Shulk (SSB4)

Shulk in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	Xenoblade Chronicles
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Chain Attack

“	Shulk Foresees a Fight!	”
—Introduction Tagline

Shulk (シュルク, Shulk) was unofficially revealed as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4 alongside Bowser Jr. and Ganondorf via leaked videos from footage used by ESRB to rate the game before being formally confirmed on August 29th, 2014. His official reveal came along with the announcement of Xenoblade Chronicles 3D, the New Nintendo 3DS port of his game Xenoblade Chronicles, which was originally released for the Wii.

Shulk's English voice actor, Adam Howden, reprises his role in the Western version of the game; meanwhile, Shintarō Asanuma reprises his role in the Japanese version of the game.

Attributes

Shulk is a character of many talents thanks to his Monado Arts. Though possessing a single moveset like other fighters, an activated Art can turn him into a completely different character in the blink of an eye. This, in addition to the Monado's hugely disjointed hitbox for a character of his size, makes him a powerful weapon-based character with arguably one of the most highly adaptable fighting styles in Super Smash Bros. 4.

Shulk's main perk is his signature weapon, the Monado. Like Ragnell does for Ike, the Monado grants Shulk outstanding reach comparable to large characters like Bowser despite his average size. Unlike Ike and any other swordsmen within the Super Smash Bros. series, however, Shulk's disjointed range trumps theirs, as several of his moves activate the Monado's beam blade and gives the Monado even more range during attacks. Shulk's moveset also supports these perks. He possesses a powerful aerial game, which notably includes a neutral aerial with little landing lag which he can use very effectively to approach and lead into many other moves, a forward aerial with a wide arc that can space opponents reliably, along with a back, up and down aerial that have deceptively high range and power, allowing him to both combo and finish off opponents while safely creating space and negating approaches. His ground game is also rather effective, as his down tilt is fast enough to combo into his aerials, all of his smash attacks have both good KOing potential and incredible reach, and in the hands of a skilled player it can be incredibly difficult to approach Shulk since he can easily create space with his high-ranged moves.

Apart from its outstanding reach, the Monado also provides Shulk a special move that makes him one of the most unique and adaptive characters in the history of Super Smash Bros.: Monado Arts. Each Art bestows him a tactical advantage and disadvantage once activated, and as they can be changed on the fly, Shulk can become a very effective wild card against opponents. Depending on the match-up and current situation, Shulk can easily switch from any Art in a brief moment even while moving to ensure he has an advantage almost all the time. An example of this is that he can capitalize on Luigi's low traction by using Buster to safely attack on Luigi's shield, as the Art's higher shield push prevents Luigi from performing out of shield punishes. Another example is that while Shulk is normally not exactly quick on his feet or in the air, activating either Speed or Jump gives him enough air speed to follow characters and either approach or punish any badly positioned attacks, while he can then easily cancel them to use the Smash Art to finish off opponents after a successful combo. He can even negate landing lag for his aerials using his Arts with Monado Art Landing Lag Canceling, an advanced technique that offers Shulk even more time to space or punish using his high ranged attacks. A good Shulk player is hence extremely difficult for an opponent to both approach and counter, as he can change his playstyle quickly without much risk. In addition to his very flexible offensive options, Shulk also possesses capable defense due to Vision. Not only is it one of the highest-ranged and hardest-hitting counters in the game, it also has the longest counter window in the series, giving him one of the most rewarding counters in the game. To further distinguish it from other counters, Vision also possesses a second and stronger variation, though it can only be used while Shulk is grounded and the player is holding forward when Vision is activated. His other special moves have great utility too: Back Slash's increased knockback from behind and long range opens up possibilities for chases, including back throwing opponents near ledges to hit them with a Back Slash when they attempt to double jump back onto the stage, and Air Slash is an equally good vertical recovery and combo finisher, especially with the Smash Art at high percents, or with the Jump Art off-stage after a chain of aerials.

