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Mr. Game & Watch (SSB4)

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This article is about Mr. Game & Watch's appearance in Super Smash Bros. 4. For the character in other contexts, see Mr. Game & Watch.
Mr. Game & Watch
in Super Smash Bros. 4
Mr. Game & Watch
Game&WatchSymbol.svg
Universe Game & Watch
Other playable appearances in Melee
in Brawl
in Ultimate
Availability Unlockable
Final Smash Octopus
Tier E (39)
Mr. Game & Watch's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

Mr. Game & Watch (Mr.ゲーム&ウォッチ, Mr. Game & Watch) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. After making a cameo in Pac-Man's trailer, Mr. Game & Watch was announced during the Super Smash Bros. for Wii U 50-Fact Extravaganza on October 23rd, 2014.[1] Like in Melee and Brawl, he uses Game & Watch-esque sound effects to represent his "voice".

Mr. Game & Watch is currently ranked 39th out of 55 on the tier list, placing him at the top of the E tier. This is a significant drop from his ranking in Brawl, where he was ranked 16th out of 38. Mr. Game & Watch's strengths include great combo and air games, as well as a high overall damage output in spite of his size and weight. His overall mobility is also decent, with his recovery in particular being impressive due to Fire's long-ranged distance, large edge sweetspot, and general safety.

Mr. Game & Watch is also good at edgeguarding, due to his recovery and moderately fast aerials. His landing lag, while not supplemented by autocancels, is actually quite low and is among the best in the game in terms of the total amount of frames in aerial move lag upon landing.

However, Mr. Game & Watch possesses notable weaknesses as well. A big flaw is his surprising inability to KO at higher percentages despite dealing a lot of damage quickly. This is due to his finishers being plagued in one way or another, including inconsistent KO set-ups (such as down throw into up aerial) and KOing options that are too sluggish or have large sourspots (such as forward and down smashes, respectively).

Additionally, while he has surprisingly good range for his size due to his disjointed hitboxes, he still has shorter range than a handful of the cast, such as Shulk, Ike, Marth, and Cloud. He is also the third lightest character in the game, making him prone to getting KO'd quite easily, which is further exacerbated by the loss of Bucket Braking and the introduction of rage.

Mr. Game & Watch's grab game is also lackluster outside of down throw, as his pummel is one of the slowest in the game, and none of his other throws possess the same utility that his down throw does, nor are they strong enough to KO at realistic percentages. His neutral game is also lacking, due to having no aerials that autocancel from a short hop and his limited amount of safe options on shield. Lastly, some of his moves are considered to be situational, due to either needing luck (Judge) or needing the opponent to have an energy-based projectile (Oil Panic).

Overall, Mr. Game & Watch's strengths are generally on par with his weaknesses. While his tournament representation is poor overall due to his noticeable character flaws and unpopularity in competitive play, he has still achieved above average tournament results, such as Regi placing 17th at EVO 2016.

How to unlock

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS

  • Play 90 VS Matches.
  • Complete Classic Mode with 10 different characters.

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

Mr. Game & Watch's archetype as a lightweight slightly differs from the majority of his fellow lightweights. While he is small, has the third lightest weight, the fifth slowest falling speed, below average gravity, low jumps and is tied for the seventh fastest air acceleration, he has average walking and dashing speeds, a low short hop and above average air speed. Overall, Mr. Game & Watch's speed when moving is quite exceptional for a lightweight, but his low falling speed can be somewhat detrimental. His short size also makes him difficult to hit, especially when crouching.

Unlike most lightweights, Mr. Game & Watch has moves with disjointed hitboxes, with some of them reaching relatively far from him. His damage output is above average, and he has a good combo game, allowing him to easily rack up a decent amount of damage with few moves. His down throw is a reliable combo starter, being able to be followed by his up tilt (on floaty characters) or neutral attack (on fast-fallers) at low percents, Judge, up smash or Oil Panic from low to high percents, all aerials except down aerial from mid to high percents, and Fire at high percents. His combo game is further compounded by his great air game, with his neutral, forward, back and up aerials having good combo utility and being fairly damaging.

His neutral aerial has pretty high range above him and does very high damage if all hits connect and the last hit has moderate knockback, making it difficult to punish, as well as being rarely escaped by SDI and able to be followed up by other moves. His forward aerial has decent range and knockback (when clean), making it useful for edgeguarding, and the late hit can be followed up by another attack when late despite the moves' ending lag. His back aerial, while less damaging than in Brawl, is still pretty useful due to its disjointed range and low knockback that allows it to be followed by another one, giving it effective wall of pain ability.

