Lucario (Super Smash Bros.)

Lucario is a playable Pokémon fighter in the Super Smash Bros. series, from Super Smash Bros. Brawl onward. This Lucario in particular is heavily based on the Lucario who served under Sir Aaron.
==Appearances==
===Super Smash Bros. Brawl===
Lucario appears as an unlockable playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. It can be unlocked by playing 100 Brawl matches, completing every level of Target Smash! with one character, or by having it join the party in Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary by clearing The Glacial Peak. For the two former methods, Lucario is fought on the Spear Pillar stage.
Lucario's attacks and abilities mostly revolve around Aura, which increases in power the more damage Lucario takes (though this only applies to attacks that use its Aura). Its standard special move is Aura Sphere, in which Lucario charges and throws a ball of Aura energy. Its side special move is Force Palm, in which Lucario thrusts its hand forward to attack with a burst of energy. Its down special move is Double Team, in which Lucario counterattacks an opponent that attacks it. Its up special move is ExtremeSpeed, in which Lucario flies in the direction the player inputs. Its Final Smash is Aura Storm, in which Lucario leaps into the air and fires a beam down onto the stage.
Aura attacks get smaller and weaker when Lucario is at low damage, while they get larger and stronger at high damage - a Lucario who had received 0% damage will only be doing 0.7x of its base damage output, while one at 170% or above will be doing 1.4x damage. Aura is also stronger when Lucario is losing the match, and weaker when it is ahead. This only applies to his Aura-based attacks, which are noted by bluish, flame-like wisps. A few of Lucario's attacks do not use Aura, such as its dash attack and back throw, among others.
Aside from its gimmick, Lucario has relatively fast attacking speed and above-average maneuverability. He has a low fall speed, and has a solid set of aerial attacks, which put together provide him with a varied set of options for approaching or defending, and he can both wall jump and wall cling for additional movement and recovery. On the ground, Lucario's movement and attacks are slower than average. That said, he still ranks in 11/38 placement, with only the overpowered Meta Knight and more balanced King Dedede from the Kirby series being able to best him.
Lucario is one of the few fighters to only have five recolors in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the others being Pokémon Trainer, Jigglypuff, and Sonic. Additionally, Lucario is the only Pokémon to actually speak (via telepathy), instead of just saying its name.
Its voice clips in this game are provided by Bill Rogers in the English release, who voices Lucario for the television series, and Daisuke Namikawa in Japanese, who provided the voice of the Lucario in the movie Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew and the Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl seasons of the animated series.
====Anubis Combo====
In team battles, the strength of Lucario's aura is based on the amount of stocks he has compared to the other character, teammates included. The aura grows stronger when Lucario has less stocks than everyone else, and weaker when he has more. For example, Lucario can be at very high power if he has only one stock remaining but its teammate has three. The stock count and high damage can combine to provide maximum power to Lucario's aura. This phenomenon is known as the Anubis combo.
In doubles matches where the Anubis combo is exploited, the Lucario is usually the aggressor, dealing high amounts of damage and knockback as the aura grows stronger after losing stocks, while the other player camps and avoids combat, holding onto their stocks for as long as possible. Pro Players Mew2King (Meta Knight) and Trela (Lucario) were a notorious team that utilized this strategy, winning the doubles tournament after being knocked into losers' bracket. 
In future games, this gimmick would be toned down, like other things from Super Smash Bros. Brawl such as the aforementioned Meta Knight.
====Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary====
The first time Lucario is encountered in The Subspace Emissary is at the top of The Glacial Peak, where it is seen meditating on the peak when Meta Knight and the Ice Climbers arrive. Lucario and Meta Knight start engaging in battle (the player is given the option to fight as either character). Upon winning, a cutscene is shown in which the winner revives the loser from their trophy state, and the two shake hands, now allies. Lucario joins the player's party, regardless of the outcome.
Later, during the battle with the Great Fox, the Halberd smashes the Great Fox into the mountain, allowing Lucario and Meta Knight to climb aboard the Halberd.
