Naruto (Super Smash Flash 2)

Naruto is a newcomer starter character in Super Smash Flash 2. His sprites are custom-made and based on his appearance in Naruto: Shippūden and are a heavily modified version for his sprites from . His moveset is from the many types of Jutsu he uses in the Naruto franchise, including his signature moves, the Rasengan and Shadow Clones.
Naruto is ranked 30th on the current tier list, placing him in the B tier. Naruto's strengths include his fast attacks, great combo ability and powerful finishers in all of his smash attacks, higher stages of Rasengan, back aerial, and down tilt. Naruto can also play offensively by rushing down his opponent or defensively by zoning with his Shadow Clone Slash projectiles that can be set as traps onstage or dropped onto unsuspecting foes, strengthening his stage control, combo game, and edgeguarding ability.
However, Shadow Clone Slash covers a poor vertical distance and is predictable, making it easy to deal with if the opponent knows how it works. All of his projectiles can be out-prioritized or reflected, reducing the effectiveness of his zoning game. He has problems dealing with characters who possess disjointed range and great mobility (such as and ). Naruto also has below average weight which allows him to be KO'd very early.
Naruto has a growing player base due to his strong stage control ability and combo game, making him especially popular among low-level players. This led to a lot of hate for the character and calls for him to be nerfed. Despite this, there are few high-level Naruto mains, leading to low representation and mediocre placings in tournament.
== Attributes ==
Naruto can be described as a character with many play styles. He can be played offensively, as a rush down character, or defensively, as a zoning character. Naruto has above average dashing and walking speed, but with poor air speed giving him above average mobility. He has reliable KO moves in his forward smash, up smash, an almost fully charged Rasengan, the Fūton: Rasenshuriken (the initial hitbox stuns the opponent trapping them to take the full hit of the attack), his up aerial, back aerial, and his down tilt.
Even though he can rush down his opponents; he can zone or projectile camp with his shadow clone projectiles and leave clone land mines from his Shadow Clone Slash giving Naruto a decent amount of stage control.
His recovery, although covering a poor distance, allows him to deal with edge guarders with the initial hitbox at the beginning of the move and if he presses the attack button during his ascent, he will be able to kick his opponents away. Naruto's down aerial (as long as he is above the ledge) and Rasenshuriken (slows his descent before he throws it) can help him recover horizontally.
Naruto has an amazing ground game with his tilts and dash attack being great tools. His up tilt and dash attack are great for starting combos. His forward tilt is a good spacing tool, while also doing decent knockback. His down tilt is strong which can make for a great KO option.
However, Naruto two very significant flaws, one concerning his recovery. Although it can help him deal with edge guarders, Shadow Clone Slash can be easily edge hogged and his recovery will be shortened if chooses to attack during his ascent, already worsening the move's poor vertical gain. His down aerial can help him recover horizontally, but if he goes to low, then he might not be able to recover vertically. Additionally, if the player is not careful with Rasenshuriken, opponents can easily absorb it, hindering his zoning game, or reflect it, which might knock Naruto further from the stage, if not KO him outright.
All of his projectiles can be reflected or out-prioritized, meaning his stage control can be countered and turned against him if he goes up against characters with reflectors. With the exception of his forward tilt, Naruto lacks range in most of his attacks, leaving him vulnerable to characters with disjointed hitboxes (ex. and ). Characters who posses more priority in their attacks also give him trouble (ex. and ). In addition, he lacks any reliable ways to deal with projectiles and his crouch is not low enough to make it suitable to dodging projectiles.
== Moveset ==
=== Ground attacks ===
Attack 	Description 	Damage
Neutral attack	Performs a quick jab, a side kick, and then a spinning back kick. All three hits are relatively fast, and the first and second hits can lock. 	
Neutral attack	Performs a quick jab, a side kick, and then a spinning back kick. All three hits are relatively fast, and the first and second hits can lock. 	
Forward tilt 	Slashes forward with a kunai. Very fast startup, making it a useful out of shield option. It has enough knockback to KO middleweights at ledge at around 110% with no DI, while also having low ending lag.	8%
Up tilt 	An overhead swing kick. Very useful as a combo extender and can lead into multiple options. 	8%
Down tilt 	A downward headbutt. Due to the move's spike hitbox, it is very useful for extending combos or catching opponents hanging on the ledge. 	10%
Dash attack 	A baseball slide followed by an upward kick. Great aerial combo starter due to its low ending lag, knockback, and vertical trajectory. 	
