Ness (SSB4)

Ness in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	EarthBound
Other playable appearances	in SSB in Melee in Brawl
Availability	Unlockable (3DS) Starter (Wii U)
Final Smash	PK Starstorm
Tier	B (16)

Ness (ネス, Ness) returns as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. Ness was officially confirmed on October 3rd, 2014, alongside Falco and Wario, coinciding with the the North American and European release of Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

As in every previous Smash Bros. installation, Ness is voiced by Makiko Ōmoto, who has now recorded new voice clips for both versions of the game.

Ness currently ranks 16th on the SSB4 tier list, resting in the B tier. This is a vast improvement from his 26th out of 38 in Brawl, and his best placement over previous Smash Bros. games. Ness no longer suffers from having 10 extra grab release frames, which was a huge detriment to his survival. Asides that, Ness's assets are his numerous powerful and effective projectiles and formidable combo game in his aerials. He also sports what are arguably some of the game's most powerful throws. However, Ness has below-average mobility and attack speed, weak attacks on the ground, and his recovery remains quite gimpable. Despite having a very poor matchup against Rosalina, Ness's favorable traits have led him to be used by many top players, such as FOW, and has seen strong tournament success as a result.

How to unlock

Complete one of the following:

• Play 10 VS Matches.
• Clear Classic Mode on any difficulty.

After completing one of the two methods, Ness must then be defeated on Magicant.

In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Ness is playable from the start.

Attributes

Ness is an unusual blend of character archetypes, being a short, projectile-heavy character with a lot of versatility with his moves. Ness's weight is average and his falling speed is rather slow, giving him no disadvantage with weight alone. His walking speed is slow while his dashing speed and air speed are both sub-par, but his air acceleration is very high.

Ness possesses three projectiles: PK Flash, PK Fire, and PK Thunder. While PK Flash is very powerful, it has little mobility, a massive amount of startup, and is generally only used as a situational edgeguard. PK Fire is fairly quick, possesses a good amount of range, and the projectile holds opponents in it when it hits them, allowing Ness free follow-ups as long as he acts quickly enough. PK Thunder is one of the more unique projectiles in the game. When used, the player will lose control of Ness and instead take control of a large thunder ball for a few seconds. PK Thunder can essentially be used to knock opponents towards Ness for follow ups or juggle opponents. The knockback it provides can also hit an opponent over the upper blast line, allowing it to be used as a very situational KO move as well, and it can allow him to use the powerful PK Thunder 2. His down special move, PSI Magnet, provides a psychic shield that can heal him when hit with an energy based attack, however, it does contain a bit of starting and ending lag.

Ness's biggest strength is found in his superb aerial game. All of Ness's aerial moves can be used to either combo, space, or KO. All except down aerial are capable of auto-canceling in a short hop. His neutral aerial possesses very little startup and ending lag, and hits on both sides of Ness, making it a very useful out of shield option. His forward aerial has quick startup, a large, disjointed hitbox, and traps opponents, essentially allowing it to chain into either itself or another move. It is a powerful spacing tool and very useful in approaching opponents. His up aerial can be used to combo at lower percents and KO reliably at higher percents. It possesses a large hitbox and little lag, allowing it to be of low risk to use. His back aerial is another reliable KO move that possesses low lag. His down aerial has long range and can be useful in edgeguarding and breaking juggles, although it has significant startup in comparison to his other aerials.

While Ness's aerial make him a formidable fighter at close quarters, he can also pressure from afar. His dash attack has an exceptionally long range and is useful to approach. PK Fire covers a lot of ground and can be used to perform a PK Jump, which has amazing range and is very rewarding, yet very risky.

