Bayonetta Guide: Matchup Chart and Combos

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

Bayonetta Tier and Overview

Stats and General Info

Bayonetta
Game Series	Bayonetta
Smash Bros. Debut	Super Smash Bros. for WiiU/3DS
Fighter Number	63
Unlock Order	43
Number of Jumps	2
Weight	81 Units (76/87)
Dash Speed	1.76 (37/87)
Air Speed	1.019 (52/87)
Fast Fall Speed	2.832 (20/87)
Special Attributes	Wall Jump, Wall Cling

Tier List Placement

Tier

A fighter with powerful aerial combos

Smash Ultimate Bayonetta is a character that can use her very powerful combos to lift opponents up in the air and rack up damage. Her entire gameplan revolves around them, since they are the only way for her to reliably damage and KO her opponents. She excels in edgeguarding and offstage play as well, with neutral B killing opponents close to the blast zones.

Bayonetta has been nerfed considerably from her Smash 4 counterpart, with her KO power and hitbox sizes severely reduced. In Smash Ultimate, Bayonetta can only fair well if she is able to land her confirms, so Bayonetta mains will need to devote time to learning them in training. Bayonetta is severely held back by her lack of good approach tools, as most of her grounded moves are unsafe on shield and punishable. She struggles to kill, so opponents with good OOS options and endurance that can play patiently and defensive may give her a hard time.

See Our Tier List Here!

Bayonetta's Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths	・Very potent combo game ・Excellent recovery power ・Great at edgeguarding (Neutral B, Nair, etc)
Weaknesses	・Struggles to KO until high percents ・Very high landing lag, making her easy to punish (Up Special, etc) ・Struggles to approach, as Side B is unsafe on shield ・Very low damage output if combos don't land

Bayonetta 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 Bayonetta.
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.

Bayonetta Combos

Bread and Butter Combos
Side Special→Up Special→Side Special (in air)→Reverse Side Special (in air)
Up Tilt→Up Special→Side Special (in air)→Reverse Side Special (in air)
Side Special→Nair→Side Special (in air)→Up Special (in air)→Fair x3 (Large characters only)

After catching your opponent in Bayonetta's up special, you have a wide range of options. Out of those options, here is our list of the combos that kill and also deal the most damage.

Bread and Butter Combos Guide

Bayonetta Frame Data and Moveset

Fighter Ability

Bullet Arts

Bullet Arts is a unique ability that Bayonetta has on her attacks where bullets will be fired when holding the button throughout the attack. This works with her grounded attacks, aerials, as well as most specials (meaning you'll hold either A or B depending on the type of attack). The bullets fired from these attacks also are not counted as projectiles, meaning that they cannot be reflected.

Best Out of Shield Options

Move	Frames
Up B	6 Frames
Jump > Side B	10 Frames
Forward Air	10 Frames
Shield Grab	11 Frames
Neutal Air	12 Frames
Up Air	12 Frames

Bayonetta has average out of shield game, with a pretty fast option in her up special, which can also be used to start a combo and rack up damage. The only down side to this move is its short range, which won't hit opponents unless they are above or right in front of Bayonetta, making it hard to use against spaced attacks. Bayonetta can also jump out of shield and immediately use her aerial side special, which is also capable of stringing together combos for great damage, though 10 frames is not particularly quick, so most opponents will be able to shield in time to avoid it if their initial attack was safely spaced.

Jab (Neutral Attack)

	1v1 Damage (%)	Startup Frames
Jab 1 (A)	1,68	9
Jab 2	1.68	9
Jab 3	2.64	7
Rapid Jab (Multi-Hit)	0.24	6
Rapid Jab (Finisher 1)	0.6	4
Rapid Jab (Finisher 2)	7.2	11

Jab

Bayonetta's jab is a quick series of hits. Its slow startup makes it not the best get-off-me tool, so avoid going for it as Bayonetta is better at fighting from a mid-range.

