Our Official Smash Bros. Tier List

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If you’ve played Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, you’ll know the tier list and why it matters. If not, read the brief description of this Nintendo classic, now entering its seventh year, to understand what the fuss is about. For those players and lovers of the Ultimate release, our official Smash Bros. tier list of the best Smash characters follows after that.

What is Super Smash Bros. Ultimate?

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate takes all four preceding editions to a new level, with the fighter platform now supporting up to eight-player battles. Of course, you can still compete against a friend individually or go free-for-all against three others online or offline. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate takes fighting games to a whole new level with five solo modes, nine stadium modes, seven Versus modes and a host of other online modes. 

Characters are multiple in the phenomenally successful Nintendo Switch game, and you’ve welcomed Simon Belmont and King K. Rool, a popular and fast-growing beginner’s favorite, to the existing string of 87 other playable fighters. These also include third-party registered ones from some legendary past fighting games. The character rankings are why you’re here, so let’s see who tops our Official Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tier list.

S Tier

The S tier is the top tier in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, comprising the top five fighters according to increasing offline and online gameplay. 

1. Steve

Unsurprisingly, Steve from 2009’s Minecraft tops the S tier list, earning our official top ranking in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. With his block-placing and material-mining abilities, Steve has several beneficial qualities. He uses his massive piston to smash opponents into his TNT-filled stronghold, with detonation devastating to opposing life forces.

As a mechanics-heavy character, Steve might not be the most fun to use, but his ability to craft his weapons and tools from the materials he gathers makes him an indomitable force in the game. Remember, if you’re playing as Steve, you must have a crafting bench nearby to replace broken weapons. Without it, you have only a weak punch to fight opponents. Fortunately, Steve can teleport the crafting bench to his side, so you have great options.

As the top character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Steve will give you a monumental advantage if you use him correctly.

2. Pyra/Mythra

Although Pyra and Mythra are separate entities, the legendary combined Blade forms a single character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Originating in 2017’s Xenoblade Chronicles 2, the reckless and rude Mythra combines with sweet and soft-spoken Pyra to communicate psychically using their shared life force. 

As the player, you can control either Pyra or Mythra at any time, helping you escape hazardous situations with the touch of a button. This psychic connection affords you a distinct advantage over other players and makes this Blade character a successful combatant to use in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Pyra/Mythra is worthy of our number two ranking in the S tier.

3. Sonic the Hedgehog

In part due to the character’s feature film status, everybody knows Sonic, whether you’ve played Super Smash Bros. before or not. The Sega and Nintendo veteran returns to the arena in Ultimate after a break from Super Smash Bros. Sonic has the game’s fastest dashing speed, which is a primary benefit. After his wind box draws opponents in, Sonic uses many combos, with aerial tilt and special attacks often combined with further aerials, to take out enemies.

If you enjoy fast-moving, high-flying characters, you’ll enjoy controlling Sonic the Hedgehog. It takes more work to K.O. opponents, even with his Super Sonic final smash. With Sonic being so lightweight, you must avoid too many hits. This beloved character’s welcome return in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate sees Sonic occupy third place on the top tier.

4. Joker

Joker is an import from the PlayStation stable after debuting in the PS4 fighting game Persona 5 in 2016. He uses a gun, a knife and a grappling hook while fighting. The character also has the Rebellion Gauge, which, when full, summons his main persona, Arsene, to assist him for a short period.

If an enemy attacks your character, you’ll enjoy using Joker’s Rebel’s Guard. The life force gauge fills faster, and Joker removes his mask when full, automatically summoning Arsene, who assists in several ways. Without Arsene activated, Joker’s moves can be weaker than many, so using this character requires some clever gameplay. 

5. R.O.B.

The 2008 Super Smash Bros. Brawl veteran character returns to Nintendo in Ultimate, with some improvements from its Nintendo 3DS/Wii U days. R.O.B. now has a charging side smash, a new pummel and a down throw that buries its enemies. A fuel gauge assists when he performs his Robo Burner special attack and missiles target opponents while his final smash laser charges.

These improvements make R.O.B. a formidable opponent for all players. Its already heavy character and excellent vertical and horizontal recovery, combined with the new attributes, propel the robotic character into the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate S tier. 

A+ Tier

Our top-ranked Super Smash Bros. Ultimate characters take some beating. The A+ tier characters that make our official top 10 also deserve a quick mention.

• Cloud: Another veteran from the Nintendo 3DS/Wii U era, Cloud is a popular character among Super Smash Bros. gamers. Fast-moving and capable at wall jumping, Cloud has a Buster Sword that affords him long ranges in many attacks.
• Fox: This Ultimate starter character is incredibly fast-moving with a small blaster and reflector to help its defense. Fox originated in Nintendo Japan’s Star Fox series.
• Pikachu: The beloved Pokémon series character is another Super Smash Bros. Ultimate starter fighter. Something of a Super Smash Bros. veteran, she is one of the current game’s lightest characters, relying on speed and size to gain advantages.
• Kazuya: After Pac-Man, Kazuya Mishima is the second character enlisted from the Bandai Namco developer’s stable and a Tekken fighting game series stalwart. He continues his bloodline feud in Tekken 8. The character retains most of the signature moves from Tekken, with his Devil Gene briefly transforming him into Devil Kazuya for smash attacks and special moves.
• Snake: With a heavy weight and some dynamic moves, this Super Smash Bros. old-timer can adapt to most fighting situations, with a strong zoning and camping game, thanks to his numerous projectiles. A warning, though — he doesn’t last well against C4.

Another 11 fighters also make our A+ Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tier, so there’s an ongoing competition to see who makes the top 10 next time out. 

Great Action Encourages Awesome Gameplay

With so many phenomenal characters to choose from in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, your chance to move your chosen fighter through the ranks to one of the top tiers is challenging. That’s a massive part of gaming, though, so enjoy the action that lies ahead!