Mr. Game & Watch (SSB4)

Mr. Game & Watch in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	Game & Watch
Other playable appearances	in Melee in Brawl
Availability	Unlockable
Final Smash	Octopus

Mr. Game & Watch (Mr.ゲーム＆ウォッチ, Mr. Game & Watch) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. Following the launch of the 3DS version, he was officially confirmed on October 23rd, 2014 alongside Bowser Jr. during the Super Smash Bros. for Wii U: 50-Fact Extravaganza, while teased forehand in Pac-Man's trailer (Red, Blue, Yellow).

The same sound effects from Brawl are reused to represent his "voice".

How to unlock

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS

• Play 90 VS Matches.
• Complete Classic Mode 10 times.

Mr. Game & Watch must then be defeated on Flat Zone 2,.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

• Play 80 VS Matches.
• Clear Classic Mode on Intensity 2.0 or higher with 5 characters.

Mr. Game & Watch must then be defeated on Flat Zone X..

Attributes

This article or section is incomplete. You can help SmashWiki by expanding or finishing it.

Changes from Brawl

Mr. Game & Watch was overall nerfed in his transition to SSB4, with the buffs he received failing to compensate for the more drastic nerfs to his important abilities. The removal/bugfix of Bucket Braking, and most importantly, momentum canceling, which was a huge part of his previous success, severely hinders his overall survivability, and many of his moves have more lag, such as his neutral, forward and back aerials no longer auto-cancelling in shorthops, reducing his options to approach or punish opponents. However, the removal of momentum canceling can be considered a double-edged sword, as this lets him combo his opponents better thanks to his down throw giving him new follow-up options, which can lead to highly damaging combos. His smash attacks, while becoming slightly weaker, are still viable options that reliably KO under 100%, and some of his other moves are still strong. While Oil Panic has had its valuable Bucket Braking ability removed, it also fills faster, letting Mr. Game & Watch use one of his most situational moves more frequently. His recovery has also been improved. As a result, although he is no longer as viable as he was before, some players such as GimR and Regi have shown he is still a fairly decent character despite his nerfs.

Aesthetics

• He has been changed aesthetically from Brawl, such as having a smaller nose and circular hands. His animations are also more choppy, to simulate the frame by frame movement of the original character.
• Mr. Game & Watch has a new down taunt, where he sits down and sighs. This taunt originates from Mario Bros.

Attributes

• Mr. Game & Watch is smaller in size, giving him a slightly smaller hitbox.
• Mr. Game & Watch walks slightly faster (1.1 to 1.1242).
• Walk animation is more flippant, with his head repeatedly looking back and forth. This detail originates from Helmet.
• Mr. Game & Watch dashes slightly slower (1.553 to 1.5264).
• Several attacks now have a smaller hitbox due to his smaller size.
• The lingering hitbox on most of his attacks (such as forward aerial and forward smash) are either shortened or removed.

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack now transitions into a finisher, making it much safer overall.
• Up tilt has less start-up (frame 13 → frame 10) and does more damage (8% → 14%).
• Up tilt has more ending lag (8 frames → 14 frames).
• Up tilt consists of two hits instead of one. Due to only the first hit connecting at higher percents, this nerfs up tilt's KO power overall.
• Up tilt's hitboxes are noticeably smaller, being unable to effectively hit opponents in front of or above Mr. Game & Watch.
• Forward tilt is stronger. It also has a longer duration (6 frames → 8 frames)
• Forward tilt has slightly more ending lag (20 frames → 21 frames).
• Down tilt is much stronger, and it now produces wind outside its damaging range, dealing little damage with no flinch. This also pushes opponents upward and enables it to negate certain projectiles (such as Link's bombs), giving him more coverage.
• Down tilt has much more horizontal range, now being his most ranged melee attack.
• Down tilt has significantly more ending lag (10 frames -> 29 frames).
• Dash attack is stronger.
• Dash attack has much more ending lag (8 frames → 19 frames), deals slightly less damage(11% → 10%) and can no longer stage spike.
• Forward smash has a longer reach and a seemingly larger hitbox.
• Forward smash's sweetspot is much smaller, while the sourspot is noticeably larger.
• Down smash has bigger hammers, increasing its range.
• Down smash has more ending lag, and the sourspot is larger and weaker.
• Up smash has partial invincibility on frames 4 to 25 and better horizontal range.
• Up smash has less range overall, is weaker and deals less damage (18% → 16%).
• Up smash's duration has been decreased (5 frames → 2 frames) and has more ending lag (10 frames → 14 frames).
• Floor attacks do more damage.

