Super Smash Bros. 4. For the character in other contexts, see This article is about Mario's appearance in. For the character in other contexts, see Mario

Mario (マリオ, Mario) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. He was confirmed on June 11th, 2013 during the E3 2013 Nintendo Direct.[1] He was also one of the main subjects of the Developer's Direct for Super Smash Bros. later during E3 2013.[2] He was among the first wave of amiibo figurines for Smash 4. Charles Martinet's portrayal of Mario from Super Smash Bros. Brawl was repurposed for Smash 4.[3]

Mario is currently ranked 9th out of 55 characters on the tier list, in the A tier, which is at the lower end of the top tier. This is his best tier placement to date, and a huge improvement from his 31st out of 38 ranking Brawl where he stood at the top of the bottom tier and is the fifth highest ranking veteran, as well as the veteran with the most improvement in the transition. Mario's greatest strength is his effective frame data; most of his moves have little startup lag and have relatively low end lag. This results in Mario being fairly difficult to punish relative to most of the cast. His combo game, while not as versatile compared to Diddy Kong or Sheik, is nevertheless potent, as Mario can rack up damage quickly and reliably, most notoriously with his down throw into multiple up tilts. He also has a versatile moveset: a disruptive projectile in his Fireball, a reflection-based and reverse-based move in his Cape that can counteract camping, and a decent, if niche edgeguarding option with F.L.U.D.D..

Despite being buffed significantly from Brawl, Mario has several weaknesses. Mario's overall range is below average, giving him trouble against characters with long disjointed range such as Cloud and Marth. Furthermore, he cannot effectively outcamp other characters, due to Fireball being relatively slow compared to some other projectiles in the game. Mario also suffers from a lack of consistent KO setups, lack of strong and effective KO options outside of forward and up smash and along side his short frame and relative floatiness for a middleweight, a weakness to rage setups. Mario's average attributes do not allow him to quickly gain an advantage either, as the strengths of other characters can contest his, with the most notable being his overall mobility.

Due to his lack of severe weaknesses, as well as one of the lowest technical curves in the game, Mario has had among the highest representation in tournaments, and has achieved excellent results at top level play. Owing to Mario's incredible tournament placings, especially during the summer of 2016, many smashers have viewed Mario as one of the best characters in the game and possibly deserving of an even higher ranking on the tier list; ESAM, for instance, has notably argued that Mario is the best character in Smash 4, while others claim that Mario should be lower due to his not as dominant results and his glaring range issues.

Attributes [ edit ]

Like in the majority of his games and spin-offs, Mario is intended to be a balanced character in terms of attributes, possessing average walking, dashing and falling speeds, air acceleration, gravity and weight. However, he also has high air speed and jumping force, but low traction. These balanced stats do not give Mario the edge when it comes to overall movement, but they nevertheless make him adept at most situations where a key attribute is needed to gain the advantage, which when combined with his very quick frame data, grants Mario a very effective neutral game. As a result, despite his attributes implying a jack-of-all-trades type of character, Mario is more of a rushdown character in practice.

Thanks to his incredibly quick attack speed, Mario shines in close-quarters combat, as few other characters like Sheik and Meta Knight are a match for this speed. His fast attack speed allows him to consistently apply pressure to the opponent, and he's capable of quickly racking up damage once he gets the momentum, which is easy to do so on characters that cannot match his attack speed without getting heavily punished for it, like Palutena. Excluding his forward smash, forward aerial and special moves, all of Mario's moves have fast startup and low ending and landing lag (the latter in the case of his aerial attacks). All of his grounded moves are prime examples of his quick frame data: his neutral attack is his fastest move and an overall effective way to rack up damage, along with handy combo capabilities, while his up and down tilts are very effective combo starters that can help rack up plenty of damage, and the former easily chains into itself at low percentages, as well as being hard to escape. All of his smash attacks are excellent KO options, as they can reliably KO at high percentages without being endlag-heavy; his forward smash has the highest power of all of his smash attacks when sweetspotted, down smash is a semi-spike, making it useful for forcing opponents offstage, and up smash is very hard to punish due to its speed, power and the fact it grants intangibility on his head.

Mario's aerial attacks are also very useful in many cases. Neutral aerial is a sex kick that can be useful in edgeguarding or for breaking combos. Back aerial has the longest reach and the highest knockback of Mario's aerial moves, allowing it to space effectively and reliably KO offstage. Up aerial's extremely quick startup, vertical launch angle and lack of sourspots let it combo into itself or other moves, on top of letting it easily break combos and setup the aforementioned. Down aerial is a great anti-juggling move that can also KO if used near the top blast line. It also benefits from frame cancelling, as its moderate landing lag is reduced, allowing for potential follow-ups. Finally, his forward aerial is a meteor smash with high base knockback for one, making it great for gimping all but the farthest reaching of recoveries.

