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

Samus (サムス, Samus) is a veteran character from the Metroid universe that appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Her return was announced at E3 2006 alongside with the debut of her unarmored self, Zero Suit Samus.

Samus is currently ranked 32nd on the tier list. Samus possesses a very powerful zoning game due to her potent projectiles and disjointed grab, as well as very quick damage rackers in her tilts and Screw Attack. However, Samus's finishers and projectiles were severely weakened from Melee, which makes her KO potential very ineffective against other fighters, resulting in terrible matchups and tournaments results.

Attributes[]

Samus has a wide array of both projectiles and physical attacks, which can be used in promising combinations and zoning.

Samus is heavy-weight and ranks in the middle of the speed-class. However, she is tall, which makes her easier to hit (a common problem amongst most of the game's heavyweights). She has very low kill power and high floatiness for her weight class. Samus can be awkward to fight effectively with against the game's faster, more graceful characters, but with a good combination of long and short-range attacks, she can be deadly.

Samus has the third slowest falling speed in the game, behind Peach and Jigglypuff. This is both advantageous and disadvantageous. On the upside, her floatiness can be used to bolster her air game. Staying in the air longer allows Samus to follow-up with other aerials; given that many of her moves have low knockback, she can create all sorts of continuous strings of low-to-mid percent attacks, and it makes her edgeguarding game easier and safer. More importantly, her floatiness allows her to have an above-average recovery game. On the downside, her slow fall speed also makes her recovery predictable and fairly easily edgeguarded. Samus can also be easily juggled because her fast-fall is still very slow and as a result of this her Momentum Canceling is poor and only makes her live slightly above average vertically despite being the seventh heaviest in terms of weight. Despite her ground moves being weak in terms of knockback, they deal decent damage. Samus has much time to dodge attacks while throwing foes off with things like Bombs (and Bomb Jumping), or she can speed things up by using her surprisingly long Grapple Beam to zip to the safety of the edge. One of the most valuable uses of her slow falling speed is successfully spiking an opponent who has no ground on which to land and still being able to recover easily. She also has the largest ledge sweetspot.

Her neutral special, Charge Shot, does great knockback at higher percentages and is a deadly projectile for edgeguarding when fully charged, thanks to its very large hitting area. Samus has two kinds of Missiles: the Homing Missile homes on opponents and deals 5% of damage, but little knockback; the Super Missile moves in a fast, straight line and deals 10% of damage and noticeable knockback. Her up special, Screw Attack, gives her decent vertical height and can trap opponents for damage racking. Her down special, Bomb, makes Samus morph into ball mode and lay a bomb, which will explode after a set time period. Her grab has great range, but it is laggy if she fails to grab an opponent (although performing a dash grab can remedy this). In the air, her Grapple Beam can damage opponents and can be used as a tether recovery.

Samus works best when transitioning well from the air to the ground. All of her aerials have no landing lag, with F-air and U-air having no knockback except at the final hit. Samus can capitalize on this by canceling into more powerful moves like Forward Smash and Down Tilt, or by using a fully charged Charge Shot in the event the opponent is a bit too far away. Missiles also factor into the air to ground transition; landing immediately after the missile has been fired negates the significant firing lag, so one can immediately follow up with another missile (of either kind). This lag negation allows for a "double missile" effect where Samus can fire one missile, land, and almost immediately fire another. These missiles can also stop opponents' recovery, such as Pikachu's Skull Bash, Luigi's Green Missile, Jigglypuff's Rollout, Ike's Quick Draw, Wolf's Wolf Flash, Fox's Fox Illusion, and Falco's Falco Phantasm, setting them up for an immediate meteor smash. A missile/charge shot combination is an excellent combo, but can sometimes be predictable, so Samus players must learn to launch them unexpectedly. Her aerial Grapple Beam ("Z-air") actually acts as a move to complement this strategy, stunning opponents from far away with high speed, and also cancels immediately upon landing, which can combo into a killing down tilt or smash. Coupled with the Charge Shot's potency, Samus has no problem frustrating opponents from a safe distance, chipping away at her opponent's approach to best suit her. Although Samus has three different projectiles, she still lacks a reliable way to deal with opponents' projectiles especially since her shield roll is the slowest in the game.

