Shulk (SSB4)

Shulk in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	Xenoblade Chronicles
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Chain Attack

“	Shulk Foresees a Fight!	”
—Introduction Tagline

Shulk (シュルク, Shulk) was unofficially revealed as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4 alongside Bowser Jr. and Ganondorf via leaked videos from footage used by ESRB to rate the game before being formally confirmed on August 29th, 2014. His official reveal came along with the announcement of Xenoblade Chronicles 3D, the New Nintendo 3DS port of his game Xenoblade Chronicles, which was originally released for the Wii.

Shulk's English voice actor, Adam Howden, reprises his role in the Western version of the game; meanwhile, Shintarō Asanuma reprises his role in the Japanese version of the game.

Attributes

Shulk is a character of many talents thanks to his Monado Arts. Though possessing a single moveset like other fighters, an activated Art can turn him into a completely different character in the blink of an eye. This, in addition to his hugely disjointed hitbox for a character of his size, makes him a powerful weapon-based character with arguably one of the most unique fighting abilities in Super Smash Bros. 4.

Although not exactly quick on his feet or in the air, Shulk's main perk is his signature weapon - the Monado - which grants him an almost ridiculous amount of reach comparable to large characters like Bowser despite his average size, similar to previous incarnations of Marth (even having a tipper of sorts in the middle of the Monado which deals more damage and knockback); however, Shulk's disjointed range trumps any previous swordfighters in the series (even the Brawl version of Ike) since the Monado releases a long beam of light during most attacks, boosting the weapon's already great range. The Monado isn't lacking in power either, and hence allows Shulk to attack at a respectably safe range while dealing consistent damage. Shulk's moveset supports these perks as he has a powerful aerial game, possessing aerials with little to no landing lag which he can use very effectively to approach and space opponents with his enormously disjointed range, while having powerful and long-reaching aerial finishers to boot. His ground game is also decent, as his tilts are fast enough to combo into his aerials and all his smash attacks have good KO potential and incredible reach, although he is more sluggish on the ground than in the air.

The biggest tool Shulk brings to the battle are his five Monado Arts. Each give him a tactical advantage once activated, and as they can be changed on the fly, it makes Shulk an incredibly adaptive fighter. From Jump which gives him an obscene amount of recovery potential like Kirby, Speed which turns him into a light-on-his-toes combo fighter like Captain Falcon, Shield which makes him a high-survival heavyweight like Donkey Kong, Buster which grants him enormously high damage potential like Ganondorf and Smash making many of his attacks hit as absurdly hard as Little Mac, his Arts are almost comparable to Kirby's copy ability, only with much more flexibility. One second he could be rushing down an opponent with aerials boosted by Speed before switching to Buster for damaging throw combos, making such flexibility give him a matchup for almost any situation. A good Shulk player is hence extremely difficult for an opponent to both attack or counter. On the topic of counters, Shulk possesses one of the highest ranged and hardest-hitting counters in Vision, and as it also has the longest counter window in the series, it allows him to counter attacks that other counters would fail to. His other special moves have great utility too: Back Slash's increased knockback from behind opens up possibilities for combos that other fighters cannot accomplish, and Air Slash is an equally good vertical recovery and combo finisher, especially with the Smash Art.

His flaws are still noticeable, however; his recovery is predictable due to Air Slash providing only mediocre horizontal distance, and his Jump-boosted jumps can be easily interrupted by any stray attack offstage. He is also prone to being juggled around by quick fighters such as Sonic as his attacks, although incredibly ranged, can be sluggish to land due to their ending lag, especially his smash attacks which are easily punishable if spammed. Although most of these flaws can be addressed through the Monado Arts, they do worsen some of his stats, making it risky to activate an art if the cons outweigh the pros; for example, with the Smash Art activated, he can KO anyone early as if they were Jigglypuff, but makes his survivability as bad as Jigglypuff's as well, making it risky to use the Smash Art when both fighters are at KO percentage. Furthermore, when the Arts are not activated, he is merely average in most areas, yet in most cases, it is simple to activate or change them at the beginning of a stock or on-the-fly; however, a panicking player may accidentally activate the wrong art, especially since there's five arts that have to be manually chosen with a single button, which can cause Shulk trouble if he cycles through his arts too quickly. Finally, Shulk is hampered by having no projectiles while also having difficulty countering projectiles due to his slow attacks.