Aerial attacks

• Neutral aerial has slightly more landing lag (9 frames → 12 frames) and no longer auto-cancels in a short hop.
• Neutral aerial's hits link together better, has better launch ability and has improved followup knockback.
• Forward aerial has less landing lag (22 frames → 15 frames).
• Forward aerial is much weaker, no longer KOing until well beyond 150%. It also deals less damage (16% → 11.5%).
• Back aerial deals less damage (15% → 9%) and has more landing lag (12 frames -> 19 frames).
• Back aerial's hits link much better, now being nearly impossible to escape.
• Up aerial has slightly more landing lag (9 frames → 12 frames).
• Up aerial second hit takes longer to start up and both hits have a smaller hitbox.
• Up aerial has windboxes on both hits, making it harder to land both hits but giving Mr. Game and Watch different combat opportunities.
• Down aerial has more knockback.
• Down aerial deals less damage (14%/13%, 6% → 11%, 3.5%) and has much more landing lag (15 Frames -> 28 Frames).

Grabs and throws

• All of Mr. Game and Watch's throws are much faster, allowing less time to DI correctly.
• Down throw now has a higher trajectory on release, allowing it to combo into moves other than down smash, but it deals less damage and can no longer meteor smash, removing its guaranteed follow-ups and tech-chase abilities.

Special moves

• Judge can now have the same number appear consecutively, instead of having to wait for three swings later. While this is more random overall, it eliminates the need to pull "dummy" hammers.
• Fire starts up quicker and has more vertical distance.
• After using Fire, the parachute descent tilts in a frame-by-frame matter as opposed to smooth rotation.
• Oil Panic can now fill up multiple units at once if a projectile is strong enough, letting it fill faster.
• Using Oil Panic in the air and using it in the air again right after a jump makes the jump a lot higher and floatier, opening a new recovery option.
• Oil Panic's momentum cancelling has been fixed, removing Bucket Braking and thus crippling his survivability. It can no longer be used to stall in the air and also has significantly more ending lag after filling the bucket.
• Octopus now has the Final Smash aura as an outline.
• Octopus lasts 2 seconds shorter.

Update History

Mr. Game & Watch has been receiving some minor buffs as of game updates. However, 1.1.1 has made it slightly easier for him, as he is now capable of breaking shields easier due to his moves dealing high damage and/or hitstun and hitlag, most notably his jab and Judge #3 and #9. As a result, he is considered to be slightly more viable overall, though not quite back to his Brawl incarnation.

1.0.4

• Judge #6 has an added hitbox that does 12%.
• Properties of Octopus has been adjusted.

1.0.6

• Forward tilt base knockback increased (20 → 30)
• Chef (All Variations) pan size increased (5.76 → 6.76)

1.0.8

• Down tilt knockback increased (10 base/120 growth → 40 base/125 growth)
• Down tilt size increased (9.0 → 10.5)
• Back air landing lag decreased (24 frames → 19 frames)