Samus' major problem lies in her extreme lack of finishing abilities. Her quickest kill move is her down tilt, but with vertical knockback and a small hit-box, has trouble KO-ing opponents before around 130% and is recommended to not be used until the right time as to not devalue it with stale-move negation. Also, her forward smash is quick, but deals fairly low damage and doesn't KO properly before around 130%. Her down smash has rather low knockback, and doesn't KO reliably before 150%. Her only way to KO at earlier percents is using either the D-air for spikes or the B-air. Unfortunately, the B-air telegraphs itself, has a tiny sweet-spot, and requires good setup, while the d-air is rather slow and has a sweeping hitbox that also needs good placement, despite its fairly large hitbox. Even a fully-charged Charge Shot doesn't tend to kill until at least over 100%, making it one of the least KO-capable charged specials in the game; however it is still a good move for edgeguarding.

All in all, Samus can be a character of good and bad situations with her wide array of projectiles and a fairly powerful spike. A huge problem in competitive play is that Samus is easily chain grabbed due to her heavy weight and large size with the exception of chain grabs that are ineffective on very floaty characters, and can be infinitely chain-grabbed by King Dedede. Her slow falling speed (being floaty) can help protect her from some consecutive chain grabs, though this should not be relied on.

Changes from Melee[]

As mentioned before, Samus's killing power and projectile game have been severely nerfed. Her Neutral Aerial, her Charge Shot, and her Forward Smash all deal less knockback, and Super Missiles can no longer KO. However, her Down Tilt is more powerful, making it one of her very few kill moves. Her Grapple Beam extends very far and straight forward, unlike Melee, throwing off opponent's combos and canceling quickly upon landing. Her Bomb Jump technique is less effective in recovery, and she can no longer attack out of Morph Ball form. While she is overall slightly slower, her aerials have absolutely no landing lag, making her damage-racking and setup abilities slightly better. Her Homing Missiles are now much better at homing in, and her Screw Attack now traps opponents for damage racking. The last real change to her playstyle is that her bombs no longer explode upon enemy contact, but instead have a set time.

In terms of cosmetics, Samus was updated to resemble her appearance from Zero Mission, and incorporates more detail, such as circuitry. Bomb was updated to reflect Samus's new design, and Super Missile was updated to differentiate it from Homing Missile. Many of her moves also incorporate new sound effects and sounds.

Moveset[]

Ground Attacks[]

