Super Smash Bros. Obliteration/Shulk

Shulk is the Mascot/Main Protagonist of Xenoblade Chronicles and a Default/Starter Character in Super Smash Bros. Obliteration. Shulk is a headstrong, beave, serious, and dedicated resident of Colony 9 who was one of the few survivors on a previous expedition to retrieve the Monado Arts. Shulk as a young man has put in many months of research into the Monado and first wields the weapon after Colony 9 is attacked by a Mechon named Metal Face during the war between the Homs and the Mechons over the course of the game resulting in the death of his friend Fiora. After defeating the true cause of the war, 
the dark wizard Zanza, who revealed himself to be the creator of the Monado to Shulk and his party, and wanted to destroy all life and planets in existance. Shulk has returned for round 2 of Smash, ready to master of the arts and reach the top once more. Fearless, Skilled, and Rightous to a Fault, and wielding a mosecet of Slash, Kick, and Monado based Attacks, Shulk is ready to slice his way to the top of the Mountain of Smashers in a true fight for the ages.
== Attacks ==
Type 	Name	Damage 	Description
Neutral 	 	(3.5 = initial hit, 5.3% = clean, 4.2% = late). 	 A jab, followed by a mid-level roundhouse kick, followed by an upward slash. It is Shulk's fastest move due to coming out on frame 5, has good range and boasts the highest damage output of any non-infinite neutral attack in the game as long as Shield or Smash are not active. Altogether, these traits make it one of Shulk's most reliable damage racking options. Its second hit resembles Dive Sobat, one of Reyn's Physical Arts. 
Forward Tilt 	 	(10% = blade, 8% = beam). 	 An inward slash. Its impressive damage output and high knockback growth make it powerful for a tilt attack, as its KOs middleweights at 132%/147% while near the edge (blade/beam respectively). It is also capable of hitting opponents close to Shulk's back when pivoted, which can be used as a surprise attack. However, it lacks the range possessed by Shulk's other moves, making it somewhat risky compared to them. It resembles one of Shulk's basic Auto Attacks. 
Up Tilt 	 	 (8.5% = blade, 7.5% = beam). 	An overhead arcing slice with excellent vertical range, almost capable of reaching the top platform of Battlefield. As such, it is a very good anti-air option and is useful for covering most get-up options from the edge, or to challenge shields and landings from under platforms. However, it only hits in front of Shulk at its beginning and has moderate startup and ending lag, leaving him open on the ground. A reliable damage racking option while Buster is active, especially after an up throw. While it has average knockback (KOs middleweights at 161%/180% with the blade/beam hitbox respectively), the Smash Art significantly improves its KO power, allowing it to start KOing at as low as 90% with rage.
Down Tilt 	 	(8.5% = blade, 7.5% = beam). 	A kneeling inward slice. Though relatively slow to start, it has good range and the lowest amount of ending lag out of all his moves, which make it a good combo starter while Jump, Speed or Buster are active. It is also able to hit ledge-hanging opponents once their invincibility ends. 
Forward Smash	 	(6% = hit 1, 13% = hit 2 blade, 11% = hit 2 beam). 	A thrust, which causes the Monado to reveal its beam blade. It consists of two hits, the first is from the Monado's blade itself and the second is from its beam blade. The third longest ranged, non-projectile forward smash in the game, surpassed only by Corrin and Mii Gunner's, it can hit opponents attempting to grab ledges. Deals impressive damage overall when both hits connect, and its second hit deals very high knockback growth; while near the edge, the earliest it can KO is 101% (if aimed upwards and both hits connect), while hitting with only the beam blade/aiming downwards reduces its KO potential slightly. The move has quick startup due to its first hit, but it is tied with up smash for having the second highest amount of ending lag out of Shulk's grounded attacks, which makes it very punishable if missed or without Buster's higher shieldstun to threaten shields. It strongly resembles Slit Edge, one of Shulk's Physical Arts.