Ness's grab game is also very strong. His standing grab has decent range and is fast, his pivot grab is surprisingly disjointed and his dash grab gives him a substantial speed boost. Also, Ness can easily trap careless opponents with aforementioned PK Fire and PK Jump in order to set up for a grab combo. Ness possesses one of the fastest pummels in the game, allowing him to deal a decent amount of damage before throwing. His down throw easily sets up for aerial attacks, leading into a forward air at lower percents (which can be used multiple times by following the opponent's DI) or an up air at higher percents. Ness's forward throw has very high base knockback and can set up edgeguards. Up throw can be used to play situational mindgames with PK Thunder. Ness's infamous back throw is the strongest throw in the game; while it has very low base knockback, it has extremely high knockback growth and is often regarded as his most effective and commonly used KO option.

Ness is not completely infallible, however. He possesses below average speed in both the ground and the air, making it hard for him to chase faster opponents. His ground game is also generally weak as he possesses weak and short-ranged tilt attacks. His smash attacks are also lackluster. While his up smash can be used as an out of shield option and his down smash as a situational edgeguard, both KO considerably later than his other KO options in a neutral situation, and his forward smash, while very powerful, possesses high ending lag and is easily punishable if it misses. Ness's biggest flaw, however, is his recovery. While there have been various buffs to his recovery that make it much more reliable and viable than in previous Smash games, it is still relatively easy to gimp for characters with multiple jumps, such as Jigglypuff, Kirby and Meta Knight, or with moves that reflect or absorb, such as Rosalina, Fox, Villager, and Pit.

Custom moves can give Ness great advantages and brand new options. PK Freeze can freeze opponents, allowing free follow-ups, especially with PK Fire. PK Fire Burst has more range and power and always goes straight, making it a spacing tool rather than a combo tool. Lasting PK Thunder goes right through opponents and moves slower, allowing for better control. Recovery with PK Thunder 2 is also longer, significantly impriving Ness' offstage survivability. Forward PSI Magnet is the same, but has a semi-spike hitbox in front of Ness, functioning similar to Fox's Reflector. Finally, if the opponent has no energy projectiles, PSI Vortex is the optimal choice, as it draws opponents in and is the strongest of Ness's down special moves.

Overall, Ness is viewed as a very potent character in tournament play. He is believed to have a very solid matchup spread, with Rosalina and Luma and perhaps Villager being the only characters that truly counter him solidly.

Changes from Brawl

Ness has been heavily buffed in the transition from Brawl to SSB4. His 10 extra frame grab-release animation, which was one of his most detrimental flaws, has been removed, and many of the other flaws he had have been addressed. Ness also greatly benefits from the general changes of SSB4, as the new edge-trumping mechanic makes his recovery much harder to gimp, and the changes to hitstun canceling allows him to combo with his moves much more efficiently. Overall, Ness is significantly better than he ever was in previous Super Smash Bros. games and he has also seen very strong tournament results as a result of his vast improvement.

Aesthetics

• Ness has a brighter color palette, and has lost the blushes on his cheeks and the purple hue in his eyes. He is also has slightly taller and thinner, with a smaller and more proportionate head, and a smaller backpack. He also lacks the partial yellow stripe that he had at the bottom of his shirt.
• Ness has become more expressive, like most other characters.

Attributes

• Ness dashes faster (1.39 → 1.46265).
• Ness walks slightly faster (0.86 → 0.8635).
• Ness no longer has an extra 10 frames of lag from being grab-released, bringing him in line with everyone else, and making him significantly less vulnerable to grab-release follow-ups.
• All of Ness's electric attacks except for his specials are now a normal effect except for his back aerial's sweetspot, as it is actually a magic effect, so they no longer have the 1.5 freeze frames multiplier. They use a graphic effect similar to Lucas's attacks (forward aerial, up smash, etc.) instead of using the same graphic effect as his double jump.
• The changes in shieldstun makes some of his attacks slightly less safe on shield compared to the cast.