His special moveset is highly varied and has plenty of uses. Fireball is a projectile with decently long range. It can be useful in the neutral game or in edgeguarding, thanks to its disruptive knockback, along with very useful chances to disrupt direct approaches. Super Jump Punch travels in a controllable diagonal direction and grants moderate distance, making it good at recovery. It also has intangibility upon startup, allowing it to be used out of shield very effectively. Due to its extremely quick startup, it is also a useful combo finisher, especially near the blast line. On the other hand, Cape reverses opponents, with the induced disorientation often being enough to allow a free hit or efficiently gimp a recovery, which aids in edgeguarding opponents. It is also a powerful reflector, making it highly useful in matchups against projectile-heavy characters, such as Mega Man. F.L.U.D.D. is a mechanism that shoots water, pushing opponents away, which compliments his Cape. Though situational, it can occasionally be used to give Mario some breathing space. As a result of his Cape, F.L.U.D.D. and his fast aerials, Mario also boasts a versatile edgeguarding game.

Another valuable strength of Mario is his grab game. Even though his grab reach is only average, his grabs are among the fastest in the game, and his pummel, while moderately slow, can rack up some damage before throwing the opponent. His forward and up throws have the same overall use: they send the opponent at a disadvantageous position, where Mario can capitalize on their mistake. His back throw is by far his strongest throw and can reliably KO below 150% near the ledge on any character, and even earlier with rage. Finally, his down throw is a notorious combo starter. It can repeatedly lead into up tilt at low percentages, or down tilts to regrab on fast fallers or heavyweights and rack up at least 20% in the process. Alternatively, it can lead into neutral attack, forward tilt, down tilt, up smash and down smash at low percentages, as well as neutral aerial, up aerial, down aerial and Super Jump Punch at medium percentages. Finally, and due to the favorable angles his moves send at, his tremendously quick frame data and his extensive amount of combo starters, Mario's combo ability is among the most reliable in the game, and it is also worth noting that seven of Mario's moves can lock (forward tilt, neutral attack's first two hits, Fireball, down aerials landing hit, and neutral, forward and back aerials (the former and latter being usually effective when sourspotted, though a majority of them are only usable at low percents). This makes it almost always imperative for Mario's opponent to tech all attacks at low percentages when needed, otherwise Mario can capitalize on the opportunity, and tack on unavoidable massive damage in the process.

Despite Mario's numerous strengths, he is not flawless. Most characters are able to outperform him in various areas: notable examples include Bayonetta having a more versatile combo ability, Sonic having better mobility, Donkey Kong having higher power right off the bat and Cloud having larger reach. In particular, the latter two are his main weaknesses: his KOing ability is largely inconsistent, with very few guaranteed KO set-ups, and all of them being hard to confirm. While much of his moveset can get the job done, there is a noticeable gap in power between his strongest moves and his other ones, with this meaning he'll usually have to rely on his sweetspotted forward smash, up smash, down smash's back hit, or back throw to score kills, which are all further compounded by the poor reach of his attacks. As such, he cannot afford to get predictable, especially with the existence of stale-move negation. His lack of reach also prevents him from fighting at a safe distance and consistently forces Mario to approach characters. This leads into having some difficulty against characters with large or disjointed reach, though fortunately, these types of characters tend to have significantly slower attacks than Mario, meaning that this tends to be the least of his worries.

Lastly, his recovery is rather limited. He has fast air speed, a high jump, and a very fast and safe up special in Super Jump Punch. However, Super Jump Punch does not travel a very long distance and is fairly linear, making it easy to predict. His other options also are unreliable, as Cape and F.L.U.D.D. each travel very little momentum and are extremely easy to edgeguard, F.L.U.D.D. being useful only to substitute for his air speed, and Cape only to guard break edgeguarders or wait them out. This necessitates that Mario returns to the stage quickly, as a single opening offstage may be fatal for him. Nevertheless, Mario's recovery provides serviceable distance, but caution must be exercised when offstage.

Mario's custom moves define the fundamentals of customization, with all of them following an "X over Y" pattern. Fast Fireball deals less damage and barely causes flinching, but covers more range at a much faster pace and can further improve his already above average camping abilities as well as disrupt most attacks. Fire Orb has less range and is much slower, but deals repeated damage and lingers after being shot, allowing for potential follow-ups. Shocking Cape is electric and has actual KO power, but cannot stall in the air as much as its other variants or reflect projectiles. Gust Cape pushes opponents away, especially at point-blank range, but it deals less damage and possesses more ending lag. Super Jump grants almost twice as much distance, but is unable to hit opponents. Explosive Punch deals high flame damage, but travels a short distance at a fixed direction. Scalding F.L.U.D.D. hits multiple times and can disrupt an opponent's approach better, but is not as useful in edgeguarding and has less reach. High-Pressure F.L.U.D.D. takes much longer to charge, but its push effect is greatly amplified.

Overall, Mario has many clear strengths, and very few glaring weaknesses. Despite being intended as a jack-of-all-trades character, his very quick speed overall and largely reliable combo ability allows him to get the edge easily against most characters, as it is hard to escape from him once he gets to combo the opponent, while being easy for him to escape and regain the advantage. However, because of his low range, Mario must almost always fight in close quarters. Mario has to be very careful offstage as well in spite of his viable edgeguarding game, as a single vent in his defenses can cause him to be unable to recover.

Nevertheless, Mario's favorable attributes give him numerous advantages. Because of this, he has the one of, if not the, lowest technical learning curves in the game, which has secured him high representation in all levels of play, with high-level professionals such as Ally and ANTi achieving a slew of strong tournament results.

