Sora (Super Smash Flash 2)

Sora is a veteran starter character in Super Smash Flash 2. His sprites are custom-made and based on his appearance in .
Sora is currently ranked 6th on the tier list, placing him at the S tier. Sora's strengths include a great combo ability, good range in most of his attacks with his Keyblade, solid, speedy aerials and reliable KO moves in his forward smash, up smash, forward aerial, back aerial, and Command Deck (when using Fire or Thunder). Sora has a great air game, with a fast air speed, long range in his aerials and little start up and ending lag in most of his aerial attacks. He is one of the best edgeguarders in the game, and breaking his own guard is difficult. He also has a good projectile in Strike Raid, as it can rack up damage and sends the opponent towards him, making it useful as a combo starter or extender. Additionally, Aerial Recovery sports impressive maneuverability and does not leave Sora helpless, allowing for varied follow-ups, and his recovery is long-distanced, as it is supported by his versatile Flowmotion, which travels a long horizontal distance and can be slightly angled upwards and downwards. When Flowmotion is angled downwards near the ground, it also gives him a long pseudo wavedash known as Flowdash, and using Fire or Blizzard with the Command Deck slows down his descent. Combined with a fast air speed, a decent running speed, and a disjointed range, he has a good approach, and his neutral aerial can be used to cross-up shields if used well.
However, Sora has slightly below average weight, and combined with his floatiness, this makes him easier to KO vertically and horizontally compared to a decent portion of the cast. Some of his recovery options leave him open while he is trying to get back to the stage, as Aerial Recovery covers an unimpressive vertical distance despite its maneuverability, causes Sora to lose his double jump if he didn't use it yet and lacks hitboxes to protect him, and Flowmotion covers minimal vertical height when angled upwards and leaves him helpless if it doesn't hit anyone or hits a shield, as the move will be cancelled and leave Sora helpless if it hits a shielding opponent. This means that while his recovery can be extended and covers a long distance, he can have issues in coming back to the stage if he has lost his midair jump. He has low priority for a fighter with a disjointed sword, and his attacks are often fairly weak on their own, relying on his strong combo ability to rack up damage and secure KOs. Some of his KO moves have fairly weak KO potential, such as his up smash, or need good positioning, such as Thunder.
Sora appears to have a low player base and lackluster representation in online tournaments. His tournament placings fluctuate, but are generally low and his results are incredibly inconsistent when compared to other characters.
== Attributes ==
Sora is a medium-weight character heavily focused on racking damage and combos. His strongest aspect is his air game, which is where his combo ability shines the most, as his aerials have good range and priority. His neutral aerial is a fast combo extender or starter, as players can keep Sora's forward momentum on hit due to each hit giving him a slight upward boost. Forward aerial is a fast and reliable KO option which can be set up into from most of his aerials, and while his back aerial can do the same slightly earlier, it does have some startup. Finally, his up and down aerials can serve as viable combo extenders due to their vertical launch angle and low knockback, further compounded by the vertical boost they provide on hit. Sora's fast aerials, in addition to his fast air speed, also give him a spectacular edgeguarding game, which opponents may have trouble breaking through.
This impressive air game is also mirrored in his ground game. He sports good ground mobility, allowing him to chase down his victims to start or extend combos reliably. His neutral attack is very quick, and has an above-average damage output, in addition to the first and second hit being capable of locking. All of his tilts serve as reliable combo starters due to their low knockback, vertical launch angles, and low ending lag. His most reliable KO moves are his forward smash and up smash, with the former having good range and strong knockback, and the latter is a good anti-air option due to its vertical range and can deal a large amount of damage, allowing Sora access to reliable finishers. His grab game also sports decent utility, as his forward throw can set up a tech-chase situation or edgeguard due to its horizontal launch angle, while his up and down throws can set up combos, with the former being able to chain-grab fast-fallers and high-fallers, and back throw is his strongest throw and can set-up an edgeguard.
