Jigglypuff (SSBU)

Jigglypuff (, Purin) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. It was revealed alongside the fellow Pokémon fighter and the rest of veterans on June 12th, 2018. Like in its appearances prior to, it is unlockable, instead of being available from the start. Jigglypuff is classified as Fighter #12, the last fighter number of the original Super Smash Bros. veterans.

' portrayal of Jigglypuff from Smash 64 was reused in the English version of Ultimate; this was despite voicing it in the Pokémon anime at the time and voicing other Pokémon in Ultimate. , Jigglypuff's voice actress from all previous Smash games and the Pokémon anime, reprises her role in the Japanese version with a new voice track. Virginie Demians and Dina Kuerten's portrayals of Jigglypuff from Brawl were repurposed for the French and German versions.

Jigglypuff is ranked 59th out of 82 in the current Ultimate tier list, putting it in C+ tier. This is a striking improvement from its placement in Smash 4 where it was ranked as the absolute worst character in the game. Jigglypuff's strength lies in its superb aerial game, which is the result of long-lasting aerials that, combined with its excellent air mobility and multiple jumps, can be used to wall out its opponents offstage. Jigglypuff also has a much easier time killing due to its quicker KO options, new KO setups, and more reliable Rest combos. Rest itself has more knockback and less endlag if Jigglypuff lands it, allowing Jigglypuff to escape potential punishes. Finally, Jigglypuff's ground game has been improved: its jab can confirm into back aerial or dash attack at high percents, its up tilt can combo into its other aerials and even Rest in some scenarios, and its forward throw can send opponents at a low angle, making it easier for Jigglypuff to utilize its strong edgeguards.

However, Jigglypuff still possesses many flaws. It still has very low range on its moves which makes it struggle against opponents with long range and characters who could camp very well. Its neutral game still remains poor due to its horrible grounded mobility and linear approach options, and it can have a difficult time hitting opponents that outspeed it. Finally, Jigglypuff's survivability is poor due to its low weight making it susceptible to KOs at an earlier percent than normal, and as a result, it's susceptible to trades at higher percents.

Overall, Jigglypuff's weaknesses balance out its strengths as it's a character who struggles a lot to get in, but has the ability to beat just about any character with only a few openings. Despite the character's inconsistencies and a small playerbase, Jigglypuff has seen strong representation at a major level thanks to players such as and.

How to unlock
Complete one of the following: With the exception of the third method, Jigglypuff must then be defeated on Saffron City. In World of Light, it is fought on the Ω form of Mushroom Kingdom U.
 * Play VS. matches, with Jigglypuff being the 15th character to be unlocked.
 * Clear with  or any character in his unlock tree, being the 2nd character unlocked after.
 * Have Jigglypuff join the player's party in World of Light.

Attributes
Jigglypuff is a character of extremes, as evident with its attributes: it has the 2nd fastest air speed, the highest air acceleration, the slowest falling speed, and the lowest gravity. These attributes make Jigglypuff a very mobile character in the air. However, it also has the 3rd slowest walk and run speed, the 6th slowest initial-dash, the 2nd lowest weight and jump force, and the 7th lowest traction. Collectively, these attributes render Jigglypuff unable to quickly traverse the stage on foot without relying on foxtrotting, and susceptible to early KOs. To make up for its low jumping force, however, it has five midair jumps, which further enhance its aerial evasiveness. Its combination of light weight and floatiness results in Jigglypuff being fairly difficult to combo compared to most other characters, but conversely makes it fairly difficult for it to land onstage and escape a juggle without being forced to retreat offstage and grab the ledge.

