Snake (Super Smash Bros. Brawl)

''This article is about Snake's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. For other uses, see Solid Snake.''

Unveiled at E3 2006, Snake (, Sunēku) is a character appearing in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Instead of using a gun, like he usually does in his games, he was designed instead to use explosive-type weapons from his own games. He is the first third-party character to be announced in any Super Smash Bros. game. His looks are based on the appearance he had in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. Although he's primarily Solid Snake, elements of the Snake that appears in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater and its direct sequel Metal Gear Portable Ops have been mixed in as well.

A popular rumor states that Hideo Kojima, the creator of Metal Gear, wished Sakurai (or "practically begged" according to Sakurai himself) to include Snake in Super Smash Bros. Melee, but the game was in an advanced development stage and in an early launch in Japan.

Snake is the only character whose official art on Smash Bros. DOJO!! portrays him in a different pose from his original art from his old profile.

Another note is that his victory theme is the theme to the original Metal Gear Solid game, which many fans also interpret as the "Game Over" theme.

Snake currently ranks 2nd on the tier list (the highest ranked unlockable character), thanks to his quick and powerful neutral and tilt attacks, very high priority overall, being surprisingly the 3rd heaviest and extremely hard to KO with good DI, his large variety of projectiles, his solid edgeguarding game, and all-in-all, placing very well in tournaments.

How to Unlock

 * 1) Play 15 matches in VS Mode on Shadow Moses Island
 * 2) Play 130 matches in VS Mode
 * 3) Have Snake join your party in the Subspace Emissary

If you do any of these things except for #3, you will have to defeat him in a Brawl on Shadow Moses Island to unlock him.

Attributes
Snake is a super heavyweight character, probably because of him being a "normal" human in the Smash Bros. Universe, plus the gadgets and weapons that he carries. He is well known not only for his powerful smash attacks and very high priority, but also his strong, relatively quick tilt attacks and his neutral attack combo. His best killing move is his up tilt due to its power, speed and huge invisible hitbox, rather than his smash attacks (while his forward smash can KO on very low percentages, it is one of the laggiest smashes in the game, even when using the C-stick). Snakes' forward tilt is also a good KO move because it has the knockback and damage of a smash attack with the speed and priority of a tilt attack. A Snake with good directional influence will usually not get KOed until around 150% or even as high as the mid-200% against most characters (except powerful characters like Donkey Kong) outside spiking him out of his Cypher. Snake is also known to have the lowest crawl in the game, and is able to dodge most projectiles. He also has the most projectiles in the game, and a variety of edge-guarding techniques, including C4, the remote missile, landmines, and his b-air. His Hand Grenade can be used for camping, the effectiveness of which can be increased by shield-dropping the grenades then picking them up to throw them with more strength, though, unlike other explosives, they do not detonate on contact. They can be used defensively by holding one until it's about to detonate, then shielding just before it goes off. The explosion will damage anyone nearby but not Snake, so it's useful for stopping approaching opponents and then launching a counter-attack. His Up smash, the mortar, is the longest ranged up smash in the game. In addition, the up smash is also known to have a great Smash-Boost that makes Snake cover a lot of distance very quickly, compensating for his slow dash speed while at the same time releasing a projectile. His C4 has a variety of applications, aside from placing it on the stage itself as a defensive move, as it can be used in team battle to create a "suicide-bomber" (where the C4 is placed on a teammate like a Gooey Bomb), as well as being used on Snake himself to regain his vertical recovery move, the Cypher.