Mario was regarded as an unviable low tier in Brawl due to him having significant disadvantages including poor range, limited/difficult to land KO moves and a poor recovery that resulted in him being an unpopular choice for beginners despite being a balanced character. As a result of this, Mario has been significantly buffed from Brawl to Smash 4. Mario's mobility is overall better especially in the air; with his jumps and up special being higher and his air speed being much higher which along with his faster air dodge and the removal of edge hogging, significantly improves his recovery.

Mario is overall more capable of comboing and KOing both due to universal changes and changes to some of his moves. Mario's forward and up smash which were already his main KO moves have been made stronger. The changes to hitstun canceling and directional influence have significantly improved Mario's combo potential and two of his moves have been altered to further enforce this. Mario's down throw has significantly reduced base knockback which has made it a much better combo tool at low percents while still being a much more reliable combo tool at higher percents due to the changes to hitstun canceling/DI. Mario's grabs are also faster; making it easier for him to start his powerful grab game.

Mario's up aerial now launches opponents vertically like its Smash 64 counterpart which has made Mario's already decent juggling potential much more potent especially with the afforementioned changes to hitstun canceling/DI. The move can very easily chain into itself and lead into a Super Jump Punch making it a very powerful juggling tool. Mario's forward aerial is also noticeably more effective. The move is not only stronger and naturally benefits from the removal of meteor canceling, but it can also be comboed into due to the afforementioned changes to hitstun canceling/DI as well as his altered down throw/up aerial.

Mario also greatly benefits from the introduction of rage as it not only allows him to KO earlier as well as allowing his combos to work sooner but it also enables him to KO opponents at insanely low percents with his Super Jump Punch; giving him a cheesy KO option which can occassionally allow Mario to score insanely early KOes. Mario's solid weight also means that he is capable of building up a decent amount of rage before getting KOed.

Mario has received some nerfs however. Mario's damage output has now been decreased noticeably even relative to the cast, now being average. This makes it harder for Mario to rack up damage although his more consistent combo game somewhat alleviates this. This also means that quite a few of Mario's more situational KO moves (such as the front hit of down smash, neutral aerial and back throw) are weaker than they were before meaning that Mario still has to rely on landing a forward or an up smash to secure a KO if he does not score an early KO from an edgeguard or a Super Jump Punch. Mario's frame data while still solid is also worse with multiple moves having increased ending lag as well as some moves having shorter hitbox durations.

Mario's Fireballs and Cape have also seen some nerfs. Fireballs; while travelling further are laggier and weaker making them a worse camping tool overall. Cape's reflection period has been reduced and the removal of edge momentum shifting has hindered Cape more than almost any other special significantly hindering its edgeguarding and approach potential. Even before edge momentum shifting was removed in patch 1.0.8, Cape did not gain as much momentum when used off an edge. Cape is also hindered by the removal of edge hogging and the speeding up of air dodges although Mario still overall benefits from these changes.

Mario's traction is also lower which hinders his ability to punish out of shield despite still possessing excellent out of shield options. Mario can also no longer use a pivoted forward smash to make it cover a lot more distance which considerably hinders Mario's ability to whiff punish moves while being on the ground.

Overall Mario's strengths are much more pronounced and effective and while he still has poor range and inconsistent KO potential outside of his smash attacks, his recovery is significantly better and the universal changes to Smash 4 have greatly benefitted him overall. The universal changes have allowed Mario to have a very consistent and powerful combo game while also greatly aiding his recovery and his KO potential to the point where he can occassionally score extremely early KOs. Mario also benefits from the fact that a majority of characters who gave him a hard time in Brawl have been nerfed which along with numerous characters having reduced range, weaker projectile games and the removal of chain grabbing, has allowed Mario's improved combo game to shine even further relative to the cast while his poor range has become less of an issue. As a result of these changes combined with Mario being a rather simple and effective character to use for beginners and high level players alike, Mario has become a much more viable character in competitive play resulting in him having the largest tier rise from Brawl to Smash 4.

Aesthetics [ edit ]

Due to the aesthetic used in SSB4 , Mario has a sleeker design, and his overall color scheme is more vibrant. His overalls also lose the back pockets used previously in Melee and Brawl . Altogether, these changes make him appear virtually identical to his appearance as of Super Mario 3D Land .

Due to the aesthetic used in , Mario has a sleeker design, and his overall color scheme is more vibrant. His overalls also lose the back pockets used previously in and . Altogether, these changes make him appear virtually identical to his appearance as of . Mario has a new blue alternate costume. His hat and overalls are now cyan, while his shirt is now pink. These changes make it based on Mario's attire on Mario Bros. ' Japanese box art. Additionally, Mario's yellow alternate costume has been slightly updated. The "M" on his cap is now green instead of blue. Lastly, Mario has received two new alternate costumes. The first is based on his appearances in Family Computer Golf: U.S. Course and NES Open Tournament Golf , while the second is based on Waluigi.

Mario has a new blue alternate costume. His hat and overalls are now cyan, while his shirt is now pink. These changes make it based on Mario's attire on ' Japanese box art. Additionally, Mario's yellow alternate costume has been slightly updated. The "M" on his cap is now green instead of blue. Lastly, Mario has received two new alternate costumes. The first is based on his appearances in and , while the second is based on Waluigi. The sounds Mario's up taunt makes are now identical to the sounds heard when powering up and getting hit or using a pipe respectively in Super Mario Bros.