Overall, Shulk can be difficult to master, as it takes time to learn his playstyle, and requires extensive knowledge of the matchup or quick adaptability to be able to change the Arts accordingly; making the right decision can sometimes be hard with Shulk, as the player can pay dearly for activating the wrong Art. Nevertheless, his deficiencies are not significant enough to keep him out of the high tiers, as his ability to adapt and confuse is unrivaled.

Moveset

Shulk is specialized by having an equal distribution of long reach and power, enabling him to attack opponents from a distance due to the Monado's beam properties. The Monado does more damage and knockback on some attacks if it hits from the middle of the beam blade rather than from the tip of the beam blade.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			3.5%	A jab, stationary roundhouse kick, then an upward lifting slash in a step forward. Able to combo at low percents after either a neutral or forward aerial, and can be done at higher percentages with the Buster art.
			3.5%
			5.3% (clean), 4.2% (late)
Forward tilt			13% (blade), 11.5% (beam)	Shulk swings the Monado in front of him inward as he draws it from his shoulder. Has slight ending lag, but is capable of KOing at high percentages, especially with the Smash Art. Resembles one of his basic auto attacks from his home game.
Up tilt			8% (blade), 7% (beam)	Shulk leaps in place and does a fast, uppercut-style sword swipe in an arc above himself. A good anti-air technique. Can be used to rack up damage when combined with the up throw while using the Buster Art, and a powerful surprise KO move at high percents while using the Smash Art, able to KO middleweights at 120%. The hitbox doesn't extend directly behind Shulk, however, and can miss if the opponent is in front of Shulk if they are too small. Normally acts as a good combo tool, and easily covers an opponent's attempted jump from ledge due to its incredible vertical range.
Down tilt			9% (blade), 7% (beam)	Similar to his forward tilt, but done while Shulk is crouching and more in a forward leaning-sweep fashion. A reasonably fast downward swipe with good range, making it a safe out of shield option. In some instances, can combo into his aerials. Good knockback with the Smash Art at high percents, though not as powerful as Shulk's up tilt or forward tilt. Can combo after a foward aerial, and is notably useful for combo chains when using the Speed Art, as it knocks opponents into the air where they can get hit by another forward aerial, which can repeat several times.
Dash attack			11%	Swipes the Monado inward in front of him after drawing it from his shoulder into a sliding brake. Similar to his forward and down tilt in terms of motion. One of Shulk's KO moves when used with the Smash Art. Punishable on shield due to its ending lag, and should not be used excessively.
Forward smash			5.5% (hit 1), 13% (hit 2 blade), 11.5% (hit 2 beam)	A thrusting two-handed stab with the Monado's beam blade revealing itself causing a recoil. It looks similar to Slit Edge, one of his physical Arts from Xenoblade Chronicles. Like his up smash, the move has two hits, the first from the Monado itself and the second from the beam blade. The first hit chains reliably into the second hit, but extremely light characters like Jigglypuff can DI out of it. The move can be angled both up and down, and has slightly more knockback scaling if angled up. Angled down and with correct spacing, it can hit ledge-hanging opponents due to the move's range, which is useful for surprising opponents. Can KO middleweights at 115% (95% with the Smash Art), but has a bit of ending lag and it is punishable if used frequently.
Up smash			4.5% (hit 1), 13.5% (hit 2)	Shulk smashes the hilt of the Monado to the ground, causing the beam to strike and reveal itself upward. Like his forward smash, there are two hits to this move: The first being when Shulk slams the Monado down, and the second from the beam blade. The first hit has small horizontal range, but can easily connect to the second hit if it lands. Moderately useful as a pressure tool against ledge getups, as correct spacing will cover the enemy's jump, roll and attack options from the ledge, hitting them with the attack. Also useful for chasing landing opponents while using the Speed art, as the second hit's range is quite reliable at catching opponents, giving Shulk good air protection. KOs at 111% (88% with the Smash Art.)
Down smash			14% (hit 1 blade), 11% (hit 1 beam), 12% (hit 2 blade), 10% (hit 2 beam), 10% (hit 3 blade), 8% (hit 3 beam), 8% (hit 4 blade), 6% (hit 4 beam), 6% (hit 5 blade), 4% (hit 5 beam)	A high-range, spinning slash with slight start-up and long ending lag where Shulk spins while dragging the Monado three times around him along the ground. The third swing has the most range. Looks akin to one of Reyn's physical arts in Xenoblade Chronicles, War Swing. The move is capable of hitting five times (three at Shulk's front, two at his back), with each hit dealing less damage as it goes on with the motion, though it is prohibitively difficult to have it strike the same opponent even twice. Under correct conditions however, this move is capable of breaking shields, especially if all three front hits connect with Buster activated, easily done by cornering a shielding opponent near an edge. Useful against roll-spammers, who will more than likely get hit by the second or third hit, although competent opponents will stay out of the full attack's range and punish its high ending lag. First hit KOs at 125% (101% with the Smash Art).
Neutral aerial			7% (blade), 8% (beam)	A circular lifting-upward slash spanning from his upper leg to his head, with high range and little to no landing lag. The hitbox begins at Shulk's toes and continues all the way around him ending at his back, allowing Shulk to short hop over opponents to hit them with the starting hitbox. One of Shulk's most useful aerials, capable of interrupting most aerial approaches, though easily punished when spammed. This also works as a short-hopping combo and pressure tool.