Even though he has a myriad of positives, Shulk also possesses some noticeable flaws. His biggest downside is his sluggish moveset: Shulk has the worst overall frame data in the game, with none his attacks (other than his neutral attack) starting up until after frame 10 along with high endlag on some moves (especially his grounded moveset), which makes match-ups against fast characters with quick attacks such as Sonic difficult to fend off. Because he does not possess a quick "get off me" option apart from his neutral attack, this allows opponents that are right in his face to easily juggle him with attacks. Additionally, all of Shulk's aerials have noticeable landing lag (with the exception of his neutral and forward aerials), as none of his aerials auto-cancel even from a double jump other than his forward aerial (which still requires a full hop to auto-cancel), while only his neutral aerial has minimal landing lag. As a result, his aerials can be extremely punishable on shield without proper spacing. This problem can be alleviated somewhat through the use of Monado Art Landing Lag Canceling, but to achieve this reliably can be extremely difficult due to the precise timing, and it requires the use of an Art activation. Luckily for Shulk, his range often allows him to make up for these flaws by keeping opponents at a distance, but should an opponent get close, it can be difficult for him to create distance again. His recovery is also predictable due to Air Slash providing only mediocre horizontal distance, and his Jump Art-boosted jumps can be easily interrupted by any stray attack off-stage. His recovery is further burdened if he happens to be sent off-stage while the Shield Art is active, and Back Slash is incapable of edge sweetspotting. Without Buster active (and especially in any other Arts), Shulk's damage output outside of his throws is generally average to low, and while Shulk has great range on many of his attacks, others are not so fortunate. This notably includes his forward aerial, neutral attack combo, and forward tilt, which have the exact same reach as Ike's while being slower with higher endlag and less damage. However, due to Shulk's Arts he can use these in a wider variety of ways than Ike, somewhat alleviating this issue. Additionally, these three moves still have good range, albeit not more then the rest of his moveset.

Although most of these flaws can be addressed through the Monado Arts (such as using Speed to weave in and out of battle when fighting a faster character), they do worsen some of his stats, making it risky to activate an Art if the cons outweigh the pros; Jump and Buster give him increased damage vulnerability, while Speed, Shield and Smash cause him to deal less damage. While each Art does give a decent advantage to make up for these weaknesses, it can sometimes be extremely risky for Shulk to activate an Art if he is disadvantaged, such as activating Smash to finish opponents early when he is at a KOing percent himself. Because he has five Arts that all change the way he deals damage, approaches and survives, it can also be difficult to understand Shulk's movement and approach options when one has to consider all five playstyles he has, considering almost all other fighters do not have specials that change their fundamental attributes. Furthermore, when the Arts are not activated, he is merely average in most areas, yet in most cases, it is simple to activate or change them at the beginning of a stock or on-the-fly; however, a panicking player may accidentally activate the wrong Art, especially since there are five that have to be manually chosen with a single button, which can cause Shulk trouble if he cycles through his Arts too quickly. Finally, Shulk is hampered by having no projectiles while also having difficulty countering projectiles due to his slow attacks.

While Shulk's results in competitive play are average, he is considered to do better in custom move rulesets, due to the multiple alternate options that his custom moves provide. Decisive Monado Arts increases the duration of his Arts, permitting players to take advantage of their effects for longer, though it prevents other Arts from being selected while one is active, making it dangerous for Shulk if he chooses the wrong Art; as such, this custom is more favorable for players with surefire Art choices. Hyper Monado Arts act somewhat like an opposite to Decisive, significantly strengthening both the advantages and drawbacks of the Arts, which can also provide interesting tweaks to his Art-boosted attacks, such as Hyper Smash making his throws the strongest in the game. However, the biggest drawback to the Hyper Arts is their considerably shortened durations, which only last a mere 5 seconds. This requires players to capitalize more on the Arts' effects, such as causing as much damage as possible with Hyper Buster and KOing as soon as possible with Hyper Smash. Back Slash Leap and Back Slash Charge have slight advantages over the default: the former causes Shulk to leap up instead of forward, which allows some mindgames, and the latter increases Shulk's horizontal momentum and grants him super armor, though both have higher ending lag, with Back Slash Charge being significantly laggier. Advancing Air Slash sacrifices vertical distance for horizontal distance, and Mighty Air Slash has a higher damage output while not affecting Shulk's recovery, making the move better to use out of shield, though it has less reach and the second hit launches foes straight up instead of horizontally, making it easier to escape. Finally, Dash Vision is weaker but has more range, allowing Shulk to overcome some characters' projectiles, and Power Vision gives him the strongest counterattack in the game, KOing most characters in the game out of countered aerial or smash attacks at percents as low as 50%, with the only drawback being that it has a much shorter counter window when overused.