Jigglypuff's main strength is its formidable air game. Excluding back aerial, all of its aerial attacks have lingering hitboxes, and back air especially is safe on shield when properly spaced. Their duration is the primary reason Jigglypuff is deceptively difficult to challenge in the air, as opponents will most likely collide within an attack's final frames if they attempt to challenge its moves. All of its aerials, aside from up aerial, also have enough range to be spaced effectively thanks to Jigglypuff's aerial mobility, allowing it to zone and approach opponents safely in the air. Each of Jigglypuff's aerials also have their own distinct strengths. Neutral aerial is its fastest aerial and a fairly strong sex kick, even when stale, and can easily gimp poor recoveries due to its late hitbox being sufficiently strong enough to do so. Due to its speed and power, it also works as a good out of shield or approach option, and its long duration allows it to break combos quite effectively. Forward aerial has the second-weakest knockback of Jigglypuff's aerials, but this grants it good combo potential in return. It can easily force opponents off-stage and is the main component of the wall of pain technique: once an opponent is launched off-stage, Jigglypuff can follow up with several other forward aerials until they reach the blast zone, where Jigglypuff can finish the opponent off with another forward or a neutral aerial. Both neutral air and forward air can also lock with their late hits, and generally both attacks linger for a long time and are very useful for edgeguarding. Back aerial is Jigglypuff's strongest aerial, an effective KOing option, and has a remarkable range, given Jigglypuff's small size. It even possesses some combo potential at very low percents, and the move in general greatly benefits from techniques like RAR. Similar to, , , and , the move also has the interesting trait of completely turning Jigglypuff around after its use. It is also safe on shield due to its high damage output and above-average hitlag, though it is also Jigglypuff's slowest aerial, making it a bit predictable. It also has a sweetspot closer to Jigglypuff's body, although this is difficult to hit due to the sourspot farther away taking priority. Up aerial has a deceptively long-lasting hitbox, which can be problematic for any opponent that has issues dealing with juggling, and it is also a situational finisher near the upper blast line that combos into most of its toolkit if used while landing. Lastly, down aerial can be used as a highly damaging out of shield option, a combo tool, and a pressuring option, and has low ending lag. It can sometimes also work as an anti-juggling option against characters with slow aerial mobility or moves. As well, landing with it can lead into various other moves, allowing Jigglypuff to take stocks incredibly early, especially when factoring in the move's ability to autocancel and link into itself.

Jigglypuff's unmatched floatiness, exceptional air speed, multiple jumps, and strong air game give it a tremendous off-stage presence. Due to lacking a traditional recovery move, its recovery is fairly susceptible to gimping if it has used its jumps, though its other attributes make its recovery very effective regardless. Its fast air acceleration also allows it to mix-up against opponents that attempt to edgeguard it. With the aid of Pound, it can also stall its recovery and protect its landing. Jigglypuff is infamously fearsome at edgeguarding: with proper spacing and good timing, it can gimp even the farthest distanced recoveries without being put at risk;, Chrom, , , , and are perhaps the most susceptible to its edgeguarding, as their recoveries lack both speed and resilience, causing their performances against Jigglypuff to revolve around maintaining stage control as much as possible.

This is not to say its grounded moves are useless, however, as they are surprisingly versatile for such an air-based character. Jigglypuff's neutral attack possesses incredible speed, can lock, and combos into its aforementioned back air. It also combos into dash attack, which can KO at unusually low percentages. Forward tilt is fast and highly damaging, and when angled down is its fastest option for hitting an opponent that is grabbing the ledge. Up tilt is relatively quick and possesses surprisingly good combo potential, whilst still maintaining the utility of a kill move at later percents. Down tilt is a semi-spike with high base knockback that can easily gimp many recoveries when used at the ledge, whilst also putting opponents in a bad position on stage should they miss their tech. As for its smash attacks, forward smash has surprisingly high knockback scaling, while down smash has intangibility on Jigglypuff's legs and the lowest launch angle of any other conventional semi-spike, causing characters with weaker recoveries to die at very low percents. It also possesses surprisingly fast grabs, and its down throw is a solid damage dealer which greatly benefits from throw invincibility, particularly in certain matchups or when playing in doubles. Its greatest grounded move, however, is its buffed Forward Throw, which sends opponents at a low angle when used near the ledge. This is a fantastic tool to have for a character that forces opponents to shield so often, especially due to Down Air's ability to combo directly into a grab. The angle forward throw sends at forces the opponent to pick an option, burn a resource, or both, making the edgeguarding guessing game much easier for the Jigglypuff player. As a cherry on top, at low percents, it can put opponents in a bad position onstage if they miss their tech, very similarly to their down tilt.

