Joker Guide: Matchup Chart and Combos

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

Joker Tier and Overview

Stats and General Info

Joker
Game Series	Persona
Smash Bros. Debut	DLC
Fighter Number	71
Unlock Order	Fighter Pass 1
Number of Jumps	2
Weight	93 Units (52/87)
Dash Speed	2.06 (18/87)
Air Speed	1.1 (37/87)
Fast Fall Speed	3.097 (4/87)
Special Attributes	Tether, Wall Jump

Tier List Placement

Tier

A speedy combo heavy character with a powerful comeback mechanic

Joker is a combo oriented character who can use his side special to poke at opponents, then attack them up close with one of his many combo starters to deal good damage. His fast frame data and high mobility allows for a variety of ways to damage the opponent. Joker's unique mechanic is his Persona, which will trigger after he takes enough damage. When Arsene comes out, the damage and knockback on all of his attacks is significantly increased, so he can use this to finish off an opponent.

Joker's main weakness is in his reliance on Arsene to KO, as he will struggle to do so without him, aside from edgeguarding. When Arsene is out, Joker's recovery will change as well, and his Persona recovery is much easier to edgeguard than his normal one. Joker also has very few good out of shield options other than back air, so it is hard for him to punish many well spaced safe moves than hit his shield. Management of Arsene is crucial to Joker's play, so be sure and find an opening on an opponent while Arsene is out!

See Our Tier List Here!

Joker's Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths	・Very low lag on most attacks ・Several good combo starters (Forward Aerial, Back Aerial, Down Aerial, Grab) ・Super armor on down B, which doubles as a quick counter with Arsene ・Good recovery ・Two projectiles (neutral and side B) ・Extremely powerful with Arsene
Weaknesses	・Struggles to KO without Arsene ・Recovery is exploitable when Arsene is out (Lack of hitbox) ・Lack of good Out of Shield options.

Joker 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 Joker.
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 Joker

Jokers fast frame data, edgeguarding ability, and powerful KO potential when Arsene is out gives him a great matchup on most of the cast. Big bodies like King K Rool or Bowser are combo fodder for Joker, so his advantage state gives him a great matchup against them. His fast frame data and decent range also means that he can pressure characters who lack good range themselves and fast oos options.

Joker Counters

With one of the best matchup spreads in the game, Joker only has a few matchups that could be considered unfavorable. Of them, fast characters like Pikachu or Sonic are able to get in easily to rack up damage, with the added ability of being able to run away and play more defensively when Arsene is out. Characters who are both fast and combo heavy such as these pose a threat to Joker, since they are hard for him to catch, and can eat away his Arsene meter extremely fast with one or two good combos.

How to Beat Joker

Dealing with Arsene

The most important thing about this matchup is learning how to deal with Arsene, which will happen at least once per stock. Preventing him from getting Arsene out a second time is a goal you should keep in mind every stock, and since he is so light, it should be manageable, as long as you don't mindlessly attack rebels guard or miss your confirms.

When Joker does have Arsene out, it is important to play safe, and not to overcommit to anythng. One potential method of dealing with Arsene is to try playing campy, by running away and using projectles from a safe distance. While this is sometimes effective, many Jokers anticipate this, and his high mobility won't make it too hard to get to you and damage you for it.

Even if you aren't going to try camping, you should at least be safe in your approaches. Since hitting Joker while he has Arsene out depletes the Arsene meter, you should capitalize on any opportunity you get on him by trying to land your combos on him (note: Joker's thin body frame can sometimes be hard to combo, so it's a good idea to practice on him in training mode). Joker doesn't have the best options for combo breaking in disadvantage, so always try to go for the full combo. If the player has a tendency to spam Down B to try and get out, wait for the move's intangibility to end and then begin another combo or punish him.

Pressure his shield

Joker doesn't have very great out of shield options, so there is not a lot he can do against safe pressure on his shield. His quickest options are all 10 frames at best, so if your attacks are spaced properly, he usually won't be able to counterattack you for them. Keep a close eye on the way the opponent reacts when you are pressuring their shield, and try to punish them for it.

Edgeguarding

Joker has two recoveries, depending on whether or not he has Arsene out. If he does have Arsene out, he is not too hard to edgeguard, as the move lacks a hitbox (it is invulnerable to attacks in the very beginning, however). If you have a move that can 2-Frame, then you will definitely want to try and go for this every time. Another option is to try and hit him with a downward facing move before he reaches the ledge. If you grab the ledge beforehand, drop down when you see him using the move and him him with a downward aerial, or a move your character has that could hit him.