Mr. Game & Watch's up and down aerials are mainly used for KOing. His up aerial is his strongest one, but its windbox can make it difficult to connect into the second hit, which carries all the knockback. Nevertheless, its windbox can also safely space the move and juggle opponents. Meanwhile, his down aerial is an effective meteor smash as well as being a stall-then-fall, giving Mr. Game & Watch an effective move for edgeguarding, ending a stock early, and getting out of juggles.

While he has fairly damaging moves, Mr. Game & Watch also has plenty of reliable and powerful finishers for his weight class, which can put him on par with some heavyweights. The most notable examples include his forward and down tilts at high percents, all of his smash attacks, his aerials, Judge 9 and Oil Panic. Finally, his special moveset is pretty decent, albeit polarized. His neutral special, Chef, is weak but can effectively stun players, as well as work as an efficient anti-pressure option from afar. His up special, Fire, grants exceptional vertical distance and deals average knockback, as well as slows his descent down after usage, giving Mr. Game & Watch an amazing recovery that is also difficult to edgeguard.

Mr. Game & Watch's side special, Judge, is infamously polarized due to being luck-based; its effects range from causing no knockback while damaging Mr. Game & Watch himself (1) to inflicting extremely high knockback that can KO even at very low percents (9). Finally, Oil Panic can absorb three energy-based projectiles (or one extremely powerful energy-based projectile) before unleashing a powerful attack that can score a one-hit KO depending on how much damage it has absorbed. However, it only works on characters with absorbable projectiles such as Zelda and Samus, making it very situational and generally not that useful.

While Mr. Game & Watch does have many positive traits, he also possesses many notable weaknesses. Due to his two-dimensional nature, he is one of the lightest characters in the game, which makes him susceptible to early KOs, especially vertically. He has a very short roll that is quite slow, often punishable even when used sparingly. His grab game is also very poor outside of grab combos: his grab still has very short reach, his pummel is slow and he has no useful throws other than his down throw.

Despite possessing large, disjointed hitboxes, Mr. Game & Watch's overall range is mostly mediocre. Their range was also nerfed from Brawl, with his attacks being much less wide and far. While the majority of his moveset has quick startup, it suffers from particularly high ending and landing lag in most of his attacks, allowing him to be easily punished when his moves are whiffed. Finally, some of his special moves are considered to be situational depending on the matchup, with Judge being an unsafe move in general due to its randomness, and Oil Panic being only useful when facing a character with an absorbable projectile.

Mr. Game & Watch has a few noteworthy custom moves. Short-Order Chef is weaker, but much faster, allowing him to space more easily. Chain Judge has no special effects but deals more damage the higher the number is, significantly improving the move's consistency and damage racking capabilities. Heavy Trampoline grants less distance at the cost of being stronger, while Trampoline Launch has no parachute at the cost of granting more distance and being stronger as well.

All in all, Mr. Game & Watch's pros and cons are generally even. Like his fellow lightweight Mewtwo, Mr. Game & Watch can be considered a glass cannon due to his overall damage output and his ability to finish opponents, yet being very susceptible to being finished earlier than most characters. Due to his scarce tournament representation as of late, he ranks below average in most tournaments and has very few players. However, Mr. Game & Watch's playerbase includes notable players such as KOSSismoss, Regi and Songn, who have managed to achieve decent tournament results with him.

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. Many of his moves have increased lag, such as his neutral, forward and back aerials no longer autocanceling with short hops, which weakens his options to approach or punish opponents. The changes to hitstun canceling can be considered a double-edged sword for Mr. Game & Watch: they indirectly removed Bucket Braking and momentum canceling, which were integral to his past success, yet they improve his combo game thanks to making his down throw capable of initiating 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 due to his faster air speed, Fire's increased vertical distance, and Oil Panic's newly acquired jump boost mechanic. As a result, some players, such as GimR and Regi, have shown he is still a decent character despite no longer being as viable as he was before.

