The final update to Smash Ultimate may have come and gone, but that has not stopped the Ultimate tier list from continuing to evolve. Though some characters have been set in their tiers since day 1, many characters have surprised many fans with their rising success or steady decline in the competitive scene.
Pretty much every mechanic, every little quirk that this game contains has been examined from all different angles, and as a result new playstyles from top players have changed the way we see certain characters. The shift has been steady, but as players lean more into the bait-and-punish playstyle and perfect their 0-to-deaths, certain characters have come out on top, while others have fallen behind.
Here’s our take on Ultimate’s current tier list, as well as a breakdown of the 10 strongest fighters on the roster. These tiers have been chosen based on these characters' performances in the current meta, their tournament performances throughout Smash Ultimate’s lifetime, as well as my take from my 6 years of experience playing the game. We’ll be starting out at the top and working our way down.
SS Tier
We start our list off with the best of the best. The best characters in the game have been extremely contentious, changing every time a new patch or new DLC character comes along to shake up the way the community views this game. But now that updates have ended, the community has generally agreed upon who’s on top.
These characters not only have the best combos, best damage, and incredible survivability, but each of them has a gimmick that defines their playstyle. Whether it be a broken set of tools courtesy of DLC privilege, incredible movement physics making them impossible to pin down, or an oppressive projectile game, these characters stand heads and shoulders above much above the rest of the cast.
- Steve
- Sonic
- Pyra & Mythra
- R.O.B
- Mr. Game & Watch
- Snake
- Joker
S Tier
While not quite SS tier, these characters are still some of the most incredible fighters in the roster. Play any character from either tier, and you’re playing a character with an incredibly high skill ceiling and tons of different combo routes to learn and map out.
These characters in particular excel in either ludicrous combos that can steal a stock off a single interaction, or they have such incredible movement and burst options that they are able to entirely control the pace of any given match. In addition, many are also blessed with several recovery options, though maybe not as much as those in the tier above.
- Peach/Daisy
- Kazuya
- Fox
- Diddy Kong
A+ Tier
Characters in the A+ tier are blessed with either excellent mobility or strong stage control options. While they are not as overbearing as the S and SS tiers, these characters having extremely strong neutral games as well as often having good “get off me tools”
Characters like Min Min, Samus and Sora excel at keeping people at a distance, racking up damage while keeping themselves relatively safe, and also having strangely potent tools to escape shield pressure. Meanwhile, characters like Cloud, Yoshi and Wario have excellent movement physics, and are able to use these to start powerful combos or weave out of danger.
- Cloud
- Min Min
- Yoshi
- Samus/Dark Samus
- Palutena
- Pikachu
- Sora
- Wario
- Roy
- Shulk
A Tier
The characters in A tier may have specific gimmicks that set them apart, but most of them are known for being great all around fighters. Many boasting a pretty honest gameplan, these characters don’t have too many volatile matchups, instead always being either good or great in most matchups.
Strong combo games are the name of the game in this tier, as well as having either a strong projectile that forces opponents to approach or strong enough grounded and aerial attacks that approaching yourself isn’t difficult. While they don’t reach the heights that more min-maxed characters see, these characters are always a safe pick if you are looking for an easier high tier to learn.
- Wolf
- Mario
- Pac-Man
- Bayonetta
- Pokemon Trainer
- Zero Suit Samus
- Corrin
- Terry
- Lucina
- Olimar/Alph
B+ Tier
As we get to the mid tiers, their placing becomes a bit less clear, as many of these characters stand just as good a chance of winning as many of their counterparts. In the case of the fighters in the B+ tier, most of these characters are strong rush down fighters that have excellent advantage states.
However, several suffer either insufficient kill power or a rougher disadvantage state. While still capable of some insane gameplay, these characters require a lot more player skill to perform as well as some of the easier to play high tiers. Specific combos that need to be adjusted due to an opponent's SDI (Smash Directional Influence) or a lacking recovery holds these fighters back, though not by very much.
