Zero Suit Samus (SSBU): Difference between revisions

|image = {{tabber|title1=Zero Suit|tab1=[[File:Zero Suit Samus SSBU.png|250px]]|title2=Casual Outfit (Zero Mission)|tab2=[[File:Zero Suit Samus-Alt6 SSBU.png|250px]]|title3=Casual Outfit (Fusion)|tab3=[[File:Zero Suit Samus-Alt7 SSBU.png|250px]]}}

|tier = A+

|ranking = 28

As in ''[[Smash 4]]'', {{s|wikipedia|Alésia Glidewell}}'s portrayal of Zero Suit Samus from ''[[Brawl]]'' was repurposed for ''Ultimate''.

Zero Suit Samus is currently ranked 28th out of 86 characters on the current ''Ultimate'' [[tier list]], placing her in A+ tier. This is a significant drop from her top-tier position in ''[[Smash 4]]'', where she was ranked 6th out of 55 characters.  

Zero Suit Samus possesses many of her strengths from the previous game such as her fantastic movement, amazing recovery, amazing disadvantage state and safe aerials. She notably benefits greatly from the game's engine allowing her to be fantastic as a hit-and-run character and even a time-out character. Zero Suit Samus also received a significantly better ground game with all of her grounded options becoming much better further improving her neutral. She also has many reliable means of killing her opponents with her aerials, down smash, up throw and [[Boost Kick]].

 

While Zero Suit Samus would initially be considered to be among the best characters in the game, she would receive further nerfs to her neutral aerial, [[Flip Jump]] and [[Boost Kick]] while new DLC characters such as {{SSBU|Pyra}} & {{SSBU|Mythra}}, and other buffed characters such as {{SSBU|Cloud}}, {{SSBU|Diddy Kong}} and {{SSBU|Bayonetta}} would prove to be troublesome matchups for her resulting in her dropping off on the tier list to a mere high tier. Even with the decline, she is still considered to be a viable character who has seen great results and decent representation in tournaments thanks to the likes of {{Sm|Marss}}.   

One of her biggest strengths is her outstanding air game, considered among the best in the cast. While her [[neutral aerial]] has noticeable start-up, it is decently [[disjoint]]ed and sends at an excellent angle for combos. This makes it one of her main tools in the [[neutral game|neutral]] and is notable for having several KO confirms into some of her finishing moves. Her [[forward aerial]] is also a great combo starter due to its low lag and can be useful for edgeguarding, while it also has some KO potential offstage. Her [[back aerial]] is fast, fairly strong, and can be combo'd into from a neutral aerial at high percents, making it one of her primary KO options. Her [[up aerial]] is exceptionally fast at frame 6 and can be combo'd into itself repeatedly, making it a great juggling tool that can sometimes KO confirm into [[Boost Kick]]. Her [[down aerial]] is a [[stall-then-fall]] aerial with a [[meteor smash]] hitbox; while it is her slowest aerial and easily her most unsafe, it can nonetheless be used as a situational KO move and landing option. Finally, she is one of the only characters in the game with a [[grab aerial]], which like most other grab aerials has long [[range]] and low lag overall, giving her a good approach against aerial foes as well as a   niche recovery option.

Finally, her special moveset has strong utility overall. [[Paralyzer]], her neutral special, has a very fast charge time compared to other chargeable projectiles, and starting at mid percentages, will stun opponents long enough for her to be able to follow up. [[Plasma Whip]], her side special, is a long-ranged attack with very strong utility: tapping the button will cause the move to become a multi-hitting KO option that KO's starting at 140% if fresh, while holding the button will cause the move to hit once and knock foes upward. While this version is less suited for offense and has more lag, it still has utility for setting up combos. [[Boost Kick]], her up special, travels merely average distance as a recovery, but compensates with having many options that follow up into it (such as neutral and up aerials, Paralyzer and [[Flip Jump]]'s burying sweetspot), while the last hit is strong enough to KO earlier than her forward smash and her strongest move overall. Finally, her down special, Flip Jump, is a 45° acrobatic jump that does not render her helpless in the air, while its followup kick can meteor smash foes in the air or bury them on the ground, and is fast enough that it will often leave slower characters (such as {{SSBU|Ganondorf}}) in disadvantageous situations.

Although being considered a dominating top tier character throughout the lifetime of ''SSB4'' (6th out of 55 characters), Zero Suit Samus has received a mix of buffs and nerfs in the transition to ''Ultimate'', slightly nerfing her directly.

She has received some significant direct and indirect nerfs, especially directly, and the most notable ones were to her outstanding combo and punish game, which while still potent, have been toned down overall. Her down throw has more knockback and more ending lag, and thus can no longer combo as reliably as in the previous game past very low percentages, losing almost all its combo potential, her up aerial has more ending lag and both her down smash and [[Flip Jump]], especially the former, have less hitstun and knockback, worsening several of her setup moves and making it more difficult to capitalize on them and on KO confirms. Furthermore, the changes to the knockback physics make it more difficult for her to string her moves into the other. Zero Suit Samus's recovery, previously one of the best in the game, was also nerfed, as [[Plasma Whip]] takes much longer to grab an edge and has reduced tether range. Lastly, her forward smash's new sourspot and nerfs to forward aerial's power, and back aerials and [[Boost Kick]]'s hitboxes and the latter's reduced knockback (unless started from the ground), make it harder for her to score KOs, reducing her KO ability.

However, Zero Suit Samus does significantly benefit overall from the universal changes to gameplay mechanics. The faster movement speed further enhances her already excellent mobility (now possessing the 2nd fastest initial [[dash]] in the game and a good [[dash-dance]]), improving her approach and as such, her "hit and run" playstyle. The reintroduction of directional [[air dodging]] improves her juggling capabilities, and the universally reduced landing lag and more limited out-of-shield options allow her to retain some of her combo game while improving on her mediocre neutral game - one of her most notable weaknesses in ''Smash 4''.