Overall, Shulk can be difficult to master, as it takes time to learn his wild card-like playstyle, and requires extensive knowledge of the match-up or quick adaptability to be able to change the Arts accordingly; making the right decision can sometimes be hard with Shulk, as the player can pay dearly for activating the wrong Art or missing an aerial attack. Nevertheless, his deficiencies are not significant enough to prevent him from being an effective character, as his ability to adapt is virtually unrivaled.

Update history

Shulk has been significantly buffed by updates. 1.0.4 increased the damage on all of his attacks, and the universal increase of shield stun in update 1.1.1 not only made his attacks harder to punish on shield, but also turned several of his attacks into surprisingly effective shield breakers when used in combination with the Buster Art. Other than this, his attacks have only been given minor tweaks during updates.

1.0.4

• Neutral attack's first hit's damage increased: 3% → 3.5%.
• Neutral attack's second hit's damage increased: 3% → 3.5%.
• Neutral attack's third hit's damage increased: 4.3% → 5.3% (clean), 3.2% → 4.2% (late).
• Forward tilt's damage increased: 12%/10.5% → 13%/11.5%.
• Forward tilt's knockback scaling decreased: 100 → 92.
• Up tilt's damage increased: 7%/6% → 8%/7%.
• Down tilt's damage increased: 8%/6% → 9%/7%.
• Down tilt's second hitbox's position has changed: bone 25, offset [0.0,2.0,-1.0] → bone 0, offset [0.0,5.5,5.5]. This change removes a point-blank blind spot.
• Dash attack's damage increased: 10% → 11%.
• Forward smash's damage increased: 5%, 12.5%/11% → 5.5%, 13%/11.5%.
• Forward smash received a variety of changes to enable both hits to link together better.
• Forward smash's first hit's angles altered: 40° (upward), 75° (forward), 84° (downward) → 78° (upward), 10° (forward), 40° (downward).
• Forward smash's first hit's fixed knockback values decreased: 45/45/31 → 28/28/28.
• Forward smash's first hit's radii decreased: 4.0/4.0/4.0 → 2.0/2.0/4.0.
• Forward smash's first hit's positions elevated: [-2.0,0.0,1.0]/[4.1,0.0,1.0]/[10.0,0.0,1.0] → [11.0–4.0,0.0,2.0]/[11.0–4.0,0.0,-0.5]/[-2.0,0.0,1.0].
• Forward smash's second hit's radii increased: 3.5/2.0 → 4.0/3.0.
• Forward smash's second hit's first hitbox x-offset decreased: 22.0–0.0 → 21.0–0.0.
• Up smash's damage increased: 4%, 13% → 4.5%, 13.5%.
• Down smash's damage increased: 13%/10%, 11%/9%, 9%/7%, 7%/5%, 5%/3% → 14%/11%, 12%/10%, 10%/8%, 8%/6%, 6%/4%.
• Neutral aerial's damage increased: 6%/7% → 7%/8%.
• Forward aerial's damage increased: 6.5%/5% → 7.5%/6%.
• Forward aerial's landing lag slightly decreased.
• Back aerial's damage increased: 11%, 7% → 12%, 8%.
• Up aerial's damage increased: 4%, 9%/6.5% → 5%, 10%/7.5%.
• Down aerial's damage increased: 4%/6%, 10%/9% → 5%/7%, 11%/10%.
• Forward throw's first hit's damage increased: 2% → 3%.
• Back throw's first hit's damage increased: 2% → 3%.
• Up throw's first hit's damage increased: 2% → 3%.
• Down throw's first hit's damage increased: 2% → 3%.
• Monado Speed's damage output multiplier increased: 0.72x → 0.8x.
• Monado Buster's damage input multiplier decreased: 1.2x → 1.13x.
• Air Slash's first hit's damage increased: 5%/4% → 6%/5%.
• Advancing Air Slash's first hit's damage increased: 5%/4% → 6%/5%.
• Mighty Air Slash's first hit's damage increased: 8%/6% → 9%/7%.
• Vision and its custom variations have had their y-offsets increased: 8.0 → 9.0.

1.1.0

• Back Slash's start-up decreased: 31 frames → 22 frames.
• Back Slash travels slower when activated in midair, making predictions harder.
• Up aerial's first hit has a new hitbox trajectory (96°) and both hitbox sizes increased with more horizontal coverage. Second hitbox sizes increased: 3.5/5.5 → 3.8/6.5.

1.1.1

• Dash Vision's knockback growth increased: 84 → 89 (standard), 94 → 99 (alternate).
• Dash Vision's hitbox angle altered: 35° → 32°.