His special moveset is also very versatile. Strike Raid is a projectile and is a good damage-racking tool because of its duration, and this can also turn it into a good edgeguarding tool. In addition, its hitboxes send the opponent towards Sora, allowing it to extend combos. Flowmotion can allow different attacks depending on the directional input, and like the rest of his attacks, is a good damage-racking tool. Command Deck is very useful as well: Blizzard can be used to freeze enemies for a short time, denying approaches; Thunder is an excellent anti-air move and can KO at high percents, and Fire is useful for its KO ability and covers Sora's entire body, like his down smash. Additionally, Aerial Recovery sports impressive maneuverability and does not leave Sora helpless, allowing him to extend his already-lengthy combo strings or extend his recovery with Flowmotion.
However, due to Sora's below average weight, and below average accelerated falling speed, he is easier to KO vertically and horizontally than a good amount of the cast, giving him mediocre endurance. Additionally, he lacks reliable ways to deal with projectiles despite having a projectile himself, as his main options are slow or require him to be on the ground, which gives him trouble breaking through fighters with a camping-heavy playstyle.
Arguably, his most crippling flaw is his over reliance on damage strings to rack up damage reliably; most of his attacks, including his aerials, have unimpressive damage outputs. While this does grant Sora his impressive combo game, it forces him to perform lengthy strings of combos to rack up amounts of damage that most other characters could achieve in far fewer hits, which gives him difficulty in taking stocks. This is further exacerbated by Sora having only two aerial KO moves, in the form of his forward aerial and back aerial, and two reliable grounded KO moves, his forward smash and up smash, with the latter having mediocre KO potential despite its high damage output in comparison to the rest of his moveset and Command Deck can only KO at high percents while using Fire or Thunder, with the latter only hitting above and in front of Sora. As such, this can prove problematic if Sora goes against opponents who perform good DI, momentum canceling, or heavy characters like . In addition, many of his grounded moves have punishable lag, which can leave Sora open to attack if he misses them, and all of his throws, while sporting good utility, cannot KO at reasonable percentages, with only his back throw doing so at very high percents.
His recovery options do grant him some control over his route, but leave him extremely open to gimping once he loses his double jump, further worsening his offstage survivability. Despite having a somewhat versatile recovery near the stage, once Sora is knocked far enough away from the stage with no midair jump, his chances of survival are very low, as Aerial Recovery, though it does not leave Sora helpless, is rather slow and does not grant a high vertical distance. Additionally, Flowmotion covers very minimal vertical height, even when angled upwards, has a very slow startup, does not ledge snap until the end of the move, has a very small edge grab range, and leaves Sora helpless when used in midair, in addition to being somewhat slow.
Overall, Sora is a combo-heavy character who sports a playstyle similar to Sheik in the official Super Smash Bros. games: the objective of his playstyle is to rack up damage quickly, and finish them off when he gets an opening.
== Moveset ==
=== Ground attacks ===
Attack 	Description 	Damage
Neutral attack	Performs a downward slash, followed by a forward thrust, then finished with an outward slash. The first two hits can lock, allowing them to combo into tilts or a grab. Based on his standard three-hit combo from KINGDOM HEARTS, with the finisher being similar to his standard strike against multiple targets. 	
Neutral attack	Performs a downward slash, followed by a forward thrust, then finished with an outward slash. The first two hits can lock, allowing them to combo into tilts or a grab. Based on his standard three-hit combo from KINGDOM HEARTS, with the finisher being similar to his standard strike against multiple targets. 	
Forward tilt 	An upward angled outward slash. An effective and versatile combo starter due to its low to moderate knockback and vertical launch angle. Based on his Upper Slash ability from KINGDOM HEARTS II. 	9%
Up tilt 	Performs an overhead arcing slash from front to back. Extremely quick, with wide coverage around Sora, while also being able to combo into itself and his aerials at a variety of percentages. 	7%
Down tilt 	Thrusts the Kingdom Key in front of him while kneeling. A great combo starter due to its low knockback and vertical launch angle. Slightly slower than his up tilt, but good for approaching as it can function as a safe poking tool. 	4%
Dash attack 	Performs an inward horizontal sliding slash before stopping with a spin. An unreliable combo starter, as the angle is more unfavorable and the reduced knockback growth makes it unsafe on hit at low percents. However, it can still combo at mid and high percents. Based on his Sliding Dash ability from KINGDOM HEARTS II. 	9%
Forward smash 	Thrusts the Kingdom Key forward, causing Sora to slide slightly forward. Has a very fast startup, good range, and high knockback, making it one of his best KO moves and his strongest smash attack. Based on his Guard Break ability from KINGDOM HEARTS II. 	