Jigglypuff also possesses an infamous trump card in Rest. Rest has powerful vertical knockback at all percentages, to the point where it can reliably KO any character at 70%, but KOs most characters as early as 50%. It hits on frame 2 with a flower effect and has full intangibility until Jigglypuff closes its eyes. In addition to being an incredible punishment option, the threat of Rest forces opponents to be very careful when using laggy moves, especially due to Jigglypuff's ability to perform an occasionally situational true combo into it. One of the best ways to confirm a Rest is with forward aerial: hitting with the move's final frames will lead into an unavoidable Rest, which becomes even more potent if used in the air or with high rage. Depending on the opponent's falling speed, a jump may be necessary to reach them. Another reliable way to confirm one is by landing with up aerial: should Jigglypuff land immediately after hitting the opponent, Rest can be landed without fail. This combo works optimally on platforms due to its limited percentage range and its ability to KO as early as 30%. Up tilt can also combo into Rest on its own or after a landing down aerial, which can be used to rack up at least 30% and potentially KO as well (especially on platforms), but the confirm has a tight percent window, as well as a sour spot that must be accounted for. Lastly, down air has two main Rest confirms: Drill Rest and Rising Dair Rest. Drill Rest involves using down air and landing on the ground before the final hit connects, buffering a rest so that the confirm lands as soon as possible. This confirm is strong against certain characters such as, , , , and opposing Jigglypuff, but aside from them and a select few other characters, it is very inconsistent and often not worth going for. Rising Dair Rest, on the other hand, is performed by rising with down air and buffering a jump rest. This is much more consistent overall against the entire cast, but like up tilt Rest, it has a tight percent window that varies from character to character.

Other methods of safely using Rest involve crouching, buffering, a footstool jump, a jab reset, or interrupting an opposing neutral attack, though few characters are vulnerable to these methods, and they usually require impeccable timing. Platforms can be a saving grace when considering Rest, as they can lead into 0% KO confirms on certain characters and, if they are moving, can make it a bit harder to punish. For all its potential, however, Rest infamously possesses extremely high ending lag, making it very easy to punish if whiffed, though Jigglypuff can skip some of the move's ending lag if it is successfully landed.

To balance out all of these strengths, Jigglypuff is held back by numerous weaknesses. The most detrimental is its survivability: Jigglypuff's stats result in it having among the worst endurance out of any character in the game. As a result, it can be knocked out as early as 30% with a sufficiently strong attack. Rage is an additional burden, since opponents can send it flying even earlier with it while Jigglypuff may not survive long enough to fully reap the benefits of rage itself. These drawbacks force Jigglypuff to play extremely cautiously, as any damage taken can prove dangerous in the long run. Adding insult to injury, Jigglypuff's shield jump launches it upward with enough force to KO it even in the largest of stages, although this weakness rarely comes into effect in competitive play, where shieldbreaks are uncommon.

Furthermore, Jigglypuff has a very problematic ground game. Although most of its ground moves are fast in proportion to their power, its lack of range and slow ground movement prevent it from racking up large amounts of damage with the majority of said moves. This is worsened when considering the utility of its grounded attacks, which as mentioned are quite high for such an air heavy character. The main exception is its up smash, a very barebones move that only barely accomplishes its job of being a consistent anti air that kills at reasonable percents. Its grab game also has similar issues: while Jigglypuff has some of the fastest grabs in the game, landing a grab can sometimes be difficult. Its throws are also a mixed bag; whilst the previously mentioned down throw and forward throw are very effective, back throw is similar to up smash in that it's a very one-dimensional move that is barely good enough at its job to be worth using, only instead it's a positioning tool instead of an anti-air. Up throw is even worse; despite being its strongest kill throw, it is not able to KO reliably even well beyond 200%, and it has very little utility outside of this role. This results in Jigglypuff being easily kept at bay by shields without the usage of Pound's high shield damage and mix-ups with its grab.

