Zero Suit Samus (SSB4)

Zero Suit Samus in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	Metroid
Other playable appearance	in Brawl
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Gunship
Tier	A (11)

“	Zero Suit Samus Zeroes In!	”
—Introduction Tagline

Zero Suit Samus (ゼロスーツサムス, Zero Suit Samus) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. She was confirmed in the Super Smash Bros. Direct on April 8th, 2014, exactly a decade after Metroid: Zero Mission was released in Europe. Like Sheik, Zero Suit Samus is now a standalone character, which means that she cannot activate or deactivate her her Power Suit under any circumstances. Zero Suit Samus is once again voiced by Alésia Glidewell, albeit via recycled voice clips from Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Zero Suit Samus is currently ranked 11th out of 58 on the tier list, placing her in the A tier, and making her the second lowest ranking top-tier character. This is a slight improvement from her high-tier placement in Brawl, where she was ranked 9th out of 38. Zero Suit Samus possesses a dominant air game: her neutral and back aerials are safe and reliable set-up and KOing options, respectively, while her up aerial is an incredibly effective juggling option that can also function as a KOing option. Zero Suit Samus' punishment game is also one of, if not the best, among the cast, courtesy of her fast and nimble mobility, a paralyzing projectile in Paralyzer, and a potent combo game that can quickly rack up damage or even KO outright. In addition, Zero Suit Samus possesses a long-distanced and varied recovery, thanks to having two tether recoveries, a third jump in Flip Jump and her new up special, Boost Kick.

Although she has outstanding strengths, Zero Suit Samus has some noticeable weaknesses. Her ground game is unimpressive compared to her outstanding air game, which is most evident with her grab game: her grabs' long ranges are offset by their extreme amounts of start-up and ending lag, while her forward, back and up throws have very minimal utility outside of dealing damage. By extension, many of Zero Suit Samus' hitboxes are positioned high above the ground, which can make it very difficult for her to fight against small characters. Even though Zero Suit Samus' air game is excellent, none of her aerials are effective combo breakers, which is further compounded by her susceptibility to combos. Altogether, these traits give Zero Suit Samus a poor neutral game.

Regardless of her flaws, Zero Suit Samus is widely considered to be a very viable character in competitive play, with players such as Nairo and Marss having won numerous national and regional tournaments, respectively.

Attributes

Zero Suit Samus is a tall lightweight who boasts overall excellent mobility, thanks to several of her attributes being among the top 10 of their respective categories. Her walking speed is tied with Sheik's for the fifth fastest, her dashing speed is the fifth fastest, her air speed is tied with the default Mii Brawler's for the sixth fastest, her traction is tied with Little Mac and Wario's for the third highest, her air acceleration is tied with Lucas and Bayonetta's for the eighth fastest, and her jump is the third highest. Unlike most lightweights, Zero Suit Samus has very quick falling speed, high gravity and, like in her home series, is able to crawl and wall jump.

Zero Suit Samus' greatest asset is her superb air game. In addition to her excellent aerial attributes, her short hop is tied with Bayonetta's for the second highest in the game, which collectively supplement her useful aerial attacks. Neutral aerial has long range, low landing lag and launches at 55°, all of which make it very useful for follow-ups. Forward aerial is quick and fairly powerful, making it useful as part of a combo at low percentages, and a dependable off-stage KOing option. Back aerial has long range and high power, making it her most reliable aerial KOing option. Up aerial is very quick, has low base knockback, high knockback growth, and launches opponents vertically, all of which make it excellent at juggling and capable of KOing. Down aerial is able to meteor smash and possesses a strong landing hitbox, though it is dangerous to use off-stage due to being a stall-then-fall. Unlike in Brawl, she now has a grab aerial, which can be used for spacing, set-ups, or as a tether recovery.

Zero Suit Samus' special moves also possess considerable versatility. Paralyzer is quick, has decent range, and the ability to paralyze the opponent, granting it excellent follow-up potential. Plasma Whip has long range and, like her grab aerial, can be used for spacing or as a tether recovery. Boost Kick is very quick due to coming out on frame 4, and is decent for recovery. However, thanks to its impressive power, it is actually one of Zero Suit Samus' most viable KOing options, especially from out of shield. Lastly, Flip Jump functions like a third jump, but also grants intangibility at its start and allows her to move unpredictably. As such, it can enable her to avoid attacks or mix up her recovery, the latter of which is supplemented by its ability to automatically wall jump upon making contact with a wall. Like Boost Kick, it also boasts excellent offensive potential: its inputted kick is strong enough to KO easily and can meteor smash aerial opponents, while its footstool stomp is now capable of both burying grounded opponents and meteor smashing aerial ones.

Lastly, Zero Suit Samus possesses a few invaluable KO set-ups aside from Paralyzer. Down smash is one of the few smash attacks of its kind that only hits in one direction, but it is very quick and can paralyze an opponent like Paralyzer, allowing her to follow it up with a forward smash, back aerial, a grab, Boost Kick or Flip Jump, with the last KOing at very low percentages. In addition, down throw itself has guaranteed follow-ups at any percentage below 160%. Depending on the opponent's DI, it can combo into forward aerial or up aerial, and sometimes back aerial and Boost Kick. This throw is also notorious for its ability to score very early KOs. Without proper DI, a series of up aerials leading into a Boost Kick can KO the majority of the cast at 50% near the upper blast line. The latter's loop hits also have high base knockback and can KO if its last hit does not land due to SDI, even with perfect DI. Even with proper DI, this combo can also KO earlier if the opponent is near an edge. Due to its speed, neutral attack's first hit can also function as a surprisingly effective set-up into Boost Kick at medium to high percentages. Altogether, these traits grant Zero Suit Samus one of the most potent punishment games among the entire cast.