Watch out for his Down B

Rebel's guard is very quick, coming out at frame 3, and allowing Joker to tank attacks to build up his Arsene meter. Many Jokers like to go for this move a lot, especially in disadvantage. Be sure not to attack when it is out, and instead go for a grab, making sure to capitalize on it as best you can. Instead of a grab, you can also charge a smash and hard punish him as soon as the move ends (or even use a combo starter to put him back in disadvantage and repeat).

When Arsene is out, Down B becomes a powerful frame 4 counter / reflector, but the same basic principle applies. If you see him using it in disadvantage, wait for the move to end and punish him for it.

Joker Combos and How to Use

Usage Guide

The following video guide was made by DKBill, a Smash Bros. veteran with years of experience in the scene, and tons of tournaments under his belt. If you enjoy his video, be sure and check out the rest of his Youtube content and give him a like and subscribe!

Combo Chart

Bread and Butter Combos
Down Tilt→Up Tilt→Up Air
Down Tilt→Up Air→Up Air
Down Throw→Fair
Up Throw→Up Air
Fair→Up Tilt→Up Air
Fair→Fair
Fair→Up Air→Up Special→Fair
Fair→Up Smash
Bair→Dash Attack
Dair→Up Tilt→Up Air

Grounded Combos Guide

Aerial Combos Guide

Joker Moveset

Ground Attacks

Attack Name	Command Input	Features
Jab (Neutral Attack)	A	Stabs a knife three times.
Forward Tilt	← or → + A	Stabs the knife twice in quick succession.
Up Tilt	↑ + A	Throws the knife upwards. The knife stays in the air for a short period of time.
Down Tilt	↓ + A	Slides forward.
Dash Attack	Dash + A	Kicks twice while moving forward.
Forward Smash	Smash ← or → + A	Swings the knife downwards infront of him.
Up Smash	Smash ↑ + A	Jumps upward while he swings the knife vertically.
Down Smash	Smash ↓ + A	Swings the knife downwards once infront and once backwards.

Tilt Attack

Joker's neutral attack is a weak but fast move. Mainly use it for a quick damage if you're near the enemy.

Forward Tilt

Joker's Forward tilt has a fast start up frames and range. Due to it's range, it can be a great tool for ledge trapping and its range also makes it great against enemies of any size.

Up Tilt

Joker's Up Air has a great start up frame. Upon hitting the enemy, the dagger will hit the enemy again while it is in mid-air. Beware though as this move can be punished easily on shield.

Down Tilt

Joker's Down Tilt is a great attack to catch unaware enemies. It's quick and launches enemies upward which also makes it a great combo starter.

Dash Attack

Joker's dash attack has a great reach and start up frame. Use it to punish enemies that use moves with a huge end lag from a distance.

Forward Smash

Joker's Forward Smash has a strong knockback and excellent range. Use it against enemies that are recovering from the Ledge or against enemies that fail to tech their fall.

Up Smash

A fast move that can be used to combo together with his forward air's first hit.

Down Smash

A standard but fast Down Smash that hits both his front and back side. Use it against enemies that use sidesteps carelessly or against enemies that attempts to roll from the Ledge.

Aerials

Attack Type	Command Input All inputs are while in the air	Features
Neutral Air	A	Does a circular motion while attacking with the knife.
Up Air	↑ ＋ A	Performs a rotating kick upwards.
Forward Air	← or → + A	Kicks twice in quick succession
Back Air	← or → + A	Slashes the knife backwards with a huge motion
Down Air	In the air ↓ + A	Flips in the air then performs a downward slash.

Neutral Air

Joker's neutral air can be used for quick and safe damage as its animation makes Joker safe from all angles due to its circular motion that covers his body.

Up Air

Joker's Up Air is a fast attack that can be used to chase and combo against enemies in the air. It can also be use as a drag down for further combos if you fast fall to cancel before the final hit.

Forward Air

Joker's Forward Air is fast and is a great combo tool against low percentages. Its second hit can also be cancelled by fast falling for more combo options.

Back Air

A fast and great kill option against enemies with a high percentage. Its backswing motion also has a huge hitbox so it's a great move to use both for damaging enemies and getting a stock.

Down Air

Among Joker's moves, Down Air is the slowest and hardest one to use. However, when Arsene is summoned, the move gains a meteor effect, which can spike enemies downward for a surprise kill.