Jigglypuff's approach, despite being good in the air, is somewhat predictable. Most of the time, Jigglypuff is forced to remain close to the opponent, read their option in order to approach, or bait them in order to make a move. Its aerial moves are not good for approaching from a long distance as they are unsafe on shield when late, and its dash attack is terrible at doing so due to its high endlag and ineffective sourspot. Coupled with the overall short range on its attacks, it has notoriously difficult matchups against characters with large disjoints like, , and. Its polarizing mobility is also a noticeable flaw. Although it has among the best aerial games in Ultimate, its ground movement is among the worst, as it does not efficiently give Jigglypuff the chance to traverse across the ground quickly like most other lightweight characters can, and in turn with their floatiness makes Jigglypuff relatively slow. This is especially a problem against speed demons such as and, who can more easily force Jigglypuff to approach them than vice versa. Lastly, due to its reliance on taking stocks with an edgeguard or a Rest setup, it can sometimes struggle to take stocks without committing to one strong attack, especially against heavier characters with great recoveries such and.

Overall, Jigglypuff is an air-based glass cannon that can quickly rack up damage or KO opponents, but in return can be KOed just as quickly. Its strengths are on par with its weaknesses, and while it has lower representation than most other characters due to the aforementioned weaknesses, it has received strong results from players such as and.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. 4
Jigglypuff was infamous for being one of the worst characters in its two previous appearances due to its numerous weaknesses, notably its atrocious survivability (it's the lightest and floatiest character), short-lived yet bad disadvantage state, and one-dimensional playstyle as a result of a myriad factors. These issues were made much more apparent in SSB4, due to the game's polarized balance and universal mechanics (most notably rage and ledge trumping) adversely working against it. Most likely owing to its consistently poorly regarded status, Jigglypuff has been noticeably buffed in the transition to Ultimate.

Jigglypuff's most notable direct changes are to its aerial attacks and its special moveset. Like with most other veterans, Jigglypuff's aerial attacks have greatly reduced landing lag, which when combined with its faster air speed further improves its good aerial combo game, allowing it to perform techniques like its renowned Wall of Pain more effectively. In addition, Pound has less ending lag than in SSB4, giving it combo potential as well as helping with vertical recovery; Rest is now interruptible significantly earlier, being 20 frames faster than previous games, and an additional 25 frames earlier if it connects; and Sing is notably faster with more range, along with its sleep time being increased, making it a viable tool for the first time in the series, though still remaining risky and situational for specific setups.

Jigglypuff also significantly benefits from some of the reworked game mechanics in Ultimate. The universally improved mobility, the changes to air dodges and the reduction of edge sizes on most stages have virtually restored Jigglypuff's lost strong edgeguarding capabilities from Melee, once again possessing an oppresive offstage presence thanks to its aerial kit and mobility. The reintroduction of directional air dodges also grants Jigglypuff an additional recovery option, improving its offstage survivability. In addition, Jigglypuff arguably benefits the most of any character from the weakening of the rage mechanic, which slightly improves its otherwise abysmal endurance.

However, Jigglypuff is not without some minor nerfs. In line with its polarized archetype, its already bad grab game was made worse; while it did gain a more useful forward throw, its grabs suffer from the universal nerf, and its up throw deals less damage. Pound's recovery potential was also nerfed, as Jigglypuff will no longer immediately accelerate in the air during its startup, making consecutive usage of the move a less effective recovery tactic.

Although Jigglypuff benefits from the aerial-based changes to gameplay mechanics for Ultimate, some of the other gameplay changes have also hurt Jigglypuff. While the changes to air dodges overall benefit it, they also make Jigglypuff more vulnerable in the air, as they render it even more susceptible to juggling and now force it to mix up its recovery (though the latter point is slightly counterbalanced by the reintroduction of directional air dodging). In addition, the changes to jostling mechanics make Jigglypuff unable to pass through other fighters while running, making Rest much harder to land via running into opponents. Of note is that many of Jigglypuff's primary flaws that have plagued it in previous games are still present in Ultimate, such as a ludicrously low endurance (and being instantly KO'd if its shield is broken), and highly polarized neutral game as a result of its poor ground mobility and limited ground and grab games, its short range, and lack of projectile. Ultimate also includes many more viable swordfighters and zoners compared to previous games, both archetypes that Jigglypuff still struggles against.

