- This article is about Ike's appearance in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. For other uses, see Ike.
Ike is a starter character and returning veteran in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. His return to the series was confirmed in a Director's Room Miiverse post on May 23rd, 2014, the same day that Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones was released in North America in 2005.
Ike currently ranks 40th on the tier list. He is strong in many areas, namely his sheer kill power and range, but has considerably slow attacks, a lackluster combo game, and a poor recovery.
Attributes[]
Strengths[]
- Heavy weight making him resistant to launch.
- Fast attacks and movement.
- Powerful, high-launching attacks.
- His Forward Smash is notable for causing some of the highest knockback in the game.
- Up and Side Smash have large, disjointed hitboxes.
- Possesses a counter move.
- Has good horizontal recovery.
- Aether can spike opponents if they are caught in its radius at the second half of its move.
Weaknesses[]
- Large hitbox
- Slow mobility
- Overcharging Eruption can deal recoil damage to Ike.
- Up Smash and Forward Smash have high ending lag.
- Somewhat poor recovery; Quick Draw gives Ike quick horizontal recovery, but he will be helpless if the move doesn't connect or Ike does not land or grab the edge of a platform. Aether has good vertical recovery but very little horizontal recovery.
Summary[]
Ike is a Footsies and Half-Grappler type of character, having solid options for both defensive play and scoring KO's with powerful moves.
Ike's heavyweight status, though it hurts his overall mobility, allows him to survive at high percentages, making him difficult to KO. Additionally, this allows him to have a very strong defensive game for punishing approaches.
Ike possesses a very high disjointed range with his attacks, allowing him to easily disrupt approaches from a safe distance as well as space opponents out. In addition, Ike possesses high power in his attacks, which allows him to launch opponents back with considerable knockback and KO at low percentages. All these traits give Ike a strong ground game for defense and good aerials for approaching.
Ike possesses a wide variety of KO options that enable him to KO opponents at low percentages. His forward smash in particular is one of the strongest in the game, and his up smash and down smash grant considerable power and have decent range. Ike's tilts and directional aerials are also highly useful for knocking opponents beyond the blast lines, and Eruption can be a powerful combo finisher.
Ike's Special Moves are also powerful moves that reflect his strengths. Eruption provides massive vertical knockback and covers a good range, making it another reliable finisher. Quick Draw can be used to inflict high damage while covering ground, making it useful for disrupting approaches. Aether allows Ike to ground airborne opponents and deal high damage to others, and also serves as protection as the move has Super Armor. Counter is an effective move for retaliating against enemy attacks; while Ike's counter comes out later than Marth's, it deals more knockback and damage.
However, Ike has some major weaknesses. Ike compensates his high attack power with high ending lag, making him extremely susceptible to punishment if his attacks miss. In addition, Ike, like most swordsmen, lacks a projectile, and can't effectively pressure them as well as other fighters. Most notably, Ike's recovery is extremely limited due to his subpar mobility; with Quick Draw giving only horizontal distance, and Aether giving vertical distance, should the move miss, Ike will inevitably KO himself, as Quick Draw ends in helplessness and Aether cannot be cancelled.
Overall, players should be capable of shifting between being aggressive and defensive as Ike, relying on his long range and heavyweight status to outlast the other fighters. Should Ike be forced to attack, players must be precise with his strikes so that they connect, and use his aerials safely to pressure opponents.
Changes from Brawl[]
Ike received a balanced combination of buffs and nerfs, but buffed overall. Ike's overall mobility has improved, allowing him to pressure opponents and freeing him from a major weakness in Brawl. Ike's aerials has significantly less ending lag. The changes in hitstun improve his combo ability, and the rage mechanic adds more power to his already extreme strikes.
However, Ike also receives some notable nerfs. In exchange for faster frame data, Ike's attacks, particularly their range and power, have been reduced. Ike's jab cancel, a significant part of his playstyle in Brawl, is more difficult to perform. Eruption now deals less damage, knockback, and only grants super armor if fully charged. Ike's aerials have also lost their transcendent priority, which renders his forward aerial Ike's only viable approaching option.
Ike's design is now based on his appearance as a Hero from Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, sporting a much more muscular and taller physique. The color of the flame effects of Eruption and Great Aether has changed to sky blue, being based on his title of "Hero of Blue Flames."
Attributes[]
- Heavier than in Brawl.
- Taller and bulkier, as it's an older Ike, resulting in a larger hurtbox, however slightly increasing the range of practically all attacks.
- Higher base and double jump.
