Super Smash Brothers has quickly become a huge part of gaming culture. The franchise has been a fan favorite since way back in the golden age of videogames when consoles like N64 and the original Playstation were on top. Since then (and 4 titles later), the roster has bulked up quite a bit with characters ranging from Pikachu and Link to characters like Sonic and Cloud.
When it comes to the newest installment of the Super Smash Bros franchise, there is always one question on every player’s mind: Which fighter to pick? With such a heavy line up of characters to choose from, this can become a bit overwhelming. Here is an official tier list of characters ranked from low to high for you to get started so you can make sure to choose one of the best.
This article will discuss only the best of the ultimate characters so the in depth list will be comprised of only A tier and S tier characters. The tier summary consists of each character from most powerful to least powerful with a power level out of 100.
S Tier (The best of the best. These characters are the most well-rounded and have some of the best recovery, smashes, and move sets. Players who can master these characters will be sure to come out on top.)
Peach/Daisy 100/100
Pichu 98/100
Wolf 96/100
Olimar 95/100
Fox 93/100
Lucina 92/100
Snake 91/100
Inkling 90/100
A Tier (While these characters are still a strong choice for the hardcore players, they have weaknesses that can be exploited.)
Palutena 86/100
Greninja 84/100
Pikachu 83/100
Shulk 82/100
Wario 81/100
Pokemon Trainer 80/100
B Tier (Not as strong as A Tier but still a good choice if you’re willing to put in the effort.)
Joker 78/100
Chrom 76/100
Roy 76/100
Zero Suit Samus 74/100
Ike 74/100
Young Link 72/100
R.O.B. 66/100
Megaman 66/100
Link 64/100
Mario 64/100
Yoshi 62/100
Marth 62/100
Ness 60/100
C Tier ( Mid tier fighters that are fun to play but they have weaknesses that can be exploited easily.)
Cloud 54/100
Richter/ Simon 54/100
Pacman 52/100
Wii Fit Trainer 50/100
Bowser 50/100
Lucario 50/100
Mii Swordsman 48/100
Falco 48/100
Meta Knight 46/100
Donkey Kong 46/100
Sonic 44/100
King Dedede 42/100
Villager 40/100
D Tier (Not your best choice of fighter but still fun to play)
Toon Link 39/100
Diddy Kong 39/100
Captain Falcon 39/100
Lucas 39/100
Ganondorf 38/100
Samus/Dark Samus 38/100
Mewtwo 38/100
Mr. Game and Watch 38/100
Duck Hunt 38/100
Luigi 38/100
Ice Climbers 36/100
Mii Gunner 36/100
Corrin 36/100
Pitt 34/100
Mii Fighter 34/100
Robin 34/100
Ridley 34/100
Bayonnetta 34/100
Dark Pitt 34/100
Incineroar 32/100
Zelda 32/100
Rosalina 30/100
Ken 28/100
Sheik 28/100
Dr. Mario 28/100
Ryu 22/100
E Tier (Fun to play but you’re probably not winning any matches with these characters)
Jigglypuff 18/100
Isabelle 18/100
King K Rool 12/100
Pirahna Plant 12/100
Bowser Jr. 8/100
Kirby 8/100
Little Mac 2/100
-S Tier-
1. Peach/Daisy (S Tier)
The most coveted spot on the list goes to Peach and her echo fighter, Daisy. This is a character with some of the best potential if you learn how to play her correctly. Her whole move set has been buffed from previous titles and she has a lot of combo options. If pulled off right, her combo game can be insane and deal tremendous amounts of damage. She also does not have to work hard to kill you since her neutral moves are consistent and deal high amounts of damage. Combine this with her great recovery and shield break options and you have a force to be reckoned with.
What makes Peach so powerful:
- Insane combo game
- Kill options are consistent
- Neutral moves can kill
- Good recovery
- Good disadvantage state
- Good up smash and side B (HA-CHA!) moves
- Out damages sword characters
Power Rating: 100/100
2. Pichu (S Tier)
Pichu might be small but he’s one deadly little electric rodent. His combos do a lot of damage and can kill if landed correctly. He hits hard and is super lethal. These lethal combos and his amazing recovery is what propels him above Pikachu and to the top of the list. His one con is that he dies early but, if played correctly, your opponent will die before that becomes a problem.
What makes Pichu powerful:
- Does well against other top tier opponents
- Insane combos that kill
- Good recovery and very fast
- Smallest character in the game so he is hard to hit
- Lots of strength to kill with smashes and thunder
- Did I mention he was deadly?
Power Rating: 98/100
3. Wolf (S Tier)
Wolf has a move set that hits really hard. His combos can land only 3 to 4 hits at a time but every hit does a lot of damage making him one of the more deadly fighters in the game. Combine this with his great grappling ability and an amazing neutral move and you get the number 3 pick for best character.
What makes Wolf powerful:
- Great at grappling
- His nair attack is super strong
- All his hits do a lot of damage
- Can kill with smashes easily
Power Rating: 96/100
4. Olimar (S Tier)
Olimar is a character that does a really good job at camping and forcing his opponent to approach him. His pikmin, for lack of a better term, are annoying to deal with and cause a great deal of damage. Because of this, Olimar has lots of kill options. Unless you can overwhelm Olimar he is one tough character to beat.
