Incineroar (SSBU)

Incineroar in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Universe	Pokémon
Availability	Unlockable
Final Smash	Max Malicious Moonsault

“	Incineroar Enters the Ring!	”
—Introduction Tagline

“	A fighter with many special moves that appear to come from the world of pro wrestling. Incineroar has many moves from its original game, like Darkest Lariat, Cross Chop, and Revenge. Its Final Smash is Max Malicious Moonsault. Let the Z-Power explode and deliver a powerful blow!	”
—Super Smash Blog, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Official Site

Incineroar (ガオガエン, Gaogaen) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. It was confirmed as a playable character alongside Ken and Piranha Plant on November 1st, 2018. Incineroar is classified as fighter #69.

Unshō Ishizuka, who passed away before Incineroar's reveal, voices the Pokémon in Japanese. In English, it is voiced by H.D. Quinn, who voices Professor Kukui's Incineroar in the Sun and Moon anime.

How to unlock

Complete one of the following:

• Play VS. matches, with Incineroar being the 46th character to be unlocked.
• Clear Classic Mode with Samus or any character in her unlock tree, being the fourth character unlocked after Pit.
• Have Incineroar join the player's party in World of Light.

With the exception of the third method, Incineroar must then be defeated on Boxing Ring.

Attributes

Incineroar draws many comparisons to some of the slowest, hardest-hitting fighters in Smash Bros. history: it is a super heavyweight with the sixth highest weight (tied with Charizard), the nineteenth fastest falling speed (therefore classifying it as a fast-faller), and average air acceleration. However, it is the slowest character in the game overall, with the lowest walk and dash speeds in the base game, the eighth slowest air speed, and the twelfth slowest initial dash speed, making it pale in regards to mobility.

As a character that plays homage to professional wrestling, Incineroar's moveset boasts an abundance of single-hit attacks and throws, and its attacks have respectably large hitboxes for a close-range fighter of its mobility. Contrary to its sluggish movement, its frame data is average, and almost all of its moves are heavily damaging and capable of KOing very early, while also having respectable lag in spite of their power. Unlike most other hard hitters, Incineroar's weaker attacks are very reliable combo starters that work at a wide percent range, giving its moveset an excellent amount of utility.

Unsurprisingly, Incineroar has a multitude of KO options. Its smash attacks are all powerful in their own right, and each have their unique perks: forward smash is one of the strongest of its kind and deals good shield damage, up smash has a wide hitbox that is useful for both anti-air tactics and damage racking, while down smash momentarily shifts Incineroar's hurtbox upwards, allowing it to dodge grabs, attacks and even projectiles to act as a hard punish. Clean neutral aerial, forward aerial and back aerial all deal good damage, with the latter two being capable KO options especially offstage, while down aerial is a powerful meteor smash that can still KO even if the sourspot hits. Forward tilt is Incineroar's quickest KO option on the ground due to its knockback growth and semi-spike angle, and dash attack can KO at high percents.

Incineroar's combo starters make up the rest of its moveset, and are notable for their reliability. Up tilt's wide hitbox allows it to function as an anti-air, and easily combos into itself or aerials at low-mid percents. Down tilt has good range, lowers Incineroar's hurtbox, and has excellent combo potential throughout all percent ranges, allowing combos into up tilt or up smash at low percents or aerials at high percents. Up aerial is Incineroar's go-to aerial juggle option due to its wide hitbox, capability of comboing from up and down tilts, and can even KO outright at higher percents.

Of note are Incineroar's throws; despite its average grab, Incineroar is notorious for having one of the best sets of throws in the game. Apart from down throw, all of Incineroar's throw are KO options for any given situation: forward throw has high base knockback and can KO at high percents, back throw is the strongest throw in the game (beating the previous strongest throw, Ness's back throw in Smash 4) and can KO the lightest fighters exceptionally early, up throw easily KOs with the assistance of high platforms and low top blast lines, while down throw, being Incineroar's only combo throw, allows it to combo forward smash or running up smash on fresh stocks, dealing as much as 35% during 1v1s just from two hits.

Incineroar's special moves complete its moveset with versatile tools. Darkest Lariat is Incineroar's get-off-me option, possessing fast startup, a long duration, transcendent priority throughout its hitboxes, invincibility for its arms, and a strong early hit. Though its power gradually weakens over time, its perks allow it to outprioritize many moves (even weak projectiles) while hitting hard. Alolan Whip is a unique command grab that has varying effectiveness based on Incineroar's input: the strongest version (a lariat) KOs extremely early, while the second version (a vertical-launching back body drop) can end stocks easily near the top blast lines.

