Zero Suit Samus (PM)

Zero Suit Samus is a playable character in the Brawl mod Project M. She was buffed between Brawl and PM, with many new tools given to her to aid in comboing opponents. She is currently ranked 13th out of 41, near the middle of the A- tier on the official tier list, slightly lower than her placement in Brawl, where she is ranked 9th out of 38. However, in the official Project+ , she is ranked 2nd in the S tier, a significant improvement over her standing both in Brawl and in Project M.
==Attributes==
Zero Suit Samus is a powerful character with many great movement attributes that make her formidable to fight against. Her initial dash speed is as good as and , but her max speed is much higher. This also gives her a dash dance on par with 's in size. Furthermore, she has the highest horizontal air acceleration after and (and tied with ), giving her strong mixups when jumping in. Her large, safe back air, huge down smash, and extremely quick up tilt can create a tough wall to get in on.
One powerful and unique tool in Zero Suit's arsenal is her down B, an extremely flexible flipping "jump". On it's own, it gives Zero Suit another powerful way to alter her trajectory in the air without expending her double jump. However, because Zero Suit can walljump or double jump out of the animation before it ends, it becomes an extremely powerful recovery tool as well. Her down B from ledge also helps gain her valuable space after recovering, and allows for flexibility in jumping up to the platform or even just wavelanding onto the main stage. Finally, it is a good edgeguarding and combo-ending tool. By pressing A, Zero Suit does a strong dive kick. The dive kick is a strong, long lasting hitbox that can be used in either direction from a down B, which makes it valuable for covering options when edgeguarding. Additionally, using down B allows Zero Suit to wait and follow DI after a linking move before committing to her finishing blow. Finally, the dive kick is easily edge cancelled, which allows for tricky movement mixups on platforms.
The other thing that makes Zero Suit Samus's recover so potent is an interesting interaction between her up B and her upward speed. Her up B will multiply any upward speed at the time of it's usage, allowing for a much larger jump than usual. By combining her down B, double jump, and up B, ZSS can easily make it back from nearly any position off stage. Additionally, it will boost the upward movement of any wall jump, allowing for death defying recoveries on stages with walls that go all the way down.
The main weaknesses of Zero Suit include aiming very low to the ground and her combo weight. Because she is so tall, it is difficult to hit a short crouching opponent with anything other than low aerials and her down smash, which get predictable quickly. Short enough opponents will even duck under her blaster, which can make fighting opponents with good crouches very tough. In terms of combo weight, Zero Suit falls very similarly to Sheik (in fact, due to a higher gravity stat, ZSS will stay vertically closer to opponents than Sheik for a given amount of knockback) with equally poor and slow descending options, which can give opponents extremely long juggles.
==Changes from Brawl to PM==
Zero Suit Samus received a mix of buffs and nerfs from Brawl to Project M, but was buffed overall. Her mobility has been considerably improved not due to her running and falling speeds increasing but also due to the reintroduction of wavedashing and Melee dash dancing. Some of her moves are significantly more useful. Her forward Smash is a superior kill move and the back hit sends her opponents up and towards her allowing her to combo out of forward Smash. Her new down aerial is much faster and has a lot more utility compared to her previous down aerial giving her a new fast combo option. Her recovery has also improved as her tether can no longer be edge hogged due to Project Ms new tether mechanics and her new down special is more versatile. Lastly, she now has a non tether grab making her grab a lot more effective combined with her more effective throws due to Project Ms physics changes. 
However, Zero Suit Samus also received some nerfs. She no longer starts a round with Power Suit Pieces meaning that she no longer has access to powerful items she can abuse forcing her to play more aggressively. Her opponents are now capable of mashing out of moves which paralyse them ultimately making her paralysis based moves less effective. While her endurance has been improved from Brawl due to her higher weight, gravity and fall speed, they also make her significantly more vulnerable to combos. Her plasma whip has a lot less range and is no longer a strong kill option due to its reduced damage output and altered knockback angle although it is more useful for combos due to its new angle. Lastly, her up aerial is less effective at juggling due to its altered knockback angle and is a weaker vertical KO option although Project Ms physics make it a more effective combo move and the move can now be used for edgeguarding. 