Aesthetics

  • Change Mr. Game & Watch's design has changed. He now has a rounder head; a slightly smaller and rounder nose; a slightly wider torso; circular hands, shorter arms, and slightly smaller feet; and a thinner outline that is layered gray and white. Altogether, these changes make Mr. Game & Watch appear much more in line with his appearance in Game & Watch Gallery 4. His animations are also choppier, which better simulate the frame-by-frame movement within the Game & Watch series.
  • Change Mr. Game & Watch has a new down taunt. He now sits down and sighs, instead of jumping once with his hands open. This originates from the Game & Watch version of Mario Bros.

Attributes

  • Change Mr. Game & Watch is smaller. This makes his hurtbox slightly smaller, but slightly hinders his range.
  • Buff Due to the general change in size between small and large characters, Mr. Game & Watch's smaller size significantly improves his crouch's defensive potential.
  • Buff Mr. Game & Watch walks faster (1.1 → 1.1242).
  • Nerf Mr. Game & Watch dashes slower (1.553 → 1.5264).
  • Buff Mr. Game & Watch's air speed is faster (1.081 → 1.12).
  • Change Walk's animation has changed. Mr. Game & Watch now walks more flippantly while he repeatedly looks back and forth. This originates from Helmet.

Ground attacks

  • Nerf Neutral infinite now deals consistent damage (1%-3% → 1%).
  • Buff Neutral attack has received a finisher,[2] a large blast of gas from the insecticide pump.
  • Buff The weakening of SDI makes neutral infinite significantly more difficult to escape from.
  • Nerf Clean forward tilt no longer deals consistent damage (10% → 10% (chair)/9% (body)). Due to its angle being altered, forward tilt is also no longer a semi-spike.
  • Change Forward tilt has received a late hitbox that deals 4%. This lengthens its duration (frames 10-15 → 10-17), but makes it more susceptible to punishment at low to medium percentages.
  • Nerf Forward tilt has increased ending lag (frame 36 → 38).
  • Buff Forward and down tilts are stronger.
  • Buff Due to consisting of two hitboxes instead of one, up tilt no longer deals consistent damage (8% → 7% (both)). This enables it to hit twice at low percentages.
  • Nerf Up tilt's hitboxes are smaller compared to the previous hitbox, removing its ability to hit opponents in front of or above Mr. Game & Watch.
  • Buff Up tilt has decreased start-up lag (frame 13 → 10).
  • Nerf Up tilt has increased ending lag (frames 30 → 36).
  • Change Down tilt has received a windbox above its hitbox. This improves its safety, but results in it dealing 8% less damage (9% → 1%) against aerial opponents.
  • Nerf Down tilt has increased ending lag (frame 26 → 40).
  • Nerf Dash attack deal less damage (11% → 10% (clean)/6.5% (late)), although its knockback was compensated.
  • Nerf Clean dash attack has a shorter duration compared to the previous hitbox (frames 6-29 → 6-9).
  • Nerf Forward smash has decreased knockback growth (98 → 91), hindering its KO potential. Additionally, its sourspot now takes priority over its sweetspot. Lastly, due to its late hitbox being removed, forward smash has a shorter duration (frames 17-34 → 17-18).
  • Change Forward smash's animation has slightly changed. Mr. Game & Watch now swings the torch with both hands, instead of just one.
  • Nerf Up smash deals 2% less damage (18% → 16%) and has decreased knockback, hindering its KO potential. It also has a shorter duration (frames 24-28 → 24-25).
  • Buff Up smash now grants partial invincibility on frames 4-25.
  • Nerf Sweetspotted down smash has decreased knockback growth (98 → 85), hindering its KO potential. Additionally, down smash's sourspot is larger and weaker. Lastly, down smash has increased ending lag (frame 33 → 42).
  • Buff Down smash has increased range.
  • Buff The 19% damage increase to shields and the increase to shieldstun significantly improve sweetspotted forward, up, and sweetspotted down smash's shield pressuring potentials.