Forward aerial			7.5% (blade), 6% (beam)	An overhead, forward-leaning chop slash from two-handed to single-handed, and reaches/ends a bit behind him. Great for interrupting an opponent's approach in the air, as the slash has absurd range for an aerial. Extremely useful when combined with a short hop, being able to combo with Shulk's tilts and can be used to edgeguard safely, especially with the Jump Art. One of Shulk's most useful aerials, but it has some slight startup lag that may require some timing different from his neutral aerial. Its modest speed and high reach can be used with incredible efficiency to cover Shulk's front and combo into itself while using the Speed art, in a similar line to the forward aerials of previous incarnations of Marth.
Back aerial			12% (clean), 8% (late)	Shulk holds the Monado backwards and thrusts behind himself as the Monado's beam reveals itself. The hitbox of the attack begins at Shulk's body, which can knock opponents away at close range with the same power as the Monado's beam itself. Has slow startup and moderate landing lag, but good range. A player with mastery of this attack's timing can use it as one of Shulk's best aerial KO moves, especially if used as an edgeguarding tool.
Up aerial			5% (hit 1), 10% (hit 2 blade), 7.5% (hit 2 beam)	Shulk holds the Monado above him and the beam blade strikes/reveals itself upward. Much like his forward and up smash, there are two hits to this move, the first few frames hitting weakly and designed to drag opponents into the second hit, which occurs a few frames later. Because it exposes the Monado's blade after a few frames, it has deceptively high vertical range and is useful for juggling aerial opponents.
Down aerial			6% (hit 1 grounded), 4% (hit 1 aerial), 10% (hit 2 blade), 9% (hit 2 beam)	Shulk holds the Monado below him and the beam blade strikes downward. The first hit of the move does little knockback, but can easily connect to the second hit, which meteor smashes if sweetspotted. The sweetspot is located at the middle of the Monado's beam blade, though difficult to connect in the air. Either way, it works as a decent edgeguarding and vertical-intercepting tool. Notably, this move can stage spike ledge-hanging opponents, giving Shulk an option to surprise foes.
Grab			—
Pummel			3%	Smacks the opponent's head with the Monado's hilt (while still on his back). Fairly slow pummel.
Forward throw			3% (hit 1), 8% (throw)	Shulk pulls the opponent towards him before slashing them with a two-handed uppercut slash from the Monado. Can combo into a short hopped forward air with the Speed Art.
Back throw			3% (hit 1), 9% (throw)	Shulk pulls the opponent behind him and stabs their midsection with the Monado in a reverse grip. Can be used to land a Back Slash with the Buster Art, though it is tricky to do on alert players who air dodge frequently.
Up throw			3% (hit 1), 4% (throw)	Heaves the opponent in the air and kneels down similar to his up smash, revealing the Monado's beam blade to stab his juggled foe's chest. Can be followed with up tilts and Air Slash, especially with the Buster Art, and can send opponents at the right height for a short hopped up aerial.
Down throw			3% (hit 1), 4% (throw)	Slams the opponent onto the ground and backstabs them with the Monado. Can KO at high percentages with the Smash Art.
Floor attack (front)			7%
Floor attack (back)			7%
Floor attack (trip)			5%
Edge attack			7%
Neutral special	Default	Monado Arts	—	Shulk activates one of five Arts, which enhance some of his abilities while reducing others.
	Custom 1	Decisive Monado Arts	—	Arts last longer, but once an Art is activated it cannot be changed.
	Custom 2	Hyper Monado Arts	—	Both positive and negative effects of Arts are amplified, and the Arts last for a shorter duration of time.
Side special	Default	Back Slash	10%/9% (front), 16%/14% (back)	Jumps forwards with a Monado swing, similar to Link's dash attack. The attack is more powerful if it hits the opponent's back.
	Custom 1	Back Slash Leap		Shulk leaps up before slashing downward towards the ground. Has reduced horizontal movement, but comes out a little faster.
	Custom 2	Back Slash Charge		Shulk leaps forward, gaining super armor for the slash. This move has increased horizontal movement, but has harshly reduced damage if not striking the back.
Up special	Default	Air Slash	6% (hit 1 clean), 5% (hit 1 late), 5.5% (hit 2)	Jumps upwards with a Monado swipe, similarly to Dolphin Slash. Pressing the attack button at the end of the swipe will result in a second, forward swipe.
	Custom 1	Advancing Air Slash	6% (hit 1 clean), 5% (hit 1 late), 8% (hit 2)	The first slash launches enemies diagonally, with the second slash moving Shulk forward.
	Custom 2	Mighty Air Slash	9% (hit 1 clean), 7% (hit 1 late), 10% (hit 2)	The range of the attack is reduced, but deals more damage.
Down special	Default	Vision	1.3x (min 13%/10% or 10%/7%)	A counterattack, similar to that of the Fire Emblem series. Has the longest counter window in the game, and the only counter in the series to have two different attacks depending on whether the player holds down the forward button. The regular slash when no inputs are held is reminiscent of Stream Edge, one of Shulk's physical Arts from Xenoblade Chronicles.
	Custom 1	Dash Vision	1.0x (min 11%/8% or 8%/5%)	Shulk takes a big step forward and the counter's range is extended. The counter is faster, but lacks power.
	Custom 2	Power Vision	1.5x (min 20%/17% or 17%/14%)	Shulk counters an attack with greater power. However, the attack is slower and if used too much, the counter will become less and less effective.
Final Smash		Chain Attack	3% (hit 1), 2% (hits 2-12), 12% (hit 13), 5% (hit 14)	Shulk summons Dunban and Riki to perform a Chain Attack on his opponents, before finishing them off with a strong Monado slash.