As Lucario and Meta Knight are traveling through the Halberd, Lucario senses Solid Snake's Aura from inside his cardboard box and exposes him. His cover blown, Snake and Meta Knight are about to fight, but Lucario stops them, sensing the Aura of some nearby Primids which they fight instead. As the three travel on they find a room where the trophies of Peach and Zelda are being held in cages. Shadow Bugs then appear and take the form of the princesses, which Lucario, Meta Knight and Snake battle. After the clones are defeated the actual Peach and Zelda are freed and left in the room while the group travels on. They arrive at the bridge, where they find multiple Mr. Game & Watches controlling the ship. Snake knocks them all onto the main deck, where they dissolve into Shadow Bugs and reform into Duon. Snake and Lucario leap down onto the deck, teaming up with Sheik, Peach, Fox, and Falco to fight. After it is defeated, Duon dissolves to reveal the actual Mr. Game & Watch's trophy, which Peach restores.
The Halberd lands in the desert, where most of the cast units. They all then fight against the Subspace Gunship and make it to Subspace. Inside, the team stand against Tabuu, but are all instantly turned into Trophies. However, they are all eventually restored and head to face Tabuu. After he is defeated, everyone returns to the real world, the Subspace portals all closed.
===Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U===
Lucario returns as a character available from the start in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. It retains all of its special moves, as well as the Aura mechanic, which has been made more powerful and now affects all of its attacks. This time around, Lucario can Mega Evolve into Mega Lucario for its Final Smash, aptly named Mega Evolution. As Mega Lucario, his Aura attacks are maximized to an extreme degree, comparable to his base form having already taken too much damage; however, unlike other Final Smashes that involve transformations, Lucario gains no form of invincibility (barring the startup) once transformed, and only longer lasting super armor (AKA flinch/launch resistance). Regardless, hitting Mega Lucario will decrease the duration for which it stays transformed, causing him to transform back when enough damage is inflicted.
Lucario is ranked 17th out of 55, placing it in the B tier. Lucario's Aura mechanic has been buffed in the transition from Brawl to SSB4, and it now affects Lucario's entire moveset, which allows Lucario to take advantage of the newly added Rage to KO any opponent at early percentages when his own damage percentage is high. The changes to hitstun canceling have also granted his up and down throws impressive combo potential. However, Lucario also received some nerfs: his smash attacks in particular are slower, while Force Palm and his neutral, forward and down aerials have worsened combo potentials. Extreme Speed also saw a large increase in ending lag if it ends in the air, leaving Lucario highly open to punishment upon landing on the ground. Regardless of the nerfs, Lucario is still viewed as a viable choice for competitive play, thanks to it achieving decent results.
In English, Lucario is now voiced by Sean Schemmel, who voiced it in the English version of Lucario and the Mystery of Mew.
===Super Smash Bros. Ultimate===
Lucario returns as a fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. By default, Lucario is the 27th character to be unlocked through VS. matches, but can potentially be unlocked earlier by clearing Classic Mode with Yoshi, being the first in Yoshi's unlock tree.
Lucario's Final Smash has reverted to Aura Storm from Super Smash Bros. Brawl, although Lucario now Mega Evolves into Mega Lucario before performing the move. Like all other characters, Lucario's mobility is improved, having faster walking, dashing, and air speeds, as well as higher air acceleration, while its short hop timing is reduced. However, Lucario's Aura mechanic sees some adjustments, being less effective at low damage, yet more effective at high damage. 
Lucario's aura mechanic is more polarized: it is less potent at lower percentages, but stronger at higher percentages. In addition, his moves faster in general, but has become lighter, making survival at higher percentages where his attacks are stronger more difficult. In addition to this, Lucario's normal and special attacks are generally faster and have longer reach. With the removal of transformation Final Smashes, Lucario's Mega Evolution is no longer controllable. Instead, he Mega Evolved before performing its original Final Smash, Aura Storm, which now benefits from a wider reach.
His potential advantages in the early Ultimate meta were met with praise, and he was considered a relatively viable character. However, his weakness became clearer as time passed due to the amount of nerfs he received from the transition(his aura's overall weaker damage multiplier, down air not being as safe for disadvantage, Aura Sphere having less versatility, his recovery being worse, the removal of some of his kill confirms etc.), making Lucario a relatively unknown character in the meta. Currently, most top professional players consider Lucario either a low mid or a low tier, with even some players considering it as a bottom 5 character.
====World of Light====
In the World of Light, Lucario, alongside Greninja, are present when the fighters oppose Galeem for the first time. Lucario dodges one of Greninja's large laser attack with Double Team, but was hit by a beam Greninja avoided a moment later, vaporizing it and placing it under Galeem's imprisonment along with the rest of the fighters, excluding Kirby.