The sounds Mario's up taunt makes are now identical to the sounds heard when powering up and getting hit or using a pipe respectively in Mario's chest now faces the foreground regardless of whether he's facing left or right, mirroring his animations.

Mario's chest now faces the foreground regardless of whether he's facing left or right, mirroring his animations. Mario's dash attack while holding an item has slightly changed. He now holds the item with one hand instead of two.

Mario's dash attack while holding an item has slightly changed. He now holds the item with one hand instead of two. Mario is much more expressive. For example, his irises now shrink whenever he is hit, and he also appears surprised in several instances, such as when grabbed, pummeled, and/or launched. He also opens his mouth when using Fireball this time around.

Mario is much more expressive. For example, his irises now shrink whenever he is hit, and he also appears surprised in several instances, such as when grabbed, pummeled, and/or launched. He also opens his mouth when using Fireball this time around. Mario's previously unused damage yells from Brawl's Sound Test are now heard when taking high knockback.

Attributes [ edit ]

Mario dashes faster (1.5 → 1.6). His initial dash speed was also equally increased (1.5 → 1.6).

Mario dashes faster (1.5 → 1.6). His initial dash speed was also equally increased (1.5 → 1.6). Mario‘s air speed is significantly faster (0.94 → 1.15), going from the 19th fastest out of 39 characters to the 9th fastest out of 58.

Mario‘s air speed is significantly faster (0.94 → 1.15), going from the 19th fastest out of 39 characters to the 9th fastest out of 58. Mario's air acceleration is slightly lower (0.09 → 0.08).

Mario's air acceleration is slightly lower (0.09 → 0.08). Like most other characters returning from Brawl , Mario falls much faster (1.28 → 1.5). He also falls faster relative to the cast, going from having the 28th fastest falling speed out of 38 characters to having the 31st fastest out of 58. As a result, he is no longer considered to be floaty. This makes him less susceptible to vertical KOs, and it also noticeably improves his ground-to-air transitioning, but in turn, it makes him more susceptible to combos. His fast-falling speed is significantly faster (1.792 → 2.4). This makes him much less susceptible to juggling.

Like most other characters returning from , Mario falls much faster (1.28 → 1.5). He also falls faster relative to the cast, going from having the 28th fastest falling speed out of 38 characters to having the 31st fastest out of 58. As a result, he is no longer considered to be floaty. This makes him less susceptible to vertical KOs, and it also noticeably improves his ground-to-air transitioning, but in turn, it makes him more susceptible to combos. Mario's gravity is higher (0.075 → 0.08715). This further increases his susceptibility to combos, but improves his aerial mobility and, when combined with his much faster falling speed, allows him to land more safely.

Mario's gravity is higher (0.075 → 0.08715). This further increases his susceptibility to combos, but improves his aerial mobility and, when combined with his much faster falling speed, allows him to land more safely. Mario jumps higher despite his increased gravity.

Mario jumps higher despite his increased gravity. Mario's traction has been significantly decreased (0.06 → 0.045), going from being tied for the 11th highest out of 38 characters to being tied for the 6th lowest out of 55 which makes it harder for him to punish out of shield.

Mario's traction has been significantly decreased (0.06 → 0.045), going from being tied for the 11th highest out of 38 characters to being tied for the 6th lowest out of 55 which makes it harder for him to punish out of shield. Rolls have less ending lag (FAF 33 → 30).

Rolls have less ending lag (FAF 33 → 30). Rolls have a shorter duration (frames 4-19 → 4-16).

Rolls have a shorter duration (frames 4-19 → 4-16). Air dodge has less startup lag (frame 4 → 3) and ending lag (FAF 50 → 33).

Air dodge has less startup lag (frame 4 → 3) and ending lag (FAF 50 → 33). Air dodge has a shorter duration (frames 4-29 → 3-27).

Air dodge has a shorter duration (frames 4-29 → 3-27). Spot dodge has a shorter duration (frames 2-20 → 2-17) and has more ending lag (FAF 26 → 27).

Spot dodge has a shorter duration (frames 2-20 → 2-17) and has more ending lag (FAF 26 → 27). The changes to hitstun canceling and directional influence greatly improve Mario's combo potential.

The changes to hitstun canceling and directional influence greatly improve Mario's combo potential. The removal of edge hogging, combined with Mario’s faster air speed and air dodge, drastically improve his recovery, remedying one of his main weaknesses from the previous game.

Ground attacks [ edit ]

Neutral attack: The first two hits of neutral deals less damage (3% → 2.5% (hit 1), 2% → 1.5% (hit 2)), resulting in all three hits dealing less damage overall (9% → 8%). All three hits have more ending lag (FAF 16 (hit 1)/19 (hit 2)/30 (hit 3) → 20/22/34). The third hit has a shorter duration (frames 7-10 → 7-8). The third hit deals less knockback (30 (base)/95 (scaling) → 45/80).