- Dashes faster
Ground Attacks[]
- Neutral Attack causes less damage in all hits. However, the last hit is faster.
- Forward Tilt causes less damage, but has slightly less ending lag.
- Up Tilt causes more damage.
- Down Tilt is faster and causes more knockback at the tip. No longer capable of causing Meteor Smash.
- Down Smash is slightly faster, and causes slightly more damage and knockback.
- Dash Attack causes more knockback, but has slightly less range, with Ike sliding shorter along the ground.
Aerial Attacks[]
- Neutral Aerial is slightly faster.
- Forward Aerial and Back Aerials causes less damage, but are faster.
- Down Aerial causes less knockback when used against grounded opponents.
Grabs and Throws[]
- Dash Grab has slightly higher range, with Ike sliding a bit more.
Special Attacks[]
- Eruption charges slightly faster and has a larger hitbox, however it is weaker in terms of damage and knockback. Also, when it is close to be fully charged, the sword will flash, indicating to the player when it has achieved full damage (the player can still hold the button, but the self-damage point is already achieved and charging it further will not increase damage). Cosmetically, it now has blue flames instead of orange flames.
- Quick Draw no longer leaves Ike helpless when hitting an enemy while used in air. It also has less landing lag and covers more distance. However, it causes less damage and it has longer ending lag when it doesn't hit anything. Also, when fully charged, Ike will flash red.
- Aether covers higher vertical distance, but deals less damage. In addition, Ike can no longer grab a ledge from behind while using the move.
- Counter comes out faster.
- Great Aether causes slightly less damage, but deals higher knockback. Also, the connecting hit has higher range. Additionally, it has more intense visual effects, and just like Eruption, the flames on Great Aether are now blue.
Moveset[]
Ground Attacks[]
Jab[]
◾Jab – Throws a punch, then a kick, then slams his sword on the ground. In sudden deaths, the third hit of the combo has knockback strong enough to KO. 11% when all three hits connect.
Tilts[]
◾Up Tilt – Jumps while slashing his sword. The attack can KO at around 140% damage. 14%
◾Down Tilt – Swings his sword low to the ground. 7%
◾Forward Tilt – Slashes horizontally in front of him. 14%
Smash Attacks[]
◾Up Smash – Swings sword in an upwards arc, slamming it into the ground. It covers a wide range. 17-23%
◾Forward Smash – Slams sword to the ground. Has great launch power. 22-30%
◾Down Smash – Swings sword to one side, then the other. First slash 14% uncharged, 19% fully charged; second slash 17% uncharged, 23% fully charged.
Other Attacks[]
◾Dash Attack – Dashes forward as he lifts his sword. 10%
◾Ledge Attack – Climbs up and delivers a slash. 8%
◾Get-Up Attack – Stands up and does a quick spin attack with his sword. 7%
Aerial Attacks[]
◾Up Aerial – Spins his sword above his head. 11%
◾Down Aerial – Swings his sword downwards. Is capable of performing a meteor smash. 15%
◾Neutral Aerial – Broadly slashes downward. This move is a bit slow. 9%
◾Forward Aerial – Slashes forward in an arc. In comparison with Brawl, the attack starts up faster but has less knockback. 12%
◾Back Aerial – A very quick slash at his back. More than likely Ike's quickest move after his standard punch. 13%
Grabs and Throws[]
◾Pummel – Headbutts the enemy. A great pummel, as it is fast and powerful. 3% each hit
◾Forward Throw – Kicks enemy in front of him. 7%
◾Back Throw – Kicks enemy to his back. 7%
◾Down Throw – Slams opponent on the ground then jumps on top of the opponent. 7%
◾Up Throw – Leaves his sword on the ground and punches enemy upwards. 7%
Special Moves[]
Ike's Special Moves | |||
---|---|---|---|
Brawl | 3DS/Wii U | Ultimate | |
Standard Special | Eruption | ||
Side Special | Quick Draw | ||
Up Special | Aether | ||
Down Special | Counter | ||
Final Smash | Great Aether |
Taunts[]
- Up Taunt: He holds his sword in front of him while grunting as a gust blows his cape upwards.
- Side Taunts: He holds his sword behind him in the air and says, "Prepare yourself."
- Down Taunt: He stabs his sword into the ground and does a soft grunt.