Up Smash 	 	(5% = hit 1, 13% = hit 2, 18% = total). 	Squats and slams the Monado's hilt onto the ground, which causes its beam blade to thrust upward. Like his forward smash, it deals impressive damage overall due to consisting of two hits: the initial "slam" drags nearby opponents into the beam blade itself. Its second hit KOs middleweights at 112% and, unlike forward smash, doesn't possess a sweetspot and sourspot, giving it consistent KO potential. Its deceptive horizontal range also allows it to punish rolls, landings, and edge get-up options, while its high vertical range, knockback and transcendent priority makes it a great anti-air move in general. However, it is relatively slow to start and is tied with forward smash for having the second highest amount of ending lag out of Shulk's grounded attacks. Additionally, opponents are capable of DI-ing downwards to perfect shield the second hit after getting hit by the first, especially fastfallers or if Shulk has high rage.
Down Smash 	 	(14% = hit 1 blade, 11% = hit 1 beam, 12% = hit 2 blade, 10% = hit 2 beam, 10% = hit 3 blade, 8% = hit 3 beam, 8% = hit 4 blade, 6% = hit 4 beam, 6% = hit 5 blade, 4% = hit 5 beam).	Crouches and spins to swing the Monado in a circle along the ground. It is capable of hitting during any of its five hitboxes (three at Shulk's front and two at his back), with its first hit being strong enough to KO middleweights at 106% while near the edge. Each spin quickly loses power, but the final spin has slightly more range. While it is possible for this attack to connect more than once, it is difficult to do so unless Buster is active and the opponent has low damage. With Buster active, it is capable of shield-breaking if an opponent is cornered at an edge and the first three hits land. Despite the later hits being weak, they have surprisingly high KO potential with Smash active. Extremely useful for punishing rolls and sidesteps due to its multiple hitboxes and range, but starts up slow and has the highest amount of ending lag out of Shulk's smash attacks. Resembles War Swing, one of Reyn's Physical Arts,
== Aerial Attacks ==
Type 	Name	Damage 	Description
Neutral	 	(7% = blade, 8% = beam, 15% = total). 	A circular slash around himself. It is Shulk's most useful approach option due to its wide range, low landing lag (10 frames) and high amount of active frames. Its hitbox begins slightly behind Shulk's toes and continues all the way over his head, allowing the initial frames to start combos if an opponent misses a tech and the later frames being able to punish air dodges; however, despite what the sword trail depicts, the move is unable to connect against enemies behind him during its final frames. A great combo starter while Jump, Speed or Buster are active, which can lead into a grab, neutral attack, forward tilt, up tilt, aerials or Air Slash. However, its long-lasting hitbox and high ending lag makes it a very unsafe move to use off-stage when fast falling, as Shulk will be in serious danger of 
self-destructing.
Forward	 	(8% = Blade, 6% = Beam, 14% = total). 	A downward slash. It has the least ending lag out of all his aerials and excellent range for an aerial due to its 180° arc, all of which make it great for spacing and interrupting approaches. It is also a powerful combo option with either Speed or Buster active, and a potent edgeguarding move with Jump active, which can allow Shulk to perform a wall of pain. However, it has noticeable landing lag, making it punishable on shield at close-range or against faster characters. If it hits during its ending frames, which are near Shulk's feet, it will launch opponents behind him and allow for either Air Slash combos or a stage spike.
Back 	 	(13% = blade, 9% = beam). 	A reverse gripped thrust. Its hitbox begins at Shulk's body. It deals respectable damage and has high knockback growth, which allow it to KO middleweights at 124% while near the edge. Additionally, its long horizontal range makes it very useful for long-range poking and benefits the most from Monado Art Landing Lag Canceling. However, it has slow start-up and high landing lag, making it possible to land before the hitbox appears while suffering from full landing lag.
Up 	 	(5.5% = hit 1, 10.5% = hit 2 blade, 8% = hit 2 beam).  	An upward thrust, similar to Link and Toon Link's up aerials. Functions like his forward and up smashes, with its first hit being from the Monado's blade and its second hit being from its beam blade. It has deceptively long vertical range that is capable of reaching through the main platform of Town and City, which makes it a useful juggling option against falling opponents and potent KOing option near the upper blast line. Its second hit has high knockback growth, which allows its blade hitbox to KO middleweights at 113%/142% (blade/beam). With Jump active, a landing up aerial can chain directly into another up aerial, leading to a KO combo. However, it has minimal horizontal range, which can make it difficult to connect with.