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack deals 1% less damage (9% → 8%).
• Dash attack now launches at a vertical trajectory in front of Ness (80°) instead of behind him (100°), making followups easier.
• Dash attack has more intense lighting effects.
• Forward tilt does 2% less damage un-angled (11% → 9%) and 1% less damage when angled (11% → 10%).
• Up tilt has more range.
• Up tilt starts up slightly slower (frame 5 → 7).
• Up tilt's animation is more similar to that of Smash 64.
• Up tilt's sweetspot now has a magic sound effect instead of a punching sound effect.
• Down tilt now has a sourspot at the end of Ness's foot that deals 2% less damage (4% → 2%).
• Forward smash has much more knockback (50 base/62 growth → 70 base/67 growth).
• Forward smash deals less damage, and its reflector now has a limit, where if he tries to reflect a projectile that is too strong to reflect, Ness will experience about 300 frames (5 seconds) of ending lag.
• Forward smash has more head movements compared to Brawl, and Ness also places the bat in his backpack during the end of the animation.
• Yo-yo smashes (up smash and down smash) now deal properly-increased damage when charged and are now stronger.
• Yo-yo smashes are charged while still in Ness's hand, removing their pre-charge hitboxes.
• Yo-yo is colored green instead of yellow.
• Up smash now has a small hitbox behind Ness that comes out on frame 6. While this new hitbox is considered a sourspot, dealing less damage and knockback, it is a buff as it puts out a hitbox earlier and covers his back during startup, strengthening the up smash's use as an out of shield option.

Aerial attacks

• Neutral aerial's hitbox is shorter in duration.
• Forward aerial's individual hits now chain significantly better, and can now result in multiple forward aerials in a row, improving Ness's combo and damage capabilities.
• Forward aerial deals 4% less damage (11% → 7%) along with significantly more landing lag (12 frames → 20 frames).
• Back aerial has moderately increased landing lag (12 frames → 17 frames).
• Back aerial has more range.
• Up aerial has slightly more landing lag (12 frames → 14 frames).
• Down aerial has more range. Down aerial sourspot deals 1% more damage (9% → 10%).
• Down aerial's sweetspot and sourspot have drastically decreased base knockback (90/90 → 20/30), with sourspot now being incapable of KOing at realistic percentage. The meteor smash is much harder to hit with and the autocancel window is now a massive 21 frames later in the animation. Its sourspot is also moderately slower (frame 21 → 28), and as a result, it is generally inferior to his other aerials.
• Down aerial has an extra spin in its animation, with Ness facing at a different orientation as he kicks downward with his toes instead of his heel.
• Down aerial uses the magic sound effect on hit instead of a Kick Sound Effect in Brawl.

Throws/other attacks

• Pivot grab's range is now large and disjointed.
• Pivot grab comes out slower.
• Pummel is faster.
• Up throw's ending lag has been significantly decreased and its base knockback has been significantly increased, now being able to KO at 160%.
• The changes to hitstun canceling significantly benefits down throw, as he can now use it to set up into his aerials much more effectively.
• Down throw does less damage (9% → 7%).
• Down throw has PSI graphics added to its fire graphics, akin to Zelda's down throw.

Special moves

• PK Flash travels faster. It travels even faster and gains even more distance if directed behind Ness. Turning around before using this move might prove useful, depending on prediction.
• PK Flash is of a much darker green color.
• PK Fire travels slightly farther.
• PK Fire has 1 more frame of ending lag. It now travels much farther back to Ness if reflected rather than petering out after traveling its set distance.
• PK Fire's effect after hitting an opponent produces darker colored flames and more smoke.
• When interrupted whilst starting up PK Fire, Ness stops reciting the attack's name.
• PK Thunder travels faster, has less cooldown, a larger hitbox, travels in a drastically tighter arc and goes through opponents until the tail disconnects from Ness, making him less susceptible to being gimped. PK Thunder 2 is faster, and when Ness bounces off a wall while recovering with it, he can initiate PK Thunder again during the bounce.
• PK Thunder 2 has increased ending lag.
• PK Thunder and PSI Magnet are now light blue like in Melee.
• PSI Magnet has significantly less ending lag, with Ness now being able to act out of it much quicker. It's also larger, increasing its range.
• PSI Magnet swirls projectiles around it, causing a slight delay until Ness can actually be healed. If Ness were to drop PSI Magnet and/or be launched, the absorbed projectiles may take even longer to reach him, but they will still heal him eventually.
• The swirling of captured attacks by PSI Magnet utterly nullifies even projectiles that would continue past Ness, including Thoron and Pikachu's Thunder.
• PK Starstorm now fires a thin, aimable line of meteors from the top-center of the stage, similar to how Aura Storm functioned. This enables it to deal damage more reliably at the cost of having blind spots.
• PK Starstorm has now a flame effect instead of an electric effect.

