Southern California, abbreviated as SoCal, is a Smash region located in the United States. "SoCal" is generally defined to include the southern half of the state of California, centered on the Los Angeles and San Diego metropolitan areas. It deliberately excludes Northern California and the San Francisco Bay Area, as the state's large size has resulted in the development of largely separate Smash scenes in its two halves.
Since the inception of competitive Melee, Southern California has been home to one of the largest and most active Smash scenes. This can be attributed to the huge population of the Los Angeles area, as well as its prominent air hub and heavy usage of the automobile facilitating transportation to tournaments. SoCal has long been considered the strongest Melee in the world, home to both Ken, one of the strongest and most iconic players of the pre-Brawl era, and Mango, one of the Five Gods. The region is also known as one of the strongest Smash 4 regions, and was considered the second-strongest Brawl region in the United States (after the Tristate Area) during the game's competitive lifetime. Fueled by its large population, SoCal is home to some of the U.S.'s largest tournament activity, hosting both frequent locals and large nationals. It is one of the two strongest regions for Project M as well (the other being the Tristate Area), having numerous national threats.
Super Smash Bros.
Notable players
Globally ranked players
See also: SoCal Power Rankings and Category:Southern California smashers
These SoCal players are ranked on SSB64 League's 2017 64 League Rankings
| 64 League ranking | Name | Characters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | Hero Pie |   |
|
| 46 | Cobr |   |
|
| 51 | Janitor |  |
Other notable players
- Kyle Tree : Formerly ranked 33rd on the 2016 64 League Rankings.
- Near : Formerly ranked 44th on the 2016 64 League Rankings.
- Wookiee
: Formerly ranked 46th on the 2016 64 League Rankings and also a tournament organizer for the Snosa series. - SotoH : Formerly ranked 53rd on the 2016 64 League Rankings.
- D35 : Formerly ranked 61st on the 2016 64 League Rankings.
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Notable players
Globally ranked players
See also: SoCal Melee Power Rankings and Category:Southern California smashers
These SoCal players are ranked on Melee It On Me and Panda Global's 2018 MPGR.
| SSBMRank | Name | Characters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Mango |   |
One of the Five Gods of Melee; considered the best player in the world at various stages of his career, with EVO 2013 and EVO 2014 championships under his belt. |
| 11 | S2J |  |
|
| 12 | SFAT | |
Originally from Northern California, but currently lives in SoCal. He is considered to be one of the best Foxes in the country; also known for teaming with PewPewU, forming one of the most dominant doubles teams in the world. |
| 18 | Lucky | |
One of the best Fox players for a good portion of Melee's history. |
| 20 | ARMY |  |
|
| 22 | Westballz |   |
One of the best Falco players in the United States; considered at a level just below that of the Gods. |
| 23 | HugS |  |
One of the best Samus players in the world. |
| 28 | Fiction |   |
Originally a top Wario player in Brawl during 2008-2009. |
| 33 | Captain Faceroll |  |
|
| 43 | Mike Haze |  |
Also known as a top Marth player in Brawl and a veteran tournament director for the region. |
| 48 | Santiago |   |
|
| 54 | Squid | |
|
| 76 | Eddy Mexico |  |
While technically residing in Mexico, he frequently attends events in SoCal and was formerly ranked 16th on the SoCal Melee Power Rankings. |
| 86 | Smashdaddy | |
Other top players
- Bizzarro Flame
: Formerly ranked 98th on the 2015 SSBMRank, now lives in NorCal - CDK : Formerly ranked 46th on the 2016 SSBMRank.
- DieSuperFly
: Known as a top Sheik in the pre-Brawl era; ranked 23rd on the Smash Panel Power Rankings. - Fly Amanita : Considered among the best Ice Climbers mains in the world; currently ranked 11th on the SoCal Power Rankings and formerly 30th on the 2015 SSBMRank.
- Ken
: Considered the best player in the world from 2003-2006, earning him the nickname "The King of Smash". Formerly ranked 87th on the 2016 SSBMRank. - Recipherus : during 2001-2003 era he was one of the top players, winning Snexus 2, Tournament Go 3, and IVGF Northwest Regionals
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Notable players
Globally ranked players
See also: SoCal Power Rankings and Category:Southern California smashers
The following players were ranked on CLASH Tournaments' 2014 SSBBRank.
| SSBBRank | Name | Characters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Tyrant |  |
Considered the best player on the West Coast and one of the best Meta Knights in the country in Brawl's later stages. |
| 17 | Larry Lurr |   |
The best Falco in the United States, famous for winning Apex 2010; previously known as DEHF. |
| 28 | Rich Brown |  |
One of the best Olimars in the United States. |
| 38 | SlayerZ |   |
Considered one of the best Peach players in the United States. |
| 46 | mikeHAZE |  |
The best Marth main in the United States; also known as a prominent tournament director in SoCal. |
| 63 | Tearbear |  |
Known as one of the best players on the West Coast during his prime from 2010-2011. |
| 82 | K9 |  |
Originally from Arizona, but has also lived in SoCal. |
Other top players
- DSF : Known as one of the best players in United States when he was active in Brawl's early days, with notable placings such as 1st at AxisGaming.
Super Smash Bros. 4
Notable players
Globally ranked players
See also: SoCal Power Rankings and Category:Southern California smashers
These players are ranked on Panda Global's Panda Global Rankings 100.
| PG ranking | Name | Characters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Larry Lurr |  |
The best Fox main of all time and one of the best players in the world. |
| 11 | VoiD |  |
Known as one of the best Sheik mains and one of the best players in the world. |
| 27 | Elegant |  |
The best Luigi player in the world. |
| 29 | falln |  |
One of the best Rosalina & Luma players in the world. |
| 47 | Armando |   |
One of the best Meta Knight players in the world and the best Falco in the world. |
| 52 | Rich Brown |  |
One of the three best Mewtwo players in the United States and among the best in the world. |
| 61 | Zenyou |  |
One of the best and most technical Mario players in the world. |
| 62 | K9sbruce |   |
|
| 64 | Tyrant |  |
One of the best Meta Knight players in the United States and the world. |
| 67 | Charliedaking |  |
One of the best Fox players in the world. |
| 98 | Eon |  |
One of the best Fox players in the United States and the world. |
Other top players
- Mr. ConCon
: The best Luigi player in the world prior to patch 1.1.1. - Nicko
: One of the two best Shulk players in the world. - Tearbear
: Formerly ranked 50th on the Panda Global Rankings v1.
Project M
Notable Players
Globally Ranked Players
These players were ranked on the PMRank 2016.
| PMRank | Name | Characters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Sosa |  |
The best Wario main in the world. |
| 9 | Jose V |  |
The best Ness main in the world. |
| 15 | iPunchKidsz |  |
The best Lucario main in the world, but is currently very inactive. |
| 22 | Boringman |  |
Ranked in both SoCal and NorCal. |
| 25 | Venom |  |
The best Captain Falcon main in the world. |
| 26 | Machiavelli |  |
Formerly the best Ivysaur in the world, is now inactive. |
| 27 | Aero |  |
Very solid Diddy Kong, is now retired. |
| 38 | Jason Waterfalls | |
|
| 42 | Aion |  |
One of the best Sonic players in the world. |
Other notable players
- Blank :Never travels, but is one of the best Zero Suit Samus players in the world.
- Burntsocks
:The best Yoshi main in the world. - Dr.
:The best active Zelda main in the world. - Loyal
- Lucky
- Red Ranger
:The best Ganondorf main in the world. - Sneez
:One of the best R.O.B. mains in the world. - Tealz
- Westballz
- YadoR
:The best Kirby main in the world. - Zenokids