Lucario Guide: Matchup Chart and Combos

This is a guide to using Lucario in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Lucario's bread and butter combos, how to unlock, frame data, alt costumes and skins, as well as Lucario's matchups, counters, and tier list placement can all be found here.

Lucario Tier and Overview

Stats and General Info

Lucario
Game Series	Pokémon
Smash Bros. Debut	Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Fighter Number	41
Unlock Order	27
Number of Jumps	2
Weight	92 Units (53/87)
Dash Speed	1.705 (46/87)
Air Speed	1.281 (6/87)
Fast Fall Speed	2.688 (31/87)
Special Attributes	Crouch Walk, Wall Jump, Wall Cling

Tier List Placement

Tier

A fighter who gets stronger the more damage he takes

In SSBU, Lucario gains a buff that gets gradually bigger the more damage that he takes. This buff will increase the power of all of his moves, and continue to stack up to 190%. If you can master the skill of fighting with a high percent while avoiding your opponent's KO moves, Lucario can be a very powerful character.

See Our Tier List Here!

Lucario's Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths	・His Aura mechanic is very strong ・Can use his Neutral B to zone opponents ・Has a command grab this is very powerful when Aura is built up ・Can snowball opponents easily if he retains aura ・Recovery covers a huge distance and has a hit box (Up B) ・Fast air speed and quick aerials
Weaknesses	・Aura Sphere is not very strong unless fully charged ・Predictable recovery ・Very weak when at low percents

Lucario 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 Lucario.
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.

Good Matchups For Lucario

Lucario becomes more powerful the more damage he takes, so taking damage is an integral part of his game. However, characters who deal lots of damage but struggle to kill may have a hard time with Lucario, since he might reach very high percents and in turn become capable of taking them out extremely early, giving him good matchups on characters like Bayonetta and Sheik. His Double Team (Down Special) also shuts down Mega Man's pellets and leaf shield, giving the character very few options.

Lucario Counters

Despite needing to take lots of damage before gaining high kill power, Lucario is somewhat light. Therefore, characters who can deplete his stock at relatively early percents, such as Bowser or Wario can shut his passive effect down. A large part of his gameplan also revolves around aura spehere, so characters with reflectors (Wolf, Fox, etc) or energy absorbers (Ness) can turn it against him. Lastly, his range is nothing special, so characters like Roy, Lucina, or Chrom are able to outrange him with their superior moves.

How to Beat Lucario

Dealing With Aura

The most polarizing part of this matchup is Lucario's aura, where he gains additional damage and knockback on his moves when he has higher percentages (and when he has less stocks than an opponent). As mentioned in the counters section, you need to KO Lucario before he is able to take too much damage. A good Lucario player will be expecting this, so try and find reliable kill setups on him at as low of a percent as possible.

Pressure His Shield

Lucario doesn't have very good out of shield options, other than down aerial, which won't hit opponents above him. In general, most of his moves (except Nair) are also unsafe on shield and have noticeable lag, so you need to apply lots of pressure to his shield, and watch how he reacts, then come up with a plan to counter that.

Bait Out Double Team

Lucario has a relatively fast counter in double team, which when activated, can attack an opponent from anywhere, and deals more damage depending on how much aura he has. Since Lucario doesn't have great options for combo breaking, it is highly likely that they will try to use this move to interrupt your combos. If you notice this happening, try to bait it out, then hit him with a big punish (like a smash attack) as he lands.

Counter Aura Sphere

Always be on the lookout for this move, and when the opponent likes to use it. If your character has a reflector or some way of dealing with projectiles, this is relatively easy to do. If not, you need to be cautious and play around it. Shielding, jumping, parrying, and spot dodging are all effective ways of maneuvering around it, and if done effectively, you can punish him for spamming it.

Just be careful not to get too comfortable shielding, as the Lucario player may become aware of this, and run in to use his Side Special on you, which is a command grab (meaning it will hit you even if you were shielding). It he has a significant amount of aura, this move can deal a ton of damage, or even KO.

Lucario Combos

Bread and Butter Combos
Down Tilt → Forward Air → Forward Air → Up Air (Only around 30%~40%)
Up Tilt → Forward Air → Forward Air → Up Air (Only around 10%~30%)
Fast Fall Neutral Air → Jab x3 (Only around 0% ~ 30%)
Landing Neutral Air → (Land) → Jump - Forward Air → Double Jump - Forward Air → Forward Air (Only around 0%~20%)
Grab Combos
Up Throw → Up Air (Only around 0%~60%)
Up Throw → Forward Air → Forward Air (Only around 0%~30%)
Down Throw → Forward Air → Forward Air → Up Air (Only around 0%~20%)

These combos assume Lucario's % is at 0.

