Pikachu Guide: Matchup Chart and Combos

This is a guide to Pikachu in the game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Everything about Pikachu, including how to unlock them, bread and butter combos, frame data, alt costumes and skins, as well as Pikachu matchups and counters, can be found here.

Pikachu Tier and Overview

Stats and General Info

Pikachu
Game Series	Pokémon
Smash Bros. Debut	Super Smash Bros. (64)
Fighter Number	8
Unlock Order	Default
Number of Jumps	2
Weight	79 Units (79/87)
Dash Speed	2.039 (20/87)
Air Speed	0.957 (66/87)
Fast Fall Speed	2.48 (51/87)
Special Attributes	Crouch Walk, Wall Jump

Tier List Placement

Tier

A high-execution and speedy character

Smash Ultimate Pikachu boasts excellent speed and frame data, allowing it to utilize a wide variety of combos on its opponent. It also has a small body which can help it avoid getting comboed and dodge projectiles. Pikachu's specials are all useful as well, giving Pikachu a projectile, KO options, as well as a great recovery.

While Pikachu has several powerful attributes, its recovery is somewhat hard to use, and it is unsafe on shield. Pikachu is also very lightweight and prone to dying early, and can sometimes struggle to KO if the player misses their confirms. Therefore, Pikachu is a solid character, but best reserved for advanced players who are willing to put in the time to learn all of the character's combos and nuances.

See Our Tier List Here!

Pikachu's Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths	・Very good recovery ・Good projectile (Neutral B) ・Possesses a plethora of combos ・Small body makes it hard to hit ・Very good movement speed ・Great aerial game, and good at landing
Weaknesses	・Lightweight and gets KO'ed early ・Poor range on most attacks ・Often struggles to KO ・Individual moves deal somewhat low damage

Pikachu Matchup Chart

Matchup Chart

-2
-1
0
+1
+2

Notes About Matchup Chart

1. -2 = Disadvantage. -1 = Slight Disadvantage or Even. 0 = Even. +1 = Slight Advantage or Even. +2 = Advantage.
2. The matchup chart was based around both the opinions of professional players of each character, as well as our own experience through playing Pikachu.
3. Characters within each tier are unordered
4. Pokemon Trainer's individual Pokemon (Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard) as well as Echo fighters with no significant difference than their regular counterpart are not shown.
5. For other characters who are not shown here, we are still investigating the matchup.

Pikachu Combos

Beginner Combos
Up Throw━Down Special
Advanced Combos
Up Tilt━Up Tilt━Up Air━Up Air┳Up Air 　　　　　　　　　　　┗F-air 　　　　　　　　　　　┗N-air
D-Throw┳U-air━U-air┳Up Air 　 　　┃　　　　 ┗N-air 　　 　┗Up Tilt━Up Air━Up Air┳B-air 　　　　　　　　　　　　┗N-air
Up Throw━U-air━U-air┳U-air 　　　　　　　　 　┗N-air

Beginner Combos

Up Throw→Down Special
The Up Throw→Down Special combo is confirmed from 55%. This combo attack is good for early % kills.

Advanced Combos

Pikachu Frame Data and Moveset

Best Out of Shield Options

Move	Frames
Neutral Air	6 Frames
Up Air	7 Frames
Back Air	7 Frames
Up Smash	10 Frames
Shield Grab	11 Frames

Pikachu has good out of shield options, with three of his aerials coming out at frame 7 or faster. As neutral air is Pikachu's fastest option, it is the go to in most cases for punishing unsafe attacks.

Jab (Neutral Attack)

	1v1 Damage (%)	Startup Frames	Active Frames	Cooldown Frames
Jab (A)	1.68/1.44/1.2	2	2	14

Jab

Pikachu's jab is extremely fast, coming out in just 2 frames. Pikachu doesn't have a jab combo, but instead can cancel some of the endlag on his jab to use it repeatedly, though this will not combo. The move itself will just make an opponent flinch briefly, so it isn't the best combo breaker either. However, it can be used for ledge trapping, and for jab locks, making it a decent tool in Pikachu's kit.

Dash Attack / Tilts

	1v1 Damage (%)	Startup Frames	Active Frames	Cooldown Frames
Dash Attack (Normal) (Dash ＋ A)	13.2	6	3	27
Dash Attack (Late)	7.2	9	4	23
Forward Tilt (Angled Up) (← or → + A)	12	6	3	21
Forward Tilt (Normal)	10.8	6	3	21
Forward Tilt (Angled Down)	9.6	6	3	21
Up Tilt (↑ + A)	7.2	7	7	13
Down Tilt (↓ + A)	7.2	7	2	10

Dash Attack

Pikachu's dash attack has a quick startup, and deals good damage and knockback. It is mostly used as a way to catch opponents' landings, or for a KO at later percents. While the move is -12 on shield, it is very hard for opponents to punish in most cases, especially if the late hitbox hits.