Dash attack 	A baseball slide followed by an upward kick. Great aerial combo starter due to its low ending lag, knockback, and vertical trajectory. 	
Forward smash 	Lunges forward and kicks with his foot. Decent knockback, with a somewhat low startup. 	
Up smash 	Kicks upwards while placing his hand on the ground. While its startup is quick, it has abysmal reach, both vertically and horizontally. 	
Down smash 	Does a split kick, hitting both sides. It has the fastest startup out of all his smash attacks, and launches at a semi-spike angle. 	
=== Aerial attacks ===
Attack 	Description 	Damage
Neutral aerial	A flying kick. Has little start up lag and ending lag, along with having useful launch angles, making it one of the best sex kicks for extending combos. Can be SHFFL'd for approaching. Can also lead into a grab and, if used in the air, can lead into a forward aerial.	
Neutral aerial	A flying kick. Has little start up lag and ending lag, along with having useful launch angles, making it one of the best sex kicks for extending combos. Can be SHFFL'd for approaching. Can also lead into a grab and, if used in the air, can lead into a forward aerial.	
Forward aerial	Raises his foot, then brings it down in an axe kick. Any opponents hit are meteor smashed. It is relatively strong, which makes it a good KO option offstage, though this is hampered by the move's startup 	14%
Back aerial 	Swiping back kick. The move sports low startup, while also being considerably powerful, KOing around 90% at ledge. 	
Back aerial 	Swiping back kick. The move sports low startup, while also being considerably powerful, KOing around 90% at ledge. 	
Up aerial 	Inverted stomp: Naruto flips completely upside-down, kicking upwards with his leg. High knockback. 	
Up aerial 	Inverted stomp: Naruto flips completely upside-down, kicking upwards with his leg. High knockback. 	
Down aerial 	A stall-then-fall divekick. Naruto falls diagonally downwards while using this move. Can be followed up with forward smash or down smash. 	9%
=== Grab and throws ===
Attack 	Description 	Damage
Grab 	Swings his arm out to grab. 	colspan="3"
Pummel 	Punches the opponent. 	1%
Forward throw	Throws the opponent forward followed by two kunai. Can chaingrab opponents. 	
Forward throw	Throws the opponent forward followed by two kunai. Can chaingrab opponents. 	
Back throw 	Slams opponent behind him, then slashes them with a shuriken. 	
Back throw 	Slams opponent behind him, then slashes them with a shuriken. 	
Up throw 	A Shadow Clone appears on the other side of Naruto's victim and kicks the opponent upwards. Another Clone then appears, knocking them further into the air. Does not have any KO potential nor any follow up options, making it Naruto's worst throw. 	
Down throw 	Starts out almost the same as his upward throw, but the clone appears and runs up from behind Naruto and hits the opponent up. Then, he jumps into the air himself and punches the opponent back onto the ground. Can follow-up into his back aerial or a reverse Shadow Clone Toss if the target does not tech when they hit the ground.	
Down throw 	Starts out almost the same as his upward throw, but the clone appears and runs up from behind Naruto and hits the opponent up. Then, he jumps into the air himself and punches the opponent back onto the ground. Can follow-up into his back aerial or a reverse Shadow Clone Toss if the target does not tech when they hit the ground.	
=== Other attacks ===
Attack 	Description 	Damage
Floor attack	Punches in front of himself, and then kicks behind himself.	10%
Ledge attack	Rolls up and does a spinning hook kick. 	7%
=== Special moves ===
Attack 	Name 	Description 	Damage
Neutral special move	Rasengan 	Summons a Shadow Clone and charges up a ball of spinning chakra in his hand that flies horizontally on contact with an opponent or object. He can release the attack at any time, or cancel the charge animation by shielding or rolling. When fully charged, it turns into a Rasenshuriken. 	
Neutral special move	Rasengan 	Summons a Shadow Clone and charges up a ball of spinning chakra in his hand that flies horizontally on contact with an opponent or object. He can release the attack at any time, or cancel the charge animation by shielding or rolling. When fully charged, it turns into a Rasenshuriken. 	
Neutral special move	Rasengan 	Summons a Shadow Clone and charges up a ball of spinning chakra in his hand that flies horizontally on contact with an opponent or object. He can release the attack at any time, or cancel the charge animation by shielding or rolling. When fully charged, it turns into a Rasenshuriken. 	
