Pikachu has been a problem. Ever since the original Super Smash Bros. landed on the Nintendo 64 in 1999, this electric mouse has been terrorizing the roster. It isn’t just about being the face of the biggest media franchise on the planet. Honestly, Pikachu in Super Smash Bros is a mechanical anomaly that shouldn't work as well as it does, yet it consistently finds itself at the top of every competitive tier list.
If you’ve ever played against a high-level Pikachu, you know the feeling. It’s like trying to swat a fly that can shoot lightning. You swing, you miss, and suddenly you’re off-stage getting hit by a back-air that seems to last forever.
The Evolution of a Legend
In the N64 days, Pikachu was undisputed. The mobility was just too much for the rest of the cast to handle. While characters like Donkey Kong or Bowser felt like they were moving through molasses, Pikachu was zipping around with Quick Attack. That move alone changed how people thought about recovery. In most fighting games, if you’re off the ledge, you’re dead. In Smash, if you’re Pikachu, the stage is basically anywhere you want it to be.
Then came Melee. This is where things got complicated.
While Pikachu remained fast, the introduction of Fox and Falco changed the meta. Suddenly, "space animal" dominance meant Pikachu had to work harder. But even then, legendary players like Axe (Jeffrey Williamson) proved that Pikachu wasn't just a gimmick. Axe’s victory at Smash Summit 8 remains one of the most iconic moments in esports history. Seeing a mid-tier hero take down the "gods" of Melee using nothing but precise movement and a lot of Thunder Jolts was a wake-up call. It showed that the character's ceiling is practically infinite if you have the hands for it.
Why Pikachu is So Annoying to Fight
It’s the hurtbox shifting. That’s the secret sauce. When Pikachu crawls or performs certain attacks, its physical profile on the screen shrinks so small that most standard attacks simply whiff. You’ll see a Ganondorf player throw out a massive punch that goes right over Pikachu’s head because the mouse was in the middle of a dash animation. It feels unfair. It kinda is.
💡 You might also like: Marvel Rivals Emma Frost X Revolution Skin: What Most People Get Wrong
- Thunder Jolt: It isn't just a projectile. It hugs the floor. It forces you to jump, and when you jump, Pikachu is already there waiting to swat you out of the air.
- Quick Attack: This is arguably the best recovery move in the game. It’s got two zip directions, it’s fast, and it has a hitbox that can disrupt opponents trying to edgeguard.
- Back-Air (Pancake): In Ultimate, Pikachu’s back-air lets it "pancake" onto the floor, making it nearly impossible to hit with a grab or a high-hitting move.
The Ultimate Era: Is Pikachu the Best?
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the debate usually boils down to Pikachu versus Steve or Sonic. But for the longest time, the community consensus—led by top players like Esam (Eric Lew)—was that Pikachu is the best character in the game, period.
The combo game is disgusting. You get hit by one neutral-air, and suddenly you’re trapped in a loop. Pikachu carries you across the stage, drags you down to the blast zone, and then zips back to the ledge like nothing happened. It’s "cutscene" gameplay. You just sit there and watch your percentage climb from 0 to 60 because you missed one tech.
However, Pikachu has a glaring weakness: weight.
Pikachu is light. Really light. You can outplay a heavy hitter like Iron Man or King K. Rool for three minutes straight, landing fifty hits while they land three. But if you mess up once and get hit by a stray forward smash at 70%, you’re gone. That’s the trade-off. It’s high-risk, high-reward, but the "risk" part only matters if your opponent can actually catch you. Most can't.
The Learning Curve
Don't pick up Pikachu thinking you’ll win a local tournament tomorrow. The "skill floor" is deceptively high. Managing Quick Attack angles requires muscle memory that takes months to perfect. If you mess up the angle by even a few degrees, you’ll SD (self-destruct) straight into the bottom of the stage. It’s embarrassing. We’ve all been there.
📖 Related: Finding the Right Words That Start With Oc 5 Letters for Your Next Wordle Win
The character also requires a deep understanding of "edge-guarding." While some characters want to stay on the stage and wait for the opponent to come back, Pikachu is most dangerous when both players are off-stage. Using Thunder to spike opponents or using the tail to "stage spike" people requires a level of confidence that only comes with hundreds of hours of practice.
Competitive Impact and Controversies
The competitive scene has a love-hate relationship with the mouse. Some argue that Pikachu's kit is too "complete." It has a projectile, a reflector (sorta, via its speed), incredible recovery, and kill confirms. What more could you want?
But then you look at the tournament results. Despite being "the best," Pikachu doesn't win every major. Why? Because playing Pikachu at a top level is exhausting. You have to be "on" every single second. One slip-up and your stock is gone. Characters like Pyra/Mythra or Steve offer a bit more forgiveness in their playstyles, which is why we see them more often in Top 8 brackets.
Interestingly, the developers at Nintendo haven't nerfed Pikachu into the ground. Usually, if a character dominates the meta, they get hit with the "nerf hammer" in the next patch. But Pikachu has remained remarkably consistent. It’s almost as if Masahiro Sakurai and the team want the mascot to be powerful. It makes sense from a branding perspective, but for the guy trying to play Ridley, it’s a nightmare.
Misconceptions About Pikachu
People think Pikachu is a "spam" character. They see the Thunder Jolts and assume the player is just pressing B. In reality, those Jolts are carefully timed to create "pressure." If the opponent blocks the bolt, they are stuck in shield, allowing Pikachu to run up and grab. If they jump, they get hit by an aerial. It’s a game of chess played at 100 miles per hour.
👉 See also: Jigsaw Would Like Play Game: Why We’re Still Obsessed With Digital Puzzles
Another myth is that Pichu is just a worse version of Pikachu. For a brief window at the start of Ultimate, Pichu was actually considered better because of its raw power and smaller size. But after the self-damage nerfs, Pikachu reclaimed the throne. The extra reach and the lack of self-inflicted recoil make Pikachu the much more viable long-term choice for serious competitors.
Mastering the Matchup
If you're tired of losing to Pikachu in Super Smash Bros, you have to change your philosophy. You can't out-speed it. You have to out-wait it.
Most Pikachu players are aggressive. They want to rush you down. Use characters with "disjoints"—swords, basically. Lucina, Shulk, or Sephiroth can keep Pikachu at bay because their swords don't have hurtboxes. If Pikachu tries to fly in with a neutral-air, a well-timed sword swing will beat it every time. You have to wall it out.
Also, watch the Quick Attack. Most players have a rhythm. They always zip to the ledge or always zip to the platform. If you can read that movement, you can place a move right where they are going to land. It’s a "hard read," but it’s often the only way to kill a character this slippery.
Actionable Insights for Aspiring Pikachu Mains
- Practice Quick Attack Angles: Spend at least 15 minutes in training mode every day just zipping around the stage. Learn how to hit the stage from every possible off-stage position.
- Master the N-Air Loop: Pikachu’s neutral-air is its most important combo tool. Learn the timing to "drag down" your opponent so you can follow up with a tilt or a grab.
- Use Thunder Judiciously: Don't just spam Down-B. It’s a high-commitment move. Use it as a surprise kill move or to catch people trying to recover high above the stage.
- Study the "Pancake": Learn which of your moves make your hurtbox small. Use these to low-profile through your opponent's attacks.
- Watch the Pros: Don't just play; observe. Watch Axe for movement and Esam for optimized combos. Notice how they use the threat of a Thunder Jolt to control where the opponent moves.