Pikachu (SSB18)

Pikachu (ピカチュウ, Pikachu) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. OC 2018. It was the third out of the Original 8 to be in the game (only behind and ).
==Attributes==
Pikachu is a small and agile lightweight character. Pikachu has fast walking and dashing speeds, moderate falling speed, above average gravity, below average air speed, and fast air acceleration. It is also tied for the sixth lightest weight. It sports a quick jumpsquat that lasts for 4 frames, average traction and a relatively long initial dash that lasts for 14 frames. These latter three traits grant Pikachu a moderately long perfect pivot, but also result in its dash dance and fox-trot being slow and extended.
Pikachu's arguably greatest strength is its flexible approach. Quick Attack is an excellent mobility option, and due to its two hit nature, it allows Pikachu to weave in and out of danger, and can be used to start combos. Quick Attack can also be edge-canceled, granting even faster movement with the aid of platforms. With this technique, Pikachu can chase opponents and keep up pressure without much risk to itself. Thunder Jolt is a useful projectile, and has good utility in zoning and forcing approaches. Pikachu can take advantage of its quick dashing and walking speeds, short hop, and pivot, with these traits further aiding its strong neutral game.
Another advantage Pikachu has is its frame data. Most of its attacks come out in 10 frames or less, including its up smash, which is its strongest move. When combined with their low power, this grants Pikachu a formidable combo game. Up aerial can combo into itself and any other aerial. Up tilt can repeatedly chain into itself at lower percents, and its low knockback growth allows it to combo into aerials at higher percents. Down tilt has a chance to trip opponents, leaving them open to a grab. Pikachu's grab game is also integral to its combo game. Its forward throw can lead into a dash attack or up smash, while down throw launches opponents into the air right above Pikachu, setting them up for aerial combos and juggles. At very high percents, both down and up throws are capable of chaining into Thunder, which can KO if the meteor hitbox connects.
Finally, Pikachu possesses a superb recovery. Like in Brawl, Pikachu is able to wall jump, while it has two special moves that round out its recovery. Skull Bash, although linear and telegraphed, is chargeable and deals high knockback while not rendering Pikachu helpless. Quick Attack can be angled in two consecutive directions and, along with its speed, is a very unpredictable and difficult move to intercept, as well as a favorable recovery option from virtually any position off-stage. This contributes to an effective edge-guarding game, as Pikachu has the luxury of going far off-stage and challenging recovering opponents while still being able to recover itself.
However, Pikachu has noticeable flaws, the most glaring of which is its survivability. Its small size, low weight, and average falling speed make it difficult to combo; however, along with its relatively high gravity, these attributes leave it susceptible to KOs. The rage mechanic further exacerbates this problem, since Pikachu's opponents commonly survive to very high damages, while it cannot reliably take advantage of the mechanic as a result of its endurance. While its impressive recovery somewhat mitigates its survivability issues, Quick Attack is a difficult move to master. When using it for fast movement, inexperienced players can often veer off-stage with it, or angle it the wrong way and miss the edge entirely when recovering, causing Pikachu to fall helplessly and self-destruct.
Pikachu also suffers from poor reach, as most of its attacks have hitboxes very close to its body. For a character of its speed, Pikachu's aerials have abnormally high landing lag, with its down aerial having 40 frames of landing lag, being tied for the highest of any aerial in the game. Combined with the previous point, Pikachu cannot efficiently use its aerials to approach and pressure (aside from forward aerial), leaving it susceptible to characters with capable aerial approaches, such as , and this issue is made worse by its relatively slow air speed.
Additionally, Pikachu's overall damage output is poor despite its powerful combo game, which results in it commonly taking time for opponents to be brought within KOing range. This in turn is further compounded by another issue: Pikachu has significant trouble KOing. Its set-ups off of up and down throws into Thunder require reads and proper spacing and timing. Aside from these few situations, it has no reliable set-ups into its KO moves. Up smash has short reach and high ending lag, and is thus very punishable. While it has good range, forward smash has noticeable start-up, down smash is relatively weak, both have high ending lag, and the latter has short range. Pikachu's edge-guarding game has its flaws: its aerials are not very strong, and its neutral, forward, back and down aerials have long durations and small hitboxes.
==Moveset==
Attack 	Name 	Damage 	Description
Neutral Attack 	 	1% (hits 1-2), 2% 	A headbutt that goes quick.
Side Tilt 	 	9% 	A double hind leg kick. It deals increased damage when angled upward and has a chance to trip when angled downward. KOs around 110% near the edge.
Up Tilt 	 	5% 	Flicks its tail in an overhead arcing motion. A fast attack with low base knockback and growth, making it a reliable combo option, particularly into itself and aerials.
Down Tilt 	 	6% 	Swings its tail in front of itself. It is very quick in regard to both start-up and ending lag and has a chance of tripping opponents.
Dash Attack 	 	10% (clean), 6% (late) 	Boosts itself into a headbutt forward.
Side Smash 	 	18% (uncharged), 25% (fully charged) 	Rears back and then leans forward to discharge a bolt of electricity from its cheeks. Its knockback is far stronger when the opponent is hit by the inner portion of the bolt, while it is at its weakest when they are hit by Pikachu's cheeks during start-up.
Up Smash 	 	13% (clean tail), 14% (clean body), 11% (mid), 7% (late) 	Backflips and strikes with it's tail.
Down Smash 	 	2% (hits 1-5) 3% (hit 6) (uncharged),  	Repeatedly spins around while discharging electricity.