Lucario Bread and Butter Combos

Lucario Grab Combos

Lucario Frame Data and Moveset

Lucario's Best Out of Shield Options

Move	Frames
Down Air	7 Frames
Forward Air	10 Frames
Grab	11 Frames
Up Smash	15 Frames

Lucario's Down Air is only 7 frames out of shield, making it his fastest OOS option. In general, this will be your best OOS move, unless your opponents throws out a very unsafe move on your shield with a lot of lag, in which case, you may opt for a grab or even Up Smash.

Lucario Jab (Light Attack)

	Damage (%)	Startup Frames
Jab 1 (A)	3.0	7
Jab 2	2.4	5
Jab 3	3.6	9

Jab Info

Lucario's jab has pretty quick startup. It is mainly used in combos or to break an opponent's combo, or as a quick punish when you don't have anything better.

Lucario Dash Attack / Tilt Attacks

	Damage (%)	Startup Frames
Dash Attack (Dash ＋ A)	10.2	7
Dash Attack (Weak Hit)	8.4	10
Forward Tilt (← or → + A)	4.8	12
Forward Tilt 2	7.2	15
Up Tilt (↑ + A)	6.0/6/7.2	6
Down Tilt (↓ + A)	6.0	9

Dash Attack Info

Lucario's Dash Attack has quick startup. It is good for a quick punish during an opponent's endlag, or catching their landings. It becomes very powerful and can KO once Lucario's Aura has become powerful enough.

Forward Tilt Info

Lucario's FTilt has great range. This can be used to catch an opponent chasing you by turning around mid-dash and throwing it out.

Up Tilt Info

This move comes out very fast, and covers the entire area around Lucario. If it does hit, it can be strung into itself an additional two or three times. Beware that it is unsafe on shield though.

Down Tilt Info

Slightly slower startup than UTilt, but significantly less landing lag, making it a decently safe poking tool when spaced correctly.

Lucario Smash Attacks

	Damage (%)	Startup Frames
Forward Smash (Smash ← or → + A）	19.2	19
Forward Smash (Weak Hit)	15.6	21
Up Smash (Hit 1) (Smash ↑ + A)	4.8	15
Up Smash (Hit 2)	16.8/14.4	19
Up Smash (Hit 2/Late)	10.8	21
Down Smash (Smash ↓ + A)	16.8	19

Forward Smash Info

This smash attack has great launch power and range. If Lucario has racked up at least 100% damage on himself, this move can kill an opponent pretty early.

Up Smash Info

This smash attack deals a lot of damage and has great launch power. If Lucario has racked up at least 100% damage on himself, this move can kill an opponent pretty early.

Down Smash Info

Another strong move with high launch power. This move will put out hitboxes on the left and right of Lucario, helping him protect his sides.

Lucario Aerials

	Damage (%)	Startup Frames
Neutral Air (A + no direction while airborne)	9.6	10
Neutral Air (Hit 2)	7.2	18
Forward Air (Hold ← or → in the direction you are facing + A while airborne)	7.2	7
Back Air (← or → Opposite of the direction you are facing + A while airborne)	16.8/15.6	13
Up Air (↑ + A While Airborne)	13.2	10
Up Air (Weak Hit)	7.2	12
Down Air (Hit 1) (↓ + A While Airborne)	6.0	4
Down Air (Hit 2)	7.2	11

Neutral Air Info

Lucario's Nair has a strong and a weak hit, so you can throw it out in the air to catch your opponent's jump. This move is also great for comboing into other moves when landed, and it is very safe on an opponent's shield.

Forward Air Info

Lucario's Fair has a very quick startup. This move can combo into itself as well as other aerials.

Back Air Info

This move is very powerful and great for taking stocks. Smash attacks have a lot more lag on them, so try and close the stocks with this move and you may have an easier time.

Up Air Info

This move is mostly used as a combo extender to follow up his other aerials, like Fair.

Down Air Info

This move comes out in just 4 frames (7 OOS), making it his fastest aerial. However, the range on it is not all that great, and it will usually only hit if you are very close to the enemy.

Lucario Specials

	Damage (%)	Startup Frames
Neutral Special (Charge Animation)l (B)	0.828	16
Neutral Special (Uncharged)	8.28	17
Neutral Special (Fully Charged)	20.7	17
Side Special (Force Palm) (← or → + B)	14.256/6.528	24
Side Special (Command Grab)	-	9
Side Special (Command Grab Hit)	?	37
Up Special (↑ + B)	7.2	46
Up Special (Bounce)	4.8	1
Down Special (Counter) (↓ + B)	-	5
Down Special (Attack - Front)	15	17
Down Special (Attack - Back)	15	17

Neutral Special Info

This move allows Lucario to charge an Aura Sphere and throw it at the opponent. Depending on how long you charge it, and how much damage Lucario has taken, it can rack up a ton of damage and launch your opponent pretty far. While charging this move, inputting a roll, a spotdodge, a jump, or shield will allow you to cancel it and hold the charge. You can also press B mid-charge or after fully charging it to fire.