Up smash 	Thrusts the Kingdom Key upwards in the air and summons a powerful wind around the blade, hitting four times. Deals high damage with a long duration and has high vertical coverage, but has mediocre KO potential. Based on his Aeroga magic from KINGDOM HEARTS: Chain of Memories. 	
Up smash 	Thrusts the Kingdom Key upwards in the air and summons a powerful wind around the blade, hitting four times. Deals high damage with a long duration and has high vertical coverage, but has mediocre KO potential. Based on his Aeroga magic from KINGDOM HEARTS: Chain of Memories. 	
Down smash 	Slams the Kingdom Key onto the ground, causing orbs of light to circle him and hit six times, dragging opponents towards him before launching them with the final hit. A good defensive option and a very reliable out-of-shield option due to its fast startup, along with its multiple hitboxes. Additionally, the final hit has a sizable hitbox, allowing it to consistently hit ledge hangs. However, the move is too weak to KO reliably. Based on his Explosion ability from KINGDOM HEARTS II.	
Down smash 	Slams the Kingdom Key onto the ground, causing orbs of light to circle him and hit six times, dragging opponents towards him before launching them with the final hit. A good defensive option and a very reliable out-of-shield option due to its fast startup, along with its multiple hitboxes. Additionally, the final hit has a sizable hitbox, allowing it to consistently hit ledge hangs. However, the move is too weak to KO reliably. Based on his Explosion ability from KINGDOM HEARTS II.	
=== Aerial attacks ===
Attack 	Description 	Damage
Neutral aerial	Two spinning outward slashes. Sora stalls slightly when the move's hitboxes make contact, which allows it to potentially chain into itself or another aerial. Based on his Aerial Sweep ability from KINGDOM HEARTS II. 	
Forward aerial	A one-handed downward slash. Causes Sora to rise slightly if it connects. Moderately strong and functions well as an aerial combo finisher. It also has low ending lag and can combo into itself at low and mid percents, making it one of his best edgeguarding options. Based on the default aerial finisher against a single enemy from KINGDOM HEARTS II. 	12%
Back aerial 	A spinning outward slash. A slow but powerful offstage KO option. Based on the default aerial finisher against multiple targets from KINGDOM HEARTS II. 	11%
Up aerial 	An upward slash. Causes Sora to rise slightly if it connects. A very effective juggling tool due to its low lag and knockback, and as Sora bounces slightly upwards, it allows him to rack up damage easily and potentially perform ladder combos. However, it has a small blindspot directly above Sora and cannot hit behind him. Based on his standard aerial attack against targets above him.	9%
Down aerial 	Performs an arcing slash underneath himself. Causes him to rise slightly if it connects. In addition, it has low ending lag, allowing it to combo into itself. 	8%
=== Grab and throws ===
Attack 	Description 	Damage
Grab 	Swipes his hand to grab the opponent. A mid-ranged grab. 	
Pummel 	Hits the opponent with the hilt of the Kingdom Key. 	1%
Forward throw	Spins the Kingdom Key into the opponent, hitting five times. It's Sora's most damaging throw and is good for setting up edgeguards. 	
Forward throw	Spins the Kingdom Key into the opponent, hitting five times. It's Sora's most damaging throw and is good for setting up edgeguards. 	
Back throw 	Swings the opponent behind him with the Kingdom Key, tossing them at an upward angle. Sora's strongest throw in terms of knockback, but still a poor KO option, unable to close out stocks until very high percents. 	7%
Up throw 	Knocks the enemy into the air with the Kingdom Key. A great combo starter that can lead into any of his aerials at low percentages. Based on his Slapshot ability from KINGDOM HEARTS II. 	6%
Down throw 	Pulls the opponent under him then thrusts the Kingdom Key into the ground while yelling "Take this!". This throw causes Sora to vault slightly into the air and has low ending lag, allowing him to combo into a neutral or forward aerial until mid percents. Based on his Finishing Leap ability from KINGDOM HEARTS II.	6%
=== Other attacks ===
Attack 	Description 	Damage
Floor attack	Gets up and sweeps around himself with the Kingdom Key. Based on his Vicinity Break ability from Kingdom Hearts II.	8%
Ledge attack	Climbs up and swipes the Kingdom Key low to the ground. 	7%
=== Special moves ===
Special move 	Name 	Description 	Damage
Neutral special move	Strike Raid 	Throws the Kingdom Key forward. Once it reaches a set distance, it stops in place and spins, hitting opponents multiple times, before it boomerangs back to him. These multiple hits can lock, and the final hit's knockback sends the opponent back to Sora. However, there is no hitbox when Sora throws the Kingdom Key. 	