Cross Chop can contest against other attacks due to its super armor during the start, and the descending tackle deals high knockback. It is also a powerful combo finisher or sacrificial KO, as the initial descent's high base knockback allows it to gimp any character at 0% should the descending hit connect. Revenge is a unique counterattack that retaliates with a weak hit, but stores a stackable power increase that affects Incineroar's next move; with a sufficiently strong buff, it gains exorbitantly powerful punishes, with moves such as dash attack, lariat Alolan Whip and most infamously back throw turning into some of the strongest attacks in the game. Finally, it should be noted that none of Incineroar's moves render it helpless under normal circumstances, allowing it to mix up Cross Chop, Alolan Whip and an air dodge while recovering.

However, Incineroar's strong abilities come at a cost. Its aforementioned sluggishness make it one of the easiest characters to zone out, giving it similar issues to Smash 4's Ganondorf in which it has trouble getting close to opponents to begin with. While it has less of an issue breaking out of combos or faring against rushdown tactics due to its frame data and special moves, any sort of projectile or sufficiently long disjointed range is enough to keep Incineroar away in general, since its only options to break through such tactics is Darkest Lariat, Cross Chop and Revenge. Adding to this issue is its atrocious recovery, which is overall short and one of the most unreliable in the game despite the ways it can be mixed up; Cross Chop turns into an inevitable self-destruct if Incineroar is anywhere but high up, while Alolan Whip grants little distance and has high ending lag. As a result, a semi-spike of sufficient strength is all it takes for Incineroar to be KO'd, and any combo that drags it offstage is usually fatal. Finally, Incineroar's moveset is not perfect despite its strengths, with some attacks having issues like small horizontal hitboxes (up tilt and up aerial), tendency to whiff (neutral attack's hits and Cross Chop at certain positions), and variable performance (Darkest Lariat is extremely laggy despite its outproritizing ability, Alolan Whip can fail outright or turn into a different move, and Revenge is completely lost once an attack lands, making it possible to waste it entirely).

Overall, Incineroar falls within the "grappler" playstyle archetype: it excels when taking advantage of close-range openings, where it can land powerful blows or start consistent combos that rack up damage quickly in only a few hits, all while being difficult for an opponent to shove off due to its staying power and heavy punish abilities. Its excellent strength and combo potential make it formidable once it wins the neutral game, but it is just as easily kept in control by its weak mobility, and any opening on its end is costly due to its extremely limited recovery.

Moveset

• Incineroar takes continuous damage when swimming. It shares this with Charizard, Sonic, and Inkling.
• Incineroar will show various animations after using certain attacks, striking a boastful pose if it hits or expressing frustration if it misses. These animations are all interruptible. All pose-inducing attacks (excluding neutral attack's third hit) causes a crowd to cheer, separate from the standard crowd.