The move has a hitbox when charging as well, and if done properly, you can catch your opponents landing or movement to deal damage while you charge the sphere up.

Side Special Info

Sends a beam out in front of Lucario. The more damage Lucario has taken, the stronger this move is, and the more range it will have. If you are very close to the opponent when using this mmove, it actually works as a command grab, allowing you to hit an opponent that is shielding. When Lucario has some Aura built up, this move will kill extremely early, so you can threaten your opponent with Aura Sphere to make them shield, then run up and use Force Palm to send them flying. Just note that Lucario cannot grab opponents with this move while he is in the air.

Up Special Info

This move allows Lucario to move in the direction he inputs extremely fast. When Lucario has taken more damage, he can go even further with this move, and there is an active hitbox at the tip of this move.

When travelling upwards with this move, Lucario can turn horizontally as well (vertically if inputting a horizontal movement). This move actually rotates Lucario, so holding the stick too long will actually send Lucario in the opposite direction, so watch out for this. It is very easy to SD this way if you aren't careful!

Down Special Info

Lucario has a counter for his down special, and it comes out extremely quick. It can actually save you from an opponent's non-true combos, but don;t get greedy with it or you will be punished. The strength of the opponent's move has no effect on Lucario, and all that matters is the amount of Aura Lucario has. When the counter is successful, Lucario will strike from the opposite side of where he was attacked, and by holding left or right, he can alter the direction of this attack's movement.

Lucario Grabs and Throws

	Damage (%)	Startup Frames
Pummel	1.56	1
Grab (Normal)	-	7
Dash Grab	-	10
Pivot Grab	-	11
Forward Throw (Hitbox) (← or → While Grabbing)	3.6	6
Forward Throw (Throw)	6.0	7
Back Throw (← or → While Grabbing)	12	14
Up Throw (Hitbox) (↑ While Grabbing)	6.0	16
Up Throw (Throw)	7.2	17
Down Throw (Hitbox) (↓ While Grabbing)	8.4	28

Forward Throw Info

Used for throwing the oppoent forward and gaining stage control. It doesn't combo, so you will mostly only use it for chucking the opponent off stage.

Back Throw Info

Used for throwing the oppoent behind you and gaining stage control. Like forward throw, it doesn't combo or KO, so you will mostly only use it for throwing the opponent off stage.

Up Throw Info

Throws the opponent straight upward. This move can be followed up with a Fair or Uair.

Down Throw Info

This move will send your opponent up at an angle. At very low percents only, this can be strung together with several Fairs.

Final Smash

Attack	How to Use	Effect
Aura Storm	Press B after obtaining the Smash Ball	Lucario Mega Evolves to Mega Lucario, then jumps up and fires an Aura beam straight down. The angle of the Aura beam can be adjusted using the left and right inputs.

Lucario Balance Changes

Version 13.0.0 Balance Patch

	Change
Dash Attack	Extended the duration of the high-damage part of the attack. Increased the high-damage range.
Side Tilt Attack	Extended launch distance of the second attack.
Down Tilt Attack	Increased attack speed.

Ver 7.0 Balance Changes

	Change
Other	Increased shield size.

Ver 3.1.0 Balance Changes

	Change
Light Attack (Jab) 1	Reduced vulnerability.
Light Attack (Jab) 2	Reduced vulnerability.
Light Attack (Jab) 3	Reduced vulnerability.
Dash Attack	Increased attack range.
Side Tilt Attack	Extended launch distance.
Side Smash Attack	Increased the range at high-damagea.
Up Smash	Made it easier to hit multiple times.
Neutral Air Attack	Increased the range it will hit opponents on the ground.
Up Air	Increased the high-damage range.
Down Air	Made it easier to hit multiple times.
Neutral Special	Reduced the range it will push opponents while charging. Increased attack range when charged to max. Reduced vulnerability.
Side Special	Fighters can no longer move through Lucario. Increased grab range.

Ver 3.0 Balance Changes

	Change
Neutral Special	Reduced the power against shields.

Ver 2.0.0 Balance Changes

	Change
Forward Air	Shortened the amount of time you cannot grab edges after using the move.
Neutral Special	Shortened hitstun time.
Final Smash Meter	Increased power.

Changes from Smash 4

	Change
General	Movement speed increased. Buff
Neutral Special （B）	Charge can now be cancelled with a jump. Buff

How to Unlock Lucario

Unlocking Via Smash Mode
27h Fighter Unlocked After unlocking Pokemon Trainer, let 10 minutes pass OR play another battle in smash after soft-resetting OR return to the menu from World of Light
Unlocking via Classic Mode
Clear Classing Mode 1 time usingYoshi.
Unlocking via World of Light
Light Realm West Area

There are three ways to unlock Lucario. Completing any of these, then defeating Lucario when they appear in the “a New Challenger Appears” screen will allow you to use them afterward.

How to Unlock Characters Fast

Lucario Alt Costumes and Skins

Lucario 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