Forward tilt: Forward tilt deals less damage (8% → 7%) and the down angled version no longer has higher base knockback (13 → 8). However, this allows it to lock for longer. It has a shorter duration (frames 5-7 → 5-6). It has more ending lag (FAF 25 → 31).

Up tilt: Up tilt has a new animation. Mario no longer smiles during the move and he has a more elaborate landing animation after performing the up tilt. It deals less damage (7% → 5.5%) hindering its KO potential. However, this drastically increases its comboing and juggling ability, being able to chain into itself more reliably at lower percents while now having much more combo potential at higher percents due to the changes to hitstun canceling/DI.

Down tilt: Down tilt has less ending lag (FAF 35 → 28), allowing it to be a viable combo starter at low percents. It has increased base knockback (20 → 35). While this improves its combo potential at lower percents, it also worsens it at higher percents even with the changes to hitstun canceling. It no longer has a hitbox on Mario's body.

Dash attack: Dash attack deals less damage (9% (clean)/7% (late) → 8%/6%). Dash attack has more favorable hitbox placements, giving it more range. Dash attack deals more knockback (70 (base)/50 (scaling) (clean), 45/30 (late) → 100/43 (both)) and both its clean and late hits have consistent angles (110°/80° → 60° (clean), 120°/70° → 110° (late)). The changes to hitstun canceling grants the late hit follow-ups when combined with the move's higher base knockback.

Forward smash: Forward smash deals more damage when angled down (13% (arm)/16% (fire) → 14.42%/17.51%). It has more knockback scaling, especially on its sweetspot (90 (sweetspot)/100 (sourspot) → 99/103). The sourspot uses a single extended hitbox that covers less horizontal distance, rather than having two sourspots, making the sweetspot easier to land. However, this gives the move less range behind Mario. The sourspot can no longer send opponents behind Mario. It deals less damage when angled up (15% (arm)/18% (fire) → 14.7%/17.85%). Mario no longer lunges farther when performing a pivoted forward smash, decreasing its range. This considerably hinders forward smash's whiff punish potential.

Up smash: Up smash has slightly more knockback scaling (90 → 94) improving its KO potential. It has a shorter duration as well as decreased intangibility (frames 9-14 → 9-12) reducing its range in front of Mario despite its altered animation.

Down smash: Both hits of down smash deals more knockback (40 (base)/73 (scaling) (front), 35/75 (back) → 30/100), improving the back hit's KO potential. Both hits are now semi-spikes (361° → 32° (front)/30° (back)), significantly improving their edgeguarding ability; especially the back hit. The front hit deals much less damage (15% → 10%), hindering its KO potential despite its increased knockback/altered angle. It has more ending lag (FAF 38 → 44).



Aerial attacks [ edit ]

Neutral aerial: Neutral aerial's clean hit deals less damage (10% → 8%) without compensation on knockback, removing its already lacking KO potential.

Forward aerial: Forward aerial's clean hit deals more damage (13% → 14%) and has increased knockback (20 base/75 scaling → 32/78). When combined with the removal of meteor canceling, this significantly improves its edgeguarding potential. The clean hit has a longer duration with the late hit's duration being compensated (frames 17-19 (clean)/20-21 (late) → 17-20/21), making it easier to land. The changes to hitstun canceling makes it significantly easier to combo into, now being a potential follow-up out of a down throw at certain percents.

Back aerial: Back aerial is more effective to use for a wall of pain due to Mario's much faster air speed, higher jumps and the changes to hitstun canceling. The increased shieldstun also improves its utility as a spacing option against shields despite its increased landing lag. Its clean hit deals more knockback (10 (base)/95 (scaling) → 12/106), marginally improving its KO potential despite its reduced damage. Its clean hit deals less damage (12% → 10.5%). It has a shorter duration (frames 6-8 (clean)/9-13 (late) → 6-7/8-10 (late)). It has more landing lag (10 frames → 12).

Up aerial: Up aerial now launches opponents vertically (45° → 75°), similar to its Smash 64 counterpart. When combined with the changes to hitstun canceling/DI, this makes it a much better combo move and allowing it to KO more reliably near the upper blast line especially if it leads into Super Jump Punch. Its new angle removes its decent edgeguarding potential. The hitbox on Mario's foot is positioned higher (Y-offset: 2.2 → 3.8), increasing its range. It deals less damage (11% → 7%) without full compensation on its knockback (9 (base)/100 (scaling) → 10/135). It has a shorter duration (frames 4-9 → 4-8). It has more ending lag (FAF 30 → 32). It auto-cancels later (frame 16 → 18). It has more landing lag (10 frames → 12).

Down aerial: Down aerial has decreased SDI multipliers (1.5× (hits 1-5)/1× (final hit) → 0.8×), which along with the weakening of SDI makes it significantly harder to escape. The final hit deals less damage (7% → 5%), with its knockback scaling being compensated (80 → 100). The speeding up of air dodges now allows most fighters to air dodge in order to escape the final hit of down aerial, unless Mario has enough rage.



Throws/other attacks [ edit ]

Grabs: Mario now grabs with one hand as opposed to two. He still uses both hands during his pummel, however. Mario's grab range is slightly longer. Dash and pivot grabs have less startup lag (frame 12 → 8 (dash), frame 11 → 9 (pivot)). All grabs have less ending lag (FAF 30 (standing)/40 (dash)/36 (pivot) → 29/36/34).

