Honestly, if you mention ssb wii u characters to a room full of competitive Smash players today, you’re gonna get a very specific look. It’s that half-grin, half-shudder. Most people moved on to Ultimate years ago, thinking it was just a bigger, better version of the same thing. They aren't entirely wrong. But they aren't entirely right, either.
There is a weird, floaty magic to the Wii U era.
It was the game that gave us the first real taste of "everyone's here," even if they weren't all there yet. It brought us the madness of Cloud’s original Limit Break and the sheer, unadulterated terror of a pre-nerf Bayonetta combo. Even in 2026, with the Switch's successor rumors flying around, there’s a reason people still dust off that clunky GamePad to play a few rounds. The physics feel heavier. The ledge mechanics feel less forgiving.
And the characters? They just functioned differently.
The DLC That Broke the Internet (and the Game)
You can't talk about ssb wii u characters without talking about the "Big Two." Cloud Strife and Bayonetta. When Square Enix and SEGA finally let their icons join the fray, the meta didn't just shift—it shattered.
Cloud was basically a cheat code for mid-level players. His aerials were gargantuan. You could just spam Up-Air and win most neutral trades. Plus, his Limit Charge forced opponents to approach, which is exactly what you don't want to do against a guy with a six-foot sword. It was oppressive. But Bayonetta? She was on another level. Her "Witch Time" counter didn't just give you a free hit; it let you choose exactly how you wanted to ruin your opponent's life for the next five seconds.
💡 You might also like: Thinking game streaming: Why watching people solve puzzles is actually taking over Twitch
People genuinely stopped attending tournaments because of her. It was a wild time.
The Return of the King (and the Mewtwo)
Before the DLC era went full tilt, we had the "Veterans" returning. Mewtwo was the first-ever DLC fighter for the series, and it felt like a peace offering from Nintendo. He was glass-cannon personified. Then came Lucas and Roy.
Roy, specifically, was a fascinating case. He was always the "worse Marth" in Melee, but in the Wii U version, he found a niche. He was fast, loud, and his sweet spot was at the base of the blade. It forced a "get in your face" playstyle that felt distinct from the calculated spacing of the other swordies.
The Forgotten Newcomers
Everyone remembers Ryu because of his input commands, but what about the weird ones? The ones that actually made the Wii U version unique?
- Duck Hunt: A character that literally plays like a 2D puzzle. You’re managing a can, a clay pigeon, and a gunman. It’s high-maintenance, but in the right hands, it’s a nightmare to play against.
- Wii Fit Trainer: People laughed at the reveal. Then they got Deep Breathing’d into a 40% combo. The hitbox on that Header (soccer ball) is still one of the most janky, wonderful things in Smash history.
- Rosalina & Luma: She was the original "Puppet Fighter." Managing Luma felt like playing two games at once. If you killed Luma, you had a ten-second window to actually play the game. If you didn't? Good luck touching her.
The roster was honestly a masterclass in experimentation. You had Robin managing durability on his spells and Shulk cycling through Monado Arts. It wasn't just about who could punch the hardest; it was about who could manage their resources the best.
📖 Related: Why 4 in a row online 2 player Games Still Hook Us After 50 Years
Why the Wii U Meta Still Matters
The game is slower than Ultimate. That's the main complaint people have. But that slowness allowed for something called "micro-spacing." In the current meta of newer games, everything is about speed and frame data. In Smash 4, you had time to think.
You had time to realize you were about to be 0-to-death’d by a Bayonetta ladder combo.
Also, custom moves. Remember those? They were a nightmare to unlock (seriously, why was the RNG so bad?), but they changed everything. A Donkey Kong with "Kong Cyclone" was a completely different beast than the standard version. It added a layer of customization that Nintendo basically abandoned in later entries because, well, balancing 500+ custom moves is a literal impossibility.
The Truth About the Tiers
If you're looking at a tier list for ssb wii u characters today, it’s basically a graveyard of broken dreams. Bayonetta and Cloud sit at the top, followed closely by Diddy Kong (thanks to that banana peel) and Sheik.
Sheik was interesting. She had the best frame data in the game but struggled to actually kill anyone. You'd be at 150%, looking at a Sheik who has hit you 45 times, and you're still on the stage. It was a war of attrition.
👉 See also: Lust Academy Season 1: Why This Visual Novel Actually Works
On the flip side, you had the heavies. Bowser and Donkey Kong weren't just "combo food" in this game. They had "Ding Dong"—a specific cargo throw into an up-air that could kill you at 60%. It was the Great Equalizer. You could be outplaying a DK for three minutes, miss one tech, and lose the stock.
Actionable Steps for the Modern Player
If you’re feeling nostalgic or just want to see where the modern Smash era truly began, here is how you should approach the Wii U roster today:
- Skip the Grind: If you're playing on original hardware, don't try to unlock the custom moves manually. It'll take years. Use a completed save file if you can.
- Learn the "Ledge Trump": This was the game that removed ledge hogging. Practice "trumping" your opponent off the ledge to set up for a back-air. It's a mechanic that feels way more impactful here than in Ultimate.
- Master the "Perfect Pivot": It’s a frame-perfect movement technique that’s way harder to pull off than it looks. If you can do it, you’ll have a massive mobility advantage.
- Respect the Rage: The "Rage" mechanic in this game is much stronger than in later titles. The more damage you have, the more knockback you deal. At 150%, a simple jab can sometimes kill. Never count yourself out.
The Wii U might have been a commercial "failure" for Nintendo, but the ssb wii u characters it introduced—and the way it refined the old ones—set the stage for everything we play now. It was the bridge between the technical madness of Melee and the polished chaos of Ultimate.
Whether you're playing for the jank or the history, that roster still has plenty of secrets left.