Lucas (Super Smash Bros. Brawl)


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

Lucas (, Ryuka) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The first EarthBound newcomer since the original Super Smash Bros., Lucas is the main character of Mother 3, the sequel to EarthBound released only in Japan. Lucas's Special Moves are very similar to Ness's moves; his physical attacks, however, are completely different.

Lucas uses Duster's Rope Snake from Mother 3 to perform a Tether Recovery. The Rope Snake is also a taunt, where Lucas looks at the snake and argues with it. Lucas also utilizes Duster's Rope Snake for his grabs, giving him a ranged grab, much like Link or Samus. Much like Ness, all of his Special Moves, as well as his Final Smash, derive from in-game attacks that are instead learned by another character, Kumatora, not Lucas himself.

Pros:

 * Powerful, high-priority aerials including two spikes.
 * Variety of useful projectiles.
 * Most attacks are fast.
 * Can Absorb Energy projectiles, restoring health.
 * Strong smash attacks.
 * Tether Recovery available.
 * Ranged grab.
 * Great knockback for a lightweight.
 * Can perform Magnet Pull, an effective horizontal recovery technique
 * PSI Magnet causes damage upon release of the special move button/stick, along with large knockback-It can kill at 120%
 * Can "Zap Jump".
 * Lucas's PK Thunder can go through multiple targets, making Lucas much harder to gimp while recovering than Ness.
 * Most potent use of "B-Sticking" with PK Fire and PSI Magnet, as well as added bonuses from easier reverse aerials.
 * Large second jump.
 * Powerful throws.
 * Capable of reflecting projectiles using Forward Smash.
 * Extremely powerful Up Smash with huge hitbox (second most powerful in the game).
 * Down smash is a great edgeguard.
 * Decent dash speed.
 * Has multiple mindgames and recovery options.

Cons:

 * Both of his two aerial spikes are hard to hit with in the fact that you can only spike an enemy downwards with a certain "spot" of the attacks (Tip of his for the B-Air, 4th and final kick for his D-Air, which is easier to land but the weaker of the two).
 * Slow Up Smash and Down Smash.
 * PK Thunder recovery can still be interrupted by some attacks.
 * Grab is laggy if it misses.
 * Easy to combo.
 * Can be "Chain Grab Released"(?) by mutliple characters, though only Marth's is "inescapable"
 * Tether Recovery is one of the shortest in the game and the Rope Snake doesn't allow you to hang very long before you auto snap to the edge.
 * Down-smash has minimal protection from behind, thus leaving Lucas very vulnerable.

Combos

 * Shorthopped Down-Air, Up tilt, Up Air.
 * (At low damages) Down-Grab, Up Tilt.
 * Dash attack (with right timing), Up Air.

Tactics

 * Lucas's PK Thunder can be very useful to edgeguard and interrupt any character's recovery
 * With the said strategy above, start the match with a projectile like PK Freeze to draw your opponent in, then Jab Fake into a surprising ranged grab, Back Throw, then Short-hop B-Air, spiking them.  Use your air jump to return to the stage, giving you several options if the opponent is recovering: 1, Edgehog (Only for certain recoveries) 2, PK Freeze them, then B-Air them again; 3, PK Thunder and gimp their recovery. If done successfully, a very quick KO can be attained.
 * Master PK Thunder! The ball at the begining of PK Thunder has great knockback. When edgeguarding, after hitting your opponent with the ball, quickly turn upwards or downwards and then go back to hit again. If you follow through with PK Thunder, it won't knockback and can bring the opponent back on stage. This psuedo Wall of Pain can KO opponents with very little damage.
 * Using PK Freeze makes opponents vulnerable, making it a good strategy to rack up damage on opponents while he/she is frozen.
 * Neutral Aerial is great for racking up damage
 * When PK Fire and a double jump is executed at the same time, Lucas gains a huge vertical boost. This is called "Zap Jumping". Afterwards, a PSI Magnet may be used for horizontal recovery, followed by a PK Thunder recovery if necessary. This tactic (called a "Magnet Pull") takes a while to master, but it is valuable for recovery
 * Don't use PK Freeze while the opponent is trying to get back on stage. If you hit them, it'll send the opponent upwards and can end up aiding their recovery, however if your opponent is not good at releasing from the block of ice it could kill them, Also if charged all the way, and your opponent's % is really high it could KO them if they go off the top boundary
 * PSI Magnet has a damaging hitbox inside of it when the move is released, which can be powerful enough to KO at mid to high percents.
 * Has the ability to Magnet Pull which greatly increases horizontal recovery. First, double jump to a Wavebounced PK Fire then immediately use PSI Magnet.
 * Using a shorthopped N-air proves to be extremely useful.

Normal

 * Neutral Attack - Three consecutive kicks. 10% damage if all hits connect.
 * Dash Attack - Lucas slides forward, shooting PSI energy out of his hands, similar to Ness's dash, except it moves solidly, so people can't get in the gaps. 12% damage.
 * Strong Side - Lucas does a back hand and creates a shock of PSI. Can be aimed up and down slightly.
 * Strong Up - Lucas does one-handed stand flipkick charged with PSI. Can chained into itself at lower percents.
 * Strong Down - Lucas crouches and spins with his leg out. Low hitstun, but it does trip often.