Neutral special move	Strike Raid 	Throws the Kingdom Key forward. Once it reaches a set distance, it stops in place and spins, hitting opponents multiple times, before it boomerangs back to him. These multiple hits can lock, and the final hit's knockback sends the opponent back to Sora. However, there is no hitbox when Sora throws the Kingdom Key. 	
Side special move 	Flowmotion 	Flies forward while surrounded by a pink aura, performing one of five different attacks on opponents he makes contact with depending on the directional input. He can angle himself upwards or downwards slightly mid-flight with the corresponding input. 	Varies
Up special move 	Aerial Recovery	Gracefully rises forward into the air with a backflip while circles surround him. The move does not leave him helpless and allows him to use any other attack at any time, except another Aerial Recovery, making it very useful for extending combos and repositioning in addition to being his main vertical recovery move. 	
Down special move 	Command Deck 	Performs one of three different Magic spells: Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder. The spell list always cycles in the aforementioned order, and the current spell is indicated by an icon on Sora's damage meter. Fire summons a ring of fireballs around Sora that deals high damage and knockback, Blizzard fires multiple ice shards in front of Sora that freeze opponents, and Thunder fires a sharp lightning bolt from the Kingdom Key at an upward angle with strong knockback. Fire is a strong combo finisher, edgeguarding tool due to its fast startup and long duration, and it also stalls Sora's fall. Blizzard is the weakest of the spells but can be used to pressure opponents from a distance, and it also stalls Sora's fall. Thunder has the highest knockback of the spells but also the longest startup and a more precise hitbox, making it best for edgeguarding or when following up moves such as down tilt or up throw. The move has slightly more damage and knockback when hit at the tip of the lightning bolt.	
Down special move 	Command Deck 	Performs one of three different Magic spells: Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder. The spell list always cycles in the aforementioned order, and the current spell is indicated by an icon on Sora's damage meter. Fire summons a ring of fireballs around Sora that deals high damage and knockback, Blizzard fires multiple ice shards in front of Sora that freeze opponents, and Thunder fires a sharp lightning bolt from the Kingdom Key at an upward angle with strong knockback. Fire is a strong combo finisher, edgeguarding tool due to its fast startup and long duration, and it also stalls Sora's fall. Blizzard is the weakest of the spells but can be used to pressure opponents from a distance, and it also stalls Sora's fall. Thunder has the highest knockback of the spells but also the longest startup and a more precise hitbox, making it best for edgeguarding or when following up moves such as down tilt or up throw. The move has slightly more damage and knockback when hit at the tip of the lightning bolt.	
Down special move 	Command Deck 	Performs one of three different Magic spells: Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder. The spell list always cycles in the aforementioned order, and the current spell is indicated by an icon on Sora's damage meter. Fire summons a ring of fireballs around Sora that deals high damage and knockback, Blizzard fires multiple ice shards in front of Sora that freeze opponents, and Thunder fires a sharp lightning bolt from the Kingdom Key at an upward angle with strong knockback. Fire is a strong combo finisher, edgeguarding tool due to its fast startup and long duration, and it also stalls Sora's fall. Blizzard is the weakest of the spells but can be used to pressure opponents from a distance, and it also stalls Sora's fall. Thunder has the highest knockback of the spells but also the longest startup and a more precise hitbox, making it best for edgeguarding or when following up moves such as down tilt or up throw. The move has slightly more damage and knockback when hit at the tip of the lightning bolt.	
