Little Mac (Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U)


 * This article is about Little Mac's appearance in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. For other uses, see Little Mac.

Little Mac is a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. Little Mac is notable for having a very powerful ground game, but very weak airborne, as well having very poor recovery moves. However, he has plenty moves Super Armor and Invincibility Frames in his attacks. Little Mac was announced on February 13th, the same day as Punch Out!!! 30th anniversary.

Strengths

 * Unmatched speed on ground for both movement and attack.
 * Fastest Jab, Rapid Jab and Tilts in the game.
 * Most of his attacks have low startup and ending lag.
 * High knockback and speed on almost all ground attacks.
 * Has the second best wall jump in the game, after Lucario.
 * Very fast Counter that has high range and long hitbox.
 * Forward Smash has three variations depending on the direction held when launching it. Unlike Samus' Forward Smash, which just changes the angle, Little Mac' changes the animation and properties.
 * His KO Punch can dispose of opponents with very little percentage. Although it is not a guaranteed instant KO move, it is very powerful and grant him invincibility frames through most of it.
 * KO bar is filled by causing and taking damage.
 * Can use moves like down tilt to combo into KO Punch.
 * Short stature gives him small hurtboxes.
 * Has a Meteor Smash: Down Aerial.
 * Third fastest dash speed, after Sonic and almost tied with Captain Falcon.
 * Additionally, his initial dash makes use of dash dancing and fox trotting to be one of the most usefuls in the game.
 * Fastest side dodge in the game, with very little startup and ending lag.
 * Super armor frames on many moves, most notably all Smash Attacks and Straight Lunge.
 * Low dashing stance can allow him to run below some projectiles, such as Mario's Fireball, as seen in his Official Trailer.

Weaknesses

 * Has the worst recovery in the game; an aerial Jolt Haymaker gives very little horizontal movement, while his aerial Rising Uppercut merely launches him upwards, being lower than his second jump.
 * Lightweight, being easy to KO.
 * Extremely weak and slow aerial attacks.
 * One of the lowest jumping heights in the game, (along Ganondorf and Megaman), and the lowest double jump.
 * No projectiles or long range options.
 * Can't deal with ranged opponents very well.
 * Jolt Haymaker can cause very easy self-destructs, as when used on the ground, gives him massive horizantal movement, causing him to fall off the stage if used incorrectly.
 * Rising Uppercut only has KO power if used on the ground; its aerial version is very weak, only KO'ing opponents above 150%.
 * Even though a normal Straight Lunge fully charged can cause high damage, it has very high ending lag, making him vulnerable for punishment.
 * Straight Lunge's KO Punch can be lost if the move is not used within 30 seconds, if Little Mac is KO'ed, or if he is hit right before using it.
 * Struggles against the majority of the cast, especially those with powerful gimping potential, such as Sheik and Zero Suit Samus.
 * Possesses a very weak meteor smash because his down aerial is an aerial attack, which Little Mac lacks in.

Summary
Little Mac's best asset is his ground game. On the ground, he is lightning fast and has special moves that have incredible knockback, although his standard special move, Straight Lunge, can leave him wide open if he misses. Also, his side special move, Jolt Haymaker, can send him flying off the stage to his doom if not used properly, especially on stages such as Final Destination.

Aside Rapid Jabs and Forward Tilt for racking up damage, his Forward Smash Tilted Down is very powerful, being one of his strongest attacks, being able to cause over 25% if fully charged, being useful to punish opponents who side dodge a lot. A good way to approach with Little Mac is by doing dash-dances, fox trots, Perfect Pivot into Forward Tilt or Rapid Jab, or even moving slowly and counter every move, in order to intimidate and pressure the opponent. When playing as Little Mac the idea is to make the opponent feel powerless, since every attack Little Mac throw packs a punch. In addition, his instant KO ability is very powerful, as no other character in the game is able to kill their opponents instantly regardless of percentage.

However, as soon as Little Mac leaves the ground and into the air he becomes horrible, his jumps are short and sluggish and his recovery is the worst in the game. If he is sent flying off the stage at a high percentage, specially if the knockback is horizontal, there is a high chance he won't come back.

