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This article is about the Ice Climbers' appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee. For the characters more generally, see Ice Climbers; for the CPU Mode, see NANA.
A mallet-swinging duo from the icy peaks.
—Description from Melee's manual.

Announced at E3 2001, the Ice Climbers (アイスクライマー, Ice Climber) are playable characters in Super Smash Bros. Melee.

They currently rank 8th on the official tier list thanks to their amazing camping game, solid aerial and ground game, but primarily due to their extensive and intricate grab game that can completely shut down opponents once it begins. However, if Nana is KO'd, Popo cannot use special moves correctly and is somewhat helpless during recovery.

Attributes[]

Ice Climbers SSBM

The Ice Climbers have the unique property of being a "two in one" character, as Popo and Nana must work together very well in order to be an effective fighter. Nana can be unresponsive at times and killed at low damage when she is separated from Popo, but she can also be somewhat of a shield for some attacks. The Ice Climbers's attacks are generally fairly short-ranged. Even so, advanced players can do massive damage with the Ice Climbers due to their strong ground game. On the downside, the Ice Climbers are awkward when forced to fight in the air. The Ice Climbers's projectile, Ice Shot, is good for edgeguarding and can't be avoided by ducking because it is a ground hugging projectile. However, Popo and Nana are easily disrupted by opponents' projectiles.

The Ice Climbers have the second lowest traction when they aren't fighting on ice, where they have the highest. This makes them have a very long wavedash, but it also makes approaching difficult. The Ice Climbers have good, powerful juggling tactics, but they themselves are vulnerable to air combos and juggling due to being floaty. Their Up Special Move, Belay, travels great distance, but it can often kill Nana. The Ice Climbers can do an infinite grab known as Wobbling (which is generally tournament legal) and the freeze glitch (which is not tournament legal).

Where the Ice Climbers really shine is grabs. Although their grab range isn't impressive, they still have high-damage grab combos, including ones that can kill opponents from 0% damage. They also have some of the best chaingrabs in the game. The Ice Climbers themselves are difficult to grab because since only one can be grabbed, the one that isn't grabbed can interrupt the thrower. A professional Ice Climbers player should make the most of their grabs in order to perform well.

Moveset[]