Ultimately, Jigglypuff's buffs heavily outweigh its nerfs, and it's a significantly more effective character than in Brawl and SSB4, becoming once again a proper "aerial-based glass cannon". Jigglypuff has also received some very notable buffs in game updates, further improving its viability in competitive play. While it still falls behind compared to its appearance in Melee and various veterans have been buffed as well, Jigglypuff's perception in competitive play is much better compared to Brawl and SSB4.

Update history
Jigglypuff has been buffed significantly by game updates. Update 2.0.0 granted minor lag reductions to its forward tilt and back aerial, more knockback to down tilt, more damage to up smash's sourpot, and a more favorable launching angle to forward throw. Jigglypuff received more substantial buffs from update 6.0.0. Its air dodges had their ending lag noticeably decreased, which makes them safer and improves Jigglypuff's recovery and defense. Forward throw's launching angle was lowered once again, which further improved it as a setup for edge guards. The most notable buffs, however, were down aerial's decreased vulnerability and Pound's increased hitstun, both of which improve Jigglypuff's combo game and even allow for new KO confirm setups into Rest.

After many inconsequential patches, Jigglypuff was buffed once again in update 13.0.0. Back air and the second hit of neutral attack had their endlag decreased, along with decreasing the former's landing lag, improving their safety and combo potential. Down throw had its knockback decreased, giving it combo potential on the biggest of characters at very low percents. The decreased ending lag on its jab notably turned it in a reliable combo tool, granting Jigglypuff access to a "jair" (jab 2 to back aerial) kill confirm reminescent of 's similar combo.

Some top players agree that the buffs have strengthened Jigglypuff's punish game, with players such as expressing more interest in the character and playing the game more competitively due to these buffs.

Overall, Jigglypuff stands far better than it was at release, going from a bottom 10 character to a solid mid-tier character.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moveset
For a gallery of Jigglypuff's hitboxes, see here.
 * Jigglypuff can perform 5 double jumps, tied with and  for most double jumps in the game.
 * If Jigglypuff's shield breaks, it immediately ascends to the top blast zone and gets knocked out if there's no ceiling to stop it.

Stats
Jigglypuff's gravity and falling speed are set to 0.064848 and 1.8, respectively, during hitstun when launched at angles between 70°-110°.

On-screen appearance

 * Emerges from a Poké Ball and spins while floating before landing.

Taunts

 * Up taunt: Spins around on one foot, then faces at the screen inflated, saying "Jigglypuff!"
 * Side taunt: Twirls around many times, then poses (similar to 's side taunt, except it twirls faster). Performed significantly faster than in previous games.
 * Down taunt: Breathes all the air out of itself and falls to the ground, flattened. It inflates itself upon contact, similar to its fainting animation in home-console Pokémon spin-offs, such as ' and '.

Idle pose

 * Looks at its side while jumping.

Crowd cheer
 

Victory poses

 * Left: It jumps twice, spins around, and assumes a pose similar to its render from SSB4.
 * Up: Runs into the scene, loses its balance, then backflips and assumes a pose similar to its official sprite from Pokémon Yellow.
 * Right: Sleeps and then suddenly wakes up, continuing to drift in and out of consciousness.

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


 * - The best Jigglypuff player in the world in the early metagame, notably placing 25th at the major and 33rd at the major.
 * - The best Jigglypuff player of all-time and the first Jigglypuff player to place top 8 at a major, having placed 7th at, , and . His best placement is 31st on the OrionRank Ultimate: Eclipse.
 * - One of the best Jigglypuff players in the United States, although he rarely travels outside his region. He notably placed 7th out of 256 players at the regional and has defeated players such as.
 * - The second-best Jigglypuff player of all-time. He is the second Jigglypuff player to place top 8 at a major, doing so by placing 5th at . Since mid-2022, he has also placed top 64 at several majors, including 13th at the supermajor.