Normal[]
  • Dash Attack - Shoulder tackles. 10% damage. Decent dash attack with decent knockback, but rarely defeat before extremely high percents and is better for setting up a B-air or other air games.
  • Neutral Attack - Punches and attacks with arm cannon in an arc. 3%, then 7%, with a total of 10%. Good on short-hopping opponents close-up, otherwise the second hit can be easily shielded.
  • Forward Tilt - Spin kicks forward. 8% close range, 7% far range, 10% if angled up or down. Samus's best mid-range defense/spacing move. Angling this one makes a much bigger difference than with most tilts.
  • Up Tilt - Axe kicks down. Similar to Captain Falcon's Up-Tilt, though no disjoint, a little weaker and doesn't move her forward. 13% damage. Good knockback, long duration. Good for use beneath platforms, spiking opponents against the ground into the air. Otherwise useful as a kind of anti-air move.
  • Down Tilt - Creates a fire burst on the ground with arm cannon. This is very similar to Snake's forward smash. 14% damage. High knockback for a down tilt. Samus's quickest kill move, but laggy if shielded, has a small hitbox, and doesn't defend against short-hops well.
Smash[]
  • Forward Smash - Thrusts arm cannon forward. Below-average KOing power for a f-smash, having high knockback scaling, but very low base knockback. It has fast start-up, which can counterbalance its poor reach and below-average knockback; surprising opponents up close after a cancelled fair or whenever the opportunity presents itself. This attack is not likely to KO before 130%. Due to its high knockback scaling, it is arguably Samus' most reliable finisher. It can also be pointed upwards or downwards by holding the control stick either up or down respectively. Does 12%-19%.
  • Up Smash - Releases 5 fire bursts in an arc above herself. Moderately fast start-up lag, but has punishable ending lag with poor horizontal reach. The first four hitboxes have negligible knockback, designed to link each hitbox. However, the Up Smash is easy to escape out of, especially at high percentages. One of the least effective smashes in the game, this move can occasionally redeem itself by catching larger characters for significant damage. It is otherwise very situational. Does 4-6% for each hit, dealing 23%-32% if all hits connect.
  • Down Smash - Spins around on the ground with her feet, sending her victims upward (back hit sends foes diagonally in front of Samus). Good for spacing. Fast start-up, but the back hit does not happen quickly and the Down Smash has some ending lag. It has fairly low knockback, however and will not reliably KO under 150%. Does 15-21% for the frontal hitbox, does 14-19% for the back hitbox.

Aerial Attacks[]

  • Neutral Air - Sex Kick. 9% initially, 6% if hit afterwards. Below-average knockback. Samus's large character model makes this neutral longer-ranged than many of the others in the game, but it's still a primarily defensive maneuver.
  • Forward Air - Creates 5 fire burst in front of her. 3-4% per hit, 18% total. Okay knockback on final hit. Cancels quickly enough on landing to follow up with a d-tilt if someone was caught before the final fire burst. Great on ledge-hops, and an overall useful offensive move.
  • Back Air - Spins once backward with kick. 10% damage with low knockback normally, 14% damage with good knockback if hit with the tip of her foot. Somewhat slow with a tiny sweetspot, this kill move is hard to land and requires trickery and good spacing.
  • Up Air - Spins in a drill upward. 11% damage. Multiple hitboxes with low knockback makes this move one of Samus's setup moves.
  • Down Air - Swings arm cannon in an arc underneath herself, can meteor smash with average power and has a fairly large hitbox. 15% damage. A great move to use while floating backwards over run-ins, but has a sweeping hitbox that needs good placement and is fairly slow. This is her only way to KO at lower percentages.
  • Grapple Beam - Sends grapple forward, with long range. 4% damage, 7% with tip. A staple Samus move that makes Samus one of the best campers in the game. Combine with Homing Missile/Super Missile-cancels and Charge Shots for a tremendous long-range obstacle course for opponents.

Grabs & Throws[]

  • Grab - Reaches forward with Grapple Beam. Incredibly laggy and dangerous, sped up slightly while running.
  • Pummel - Hits with fist. 1% She sometimes cannot pummel attack Bowser. The animation goes normally, but there's no damage at all. However, as long as Samus grapples Bowser while he is off the edge, she can cause damage to him. Likewise, if she grabs Bowser while on a fall-through platform, she can cause damage to him then as well. The glitch only takes effect on solid platforms.
  • Back Throw - Flings backward. 8%
  • Forward Throw - Flings forward. 9%
  • Up Throw - Spins above her head and blasts opponent upward. Gradually deals a total of 9% damage
  • Down Throw - Slings back over her head then slams down. 6%

Special Moves[]

Samus' Special Moves
64 Melee Brawl 3DS/Wii U Ultimate
Standard Special Charge Shot
Side Special Missile
Up Special Screw Attack
Down Special Bomb
Final Smash Zero Laser

Taunts[]

  • Up: Salutes vigorously with her left arm as her booster goes off.
  • Side: Faces the screen and shows off what her Arm Cannon looks like while using her Zero Laser.
  • Down: Holding her Arm Cannon with her left hand, she aims behind her, then aims lower in front of her. Her cannon glistens each time she aims.