Moveset

Shulk is specialized by having an equal distribution of long reach and power, enabling him to attack opponents from a distance due to the Monado's beam properties. The Monado does more damage and knockback on some attacks if it hits from the middle of the beam blade rather than from the tip of the beam blade.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			3.5%	A jab followed by a mid-level roundhouse kick followed by an upward lifting slash. Shulk's fastest ground move, it is able to combo at low percents after either a neutral or forward aerial, and can be done at higher percentages with the Buster Art. The roundhouse kick looks similar to Dive Sobat, one of Reyn's physical Arts. It is Shulk's only move that does not activate the Monado's beam blade when it is swung.
			3.5%
			5.3% (clean), 4.2% (late)
Forward tilt			13% (blade), 11.5% (beam)	Shulk swings the Monado in front of him inward as he draws it from his shoulder. Has slight ending lag, but is capable of KOing at high percents, especially when boosted by the Smash Art. Resembles one of his basic auto attacks from Xenoblade Chronicles.
Up tilt			8% (blade), 7% (beam)	Shulk leaps in place and does a fast, upward-arcing swipe above himself. A very good anti-air technique, possessing much higher vertical range than most up tilts. Can be used to rack up damage when combined with the up throw while using the Buster Art, and a powerful surprise KO move at high percents while using the Smash Art, able to KO middleweights at 120%. The hitbox does not extend directly behind Shulk, however, and can miss if the opponent is in front of Shulk if they are too small. Normally acts as a good combo tool, and easily covers an opponent's attempted jump from ledge due to its incredible vertical range.
Down tilt			9% (blade), 7% (beam)	Similar to his forward tilt, but done while Shulk is crouching and more in a forward leaning, sweeping fashion. A reasonably fast downward swipe with good range, making it a safe out of shield option. In some instances, can combo into his aerials. Good knockback with the Smash Art at high percents, though not as powerful as Shulk's up tilt or forward tilt. Can combo after a forward aerial, and is notably useful for combo chains when using the Speed Art, as it knocks opponents into the air where they can get hit by another forward aerial, which can repeat several times.
Dash attack			11%	Swipes the Monado inward after drawing it from his shoulder into a sliding brake. Similar to his forward and down tilt in terms of motion. One of Shulk's KOing options when boosted by the Smash Art. Punishable on shield due to its ending lag, and should not be used excessively.
Forward smash			5.5% (hit 1), 13% (hit 2 blade), 11.5% (hit 2 beam)	A two-handed thrust with the Monado's beam blade revealing itself, which also causes slight recoil. The move has two hits, the first from the Monado itself and the second from the beam blade. The first hit chains reliably into the second hit, but extremely light characters like Jigglypuff can DI out of it. The move can be angled both up and down, and has slightly more knockback scaling if angled up. When angled down and with correct spacing, it can hit ledge-hanging opponents due to the move's range, which is useful for surprising opponents. Can KO middleweights at 115% (95% when boosted by the Smash Art), but is one of the most endlag-heavy forward smashes in the game and is punishable if used frequently or predictably. It also looks very similar to Slit Edge, one of Shulk's physical Arts in Xenoblade Chronicles.
Up smash			4.5% (hit 1), 13.5% (hit 2)	Shulk smashes the hilt of the Monado to the ground, causing the beam to strike and reveal itself upward. Like his forward smash, there are two hits to this move: The first being when Shulk slams the Monado down, and the second from the beam blade. The first hit has small horizontal range, but knocks opponents into the second hit if it lands. Moderately useful as a pressure tool against ledge get-ups, as correct spacing will cover the enemy's jump, roll and attack options from the ledge, hitting them with the attack. Also useful for chasing landing opponents while using the Speed art, as the second hit's range is quite reliable at catching opponents, giving Shulk good air protection. KOs at 111% (88% when boosted by the Smash Art.)