Forward Tilt

Pikachu's forward tilt is a fast attack that can be angled up or down, with the upward angled version dealing the most damage. It can KO opponents at higher percents (150%+).

Up Tilt

Pikachu's up tilt is quick, and is mostly used as a combo starter. It will send opponents upward, and combos into itself as well as aerials, depending on percent.

Down Tilt

With decent range, and the fact that it is -5 on shield, Pikachu's down tilt is a decent poking option. It can also trip opponents, allowing Pikachu to set up a jab lock.

Smash Attacks

	1v1 Damage (%)	Startup Frames	Active Frames	Cooldown Frames
Forward Smash (Start) (Smash ← or → + A）	18	15	2	37
Forward Smash	21.6	17	3	34
Forward Smash (Continuous)	14.4	20	10	24
Up Smash (Smash ↑ + A)	16.8/15.6/15.6	10	3	32
Up Smash (Late 1)	13.2	13	2	30
Up Smash (Late 2)	8.4	15	3	27
Down Smash (Hit 1-5) (Smash ↓ + A)	2.4	8/11/14/17/20	2	56/53/50/47/44
Down Smash (Hit6)	3.6	23	1	42

Forward Smash

Pikachu's forward smash has good range as well as knockback. With it's long lasting hitbox, this move can be used for ledgetrapping as well.

Up Smash

Pikachu's up smash is pretty quick, coming out in 10 frames. Pikachu's tail doesn't gain invulnerability during the attack, so it won't beat out certain attacks, but it is good for catching a jump or a landing.

Down Smash

Down Smash is Pikachu's fastest smash attack. Its long lasting hitbox makes it good for punishing a roll. It does have noticeable endlag, so if an opponent reads it, they might be able to punish it.

Aerials

	1v1 Damage (%)	Startup Frames	Active Frames	Cooldown Frames
Neutral Air (Multi Hit) (A + no direction while airborne)	2.16	3	16	20
Neutral Air (Finishing Hit)	4.2	21	2	16
Forward Air (Multi Hit) (Hold ← or → in the direction you are facing + A while airborne)	1.68	11	15	16
Forward Air (Finishing Hit)	5.76	27	1	14
Back Air (Hit 1-5) (← or → Opposite of the direction you are facing + A while airborne)	1.2	4/8/12/16/20	2	38/34/30/26/22
Back Air (Hit 6)	4.32	24	2	18
Back Air (Landing)	4.8	1	2	41
Up Air 1 (↑ + A While Airborne)	-	4	3	20
Up Air (Late)	4.8	7	2	18
Down Air (Meteor) (↓ + A While Airborne)	15.6	14	2	32
Down Air (Late)	14.4	16	11	21
Down Air (Landing, on grounded opponents)	4.8	1	2	45

Neutral Air

Neutral Air is Pikachu's fastest aerial, coming out in only 3 frames, or 6 when combined with jumpsquat as an out of shield option. It has very short range, but the hitbox covers Pikachu's whole body, making it a good move to use for breaking out of combos, or when landing. Other than the final hitbox, it only barely knocks back opponents, which makes it a great combo starter. It is -7 on shield.

Forward Air

Pikachu's forward air has good range and deals good damage. It barely has any endlag, making it a good poking tool if spaced properly (-10/-9 on shield), and its startup is not too slow, so it is good for edgeguarding.

Back Air

Pikachu's back air also has a quick startup, coming out in 4 frames. Like nair, it has multiple hits, but longer endlag than nair in favor of better range. Bair is good to use together with a jump, while Nair is better to use together with a fast fall to the ground. The move is great for comboing, and can be used for edgeguarding.

Up Air

Back air comes up quickly as well, in just 4 frames. It doesn't deal a ton of damage, but the upward angle it sends opponents is ideal for comboing.

Down Air

Pikachu's slowest aerial, although it does have a meteor hitbox in the startup, making it great for getting KOs offstage, and supplementing Pikachu's already potent edgeguarding ability.