Overall, Zero Suit Samus has much stronger offensive options at the cost of some of her defensive options.
===Attributes===
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===Ground Attacks===
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===Aerial Attacks===
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===Special Moves===
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==Changes from PM to P+==
Up Tilt
First Hit
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Down Smash
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Neutral Air
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Forward Air
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Down Air
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Dash Grab
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Side Special (Plasma Whip)
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Up Special (Plasma Wire)
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Down Special (Divekick)
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Other
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===Aesthetics===
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==Revisions==
===v2.6b===
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===v3.0===
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===v3.5===
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===v3.6===
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==Moveset==
Up to date as of version 3.6.
 	 	Name 	Damage 	Description
Neutral attack 	Neutral attack 	 	3% (arm), 2% (body) 	Palm strike, pistol whip, hip thrust.
Neutral attack 	Neutral attack 	 	3% 	Palm strike, pistol whip, hip thrust.
Neutral attack 	Neutral attack 	 	5% 	Palm strike, pistol whip, hip thrust.
Forward tilt 	↗ 	 	9% 	Does an around-the-body 45° kick. This move can be angled, dealing more damage when angled down.
Forward tilt 	→ 	 	9% 	Does an around-the-body 45° kick. This move can be angled, dealing more damage when angled down.
Forward tilt 	↘ 	 	12% 	Does an around-the-body 45° kick. This move can be angled, dealing more damage when angled down.
Up tilt 	Up tilt 	 	5% (hit 1), 8% (hit 2) 	Does a handstand split while spinning in place, legs moving up vertically. Pretty good knockback at higher percentages, and at low percentages it sets up combos well. Replaces her down smash as a semi-effective means of hitting opponents on both sides.
Down tilt 	Down tilt 	 	7% 	Does a prone leg-sweep. Knocks upwards from afar, knocks diagonally at close range. Can combo into other moves well at low percentages.
Dash attack 	Dash attack 	 	10% (clean), 7% (late) 	Does a sliding kick forward with her leg extended. Can easily be followed up with tilts at low to mid percentages.
Forward smash 	Forward smash 	 	- (front), 8% (back) 	Whips forward with her plasma whip. Good disjointed range, but poor knockback for a forward smash, along with some startup lag and high ending lag, being very punishable (especially to shield grabs). However, when sweetspotted, it can KO at around 100%. Hits slightly behind her as well, but damage doesn't increase when charged.
Up smash 	Up smash 	 	(hit 1), (hits 2-11), (hit 12) 	Spins in place, extending the Plasma Whip up above her head in a swirl. Hits multiple times, has long vertical disjointed range and decent horizontal range, and fast startup. Only the tip of the plasma whip does knockback (which is very low). It's possible to SDI out of it before the last hit connect.
Down smash 	Down smash 	 	 	Aims down and shoots her paralyzer gun at the ground in front of her, creating a lightning effect. Only hits in front. Low damage and delayed knockback, but stuns the target in place for a short time. Unique attack that can be followed up by a side smash, a grab or another move. Double down smash followed by up smash is an effective combo and can easily rack up damage. Also moves her forward a little.
Neutral aerial 	Neutral aerial 	 	12% 	Spins the Plasma Whip around herself. Fairly long range, but with below average knockback.
Forward aerial 	Forward aerial 	 	5% (hit 1), 10% (hit 2) 	Two forward kicks, with the second kick being stronger and slightly faster than the first. The second kick can be landed without first kick, but it requires correct timing.
Back aerial 	Back aerial 	 	13% (leg), 10% (body) 	A backward kick that has high knockback. This move can KO opponents at high percentages.
Up aerial 	Up aerial 	 	10% (clean), 7% (late) 	A single legged flip kick over her head. Has KO potential on lighter characters at around 100% if they are near the upper blast line. Hits slightly behind her too with low knockback.
