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, thanks to his quick and powerful neutral and tilt attacks, being surprisingly the 3rd heaviest, a variety of projectiles, a 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 to unlock him.

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 Primid 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 is maintaining the bridge. 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 the rest, he turns into a trophy by Tabuu's attack, but is later revived. Snake can be chosen to fight Tabuu in the final battle.

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?"

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

Attributes
Snake is a heavyweight (probably because of him being a "normal" human in the Smash Bros. Universe, and plus the gadgets and weapons that he carries) character well known for not only for his powerful smash attacks, but also his strong and relatively quick tilt attacks. He's also the second tallest playable human fighter in the game (only surpassed by Ganondorf). Because of this, most of his killing moves are from his tilt attacks (particularly strong forward attack, neutral combo, and strong up attack) rather than his smash attacks. However, due to Stale-Move Negation, these tilts will lose their power overtime if they are overly abused. Snake is also known to have the lowest crawl in the game, able to dodge nearly every projectile in the game, as well as having the most projectiles in the game. One of the most commonly used projectile, the Remote Missile, serves as a strong Edge-guarding tool and can be used to steal the Smash Ball (much like Ness's and Lucas's PK Thunder, albeit more power when the missile is used in long range). His Hand Grenades aren't often as used as a projectile for most players since there is a delay on the explosion. They can be held and "cooked" though, before they're thrown, allowing for less air time before they explode. Another strategy is to hold the grenade, move toward an opponent, and shield just before the explosion to hit anyone around Snake without taking damage. His Up smash, the mortar, has the longest ranged smash attack projectile in the game. However, the trajectory of the mortar depends on how long the smash attack is held. In addition, the up smash is also known to have a noticeable Smash-Boost in the game (jokingly referred to as "Snakedashing"), although it requires precise timing. His C4 has a variety of options. It can be used in team battle to create a "suicide-bomber" (where the C4 "Gooey Bomb" properties are placed onto the teammate), as being used on Snake himself to reuse his vertical recovery move again, the Cypher. The latter method, however, is hard to pull off since it requires good timing.

On the down side, Snake is a relatively big character and has a fast falling speed. Because of this, he is a perfect candidate for Chain grabs and combos (though his explosives (mostly his Grenades) can help with these issues). In addition, his aerials have large startup and ending lag in them. In particular are 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. With the disadvantage of having fast falling speed and large lag startup, Snake has one of the worst aerial games (although his aerials themselves are relatively as strong as his tilt attacks). In addition, simply grabbing him (or using certain specialized grabs, like Wario's Chomp) and releasing him off the edge without throwing him doesn't let him use his Cypher again to recover unless he hits himself with a C4. Due to Wario's Chomp being able to cause this, Wario is considered a counter to Snake. He also has a slow and predictable recovery, so it is highly suggested that professional Snake players have good Directional Influence. Perhaps the most unpleasant for him is that the neutral aerial, down aerial, while effective at racking up damage and killing against players who are unfamiliar with DI, they lose all their effectiveness against players who have good Smash Diecrional Influence 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.

Ground Attacks

 * Neutral A - Punch, Punch, Spinkick. The kick has high knockback, and works as a moderate percent kill move. 14% damage. This is the combo from MGS2 and MGS:TS 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. The somersault and subsequent transition to crouching are visually identical to those moves used by Snake in the Metal Gear Solid series. Can be canceled 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 lightweighs than on heavyweights. Higher knockback when hit in the beginning. 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. This combo is seen during a cutscene in Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes when Snake fights Grey Fox. Knee-thrust has a chance of tripping that if happens it can be used instead his up tilt. 17-21% damage.

