Charizard (SSBU): Difference between revisions

'''Charizard''' ({{ja|リザードン|Rizādon}}, ''Lizardon'') is a character in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''. Unlike in ''Super Smash Bros. 4'', Charizard is no longer a standalone character, and is back under the {{SSBU|Pokémon Trainer}}’s control. It was confirmed on June 12th, 2018. Along with the Pokémon Trainer, Charizard is classified as fighter #35.

Shin'ichirō Miki reprises his voiced role as Charizard, providing new clips.

Charizard deviates from the other super heavyweight characters in speed. Its ground game provides wide utility courtesy of its high initial dash and run speed. Also, its normals such as forward tilt and jab are further supplemented by skid canceling. Its high traction and quick out-of-shield options like neutral attack and up smash suit its close-quarters combat well. Up smash hits on frame 6, KOs at reliable percents, and functions as an effective juggling and anti-air tool alongside up tilt.

Neutral air is a multi-purpose tool effective at starting and extending combos, juggling, edgeguarding opponents, and sometimes landing. It is capable of stringing into itself, forward air, and down air. Forward air is fast (frame 8) and deals considerable damage to finish combos and KO at high percents. However, it does not autocancel out of a short hop, so it is only a mix-up at best in the neutral game. Up air renders Charizard's head intangible and is one of the strongest in the game, making it an effective juggling tool and finisher. It is also a makeshift combo too at low to middle percent ranges. Back air is extremely powerful and disjointed; it covers a wide diagonal arc behind Charizard and overpowers opponents above it. Down air’s sweetspot hitbox is large and powerful, enabling it to steal stocks at low percents.

Charizard’s main benefits include its strong advantage state, damage-racking capabilities, and KO potential. It is able to build high damage from only a few hits thanks to its high damage output in its combos and strings, particularly out of back throw. Charizard is the most advantaged when it is below the opponent. Its neutral air, up tilt, up smash, and back air are disjointed and cover wide arcs against opponents above it. Charizard also comes with respectable edgeguarding and ledge-trapping abilities. Flamethrower covers many get-up options when properly spaced, and the player is able to punish them on reaction thanks to down smash, up smash, and neutral air. Forward tilt (angled downwards) and down smash are also capable of hitting characters at the ledge.

Charizard's weaknesses include its raw moveset causing it to have a mediocre neutral game. Flamethrower’s decay prevents it from being usable for a long time, and its few safe-on-shield options, such as back air, neutral air, and forward tilt, require precise spacing and timing for the highest benefit. Charizard's moveset also contains several flaws that considerably offset its strengths, including forward air not being able to autocancel out of a short hop. Thus, its moveset requires high commitment, resulting in heavy reliance on movement and reads to secure advantage state. While its moveset is equipped to maintain an advantage, the nature of it requires the player to read the opponent instead of being able to aggressively juggle them. Charizard's biggest weakness is against characters that can rush it down with combos such as {{SSBU|Squirtle}}, {{SSBU|Mario}}, {{SSBU|Palutena}}, {{SSBU|Lucina}}, and {{SSBU|Corrin}}, as its few combo-breaking moves are either too risky or too slow to be consistent in this application.

Overall, Charizard is a well-rounded super heavyweight but has the weakest auto-pilot of the three Pokémon in the Pokémon Trainer’s party. It must rely on sheer mobility and player interaction and must work around the glaring problems its moveset contains. Charizard is able to function both offensively and defensively in the neutral, but it is up to the player to find the most beneficial position in this spectrum. Once it gains advantage, it must capitalize on the opponent’s mistakes to the greatest extent for the highest return. As such, it is best used in the high damage percentage range, both for itself and its opponent; its heavy weight lets it survive blows that would otherwise be fatal to Squirtle and Ivysaur, while at high damage percentages it becomes more difficult to combo, and many of its attacks have the high kill power required to KO a foe already softened up by the other two Pokémon.

In an indirect sense, Charizard can be considered the best super heavyweight in the game as its Trainer can call on it when its strength, endurance, and recovery are needed, and can simply remove it from situations that exploit the weaknesses it shares with fighters of its weight class. While Charizard requires more skill and prediction to use to its full potential than Squirtle and Ivysaur, Pokémon Trainers that have mastered the Flame Pokémon will be rewarded greatly with the options that it brings to the table.