There are 74 selectable characters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. This is one of the largest rosters in gaming, period. In fact, this may be the largest roster in a non-anime or licensed fighting game ever. This is a massive love letter to not only everything Nintendo, but everything video game. Naturally, the logical option would be to rank every single Spirit and Character together, but such a feat would take a lifetime. Fortunately for you, we’ve decided to simply rank all 74 characters in a succinct, easy to digest list. In a game with so many characters, it’s hard to pinpoint where exactly your main falls.

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So what makes a character high tier? Honestly, just how well they do in competitive play. This is just as much due to how the character is built as it is due to the person playing said character. Naturally, since Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has been out for only a few days now, this tier list absolutely will change with time. That said, maybe you can be the one to raise a low tier character to high tier. Or maybe you can drag a high tier to the lowest depths. Either way, it’s going to take time so get yourself buckled up for a long list ready to change at any given moment.

74 Pichu

via shoryuken.com

It perhaps goes without saying, but a character who notoriously ranked last in Melee was never going to make much of a recovery three games later. Pichu is a fast and small target, but the mere fact that they damage themselves with their own attacks puts Pichu at an enormous disadvantage. That alone resigns the rat to a cycle of perpetual obscurity and insufferability.

73 Duck Hunt

6- Duck Hunt Dog
Via: IGN

By all accounts, Duck Hunt is a character who should be good. With a personal arsenal of items, Duck Hunt can effectively weaponize multiple items at once in order to create a considerable amount of space. Unfortunately, Duck Hunt’s shockingly low speed makes it difficult to actually do any considerable amount of damage with Duck Hunt’s items, let alone survive long enough to do well.

72 Robin

via Know Your Meme

On paper, Robin is quite the overwhelming character to face off against. They hit fast, they can hit hard, and they have one of the more creative kits in the game. If nothing else, Robin is incredibly fun to play. Fun to play doesn’t equate to viable play, however, and a lack of reliable combo opportunities keep Robin from reaching their full potential. A fine character in theory, but held back by some unfortunate mechanics.

71 Little Mac

via youtube (Omega Tyrant)

In the hands of a competent player, Little Mac is an absolute beast on the battlefield. He hits hard, he hits fast, and his K.O. meter is basically a free Stock waiting to happen at any given moment. That said, even competence isn’t enough to make up for Little Mac’s inherent failings. Despite his high power and speed, his air game is the worst in the entire game. Once Little Mac is knocked off the stage, he isn’t coming back anytime soon.

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70 Pac-Man

via: smashbros.com

Although most of Pac-Man’s changes from the previous game do work to make him an overall better character, the other fighters simply pull harder and faster punches with better aerials all around. Pac-Man, while buffed, isn’t really worth the trouble. He’s a fun character to play as, but the sheer amount of effort required to use him anywhere near viably is perhaps too much for the average player.

69 Kirby

via nintendowire.com

Kirby is over fifty characters in one and maybe that in itself is why Kirby is never truly viable in competitive play. While he’s arguably better than he’s ever been- with a move set that really makes good use of his identity- Kirby is still basically stuck needing to abuse the powers of his opponents to fight on even grounds. As a result, Kirby is literally the definition of “more effort than is worth.”

68 Ridley

Reggie Ridley Smash
Via: GameTyrant

At first glance, Ridley is truly overwhelming. His Down B does an insane amount of damage, his Neutral B covers the stage in fire, and his Side B drags opponents across the stage in order to launch them off. Ridley can be punished, though, and easily at that. With some practice, it’s not too difficult to juggle Ridley and keep him pushed back. His incredibly high strength is still an issue, but that’s nothing smart play can’t get around.

67 Lucas

Via: kaiser-money.deviantart.com

When it comes down to it, Lucas is just a worse Ness. Granted, this doesn’t mean Lucas can’t be useful in his own right, but his floaty nature means you’ll be working quite hard to make up for his shortcomings. Are you noticing a pattern here? The more effort you need to put into a character- not to make them good, but to make them viable- tends to keep them near the bottom of any given tier list.

66 Ice Climbers

Via ssbwiki.com

The Ice Climbers aren’t in such a place, however. Like most characters who have been carried over from Melee, Ice Climbers play rather naturally with a kit that both makes sense for who they are as characters and what can be done on the controller. Unfortunately, as was the case with Robin, they’re held back by their gimmick. The moment Nana gets knocked off stage is the same moment you’ll be wishing you picked anyone else.

via GameSpot

Although Toon Link typically tends to be better than his adult counterpart, this trend seems to be finally done away with in the latest installment. For the first time in the series, Toon Link really doesn’t have much over the basic Link. He’s a far clunkier characters with an awkward height and attacks that don’t really benefit his style of play. Where the default Link underwent many changes to make him viable, Toon Link is still working with his consistent shortcomings.