She has also directly received some useful buffs: her down tilt, arguably her worst move in ''SSB4'', has reduced ending lag that gives it combo potential, and her up smash has reduced base knockback with significantly increased knockback scaling, granting it combo potential and dramatically improving its KO power. Aside from her lost ability to string lengthy and devastating punishes off of a down throw, Zero Suit Samus' grab game has been improved as a whole; her grab, previously one of the laggiest in the game, has been sped up, making it less risky to use, and her up throw has increased knockback, granting her a new KO move, and forward throw sends opponents in a lower angle, granting it the ability to set up [[tech-chasing]]. Finally, her special moveset has seen many improvements, as [[Paralyzer]] charges and fires shots faster, while Plasma Whip can now send opponents towards her for new setups if the button is held, and has restored some of its lost KO power from ''Brawl''. Despite the nerfs to Flip Jump, it has also received some improvements. It executes faster in the air, both the jump and footstool stomp have less ending lag, and the manual kick can be inputted faster which allows her to combo into it from her neutral aerial much more consistently and take stocks at very early percentages. Zero Suit Samus also indirectly benefits from a less threatening competitive environment, with most other top-tiers having been nerfed considerably allowing her to further keep her very high position relative to the cast.

In the end, Zero Suit Samus remains a high-risk, high-reward character whose learning curve is even higher than in ''SSB4'', with a wider and more intricate array of neutral, combo and punish options, as opposed to her more polarized kit in ''SSB4'' that necessitated a more linear gameplan. Much like {{SSBU|Mario}}, {{SSBU|Fox}}, and {{SSBU|Sonic}}, and in contrast to how other former ''SSB4'' top tier characters were nerfed much more dramatically, Zero Suit Samus continues to be an effective character; while {{Sm|Juice}} and even moreso {{Sm|Marss}} have been highly successful with ZSS in the Western tournament scene, her perception is even more favorable in Japan, with multiple players including {{Sm|Choco}} and {{Sm|Kuro}} finding notable tournament success with her. Due to Marss' dominance with the character, Zero Suit Samus was widely regarded as a top-tier or upper high-tier character once again, and has been one of the most successful fighters in ''Ultimate'' relative to her low representation. This is taken even further in Japan, where she is frequently regarded as one of the best characters in the game, if not the best. However, she is often considered to be a high tier after the COVID-19 pandemic due to the nerfs she received, a noticeable decline in results, and an increase in bad matchups

|neutralname=Level Chop ({{ja|レベルチョップ|Reberu Choppu}}) / Gun Hook ({{ja|ガンフック|Gan Fukku}}) / Back Knuckle ({{ja|バックナックル|Bakku Nakkuru}})

|nairname=Whip Guard ({{ja|ウィップガード|Uippu Gādo}})

|zairname=Aerial Plasma Whip ({{ja|空中プラズマウィップ|Kūchū Purazuma Uippu}})

|grabname=Plasma Whip ({{ja|プラズマウィップ|Purazuma Uippu}})

SSBUZeroSuitSamusIdle1.gif|Zero Suit Samus's first idle pose

SSBUZeroSuitSamusIdle2.gif|Zero Suit Samus's second idle pose

|Ze - ro - Suit! Sa - mus! || Saaaa - mus Ze - ro! || Sa - mus! nul-kostyume! || Ze - ro Su - it Sa - mu - s!

''See also: [[:Category:Zero Suit Samus professionals (SSBU)]]''

*{{Sm|Choco|Japan}} - One of the best Zero Suit Samus players in Japan in the early metagame. Placed 3rd at {{Trn|Umebura SP 5}}, 5th at {{Trn|Umebura SP 4}}, and 9th at {{Trn|Umebura SP 2}}, {{Trn|Umebura SP 7}} and {{Trn|Umebura Japan Major 2019}} with wins over players such as {{Sm|Gackt}}, {{Sm|Shuton}}, and {{Sm|Tea}}. Ranked 26th on the [[Fall 2019 PGRU]].

*{{Sm|Marss|USA}} - The best Zero Suit Samus player in the world. Placed 1st at {{Trn|GENESIS 7}}, 3rd at {{Trn|Pound 2019}}, {{Trn|MomoCon 2019}}, and {{Trn|Mainstage}}, and 4th at {{Trn|Super Smash Con 2019}}. Ranked as high as 3rd on the [[Spring 2019 PGRU]] and is currently ranked 17th on the [[PGRU v3 NA]].

*{{Sm|shky|Japan}} - The best Zero Suit Samus player in Japan post quarantine. Placed 2nd at {{Trn|Maesuma TOP 1}}, 4th at {{Trn|Kagaribi}}, 7th at {{Trn|EVO Japan 2020}}, 9th at {{Trn|Umebura SP 4}}, and 17th at both {{Trn|Umebura Japan Major 2019}} with wins over players such as {{Sm|Gackt}}, {{Sm|Kameme}}, and {{Sm|Kuro}}. Ranked 18th on the [[Japan Player Rankings]].

|6||{{Head|Little Mac|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Wire}} (x3) {{Head|Little Mac|g=SSBU|s=20px|cl=Green}} (x3) {{SSBU|Little Mac}}||[[75m]] ([[Battlefield form]])||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Other|Tunnel Scene - X}}''||Horde Battle. Items do not appear. The stage is also made of wires.

*Unusually, the angled variants Zero Suit Samus's forward smash does not cause the flames effects on her boot to terminate after the second kick.