Ness (Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U)

This article is about Ness' appearance in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. For other uses, see Ness.

Ness
Universe	EarthBound
Also appears in	Super Smash Bros. Super Smash Bros. Melee Super Smash Bros. Brawl Super Smash Bros. (Wii U and 3DS)
Availability	(3DS) Unlockable (Wii U) Starter
Tier	TBA (TBA)

Ness (ネス, Nesu^?) is an unlockable character in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, and has appeared in every installment of the Smash Bros. series thus far. He is the main protagonist of the cult hit game EarthBound, which was the only game from its series to be released outside Japan.

How to Unlock (3DS Only)

Complete the following:

• Play 10 matches.
• Beat Classic Mode.

After completing either option, you must fight and defeat Ness in Magicant. (Unlocking him also unlocks the Magicant stage.)

Attributes

Ness is a light-medium weight character with both quick attacks and powerful launches.

Differences from Brawl

Ness has received major buffs, as well some few nerfs. Most notably, he no longer has extra frames from being grab-released. With Lucas being removed from the roster, some of Ness custom moves are now similar to his, such as one his variants of PK Flash being PK Freeze, for example.

Attributes

• Faster ground and aerial speed.
• No longer has extra 10 frames when being grab released, putting him on par with the other characters.

Ground Attacks

• Forward Tilt is faster and with less ending lag.
• Up Tilt has a different animation, which is the same as his N64 version, where Ness pushes both hands up, creating a PSI spark. Due that, it has increased range.
• Forward Smash is slower, but can now be pivot-cancelled.
• Up and Down Smashes now deal increased damage when charged, with much increased knockback, being able to reliably KO. However, they are now charged in Ness' hand, removing the pre-charge hitboxes.
• Dash Attack causes more damage.

Aerial Attacks

• Neutral Aerial deals more damage.
• Forward Aerial has a different animation, where Ness uses only one hand instead of two. It also causes more damage and knockback, however has higher landing lag.
• Back Aerial's sourspot causes much less knockback, however the sweetspot is larger, being a PSI spark at the tip of his foots.
• Down Aerial is much faster, almost as fast as his N64 version. It also creates a PSI spark at the tip of his foot. However, it has much lower base knockback and knockback scaling, as well having a sourspot that causes horizontal knockback, similar to the sourspot of Captain Falcon's Down Aerial.

Special Attacks

• PK Flash has less startup and the projectile travels faster, but causes less damage.
• PK Fire travels much farther, almost as far as Lucas' in Brawl. However, the pillar of flames is slightly smaller.
• PK Thunder has a larger hitbox, with increased hitstun. It also can go through enemies at the beginning of the attack, if they are too close. Additionally, PK Thunder 2 is faster and deals much more knockback.
• PSI Magnet is larger and has less ending lag.
• PK Starstorm can now be aimed, similar to Lucario's Final Smash in Brawl, Aura Storm. Ness fires a thin line of meteors from the top-center of the screen.

Moveset

Ground Attacks

Normal Attacks

• Standard combo: Throws two punches and a kick, similar to Mario's.
• Dash Attack: Hits thrice with a psychic shock.
• Side Tilt: Kicks forward.
• Up Tilt: Throws up his hands and gives a small electric shock.
• Down Tilt: Does a sweep kick.

Smash Attacks

• Side Smash: Swings his signature baseball bat. Has great launch power.
• Up Smash: Does an "Around the World" with his yo-yo. The yo-yo will first hit in front of him.
• Down Smash: Does a "Walk the Dog" trick with his yo-yo. The yo-yo will first hit at his back. This attack hits many times.

Aerial Attacks

• Neutral Aerial: Spins around with arms outstretched. Very fast. 11%.
• Forward Aerial: Gives a series of electrical shocks from his hand. It causes more knockback than in Brawl, which reduces its combo potential.
• Back Aerial: Kicks backward with both legs. Great launch power.
• Up Aerial: Sweeps upward with his head. High priority for juggling.
• Down Aerial: Charges for a moment, the unleashes a kick with psychic power downwards. Is a meteor smash.

Grabs and Throws

• Pummel: Does a very quick headbutt. 1%.
• Forward Throw: Spins opponent around psychically before hurling them forward. 11%.
• Back Throw: Psychically hurls opponents backwards. It's the most powerful throw in the game.
• Up Throw: Spins opponent around psychically before hurling them upward.
• Down Throw: Gets on top of his opponent and barrages them with fire.

