Shulk (Life & Death)

Shulk (シュルク, Shulk) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Life or Death.
Shulk is a young scientist who hails from Colony 9, a settlement situated on the lower leg of the Bionis, one of the two long-dormant titans that make up the world of Xenoblade Chronicles. He lives in a time when the people of Bionis are under siege from the Mechon, mechanical soldiers sent from Mechonis, the other titan. As a child, he was the only survivor of the expedition that discovered the Monado, the only weapon known to be able to damage Mechon; in the present day, at age 18, he works for the Colony 9 Defence Force and studies the Monado, in the hope of determining its secrets and finding a way for people other than the injured Dunban to be able to wield it. He also works to salvage fallen Mechon parts and develop weapons for the Defence Force, including a unique "Gunlance" that he designed for his best friend Reyn, a soldier. He is also close friends with Fiora, Dunban's younger sister, who is also his love interest.
Shulk is voiced by Adam Howden in the Western versions of Life or Death while Shintarō Asanuma voices him in the Japanese version of the game. 
==How to Unlock==
Shulk is available from the start of a new game and doesn't need to be unlocked.
==Moveset==
* Shulk's damage outputs and knockback can be manipulated by Monado Arts. The following moveset list details the properties of his attacks when he has no active Monado Arts.
* With the exception of neutral attack, up smash, throws, and getup attacks, all of Shulk's attacks that use the Monado have a sweetspot on the blade itself and a sourspot on the beam, much like Roy's reverse tipper mechanic. For simplicity, if for example, such an attack deals 10% damage with the blade and 9% with the beam, its damage output is listed as 10%/9%.
 	Name 	Description
Neutral Attack 	N/A 	A jab, followed by a roundhouse kick, followed by an upward slash. Its second hit resembles Tempest Kick, one of Dunban's ether Arts.
Forward Tilt 	N/A 	An inward slash. It also deals high shield damage when Buster is active. However, its range is shorter than Shulk's other moves, while its narrow hitbox allows smaller characters to crouch under it. It is almost identical to one of Shulk's auto-attacks.
Up Tilt 	N/A 	An overhead arcing slash.
Down Tilt 	N/A 	A kneeling inward slash.
Dash Attack 	N/A 	An inward slash. With the Speed Art, it becomes a more effective burst option with more horizontal range thanks to Shulk lunging further forward, but the Shield Art instead reduces his burst range during the move. It is almost identical to Stream Edge, one of Shulk's Break-inducing Arts.
Forward Smash 	N/A 	A forward thrust, which causes the Monado to reveal its beam blade. It consists of two hits: the first is from the Monado's blade, which leads into the second hit from its beam blade. It is one of the longest ranged non-projectile forward smashes in the game; when coupled with its ability to be angled, it can hit opponents attempting to grab the edge. The Buster Art grants the move good shield-pressuring potential, as it can deplete half a shield. It is almost identical to Slit Edge, one of Shulk's physical Arts, albeit with the Monado being held in a standard grip instead of sideways.
Up Smash 	N/A 	Squats and slams the Monado's hilt onto the ground, causing its beam blade to thrust upward. An overall effective move for punishing, as the first hit's deceptive horizontal range launches opponents into the second hit.
Down Smash 	N/A 	A series of circular slashes around himself, with Shulk spinning in a full circle three times. 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 reliably near the edge at 78%/85% (blade/beam). Each spin quickly loses power, but the final spin has slightly more range. It is almost identical to War Swing, one of Reyn's physical Arts.
Neutral Aerial 	N/A 	A circular slash around himself. It is one of Shulk's most useful approach options, thanks to its wide range, full 360 degree coverage, low landing lag (6 frames) and long duration.
Forward Aerial 	N/A 	A downward slash.
Back Aerial 	N/A 	A delayed reverse gripped thrust.
Up Aerial 	N/A 	An upward thrust, which causes the Monado to reveal its beam blade. Like his forward and up smashes, the first hit from the Monado's blade leads into the second hit from its beam blade.
Down Aerial 	N/A 	A downward thrust, which causes the Monado to reveal its beam blade. It hits twice in the same fashion as his up aerial, but the first hit deals more damage to grounded opponents. The second hit meteor smashes aerial opponents if the blade hitbox connects.
Grab 	N/A 	Reaches out with his left arm.
Pummel 	N/A 	Hits the opponent with the Monado's pommel.
Forward Throw 	N/A 	An upward slash.
Back Throw 	N/A 	Pulls the opponent behind himself and performs a reversed gripped thrust.
Up Throw 	N/A 	Heaves the opponent in the air and performs a kneeling upward thrust.
Down Throw 	N/A 	Pins the opponent to the ground and performs a jumping downward thrust.
Neutral Special	Monado Arts 	Activates one of five Monado Arts: Jump, Speed, Shield, Buster, or Smash. Each Art significantly enhances particular attributes at the cost of significantly hindering others, and all last for varying durations unless manually canceled. A wheel can be used by holding the special button, selecting an Art, and then releasing the Special button, which instantly activates an Art even while in hitstun; alternatively, the special button can be pressed once to cycle through each Art manually, and pressed thrice to cancel a current Art. Each Art has varied cooldown times and durations. 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 advanced techniques, including the Monado Art Landing Lag Cancel and Dial Storage.
Side Special 	Back Slash 	A leaping downward slash, with Shulk occasionally yelling "Back Slash!" during the move. The Monado's blade beam glows red during the move, referencing physical Arts in his home game. Shulk takes a small leap forward upon start-up, giving it slightly more range and allows him to jump over small projectiles. The distance of the leap can be adjusted by holding left or right during the leap. True to its name, it deals more damage and has higher knockback if it hits the opponent's back: the blade/beam hitbox will KO at around 74%/88% at the edge. Conversely, the front hitbox is incapable of KOing until excessively high percents, unless in the Smash Art. It has recovery potential since it snaps to the edge if started at a height slightly higher than the top platform of Battlefield, though it is risky since the move cannot be canceled.