All throws deal less damage (9% → 8% (forward), 12% → 11% (back), 8% → 7% (up), 6% → 5% (down)). This makes his forward and back throws less effective for KOing, despite the latter having slightly more knockback scaling.

All throws deal less damage (9% → 8% (forward), 12% → 11% (back), 8% → 7% (up), 6% → 5% (down)). This makes his forward and back throws less effective for KOing, despite the latter having slightly more knockback scaling. Pummel: Pummel deals more damage (3% → 3.25%).

Back throw: Back throw's knockback scaling has been slightly increased (63 → 66), although this does not fully compensate for its lower damage. It has less ending lag (FAF 67 → 60). The collateral hit has increased knockback (20 (base), 100 (scaling) → 100/70). The collateral hit has much more startup lag with a shorter duration (frames 1-43 → 13-39).

Up throw: Up throw's lower damage combined with the changes to hitstun canceling improves its combo potential at low to mid percents.

Down throw: Down throw has much less base knockback (75 → 40), which coupled with its lower damage output makes it much better for starting combos, most notably into a string of up tilts at low percents. The changes to hitstun canceling also significantly improve its combo potential beyond low percents. Down throw has a more horizontal angle (80° → 68°) with more knockback scaling (50 → 90). This makes ground attack followups less reliable at higher percents, but instead allows it to combo more effectively into aerial attacks.

Floor attack: Floor attacks deal more damage (6% → 7%) and shield damage (1 → 8) per hit, with minimally compensated knockback scaling (50 → 48). Their angles have been altered (361° → 48°) making them weaker despite their increased knockback. They have less startup (frame 19 (front)/20 (back) → 16/19) and ending lag (FAF 50 → 46).

Edge attack: Edge attack no longer has set knockback (110 (set)/100 (scaling) → 90 (base)/20 (scaling)). Edge attack deals consistent damage (8% (legs)/6% (body) → 7%). Edge attack has increased intangibility (frames 1-20 → 1-21).



Special moves [ edit ]

Fireball: Fireballs have greater velocity when they touch the ground (0.8 → 1.4) and they have a greater a greater bounce velocity multiplier (0.75 → 0.97), allowing them to cover more distance on the ground. When a Fireball hits a foe, the sound effect when an enemy is defeated in Super Mario Bros. plays. Fireballs also look more realistic, with smoke and ashes coming out of the flames. The same applies to the Mario Finale. Fireballs have much more gravity (0.036 → 0.1). This means that when they are used above the ground, they now drop down at a steep vertical rather than gradually falling at a more diagonal angle. This can allow Mario to hit low recovering opponents, or linear recoveries easier. It also makes full hop Fireball a viable approach/fade back option at close range. However, this gives the fireballs much less horizontal range in the air, hindering its ability to be used as a long range camping and edgeguarding tool. Fireballs now bounce at a fixed height regardless of how far they fell prior to bouncing, reducing its blindspot on short opponents but making them worse at hitting airborne opponents off a bounce. Fireballs have altered knockback (30 (base)/25 (scaling) → 35/20 (clean), 22/20 → 28/15 (mid), 11/15 → 22/10 (late)). It has more startup (frame 14 → 17) and ending lag (FAF 44 → 53), hindering its camping potential. As a result, Fireball can no longer effectively auto-cancel in a short hop. Late fireballs deal less damage (5% → 4%). Fireballs have a shorter maximum duration (74 frames → 69). Fireballs have a smaller hitbox (2.4u (clean)/2.2u (mid)/2u (late) → 2u/1.8u/1.6u).

Cape: Aerial Cape deals more damage (6% → 7%). It no longer gives certain characters their recovery moves back. The reflector is larger (6.5u → 9u). It has a longer reflection duration multiplier (0.5x → 0.75x). Hitting with the Cape now makes a sound effect akin to Mario spinning his cape in Super Mario World , but with a faster and higher-pitched sound. It has a shorter reflection period (frames 6-30 (ground)/6-33 (aerial) → 6-20 (both)). The grounded version deals less damage (8% → 7%). It momentarily gives the opponent super armor after it hits them, decreasing its ability to KO early. It gives Mario less lift in the air (0.5 → 0.3 (vertical momentum), 0.029 → 0.031 (gravity), 0.9 → 1 (falling speed)), hindering its recovery potential. When combined with Mario's increased falling speed/gravity, this effectively removes Edge Cape-cancelling. The removal of edge momentum shifting has significantly hindered Cape's utility; removing its use as an approach option and hindering its edgeguarding potential. The removal of edgehogging further hinders its edgeguarding potential.

Super Jump Punch: Super Jump Punch gains slightly more vertical distance (Height multiplier: 1.0x (ground)/0.95x (aerial) → 1.1/1.08) and no longer possesses a sharp drop in height just before the move ends, significantly improving its recovery potential. The removal of edgehogging also greatly improves its recovery potential. With the changes to hitstun canceling and the introduction of rage, it is much more useful as a combo finisher near the upper blast line that can potentially score KOs even at extremely early percents. Super Jump Punch makes a slightly higher-pitched "ding" on the last hit. The coins from the Super Jump Punch are now rendered in 3D and designed closer to the Star Coins from the New Super Mario Bros. games.