However, Zero Suit Samus has some noticeable weaknesses. She can be KO'd fairly early due to being a lightweight, but unlike the majority of her fellow lightweights, she is also burdened with a susceptibility to combos due to her tall frame, very quick falling speed, and high gravity. Aside from her pummel's speed and her down throw's excellent combo potential, the rest of Zero Suit Samus' grab game is poor. Her grabs' long ranges are offset by their overall lag: they are tied with her Power Suit's Grapple Beam for the highest amount of start-up lag in the game, and their ending lag is the third highest in the game, surpassed only by Pac-Man's grabs and her Power Suit's Grapple Beam. Despite having respectable damage outputs, her forward, back and up throws have no guaranteed follow-ups; although back throw has some semblance of mix-up potential, its mix-ups are very situational and require hard reads.

The overwhelming majority of Zero Suit Samus' attacks have hitbox placements that are high above the ground, making it easy for short characters to avoid getting hit, especially while crouching. Despite Paralyzer's paralysis effect, its range is decent at best, and it does not stay out for very long. As a result, her approach against most defensive and zoning characters is limited to dodging their projectiles with her mobility, powershielding, and either coming in from above with an aerial, or fast falling and then immediately grabbing. All of these drawbacks also make Zero Suit Samus susceptible to momentum shifts, which in turn gives her a weak neutral game.

Zero Suit Samus' custom moves are among the most polarized in the game. New advantages are gained from using them, but each one has a noticeable disadvantage to go alongside them, to the point that some are inferior to her default specials due to their disadvantages outweighing their advantages. Blast Shot is faster and Electromagnetic Net lasts longer, but both sacrifice Paralyzer's excellent utility. Plasma Dash and Whip Lash have better offensive potentials, but they are largely inconsistent, with the former also being less reliable at edge trumping and being more situational for recovering. Impact Kick is much stronger and Lateral Kick travels farther, but each has noticeable flaws: Impact Kick is much slower, which removes its status as a follow-up entirely and often makes it unable to connecting with itself, whereas Lateral Kick KOs much later, which hinders Zero Suit Samus' KO potential. Lastly, Shooting Star Flip Kick and Low Flip have much less utility overall, with the former being difficult to hit with, while the latter is less reliable for both recovering and KOing.

Overall, Zero Suit Samus' very potent air and punishment games allow her to reliably set-up combos and KOs like in Brawl, while her KO potential has improved thanks to her newfound KOing options. However, she must nevertheless be wary of characters with strong neutral games, due to the poor quality of her own neutral game. Despite retaining her initial flaws and receiving subsequent ones from game updates, Zero Suit Samus has nevertheless achieved very impressive tournament representation and results, as evident with players such as Nairo and Marss having won national and regional tournaments, respectively.

Changes from Brawl

Despite being a high-tier character in Brawl, Zero Suit Samus has been buffed in the transition to SSB4. She has received a few more KOing options, particularly her new forward smash and her new up special, Boost Kick, the latter of which is also a potent out of shield option. She also gained more follow-up options thanks to her faster down throw, as well as improved spacing and recovery options thanks to her new grab aerial. Lastly, she significantly benefits from the changes to hitstun canceling, which lets her combo opponents much more efficiently and reliably set-up many attacks and KOs.

However, Zero Suit Samus also received some nerfs. The most noticeable of these was to her Plasma Whip, which has lost its reliable KOing potential, while her aerial prowess is also slightly worse than in Brawl. Lastly, her down smash's stun time was decreased and thus slightly worsened its follow-up potential, while Paralyzer was slightly nerfed in update 1.0.4.

Aesthetics

• Zero Suit Samus' design is now primarily based on Metroid: Other M, but heavily incorporates elements from previous games, such as Zero Mission and Brawl. Samus' facial structure and beauty mark are from Other M. Her hairstyle is a combination of her Other M and Brawl hairstyles, and is now flaxen blonde in color (similar to Metroid Fusion, Metroid Prime Hunters and her Other M action figures) rather than yellow blonde like in Brawl. The Zero Suit itself now sports its design from Other M. Lastly, Zero Suit Samus is now equipped with a matching set of Jet Boots and metal bracelets, which are original to SSB4.
• Zero Suit Samus is more expressive. She now winces with one eye closed when being hit or launched, winces with both eyes closed when screen KO'd, and frowns depressingly after tripping.
• Zero Suit Samus now speaks during her taunts, rather than during their conclusions.
• The Paralyzer now sports its design from Other M, rather than Brawl. It also features magenta accents within its interior, which are original to SSB4, and its Plasma Whip has updated visual effects.
• Forward jump's animation has slightly changed. Zero Suit Samus now front flips twice, rather than once.
• Dash's animation has slightly changed. Zero Suit Samus now keeps her right arm steady, rather than swinging both arms.

