, can set them up for significant punishment. Owing to their slightly below-average weight and low falling speed, the Ice Climbers are also highly vulnerable to being KOed from the upper blast line.

Players who use the Ice Climbers must also know how to prevent themselves from losing Nana, as when she is KOed, Popo cannot fight nearly as effectively. As the Ice Climbers' attacks were designed to be two-in-one, Popo's attacks alone lack damage racking ability, making it much harder to accumulate percentage on the opponent despite the power of his smash attacks. Popo also cannot perform nearly as many chaingrabs without Nana, and cannot Wobble by himself, greatly reducing the threatening nature of their usual grabs. In return, Popo is left vulnerable to chaingrabs and throw setups himself due to his low air speed and falling speed, and is limited in his recovery options; he is forced to recover with Squall Hammer, which travels only horizontally. Unfortunately, most high-tiered characters have attacks, such as Fox's shine and Peach's forward aerial, that can easily separate Popo from Nana. Their recovery, while long, is prone to endangering Nana, as she can either miss the ledge entirely or be left vulnerable against edgeguarders. All of these flaws require Ice Climbers players to be situationally aware and abuse their powerful ground and grab games to prevent their Climbers from being separated and KOed.

Version history
NTSC 1.02 PAL

Moveset
For a gallery of the Ice Climbers' hitboxes, see here.
 * Note: A majority of the move summaries refer to the combined damage of the both Ice Climbers; with the partner usually dealing 1% less than the leader due to stale move negation.


 * Note: Although both Ice Climbers can perform a ledge attack, they cannot perform it at the same time, as only one character is allowed on the ledge at a time.

Most historically significant players
See also: Category:Ice Climbers players (SSBM)


 * - During his prime, considered one of the three best Ice Climbers players in the world, ranking 20th on the MPGR 2018. Placed 4th at and 7th at  and . Has beaten, , and.
 * - During his prime, considered one of the three best Ice Climbers players in the world, ranking 19th on the MPGR 2018. Placed 5th at, , and with wins over ,  and.
 * - Widely regarded as the greatest Ice Cimbers player of all time due to his innovation of the character and extensive longevity, playing at a top level from the early days of Melee all the way up to the large scale wobbling ban in 2019 (being ranked 2nd worldwide on the 2006 Smash Panel Power Rankings). He is the only Ice Climbers player to ever win a major, through his 1st place at . He is also the only Ice Climbers player to ever take a game off.
 * - Formerly ranked 27th on the SSBMRank in 2016 and 2017. Has wins over players such as, , and.
 * - One of the best Ice Climbers players in the world before retiring, known for his strong Sopo play and his limited usage of wobbling in tournaments. Placed 7th at and 2nd at.
 * - While active, was known as one of the best Ice Climbers players, ranking as high as 17th on the SSBMRank 2016. Has beaten, , and.
 * - Considered the best Ice Climbers main since the widespread wobbling ban in 2019. Known for defeating multiple top ten players throughout 2022, including and, and for his 4th place finish at the . His 9th place ranking on the SSBMRank 2022 was the highest global ranking for an Ice Climbers player since Wobbles in 2013, and the highest for a non-wobbling Ice Climbers main since 2011.
 * - Once known as the best solo Ice Climbers main and helped to popularize the term "wobbling". His 2nd place finish at (defeating, , and ) is considered the Ice Climbers' best tournament performance of all time. In addition, his 8th place on the SSBMRank 2013 is the highest ranking for an Ice Climbers player since the start of global rankings in 2013.

Tier placement and history
The Ice Climbers were once a middle to low-middle tiered character, as in the beginning of Melee, professionals did not discover their powerful grounded presence and threatening wobbling techniques, as their flaws, such as their poor aerial approach and difficulty in maintaining both climbers, were highlighted more often. With the discovery of the Ice Climbers' desynching combos and wobbling, more players advocated for their potential, showcased in, and ’s discoveries. 's second place finish at EVO 2013 with the Ice Climbers did not change their tier position but finally pushed them into the S tier, where they are at last recognized as a viable character for tournaments alongside the top tiered characters. With the release of the twelfth tier list, they moved up one spot, above, for the first time. In the thirteenth tier list, the Ice Climbers are ranked 8th, however this placement was determined with the assumption that wobbling is not banned; their viability without wobbling allowed is yet to be assessed. Also, the major advancements for other characters like and  have indirectly worsened the potency of the Ice Climbers due to the increasing gap in potential, especially after the ban on wobbling.

Wobbling Controversy
Wobbling is an advanced technique exclusive to Ice Climbers in Melee where desyncing the pair, grabbing an opponent, then slightly tilting the control stick forward or down and mashing the attack button at exactly 200 bpm will create an infinite combo that the opponent cannot escape from. This is possible due to the opponent being alternately pummeled and hit with a tilt attack to reset the escape mashing. Techniques with similar effects exist in future installments, but they have different activation prerequisites and are harder to execute. The name was coined by after seeing fellow smasher  place 9th in NCT2 after discovering the technique from Japanese tutorial videos online and using it extensively in the tournament. "Wobbler" is a slang term used to refer to an Ice Climbers player who relies heavily on landing a grab to wobble their opponent.