What makes Olimar powerful:
- Plays a great defensive game
- Can camp well.
- Does a lot of damage
- Lots of kill options
- Can really only beat him by edgeguarding
Power Rating: 95/100
5. Fox (S Tier)
Fox is one of the fastest characters in the game. This makes it easy for Fox to get in quickly and apply pressure. Fox has always been one of the better characters throughout Smash’s history which keeps him at the top of the charts more consistently. Some of his cons include his linear recovery options and repetitive moveset.
What makes Fox powerful:
- His speed.
- He has a lot of powerful moves including his dash attack, neutral, and up tilt.
- He is hard to deal with since he easily provides pressure.
Power Rating: 93/100
6. Lucina (S Tier)
Some might consider Lucina the jack of all trades. There is nothing in particular that makes her stand out but she is good in almost every way. Lucina has good range, damage guarding, shields, a strong up smash, everything. Her character is also very consistent which makes it easy to land combos and hits. She also doesn't have to rely on tippers like her clone, Marth. This greatly reduces the chance of making a mistake.
What makes Lucina powerful:
- Consistent hit boxes
- Great at edge guarding
- Consistent combos and flexibility
- Counter attack
- Her forward smash and shield break.
Power Rating: 92/100
7. Snake (S Tier)
Snake has risen in the rankings recently and is one of the more controversial characters when it comes to tier lists. He climbed his way up to the S tier for a couple of reasons. His grenades serve as combo breakers and can halt any approach which gives him some of the best defense in the game. His recovery is also very flexible, making it difficult to edgeguard him.
What makes Snake powerful:
- Grenade is a great combo breaker
- Amazing burst options and dash attack
- Can edgeguard almost anyone in the game
Power Rating: 91/100
8. Inkling (S Tier)
The last S tier fighter on the list is Inkling. This is character has an insane damage output due to their ink mechanic as well as one of the best recoveries in the game. Their roller move is really strong and helps put together some great combos. Inkling is known to struggle when it comes to projectiles but wracks up damage when they can get in close.
What makes Inkling powerful:
- Zero lag time
- Great ledge trapping
- Wracks up damage fast with the ink mechanic
- Hard to edgeguard and has one of the best recoveries in the game
- Difficult to rush them.
Power Rating: 90/100
-A Tier-
9. Palutena (A Tier)
Right at the top of the A Tier fighters is Palutena. Similar to Lucina, Palutena is a very solid character across the board. Her play style is very flexible and her kit can do well against mostly any other character. While nothing about her is necessarily bad, she does not have anything about her that is considered very good or overpowered. This, and the fact that she can be overwhelmed easily, keeps her just below S tier.
What makes Palutena powerful:
- Really fast
- Can camp and counter-camp well
- Great combos
- Solid across the board
- Recovery is her best asset
Power Rating: 86/100
10. Greninja (A tier)
Greninja is considered by some to be within the top 3 midrange characters in the game. His dash attack allows him to get in close while his water shuriken can be used as a great mid to long range attack. These moves allow him to play a strong combo game. One of the only cons about picking up Greninja is that his recovery leaves something to be desired.
What makes Greninja powerful:
- Dash attack and down tilt are very powerful
- Water shuriken is one of the best projectiles
- Can mix up combos really well
Power Rating: 84/100
11. Pikachu (A Tier)
Pikachu is one of the best characters in all of super smash. While currently being outshined by his alter-ego, Pichu, Pikachu still boasts some of the most solid combos. He also has one of the best recovery games out there. The only thing keeping him from being S tier is the repetitiveness of his kill options which could make it easy to predict his movements.
What makes Pikachu powerful:
- Super solid combo game
- One of the best recoveries in game
- Dash attack
Power Rating: 83/100
12. Shulk (A Tier)
Shulk’s Minado arts move makes him one of the most adaptable fighters. You can switch them whenever you want and use them to escape and break combos. This many tools for one character could be somewhat overwhelming but combining Shulk’s long range, hard hits, and good recovery options earns Shulk his A tier spot.
What makes Shulk powerful:
- Long range
- Minado arts
- Fast and hits hard
- Adaptable
Power Rating: 82/100
13. Wario (A Tier)
There is only one word that comes to mind when talking about Wario: Waft. Wario’s waft move is one of the best moves in the game and propels him into his top tier spot. Because of this move, Wario has one of the best and easiest punish games. One good hit from waft can kill most characters. Keeping Wario from moving farther up the list is his lack of range attacks and poor recovery options.
What makes Wario powerful:
- Waft. Waft. Waft
- Really good punish game
- Lots of combos
- Bite is a good alternative to grab
Power Rating: 81/100
14. Pokemon Trainer (A Tier)
At the bottom of the A-tier list is Pokemon Trainer. The ability to switch between three different characters makes Pokemon Trainer one of the most versatile characters. Squirtle is good at dealing lots of damage while Charizard and Ivysaur can come in for the kill. Pokemon trainers strength also doubles as their weakness. Having to switch between characters can kill momentum and being forced to switch could give you a disadvantage against certain character match ups.
What makes Pokemon Trainer powerful:
- Ivysaur has one of the strongest spikes in the whole game
- Squirtle is a hard damage dealer
- Ivysaur combos and neutral moves
Power Rating: 80/100
