Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (SSBU)

13.0 Best Character Tier List | September 2023 Tier List

July 2022 Major Tier List Update!
13.0 Best Character Tier List

Patch Notes and Updates
All Update and Patch Note History
Ver. 13.0.1 Patch Notes and Balance Changes

Super Smash Bros Ultimate Character Tier List 2023

An offline tier list of the best characters in Super Smash Bros Ultimate (SSBU). Find out which characters are top tier in Smash Ultimate Ver. 13.0.1, and learn the best characters for playing competitively in Smash Ultimate, as well as extensive guides on how to play each character.

See The Full Roster of Characters

Recent Tier List Updates

Tier List Revamped!

With offline tournaments taking place again with higher and higher frequency, and top players demonstrating the potential of several characters that were previously seeing less results, the meta of Smash Ultimate has begun to see some large scale changes. Alongside the fact that we have had more time to experiment with the powerful Fighter's Pass 2 characters, we have made some large scale changes to our tier list.

Notable Changes to Our Tier List

Character Change Reason
Steve ImageSteve A+S ・Character's meta has had significant time to develop since release.
・High win results in tournaments even against top players
Zero Suit Samus ImageZero Suit Samus SA+ ・Nerfs from Update 11.0 made approaching and OOS more difficut
・Higher development of counterplay amongst players
Kazuya ImageKazuya AA+ ・Character's meta has had significant time to develop since release.
Palutena ImagePalutena A+A ・Several nerfs from the game (including Update 11.0) reduced her kill power and general neutral

Sora Kept in A Tier

Sora Tier List Ranking

Sora, the last character of Fighter's Pass 2, and final DLC addition to Smash Ultimate, was initially added to A tier, thanks to his powerful combo game and strong recovery. After seeing some use in major tournaments, and even seeing good results, we have decided the retain the character's placement for the time being.

Sora Guide: Matchup Chart and Combos

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Character Tier List (September 2023)

SSBU Offline Tier List.png

Note: Characters are ordered within each tier.

Top Tier.png
Steve Image Pyra/Mythra Image R.O.B. Image Joker Image Pikachu Image
Almost Top Tier.png
Roy Image Sonic Image Fox Image Shulk Image Cloud Image Kazuya Image Pokemon Trainer Image Wario Image Min Min Image Lucina Image Peach Image Daisy Image Sephiroth Image Olimar Image Zero Suit Samus Image Wolf Image
High Tier.png
Mr. Game & Watch Image Pac-Man Image Palutena Image Yoshi Image Snake Image Young Link Image Sheik Image Diddy Kong Image Greninja Image Sora Image Chrom Image Mario Image Mega Man Image Link Image Dark Samus Image Samus Image Captain Falcon Image Ness Image Inkling Image Terry Image Hero Image
High Mid Tier.png
Rosalina & Luma Image Byleth Image Bowser Image Luigi Image Ken Image Ryu Image Falco Image Toon Link Image Marth Image Duck Hunt Image Wii Fit Trainer Image Bayonetta Image Corrin Image Ike Image Pichu Image
Mid Tier.png
Mii Gunner Image Lucas Image Robin Image Dark Pit Image Pit Image Richter Image Simon Image Ice Climbers Image Ridley Image Zelda Image Mewtwo Image Meta Knight Image Mii Brawler Image Lucario Image Kirby Image
Low Tier.png
Banjo & Kazooie Image Incineroar Image Bowser Jr. Image Jigglypuff Image Donkey Kong Image Piranha Plant Image King Dedede Image Villager Image Dr. Mario Image
Bottom Tier.png
Little Mac Image Isabelle Image Mii Swordfighter Image King K. Rool Image Ganondorf Image


S = Top Tier (Top 5)
A+ = Nearly Top Tier
A = High Tier
B = High Mid Tier
C = Mid Tier
D = Low Tier
E = Bottom Tier (Bottom 5)

Who Do You Think Is the Best Character?

Steve 283
Votes
Pyra/Mythra 103
Votes
R.O.B. 30
Votes
Joker 55
Votes
Pikachu 32
Votes
Roy 16
Votes
Sonic 36
Votes
Fox 9
Votes
Shulk 11
Votes
Cloud 21
Votes
Kazuya 25
Votes
Pokemon Trainer 10
Votes
Wario 8
Votes
Min Min 6
Votes
Lucina 8
Votes
Peach 10
Votes
Daisy 10
Votes
Sephiroth 16
Votes
Olimar 8
Votes
Zero Suit Samus 13
Votes
Wolf 5
Votes
Other (Comment) 180
Votes

This poll contains all the characters in S and A+ tier. For next month's update, we will use the top 10 characters from this poll, and then work from there. If you believe someone else should be in this poll, please comment below!

Note that this poll will be reset each month!

Comment Section (628)

Character Tier List Criteria

Based on Tournament Ruleset (1 on 1, No items, etc)

Competitive Ruleset.jpg

The tier lists were both made with the following rules in consideration:

・1 on 1 / 3 Stock
・No items
・Tournament viable stages only (Battlefield, Final Destination, etc.)

Additionally, the tier list shown here is based on Smash Ultimate offline. Since some characters are affected by the online environment more than others, see our Online Tier List to see how we ranked characters there.

Online Tier List: The Best Character For Wifi

Potential and Matchup Spread

Potential and Matchup Spread.jpg
Through playing the game for hundreds of hours as and against the full roster, we considered strengths and weaknesses when putting together our tier list. Additionally, we thought hard about each character's matchup spread, and characters with a higher number of winning matchups were ranked more favorably.

Offline Results Factored In

Offline Results.jpg
While it was not our top criteria, we did observe statistical data showing the win rates and tournament results of characters in offline competitions. Since this data can be seen as somewhat objective evidence of a character's power, we looked closely at this data and matched it with our own findings.

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