Attributes

• Although Zero Suit Samus' metal bracelets are merely aesthetic, her Jet Boots have resulted in noticeable changes to her moveset.
• Zero Suit Samus walks faster. (1.33 → 1.4).
• Zero Suit Samus dashes faster (1.93 → 2.1).
• Zero Suit Samus' air speed is faster (1.034 → 1.2).
• Zero Suit Samus falls faster (1.43 → 1.7).
• Zero Suit Samus' gravity is higher (0.0884 → 0.12). This makes her short hop lower and faster, but hinders her vertical endurance and makes her more susceptible to combos.
• Sidestep has decreased ending lag (IASA 26 → 25).
• Jump is lower.
• Zero Suit Samus is no longer connected to Samus via Final Smash, taunt, or menu input usage.
• Due to no longer being connected to Samus, Zero Suit Samus cannot use Power Suit Pieces, removing her ability to use powerful items at the start of a match.

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack's first and second hits deal 0.5% less damage (2% → 1.5%). All of its hits also have increased ending lag (frame 18 → 21 (hit 1), frame 21 → 26 (hit 2), and frame 23 → 32 (hit 3)).
• Neutral attack's first and second hits have significantly increased fixed knockback (10 (both) → 23/45 (hit 1), 34/50 (hit 2)), which make its hits connect together better and reduces the chances of Zero Suit Samus's opponents powershielding the second and third hits, in spite of it having more ending lag. Its third hit also has increased base knockback (45 → 60), improving its spacing potential.
• Zero Suit Samus has a new dash attack, a jet-propelled knee strike. Compared to the previous dash attack, it deals 1% more damage (7% → 8%) and it has a longer duration (9 frames → 12).
• Dash attack has altered knockback (30 (base)/80 (scaling) → 100/40) compared to the previous dash attack. This makes it better for cross-ups, but unable to be followed up with tilt attacks.
• Dash attack has less range and more start-up (frame 6 → 7) and ending lag (frame 32 → 52) compared to the previous dash attack. Its sweetspot also has a shorter duration (4 frames → 3).
• Forward tilt has increased base knockback (8 (up and non-angled)/12 (downward angled) → 30).
• Forward tilt has altered damage outputs (6% (upward angled)/6% (non-angled)/9% (downward angled) → 8%/7%/8%).
• Up tilt's second hit deals 1% more damage (6% → 7%) and has increased knockback scaling (80 → 90), improving its KO potential. Its first hit also has decreased knockback (55/80 (base)/70 (scaling) → 55/85/30 (aerial)/50 (grounded)), which makes its hits connect together better at high percentages.
• Up tilt's second hit has increased start-up lag (frame 7 → 9).
• Up tilt has increased hitlag (1x → 1.2x).
• Down tilt has received an additional sweetspot that deals 8%. It also has increased knockback scaling (70 → 85). Zero Suit Samus now moves forward during the move, increasing its reach.
• Down tilt has increased start-up (frame 5 → 8) and ending lag (frame 26 → 36), significantly hindering its combo potential.
• Zero Suit Samus has a new forward smash, a mid-level side kick followed by a spinning side kick at a slightly higher angle. Compared to the previous forward smash, it deals 3% more damage due to consisting of two hits instead of one (13% → 16%) and its second hit has altered knockback (30/35 (base)/100 (scaling) → 28/106/109), making it better at KOing. It also has decreased start-up (frame 21 → 13) and ending lag (frame 67 → 62).
• Forward smash has less range compared to the previous forward smash. Unlike the previous forward smash, it cannot hit opponents standing directly behind Zero Suit Samus.
• Up smash's loop hits deal 0.2% less damage (1% → 0.8%), which decreases its overall damage output by 1% (12% → 11%). It also has increased ending lag (frame 47 → 49).
• Up smash is harder to SDI out of despite its SDI multiplier remaining unchanged. Its last hit also has increased knockback scaling (133 → 145), improving its KO potential. It also has a larger hitbox (6u (first hit)/5u (loop hits)/5u, 6.5u, 8u (final hit) → 6u/5.2u, 5.6u, 6.5u/6u, 7.5u, 9.6u)
• Down smash deals less damage (11% → 8%/6%) and has increased ending lag (frame 37 → 42). It also has a smaller hitbox (9u → 4u/7u), decreasing its reach.
• Down smash has increased knockback (40 (base)/50 (growth) → 50/90).
• Down smash's stun duration decreased. This makes it more difficult for opponents to DI correctly, but slightly hinders its follow-up potential.

Aerial attacks

• Neutral, forward, back and up aerials deal less damage (10% → 8% (neutral), 17% → 12% (forward), 13%/12%/12% → 12/10% (back), 10%/7% → 6.5% (up)), with only back aerial having its knockback mostly compensated (33 (base)/100 (growth) → 42/98).
• Neutral aerial is now properly affected by stale-move negation.
• Forward aerial's decreased knockback makes its hits connect together better, improving its combo potential. It also has larger hitboxes (5.5u/4.8u/5u → 6.4u/5.5u) and decreased ending lag (frame 48 → 47).
• Forward aerial has a shorter duration (4 frames (hit 1)/5 frames (hit 2) → 2 (both)).
• Back aerial has increased ending (frame 38 → 40) and landing lag (9 frames → 11). It also has a shorter duration (3 frames → 2).
• Up aerial's decreased knockback improves its juggling and combo potentials. It also has a longer duration (5 frames → 7).
• Up aerial has increased start-up lag (frame 4 → 6).
• Up aerial no longer has a slash effect.
• Down aerial deals more damage (5% (aerial)/4% (grounded)/5% (landing) → 6%/5%/5.5%), has larger hitboxes (6u/5u → 6.3u/5.2u), and has decreased landing lag (40 frames → 30). Its landing hitbox also has increased knockback scaling (90 → 110).
• Down aerial's aerial hitbox's angle has been altered (275° → 278°).
• Zero Suit Samus now has a grab aerial. Like other grab aerials in SSB4, it deals damage (3% (early), 6% (clean)) and knockback, has long horizontal range, minimal landing lag and can be used as a tether recovery.