Version exclusives

• Ness only uses his scowling expression during PK Starstorm.

Update history

Ness has been slightly nerfed overall in game updates. His most notable nerfs are the reduced damage output to his down throw and PK Fire having slightly more endlag, both of which slightly weaken his versatile grab game. The changes to shield mechanics also hamper him slightly due to the majority of his non PSI-based moves having a rather low damage output. Ness has also got some other useful buffs, however, such as a faster PSI Magnet and his down aerial having a bigger hitbox and lasts one more frame (though it's still his least useful aerial), and while the buffs do not truly compensate for his nerfs, he remains a strong character.

1.0.4

• The period Ness can be at his maximum fall speed before using hard landing lag has been lengthened: 4 → 5 frames.
• PK Thunder and all custom variations have 6 frames more ending lag.
• Down throw's five hits have gained additional hitboxes, allowing them to hit Mr. Game & Watch.
• Down throw's five hits before release deal less damage: 1% → 0.6%.
• Down throw's release has increased knockback: 90 base/30 growth → 70/80, hindering its combo ability at high percents.

1.0.6

• Forward smash now makes a hit-sound when projectiles are reflected.
• Screen shakes more violently when down throw is used.

1.0.8

• Ending lag of PSI Magnet significantly reduced.

1.1.0

• Down aerial's meteor hitbox size increased (3.5u → 3.9u) and lasts an additional frame.
• PK Fire has 1 more frame of endlag.

1.1.1

• Portions of Rising PK Flash knockback growth increased: 30 → 80.
• Rising PK Flash has less base knockback: 80 → 50.
• Rising PK Flash's first hitbox duration decreased: 3 → 2.
• Rising PK Flash minimum charge increased.
• Rising PK Flash range increased: 10 → 13.
• PK Freeze range increased: 10 → 11.
• PK Fire Burst damage on hit increased 1% → 2%. Damage on trigger increased 8% → 9%, hits sooner smaller size and closer.

1.1.3

• PSI Magnet heals halved damage from absorbing teammates' projectiles.

