List of NTSC tier lists

The Smash Back Room tier list has changed many times since its inception. Previous versions of the list are as follows. In later tier lists, characters are broadly ranked by their tier, and further ranked by the order in which characters are listed within the tier list. For instance, Falco is ranked above Samus in the fourth tier list. Earlier tier lists use numerical rankings, and characters with the same numerical value are listed alphabetically.

First tier list (October 8, 2002)

 * 4.9: Sheik
 * 4.8: Falco, Fox
 * 4.4: Marth
 * 4.1: Mario
 * 4.0: Zelda, Samus, Luigi
 * 3.9: Peach
 * 3.8: Dr. Mario
 * 3.5: Ice Climbers, Ganondorf
 * 3.4: Pikachu, Link
 * 3.2: Captain Falcon, Young Link
 * 3.1: Jigglypuff, Ness
 * 2.9: Yoshi, Donkey Kong
 * 2.8: Roy
 * 2.1: Kirby
 * 1.8: Mr. Game & Watch
 * 1.6: Pichu, Bowser
 * 1.3: Mewtwo

Though this was the first tier list, Smash World Forums was rife with discussion about tiers long before the Melee Back Room released its "MBR Tier Averages." The term "F/F/S" (short for "Falco, Fox and Sheik") was popular as a quick reference to Melee's top tier. Members on Smashboards, perhaps in backlash against novice sentiment towards Roy and Link, generally disdained those characters, and generally favored the game's fastest characters.

Members on Smashboards largely contested this tier list's placement of Mewtwo, which they felt to be too low. Many Smashboarders considered Mewtwo a low or even middle tier character and were bothered that he, despite his great recovery and powerful throws, was placed at the bottom of bottom tier, where most people believed Bowser belonged.

Second tier list (December 19, 2002)
For the second tier list, the Melee Back Room not only averaged the votes for every character to determine a tier list, but also calculated the mode of characters' placements.

Mean

 * 2.2: Sheik
 * 2.3: Fox
 * 3.9: Falco
 * 4.4: Peach
 * 4.7: Marth
 * 8.5: Mario
 * 8.8: Dr. Mario
 * 9.6: Samus
 * 10.0: Luigi
 * 11.0: Ganondorf and Jigglypuff
 * 13.0: Captain Falcon and Ice Climbers
 * 15.0: Zelda, Ness and Link
 * 16.0: Pikachu
 * 17.0: Yoshi and Young Link
 * 20.0: Roy and Donkey Kong
 * 21.0: Mr. Game and Watch, Kirby and Bowser
 * 23.0: Mewtwo
 * 24.0: Pichu

Mode

 * 1: Sheik
 * 2: Fox
 * 3: Falco
 * 4: Peach
 * 5: Marth, Zelda
 * 6: Samus
 * 7: Ganondorf
 * 9: Dr. Mario
 * 10: Jigglypuff, Mario
 * 11: C.Falcon
 * 12: Luigi
 * 13: Ice Climbers
 * 14: Link
 * 15: Young Link
 * 16: Ness
 * 18: Yoshi
 * 20: Pikachu
 * 22: Bowser
 * 23: Donkey Kong, Roy
 * 24: Kirby, Mewtwo
 * 25: Pichu
 * 26: Mr. Game and Watch

Third tier list (June 23, 2003)
This tier list was released soon after Ken Hoang won Tournament Go 4. Before Ken, Marth strategy largely encompassed rolling and C-stick smashing symptomatic of low-level play today, but Ken introduced to the community the uses of dash-dancing, chain throwing and aerial attacks, all techniques that largely improved Marth's metagame and moved him to top tier for years to come.

This is the first tier list that officially ranks characters into tiers.

Sixth tier list (April Fools: March 31, 2004)
This tier list doubled as an April Fools joke and a lesson to the community to not blindly swallow the Melee Back Room tier list as the truth. Though most people suspected this tier list was a hoax, it set a precedent to criticizing the tier list that had not existed before.

To "defend" this hoax during the two tumultuous days it was the official tier list, Melee Back Room members argued that Marth was too slow to remain in the top two tiers, that Link had untapped aerial prowess, and that Jigglypuff, through speed and the Wall of Pain, ruled the air to the point of domination.

The Melee Back Room forgot to include Yoshi in this tier list; once people realized he was missing, the MBR placed him in middle tier, between Ness and Mario.

Sixth tier list (April 2, 2004)
Top Tier Upper Tier High Tier Middle Tier Low Tier Bottom Tier 
 * Shiek
 * Fox
 * Marth
 * Falco
 * Peach
 * Captain Falcon
 * Samus
 * Jigglypuff
 * Ganondorf
 * Mario
 * Dr. Mario
 * Luigi
 * Link
 * Pikachu
 * Ice Climbers
 * Roy
 * Zelda
 * Young Link
 * Yoshi
 * Ness
 * Donkey Kong
 * Kirby
 * Mr. Game & Watch
 * Mewtwo
 * Bowser
 * Pichu

Seventh tier list (March 19, 2005)
Top Tier Upper Tier High Tier Middle Tier Low Tier Bottom Tier 
 * Shiek
 * Fox
 * Marth
 * Peach
 * Falco
 * Captain Falcon
 * Samus
 * Jigglypuff
 * Dr. Mario
 * Ganondorf
 * Mario
 * Ice Climbers
 * Luigi
 * Link
 * Roy
 * Donkey Kong
 * Pikachu
 * Zelda
 * Ness
 * Young Link
 * Yoshi
 * Kirby
 * Mr. Game & Watch
 * Bowser
 * Mewtwo
 * Pichu

Eighth tier list (July 8, 2006)
Top Tier High Tier Middle Tier Low Tier Bottom Tier 
 * Fox
 * Falco
 * Sheik
 * Marth
 * Peach
 * Captain Falcon
 * Ice Climbers
 * Samus
 * Dr. Mario
 * Jigglypuff
 * Mario
 * Ganondorf
 * Link
 * Luigi
 * Donkey Kong
 * Roy
 * Young Link
 * Pikachu
 * Yoshi
 * Zelda
 * Mr. Game & Watch
 * Ness
 * Bowser
 * Kirby
 * Pichu
 * Mewtwo

The names of these tiers were originally called God Tier, Top Tier, High Tier, Middle Tier, and Low Tier; these names were changed to the ones shown above on July 10th, two days after the tier list was released.

This tier list marks the first time Sheik was not in top tier, and contains the biggest bottom tier of any tier list thus far. The balance of the tier list was a point of contention amongst many Smashers, who felt that it was too bottom-heavy and that the lower tiers should themselves be split, or the high tiers merged (particularly the top two).

Ninth tier list (October 14, 2008)
This is the current and final tier list. For the first time since June 2003, the Smash Back Room published each character's numerical scores. Top Tier High Tier Middle Tier Low Tier Bottom Tier 
 * 9.9: Fox
 * 9.9: Marth
 * 9.7: Sheik
 * 9.2: Falco
 * 8.4: Peach
 * 8.0: Captain Falcon
 * 8.0: Jigglypuff
 * 7.9: Ice Climbers
 * 6.8: Samus
 * 6.2: Dr. Mario
 * 6.0: Ganondorf
 * 5.8: Luigi
 * 5.4: Donkey Kong
 * 5.3: Mario
 * 4.7: Link
 * 4.3: Pikachu
 * 4.2: Young Link
 * 3.6: Roy
 * 3.0: Zelda
 * 3.0: Mr. Game & Watch
 * 2.5: Ness
 * 2.5: Yoshi
 * 2.2: Bowser
 * 1.8: Mewtwo
 * 1.5: Kirby
 * 1.2: Pichu