- Sheik
- Ken
- Greninja
- Mii Brawler
- Ryu
- Falco
- Young Link
- Luigi
- Sephiroth
B Tier
I would say the B tier is for fighters who exemplify being “mid-tier”. Not bad by any stretch, and able to go toe to toe with even the top tiers in the right hands, but without much of an X factor that sets them apart from the better fighters. Each fighter is absolutely unique and brings a different approach to matches, but these gimmicks don’t often make the difference in a given match.
These characters often have very solid basic tools, but are missing the one factor that could really make them something special. For some, like Marth or Inkling, it’s a lack of consistent or overly precise kill options. For characters like Byleth and Hero, it’s a strong neutral game but little in terms of any real combos. These characters are all solid, however, and are still worthwhile picks.
- Captain Falcon
- Byleth
- Pit/Dark Pit
- Rosalina & Luma
- Hero
- Mega Man
- Toon Link
- Ness
- Meta Knight
- Inkling
- Marth
C+ Tier
As we enter C+ tier, we start to see characters with glaring flaws that, while not a death sentence, definitely affect their gameplan. These characters are more surprise picks that can turn the tables if your opponent hasn’t figured out your gameplan, but only have so many tricks before they have to rely on their less than stellar tools.
For many it is survivability, having either exploitable recoveries, hurt boxes or weight classes that make staying alive at higher percentages very tricky. For others, it’s lackluster hit boxes, making landing hits a lot more difficult than one would hope. While these characters are valid picks when in the right hands, they also come with a few caveats to watch out for.
- Ice Climbers
- Chrom
- Incineroar
- Link
- Pichu
- Mii Gunner
- Lucario
- Bowser
- Wii Fit Trainer
C Tier
The characters in C tier are honestly some of my favorites to play, having very unique properties or boasting extremely powerful attacks. However, as fun as they are to play, they are held back in most cases by unreliability. Their skill floor is very low, and while many are easy to pick up and play they often have really tough matchups against those in the higher tiers.
It’s a bit of a death sentence to be inconsistent in the high pressure world of competitive Smash. And whether it be slow movement physics, stubby hit boxes on aerials and grounded attacks, or a larger hurt box making them much easier to combo, you may find yourself having difficulty winning with these fighters in higher tiers of play.
- Banjo & Kazooie
- Lucas
- Jigglypuff
- Duck Hunt
- Mewtwo
- Robin
- Donkey Kong
- Ridley
- Kirby
- Bowser Jr.
D Tier
Though above E tier, these characters are plagued by pretty glaring problems in their gameplan. Most of these fighters have a pretty non-existent combo game, and while they may have 1 or 2 powerful specials or normals that elevate their performance, that’s really all they have going for them.
That is not to say these fighters are necessarily bad. Smash is a wacky game, and it’s fully possible to win with any character if you really get good enough with them. But then there’s always the question: are you handicapping yourself by practicing solely these characters, when you could spend time mastering a character who is mechanically stronger?
- Ike
- Villager
- Simon/Richter
- Isabelle
- Zelda
- King K. Rool
- Piranha Plant
E Tier
In order for some characters to be great, some characters have to be… well, less great. It broke my heart to put these fighters down here as they are some of my favorite characters to play, but each of these fighters is plagued by several issues that make it almost impossible to find success in the competitive scene.
Whether it be a lack of any significant combo game, an extremely exploitable recovery, terrible air and ground speed or just an unfortunate hurt box, if you play any of these characters in a tournament setting you are in for quite the uphill battle.
- Mii Swordfighter
- Doctor Mario
- King Dedede
- Little Mac
- Ganondorf
Top Tier Breakdown
Steve
Steve Minecraft is the best character in Smash. What a world. But for real, somehow the stars have aligned to give Steve not only some of the nastiest tools that any smash fighter has ever been blessed with, but also some insane potential that we discover more and more about every day. However annoying he may be to fight, what this fighter is capable of is limitless.