Note: All numbers are listed as base damage, without the 1v1 multiplier.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			2.5%	A hand thrust towards the enemy's abdomen, a knee strike, and an uppercut while flexing its forearm. If the third hit lands, Incineroar will taunt by jabbing its finger towards the ground. Unlike many neutral attacks, holding the attack button only causes Incineroar to do a single attack unless it connects. The second hit usually fails to connect into the third, as it can knock grounded opponents off edges or send aerial opponents too far. The first hit can jab reset.
			2.7%
			4.6%
Forward tilt			13%	Takes a step forward and fakes preparing an claw strike but instead performs a delayed hand jab towards the throat, potentially based on its former signature move, Throat Chop, or the Tongan thrust in professional wrestling. It hits at a semi-spike angle, deals high damage for a tilt attack of its speed, and has enough power to KO at 80% from the edge of Final Destination.
Up tilt			9%	A jumping headbutt from back to front. Has a wide hitbox above Incineroar and grants Incineroars head intangibility, allowing it to fend off aerial approaches. Combos into itself at 0%, or a neutral aerial or up aerial from 25% to 75%. The move has blind spots directly beside Incineroar's legs, meaning it can miss short or prone enemies.
Down tilt			9%	A leg sweep from back to front. Has impressive combo potential, allowing followups into neutral attack or grab at 0%, up tilt from 18-90%, up smash from 50-69%, forward aerial from 30-145%, back aerial from 40-170%, and up aerial at percentages as high as 210%. Despite only using one leg for the attack, both of Incineroars legs become intangible during the move.
Dash attack			13% (clean), 9% (late)	A dashing knee strike, similar to Zero Suit Samus'. Deals less damage when late. The clean hit KOs at 102% from the edge of Final Destination. If it lands, Incineroar will remain on one knee, and point its thumb towards itself while gloating.
Forward smash			20.5% (clean), 16% (close)	Performs a lunging Enzuigiri kick, a wrestling kick aimed at the head, that causes Incineroar to fall on the floor. If it lands, Incineroar will gloat with its arms spread out, like its down taunt. As Incineroar lunges forward, it has decent range. The sweetspot is Incineroar's foot, which also does high shield damage. Extremely damaging and powerful without sacrificing in speed, KOing at 39% from the edge of Final Destination.
Up smash			17%	A lifting double axe handle with both claws. If it lands, Incineroar will look into the sky and point upward, and it will clench its fists in dismay if it misses. Starts at ground level and has a rather big hitbox that covers the front of Incineroar and even reaches slightly behind it, all while having intangibility on its arms and hands. Keeps consistent power throughout the move, and can KO at 116% on Final Destination.
Down smash			16%	Leaps into the air and performs a splash, similar to King K. Rool's down smash. If it lands, Incineroar will point its finger upwards while on the floor, and it will pound its fist on the ground angrily if it misses. As Incineroar leaves the ground while using the move, it can dodge ground attacks and act as a hard punish. Sends at a semi-spike angle, deals high shield damage and, like forward smash, it is incredibly powerful, KOing at 62% from the edge of Final Destination. However it has heavy startup and ending lag.
Neutral aerial			13% (clean), 7% (late)	A ground-facing splash, similar to down smash. Very fast startup and acts as a sex kick, and also sends at a semi-spike angle. Useful for breaking out of combos. Auto cancels from a full hop.
Forward aerial			13% (feet), 12% (legs)	A dropkick, similar to King K. Rool's. Deals more damage and knockback if the feet hitbox lands. Starts fast enough to hit opponents if buffered from a short hop. Auto cancels if Incineroar lands before the hitbox appears, allowing it to cancel tumbling. Sends at a semi-spike angle, and can KO at 110% from the edge of Final Destination.
Back aerial			13% (feet), 11% (heel)	A back kick. Like forward aerial, it deals more damage and knockback if the feet hitbox lands. Starts fast enough to hit opponents if buffered from a short hop. KOs at 89% from the edge of Final Destination, and auto cancels from a full hop.
Up aerial			8%	An arching crescent kick up aerial, comparable to the Mii Brawler's. Has a wide arc, covering above Incineroar, but cannot hit opponents directly next to it. Auto cancels from a short hop, allowing it to be spammed. Can juggle into itself, but opponents can react out of it. Generally useful for combo chains.
Down aerial			15% (feet), 14% (body), 9% (late)	Stomps downwards in a Superman pose. Rather slow startup, but it is a powerful meteor smash if the feet hitbox lands. The body hitbox sends opponents diagonally.
Grab			—	Reaches out with both arms.
Pummel			1.6%	Headbutts the opponent.
Forward throw			12% (throw), 6% (front collateral), 4% (back collateral),	A giant swing, similar to Mario and Wario's back throws. Deals collateral damage to bystanders, with the back hit dealing less damage. Sends too far for any followups apart from dash attack at 0% if the opponent misses a tech. Powerful for a throw, KOing at 133% from the edge of Final Destination.