Moveset

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			2%	Ness punches twice, then kicks. Can be used to jab reset.
			2%
			4%
Forward tilt	↗		10%	Ness kicks with a foot forward. If angled, it does 1% more damage and has slightly more knockback growth. Can jab lock at low percents.
	→		9%
	↘		10%
Up tilt			7% (sweetspot) 5% (sourspot)	Ness pushes upward with both hands that produces a PSI spark. Has a sourpot located on his hands that deals 5%.
Down tilt			4% (sweetspot), 2% (sourspot)	Ness swiftly kicks out in front of him. Extremely spammable and can be used to jab reset. Has a sourspot located on the tip of his foot. Has a chance of making the opponent trip.
Dash attack			4% (hit 1), 7% (hit 1 aerial), 2% (hit 2), 4% (hit 3)	Ness sends three PSI sparks out in front of him with the third spark knocking the opponent up into the air. The first spark will do 7% damage to aerial targets and 4% damage to opponents on the ground. Good to set up juggles. Difficult to punish on shield if only the last hit connects.
Forward smash			18% (low), 20% (mid), 22% (tip); 2x damage (reflected projectiles)	Ness swings his bat. It's one of the strongest forward smashes in the game when sweetspotted at the tip of the bat, but it has some start-up and ending lag. The bat itself will reflect incoming projectiles when he swings it. However, reflecting a projectile that is too strong to reflect can cause him to have a terrible 5 second endlag, making it incredibly unsafe if the opponent is nearby.
Up smash			9%-13%	Ness sends his yo-yo forward and performs "around-the-world" over himself. A decent anti-air and a good out of shield option if the opponent is behind Ness.
Down smash			1%,1%,10%,1%,1%,10%	Ness sends his yo-yo backwards and "walks-the-cat" with it before pulling the yo-yo back. Covers get up options well.
Neutral aerial			11% (clean), 7% (late)	Ness spins diagonally in the air with his arms outstretched. Quick, and acts like a sex kick. Can be followed-up after a down throw. Rather useful to break combos and as an out of shield option.
Forward aerial			1% (hit 1-3) 4% (hit 4)	Ness sticks his palms out, sending a stream of PSI sparks in front of him. Decently safe on shield if Ness retreats during the attack, useful to start and continue combos.
Back aerial			15% (clean), 8% (late)	Ness kicks out backwards with both feet. The initial hit is a very strong KO move.
Up aerial			13%	Ness swings his head upwards in an arc. A very good KO move due to its quick start-up and high knockback. It can also act as a combo starter at low percents.
Down aerial			12% (sweetspot), 10% (sourspot)	Ness pulls his legs to his body before stomping down into the air, producing a PSI spark. This attack can meteor smash on the first frame. Slow start up as it comes out on frame 20 and has lots of landing lag. It autocancels before the hitbox comes out, making it useful to cancel the tumble animation when Ness is near the ground.
Grab			—	Grabs with both hands. Fast and has decent range.
Pummel			1.2%	Ness quickly headbutts the opponent. Very fast.
Forward throw			11%	Ness psychokinetically swings his opponent in a small circle in front of himself before sending them off forward. Very high base knockback, but incredibly low growth, KOing at percents generally not even seen in a standard match (starting at around 850%).
Back throw			11%	Ness psychokinetically swings the opponent over his head before sending them off backwards, in a diagonally upwards motion. Possesses very low base knockback but incredibly high knockback growth. It is the strongest throw in the game, KOing Bowser, the heaviest character in the game, with optimal DI at 122% near the ledge without rage.
Up throw			10%	Ness psychokinetically spins the opponent above his head before sending them up. Can easily lead into PK Thunder.
Down throw			0.6% (hits 1-5), 4% (final hit)	Ness throws his opponent onto the ground and scorches them with PK Fire. A good combo starter, having guaranteed follow-ups into neutral aerial, forward aerial and up aerial.
Floor attack (front)			7%
Floor attack (back)			7%
Floor attack (trip)			5%
Edge attack			7%	Ness flips onto the stage and does a sweep kick.
Neutral special	Default	PK Flash	9%-37%	A sphere of green light appears above Ness. As the attack button is held, the sphere moves downwards and increases in power, until the attack button is released or until it is fully charged, it explodes. Can KO as low 37% fully charged.
	Custom 1	Rising PK Flash	8%-24%	Ness creates a magenta colored PK Flash that keeps rising, hence the name. Has minimal control and deals less damage, but has a larger hitbox.
	Custom 2	PK Freeze	10%-19%	Inflicts less damage, but freezes opponents. Works like Lucas's neutral special, except with the same movement as PK Flash.
Side special	Default	PK Fire	4% (lightning), 2% (fire)	Ness fires a yellow, lightning-bolt shaped projectile, that travels in a straight line until it hits an enemy or destructible portion of a stage, at which point it explodes into a gradually-fading pillar of fire, making said enemy vulnerable. Fires at a downward 50 degree angle if used in the air.
	Custom 1	PK Bonfire	2% (lightning), 3%-5% (fire)	The lightning-bolt doesn't travel as far, but the flame pillar is stronger and it sticks around longer. Has less combo potential due to its increased ending lag.
	Custom 2	PK Fire Burst	2% (lightning), 9% (fire)	Releases a single flame when it hits and knocks opponents farther. It will always travel horizontally even when used in the air, similar to Lucas's variant of PK Fire. It also travels further distance.
Up special	Default	PK Thunder	8% (PK Thunder), 1% (Thunder's tail), 25% (PK Thunder 2 initial hitbox), 21% (PK Thunder 2 late hitbox)	Ness creates a stream of lightning that can be aimed into opponents to deal damage with the head and stun with the tail. Aiming the head into Ness himself will launch him in a trajectory opposite to the side he was hit on, which is referred to as PK Thunder 2. PK Thunder 2 has invincibility frames during the first half of the move.
	Custom 1	Lasting PK Thunder	7% (PK Thunder), 1% (Thunder's tail), 1.5% (PK Thunder 2, each hit), 10% (PK Thunder 2, last hit)	Functions identically to Lucas's counterpart, with tighter turning and both the projectile and Ness piercing enemies. Deals less damage, but launches Ness further. The thunder is dark purple instead of blue.
	Custom 2	Rolling PK Thunder	12% (PK Thunder), 1% (Thunder's tail), 30% (PK Thunder 2)	Creates a slower, yet larger mint green colored PK Thunder. Both the projectile and Ness do more damage and knockback. However, the distance Ness moves with PK Thunder 2 is significantly shorter, making this a high-risk, high-reward move.
Down special	Default	PSI Magnet	0%	Ness creates a purple energy field around him which allows him to absorb any energy-based projectile (Like Samus' Charge Shot). It can be held in order to use it repeatedly.
	Custom 1	PSI Vacuum	10%	Ness draws opponents in, releasing an explosion that damages nearby foes when the move is released. It cannot absorb projectiles.
	Custom 2	Forward PSI Magnet	9%	Ness draws his Magnet in front of him, just like Lucas's version. It damages an opponent inside the magnet when the move is released.
Final Smash		PK Starstorm	8% per hit	Ness summons stars to fall from the sky to annihilate his enemies. The comets descend in a straight line over Ness and can sweep the screen with directional inputs to the left and right.