Specials

	1v1 Damage (%)	Startup Frames	Active Frames	Cooldown Frames
Neutral Special (B)	5.76	19	30	3
Neutral Special (Late 1)	7.2/6	49	30	-27
Neutral Special (Late 2)	6/4.8	79	22	-49
Neutral Special (Aerial)	4.8/3.6	19	98	-65
Side Special (Shortest) （←or→+B）	-	18	8	49
Side Special (Shortest, Late)	-	26	27	22
Up Special (Hit 1) （↑+B）	2.4	15	5	24
Up Special (Hit2)	3.6	1	5	52
Down Special （↓+B）	7.2	13/21	3	71/63
Down Special (Thunder)	9.6	16/24	70	1.0/-7
Down Special (Body Hit/Ground)	18	1	2	39
Down Special (Body Hit/Aerial)	18	1	2	33

Neutral Special (Thunderjolt)

Sends out an electric attack down and away from Pikachu, which will travel forward when it connects with the ground. It will follow the ground or wall , so it can be used to prevent an opponent from grabbing the ledge. It moves very quickly and can be used repeatedly, as well as shot out after a jump, making it a very useful projectile for applying pressure and racking up damage.

Side Special (Skull Bash)

Pikachu launches its body straight ahead. By holding the special button before releasing, the distance and damage dealt will be increased. It can also be input like a smash attack to begin a bit charged. While useful for recovering horizontally, it is not as fast as up special, so in most cases up special is the better recovery option.

Up Special (Quick Attack)

Up special will move twice in the directions of your choosing. After the first move, changing the angle will allow Pikachu to move a second time. Effectively using it makes Pikachu's recovery very hard to edgeguard, and it can be used to approach on stage, though it is punishable.

Down Special (Thunder)

Pikachu's down special sends thunder from a cloud all the way to its head. If the opponent is hit by the hitbox on Pikachu's body, it will deal great damage, and considerable knockback. It can be comboed into from up throw for a KO at higher percents, though if their % is too high they will be able to DI out of it easily.

Grabs and Throws

	1v1 Damage (%)	Startup Frames	Active Frames	Cooldown Frames
Pummel	1.2	1	1	4
Grab (Normal)	-	7	2	28
Dash Grab	-	11	2	32
Pivot Grab	-	12	2	26
Forward Throw (Hitbox) (← or → While Grabbing)	2.4	11/15/19/23	4	29/25/21/17
Forward Throw (Throw)	2.4	30	1	13
Back Throw (Throw) (← or → While Grabbing)	10.8	26	1	23
Up Throw (Hitbox) (↑ While Grabbing)	3.6	14	2	20
Up Throw (Throw)	6	16	1	19
Down Throw (Throw)	6	21	1	22

Forward Throw

Pikachu's forward throw doesn't KO or combo, so it is mainly used for gainng stage control or putting an opponent offstage to setup for an edgeguard.

Back Throw

Pikachu's back throw is essentially used for the same purposes as forward throw, though it can KO at very high percents if next to a ledge.

Up Throw

Throws an opponent upward, and can even KO at very high percents. At low percents, it combos with up air, and at higher percents, it combos into down special for a KO confirm (but if the opponent's % is too high it becomes inconsistent).

Down Throw

Launches an opponent lightly into the air. It deals less damage than up throw, but it is much better as a combo tool than up air at low percents, and will combo into any aerial except down air.

Final Smash

Attack Name	How to Use	Effect
Volt Tackle	Press B after obtaining the Smash Ball	Pikachu flies around the screen while covered in an electric current. Hitting opponents while dealing several electric based multi attacks, ending with a powerful spark.

Pikachu Balance Changes

Version 7.0.0 Balance Patch

	Change
Other	Increased shield size.

Version 3.1.0 Balance Patch

	Change
Grab	Increased grab range.

Version 3.0.0 Balance Patch

	Change
Neutral Special	Reduced the power against shields.

Version 2.0.0 Balance Patch

	Change
Grab Attack	Shortened hitstun time.

Major Changes From Smash 4

	Change
Down Special (↓ + B)	The lag after thunder hits Pikachu is decreased, and it has higher knockback. Easier to KO = Buff.
Forward Smash (← or → + A)	Launches opponents further than before. Can be used to KO = Buff.
Neutral Aerial (A While Midair)	Now emits electricity around Pikachu. Great as a combo starter, and has almost no landing lag. Buff
Down Aerial (↓ + A While Midair)	Can spike opponents. Great for edgeguarding opponents = Buff.

How to Unlock Pikachu in World of Light

In World of Light, Pikachu can be found in the Cliffside Rapids, located in the west area of the map. Find and defeat Pikachu to add it to your party!

Pikachu Alt Costumes and Skins

Pikachu Reveal Trailer

Smash Ultimate Character Guides

List of Fighters
Tier List	Unlocking Fighters

Character Stat Lists

Character Stats
Weights of All Characters	Run Speeds of All Characters
Air Speeds of All Characters	Fast Fall Speeds of All Characters