Throws/other attacks

• All grabs have decreased ending lag (frame 85 (all) → 69 (standing)/72 (dash)/80 (pivot)).
• All grabs have shorter durations (13 frames → 9). Pivot grab also has increased start-up lag (frame 16 → 17).
• Grab has decreased range.
• The removal of chain grabbing significantly hinders forward throw's combo potential.
• Back throw deals 2% more damage (6% → 8%), although its knockback growth was compensated (60 → 45).
• Down throw deals 2% less damage (7% → 5%).
• Down throw has increased knockback (82 (base)/30 (scaling) → 90/60) and transitions faster, improving its combo potential.

Special moves

• Plasma Whip deals less damage (3% (whip)/16% (tip) → 2% (whip near)/1.2% (whip far)/7.5% (tip)), significantly hindering its KO potential outside of stage spikes and edge-guarding. It also has increased ending lag (frame 44 → 56).
• Zero Suit Samus has a new up special, Boost Kick. It is a jet-propelled, diagonal split-legged flying kick followed by a reverse roundhouse kick. Compared to Plasma Wire, Boost Kick deals more damage overall (4%-6% → 5% (first)/1.3% (loop)/4% (last)) and much more knockback, making it significantly better for KOing. Like Plasma Wire, it has mindgame potential. Unlike Plasma Wire, it can punish rolls.
• Compared to Plasma Wire, Boost Kick covers less vertical distance, making it worse for recovering. Unlike Plasma Wire, it cannot meteor smash opponents.
• Flip Jump's kick deals more damage (12% (clean)/9% (late) → 14%). Its footstool stomp also received a hitbox that deals 8% and either buries or meteor smashes opponents.
• Flip Jump has increased ending lag.
• Due to losing its sex kick properties, Flip Jump deals consistent damage, but is more difficult to hit with.
• Flip Jump's animation has slightly changed. Zero Suit Samus now produces afterimages during its arc.
• Zero Suit Samus has a new Final Smash, Gunship. She jumps into her Gunship and fires energy blasts from her Gunship's cannons towards the stage, similarly to Grenade Launcher. Compared to Power Suit Samus, it deals more damage overall, has a longer duration, and is significantly better for stage control.

Update history

Zero Suit Samus has been nerfed via game updates. Update 1.0.4 standardized her air dodge's animation in order for it to match the rest of the cast's air dodges, which basically increased its landing lag, while Paralyzer had its ending lag increased. Update 1.1.4 affected her weight and her Boost Kick was nerfed, as it now KOs around 5% later. Her most substantial nerfs came about in update 1.1.5, which affected her damage racking potential by decreasing the damage outputs of her neutral aerial, up aerial and down throw, while all of her grabs had their active frames decreased.

Despite these direct nerfs, Zero Suit Samus received indirect buffs due to the changes to shield mechanics brought about in update 1.1.1, as these changes make her Paralyzer's electric attacks, particularly her neutral aerial, safer on shield. Flip Jump's kick is also one of her few non-electric moves to benefit from these changes. Regardless of the nerfs, Zero Suit Samus is still a very viable choice in competitive play.

1.0.4

• Air dodge landing lag standardized: 15 → 22
• Up smash has slower startup: frame 8 → 10.
• Up smash's first hit has a longer duration: 1 → 2 frames.
• Up smash timing: hits on 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 28-29 → hits on 10-11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 26, 28-29
• Paralyzer has 4 frames more ending lag.
• Paralyzer (default), when fully charged, now has different effect on grounded versus aerial opponents.
  • Grounded opponent angle: 60 → 315

1.1.4

• Zero Suit Samus is slightly lighter (81 → 80).
• Boost Kick's final hit has less knockback scaling (220 → 209), hindering its KO potential.
• Boost Kick's final hit launches opponents at a slightly lower angle launch angle (50° → 48°). This hinders its KO potential near the upper blastzone and while this does improve its KO potential near the horizontal blastzone, this is offset by the move's lower knockback, make it KO later horizontally regardless.

1.1.5

• Neutral aerial deals less damage: 10% → 8%, though with its knockback compensated (40 base/80 scaling → 38/96). Additionally, some of its hitboxes have less range (hitbox 1 front: 6u → 5.7u, hitbox 1 back: 6u → 5.6u).
• Neutral aerial has modified stretch positioning (hitbox 1 front X-axis: 11 → 10, hitbox 2 front X/Y-axis: 20/7.5 → 19/7, hitbox 1 back X/Y-axis: 9/14.6 → 6.6/13.8, hitbox 2 back X/Y-axis: 16/17 → 15/16.5). This gives it less horizontal range, but it can now hit small characters on the ground.
• Up aerial deals less damage: 8% → 6.5%, though with its knockback scaling compensated (110 → 125).
• The last active frames for all of her grabs are 4 frames shorter without its ending lag compensated: frame 29 → 25. This makes it more difficult to grab opponents out of their rolls or sidesteps with all of her grabs.
• Back throw's second hit deals more damage (4% → 6%). It also has altered knockback (70 base/60 scaling → 72/45).
• Down throw's second hit deals less damage (5%/7% total → 3%/5% total), though its knockback was also slightly increased (100 base/25 scaling → 90/60), making it somewhat more difficult to combo opponents at high percents.
• Plasma Whip has been improved: the first hit has more base knockback (80 → 100), the loops hits deal slightly more damage (.8% → 1.2%), the final hit deals more damage (6% → 7.5%), and various adjustments have been made to allow all of its hits to connect better. It also has less ending lag (27 → 24 frames).

