Pichu (SSBU): Difference between revisions
→Tier placement and history
Omega Tyrant (talk | contribs) m (Damn it, turns out I need to go back even farther to revert Williy's nonsense) Tag: Disambiguation links |
Tag: Mobile edit |
||
| (One intermediate revision by one other user not shown) | |||
| Line 7: | Line 7: | ||
|ssbgame1 = SSBM | |ssbgame1 = SSBM | ||
|availability = [[Unlockable character|Unlockable]] | |availability = [[Unlockable character|Unlockable]] | ||
|tier = | |tier = C+ | ||
|ranking = | |ranking = 53 | ||
}} | }} | ||
<!-- | <!-- | ||
REMINDER: Our Manual of Style states that all Pokémon are to use gender-neutral pronouns. | REMINDER: Our Manual of Style states that all Pokémon are to use gender-neutral pronouns. | ||
--> | --> | ||
'''Pichu''' ({{ja|ピチュー|Pichū}}, ''Pichu'') is a playable character in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''. It was confirmed alongside {{SSBU|Jigglypuff}} and the rest of the returning roster on June 12th, 2018 during E3 2018. While Pichu remains a close [[clone]] of {{SSBU|Pikachu}}, it is not classified as an Echo Fighter. As such, Pichu is classified as [[Fighter number|Fighter #19]]. | '''Pichu''' ({{ja|ピチュー|Pichū}}, ''Pichu'') is a playable character in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''. It was confirmed alongside {{SSBU|Jigglypuff}} and the rest of the returning roster on June 12th, 2018 during E3 2018. While Pichu remains a close [[clone]] of {{SSBU|Pikachu}}, it is not classified as an Echo Fighter. As such, Pichu is classified as [[Fighter number|Fighter #19]]. | ||
{{s|wikipedia|Satomi Kōrogi}}, Pichu's voice actress from the ''Pokémon'' anime and ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'', reprises her role with new voice clips. In addition, the 'spiky-eared' variant of Pichu (who appears as a playable character in ''Ultimate'' via Pichu's [[Alternate costume (SSBU)#Pichu|alternate costumes]]) is also voiced by Kōrogi rather than {{s|wikipedia|Shoko Nakagawa}}, who originally voiced the aforementioned 'spiky-eared' variant in the ''Pokémon'' anime's twelfth movie, ''[[bulbapedia:M12|Pokémon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life]]''. | {{s|wikipedia|Satomi Kōrogi}}, Pichu's voice actress from the ''Pokémon'' anime and ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'', reprises her role with new voice clips. In addition, the 'spiky-eared' variant of Pichu (who appears as a playable character in ''Ultimate'' via Pichu's [[Alternate costume (SSBU)#Pichu|alternate costumes]]) is also voiced by Kōrogi rather than {{s|wikipedia|Shoko Nakagawa}}, who originally voiced the aforementioned 'spiky-eared' variant in the ''Pokémon'' anime's twelfth movie, ''[[bulbapedia:M12|Pokémon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life]]''. | ||
Pichu is ranked | Pichu is ranked 53rd out of 82 on the current tier list, placing it in the C+ tier. This is a significant improvement over its low tier placement in ''Melee'', where it was ranked 22nd out of 26. Pichu boasts good combo ability and great KO power, with its fast [[falling speed]] aiding in its combo potential. It is also very hard to hit due to its small hurtbox and good mobility. | ||
However, Pichu is hindered by critical flaws. Its biggest flaw is being the [[weight|lightest]] character in the game. This combined with it taking [[recoil]] damage when using [[electric]] moves makes Pichu a "glass cannon" and can be KO'd earlier than any other character. Its fast falling speed makes it more susceptible to combos despite being so light. | However, Pichu is hindered by critical flaws. Its biggest flaw is being the [[weight|lightest]] character in the game. This combined with it taking [[recoil]] damage when using [[electric]] moves makes Pichu a "glass cannon" and can be KO'd earlier than any other character. Its fast falling speed makes it more susceptible to combos despite being so light. | ||
| Line 296: | Line 297: | ||
The changes to the engine's mechanics help Pichu as well. The weakening of [[SDI]] makes its multi-hit moves harder to escape and thus much more consistent, and the changes to [[air dodge]]s make it safer to use one to escape combos and give it one of the fastest in the game. The implementation of [[rage]], coupled with its small stature, allows Pichu to make use of it thanks to its electric moves' high knockback, in addition to said attacks' recoil damage indirectly putting it out of range of KO setups it would've otherwise suffered from. | The changes to the engine's mechanics help Pichu as well. The weakening of [[SDI]] makes its multi-hit moves harder to escape and thus much more consistent, and the changes to [[air dodge]]s make it safer to use one to escape combos and give it one of the fastest in the game. The implementation of [[rage]], coupled with its small stature, allows Pichu to make use of it thanks to its electric moves' high knockback, in addition to said attacks' recoil damage indirectly putting it out of range of KO setups it would've otherwise suffered from. | ||