Dash Attack / Tilts

	1v1 Damage (%)	Startup Frames
Dash Attack (Dash ＋ A)	12	15
Dash Attack (Weak Hit)	9.6	21
Forward Tilt 1 (← or → + A)	3.6	12
Forward Tilt 2 (← or → + A)	3.6	12
Forward Tilt 3 (← or → + A)	8.4	14
Up Tilt (1st hit)	1.8	9
Up Tilt (2nd hit)	7.2	15
Down Tilt 2	6/7.2	7

Dash Attack

Bayonetta's dash attack is a lunging attack that can be held to make Bayo fire her guns. It can't be used for combos, but it doesn't pose too much of a risk, as the dash can go through enemy shields to avoid out of shield punishes. It can also kill at high percents, so try to catch enemies off guard with it.

Forward Tilt

Bayonetta's forward tilt is a three-hit combo that can launch enemies in the air. It's quite slow, and it has too much end lag to combo into anything, so side special is a much better approach tool.

Up Tilt

Bayonetta's up air is a quick attack that sends enemies directly above her. It can easily be followed up by an Up Air or an Up Special for further combos, so use this move to lift up opponents at close range.

Down Tilt

Bayonetta's down tilt is a good poking tool that can send enemies upwards. It can be connected with a powerful combo to rack up damage or get a KO. Use up tilt to hit opponents approaching with a jump, and down tilt to hit grounded opponents to start combos.

Smash Attacks

	1v1 Damage (%)	Startup Frames
Forward Smash (Smash ← or → + A）	19.2/16.8	17
Up Smash (Smash ↑ + A)	20.4	18
Up Smash (late hit 1)	19.2	20
Up Smash (late hit 2)	18	22
Down Smash (Foot Hit)	6	20
Down Smash	19.2	25
Down Smash (Late Hit)	18	26

Forward Smash

Forward smash is Bayonetta's strongest smash attack. It can be angled upwards or downwards to slightly adjust the hit zone, but its slow startup and endlag make it easy to punish if just thrown out on its own, but it can be comboed into from the first hit of forward air at high percents.

Up Smash

Bayonetta's up smash is another strong smash attack that can kill enemies at around 110%. It is mostly used to punish an opponent while they are frozen in witch time, Bayonetta's down special.

Down Smash

Bayonetta's down smash attack has high damage and can meteor smash. It can be used to spike enemies that are hanging on the ledge after their invulnerability has run out, or to spike an opponent trying to recover low. On the stage it doesn't KO until much higher percents than her other smash attacks, so it should mostly be used for edgeguards.

Aerials

	1v1 Damage (%)	Startup Frames
Neutral Air (A + no direction while airborne)	9.6	9
Neutral Air (Late Hit)	7.2	18
Neutral Air (Held Attack)	3.6	-
Forward Air 1 (Hold ← or → in the direction you are facing + A while airborne)	4.8	7
Forward Air 2	3.96	7
Forward Air 3	8.4	12
Back Air (← or → Opposite of the direction you are facing + A while airborne)	15.6/12	11
Up Air 1 (↑ + A While Airborne)	9	9
Up Air 1 (Button Held)	3.6	-
Down Air (↓ + A While Airborne)	8.4/9.6/10.8	18
Down Air (Landing Hit)	6	1

Neutral Air

Bayonetta's neutral air is a quick move that can be held to make use of Bayonetta's bullet arts. It can be used to damage enemies from afar or edgeguard, and it can also be used as a safe landing option.

Forward Air

Bayonetta's forward air has three different hits when inputted successively, and is one of Bayonetta's essential tools to her aerial combos Its knockback isn't that great, but the first two hits can also be chained without the 3rd hit to try and carry enemies offstage and finish them off with her side special and other moves.

Back Air

Bayonetta's back air has somewhat slow startup, but it is powerful enough to KO opponents at higher percents. Just make sure to land the attack's sweet spot (Bayonetta's foot) to maximize its effects! Its range and low endlag make it a safe move to use on shield, and is one of her less risky options for closing out a stock.