F.L.U.D.D.: F.L.U.D.D.'s pushforce (32 → 50 (set knockback), 35 → 55 (pushback strength)) has been significantly increased, greatly improving its zoning and edgeguarding potential and allowing Mario to effectively set up a Cape edgeguard with the move, drastically increasing its utility. It takes less time to fully charge (90 frames → 80). The water's base speed is much higher (1.7 → 4.3). The water's speed and knockback multiplier while charging is much higher (1.9 → 4.3). Because of this, the water covers more distance despite its shorter duration (25 frames → 11), further improving its spacing potential. The water is shot at a slightly higher intial angle (10° → 12°). The water has higher gravity (0.06 → 0.17). After using or fully charging F.L.U.D.D., it does not stay on Mario's back. The water cannot be angled as low (16° → 18°). Mario can no longer glide toss while charging F.L.U.D.D.

Mario Finale: Mario Finale's startup slows down opponents much more (4x → 10x) and for a longer duration (30 frames → 60), making it much easier to land the attack, especially at close range. Mario Finale no longer has the small damage burst during the very beginning of the attack before the actual hitbox comes out which stops the opponent from being pushed far enough to possibly avoid the blast. However, this also means Mario is forced to rely on the looping hits in order to get reliable KOs with the move. It has a higher hitlag multiplier (0.2x → 0.3x) but it has a lower SDI multiplier (0.7x → 0.6x). Due to the universal decrease to hitlag, it is now impossible to SDI. Its angles have been altered (32° → 28°/26°) with its hits being sharper semi-spikes. It has more startup lag with a shorter duration (frames 9-243 → 11-210). It deals less knockback (40 (base)/100 (scaling) → (24/28)/103), keeping opponents trapped in the attack more consistently.



Unlike other characters, Mario has only received minor changes in updates. The changes to shield mechanics in 1.1.1 have slightly harmed him overall; while the higher shieldstun increases the safety of his smash attacks on shield, especially his forward smash's sweetspot, they also make it harder for him to punish out of shield due to his low traction. Nonetheless, this has not significantly affected Mario's viability in tournament play, and he is considered to be much better relative to the cast than he was during the initial release, which is further compounded by the nerfs game updates have brought to his hardest matchups, most notably Diddy Kong, Sheik, Zero Suit Samus and Bayonetta.

1.0.4

Up tilt deals less damage: 6.3% → 5.5%, but the slight knockback decrease the damage reduction brings makes it slightly easier to followup at high percentage.

1.0.6

Forward smash's sourspot covers more of Mario's arm, reducing its point-blank blind spot.

Forward smash's sourspot covers more of Mario's arm, reducing its point-blank blind spot. Forward smash's sourspot can no longer send opponents behind Mario.

Technical changelist 1.0.6

Change Old value New value Forward smash hitbox 0 position Position: [-1.0, 0.0, 0.0] Position: [-1.0, 0.7, 0.0]

Stretch: [-3.0, 1.0, 0.0] Forward smash hitbox 0 angle flipper Standard (0, default) Forwards only (3)

Moveset [ edit ]

Mario can wall jump.

For a gallery of Mario's hitboxes, see here.

A green Warp Pipe appears. Mario leaps out in an iconic pose and shouts "Let's-a go!"

Up taunt : Transforms into Super Mario, as if he obtained a Super Mushroom, then shrinks back to normal size afterwards. The pose Mario makes when he performs the taunt is based on his standing pose in Super Mario Bros. This taunt increases Mario's hurtbox.

: Transforms into Super Mario, as if he obtained a Super Mushroom, then shrinks back to normal size afterwards. The pose Mario makes when he performs the taunt is based on his standing pose in This taunt increases Mario's hurtbox. Side taunt : Twirls around and takes off his hat, saying "Woohoo!" with either a surprised expression or with a stern expression, then puts his hat back on. It resembles his level clear animation from New Super Mario Bros.

: Twirls around and takes off his hat, saying "Woohoo!" with either a surprised expression or with a stern expression, then puts his hat back on. It resembles his level clear animation from Down taunt: Spins in the air and falls to the ground with his legs in the air. This is a reference to his dying animation from Donkey Kong.

Up taunt Side taunt Down taunt

Moves his head from left to right and holds his fist in front of his face.

Adjusts his hat.

English Japanese Cheer Description Ma-ri-o! Ma-ri-o! Pitch Group chant Group chant

Super Mario Bros. A flourished remix of the Course Clear Fanfare used in

Winds up for a punch and steps forward while punching in front of the screen.

Makes fire explode from his palm and strikes a pose.

Does a short spinning jump and lands in a strongman pose. It originates from his "character chosen" animation in Super Smash Bros.

In competitive play [ edit ]

Character Custom sets available Mario 2312 2332 2212 2232 1312 1313 1332 1212 1213 2213

Notable players [ edit ]

Any number following the Smasher name indicates placement on the PGR 100, which recognizes the official top 100 players in Super Smash Bros. 4 of all time.

