Ness (SSBM)

Ness in Super Smash Bros. Melee
Ness
Universe	EarthBound
Other playable appearances	in SSB in Brawl
Availability	Starter
Tier	G (23)

Ness (ネス, Nesu) is a default character in Super Smash Bros. Melee. Announced at E3 2001, He was originally going to be replaced by Lucas from Mother 3, but that game had not yet been released when Melee was completed.

He is currently ranked 23rd in the G tier. Ness still has many of his positive attributes from his previous appearance, such as fantastic throws, an abundance of projectiles, and a decent air game, due to his Double Jump Cancel. Ness also has relatively good approach options, due to an abundance of projectiles and a rather good air game. Ness, however, had many of his best powers strongly nerfed in Melee; his smash attacks are now all situational due to their nerfing, and his special moves have more lag than before. Additionally, a short grab range (among the lowest in Melee) means that the very method that Ness needs to use to KO opponents most effectively is now more difficult to perform.

Attributes

Ness is a character known for his powerful throws, good aerial attacks, and a variety of projectiles. His forward throw is good for knockback at low percentages. His back throw is (according to Simna) the strongest throw in the game. His up and down throws are good for setting up combos. However, Ness's standing grab range is the second shortest (next to Pikachu), his running grab the shortest, which means his throws are usually unused in battle. His aerial attacks are good for comboing, killing, and edgeguarding. Ness's down aerial is a meteor smash with large range, but it's slow. Three out of four of Ness's special attacks are projectiles. However, they are overall slow and have various amounts of cool down time with them. Additionally, each one has very limited use (making them all situational), with an exception to PK Thunder; which is good for edgeguarding, juggling, and mindgames. A majority of Ness's attacks are fast with some lag, but many of his attacks are also short-ranged. Ness has a powerful side smash that can reflect projectiles that hit his body, but his up and down smashes are weak and nearly useless. Ness can reflect projectiles with his side smash, and he can use his down special move (PSI Magnet) to absorb energy projectiles and lower his percentage, but it is quite slow. Ness has fairly slow dash speed, but his fast (although short) wavedash can help this problem. Ness also has an effective, as well as the lowest, double jump cancel. Ness's main form of recovery is PK Thunder 2. When mastered, this covers great distance and is very powerful (and having a large sweetspot range and very high second jump also helps his recovery). However, it takes great precision to angle in certain instances, and Ness is extremely vunerable while his PK Thunder is out; because if it is hit by a high priority projectile or the opponent, Ness will fall into a helpless state.

Moveset

Ground attacks

Normal

• Neutral attack- Ness punches forward, hooking the opponent. Deals 3%. If pressed twice more, Ness will punch forward, then kick. 2% punch, 4% kick.
• Dash attack- Ness uses PK Brainshock forward. Has three hits. Good, disjointed range. Sends opponent in random directions. 12%
• Forward tilt- Ness does a roundhouse kick forward. 11%
• Up tilt- Ness thrusts his hands upward, as if hitting a volley ball. 7%
• Down tilt- Ness thrusts his leg downward, then pivots his foot to hit the opponent. Can combo into itself by mashing A after the move is executed. 3%

Smash attacks

• Forward smash- Ness swings a bat forward. If hit on the tip, there is more knockback and damage. Has high knockback and damage, but a little bit of start-up lag. Can reflect some projectiles. 32%
• Down smash- Ness swings his yo-yo backward then forward, in a trick that vaguely resembles a combination of the "Walk the Dog" and "Walk the Cat" yo-yo tricks. Has good range but decent to very poor knockback depending on the opponent's falling speed. It is also very slow and laggy in both starting and ending lag. This attack is incapable of KOing unless his opponents is at extreme percentage. 25%
• Up smash- Ness does a variation on the "Around the World" yo-yo trick, swinging his yo-yo above his head. Has average range and speed, but sub-par knockback. Can be used to perform the Yo-yo Glitch. Like his down smash, this attack is incapable of KOing unless his opponents is at extreme percentage. 22%

Other attacks

• Ledge attack- Somersaults onto the stage, both feet stuck out. 8% damage
• 100% ledge attack- Picks himself up and kicks. 10% damage
• Floor attack- Punches on both sides whilst getting up. 6% damage.

Aerial attacks

• Neutral aerial- Ness spins around, arms stretched out. Has average knockback, but is very fast with high combo potential. Poor range. 11%
• Forward aerial- Ness uses PK Brainshock forward. Is a fast, multi-hitting move, with good range but low knockback. 15%
• Back aerial- Ness thrusts his feet backward. If sweetspotted, it electrifies the opponent. Is fast with very high knockback albeit poor range. 16%
• Up aerial- Ness headbutts upward. Has amazing juggling potential and a good KO move with very low lag, but poor range. 13%
• Down aerial- Ness kicks downward. Is a meteor smash, and has a decent amount of start-up lag. Great range, but low knockback. 12%

Grabs and throws

• Pummel- Ness headbutts the opponent. 3%
• Forward throw- Ness throws the opponent forward. Very strong base knockback, but it has no knockback scaling. 11%
• Back throw- Ness throws the opponent behind him. Very high knockback at higher percentages. 11%
• Up throw- Ness throws the opponent upward. Can chain into some of his aerials. Decent knockback. 10%
• Down throw- Ness throws the opponent downward, and hits the enemy with PK Fire. Low knockback but has a decent amount of followups. 8%

Special moves

Ness's special moves

Neutral special	PK Fire	PK Flash
Side special	—	PK Fire
Up special	PK Thunder
Down special	PSI Magnet

Matchups

Super Smash Bros. Melee Character Matchups

Avg.

Changes from SSB to Melee

• Available as a starter
• New neutral special (PK Flash). PK Fire is now Ness' side special.
• Bat has longer reach.
• Up smash and down smash have decreased in range and power.
• PK Thunder 2 has a little less knockback, slightly longer in distance traveled
• Color of PSI Magnet changed from green to blue.
• Ground jump is now normal, rather than psychokinetic.
• Dash attack and forward air are now psychokinetic.
• PK Thunder moves faster and probably travels less distance.
• New voice samples.
• The crowd no longer cheers when Ness absorbs a projectile with down special.
• Slightly heavier compared to 64 (in 64, he was lighter than Fox, now he's heavier than Fox)

Trophies

Ness is a young boy who's mastered the psychic power known as PSI. Ness was living a normal life in the suburbs of Onett until a meteor crashed into a nearby mountain and sent him on a wild adventure. Believing in the ultimate powers of wisdom, courage, and friendship, Ness proves that some heroes come in small packages.

Game: EarthBound (06/95)

Smash Red

The key to mastering Ness is controlling his unique midair jump, which makes up for what he lacks in speed. His PK Flash attack may seem weak at first glance, but it grows more powerful the longer you hold down the B button. To do a lot of damage with PK Fire, try to burn your opponent as many times as possible.

Smash Blue

Ness's mind is his best weapon. PK Thunder is a PSI missile weapon that can be guided using the Control Stick, and if Ness hits himself with it, he turns into a living missile capable of doing massive damage. This move can also be used for recovery. PSI Magnet turns energy missile attacks into health; try out certain Pokémon for stamina replenishment.

• Nesst.jpg

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• Ness1.jpg

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• Ness2.jpg

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Costume gallery

File:Alt-ness2.jpg

Ness' changeable clothing in SSBM