Down smash			14% (hit 1 blade), 11% (hit 1 beam), 12% (hit 2 blade), 10% (hit 2 beam), 10% (hit 3 blade), 8% (hit 3 beam), 8% (hit 4 blade), 6% (hit 4 beam), 6% (hit 5 blade), 4% (hit 5 beam)	A high-range, spinning slash with slight start-up and long ending lag where Shulk spins while dragging the Monado three times around him along the ground. The third swing has the most range, but the least damage. The move is capable of hitting five times (three at Shulk's front and two at his back), with each hit dealing less damage as it goes on with the motion, though it is prohibitively difficult to have it strike the same opponent even twice. Under correct conditions however, this move is capable of breaking shields, especially if all three front hits connect while boosted by Buster, easily done by cornering a shielding opponent near an edge. Useful against roll spammers, who will more than likely get hit by the second or third hit, although competent opponents will stay out of the full attack's range and punish its high ending lag. First hit KOs at 125% (101% when boosted by the Smash Art). It looks similar to War Swing, one of Reyn's physical Arts in Xenoblade Chronicles.
Neutral aerial			7% (blade), 8% (beam)	A circular, upward-arcing slash spanning from his upper leg to his head, with high range and little to no landing lag. The hitbox begins at Shulk's toes and continues all the way over his head (although the animation shows it ending at his toes), allowing Shulk to short hop over opponents to hit them with the starting hitbox. Arguably Shulk's most useful aerial thanks to its quick start-up and landing lag, letting it work either as a short hopping combo starter or a pressuring option, while capable of interrupting most aerial approaches and providing spacing and aerial protection. However, it is easily punished if used predictably, especially by shielding. It is risky to use off-stage after a fast fall, as this move has a long duration and does not allow Shulk to act out of it unless the move ends or he lands, potentially making him self-destruct.
Forward aerial			7.5% (blade), 6% (beam)	An overhead, forward-leaning slash that reaches and ends a bit behind him. Great for interrupting an opponent's approach in the air, as the slash has outstanding range for an aerial. Extremely useful when combined with a short hop, being able to combo with Shulk's tilts and can be used to edge-guard safely, especially when using the Jump Art. One of Shulk's most useful aerials, but it has some slight start-up lag that may require some timing different from his neutral aerial. Also possesses slight landing lag if Shulk lands too early, making it punishable if spaced badly or against faster characters. Its modest speed and high reach can be used with incredible efficiency to cover Shulk's front and combo into itself while using the Speed Art, in a similar line to Marth's forward aerials in Melee and Brawl.
Back aerial			12% (clean), 8% (late)	Shulk holds the Monado backwards and thrusts it behind himself as the Monado's beam blade reveals itself behind him. The hitbox of the attack begins at Shulk's body, which can knock opponents away at close range with the same power as the Monado's beam itself. Has slow startup and moderate landing lag, making timing of the move essential, but the move has good horizontal range, useful for poking opponents with the tip of the beam. A player with mastery of this attack's timing can use it as one of Shulk's best aerial KOing options, especially if used as an edgeguarding tool.
Up aerial			5% (hit 1), 10% (hit 2 blade), 7.5% (hit 2 beam)	Shulk slightly thrusts the Monado upward and the beam blade reveals itself upward. Much like his forward and up smashes, there are two hits to this move, the first few frames hitting weakly and designed to drag opponents into the second hit, which occurs a few frames later. Because it exposes the Monado's beam blade after a few frames, it has deceptively high vertical range and is a useful tool for juggling, as well as very strong KOing option. However, it has very small horizontal hitbox, which can make it difficult to land against opponents who are not directly above Shulk.
Down aerial			6% (hit 1 grounded), 4% (hit 1 aerial), 10% (hit 2 blade), 9% (hit 2 beam)	Shulk holds the Monado below him and performs a downward thurst and the beam blade reveals itself downward. The first hit of the move does little knockback, but can easily connect to the second hit, which meteor smashes if sweetspoted. The sweetspot is located at the middle of the Monado's beam blade, though it is difficult to connect with in midair. Despite this, it works as a decent edge-guarding and vertical-intercepting tool. Notably, this move can stage spike ledge-hanging opponents, giving Shulk an option to surprise foes. Due to its high landing lag, it is punishable if whiffed.
Grab			—
Pummel			3%	Strikes the opponent's head with the Monado's hilt. A fairly slow pummel.
Forward throw			3% (hit 1), 8% (throw)	Shulk pulls the opponent towards him before slashing them with a two-handed upward slash from the Monado. Can combo into a short hopped forward air while using the Speed Art if the opponent jumps after hitstun.
