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This article is about Greninja's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. For other uses, see Greninja.
A ninja-like fighter that battles with moves like the Water Shuriken. Greninja can use a log for clever counterattacks, and this Pokémon can even stick to walls. During its Final Smash, it turns into Ash-Greninja...?!
—Description from the Super Smash Blog.

Greninja is a veteran fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, first playable in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. It was confirmed to return on June 12th, 2018 during E3 2018, but this time being officially a male, due to his Ash-Greninja form’s nature.

When unlocked, he is fought at Kalos Pokémon League.

Attributes[]

Strengths[]

  • Greninja is a fast fighter, capable of confusing enemies with swift movements or countering their own attacks.
  • Greninja's combo game is above average, as a lot of his moves, specifically his up tilt can lead into amazing aerial combos.
  • Greninja has amazing edge guarding potential, with Water Shuriken and his forward air, and especially with his Substitute spike. Most opponents will not be able to recover without Greninja countering somehow.
  • Greninja's recovery is nearly top notch, with horizontal being covered by Shadow Sneak, which can also get past projectiles or hit someone guarding the edge and Hydro Pump for vertical distance.
  • Greninja's throws have useful applications. His forward and back throws can KO near the ledge high percents and both its up throw and down throw lead into quite a few of his combos.

Weaknesses[]

  • Greninja is a very light fighter, which makes him easily launchable with most enemy attacks.
  • A lot of Greninja's moves can easily be punished if misfired. Substitute is an obvious example, but another is Shadow Sneak.
  • Greninja's ranged attacks have awkward range or can easily be seen through. Water Shuriken does not go a super long distance before dissipating, and Shadow Sneak can easily be seen and prepared for.
  • Substitute can lead to bad situations if misfired or used in a bad spot. If done too early, it can be punished, but if used at a direction he cannot recover from, it is nearly impossible to recover, even with Greninja's astounding recovery.
  • Terrible out of shield game, being arguably the worst of the cast.

Summary[]

To be added.

Changes from 3DS/Wii U[]

Aesthetics[]

  • Greninja's model features a slightly more subdued color scheme.

Attributes[]

  • Like all characters, Greninja's squat jump now takes three frames to complete.

Ground Attacks[]

  • Down Tilt launches at a more upward angle, improving its combo potential.
  • Down tilt has a new animation - a downward sweep with his hand.
  • Dash Attack has an altered animation, with Greninja stopping half way through the spin.
  • Up Smash now utilizes water kunai instead of water katanas, similar to Ash Greninja in the anime.

Aerial Attacks[]

Grabs and Throws[]

Special Attacks[]

  • Water Shurikens appear visually sharper.
  • During Shadow Sneak, the shadow's eyes flash red just before release, making it easier to predict the attack.
    • Shadow Sneak's attack also features a new animation - a forward kick.
  • Substitute activates faster, making it harder to avoid the attack.
    • Substitute has more vibrant particles when activated.
  • Greninja now turns into Ash-Greninja during his Final Smash. It only serves as an aesthetic change to Secret Ninja Attack.

Moveset[]

Ground Attacks[]

Normal[]

  • Neutral Attack:Three quick jabs, followed by rapid jabs multiple times with kunais of water, then finishes with a strong double palm strike with a blast of water.
  • Forward Tilt: Kicks forward.
  • Up Tilt: Strikes upwards with his tongue.
  • Down Tilt: A downward sweep with his hand.
  • Dash Attack: Does a sliding kick similar to Mario/Dr. Mario's Dash Attack.

Smash Attacks[]

  • Forward Smash: Slashes with a water kunai.
  • Up Smash: Slashes upwards with water kunais.
  • Down Smash: Strikes on both sides with water kunais.

Other attacks[]

  • Floor Attack (Front):
  • Floor Attack (Back):
  • Floor Attack (Trip):
  • Ledge Attack:

Aerial Attacks[]

  • Neutral aerial: Enters a ninja pose while a water vortex surrounds him.
  • Forward aerial: Slashes with a water kunai.
  • Back aerial: Does three spinning back kicks.
  • Up aerial: Does an upwards kick that hits 6 times.
  • Down aerial: A very fast diving stomp with both feet.