Up Special 	Air Slash 	A jumping upward slash, similar to Dolphin Slash, with Shulk occasionally yelling "Air Slash!" The Monado's blade beam glows pink during the move, referencing Break-inducing Arts in his home game. It is a natural combo: its first hit has set knockback, while pressing the attack button again 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 extremely high knockback growth, which makes it a useful KOing option, especially from out of shield; its second hit KOs approximately at 106% near an edge. The Jump Art increases vertical distance gained by the first slash. However, the Jump Art can cause the natural combo to whiff due to the additional vertical distance. The first slash will automatically snap to edges during its ending frames.
Down Special 	Vision 	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 that deals more damage and knockback growth in addition to launching opponents backward, but its speed and Shulk's momentum can cause it to occasionally miss its target. Monado Arts can affect the KO potential of the counterattack. As a downside, Vision 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 counter's pose resembles Shadow Eye, one of Shulk's supportive Arts. The normal counterattack is almost identical to Stream Edge, one of Shulk's Break-inducing Arts, whereas the forward-held counterattack is a reference to Thunder, one of Dunban's ether Arts.
Final Smash 	Chain Attack	Emits a sphere of bright light in front of himself. If it hits an opponent, Shulk summons Dunban, Riki, and Reyn to perform a Chain Attack on the opponent, which he then concludes with a powerful slash. Chain Attack's damage output and knockback are also affected by Monado Arts. However, it has a short range, as Shulk needs to be close to the opponent in order for its first hit to land. In addition, Arts can expire during the Chain Attack's cutscene, which affects its damage output and knockback.
==Other Animations==
Animation 	Description 	Notes
On-Screen Appearance 	Jumps down onto the stage while performing a downward slash using the Monado. Shulk then quickly turns his back to the screen and places the Monado on his back while Buster's symbol flashes briefly. 	
Taunt 1 	Holds his right hand out and says while shaking his head, "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 of 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. 	
Taunt 2 	Grips the Monado's handle with his right hand while triumphantly pumping his left fist and announcing "I'm really feeling it!" (だんだんノってきたよ！, Gradually getting the hang of it!). This is one of the lines Shulk may announce in Xenoblade Chronicles when his tension level increases in combat. 	
Taunt 3 	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, Bow and Arrows, and Palutena Bow. This is one of the lines Shulk may announce when he uses his "Activate Monado" Talent Art in Xenoblade Chronicles. 	
Star KO 	 	
Screen KO 	 	
Character Selection Screen	 	
Crowd Chant 	Shulk Shulk Shulk! 	
Victory Pose 1 	Raises the Monado, activates it, and swings it in an outward, downward arc. He then deactivates it and places it on his back, saying either "I got through that pretty good!" (よかった、これで解決ですね。, All good, it's been quite resolved.) or "This is a good result!" (結構よい仕上がりだね。, It was a splendid completion, huh?). 	
Victory Pose 2 	Swings the Monado twice while it is active (the first swing is inward with both hands, and the second is an outward swing with his right arm). Then he holds it level to his head (horizontally lengthwise) as it deactivates, saying either "The future is ours to decide." (みんなの気持ちが伝わってきたよ！, Everyone's feelings have been coming through!) or "I've got a good rhythm going!" (ほんと、いい流れがつくれているよ！, For real, this makes it a good flow!). 	
Victory Pose 3 	Bows down with the Monado held lengthwise, with the Monado activating before Shulk holds it in a reverse grip, saying either "I can feel the power!" (うん、力を感じる！, Hmm, I feel the power.) or "I can change the future." (未来は…変えられるんだ！, The future… I can change it!). 	
==Role in Classic Mode==
Like all other fighters, Shulk appears in Classic Mode. Shulk's Mini-Boss is unknown. 
===Shulk Ending===
==Role in The Kiss of Death==
==Alternate Costumes==
With the exception of his first and last alternate costumes, all of Shulk's alternate costumes are based on the color schemes of his party members from Xenoblade Chronicles. His hair now also changes colors to match these characters.
Image	Number	Color 	Notes 	Unlockable?
 	01 	Red 	 	Default
 	02 	White 	Resembles Mecha-Fiora. 	Default
 	03 	Black 	Resembles Dunban. 	Default
 	04 	Orange 	Resembles Reyn. 	Default
 	05 	Blue 	Resembles Sharla. 	Default
 	06 	Lavender	Resembles Melia. 	Default
 	07 	Yellow 	Resembles Riki. 	Default
 	08 	Trunks 	Based on Shulk's "Swimsuit" armor set and his appearance with armor unequipped in Xenoblade Chronicles. Officially dubbed "Ecru Type" as of Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition.	Default
 	09 	 	 	Unlockable
 	10 	 	 	Unlockable
 	11 	 	 	Unlockable
 	12 	 	 	Unlockable
 	13 	 	 	Unlockable
 	14 	 	 	Unlockable
==Smash Taunts==
===Palutena's Guidance===
===Snake's Codecs===
==Fighter Spirits==
Shulk's Fighter Spirit can be obtained by completing Classic Mode. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 500 coins. Unlocking Shulk in The Kiss of Death allows the player to preview the first spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a Fighter Spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. Each Fighter Spirit has an alternate version that replaces them with their artwork in Life & Death.
File:Shulk3.png
==Trivia==
Category:Fighters in Super Smash Bros. Life or Death