Moveset

• Zero Suit Samus can crawl and wall jump.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			1.5%	A knifehand strike, followed by a pistol-whip, followed by a 12-6 elbow. Despite its unimpressive damage output, it comes out on frame 1, tying it with Little Mac's neutral attack for having the lowest amount of start-up lag of any neutral attack in the game. This gives it a useful amount of utility, as it can interrupting attacks, act as an out of shield option, and its first hit can act as a set-up into Boost Kick at medium to high percentages.
			1.5%
			3%
Forward tilt	↗		8% (leg), 6.5% (body)	A roundhouse kick. It can be angled, is useful for spacing, and can trip opponents at low percentages when angled downward.
	→		7% (leg), 6% (body)
	↘		8% (leg), 6.5% (body)
Up tilt			5% (hit 1), 7% (hit 2)	A butterfly kick-styled scissor kick performed from a variation of the 2000, a breakdancing move. It is one of only two moves that hits in front and and behind her, with the other being neutral aerial. Its first hit grants intangibility to Zero Suit Samus' legs, while both hits have anti-rebounding priority. It is primarily used to set up juggles, but it can also function as a situational KOing option, as it KOs middleweights at 176%. However, it has high ending lag and cannot hit grounded short characters, such as Kirby.
Down tilt			8% (leg), 6% (foot)	A legsweep. Opponents hit by her foot are launched vertically, whereas opponents hit by her leg are launched diagonally. Unlike in Brawl, it has minimal combo potential. However, it has situational utility, as it can be used for edge-guarding and, when timed precisely, even allows Zero Suit Samus to dodge projectiles and other attacks.
Dash attack			8% (clean), 5% (late)	Activates her Jet Boots to perform a jet-propelled knee strike. It can lead into a successful cross-up as a counter to opponents who try to grab her after powershielding. Although it is fast, it does not have much range and has high ending lag.
Forward smash			5% (hit 1), 11% (hit 2)	A mid-level side kick followed by a spinning side kick at a slightly higher angle. Due to activating her Jet Boots, the second hit has a visible sweetspot in the form of a small blast of fire at the tip of her foot. Unlike typical sweetspots, it has the same damage output as the sourspot, although it nevertheless has slightly higher knockback scaling. It is her strongest smash attack and one of her most reliable KOing options, as its sweetspot KOs middleweights at 127% while near the edge. It is also the only attack involving her Jet Boots' thrusters that deals flame damage.
Up smash			4% (hit 1), 0.8% (hits 2-6), 3% (hit 7)	Spins in place while re-configuring her Paralyzer into a handle to unleash a whip of plasma above her head in a twirling motion. It hits multiple times, has very low start-up lag, disjointed vertical range, and decent horizontal range above Zero Suit Samus, which make it a useful anti-air attack. It can also act as a follow-up from down throw at low percentages. Although its last hit has very high knockback scaling, this is offset by said hit's very low damage output. As a result, it does not KO middleweights until 166%.
Down smash			8% (near), 6% (far)	Shoots her Paralyzer at a diagonal angle. It deals low damage, has delayed knockback and, like Mewtwo's down smash, it only hits on one side. Additionally, the blast is a projectile and as such, it is absorbable, although it cannot be reflected due to being fired downward. It is a useful set-up option due to paralyzing the opponent briefly, with notable follow-ups including her forward smash, a grab, or Boost Kick. With precise timing off-stage, it can also be used as a set-up into Flip Jump in order to meteor smash an opponent. At 60%-150%, two consecutive uncharged down smashes can lead into forward aerial, reverse aerial rushed back aerial, up aerial, Flip Jump and Boost Kick. However, these particular follow-ups require precise timing and for Zero Suit Samus to be very close to the opponent. When spaced correctly, it is safe on shield.
Neutral aerial			8% (both hits)	Re-configures her Paralyzer into a handle and spins a whip of plasma around herself. It has long range, low landing lag and launches opponents diagonally, which allow it to function as a useful set-up option, particularly into other aerials. However, it can be easily be punished against shielding opponents if it is poorly spaced.
Forward aerial			5% (hit 1), 7% (hit 2)	A flying kick followed by a roundhouse kick. The second hit is stronger and slightly faster than the first hit and it can be landed without landing the first hit, but requires correct timing to do so. However, it is difficult to land both hits unless taking advantage of upward and forward momentum from a jump. It is a very useful follow-up from down throw if the opponent's DI has been read properly, and is strong enough to KO middleweights at 127% while near the left or right blast line. At high percentages, the first hit can also act as a KO set-up, due to it launching the opponent into their reeling animation.
Back aerial			12% (foot), 10% (leg)	A hook kick. Its sweetspot is located at her foot and KOs middleweights at 124% while near the edge, thanks to its respectable damage and high knockback scaling. It is also safe on shield when spaced correctly, thanks to its long range.
Up aerial			6.5%	A backflip kick. Thanks to its low start-up and ending lag, low base knockback and very high knockback scaling, it boasts excellent juggling potential. It can combo into itself at low percentages and, with enough rage, it can lead into Boost Kick after a second one has been landed, leading to a KO. By extension, its very knockback scaling also grants it KO potential despite its low damage output, as it KOs middleweights at 125% while near the upper blast line. However, its low base knockback makes it unsafe on hit against characters that have a fast aerial attack to counter with.
Down aerial			6% (aerial), 5% (grounded), 5.5% (landing)	A diagonal flying kick, similar to Sonic and Sheik's down aerials. It is a meteor smash if her foot hits the opponent. However, it has the highest start-up lag out of her aerials and, due to being a stall-then-fall, it is dangerous when used off-stage, as Zero Suit Samus will not stop descending for some time. Despite this, its extremely fast descent speed can enable it to function as a counter to juggling.
Grab aerial		Plasma Whip	3% (early), 6% (clean)	Leans forward while re-configuring her Paralyzer into a handle and unleashes a whip of plasma forward. It is the longest tether in the game, making it excellent for spacing and recovering since it functions as a tether recovery, and is also useful for edge-guarding. At high percentages, it can act as a KO set-up due to launching the opponent into their reeling animation. However, it has high ending lag.