Back throw			14% (throw and collateral)	A German suplex that slams the opponent into the ground. It has taken over Ness's back throw as the strongest back throw in the game, being capable of KOing at 90% from the edge of Final Destination, and can even OHKO the lightest characters at the edge of stages while under the influence of Revenge. However, its extremely high base knockback prevents any followups. The slam affects bystanders, sends at a lower angle, and KOs even earlier at 75%.
Up throw			12%	An Argentine backbreaker rack. Has too much ending lag to combo into anything, but can follow up into an up aerial or Cross Chop if the opponent doesn't react. Like its other throws, it is extremely powerful, KOing at 147% on Final Destination, and KOs significantly earlier with low ceilings.
Down throw			9%	A chokeslam. Incineroar pumps its fist upon completion. Unlike its other throws, it lacks damage and knockback and works poorly as a combo starter due to Incineroar's slow speed, but can true combo into forward smash or running up smash at 0%, and forward aerial at medium percents.
Floor attack (front)			7%	Claws around itself.
Floor attack (back)			7%	Claws around itself.
Floor attack (trip)			5%	Swipes behind itself, then punches forward.
Edge attack			10%	Swipes forward.
Neutral special		Darkest Lariat	16% (early), 12-11% (middle), 10-8% (late)	Extends its arms out and spins rapidly like a top, similar to Mach Tornado. Loses strength as the move goes on. Incineroar's arms gain invincibility during the move. Starts extremely quickly, and the entire move possesses transcendent priority, allowing it to break through opposing attacks (and weaker projectiles) apart from moves with sufficient reach. Incineroar can slowly move left or right by holding a direction, and the move also slows its descent, though its slow speed means it is not suitable for recovery. The early hit KOs at 108% from the edge of Final Destination.
Side special		Alolan Whip	20% (lariat) 12% (back body drop) 4% (failed throw, recoil and damage)	A command grab involving Incineroar lunging a short distance forward to grab opponents. Victims are thrown against a wrestling rope that appears after the grab connects. Depending on when the special or attack button is pressed after grabbing an opponent, Incineroar will do one of three different moves: a powerful lariat that sends the opponent the direction Incineroar is facing (input just as the opponent touches Incineroar), a back body drop that sends the opponent vertically (input any time after the opponent rebounds), or a failed attempt that causes the victim to crash against Incineroar's head, dealing 4% to both (too early/no input). The lariat deals 20% and can KO at 72% from the edge of Final Destination, the back body drop deals 12% and can KO at 159% (or earlier with a low ceiling), while the failed version cannot KO at all (outside of extremely situational gimps). During the throw, Incineroar is granted super armor, and if the opponent is hit out of the move, Incineroar will shrug towards the screen. Does not cause helplessness, allowing Incineroar to extend its recovery.
Up special		Cross Chop	3% (rise), 3.5% (descent), 11% (direct hit) 9% (close explosion), 5.5% (far explosion)	Rises straight upwards while engulfed in flames, before descending in a fiery tackle diagonally downwards. Incineroar gains super armor a few frames after its initial ascent, and Incineroar can change its direction right before starting the move. Causes an explosion once Incineroar lands. The rising and descending hits have set knockback, with the descending hit having extremely high base knockback; this is capable of gimping opponents even at 0% for a sacrificial KO, with Incineroar always being KO'd after its opponent. Incineroar's descending body hitbox is similarly powerful, KOing at 75% from the edge of Final Destination, with the explosion being almost as powerful. However, the move has high ending lag. Unlike most up specials, Cross Chop does not put Incineroar into helplessness (unless Incineroar lands during its descent and does not touch solid ground), though its awkward angle requires it to be used extremely high for recovery, as it is a self-destruct any other way.
Down special		Revenge	2.4% (close)	Points its chest outward, retaliating against incoming attacks or projectiles. Functions as a counterattack, albeit much differently; Incineroar retaliates with a weak flame burst, takes significantly reduced damage from the retaliated attack, and its next move is powered up. As a visual indicator, Incineroar's body glows with orange embers. This buff can stack depending on the number of countered moves and damage resisted. The buff lasts for a very long time (around 60 seconds), though it is reduced slightly each time Incineroar uses an attack and misses, and it is lost entirely if it is grabbed. Once a powered up move lands, the buff is removed. If a smash attack, Cross Chop, or the lariat from Alolan Whip lands while Revenge is active, the camera will perform a dramatic zoom effect. At maximum stacks, Incineroar is able to do 75% with a single Alolan Whip, giving it the strongest possible attacks in standard matches.
Final Smash		Max Malicious Moonsault	3% (startup), 2% (initial grab), 7% (hit 1-4)	Activates its Incinium Z crystal and lunges forward, grabbing the first victim it comes in contact with. Once caught, the victim is thrown against the ropes of a boxing ring. Incineroar then punches the victim thrice into the air and ends with an upside-down headbutt that sends it and the victim crashing in an explosion within the ring as a boxing bell chimes. The victim is sent flying alongside any bystanders. Can KO as early as 60%.