In the mode proper, Lucario can be found on the corner of a stone wall.
====Classic Mode====
Lucario's Classic Mode route involving characters who possess a counterattack, like Lucario's own Double Team, for their special moveset.
Counter Encounters	Counter Encounters 	Counter Encounters	Counter Encounters	Counter Encounters 	Counter Encounters
Round 	Opponent(s) 	Rule 	Stage 	Song 	Notes
1 	Shulk, Little Mac 	 	Gaur Plain 	Time to Fight! - Xenoblade Chronicles 	
2 	Palutena, Bayonetta 	 	Umbra Clock Tower 	Red & Black 	
3 	Marth, Lucina 	 	Coliseum 	Story 5 Meeting 	
4 	Mii Swordfighter ×6 	Horde Battle 	Spear Pillar 	Battle! (Wild Pokémon) - Pokémon Diamond / Pokémon Pearl 	Horde Battle (comparable to Horde Encounters).Mii Swordfighter costume combinations:
*Yiga Clan Mask and Yiga Clan Outfit
*Takamaru Wig and Takamaru Outfit
*Isaac Wig and Isaac's Outfit
*Dunban Wig and Dunban Outfit
*Black Knight Helm and Black Knight Armor
*Vince's Hat and Vince's Outfit
5 	Roy, Ike, Corrin 	 	Castle Siege 	The Devoted 	
6 	Greninja 	 	Pokémon Stadium 2 	Battle! (Champion) - Pokémon X / Pokémon Y 	
Final 	Master Hand, Crazy Hand (intensity 7.0 or higher)	 	Final Destination 	Master HandMaster Hand / Crazy Hand (intensity 7.0 or higher)	
==Moves used==
==Profiles==
=== Super Smash Bros. Brawl trophy ===
An Aura Pokémon. It can track energy called Aura, which is given off by all living creatures. It's a unique combination of both Fighting and Steel-type Pokémon. Lucario evolves from Riolu during the day if its happiness has reached its maximum point. It specializes in attacks that use Aura energy, like Dark Pulse and a can't-miss technique, Aura Sphere.
=== Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U trophies ===
==== Lucario ====
NA: A Fighting/Steel-type Pokémon that excels in combat through the reading and manipulation of Aura. As Lucario takes more damage, its attacks grow in strength. At maximum power, Lucario deals triple damage and its Aura Sphere is particularly devastating! Foes won't even know what hit them!
PAL: This Fighting- and Steel-type Pokémon can sense the movements of its enemies using its Aura abilities, and is even said to be able to see enemies when they're invisible. As it takes damage, its attacks grow in strength. At maximum power, its deals triple damage, which can make its Aura Sphere attack a real force to be reckoned with!
==== Lucario (Alt.) ====
NA: Lucario's up special Extreme Speed will send this Pokémon soaring on the path you choose. Lucario flies farther the more damage it's taken. Lucario makes use of its Aura for the side special Force Palm. At extremely close range, Lucario will grab an enemy first, dealing additional damage.
PAL: The Extreme Speed up special sends Lucario rushing in your chosen direction, and you can adjust the flight path mid-air. Also, the more damage Lucario takes, the further it will go. For the Force Palm side special, Lucario attacks with its Aura. Using it while close to an enemy adds a grab to the move and deals extra damage.
==== Mega Evolution (Lucario) ====
NA: In Lucario's Final Smash, it Mega Evolves into Mega Lucario. The attacks it can use don't change, but its Aura abilities become more powerful than ever, letting it deal more damage and launch opponents farther. It can also resist being launched by other fighters, but the more attacks it takes, the sooner it will transform back.
PAL: For Lucario's Final Smash, it Mega Evolves into Mega Lucario. The attacks it can use don't change, but its Aura abilities become more powerful than ever, letting it deal even more damage and launch opponents even further. It can also resist being launched by other fighters, but the more attacks it takes, the less time the Final Smash lasts.
===amiibo===
*Lucario can track a form of energy called an aura, given off by all living creatures. Lucario is the only known Fighting- and Steel-type Pokémon and evolves from Riolu during the day when its happiness is high enough. Lucario specializes in attacks that use aura energy, like Dark Pulse, and its can’t-miss move, Aura Sphere.
===Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Super Smash Blog bio===
*Lucario is the only fighter whose attack power increases as it takes damage. A fighter that truly shines when in a pinch, choose Lucario for a thrilling battle.
==Quotes==
Lucario is able to seemingly speak English in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Lucario does not say its name unlike the other Pokémon fighters because it is actually using telepathy to communicate through its thoughts. It has a few quotes:
*"Watch the power of Aura!" — using his Final Smash
*"It's not over!"
*"Behold the Aura!"
*"The Aura is mine!"
==Smash Taunt conversations==
===Snake's codec===
*Mei Ling: You're fighting Lucario, aren't you, Snake?
*Snake: Mei Ling, what's that purple fire coming out of his hands?
*Mei Ling: That's his "Aura."
*Snake: Aura?
*Mei Ling: I guess you could call it his life force. Lucario can use his own Aura and turn it into power. Every time Lucario's damage increases, his Aura gains strength, making his attacks more powerful. So don't think you've got him beat just because his health is down.
*Snake: The cornered rat will bite the cat... Sounds like trouble.
*Mei Ling: Hey! When did you become so good with proverbs?!
*Snake: You must have rubbed off on me.
*Mei Ling: Well, come back in one piece, and I'll teach you all the Chinese proverbs you can handle.
===Palutena's Guidance===
*Viridi: What the heck is that?!
*Pit: Oh, that's Lucario. What about it?
*Viridi: I've never seen a creature with a life force like that! It's like a current of water. Or a whirlpool!
*Palutena: Oh, you mean Lucario's Aura.
*Viridi: Aura?
*Palutena: Lucario can sense the life force—or Aura—emanating from all living things. As Lucario takes more damage, its own Aura grows stronger.
*Viridi: Ingenious! Lucario sounds like a perfect fit for the Forces of Nature.
*Pit: We need to focus on the fight at hand.
*Viridi: You focus on the fight at hand. I gotta catch my new recruit.
*Pit: No! Stop!
*Palutena: Pit, a wounded Lucario is stronger than it looks. Be extra careful when it's taken lots of damage.
==Gallery==
Lucario (Super Smash Bros. for 3DS - WiiU Artwork).png|Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U artwork
Lucario SSBU.png|Super Smash Bros. Ultimate artwork
Lucario trophy SSBWU.png
Lucario (Alt.) trophy SSBWU.png
==Trivia==
===General===
* As Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew (the species' first overall appearance) released 4 months before the release of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team(the first game appearance of its species), Lucario is the only fighter in the series to technically first appear in non-video game media (in this case a movie).
* Like Charizard in Super Smash Bros. 4 and Mewtwo, Lucario draws inspiration from a particular member of his species depicted in the Pokémon anime. In Lucario's case, it is largely based on Sir Aaron's Lucario from Lucario and the Mystery of Mew. 
**Like Sir Aaron's, he can speak the human language telepathically and, as of SSB4, it is voiced by Sean Schemmel and Daisuke Namikawa in English and Japanese, respectively. Schemmel and Namikawa portrayed that specific Lucario as well. 
**However, the only difference is that unlike Smash's incarnation of Lucario, the Lucario in Lucario and the Mystery of Mew is completely incapable of Mega Evolving, as the Lucario species was already introduced long before the concept of Mega Evolution was even introduced.
* Lucario and Mewtwo are the only two playable Pokémon characters whose onscreen appearances do not involve them emerging from a Poké Ball.
* Lucario possesses the best wall jump and wall cling durability in the Super Smash Bros. series.
** He is also the only character who can activate wall clinging through his up special.
* Lucario has special moves that are super effective against its Steel-typing: Aura Sphere and Force Palm. He shares this trait with Mewtwo, who has Shadow Ball, and Incineroar, who has the moves Cross Chop and Revenge. Unlike those two, however, both of these moves are of one of Lucario's own types.
* Carlos Lobo, the Spanish voice actor for Lucario, also voices the announcer in the Spanish versions of Brawl, SSB4 and Ultimate. Jean-Marc Delhausse, its French voice actor, voiced the announcer in the French version of Super Smash Bros., in which Lucario was not present, as well as Ivysaur and several Poké Ball Pokémon throughout the series. Luigi Fantino, Lucario's Italian voice actor, also provided the voice for the announcer in Italian versions of the game from Brawl onwards.
* Lucario is the only playable Pokémon that speaks a human language in all international versions.