Grab		Plasma Whip	—	Kneels down as she re-configures her Paralyzer into a handle and a whip of plasma comes out of it, which grabs any opponent by the tip of the whip. The tip of the whip has more vertical range, which is useful against small characters such as Kirby, who can otherwise crouch under the rest of the whip. A well-timed grab can even grab opponents out of their rolls and sidesteps. Although Zero Suit Samus' grabs have long horizontal ranges, they are tied with her Power Suit's Grapple Beam for having the highest amount of start-up lag in the game, and have the third highest amount of ending lag in the game.
Pummel			2%	A knee strike. A fairly fast pummel.
Forward throw			2% (hit 1), 7% (throw)	A small, point-blank energy blast from her Paralyzer. At medium percentages and depending on the opponent's DI and reaction, it can act as a set-up into Flip Jump, which can lead into an early KO if its meteor smash hitbox connects. Outside of this, its only other purpose is to deal damage.
Back throw			2% (hit 1), 6% (throw)	A roundhouse kick. It is an infamous set-up for Flip Jump while near the edge due to Flip Jump's meteor smash hitbox, depending on DI and opponent's reaction. It can also lead into her back aerial until around 90%-110% as a DI mix-up against opponents attempting to DI away from her down throw. However, these follow-ups are not guaranteed and require hard reads.
Up throw			2% (hit 1), 8% (throw)	A backflip kick. It is her most damaging throw, but is unable to KO reliably due to its below average knockback scaling. Despite having nearly identical knockback values to down throw and launching opponents vertically like it does, it has very minimal combo potential due to its somewhat high ending lag.
Down throw			2% (hit 1), 3% (throw)	Pins the opponent to the ground and then axe kicks them. One of her best combo starters, it can lead into her forward, back (if the opponent's DI is read properly) and up aerials, a running up smash, and Boost Kick, with the latter combo KOing at high percentages. At high percentages, depending on rage, it can also set up a semi-guaranteed KO combo with up aerial (against opponents attempting to jump out or air dodge) or Boost Kick (against opponents attempting to air dodge).
Floor attack (front)			7%	A spinning kick performed from the windmill, a breakdancing move.
Floor attack (back)			7%
Floor attack (trip)			5%	Spins around to perform a low-angle roundhouse kick.
Edge attack			7%	Performs a low-angle, one-legged dropkick while climbing up.
Neutral special	Default	Paralyzer	4% (uncharged), 6% (charged)	Shoots a paralyzing energy blast from her Paralyzer. It can be charged for a longer stun time, but at the cost of lowered speed.
	Custom 1	Blast Shot	2% (uncharged), 3.5% (charged)	The energy blast is faster and has more range, but deals less damage and does inflict paralysis.
	Custom 2	Electromagnetic Net	0.8% (uncharged most), 1% (uncharged end), 1% (charged most), 2% (charged end)	The energy blast explodes in an ever-increasing range. However, it has minimal range prior to exploding.
Side special	Default	Plasma Whip	2% (whip near), 1.2% (whip far), 7.5% (tip)	Re-configures her Paralyzer into a handle and unleashes a whip of plasma forward. The whip itself deals repeated damage, while its sweetspot is located at the whip's tip. It is useful for spacing and can function as a tether recovery like her grab aerial.
	Custom 1	Plasma Dash	2% (hit 1), 1% (hits 2-5), 4% (hit 6)	A dashing pistol-whip instead of a whipping strike. Due to not emitting a whip of plasma, it cannot be used as a tether recovery.
	Custom 2	Whip Lash	— (whip), 6% (tip)	The whip of plasma draws in the opponent instead of pushing them away. However, only its tip deals damage and knockback.
Up special	Default	Boost Kick	5% (first), 1.3% (loop), 4% (last)	Activates her Jet Boots to perform a jet-propelled diagonal split-legged flying kick, followed by a reverse roundhouse kick. It is one of Zero Suit Samus' best KOing options, especially from out of shield, as it is strong enough to KO middleweights at 115% while near the edge. It can also be angled forward or backward, which allows it to catch an opponent's air dodge, rolls, and edge get-up reactions. However, if it misses or its last hit does not connect, it leaves Zero Suit Samus vulnerable due to it rendering her helpless.
	Custom 1	Impact Kick	6% (hit 1), 14% (hit 2)	The hits deal more damage and knockback, but the Jet Boots' thrusters do not deal loop hits, which decreases its reliability of connecting the first and last hits.
	Custom 2	Lateral Kick	5% (first), 1.3% (loop), 5% (last)	The last hit deals slightly more damage and grants horizontal distance. However, the first hit grants much less vertical distance.
Down special	Default	Flip Jump	8% (stomp), 14% (kick)	A 720° Ce Kong Fan, a jumping technique used in the taolu discipline of Wushu. It functions as a third jump and grants full intangibility on start-up, as well as seemingly granting partial intangibility on her head and lower body while flipping. It can deal damage in two ways: upon contact at the end of the jump, or by pressing either the attack button or special button during the jump. Upon contact, Zero Suit Samus performs a footstool stomp, which buries grounded opponents and meteor smashes aerial opponents. Pressing the attack or special buttons makes her perform a diagonal flying kick, which is strong enough to KO middleweights at 112% while near the edge, and has a sweetspot at her foot that can meteor smash aerial opponents. However, the move has high ending lag overall.
	Custom 1	Shooting Star Flip Kick	8% (stomp), 17% (clean kick), 14% (late kick)	The flying kick's sweetspot deals more damage and it functions similarly to down aerial, albeit launching Zero Suit Samus at a more horizontal angle. However, the jump grants less horizontal distance.
	Custom 2	Low Kick	4% (stomp), 8% (clean kick), 6% (late kick)	The jump grants much more horizontal distance and jumping while flipping helps Zero Suit Samus land faster. However, the jump grants much less vertical distance and no intangibility, while the stomp and kick both deal less damage.
Final Smash		Gunship	0.8% (loop), 10% (last)	Summons her Gunship from the background and jumps into it as it flies into the foreground. While Zero Suit Samus is piloting it, crosshairs appear on the screen, allowing her to fire a maximum of five energy blasts from her Gunship's cannons at any spot she chooses, similarly to Grenade Launcher. When 15 seconds have passed or she has fired five shots, the Final Smash will conclude, and she will return to the stage by descending from the sky.