If a player does the up and down Taunt alternately really quickly, she'll transform into Zero Suit Samus. (To start as Zero Suit, hold down the corresponding button for your controller after choosing Samus until the player is at the Stage Select. He/she can see Zero Suit Samus' face instead of Samus. Button to hold: Wii-mote+Nunchuck:"Z"; Wii-mote: "-"; Gamecube/Classic Control: "R"/"L")

On-Screen Appearance[]

  • Exits from a Super Metroid Save Point.

In Competitive Play[]

Samus has a poor matchup spread overall. She only hard counters Ganondorf, counters 2 characters, soft counters 3 characters, has 8 even matchups, gets soft countered by 6 characters, countered by 11, and hard countered by 5. Samus does well against characters she can zone out with her projectiles, such as Bowser and Ganondorf, and has decent matchups against some mid tier characters, such as Peach, Toon Link and R.O.B. However, Samus struggles against characters who can reflect her projectiles, like Fox and Falco, and characters who can chain grab her, like King Dedede and the Ice Climbers.

Tier placement and history[]

Samus' significant nerfs severely compromised her ability to viably compete since the very beginning of Brawl, her inability to rack up damage quickly and effectively finish off stocks proved to be a fatal combination. As such, Samus has perpetually been a low tier character, who has sometimes even dropped into the bottom tiers. Throughout Brawl's time as a competitive game, Samus never made any significant rises on the tier list due to her lack of any successful tournament results or significant metagame advancement.

Despite this, Samus's competitive prospects are slightly better than other low tier characters. Unlike them, she can camp to some degree and keep opponents zoned away, which has favored her as Brawl has turned more defensively based. She also has better survivability compared other low tier characters, being a heavyweight with a good and hard to intercept recovery. However, while this will secure Samus from dropping further in placements, it's very unlikely she will rise out of low tier, as while she competes well with other low tier characters and many lower middle tier characters, she still fares poorly against any characters above said point, and it is extremely unlikely that there will ever be a breakthrough that would allow her to viably compete with such characters thanks to Brawl's metagame becoming highly stagnant.

In Single Player[]

Event Matches[]

Co-Op Event Matches[]

Role in Subspace Emissary[]

Subspace samus

Samus in the Subspace Emissary

Samus begins the Subspace Emissary in her Zero Suit, infiltrating a trap-riddled laboratory. After making her way through it, she encounters Pikachu trapped within a strange device that harnesses its electrical energy to provide power to the complex. Seeing that the device causes Pikachu pain, Samus breaks the machine. In thanks, Pikachu helps Samus continue through the lab. The pair eventually find Samus' Power Suit within a tank, guarded by two clones of Samus, wearing the purple Gravity Suit, prompting Samus and Pikachu to battle. When they are defeated, an alarm begins to wail, and the R.O.B. Squad approaches. Samus regains her Power Suit and blasts her way through them along with Pikachu.

As they attempt to escape the complex, Ridley strikes without warning, snatching up Samus and grinding her viciously against the wall. Pikachu electrocutes Ridley to free Samus and the two face off against Ridley.

After escaping from the facility, Samus and Pikachu come upon a factory mass-producing Subspace Bombs. The two enter it, and after fighting their way through, discover the Ancient Minister in a room filled with Subspace Bombs. The allies prepare to battle, but the Ancient Minister does not seem to want to fight them. Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Captain Falcon, and Captain Olimar then break into the room, and all of them, including Samus, witness the Ancient Minister defy the holographic Ganondorf's commands. As a result, the R.O.B. Squad fires upon him, burning off his robe and revealing him as a R.O.B. as well. It turns out that all of the R.O.B.s had been forced to work with the Subspace Army, with the main R.O.B., the Master Robot, as their leader. The rest of the R.O.B.s activate all the Subspace Bombs in the room, prompted by Ganondorf's override, forcing our heroes to escape. As they rush to the exit aboard Captain Falcon's Falcon Flyer, Meta Ridley races after them, furiously seeking revenge on Samus and Pikachu. The group defeats the space dragon once more, and escapes just before the Isle of the Ancients is engulfed in Subspace.