Overall, Little Mac is a very good fighter, however he must stay at low percentages and at the ground to survive. Because of his poor recovery, rushing recklessly with Little Mac is usually not a good idea, even with his all powerful attacks. While a powerhouse, Little Mac's gameplay reflects a bit of his Punch-Out!! games; he is powerful, but must time his attacks to avoid retaliation, countering opponents and punishing when they miss.

Ground Attacks

 * Neutral Attack: Little Mac jabs once, does a right hook, and then a left hook, with the final hit having smash power. If the button is tapped quickly it'll turn into quick jabs that end in a left hook with smashing power. Careful doing this on the edge because the move pushes you back slightly. Does 13% with the 3 hit combo, and 17% for a single set of quick jabs with the finisher, if all hit.
 * Side Tilt: Little Mac does two straight jabs with smashing power, good for launching at high %. Does 12% if both connect.
 * Down Tilt: Little Mac hits the opponent's legs, with slight upward smash power. Does 8%. Useful for comboing into Up Tilt and Smashes. It is also useful for edge-guarding, being able to hit opponents grabbing the ledge.
 * Up Tilt: Little Mac does a quick arc punch over his head, with very little smash power. Does 9%. Useful for comboing into Up Smash or Up Special.
 * Dash Attack: Little Mac gives an overhead downward punch, similar to his up-tilted Side Smash, and is very close range to where he's standing. Does 10% damage. Good for smashing at high % and can KO around 150%.

Smash Attacks
More to be added
 * Side Smash: Little Mac is unique as his Side Smash changes depending on which direction the player tilts before launching the attack - Straight Right Punch if no direction is tilted; Uppercut if tilted diagonally upwards; Body Hook if tilted diagonally downwards. The uppercut has more launch power but less damage. Body hook does more damage but has less launch power.
 * Down Smash: Little Mac sweeps the ground with a punch, in front first before rotating to attack behind him. Very fast smash. Causes medium horizontal knockback. Damage: Uncharged: Front & Back 12. Fully Charged: Front 16, Back 17.
 * Up Smash: A strong uppercut that hits in front of him, and has a wide arc above him that does not reach behind him. Very high knockback. Adds a fire effect and more damage & knockback if the enemy is hit with the very start of the move. Uncharged: Start 20, rest of the move 15. Fully Charged: Start 28, rest of the move 21.

Other attacks

 * Ledge Attack: Little Mac rises, lifting his legs and rushing forward for a painful leg blow. Does 7% and has slight smashing, but is unable to KO even at max %.
 * Ground Attack: Coming Soon
 * KO Punch: Once Little Mac's bar is filled, it will be replaced with the abbreviation "KO!". This is activated using the Smash Attack button, and a blue burst will appear from his glove as he does an uppercut. If any targets are caught, the time is slowed and zoomed to the person(s) that got hit by it. Despite its name the KO punch will not instantly KO a person at low percentages but has extremely high smash power and can effectively KO opponents at as little as 20%. The KO bar is filled as Little Mac attacks (safe, but slow gain) and takes damage (dangerous, but fast gain)

Aerial Attacks

 * Neutral Air: Little Mac punches diagonally downwards very quickly. Very close range, no knock back, 2% damage.
 * Forward Air: Little Mac throws a quick uppercut, does 5%, has slight smashing power and can kill at extremely high percentages. Its launching trajectory tends to send opponents slightly downwards, being a useful tool to start combos.
 * Back Air: Little Mac throws a quick punch behind him, has around the same smashing power as his forward air, but does 6% damage.
 * Down Air: Little Mac throws a punch straight down, does 4%, with slight smashing power. Can cause Meteor Smash at high percentages. Although weak for a Meteor Smash, it is quite fast and doesn't have a sourspot, meaning it will always send opponents downwards. It has the highest knockback scaling of all his aerials.
 * Up Air: Little Mac throws a punch similar to that of his up tilt, does 5%, slight smashing power and can KO at extreme percentages.

