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Ah, a new Smash game has arrived, and veterans of the series and newcomers alike are eager to jump into battle with some of their favorite Nintendo (and even third-party) characters. Now, like a true fighting game, not every character is created equal; they all have their own unique specials, attacks, strengths, and weaknesses. If you are new to the series (or want a refresher before jumping back into some hardcore matches), you may want to start with an easier to learn character. So, without further ado, here are the top five easiest to learn characters for beginners.

1. Mario

Nintendo’s poster child himself is one of the easiest characters to pickup and play in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.He has a relatively simple game plan at low-level play, but he’s also competitive at tournament-level play due to his versatile move list. He’s reasonably fast, has quick smash attacks, and has multiple ways to guard the edge of stages once his opponents have been knocked from them. His throws also provide tons of juggle opportunities, though they have been nerfed from Super Smash Bros Wii U. However, Mario’s recovery once he’s been knocked from the stage is average and his simple game plan is easy to predict. Luckily, he has some tricks for higher level players with his F.L.U.D.D. water cannon and his cape which makes opponents face away from him. Overall, Mario is a solid, well-rounded fighter that isn’t hard to pick up and play and have fun with.

2. Cloud

One of the most popular characters from one of the best role-playing games ever made, Final Fantasy VII, is also one of the most accessible characters in Smash Ultimate. While he isn’t as strong as he was in Super Smash Bros. Wii U, he is still a viable character at low and high-level play. Cloud’s biggest advantage over a lot of characters is that he has a projectile tool and powerful tilts. His down smash attack also hits both sides of the screen, so the enemy can roll right into it if they aren’t careful. Cloud—initially—only has three specials to worry about as well, instead of four for most fighters; his down special is reserved for charging his limit gauge, which can now be seen on-screen at all times. His limit gauge will also charge naturally as you fight, so if the opponent isn’t giving you breathing room to charge, you don’t have to worry about it too much. Cloud also deals a lot of damage very quickly, and his limit-charged projectile can KO from much further away than most characters. His recovery is also decent and does more damage than most recoveries in the game due to the ability to add extra hits to it. Even though he doesn’t do as much damage as he did in the previous game and a lot of his attacks have more start-up, he is still a strong, easy-to-use character.

3. King K. Rool

One of the new characters introduced in Smash Ultimate, arch rival of Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong, and not only is he fairly easy to play, he’s very, very strong. King K. Rool is simply one of the strongest “heavy” characters to ever be in the series. He has multiple projectiles, he can rack up an insane amount of damage quickly, and he can KO opponents at relatively low percentages, being able to KO most with his boxing glove smash at around 53 percent, and he can also spike characters with poor recoveries with it to KO at even lower percentages. He also has one of the strongest recoveries in the game. That, coupled with his heavy weight that makes it difficult to knock him far from the stage, makes him a very strong “heavy”character, one who is easy to play and is a nightmare for some to deal with at higher-level play. His big disadvantage is that he is quite slow, his crown projectile can be grabbed by the opponent, he doesn’t have the best range on some of his attacks and he has a large hurtbox. But overall, this crocodile can easily go toe-to-toe with the best of the best. If you are a fan of heavy, strong characters in fighting games, King K. Rool deserves your time.

4.Kirby

One of the original Smash Bros.characters, and he is still one of the easiest to pick up and play, especially if you find yourself getting launched from the stage time and time again. Kirby can jump up to five times in the air, giving himself a great recovery tool right there, but his up special will also give him more air if he needs it to grab a ledge. (Just be careful there, since his up special will also send him crashing to the ground and releasing a projectile.) He also has a very powerful hammer attack that can be charged up to KO opponents at low percentages. Kirby can use his neutral special attack to absorb and then use one of the opponent’s attacks, which makes certain matchups with Kirby a lot more difficult to predict. Most of his attacks have also been buffed from the previous game, so while Kirby isn’t considered by many to be a high-tier character, he is still fun and easy-to-use.

5. Marth

And my final pick for the top five easiest characters to learn in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the original Fire Emblem prince himself. Marth has been a series veteran since Super Smash Bros. Melee and he’s been one of the most popular characters ever since, so it’s natural that he has a very high skill ceiling and is played by casuals and tournament players alike. Marth is a swordsman, so he has great reach on most of his attacks. He also has great mobility and a decent recovery if he gets hit from the stage. If you can get some of his spacing tools down, Marth actually deals more damage with the tip of his sword. Since this can be a more advanced tactic, Marth could be the character that gets newcomers wanting to play some of the other swordfighters in the game. But even without that tactic, Marth has some relatively simple combos and all of his smash attacks are strong. He also has a parry as one of his special attacks that he shares with some of the other sword users in the game and the timing isn’t too strict. He’s also quite flashy, so if you want to do cool things and look cool doing them while not having to put in too much effort, Marth might be the character for you.