On-screen appearance

• Jumps out of her Gunship and uses her Jet Boots to briefly hover before landing.

Taunts

• Up taunt: Tosses her Paralyzer into the air, spins once and catches it behind her, saying "Is that all?"
• Side taunt: Swings a whip of plasma from her re-configured Paralyzer in a circular motion, saying "Try me."
• Down taunt: Re-configures her Paralyzer into a handle and then twirls a whip of plasma around her like a rhythmic gymnast while spinning multiple times on one foot, saying "You're mine!"

Up taunt	Side taunt	Down taunt

Idle poses

• Configures her Paralyzer.
• Stands up straight and looks around, holding her Paralyzer up to her face.

Crowd cheer

	English	Japanese
Cheer
Description	Ze-ro Suit!	Ze-ro Suit! Samus!
Pitch	Group chant	Group chant

Victory poses

A flourished remix based on the jingle that plays when Samus Aran obtains an upgrade to her Power Suit or when a Metroid game is resumed from a Save Station.

• Performs Flip Jump and then performs a jet propelled somersault while grunting.
• Swings a whip of plasma from her re-configured Paralyzer before saying "Be still."
• Performs a stretch kick before grunting and striking a pose. The pose is vaguely similar to the Screw Attack symbol used to represent the Metroid series.

In competitive play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character	Custom sets available
Zero Suit Samus	1311	1312	1112	2311	2111
	2312	2112	1211	1332	1132

Notable players

Active

•  ANTi - A top-level Zero Suit Samus player.
•  Choco - The best Zero Suit Samus player in Japan.
•  Deimos
•  Griffith - Ranked 3rd on the French Power Rankings.
•  Luhtie - Has wins over ZeRo, Elegant and Tyrant.
•  Marss - The best Zero Suit player in New England, and the second best one in the world.
•  Mistake - One of the best Zero Suit Samus players in Canada. Ranked 2nd on the Southern Ontario Power Rankings.
•  Nairo - The best Zero Suit Samus player in the world. He was the first person to eliminate ZeRo in a tournament.
•  Nick Riddle - The best Zero Suit Samus player in Florida.
•  quiK - The best Zero Suit Samus player in Europe.
•  Remzi - The best Zero Suit Samus player in MD/VA.
•  SmashSK
•  V115 - One of the best Zero Suit Samus players in Canada. Formerly ranked 3rd on the Southern Ontario Power Rankings.

Inactive

•  Ned - The best Zero Suit Samus player in the Midwest prior to switching to Cloud.

Tier placement and history

Zero Suit Samus has been widely been viewed as a top-tier character ever since SSB4 was released. She became infamous for her highly rewarding grab combos that could lead into early KOs, varied methods of setting up KOs with her back and down throws, down smash, and Paralyzer, her ability to escape pressure with her aerial mobility and down special, and, as of update 1.1.1, the incredible safety of her electric attacks like her neutral aerial. However, she also has a few weaknesses, such as her laggy grab and lackluster ground game. Although players would often point out both her weaknesses and her representation only being above average for a perceived top-tier character, Zero Suit Samus' weaknesses were also perceived as negligible. Additionally, her top-tier status was supplemented by the efforts of dedicated professionals, most notably Marss, Nairo, Nick Riddle, Remzi and V115, who dominated their respective regions with her and whose tournament results had been sufficient enough to position her as the second best character in the game in the eyes of most players.