Neutral special move	Fūton: Rasenshuriken	Throws a shuriken-shaped chakra release forwards. It can travel a long distance before disappearing, and upon contact, deals multiple hits before exploding. 	
Neutral special move	Fūton: Rasenshuriken	Throws a shuriken-shaped chakra release forwards. It can travel a long distance before disappearing, and upon contact, deals multiple hits before exploding. 	
Neutral special move	Fūton: Rasenshuriken	Throws a shuriken-shaped chakra release forwards. It can travel a long distance before disappearing, and upon contact, deals multiple hits before exploding. 	
Side special move 	Shadow Clone Toss 	Summons a Shadow Clone and throws him, which kicks the opponent towards Naruto on contact. The clone then disappears after the kick, or otherwise, when it hits the ground. Can lead into combos. 	6%
Up special move 	Shadow Clone Slash 	Summons a clone and jumps upwards off it, while simultaneously slashing upwards with his kunai. While ascending, a second press of the special button stops Naruto's momentum and has him kick forward, which deals moderately high knockback.
The Shadow Clone Naruto summons will then fall towards the ground, weakly meteor smashing anyone who comes into contact with it as its falling. Once it touches any solid surface, it will then lie on its back. Anyone who touches it then will take 6% damage and be paralyzed for a short moment.	
Up special move 	Shadow Clone Slash 	Summons a clone and jumps upwards off it, while simultaneously slashing upwards with his kunai. While ascending, a second press of the special button stops Naruto's momentum and has him kick forward, which deals moderately high knockback.
The Shadow Clone Naruto summons will then fall towards the ground, weakly meteor smashing anyone who comes into contact with it as its falling. Once it touches any solid surface, it will then lie on its back. Anyone who touches it then will take 6% damage and be paralyzed for a short moment.	
Up special move 	Shadow Clone Slash 	Summons a clone and jumps upwards off it, while simultaneously slashing upwards with his kunai. While ascending, a second press of the special button stops Naruto's momentum and has him kick forward, which deals moderately high knockback.
The Shadow Clone Naruto summons will then fall towards the ground, weakly meteor smashing anyone who comes into contact with it as its falling. Once it touches any solid surface, it will then lie on its back. Anyone who touches it then will take 6% damage and be paralyzed for a short moment.	
Down special move 	Shadow Clone Summon 	When grounded, Naruto summons a clone, which uppercuts from the ground in front of him. It can also be summoned behind, and farther from his direction, depending on the directional key pressed. When done in the air, he summons two clones above him on his left and right that dive kick diagonally downwards. The aerial version can be used for spacing.	11%
Final Smash 	Tailed Beast Rush 	Summons a Shadow Clone that kicks the opponents upwards, launching them into the air. Naruto then enters his Nine-Tails Chakra mode and, with the aid of the Shadow Clone, delivers various kicks and blows on the opponents, culminating with an Ōdama Rasengan. 	
=== Misc. ===
Misc. 	Description 	Description 	Description
On-screen appearance	Teleport to the foreground using the Body Flicker Technique (). 	Teleport to the foreground using the Body Flicker Technique (). 	Teleport to the foreground using the Body Flicker Technique ().
Taunts 	Neutral 	Uses the Sexy Technique (), and blows a kiss while giggling. 	
Taunts 	Side 	Takes out his kunai and slashes out across in front of him. 	
Taunts 	Down/Up 	Summons three Shadow Clones, each one of them smiling with a thumbs-up (His shortest taunt). 	
Idle pose 	Adjusts and tightens his bandana. 	Adjusts and tightens his bandana. 	Adjusts and tightens his bandana.
Victory theme 	Excerpt theme I'll Do It Right! (), ripped straight from the anime Naruto. 	Excerpt theme I'll Do It Right! (), ripped straight from the anime Naruto. 	Excerpt theme I'll Do It Right! (), ripped straight from the anime Naruto.
Victory pose 	Naruto raises his thumb up and smiles in triumph while saying; "" which roughly means; "Believe it!".	Naruto raises his thumb up and smiles in triumph while saying; "" which roughly means; "Believe it!".	Naruto raises his thumb up and smiles in triumph while saying; "" which roughly means; "Believe it!".
Victory pose 	Enters Sage Mode () and folds his arms triumphantly. 	Enters Sage Mode () and folds his arms triumphantly. 	Enters Sage Mode () and folds his arms triumphantly.