Aerial attacks

  • Buff Neutral aerial's hits connect together better and its last hit has increased knockback, improving its reliability.
  • Nerf Neutral aerial has increased ending lag (frame 35 → 43) and a shorter duration (frames 7-25 → 7-22).
  • Nerf Neutral and up aerials have increased landing lag (9 frames → 12).
  • Buff The weakening of SDI makes neutral and back aerials significantly more difficult to escape from.
  • Nerf Forward aerial deals 4.5% less damage (16% → 11.5%), significantly hindering its KO potential. It also has a shorter duration (frames 10-32 → 10-25).
  • Buff Forward aerial has decreased landing lag (22 frames → 15).
  • Nerf Due to consisting of four hits instead of five, back aerial deals 6% less damage (15% → 9%). It also has increased landing lag (12 frames → 19).
  • Buff Back aerial's hits connect together better.
  • Nerf Up aerial has smaller hitboxes.
  • Buff Up aerial's second hit has increased knockback, granting it KO potential at high percentages.
  • Buff Clean down aerial has a longer duration (frame 12 → 12-13).
  • Nerf Down aerial deals less damage (14% (sweetspot)/13% (sourspot)/6% (landing) → 11% (attack)/3.5% (landing)) and has increased landing lag (15 frames → 28).

Throws/other attacks

  • Buff All grabs have increased ranges.
  • Buff Dash grab has decreased start-up lag (frame 10 → 8) and ending lag (frame 40 → 37). Pivot grab also has decreased start-up lag (frame 10 → 9).
  • Buff Pummel deals 0.2% more damage (3% → 3.2%).
  • Buff All throws transition faster, allowing less time for the opponent to DI effectively.
  • Change Down throw deals 2% less damage (6% → 4%). Due to its angle being altered (270° → 80°), down throw is also no longer a meteor smash. When coupled with the changes to hitstun canceling and the removal of chain grabbing, these changes significantly improve its combo potential at low to high percentages, but remove its tech-chasing potential.
  • Buff Front and back floor attacks deal 1% more damage (6% → 7%).

Special moves

  • Change Judge can now have the same number appear consecutively, instead of having to cycle through three subsequent swings.
  • Buff The 19% damage increase to shields and the increase to shieldstun significantly improve Judge 3 and Judge 9's shield pressuring potentials.
  • Buff The weakening of SDI makes Judge 5 significantly more difficult to escape from.
  • Buff Fire covers more vertical distance, improving its recovery potential.
  • Change Fire's animation changed. Mr. Game & Watch now descends in a choppy, frame-by-frame motion instead of a smooth, swaying motion.
  • Buff The removal of the grab release glitch allows Mr. Game & Watch to re-use Fire if he has been grabbed in midair.
  • Buff Oil Panic can now fill up multiple units at once upon absorbing a sufficiently strong projectile, significantly improving its reliability.
  • Change Aerial Oil Panic increases jump's height and floatiness when used immediately after a jump. However, it also no longer stalls Mr. Game & Watch.
  • Nerf The removal of momentum canceling removes Bucket Braking, significantly hindering Mr. Game & Watch's endurance.
  • Nerf Octopus deals 1% less damage (16% → 15%) and has a shorter duration (17 seconds → 15).
  • Change Octopus' visual effects have changed. It now emits the Final Smash aura throughout its duration.

Update history

Mr. Game & Watch has received a mix of buffs and nerfs via game updates. Update 1.0.6 hindered his up tilt's combo potential, but increased the frying pan hitbox for all variations of Chef. Update 1.0.8 noticeably improved down tilt by increasing its knockback to the point of granting it KO potential, and improved back aerial's spacing potential by decreasing its landing lag. The changes to shield mechanics brought about by updates 1.1.0 and 1.1.1 also indirectly buffed Mr. Game & Watch, as they make his moves that hit multiple times or have high damage outputs much more reliable at pressuring shields. Lastly, update 1.1.3 noticeably worsened Mr. Game & Watch's potential in doubles play by halving Oil Panic's damage output when it has absorbed a teammate's projectiles.

Super Smash Bros. 4 1.0.6

  • Nerf Up tilt's second hit's angle altered: 100° → 115°, hindering its combo potential.
  • Buff All variations of Chef have had their pan's hitbox size increased: 5.76u → 6.76u.

Super Smash Bros. 4 1.0.8

  • Buff Down tilt's knockback increased: 10 (base)/120 (scaling) → 40/125.
  • Buff Down tilt's windbox size increased: 9u → 10.5u.
  • Buff Back aerial's landing lag decreased: 24 frames → 19.

Super Smash Bros. 4 1.1.3

  • Nerf Oil Panic deals halved damage from absorbed teammates' projectiles.