Down 	 	(7.5% = hit 1 grounded, 6% = hit 1 aerial, 11.5% = hit 2 blade, 10.5% = hit 2 beam).	A downward thrust, similar to Link's down aerials. Functions like his forward and up smashes, with its first hit being from the Monado's blade and its second hit being from its beam blade. The second hit meteor smashes when sweetspotted. A decent edgeguarding option, it can also stage spike edge-hanging opponents. However, it has high landing lag, making it punishable if missed. Like his up aerial, it has minimal horizontal range, and its first hit might not connect into its second hit if Shulk is moving too fast.
== Other Attacks ==
Type 	Name	Damage	Description
Floor Attack (Front)	 	(7%) 	Slashes In BothForward/Back Directions, while Getting Up
Floor Attack (Back) 	 	(6%) 	Same As Front Floor Attack, just with less power.
Floor Attack (Trip) 	 	(7%) 	Slashes In Both Forward/Back Directions Near The Ground.
Ledge Attack 	 	(8%) 	Performs an inward slice while climbing up.
Dash Attack 	 	(12%) 	A braking inward slash. It deals respectable damage, but has very high ending lag. Additionally, its knockback is not sufficient enough to allow it to score KOs reliably while Smash is not active, as it does not KO middleweights until 167% while near the edge.
== Grabs/Throws ==
Type 	Name	Damage 	Description
Grab 	 	(N/A) 	Reaches out. Shulk's overall grab range is average, but while Speed is active, his pivot grab becomes the third longest in the game (tied with Meta Knight) due to his increased speed and decreased traction.
Pummel 	 	(3%) 	Strikes the opponent's head with the Monado's hilt. A slow pummel, but while Buster is active, it is tied with Olimar's White Pikmin-based pummel as the most damaging pummel in the game. Conversely, it is the least damaging pummel in the game (damage-per-second wise) while either Shield or Smash is active.
Forward	 	(3% = hit 1 , 7% = throw, 10% = total).	An upward swipe. With Speed or Buster active, it can lead into a dash attack or a forward aerial. Although the slash can hit other nearby opponents, it deals set knockback on anyone aside from the thrown opponent.
Back 	 	(8% = hit 1, 2% = throw, 11% = total. 	Pulls the opponent behind himself and performs a reversed gripped thrust. It is Shulk's most damaging throw and one of the few moves in the game that deals back-facing knockback, which allows it to be used as a set-up for a Back Slash. With Smash active, it is one of the strongest back throws in the game, KOing at around 125%. However, it has below average knockback growth, which makes unable to score KOs reliably while Smash is not active, as it does not KO middleweights until 192% while near the edge.
Up 	 	(5% = hit 1, 3% = throw, 8% = total). 	Heaves the opponent in the air and performs a kneeling upward thrust. It has combo potential at low percentages and/or with Buster active, as it can lead into several up tilts or Air Slash with Buster active, or a ground attack if the opponent air dodges. At high percentages, it can act as a set-up into an up aerial while Jump is active, which has the potential to KO opponents if their reaction is read properly. This combo is only avoidable with an air dodge and, due to Shulk's ability to buffer-cancel Arts or double jump to increase his jump height, can be effectively performed at a wide range of percentages. This is referred to as the Monado Purge Combo. Alternatively, a Jump-boosted up throw can lead into the early hitbox of a forward aerial.
Down 	 	(6% = hit 1, 3% = throw, 9% = total). 	Pins the opponent to the ground and performs a kneeling downward thrust. With Buster active, this may lead into dash attack, forward tilt, forward smash or forward aerial beginning at 0%, with the combo into forward smash being capable of dealing 35%. With Smash active, it is the strongest down throw in the game, and consequently Shulk's most powerful throw, able to KO at around 120% near the edge. However, even though it has high knockback growth, it is unable to score KOs reliably while Smash is not active, as it does not KO middleweights until 210% while near the edge.