== Changes and revisions ==
Naruto was one of, if not the character that has the most buffs in version 1.1. He was buffed in multiple aspects, including mobility, lag, range, and knockback. Below is a list of major changes in the most recent patch.
*
*
*
== In competitive play ==
=== Match ups ===
=== Notable players ===
==== Active ====
* Cashafterdark
==== Inactive ====
=== Tier placement history ===
In the tier lists for demo v0.6, Naruto was seen as high tier character because he was tied with Lloyd for 4/5 of C tier on the first list and was ranked 4th of B tier on the second list. On the lists for demo v0.7, Naruto's was stuck in C tier on both lists where he was seen as a mid tier character. In demo v0.8b, his tier position jumped up to 5th of A tier where he was seen as a top tier character. However, in demo v0.9a, he was ranked 18th where he is now seen as a mid-low tier character. In demo v0.9b, Naruto jumped up to 6th of S tier where is finally seen as a top tier character again. However, the changes in the metagame made Naruto be seen as a less effective character then he originally was, where he dropped to 9th of A tier and is seen as a high tier character.
== Gallery ==
=== Costumes ===
=== Artworks ===
Narutobig.gif|Naruto's first art in the Smash Flash DOJO!!!.
Naruto_Pre0.9.png|Naruto's first art. Used in-game from v0.5a to v0.6, and in the character selection screen from v0.5a to v0.8b.
Naruto0.8b.png|Naruto's second art, used from v0.7 to v0.8b.
Naruto Main.png|Naruto's third artwork, from v0.9a.
Naruto PA.png|Naruto's fourth, unused artwork.
Naruto PA 2.png|Naruto's fifth artwork, from v0.9b.
=== Screenshots ===
New Naruto GUA.png|Naruto using his floor attack on Hidden Leaf Village.
Naruto 1.png|Naruto taunting at a stunned while and standing on Desk.
Naruto 2.png|Naruto and holding Explosive Tags while falling on Jungle Hijinx.
Naruto 3.png|Naruto using his forward smash against on Butter Building.
Naruto 4.png|Naruto using Rasenshuriken and using Charge Shot in the air on .
Naruto 5.png|Naruto appearing behind after rolling while the latter misses his forward smash on Final Valley.
Naruto 6.png|Naruto tightening his bandana next to on Hidden Leaf Village.
Ball - Naruto.png|Naruto's ball version.
=== Early designs ===
Narutopic1.png|Naruto doing a thumbs-up on Hidden Leaf Village.
Narutopic2.png|Naruto using Shadow Clone Summon to hit on .
Narutopic3.png|Naruto using his down aerial on .
Narutopic4.png|Naruto using his up tilt to attack on Hidden Leaf Village.
NinjaNAirOld.png|Naruto using his neutral aerial on Temple of Time.
=== Designs ===
Naruto's old stance.png|Naruto's first early design used from v0.5a until v0.8b.
Naruto stance.png|Naruto's new idle animation, used since early v0.9a.
Naruto's re design.png|Naruto's new design, used from demo v0.9.0.2007 onward.
=== Misc. ===
SSF2 - Classic mode - Naruto.png|Naruto's congratulations screen on Classic mode.
SSF2 - All-Star mode - Naruto.png|Naruto's congratulations screen on All-Star mode.
== Trivia ==
*Prior to Naruto's inclusion in this game, it was mistakenly believed that Naruto's side special move was to be the Fūton: Rasenshuriken and his down special move to be the Rasengan Smash, where Naruto slammed a Rasengan into the ground. This became Naruto's down smash in version 0.5a of the demo but was removed in subsequent versions for unknown reasons. Rasenshuriken eventually replaced Ōdama Rasengan as the full-powered variant of his neutral special in version 0.8a.
*Naruto is currently the only character in the game to have all of his specials and throws use or involve a projectile.
*Naruto is one of the four fighters in Super Smash Flash 2 to be voiced in Japanese, the others being , , and .
*Naruto alongside , , , and are the only characters that do not clap for the winner.
*Naruto's current artwork in Super Smash Flash 2 is similar to his render in his appearance in J-Stars Victory VS..
== External link ==
*Naruto's page at Smash Flash DOJO!!
Category:Fourth-party characters
Category:Newcomer characters
Category:Starter characters
Category:Super Smash Flash 2
Category:Super Smash Flash series