In competitive play[]
Upon SSB4's release, players noted both Ike's buffed mobility and nerfed power, with some arguing that the mobility changes were more important in the faster-paced meta, while others believed the nerfs would be more detrimental in the long run. Eventually, the general consensus agreed that his improved mobility did not properly compensate for his unaddressed flaws and loss of some options from Brawl. However, game updates (most notably 1.0.8) would significantly improve Ike; he gained consistent and strong throw combos, improved hitboxes on many moves, and his lack of a midrange option was alleviated by giving his dash attack KO potential. As such, he began achieving respectable results from dedicated players such as Rango, Ryo, Ryuga, San, and Waldo. As such, he was ranked 26th on the first tier list, a fairly noticeable improvement from his tier placement in Brawl.
Although game updates considerably improved Ike's perception and were pivotal for his success, Ike has since achieved lower and more average placings at tournaments despite his playerbase continuing to advance his metagame. This is due to the improved results of other characters who benefitted more from the balance changes such as Bowser, Marth, Lucina) and the inclusion of DLC characters (notably Corrin, Mewtwo and Bayonetta), who would eventually start to surpass Ike in regard to overall representation and results. In addition, some of his best players, such as Ryuga and Rango, dropped Ike in favor of Corrin and Cloud, respectively. These in turn saw him drop to 35th on the second tier list, and retained this 35th ranking third tier list.
Ike's perception became rather mixed: some players claimed that his standing was accurate, or should be slightly higher because of his improving placings; evidence stems from Ryo and San, who have earned solid results while taking sets off top players as of 2017, the latter even achieving 4th place at Get On My Level 2017. However, others claimed he should be ranked lower because of his glaring issues alongside overall mediocre representation and results, citing that he also lacks the growing success of characters ranked below him (such as Duck Hunt, Link, Samus, and Shulk), and putting him among the standing he initially had in Brawl. As a result, Ike continued to drop even further, now ranking 40th on the fourth and current tier list, a far cry from his initial placement. To this day, Ike's true tier standing is still greatly up for debate as some smashers like ZeRo, ESAM, and Raito claim that Ike should be ranked lower (the latter claiming that Ike is among the bottom 5 characters in the game) while other smashers like Dabuz believe that Ike should be ranked slightly higher due to his strong throw combos and fantastic ledgetraps.
Other features[]
To be added
Trophy descriptions[]
- Ike
- One of the main characters from the Fire Emblem series. Having fought in the Mad King's War, restored the fallen nation of Crimea, and taken on the Begnion Empire, Ike is rightly called a hero. He has the strength to back the title—one good swing of his blade can launch the heaviest of foes.
- Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (10/2005)
- Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn (11/2007)
- Ike (Alt.)
- Ike's side smash is a powerful two-handed sword strike. It's one of the best launch attacks in the entire game, though it will leave you wide open when you use it. For Eruption, one of his specials, you stab the ground and unleash a pillar of fire. Charging for too long will hurt Ike, so be careful!
- Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (10/2005)
- Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn (11/2007)
- Great Aether
- Ike's Aether up special is combined with a relentless barrage of sword blows in this powerful Final Smash. He knocks targets into the air with an upward swing, and then they're stuck there as he strikes over and over. Finally, he slams them down to the ground and launches them. Just make sure that first strike hits!
Costume Gallery[]
Gallery[]
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Prior to the release of the game, Ike's Eruption flames were colored orange as in Brawl before being changed to blue flames upon release, in order to fit his in-game title from his origin game, "Hero of Blue Flames".
- Ike is the only playable Fire Emblem character who possesses an up aerial that does not make him backflip, an up smash that is not an upwards stab, and a neutral air that is not a multi-hitting move.
External links[]
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Fire Emblem universe | ||
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Characters | Marth (Melee · Brawl · 3DS/Wii U · Ultimate) Roy (Melee · 3DS/Wii U · Ultimate) Ike (Brawl · 3DS/Wii U · Ultimate) Robin (3DS/Wii U · Ultimate) Lucina (3DS/Wii U · Ultimate) Corrin (3DS/Wii U · Ultimate) Chrom (Ultimate) Byleth (Ultimate) | |
Side Characters | Assist Trophies | Lyn · Black Knight · Tiki |
Mii Fighter Costumes | Chrom · Black Knight | |
Background characters | Claude von Riegan · Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd · Edelgard von Hresvelg · Rhea | |
Others | Anna · Sothis | |
Stages | Castle Siege · Arena Ferox · Coliseum · Garreg Mach Monastery | |
Item | Killing Edge | |
Music | List of Music (Fire Emblem series) | |
Collectibles | Trophies | Melee Trophies · Brawl Trophies · 3DS Trophies · Wii U Trophies |
Stickers | List of Stickers (Fire Emblem series) | |
Spirits | List of spirits (Fire Emblem series) | |
Masterpieces | Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light · Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem |
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