Grabs and Throws

 * Grab: Grab has little to no range, you have to be right next to the target to grab.
 * Pummel: Little Mac punches target in the stomach, 2% per hit.
 * Down Throw: Little Mac lets go of the target and hammers them downwards with both hands, sending them up and doing 9% damage. Can't easily kill on its own, but can combo with Rising Uppercut for a devastating attack.
 * Forward Throw: Little Mac punches the target forward, doing 8% but not sending them far, can combo with Jolt Haymaker for a decent attack.
 * Back Throw: Little Mac turns, and punches the target in the gut, sending them backwards slightly, does 9% and can also combo with Jolt Haymaker because he turns the same direction.
 * Up Throw: Little Mac throws an uppercut into the target, sending them slightly forward and upwards. Does 7% and is harder to combine with Rising Uppercut unless they get thrown high enough for you to move closer.

Taunts

 * Up: Throws left arm up in the air in triumph. Doc Louis may say "Hit 'em baby!"
 * Side: Pulls on the string of his right glove with his mouth to tighten it (easier to see if zoomed in), then bumps both gloves together. Doc Louis may say "Let 'em have it Mac!"
 * Down: Throws several punches, as though he is warming up. Doc Louis may say "Show 'em what ya got, Mac baby!"
 * At random times, Doc Louis, Mac's Trainer, will speak something while Mac is taunting.

In competitive play
To be added

Ground Combos
To be Added

Aerial Combos
Although Little Mac has the worst aerial game, his best aerial is his neutral air. He can use his neutral Air to give quite decent damage by using his neutral Air and then Footstool Jumping, he can finish with Rising Uppercut that will result in a K.O. if the opponent is near to the upper blast line. Another use for his neutral air can be for dragging his oppenent to the ground should they be too high in the air to attack, as it can be used rapidly, locks his oppenent close to him, has nearly no landing lag, and extremely hard to escape, allowing him to continue or finish a combo.

Little Macs up Air can also be used for comboing. Hitting an opponent on the ground while landing with an up Air will send them at a perfect angle to follow up. At high percents you can even combo it into a Rising Uppercut to finish them off.

Little Mac
''This little boxer from the Punch-Out!! series makes up in heart what he lacks in height. He wasn't afraid to take on the boxing champs, and he's not afraid of the Nintendo stars. In Smash Bros., he packs a series punch. When his KO meter fills up, wade in and trigger a devastating uppercut.''
 * NES - Punch-Out!! (10/1987)
 * Wii - Punch-Out!! (05/2009)

Little Mac (Alt)
''No matter his opponent, Little Mac always puts his best fist forward. He enters a charge state before unleashing his Straight Lunge special and can unleash it while charging by pressing the button again. He won't flinch while charging. At max charge, the launching power of this move is scary!''

Doc Louis
''Every great boxer needs a capable teacher. Little Mac lucked out with formed famous heavyweight Doc Louis. If he's not eating his favorite chocolate bar or making jokes, he's sparring with Little Mac. He'll gladly take a knockout blow from Little Mac if it will help the boxer make it big!''

Other features
To be added

Trivia

 * Little Mac is the first Brawl Assist Trophy to become a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4.
 * Little Mac is the second character to go from item to playable character, the first being Charizard.
 * One of Little Mac's alternate colors turns him into the Wireframe Mac from the first Punch-Out!! game.
 * Sakurai has said that the person who drew the pixel art for Wireframe Mac was Shigeru Miyamoto.
 * Mac's alternate costume has him wearing his iconic pink hoodie and sweat pants.
 * This makes Little Mac 1 of 10 fighters with alternate costumes. The others being Wario, Wii Fit Trainer, Villager, Olimar, Robin, Cloud, Corrin, Bayonetta and Bowser Jr.
 * Little Mac has the most palette swaps in the series (16, beating Wario's record of 12 in Smash Bros. Brawl).
 * Doc Louis is shown on his victory screens as well as a championship belt around Little Mac's waist.
 * Little Mac's trailer could be a possible reference to the famous "Training Montage" used in fighting movies, starting with Rocky Balboa.