Moveset

  Name Damage Description
Neutral attack   3% Rapidly presses an insecticide pump, pumping gas onto the opponent. Excellent for escaping pressure and hard to escape from. The last hit can KO at very high percents near the edge. Originates from Green House.
1% (loop), 2% (last)
Forward tilt   10% (clean chair), 9% (clean body), 4% (late) Thrusts a chair forward to hit with its legs. It is powerful and the chair is a fully disjointed hitbox. Has decent KO potential at high percents when clean, especially near the edge. Originates from Lion.
Up tilt   7% (hit 1), 7% (hit 2) Swings a flag overhead. Good as a follow-up from down throw, but its very small hitboxes make it inconsistent at connecting both hits. The second hit launches opponents upward and backward, which can combo into his back aerial at medium percents. Combos into itself with fast-fallers and heavyweights at lower percents. KOs at very high percentages. Originates from Flagman.
Down tilt   6% (clean), 1% (late) Flips a manhole. Has a windbox capable of juggling opponents from above, as well as destroy or derail projectiles with proper timing. It is a semi-spike and deals strong horizontal knockback, making it capable of KOing under 150% near the edge. Very useful for pushing recovering opponents high up, especially against those who cannot immediately grab the edge with their special moves, such as Little Mac and Cloud. Originates from Manhole.
Dash attack   10% (clean), 6.5% (late) Performs a sliding headbutt while wearing a helmet. It has good range and is very fast, sliding Mr. Game & Watch forward in a choppy frame-by-frame manner, making it difficult to react to. This move is a tool for both risky approaching and safe punishing. Low ending lag, good knockback, and high amount of active frames make it a decent KOing option near the edge and useful for edgeguarding before an opponent can grab the edge. Originates from Helmet.
Forward smash   18% (flame), 14% (handle) Swings a lit torch downward. The sweetspot is at the flame, while the sourspot is at the torch. Has a disjointed hitbox with great base knockback and even greater knockback scaling, as well as coming out relatively quickly and having good interruptibility. Its sweetspot KOs at 106%, while its sourspot KOs at 130%. Originates from Fire Attack.
Up smash   16% Performs an upward headbutt while wearing a diving helmet. The hitbox extends a short way above the helmet. Has noticeable start-up lag, but an invincibility frame window upon start-up. This lets Mr. Game & Watch perform a pseudo-counterattack against almost all attacks that hit him during start-up, which makes it good for interrupting aerial approaches or attacks. It also has low ending lag, making it a viable strategy to spam at KO percents. 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 downward and on both of his sides. Solid range. 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 interrupting ability can surprise people by using it again after a missed one. It is effective at edgeguarding 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. Multiple hitboxes enable it to covers every area except below him. This move deals 17% if all four hits are used, making it a potent down throw combo. It also combos into itself at mid-range percents. However, the hits fail to connect together at high percents, and the opponent will fall out. The last hit has moderate knockback, allowing it to KO at high percents, but only lasts for 1 frame. Originates from Tropical Fish.
Forward aerial   11.5% (clean), 6% (late) Swings a boxed package. A fully disjointed hitbox. Clean hit lasts for only a frame, and the weak hit can be used for a lock after a footstool. Can be used for edgeguarding at higher percents. Originates from the Game & Watch version of Mario Bros.
Back aerial   2% (hits 1-3), 3% (hit 4), 3% (landing) Swings a snapping turtle. A fully disjointed hitbox. If shielded, opponents often drop their shields too soon due to the turtle's hitlag causing it to have unexpected duration when it is landed. With proper spacing, it is quite safe on shield as well despite a lack of shieldstun. Can combo into itself up to 3 or even 4 times depending on opponent DI. The landing hitbox launches opponents vertically, while landing the final aerial hitbox launches opponents horizontally. Because of the last aerial hitbox's properties, it can be used for a wall of pain in conjunction with reverse aerial rush effectively. Originates from Turtle Bridge.
Up aerial   7% (hit 1), 9% (hit 2) Blows air upward 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, while its second hit has high knockback. Connecting both hits can KO from 70%-120%, although getting the second hit is difficult without proper alignment. Down throw into up air is a true kill confirm at specific percentage windows. Spamming this move can make it difficult for opponents to land. The wind hitbox can be used to help teammates with their vertical recovery, and can also be used to possibly gimp certain character's recoveries like Ness or Lucas' should they not be ready to change the direction of PK Thunder's arc. Originates from Spitball Sparky.
Down aerial   11% (attack), 3.5% (landing) Drops downward while holding a key beneath himself. A stall-then-fall, it meteor smashes powerfully on the first frames. Can be moved left or right a bit. While it can cause Mr. Game & Watch to self-destruct while using it off-stage, his effective recovery and the move being being slower than other stall-then-falls makes this unlikely. It is a safe option when edgeguarding and has KO potential at high percents. Originates from the Game & Watch version of Donkey Kong Jr.
Grab   Reaches out. Originates from Mario's Cement Factory.
Pummel   3.2% Hits the opponent with a bell. It is tied with Luigi's as the fourth most damaging pummel in the game, but is also the fourth slowest pummel in the game. Originates from the Game & Watch's alarm feature.
Forward throw   8% Juggles the opponent and tosses them forward. Originates from Ball.
Back throw   8% Juggles the opponent and tosses them backward. Originates from Ball.