Active [ edit ]

Inactive [ edit ]

Tier placement and history [ edit ]

Upon the game's release players immediately noticed the significant buffs Mario had received to his mobility, combo game, and most notably his KO power and reach. Meanwhile, although not a direct consequence, his tougher matchups from Brawl such as Marth, Meta Knight, and King Dedede were nerfed (especially with the former two's range reduced; the lack of range was Mario's critical flaw in Brawl). These buffs and the less hostile competitive environment caused Mario to be viewed as a viable character unlike in Brawl, where he is ranked as a low-tier character. The result of these buffs was a character with the lowest learning curve of any character in the game, who provides high reward for little effort, with caveats including great all-around mobility, a powerful, yet easy combo game, a useful zoning tool in his Fireballs, outstanding frame data that, in some cases, can leave him near-unpunishable (letting him abuse otherwise unsafe moves like charged smash attacks), and a strong recovery aided by a Cape that also works as a reflector. While some of these strengths were not perceived until much later, these caused him to quickly gain good tournament representation in all levels of play, and was considered a mid to high-tier character. Despite this, opinions of Mario slowly began to rise due to the fact he remained stagnant in game updates, as well as the nerfs to Diddy Kong, who was one of his most troublesome matchups. As a result of this, he started to gain much higher representation and results, especially by top players such as Ally and ANTi, both of whom have placed among the top 8 in large tournaments such as The Big House 5, with ANTi also taking top player ZeRo through very close games in the former tournament. This resulted in Mario ranking 8th on the first 4BR tier list.

On the earlier half of 2016, Mario's already strong results would significantly improve. Game updates would nerf Sheik, Zero Suit Samus and Bayonetta, some of his most difficult matchups, while Mario himself remained unchanged. Although it was unknown how these nerfs to the top tiers would affect him at first, it later became clear many characters (and players themselves) started to have a hard time fighting even inexperienced Marios. Furthermore, Ally would go on to win Get On My Level 2016, Smash 'N' Splash 2 and EVO 2016 using Mario (the latter being the largest Smash 4 tournament to date), while ANTi won CEO 2016 using Mario for the majority of the tournament (although he only won games with Cloud in Grand Finals). Due to this streak of successes, players would go on to say Mario was among the Top 5 characters in the game, which would coincidentally be reflected in him rising to 5th place on the second tier list, officially entering the highest tier. On the third tier list, Mario suffered a very slight drop to 6th place and the A tier, as while he remained a very successful character, his results had dropped compared to Summer 2016, and this drop also paved the way for Bayonetta to claim the 1st place. Despite this, many players argued that Mario still deserved a Top 5 ranking due to his spectacular prior results, and the tier list also marked the first time he surpassed Rosalina & Luma as the highest-ranked Mario character.

Recently, however, Mario's top level results have become noticeably worse than some top tier characters such as Fox, Marth, Ryu, Sonic and Zero Suit Samus, all of whom have received stronger tournament representation and results. Players also eventually learned that some of his even or disadvantageous matchups lurked in the lower tiers and do a solid job at exploiting Mario's below average range, with Corrin, Donkey Kong, and Lucina being particular examples. As a result, Mario's decline in tournament results saw him drop to 9th place on the fourth and current tier list. Regardless, it is certain that Mario is by far the most improved veteran from Brawl to Smash 4.

Trophies [ edit ]

Mario As iconic as iconic gets, this gaming celebrity is known for saving the world from Bowser. He's got amazing jumping skills and makes use of a wide range of transformations. In his free time, he plays too many sports to count. In Smash Bros., he's a well-rounded fighter you can rely on. Say it with me: "It's-a me, Mario!"

It's-a him! Maaario! Whether he's wearing one of his special outfits or just his normal blue dungarees, this running, jumping, Bowser-bashing, princess-saving hero is an all-round superstar. And in this game, he's got enough tricks up his sleeve to deal with anything. If you don't know which fighter to pick, Mario's a solid choice.

: Donkey Kong Classics 09/1988 : Super Mario Bros. 10/1985

Mario (Alt.) Super Jump Punch is an up-special move that lets you leap high into the air, carrying any fighters you strike along with you. You'll be invincible for a moment after you launch this attack. The default side-special move, Cape, will flip a fighter around. Keep a foe from returning with this move!

Mario's Super Jump Punch takes you high into the air, and if you catch an opponent with it, they'll go up with you. Try to hit them at the very start of the move to do the most damage. His default side special, Cape, can flip fighters around. If you're really crafty, you can even use it to keep someone from getting back on the stage!

: Donkey Kong Classics 09/1988 : Super Mario Bros. 10/1985

Mario Finale Break the Smash Ball and unleash Mario's Final Smash. Mario will fire a devastating blast of fire in the direction he's facing. The attack covers a wide range and travels far, so it's best to fire this from one side of the stage to the other. The damage is impressive, and it can actually carry foes right off the screen!

When Mario gets his hands on a Smash Ball, he can activate this Final Smash. Flames spiral outwards in two intertwining stream, catching opponents in the wide blast with ease. It deals plenty of damage, and can also push foes off the screen entirely. Fire it from an elevated position to take full advantage of its vertical range!

Solo Events [ edit ]

Co-op Events [ edit ]

Gallery [ edit ]





Trivia [ edit ]

References [ edit ]