On-screen appearance

• Ness teleports on the screen using PSI Teleport. He then shakes the ash off of his body.

Taunts

• Up taunt: Ness turns to the screen and nods his head while saying "Okay".
• Side taunt: Ness takes his bat out and points it in front of him.
• Down taunt: Ness releases a wave of PSI from his finger while shouting.

Up taunt	Side taunt	Down taunt

Idle poses

• Looks around curiously.
• Closes his eyes and places his fingers on his forehead, concentrating his PSI, and then points it forward.

Crowd cheer

	English	Japanese
Cheer
Description	Su-per Ness!	Ness! Ness! Ness!
Pitch	Group chant	Group chant

Victory poses

A flourished remix directly from Brawl. It is a sped-up remix of a portion of the title theme from the original MOTHER for the Famicom.

• Skips in place and then nods similar to his up taunt.
• Ness looks to his sides quickly before facing the screen, putting his hand on the back of his head. (His movements when doing this are more subtle than in previous games).
• Swings his bat multiple times, then points it forward.

In competitive play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character	Custom sets available
Ness	1112	1121	1122	1311	1312
	1321	1322	1212	2111	1113

Notable players

Active

•  Awestin
•  ATARi
•  Deimos
•  DSS
•  FOW
•  Fsann
•  Gakuto
•  KennyPu
•  Mik!
•  NAKAT
•  Ribs
•  S1-14
•  Shaky
• SS
•  taranito
•  Lukitu

Inactive

•  Greward
•  Elshino

Trophies

Ness

Hailing from Onett, a small town in Eagleland, this young boy's ordinary looks hide his psychic powers. Ness fought against the evil Giygas in Earthbound, and in Smash Bros. he unleashes some of the same PSI moves. Watch out for PK Thunder, a guided attack that can also launch Ness like a rocket!