Moveset

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			3%	Mr. Game & Watch rapidly presses an insecticide pump, pumping gas into the opponent. Excellent for escaping pressure and hard to escape from. Originates from Greenhouse.
			1% (loop), 2% (last)
Forward tilt			10% (clean chair), 9% (clean body), 4% (late)	Hits opponents with a chair. Launches opponents at a semi-spike angle at high percentages. Full priority against other attacks due to lack of hurtbox. Light KO potential at high percentages, especially near the edge. Originates from Lion.
Up tilt			7% (hit 1), 7% (hit 2)	Raises a flag. Good for comboing out of a down throw. Very small hitboxes, making it unlikely to connect both hits above low percentages. Combos into itself with fast-fallers and heavyweights at lower percentages, KOs at very high percentages. Originates from Flagman.
Down tilt			6% (clean), 1% (late)	Flips a manhole. Has a wind box capable of juggling enemies from above, as well as break or derail projectiles with proper timing. Strong horizontal knockback capable of KOing under 150% near the edge at a semi-spike trajectory. Originates from Manhole. Interestingly enough, the manhole lid is actually a 3-D object, unlike any of his other moves, which are all 2D objects.
Dash attack			10% (clean), 6.5% (late)	A headfirst slide, similar to Jigglypuff's. Fast lag and great knockback, making it a decent KO move near the edge. Originates from Helmet.
Forward smash			18% (head), 14% (handle)	Shakes a lit torch at opponents. Sweetspot is at the fire, sourspot is at the torch. Disjointed hitbox with great base knockback and even greater knockback scaling, as well as coming out quickly and having good interruptibility. Sweetspot KOs at 106%, sourspot KOs at 130%. Originates from Fire Attack.
Up smash			16%	Mr. Game & Watch's head becomes a diving helmet and he headbutts upwards with his head, with the hitbox extending a short way above the helmet. Has noticeable start-up lag but a short invincibility frame window upon start-up, letting him "counterattack" some attacks. It also has a good duration and low ending lag. Can be used out of a down throw at zero percent on heavyweights. One of the strongest up smashes in the game, KOing at 102% uncharged and 60% fully charged. Originates from Octopus.
Down smash			15% (hammers), 13% (body)	Swings two hammers downwards. Solid range and comes out quickly. Hammer heads deal vertical knockback while the handles semi-spike. When sweetspotted, this is one of the most powerful down smashes in the game, KOing at 105%, however, the sourspot cannot KO reliably below 150%. Its fast interruptibility can surprise people by using it again after a missed one. It is effective at ledgeguarding as the sourspot semi-spikes, and even though the sweetspot has vertical knockback, its great knockback can still KO a recovering opponent. Originates from Vermin.
Neutral aerial			5% (hit 1), 4% (hits 2-4)	Tosses out a pair of fish from a bowl, hitting multiple times with great damage. The last hit has moderate knockback. Large hitbox, covers every area except below him. Can combo out of a down throw at medium to high percentages. Originates from Tropical Fish.
Forward aerial			11.5% (clean), 6% (late)	Swings a non-descript box. Long range, full priority against other attacks due to lack of hurtbox. Great for edgeguarding with its strength and it can be used for a wall of pain on opponents at low to mid percentages. Originates from Mario Bros.
Back aerial			2% (hits 1-3), 3% (hit 4), 3% (landing)	Holds a turtle backwards. Disjointed range, full priority against other attacks due to lack of hurtbox. When being shielded, opponents often drop their shields too soon due to the turtle's hitlag causing it to have unexpected duration when it is landed. Can be used for a wall of pain on opponents like his forward aerial, but with better WoP potential. Originates from Turtle Bridge.
Up aerial			7% (hit 1), 9% (hit 2)	Blows air upwards twice. Notorious for its huge wind area outside the main hitbox, with the wind being more powerful the closer the opponent is to Mr. Game & Watch. The wind hitbox can be used to help teammates with their vertical recovery. At high percentage, hitting with both blows when properly timed can KO at around 110%. Originates from Spitball Sparky.
Down aerial			11% (attack), 3.5% (landing)	Drops downwards with a key. A stall-then-fall, it meteor smashes powerfully on the first frames. Can be moved left or right a bit. While it can self-destruct Mr. Game & Watch while using it, his amazing recovery and lower falling speed than other stall-then-falls makes this unlikely, making it the safest stall-then-fall when edgeguarding. Originates from Donkey Kong Jr.
Grab			—	Reaches out. Originates from Mario's Cement Factory.
Pummel			3.2%	Hits opponent with a bell. A slow pummel. Originates from the Game & Watch's alarm feature.
Forward throw			8%	Juggles opponent as a ball and releases them forwards. Originates from Ball.
Back throw			8%	Same as other throws, with backwards knockback. Originates from Ball.
Up throw			8%	Same as other throws, with vertical knockback. Originates from Ball.
Down throw			4%	Same as up throw, but weaker with a slightly more diagonal trajectory. Ideal for combos and setups, can be comboed into Flagman (on floaty characters) or Greenhouse (on fast-fallers) at low percents, Judge, Octopus or Oil Panic from low to high ones, Tropical Fish and Spitball Sparky from mid to high ones and Fire at high ones. Guaranteed follow-ups stop at about 130%, though Spitball Sparky can KO at high percentages if the opponent's reaction is read. Originates from Ball.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Gets out a hammer and slams it in front of him, then behind him. It is very fast. Originates from Vermin.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	Identical to frontal floor attack. Originates from Vermin.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Identical to floor attacks, but slower. Originates from Vermin.
Edge attack Edge getups			7%	Climbs up and hits opponents with a bell, creating an alarm noise. Originates from the Game & Watch's alarm feature.
Neutral special	Default	Chef	5% (pan), 4% (sausage), 4% (steak), 4% (shrimp), 4% (fish)	Flips food out of a frying pan. Moves slowly in the air. Aside from the pan itself dealing damage, the food can be used defensively to cancel attack animations of opponents as a zoning tool, to prevent aerial approaches and for edgeguarding against opponents with linear recoveries.
	Custom 1	XXL Chef	2% (pan), 9% (sausage), 8% (steak), 7% (shrimp), 7% (fish)	The food is bigger and stronger, but is a lot slower. Sausage has some vertical KO potential at very high percents.
	Custom 2	Short-Order Chef	0.5% (pan), 2% (sausage), 1.5% (steak), 1% (shrimp), 1% (fish)	Flips three weaker food out of a frying pan in front of the player very quickly, opening a zoning and approach option. Fish causes no hitstun.
Side special	Default	Judge	2-32% (Varies)	Swings a hammer in front of him, and raises a flag with a random number from 1-9 with his other hand. It can have any one of 9 effects, which vary based on number; 1 only damages himself, while 9 is a near OHKO. Can be comboed out of a down throw, but timing for a true combo is very strict. Judge #1: A weak hit that does not make the enemy flinch. Causes 12% recoil damage regardless of whether or not it hits. Judge #2: Another weak attack, but deals small knockback. Has a 20% chance of tripping the opponent. Judge #3: Another weak attack, although this one causes significant shield damage. Judge #4: A slashing attack that launches foes diagonally forward. Judge #5: An electric attack that hits multiple times. Judge #6: A flame attack that semi-spikes. Has the second strongest knockback of all Judge attacks. Judge #7: A moderate knockback attack that produces an apple if it hits a foe. The apple heals 4% damage. Judge #8: A freezing attack with low knockback. Judge #9: A very powerful attack that deals massive knockback and makes the "PING!" sound, similar to the effect of a Home-Run Bat.
	Custom 1	Extreme Judge	5%/23% (Varies)	Only chooses the 1 or 9 numbers, though with less extreme effects on each. Judge #1: Deals 5% damage to both the opponent and Mr. Game & Watch. Judge #9: Deals 23% to the opponent, but has much less knockback compared to the regular version.
	Custom 2	Chain Judge	1-28.4% (Varies)	Instead of additional effects, the number of hits matches the number displayed.
Up special	Default	Fire	6%	Jumps upwards, opening a fall-slowing parachute afterwards. Capable of canceling into any move when falling. Has KO potential at high damages near the left and right blast lines. Very good at stage-spiking, due to out-prioritizing most aerials and dealing strong knockback, making Mr. Game & Watch very difficult to edgeguard.
	Custom 1	Heavy Trampoline	16% (clean), 10% (late)	Less height on the jump, but with more damage.
	Custom 2	Trampoline Launch	12% (near), 8% (far)	More height on the jump, but has no parachute or lasting hitbox, though it does have KO potential at high damages, especially near the upper blast line.
Down special	Default	Oil Panic	Based on absorbed attacks	Collects energy-based attacks and dumps them on opponents. Once three are absorbed, it turns into a powerful counterattack with almost no startup lag that inflicts 2.8 times the combined damage of the absorbed attacks, capping to 60%. OHKOs when it inflicts 60%. Despite the appearence, the dumped oil is not a projectile and cannot be reflected.
	Custom 1	Efficient Panic	Based on absorbed attacks	Fills in one shot, but subsequently weaker with less range. Has less endlag when a projectile is absorbed.
	Custom 2	Panic Overload	Based on absorbed attacks	Oil is bigger and slower. The absorption radius is smaller.
Final Smash		Octopus	15%	Turns into the large octopus that appears in its eponymous game, Octopus. Damage is dealt on contact and range can be increased by pressing the attack buttons. Lasts for 15 seconds.