On the down side, Snake is a relatively big character and has a fast falling speed. Because of this, he is a good candidate for Chain grabs [though his explosives (mostly his Grenades) can help with these issues]. Bigger problem areas are aerial attacks and recovery. His aerials have large ending lag in them. In particular his neutral and down air attacks, as these take large amounts of time to complete and can easily lead Snake to his death if there is no ground beneath him. These two attacks can also be escaped by players with good Smash Directional Influence and/or Quarter-Circle Directional Influence, which prevents him from getting the last hits on the attacks with good knockback while also leaving him open for punishment. With the disadvantages of having fast falling speed and large lag startup on his aerial attacks, Snake has one of the worst aerial games (although his aerials themselves are about as strong as his tilt attacks) which makes him vulnerable to counter-picking on stages like Rainbow Cruise and Norfair where he is forced to attack in the air. In recovery, while he can plant C4 to make recovery nearly infinite, it's slow and predictable recovery which leaves him vulnerable to spikes if he is not able to recover to a position enough above the stage to not get caught by spikes, so it is highly suggested that professional Snake players have good Directional Influence. Also, grab releasing him (even with special grabs such as Wario's Chomp) after he's used his Cypher but before he's landed on the stage does not make him regain his Cypher recovery, as is does not cause flinching.

Ground Attacks

 * Neutral A - Punch, Punch, Spinkick. The kick has high knockback, and KOs at moderate percentages. Incredibly high priority for a jab. 14% damage. This is the combo from Metal Gear Solid 2 and Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes games for CQC (Close Quarters Combat).
 * Dash Attack - Snake does a somersault forward, and ends up half-crouching at the end. Easily transitions to crouching/crawling. Can KO light characters around 130%. The somersault and subsequent transition to crouching are visually identical to those moves used by Snake in the Metal Gear Solid series. Can be cancelled to his up smash to make him slide a long distance, it's much easier to cancel it if the attack connects and tap jump is off. 6-11% damage.
 * Down Tilt - Snake is fully prone while crouching, and he sweeps his legs around. 10% damage.
 * Up Tilt - Snake kicks one leg up vertically. This is a quick attack with great range and power, has a long horizontal disjointed hitbox which makes it a great finishing move. Much stronger on lightweights than on heavyweights. Higher knockback when the hit connects earlier on in the attack, though the sourspot is only slightly weaker. 12-13% damage.
 * Forward Tilt - Does a knee-thrust forward. If you press A again, he will follow-up with an overhead swing of both arms, which has high knockback and a large range (has a huge disjointed invisible hitbox like his up tilt). This combo is seen during a cutscene in Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes when Snake fights Grey Fox. The knee-thrust can cause tripping, which provides a perfect set-up for his Up Tilt. 17-21% damage.

Smash Attacks

 * Up Smash - Snake takes out a mortar, which comes from Metal Gear Solid 4, and places it in front of him. He charges up the mortar, and fires a shell into the air. The movement of the shell is almost entirely vertical, but there is a very small amount of forward motion. Unlike other Up Smashes, charging time does not increase damage, it increases the speed at which the shell is fired, making it go higher. When fully charged it travels great distances, almost the entire height of the 'large' stage builder area, making it by far the longest ranged Up Smash in the game. If the shell makes contact with an opponent while travelling upwards, the opponent takes damage but the shell does not explode, though it does stop moving upwards and it begins to fall back down to the ground. The shell explodes if it makes contact with a ceiling, a wall or the ground no matter what direction it's moving in, but it will only explode on contact with an opponent if it is moving downwards. The action of taking out the mortar has enough vertical knockback to move opponents into the mortar's line of fire. The shell cannot damage Snake. Best used as smash-boost. 14% damage.
 * Down Smash - Snake crouches and starts digging a hole in the ground as he charges, and sets a landmine. This is taken from Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. Explosive damage and knockback of the mine increase with charge time. This is a very slow smash, and does not actually deal any damage right away. A short while after planting the mine, it becomes active, and will detonate if anyone (including Snake) steps on it. If the platform the mine is set on disappears (on Rainbow Cruise or Delfino Plaza) the mine falls down and if it makes contact with anything, even the ground, it explodes. You can't plant more than one mine at a time, but you can move it by using the attack again, which removes it from its previous position and plants it at Snake's current position. 14-19% damage.
 * Forward Smash - This attack is from Metal Gear Solid 3. Snake takes an RPG-7 rocket launcher and aims it at the ground directly in front of him, causing an explosion when released. It requires a few seconds to load the warhead, giving enemies a good chance to attack (similar to Ganondorf's Warlock Punch). High knockback, but low range, and it cannot be used as a projectile as it is aimed down at the ground, similar to Samus's Down tilt. It is a very good KOing move, and it can even be a One-Hit KO in certain situations. It has the 3rd highest knockback of all the side smashes in the game. Best used for punishing an opponent's laggy attack as it deals both high shield damage and high shield stun. 22-30% damage.