Up throw   8% Juggles the opponent and tosses them upward. Combos into Fire, as well as up aerial and rarely neutral aerial at low percents. This makes it good for short, high damage burst combos early on. Originates from Ball.
Down throw   4% Juggles the opponent and drops them downward. Deals half as much damage as the other throws, but makes up for this with its impressive combo potential. Combos include neutral attack (on fast-fallers), forward tilt, up tilt (on floaty characters) and down tilt from 0% to low percents, up smash, Judge, and Oil Panic from low to medium percents, neutral and up aerials from medium to high percents, and Fire at high percents. Guaranteed follow-ups stop around 130%, though up aerial can KO at high percents if the opponent's reaction is read. Despite its lower damage output, it KOs most of the cast earlier than his up throw does on Final Destination. Originates from Ball.
Floor attack (front)   7% Swings a hammer downward in front of himself and then behind himself. It is very fast. Originates from Vermin.
Floor attack (back)   7% Swings a hammer downward in behind himself and then in front of himself. Originates from Vermin.
Floor attack (trip)   5% Swings a hammer downward in front of himself and then behind himself. Originates from Vermin.
Edge attack   7% Swings a bell forward while climbing up. Originates from the Game & Watch's alarm feature.
Neutral special Default Chef 5% (pan), 4% (bacon/steak/shrimp/fish) Flips food out of a frying pan. Moves slowly through the air in varying arcs. The food can be used defensively to cancel attack animations of opponents as a zoning tool as well as to prevent aerial approaches and can be used for edgeguarding against opponents with linear recoveries. Hitting with the pan itself is much more rewarding when edgeguarding, as the pan is a semi-spike and can gimp opponents with short-ranged recoveries, such as Ganondorf.
Custom 1 XXL Chef 2% (pan), 9% (bacon), 8% (steak), 7% (shrimp/fish) Flips a single, large piece of food that deals more damage, but each flip takes significantly longer, while the food projectiles travel much slower. Bacon has some vertical KO potential at very high percents. Each flip visibly shakes the screen.
Custom 2 Short-Order Chef 0.5% (pan), 2% (bacon), 1.5% (steak), 1% (shrimp/fish) Flips three weaker food out of a frying pan in front of the player very quickly, opening a zoning and approach option. Fish cause 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 is strong enough to be a virtual one-hit KO. An infamous follow-up from his down throw, but timing for a true combo is very strict.
  • Judge 1: An extremely weak swing that does not make the opponent flinch. It is the least damaging Judge attack and deals 12% recoil damage regardless of whether or not it hits.
  • Judge 2: A weak swing that deals minimal knockback. It has a 20% chance of tripping the opponent.
  • Judge 3: A weak swing, although it launches the opponent backward. It deals significant shield damage.
  • Judge 4: A swing that has a slash effect and launches opponents diagonally forward.
  • Judge 5: A swing that has an electric effect and hits multiple times.
  • Judge 6: A swing that has a flame effect and is a semi-spike. Has the second strongest knockback of all Judge attacks.
  • Judge 7: A swing that deals moderate knockback and produces an apple if it hits the opponent. The apple heals 4%.
  • Judge 8: A swing that has a freeze effect and deals very low knockback. Emits the "ping" sound effect that is usually associated with one-hit KOs.
  • Judge 9: An extremely powerful swing that deals very high knockback. It is the most damaging Judge attack and emits the "ping" sound effect like Judge 8. Similar in nature to a charged swing from the Home-Run Bat, but the hit's base knockback is much lower, which makes it generally unable to KO at extremely low percents.
Custom 1 Extreme Judge 5%/23% (Varies) Only chooses numbers 1 and 9, though with less extreme effects for each.
  • Judge 1: Deals 5% 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 displayed equals the number of hits the attack will deal. The initial hits trap opponents while the final hit knocks opponents away, making the move more consistent at the cost of limiting its range of effects.
Up special Default Fire 6% Jumps off a trampoline and then descends while wearing a parachute. Capable of canceling into any move when falling. Has KO potential at high percents 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. The move can also be used as a possible follow-up option after up throw at low percentages against fast-fallers and heavyweights.
Custom 1 Heavy Trampoline 16% (clean), 10% (late) The jump deals more damage, but grants less height.
Custom 2 Trampoline Launch 12% (near), 8% (far) Functions like a traditional recovery move, as Mr. Game & Watch simply jumps and deals damage. The jump grants more height, deals more damage and has KO potential at high percents near the upper blast line, but has no parachute or lasting hitbox.
Down special Default Oil Panic Based on absorbed attacks Holds an oil drum, which absorbs energy-based projectiles. Once three units are absorbed, it turns into a powerful attack consisting of Mr. Game & Watch sending out a large splash of oil from his oil drum. It has very minimal start-up lag that inflicts 2.8× the accumulated damage of the absorbed attacks, capping to 60%. OHKOs when it inflicts 60%. Despite its appearance, the oil spill is not a projectile and thus cannot be reflected.
Custom 1 Efficient Panic Based on absorbed attacks The oil drum only requires one projectile to be completely filled and has less ending lag when a projectile is absorbed, but the oil spill is weaker and has less range.
Custom 2 Panic Overload Based on absorbed attacks The oil spill is bigger and slower, but the oil drum's absorption radius is smaller.
Final Smash Octopus 15% Transforms into the large octopus that appears in its eponymous game, Octopus. It lasts for 15 seconds and damage is dealt on contact, while its range can be increased by pressing the attack button. Its front tentacles have the highest maximum range, and vice versa. The Octopus is also able to float on top of water during its use, and can fast-fall.
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%