Tier placement and history
During the early metagame, opinions on Jigglypuff's viability were rather low, with most top players, including, , and , considering the character to be low-tier at best, because, although Jigglypuff moderately improved in its transition from SSB4, it still held exploitable weaknesses carried over from the previous game, with some players arguing that its matchup spread, neutral game, and KO options remained poor. Despite receiving buffs in patch 6.0.0, the efforts of players such as and, and positive opinions from players such as , , and , Jigglypuff saw low representation and a slow-developing metagame both offline and online compared to other low-tier characters.

Following the return of offline events, however, a Jigglypuff renaissance took place to improving results from several Jigglypuff players such as Arika, BassMage, and. BassMage began traveling more often, and has not only seen several high placements at major tournaments, but has defeated and went neck-to-neck with several top players as well. The improved results, along with additional buffs, helped the character's perception shift in a positive direction. Due to its steadily improving results, numerous buffs, and widespread representation, Jigglypuff is generally considered a mid-tier character which is reflected by its 59th ranking on the current tier list. Nevertheless, most people agree that Jigglypuff is far superior to its iteration in SSB4, where it was considered the worst character in the game for most of the game's lifespan.

: All Original, All 64
True to its route's title, Jigglypuff's opponents are the "perfect-attendance crew", including itself. Each Round also involves both a stage and a music track that debuted in the original Super Smash Bros. The order of the Rounds begins with as the first opponent, just like in the 1P Game of SSB. Characters whose home stage did not return in Ultimate are teamed up with another character who has their stage return. Although Master Hand is the final boss in SSB, Jigglypuff instead fights Giant Donkey Kong in the Final Round, most likely referencing his status as a unique mini-boss in SSB's 1P Game.

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

Role in World of Light
Jigglypuff is absent from the World of Light opening cutscene, though it was vaporized and later imprisoned alongside the rest of the fighters (except for ) when Galeem unleashed his beams of light.

Jigglypuff can be found in a green area at the east of a metropolis early by taking 's route, and to reach it, the player must either cross a bridge or circle through a lake.

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

Trivia

 * Jigglypuff is the only unlockable character in Ultimate to be fought on a Smash 64 stage, that being Saffron City.
 * Ultimate is the first game since Smash 64 to have Jigglypuff's stock icon not include its entire body.
 * Strangely, the second half of Jigglypuff's voice when it uses Sing is only present in the Sound Test when the language is set to Japanese.
 * Additionally, its voice clip when falling asleep is not present in any language setting.
 * Jigglypuff's route is one of only five whose route does not feature a designated boss at all (i.e. all opponents are otherwise playable), with the other four with the same attribute being, , and.
 * Jigglypuff is the only first-party fighter with this attribute, as well as the only fighter with this attribute that debuted in the first game.
 * Jigglypuff,, , , , , , , and are the only characters in Ultimate who have kept the same falling speed for three games in a row.
 * Despite Jigglypuff fighting all 12 characters from the original Super Smash Bros., Master Hand does not appear as its final boss.
 * Because of this, Jigglypuff is the only Pokémon fighter not to face Master Hand.
 * Excluding the Japanese version, Jigglypuff is the only vocal fighter who lacks any knockback voice clips.
 * Jigglypuff's back aerial causes it to turn around after use. This makes it the only non-Fire Emblem fighter in the game with a back aerial of this type.
 * Jigglypuff is the only character in the game whose item throws have reduced throw damage, with a 0.95× multiplier applied to them. This was also the case in Smash 4.
 * Notably, this causes most items thrown by it to deal less damage than when thrown by, despite Jigglypuff being heavier and thus having a greater item toss strength.
 * Jigglypuff is the only Smash 64 character to not use any part of its character select animation in Smash 64 in its victory animations.