Judge Damage Data

Numbers	Judge	Extreme Judge	Chain Judge
#1	2%	5%	1%
#2	4%	-	2% (hit 1), 3% (hit 2)
#3	6%	-	3% (hits 1-3)
#4	8%	-	2% (hits 1-3), 3% (hit 4)
#5	3% (hits 1-4)	-	3% (hits 1-5)
#6	12%	-	2% (hits 1-5), 3% (hit 6)
#7	14%	-	2.5% (hits 1-6), 4% (hit 7)
#8	9%	-	2.4% (hits 1-7), 4.2% (hit 8)
#9	32%	23%	2.3% (hits 1-8), 10% (hit 9)

Oil Panic Data

	Damage Needed to Fill Up the Bucket			Oil Damage
Move	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Minimum	Maximum
Oil Panic	< 10%	> 10%, < 20%	> 20%	18%	60%
Efficient Panic	-	-	> 1%	10%	24%
Panic Overload	< 10%	> 10%, < 20%	> 20%	15%	45%

Taunts

• Up Taunt: Rings his bell high. Originates from the Game & Watch's alarm feature.
• Side Taunt: Rings his bell low. (same as Melee) Like his up taunt, it originates from the Game & Watch's alarm feature.
• Down Taunt: Sits down on the floor and sighs. Originates from Mario Bros, when Mario and Luigi would finish the level.