Reveal trailer

<youtube>GUl1EkUJ46k</youtube>

Taunts

• Shrugs and waves a hand as if lecturing someone, and says "Now it's Shulk time!", a reference to Reyn, his best friend and one of his party members in Xenoblade Chronicles, who occasionally utters the phrase "Now it's Reyn time!" during battle.
• Grips the Monado's handle with his right hand while triumphantly pumping his left fist and announcing "I'm really feeling it!" References one of Shulk's infamous combat voice lines in Xenoblade, which Reyn generally replied to with "Yeah! Get stuck in!".
• Grips the Monado with both hands, activates it and says "This is the Monado's power!" References one of Shulk's lines when he activates the Monado in Xenoblade.

Victory Fanfare

The second half of the riff of You Will Know Our Names, the battle theme used in Xenoblade Chronicles when fighting a unique monster.

Victory Poses

• Swings the Monado a few times while it is active, then holds it level to his head as it deactivates, saying either "The future is ours to decide." or "I've got a good rhythm going!". In Xenoblade, the first quote is used when Shulk prevents a vision from occurring during combat, whilst the other is a typical combat quote uttered when the battle is in Shulk's favor.
• Swings the inactive Monado upwards, then places it on his back, saying either "I got through that pretty good!" or "This is a good result!" Both are quotes that Shulk can exclaim after finishing a battle in Xenoblade, although the first is changed from plural ("We got") to singular ("I got").
• Bows down with the Monado held lengthwise, then it activates, and he changes grip, saying either "I can feel the power!" or "I can change the future." In Xenoblade, the first quote may be uttered whenever Shulk levels up, while the second is another one of the lines Shulk may exclaim when he prevents a vision from occuring in combat.

