SSBM/Pikachu

Overview Combos Matchups Strategy Resources Discord

Edit Introduction

Pikachu is an electrifying character, in your face and moving at lightning speed. They're quick as a bolt, in the air or on the ground. With a strong kit, boasting quick startup, strong combo finishers, and one of the best recoveries in the game, they're a rat to remember. Where Pikachu struggles is their worse than average whiff punish, and subpar forward facing aerial disjoint. It's often hard for the electric mouse to outright beat an opponent spacing hitboxes around them.

Where Pikachu excels is their low profile, quick burst movement, strong frame data, and stellar defense. If you can't out prioritize an attack, Pikachu asks, why not go around? When playing within their opponent's blind spots and defensive gaps, you'll see how clever this Pokémon can be. If they're not applying pressure running around or flying across the stage, Pikachu can fall back on their disjointed tail to stuff opponents, setup combos, and secure big openings. Once an opening lands, Pikachu's powerful upsmash and decisive semispike uAir gimp spell disaster for their opponents at any percent.

If you wanna be a master, or a number one melee Pikachu main, you're gonna need to be crafty, quick, and resourceful. But more than that, Pikachu's great if you just wanna shock your opponent.

Strengths

Weaknesses

Low to the ground and hard to hit - Pikachu's deceptive hurtbox manipulation, shifty ECB, and quick movement all lend to a character which can be hard to consistently pin down for taller characters or characters with higher than average aerials. Edgeguards and gimps - With a disjointed semispike and a recovery that lets Pikachu go far offstage to secure a kill, gimps and edgeguards are a constant threat for anyone in reach of this rat. Resilient offstage - Quick attack is one of, if not the best recovery move in a vacuum. Although some characters might have overall recoveries on par with Pikachu's, their upB quick attack has an incredible amount of utility, and is at times impossible to cover consistently. Faster than the average mouse - Pikachu's short startup on aerials, low endlag on tilts, and better than average grounded and aerial movement allow them to maneuver in dangerous ways, especially when their opponent doesn't expect it. Versatile tail - Pikachu's uAir is easily a top tier move. It autocancels early, is able to catch opponents out of the air, create DI mixups, combo, edgeguard, space in neutral, approach, and is incredibly quick out of shield, slower than only a handful of options.

Stubby little arms - Pikachu's grab and nair, two essential pieces of their kit, are very underwhelming in terms of disjoint. To get through an opponent's defense often times a bait, specific timing callout, or very well spaced hitbox is required. Don't get grabbed - Due to Pikachu's lackluster forward facing disjoint, Pikachu often has to actively approach instead of walling out their opponent. Even minor miscalculations on an aerial can lead to whiff punishes, crouch cancel counters, or shield grabs from their opponent. The impetus is on Pikachu to place aerials at tricky timings and hard to cover positions. Weaker than average hits - Besides upsmash, many of Pikachu's essential combo moves have lower than average damage output, making them more susceptible to counter attacks and less rewarded for landing combos. Worse than average shield - Despite having two frame 6 get off me tools, Pikachu can sometimes struggle when shielding. At resting position their tail is open to hits in the back, this only grows worse as their shield depletes. Shield tilting helps, but leaves Pikachu more susceptible to getting poked if they misread an opponent's move choice.

Physics
Weight	80 (20th)
Fall Speed	1.9/Fast 2.7 (12th/9th)
Gravity	0.11 (8th)
Ground Movement
Walk Speed	1.24 (4th)
Initial Dash Speed	1.8 (3rd)
Initial Dash Length	13f (9th)
Run Speed	1.8 (3rd)
Traction	0.09 (5th)
Jumping
Jumpsquat	3f (1st)
Jump Height	Full 32.4/Short 14/Air 29.44 (13th/17th/19th)
Air Speed	0.85 (17th)
Air Acceleration	0.05 (17th)

Ground Moves

Jab

Headbutt
Jab (5A)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0

Dash Attack

Running Headbutt
d.A

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
The move ever

fTilt

Pika Kick
fTilt (t.6A)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
The move ever

uTilt

Tail Smack
uTilt (t.8A)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
The move ever

dTilt

Tail Sweep
dTilt (t.2A)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
The move ever

fSmash

Thundershock
fSmash (s.6A)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
The move ever

uSmash

Tail Somersault
uSmash (s.8A)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
The move ever

dSmash

Electric Flower
dSmash (s.2A)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
The move ever

Aerial Moves

nAir

Pika Roll
nAir (j.5A)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
The move ever

fAir

Electric Drill
fAir (j.6A)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
The move ever

bAir

Glider
bAir (j.4A)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
The move ever

uAir

Tail Chop
uAir (j.8A)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
The move ever

dAir

Electric Screw
dAir (j.2A)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
The move ever

Special Moves

Thunder Jolt

Thunder Jolt
nB (5B)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
The move ever

Skull Bash

Skull Bash
side[B] (4/[B])

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
The move ever

Quick Attack

Quick Attack
upB (8B)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
The move ever

Thunder

Thunder
downB (2B)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
The move ever

Grabs & Throws

Grab

Grab
Grab (Z)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
The move ever

Dash Grab

Dash Grab
d.Grab (d.Z)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
The move ever

Pummel

Pummel
g.A

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
The move ever

fThrow

Electrocution
fThrow (g.6)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
The move ever

bThrow

Submission
bThrow (g.4)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
The move ever

uThrow

Electric Skull
uThrow (g.8)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
The move ever

dThrow

Electric Slam
dThrow (g.2)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
The move ever

Advanced Frame Data

This table shows the frame data for all of Pikachu's non-special moves. Including shield advantage at different timings and cancels.