On-Screen Appearance

Moves along a row of Game and Watch LCD frames until he reaches the foreground.

Victory Fanfare

A flourished, original medley directly from Brawl, based upon the typical bleeping noises that characters or other objects in a Game & Watch would make.

In Competitive Play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character	Custom sets available
Mr. Game & Watch	3331	3321	3311	1331	1321
	1311	3323	3131	2331	2311

Notable players

•  GimR
•  Regi
•  Songun

Alternate costumes

Trophies

Mr. Game & Watch

Game & Watch was first released in 1980, making the series the father of the Game Boy and Nintendo DS. Or maybe an older sibling? Anyway...in Smash Bros., Mr. Game & Watch uses distinct retro moves to damage his foes. However, he's only two dimensional, so he's pretty easy to send flying.

Game & Watch was a series of handheld video games that started in 1980, which pretty much makes Mr. Game & Watch the father of the Game Boy and Nintendo DS. Or maybe an older sibling? Anyway...in Smash Bros., Mr. Game & Watch uses distinct retro moves to damage his foes. However, he only has two dimensions, so he's pretty easy to send flying.

Game & Watch was a series of handheld video games that started in 1980, before even the Game Boy. In this game, you can play as the guy who starred in them, moving about in his quirky, oh-so-retro little way. He can string together some pretty powerful attacks but, unfortunately, being 2D makes him very easy to launch.

Game & Watch (04/1980)

Mr. Game & Watch (Alt.)

Mr. Game & Watch's Oil Panic special catches shots and turns them into oil. After catching three, the bucket will be full and you'll be able to throw oil all over your enemies. Some shots, like Samus's fully powered Charge Shot, will fill the bucket in one go! Throwing the oil you get from a shot like that can KO your foes in a flash!

Game & Watch (04/1980)

Octopus

The Game & Watch title Octopus featured a hero collecting treasure while avoiding a bothersome giant octopus's tentacles. Activate Mr. Game & Watch's Final Smash to transform into that octopus! Ram into opponents, and use the attack button to extend the tentacles. The only thing you can't do is change the direction you're facing.

• Game&WatchTrophy3DS.png

  Classic (3DS)

• Game&WatchAllStarTrophy3DS.png

  Alt. (3DS)

• 

  Classic (Wii U)

• 

  Alt. (Wii U)

• 

  Octopus

Gallery

• 

  Mr. Game & Watch's amiibo.

• 

  Alternate amiibo stances.

• 

  Mr. Game & Watch's first four palette swaps.

• 

  Hitting King Dedede with a number 9 Judge.

• 

  Up tilt with Toon Link, Ness, and Villager.

• 

  Oil Panic with Fox.

• 

  Netural attack finisher on Mega Man.

• 

  Up smash on Final Destination.

• 

  Using Chef with Kirby, who copied it.

• 

  Using Octopus in water.

• 

  Using Fire while surrounded by fire.

• 

  Forward tilt with all Mii Fighter types wearing Lion Hats in Flat Zone 2.

Trivia

• Mr. Game & Watch's official artwork in Super Smash Bros. 4 is the first in the series where he lacks his bell.
• Mr. Game and Watch is the first and only veteran character to be officially shown but not confirmed before Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS's release (being in Pac-Man's trailer).
  • Mr. Game & Watch is one of three characters to have been teased before their official reveal, the other two being Dark Pit and Duck Hunt.
• Mr. Game & Watch was the last veteran to be shown as a playable character by an official source, as Jigglypuff was shown off multiple times in the 50-Fact Extravaganza, while Mr. Game & Watch was not revealed until after the Direct was over.
• As he has a "natural outline" of his own, Mr. Game & Watch does not use a black outline like the rest of the characters in the 3DS version. As a result, it is his grey outline that changes colours to denote team affiliation and other such effects.
• Unlike his other attacks, Mr. Game & Watch's down tilt is rendered in 3D. This was also the case in Brawl.
• Mr. Game & Watch's running animation on Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS is different from Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. His hands on the 3DS version are spread out when running, but on the Wii U version, his hands are in a fist-like position.
• Mr. Game & Watch's up special's parachute animation spreads him further out in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS than in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
• Mr. Game & Watch's amiibo has three different model swaps, each with him in a different pose.
• Mr. Game & Watch and Wii Fit Trainer are the only characters to have special charging sounds for their smash attacks, with his being a low-pitched beeping noise.