On-screen appearance

  • Moves along a row of Game & Watch LCD frames until reaching the foreground.
Mr.Game&WatchOnScreenAppearanceSSB4.gif

Taunts

  • Up taunt: Rings his bell at a high angle. Originates from the Game & Watch's alarm feature.
  • Side taunt: Rings his bell at a low angle. Like his up taunt, it originates from the Game & Watch's alarm feature.
  • Down taunt: Sits down and sighs. Originates from the Game & Watch version of Mario Bros. when Mario and Luigi finished a level.
Up taunt Side taunt Down taunt
Mr. Game &amp; Watch's up taunt in Smash 4 Mr. Game &amp; Watch's side taunt in Smash 4 Mr. Game &amp; Watch's down taunt in Smash 4

Idle poses

  • Hops in place.
  • Briefly looks behind himself.
MrGame&WatchIdlePose1WiiU.jpg MrGame&WatchIdlePose2WiiU.jpg

Crowd cheer

English Japanese
Cheer
Description Game and Watch! Game and Watch!
Pitch Group chant Group chant

Victory poses

An original flourished medley based on the typical beeping noises emitted by Game & Watch characters and/or objects.
  • Happily hops about in choppy poses, tripping halfway, before teetering on one foot.
  • Rings his bell.
  • Jumps up and down in the air.
Mr.Game&WatchPose1WiiU.gif Mr.Game&WatchPose2WiiU.gif Mr.Game&WatchPose3WiiU.gif

In competitive play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character Custom sets available
Mr. Game &amp; Watch's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Mr. Game & Watch 3331 3321 3311 1331 1321
1311 3323 3131 2331 2311

Notable players

Tier placement and history

Since the early metagame, Mr. Game & Watch has maintained a mixed perception in regard to his tier placement and viability, due to the fact that he had been nerfed overall in his transition from Brawl. Players acknowledged his heavily damaging combos, raw power and having one of the best recoveries in the game, but also his very light weight, lackluster range and sub-par grab game. Mr. Game & Watch's results had always been rather obscure until EVO 2015, where Regi placed 13th (out of 1,926 entrants), and opinions of his potential became more positive over time due to some decent results brought by GimR as well. This led him to being ranked 35th on the first 4BR tier list.