Note: A majority of the move summaries refer to the combined damage of the both Ice Climbers; with the partner usually dealing 1% less than the leader due to stale move negation.
  Image Name Damage Description
Neutral attack Ice Climbers Neutral attack SSBM   1.82-2% Each Ice Climber performs a horizontal swipe followed by an upward swing.
3.64-4%
Forward tilt Ice Climbers Forward tilt SSBM   7.28-8% Each Ice Climber does a side swing with their hammers. This attack can be aimed up or down.
Up tilt Ice Climbers Up tilt SSBM   0.91-1% (hits 1-6), 6.37-7% Each Ice Climber twirls their hammer above their heads. Highly damaging when both Ice Climbers are present.
Down tilt Ice Climbers Down tilt SSBM   4.55-5% While crouching, each Ice Climber swings their hammer across the ground.
Dash attack Ice Climbers Dash attack SSBM   8.19-9% Each Ice Climber leaps forward and swings their hammers upward.
Forward smash Ice Climbers Forward smash SSBM   12.74%-14% (head), 9.1%-10% (handle) Both Ice Climbers lift their hammers over their heads and smash them straight down. Deals great damage and knockback if both Ice Climbers connects
Up smash Ice Climbers Up smash SSBM   10.01%-11% Both Ice Climbers swing their hammers in an arc above their head. An excellent move for getting KOs at higher percentages.
Down smash Ice Climbers Down smash SSBM   10.92%-12% Both Ice Climbers spin around and sweep the ground with their hammers. Fast, but somewhat short-ranged, being a good attack for tight spacing.
Neutral aerial Ice Climbers Neutral aerial SSBM   7.28-8% Each Ice Climber twirls around in the air while extending their hammers.
Forward aerial Ice Climbers Forward aerial SSBM   9-11% (leader), 8.19-10.01% (partner) Each Ice Climber holds their hammer up, then bring them down in a similar fashion to their forward smash. Can meteor smash if sweetspotted, which is located at the handle of their hammers.
Back aerial Ice Climbers Back aerial SSBM   10.92-12% (head), 10.01-11% (handle) Both Ice Climbers turn around and swing with their hammers.
Up aerial Ice Climbers Up aerial SSBM   8.19-9% (clean), 6.37-7% (late) Each Ice Climber thrusts their hammer upward. This move has a long lasting hitbox and decent range.
Down aerial Ice Climbers Down aerial SSBM   8.19-9% Each Ice Climber holds their hammer downward and falls towards the enemy. This attack has extremely low set knockback, meaning it cannot KO an opponent even at high percentages.
Grab Ice Climbers Grab SSBM   An Ice Climber grabs the opponent. While one Ice Climber is holding the opponent, the other one can attack the grabbed opponent, but their attacks will deals less damage than they usually do.
Pummel Ice Climbers Pummel SSBM   3% The grabbing Ice Climber headbutts the opponent.
Forward throw Ice Climbers Forward throw SSBM   6% (hit 1), 5% (throw) The grabbing Ice Climber hits the opponent forward with their hammer.
Back throw Ice Climbers Back throw SSBM   7% The grabbing Ice Climber takes the opponent and flings them away with one hand.
Up throw Ice Climbers Up throw SSBM   6% (hit 1), 5% (throw) The grabbing Ice Climber throws the opponent upwards, then hits them with their hammer.
Down throw Ice Climbers Down throw SSBM   6% The grabbing Ice Climber spins and slams the opponent on the ground. This throw doesn't deal much damage, but the opponent is usually knocked right in front of them, which can lead to a follow-up attack.
Floor attack (front) Ice Climbers Floor attack (front) SSBM   6% Both Ice Climbers get up and spin their hammers across the ground.
Floor attack (back) Ice Climbers Floor attack (back) SSBM   6% Each Ice Climber gets up and swipes their hammers on both sides.
Edge attack (fast) Ice Climbers Edge attack (fast) SSBM   6% (body), 8% (hammer) One Ice Climber quickly climbs up and slams their hammer on the ground.
Edge attack (slow) Ice Climbers Edge attack (slow) SSBM   8% (body), 10% (hammer) One Ice Climber slowly climbs up and thrusts their hammers forward.
Neutral special Ice Shot (SSBM) Ice Shot 8.19-9% (hammer), 5%/4% (ice block ground/air) Each Ice Climber fires off a block of ice that travels along the ground, bouncing off walls. When used in midair, the ice block will travel downward at a very high speed. One note is that the Ice Climbers' hammers can damage nearby enemies when hitting the ice block.
Side special Squall Hammer (SSBM) Squall Hammer 1-4% (loop) Both Ice Climbers extend their hammers and perform a multi-hitting spinning attack. It can also be used as a recovery move by mashing the B button while airborne, which will make them rise in the air. It gains more distance if both Ice Climbers are present.
Up special Belay (SSBM) Belay 16% The leading Ice Climber throws the partner in the air with a rope, who then pulls the leader upwards, covering great vertical distance. Both Ice Climbers will become helpless after using the move. If only one Ice Climber is present, the move gives little-to-no distance.
Down special Blizzard (SSBM) Blizzard 1-2% (loop) Each Ice Climbers blows icy wind from their hand, damaging nearby opponents. When this move is used on the ground, the partner will shoot in the direction opposite of the leader. This move can also freeze opponents if their damage is high enough.

Taunt[]

  • Point their hammers diagonally upwards and shout "Yup!".