Up Air

Bayonetta's up air is one of her main combo moves, being useful as both a combo extender and a combo finisher. It's a quick circular aerial attack that can be held to fire in all directions while spinning. Holding the attack button after using the attack to trigger her bullet arts is a great way to edgeguard offstage opponents, since Bayonetta will easily be able to recover.

Down Air

Down air is a dive attack with a meteor hitbox at the tip. It's dangerous to use offstage since it can lead to an SD, so only go for offstage spikes with this move if you are confident in using Bayo's recovery.

Specials

	1v1 Damage (%)	Startup Frames
Neutral Special (B)	1.62	17/22/32/37
Neutral Special (B, Max Charge)	3.24	42/47/57/62
Side Special (Ground, Dash Hit, Start Hit)	9.6	19
Side Special (Ground, Dash Hit, Midway Hit)	9	19
Side Special (Late Hit)	8.4	25
Side Special (2nd Hit)	6	51
Side Special (Aerial, Start Hit)	7.2	7
Side Special (Aerial, Rising Hit)	8.4	10
Side Special (Aerial, Late Hit)	7.2	15
Side Special (Aerial, Late Hit)	7.2	15
Side Special (Aerial, Late Hit)	7.2	15
Side Special (Landing Hit)	6	1
Up Special (↑ + B, Ground 1st Hit)	3.6	6
Up Special (↑ + B, Aerial 1st Hit)	2.4	6
Up Special (Tick Damage)	0.24	11/15/20
Up Special (Last Hit)	3.6	27
Down Special (↓ + B)	---	8

Neutral Special (Bullet Climax)

Bayonetta's Neutral special allows her to fire bullets from the guns on her hands and feet. You can charge the move by holding the special button down, and you can also repeatedly tap the button to unleash more bullets. The bullet's range, damage, and knockback increase if it's fully charged so you can use it to net off-stage kills after knocking an opponent off the stage with dash attack or forward smash.

Side Special (Heel Slide / After Burner Kick)

Bayonetta's side special has two forms, depending on whether it is used on the ground or in the air. On the ground, Bayonetta's side special can do a somersault kick forward, and when held, it will fire bullets and launch enemies in the air to start a combo. This is one of Bayonetta's main approach tools and combo starters, but beware that it is very unsafe on shield, so a shielded opponent can punish it with an out of shield option.

In the air, it's a move that can be used once, and then again when it hits the enemy. Both hits count towards the normal aerial side special and the downward side special (executed using ↓↘→ + B). Chain this move together with her up special and aerials to rack up damage. At high percents, the double After Burner Kick and forward aerial can KO.

The downward side special (↓↘→ + B) lets her kick toward the ground, which can also combo, but it has a lot of end lag if whiffed.

Up Special (Witch Twist)

Bayonetta's up special is a part of her bread and butter combos that she can use against opponents. It can be used once in the air and can be reset after jumping, which means you can use it a maximum of two times during an aerial combo.

It's also a good out of shield option because it's also one of her main combo starters and can thus, rack up damage. In addition to this, you can even cancel your 2nd jump by inputting the second up special by quickly using it before Bayonetta's double jump wings come out. Just beware that each time you use up special or side special, her landing lag is increased, leaving her very vulnerable when coming back to the ground.

Down Special (Witch Time)

Down Special is Bayonetta's counter move. Upon getting hit during the move's active hitbox, it will slow down the enemy greatly, which makes them vulnerable to combos and/or smash attacks. The duration of time slow gets longer the more damage your opponent has taken, and it gets shorter the more you use the move. It can be used to counter projectiles, though you will get much more use out of it when using it at close range.