- His aerial neutral B, Create Block, is hands down one of if not the best special move in the game, giving him basically infinite jumps, a blockade to mine materials, ceilings to ruin recoveries, and so so much more.
- I am still upset over how good Powered Rails Minecart is, acting as both an incredibly potent kill move at as low as 80% on some characters as well as a command grab in case they dare to shield.
- Anvil is just crazy, not only being an incredibly non-committal stall and fall but also capable of breaking full shields with the right set up. The kit on this character is just nuts.
Sonic
Sonic may have one of my personal least favorite playstyles in Smash Ultimate, but that only goes to show how good he is. With the best grounded movement by far and powerful off-stage tools for grabbing early K.O’s, you just can’t get away from this guy. Or get in close, for that matter.
- Sonic is defined by his movement, able to both close and widen the gap between himself and his foe faster than anyone else. He is able to use this to pick and choose exactly when to approach, as well as stall out the clock if he has a lead.
- Spin Charge and Spin Dash, while similar, allow Sonic some hair-pulling mix ups on his approaches, while also leading into his best combos for racking up quick percent before dashing away.
- His F-Smash is also surprisingly a super potent 2-frame option (hitting your opponent during the 2 frames of vulnerability while they are grabbing the ledge), meaning that even if he isn’t chasing you off stage your return will be equally difficult.
Pyra & Mythra
My personal main, Pyra & Mythra achieve the vision of what Zelda/Sheik tried to accomplish back in Melee and Brawl: a character that can alternate from strong combos and physics to insane kill power, and to great success. The versatility this character brings to the table elevates them to greater heights than they could see separately.
- Mythra is the star of the show between the two, boasting the fastest initial dash speed and an excellent combo game. With safe tilts on shields, Mythra can zip out of their opponents threat range in a very similar way to Sonic.
- Pyra, though much slower, is key to the duo’s gameplan. With her Down Air being an incredibly strong 2-frame option and pretty much all of her aerials possessing kill power, she instantly strikes fear into anyone above 100%.
R.O.B
R.O.B has come a long way from Brawl, and though his kit has changed little its properties certainly have. Boasting strong projectiles and incredibly safe combo starters, R.O.B is somehow able to overcome his large hurt box to rein in the SS tier.
- Gyro alone could make practically anyone a top tier, but R.O.B is able to combine its ever present hit box with his down tilt to rack up insane damage. He can also Z-drop it several times to combo into his powerful Side-B, stealing kills at frankly unfair percentages.
- R.O.B also has a very strong recovery, being able to stall at the ledge for much longer than other fighters to bait out any attempts at a 2-frame.
Mr. Game & Watch
Mr. Game & Watch was one of the most surprising rises to glory for me, but the more I’ve seen of him the more I understand why. Though unseemly at first, Mr. G&W pretty much doesn’t have a disadvantage state, and is often able to pester his opponent from relative safety.
- His Up Special, Fire, is the star of the show, being not an incredibly strong recovery tool, not only a basically unpunishable escape from shield, but also not even putting him in free fall so he can air-dodge out of harm's way.
- Up Air strings are incredibly annoying to combat, able to hit far above him and juggle his opponent over and over again, especially if they have a big hurt box.
- In addition, all 3 of his Smash attacks are quite safe, with Up Smash being invulnerable for a couple frames and Down smash able to be spammed on shield and leading into early kills by burying his opponent.
Snake
Snake is the poster child of trapping. With a wide array of different projectiles he can use, Snake racks up damage quickly whether he’s in advantage or disadvantage, and with surprisingly powerful kill options for a zoner he is able to both drag matches out and finish them quickly.
- Grenade, his Neutral Special, is one of his best tools. Able to be pulled out on frame 1, it helps him to break out of any non-true combo, as well as make it impossible to attack him while in shield.