Other Attacks

To be added

Special Moves

Ness' Special Moves
	64	Melee	Brawl	3DS/Wii U	Ultimate
Standard Special	PK Fire	PK Flash
Side Special	—	PK Fire
Up Special	PK Thunder
Down Special	PSI Magnet
Final Smash	—		PK Starstorm

Ness' Custom Special Moves
	Custom 1	Custom 2
Standard Special	Rising PK Flash	PK Freeze
Side Special	PK Bonfire	PK Fire Burst
Up Special	Lasting PK Thunder	Rolling PK Thunder
Down Special	PSI Vacuum	Forward PSI Magnet

Taunts

• Up Taunt: Nods his head and says "OK".
• Side Taunt: Holds his baseball bat in front of him.
• Down Taunt: Gives off electric sparks from his hand.

In competitive play

To be added

Tips for Ness Players

• Ness has a lot of KOing attacks: PK Flash, Side Smash, Back Aerial, Up Aerial, PK Rocket, and most importantly, his Back Throw. Make good use of them.
• Ness' most basic combo since N64 is throwing PK Fire at an opponent, then grabbing them, pummel a few times, then hurl them. Easy to do and does around 30%.
  • A variant when the opponent is at low percentage is to use the Down Throw after grabbing, and then following up with Forward Aerial to rack some extra damage. If lucky, the player can follow it up with an extra Forward Aerial from a second jump after the first one finishes. Because of this combo, his down throw has been nerfed to do less damage by itself.
    • When used near the edge, the player can also follow up with a Down Aerial for Meteor Smash, after using Down Throw.
  • Heavier and larger fighters tend to get stuck in PK Fire so the combo above is easier to land. But lighter characters will usually take some hits from it and dodge backwards before you can grab them. Judge the situation quickly, and if that is the case, do a dash attack instead.
• There are many uses for PK Thunder:
  • Juggle opponents with it. It always launch them upwards, so it's possible to KO some fighters with slow falling speed if used correctly.
  • Prevent fighters like Bowser and Link from using their down aerial on you (just take care not to land it on their hitbox).
  • You can trick an opponent into thinking you are aiming a PK Thunder at them, then change its trajectory so it hits Ness instead and PK Rocket the opponent in front of you.
  • PK Rocket is relatively safe to use against many fighters with a counter, because it keeps pushing Ness forward, out of the counter's hitbox. But take care: if you hit the opponent at the end of the attack the counter is likely to land.
  • Don't run towards the edge of the stage and use a PK Thunder aimed at an opponent. Ness may slide off the stage helpless.
• When the opponent starts to get heavy on damage, lure them to the edge of the stage and do everything you can to grab them and throw them backwards. Ness' back throw can usually KO an opponent with 110% from the edge of the stage. At 130%, you can KO them from the middle, and at 150%, from anywhere on the stage.
• Don't forget to pummel! Ness' pummel, although weak, is really fast.
• Ness' Neutral Aerial is great for knocking away edgeguarders and jugglers. It's very fast and the damage is pretty good, too.
• About PK Flash:
  • You can use PK Flash at an opponent trying to recover. Although you'll hardly ever actually land it, it makes opponents trying to recover uneasy. After all, it is an incredibly powerful attack flying slowly towards them. And if you DO hit it, insta-KO.
  • Another thing about PK Flash is that it can be reflected, but only at the time it explodes. Take care not to use it against an opponent with a shield such as Pit near yourself. Also, an opposing Ness can absorb you PK Flash.
  • To prevent your PK Flash from being cancelled as it approaches the ground, do a little hop before using it. Using the same logic, you may want NOT to hop if you pretend on using it on an opposing Ness or Pit who may reflect it back on you.
• Keep in mind that PSI Magnet, because of its big start-up, works by prediction, not reflexes. Use it when you think the opponent is going to fire an energy projectile, not when it has already been fired. If the opponent already fired it, use your standard shield.
• When fighting Rosalina, PK Fire can slide below the Luma, hitting her directly.

Trophy Description

Ness

Hailing from Onett, a small town in Eagleland, this young boy sports ordinary looks that hide his psychic powers. Ness fought against the evil Gigyas in Earthbound, and in Smash Bros. he unleashes some of the same PSI moves. Watch out for PK Thunder, a guided attack that can also launch Ness like a rocket!

• SNES - EarthBound (08/1995)

Costume Gallery

Gallery

Ness as he appears in the Official Website. Note that his image can't be seen well, since he is a secret character.

Trivia

• Ness, alongside Jigglypuff, Bowser Jr. and Ganondorf, are the only character that are Unlockables in the 3DS version, and Starters in the Wii U version.
• Some of Ness' Custom Moves can be compared to Lucas' Special Moves.
  • This can be seen with PK Freeze, PK Fire Burst, Lasting PK Thunder, and Forward PSI Magnet.

External Links

Ness' page on the Official Super Smash Bros. Website.