Neutral aerial 	 	8% 	Pikachu performs a somersault tackle.
Forward aerial 	 	1% (hits 1-4), 3% (hit 5) 	An electrified, corkscrew battering ram. Hits multiple times, with the last hit dealing decent horizontal knockback. The move has little landing lag, which when coupled with a fast-fallen short hop, can allow it to potentially set up into a grounded move or grab. This move has minor meteor smashing capabilities due to most of its hits having the auto-link angle
Back aerial 	 	8% (hits 1-7), 3% (hit 8), 4% (landing) 	A horizontal corkscrew tackle. Hits multiple times, with the last hit dealing decent knockback, but has high ending lag and very high landing lag if not used alongside a full hop.
Up aerial 	 	5% 	Somersaults while flicking its tail in an overhead arcing motion. Extremely quick with low knockback, it can combo into itself or act as a set-up into a neutral aerial. Can be auto-canceled when performed alongside a fast-fallen short hop, although it has high landing lag otherwise.
Down aerial 	 	12% (attack), 4% (landing) 	An electrified, corkscrew battering ram. A lingering single hit with decent horizontal knockback, it can be auto-canceled from a short hop. If Pikachu lands during the attack's duration it causes a small shockwave to appear around it, which deals little damage at the cost of very high landing lag.
Grab 	 	 	Reaches out. Pikachu's grabs are quick, but short-ranged.
Pummel 	 	1% 	Shocks its opponent with a bolt.
Forward Throw 	 	2% (hits 1-4), 2% (throw) 	Places the opponent on its back and zaps them, launching them forward. It can set up a dash attack, neutral aerial, or a dashing up smash at very low percents.
Back Throw 	 	9% 	A high-speed version of the tomoe nage, a Judo throw. Best used near the edge to set up for an edge-guard. Appears almost identical to the anime's depiction of Submission.
Up Throw 	 	1% (hit 1), 3% (throw) 	Places the opponent on its head and then headbutts them upward. Can be followed up by Thunder at high percents, allowing for potential KOs, but DI can make this difficult.
Down Throw 	 	3% (hit 1), 5% (throw) 	Places the opponent on the ground, then jumps on them. Can be followed up with any aerial at low percents. Like up throw, it can be used as a set-up to Thunder at high percents, but DI can make this difficult.
Neutral Special	Thunder Jolt	6% 	Discharges a semi-circular bolt of electricity. Pikachu's primary projectile and a very useful move for keeping on-stage opponents at bay and threatening off-stage opponents. The grounded version travels forward while bouncing along the ground, it can also travel up walls, below the edge, and along ceilings. The aerial version travels downward diagonally and in the shape of a ball. Disappears after about three seconds.
Side Special 	Skull Bash 	9% (uncharged), 21% (fully charged) 	Pikachu charges up and launches itself forward into the opponent's chest. It is chargeable and when nearly or fully charged, it has KO power. Primarily used as a recovery move due to it granting considerable horizontal distance, especially when charged, and because it does not render Pikachu helpless. On the ground, it has high landing lag and is very punishable.
Up Special 	Quick Attack	2% (hit 1), 3% (hit 2) 	Dashes at a blindingly fast speed in two directions that can be selected via the control stick. Pikachu's main recovery move, its speed and unpredictability also enable it to partake in combos. The second dash is optional, but if used, the direction must be at least 45° different than the first direction in order to be used. Renders Pikachu helpless when used in the air. Massively expands Pikachu's hurtbox when used.
Down Special 	Thunder 	6% (thunderbolt meteor), 8% (thunderbolt), 15% (shockwave)	Generates a thundercloud to drop a large thunderbolt onto itself. The move is laggy overall, although the shockwave around Pikachu deals high damage and knockback. The immediate beginning of the thunderbolt deals moderate vertical knockback, which allows for Thunderspiking. However, Thunderspiking is both very difficult to land and less effective compared to how it was in Brawl, due to the thundercloud shortening the thunderbolt's length. As a result, Thunderspiking is only effective against opponents that are very slightly above the thundercloud. The move also has a meteor smash hitbox near the thundercloud that launches opponents straight down, which allows for potential combos and KO set-ups, although landing it in a favorable position to do this is difficult.
Final Smash 	Volt Tackle 	1% (collision), 8% (discharge) 	Performs Volt Tackle, its evolutionary line's signature move in the Pokémon series. Pikachu surrounds itself in a sphere of electricity and flies around the stage, charging through opponents. Pressing the attack button will cause the ball to discharge electricity, causing significantly more damage and knockback. Volt Tackle now emits a small, purple ball of electricity that is analogous to a cursor, which makes it easier to aim its trajectory.
===On-screen appearance===
*Leaps out of it's pokeball.
===Taunts===
*Up: Huddles down and discharges electricity around itself while saying "Piiiii!"
*Side: Faces the screen and waves its left paw twice and then its right paw twice while saying "Pika Pika!"
*Down: Rolls on its back while saying "Pikaaaaa!"
===Idle poses===
*Scratches its right ear.
*Stands up straight, then looks right, and then left, twitching its ears.
===Victory poses===
*Twitches its ears, then scratches its right ear.
*Jumps up and somersaults while saying "Pi!", then spins around once before happily facing the camera. It is almost identical to its "character chosen" animation in Super Smash Bros.
*Sleeps while laying sideways on the ground, while saying "Piiika" drowsily.
==Trophies==
==Palette Swaps / Alternate Costumes==
==Trivia==