Back throw			3% (hit 1), 9% (throw)	Shulk pulls the opponent behind him and stabs their midsection with the Monado's beam blade from a reverse grip. Causes the opponent's back to face Shulk, which can potentially set up Back Slash follow-ups, though it is tricky to do on alert players who air dodge frequently. If near the edge, opponents who do not turn around after a second jump can be hit by the move if Shulk jumps and does a Back Slash towards the edge, so long as the opponent double jumps back onto the stage.
Up throw			3% (hit 1), 4% (throw)	Heaves the opponent in the air and kneels down similar to his up smash, revealing the Monado's beam blade to stab his juggled foe's chest. Can be followed with up tilts and Air Slash, especially with the Buster Art, and can send opponents at the right height for a short hopped up aerial. If an opponent air dodges an up throw at a low percentage (or with the Buster Art), a jab combo can usually follow straight after if they land in front of Shulk.
Down throw			3% (hit 1), 4% (throw)	Slams the opponent onto the ground and backstabs them with the Monado. Has the most knockback out of Shulk's throws, and can KO at high percents while boosted by the Smash Art, especially near the edge.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%
Edge attack Edge getups			7%
Neutral special	Default	Monado Arts	—	Shulk activates one of five Monado-based Arts, which enhance some of his abilities while reducing others.
	Custom 1	Decisive Monado Arts	—	The Arts last for 21 seconds instead of 16, but once an Art is activated, it cannot be changed. There is also a slight delay before the Arts activate.
	Custom 2	Hyper Monado Arts	—	The Arts' positives and negatives are both amplified, but the Arts only last for 5 seconds instead of 16. Additionally, their recharge times are 5 seconds longer.
Side special	Default	Back Slash	10%/9% (front), 16%/14% (back)	Leaps forwards and performs a downward slash with the Monado's beam blade, similarly to Link's dash attack. The attack is more powerful if it hits the opponent's back.
	Custom 1	Back Slash Leap		Shulk leaps up before performing a downward slash. Has reduced horizontal movement, but comes out a little faster.
	Custom 2	Back Slash Charge		Shulk leaps forward and gains super armor for the downward slash. This move has increased horizontal movement, but has harshly reduced damage if it is not striking the opponent's back.
Up special	Default	Air Slash	6% (hit 1 clean), 5% (hit 1 late), 5.5% (hit 2)	Jumps and performs an upwards slash with the Monado's beam blade, similarly to Dolphin Slash. The first slash deals set knockback, but pressing the attack button at the end of the slash will result in a second, forward slash which deals moderate knockback and gives Shulk a small boost of height.
	Custom 1	Advancing Air Slash	6% (hit 1 clean), 5% (hit 1 late), 8% (hit 2)	The first slash launches enemies diagonally while the second slash moves Shulk forward.
	Custom 2	Mighty Air Slash	9% (hit 1 clean), 7% (hit 1 late), 10% (hit 2)	The range of the attack is reduced, but it deals more damage.
Down special	Default	Vision	1.3x (min 13%/10% or 10%/7%)	Shulk leans forward while holding the Monado up to the side of his head so that his eyes slightly peer outside of the Monado's ring in order to foresee an attack. Upon being struck while performing the pose, time slows down and Shulk becomes completely invulnerable while the counter animation plays as he retaliates by slashing the opponent. Although similar to the counterattack used by characters from the Fire Emblem series, Vision has two noticeable differences from it and other counterattacks in general: it has the longest counter window in the game and it is the only counterattack in the Super Smash Bros. series to have two different attacks, though its alternate attack requires Shulk to be grounded and the player moving him forward while providing him a. The regular slash Shulk performs when Vision connects is reminiscent of Stream Edge, one his physical Arts, while the faster dashing slash resembles Thunder, one of Dunban's Ether Arts.
	Custom 1	Dash Vision	1.0x (min 11%/8% or 8%/5%)	Shulk takes a big step forward and the counter's range is extended. The counter is faster, but lacks power.
	Custom 2	Power Vision	1.5x (min 20%/17% or 17%/14%)	Shulk counters an attack with greater power. However, the attack is slower and if used too much, the counter window will become less and less effective.
Final Smash		Chain Attack	3% (hit 1), 2% (hits 2-12), 12% (hit 13), 5% (hit 14)	Shulk summons Dunban and Riki to perform a Chain Attack on his opponents before he finishes the assault with a powerful slash.