== Taunts ==
Up Taunt = Shrugs, shakes his head, and waves a hand as if lecturing someone while saying "Now it's Shulk time!" (穏やかじゃないですね?, Not being gentle, huh?). The animation itself resembles the one Shulk performs when engaging in a conversation in Xenoblade Chronicles. The English phrase is a reference to Reyn, his best friend and one his party members, who utters the phrase "Now it's Reyn time!" whenever his Talent Art gauge is completely filled during combat. The Japanese phrase similarly references a popular phrase in Japan; in this case, a line Shulk commonly says when accepting quests.
Side Taunt = Grips the Monado's handle with his right hand while triumphantly pumping his left fist and announcing "I'm really feeling it!" (だんだん乗ってきたよ!, Gradually getting the hang of it!). References one of Shulk's voice clips in Xenoblade Chronicles when his tension level increases in combat.
Down Taunt = Grips the Monado with both hands, activates it and poses similarly to when he activates Buster while saying "This is the Monado's power!" (モナドの力よ!, The Monado's power! / The power of the Monado!). If timed correctly, it can dodge certain projectiles, such as Blaster, Hero's Bow, and Palutena Bow. References one of Shulk's lines when he activates the Monado's Talent Art in Xenoblade Chronicles.
== Special Moves ==
Type 	Name 	Damage 	Description
Neutral Special	Monado Arts	(Varies). 	Activates one of five Monado-based Arts: Jump, Speed, Shield, Buster, or Smash. Each Art enhances particular attributes at the cost of hindering others, and lasts for 16 seconds unless manually canceled. Each Art also has cooldown, during which they cannot be used until 10 seconds pass. Shulk poses and announces an Art's name if it activates when he is not attacking or dodging; this grants 14 frames of intangibility and can be used to replace landing lag animations or change directions in midair. This is pivotal for several Monado Art-based techniques, including his signature technique, the Monado Art Landing Lag Cancel.
Side Special 	Back Slash 	(10% = front landing, 16% = back, 15% = back landing).	A jumping upward slash, similar to Dolphin Slash. It is a natural combo: its first hit deals set knockback, while pressing the attack button at its conclusion will result in a second hit, which is an outward slash that grants a small vertical boost, especially if used late. Its second hit has high knockback growth, which allows it to KO middleweights at 132% while near the edge. However, its first hit will not automatically edge-sweetspot unless the player presses the special button when Shulk is right next to an edge.
Up Special 	Air Slash 	(6% = hit 1 clean, 5% = hit 1 late, 5.5% = hit 2). 	A jumping upward slash, similar to Dolphin Slash. It is a natural combo: its first hit deals set knockback, while pressing the attack button at its conclusion will result in a second hit, which is an outward slash that grants a small vertical boost, especially if used late. Its second hit has high knockback growth, which allows it to KO middleweights at 132% while near the edge. However, its first hit will not automatically edge-sweetspot unless the player presses the special button when Shulk is right next to an edge.
Down Special 	Vision 	(1.3x = min, 10% = standard min, 13% = alternate). 	A counterattack involving Shulk using the Monado to foresee an attack. If he is hit, Shulk retaliates with a slow, powerful, and long-ranged slash that launches opponents forward. Alternatively, holding forward while counterattacking on the ground causes a fast dashing slash which launches opponents backward with even more damage and knockback (growth 84 → 94), but at the cost of less range. Notable for being both one of the strongest counters in the series (with its alternate version rivaling Counter Surge in regard to power) and being tied with Double Team for having the longest amount of counter frames. However, it loses counter frames if repeatedly used over a short period of time, making it and Witch Time the only counterattacks that lose effectiveness if spammed. Counter frames are regained over time or once Shulk is KO'd. The standard counterattack resembles Stream Edge, one of Shulk's Physical Arts, while the alternate counterattack resembles Thunder, one of Dunban's Ether Arts.
== Final Smash ==
Type 	Name 	Damage 	Description
Final Smash	Chain Attack (KO)	(50% = Dunban, 50% = Riki, 100% = Shulk, 200% = total).	Shulk Enter's an animation, where he summons Dunban and Riki to perform a Chain Attack on the opponent, which he then concludes with a powerful slash that deals 200% damage in total and automatically KO's An Opponent. Chain Attack's damage output and knockback can also be affected by Monado Arts, 
Category:Characters
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Category:Super Smash Bros. (series)
Category:Super Smash Bros. Characters
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