It is actually kind of absurd. We are well over twenty years into this game's lifespan, and people are still losing their minds over a pixelated space fox. Most games die in six months. Super Smash Bros Melee characters have somehow achieved a level of longevity that defies every law of the software industry. It’s not just nostalgia, either. If it were just about "the good old days," people would play for an hour and realize the graphics are dated and the controllers feel like clunky plastic fossils. But they don't. They stay.
They stay because the "top tier" in this game is a beautiful, broken accident.
When HAL Laboratory rushed this game out in thirteen months back in 2001, they didn't have time to balance it perfectly. They accidentally created a engine where the movement is so fluid it feels like dancing. The characters aren't just avatars; they are instruments. If you’ve ever watched a high-level Fox player like Cody Schwab or Leffen, you know exactly what I mean. It’s high-speed chess played at 60 frames per second.
The Fox McCloud Problem
Let’s talk about the pilot in the room. Fox is the undisputed king of the mountain. He is theoretically perfect. He has a move for every single situation, a shine that comes out on frame one, and kill power that makes heavyweights jealous. Honestly, if you look at the 2023-2024 tier lists from sites like PGStats or the opinions of legendary players like Hungrybox, Fox is usually sitting in a tier of his own.
💡 You might also like: Lumachio Lies of P: The Truth Behind the Krat Secret
But here’s the thing. He’s incredibly hard to play.
You can't just pick up Fox and win. Your hands will literally hurt. The "technical ceiling" for Fox is so high that most players never even see it. You have to learn things like short-hop fast-falling, L-canceling, and waveshining just to stand a chance at a local tournament. One mistake, one missed input, and Fox falls like a rock. He’s a "glass cannon" in the truest sense.
He dies early. He gets comboed easily because of his weight. That’s the balance.
Why Marth and Falco Keep the Meta Fresh
If Fox is the king, Marth is the elegant challenger. Marth doesn't rely on raw speed or frame-one shines. He relies on spacing. He has a sword. It’s basically cheating in a game where most people use their fists. Marth’s "grab range" is legendary—it’s like he has a gravitational pull that sucks opponents in from across the stage.
Zain, the current gold standard for Marth play, has shown that you don't need to be the fastest if you are the smartest. He uses Marth’s "tipper" mechanic, where the very tip of the blade does massive damage and knockback, to dismantle opponents with surgical precision. It’s a completely different vibe than Fox. It's patient. It's cold.
Then you have Falco. Fox’s bird companion is slower on the ground but a menace in the air.
Falco’s lasers are the single most annoying thing in the game. They stun you for just a fraction of a second, which sounds like nothing, but in Melee, a fraction of a second is an eternity. It stops your momentum. It makes you feel like you’re playing in molasses. Falco players like Mango—the "Goat" of the community—play with a style that is aggressive and rhythmic. It’s less about "the best move" and more about "the coolest move."
The Mid-Tier Heroes and the Jigglypuff Outlier
Most of the 26 Super Smash Bros Melee characters aren't actually viable at a top level. That’s just the truth. If you show up to a major tournament playing Bowser or Kirby, you are basically donating your entry fee to the prize pool. Sorry, it’s true.
✨ Don't miss: Play Bowling Game Online: Why Most Simulators Feel Like Garbage (and How to Find the Good Ones)
However, there are a few characters that sit just outside the "god tier" but can still ruin your day.
- Captain Falcon: He is pure hype. He’s fast, he hits like a truck, and the "Falcon Punch" is still the most iconic move in the franchise even if it rarely hits.
- Peach: Specifically when played by someone like Armada. She can pull turnips out of the ground that have a random chance of being a "Stitch-face" which does massive damage. It’s RNG, but it’s terrifying.
- Sheik: The "noob stomper." Sheik has incredibly easy combos that can tilt a beginner into another dimension. Her needles are a fantastic projectile, and her down-throw is a nightmare for half the cast.
And then there is Jigglypuff.
Jigglypuff is the most controversial character in the history of the game. For years, Hungrybox was the only one winning with her, and people hated it. Jigglypuff doesn't play "Melee." She floats. She waits. She hides. And then, she uses "Rest." If she touches you with the center of her body while pressing down-B, you die. It’s a one-hit kill move that leaves her asleep and vulnerable if she misses. It’s high-stakes gambling in a pink, fluffy package.
The Technical Reality of 2026 Competitive Play
We have to acknowledge how much things have changed. Back in the day, we played on CRT televisions because modern LCDs had too much "lag." Even a few milliseconds of delay would ruin the timing. Nowadays, thanks to the "Slippi" mod and "UCF" (Universal Controller Fix), the community has moved online with rollback netcode that feels better than most modern triple-A fighting games.
This technology has democratized the game. You don't have to live in a "region" like SoCal or New York anymore to get good. You can be a kid in a rural town, grind out tech skill on a specialized controller like the Boxx or a modified Phob, and suddenly show up at Genesis or The Big House and take names.
The depth of these characters is why the game doesn't get old. Every time we think we've "solved" the meta, someone finds a new way to use a move. We’re still discovering "S-tier" strategies for characters that have been out since the Bush administration.
Misconceptions About the Roster
People think the game is "broken" because only about 8 characters are truly viable.
That’s a shallow way to look at it. Melee isn't a game about 26 characters; it's a game about 8 characters with near-infinite depth. If there were 50 characters, none of them would be this polished or this expressive. When you pick a character in Melee, you aren't just choosing a moveset. You are choosing a philosophy.
Are you the frantic, high-APM Fox? The calculated, spacing-oriented Marth? The defensive, wall-of-pain Jigglypuff?
How to Actually Get Started Today
If you’re looking to dive into the world of Super Smash Bros Melee characters, don't start with Fox. You'll hurt your hands and get frustrated when you fall off the stage because you didn't time your recovery right.
- Start with Sheik or Marth. They have long-reaching moves that help you understand the "neutral game" without requiring 400 inputs per minute.
- Download Slippi. It is the gold standard for playing online. It’s free, it’s fast, and the matchmaking is incredible.
- Get a proper controller. An old GameCube controller is fine, but look into "Snapback" fixes or "Phob" motherboards if you want to get serious. Hardware actually matters in this game.
- Watch the documentary. "The Smash Brothers" on YouTube is legendary for a reason. It explains the culture better than I ever could.
The reality is that Melee shouldn't still be here. It’s a miracle of unintended physics and a community that refuses to let go. Whether you're playing for glory or just to see how fast you can move, these characters offer a type of competitive satisfaction you simply cannot find anywhere else in gaming.
Instead of just reading about the tier list, go watch a set between Zain and Cody Schwab from the last year. Look at how they move. Look at the "dash dancing" and the "wavedashing." It’s not just a game. It’s a discipline.
The next step is simple: Get the Dolphin emulator, find a ROM of the game, and head over to the Melee Library website to learn your first advanced technique. Just remember to stretch your wrists. You're going to need them.