Shield Advantage

move	start	end	lcancelledLandingLag	autoCancelAfter	iasa	missedLcancelLandingLag	totalFrames	damage	shieldstun	bestShieldAdvantage	lcancelledShieldAdvantage	missedLcancelShieldAdvantage	earlyHitAutoCancelledShieldAdvantage	lateHitAutoCancelledShieldAdvantage	earlyHitIASACancelledShieldAdvantage	lateHitIASACancelledShieldAdvantage	earlyHitTotalFramesShieldAdvantage	lateHitTotalFramesShieldAdvantage
dtilt	7	9	N\A	N\A	19	N\A	21	7	5	-4	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-6	-4	-9	-7
dtilt	7	9	N\A	N\A	19	N\A	21	7	5	-4	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-6	-4	-9	-7
dtilt	7	9	N\A	N\A	19	N\A	21	7	5	-4	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-6	-4	-9	-7
uair	3	4	13	17	N\A	26	27	4	3	-10	-10	-23	-15	-14	N\A	N\A	-21	-20
uair	3	4	13	17	N\A	26	27	4	3	-10	-10	-23	-15	-14	N\A	N\A	-21	-20
uair	5	6	13	17	N\A	26	27	4	3	-10	-10	-23	-13	-12	N\A	N\A	-19	-18
uair	5	6	13	17	N\A	26	27	4	3	-10	-10	-23	-13	-12	N\A	N\A	-19	-18
uair	7	8	13	17	N\A	26	27	4	3	-10	-10	-23	-11	-10	N\A	N\A	-17	-16
uair	7	8	13	17	N\A	26	27	4	3	-10	-10	-23	-11	-10	N\A	N\A	-17	-16
ftilt_l	5	14	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	29	7	5	-10	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-19	-10
ftilt_l	5	14	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	29	7	5	-10	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-19	-10
ftilt_l	5	14	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	29	7	5	-10	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-19	-10
ftilt_h	5	14	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	29	9	6	-9	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-18	-9
ftilt_h	5	14	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	29	9	6	-9	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-18	-9
ftilt_h	5	14	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	29	9	6	-9	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-18	-9
dashattack	5	16	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	49	8	5	-28	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-39	-28
dashattack	5	16	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	49	8	5	-28	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-39	-28
dair	14	26	20	38	48	40	57	12	7	-9	-13	-33	-21	-9	-26	-14	-36	-24
dair	14	26	20	38	48	40	57	12	7	-9	-13	-33	-21	-9	-26	-14	-36	-24
bair	4	7	15	49	N\A	30	59	12	7	-8	-8	-23	-42	-39	N\A	N\A	-48	-45
bair	4	7	15	49	N\A	30	59	12	7	-8	-8	-23	-42	-39	N\A	N\A	-48	-45
bair	8	37	15	49	N\A	30	59	9	6	-9	-9	-24	-39	-10	N\A	N\A	-45	-16
bair	8	37	15	49	N\A	30	59	9	6	-9	-9	-24	-39	-10	N\A	N\A	-45	-16
usmash	8	10	N\A	N\A	41	N\A	43	19	10	-20	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-22	-20	-25	-23
usmash	8	10	N\A	N\A	41	N\A	43	18	10	-20	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-22	-20	-25	-23
usmash	8	10	N\A	N\A	41	N\A	43	17	9	-21	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-23	-21	-26	-24
usmash	11	13	N\A	N\A	41	N\A	43	13	7	-20	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-22	-20	-25	-23
usmash	11	13	N\A	N\A	41	N\A	43	13	7	-20	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-22	-20	-25	-23
usmash	11	13	N\A	N\A	41	N\A	43	13	7	-20	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-22	-20	-25	-23
usmash	14	17	N\A	N\A	41	N\A	43	7	5	-18	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-21	-18	-24	-21
usmash	14	17	N\A	N\A	41	N\A	43	7	5	-18	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-21	-18	-24	-21
usmash	14	17	N\A	N\A	41	N\A	43	7	5	-18	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-21	-18	-24	-21
jab1	2	3	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	21	2	2	-16	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-17	-16
jab1	2	3	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	21	2	2	-16	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-17	-16
ftilt_m	5	14	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	29	8	5	-10	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-19	-10
ftilt_m	5	14	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	29	8	5	-10	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-19	-10
ftilt_m	5	14	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	29	8	5	-10	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-19	-10
nair	3	10	7	34	N\A	15	39	12	7	0	0	-8	-28	-21	N\A	N\A	-29	-22
nair	3	10	7	34	N\A	15	39	12	7	0	0	-8	-28	-21	N\A	N\A	-29	-22
nair	3	10	7	34	N\A	15	39	12	7	0	0	-8	-28	-21	N\A	N\A	-29	-22