Smash Attacks

 * Up Smash - Snake takes out a mortar, which comes from MGS4, and places it in front of him. Then, he charges, and fires a mortar shell up in the air. The distance traveled vertically depends on the time spent charging; charging time does not affect damage. The rocket can hit any opponent in the arc upwards and subsequent fall back to the ground, and explodes on contact with an enemy or the ground. By far the longest Up-Smash in the game. Mortar can vertically knock players in front of Snake up, setting them up to be hit by the mortar shell. Can not damage Snake. Best used as smash-boost. 14% damage.
 * Down Smash - Snake crouches and starts digging 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 increases the longer it was charged. 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. Damage and knockback are based on how long it was charged. Also, if the platform the mine is set on disappears (like at Rainbow Cruise or Delfino Plaza) the mine falls down and if it hits ground, explodes. You can't plant more than one mine at a time though, but you can change its position by using the attack anywhere on the stage. 14-19% damage.
 * Forward Smash - This weapon is from MGS3. 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 hits the ground, similar to Samus's Down tilt. It is a very good move for finishing off someone. It can be a One-Hit KO at best. It is 3rd highest knockback side smash in the game. Best used as punishing an opponents laggy attack and 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 double jump. 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 way to guarantee every single hit, and can K.O. at low percentages.
 * Back Aerial - Snake kicks his legs out behind him, falling completely horizontal. High range and knockback, long duration. This attack, if performed correctly on a airborne or even a grounded opponent, can result in a horizontal KO to them. The high knockback will push the opponents into the side blast line. It KOs at about 100% damage. It is also very useful for breaking Smash Balls from above. 10-16% damage.
 * Forward Aerial - Snake lifts a leg to head height and axe-drops it down. Similar to DK's Forward aerial, it is slow, yet powerful, and can spike at the end. It appears to actually spike an enemy that is in front of Snake down and behind him, and can "drag" an enemy in front of him, even on the stage off to their doom if Snake is using it while recovering. Easier than most to spike with. 14-15% damage.
 * Up Aerial - Thrusts his legs straight upwards, similar to his back aerial except upwards. This attack is very good for killing airborne opponents by a Star KO. At around 100% damage this can KO if you jump under the targeted airborne opponent and attack. The knockback should push the target into the upper blast line, resulting in a Star KO and is similar to his up tilt. It works especially well 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.
 * Pummel - Tightens his chokehold. Many people mistake this as a neck-snapping. 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, causing an unconscious status (great for setting up combos). 12% damage.
 * Forward Throw - Flips them over and drops them (scoop slam). 9% damage.

Taunts
All: Puts a 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, you can destroy the 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 Lombardi) -- via codec. Snake then receives info 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. You can do this, only on Snake's home stage Shadow Moses Island, by quickly flicking the down taunt button + the D-Pad button. Then a conversation between Snake and his support team will occur (although there is a easter egg in which Slippy from Star Fox will talk to Snake if Falco is the subject of conversation). You can only do this once each round and if you are hit while starting the conversation, it won't happen. 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 Snake and another character, but if you have more than one character and Snake, the taunt will randomly choose one character to talk about. If another character is Snake and is chosen, when he talks to the colonel he will tell him that he is fighting himself.

Trivia

 * Smash Bros. Dojo said Ganondorf is the heaviest human character in the game, however Snake is heavier than Ganondorf. Coincidentally, both of these characters have a beard.
 * In the MGS games, the exclamation mark would appear over enemies' heads when they found Snake. In the subspace emissary, it appeared over Snake's head.
 * Snake is one of the only characters to talk in Subspace Emissary, saying "Kept ya waiting, huh?", a line that also appears in several Metal Gear games.
 * In a nod to MGS3: Snake Eater, Snake is the only character who talks when he eats food or other edible items. He will commonly make a "Nom" sound; will occasionally say "Tasty!"; and will rarely say "Good!".
 * Snake is the only character who hails from an M-Rated game series.
 * Snake carries an H&K MK23 SOCOM .45 caliber pistol in a leg holster, but he never uses it in combat.
 * Snake's entrance originated from the first cut scene in MGS2: Sons of Liberty, in which his camouflage malfunctions from the landing impact.
 * Snake is the only character who can hit himself with his down smash as well having an up smash that serves as a projectile.
 * The design of the Cardboard Box used in Snake's taunts is created specifically for the SSB series.
 * Snake's box can get stuck on certain custom stages, eventually preventing items from spawning if enough boxes are produced.
 * Unlike most characters, who are helpless after using their Up Special, Snake will remain active even after using his Up Special move (Other examples are Zero Suit Samus, R.O.B., Sonic, Yoshi and Mr. Game & Watch).
 * Snake has a unique grab position. While others just face forward while grabbing their foes, Snake tries to grab them by the neck.
 * Snake's crowd cheer, 'Snake! Snake! SNAAAAAAAKE!!!,' seems to be a nod to his 'Game Over' screens.
 * Donkey Kong is the only character who can carry Snake's box around.
 * Apart from Luigi, Snake is the only character with a damaging taunt; indeed, the box can shatter a Smash Ball with one hit.
 * Solid Snake himself wears a teal colored bandanna. It's Naked Snake, AKA Big Boss, who wore the dark green bandanna that Snake is seen wearing in Brawl. However, the Bandanna 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 bandanna 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. Taking many of the similarities listed above, many have come to the conclusion that this incarnation of Snake in Brawl is actually a mixture of both Solid and Naked 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).
 * If you manage to hit someone with Snake's side special, he will make a quick arm pump as if to say, "Yes!". However, if you miss, or the rocket runs out of fuel, he will drop his head down in disappointment. These actions are fast enough that they have to be slowed down to see them.
 * If you throw a grenade with Snake, he will duck if it explodes close by, but it must be far enough away to not hurt him.
 * Snake is currently the highest ranking unlockable character on the tier list.