Aerial Attacks

 * Neutral Aerial - Snake performs four quick kicks in the air. The fourth kick has high knockback. Best performed soon after a double jump, but it can also be used in a full single jump, as well as a shorthop if you time it correctly. 28% damage if all kicks connect.
 * Down Aerial - Stomps multiple times beneath him, the last hit having high knockback (another attack best performed after double jump). 28% damage if all stomps connect. Doing a short hop then immediately performing this move is a good way to guarantee every single hit, and can K.O. at low percentages.
 * Back Aerial - Snake kicks his legs out behind him, making him lie flat in the air. High range and knockback, long duration, but high end lag like his other aerials except up aerial. Has enough knockback to KO opponents on the ground or in the air at about 100% damage. On an interesting note, it should be noted that this has very high priority. 10-16% damage.
 * Forward Aerial - Snake lifts a leg to head height and axe-drops it down. Similar to Donkey Kong's Forward aerial, it is slow yet powerful. Connection with the foot results in a very powerful spike which knocks the opponent downwards and backwards (relative to Snake). Connection with the leg has decent vertical knockback. One of the easier spikes to pull off. 14-15% damage.
 * Up Aerial - Thrusts his legs straight upwards, similar to his back aerial except upwards. This attack is very good for Star KOing airborne opponents on damages of 100% and over. Very effective on light, floaty opponents (i.e. Jigglypuff, Kirby, or Meta Knight). 10-14% damage.

Grabs and Throws

 * Grab - Holds his opponent in a restraining chokehold, which is a grabbing position unique to Snake. The pivot grab has great range.
 * Pummel - Tightens his chokehold. 2% damage.
 * Back Throw - Throws opponent over his knee; The same type of throw is also seen in the MGS games. 9% damage.
 * Up Throw - Back suplex, similar to Jigglypuff's back throw. 10% damage.
 * Down Throw - Lays opponent on the floor, putting the opponent into the downed status (great for setting up combos) and chain grab by predicting what the opponent will do. It can also infinite chain grab if used in the edge and regrabbing quickly. 12% damage.
 * Forward Throw - Flips them over and drops them (scoop slam). 9% damage.

Taunts
All: Puts a cardboard box over himself, which is removable. Depending on which button you press, Snake will get in the box in a different position. When he removes it, the enemy receives some damage (if they are in close range). The box can also be picked up and thrown by opponents. This gives 2% damage, making it the second damaging taunt next to Luigi's down taunt. Surprisingly, one can destroy a Smash Ball with the taunt with one hit of the box.

Smash Taunt: Kneels down and contacts his support team - Colonel Campbell, Otacon, and Mei Ling, and also Slippy Toad (only when in a Brawl with Falco) - via his codec. Snake then receives information on one of his opponents; this goes for every fighter in the game, including himself, and with separate conversations for Sheik and Zero Suit Samus. This is possible only on Snake's home stage Shadow Moses Island, and is performed by quickly tapping the taunt button and the D-Pad button. Snake will hold a pose for a few seconds, then a conversation between Snake and his support team will begin (although there is a easter egg in which Slippy from Star Fox will talk to Snake if Falco is the subject of the conversation). You can do this only once each round and if you are hit while Snake is holding his pose before the conversation starts, it is cancelled. However, you can be hit while the conversation is going, but the conversation ends if Snake is KO'd, which, in a nod to the Metal Gear Solid game over screens, causes the character Snake was talking with to shout "SNAAAAAAAAKE!!". It can be done with any number of other players on the screen, but if there is more than one opponent the game will randomly choose one character to talk about. If one of the opponents is another Snake, Snake will tell the Colonel that he is fighting himself.