64 Zelda

via: shacknews.com

Zelda’s never been as good as her Sheikah counterpart and that doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon. Where Sheik relies on quick moves to accumulate damage fast, Zelda’s attacks are far clunkier and awkwardly require far more precision. She can get some good hits in, and a great Zelda player will absolutely do damage, but the Princess of Hyrule really isn’t much to write home about on her own.

63 Wii Fit Trainer

Two Wii Fit Trainers

Which, funnily enough, is also the case for Wii Fit Trainer. Wii Fit Trainer should hit hard and fast, but a lack of natural precision keeps their moves from landing with as much impact as they should have. Wii Fit Trainer is incredibly fun to play as thanks to how unique their move pool is, but, like Zelda before them, they’re a bit too awkward to use for their own good. At least in regards to attacking reliably.

62 Wolf

Via: weasyl.com (Clipey)

Of the three space furries, Wolf is the only one who probably won’t be getting a considerable amount of play time at higher levels. Although he does hit harder, people don’t play as Fox or Falco because they hit hard. Rather, they play as them because they hit fast and can chain said hits into combos. Wolf can too, theoretically, but a lack of speed makes punishing Wolf far, far easier than Fox or Falco.

61 Corrin

via: theouterhaven.net

Despite featuring one of the cooler designs and kits in the game, Corrin’s move pool is one that essentially encourages a rather predictable style of play. Pretty much everything Corrin can do can be countered easy enough. The flashiness of their moves can be off-putting at first, but Corrin really isn’t too difficult to get a feel for given how their attacks chain into each naturally enough where the opponent can catch a combo before it even begins.

60 Bowser Junior

via cutybowsergrl.deviantart.com

Bowser Junior is manic. In the last game, his online presence was notoriously insufferable early on. Bowser Junior’s kit made him a pain to punish. That said, he could be punished quite easily with enough strategic play. Bowser Junior is the type of character who can overwhelm easily- kind of like Corrin- but whose skill set really only allows for a few styles of play- again, kind of like Corrin.

59 Mr. Game & Watch

via kotaku.com

Mr. Game & Watch has always been one of the more peculiar characters. On one hand, a good Game & Watch will be able to unload a lot of damage and fast. His smashes come out well and they come out almost impossibly hard. On the other hand, Game & Watch isn’t a difficult character to catch in a loop and knock off stage. With Mr. Game & Watch, it can really go either way- which makes it hard to tier him any higher.

58 King Dedede

via: polygon.com

King Dedede is an incredibly hard hitter. Don’t be surprised if the King manages to knock you off stage with next to no effort. His smashes are downright cruel, to the point where you’re forced to play smart in a match against him. At the same time, King Dedede telegraphs well enough where a quick player will be able to strategize around his movements and use Dedede’s very obvious tells to their advantage.

57 Jigglypuff

via: thegamehaus.com

Who doesn’t love a character with solid recovery? You can slap Jigglypuff around, but don’t expect her to go anywhere anytime soon. Should you let Jigglypuff put you to sleep, you can count on big trouble your way. Unfortunately, Jigglypuff isn’t the most reliable hitter and —like Dedede— is simple enough to punish with a bit of effort. In good hands, Jigglypuff can be dangerous. Otherwise? Eh.

56 R.O.B.

via wikipedia.org

R.O.B. is more of a toy than he is a video game, but he’s still a part of Nintendo’s pantheon. It’s a bit weird that he’s a member of the roster, but, honestly, who cares? He’s a fun character to play as even if he isn’t particularly useful. Zipping around with R.O.B. is a blast and his techniques chain well into each other. Granted, he’s not good enough to rank any higher, but sometimes fun is all you need.

55 Mega Man

Via: deviantart.com/joshsummana

On the subject of fun, who’s more fun than Mega Man? To be honest, the fact that he plays so similarly to how he does in his own game does keep him from reaching his full potential, but he wouldn’t be such an enjoyable character if he didn’t literally move like the Blue Bomber himself. Mega Man controls almost pixel perfect to his Famicom counterpart. Practical? Not in the slightest. Fun? Arguably the most in the entire game.