Taunts

• Up Taunt: Shrugs, shakes his head, and waves a hand as if lecturing someone, and says "Now it's Shulk time!" (穏やかじゃないですね, Not being gentle, huh? or That doesn't sound good.). The English phrase is a reference to Reyn, his best friend and one his party members in Xenoblade Chronicles, who occasionally utters the phrase "Now it's Reyn time!" whenever his talent Art gauge is completely filled during combat. The Japanese phrase similarly references a popular meme in Japan from Xenoblade Chronicles; in this case, a line Shulk commonly says when accepting quests in Xenoblade Chronicles. The animation is also a reference to how Shulk sometimes moves his hand as he talks during cutscenes in Xenoblade Chronicles.
• Side Taunt: Grips the Monado's handle with his right hand while triumphantly pumping his left fist and announcing "I'm really feeling it!" (だんだん乗ってきたよ！, I'm getting the hang of it!). References one of Shulk's voice lines in Xenoblade Chronicles when his tension level increases in combat.
• Down Taunt: Grips the Monado with both hands, activates it and poses similarly to the Buster Art's pose while he says "This is the Monado's power!" (モナドの力よ！, The Monado's power!/The power of the Monado!). References one of Shulk's lines when he activates the Monado's Talent Art in Xenoblade Chronicles.

Idle Poses

• Taps his foot while making a thinking gesture. Based on his idle animation from Xenoblade Chronicles.
• Tenses and quickly looks behind himself, then in front of him before easing up.

On-Screen Appearance

Jumps down onto the stage with a slash using the activated Monado, before placing it on his back after it deactivates and the Buster Art's symbol flashes for a quick moment while his back briefly faces the camera.

Victory Fanfare

The second half of the riff of You Will Know Our Names, the battle theme used in Xenoblade Chronicles when fighting a unique monster.

Victory Poses

• ShulkPose1WiiU.png
• ShulkPose2WiiU.png
• ShulkPose3WiiU.png

• Swings the Monado a few times while it is active, then holds it level to his head as it deactivates, saying either "The future is ours to decide." or "I've got a good rhythm going!". In Xenoblade Chronicles, the first quote is used when Shulk prevents a vision from occurring during combat, whilst the other is a typical combat quote uttered when the battle is in Shulk's favor (although it has been changed from plural ("We got") to singular ("I got")).
• Swings the inactive Monado upwards, places it on his back, and poses with a hand on his hip, saying either "I got through that pretty good!" or "This is a good result!". The former is a quote Shulk can exclaim after finishing a battle in Xenoblade Chronicles (although it has also been changed from plural in that game to singular in SSB4) whilst the latter is exclaimed by Shulk following a successful gem crafting session in Xenoblade Chronicles.
• Bows down with the Monado held lengthwise, activating it, then changes grip to pose with the Monado backhandedly, saying either "I can feel the power!" or "I can change the future." In Xenoblade Chronicles, the first quote is one of three lines that may randomly be uttered whenever Shulk levels up, while the second is another one of the lines Shulk may exclaim when he prevents a vision from occurring in combat.

In Competitive Play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character	Custom sets available
Shulk	1113	2113	3113	1123	3123
	3213	1122	3122	1213	2123

Notable Players

•  9B
•  Artryuu
•  Jerm
•  Nicko
•  Nobu
• Relaxed
•  Sodrek

Trophies

Shulk

In Xenoblade Chronicles, this young lad's colony is attacked by the Mechon, so he and his friends set off to take them down. In Smash Bros., his Monado Arts let him change his specialization during battle. You can choose to boost a stat—his jump or attack, for example—but other stats might drop as a result, so choose wisely.

In Xenoblade Chronicles, this young lad's colony is attacked by the Mechon, so he and his friends set off to take them down. In this game, his Monado Arts let him change his specialisation during battle. You can choose to boost a stat—his jump or attack, for example—but other stats might drop as a result, so choose wisely.

: Xenoblade Chronicles (4/2012)

Shulk (Alt.)

Shulk's up special Air Slash is an upward slash done during a jump. Press the button again quickly to launch opponents sideways. His side special Back Slash, on the other hand, is a downward swing with a very wide range, though using it leaves Shulk wide open. Try hitting foes from behind with this!

Shulk's up special, Air Slash, is an upward slash done during a jump. Press the button again quickly to launch opponents sideways. His side special, Back Slash, on the other hand, is a downward swing with a very wide range, although using it leaves Shulk wide open. Try hitting foes from behind with this to do more damage!

: Xenoblade Chronicles (4/2012)

Chain Attack

In Xenoblade Chronicles, building up the party's team spirit would let them unleash a chain attack, using multiple Arts in a row to deal massive damage. In this game, Shulk's Final Smash calls party members Dunban and Riki to help obliterate an unlucky target... or multiple targets if you catch more than one in the circle of light!