Role in the Subspace Emissary
Snake has stowed away somewhere on the Halberd, hiding inside a cardboard box. When his time comes, Snake emerges from his box and begins to investigate, but when he sees Lucario and Meta Knight, he hides again inside his box. Lucario sees through the box by looking at his aura, and pulls off Snake's disguise. Snake is surprised to see that he has been discovered (an exclamation point appears above his head along with the Metal Gear "you have been found" sound) and quickly assumes a fighting stance. Meta Knight is glad to oblige, when Lucario senses security Primids coming from the corridor behind him, so they end up forming a partnership with Snake. After battling through the onslaught of Primid, Snake and the others meet up with Zelda and Peach. Shadowbugs make clones of Peach and Zelda, which the trio fights. Later, Snake, Lucario and Meta Knight find the bridge of the ship and are surprised to see a group of Mr. Game & Watches are controlling the ship. Snake and Lucario throw all of the Mr. Game & Watches out of the window, and they all land on the front deck. The Mr. Game & Watches revert into Shadowbugs and combine into a giant metallic monster called Duon. Lucario, Snake, and Falco join Fox, Sheik, and Peach to battle and defeat the monster. Snake shows up with everyone else at the entrace of Subspace and, like everyone else, he is turned into a trophy by Tabuu's off waves. He can be revived by collecting his trophy in Subspace, making him eligible for the final battle against Tabuu.

Snake is one of the few characters in the entire SSE storyline to have dialogue. When he reveals himself, he states to the player "Kept you waiting, huh?". This is a reference to the fact that his first appearance in the Smash series was in Brawl, even though he was originally going to appear in Melee, several years earlier, but he was left out because of time constraints.

Exclusive Stickers
The following stickers can only be used by Snake:
 * Eva: [Electric] Resistance +44
 * Meryl Silverburgh: [Weapon] Attack + 7
 * Naked Snake: [Specials: Indirect] Attack +32
 * Solid Snake (Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes): [Arm, Leg] Attack + 7

Trivia

 * Smash Bros. Dojo said Ganondorf is the largest and bulkiest of all human characters in the game. Although he is indeed the largest, Snake is bulkier (heavier) than Ganondorf, Mainly because of his gear.
 * In the Metal Gear Solid games, the exclamation mark would appear over enemies' heads when they found Snake. In the Subspace Emissary (as well as on the Shadow Moses Island stage), it appears over the head of the character found.
 * Snake is one of the only characters to talk in Subspace Emissary, saying "Kept ya waiting, huh?". By doing this, he also breaks the fourth wall, a common element in the Metal Gear series.
 * In a nod to Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Snake is the only character who talks when he eats food or other edible items. He will often make a "Nom" sound, he will sometimes say "Tasty!", and very rarely he will say "Good!".
 * Snake carries an H&K MK23 SOCOM .45 caliber pistol in a leg holster, but he never uses it in combat. Similarly, Captain Falcon carries a futuristic pistol which he never uses in-game
 * Snake's crowd cheer, 'Snake! Snake! SNAAAAAAAKE!!!', seems to be a nod to his 'Game Over' screens. The crowd will also chant longer (on average) for Snake than for any other character.
 * Solid Snake himself wears a teal colored bandana. It's Naked Snake, AKA Big Boss, who wore the dark green bandana that Snake is seen wearing in Brawl. However, the Bandana item in Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2 (which gives Snake infinite ammo) is also dark green. They might have let Snake wear that bandana to explain why he has infinite ammo during battle. Another interesting Naked Snake characteristic is that Solid Snake never had a full beard as he does in Brawl, only stubble at most. It was Naked Snake who had the full beard.
 * Interestingly enough, on the credits screen, the game refers to Snake as "Solid Snake".
 * Snake can plant his mines (down smash) in the Landmaster, but it will explode right after it becomes active, damaging anyone next to it (except the tank driver, of course).
 * Snake's appearance at the start of a Brawl actually comes from the intro cutscene in Metal Gear Solid 2.
 * Along with King Dedede, he is the first "Super-Heavy" weight character in the Top Tier.