However, Mr. Game & Watch's overall tournament results and representation still remain rather low in competitive play, even with the recent high placings of KOSSismoss and Regi's relatively higher placing of 17th (out of 2,662 entrants) at EVO 2016. Regardless, these results allowed Mr. Game & Watch to only negligibly drop to 37th on the second tier list, a drop attributable to the inclusion of Corrin and Bayonetta, due to their absence from the first tier list. Despite these traits, and due to the fact his tournament success have dropped compared to summer 2016, he dropped to 40th on the third tier list, before rising to 39th on the fourth and current tier list; while his results remain scarce, his rather high placings have allowed him not to drop significantly on the tier list, and he has oficially become a mid-tier character due to the expansion of the tiers in the fourth tier list.

Trophies

Mr. Game & Watch
Ntsc Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS 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.
Ntsc Super Smash Bros. for Wii U 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.
Pal 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.

In Event Matches

Solo Events

  • All-Star Battle: Melee: Mr. Game & Watch is one of the opponents fought in this event. All of the opponents debuted in Melee.
  • Great Fox Defense: As Falco, the player must defeat three Mr. Game & Watches without allowing a single one to land on the stage. The first Mr. Game & Watch has 3 stocks on Easy, 5 on Normal and 7 on Hard. The second Mr. Game & Watch has 2 stocks on Easy, 3 on Normal and 5 on Hard. The third Mr. Game & Watch has 1 stock on Easy, 2 on Normal and 4 on Hard.
  • That Elusive 9: Mr. Game & Watch must defeat a metal Mr. Game & Watch by using Judge 9.

Co-op Events

  • Flat Fracas: Wario and Mr. Game & Watch must defeat "Game & Watch" versions of Mario and Giant Donkey Kong in a 1 stock battle.
  • Keep 'Em off the Ship!: Fox and Falco must defeat four Mr. Game & Watches without allowing a single one to land on the stage. The first Mr. Game & Watch has 4 stocks on Easy, 8 on Normal and 11 on Hard. The second Mr. Game & Watch has 5 stocks on Easy, 9 on Normal and 12 on Hard. The third Mr. Game & Watch has 4 stocks on Easy, 7 on Normal and 9 on Hard. The fourth Mr. Game & Watch has 3 stocks on Easy, 6 on Normal and 8 on Hard.
  • Secret Smash: Mr. Game & Watch and Duck Hunt must defeat another Duck Hunt and Mr. Game & Watch.
  • The Ultimate Battle: Two players select a character and must defeat the entire roster.
  • Unlikely Allies: Ganondorf and Palutena must defeat sixteen Mr. Game & Watches.

Alternate costumes

Mr. Game & Watch Palette (SSB4).png
Mr. Game &amp; Watch's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. MrGame&WatchHeadRedSSB4-U.png MrGame&WatchHeadYellowSSB4-U.png MrGame&WatchHeadBlueSSB4-U.png MrGame&WatchHeadTealSSB4-U.png MrGame&WatchHeadCyanSSB4-U.png MrGame&WatchHeadGreenSSB4-U.png MrGame&WatchHeadWhiteSSB4-U.png

Gallery

Trivia

  • Mr. Game & Watch's official artwork in Super Smash Bros. 4 is the first in the series to feature him without his bell.
    • It is also the only one to not feature an item in his hands, as his Ultimate iteration has the flag from his up tilt.
  • Mr. Game & Watch is the first and only veteran to be officially shown but not confirmed before Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS's release, due to him having been revealed in Pac-Man's trailer.
    • Mr. Game & Watch is one of three characters to have been teased before their official reveal, with 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 an outline of his own, Mr. Game & Watch does not use a black outline like the rest of the characters in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS. As a result, it is his gray and white outline that changes colors to denote his 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 has many various animations in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS that are different in comparison to how they appear in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
  • In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, Mr. Game & Watch does his hopping idle pose, rather than a taunt, after choosing a path in Classic Mode.
  • Mr. Game & Watch, Wii Fit Trainer, and Bayonetta are the only three characters to have special charging sounds for their smash attacks, with his being a low-pitched beeping noise.
    • He is also the only veteran with this trait.
  • Mr. Game & Watch and R.O.B. are the only unlockable veterans in both versions to appear in a newcomer's poster art.
    • Mr. Game & Watch and Lucina are the only unlockable characters to appear in more than one newcomer's poster art.
  • Although he lacks visible eyes, Mr. Game & Watch's character select screen portrait in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U still emits the small sparkle effect when he is selected, with the sparkle appearing where his eyes would be positioned.