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  Classic (3DS)

• ShulkAllStarTrophy3DS.png

  Alt. (3DS)

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  Classic (Wii U)

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  Alt. (Wii U)

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  Chain Attack

In Event Matches

Solo Events

• Mechanical Menace: Shulk must defeat a metal R.O.B. and Mega Man, as well as Metal Face.
• New Challengers 2: Shulk is one of the seven opponents fought in this event alongside Greninja, Palutena, Robin, Dark Pit, Mega Man, and Pac-Man.
• The Ultimate Swordsman: Shulk is one of the opponents that Ike must defeat.

Co-op Events

• The Ultimate Battle: Two players select a character and must defeat the entire roster.

Alternate costumes

Gallery

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  Shulk's poster.

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  Splash art of Shulk.

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  Shulk's amiibo.

• Shulk Alt.png

  Swimsuit costume for Shulk.

• Shulk4PalleteSwaps.png

  More palette swaps for Shulk.

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  Pic of the Day, when Shulk was revealed.

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  Fighting Sheik.

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  Shulk activates the Smash Monado Art.

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  Taunting with the Buster Monado Art activated.

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  Using an up smash against Captain Falcon with the Smash Monado Art activated.

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  Attacking Donkey Kong.

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  Charging a down smash.

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  Posing with two Villagers.

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  Forward air on Link.

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  Shulk's Final Smash, featuring Dunban and Riki.

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  With Luigi on Boxing Ring.

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  Shulk in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS

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  On Final Destination.

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  Shulk posing with Riki.

• ShulkSSB4.png

  Image of Shulk from the ESRB leak.

Reveal Trailer

<youtube>GUl1EkUJ46k</youtube>

Trivia

• Several of Shulk's standard attacks share similar animations with either his own or other party members' arts in his original game.
  • Shulk's jump animation is exactly the same as the one in Xenoblade Chronicles.
  • Many of Shulk's voice clips are re-recorded versions of the lines that he would state throughout the game.
  • The title of Shulk's trailer, "Looks like we don't have a choice!", is a direct quote from him in in Xenoblade Chronicles when the party is about to face a powerful monster. It is believed by some to be referencing the ESRB leak.
    • In the PAL versions of the game, however, the title is changed to "Now it's Shulk time", referencing one of Shulk's taunts.
• Shulk's down taunt, if performed at the right timing, can dodge certain projectiles, such as Fox and Falco's Blaster, Link's Hero's Bow, and Pit's Palutena's Arrow.
• Shulk is the only character to tumble towards the screen when footstooled, whereas other characters would spin towards direction they were facing. He is also the only character to hit the screen with his back during a Screen KO. These animations make the Monado and its active Monado Art more visible to the player.
• Shulk, unlike other fighters with a weapon, does not have any visible sheath or holder for his weapon: the Monado simply hangs from his back with no buckle or belt to attach to his back with. He does not have a strap for the Monado or any of his weapons in Xenoblade Chronicles either.
  • However, when using his swimsuit costume and performing his down taunt, it can be seen that some sort of strap goes around Shulk's neck.
  • He is the only sword-wielding character in Smash Bros. that does not hold his weapon in his hands when not attacking with it; this excludes Ganondorf and his Sword of Sages, which is only used in a single custom move.
  • Shulk is also the only realistically designed weapon-wielding character that uses a "wobbling" sound while charging up smash attacks instead of the "crackling" sound that other realistic weapon-holding characters typically use.
• Shulk is the first and so far only non-Mario playable character in Smash to speak in a European accent and have a European voice actor in the American versions of the game.
• One of Shulk's victory voice clips, "I can change the future", is missing from the Sound Test in both versions of the game.
• Shulk was the last character and newcomer to be officially confirmed for SSB4 before the worldwide release of Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.
• Shulk and Pac-Man are the only fighters without a green palette swap option.
• Despite not being a third-party character, clone, or Mii, Shulk is placed with them in most official material, including the Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS roster and foldout. This is changed on the Super Smash Bros. for Wii U roster, where Shulk is placed before the clones, and the Super Smash Bros. for Wii U manual, where he is placed before Bowser Jr. As a result of this ambiguity, some fans mistake Shulk as a third-party character. However, Monolith Soft was acquired by Nintendo in 2007 prior to the development of Xenoblade Chronicles, making Shulk a second-party character.