The technique has been controversial since its inception due to its relative ease of use and low risk, high reward nature that would bring whole games to a halt and upset competitors and spectators alike. However, the early Melee communities were more scattered, with every tournament having their own stance on wobbling; some tournaments allowed the technique, while others banned it. Following (where wobbling was legal), and competitive Melee's ensuing resurgance in mainstream popularity, tournament rulesets generally became more unified, and as a result, wobbling was legal at nearly all tournaments from 2013 to the beginning of 2019. was well-known as a fierce opposer of legalizing wobbling, and he banned it at his events in Michigan, including The Big House. He eventually decided to allow wobbling at his events, arguing that Michigan smashers needed practice fighting against the technique should they choose to compete in other regions.

In 2018, around the time of the release of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the discussion regarding wobbling started to grow again, and more and more Melee community members began to support a wobbling ban, beginning to outnumber those that opposed a ban for the first time. The "Platinum Age" saw an increasing amount of top-level Ice Climbers mains using wobbling to make deep bracket runs at major tournaments, including, , , , , and , upsetting many players on their way. As wobbling's presence in Melee grew, many players were concerned about the long-term health of the game, arguing that the unpopularity of wobbling would both discourage players from competing and turn away spectators at major tournaments; top players were known to often grow extremely frustrated when fighting the Ice Climbers. Many top players, including and, openly supported a wobbling ban.

In early 2019, the pro-ban movement gradually began to take off as local and regional tournament scenes began banning wobbling at their events. On February 8th, 2019, the Tennessee Smash Community made a reddit post announcing that wobbling would be banned at tournaments in several Tennessee cities. The official ruleset limited the Ice Climbers, upon grabbing the opponent, to eight separate attacks before regrabbing; violating these rules would result in a warning, game loss, or set loss at the tournament organizer's discretion. As news of the ban spread around the Melee community, other regions began announcing their own bans of various degrees, including Georgia, Maryland/Virginia, Mississippi, Chicago, and the United Kingdom.

was the first major to officially announce a wobbling ban. Throughout 2019 and 2020, various majors announced their own bans of the technique, including, , Pound 2020, and. Today, wobbling is banned at most tournaments, although some smaller events may choose to legalize the technique at their own discretion.

In
The Ice Climbers can appear in a one-on-one, as an ally, on a team with, or as a metal opponent. The Ice Climbers are fought on Icicle Mountain except in the metal battle.

In Adventure Mode
The Ice Climbers' sole appearance is on Stage 10: Icicle Mountain. The player is initially tasked with navigating the stage for 51 seconds; following this, two pairs of Ice Climbers attack the player. The player must then KO both Ice Climbers pairs to proceed to the next stage.

In All-Star Mode
The Ice Climbers and their allies are fought on Icicle Mountain.

In Event Matches
The Ice Climbers appear in the following Events:


 * Event 11: King of the Mountain: The player must survive for 1 minute 2 seconds on Icicle Mountain. Two pairs of Ice Climbers will hinder the player and have unlimited lives.
 * Event 21: Ice Breaker: The player must KO two Nanas in a one-stock match. The Ice Climbers mainly jump, but they recover if they are knocked off the stage. KOing Popo anytime results in a failure.
 * Event 30: All-Star Match 3: The Ice Climbers are the last opponent the player must fight in this series of staged battles. Their character battles them on the Icicle Mountain stage, and the player's character has a stock of two lives while the Ice Climbers have one. With a timer of four minutes, the player must defeat them and the other three characters with the overall time and life they have: Kirby, and.

Trophies
In addition to the normal trophy about the Ice Climbers as characters, there are two trophies about them as fighters, unlocked by completing both Adventure and All-Star modes respectively with the Ice Climbers on any difficulty:

Alternate costumes
Nana becomes the leading, player-controlled character when using the 3rd and 4th costumes shown below. The stock icon and character select portraits for these costumes change to reflect this.

Trivia

 * The CPU level of the trailing Ice Climber is equal to the percentage of the leader, divided by 20, rounded down, and then clamped to the interval 1-9.
 * Changing the language to Japanese on an English copy of Melee changes the Ice Climbers' name to "Ice Climber", as the Japanese language does not differentiate words as plural like in English.
 * The Ice Climbers are tied with for the world record in the Home-Run Contest, and are the only character other than Ganondorf to have reached the max distance. Unlike Ganondorf, however, the Ice Climbers have to exploit the Freeze glitch in order to be able to reach these distances in the Home-Run Contest.
 * The Ice Climbers are the only starter character from a newly represented universe.
 * Even though the Ice Climbers are called "Ice Climbers" in western versions, their chant still says "Ice Climber" (the Japanese name of the character).
 * When in the magnifying glass while playing as Nana, she'll have Popo's hair instead of hers.
 * Nana's 4th costume has her wear a red coat in her portrait, but it is purple in-game.
 * With a total of sixteen years and ten months (at the time of Melee's release), the Ice Climbers held the record for the longest time gap between their debut as a playable character in Smash and their last appearance in their home series (which was also the only appearance), until took the record in Brawl. R.O.B.'s record would in turn be surpassed by  in.
 * In the poll for possible new characters for Melee, the Ice Climbers ranked ninth among characters from miscellaneous Nintendo games, with only 4 votes, tied with Samurai Goroh from and the  protagonist at the bottom of the list.
 * The Ice Climbers' voice actress, Sanae Kobayashi, was only 21 years old when she recorded her audio for Melee. This makes her the youngest member of the game's voice cast.