Matchups[]

Super Smash Bros. Melee Character Matchups
  Fox Head 01 (SSBM) Falco Head 01 (SSBM) Marth Head 01 (SSBM) Sheik Head 01 (SSBM) Jigglypuff Head 01 (SSBM) Peach Head 01 (SSBM) Ice Climbers Head 01 (SSBM) Captain Falcon Head 01 (SSBM) Pikachu Head 01 (SSBM) Samus Head 01 (SSBM) Dr. Mario Head 01 (SSBM) Yoshi Head 01 (SSBM) Luigi Head 01 (SSBM) Ganondorf Head 01 (SSBM) Mario Head 01 (SSBM) Young Link Head 01 (SSBM) Donkey Kong Head 01 (SSBM) Link Head 01 (SSBM) Mr. Game & Watch Head 01 (SSBM) Roy Head 01 (SSBM) Mewtwo Head 01 (SSBM) Zelda Head 01 (SSBM) Ness Head 01 (SSBM) Pichu Head 01 (SSBM) Bowser Head 01 (SSBM) Kirby Head 01 (SSBM) Avg.
Ic -1 ±0 -1 +1 ±0 -2 Mirror match ±0 +1 -1 ±0 +2 ±0 -2 +1 +1 +1 ±0 +1 +3 +1 +1 +2 +3 +2 +2 +1

Special Techniques[]

Desynching[]

Main article: Desynching

Desynching is a technique that involves separating the two Climbers' animations and controlling them individually, allowing them to do different techniques at the same time.

Trophy descriptions[]

In addition to the normal trophy about the Ice Climbers as a character, there are two trophies about them as a fighter, unlocked by completing the Adventure and All-Star modes respectively with the Ice Climbers on any difficulty.

Ice Climbers:
That's Popo in the blue and Nana in the pink. These two stars of the game Ice Climber have scaled many an ice summit in their mountaineering careers. Back in their glory days, they chased eggplants, cucumbers, and other vegetables that inexplicably fell from frosty summits where a condor reigned supreme. They're rarely seen apart.
Ice Climbers (Smash Red)
This unique twosome fights together as a team. Your score will not be affected if the CPU-controlled character is KO'd, but a lone Ice Climber won't be able to use teamwork moves, which will make for a tough and frantic solo fight. The Ice Shot fires mini-glaciers out of their hammers, while Squall Hammer is at its strongest when Nana and Popo combine their strength.
Ice Climbers (Smash Blue)
The colors of the Ice Climbers' parkas denote who's in the lead: Nana's in pink or orange, while Popo's in green or blue. Their hairstyles are also slightly different. Belay allows them to cover great distances, but doesn't give foes the chance to target their landing. Blizzard is best used in close quarters; in the fray, Nana and Popo sometimes freeze opponents.

Alternate Costumes[]

IceClimbersColorsMelee

The Ice Climbers' alternate costumes in Super Smash Bros. Melee.

Trivia[]

  • Changing the language to Japanese changes the Ice Climbers name to "Ice Climber", taking out the 'S' at the end of their name. This happens because in Japanese language, there are no "plural" words.
  • The Ice Climbers are tied with Ganondorf for the world record in the Home-Run Contest and are the only character other than Ganondorf to reach the max distance. Unlike Ganondorf, however, the Ice Climbers have to exploit the freeze glitch in order to be able to reach these distances.
  • The Ice Climbers are the first fighters in Super Smash Bros. history to wield a weapon besides a sword.
  • It would appear that Nana is leadi in the Ice Climbers' third and fourth palettes due to the change in hair and expression in the portrait.
  • In Germany, "Popo" is pronounced "Pepe" because "popo" in German means "buttocks."
IceClimbersSymbol Ice Climber universe
Character Ice Climbers (Melee  · Brawl  · Ultimate)
Side Characters Enemies Polar Bear  · Topi
Final Smash Condor
Stages Icicle Mountain  · Summit
Item Vegetables
Music List of Music (Ice Climber)
Collectibles Trophies Melee Trophies  · Brawl Trophies
Stickers List of Stickers (Ice Climber series)
Spirits List of spirits (Ice Climber series)
Masterpieces Ice Climber
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