In Competitive Play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character	Custom sets available
Shulk	1113	2113	3113	1123	3123
	3213	1122	3122	1213	2123

Trophies

Shulk

In Xenoblade Chronicles, this young lad's colony is attacked by the Mechon, so he and his friends set off to take them down. In Smash Bros., his Monado Arts let him change his specialization during battle. You can choose to boost a stat—his jump or attack, for example—but other stats might drop as a result, so choose wisely.

In Xenoblade Chronicles, this young lad's colony is attacked by the Mechon, so he and his friends set off to take them down. In this game, his Monado Arts let him change his specialisation during battle. You can choose to boost a stat—his jump or attack, for example—but other stats might drop as a result, so choose wisely.

: Xenoblade Chronicles (4/2012)

Shulk (Alt.)

Shulk's up special Air Slash is an upward slash done during a jump. Press the button again quickly to launch opponents sideways. His side special Back Slash, on the other hand, is a downward swing with a very wide range, though using it leaves Shulk wide open. Try hitting foes from behind with this!

Shulk's up special, Air Slash, is an upward slash done during a jump. Press the button again quickly to launch opponents sideways. His side special, Back Slash, on the other hand, is a downward swing with a very wide range, although using it leaves Shulk wide open. Try hitting foes from behind with this to do more damage!

: Xenoblade Chronicles (4/2012)

Chain Attack

In Xenoblade Chronicles, building up the party's team spirit would let them unleash a chain attack, using multiple Arts in a row to deal massive damage. In this game, Shulk's Final Smash calls party members Dunban and Riki to help obliterate an unlucky target... or multiple targets if you catch more than one in the circle of light!

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  Classic (3DS)

• ShulkAllStarTrophy3DS.png

  Alt. (3DS)

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  Classic (Wii U)

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  Alt. (Wii U)

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  Chain Attack

In Event Matches

Solo Events

• Mechanical Menace: Shulk must defeat a metal R.O.B. and Mega Man, as well as Metal Face.
• New Challengers 2: Shulk is one of the seven opponents fought in this event alongside Greninja, Palutena, Robin, Dark Pit, Mega Man, and Pac-Man.
• The Ultimate Swordsman: Shulk is one of the opponents that Ike must defeat.

Co-op Events

• The Ultimate Battle: Two players select a character and must defeat the entire roster.