Down aerial 	Down aerial 	 	12% (clean), 6% (late) 	Does a quick downwards stomp. When it connects, the enemy will be knocked upwards and Zero Suit Samus will also bounce upward, allowing follow-ups or even another down aerial at low percentages.
Grab 	Grab 	 	— 	Grabs the enemy with her left hand.
Pummel 	Pummel 	 	3% 	Knees her victim. A fairly fast pummel.
Forward throw 	Forward throw 	 	2% (hit 1), 7% (throw) 	Hits opponent forward with gun. Can chaingrab most characters at lower percentages.
Back throw 	Back throw 	 	2% (hit 1), 4% (throw) 	Kicks opponent behind herself. Extremely low knockback, rarely used due to there usually being better options available.
Up throw 	Up throw 	 	2% (hit 1), 4% (throw) 	Flips into the air and kicks the opponent upward. This is her most powerful throw knockback wise, being the only one capable of guaranteed a KO in Sudden Death. However, it has somewhat high ending lag, with a down throw being the preferred way to get opponents into the air for combos.
Down throw 	Down throw 	 	5% (hit 1), 2% (throw) 	Slams opponent on ground and then axe kicks them. Ideal for combos, knocking opponents in a great position to followup with an up aerial or, depending on the opponent's DI, a forward or back aerial.
Floor attack (front)	Floor attack (front)	 	6% 	Flips her legs around near the ground in a spin and gets up.
Floor attack (back) 	Floor attack (back) 	 	6% 	Flips her legs around upward in a spin and gets up.
Floor attack (trip) 	Floor attack (trip) 	 	5% 	Flips her legs around on the ground in a spin and gets up.
Edge attack (fast) 	Edge attack (fast) 	 	8% 	Gets up while doing a kick forward.
Edge attack (slow) 	Edge attack (slow) 	 	10% 	Slowly gets up and punches forward.
Neutral special 	Neutral special 	Paralyzer 	4-6% 	Fires a shot out of her gun, which deals a small amount of damage and paralyzes the target. It can be charged to increase the damage and the time the opponent is stunned.
Side special 	Side special 	Plasma Whip 	4% (trapping), 9% (tip) 	Samus shoots the Plasma Whip forward a long distance, with small knockback and damage throughout its length, and will also stun the target for a second. If the opponent is hit at close range they will be sent slightly upward, and when hit at the tip it delivers more knockback and sends the enemy behind her. In the air, it can be used as a tether recovery. It differs from her other tether move, the Plasma Wire, in that it has longer horizontal range, but almost no vertical range, giving Zero Suit Samus several options for tethering, depending on whether she is level with or below the ledge. The Plasma Wire can also grapple ledges that are below Zero Suit Samus's level, which can be useful for varying up her recovery.
Up special 	Up special 	Plasma Wire 	6-9% 	Zero Suit Samus fires her whip upwards, pulling anyone above her downwards. Should the tip connect with an opponent, it can either meteor smash or spike them, depending on whether her whip inflicts the penultimate or last hitbox, respectively. The player can chain this move multiple times to accumulate damage, and teching out of it can be difficult. The Plasma Wire can tether recover to any ledge above Zero Suit Samus, automatically grappling it. If the ledge is at or below the horizontal, however, it will not grapple to it. If the player is offstage but has not used their second jump, using this move will make them move upwards slightly.
Down special 	Down special 	Flip Jump 	2% (footstool), 13% (kick early), 10% (kick late), 4% (landing)	Zero Suit Samus does a small flip jump, if the attack button is pressed after the jump she will attack by extend her foot and plunge downward in a stall-then-fall, however this move can lead to a SD if used offstage. If the move is used again on an opponent in the air, she will do a flip jump forward and the enemy will be sent downward.
Final Smash 	Final Smash 	Crystal Flash	1% (hits 1-18), 25% (hit 19) 	Zero Suit Samus radiates energy, dragging in items and enemies towards her while damaging anyone close enough, and then launches the enemy with a bright flash. If the B button is held throughout the move, she will somehow regain her Power Suit, transforming into Samus. The attack hits with high knockback, but is hard to hit correctly due to its incredibly short range.