Samus and posse meet up with the rest of the Smash Bros. heroes aboard the Halberd. The Halberd is destroyed by the Subspace Gunship, but Samus boards her own Gunship and continues the assault on Subspace. Upon entry to the Subspace, Samus and friends are unfortunately reduced to trophy form by Tabuu's Off Waves.

King Dedede, Ness, Luigi and Kirby are revived by the Dedede Brooches and collect their friends' trophies. Samus and party venture through the Great Maze and defeat Tabuu. The credits depict the entire group on a cliff, looking out at sea towards a large "X" formed out of light, the location of what once was the Isle of Ancients.

Trophy Information[]

RSBE01-174

The Samus Trophy

The intergalactic bounty hunter named Samus Aran. Orphaned at an early age, she was taken in and raised by the alien race known as the Chozo. The Power Suit she wears is a product of their technology. Her unique combat skills combined with her athleticism and Arm Cannon have seen her through countless missions.

  • Metroid
  • Super Metroid

Costume Gallery[]

Alt-samus3

Trivia[]

  • Samus (along with Olimar, R.O.B., and Mr. Game and Watch) never talks or makes any verbal noises. The only sounds she makes are those of her attacks and Star KO cry. However, she has a voice as Zero Suit Samus.
  • In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, if a player selects Samus using a Wii remote or classic controller, her mid-air jump sound from Super Smash Bros. Melee will sound in the Wii Remote's speaker despite the fact that her somersault makes a completely different noise in Brawl.
  • Samus, Captain Falcon, and Yoshi are the only Super Smash Bros. veterans that remain the only character to represent their own series in Brawl. However, it should be noted that some players consider her alternate form as a separate character.
  • Throughout normal gameplay, Samus' visor is opaque. The only time the player can see her face from behind her visor is in the Subspace Emissary, where she looks at Pikachu after retrieving her Power Suit.
  • If Samus uses her Bomb attack in mid-air while under the effect of low-gravity and/or a Poison Mushroom, it actually sends Samus upwards a little bit, which, when used repeatedly, can aid in recovery.
  • Brawl is the only installment in the Super Smash Bros. series where Samus cannot use her default costume in Team Battles.
    • This is because the default color for the normal Samus is orange --the normal Samus wears orange (while wearing her default color)-- while the one for Zero Suit Samus (paired with the normal Samus) is light blue.
  • Whenever Samus uses her red costume, her battle portrait will have her face zoomed in a little closer compared to the rest of her costumes.

External links[]

MetroidSymbol Metroid universe
Characters Samus Aran (64  · Melee · Brawl  · 3DS/Wii U  · Ultimate)
Zero Suit Samus (Brawl  · 3DS/Wii U  · Ultimate)
Ridley (Ultimate)
Dark Samus (Ultimate)
Side Characters Bosses Ridley  · Meta Ridley
Assist Trophies Metroid  · Dark Samus  · Mother Brain
Mii Fighter Costume Samus Aran
Background characters Ridley  · Kraid  · Parasite Queen
Stage Hazards FG II-Graham  · Joulion  · Zero  · Ridley
Enemies Geemer  · Kihunter  · Metroid  · Reo
Stages Planet Zebes  · Brinstar  · Brinstar Depths  · Norfair  · Frigate Orpheon  · Pyrosphere
Brinstar Escape Shaft
Item Screw Attack
Music List of Music (Metroid series)
Collectibles Trophies Melee Trophies  · Brawl Trophies  · 3DS Trophies  · Wii U Trophies
Stickers List of Stickers (Metroid series)
Spirits List of spirits (Metroid series)
Masterpieces Metroid  · Super Metroid
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