Update history

1.0.4

• Neutral attack 1 damage: 3% → 3.5%
• Neutral attack 2 damage: 3% → 3.5%
• Neutral attack 3 clean damage: 4.3% → 5.3%
• Neutral attack 3 late damage: 3.2% → 4.2%
• Forward tilt damage: 12%/10.5% → 13%/11.5%
• Forward tilt knockback scaling: 100 → 92
• Up tilt damage: 7%/6% → 8%/7%
• Down tilt damage: 8%/6% → 9%/7%
• Down tilt hitbox 2 position: bone 25, offset [0.0,2.0,-1.0] → bone 0, offset [0.0,5.5,5.5] (this change removes a point-blank blind spot)
• Dash attack damage: 10% → 11%
• Forward smash damage: 5%, 12.5%/11% → 5.5%, 13%/11.5%
• Forward smash received a variety of changes to enable both hits to link together better.
  • Hit 1 angles: 40/75/84 → 78/10/40
  • Hit 1 fixed knockback values: 45/45/31 → 28/28/28
  • Hit 1 radii: 4.0/4.0/4.0 → 2.0/2.0/4.0 (hitboxes are thinner)
  • Hit 1 positions: [-2.0,0.0,1.0]/[4.1,0.0,1.0]/[10.0,0.0,1.0] → [11.0–4.0,0.0,2.0]/[11.0–4.0,0.0,-0.5]/[-2.0,0.0,1.0] (hitboxes cover more area)
  • Hit 2 radii: 3.5/2.0 → 4.0/3.0
  • Hit 2 hitbox 1 x-offset: 22.0–0.0 → 21.0–0.0
• Up smash damage: 4%, 13% → 4.5%, 13.5%
• Down smash damage: 13%/10%, 11%/9%, 9%/7%, 7%/5%, 5%/3% → 14%/11%, 12%/10%, 10%/8%, 8%/6%, 6%/4%
• Neutral aerial damage: 6%/7% → 7%/8%
• Forward aerial damage: 6.5%/5% → 7.5%/6%
• Forward aerial landing lag slightly decreased.
• Back aerial damage: 11%, 7% → 12%, 8%
• Up aerial damage: 4%, 9%/6.5% → 5%, 10%/7.5%
• Down aerial damage: 4%/6%, 10%/9% → 5%/7%, 11%/10%
• Forward throw hit 1 damage: 2% → 3%
• Back throw hit 1 damage: 2% → 3%
• Up throw hit 1 damage: 2% → 3%
• Down throw hit 1 damage: 2% → 3%
• Monado Speed damage dealt: 0.72x → 0.8x
• Monado Buster damage taken: 1.2x → 1.13x
• Air Slash (default) hit 1 damage: 5%/4% → 6%/5%
• Advancing Air Slash hit 1 damage: 5%/4% → 6%/5%
• Mighty Air Slash hit 1 damage: 8%/6% → 9%/7%
• Vision (all variants) y-offset: 8.0 → 9.0 (hitboxes are slightly higher)

Alternate costumes

Gallery

• 

  Shulk's poster.

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  Splash art of Shulk.

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  Shulk's amiibo, which is exclusive to GameStop.

• Shulk Alt.png

  Swimsuit costume for Shulk.

• Shulk4PalleteSwaps.png

  More palette swaps for Shulk.

• 

  Pic of the Day, when Shulk was revealed.

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  Fighting Sheik.

• 
• 

  Shulk in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS

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  Shulk activates the Smash Monado Art.

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  Attacking Donkey Kong.

• 
• 
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  Posing with two Villagers.

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  Forward air on Link.

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  Shulk's Final Smash, featuring Dunban and Riki.

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  With Luigi on Boxing Ring.

• 
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  Shulk posing with Riki.

• ShulkSSB4.png

  Image of Shulk from the ESRB leak.

Trivia

• The title of Shulk's trailer, "Looks like we don't have a choice!", is the line he says in Xenoblade Chronicles when the party is about to face a powerful enemy.
  • Due to said line having no obvious connection to the trailer, some fans believe it is in reference to the ESRB leak.
  • In the PAL versions of the game, however, the title is changed to "Now it's Shulk time", referencing one of Shulk's taunts.
• Shulk is the only fighter leaked by the ESRB leak to be a starter character on both versions.
• Shulk was the last character and newcomer confirmed for SSB4 before the worldwide release of Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.
• Shulk, along with Pac-Man, does not have a green palette swap option.
• Despite not being a third-party character, clone, or Mii, Shulk is placed with them in most official material, including the Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS roster and foldout. This is changed on the Super Smash Bros. for Wii U roster, where Shulk is placed before the clones, and the Super Smash Bros. for Wii U manual, where he is placed before Bowser Jr. As a result of this ambiguity, some fans mistake Shulk as a third-party character. However, Monolith Soft was acquired by Nintendo in 2007 prior to the development of Xenoblade Chronicles, making Shulk a second-party character.
• Shulk's Down Taunt, if performed at the right timing, can dodge certain projectiles, such as Fox and Falco's Blaster, Link's Hero's Bow, and Pit's Palutena's Arrow.
• Shulk, unlike other fighters with a weapon, does not have any visible sheath or holder for his weapon: the Monado simply hangs from his back with no buckle or belt to attach to his back with, making it seem like its magnetically attached to his back. He does not have a strap for his Monado in Xenoblade Chronicles either.
  • However, when using his swimtrunks alternate and performing his down taunt, it can be seen that some sort of strap can be seen going around Shulk's neck.
• Shulk is the only non-Mario playable character in Smash to speak in a European accent even in the American version of the game.
  • Shulk is also the only character to have a European voice actor in American versions of the game.