On-screen appearance

• Emerges from a Poké Ball, strutting antagonistically like a wrestler.

Taunts

• Up taunt: Points to the sky as its flame belt ignites.
• Side taunt: Pounds its chest then raises its fist triumphantly while facing forward.
• Down taunt: Kneels and poses with its arms out, as if calling to the crowd.

Idle poses

• Flexes its muscles in the Crab pose, a variant of the "Most Muscular" bodybuilder pose.
• Spreads its arms out and wriggles its claws towards the opponent in a mocking fashion.

Victory poses

• Roars as its flame belt ignites, then punches towards the camera with a mocking expression.
• Raises a Champion belt in the air, then makes a beckoning gesture.
• Swings both its arms left and right, before posing on one knee and roaring happily.

Classic Mode: Burning Pro Wrestling Spirit!

Incineroar's opponents all are heavy characters and are stylized in a way as if it was similar to a Championship Tournament.

Round	Opponent	Stage	Music	Notes
1	Bowser	Boxing Ring	The Grand Finale
2	Ganondorf	Boxing Ring	Molgera
3	Morton and Ludwig	Boxing Ring (Battlefield form)	Fortress Boss - Super Mario World	Greninja is a CPU ally.
4	King K. Rool	Boxing Ring (Battlefield form)	Gang-Plank Galleon
5	Donkey Kong	Boxing Ring (Ω form)	Boss 2 - DK: Jungle Climber
6	Incineroar	Boxing Ring (Ω form)	Battle! (Lorekeeper Zinnia)
Bonus Stage
Final	Master Hand and Crazy Hand	Final Destination	Master Hand / Crazy Hand	Greninja is a CPU ally.

Role in World of Light

Incineroar does not appear in the World of Light opening cutscene, but was still vaporized and later imprisoned alongside the rest of the fighters (except Kirby) when Galeem unleashed his beams of light.

Incineroar was one of the many fighters that fell under Dharkon's control upon Galeem's first defeat. It can be found on the southweast path of the Realm of Darkness, where the spirit of Caeda must be beaten to access it.

Spirits

Incineroar's Fighter Spirit can be obtained by completing Classic Mode. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 500 coins. Unlocking Incineroar in World of Light allows the player to preview the first spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a Fighter Spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. Each Fighter Spirit has an alternate version that replaces them with their artwork in Ultimate.

• Incineroar Spirit.png

  419. Incineroar

Alternate costumes

Gallery

• 

  Incineroar's splash art.

• 

  Artwork of all playable Pokémon characters and Poké Ball Pokémon, as posted by the official Pokémon Twitter account.

• 

  Incineroar's fighter card.

• 

  Incineroar on Kongo Falls.

• 

  Attacking Little Mac on Big Blue.

• 

  Using Alolan Whip on Falco on Pirate Ship.

• 

  Taunting with multiple Pikachu and Pichu on Paper Mario.

• 

  Reaching for a ball of yarn on Wii Fit Studio.

• 

  Using Revenge on Mushroom Kingdom U.

Trivia

• Masahiro Sakurai references Red Cyclone, the nickname of Street Fighter wrestling character Zangief, when explaining Incineroar's neutral special, Darkest Lariat.
  • Additionally, Zangief possesses Incineroar for his Spirit battle.
• Incineroar is currently the fighter in Ultimate with the most recent game of origin, Pokémon Sun and Moon, which was released on November 18, 2016 for the Nintendo 3DS.
• Unshō Ishizuka provided the Japanese voice for Incineroar in Ultimate before his unexpected passing on August 13, 2018. Ishizuka recorded all of his voice clips for the game before his death.
• Incineroar is the only playable Pokémon that doesn't have a special move based on a Pokémon move of its primary type.
  • It is also the only playable Pokémon to not have a special move that originated from Generation I.
• Incineroar is the second character revealed for Ultimate to share a reveal trailer with a character not from the same franchise, having been revealed in the same trailer as Ken and being the second character revealed within that trailer.
• Incineroar is the only first-party newcomer in Ultimate who was not represented in any way in previous Super Smash Bros. installments, due to not even existing at the time.
• Incineroar is the only Pokémon character who is not fought in its home stages when being unlocked. It is instead fought on Boxing Ring, Little Mac's home stage, as a reference to its reveal trailer and wrestling influences.
• Due to an error on the American official site blog, Incineroar does not have its own Fighter tag on its blog entry, thus not being listed when sorting the "By Fighter" category. This also applies to Falco.
• Incineroar is the only Ultimate newcomer who wasn't in the game's original project plan, drafted December 2015. When choosing characters, Sakurai wanted to pick a character from a newer game, and with the upcoming release of Pokémon Sun and Moon, a Pokémon spot was reserved to be determined later. Although Sakurai did consider Decidueye, he ended up choosing Incineroar in part because he has never done a wrestling fighter before.
• Incineroar is the second fighter to use a champion belt in their victory pose, the first being Little Mac.
• Excluding touching a red trampoline from Pac-Jump, Incineroar cannot put itself into helplessness apart from a very specific condition, this being landing with a Cross Chop and failing to touch solid ground during the initial rebound. It shares this trait with Kirby, who can only experience helplessness if he slides off an edge during Final Cutter (or with certain Copy Abilities).
• Incineroar is one of the few fighters to spin differently in their Star KO: it spins forwards instead of away from the screen, similarly to how Star KOs acted in Smash 4. It shares this trait with Cloud, Corrin, Shulk, and Inkling.
• Inexplicably, Incineroar's Japanese voice clips are much more muffled and lower in quality than other languages. This was unfortunately likely due to Unshō Ishizuka‘s failing health.