Down special move 	Command Deck 	Performs one of three different Magic spells: Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder. The spell list always cycles in the aforementioned order, and the current spell is indicated by an icon on Sora's damage meter. Fire summons a ring of fireballs around Sora that deals high damage and knockback, Blizzard fires multiple ice shards in front of Sora that freeze opponents, and Thunder fires a sharp lightning bolt from the Kingdom Key at an upward angle with strong knockback. Fire is a strong combo finisher, edgeguarding tool due to its fast startup and long duration, and it also stalls Sora's fall. Blizzard is the weakest of the spells but can be used to pressure opponents from a distance, and it also stalls Sora's fall. Thunder has the highest knockback of the spells but also the longest startup and a more precise hitbox, making it best for edgeguarding or when following up moves such as down tilt or up throw. The move has slightly more damage and knockback when hit at the tip of the lightning bolt.	
Down special move 	Command Deck 	Performs one of three different Magic spells: Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder. The spell list always cycles in the aforementioned order, and the current spell is indicated by an icon on Sora's damage meter. Fire summons a ring of fireballs around Sora that deals high damage and knockback, Blizzard fires multiple ice shards in front of Sora that freeze opponents, and Thunder fires a sharp lightning bolt from the Kingdom Key at an upward angle with strong knockback. Fire is a strong combo finisher, edgeguarding tool due to its fast startup and long duration, and it also stalls Sora's fall. Blizzard is the weakest of the spells but can be used to pressure opponents from a distance, and it also stalls Sora's fall. Thunder has the highest knockback of the spells but also the longest startup and a more precise hitbox, making it best for edgeguarding or when following up moves such as down tilt or up throw. The move has slightly more damage and knockback when hit at the tip of the lightning bolt.	
Final Smash 	Trinity Limit 	Calls Donald and Goofy for help, and all three characters raise their respective weapons, creating an orb of energy above themselves. Any opponents nearby are pulled and trapped in the energy orb, which damages them repeatedly as rays of light burst from the orb. Once six rays of light burst from the orb, it explodes, launching the trapped opponent. The player can increase the damage output by repeatedly pressing the special button. 	80-89%
=== Misc. ===
Misc. 	Description 	Description 	Description
On-screen appearance	Flies out of a keyhole shaped portal and says "Let's go!". 	Flies out of a keyhole shaped portal and says "Let's go!". 	Flies out of a keyhole shaped portal and says "Let's go!".
Taunts 	Neutral 	Sora puts his hands behind his head while giving a winking grin. 	
Taunts 	Side 	Says "How'd you like that?" while raising his fist. Based on a pose he makes after battling Sephiroth in KINGDOM HEARTS II. 	
Taunts 	Down/Up 	Leans back to look at the sky and says "Give me strength!" 	
Idle poses 	colspan="3" 	 	
Victory theme 	A short remix of the song Hikari, specifically the -KINGDOM Orchestra Instrumental Version- rearrangement from KINGDOM HEARTS. 	A short remix of the song Hikari, specifically the -KINGDOM Orchestra Instrumental Version- rearrangement from KINGDOM HEARTS. 	A short remix of the song Hikari, specifically the -KINGDOM Orchestra Instrumental Version- rearrangement from KINGDOM HEARTS.
Victory pose 	Twirls the Kingdom Key before posing with it on his shoulder, during which he says "All in a day's work." This is a reference to Sora's animation when he wins a round in the Olympus Coliseum in KINGDOM HEARTS.	Twirls the Kingdom Key before posing with it on his shoulder, during which he says "All in a day's work." This is a reference to Sora's animation when he wins a round in the Olympus Coliseum in KINGDOM HEARTS.	Twirls the Kingdom Key before posing with it on his shoulder, during which he says "All in a day's work." This is a reference to Sora's animation when he wins a round in the Olympus Coliseum in KINGDOM HEARTS.
