There are 70 fighters and counting in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Choosing which character to play can be daunting, even if you haven’t spent the time to unlock the vast majority of them. If Santa left you a copy for Christmas, or you picked the game up as a New Year’s gift to yourself, it’s time to decide who to learn. To make that task just a bit easier, we’ve put together a quick amalgamated list of characters and listed them from most-to-least preferred.
Before scrolling down, it’s important to remember that top-tier characters aren’t necessarily the “best”. The “best” is purely subjective, and your favorite fighter might even be ranked low on our list. That doesn’t make the character bad, it just means that they’re harder to learn. The “best” characters are simply easy heroes to play with effectively. There are plenty of disagreements in the community about what truly constitutes the “best” character, so I’m just going to reiterate that the list below is simply a suggested order. Thanks to the changing nature of on-going video games, this list could change drastically in the coming months.
More Super Smash Bros. Ultimate guides on Gameranx:
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: How To Unlock Every Character Fast | All Challengers Guide
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: Bonus Character Unlock Order | The Complete List
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: How To Rematch Unlockable Characters
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: Use These Characters To Crush AI Opponents | Easy Wins Guide
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: What You’ll Unlock With Every Amiibo | Unlockables Guide
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: 20 Tips To Help You Beat World of Light | Spirits Mode Guide
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: How To Make Your Spirits Stronger | 20% Damage Bonus Guide
Every Fighter Ranked From Best To Worst | Tier List
Choosing the best fighters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is an inexact science. Some of the “low tier” characters might be your favorites, and as new strategies are uncovered, characters can quickly move up / down these very subjective ranks. Don’t take the list as gospel, and expect the meta game to evolve even as patches change these characters in the not-so-distant future.
This tier list is compromised of three primary sources — Pro Player ZeRo, Pro Player Leffen, and my own experience with the game. For a deeper explanation on each character, check out the videos linked above. Those guys are pro’s, so they know a little bit about what they’re talking about.
Rank 1 – Best Characters
Richter, Simon, Diddy Kong, Meta Knight, Pokémon Trainer, Link, Pikachu
Rank 2 – Almost The Best
Yoshi, Mewtwo, Roy, Chrom, Pichu, Olimar, Bayonetta, Snake, Shulk, Ryu, Ken, Captain Falcon
Rank 3 – Strong Picks
Marth, Lucina, Ike, Shulk, Icineroar, Luigi, Inkling, Kirby, Peach, Daisy, Corrin, Greninja, Toon Link, Dr. Mario, Cloud, Wolf, Young Link, King K. Rool, Mega Man, Isabelle, Sheik, Ness, Lucas, Falco, Zero Suit Samus
Rank 4 – Average Picks
Mario, Donkey Kong, R.O.B., Jigglypuff, Lucario, Pit, Dark Pit, Zelda, Palutena, Ganondorf, Villager, Ridley, Rosalina & Luma, Mr. Games & Watch, Pac-Man, Bowser, King Dedede, Robin, Wario, Sonic
Rank 5 – The Worst
Little Mac, Bowser Jr., Samus, Ice Climbers, Dark Samus
Rank 6 – ??? Unknowns
Mii Brawler, Wii Fit Trainer, Mii Gunner, Mii Swordfighter, Piranha Plant, Duck Hunt
Here’s hoping you’ve picked your favorites. It all comes down to playing as your favorites, learning the best strategies, and enjoying yourself. The only different between a Top Tier character and a lower tier is that the “Top” characters are easier to learn. Any character is viable!
