Every Smash Bros Fighter, Ranked From Worst to Best

Picking a main in Smash Ultimate is harder than it should be. Open the character select screen and 89 portraits stare back at you. Some are obvious A-listers from Nintendo's biggest franchises. Others showed up from third-party games that did not exist when the original Super Smash Bros launched. Trying to figure out which Super Smash Bros characters actually hold up at any level of play means digging through hundreds of YouTube videos and arguing with people on Reddit who all swear their main is underrated.

This list ranks every Super Smash Bros character on the Ultimate roster from worst to best. The picks blend competitive tier lists from sources like OrionRank and PGRU with how the supersmash bros characters actually feel to most people who pick them up. Whether you are picking your first main or just settling a debate with a friend, this should give you a clear answer.

How was every Super Smash Bros character ranked?

Tier lists are never settled. The competitive scene shifts as players figure out new tech, and every patch adjusts how the supersmash bros characters interact with each other. The rankings below pull from multiple high-level tier list sources and weight them against general accessibility. A character who wins majors but only in the hands of one player gets ranked lower than someone who consistently performs across many players.

Echo fighters are ranked separately when their differences matter (Lucina vs. Marth, for example) and grouped when they are essentially identical (Daisy vs. Peach). Pokemon Trainer is treated as one slot since you cannot pick the individual Pokemon. Pyra and Mythra share a slot for the same reason.

Who are the worst Super Smash Bros characters in Ultimate?

Every Smash game has a bottom of the barrel. These supersmash bros characters either have flaws that have been consistent across patches, struggle against the dominant playstyles of the current meta, or both. They are not unplayable. People win locals with all of them. They just take more work for less reward.

Little Mac. Strong on the ground, completely helpless off the stage. Most matches end with him getting edge-guarded into oblivion the moment he loses neutral. Ganondorf. Massive damage and a satisfying punish game, but his speed and recovery make him a liability against patient opponents. Iconic, but a punching bag at high level. Dr. Mario. A slower, less mobile version of Mario with worse recovery. Very few reasons to pick him over the original. King Dedede. Big, slow, and easy to combo. His Gordo throw is fun but predictable. Jigglypuff. Rest is iconic, but Jigglypuff is light and easy to launch in a meta where everyone has kill confirms.

Piranha Plant. Quirky moveset that is fun in casual play but lacks consistent tools at high level. Ice Climbers. Lost their wobble combos from Smash 4 and never quite found a new identity in Ultimate. Kirby. Light, slow, and held back by short range. Casual fans love him, but the kit shows its age. Zero Suit Samus. Excellent mobility, but a high learning curve and inconsistent kill power keep her from dominating like she did in Smash 4. Corrin. Flashy moves and good range, but few consistent kill confirms outside of side-B reads. Pichu. Self-damage limits how long you can pressure without dying. Mewtwo. Light and easy to launch despite his floaty mobility.

Which Super Smash Bros characters fall below average?

These supersmash bros characters have real strengths but also clear holes that better fighters exploit. Most of them have dedicated mains who can win with them, but the average player will struggle compared to picking something higher on the roster.

Marth. Tipper damage is iconic but inconsistent. Lucina (his echo) outperforms him at most levels. Ike. Heavy hits and good range, but slow startup leaves him vulnerable to fast fighters. Mii Swordfighter. Customization helps, but most loadouts cannot keep up with top-tier zoning. Mii Brawler. The best Mii overall, but still gets gatekept by characters with better kill options. Mii Gunner. Decent zoning but predictable. The other zoners on the roster do it better.

Bowser Jr. Mechakoopa is genuinely useful, but his frame data and recovery hold him back. Lucario. Aura mechanic rewards comebacks but punishes early stocks hard. Incineroar. Strong punishes when he lands them, but slow movement means he rarely gets the chance. Samus. Charge shot is iconic, but her kit feels dated against modern zoners. Dark Samus. Slightly different physics from Samus but plays similarly. Marginal improvements at best. Duck Hunt. The most chaotic zoner on the roster, but inconsistent. Zelda. Great kill power, terrible mobility. Donkey Kong. Big, strong, and the cargo throw is dangerous, but he loses to most rushdown.

What Super Smash Bros characters sit at mid tier?

The mid tier is where most of the supersmash bros characters live. None of these are bad. Most are completely viable for casual play and local tournaments. They just lack the polish or cheese factor that defines the top of the roster.

Bowser. Heavy with a punish game that hurts. The 1.5x damage on grabs makes him scary. Pit and Dark Pit. Solid all-rounders with arrows that pressure from anywhere. Bayonetta. Witch Time is gone, but combo extension is still respectable. Lucas. PK Fire pressure and a stylish toolkit, but inconsistent recovery. Simon and Richter. Best zoners outside the top tier. Whip range is genuinely oppressive at mid distance.

Ridley. Big and strong with a satisfying side-B grab kill. Recovery is exploitable. King K. Rool. The crown projectile and belly armor make him terrifying for new players to fight. Wii Fit Trainer. Underrated zoning with sun salutation and the headbutt kill confirm. Rosalina & Luma. Easily one of the strongest characters when Luma is alive, dramatically worse when not. Chrom. Better recovery than Roy on paper but the kill is a one-way ticket if he is offstage. Captain Falcon. Fastest runner, hardest knee in the game, but no projectile means he commits hard. Meta Knight. Combo machine that struggles to close out stocks. Isabelle. Lloid Trap is annoying but the rest of her kit lacks teeth.

Which Super Smash Bros characters are solid picks?

These supersmash bros characters genuinely reward investment. Most are popular tournament picks, and all of them have a clear path to winning at any level if you put in the time. None are easy, but the ceiling is high.

The difference between a top tier and a mid tier in Smash Ultimate is rarely about raw stats. It is about how cleanly a character converts neutral wins into stocks, and how forgiving the recovery is when you mess up.