* Despite speaking telepathically, Lucario appears to be moving its mouth during its victory poses.
* With its debut on September 2006, Lucario is the most recently debuted playable character in Brawl.
* Lucario and Mewtwo are the only two Pokémon to speak canonically English in the entire game series.
* Lucario is the only playable character that made their video game debut on the Nintendo DS.
**Ironically enough, the official Facebook of the series accidentally listed its origin as the Game Boy Advance instead before correcting it.
===Brawl specific===
* Lucario is one of only three characters in Brawl able to perform three aerials in one short hop (in Lucario's case, rising forward aerial, two down aerials), the others being Meta Knight (three up aerials) and Luigi (rising forward aerial, forward aerial, then neutral aerial or up aerial).
* Lucario and the Pokémon Trainer are the only characters in Brawl to have a different voice actor in every language.
* When dashing, the first few frames of Lucario's animation seem to look like it is levitating.
**However, Levitate is not an ability it can legally obtain.
* In Brawl, Lucario is voiced by Bill Rogers, Brock's voice actor in the Pokémon anime series and other Lucario in the fourth generation seasons. In Japanese, it is voiced by Daisuke Namikawa, who voiced Lucario in the original Mystery of Mew movie.
** In Spanish, Italian, and German versions of Brawl, Lucario's standard grunts from Bill Rogers are kept, while any spoken dialogue is done by different voice actors. 
**Oddly, the French version does not follow this rule.
* If Lucario is at above 170% and is behind by two stocks, his forward smash will become the most powerful in the game, with even more knockback than King Dedede's.
* Lucario has the highest traction of any character in Brawl.
* Lucario is the only playable Pokémon in Brawl that did not debut in Generation I.
* Lucario is the first Pokémon to be speak English in a Smash game.
* It was a common belief around the time of Brawl's release that Lucario "replaced" Mewtwo , due to them having a similar neutral special(Aura Sphere and Shadow Ball), and those upset at Mewtwo's exclusion naturally looking for a scapegoat to blame for it (or accept as the reason why Mewtwo was cut). 
**However, leftover data on Brawl 's disc shows that both Mewtwo and Lucario were both meant to be playable in Brawl, and just basic observance of their movesets and overall designs shows them to be nothing alike aside from their similar neutral specials. A similar and equally untrue belief existed for Ike and Roy.
* Not counting Melee, Lucario is the first playable Pokémon whose on-screen appearance does not involve it being released from a Poké Ball. It would be followed by Mewtwo.
===Smash 4 specific===
*Lucario and Dr. Mario are the only characters to lack a meteor smash of any kind, including unconventional meteor smashes.
*Lucario and Mewtwo are the only Pokémon whose on-screen appearances do not involve emerging from a Poké Ball.
*Lucario is the only character whose up special move is still affected by the grab release glitch.
*While Bowser, Little Mac, and Wario use mirrored versions of their regular special moves as opposed to their custom versions after transforming via their Final Smash, Lucario is still able to use his custom special moves, further enhanced by the boosted Aura.
===Ultimate specific===
*Lucario and Charizard are the only characters to have had their Final Smash change between games only to have it revert back to the original Final Smash. 
**In Lucario's case, he had Aura Storm in Brawl, replaced it with Mega Lucario in Smash 4, and then reverted back to Aura Storm in Ultimate. However, it does transform into Mega Lucario for the duration of Aura Storm (with his "max aura!" voiceclip retained during activation). 
**In Charizard's case, it had Triple Finish in Brawl, changed to Mega Charizard X (as it was a standalone character) in Smash 4, and reverted back to Triple Finish in Ultimate (as a consequence of being regrouped back into Pokémon Trainer's party).
**Both characters are also characters from the Pokémon universe.
*Despite also having a type of counter, Incineroar, Chrom, Peach, Daisy, King K. Rool, and Mii Brawler do not appear in Lucario's Classic Mode route.
*The Tip about Lucario's Aura being able to reach a multiplier of ×2.5 is both true and false: as of recent updates, ×1.6 is the maximum multiplier. However, Lucario at 0% has a ×0.6 multiplier on its attacks, making the net change about ×2.5.
*Lucario is the only Pokémon character whose animations are not mirrored.
*Ultimate is the first game where Lucario doesn't have the highest traction of any character since his debut in Brawl, with the title instead being held by Sonic the Hedgehog.
Category:Super Smash Bros.