- His other projectiles, his Nikita and Upsmash, as well as his Land Mine, help Snake cover tons of space on the stage without ever putting himself in danger.
- His famous up-tilt, as well as his powerful Back and Up Air, have ludicrous kill power. As soon as a foe makes it through his barrage of explosions, they had best be careful lest they get sent to the blast zone by a surprise up-tilt.
- His recovery is also super tricky, able to fly above the stage thanks to super armor and mix up his direction using a b-reverse Grenade.
Joker
Joker was, at the time of his release, considered to be the best in the game, and while his title has been challenged by others he is still easily one of the best. With his quick attacks and physics, as well as the insane comeback mechanic that is Arsène, Joker often seems to me like a version of Sheik if she were top tier.
- Any time Joker has Arsène he becomes probably the best character in the game, with unfair kill power and a much more annoying Side-B. He is only held back by the fact that he can’t stay in this form forever, though this is offset thanks to his Down-B building up his Rebel’s Gauge when he is hit.
- Joker’s Back Air is incredibly fast, acting as both a strong edge guarding tool and a potent kill move when Arsène is summoned.
- His movement physics also cannot be stressed enough. While not as insane as Mythra or Sonic, his fast falling speed makes free-form combos much easier, as well as many of his tilts and aerials being relatively safe.
Peach/Daisy
Sharing a spot on the tier due to being echo fighters of each other, Peach and Daisy have one of the most unique play styles out of the top tiers. Owing to a combination of their signature mechanic, their Float, as well as their item access thanks to Turnip, their combo game is one of the best in all of Smash.
- Float is not only a boon when it comes to recovery, but thanks to a technique known as Jump Canceled Fast-Falling they are able to string aerials together far quicker than one would expect due to their floaty physics.
- Having an item at all is always useful, but Turnip is special in having an array of different strengths, the strongest of which being the “Stitch Face” turnip. By combining Z-dropping the Turnip with their lightning fast aerials thanks to Float, they can deal heavy damage in an incredibly short amount of time.
- Float would be nothing without strong aerials, and thankfully pretty much all of Peach and Daisy’s aerials are either quick or strong, with many also possessing generous hit boxes.
Kazuya
The king of the zero to death, Kazuya has in my opinion the scariest combo game of all the top tiers. With the incredible power of his Electric Wind God Fist, as well as his array of strong kill moves, anyone facing Kazuya knows they are only one hit away from death at any percent.
- Electric Wind God Fist is just bananas. Though difficult to perform, this powerful approach option is safe on shield, catches landing opponents, and leads into many of Kazuya’s different combo routes. This move is just so scary.
- Kazuya’s recovery is also surprisingly strong. Though a bit predictable, the height his double jump grants him combined with the strong hit box on either side of him during his Up-B make him difficult to edge guard.
- Kazuya has many more moves than most fighters, and because of this an experienced Kazuya player can pick and choose the right move for almost any scenario in order to extend a combo.
Fox
And finally at number 10, though still as equally impressive as his competition, Fox brings an almost unmatched speed to both his ground game and his aerials. Tough to pin down, Fox is able to exert pressure on his opponent both near and far away, and has strong burst kill options that make closing that gap all the harder.
- Fox’s Back-Air is strong, fast, and safe on shield, making it easy for Fox players to repeatedly attack their opponents shield and force them to choose an option.
- His burst options of Neutral Air and Dash Attack make Fox unpredictable, and dashing back and forth while looking for openings is made all the more possible with these quick, large hit boxes.
- Fox is also not necessarily forced to approach, as though his Laser does not deal much damage or knockback, it will nonetheless continue to rack up damage unless his opponent figures out how to deal with it.
- Last but not least, his fast and brutally strong Up-Smash is strong in so many scenarios. From tech chases to catching aerials to hitting foes above platform, anyone facing Fox had better be careful once they reach Up-Smash kill percent.