Toon Link, Young Link, and Link. All three Links pressure with projectiles and punish hard at the ledge. Young Link is the strongest of the three thanks to his speed. Banjo & Kazooie. Wonderwing is one of the best comeback tools in the game. Holding three of them changes how matchups play out. Sheik. Combo king with the worst kill power on the roster. Great for racking damage, frustrating to actually finish. Luigi. Down throw to up B is the easiest kill confirm in the game. Recovery off-stage is brutal. Mega Man. Pellets and the metal blade make him one of the most controlled zoners in Ultimate.

Robin. Limited resources and slow movement, but the kill power is unmatched when the lightning is charged. Shulk. Monado arts give him answers to most matchups. The hardest character on this list to actually master. Ken and Ryu. Inputs reward execution. Both Street Fighter reps shine in player hands that can do shoryuken on the right frame. Byleth. Strong neutral with the Areadbhar and Failnaught. Recovery is the main weakness. Villager. Pocket and the slingshot make him an annoyance to fight. Lucina. The reliable Marth. Tipper damage normalized to a single hitbox. Inkling. Ink mechanic forces opponents to play differently. Once you understand it, the kill setups are genuinely good. Olimar. Pikmin throws are oppressive. Risk is that running out of Pikmin leaves him helpless.

Which Super Smash Bros characters are strong choices for serious play?

These are the supersmash bros characters who consistently appear in top eight at majors. They are not the absolute best, but they are close enough that most matchup spreads favor them. Picking any of these is a safe call for ranked play or tournaments.

Mario. The benchmark. Solid in every category, and FLUDD edgeguarding is still effective. Falco. Lasers and a strong aerial game. Recovery is the consistent weakness. Pokemon Trainer. Three characters in one. Charizard kills, Ivysaur zones, Squirtle combos. The forced switching is the catch. Wario. Waft and the bike give him uniquely strong matchups. Once the waft is full, even shielding does not save you. Ness. PK Fire mix-ups and back throw kill power. PK Magnet covers most projectiles. Peach and Daisy. Float-canceled aerials and turnips give them one of the best neutrals in the game.

Sora. Aerial drift and three magic spells make him hard to lock down. Terry. Best comeback potential in the game thanks to GO mode and special inputs. Kazuya. Tekken-style inputs reward execution. Electric Wind God Fist kills early. Fox. Old-school speed demon. Combos hard, dies fast. Greninja. Combo extensions and shadow sneak give him answers to most matchups. Cloud. Big sword, fast aerials, and Limit gives him a kill option in every matchup. Hero. The menu-based RNG makes him polarizing, but the kill power is real. Yoshi. Eggs, double jump armor, and a satisfying aerial game. Wolf. Strong projectile, fast frame data, and one of the best aerial kits on the roster. Mega Man. One of the cleanest zoners. Mr. Game & Watch. Bucket and the up smash hammer make him a constant threat.

Who are the best Super Smash Bros characters in Ultimate?

These are the supersmash bros characters who win majors. The top of the tier list is dominated by fighters with strong neutral, fast kill confirms, and tools that cover most situations. If you want to optimize for ranked play, pick from this group.

Steve. Routinely called the most broken character in Ultimate. Building blocks mid-match changes the stage, and his minecart and crafting mechanic make him the most unique fighter on the roster. Banned from a few tournaments for a reason. Pyra/Mythra. Two characters in one slot with no downside. Pyra hits hard, Mythra moves fast. Switching between them covers every situation.

Sonic. The fastest character in the game with a spin dash that opponents struggle to read. Annoying to fight, harder to actually beat at high level. Joker. Arsene transformation gives him a comeback mode that no other fighter has. Won the world's largest Smash major in Arsene's hands more than once. Diddy Kong. Banana and monkey flip pressure are still the best in the game. Combos out of grab pickups remain unmatched.

Roy. Sword speed and kill power that the rest of the Fire Emblem cast wishes they had. Snake. Grenades, C4, and the up tilt kill at 90. The most dangerous projectile zoner in the game. R.O.B. Gyro and laser zoning with kill power on multiple options. Heavy and floaty in all the right ways. Pikachu. Quick attack mix-ups and thunder shenanigans. Wins more world championships than any other fighter. Palutena. Explosive flame, neutral B reflectors, and the up smash kill. Easy enough that beginners can win locals with her, deep enough that pros use her at majors. Sephiroth. Long sword, flare projectile, and Winged Form when behind in stocks. Min Min. Disjointed kill range from across the screen. Whichever arm you load changes how the matchup plays. Pac-Man. The fruit cycle and hydrant give him answers to nearly everything.

How do the top picks compare across categories?

If you want a quick reference, here are the standout picks from each tier and the reason they sit where they do. Use this as a starting point, then dig into the matchups for whichever Super Smash Bros character you decide to main.

How did we settle on these rankings?

Tier lists are subjective. The community has been arguing about Smash placement since the original on N64. The rankings here pull from a few sources to get a balanced view: OrionRank tier lists, PGRU competitive results, and the most-cited community tier lists from major Smash YouTubers. We weighted recent tournament wins heavily, since old tier list takes can lag the meta.

Echo fighters were the trickiest call. Some are functionally identical to their originals (Daisy and Peach). Others have small differences that matter at high level (Lucina hits more consistently than Marth). When the difference matters, we ranked them separately. When it does not, they share a slot.

If your main shows up lower than you think they should, it usually means one of two things. Either the meta moved and they got worse, or they are a player-dependent character who looks good in highlights but struggles in average hands. Both are real. Pick what feels good and go from there.

If you like this list and wanna get a piece of the characters, check out our Super Mario Bros. Collection and our Legends of Zelda Collection! 

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