nair	11	28	7	34	N\A	15	39	9	6	-1	-1	-9	-21	-4	N\A	N\A	-22	-5
nair	11	28	7	34	N\A	15	39	9	6	-1	-1	-9	-21	-4	N\A	N\A	-22	-5
nair	11	28	7	34	N\A	15	39	9	6	-1	-1	-9	-21	-4	N\A	N\A	-22	-5
dsmash	7	8	N\A	N\A	51	N\A	54	2	2	-40	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-41	-40	-45	-44
dsmash	7	8	N\A	N\A	51	N\A	54	2	2	-40	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-41	-40	-45	-44
dsmash	7	8	N\A	N\A	51	N\A	54	2	2	-40	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-41	-40	-45	-44
dsmash	10	11	N\A	N\A	51	N\A	54	2	2	-37	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-38	-37	-42	-41
dsmash	10	11	N\A	N\A	51	N\A	54	2	2	-37	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-38	-37	-42	-41
dsmash	10	11	N\A	N\A	51	N\A	54	2	2	-37	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-38	-37	-42	-41
dsmash	13	14	N\A	N\A	51	N\A	54	2	2	-34	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-35	-34	-39	-38
dsmash	13	14	N\A	N\A	51	N\A	54	2	2	-34	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-35	-34	-39	-38
dsmash	13	14	N\A	N\A	51	N\A	54	2	2	-34	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-35	-34	-39	-38
dsmash	16	17	N\A	N\A	51	N\A	54	2	2	-31	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-32	-31	-36	-35
dsmash	16	17	N\A	N\A	51	N\A	54	2	2	-31	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-32	-31	-36	-35
dsmash	16	17	N\A	N\A	51	N\A	54	2	2	-31	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-32	-31	-36	-35
dsmash	19	20	N\A	N\A	51	N\A	54	2	2	-28	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-29	-28	-33	-32
dsmash	19	20	N\A	N\A	51	N\A	54	2	2	-28	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-29	-28	-33	-32
dsmash	19	20	N\A	N\A	51	N\A	54	2	2	-28	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-29	-28	-33	-32
dsmash	22	23	N\A	N\A	51	N\A	54	2	2	-25	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-26	-25	-30	-29
dsmash	22	23	N\A	N\A	51	N\A	54	2	2	-25	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-26	-25	-30	-29
dsmash	22	23	N\A	N\A	51	N\A	54	2	2	-25	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-26	-25	-30	-29
dsmash	25	26	N\A	N\A	51	N\A	54	2	2	-22	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-23	-22	-27	-26
dsmash	25	26	N\A	N\A	51	N\A	54	2	2	-22	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-23	-22	-27	-26
dsmash	25	26	N\A	N\A	51	N\A	54	2	2	-22	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-23	-22	-27	-26
dsmash	28	28	N\A	N\A	51	N\A	54	3	3	-19	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-19	-19	-23	-23
fsmash_m	16	18	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	49	21	11	-20	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-22	-20
fsmash_m	19	21	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	49	19	10	-18	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-20	-18
fsmash_m	19	21	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	49	19	10	-18	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-20	-18
fsmash_m	22	23	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	49	18	10	-16	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-17	-16
fsmash_m	22	23	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	49	18	10	-16	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-17	-16
fsmash_m	22	23	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	49	18	10	-16	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-17	-16
utilt	7	14	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	23	7	5	-4	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-11	-4
utilt	7	14	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	23	7	5	-4	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-11	-4
utilt	7	14	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	23	6	4	-5	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-12	-5
fair	10	12	10	37	N\A	20	39	2	2	-8	-8	-18	-29	-27	N\A	N\A	-27	-25
fair	10	12	10	37	N\A	20	39	2	2	-8	-8	-18	-29	-27	N\A	N\A	-27	-25
fair	14	16	10	37	N\A	20	39	2	2	-8	-8	-18	-25	-23	N\A	N\A	-23	-21
fair	14	16	10	37	N\A	20	39	2	2	-8	-8	-18	-25	-23	N\A	N\A	-23	-21
fair	18	20	10	37	N\A	20	39	2	2	-8	-8	-18	-21	-19	N\A	N\A	-19	-17
fair	18	20	10	37	N\A	20	39	2	2	-8	-8	-18	-21	-19	N\A	N\A	-19	-17
fair	22	24	10	37	N\A	20	39	2	2	-8	-8	-18	-17	-15	N\A	N\A	-15	-13
fair	22	24	10	37	N\A	20	39	2	2	-8	-8	-18	-17	-15	N\A	N\A	-15	-13
fair	26	28	10	37	N\A	20	39	2	2	-8	-8	-18	-13	-11	N\A	N\A	-11	-9
fair	26	28	10	37	N\A	20	39	2	2	-8	-8	-18	-13	-11	N\A	N\A	-11	-9