Special Moves

Attack Type	Command Input	Effect
Neutral Special	B	Gun
Side Special	← or → + B	Eiha / Eigaon
Up Special	↑ + B	Grappling Hook
Down Special	↓ + B	Rebel's Guard

Joker's Specials with Arsene

Move	Features
Neutral Special	Fires three times in one shot.
Up Special	Dashes upwards with a slight invulnerability during the start of his flight.
Side Special	A blast will appear upon Eigaon's contact (whether it's on the ground or against enemies)
Down Special	Counters melee moves and reflects projectiles.

Joker summons Arsene when the Rebellion Gauge is full. When Arsene is summoned, several of Joker's move gets an upgrade and more damage is dealt by his tilt attacks.

Neutral Special

Joker's Neutral Special Move is the Gun. Press and Hold the button or hit it repeatedly to continuously fire. In addition to it being a projectile, Joker can move while shooting. It can also fire downwards while in the air to prevent enemies from recovering.

Up Special

Joker's Grappling hook is his main recovery tool when off stage. It can also be used to pull down enemies from a high place for a combo. It completely gets replaced by Rebellion Wing when Arsene is out for a much easier to use recovery tool.

Side Special

Joker's Side Special, Eiha, is a slow projectile that deals damage over time against opponents hit. When Arsene is summoned, it summons a burst of flame that deals high damage against enemies and launches them upward.

Down Special

Down Special is Rebel's guard, a counter move that instead of damaging the enemies, allows Joker to tank attacks with super armor to fill up Joker's Rebellion Gauge. When Arsene is summoned, it turns to Makarakarn/Tetrakarn, an extremely fast counter which repels melee attacks and damages them immediately, or reflects projectiles back against the enemies.

Grabs and Throws

Attack Type	Command Input While Grabbing Enemies	Features
Forward Throw	← or →	Throws Forward
Back Throw	← or → (opposite of where your character's facing)	Slams an opponent on the ground
Up Throw	↑	Throws Upward
Down Throw	↓	Throws Downward

Forward Throw

Joker's Forward Throw is a simple throw that throws enemies forward. It can't be used as a combo tool so just use it against enemies to throw them offstage.

Back Throw

Similar to Joker's Forward Throw, Joker's Back Throw can't be used for combos. Use it to throw enemies offstage. When at the edge of the stage, it can also be used as a kill option against opponents at high percents.

Up Throw

Joker's up throw launches enemies upwards. It can be connected with Joker's aerial moves so use it to rack up damage, and is a great KO option when Arsene is out.

Down Throw

Joker's Down Throw is his best combo starter out of his throws. Down Throw can easily be followed up with a Forward Air for a decent amount of damage.

Final Smash

Joker's Final Smash, All Out Attack, is a recurring move in Persona 5. It's an attack that is used together with the other members of the Phantom Thief. If the attack does not connect. If you win the game using his Final Smash, a different animation will play which is similar to Persona 5's All Out Attack Victory animation.

Joker Balance Changes

Version 13.0.0 Balance Patch

	Change
Final Smash	Shortened the downtime after finishing the Final Smash.

Version 11.0.0 Balance Patch

	Change
Side Special	Increased end lag for Eiha.
Down Special	Increased end lag when Arsene is present and the counter misses.

Version 7.0.0 Balance Patch

	Change
Neutral Special	Reduced the range when shooting downward in the air.
Other	Reduced the amount of time Arsene is summoned for when receiving damage while Arsene is summoned in battles with two or fewer opponents.

Version 4.0.0 Balance Patch

	Change
Down Special	While Arsene is summoned, projectiles that deal 50% or more damage cannot be reflected.

Version 3.1.0 Balance Patch

	Change
Side Special	Made it easier to hit multiple times with Eigaon.

How to Get Joker

Purchase Via the Fighter's Pass

Joker is included with the Fighter's Pass, which can be purchased from the Nintendo eShop for $24.99 USD ($31.49 CD). The Fighter's Pass includes a total of five additional DLC characters (including Joker), so be sure and purchase it if you want to have all characters.

Purchase Individually For $5.99 USD

If you just want Joker, you can purchase him individually by getting the Challenger Pack 1. It will cost $5.99 USD ($7.55 CA).

Buying Joker also includes the Mementos stage

If you purchase Joker via the Fighter's Pass or Challenger Pack, you will also gain access to a new stage: Mementos.

Joker Alt Costumes and Skins

Joker Reveal Trailer

Reveal Trailer

In-Depth look

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