From Onett in Eageland comes this young lad. He may not look like much, but he has powerful psychic abilities, and they really come in handy in EarthBound. They come in handy in this game, too. Did you know you can control his PK Thunder bolt? Aim it at Ness himself to send him flying, absolutely clobbering anyone in his path!

: EarthBound -- 06/1995

: Mother 1+2 -- 2003 (JP)

Ness (Alt.)

Ness may have psychic powers, but that doesn't mean he shies away from getting physical. His side smash packs a real punch if you hit enemies with the end of his bat, and it can even deflect projectiles! His up and down smashes also have a lot of range - Ness can land his strikes with ease!

Ness may have psychic powers, but that doesn't mean he shies away from getting physical. His side smash packs a real punch if you hit enemies with the end of his bat, and it can even reflect projectiles! His up and down smashes have a lot of range, meaning when you play as Ness, it's always easy to land hits on your foes!

: EarthBound -- 06/1995

: Mother 1+2 -- 2003 (JP)

PK Starstorm

In EarthBound, this PSI ability belonged to Poo, the Crown Prince of Dalaam and one of Ness's friends. Ness must have learned it especially for Smash Bros.! The attack makes a shower of meteors fall onto the stage, damaging any foes it hits. While the attack's in progress, Ness is invincible and can adjust the meteors' trajectory.

• 

  Classic (3DS)

• 

  Alt. (3DS)

• 

  Classic (Wii U)

• 

  Alt. (Wii U)

• 

  PK Starstorm

In Event Matches

Solo Events

• All-Star Battle: Secret: Ness is one of the opponents fought in this event. All opponents are characters that have been unlockable in previous Super Smash Bros. games.
• It's Past Your Bedtime!: As Jigglypuff, the player must make Ness, Bowser Jr. and Toon Link fall asleep at the same time by using Sing.
• Playing Tricks: Ness must bury two Villagers at the same time with Pitfalls.

Co-op Events

• The Ultimate Battle: Two players select a character and must defeat the entire roster.
• Visiting Onett: Ness and Villager must defeat Kirby, Meta Knight, Fox, Falco, Olimar, and Rosalina & Luma.

Alternate costumes

Gallery

• 

  Ness's amiibo.

• 

  Posing with Jeff.

• 

  Posing with Pikachu.

• 

  Showing off his yo-yo.

• 

  Posing with Toon Link.

• 

  Posing next to Mr. Saturn.

• 

  Attacking Sheik with PK Thunder.

• 

  Using PK Starstorm.

• 

  On Battlefield.

• 

  On Magicant.

• 

  Attacking Starmen.

• 

  Using PSI Magnet.

• 

  Using PK Flash on Bowser.

• 

  Using PK Fire.

Trivia

• Ness and Palutena are the only characters in SSB4 with different voice clips for custom moves; in Ness's case, he has a unique voice clip for when using PK Freeze.
• Ness's amiibo description on the North American amiibo website is based on his trophy description from Melee.
• Ness's yo-yo in this game reads "SUPER NINTENDO 2014" and "MOTHER", in reference to his console of origin, SSB4's year of release, and his home series.
• Ness's custom special PK Freeze is one of only three custom specials in the game that have a preview images featuring a non-silhouetted character besides the user of the attack (alongside Mega Man's Ice Slasher and Lucas's PK Freeze). This is likely due to the characters being frozen.
• Ness's baseball bat is branded by Nett Sports, which has an O for a logo. This name is likely derived from the name of Ness's hometown, Onett.
• Ness and Jigglypuff are the only original 12 characters to be excluded from newcomer poster art.