Despite the many buffs it received, Pichu also received a few nerfs. Some of its strongest kill options, such as its forward and up smashes, have been significantly weakened in terms of knockback, while its neutral aerial, previously considered by many to be its best move, has also been weakened in both its damage output and knockback. Pichu can also no longer chaingrab with its up throw, greatly reducing its damage-racking potential against fast-fallers. Its grounded attacks are also less effective for edgeguarding, as its down tilt, down smash and dash attack now send opponents at a much higher angle. | Despite the many buffs it received, Pichu also received a few nerfs. Some of its strongest kill options, such as its forward and up smashes, have been significantly weakened in terms of knockback, while its neutral aerial, previously considered by many to be its best move, has also been weakened in both its damage output and knockback. Pichu can also no longer chaingrab with its up throw, greatly reducing its damage-racking potential against fast-fallers. Its grounded attacks are also less effective for edgeguarding, as its down tilt, down smash and dash attack now send opponents at a much higher angle. Additionally, more of Pichu's attacks (examples being its forward tilt and back aerial) emit electricity, meaning that more of its moves cause recoil damage; while this allows Pichu to build up rage more easily in comparison to the other fighters, it allows Pichu to be knocked out even more quickly, which is further compounded by its atrocious weight and fast-falling speed making it vulnerable to combos, despite its small hurtbox. | ||
Additionally, more of Pichu's | |||
Overall, Pichu is no longer an intentional "joke character" like in ''Melee''; instead, it is now a very polarized glass cannon, akin to a min-maxed version of {{SSBU|Pikachu}}. It has a stronger punish and edgeguarding game, but less range on average, a less reliable recovery and more committal options; moreover, none of its buffs have alleviated some of its glaring weaknesses, with the biggest being its fragility. Game updates have also slightly nerfed Pichu overall, and optimizations to several characters have resulted in it not performing as well as on release. Nevertheless, Pichu's buffs greatly outweigh its nerfs, and it has drastically improved compared to ''Melee'', being one of the most buffed characters in the transition to ''Ultimate''. | Overall, Pichu is no longer an intentional "joke character" like in ''Melee''; instead, it is now a very polarized glass cannon, akin to a min-maxed version of {{SSBU|Pikachu}}. It has a stronger punish and edgeguarding game, but less range on average, a less reliable recovery and more committal options; moreover, none of its buffs have alleviated some of its glaring weaknesses, with the biggest being its fragility. Game updates have also slightly nerfed Pichu overall, and optimizations to several characters have resulted in it not performing as well as on release. Nevertheless, Pichu's buffs greatly outweigh its nerfs, and it has drastically improved compared to ''Melee'', being one of the most buffed characters in the transition to ''Ultimate''. | ||
| Line 526: | Line 525: | ||
In contrast to its ''Melee'' counterpart, where it is considered one of the worst characters in the game, Pichu was commonly viewed as one of, if not, the best characters in the game in the early metagame. This is due to its small size and powerful KO moves, which included back air, {{b|Thunder|Pokémon}}, and its infamous forward tilt. These strengths allowed Pichu to have a strong player base, with players such as {{Sm|VoiD}}, {{Sm|NAKAT}}, {{Sm|Nietono}}, and {{Sm|Captain L}} performing spectacularly on a national level. | In contrast to its ''Melee'' counterpart, where it is considered one of the worst characters in the game, Pichu was commonly viewed as one of, if not, the best characters in the game in the early metagame. This is due to its small size and powerful KO moves, which included back air, {{b|Thunder|Pokémon}}, and its infamous forward tilt. These strengths allowed Pichu to have a strong player base, with players such as {{Sm|VoiD}}, {{Sm|NAKAT}}, {{Sm|Nietono}}, and {{Sm|Captain L}} performing spectacularly on a national level. | ||
However, | However, update {{SSBU|3.1.0}} increased its size and nerfed the power of its forward tilt, while increasing the amount of recoil damage on nearly all of its electric attacks. In addition to more people learning how to play the matchup, many players considered Pichu to be inferior to {{SSBU|Pikachu}}, and its representation and results ended up declining as a result, with several of its best players either dropping the character (Captain L) or relegating it to either a co-main or secondary (VoiD). Although update {{SSBU|11.0.0}} reverted some of the nerfs, it failed to change most players' opinions on the character; with continuously declining results both during and after the [[COVID-19|COVID-19 pandemic]], most of the community currently considers Pichu to be a mid-tier character at best, ranking 55th on the first tier list, and now 53rd on the second tier list. Nevertheless, Pichu is still widely considered to be significantly more viable than its ''Melee'' iteration. | ||
===Most historically significant players=== | ===Most historically significant players=== | ||