Grabs and Throws[]

  • Pummel: A whirlpool surrounds the opponent and squeezes him/her.
  • Forward Throw: Hurls opponent forward with one hand.
  • Back Throw: Hurls the opponent backward with both hands.
  • Up Throw: Tosses the opponent upwards with one hand, while striking a ninja pose with the other hand.
  • Down Throw: Slams the opponent into the ground.

Special Moves[]

Greninja's Special Moves
3DS/Wii U Ultimate
Standard Special Water Shuriken
Side Special Shadow Sneak
Up Special Hydro Pump
Down Special Substitute
Final Smash Secret Ninja Attack

Taunts[]

  • Up Taunt: Strikes a ninja pose. Based on his attack animation in Pokémon X and Y (for Hydro Pump, Extrasensory, etc.)
  • Down Taunt: Sprouts water from both of his hands upwards (like water fountains).
  • Side Taunt: Flicks his tongue to both sides

On-Screen Appearance[]

To be added.

Idle Poses[]

To be added.

Victory Poses[]

To be added.

In competitive play[]

In the early metagame, players quickly noticed that Greninja had been buffed from Smash 4, with improved versatility and speed and, despite losing its footstool combos, gained a stronger combo game thanks to improved frame data on moves such as dash attack, up throw, down throw, and neutral air. Despite this, Greninja is not a very popular pick due to its high learning curve. Nevertheless, smashers such as Stroder, Venia, Jw, and Lea have proven that the character is a very viable pick, and Greninja has been solidified as a upper high-tier character.

Classic Mode: Your Turn, Greninja![]

Greninja fights against characters that represent different types from the Pokemon games: for example, Charizard and Bowser represent Fire type, and Mewtwo, Ness, and Lucas represent Psychic type.

Round Opponent Stage Music Notes
1 Charizard and Bowser Pokemon Stadium Battle! (Elite Four) / Battle! (Solgaleo/Lunala) Charizard's Pokémon Trainer is absent.
2 Pikachu, Pichu, and Zero Suit Samus Pokemon Stadium 2 Battle! (Steven)
3 Lucario, Ryu, and Ken Pokemon Stadium Battle! (Reshiram/Zekrom)
4 Ivysaur Pokemon Stadium Battle! (Gladion) Ivysaur's Pokemon Trainer is absent.
5 Mewtwo, Ness, and Lucas Pokemon Stadium 2 Battle! (Dialga/Palkia) / Spear Pillar
6 Squirtle and Greninja Kalos Pokemon League Battle! (Champion) - Pokemon X / Pokemon Y Squirtle's Pokemon Trainer is absent.
Final Master Hand Final Destination Master Hand On Intensity 7.0 and higher, Crazy Hand fights alongside Master Hand, and the track Master Hand / Crazy Hand plays during the battle.

Role in World of Light[]

Greninja was among the fighters that were summoned to fight the army of Master Hands.

During the opening cutscene, Greninja was present on the cliffside when Galeem unleashed his beams of light. Greninja leaped into the air to avoid one of the beams, which hit Lucario instead. Greninja was hit shortly after and vaporized, getting imprisoned afterward along with the other fighters, sans Kirby. A puppet fighter cloned from Greninja is later seen alongside ones cloned from Fox, Samus, Link, and other fighters.

Greninja was one of the many fighters that fell under Dharkon's control upon Galeem's first defeat, and he can be found in the Realm of Darkness.

Greninja is later seen among several other fighters, making their last stand against Galeem and Dharkon. He also shows up in the bad ending where Galeem emerged victorious against Dharkon, witnessing Galeem engulf the world in light.

Palette Swaps[]

Gallery[]

To be added.

External links[]

Smash Ultimate logo glow  · Fighters
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Pichu (Melee  · Ultimate)
Mewtwo (Melee  · 3DS/Wii U  · Ultimate)
Pokémon Trainer (Brawl  · Ultimate):
Charizard (Brawl  · 3DS/Wii U  · Ultimate)  · Squirtle (Brawl  · Ultimate)  · Ivysaur (Brawl  · Ultimate)
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Greninja (3DS/Wii U  · Ultimate)
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Enemies Chandelure  · Cryogonal  · Gastly  · Koffing  · Petilil
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Stages Saffron City  · Pokémon Stadium  · Poké Floats  · Pokémon Stadium 2  · Spear Pillar  · Unova Pokémon League  · Prism Tower  · Kalos Pokémon League
Items Poké Ball  · Master Ball
Music List List of Music (Pokémon series)
Song "N's Castle Medley"
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