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 or Invincibility Frames. Little Mac was announced on February 13th, the same day as the Japanese launch of Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze.

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.
 * Can wall jump.
 * 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.
 * Straight Lunge is a One-Hit KO against any opponent when his KO bar is full, or so we thought. According to www.ssbwiki.com, it states. "When Little Mac's Power Meter is full, his Straight Lunge is replaced with a single-use uppercut of considerable power named the KO Uppercut, intended to be a one-hit KO. However, its base knockback is not quite high enough to be an OHKO at 0%, and usually KOs at 30%." This proves that it is not a OHKO as people intend it to be.
 * KO bar is filled by causing and taking damage.
 * Short stature gives him small hurtboxes.
 * 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:

 * Very poor recovery, being the worst in the game.
 * Lightweight, being easy to KO.
 * Extremely weak and slow aerial attacks.
 * Lowest jump and second jump in the game.
 * Slow aerial speed and fast falling speed.
 * Short Range, specially for his grab.
 * Can't deal good against ranged opponents.
 * Jolt Haymaker is really easy to suicide with.
 * 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.

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 flat stages.

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.

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 character, 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

Aerial Attacks

 * Neutral Air: Little Mac punches diagonally downwards. 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 %.
 * Back Air: Little Mac throws a quick punch behind him, has around the same smashing power as his forward air, but does 6%
 * Down Air: Little Mac throws a punch straight down, does 4%, with slight smashing power. Can cause Meteor Smash at high %.
 * Up Air: Little Mac throws a punch similar to that of his up tilt, does 5%, slight smashing power and can KO at extreme %.

Grabs and Throws

 * Grab: Grab has 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.
 * Side: Makes some gestures with his arms.
 * Down: Throws several punches, as though he is warming up.

In competitive play
To be added

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 the Little Mac 1 of 7 fighters with confirmed alternate costumes. The others being Wario, Wii Fit Trainer, Villager, Olimar, Robin 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.