Nairo's efforts in particular have demonstrated the former points, being not only one of the best SSB4 players in the world, but also placing among the top 8 consistently at major tournaments and winning MLG World Finals 2015 while using Zero Suit Samus, also notably becoming the first person to eliminate ZeRo, the undisputed best player in the world at the time, from a tournament. Other notable placings included Nick Riddle placing 2nd at Paragon Orlando 2015 and 7th at CEO 2015, and Nairo and Marss placing at 5th and 7th at GENESIS 3, respectively. Thanks to these very strong tournament results, Zero Suit Samus was ranked 2nd on the first tier list.

However, Zero Suit Samus received nerfs from game updates, with update 1.1.5 providing her most significant ones by exacerbating her grab game's lag issues, and somewhat toning down her immense strengths. These nerfs ultimately affected her results, with some of her main players eventually being outperformed by other characters, such as Cloud, which in turn saw her playerbase slightly shrink. Zero Suit Samus' downturn was reflected in her subsequent tier placements, as she lost her top 3 status by being ranked 8th on the second tier list, and then lost her top 10 status by being ranked 11th on the third and current tier list.

Trophies

Zero Suit Samus

Samus is far from helpless when her Power Suit is deactivated. Sure, she loses a lot of the moves and weapons she had access to before, but her Jet Boots pick up the slack! She also has the Paralyzer, a versatile weapon that can shock her rivals or change into a Plasma Whip to grab edges and enemies.

Without her Power Suit, Samus Aran may not have her usual strength, specials moves or over-powered arm cannon, but her Jet Boots definitely kick things up a notch in their own way. The Paralyzer, her gun, does just what you'd expect it to, but it can also turn into a whip for attacking and grabbing onto edges while falling.

: Metroid: Zero Mission (02/2004)

: Metroid: Other M (08/2010)

Zero Suit Samus (Alt.)

Zero Suit Samus's up special Boost Kick involves a series of fast kicks that end with a swift, sideways-launching one. A perfectly executed attack will hit eight times! Her down special Flip Jump can bury a grounded fighter in the dirt. She can kick midflip by pressing the special button.

Zero Suit Samus's Boost Kick up special finishes with a swift sideways kick. If you start the move close to an opponent, you can hit them up to eight times and launch them sideways! Her main down special, Flip Jump, buries opponents if you land on them at the end of it. Alternatively, press the button again mid-flip for a drop kick.

: Metroid: Zero Mission (02/2004)

: Metroid: Other M (08/2010)

Gunship (Zero Suit Samus)

Samus's Gunship is her way of travelling through space and her base of operations when exploring hostile planets. In Zero Suit Samus's Final Smash, she can use her Gunship to fire powerful beams at other fighters, hitting them multiple times, even if they're hiding off-screen! At least they can be thankful it doesn't go on forever.

Samus's spaceship carries her through space and serves as her base of operations during her missions. Zero Suit Samus will call down and board her Gunship with her Final Smash. Once she's in the pilot's seat, she has a short time to unleash up to five powerful shots from the ship's weapons. Foes aren't safe even hiding off-screen!

• 

  Classic (3DS)

• 

  Alt. (3DS)

• 

  Classic (Wii U)

• 

  Alt. (Wii U)

• 

  Gunship (Final Smash)

In Event Matches

Solo Events

• A Situation of some Gravity: Zero Suit Samus must defeat Rosalina & Luma while she is affected by high gravity.
• All-Star Battle: Brawl: Zero Suit Samus is one of the opponents fought in this event. All of the opponents debuted in Brawl.
• Bounty Hunter Clash: As Captain Falcon, the player must defeat Zero Suit Samus. After some time, two Villagers will appear and must be defeated as well.
• Identity Crisis: As Zelda and Sheik, the player must defeat Zero Suit Samus and Samus.

Co-op Events

• Peach in Peril: Bowser and Bowser Jr. must defeat Zero Suit Samus, Rosalina & Luma, Zelda, Wii Fit Trainer and female Robin, but not Peach. KOing Peach results in a failure.
• The Ultimate Battle: Two players select a character and must defeat the entire roster.

Alternate costumes

Gallery

• 

  Zero Suit Samus' splash art.

• 

  Zero Suit Samus' amiibo.

• 

  Preparing to use Plasma Whip.

• 

  Preparing to use Plasma Whip.

• 

  Using Plasma Whip against Link.

• 

  Using her forward aerial.

• 

  Rolling alongside her Power Suit.

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  Double jumping to demonstrate her Jet Boots' thrusters in action.

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  Using her up tilt.

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  Wearing a Bunny Hood and being under the effect of Superspicy Curry, alongside Luigi and King Dedede.

• SSB4 - ZSS Screen-9.jpg

  Zero Suit Samus in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

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  Jumping.

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  Double jumping alongside her Power Suit, demonstrating their Jet Boots and thrusters, respectively.

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  Preparing to land the second hit of her forward aerial on Pit, who is being attacked by a Metroid.

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  Using Flip Jump alongside Wii Fit Trainer.

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  Fighting Rosalina.

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  Using her forward aerial against Pac-Man's forward aerial.

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  Using Boost Kick.

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  Two of Zero Suit Samus' new alternate costumes, which are based on her civilian clothes seen in the endings of Metroid Fusion and Metroid: Zero Mission.

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  The civilian alternate costumes as they appear in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

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  Alongside Ridley.

Trivia

• Zero Suit Samus is the only character in the game who has more than one way to access her tether recovery.
  • She is also the only character in SSB4 who has a special move that can function as a tether recovery.