Grab / Throws

	1v1 Damage (%)	Startup Frames
Pummel	0.78	1/4
Grab (Normal)	-	7
Dash Grab	-	10
Pivot Grab	-	11
Forward Throw (Hitbox) (← or → While Grabbing)	8.4	14
Forward Throw (Throw)	3.6	15
Back Throw (Hitbox) (← or → While Grabbing)	3.6	9
Back Throw (Throw)	5.4	10
Up Throw (Hitbox) (↑ While Grabbing)	3.6	9
Up Throw (Throw)	5.4	10
Down Throw (Hitbox) (↓ While Grabbing)	3.6	20
Down Throw (Throw)	6	21

Forward Throw

Bayonetta's forward throw knocks the enemy forward. It cannot be used for combos so only use it to throw enemies offstage. At very high percents, it can KO when used near the ledge.

Back Throw

Similar to her forward throw, Bayonetta's back throw can't be used for combos so only use it to knock enemies offstage.

Up Throw

Bayonetta's up throw deals low damage and it can't be used for combos, but it can be used to put opponents with poor disadvantage states into the air to try and juggle them.

Down Throw

Bayonetta's down throw can be comboed into her forward air. This is the most ideal throw to use at lower percents for racking up damage.

Final Smash

Attack	How to Use	Effect
Infernal Climax	Press B after obtaining the Smash Ball	Bayonetta puts her opponent in Witch Time, and attacks them repeatedly to fill a gauge, which summons Gomorrah. Can attack up to 3 opponents. Pressing the attack button repeatedly as the gauge is out increases damage.

Bayonetta Balance Changes

Version 12.0.0 Balance Patch

	Change
Flurry Attack to KO	Adjusted launch angle. Extended launch distance.
Down Smash Attack	Increased attack speed.
Down Special	Increased the amount of time the opponent gets slowed when used against a projectile.

Version 8.0.0 Balance Patch

	Change
Side Tilt Attack 3	Reduced vulnerability.
Up Tilt Attack	Increased attack speed. Made it easier to hit multiple times. Increased attack range of the last attack. Increased the amount of time hit detection lasts of the last attack.
Side Smash Attack	Extended launch distance. Increased the amount of time hit detection lasts.
Side Special	Reduced vulnerability when used on the ground. Reduced vulnerability when kicking upward.
Up Special	Shortened the distance an opponent can move with hitstun shuffling when repeatedly hit.
Final Smash	Shortened launch distance for fighters that did not get instantly KO'd after Gomorrah's attack hits. Adjusted launch angle for fighters that did not get instantly KO'd after Gomorrah's attack hits.

Version 7.0.0 Balance Patch

	Change
その他	シールドのサイズを大きくしました。

Version 4.0.0 Balance Patch

	Change
下空中攻撃	ふっとび中に攻撃を出したとき、すぐに落下するようにしました。

Version 3.1.0 Balance Patch

	Change
Neutral Attack 1	Increased the amount of time hit detection lasts.
Flurry Attack Finish	Extended launch distance.
Dash Attack	Extended launch distance for the high-damage range.
Up Tilt Attack	Made it easier to hit multiple times.
Down Smash Attack	Increased the amount of time hit detection lasts.
Side Special	Reduced vulnerability when landing.
Up Special	Reduced vulnerability when landing.
Down Special	Increased the amount of time counter detection lasts. Increased the amount of time Bat Within’s detection lasts. Increased the recovery speed of Witch Time's duration.

Version 3.0.0 Balance Patch

	Change
Neutral Special	Reduced the power against shields.

Version 2.0.0 Balance Patch

	Change
Neutral Air Attack	Shortened the amount of time you cannot grab edges after using the move.

How to Unlock Bayonetta

Unlocking Via Smash Mode
43rd Fighter Unlocked After unlocking Mega Man, 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 2 times using Mario.
Unlocking via World of Light
The Final Battle (After defeating the first Crazy Hand)

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

How to Unlock Characters Fast

Bayonetta Alt Costumes and Skins

Bayonetta 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