Smash

 * Side Smash - Lucas swings his stick. Similar to Ness's Forward Smash, but faster and with less range and power. 15-21% damage.
 * Up Smash - Lucas releases a burst of PSI that erupts above his head, but also hits to the sides. The energy remains there for a long duration, and it has very high knockback. 21-29% damage. Similar to one of his victory taunts.
 * Down Smash - Lucas points at the ground in front of him, creating a barrage of PSI at his feet. Hits up to three times. Damage depends on when you hit the enemy: it gets weaker on the last hit.

Other

 * Ledge Attack -
 * 100% Ledge Attack -
 * Floor Attack -

Aerial Attacks

 * Neutral Aerial - Spins in a gyro pattern with PSI energy around him, making it a multi-hit attack similar to Mewtwo's Neutral Aerial. The last hit knocks back. Up to 14% damage.
 * Forward Aerial - Lucas kicks his foot forward with PSI. Has a sweet Spot like Ness's back Air, but not quite as strong. 12% damage.
 * Back Aerial - Lucas thrusts his feet behind him and hooks them downwards with a stream of small PSI. Knocks backwards, and the end of it is a powerful spike. 10% damage.
 * Up Aerial - Seems to teleport upwards a little and do a headbutt, similar to Ness's but charged with PSI energy. 13% damage.
 * Down Air - Lucas thrusts his feet downwards and creates several quick-flashing PSI energy. Multiple-hit attack. The fourth hit can spike. Up to 20% damage.

Grabs and Throws

 * Grab - Pulls out his Rope Snake which extends and grabs the opponent.
 * Pummel - Headbutts -- 3% each
 * Forward Throw - Psychokinetically tosses opponent ahead. 10% damage.
 * Back Throw - Psycokinetically blasts opponent back. 10% damage.
 * Up Throw - Psychokinetically tosses opponent straight up. 10% damage.
 * Down Throw - Psychokinetically slams opponent down, and shoots him or her with PSI attacks. 7% damage.

Role in Subspace Emissary
Lucas is seen walking alone in an abandoned zoo, until several Primids show up. Then, suddenly, the gigantic Porky Statue appears and chases after Lucas. Lucas runs from it, until he gets caught in a snag and is about to be crushed when Ness comes to his rescue by attacking the statue with a PK Thunder. Ness blows up the Porky Statue with his PK Flash, which reveals Porky Minch himself (based on his Mother 3 appearance). Ness and Lucas defeat him, but no sooner do they do so when Wario shows up and attemps to shoot Ness with his Trophy Gun. Ness dodges each time, so Wario eventually aims at Lucas and shoots. Ness pushes Lucas out of the way and gets turned into a trophy himself. Terrified, Lucas runs away as Wario cackles in the rain.

Later on, Lucas runs into the Pokémon Trainer as more Primids show up. After they are defeated, the Pokémon Trainer leaves, but Lucas decides to join him after remembering what happened to Ness. Lucas and the Trainer encounter and defeat Wario in the desert wastelands outside of an abandoned temple. Along the way, the Pokémon Trainer catches Ivysaur and Charizard. After Charizard is caught, Galleom falls into the ruins, having been knocked down there by Marth, Meta Knight, and Ike. A battle ensues between Lucas, the Pokémon Trainer, and Galleom.

After the battle, Galleom grabs Lucas and the Pokémon Trainer, jumping high into the sky and out of the ruins. Galleom then attempts to detonate a Subspace Bomb as a last-ditch effort. Lucas, finally gaining his courage, uses PK Thunder to sever Galleom's arm, causing the two to plummet to the ground. Just before they hit the bottom, Meta Knight grabs the two and takes them to Marth and Ike. When there, Lucas shakes hands with the Trainer as a sign of their friendship. Then Lucas and the other heroes journey into subspace to battle Tabuu.

Taunts
Up: Trips and falls backwards.

Side: Rope Snake pops out, taps him on the shoulder, and seems to talk to Lucas while he shrugs.

Down: Puts two fingers to his head, creates shocks of PSI from his fingers, and pulls them down in front of himself.

On-Screen Appearance
Rides in on Mr. Saturn's coffee table.

Victory Pose
Victory Theme: Eight Melodies Theme (Mother)
 * He bends down on one knee and shoots shocks of PSI from his fingers in the air in front of him.
 * He pulls forcefully on one of the Seven Needles (from Mother 3) before the large needle flies off-screen with a trail of sparkles while Lucas looks towards the screen.
 * With his back towards the screen, crouching, Lucas examines a large stick before turning his head around towards the screen, saying "Huh?".

Wii Remote Choice
Says "Hah!"

Credits Music

 * Mother 3 Love Theme

Trivia

 * An unnamed character (presumably Lucas) from Mother 3, then planned for Nintendo 64, was originally intended to have replaced Ness in Super Smash Bros. Melee, but because the N64 version was canceled, Ness returned instead.
 * One of Lucas's costumes resembles his twin brother, Claus, sans hairstyle.
 * Lucas relies on his PSI powers far more than Ness, using them for two smashes (up and down), all specials, all aerials, all throws, his dash attack, and forward and up tilts.
 * Lucas is more on spacing, while Ness is more on combos.
 * Even though Lucas is considered a fast character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, he is the slowest member of the party in Mother 3.
 * Ironically, while Lucas's game (Mother 3) was released only in Japan, his in-game voice in Brawl speaks with a North American accent. Whereas Ness, whose game (EarthBound) was released in North America, speaks using a Japanese accent.