==In competitive play==
===Most historically significant players===
See also: :Category:Zero Suit Samus players (PM)
* - Ranked 29th on PMRank 2018.
* - Ranked 8th on PMRank 2018.
* - Ranked 6th on PMRank 2023. Was formerly ranked 1st on PMRank 2019 using and before switching to Zero Suit Samus. Placed 1st at with the character.
* - Tri-mains , Zero Suit Samus, and and was ranked 4th on PMRank 2022.
* - Tri-mains Fox, Zero Suit Samus, and . Ranked 31st on PMRank 2023.
==Alternate costumes==
===Project M===
Project M 3.5 gives Zero Suit Samus three new costumes; one is based off Justin Bailey from the original Metroid, and the others are based off of Zero Suit Samus in the best endings of Metroid Fusion. They match 's Retro Suit, and respectively.
Version 3.6. would be the final update to her alternate costumes, where cosmetic issues were corrected to properly represent her appearances in the respective games.
An unreleased update was planned to revamp Zero Suit Samus' model, which would've made her the first character to have her Brawl model completely replaced in Project M. This updated model is very similar to her design from Super Smash Bros. 4 and therefore uses elements from Metroid: Other M, with the exception of her high heels being removed, her Brawl paralyzer being retained, and her Other M holster being added. This would have included all her alternate costumes as well. 
											
											
											
===Project+===
In Project+, Zero Suit Samus is one of few characters to receive a new character model. This model would receive a significant overhaul following version 3.0. 
In versions prior to Project+ 3.0, the unused design planned for Project M was properly implemented in Project+ many years after its initial reveal. It incorporates elements from Metroid: Other M and Metroid: Zero Mission, similar to how she appears in Super Smash Bros. 4. 
Like her suited self, Zero Suit Samus' alternate costumes from Project M were significantly revamped to match her new design. In addition, two more costumes were included based on her appearances in the best endings of Super Metroid and Metroid: Zero Mission, respectively; the former gives her untied hair and black undergarments like the original sprite, while the latter gives her orange shorts, boots, and shirt. Her Fusion and Justin Bailey outfits have also been given recolors for team battles. Her Green Justin Bailey costume includes black hair, resembling her appearance in the Japan-exclusive Metroid: Zebes Invasion Order manga, while her Blue Justin Bailey costumes greatly resembles her appearance in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. The pink Fusion Zero Suit Samus costume would be tweaked in version 2.5 of Project+ to be consistent with the other Fusion costumes.
As of version 3.0, Zero Suit Samus received a significant revamp to her character model, visually aligning with the increased size of her hurtbox and now resembles her depiction in Metroid: Samus Returns concept art.
All her alternates costumes have been reworked to match her new design, including the hairstyles and clothing in order match her appearances from their respective sources. Her Fusion Suit recolors were revamped, and greatly resemble the Fusion Suit recolors of her suited self, with the pink Fusion suit recolor from 2.5 removed. The Justin Bailey outfit has been re-designed to also match her depiction in the best Hard Mode ending of Metroid: Samus Returns.
Secret costumes:
 
 
Z-Secret Costume (vBrawl): Her design in the un-modded base game of Brawl, which comes from her appearance in Metroid: Zero Mission.
R-Secret Costume: (Cadet Samus): Based off her cadet uniform from Metroid: Other M. This version of Samus is known as Young Samus in official material.
==Trivia==
*In Project+ 3.0, the render for the Fusion Suit alternate costume greatly resembles the pose displayed by the official Metroid: Other M Figma figurine made to promote the game. 
**Coincidentally, series creator Masahiro Sakurai has a collection of Figma figures (among them being Zero Suit Samus) which he explained to be the basis for designing the fighters in the Super Smash Bros. series.
==External links==
*Labbing Discord Tech Post
Category:Zero Suit Samus
Category:Characters (PM)