== Changes and revisions ==
In the latest version, Sora was mostly buffed. Below is a summary of the changes to Sora in demo 1.1: 
*
*
*
*
== In competitive play ==
=== Match ups ===
=== Notable players ===
==== Active ====
* VaporEyeZ
==== Inactive ====
=== Tier placement history ===
In the tier lists for demo v0.6; Sora ranked 6th of C tier on the first list and ranked 8th of C tier on the second list where he was seen as a lower-mid tier character. On the tier lists for demo v0.7; Sora stayed a solid mid tier character due to him staying C tier for both lists. He ranked 9th of C tier on the first list and ranked 8th of C tier on the second list. Sora's tier position jumped in demo v0.8v; Sora ranked 4th of A tier where he was seen as top tier character. In demo v0.9a; Sora ranked 5th of what can be considered A tier where he is still seen as a top tier character. However, in demo v0.9b, whilst initially considered a Top 5 character by many, Sora dropped to 25th of C tier where he is now seen as a low tier character again. On the second tier list of V0.9b, he dropped once more to at 29th of C tier, dead last and is considered the worst character of the demo. However, in new tier list Sora raised from 29th tier to 27th, making him no longer the worst character of v0.9b. In the Beta version, he remained at the same position, but being higher overall due to the larger cast, being 27th out of 39 characters, making him a lower mid tier character, and then rose by two positions into the C+ tier, making him a mid tier. In the 1.1 version, he rose to 22nd, at the bottom of the B tier and he is still seen as a mid tier character due to the changes to the structure of the tier list. He then rose slightly again to 20th at the top of the A- tier.
== Gallery ==
=== Costumes ===
=== Artworks ===
Sorabig.gif|Sora's first art in the Smash Flash DOJO!!!.
SoraCSS.png|Sora's first art, used in the character selection screen from v0.6 to v0.8b. Taken from KINGDOM HEARTS II.
SoraInG.png|Sora's second art, used in-game from v0.6 to v0.8b. Taken from KINGDOM HEARTS II.
SSF2 Sora (Early).png|Sora's third artwork, in the DOJO!!! and v0.9a.
Sora 0.9a.png|Sora's fourth artwork, used in the character selection screen of v0.9a.
SSF2 Sora (early).png|Sora's fifth artwork, used from v0.9b to Beta 1.1.
=== Screenshots ===
RSoraDownT.png|Sora using his down tilt on Palutena's Shrine.
NSoraFThrow.png|Sora attacking with his forward throw on WarioWare, Inc..
NSoraRun.png|Sora running alongside on Lake of Rage.
RSoraDead.png|Sora at a knockdown state, while taunts off-screen.
RSoraStun.png|A stunned Sora on Sky Pillar.
SoraGD.png|Sora and about to use Strike Raid on The World That Never Was.
Sora 1.png|Two Soras next to each other on Devil's Machine.
Sora 2.png|Sora grabbing near Sea-salt ice cream on Saturn Valley.
Sora 3.png|Sora taunting, while and standing on Palutena's Shrine.
Sora 4.png|Sora being affected by poison, close to and White Mage on Sky Pillar.
Sora 5.png|Two Soras using Command Deck on The World That Never Was.
Ball - Sora.png|Ball version.
=== Early designs ===
Sorapic1.png|Sora attacking on Twilight Town.
Sorapic2.png|Sora using Glide while dashing on Green Hill Zone.
Sorapic3.png|Sora using his former neutral special move, Magic Cast on .
Sora and Jiminy Cricket.png|Sora uses his taunt; Jiminy Cricket cameo on Twilight Town.
=== Designs ===
Old Design - Sora 1.png|Sora's first early design used in demo v0.6 to Beta 1.1. Idle animation used until v0.7.
Old Design - Sora 2.png|Sora's second idle pose, used from demo v0.8a to Beta 1.1.
New Design - Sora.PNG|Sora's new, second design, added in Beta 1.2 onward.
=== Misc. ===
SSF2 - Classic mode - Sora.png|Sora's congratulations screen on Classic mode.
SSF2 - All-Star mode - Sora.png|Sora's congratulations screen on All-Star mode.
SSF2 Beta Movie - Sora.png|Sora in the SSF2 Beta intro.
Splash screen - Sora.png|Sora's splash screen, from his resprite trailer.
TWTNW Temp.png|Sora with Donald Duck and Goofy, as seen from Sora's resprite trailer.
== Trivia ==
*Throughout SSF2's development, Sora has gone through the most changes to his moveset out of all the characters in the game.
*From demos v0.6 to v0.7, Sora's voice clips were taken from .
Category:Starter characters
Category:Third-party characters
Category:Veteran characters
Category:Super Smash Flash 2
Category:Super Smash Flash series